EMMY WINNER LARA LYN CARTER HEADS TO CANADA

Golden Girl's Media Cooking Tour

Toronto-It’s not just the peaches that the State of Georgia is known for, but Emmy-award winning TV host and Chef Lara Lyn Carter. Known as Georgia’s Golden Girl, this sweet and savory, and sophisticated, Southern Chef is Georgia’s go-to authority for all things southern cookin’. For one week this month-November14th-19th-she’ll be sharing some of her southern specialties with Canadians as she embarks on her first and very historic Canadian Media Tour.

Lara Lyn with Guy Fieri at South Beach

Bringing Southern elegance and charm to the modern kitchen, Chef Lara Lyn will be sharing her unique recipes, marrying good ole southern cooking with wine, whiskey and bourbon pairings. Just don’t ask her to serve anything in a mason jar!

On the heels of receiving her first Emmy-award this spring for her syndicated television show Thyme For Sharing, and riding the success of her popular cookbook, Southern Thymes Shared, Lara Lyn’s Canadian visit will be just in time for fall’s cool temperatures; she’ll be sharing her favorite comfort foods to warm your belly while teaching how folks down South create a welcoming atmosphere for friends and family. They call it southern charm for a reason.

Taking a break from entertaining dignitaries, and demonstrating her cooking secrets from coast to coast at food and wine festivals—including the Telluride Wine and Food Festival in Colorado and the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Miami—Chef Lara Lyn will be showcasing her culinary skills live on Toronto’s #1 Breakfast Show, Breakfast Television; on CTV’s News at Noon in Kitchener-Waterloo; and on CP24’s Breakfast Show. She will also be hosting a 30-minute Facebook LIVE segment with Diply—the #1 Viral video platform, then recording some new foodie videos for their Delicious by Diply series. More media appearances will be announced.

Some of the southern-style contemporary meals she’ll be creating are: Blue cheese and Fig Cheesecake, Bourbon Chocolate Bread Pudding , Cornbread Salad, Grilled Catfish with Sweet and Spicy Tartar Sauce, Southern Pear and Pecan Salad, Pimento Cheese grits, Bacon Brittle, Whiskey Bites, Southern Tiramisu (an Italian-Southern Fusion) and of course, the traditional favorite Shrimp and Grits.

Chef Lara Lyn’s passion for cooking and the use of sustainable, local products has led her to guest teach local culinary students and to launch a recipe development competition using local products for the culinary students at the request of the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

More Information: Rania Walker, rania@frontdoorpr.com. (416) 258.8953

Tailgating Down South: The Year of Grilling Dangerously Part IV

 Dog Island Grouper Burgers

By Doc Lawrence

Chef Joshua Butler

TALLAHASSEE-Legend has it that this city gave birth to hushpuppies, that fried cornmeal delicacy that accompanies seafood in the Deep South. Florida's capital city is built on rolling hills, with nearby plantations like Ted Turner's Avalon and majestic Pebble Hill. . The Gulf of Mexico is but a few mile south and Wakulla Springs still fascinates visitors with its crystal pure water and Hollywood connections beginning with the first Tarzan movies.

Old South. charm is omnipresent. The living is easy, the locals are friendly and generous and if you look for certain things, the diverse culinary heritage manifests: Native American, African-American, Spanish, Cracker, French all blended in food so truly American.

Dog Island Grouper Butler

The masses gathered here on a lovely autumn Saturday for football. I came for the food and good things to drink. Walking the parking lots outside Doak Campbell Stadium is a tour de force of everything imaginable with meat, fowl and seafood. Fresh, flavorful oysters are abundant. Barbecue has deep roots in the region. Game is standard tailgating fare. Grills, tents and table literally sit on the 500 year-old Spanish Trace, the first and oldest trading road in the New World connecting St. Augustine with New Orleans.  A brief visit to nearby Mission San Luis-a fully restored archeological marvel confirms wine cellars where Conquistadors and monks brought wines from Spain, the antecedents of Riojo we drink today.

There are recipe treasures galore here. The area is rich in muscadines, mayhaw, Pindo Palms, swamp cabbage and St. Augustine’s Datil peppers, a cultural treasue that finds its way into fiery sauces that do wonders for everything from Bloody Mary’s to gumbo.

Chef Joshua Butler got his start here preparing original wonders for three Florida governors. After cooking for presidents and first ladies, Hollywood stars and members of royal families, he relocated in Atlanta and worked stints with movie mogul Tyler Perry and country rocker Zac Brown. Joshua's tailgating recipes are new interpretations of Southern classics.

DOG ISLAND GROUPER BURGER

                Chef Joshua Butler

 1-pound fresh Florida grouper fillet, rough chopped

1/2 pound fresh Florida peeled and deveined shrimp

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/4 cup celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs

1 tsp Whole grain mustard

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 egg, beaten

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

4 Whole grain, freshly baked buns

Florida Slaw, see recipe.

Tallahassee Tartar Sauce, see recipe

Add the shrimp to a food processor and pulse until it forms a paste. Roughly chop the

grouper into pieces the size of a dime.

In a large bowl, combine the chopped Grouper, Shrimp paste, salt, pepper, onion, bell

pepper, breadcrumbs, egg, mustard, and mayonnaise and fold gently to distribute the

ingredients evenly. Divide the meat into four equal sections. Shape each portion into a

patty. Cover the patties with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Cook the burgers for

4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 150°F. Place the cooked

burgers on top of the whole grain rolls, then top with Florida slaw and Tartar

sauce.

TALLAHASSEE TARTAR SAUCE

            Chef Joshua Butler

1-cup low fat mayonnaise

1 cup Greek style yogurt

3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

1 teaspoon finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup fresh basil, leaves picked off of stems

1 cup fresh cilantro, leaves picked off of stems

1-cup fresh Mexican tarragon, leaves picked off the stem

1 cup fresh baby spinach, stems removed

1 teaspoon capers, drained and chopped

1 teaspoon chopped cornichon or dill pickle

1-teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste

In a food processor or blender, add the fresh herbs, spinach and lemon juice, then

puree. Add the mayo and yogurt and puree to incorporate the herbs. Pour this mixture

into a bowl and fold in the remaining ingredients. Season with salt, pepper, and

cayenne. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

FLORIDA SLAW

   Chef Joshua Butler

1/2 head Napa style cabbage

2 carrots peeled and grated

1 small sweet onion, sliced

2 pink grapefruits, sectioned

2 tangerines, peeled and sectioned

2 tablespoons key lime juice

4 teaspoons raw Florida sugar

4 teaspoons Greek style yogurt

1-tablespoon fruity olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Place the vegetables in a mixing bowl and toss with olive oil. With a serrated knife, peel

the grapefruits and tangerines and cut out the segments removing the white pith. Cut the

sections into bite size pieces then add to the cabbage mixture. Mix the lime juice and the

sugar together until dissolved. Add the Yogurt and toss well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

WINE 

King Estate 2015 Pinot Gris from Oregon's acclaimed Willamette Valley scores big with Chef Butler's blend of flavors and textures. This is a wine that satisfies like it was specially crafted for sophisticated tailgating in any part of the country.

Tennessee Smoke

 JACK DANIEL’S INTERNATIONAL BARBECUE COMPETITION

                                

By Doc Lawrence

LYNCHBURG, TN- “This is the Master’s of barbecue,” observes Gary Prater, the renowned Tennessee restaurateur and fellow judge at the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Barbecue. His comparison to golf’s most prestigious competition was on point. Here, beside the historic Jack Daniel’s Distillery, teams from across the country and around the world will light the coals and fan the flames going head to head in an intense battle of smoking, seasoning and searing.

There’s only one Grand Champion and the winning team claims a fat check and a priceless trophy, barbecue’s counterpart to golf’s Green Jacket.

On this Tennessee Saturday, the 28^th year of this event, 96 teams of champions the world over will gather in Jack Daniel's Hollow beside the renowned distillery to compete for big cash prizes based on barbecue excellence. For the past decade I have served as a judge at the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, Tennessee alongside some of the biggest names in food, spirits, music and media to determine the planet’s best of the best barbecue.

You get a taste of Lynchburg, see the international teams parade and enjoy some of the finest barbecue in the world. Award-winning teams from around the planet compete for the coveted title of Grand Champion in seven categories: chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder/butts, beef brisket, desserts and sauce.

The experience affirms that barbecue is America’s most popular food style, solid bedrock of our culinary heritage. The reasons are apparent. Barbecue requires only food grown and produced here. It has venerable roots and while there have been changes (grills come to mind), the finished dish remains pretty much unchanged.

Taste preferences vary from geographical region, but not as much as one might imagine. The constant is slow cooked meat or fowl and the smoke that waffles from hardwood or good charcoal.

“The Jack,” as the competition is called, forbids gas grills. Natural preparation is the rule.

CELEBRITY

Famous Dave Anderson, restaurateur and the creator of the acclaimed sauces and condiments found on supermarket shelves coast to coast, is one of the unchallenged kings of barbecue. He also serves as one of the judges for “The Jack.” Modest and soft-spoken, Dave is a model for entrepreneurial success. The founder of the Famous Dave’s restaurant chain, Anderson is a Ojibwe and Choctaw Indian and former Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior. Famous Dave regularly travels the country speaking and is the author of several award-winning books. To him,  “The Jack” represents the best of America  “combining competition with a celebration of barbecue, our signature food.”

Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Jeff Arnett brings pizzazz to his fabled Tennessee whiskey and the barbecue event. It was Arnett who was instrumental in the highly successful commemorative Frank Sinatra limited edition of Jack Daniel’s. Through Arnett, I learned that Sinatra so loved this Tennessee product that a bottle of Jack was placed in his casket. It’s a long journey and a fellow can get mighty thirsty.

The charismatic Arnett is only the seventh Master Distiller in Jack Daniel’s storied history.

Dinner this Saturday at Cortner Mill Restaurant, an early 1800’s grist mill beside the mighty Duck River in Normandy, Tennessee, will be emblematic of Tennessee’s evolving gourmet culinary culture. David Hazelwood’s romantic restaurant hosts wine dinners with as much flair and imagination usually confined to big cities like Atlanta.

Jack Daniel’s, the top selling American whiskey in the world, goes down smoothly served any way you like and is forever part of barbecue enjoyment.

Come to Lynchburg. Meet me at the Judges Pavilion and I’ll treat you to some unforgettable barbecue.

Miami Memories

Gourmet Dining and a Legendary Sandwich

By Doc Lawrence

Miami-Getting here meant navigating around the potential horrors of a major hurricane that recalled a really mean one, Katrina. Miami was mercifully spared. For some, the only minor discomfort was heat and humidity, something easily managed with cotton clothing and sandals.

This is the land of great journalists and authors like Edna Buchanan and Carl Hiassen. It was a sports-filled weekend.

The area is one of America’s gourmet centers. Here, that means diversity where in some areas there are restaurants offering the cuisine of dozens of countries. Miami serves as a reminder that the world of good eating is an adventure. Food trends here relate to origins: Cubana, Brazilian, Peruvian, Argentinean, Middle Eastern are omnipresent and influential.

The Fountainbleu Hotel

Cocktails? Plunge into the rums from islands in the stream. The varieties stand in quality and usefulness alongside Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, and when there’s salt in the air, rum with lime awaits.

You are drawn here to landmarks like the ever-majestic Fontainbleau, a hotel that still stands above most I’ve ever visited. Long ago, I spent some time as a guest in the penthouse, once occupied by megastars like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.  I know what it feels like to be a king for 72 hours.

Later this year, Art Basel, the global fine art event takes place in Miami Beach. My first attendance there also included an evening with Muhammad Ali for a tribute to the best of all time. Etta James performed. Will Smith emceed. That’s part of what makes Miami memories so special.

Miami Beach Gourmet Shrine-The Forge

There’s more to come in early 2017. The South Beach Wine and Food Festival is worth the effort and the cost. There’s something really nice about enjoying food and wine beside the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of winter.

Walk around for just a few blocks and you have choices of fine dining or casual food. No trip to Miami is complete without a Cuban sandwich. Here’s a recipe that is as near to the real thing as you’ll find this side of Havana.

CUBAN SANDWICH

From Latin Grilling by Lourdes Castro (2011)

Ingredients

1 loaf Cuban bread

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) softened unsalted butter,

3 tbs yellow mustard

2 pounds sliced ham

2pounds sliced pork roast

1 pound sliced Swiss cheese

Dill pickle chips

Preparation  

Spread 2 tablespoons of the butter on one half of the bread loaf and a thin layer of mustard on the other. Place 1 to 2 layers of ham, pork, cheese, and, finally, pickles on the buttered bread and top with the mustard-spread bread.

Smear the remaining butter all over the outside of the sandwich and wrap it completely in aluminum foil.

Press and grill the sandwich

Heat your grill to high (550°F) and close the lid. Wait at least 15 minutes before lowering the heat to medium-high (450°F) and continuing.

Before grilling the sandwich, press down on it with your hands to flatten it. Place the wrapped, flattened sandwich on the grill and top with a brick, grill press, or any other heavy, heat-resistant object. Close the lid and grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side.

Remove the wrapped sandwich from the grill and take off the foil. Return the sandwich to the grill and grill for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until both pieces of bread are crispy and golden brown.

Slice and serve

Remove the sandwich from the grill and cut at an angle into small sandwich wedges (triangles). Place on a large platter and serve while still hot.

This is not your ordinary sandwich. Enjoy with Sangria and finish with a legendary Café Con Leche.

Tailgating Clemson

The Year of Grilling Dangerously-Part II

By Doc Lawrence

CLEMSON, South Carolina-Two hours from large cities like Atlanta is one of the great green areas of the South, where pure crystal water is abundant, the rolling hills confirm the nearby presence of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the fishing is tops anytime of year. This weekend was reserved for college football and on the first day of October, the world seems bright orange.

 

A Few Clemson Tailgaters

For a few glorious hours before Clemson played Louisville in an ACC match up with national meaning, tailgating in all its glory was in full throttle. Not that these stalwarts occupying fields and parking lots near the stadium needed an excuse to eat and drink, but they do like the added spice of being in the bright spotlight. Showing their colors is almost secondary to the delights brought in by cars, trucks and SUV’s that jam the countryside. Smoke from countless grills was seasoned with chicken, pork, sausages, trout and more.

A prelude to friendly combat.

Beverages are more varied than the old days when beer dominated. Now, it’s Bourbon, Jack Daniel’s, Tequila and, of course,  wines. Lot’s of them: red, white and rosé are de rigueur.

The almost perfect weather called for elixirs from Kentucky and South Carolina. Highspire, a 100% Kentucky Rye, proved to give smooth new meaning. South Carolina-produced Six & Twenty Bourbon from the distillery not far away allowed us to enjoy the best of both states. Plans are to enjoy them again in Georgia, Florida and wherever I travel and long for something satisfying.

Pumpkins are Clemson orange and on this day, they are omnipresent. I tried a slice of pumpkin bread with a cocktail, Jack Daniel’s and Coke. Nice.

Time is needed to get the tailgate spirit, Give thousands of people time to set up for pre-game partying (this means a night football game), and the choices are staggering. Chicken and shrimp every which away. Lamb kebobs served by Clemson fan and tailgater Mary Gillispie became heavenly with a glass of Besieged, a 2014 Sonoma County red blend from Ravenswood. The pronounced but subtle blackberries, black cherries and plums blended with locale and the food.

Rice is a South Carolina staple. On this heavenly fall day, tailgating takes on more meaning, inspiring the South’s best to create something memorable.

I asked Emmy Award winner Chef Lara Lyn Carter what happens when a gentleman named Jack meets a sweet Georgia peach? She answered sweetly:

Jack Daniels’ Peachy Rice Pudding

2 dried peaches

Celebrity Chef Lara Lyn Carter

1 lemon

1/3-cup medium grain rice

3 cups whole milk

4 tablespoons sugar

8 tablespoons peach preserves

4 tablespoons of Jack Daniels Whiskey

Chop the peaches into tiny bite size pieces and place in a bowl. Pour 1 tablespoon of Jack Daniels over the peaches. 

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the rind from the lemon. Place the lemon rind, rice, milk, and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes stirring often to prevent the mixture from sticking. Drain the residual Jack Daniels from the chopped peaches and stir the peaches into the rice pudding mixture. Remove the pudding from the heat and divide evenly into four serving bowls.

For the glaze, stir the preserves and three tablespoons of Jack Daniels into a saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat until bubbly and the preserves have been reduced. Remove the glaze from the heat and allow the glaze to thicken by allowing it to cool for a few minutes. Pour the glaze evenly over the pudding and enjoy.

This dessert deserves an appropriate wine like Rosé. Two recommendations, Emtu Estate Russian River Valley Rosé or Margerum 2015 Riviera Rosé. These proved to be refreshing with magnified color when garnished with a slice of late season peach.

Tailgating Louisville

College GameDay, Football and Bourbon

By Doc Lawrence

 

LOUISVILLE, KY-Few events equal this river city’s Kentucky Derby, but perhaps this week’s college football game between 10^th ranked Louisville and 2^nd ranked FSU is as close as reasonably possible. Louisville is a tourist’s best dream come true: world-class restaurants, pedestrian friendly sidewalks, riverboat cruises on the Ohio River, the Muhammad Ali Museum, a heralded center for new American plays and a classic American beverage.

This is planet earth’s Bourbon headquarters, the home of the classic cocktail, the Old Fashioned. Bourbon is to Louisville as Coca-Cola is to Atlanta.

Louisville beside the Ohio River

Saturday, before the kickoff, one of the nation's most recognizable sports shows, "College GameDay," ESPN's long-running, Saturday morning college football pregame show entertains for two hours. In its 30th season, GameDay’s hosts include former FSU player and Louisville football coach Lee Corso, ESPN veteran Rece Davis, former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit joined by Michigan legend and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard and former Georgia defensive lineman David Pollack. Samantha Ponder, a Florida State grad also appears each week.

Samantha Ponder

The show, a derivative of the tailgating culture, is almost totally festive and is wildly popular with local fans and a huge national TV audience.

College GameDay will have a celebrity guest with ties to Louisville to help pick the winners of the Saturday main events on the college football menu. The list of possibilities is endless. ABC’s Diane Sawyer, Hollywood’s George Clooney and Jennifer Lawrence and NFL Hall of Fame great Paul Hornung are just a few with stellar Louisville credentials.

LOUISVILLE BEYOND FOOTBALL

Breakfast: Noosh Nosh www.nooshnosh.com

Lunch: Wagner’s Pharmacy www.wagnerspharmacy.com

Dinner: Brendon’s Catch 23 www.batch23.com;

Volare Ristorante www.volare-restaurant.com;

Butchertown Grocery www.butchertowngrocery.com

Bourbon Bar: The Haymarket Whiskey Bar has hundreds of choices. Owner Matthew Landen is a nationally recognized Bourbon wizard. Best bar atmosphere this side of the French Quarter.

Distillery Tour: Peerless Distillery is located in downtown Louisville. Their history parallels the evolution of Kentucky Bourbon. It’s family owned. Chairman Corky Taylor brilliantly represents their fourth Generation.  www.kentuckypeerless.com

No tour of Louisville is complete without a copy of The Bourbon Tasting Notebook by Susan Reigler and Michael Veach..

In The Heights

Sunday Afternoon in Atlanta

“The street’s a little kinder, when you’re home.”

        ~Benny to Nina from In the Heights

 

By Doc Lawrence

ATLANTA-Hope is the theme for Theatrical Outfit this season. Tom Key, the founder and artistic director said that when he heard the brilliant cast of In the Heights  sing “Alabanzia,” (lift all things, even this thing to God’s face) he was overwhelmed with tears of hope.

From its inception Theatrical Outfit has nurtured our conscious, prompting examination and introspection while honoring institutions like family and home. The stage is a vehicle in the global community and the current production of In the Heights, transported a packed audience from Atlanta to the community near New York City’s George Washington Bridge. The dancing, singing and music became a cultural bridge from the Dominican Republic to urban America.

We’ve changed as a people since the days depicted in West Side Story. The music and lyrics by wunderkind Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) serves as an exuberant big city production celebrating street life as he lived it and the people who built their stores and their lives in his neighborhood.

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While the story is about a New York City community, there is local significance. The staff of In the Heights from director Justin Anderson on down to cast members illustrates something Tom Key told me 10 years ago. Atlanta, as the credits confirm, is loaded with great talent and this reservoir is going to get deeper and richer.

Ricardo Aponte’s dazzling choreography alternates the major on stage moments with an ebb and flow like sophisticated ocean waves. The cast is exceptional and the Rialto Center is large enough to embrace the magnificent set and project all the action. 

Atlanta’s diverse neighborhoods now have different people who speak many languages. These are components of a strong community and In the Heights serves to entertain and introduce us. Everything comes together, making you very proud to live in Atlanta, a region where the future of the arts is very bright.

In the Heights received four Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Book by Quiara Alegria Hudes
Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Directed by Justin Anderson
Musical Direction by Ann-Carol Pence
Choreography by Ricardo Aponte

                     www.theatricaloutfit.org