Serve these Lowcountry favorites at home!

One of the great things about living in Charleston is that people always want to visit you, and having friends in town gives you a great excuse to dine out at delicious Charleston-area restaurants. I had friends in town this weekend, and we enjoyed several meals out around town, including dinner and drinks on the patio at Vickery's downtown.

Charleston is known for its overwhelming number of fabulous restaurants...if you are a foodie, Charleston is the place for you! And if you enjoy cooking and replicating gourmet dishes at home, I am pleased to present the following recipes. Some of Charleston's finest kitchens have shared recipes for top-selling dishes with Island Realty, and we are sharing them with you! Bon Appetit!

From Vickery's
Artichoke Dip (serves 4)

Ingredients:
2-14 oz. cans quartered artichoke hearts (whole are fine also)
7 oz. Hellman's mayonnaise
3 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Drain the liquid from the can of artichokes and discard. Squeeze the excess water out of the artichokes. Finely chop them and place into a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spoon into an oven-safe serving bowl or container and top with some shredded parm cheese and bake until warm. Serve with warm pita chip slices.

From Locklear's
She Crab Soup (winner of Charleston She Crab cook-off) / (yields 1 gallon)

Ingredients:
1 bunch celery washed and diced small
1 jumbo yellow onion diced small
1/3 lb butter
1 cup sherry (good quality)
1 cup lobster stock
1/3 gallon milk
1 qt heavy cream
1 qt half and half
2 lb fresh picked crab meat
2 T crab roe (eggs)
1.25 cup flour
pinch of mace
pinch Old Bay seasoning
to taste: white pepper, red pepper and salt

M.O.P.
Heat the butter and saute the celery and onion until tender. Add the flour and mix until a smooth paste forms. Add the sherry and lobster stock and stir until a smooth paste is formed again. Try not to let the temperature drop too much as you begin to add the cream, milk and half and half. Ensure that you have a creamy texture to the taste and that all the flour has been cooked out. Add the remaining ingredients. Serve with a little sherry floating on top.