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the layers to find out in a sweet onionthrowdown.
We pitted the two sweet onions in a tastetest, using both varieties in three recipes, judged by a selected, but hungry, group of onion lovers from the newsroom last week.
We got help from Branson Stafford, thechef at Davis’, a new bar/restaurant opening
this week in Rosewood.Stafford made two onion
loaves, one using the Vidalia andthe other using the PalmettoSweet. Stafford hopes the onionloaf — a pile of battered onionrings shaped into a loaf pan and
baked — becomes a signature dish at therestaurant.
It was a bit harder to work with the Pal-metto Sweet, Stafford reports, just because
the onion skin was so delicate and the Pal-metto took a bit longer to cook.
We also made two versions of an oniondip and Paula Deen’s Saturday Night On-ions (see recipes inside).
The verdicts of our judging panel:
It’s David vs. Goliath.
Or, more specifically, Vidalia vs.Palmetto.
The Vidalia onion is a giant force in thefoodie world. About this time every year,these Georgia-bred onions showup on grocery shelves, a long-awaited treat for onion lovers.Unlike the tear-inducing yellowonion or the pungent red onion,these onions are so mild and fla- vorful they can be eaten whole.
But now comes the Palmetto Sweet On-ion and the Edisto River Sweet Onion. Rela-tively petite in size, much whiter in colorand with more delicate skin, these home-
grown onions were introduced a few weeksago by South Carolina agriculture officials.They want to make you forget everything you loved about Vidalias.
How does the fair Palmetto Sweet fareagainst the mighty Vidalia? We peeled back
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KIM KIM FOSTER-TOBIN/[email protected]
We did a taste test to see which is the trueSouthern onion: Vidalia or Palmetto Sweet
Ain’t she sweet
By BETSEY GUZIOR [email protected]
LIFE&STYLEC O L U M B I A S O U T H C A R O L I N A
WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 2010 WWW.THESTATE.COM SECTION D
INSIDE: Sweetonion recipes,
Page D3
ABOUT DAVIS’
Davis’ is expected to open this week. It is located at 2910Rosewood Drive.
Brent Davis owns the restau-rant along with his brotherStephen. Brent Davis helpedrun Cock N Bull, which closedat this location earlier thisspring and expects to opensoon at a new location onRosewood Drive.
The dinner menu is mostlystandard comfort and bar food,but with a heavy dose of veganand vegetarian dishes, includ-ing a cactus quesadilla andcrispy nopales (fried cactusleaves). The onion loaf recipe,says chef Branson Stafford, isinspired by onion rings.
ONION LOAF
Vidalia: There was lots of batter, and itseemed this version was cooked longer.The mild taste of the onions was relativelydisappointing.
Palmetto: The panel could taste theonions better in this version; the batter wascrunchier and it retained its shape well.
The winner? Palmetto
ONION DIP
Vidalia: There was moreflavor and a sweeter taste withthis version. The cheese heldthe dip together well, and it was a good balance of flavors.
Palmetto: Compared to theother version, this dip wasrunny and watery.
The winner? Vidalia
SATURDAY NIGHT ONION
Vidalia: Flavorful and sweeter, and agood balance of onion and the bullion.
Palmetto: A bit saltier, but still goodThe winner? A slight edge toward the
Palmetto
PALMETTO
SWEET
Average size: 2-3inches in diameter
Color: White
Texture: Thin,papery skin
Spokesman: Noneyet, but might we
recommend LizardMan?
VIDALIA ONIONS
Average size: 3-4inches in diameter
Color: Light yellow
Texture: Thick yellowskin
Spokesman: Shrek,who is the face of
this year’smarketing campaign
Fruit from the Vine
Enjoy an evening of food and wineas the Friends of theRichland County PublicLibrary host The Literary
Vine 7 p.m. June 12 at theMain Library, 1431Assembly St. Taste more
than 30 wines and learnabout each selection fromwine experts while enjoying food from localrestaurants. The SkippPearson Jazz Ensemble willbe performing. Sponsors includeSouthern Wine & Spirits,
BlueCross BlueShield of SouthCarolina, Bonefish Grill, Carrabba’sItalian Grill, DiPrato’s, Dianne’s onDevine, Immaculate Consumption,Gervais & Vine and Tif fany’s
Bakery. Tickets: $25 for Friends
members, $35 for nonmembers.Available online atmyRCPL.com/friends. Limitedspecial reserve tasting ticketsavailable for additional $15: call
(803) 9293475 or(803) 988-0885.
The farmers market at
Riverbanks Botanical
Garden has reopened2-7 p.m. Wednesdays
through October.EarthFare Market willbe holding cooking demonstrations2:30-3:30 p.m. Cooking demonstration
schedule: Today, strawberry fieldssalad; May 26, chicken stir fry with
herbed veggies; June 2, sweetmint kaleidoscope medley; June 9,peachy keen crepes; June 16,grilled garden skewers; June 23,ragin’ Cajun shrimp and bleu
cheese salad; June 30, open-faced
western chicken sandwich. TheBotanical Garden entrance is at1200 Botanical Way, off U.S. 378in West Columbia.
[ EVENTS ]
Test your sleuthing abilities at theDinner with the Family murder mysterydinner Saturday at Let’s Cook CulinaryStudio. Hosted by members of theAlpha Iota Kappa student chapter of
the American Criminal JusticeAssociation at ITT Technical Institute of Columbia, participants will act asdetectives in solving the crime withprizes awarded to the first two guests
to correctly identify the criminal. Chef John Militello will present Italian horsd’oeuvres to dinner guests. Proceeds
go to fund community service projectsand ITT Tech criminal justice studentactivities. $30 per person, limitedseating, reservations required at
[email protected]. Let’s Cook is
at 1305 Assembly St., (803)250-2569
The second annual Ribs &
Renaissance festival will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. June 5 at Eau ClaireTown Square at North Main andMonticello Road. Enjoy live music,arts and crafts and finger-licking good ribs. Details ateauclairecommunity.org
The 13th Annual Wine Tasting
and Silent Auction hosted by theRotary Club of the Vista Night isscheduled for 7 p.m. June 8 at TheHall at Canal and Senate, 320Senate St. Tickets are $40 perperson, silent auction proceeds
benefit Children’s Chance. Info:(803) 413-0446 orvistanightrotary.org
Start salivating now. The
Palmetto Palate, an event
sponsored by the S.C. FarmBureau pairing South Carolina’sbest chefs with the best locallygrown ingredients, returns to 701Whaley July 22. Last year’s eventfeatured creations such asCarolina mission figs with goatcheese, roasted pecans, searedpork belly and a beet reduction,glazed pouisson legs with sweetcorn relish and a homemadeblackberry cobbler. In addition to
the food, a silent auction of itemsunique to South Carolina andagriculture will be held. Proceedssupport Friends of Farm BureauPolitical Action Committee fund.Tickets $50, available from KristinLavender, (803) 936-4219.
COOK’S CALENDAR
INSIDE: More Cook’s Calendar,Page D3.
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WWW.THESTATE.COM ● THE STATE, COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA ● WEDNESDAY, MAY19, 2010 D3
Spring is finally here ...in a big way.
The garden hasbeen planted for more thana month now, and so far, Ihaven’t killed anything —although the lettuce had me
worried for a week or so inthe beginning.
The cucumber plantshave started to put outfeelers for vining, thetomatillos and peppers areflowering. There’s even asmall Roma forming on oneof the four varieties of tomato plants that I have inthe garden.
So now I turn to thatother seasonal ritual: springcleaning.
Allow me to share with you some of the bits andpieces of food-relatedinformation that I haveaccumulated over the
recent
weeks and, in the process,perform a virtual springcleaning of my mind andmy work desk.
While my sister and I were at the flower show atthe State Farmers Marketin April, we ran across acouple of new localproducts. One of my newfavorites is Willie’s HogDust, a dry-seasoning mixmade in Sumter that tastesgood on just abouteverything. Samples of pulled pork, beef tenderloinand a dipping sauce that
incorporated the mix wereoffered at the show. All
were delicious. I have sinceused Hog Dust whengrilling pork chops andhave sprinkled it overpopcorn and green salads.
The website, williesrubbins.com, offers
quite a few recipes andordering information. According to the site, Willie’s Hog Dust isavailable at Ole Timey MeatMarket locations, FourOaks Farms, ColumbiaRegional Visitors Centerand the State Museum.
Another versatile productis Mother Shucker’sOriginal Cocktail Saucefrom The Oyster Bar inColumbia. Patrons of the
Vista restaurant at 1123Park St. will recognize thissauce immediately. Served
warm, it’s a perfectaccompaniment to fish andseafood.
Mother Shucker’s isavailable online atoysterbarcolumbia.com andat various local farmersmarkets (I found it the first
week at the Forest Acres
market on the roof atRichland Mall).I have not yet tried this
one, but I found themarketing informationintriguing: Japanese PinkSauce from Native TongueGourmet Sauces of Spartanburg. The idea forthe company sprang fromthe mind of JasonMcElveen when he was astudent at Wofford College.His class project involved abusiness/marketing plan fora local hibachi restaurant.
After a collaborative project
fell through, McElveenstarted making andmarketing a sauce on hisown.
Online recipes suggestusing the sauce not only fordipping but as aningredient in pimentocheese or as a substitute for
mayonnaise. Japanese PinkSauce is available locally atSimply Savory on DevineStreet, Mary & Martha’s onForest Drive, various Piggly
Wiggly stores and online atnativetonguesauces.com.
Perhaps the most helpfulitem to recently cross mydesk is a copy of the SouthCarolina Specialty Food
Association MembershipGuide, published by thestate Department of
Agriculture. The guide listsfarmers, producers andretailers of local specialty
products (such as sauces,mixes, beverages andbaked goods), along withcontact information anddescription of availableitems.
This is not to be confused with the Certified RoadsideMarkets online guide,
follow the link atagriculture.sc.gov, that listsroadside market hours andseasonal availability of products. Both guides aregreat starting points fordiscovering a new foodsource or, as with theroadside market guide,planning a day trip.
Speaking of which, it’stime for me to clean out thecollapsible cooler that Ikeep in the car and headout in this sunny weather.
Who knows what I’ll findnext?
S.C.-made seasonings, sauces spice up flavorsTheCarolinaKitchenSusan Ardis
sardis @thestate.com
Baked sweet onion dip
2 cups sweet onion, chopped
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese13 ⁄ 4 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat OK)1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon black pepper1
⁄ 2 teaspoon seasoning salt1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce1 teaspoon hot sauce
■ Lightly grease a 11 ⁄ 2 quart oval casserole dish or 8- by 8-inch baking dish.■ Combine all ingredients; transfer to casserole dish. Bake 30 minutes in a375-degree oven until top begins to brown.■ Serve hot or warm with crackers or tortilla chips.
SWEET ONION RECIPES
Paula Deen’s Saturday Night Onions
1 serving1 large Vidalia Onion or sweet onion1 tablespoon butter
1 beef bouillon cube Pepper to taste
■ Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill. Trim a slice from the top of each onion, and peel
the onion without cutting off the root end. With a potato peeler, cut a smallcone-shaped section from the center of the onion. Cut the onion into quarters fromthe top down, stopping within a half inch of the root end. Place a bouillon cube inthe center, slip slivers of butter in between the sections, and sprinkle with pepper.■ Wrap each onion in a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Place the onions directlyonto the hot coals and cook for 45 minutes, turning every so often. Or bake thefoil-wrapped Vidalia onions in a 350-degree F oven for about 45 minutes.
Join the fourth annualUpstate Farm Tour June 5and 6. Tour 20 sustainablefarms over two days
throughout South Carolina’sUpstate and learn whereyour fresh food comes from.Highlights this year include
the Bowie Old Farm Showwhere visitors canexperience traditionalfarming methods of generations past and mealstops at Sharon Rose Farmin Woodruff and Split CreekFarm in Anderson that will
offer farm fresh food cookedon-site. Tickets: $25 pervehicle in advance, $30 dayof tour. Individual farms maybe toured for $10. Ticketsavailable at Whole FoodsMarket in Greenville or atcarolinafarmstewards.org.
Like to plan ahead? Ticketsare now on sale for the Taste ofCharleston food festival Oct.8-10. The weekend celebrationof Lowcountry cuisine willfeature an Iron Chef competition at the CulinaryInstitute of Charleston, an artgallery walk and the mainevent at Boone Hall Plantation
in Mount Pleasant that willshowcase more than 50 of Charleston’s finest restaurants.Tickets to all events can bepurchased atcharlestonrestaurantassociation.com
[ CLASSES]
The Farm Store, nearShaw Air Force Base, offershomemaking classes
throughout the year. June12 and 19, cheese making for the fun of it. All classesare at 4 p.m., preregistrationrequired. Ask about specialclasses for small groups andhome schools. 1191 Peach
Orchard Road (S.C. 441),Sumter. Open 11 a.m. to 6p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. Tosign up/more info: (803)494-3276
Columbia’s Cooking,
healthy cooking classes through the CancerPrevention and ControlProgram at USC. May 28,Girls’ Night: Cooking withChocolate, $20, (877)256-5381. Register now forCulinary Camp for Kids,ages 8 and up. Classes inbasic and advanced
techniques, 30-minutemeals and a three-daycamp. Register by Friday..Information:cpcp.sph.sc.edu/cooking/classes.htm. Columbia’s
Cooking Kitchen is at 915Greene St.
Chef Francois Fiserahosts cooking classes atFleur de Lys Home Culinary Institute. Upcoming classesinclude: Thursday andFriday, soft shell crab;Tuesday, internationaletiquette; May 28, salmon.Fleur de Lys is at 3001Millwood Ave; (803)765-9999, or fleur-de-lys.us.
Upcoming classes at Let’sCook Culinary Studio:Thursday, Italian dinner;Friday: couples cooking on
the grill; Monday: regionalFrench cooking. Let’s Cookis at 1305 Assembly St.(803) 250-2569;letscookculinary.com
Young Chef’s Academy upcoming classes:Monday,traditional Mexicancookies, spice cake. $20per child, reservationsrequired. 7320 Broad RiverRoad. (803) 749-0670youngchefsacademy.com
[ MARKET NEWS ]
Farmers in the Forest,Forest Acres’ farmersmarket on the rooftop at
Richland Mall, is open 3-7p.m. today. Information:farmersintheforest.org
The Lexington FarmersMarket has reopened in theback parking lot of TheShoppes at Flight Deck, 109
Old Chapin Road. Market hoursare 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every firstand third Thursday throughOctober. Details: Heidi Black,(803) 957-3602
Main Street Marketplace,at Boyd Plaza in front of theColumbia Museum of Art, isopen 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Fridays through June 25.
The Sandhills FarmersMarket is open 2:30 to 7p.m. Tuesdays through Nov.2 at the entrance to theClemson Sandhill Researchand Education Center, 900Clemson Road, Northeast
Richland. In addition to localproducts, master gardenerswill be on hand. Details:clemson.edu/sandhill
The All-Local FarmersMarket offers produce andsuch from 8 a.m. to noonevery Saturday at 701Whaley St. Details:stateplate.org.
[ EVENTS ]
The Biscuit House onBluff Road is asking for helpin compiling customerstories and anecdotes for abook on the restaurant’shistory. Recipes for biscuits,
cinnamon rolls and lunchitems will be included in thepublication. Submit writtenentries during businesshours, 6-11 a.m. Monday
through Friday, or [email protected].
[ CONTESTS ]
Sutter Home’s Build aBetter Burger Recipe Contestand Cook-Off is seeking creative recipes frombackyard chefs. Ten finalistswill be selected to competein a grilling cook-off on Sept.10. The grand prize winnerwill receive $100,000 in
cash. Entries will beaccepted through July 31.Rules and information:sutterhome.com
Have an upcoming foodevent? E-mail details to [email protected].
Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday.
COOK’S CALENDAR
CONNOISSEURS CORNER, Town
Center of Lake Carolina, 320 Long
Pointe Lane, (803) 708-6316Every Thursday : 5:30-7 p.m.Beer tasting
Every Friday: 5:30-7 p.m. Wine tasting
CORKED, Village at Sandhill, 661-3
Promenade Place, (803)
708-4755, corkedwineshop.com
Thursday: 5-8 p.m. Beer andwine flight. $5
Friday: 6-8 p.m. Three to fivewines, light snacks. $5
Saturday: 4-6 p.m. Same asFriday. $5
Tuesday: 5-8 p.m. Weeknightflight; try the featured wines in aflight of four. $5
ENOREE RIVER VINEYARDS AND
WINES, 1650 Dusty Road,
Newberry, (803) 276-2855,
enoreeriverwinery.com
Every Tuesday through Saturday:
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Taste a variety of
wines. $3.50
GERVAIS & VINE, 620-A Gervais St.,
(803) 799-8463, gervine.com
Tonight: 6:30 p.m. Cline Cellars tasting with Roger Gobler, six wineswith two courses, $28 ($23 wineclub members)
June 2: 6:30 p.m. Rodney Strong
Vineyards tasting with GoodmanSage
GOURMET SHOP, 724 Saluda Ave.,
(803) 799-9463,
thegourmetshop.net
Tuesday: 6 p.m. Icons of theAndes Tour 2010. Wineries fromChile and Argentina will present 30wines, $12.50 in advance, $15 atdoor.
INDIGO JONES RESTAURANT OF
CAMDEN, 511 Rutledge St., (803)
432-1616
Every Wednesday: 6 p.m. wine tasting
MO MO’S BISTRO, 2930 Devine St.,
(803) 252-2700;
momosondevine.com
Every Wednesday: 6 p.m. wine tasting
ROSSO TRATTORIA ITALIA, Trenholm
Plaza, 4840 Forest Drive, (803)
787-3949, rossocolumbia.com
Every Wednesday: 5 p.m. Samplefour Italian wines during the weeklydrop-in. $5
June 7: Dogs for Dogs Grilling Event to benefit The Animal
Mission
SHAG BISTRO , 566 Spears Creek
Church Rd., Suite 104, (803)
419-3443, shagbistro.com
Tonight: 6 p.m. California winedinner. Reception and five-coursemeal paired with wine, $75
SIMPLY SAVORY, 2901 C Devine St.,
(803) 256-1141, savorysc.com
Every Friday: 4:30-6:30 p.m.,free wine tasting
TERRA, 100 State St., West
Columbia, (803) 791-3443,
terrasc.com
Every Wednesday: Pizza andpinot, $12.
TOTAL WINE & MORE, 275-D
Harbison Blvd., (803) 407-3722
Every Saturday: Free wine tastings, noon-6 p.m.
WINESTYLES WINES & GIFTS,
Shoppes at Woodhill, GarnersFerry Road, (803) 695-1120
Every Thursday: 5-8 p.m. Wine tasting. $5 (refunded withpurchase from sampled wines)
Get your wine event listed. E-mail [email protected]. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday.
WINE EVENTS
A weekly review of wine,beer and spirits
2008 Big House Red, Cali-fornia, four-bottle box (3 li-ters), $24
It is time to think of box wine in a new light; it is nolonger just cheap and blandstuff. This wine is packagedin an Octavin, an eight-sided box that holds fourbottles. The wine is just asgood, if not better, than theglass bottle sample. But
while four bottles wouldcost $40 or so, the box wine
is about half price becauseof the savings on packaging.The flavors — a blend of syrah, grenache, tannat,mourvedre, sangiovesse andbarbera grapes — are bigand powerful but also har-monious and well struc-tured. A nose of dark ripeberries with a hint of spiceleads into a full body thatemphasizes dark fruit withhints of oak. The finish is
like red velvet, lush andsoft.
The Macallan Fine OakHighland Single MaltScotch Whisky (15 yearold), Scotland, $70
This classic single maltstarts with rich aromas of dried vanilla beans andraisins, which lead into amedium-bodied Scotch withlayers of delicate flavors.Toasted coconut and driedcitrus zest were framed witha slight honey sweetnessand a cinnamon-raisin fin-
ish. The overall taste wassmooth and creamy, perfectfor any single-malt lover.The casks used to age thisScotch are a combination of
American sherry and bour-bon in addition to Europeansherry casks, which impartthe complex flavors foundin each sip.
Samuel Adams Summer Ale, Boston, $8, six pack
Samuel Adams summerbrew is a different recipeevery year, but it alwaysmaintains a light and easydrinking character. I noticeda little more spice this yearand lots more flavor. It hasbig notes of lemon and or-ange zest and a slight sweet
white pepper flavor thatcomes from Grains of Para-dise, which is grown on the
west coast of Africa. Subtlenotes of clove and anise
with layers of hops and amedium bitterness bring theflavors into perfect balance.
This is a terrific beer foralmost any chicken or fishmeal cooked on the grill.NOTE: For a list of upcoming wines to be
reviewed, e-mail [email protected].
Check out reviewer Lain Bradford’s Web site,
winetalk.org. Or follow himon Twitter (username:
winereview). If you havetrouble finding a reviewed
item, [email protected]
TASTINGS
SHOULD BEANS BEGONE?
I’ve had in my pantry forat least 10 years several
varieties of dried beans inglass and plastic jars, such
as lima beans, black-eyedpeas, black beans, etc. Theyare very hard. Are thosedifferent kinds of beans stillgood to cook and eat?
— Clarita Q., Houston
The United States DryBean Council advises you totoss your beans. Dry beanscan be held in an airtight jarout of the sunlight and in acool, arid pantry, for ex-ample, for about 12 months.
When loading beans into acanister, mark the date onthe bottom so you can track
your beans and their age.
LUNCH TIP
My hint is using a travel
toothbrush holder to hold aparing knife in my lunchbag. I use a knife to cutapples, and found this to bethe safest way to carry aparing knife.— Lynn Duncan, Brockville,
Ontario, Canada
HANDY CLOTHESPIN
Wooden spring clothes-pins work well as identifiersfor potted plants. Use amarker to write on theclothespin, and clip it to theedge of the pot.
— Doris, via e-mail
VINEGARY CUCUMBERS
For delicious cucumbers,soak them in cider vinegarand water for 10 to 15 min-utes for a tangy treat. I likefull strength, but others
prefer a lighter version.— Heloise
HANDY PIZZA PAN
In regard to the reader who had foil adhere to thebottom of her oven: I put mypie plate on a 12-inch pizza
pan. It catches any drips butallows the heat to circulatefor proper baking results.
——
Jane, via e-mail—
EASY FREEZER ID
I enjoy freezing leftoversand smaller portions of meats bought in bulk, butoftentimes these smallerpackages get lost in myfreezer, and I can’t find whatI want when I need it, or I’veforgotten what I have.
I use the clear-plastic binsthat variety salad greenscome in by labeling them onthe front end and stackingthem on the shelves in thefreezer. I’ve got one forchops, one for steaks, onefor seafood, etc.
.— Susan, via e-mail
CRYING OVER ONIONS When cutting or peeling
onions, to avoid tears, putthe onions on a plate, putthe plate on top of the stoveand turn the exhaust fan on.No more tears.
— A Reader, via e-mail
Hints fromHeloise
www.heloise.com Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San
Antonio, TX 78279-5000 or fax it to 210-Heloise
