Sunday, August 30, 2015

30 August 2015












Finally, there's a hint of Fall in the air, and it was a beautiful weekend in Canton and North Georgia. Friday after work, I had a chance to catch up with my dear friends, Christi and Bruce Hinkley, for a cocktail at Downtown Kitchen. Summer has been so busy, and we both have been traveling a lot since Dancing for the Children. Afterward, I joined other friends at The Snug for a drink before we had an excellent dinner at Chon Ngern Thai Restaurant. This relative newcomer is located in the old Shoney's space, and their food is excellent. They also now serve beer and wine, so check them out if you like Thai food.

Saturday began, as always, with a trip to the Canton Farmers Market. It was a wonderful day for the market, and I scored onions, carrots, focaccia, spicy peanut brittle, parsley, sage and thyme from my friends at Whim-Wham Art Farm. I also found some pickled jalapeno and banana peppers, and a yellow watermelon. After the market, we ventured up to Mercier Orchard in Blue Ridge for lunch and to pick up a few cartons of their hard cider that Grant Design Collaborative recently designed for them. We have had a blast working on this and other projects with the Mercier team, and it will be exciting to see the hard cider in retail stores in the near future. I also picked up some other key ingredients for tonight's Sunday Supper at Mercier: Logan Turnpike Mills Course Cornmeal from Blairsville, apples and some of their amazing apple cider doughnuts. Of course, the Mercier Market was very busy, and if you visit them in a few weeks, be on the lookout for our new signage and apparel we designed for the market!

After enjoying some Mercier Hard Cider on their outdoor deck, we began our journey back to Canton via a couple of stops at two new vineyards in North Georgia's growing wine country. Our first stop was Chateau Meichtry in Talking Rock. We enjoyed a glass of wine and live music in their scenic outdoor courtyard. Mountain Valley Farm is very close by, so we stopped there next to pick up some grass fed beef and heritage bacon. Mountain Valley is a fantastic place to buy local, organic and grass fed beef and heritage pork, and their products are of the highest quality. Our last stop before dinner was Engelheim Vineyard in Ellijay where we got to observe their wine crushing process and interesting conversations with the owners. The wine was great, and the setting was charming. I highly recommend both of these vineyards for a tasting or a fun weekend excursion. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at 61 Main in Jasper. This lovely restaurant uses locally sourced products in all of their dishes, and the food is amazing! It is also worth the drive from Canton for lunch or dinner.

Today, I spent all afternoon in the kitchen putting all of my foraged ingredients to good use in tonight's Sunday Supper. The Fall-like weather inspired me to cook a pot of Italian beef stew. Mountain Valley's grass fed stew beef was delicious, especially when combined with Whim-Wham's organic carrots, onions and herbs. I used the Logan Turnpike cornmeal to make herb polenta, and I served the stew over the top. For an appetizer, I made a special treat for our friend, John Clark, who is a native of Wisconsin. Gene and Elly Hobgood just returned from a trip there, and they brought him one of his favorite things – cheese curds! So, I fried them for him, and they were just as delicious as he described them to be. Mercier Orchard inspired tonight's dessert, an apple bread pudding made from their apple cider doughnuts! I served it with Bourbon whipped cream, and it was divine.

Now, I'm looking forward to Fall and all of the delectable dishes and exciting projects the season will bring.

The Menu:


- Italian Beef Stew

- Logan Turnpike Mills Herb Polenta

- Whim-Wham Art Farm Parmesan Focaccia

- Mercier Orchard Apple Cider Doughnut
Bread Pudding


The Recipe – Mercier Orchard Apple Cider Doughnut Bread Pudding


Ingredients:

1 dozen Mercier Apple Cider Doughnuts cut or torn into 1 inch pieces
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large Mercier apples of your choice: peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup brandy
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
Bourbon whipped cream for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the doughnuts on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast for about 10-15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until toasted and dry.

In a large skillet, melt the butter then add the apples and 1/4 cup of the sugar to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are golden and softened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon. Remove from the heat and add the Brandy. Return the skillet to the heat and cook until the sauce is syrupy, about 1 minute. Reserve the butter sauce from the pan.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the eggs and milk. Add the toasted doughnuts and apples, and toss until evenly coated. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the doughnuts to absorb the custard.

Butter a medium baking dish then add the bread pudding mixture. Drizzle the reserved butter sauce from the apples on top. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the custard is set and the top is golden. Let the bread pudding cool slightly, then serve with whipped cream.




Sunday, August 23, 2015

23 August 2015 – Brunch Edition












Welcome to the Brunch Edition of Bill's Sunday Suppers!

Last week was very busy but also a lot of fun. Mayor Hobgood was out of town and had to miss his first City Council meeting in seven and a half years, so I had an opportunity to act as Mayor Pro Tem at Thursday's meeting. The meeting went well, and we got a lot accomplished in just under 45 minutes, including passage of the 2016 fiscal budget that represented a slight tax decrease.

Saturday began as usual with a trip to the Canton Farmers Market and a stop for coffee and bagels at Cup-Up. I also made it out to Cherokee Market to pick up some additional produce and farm eggs since there were none left at the market. The rest of the day was spent cleaning and prepping for today's special brunch guests. After cleaning and then baking some cheese wafers, we cleaned up and went over to Soleil to celebrate the birthdays of some friends, Frank and Micki Farley. They, along with two others, threw a big party in the clubhouse, and of course it was a lot of fun. Whenever there is a party at Soleil, I know it's going to be a great time. Afterward, we dropped by Downtown Kitchen to wish another dear friend, Jennifer Dunn, bon voyage on the eve of her two week European adventure.

So this brings me to Sunday, and today was all about brunch with three of my best girlfriends from Berry College; Kelly MCCafferty Christofferson, Wendy Grace Williams and Mary Clare Flaherty Phillips. Kelly was visiting Atlanta from Chicago for her high school reunion, so the girls decided they wanted to do brunch. Much to my delight, Kelly wanted to see Canton, so I offered to cook brunch. Wendy is a great cook also, and she brought a delicious Grits and Greens casserole. Mary Clare picked up some decadent jumbo cupcakes from Alpine Bakery, and Jeff whipped up some refreshing mimosas. For brunch, I made Southern cheese wafers, brown sugar and cracked pepper bacon, baby lettuces with strawberries, feta and smoked almonds, salt and pepper cream biscuits and Anne Quatrano's Frittata with Fresh Herbs. We had tried Anne's frittata at the Southern Betty Brunch in March during the Charleston Wine and Food Festival, and it was as nice as I remembered. I figured if it was good enough for the Food and Wine Festival, it would be good enough for my own Southern Berry Bettys.

We brunched on the Side Porch at One Britt and caught up with each other. Wendy brought an album of college photos from our Berry days, and it was a lot of fun reliving those awesome memories – eighties hairstyles and all. Of course, four hours had passed before we knew it, and we had to say our goodbyes. Hopefully, we will all get together again soon, along with the rest of our old gang. Brunch with these beautiful ladies and sharing "many memories of the silver and the blue" was a perfect ending to a busy week. Brunch was exceptional, and I ate a lot of food. Most of all, my heart is full, and I am very thankful to have such wonderful memories from college and lifelong friends that never
seem to age.


L to R: Kelly, Mary Clare, Billy, Wendy


The Menu:


- Southern Cheese Wafers

- Bacon with Brown Sugar and Cracked Pepper

- Frittata with Fresh Herbs

- Baby Lettuces with Strawberries, Feta and Smoked Almonds

- Miss Wendy's Grits and Greens Casserole

- Salt and Pepper Cream Biscuits


The Recipe – Frittata with Ricotta and Fresh Herbs (adapted from Anne Quatrano)


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon chopped chives
4 garlic cloves, halved
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
8 large farm eggs, beaten
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
3 slices of white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, simmer the garlic in the olive oil over medium low heat until soft and golden, around 7 minutes; discard the garlic. Toss the diced bread with 1 tablespoon of garlic oil in a pie pan, and bake for 6 minutes, or until crisp. Leave the oven on.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the Parmesan, cream, chives and tarragon; season with salt and pepper. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the garlic oil.

In a 10-inch nonstick, ovenproof skillet, heat the remaining garlic oil until shimmering. Whisk the eggs again, then add to the skillet and cook without stirring for 1 minute, until just set around the edge. Using a rubber spatula, lift the edge and tilt the pan so the uncooked egg runs underneath. Continue until the eggs are mostly set, about 3 minutes. Spoon the ricotta in small dollops over the frittata; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the croutons. Bake for 4 minutes, until fluffy and set. Slide onto a large plate, cut into wedges and serve immediately.




Monday, August 10, 2015

09 August 2015















What a sweet and rewarding weekend in Canton, Georgia! It began with the August First Friday, and downtown was packed with friends and families enjoying the music, food, shopping and classic cars. I caught up with my dear friends, Beth and David Riordan, owners of Crabapple Tavern. They commented how much downtown Canton had changed since they moved to the area years ago and how great it was to see the positive momentum. Once again, hats off to our Main Street board and the hard working volunteers who make this and other memorable events happen. Not only do they bring new customers into our downtown shops and restaurants, a fact I witnessed once again on Friday night, they also promote Canton as a destination and wonderful city to live, work and play.

After spending some time at First Friday, I had to retreat to the Kitchen at One Britt to continue my pie baking in anticipation for Saturday morning's first annual Pie Contest at the Canton Farmers Market. I was so excited about this contest, and Micki Farley and the other participants did a fantastic job with the logistics. While I love to cook, I am not necessarily an accomplished baker, but I decided to challenge myself. After lots of deliberation and, what some would call obsession, I decided to bake two pies: a Georgia Peach Pie and a Cast Iron Heirloom Green Tomato Pie. The green tomato pie is an old Southern recipe that was used as a substitute for a Summer, out of season, apple pie. It has similar spices and flavors, yet offers a distinctive and unique personality. While baking my pies, I kept thinking about my grandmother and great aunts. They loved pie, and each of them had their special recipe. They would rotate between each of their homes, with a pie in tow, and enjoy their creations with a pot of coffee, fresh from the percolator. It was so hot, they would pour it into their coffee cup saucers to cool and sip it from there. As an imaginative young Southern lad, I just knew this was how the ladies drank their coffee in France!

I finished my pies around 1:30 AM on Saturday morning and attempted to sleep, but it was impossible in a house filled with the aroma of fresh baked pies! I kept having nightmares about burnt crusts and running fillings, so I finally just got up around 6 AM to check on my creations. They were still looking good, sitting pretty underneath their tea towels. I longed for a percolator but settled for the Keurig, wishing the coffee was hot enough to drink from a saucer. After making some Bourbon whipped cream to dollop atop the Georgia Peach Pie, we carefully wrapped the pies and transferred them like Faberge Eggs to the Farmers Market for the contest. After a meticulous blind tasting by the judges, my efforts paid off, and my Cast Iron Green Tomato Pie garnered First Place in the Adult category. I was very pleased, and congratulations are in order for Shelly Farrar of Riverstone Corner Bistro for her First Place Key Lime Pie winner in the Professional category.

After recovering from a lack of sleep, Sunday was dedicated to some house chores and, of course, some foraging for Sunday Supper ingredients. We finally found some time to venture up to Emily's Garden at Haradon Farm in Ball Ground. This great little farm stand features a variety of locally grown produce and canned items from Robby Westbrook's farm. I scored some of the season's last silver queen corn, banana peppers and two bags of fresh shelled purple hull peas. After leaving Emily's, we swung by Frankfurt Doner and Meats in downtown Ball Ground to pick up some of their infamous smoked pork chops. All of these ingredients found their way into tonight's Sunday Supper, in addition to some local okra that was given to us by our dear friend and neighbor, Pat Gold, jalapeƱo peppers grown by best friend, Cory Wilson, and our very own figs from One Britt. I even resurrected the Bourbon whipped cream for dessert to top my sweet shortbread biscuits with honey and brown butter caramelized figs.

So I basked in the glory of my blue ribbon, and Jeff and I dined like kings with our good friends, Cory and John, on the Side Porch at One Britt. I have no doubt, whatsoever, my granny, Aunt Jody, Aunt Aileen and Aunt Reenie were there too.

The Menu:

- BBQ Smoked Pork Chops

- Fritto Peperonis e Verdura – Fried Pepper Rings, Okra and Pickles with Buttermilk Ranch

- Purple Hull Peas with Smoked Ham Hock

- Okra and Bacon Pancakes

- Sweet Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey Caramelized Figs
and Bourbon Whipped Cream





The Recipe – Cast Iron Green Tomato Pie

Dough Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
4 oz. chilled buttermilk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar or chilled vodka

Preparation - Dough

Place flour into a large bowl. Add sugar, salt, and butter, mix well. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, and pulse together 3 to 4 times until the texture of coarse meal. Return to mixing bowl, then add buttermilk and vinegar or vodka, and work them into the dry ingredients. As a dough begins to form, fold it over itself a few times. Once the dough comes together, transfer to a floured surface and knead once or twice until all ingredients are combined. Divide dough in half and form into two discs. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate for 45 mins or overnight. roll about half the dough into a circle 12 to 13 inches in diameter. Lightly flour the side of the dough facing up and place the rolling pin centered on the edge closest to you. Place your thumbs under the edge of the pie dough and roll it up onto the pin. Reserve the remainder of the dough for the lattice on top of the pie. Refrigerate both until ready to use.

Ingredients – Filling

2 slices smoked bacon
6 dark green but firm tomatoes
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
5 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1½ tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
½ tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. light molasses
Egg wash

Preparation – Filling and Assembly

Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until fat is rendered. Remove bacon and place skillet in a cool place to sit until fat has solidified. Slice the green tomatoes into 8-12 wedges, depending on size. Place wedges into a large mixing bowl; add cinnamon, salt, sugar, and flour, then toss well to coat. Next add butter, lemon juice and peel, vinegar, and molasses. Toss again to make sure all ingredients are combined thoroughly.

Once the skillet is completely cool, spread the bacon fat over the bottom and sides of the pan. Roll one disc on the pie crust into a 12 to 13 inch circle and place into the pan to form the bottom crust. Crimp the edges in a decorative pattern, and pierce the center of the crust with a fork a few times. Layer the tomato wedges inside the crust, and pour over the remaining liquid. Roll out the remaining dough and cut into strips. Braid the strips over the top in a lattice pattern, and brush with egg wash. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and tomatoes are cooked through. Cool on a rack before serving.