Tea at Trianon: Grits Like Never Before

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Grits Like Never Before

A Southern staple emerges with new possibilities.

Grits are hot, and I'm not just talking heat. We've watched this humble breakfast side move to center stage in fabulous entrées. Menus everywhere feature grits in dishes ranging from easy to elaborate and elegant to unusual, but they're always good.

Simmer grits in your choice of water, broth, milk, or cream. Then have fun pairing them with toppings that go far beyond butter and brown gravy. All that's left is to enjoy every scrumptious bite. (See entire post.)

julygirl said...: Sounds good to me, but my Southern grandma would be horrified. Those ingredients never got within 500 miles of her house! ("We don't want any of that foreign food!", must be spoken with a strong southern accent...foreign would be more like "furren"); May 5, 2012 at 11:47:00 AM EDT
Brantigny said...: I do not fancy grits myself however Grits is a staple of my wifes kitchen; she is grits,
(Girl Raised In The South) she would never consider taking milk or sugar with her grits, a bit of butter and salt. Though she is also fond of Shrimp, Grits, and Gravy a la Charleston.

You never have to order grits in a diner: Grits, like Grace just comes.; May 7, 2012 at 6:16:00 PM EDT