BOOKS
The New Low-Country Cooking
There's a whole world of flavor packed into an eighty-plus-square-mile area surrounding the cities of Charleston and Savannah. It's called the Low-Country of South Carolina.
For centuries, Low-Country cooks have taken the diverse foods of Africa, France, Spain, and the Caribbean and turned them into one of the most intriguing regional cuisines.
Marvin Woods offers a new take on this extraordinary cuisine. By incorporating these international flavors with contemporary techniques, he stays true to the roots of the original dish, yet creates new flavors that are innovative and delicious. With the sure hand of a seasoned chef, Woods transforms standards like fried chicken and gumbo into updated dishes for today's kitchen. Try his Southern-Exposed Fried Chicken; it's fried, then baked, for crispy, greaseless results. His Vegetable Gumbo is light, flavorful, and satisfying. There's everything from Bourbon-Soaked Pork Chops and Barbecued Short Ribs to Pan-Seared Pompano and Southern Summer Ratatouille.
Rice, South Carolina's great contribution to the American culinary melting pot, takes center stage in Crab and Shrimp Pilau and Five-Greens Rice. You'll also find recipes for the ultimate Southern classics--biscuits and cornbread--along with sensational desserts such as My Favorite Mini Mud Pies and Praline Bread Pudding.
But The New Low-Country Cooking is much more than a great cookbook. Woods shares historical tidbits on how dishes and ingredients got their names, where they originated, and the indisputable importance of African-American cooks in Southern life.
The New Low-Country Cooking hits a high note in American regional cuisine.
Home Plate Cooking
Nothing says the South more than its unique food and various cooking styles. Southern recipes are cherished heirlooms passed down from generation to generation and Home Plate Cooking shows how to prepare the same recipes your grandmother used to make, while sharing fresh versions of the same food. That could mean preparing a marinade for collard greens that will eliminate the need for fat back, or cutting down on preparation or cooking time for a family favorite. Featuring 150 recipes, Home Plate Cooking celebrates home cooked southern meals in a way southern recipes have never been presented before.
"I started challenging myself six or seven years ago to prepare tasty cuisine that reflected my heritage and influence but to alter it so that people could eat it more than once a week and not have to worry about suffering from high blood pressure in every bite," Woods said. In Home Plate Cooking, Woods shares recipes for delicacies such as:
- Cheddar Grits Souffle
- New Southern Chicken & Dumplings
- Carrot Apple Slaw
- Cheddar Cornbread
- Okra & Tomatoes
- Bourbon-Baked Ham
- New Orleans Barbecued Shrimp
- Pecan Sandies
TELEVISION
Home Plate - Turner South.
Chef Marvin Woods served as host to the wildly popular show, Home Plate on Turner South, a division of TimeWarner. The show ran for four seasons from 2002-2006 and was among the network's top-rated shows. Home Plate averaged 7 million viewers each night, Monday through Friday.
Home Plate for the Holidays with Marvin Woods.
As a companion piece to the Home Plate holiday special, Turner South produced and distributed a DVD. It was offered through turnersouth.com, and more than 2,500+ DVDs were sold.