Deep South Dining

Deep South Dining is all about the culture of southern flavor. Defined by dishes like grits, catfish, and fried chicken many people would not place cheesecake among the greats of southern culinary heritage. Pastry chef Shaun Davis of Cotton Blues Kitchen & Marketplace is trying to change that with his cheesecakes that are Mississippi inspired and New York Approved. He joins the show and talks about the latest with the Cotton Blues Cheesecake but not before Malcolm and Carol go down the pumpkin spice rabbit hole.Show Links Cotton Blues Kitchen and MarketplaceGoldbelly.comCulinary School HacksCandy Corn Cookies (Courtesy of Fresh Tastes)Ingredients2 sticks butter, softened1.5 cups powdered sugar1 tbsp vanilla extract1 egg½ tsp baking soda½ tsp salt3 cups flourred food coloringyellow food coloringDirectionsCream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat until incorporated.In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to the butter sugar mixture and mix until a soft dough just forms.Remove dough from mixer bowl and separate into three equal pieces (use a food scale to weigh each piece if you want to be exact!). Mix together a little bit of red and yellow food coloring to make orange and then add the orange coloring to one of the dough pieces. Make another dough piece yellow and leave the third plain.Place a piece of plastic wrap or tin foil inside a loaf pan and pat down the white dough inside. Place the orange dough on top (pat down firmly) followed by the yellow dough. Remove dough from pan, wrap up in either tin foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least four hours.When you are ready to bake your cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut 1/4th inch slices down the width of the dough. Continue cutting each slice into small triangles.Place triangles on a lined baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes until tops are puffy and bottoms are golden.Yield: 5 dozen tiny cookies

For this special "Drive Time" edition of Deep South Dining Malcolm and Carol share the details of their Fine Tuning magazine cover shoot and respond to listener emails. To show your support for Deep South Dining and MPB Think Radio visit our website, MPBonline.org or call 1-888-372-4483.

Chef Nick Wallace is one of our favorite guest here on Deep South Dining. Not only does his Mississippi roots shine in the food he prepares but his genuine caring for people can be summed up as true southern hospitality. Today Malcolm and Carol catch up with Nick about his latest partnerships with Dole and Nova Nordik that keep uplifting his mission of access to healthy meals for children and families. Also they talk about his latest restaurant endeavours in Natchez and how the pandemic really took a toll on his mental health. But before the conversation with Nick Wallace, Carol brings you into her kitchen where she and Malcolm prepared a special lunch for the Mississippi Arts Commission virtual conference.Show LinksArts Now - State Arts Conference- Lunch with Carol Puckett and Malcolm WhiteNIck Wallace Culinary PECORINO CHEESE ENCRUSTED CATFISH (from NickWallaceCulinary.com)INGREDIENTS 4-pound catfish fillets 1 cup Panko bread crumbs 2 tablespoons grated pecorino cheese 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano and basil 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon coarse or ground black pepper 2 large eggs beaten 1/4 cup whole milk Nonstick Spray INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grab a shallow pan, sheet pan Coat the inside of the baking pan with nonstick pan spray. In a pie pan or shallow dish, mix the breadcrumbs, cheese, spices, salt and pepper; set it aside. In another pan or dish, combine the egg and the milk. Dip each fish fillet in the milk mixture. Coat each fish in the crumb mixture on both sides. Arrange the fillets in one layer in the baking pan. Bake them for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork, or the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 145°F with a food thermometer.

On this edition of Deep South Dining Malcolm and Carol spend some time with our friends on the Mississippi coast. Jessie Zenor from the Greenhouse on Porter joins the show to talk about their simple yet interesting approach to biscuit making and why opening a second location during the pandemic was not the smartest thing to do. Also food writer and photographer Julian Brunt calls in to talk about the always tasty coastal food scene and the impressive amount of restaurants opening up during these uncertain times.Greenhouse on Porter Biscuit RecipeIngredients:2 cups all purpose flour1 tbsp baking powder¾ tsp salt½ tsp black pepper1 stick cold butter1 cup full fat buttermilkDirections:Preheat oven to 425 degrees.In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt & pepper.Chop cold stick of butter into half inch cubes. Using your fingers, squish the butter into the flour mixture until the largest pieces are about the size of peas.Stir in the buttermilk, mixing only until the dough comes together, careful to not overwork the biscuit dough.Dump the dough onto a floured surface and roughly shape into a square about an inch thick. Cut into 9 pieces.Place biscuits on a parchment lined pan and bake about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.Serve with any topping you can dream up!

Football is back in Mississippi, but the pregame ritual of tailgating will be everything but traditional this year. Yet the one constant is that a good game deserves good food. Oxford based chef John Currence wants to make sure your home tailgate this year is just as delicious and festive with his latest cookbook, Tailgreat: How To Crush It At Tailgating. He joins the show and talks about how he never experienced tailgating in his hometown of New Orleans, the evolution of the Grove, and how he has managed during the COVID pandemic. Also Carol celebrated Malcolm on his retirement from the Mississippi Arts Commision.Alabama Firecrackers and Fried Chicken Salad(from Tailgreat: How To Crush It At Tailgating by John Currence)ALABAMA FIRECRACKERSIngredients ¼ cup olive oil¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil*1½ tsp. garlic powder1 tsp. onion powder1 tsp. MSG, such as Accent1 tsp. cayenne pepper2 tbsp. red pepper flakes1 tbsp. lemon pepper2 (1-oz.) packages buttermilk ranch dressing powder1 (1-lb.) box saltine-like (aka soda) crackers*For more spice, substitute 1 to 2 tbsp. chili oil instead of olive oilDirectionsIn a 2-gallon freezer bag, combine the olive oils, garlic powder, onion powder, MSG, cayenne, red pepper flakes, lemon pepper, and ranch dressing powder. Seal the top and shake gently but thoroughly to combine well. Add the crackers to the bag and mix until the crackers are evenly dressed. Allow the bag to sit in the refrigerator overnight before finishing the crackers.Preheat oven to 275°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.Remove the crackers from the bag and lay them out in a single layer on the prepared sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and fragrant. Store, refrigerated, in zip-top bags for up to 3 weeks.FRIED CHICKEN SALADIngredients1½ cups mayonnaise, preferably Blue Plate½ cup buttermilk2 tbsp. hot sauce, preferably Crystal1 cup minced celery¾ cup grated sweet yellow onion1 tbsp. red pepper flakes2½ tsp. salt1½ tbsp. black pepper7 cups finely diced leftover fried chicken, including the skin and fried bitsDirectionsIn a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, hot sauce, celery, onion, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper, stirring to blend well. Add in the chicken and stir until fully coated. Refrigerate overnight. Serve cold with the Alabama firecrackers.

More than just a place to eat, local restaurants are gathering places for friends and a vital business for the local economy.Today Malcolm and Carol talk with restaurant owner Jeff Good about the affect COVID-19 had on hid business and the way he managing these uncertain times.Also with the fall season making its arrival Felder Rushing (The Gestalt Gardener) joins the show to talk about your fall vegetable garden.Let’s eat y'all! Persimmon Pudding(as mentioned by Carol during the show)INGREDIENTS4tablespoons/56 grams butter, melted, plus more for the dish5Fuyu persimmons (about 2 1/4 pounds), trimmed and chopped2eggs, beaten2cups/400 grams sugar1teaspoon/8 grams baking soda1cup/240 milliliters buttermilk1 ½cups/190 grams all-purpose flour2 ½teaspoons/12 grams baking powder1cup/240 milliliters heavy cream¼teaspoon/ 1 1/2 grams salt½teaspoon/3 milliliters vanilla extractDash of cinnamonPREPARATIONHeat oven to 325 degrees and butter a 2-quart baking dish. Purée persimmons in a food processor or blender until smooth. Strain pulp through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, using the back of a spoon or a spatula to push purée through. Measure out 2 cups of pulp (discard remaining pulp).Combine eggs, sugar and persimmon pulp in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed. Stir baking soda into buttermilk, then add to persimmon mixture and beat to combine.In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Beat flour mixture into persimmon mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the cream, beginning and ending with the flour.Stir in melted butter, salt, vanilla and cinnamon. Transfer batter to prepared dish and bake until pudding is set, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.Link: http://nyti.ms/1tb0EGa

Most people, if asked, have one person in their social circle that can be counted for good barbecue. And they are probably known as the "BBQ Guy". But on Deep South Dining we have our resident "BBQ Girl", Trudy Fisher! Always at the ready for a good grilling conversation Trudy joins Malcolm and Carol for a discussion about good 'Que and the sauce that brings it home. With many styles and variations BBQ sauce has something for everyone. Even dry rub for those that do not want wet meat. Let's eat y'all! TruQue BBQ SauceIngredients • 1 oz unsalted butter• 1/2 large sweet onion, finely chopped• 1 tsp black pepper• 2 tsp kosher salt• 2 minced garlic cloves• 2 cup tomato sauce• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar• 1/3 cup molasses• 3 Tbs yellow mustard• 2 Tbs Worcestershire• 2 Tbs light brown sugar• 1 Tbs Crystal hot sauceDirectionsMelt butter and add pepper and 1 tsp of the salt.Add onions, then garlic and cook for 1 minute.Stir in tomato sauce, vinegar, molasses, mustard,and sugar and transfer to a blender.Add remainingsalt and hot sauce and pulse until smooth.

On this edition of Deep South Dining Malcolm and Carol remember and highlight one of the great writers and cultural ambassadors of the South, Julia Reed. On Friday, August 28 she died at the age of 59. A tireless spokesperson for the South and especially her hometown of Greenville, Julia was the embodiment of Deep South Dining.From Garden & Gun MagazineIn Memoriam: Julia Evans Reed, 1960–2020 by John Meacham

A touch of this and a splash of that is all it took for this episode of Deep South Dining to get cooking. First Malcolm and Carol chat about some current food headlines from Mississippi and around the country. Then they send condolences to a pair of local restaurant scene favorites that left a great impact in the industry. Next they ponder on the distinction of jelly covered lamb chops and take a call from Chef Tom Ramsey about the not so easy New Orleans restaurant scene. Let's eat y'all! Base Brine Recipe for Peppers (as stated in this episode by Chef Tom Ramsey)Ingredients:1 Cup very hot water6 Tsp sugar1 Tsp salt1 Cup cider vinegarDirections:Dissolve sugar and salt inside cup of hot water.Add cider vinegar to new mixture.Add choice of herbs: dill, garlic, fennel, coriander, etc.