Wonder Woman of the High South - Chef Melody Lane

Chef Melody and Case - She Hates when he makes that face.

Who:  Melody Lane

Where:  Crystal Bridges of Museum Art

What:  Kabocha Wrapped in Lotus Leaves

Insights from the Food Editor:  Chef Melody Lane is quite possibly the best kept secret in not only the High South region, but perhaps the entire country.  Her experience is wide and diverse, ranging from owning an exclusive tea store in her home town, to the important role in the cultural, food explosion in Kansas City during the eighties, serving as working chef, culinary director to the Nelson Adkins museum, and even as world class, esteemed  fisher(woman) off the coast of Belize in the early 2000s.  Her nuanced, stylized technique of cooking matched with her uncanny knack for creating food inspired from art has made her a mentor to not only this chef, but culinarians all over the world.  Please note that both the Lotus Leaves and Kabocha pumpkins listed in this recipe are available at most Asian markets, including Mama Tang’s and Asian Amigo in Springdale.     

Kabocha - Well Stuffed

Kabocha Wrapped in Lotus Leaves

Ingredients:

3 large Lotus leaves,
1 medium Kabocha or Japanese Pumpkin
3 cups sliced bread, cubed  
2 cups shredded Gruyere, White Cheddar, and Smoked Gouda cheeses - combined  1 cup of Heavy Cream  4 sprigs fresh Thyme 2 tablespoons Salt
Pinch Nutmeg 
Pinch Black Pepper  Kitchen Twine

Technique:

Soak lotus leaves in warm water for three hours. After soaking, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut, remove the top of the kabocha, remove seeds and hollow out interior. 

Wonder Women of the High South - Mel, Maudie, Chrissy

Rub tablespoon salt into interior flesh.  In large mixing bowl, combine cubed bread, cheeses, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Fill interior of kabocha with bread mixture, replace top.  Wrap pumpkin in lotus leaves and tie with kitchen twine, like you would a package.
Bake in shallow pan for 2 ½ hours or until soft to the touch.  Cut string, open package, enjoy. 

*Mel’s Note:  Feel free to add pecans, apples, cinnamon, dried cranberries, or fresh herbs to the bread mixture.
      

Full article featured here: https://www.citiscapes.com/eats-drinks

Hot Thoughts Yield Hot Pork and Mustard Greens Soup

It’s officially Fall, the air is sharp, and my small garden of Winter squash, peas, cauliflower, and mustard greens is vibrant green. It’s time to harvest the greens that are pretty, billowy, wide leaves that rise from the ground like a green, auburn fountain. But what to make first? Perhaps greens with ham hocks, a crunchy salad, or fragrant soup? The chill in the air nudges me toward a rich, pungent Asian soup with spicy pork, ginger, soy, and garlic - perhaps wide rice noodles to add a bit of dark, earthy texture and flavor - mmmm, yes,

I pick my greens carefully, tasting the sturdy leaves for ripeness, then trimming close to the ground - hearty, with a whisper of spiciness that gives my palate and tummy a giggly flip flop. I hope you enjoy the recipe - a perfect way to cuddle up tonight to watch the election results in your town, city - #voteblue

Hot Thoughts Hot Pork and Mustard Greens Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons ginger, grated

• 1 tablespoon sambal

• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon garam masala

• 2 tablespoon sesame oil

• 1 tablespoon butter

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 7 cups chicken stock

• 2 bunches mustard greens, torn - 6 cups

• 8 oz. can bamboo shoots, chopped

• 8 green onions, chopped

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, 1/2 chopped, 1/2 whole leaf

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 12 oz. Forbidden rice noodles - wide variety

Technique

1. Combine pork, garlic, ginger, sambal, red pepper flakes, and garam masala - Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add pork mixture; season accordingly with salt, pepper - cook until browned, fragrant.

2. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil; reduce, simmer until fragrant. Add mustard greens, green onions, chopped cilantro, bamboo shoots, soy sauce, and fish sauce, stirring occasionally over simmer, until greens are tender.

3. While soup simmers, cook Forbidden Rice noodles in salted water until al dente.

4. Add noodles to the finished soup - serve garnished with cilantro and green onions..

Wonder Woman of the High South - Chef Maudie Schmitt

Who:  Maudie Schmitt

Where:  Café Rue Orleans

What:  Crab and Shrimp Mirliton Stuffing

Insights from the Metro-billy:  Chef Maudie Schmitt is the godmother of authentic, comfort food in Northwest Arkansas as owner, chef of Café Rue Orleans, one of the most successful, longest running restaurants around.  She graced the pages of Citiscapes nearly 15 years ago with her famed Deep Fried Turkey technique, and hasn’t missed a beat with this classic Louisiana Chayote stuffing recipe that is certain to become a favorite for your family, friends this Holiday season. 

Crab and Shrimp Mirliton Stuffing

Ingredients:

6 Mirlitons, chopped

1 pound Jumbo Lump Crabmeat

1 pound (70–90 count) Shrimp, peeled and deveined

¼ pound Butter

1 cup yellow Onion, diced

1 cup Celery, diced

½ cup Red Bell Peppers, diced

¼ cup Garlic, minced

Salt and Black Pepper, to taste

Louisiana Hot Sauce, to taste

¼ cup chopped Parsley

2 cups Italian Bread Crumbs

1/2 pound Butter

Technique: 

Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Boil mirlitons in lightly-salted water 30–40 minutes or until tender. Remove from water and cool. In 12-inch cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Sauté mirliton, onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic in butter for three to five minutes, or until vegetables are wilted.

Add shrimp and cook two to three minutes or until pink and curled. Cook additional fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring until flavors develop. After most of liquid has evaporated, remove from heat, then season with salt, pepper, hot sauce and parsley. Fold in crabmeat, being careful not to break lumps.

Sprinkle in approximately 1½ cups of bread crumbs to absorb excess liquid and to hold stuffing. Place mixture in baking pan and sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

https://www.citiscapes.com/eats-drinks

Wonder Woman of the High South - Chrissy Sanderson

Wonder Women of the High South: Melody, Maudie, and Chrissy

Girl Power in the High South

November 2018

Gender equality is the key to responsibly traversing the cultural, social evolution in this day and age of #metoo and #timesup.  Women chefs have a special knack for simultaneously bringing respect, creativity, order, and calm to the otherwise chaotic atmosphere of a bustling, busy kitchen.  Egos are selflessly checked at the door, which is why some of the names in this article might be unfamiliar, new to Citiscapes readers; but trust in knowing that the women featured are the best and brightest of the best and brightest in not only the High South, but also the entire United States.

Who:  Chrissy Sanderson

Where:  Mockingbird Kitchen

What:  Smoked Apple Brined Turkey

Insights from the Metro-billy:  Chef Chrissy Sanderson is the epitome of a smart, strong female chef; boasting an impressive line of successful tenures in an industry that hangs its proverbial chef’s hat on failure, via elevating Bordino’s to the next level, then a stint as general manager of the award winning Tusk and Trotter in Bentonville, before launching one of the most beloved restaurants in the High South, Mockingbird Kitchen.  Be forewarned, those of you committing to Sanderson’s Smoked Apple Brined Turkey this holiday season, will never make another turkey recipe ever again.        

Smoked Apple Brined Turkey

Ingredients:

1 10-12 pound Turkey, thawed   

brine:

1 ½ gallons water                                                           

2 whole Green Apples, chopped              

2 Star Anise pods                                            

1 tablespoon Black Peppercorns                              

4 Garlic cloves                                   

½ whole Ginger root, sliced thin                                .

2 Bay leaves, dried                         

2 sprigs fresh Sage                                                          

1 cup Kosher Salt                                             

2 cups Brown Sugar                                        

4 cups Ice                                                       

 basting liquid:

1 pound of Butter, melted

Apples from the brine

Technique I: 

1. Thaw the turkey before brining.

2. Combine all of the Brine ingredients, except the ice, in a sauce pot and stir together

3. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar and salt

4. Turn off heat and pour into a container large enough to fit the turkey into your refrigerator

5. Add the ice to the warm liquid to help cool

6. When the liquid is cool add the turkey.  Cover the container and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours

7. After 24 hours remove the turkey from the brine

8. Optional:  Save the apple chunks from the brine and add them to your basting liquid

Technique II: 

1. Get your smoker ready using wood of your choice.  I prefer hickory or apple wood

2. When the smoker is ready, smoke the Turkey according to your smokers directions

3. If using apples from the brine, add them to blend with melted butter for the basting liquid

4. Baste the turkey every 30 minutes

5. For this recipe I smoked the Turkey for 1 hour then roasted in the oven for another six hours.  Cooking time will depend on the size of your turkey.

6. Be sure to cover the turkey with aluminum foil if the Turkey is getting too dark

7. Turkey should be cooked to 165 degrees.  It is best to check the turkey temperature between the breast and leg

8. When the turkey is cooked, let rest for 30 minutes before carving

https://www.citiscapes.com/eats-drinks

Homemade FIRE Crackers

My friends can’t keep their hands off of my Fire Cracker - a delicious spicy, crispy cracker bread reminiscent of Armenian Lahvosh, wonderful base for just about any dip, spread, or pate in your repertoire. I’ve know several superstar chefs through the years that have made delicious lahvosh, including Elaine Robinette in the late nineties at Ozark Baking and Catering, and even more recently, chef Sarah Chase formerly of Crystal Bridges, but currently working, thriving in Tulsa. Like most chefs, cooks, and gourmets, I’ve stolen bits and pieces from a number of different sources devise a stylized cracker that I can claim as my own, indeed the name references an abundance of crushed red pepper that give the end product a POP, along with the Snap and Crackle - at it’s core, the dough is actually my Homemade Baguette recipe, baked in my home kitchen at least every other week - simple, delicious, impressive - I’m all about quick, easy and immediate gratification, and if you echo that desire in your cooking (and perhaps even in life), this is the recipe for you.

I hope you like it - it’s great with the Pimento Cheese Recipe from yesterday - but also delicious as an accompaniment to saucy curries, one pot dishes, soups, and stew - and I love it just as a snack that stays on a small uncovered tray in my kitchen - I’ve never known it to get stale, even after a few days…partly because it’s hearty, but also because it’s consumed within a day or so. It’s impressive to present on a table as well - either broken into small, fragmented pieces, or in large, round sheets; and so delicious with cold beer and white wine Even the dog loves it….

Homemade Fire Crackers

2 1/2 cups bread flour

3/4 cup warm water

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp yeast

1 tsp minced garlic

Topping:

1 whole egg, beaten

3 tbsp crushed red pepper

3 tbsp eden shake blend

3 tbsp fresh garlic, minced

3 tbsp black sesame seeds

3 tbsp white sesame seeds

3 tbsp coarse salt

3 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

Technique -

Combine first six ingredients in food processor or kitchen aide with paddle attachment - mix, combine until pliable dough forms - use additional flour or water of necessary. Knead for two minutes - place in greased mixing bowl, allow to rest and rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 360 degrees.

Divide dough into three balls - one at a time, roll each ball onto floured surface into very thin, under 1/4” thick circles - place on greased pizza pan or sheet pan - brush egg wash, then distribute 1/3 of each of the topping ingredients evenly across the surface of the dough. Bake until golden brown -approximately 15 minutes.