Trisha Yearwood
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2010/12/trisha_yearwood...
In the Magazine IN THE MAGAZINE | FEEDBACK
Trisha Yearwood INTERVIEW BY Bora
Chang Huang PORTRAIT BY Russ Harrington ILLUSTRATION BY Masa EDITED BY Elisa
DECEMBER 2010
The country superstar earns rave reviwes for her music—and for her down-home recipes, too.
Best known for her chart-topping country music, the three-time Grammy winner is also an accomplished cook and the author of two cookbooks: Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen and her latest, Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood. When she's not singing, the country legend revisits her Georgia roots through recipes from family and friends and sits down to cozy dinners with her three stepdaughters (ages 18, 16, and 14) and her husband, country music star Garth Brooks. How did you decide to become a cookbook author? When you're successful in one area of entertainment, you're given a lot of opportunities you might
1 of 4
6/28/11 10:39 AM
Trisha Yearwood
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2010/12/trisha_yearwood...
not have otherwise. I was initially asked to write an autobiography, but it wasn't something I was interested in. Then they asked, "What would you like to do?" I said, "Well, I like to cook." So the first book came about naturally. At first, people thought, She's a singer; she probably doesn't know which pan to boil water in. It's been a really interesting second career. Thank goodness it came out of something I really like to do. How would you describe yourself as a cook? Do you follow recipes or improvise? I still follow a basic recipe, but now I'm an improviser. I used to think disasters would happen if I didn't measure the salt and pepper exactly, but now I think, If I leave this out, it's not a big deal. It comes from experience. And improvising is how you discover a new recipe. How do you find inspiration for new recipes? At this point, everything has been a family or a friend recipe. The inspiration comes from the story behind them, and they mean something to me. It has to be authentic. Before writing Home Cooking, I asked my family members before a family reunion, "Would you bring that thing you always make?" and they brought the recipes, and many of them are in the book. I feel really connected to them, too. I grew up eating these dishes, though I didn't grow up making them. Now, they're new traditions in my house. When did you learn to cook? My mother comes from a long line of really great cooks. She did all the cooking when I was a kid. When I left home for college, it was the first time I ate vegetables out of a can, because we had a garden. I missed home, so I learned how to make stuff for myself, one thing at a time. The first dish I made was potato salad—a basic southern dish. When it tasted like my mom's, I thought, I can do this. What would people be surprised to find in your kitchen? They would be surprised more at what you wouldn't find. After years of cooking and not having one, my mom just bought me a food processor. The first time I had one, years ago, I was challenged [laughs] and didn't use it. I love it now. Name three things that are always in your refrigerator. I always have butter, cheese, and milk. Those are the key ingredients in many things that I make. I have so much butter in the fridge that it's become a joke in my family. What are some southern ingredients you love working with? I love onions from Vidalia [pronounced vie-DAY-lee-ah], Georgia. You think you can get them anywhere, but they're really not Vidalia onions. Vidalias are rounder and flatter, and people say you can eat one like an apple, and you almost can. The flavor, raw or cooked, is great. They grow from around April to September. If I have family visiting during that time, they'll bring me a case. The other thing is raw peanuts. I love to make boiled peanuts with them. You can buy regular peanuts and reconstitute them, but that's not the same. I get them in September, and I share them with people I've met in Oklahoma who are from Georgia. Tell us about your most memorable meal. When I was on tour, there was a place we went to in Portland, Oregon, called Jazz de Opus [now closed]. They played music in the front and had dinner in the back. I had one of the best steaks in my life. I like a well-done steak, but I know kitchens hate to make it. But what they did was they baked it
2 of 4
6/28/11 10:39 AM
Trisha Yearwood
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2010/12/trisha_yearwood...
for a while before grilling it, so it was completely done but it was tender. It was served over a mound of mashed potatoes, with blue cheese crumbled over it. Truly a well-done steak, and it was thick. It was perfection. What's the perfect snack? I have a slice of cheddar cheese with peanut butter on it. It sounds like a crazy combination, but it tastes good, and it's protein, and you're good to go for a couple of hours. What's your guilty pleasure? rench fries. I'd rather have a large order of fries than a cheeseburger. That can be a meal. What is the most unusual thing you've ever eaten? Fried rattlesnake. When I was on tour early in my career, I played at a place in Texas called Rattlesnake Roundup. They gave prizes to the person who caught the biggest rattlesnakes, and sold stuff like rattlesnake rattle earrings. So they fried rattlesnake, and I thought, Well, I'm here. I tried it to try it. It wasn't good or bad. What's your favorite dessert? I like citrusy things. I like lemon meringue pie that goes back generations, that my dad used to make. It's really simple and really tart, like a Key lime pie, but with lemon. I also like this Key lime cake in Home Cooking. It's green, and it has three layers, a Key lime juice and confectioner's sugar glaze, and cream cheese frosting. It's not a light cake, but it's not heavy. What's your drink of choice? I like red wine. I've learned over the years—I went from Zinfandel to Chardonnay, and now I've graduated to some Cab[ernet]s and some Shiraz, but I don't like heavy red wines. Do you have any fun winter traditions for the holidays? We recently started a Christmas cookie party. Friends bring their favorite cookie recipes and their mixing bowls, and we share the kitchen. We make dozens and dozens, and everyone gets a basket with a variety. You must have a big kitchen! When we built our house in Oklahoma, Garth said, "I want the kitchen to be amazing, because it's not for show—we actually live in it." It's really the hub of our house. What food do you look forward to enjoying during the holidays? My favorite holiday is Christmas, but my favorite holiday food is the cornbread dressing, from my grandma, that goes with the Thanksgiving meal. It's in my first cookbook, and it's a basic recipe. Sometimes I make it in the summer, because I think, Why should I eat this only once a year? Of all the comfort foods you've made, do you have a favorite? It's the Crock-Pot mac and cheese in Home Cooking. It's so easy. You put it in the slow cooker and the cheese bubbles and forms a crust around the edges. I don't make it often because I can't be left alone with it—I'll eat the whole thing! Is there a dish that your husband always asks you to make?
3 of 4
6/28/11 10:39 AM
Trisha Yearwood
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2010/12/trisha_yearwood...
He likes casseroles, where your whole meal is in one dish. He likes to cook, too. He makes Garth's Breakfast Bowl [a combination of eggs, sausage, Tater Tots, and cheese tortellini]. He also likes baked spaghetti, which is spaghetti with bacon, ground beef, olives, cheese, and green pepper. Basically, if I make a casserole, he's happy. How about for a romantic meal? If I'm cooking at home for just the two of us, pasta seems romantic to me. Early in our relationship, I made fettuccine Alfredo, and the sauce was so rich—richer than the recipe that's in my book—and creamy and cheesy that he almost fell asleep on the plate! KEYWORDS: Feedback, Celebrities, Celebrity, Trisha
4 of 4
Yearwood, Interviews
6/28/11 10:39 AM