JUMP INTO IRELAND

An Evening at the Atlanta History Center

By Doc Lawrence

ATLANTA-This year many of the most prominent sites on the planet will be decked out in green on St. Patrick’s Day. This was announced during an evening gathering at Atlanta’s renowned History Center during a soiree forever known as “Jump into Ireland,” a lavishly entertaining event promoting Ireland as a highly desirable travel destination.

Who would have thought that the gorgeous island with its friendly people would have to promote itself to Americans? “We have so much more now to offer than meets the eye,” one official told me as I was enjoying a glass of Jameson Irish Whiskey.

The Atlantic Coast of Ireland

The evening was emceed by  masters the art of good humor and storytelling, an attribute that is part of the Irish DNA. Music was from Atlanta’s own Buddy O’Reilly Band (“Born in a pub and raised on concert and festival stage”), complete with an Irish step dancer who provided lessons to some daring audience members. Wielding fiddles and wooden flute, uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes), guitar, bodhran, (Irish drum) harmonica and banjo, the band kept things festive in anticipation of things soon to come on St. Patrick’s Day.

Waterford Crystal was showcased along with Jameson, the dominant beverage served to guests. A tour of the Irish Atlantic Cost and cities like Dublin became a virtual “vacation” for a few moments during a lovely evening down South.

This is the year during the Civil War Sesquicentennial when Atlanta commemorates the siege and Battle of Atlanta, the burning of the city and the beginning of the March to the Sea. With these events, there are profound connections to Ireland and her people who settled here.

The Buddy O'Rielly Band

150 years ago, Father Thomas O’Reilly, an Irish priest and native of county Cavan,  demanded in a face-to-face confrontation with General Sherman that the churches of Atlanta not be destroyed. Sherman backed down. The only portrait of Father O’Reilly is housed in the Atlanta History Center and a monument honoring him sits alongside Atlanta’s City Hall.

Another native of Ireland, Confederate General Patrick Cleburne was as a warrior and strategist, a major force in the Atlanta Campaign and the 1864 Battle of Atlanta.

Atlanta's Legendary Irish-American

Atlanta, with its heritage that includes the immortal Scarlett O’Hara, is the perfect place to begin a jump into Ireland. You can do this daily, non-stop, from our International airport.


More about Father O’Reilly:
http://www.georgiamagazine.org/archives_view.asp?mon=3&yr=2009&ID=2115

SOUTHERN THYMES SHARED

New Cookbook in the Jefferson Tradition

Also a Beautiful Coffee Table Book

“President Jefferson turned the White House into the most interesting social center. The Georgetown market stalls were shopped daily for meats, eggs and vegetables including lettuce, asparagus, peas, tomatoes, squash, eggplant, shad, sturgeon, rockfish, oysters, wild game, venison, duck, pigeon, squirrel, poultry, and a variety of fruits.  Diplomats and politicians were treated to menus that included plenty of good wines.”  
                                              Federalist Senator Cutler.


Food, wine, farming, music and scholarship all combined into joie de vivre for Thomas Jefferson. The “author of America,” as Christopher Hitchens called our third president, was an accomplished gardener and wine importer who loved to entertain guests with his legendary dinners. Meals at Monticello featured local grown food from Jefferson’s revolutionary gardens served with wines from his cellar. Seasoned with ample portions of good will, Southern hospitality became an American tradition.

Chef Lara Lyn Carter

Lara Lyn Carter’s long overdue first cookbook, Southern Thymes Shared, is in the Jefferson tradition: a compilation of her original recipes she assimilated from diverse culinary archetypes ranging from a Cherokee ancestor, a beloved Italian-American uncle plus with a long line of hard-working farmers and good friends. An almost unfair advantage for the rising star chef is her good fortune to be born and raised around the fertile fields of South Georgia, where everything living and growing seems to be healthy thanks in large part to clean air and abundant water provided by the Florida Aquifer. Synthesize all this into recipes while making room for Old and New World wines and you have this wonderful book.

Lara Lyn Carter hosts the award-winning Southern cuisine show Savor the Good Life on NBC/ABC affiliate WALB-TV based in her hometown of Albany, Georgia, a gentle city and birthplace of music legend Ray Charles. As her show earned high ratings, friends encouraged her to produce a cookbook. Somewhere along the way. Lara Lyn Carter shared her book ambitions with me. I used some of her recipes and paired the dishes with wines, inspiring visions of dinner at Monticello. The proverbial light came on and a book was born.

Terrific Chenin Blanc From Texas

Much more than a collection of recipes, Lara Lyn Carter outlines complete meals ranging from traditionals like the New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas to feasts common to her part of the South. The titles are irresistible: Southern Gentleman’s Steak Dinner, Football Kick-Off Party, Old-Fashioned Fish Fry and a Salute to Columbus Day, a paean to her Italian-American great-uncle that includes some impressive original recipes like Italian Chicken, South Georgia Pecan Pesto Bread and Amaretto Chocolate Cake.

Honoring the Jefferson dining tradition, the Italian themed dinner is paired with an Old World classic wine, Primitvo from Pugglia at the heel of Italy’s boot.

Old and New World wines appear with Lara Lyn Carter’s creations. You won't find Dry Comal Creek Black Spanish on many retail shelves outside San Antonio, but the case is established that this wine made with grapes introduced into America 500 years ago tastes wonderful with barbecue. Louisiana wine? The Elegant Seafood Dinner pairs seamlessly with Ponchartrain Vineyards’ Le Trolley. The fact that it’s 100 % Blanc Du Bois takes on meaning when the reader discovers that this wine grape was created by collaborative efforts of the University of Florida and Lakeridge Winery in Clermont, Florida and named after legendary Emile Dubois who produced heralded wines in the Sunshine State in the late 19th century. Le Trolley has flavor characteristics of great Alsatian wines and is a magnificent accompaniment with Lara Lyn Carter’s Seafood Medley of scallops, shrimp and crabmeat.

A Jim Sanders/Atlanta Favorite

Southern Thymes Shared, earns praise from Southern Living editor-at-large, James T. Farmer III.  Marsha Fottler, editor and publisher of Flavors and More, says that for those who are “passionate about food, friends and family, you want this book.”  International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association president Michelle M. Winner describes it as a “perfect pairing of treasured Southern recipes, celebration menus and a primer on worldwide wine.” Often compared to the late Charles Kuralt, Carl White, the host and producer of the hit syndicated television show Life in the Carolinas lauds the cookbook as a “true culinary celebration of Southern charm and elegance.”

This is much more that a cookbook. It is a beautiful production with an impressive cover that glows on a coffee table. The recipes, photographs and accompanying anecdotes are useful and practical. The wine pairings are often daring.

If somehow Mr. Jefferson was planning a dinner at Monticello today, I believe he would have Southern Thymes Shared on a nearby shelf in his kitchen library.


NOTE: Southern Thymes Shared is now available at Amazon.com and bookstores everywhere.

What Would George Do?

Today’s Book for Good Behavior

By Doc Lawrence

“Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.” Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour In Company and Conversation transcribed by George Washington before age 16.

Courtesy of Pelican Publishing

Our first president was our country’s moral compass. Fact and legend supports the popular notion that the “Father of our Country” was an honorable man, very selfless and generous, acting at all times with a high degree of modesty. While he was a victorious military leader and clever strategist, his assumption of power as out first national leader was with reluctance. The man who could have become king of the new country never sought any public office after the presidency and retired to Mount Vernon to make really good whiskey.

George and Martha Washington were highly successful distillers and, thanks to a combined effort of the US government and the distillery industry Mount Vernon is again producing American whiskey.

A complex person, Washington exemplified charm, elegance, decorum, patience and certain gentleness common to many Southerners. If there was a prototypical Virginia gentleman, it was Washington. Nan Marshall and Helen Broder’s delightfully instructive new book, What Would George Do? Advice from Our Founding Father (Pelican Publishing) is both a tribute to Washington’s social graces and a tutorial for those of all generations whose manners could do with a little polishing.

The authors, mother and daughter, take Washington’s Rules of Civility (which he learned and practiced from the precepts of refinement complied by French Huguenots around 1640), and adapt them to everyday interactions we all experience. Why is it so necessary to rush and be too busy to stop and smell the roses? As the book makes fundamentally clear, George Washington the farmer, businessman, warrior and American president would have loved to walk through and enjoy a neighbor’s flower garden.

Helen Broder  (L) with Nan Marshall

In a world infested by irritating, almost never-ending cell phone conversations, texting, rudeness and boisterous banter, our nation needs this book and the lessons that can be be learned therefrom. The expansion of Washington’s Rules by the authors embodies common sense, thoughtfulness, modesty and quiet conversation. Listening, according to the authors, is de rigueur and above all, when we have respect for everyone, we are walking in Washington’s footsteps. Respect as practiced by Washington would be afforded to the shoeless, largely uneducated and almost uniformly poor Revolutionary infantrymen in portions equal to his British enemies, wealthy neighbors and powerful contemporaries like Madison, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton and Adams.

Never wonder why Washington was almost universally loved and admired.

This book that should be on the required reading list for today’s elected officials. Unfortunately, good behavior for some must be learned. Follow Washington’s advice and good things might just come out of government. Like the proverbial journey, building bridges of understanding begins with the first step.

For those who welcome new friendships and delight at strengthening old ones, What Would George Do? deserves a place by your nightstand where you do contemplative reading. The book is a trove of solid American wisdom and reason with a dash of Southern gentility.

And what a useful gift.

Downton Abbey Inspired Dinner-

With a Southern Touch

By Doc Lawrence

ALBANY, GA-The culinary connections between England and the Deep South might not always be obvious, but they are here. A traditional English breakfast would be right at home in Montgomery, the capital of Alabama.. Or, the glorious dessert, Charlotte Ruse, brings priceless memoirs of legendary Sunday-down-South feasts. While the stiff formality depicted in the mega-se

Dinner at Downton Abbey (Courtesy of PBS Masterpiece)

ries “Downton Abby” is better left to official White House dinners, the cuisine and appropriate wines are another matter. There is a kinship not unfamiliar to Southern cooks. After all, the acknowledged founder of America’s wine industry was a gardener, gourmet and serious wine importer. Thomas Jefferson loved to entertain guests from the four corners with dinner at Monticello.

No better person to learn more about the food with British influences than the rising star of Southern cuisine, Chef Lara Lyn Carter, host of her cooking show on WALB-TV. Enjoy Lara Lyn’s tribute dinner that would no doubt please Lord and Lady Grantham- and perhaps prompt a smile from the butler.

Chef Lara Lyn Carter

Steak with Southern Chasseur Sauce
For the Steak
4 filet or rib-eye steaks 6 oz. each
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Melt the butter and brush over each side of the steaks. Season each side with salt and pepper. Grill steaks to desired temperature and allow the steaks to rest for 10 minutes. Serve with sauce poured over the steaks.
For the Sauce
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup Vidalia or Texas Sweet onion finely chopped
3 tbsp. minced garlic
16 oz. sliced baby portabella mushrooms
1 cup of fresh tomatoes diced
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup beef broth
4 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. fresh thyme
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook while stirring constantly for 5-7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the sauce to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Note - This sauce is my variation of a Chasseur Sauce. Chasseur Sauce is a French sauce that was very popular in the Edwardian period and was often referred to as “Hunter’s Sauce” as it could be used for beef, poultry or wild game.
Butternut and Sweet Potato Soup
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 clove minced garlic

Red and White Bordeaux Should be Served

2 large Vidalia or Texas Sweet onions chopped
3 medium size sweet potatoes cubed
1 medium butternut squash peeled, seeded and cubed
32 oz. chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. grated nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 cup heavy cream
4 pieces of thick smoked bacon fried and crumbled
Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, sweet potatoes, and squash. Cook for 10 minutes. Pour the chicken broth over the vegetables and add curry, nutmeg and salt. Stir well and cook for 45 minutes. With an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is smooth. Pour in the cream and stir to blend. Pour the soup into individual bowls and top with bacon crumbles.

This show stopping dessert will complete your meal. My dear friend Caron O’Hanlon, who happens to be from England, agrees that my Rum Parfait recipe in my newly released cookbook, “Southern Thymes Shared”, would be the perfect equivalent to a traditional English Trifle.
Rum Parfaits
Two 3 oz. boxes of French Vanilla instant pudding
8 oz. carton of original Cool Whip
1/2 cup 151 proof rum
3 1/2 cups of whole milk
Pound cake
Raspberries
Raspberry preserves
In a large mixing bowl, combine the pudding and milk. Slowly add the rum and mix well. Gently fold in the Cool Whip until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture in a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the mixture for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Cut the pound cake into 1 inch cubes. Begin arranging the parfaits in the glass layering the ingredients as follows; 3 to 4 cubes of pound cake, 1 tablespoon preserves, ¼ cup of the rum cream mixture, and 4-5 berries. Continue the layers until the top of the glass is reached.
You can substitute the raspberries and preserves for blackberries if you prefer.

Wine Pairing

CARL WHITE IN NASHVILLE

LIFE IN THE CAROLINAS EARNS EMMY RECOGNITION

By Doc Lawrence

NASHVILLE-Music City hosted the twenty-eighth Emmy Awards.Midsouth Regional Emmy Award ceremonies at the elegant Schermerhorn Symphony Center where “Carl White’s Life in the Carolinas” television show, with two Emmy Nominations, competed with the best of the best on this spectacular evening in Tennessee’s capital city.

White’s shows “Bees and Beekeepers - A Sweet Life,” along with the acclaimed “Ghosts of Wilkesboro - Candlelight Ghost Tour” were finalists in this prestigious ceremony.
“We had a great night at the Emmy celebration,” Mr. White said. “We were aware that receiving two Emmy nominations for two different works is a great honor, particularly with this being our first time as a nominee.”

NASHVILLE SKYLINE

What separates “Life In The Carolina” from other similar television shows is the focus on local culture, heritage and colorful personalities. Many compare Carl White to another North Carolina great, the late CBS television legend Charles Kuralt. Everything is up close and personal while highlighting the elements of cultural permanence. The Emmy nominations confirm that a growing number of television critics recognize the originality of White’s television series, now in the fifth year.

Carl White praised the awards program as “a celebration for all the nominees. While we did not bring home statues, we sure came very close.  I could not be more proud of our production team for creating programming that has now placed our show among the best in the industry and in such amazing company. We plan to be nominated this year and bring home a few statues.”

Those who know Carl White take him at his word. 2014 promises to be a milestone for “Life in the Carolinas.”

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is dedicated to fostering excellence in television. The academy has 19 chapters with 15,000 members nationwide.

EGG NOG FOR THE SEASON

VAJRA STRATIGOS

THE CLASSIC HOLIDAY  BEVERAGE

By Doc Lawrence

ATLANTA-Few things remind me more of  special Christmas celebrations than egg nog. The drink, an essential part of the festivities, has quite a lineage and the fact that it is still popular affirms flavor as much as tradition.

I collected recipes for over a decade from historic figures like General Robert E. Lee and contemporary beverage experts, and found some common denominators. Brandy, rum, whiskey, eggs, milk, spices along with crystal cups and glasses are essentials.

Vajra Stratigos, the highly respected beverage director for Atlanta’s gourmet company, Fifth Group Restaurants presented me with his special egg nog recipe, “Lightning and Thunder,” a name that embodies his creative talents and zest for the good life.

“It’s a sweet spot for me,” Vajra said recently. “Growing up, I think egg nog made for some of my most memorable taste experiences over the holidays.”  Like so many celebrants, Vajra offers that he “remain[s] a glutton for the thick rich festive potion.” His recipe is aglow, a versatile and festive Atlanta original that “is really delicious, can be made ahead or a la minute and really fits the classic profile.”

 
Lightning and Thunder Nog
 Ingredients:
1t xxx sugar (or confectionary will work also)
1 oz heavy fresh cream
1 fresh egg yolk (pasteurized if you are worried)
2 oz Brandy or Cognac

.75 oz Flor de Cana 7 or 12 year aged rum
.50 oz St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram
I small orange peel
Methode:
Add egg, cream and sugar to the pint glass and shake hard to emulsify. Then add the dram, the rum and the brandy and shake again. Finally add ice to fill half the glass, cap and shake hard till the shaker is cold and frosty. Strain the contents into a stout tumbler or festive footed stem and garnish with a sprinkle of grated nutmeg and some orange zest. shake once more. Pour into a cocktail glass and finish by shaving a bit of fresh nutmeg and cinnamon on top.
 
 


     GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE’S EGG NOG

Stone Mountain, Georgia's  Rusty Hamby, a brilliant schoolteacher and an expert on local Civil War history, generously provided this treasured recipe.

The Recipe
12 Eggs, Separated
12 Tbs, Sugar
7 Wineglasses of Brandy (approx. 5 ounces = 1 wineglass)
5 Wineglasses of Rum (or Bourbon)
2 -3 Quarts of Milk
1 Quart of Cream
Fresh Nutmeg
Beat egg whites till stiff. Beat yolks with sugar till sugar is dissolved (should not feel grainy when run between your fingers).Fold egg mixtures together. Pour in the brandy and rum, and stir. Let stand for 30 minutes to an hour. Add 2 quarts of milk and the cream. Taste – if too strong, then add the 3rd quart of milk, otherwise sprinkle with nutmeg, and let stand overnight on cool porch, or in refrigerator.

ATLANTA CHRISTMAS

Football, Jazz, and Holiday Dining

By Doc Lawrence

STONE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS

ATLANTA-You could enjoy food and cocktails before going to a football game here and suddenly change your mind, opting for a Broadway-quality play, a visit to a mighty aquarium, a tour of a magnificent museum or a few hours of ecstasy provided by the Atlanta Symphony. You would not have far to go here in Atlanta, the cultural epicenter of what many still call the “New South,” where sports like the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball reign. However,  the college football extravaganzas this time of year enjoy equal footing, playing before sold out stadiums.

This holiday season began with a double header: Georgia played Georgia Tech in one of the nation’s oldest college football rivalries followed by the SEC Championship game between Auburn and Missouri at the Georgia Dome. The holiday's are capped off with the Chic-Fil-A Bowl, always a sell-out.

For those who believe the holidays must include the gourmet experience, there are many restaurants and bars near these games. Many are exceptional.

Visiting Atlanta will be an empty experience without spending a little time on the “Gone With The Wind Trail,” an assemblage of sites that pay homage to Margaret Mitchell and the city’s grande dame, Scarlett O’Hara. The Margaret Mitchell House faces Peachtree Street close to Georgia Tech’s campus. A veteran bartender will make the legendary Scarlett O’Hara cocktail on request. Like the Old Fashioned, good cocktails never fade away.

The dining mainstays in Atlanta include the world’s largest hot dog purveyor, the venerable Varsity adjacent to Tech and its stadium. The Varsity is an institution and has been serving students, locals and visitors for more than a half century. The place rocks and if you look around, you might see Bill Clinton, Charles Barkley, Julia Roberts or Wynton Marsalis enjoying a chili dog with onion rings accompanied by a Coca-Cola, which, by the way, is headquartered just a few blocks up the street.

NATASHA TRETHEWEY

Between games, enjoy the sights, tastes and sounds of genuine holiday treasures. Don’t miss the Fabulous Fox Theatre where Elvis performed just before stardom and the Georgian Terrace Hotel across the street where the cast party for “Gone With The Wind” danced the night away in 1939. A few beautiful women say they’ve seen a man at the bar who looks a lot like Clark Gable.

Authentic Southern cuisine Atlanta-style is de rigueur at Mary Mac’s on Ponce de Leon near the Fox.  Not many restaurants in North America can claim His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a diner.

Cocktails? If ambience is important, the bar at Atlanta Grill in the Downtown Ritz- Carlton offers hand-crafted drinks served with.live jazz..

LOBBY BAR, RITZ-CARLTON BUCKHEAD

The bar in the Atlanta Palm in Buckhead has always claimed the top spot. Plus, it’s next door to Lenox Square with the best holiday shopping experience this side of Bal Harbour.

Fine dining? Too many to list, but my favorites for years remain Restaurant Eugene in Midtown and Chef Joe Truex’s masterpiece, Watershed on Peachtree. Truex, a pure Southerner, was mentored by New York City legend Chef Daniel Boulud.

CHEF JOE TRUEX

The lights of Christmas are omnipresent: Callanwolde near Emory University is ablaze with colors of the season while Stone Mountain Park has the lighted tree on top of the giant monolith. Stroll around the historic Stone Mountain Village where 150 years ago the “March to the Sea” began. See the holiday musical at Art Station Theatre.

Decatur, the impressive pedestrian friendly city adjacent to Atlanta features unforgettable dine around experiences with a rich mixture of diners representing in large part Atlanta’s acclaimed universities. The U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey is a Decatur resident.

TOM KEY AS C.S. LEWIS

Music is bedrock Atlanta. Theresa Hightower, the South’s top jazz vocalist entertains at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead across from Lenox Square. Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points regularly features top acts from Austin, Nashville and beyond and Decatur’s Eddie’s Attic long ago achieved exalted status as a music mecca. The Tabernacle, across the street from Ted Turner’s flagship, Ted’s Montana Grill, has big name acts and is a short walk from CNN and the Georgia Dome.

If you haven’t overdone it with football and tailgating, take in a performance of O.Henry’s Christmas classic “The Gifts of the Magi,” a stellar production at the Balzer Theatre. Founded by the incomparable actor/director Tom Key, The Balzer is emblematic of Atlanta’s rich arts tradition. And there’s the amazing Kris Kayser stealing stage thunder as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Alliance Theatre Company’s production of “A Christmas Carol.” Dickens’ timeless tale takes on new energy.

CHEF LARA LYN CARTER

Welcome to Atlanta, the best place in the South for tailgating and shopping during the holidays. Enjoy Chef Lara Lyn Carter’s special All-Georgia recipes for our guests.

Aunt Pittypat’s Roasted Cornish Hens 
For the Hens:
6 Cornish Hens
1 Navel orange
1 Vidalia Onions
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Wash and pat dry the hens. Sprinkle the hens evenly with salt and pepper. Cut the orange and the onion into 6 sections and place one piece of each in the cavity of each hen. Roast the birds in a 425 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes. When the hens have cooked for 15 minutes, begin basting them with the glaze every 10 minutes. Remove the hens from the oven, baste them again and allow them to rest 10 minutes.
For the glaze
½ cup hot pepper jelly
½ cup sweet Georgia peach preserves
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1 orange
Mix the ingredients together and heat over low heat until the jellies dissolve and all ingredients are mixed well. Divide the mixture in half. Use one half for basting and the other can be served alongside the hens

Georgia Holiday Casserole
4 cups of cooked basmati rice
2 tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic minced
1 Vidalia onion
10 oz. package of frozen spinach thawed and drained
2 eggs beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
1 cup Smoked Gruyere cheese shredded
In a skillet over medium heat melt the butter. Dice the onion and sauté the onion in the butter until transparent. Add the garlic and sauté an additional 2 minutes. In a large bowl combine the rice, onion mixture, spinach, eggs, milk and cheeses together. Pour the casserole into a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Bake the casserole in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes.

                        WARMEST BEST WISHES FOR A MERRY CHRISTMAS
                                AND A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!