Sep 14, 2014
When it comes to brunch, you can almost always bet I’m going to go for something savory (and probably with eggs), but I know not everyone feels the same way. This weekend, my family was in town, so I thought it might be fun to whip up a last minute brunch. I wanted a savory and sweet option, so when the idea of a Biscuit Bar hit me, I knew it was perfect!
Really, you can top biscuits with just about anything – Bacon + Egg, Sausage + Gravy, Honeycomb + Butter + Jam… it’s a really fun opportunity to get creative! You could add avocado, tomato, and a variety of meats and cheeses if your guests want to make little biscuit sandwiches, or you could feature ice cream, berries, chocolate and whipped cream if you want a dessert biscuit bar. There are so many possibilities that are great for an easy get-together.
I went with items I had or could quickly acquire:
– biscuits (I use Alton Brown’s recipe)
– eggs (I did scrambled – with a splash of milk and chopped chives- but poached would be good too)
– bacon
– turkey bacon (for a healthy option)
– sausage patties
– sausage gravy (why not, you’re already making sausage!)
– berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)
– honey (I used Tupelo, which we sell in the store)
– honeycomb (also sold in the store)
– gourmet jams (I get mine locally from Kelle B and they are delicious!)
– butter (regular is a must of course, but flavored butter would be fantastic too)
You’ll want to assemble your bar fixings in order – first plates, then biscuits, then toppings.
Side note: the flowers came from my mom, who always brings me a bouquet from her garden when she comes to visit. Since she just gave them to me, I thought they would be a fun addition to the barscape.
(By the way, I’m in love with my new honey dipper. It’s made from olive wood and we just started carrying them at Barque)
After the biscuits and fixings, you’ll also want beverage options. I did orange juice, milk and water ,with different size glasses, so each guest can have as much or as little as they want.
I’ll never forget when I realized that I could have milk AND orange juice with breakfast. It’s such a sweet memory of my great grandmother, offering me both at the table in her tiny kitchen. She totally rocked my world – I had never occurred to me that BOTH was an option!
Although this was the first time I’ve ever done a Biscuit Bar Brunch, it definitely won’t be the last. (And while the classic biscuit with gravy was still my favorite, I enjoyed the one with butter, honeycomb and strawberry lemon jam too)
Happy Brunching!
Sep 1, 2014
Summer burgers on the grill are good, but homemade fries 
make them better… and when they’re garlic truffle fries, well then they’re BEST!
In honor of Labor Day, I’m sharing my recipe for Garlic Truffle fries. I only recently added the truffle oil, so if you’re not into it, no big deal, just omit the oil. And while I’d rather have a super crunchy, deep-fried french fry (sigh), I always feel a little better making homemade fries when they’re baked. Enjoy!
Garlic Truffle Fries
approximately 1 Russet potato per person
cloves of garlic, minced and smashed
kosher salt
parsley
1-2 T. butter
cooking spray (Pam)
black truffle oil (optional)
Trim potatoes into a rectangular shape by removing the four rounded sides. I leave on the ends because I like the skin, but if you don’t you can lop those off too. Slice fries to desired thickness. Coat with cooking spray and toss on a baking sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, tossing occasionally. When they are golden on all sides, remove from the oven.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add garlic. Toss fries to coat in the buttery garlic and add truffle oil if desired. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley and salt. Serve immediately.
*Note: A quick toss is all that’s necessary – if you cook too long, the fries will get soggy*
Jul 31, 2014
Confession: I’ve never met a sangria I didn’t like, but I’ve never made one myself. This week I tried it for a girl’s night by the pool and was surprised by how quick, easy (and delicious) it was.
In searching for recipes, my heart skipped a beat when I came across Emeril’s recipe using red wine instead of white, so I knew that’s where I wanted to start. His recipe had great reviews, but I made a few tweaks (because I had more fruit and flavored sparkling water on hand). Judging by the empty pitcher BEFORE the night was even close to over, I think it was a success!
This is such a quick recipe, I didn’t have time to take to take “how to” pics. Instead I give you Summer Sangria, plain and simple:
Summer Sangria
(yield: approximately 3 quarts)
2 bottles of red wine
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup Grand Marnier
1/2 cup sugar
4 T fresh lime juice
4 T fresh orange juice
1 thinly sliced lemon
1 thinly sliced orange
1 thinly sliced nectarine
1 unwaxed apple, cored and thinly sliced
12 pitted cherries
1 (750 mL) bottle Lorina Pomegranate Blueberry Sparkling water
Combine everything except the sparkling water in a large container. Chill 1 – 2 hours. Add sparkling water before serving and pour into glasses with ice. Garnish with “boozey” fruit if desired.
Cheers!
Jul 8, 2014
In honor of the store’s upcoming Semi-Annual Lemons and Leftovers Sale next week, I thought it might be fun to share a delicious, lemony recipe that’s perfect for summer entertaining. This is a recipe I got from Gourmet Pantry a few years ago, and it’s always been a crowd-pleaser. It’s also ridiculously easy {seriously, the only forethought you need is to let the goat cheese sit long enough to come to room temperature}.
Lemony Goat Cheese & Basil Dip
4 oz. goat cheese
zest of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced, fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a medium bowl, place the goat cheese and bring to room temperature.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, zest 1 lemon. Cut and juice the lemon into the bowl.
Add 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Wash, dry and mince basil leaves yielding 2 tablespoons of basil.
Mince the garlic and smash with the heel of a knife. Add the minced basil, smashed garlic, salt and pepper to the lemon and oil mixture. Whisk the ingredients together until the lemon juice emulsifies the oil {I used a fork}.
Pour half the lemon-basil-oil mixture into the medium bowl with the goat cheese. With a fork {gee, that fork is coming in handy}, mix together very well until it is a smooth consistency.
Place the mixed goat cheese on a shallow serving dish and drizzle with the remaining lemon-basil-oil on top.
Serve with your favorite cracker or crostini. Enjoy!
If you want to download a pdf version of this recipe, just click here.
May 4, 2014
Guacamole has always been one of my go-to dishes to bring to a party. I so fresh and yummy (and it’s really easy to make)! With tomorrow being Cinco de Mayo, I thought this might be the perfect time to post the recipe!
You’ll need:
6 large avocados (they should be firm but pliable if you apply pressure – not mushy and not rock hard)
2 roma tomatoes – de-seeded (cut off the end and scoop out the seeds with your thumb or finger) and then diced
1/2 red onion, diced
juice from 1/2 lemon
2-3 T. cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 T. garlic salt, plus more to taste
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
1/8 t. ground cumin
For the avocado, slice in half lengthwise (around the seed), then diagonally score the inside, in two directions – just slice down close to the skin without going through it. This technique makes it really simple to scoop out the inside – just run a spoon next to the inside of the skin!
Next, gently mash the avocado until broken down but not completely smooth. There will still be a lot of stirring, so if you overdo it in the beginning, your guacamole will be too liquid. I usually use a potato masher, but this time I used a pastry cutter and it worked just as well.
Gradually add the tomatoes and onions, salt, pepper, garlic salt, lemon juice and cumin to your liking – tasting as you go. The advantage of keeping everything in prep bowls is that you can easily adjust the flavor (and consistency) as you go. If you just dump everything into the bowl from the beginning, you may have wished that you had added less onion, or tomato, etc.
Once you have the consistency you desire, fold in the chopped cilantro to taste. If you don’t like cilantro, you can skip this step, but I do think that it enhances the flavor.
Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
TIP: If you end up with leftovers, the best way to keep your guacamole is in an air-tight container, with plastic wrap pressed into the mixture. This will keep it from oxidizing and turning brown (which won’t hurt you, it’s just doesn’t look very appetizing).
Apr 14, 2014
For the preview night before the official grand opening of Barque, we used one of our newest products to create a super easy (2 ingredient!), signature cocktail for the event.
Wild Hibiscus Barque-tail
Ingredients:
Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup (each jar contains about 11 flowers)
Prosecco, chilled (we used Ruffino)
mint leaves (optional, for garnish, not pictured)
Directions:
Drop one wild hibiscus flower in the bottom of each glass. Add syrup as desired (for more color and sweetness), fill with Prosecco and stir. Garnish with mint if desired.
It’s a beautiful, interesting combination that can be as sweet as you desire, just by adding more syrup! It’s a delicious drink, but I also love the little wooden drink stirrers!
Cheers!
photo credit: Linda McMillan Photography
