By The book edits are done. Final pages approved. Caroline called and said, "Dorothy, the book goes to the printer next week." The printer. Next week. Real paper. Real ink. Real pages bound together with a spine and a cover featuring Hattie Pearl's skillet. I am a published author. I won't believe it until I hold it, but the machinery is moving and the words are set and the recipes are locked and the stories are permanent now, in a way that food never is and memory sometimes isn't.
Derek confirmed the book dinner for November at his restaurant in Charleston. He's planning a five-course meal based on the book: she-crab soup to start, then shrimp and grits, then a Lowcountry boil course (scaled for a restaurant, which will be interesting), then fried green tomatoes, then peach cobbler. Five courses. Five chapters. My food, his kitchen, our story. He asked if I would speak. I said, "Baby, I have been speaking in kitchens for fifty-five years. A restaurant won't shut me up."
Kayla went back to Sapelo Island this weekend — she and Devon drove down, took the ferry, visited Miss Cornelia. Kayla brought a copy of the manuscript and read parts of it to Miss Cornelia on her porch. Miss Cornelia is ninety now. Her memory flickers. But Kayla said when she read the part about Pearl's peppers, Miss Cornelia's eyes brightened and she said, "Pearl's peppers. Yes. I remember the peppers." Ninety years old and she remembers the peppers. That's the power of food, baby. It outlasts almost everything.
Made she-crab soup tonight. Celebrating the edit completion. Extra sherry. Extra crab. Extra gratitude for every word that made it from my mouth to the recorder to the page to the book.
Now go on and feed somebody.
The night the edits were done I made she-crab soup and didn’t share the recipe, because some things you hold close on the big nights. But this spicy creamy corn dip — this is what I’d set out for everyone else at the table, the ones who showed up to celebrate with you, the ones who deserve something warm and generous and a little over the top, because that’s what a finished book calls for. Derek is planning five courses for November; I’m giving you something you can make in a slow cooker and bring to whoever needs feeding right now. Miss Cornelia remembered Pearl’s peppers after ninety years — food does that, baby, it holds on — so make this one count.
Slow Cooker Spicy Creamy Corn Dip
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours | Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 3 cans (15 oz each) whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Ro-Tel), undrained
- 8 oz cream cheese, cubed and softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced (leave seeds in for more heat)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onions, for garnish
- Tortilla chips or toasted baguette slices, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the base. Add the drained corn, undrained diced tomatoes with green chiles, cubed cream cheese, sour cream, 1 cup of the pepper jack cheese, the cheddar cheese, and diced jalapeño to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker.
- Season it. Sprinkle in the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir everything together as best you can — the cream cheese will fully incorporate as it heats.
- Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, stirring once halfway through, until the cream cheese is fully melted and the dip is hot and bubbling at the edges.
- Finish with cheese. Give the dip a thorough stir until smooth and creamy. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of pepper jack cheese over the top, replace the lid, and cook on LOW for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese on top is melted.
- Garnish and serve. Switch the slow cooker to WARM for serving. Top with sliced green onions and serve directly from the crock with tortilla chips or toasted baguette slices alongside.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 218 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 17g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 390mg