Steven’s Market Deli – Pace, Florida

I am a bit of a potato salad person. I will pretty much try everyone’s potato salad – it is just a thing for me. It is a measure of how well a restaurant can do something that is relatively simple. I love to make my own, but I also love to try any other version. Steven’s Market Deli caught my attention because they sold German Potato Salad – yes, I just did lots of capital letters there. But I had a real idea of where they procured that German potato salad (yes, I have now relaxed a bit, not so many capital letters), but it was so obvious it was from The Creamery – an excellent Gulf Breeze restaurant that sadly closed not too long after we moved here. I had the fading hope that after The Creamery closed that Steven’s might pick up the idea and make their own German potato salad. They did not, but that was a boon for me because it made me try their traditional potato salad. Damn skippy – that is some really good potato salad. 

I used to work at a place very similar to Steven’s Market Deli. It was in Jacksonville and it was a cafe that also had ice cream. Hence, why I am so over ice cream. Serve it enough and you just do not care anymore. This place had a stupid name and though it thought itself a tearoom, it really was a small cute cafe that served croissant sandwiches, quiche, soup, and oddly enough a knockwurst plate with… wait for it … German potato salad. I will say this was my introduction to Twinings tea with my favorite being Earl Grey and that was a very good thing.

Well, once again, I have wondered far afield from where I started. Back to Steven’s Market Deli. Beyond getting potato salad to go, I have had their pork barbecue sandwich with cheddar and it is just amazing! – yes, it deserves the exclamation point. Chicken salad is also really good. And the stuffed grape leaves, sigh. I need to get them more often. I have not been to brunch there, but the menu looks pretty amazing – I just don’t quite get up early enough on the weekend for that. Yep – that is just me.

It seems when I go on the weekend to get potato salad (and next time stuffed grape leaves), there are always high school-aged kids. I think that is cool. And one thing that always impresses me is when I get my potato salad, these high school kids sprinkle the top of the potato salad with paprika and chives. It is just a little attention to detail that endears them to me. They do not have to do that, but they do – and to me that means a great deal. This is the kind of local establishment that I want to, and continue to, frequent. Love local restaurants.

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

Chickpeas are so slightly amazing. Think hummus, think salads, and now roasted chickpeas.  I had being seeing recipes for this for a while, but this is the first time I tried it. But as usual, had to make a modification or two. 

So this is …

2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed  – yes, that is a must – rinse them. Not kidding.
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
pinch cayenne
1 tsp dried chipotle chili pepper – do love this stuff for the smokey thing going on.
juice of half a lemon
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a roasting pan with foil, for easy clean up.

In a bowl, combine chickpeas, olive oil, salt, cayenne, chipotle pepper, lemon juice and Worcestershire. Mix to coat. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, mixing the pan and rotating half way through. The chickpeas should be lightly browned. Allow to cool completely.

These were pretty amazing in my opinion. I think they might be good on a salad and they also might pretty good hummus too. Just a thought.

Pear and Bleu Cheese Turnovers

I was always a big fan of turnovers. My Dad’s Mom made amazing fried apple pies –  which is a turnover – mostly. She made them with dried apples – not sure why they were made with dried apples but then she fried them in a  – I am not sure what that thing was called – I think it might be an electric skillet. Maybe? Not sure.

That said, when my grandmama came down from Rockingham North Carolina, she made those fried apple pies and they were (are) sublime. My Mom loved them – which was kind of cool because she was a great cook/bakery herself. Sometimes old recipes are the best. Indeed, mostly they are.

I have found a variation of  (chausson aux pommes “apple slippers”*) the fried apple pies that grandmama made and it totally works for me, but I think this new recipe might be just a little bit more interesting. I mean – pears – and then bleu cheese is involved. Although, I think Granny Smith apples would work well too.

1 sheet of puff pastry
1 good sized not over ripe Anjou pear, peeled, cored, and diced
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup bleu cheese, crumbled
1 egg, for egg wash, beaten with 1 Tbs water
Raw sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment. Combine pears, lemon juice, cranberries, and bleu cheese in a bowl and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll a sheet of puff pastry into a square, about 11 x 11 inches. Trim back to a 10 x 10 inch square. Using a pizza wheel, cut into 9 smaller squares – oh, lord, math is involved – ugh. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each square. Brush two edges with egg wash and fold pastry into a triangle. Press edges to seal. Transfer to baking sheet and chill 20 minutes.

Once chilled, brush triangles with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar and make a couple of slits for the steam to escape. Bake 25 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm.

* The French make everything sound so much better, damn them. It is also Bastille Day.

Source: Baking Obsession

Homemade Boursin

I am a huge fan of Boursin. My spell check wants me to write bourbon but I am not a big fan of that, so that is not going to happen. I think the best Boursin-like cheese I had was in Amsterdam. Lord, there are cheese shops there are on every corner. Yes, I should move there now. I really could live on bread and cheese alone – I am not kidding about this.

We were in Amsterdam when the Boy was about three and a half and he and I would walk along the canals. Such a lovely city. One time there was a what I can only think was a boat full of tourists on the canal and they were video recording the Boy and I (mostly the Boy) on the bridge as they went by. Funny, with his blonde hair and blue eyes, I’m sure they thought he was a native. They recorded a really cute American kid in Amsterdam.

It is a bit of an indulgence, Boursin. It is not cheap, but it is worth it. And to figure out  a way to make it at home would be pretty nice. Even if it is a close approximation I think I will be pretty damn happy with it.

Yes, just bread and some sort of cheese –  No dessert, no chocolate. Not sure I could give up lemons though. Just give me bread and cheese and I will be happy. Yes, very happy.  And beer not giving  that up, forgot to mention that bit. But I do not think that is a big surprise.

8 ozs cream cheese, softened
1 medium sized shallot, minced
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced
2 Tbs chives, minced
a couple or three scallions, minced
Lemon zest, as much as you would like – I lean in favor of quite a bit, but that is me – at least, and then the juice of that lemon too.
Finely ground black pepper, just a few turns

Whir up the shallot in the food processor. Add salt, pepper, lemon zest and lemon juice and whir just a couple more times. Add the cream cheese,  parsley, chives, scallions, and ground pepper.

Pack into a ramekin and cover with plastic wrap (cling film) and chill for an hour and up to five days.  Serve with crostini or some kind of bread thing – so random – toast maybe. I still think that an oven-toasted crostini would be the best delivery vehicle. But now that I have had that, I think a nice soft bit of French bread would also suit well.

I have to say … I really liked this – um, a lot. Probably too much.

July, although hot beyond words, it my favorite month.

This is the month when I married the best man I have ever know, besides my dad. It was 14 years ago and the Boy was young, but very happy. We were so relaxed – it was almost stupid simple.

Duke – the best GSD ever is in the background – too funny

I was an event planner for at least a decade before, although not a wedding planner – thank goodness! I planned events for a couple of universities. And to be honest, once you have been an event planner, it seems to me that planning – well it just does not matter much any more.

We were living in North Carolina together, but only after we were engaged and my dad had given his consent – so old fashioned I am. The MoTH drove to Chapel Hill and said, “Honey, I’m home.” And I knew I was done. It was the best thing ever.

Our anniversary is coming up this weekend. I am so very fortunate. We are the best of friends and can basically finish each others sentences. We do it all the time – yes, really all the time. Jinx, personal jinx, you owe me a soda. There is the Boy again. Yep.

I do wish we had at least Duke when we got married, because he would have been involved in the ceremony. As it was, the event woman at the Highland Lake Inn did not understand how I really did not care about much of anything – I’ll call the local florist and see what is left over from last weekend. See, we were married on a Tuesday. That tells you all – I just wanted him to be my husband. He makes me so happy. I am blessed beyond words.

I will post all the recipes that I made for our pre-wedding reception – it was pretty damn good – if I say so myself.

 

 

Turkey Cranberry Herbed Cream Cheese Pinwheels

This is a kind of riff on an Ina Garten recipe for turkey tea sandwiches on raisin bread (without cinnamon – this is crucial because that would just be yuck) with cream cheese and scallions. Ina’s recipe is one of the Boy’s favorite things, I do think he is correct. This is one of those things that you just should let people taste before you say anything about what is involved.

I am not a huge turkey fan in general, but turkey does work well with fruit, be it raisin, or in this case, dried cranberries – guess it needs to be dried fruit to work, but it works well. But maybe it is because we usually eat turkey with cranberry sauce – and oh, that works amazingly well.

2 – (6.5 ozs. containers) Alouette – Garlic and Herbs Cream Cheese, just sitting out for a bit
Dried cranberries, most of a bag, but taste as you go along, it is important. Chop those cranberries up a bit. It makes it work so much better.
Scallions, about three, green and white parts, again chopped up pretty fine
Roasted turkey – just enough to cover the tortillas. About 1/3 of a pound, sliced thin.
Spinach flour tortilla, but I think any tortilla would work. But I think the spinach ones look pretty good.

Spread the tortilla with the herbed cream cheese. Top that with the dried cranberries and scallions (and chives if you have them at the time). Then top with the roasted turkey. Now for the fun part – Roll them tightly and cover them with cling film – again tightly. Let them chill. Then (starting way too may sentences with that word) sliced them about an inch thick with a sharp serrated knife.

I kind of like these closer to room temperature than straight from the refrigerator.  My preference, but it so works for me.

I will say this is a good mix of flavors. Yes, you totally should try it for a party. Easy to make ahead and simple to put out – you can put toothpicks in the little rounds, but if you twist them tight enough, you will not need to do that.

I really like making something new from something else I really liked.