Wish Upon A Chef

There's nothing like the emergence of fresh fruits and vegetables that appear this time of year in residential gardens and commercial farmland to take me back to my farm girl roots. Milking cows, gathering eggs, putting up hay, working the tobacco fields....

Okay, okay....so the few of you who read my blog and know me personally can pick yourselves up off the floor and curtail the hysterical laughter now because I was going to add a disclaimer to that last sentence saying that I didn't ACTUALLY do all of those things myself. Instead, I have fond memories of all those things happening on my grandparents' farm in my youth and even though I was too young to help out, it's amazing at the things you learn just by being an annoying under-foot child.

And as my family's land was a flutter of activity during the growing season, so was the adjacent farmland owned by the Scott family. Wayne Scott was the overseer for a massive strawberry operation that included acres and acres of fields worked by migrant families who were housed on his land. Over the years, the family integrated tomatoes and corn into their farming repertoire and today the Scott family is infamous throughout all of northeastern Tennessee, southwest Virginia and even parts of the Carolinas. My mother, aunts, and uncles spent their summers working in various aspects on the Scott farm. I can remember sitting in the offices while my mother answered phone calls from people wanting to place orders for the berries and sometimes I'd even get to help out in the shed where the berries were being sold. I mostly ate the berries, but nonetheless I was helping by offering quality control services. I have such vivid memories of plucking those scarlet red berries, still warm from the sun, from the carton and savoring each bite as the sticky red juice clung to my fingers and stained my mouth.

A few weeks ago, I found myself standing in the hot sun in the middle of a strawberry field waxing nostalgia about those childhood days gone by. Seeing those sun ripened berries just waiting to be picked brought back a flood of carefree feelings of standing barefoot in a strawberry shed, not having a care in the world. These days, most kids have no idea where their food comes from other than the grocery store shelf. They don't know that the plastic carton of strawberries started as a tiny plant in a far off field, totally dependent on the sun, rain and the land for nourishment, growth and its very existence in that plastic container. I'm so fortunate to know the amount of hard work, sacrifice, and sweat that goes into making a living off of the land and I know the personal satisfaction of harvesting the food and turning it into something special to be shared with friends and family.

Even before I headed to the strawberry field that morning, I knew some of my berries were destined to become this lovely Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze featured in the April 2009 edition of Gourmet. It was very simple to prepare and I loved the tangy-sweet addition of the port wine glaze drizzled over the berries. To me, strawberries are best coupled with a light and fluffy filling so I think next time I'll cut the amount of mascarpone and add some freshly whipped cream to make the filling just a bit lighter in texture. But pay no mind to me....no doubt you will enjoy this just as it is!


Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze
from Gourmet, April 2009

For tart shell:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons cold water

For filling:
1 1/2 pounds strawberries (about 1 1/2 quarts), trimmed & halved lengthwise
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup ruby Port
1 pound mascarpone (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Equipment: a 10-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom; pie weights or dried beans

To make tart shell:
Blend together flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Beat together yolk, vanilla, lemon juice, and water with a fork, then drizzle over flour mixture and stir with fork (or pulse) until mixture comes together.

Gently knead with floured hands on a lightly floured surface until a dough forms, then gently knead 4 or 5 times. Press into a 5-inch disk. Place in center of tart pan and cover with plastic wrap. Using your fingers and bottom of a flat-bottomed measuring cup, spread and push dough to evenly cover bottom and side of pan. Prick bottom of tart shell all over with a fork and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until side is set and edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and continue to bake until shell is deep golden all over, about 20 minutes more. Cool in pan, about 45 minutes.

Make filling while tart shell cools:
Stir together strawberries and granulated sugar in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Strain in a sieve set over a small saucepan, reserving berries. Add Port to liquid in saucepan and boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk together mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until stiff.

Assemble tart:
Spread mascarpone mixture evenly in cooled tart shell, then top with strawberries. Drizzle Port glaze all over tart.

Cooks' note:
Tart shell can be baked 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature.

I vaguely remember studying Greek mythology in high school and I can still vaguely remember some of the better known Greek Goddesses. Heck, my whole recollection of high school in general is rather vague because let's face it, I had boys other things on my mind during those four years!

Let's see....there was Athena and Artemis, the Goddess of Wisdom and the Goddess of the Hunt, respectively. And of course the well known Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty. But there is one Greek Goddess who you may not be familiar with....Angela, the Goddess of Inspiration.

You may remember my friend Angela from this post but if not, let me give you a refresher course in her mythology.....

I've bestowed the title of "Goddess of Inspiration" upon Angela for two reasons. First of all because she has unbelievable zest for life. A few years ago, Angela was dealt a serious blow to her health ~ something that no woman wants to even think about, let alone endure. But the Goddess of Inspiration did not wallow in self pity, pain, depression, or any of the ugly things that sometimes accompany illness. Instead she tossed caution to the wind, bought herself a convertible and continued to kick life in the butt with a smile on her face.

Secondly, Angela is also deserving of the Goddess title because every time I'm around her, I feel inspired. Spending just any amount of time with her causes me to do things like start digging up my back yard with plans to extend my patio or drag out the ladder and start redecorating the kitchen. You can't even imagine how many ideas started floating around in my head after we spent a girl's weekend in Charleston ~ so many of them that I had to get a pencil and paper and write them down!

And one of the ideas born was this pizza. Wrestling with ideas of how to perfect a pizza recipe to be submitted for a recipe contest, I asked Angela for help. And she did not disappoint. My pizza quickly turned from a jumbled mess of ideas into this fresh, tasty Meditteranean creation loaded with Greek flavors. The recipe may look intimidating but don't let it scare you. The dough comes together in just a matter of minutes and while the recipe makes enough for four crusts, you can either freeze the others or break them up into pieces and serve them flatbread style with the leftover tzatziki. The tzatziki will take a bit of time to mellow out in the refrigerator, so make sure you start that early in the day. And the toppings are fresh and simple...very little preparation needed.

Hopefully this will be the grand prize winner for the recipe contest but no matter, it's the perfect summertime meal and certainly a winner in my recipe book! And much, much thanks to the Goddess of Inspiration for helping me....this recipe is dedicated to you Angela!

The Greek Goddess Pizza

Pizza Dough:

¼ ounce (7 gram) package of active dry yeast
1 Cup warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons melted butter (or oil)
2 ½ to 3 Cups flour
Zest from 2 lemons
2 Tablespoons dried dill
Olive Oil

In a large bowl, stir the active dry yeast into warm water and let dissolve. While continuing to stir add sugar, salt, lemon zest, dill and butter and begin adding the flour slowly, half cupsful at a time. When dough starts coming together and forms a ball, begin kneading by hand on a lightly floured surface. Knead until dough has a uniform and consistent appearance and elastic feel, about five minutes.

Divide dough into four balls. Cover with a dry cloth and let them rest for ten minutes.

While dough is resting, preheat oven to 400-degrees.
Roll each ball into a very thin 12-inch crust and place on a greased cookie sheet or pizza stone. Brush the crust with olive oil and
bake between 10 and 15 minutes, depending on desired color.

Tzatziki Sauce:

1-1/2 cups Greek yogurt
1-1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, chopped
1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced
1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt for salting cucumbers
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Peel cucumber, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. Dice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1/2 Tablespoon salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.

In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir this mixture into the yogurt. Refrigerate for at least two hours so flavors can blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pizza Toppings:

1 Roma tomato, thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup Lindsay Olives Greek Kalamata Olives, sliced in half
Fresh dill, separated into small sprigs
1/2 lemon
2 Tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
8 oz. fresh baby spinach, washed and dried
olive oil, for sauteeing

In a medium skillet, add about 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat on medium high heat. Add onion, and lightly saute until onions turn translucent but do not brown, about 2 or 3 minutes. Remove from skillet. Add more oil if needed and lightly saute spinach until just wilted, about 1 or 2 minutes.

Spread tzatziki sauce over pizza crust (about ¼ cup or so). Layer tomato, spinach, and onions on top. Toss on feta cheese, capers, and Kalamata olives. Garnish with dill sprigs and fresh oregano. Give a good generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the whole pizza, slice and enjoy!

The first Sunday in June kicks off one of my most favorite summertime activities known as Pops In The Park where the Charlotte Symphony performs a series of free concerts every Sunday for five weeks. When I lived here before, Pops was a smaller affair taking place on a section of lawn on the grounds of the SouthPark Mall. Over the years, the concerts have grown to encompass a permanent summer home called Symphony Park and the crowds have grown into the thousands. The estimated attendance for last night's performance was between 8,000 - 10,000!

The years that I lived away were always particularly hard during the month of June. In my mind, I could recall the fun times that the Captain and I shared sitting on a blanket surrounded by good food, wine, and good friends listening to the mellow sounds of the music. Back then, I would spend days conjuring up a menu and countless hours preparing everything from scratch....dips, appetizers, desserts. Last night would be my first attendance at Pops in nearly seven years and I can't tell you how beside myself I was with anticipation! It was also another one of those bittersweet affairs that brought about a flood of emotions as I glimpsed someone walking in the crowd who vaguely resembled the Captain, and for almost a split second I was caught in a time warp. But we all know that time machines don't exist and we must plug along in this vast amount of time and space that we have and create new and fun memories.

My mentality toward preparing picnic fare for Pops has changed during my absence. What used to take days and hours to plan and prepare for took all of about one hour from start to finish this year. Having made my living in the food industry for several years, I now completely value the concept of stress-free entertaining. A quick trip to the grocery and a few flips of the wrist produced the makings for a gorgeous and delicious antipasta platter to be shared with old and new friends alike.


The great thing about antipasta platters is that you can put whatever your heart desires on it, place it any way you want it, and it always turns out to be a true work of art. Here we have sopressata, a cured Italian meat, several types of cheeses ~ feta, manchego, rosemary goat cheese, cream cheese topped with a hot pepper peach preserves, and provolone are some of my favorites. Throw on a few marinated vegetables such as roasted red peppers, olives, heart of palm, capers and artichoke hearts, and call it done! I served this up with sliced sourdough bread, red grape clusters, and a nice chilled bottle of wine.

My friends Angela, Mark, George and I are looking forward to the rest of the Pops concert performances, so stayed tuned to see what next week's menu will be!

Twice a year I allow myself a delicious indulgence (okay, so I indulge ALOT during a year's time, but for the sake of this post we'll stick to only one of my indulgences and keep it food related, okay?)

The Queen City hosts the Southern Spring Show and the Southern Christmas Show in March and December and I am usually in attendance at one or both shows for one purpose only.....

Helmut's Strudels.

The food vendors are always set up at the far reaches of the show...all the way in the third building but I can smell them as soon as I hit the door of the first building....the wafting aroma of freshly baked strudels with their golden brown flaky crust covered with a sensual dusting of powdered sugar. Your choice of peach, apple, or cherry. I think there are a few savory offerings as well but I bypass those. Helmut knows my weakness is cherry.

When the advertisements for the show start playing on the radio, I immediately formulate a mental vision of Helmut's taut German muscles clad in a crisp, stark white baker's uniform lovingly shaping my cherry strudel with his manly hands and lightly dusting it with powdered sugar as it comes out of the oven steaming hot. If my family is visiting at the time, they usually buy several strudels to take home and give as gifts. I, being the selfish person that I am, buy several strudels and eat them all myself. What can I say? I look forward to my twice-a-year love affair with Helmut and I intend to gorge myself with all the fresh from the oven lovin' that I can stand.

But Helmut, honey...I hate to tell you that our affair has to end. I've found someone else. Oh, sweetie, don't be upset. It's not you. It's me. Really. I can take all the blame for this break up because the May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers. These lovely ladies gave us free reign with our choice of strudel filling and after just one try at the strudel making process, I've kicked Helmut to the curb and added yet another "keeper" recipe to my file.

The real challenge of this recipe is taking a dough ball the size of the palm of your hand and shaping it into a 3'x2' sheet. Believe it or not, it's easier than it seems because the dough is very forgiving. My baking constituents confirmed that holes in the dough sheet were okay and while many of them had dough similar to Swiss cheese, I ended up with only 2 holes!
A quick tour of the freezer and pantry confirmed that I would be filling my strudel with orange infused cranberries left over from this recipe, Granny Smith apples, crystallized ginger, Chinese five spice powder and walnuts. Helmut, honey, you never stood a chance with this winning combination! This strudel wound up being about as long as my arm and I could have seriously eaten it all the way up to my elbow. It was seriously that good!

Thank you Courtney and Linda (make sure you head to their sites if you are interested in seeing the recipe as written) for broadening my horizons and showing me that Helmut isn't the only strudel in town!



Strudel Dough from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1-1/3 cups unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

Alison's Filling:

1/2 cup butter, melted & divided
1-1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1 large navel oranges
12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled & cored & sliced into half moon rounds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar

For the dough:
1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary. Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches. Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can. Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet wide and 3 feet long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

For the filling:

Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water. Scrape the vanilla seeds onto a small plate and add the pod to the saucepan. Using a vegetable peeler, remove 2 long strips of zest from the orange and add them to the pan. Halve the orange and squeeze the juice into the saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cranberries and cook over low heat just until the berries are softened but still intact, about 8 minutes. Let cool completely. Discard the vanilla bean and orange zest and refrigerate until chilled. Drain cranberries well in colander.

Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-wide strip. Layer the apples over the walnuts and top with drained cranberries. Combine 1/3 cup sugar and Chinese five spice powder and sprinkle over fruit filling.

Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Since being founded in 1670, Charleston, SC has provided tolerance for those seeking religious and ethnic diversity, rebuilt itself after being war-torn during both the American Revolution and the Civil War, and has survived devastation brought on by Mother Nature in the form of hurricanes and tropical storms, but most notably Hurricane Hugo.

Today, it is a major tourist and art destination and is by far one of my most favorite places to visit in this surrounding area. My girlfriend Angela and I loaded up the convertible and headed to the low country for a girl's weekend during the Memorial Day holiday. It was only my second time there and I should probably mention that in addition to all of the other devastating acts that Charleston has survived, it is also still standing after the devastation of my own marriage to Captain Sturm. We were married on the balcony of the Palmer Home bed and breakfast in a very heart-felt ceremony nearly 5 years ago now. I won't deny that while planning and travelling, I was of the mind-set that this was going to be a hard trip for me but soon after arriving and partaking of all the excitement of the city, I was well on my way to making new memories and putting all the former sentiments on a back burner. A few sips of a delightful margarita while listening to the sounds of the ocean helped alot too!

Charleston undoubtedly has some of the finest cuisine you will find anywhere....frogmore stew, low country boils, she-crab soup, hoppin' john, and shrimp and grits. Even though Angela and I gorged ourselves for 3 days straight, I came home still yet with an insatiable craving for more low country cuisine.

Grits are met with mixed reviews outside of the southern most states but in the low country area, shrimp and grits has been considered a basic breakfast food for decades during the shrimp season running May through December. Simply called 'breakfast shrimp," the dish consisted of a pot of grits with shrimp cooked in a little bacon grease or butter. During the past decade, this dish has migrated from the home kitchen to the fanciest restaurants and is not just for breakfast anymore.

In 1976, South Carolina declared grits the official state food:

Whereas, throughout its history, the South has relished its grits, making them a symbol of its diet, its customs, its humor, and its hospitality, and whereas, every community in the State of south Carolina used to be the site of a grist mill and every local economy in the State used to be dependent on its product; and whereas, grits has been a part of the life of every South Carolinian of whatever race, background, gender, and income; and whereas, grits could very well play a vital role in the future of not only this State, but also the world, if as The Charleston News and Courier proclaimed in 1952: 'An inexpensive, simple, and thoroughly digestible food, [grits] should be made popular throughout the world. given enough of it, the inhabitants of planet Earth would have nothing to fight about. A man full of [grits] is a man of peace'.

Today, I'm declaring this zesty shrimp and grits recipe a real winner but with the addition of Rotel tomatoes, it is not the traditional shrimp and grits that you're likely to find on menus in Charleston. After one taste, though, I think you'll find it appearing on your own menu quite often.



Shrimp & Grits Casserole
inspired by Suzanne Butler

4 C Chicken broth
1/2 t Salt
1 C Grits (not instant)
1 C Sharp Cheddar Cheese - shredded
1 C Pepper Jack Cheese - shredded
2 T Butter
6 Green onions, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
1 Green or Red bell pepper, chopped
1 Garlic clove, minced
2 lbs Shrimp, shelled and cooked (reserve a few for garnishing your plated dish)
1 (10 oz) can Rotel, drained
1/4 t Pepper
1/2 lb bacon, cooked & coarsely chopped

Bring chicken broth to a boil and then add grits and cover until cooked. (Follow directions on bag of grits.)

Add 3/4 C of cheddar cheese and all of pepper jack cheese.

Saute green onion, green (or red) bell pepper, and garlic in butter.

Stir together green onion mixture, tomatoes, grits, shrimp, and the rest of the ingredients except for the remaining cheese.

Pour into 2 qt baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-45 minutes or until bubbling. Once plated, garnish with reserved shrimp, chopped bacon, and remaining shredded cheese.