Southern Comfort (22 page)

To prepare the grits, warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges, about 5 minutes. Whisk the grits into the milk and decrease the heat to medium-low. Let the grits cook for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally to prevent clumps. Finish the grits by whisking in the butter, heavy cream, salt, pepper, truffle puree, and truffle oil. Cover the pot of grits with a lid and remove from the heat.

Serve immediately or hold in a warm area, covered, for up to 20 minutes.

Bring the milk to a boil over high heat in a small saucepan. Add the salt and, using a whisk, whisk in the cornmeal. Decrease the heat to medium-high and cook the polenta until it starts to thicken, about 3 minutes. Decrease the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan. The polenta is ready when the cornmeal is no longer gritty. Add the goat cheese and butter, stirring to incorporate.

Serve immediately or hold in a warm area, covered, until needed.

Place a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat for 1 minute. Add the pecans and toast, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the nuts are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice and toast for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the shallots, carrot, salt, and pepper.

Cook the rice and the vegetables for an additional 3 minutes. Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for another 10 minutes.

Stir in the green onions before serving.

G
ROWING UP IN A FAMILY
that loves fishing has been a blessing to me. From the time I could stand, I have been out in the Gulf of Mexico or on the Bogue Chitto River fishing. If I weren’t a chef I would without a doubt be a fisherman. There is nothing like being out on the water with the unanswered question of what you might catch.

Through the years, I have become pretty good at it actually, decorating my walls with trophies. I even set a record in the 1984 Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo children’s division with a 3-pound, 4-ounce croaker. I made my father so proud accepting my trophy on stage from Miss Louisiana, even though my shirt was on backwards and inside out.

The boats got bigger and the stakes got higher as we stopped fishing for croakers and started fishing for real game fish, such as tuna and marlin. Eventually we even formed our own hometown fishing team called the “Tylertown Go-getters.” The Louisiana coonasses (what we called the locals) would laugh at us Mississippi pine cone pickers (what they called us) launching our boat at the marina in their neck of the woods of Venice, Louisiana. We traveled hours offshore into crystal clear blue water in hopes of catching the “great ole big one,” as my dad would say.

Through the years the coonasses’s laughter changed to respect as we approached the dock, our coolers overflowing with fish. Once we reached the dock, the disciplined work began of cleaning the boat and butchering the fish. Nowadays my brother and I don’t wait to butcher the fish upon return, we bring along a sharp knife to start right away. We are also always armed with a ceviche kit (tomato, jalapeño, lime, cilantro, onion, and sea salt) to enjoy our first catch minutes after it lands in the boat.