January Brunch Menu

SNACKS Ginger Orange Float Ginger Beer with Orange Ice Cream

Citrus Parfait with Pineapple, Housemade Almond Granola, and Vanilla Yogurt

FAMILY STYLE BRUNCH Apple and Pear Salad with Goat Cheese with Pickled Butternut Squash and Pecans

Pine Street Market's Applewood Smoked Bacon

Potato Cake Eggs Benedict with Smoked Peppered Chunky Kielbasa, Hollandaise, and Fresh Herbs

Creamy Riverview Farms Stone Ground Grits with Thyme Roasted Mushrooms

East Carolina Sweet Potato Hash with Roasted Onions and Herbs

LOCALLY SOURCED Riverview Farms, Pine Street Market, Turnip Truck, Your Dekalb Farmer's Market

Photographer Credit: Haley Sheffield

Tomato Marmalade Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 8 4-5 oz Beefsteak Tomatoes (or 2 - 24 oz cans San Marzano Tomatoes)
• 1 Tbl Grape Seed Oil
• 2 ea Sweet Onions Vidalia
• ½ ea head Garlic
• ½ lb Bacon, Small Diced
• ½ cup Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 ea Lemons, Zested and Juiced
• ½ bunch Fresh Thyme, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven 375 F
• Heat up a large oven proof pan on medium heat. Add oil and bacon and render bacon until lightly brown, but not crispy. Add onions and garlic and saute and until tender.
• Add brown sugar, red wine vinegar, along with tomatoes.
• Bring ingredients to a medium simmer and slowly reduce marmalade until nice and thick for about 1 ½ hours. Stir occasionally to make sure the sauce is not sticking.
• Once marmalade has reduced, remove pot from stove top to cool. Add lemon juice, zest, and thyme.
• Place into jars and cover, allow to cool then place in refrigerator up to 3-4 weeks.

As you can see the marmalade can be used with many dishes, like potato hash and eggs. We also recommended pairing with Roasted Pork Loin or Herb Roasted Chicken, Toasted Bread, Summer Squash, and Green Beans.

Recipe: Almond Crusted Cod & Citrus Arugula Salad with Roasted Vegetables

Almond Crusted Roasted Cod with Roasted Carrot, Fennel, and Cauliflower and a Citrus Arugula Salad 

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes Cook Time: 15-20 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Roasted Vegetables

• 2 oz Oil (Grapeseed or Blend)
• 2 oz Sherry Vinegar
• 1 oz Honey
• ½ Onion sliced
• 6 ea Tri Color Carrots, Sliced on a Bias
• ½ ea Fennel Bulb, Sliced Thin
• ½ ea Cauliflower, Cut into Florets

Citrus Arugula Salad

• 4 oz Marcona Almonds
• 1 ea Navel Orange, peeled and sliced thin
• 2 ea Clementines
• 1 bunch Arugula
• 1 oz Evoo
• 1 Lemon, juiced
• 1 ea Navel Orange, juiced
• 2 Tbsp Parsley, chopped

Almond Crusted Cod

• 3 oz Grapeseed Oil
• 1 cup Raw Sliced Almonds
• 2 Tbsp Parsley, chopped
• 1 cup Panko Crumbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbl Dijon
• 2 Tbl Honey
• Chilled water
• 1 oz Whole Butter
• 8 -12 oz Wild Caught Cod Filet

Roasted Vegetables

Preheat oven to 405 F. Mix sherry vinegar, honey and oil. Prepare vegetables, and toss with sherry marinade. Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add 2 oz oil. Place marinated onions, fennel, cauliflower, and carrots in hot skillet and caramelize (4-5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes until slightly brown and tender. Reserve.

Almond Crusted Cod

See full tutorial on coating and cooking the fish on this blog post.

Citrus Arugula Salad

For citrus vinaigrette, combine EVOO, lemon juice, orange juice, and chopped parsley. Make the salad by tossing the clementines, marcona almonds, arugula, and sliced oranges. Dress with the desired amount of vinaigrette, there will be a little extra.

To Plate

Place roasted vegetables on platter, add roasted cod. Top with salad.

How to Pan Roast Almond Panko Fish

This technique is a light and refreshing alternative to breaded fish. It can be used year-round and paired with endless sides for a perfect seasonal meal. Shown above, is a citrus arugula salad with roasted vegetables (recipe coming soon) .

INGREDIENTS

• 3 oz Grapeseed Oil
• 1 cup Raw Sliced Almonds
• 2 Tbsp Parsley, chopped
• 1 cup Panko Crumbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbl Dijon
• 2 Tbl Honey
• Chilled water
• 1 oz Whole Butter
• 8 -12 oz Wild Caught Cod Filet

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 225 F. Bake almonds in an oven safe pan for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Move them around occasionally to keep from burning. Set aside and let cool.

Mix 1 oz. oil, salt, panko and toasted almonds on flat plate. I used a small sheet tray. Hand-crush  almonds into panko crumbs.

Take two small bowls. In one bowl put the mustard and honey and in the second bowl pour cold water.

Dip a brush into the chilled water and then dip into honey mustard mixture and lightly brush cod with thinned-out honey mustard.

After fish has been thinly coated place in panko-almond mixture to cover flesh side.

Preheat oven to 405 F. Heat an oven safe large pan on med-high heat. Add 2 oz oil.

Heat oil and butter until butter is foaming.

Then lower to medium heat and add fish filet flesh side down. Cook for about a minute until golden brown.

Flip filet and place pan in the oven for 8-9 minutes.

Enjoy!

Photo Credit: Paige Jones Photography 

Foraging Georgia Ramps + Pickling Recipe

 

Recently I had the opportunity to go foraging for ramps. I have wanted to do this for years, but the fleeting season always got away from me. Not this year! I was really excited to finally find these delectable onion, garlic bulbs to harvest.

My friend Jonathan and I got an early start leaving Atlanta at 4:30 am to our destination in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The scenery was amazing and rejuvenating.  After 2.5 hours we arrived to a small foot path where we began our trek.  After traveling up and down the path we finally arrived to a hillside where we would start harvesting.

Jonathan gave me a quick demo of what to look for and how to dig up without harming the precious bulbs. Once out of the ground we gave the ramps a quick shake and a good whip to get the moist, fertile soil off.

Then began the real work of scaling up the hillside at a forty-five degree incline while plucking them. Amongst the thick of the Blue Ridge Mountains, we were looking for bright green leaves, picking off any yellow leaves. It was a great experience and I found myself being brought back to my childhood when it was cool to play the dirt.

This experience was surreal, I was finding my own produce out in nature.  If Jonathan and I weren’t out here, these delectable goodies would not be able to enjoyed by our family, friends and fellow patrons.  I was proud to do the leg work for them.

The return hike with bags full of ramps along that foot path was much more daunting, and seemed like we were scaling huge mountain.  After making it back to his truck we distributed our finds amongst several large coolers, wrapping the ramps in towels to prevent them from sitting in icy water.

It was neat to know that I got to be part of the supply chain to provide fresh, local produce. I also got a glimpse of the hard work involved to do so, and have a greater sense of gratitude for our farmers, producers, and foragers.  The respect for the farms, earth, and the community that they offer each day is something that should not go unseen and should be given praise.  One of the reasons I enjoy our local markets is getting to know the face behind where my food comes from.

The trip had me inspired to highlight these bulbs and I began sounding like Bubba from Forrest Gump in my brainstorming, but instead of shrimp my mind was on ramps...Honey roasted ramps, pickled ramps, sautéed greens, ramp pesto, ramps in frittata, grilled ramps, and you get the point... For a chef you can't ask for better way to get motivated.  I got to take my experience of ramp harvesting and share that joy through my food for others to enjoy.

Best,

Jason Jimenez

Spicy Pickled Ramps Recipe

Since the season is short, pick up ramps from the farmers market this week to make this recipe.  Jonathan of Abundant Harvest Gardens sells them at FARM - Farmer's Atlanta Road Market on Tuesday and  Peachtree Road on Saturday.

For Blanching

• 1 cup Kosher Salt
• 1 gallon Water
• 2 lb. Ramps

Trim ramps, cutting the green leaves off and reserve for another use (great sautéed with carrots and made into a pesto).  Once bulbs are cleaned put a large pot on stove add salt and bring to a boil. Begin to blanch ramps for about thirty seconds. Remove from water, shocking in ice bath to stop the cooking. Once the ramps are cold through, pat dry, and place into pickling jars. Be sure not to overload jar with ramps.

For Pickling Brine

• 2 cups Champagne Vinegar
• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Cane Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Sea Salt
• 1 Tbsp Szechuan Peppercorns
• 1 Tbsp Coriander
• 1 each Cinnamon Stick
• 1 Tbsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Crushed Red Chili Flake
• 1 Tsp Ground Turmeric

Combine water, sugar, salt, vinegar in a pot bring to a boil.  Once liquid is at a boil add spices and bring down to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Now pour hot brine over the prepared ramps to cover. Place lids on top, cool, then refrigerate. You can also preserve to eat year-round.

Enjoy with omelettes, frittatas, roasted chicken or duck, cured meats and cheeses.

Chef Demo at JLA Tour of Kitchens

This weekend Jason will be part in the Junior League of Atlanta  Tour of Kitchens. On Saturday afternoon we will be doing a demo in the beautiful kitchen (photo above) designed by CSI Kitchen & Bath. Jason will be preparing Ricotta Gnocchi with fresh market vegetables. Did I mention that you get samples?!

The Junior League of Atlanta, Inc. Tour of Kitchens, entering its 17th year, features a view into 14 of Atlanta’s finest residential kitchens. The two-day event has raised more than one million dollars since its beginning to aid the Junior League of Atlanta, with a membership of  nearly 4,000, to carry out its mission towards community initiatives benefiting women and children at risk.

Saturday, March 292:15 pm1165 East Beechwood Drive NW Atlanta, GA 30327

Tickets are $35  online ($40 at the door) for a sneak peek into 14 of Atlanta’s most spectacular kitchens (7 each day) created by Atlanta's top designers. The JLA Tour of Kitchens features a view into 14 of Atlanta’s finest residential kitchens.

January Dinner Menu

SNACKS Grilled Cheese Bites Utterly Cool Smoked Gouda, Pine Street Market Bacon,

Spiced Pickled Apples, La Calavera Bakery Sourdough Bread

FIRST COURSE Creamy Riverview Farms Polenta with Roasted Sherry Mushrooms, Meyer Lemon and Rosemary Ricotta, Broccolli Micros

FAMILY STYLE MAIN COURSE Braised Pork Belly With Pan-seared Scallops French Green Lentils with Butternut Squash

Roasted Carolina Sweet Potatoes with Cipollini Onions, Fennel, and Brussels Leaves

Braised Red Cabbage and Swiss Chard with Red Carrots and Golden Raisins

DESSERT Citrus Blondie Orange Ice Cream, Candied Orange with a Champagne-Citrus Sauce

LOCALLY SOURCED Gum Creek Farms, La Calavera Bakery, Riverview Farms, Pine Street Market, Utterly Cool, Crystal Organic Farm, D & A Farm, Turnip Truck

Photo Credit: Kathryn McCrary Photography

Christmas Mingle Recap

This past holiday we had a little 'Christmas Mingle' for the Homespun community. We had a spread of snack, a spiced bourbon punch, live music, and took a collection of nonperishable goods.

We are grateful for our friends, new and old, that have come alongside us to support Homespun. This a special community, and this year hold so many excited opportunities. Thank you to all that came out!

Special thanks to Morgan Blake for capturing the evening, Haley Sheffield and friends for entertaining us with those sweet tunes, and  Juli Vaughn for hosting in her beautiful studio and decorating. You can view the full gallery here.

How to Cut an Orange

Cutting oranges may be a more basic task in the kitchen, but here is a behind the scenes look.

1. First, cut the ends off to create a stable base

2. Cut the skin from the oranges sides

 3. Cut the oranges into crosswise slices, about 1/4" slices

Photo Credit: Paige Jones Photography

How to Cut Cauliflower

Did you know? It is best to wash cauliflower after cutting it.

1. First cut off the lower stem without cutting any of the white head.

2. Cut the head of cauliflower in half and then into quarters through the core. 

3. Using the tip of your knife, separate the individual florets from a head of cauliflower by cutting them away from the core. 

4. Cut down to size as needed for your recipe.

Photo Credit: Paige Jones Photography // Sources: 1, 2, 3