Blue Cheese and Green Onion Grits

Ten years living in Texas you are invited to a lot of pot-lucks and BBQs so you better have a go-to covered dish that a cowboy or a Dallas diva will enjoy, mine is Blue Cheese and Green Onion Grits.  These grits are the prefect pot-luck dish, yummy hot or at room temp easy to serve family style or sliced up with a ring mold for a fancy plate, what more could you need.  The big blue cheese flavor pairs nicely with red meat or chili for a BBQ. This recipe is very forgiving so feel free to have some fun with it, you can swap the blue cheese for cheddar cheese and the green onions for green chilies and it will be totally new. Grits are a Texas staple but where you live they might be a fun change, I know they are in Florida.

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Blue Cheese and Green Onion Grits

Ingredients

• 3 Cups Chicken Broth
• 1 ½ Cups of Milk
• 2 tsp Salt
• 2 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped or micro planed
• 1.5 Cups Uncooked Quick-Cooking Grits
• 6-8 oz Blue or Gorgonzola Cheese
• I Stick of Butter Chopped
• ¾ Cup Heavy Cream
• 3 Eggs Beaten Lightly
• 1/3 Cup Chopped Green Onion
• 2 Tbsp Chopped Basil or 1 Tbsp dry
• 3 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Parsley or 1-2 Tbsp dry
• 1 Tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves or ¼ tsp ground
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Combine milk, chicken broth and garlic in a medium pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Stir in grits and lower temp. Use the directions on the grits package to get the right cooking time. Be careful to stir enough that they grits don’t get lumpy or stick to the bottom of the pan. When ready they will be the consistence of thick oatmeal. Remove from heat and stir in the blue cheese, mix until melted. (You could stop here, add the herbs and serve like polenta as a side or garnish on a plate, but in this state the grits must be served hot and quickly.)
   
2. Next add the heavy cream, butter, and eggs. If your grits are still very hot you may want to temper the eggs. Next add the chopped onion and fresh herbs, don’t forget lots of fresh ground black pepper.
   
3. Pour the grits into a greased 9x13 baking dish and put in the over for 60 minutes or until firm and golden brown on top.
   
4. The grits can be served piping hot or room temperature and will travel very nicely. If you are going to transport the grits while still hot do not cover with foil or plastic wrap, use a big towel so they will not sweat and you can protect everything from the hot dish.