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1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spritz six 1/3-cup ramekins or custard cups with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. For the corn custards: Whisk the cream, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until thoroughly blended. Divide the corn among the six ramekins, then ladle in the custard mixture, again dividing evenly. Dampen a dish towel, fold, and smooth over the bottom of a large shallow baking pan. Stand the ramekins, not touching, on the towel.

3. Slide the pan of custards onto the middle oven shelf and pour enough boiling water into the baking pan to come a third of the way up the ramekins. Bake the custards uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes or just until set. Lift the custards to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.

4. While the custards bake, prepare the carrot vinaigrette: Cook the carrot in a small saucepan in just enough water to cover for about 10 minutes or until very tender. Drain well and pat dry on paper toweling. Purée the carrot with the vinegar in a mini food processor or an electric blender, then with the motor running, drizzle in the oil. Continue churning until the mixture emulsifies. Fold in the parsley.

5. When ready to serve, gently loosen each custard around the edge with a knife and invert on a salad plate. Wreathe with the sliced radicchio and top each portion with 1½ to 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette.

FAVORITE DEVILED EGGS

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

Some say that deviled eggs were invented down south. I wouldn’t go that far, but I do know they’re far too popular to be confined to picnics. I’ve seen sophisticated southern hostesses pass platters of deviled eggs with cocktails and watched guests scarf them down. Of course, every Southerner has a pet recipe for deviled eggs and this one is mine; it couldn’t be easier. Note: Here’s how I hard-cook eggs: Place the eggs in a large heavy saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them by two inches. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat, set off the heat, cover, and let the eggs stand for 15 minutes. Drain the eggs at once, then quick-chill in ice water.

6 hard-cooked extra-large eggs (see Note above)

¼ cup mayonnaise-relish sandwich spread

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons finely grated yellow onion

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Paprika (optional)

1. Peel the eggs, halve lengthwise, then “pop” the yolks into a small bowl and mash well with a fork. Add the sandwich spread, mustard, onion, and pepper and whisk until blended.

2. Stuff the egg whites with the yolk mixture, mounding it up nicely. Cover the eggs loosely with plastic food wrap and chill for several hours.

3. When ready to serve, arrange the deviled eggs on a colorful round platter and, if you like, blush the top of each with a little paprika.

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TO MAKE ROSE PETAL WINE

Gather 1 pint fragrant pink rose petals. Cover with 1 gallon boiling water and let stand 24 hours. Squeeze dry. Discard petals. Add 1 dissolved yeast cake or package and 3 pounds sugar. Stir. Leave in a stone crock at least 6 weeks. Strain and bottle tight.

—Miss Sarah M. Nooe, Iredell County, North Carolina

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It was a good meal they had together on that night…fried chicken…mashed rootabeggars, collard greens, and hot, pale golden sweet potatoes. Miss Amelia ate slowly and with the relish of a farm hand.

—CARSON MC CULLERS, THE BALLAD OF THE SAD CAFÉ

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JACK DANIEL’S TENNESSEE WHISKEY

Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel learned to make whiskey from a Lynchburg, Tennessee, “preacherman” and went on to lift spirits in his own way. With its black label and distinctive square bottle, Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Brand Old Time Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey—simply “jack black” to its legion of fans—is immediately recognizable in appearance and taste. This ain’t no bourbon.

Licensed in 1866, Jack Daniel’s is the oldest registered distillery in the country—a National Historic Site. And its oh-so-smooth, amber-hued whiskey is still made by the method Daniel perfected. Distillers blend corn, rye, and barley malt with spring water from a nearby limestone cave (it contains