Wish Upon A Chef

Field-picked strawberries will always hold a special place in my heart because they remind me of my childhood, so when I had the opportunity to travel back to my hometown and attend the Strawberry Festival it was just like going home and being a kid all over again.

The Strawberry Festival is still in the infant stages of becoming a large, well-known regional festival like our Apple Festival, but it was created in honor of a man named Wayne Scott who pioneered the strawberry movement in my hometown some 50+ years ago. The weather was not very cooperative this year and eventually put an end to the festivities early, but even still it was a fun time celebrating all things strawberry.

Sharing a funnel cake top-heavy with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar with my grandmother was one of the major highlights of the festival. You can see from the photo that she had a death-grip on the edge of the plate out of fear that I'd take off running with the thing and not share (I'm not sure why we only children have such a stigma surrounding us about our inability to share.)


I've shared a recipe for fresh Strawberry Salsa that will now become part of my strawberry season repertoire.  It was something that I tossed together to take to the second picnic gathering of the Charlotte Food Bloggers to celebrate the theme of strawberry picking. I was unable to join the group when they hit the fields to pick their own berries but that didn't stop me from enjoying the fruits of their labor. I was amazed at the creativity and beauty of the dishes brought and I suggest you check out the blogroll and take a look-see for yourself what our fabulous members bring to the table. I find them all to be such an inspiration!

Homemade cinnamon-sugar dusted tortilla chips were the perfect accompaniment to the sweet and spicy Strawberry Salsa, and now that strawberry season is over, don't be afraid to use store-bought berries in this recipe. Those berries have a firmer texture and they actually hold up better and longer in the salsa than freshly picked berries.


Strawberry Salsa
Inspired by Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients:
2 fresh jalapeño chilies, finely chopped
2 cups finely chopped strawberries
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
6 oz. finely chopped dried pineapple
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
Combine chilies, strawberries, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix gently to combine. Salsa can be made several hours before serving and chilled. Yield: 3 cups.

Homemade baked tortilla chips are really easy to make. I used the whole wheat variety but feel free to use the flour ones if you wish. Stack them up together and cut them into 8th ~ cut in half, then half again and then cut each quarter into halves. Brush each triangle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. If you'd like savory chips, feel free to use any spice blend you desire! Bake in a single layer on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for approximatly 10-12 minutes or until chips are slightly browned.

I'm going to a monster truck rally on May 19th. A line up of trucks with large wheels and modified suspensions. They'll do some mud-bogging, car crushing and tractor pulling, and if we're lucky, we might see a car-eating robot truck. A monster truck rally is motorized professional wresting at its finest.

Actually, no. It's not that kind of truck rally at all. It's the Chow Down Uptown Food Truck Rally to be held on May 19th from 5:00pm - 9:00pm in the parking lot on Seventh St. across from the old Reid's Fine Foods location near Dixie's Tavern and Levine Museum of the New South (don't you just love the way I give directions? "Go down that one road where that place used to be and you'll see it there somewhere...")

The rally will be an eclectic collection of Charlotte area food vendors dispensing their culinary talents through a pop-out window in their horse-powered kitchens and the list of participants is still being determined, but I'm going to the rally to cheer on my new friend, Emma.

Known as the Southern Cake Queen, Emma can't help but draw attention to herself when she rolls up in her flaming pink mobile cupcakery. The first time I met her, I was sitting at a picnic table in the park having lunch with friends when all of a sudden, everyone at the table jumped up and ran to the parking lot. I seriously thought there was some car-jacking going on but when I turned around, I saw what all the excitement was about.


As the window cranked out and the sign advertising the day's flavors went up, a crowd of adults and children started to draw. This was just like the ice cream truck only better because you didn't have to hurry and eat your treat before it melted in the heat. Emma sells the freshly baked treats for $3 each and I chose the Passion Fruit cupcake from her list of flavors. Both the cake and the buttercream icing was light and airy and the cake-to-icing ratio was right on target. The passion fruit flavor was subtle and perfect for a hot summer day.


The mobile cupcakery is available for private parties ~ would you not be the bestest mom or dad in the world if this truck showed up for your kid's birthday party and parked in the cul-de-sac? How about wedding cupcakes? If you're not too keen on riding away from the reception in the big pink truck, just ask her to bake the cupcakes and park the truck around the block when she delivers, but I can guarantee that your guests would totally remember your reception!

Look for the Southern Cake Queen on Facebook or around town or follow her Twitter feed to find out where she's parking next. Alot of times she can be found at Price's Chicken Coop at 1614 Camden Road. Good luck with your new venture, Emma!


**Thanks to Becky for suggesting that this post be submitted to How Sweet The Sound's Pink Saturday Meme!

If you're looking for something to satisfy your sweet tooth, check out Just Baked Cupcakes located in Cornelius, NC. Located in the quaint Oak Street Mill, Just Baked was opened about a year ago by Chris and Missy Wallace and features an ever changing menu of gourmet freshly baked cupcakes.  Like their page on Facebook and you too will be tempted by their daily postings of flavors and scrumptious photos just like I am. 


Just look what they posted today:

Just Baked Cupcakes

Today's Flavors: Black Bottom Cheesecake, Pink Champagne, Red Velvet, Sugar Cookie, Signature Chocolate, Chocolate Maple Bacon and Brown Butter Pecan. We also have mint brownies, Mixed Berry Muffins and Chocolate Chip Scones :)


When you walk in to the spacious setting, you're greeted by paintings from local artists hanging on the walls, shabby chic decor throughout and the sweet aroma of the day's flavors. In addition to cupcakes, Just Baked usually has brownies, scones, or muffins to choose from too.  A selection of specialty drinks and coffees is also available to compliment your sweet treat.


Some friends and I visited Just Baked last week during their wine and cupcake pairing, which is held on the first Tuesday of each month.  For the bargain-basement price of $5, we sampled five different cupcakes and five different Moscato wines from Treehouse Vineyards in Monroe, NC.  The cupcake were bite-sized versions of their regular offerings but after five of them, you're guaranteed to be in a sugar coma.  They were over-the-top delicious and moist which, in my experience, is sometimes hard to pull off with a cupcake.  My favorite was the Key Lime and I'll admit to sneaking a second sample of that one (sorry guys!) because the candied slice of key lime garnish counter-balanced the sweetness.  I didn't sample all of the wines because after getting the first pour, we had to wait in a line of about 40 people to get the second one and I just wasn't up to doing that for the remaining four samples.  Hopefully next time they'll have the wine tastings pre-poured and sitting alongside the cupcakes for the taking. 


If you're craving a sweet treat, indulge with Just Baked Cupcakes in Cornelius and keep them in mind for parties, special occasions, or weddings too!

My innate love for living in the Carolinas is no big secret. I grieved for the Queen City for the entire 6 years that I was away in that other nearly forgotten state and even though I've been back home now for over 2 years, there's still not a day that goes by that I don't stop and think about how great it is living here. I was so fortunate to reconnect with some of the friends I had before I left, and after becoming involved with the Good Eats and Meets social group, I amassed more good friends and acquaintances than imaginable.  Even though my career is no longer in the catering/food business, I'll always have a love for doing that kind of work so being an assistant organizer for this group helps fills the void. 

And while it looks like all fun and games when we get together (and rest assured there is plenty of that!), there's alot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes to pull off each event.  We brainstorm, plan, test, organize, solicit and promote and we are constantly looking for new and fun things to bring to the membership.  I'm so pleased to be a small part of the newly established "Carolina's Eat Local Farm to Fork Restaurant Month," the brainchild of Richard Gruica, the founder of Good Eats and Meets.

During the month of May, local participating restaurants will create delicious three-course prix fixe menus for both lunch and dinner, composed almost entirely of Carolina grown farm-fresh ingredients such as artisanal cheeses, micro-greens, and meats from local farms.   With over 30 restaurants participating, this event will go a long way toward raising awareness of North Carolina’s presence on the culinary scene and will also create an opportunity to give back to area farmers by establishing the NC Farmer’s Fund. A portion of the proceeds from the event will create a subsidy to benefit small, family-owned farms in the event of a natural disaster.

It has been my job with the Farm to Fork project to focus on, sample and promote NC based beverages, one of which is Uncle Scott's Root Beer. Certifiably made from all natural ingredients, Uncle Scott's is the creation of Scott and Suzanne Ramsey of Mooresville, NC and has been on the market for nearly 4 years now. Available in over 57 stores in the Carolinas, Uncle Scott's Root Beer has received an excellent response in the marketplace and I understand why.  I'll admit to being a bit leery of tasting the concoction because I've long ago kicked my carbonated soda habit and I'm just not fond of anything having to do with licorice, which is the prominent flavor in most mass produced brands of sugary carbonated root beer sodas.

The verdict?  Not only am I proud as punch to live in North Carolina, I'm equally as pleased to say that Uncle Scott's Root Beer hails from home.  My palate detected hints of vanilla long before the ever-so-subtle taste of licorice and the sweetness of the organic sugar was just enough.  It tasted real and natural, not sugary and commercial.  I was impressed, too, that the carbonation was still intact on a half-used bottle the day after it had been opened.  I used the root beer to test cocktail recipes which will be featured soon on the Charlotte Cocktails Examiner site, but in the meantime, please enjoy these fabulously cute Root Beer Float Cupcakes from Smitten Kitchen.

Root Beer Float Cupcakes

Cake adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
Recipe and idea taken from smittenkitchen.com

Cupcakes

2 cups root beer (of course I used Uncle Scott's Root Beer)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs

Toppings

1 1/2 cups heavy or whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pint of vanilla ice cream
Maraschino cherries (optional)

Make the root beer cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 22 cupcake cups with paper liners. In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Fold the liquid and flour mixtures together in the large bowl. The batter will be slightly lumpy; this is okay. If you overbeat it, it will get tough.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 to 3/4 full (a 1/4 cup scoop or measuring cup will filled mine perfectly) and bake cupcakes, rotating trays back to front and top to bottom halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center of each comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Assemble cupcakes: Whip heavy or whipping cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until it holds soft peaks. You can do this with an electric mixer, but if you do it by hand, not only will you get a killer arm workout (which you can trade in for a cupcake, very soon), it will be nearly impossible to overbeat the cream. (Which I almost always do with a mixer.)

Use the tip of a knife to cut a small cone of cake out of the top center of each cupcake; feel free to snack on these, I won’t tell anyone. Using a spoon or a small cookie scoop, nest a scoop of ice cream in each indent. Surround ice cream with dollops of whipped cream. Top with a cherry, if using. To keep cupcakes in a holding pattern while you assemble the remaining ones, you can put them in the freezer, but try to do so for no more than 5 minutes or the whipped cream will harden.

Eat immediately.

Chef's note: While the root beer flavor is present in the cakes, it’s not the loudest root beer flavor (unsurprising as most root beers today are pretty subtle). One way to make it more pronounced, as suggested in Baked, is to swap out half a cup of root beer for root beer schnapps, which looks like it is available from a few places online.

Back in the glory days of catering, I was guilty of strictly promoting menu items that appealed to my personal tastes. Menus were designed based on the foods that I would like to have at a party if I were a guest and I would always be baffled when the client would come back and request totally different selections. It was a bitter pill to swallow when I realized not everyone loves goat cheese and eggplant Parmesan as much as I do. How can that be??

So I share with you yet another Rachel Ray recipe (and then I promise I'll get off my RR soapbox), even though it was not one of my favorites. I felt the Gorgonzola cheese was a bit over-powering even though I only used 5 oz. and not the full 8 oz. called for in the recipe. You have to be a real lover of the stuff for this. It's very rich and I'll admit to adding a bit of jarred spaghetti sauce (go ahead and judge me for not slaving over the stove and making it from scratch) just to tone down the creamy, moldy richness of the sauce. But hey, just because I don't like it doesn't mean you won't think it's the best thing since sliced bread, right?

Grab your EVOO and your garbage bowl and enjoy Rachel's Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna Roll-ups with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce.

Ingredients

* 16 crimini caps, cleaned with a damp towel and finely chopped in food processor
* 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
* 1 package frozen chopped spinach (10 ounces), defrosted and squeezed dry
* Salt and pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
* 2 cups part-skim ricotta
* 8 curly edge lasagna noodles, cooked to al dente (12-14 minutes)
* 1 cup fat-free chicken broth
* 8 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 1-1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preparation

In a medium skillet over moderate heat, sauté mushrooms, chopped onions and garlic in EVOO until mushrooms give off their juices and darken and onions are tender, about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; the salt will help draw water out of the vegetables as they cook.

Add dry chopped spinach to the pan and heat through for about 1 minute. Adjust seasonings with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Add ricotta and stir into mixture to heat cheese through, about 1 minute longer. Remove pan from heat but leave in the warm skillet.

Heat broth in a small pan over moderate heat. Melt Gorgonzola into broth and bring liquid to a bubble. Stir in cream and thicken sauce, about 2 minutes.

Place cooked lasagna noodles on a large work surface or cutting board. Spread lasagna noodles with a layer of spinach-mushroom filling. Roll up pasta and arrange the eight bundles in a shallow casserole dish. Pour warm sauce over roll-ups and top with mozzarella. Place casserole under broiler to melt cheese.