Field of Greens 2011

Field of Greens is one of my very favorite food events of the year.  More than anything, I think it is because of the people it attracts.  We gather on the farm not to look nostalgically but to look forward to sustainability and celebrate local food with the partnerships between chefs and farmers. Many of the restaurants involved base their menus around the week's harvest.

Like last year, the day was as gorgeous as if we had ordered the perfect day.  Before the tasting tent opened I strolled around the market area and picked up some goodies:  tomatoes from a local farm, a jar of Wedgies and Rasta beans from Phickles Pickles and bacon from Pine Street Market. I headed over to the silent auction area to place a few bids to help farmers in need.  While bidding I could check out the vendors nearby. I tried a bit of High Road Craft Ice Cream and smelled the delicious Jittery Joe's coffee while friends bought caramels from Sugar-Coated Radical.

The aromas emanating from the tasting tent was too much and I made my way in. Restaurant areas were well spaced and I never had much a of a wait for a bite. 



Delicious house-made lamb sausage with blueberry pickled onions
 from Duane Nutter of One Flew South

Butterbean hummus with pepper jelly on sweet potato chips
from Leon's Full Service

 



From Brickstore Pub-I could have eaten 10

One Midtown Kitchen goodness from Drew Van Leuvan

#246 African squash soup with pumpkin seeds





Pork pate from Parish

Ryan Smith from Empire State South--deviled ham roulade with pickled veggies and radish on bacon-mustardd crackers.



Robert Phalen from Holy Taco/One Eared Stag
made this trotter terrine. (I may have had more than my fair share)



Nick Melvin of Rosebud serving up some comfort (chicken and biscuits)

Muss and Turner's/Local Three meatballs. ( I had seconds)

Food 101's pork belly slider with kimchee

Chef Justin Burdett preparing  house-made pork sausage, stewed greens, shaved radish
over chestnut puree. I thought he said he drizzled something with thyme over the top. It was
perfect.



Huitlacoche Quesadilla with poblano from Taqeuria del Sol
Huitlacoche is a fungus that grows on corn. It is expensive
and delicious.



 



My favorite dish, Tennessee Hot Chicken from Linton Hopkins
of Holeman and Finch and  Restaurant Eugene.
So hot, so tender, so wonderful. Do you know about Price's Hot Chicken in Tennesee? Watch this

After all the yummy bites and bowls I headed to the  F'n' Chef Competition

emceed by my favorite radio personality, Mara Davis.  Three chefs, Terry Koval (Farm Burger), Nick Melvin (Rosebud) and Eric Ottensmeyer (Leon's Full Service) battled it out with White Oak Pastures' beef and local veggies. 

 Ottensmeyer took the win!

Master of ceremonies, Ron Eyester of Rosebud.

All in all, a beautiful day on delightful Whippoorwill Hollow Farm with delicious food, smiling people, great market items and silent auction winnings. All this fun in the the name of good will towards farmers in need and promoting local food. Can't wait to hear how much money was raised for Slow Food Atlanta. 

Field of Greens 2011

Field of Greens is one of my favorite festivals of the year in Georgia and it is this Sunday, October 2nd. Celebrating the farmer and the chef, it always has a stellar lineup.  Look at this year's participating restaurants:

Ron Eyester - Rosebud, The Family Dog

Robert Phalen - One Eared Stag, Holy Taco

Jay Swift - 4th & Swift

Stephen Herman - Haven

Matt Swickerath - Valenza

Dave Larkworthy - 5 Seasons Brewing Company

Eddie Hernandez - Taqueria del Sol

Justin Burdett - Miller Union

Matt Palmerlee - Farm 255

Terry Koval - Farm Burger

Linton Hopkins - Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch Public House

Dave Roberts - Community Q BBQ

Eric Ottensmeyer - Leon's Full Service

Cathy Conway - Avalon Catering

EJ Hodgkinson - Woodfire Grill

Linda Harrell - Cibo E Beve

Justin Keith - Food 101

Ford Fry - JCT Kitchen

Drew Belline - No. 246

Lance Gummere - The Shed at Glenwood

Ryan Smith - Empire State South

Chris Hall - Local Three

Todd Mussman - Muss & Turner's

Duane Nutter - One Flew South

Marc Taft - Chicken and the Egg

Drew Van Leuvan - One Midtown Kitchen

Joe Schafer - Parish

Janine Falvo - Briza

Lisa Slater - Dal Cuore Market & Restaurant

Ryan Tittle - Brick Store Pub

Megan McCarthy - Healthy Eating 101

The weather looks to be incredible (just like last year) for a day at  Whippoorwill Hollow Farm, a 74-acre working organic farm located in Walnut Grove, just north of Covington and an easy 45 minute drive east of Atlanta. 

from etsy

                                        

Check out the Farmers Market area:

Little Tart Bakeshop (baked goods)

Antico Mercante (cheeses)

Pine Street Market (artisan meats)

Cafe Campesino (coffee)

Phickles Pickles (pickles)--save me some wedgies.

King of Pops (popsicles)

Nature's Garden Delivered (vegetable home delivery service)

High Road Craft Ice Cream (ice cream)---word on the street isthat they are bringing this:  Tastes like Bourbon with Dark Chocolate Chunks and a touch of sweet handmade Praline. oh. my.

Goodness Gracious Granola (granola)

Indigo Bath & Body (soaps)

Little Red Hen Bakeshop (baked goods)

Fairywood Thicket (jams)

Kriya Kitchen (cookies)

Jittery Joe's Coffee (coffee)

Decimal Place Farm (goat cheese)

David Jeffries Kitchen (biscotti)

Madeline Burdine Jewelry (jewelry)

Cirkelfish Studio (clay)

Back to the Roots (mushroom growing kits)

Songbird Soaps (soaps)

Garlic Clove Foods (quinoa dishes)

sugar-coated radical (chocolates)

Farmer D Organics (gardening supplies)

Great Cupcake Company (cupcakes)

Emily G's (jams)

Sustenance Design (sustainable & edible landscape design)

Beautiful Briny Sea (organic herb salts)

Dal Cuore Market (local food marketplace)

OmniGreen Life/Gia Film Productions ("Frequency of Genius" movie)

FARMERS MARKET: FARMERS

Whipporwill Hollow Organic Farm

Moore Farms & Friends

Morningside Farmers Market

Double B Farm

Darby Farms

Mills Farm's Red Mule Grits

McMullan Family Farm

MEALS FROM THE MARKET: FARMERS

Besmaid Garden Essentials, Decatur

Third Angel Farm, Stone Mountain

Burge Organic Farm, Mansfield

Heirloom Gardens, Cumming

Love is Love Farm, Decatur

Crack in the Sidewalk Farmlet, Atlanta

Native Sun Farm, Bogart

Front Field Farm, Covington

Truly Living Well, Atlanta

Riverview Farms, Ranger

Whippoorwill Hollow Farm, Walnut Grove

Dillwood Farms, Loganville

Umurima (Burundi Women's Farm), Decatur

Get tickets now. Here

This year they have added The F' n' Chef Competition -- an Iron Chef-like competition that will take place in the middle of the day next to the Chef Tent. Three chefs will be selected for the competition. The chefs will be given a secret ingredient and then they will need to prepare a dish using that ingredient and those items from the small food pantry to be stocked by Whole Foods. The dish will be scored by five judges and the F' n' Chef 2011 winner declared.

Competing Chefs: Terry Koval (Farm Burger), Nick Melvin (Rosebud) and Eric Ottensmeyer (Leon's Full Service).

Judges: Will Harris (White Oak Pastures Owner/Rancher), Tom Maicon (Food & Beer Atlanta Publisher) Andrew Sasser (Whole Foods Regional Prepared Foods Coordinator), Julie Shaffer (Slow Food USA Southern Regional Governor) and a judge to be identified soon.

Emcee: Mara Davis of Dave-FM. (how cool is that?)

See you Sunday!



A night of cocktails with Our Libatious Nature

On a hot summers night I met up with friends, including Nicky & Katruska of Our Libatious Nature to celebrate a friend with hand crafted cocktails from some of Atlanta's finest spots. First stop, The Iberian Pig

The Iberian Old-Fashioned

Bacon-infused rye whiskey,brown sugar, molasses, Angostura bitters, Peychaud's bitters, orange and lemon twists

I loved the big hunk of ice and the smokiness of the rye. We ordered a plate of Pinchos de Cerdo - Slow roasted pork tenderloin pate, pistachio, golden raisins, goat cheese, roasted tomato, lavender honey, served on toasted bread to nibble on.



The New York Robusto Manhattan

This is way beyond your average Manhattan. This off menu cocktail is perhaps my second favorite cocktail I have ever had. Their secret is a combination of two house made bourbons: a Robusto cigar infused bourbon and a smoke shop bourbon with citrus and spices. The bourbons are mixed with vermouth, Angustura bitters and lavender honey on the rim of the glass. Them stem of my glass was wrapped with strips of cigar leaf, a simple addition that added so much to the experience, as you could smell the aroma with each sip. With this we enjoyed bacon wrapped dates stuffed with Manchego cheese and walnuts...and then we ordered another plate of them.

Next Stop: Leon's Full Service



Seelbach and Ramos gin fizz

A night at Leon's Full Service with Miles Macquarrie crafting behind the bar can be magical. It is fun (when it is not busy) to ask him to create something for you off the menu. On this evening the place was packed so I ordered the special on the board, The Seelbach. It was a wise choice. The bourbon, contreau, bitters and champagne topper was a mixture my palate had never tasted. This is the best part of cocktails, the unexpected delight of flavors bouncing off one another. We ordered (of course) bacon in a glass and a bucket of fries with curry dipping sauce. These are musts in my mind when visiting Leon's. In front of my drink is a friend's Ramos gin fizz. If you ever want to hear the history of this drink visit Tom at Prohibition. He makes a great one and as he does you will get a lively told history lesson.

The Pineapple Express

Last stop, Top Flr. We had a cozy booth across from the bar so we could watch Brian Stanger in action. I would love to have organized recall of what we ordered but this was our last stop of many. I remember someone had a Strange Horse (ahem @MrAtlanta) and someone had a Half Shell that was similar to a Pimm's cup. I ordered jokingly the cocktail Brian made for Attack of the Killer Tomato fest. Ask and you shall receive because there it is in all its loveliness, The Pineapple Express. It was gone very quickly as was the Tuna Tartar on Sardinian Flat Bread with Thai Miso Pesto, Avocado, and Lime Aioli. I wish Top Flr was open for lunch because I crave this on a daily basis now.

Visit the blog Our Libations Nature if you enjoy a good cocktail or the history behind their creation. It's a heck of a blog. I am hoping to bring Nicky and Katruska to the Boom Boom Shaboom Glitter Room Speakeasy someday to show off their mixology skills.

Don't tell me coffee is bad for me

Photo taken an Empire State South

Foam artisans, huh?

Last month I tweeted that I was out of coffee and it was an emergency. Three days later a package arrived in the mail from Dean's Beans Organic and Fair Trade Coffee Company. I don't know who sent this to me but I am grateful and am now a huge fan Of Dean's Beans. Go to their page and read about the company-- Organic, shade grown, Kosher, fair-trade AND tastes great. I love that my beans were roasted and shipped on the same day. The superiority of these beans to the familiar coffe shop bag I had on hand was huge.  The Sumatran French roast was deep, dark, very earthy and a bit spicy.  Thank you anonymous friend who sent me the gift of Dean's Beans.

Next I want to try the Marrakesh Express which is described here:

"The fruity taste of wild-harvested Ethiopian Sidamo blended with the passionate bite of Timor make for a strong and mysterious brew. Feel the rhythms in the corners of your mouth ."

I googled and found that I can pick up Dean's Beans right here in Atlanta at Grant Park Coffeehouse. 

It feels great to purchase coffee and support a company that does so much good. After a bit a research on coffee consumption it also feels great for my health.  Here are the bullet points of the benefits of drinking coffee:

• lowers the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease (Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (Volume 16:1).
• lowers the risk of liver cancer and protects one from Cirrhosis (Archives of Internal Medicine)
• diverts Type 2 Diabetes (Archives of Internal Medicine)
• protects your heart by lowering the risk of strokes
• lowers the rate of age related cognitive decline (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition)
• helps with digestion
• reduces gallstones
• increases fiber intake( about 1.8 grams of fiber per cup)
• gives load of antioxidants (more per serving than blueberries), including flavonoids that protect against cardiovascular disease by reducing oxidation of LDL cholesterol
• cuts post workout muscle pain by 48% (Journal of Pain 2007)
• boosts brain power by boosting the activity of brain cells
• it's delicious (I added this one. My own scientific theory)

franks and beans

(image from Brainlesstales.com)

“Ponder well on this point: the pleasant hours of our life are all connected by a more or less tangible link, with some memory of the table.”Charles Pierre Monselet (1825-1888)

Whenever I am feeling nostalgic and missing my dad, I feel like making pork and beans. This simple dish is pure magic for me. We had these rituals, he and I. Together on weekend afternoons we sometimes made pork and beans. No, we didn't soak beans and render pork. We opened cans and used condiments. He especially liked to use Heinz baked beans "because they are English." So, we would open a couple of cans and he would talk about the army. Each time we cooked I heard a new story but he always talked about eating canned beans and how he had perfected seasoning them. He would ask me to hand him the ketchup, the mustard (plain yellow, not the fancy stuff), pepper, brown sugar and sometimes even vinegar. We would pour, shake, taste and adjust until it was just right. Then he would cut hot dogs using surgical scissors and toss them in the pot which would simmer until lunch. We would sit together, talk and laugh. When I try to think about all the important moments of my life, my wedding, the births of my children, etc. I feel this ranks right there and I didn't even know it at the time. I hope that my children and I are creating these food memories as well. They seem to stick, much like pork and beans sticks to the ribs.

This is the power of food. The best meals don't always come from Michelin stars but are remembered so deliciously because of the moment in time and the company.  When I need to journey back in time I just need a couple of cans and some condiments.

A Pie for Mikey

When I read Kat Kinsman's post on Eatocracy about the sudden death of Mikey Perillo, husband of Jennifer Perillo of Jennie's Kitchen, I cried at length. I have met Kat before but I have never met Mikey or Jennifer. I have only heard of Jennifer's blog. It is a lovely, professional blog by a food writer and recipe developer who has articles and recipes in magazine I love. So much more than what I dabble in here. I feel a connection to Jennie's Kitchen because she has a paragraph about how it all began. She writes:

"...it all started with an article in Newsweek. Back in 1999, my husband, then boyfriend, handed me a clipping about becoming a personal chef. I was 23 and my dad had just passed away—he was only 49 years old. I figured it was time to get cracking on my dreams since there's no guarantee of tomorrow. "

This little blog began the same way. My dad, center of my universe and my very best friend, died a little over a year ago. He committed suicide. There, I said it. I felt like an anchor to the world was gone and even with a loving husband, friends and children, I was lost. I decided to focus on something good that made me happy and makes the rest of the world happy--food. This blog was my escape from the darkness, from the thoughts of guilt and remorse that go along with being a suicide survivor. The food community slowly has been bringing me back to the happy girl I once was.

Jennifer said it felt like time has stood still since his sudden death. I know this pain and I know that even strangers can make a difference in assuaging it. She asked that as a part of her healing process, to make Mikey's favorite peanut butter cream pie and share it with someone we love. I spent the morning making a pie with extra love and I intend on delivering it to a family who not only helped soothed my soul but that of another family in their neighborhood who's mother died suddenly, leaving behind two young children. As Jennifer asked, I will be hugging them "like there is no tomorrow." My love to the Perillo family.

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie

Serves 10 to 12

8 ounces chocolate cookies

4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup creamy-style peanut butter

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well. Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use. Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar. Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream). Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan. Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

Please watch this beautiful video tribute to Jennifer and Mikey by White on rice couple .

Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival

The tomato: seductively red with sensuous curves and flesh bursting with juice. What better gift of summertime to have for a muse? On Sunday July 17,2011 hundreds of fanciers converged at JCT Kitchen to taste and toast the heirloom jewels from local gardens on a dazzling summer day.

I look forward to Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival each year. Along with Field of Greens, it is my favorite gathering of chefs, mixologists, farmers and the food community. Not only is it an homage to the mighty mater but proceeds benefit Georgia Organics, a non profit close to my heart. Sunday's event raised nearly $40,000!

The tomato has come a long way from being banned by the Church of Rome as "the devil's fruit" to being the "benign majesty" it is today. I re-read Pablo Neruda's "Ode to Tomatoes" in preparation for Sunday's fete. In the poem he writes, "at the midpoint of summer, the tomato, star of the earth, recurrent and fertile star..." I thought of that line all day as people discussed the beauty, flavor and totality of the tomato. I wasn't the only one feeling poetic about the tomato.

Aside from a few different chefs and mixologists this year's fest was much the same as last year's festivities. I loved how the bridge was utilized this year to give more space to stations and spread out the crowd. I didn't follow a route on my way. I probably crossed the bridge 4 or 5 times as I flitted about, occasionally stopping to listen to The Spazmatics and Five Bone Rack, composed of chefs Ford Fry, gary Mennie, Jamie Adams, Zeb Stevenson and Justin Brogdon.

I didn't take many photos this year which made the experience all the more enjoyable. I immersed myself in the moment. Besides, I can just look at Savory Exposure's gorgeous photos here.

My first bite came from Chris Neff of Sprig who was inspired by French lore of the tomato's aphrodisiac qualities. Chef Neff filled different heirloom "love apples" from Noring Farms with summer heirloom tomato salad and red snapper ceviche. This was the only station where you could catch festival goers feeding one another their pomme d' amour. This delicate bite made with a watermelon-looking varietal was one of my favorites of the day-gorgeous, delicious, fresh and fun.

And we were off! A roasted tomato galette with bacon horseradish creme fraiche from Jessica Hanners of Souper Jenny, incredible heritage breed pork trotters and sungold tomato salad with guanciale vinaigrette from Matt Palmerlee of Farm 255 and a killer pimento cheese sandwich with sliced tomatoes, pickled green tomato relish and bacon from Farm Burger. It was great fun watching chef Terry Koval toast the bread while we nibbled.

Craig Richards of La Tavola had the most amazing octopus salad with heirloom tomatoes, Thai basil and chili melon with tomatoes from Yoder Family Farm. It was bright, fresh, colorful and the octopus was super soft and tender. Craig explained a Mediterranean tenderizing technique that involves simmering the octopus along with wine corks. Truth or old wives tale; who knows? It works for Craig. The octopus was perfect.

I loved Drew Van Leuvan's dish- a tomato ceviche (Dillwood Farms) with lemon verbena, white chocolate and horseradish granita. Tasting it was one of those rare instances when the flavor combination was something never before experienced. It was graceful and dainty, savory and robust. Pretty sure I grabbed Drew's hand and said "this is so good" to which he replied "I know!" He always surprises and delights me at One Midtown Kitchen. Another I really loved with similar lightness was Empire State South's tomatoes with flowering basil, shoyu-tomato vinaigrette and fromage blanc. Lush flavors and local ingredients are just what I expected of chefs Hugh Acheson and Ryan Smith. Hugs and big smiles were great bonuses.

Two of my favorites that I could eat as an entree: Miller Union's Steven Satterfield served up shrimp, tomato (Love is Love Farm), okra and hot pepper over rice grits. Hot and Hot Fish Club's Chris Hastings had the most beautiful head-on Florida hoppers with heirloom tomatoes, grilled Vidalia onion, avocados and a basil lime vinaigrette. Holy smokes, they were lobster-like in flavor.

My votes for best booths would be Linton Hopkins' of Holeman and Finch and Restaurant Eugene and Hector Santiago of Pura Vida. Behind the H&F/Eugene area were perfect logos from the restaurants created out of toothpicks and cherry tomatoes. Ingenious. Pura Vida's booth had house cured meat hanging alongside a pig face complete with earring and tomato in it's mouth. The best part, besides his amazing "Montadtod de Tomates", was the display holder he made the night before. He laughed about hammering out the the metal late at night after I complimented him on it. He went into incredible detail about the tomato creama inside his beautiful bite. As he always says, "heart and balls." He never phones it in.

My three favorite creative (and delicious) bites:

• Pimento Cheese profiterole with tomato jam- Patric Bell of West Egg. Exquisite and delectable.
• Tomato and charred watermelon pop- Matt Adolfi of Floataway Cafe. Sweet, savory, cool.
• Heirloom salsa gelee with shrimp ceviche, tortilla powder and micro cilantro- Cooper Miller of The Feed Store Restaurant. Colorful and amazing in texture and taste. Putting all the bits together tasted like a bite of chips and salsa. Yum-my.

Soup on a hot day? Yes, please. I loved Shaun Doty of YEAH! Burger's smokes tomato soup with mussels even on such a warm afternoon. Tomatoes go very well with the salt of the sea. Jay Swift of 4th and Swift cooled my palate after a spicy dish. His tomato melon gazpacho was velvety, soft and delightfully topped with a slice of crisp radish. Cooler still was Ron Eyester's chilled bloody Mary soup with Celia's cherry tomatoes and crumbled farm egg which could be enjoyed inside JCT. I love the green tomato bloody Mary that is seasonal at his restaurant, Rosebud as much as I adored the tomato lemonade champagne he served in The Family Dog cups at the festival. He said it was inspired by Kat Kinsman's tomato lemonade mocktail recipe found here in Food and Wine.

Speaking of cocktails, the mixologists of The Attack of the Killer Tomato were extremely inventive. I liked all but one. Stand outs:

• Tomatina Punch- Kellie Thorn of Empire State South. Loved the tomato foam from Woodland Gardens tomatoes and the lavender bitters.
• Rio Rosa Swizzle- Paul Calvert & Raul Aparcana of Pura Vida
• The Pineapple Express- Brian Stanger of Top Flr
• Scoundrel's Waltz- Kevin Bragg of 4th and Swift

Here are the winners as judged by the people and the celebrity judges, including Kate Krader (a senior editor of Food and Wine Magazine), Andrew Knowlton (restaurant editor of Bon Appetit magazine, Carolyn O'Neil (registered dietitian and columnist for the AJC), and Cybil Wallace (features editor at CNN.com):

• Best Booth: Linton Hopkins of restaurant Eugene & Holeman and Finch Public House
• Best Presentation: Hector Santiago of Pura vida
• Best taste: Andy Carson of Bacchanalia
• Best Cocktail: Miles MacqQuarrie of Leon's Full Service
• Special mention: Donald Sargent of Morelli's Gourmet Ice Cream and Desserts

Peoples Choice

• Best Dish: Eddie Hernandez of Taqueria del Sol
• Best cocktail: Paul Calvert and Raul Aparcana of Pura Vida

I can't wait for next year!