Recipes from Lowcountry

Makes approximately 32 mini meringues

There are two secrets to making successful meringues: egg whites won’t whip up if there is any moisture or residue at all on your equipment, so make sure everything is completely clean and dry. Also, take extra care when separating the egg yolks from the egg whites so that no yolk breaks and mixes with the egg whites – if this happens, make an omelet and start over! 

CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF HERITAGE WITH CLASSIC APPETIZERS

It seems 1969 was a big year for both golf and gourmet. It was the first year of the tournament that would become the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. And it was the year “The Galloping Gourmet with Graham Kerr” first hit TV airwaves and the 11th edition of the “Betty Crocker Cookbook” was released. Home cooks were serving up pigs in blankets, cheese puffs, oysters Rockefeller, Lipton onion dip and nut-ecrusted cheese logs. Other retro dishes still are popular, like fondue, and shrimp cocktail featuring local shrimp is always a hit.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup butter, soft
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 egg white
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces) lemon yogurt

Serves 4 as a main course or 8 as a side dish

FILLING:

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
4 ounces feta or blue cheese crumbles
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white button mushrooms, stems trimmed and thinly sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

Many areas of the United States have their own version of deviled crab. In Florida, Cuban rolls are wrapped around crabmeat and fried. In Maryland, crab is bathed in a delicious white sauce and baked. But few places do deviled crab like Daufuskie Island.

Surrounded by the natural bounty of Lowcountry waters, it’s only natural that Daufuskie would perfect its deviled crab recipe. Following instructions passed down through generations, the residents of this small Sea Island all chipped in to produce the delicacy. Crabs were brought from the boats to waiting schoolchildren, who would pick them clean after school.

THIS TASTY ACORN SQUASH RECIPE SATISFIES EVERYONE’S DIET

Nov. 1 is World Vegan Day. It also kicks off World Vegan Month, which came to fruition in 1994 thanks to the efforts of Louise Wallace, then-president of The Vegan Society. The initial movement took root in 1944, when the Vegan Society was formed as an offshoot of The Vegetarian Society to highlight the differences between the two. Vegetarians don’t eat meat, while vegans take it a step further and do not consume — or often use or wear — food and products derived from animal products, such as milk, eggs and leather. Thanks to a rise in “ethical veganism,” it is no longer unusual to see vegan dishes offered on most restaurant menus or vegan products stocked on grocery store shelves.

Every Halloween I cringe not because of the ghoulish costumes and decorations but because of the amount of sugar my children load up on at school and trick or treating. Sugar consumption is related to an array of health concerns like digestive problems, cavities and mood swings. In an effort to be holistic but not a fun vampire that sucks the life out of the holiday, try these healthy candy recipes:

Total time: 20-25 minutes
Servings: 8

• 8 wild salmon fillets (3 ounces each)
• Sea salt, to taste
• Fresh pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup shitake mushroom caps, sliced
• 1 package quinoa & wild rice mix (can substitute just quinoa or just rice)
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

BY CARRIE HIRSCH / SERVES 4-6 
2 pounds flank or skirt steak

This is a quick and yummy Asian marinade, served with an orzo pasta salad – East meets West flavors meld together beautifully! Allow enough time to marinate the flank steak in advance of preparation.