Recipes By Millie Peartree
76 recipes found
Snapper Escovitch
A Caribbean favorite, this light, tender and flaky fish is made with whole snapper, but you can also use fillets for ease. This recipe has a mellow spice to let the flavor of the fish shine through, but it’s open to adaptation: Feel free to add a little more hot pepper or allspice, if you like, for more intensity. If you’re in a hurry or low on spices, you can substitute Old Bay, jerk or Cajun seasoning blends for the spice mix in Step 1. Then, turn it into a sandwich (see Tip), paired with sweet plantain fries, or eat it as a light meal on its own.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
This bright and beautiful Southern staple has a hint of chocolate flavor that’s paired with a cream cheese frosting, keeping it from being too sweet. Part of red velvet cake’s allure is how moist it is, owing to the vegetable oil in the batter. (Oil-based cakes are often more tender than butter-based counterparts.) You can make these into even smaller cupcakes — this recipe yields twice as many mini cupcakes — just reduce the cooking time accordingly. And if you want your cake even lighter in texture, sift the flour before you mix it in.
Maple-Glazed Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes
You can dress up this side as a whole meal by piling these sweet, warmly spiced vegetables into a grain bowl, putting them over quinoa, couscous or white rice, and adding a lean protein — or even another wintry vegetable like brussels sprouts. You could also throw an egg on top, finishing it with cracked black pepper. Just don’t be tempted to put everything on one sheet pan. Using two allows for more air flow, which creates those crispy edges, a contrast to the soft middles.
Candied Yams
Sweet enough for dessert but savory enough for a side, candied yams are a quintessential Southern staple for Sunday dinner, get-togethers or holidays. Many supermarkets use the terms “sweet potatoes” and “yams” interchangeably. For this recipe, any orange-fleshed varieties like Jewel or Garnet will do. Whatever you use, this dish will definitely round out anything savory on your plate, on Thanksgiving and beyond.
Charleston Red Rice
A Lowcountry favorite that likely descended from West African jollof rice, this classic tomato and rice dish is also sometimes called Carolina red rice – or simply red rice. It often contains sausage, but this version, inspired by how the chef Millie Peartree’s mother, Millie Bell, used to make it, relies on bacon for its depth. (Still, if you’d like to add sausage, just let it sear with the vegetables in Step 3.) To start, the “holy trinity” (bell pepper, onion and celery) is cooked in the bacon fat, infusing the cooking liquid. Then, the rice is baked to ensure it’s perfectly cooked. Serve this alongside baked chicken or ham, green beans or collard greens, for a full, satisfying meal.
Jamaican Curry Chicken and Potatoes
There’s nothing more comforting than chicken and potatoes, and this recipe is no exception. Getting its flavor and heat from a combination of mild Jamaican curry powder and Scotch bonnet pepper, it’s not as hot as some Indian or Thai curries. Jamaican curry powder tends to be heavy on turmeric and less on spice, and this recipe uses just one Scotch bonnet pepper, which is kept whole but punctured to gently release flavor. The result is more warming than spicy. Eat this one-pot recipe by itself as a kind of stew, or over rice, letting all the flavors meld together.
Louisiana Crunch Cake
This version of the Southern staple falls somewhere between a Kentucky butter crunch cake, with its coconut topping and sugary-crisp exterior, and a sock-it-to-me cake, with its sweet, crunchy layer baked into the cake. You may know Louisiana crunch cake from the Entenmann’s box, but that version evolved from one baked by the Burny Bros. Bakery in Chicago. (The bakery was sold in 1963, and Entenmann’s eventually acquired its assets.) This cake will make you a coconut lover: Make sure to toast the coconut because it adds a nutty warmness; almond extract enhances that quality. It’s a perfect holiday cake, or anytime cake, ready to warm you up and get you talking.
Pound Cake With Brown Butter and Pecans
This twist on a traditional pound cake takes the ordinary and turns it into something extraordinary, making the longtime favorite taste like a buttery, nutty maple-glazed doughnut. Beyond being delicious, it’s also a great way to use up any pecans, rescuing them by toasting them and tossing them in a sweet glaze. (If you like, you can also use a mix of pecans and walnuts.) It’s a big cake, great for a crowd, and a little goes a long way. But it keeps well in the fridge and is especially nice heated up for 15 seconds in the microwave.
Biscuits and Gravy
This is not the traditional way to make biscuits, but it may become your new technique. Instead of preparing individual drop biscuits, a sturdy dough is spread out into a baking dish over a bed of melted butter. Scoring the biscuit dough allows the butter to seep into the sides as the biscuits bake, creating tall biscuits with crisp edges and flaky insides. They’re perfect to soak up a classic Southern gravy, warmly seasoned with sage and nutmeg. This dish tastes like the holidays in the best way possible, while still being light enough for brunch. But if you made it for dinner, we wouldn’t blame you.
Strawberry Hibiscus Limeade
Red drinks are central to Juneteenth celebrations, as the color red represents the blood shed by enslaved people. Strawberry soda is commonly served, but this punch builds on that tradition, adding hibiscus, lime juice and mint to a strawberry base. It’s a great way to use up slightly overripe strawberries. (It’s better to use overripe berries than underripe ones, since underripe berries can have bitter notes.) The pineapple juice ice cubes are a little extra effort, but they melt right into the drink, changing its flavor as you drink it. At first, it’s good. Over time, it’s incredible.
Cheese Grits
There’s very little simpler than cooking grits. A few ingredients come together into something comforting, good for a cold morning and just as good for Sunday dinner. Use the best ingredients, pull out that pepper mill and season well. Make sure you pay attention to the details. The trick to good grits is cooking out the grittiness. The extra cream and frequent stirring here give it a consistency that’s not too dense and not too liquidy. Don’t leave it alone too long: If you stir it frequently, giving it love, it will love you back.
Classic Carrot Salad
Maybe your family has made carrot salad forever, or maybe you’ve seen it at potlucks, but if you’re not familiar with this Southern classic, your inner voice might be screaming, “Raisins don’t belong in salad!” But relax: This just might be the only time they do. The soft, sweet raisins complement the crunchy carrots, which are finished with a tangy dressing. Soak the raisins in hot water to give them a different, more plump texture. If you aren’t a fan of mayonnaise or yogurt, use 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice, and add some chopped fresh parsley. Let the crunchy-sweet flavors roll over your tastebuds as you realize you’ve made a simple, and delicious, dish in less than 15 minutes.
Spoonbread
Popular in Virginia, the Carolinas and elsewhere in North America, spoonbread has a long history thought to date back to the Sewee tribe of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Somewhat closer to soufflé than cornbread, its tender texture comes from eggs and the creamed corn. It’s slightly sweet from the kernels, a bit of sugar and vanilla extract, but gently tangy from sour cream, relying upon simple ingredients that come together into something great. This version uses fresh or frozen crawfish, but don’t worry if crawfish isn’t available to you: Spoonbread is still wonderful without it.
Salmon Croquettes
These croquettes have what may just be the perfect texture combination: crispy outsides and tender insides. Made from simple ingredients, they’re also a great use of leftovers, putting to work those halves of onion and bell pepper from last night’s dinner, and any remaining salmon, though you can also use canned (boneless works best). The filling may be a little delicate when you put it together, but a quick pop in the fridge or freezer makes it easier to work with. Serve the croquettes alone as an appetizer with tartar sauce or hot sauce, or make them a bigger meal alongside grits.
Sweet Plantain Fries
Like maduros or dodo, these feature ripe plantains, but the cut here gives even more room for crisp, caramelized outsides and sweet, tender insides. You want very ripe plantains, which are high in sugars that will caramelize in the hot oil. For some brightness, you could also finish this with citrus salt, or take a cue from dodo and squeeze lime juice over. Pair these with something light and spicy, like jerk salmon or a citrusy roast chicken, or something light off the grill, like a salmon or turkey burger.
BBQ Chicken Cheddar Biscuits
Chicken and biscuits: They just go together, and think of this take as a kind of homemade Hot Pocket. A buttery, flaky biscuit that’s everything a biscuit is supposed to be is wrapped around store-bought chicken, either rotisserie or fried, that’s been tossed with a barbecue spice blend for a little more flavor. (You can always use leftover chicken, if you prefer.) These biscuits are simple and to the point, not meant to be a lot of work.
Red Peas Soup
This hearty soup, a favorite of Jamaican restaurants and home cooks alike, can easily pass as a stew. In fact, think of it as a chili alternative, just as thick and spicy. The dumplings are easy, and cook in the soup, but they’re entirely optional. Other versions of this soup may call for salted pig tails, but here, they’re swapped out for smoked turkey necks. Either one adds a deep smokiness. Cock-flavored soup mix, such as one from Grace, gives this soup yet another layer of flavor; you can find it in the international aisle of most supermarkets.
Chicken Stew With Okra and Tomatoes
Tender chicken, stewed tomatoes and spices that warm without too much heat: This stew is exactly what you want on a cold day. Okra is cooked over high heat with the holy trinity (onion, bell pepper and celery) to draw out its moisture and reduce any possibility of sliminess. Make sure to use bone-in chicken thighs: They take a little longer to cook, but they give this stew heft and flavor that you wouldn’t get from boneless. This recipe calls for ripe plum tomatoes, but if you can’t find good ones, use a 15-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes instead.
Strawberry-Lemon Loaf Cake
This cake is summer in a loaf pan. When baked, strawberries can become sour and a little gummy. Here, berries are macerated with sugar first to remove some of their liquid and concentrate their flavor. (Don’t use frozen strawberries. Keep those for your smoothie!) The lemon icing adds a nice finish, to balance and bolster the cake’s tart-sweetness. Have it as dessert or a snack, but it’s especially good at breakfast with hot coffee or tea.
Jerk Chicken Meatballs With BBQ-Pineapple Glaze
This recipe takes the deep flavor of jerk chicken and turns it into easy meatballs. The jerk seasoning paste does double duty here, adding both spices and moisture, so don’t reach for dry jerk seasoning. Whether served alone as an appetizer, over rice, or even tucked in a sandwich, these meatballs are perfectly salty, sweet and spicy.
Limber de Coco
Originating in Puerto Rico and coming in many flavors, limber is named after the pilot Charles A. Lindbergh, who landed on the island in 1928. According to El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico’s newspaper of record, he was greeted with this delicious frozen juice, which came to be called limber, it’s said, after how many on the island pronounced the pilot’s name. In New York, this simple dessert may be one of the best things about summers in the Bronx. Serve it in cups — squeeze the cups, take your first lick, then turn the dessert upside-down — or as ice cubes. The cubes are especially nice in coconut-flavored rum after a long day. It’s the much-needed cool-off you’re yearning for.
Coconut Curry Fish
Jamaican curry powder plays a major role in this deeply savory weeknight dish, giving the sauce its unique flavor and golden hue. The traditional spice blend is heavy on the turmeric, and benefits from being toasted, which brings out its notes. This recipe calls for frozen whiting, which doesn’t hold up to frying but shines here, simmered in a sauce studded with red and green bell peppers. If whiting is unavailable, cod is also a good choice.
Collard Greens
Collard greens, a staple of Southern cuisine, are often cooked down with smoked turkey or pork neck bones. The greens form a potlikker, or broth, full of briny, smoky flavor. When braised with smoked meat, they’re equally delicious as a side or a light one-pot meal. The longer the greens cook, the better they'll be. Top them with a generous dash or two of hot sauce, and pair with cornbread. What tomato soup is to grilled cheese, potlikker is to cornbread.
Crab and Shrimp Boil Pasta
Sweet corn, salty sausage, zesty shrimp, creamy potatoes and butter for dipping — a crab boil has everything you want in a meal. But unless you’re a pro at cracking crab legs, it can be a challenge. Instead, capture those same flavors with this seafood pasta, which uses lump crab meat and this speedy sheet-pan shrimp boil. Get the shrimp boil into the oven, then immediately start preparing this recipe. (If the shrimp boil is done early, just cover it with aluminum foil until ready to add.) In the end, it all comes together in a big, shareable dish.