Recipe Friday: A Trip South

During the Lunch & Learn as part of Art of Catering Food, A Trip South, chefs Keyon Hammon (Get Plated Catering) and Boris Seymore (BDS Catering and Events) prepared dishes that represented food cultures past, and present trends used to create some of the most flavorful dishes anyone has ever tasted. Here's a look at what attendees enjoyed.

Uuncle Nearest Braised Short Ribs

Recipe courtesy Cheef Keyon Hammond, Get Plated

Ingredients for Short Ribs

Yield: 300 servings (4 oz each) 

Method 

1. Sear short ribs in olive oil until browned then remove from pan.
2. Deglaze with Uncle Nearest whiskey, allowing alcohol to cook off.
3. Add root vegetables, demi glacé, and herb de provence.
4. Cover and braise in the oven at 300F for 3 hours or until the meat is tender.
5. Adjust seasoning as needed. 

Ingredients for Awze Marinade 

Yield: About 11 cups 

Method 

1. Place the berbere spice, berbere butter, rum, red wine, and salt in a jar with a lid. Close the container and shake to combine. 
2. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. When using awaze, also squeeze the juice of 3 limes onto the marinade. 

Georgia Mae's Blueberry Chicken

Recipe courtesy Chef Boris Seymore, BDS Catering

Ingredients for Chicken

Method

1. Combine the chicken thighs and Blueberry Sweet Tea Brine (recipe below) in a large bowl and refrigerate 4 hours or up to overnight.
2. Heat broiler with oven rack 6 inches from heat.
3. Remove the chicken from the brine, and pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Rub with the oil, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and top with a wire rack. Place chicken, skin side up, on rack, and broil until skin is golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Turn chicken over, and broil until chicken starts to pull away from the bone, about 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. 

Ingredients for Sweet Tea Brine

Method

1. Add the salt, black peppercorns, red pepper flakes, garlic, star anise, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and orange and lemon quarters to the Blueberry Sweet Tea (recipe below), squeezing the citrus juice into the pan as you add them.
2. Return to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, and let stand for 1 hour. Remove the solids, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Ingredients for Blueberry Sweet Tea

Method

1. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the tea bags, and remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 7 minutes.
2. Stir in the Blueberry Simple Syrup (recipe below), and cool completely, about 20 minutes. 

Ingredients for Blueberry Simple Syrup

Method

1. Bring the sugar, lemon zest, peppercorns, star anise, and 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over medium. Add the blueberries and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 8 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, and let stand for 30 minutes. Mash the blueberries in the syrup using a potato masher or the back of a slotted spoon. Pour the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl; discard solids. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Watercress Salad with Benne Seed Dressing

Yield: 300 servings (2 oz each) 

Recipe courtesy Cheef Keyon Hammond, Get Plated

Ingredients

Method 

1. Toss brussels sprouts with herb oil and spices then spread out on sheet trays and roast in a 350F oven until golden brown.
2. Once cooled, toss roasted brussels sprouts with watercress in a large bowl.
3. Add grapefruit segments, caramelized shallots, and diced sweet bell peppers.
4. Gently mix in crumbled goat cheese.
5. Serve and enjoy your flavorful roasted Brussels sprouts and watercress salad! 

Ingredients for Benne Seed Dressing

Yield: About 2 gallons 

Method

1. Toast benne seeds in a dry skillet until golden and fragrant.
2. In a blender, combine toasted benne seeds, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, and Dijon mustard. Blend until smooth.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Adjust the consistency with water if needed.
5. Store the dressing in airtight containers in the refrigerator. 

Little Lynn's Greens

Yield: 55 portions

Recipe courtesy Chef Boris Seymore, BDS Catering

Ingredients

Method

1. Add all seasonings and smoked turkey into a pot with 18 quarts of water. Bring to boil for 30 minutes
2. Wash/rinse and cut up greens (shredded) while smoked turkey is cooking down.
3. Add greens,1/3 cup apple cider vinegar and 9 more quarts of water to smoked turkey broth.
4. Taste for flavor!!!! 

Sweet Potato Flan Brulee

Yield: 11 5- oz ramekins  

Recipe courtesy Chef Boris Seymore, BDS Catering

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Whisk egg yolks, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, and vanilla bean extract in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy; set aside.
3. Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to a boil.
4. Whisk cream into egg yolk mixture; beat until combined.
5. Pour mixture into the top pan of a double boiler. Stir over simmering water until mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes.
6. Pour into ramekin.
7. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 mins. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least hour or overnight.
8. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons white sugar and brown sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture evenly over custard. Torch top until sugar melts. Watch carefully so as not to burn.