LIFE
14 • Thursday, November 16, 2017
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
Oysters, Pizza and Toasty Rolls THANKSGIVING
Award-Winning Local Chefs Reflect on Unique and Traditional Thanksgiving Recipes
By Sarah Kuper
Journal photos by Sarah Kuper
Although Jeremy Downey has had oysters on the brain for the past few weeks, (see story below) he’s always thinking about seafood, especially when it comes to the holidays. It reminds him of home. Downey hails from Bayou La Batre, so shrimp, crab and oysters are as traditional as turkey at his Thanksgiving table. “We take it in more of a gulf coast direction – gumbo, oyster dressing, boiled shrimp cock-tail, my grandma’s squash casserole with crab in it,” he said. Turkey and oyster gumbo is a family favorite. Downey credits his grandfather with the origin of the dish. “We pull the turkey and make gumbo. By using the turkey carcass for the stock, plus the oysters, it makes it a very rich gumbo.” Downey said it is a good way to utilize the whole bird and, while it is an involved recipe, a family can get several meals out of it and it is well worth the effort. Downey said the gumbo would be a hit at any “Bayou Thanksgiving.” “We are all pretty miserable after the Thanksgiving meal, but in a way, that’s a good sign that it was delicious,” he said.
Journal photos by Jordan Wald
BORN ON THE BAYOU
Downey Team Wins Top Prize at Oyster Festival
The Birmingham area is home to many culinary delights: barbecue restaurants with signature sauces, unassuming meat ‘n’ three joints and even whimsical popsicle shops. Now, the community can add award-winning oyster dishes to the list, courtesy of Bistro V chef Jeremy Downey. Fresh off a win at this year’s Gulf Shore’s Oyster Festival, Downey and assistant chef Matt Faust (pictured) are the first competitors from the Birmingham area to take the top prize. “Winners are usually from Mobile or Florida. It’s sort of hard to be the out-of-towners,” Downey said, “The judges were Food Network stars and they were eating oysters from 38 teams. So, it is a nice win for us. Local teams were surprised but happy for us.” Downey and Faust prepared raw oysters, Cajun-style oysters and Oysters Rockefeller. Downey believes incorporating ingredients such as Tabasco sauce and collard greens may have set their oysters apart. —Sarah Kuper
From left, Jeremy Downey of Bistro V in Vestavia; Margaret Scott of Savages Bakery & Deli in Homewood; and Terrill Brazelton of Slice in Lakeview.
Chef Jeremy Downey’s Turkey and Oyster Gumbo INGREDIENTS:
Turkey stock 2 cups oil or butter 2 cups flour 8 celery stalks 3 onions 3 bell peppers Salt Pepper 2 teaspoons Gumbo file Pulled turkey, about half of a 20-pound turkey Hot sauce 2 bay leaves 1 quart shucked oysters Cajun seasoning DIRECTIONS:
Start by making stock with bones of turkey. Boil with carrots, celery and onion for five hours. This should yield two gallons of stock depending on the size of the turkey. Combine oil and flour to make a roux. Stir for 45 minutes until dark brown. Dice eight celery stalks, three onions and three bell peppers, then add to the roux and stir for ten minutes until tender. Combine the stock with the roux and vegetable mixture. Once it has thickened, add salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons gumbo file to the pot. Add pulled turkey (Downey suggests at least half the meat of a 20 pound turkey). Simmer all ingredients, adding a touch of hot sauce and two bay leaves. Now add a quart of shucked oysters. Cook until they curl and turn burner down to low. Add Cajun seasoning to taste. Serve with rice. ❖
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Orders for seasonal favorites have been pouring into Savage’s, a bakery in Homewood, since before Halloween, but Margaret Scott isn’t stressed or anxious. She’s got the holiday rush down pat. After all, she’s been a part of it since she was 12. “I grew up working here with my dad, my parents and my sisters. Since I was 12, I worked the holidays,” she said. Savage’s Bakery first opened in 1939 and was bought by Scott’s father, Van, in 1979. Now, Scott has joined her father in operating the business. “Dad is very hands-on. He is the eyes and ears of the business and I’m the young one learning and learning and learning,” she said. The Scott family still bakes with the original recipes from the ‘30s. “Everything here is made by hand and made from scratch,” Scott said, “It is so much more work because you have to make the recipe, make the product, it’s a lot of hands, but it is worth it because we are staying true to the original recipes.” Savage’s prides itself on being a family business, and for Scott and her father, “family” means more than just sharing the same last name. Scott said there are bakers who have been mixing up family recipes at Savage’s for more than 30 years. “Ben, one of our bakers, has been here since dad bought the business. What sets us apart is that when we say a ‘family owned business’ we don’t just mean me and my dad.” And, as with any family, nothing brings them together like soft dinner rolls or flaky pastries. Scott said that, this time of year, she and the staff are at the bakery in the wee hours of the morning prepping for the day’s customers and getting holiday online orders ready to execute. “Now, we are just getting really ready for the rush. Thanksgiving is early this year, so we are preparing lots of rolls, cookies, coffee cakes are
very popular. It’s thousands and thousands of pieces,” she said. There is no time to waste because Savage’s reputation doesn’t come easy or quickly. “We don’t take shortcuts. We want the person who came in 20 years ago to taste that cookie and have the same experience today,” Scott said, “Our goal is to just keep continuing those products for our loyal customers and hopefully new customers.” Scott said that, for many, having a cake or pie from Savage’s at Thanksgiving has become a tradition. While the family keeps many of Savage’s beloved recipes proprietary, Scott will share her grandmother’s recipe for cheese cookies because they are such a favorite. She said the cheese cookies are similar to a traditional cheese straw, but her grandmother called them cookies and the name stuck.
Savage’s Family Favorite Cheese Cookies
(These are technically cheese straws, but the Scott family has always called them Cheese Cookies) INGREDIENTS:
½ pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated ½ pound butter, softened 2 cups flour 2½ cups Rice Krispies cereal ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper DIRECTIONS:
Mix cheese and butter. With your hands, mix in remaining ingredients until uniformly mixed. Roll into walnut-sized balls. Flatten each a little and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool on racks. Store in fridge or freezer. From fridge, reheat to 400 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes. If frozen, defrost in fridge before reheating. ❖