'The World Needs Music' for VIE September 2021

“Our souls need music. Musicians need to perform. Bingo! We need each other. After the enactment of Covid restrictions in March 2020, I started a weekly cocktail class to satisfy both needs. What cemented connections and transformed the experience was music, which is perhaps the most transcendent art form of all.

Sip with Suzanne began as a weekly half-hour cocktail class experiment — low risk and low investment. Sixty drinks later, what’s come out of it? A community of new friends who feel connected to others even though they are scattered around the world. It’s something for those isolated at home to look forward to. But most importantly, Sip gave us weeks and weeks of live music. World-class musician Wycliffe Gordon brought his curated performances to the party, sparking immediate joy and leaving ripples of good vibes for days to come.”

Read more about keeping the blues at bay with a weekly cocktail and live musical performance HERE in VIE Magazine!

'A Few of my Favorite Things' for VIE August 2021

Suzanne’s past collection of very rare ‘tea cultivation’ dishes from the Qianlong period c. 1750. (Credit: Christie’s catalogue.)

“Whether we have the brio of an heiress or the confidence of a young boy with pocket money, we can find objects we want to live with at any age. I began collecting as a child in Africa by peeling stamps off letters. A generation later, one of my sons was an aspiring collector in middle school; first Matchbox cars, then on to belt buckles, paid for by his weekend job at a car repair shop. His experience mirrored other collectors who desired to find the choicest objects and discard others as inferior or not up to snuff once he learned more. He faced another common collector dilemma when his belt buckle collection expanded in number: where do I store or display all the items? Yet another problem surfaced because of this particular collection; the size of the buckles themselves expanded, with some as large as salad plates! His imagined future growth must have played a role — a preteen wondering if he would ever be big enough to wear such belt buckles!”

Read more about building and displaying your own personal collection of treasures in the latest issue of VIE Magazine HERE!

'Summer Sparklers' for J. McLaughlin

Credit: Niki Nero Photography

“The most interesting cocktails for summer, whether you have a pool or not, have some effervescence which relates to the sparkling water filling the pool or the ocean, near or far. Champagne, or any sparkling wine, adds pure magic to a cocktail. You might call it bubbles, I might say dryness. But the wisest of us all know Champagne sprinkles a fairy dust of magic.

“There are a few things to think about when choosing a house cocktail. We do not want a ‘normal’ drink available anywhere and everywhere. Instead try something people might not have tried. Leave complicated cocktails to mixologists. Your home is not a bar. You must be able to make repeat versions; meaning a first drink, possibly a second, and if the occasion arises for a third, you will be able to walk up a flight of stairs and mix another….”

 Read more & find 3 recipes for easy, breezy Poolside Cocktails, all with Champagne (or Prosecco if you’d prefer), via J. McLaughlin’s newsletter/blog HERE!

'Half a Dozen Summer Party Tips' for J. McLaughlin

“The #1 tip concerns conversations because we haven’t been face to face in so long! Just thinking about it sparks excitement, which gets energy flowing and makes party planning extra pleasurable. 

Suzanne and a guest converse at the debut of our collaboration with J. McLaughlin…

[Credit: Niki Nero Photography]

Let’s Talk
Consider possible party talk even before your event. Conversation starters can range from fun and frivolous (like showing off your matching napkins and dress) to deep dives straight for the heart of the matter. Think about each guest and what might be going on in their life so that you can ask pertinent questions, showing that they have been on your mind and that you care for them. Conversations which easily shift from light to meaningful are unforgettable. Simply skimming the surface leaves an empty feeling later. To more easily dive deep, start shallow as a means of getting there. Pointing out your matchy matchy napkins and dress will ignite laughter and spark interesting talk.…”

Read the rest of Suzanne’s party tips and find our recipe for a perfect French 75 via J. McLaughlin’s blog HERE!

Summer Pantry Week Two

A few years ago I was working on a book with the working title, The Music of Food. For that project (not completed) I interviewed well known musicians whose second passion was cooking. My favorite question to ask was, What do you want to eat when madly in love? The answers were all fabulous but one stood out above the rest, from Grace Potter:

Spaghetti. All day. I mean, it’s a love food! It is the most romantic food in the world because it’s just like…twirl things around in your mouth, basically what love is, you know? Whether it’s the tongue or something else. It’s basically the most — I think it’s essential food. For me the tactile experience is like twirling the pasta, or if I am madly in love with someone who doesn’t know how to twirl pasta, watching his clumsy fingers trying to learn how to twirl pasta. I love that so much, it’s one of my favorite things. So it’s a lady in the tramp experience you know…

With Grace in mind, we put together four no-cook pasta sauces for Week Two in Summer Pantry. Most of the ingredients come straight from the cans, jars, bottles, and boxes sitting on your pantry shelves this very minute. No need to turn on the oven! Let’s keep the heat out of the kitchen and in rooms where hotness really belongs. First put love right on the dinner plate. Satisfying a tummy ignites happiness in the heart. Proudly serve a plate of pasta that will delight the pickiest eater in your house, or a James Beard Award-winning chef if one happens to drop by around dinnertime. 

P.S. Still time to sign up for the rest of our Summer Pantry series HERE, and you should because you never know what you will learn. More than the recipes!

Spaghetti with Tuna, Garlic, and Cream Sauce

Mix everything by hand to get a grainier, more interesting texture. Delicious with shell pasta! Seggiano is my favorite brand, carried by Whole Foods. The pasta has a rough surface to which the sauce can cling…

• 7-ounce can of tuna packed in olive oil, drained 

• 1 clove garlic, chopped fine

• 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems discarded, leaves chopped

• 4 tablespoons heavy cream

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 3 tablespoon butter, softened

• salt and black pepper in a grinder

• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiana, plus additional for the table

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook for about 9 minutes, or according to directions. 

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mash the drained tuna with a fork. Add garlic, parsley, cream, egg, butter, salt, liberal grindings of pepper, and 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Mix well until a creamy sauce emerges. Taste and correct with salt and pepper.

3. Drain pasta, toss immediately with tuna mixture, and serve at once.

A Summer Night's Dream with J. McLaughlin

Credit: Mark Staff Photography

‘“Sparkling summer cocktails in chilled glasses, your closest friends mingling amongst dragonflies and bite-sized hor’s d'oeuvres, farmer’s market blooms that match your botanical print dress, that match your napkins, that somehow magically match your notecards as well.”

A recipe connoisseur, author, and all-around party genius— when Pollak mentioned to J.McLaughlin Creative Director and Co-founder Kevin McLaughlin that she wished she had a dress that matched her fête essentials, we knew we had to make it come true…’

Now you can shop J. McLaughlin’s dreamy new collaboration with Suzanne HERE, and read all about last night’s launch party HERE (both via the J. McLaughlin blog!)

'The Art of the House Drink' for VIE June 2021

Serve your House Drink in any vessel you choose! (Credit: CR Fashion Book)

“I am a fan of having a house drink and a go-to menu until they’re fully mastered at every step: cooking, mixing, and presentation. Then when the excitement has evaporated or the season has changed, the time comes to move to new terrains. This steady progression of building culinary and cocktail house signatures adds to your skills through the decades. During the learning period, the practice provides stability, predictability, and comfort to those you feed and water, something guests look forward to when invited. Then, to keep you and yours on your toes, choose new treats.

In that vein, I propose settling upon a house cocktail for a while.…”

Learn how (and why, and when) to serve up a variety of champagne cocktails while entertaining at home, in the latest issue of VIE Magazine HERE!

Two Sided Southern on "Criscuits" & Carbs 101

[Credit: Landon Neil Phillips}

‘A couple days before Biscuits class, I received an email from Suzanne with my ingredients list, and a little note about why her biscuits should really be called “criscuits”:  

“The first time I tasted a croissant, visiting Europe from Africa, my head spun! I fell in love for life. I’d never tasted anything as light and airy as a croissant. However, as love affairs tend to do, I became a prisoner. I skipped school for two days and made croissants. I promise, if you are learning to bake croissants, even now, you are planning to open a French bakery. They are so hard it’s unbelievable. There is a great probability they will turn into hockey pucks. 

Biscuits will not. I never had a biscuit until I moved South. My head spun once more. They are friendly, probably because they are not as sophisticated and as haughty as the elegant croissant. Croissants are the couture pastry. I took what I learned during my croissant cooking try and added that to biscuit making.”

-Suzanne

Mind you, heretofore my biscuit-making experience involved popping open that Pillsbury can with a spoon. Figuring this divine domestic dean would judge the you-know-what out of my equipment, I fired up the Amazon app and had brand new shiny biscuit cutters, a wooden rolling pin and silicone baking mats headed my way in no time. I masked up and hit Whole Foods with my list of ingredients, buying whatever looked like the best option.  

Day of, I cleared my countertop and found the optimal set up for my laptop. Mind you again, Suzanne and my classmates would have full view of my kitchen and me during this Zoom, and like the profile of my face, my kitchen tremendously benefits from a flattering angle (the resolution: set it up high on top of a stack of cookbooks, upon my sterling storage chest, angled down).  

There was zero need for the pomp. While the sneak peeks of Suzanne’s historic South of Broad charmer and other attendees’ kitchens (from Charleston to Manhattan to L.A.) were impressive, it was immediately clear that this wasn’t a stuffy group looking to one-up each other with their baking knowledge. Most everyone was in my Pillsbury-level experience boat. But we were all lovers of food and entertaining (dearly missing it), and we were all craving the same sense of community.

The most pleasant surprise was how much I loved this style of cooking class. It makes sense when you think about it: Of course you’re going to learn and retain more if you are cooking in your own kitchen, with your own tools. And having classmates asking the same questions you have. And having Suzanne preside over all by expertly instructing while also entertaining with stories of her worldly experiences. The end result:  Not even kidding, the best biscuits I’ve ever had. As Suzanne described them, “a cross between a refined croissant and a plucky little biscuit with a can-do attitude.” ‘

Many thanks to Tucker Berta Sarkisian for a wonderful, in-depth review of taking our Carbs 101 series last year! Check it out HERE on the Two Sided Southern site…

Suzanne in IBU's Sunday Style

Find Suzanne modeling stunning pieces handcrafted by women in Kyrgyzstan via IBU’s latest newsletter HERE, as well as on their home page HERE! The IBU showroom is located in downtown Charleston, and it’s one of our favorite places to shop for (female) artisan-made clothing and gifts.

"I loved doing this shoot because IBU is an ally to women around the world, supporting weavers, sewers, and designers through the clothes we wear. The Academy is an advocate for creating community… one bite at a time, from kitchen to kitchen.” -SP

RIP Tony Hendra

Sometimes you are lucky enough to find a friend who is one of the wonders of the world, a person who changes your life. These people might be complicated and even difficult at times, but it doesn’t matter because you don’t live with them. You just get to enjoy the person’s fabulousness, their intellect, their humor, their care. They see the real you.

I’ve been super blessed to have two once-in-a-lifetime friends like this, now both passed away. The priest Father William Ralston I have missed every day for twenty years. The other friend, Tony Hendra, died this past week. These men are irreplaceable spirits. 

Tony Hendra, actor in Spinal Tap, bestselling author of Father Joe, was an extraordinary home chef, funny to the point of making people’s ribs hurt and minds sharper, with the largest and softest heart. I find anyone who has been through tragedy transforms into a person who understands at a different level. 

Most of all, Tony was my friend. He called me Mrs. P. and I called him Mr. T. Tony had ideas for the Charleston Academy which we worked on together. Just the fact that Tony saw potential in the Academy confirmed to me that my effort and energy put into the business was worthwhile, time well spent. 

Tony was my teacher. He showed me how to sharpen and store knives, skin a deer, coil and cook merguez, dance by the side of the pool, cleave guinea hen breasts, enjoy life! He was a consummate host and a deft culinarian. Tony’s love language was feeding his family. Then, he was a master at work, and the best part was Tony was a home cook through and through.

May you rest in peace my dear friend. 

"Open Up and Connect" for Lux Lifestyle Magazine

Credit: Mark Staff Photography

“Going from formal to informal is a breeze for Pollak who once owned 300 place settings. I pressed for more of her secrets to outdoor entertaining with pizazz. Below are some of the helpful hints I gleaned during our talk:

• Be short and sweet. Just one hour can be a lovely drop-in with cocktails and small plates.

• Help your guests feel you hospitality outside; if you are hosting by a fire pit, place cozy blankets or shawls on the seats.

• Fire in any form creates a sense of warmth, a phenomenon since the prehistoric times. Use it! A fire pit, fire ring, etc., in the Spring, when weather might not be so welcoming outside, will light the night.”

Read the rest of of “Open Up and Connect: Fresh Air Entertaining Tips with Suzanne Pollak” in the latest issue of East Coast LUX Lifestyle Magazine (pages 80-84) HERE!

The White Russian Revisited

Credit: Niki Nero Photography

Just because I am wearing a chinchilla-collared bathrobe, don’t let your mind wander to Russian princes, czars or Doctor Zhivago. No! It’s The Big Lebowski we must turn our minds to now, wherein the bathrobe-wearing Dude pours himself nine White Russians as naturally as I pour eight glasses of water. As the Dude put it so eloquently, “New sh*t has come to light.”

The Dude is the guy who resurrected the cocktail from sixty years in the dustbin. The White Russian saw a massive revival in 1998 thanks to the Coen brothers’ classic The Big Lebowski. Because of that movie, it’s kind of fun and silly, delightful and decadent to wear a bathrobe while sipping this drink.

I sometimes think the White Russian is a secret shame drink. Ordering one could age you forty years just by association. They might be perfect for alcoholics because they are easy on the stomach and then there’s the bathrobe thing. (Any alcohol drunk while wearing a bathrobe falls into the category of secret shame, don’t you think?) It’s an ironic, sad sort of drink — a little bit of a Best Enjoyed Alone cocktail. It’s hard to take the White Russian seriously. It’s not a drink you would normally order out, perhaps a little embarrassing but something you might actually enjoy, if only with your closest friends. 

But I like it. I am not ashamed to admit that last night I happily ate thick salty slices of rare rib eye and drank a White Russian to go with it. Someone has to do the cocktail research! My body craved fat and what better to satisfies that than ribeyes and cream? What would the mother in me, the fifteen- or twenty-years-ago me have said about her future behavior? Nothing good, that’s for sure. I must be letting myself go to seed. Au contraire! I can assure old judge-y me that I am having the greatest time of my life now, eating fatty steak and drinking a (shameful) drink.  It’s not an every night occurrence, more like once a year. Combining vodka, Kahlúa, cream, and serving it on the rocks creates a delicious alternative to adult milkshakes. What’s wrong with that?

The White Russian is due for a status upgrade, less shameful, less secret, less lonely.  It’s a drink that has the heft to stand in for dessert, a liquid in lieu of cake or pie. Less caffeine than a piece of chocolate cake, less caloric than a slice of pie...it’s got that perfect after-dinner decadence feeling.

Time for geography. There is a little town in Colorado called Oak Creek whose Mayor, Cargo Rodman, drank White Russians like the Dude, as in all day long. In that town the White Russian was renamed Mayor’s Milk.

And now history! A version of the drink appeared in the 1930 edition of The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock under the name the Russian, made with vodka, gin and crème de cacao. The Russian Bear was made with vodka, crème de cacao and cream. Crème de cacao is a sweet vanilla-flavored liqueur. The Black Russian is vodka and coffee liqueur, two parts vodka to one part coffee liqueur. The White Russian came about in the ’60s when someone somewhere added a bit of cream to the Black Russian. (Who added cream to a Black Russian to make it white? No one knows!) None of these drinks are Russian in origin. It’s the vodka part that ties them to Russia.

Original recipe was equal parts vodka, Kahlúa, and cream. The Dude made his with two parts vodka, one part Kahlúa, and one part cream. Not as good as the original, I can assure you. I tested both last night. However both are rich, velvety, and go down smooth. I do want to point out that one is enough. 

Cream… When making a White Russian choose heavy cream. Half-and-half can work but why bother? This is not a drink for anyone faint of heart, health conscious, avoiding fat in the diet. And know that milk produces a thin drink. Have a seltzer instead! You’re aiming for decadence. The difference between heavy cream and whipping cream is this: heavy cream has 36 percent fat, whipping cream 30 percent; half-and-half, equal parts milk and cream, has 10 to 18 percent fat. Not enough heft for this drink. 

Kahlúa is a coffee liqueur made in Mexico since 1936, with rum, sugar, and coffee. A bottle takes up to seven years to produce, due to growing and harvesting coffee beans. In the ‘60s, Kahlúa was led by an an all women team. Quite unusual back in the day. Another fun fact? February 27 is National Kahlúa Day. Now you’ll know what to do with that bottle languishing in the back of your bar this Saturday night! It’s just waiting to be opened and appreciated… 

Remember you can use Kahlúa to make more than a White Russian. Try adding a shot to brownies, drizzle on ice cream sundaes, give chocolate cake batter a kick in the pants, whip into your cheesecake. This stuff is asking for more of your time and attention!

CHOICE ONE - 1+1+1 = perfect. 1 PART KAHLÚA, 1 PART ABSOLUT VODKA, 1 PART HEAVY CREAM.  

CHOICE TWO - The way it’s made in the movie. 2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce Kahlúa, 3 teaspoons each of cream and milk.

EITHER CHOICE - Fill a rocks glass with ice cubes. Add Kahlúa and vodka, then pour in the cream layer. 

OR for a milk shake-y feeling, shake with ice and strain over more ice.

Cheers!

"Dream Honeymoons" for New Orleans Bride

“When you return home from the Academy of Domestic Pursuit’s enjoyable cooking course, you remember how Dean Suzanne Pollak didn’t only teach you to prepare Planter’s Punch, pimento cheese, plump shrimp and grits and a peach dessert. She also gave you some advice. ‘P is for playfulness,’ she’d said, as you worked in her kitchen. ‘Remember: always keep playfulness in your marriage. That’s the key.’”

Read more about how a class with the Dean can spice up your honeymoon in Charleston SC, via New Orleans Bride HERE! Special thanks to Becca Hensley, Travel + Lifestyle Writer, for the article…

"A Cozy Cocktail with Presidential Panache" for Garden & Gun

Credit: Niki Nero Photography

“In a nod to those who helped shape America—especially George Washington—Pollak created the Founding Father, a wintertime riff on a classic Remember the Maine cocktail, which typically includes some combination of rye whiskey, vermouth, absinthe, and cherry liqueur. After Washington’s second term in office, he built a distillery at Mount Vernon, setting up the whole supply chain on the grounds: His enslaved laborers grew and harvested the grains, ground the flour in the on-site grist mill, and converted the grains to whiskey, Pollak explains, resulting in about 10,000 gallons a year.”

Read the rest and find Suzanne’s perfect President’s Day cocktail recipe online via Garden & Gun!

Winter Week Four

The past week featured our three guest teachers from very different backgrounds sharing dozens of insider secrets and tips from their cultures:

• Youmna taught us how to make her mother-in-law's Morrocan Hrira. Youmna's trick with saffron, to get the most aromatics out of these pricey golden-orange threads? Rub them between your palms to release maximum perfume before putting into the recipe. Do as the Moroccans and serve something sweet like dates with this soup.

• Celeste learned how to make Party Pickles from the best teachers of all, her six grandparents. Celeste's healthy tip? Replace chips with crisp pickled cucumbers.

• Victoria says that in Spain, if something is cooked in a paella pan then it is paella. Paella is usually served for Sunday lunch. Fish stock cooks for 20 minutes; to make it golden, leave the onion skins in broth and add saffron.

Yet more accolades from the Academy's fabulous students:

• It was a pleasure seeing you again today! I just love your classes and the fact that I have two new recipes to serve. I look forward to taking more classes with you.

• Thanks Suzanne! Celeste was a great teacher. The pickles are delicious. It was a lot of fun.

• Paella is easy if you prep. and have Victoria de la Maza and the Charleston Academy as your teachers!

• Such fun to do this on a cold wintery day with a fire going in the kitchen too!

• That was so much fun! Always good to see new and familiar faces.

(It might be time to start an Alumni Association…)

Don’t skip class during the last two weeks of school! We still have plenty of lessons to learn. Have you ever wondered about the art of napkin folding, how to make the best New England chowder or a magical tagine? Satisfy those three wonderings next week — find more details & registration links HERE.

Week Three Takeaways

Here’s we learned at the Charleston Academy during the past week of Winter 2021 classes:

Besides spending time together, having fun, creating fabulous smells, getting dinner ready for tonight and tomorrow, we are also connecting kitchen to kitchen and making our worlds a friendlier place. Hang out with us to add sparkle and substance to your week. (Spots are still open for the last three weeks of winter semester — Register HERE!)

Lebanese Lentil Soup - The secret to making the soup extraordinary? 

Guest teacher Youmna Squalli says to always, always rinse the lentils and rice three times. I was a witness; the water ran clear the third time. This soup is light, fresh, fantastic. Next week Youmna takes us to Morocco for Hrira, a whole meal in a bowl!

Dinner Party Strategy - Are Covid dinner parties possible, even fun?

Why yes, they are! Last minute invitations are often the best. People who come are in the mood. Outside parties are cool, literally and figuratively. Consider buying a heated vest which charges on your pocket phone charger. Serve heart-warming food to keep bodies from cooling temperatures (i.e. dishes from Weeks One and Two: bowls of gumbo, cassoulet, onion soup or bolognese…or perhaps some from future classes: paella, tagine, chowder, shepherd's pie.)

Ragu Bolognese - How do you turn a fabulous sauce into pasta perfection? 

Toss the drained (best quality) pasta into the simmering ragu sauce. Then add just a little softened butter plus a little bit of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Toss together until mixed. Serve immediately with extra freshly grated cheese to pass. 

What are people saying about Week Three?

• Thank you for the Academy — I love your online classes and how you share your many talents. You’re a gem!

• These classes are a delight!

• I love these classes so much! I’m already in another Zoom — crazy day!

• My house smells amazing and cannot wait until 6 pm!!!

• What a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

• Thank you so much for today's dinner party class! Really fun and inspirational!

• I took two pages of notes. THANK YOU!

Winter 2021 - Week Two!

Credit: Niki Nero Photography

Here’s what we learned this past week:

• French Onion Soup - How many onions do you need? So many that it looks like too many. Not to worry! They will shrink like your favorite dress washed in hot water, to 1/8th of their total volume. Slow cooked onions are not shrinking violets, they will taste extraordinary. They do not need to be cooked to a deep mahogany brown. You can but be careful towards the end so you don’t burn the caramelized onions. The flavor comes when the onions turn golden brown, even pale golden is delicious. Golden brown is the sweet spot. 

• Setting the Table - What didn't we learn from our international guest teacher, Victoria de la Maza? She covered it all: where to sit, who & when to sit them, when to drink, what to bring (or not to bring) as a hostess gift, how to deal with allergies, high heels, even cooking dresses! The questions varied. Where should the host (a participant from Bangkok) have sat the Duke and Duchess when he entertained them in England? As a guest, should you tell your host all the things you are allergic to, or simply bring your own food? How to shut someone down who spouts off about politics, sex or religion? Victoria knew all the answers! 

• Gumbo - Gumbo is a complex, not too spicy, spectacular dinner party food. Food with personality is like an invisible dinner guest, one who adds substance and fun, giving people something to talk about without being high maintenance. The host does not have to attend to the gumbo once guests arrive. While you chat with guests in the other room, the gumbo is wafting through with her perfume of many flavors subtly creating a tasty, anticipatory vibe.  Once ladled in bowls she demands to be center stage. This particular gumbo can handle being the center of attention just like Lady Gaga with that fabulous dove brooch on Wednesday.

Here’s what students had to say:

• “Amazing fun to be with so many interesting people from all over…equally amazing to enjoy the process with anticipation for my executing later when my schedule is not slammed as is just now.”

• Your classes inspire me to cook out of my comfort zone.”

• “Thank you for another fabulous class. I am really loving learning how to cook like a chef. We had the gumbo for dinner and it was DELICIOUS. I can't wait for COVID to pass so I can have a dinner party and serve this. Both you and your classes are AMAZING. I don't know if I enjoy your personality or the class itself more.”

• “It was a momentous hour. I learned SO much. I have never poached a whole chicken and I can’t believe the flavor of the broth after only an hour. Pulling the meat off the bones feels like what a ‘real chef’ does!”

And here’s on the front burner for next week:

• TUES. - Lebanese Lentil Soup (from a fabulous expert guest teacher, Youmna Squalli, born and raised in Tripoli, Lebanon.)

• WEDS. - Dinner Party Strategy

• THUR. - Bolognese 

Reserve your spot HERE!

First Week of Winter 2021

THANKS to local food editor Hanna Raskin for her report on cooking cassoulet with Suzanne (via Post & Courier).

Here’s what students are saying about Winter 2021 classes so far:

• “My first week was outstanding. I really enjoyed it because the one hour gave me a soothing distraction from Covid and confidence that we will return to being able to celebrate lovely dinners with friends and family. Your enthusiasm is contagious.”

• “I really am excited! Your enthusiasm is contagious! I have been following you for years and love the book.”

• “The cassoulet was a big hit! So much fun to cook and serve...my friends were impressed!”

Plus, a few useful tips covered this week:

• STOCKS - Save all roasted and raw bones to make stock. Stocks can be made easily from bones, a few carrots and onions, water (or previously made stock for a double stock) in a 225-degree oven overnight, for eight hours. Your house will smell divine.

• TABLE SETTINGS - Thinking about buying a set of dining room chairs? If you want to spend less money, find a variety of chairs and then paint them the same color! Chic! Victoria de la Maza's pet peeve: sharp corners on a dining room table. Use padding, then a tablecloth. Everything sits better, looks smoother and more comfortable.

• CASSOULET - Slow cooking transforms food. This stew of beans, pork, lamb and duck or goose is a masterpieces of many generations, but not overwhelming to prepare. One step at a time!

NEXT UP…

• French Onion Soup on Tuesday @ 10:00 EST

• How to Seat a Table on Wednesday @ 2:00 EST

• Extraordinary Gumbo on Thursday @ 2:00 EST

Secure your spot by registering HERE.

Dressing for Zoom Parties

Credit: J. McLaughlin blog.

Forget about wearing your sexy red jumpsuit over the holidays! We cannot see most of your body nor even your shoes anymore. In 2020, party dressing is easier than it's ever been. All you have to worry about is the top third of you, from your breasts to your brain. 

• Don’t be that person who sits 20 feet from the computer so we have to squint to find you. Make it easy on the rest of us and sit a little closer to the camera.

• Flash your eyes — make those babies up! Light up the screen with smiles again and again (even more important since we cannot see people’s mouths IRL anymore). Big earrings? Yes! Strapless? No! Looks like you are topless. As for Lights! Camera! Action! Get yourself a ring light.* Action means bringing your A game, an extra snap of energy, burning 25% brighter because your vibes do flow through. 

• Use all parts of your brain. Know when to talk and when to listen. Social and emotional IQ are more important than ever. Each of us want to be seen, heard and treasured. Big No No: looking down at your phone. Can’t you just put that thing away for an hour? Please & Thank You. 

A party on Zoom can feel festive. We know, we’ve hosted 33 weekly 30-minute installments of an online happy hour, where we create a cocktail and listen to live music. We’ve learned that fun is more likely to occur with a plan for a shared activity, such as making a recipe together.

*Buy yourself a Merry Little Xmas present: a ring light for Zoom purposes. You will look happier, younger, less stressed…

For more life tips on connecting and community, cocktails and cooking, check out the Academy’s Winter 2021 Online Courses HERE!

Milk Punch

For your tiny holiday party, we suggest starting with a classic Milk Punch!

Credit: Niki Nero Photography

Milk Punch was first recorded William Sacheverell’s 1688 travelogue from the Scottish isle of Iona. The earliest written recipe for it appeared in a 1711 cookbook; then there was Benjamin Franklin in 1763 making his clarified milk punch with brandy and lemon added to hot milk. (Clarified milk punch is a glass of translucent and elegant liquid, fantastic indeed but time consuming to make. For now, we bring you the easier milky version.)

Milk punch reached the height of popularity in the middle of the 18th century. Queen Victoria issued a royal warrant in 1838 to Nathaniel Whisson as "purveyors of milk punch to Her Majesty”. A different sort of Queen, in a different era, the 20th C. Queen Mother used to tell her butlers, “You old Queens, get this old Queen a drink!” Yet another Queen by the name of Cleopatra supposedly bathed in the white stuff. Did she do that right before Marc Anthony ravaged her? Was milk bath the magic that drew Caesar into her web?

In today’s world, milk punch has made a comeback. This year in particular is perfect for milk punch, one reason being it isn’t really meant for a punch bowl. A bowl is just too much milk punch, unless you are bathing the baby. You cannot, must not, drink this stuff all night long. Milk punch is for making one or two at a time, shaking each batch to get that foamy froth. They are not alcoholic lattes but could be mistaken for one! 

Another reason milk punch is the right beverage for this year: comfort and familiarity. All of us started life with our mother’s milk, or from a bottle. Milk may bring a feeling of safety and security. Yet milk punch is different enough to be fascinating and these juxtaposing characteristics set the stage for guests to feel safe and open up. There is something about milk punch helping to get us there, being our first beverage and all that.  

Milk punch gives a sheen to a holiday party, however small that party might be. I entertained a tiny group on Saturday night. We started out with milk punch cocktails, then we switched to our regular drinks, and the secrets started to spill. Wouldn’t you like to know what was revealed? Sorry, I am a vault. But I can share that milk punch set the stage.  

As cocktails have grown more fabulist, hyper intellectual, or just plain weird over the last 15 years, bartenders worth their muster feel they must create, like a professor trying to achieve tenure, so they mix new drinks with crazy ingredients and silly names. Sometimes we long for plain and normal, a classic that has stood the test of time, vestige of good old days, maybe even the days of 1688 or 1711. Since our old world is utterly changed, a new one struggling to be born, milk punch fits the times. 

The other stuff that turns milk into punch: Cognac or bourbon. Simple syrup. Nutmeg. 

COGNAC

Victor Hugo called cognac the “liquor of the gods”. Cognac is a symbol of French luxury, distilled twice, between October 1 and March 31. Cognac is brandy but not all brandy is cognac. Got that?

BOURBON

We Southerners know all about bourbon, especially in Charleston, and just ‘cause you may be from Kentucky doesn’t make you a world expert on the big brown liquor. Bourbon is made from at least 51% corn, but rye and barley make it more beautiful. 

SYRUP 

In order to incorporate sugar into a drink, it needs to be dissolved first or you’ll end up with a sandy mess (an effect only desired in mint juleps — come back this spring to learn more!).

Simple syrup is simply made by pouring equal parts water and sugar into a saucepan. 1 : 1. The following numbers are easy too, our favorite kind of math at the Academy. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes until sugar dissolves. Store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer. Please don’t let us hear about any of you buying a bottle of simple syrup you didn’t make yourself. You might end up sitting with the dunce hat in our corner.

NUTMEG 

Why does McCormick pack 12 spheres of nutmeg in a bottle where one nutmeg by itself lasts several years? Dear Mr. McCormick: Not one of us needs jars of spice this size for anything at home. Spices lose their essence before we use a quarter of the bottle. 

Nutmeg grows on 40' trees in Indonesia, French Guiana and India. The fruit looks like an apricot. The pit inside is nutmeg. For those who want more trivia…the red lace covering the pit is mace. Only one pound of mace can be removed from a hundred pounds of nutmeg. So, there you have it! A useless tip to toss around. 

One more useful factoid to note: nutmeg’s aroma disappears quickly so you must ground it fresh on top of the milk punch. For that you will need a microplane. 

ABOUT PROPORTIONS… 

You do not always have to stick to proportions on recipes, though the Academy preaches you should. When a classic is right, do not mess with it! Find something else to mess with.

However, I messed with many milk punches on Saturday doing my due diligence for this blog. I do not like sweet drinks, but many recipes call for too much, at least for my taste. That’s why I was messing around. And then there were more weighty decisions, such as, bourbon or cognac? How unsweet can a punch be? How much milk does a milk punch need? At least I had my little posse of dinner guests to help me with the big decisions. Milk punch is a lovely appetizer drink. It does a beautiful job of saying: Welcome to my party, and to the holiday season. Let our night begin. 

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 oz simple syrup

• 1.5 milk

• 2 ounce booze 

• nutmeg 

Put in a shaker with ice. Shake, shake, shake until frothy about 20 seconds. Strain in a glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. Enjoy!