Hugh Cooks Food

2012-02-02T13:42:00.002-05:00

Menu A

1.
pickled shrimp with butter lettuce, radish, celery root, and green goddess dressing
Gruner Veltliner, Ecker, Austria, 2010

2.
olive oil poached salmon with fondant fingerlings, braised baby lettuce, nicoise tapenade, and vermouth–chive emulsion
Godello, Sabrego, Valdeorras, Spain, 2009

3.
Greendale farms gruyere with housemade baguette and accompaniments

Menu B

1.
WG arugula with house-cured guanciale, shaved fennel, parmesan, and preserved lemon vinaigrette
Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Valle Reale, Italy, 2010

2.
spaghetti and meatballs with torn basil and shaved pecorino
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Duca di Saragnano, Tuscany, 2007

3.
Little chocolate nemesis with fresh mint sherbet

Available for 5:30pm, 5:45pm and 6:00pm Reservations

$25 food

$15 booze

Valentine's Day at Empire State South

2012-01-27T17:10:00.000-05:00

Valentines Day 2.14.2012

4 course

1^st

border springs lamb terrine

preserved cherry gastrique, lamb cracker, pickled leeks

Lambrusco, Cleto Chiarli, ‘Vecchia Modena Premium’, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, 2010

ESS 14 month country ham

Satsuma preserves, caramel-mustard, cracklin’s

Riesling, Meulenhof, Erdener Treppchen Kabinett, Mosel, Germany, 2009

sapelo island clams

roasted root vegetables, sea island red pea consommé

Godello, Sabrego, Valdeorras, Spain, 2009

ESS levain-kale salad

Duck ham & yolk, shoyu-duck fat vinaigrette, mustard seed

Bourgogne blanc, Domaine Mestre-Michelot, ‘Montmeix’, France, 2008

2^nd

smoked beef belly

barley, philadelphia pepper pot stew, mustard greens

Priorato, Black Slate, Porrera, Spain, 2009

foie gras and truffle torchon

green strawberry-ham chow chow, brioche, peanut

Sainte Croix du Mont, Chateau La Rame, ‘Reserve’, Bordeaux, France, 1999

bramlett farms trout

roe, vidalia onions, crisp skin, beet mustard

Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Fontaleoni, Tuscany, Italy, 2010

grass roots farms quail

sausage-cornbread stuffin’, creamed collards, garlic conserve, ESS barrel hot sauce

Bourgogne rouge, Daniel Rion, France, 2009

3^rd

pig pickin’

sausage, loin, belly, shoulder, crisp lardo,

black eye peas, last years tomatoes and okra

Sangiovese, Casanova di Neri, ‘Rosso di Casanova’, Tuscany, Italy, 2009

foraged mushroom and ESS goats cheese agnolotti

charred Vidalia, smoked pecans, swiss chard, whipped rosemary

Brachetto, Matteo Correggia, ‘Anthos’, Piedmont, Italy, 2009

red snapper

udon noodles, tybee island shrimp sausage, bok choi, matsutake, carrot

Gruner Veltliner, Bründlmayer, ‘Kamptaler Terrassen’, Austria, 2009

slightly smoked duck breast

kumquat marmalade, duck meatballs, braised red cabbage, rutabaga

Minervois, Chateau Coupe Roses, ‘Cuvee Orience’, Languedoc, France, 2005

4th

passionfruit-vanilla souffle glace

candied kumquats, guava jelly, coconut crumbs

Muscat, Samos, ‘Vin Doux’, Greece, 2007

royal deluxe ice cream bombe

espresso-caramel ice cream, bruleed bananas,

marshmallow fluff, peanut toffee, hot ganache

Port, Quinta do Crasto, LBV, 2005

heart-shaped box

bittersweet chocolate, blood orange coulant

Brachetto d’Acqui, Marenco, ‘Pineto’, Piedmont, Italy, 2009

orangey kiss

cardamom panna cotta cake, tangerine sorbet,

citrus salad

Auslese Cuvee, Kracher, Burgenland, Austria, 2009

$75 per person

$35 for wine pairings

call ESS for reservations 404-541-1105

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: January 26 – February 1

2012-01-26T09:17:00.000-05:00

Menu A

boquerones with baby dandelions, buttermilk dressing, citrus, radish, and grilled scallion

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Valle Reale, Italy, 2010

flounder with ancho roasted cauliflower, celery-pinenut salad, and pomegranate brown butter

Sancerre, Joseph Mellot, ‘La Chatellenie’, Loire, France, 2010

Thomasville tomme with housemade baguette and accompaniments

Menu B

La Quercia prosciutto with housemade ricotta, maitake slaw, fennel confit, arugula, and grilled bread

Lambrusco, Cleto Chiarli, ‘Centenario Amabile’, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, NV

Grilled lamb leg with quinoa-feta salad, roasted sweet peppers, mint salsa verde, and cumin glazed baby carrots

Cabernet blend, Hedges, Red Mountain, WA, 2008

pecan pie with whipped cream, sweet potato sorbet and cocoa nibs

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: January 19 – January 25

2012-01-20T11:54:00.002-05:00

Menu A

crisped ham hock fritter with GA apple butter, shaved fennel & apple salad, and cherry mostarda

Riesling, Dr. F. Weins-Prüm, Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett, Mosel, Germany, 2009

moulard duck breast with a confit of pearl onions, chickpea panisse, bright lights chard, cracklings, and chimichurri

Barbera d’Asti, Prunotto, ‘Fiulot’, Piedmont, Italy, 2010

apple tarte tatin with cider sorbet and vanilla bean diplomat

Menu B

butternut squash soup with roasted pear, candied pepitas and cream

Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc, Au Bon Climat, Santa Barbara, CA, 2009

seared tuna with black rice, bok choi, pea shoot and kumquat salad, and citrus-soy-togarashi brown butter

Gewurztraminer, Dopff & Irion, Alsace, France, 2010

coconut sorbet with banana & citrus salad, fresh mint, and meringue

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: January 12th - January 18th

2012-01-12T08:25:00.000-05:00

Menu A

squab pate with shaved celery root, red mustard seeds, and warm baguette

Rosé, Brumont, Cotes de Gascogne, France, 2010

duck leg confit with duck fat fingerlings, braised purple cabbage, fennel marmalade, and star anise jus

Minervois, Chateau Massiac, Languedoc, France, 2008

Lambrusco Bianco sorbet with pecan cream and compressed grapes

Menu B

house cured salmon gravlax with tiny farm sorrel, egg mimosa, grain mustard vinaigrette, pickled red onion, and watercress

Bourgogne blanc, De Montille, France, 2007

buckwheat gnocchi with winter root vegetables, shiitakes, pepita pesto, parmesan, and crisped artichoke

Greco di Tufo, Terredora di Paolo, ‘Loggia della Serra’, Campania, Italy, 2010

Georgia sweet bay crème brulee with housemade cookie

$25 food

$15 booze

Wholesome Wave Dinner: Empire State South, January 22nd

2012-01-09T11:31:00.002-05:00

In the ongoing effort to make local food more available to everyone, many of you know that I am a big advocate of Wholesome Wave. In fact, I am offering to pluck my unibrow (a.k.a. Hughnibrow) in order to support Wholesome Wave (if you need more info on the plucking, click HERE). Wholesome Wave fosters a strong linkage between local agriculture and under-served communities in Georgia by offering a coupon program that doubles the value of food stamps at farmer's markets.

To help meet the challenge making fresh, local food available to the whole community, ESS will be hosting a dinner to benefit Wholesome Wave January 22nd at 6pm. Our sous chefs have taken the lead on this one and each sous will be putting together a dish. While Ryan & I will both be there, we want to let our rockstar sous chefs showcase their talents, individuality and creativity. Steven and Kellie will be offering alcohol pairings.

The price of the dinner is $125, which includes tax and gratuity. This dinner is tax deductable. I know $125 is a little pricey, but Empire State South will be donating 75% of the proceeds to Wholesome Wave Georgia. Not up to that amount--actually 75%. Please help us help our fellow Georgians get good food on the table (and get a delicious meal too!).

charred beef heart

roasted and pickled beets, arugula

Micah Pfister

pheasant terrine

persimmon butter, pickles, pan de mie, juniper

Jonah Merrell

scallops

turnip, sunchoke, blood orange

Chris Hathcock

bacon wrapped veal loin

brussels, carrots, cauliflower cromesquis, veal glaze

Kyle Jacovino

meyer lemon curd tart

pistachio ice cream, candied cranberries

Lauren Raymond

tangerines

cardamom, rosewater, phyllo

Cynthia Wong

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: January 5 – January 11

2012-01-05T10:34:00.000-05:00

Menu A

GA apple tasting with crisp Berkshire pork belly, pickled mustard seeds, and microcress

Riesling, Dr. F. Weins-Prüm, Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett, Mosel, Germany, 2009

foie gras and shortrib ravioli with balsamic brown butter, braised leeks, shaved parmesan, and bright lights swiss chard

Valpolicella Superiore Classico, L’Arco, Veneto, Italy, 2004

pecan shortcakes with bourbon sabayon, clementines, dates, and bittersweet chocolate

Menu B

woodland gardens winter vegetable confit with meyer lemon & parsley puree, chervil, feta, and pomegranate

Gruner Veltliner, Ecker, Austria, 2009

pan seared flounder: saute of cauliflower, artichoke, and pearl onion, with beech mushroom slaw, and vermouth herb broth

Bourgogne blanc, De Montille, France, 2007

fresh cider doughnut with lemon cream, candied kumquats, and compressed pear pearls

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: January 4th

2012-01-04T09:32:00.000-05:00

Menu A

seared foie gras with date & fennel bread pudding, marcona almonds, shaved celery, and orange-chamomile gastrique

St. Croix du Mont, Chateau La Rame, Reserve, Bordeaux, France, 1999

roasted squab breast: pea cake with pulled leg confit, braised escarole,

pearl onions, and consommé

Barbera d’Asti, Vietti, ‘Tre Vigne’, Piedmont, Italy, 2009

Sweet Grass Dairy Georgia Gouda with toasted pecan, baguette, and apple

OR:

Menu B

hedgehog mushroom & chestnut soup with chive cream and tiny croutons

Chardonnay, Felsina, ‘I Sistri’, Tuscany, Italy, 2008

grilled lamb loin with marinated wheatberries with feta and herbs, artichoke caponata, and salsa verde

Cabernet Franc/Syrah, Puydeval, Languedoc, France, 2009

grapefruit chess pie, with poppy and cashew

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: December 27th through January 4th

2011-12-24T11:07:00.000-05:00

Menu A

beef tartare: local egg yolk, crisp fingerling chips, shallots, capers, parsley, thyme

Rosé, Brumont, Cotes de Gascogne, France, 2010

crisp rabbit confit: grain mustard jus, black pepper spaetzle, crisp Brussels sprouts, kumquat marmalade

Gamay, Jean Maupertuis, Auvergne, France, 2009

Sweet Grass Dairy Georgia Gouda with toasted pecan, baguette, and apple

Menu B

fried oysters: hot sauce remoulade

Cava, Conde de Subirats, Spain, NV

crisp NC trout: lemon-caper brown butter, parsnip puree, sautéed spinach, lemon-oregano jam

Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc, Au Bon Climat, Santa Barbara, CA, 2009

grapefruit chess pie, with poppy and cashew

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: December 15 through December 23

2011-12-15T11:13:00.000-05:00

Menu A

5&10 cottage cheese, roasted chile-avocado puree, toasted sesame, soy vinaigrette

Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc, Au Bon Climat, Santa Barbara, CA, 2009

rabbit loin pan roast, Parisian gnocchi, hakurei turnips, Brussels sprouts, bacon lardons, fried sage, roasted rabbit jus

Lirac, Domaine Lafond, ‘Roc-Epine’, Rhone, France, 2009

warm sticky toffee pudding with salty pecan cream, sweet potato sorbet and kumquats

Menu B

grilled hearts of palm, ruby red grapefruit, arugula, toasted pecan, lime vinaigrette

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Valle Reale, Italy, 2010

roasted Spanish mackerel, clams, chorizo, spaghetti squash, tomato, parsley, lemon

Ribolla Gialla, Bastianich, ‘Adriatico’, Slovenia, 2009

winter fruits shortcake with ginger diplomat and lemon verbena caramel

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: December 8th through December 14th

2011-12-08T13:08:00.000-05:00

Menu A

Homero’s tortilla chicken soup: stewed Ashley Farms chicken, crisp tortilla, avocado

Riesling, Dr. F. Weins-Prüm, Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett, Mosel, France, 2009

fried Grass Roots Farm quail: sausage and oyster gravy, spoonbread, mustard greens

Gamay, Jean Maupertuis, 'La Guillaume', Auvergne, France, 2009

“Bridge Mix” tart: with chocolate sorbet, ginger cream and candied kumquats

Menu B

local lettuces: marinated white anchovy, shaved radish, beets, grilled scallion, herbed bread crumbs, ranch dressing

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Valle Reale, Italy, 2010

cornmeal-chile dusted flounder: tartare sauce, roasted baby carrots, red mule grits cake, lemon emulsion

Pinot Blanc, Becker Estate, Pfalz, Germany, 2009

sweet grass dairy green hill cheese: house made baguette, Mimi’s pickled cranberry jam and spiced pecans

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe December 1 through December 7

2011-12-01T07:51:00.000-05:00

Menu A

chicken pot pie: sweet potato, rutabaga, kale, cornmeal crust

Cava, Conde de Subirats, Spain, NV

beef and pork meatloaf: foie gras emulsion, whipped turnips, chanterelles, onion jam

Madiran, Chateau Bouscassé, Gascony, France, 2008

3. Canadian maple butter tart: chestnut puree, Georgia apple sorbet

Menu B

grilled radicchio salad: anchovy vinaigrette, shaved pecorino, pistachio, crisp sage

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Valle Reale, Italy, 2010

monkfish and clam bourride: Yukon gold potato, baby fennel, tomato-orange broth, rouille, green olive tapenade, grilled bread

Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc, Au Bon Climat, Santa Barbara, CA, 2009

3. Chocolate bread pudding: whipped cream, tangerine campari granité

$25 food

$15 booze

Giuseppe Quintarelli Wine Dinner at Empire State South

2011-11-30T14:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, let’s see, the top five wines in all the world:

You have to put a Romanée-Conti in there. And at least one First Growth from Bordeaux (I’m going to go with Haut-Brion), maybe even two (I’ll also toss in Chateau Latour). And because I’m a Burgundy man, I’ll want to add Comte de Vogüé Musigny in the mix, too. So who gets that highly contested fifth slot? Something from the hill of Hermitage? An opulent Montrachet? Or maybe Sauternes’ precious d’Yquem? It isn’t an easy call, but I’ll go ahead and make it:

#5: Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella

There is a decent chance you haven’t heard of this wine. Amarone itself isn’t anywhere close as old as the other wines on the list (in fact, it wasn’t really properly named until the late 1960’s), and Giuseppe himself is still alive, so how storied could this wine really be?

A couple of times recently I’ve been asked whether I think that the world’s very expensive wines are really worth it. Whether you can actually tell a big difference in the glass. And what I often come back to is a matter of wine’s ability to show dynamic dimensions. The few times I have been lucky enough to sit down Quintarelli’s top wines I have been astounded at its capability in this respect. Perhaps no other wine out there will show you as many looks, as many faces, as many twists and turns and unraveling expressions as that deep, inky thing.

This is a very special opportunity to explore a sampling of Giuseppe’s line-up, culminating in a pour of his masterpiece, the Amarone. Giuseppe is now well into his eighties, and since the mid-2000s his talented daughter, Silvana, has been crafting the wines, so these reds are some of the last great wines of Italy’s Veneto, produced by the hands of the master himself. I can’t wait to try them all.

-Steven Grubbs

Giuseppe Quintarelli: one of the world’s greatest winemakers.

December 14^th, 2011. 7 p.m.

Empire State South

$150 per person plus tax and gratuity

Marinated P.E.I. mussels, chili, preserved citrus, mizuna, pickled cippolini
Bianco Secco, Giuseppe Quintarelli, 2010

Gnocchi Romano alla carbonara: mangalitsa guanciale, local egg yolk

Rosso “Ca del Merlo”, Giuseppe Quintarelli, 2000

Venison loin, sweet potato puree, Brussels, maitake, preserved cherries
Valpolicella, Giuseppe Quintarelli, 1999

Valpolicella, Giuseppe Quintarelli, 2000

Piave cheese with accompaniments

Amarone della Valpolicella, Giuseppe Quintarelli, 1998

Cenci with ricotta, warm honey, and cinnamon

Call ESS at 404-541-1105 for reservations.

Celebrate New Year's Eve at Empire State South

2011-11-30T08:38:00.000-05:00

Crudo: smoked trout tartare

yogurt & meyer lemon truffle marinated bay scallop, pickled celery

red snapper, grapefruit, chili, black pepper

Mortadella: roasted sunchokes, frisee, boiled dressing, pickled satsumas

Ham hock & Dashi Consommé: local egg yolk, braised cabbage, black truffle

Winter Greens Salad: grilled radicchio, cavelo nero, treviso, kale ,caper, anchovy vinaigrette, crisp bread, shaved asher blue

Lobster: cauliflower puree, cauliflower chips, capers, meyer lemon

Foie Terrine: riesling gelee, compressed apple, green strawberry preserve, toasted brioche

Roulade of Crisp Sweetbreads: maple-sherry glaze, puy lentils, quince & winter squash

Local Carrots: brown butter cumin puree roasted in sorghum & cider vinegar

raw & pickled with carrot top vinaigrette

Farrotto: brussels, foraged mushrooms, crisp kale, pecans

Roasted Pheasant Breast: braised leg stew, turnips n’ greens, chanterelle puree, pickled persimmon

Painted Hills Eye of Rib Eye: pommes anna, roasted broccoli, jerky salad with peanuts, green papaya, scallion, soy jus

Alaskan Halibut: razor clam & georgia shrimp stew, fennel broth, carrot, pickled ramp & fine herbs

Bourbon Baba: candied cranberries, buttered pecan ice cream

Gateau St. Honore: vanilla chiboust, bruleed grapefruit & tangerines

Bittersweet Absinthe Cremeux: pear sorbet, champagne pearls

Baked Alaska: passion fruit-yuzu

Supplementals

UGA sturgeon caviar, crème fraiche, shallot, pickles, capers, lemon, johnny cakes $120

oysters on the half shell: shigoku oyster

6 ea. $18. 12 ea. $34.

Cheese Plate $15

asher blue, sweet grass dairy, membrillo

mountaineer, meadow creek dairy, georgia honeycomb

harbison, jasper hill farm, pickled mushrooms

$75 per person, 4 courses & $35 wine pairings (tax and gratuity not included)

wine pairs to be determined

Call Empire State South for Reservations at 404-541-1105

The Great Chocolate Milk In School Debate

2011-11-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

I posted a twitter link to a story about the ban of chocolate milk in schools that aired on NPR this morning. From that, people asked my stance on the issue and here I will spell it out.

I am in favor of small steps to attack problems. My community has a massive issue with poverty stricken kids and the most popular meal at the cafeterias is Monday breakfast. It is often the first meal that the kids have had since Friday lunch. So in the interest of just getting them fed I have little problem with chocolate milk. This is a community that when we have food drives at the school they recommend that the food is in pop top cans so the kids can feed themselves on the weekend. That is possibly the saddest sentence I will ever write.

I am in favor of reduction in sugar levels in chocolate milk and a slow weening off of sugar-laced proteins. I am in favor of getting all corporate pressure off of the menu in schools. I think soft drinks have no place in the system. I also have a problem with juice, which is just sugar in another form. I am in favor of having kids drink more water and eat more vegetables. I am in favor, a huge proponent, of changing the diets of the families in need by matching food stamp funds at farmers markets through programs such as Wholesome Wave's Snap initiative. I am in favor of challenging kids to grow food to show them that it doesn't have to come in a pre-packaged form. I am in favor of slowly changing the diets of children in our community so that families make better use of their money when it comes to whats on their dinner plate.

But first and foremost, right at this moment, I am in favor of getting that kid something they want to eat so they don't pass out in first period. I am in favor of balancing that chocolate milk with a good meal of yogurt, fruit, granola and toast. Balance is a key word here. As we teach about better food things will change. For a start we should mandate a altering of the chocolate milk recipe to be lower in sugar, like the NPR piece talks about.

Progress can be made through small steps but completely banning chocolate milk right now is a step further on down the line. It's not progress, rather its a reaction that doesn't really address the issues. The issues are overall diets and true poverty in our communities.

Oh and I am a huge fan of Tony Geraci. He's making huge differences by changing things with a smile. He rocks.

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: November 17 through November 23

2011-11-17T16:07:00.000-05:00

Menu A

fried green tomatoes: pickled shrimp and boiled dressing

Gruner Veltliner, Ecker, Austria, 2009

blackened texas redfish: remoulade, dirty rice, mustard greens, radish and citrus salad

Vouvray, Francois Pinon, ‘Cuvee Tradition’, Loire Valley, France, 2009

marinated chevre: housemade baguette, fresh pear, roasted grapes and pecans

Menu B

crisped 5-spice pork belly: pomegranate gastrique, blood orange, cilantro, scallion

Riesling, Dr. F. Weins-Prüm, Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett, Mosel, Germany, 2009

braised beef short rib: whipped turnips, baby carrots, pearl onions, horseradish

Cab Franc/Syrah/Merlot, Puydeval, Languedoc, France, 2009

Chocolate mousse with candied chestnuts, whipped cream and pomegranate seeds

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe : November 10 through November 16

2011-11-10T09:20:00.000-05:00

Menu A

WG arugula and gin cured steelhead trout: buttermilk dressing, tiny croutons, pickled vegetables, crisp leeks

Picpoul de Pinet, Domaine de Guillemarine, Languedoc, France, 2010

roasted mahi mahi: kohlrabi slaw, stewed field peas, mustard greens, hot sauce beurre blanc

Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc, Au Bon Climat, Santa Barbara, CA, 2009

phyllo and lemon diplomat tart with brûleéd banana, coconut sorbet and citrus salad

Menu B

whipped lardo crostinis: balsamic pearl onions, poached golden raisins, hot pickled peppers and carrots, crisp oregano

Riesling, Dr. F. Weins-Prüm, Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett, Mosel, Germany, 2009

pork loin alla porchetta: stuffed with garlic, sage, rosemary, and fennel with stewed white beans, braised lacinato kale, and gremolata

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Duca di Saragnano, Tuscany, Italy, 2007

seahive cheddar with Georgia apple and pecans, pickled cranberries and house-made baguette

$25 food

$15 booze

Family Style Christmas Eve Dinner at Empire State South

2011-11-08T16:54:00.000-05:00

December 24^th 6:00PM

We are having a family style, early evening meal at Empire State South this year! Throw aside those culinary worries and bring the kids and the parents!

warm winter salad:

roasted turnips, radishes, chiogga beets, nantes carrots, watercress, escarole and a roasted carrot vinaigrette with housemade farmer’s cheese with fresh sage

Family Style:

roasted leg of lamb, stewed turnip greens, lamb tessa, chile, preserved lemon

traditional mint sauce

crispy Lamb sweetbreads with confit orange and charred cippolinis

pommes dauphine

brussels sprouts gratin

Richard Olney’s Chestnut Puree with Celery

Les Fromages:

Asher Blue- Sweet Grass Dairy, with quince membrillo

Harbisen- Jasper Hill Farm, with cranberry mostarda

Wabash Canonball- Capriole, with pecan brittle

Croquembouche

with pear-cranberry compote, salted caramel or bittersweet chocolate sauce

$60 per person

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: November 3rd through November 9th

2011-11-03T08:28:00.000-04:00

Menu A

carrot and mache salad: poached golden raisins, pickled cranberries, yogurt-ginger dressing

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Valle Reale, Italy, 2010

crisp flounder: mussels en escabeche, peppers stewed with garlic and tomato, sautéed greens, crisp fingerling potatoes

Verdejo, Martina Prieto, Rueda, Spain, 2010

grapefruit chess pie with whipped cream, poppy seed, and toasted cashews

Menu B

sautéed chanterelles: slow cooked egg, fried sage, tiny croutons, pecorino

Chardonnay, Verget, ‘Terroirs de Cote d’Or’, Burgundy, France, 2008

braised lamb shoulder: natural jus, stewed chickpeas, roasted garlic and caramelized pearl onions, arugula, anchovy relish

Priorato, Buil & Giné, ‘Giné-Giné’, Spain, 2008

apple and cranberry crisp with whipped cream, hazelnuts and lemon honey sorbet

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: October 27 through November 2

2011-10-27T18:56:00.000-04:00

Menu A

WG broccoli and Cabot cheddar soup: lil sopressata sandwich

Chardonnay, Windsor Sonoma, Russian River Valley, CA 2008

braised beef short ribs: natural jus, buttermilk whipped potatoes, glazed baby carrots, fresh horseradish

Valpolicella Superiore Classico, L’Arco, Veneto, Italy, 2004

sweet potato cake: sour cream whip, candied pecans, sweet potato sorbet

Menu B

cucumber and radish salad: dill and crème fraiche dressing, pickled onion, scallion, arugula, feta

Muller Thurgau, Anne Amie, Willamette Valley, OR, 2009

steelhead trout: grain mustard beurre blanc, spaetzle, Brussels sprouts in brown butter, grapefruit-pearl onion marmalade

Chardonnay, Verget, Bourgogne ‘Terroirs de Cote d’Or’, France, 2008

creamy rice pudding: whipped cream, candied citrus peel, chocolate hazelnut biscotti

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: October 20 through October 26

2011-10-20T09:28:00.002-04:00

Menu A

shrimp and celeriac remoulade: watercress, carrot, sugar snap peas, horseradish

Rosé, Brumont, Cotes de Gascogne, France, 2010

grilled squid: chorizo and root vegetable stuffing, lemon emulsion, sautéed greens, grapefruit, cilantro

Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc, Au Bon Climat, Santa Barbera County, CA, 2009

sweet grass dairy green hill cheese with mimi’s apple butter, house-made baguette and spiced pecans

Menu B

baby beets, turnips, and radishes: tarragon and grain mustard dressing, apple, toasted pecans, fried parsley

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Valle Reale, Italy, 2010

spaghetti and meatballs: artisan spaghetti, veal and pork meatballs, spicy tomato sauce, oregano, arugula, pecorino

Etna Rosso, Terre Nere, Sicily, Italy, 2010

mint panna cotta with chocolate and local honey

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: October 13th to October 19th

2011-10-13T10:41:00.000-04:00

Menu A

Woodland Gardens lettuces: horseradish dressing, hardboiled egg, pickled beets and mustard seeds, feta, fried shallot

Gruner Veltliner, Ecker, Austria, 2009

crisp catfish dusted in chickpea flour: fennel chutney, cabbage braised in mustard seed-yogurt curry, Carolina Gold rice, lime emulsion

Riesling, Dr. F. Weins-Prüm, Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett, Mosel, Germany, 2008

Apple crisp with whipped cream, cranberry port sorbet and pecans

Menu B

gratinee lyonnaise: local onions, Greendale gruyere, baguette

Vouvray, Le Bouchet, Demi-sec, Loire Valley, France, 2009

bacon wrapped rabbit roulade: red wine vinegar and honey jus, root vegetable hash, roasted mushrooms

Chiroubles, Domaine de la Chappelle, Beaujolais, France, 2009

Pumpkin pie with maple reduction, whipped cream and pepitas

$25 food

$15 booze

finished pot roast... no carrots though. beets instead.

2011-10-12T18:41:00.000-04:00

mashed potatoes for said pot roast

2011-10-12T17:33:00.000-04:00


salt, red bliss potato, unsalted butter, whole milk

I love mashed potatoes.

The most famous mashed potatoes are those of the famed French chef Joel Robuchon. His recipe is 2 parts taters to 1 part butter made smooth with a smidgen of milk. His are mashed potatoes to enjoy in moderation. I had the famous taters at Atelier in Las Vegas recently and while they were decadent and luscious I think we can easily replicate a similar experience with a lighter hand. Slightly lighter. Everything in moderation people…

Robuchon also calls for unpeeled potatoes to keep the potatoes from saturating water during the cooking. The only problem with that is that you then have to peel hot potatoes and that’s kind a nuisance. Hell, there’s a kids game surrounding the fact that no one wants to hold a hot potato. Chef, you listening? Maybe the hot potato song doesn’t translate. I will sing “Pommes de terre chaud…” next time in France and see if I get understanding stares or not.

Serves 4 abundantly

2 pounds smaller potatoes, peeled and cut in half. I love Red Bliss and Yukon Gold

1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1/2 pound unsalted, cold

½ cup whole milk, maybe a touch more if the potatoes are starchy

Cover the potatoes with cold water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and add one teaspoon of the salt. Cook until they are tender but don’t overcook them. Drain the potatoes and place them through a ricer. Mashing in a mixer is a no no. Electric mixer even more so. Ricers rock. They look like really big garlic presses. That’ll get the gluten going in the potatoes and give you that gummy texture we seek to avoid.

So you have pressed the potatoes through the ricer and because you cooked them until perfectly tender you have a beautiful fluffy mass of riced potatoes. Add the cold butter and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate. Add the warm milk and season to taste with the remaining salt. Serve immediately.

pot roast

2011-10-12T10:23:00.002-04:00

Pot Roast.

The cut of beef known as “chuck” is from the shoulder and neck area of the animal. It is a definite working muscle and would be the toughest steak ever if you grilled it and served it, but when you gently braise it , the meat just becomes butter. Let’s remember that braising is cooking in a moist, covered environment. It doesn’t have to be swimming in liquid, rather just kept really moist. A gentle Jacuzzi for the meat.

Mary is in out of town on business so Beatrice, Clementine and I will eat pot roast tonight, with local turnips & their green, carrots and buttery mashed potatoes. Great food for a rainy day. I will open a bottle of Valpolicella and relax before a very busy weekend. My book tour starts on Monday so I will need the sustenance.

Classic recipe:

¼ teaspoon chile flake

½ teaspoon fennel seed

½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

pinch of brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons bacon fat

2 pound chuck roast, well marbled

2 medium sweet onions, peeled and quartered

2 stalks celery, cut in two inch lengths

2 medium carrots, cut in two inch lengths

1 small head of garlic

½ cup good red wine

3 cups chicken or beef stock

1 sprig fresh oregano

3 sprigs flatleaf parsley

Preheat oven to 275F.

Combine the chile flake, fennel seed, black pepper, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Mix with your finger tips and then season the beef with the cure. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.

Warm a large braising pot over medium high heat. Add the bacon fat. Blot the beef with some paper towel to remove excess moisture and then add to the hot bacon fat. Sear off on all sides and then remove from the pan. The meat should look all nice and caramelized.

Add the onion to the pot and cook for about 15 minutes. Add the celery and the carrot. Add the wine and then take a spatula and scrape the good bits the will loosen from the bottom of the pot. Add the head of garlic. When the wine has pretty much evaporated add the stock. Add the seared beef, oregano and parsley. Cover and bring to a high simmer. Place in the oven and cook for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours depending on thickness and tightness of meat.

After the time parameter of 2 1/2 to 3 hours has passed, check your roast. When you prod it with your finger it should give in with little resistance. Uncover the pot and cook for twenty more minutes. Remove from heat and serve with roasted turnips and carrots, some stewed turnip greens and a healthy dose of buttery mashed potatoes. Search Robuchon mashed potatoes to get a good recipe for them.

Five & Ten Prix Fixe: October 6th through October 12th

2011-10-06T14:31:00.003-04:00

Menu A

house made salt cod fritters: remoulade, pickled okra

Altesse, Frederic Giachino, Savoie, France, 2009

crisp flounder: herb emulsion, purple and green beans, lemon risotto, beet slaw

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Valle Reale, Italy, 2010

Spiced plum sorbet with fresh orange, hazelnuts, whipped cream and plugra butter cake

Menu B

arugula salad: shaved salumi, radish, hardboiled egg, pickled onion, anchovy vinaigrette

Kerner, Abbazia di Novacella, Alto-Adige, Italy, 2010

braised lamb shoulder: stewed white beans, mustard greens, grape and olive

mostarda

Coteaux du Languedoc, St. Martin de la Garrigue, ‘Bronzinelle’, France, 2007

Butterscotch budino with whipped cream, candied cashews and cocoa nib sea salt chocolate

$25 food

$15 booze

Dinner at ESS with the Italian Wines of Small Vineyards Imports

2011-10-05T15:35:00.002-04:00

There is a little-known trade secret that the best shortcut to picking great wines is to find an importer you trust. In a sense they have already done the dirty work for us. Turn around your favorite bottle of non-domestic wine and the chances are good that a very good importer has stuck their name on the back. The chances are also good that this importer represents a specific point of view, and that he or she has picked these wines based upon a particular ethic. For Neal Rosenthal, it is all about terroir-driven wines. The late, great Joe Dressner was committed to natural fermentation. For Robert Chadderdon, it is a matter of selling wine only when it's drinking well, and not before.

And for Seattle's Small Vineyards Imports it's a matter of working only with producers who are small enough that we can establish a personal connection with them (the winemaker's face often appears on the back of the bottle, in fact). These growers represent the smallest 10% of their respective regions, and they are always family-owned, family-run estates. We are hosting Jody Allen of Small Vineyards on October 26th, and we'll be pairing a sample of their Italian portfolio with our own version of Italian cuisine. Hopefully you can come and sample, too. -SG

'If you think about it, it's a lot easier to make a great meal for 5 people than for 500, and winemaking is no different." http://www.enjoysmall.com/

October 26, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
$95/person plus tax and gratuity

Prosecco, Trevisiol, Veneto, NV, upon seating

1st
Souse Porchetta with crisp Tuscan kale, pickled okra, Calabrian pepper gribiche
Rose of Sangiovese Grosso, Parazetta, 'Sara', Tuscany, 2009

2nd
Skatewing with melted fennel, sauteed escarole, preserved lemon and Castelvetrano olives
Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Le Rote, Tuscany, 2010

3rd
Veal and pork meatball cannelloni with preserved tomato, ESS mozzarella, pinenuts, mushrooms, and marjoram
Chianti Classico Riserva, Poderi Ciona, Tuscany, 2006

4th
Roast Beef Spinalis with crisp bone marrow, dressed cippolini, and fingerling potato
Rosso Conero Riserva, Marchetti, Le Marche, 2007

5th
Poached pear, honey-pine nut tart, pear sorbet, pomegranate.
Moscato d'Asti, Tre Donne, 'La Perlina', Piedmont, 2010

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: September 29 through October 5

2011-09-29T09:54:00.000-04:00

Menu A

spicy buffalo sweetbreads: blue cheese, carrot, celery slaw

Riesling, Dr. F. Weins-Prüm, Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett, Germany, 2008

grilled Plantation quails: hakurei turnip puree, baby bok choy, pickled shishitos

Pinot Noir, Montinore Estate, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2010

Chocolate pecan pie with whipped cream and sweet potato sorbet

Menu B

sorrel salad: buttermilk chive dressing, arugula, parsley, tarragon, frisee, radish, fried smelt

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Valle Reale, Italy, 2010

Tybee shrimp: herbed dumplings, mustard greens, mirepoix, smoky bacon broth

Bordeaux blanc, Chateau Lamothe de Haux, France, 2010

Citrus and banana salad with crispy meringue, whipped cream and coconut sorbet

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: September 22 through September 28

2011-09-22T17:23:00.002-04:00

Menu A

1.

spaghetti carbonara: 5&10 bacon, lacinato kale, red onion, local egg yolk, parmesan

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Valle Reale, Italy, 2010

2.

guinea fowl confit: romesco, roasted potatoes, poached garlic, asparagus, citrus salad

Mencia, Jose Palacios, ‘Petalos’, Bierzo, Spain, 2008

3.

pecorino toscano with house-made baguette and accompaniments

Menu B:

1.

cobb salad: romaine, endive, watercress, poached chicken breast, bacon, avocado, chopped hard boiled eggs, tomato, and red wine vinaigrette

Pinot Blanc, Graf von Schönborn, Franken, Germany, 2010

2.

house salt cod baked in parchment: fingerlings, caramelized onion, collards, finished with aioli and herb salad

Altesse, Frederic Giachino, Savoie, France, 2009

3.

Orange pudding cake with whipped cream, chocolate sorbet and earl grey caramel

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: September 15th - September 21st

2011-09-15T11:36:00.000-04:00

Menu A

spinach salad: blue cheese, shallot vinaigrette, spiced pecans, pear

Riesling, Schloss Schönborn, ‘Estate Dry’, Rheingau, Germany, 2010

steamed pei mussels: Dijon, lemon, shallots, garlic, parsley and a touch of cream

Pinot Blanc, Graf von Schönborn, Rheingau, Germany, 2010

Beecher’s cheddar with house-made baguette and accompaniments

Menu B

Caesar salad: romaine, nueske bacon, parmesan, garlicky croutons

Gruner Veltliner, Ecker, Austria, 2009

grilled skirt steak: roasted fingerling potatoes with garlic and rosemary, broccoli raab with chile flake, red wine jus, shaved pecorino, and salsa verde

Merlot/Cabernet, Peter Dipoli, ‘Iugum’, Alto-Adige, Italy, 2005

chocolate mousse with hazelnut cream and cinnamon poached pear

$25 food

$15 booze

A New Turn in the South BOOK TOUR!

2011-09-08T13:31:00.013-04:00

OCTOBER

ATHENS, GA

Monday, October 17^th, 5:30-8:00pm

at Hawthorne House

1440 South Milledge Avenue

Book Release Party! Yahoo! Buy the Book, I will sign it, there will be hors d’oeuvres and libations!

ATLANTA, GA

Tuesday, October 18^th, 2011, 11:30 am

Empire State South

Book & Author Lunch at ESS, 4-Course Prix Fixe Lunch for $50, including a signed copy of the book!

Space is Limited, call ESS at 404-541-1105 or email rsvp@hughacheson.com

Tuesday, October 18^th, 2011, 5:00 – 7:00 pm

Empire State South

Book Release Party! Buy the Book, have it signed by me, enjoy a few hors d’oeuvres!

BIRMINGHAM, AL

Wednesday, October 19^th, 2011, 6:00 pm

Hot & Hot Fish Club

Book Dinner with Chef Chris Hastings

HOUSTON, TX

Thursday, October 20^th, 2011, 5:00-6:00 pm

Sur La Table City Center

Book Signing

Thursday, October 20^th, 2011, 7:00-9:00pm

Billy Reid Book Party

Book Signing, Hors D’ Oeuvres, Libations!

AUSTIN, TX

Saturday, October 22^nd & Sunday, October 23^rd

Texas Book Festival

NEW YORK, NY

MONDAY, October 24^th, 2011

The Today Show - 9:30am

MADISON, GA

Thursday, October 27^th, 4:00-6:00 pm

Town, 222 Bistro

Book Signing & Hors D'Oeuvres, hosted by Godfrey Cox

ATHENS, GA
Sunday, October 30^th, 2011, 4:00 – 6:00 pm

Barnes & Noble Athens

Book Signing

NOVEMBER

ANDERSON, SC

Tuesday, November 1^st, 6:30 pm

Viva! Il Vino

Book Signing, Hors D' Oeuvres, Libations

RALEIGH, NC

Wednesday, November 2^nd, 2011, 7:30 pm

Quail Ridge Books & Music

Book Signing

CHAPEL HILL, NC
Thursday, November 3rd, Noon - 1:30pm
A Southern Season
Book Signing and Boiled Peanut Hummus

PITTSBORO, NC

Thursday, November 3^rd, 2011, 7:00 pm

McIntyre’s, Fearrington Village

Book Signing

ATLANTA, GA

Friday, November 4^th, 2011, 7:00 pm

Barnes & Noble Buckhead

Book Signing

Saturday, November 5^th

MY 40^th Birthday!

Sunday, November 6^th, 11:30am

Grant Park Farmers Market

Cooking Demonstration & Book Signing

Sunday, November 6^th, 2:00 PM

Williams Sonoma in Lenox Square Mall

Book Signing

Monday, November 7^th, 9:30 – 11:00 am

Barnes & Noble Buckhead

Book Signing

ATHENS, GA
Thursday, November 10th, 4:00-6:00pm
Appointments at Five
1730 South Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA
Book Signing

ATLANTA, GA
Saturday, November 12th, 11:00am - 1:00pm
The Elegant Elf Marketplace in Sandy Springs
Book Signing

CHARLOTTE, NC
Book & Author Dinner at CAFE MONTE
Tuesday, November 15th, 6:30 pm
6700 Fairview Road Suite 108
Charlotte, NC 28210
4 - Courses, $50 per person
Call (704) 552-1116 for RESERVATIONS

ATHENS, GA
Wednesday, November 16th, 7:00 pm
Avid Bookshop
493 Prince Ave, Athens, GA
Book Signing

ST. SIMONS, GA
Thursday, November 17th, 5:00-7:00pm
Petite Maison
276 A Redfern Village, St. Simons Island, GA
Book Signing

THOMASVILLE, GA
Friday, November 18th, 4:30-7:00pm
Firefly
125 South Broad Street, Thomasville, GA
Book Signing

ATLANTA, GA

Monday, November 21^st, 2011, 7:15 pm

Decatur Library Auditorium

Book Signing & Discussion

Tuesday, November 22^nd, 2011, 5:00-7:00 pm

Cooks Warehouse, Midtown

Book Signing, Discussion & Hors D’Oeuvres

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011, 7:30pm
Outwrite Books
Book Signing & Discussion

CHARLESTON, SC

Wednesday, November 30^th, 2011, 7:00-9:00pm

Billy Reid Book Party

Book Signing, Hors Oeuvres, Libations!

DECEMBER

CHARLESTON, SC
Thursday, December 1st, Noon
Books A Million
832 Orleans Road, Charleston, SC
Book Signing

Thursday, December 1^st, 2011,
6:30 pm Reception at Enoteca

7:30 Lucca Book Dinner with Chef Ken Vedrinski

OXFORD, MS
Tuesday, December 6th, 1:00 pm

Square Books
Book Signing

Tuesday, December 6^th, 6:00pm

City Grocery

Book Dinner with Chef John Currence

GREENWOOD, MS

Wednesday, December 7^th, 2011, 5:30 pm

Turn Row Books

Book Signing

Wednesday, December 7th, 6:30 PM
Viking Cooking Class

TUPELO, MS

Thursday, December 8^th, 2011, Noon - 1:30 pm

Reed's Gum Tree Bookstore

Book Signing

ATHENS, GA
Saturday, December 10^th, 2011, 9:00-11:00am

Athens Farmers Market

Cooking Demonstration & Book Signing

PHILADELPHIA, PA
Sunday, December 11th, 2011, 2:00 pm
Terrain at Styers
Cooking Demonstration & Book Signing

SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Monday, December 12th, 2011, 6:00-7:00pm
Omnivore Books on Food
Talk, Q&A, Book Signing

Tuesday, December 13th, Noon
Jardiniere, A New Turn in the South Book Lunch with Traci des Jardin
Book Lunch

GREENVILLE, SC

Thursday, December 15^th, 2011, 6:00-8:00pm
The Community Tap

Book Signing, Hors D’Oeuvres & Libations!

HIGHLANDS, NC
Friday, December 16th, 2011, 6:00-8:00pm
The Old Edwards Inn, Book & Author Dinner
4-Course Dinner at The Farm at The Old Edwards Inn

KNOXVILLE, TN
Saturday, December 17th
Union Avenue Books
Book Signing

ATLANTA, GA

Sunday, December 18th, 2011, 2:00-4:30pm

Cooks Warehouse, East Cobb

Book Signing & Hors D’Oeuvres

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: September 8th through September 14th

2011-09-08T10:52:00.000-04:00

Menu A

rabbit schnitzel: caper beurre blanc, wilted spinach, crisp fennel frond

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Valle Reale, Italy, 2010

grilled veal hanger steak: sauce chasseur, crisped herb spaetzle, parsley pistou

Saint-Amour, Trenel & Fils, Beaujolais, France, 2009

3. Red velvet cake with caramel, cocoa nibs and chocolate sorbet

Menu B

roasted and pickled mushrooms: braised pecans, jicama, and radish

Champagne, Heidsieck-Monopole, France, NV

grilled swordfish: charred eggplant puree, okra with almonds, field pea chow chow

Gruner Veltliner, Ecker, Austria, 2009

3. Green Hill, Sweet grass dairy cheese with house-made baguette and accompaniments

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: September 1st through September 7th

2011-08-31T14:15:00.000-04:00

Menu A

smoked trout salad with Woodland Gardens lettuces, cucumber, marinated field peas, pickled red onion, crisp capers, and horseradish dressing

Gruner Veltliner, Ecker, Austria, 2009

crisp pork shoulder crepinette braised with makrut lime and cane vinegar, crisp broccoli, spicy carrot jalapeno puree, and preserved lemon-avocado salsa

Pinot Noir, Montinore Estate, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2009

Peach cobbler with mascarpone cream and spiced plum sorbet

Menu B

sautéed chanterelles on toast with smoked ham hock broth, sherry vinegar, and fried sage

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Valle Reale, Italy, 2010

Georgia shrimp in a spicy guajillo chile broth with marinated nappa cabbage, housemade chorizo, Red Mule hominy, oregano, avocado, and crisp tortilla

Riesling, Von Hövel, Oberemmeler Hütte Spätlese, Saar, Germany, 2007

Muscadine curd and hazelnut cake with vanilla diplomat and cantaloupe sorbet

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: August 25th to August 31st

2011-08-25T08:35:00.002-04:00

Menu A

Ryan’s rabbit pate with grain mustard, pickled okra, shaved radish, and maldon sea salt

Riesling, von Buhl, ‘Armand’ Kabinett, Pfalz, Germany, 2010

smothered rabbit legs in sauce piquant with sautéed mustard greens and dirty rice

Pinot Noir, Montinore Estate, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2009

Chocolate Malva cake with cocoa nibs, cinnamon poached pear and whipped cream

Menu B

fried smelts with shishito peppers and citrus ponzu

Bordeaux Blanc, Jean Médeville, France, 2010

crisp Texas redfish with fennel marmalade, seared sugar snap peas, whipped butterbeans, and lemon emulsion

Bourgogne Blanc, Verget, ‘Terroirs de Cote d’Or’, Burgundy, France, 2008

Greendale farms gruyere with housemade baguette, fig preserves, and fresh apple

$25 food

$15 booze

‘LEARN FROM A MASTER’ WINE DINNER AT FIVE & TEN

2011-08-23T12:49:00.005-04:00

We are really excited about this one. It takes a rare amount of dedication (and a lot of talent) to become a Master Sommelier. Not many people understand wine the way these people do. In fact, only 170 people have ever pulled it off (that's worldwide, all-time). We are very lucky to be hosting one of those people, Laura Williamson, for a dinner featuring the wines of Rudi Wiest Selections. Rudi has been bringing in some of Germany’s finest wines for over 30 years, and these days that doesn’t just mean Riesling, either. The Germans are now making very fine wines from a wide variety of grapes, both white and red (the Pinot Noirs have recently become especially delicious). Come and learn about the growing landscape of German fine wine with someone who knows it better than almost anybody.

‘Learn From a Master’ Dinner

Featuring the wines of Germany and Master Sommelier Laura Williamson of Rudi Wiest Selections

Monday, September 19th, 6:30 pm

chilled butter bean soup with chopped pea shoots, lobster and lemon oil

Pinot Blanc, Schloss Hallburg, Franken, Germany, 2010

scallop crudo with shaved Hakurei turnip salad,

lime-soy vinaigrette & toasted benne

Pinot Gris, Heger, Baden, Germany, 2009

roasted cod with crisp rice cake, radish, melon and chile-ham hock broth

Riesling, Dr. F Weins-Prüm, Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett, Mosel, Germany, 2009

Squab, mustard spaetzle, lacinato kale, pinot noir jus

Pinot Noir, Rebholz, Spätlese Trocken ‘Tradition’, Pfalz, Germany, 2007

Chapel Hill Creamery, Carolina New Moon with apple gelee, pecan bread

Riesling, Karthäuserhof, Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Auslese, Mosel, Germany, 2005

6. Bienenstich Cake with Local Apple, Riesling Compote, Candied Almonds and Honey

Call 706-546-7300 for reservations. $100 per person (tax & gratuity not included)

The Great Values of Bordeaux with Eric Fourault

2011-08-23T11:36:00.000-04:00

When we think of Bordeaux we often think of great wines but we rarely think of great deals. Over the last 30 years the prices of many Classified Growth wines have exploded, shooting up by an incredible 2000% or 3000% in some cases. Every once in while, however, we run across solid Bordeaux at prices that are still perfectly reasonable. Last year, I met Eric Fourault. Eric is a Bordelais broker who also works for Baron Edmond de Rothschild’s parent company, and he showed me some fantastic wines at easy prices. Later, I was lucky enough to sit down to dinner with him and an assemblage of bottles from all over Bordeaux. Eric knows his country as well as anyone and is a walking history-book of the area, so the meal was a real thrill. Come meet Eric on September 7^th at ESS and get an education on one of the world’s most important wine regions. At $60, it’ll be a very rare thing: a great deal on great Bordeaux. As a bonus, we’ll also be featuring a wine from one of Baron Edmond de Rothschild’s ventures in Argentina, Flechas de los Andes.

Check it out:

THE GREAT VALUES OF BORDEAUX WITH ERIC FOURAULT

Wednesday, September 7^th, 7:00 PM

EMPIRE STATE SOUTH

1. Marinated clams with arugula, pickled nardellos, garlic chips, and olive oil

Bordeaux blanc, Chateau La Freynelle, 2009

2. Grilled Hanger Steak with sweet potato puree and roasted baby onions with sweet potato greens

Moulis-en-Medoc, Chateau Malmaison, 2006

Listrac-Medoc, Chateau Clarke, 2004

3. Mimolette cheese with accompaniments

Malbec blend, Flechas de los Andes, 'Gran Corte', Mendoza, Argentina, 2007

4. Tarte tatin with Crème Fraiche

$60 dollars per person plus tax and gratuity. Call ESS at 404-541-1105 for Reservations. Space is limited.

- Steven Grubbs,

Wine Director, ESS

Red Mule Grits

2011-08-22T10:54:00.000-04:00

I have known Tim and Alice Mills for a very long time and I never tire of chatting with them at their in-town farm on the Northeast side of Athens. They are salt-of-the-earth people who understand the community of food. Luke is their 18 year old mule who, as Tim will tell you, is a "helper", not a "motor". That mule weighs 1200 pounds. Big helper.

Table 27/ 5&10 featured in Southern Living!

2011-08-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

we love Southern Living...

5&10 prix fixe

2011-08-18T10:21:00.002-04:00

Experience the Generitech Difference

Five and Ten Prix Fixe

August 18 through August 24
5:30 to 6pm
$25 food
$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe
August 18 to August 24
Menu A

1.
rabbit saltimbocca with country ham, sage, lemon brown butter, shaved parmesan, and arugula
Bonarda, Il Vino dei Padri, Piedmont, Italy , 2008

2.
veal braciole: braised veal breast stuffed with pine nuts, currants, garlic, pecorino, and thyme with mushroom ragu, mascarpone polenta and sautéed chard
Nebbiolo d’Alba, Demarie, Piedmont, Italy, 2007

3.
Passion fruit-chocolate tart with coconut sable crust, cashews and banana sorbet

Menu B:

1.
marinated white anchovies, pickled okra, Elberton apples, jalapeno, micro greens, and tiny croutons
Dry Riesling, Schloss Schönborn, Rheingau, Italy, 2010

2.
crisp trout stuffed with lemon and fennel with salmoriglio, charred asparagus, red mule grits cake, and fennel slaw
Vermentino, Terenzuola, Colli di Luni, Italy, 2009

3.
spiced plum sorbet with compressed peaches, housemade puff pastry and hazelnut cream

Upcoming Events

Whatcha Got in Your Box? August 16th, 2011

2011-08-17T09:28:00.002-04:00

Muscadines

If they last beyond snacking, which in itself takes some dental dexterity to get around the pips, you should make some jelly. Your toast will thank you later.

This is a variation from John Egerton’s recipe. You should get his book Southern Food.

2 cups peeled and seeded muscadine pulp (this is an arduous task)

1 ¼ cups white granulated sugar

½ cup water

1 piece star anise

½ cinnamon stick

Place all in a stainless sauce pot and cook down for about 25 minutes over medium heat until it looks like a thick syrup. Stir all the while so it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and jar into small jars. Process according to jar manufacturer’s instructions.

Pea shoots

Toss with lemon, shaved parmesan and olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt. Tastes like a 80F sunny day!

Tomatoes

I made a great Cornbread and tomato salad the other day to serve with some roasted chicken. Lovely.

1 tablespoon bacon grease

2 cups cornbread, cubed into large cubes

2 cups sliced tomatoes

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

6 large basil leaves, torn into small pieces by hand

Place the bacon grease in a medium sized cast iron pan and place on medium heat. When the grease is hot add the cornbread pieces and toast until crisp. While the cornbread is toasting place the tomatoes in a bowl and season with the salt and then drizzle over the olive oil, the vinegar and add the basil. Add the hot cornbread, toss well and finish with a generous amount of black pepper.

(great)Okra

The (great) description comes from Celia but she’s a very honest person. It is great. It is small and narrow and not woody at all. I have just been cutting them lengthwise and cooking them in about 2 tablespoons very hot olive oil for about three minutes. Out of the pan and onto a platter with a sprinkle of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon.

Potatoes

Buy a potato ricer and you’ll make restaurant-like, silky smooth mashed potatoes. When making mashed potatoes please do not skimp on the butter. And I will walk right out that door if you suggest margarine… and I may never come back.

Cilantro

The picture is of Smoky Eggplant Puree with Cilantro...

Not just cilantro but the nicest cilantro I have ever seen. Lovely. Make a little cilantro and carrot salad with lime vinaigrette and toasted pine nuts!

Sweet Pepper

Roast them up and store with some olive oil and herbs! They’ll stay good in the fridge as a lovely burger topper for weeks.

Eggplant ideas

2011-08-17T08:24:00.001-04:00

Though we didn't get any eggplant in the box this week, I have a premonition that we will see it again soon. Eggplant is one of those hurdle vegetables... it's hard to figure out how to get through it beyond the basics of grilling, stacking with cheese and tomatoes, maybe frying it up. Here are three recipes that show you a different world for the those orbs, before they go all soft on you.

Smoky Eggplant Puree

Think hummus. Think smooth baba ghanoush. Think wonderful with toasted pita or as a base for roasted lamb.

1 medium sized eggplant or two small (about baseball sized if the small ones)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 clove minced garlic (fresh garlic, not pre-minced)

1 teaspoon Espelette or Aleppo chile flake

½ teaspoon kosher salt

I have always made a similar spread by hand with a knife but this one is simply burred in a food processor making it perhaps the easiest eggplant recipe ever. If you have a gas stove its even easier.

Pierce the eggplants with a fork all over. If you have a gas stove, turn the gas to medium heat on a burner and place the eggplant directly over the flame. Roast for about fifteen minutes until very soft. Remove from heat, cool and set aside. If you don’t have a gas stove you can pierce them and roast the eggplant in a 400f oven for about 15 minutes, or until very tender when pierced with a fork.

Peel away charred skin and lightly shop the eggplant flesh. Place in the food processor with the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, chile flake and kosher salt. Puree until smooth and serve whenever. Yummy.

Marinated Eggplant with Boiled Peanut Sauce

preheat oven to 425F

The sauce is kind of like a tahini sauce for a falafel but so Southern in its roots. The Lebanese know their way around an eggplant so when you are looking for more eggplant ideas think about cookbooks showcasing the Middle East. This would make a great side next to lamb or roasted fish. Some hot sauce, some cold beers, those would be nice too.

Peanut Sauce:

1/4 cup shelled boiled peanuts (canned will work if need be)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Combine the boiled peanuts, garlic, water and lemon juice in a blender and puree until smooth. With the motor still running, slowly pour in the olive oil and then turn off blender and add the parsley and the smoked paprika. Stir to combine and set aside.

Eggplant:

1 medium globe eggplant (about 1 pound)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons minced parsley

2 tablespoons minced oregano

2 tablespoons minced mint

2 tablespoons minced hot pepper

½ teaspoon chile flake

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

Cut the eggplant in half, removing the calyx (the leafy green part where the eggplant was attached to the plant). Cut ½ inch thick slices from each half, resulting in about 24 half moon shapes.

Take a big roasted pan and pour ¼ cup of the olive oil in the pan. Arrange the eggplant slices on the roasting pan and then drizzle with a little more olive oil. Season the eggplant with ½ teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground pepper.

Roast in the oven for 15 minutes until soft in the center but not hammered (restaurant speak for really over-cooked).

Remove from oven but keep in the roasting pan.

In a bowl combine the remaining olive oil, parsley, oregano, mint, sweet pepper, chile flake, lemon juice, the remaining salt and a couple of grinds from the pepper mill. Stir to combine and then spoon evenly over all of the eggplant.

Transfer the eggplant to a serving platter and then drizzle with the peanut sauce. Serve.

Eggplant Imam Baaldi (Bayildi)

Named for a fainting Imam of Turkish food lore who passed out every time the chefs made him this dish. The aromas just did him in. I guess thus is kind of like eggplant narcolepsy.

Preheat oven to 325F

1 pound Japanese eggplants

1 cup olive oil

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 large heirloom tomatoes, peeled and diced

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon minced rosemary

2 tablespoons minced parsley

¼ cup dried currants, or cranberries

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and then carefully slit them with three parallel slits on the flesh side. The slits should not cut through the skin, just incise into the flesh by about half and inch or so.

Take a large fry pan and place it over medium high heat. Add ¼ cup of the olive oil and when the oil is hot brown off the eggplants on the flesh side for about three minutes, and then turn and brown off the skin side for two minutes. You may have to do this in batches depending on your pan size. Remove the eggplants to a baking dish where they can easily fit in a single layer.

Clean out the pan and place back on the heat. Add another ¼ cup of olive oil to the pan and add the onions. Cook for five minutes until beginning to caramelize. Add the garlic, the tomatoes, cumin, rosemary, parsley, and currants. Cook for five minutes and then pour the onion/ tomato mix into a bowl. Add the lemon juice and sugar to the onion/ tomato mix and then season with the salt.

With the eggplants flesh side up, mound the onion/ tomato mix into the eggplants, making them look quite overflowing. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and then pour ½ cup of water in the bottom of the baking dish. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to one hour and then remove and cool. Better room temperature than hot but you can eat it either way.

Five and Ten Prix Fixe : August 11th to August 17th

2011-08-11T08:56:00.002-04:00

Menu A

1. tomato cucumber gazpacho with pickled shrimp and chive oil

Pinot Grigio, Borgo M, Veneto, Italy, 2010

2. roasted wild striped bass with sherry emulsion, tarragon creamed corn, sautéed spinach, orange and shaved fennel salad

Verdejo, Altaplata, Rueda, Spain, 2009

3. vanilla bean crumb cake with compressed plums and hazelnut cream

Menu B:

1. woodland gardens arugula with balsamic vinaigrette, figs, pickled scallion, and shaved parmesan

Gruner Veltliner, Ecker, Austria, 2009

2. grilled lamb leg with pickled red onion, red wine jus, braised white beans, and peperonata

Bobal, Pasion de Bobal, Valencia, Spain, 2009

3. Sweet Grass Dairy Asher blue cheese with housemade baguette and accompaniments

$25 food

$15 booze

WHATCHA GOT IN YOUR BOX? August 9, 2011

2011-08-10T11:35:00.001-04:00

Those melons smell ridiculously good. They permeate the air. Lovely. Brief notes on those later in this missive.

Let's use some figs + arugula, two things that have an altar affinity.
I roasted a pork butt last night and we ate half of it so the rest is lunches for a couple of days. It was just a simple boneless shoulder from Earthfare with a good amount of fat cap on it. I rubbed it with herbs and olive oil, salt and pepper and garlic. Tied it well and roasted it in a 350 oven, basting every ten minutes, until it reached about 145F, and then moistened it with 1/2 cup of Valpolicella red wine. Then I finished it under the broiler to char and crisp the fat. It was awesome. Served it with quinoa and tomatoes, and corn on the cob. Clementine lost a tooth on the corn but that was going to happen regardless, and the tooth fairy (named Petunia) was generous. But alas I have this pork leftover.

Fig, Roasted Pork, Parmagiano, and Arugula with balsamic vinaigrette

you will have extra vinaigrette but that's okay. Use it another day.

serves 4
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon grain mustard
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon real balsamic, I like Villa Manodori
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 bunch of arugula, excess stem removed
1 cup halved figs
1/4 cup shaved parmagiano reggiano
1/2 pound shaved roasted pork (You could use cooked chicken or ham if you wanted)

Make the vinaigrette by combining the olive oil, mustard, lime juice, red wine vinegar, balsamic and
a 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cap and shake vigorously.
Place the arugula, figs and parmagiano in a large salad bowl. Add two tablespoons of the vinaigrette and the remaining salt. Toss lightly. Arrange the pork on four plates, top evenly with the salad and then drizzle a bit more vinaigrette around each plate. Eat.

Corn:
Plunge that corn into boiling water for 2 minutes and then eat with really nice fleur de sel and some way too expensive butter. Leave the Land o Lakes out of this equation.
Shishito Pepper:
Fry them in two tablespoons of olive oil in a really hot pan for about three minutes. Sprinkle with salt and sesame. Snack on them. Snaggle tooth Clementine eats them like candy.
Garlic:
It's great garlic. Use as garlic.
Tomatoes:
It's late in the season so eat them with reverence. They will be gone before you know it.
Melons:
Lovely melons. Make a granite or a mimosa, or do a country ham and prosciutto plate.
Eggplant:
Make caponata. I recently tasted a pureed caponata. That was weird. Don't do that.

WHATCHA GOT IN YOUR BOX?? August 5th

2011-08-05T10:17:00.002-04:00

Edamame

These little soybeans are a healthy snack just lightly steamed and tossed in sea salt. The furry pods can be discarded after retrieving the edamame beans. The firmness is a wonderful and unique distinction that is a nice textural element in a salad or for snacking.

Brown Turkey Figs

Brown Turkey Figs are sweet, and work well with salty flavors. Wrap them with shaved prosciutto, a few micro greens and good balsamic vinegar.

Mixed Micro Greens

These delicate little sprouts have a fresh green flavor and are great for adding to a salad or garnishing any main. When dressing these try and dress as lightly as possible to avoid wilting.

Sweet peppers

Let’s make a Sweet Pepper Sofrito! A Sofrito summed up is a sweet pepper, tomato, onion, garlic, spice and herb relish that adds huge flavor to so many things. Once you’ve assembled it, it can stay in your refrigerator for a week and be used to top eggs, mix with potato hash, add to stewed legumes (whatever your favorite bean may be), anywhere you see fit. The simple idea to keep in mind when making this recipe is to cook down the ingredients slowly, which allows the liquid to slowly cook out of the peppers, onions, and tomatoes and gently stew.

Sofrito

3 sweet medium peppers diced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 medium onion diced

¼ teaspoon toasted ground cumin

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon lime juice

1teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro

In a nonreactive medium saucepot slowly heat the olive oil. Add the peppers, the garlic, and the onions and slowly sauté. Cook this down over low heat until just before browning. Add the ground cumin and toast for two additional minutes. Add the tomatoes and a small pinch of salt (this will help break down the tomatoes). Once these ingredients have reach a thick and non-watery consistency, add the lime, oregano, and the cilantro. Season. Serve cold or warm.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Try these sliced with a sharp knife and served with a dill pickle vinaigrette and bacon bits.

Dill Pickle Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons minced dill pickles

3 tablespoons dill pickle juice

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon chopped thyme

½ cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients and stir well before using.

Mountain Rose Potatoes

Smooth in consistency with red skins and a pink interior I love to simply blanch these until soft through and lightly press them into a medium-hit cast-iron skillet with clarified butter. When browned off slowly, these potatoes become delicious and crisp and work well next to a grilled steak. Cut and blanch these and toss with the Dill Pickle Vinaigrette and add bacon crumbles for an easy summer potato salad.

Italian Eggplant

Light char the whole eggplant on a medium-heat grill, removing the stalk, pureeing with olive oil and salt. This very basic technique creates a smooth consistency of wonderful smoky spread or dip that is fantastic and simple. Try it on a crusty baguette with roasted tomatoes, good mozzarella, and arugula.

Sweet Red Onions

Quickly pickling these red onions after julienning gives you a versatile condiment/ingredient that keeps for a couple of weeks stored in the refrigerator.

Basic Pickling Brine

2 cups cider vinegar

1/8 cup kosher salt

1 Quarts water

2 cloves of garlic

Small bunch of thyme

Bring these ingredients to a boil (making sure all salt has dissolved) and strain out the garlic and thyme. Add one teaspoon of Basic Pickling Spice.

Basic Pickling Spice

5 Tablespoons Mustard Seeds (whole)

5 whole allspice berries

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

3 bay leaves

2 Teaspoons whole black peppercorns

Pour the hot brine solution over the cut red onions to cover and allow to cool before covering and refrigerating. Pickling these onions gives you a nice way to balance rich flavors with a well-rounded acidic one.

Ruffled Lettuce

Beautiful and crisp with a good balance of leafy-green and water. This lettuce is often best used as the base of a great summer salad. These box ingredients are so perfect because they are grown and picked at just the right time. Summer salads rely mostly on the freshness of the product and therefore can be wonderful with minimal prep time or technique. It may sound like an overused chef comment, but great ingredients really do make good food easy.

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: August 4 to August 11

2011-08-04T12:35:00.000-04:00

Menu A

stir fried shishito peppers with sesame and citrus ponzu

Alvarinho/Loureiro, Aveleda, ‘Follies’, Portugal, 2010

roasted swordfish with chow chow, vermouth emulsion, and a succotash of field peas, corn, okra, and tomato

Sauvignon Blanc, Peter Dipoli, ‘Voglar’, Alto-Adige, Italy, 2007

3. Fig upside cake with tarragon diplomat cream

Menu B

WG crisp head lettuces with blue cheese, buttermilk dressing, bacon, avocado, and citrus

Gruner Veltliner, Ecker, Austria, 2009

grilled bistro steak with roasted jalapeno cornbread, sautéed greens, and cherry tomato salsa

Malbec, Thierry Puzelat, ‘KO: In Cot We Trust’, Loire, France, 2008

3. Pecan pie with clabber cream and brûleéd peaches

$25 food

$15 booze

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: July 21 to July 27

2011-07-21T10:49:00.000-04:00

Menu A

spicy cantaloupe soup with crab and curry crème fraiche

Riesling, von Hövel, Oberemmeler Hütte Spätlese, Saar, Germany, 2007

sautéed squid with fresh corn, tomatoes, jalapeno, capers, garlic, currants, white wine, fresh herbs, and grilled bread

Sauvignon Blanc, La Chablisienne, Saint-Bris, Burgundy, 2010

lemon chess pie with whipped cream and blueberry compote

Menu B

beef carpaccio with tomatoes and horseradish cream

Rosé, Brumont, Cotes du Gascogne, France, 2010

grilled quails with tarragon jus, creamed corn, kale, and tomato confit

Beaujolais, Jean-Paul Brun, ‘L’Ancien’, France, 2009

SeaHive cheddar with house made baguette and accompaniments

$25 food

$15 booze

WHATCHA GOT IN YOUR BOX? July 14th

2011-07-14T11:18:00.000-04:00

Everything was so vibrant and colorful this week! (this picture is missing the potatoes and garlic that were also in the box, woops!)

Cherry Tomatoes

So wonderful! Some varieties include sun-golds, red and yellow plums and purples that are all unique in their own delicate sweet way. They are so good just halved, salted, and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic (or any good vinegar of your choice).

Bok Choy

Bok Choy is a relative of Chinese cabbage and works well in most applications in which cabbage, one of the most under-rated vegetables, is used. Cabbage and bok choy are delicate enough to be shaved thin and served in slaws, but tough enough to withstand braising and even the fermented state of kimchi and sauerkraut. One difference between these two however is the deeper green color at the ends of the bok choy leaves. This is of notable importance when determining whether or not to leave the green leaves or to trim and save them for a method that requires less cooking and or less acidity exposure, which tends to make beautiful green go brown. The green tops are great quickly seared in a hot pan, or even torn or cut into a salad, drizzled with a nice vinaigrette.

Cantaloupe

These are so sweet naturally that they are great raw and all alone. However, let's get a little creative with our melon this week and make a cooling granite! The lesson in this method is a subtle idea of sweetening the puree to just barely sweeter than your preferred taste. The reasoning behind this is that sweetness is less detectible in frozen granite. The method for this requires a blender and St-Germain, an elderflower liquor that is light and fruity.

Cantaloupe Granite with St-Germain

1 lb Cantaloupe (peeled and seeded)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons granulated sugar (this is where you’ll need to trust your taste after everything is mixed)

¾ cup of water

2 tablespoons St-Germain

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth and pour into a freezer-safe casserole dish, cover and freeze. After one hour, uncover and run a fork through the mixture to break apart the ice as it is starting to develop. Recover, freeze for 30 more minutes, and run the fork through it again. Eat it!

Blueberries

Woodland Gardens knows berries! These blueberries are no exception. Plump and juicy, these blueberries are always great served raw, but this week you could mix it up and throw them in a pancake mix! My kids love blueberry pancakes!

Beefsteak Tomatoes

Grilled Beefsteak Tomato Salad with Salsa Verde, Roasted Sweet Peppers and shaved Parmesan

Okay so we have served these awesome tomatoes raw with a little vinaigrette, now we’ll try a quick, hot grill lightly brushed with olive oil. We still need to salt these just before serving to keep the juices inside the tomatoes, so don’t jump the gun. These tomatoes are large so slice them at least a quarter of an inch thick just before grilling. The idea is to grill quickly on a hot grill to make sure the tomatoes charred but are not falling apart. Once the slices are nice and charred, pull them off and set them aside. The tomatoes and peppers should be cut into larger pieces for serving to give it a rustic feel. Just before serving at room temperature mix the grilled tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes, and peppers together and salt. Drizzle with a liberal amount of the salsa verde and shave the Parmesan (with a vegetable peeler) on top. The Summer Crisp Lettuce would be nice in this salad as well. This works well as a salad standing alone or next to grilled lamb.

Salsa Verde

1 cup flat leaf parsley, leaves only, finely chopped

½ cup basil, leaves only, finely chopped

½ cup mint, leaves only, finely chopped

½ cup marjoram, leaves only, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

¼ capers, rinsed well and minced

¼ cup anchovy filets, rinsed and minced

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

extra virgin olive oil

Place herbs in a bowl and just cover with olive oil. Add the garlic, capers and chopped anchovies, stir well. Add the mustard and the lemon juice. Season and thin with olive oil, if needed.

Summer Crisp Lettuce

Want to try something outside of the box? Try using this lettuce in Dan Barber and Michael Anthony’s Lettuce Soup recipe that showcases the delicate flavor of the lettuce in an amazing and innovative way (available on Food and Wine’s web site). Try gently braising or grilling this stuff but be sure to wash well before using it. Of course, it’s really awesome in salads!

Sweet Peppers

Roasting peppers can be accomplished in a number of ways. Using the hot grill that we used to grill the tomatoes, lightly coat the peppers with olive oil and put them on a hot section of your grill. Allow the pepper’s skin to char and blister on every side. Once completely charred, set aside and allow to cool. Once cooled, the peppers can easily be peeled and de-seeded, leaving the tender red pepper flesh. This is a handy thing to have in your fridge for relishes, sauces like romesco, as an addition to salads, or as a pizza topping.

Here is a great recipes from Saveur for a unique Sweet Pepper Salad.

Tri-Colored Filet Beans

De-stem, blanch and shock these beans (see older posts on Bean Blanching technique). Green beans of this variety definitely are made tender by wet heat (boiling, steaming. etc) and for this reason they are easier to utilize in the blanched form. These smaller varieties of wax beans are so delicate that they work well in bean salads but are also great in simple bean gratins.

Red Potatoes

If you have any extra salsa verde left over from the Beefsteak Tomato recipes, toss it with some roasted potatoes. Simple and tasty! Or whip up a potato salad; summer is not complete without potato salad. Everyone has his or her favorite, what’s yours? If you need some help, check out this link from Southern Living for 13 different Potato Salad Recipes.

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: July 14 to July 20

2011-07-14T09:13:00.001-04:00

Menu A

1. Summer salad of corn, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, avocado, bacon, and egg with pickled pepper vinaigrette

Gruner Veltliner, Ecker, Austria, 2009

2. Roasted salmon with lemon oregano jam, charred eggplant and garlic puree, green beans in yogurt dressing, and chopped olives

Moschofilero, Tselepos, Mantinia, Greece, 2010

3. Blackberry and lemon verbena crème brûleé with cookies

Menu B

1. fried okra salad with green goddess dressing, arugula, pickled okra, and shaved pecorino

Cava, Conde de Subirats, Spain, NV

2. Grilled skirt steak with basil salsa verde, red wine jus, panzanella, and grilled asparagus

Sangiovese/Merlot, Talenti, Tuscany, Italy, 1998

3. Sweet Grass Green Hill with accompaniments

$25 food

$15 booze

I feel like chicken tonight

2011-07-07T17:01:00.002-04:00

'Some Family Style, Some Not’ Dinner series

EMPIRE STATE SOUTH

Local Chicken Dinner

Plowpoint Farm & Darby Farms

6:30 PM September 11th, 2011

$85 per person

tax & gratuity not included

consommé: custard royale, chantrelles, chicken boudin, fine herbs

Sparkling Saumur rosé, Louis de Grenelle, Loire, NV

chicken liver terrine, confit of neck and gizzards,

pickles, toasted bread, tarragon mustard

Riesling, Von Hövel, Oberemmeler Hütte Spatlese, Mosel, Germany, 2007

Vol-au-vent au vollaille: chicken oysters, sweet onion,

thyme, poached egg, crisp skin

Gaglioppo, Statti, Calabria, Italy, 2009

chicken roulade: fennel broth, braised leg,

ricotta dumpling, carrot, celery

Bourgogne, Thibeault Liger-Belair, France, 2005

farm egg-sorghum custard in a jar

Vouvray, La Craie, Loire, France, 2009

Roasted peach, ile flottante

Moscato d’Asti, Vietti, Piedmont, Italy, 2010

Call 404-541-1105 for reservations. We plan on it being a fun family style meal next to the bocce court!

cowboy hats in a cowboy town

2011-07-07T15:37:00.000-04:00

Greg Norton

2011-07-07T15:17:00.001-04:00

Greg Norton was the bassist in Husker Du. Seminal punk band of my youth. He's now a chef. I think that's very very cool. Saveur has an awesome article about chefs who were musicians. Now I have to go listen go listen to Celebrated Summer.

and these are the phatty cakes

2011-07-07T14:49:00.000-04:00

Yum. Cynthia Wong's great creations.

what food costs

2011-07-07T14:47:00.000-04:00

I am on a trek, a teaching voyage to explain to my cooks how much things cost. They cook great food but many have no idea how much locally sourced food actually costs. So my new way is to photograph the core foods we use with prices attached to instill in them the economics of what they cook everyday. They will be more careful with the chanterelles, I promise you that.

Whatha Got In Your Box? July 6th, 2011 edition

2011-07-06T15:23:00.003-04:00

Whatcha got in your box?

blueberries

cantaloupes

tomatoes

cherry tomatoes

lettuce

arugula

eggplant

basil

beans

Blueberries:

A SAVORY BLUEBERRY RECIPE!

arugula, peach, and blueberry salad with La Quercia prosciutto

and mustard-cider vinegar vinaigrette

serves 6

This is a very old school French way of making a dressing. Lovely with the egg yolk. The interplay of the sweet of the fruits with the spice of the arugula and the dressing and then the velvety richness of the ham make for a pretty mean salad. Mean in the nice way…

Mustard-cider vinaigrette:

2 cooked egg yolks, cooked firm but not like rubber balls. 5 minute egg…

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

fresh tarragon

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt

pinch cayenne

Using a mortar and pestle mash up the egg yolks with the mustard. Add the vinegar and tarragon. Mash well and then slowly add the oil in a steady thin stream. You can use a small whisk at this point. Whisk in all the oil and finish with the salt and cayenne. If its too thick you can add some water, nature’s thinner.

1 quart arugula leaves

1 peach, fresh and ripe, pitted and thinly sliced

½ quart of blueberries

¼ pound or six beautiful slices of La Quercia prosciutto (earthfare has it, spendy but worth it)

1 batch dressing

pinch of kosher salt

Place arugula in a large bowl and add the sliced peaches and the blueberries. Add half of the dressing and gently toss with your clean hands. Season with a pinch of salt and then evenly plate onto six plates. Drizzle a little more dressing around each plate and then tear a piece of prosciutto over each plate. Yum.

Cantalope:

Cantalope and fresh mint soup with picked crab and curry oil

1 tablespoon curry powder, fresh as you can find

4 tablespoons grapeseed oil

3 cups Cantalope, skin cut off, halved, seeded and diced into large dice

2 cups water

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon minced jalapeno

3 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped (not just sliced… that would be stringy)

4 tablespoons fresh blue crab meat

Puree the curry powder and grapeseed oil in a blender and then pour into a coffee filter perched over a small cup. Let slowly drip through as you make your soup.

Place cantaloupe, water, cider vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, salt and jalapeno in the blender and puree til smooth. Pass through china cap and then split into four bowls. Garnish with picked crab, chopped mint and then a drizzle of curry oil.

Eggplant:

How about Baba Ganoush with grilled flatbread? Maybe next week though. Or you can google that and make it up as you go along.

Basil:

Eat them with tomatoes. Tear them into freshly buttered orecchiette with some of the cherry tomatoes cut up finely, some capers and some freshly grated parmesan and a good shot of chile flake. Serve with good bread and dinner is done.

Heirloom Tomatoes:

Pan Roasted Wild Salmon with Chickpea Panisses and a cucumber tomato salad

I love panisses. These little chickpea fritters are like the falafel of Marseilles. Easy to make and a joy to eat.

Serves 4

Chickpea Panisses

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup chickpea flour

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup all-purpose flour

Warm a medium sized pot over medium high heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil and when it shimmers add the shallot. Cook for five minutes and then add the garlic. Cook until the garlic is translucent, about two minutes. Add the chicken stock and once the chicken stock reaches a boil whisk in the chickpea flour like you would to make polenta. Lower heat to medium and keep on stirring every minute or so and cook for about 15 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and the tablespoon of butter. Whisk thoroughly. Remove pot from heat and set aside.

Use the remaining olive oil to oil a 9 x 13 sheet pan. Pour the chickpea batter into the sheet pan and then place in the refrigerator for two hours to set up.

When the chickpea batter is firm cut into two inch squares and then dust them with the flour. Fry off in remaining olive oil for two minutes per side over medium high heat, but do this right after the salmon is cooked.

Cucumber Tomato salad

1 cucumber, finely diced

1 pound heirloom tomatoes, diced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot, peeled and minced

1/2 cup chopped flatleaf parsley

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all in a bowl and let sit at room temperature for an hour for the flavors to really come through. You can serve this on just about anything and it will keep in the fridge for about three to four days.

Pan roasted salmon

Preheat oven to 400F

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 six ounce portions of wild salmon, skin off

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Season the salmon with the salt. When the oil is hot add the salmon, presentation side down (presentation side is the side that will be up on the plate). Sear for three minutes and then add one tablespoon of butter. Baste with a spoon and then over and cook on the other side for two minutes. Then place in the oven for three minutes. TOTAL COOKING TIME SHOULD BE ABOUT 8-10 minutes for every inch of thickness. Remove from pan and place cooked salmon on a sheet pan to hold until plating.

Plating:

Place two panisses on each plate and then nestle a portion of salmon next to the panisses. Top with a liberal amount of cucumber salad, spooning some of the oil and vinegar around each plate. Eat.

Beans:

These are true Southern style beans. Some would think that that’s not my thing

Go to Bell’s. You haven’t been there in years and you should go. It’s actually not a shabby grocery store and they are really nice people. Buy some fatback. I mean real fatback. Pour a touch of lard in a big pot, add a chopped-up onion, a bay leaf and the fatback and let it cook out for about fifteen minutes over medium heat. Add the beans, topped and bottomed and then cut into two-inch lengths. Add some chicken stock just to come up half way up the beans and then cover and reduce the heat low. Cook them for an hour, until really cooked down.

PEACHES

And though Celia does not give us peaches, here’s a Fried Peach Pie recipe from the wonderful Cynthia Wong, pastry chef at Empire State South in Atlanta… next week a peach ice cream recipe from Shae Rehmel, the star of the pastry program at Five & Ten! In unrelated news Cynthia is rocking out Phatty Cakes at the coffee shop at ESS... If you haven't had one they rock. they are a really phenomenal ginger cookie pair with marscapone cream center. Wonderful.

Fried Peach Pies

Cynthia Wong, Empire State South

Serves about 4 to 6

Crust:

1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces cold unsalted butter

1 egg, whisked with 1 tablespoon water

Filling:

3 large or 4 medium-sized ripe but still firm peaches, peeled and pitted

2 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ tablespoons instant tapioca

½ teaspoon lemon juice

4 cups vegetable oil for frying

Slice the peaches ¼ inches thick. In a medium bowl, combined the peaches with the sugar, instant tapioca and lemon juice. Set the peaches aside at room temperature for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring gently and frequently until slightly thickened. Set aside to cool completely.

Cube the butter into small pieces. In the work bowl of a food processor, or using your hands, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter cubes and pulse. Cut in with a pastry cutter or pinch together using your hands until the mixture resembles course crumbs and there are no big chunks of butter.

Put the mixture in a large bowl and sprinkle the egg-water mixture over. Using a large spatula, toss the mixture together until the egg is absorbed. Then, using your hands, gently pat the mixture together until it forms a dough.

Flatten the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until a little less than 1/4” thick. Cut the dough into 4 large or 6 medium rounds.

Fill a large, deep pot with the oil and heat to 375°F degrees.

Moisten the edges of each dough circle with water. Put a tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle, then fold the circle in half. Pinch the edges to seal.

Fry the pies two at a time, turning over to get both sides nice and golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a rack or plate with paper towels on it to drain.

Vanilla and Mint Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream (40%)

½ vanilla bean, scrapped and pod reserved for another use

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves

Whip the cream in a large, dry metal bowl with a whisk. If you feel lazy you can do this with a electric hand mixer. Whip until soft peaks form, cream should never look like its breaking… add the vanilla, sugar and mint. Serve off to the side of each fried pie.

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: June 30th to July 6th

2011-06-30T08:21:00.002-04:00

Menu A

steamed pei mussels in a spicy red curry broth

Gewurztraminer, Foris, Rogue Valley, Oregon, 2007

Georgia shrimp and grits in a tomato-herb broth with red onion, red peppers, basil, and thyme and grilled sourdough

THE RIESLING OF THE DAY (It’s The Summer of Riesling! Love it!)

Almond frangipane tart with peach compote, vanilla bean diplomat and basil reduction.

Menu B

chopped salad with butter lettuce, smoked pork loin, WG cherry tomatoes, grilled corn, pickled peppers, ricotta salata, and house ranch dressing

Pinot Gris, Maysara, ‘Arsheen’, McMinnville, Oregon, 2010

grilled quails with ranch style beans, cabbage and cilantro slaw, and fresh tomato salsa

Pinot Noir, St. Innocent, ‘Villages Cuvee’, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2009

Greendale Farms Gruyere with house made baguette and accompaniments.

$25 food

$15 booze

WHATCHA GOT IN YOUR BOX?? June 28th

2011-06-29T14:05:00.001-04:00

Beefsteak Tomatoes

I was listening to a piece on NPR the other day and Barry Estabrook, the author of Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Has Ruined Our Most Alluring Fruit was on the program talking about farm labor practices and the murky world of how our products get to the table. Barry has a great blog called The Politics of the Plate which you should look at just for his piece on the passing of Georgia legislation to use probation laborers on farms in a response to the lack of migrant workers due to the new immigration bill which becomes law on July 1.

A lot can be learned from the book and the NPR piece, but one thing struck me: This has nothing, beautifully nothing, to do with our CSA box. This box of stunning vegetables was picked by skilled peeps whose names I know. And to boot books tomatoes are not these beauties that we are about to cut into. Those are fleshy, rubbery things which can never truly capture what a beautiful tomato truly is… the taste of summer.

Beefsteak red tomatoes are just best sliced and dressed with a simple vinaigrette, herbs, salt and pepper.

ANOTHER Simple Vinaigrette

¾ cup of olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 lemon juiced

2 teaspoons finely minced shallot

¼ cup cider vinegar

Mix all of the ingredients together and stir well before using. This vinaigrette is a great because it is simple and neutral. The idea is to compliment the tomatoes without overpowering flavors.

Cherry Tomatoes

These are some of the sweetest tomatoes ever. I really love using these little tomatoes for tomato confit by peeling them and gently poaching them in olive oil. A few keys to making this technique work great for these tomatoes are blanching quickly (this will enable you to peel the skin), steep herbs and aromatic vegetables in the olive oil over low heat (120˚-160˚), and wait until just before serving to salt them.

Tomato Confit

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1&1/2 quarts olive oil

1 smallish sweet onion (cut in half)

1 very small sprig of tarragon

1 bay leaf

1 small bunch of thyme

¼ teaspoon whole toasted fennel seed

¼ teaspoon chili flake

Gently score the bottoms of the tomatoes, blanch in boiling salted water (30-45 seconds), and shock in an ice bath. Peel each tomato and set aside. Add all of the other ingredients into a pot and gently heat to about 160˚F. Add the peeled tomatoes and allow them to poach in the oil at a temperature range of 120-160˚F for at least an hour. When you are ready to serve them, use a slotted spoon to gently retrieve them and salt lightly. These are great served in a salad, as a hors d’oeuvres (with arugula, mozzarella and balsamic), or as an accompaniment to a main course.

Blueberries

Still wonderful. Serve them with the blackberries!

Blackberries

These are no doubt the best blackberries I’ve ever had. Shae Rehmel, our pastry chef, was telling me about a technique for serving these berries that keeps their raw form but brings out the sweetness in a light way. Shea makes a small amount of simple syrup with the addition of a few of the blackberries, strains out the seeds, chills and then tosses the fresh blackberries in it to coat lightly. Serve that with cookies.

Prairie Blush Potato

These potatoes are very similar to Yukon Gold in color and texture with slightly rosy skin. These are going to be great for my go-to potato side, potatoes pommes anna. Pommes anna is thinly sliced potatoes layered in a cast iron pan with clarified butter that are lightly browned on medium-low heat (on a burner) and then finished in a 350˚F oven. This technique is great when you have really nice potatoes because it tastes great, looks pretty, and is pretty much just potato. The only thing to be mindful of when making this is to work quickly and toss the potato slices in clarified butter as you work to avoid brownage. A helpful tip Ben Barker gave me years ago was to incorporate onions into latkes and potatoes dishes of similar technique where oxidation is an issue as they help keep potatoes looking fresh after cutting.

Pommes Anna

3-4 medium potatoes

1 sweet onion (sliced)

¼ cup warm clarified butter

salt and pepper

Heat a cast-iron skillet to medium-hot. Thinly slice the potatoes (if you have a mandolin of the slicing kind this would be a good time to break it out) working in small batches tossing the slices in the warm clarified butter as you go. Add the sliced sweet onion and season with the salt and pepper. Drizzle a small amount of clarified butter into the hot skillet and begin layering the potatoes and onions in the pan. This feels a lot like dealing cards. Be mindful of the heat of the pan. You want the potatoes to sizzle but you don’t want smoke. Once you’ve layer a nice thickness of the potatoes and onions in the pan place in the oven. You want the potatoes to be golden brown and pulling away from the sides of the pan (this should take about 10 minutes). Drain all excess butter right as you pull it out of the oven and carefully invert onto a plate (you may want to run a spatula under to make sure it all comes out at once).

Pickling Cucumber

We will be staying true to form by making an easy bread and butter pickle that are great to have around for lots of uses.

B&B Pickles

5 pickling cucumbers

1 sweet onion

¼ cup kosher salt

pinch of celery leaves

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

¼ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

¾ cup cider vinegar

¼ cup water

½ cup granulated sugar

1/8 cup real maple syrup

Wash the cucumbers under cold water and then slice into thin rounds. Slice the onion and mix in with the sliced cucumbers in a large bowl. Add the salt and toss well to coating evenly and let sit at room temperature for one hour. Rinse the onions and cucumbers under cold water and a colander to rinse away all of the salt. Add the pinch of celery leaves and set aside (back in the bowl). In a non-reactive pot (stainless steel) combine the crushed red pepper, turmeric, mustard seeds, vinegar, water, sugar and maple syrup. Bring this to a rapid boil and add pour it over the cucumbers, onions and celery leaves. Cool and let them soak for a day or two.

Summer Crisp Lettuce

This stuff is looks a lot like romaine and tastes a lot like butter lettuce. Wash it well and use it as a base for a summer vegetable salad (Simple Vinaigrette) or a great Caesar salad.

Sweet Onions

So many uses…Onion Jam next week.

Squash

These are the little patty-pan variety and are really nice grilled and served hot or grilled and cooled and used as an element in your summer vegetable salad. These are also really cool sliced and added into the B&B pickles.

Five and Ten Prix Fixe: June 23rd to June 29th

2011-06-23T10:26:00.000-04:00

Menu A

asparagus and morels with a poached egg and parmesan

Vernaccia di San Gimignano, San Quinco, Tuscany, Italy, 2009

crisp flounder with herb emulsion, a succotash of sea island red peas, corn, and okra, and citrus-parsley salad

Riesling, Gobelsburger, Kamptal, Austria, 2009

bourbon peach pie with brown sugar mascarpone cream and woodland Garden blackberries

Menu B

braised pork belly with watermelon and mint chimmichurri

Riesling, Biffar, Feinherb Kabinett, Pfalz, Germany, 2008

grilled pork shoulder steak with persillade, stewed black beans, lacinato kale, and tarragon jus

Riesling, Carl Loewen, Klostergarten Kabinett, Mosel, Germany, 2009

Chocolate plate: chocolate sorbet, ginger truffle and cherry-cashew bark

$25 food

$15 booze

Watcha Got In Your Box Janue 21, 2011

2011-06-22T13:24:00.000-04:00

Guest writer Dean Neff!
Dean is a wonderful chef with us at Five & Ten and he is subbing for me this week. Much going on this week with a 15th wedding anniversary, travel planning for July and regular worky work. Ya'll enjoy.

Natens Carrots

These beautiful carrots are delicate enough to serve raw but also hold up nicely to gently browning in a pan with a little olive oil. When browning in olive oil remove the pan from the heat just after browning and try finishing with a little sherry vinegar, maple or cane syrup, and a little bit of whole butter. A common variety that we’ve seen local farmers growing in abundance is the ‘Nantes’ (think French pronouciation) which is sought after for their sweeter flavor and more tender core. When these carrots are small enough you may find it totally acceptable to use them without even peeling. Roasting these carrots gives a wonderful addition to any main course you could imagine, but don’t forget about the raw applications of salads and slaws. Toasted cumin seed, lime, olive oil, and cilantro makes a wonderful slaw that can be used on anything from tacos, to bahn mi, to grilled steak or fish topper.

Panisse Lettuce

Panisse Lettuce has a soft delicate texture, similar in flavor to butter lettuce, with lobed leaves. This lettuce is so delicate that it often makes the most sense left in larger pieces when serving; it’s just too pretty to cut into tiny pieces. This lettuce is fantastic used as the base of a chopped salad with summer Heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, feta and bacon with a simple bistro vinaigrette. If you are feeling like stepping outside of the “box” you can also gently braise this lettuce and serve it with almost anything. The only way I can think of messing this one up is by forgetting to wash it thoroughly. Sand and dirt commonly ends up down near the core of lettuces. Wash using cold water and gently pat it dry being careful not to bruise the delicate leaves.

Cilantro

Cilantro is arguably one of the most polarizing herbs in the world. I do believe however that when served in the right proportions with the right harmonious flavors almost everyone (with an open mind) can appreciate this lively herb. The cilantro leaf’s fresh green flavor is best expressed alongside clean acidic and often spicy and smoky flavors.

Summer Squash

Summer Squash come in so many varieties in the summer from local growers. The smaller varieties generally tend to have less seeds and do best lightly sautéed until golden brown or shaved very thin for a raw salad or carpaccio type use. For the raw application the key is to lightly salt and then lightly dress with olive oil and lemon or just a simple vinaigrette. The larger varieties work beautifully when shaved thin and layered into a cast-iron pan with sweet onions, Parmesan, fresh thyme homemade bread crumbs, and scallion crema and baked at 350˚F to create a quick squash casserole.

Scallion Crema

2 cups heavy cream

6 cleaned scallions chopped rough

2 teaspoons cold butter

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Lightly sauté the chopped scallions in a medium sized sauce-pot with the 2 teaspoons of whole butter. Once the scallions are becoming translucent, add the 2 cups of heavy cream and kosher salt. Simmer for three minutes and remove from the heat and puree in a blender until smooth. This crema can be used for quick gratins as well.

Blueberries

Thankfully the blueberries are still coming and just perfect with a light toasted sabayon or in lemon soufflé pancakes. Real maple syrup please…Try grade B in the bulk section of the grocery store for less expensive and just as flavorful as the grade A.

Heirloom Tomatoes

These tomatoes are one of the best parts of summer. Don’t refrigerate! Their flavor is so perfect raw that is almost seems like a crime to cook them in most instances. Slowly dehydrating evenly sliced Heirlooms in a low heat oven can be a very cool application and a good way to extend the shelf-life of these tomatoes though. As the tomatoes slowly dehydrate the flavor becomes super concentrated and sweetly intense. I would highly recommend letting the raw tomatoes speak for themselves by serving them beautifully sliced with fresh basil, Parmesan Reggiano, tiny croutons, balsamic, olive oil, and a favorite sea salt. For dehydrating the tomatoes it is helpful to have a silicone baking pad. Cut the tomatoes into ¼ inch slices and lay out in a single layer on the silicone mat on a sheet tray. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and place into a 200˚F oven and rotate the sheet tray as needed during the dehydration process. This will take anywhere from 2-3 hours depending on how hot your oven is. Once the tomatoes are dehydrated but still pliable remove from the oven and allow to cool. These dried Heirlooms are exceptional in all applications where the concentrated flavor is important to the use. Examples of good places for this would be in soups, dried tomato and thyme vinaigrette, oven roasted tomato-lobster salsa with grilled scallions, or lightly rehydrated for homemade ketchup.

Dragon Langerie Beans

These are also known as Dragon tongue beans and are very similar to Romano beans by virtue of size and shape. These beans have a bright yellow color with purple splotches and are sweet and crisp. I love serving these beans blanched and frenched (cut long ways in strips) with caramelized onions and crisp bacon or poached in a beurre battu.

Italian Eggplant

Large eggplants benefit greatly by peeling, cubing, salting, rinsing and squeezing out excess moisture with a clean towel before sautéing in hot olive oil. Smaller varieties seem to be better off skipping this step for some reason. Eggplant is a vegetable that often gets a bad rap due to its somewhat tricky characteristics with respect to cooking. What are these characteristics? First comes the thick skin issue, leave the skin on when you will be cooking the vegetable long enough to make it tender enough to eat. Freshness and size can also impact the ability of the skin to be cooked enough to be left on and become tender enough to eat enjoyably. You can also use the thick skin issue to your advantage by using it to insulate the interior flesh when grilling a whole eggplant and discarding the skin. This method leaves you with cooked flesh that can be chopped and fortified with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and herbs for a delicious and healthy condiment for toasts or even on top of fish. Second issue: The spongy properties. When sautéing eggplant it tends to soak up all of the oil in the pan and leave the pan bone dry. One way to counter act this is to use high heat, plenty of oil and to make sure that you are not overcrowding the pan (a common theme in cooking well). Taking into account this week’s produce box we should definitely consider making a summer ratatoullie.

Scallions

Local summer scallions from Woodland Gardens are a versatile ingredient which can be used in both raw and cooked applications. The green tops are wonderful raw for adding a fresh green bite to soups, salads and sauces. The white ends closest to the root have an intense and deeper flavor that does well braised, poached, or in a simple gratin (use crema, Parmesan, and bread crumbs). Leave the onions whole and lightly coat in olive oil and grill to get an amazingly deep charred scallion flavor that works great with lobster, steak, burgers, or in a compound butter.

Knives Out!

2011-06-21T09:40:00.021-04:00

People ask me questions… I try to answer.

Q; I need some knives. What should I buy?

A: Well that depends on what you need them for, how much you’re willing to spend, and how good you are at sharpening the resulting purchase.

I am a big fan of Masahiro knives from Japan. That’s the chef’s knife that I have. Carbon steel tends to be sharper than stainless style knives but they are finicky to take care of because they rust easily and transpose flavor. So unless you have the time to raise a knife like a member of your family then you should get a stain resistant version made from something like Molybdenum Vanadium Steel.


Masahiro 9.5 inch chef's knife. from JB Prince

I also like a really great paring knife, a cheap paring knife and a really sharp bread knife.

For the bread knife, the one pictured is a Victorinox with a molded handle. You can learn how to sharpen a bread knife but I tend to just buy a new one every six months or so but then again I cut a lot more bread than the average home cook.

Victorinox bread knife . The knife that cuts through anything.

So for a great paring knife I have a handmade Misono. This knife works wonders for small butchery to vegetable work to whittling, should you have a twig and time on your hands. Expensive but this one will last a lifetime. I use it all the time.


Masahiro Paring Knife

Then we have a number of Nogent paring knives at home. They rock. Thin blade, wood handle, very well balanced for about $18 bucks. So they aren't cheap cheap, let's just call them inexpensive for what they are. I love them and they look pretty.


Nogent Paring Knife... easy to sharpen little French beauty

Alas the most important thing is to have a really sharp knife, because at the end of the day I would much rather cut myself with a sharp knife than a dull knife. I know that seems counter intuitive but think about it. So get a nice flat water stone, like 1000 grit or so and then have a steel handy for simple honing. Be that cook who always has a sharp knife handy and you will be more prepared than most for the cooking.