Fried chicken is consumed all around the world, but the best fried chicken is claimed to be cooked (and eaten) in the South. Georgia tops the list for soft, juicy chicken on the inside with a well-seasoned, crispy outside. You'll appreciate the fried chicken at Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours in Atlanta, whether it's breaded, battered, or just dredged in flour. For an especially special brunch, serve it with vanilla bean waffles and bourbon maple syrup.

Ingredients

• 1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 cups all-purpose flour for coating, 1 teaspoon paprika, salt and pepper to taste, 2 quarts vegetable oil for frying

Directions

• Take your cut up chicken pieces and skin them if you prefer. Put the flour in a large plastic bag (let the amount of chicken you are cooking dictate the amount of flour you use). Season the flour with paprika, salt and pepper to taste (paprika helps to brown the chicken).
• Dip chicken pieces in buttermilk then, a few at a time, put them in the bag with the flour, seal the bag and shake to coat well. Place the coated chicken on a cookie sheet or tray, and cover with a clean dish towel or waxed paper. LET SIT UNTIL THE FLOUR IS OF A PASTE-LIKE CONSISTENCY. THIS IS CRUCIAL!
• Fill a large skillet (cast iron is best) about 1/3 to 1/2 full with vegetable oil. Heat until VERY hot. Put in as many chicken pieces as the skillet can hold. Brown the chicken in HOT oil on both sides. When browned, reduce heat and cover skillet; let cook for 30 minutes (the chicken will be cooked through but not crispy). Remove cover, raise heat again and continue to fry until crispy.
• Drain the fried chicken on paper towels. Depending on how much chicken you have, you may have to fry in a few shifts. Keep the finished chicken in a slightly warm oven while preparing the rest.

Georgia is the leading producer of pecans in the United States. What exactly does that imply to you? Pecan pies, cookies, sweets, and even savory meals like pecan-crusted catfish, pecan-laced turkey dressing, and, believe it or not, hummus are all available. River Street Sweets in Savannah should be at the top of your gourmet road trip list if you have a sweet taste. The pecan praline is the best-selling confection at Savannah's oldest candy store. This candy is made entirely with Georgia pecans, sugar, cream, and butter, and is the ideal pecan lover's treat.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, see notes, Pinch cayenne pepper, optional, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 1/2 tablespoons water, 2 teaspoons orange zest, optional, 2 cups (6 ounces) pecan halves

Directions

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Add brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, vanilla, water, and the orange zest (optional) to a medium skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring often until the brown sugar melts into a bubbling sauce, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the pecans so that the brown sugar sauce coats them. Cook, stirring the entire time, until the pecans look candied and smell nutty, 2 to 3 minutes. As the nuts heat up in the pan, the sauce will slowly coat them and become shiny. Watch closely as the nuts cook so that they do not burn.
• Transfer the candied pecans to the prepared baking sheet and spread into one layer. Allow the pecans to cool down, and then break them up before serving.
• Store cooled candied nuts in an airtight container. They will last at room temperature for one week, in the refrigerator for a few weeks and in the freezer for a month, if not longer.

You can't claim to be a true Southern foodie unless you can make — or at the very least know where to get — a good pimento cheese spread. (Atlanta favorite Home Grown pimento cheese can be found at Kroger, Target, and on Amazon Fresh.) This roasted red pepper and cheese spread can be used as a dip for crackers, chips, and veggies, as a spread on toast points or biscuits, or even as a deviled egg filling. It doesn't matter how you eat your pimento cheese spread; what matters is that you eat it. Cook like a genuine Georgian by trying my recipe for Hickory Smoked Pimento Cheese Stuffed Deviled Eggs (recipe below).

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened, ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (Optional), ¼ teaspoon onion powder, 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (Optional), 1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimento, drained, salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

• In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the cheddar, cream cheese, pimento peppers, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and jalapeño (if using), and several twists of black pepper.
• Beat the mixture together with a hand mixer, your stand mixer, or by hand with a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula
• Beat until the mixture is thoroughly combined
• Taste, and add more black pepper if desired, and/or salt for more overall flavor (I usually add a pinch of two). If you’d like your pimento cheese to have more of a kick, add another pinch of cayenne. Blend again.
• Transfer the mixture to a smaller serving bowl. Serve your pimento cheese immediately, or chill it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Pimento cheese hardens as it cools; let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature to soften.

The amount of sulguni cheese alone in khachapuri Adjaruli is enough to send a lactose-intolerant friend to the ER. The depravity, however, does not end there. A baker parts the cheese seconds after the bread is taken from the toné to make room for a last flourish: hunks of butter and a cracked raw egg. When the seething mass is placed in front of you, use your spoon with confidence to vigorously swirl the ingredients together, working from the yolk out, until hypnotizing spirals of orange and white appear. At this point, rip off a corner of bread and plunge it with conviction, lest the mixture cool.

Ingredients

• FOR THE HANDMADE DOUGH (OPTIONAL): 1 ¾ cups/225 grams all-purpose or bread flour, ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar, ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil
• FOR ASSEMBLY: 12 ounces store-bought pizza dough, or homemade pizza dough completed through Step 2, 1 cup/100 grams shredded whole milk, low-moisture mozzarella (not fresh mozzarella), ⅓ cup/40 grams goat cheese, finely crumbled, ⅓ cup/40 grams drained, finely crumbled brined feta (not low-fat or light), 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons cold butter for serving (optional), 1 egg yolk from 1 large egg (optional)

Directions

• Make the dough (but if you're using store-bought, proceed to Step 2): In a small saucepan over low, heat 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons/150 milliliters water until hot but not simmering. Turn off heat. In a large bowl, with your hands or a wooden spoon, stir together flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Check the temperature of reserved, warmed water; it should be warm to the touch, between 105 and 110 degrees. Add it to the flour mixture and, with your hands, knead mixture into a smooth dough, about 5 minutes.
  
• Pour olive oil into a medium bowl. Holding dough with one hand, use it to coat the inside of the bowl with the oil. Set the dough in the bowl, oiled portion facing up. Cover bowl with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until it doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
  
• Heat oven to 450 degrees (or 425, if using a convection oven). Line a half sheet tray with parchment paper; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, stretch and roll dough into a circle, 1/4-inch thick, 10 to 12 inches across. Brush off excess flour, then lay the dough on the sheet tray. Using your fingers, roll, press and pinch two opposite sides of the circle a few inches into the center, building sides up, then press and pinch the narrow ends together to form two points. Continue to pinch and press the sides to create a raised rim and form the dough into an oval boat with an eye-like shape. Let rest in a warm place while you prepare the filling.
  
• In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella, goat cheese and feta with 3 tablespoons water. Stir with a fork until the mixture is thoroughly blended. Scrape the cheese mixture into the center of the dough boat, spreading it into an even layer.
• Bake khachapuri until the crust begins to brown and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven, leaving oven on. Brush sides of khachapuri generously with melted butter. Return khachapuri to the oven for an additional 5 minutes until the crust is extra crisp and the cheese just starts to brown around the edges.
• Using a spoon, make a shallow, 2-inch-wide well in the center of the cheese. Add the egg yolk and cold butter (if using), and serve immediately. To serve, hold down one pointed end of the hot khachapuri with a fork; using another fork, quickly stir the egg and butter (if using) into the cheese mixture until it’s smooth and stretchy. Rip pieces of the bread boat off to dip in the cheese while it’s still hot.
  

A good khinkali, or Georgian soup dumpling, is said to be judged by how many folds it has: Fewer than 20 is considered amateurish, according to tradition. When a tray of pepper-flecked khinkali arrives at the table, though, counting pleats is never the first thing on anyone's mind. Eating the khinkali is a rush job that requires precision skill; if you don't learn the latter, you'll be teased if you're in Georgian company. To begin with, khinkali is a finger food: Make a claw with your fingers and grab the topknot of the dumpling. After that, slurp out the soup by biting a small hole on the side and sinking your teeth into the filling. Remove the topknot, drink a few swigs of beer, sigh with delight, and repeat.

Historians believe the Tartars, who governed what is now Georgia and Armenia for the majority of the 13th century, brought khinkali to the region, which exhibits a strong resemblance to Central Asian manti. The best sakhinkles (khinkali houses) are reported to be located in Pasanauri, a town 50 miles north of Tbilisi, where natural mountain herbs such as summer savory and ombalo mint are used to flavor the filling. If a khinkali trip isn't in the cards, folks in Tbilisi go to Khinklis Sakhli, a popular neighborhood hangout.

Ingredients

• Filling: 1 1/2 pounds (.68 kg) ground beef, 1 1/2 pounds (.68 kg) ground pork, 4 tablespoons (71 g) butter, softened (optional but recommended if using lean meat), 1 1/4 cups (375 ml) water, 2 small onions, minced, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 small bunch cilantro with stems, minced (1/2 cup packed), 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon (5.9 g) salt
• For the Dough: 4 1/2 cups (563 g) all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling, 1 cup (237 ml) warm water, 1 teaspoon (5.9 g) kosher salt

Instructions

• Combine all of the ingredients for the filling and set aside
• Heat water until it is hot but not boiling.
• Combine the water with sifted flour and salt.
• When all of the ingredients are combined, begin to kneed the dough. The dough should be dry enough not to stick to
• your fingers. Continue to add small amounts of flour until a smooth ball is formed. The dough should be very stiff, similar to pie crust.
• Cover the dough and all it to sit for 15 minutes in a warm dry place.
• Knead for an additional 6 minutes, then set aside.
• Dumplings
• Cut the dough into 2 equal parts.
• Roll the dough out on a clean floured surface.
• Cut the dough into 3" rounds, using a form such as a cookie cutter.
• Roll out each round until it is about 5 inches in diameter.
• Place 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the dough round.
• Pin the dumpling using an accordion style fold.
• Pinch the top tightly to ensure no filling can escape.
• Place the dumplings in a pot of salted boiling water. When they float to the surface after about 7 minutes (bottom side up) they are done.
• Place the dumplings on a serving platter.
• Sprinkle with finely ground pepper (optional) and serve immediately.