North vs. South Thanksgiving side dish smackdown: Hot dishes

When it comes to the Thanksgiving table side dishes are anything but an afterthought sometimes equaling or even eclipsing the turkey Thanksgiving sides also illustrate the rich communities and cultural influences located throughout the nation A classic side dish in one region or family for instance may very well be unheard of in another To get a taste of Thanksgiving across the US six Atlanta chefs three Southern and three hailing from the North and Midwest shared their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes and family food traditions for the holiday For this South versus North side dish smackdown Avize chef Karl Gorline South and Breaker Breaker chef Maximilian Hines North talk must-have hot dishes for the Thanksgiving table Crab dressing from Chef Karl Gorline Courtesy of Karl Gorline The South Crab dressing Avize chef Karl Gorline Gulf Coast For Avize chef Karl Gorline who grew up on the Gulf Coast holiday meals inevitably include seafood You re right there by the water he explained So crab dressing is something that we had quite often Imagine it like a weird crab cake Gorline believes that the farther south you go foodways have a more natural resistance to the norm In this matter Thanksgiving recipes that are pushed across the country but don t exactly reflect the region Basically all the way from Mobile Bay over to New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain that s one of the largest crab markets he noted Blue crabs are native to the area and even a sign of trust Back in the bayou people would just have crab traps out all the time That s somebody s crab trap and you respect it Gorline revealed It s almost like leaving the door unlocked in your neighborhood A friend of Gorline s uncle would make crab dressing and bring brined chickens to smoke for Thanksgiving Gulf Coast Thanksgiving meals also tend to feature pasta and gumbo at the table with gumbo occasionally served with dressing instead of gravy Crab dressing Serves to Ingredients pouch stovetop chicken flavor mix cup chopped celery cup chopped green bell pepper cup chopped white onion Note celery pepper onion are the trinity cup chopped scallions pound lump crab meat cups rich duck or chicken stock stick butter tsp Old Bay or mixture of tsp each of smoked paprika dried oregano salt and black pepper tsp dried parsley tsp ground carraway tsp chopped fresh rosemary tsp ground allspice Instructions Melt the butter in a sauce pot Add trinity onions bell pepper and celery Old Bay dried parsley carraway rosemary and allspice Sweat over medium heat Season mixture to taste with salt and pepper about to teaspoons of each Add rich duck or chicken stock and bring to a simmer Remove from heat and pour over the dried stuffing mix incorporating lightly Add crab meat and scallions Set aside for later preparation or transfer to a casserole dish and bake at degrees Fahrenheit for minutes For a sauce combine one pack of brown gravy mix one pack of turkey gravy mix one cup of apple juice a little cracked pepper fresh rosemary and crab meat over medium heat Or serve dressing with gumbo Dressing can also be stuffed inside a brined young chicken Brine chicken in a ratio of salt to water for hour and minutes Roast or smoke chicken minutes per pound at degrees Fahrenheit Check the chicken s temperature next to the wing joint it should read degrees Fahrenheit before removing it from the oven or smoker Let bird rest for at least minutes or the amount of time cooked before serving Corn pudding from Chef Max Hines Courtesy of Max Hines The North Midwest Corn pudding Breaker Breaker chef Maximilian Hines Ohio DC Breaker Breaker and Stolen Goods chef Maximilian Hines spent a good chunk of his childhood in Ohio with occasional stints in DC But Ohio is home It s where he was born and where his parents are from and where childhood memories were made around the Thanksgiving table For Thanksgiving the family would prepare dishes influenced by their roots in Haiti Louisiana Mississippi and southern Virginia Specific years the stuffing served alongside the turkey Honeybaked ham yams and mashed potatoes and gravy was mixed with blue crab meat drawing on family roots along the Chesapeake Bay Then there were the numerous casseroles on offer including a corn pudding that came to the family s Thanksgiving table via his grandmother s college roommate The holidays are still pretty indicative of what my grandparents made every year which definitely skews more Ohio than anywhere else Hines mentioned Everything was a casserole like green bean casserole squash casserole and that corn pudding A lot of it involved canned vegetables from Glory Foods The custardy corn pudding or casserole isn t arduous to make and can incorporate late-season sweet corn Hines likes the dish because it balances sweet and savory flavors gelled together by scalded milk butter and curdled eggs giving the pudding a similar texture to a scrambled egg bake With family now scattered around the country and his sister in London it s been hard to gather for Thanksgiving in new years As a full-time chef Hines tries not to cook on Thanksgiving However this year he required his mother for the corn pudding recipe a dish that might just turn up on his Thanksgiving table or at the Breaker Breaker staff potluck planned before the holiday Corn pudding Serves Ingredients cans of whole kernel corn oz or quart of fresh shaved corn off of the cobb cups scalded milk or cups unscalded milk Tbsp unsalted butter eggs Tbsp granulated sugar Salt and white pepper to taste or approximately tsp Optional ingredients Pimento Baking powder Tajin Thyme Sorghum instead of sugar Instructions Scald milk in a skillet until it reduces slightly Add butter and allow to melt Meanwhile in a bowl whisk eggs thoroughly Slowly temper in milk and butter into the eggs and whisk until well combined Fold in corn and seasonings and transfer to a small greased casserole dish If you are using pimentos and baking powder add both with the corn during this step Cover with foil and cook at degrees Fahrenheit for approximately hour or until thoroughly set and a cake tester can be inserted and removed cleanly Foil can be removed toward the end of cooking to allow for particular browning Alternative method with chef pro tips Hines follows his family s corn pudding recipe but makes a insufficient adjustments He strongly recommends using pimentos and baking powder When I tested this recipe the Southern influence in me decided to cook it in a greased cast iron skillet instead of a casserole dish Hines explained I cooked the corn pudding at but didn t cover it and it cooked and set at minutes instead of the typical time of almost an hour Baking uncovered in a cast iron skillet at Hines added gives the corn pudding specific nice caramelization and a light crust on top He finishes the corn pudding with cut chives for color The post North vs South Thanksgiving side dish smackdown Hot dishes appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta