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September 14, 2007
Doesn't That Just Butter Your Grits?
As every good Southerner knows, grits are good for you! Witness the slogan on the sides of buildings all over the south, like this one on the Hominy Grill in Charleston, South Carolina. But grits, which are a key ingredient in our Caramel Peach Upside Down Cake, seem to be just about as controversial as any famed North-South struggle. We've been amazed and amused by the passionate reviews, both positive and negative, for this cake! I'd say the Southerner's are winning---the recipe has been rated number two on the Food Network's top ten recipes for weeks! But it got me thinking, love 'em or hate 'em, grits are a loaded subject.
I remember the first pot of greasy grits I encountered in Atlanta, Georgia, where my youth group was rebuilding the walls and rooftops of family houses as a part of a work camp. Home renovation was hard work, but as hungry as I was, I just didn't get the goodness in that steamy bowl of grits. Ten years later, in New York of all places, grits started to appear on menus everywhere. So I did what every good culinary sleuth would and did my reading before I got my taste buds involved.
I quickly learned that grits are a cousin to both polenta and cornmeal, which I'd been eating for years. Corn (be it white, yellow or blue) is first dried, then stone milled, and finally sifted and classified (as grits, polenta or cornmeal) by how finely it is ground.
I had a chance to apply my new knowledge of grits that same year, while working as a private chef in St. Tropez. Grits was one of three ingredients my employer, a Southerner, actually flew in from the United States to France. Eager to be an equally sound investment, I committed myself to grits cookery, hoping to wow the family with shrimp and grits (made with fresh langoustine from the Mediterranean), grits porridge congee style with chicken and scallions, and cheese grit soufflé. I fell in love with the quick cooking, satisfying staple, but loved them best the old fashioned way—enriched with cheese, or doused in butter and maple syrup for an indulgent breakfast.
But baking with grits is a whole other story, since there is far less liquid to soften the dry grits during baking. My colleague Mory, a Texan, has a way with grits, and cornmeal for that matter, imparting the snappy texture and corn flavor into everything from pizza crust to pie dough to our beloved upside down cake. I love the structure and mouth feel of these dishes, but they had to grow on me. After all, grits are, well—gritty, a texture I’ve learned not everyone is comfortable with. Since it’s the texture that takes some acclimation, try substituting a finer cornmeal for the grits in this recipe before all the peaches hibernate for the winter.
And if that doesn’t butter your grits, you ought to at least know that both grits and polenta have sustained thousands of families all over the American South and Italy, and is still a staple in Africa today, which earns them a certain implied respect. Once again, the South Carolinians said it best:
"Given enough of it, the inhabitants of planet Earth would have nothing to fight about. A man full of [grits] is a man of peace" [The Charleston News and Courier, 1952]
Sarah Copeland, Honarary GRITS (Girls Raised in the South), Food Network Kitchens
Posted by Food Network at September 14, 2007 3:39 PM
Comments
Sarah,
You can come sit on our front porch and eat grits and red eye gravy any time. Love ya cuz!!
Erin
Posted by: Erin at September 19, 2007 2:20 AM
Sarah, I urge you to try real grits - not the quick cooking, grocery store variety but the real deal. These cook and act more like risotto, take near a hour to cook, but in my opinion are defintely worth it. Unfortunately these are becoming rare even in the South. Try Anson Mills, in South Carolina, which ships to anywhere.
Posted by: joshua at January 9, 2008 11:29 AM