Sweet Tart

     Contrary to popular belief, yellow tomatoes are not significantly lower in acid content than their red counterparts.  They taste sweeter due to a higher sugar content.  Here's a great recipe that I found that will permit you to compare those two tomato varieties:

Tomato & Baguette Tart

FOR THE BAGUETTE, MELT:

2 Tbsp unsalted butter                1 tsp minced fresh garlic

2 Tbsp EVOO                                15 slices Italian baguette

Salt, black pepper & red pepper flakes to taste

FOR THE TOMATOES, SEASON:

15 slices red heirloom tomatoes                   EVOO

15 slices yellow heirloom tomatoes             1 cup shredded Parmesan

FOR THE PROSCIUTTO, HEAT:

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 pkg prosciutto, diced

Fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 425F

For the baguette, melt butter with 2 Tbsp oil and garlic in a microwave; season with salt, black pepper, and pepper flakes.  Brush butter mixture onto one side of the tomato slices

For the tomatoes, season tomatoes with salt, Alternately layer baguette slices, buttered sides up, red tomatoes,  and yellow tomatoes in a 10-11” round glass or ceramic tart pan.  Drizzle tart with oil and sprinkle with Parmesan.  Bake tart until Parmesan and baguette slices are browned, 20 minutes

For the prosciutto, heat 1 Tbsp oil in a skillet(while tart is in the oven) over medium.  Add prosciutto and cook until crisp, 5 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.

Garnish tart with prosciutto and basil.

Cuisine at home, Issue 118, August 2016, p. 37

Judging Tomatoes

     

     We continue to be perplexed by the status of tomatoes.  Even the authorities at the University of Illinois can't decide what to call them.  In an article written not long ago they at one point say, "Tomatoes are the most popular garden vegetable in America..." Then only a few lines later they state, "...the quality of the fruit picked in the garden when fully ripe far surpasses anything available in the market..."

    This controversy and confusion was even a matter of legal debate by the highest court in our land.  In 1887, U.S. tariff laws imposed a 10% duty on vegetables, but none on fruit.  A tomato importer named John Nix sued the tax collector for the Port of New York, Edward L. Hedden, arguing that tomatoes, since they were really fruits, should be exempt from the tax in the case Nix v. Hedden 149 U.S. 304 (1893).

     The botanical claim was not in dispute; tomatoes, as the seed-bearing ripened ovary of a flower, are indeed fruits.  Yet in a triumph of ordinary language over scholarly, the Supreme Court ruled in 1893 that the tomato was a vegetable and therefore subject to the tariff.  In his decision, Justice Gray wrote,

     "Botanically speaking, tomatoes are fruits of a vine, just as cucumbers, squashes, beans and peas.  But in the common language of the people...all these are vegetables...which, whether eaten cooked or raw, are...usually served at dinner in, with or after the soup, fish or meats which constitute the principal part of the repast, and not, like fruits generally, as dessert."

     So once again I will reiterate my mantra:

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.

Wisdom is not putting them in a fruit salad.

A History Making Event

     Every backyard gardener looks forward to their first ripe tomato.  Yesterday I traveled up to Elroy to read the notes on the blackboard at Frankenfield Farms.  And as is the goal for us all, the first day of their tomato harvest is anticipated to be the 4th of July.


     But I am very proud to report that yesterday, a week ahead of that scheduled event I proudly picked my first ripe Sweet 100 cherry tomato!  This is truly a history making event for my annual porch plants!

Love it or hate it

     Remember when President George H. W. Bush stated that he disliked broccoli?  Well, love it or hate it, broccoli boasts a long and impressive list of health benefits.

     At the University of Illinois researchers have identified certain genes that control the accumulation of something called phenolic compounds in broccoli.  And consuming them can reduce the risk of certain harmful medical conditions like coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, asthma and several types of cancer, including liver cancer.


     University of Illinois geneticist Jack Juvik remarks, "Phenolic compounds have good antioxidant activity, and there is increasing evidence that this antioxidant activity affects biochemical pathways affiliated with inflammation in mammals.  We need inflammation because it's a response to disease or damage, but it's also associated with initiation of a number of degenerative diseases.  People whose diets consist of a certain level of these compounds will have a lesser risk of contracting these diseases."


     The research is leading to the crossing of two broccoli lines, testing their progeny in terms of total phenolic content and their ability to neutralize oxygen radicals in cellular assays.  By identifying the genes involved, the researchers are one step closer to cross-breeding broccoli with other Brassica vegetables-like kale and cabbage to produce a plant that can provide mega-doses of phenolic compounds.  An added plus to this ongoing research is that those vegetables can be cooked without losing the health promoting benefits of those phenolic compounds.  And when those vegetables are eaten those compounds are absorbed and targeted to certain area of the body, or concentrated in the liver.

     "These are things we can't make ourselves, so we have to get them from our diets," Dr. Juvik states.  "The compounds don't stick around forever, so we need to eat broccoli or some other Brassica vegetable every three or four days to lower the risk of cancers and other degenerative diseases."

     So while this super broccoli is still under the microscope, we should all continue to put the existing version on the menu, regardless of presidential protests!

A Garden Restaurant

     Joe & Mary Laudiso left the corporate world and opened a restaurant in Columbus, NC.  They named it Trattoria Giardini.  Translated it means "Garden Restaurant."  The little yellow house sits in between their garden and a greenhouse where they grow their own organic produce.  Everything from lacinato kale to zucchini, to beets and carrots, and their own herbs are used to make authentic regional Italian meals in the foothills of North Carolina.  Before the farm to table concept was in vogue they were serving the public fresh and seasonal food, just like Joe's ancestors did in Italy.

     I stopped by on Saturday night and had the opportunity to chat with Joe as I enjoyed a bowl of pasta fagiole and a plate of merluzzo livornese.    It is a seafood dish originally served in the Tuscan seaport of Livorno.  Both the conversation and the food were exceptional!

Traveling Road Show

     It was very interesting to walk through Hog Heaven at the Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival.  Those competing for awards were hard at work preparing their entries.  But they weren't too busy to chat and talk about their motivation to travel hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles and spend sleepless hours cooking low and slow.

     And the way they got there was as varied as each of their secret recipes.  Some arrived in nothing more than a pick up truck with a trailer hitch while others traveled in style in huge motor homes tricked out with smokers on wheels and fully equipped kitchens.

     Here are a few photos that I took as I made my way through Hog Heaven:

Serious Fun

     

     The 23rd Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival was serious fun for a lot of folks.  It was serious business for the 70 or so competitors who came from 10 states.  With team names like Serial Griller and Smoking Butt Heads they spent hours perfecting their entries to be judged the best.  I spent time walking through Hog Heaven and met with some colorful characters laboring over their portable smokers.

     But it was also fun for the thousands who came to enjoy some good BBQ and to sit back and relax, listening to music groups like Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds and The Note Ropers.

     There was no shortage of food to sample from the vendors who set up shop around the infield.  Traditional BBQ shared a place with some other interesting creations.  

     Have you ever tried Key Lime Funnel Cake?

A Mountain Top Dining Experience

     Traditionally a prix fixe menu is determined by the chef with a singular offering for each course.  But at Newman's Restaurant in The Orchard Inn Executive Chef Stuart Partin provides not one but several selections for each of the four courses served at dinner.

     Here is the description of each of my choices:

First Course

Marinated Lacinato Kale, Sunflower Seeds, Parmesan, Raisins,

Toasted Bread Crumbs, Dehydrated Strawberries

Second Course

Smoked NC Trout, Lemon Cucumber, Lemon Panisse,

Borage & Cucumber Panna Cotta, Creme Fraiche, Trout Cracklin',

Trout Roe, Mexican Sour Gherkin, Salad Burnette

Main Course

Pan Seared Domestic Lamb Chops, Parsnip Puree,

Pickled Rhubarb, Ramps, Swiss Chard & Lacinato Kale,

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Mint, Sugar Snaps

Dessert

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta, Peach Gele, Pecan Biscotti

Grilled Peach, Whipped Cream

An Elevated Dining Experience

     It was just about 5pm when I arrived in Tryon, NC at the Pine Crest Inn, the former Thermal Belt Sanatorium.  Constructed in 1906 as a facility for those with tuberculosis, it was converted to an inn 11 years later and is on the National Register of Historic Places.  I brought in my luggage and quickly changed out of my traveling clothes to dining attire.

     With an elevation of 1,102 feet Tryon, The Friendliest Town in the South, is in a thermal belt as it is known, free of dew and frost with a consistently warm climate year round.  But it can  also be very hot.  So my dinner plans were to head up to The Orchard Inn at a cooler 2,103 foot altitude.  I followed the winding road that parallels the famed Saluda Grade of the now defunct Norfolk Southern Railroad.  It is the steepest standard gauge railroad line in the United States.

     The Orchard Inn was built by the Brotherhood of Clerks of the Southern Railroad in 1926 as a summer retreat for members' families and was known then as the Railway Clerks Mountain Home.  It was transformed into a bed & breakfast and restaurant in 1981 and is currently under the watchful eye of Innkeepers Marc and Marianne Blazer.

     I had made a reservation for the prix fixe dinner in their Newman's Restaurant and was greeted warmly by the staff and Executive Chef Stuart Partin when I arrived.  The setting was at the same time grand and elegant yet relaxed and inviting as I  sat on the front porch enjoying the appetizers that had been prepared and presented in the lobby.  There was an overwhelming sense of peace and tranquility that pervaded this mountain top retreat as I sat at my table overlooking the gardens and the valley below with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance catching the last rays of the setting sun.

Tomorrow:  My 4 course meal selections

Friendliest Town in the South

     After having perhaps the best home cooked meal in my entire life, I headed further south along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway.  My final destination for the day was the picturesque little North Carolina hamlet of Tryon, "The Friendliest Town in the South."  For the 23nd year they were hosting the Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival.  Sponsored once again by the Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce it has become one of the premier barbecue events in the nation and attracts some of the best competition teams in the South.  With names like Redneck Scientific, Smoking Butt Heads and Sue E. Pig the teams vie for the coveted title of North Carolina State Champion.  And a total of $20,000 in prize money is further enticement.

     I was eager to attend once again this year as I did in 2015.  Not only is the BBQ exceptional, but there is so much more to experience and enjoy.  Music groups perform simultaneously on 2 separate stages, there is a large craft fair, and a kids' fun park.  On Saturday there is a classic car show, a Harley-Davidson "Hawg Run," and in the evening a fireworks display.  And everything takes place along the bucolic banks of the Pacolet River.

     My mouth was already watering just thinking about the 2 days of food and festivities as I made my way past some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.  But I had another memorable event to experience before the festival began.  More on that exquisite culinary event on Monday.

Real Home Cooking

     After my disappointing meal in Sparta, NC I began to wonder if my experience was an anomaly or the standard of Southern cuisine.  But the following morning my faith was renewed with an over the top, amazing home  cooked breakfast, all made from scratch.

     Margaret Conner was up early and eagerly at work in her kitchen at the Glade Valley Bed & Breakfast where I had spent the night.  Both she and her husband, Jim, greeted me as he poured me a cup of coffee.  Since I was the only guest we were able to get to know each other during our brief time together.  Our conversation covered a wide range of topics, from public education, to theology, ecology, genealogy and church history.  The conversation was almost as expansive as the breakfast menu.

     I watched in awe as Margaret prepared a sumptuous feast for the 3 of us.  As cinnamon rolls were cooling after coming out of the oven biscuits had been cut and went in to bake to a golden brown.  Fresh fruit was prepared and served with a glass of juice as country ham and sausage sizzled in the pan beside some classic creamy Southern gravy as shredded cheese was being sprinkled over another iconic item, grits.  And just as I was contemplating what to eat first, she plated the lightest, fluffiest scrambled eggs I have ever experienced.  

     Having a mere 200 miles or so to cover for the day I lingered at the breakfast table and savored both the food and the company.  It was a magnificent example of Southern cooking and conviviality that I will not soon forget!

     And as I prepared to get on the road for the day Margaret wrapped up some of those cinnamon buns, "just in case" I got hungry along the way.

Home Cooking?

     I began my most recent culinary research into North Carolina cuisine with a trip down into the Tar Heel State by way of the Skyline Drive through Virginia, stopping overnight in the Big Meadows Lodge in Shenandoah National Park.  It was about noon the following day that I entered the Blue Ridge Parkway that would eventually take me into North Carolina.

     

     

     My intended stay for my second night was at a Bed and Breakfast in the tiny community of Glade Valley, just over the state line.  I was greeted warmly upon my arrival by Jim & Margaret Conner.  They own an incredibly beautiful home, built in 2008 as a lodging for travelers like me.  The log mansion has 6 rooms, each one named for one of our country's national parks.  I settled in to Mesa Verde with a gorgeous view across an expansive back deck.

     By the time I arrived the meager lunch I had packed for myself was just a fleeting memory and I was eager to find a place to find an evening meal.  The closest town with restaurants was 7 miles up the road in Sparta.  Perusing the town as I drove along the streets I settled in for dinner at a family owned place that claimed to serve up "home cooking."  Upon entering I was a bit concerned that it was pretty devoid of any kind of homey atmosphere, but I was hungry and you can't eat atmosphere.  I scanned the menu and decided to order the breaded fried chicken breast that came with mashed potatoes, asparagus and corn bread.

     It is difficult for me to describe my disappointment when my meal arrived at my table.  It had absolutely no eye appeal whatsoever.  I've heard from professional chefs that "you eat first with your eyes."  The plate looked like one of my daughter's where, as a child,  she demanded that none of the items served were allowed to touch each other.  It was stark and unappealing with a small, bone dry and bony chicken breast sitting remotely distanced from a plop of mashed spuds far from a few stalks of overcooked asparagus spears..  The corn bread bordered on stale and came in its own plastic basket with some pre-packaged butter packets.  Sadly, the highlight of the meal was the sweet tea that helped to swill down the sorry looking meal.

If that's home cooking, I'm running away from home!

Tarheel Profile

     North Carolina is a big state, one of the largest geographically on the eastern seaboard.  It also has a large and diverse population, ranking 9th among our 50 nifty United States.  Its landscape ranges from sea level to Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi River at 6,684 feet.  It it a full day's journey to traverse from the Outer Banks to the Great Smoky Mountains.

     The Tar Heel State has three main geographic regions.  Starting at the coast line there is the Atlantic Coastal Plain which makes up about 45 % of the state.  The Piedmont region is in the center of the state and is home to both agriculture and industry.  Then on the western side of the state there is the Appalachian Mountains and foothills, among them the scenic Blue Ridge.  As each region is distinct geographically as they are culturally and with their own unique cuisine as well.

     My visit this past week gave me a greater appreciation for the people, their way of life and their food.  In the next several posts I will attempt to relay to you what I experienced.

More Culinary Research

     All the previous talk about beer can chicken got me thinking, not only about cooking poultry but also ribs, and brisket, and pulled pork, too.  So I'm off once again in the name of culinary research.  I'll be returning to the Tar Heel State to sample the best of North Carolina barbecue at the Blue Ridge BBQ and Music Festival.

     I'll provide you with a full report when I return!

Beer Can Chicken Debunked

     Yesterday I introduced you to Meathead Goldwyn.  Now while his first name is dubious, he does claim to know something about grilling meat.  Here are his 5 facts about beer-can chicken.

1. Beer can chicken is basically roast chicken
Goldwyn says the #1 reason people love beer-can chicken is because it is basically roast chicken.  And roast chicken is delicious.  But according to him, roasting a chicken vertically on a half empty can of beer isn't the best way to cook chicken on a grill.

2. The beer never touches your chicken
Goldwyn disagrees with the theory that the beer in the can percolates when heated on the grill and infuses the bird with lager-flavored steam.  Here's what he has to say:
     
     "It doesn't work the way you think it does.  You take the beer can and stick it up the butt of the chicken.  What happens?  The beer cannot penetrate the sides of the metal can.  That metal can goes way up into the body of the chicken, so most of the chicken is protected from the beer by the can.  If the water could evaporate, if the beer could evaporate, it might come into contact with the chicken's shoulders, and that's all."

3. No steam means no extra juiciness
It's a matter of degree...Fahrenheit.  Cold beer in a cold chicken renders it nearly impossible to convert the liquid beer into steam that would have an effect on the flavor.  Even if the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 160F, it doesn't matter.  Beer doesn't boil until 212F.  The beer isn't going to get any hotter than the chicken.  Goldwyn boldly states, "It's a physical impossibility."

4. You might end up with dry, overcooked meat
The beer can inside the chicken's cavity isn't just ineffective --- it can actually make your chicken taste worse.  "You can run the risk of overcooking when there's no heat entering the cavity...If you take that beer can out and cook the chicken whole, warm air can get into the cavity and cook the chicken from two sides."

5. Beer-can chicken isn't bad, it's just not the best
The fact is, beer-can chicken does taste good.  It's just not the best method to cook juicy chicken on the grill.  It's a good way to cook chicken, but it's not a great way.  The author recommends breaking the bird into the sum of its parts, or spatchcocking (butterflying) it.  Another method used in Italian kitchens is to cook it al mattone, that is, under a brick.  The goal is to have a deep color on the interior side of the bird as well as the outside.  That develops more flavor.  And it cooks faster, losing less moisture and making for a better and tastier bird.

The final take-away from the author:  icy-cold cans of beer are best used for ...drinking.

Hoax Exposed?

     Epicurious.com recently reprinted an article by Adina Steiman.  It was titled  "Beer can Chicken is a Hoax."  That caught my eye because among my modest collection of cook books I have Steven Raichlen's Beer-Can Chicken and 74 Other Offbeat Recipes for the Grill.  It was a Father's Day gift way back in 2002.

     In the introduction to that tome Raichlen states that the process of roasting poultry using a half empty can of beer is..."startlingly simple:  You grill a chicken upright over an open can of beer.  What results is the moistest, most succulent, and most flavorful chicken you've ever tasted."  

     He goes on to make the claim that the rising vapors impart a delicate beer flavor, simultaneously keeping the bird juicy and tender.  And because steaming takes place inside the chicken, the meat stays moist but the skin doesn't become soggy.  And this is all because, "...You roast a seasoned chicken in an upright position on an open can of beer."

     Ms. Steiman takes exception to that premise.  She begins her argument this way..."The chicken that came off the can never tasted that much better or worse to me than the average barbecued bird."  She then cites the findings of the award-winning editor of amazingribs.com - a person with a rather dubious moniker, Meathead Goldwyn.  The name alone makes me wonder what award he might have received.  But apparently he co-authored, along with Greg Blonder, Ph.D., a recent publication, Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling.  It seems their goal is to debunk many time-honored but wrong-headed ideas about outdoor cooking, beer-can chicken being one of them.

     In an interview Ms. Steiman conducted with Meathead she got the low-down on what she termed, "...the biggest grilling hoax in recent history."

Tomorrow: The facts about beer-can chicken

A Rhubarb Recipe

     Savory is a free publication of the Giant Food Stores.  In their March/April issue they printed a recipe for Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote with a caption that said, "like strawberry-rhubarb pie (only easier)."  The introduction also stated, "Enjoy this compote with steel-cut oats or spoon it on your Sunday pancakes." And they went even further, advising that it is "Beyond breakfast...Serve with poultry or roast pork, or as dessert with vanilla ice cream."  How can you go wrong with such a versatile creation?  Here's the recipe:

RHUBARB AND STRAWBERRY

COMPOTE

Ingredients

12 oz rhubarb

2 cups strawberries

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 Tbsp lime juice

Directions

STEP 1: Cut the rhubarb into 1/2" pieces and slice the strawberries.  Place in separate bowls.

STEP 2: Add the rhubarb to a saucepan with the sugar and the cinnamon stick.  Add 2 Tbsp water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes, or until rhubarb is tender.  Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

STEP 3: Add the sliced strawberries and lime juice to the rhubarb and mix.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ready in 30 minutes