running with tweezers

Taste of The Highlands & an incredible summer soup!

Last weekend, I was asked to be a guest judge at the 8th Annual Taste of The Highlands, an outdoor food festival to benefit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. I was thrilled, of course. It's a great way to spend a beautiful spring day in our city - in the company of some other great judges (Broderick from Savory Exposure and the foodie event planners EatUpAtlanta) and some 30 local restaurants providing food and drink. It's also for a great cause - each year, the event raises between $25k to $35k for the charity. 

There were so many great dishes at the festival that we couldn't pick just one. We had to create a sweet category, a savory category and a special mention for best cocktail of the day. Chef Hector Santiago of Pura Vida won the savory group with his rice dish and accompanying salt cod & baby banana fritters. Best sweet went to Tierra for their Tres Leches Cake - I've tasted nothing like it. The cocktail of the day was a landslide - The Warren's White Peach & Watermelon Sangria. You can see some photos from the day here.

After it was all said and done, all of us who attended that day kept coming back to one particular dish: a chilled pea soup topped with ham and radish. On that warm, sunny day...having that nice shot of cool soup was so refreshing, simple but flavorful. We've all been talking about it for days and I've gotten my hands on the recipe. Jay Swift, chef at 4th & Swift, kindly passed this simple recipe along. It's labor intensive because of the fresh peas but once you're done with the prep, it takes about 10 minutes to get the rest of the soup together. I've omitted the ham here but it adds a nice salty touch - feel free to garnish with ham, pancetta or bacon.

Chilled English Pea Soup with Ham & Radish - recipe by Jay Swift of Atlanta's 4th & Swift - makes about 2 cups of soup

• 2 cups english peas blanched lightly in boiling salted water, drained and chilled

• 1/4 cup warmed heavy cream

• salt and pepper to taste

• 2 -3 tiny drops of lemon infused evoo (agrumato) to taste - I substituted a drizzle of EVOO & juice of half of a lemon

• water or vegetable stock (enough to make puree-able) - this depends on your own preference

- Place all ingredients except water in a high speed blender, and water until velvety smooth. Season to taste. Serve very cold with shredded or julienne radishes, diced ham of your choice and a fresh pea sprout or two in top. Have fun!

tangled up

   I'm just as confused by my love of this salad as you might be. I have a longstanding disdain for carrots - we all know that. However, I'm proud to say that I'm coming around. Wait till I make a recipe based around celery - you'll all think I've lost my marbles. I've seen a couple carrot recipes floating around on some of my favorite food blogs that have sounded just dreamy. I never pulled the trigger on those but darn I wanted to.

My immediate attraction to this salad recipe is proof of one thing: if you put a Thai or Vietnamese spin on any ingredient, I'm apt to love it - green bell peppers excluded (we're never going to mend fences). I also love the tangled up-ness of this recipe. It makes it super easy to put together and even easier to adapt the ingredients. Add extra veggies like edamame or snow peas. Substitute the mint for cilantro, which I did in my version. You can adjust the heat in any direction. I love a little spice so the red chili was a great touch for me. If it's too much for you, add more jalapeno and omit the red chili. This salad was a great side dish for a Thai-themed dinner night but would be great as a main topped with spiced chicken or seared tuna.

Thai Carrot Noodle Salad - adapted from a recipe found here at BBCGoodFood - serves 4 as a side dish

• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• juice of 2 large limes
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 large jalapeno, de-seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 thai red chili, de-seeded and thinly finely chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and thinly grated or julienned - I slice mine with a vegetable peeler
• 8 ounces (or half of a 16 oz package - the average size I've seen) rice vermicelli noodles
• 1/2 cup dry roasted, unsalted peanuts
• 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro - for garnish
• 2 green onions, roughly chopped - for garnish

- Start 8 cups of water on to boil. Place dry noodles in a large heat-proof bowl. When the water comes to a rolling boil, take off heat and pour over noodles. Allow them to soak for 5-7 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Once they're tender, drain thoroughly. Return to large bowl and allow to cool. You'll mix the rest of the salad together in that bowl.

- In a small bowl, combine sliced shallots, jalapeno, red chili, fish sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, and lime juice. You can also make this in a small container with a lid - it makes it really easy to shake the dressing & combine all the bits.

- Once the noodles have cooled, you're ready to mix it all together. In the large mixing bowl, combine the carrots and peanuts in with the noodles. Drizzle dressing over noodle mixture and combine thoroughly so ingredients are distributed through the noodles. Add cilantro and green onion & toss again. You can serve this immediately but it tastes best if it's allowed to sit for at least 30 minutes.

a small plate

   Warm weather dining is in full swing here in Atlanta. We're a patio-dining obsessed town to be certain. One of my most favorite spots in the entire city is a little jewel box of a wine bar called Krog Bar. It's one of the most authentic tapas - note that I said tapas and not small plates - places I've ever been. It's all about the wine, the meats, the cheese and a few choice other Spanish influenced noshes...all enjoyed under a giant umbrella that spans the patio.

I had this dish there a month or so ago alongside some baguette, some perfect thinly sliced Bresaola and salty olives. Washed down with a class of crisp Rosé, it was the ideal al fresco meal. I knew I had to replicate these stuffed peppers immediately. Luckily, a trip to Trader Joe's scored a jar of Piquillo peppers, which have a sharper, tangier flavor than most roasted red peppers available in stores. You could certainly use roasted red peppers in a pinch.

The rest of the ingredients are easy to source and come together in a flash - you can have an appetizer ready in 10 minutes. Feel free to add to the cheese mixture as you see fit - chopped herbs you have on hand would be a nice touch. Serve these as an appetizer alongside some crusty bread and other antipasti like artichoke hearts or olives. 

Goat Cheese Stuffed Piquillo Peppers - makes 8 peppers

• 8 ounces good quality goat cheese, softened to room temperature
• 8 whole peppers from a jar of roasted whole Piquillo peppers - Trader Joe's is a source for them
• zest of one lemon
• juice of 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
• salt and fresh course ground black pepper to taste (for both the goat cheese & the vinaigrette)
• crisp greens, prosciutto, flat-bread or toasted crostini are great to serve alongside

- Place softened goat cheese in a small mixing bowl and mash in lemon zest, salt and pepper (a large pinch of each should suffice). Set aside or place in piping bag/makeshift Ziplock piping bag. 

- In another small both, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.

- Drain 8 Piquillo peppers and pat lightly dry. Carefully open peppers and stuff with goat cheese - I think piping the mixture in is easiest but it's fine to use a spoon. You will use about 3/4 of an ounce per pepper. Place peppers on serving plate and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Sprinkle entire plate with chopped chives. You can serve immediately or chill for an hour or so - just make sure to bring peppers back up to slightly under room temperature before serving. If you're making these in advance, save the dressing and chive garnish for right before serving.

waking from my Sugar Coma...

 

I do apologize for the delay in posting. I've been in a whirlwind of work. I've also been recovering (with water and salty snacks) from the amazing event I got to take part in two weekends ago - the Sugar Coma redux. So many of you have commented on the post & photos from the first edition of Sugar Coma...I just had to share this latest tour with all of you. I took close to 300 photos that day...and as much as I would like to share every detail with you, this post is just the frosting on the cupcake of all we experienced that day.

I was so tickled that the creator of Sugar Coma, my brilliant friend The Broke Socialite, asked me to the be official "Sugar Mama" for the tours. Yes...you read right....I said tours. So that meant twice the caloric, delicious Sugar Coma fun. Fear not - I had my roomy jeans and my water bottle with me as a support team. It was a wonderful day of trying new dessert spots in Atlanta, meeting folks I've known from the on-line world, and making some new friends. There were also cupcakes. Lots and lots of cupcakes - the ones shown in the top photo are beautiful little creations from Cami Cakes. 

This was how our day started. Folks, this was at 8 am at No Mas Cantina. They put out quite the delicious spread and got us caffeinated with Mexican hot chocolates and coffees. It was at this point that I almost phoned and friend and asked for a delivery of Tums. Did I mention this was our first stop?

Like I said, there were a lot of cupcakes. These little treats were a riff on your usual coconut cake variety. They're topped with cream cheese frosting. I declared that day that anything can be used as a vehicle for cream cheese frosting. Thank you, Highland Bakery, for these bites and for being so dedicated to quality ingredients & cruelty free chocolate sources.

I've sung the praises of Cacao many times on this blog - most recently in my post about the Food Bloggers Bake Sale. Kristen, the owner of Cacao, is fiercely indie and thoughtful about the sources of her ingredients. She travels to far-away lands, sleeping in hammocks and facing not-optimal security conditions to get the best ingredients possible for her creations. The fruits of her labor? Chocolate like you've never tasted before - she was named one of the best new American chocolate shops by Food and Wine. The Love Bar is one of her signature items, which you can order on-line.

Needing a little break from all of the sugar, one of my new favorite spots in Atlanta - Noon Midtown - had a brilliant idea: some savory bites to take the edge off. These BLT bites were little stacks of the best early spring tomato i've ever had, beautifully smoked bacon, and toasty brioche. By the time we reached this stop in the tour, everyone's eyes opened wide at the thought of something lunchy.

That having been said, Noon also put out the sickest sweetest single bite on that tour: profiteroles made from cult-doughnut phenom Sublime Doughnut. Sliced down the middle, stuffed with vanilla ice cream and a mound of roll-em-yourself chocolate sprinkles....there were no words. 

 

Peachy Treats was a revelation in that "I-can't-believe-I-didn't-think-of-that-first" kind of way. Seriously, ya'll. It's a color customized candy catering/buffet business. They'll customize your candy choices, color-coordinate them to your shower or reception, set up and break down the display. All you have to do is contact them. There are wonderful little cello bags included so guests can take a goodie bag to go. This buffet was at the communal lunch and everyone in attendance audibly squealed when the word "candy" was announce. So much fun! 

The afternoon tour had a very sophisticated, relaxing stop courtesy of 29 Spa at The Mansion on Peachtree. Stepping out of the elevator, our group let out a group sigh of happiness and relaxation when we entered the spa. So beautiful and calming in a way that is more upscale and refined than your typical spa - no New Age bubbling brook soundtracks here. We were treated to a glass of wine, fresh berries, bites of chocolate...all while getting a tour of the space & hearing more about their grape-based skincare line. I just adored this stop and have been dreaming of booking a massage there soon.

Our last stop on the afternoon tour was a place I just had to share. Off the beaten path in a neighborhood called Castleberry Hill, The Wine Shoe is a charming little store. The owners try not to carry wines that are overly expensive or wine that you can get just anywhere. We were given several tastes, which were paired with sweet bites from private chefs Chris Arpante and Bren Herrera. 

Of all the noshes I had there, I just have to show you these little vanilla custards topped with a delicious blackberry mirror and fresh berries. After having so much rich, chocolate-y stuff pushed your way during the day....having a glass of white wine paired with this little treat was heavenly. Chris has been a blog cohort and friend of mine for some time and is now branching out into pastry - visit her at Mele Cotte. 

As you can see, it was a fully delicious experience. There are plans in the works for Sugar Coma tours all over the country, as well as other boutique tour experiences. Keep up with all the future event details on The Broke Socialite Does... Facebook page!

a savory reprieve

I needed a break. A savory break. Between the cake I just posted about and the Sugar Coma tour I was taking part in Saturday, my taste buds were a little sweet-ed out. Needing a quick lunch and something that would get me through a long day, I put this dish together in about 15 minutes. It's filling but not overly so...and it's so green & (relatively) healthy. Despite the fact that it carried me over easily till dinner, I didn't get that heavy pasta gut bomb sensation. Maybe the good-for-you greenness of it psyched me out!

While I ate this as a quick main course, this would be a great side dish for any type of protein. Dress it up with garlic, other veggies, toasted walnuts or pine nuts - whatever else you have on hand. One note of caution: this pasta doesn't reheat so well without the addition of a little sauce or extra lemon juice so take that into account if you're thinking about next-day leftovers.

Spinach Mascarpone Pasta - serves 4 as a small entree or side dish - inspired by a recipe on bbcgoodfood.com

• 1 16 oz. box dried curly shaped pasta such as fusilli or cavatappi
• 1 6 oz. bag of pre-washed & prepped baby spinach leaves
• 6 oz. Mascarpone cheese 
• juice and zest of 2 lemons
  
• 6 tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan cheese + 2 tbsp. for garnish
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, for garnish
• salt & pepper, to taste

- Start a large pot of water to boil. When the water is up to a gently rolling boil, add pasta and cook to al dente according to the directions on the box.

- While pasta is cooking, set up a relatively large capacity food processor. To the processor add 3/4 of the bag of prepared baby spinach, Mascarpone cheese, lemon juice and 6 tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan cheese. Puree until smooth and well-incorporated. Set aside.

- When pasta is cooked to desired texture, drain and return pan to the stove and heat on low. Add pasta back to pot and add spinach sauce. At this point, taste your pasta and then salt & pepper to taste - keep in mind the finished dish will get a light sprinkle of the salty Parmesan on top right before serving. Stir in lemon zest and remaining baby spinach leaves and heat until pasta & sauce are warmed through and the spinach is just wilted. Divide into bowls, top with a sprinkle of chives & Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.