Photo by Jean Allsopp
1. summer shrimp salad wraps
This is one of local food legend Lucy Buffett’s favorite easy, breezy, seasonal dishes to serve up at her country house.
1 tortilla (8 – 10 inches in diameter)
5 fresh baby spinach leaves, rinsed and stems picked off
1/4 – 1/2 fresh heirloom tomato, diced
1/2 cup Summer Shrimp Salad (see below)
1/2 slice thinly sliced prosciutto,  sautéed for 10 seconds on each side
(After prosciutto is sautéed, cut into a chiffonade.)
grape tomatoes, to garnish
1. Place wrap on a clean, flat surface.
2. Line spinach leaves leaving 1 inch from the left, right and bottom edges.
3. Sprinkle tomatoes on spinach leaves.
4. Spread Summer Shrimp Salad on tomatoes and spinach.
5. Sprinkle prosciutto on Summer Shrimp Salad.
6. Starting with the left and right sides, fold tortilla over 1 inch toward the center, then start rolling from the bottom up, being sure to keep the left and right sides tucked in as you go.
7. Cut wrap in half on a diagonal with a serrated knife. Place a tomato on a 3-inch frill pick, and stick through 1 half. Repeat with the other half. Makes 1 wrap.
Summer Shrimp Salad
3 pounds boiled shrimp, peeled and chopped into medium to large pieces
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped green onion
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon LuLu’s Crazy Creola Seasoning
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring gently.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Serves 20.
Photo by Ashley Rowe
2. Tacky Jack’s Shrimp and Cheese Grits
9 tablespoons butter, melted
3 1/2 pounds (70 – 90) raw shrimp, peeled
2 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning
Cheese Grits (see below)
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1. Heat butter in sauté pan until melted. Add shrimp and sauté over medium heat. Add lemon pepper and cook for about 6 minutes, until shrimp are pink.
2. Immediately ladle over warm Cheese Grits. Garnish with chopped green onions on top.
Cheese Grits
9 cups water
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 cup Crystal Hot Sauce
1/4 teaspoon chicken base
1 cup butter blend
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pound quick grits
4 cups shredded cheddar-Jack cheese blend
1. Add water to large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add salt, hot sauce, chicken base, butter blend and garlic to boiling water. Stir well.
2. Stir in grits slowly, continuing to whisk until all grits are incorporated. Decrease the heat to low and cover.
3. Remove lid and whisk frequently, every couple of minutes, to prevent grits from sticking or forming lumps. Cook for 5 – 7 minutes or until mixture becomes creamy.
4. Remove from heat, and gradually whisk in the cheese a little at a time. Serves approximately 9.
Photo by Todd Douglas
3. lobster thermidor
2 (1 1/2-pound) live lobsters
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 pound mushrooms, Â trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons medium-dry sherry
1 cup heavy cream, scalded
2 large egg yolks
1. Plunge lobsters headfirst into an 8-quart pot of boiling salted water (when salting water for cooking, use 1 tablespoon salt for every 4 quarts water).
2. Loosely cover pot. Cook lobsters over moderately high heat for 9 minutes from time they enter water. Transfer lobsters with tongs to sink to cool.
3. Once lobsters are cool enough to handle, twist off claws and crack them, then remove meat.
4. Halve lobsters lengthwise with kitchen shears, beginning from tail end, then remove tail meat, reserving shells. Cut all lobster meat into 1/4-inch pieces. Discard any remaining lobster innards, then rinse and dry shells.
5. Heat butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until foam subsides. Then cook mushrooms, stirring, until liquid is evaporated and they begin to brown, for about 5 minutes. Add lobster meat, paprika, salt and pepper and reduce heat to low. Cook, shaking pan gently for 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon sherry and 1/2 cup hot cream. Simmer 5 minutes.
6. Whisk together yolks and remaining tablespoon sherry in a small bowl. Slowly pour remaining 1/2 cup hot cream into yolks, whisking constantly, and transfer to a small heavy saucepan. Cook custard over very low heat, whisking constantly, until it is slightly thickened and registers 160 on an instant-read thermometer. Add custard to lobster mixture, stirring gently.
7. Preheat broiler. Arrange lobster shells, cut sides up, in a shallow baking pan and spoon lobster with some of sauce into shells. Broil lobsters 6 inches from heat until golden brown,  4 – 5 minutes. Serve remaining sauce on the side. Serves 4.
Photo by Todd Douglas
4. southern seafood stuffing
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 pound crab meat
1/2 pound medium shrimp, Â peeled and deveined
1 (6-ounce) package cornbread stuffing (Stove Top preferred)
1/2 cup seasoned dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup chicken broth
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add onion, celery, crab meat and shrimp. Sauté for about 5 minutes,  until shrimp is opaque and vegetables are softened. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, stir together the stuffing mix, breadcrumbs and sugar. Mix in the seafood mixture. Stir in soup and a bit of chicken broth to moisten.
5. Spoon mixture into ramekins, and bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm. Serves 6.
Photo by Ashley Rowe
5. pomegranate pear walnut salad
9 ounces mixed greens
1 pear, sliced
1/2 cup pitted sliced Medjool dates
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3 ounces goat cheese
pomegranate balsamic vinegar
walnut oil
1. Combine the first seven ingredients. Drizzle with pomegranate balsamic vinegar and walnut olive oil to taste. Toss and serve. Serves 6.
Photo by Elise Poche
6. strawberry mojito
1.5 oz light rum
1 oz simple syrup (a ratio of 1:1 water to sugar…until sugar is dissolved completely)
2 lime wedges
5 to 6 mint leaves
1 medium-to-large ripened strawberry (hulled)
1. In mixing glass, muddle strawberry, mint, lime and simple syrup. Add rum.
2. Add 1 scoop of ice and shake.
3. Pour entire contents of shaker into glass and top with club soda.
4. Garnish with fresh strawberry and a mint sprig. Makes 1 drink.
7. raw chocolate pudding
1 ripe banana
1 ripe avocado
1 tablespoon of raw cacao powder
berries, to garnish
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Be sure to scrape the sides with a spatula so that it is pureed throughout. Serve immediately with berries. Serves 1 – 2.
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Text by Abby Parrott
