Fancy Pants Foodie

Foodie news, reviews and how-tos from Arkansas and beyond.

On Using Up a CSA Box – Veggie Potato Fritatta

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Completed frittata, with plain yogurt and some fresh thyme. It's what I had.

Completed frittata, with plain yogurt and some fresh thyme. It’s what I had.

A couple weeks ago, I signed up for my very first CSA share from North Pulaski Farms, a local, organic small farm. CSA means community supported agriculture, where you basically buy a share of the farm for a season. They can plan better and have a predictable flow of sales, and I get fresh veggies.

Every. Single. Week.

You see where I’m going with this.

Things went well with the first box. I made sauce out of the raspberries, used the eggplant for a cooking demo, roasted the grape tomatoes for risotto, and worked the bell peppers into several things.

This past week, though, was super busy. I pick up the CSA box on Sunday from the Bernice Garden Farmers’ Market. Today is Thursday. This morning, the tomatoes, okra, bell peppers (both fresh and smoked) and eggplant stared up at me from the veggie bins. There were also a ton of other leftovers and things needing to be used. Ugh.

After finishing up some critical biz-ness, I scrapped the rest of my to-do list and set up shop in the kitchen. Operation Fridge Cleanout, commence.

First, I was STARVING, so I made a frittata for lunch.

The quick version (see step photos below):

  • I preheated the oven to 375 degrees.
  • I seared some of the grape tomatoes in a super-hot, smallish cast iron skillet, no oil.
  • I added some leftover fried potatoes that were in the fridge.
  • I tore up some fresh parsley and basil that I had leftover. Added them to the hot skillet.
    Winning: No knives needed so far.
  • Salt and pepper on top.
  • I whisked 5 eggs (mine were small) and poured them over the mixture.
  • Parmesan on top of that.
  • Threw it in the oven. Waited. Ate.

BAM. I’m not even gonna re-write that in recipe form. I think it took about 20 minutes in the oven, but you can poke at it occasionally if you want. (Thermo-nerds like me can test for an internal temp of 160 degrees…I was busy.)

What was I busy doing, you ask? I was chopping up a crap-ton of other veggies for a GF veggie lasagna I put in the slow cooker. I was soooo excited about it. This is gonna be great on the blog, I said. Eggplant! Bell peppers! Smoked peppers! Mushrooms! It. Will. Be. GLORIOUS.

Meh.

It may have been good a couple hours before we ate it, but let’s just say even the very freshest veggies and the best GF lasagna pasta get mushy when overcooked. After cooking all afternoon and through piano lessons, soccer and a Boy Scout meeting…Slow cooker fail. Oh well.

At least I have frittata leftovers for tomorrow’s breakfast!

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Valentine’s Gifts for Foodies — Body by Felicia Body Butter

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Body by Felicia’s Body Butter is made with refined shea butter and aloe vera. Image from bodybyfelicia.com.

Christmas, 2012.

The bottom had fallen out of the great snow-bucket in the sky, and my hands were showing the full effects. The inside of the house was bone-dry, especially during those couple of days when the only heat came from our roaring wood fireplace. Mix that with back-and-forth into the wet, freezing outdoors, and my hands let blood more than a few times.

By complete chance (or fortune), a high school friend, Felicia Hughes, had recently started a new business, Body by Felicia. She mixes everything by hand, right here in central Arkansas. I purchased a couple large jars of her Sweet Heat (vanilla) Body Butter for Christmas gifts, not exactly sure who was getting them.

Turns out, I kept one for myself. No more cracking.

Since the holidays, I’ve discovered that Felicia’s Body Butter is a great salve for all the handwashing that goes along with frequent cooking. Of course, I cook a lot at home, and now that I teach professionally, my hands are really getting the full wringer. A daily dose of Body Butter keeps them in check.

My mom got the other jar. All the rest of the family, while visiting us for a fish fry cookpalooza at New Years, got into my jar and want some for themselves.

Felicia, get to mixing some more, girl.

jar

Body Butter is now available in Sweet Heat (spicy vanilla), Pomberry (pomegranate), Honey Kissed (honey and almond) and Butter (unscented). Online ordering is now available for $20 for an 8 oz. jar. plus shipping, or pick some up at SNS Celebrity Styles, 7521 Colonel Glenn. Buy some for your foodie sweetheart (the plain Butter is man-friendly), and trust me, go ahead and get some for yourself, too.

Valentine’s Gifts for Foodies — Salted Caramels from Sweet Love Bakes

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Vanilla Salted Caramels from Sweet Love Bakes on Cantrell.

Vanilla Bean & Sea Salt Caramels from Sweet Love Bakes on Cantrell.

In November, I finally made good on a several-month threat to haunt fellow ad-agency-escapee Kelli Marks for a day at her adorable Little Rock bakeshop, Sweet Love Bakes.

For most of a day, I followed her around and made stuff. Or, I at least watched her make stuff. She did let me at a few things, like the French macarons (not to be confused with American coconut macaroons) and some of her famous red-velvet cupcakes. I also totally messed up some fondant figurines I attempted to make for a gingerbread house competition she was entering.

While I’ll dish more of my experience in a writeup on my Stage Project page (hey, get off me, I’ve been busy!), I wanted to tell you about something. Something really sexy, melty, sweet and salty. Something incredibly appropriate for your Valentine, I promise.

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Salted. Caramels.

OMG.

Because I have to be gluten-free, there wasn’t much at the bakeshop I could sample for myself. On the day I hung out, I bought a handful of the two things I could have: the aforementioned macarons (made with almond flour, if you didn’t know), and the caramels. The macarons were delicious, especially the pink champagne flavor. They are a lovely, rich pink color that’s perfect for a Valentine’s gift. Get some of those, too, in a lovely pink gift box.

Did I mention the caramels?

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I’m out of control.

They have just enough structure to unwrap them and get them to your mouth, and yet they have a bit of chew. One or two chews in, they start to melt into a salty-sweet pool of awesome on your tongue. If you enjoy an even more toothsome bite, you can put them in the fridge.

They don’t stick to your teeth. How does she do that?

While you chew the caramel, your teeth crunch against tiny pieces of sea salt, which, as any good foodie knows, magnifies the flavors of anything and pairs surprisingly well with sugar. Flecks of vanilla bean add a fresh, floral touch. Sweet Love also offers caramels in honey/almond and coffee varieties. I can’t seem to get past the awesome of the original.

*shiver*

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Okay, I’m done now.

Go by Sweet Love Bakes and get a cute little pink box full of them. At just 50 cents each, they’re incredibly affordable, so load up. You might have her tape it shut, lest you are tempted to eat them all before that sweet gifting moment.

Valentine’s Gifts for Foodies — Gift Baskets at Argenta Market

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Sample gift basket of genuine Arkansas-made foods from Argenta Market.

Sample gift basket of genuine Arkansas-made foods from Argenta Market.

The hubs and I have always had different business ideas floating around in our heads. Around 15 years ago, one that made it as far as “manilla folder of ideas” status was Arkansas-product gift baskets. There were others in town, but none we felt were truly all-Arkansas.

Alas, our basket business never really got started. But Argenta Market in North Little Rock, already known for all things local, started doing this very thing for the 2012 holidays, and they’re doing it right. They’d make a super-awesome gift for your Valentine.

I attended a recent blogger event at Argenta Market at which these baskets were announced, which are available in $50 and $100 combinations. (Disclaimer: Attendees received a basket for their attendance, but no promise of a positive review was given.)

The contents of my $50 basket have proven delicious, and each item (and more) is available individually if you wish to put together an Arkansas foodie gift for your lovey. These can include:

  • Honey from K-Bee Honey in Sherwood. It’s our favorite; we buy it by the quart! Baskets include a standard-size honey bear. I’ve been to their hives, and they’re legit!
  • Robbi’s Salsa. Light, smooth (restaurant style), simple, delicious. No crazy ingredients, just fresh veggies in the right proportions.
  • Flours and mixes from War Eagle Mill in Northeast Arkansas. Fresh, locally-ground.
  • Mixes by The Resident Chef. We sampled a few at the open house, and this anti-mix foodie has been converted. No nasty preservatives.
  • Soaps by Southern Girl Soapery. Fellow blogger Stephanie Hamling makes these beauties, and they are truly works of art. My “Hey, Joe” bar uses locally-roasted coffee that scrubs away cooking smells such as garlic.
  • Strawberry-Jalapeño Jelly by Stutzman’s Pantry. You’ve probably had pepper jelly before, but this tangy, unusual combination shows some ingenuity on the part of this local family. My family really enjoyed this on New Year’s Day over cream cheese.
  • Snack sticks from Ratchford Farms. Cleaner, leaner and much more tasty than the classic Slim Jims they resemble. These local meat producers offer elk, buffalo, venison, beef and wild boar products.

Over the next few days, I’ll have some suggestions for fantastic foodie valentines you can procure from local businesses. Show some love to your local small businesses and to your honey at the same time!

The Oddball Awesome of Black Garlic

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Black garlic reveals its mysterious beauty, just a little.

I almost hesitate to write about this newish wonder of the foodie world, after finding that, in some circles, they’re already over it.

Alas, we’re in Arkansas, where even the hipsters are open-minded about things for a little longer.

I’ve told you about my recent visit to a food expo by foodservice provider Ben E. Keith, highlighted by the haul of goodies I got to take home at the end of the show. One of them was black garlic, otherwise known as fermented garlic.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have even noticed it if a fellow chef-turned-freebie-hoarder hadn’t exclaimed at the produce display, “HEY, is that fermented garlic?!? I didn’t know we could get that around here.” So of course, I grabbed some for myself, acting like I’d used it for years.

A quick online search found this piece over at Steamy Kitchen, giving me the rundown. What to expect: Gummy. Sweet. Mild. “Caramelly,” says the site’s writer, Jaden Hair. “Reminds me of molasses.”

Yes, dear reader, I can testify. One whiff and I knew, I was in love.

The oddest, strangest, most deliciously bizarre thing that’s come into my kitchen for some time.

After whatever process this stuff goes through, it loses all its pungent bite, that sharpness that raw, fresh garlic can have. What’s left is smooth, unctuous, deep flavor. It’s the bass note that your kitchen music has been missing.

Jaden’s recipe for scallops used black garlic in slices, frying them to release every bit of their umami madness. I started in the same fashion, cutting the gooey bulbs into slices and frying them in a bit of oil. Immediate problem: telling where they were in the cooking process. They’re black already.

The black garlic held together to slice into gooey chunks. Don’t judge the stains from the red peppers I sliced right before them.

Without boring you with the whole thing, I’ll assume that you know or can figure out how to make a white sauce (the simmered-down heavy cream kind, not the flour-roux kind). I added the cream to the pan, cooked it down, added sliced roasted bell pepper and broccoli, and added some cooked gluten-free pasta and fresh basil.

By the time all this was done, the garlic had broken down into tiny, still-visible pieces throughout the sauce. This was quite perfect, as I had planned on trying to break it up anyway. The finished sauce had a depth and savoriness that would not have been there with regular garlic. In short, win.

Finished dish. Not the prettiest ever, but soooo delish. Broccoli and roasted bell pepper strips just heated through.

So, where do you get black garlic, anyway? For professionals, I suppose the obvious answer is Ben E. Keith (among others, I’m sure), since that’s who introduced me to the stuff.

For the home cook, ordering online seems to be your only recourse for now, at least in Arkansas. Jaden’s supplier, Black Garlic, Inc., seems to be the major (and maybe the only) American-made provider of the stuff. Another, MondoFood, imports the garlic from Korea.

Tell me: Have you used black garlic? Let me know about your experiences and recipes.

UPDATE: I’m told by my friend Jonathan, who works in produce at the Whole Foods Market in Little Rock, that they do indeed stock black garlic. He says we should come in and pick some up 1) before they sell out and 2) to say hey to him. Young women out there, do so, as he’s pretty darn cute. (I say this in a very happily married sort of way, BTW.) 😉

Sherwood Market District Launches to Success

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Bob Barnhill from Barnhill Farms at the Sherwood Market District event.

The City of Sherwood launched its new Market District concept Thursday evening, instituting a farmers’ market in the empty lot formerly occupied by the Sherwood Lanes bowling alley at Country Club Road and North Hills Boulevard. The event is scheduled to take place every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. through August 30.

The city’s volunteer Keep Sherwood Beautiful committee spearheaded the event, partnering with surrounding businesses such as BJ Plants and Produce, which recently moved from its East McCain location in North Little Rock to the vacant grocery store across Country Club from the market. The committee hopes to create a walking community event in the area surrounding the intersection.

“[The event] exceeded our expectations, especially for a first-time event,” said Don Hughes, chairman of the Keep Sherwood Beautiful committee. “We’re learning from  today to hopefully make it even better each week.”

Hughes’ cautious expectations may be valid, considering the mixed success of similar farmers’ market events in central Arkansas. One farmer confided he was also pleasantly surprised at the solid turnout at the event, considering his involvement in some others that were poorly marketed or simply not well attended.

Another farmer, Bob Barnhill of Barnhill Farms in Lonoke, was encouraged by the turnout. He also sells at other community markets in Little Rock, such as Bernice Garden on Sundays and Hillcrest Farmers Market at Pulaski Heights Baptist Church on Saturdays.

“There seems to be a lot of enthusiasm for a first-time market,” Barnhill said, as the crowd looked over his table of blackberries, peaches, squash, corn and other produce.

The Keep Sherwood Beautiful committee has coordinated specials and events at surrounding businesses during market hours. For example, BJ Plants and Produce had samples of Arkansas watermelon, Kent Walker Artisan Cheese and local-made salsa, as well as purchase specials. Nearby Jo-Jo’s BBQ offered a “buy one, get one half price” meal deal for market visitors, using a coupon distributed at the event.

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Snapshots:

Geneti Nemera of Sherwood talks with a customer about his honey, harvested from hives in his backyard.

Geneti Nemera, who hails from Ethiopia but has lived in Sherwood since coming to work for Heifer International in 2005, was at the market selling honey. He has sold the honey to support his hobby for the past two years.

“My wife studied beekeeping in Ethiopia and always wanted to do it,” Nemera said. “When I came to Arkansas, I found out that you don’t need land; you can have two hives in your backyard.”

The Sherwood Parking Lot Irregulars, as they called themselves, was less of an organized band and more of a jam session among friends — very talented ones. A mixture of young and old played together at the Market District event, just as I remember some of these same guys doing on Saturday mornings 20+ years ago in front of the nearby building that now houses Gadwall’s Grill.

I Need to Go to IFBC.

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Foodista (you know, the folks who published that cookbook that I’m in) is having a contest. Apparently, they’re giving away three tickets to the International Food Bloggers Conference, to be held next month in New Orleans.

See, the thing is, I’m dying to go. It was at this very conference two years ago that they concocted the idea for above mentioned cookbook. It’s also the absolute mecca for all things on the cutting edge of food, writing and media…all the things I’m into. I was going to write a drippy post about poor old me, I never get to go to stuff like this, pleeeease pick me.

But I decided to be a bit more real.

Here’s exactly why I need to go to IFBC.

  1. I’m a culinary student. Sure, I could say the conference would benefit my upcoming culinary career, which it undoubtedly would. But the real deal is, my session notes would be awesome suck-up fodder for discussion with my chef instructors. I mean, while the other hosers are picking their noses and forgetting their sanitation buckets, I’ll be chatting up video-based culinary instruction, sustainable eating and food science. Win.
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  2. I’m vain. Well, not really, but in certain circumstances, and definitely when it comes to my food. I feel like I have something to offer the world, and sessions about marketing my personal brand and recipe writing and development will help me spread the Fancy Pants Foodie bloggospel to the world. Oh, and Diane Jacob, the one linked above at recipe development, also wrote Will Write For Food, the textbook for the food writing class I took at culinary school. That’s bound to be good for something, if only a, “hey, they used your book in my class,” and she’ll be all, “that’s cool, be my friend.” Or not.
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  3.  I’m a conference junkie. Back in my days as a public relations guru practitioner, I went to all kinds of conferences — tourism, advertising, design, writing. I love the way it makes my mind go crazy. I eventually started taking two notebooks: one for notes of what was said, and another for the brainstorms that inevitably followed. I plan for the same to happen on an epic foodie level at IFBC. Plus, at conferences, I meet a lot of folks that are smarter than me in different areas (I said I was kidding about the vain thing, right?). Foodie world domination partners unite! (Ooh, can we bring superhero costumes?)
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  4. I’m a mom and I need to get out of here. I really love my two adorable kids and super-hotness husband, but let’s face it, a sister needs a break. I really do have big plans for my blog and my cooking/teaching business when I’m done with culinary school, and I need some inspiration and time away to let it gel. Who can write a business plan while fetching the nth sippy cup of apple juice and trying to (finally) convince them that Lunchables are evil?

Christie Ison is a mid-life u-turn culinary student at Pulaski Technical College Arkansas Culinary School in Little Rock, Arkansas and writer of the wildly (well, mildly) popular food blog, Fancy Pants Foodie. In former lives, she has practiced public relations, magical stay-at-home mom arts, and engendering world peace one fancy meal at a time.

She’s totally kidding about her fellow students being “hosers.” Mostly.

UPDATE (8-4-11): I WON! Their response was a bit later than expected, so I thought I didn’t win. But I did. So now to figure out how to get hotel and airfare scraped up. 😉

I’m Published! (Plus a Branson Getaway contest)

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As I mentioned earlier, I (somehow) won Foodista.com’s Best of Food Blogs contest and was selected to appear in a book of their favorite 100 blogger recipes. It was a crowd-sourced publishing experiment in merging the two things we foodies love best: blogs and printed cookbooks.

The book, Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook: 100 Great Recipes, Photographs, and Voices, published today! I haven’t received my hard copy yet, but from the images and photos on Amazon, it looks fabulous. I had thought my photo was on the cover, but that was just Foodista’s promotional poster. No matter, it’s gorgeous and brilliant (I read some with Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature) and I’m SPAZZING OUT I’M SO EXCITED!!!

Ahem.

So, how abouts you pick up a copy at the link above? (Click the book cover image.) From what I’ve read, it has lots and lots of inspiring recipes, not to mention the snazzy writing of 99 of my fellow food bloggers.

And me. I’m on pages 174-175.

Hows about this…a contest! I’m offering a two-night stay at the Wilderness Club at Big Cedar Lodge near Branson, Missouri. Facilities and dates will be worked out upon awarding the prize, based upon availability. I will randomly choose one winner from those who spread the word (and use this link) via Facebook or Twitter. Just let me know in the comments below that you did it! (If you tweet, please cc me using @ARFoodie, too.)

I’m giving you one week, so your deadline is next Tuesday, October 26 at noon, Central time.
UPDATE: Just to be clear, travel is on your own.

The link, in case you have trouble copying: http://bit.ly/bLC9Nx

Good luck!

Taking Stock

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Our team's stock!

Today was my first day back in the kitchens for the semester. Usually, the first week at the culinary school, everyone is still scrambling for books and uniforms and whatnot, so the chefs give us a week to ease in before we get back to cookin’.

My class tonight was Stocks, Soups and Sauces. The mere fact that one of the books is Escoffier’s tome to sauces of all kinds (among other things) is a sign that I’ll gain another 20 pounds this semester just tasting. Oh, well.

Tonight we made chicken stock, which will be the basis for many of the sauces we’ll make as we go along. Most of us made a “white” stock, meaning the bones and veggies went in raw; one group made a “brown” stock, meaning the bones and veggies got a little color in a hot oven before the simmer.

I had actually already learned stock procedure from Crescent Dragonwagon’s Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread Cookbook years ago, when I first started cooking more adventurously at home. It’s a great place to start if you want to learn stocks and soups (and a killer cornbread). If you’ve never made stock, you really should give it a go!

Based on what we did tonight in class, here’s the basic procedure for the white chicken stock:

  1. Place raw chicken bones (mostly stripped of meat) in a large stockpot.
  2. Fill the stockpot with cold water, until the water is about 1-2 inches above the bones.
  3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and skim off the scum and foam from the top.
  4. Add a sachet d’épices (you can do this in a tea ball if you don’t have cheesecloth handy).
  5. Add roughly chopped, peeled veggies, usually carrots, onion and celery. They won’t be seen or eaten, so it doesn’t have to be pretty, or even fresh, for that matter.
  6. Simmer for 4 to 6 hours.
  7. Using a spider or large slotted spoon, carefully lift out all the bones and veggies. These are usually discarded, as they’ve “given their all” to the stock.
  8. Ladle through a sieve (or chinois, or just a colander) lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter into a large vessel.
  9. Cool in an ice bath until the stock is down to 70 degrees, then cover and move to the fridge. (The link says 40 degrees, but I think that’s asking a lot. But do wait for the 70, or you risk funking up your broth as well as everything else in your fridge.)

Don’t worry too much about fat; it will rise to the top and solidify while cooling. This layer of fat, remarkably, helps keep the stock fresh longer, and you can just lift the fat layer off when you’re ready to use it.

And don’t worry about salt yet. Our chef instructor said to wait until you’re making the finished product.

It’s funny, we had four or five different pots of stock going, with the exact same procedure and ingredients, and they all tasted very different at the end. Chef said this was due to varying simmer temps, as well as differences in proportions of meat and veggies, etc. They were all delicious, but in different ways…one was very bright, another rich, another very vegetal.

Tune in next week when we start turning our stock into one of the five mother sauces! Woot!

Photos of our stock adventure:

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Getting a Taste of the Rock

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I’ve been blogging just long enough to say I’ve covered a few food shows, and honestly, sometimes they tend to run together.

However, Thursday’s Taste of the Rock, held in Little Rock’s River Market pavilions, had a few foodie surprises, along with the usual gamut of predictable (yet still yummy) attendees. The event is presented annually by the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.

A few highlights:

A patron samples Red Mango Frozen Yogurt.

Red Mango Frozen Yogurt
This happened to be the first booth I visited, and it was a worthwhile find. Red Mango recently opened its first franchise location in Arkansas (5621 Kavanaugh), putting a brave foot squarely into the market owned by longtime probiotic purveyor TCBY. Their product is distinctively tangier than TCBY’s, more reminiscent of regular yogurt. And this may be with good reason. Red Mango’s marketing materials lay it all out there with a comparison to “the other guys,” promoting a proprietary probiotics formula and lack of high fructose corn syrup or gluten. Local producer bonus: About half of the national franchise’s yogurt mix is made in Russellville, the remainder in Oregon. Local owners say the next location will be in Conway, where they live.

Rx Catering
When I was still on the entrance end of the pavilions, a friend found me and mentioned an amazing (get this) pot roast and mashed potatoes at the other end. A brave move, I thought. But Rx Catering pulled off this home-cooked staple in a way rarely found even at restaurants. As I sampled the food and praised it — especially the potatoes, which were brilliantly seasoned, creamy, and not the slightest bit gummy — the purveyors insisted I also try the banana pudding. They were technically out, but the found enough for a sample in their stuff. (Sometimes it pays to be a media type!) It was also wonderful — light and not cloyingly sweet as pudding can often be. I didn’t realize until writing this article that Rx Catering is a franchised operation. After tasting their food, it doesn’t damage their image in my eyes one iota. Plus, they have a really super-cool delivery van.

Lombardi Company

Lee Major of Lombardi Southern Lemon Liqueurs whips up a sample of limonata for a patron.

We’re not big drinkers in the Fancy household, but one new booth caught our attention for its cooking possibilities. Lombardi is an Arkansas operation, distributing its version of an Italian classic, cream of limoncello. (We think it would make a heck of a great cooked lemon curd, among other things. We’re ruminating the possibilities.) The company later broadened their offerings to include Southern Lemon Liqueur (which they liken to a lemon Schnapps) and a limonata (lemonade). Even if you’re a non-partaker, these products seem to be great options for cooked dishes due to their fresh, strong lemon flavor and ability to release alcohol-soluble flavor compounds in cooking.

Whole Foods
Yes, it’s a chain. But not everyone has tried their nifty little deli in the back, and they should. For this event, the folks at our local Whole Foods brought hummus and pita chips, as well as shrimp and pineapple skewers with a spicy raspberry chipotle sauce. I’m kind of a sucker for anything chipotle, so I knew I was going to love it. I did. The shrimp was fresh and not overcooked (worth the wait while they grilled it), the pineapple amply sweet and fresh, and the sauce, a great mixture of sweet, spicy and savory. I seem to recall seeing a bottle near the service area, as though the sauce were something you might purchase at the store. If so, I’m a little disappointed they didn’t make it themselves, but secretly happy I could buy it myself and pass it off as my own. The hummus was not to be ignored, by the way, being well-seasoned, creamy and satisfying. Along with the crunchy pita chips, I would have been happy with that alone for a light meal. Hope they have some at the deli next time I’m in.