I serve grits with both sweet and savory accompaniments (see "ingredients"). I often prepare this for overnight guests. Some people choose to make a hearty meal with eggs and cheese, while others like to add butter, syrup, nuts and/or jam for a sweet dish.
Either way, it's fun to serve something that allows each diner to invent their own creation. Sometimes guests like to have a dish of grits garnished with something sweet, then go for a heftier serving with eggs and cheese.
Warning: this makes grits lovers out of everyone!
Yield: 8
Ingredients:
- 3 cups whole milk
- 3 cups water
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cup quick grits (not instant)
- To garnish: butter, cinnamon, raisins, nuts, syrup, brown sugar, peanut
- butter, jam, cheese, fried eggs, chopped crisp bacon, and milk or half and
- half
Preparation:
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Southerners like to use old-fashioned or stone ground grits. For an everyday breakfast we generally use quick grits, which are ready in just a few minutes, rather than stone-ground or old-fashioned grits which take up to an hour to cook. For a leisurely weekend meal, we always choose the stone-ground or old-fashioned grits as they are "the real thing," and much better.
For the purposes of this recipe, I specify quick (NEVER INSTANT) grits, as the stone-ground and old-fashioned grits are often difficult to find outside of the South without mail ordering them (which is certainly not practical for a last-minute meal). I want to make it easy for folks around the country to become familiar with and enjoy grits.
NEVER use instant grits, as they are very finely ground and don't produce a good texture. Also, you will be instantly disliked by southerners, who are usually people-loving folks!
I always make more grits than I need for breakfast, then transfer the extra to a lightly oiled loaf pan. When set, I slice the grits and pan-fry the slices in a bit of butter until golden brown. They are wonderful alone like this, or may be served with a sauce. You can actually use these leftover grit slices the same way you would use polenta.