I first had sweet potato skordalia in Birmingham, Alabama at a meal during a Southern Foodways Alliance event prepared by Tim Hontza’a of Johnny’s in Homewood. The whole “Greek and three” meal was fantastic, but I was enchanted by the little dab of sweet potato skordalia on the edge of the plate. It was the perfect combination of classic Greek cooking with Southern sensibility. … [Read more...] about Sweet Potato Skordalia
Snacks And Starters
Banana Brown Butter Bars
I’ll be completely honest here. I like banana bread, and this Bananas Foster Pound Cake is a champion. I like banana in cookies too. But I don’t much like a banana. Not straight up, right out of the peel. I think it is a texture thing. So I don’t really have bananas hanging around my house going brown just waiting to be turned into a delicious baked good. That is to … [Read more...] about Banana Brown Butter Bars
Brie Dip with Walnut Honey
As you’ve probably figured out by now, I have a thing about snacks. I love eating little bites of lots of things, and I love to entertain in a social, mobile way so people can enjoy delicious food but also mix and mingle with everyone in the room. I literally wrote the book on Southern Snacks. But not all my snacks are strictly Southern. The recipe here is for my favorite kind … [Read more...] about Brie Dip with Walnut Honey
Glazed Double Almond Bars
I’m returning to a classic here. These are neither hip or new or with some special twist, they are just a recipe I have been making for years and return to when I need a little comfort. I love the old-fashioned taste of almond paste. I don’t now why exactly I say old fashioned, there is just something reminiscent about the rich, grainy, almond-y taste to me. I have no … [Read more...] about Glazed Double Almond Bars
Brown Butter Bubble Bread
I like to call this bubble bread, particularly with the alliterative use of browned butter, but some people call it monkey bread. The sweet breakfast version was always a treat when I was a kid – I had a friend whose mom made it after sleepovers - but that version used canned biscuit dough. It never really occurred to me that you could do it from scratch until a few years ago. … [Read more...] about Brown Butter Bubble Bread
