Woodlands' Wines of the World

Not only has Chef Tarver King been recognized in the November issue of Esquire as a "Chef to Watch," the resort located in Summerville, SC has made it easy to do so. The Woodlands is hosting the highly-acclaimed Wines of the World food and wine series the third Tuesday of every month. December 11 and 18 will feature "Champagne and sparkling wines," while the 2008 series kicks off on January 15th with a visit to the private cellars of the top "Burgundy Winemakers."

In addition, on December 1, 8, 15, and 22 they are offering a Christmas lunch and tour starting at $39 per person.

But wait there's more! On December 4th, Chef King will host a truffles cooking demonstration - stay for dinner and the demo is free!

Here is the full Woodlands calendar of events.

Cure for the Turkey Coma

Take a break from leftovers and crowds at the mall and treat yourself and your family to a drive in the country. Split Creek Farm is holding a holiday open house Saturday, November 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Known for their artisan goat cheese and goat milk fudge, they also carry Carolina rice, Timm's Mill grits and cornmeal, Bee Well honey, and gourmet dog biscuits.

Handmade jewelry, baskets, painted gourds and fiber art will be available from arts and crafts folks. And you can get the best goat cheese pizza from their country porch kitchen.

You also might want to check out Harmon's, a tree farm and Christmas House. Enjoy a free train or hay ride, hot chocolate or cider while you pick out your perfect tree.

South Carolina Sody-Pop!

If you've never heard of Blenheim Ginger Ale then you must not be from around here. Locally brewed and bottled in Hamer, SC since 1903, Blemheim's makes four different flavors - Old #3, Old #5 (not so hot), #9 diet, and #11 Ginger Beer. If it is your first time, be warned...this sweet and spicy brew will set your head to sweating, tickle your throat and make your tongue throb, but it is oh-so-delicious. If you are near South of the Border (I-95 at the North and South Carolina stateline) stop in for a tour. The plant is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call first at 1-800-270-9344. Hard to find retail outlets outside of South Carolina, but worth the hunt.

If a smoother brew is preferred you might want to check out Dr. Root Beer's Hall of Foam, located at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, SC. In addition to the private label root beer, the shop also makes a mean Sweet Sassafrass BBQ sandwich. Be sure to ask which antique signs were used in movies The Bridges of Madison County and Fried Green Tomatoes.

Finally, if you are in Greenville, SC it is worth the hunt to find Smoken' Stokes famous for their Cheerwine BBQ sauce. Just follow your nose.

Holiday Culinary Tours of Charleston

Strolling through beautiful, historic Charleston while savoring chocolate? My dream come true courtesy of Carolina Food Pros. Local food expert Amanda Dew Manning takes you behind the scenes with pastry chefs, bakers, and Chocolatiers while sampling deliciously decadent chocolate desserts at some of Charleston's finest restaurants, bakeries and specialty shops. Every Friday in December from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

"No Reservations" in Charleston

Did anyone catch the Anthony Bourdain "No Reservations" segment on Charleston? Although it was filmed last spring it only aired recently. If you didn't see it the first time around - watch for it in reruns. Bourdain visited Crosby's Fish and Chips, Sweatmans BBQ, TW Grahams, Jestine's Kitchen, and Gullah Grub. Here are some behind the scene pixs. South Carolina BBQ expert Lake High (yes, that is his real name) escorted the film crew to Sweatman's while discussing the four types of sauces in South Carolina etc. - great segment, but even more fun when I came across his daughter's blog. And thank you Ted and Matt Lee for pouring the champagne into appropriate glassware during the oyster roast! Next airing on the Travel Channel is November 19, 2007 at 12:00 p.m. - set your TIVO/DVR!

Pass the Cheese...and Truffles?

I found it! Split Creek Farm home to 400 goats is located in Anderson, SC. They recently brought home more awards than any other competitor from the American Dairy Goat Association's national cheese competition. The farm's newest gold medal winner, a goat milk truffle, is made using the farm's milk and butter and is hand dipped by CocoBon Chocolatier (also in Anderson). P.S. they also make darn good fudge.

They will be holding a holiday open house on Saturday, November 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST.

I also came across this South Carolina iMix, which was great fun to listen to during the drive...

Artisan Goat Cheese and Fried Pickles

A friendly South Carolina foodie gave me the heads up that there is a goat dairy in the western part of the state that makes amazing artisan goat cheese. I'm planning my quest for this weekend.

Must mention that Southerners do like to fry things...and I had my first fried pickle recently. My gramma taught me how to make homemade sweet and dill pickles (yep, using a crock and changing the brine) and that is the way Terra makes their homemade dill pickles too. But they take it a step further, coating pickle slices in a cornmeal breading, deep frying, and served with a chipolte mayo dip. I admit it took me a couple of glasses of great wine to consent to try a basket of their "bar snack," but it was pretty good. It certainly made for interesting table conversation! Terra's is a friendly place near the Congaree River in West Columbia (100 State Street). They have terrific brick oven pizzas and a dynamic view of downtown Columbia. If you are in the area - try it!

Blue Cheesy

Had to attend a business dinner recently and luckily landed at Mr. Friendly's in the Five Points area of Columbia, SC. Their signature dish is a perfectly cooked filet mignon topped with what they call "French Quarter Pimento Cheese." It is made with blue cheese and roasted red bellpeppers - yummy! The blue cheese was a perfect match for the steak. It was such a rich, luscious dinner that I had to walk back to the hotel!

During dinner, I learned that Clemson University in upstate South Carolina produced some of the best blue cheese - so, obviously, I had to take a road trip! The cheese is only available in the Hendrix Student Center. The cheese is fabulous (as is their ice cream - try the Tiger Rag) but I was surprised that the cheese came with an interesting history. It was originally aged in the Stumphouse Tunnel near Issaqueena Falls.

Guess what I'll be grilling next weekend! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Sublime Pimento

I had the good fortune to dine at Peninsula Grill in Charleston recently. As our group was chatting, our server placed a “gift from the chef” before each of us – an amuse bouché of pimento cheese!

I readily admit that I did not grow up in a southern household. The only pimento cheese that I knew about came from a little glass jar from the grocery store and as I would try to spread it on a slice of white bread, it tore big out chunks which could be “glued” back together when smushed together with another slice of white bread. Did I mention that it also stuck to my teeth when I bit into it? Not a great experience, nor appetizing and certainly one I never thought I ever repeat.

So imagine my horror when, here, in this elegant and highly rated Charleston restaurant, I was served a pimento cheese amuse bouché. But being the adventuresome diner that I am – I pushed my childhood memory aside and took the bite.

Who knew that pimento cheese could be fashioned into such a sublime bite? The texture and the flavors signaled that I was tasting real pimento cheese for the first time. Boy, have I been missing out on a real southern treat.

So for those of you who can still enjoy the pleasures of cheese – here is my attempt to recreate Chef Carter’s tantalizing tidbit.

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons of sour cream
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 dash of Tabasco sauce
2 Tablespoons pimento
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together (I used a pastry blender to cut up the grated cheese into finer pieces) and serve on warm, deep fried triangles of pita bread.