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
Hands-On Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes | 4 servings
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.
