The Foothills Cuisine of Blackberry Farm: Recipes and Wisdom from Our Artisans, Chefs, and Smoky Mountain Ancestors : A Cookbook - Hardcover

Beall, Sam; Marah Stets

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0307886778 ISBN 13: 9780307886774

Publisher: Clarkson Potter, 2012

Synopsis

Step into the world of top luxury resort Blackberry Farm, where lovers of farm-to-table cuisine and the lost arts of Southern cooking will find bliss in the gorgeous photographs, enticing recipes, and artisanal food-making tutorials of this transporting book.

Blackberry Farm has long been lauded as one of the country's most excellent resorts and sought out for its perfect mix of rusticity and refinement. The Blackberry Farm Cookbook was a love letter to the experience and cuisine of Blackberry Farm. Now, owner Sam Beall takes food lovers a step further, drawing them deeply into the secrets that make Blackberry Farm cuisine so magical.

It all starts with their roots in the rich traditions of "foothills cuisine." Every day, Blackberry Farm's chefs, gardeners, cheese-makers, and preservationists use wisdom passed down through generations of mountain residents. Following the natural rhythms of eight seasons or "times" allows cooks to coax the most heady dishes out of what's fresh and best, such as Lay by Time's menu of Mountain Multigrain Bread, Fried Catfish and Cucumber Slaw, Green Tomato Pie, and Banana Peanut Butter Pudding. Interspersed throughout the book are artisanal craft lessons, such as cheese-making, canning and preserving, and curing meats.

A sumptuous package full of stunning photography, The Foothills Cuisine of Blackberry Farm will be both a transportive tome and a trove of fantastic seasonal recipes that any food lover will be eager to try at home.

About this title

Review

Featured Recipe from Sam Beall: Skillet Corn Bread

Corn bread was the quintessential daily bread for mountain families, who often made it at least once daily so there was always some about to be eaten in many ways, fresh or leftover. When hot from the oven, southern corn bread is as moist as it'll be, and full of corn flavor with nary a touch of sweet beyond what the corn gives.

Fresh corn bread was served as an accompaniment to a meal such as beans and greens, contributing both flavor and function, as it could be used to soak up every last lick of pot likker. Cold leftover corn bread might be served for dessert or, even better, breakfast the next day, perhaps as "bread and milk," crumbled right into a tall glass of buttermilk and seasoned to taste with a few grinds of black pepper or a spoonful of sorghum. Or the bread can be split, fried cut-side-down on the griddle, and then drizzled with sorghum and buttermilk. This is one of my favorite breakfasts!

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons bacon fat, or 1-1/2 tablespoons each unsalted butter and vegetable oil
• 2 cups (11 ounces) stone-ground yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 large egg
• 1-1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F. If using bacon fat, place it in a well-seasoned 9-inch cast-iron skillet and place the skillet in the oven as it preheats. If using butter and oil, wait until step 3 to heat the skillet.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk.

If using butter and oil, heat them in the skillet over high heat until the oil is shimmering.

Pour the egg mixture into the cornmeal mixture and stir just until blended and smooth. Be prepared to immediately transfer the batter into a hot skillet.

Remove the hot skillet from the oven or from the stovetop. Carefully scrape the batter into the skillet. The batter should sizzle vigorously around the edges.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake until the corn bread is firm and golden brown on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

About the Author

Blackberry Farm continues to be named among the top small hotels in the world in publications ranging from Condé Nast Traveler to Travel + Leisure, which named it the number one resort in North America in 2011. Blackberry Farm proprietor SAM BEALL grew up on the property. He worked at the French Laundry, the Ritz-Carlton, Cowgirl Creamery, wineries, farms, and markets before settling in the foothills of Tennessee, where he cooks, raises a family, and oversees the food, wine, and other lifestyle programs of Blackberry Farm.

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarkson Potter
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0307886778
• ISBN 13: 9780307886774
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288