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.