On Wednesday, May 2, you could enjoy tea with award-winning cookbook author Alice Medrich, who is often referred to as "The First Lady of Chocolate."   

The 2 p.m. tea at the McIntyre's Books in Fearrington Village includes desserts, beverages and an autographed copy of Medrich's latest book, "Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts: Quicker Smarter Recipes."

Medrich has twice won Cookbook of the Year awards from the James Beard Foundation for her previous books: "Cocolat" and "Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts."

Tickets cost $40 each. To reserve your tickets, call 919-542-3030.
 

Do you think you have the best barbecue sauce in the Carolinas? Well, prove it!

Enter our barbecue sauce recipe contest. You win $100 and bragging rights.

Go HERE for details on how to enter.

I just want to alert you that I'm giving away two cookbooks on the Turning the Scales blog.

"Good Housekeeping Light & Healthy Cooking: 250 Delicious, Satisfying, Guilt-Free Recipes" and "Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite: 125 Super-Fresh Recipes for a High- Energy Life."

You know the drill. To enter, click on the cookbook title above and leave a comment. Good luck!

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE COMMENTS BELOW THIS POST! You will not be entered. Click on the cookbook titles above to go where  you need to leave a comment.

Already sick of turkey leftovers? Tempted to toss several pefectly good pounds of poultry?

Step away from the trash can.

Please.

Last Thursday, I judged the peach recipe contest at the N.C. State Farmers Market as part of Peach Day. I wanted to share the winnning recipes.

Jessica Phillips of Raleigh placed first with her Peachy Cheesecake Cupcakes and secured a $75 prize. And in the children's category, 9-year-old Evan Farris of Apex placed first with a Summer Peach Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, winning $25.. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. (Below is a photo of Farris' winning peach cake.)

Click READ MORE to see the recipes.

Here is chef John Fleer's Sweet Tea Fried Chicken recipe, as it appeared in "Fried Chicken: An American Story," by John T. Edge.

This is what Kathleen Purvis, the Charlotte Observer food editor, had to say about this recipe: "We didn't believe his claim that this chicken is actually better cold than hot - until we tried it. And we agree: This is great cold fried chicken, perfect for a picnic. It's elaborate, but if you've got the time, it's worth it."

Click READ MORE to see the recipe.

Corn is on sale at Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods this week. It's not local but it does put you in the mood for summer. (And if you go to Lowes to buy the corn, pick up a dozen Eggland's Best Eggs for $1.79, use the 35 cent coupon and get a dozen eggs for $1.10, which is a very good price.)

I used to spurn corn custard until I ate it at a food writing conference at the Greenbrier many years ago. That corn custard was a revelation. When I'm in search of a vegetable recipe, I often pull down my copy of "Vegetable Love," by Barbara Kafka with Christopher Styler. This is a recipe that could make a nice entrée with a fresh green salad or a lovely side dish for pork tenderloin or steaks.  And it only costs 95 cents per person if you are serving four people an entree. Enjoy!

Click READ MORE to see the entire recipe and cost breakdown.

I've been intrigued by this cooking technique since I heard about it on one of the radio cooking shows, likely The Splendid Table, but I'm not sure. You roast your meat on a rack above a baking dish. The juices drip down on the vegetables below, seasoning them for you. It sounds delicious and easy. This recipe for Easy Roasted Chicken Breasts with Root Vegetables calls for split chicken breasts, which are often on sale and this week cost 97 cents a pound at the Harris Teeter. This dish costs $2.37 per serving.

This recipe comes from the editors of Cook's Illustrated: "The Best One-Dish Suppers." I'm also giving away a copy of this cookbook. You know the drill, leave a comment below this post before noon Friday, May 13th. I'll chose a winner at random. Make sure the email associated with your N&O userid is valid or you could lose out.

Click READ MORE to see the recipe and cost breakdown.

This recipe is from Foster's new book, "Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen." Check out my interview with her in today's paper.

Carolina Rice Pudding Brûlée

Humble rice pudding gets a serious makeover with the addition of flavorful, fat-grained Carolina Gold rice and a glassy, sugared brûlée crust. From "Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal," by Sara Foster (Random House, 2011).

Cooking spray or melted butter
3 cups milk
3/4 cup Carolina Gold or other long-grain white rice
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
6 tablespoons natural cane sugar or granulated sugar
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease six 4-ounce ramekins and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
BRING milk, rice, vanilla bean and reserved seeds and salt to a low simmer over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Raise the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and the mixture is thick and creamy, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the vanilla bean.
ADD heavy cream and granulated sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Cool slightly, then stir in the egg yolks, butter, nutmeg, and cloves.
DIVIDE pudding evenly between the prepared ramekins and bake for about 10 minutes, until slightly puffed but still soft in the center. Remove from the oven.
PREHEAT broiler or prepare a small kitchen torch. Sprinkle each pudding evenly with about 1 tablespoon of the natural cane sugar. If using a broiler, place under the broiler in the upper third of the oven until the sugar caramelizes, rotating the baking sheet to evenly brown, 1 to 2 minutes. If using a kitchen torch, torch each pudding individually to caramelize the sugar, being careful to keep the torch at the distance recommended by the manufacturer. Serve warm.
Yield:
6 (4-ounce) servings
 

Lowes Foods has fresh pork spareribs for a $1.99 a pound. I just got a copy of the "Better Homes & Gardens' Grill It: Secrets to delicious flame-kissed food." I don't know about you but this warm weather definitely has me thinking about grilling. This recipe for Memphis Dry Ribs offers instructions on how to cook them in the oven and then finish these on either a gas or charcoal grill. They only cost $1.77 per serving. Hopefully, you will be able to spend less because you have many of these spices, yellow mustard and vinegar already in your pantry.

Click READ MORE to see the recipe and cost breakdown.