THE NEW SOUTHERN TABLE
By January Johnson (Southern Ledger)
The new Southern table is brimming with locally grown ingredients sitting side by side with artisan food products from around the world. Where we once found dinner tables heaped with pork chops, beans, and collard greens there is now much more sophistication and refinement in much of our Southern fare. Chefs and home cooks alike are using globally sourced finishing ingredients to highlight the flavors of their favorite recipes.
At Savor, our specialty food shop in Atlanta, we help customers elevate the flavors of their foods with simple but delicious finishing products such as complex and fruity estate grown Extra-Virgin Olive Oils and dense aged vinegars. A salad of local butter lettuce and ripe tomatoes is taken to new heights by the addition of a delicious vinaigrette made with local honey, Tuscan olive oil, white wine vinegar, and a generous dose of French Blackcurrant mustard.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oils are a great way to add impact to many meals with minimal effort. We love to showcase the range of flavors that are found in each different olive oil and to help our clients understand how to use each one to its best advantage.
Investing in a few simple but luxurious finishing ingredients will help anyone change a fairly simple meal into a celebration of taste. Try a sprinkle of Truffle Salt on your next batch of boiled or grilled corn on the cob and you’ll have simply amazing earthy flavors that perfectly compliment the sweetness of your corn.
Or, finish your favorite bean soup with a drizzle of grassy, peppery Extra-Virgin Olive Oil; you’ll be shocked at the bolt of flavor the oil adds. We love to steam broccoli then add a pinch of sea salt, some freshly ground pepper, and a drizzle of Persian Lime Extra-Virgin Olive Oil.
Our Persian Lime oil comes from growers in California who press whole limes with olives as they extract the oil. The resulting olive oil is unbelievably fragrant and delicious.
As Southerners redefine the way they shop, cook, and eat, we see heirloom vegetables, wonderful locally grown fruits, and free range, all natural meats taking their rightful place at the head of the table. Take some time to discover how many culinary possibilities exist when you play with and tweak traditional recipes.
Looking for a sensational dessert course? Try pairing some local honey with a blue cheese such as Great Hill Blue from Massachusetts and some toasted walnuts. Or, consider adding untold layers of flavor to strawberries and vanilla ice cream with a tiny drizzle of twelve year old Balsamic vinegar-so delicious.
The possibilities are endless. Simply ask questions, embrace new cuisines, and taste new foods as often as possible. We’re eager to offer advice about our products and to help make each meal a little more memorable.
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