My guest this week is Nancie McDermott with her latest book in the “Savor the South” series simply titled FRUIT.
F
ruit collects a dozen of the South’s bountiful locally sourced fruits in a cook’s basket of fifty-four luscious dishes, savory and sweet. Demand for these edible jewels is growing among those keen to feast on the South’s natural pleasures, whether gathered in the wild or cultivated with care. Indigenous fruits here include blackberries, mayhaws, muscadine and scuppernong grapes, pawpaws, persimmons, and strawberries. From old-school Grape Hull Pie to Mayhaw Jelly–Glazed Shrimp, McDermott’s recipes for these less common fruits are of remarkable interest–and incredibly tasty. The non-native fruits in the volume were eagerly adopted long ago by southern cooks, and they include damson plums, figs, peaches, cantaloupes, quince, and watermelons. McDermott gives them a delicious twist in recipes such as Fresh Fig Pie and Thai-Inspired Watermelon-Pineapple Salad.
McDermott also illuminates how the South–from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Lowcountry, from the Mississippi Delta to the Gulf Coast–encompasses diverse subregional culinary traditions when it comes to fruit. Her recipes, including a favorite piecrust, provide a treasury of ways to relish southern fruits at their ephemeral peak and to preserve them for enjoyment throughout the year. Follow Nancie on Face Book and Twitter
Nancie McDermott
Nancie McDermott is a North Carolina native, cooking teacher, and author of thirteen cookbooks, including her latest, Southern Soups and Stews: From Burgoo and Gumbo to Etouffee and Fricassee.
For more information about Nancie McDermott, visit nanciemcdermott.com
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
Some fine bubbles from South Africa
NV Graham Beck Brut
Made from a blend of new and reserve wines from grapes sourced from Robertson and Stellenbosch, this is a traditional-method sparkling wine that has undergone secondary fermentation and maturation on its lees in bottle for 15-18 months. An inviting nose full of lightly yeasty aromas. The palate offers fresh, gentle lime fruit delivered with a fine mousse, giving the wine a creamy texture on the finish.
Pick up a bottle or three at Jacob Liquor Exchange on North Rock Road here in Wichita and get a copy of Nancie’s book at Amazon. Many of her recipes would be tremendously complimented by this bright effervescent sparkling wine.