Fried Green Tomato BLT with Pimento Cheese

I mentioned yesterday when I posted about my foray into Pimento Cheese that I actually made it for something specific.  Well, here it is--the BEST sandwich in the world!  (Seriously, I'm addicted to these things, and I'm not even really a sandwich person.)  I had a version of this at The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina last fall, and have been dreaming of it ever since.  A couple of restaurants in my small town started serving a Fried Green Tomato BLT, but they just put flavored mayo on it.  I was really craving the decadence of the pimento cheese, so when I ran across some green tomatoes at a co-op nearby, I bought some to make this delicious sandwich.

The tomatoes are luscious fried up in cornmeal.  (I used Forks, Knives & Spades' recipe, and I wouldn't change a thing for this sandwich.)  Strangely, green tomatoes turn all creamy and smooth when fried.  Add the crunch and saltiness of the bacon with the crispness of the lettuce and the richness of the pimento cheese, and I think you have the best southern sandwich out there!

Fried Green Tomato BLT with Pimento Cheese
Makes 4 sandwiches

8 slices rustic bread, lightly toasted
2 green tomatoes, fried according to this recipe (or your own)
12-16 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and set aside to drain on a paper towel
1 batch pimento cheese
4 big leaves of romaine (or other crunchy) lettuce

Spread a thick layer of pimento cheese on one slice of bread for each sandwich.  Layer the bacon, two tomato slices each and the lettuce on top of the pimento cheese.  Top with the second slice of bread.  Best served when the tomatoes are warm and fresh from the frying pan.  Enjoy!

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Pimento Cheese--A True Southern Delight

Pimento cheese is one of those things that slipped under the radar until I moved to the South ten years ago.  It's not to be found in California, and when I moved to North Carolina 10 years ago, I think I must have tried one in a hurry, prepackaged from a grocery store, and thought, "Eh."  It did the trick when I was starving, but wasn't something I sought out.  You can find it in any true Southern deli, and the range of quality is as wide as the South itself.  It can be delicious and it can be downright nasty. 

I decided to try my hand at making it at home this weekend because I really, really like the idea of Pimento Cheese.  My husband was skeptical, but I won him over in the end.  You can play with the flavors a little here--add a little more hot sauce for more heat or more garlic for kick--but I like the combination below for its balance. 

Now, if you're not from the South, you won't know what to do with this!  Most Southerners just spread it on some white bread and eat it plain.  And although I'm having it this way for lunch today, I'll show you later in the week what I actually made it for.  Shhhhh...it's a surprise!

Pimento Cheese

3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, grated
1/4 cup mayonaisse
3 Tbl chopped pimentos
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp hot sauce

Whip the cream cheese with a mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Keep refrigerated.

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Charcuterie Plate (and Wine, Of Course!)

Today I'm not going to share a recipe, but more of a method for a quick and delicious meal.  This is an extremely busy time for both me and my husband.  We both work at a college, and this is the time of year when papers are due, students are panicked about summer plans, and grades are looming.  Yet this is also the prettiest time of year here in Kentucky (at least in my humble opinion).  The weather starts to turn nice, and we all want to spend time outside--not in the classroom, not in an office, and definitely not in the kitchen (especially when you have to work longer days because of the looming deadlines!)

And this is where my oh-so-imaginative (haha!) technique comes in.  Put out a selection of meats, cheeses, spreads, breads, veggies, and fruit out and let everyone dig in!  Our favorites include one to two meats (salami, sopressata, prosciutto, serrano ham, etc.), two to three cheeses (a combination of soft and hard cheese is best), hummus, and olives.

After a long day at work, it's awfully nice to lay out the already prepared ingredients, pour a glass of wine, and sit out under our newly budding maple tree.  That's what I call an oasis in the midst of end-of-year chaos!

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Tartines, or Fancy Sandwiches

Before I tell you about these tantalizing tartines, I wanted to let you know to keep an eye out later this week for a giveaway! Yes, I'm hosting my first giveaway--yahoo! CSN Stores approached me earlier this week and offered me to review a product or give something to you, and although I'd love to add a new item to my kitchen, I'm going to pass the luck on to you, my loyal readers! CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find anything you need whether it be office desks, fitness equipment, or even awesome cookware! I'll tell you more about it soon, but I wanted to give you a head's up. :-)

On to the tartines! I was introduced to lovely tartines when I lived in France. The French have such a fancy name that rolls off the tongue and elicits images of elegant food. Really, they're just open-faced sandwiches, but the French do it with such flair. Open-faced sandwiches in the U.S., at least in my experience, are often piled high with meat and smothered in gravy or sauce. Not so in France--they are delicate sandwiches, usually made with simple ingredients that meld together perfectly.

On Valentine's Day we recreated our favorite tartines from one of our favorite restaurants in Strasbourg, L'Épicerie. It is located such a quaint little space where you really get to know your neighbors (or at least their elbows!) and is combined with affordable (which is hard to find in Europe!) and delicious fare. My daughter would always order the smoked salmon while I would order the goat cheese tartine. Ahhhh...the memories!

These sandwiches are great as a meal if paired with a salad or would be great cut up into bite-sized pieces and served as an hors d'oeuvre. Feel free to be creative with your toppings--the French certainly would!

Smoked Salmon Tartine with Dill, Capers and Crème Fraiche


1 slice of rustic bread, preferably a boule-shaped loaf (I used homemade wheat.)
Crème fraiche
1 slice of smoked salmon
1 tsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp capers, rinsed

Spread a little bit of crème fraiche onto the bread. (A little goes a long way.) Lay the salmon on the bread and sprinkle with the dill and capers. Enjoy!


Goat Cheese Tartine with Honey and Almonds

1 slice of rustic bread, preferably a boule-shaped loaf (I used homemade wheat.)
1-2 Tbl goat cheese
1 tsp honey (or more to taste)
1 tsp sliced toasted almonds (or more to taste)

Spread the goat cheese onto the bread. Drizzle the honey over the goat cheese and sprinkle with almonds. Enjoy!

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A Trip to Marksbury Farm (and a Prosciutto and Peppercorn Asiago Panini Recipe)

As you may know if you've been reading this blog for a while, I've slowly moved toward organic and local foods since moving back from France in 2009. It has been a slow evolution in our eating habits, but we've decided that the healthier choice is to eat foods that aren't processed and for which we know the origins. We've been able to do this largely because of a CSA that we joined in 2009 (for our vegetables), and we had moved largely to locally and naturally raised beef and pork from St. Asaph Farm, but the opening of a local business, Marksbury Farm, has allowed us to be more spontaneous in our cooking. We often bought in bulk from St. Asaph, which was great, but required a lot of forethought. (I also love that St. Asaph's Preston Correll is one of the partners, so I am still supporting that farm's endeavors.)

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to have a tour of Marksbury Farm along with local food bloggers Lori from Fake Food Free, Melissa from My McDonald Meal and Sami from A Teenage Gourmet. Marksbury Farm is a lot of things--meat processing facility, butcher shop and farm market--but to me, it quite simply is my favorite place to shop for food in my region. Although Central Kentucky is rife with farms, historically, there haven't been very many meat processing facility for small farmers in the area. I'm lucky enough now to live near one that also has a great butcher shop and market.

Richard McAlister at the meat counter at Marksbury Farm.

One of the things I love about Marksbury Farm is their commitment to selling humanely-raised, natural and antibiotic- and hormone-free meat. (For more information on their requirements, go here.) They will process animals from any farmer who contracts with them, but will only buy from farmers who adhere to these guidelines, which means, then, that when I buy from Marksbury, I know that my meat is natural and safe.

Holding pens for livestock

Marksbury treats the animals with dignity before death, providing livestock with pens that overlook the local farm land and fresh water. For the sake of my readers, I didn't photograph much inside the plant, but I would like to say that the facility was impressively clean and that the thoughtfulness in processing made me feel good about the food I eat. (For example, they stun the animals before slaughter to reduce pain and stress.)

Mmmm...bacon!

They prepare all of their meats on site, which includes smoked meats, marinated and prepared meats (like meatballs and marinated pork loin), and various meat pies.

Richard at the extensive meat counter in the retail store

The storefront, which is actually down the road from the meat processing facility, has a quaint country store feel. As soon as you walk in the door, you see the impressive array of meats--including beef, pork, lamb, and poultry. In my experience, if they don't have what you're looking for, they'll get it for you. There's even a hand-written list by the cash register for you to list your wanted items. I have never been there when I didn't know another customer, and it's been a great place to exchange ideas, give cooking advice (and get some!), and just chat about our lives.

In addition to meat, Marksbury Farm also offers other local products, including cheeses, milk, bread, pasta, flour, and produce. My daughter is particularly fond of the chocolate milk they carry that contains natural ingredients (like real sugar...gasp!). I have not been a fan of milk since my early childhood, and even I like this chocolate milk.

If you're interested in stopping by, which I highly recommend (as you can probably tell), the shop is located at 73 Fisher Ford Road in Lancaster, Kentucky, only 10 minutes from downtown Danville. They are open on Thursdays and Fridays from 12pm-6pm and Saturdays from 10am-4pm. If you're in the area, make sure to stop by for some delicious, local ingredients!

Prosciutto and Peppercorn Asiago Panini
All ingredients for this sandwich (except for the olive oil and tomato) were bought at Marksbury Farm.

2 slices of whole wheat sourdough bread
2 slices of prosciutto
2-3 Tbl coarsely grated peppercorn asiago cheese
2 extremely thin slices of tomato
Olive oil for brushing

Preheat your panini grill or a pan.

Distribute half of the cheese on one slice of the bread. Layer the prosciutto and tomato on top and then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Place the other piece of bread on the sandwich. Lightly brush one side with olive oil. Place the oiled side down on your grill (or pan) and lightly oil the other side. Grill your panini until the cheese is melted and the outside is crispy and brown.

Enjoy!

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Monday Mouthful--Rustic "Alsatian" Meatloaf

What, I'm not making the Rustic "French" Loaf that all of the rest of you made?! Well, yes, technically I am, but I added a little Alsatian twist to it, as you'll see later.

As you all may know, I am living in Strasbourg, France for one year (which will be up in 2 1/2 months!). ChefE over at CookAppeal asked us to introduce an appropriate cultural word when blogging about our French/German cooking, so I'm going one step further and introducing you to a whole region: Alsace. It's not a region that many people have heard of, and a region that not many Americans visit, which is such a shame. Alsace has a rocky history, and has changed hands many times over the last few centuries between France and Germany. In fact, the Alsatian language--Elsässerditsch--more closely resembles German than French.

Alsace was briefly under Nazi control from 1940-44, but has been under French control since the Treaty of Versailles in 1918. The Arc de Triomphe in Paris even has a plaque to commemorate Alsace's return to France:


Strasbourg, in particular, is a beautiful and important city, culturally, politically, and economically. You can read all about the city on Wikipedia, but if you ever get to this part of the country, stop by! Here are a few pictures of the city I have come to love:

And finally, on to the food! I adapted the meatloaf recipe ever so slightly to make it more "Alsatian." Instead of chicken livers, I used local foie gras de canard. Alsace is known for its foie gras, so I thought that if I was going to use liver, I might as well use the good stuff! This meatloaf is definitely decadent--all of us really liked it, even my daughter who notoriously has to be bribed to eat her meat! You could definitely taste the foie, and although I thought it was a little weird to add prunes and pistachios, they both added a nice, fresh flavor to the otherwise rich loaf. This was an ugly loaf, though...I think that the addition of parsley is to cover the unappetizing top rather than to add flavor. I served it with mashed potatoes and red wine, garlic and pistachio broccoli.

I'm sure I'll be making this again, but I may have to substitute some of the ingredients to make it more wallet-friendly...

Rustic "Alsatian" Meatloaf
adapted from Epicurious

1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a rustic loaf)
1/2 cup skim milk
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 pound foie gras de canard
3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pound ground veal
1/4 cup chopped prunes
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, toasted
1 teaspoons dried thyme
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Accompaniment: Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 475°F with rack in middle.

Soak bread crumbs in milk in a small bowl.

Cook onion, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in oil in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly.

Add foie, pork, veal, prunes, pistachios, thyme, eggs, bread-crumb mixture, onion mixture, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and gently mix with your hands until just combined.

Transfer meatloaf mixture to an 81/2- by 41/2-inch glass loaf pan and bake, covered with foil, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 165°F, 50 to 55 minutes. (If using a metal pan, it may need to cook 15 minutes longer.) Let rest 5 minutes. Cover top of meatloaf with parsley before slicing.

We had some of the leftovers in a meatloaf sandwich with Dijon mustard for lunch today, and it sure was yummy!

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How to Use a Whole Chicken Three Ways--Part II, Curried Chicken Salad

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I had about a week when I craved chicken and chicken skin. My husband thought I had gone crazy because I normally won't touch chicken skin with a ten-foot pole, but that craving only lasted a week and was followed by a bodily moratorium on poultry. I'd only ever heard of people craving food, not rejecting it, but I wasn't worried since I seemed sickened only by poultry (which made Thanksgiving and Christmas a lot of fun, by the way!). From about the 8th week until the day after I gave birth, not a bite of poultry passed my lips. The day after my daughter was born, I was fine with it again...almost. Nowadays, I just cannot eat microwaved chicken. I don't know what it is, but the microwave changes the taste for me.

Which leads me to chicken leftovers...what to do with them since a quick microwaved leftover meal is now out of the question? My solution? A chicken salad with a twist--curry powder. I found the recipe in a cookbook focusing on the busy parent I found for a few dollars somewhere. I can't remember the name of the book (sorry!), but I swear I'll look it up when I return to Kentucky and back to my cookbooks!

My husband loves this recipe and so do I. The garlicky, herbed chicken mixed with the curry mayo and the crunchiness of the apples and onions create a flavorful, moist combo that gets better after a day or so. It's also a very forgiving recipe. Don't have 2 cups of chicken? Make it with one. Don't have a green apple? Make it with a red one. (I had to use a Pink Lady for this go around, and it tasted great.) No mango chutney? Add a little apricot jam. Try different types of onions until you hit one that works for you. I normally put yellow onion in it because that's what I have on hand, but red tastes even better, and I think that green onions would add a mellower flavor and punch up the color.

Enjoy!

Curried Chicken Salad with Green Apple

1/4 cup curried mayo (See below)
1 Tbl minced onion
2 cups diced chicken
1/2 tart green apple
2 Tbl mango chutney (optional--but it really does add great flavor!)
Baby salad greens or arugula

Mix all ingredients (except lettuce) and serve on bread as a sandwich or on a bed of greens as a salad.

Curried Mayo

1/4 cup mayo
1 Tbl Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp curry powder

Combine ingredients and mix well.

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Another Simple Lunch--Radishes, Radishes, Radishes

The other day I ran across a black radish at the local grocery store. I had heard about these mythical radishes from another American here in Strasbourg, and had been on the lookout. I bought it...but now am not really sure what to do with it! I've heard that it's good grated into some fromage blanc and then spread onto a toasted baguette, so maybe I'll try that tomorrow since I have some fromage blanc leftover in the fridge.


I really like radishes, but I've never really done anything with them except slice them up in a salad. Today I tried radish and butter sandwich, and it was yummy! The creaminess of the butter played nicely with the spiciness and crunchiness of the radish...add a little salt, and voilà, a nice easy lunch!

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