Cook the Book: Cheese Grits
Once relegated to the breakfast table, Southern cooks are now serving grits throughout the day with all sorts of savory additions. This classic recipe for cheese grits from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea is open to interpretation. Try it with roasted tomatoes, thick slices of ham, leftover chicken—whatever you've got on hand.
Author Martha Hall Foose uses quick (not instant) stone-ground grits, such as Anson Mills. You can assemble this dish up to a day ahead and store it in the refrigerator. To account for the access chill, add 20 minutes to the baking time.
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Cheese Grits
- makes 12 servings -
Adapted from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by Martha Hall Foose.
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups quick-cooking grits
8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups)
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 large eggs
1/8 teaspoon hot paprika
Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a shallow 2 1/2-quart baking dish.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1 1/2 cups of the milk, 2 cups water, the butter, garlic, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil. Slowly whisk in the grits. Whisk continuously for a minute, until no lumps remain. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 cups milk, the hot sauce, pepper, and eggs. Gradually add the hot grits, stirring to combine. Pour the grits into the prepared dish and sprinkle with paprika.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, until puffy around the edges and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
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4 Comments:
I'm not a big fan of cheese in my grits, but I'd rather have them with cheese than no grits at all.
@D0c... I feel your pain, being a transplanted southerner myself. I have to get by with... instant... when I can't get real grits.
Southern_bella at 2:29PM on 06/16/08
Adding the eggs makes it seem like spoon bread -- I make my cheese grits with just steps 1 and 2.
And @Southern_bella -- I'm currently in California, and my mom sends me grits and Duke's mayonnaise on a regular basis!!
suthungirl at 2:43PM on 06/16/08
Milk? Eggs? In Grits?
Sounds like a casserole.
Most important things in Cheese grits are:
1. Technique, it's critical that you cook the grits slowly for a long time (may take over 90 minutes for real grits), and then whisk them violently with the added fat before serving. Without that violent whisking at the end, it's like a risotto that hasn't been stirred, just watery slime with hard bits.
2. Quality of raw grits. If you bought it in a supermarket, it's most likely junk.
3. For cheese grits, it needs to be potent cheese or else the flavor is lost. My father liked extra sharp NY state cheddar.
Personally, I prefer my grits without cheese. Just salt and butter for me, maybe a bit of hot sauce at the table.
peekpoke at 8:37PM on 06/16/08
@suthurngirl, I bring grits back to NY from my trips home to NC frequently....and REAL BBQ too. ; )
Southern_bella at 9:42AM on 06/17/08