Food + Drink: Charleston Cooks Recipe Contest

Discard any broken clamshells. Soak the clams in cold water for about 15 minutes to remove any sand. Place in a colander.

Drain and rinse beans. Reserve one cup of beans in a large bowl. Put milk and
remaining beans in a pot and blend with an immersion blender until very smooth. Heat until just warm.

Sauté bacon in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven. When crisp, remove to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve for garnish. Add olive oil to pot and heat over medium heat. Add shallots and celery and sauté for two minutes. Add garlic and sauté for one minute more. Remove vegetables and place in bowl with reserved beans.

Add clam juice and clams to pot, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Steam about eight minutes, shaking pot a few times until clams open. Using tongs or spider strainer, move clams into a colander over a bowl. Add warm milk and bean mixture and half-and-half to pot of clam juice, stir to combine, and bring to low boil over medium heat.

Meanwhile, discard any clams that have not opened while steaming. Open remaining clams over bowl, reserving their juice. Remove opened clams from their shells and add meat to bowl with reserved vegetables. Add reserved juice from clams to pot. Add clams, vegetables, and reserved beans to pot and heat through.

Garnish individual servings with crisp bacon and thyme. Serve immediately.

TIP: Puréeing the cannelloni beans and milk together before heating over the stove prevents the milk from curdling.

Soak quail in buttermilk in refrigerator for at least six hours or overnight. When ready to cook, drain quail, rinse thoroughly with water, and pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine one cup pomegranate juice, currants, and garlic in a pan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until syrupy and reduced to one-third cup. Transfer to a mini-processor. Add butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cumin. Pulse until coarse purée forms. Place processor bowl in freezer until mixture is slightly firm, about 10 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Place quail breast-side up, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place a bacon square on each quail. Mix panko and pistachios. Spread pomegranate butter over birds, then sprinkle with panko mixture. Using plastic wrap, firmly press panko mixture into quail so it will adhere. Roast quail until cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes (timing depends on size of quail).

Remove quail to a platter. In a small saucepan, mix pan juices with remaining pomegranate juice and boil until syrupy, several minutes. Season with dashes of cinnamon, cumin, salt, and pepper. Spoon pomegranate sauce over quail and sprinkle with parsley.

TIP: To give the quail a smoky flavor, grill it for one to two minutes on each side, then roast in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and cook sausage links for three to four minutes, or until cooked enough to be chopped. Drain. Cut links into small pieces.

In a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot, bring chicken broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, and sausage to a light boil over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and green pepper, and sauté until soft and starting to caramelize, about eight minutes. Add vegetables to chicken broth mixture. Cover and bring back to a light boil. Continue cooking, covered, over medium-high heat for five minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour and water. Stir flour mixture, spices, herbs, and Worcestershire sauce into chicken broth mixture, cover, and cook over high heat for 10 minutes.

Add shrimp and crab meat, reduce heat to medium and cook for five minutes. Remove from heat and discard bay leaves. Cover and let sit for five minutes before serving.

Serve over brown rice.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Mix panko, flour, cornstarch, and salt in a dish. Press fish into mixture on both sides. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Sauté fish for two minutes per side. Place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for five minutes, or until just flaky, being careful not to overcook. Garnish with lemon slice and serve over creamy grits.

For the Country Ham & Blueberry Sauce:
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté ham and red pepper flakes for two minutes. Add shallots and continue to sauté for one minute. Add rum and let alcohol cook off for one minute. Add stock and reduce by half, about five minutes. Whisk in cream and bring to a light boil. Remove from heat and add blueberries.