Chef Tim Byres of SMOKE was kind enough to lend us his version of the southern classic -- grits. Suffice to say, this treat doesn't come in a package and needs more than boiling water to make it come together. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 cp Rendered chopped bacon
1 tsp black peppercorn, crushed
1 qt Chicken or ham stock
½ cp Heavy cream
1 cp Yellow corn grits, stone ground coarse
½ cp Yellow corn meal, medium
½ cp Yellow corn polenta flour
¼ cp Chopped pickled jalapeno
1 cp White corn hominy
2 T Pickled jalapeno vinegar
2 ½ cp Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cp Sour cream
2 tsp Kosher salt
1 T Louisiana hot sauce
Procedure:
In a medium bowl mix the grits, corn meal and polenta flour together and hold.
In a heavy bottom pot on medium -- high heat add the bacon and black pepper.
Render the bacon until crispy but not burned.
Slowly add the stock and heavy cream and bring to a simmer
Whisk in the dry corn meal mix in three parts until completely incorporated, then reduce to low heat and continue to stir until thick and smooth. The coarse grind has to be cooked soft and this could take 15 minutes.
Fold in the hominy and pickled jalapeno and slowly cook until the grits are set.
Remove the pot from the stove and fold in the sour cream, 2 cups of cheddar cheese (reserving a ½ cp) and season with salt and Louisiana hot sauce.
Pour grits into 12 small casserole dishes and sprinkle the reserved cheddar on top and place under the broiler until golden brown.
