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.