Monday, December 22, 2014

21 December 2014










2014 has been a very busy but very rewarding year, and while the holidays approached, I have been contemplating the irony of the old phrase "slower than Christmas." As a child, it seemed that Christmas would never get here, but as an adult, it comes to quickly. Yes, there never seems to be enough time to shop, bake, write Christmas cards or, more importantly, just take the time to visit with your friends and neighbors. Every year, I vow to do better, but it never works out that way. So the older I get, the more I realize that spending time with your family and friends is the greatest gift of all.

Over the weekend, we traveled to Eton, Georgia to visit my niece for our annual "Grant Holiday Hoedown." In years past, everyone has traveled down to my home in Canton for this festive event, but my niece gave me a break this year. While I had mixed feelings about not hosting everyone in my home, the doubts quickly subsided when everyone arrived and the mayhem ensued. Since my parents and three of my siblings passed away, our family gatherings have gotten much smaller. Now, it is just me, my younger brother and all of our wonderful nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews. Yes, we miss our loved ones who are no longer with us, especially during the holidays, but we have managed to forge our own family traditions in spite of great loss. A lot of the credit goes to the next generation, and my nieces and nephews simply amaze me. They are smart, funny, loving and accepting. As the proverbial middle child, I was independent and self sufficient from a very early age, and I was the only one who moved away from my hometown. So, I missed a lot of things in the family, but they make me feel like I didn't skip a beat when we are together. Now as the unintentional patriarch of our immediate family, I am hovering between the duality of assuming a fatherly role or maintaining the cool Uncle friend and confidant relationship. For now, it's Uncle Billy until further notice!

As with my family, I have also had to create new Christmas traditions for myself. As you can imagine, some of them are centered around food. Several years ago, I decided to make a standing rib roast for Christmas dinner, and it has become an annual event. I love to prepare the roast French style for an elegant presentation, and I use the drippings to make my favorite Christmas side dish, Yorkshire pudding. Most people are very intimidated by this dish, but it is really very easy. If you can bake muffins, you can make Yorkshire pudding. Of course, the Christmas table would not be complete without roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon, marscapone mashed potatoes, and a few desserts. In addition to German Chocolate Cake, I typically bake a thin tart with the Harry and David pears I receive as gifts. This year, I added some pear and ginger marmalade to the whipped cream for a special touch, and it was delicious.

So, as another eventful year comes to a close, I stop accounting for the lack of time and pause to count my blessings instead. My life is filled with a great family and loved ones, dear friends, incredible neighbors, inspiring colleagues and an overabundance of good food. I am privileged to call Canton my hometown, and it's an honor and joy to serve the citizens in this special community. It's a wonderful life, indeed.

Merry Christmas to all.


The Christmas Menu:

- Standing Rib Roast

- Yorkshire Pudding

- Marscapone Mashed Potatoes

- Brussels Sprouts with Benton Bacon

- Salt and Pepper Cream Biscuits

- Thin Pear Tart


The Recipe – Individual Yorkshire Puddings

Ingredients:

3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
3 tablespoons beef fat (drippings) from Prime Rib Roast

Directions:

1. In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and salt. Sift in the flour in three stages, each time whisking until flour disappears before adding in more flour. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.

2. When the prime rib roast is finished, spoon out 3 tablespoons of beef fat. Turn oven to 450F.

3. Stir 1 tablespoon of the beef fat into the batter.

4. In a muffin pan, fill each cup with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining beef fat. When oven has reached temperature, place muffin pan with fat into oven for 3 minutes until smoking hot.

5. Carefully take out pan and pour batter into each cup, filling to 2/3 full. Immediately return to oven and bake for 20 minutes. Do not open oven door during baking, or the Yorkshire Puddings will collapse. Reduce heat to 350F and bake an additional 10 minutes until golden brown.

6. Remove from oven, pierce each Yorkshire Pudding with toothpick to allow steam to escape and prevent them from collapsing.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

30 November 2014 – Thanksgiving Weekend














Re: Purpose

The holidays have gotten off to a busy start. The long Thanksgiving weekend has been great but hectic as usual. Of course, I have spent a lot of quality time in the kitchen. Those who know me well realize that the Thanksgiving feast is my favorite meal to prepare all year. I think it is because of the four day weekend, the smell of sage (my favorite), and the reason to pause and ponder all the reasons I have to be truly grateful. This year, I was prepared to pass on the ritual feast preparation, but I couldn't resist the urge. However, I did manage to keep it somewhat smaller in scale than in years past, and that made all the difference.

After a Saturday visit to Cherokee Market for lot of supplies and product, the first cooking steps began last Sunday when I made cornbread for my mother's dressing recipe. This is the one dish I look forward to each Thanksgiving, and it never fails to comfort me with memories. Her version calls for a lot of sage, celery and onions. I still use a lot of these ingredients, but I've made some minor adaptations over the years. Nothing drastic, mind you, because I have no interest in being haunted by an upset Franny Betty! I think she would approve of the final product, and it honors all of the steps in her original process. After the cornbread, the next step involved making the stock. I use a combination of turkey and chicken stock in my dressing, and since I roasted a turkey the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving, I was in luck. The rest of the dressing came together nicely, and the final product was baked in a large iron skillet – the way God intended!

On Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, I picked up my natural free range turkey from the Corner Butcher Shop on Bells Ferry. The owner, Larry, sent it home in a brine solution, and I air dried it in the refrigerator overnight for 14 hours. While the turkey was brining, I baked Edna Lewis's Hummingbird Cake for Jeff's mom, Theresa Brown, to take their family Thanksgiving lunch. It turned out beautifully, and she enjoyed it all weekend. We returned home to One Britt around 3 PM, and I began preparing our Thanksgiving dinner. I had left the bird out to come to room temperature, and I used a high heat roasting method by Thomas Keller of The French Laundry. I was skeptical, but the results were amazing! He roasts the turkey at 450 degrees for the entire time, so it cooks fast, and he bastes with clarified butter so it does not burn or brown too quickly. This method results in a very crispy skin and a moist turkey. I will never cook the turkey another way again! In addition to the dressing, the sides included cream cheese mashed potatoes, fresh cranberry sauce with maple syrup, turkey gravy, and roasted brussel sprouts with Benton bacon. For the sprouts, I trimmed and cut them in half, tossed them with a little olive oil and place them cut-side-down on strips on thick bacon. I roasted at 400 degrees on a lower rack and tossed them about 10 minutes before they were done. I crumbled the bacon on top at the end, and they were divine!

Thanksgiving dinner was perfect, and Friday was mostly about recovery, relaxation and leftovers. On Saturday, we supported our downtown for Small Business Saturday by having lunch at R&M Hoagie Shop and proceeding to buy gifts at our great shops: Stout's Growler Shop, Noni's Attic, Chamberhouse, B.Loved, Cup Up Coffee, Keys Jewelers and Practically Perfect Spa. We had a great time visiting with the merchants and seeing a lot of friends along the way. I hope everyone remembers to shop local this holiday season, because Canton's independent businesses really do have a lot to offer. Plus, the dollars you spend locally stay in our community!

As Sunday finally rolled around, the fridge was still filled with leftovers and a turkey carcass! I believe in honoring these ingredients as much as possible, and I am very appreciative for my blessings. The carcass was used to make stock for a healthy turkey vegetable soup for lunch this week. There was still some leftover turkey and dressing, so tonight's Sunday Supper featured one of my favorite creations from a past Thanksgiving: Turkey and Dressing Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce. The raviolis are perfect little all-in-one bites of the Thanksgiving meal, and the sage brown butter sauce is simply decadent. I served it with some steamed asparagus, and dessert utilized the leftover cranberries for a cranberry custard pie with cranberry sauce whipped cream. Now, the refrigerator is almost empty, except for the turkey veggie soup, but the aroma of sage and roast turkey still lingers and comforts with grace and gratitude.


The Menu:

- Turkey and Dressing Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

- Pan Roasted Asparagus

- Cranberry Custard Pie with Cranberry Sauce Whipped Cream


The Recipe – Turkey and Dressing Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce


Ingredients:

1 cup leftover roast turkey

1 cup leftover dressing or stuffing

1 T chopped sage

1 egg, beaten

Pinch salt

Pepper to taste

1 Pkg prepared won ton wrappers

1 stick butter

10-12 fresh sage leaves


Preparation:

Ravioli:

Add chopped turkey to bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped into small pieces but not a paste.

Add dressing and pulse until combined. Add egg, sage, salt and pepper and mix until well combined into a thick paste with small pieces of turkey still visible.

Put a rounded teaspoon filling in center of a won ton wrapper. Lightly brush edge of wrapper with water, then place a second wrapper on top and seal, pressing out any trapped air. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling, keeping ravioli covered as you work.

Boil ravioli in 2 batches in a pasta pot of salted boiling water until tender, 2 to 3 minutes per batch, removing with a slotted spoon.

Sauce:

While your pasta cooks, melt butter in a 12 to 14-inch saute pan and continue cooking until golden brown color appears in the edges of the butter. Add sage leaves and toss for a minute or so then remove from heat.

Assemble:

Place a few ravioli into a bowl and top with brown butter sauce and a few fried sage leaves.












Sunday, November 16, 2014

16 November 2014










There's no place like home, especially after a hectic week and on a rainy Fall Sunday evening. Last week could not have been busier with client work, City Council and home projects. On Friday, I closed on a refinancing of One Britt, and I couldn't be happier. I spent most of the day catching up on work at the office on Saturday, but we enjoyed a nice evening at The Study with our friends Beth and David Riordan. Today was spent catching up on some home projects, and I finally got around to cooking Sunday Supper.

It's been very cold the past couple of weeks. Combined with the added stresses of a hectic few weeks, comfort food was definitely in order. Back in the late 90's and early 2000's, I spent a lot of time working in New York City. One of my favorite places to stay was the Soho Grand Hotel. I enjoyed the slower pace of the neighborhood, the galleries, restaurants and interesting people in the area. Another reason I loved staying there was for their delicious Mac + Cheese! It was addictive in every way with the right combination of cheese, crispy top and perfect al dente pasta. I ordered it every time I was there. Years later, I thought about that wonderful dish on many occasions, and I have tried to find their recipe over and over again without success. I finally gave up, and I had not thought about this perfect comfort food in years. So, at the height of my stress level last week, I received a e-newsletter from the GrandLife Group with a subject line that read "The Perfect Mac & Cheese." I was in the middle of a conference call when I got the email ping, and I was distracted for the rest of the conversation. Could it be the elusive Soho Grand version? No way, I thought to myself. However, I was pleasantly surprised to open the email and find, indeed, the chef's handwritten recipe for the Soho Grand Mac & Cheese! Of course, I could not stop thinking about it the rest of the week, so it had to make its way on tonight's Sunday Supper menu.

In addition, I discovered a grass fed chuck roast from Mountain Valley Farm in the freezer this morning, so I thawed it out to go with the Mac & Cheese. At this point, my goal was to create the quintessential comfort food menu to celebrate the refinancing of my new, old home! Since I had to have a green vegetable to serve on the side, I cooked a pot of collard greens with a local ham hock from Cherokee Market. They practically melted in your mouth, and I served them with the pepper sauce I made this summer.

Now I am stuffed and content as a cold, steady rain falls outside. It will be a great night for sleeping before another busy week begins tomorrow. I hope your weekend was filled with grand memories as well. Peace be with you!


The Menu:

- Georgia Grass Fed Chuck Roast with Carrots and Onions

- Soho Grand Hotel's Mac and Cheese

- Collard Greens and Ham Hocks with Homemade Pepper Sauce


The Recipe – Soho Grand Hotel's "Grand Mac & Cheese"

Ingredients:

1 Tbs Butter
1 Small Onion - chopped
1 Cup Flour
8 Cups Milk
1 lb. Cavatappi Pasta
1 lb. Gruyere Cheese - grated
1 lb. Sharp White Cheddar -grated
4 oz. Cream Cheese
2 oz. Parmesan Cheese
1 oz. Dijon Mustard

Instructions:

Sweat onions in butter, then add flour. Whisk in milk and bring to a simmer.
While milk is simmering, cook pasta in salted water and drain before fully cooked.
Remove milk and flour mixture from heat, then add grated Gruyere, cheddar and cream cheese with pasta.
Add Dijon mustard and mix well and allow mixture to cool.
Once cool, transfer to individual, shallow oven safe dishes and top with Parmesan.
Reheat in 250 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
When pasta is golden brown, crispy on top and bubbly; it's ready!







Sunday, October 26, 2014

26 October 2014









In Loving Memory of Helen DeLuca

What a weekend! It seems as if I have been cooking for days. It all began on Wednesday night when I began phase one of my eight phase chili entry for the Canton Main Street Inferno Chili Cook Off Competition this weekend. I made a classic chili con carne from scratch, including homemade beef stock, hand ground chili powder from toasted chilies and five different cuts of meat. We had to make five gallons, so the entire process took me over three days. Although I came up short on a trophy, I had a great time cooking my entry, and the cook off was amazing. The Main Street Machine did an amazing job with this event, and the turnout was incredible. Congratulations to Zach Kell and Goin' Coastal on winning first place for their delicious duck chili. The People's Choice went to Can't Touch This who also took the trophy for second place, and downtown Woodstock's Unkil Billy's team took third place. Thanks to Cory Wilson for helping me out with my booth and to all of my great friends who came out to taste my chili and all of the others. There's always next year, right?

For tonight's Sunday Supper, I wanted to cook something as different from chili as possible, so I decided to try a new spin on another classic, shrimp and grits. Our friend John Clark joined us for dinner, and he is allergic to shell fish, so I made Chicken and Grits instead. It actually turned out very well, and John even developed a new fondness for my garlic cheese grits. I started the meal with a wilted spinach salad with hot bacon dressing, and I made some thyme and cheddar cat head biscuits as well. Since I was experimenting with substitutions, I prepared a pomelo icebox pie for dessert. It was just like my lemon version but with fresh pomelo juice and zest instead. It was refreshing and very tasty.

On a sad note, Canton said goodbye to a local legend this week, Helen DeLuca. Mrs. DeLuca moved to Canton in 1971 and opened R&M Hoagie Shop with her husband. Her wonderful children still run R&M, and it is one of my favorite places on earth. In addition, the DeLucas are one of my favorite families on earth also. Mrs. DeLuca was one-of-a-kind, and I loved being around her. She always made me laugh, and we talked about food and cooking on many occasions. We said many times that we were going to cook together some day, and I regret that I will never have that opportunity. Helen gave new meaning to a life well lived, and tonight's Sunday Supper is dedicated to her memory. She did it her way, and that made all the difference.

The Menu:

- Chicken and Grits

- Wilted Organic Spinach with Hot Bacon Dressing

- Cheddar and Thyme Cat Head Biscuits

- Pomelo Icebox Pie


The Recipe – Pomelo Icebox Pie

Ingredients:

Crust:

14 whole graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still warm

Filling:

2 - 14-ounce cans condensed milk
1 1/4 cups fresh pomelo juice
2 tbs pomelo zest
1 cup softened cream cheese
8 large egg yolks

Chantilly cream:

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Preparation:

Crust:

Heat the oven to 325°F. Break the graham crackers into small pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor along with the sugar and salt. Pulse 8 times, until the cracker crumbs are semi-fine and the crackers and sugar are combined. Pour in the butter and pulse until the butter is blended in and the mixture isn't crumbly and holds its shape when you squeeze it, about twelve 1-second pulses. Transfer the crust to a 9-inch springform pan and push and press the crumb mixture into the bottom and two-thirds of the way up the sides of the pan.

Filling:

Whisk the condensed milk and cream cheese with the pomelo juice and set aside. Whisk the zest with the egg yolks in a medium bowl until pale, 30 to 60 seconds, and then whisk in the pomelo juice-condensed milk mixture.

Place the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet, pour the mixture into the crust, and carefully transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake until the center jiggles slightly, like a soft-setting custard, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 1 hour on a cooling rack. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap (be careful not to let the plastic wrap touch the top of the pie) and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Chantilly cream:

Pour the heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Add the vanilla and sift in the confectioners' sugar. Whip on low speed to combine and then increase the speed to medium-high and whip until medium-stiff peaks form.








Sunday, October 12, 2014

12 October 2014








October continues to be hectic at work and One Britt. Week before last involved an impromptu mid-week business trip to New York City. I returned just in time to attend the City Council meeting on Thursday night. That weekend began with an excellent First Friday Octoberfest in downtown Canton which included a special sneak preview of our exciting new watering hole, The Study. Joe Guynup has done an excellent job on the space, menu and concept for this upscale tapas, sushi and craft cocktails bar. He even offers valet parking on the weekend, and I wish him great success!

Last Saturday was my 30th reunion and the 100th anniversary of Mountain Day at my Alma Matter, Berry College, in Rome, Georgia. I arrived in time to see the Grand March down Lavender Mountain and got to spend a few hours with some very dear college friends. One included one of my oldest and dearest friend, Amy Phelps. Amy and I went to school together from first grade through college, and I know we will always be there for each other. We are planning to get our core gang of friends together for a weekend gathering at Berry in the Spring, and I can't wait to spend some quality time catching up with everyone.

Speaking of dear friends, my best girlfriend and fellow designer, Ann Willoughby, arrived at One Britt on Sunday for a short visit from Kansas City. I met Ann over ten years ago when I chaired the AIGA's national Communication Graphics design competition. Ann was one of the judges, and I knew we were kindred spirits the moment we met. We are both Southerners who had special relationships with our grandmothers. We both love bacon, good food, good wine and great design. Like Amy, Ann will always be in my life, and I am so thankful to have her as a close friend. For last week's Sunday Supper, I made Chicken and Dumplings in her honor. We had a wonderful visit, and I can't wait until our next one.

After another very busy week, we enjoyed the "official" opening night of The Study, complete with food service on Friday night. The food was great, and we visited with a lot of great friends from Canton who also came in to celebrate the big night. On Saturday, we did a lot of catching up around the house and tried to relax a bit. That night, we enjoyed a great meal at Riverstone Corner Bistro as the Farrars celebrated their second anniversary. They always do a nice job, and it now feels like home when we eat there. Mike and Shelly Farrar are great hosts, and their team are equally as pleasant.

Today began with grocery shopping and prepping for tonight's Sunday Supper. On a sad note, Farris Yawn's father, Aubrey, passed away on Saturday, and the visitation was this afternoon. Farris loves cheese straws, so Jeff spent the afternoon baking some to take over to the funeral home. We are keeping Farris, Nadine and the entire family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. After the visitation, I had a lot of chopping and prep work to complete since tonight's Sunday Supper involved an Asian theme. I prepared homemade pork dumplings, Chicken Chop Suey with Jasmine Rice and Almond Shortbread cookies for dessert. It all turned out very well, and it is almost time to begin another busy week.

Next week, I head to Market in High Point, North Carolina to help a client launch a new home furnishings collection. There will be cocktail parties with editors, dinners with Bloomingdales executives and much more hobnobbing. At the end of the day, it's just a job, and I will give it all I got. Here's to a great week, and don't forget to vote!


The Menu:


- Steamed Pork Dumplings with Asian Dipping Sauce

- Chicken Chop Suey with Sesame Jasmine Rice

- Almond Shortbread Cookies


The Recipe – Almond Shortbread Cookies


Ingredients:

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 drop almond extract
1 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour, plus extra to dust
3/4 cup ground almonds
Zest of 1 lemon

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the beaten egg and extract. Add the flour, ground almonds and lemon zest and mix until dough comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead into a ball. Divide the dough in half, and roll each half into a log, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the plastic wrap, and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets and bake until golden brown at the edges, about 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 3 or 4 minutes before transferring to wire cooling racks to cool.



Sunday, September 28, 2014

28 September 2014








Service is the theme of tonight's Sunday Supper. First and foremost,
we honored the life of John Clark's grandmother, Brenda Clark, who passed away last week. Her service was last Sunday, but we had the Cherokee County Historical Society Annual Picnic to cook for and attend. For that event, I made a fresh Georgia peach and tomato salad with basil puree and a huge iron skillet of jalapeño cheddar cornbread. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and as usual, there was some delicious food at the event.

After an incredibly busy week at work and with City Council business,
it was nice to enjoy a very relaxing and exciting evening in downtown Canton. For starters, we attended a preview and soft opening of The Study, a new destination for craft cocktails, sushi and tapas. Joe Guynup has done an incredible job on the space and concept, and I wish him all the success in the world. We need critical mass and diversity in our Historic Downtown Loop, and new spots like The Study and Stouts Growlers are making it happen. After a drink, great service and visit with wonderful friends, we walked over to Downtown Kitchen to have a nice dinner upstairs with some of our favorite servers. It was a perfect mix of old, new, and the promise of what's yet to be. Again, friendly and personal service reminds me of why I live in a quintessential small Southern town.

From Friday's entertainment, the weekend transitioned into public service beginning with the Sixth Annual Angel Walk at Soleil. Organized by Ron Laird and his wife, the 5K walk was began as a way to honor their friend that died of cancer. She often mentioned "the hill" at Laurel Canyon and the challenge it presented when walking her neighborhood. Now, this awesome charity event benefits the Angel House and the work they do to care for teenage girls without a home. They do amazing work, and I am proud to have been part of this walk for a few years now. This year, I had the pleasure of walking the entire course with Farris Yawn who is running for the open seat in Canton City Council's Ward 3. We shared some great ideas about Canton's future, and it made the walk seem effortless.

After the Angel Walk, I and many of my friends attended the 4th Anniversary Open House at Practically Perfect Spa on East Main Street. Lisa Furilla has created a sanctuary of personal care and wellness at this gem of a spa, and her recent improvements to the space are impressive. In addition, the entire day was also dedicated to raising much needed funds for the Cherokee Arts Center. What a gracious way to celebrate her successful business venture by giving back to the community! Spa service and commitment, massaged to practical perfection.

After catching my breath, I ventured down to join my friend and fellow Council Member, Sandy McGrew, at Action Church on Marietta Road to visit the Badder Than Hell Bike Rally, a fundraiser for the Canton Warming Shelter. Gary Lamb, the church's pastor, is one stand up guy! He and his congregation stepped up last winter during the Polar Vortex to open their sanctuary for those in need. Many others came to assist, such as Joseph Martin of AngelFire7 BBQ. They saved a lot of unfortunate people from freezing to death, and they raised a lot of money on Saturday to operate the shelter again this year. I am in awe of these people and their genuine Christian service. Action is certainly an appropriate name for their church.

After an extremely busy Saturday, we turned in early, but this allowed us to get an early start on Sunday. Our day began with our weekly trip to Cherokee Market for some farm fresh produce, artisanal pumpkins and other supplies for tonight's Sunday Supper. Afterwards, it was time to attend the 30th Riverfest Arts and Crafts Fair in Boling Park. Speaking of service, no one does it better than the Service League of Cherokee County! These ladies make raising money for local children in need look effortless, but we all know how hard they work. Year after year, I am amazed by this well-oiled machine. More importantly, I am always blown away when I hear how much money they raised during this stellar event. Each year, I try to play a small role, if asked. This year, I had the honor of taking the last slot in the Dunking Tank in the Children's area. Mayor Hobgood went just before, so I was in good company. The kids, and a few of my dear "adult" friends, did a great job! By the end of my shift, I had gone down almost 50 times! My ears are still filled with water, but I would do it again for this great cause and these marvelous ladies. Thank you for all you do!

After returning from Riverfest, showering and drying out, I finally got around to preparing Sunday Supper! With a hint of Fall in the air, I decided to try my hand at stuffed cabbage rolls. I bought some beautiful cabbage at Cherokee Market and stuffed it with local grass fed beef and Joyful Acres Farm's delicious sausage! It was spot on, and I enhanced the flavor with the homemade hot sauce I made a few weeks ago. For the sides, I made fresh black eye peas with ham hock and, perhaps, the last caprese salad of the season. In honor of John's grandmother, a huge apple lover, I baked a rustic Ellijay apple and rosemary tart. Of course, it was SERVED ala mode.

Now, I am finishing my blog on the Side Porch at One Britt while enjoying this crisp, early Autumn weather, and I am basking in the glow of the amazing people and friends who live in my hometown. After a weekend like the one I have just experienced, I can think of no other place I would rather call home than Canton, Georgia. For all of the public servants – celebrated and unknown, bikers and beauty queens, senior citizens and young at heart – thank you for your appetite for public service and goodwill.

The Menu:


- Cabbage Rolls Stuffed with Local Grass Fed Beef
and Joyful Noise Sausage

- Black Eye Peas and Ham Hock

- Lingering Heirloom Caprese Salad

- Ellijay Golden Delicious Apple and Rosemary Tart


The Recipe – Rustic Apple and Rosemary Tart


Ingredients:
  • 1 recipe Flaky Butter Pastry (recipe follows)
  • 2 tablespoons All-purpose flour, for thickening the juices, plus extra for rolling the dough
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 pounds apples, such as Granny Smith or Golden Delicious
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons confectioners sugar
 Pastry:
  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch bits
  • 3 tablespoons regular or reduced-fat sour cream

Instructions:
 
To make the dough:

1. In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder, and process to mix. Add the butter, and process until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Put the work bowl in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes.

2. Add the sour cream to the flour mixture and process until the dough comes together in the bowl. Gather the dough into a ball and knead it several times on a lightly floured surface. Form it into a 1-inch-thick disc, wrap it in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
 
Rustic Rosemary-Apple Tart

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rough circle about 14 inches in diameter. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

3. In a small bowl, combine the flour with 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar; reserve. Peel and core the apples. Slice them into 1/4 inch-thick slices. (You should have about 3 cups.) Place the apples in a bowl and toss them with the lemon juice, the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, and the rosemary.

4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle the reserved flour/sugar mixture evenly over it, leaving a 2-inch border uncovered. Arrange the apples evenly over the flour mixture. Fold the edges of the dough over the apples. Moisten your fingers lightly with water and gently press the creases so that they hold together. Shave the butter over the fruit.

5. Bake the tart for about 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown, the apples tender, and the juices syrupy, covering the tart halfway through the cooking time if the crust is browning too rapidly. Let cool for 10 minutes, then slide the tart onto a serving platter.

6. Just before serving, sift the confectioners sugar evenly over the crust.









Sunday, September 7, 2014

07 September 2014







It has been a fun and busy weekend, beginning with another wonderful First Friday. The Main Street Machine did a great job, as usual, and a big crowd came out to enjoy some great music, good food and fun activities. Thanks to the board for all of their hard work!

Saturday included some shopping before we joined our friends and neighbors at a housewarming for our friend, Jennifer Dunn. She has leased an adorable house on Archer Street, and we gathered to celebrate her new abode in style. We laughed, played Mad Libs, danced and devised all sorts of plans to revitalize downtown Canton's charming residential district. The houses in and around downtown have so much potential, it's nice to see young people like Jennifer and our friends Jessica and Jeremy Sexton moving into these homes.

After a late start on Sunday, we ventured over to Sugar Pike Junction for an awesome hamburger! Sylvia and her sister who own this little gem of a place do a great job, and their burger is the best in town. Afterward, we made our weekly stop at Cherokee Market to pick up a few items for tonight's Sunday Supper. On our way home, we stopped by our friend, Jo Anne Eggleston's home to pick a huge batch of very hot peppers! Jo Anne had sent me a message on Friday saying she had grown a lot of very hot peppers and she thought I may be brave enough to use them. They were so hot, they burned my hands just picking them! I decided to make some homemade hot sauce with them, so I stopped and got some rubber gloves to handle them. Preparing the hot sauce almost peeled the paint off the kitchen ceiling, but I can't wait to try it! It is curing now and should be ready in about two weeks.

As for Sunday Supper, I woke up with a concept this morning. Yes, I know that's weird, but it's how I roll. Anyway, I decided to try a different spin on Chicken Parmesan by making Chicken and Waffles Parmesan! I made the usual chicken parmesan and tomato sauce, but instead of pasta, I served it over a savory parmesan, basil and olive oil waffle! It came out great and tasted delicious! I look forward to creating other new waffle creations. For dessert, I found some lovely peaches at Cherokee Market, so I continued the Southern/Italian fusion theme by baking a peach tart with marscapone crust served with marscapone whipped cream. Yes, it was as good as it sounds!

So, now I am exhausted and about to turn in to rest up for another busy week ahead. Waffle on!


The Menu:

- Chicken and Waffle Parmesan

- Asparagus

- Peach Tart with Marscapone Whipped Cream


The Recipe – Savory Waffle with Parmesan, Basil and Olive Oil

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1T baking powder

½ t baking soda

½ t sea salt

½ t freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

3T fresh basil, chopped (or your favorite herb)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups milk

½ cup good quality olive oil

Non-stick cooking spray or neutral cooking oil

Directions:

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk ingredients together and add the Parmesan, basil, and garlic. Stir to combine.

Put the eggs and milk in a separate bowl and whisk to mix. Slowly whisk in the oil to blend.

Add to dry ingredients and stir until smooth.

Lightly coat waffle-maker plates with non-stick cooking spray and preheat.

When preheated, pour a cup of batter into the center of the lower waffle plate.

Close lid and cook until desired crispness is achieved, for my waffle iron, it is 4 1/2 minutes.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

10 August 2014













It was nice to get back to Canton after a great trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico last week. We had some amazing meals at Marmalade, 1919, Metropol, and Santaella. However, we did not make it to one of the other restaurants I had on my list, Jose Enrique, but when we returned, I opened my new issue of Food and Wine to find a feature story on the chef! The story included several of his best recipes, so I cooked some of them for tonight's Sunday Supper: Arroz con Pollo, Green Pea and Avocado Salad and Jose Enrique's homemade hot sauce.

For the chicken and rice, I finally got to use one of the wonderful local free range chickens from Joyful Noise Acres Farm in Ball Ground that I bought at Cherokee Market. I am so excited about being able to buy their chickens and sausage at Cherokee Market, and I look forward to taking a tour of the farm in the near future. The chicken was delicious, and I highly recommend them. In addition to the local poultry, the recipe also called for a pilsner in the rice, so we stopped by the new Stout's Growler store in downtown Canton to pick up some beer. In addition to the pilsner, we also purchased a great hard apple cider, Reformation's Cadence and a wonderful root beer for floats! The shop was busy, and we are so happy for our friends Jim and Irene Stout and Larry and Maria Pujol! If you haven't stopped in Stout's, you need to do so in the very near future. They have a wonderful selection of craft beers and sodas, and they will change often. The craft beer helped to cool us down after the awesome hot sauce I made from scratch! It included serranos, habaneros, poblanos, onions, garlic, red pepper and olive oil. It was fun to make and packed quite a punch!

So, I had great fun in the kitchen cooking Puerto Rican food with local ingredients! In addition to the Jose Enrique recipes, I also used some of the tomatoes from our garden to bake some homemade tomato and carmelized onion bread, and I made some charred corn, lime and parmesan butter to go with it. Vacation and supper were great, but it's back to reality tomorrow. Sign up to follow my blog at www.billssundaysuppers.com

The Menu:

- Arroz con Pollo de Joyful Noise

- Avocado Green Pea Salsa

- Jose Enrique Hot Sauce

- Tomato and Onion Ciabatta with Charred Corn and Lime Butter

- Stout's Root Beer Float


The Recipe – Avocado Green Pea Salsa


Ingredients:

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas
1 small red onion, minced
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
3 avocados, peeled, pitted and finely diced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

In a medium saucepan of salted boiling water, blanch the peas until crisp-tender, about 1 minute.

Drain and cool under running water, then drain on paper towels.

In a bowl, mix the onion with the lime juice and 3/4 teaspoon of salt; let stand for 10 minutes.

Fold in the avocados, peas and oil, season with salt and serve.





Sunday, July 27, 2014

27 July 2014










This weekend was filled with tomatoes, friends, fun and laughter. It began with a great meal on Friday night at Riverstone Corner Bistro.
As usual, Shelly Farrar and her team took great care of us, and the food was delicious. Saturday began with the Tomato Sandwich Festival at the Canton Farmers Market, and I was lucky enough to be asked to judge the best home grown tomatoes. Roy Taylor organizes this annual event to celebrate our local community gardens, and we got to taste some interesting varieties of tomatoes. After selecting the top three, everyone enjoyed tomato sandwiches on some of Roy's homemade bread. It was a great event, and everyone had a great time. After the festival, we enjoyed a hot afternoon in the pool. For dinner, we made some tasty homemade pizzas and sat around on the Side Porch with some dear friends and fun stories.

Today started with breakfast at Keithsburg Cafe. It was Coy's birthday, but he was working the grill as usual. After breakfast, I made a batch of Bloody Marys to take to Lisa and John at Cherokee Market. They have been working very hard on their new store in Lathemtown, so I wanted to take them a treat. Of course, I also need to stock up on a few ingredients for tonight's Sunday Supper.

Last weekend, our dear friend, Leslie Westbrook, visited us from Maryland. While here, she wanted some Southern veggies for dinner, and I happily obliged. She returned the favor by shipping me two pounds of Maryland Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Meat fresh from the Chesapeake on Friday. Of course, tonight's meal was built around fresh Maryland crab cakes, and they were delicious! To accompany the crab cakes, I sauteed some Creole style okra, corn and tomatoes along with a simple salad of tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and sherry vinaigrette. For dessert, I made a lemon icebox pie. Our dinner guests included Bill and Theresa Brown from Jasper. It was a very nice meal and evening.

By the way, you can now go directly to my blog at www.billssundaysuppers.com. Thanks to CB Smithwick for hooking
me up! Bon appetite y'all!


The Menu:

- Maryland Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes

- Creole Okra, Corn, and Tomato Saute

- Tomato Salad with Mozzarella, Basil and Organic Greens

- Lemon Ice Box Pie


The Recipe – Creole Okra, Corn and Tomato Saute


Ingredients:


1 cup minced bell pepper (I prefer yellow)

1 jalapeño finely chopped

1/2 cup minced scallions

1/2 cup butter

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 cup sliced okra

3 tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon thyme

Salt and pepper to taste


Directions:


Saute peppers and scallions in butter until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add corn and okra and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.


Monday, July 7, 2014

06 July 2014












Yes, I know! It has been several weeks since my last post, but the last six weeks have been hectic – to say the least. I have been traveling for work, and Summer shows no signs of slowing down. June began with a very busy and successful NeoCon in Chicago, the world's largest trade show for commercial furnishings. Grant Design Collaborative had three clients and two showrooms at the event, and everyone was very pleased with the results. My entire team was on the scene to ensure another flawless showing at my 30th NeoCon, and I was even inaugurated into the SABAYH Society (Steak as Big as Your Head) at Gene and Gorgetti's with my good friends Brian Graham and Michael Vanderbyl. It was an exhausting and memorable trip.

I returned home from Chicago for less than a week before departing to facilitate a new client's brand experience workshop in Quebec. The client was located about an hour and a half South of Quebec City in Saint-Georges. The local scenery was beautiful, but I did not have a lot of time to enjoy the sights. However, the session went very well, and I enjoyed the meeting. I flew back very early on Friday morning and landed in Atlanta around noon. I immediately drove to Savannah to join some of my fellow Canton City Council members and our Mayor for the Georgia Municipal Association's (GMA) Annual Convention. On Saturday, I attended an all day session on Economic Development, a topic of passion for me. Most of it was very interesting, and it is always great to hear new ideas that may help the City of Canton reach its potential.

I was really looking forward to slowing down last weekend and, especially, to attending a family reunion in Dalton on Saturday. However, I slowed down more than intended with a stomach bug that landed me in bed for most of the weekend. I did rally long enough to attend the reunion, and it was great seeing the relatives on my mother's and grandmother's side. There was a lot of great food that I could not fully enjoy, but the fellowship, stories and wonderful memories soothed my soul for a few hours. Luckily, Jeff stepped in on Friday night to make my dad's secret family BBQ sauce to adorn Angelfire7's delicious pulled pork, and he even baked my mom's infamous jalapeño cornbread for the event. I moaned a few directions to him on Friday night, and he did a great job.

The past week was spent trying to catch up at the office and preparing for an important Council Work Session on Thursday. Once that was done, it was full speed ahead in preparation for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. As in years past, our dear friends Steve and Amado visited us on the Fourth for a laid back celebration. We floated in the pool for most of the day and tried to catch up on the details of our busy lives. Jeff and Cory spent the afternoon working in downtown, along with the Main Street board, for the First Friday celebration and annual Independence Day parade. The events were very well attended, and everyone had a blast. Thanks to the Main Street Board for volunteering their time and hard work on a holiday! Once they got back, I made some pimento cheese sandwiches for pool snacks, and we relaxed for a little while longer. For dinner, I made bacon wrapped hot dogs, BBQ chicken breasts, caprese salad and matchstick fried okra. Everyone enjoyed dinner, and later we walked down to the new park to enjoy the spectacular fireworks display sponsored by Canton Tourism. When we returned home, we enjoyed a refreshing frozen Strawberry Delight dessert that I had made earlier in the day. It was a very relaxing and fun day.

On Saturday, we stopped by and did a little work on our plot at the Victory Garden East. After that, we ventured over to Autumn Hill Nursery to get some new Caramel Cora Belles for the Side Porch planters. From there, we skirted over to Cherokee Market's amazing new location in Lathemtown. They are still working on the interior, but they are fully stocked and selling farm fresh produce from the front porch of the old general store. Lisa had just returned from the farmers market, and we scored some beautiful yellow and red tomatoes, plump blackberries, silver queen corn and a watermelon. Most of these fresh items were used in tonight's Sunday Supper. While it was sad to drive by the former location at the doomed Bell's Store, it is inspiring to watch Lisa and her gang resurrect and bring new life to the old general store in Lathemtown. Cherokee Market is going to be bigger and better than ever!

Sunday began with an early morning visit to Starbucks, followed by a few hours of work at the office. In addition to some client work, I spent a couple of hours reviewing the preliminary 2015 budget figures for the City of Canton. We will be meeting over the next couple of weeks to finalize the figures and, hopefully, move forward in a positive and effective manner. After working for a few hours, I returned home to begin preparing Sunday Supper. I began by baking a cobbler with the fresh blackberries from Cherokee Market. It was my first attempt at this version, and it was delicious! For the entree, I modified an interesting Southern interpretation of Chicken Cordon Bleu. I pounded some free range chicken breasts to about an 1/8 inch thickness and seasoned both sides with salt and pepper. I then blanched some kale from the garden for a couple of minutes, squeezed it dry and chopped to place on top of each breast. I topped the kale with some grated parmesan and two thin slices of ham. I rolled the chicken up tightly, placed a sage leaf on top of each and secured with a toothpick. I browned the chicken rolls on all four sides and placed in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. While the chicken was baking, I used the skillet to make a sauce by adding a half cup of chicken stock and some lemon juice and let reduce a bit. I then thickened the sauce with a slurry of cornstarch and a bit more stock. At the end, I added two tablespoons of butter off heat. I served the sauce over the chicken, and it was very tasty. For sides, I utilized the produce from Cherokee Market to make a Caprese salad and truffled silver queen corn.

There's nothing better than sharing a great summer supper with dear friends, and there's no place like home!


The Menu:


- Chicken Cordon Bill – Free Range Chicken Rolls with Kale, Parmesan and Maverick Ham

- Fresh Silver Queen Corn with White Truffle Oil

- Red and Yellow Caprese Salad

- Blackberry Cobbler ala Mode


The Recipes:


Truffled Silver Queen Corn

- 4 ears of fresh silver queen corn
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- kosher salt
- white truffle oil to taste

Directions: Shuck corn and cut kernels just before cooking. Scrape cobs to remove corn "milk." Melt butter and olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add corn and saute for 8-10 minutes. Add kosher salt to taste and a drizzle of white truffle oil (a little goes a long way). Mix well, and serve immediately.

Southern Blackberry Cobbler


- 1 stick Butter
- 1-1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Self-Rising Flour
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 cups Blackberries
- lemon juice

Directions:

Melt butter. Pour 1 cup of sugar and flour into a mixing bowl and whisk in milk. Mix well. Pour in melted butter and whisk together well. Butter a baking dish.

Rinse and pat dry the blackberries. Taste the blackberries for sweetness and adjust sugar accordingly. Add 1/2 cup sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice to the berries and mix well. Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries over the top of the batter, distributing evenly. Pour any accumulating juice over the top.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle an additional teaspoon or two of sugar over the cobbler 10 minutes before it’s done. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream or warm with ice cream.