For some readers this weekend is one of the biggest of the year. For others, it barely registers, only that it leads into Easter and the children being off school. It has nothing to do with food – this is sport of the highest billing.
The Masters Tournament has taken place every year since 1934 (barring the three world war years between 1942 and 1945) at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA. For those wondering, my great love outside of work and family is golf, and I try to bring both together wherever possible. (I’m still working on the family part – Grainne’s clubs continue to gather dust in the shed.)
Last year I was fortunate enough to attend the Masters – a rare privilege indeed – spending an unforgettable Thursday and Friday among the Georgian pines and flowering magnolias, not to mention the world’s best golfers. I won’t bore you with the nerdy golf stuff (I know my station as a recipe columnist) but as someone who hosts events for a living, I have never in my life seen anything like it. The attention to detail beggars belief, from the movement of people, to merchandise, drink, food and the sheer beauty of the grounds. The behind-the-scenes work to deliver an experience of this level must be unparalleled. If Michelin did experiences, they’d have to create a fourth star category.
The food offering at The Masters is nearly as notable as the golf. All the menu options capture the essence of southern hospitality and comfort cooking, without a price tag. Menu items are capped at $3 while the beer and wine offering will only set you back $6 for a pint or glass. Needless to say, the lines are never allowed to get busy, meaning you can drop in at any point and have something in your hand within five minutes.
The pimento cheese sandwich is much lauded, as is the chicken biscuit. But the standouts for me are the inspiration for this week’s recipes, and are easily replicated at home. The Pork Bar-B-Que was generous, perfectly seasoned and had the comfort of a soft brioche bun to hold it all together. Being in the south, the barbecue sauce was punchy and powerful, the pork shoulder soft and moist. I think I ate double figures of these over my two days.
Here, I’ve replicated them using a slow cooker for the pork and a barbecue sauce recipe that I think is pretty close to the real thing.
The second standout was the Georgia peach ice cream sandwich. A perfectly textured ice cream – round, full of jammy fresh peach chunks – book ended with two chewy cookie discs. Strolling around in 30 degree heat, this was just the tonic. I’ve recreated the recipe with standard vanilla ice cream, adding some frozen tropical fruit chunks to the cookie dough. If you don’t make the sandwich, these cookies are still beautiful on their own.
I may never make it back to The Masters, but at least I can still taste it from the comfort of my own home. Roll on the weekend drama.
