Authentic grits, full of corn flavor, are ground between stones the old fashioned way to leave bits and pieces of the outer “germ” layer intact. The simple truth is that true stone-ground grits taste nothing like the run-of-the-mill kind you find on most supermarket shelves. South Carolina is famous for ‘em. They take longer to cook, but well worth the wait.–Emeril Lagasse
LC Perfect Partners Note
If you’re not tucking into these grits for breakfast, consider making them as an unspeakably inspired–and quite essential–companion for Smothered Shrimp and Andouille over Stone Ground Grits.
Creamy Stone Ground Cheese Grits Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup stone-ground grits
- 1/2 pound white Cheddar cheese, grated
Directions
- 1. To make the cheese grits, combine the water, milk, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in the grits and cook, stirring frequently so the grits don’t stick to the bottom of the pan, for 1 1/4 hours to 1 1/2 hours. (Editor’s Note: We found that, depending on the size of the pan and the flame, the grits were sometimes creamy and done after 45 to 60 minutes. Still, the longer you cook them, arguably the creamier they become. If the grits absorb all of the water and milk during this time, just add a little hot water as needed to thin out the grits until they reach the desired consistency.)
- 2. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of the butter and the Cheddar cheese. Serve the cheese grits immediately or set aside for a little while and reheat over very low heat.
Hungry for more? Chow down on these:
- Black Truffle and Cheese Grits from No Recipes
- Baked Polenta Fries from 101 Cookbooks
- Wild Mushroom Grits from Leite's Culinaria
- Soft Polenta with Forest Mushrooms from Leite's Culinaria
Creamy Stone Ground Cheese Grits Recipe © 2010 Emeril Lagasse. Photo © 2010 Nuno Correia. All rights reserved.
Totally love in a pot David!!! I just made grits for dinner this week. I like to add beer, a mix of onions and garlic sauteed in cumin and paprika, a few diced tomatoes, and of course cheese. YUM! I could eat them every day.
Amy, I completely hear you. The beer sounds great. What kind of cheese do you use?
Hi Amy,
I love, love, love cheese grits. (And I have to agree with Emeril, we do have the best grits here in South Carolina!)
I can attest to that. Beth sent me a bag of South Carolina white grits and, boy, do I love them. I’m guess I’m just a good ole Southern boy at heart (who can’t live with out New England clam chowder and fried clams….)
Ok, I think you’ve convinced me. This Jersey girl has tried grits, but never found the redeeming value in them — they were soooo blah. I picked up a package of Stone Ground grits at Williams-Sonoma a while ago so now it’s time to use the package. I’m going to give this recipe a go along with the shrimp and andouille recipe you suggest.
Surely if guys from MA get into grits, this Jersey girl can too!
Fran, you got to try it. I added considerably more milk, as I like my grits loose and creamy, but it was fantastic. (That whole pot was gone 20 minutes after we shot it)