Mabry Mills Grits Recipes

CREAMY GRITS FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• In a medium heavy saucepan, combine the water and milk and bring it to a boil (keep an eye on the pot, as the milk can boil over!). Season the liquid generously with salt, then whisk in the grits. Bring the mixture back to a boil while whisking. Continue whisking for 2-3 minutes, or until the grits are slightly thickened (the mixture will still be quite liquidy, and that's okay).
• Reduce the heat to low and partially cover the saucepan (there should be a small crack so that some steam can escape). Cook, stirring often with a rubber spatula, until the grits are tender and thickened, about 30-40 minutes (they should feel soft on the tongue, not gritty). Feel free to splash in more milk as needed while cooking if the grits start to look really thick-they should be creamy and should swirl easily. Stir in the butter. Season the grits generously with salt (this is key for flavor-you will need more than you think!).
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and cover it until you're ready to serve, up to 30 minutes. If you want to hold the grits for longer, drizzle a bit of milk over the surface before covering (this will help prevent a skin from forming)-they can sit out for up to 1 hour. Before serving, reheat the grits over low, stirring and adding more milk if needed.

SIMPLE PENCIL COB BREAKFAST GRITS

Steps:

• The night before you wish to serve, place grits in a heavy, medium saucepan (Ms. Rentschler recommends a type called a Windsor saucepan; I used a Le Creuset). Add 2 cups spring or filtered water and stir once. Allow grits to settle a full minute, then tilt the pan and, using a fine tea strainer or fine skimmer, skim off and discard chaff and hulls. Cover and allow the grits to soak overnight at room temperature.
• Heat 2 cups water in a small saucepan to a bare simmer and keep hot. Set saucepan with grits over medium heat. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the first starch takes hold (see above - it means that the mixture will begin to thicken and you will no longer have to stir constantly). Reduce heat to lowest possible setting. The grits should not be bubbling, they should be sighing, or breathing like somebody in a deep, comfortable sleep, rising up lazily in one big bubble, then falling as the bubble bursts. Watch carefully and each time they are thick enough to hold a spoon upright, stir in about 1/4 cup of the hot water. Stir in the salt after the first 10 minutes of gentle cooking. It should take about 25 minutes for the grits to be tender and creamy and by this time you should have added 3/4 to 1 cup water (perhaps a little more) in 3 or 4 additions.
• When the grits are done - tender, creamy but not mushy, and able to hold their shape on a spoon - stir in the butter vigorously, add pepper, taste (carefully - don't burn your tongue after all that care) and adjust salt. Serve immediately.