[1] Truffle grits (photo © Southern Culture Kitchen).

[2] Grits in colorful envelopes are available in Original, Garlic & Herb, and Jalapeño & Cheddar (photo © Shopify).

[3] Steak and eggs with grits. Here’s the recipe (photo © Framed Cooks).

[4] A classic dish of shrimp and grits (photo © Mackenzie Ltd.)

[5] Beyond just Shrimp & Grits, here’s a recipe for Seafood & Grits (photo © Nouveau Bar & Grill | Atlanta).

[6] White corn grits (photos #5 and #6 © Anson Mills).

[7] Yellow corn grits.

These stone-ground truffle grits (photo #1) are a tasty gift packaged in a reusable canister. Created by Chef Ebony Austin, owner of Atlanta’s Nouveau Bar & Grill, the premium white corn grits, from corn grown in the Georgia mountains, are blended in small batches with truffle powder and sea salt.

They’re ready to make a delicious side for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Bonus: Grits are gluten-free.

Chef Austin has also packaged gifts in dramatic envelopes (photo # 2): in Original, Garlic & Herb, and Jalapeño & Cheddar, via Shopify.

Whether canister or envelope, the grits are packaged beautifully for gifting or home use.

> For the canister-packaged truffle grits, head to SocuKitchen.com.

> For the three flavors in envelope packaging, head to Shopify.

> Check out the grits recipes below.
 
 
HOW TO SERVE GRITS

 
 
A GRITS VOCABULARY

Grits can be ground into fine, medium, or coarse textures, which impact the cooking time.

 
GRIST: Everything that comes out of a stone mill when milling grain. The particular mill where grains are ground is called a grist mill. The word grist comes from Old English, meaning “grinding,” which itself derives from Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European words for to rub or to grind [source].

GRITS: A porridge made from cornmeal boiled with milk or water. Grits are traditionally served as a breakfast dish, as part of a dinner entrée (shrimp and grits is a popular pairing), as pudding, and as a side dish, where it also can be shaped into squares and fried.

Grits can be prepared either savory or sweet, with savory seasonings being more common. Corn is a New World grain, and the dish originated in the Southern U.S.*; it is now found nationwide. Grits are similar to other thick, maize-based porridges from around the world, such as polenta (Italy) and mieliepap (South Africa).

Traditionally, grits were made with dried hominy (see next definition), which is corn that has been treated with an alkali solution. However, you can also find grits that are simply coarsely ground or stone-ground cornmeal.

Grits are made from both yellow and white corn. Historically, white corn was popular in the port cultures of the South (Charleston, New Orleans, Savannah, Wilmington) that were settled by Europeans who had a preference for white milled flour. Moving inland through the rural American South, yellow corn and grits predominated.

White corn has more pronounced mineral and floral nuances; yellow corn is more robust with citrus flavor at the back of the palate.

> The difference between grits and polenta.

HOMINY GRITS: Hominy grits are a type of coarsely-ground grits made from hominy, which is corn that has been treated with an alkali in a process called nixtamalization.

Hominy grits are made by soaking dried corn kernels in the alkali solution to remove the outer hulls. The soaked corn kernels are then dried and ground into grits. They are typically ground several times into uniform small pieces, about 1/16th to 1/20th of an inch across.

Hominy grits generally have a finer texture than stone-ground grits. The preferred texture is a matter of individual choice.

In the Charleston, South Carolina, area, cooked hominy grits are called “hominy” and uncooked grits are called “grist.”

The word “grits” is derived from the Old English word grytt, meaning coarse meal [source].

HOMINY Hominy is nixtamalized corn, a food made by soaking dried whole corn in an alkali solution to remove the germ and hull. White or yellow corn kernels are added to scalding water mixed with the chemical (alkali) solution, such as mild lye or slaked lime. The soaking forces the kernel to expand so the hull and germ split, and the kernels can be easily removed.

The kernels can then be boiled whole, creating a soft puffy food, or ground into grits.

Hominy has other uses, too. For example, in Mexican cuisine, it is finely ground to make masa harina (corn flour), which is then turned into tacos, tamales, tostadas, etc.

Hominy is the Colonial English spelling of the sound of the oral Native American word for corn. “Hominy” is a shortened version of the old Carolina term for whole corn, “hominy grist.”
 
 
GRITS RECIPES

 
 
________________

*Native Americans and Mesoamericans made the first porridges from cornmeal.

[1] A twist on the traditional oatmeal cookie: oatmeal shortbread cookies with chocolate chips and toffee pieces (photo © Greg McBoat | 50 Things to Bake Before You Die).

[2] 50 Things to Bake Before You Die: The World’s Best Cakes, Pies, Brownies, Cookies, and More from Your Favorite Bakers, Including Christina Tosi, Joanne Chang, and Dominique Ansel (photo © Ulysses Press).

[3] Toffee pieces for baking, ice cream, and dessert toppings. We got them on Amazon.

[4] Semisweet chocolate chips are the norm, but you can use white chips, chunks, etc. (photo © Bella Baker).

For National Oatmeal Cookie Day, April 30th, it’s easy to whip up the classic Quaker oatmeal cookie recipe, and put a spin on it with:

 
But in the cookbook 50 Things to Bake Before You Die, Allyson Reedy put an even bigger spin on it, by sourcing an oatmeal toffee shortbread cookie—and it has chocolate chips, too. The recipe follows.

The cookbook, just published, can be a Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gift for your favorite baker…assuming they’ll take the “before you die” part in good humor.

The collection of dessert recipes to us from the greatest bakers and chefs from small-town café owners to fancy restaurateurs to TV show hosts

> The history of oats and oatmeal.

> The history of shortbread cookies.

> Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe and history.

> All the food holidays.
 
 
RECIPE: OATMEAL CHOCOLATE TOFFEE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

This recipe was created by Clyde Greenhouse, owner of Kessler Baking Studio in Dallas, Texas. He ships his cookies, bars, and weekend breakfast pastries nationwide.

He originally created these shortbread cookies as favors for his niece’s wedding. Studded with chocolate chips and toffee, they have layers of flavor plus crunch.

If you’re having trouble finding toffee, simply cut up a Heath bar.
 
Ingredients For 36 4-Inch Cookies
Or 72 2-Inch Cookies

 
Preparation

1. GRIND the rolled oats in a food processor to a mealy consistency.

2. CREAM the sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Use a spatula to scrape down the bowl as needed and continue mixing until there are no visible butter pieces. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until completely incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

3. WHISK together the flour, ground oats, and salt in a large bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add these ingredients to the butter mixture in thirds and mix until crumbly in texture.

Add the semisweet chocolate chips and toffee bits and mix until the dough comes away from the bowl and begins to cling to the paddle.

4. TURN the dough out onto plastic wrap and form into a disk. Chill the wrapped dough for at least 4 hours, or overnight for best results. The next day…

5. CUT disk into wedges. Using a rolling pin and on a smooth, lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut it into the desired shape.

Place cut the cut-outs onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F.

6. BAKE the 4-inch cookies for 16 to 18 minutes, or the 2-inch cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.
 
 
Excerpted from 50 Things to Bake Before You Die by Allyson Reedy. Copyright © 2022 Ulysses Press. Reprinted with permission from Ulysses Press. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

This beautiful Persian Rose tea is the signature blend of Nini Ordoubadi, master blender, and proprietor of Tay Tea in Woodstock, New York.

It was her first blend and remains her personal favorite of many wonderful blends she was created over the years.

She blends fine black Ceylon bergamot-scented tea with rose petals, organic rose buds, green cardamom, and borage (the blue flowers in photo #1).

Nini likes to drink it in the morning and afternoon.

A gift for your favorite tea-loving mom, Persian Rose is available in:

 
You can purchase any or all online at TayTea.com.

There are also butter cookies made with Persian Rose tea and garnished with organic roses.

While you’re on the website, look at all of Nini’s hand-blended loose leaf teas: black, green, herbal, and white.

For the connoisseur, there are also 16 single-estate teas from fine tea gardens around the world.
 
 
> The history of tea.
 
 
> The different types of tea.

[1] Persian Rose, a black tea blended with rose petals, buds, blue borage petals (both photos © Tay Tea).

[2] The tea is available in several formats, including this glass apothecary jar.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Jicama pairs with savora and sweet ingredients. Here’s the recipe for this salad, which adds sweet mango (photo © All Recipes).

[2] Jicama and other crudités with chipotle dressing. Here’s the recipe (photo © Kiwilimón).

[3] Jicama can be eaten raw or cooked (photo © Isabel Eats).

[4] The firm flesh can be sliced and diced in any fashion (photo CCO Public Domain).

[5] Baked jicama fries. Here’s the recipe (photo © Isabel Eats).

Jícama, native to Mexico and Central America, is one of the more under-used vegetables in the U.S. Why not make Cinco de Mayo an occasion to try it, with the jícama salad recipe below.

Like other root vegetables, jícama is no beauty at first glance (photo #3). But slice it open to reveal glistening white flesh (photo #4), which is mild with a slight sweetness and the crisp crunch of a water chestnut.

Its subtle flavor enables it to pair with just about any ingredient with savory or sweet condiments.

Jicama spread from Central America to South America, and has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 B.C.E. [source].

In the 17th century, the jicama vine was introduced to Asia by the Spanish, and it is now found in popular Asian recipes.

> The jicama salad recipe is below.

> More Cinco de Mayo recipes.
 
 
WAYS TO USE JICAMA

Once you’ve peeled a jícama, what do you do with it?

 
 
JICAMA NUTRITION

 
 
RECIPE: JICAMA SALAD

Thanks to Melissa’s Produce for the recipe.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PEEL the jicama, onion, and cucumber. Dice into medium-sized pieces.

2. RINSE and chop the cilantro.

3. COMBINE the lime juice, olive oil, and pico de gallo. Combine in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and let marinate for 30 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and serve.
 
 
________________

*Inulin is a zero-calorie, sweet, inert carbohydrate and does not metabolize in the human body.

†You can buy pico de gallo seasoning or make your own. Combine 3 tablespoons sweet paprika, 2 tablespoons ground red chili pepper, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper powder, 1 tablespoon black pepper, and 1 tablespoon salt. Use immediately or place it in an airtight jar for future use.

Say “Cinco de Mayo cocktail,” and most people will say “Margarita!” We’d like to offer a different suggestion this year: the Paloma. The Paloma cocktail recipe is below, along with lots of food and drink recipes for Cinco de Mayo.

In Mexico, the Paloma, not the Margarita, is Mexico’s favorite cocktail.

It couldn’t be easier to make: Combine tequila and grapefruit soda (or in a more sophisticated form, grapefruit juice).

In addition to the Paloma, there are many more Cinco de Mayo recipes below. But first:
 
 
PALOMA COCKTAIL HISTORY

Even though it may be the most popular tequila-based cocktail in Mexico according to Taste Cocktails, the history of the Paloma is murky.

There are two leading contenders:

 
 
RECIPE: PALOMA COCKTAIL

In Mexico, the classic Paloma is made with tequila and grapefruit soda. In the U.S., the Mexican brand Jarritos can be found in Latino markets. In the U.S., Fresca is the most available brand, with the benefit of Diet Fresca avoiding the sugar. Many supermarkets also carry Squirt.

But smaller brands also make grapefruit soda. Look for Fever Tree, Izze, Q, Spindrift, and others. Pink grapefruit soda adds welcome color to the drink: a Pink Paloma.

However: We prefer fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice—particularly pink or red grapefruit juice. You can add club soda to approximate the fizziness of the soda.

Reposado tequila provides a more complex flavor.

A grapefruit wedge is the classic Paloma garnish, but consider adding a second garnish: crunchy cucumber and delicate microgreens, for example.

Some people prefer the salt on the rim of the glass, some shake it into the drink itself, and some omit it entirely.

And a rim on the glass can add some sweet heat.
 
Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. RIM a tall glass. Add the tequila and lime juice. Add the ice, top off with the grapefruit soda (or the grapefruit juice and club soda), and stir.
 
 
85 MORE CINCO DE MAYO RECIPES

Also check out:

 
 
DRINKS

 
 
LUNCH

 
 
APPETIZERS – FIRST COURSES

 
 
MAINS & SIDES

 
 
DESSERT

[1] A Paloma with pink grapefruit juice and a flavored salt rim (photo © X Bar | Hyatt Regency Los Angeles).

[2] A Paloma is typically a tall drink… (photo © Don Julio Tequila).

[3] But you can serve it in a rocks glass (photo © Taste Cocktails).

[4] In Mexico, the Paloma is mixed with grapefruit soda, like Jarritos (photo © Oowyui Jiwa | Unsplash).

[5] Here’s what the cocktail looks like with regular (not pink) grapefruit soda or juice (photo © ).

[6] You can add to the classic grapefruit wedge garnish. Here, crunchy cucumber and microgreens add more layers of flavor (photo © Brooke Lark | Unsplash).

[7] Food fun: The Mockingbird restaurant in Nashville makes Paloma “frozen cocktails” with ice pops (photo © The Mockingbird).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.