Southern Generations

You know, how many times have y'all heard me say I'm not a chef, I'm a cook

Well, guess what, y'all? I got the real deal in this kitchen with me today

My friend and chef, Virginia Willis, is gonna help me put a French twist on some southern classics, y'all

We're gonna start with a herb-crusted fresh ham. Y'all, it's incredible. Paired with a savory-herbed monkey bread

Thin green beans get the French treatment. It smells divine. And Grandma Hires' Carrot Cake

That'll make you say bon appetit, y'all. But Jenny and I have worked together on occasion

We have, we have. And she's worked with so many people. Martha Stewart, you've cooked for the Clintons

you've cooked for Julia Child. What a treat for us. Well, it's a treat for me

I get to cook with Paula Deen. Well, I'm predicting that in our future, y'all, the very near future, we're going to have a little fresh pig here

Yes. Is that right, Virginia? Yes, exactly. Virginia is going to make for us an herb-crusted fresh ham

So take it away, girl. So what I have here, we have some rosemary and tarragon and thyme, and I'm basically making a fresh herb de Provence

because it's a dried spice combination from the region of Provence, southern France

But what I like to do is I like to use the fresh herbs. Okay, so..

And it's a little special treat. Lavender? Lavender. Mmm. That smell incredible

Mmm. Mmm. If I ask you to please season this with salt with pepper, I'll chop these herbs

So normally... And do you like it pretty heavy or... I do, I do. Salt brings out the flavor

It darn sure does, honey. Now that salt doesn't want to... Whoa, look at that girl go

That lavender is kicking butt over here

It smells so good. We just want to use a little bit. If you use too much, it winds up tasting sort of like soap

You need to buy it from a spice market or an online source or something

People don't want to buy it from the florist because it may have been treated with pesticides. So what's meant for potpourri is not meant for fresh ham

Yes. Yes. So, Paula, what I have here is a tablespoon of thyme, a teaspoon of rosemary, a teaspoon of tarragon, and a half a teaspoon of the lavender

Sounds wonderful. So this is a fresh herb de Provence. I'm going to sprinkle it over

You want me to kind of pat it in? Yes, ma'am. Please do not say yes, ma'am, to me

How old do you think I am? So what we want to do is let this wash off

Yes. So what we want to do is we want to let that sort of marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes

I'm not advocating leaving pork out for prolonged periods of time at room temperature. But we want this, first of all, we don't want the roast to go in cold into a hot oven because it will take longer to cook. Right

And the other thing is we want to let the flavor of these herbs penetrate

We got the chef over here. Look what the cook is moving around over here

Can biscuits. This is so easy to make. Virginia, what a sport you are

I know you've had monkey bread. Yes. Being a southern girl, being a Georgia girl

So, this is going to be a savory monkey bread, y'all. All right

Okay, come on. See, I'm literally that little devil will get you

All right, so over here, y'all, I've got some fresh Parmesan cheese

And I'm going to grate up about a cup of this. This sounds delicious. Biscuits rolled in butter and cheese

You know, it's a simple thing for us, Virginia. Yes, there really is a Santa Claus, Virginia

Then I'll add about two teaspoons of a dried Italian seasoning. So we're just going to take our biscuits

Okay. And we're just going to roll them up in a bowl. Okay. Just like that. I mean, this is really, really bad

Well, you can't go wrong with butter and parmesan. Thank you. All right, Virginia, we can do that

We've got a stick of melted butter. Yum. Uh-huh, melted butter. Can't go wrong there

It's a party favor, honey. It's a food group around here, isn't it

Yes, it absolutely is. Okay, so into the butter. Dip into the butter

So, like, moisturizing your hands at the same time. You're such a quick study girl

There you go. So we're just going to mound these up in our bunt pan

This would be a great dish to take to picnics or something like that

Everyone will love it. Just easy, easy, easy. You know what I'm going to do

I have an idea. I'm just going to. We're not going to let that go to waste, are we

You know, waste not, won't not, honey. That's right. So I'm just going to kind of pour that over those biscuits

How simple is that? Very simple. and it gonna be wonderful with that little pig you roasting off So if you put that in the oven Virginia 350 375 y for about 30 35 minutes

I'm gonna wash my hands. And then we're gonna get some green beans going

And I call them green beans. I'm sure that Virginia calls them them haircut and vert things

Erica Vert. See y'all, they're baby green beans. They're just French-style green beans

They're small. What I'm doing with these is we have, I just like to take the stem end off

Me too? I don't like to take that pretty little tail off. I don't either. I just found something awfully pretty and whimsical about the little tips

No, I think so too. This is an example of what I call refined southern cuisine because it's green beans

but you can't get more southern than that. What I'm going to do, we're going to blanch them, boil in salted water until they're crisp, tender

That shouldn't take but just a minute. Exactly, just a little bit of time. Because these..

Eric Overe. Eric Overe's are very tiny, and they should be very tender

Mm-hmm. The next step, what we're going to do is saute them in a skillet with garlic and halamata olives and tomato and a little bit of vinegar

I promise you it's good. I'll eat anything, girl, that don't eat me first

We're going to be adding the final touches to our green beans

That's very good. Very fresh tasting. And Virginia whips up an incredible sauce to go with our fresh ham

I can't wait to see how you do this. And I'm going to be sharing one of my family's favorite recipes

Hey, y'all. Welcome back. I'm in here in the kitchen with Virginia Willis

She is a fabulous Georgia chef. Her cookbook is named Bon Appetit, y'all

because Virginia studied in France. And the next thing I'm looking forward to her doing

is putting this pig in the oven. Let's get this started. She is doing an herb-crusted fresh pork ham, y'all

with some delicious green beans. What are you thinking about your cooking time on that

It's basically 25 minutes per pound. I'm going to take it to 150

Then we're going to take it out and let the meat rest. and the juices are going to redistribute. And the temperature, of course, as you know

will continue to rise to about 160, 165, and that's going to be perfectly cooked

So these look bright green. These look really good. These look bright green and pretty

Do those suit you? Yes, ma'am. So what I want to do is drain these. Okey-do

So let's see. Don't burn yourself. I'm not, I promise. All right, so this is a trick that I love to do

Put them in the column or in the ice bath so you're not fishing your green beans out of the ice. Yeah

That sounds great. So now, this is the Provence part. Oh, okay

So we have some more herbs. We've got some garlic. May I ask you to chop the tomato

Absolutely. What size do you want these done in? Just a dice

All right, so I've got the tomato. You want me to put a little olive oil in your pan

Yes, please. About a tablespoon or so. Not too much. Here I have a clove, and I'm just going to tap, and that'll let this peel come off

Okay. We think about Atlanta traffic. Will you grab a pinch full of salt for me, please

Yes. That girl is so fast with a knife, y'all. I wouldn't cross her in a dark alley for nothing

So just sprinkle a pinch of salt on it, and what's going to happen is that's going to act as an abrasive. Uh-huh

And that's going to help take that garlic down even further. And then I use my knife like a palette knife

You are making a paste. And we're using a kosher salt, which is grainy

And it did just break down that garlic, didn't it? This is going to be delicious

So let's add the green beans. Okey-doke. And then the garlic. Let's put the potatoes in

Okay. Isn't this beautiful already? It is beautiful. Okay, so we use the Kalamata olives, and we have them

Okay, because we don't have them. And seed it. Exactly. So the last bit we're going to do, let's have some basil

Okay. I think basil and tomatoes go really well together. Do you want salt and pepper or anything in this

Virginia, we're just going to let this. I think black pepper would be good. Just a little bit of salt because the olives are so salty

Okie doke. So I'm going to add some basil. So just roll the basil leaves up into a cigar

And I love this. And you know what? I actually use this technique with collard greens

That's how I do cut my collard greens. So we'll add the basil

It smells so great. The smell is just like very, very bold

Really nice. It's nice. It's fresh. It lets the flavors of the green beans and the tomatoes shine through

Last little bit which is kind of a surprise as I just gonna splash a little bit of red wine vinegar And that acid really makes the flavors pop Oh I bet it does

Okay. That's it. And I think we have a serving dish. Just that simple

Oh, it smells divine. You want to taste? Mm-hmm. They really are good

I'm tasting a little bit of the red wine vinegar now. And I'm getting a little taste of that basil

Exactly. And it really is good. It's simple. It is. It's simple and it's different

And, you know, it's very, very healthy. So we eat like this so we can also eat the fresh ham

Yes. So we can eat the fresh ham. And my grandmother hires his carrot cake

My little grandmother was like 4 feet 10, never reached 5 feet except in her 3-inch heels

and she could make some fabulous cakes. So I'm just going to start working on this cream cheese icing

So confectioner, sugar, and cream cheese. Yeah, just a 16-ounce package. I tell you what, since you've got those fabulous chopping skills

if you would chop me up some pecans. That's room temperature, right

Room temperature, so it'll beat up well. I've got a stick of butter at room temperature

I'm going to drop that down in there. I'm going to put a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract

And then I'm just going to beat this up a little bit. And then I'm going to add the rest of our confectionate sugar

Do you use salted or unsalted butter? You know, I'm so glad that you asked me that

I use unsalted because you can always add salt, but you can't take it out. And I use salted because I love the taste of salted butter

I love a salty sweet. Are these pecans fun enough for you

Them pecans are perfect, girl. And you did that quicker than I could beat up that cream chip

So that ham is starting to smell good. It is starting to smell really good

And what we're going to do is we'll take it out. We're going to add some chicken stock and make almost like a jus

Oh, gosh, I love a little jus. I know what you is

I'm just going to kind of clean that off. Just dump them in

Here we go. I love that. I can't wait to make the cake that goes underneath that

There you go. It's going to be all good, y'all. Virginia and I are going to mix up my grandma who hires this carrot cake

Then she's going to show me how to make a delicious sauce for a ham

That is delicious, Virginia. And don't miss that monkey bread coming out of the oven

Hey, y'all. I'm in here with Virginia Willis, the fellow Georgian who is a very accomplished chef

The theme today is Southern Generation. We have married two of the finest foods in the whole world together

French and Southern. Her book, Bon Appetit, y'all, kind of says it all

So I'm going to start mixing up. My grandmother hires this carrot cake recipe

Now over here in my bowl, I'm going to start with four eggs. I have had so much fun

being in here in the kitchen with you today. I've had a blast. So tell everybody

all your accomplishments. I feel so fortunate about what I've got to do in my career and the people

I've gotten to work with. I've lived and worked in France. I just think that the respect that

the French give the food is fantastic. Yes, they're very serious about it, aren't they

All right, now in my big bowl, I'm going to measure out two cups of all-purpose flour

Which side would you like for me to grate it on? Well, I kind of like the small side. The real side, yeah, because it almost melts in the pan. Yes, it does

two cups of sugar, two teaspoons of baking soda, one teaspoon of salt, and then I'm going to add

two teaspoons of brown cinnamon. Oh, I can smell that cinnamon. Doesn't that cinnamon smell good

I'm going to measure out one and a half cups of vegetable oil, which tells you right off the bat

This is going to be a wonderful, moist cake. Very tender. This cake is so easy

You know, you just plop everything in there. Just blend it all up real good

All right. Perfect. Perfect. This should come, y'all, to about three cups of carrots

And that looks just right. Got it. That's perfect. You are so talented

All right. grandma hires used nuts in her frosting as well as her cake And see I love the double nuts Oh yeah Well it like building those layers of flavor that really makes everything taste so good And we going to need about a cup and a half of chopped pecans

Look at the girl go! Go, Virginia, go! Is that fine enough for you

That is perfect. Okay. So if you toss those in there, and I'll fold those in

All right. And I'll get the cake pans. Okey-doke. I've got three cake pans, y'all, that have been floured, greased, and lined with parchment paper

And that's going to assure our cake coming out nice and even

So these are great. I kind of knocked mine on the counter. Oh, okay

To just release those air bubbles. Okay. And in the oven, these go, y'all, at 350 for about 40 minutes

Y'all, look at this. Yum, yum. All right, what I'm going to do, do this

That smells incredible, doesn't it? Y'all, the herbs that Virginia has on this is smelling so delicious

It's just overpowering. What I can't wait to get a hold of is some of that skin

Yeah, oh my gosh. Oh, and it's hard. All right, so I'm just going to turn this monkey bread out on this plate

I can't wait, honey, to dip that down in that jus you're fixing to make

Look at that! Oh, my gosh, it's gorgeous. Look at that brown, yummy, cheesy goodness

Isn't that gorgeous? And smell that cheese. And I can't wait to see how you do this

Well, are you going to leave all that fat and everything? I think I might

And we're making a jus just like the natural juices. I'm just going to add some chicken stock in about two cups

Look how nice that is. and the flavor of the herb that crusted the ham

Uh-huh. And then we just want to season this with a little bit of salt

Uh-huh. And then a little bit of pepper. Virginia, that is jus

Looks fabulous. I'm going to top our carrot cake with our yummy cream cheese frosting

Look how delicious that looks. And our savory monkey bread gets the final touch

You're one hell of a chef. Hey, y'all. These Southern Generations are about to get our meal together

My granny's carrot cake has cooled off. We've dumped them out. Now, I'm just going to spread that cream cheese icing between each of the layers

And you can see, because we only had two cups of flour and two cups of sugar

they don't make real thick layers. Virginia is buttering up our monkey bread

This smells incredible. And then we're going to add a little bit of cheese on top

What is enough, Virginia? There's no such thing. What is enough? Okay, well, you're done there

Why don't you go ahead and get that ham ready? I'll get started on this crackling

I cannot wait to eat that skin. Oh, this looks delicious

Oh, got you a nice little crack on there on top. Uh-oh

Look how delicious that looks. My darling angel grandma hires. Come and give this a try

For Jenny. For Jenny. It's the best of both. Now, I can't eat without

I'm going to fix a plate. Don't you worry. Look at that beautiful plate with y'all

What do you think? How do you like the... The monkey braid is fabulous. Mmm

Incredible. I love you. I love you, too. Any woman that likes board skin as much as I do

Wow. It's the fresh herb to provides that makes such a difference and gives all that flavor to the jus

You're one hell of a chef. Oh, look at that. Isn't that pretty

That's so pretty. I'm cutting you carrot cake. Thank you. I'm having meat skins

This is delicious. with me. It's moist and the pecans in both the cake

and in the frosting it's just like carrot cake's supposed to taste. You know

what can I say? I'm in hog heaven y'all. I want you to come put your feet

under my stove or table anytime you want to. Thank you. Thank you for having me. I've had a great time

We send you love and best dishes. Bon appetit y'all