Edible Traditions

Holidays with the Bluebeard Crew

From their kitchen to yours, the four owners of this Fletcher Place spot share recipes that make the season bright

BY SHAWNDRA MILLER PHOTOS BY KELLEY JORDAN HENEVELD

In every culture and family, we have them: those tried-and-true holiday recipes that are handed down and changed up by generations over the years. We wouldn’t expect anything less from the four co-owners of Bluebeard, the welcoming Southeast Indy restaurant where history is entwined with the here and now.

Every year, Bluebeard’s husband-and-wife co-chefs John and Abbi Adams and their partners Tom and Ed Battista, father and son, mark the holiday first as families. Then, they celebrate as a group, with an annual Christmas night tradition that started in the early days of John’s and Ed’s friendship. In fact, Bluebeard may owe its existence to a mutual trust solidified over many shared meals through the years.

Whether it’s John’s grandmother’s traditional Christmas Eve oyster stew (kicked up a notch), Abbi’s mother’s holiday bread pudding recipe (with her own twist) or Tom’s family standard of spaghetti and meatballs, holiday meals at these folks’ houses are mouthwatering affairs. Every Christmas night, they get together for a pitch-in to share their Christmas dinner leavings—and judging from the sublime fare at Bluebeard, you can bet there’s nothing left after that smorgasbord.

Respect for tradition is evident when you walk into Bluebeard in Fletcher Place, sunlight beaming through the painted windowpanes, the air scented with fresh bread from the inhouse bakery, Amelia’s. The Adamses blend rustic Italian tastes with contemporary touches, resulting in inspired combinations like pork belly confit with collards, white beans and rosemary cornbread. History lives in the décor as well. Just like the recipes that bind families while undergoing various shifts through the years, the renovated 1924 warehouse housing the restaurant and bar is a classic. “We repurposed as much of the building as we could and kept as much as we could,” Tom says.

In the courtyard, guests can sit in the shade of a magnolia at a long table made from the trunk of an Indiana sycamore felled by lightning. The bar’s boot rail is made from a piece of the interurban rail excavated when Virginia Street was torn up for the Cultural Trail. Antique typewriters give homage to native son Kurt Vonnegut: His 1987 novel inspired the restaurant’s name. In all ways, this neighborhood establishment is deeply rooted in the place it finds itself.

Curious to see what the Bluebeard crew cooks for the holidays? Turn the page for their recipes.

Details: Bluebeard, 653 Virginia Ave., Indianapolis; 317-686-1580; bluebeardindy.com

A sense of place is evoked by the boot rail under the bar—a piece of the interurban rail excavated by Cultural Trail work in front of the building—and tables made from a large Indiana walnut tree that was hit by lightning. Chefs John and Abbi Adams keep the vibe casual and the standards high.

We asked Bluebeard’s co-owners to share a few of their traditional Christmas favorites. Family food traditions are equally enduring, and the three recipes we feature here are no exception.

Buttermilk & Brioche Bread Pudding

Oyster Salsify Stew As a child Abbi Adams turned up her nose at the award-winning bread pudding her mother made every Christmas: Somehow the idea of soaking bread with milk was less than appealing. Once she finally tried it, she was hooked—and now it’s her holiday standard and a regular dessert offering at Bluebeard with seasonal accoutrements. Having mislaid the recipe (and being a creative chef), Abbi modified the dish to make it her own.

And does mom approve of her innovations? “No, she thinks it’s dry,” Abbi says with a laugh. But for most, the rich buttermilk sauce should be more than generous. For the lightest, sweetest pudding, Abbi uses buttery brioche buns, which soak up the sauce well.

Recipe by Abbi Merriss Adams Serves 12

For the bread pudding: 12 cups cubed day-old brioche 3 cups heavy whipping cream 9 eggs 1½ cups sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon Large pinch of salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ¼ cup well-shaken buttermilk

For the sauce: 4 sticks (1 pound) butter 1½ cups buttermilk 2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the cubed brioche in a deep casserole dish that has been greased. 2. Pour the heavy whipping cream over the brioche; set aside.

3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Pour the mixture over the brioche and it soak for 15 minutes. Then, push down the bread with a spatula or hands. 4. Cover with foil and bake about 40 minutes, until golden brown and puffy. Check the middle of the pudding; it should not be eggy. 5. Uncover and bake for an additional 8 minutes, then remove from oven.

6. Meanwhile, make the sauce by heating the butter, buttermilk and sugar in a saucepan until the butter has melted and ingredients are incorporated. 7. With the butter mixture over low heat, add the baking soda and whisk until the mixture is foamy and doubled in volume. Pour the sauce over the warm bread pudding.

Tom Battista grew up in a raucous ItalianIrish household that included his six siblings, Italian grandparents and various pets. Sunday dinner was always spaghetti and meatballs, and “everyone was welcome,” Tom remembers. As the middle child, he was his mother’s helper, so he would accompany his mom to the A&P at 38th and College for round steaks, ground by the butcher while they waited. There was always homemade bread around, so it was no hardship to leave a loaf out overnight to make breadcrumbs.

These meatballs were so beloved, they took the place of ham or turkey at every holiday meal, and still anchor Christmas dinner at the Battista table to this day. The key, Tom says, is the right level of cooking grease—a half inch, and no scrimping.

Recipe by Tom Battista Serves 12 or more

2 pounds ground round steak 2 or 3 eggs 2–3 large cloves garlic, crushed, 2–3 large handfuls breadcrumbs 1 handful sweet basil, chopped Salt and pepper to taste Bacon grease, for browning 2 (28-ounce) cans tomato sauce 1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste

1. Gently combine all ingredients, except for the bacon grease, tomato sauce and paste.

2. Roll the mixture into 1½-inch balls with the palms of hands.

3. Aggressively brown in an iron skillet with bacon grease, ½-inch deep (Crisco shortening can be used if you don't have bacon grease). Turn the meatballs with tongs to brown evenly. 4. Place browned meatballs in a large saucepan. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Simmer for 3–4 hours, adding water as needed. 5. To serve, spoon over pasta cooked al dente. Growing up, John Adams was in the St. Paul’s church choir, along with his entire family, which meant a Christmas Eve spent singing. “We would always have dinner between the Lessons and Carols and the midnight service,” he says. That’s when his grandma would serve oyster stew, along with ham loaf and rye bread. The original was simply milk, butter and oysters, with oyster crackers.

Now John carries the culinary baton on Christmas Eve. His version of oyster stew, available in various incarnations on Bluebeard’s winter menu, calls for bacon, a root vegetable like salsify or celery root puréed with white wine, and shaved white truffles for extra decadence. In a nod to Grandma’s pairing, John sometimes serves ham pâté alongside the stew.

Recipe by John Adams Serves 8–12

1 pound bacon, diced small 2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms, destemmed 4 pounds salsify, peeled and diced small 1 head celery, diced small 2 sweet onions, diced small 2 leeks, white part only, rinsed well, diced small 4 cloves garlic, minced ½ gallon shucked oysters, abductor muscles removed 4 cups chicken stock (homemade preferred) 2 cups heavy cream 1 bunch scallion, thinly sliced Italian parsley, chopped, for garnish Truffle oil, for garnish Salt and black pepper, to taste

1. In a 12-quart pot, render bacon on low heat for 10 minutes. Remove bacon, leaving the fat in the pan. 2. Bring pot to high heat and add shiitakes, then season with salt and pepper. 3. Remove mushrooms, lower heat and add the salsify, celery, onions, leeks and garlic and sweat for 20 minutes. 4. Drain liquor from the oysters. Add oyster liquor, chicken stock, bacon and shiitakes to the vegetables. Bring the liquid to a simmer, then add the cream.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. 5. Right before serving, add oysters to the simmering liquid. Lower heat and poach oysters for 2–3 minutes, depending on their size. Stir in the scallions. 6. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley, truffle oil and cracked black pepper.