Natalie Dupree & Debbi Covington

Nathalie Dupree, award-winning cookbook author and television personality, died on Monday, January 13th in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was 85 years old.

When Vince and I were first married, back in the old days when I used to have weekends off, watching Nathalie Dupree’s cooking show on PBS was one of the highlights of my Saturday mornings. Nathalie was always dressed in a colorful apron with matching oven mitts and hot pads. I loved her style of cooking, her recipes, and her amazing ability to make everything she prepared look doable for a home cook. Never in a million years would I have imagined that I’d have the opportunity to meet my favorite television chef, let alone be able to call her my friend.

The first time that I met Nathalie Dupree, we were both on an on-stage panel at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort with Sallie Ann Robinson, and Matt and Ted Lee, all of us cookbook authors. After the panel discussion, we sat together for a group cookbook signing and had the opportunity to get to know each other. It was incredible, and a little bit surreal. The really cool thing about the whole experience was sharing our food stories and the camaraderie. Best of all, I left the day with a new comrade. Nathalie was very supportive of my cooking ventures, adventures, and misadventures. We stayed in touch, mostly on Facebook, and if I had a question or needed a bit of encouragement, Nathalie always answered me right back. Nathalie had a philosophy she called “The Pork Chop Theory,” when it came to supporting other women. She said, “If you put one pork chop in a pan and turn the heat on high, the pork chop will burn. If you put two or more pork chops in a pan and turn the heat on high, they will feed off the fat of one another.” I was blessed to be one of Nathalie’s pork chops.

In April 2018, my cookbook, Celebrate Beaufort and Nathalie’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking were released at about the same time. During this hubbub, Nathalie was also being inducted to the South Carolina Academy of Authors. Guess who was invited to interview her? With help from the Pat Conroy Literary Center’s Director, Jonathan Haupt, I showed up at the Technical College of the Lowcountry for Nathalie’s on-stage interview. It was my first time in the interviewer’s hot seat and I was a wee bit nervous. Within a minute or two, Nathalie had wowed the audience with her foodie tales and made my job a breeze. Then, in July 2020, the fates graced me again and I was invited join Nathalie to discuss her 14th cookbook, Nathalie Dupree’s Favorite Stories and Recipes at the Pat Conroy Literary Center. Nathalie was a natural born storyteller. We had a wonderful night!

I believe that the best way to celebrate the life of the Queen of Southern Cuisine (as dubbed by Southern Living Magazine) is to continue to keep her recipes alive. In this week’s issue, I’m sharing three of my favorites. The Grilled Roman-Style Lemon Chicken is sure to be one of your new favorites, too. Yes, you’re reading the recipe correctly, preheat your oven to 500 degrees. The cooked marinade and pan drippings are luxurious. Beautiful presentation, even yummier chicken! Social Circle Macaroni Pie is one of the BEST macaroni and cheese dishes I’ve ever tasted. Absolutely delectable. Best of all, is the Lazy Girl Peach Batter Cobbler. Served hot, or even warm, the sticky, crispy, buttery crust around the edges of the dessert is divine.

I’ll always cherish my happy memories of Nathalie Dupree and I’m privileged to have known her.

 

 

Grilled Roman-Style Lemon Chicken

1 (3-pound) whole chicken

½ – ¾ cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons lemon zest

4 tablespoons oil, cook’s preference, divided

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon, sliced, for garnish

With the chicken breast facing down, remove the backbone by cutting up either side of the backbone with a sharp knife or kitchen scissors. Flip the chicken over with its breast on top. Crack the breastbone using both your hands and spread the chicken as flat as possible. Use a small knife to make small vertical slits where the wings and legs join the body, without removing them, in order to flatten it. Turn the chicken over and lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the top. Using a meat pounder or the bottom side of a heavy skillet, pound it out as flat as possible. Remove plastic. Move the chicken to a large ziplock bag or roasting pan. Mix lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons of the oil together in a small bowl and pour over the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Close bag or cover pan and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours to marinate. Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before ready to cook. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Preheat a flat, oven-proof grill or griddle pan on top of the stove over medium heat. Remove chicken to a paper towel-lined plate, drain marinade into a small saucepan, and set aside. Pat chicken dry. Wrap a heavy ovenproof skillet or a brick with aluminum foil. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the hot pan, then the chicken, skin-side down. Weigh down with the heavy skillet. Brown over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Carefully move to the hot oven with the weight on top. Cook 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the marinade to a boil and boil a few minutes. Remove the weight from the chicken. Brush the chicken with reserved marinade and flip chicken over. Cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 to 15 minutes. When chicken is done, move to a board to rest. Brown the lemon slices lightly in the pan juices, about 4 to 5 minutes. Garnish chicken with the sliced lemons. Add any remaining pan juices to the reserved marinade. Serves 4 to 6.

 

Social Circle Macaroni Pie

3 cups cooked and drained spaghetti (macaroni)

4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 large eggs, beaten to mix

3 cups milk

1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground hot red pepper, optional

1 pound sharp cheddar or Gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roughly cut the cooked spaghetti into 3-inch pieces and toss with half the butter. Lightly whisk the eggs with the milk in a large bowl. Add the mustard, salt, peppers, and half the cheese. Put half the spaghetti into a greased 3-quart baking dish, sprinkle with cheese to cover and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Ladle on half the egg/cheese mixture, top with the rest of the spaghetti. Ladle on the remainder of the mixture and enough cheese and the remaining butter to cover the top. If the dish is deep, it may not need all of the cheese. Move to the preheated oven. If the dish is less than three inches deep, bake for 30 minutes; if deeper, bake for about 45 minutes. Check and reduce the heat 25 degrees if the cheese is browning too much or the custard is bubbling. Cover lightly with foil and continue to bake until a fork inserted in the custard comes out clean and the top is golden brown, up to 40 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the baking dish. Serves 6 to 8.

 

Lazy Girl Peach Batter Cobbler

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

2 cups sliced peaches

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup commercial or homemade self-rising flour

1 cup whole milk

Sprinkle ¼ cup of the sugar over the peaches and let sit while melting the butter. In an 8×11-inch baking dish or decorative oven-to-table dish, melt butter in the oven while the oven preheats to 375 degrees. (The butter crisps the edges, so I (Nathalie) say “the bigger the dish, the better.” If you prefer a deeper cobbler, use a smaller baking dish.) Whisk together the flour, milk, and remaining sugar. It can be a bit lumpy. When the butter has melted, remove the hot pan and pour batter into the hot butter in the pan. Don’t worry if the batter puffs up a bit on the sides. Sprinkle the peaches evenly over the top of the batter. Bake until the batter has risen around the fruit, the top is light brown and “cobbled” looking, and the sides are darker brown, about 30 to 45 minutes. An inserted fork should come out clean. Serve hot. It can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen. Reheat before serving. Serves 4 to 6.

 

The writer owns Catering by Debbi Covington and is the author of three cookbooks, Celebrate Beaufort, Celebrate Everything! and Dining Under the Carolina Moon. For more great recipes and to view her cooking demonstrations, visit and subscribe to Debbi’s YouTube channel. Debbi’s website address is www.cateringbydebbicovington.com. She may be reached at 843-525-0350 or by email at dbc@cateringbydebbicovington.com.