Teaches Southern Cooking

Table of Contents
4 17
Meet Your Instructor Seafood Middlin
Chef Mashama Bailey wants to shift
your understanding of Southern 20
American cuisine
Fish and Grits
5
23
Edna Lewis’s Legacy
Get to know the influential chef who Foie and Grits
inspired Chef Bailey
25
7
Beef Liver and Grits
The Southern
American Pantry 27
Four foundational ingredients
Quail With Watermelon
9 Molasses and Cornbread
Dressing
Blanching, Brining,
and More 31
A quick primer on important Southern
American cooking techniques Pickled Oysters

11 33

Succotash Oyster Hand Pies

14 38

Pork Shanks and Smoked Okra Gumbo Z’Herbes

Collard Greens

2
 MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR:

MASHAMA BAILEY
The award-winning chef wants to shift your
understanding of Southern American cuisine

I
t can be tough to get a reservation at the Grey in Sa- cho with fresh Georgia shrimp. Grilled dorado and crab
vannah, Georgia. Chef and partner Mashama Bailey is rice. Charred okra and smothered quail. Tomatoes tossed
the proud owner of a James Beard Award (an accolade with shishito peppers. Chef Bailey has developed a style of
honoring American culinary professionals) for Best Chef food all her own—at once elegant, soulful, Southern, and
Southeast. Her warm, soft-spoken manner also captured delicious—that threads influences from her grandmother
viewers’ attention on the Netflix docuseries Chef’s Table. and mother, time spent studying in France, cooking in
For these reasons and more, demand for dinner at the Manhattan (including at American chef Gabrielle Hamil-
restaurant—a once-segregated Greyhound bus terminal ton’s iconic restaurant Prune), and the guidance of trail-
where a Black woman with Southern roots now runs the blazing chef Edna Lewis (see page 5).
show—has been high. “I think the preconceived notion about Southern
What makes Chef Bailey’s story so compelling is not [American] food is that it’s just one thing,” Chef Bailey
just that she’s an award-winning chef or that the Grey is says. “And how can it be one thing when so many states
one of the World’s Best Restaurants according to Ameri- make up the South? It’s layered. Edna Lewis opened the
can publications like Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure. It’s door to me being curious about those layers.”
not even that more people know what her food looks like An acclaimed chef and prominent cookbook author, the
than will ever physically have the chance to eat a dish pre- late Chef Lewis did perhaps more than anyone to “demys-
pared by her. Chef Bailey’s cooking honors her African tify Southern [American] food,” as Chef Bailey says.
American history, referencing the past while finding ways Through her cooking and cookbooks, Chef Lewis coun-
to emerge with her own personal story. tered stereotypes that Southern American cuisine solely
At the Grey, Chef Bailey features port city Southern revolved around “unhealthy [dishes] laced with fat and
American food, centering on regional ingredients and fried foods,” Chef Bailey explains. Instead, Chef Lewis
dishes that represent coastal Georgia. Cucumber gazpa- taught Chef Bailey and others that Southern American cui-

4
sine could be “seasonal and vegetable heavy and healthy,” African people and their descendants, the skilled laborers,
Chef Bailey says. Chef Bailey would go on to write the fore- creators, and artisans who developed the recipes and
word to the 2019 rerelease of Chef Lewis’s cookbook In foodways that many mimic today.
Pursuit of Flavor, originally published in 1988. Chef Bailey hopes that by sharing these regional and
Like Chef Lewis, Chef Bailey wrote a cookbook of her personal stories, you will reach a new understanding
own that aims to highlight the beauty of Southern Ameri- about the ingredients, recipes, and techniques of Southern
can food. Coauthored with her business partner, John O. American food, informed by the history and traditions
Morisano, Black, White, and The Grey “celebrat[es] the that have been passed down over generations. In rethink-
good aspects of American culture while exposing and ing what it means to cook Southern American food and in
shedding light on the bad aspects,” as Chef Bailey writes. It learning these recipes, you will develop the confidence to
also explains how Southern American cuisine, the founda- “explore your own personal cooking style,” Chef Bailey
tion of American cooking, comes from a culture defined by says, and start creating traditions of your own.

Edna Lewis’s Legacy

The influential Southern American chef has inspired Chef
Bailey and legions of cooks across America

Born in 1916, Edna Lewis grew up in knowledge, and experience with new on in the abundance of farm-to-table
Freetown, Virginia, a farming com- people, it was her work authoring a restaurants and vegetable-forward
munity founded by emancipated series of cookbooks that brought her Southern American cooking found
slaves, including her grandfather. Southern American recipes and culi- not only throughout the region but all
She learned how to cook under the nary traditions to her largest audi- over the country. It’s a legacy that, of
tutelage of her mother, who utilized ence yet. From watercress salads and course, Chef Bailey proudly carries
locally grown and seasonally har- barley stews to poached eggs on forward at the Grey.
vested ingredients and prepared all country ham and fruit cobblers, the
of the family’s meals on a wood- mouthwatering recipes in Chef Lew-
burning stove. is’s cookbooks combine African
Chef Lewis left Freetown at only 16 American history and cultural stories.
years old. She decamped first to Her first offering, The Edna Lewis
Washington, D.C., before eventually Cookbook, was published in 1972 and
making her way to New York City. In features recipes organized by sea-
1948, she and a business partner son. The Taste of Country Cooking
opened Café Nicholson, a buzzy Man- (1976) delves into life in Freetown and
hattan restaurant that attracted art- how it was shaped by growing one’s
ists and celebrities like American au- food, while In Pursuit of Flavor (1988)
thor Truman Capote, Spanish espouses the value of eating food at
surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, and for- its prime (long before the phrase
mer American First Lady Eleanor “farm-to-table” gained traction). Her
Roosevelt. Later, in 1988, when Chef last cookbook, The Gift of Southern
Lewis was in her early 70s, she ran the Cooking (2003), resurrects some
kitchen at Gage and Tollner, a land- long-forgotten recipes for a contem-
mark fine-dining restaurant that porary audience with an assist from
opened in Brooklyn in 1879. Alabama-based chef Scott Peacock.
While each endeavor allowed Chef Lewis passed away in 2006,
Chef Lewis to share her cooking, but her legacy unquestionably lives

5
6
 THE SOUTHERN
AMERICAN PANTRY
Four foundational staples you’ll find in
many Southern American recipes

The Southern American pantry brings with it a robust growing

season and a wide variety of produce. Culled over the centuries from
Indigenous agricultural methods, imported expertise from Africa,
an array of non-native seeds from colonial cultures, and reintegrated
historic practices of cultivating and preserving seeds by modern
regional experts, the options throughout the year can be bountiful:
Tomatoes, sweet watermelon, and juicy peaches in the summer; the
autumn pecan harvest; spring ramps; and, in the winter, turnips, mus-
tard, and collard greens. All food tells a story—something about where
it comes from, who grew it, how it may have traveled to get to you, and
what recipes or traditions you source to prepare it. Next time you’re
cooking, try incorporating one of these Southern staples—and
consider how it found its way to the communal table.

Okra
Though okra is closely associated with the American
South, the vegetable is enjoyed all over the world. The
seedy pods, which are Indigenous to West Africa, appear
in countless African stews and soups, from okro to ground-
nut to so many more. Arriving as exports along with other
food products as part of the trade of African peoples in the
New World, the plant adapted to the Southern climate.
Black cooks incorporated okra into their dishes in different
and innovative ways, and today you’ll find it fried in corn-
meal, stewed in gumbo, pickled and served with barbecue,
or cooked down with tomatoes.

7
 Field peas
Also known as cowpeas, field peas have grown for genera-
tions alongside rice and corn to return nutrients to the soil.
Many are familiar with the black-eyed pea, a type of field
pea ubiquitous in West African recipes, but there are many
other varieties (they’re often harvested and consumed
fresh, so they don’t travel far). Once considered a humble
ingredient in the U.S., field peas have emerged on fine-
dining menus in recent years, sometimes served in crisp
salads and in traditional African American pilau recipes
like Hoppin’ John (stewed with rice and pork bits).

Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes aren’t yams, but that doesn’t stop many
from calling them as such. As American historian Jessi-
ca B. Harris writes in her book High on the Hog, enslaved
Africans from the “yam crucible” (in what is now Nigeria,
Ghana, Benin, Ivory Coast, Central Africa, Cameroon, and
Togo) called the sweet potato in the Americas after the
yams common to their home regions, setting modern-day
eaters on a road of eternal (but delicious) confusion. Sweet
potatoes are often featured in sweet recipes—candied
“yams,” casseroles, and pies. But the best preparation may
be the least fussy: whole roasted and served steaming hot.

Collard greens
Though originally from Europe and Asia Minor, collard
greens became part of the Southern culinary lexicon, com-
monly stewed in their potlikker—the liquid left behind after
the greens are boiled—until dark and soft. A bubbling pot
of collard greens is often served with a hunk of cornbread
or johnnycakes (flat cornmeal-based cakes) to sop up the
rich broth. Collards are incredibly versatile and can be en-
joyed raw. Thinly slicing them and gently massaging them
with a little olive oil for a few minutes will break down the
leaves just enough to be enjoyed on their own with your fa-
vorite dressing, tossed with red cabbage in a coleslaw, or
paired with sweet lettuces like Bibb and fresh herbs in a
citrusy vinaigrette.

8
 BLANCHING,
BRINING, AND MORE
A quick primer on some of the most important
Southern American cooking techniques

Blanching Making a Roux Brining Pickling

Blanching vegetables—or A combination of flour and Brining is a technique that Vinegar pickling is one of
seafood, as is the case in fat, roux is the secret in- involves submerging meat the most popular ways to
Chef Bailey’s recipe for gredient that thickens in a salt solution prior to preserve fruits and vegeta-
Pickled Oysters on page sauces, gravies, and roasting or grilling. The bles (and even oysters—
31—involves cooking them soups, giving a luxurious process adds an extra hit see page 31 for Chef Bai-
quickly in generously salt- finish to some of Chef Bai- of flavorful moisture, and ley’s recipe). It creates a
ed water (about a cup of ley’s favorite dishes (in- the salt water goes to work high-acid environment
salt per gallon of water) to cluding the Creole Sauce on the muscle fibers and that kills off microbes and
draw out their vibrant fla- in the Fish and Grits recipe proteins in the meat itself, causes food to change in
vors, textures, and colors. on page 19, the filling in the separating them and cre- flavor and texture. While
(The dull hue you often see Oyster Hand Pies recipe ating more space to trap most pickling recipes rely
in raw green vegetables on page 33, and the Okra water. Along with salt and on three main ingredi-
occurs because of the lay- Gumbo Z’Herbes recipe water, you can add any ents—vinegar, sugar, and
er of gas that exists be- on page 37). Typically us- spices and aromatics salt—you can get creative
tween the pigment and the ing one part fat (oil or but- you’ve got on the shelf of when it comes to the type
skin. Blanching them re- ter) to one part flour, a roux your pantry (Chef Bailey’s of vinegar you use and ex-
leases that gas, allowing forms after whisking the recipe for Pork Shanks and periment with different
the pigment to reach the mixture constantly over Collard Greens on page 13 spices or dried herbs in the
surface of the vegetable.) heat until it reaches an op- uses garlic, thyme, and pickling liquid. Once you’ve
Like a freeze-frame, this timal shade of color— black peppercorns). made your own mix, you’ll
technique captures a veg- ranging from white whisk the ingredients to-
etable at its brightest and (cooked for the shortest gether and heat the liquid
crunchiest. A blanch must period of time and often in a saucepot until it comes
be followed with a shock, used for sauces, soups, to a boil. Next, you’ll evenly
or immediately placing the and chowders) to dark chop the vegetables, fruits,
vegetables directly in or brown (cooked for the lon- or seafood, place them in a
atop an ice bath to halt the gest period of time and mason jar, and pour the
cooking process at that popular in Southern Amer- pickling liquid over them.
optimal moment. ican Creole and Cajun Close the jar with an air-
dishes like gumbo and tight lid. Refrigerate your
jambalaya), along with a pickles for a longer shelf
variety of light brown life; they should last for
shades in between. about one month.

9
10
SUCCOTASH
Serves 6 to 8

Succotash is a quintessential American recipe, a beautiful

example of ancient gardening practices and the adage “what
grows together goes together.” The dish has been around in
the United States since the 17th century, when the traditional
Indigenous preparation featured corn, beans, and squash.
Regions all over the U.S. will lay claim to succotash, and that’s
also its appeal: It’s so good that everyone wants to take credit
for it. Succotash—especially Chef Bailey’s version—makes
for a delicious and simple summertime accompaniment to
a meal; her iteration is a vibrant array of okra, tomato, lima
beans, and corn.

Ingredients Method

3 tbsp unsalted butter Melt the butter in a large heavy- little water to moisten the vegetables
1 white onion, diced bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven set and help emulsify the butter. Stir and
½ cup diced green bell pepper over medium heat. Add the onion, bell continue cooking for another 2 min-
½ cup diced celery pepper, and celery, and stir to coat the utes. Add salt and black pepper to
Salt vegetables in the fat. Add a few pinch- taste. Maintain a low temperature,
2 garlic cloves, minced es of salt to help concentrate and en- cover, and cook for another 30 to 35
2 tbsp seeded and diced serrano hance the flavors of the vegetables. minutes. The cooking liquid will have
chile peppers Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasion- thickened, and the vegetables will
2 cups sliced okra, cut horizontally ally. Add the garlic, stir, and allow the be tender.
in circles garlic to bloom. Add the chiles, then
1 cup chopped heirloom tomatoes stir to combine. Reduce the heat and Transfer the mixture to a large bowl
(use a variety from your local add the okra. Add another pinch of for serving. Add the fresh parsley and
market or grocery store) salt. Continue cooking, gently stirring more black pepper. Serve immediately.
3 cups cooked lima beans the mixture, for another 4 minutes.
3 cups corn, fresh off the cob
Water as needed After 4 minutes, stir in the tomatoes,
Black pepper to taste lima beans, and corn. Continue to
Flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for cook the mixture, uncovered, until all
garnish the vegetables are soft, stirring occa-
sionally, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add a

11 
PORK SHANKS
AND SMOKED
COLLARD GREENS
Serves 4 Pork shanks, otherwise known as ham
hocks, are the fatty part of a pig’s ankle.
They’re a highly worked part of the animal,
so braising is the best technique to prepare
them. As such, cooking pork low and slow is
common in many parts of the American South.
From whole-hog pit roasts to smothered chops
in the pan, many families have their go-to reci-
pes and traditions, including sharing a slaugh-
tered pig among members of a community and
resourcefully using all of its parts—rendering
the fat to flavor other dishes, preserving the
ears, and cooking the head, for instance.
Chef Bailey is keeping it a bit simpler in this
recipe. You’ll use a seasoned brine—basical-
ly a salted liquid—to begin breaking down
the tougher meat. To give your collard greens
some kick, you’ll use a workaround substitu-
tion for an outdoor smoker and cold-smoke
them. (Cold-smoking is a shorter and more
versatile way to impart your greens with a
nice flavor.) Large, leisurely dishes like this
one can be a great opportunity to get folks
in the kitchen talking and sharing with one
another—if not during prep, then definitely
during mealtime.
If you’re looking for a pork shank substi-
tute, Chef Bailey suggests trying pork shoul-
der or oxtails.

14
 Ingredients Method

4 pork shanks (1 lb each), skinned Make the brine. Combine all of the in- the seared shanks back in the pot and
gredients in a large lidded container add the herb sachet and just enough
FOR THE BRINE (make sure the container is big enough warmed pork stock to cover the meat.
to hold the brining liquid as well as the
1 gallon water
pork shanks). Submerge the pork Cover the pot and cook in the oven for
½ cup salt
shanks in the liquid, cover the con- about 4 hours, or until the meat is ten-
½ cup cane syrup
tainer with a lid, and refrigerate for up der and falling off the bone.
1 yellow or Vidalia onion, sliced
to 24 hours.
1 bulb garlic, halved
When they’re finished cooking, re-
¼ bunch thyme sprigs
The next day, remove the pork shanks move the pork shanks from the pot
2 tbsp black peppercorns
from the brine and allow them to fully and set aside in a warm area. Place the
dry on paper towels or a rack at room pot on the stove over medium heat,
FOR THE HERB SACHET
temperature. Chef Bailey says 2 hours cover, and reduce the braising liquid
1 tsp black peppercorns drying on the rack works well. by half for approximately 15 minutes.
4 g allspice (or 5 pieces, crushed) Reduce the oven temperature to
2 bay leaves Preheat the oven to 350°F 180°F. Put the pork shanks back in the
pot, cover, and return the pot to the
FOR THE PORK Meanwhile, make the herb sachet. oven for 1 hour.
2 tbsp blended oil (a mixture of Place the black peppercorns, allspice,
canola oil and olive oil), peanut and bay leaves on cheesecloth. Fold Make the collard greens. Place the
oil, or canola oil the cheesecloth over and tie it off with wood chips in a cast-iron skillet and
1 white onion, thinly sliced butcher’s twine. Set aside. set the skillet on the stovetop over
3 tbsp cane syrup high heat for about 15 minutes. Be
1 cup dry white wine, preferably In a medium-size lidded pot or Dutch sure your cooking space is well venti-
sauvignon blanc oven, heat the oil on medium-high lated. The chips will get warm and
1 herb sachet temperature. Once the oil begins to slowly start to smoke. Once the edges
3 qt pork stock smoke, add the dry, brined pork of the chips turn black, give them a
shanks and sear them on all sides, stir and heat for another 2 minutes, or
FOR THE COLLARD GREENS about 3 to 5 minutes per side, to get a until there is a steady stream of smoke
nice brown color (don’t worry if the coming from the skillet. You can also
2 to 3 cups pecan or oak wood
shanks become dark; the cane syrup look for embers—another indication
chips (enough to cover the bot-
from the brine will caramelize in the that the chips are hot enough.
tom of your skillet)
heat, giving you a rich color). When
2 bunches collard greens, thinly
you’ve rotated the shanks and seared De-stem (or devein) the greens by
sliced
all sides, remove them from the pan pulling the leaves off their center
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
and set them aside on a sheet tray stem. Place the leaves in a bowl of
1 cup sliced shallots
lined with a resting rack. cool water. Wash the greens by agitat-
1 cup sliced Vidalia onion (or the
ing them with your hands in the bowl.
sweetest onion available)
Carefully pour the fat out of the pot Use at least two changes of water until
1 cup leeks
and into an empty can or bottle to let you don’t feel any sediment in the bot-
Salt to taste
it cool. When the fat has cooled, dis- tom of the bowl.
2 cups water
pose of it in the trash. Return the pot
to the heat, then add the onion, cane On a work surface, stack the cleaned
syrup, and white wine. Stir to deglaze leaves and roll them lengthwise. Slice
the pot and allow the onion and liquid the leaves in ½-inch strips (chiffonade
to cook down, about 15 minutes. style) or chop them coarsely. Set them
When the wine has mellowed—it in a perforated pan and cover the pan
should smell sweet and fragrant—put with a lid.

15 
Mold a sheet of aluminum foil into a minutes. Add a heaping pinch of salt.
cup shape and place it at the bottom of Add the smoked collards, another
a deep pan. Once the wood chips are pinch of salt, and the remaining olive
charred and you begin to see embers, oil. Stir to incorporate well. Add the
pour the chips into the foil cup. Set the water and stir to incorporate all ingre-
perforated pan of greens on top and dients. Cover and continue to cook on
place a towel on top of the lid to seal, a simmer for about 45 minutes.
smoking them for 20 to 25 minutes.
After 4 hours, remove the pork from
While the greens are smoking, place a the oven. Serve the shanks whole over
lidded pot over medium-high heat. a bed of collard greens. Top with a
Add half of the olive oil. Sweat the coat of braising liquid.
shallots, onions, and leeks, about 5

16
 SEAFOOD
MIDDLIN
Serves 2 to 4

Middlins, also known as broken rice or rice grits, are beloved

throughout the U.S. today, and you’ll find them served at cele-
brated fine-dining restaurants in the American South. But the
broken pieces of rice weren’t always treasured ingredients.
To understand the complex history of this ingredient, you
must look to slavery in South Carolina, North Carolina, and
Georgia, where West Africans from the Senegambia region were
brought specifically for their expertise in cultivating the rice crop
that would become known as Carolina Gold. (Note: Here, Car-
olina Gold is used to refer to the name of the historic rice grain,
not the American rice brand by the same name.) That enslaved
skilled labor formed the basis of the local economy for nearly
200 years; Carolina Gold was even exported to places through-
out Europe and Asia. A by-product of the mortar-and-pestle pol-
ishing process, the middlins were considered unsellable leftovers
that enslaved cooks were left to make delicious.
Those rejected pieces became foundational to cooking in
America’s Lowcountry (the region along South Carolina’s
coast), as their creamy texture is perfect for soaking up rich
stews like the one Chef Bailey makes here. Carolina Gold fell
out of production in the 20th century but was reintroduced in
recent years to resounding acclaim.
While middlins are very starchy, you won’t rinse them in this
recipe because the starchiness helps bind the ingredients (like
a risotto). Chef Bailey serves a version of this dish at the Grey.

17 
Ingredients Method

FOR THE SHRIMP STOCK Make the shrimp stock. In a large and stir to incorporate. Add the white
pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. wine to the saucepan, stir, and contin-
2 qt water
Add the shrimp shells and boil until ue to cook until the wine has nearly
1 lb shrimp shells (Chef Bailey
the water turns golden brown, about evaporated and the aroma shifts from
recommends calling a fish
40 minutes. Strain the liquid and dis- pungent to sweet, about 6 minutes.
market in advance and asking
card the shells. Bring the stock to a
them to reserve the shells for
low simmer and let cook for another After 6 minutes, begin ladling the
you to purchase)
40 minutes. simmering shrimp stock into the
saucepan. Start with 5 ladles (or
FOR THE MIDDLIN
Meanwhile, peel and devein the about 6 ounces of stock), then cook at
4 oz shrimp in their shells shrimp, and set aside the shells. a simmer, stirring until the rice grits
2 oz extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra Roughly chop the shrimp, put them absorb the stock, about 3 minutes.
¼ cup diced celery on a plate, and place in the refrigera- Once the first few ladles are fully ab-
¼ cup diced shallots tor until ready to use. sorbed, add another ladle and stir un-
½ pint diced white onion til the stock starts to evaporate and
Salt to taste In a wide-bottom saucepan, heat the the rice grits soften, about 10 min-
2 cups Carolina Gold variety of olive oil over medium heat. Add the utes. Continue this process until the
rice grits celery, shallots, onions, and a pinch of rice grits are about 80 percent cooked
2 tbsp tomato paste salt. Add more olive oil to coat, about through, roughly 20 minutes. If the
1 tsp saffron 2 additional tablespoons. Sweat the rice grits begin to stick to the bottom
4 oz dry white wine, preferably vegetables until they’re translucent of the pot, add a bit more liquid and
pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc and softened, about 5 minutes. gently stir. You can also turn the heat
1½ qt shrimp stock down slightly.
4 oz red snapper, skinned and After 5 minutes, add the rice grits to
diced (or another light flaky fish the saucepan with another pinch of Once the rice grits are about 80 per-
like flounder) salt. Stir the rice grits so they’re well cent cooked through, taste them. If the
2 tbsp unsalted butter incorporated with the oil and vegeta- rice is cooked but still has a little bit of
1 oz fresh parsley, chopped (or bles, and toast for about 5 minutes. texture, it’s time to add your seafood.
fresh tarragon or chervil), plus
extra for garnish Add the tomato paste, and stir to even- Remove the shrimp and diced snap-
ly coat the rice grits. Add the saffron, per from the refrigerator and add both
to the saucepan. (Since both the
shrimp and the snapper have been
diced into small pieces, Chef Bailey
says they do not need to be at room
temperature before cooking.) Cook
until the fish turns white and becomes
firm and the shrimp turns pink, about
6 minutes. Turn off the heat.

After 6 minutes, add the butter and

salt to taste. Add the chopped herbs.
Stir again and spoon into bowls. Gar-
nish with additional herbs and serve.

18
FISH
AND
GRITS
Serves 4

Swiping a piece of peppery, cornmeal-crusted fish around

a bowl of creamy stone-ground grits is a beloved breakfast,
lunch, or dinner tradition throughout the American South—
even if the pairing of fish and grits is often overshadowed by
its shrimp and grits counterpart. Chef Bailey’s version of this
dish at the Grey is an homage to her grandmother Geneva, who
would fry her husband’s fresh catch of the day with white grits
and serve it for dinner on Fridays.
Stone-ground white grits are the way to go here. The entire
dried corn kernel is coarsely ground, which lends the grits
a nice texture and makes them more flavorful than, say, the
instant version. White grits have a milder corn flavor than the
yellow variety—they pair well with eggs, bacon, and seafood.
The Creole Sauce element in Chef Bailey’s dish is inspired by
the gravy-like sauce in a classic shrimp étouffée. Fish and grits
is wonderful plain; the sauce is a rich touch that takes the dish
over the top.

20
 Ingredients Method

FOR THE GRITS Make the grits. In a stockpot, bring three shallow baking dishes or other
the water and a pinch of salt to a boil. containers on a work surface. Add the
3 qt water
Once boiling, add the heavy cream. corn flour to the first container, the but-
2 qt heavy cream
When the liquid begins to boil again termilk to the second container, and
1 qt grits (like Geechie Boy or
(not before!), stir in the grits. Bring the the cornmeal to the third container.
Marsh Hen Mill stone-ground
grits to a boil, reduce the heat to a Season each container with a pinch of
white grits)
simmer, and then cover and cook for salt. Add a pinch of cayenne to the but-
1 lb unsalted butter, cubed
45 minutes. termilk container. Stir or whisk each
Salt to taste
ingredient to blend the seasonings.
Begin the Creole Sauce. Place a wide,
FOR THE CREOLE SAUCE
heavy-bottomed saucepan over medi- Season each slice of fish on both sides
300 g unsalted butter um heat. Make a roux by melting the with salt. Using tongs or your fingers,
275 g flour butter, adding the flour, and stirring to dredge a slice in the corn flour, then
500 g diced white onion combine. Continue to stir the roux as the buttermilk (be sure to shake off
285 g diced green bell pepper the flour toasts and becomes a light any excess liquid), and finally the
250 g diced celery brown color, about 10 minutes. cornmeal. Set the slice of fish aside on
40 g minced garlic a sheet tray. Repeat the dredging pro-
20 g blackening spice (see recipe After 10 minutes, add the onion, bell cess for all slices of fish.
on page 28) pepper, and celery, and stir to incor-
10 g white pepper porate. Add the garlic, stir again, and Check the temperature of your oil by
4 g cayenne pepper allow the mixture to cook down, dusting a pinch of cornmeal into the
5 g black pepper about 4 to 5 minutes. skillet. If the oil bubbles, it’s ready.
8 g shrimp powder Gently lay one dredged piece of fish in
250 g dry white wine, preferably Check back in with your grits every the oil, and cook for 1 minute or so, al-
pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc few minutes and give them a good stir. lowing the oil to reheat before adding
1,500 g shrimp stock (double the the other fillets. Add as many fillets as
recipe in Seafood Middlin on Return to the roux. Add a pinch of salt, will fit in the pan without crowding.
page 18) and keep stirring gently, ensuring that Fry each for about 3 minutes per side,
453 g jumbo lump crab the roux is evenly coating the vegeta- or until the fillets turn golden brown.
bles. Once the vegetables have begun When each piece of fish is evenly
FOR THE FISH to soften and break down (after about browned on both sides, remove them
Peanut oil, for frying 5 to 7 minutes), add the blackening from the pan. Lay on a rack or paper
4 whole fish fillets (such as whiting, spice, white pepper, cayenne pepper, towel–lined plate to drain any excess
trout, beeliner snapper, or black black pepper, and shrimp powder. Stir oil. Season again with salt.
bass), cut into 2 to 3 slices total- to incorporate. Add the white wine to
ing 6 oz per plate deglaze the pan. Check on the grits. Give them a taste.
2 cups corn flour When there is no longer a hard bite to
2 cups buttermilk Add the shrimp stock, pouring a little them, add the butter, stir, and then
2 cups yellow cornmeal in at first. Stir the mixture, then add the add the salt to taste. Stir once more
Salt to taste rest. (You might want to switch from a and remove from the heat. You want
Cayenne pepper to taste spoon to a whisk at this point.) Reduce them to have some texture but also
the heat and cook the sauce down for taste smooth and creamy.
20 minutes. After 20 minutes, fold the
crab meat into the sauce. Set aside. Plate the dish. Add a serving of the
grits to a bowl. Ladle the Creole Sauce
Make the fish. In a cast-iron skillet, around the edge of the bowl, then
heat the peanut oil to 325°F. Cut the fil- place two slices of fish in the center.
lets into thin slices and set aside. Place Serve immediately.

21 
 FOIE
AND
GRITS
Serves 8

Beef liver and grits is a homey, hearty dish that Chef Bailey
enjoyed when she was growing up. The classic pairing features
a cut of liver that’s dusted with flour, then seared and served
with sautéed onions over grits.
Chef Bailey was craving those flavors one day and thought
about how she might incorporate them into a dish that could
be added to the Grey’s repertoire. Inspired by her time spent
in France, she opted for foie gras, or fatty duck liver, in place
of the beef liver. Foie is super rich—a little goes a long way.
The seared foie with grits was a huge hit at the restaurant, and
whether you opt for foie or go with beef liver (see page 25),
chances are you’ll feel the same at home.

23 
Ingredients Method

FOR THE FOIE GRAS Make the foie gras. Start with cold foie gras reaches a deep brown color, after
gras just out of the refrigerator. Using about 45 seconds to 1 minute, remove
1 lb foie gras lobe, chilled
a sharp knife warmed under water, it from the pan and let it rest on a
2 tbsp diced unsalted butter
portion out the foie gras into 2-ounce cooling rack. Discard the fat from the
1 cup julienned white onions
pieces. Be sure to remove the veins pan by pouring it onto a paper towel.
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
from each piece. Dispose of the paper towel in the
2 qt chicken stock
trash. After removing the fat, don’t
Cayenne pepper to taste
Score one side of each piece of foie in a wipe or wash the pan.
grid-like pattern to help concentrate
FOR THE GRITS
the flavor and even out the heat distri- Return the unwashed pan to high heat
3 qt water bution while searing. Salt each portion. and add the butter and onions. Stir to
Salt to taste coat the onions in the melting butter
2 qt heavy cream Place a nonstick pan over high heat. and foie gras drippings. Add the flour
1 qt grits (like Geechie Boy or Make sure your pan is fully heated to thicken the mixture, and whisk to
Marsh Hen Mill stone-ground through so the sear is fast. Place the combine. Add the chicken stock, and
white grits) foie gras in the pan, scored side down, lower the heat. Whisk the mixture,
1 lb unsalted butter, cubed and use your fingers or a spatula to and sprinkle in cayenne to your pre-
gently press it down. When the foie ferred taste. Whisk to combine, and
cook for about 30 minutes, or until the
chicken stock reduces. Remove the
mixture from the heat once it reaches
a gravy consistency, after about 30
minutes, and set aside for serving.

Make the grits. In a 4-quart saucepan

with a lid, season the water generous-
ly with salt and bring to a boil. Add the
heavy cream to the pot, and when the
liquid begins to boil (not before), stir
in the grits. Reduce the heat and sim-
mer for about 45 minutes. After 45
minutes, add the butter to the grits
and stir.

To serve, spoon a serving of grits into

a bowl and place the seared foie gras
on top. Add a spoonful of pan sauce,
and serve immediately.

24
 BEEF LIVER
AND GRITS
Serves 10

Ingredients Method

FOR THE GRITS Make the grits. In a 4-quart saucepan without running off quickly, about 25
with a lid, season the water generous- minutes. Stir in the Charleston Hot
3 qt water
ly with salt and bring to a boil. Add the powder and butter.
Pinch of salt
heavy cream to the pot, and when the
2 qt heavy cream
liquid begins to boil (not before), stir Plate the dish by spooning a portion
1 qt Anson Mills grits
in the grits. Reduce the heat and sim- of grits onto the plate and placing the
1 lb butter, cubed
mer for about 45 minutes. After 45 beef liver on top. Finish with a drizzle
minutes, add the butter to the grits of the onion pan sauce.
FOR THE BEEF LIVER
and stir.
3 oz canola oil
3 lb beef liver (purchase grocery Meanwhile, prepare the beef liver.
store–portioned liver, about While the grits cook, heat the oil in a
5 oz each, for a quicker cook cast-iron pan over medium heat. Sea-
time) son the beef liver with salt and pep-
Salt to taste per, and then dredge it in flour. Sear
Pepper to taste the beef liver in the cast-iron pan for
All-purpose flour (enough about 8 minutes, then remove it from
for dredging) the pan and place it on a plate lined
with paper towels.
FOR THE ONION PAN SAUCE

Fond and fat from the beef liver pan Make the onion pan sauce. Without
1 large yellow or Vidalia onion, wiping down the cast-iron pan, add
julienned the julienned onion and cook until it
2 cups chicken stock is translucent. Deglaze the skillet with
½ tsp Charleston Hot powder chicken stock for 2 minutes and re-
1 to 2 tbsp diced unsalted butter duce the heat to medium. Cook until
the liquid coats the back of a spoon

25 
QUAIL WITH
WATERMELON
MOLASSES AND
CORNBREAD
DRESSING
Serves 3

27 
 When Chef Bailey was growing up, cornbread dressing
Ingredients made its annual holiday appearance alongside roasted turkey.
Taking her cue from those festive meals, she’s created a similar
recipe—only this one uses quail instead of turkey. Chef Bailey
FOR THE CORNBREAD
DRESSING
says Cornish game hen or even pork chops would also work
well in this recipe as substitutions.
1 8x8 pan of cornbread (store-
Quail is a smaller bird with more year-round appeal that also
bought is fine), cut into cubes
5 eggs conveys the tradition of trapping and hunting in the Georgia
1 cup grated yellow onion region. Cornbread dressing can vary in density; some people
5 g minced fresh sage like it to be a bit lighter and moist—Chef Bailey included—but
2 g cayenne pepper feel free to experiment and make the dressing your own.
2 g black pepper
20 g salt

FOR THE BLACKENING SPICE

Method
214 g sumac
221 g onion powder
108 g cayenne pepper Make the cornbread. Bake your powder. Stir to incorporate. Add the
228 g garlic powder favorite cornbread recipe and allow it white wine to deglaze the pan.
644 g sweet paprika to cool completely or purchase pre-
214 g dark chili powder made cornbread from the grocery Add the shrimp stock, pouring a little
430 g salt store. Cut the cornbread into small in at first. Stir the mixture, then add
43 g dried thyme squares. Set aside. the rest. (You might want to switch
20 g dried oregano from a spoon to a whisk at this point.)
Make the blackening spice. Add all of Reduce the heat and cook the sauce
FOR THE CREOLE SAUCE the ingredients to a bowl and whisk down for 20 minutes. After 20 min-
300 g unsalted butter together. Set aside. utes, fold in the crab meat, oysters, or
275 g flour shrimp to taste if preferred. Set the
500 g diced white onion Preheat the oven to 325°F. sauce aside.
285 g diced green bell pepper
250 g diced celery Begin the Creole Sauce. Place a wide, Meanwhile, continue making the
40 g minced garlic heavy-bottomed saucepan over medi- cornbread dressing. In a large mixing
20 g blackening spice um heat. Make a roux by melting the bowl, use your hands to crumble the
10 g white pepper butter, adding the flour, and stirring to cornbread cubes. In a smaller bowl,
4 g cayenne pepper combine. Continue to stir the roux as whisk the eggs and set aside. Return
5 g black pepper the flour toasts and becomes a light to the cornbread crumbles. Add the
8 g shrimp powder brown color, about 10 minutes. grated onion, sage, cayenne, and black
250 g dry white wine, preferably pepper, and mix well by hand.
pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc After 10 minutes, add the onion, bell
1,500 g shrimp stock (double pepper, and celery, and stir to incor- Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs
the recipe for shrimp stock on porate. Add the garlic, stir again, and from the stock mixture, and carefully
page 18) allow the mixture to cook down, pour the majority of the hot liquid
Jumbo lump crab, oysters, or about 4 to 5 minutes. Add a pinch of over the cornbread mixture (reserve a
shrimp to taste (optional) salt, and keep stirring gently, ensuring small amount for a drizzle over the
that the roux is evenly coating the top of each dish when serving). Add
(Cont. on next page) vegetables. Once the vegetables have the whisked eggs to the cornbread
begun to soften and break down (after and stock a little bit at a time, stirring
about 5 to 7 minutes), add the black- as you go to temper the mixture. Con-
ening spice, white pepper, cayenne tinue stirring well as you add the eggs
pepper, black pepper, and shrimp until they’re fully incorporated. The

28
 Ingredients mixture should be wet but not runny. the quails to a large plate. Cover them
Add the salt, and stir again. and allow them to marinate in the re-
frigerator for at least 4 hours or over-
FOR THE WATERMELON Use a stick of butter to grease the night. After at least 4 hours, remove
MOLASSES sides and bottom of an 8-inch-square the quails from the refrigerator and
pan (nonstick spray is also fine). Pour allow them to sit for a few minutes be-
1 whole watermelon (about 6 lb),
the cornbread mixture into the pan fore you cook them (they don’t need
rind removed, deseeded, and
and bake for about 1 hour. You want it to be room temperature, but don’t
cubed
to be a bit jiggly in the center. After 1 cook them cold).
hour, remove the dressing from the
FOR THE QUAIL
oven and set it aside to rest. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3 whole quail (6 oz each)

3 tsp blended oil (olive oil and Make the watermelon molasses. Use a Heat a generous drizzle of oil in a
canola oil), peanut oil, sunflower juicer or blender to process the cubed cast-iron pan set over medium-low
oil, or canola oil, plus more watermelon into a juice. In a small heat until it looks wavy and starts to
for cooking saucepan, reduce the juice over low smoke, about 4 to 5 minutes. Place all
heat, stirring constantly. Be careful not three quails in the cast-iron pan and
¼ cup blackening spice, divided
to burn the liquid. Reduce and stir for sear on all sides until the skin begins
about 25 minutes. The result will yield to brown and the spice rub starts to
approximately ½ cup of molasses. caramelize, about 2 minutes per side.
Transfer the cast-iron skillet to the
Make the quails. Place all of the quails oven and cook for 6 to 8 minutes to
in a large mixing bowl and drizzle reach a medium-rare cook tempera-
them with 1 teaspoon of oil each. ture (you can cook them longer if you
Sprinkle the blackening spice mix prefer the quail more well done). After
evenly over the quails and rub it in 6 to 8 minutes, pull the skillet out of
across each bird’s surface. Transfer the oven and let the quails rest. Brush
them with the watermelon molasses.

Spoon a serving of the cornbread

dressing onto a plate. Place one quail
next to the dressing and drizzle the
reserved Creole Sauce over the whole
plate. Serve immediately.

29 
 PICKLED
OYSTERS
Serves 4

Pickling is one of the oldest techniques for food preservation,

and it’s still a preferred method of food storage in the Ameri-
can South. Since growing seasons for many foods can be short,
pickling is a great way to change up how you might normally
eat an ingredient or ensure that you have it on hand during
other times of the year. Here, Chef Bailey is pickling something
a little unexpected: oysters.
The McIntosh oysters Chef Bailey uses in this recipe are
from E.L. McIntosh & Son Seafood of Harris Neck, Georgia, an
oyster farm that’s about 50 miles from the Grey. Chef Bailey has
had a long-standing relationship with E.L. McIntosh & Son and
its senior proprietor, Earnest McIntosh Sr. (McIntosh and his
son, Earnest Jr., even appeared in Chef Bailey’s episode of the
Netflix docuseries Chef’s Table). Chef Bailey values her relation-
ship with the McIntoshes as a crucial link to the Grey’s story,
highlighting the history of Black farmers and the generational
legacy of folks in the region who’ve long stewarded the land
and its bounty. Chef Bailey prefers thick-shelled American East
Coast oysters because their flavors tend to be more suitable for
cooking.
This recipe calls for blanching the oysters (see page 9 to learn
more about this technique) because the pickle time is short.
While a longer pickling time on its own would cook the oysters
through and not require this additional blanch, the technique is
important here to ensure that the oysters are cooked complete-
ly and ready to eat.
Give yourself time to prepare the pickling liquid in advance:
Chef Bailey likes to let hers steep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3
days so that the liquid develops a richer flavor. This, in turn,
will make for a tastier pickled oyster. If oysters aren’t a favorite
of yours, try pickling shellfish, like shrimp, or even clams.

31 
Ingredients Method

FOR THE OYSTERS Prepare the oysters. Using a small Once the pickling liquid reaches a
paring knife, shuck each oyster over a boil, remove the saucepot from the
12 oz fresh whole McIntosh oysters,
container to catch the oyster liquid. heat. Transfer the liquid to a mason jar
or another thick-shelled fresh
Carefully wedge the knife between the or other refrigerator-safe container
oyster such as Blue Point or
lid and the bed of the oyster shell until with an airtight lid. Leave the liquid in
Island Creek, oyster liquid
you feel a gentle pop. (A good practice the refrigerator for at least 1 to 2 hours
reserved
is to hold the oyster in a towel to keep or up to 14 days, depending on the
Ice, for chilling the blanched
your non-shucking hand safe.) Allow freshness of the oysters—the longer it
oysters
the oyster liquid to drain into the con- steeps, the better.
tainer, then remove the oyster from
FOR THE PICKLING LIQUID
the bed with your knife and set it aside Make the blanching liquid. In a medi-
¼ tsp whole allspice on a plate. Discard the shell. Repeat um saucepan, bring equal parts oyster
2 tsp mustard seeds this process with the remaining oys- liquid and water to a simmer over
1 tsp fennel seeds ters. Once you have caught all of the low-medium heat. Skim any foam
4 each mace blades oyster liquid in the container, add as from the surface of the liquid with a
1 cup water much water as necessary to reach 2 spoon or ladle.
1 cup oyster liquid cups of oyster liquid. Set the oyster
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar liquid aside. Add all of the shucked oysters to the
1½ tbsp granulated sugar blanching liquid. Blanch until the
Fill a large bowl with ice. Then place a valves firm up and take shape, ap-
FOR THE BLANCHING LIQUID second, smaller bowl on top of the ice. proximately 30 seconds to 1 minute.
1 cup oyster liquid Set aside. Using a slotted spoon, remove the
1 cup water oysters and transfer to the small bowl
Make the pickling liquid. Crack the on top of the ice. Allow the oysters to
FOR PLATING allspice seeds to help release their fla- chill for 5 to 10 minutes.
Soda crackers vor. In a small saucepot, add the all-
Lardo (cured pork fatback) spice, mustard, fennel, and mace Remove the pickling liquid from the
or salumi blades. Pour in the water, the oyster refrigerator and submerge the chilled
Serrano pepper, sliced liquid, and the vinegar, add the sugar, oysters in the container. Reseal and
Fried chicken skin or store-bought and bring the contents to a boil. Skim return to the refrigerator to pickle for
pork rinds any foam from the surface with a up to 10 days.
spoon or ladle.
When you’re ready to serve, lay a soda
cracker on a plate. Place a slice of lar-
do or salumi on the cracker so that it
is partially hanging off. Follow with a
single oyster on the lardo or salumi,
then fold the lardo or salumi over so
the oyster is partially wrapped. Gar-
nish with a slice of serrano and a piece
of fried chicken skin or pork rind.
Serve immediately.

32
OYSTER
HAND PIES
Serves 6

33 
 Hand pies are common in the American South, and when it
Ingredients comes to the filling, pretty much anything goes. Sweet versions
like apple or peach hand pies can be found at bakeries and gas
station food stands. At home, leftovers often make for a hearty
FOR THE PICKLED CELERY
and satisfying savory version.
10 garlic cloves
Chef Bailey’s recipe goes the savory route, and her expert
3½ cups white vinegar
layering of flavors is where this humble snack shines. When it
3½ cups water
1 cup sugar comes to hand pies, you don’t want to rush the process—in-
¼ cup salt stead, you want to stick to the “low and slow” method that’s
7 bay leaves common in Southern American cuisine. With these hand pies,
1 tbsp dill seeds a lower heat setting and longer cook time make room for the
½ tsp celery seed ingredients to merge in ways that quick cooking can’t achieve.
½ tsp mustard seed
Note Chef Bailey’s use of sherry in the filling here—sherry
10 ribs of celery, peeled and diced
provides a subtle flavor that pairs wonderfully with seafood. Be
FOR THE PIE DOUGH sure to use the real thing (no sherry cooking wine!). You’ll also
benefit from tracking down benne seeds, which look a lot like
¼ cup ice water
2 tsp apple cider vinegar white sesame seeds. The two are related, but benne seeds come
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus from Africa, are quite popular and versatile in the American
extra for dusting South, and carry a nuttier and more robust flavor. Your hand
1 tbsp sugar pie will be better for having them.
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter,
Note: The pickled celery required for this recipe should be
preferably with less than
80 percent fat content, cut
made at least 2 weeks in advance.
into 8 pieces

FOR THE FISH FUMET

2 tbsp blended oil (a mixture of Method

canola oil and olive oil), peanut
oil, or canola oil
1 carrot, diced Make the pickled celery (at least 2 In a large bowl, combine the flour,
2 ribs celery, diced weeks in advance). Combine all of the sugar, and salt, and mix gently. Trans-
4 sprigs of thyme ingredients except for the celery in a fer half of the dry mixture into a food
2 small fennel bulbs stainless steel saucepan set over medi- processor. Add half the butter to the
2 bay leaves um heat. Steep the liquid for 30 min- food processor and pulse 5 or 6 times.
1 tsp black pepper utes, then remove it from the heat and Add the remaining half of the flour
1 cup pinot grigio allow it to cool completely. Strain the mixture and the remaining butter,
3 lb fish bones pickle brine before pickling the celery. taking care to minimize handling to
keep the ingredients cool. Pulse an-
(Cont. on next page) Place the diced celery in a shallow bak- other 5 or 6 times.
ing dish. Pour the brine over the celery
until the celery is completely covered. Transfer the dry mixture into the large
Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of mixing bowl. The butter should be in
the liquid—not on top of the dish—and pea-size pieces or smaller. Use your
refrigerate for at least 2 weeks. hands to break up any pieces that are
larger than that.
Make the dough. In a small bowl, stir
together the ice water and the vinegar, Make a well in your dry mixture. Pour
and set aside. in 2 tablespoons of the ice water-vin-

34
 egar mixture and stir. Continue add- simmer. Simmer the fumet for 30 min-
Ingredients ing 2 tablespoons of the liquid at a utes. Strain the fumet and reduce it
time, stirring after each addition, further if you’re looking for a more
scraping down the sides of the bowl intense flavor.
FOR THE FILLING and folding in the flour.
Start the filling. In a medium sauce-
2 qt fish fumet
After incorporating all of the liquid, pan, add the fish fumet, heavy cream,
1 qt heavy cream
pinch the dough. If it holds together and bay leaf. Bring the liquid to a sim-
1 bay leaf
but still feels dry, it’s ready. If it’s too mer and cook until the liquid has re-
240 g butter
dry, add another 1 to 2 tablespoons of duced by 1/3, about 15 minutes.
195 g diced sweet white onion
the ice water-vinegar, scraping and
160 g diced fennel root
folding after each addition. If it’s While the fumet mixture is reducing,
160 g all-purpose flour
slightly too wet, add a little flour. place a heavy-bottomed saucepan
125 g peeled, diced, boiled, and
over medium heat. Melt the butter.
cooled Yukon gold potatoes
Lightly flour a flat work surface. Trans- Add the onion and fennel, and sweat
100 g diced pickled celery
fer the dough onto the surface and them until they’re translucent, about
4 g whole tarragon leaves
gently knead it into a disc. Wrap the 5 minutes. Keep stirring gently and
15 g salt
disc tightly in plastic wrap and refrig- keep your eye on the heat—you don’t
50 g Manzanilla sherry wine
erate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. want to brown the butter.
2 cups shucked oysters
1 egg beaten with 2 tbsp water, for
When you’re ready to prepare your After 5 minutes, add the flour to the
egg wash
hand pies, remove the dough from the saucepan to create a roux. Continue
refrigerator and bring it to room tem- to cook over low heat until the flour is
FOR THE GARNISH
perature. Lightly flour a flat work sur- fragrant and smells a bit nutty, about
Benne seeds or sesame seeds face. Place the disc on the work sur- 10 to 15 minutes.
face and divide it in half. Dust half of After 10 to 15 minutes, add the fish
the dough with flour. Using a rolling fumet and cream mixture to the roux
pin, roll the dough until it’s circular in small quantities, incorporating the
and ¼ of an inch thick. Ensure liquid with a whisk with each addi-
throughout that the dough doesn’t tion. This helps to avoid flour lumps.
stick to the surface top. Once the fumet is fully incorporated
in the roux, bring the mixture to a boil.
Using a 6-inch-round cutter, cut out Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the
3 circles of dough. Place the dough mixture coats the back of a spoon
circles on a sheet tray and transfer without running.
the tray to the refrigerator. Repeat
the rolling and cutting process with After 10 to 15 minutes, add the pota-
the second half of the dough, and toes, pickled celery, fresh tarragon,
transfer the second set of dough cir- salt, and, last, the sherry wine to the
cles to the refrigerator. Let the dough saucepan. Gently stir to incorporate
rest while you make the fish fumet all of the ingredients. Continue cook-
and the filling. ing the mixture over low heat for an-
other 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from
Make the fish fumet. Pour the oil into heat and set aside to cool.
a rondeau pan set over low heat. Add
the diced vegetables and sweat them Fill the dough. Preheat the oven to
with all of the aromatics for about 10 400°F, and remove the pie discs from
minutes. Add the white wine and the refrigerator.
reduce by ¾, about 7 minutes. Add the
fish bones, and cover everything Dust a flat work surface with flour,
in the pan with water. Bring the and lay out your dough circles. Each
fumet to a boil, and then reduce to a circle should yield 1 hand pie.

35 
Working on 1 hand pie at a time, spoon Brush each hand pie top with egg
about 1½ tablespoons of filling into the wash and then sprinkle with benne
center of the dough, then place 2 to 3 seeds. Bake until the pie dough turns
raw oysters on top of the filling. Brush golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let
the egg wash around the edge of the the hand pies rest and cool slightly be-
dough. Fold the pie in half and lightly fore serving.
press down on the edge with your fin-
gers to seal the hand pie. Use a fork to
crimp the edge. Repeat this process
with the remaining 5 circles of dough.

Place the crimped hand pies on a

sheet tray lined with parchment pa-
per. Using a small knife, create 3 small
slits in the top of each pie to allow
steam to escape. Be careful to not drag
the knife too forcefully.

36
OKRA GUMBO
Z’HERBES
Serves 8

The roots of gumbo are in Africa, but ultimately it’s the

culinary outcome of several intersecting cultures: broadly,
African, Native American, and European. Gumbo is a roux-
based soup that can range from thin to gravy-thick; traditional
preparations often use okra as a binding agent, with proteins
like chicken, shrimp, and crab added based on preference. Okra
comes from the African continent, where the pod of the vegeta-
ble is used in all manner of soups and stews.
The word gumbo is a derivative of guingombo and ochingom-
bo, words for okra in the Bantu language, spoken throughout
parts of Africa. In French, the word gombo also refers to okra,
all of which illustrates the Creolized blending the dish experi-
enced in southern Louisiana—where gumbo is most popular.
Chef Bailey’s version of gumbo takes a cue from herald-
ed Creole chef Leah Chase, the matriarch of Dooky Chase’s
restaurant in New Orleans. Chase was known as much for her
food and hospitality legacy as she was for feeding leaders of
the American Civil Rights movement (along with modern-day
American presidents like Barack Obama and George W. Bush).
Chase popularized this dish during Lent, when many forgo
meat; her gumbo z’herbes was renowned for using nine differ-
ent greens (the dish is still on the restaurant’s menu). In this
recipe you’ll char the okra rather than stew it in the pot, which
is traditional. This lends a smoky flavor and chunky texture to
the soup.

38
 Ingredients Method

FOR THE HERB SACHET Make the herb sachet. Place the Set a dry cast-iron skillet over high
thyme, allspice, and bay leaves on heat. Press the halved okra slices into
5 g fresh thyme
cheesecloth. Fold the cheesecloth the pan facedown. Don’t use any oil or
3 g whole allspice
over and tie it off with butcher’s twine. butter on the skillet surface. You need
3 g bay leaf
Set aside. a hot, dry skillet to bring the char along.
FOR THE GUMBO
Make the gumbo. In a Dutch oven or Meanwhile, add the kale, cabbage, bok
370 g unsalted butter stockpot set over medium heat, heat choy, and dandelion greens to the
370 g all-purpose flour the butter until it’s just smoking, Dutch oven or stockpot, cover the pot,
2 cups diced white onion about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook the gumbo down for 45 min-
1 cup diced green bell pepper and stir with a wooden spoon to cre- utes. After 45 minutes, remove the
1 cup chopped celery ate a roux. Once the flour starts to gumbo from the heat.
2 cups minced shallots brown, after about 4 to 5 minutes, re-
4 qt chicken stock duce the heat to low and stir slowly Check the progress of the okra. Cook
2 cups okra, sliced in half until the roux is the color of milk until charred, about 3 to 5 minutes.
lengthwise chocolate, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add The edges should start to brown.
1 2-in hotel pan of kale the onion, bell pepper, celery, and Once charred, flip and char the other
1 green cabbage head, diced shallots, and stir to coat the vegeta- side for 1 minute. To get the rich flavor
1 2-in hotel pan of bok choy bles in the roux. you want for this recipe, it may take
2 qt chopped dandelion greens up to 6 to 7 minutes to cook the okra.
Deglaze the pan with the chicken
stock and simmer until everything is Spoon a serving of gumbo into a bowl.
incorporated, about 4 to 5 minutes. Top each serving with several pieces
When the mixture returns to a boil, of okra. Serve with rice or cornbread.
add the herb sachet, and allow the
mixture to simmer.

39 
 “The first thing that
I hope that you do
when you finish this
MasterClass is to not
be afraid to explore
your own personal
cooking style.”
— CHEF BAILEY

41 
 Credits
Various news articles
Courtesy The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. © 2021 The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution. All rights reserved. Used under license;
The New York Times. © 2015 The New York Times Company. All
rights reserved. Used under license; The New York Times. © 2019
The New York Times Company. All rights reserved. Used under
license; Bill Addison and Eater, Vox Media, LLC

Various footage
Courtesy Veritone, Dissolve Inc., Getty Images, and
Shutterstock

Various images
Courtesy Robbie Caponetto/Southern Living; Galdones
Photography/James Beard Foundation; The Georgia Historical
Society, Foltz Photography Studio; T.J. Kirkpatrick/Redux;
Nolis Anderson/The New York Times/Redux; L. Kasimu Harris/
The New York Times/Redux; Kyle Johnson/The New York Times/
Redux; T.J. Kirkpatrick/The New York Times/Redux; Oriana
Koren/The New York Times/Redux; Wayne Lawrence/The New
York Times/Redux; Matthew Odom/The New York Times/Redux;
Dylan Wilson/The New York Times/Redux; Shutterstock