I don’t know any chef who travels with his own grits except Scott Peacock. And you can understand why. Once you have tasted those Southern stone-ground grits, it is hard to settle for less. But I hope he will forgive me for offering here a recipe for ordinary supermarket grits. They cook in 20 minutes, and I have borrowed Scott’s method of cooking them partially in milk, which makes them so much creamier. This way, at least you may get so hooked on grits that you’ll send away for the grittier stone- ground variety and give over part of a Sunday afternoon to stirring them as they cook slowly for a long time, the longer the better. Either way, grits are good with so many things—shrimp, chicken, game, pork, ham. I always make extra so that I can have some fried grits for breakfast the next day. Avoid instant grits and look for the old-fashioned ones.

　　

Ingredients

3/4 cup milk

　　3/4 cup water

　　1/3 cup grits

　　Salt

　　1 or 2 tablespoons heavy cream

　　A dollop of butter

　　

Step 1

Bring the milk and water to a boil in a 4-cup heavy pot. Lower the heat, and sprinkle the grits into the simmering liquid, stirring all the time until the liquid is absorbed. Cook slowly over low heat, stirring frequently, scraping the grits up from the bottom of the pan and adding a little water if they are sticking. After 20 minutes, they should be done. Salt to taste, stir in a tablespoon or more of the cream, and spoon up the portion you plan to eat right away, reserving the rest. Float a little butter on top.

　　

Second Round: Fried Grits

Step 2

First fry up two strips of bacon in a medium skillet. When it is evenly browned, remove the bacon to drain on a paper towel, leaving the fat in the pan. Scoop up the leftover grits, and form them into 2 hamburgerlike patties. Spread some flour on wax paper, season with a little salt and pepper, and dredge the grits cakes on both sides. Meanwhile, heat up the reserved bacon fat with about 2 teaspoons butter. When it is sizzling, lay in the grits cakes and cook until brown on both sides. Enjoy with warm maple syrup poured on top, and the bacon alongside.

　　The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones. Copyright © 2009 by Judith Jones. Published by Knopf. All Rights Reserved.Judith Jones is senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf. She is the author of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food and the coauthor with Evan Jones (her late husband) of three books: The Book of Bread; Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!; and The Book of New New England Cookery. She also collaborated with Angus Cameron on The L. L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, and has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in New York City and Vermont.