Quote of the Week

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Quote of the Week

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Our Field Trip to the Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop

photo credit: Britain

Friday night a big group of us drove up to the Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop in downtown Thomasville. We started the evening by gathering at our house so we could carpool/caravan for the half hour drive. From the SGD website:

Our goal is source the highest quality products and take care to showcase the finest Southern producers whenever and wherever we can. We believe that every product has a story and by offering a limited selection, we are better able to share those unique elements with you. We present a never static menu with a variety of options to suit all of your needs. A small sampling of our menu includes cheese and charcuterie boards, hand crafted sandwiches, salads, small plates, and desserts.

As usual I will start with the food photos and then share pics of some of the friends who were with us.

The Traveler Platter

"Featuring some of our favorite meats and cheeses from near and far!

Psychadillic, Georgia Gouda with pecans, Smokey Blue with American Spoon Strawberry preserves, and Salame Nostrano" with whole grain mustard. Love the slate platter, too.

photo credit: Britain

Devilish Eggs

House made pimento cheese deviled eggs

"Kinda spicy and fun" reports Britain.

photo credit: Jessica

Top:  The Big Cheese Sandwich
Thomasville Tomme, Georgia Gouda, and Beechers Cheddar on a grilled ciabatta
Bottom: Taste of Thomasville Platter
"Featuring Sweet Grass Dairy! Lil Moo with Strawberry Fig preserves, Thomasville Tomme, Asher Blue, local pecans and SGD wildflower honey. [I love that Asher Blue!]

Adrea toasting the cows! What dairy would be complete without cows? 

photo credit: Britain
B and Tara! (and the cows again!)

The Cheese Shop was a great place to go with a large group because the servers seemed completely unfazed by us all mingling and moving around... which we did a lot! The food was great as were the wine and beer selections. Many of us came home with snacks for later - honey, pecans, and of course, cheese. 

Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop

106 N. Broad Street

Thomasville, GA 31792

http://sweetgrassdairy.com/cheeseshop

Mushroom White Bean Soup

We tried this warm and toasty soup last week and loved it! Definitely check out the original recipe because her photos are much better than mine. Visit it here.

Ingredients
16 oz. mushrooms, quartered (I used 8 oz. button mushrooms and 8 oz. baby bella)
2 large sweet onions, quartered
3 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
8-10 fresh sage leaves
8-10 stems + 1 tablespoon leaves fresh thyme, divided
48 oz. chicken broth (I use the vegetarian "no chicken" chicken broth)
3 - 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, including liquid

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss mushrooms, garlic and onion in olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. (You may want to keep mushrooms separate on baking sheet for roasting, because you'll have to separate later. So, separate now, or later.) Spread on baking sheet. Add sage leaves and stems of thyme. Roast in 450° F oven for 10 minutes, toss and roast for additional 15 minutes. [Right now you'll want to eat all the mushrooms because they look and smell delicious, but you'll have to resist!]
While vegetables are roasting, add broth, beans, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves to a large stock pot over medium heat and simmer.
When vegetables are done roasting, let cool slightly. Separate mushrooms from other roasted vegetables.
Retrieve 2 cups of the white beans, and 1 cup of broth from the stock pot, add to a blender along with the roasted onions, garlic and herbs. Cover and blend until smooth.
Add pureed bean mixture back to stock pot, whisking in until smooth. Add roasted mushrooms to soup. Salt and pepper to taste.
Warm over low heat until ready to serve.

Makes 8 servings.

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Chicken Tacos / Fish Tacos

spice rubbed fish and vegetable taco with tequila lime aioli

Our version of "Spice-Rubbed Chicken and Vegetable Tacos" from Bon Appetit June 2006. For a long time we ate these ALL THE TIME and recently we made a new adaptation by adding a fish option.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
1 Tablespoon smoked hot Spanish paprika (Pimenton de la Vera) or really any hot paprika
2 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

2-4 small zucchini (ok, the recipe says 2 but we like zucchini), quartered lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut lengthwise into 3/4 inch-thick strips (or just 4 to 5 pieces)
pam cooking spray
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves

1 pound flounder fillets (or any light flaky fish that you like)

12 5- to 6- inch diameter flour tortillas, warmed
2 limes, each cut into 6 wedges (optional)
tequila lime aioli (recipe follows)
salsa

Directions
Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Whisk brown sugar and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl to blend for spice rub.

Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place zucchini and bell pepper on sheet. Spray with Pam, sprinkle spice rub over the vegetables, turn them all over and spray and sprinkle the other side. Sprinkle spice rub on both sides of the chicken as well (I recommend you keep the veggies and chicken separate, then you can bring the cooked veggies in on the same tray you took them out on without having to worry about salmonella). Prepare a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil to grill the fish on - that way you won't have to worry about it sticking to the grill and falling apart. Fold the foil to make a space large enough to hold the fish, then spray it with non-stick spray. Place the fish on the foil and sprinkle it with the spice rub.

Place chicken and veggies on barbecue. Grill until vegetables are tender (or tender-crisp) and browned in spots and chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally. Veggies cook more quickly than the chicken. When you take the chicken off the grill, slide the foil with the fish onto the grill. It will only take a few minutes. 

Slice the chicken into 1/2-inch-thick strips. Separate the flounder fillets in half. Cut vegetables crosswise into 3/4 inch pieces. Serve with warmed tortillas, tequila lime aioli, salsa and lime. We also like to grill corn on the cob to go with this.

Tequila Lime Aioli:
3 tablespoons premium tequila
1 lime, juiced
8 ounces sour cream (we use fat-free)
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper

In small bowl, combine all ingredients and chill for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Vanilla Creme Brulee

For our un-official series "fun things to make in ramekins," we adapted this from a recipe by Aida Mollenkamp after doing our best to find one that was a little lighter than average.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half
8 large egg yolk
1/2 cup plus 8 teaspoons superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.

Bring the cream, half-and-half and vanilla to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer to infuse the cream with the vanilla, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and cool slightly. Meanwhile, bring a kettle of water to a boil.

Whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and the salt in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is pale yellow and thick; it should leave a trail when you lift the whisk. Pour in the cream mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Skim off any foam or bubbles from the surface.

Arrange eight 6-ounce ramekins in a roasting pan and divide the custard evenly among them.

Pull out the oven rack slightly, place the roasting pan on it and pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake until the custards are just set in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

About 30 minutes before serving, sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over each custard. Tilt the ramekins to evenly distribute the sugar and tap out any excess.

Holding a kitchen torch about three inches away, burn the sugar until it turns a deep amber. Refrigerate the creme brulees just until the crust hardens, 30 minutes to 1 hour, but not longer (the topping may start to soften). Serve cold.