The Pat Conroy Cookbook

Hilton Head, South Carolina is located is on the East Coast of South Caroline near the Georgia border. I spent a summer there in college with my friend Bill.  We stayed in a duplex off of the Island in a little town called Blufton. Bill's sister Mary lived on the first floor. At the time Blufton was a sleepy little town that was undeveloped and lined by the May River.

Mary was completely dialed into the South Carolina scene and knew just about everyone on the Island. She had a friend that lived on the last working Plantation on the Island. I remember that it was an amazing property that is long since gone. On Sundays, we would ride down to Savannah, Ga where drinking was allowed. Bill and I worked in restaurants on the Island and over the summer we got to know other college kids from the South. I have fond memories of my time in the South and many of the kids I met that summer became lifelong friends. I have continued to return to the South since that summer and I fall more in love with it as time passes.

Of course times change and as you get older, my idea of a good time is no longer hitting a private club until 5:00 a.m. and crashing on the beach.  I much prefer to get a good nights sleep and hit the links at sunrise. At the same time, there is something to be said for waking up in the blazing sun with a blinding hangover, the left side of your face sunburned, sand stuck to the right side of your saliva soaked face, looking around and realizing that the beach is full of families and kids. Of course the farther away from 19 years old you get the more difficult it becomes to pull off sleeping in public.

There is just something about Magnolila trees dripping with Spanish Moss and walking on soft pine needles in the shade that reminds me of images I have seen imagined in books I have read. For me the South is about mystery and great food.  I think of books like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, a novel about a murder trial set in Savannah, Ga. I also have enjoyed Pat Conroy's books about the South and as an outsider looking in I feel like he has captured the feel of the South. I particularly liked the Water is Wide and My Losing Season. The Lords of Discipline is one of my favorite books.

About six months ago, Soon gave me "The Pat Conroy Cookbook" to read. I admit, I thought it looked a bit lame so I left it sitting on the coffee table all of this time. I finally got around to reading it on my recent trip to Napa and I really enjoyed it. It's an autobiograpy about his life as it relates to food. He lived in places like France and Rome for long periods of time and its a great read about his life in these places. He writes about cooking for weddings and funerals and makes you wish you were there. In particular, Conroy has a knack for telling stories about the people he has come across in his life that are just about as eccletic as you will find. It's interesting to me because I have always associated food with my friends and traveling. My own trips to places like Paris and Rome have inspired me to at least try to reproduce the dishes I have experienced.

As a way to thank Soon for giving me the book, I promised her I would cook some of the recipes he has included in the book.  Unfortunately, I do not have permission to publish the amazing recipes in the book but luckily a few are published on other sites!  Tonight, I am going to try Breakfast Shrimp and Grits. This is a dish I have eaten down South so I am looking forward to giving it a shot. I will write about it tomorrow and share a few pictures. Here is a link where you can find the recipe.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=238804&page=1

A witness at trial in the movie, My Cousin Vinny said, "no self-respecting southerner would make instant grits." And you should not either. There is a significant difference in flavor and texture between the grits that take 1/2 hour to an hour and instant grits. But if you are lazy and you like the taste of cardboard don't take my advice. You want to cook your grits so that they have nice creamy texture.  I have found that the trick is to cook them for about 5 minutes left than what is listed on the label. That way when you set them aside, they will not become too firm before you serve dinner.

 The recipe is very simple and easy to prepare. The combination of the butter and bacon makes an amazing sauce that perfectly flavors the grits. The only change I might make to the recipe would be to double the amount of bacon you cook and double the butter. I am suggesting this to extend the amount of sauce. Otherwise, it is an amazing recipe.

This definitely would make an excellent Mother's Day breakfast!

I always get a kick out of surprising Taylor with exotic fruits I come across in the market. This is  a Horned Melon, also known as African Horned Cucumber. The skin is smooth and a bright orange. The flesh is bright green and the flavor is a bit sour and sweet. The kids loved the spikes all over it. Horned Melon is an african fruit that grows on vines that look a lot like watermelon.








Looks Weird Tastes Great