September 2021
Birmingham and the Best Bitters for your Bar
Hi all —
Here’s my (try as hard as I can) monthly round-up for those of you who want to learn / keep up a little more with me and the work that I do. Hope you enjoy.
Saveur and a savory corn recipe
If you are looking to set up or upgrade your home bar this season, I’m your gal. I continued my bar primer “bests” for Saveur with the best bitters and best cocktail cherries, and just out today, martini glasses. I know so much about maraschino cherry production now, I’m going to win that entire category (there is one, right?) in the next Trivia Night. You want me on your team!
If you like these deep dives into cocktail elements, stay tuned. More are on the way.
Cocktail bitters also made a cameo in “Turn Dessert into a Smoke Show” for Saveur, and a smoked vanilla ice cream recipe finally got some proper documentation; I’d been dreaming of since I tasted it on my Appalachian road trip this time last year .
And finally, if you’re looking to showcase that late summer corn (it’s already finished here in SC) or wow your tailgate tribe with a dip delight, then click the respective links for some Post & Courier Vintage Kitchen installments.
Episode Updates
Brian Hart Hoffman has been a part of my world for years, first as a event friend, then as an editor, and now as a guest on the show. We’ve had plenty of fun together, so when he and I sat down to discuss Bake From Scratch and all things baking, it was a conversation years in the making.
Not years in the making, but certainly months after visiting Atlanta, Craig Richards of Lyla Lila kept the carb caravan going with an all-things pasta episode. I’d been dreaming of his pillowly ravioli since having it earlier this year in an evening filled with bubbles and records on the turntable, and so you’ll want to take the lead from his restaurant after listening and try to recreate the vibe for yourself.
Another chef that I had the honor of speaking with this month was the legendary Frank Stitt. His work in Birmingham, AL at Highlands Bar & Grill, Chez Fonfon, and Bottega, have really changed the culinary landscape of that region, and his love for seasonal produce knows no bounds. Just take a listen at how he describes building the perfect tomato salad.
And finally, for a little hope and inspiration, I visited Jones Valley Teaching Farm, a non-profit organization that has also transformed its neighborhood in Birmingham into a incubator for farmers and fresh produce. Amanda Storey and I had a heartfelt and sometimes heady conversation about shifting paradigms and the power of investing in children.
Other podcast episodes I like right now: I have been obsessed with considering how trees talk to each other (I often think about it on my daily walks around under trees on my street) since reading a piece in the NYT last year, and Suzanne Simard — the woman who discovered the mycelium network under our feet was a hotline for trees — goes in depth with Krista Tippet on On Being. If you want to listen to the original NYT piece that started my mental bonfire, you can find that here, read by its author.
On my mind: always a million things, especially at 3 a.m. This month was a toughy, filled with the big questions about life, legacy, family, and the nature of being human. I will miss my dad, who died at 74.
Cooking soundtrack album: Thinking in Textures, Chet Faker
Best thing I cooked this month: Cumin-Scented Beef & Celery from a 2008 Gourmet clipping in my recipe notebook
Until next time,
Steph