Taste of America with Mark Decarlo

Chicken Pot Pie, Taylor's Ham, Preserves

Mark starts his gastronomic journey in Hampton, N.H., at the Widow Fletcher's Tavern to savor chicken pot pie, a New England staple that's about as old as this historic tavern. Next stop is southern New Jersey, where diners are part of Garden State "culture." One of the most popular items on every South Jersey menu is Taylor's Ham, a breakfast meat that can only be found in the state. Mark's last destination is Big Fork, Mont., where huckleberries are part of the bounty of Big Sky Country.
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Chicken Pot Pie

Where: Widow Fletcher's Tavern, 401 Lafayette Road, Hampton, NH 03842-2223

Phone: (603) 926-8800

Web site: Widow Fletcher's Tavern

Chicken Potpie

2 cups carrots

2 cups celery

1/2 pound butter

1/2 pound flour

2 quart chicken stock

1 1/2 pound frozen peas

2 1/2 pound white chicken breast

Salt and pepper

Puff pastry

Directions: Grill or bake the chicken. Next, dice the chicken and put aside. Place butter and vegetables into a pot and sauté until the vegetables are al dente. Next, add the flour to make a roux*, making sure the flour and butter are combined together leaving no lumps. Add the chicken stock. Bring the stock to a boil, then turn down to simmer. Cook the veloute** until it becomes thick and the flour cooks out of the chicken gravy. This should take approximately 15-20 minutes. Add the diced chicken and thawed peas. Mix well, adding salt and pepper to taste. Put the mixture into dishes and cover with puff pastry. Bake at 350 degrees, until the puff pastry rises and turns golden brown.

*Roux: A cooked mixture of flour and a fat used as a thickener in a sauce or soup.
**Veloute: An extremely smooth creamy sauce of various stock bases thickened with a roux.

Next: Taylor's Ham and Huckleberries
Taylor's Ham
Where: Gallery Diner Restaurant, 825 Pearl Street North, Bridgeton, NJ 08302
Phone: 856-455-1010

Huckleberries
Where: Eva Gates Homemade Preserves, PO Box 696, Bigfork, MT 59911-0696
Phone: (406) 837-4356 (toll free: 1-800-682-4283)
Email: evagates
Web site: Eva Gates

Taste of America with Mark Decarlo

Las Vegas' Extravagant Buffet, Biggest Hamburger, Wedding Cakes

It's all about extravagant Las Vegas, Nevada in this episode. Mark starts at the Bellagio Casino, then heads to Freemont Street for a little taste of old style Vegas. Finally, Mark hits up Freed's Bakery where they make anywhere from 80 to 100 wedding cakes a week.
Please note: By clicking on one of the links below, you are leaving discovery.com for a site managed by another company according to its privacy policy and terms and conditions.

All-You-Can-Eat Buffet
Where: Bellagio, 3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: 702-693-7111
Web site: Bellagio

Big Daddy Burger
Where: Las Vegas Club, 18 E. Fremont St., Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: 1-800-851-1703
Web site: Vegas Club

The 9-pound Big Daddy Barrick Burger

9 pounds ground beef

Half a head of lettuce

2 tomatoes

2 onions

4 pickles

Mayo

Mustard

12 slices American cheese

Bun, 12-inches in diameter

Directions: Mix the meat with seasonings of your choice and bake in the oven on a baking sheet. Add toppings and enjoy.

Wedding Cakes
Where: Freed's Bakery, 4780 South Eastern Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89119
Phone: 1-866-933-5253

Web site: Freed's Bakery

Taste of America with Mark Decarlo

Cherry Festival, French Dip, Rhubarb Pie

In this, the first episode in the second season of Taste of America, Mark heads to Traverse, Michigan for the 79th annual Cherry Festival. Next up is a Los Angeles landmark, Phillipe's, home of the French Dip sandwich. For dessert, Mark heads to a rhubarb patch in Middlebury, Connecticut for one of New England's favorites, Rhubarb pie.
Please note: By clicking on one of the links below, you are leaving discovery.com for a site managed by another company according to its privacy policy and terms and conditions.

National Cherry Festival
When: Summertime in Michigan
Where: Traverse City, Michigan
Web site: National Cherry Festival

Philippe's French Dip Sandwich
Where: Phillipe's, 1001 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: 213-628-3781
Web site: Philippe: The Original

Rhubarb Pie
Where to Try It: Middlebury, Connecticut
Most Popular Rhubarb Recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups fresh strawberries, cut up

Directions: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Stir together sugar and flour. Sprinkle over strawberries and rhubarb in a bowl. Pour mixture into pastry-lined 9-inch pie plate. Make several slits in top crust to allow steam to vent (see crust recipe below). Cover with top crust; seal and flute. Cover edges with foil to prevent excessive browning and bake 40 to 50 minutes, until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust.

Pastry for one 9-inch crust (double this recipe for two-crust pie)

1 1/3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cooking oil

3 tablespoons cold milk

Directions: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Form into a ball, then roll out between waxed paper.

Taste of America with Mark Decarlo

Buffalo Wings
Region: Buffalo, N.Y.

The Story
These days, you'd be hard-pressed to find a sports bar that doesn't serve up Buffalo wings, but did you ever wonder where the spicy morsels originated? Forty years ago, at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y., bar owner Teressa Bellisimo was moved to fry up some chicken wings, mix them with a secret sauce, and serve them to her son and some friends. The wings were an instant hit and soon became part of the regular menu. Ideal wings are crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, coated in a savory sauce, and served with cool blue cheese and celery sticks. To pay homage to its invention, the town holds an annual Buffalo wing festival featuring wing tastings and wing-eating competitions.
Foodie Facts

Legend has it that when Teressa Bellisimo brought out a plate of what would become Buffalo wings to her son, he responded, "Mother, what are those things?"

Bellisimo said that she was inspired to serve the wings with blue cheese dressing because Americans like to dip their food into sauces.

The current record for bobbing for Buffalo wings (in a baby pool filled with blue cheese dressing, of course) is 37 wings in three minutes.

Recipe:
Colonial Foods: Thomas Jefferson Biscuits

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 cup vegetable shortening

2 cups cooked, mashed and cooled sweet potato (about 2 large potatoes)

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger and allspice; stir to combine.

3. Add the shortening, and cut in with two knives until crumbly.

4. Add the sweet potato and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the cream and pecans; stir until just moistened.

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch floured biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.

6. Set the pans in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

7. Serve warm or let cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

Taste of America with Mark Decarlo

The Pickle Guys
Region: New York, NY

The Story:

In this world where you can buy almost anything anywhere, why is it so hard to find a good kosher dill pickle? To answer this question, Mark visits New York's Lower East Side to meet the pickle guys.

To make a pickle, you start with a cucumber and soak it in brine. How long you soak it determines the quality of the pickle that emerges -- a full sour pickle takes at least three months, and a perfect kosher dill is crunchy, sour and fresh.

Recipe:

Whole Dill Pickles

8 pounds 3- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers

1 1/4 cups canning or pickling salt

2 gallons cold water

1 1/2 quarts vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

2 quarts water

2 tablespoons whole mixed pickling spices

3 (about) tablespoons whole mustard seed (1 teaspoon per pint jar)

14 heads fresh dill or 4 1/2 tablespoons dill seed

Yield: 7 to 9 pints or 4 quarts

Equipment needed:

7 or 8 pint pickle jars or

4 quart jars

1 gallon container that does not react to acid

1. Wash cucumbers.

2. Slice ends off cucumbers

3. Dissolve 3/4 cup salt in 2 gallons water.

4. Pour over cucumbers and let stand 12 hours.

5. Drain.

6. Combine vinegar, 1/2 cup salt, sugar and 2 quarts water.

7. Add mixed pickling spices tied in a clean white cloth.

8. Heat to boiling.

9. Fill jars with cucumbers.

10. Add 1 teaspoon mustard seed and 1 1/2 heads fresh dill (or 1 1/2 teaspoon dill seed) to each pint.

11. Cover with boiling pickling solution, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

12. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids.

13. Process in a boiling water bath: pints for 15 minutes; quarts for 20 minutes.

Taste of America with Mark Decarlo

Chowder
Region: Boston, MA

The Story:

Real Boston Chowder (or "Chowdah") has a long history in New England. Hundreds of years ago, sailors on the high seas threw together salted fish, salted pork and salted bread and came up with a thick stew-like soup that cuts through a north Atlantic gale.

Later additions included cream, clams and special spices. Oh, and those tiny little oyster crackers.

The Union House restaurant is the place to go for great chowdah in Beatown. They've been there since 1826 and have just about perfected the dish. Every morning, chef Bill Coin whips together a recipe that's now more than 100 years old.

The secret to a good chowder? It's thick, it's chunky and it's very, very creamy.

Recipe:

Union Oyster House Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

2 ounces salt pork

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 ribs of celery, minced

2 pounds fresh or frozen clams, diced

1 quart clam juice

1 pound potatoes, diced

2 cups half-and-half, warmed

Directions
Bring potatoes and clam juice to a boil; cook until potatoes are done. Add clams (along with any surplus juices from same); cook until done. Note: Do not overcook or clams will be tough. Set aside.

Skin pork, dice and sauté in pan; cook until rendered. Add onions; cook until glassy. Add butter, melt and cook slightly. Add flour. If mixture is too loose, add a little more flour. Cook until slightly colored.

Bring clams, juice and potatoes back to a boil. Add cooked roux. Thicken and bring to a rolling boil and stir. Add previously heated half-and-half to desired consistency. Season to taste. Serve with oyster or pilot crackers. Makes 2 quarts.

Taste of America with Mark Decarlo

Buffalo Mozzarella
Region: Woodstock, Vermont

The Story:
Vermont conjures up images of Fall foliage, maple syrup and cheese. And cheese comes from Asian water buffaloes, right? Well, buffalo mozzarella does. With traditional milk prices down, some dairy farmers have gotten creative in finding new cheesemaking alternatives.

And since water buffalo milk has nearly twice the butterfat of, say, Jersey cow milk, the result is a super-rich mozzarella that's great on pizza.

Pizza Quiz:

Just what do you know about pizza? Take the quiz and find out.

Check out a couple of great gourmet pizza recipes.

Recipe:

Buffalo Mozzarella and Tomatoes

(4 servings)

1/2 pound Buffalo mozzarella

2 large heirloom tomatoes

3 large fresh basil leaves, chopped

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1. Slice buffalo mozzarella.

2. Slice tomatoes.

3. On 4 small salad plates, alternate a slice of tomato and cheese in a circular pattern until all plates have an equal amount of tomatoes and cheese.

4. Sprinkle chopped garlic evenly on the plates.

5. Salt and pepper to taste.

6. Sprinkle vinegar and oil on the tomatoes and cheese.

Taste of America with Mark Decarlo

Buffalo Wings
Region: Buffalo, N.Y.

The Story
These days, you'd be hard-pressed to find a sports bar that doesn't serve up Buffalo wings, but did you ever wonder where the spicy morsels originated? Forty years ago, at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y., bar owner Teressa Bellisimo was moved to fry up some chicken wings, mix them with a secret sauce, and serve them to her son and some friends. The wings were an instant hit and soon became part of the regular menu.
Ideal wings are crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, coated in a savory sauce, and served with cool blue cheese and celery sticks. To pay homage to its invention, the town holds an annual Buffalo wing festival featuring wing tastings and wing-eating competitions.

Foodie Facts

Legend has it that when Teressa Bellisimo brought out a plate of what would become Buffalo wings to her son, he responded, "Mother, what are those things?"

Bellisimo said that she was inspired to serve the wings with blue cheese dressing because Americans like to dip their food into sauces.

The current record for bobbing for Buffalo wings (in a baby pool filled with blue cheese dressing, of course) is 37 wings in three minutes.

Recipe:
Buffalo Chicken Wings
This is not the Anchor Bar & Grill's recipe, but I don't think anyone will complain.

20 to 24 small chicken wings

Oil for frying

3/4 cup hot barbecue sauce (the best, of course, is the Anchor Bar's)

4 celery stalks, cut into 3-inch strips

Creamy blue cheese dressing (your favorite bottled dressing will do just fine)

1. Cut off the tip of the chicken wings. Cut wings in half at the joint.

2. Fill heavy saucepan to 2/3 with oil. Heat until 375 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, heat oil until hot but not smoking.

3. Fry wings until crisp, about 12 minutes. Do not overcrowd the saucepan with wings. It is best to fry in smaller batches.

4. When wings are cooked, place on paper towels to drain off excess oil.

5. Place hot barbecue sauce in large saucepan and heat. Pan must be large enough to hold the cooked wings.

6. When all wings are cooked, place in saucepan with barbecue sauce. Stir and coat wings with sauce.

7. Serve immediately with celery stalks and blue cheese dressing.

Taste of America with Mark Decarlo

McIntosh Apples
Region: Hackett's Orchard, Vermont

The Story
As summer turns into autumn, Vermont becomes known for its splendid fall foliage and, of course, its ruby-red McIntosh apples. Vermont's climate of cool days and cool nights makes it an ideal growing ground, where the apples can ripen to a shiny red and ultimate crispness.
For nearly 40 years, Hackett's Orchard has been home to some 1,200 apple trees ripe for the pickin'. Owners Ron and Celia Hackett produce freshly made cider, applesauce and pies on site. Apples that go to market must first be inspected; those that don't make the grade get turned into cider, sauce or pies.

Foodie Facts

McIntosh apples get their name from the Canadian farmer, John McIntosh, who grew the first McIntosh tree.
More than 3 million trees and ever-growing sales ensure that McIntosh apples are the most popular apple on the market.

Recipe:
Hackett's Orchard's Traditional Apple Pie

Ingredients:

Pastry:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup shortening 5 tablespoons cold water Apple Pie Filling:

2 1/2 pounds unpeeled McIntosh apples - 6 cups peeled, thinly sliced 1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar (amount depends on tartness of apples)

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons Vermont butter

Directions
Combine apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt (for filling) in bowl. Mix well. Set aside.

Combine flour and salt (for pastry) in medium bowl. Cut in shortening using pastry blender until flour is just blended enough to form pea-size chunks. Sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Toss lightly with fork until dough forms a ball. Divide dough into two equal parts. Press between hands to form two "pancakes." Flour one pancake lightly on both sides. Roll on floured board to 12-inch circle. Flip into 9-inch pie pan.

Fill pie pan with apple filling. Dot with butter. Roll second "pancake." Moisten rim of bottom crust with water. Lay top crust on top of apple filling. Trim both crusts 1 inch larger than the pie pan. Fold crust rim under bottom crust to form a ridge. Flute edge. Cut circle in center and slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush top crust with milk to brown. Donâ€â„¢t brush rim. Place pie on larger pan to catch juices.

Bake in preheated 425-degree oven for 20 minutes on middle oven rack. Reduce heat to 325 degrees; bake approximately 40 minutes longer. Insert knife in center circle. The apples should feel soft when pie is done. Cool on rack. Serves 8.

Taste of America with Mark Decarlo

Boston Cream Pie
Region: Boston, MA

The Story:
The Omni Parker Hotel in Boston is the oldest continuously running hotel in the country and every president since Ulysses S. Grant has stayed there. But aside from the plush accomodations, the real magic happens down in the kitchen where the hotel's famous Boston Cream Pies are made.

You may be surprised to know that even though the Boston Cream Pie was originally made in a pie tin, these days the best of the bunch are made in cake pans. So is it really a cake or a pie? Doesn't matter, as long as it's rich and delicious.

Recipe

Boston Cream Pie Martini

Ingredients

Equal parts vanilla vodka, chocolate liquor and Bailey's Irish Cream

Directions

Pour over ice, shake well and serve in a chocolate-rimmed martini glass.

Taste of America with Mark Decarlo

Boston Cream Pie

Of course, it's not a pie at all - it's a cake.

The Custard

1 cup milk

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

Pinch of salt

2 egg yolks

The Cake

To prepare baking pans:

2 teaspoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

Cake batter

6 tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

Chocolate Glaze

4 ounces semisweet chocolate

4 ounces heavy cream

For the Custard

1. In a saucepan, scald the milk.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the yolks, sugar, flour and salt.

3. Add about 1/4 cup of the scalded milk to the yolk mixture. Stir until fully incorporated.

4. Add the egg mixture to the remaining milk in the saucepan.

5. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened.

6. Cool in refrigerator covered.

For the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Butter and flour the sides of two 9-inch cake pans.

3. In medium mixing bowl of automatic mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.

4. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.

5. Sift dry ingredients together.

6. Add a third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix until smooth.

7. Add a third of the milk. Mix until smooth.

8. Repeat this process, alternating adding a third of the flour and then a third of the milk two more times.

9. Mix in the vanilla.

10. Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking pans.

11. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the cakes pull away from the sides of the pans.

12. Remove cakes from pans and cool on baking rakes.

Chocolate Glaze

1. Bring heavy cream to a boil.

2. Stir in chocolate until smooth.

To assemble

1. Place one of the cakes on a dish.

2. Add the custard to the top of the cake and spread evenly.

3. Place the other cake on top of the custard cake layer.

4. Pour the chocolate glaze on the top cake and spread evenly.

Fried Pie
Region: Nashville, Tenn.

The Story
A longtime Southern favorite, fried pie originated during the days of slavery in the 1800s. Out of necessity, slaves would save scraps of landowners' pies and fry them so they could be eaten at a later time. Food for slaves was often scarce, and by salvaging the pieces and frying them, they ensured no food would go to waste. The fried pie made convenient, pocket-sized snacks, which the slaves could eat throughout the day.
These days, the hand-sized pastries have become a popular treat served at restaurants and bakeries across the South. The most typical fried pies are dried fruit pies, like fried peach pie.

Foodie Facts

During the 1800s, a typical plantation meal for landowners would include a soup, like lentil soup, and a main meat course, like a lamb shoulder.
Fried pies are often called "half moon pies" because of their shape.
When frying up a pie, you need to cook it for only about five minutes.

Recipe:

Fried Peach Pie

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup cold butter, cut in bits

1/3 cup shortening

6 or 7 teaspoons ice water

For the Filling:

1 12-ounce package dried peaches

Water to cover

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions
To make the crust, mix together the flour, salt and sugar. Work the butter and shortening in with your fingertips, until the dough is the consistency of cornmeal. Stir in the just enough ice water for the dough to hold together. Gather into two balls, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour.

To make the filling, place the peaches in a small saucepan. Cover with water, bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, until most of the water is evaporated and the fruit is quite soft. With a fork, mash with the sugar, spices and lemon juice and simmer until thickened. Set aside.

To make the fried peach pie: Heat vegetable oil in a fryer to about 330 degrees. Roll one disc of dough out to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 4- to 5-inch-diameter circles. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of filling into center of each circle. Fold over into a half-moon shape, crimp edges and proceed with the remaining pastry. You should get about 12 pies. Fry in the hot oil, turning as needed, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, shake with confectioner's sugar and serve. Good when served room temperature as well.

Benne Wafer

Region: Charleston, S.C.

The Story

According to local legend, the Charleston. benne wafer - a thin, crisp cookie filled with sesame seeds - has been a popular dessert for well over 100 years when slaves from Africa baked the first ones. Apparently, in certain African cultures, the sesame seed represented good luck; thus the slaves loaded their cookies with the seeds. In fact, benne is the Bantu word for sesame.

The benne wafer contains toasted sesame seeds, margarine, sugar, baking soda, flour and egg whites.

Foodie Facts

At the Olde Colony Bakery, more than 500 pounds of benne wafers are baked each day.

Two-thirds of the benne wafer batter is sugar.

Egg whites are the secret ingredient that make benne wafers so crisp.

Recipe:

Benne Wafer

Ingredients:

1/2 cup benne (sesame) seeds, toasted

1 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 large egg, beaten

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Cream butter and sugar. Add egg. Stir in dry ingredients. Drop by 1/4 teaspoon on parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet. Allow to spread. Bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees. Store in closed tin for freshness. Makes 6 to 8 dozen.

To toast seeds, place them on an ungreased cookie sheet in 350-degrees oven for 10 minutes. Stir once or twice. Seeds should be golden brown.

Goetta
Region: Covington, Ky.

The Story

Can't decide which meat to eat for breakfast? Goetta, a breakfast meat first made 120 years ago by German immigrants near the Kentucky/Ohio border, is a savory mixture of two favorites - beef and pork, tossed with pinhead oats and spices. The sausage-like patty was dubbed "Goetta," and soon folks in the region began eating it with a vengeance: Goetta and eggs, Goetta Reubens, Goetta hash and Goetta pancake wraps are among the favorite ways to enjoy the meat.

Foodie Facts

Speak like a cuisine pro: Goetta is often mispronounced; the proper pronunciation is "getta."

At Glier's Goetta in Covington, Ky., there's a working Goetta vending machine that dispenses the meat to paying customers.

Recipe:

Goetta Omelet

Ingredients:

4 ounces Glier's Goetta, sliced into 3/8- to 1/2-inch-thick patties

3 large eggs, scrambled

1 tablespoon butter

Directions
Place slices in a skillet heated to 350 degrees. Do not let the sides touch. Fry slowly for about 6 minutes. Brown the first side completely before turning. Turn and brown until crisp.

Now break up the Goetta in the skillet. Turn the heat slightly down. Melt butter in skillet to cover, add the scrambled eggs. Fold gently, remove when done.

Makes 1-2 servings.

The Scoop

Where: Brown Hotel, 335 West Broadway, Louisville, Ky.

Phone: 502-583-1234

Web site: www.brownhotel.com Hot Brown

Region: Louisville, Ky.

The Story
Often described as "the richest food in the South," the Hot Brown sandwich has been sating ravenous appetites since the 1920s, when a cook at Louisville, Ky.,'s Brown Hotel first dreamed up the open-faced sandwich. During the Roaring '20s, the Brown Hotel hosted a popular dinner dance that drew thousands of folks to boogie the night away. After the dance, in the wee hours of the morning, the hungry masses would descend upon the hotel's coffee shop ready for breakfast.
In 1926, after cooking up scores of ham and egg sandwiches, the cook decided to try something new. He started with bread, smothered it with turkey, bacon, pimientos and a creamy Mornay cheese sauce. He then baked the mass for 10 minutes and voil' - the Hot Brown.

Foodie Facts

Hot Brown sandwiches are served at restaurants all over the South, but the Brown Hotel claims to be home to the original.
Pimientos were a key ingredient in the first Hot Brown sandwiches. Over time, however, they were dropped from the recipe.
A competing version of the original Hot Brown includes the Not Brown, which features crab, shrimp, asparagus, Mornay sauce and fried green tomatoes.

Recipe:

Hot Brown Sandwiches

Ingredients:

4 ounces butter

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 to 3 1/2 cups milk

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg, room temperature and beaten

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup prepared whipped cream (optional)

8 slices toasted white bread, crust trimmed off

1 pound cooked turkey breast, thinly sliced

Grated Parmesan cheese for topping

8-12 bacon slices, fried crisp

Directions
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Gradually add flour, stirring constantly, until smooth and free from lumps. Gradually stir in milk until sauce comes to a gentle boil, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Add Parmesan cheese and stir until melted and well blended.

In a small bowl, beat egg. Gradually add 1 cup of hot sauce, 1/3 cup at a time, to the egg, stirring constantly. Gradually add egg mixture to remaining sauce, stirring constantly until well blended; add salt and pepper to taste. Fold in whipped cream.

For each Hot Brown sandwich, place two slices of toasted bread on a metal (or flameproof) dish. Cover the toast with a liberal amount of turkey. Pour a generous amount of sauce over the turkey. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. Place entire dish under a broiler until the sauce is speckled brown and bubbly. Remove from broiler. Sprinkle with diced pimientos, cross two pieces of bacon over the top and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings of two open-faced sandwiches each.

Biscuits and Gravy
Region: Nashville, Tenn.

The Story

The classic comfort food, biscuits and gravy, has been filling up Southerners for years. It's particularly popular in Nashville, Tenn., where many locals argue the Loveless Café has the best biscuits in the South. In 1952 the Loveless family began baking their famous biscuits, and though the café has changed hands twice over the years, it remains a bastion of Southern cooking.

After the biscuits are baked using Loveless' secret recipe, they're served with a gravy made from sausage, butter, flour, milk and seasonings.

Foodie Facts

For many people, biscuits and gravy are a reminder of the farming roots of the old South.

Through the years, the Loveless Café developed a reputation as a popular biscuit-buying spot for country and western singers.

When preparing the sausage for the gravy, fry it until it is a deep brown and so stiff it can barely be turned over.

Recipe:

Sausage Gravy

Ingredients:

1/2 pound pork sausage

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon cayenne

Salt

Directions
In a skillet over medium heat, cook the pork sausage and crumble into small pieces. Add the flour and cook for 5 minutes. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, black pepper and cayenne, and stir until well blended. Makes 4 servings.

Crawfish
Region: New Orleans, La.

The Story

Whether you call it a crayfish, crawdaddy or mud bug, no trip to Louisiana would be complete without a taste of the region's crawfish, little lobster-like crustaceans. These tiny critters inhabit rivers, bayous, swamps and lakes - all found in abundance in Louisiana, which has been called the "Crawfish Capital of the World."

Eating crawfish is a lot like eating shrimp. First, you pop off their heads (and suck out the juices, if that suits your fancy), then peel off the shells. But to cook crawfish in an authentic, Louisiana style, you have to prepare a proper crab boil - water seasoned with lemon, celery, garlic, bay leaves and lots of Cajun spices.

Foodie Facts

Each year 100 million pounds of crawfish are harvested in Louisiana.

When they're not being harvested, crawfish live in the mud, underneath the water. Thus, they've earned the nickname "mud bugs."

Crawfish take about 20 minutes to cook in boiling water, though they turn red almost as soon as they're dropped in the pot.

Recipe:

Crawfish Boil

20 pounds crawfish

1 box salt

6 tablespoons cayenne pepper

6 tablespoons black pepper

4 lemons, halved

6 medium onions

10 red potatoes, unpeeled or cut in half

6 ears of corn, fresh or frozen

3 tablespoons white pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 box salt

3 tablespoons each of black and red pepper

1. Rinse the crawfish.

2. Purge the crawfish by placing them in a salty water solution. Use 1/2 pound of salt in 3 gallons of water. Allow the crawfish to sit in the salt water for 1 hour.

3. Fill a large turkey-fry-size kettle with water and bring to a boil.

4. Season water with 1/2 cup salt, 3 tablespoons white pepper, 3 tablespoons black pepper and the lemons.

5. Add the potatoes, cover and cook for 8 minutes. Add the corn, onions and crawfish. Bring back to a boil, cover and cook for 7 to 10 minutes or until crawfish turn red and float to the top.

6. Turn off the heat and let the crawfish sit for 4 to 5 minutes; this will allow the crawfish to absorb the seasonings.

7. Drain the water, or dish out the crawfish and vegetables. Place the crawfish in an ice chest and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons each of white, red and black pepper and 2 teaspoons of salt. Stir. Close the lid of the chest; the steam will infuse the crawfish with the seasonings.

8. Get a beer, wait a few minutes and enjoy.

Bananas Foster
Region: New Orleans, La.

The Story
New Orleans is the proud home of Bananas Foster, the flaming banana, brown sugar and rum dessert. The after-dinner delicacy was created by Owen Edwin Brennan in the 1950s, who at the time owned Brennan's restaurant, which today still serves up one of the Big Easy's best Bananas Foster.
At the time, New Orleans was a port of entry for Central and South American banana imports. Owen decided to challenge the chef at his restaurant to cook up a unique recipe incorporating the fruit. The result? Bananas Foster.

The perfect Bananas Foster blends banana liqueur, brown sugar and butter, which is mixed with bananas and poured over vanilla ice cream.

Foodie Facts

Bananas Foster was named after one of Owen Brennan's best customers, Richard Foster, who owned Foster Awning Company.

Each year 35,000 pounds of bananas are used at Brennan's to prepare Bananas Foster.

Authentic Bananas Foster should be prepared tableside, in front of diners.

Recipe:

Brennan's Bananas Foster

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup banana liqueur

4 bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved

1/4 cup dark rum

4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Directions
Combine the butter, sugar and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet. Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan. When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum. When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Chess Pie
Region: Mobile, Ala.

The Story
Though chess pies have been made in the kitchens of Alabamans for generations, the dessert's exact history remains unclear. Still, chess pies are a staple of Alabama foods; the recipes may vary, but they generally consist of eggs, butter and a lot of sugar to perfect the pie's smooth, creamy texture.
Some folks say the pies got their names when people referred to them as "just pies" - which, when spoken with an Alabama twang, sounds more like "jus' pies." Hear it said enough times and fast enough, and you can understand where "chess pies" might have come from.

Foodie Facts

To tell if a chess pie is finished baking, the cook shakes the pie dish to check on its firmness.

Recipe:

Lemon Chess Pie

Pastry for 9-inch pie

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons buttermilk

2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoons lemon peel

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bake unfilled pie shell for 15 minutes.
3. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add sugar and mix well.
4. Stir in salt, buttermilk, cornmeal and butter until smooth.
5. Add lemon peel, lemon juice and nutmeg.
6. Pour the custard mixture in partially baked pie shell.
7. Place in oven and reduce heat to 325. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean. Do not over bake.

Chicken Fried Steak
Region: Houston, Texas

The Story:
Among other things, Texas is famous for cowboys and cattle ranching and you don't have to go far to get a great steak in Houston. But if you're in the mood for an authentic straight-from-the-trail delicacy, grab your ten-gallon hat and order a chicken fried steak.

Despite what you might think, there's no actual chicken in chicken fried steak. The dish is named for how the steak is prepared - that is, just like fried chicken. Once cooked, all you do is add gravy, Mexican beans, some jalapeno cheese cornbread and you'll be ready to hop back in the saddle.

Recipes

Texas Chicken Fried Steak (for 4)

Ingredients

4 thinly sliced or pounded sirloin steaks, approximately 7 ounces each

Peanut oil or corn oil for frying

For buttermilk mixture

2 cups buttermilk

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

For flour mixture

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
Combine the buttermilk, egg, salt and Tabasco sauce and mix well. Combine the flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Dredge the thin sirloin steaks in the flour mixture. Then dip the flour-coated steaks in the buttermilk mixture. Then dredge the steaks back in the flour mixture to coat well. Pat each steak to insure that the flour mixture adheres well. In a broad cast-iron skillet, pour enough oil to achieve a depth of approximately 1 inch. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. One at a time, fry the flour-coated steaks. Turn once or twice until the flour coating is golden brown. Carefully remove from the hot oil and drain on a paper towel. Transfer the chicken fried steaks to dinner plates. Spoon some cream gravy (recipe below) over each plate. Add a few drops of Tabasco sauce over each steak.

Cream Gravy

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups half-and-half (or milk)

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Directions

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir. Cook slowly over medium heat until lightly browned. Add the half-and-half and whisk until smooth. Gently heat until the sauce thickens. Add the salt and pepper and adjust seasoning to taste. If the sauce becomes too thick, adjust with a little water.