Charleston culinary adventure makes memories

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Charleston culinary adventure makes memories
October 20, 2010
Marlyn Monette
Shreveport Times

My daughter Debbie and I had so many memorable experiences during our recent trip to Charleston, S.C., today I would like to share more of our culinary adventures. To commemorate the occasion, Deb made me a "Second Annual Mother-Daughter Weekend" book filled with memories and pictures. This keepsake has joined my last year's Savannah book, along with my other treasured items.

Ask any visitor to Charleston to describe the charm of that beautiful city and they will tell you about the warmth and friendliness of the locals. It's also likely they will reminisce about the horse-drawn carriage rides, the briny ocean air, the marketplace, the historic sites such as Fort Sumpter, and the beautiful old churches.

What is sure to draw the most praise, however, is the wealth of gastronomical delights, for Charleston has become one of the nation's most-talked-about culinary destinations. There are festivals each year to celebrate its seafood, its haute cuisine and its Afro-Caribbean-European heritage.

When Deb and I travel, we schedule a cooking class and this year we attended two classes at a bustling kitchen shop and cooking school — Charleston Cooks! Maverick Kitchen Store where we also found some great kitchen tools. In our classes we learned much about the artistry of Low Country cooking. Their state-of-the-art kitchen provided a professional, yet friendly atmosphere as local chefs shared one delicious secret after another. We learned Low Country cooking techniques, valuable tips and food specialties of every description. We were most impressed by the freshness of the vegetables used in the recipes, all provided by local farmers.

The folks at Charleston Cooks have allowed me to share some of the recipes with you. You'll find sweet corn cake with peaches and cream here. Pecan encrusted fish and cowpea succotash can be found online. Don't let the length of the recipes scare you — they are quite simple.

On our second evening in Charleston, Deb and I enjoyed a decadent meal at Poogan's Porch, one of Charleston's oldest and most reputable culinary establishments. The restaurant was originally a house built in 1888, and it was named Poogan's Porch after a scruffy neighborhood dog who spent his time on the front porch begging for morsels of food.

As for the food at Poogan's Porch, it was absolutely divine! Our dishes included spinach salad (best I ever tasted), fried green tomatoes (with pecan encrusted goat cheese and peach chutney), shrimp and grits paired up with tri-colored peppers, spicy sausage, tasso and blue crab gravy. I had a Low Country pasta dish that was enhanced with sausage, shrimp, crawfish, sweet corn, Vidalia onions, tri colored peppers, and Cajun cream. Yum!

Poogan's Porch has an appetizer on the menu, Pimiento Cheese Fritters, that I have tried to emulate. These fritters are delish with fried or blackened fish and collard greens. For dessert, serve the aforementioned sweet corn cakes with peaches and cream!

"I'm going back to Charleston, back where I belong." Those were the words Rhett Butler said to Scarlett O'Hara as he fled Atlanta in search of "charm and grace."

The Charleston of today is still a reflection of the charm that lured Rhett back all those years ago. One visit is all it takes to get wrapped in that embrace — it's as warm as an old blanket!