November 2015 Feast Magazine

craft cider revival

new thanksgiving traditions

pasture-raised poultry

HARD CORE

PIE’S THE LIMIT

RARE BREEDS

Inspired Local Food Culture | Midwest

Eat, dRIN dRINk aNd CRaNBERRy CRaNBERR

feastmagazine.com | NOVEMBER 2015

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When there’s a chill in the air, a Missouri Chambourcin needs to be in your glass. It’s a red wine that delights at the dinner table, tantalizes at the tailgate, and perfectly pairs with all of your seasonal celebrations.

Best of all, it has a variety of flavorful friends that do the “Show Me” State proud and are winning over the taste buds of Missouri wine nonbelievers. But don’t take our word for it. Take our wine.

MissouriWine .org | #MeetMoWines

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NOVEMBER 2015

Inspired Local Food Culture | Midwest

NOVEMBER 2015 FroM the staFF |7|

Meet OUr CONtrIBUtOrS

|8|

frOM the PUBLISher

Giving thanks.

| 10 |

dIgItaL CONteNt

What’s online this month.

| 12 |

feaSt tv

A peek at the November episode.

| 15 |

DINe This month we visit three restaurants, including a new fried chicken joint in St. Louis and a tapas restaurant in Kansas City. In our monthly travel piece, Road Trip, writer Amy Lynch travels to Indianapolis and shares where to dine, drink and stay this month during the city’s annual Circle of Lights celebration. We also talk to three bakers to learn how they’re making whimsical sweet treats inspired by Pop-Tarts.

| 27 |

DrINK We’re sipping beer at a new brewery in the St. Louis area and wine from an acclaimed Kansas City restaurant. We also travel to Ozark Distillery in Osage Beach, Missouri, and catch up with the owner of a Kansas City brewery now producing hard root beer in Columbia, Missouri.

| 37 |

shoP We visit two regional shops this month – a new wine, beer and spirits superstore in the St. Louis area, and a specialty oil and vinegar store in the Kansas City area. We also catch up with St. Louis-based blogger and cookbook author Christina Lane about her latest work, Comfort and Joy.

FEATURES

54 | 43 |

CooK

60

where the wILD thINgs grow Wakarusa Valley Farm cultivates more than a dozen varieties of delicate, gorgeous and delicious wild mushrooms.

harD Core The bittersweet past and fruitful future of American hard cider.

| 44 | Seed tO taBLe Farmer Crystal Stevens shares how to make fall-perfect persimmon-pecan popovers.

| 46 | MyStery ShOPPer Buy it and try it: sweet potato leaves.

64

| 48 | MeNU OPtIONS Warm up chilly autumn evenings with rich cheese grits with shrimp and bacon.

| 50 | Sweet IdeaS

74

Pastry chef Christy Augustin gives thanks this month with her take on classic pecan pie.

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY OF CRANBERRIES AND TABLE OF CONTENTS PHOTO OF CRANBERRYTHYME UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE (P. 70)

BY Sherrie Castellano

82

eat, DrINK aND CraNberry Take advantage of fresh cranberry season with sweet and tart starters, sides and cocktails.

ruLe the roost A fourth-generation farmer brings rare breeds of chickens and turkeys back to pasture.

PIe’s the LIMIt Create new Thanksgiving dessert traditions this year with seasonal tarts, crisps, crostata, far breton and more.

Magazine Volume 6

| Issue 11 | November 2015

Vice President of Niche Publishing, Publisher Catherine Neville, publisher@feastmagazine.com

Hand Crafted Coffees Importing Fine Coffees from 20 Countries • QUALITY • EXPERIENCE • SERVICE

Director of Sales Angie Henshaw ahenshaw@feastmagazine.com, 314.475.1298 EDITORIAL Senior Editor Liz Miller, editor@feastmagazine.com Managing Editor Nancy Stiles, nstiles@feastmagazine.com Associate Editor Bethany Christo, bchristo@feastmagazine.com

Full Service Coffeehouse & Restaurant Supplier Fourth Generation Family Owned Coffee Roasters Since 1930

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Digital Editor Heather Riske, web@feastmagazine.com Kansas City Contributing Editor Jenny Vergara St. Louis Contributing Editor Mabel Suen Editorial Intern Macy Salama Proofreader Christine Wilmes Contributing Writers Christy Augustin, Jonathan Bender, Ettie Berneking, Sherrie Castellano, Gabrielle DeMichele, Hilary Hedges, Valeria Turturro Klamm, Laura Laiben, Amy Lynch, Brandon and Ryan Nickelson, Matt Seiter, Matt Sorrell, Crystal Stevens, Shannon Weber ART Art Director Alexandrea Doyle, adoyle@feastmagazine.com Production Designer Jacklyn Meyer, jmeyer@feastmagazine.com Contributing Photographers Zach Bauman, Sherrie Castellano, Teresa Floyd, Jonathan Gayman, Emily Suzanne McDonald, Mark Neuenschwander, Aaron Ottis, Anna Petrow, Jennifer Silverberg, Jessica Spencer, Jim Turner, Landon Vonderschmidt, Cheryl Waller FEAST TV

producer: Catherine Neville production partner: Judd Demaline of Graine Films

CONTACT US Feast Media, 8811 Ladue Road, Suite D, Ladue, MO 63124 314.475.1244, feastmagazine.com DISTRIbUTION To distribute Feast Magazine at your place of business, please contact Jeff Moore for St. Louis at jmoore@stldist.com, Jason Green for Kansas City at distribution@pds-kc.com, and Dirk Dunkle for Jefferson City and Columbia at dadunkle@columbiatribune.com.

Feast Magazine does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Submissions will not be returned.

All contents are copyright © 2010-2015 by Feast Magazine™.

All rights reserved.

Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents, without the prior written permission of the publisher, is strictly prohibited.

Produced by the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, LLC

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november 2015

ContrIbutors

11.15 sherrie castellano St. Louis, Writer & Photographer Sherrie Castellano is a certified health coach, food writer and photographer based in St. Louis. She grew up exploring upstate New York and has spent most of her adulthood living in Denver and Philadelphia. Sherrie recently moved to Missouri and calls the Midwest home, for now. She spends most of her time teaching people how to eat more vegetables, and writing and photographing for her seasonally inspired vegetarian and gluten-free food blog, With Food + Love. Earlier this year, With Food + Love was a finalist in the Saveur Blog Awards. Sherrie’s work has been featured in the pages of Driftless Magazine and by Urban Outfitters, MindBodyGreen, Buzzfeed, The Kitchn and Food52, among others.

Expect More RSVPs.

amy lynch Indianapolis, Indiana, Writer Amy Lynch is an Indianapolis-based freelance writer who enjoys traveling, cooking at home, trying new restaurants and drinking good bourbon. A few of her recent Midwestern food discoveries include Tulip Tree Creamery’s cultured butter in Indianapolis; Katzinger’s Delicatessen’s garlic pickles in Columbus, Ohio; fried chicken with cayenne honey at The Eagle in Cincinnati; and anything from Publican Quality Meats in Chicago. Amy’s work has appeared in Indianapolis Monthly, Cincinnati Magazine, Midwest Living, Draft and the Chicago Tribune.

jim turner Lindsborg, Kansas, Photographer Jim Turner is a professional photographer working and living in Lindsborg, Kansas. Jim has photographed turkeys several times prior to his shoot for Feast (p. 74) , and while it isn’t easy, it’s always interesting. He spoke to Frank Reese, owner of Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch, about putting turkeys on a white background for photos. After building a large lightbox open only on one side in his studio, Jim began the shoot with five different turkeys. Things went surprisingly well in the beginning, as each bird was coaxed into position. Their luck ran out on the last turkey when he tried to make an exit. It was an explosion of feathers, light stands and people scrambling in all directions. The turkey was captured, things were put back into place and they finished amid a feathery mess.

When you treat guests to an exceptional dining experience, they’ll look forward to your invitations. Start with fabulous lighting from the Wilson Showrooms in Clayton, MO, and Overland Park, KS.

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shannon weber St. Louis, Writer Shannon Weber is the creator, author and photographer behind award-winning blog, A Periodic Table (aperiodictableblog.com), and her work has been featured on websites such as Bon Appétit, Serious Eats and America’s Test Kitchen. She is a self-taught baker and cook who believes the words “I can’t” should never apply to food preparation and that curiosity can lead to wonderful things, in both the kitchen and in life.

With a lifelong love of food and a bachelor’s degree in English literature, it was only a matter of time before she ventured into recipe development and writing. She has been known to read through cookbooks like memoirs, plan trips around restaurants and to spend far too much time thinking about food. Outside of the kitchen, you can find her wandering through the local library, taking in an independent film (solo, no talking) or hanging out at the playground with her daughter.

PLAZA FRONTENAC | 32 MARYLAND PLAZA Open for the Holidays at: WEST COUNTY CENTER | 1600 N. BROADWAY WWW.BISSINGERS.COM

Inspired Local Food Culture

november 2015

7

publisher’s letter

when planning content for the november issue of a culinary magazine, it’s all too easy to just put a gorgeous roasted turkey on the cover and call it a day.

Here at Feast, however, we are always trying to dig a bit deeper and give our readers content that surprises and inspires. So, yes, we do talk turkey in this issue, but it’s not what you’d expect. Turn to p. 74 for senior editor Liz Recipe developer Shannon Weber (pictured left) created a number of inventive takes on classic desserts for this issue. Turn to p. 82 for the recipes.

Miller’s insightful profile of Frank Reese, who has been raising standard-bred poultry in Kansas for more than half a century.

He and his birds have received national attention and widespread acclaim, and you, too, can buy one of his deeply flavored Standard Bronze or Narragansett beauties for your Thanksgiving table this year.

Pie is another go-to Turkey Day topic for food magazines, but honestly, most of us turn to our tried-and-true recipes year after year. If grandma’s pumpkin chiffon pie isn’t served, you’ll hear about it. So, again, we approached this topic with a bit of a twist. Writer and stellar recipe developer Shannon Weber has created a lineup of nonpie desserts that will hold their own next to the family classics on your holiday sideboard. Turn to p. 82 for Shannon’s creative renditions of rustic pastries. Think slab pie, crostata, icebox pie and other unusual-yetapproachable goodies.

Rounding out our November issue are Valeria Turturro Klamm’s piece on hard cider’s comeback (p. 60), Jonathan Bender’s visit to Wakarusa Valley Farm to explore mushroom cultivation (p. 54) and Sherrie Castellano’s ode to the cranberry on p. 64. Sherrie offers you a multitude of unexpected ways to use the tart fruit, from a blini appetizer to a refreshing Champagne punch. We are entering into the most foodfocused time of the year, and I hope this issue helps to elevate and expand your holiday-cooking repertoire.

FeAst eVeNts KC

4 hands Collaboration series beer Dinner with Novel Tue., Nov. 3, 6pm; Novel; $55; call 816.221.0785 for tickets

Novel and 4 Hands Brewing Co. are teaming up to host a multicourse dinner in which each course is paired with a 4 Hands beer, including Cuvee Ange, Lemon Gose, Opus and Volume 1.

KC

Celebrate 10 Years with KC healthy Kids Thu., Nov. 5, 5:30 to 8pm; The Sundry; Free; kchealthykids.org

KC Healthy Kids has spent the past 10 years empowering communities and schoolchildren to create a world where healthy habits can happen naturally. Join the organization to celebrate all its accomplished since 2005 with the help of state and local leaders, representatives from other organizations and community activists. stl

slow Food st. louis’ Art of Food Sat., Nov. 7, 6 to 10pm; The Luminary; $65 nonmembers or $55 members; slowfoodstl.org

Art of Food will showcase the area’s top restaurants, serving up delectable hors d’oeuvres using as many fresh, local ingredients as possible, all prepared in the Slow Food tradition. Each chef will partner with a farmer and each tasting will feature a paired local beer, wine or cocktail sample (glass included). il

Murphysboro holiday Open house Sat., Nov. 14; The Unique Shops of Murphysboro; facebook.com/SouthernIllinoisTourism

Fifteen very unique antique and specialty shops in Murphysboro, Illinois, will open their doors with all the hospitality southern Illinois has to offer!

The day will feature door prizes, refreshments and special drawings. stl

schnucks Cooks: Cheese Grits with shrimp and bacon Wed., Nov. 18, 6 to 9pm; Schnucks Cooks Cooking School; $40; schnuckscooks.com or 314.909.1704

stl

stl

Join us in the kitchen and learn how to make creamy collard greens with bacon, cheese grits with shrimp and bacon, true Southern cornbread with honey butter and Southern banana pudding.

In this class you’ll learn how to expertly cook grits to achieve the perfect texture.

New Year’s eve at sanctuaria Thu., Dec. 31; Sanctuaria Wild Tapas; sanctuariastl.com

Join Sanctuaria as the entire restaurant is transformed into a speakeasy from the times of Prohibition. Imbibe authentic cocktails and enjoy a four-course meal inspired by the era, all lit by candlelight only.

KC

Midwest Flavors Cooking series: the New Gin revival Sat., Jan. 16, 6:30 to 9pm; Culinary Center of Kansas City; $75; cookingschoolsofamerica.com/kcculinary

Join Pinckney Bend Distillery of New Haven, Missouri, as they bring one of their amazing Gin Labs to the CCKC kitchens. Pinckney Bend Distillery specializes in handcrafted spirits and holds numerous international awards for its gin.

Until next time,

stl

Cat’s picks Wednesdays, 8:35am; The BIG 550 KTRS

Tune in as Feast publisher Catherine Neville chats with host McGraw Milhaven and gives her weekly picks for the best places to eat and drink in the St. Louis area.

Catherine Neville

publisher@feastmagazine.com

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feastmagazine.com

NOVEMBER 2015

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NOVEMBER 2015

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DIGITAL CONTENT

hungry for more?

feastmagazine.com

connect with us daily:

fACEbook. Get a look at what’s coming up in the regional restaurant scene (like the Vista Ramen pop-ups in St. Louis) at facebook.com/feastmag.

PHOTOGRAPHy by MAbeL SueN

thE fEEd: StL Main & Mill Brewing Co.: Father-and-son Barry and Denny Foster recently opened Main & Mill Brewing Co. in Festus, Missouri. it’s Jefferson County’s first commercial brewery in more than 120 years.

tWIttEr. Follow @feastmag to keep up with food-

and-drink events across the region (like Feast TV Taste & See at the Public Media Commons).

thE fEEd: kC PHOTOGRAPHy by CARMeN TROeSSeR

Tous les Jours: a French-Korean bakery chain with locations across the country, Tous les Jours opened last month in overland Park, Kansas, serving freshly baked breads, pastries, cakes and more.

PIntErESt. Find inventive holiday recipes (like black walnut stuffing with figs and bacon) on our Thanksgiving board at pinterest.com/feastmag.

PHOTOGRAPHy by SANDRA PARK

PHOTOGRAPHy by MALLORy LeiCHT

morE on thE fEEd: Keep up with what’s happening in the region’s food-and-drink scene by visiting our daily updated news blog, The Feed, at feastmagazine.com/the-feed. We recently took a look at the brand-new Civil Kitchen & Tap in Springfield, Missouri, and shared St. Louis chef Samantha Mitchell’s plans to roll out a new food truck, Farmtruk.

SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Win a pair of tickets to our Schnucks Cooks cooking class on Wed., Nov. 18, at the Schnucks Des Peres

location. Just head to the Promotions section at feastmagazine.com for all the details.

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n o v e m b e r 2015

InStAGrAm. Hashtag your local food-and-drink photos with #feastgram for a chance to see them in Feast! Details on p. 90.

Watch our videos and Feast TV.

youtube.com/FeastMagazine

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FEAST TV

in this month’s episode:

TV

Each year, thousands of people descend on Kansas City for the annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue. Over two days, more than 170 Invitational teams tend their low-andslow fires in the hope of taking home a trophy.

Many enter, few win, and the two-day odyssey is an exhausting, exacting ride. In the November episode of Feast TV, we follow three teams – one from St. Louis, one from Kansas City and one from central Missouri – to see how they fared during the 2015 event.

feast tv is brought to you by the generous support of our sponsors:

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Missouri Wines

WhoLe Foods Market

L’ écoLe cuLinaire

In November, reach for a bottle of Stone Hill Winery’s Chambourcin. Feast TV producer Catherine Neville pairs it with ribs.

Get cooking at home! Pick up the recipes and ingredients from Catherine Neville’s November Feast TV demo at the Brentwood and Town and Country locations of Whole Foods Market in the St. Louis area.

In St. Louis and Kansas City, L’École Culinaire offers high-quality culinary education. From basic culinary skills to careers in management, it has a program to fit any aspiration.

feastmagazine.com

NOVEMBER 2015

WATCH FEAST ON THESE NETWORKS

Now Open!

FREE admission

of offee

THE WORLD IN YOUR CUP & ST. LOUIS IN YOUR CUP

In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to see Feast TV on Sun., Nov. 1 at 1:30pm, Sat., Nov. 7 at 2pm, Sun., Nov. 8 at 1:30pm, Mon., Nov. 9 at 1pm and Sun., Nov. 22 at 1:30pm. Feast TV will also air throughout the month on nineCREATE.

Lindell and DeBaliviere in Forest Park

314.746.4599 | mohistory.org Coffee: The World in Your Cup has been organized by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle. Major sponsorship has been provided by The Boeing Company, Microsoft Corporation, Starbucks Coffee Company, and the University of Washington.

Support for this exhibition in St. Louis provided by

The Dana Brown Charitable Trust, U.S. Bank, Trustee

In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) on Sat., Nov. 21 at 2:30pm.

You can watch Feast TV throughout midMissouri on KMOS (Channel 6) on Thu., Nov. 12 at 7:30pm and on Sat., Nov. 14 at 4pm.

Feast TV will air in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8) at 10am on Sat., Nov. 7.

Inspired Local Food Culture

november 2015

13

Made in St. LouiS | by hand | FroM aLL-naturaL ingredientS

Home to some of the region’s most innovative and acclaimed restaurants and chefs, the Crossroads is the place to be.

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NOVEMBER 2015

▶ Eclectic American cuisine

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where we’re dining

go on tapa the world on p. 18 photography by landon vonderschmidt

trending now: from-Scratch PoP-tartS

on trend

WRitten by bethany chRisto photogRaphy by cheRyl WalleR

Bite into from-scratch Pop-Tarts and you’ll feel a wave of nostalgia – but these aren’t the dry, store-bought versions of your youth. Made with flaky crusts and flavorful fillings, the treat has come a long way from its toaster-pastry past. stl

whimsical

kc

compote filled

St. louiS. owner Kaylen Wissinger bought the

kanSaS city. growing up, Heirloom Bakery & Hearth

gadget she uses to make Whisk: A Sustainable Bakeshop’s pop-tartlets for fun when she was in college. nearly 10 years later she still uses the same tool to create the treats. “it’s whimsical and different,” she says. “everyone knows what poptarts are, but the homemade aspect elevates it. i love making homemade versions of what i grew up eating, like twinkies and Ding Dongs.” the first pop-tartlet she sold was apple-cinnamon in 2012, and it’s still a best seller, along with lemon curd (her favorite), triple-chocolate fudge, mixed berry (pictured below) and eggnog custard, coming next month. Fillings are made with fresh ingredients baked inside shortbread-style crust. she sums up the treat concisely: “it’s yummy stuff inside of a crust; what’s not to love?”

co-owner scott Meinke wasn’t allowed to eat pop-tarts, so when he opened his Kansas city bakery, he was determined to create ones that parents would be excited to buy for their kids (and for themselves). “i chuckle when customers with kids state they’ve never given [their kids] store-bought ones,” he says. “i relish in them getting to taste their first pop-tarts as a delicious pastry made by hand.” scott and his wife and co-owner, Kate, make between 80 to 120 tarts each day, which are usually gone within four hours of opening.

Flaky pastry dough is used for the crust, which is then filled with fruit compote made in-house with locally sourced ingredients, like ginger-peach, pear-cardamom and fleeting sour cherry. “our tart cherry compote balances well with the sweet butteriness of the crust and icing,” Kate says. “it’s a short season – only two or three weeks – which makes it feel more special.” both agree the use of quality ingredients is what makes their tarts a hit with customers of all ages.

Whisk: A Sustainable Bakeshop, 2201 Cherokee St., Cherokee Business District, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.932.5166, whiskstl.com

Heirloom Bakery & Hearth, 401 E. 63rd St., Brookside, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.492.7259, heirloomkc.com

Apple Pie Pop-tartlets with cinnamon Glaze Recipe couRtesy Kaylen WissingeR, co-oWneR, WhisK: a sustainable baKeshop

Yields | 12 | filling

1 Tbsp butter 3 to 4 apples, chopped juice from ½ a lemon 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 Tbsp brown sugar 1 Tbsp flour

PaStry dough

2 2 1 2 2 2

cups all-purpose flour, plus more Tbsp sugar tsp salt sticks butter, cold, cut into cubes large eggs, divided Tbsp milk

glaze

1 cup sifted powdered sugar 1½ Tbsp milk ½ tsp ground cinnamon

| Preparation – Filling | in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat butter until golden brown. Remove from heat and add chopped apples, lemon juice, vanilla extract and brown sugar. Return pan to heat and stir until apples are slightly tender and liquid has reduced. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. add flour, stir to combine and set aside.

| Preparation – Pastry Dough | in a food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt. add cold butter. in a small bowl, beat 1 egg with milk and add to dry ingredients; mix. Dump dough into a bowl and knead until a cohesive lump forms. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 to 45 minutes. | Preparation – Glaze | in a bowl, mix all ingredients and set aside.

| Assembly | Remove dough from fridge and let stand 10 minutes. preheat oven to 350°F. on flour-dusted surface, roll dough out to ¹⁄₈-inch thickness and use a square or rectangular cookie cutter to cut tart shapes. in a small bowl, beat remaining egg. place half of shapes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and brush with egg. add 2 tablespoons apple filling on top of each egg-washed tart; top with untreated tart shape. using a fork, crimp down edges and poke each tart to create a vent. transfer to oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before glazing. serve.

mo

hand pies

SPringfield, mo. Four-year-old Sisters in Thyme,

which moved to bigger digs down the block in springfield, Missouri, earlier this year, has been serving its popular hand pies for the past three years. because the bakery and deli is located in the historic c-street district, owner Martha cooper says she wanted to offer a sweet treat that people could eat while shopping. Modeled after the pastries popular at Mardi gras celebrations in new orleans, sisters in thyme offers three rotating flavors each day, like best-selling apple or cherry, as well as raisin, blueberry, lemon, blackberry and pumpkin-pecan in the fall. “We made a choice not to fry them so there’s a baked option for people,” cooper says. “there’s a different flavor profile, because you’re taking oil out of the picture.” the flaky crust is crimped and crunchy and fillings, made with fresh, locally sourced fruit, are soft, like biting into encased, mini slices of pie.

Sisters in Thyme, 306 E. Commercial St., Springfield, Missouri, 417.873.9224

One On One

stl

chris bork

co-owner and executive chef, vista ramen Written by bethany christo

ST. LOUIS. although it’s in

photography by emily suzanne mcdonald

the name, Vista Ramen co-owners Jeremy and casey Miller, who also own the Mud house on cherokee street, along with co-owner and executive chef chris bork, want you to know the restaurant will serve much more than just ramen. the opening date and final menu are still under wraps, but folks got a taste of what bork has in store at pop ups held last month. Vista’s three rotating ramen bowls and half-dozen asian-inspired small plates will cost less than $15 and be served alongside a well-curated asian spirits and beer menu, as well as a tea menu developed by general manager aaron stovall, who’s currently managing the Mud house. Vista falls in the middle of two st. Louis trends – the boom of businesses opening on cherokee street and the influx of ramen shops. the 36-seat, dinner-only, full-service ramen bar is eagerly anticipated, especially under the guiding hand of bork, who is wellknown in the food community for his inventiveness and attention to detail.

Vietnamese & Chinese Restaurant A "FEAST" Favorite!

Gift Cards Available!

Thank You all Local Area Chefs for Making Us #1 Located in the Meridian Shopping Center at Hanley & Eager Roads behind the Best Buy.

FREE PARKING IN THE METRO LINK GARAGE Tu-Th: 11am-9pm • Fr-Su 11am-10pm 8396 Musick Memorial Dr. • 314.645.2835 www.MaiLeeSTL.com

Conveniently located in Kirkwood Dinner Hours:

Homemade Greek Food

Tues.-Sun. 5 p.m.

Carry out • Catering Private Parties Gyros • Kebobs • Baklava oLYmPIa keBoB HoUSe aNd TaVerNa 7 days a week from 11am 1543 McCausland • 314-781-1299

133 West Clinton Place St. Louis, MO 63122 314-965-9005 www.citizenkanes.com

What is Vista Ramen’s mission? Vista ramen is a casual spot with an affordable price point. We want it to be a neighborhood place; that was the whole idea for opening on cherokee. i’m not Japanese and neither are my partners, so it’s not like we’re trying to be a Japanese restaurant. We all love ramen, as do a lot of people in st. Louis – foretold by the recent ramen boom – but the menu won’t be restricted to a culture or style in particular. i think one of our strong points is going to be that we have exciting dishes outside of ramen. no one should feel weird coming to Vista and not ordering ramen. i’ve been working on the menu for quite some time, and i have 30 items i’ve been developing that i’m really excited about, that i’ve put a lot of thought into. Tell us about your first true ramen experience. i was living in London for culinary school when i was 22. coming from america, i’d eaten a lot of ramen from the packs, but i’d never had the real noodles and the real broth – i think it was a tonkotsu i had the first time. it was so filling and rich and full of textures, and then i came back to st. Louis, and it was nowhere to be found. the bases of our broths use ingredients that are classically in ramen; one broth, shoyu, will have a nice stickiness from the bones and soy sauce it’s cooked with. i want to do ramen, i don’t want to disrespect it and i just want it to be delicious. What vibe are you going for? i come from a fine-dining background, and there are some things you can apply from that, like the element of quality table service, but in a more casual, less stuffy way. in my mind, people will come and hang, especially when it’s later in the evening with all the street traffic, like when people get out of concerts and want a bite to eat. there will be a bar connected to the open kitchen in classic ramen-bar style, which will be table-height rather than bar-height, kind of like a diner.

How will you run the kitchen? this is my first time having my own business. i’ve changed a lot for the better since i left the executive chef gig at blood & sand nearly two years ago – i let go of a couple bad habits and made some changes in my life personally. as a chef, you want to be talented at cooking and have a catalog of ideas and be creative, but you also want to be able to manage people in a fair way and not be a complete jerk. i’ve been thinking about that a lot as i’ve worked with Kevin [nashan] at Peacemaker for the past year in a cook’s position. My opinion matters there, but i’m not the chef. i want to be a leader again, and i hope that it’s in a positive way.

�

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Vista Ramen, 2609 Cherokee St., Cherokee Business District, St. Louis, Missouri, vistaramen.com

Inspired Local Food Culture

november 2015

17

where we’re dining From new restaurants to renewed menus, our staff and contributors share their picks for where we’re dining this month.

byrd & barrel ST. LOUIS. Bird is the word at chef

Bob Brazell’s new fried chicken joint, Byrd & Barrel, which features a drive-thru window thanks to the space’s former life as Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. Flock to the ordering window to grab a bucket of crispy buttermilk-brined, pressurefried chicken and more to go, or step inside to see the full menu of offerings, which are served well into the night. Poultry gets dressed up in a number of ways, from General Tso’s glazed chicken skins to smoky, creamy poutine, to banh mi, po’boys and more. The “barrel” part of the

Kc

SToRy and PhoToGRaPhy

By MaBeL Suen

business features more than 50 craft beers as well as a selection of whiskeys and bourbons; cocktails and fruity Vess Sodas are also available.

Beyond the brand’s namesake pairing, look for creative dishes such as the Tickled Pickle, which features a Circle B Ranch hot dog stuffed into a housemade whole dill pickle, breaded and fried corn-dog style before being sliced into bite-sized pieces.

Byrd & Barrel, 3422 S. Jefferson Ave., Cherokee Business District, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.875.9998, facebook.com/byrdandbarrel

stl

república written By Jenny VergArA

| PhotogrAPhy By LAnDon VonDerSChMiDt

KANSAS CITY. the area’s most prominent example of traditional Spanish architecture, Country Club Plaza, is now home to Spanish tapas at República, the newest restaurant from Bread & Butter Concepts. here you can enjoy traditional Spanish staples including stuffed olives, meat and cheese boards with Spanish chorizo and Manchego and raw sheep’s milk cheeses, as well as interactive dishes such as the Caliente rock, where guests cook their own tender slices of wagyu beef on a 500°F rock seasoned with chile oil. república opened in August with décor that oozes a relaxed and casualcommunal feel. the bar program is rooted in Spanish tradition, as well, with sangria and seven different Spanish-style gin-tonics made tableside.

República, 4807 Jefferson St., Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.384.2500, republicakc.com 18

feastmagazine.com

NOVEMBER 2015

mo

the order

where we’re dining

written by ettie berneking | PhotograPhy by jessica sPencer

SPRINGFIELD, MO. after months of construction and anticipation, the latest addition to the springfield, Missouri, restaurant scene, The Order, opened this summer to much

fanfare. Located on the first floor of the new hotel Vandivort overlooking Downtown, hearty classics including ozarks benedict, pork belly hash and French toast made with donuts from local hurts Donut can be enjoyed during breakfast, while the lunch menu features a thick, juicy burger dressed with bacon-onion jam, smoked gouda and grilled radicchio, with duck-fat aïoli served on the side. but if you really want to experience this swank Downtown restaurant, stop by for dinner. while the selection of entrées showcases some true ozarks favorites – like pork tenderloin with brown sugar-bourbon glaze – the appetizers are equally as exciting and definitely lighter on the wallet. Friendly price tags make the starters perfect for sharing, whether you’re biting into cashew-chicken lollipops or the assorted deviled-egg platter.

The Order, inside the Hotel Vandivort, 305 E. Walnut St., Springfield, Missouri, 417.832.1515, hotelvandivort.com

destination: indianapolis, indiana

road trip

WRITTEN By AMy LyNCH

Mention Indianapolis, Indiana, and most people tend to think of racing, but the Circle City also shines brightly during the holidays with the ceremonial lighting of the self-proclaimed “world’s largest Christmas tree” at Downtown’s Monument Circle.

The Circle of Lights begins the Friday night after Thanksgiving, and the tree stays lit through early January, showcasing 4,784 lights and 52 garland strands. Be sure to cozy up to the oversized toy soldiers and peppermint sticks for a festive photo op.

sleep

eat

The Conrad pampers its guests with luxurious accommodations decked out in marble and wood finishes, along with a salon and spa and art gallery plus skywalk access to Circle Centre mall. Enjoy wine by the bottle, glass or 2-ounce samples from nifty self-serve dispensers at Tastings, then head across the lobby to The Capital Grille. Request a room with a view of Monument Circle for a Circle of Lights view.

Housed in a former garage, this retro Fletcher Place hotspot holds rank as the current darling of Indy’s brunch scene, earning national recognition for its frequently changing, but always forward-thinking, menu and artsy take on espresso drinks.

Think sweet-tea fried chicken, quinoa grits, housemade Pop Rocks-topped Pop-Tarts and sweet and savory Dutch Baby pancakes.

50 W. Washington St., 317.713.5000, conradhotels3.hilton.com

534 Virginia Ave., 317.986.5131, milktoothindy.com

Conrad Indianapolis

local gems

Milktooth

Sun King Brewing

St. Elmo Steak House

Le Méridien Last year, Le Méridien refreshed Indy’s historic Canterbury Hotel in the heart of Downtown with a modern look, splashy colors and updated features. Spoke & Steele, the hotel’s elegant restaurant, makes a premier perch for cleverly named signature cocktails and newfangled spins on classic American cuisine.

123 S. Illinois St., 317.737.1600, lemeridienindianapolis.com

Pizzology Chef-owner Neal Brown reinvents the standard Italian pie with outstanding results, from the classic Margherita to creatively dressed variations laden with the likes of housemade ricotta, mortadella, eggplant, duck eggs and Peppadew peppers. Salads, pastas, wood-roasted mushroom risotto, a weekly gnocchi special and gelato round out menu options. We especially love the Baby Cheesus pizza, oozing with mozzarella, ParmigianoReggiano and locally sourced Tulip Tree Creamery Foxglove, a double cream, washedrind cheese.

222 E. Market St., 317.634.9266, indycm.com

Shapiro’s Delicatessen Since 1905, customers have been lining up for Shapiro’s comforting kosher delights such as meatloaf, stuffed cabbage rolls, matzo ball soup, liver and onions, and sandwiches piled high with fresh corned beef, pastrami, brisket, tongue or turkey. Save a little room for rugelach, cheesecake or a slice of pie. multiple locations, shapiros.com

Hotel Tango Artisan Distillery The brainchild of a local former Marine, this intimate Fletcher Place neighborhood cocktail joint shakes up potent drinks made with housemade Victor Vodka, Romeo Rum and Golf Gin, often served in Mason jars and perfect for sipping at the bar or in front of the distillery’s rustic stone fireplace.

702 Virginia Ave., 317.653.1806, hoteltangowhiskey.com

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY VISITINDY.COM

4907 N. College Ave., 317.925.7529, recessindy.com

NOVEMBER 2015

Indianapolis City Market

Recess

333 S. Delaware St., 317.624.8200, thealexander.com feastmagazine.com

127 S. Illinois St., 317.635.0636, stelmos.com

multiple locations, pizzologyindy.com

The Alexander brims with clever details and curated art installations that flow throughout the hotel, including a wall-mounted flock of birds made from repurposed vinyl records.

Hanging glass lanterns provide a gorgeous backdrop for craft cocktails at Plat 99: Mixology Lounge, and Market Table serves farm-to-table fare in a contemporary setting.

20

multiple locations, 317.602.3702, sunkingbrewing.com

Historic Indianapolis City Market has remained a beloved community gathering place for shoppers and diners since 1886. A popular stop for lunch, the market houses more than two dozen food-and-drink vendors spanning American and ethnic cuisines, as well as a weekly indoor farmers’ market held on Saturday mornings throughout the winter.

Recess revels in the notion of playing with your food through a decadent fourcourse, prix-fixe menu from chef Greg Hardesty that changes nightly but always highlights ingredients from local farms and producers. Whatever Hardesty dreams up proves a happy surprise, and rest assured, whatever it is will be a delicious dining adventure. The tiny connecting Room Four next door serves hearty and casual burgers and tacos.

The Alexander

No trip to Indianapolis is complete without a stop at the century-old St. Elmo Steak House, a Downtown dining institution since 1902. Not much has changed through the years – and that’s a good thing. Service from the tuxedoed waitstaff is still exemplary, the steaks are stellar, the shrimp cocktail is spicy enough to blow out your sinuses and you never know who you might spy sitting at the next table.

Sun King kicked off Indy’s craft beer renaissance when it opened six years ago. Now, you’ll find the award-winning operation’s products on menus and at liquor stores across Indiana. Sample Sunlight Cream Ale, Wee Mac Scottish-style ale and whimsical seasonal pours at the original Downtown warehouse location or in the new Fishers tasting room, as well as at many bars, restaurants and retail shops throughout central Indiana.

one on one como

dave faron

co-owner, 44 canteen and 44 stone public house

Written by Valeria turturro Klamm

COLUMBIA, MO. in early September, Dave Faron and mark Sulltrop, owners

photography by aaron ottis

of 44 Stone Public House on the south side of Columbia, missouri, opened 44 Canteen Downtown. With smaller plates and a more experimental menu, 44 Canteen gives executive chef Sulltrop the opportunity to play with seasonal dishes from a range of cuisines including Korean, Hispanic, asian, mediterranean and european.

What prompted you to try something different with 44 Canteen?

We’ve been very fortunate with the success of 44 Stone, and we wanted to open a Downtown location but didn’t want to compete with ourselves.

We wanted to do something different with food – smaller plates, play around more, change around the menu more. We already do that seasonally at 44 Stone, but there are a lot of menu items there we wouldn’t dare take off. We established 44 Canteen as a place with a progressive and fluid menu that goes with the seasons so mark can try whatever he feels like doing. What inspires the menu’s range of ethnic influences? mark and i have been cooks or chefs or dishwashers for more than 20 years each. both of us like to not stick to just one cuisine – we’ve worked at Creole, classic French, pizza, sandwich and italian places. mark excels at flavors of asian and Hispanic foods – the balance of sweet, sour, spicy and salty. We like to eat asian food and tacos; we don’t like to go out to fancy places a lot. We wanted to open a place we would want to go to with good beer, cocktails and a couple interesting tacos and burgers, like a food truck on steroids. We never wanted to stick to one thing. if mark’s not doing multiple preparations, his talent’s not being used. Tell us about what’s going on behind the bar. the craft cocktail program is much more expanded at 44 Canteen. the barrel-aged cocktail list is a little more eclectic with unusual ingredients. We have 12 taps for rotating craft beers from around the world. We highlight and partner with a lot of local and regional breweries including logboat brewing Co., rock bridge brewing Co., bur oak brewing Co., broadway brewery, 4 Hands brewing Co., boulevard brewing Co., Schlafly beer and urban Chestnut brewing Co. The 44 Canteen menu fluctuates, but is there a signature dish that will always be on the menu? a couple signature tacos will make regular appearances or stay on longer – mark makes a red chile Sloppy José taco with housemade chicken chorizo, avocado, queso fresco and pickled onions.

featuring daily specials Monday - Friday | Lunch & Dinner Saturday - Sunday | Dinner Only 2061 Zumbehl Rd St. Charles, MO 636•949•9005

www.fratellisristorante.com @FratellisToGo

44 Canteen, 21 N. Ninth St., Downtown, Columbia, Missouri, 573.777.8730, 44canteen.com

Inspired Local Food Culture

november 2015

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September to november: Cauliflower

IN SEASON

Written by Macy SalaMa

Naturally buttery and rich when cooked, chefs are using fresh cauliflower in creative, unusual menu items.

KC

roasted

KanSaS CitY. For movie night with his family, Room

39 chef-owner ted habiger skips the popcorn and goes straight for cauliflower. the vegetable takes on different flavors based on how it’s cooked, making it especially easy to play with. habiger’s favorite method? roasting. “it kind of tastes like popcorn to me [when roasted] – we eat it like popcorn,” he says. “it gives off a toasted corn flavor, a little sweetness, but it also has a little bit of a garlicky taste.” his family’s favorite cauliflower snack inspired the cauliflower steak served at room 39. one head of cauliflower is divvied into about three “steaks,” cut 1-inch thick and seared on both sides in a cast-iron skillet. although the menu changes slightly each day, he says he always pairs his cauliflower steak with sides including salsa verde, rice and sautéed spinach and kale. “cauliflower can look bland,” he says. “it’s a good time to go with the rule ‘what grows together, goes together’ because [what] it grows [with] tends to vary in colors and nutrition.”

Room 39, multiple locations, rm39.com

Cauliflower Popcorn “Roasting cauliflower can be simple, but cooking it long enough is the key,” Habiger says. “My family likes to substitute this recipe instead of popcorn on movie nights. I know some parents won’t believe it, but my kids actually prefer this to regular popcorn.” recipe courteSy ted habiger, cheF-oWner, rooM 39

Serves | 4 | 1 ¼

head cauliflower, cut or torn into small florets cup olive oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

| Preparation | preheat oven to 400°F. in a large bowl, toss cauliflower with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Make sure florets are all slightly oily and then transfer to a sheet tray and bake in oven for up to 25 minutes or until desired color and texture is achieved – habiger prefers his to be pretty dark. photography by Mj20003000 /iStock.coM

CHef’S tip Although cauliflower tastes good raw, make sure to get a nice color and caramelization when roasting. “It tastes different when it’s raw, tastes great when there is a little sear, but it really shines when it’s nice and darkly roasted without being burnt.” –Ted Habiger, chef-owner, Room 39

stl

versatile

St. louiS. the best element of cauliflower isn’t

necessarily its flavor or color, according to Simon lusky, owner of Revel Kitchen, but instead its versatility. it’s one of lusky’s favorite vegetables to work with, which is reflected on the menu at revel, including as a rice replacement in the restaurant’s popular bibimbap bowls. “What got me hooked was using it as a rice replacement and turning it into these small granulates,” he says. “once you get it in granule or purée form, you can take it in a number of different directions.” the best-selling menu item is the caulichilada, a play on a classic enchilada with a cauliflower tortilla. “cauliflower binds really well with egg,” lusky says. “by simply adding cauliflower, egg and cheese, you create little tortillas.”

Revel Kitchen, 2837 Cherokee St., Cherokee Business District, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.932.5566, athleteeats.com

Cauli-fredo sauce Replace traditional Alfredo sauce with this veggie alternative and use it to top pasta, vegetables and more. recipe courteSy SiMon luSky, oWner, revel kitchen

Serves | 4 to 6 | 21⁄3 4 2⁄3 11⁄3 1⁄3 ½ 2⁄3 ¼

cups raw cauliflower, cleaned off stalk cups milk Tbsp salt tsp white pepper tsp onion powder tsp dried oregano cup grated Parmesan pinch xanthan gum

| Preparation | in a large pot, simmer cauliflower in milk until tender. place mixture in a blender and add remaining ingredients. carefully blend at a low speed and gradually increase speed – the combined heat and speed can blow the top off of blender – until creamy.

Ks

ceviche

wiCHita, KS. When ordering the cauliflower ceviche at Molino’s Mexican Cuisine, you won’t find it in a bowl, or even on a plate, but instead, in a Martini glass. “our concept is more contemporary,” says owner Mario Quiroz. “We always ask how we can make our dishes look better for the eye, and doing the ceviche in a Martini glass – i think people really like it.” instead of using seafood, Quiroz submerges cauliflower in lime juice until it resembles the acidic bite of traditional ceviche, essentially pickling it. “if we don’t tell people it’s cauliflower, they would think they’re eating fish,” Quiroz says. the key is making sure cauliflower is cooked to the right texture; Quiroz says the perfect point is between too crunchy and too mushy. When boiling cauliflower, he suggests removing it to an ice bath once it reaches the ideal texture and doneness.

Molino’s Mexican Cuisine, multiple locations, Wichita, Kansas, facebook.com/molinosmexicancuisinewichita

one on one

mo

matt and eleanor tiefenbrun owners, buttonwood farm

CALIFORNIA, MO. in 2010, within two

years of graduating from the University of Missouri with a degree in general agriculture, 22-year-old Matt tiefenbrun, and his wife, eleanor (both St. Louis natives), bought 160 acres of land in California, Missouri. Shortly after, the couple founded Buttonwood Farm (named for the many sycamore trees that dot their fields), where they raise Cornish cross chickens and broad breasted White turkeys on pasture. With the help of Shady Maple Farm, a Mennonite dairy farm and processing facility located just 8 miles from buttonwood, the tiefenbruns say their farm has been able to almost double in production every year. thanks to strong family ties and support, the tiefenbruns have built a loyal and robust client base in the St. Louis area, including restaurants such as elaia, Farmhaus, Cardwell’s at the Plaza and Grapeseed, and their whole chickens and turkeys, chicken and turkey parts (legs, thighs, breasts and drumsticks), and ground

range bird that really tastes good. it just tastes more like turkey than cardboard – commercial turkeys are just bland; there’s not much flavor. i think ours are easier to cook; they don’t dry out as easily. And they have more bite to them – they’re not soft and flabby, but they’re not tough, either. –M.T. On social media, especially around thanksgiving, people post photos of their cooked turkeys, and they’re really glamorous and beautiful. We get a lot of feedback that it’s the best turkey they’ve ever had. –E.T. What’s next? if we can keep expanding a little bit each year, that’s my goal. i’d like to get bigger in Kansas City, and i think there’s still a bigger market in St. Louis, too. i don’t want to get too big too fast and lose quality or cut corners – we just want to grow at a steady pace, and i think that’s what we’ve done in the past two years. We keep the same clients – we don’t have people leave us, and i take pride in that. Chef Kevin Willmann from Farmhaus still puts an order in every week and has for six years. i think that kind of proves we’re doing something right. –M.T.

photography by demond meek

never injected with anything, never frozen. – Matt Tiefenbrun Why is it important to you to raise birds on pasture? back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, turkeys were raised on range, and that’s what i’m going back to. those guys had it figured out. i think it’s fun to go back to the traditional way of doing things, to raise a heartier bird that tastes better. the turkeys in barns [on industrial farms] – if people were to see that, i’d sell so many more turkeys; it would be outrageous. [On industrial farms] turkeys are jam-packed into barns and half of their feathers are picked off, and i just don’t agree with the way they’re raised. i think my birds have a better consistency, a better taste and definitely a better quality of life. –M.T. In September, you started selling Buttonwood Farm eggs. What’s Matt, tell us about your turkeys. We been the response so far? We’ve been do it the right way; we brood them in a barn and then they’re outside on pasture. delivering eggs to b.K. bakery in Jefferson City, and the baker is telling us how great We get their feed from a local feed mill they are – the whites, i guess, stand up a where most of the grain is from nearby farms. it’s an all-natural (obviously no lot taller than a commodity egg, and the antibiotics or hormones) soybean yolks are yellower. People like ‘em. it’s just a better egg. –M.T. Eleanor, how did and corn diet. there is grass your new flavored sausages, brats and under their feet from when breakfast links made with turkey and they’re 8½ weeks old to when they’re processed at chicken come about? We try not to waste anything, obviously, so when Matt cuts up about 18 weeks. We get a bird, aside from the breasts and thighs some a little older and and other parts, there’s still meat leftover. some a little younger that’s what’s used [for sausage and brats]. because some people want bigger [thanksgiving We went [to Swiss], sampled some stuff turkeys], and some people and chose flavors we liked, and it’s taken want smaller. Hens usually off pretty well – people especially seem to like the chorizo and andouille, and we just average 18 pounds and started the boudin. –Eleanor Tiefenbrun. toms about 22 to 24, but vary in size at the mercy of the What do you love most about your work? i think it’s nice for people to have a freeweather. they’re always fresh, turkey and chicken are sold in retail outlets including bolyard’s Meat & Provisions, Local Harvest Grocery, Straub’s and Fields Foods, and included in CSAs such as Fair Shares CCSA and Mac’s Local buys. recently, the farm released a line of sausages and brats made in partnership with Swiss Meat & Sausage Co. in Swiss, Missouri, including applecinnamon and turkey-cranberry brats, chicken andouille, chicken chorizo, turkeymaple breakfast links and turkey boudin.

And, this past September, buttonwood introduced farm-fresh eggs for the first time, which are a hot commodity at bolyard’s and through Fair Shares. As business continues to grow and thrive, the tiefenbruns have set their sights on expanding into central Missouri and the Kansas City area, where their first clients include Café Sebastienne at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Voltaire and the Westside Local.

Written by Liz MiLLer

Visit feastmagazine.com to read the full interview with the Tiefenbruns and to see more photos of their farm.

Buttonwood Farm, California, Missouri, 660.458.2402, buttonwoodfarms.com

Grilled Pizza | SandwicheS SouPS & SaladS

SmOkEd To ToDaY GoNe ToMoRrOw (314) 621-3107

7600 wydown blvd | clayton, mo 63105 pizzinostl.com | 314.240.5134

Q

FOR ALL YOUR CATERING NEEDS 1627 S. 9th Street St. Louis, MO 63104 bogartssmokehouse.com

sMoKiNg uP tHiS jOiNt sInCe FeBrUaRy 18, 2011 Inspired Local Food Culture

november 2015

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Regional RestauRant guide As proud supporters of Feast Magazine, we encourage you to visit any of these fine establishments. From fine dining to fast casual to local wineries, there are an array of experiences to choose from, so support and eat local!

1818 chophouse

café Sebastienne at Kemper Museum

4 Hands Brewing co.

café Ventana

4420 Warwick Blvd.

Kansas City, MO 816.561.7740 kemperart.org

210 S. Buchanan St. Edwardsville, IL 618.307.9300

3761 Laclede Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.644.4430 diablitoscantina.com

Don emiliano’s

Huddle Bar & Grill

1101 Caseyville Road Caseyville, IL 618-855-8555 facebook.com/ huddlebargrill

J Mcarthur’s - an american Kitchen

3919 W. Pine Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.531.7500 cafeventana.com

8600 Veterans Memorial Parkway O’Fallon, MO 636.294.9255 donemilianos.com

augusta Winery

cave Vineyard

evangeline’s Bistro

Joe Boccardi’s

512 N. Euclid Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.367.3644 evangelinesstl.com

117 S. Main St. Columbia, IL 618.281.6700 joeboccardis.com

aunt Maggie’s

chandler Hill Vineyards

Fratelli’s Ristorante

King & i

chaz on the plaza at the Raphael Hotel

Gallagher’s

Klondike café at Montelle Vineyard

citizen Kane’s Steak House

Garden cafe ala Fleur

cleveland-Heath

Grünauer

1220 S. Eighth St. St. Louis, MO 314.436.1559 4handsbrewery.com

5601 High St. Augusta, MO 888.667.9463 augustawinery.com

21124 Cave Road Ste. Genevieve, MO 573.543.5284 cavevineyard.com

230 N. Main St. Columbia, IL 618.281.7894 auntmaggiesonmain.com

avenue Restaurant 12 N. Meramec Ave. Clayton, MO 314.727.4141 avestl.com

596 Defiance Road Defiance, MO 636.798.2675 chandlerhillvineyards.com

325 Ward Parkway Kansas City, MO 816.802.2152 raphaelkc.com

aya Sofia

6671 Chippewa St. St. Louis, MO 314.645.9919 ayasofiacuisine.com

Balducci Vineyards

133 W. Clinton Place Kirkwood, MO 314.965.9005 citizenkanes.com

2061 Zumbehl Road St. Charles, MO 636.949.9005 fratellisristorante.com

114 W. Mill St. Waterloo, IL 618.939.9933 gallagherswaterloo.com

101 W. 22nd St. Kansas City, MO 816.283.3234 grunauerkc.com

balducciswineryandrestaurant.com

106 N. Main St. Edwardsville, IL 618.307.4830 clevelandheath.com

Barrister’s

corner Restaurant

Hendricks BBQ

Dewey’s pizza

Hodaks Restaurant & Bar

Bella Vino Wine Bar & tapas

325 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.724.3434 bellavinowinebarstl.com feastmagazine.com

NOVEMBER 2015

4059 Broadway Blvd.

Kansas City, MO 816.931.4401 thecornerkc.com

Multiple Locations deweyspizza.com

3500 Watson Road St. Louis, MO 314.353.9463 jmcarthurs.com

3157 S. Grand Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.771.1777 kingandistl.com

201 Montelle Dr. at MO Hwy 94 Augusta, MO 636.228.4464 montelle.com

524 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.493.6023 gardencafealafleur.com

6601 Hwy 94 S. Augusta, MO 636.482.8466

7923 Forsyth Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.726.5007 barristersclayton.com

24

Diablito’s

1200 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.724.8600 hendricksbbq.com

2100 Gravois Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.776.7292 hodaks.com

lanai coffee

5300 Donovan Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.835.7446 lanaicoffeestl.com

SpecialtieS: Nutty Hawaiian, Moscow Hurricane, Kona Mocha Monkey, Pumpkin Chai, Strawberry-HibiscusLemonade and more

Must Try :

Pumpkin-PralineLatte, servedhot,overiceor blendedasafrappe,made withadeliciousblendof pumpkin,nutmeg,cinnamon, caramelandpecan

lew’s Grill & Bar

7539 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 816.444.8080 lewsgrillandbar.com

llywelyn’s Pub

Multiple locations llywelynspub.com

Pizzabella

Multiple Locations 816.471.3300 pizzabellakc.com

Pizzino

7600 Wydown Blvd.

Clayton, MO 314.240.5134 pizzinostl.com

lorenzo’s Trattoria

1933 Edwards St. St. Louis, MO 314.773.2223 lorenzostrattoria.com

3121 Watson Road St. Louis, MO 314.647.6222 lorussos.com

Providence New american Kitchen 1329 Baltimore Ave. Kansas City, MO 816.303.1686 providence-kc.com

lucky Brewgrille

5401 Johnson Drive Mission, KS 913.403.8571 luckybrewgrille.com

SPECialTiES:

Duck fat fries, lobster pasta,Nebraskabisonsteak and egg, plus traditional holiday menu items in Novmber and December

Mai lee

Must Try :

8396 Musick Memorial Dr. Brentwood, MO 314.645.2835 maileestl.com

100 Hemsath Road Augusta, MO 636.482.4500 noboleisvineyards.com

Olympia Kebob House and Taverna

1543 McCausland Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.781.1299 olympiakebobandtaverna.com

One More Cup

7408 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 816.994.3644 onemorecupkc.com

Tenacious Eats

315 Chestnut St. St. Louis, MO 314. 655.1234

3117 Olive St. St. Louis, MO 314.605.3684 tenaciouseats.com

Sanctuaria

The abbey

Schlafly Tap Room and Schlafly Bottleworks

The Jacobson

Seasonally designed apple cobblers, brûléed cheesecake, True Manhattan cocktails

Q39

1000 W. 39th St. Kansas City, MO 816.255.3753 q39kc.com

Red Kitchen

315 Chestnut St. St. Louis, MO 314.259.3244

Reifschneider’s Grill & Grape

Multiple Locations grillandgrape.net

5801 W. Main St. Belleville, IL 618.277.8373 thebellevilleabbey.com

4198 Manchester Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.535.9700 sanctuariastl.com

Multiple Locations schlafly.com

loRusso’s Cucina

Noboleis Vineyards & Winery

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Seoul Taco

2050 Central St. Kansas City, MO 816.423.2888 thejacobsonkc.com

The Well

Multiple Locations 314.863.1148 seoultaco.com

7421 Broadway St. Kansas City, MO 816.361.1700 waldowell.com

Shrine Restaurant

Tiny’s Pub & Grill

Stone Hill Winery Vintage Restaurant

Tom + Chee

Stur Restaurant

Tony’s Restaurant & Prohibition lounge

442 S. Demazenod Drive Belleville, IL 618.394.6237 snows.org

1110 Stone Hill Highway Hermann, MO 573.486.2221 stonehillwinery.com

4 Club Centre Court A Edwardsville, IL 618.307.9613 sturrestaurant.com

602 N. Main St. Columbia, IL 618.281.9977 tinyscolumbia.com

1280 Highway K O’Fallon, MO 636.294.9800 tomandchee.com

312 Piasa St. Alton, IL 618.462.8384 tonysrestaurant.com

Sugar Creek Winery

Trattoria Giuseppe

Summit Grill & Bar

Truffles and Butchery

125 Boone County Lane Defiance, MO 636.987.2400 sugarcreekwines.com

4835 NE Lakewood Way Lees Summit, MO 816.795.7677 summitgrillandbar.com

5442 Old State Route 21 Imperial, MO 636.942.2405 trattoria-giuseppe.com

9202 Clayton Road St. Louis, MO 314.567.9100 todayattruffles.com

Our Coffee House & Cafe

Righteous Pig Bar-B-Que

Tannin Wine Bar

Webster House

125 N. Rapp St. Columbia, IL 618.281.4554 ourcoffeehousecafe.com

124 E. Main St. Belleville, IL 618.520.8817 righteouspigbbq.com

Pappy’s Smokehouse

Robller Vineyard & Winery

Tea Market

Wild Sun Winery

3106 Olive St. St. Louis, MO 314.535.4340 pappyssmokehouse.com

275 Robller Vineyard Road New Haven, MO 573.237.3986 robllerwines.com

1526 Walnut St. Kansas City, KS 816.842.2660 tanninwinebar.com

329 E. 55th St. Kansas City, MO 816.822.9832 teamarketonline.com

1644 Wyandotte St. Kansas City, MO 816.221.4713 websterhousekc.com

4830 Pioneer Road Hillsboro, MO 636.797.8686 wildsunwinery.com Inspired Local Food Culture

NOVEMBER 2015

25

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• Banquet or customizable menu • Private event space, up to 60 seated for buffet dinner or 120 cocktail-style party • Fun and casual atmosphere • Sound system, audio visual and microphones available to book your event please contact amy Snook, General Manager amy@luckybrewgrille.com or 913-403-8571 5401 Johnson Drive, Mission, KS 66205 913-403-8571, www.luckybrewgrille.com 26

feastmagazine.com

NOVEMBER 2015

where we’re drinking

tiki bar meets coffee shop on p. 30 PHOTOGRAPHy by JOnATHAn GAymAn

tRENDING NOW: LOcAL cREAM SHERRy

on trend

WrITTEN BY BETHANY CHrISTo PHoToGrAPHY BY JoNATHAN GAYMAN

Sherry is a fortified dessert wine originally hailing from southern Spain traditionally made with Palomino grapes. There are several varieties of sherry, including amontillado, fino, oloroso and cream sherry, a sweetened version made at a handful of Midwest wineries. mo

solera

ks

wine wiz

HERMANN, MO. Missouri’s climate is well-suited for

WAMEGO, KS. “We don’t take ourselves seriously, but

the ripe, soft character of sherry wine, according to Stone Hill Winery’s senior winemaker Dave Johnson, and that’s the main reason its award-winning cream sherry was added to its lineup in 1993. Stone Hill uses a modified version of the traditional Spanish solera method of making sherry and ages in casks in a building warmed by the summer sun. The final product is a blend of several grape varieties and vintages, dating back to 1999 for this year’s bottling.

“Sherry isn’t really a wine that we would call varietal in nature, meaning that you’re not trying to highlight a particular characteristic of the grape the way we would say Traminette has floral spiciness,” Johnson says. “With sherry, it’s more about the aging and the maderization. Year to year, we’re looking for an overall flavor.” Johnson says the cream sherry, which won Best of Class in the dessert/fortified category at the 2015 Missouri Wine Competition, is a handcrafted product, on par with fine sherries produced in Spain. He suggests pairing it with nuts and dark chocolate, curled up next to a roaring fire.

we do take our wines seriously,” says Noah Wright, head winemaker and co-owner of Oz Winery, located in Wamego, Kansas, about halfway between Topeka and Manhattan. In addition to its table wines, the 8-year-old winery offers dessert wines including Surrender, its cream sherry, and lighter offerings – both in style and in name – such as Glinda’s Bubbly sparkling wine or Yellow Brix semisweet white blend.

Wright is passionate about using 100 percent natural ingredients in his wine: Surrender, for example, uses wine made with California-sourced Chardonnay grapes fortified with a grape-based spirit. It’s heated at 90°F to 100°F for four to six months in tanks that Wright fabricated to function like an oven. “We slowly infuse it with a small percentage of oxygen, which oxidizes the sherry and gives it nutty caramel, walnut and pecan flavors,” he says. When Wright first made sherry back in 2009, he tried baking the wine on the roof in the traditional Spanish way, “but we couldn’t get five days of 90°F to 100°F weather, let alone the five months sherry needs,” Wright says.

Stone Hill Winery, 1110 Stone Hill Highway, Hermann, Missouri, 573.486.2221, stonehillwinery.com

Oz Winery, 417 Lincoln Ave., Wamego, Kansas, 785.456.7417, ozwinerykansas.com

ONLINE EXtRA

Visit feastmagazine.com for a recipe for Stone Hill Winery Cream Sherry Bundt Cake developed by winery co-founder Betty Held.

WHERE tO tRy & Buy StONE HILL WINERy’S cREAM SHERRy: Purchase online at shop.stonehillwinery.com or at retailers and restaurants across Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and more, including select Schnucks, Hy-Vee and Gomer’s Fine Wines and Spirits locations. Find a full list of vendors under Where to Buy at stonehillwinery.com.

Oz WINERy’S SuRRENDER: Oz ships wine to almost every state in the U.S., depending on state laws. Order by phone at 785.456.7417 or by emailing orders@ozwinerykansas.com. An online store will be up and running soon.

BLuE SKy VINEyARD’S SHAWNEE cREAM: Purchase online at blueskyvineyard.com or at the vineyard’s tasting room. A few retailers in southern Illinois also carry Shawnee Cream; call the winery at 618.995.9463 to inquire about specific retailers.

il

tressler

MAKANDA, IL. Niagara, a native white grape first grown in New York, takes up more than an acre of land at Blue Sky Vineyard. About five years ago, the winery in Makanda, Illinois, produced more Niagara wine than it sold, and used the excess to make cream sherry using the Tressler method, which originated on the East Coast. To make Blue Sky’s cream sherry, winemaker Karen Hand fortifies Niagara wine with a neutral, high-proof grape spirit and adds sugar, then heats the liquid in a tank at 120°F for about three months to effectively “bake” it and create Shawnee Cream, which won the Governor’s Cup for dessert wine at the 2015 Illinois State Fair Wine Competition. Hand recommends drinking cream sherry with your dessert, rather than as dessert; she enjoys it with bread pudding or almond cookies to bring out the sherry’s nut and toffee notes.

Blue Sky Vineyard, 3150 S. Rocky Comfort Road, Makanda, Illinois, 618.995.9463, blueskyvineyard.com

One On One como

kit maxfield

co-founder, root sellers brewing co.

Written by Macy SalaMa

COLUMBIA, MO. Kit Maxfield, co-

photography by aaron ottis

owner of Root Sellers Brewing Co. in the Kansas city area, says nostalgia is the reason his beer resonates with customers. root Sellers is most often sought out for its row Hard root beer, but the brewery also produces a hard ginger beer and introduced a carrot-apple ale to the market last month. Due to increasing demand and dwindling production space, the brewery merged with rock bridge brewing co. earlier this year, effectively expanding root Sellers into columbia, Missouri. although the brands are still individually owned and operated, they now share space and equipment.

How did you get started brewing root beer? My background is in home brewing; i’m fascinated with beer and love it. i started with brewing batches in the basement and driving my wife crazy. Greg and i are big into beer – we always talked and joked about starting a beer company. at about that time, we found a nonalcoholic ginger beer that we thought was the bee’s knees, called regatta. We asked ourselves, if we start a beer business, do we want to make iPas, brown ales and belgian [ales]? We have traveled to Germany and belgium and tried all these beers and love them deeply, but we also wanted to make an impact by making things people aren’t already doing. With that mindset for a beer company, we developed root Sellers.

We did tons and tons of batches of Pedal Hard Ginger beer, which is the first product we came out with. the next product was row Hard root beer, which is what we wanted to do from the get-go. We have had an unbelievable response to that product. it’s very nostalgic; the packaging reminds you of childhood whimsy. Why did Root Sellers and Rock Bridge merge? it came about because [root Sellers co-owner] Greg [Dennis] and i brought on a few partners who brought something different and helped out in different areas like equipment and processing. then we also brought on one of the owners of torn label brewing co. [in Kansas city] – we have quite an all-star team. We were presented with the challenge of not having enough capacity to produce our products, and we found that rock bridge brewing co. was interested in talking to us about getting more bandwidth. We worked on a deal with them and have since purchased their equipment. We moved in with the help of rock bridge’s brewmaster [Stu burkemper] – he is really talented, and we love his vision on the rock bridge brand. essentially, the merger in columbia has really benefited everybody. it’s like they say, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” What’s your most popular product? Our biggest seller is row Hard root beer, by far. Our root beer is also gluten-free because we wanted to make our product the traditional way. root beer was always alcoholic back in the day before it was turned into soda pop. We took that same traditional recipe, but with new brewing techniques, found out how to make it with a higher alcohol percentage – 6.7 percent. the ginger beer is sold in the Kansas city market and ramping up throughout Missouri, but you can find our root beer in most liquor stores in Missouri. What are you currently experimenting with? Our newest beer, Himmel & erde carrotapple ale, is German for “heaven and earth,” and is based off a German dish with potatoes and applesauce. they call it heaven and earth because potatoes come from the ground and apples come from trees reaching up to heaven. We ferment the carrot juice and add sweetener that’s part apple juice. it’s extremely refreshing. Himmel & erde is available on draft in select restaurants and bars across Missouri.

Root Sellers Brewing Co., 1330 E. Prathersville Road, Columbia, Missouri, rootsellersinc.com

Inspired Local Food Culture

november 2015

29

the mix

Drowning SorrowS in the past few years, i’ve done quite a bit of research on tiki drinks. there’s been a lot of trial and error, including some cocktails that depart from the traditional summer flavors so associated with tiki drinks. a few of my recipes have even made it into national competitions and restaurant menus. here is one that has seen the most success – the drowning Sorrows. today, one of the defining characteristics of tiki cocktails is that they use multiple base spirits to form one singular flavor that no one component can achieve on its own – but that hasn’t always been the case. ernest gantt, known as donn beach, is credited with inventing tiki drinks in southern california in the mid-1930s, right around the repeal of prohibition. gantt had an extreme interest in polynesian culture and rum after traveling the world as a young man. he combined rum with South pacific flavors, and tiki drinks were born. gin found its way into the

Story and recipe by Matt Seiter photography by Jonathan gayMan

fad in the 1940s via Victor bergeron, known as trader Vic, who blended multiple spirits into tiki drinks instead of only using rum. one of bergeron’s most recognized drinks is the Samoan Fog cutter – a blend of gin, rum, brandy, several fresh juices and spiced syrup.

When developing the drowning Sorrows, i chose a London dry gin with a light dryness and prominent citrus notes, and scotch to provide a malty, creamy mouthfeel with a hint of smoke. coffee might seem like an oddball ingredient in a tiki drink, but it plays well with both scotch and gin. although orgeat syrup, which is made with almonds, did not appear in tiki drinks until the 1940s, it’s been prevalent since. the overall flavor of drowning Sorrows falls right in line with those of classic tikis: an extremely flavorful mix of spice, citrus and bold, boozy flavor – and yet one perfectly suited to a chilly fall or winter evening.

Matt Seiter is co-founder of the United States Bartenders’ Guild’s St. Louis chapter, a member of the national board for the USBG’s MA program, author of the dive bar of cocktails bars, bartender at BC’s Kitchen and a bar and restaurant consultant.

Drowning Sorrows Serves | 1 | SPICED COFFEE (Yields 8 ounces)

1 2 2 8

stick cinnamon pods star anise whole cloves oz fresh hot coffee

COCktaIl

1½ oz gin (Beefeater or other London Dry) 1 oz single malt scotch 1 oz spiced coffee (recipe below) ½ oz fresh grapefruit juice ½ oz fresh lime juice ½ oz orgeat syrup 2 dashes Angostura bitters crushed ice sprig fresh mint

| Preparation – Spiced Coffee | crack cinnamon stick into a Mason jar and muddle. add remaining spices. pour hot coffee over mixture and allow to cool to room temperature. cover and refrigerate overnight. Spiced coffee will keep for 3 days. | Preparation – Cocktail | combine all ingredients except mint in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a tiki mug or collins glass filled with crushed ice. add more crushed ice as needed. garnish with mint sprig.

on the shelf : november picks

WINE

BushWhackeR BenD WineRy’s iRon hoRse ReD

6665 Delmar BlvD | St. louiS, mo. | 314.863.1148 hours: 11am - 10pm everyday 1020 e. Broadway | columBia mo. | 573.441.taco HourS: Sun - weD 11am - 10pm tHurS - Sat 11am - 2am

6665 Delmar BlvD | St. louiS, mo.

314.925.8452 HourS: Sun, mon. weD. & tHurS. 5pm - 11pm fri. & sat. 5pm -midnight • closed tuesday

written by Hilary HedGeS

winner of feast 50 readers choice food truck savory fast casual Best taco runner up

pRaiRie aRtisan ales’ tulsa RugBy ale

BQ

a Fa ut m he ily n t ex ic pe ko ri r en ea ce n B

w

w

BEER

w .s e o

Hilary Hedges is a former newsie whose passion for wine led her out of the newsroom and into the cellar. She is currently the director of sales and marketing and assistant winemaker at Amigoni Urban Winery in Kansas City’s West Bottoms.

ur

Bushwhacker Bend Winery, 660.338.2100, bushwhackerbend.com

yo

with notes of cranberry and spice, iron Horse red is the ideal match for your holiday meal. a semidry blend of Missouri-grown St. Vincent and norton grapes, this wine can be served at room temperature or slightly chilled. it’s soft and smooth with a wellrounded mouthfeel and lingering fruit on the finish.

Bushwhacker Bend Winery’s wines are available at its tasting room in Glasgow, Missouri, where you can soak in beautiful views from its deck overlooking the majestic Missouri river.

Se ulta c o o.co u m l Q

provenance: Glasgow, Missouri pairings: Turkey • Glazed ham • Roasted fall vegetables

written by brandon niCkelSon

style: american Pale ale (5.4% abV) pairings: Hamburger and fries

Prairie Artisan Ales, one of our favorite Midwest breweries out of tulsa, oklahoma, has a great following and is well-known for its amazing stouts and delicious sours. what it’s not well known for, yet, is its hopped beers. the brewery’s tulsa rugby ale is a perfect balance of caramel malts and light hops – just right for the changing seasons.

www.seoulqstl.com

Prairie Artisan Ales, 918.949.4318, prairieales.com Brothers Brandon and Ryan Nickelson are available to help with beer picks and pairing recommendations at their store, Craft Beer Cellar, the only all-craft beer shop in the St. Louis area. Craft Beer Cellar is located at 8113 Maryland Ave. in Clayton, Missouri. To learn more, call 314.222.2444 or visit craftbeercellar.com/clayton.

SPIRIT

RochepoRt Distilling co.’s White Rum written by Matt Sorrell provenance: rocheport, Missouri (40% abV) try it: this rum begs to be used in a tiki-style cocktail

if you consider rum a vaguely vodka-esque spirit, fit only to pair with Coca-Cola, Rocheport Distilling Co.’s white rum will change your mind. this rich, heavy spirit is reminiscent of the best Jamaican-style rums. it’s redolent of tropical fruits – think mango and pineapple – with the distinctive, almost vegetal funk that’s the hallmark of these types of pot-distilled spirits. Currently, rocheport self-distributes, but by spring, Glazer’s will be taking over distribution, and the rum will be more widely available. For now, try it at Planter’s House or bar Paradigm in St. louis, Shrunken Head tropic lounge in Jefferson City and the distillery’s tasting room at les bourgeois winery in rocheport, Missouri.

Rocheport Distilling Co., 1.800.690.1830, facebook.com/rocheportdistilling When he’s not writing, Matt Sorrell can be found slinging drinks at Planter’s House in St. Louis’ Lafayette Square or bartending at events around town with his wife, Beth, for their company, Cocktails Are Go.

Feast Your Eyes Chef David Kirkland of Café Osage presents an intimate, four-course Caribbean-themed meal inspired by Hurvin Anderson: Backdrop.

Tuesday, November 10 Tour: 6:30 pm Dinner: 7:00 pm $75; $50 for members camstl.org/feast

Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis 3750 Washington Blvd 314.535.4660 camstl.org Inspired Local Food Culture

november 2015

31

where we’re drinking Check out what we’re sipping at bars, restaurants, breweries, wineries and coffee shops. mo

infuжn boдкa bar WriTTen by eTTie berneKing

joPlin, Mo. There’s a lot of buzz going on in Joplin,

Infuжn Boдкa Bar, 530 S. Main St., Joplin, Missouri, 417.483.3979, infuxn.com

story

WRITTEN By JENNy VERgARA | PHoTogRAPHy By zACH BAuMAN

Prairie Village, KS. Carl ThorneThomsen, chef-proprietor of Story in Prairie Village, Kansas, is no stranger to accolades. He’s a 2013 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: Midwest and a 2014 Food & Wine winner of People’s Best New Chef. This summer,

KC

32

feastmagazine.com

NOVEMBER 2015

Thorne-Thomsen received news that Story’s wine list had been upgraded to a “Best of Award of Excellence” in the Wine Spectator Restaurant Wine List Awards for 2015. The industry magazine praises Story’s list for the breadth and depth of its California

labels and for its moderate prices, with bottles ranging from $30 to $200 and up. Story was also recently included in the The World of Fine Wine’s world’s best wine lists. All of the acclaim speaks to the amount of time Thorne-Thomsen places on

tending to his wine list, which plays to the restaurant’s food, influenced by Spanish, French and Italian cuisine.

Story, 3931 W. 69th Terrace, Prairie Village, Kansas, 913.236.9955, storykc.com

PHoTogRAPHy By MARK NEuENSCHWANdER

Missouri, and a fair amount of it has to do with a sparkling marble bathroom. ever since Infuжn Boдкa Bar opened its giant glass doors on Main Street in January, Joplin has been humming with excitement.

That’s because infuжn, like its decadent bathrooms, is like nothing else in town. While the bulk of Joplin’s bar scene is a jumble of dives, infuжn is a marble fortress where guests can lounge on stylish leather sofas and sip on one of the many tempting tinctures. Vodka is the poison of choice here, but more specifically, when served in the infuжn Moscow Mule. everything has a russian twist: To melt away cold-weather blues, order The Caipirozhe, with russian Standard vodka mixed with brown sugar simple syrup, muddled lime and fresh rosemary, or try one of the bar’s cold-brew cocktails. if it’s early in the night and you’re eager to see what all the hype is about, sidle up to infuжn’s ice bar and let the evening take you where it will.

PHOtOgraPHy by eMiLy suzanne MCDOnaLD

it’s back!

HOLIDAY SHOPPING EXPO stl

standard brewing co. written by HeatHer riske

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO. Former homebrewers Jeff Harlan and Jeff Jones – known to many as the two Js behind the recently shuttered “brew-your-own” J2 brewing in Chesterfield, Missouri – opened their first brewery, Standard Brewing Co., in Maryland Heights, Missouri, in september. Four classic styles make up standard’s current lineup: the enigma iPa, brewed with local honey; the klassisch hefeweizen; the robust sbC Dry irish stout, with hints of coffee and chocolate; and Of Visions and Dreams, an american blonde ale described by standard’s team as “the perfect lawn mower beer.”

a handful of other local breweries are represented on tap, including 4 Hands brewing Co., big Muddy brewing and the Civil Life brewing Co., with taps changing weekly. the cocktail menu features exclusively local players, too, including Pinckney bend Distillery, stilL 630 and st. Louis Distillery. try one of two beer cocktails – the radler is a refreshing blend of standard’s iPa and excel bottling Co.’s rummy grapefruit soda, while the Hefezitrone combines standard’s hefeweizen with lemonade. even the food at standard is beer-inspired: Pulse Pizza’s in-house team uses the brewery’s spent grain in pizzas including the buffalo rider and italian Meat Party, as well as pretzels served with hefeweizen beer cheese sauce.

Standard Brewing Co., 12322 Dorsett Road, Maryland Heights, Missouri, 314.548.2270, standardbrewingstl.com

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drink destination: osaGe BeaCH, Mo.

ozark distillery osaGe BeaCH, Mo. Dave Huffman, owner of Ozark Distillery in Osage Beach, Missouri, has been distilling for as long as he can remember. As a young man, he distilled a batch of his homebrewed beer using his mom’s pressure cooker as a still. “I made 2 quarts of this beautiful clear liquid, but it tasted awful,” Huffman says. “My dad used to carry around butterscotch candies. I took 10 candies, smashed them up, put them in a quart jar with the moonshine (and I use that term loosely) and let them dissolve. It took about three weeks before it was ready – and everybody liked it.”

distillery’s first two products were corn whiskey and bourbon. “We use a very simple recipe – our corn whiskey is 80 percent corn, 20 percent malted barley, and it’s an all-grain process,” Huffman says. “Our bourbon is a wheated bourbon; we use corn, wheat and barley for the recipe.”

unaged whiskey, in four other flavors – apple pie, vanilla bean, blackberry and the newly released sweet tea – plus a corn-based vodka. And just three years after launching, the distillery distributes in about 330 locations across Missouri, including in St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia and Branson.

Despite his early success with infused spirits, Huffman wasn’t initially interested in making flavored whiskeys.

“I was just going to make corn whiskey and bourbon, but my wife convinced me that we needed to develop flavors,” he says. “The first flavor I wanted to do was obvious to me – butterscotch.”

Every Saturday, from 10am to 5pm, Huffman hosts hourly tours of the distillery and offers samples in its tasting room. “We’ll have 100 to 150 people come through,” he says. “I don’t know if it’s the tour or the samples they’re interested in, but it’s good.”

Ozark Distillery, 1684 Highway KK, Osage Beach, Missouri, 573.348.2449, ozarkdistillery.com

In addition to butterscotch, Ozark Distillery now offers moonshine, or

PHOTOgrAPHy COurTESy OzArK DISTILLEry

After years of distilling as a hobby, Huffman and his wife, Tiffhany, opened Ozark Distillery in December 2012. The

WrITTEn By LIz MILLEr

three must-sip spirits at ozark distillery | 1 | Ozark Distillery’s wheated bourbon | 2 | Huffman’s flavored moonshines is aged in new charred-oak barrels from Cuba, Missouri, (using trees from Bourbon, Missouri, no less). “We mash, ferment, distill – it’s easy to say, but it gets a little more complicated when you run the still,” Huffman says.

one on one

are made, as much as possible, with natural ingredients. “For the apple pie moonshine we use real apples and real tea leaves for our sweet tea,” he says.

“For the butterscotch, I have to use a natural flavoring [per the FDA].”

| 3 | Flavored moonshines are made with Ozark Distillery’s corn whiskey.

“We do everything here,” Huffman says. “We’ve got a 200-gallon still with a 10-inch column that we use, and everything’s made with Missouri corn and grain.”

stl

aaron johnson owner, rise coffee house Written By Macy SalaMa

ST. LOUIS. aaron Johnson started as just a customer at Rise Coffee House. then he picked up some barista shifts before becoming general manager, and now, he’s the owner. On July 1, rise founder Jessie Mueller sold her shop to Johnson. He made a few changes almost immediately, including improving coffee equipment and rearranging the flow of the café. He’s not stopping there, though: Johnson is planning to nearly double the space at rise by spring 2016.

she offered me a job – i said no. She kept asking me because i was still going there to write, and a few weeks later i said yes. i told her i was going to leave – once i took over as general manager, i promised her only a year of my time – telling her i would leave to do my own coffee shop. She came back a few months later and told me instead of starting my own, she wouldn’t choose anyone else but me to take over hers. it’s an honor and pretty daunting at the same time. What coffee are you currently serving at Rise? We’re offering Goshen coffee co.’s Breakfast Blend for our drip coffee and Sump coffee is serving as our espresso and pour-over. We bring on others for our pour-over bar when something local impresses us. We’ve never served anything that is more than two states away. there are enough great coffee roasters in and near Missouri. Something we have at rise that you don’t see everywhere is really excellent decaf coffee. in cafés, decaf is typically an afterthought, but to have a decaf you can drink and not think is decaf is pretty amazing. Is Rise still offering childrens’ programs? i took ownership on July 1, but the one thing Jessie still has domain over is our kids’ programs. Half of the upstairs is just for kids and parents; at 10:30am on Mondays

and tuesdays, there is a program called craft-ability – for a small fee, kids ages 2 to 6 can be involved in a crafting class.

On the third Wednesday of every month, we have celia’s Sing-a-long at 10am. celia leads a wild sing-a-long – kids lose their minds for it. What’s next for Rise? there are different ideas floating around, but we bought the building directly next door on the same day i took ownership of rise.

We are planning to move rise into that building around spring. right now, the concept will be to keep the bottom floor a traditional café space. We don’t have architecture plans yet, but we know we will provide a kitchen and bakery, along with a fun, comfortable place for adults with Super Mario Bros. and things like that, a silent library and a living room space. the kitchen will focus on breakfast food – our street has enough dinner restaurants and bars, so we want to do good, affordable, breakfast. With the top and bottom floors of the new space, we will nearly double in size. Jessie will be pursuing her own ideas in the current space, including the kids’ programs she’s developed.

Rise Coffee House, 4180 Manchester Ave., The Grove, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.769.9535, risecoffeestl.com

PHOTOgrAPHy By EMILy SuzAnnE MCDOnALD

What do you love about coffee? i started drinking coffee in elementary school, and i worked my way up the palate chain from instant coffee to Folgers to Starbucks, constantly improving over the years to get where i am today. i think what hooked me on coffee was, bizarrely, the community at the Starbucks where i first worked. i was a customer for a few years before i worked there; i would go there to study and write. there was a core group of customers there every day who knew one another really well. the community that can grow in any coffee shop is what hooked me on café culture. How did you first get involved with Rise? there was a barista who bailed on a busy Saturday morning shift, and Jessie needed somebody to help out. i had been setting up at rise writing for a few months by that time; she knew my coffee background, so she asked me to help out. i said yes and jumped on. it felt good to be behind an espresso machine again, and it was easy. She noticed how easy it was for me, so

Celebrating

history, tradition and progress HeartHside Grill

Grimm & Gorly Located in the heart of downtown Belleville, they offer fresh grinds & sweet treats, supplying a one-stop-shop with local flair. Order a caffeinated, or not so caffeinated, beverage with your choice of house-made sweets to kick-off any morning or afternoon craving. As you and yours come together during the start of this holiday season, we invite you to make us a part of your family’s tradition.

322 and 324 E Main Street, Belleville, IL 62220 618.234.4455 and 618.234.4466 | grimmandgorly.com

Come to Hearthside Grill & Fireplace for the most comprehensive selection of Big Green Eggs and Eggcessories in the St. Louis Area. From appetizers to entrees to desserts, the Big Green Egg will exceed all of your expectations for culinary perfection … and with seven convenient sizes to choose from, there is a Big Green Egg to fit any lifestyle!

418 South Belt East, Belleville, IL 62220 618.257.0700 | hearthsidegrill.com

Righteous pig bbq At Righteous Pig we do things the ole’ fashioned way low and slow, but with our own twist to things. We still use a charcoal and wood smoker and smoke fresh everyday. Our double seasoned double smoked burnt ends are smoked for 20 hours for a nice flavorful bark and a melt in your mouth inside. We only have these available on certain days, so like us on Facebook to get a post of our daily specials. Try it with our PIT SMOKED BEANS AND A COOL CRAFT BEER. 124 E. Main St., Belleville, IL 62220 | 618.520.8817 | rigthteouspigbbq.com

The abbey Open every weekday at 6:30 a.m., The Abbey Espresso Bar serves breakfast and lunch accompanied by gourmet coffees, teas, and espresso drinks sure to delight every bean bravado. On Thursday and Friday nights the patio lights up and the “Abbey in the Evening” features live music, a wide variety of craft beers, handcrafted cocktails, fine wines, and a unique dinner menu, including chef specials integrating fresh veggies and herbs from our back door garden.

5801 W Main St, Belleville, IL 62226 | 618.277.8373 | thebellevilleabbey.com

Happy Hop Homebrew & Gourmet Happy Hop Homebrew & Gourmet is more than just a brew shop. In addition to offering the Metro East’s beer brewers and wine makers an extensive inventory of supplies and ingredients to practice their craft, they’ve included a wide selection of gifts, foodie items, natural products, and locally crafted wares. Have one of their knowledgeable staff help you craft your very own delicious beer or wine recipe, check out their full line of essential oils, or simply enjoy the inviting aroma of hand crafted soaps and aromatherapy products. Located in the heart of historic downtown Belleville, Happy Hop is the place for that person on your gift list you thought had everything.

122 E. Main Street, Belleville, IL 62220 | 618-277-2550 | happyhophomebrew.com 103 E. Vandalia, Edwardsville, IL 62025

grappa growlers Grappa Growlers is a unique beer, wine, and gift establishment where you can sip on a glass of house wine, open your favorite bottle of wine from the store, or enjoy one of eight rotating craft beers on tap. While you’re there, you can also peruse the gift shop offering customizable baskets, personalized labels, local products and more. With more than 500 global wines and 150 beers and spirits, you are sure to find something that tantalizes your taste buds.

Beer and wine tastings are held every other Wednesday from 5 - 7 pm.

1501 N. Belt West, Belleville, IL 62226 | 618-234-9463 | grappagrowlers.com

The Shrine reSTauranT If you are looking for a casual dining experience, the Shrine Restaurant is the perfect place. Serving lunch and dinner and an excellent Sunday Brunch.

For something unique, try our new German menu which is sure to please.

Browse the website for hours and lunch and dinner menus.

442 South De Mazenod Dr., Belleville, IL 62223 618.394.6237 | snows.org/rest Inspired Local Food Culture

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Experience All-In Luxury™ at Royalton Punta Cana Resort & Casino, with its modern décor, amenities, and picturesque tropical setting. Situated on the white sands of Bavaro Beach on the stunning Caribbean coast, Royalton Punta Cana Resort & Casino is ideal for vacationers with a penchant for luxury, comfort and style.

Embark on a culinary journey showcasing innovative cuisine from around the world. Savor a delicious range of international delicacies in any of the ten delightful specialty restaurants, including Gourmet, Mexican, Seafood, Japanese, Steak House, Italian, Mediterranean and Tapas.

Apple Vacations, the World’s #1 Vacation Company to the Dominican Republic, makes getting to Punta Cana easy and affordable with exclusive vacation flights non-stop from St. Louis. Airport/hotel transfers are always included!

Explore the best of Japanese cuisine at Zen, as you get transported to faraway shores.

I WIsh I KneW...

some new ideas for thanksgiving side dishes

Written by Macy Salama

creamy mushroom ragout over sweet potato cakes This dish can be prepared up to one day in advance. It substitutes as a starter, side dish or main course for any vegetarians at the table.

pan-roasted brussels sprouts with brown butter and toasted pecans Fall flavors like brown butter and toasted

pecans dress up your vegetables and will fit right into your Thanksgiving feast.

warm butternut squash and chickpea salad It’s a slight departure from your traditional sweet potato, but adding a tahini dressing brings a Mediterranean inspiration to your Thanksgiving table.

sautÉed sweet potatoes and spinach Cut sweet potatoes into cubes, cook and stir them until their texture softens. Add in curry powder, red onion and spinach and finish by stirring in a balsamic vinaigrette for an easy, tasty side dish. spicy cranberry sauce with pinot noir For a cranberry sauce that is sweet without being overwhelming, try adding pinot noir to your cooked cranberries. Spice them with curry, ginger and fennel seeds to take your sauce to the next level.

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sausage, cranberry and pecan stuffing Instead of defaulting to yearly staples or premade mixes, add some fall favorites like cranberries and pecan to your stuffing. Sausage imparts an even richer flavor, as well. parsnip and carrot mash Instead of potatoes, mash up parsnip and carrots for a different approach to the traditional favorite. Add a touch of nutmeg to perfect the dish. lemon-dill carrots For a quick and easy dish, toss whole steamed carrots in lemon-dill vinaigrette. In a matter of minutes this dish will be ready to serve.

herb-capers cauliflower Serve roasted cauliflower with a bright herb-capers sauce. Make your Thanksgiving Day less hectic by preparing the sauce in advance, and the cauliflower will only take minutes to roast. chunky apple-caramel cake Bake apple-caramel cake in a skillet, then stud the cake with caramel to add an extrasweet note to the last bites of your meal.

9811 S. 40 Drive, St. Louis, MO 63124 310 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64112 St. Louis: 314-587-2433 KC: 816-627-0100 Check out our upcoming public cooking classes at lecole.edu 36

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NOVEMBER 2015

shop here

find olive the above on p. 40 PhotograPhy by igor dutina/istock

shop here

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total wine & more ballwin, Mo. If you’re looking for wine,

beer or spirits to pair with holiday meals, there are two – and soon to be three – one-stop shops almost guaranteed to have what you’re looking for, and then some. The first Midwest location of Total Wine & More opened in Ballwin, Missouri, in September. In October, a Brentwood location opened, with a third slated to open this month in Chesterfield. In addition to its St. Louis-area stores, the national chain has 120 other locations on the East and West coasts.

STORy AnD PhOTOgRAPhy By BEThAny ChRISTO

Walking into the 22,000-square-foot space can be daunting at first; the cast of 8,000 wines, 3,000 spirits and 2,500 beers grows every day.

Thankfully, friendly and expert staff are at nearly every turn to guide you – company-wide, Total Wine makes an effort to train its employees through weekly wine tastings, training and certification programs, monthly wine producer seminars and more. Plus, team members must receive 150 hours of training before being able to work the sales floor.

artisan product

Wines are stocked close to the store’s entrance, organized by location – with a temperature-controlled cellar for rare selections – and then by varietal, including options from Missouri and Illinois wineries. There’s also a bargain section for wines under $3, $4 and $5.

The store’s wine-tasting bar and Brewery District offer weekly samples of new products. For beer, you can mix-and-match six-packs and buy full cases or six-packs of both popular beers and hard-to-find microbrews. There’s

even a chilled room for six-packs and kegs if you’re on the way to a gathering.

Cigar aficionados will enjoy the walk-in humidor, and gadget and home bar geeks have plenty to peruse, including Game of Thrones-themed beer glasses, Riedel glassware and party props. A classroom hosts private meetings, tasting and pairing events, and classes.

Total Wine & More, multiple locations, totalwine.com

stl

mound city shelled nuts WRITTEn By BEThAny ChRISTO

uniVersitY citY, Mo. Since 1917, Mound City Shelled Nut Co. has been roasting

high-quality nuts in St. Louis, and not much has changed in the subsequent 100 years. Co-owners Byron and Stacy Smyrniotis took over operations in 1973, and use a roasting process that produces a natural sweetness and requires little seasoning. The tender nuts are good on their own but come in mixes, too – like the popular Deluxe Mixed Nuts bag of colossal cashews, California almonds, mammoth pecan halves, large blanched hazelnuts, Brazil nuts and English walnut halves. Nut butters are all-natural, as well, and roasted to order, including the ever-popular chocolate-peanut butter and its newest companion, skin-on almond butter, released this summer. All products, including gift boxes and tins that are great for the holidays, can be purchased online or at the company’s charming St. Louis storefront.

Mound City Shelled Nut Co., 7831 Olive Blvd., University City, Missouri, 314.725.9040, moundcity.com PhOTOgRAPhy By jACkLyn MEyER

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feastmagazine.com

NOVEMBER 2015

Infuse

By Eric Prum and Josh Williams penguinrandomhouse.com

culinary library

WrittEn By BEthany Christo

in Eric Prum and Josh Williams’ first book, Shake (2013), the two friends and culinary innovators shared how to bring the craft cocktail movement home to enjoy with friends. in their new book, Infuse, they’ve gone outside the cocktail glass to offer step-by-step instructions for infusing a variety of flavorful ingredients into spirits, water, oils and more. in addition to infusion recipes, the book offers more than 50 others that use your freshly made infusions, be it cranberry-infused rum punch with warm mulling spices, spicy cucumber gin, savory bites like burrata-caprese salad with basil-infused oil or movie-night popcorn drizzled with sriracha-honey butter.

Combat chilly fall and winter weather with warming homemade irish cream or Meyer lemon-lavender-mint tea.

Kitchen Hours M - TH 11 – 9, F 11 – 10, Sat 10 – 10, Sun 9 – 9 (late night menu is available for two hours after the kitchen is closed, except for Sunday)

Happy Hour: Monday – Saturday 4 PM – 7 PM 7923 Forsyth Blvd, Clayton • (314) 726-5007

Fun Food, Happy People, Great Drinks! #1 Restaurant! #1 Chef!

Find out why we are the Top Restaurant with the Top Chef in Feast Magazine’s Feast 50.

106 N. Main St. • Edwardsville 618.307.4830 • clevelandheath.com Mon-Fri 11:00-close, Sat 10:00-close Offering Saturday brunch • First Come - First Serve (No reservations) Open Mon - Fri starting at 11 am and Sat starting at 10 am

get this gadget

norpro silicone stand up baster WrittEn By Laura LaiBEn, “thE Main Dish,” thE CuLinary CEntEr of Kansas City, KCCuLinary.CoM

this thanksgiving, replace your worn-out old plastic baster with an updated version: the norpro silicone stand up Baster. it’s heat-resistant, and its standing feature separates fat from juices and keeps countertops clean to boot. it even comes with a cleaning brush. a baster can be used after thanksgiving dinner, too – think fun pancake shapes and degreasing pans.

For more information or to purchase the baster, visit norpro.com.

PhotograPhy CourtEsy norPro

the unique shops of Murphysboro

Holiday Open House Door Prizes anD refreshments at every shoP Saturday, November 14 Antiques—CrAfts—Gifts www.facebook.com/SouthernIllinoisTourism

Inspired Local Food Culture

november 2015

39

shop here

Ks

the tasteful olive

WrItten by Jenny Vergara

oVerLAND pArK, Ks. at The Tasteful Olive, Jeanne

Mackay’s overland park, Kansas, specialty shop, dark wood shelves display beautiful stainless steel tanks with small taps that allow you to try various oils and vinegars before you buy. start sampling, and you’ll be surprised at the subtle-but-distinct flavors and colors that even the everyday-use olive oils possess.

Infused oils include garlic, wild mushroom and sage, plus more complex flavor pairings like blood orange-cayenne-chile. the same is true of the vinegar selection: With flavors like coconut, chocolate and blackberry-ginger, you can find vinegar to punch up any meal. the shop’s staff are also a wonderful resource, with tips and recipes on how to enhance everything from your morning oatmeal to your favorite stir-fry to healthy desserts and drinks. the tasteful olive offers classes for those desiring a deeper understanding of the health benefits and creative culinary uses for olive oil and vinegar.

photography by teresa floyd

Celebrating five years in business this March, the tasteful olive has become a must-stop shop in downtown overland park – partially due to its location just steps away from the town’s farmers’ market. and just last year, a second location of the tasteful olive opened in topeka, Kansas, offering the same wide variety of oils and vinegars.

The Tasteful Olive, multiple locations, thetastefulolive.com

get this gADget

regency naturals cooking twine WrItten by laura laIben, “the MaIn dIsh,” the CulInary Center of Kansas CIty, KCCulInary.CoM

although you can pick up twine at a hardware store, this 100-percent natural cotton version by regency Wraps guarantees no artificial fibers or toxic chemicals will affect the taste or safety of your food. In addition to trussing your thanksgiving bird like a pro, you can tie roasts, assemble a bouquet garni (a bundle of herbs), make a roulade or hang foods in cheesecloth to drain. twine can get lost in a roasted turkey or roast, so don’t forget to remove it prior to serving.

For more information or to purchase the twine, visit regencywraps.com. photo to left by WarrengoldsWaIn/IstoCK photo to rIght Courtesy regenCy Wraps InC.

one on one

stl

christina lane

author, comfort and joy: cooking for two

Written by bethany Christo

KIRKWOOD, MO. Christina Lane’s first cookbook,

Dessert for Two, is great for couples who want a sweet, perfectly portioned post-meal treat – but what about the main course? in her second book, Comfort and Joy: Cooking for Two, Kirkwood, Missouri-based Lane answers that question with small-batch recipes for couples, newlyweds, empty nesters, small households and more. Lane’s 5-year-old blog, dessertfortwo.com, often receives reader requests for meals, so about a year ago, she started publishing savory “for two” recipes. the subsequent cookbook was released in september, featuring mostly new recipes, plus a few fan favorites from the blog, like no-yeast cinnamon rolls and croissants with instructions broken out over three days. For those who don’t need to prepare a full feast this month, she even includes a thanksgiving dinner for two with apple-molasses turkey tenderloin, her mother’s legendary southern cornbread dressing, “crazy-good” sweet potatoes and a small serving of cranberry sauce.

ArTISAn produCT

KC

kansas city canning co.’s fall shrubs KAnSAS CITY. Kansas City Canning Co. takes a modern approach to the ancient craft of food preservation. specializing in pickles, preserves and cocktail goods, tim and Laura tuohy are stretching the old-fashioned idea of canned products, using as much locally sourced produce as possible. stock your pantry with smoky spiced pear – made with local Wood + salt’s smoked peppercorn, salt and allspice – or apple-caraway shrubs, or slather your morning toast with vanilla-bourbonpeach preserves. Find Kansas City Canning Co. products at stores in the Kansas City area including the sundry, Urban Provisions General store and season + square or shop online.

Kansas City Canning Co., kansascitycanningco.com

Comfort and Joy: Cooking for Two, books.wwnorton.com

Why did you start dessertfortwo.com? My parents are the hosts for all holiday dinners, and we start planning months ahead of time, so i grew up with those who really loved food and valued a great meal. i moved away to California for graduate school and missed that – i had to create the flavors of home and scale meals down myself in my tiny kitchen.

What influences your recipes? i was born in texas, where i had a great-aunt who owned a restaurant; my grandmother cooked a lot, and my mom is an excellent cook. although texas influenced me the most, i came up with the idea for the blog while living in California. i was inspired by all the small portions there. i’ve been in the Midwest for almost two years now, and i love the hearty food here – i’d never had gooey butter cake, and i immediately made a scaled-down pumpkin version for the blog. How do you approach writing cookbooks? i quit my full-time job in the corporate world to write the first cookbook. it was a dream come true: before, i was working in agriculture, driving tractors, and then blogging at night with the goal of writing a cookbook. When the option was presented to me, i knew i couldn’t do both; my husband encouraged me to quit my job and follow my passion. i spent eight months writing Dessert for Two and maintaining my blog. Looking back, i have no idea how i did both. right now, i blog full-time and also do some private-chef work on the side. i also teach cooking classes at Kitchen Conservatory, with the next class on Dec. 21. What types of cooking challenges do two-person households face? With dinner, you really can just divide a recipe in half, taste it and tweak it. it’s way more difficult to scale down desserts – i’ve found it’s rarely just cutting a recipe down the middle. it’s a lot more experimenting and testing; everything i publish has been tested a minimum of three different times. What recipe in Comfort and Joy do you recommend starting with? Lasagna for two. you make it in a loaf pan and cut the finished lasagna in half for two generous servings. For the desserts, there’s

photography courtesy christina lane

photography by adri guyer

written by Jenny Vergara

a recipe in Comfort and Joy for the easiest chocolate pudding ever. you don’t have to bake it; you don’t have to cook it on the stovetop.

What tips do you have for holiday cooking? ask yourself what your favorite part of the holiday meal is. i’m a side-dish person – i have to have cornbread dressing and sweet potatoes, but i could take or leave turkey. if you don’t love your aunt Margaret’s Jell-o salad, don’t make it. What recipes are you excited to share with your 6-month-old daughter, Camille? My mom told me that when i was a baby, she would prop me up in my bouncer on the counter so i could watch her cook dinner. i’ve been doing the same thing with Camille. she loves to watch me cook, and sometimes when i’m chopping fresh herbs, i’ll rub some under her nose to smell. i cannot wait to introduce food to her, especially baking – little hands can do so much with baking.

Inspired Local Food Culture

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sweet ideas

grab a slice on p. 50 photography by cheryl waller

seed to table

Persimmon-Pecan PoPovers persimmons are one of my favorite autumn fruits. persimmon trees are found growing wild throughout the eastern U.s. and spanning into the Midwest. trees typically bear fruit from september through november. the fruits are unmistakable – small, yellow to red orbs with star-shaped leaves. the life cycle of persimmons is distinct in that they aren’t fully ripe until they fall from the tree. a slight shake of a tree may allow for the hard-to-reach ripe fruit to fall, but there is a very fine line; they can have a bitter and unpleasant flavor when unripe. as tempting as perfect-looking persimmons might be, ones that appear slightly bruised or

overripe usually have the best flavor – delicate-yet-rich with robust smoky sweetness. the best way to cook persimmons is to press the pulp. there is no easy way to remove their many seeds; the best method is to use a cone strainer with a wooden pestle, but a kitchen strainer and the bottom of a coffee mug will also do the trick. add chopped up persimmons, and then press fruit firmly in a downward motion to separate the skin and seeds, allowing the pulp to be collected. one persimmon may only yield 2 tablespoons of pulp, so be sure you have enough on hand for the following recipe.

Crystal Stevens is a farmer at La Vista CSA Farm on the bluffs of the Mississippi River in Godfrey, Illinois, where she farms with her husband, Eric.

They have two children. Crystal is an advocate of integrating creativity into sustainability through writing, art, photojournalism and seed-to-table cooking. Find more of her work at growingcreatinginspiring.blogspot.com, which she created to launch her forthcoming book, grow create inspire.

story and recipe by crystal stevens photography by Jennifer silverberg

Persimmon-Pecan Popovers Yields | 18 popovers | 1½ ½ 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1

cups persimmon pulp (from roughly 12 persimmons) cup pecan halves cup finely chopped pitted dates tsp freshly grated nutmeg tsp ground cinnamon tsp ground cardamom Tbsp honey egg, separated Tbsp water package puff pastry sheets (2 sheets), thawed

| Preparation | preheat oven to 400°f. in a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except egg, water and puff pastry to form popover filling. in a small bowl, whisk only egg yolk and water together. discard egg white. set egg wash aside. cut each sheet of puff pastry into 9 equal squares. place 1 teaspoon filling into the center of each square. fold corners of squares over to create triangles. Use a fork to crimp edges. once all squares are filled, use a pastry brush to brush each with egg wash. transfer popovers to a sheet tray and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. check every 5 minutes; they are finished baking when golden brown. serve.

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Inspired Local Food Culture

NOVEMBER 2015

45

mystery shopper

Meet: Sweet Potato LeaveS Repeat after me: The green tops of root vegetables are almost always delicious, and I will never throw them away again.

What Is It?

The thick-stemmed, umbrella-leaved tops of the tuber we all know as the sweet potato almost never make an appearance in grocery stores, but they’re common at well-stocked Asian and international markets. If you’re tight with a farmer or fresh-market vendor, ask if he or she can reserve the leaves for you, and you’re likely to get a generous heap of them, along with a smile of appreciation for your vegetable savvy.

What Do I Do WIth It?

Anything other leaves can do, sweet potato leaves can do better, plus, the greens pack more nutritional punch than the roots. Even better, they lack the bitterness of spinach and the chew of kale or collards, making sweet potato greens a crowd favorite whether simply sautéed with garlic and olive oil or braised in coconut milk and spices. Add them to bitter greens like frisée, radicchio or endive to soften and balance fall and winter salads – or add them to creamy pastas like spaghetti with garlic-bacon cream sauce. The sweet leaves hold up against rich bacon and garlic, and it takes mere minutes to put together this comforting and practical dish.

SToRy AnD REcIpE By ShAnnon WEBER phoTogRAphy By JEnnIfER SIlvERBERg

Spaghetti with Sweet Potato Leaves and Garlic-Bacon Cream Sauce Sweet potato leaves carry most of their weight in the stems (don’t we all), so buy at least a pound to ensure you have enough leaves for the recipe. If you have leftovers, throw them in a skillet with a little olive oil and garlic (as you would spinach) for a quick side dish the next day.

Serves | 4 to 6 |

Shannon Weber is the creator, author and photographer behind the award-winning blog aperiodictableblog.com, and her work has appeared on websites such as Bon Appétit, Serious Eats and America’s Test Kitchen. She is a self-taught baker and cook who believes the words “I can’t” should never apply to food preparation and that curiosity can lead to wonderful things, in both the kitchen and in life.

1 4

Tbsp olive oil oz thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces 2 cloves garlic, minced ¼ cup dry white wine 2 cups heavy cream ½ cup finely grated ParmigianoReggiano cheese, divided ¾ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste 4 to 5 cups lightly packed, destemmed sweet potato leaves 8 oz thin spaghetti or capellini pasta

| Preparation | In a large, heavybottomed skillet over medium heat, add oil and bacon pieces and cook until very crisp; transfer to paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat from pan; add garlic and cook over medium heat until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add wine and allow to bubble; reduce heat to medium-low and cook, 1 minute. Add cream and heat until sauce begins to reduce and thicken, stirring occasionally. Add ¼ cup cheese, stirring constantly until melted and combined. Add salt and pepper, stirring to incorporate; add sweet potato leaves and stir occasionally until slightly wilted and sauce has thickened to your liking.

As you heat the cream sauce, cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside until sauce is ready. Add cooked pasta to skillet with finished sauce and toss to combine, still over medium-low heat, until everything is evenly distributed.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide onto plates and top each with bacon and remaining cheese. Serve immediately.

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314-968-4925 repstl.org Inspired Local Food Culture

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47

menu options

cheeSe GritS with Shrimp and Bacon Flavorful and comforting, cheesy grits are easy to prepare and always a hit – but especially in fall and winter. If you’re not familiar with cooking grits, it’s much the same as with polenta.

Polenta is made with dried, ground corn kernels (polenta is the Italian word for cornmeal), while grits are a traditional Southern food made with ground dried corn kernels or hominy, which is alkali-treated corn. Grits have a bland flavor that lends well to copious amounts of cheese and butter, and texture

STory aND reCIPe by GabrIelle DeMIChele PhoToGraPhy by JeNNIFer SIlverberG

varies based on the grind: fine, medium or coarse.

The following recipe adapts one by chef-author Nathalie Dupree, which I’ve tweaked to add additional layers of flavor imparted by bacon, white Cheddar, Cajun seasoning, shiitake mushrooms, bell peppers and chives. Mushrooms add an earthy, umami flavor to the dish; mix up the recipe by replacing shiitakes with a combination of wild mushrooms such as hen of the woods, shimeji or oyster.

chef’s tips TRUE GRITS. To prevent grits from clumping together, add them very slowly while stirring constantly with a wire whisk, then give the pot a stir every 5 minutes or so to prevent scorching on the bottom. remember to keep an eye on the milk, as it can overflow if it reaches a boil.

SHRIMP SHAPE. Properly cooked shrimp should be an even pink color and form a C-shape. If shrimp is overcooked, it will curl into an o-shape.

the menu • Creamy Collard Greens with Bacon • Cheese Grits with Shrimp and Bacon • Southern Cornbread with Honey Butter • Banana Pudding

LEARn MoRE. In this class you’ll learn how to expertly cook grits to achieve the perfect texture. you’ll also learn how to make simple Southern classics such as hearty collard greens and cornbread.

get hands-on: Join Feast Magazine and schnucks Cooks Cooking school on Wed., nov. 18, at 6pm at the des Peres, Missouri, location, to make the dishes in this month’s menu. tickets are just $40 for a night of cooking, dining and wine. RsVP at schnuckscooks.com or call 314.909.1704.

cheese Grits with shrimp and Bacon Serves | 6 | GRITS

4 4 1 8 2 1

cups whole milk cups chicken stock cup heavy cream tbsp butter cups grits cup grated white cheddar cheese

SHRIMP

¾ 1 1 1 12 2 2 1½ 2

grapeseed oil lb bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces red bell pepper, julienned yellow bell pepper, julienned green bell pepper, julienned shiitake mushrooms, sliced tbsp cajun seasoning cups heavy cream lbs shrimp (16/20 count), peeled and deveined tsp minced chives (to serve)

| preparation – Grits | In a large heavybottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, combine milk, stock, cream and butter and bring to a simmer. Gradually whisk in grits and stir until smooth.

Continue cooking, stirring every 5 minutes, for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until soft and velvety. remove grits from heat and stir in cheese. Cover and keep warm while shrimp cook. | preparation – shrimp | In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil and bacon pieces and cook until crisp. remove bacon from pan. add peppers and mushrooms and sauté 3 to 5 minutes. add Cajun seasoning and mix well to combine. add cream and allow mixture to reduce by half. add shrimp and cook 3 minutes or until pink. add bacon back to pan and mix evenly.

Divide grits evenly between 6 plates.

Place shrimp mixture on top and garnish with chives. Serve immediately.

TV

WATCH IT ON THESE NETWORKS

In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to see Feast TV on Sun., Nov. 1 at 1:30pm, Sat., Nov. 7 at 2pm, Sun., Nov. 8 at 1:30pm, Mon., Nov. 9 at 1pm and Sun., Nov. 22 at 1:30pm. Feast TV will also air throughout the month on nineCREATE.

In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) on Sat., Nov. 21 at 2:30pm.

You can watch Feast TV throughout mid-Missouri on KMOS (Channel 6) on Thu., Nov. 12 at 7:30pm and on Sat., Nov. 14 at 4pm.

Feast TV will air in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8) at 10am on Sat., Nov. 7.

Each year, thousands of people descend on Kansas City for the annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue. Over two days, more than 170 teams tend their lowand-slow fires in the hope of taking home a trophy. Many enter, few win, and the two-day odyssey is an exhausting, exacting ride. In our November episode, we follow three teams – one from St. Louis, one from Kansas City and one from the center of the state – to see how they fare during the 2015 event.

Our Lowest Posted Price Every Day

Or, at Schnucks we like to call it WINESDAYS! Feast TV is presented by Missouri Wines with additional support from Whole Foods Market.

©2015 Schnucks

Inspired Local Food Culture

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49

sweet ideas

Pecan Pie

STOry ANd rEcIPE By chrISTy AuguSTIN PhOTOgrAPhy By chEryl WAllEr

After culinary school, the hubs and I moved to New Orleans, where there’s a serious love for all things pecan. While living in the Big Easy, I discovered a local ingredient that makes the absolute best pecan pie ever: Steen’s 100 percent pure cane syrup, which is slow-simmered in open kettles to create a syrup you can substitute for dark corn syrup or molasses in your favorite recipes.

At Pint Size Bakery, we sell more pecan pies for the holidays than all of the rest of our pies combined. Finding Steen’s is hit or miss at grocery stores, but international markets often stock it, and it can be ordered online at steensyrup.com. In addition to dessert and pastry recipes, the syrup is excellent in a cure for ham or poultry and it tastes great slathered on French toast. I temper the strong flavor of Steen’s cane syrup

by using half light corn syrup in my pecan pie filling, but if you love the flavor, the recipe works the same without light corn syrup. If you can’t find Steen’s, you can use dark corn syrup in place of both. I also use Steen’s cane vinegar in my crust recipe.

I know dessert can be a battle each Thanksgiving: First, who’s in charge of pie, and from there, what are they making? Pumpkin or apple (or both)? What’s the most foolproof recipe for fromscratch pie crust? For many home cooks and novice bakers, pie can be scary – but it’s oh-so-rewarding when made correctly.

A couple of things set my pies apart from most others: I always parbake my pie shells, as soggy crust is just the worst.

Also, I take the time to partially cook the filling to create the smoothest textured pie after baking. If you plan ahead, these extra steps won’t take long, and I promise they’re well worth it.

Christy Augustin has had a lifelong love affair with all things sweet. After working as a pastry chef in New Orleans and St. Louis, she opened Pint Size Bakery & Coffee in St. Louis’ Lindenwood Park in 2012. She calls herself the baker of all things good and evil. Learn more at pintsizebakery.com.

Pecan Pie Serves | 12 to 14 | Pie Crust (Yields 2 crusts)

2 1 ½ ¾ ½ 1

cups unbleached all-purpose flour tsp kosher salt tsp granulated sugar cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed into walnut-sized pieces, divided cup ice cold water Tbsp Steen’s 100 percent pure cane vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Filling (Yields 1 9-inch pie)

½

cup Steen’s 100 percent pure cane syrup ½ cup light corn syrup ¾ cup brown sugar 6 Tbsp unsalted butter 3 large eggs ½ tsp kosher salt 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, or 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 Tbsp bourbon or whiskey 1½ cups pecan halves

| Preparation – Pie Crust | In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar.

Add half of butter and begin working into flour mixture by hand until a cornmeal texture forms. Add remaining butter and rub into flour mixture until hazelnut-sized pieces form. using a fork, gently add water and vinegar to create a rough, shaggy dough. It should still be dry and crumbly but will form together when squeezed. divide in half. On a lightly floured work surface, smear each half with heel of hand, ball it up and repeat 2 to 3 more times until a cohesive dough forms. Form each half into a round, cover in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours. On a lightly floured work surface, roll chilled pie crust dough into a circle ¹⁄₈-inch-to-¼-inch thick and 12-inches round. lay crust into 9-inch pie pan and, using a fork, form a crimped edge and thoroughly dock bottom. Freeze for 20 minutes.

| Preparation – Filling | In a saucepot over medium heat, warm syrups, sugar and butter until melted and dissolved.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and then pour warm mixture over top of eggs, whisking well to combine as you pour syrup. Add salt, vanilla and booze. refrigerate until ready to bake pie. | Assembly | Preheat oven to 400°F. remove frozen pie crust from freezer and line it with a piece of parchment paper. Fill with pie weights and parbake for 15 minutes. remove weights and bake another 5 to 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 375°F. Add pecan halves to parbaked crust and pour filling into crust. Transfer pie to a sheet tray and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. The center will be a bit jiggly, but overbaked is better than underbaked. Serve.

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NOVEMBER 2015

51

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52

feastmagazine.com

NOVEMBER 2015

| 54 |

where the wild things grow

| 60 |

hard core

| 64 |

eat, drink and cranberry

| 74 |

rule the roost

| 82 |

Wakarusa Valley Farm cultivates more than a dozen varieties of delicate, gorgeous and delicious wild mushrooms.

The bittersweet past and fruitful future of American hard cider.

Take advantage of fresh cranberry season with sweet and tart starters, sides and cocktails.

A fourth-generation farmer brings rare breeds of chickens and turkeys back to pasture. pie’s the limit

Create new Thanksgiving dessert traditions this year with seasonal tarts, crisps, crostata, far breton and more.

phoTogrAphy oF CrAnberry CoCkTAils by sherrie CAsTellAno. Find The reCipes on p. 68.

Written by Jonathan bender

PhotograPhy by anna PetroW

Mark Lumpe scoops his hands into a mass of bright pink oyster mushrooms the color of Disney princess cupcakes.

white oyster mushrooms

He gently lifts a handful out of a Sterilite tub to fill an open paper bag. The scale settles at just over 2 pounds. He’s learned to hit the mark over hundreds of Tuesdays just like this one in the commercial kitchen at Wakarusa Valley Farm in Lawrence, Kansas.

The paper bags of harvested mushrooms are destined for Kansas City restaurants: Novel, The Rieger, Room 39 and more. They’ll be dropped off shortly before plastic bags holding the next mushroom crop grown on substrate (wood chips, sunflower seed shells and shredded red corn, each of Lumpe’s own design) are brought to the farm’s newest grow site – a 2,000-square-foot space in an underground limestone cave 10 minutes outside of Downtown Kansas City.

“I keep reinventing myself,” Lumpe says, his hands pausing the sorting process to twirl in half-circles. “And I’ll never be just a vegetable grower again. It’s too frustrating to be at the mercy of the weather.”

His lab is a few feet away from the stainless steel table where he’s sorting. Behind a door and an air filter is where spawn is cultivated – one of the heartbeats of his unusual mushroomgrowing operation. The spawn holds mycelium – the vegetative wispy thin branches that will become mushrooms – and provides nutrients during the early stages of growth. Wakarusa Valley Farm has 14 different varieties of mushrooms, all of which – with the exception of shiitake – are cultured by Lumpe.

PiNK oyster mushrooms

“It just seemed like destiny,” he says. “I knew I would love to work with microorganisms on the farm.”

Not many people with a degree in cell biology grow up to be farmers, but back in 1982, Lumpe was set to graduate from The University of Kansas (KU), and the idea of country living appealed to him. He persuaded a good friend and area landowner to sell him a few dozen acres of land to split with two other friends.

“The plan was to open a berry farm, but farming never goes exactly according to plan,” Lumpe says.

The farm was certified organic two years after Lumpe bought the property in 1987. It was another five years before he began selling vegetables at the Lawrence Farmers’ Market and via a subscription service. There have been raspberries and potatoes and garlic and salad greens and watermelon and strawberries. Stockbrokers and farmers know diversity is best in the long run. That’s why Lumpe has worked for the past 34 years as a medical technologist at KU’s Watkins Health Services, as well.

The greens and garlic remain, as does a small patch of strawberries and tomatoes a few hundred yards from a compost pile that is regularly fed with the used blocks of mushroom substrate (any material where mycelium – those precursors to mushrooms – can grow). It’s mushrooms that have given Wakarusa Valley Farm its identity, though, and Lumpe has spent the past decade relentlessly striving to create a sustainable mushroom-growing program.

“Who wouldn’t want to be indoors in the summer?” Lumpe says. “The weather is hot and dry.

That’s why people aren’t growing in Kansas outside. Mushrooms need things to be humid and temperate.”

When he was first starting out as a young farmer, he often relied on older, more experienced growers to learn about the local soil and seasons, but he had trouble finding the same kind of advice about fungi when he began researching it a decade ago. His wife, Julie Waters, a research librarian at KU, suggested he look for chat rooms or forums where mushroom growers might gather.

gray oyster mushrooms

“They were all defunct,” he says. “People don’t sit around talking about how they grow mushrooms; it’s a secret. But it’s the same as any kind of farming. You have to keep repeating what you’re doing, even if you might not know exactly why it’s working.”

The original grow room – which is just off the front hallway attached to the commercial kitchen – has since expanded to three separate locations on the farm. The two additional spaces have attached greenhouses, where vegetables in beds thrive on the carbon dioxiderich environment and heat given off by the mushrooms. The underground limestone cave 10 minutes from Downtown is equal in size to all three grow rooms combined. In the cave, Lumpe can grow three varieties year-round: shiitake, buna shimeji and nameko.

In the fall, he grows oyster, shiitake and buna shimeji mushrooms on the farm. Oysters, a mild fungi, run the color spectrum from dove gray (a pewter that is nearly blue) to pink and cook down significantly. They can be used as a dish accent as easily as a main component.

Wakarusa Valley’s Italian oysters are large and flat, making them perfect for grilling.

The shiitakes have an intense, strong, earthy flavor; Lumpe compares them to beer styles.

“People who don’t like beer, you might give them a Pilsner,” he says. “But [shiitakes] are the Inspired Local Food Culture

NOVEMBER 2015

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bold IPAs.” The buna shimeji have a crunchy, firm texture and a flavor that is spicy and almost floral, rather than the deep forest and earth notes of the shiitake.

farmer mark lumpe sorts dried sunflowers to be used for substrate in mushroom cultivation.

Lumpe believes in diversity for both edible and economic reasons, and he also knows that having a variety of mushrooms for a variety of palates helps him be a better fungi advocate.

“You probably know somebody who hates mushrooms, but shimeji is like meat to vegetarians,” he says.

“There are three categories: people who love them and always seek them out and other people who could be introduced to them. Then there are the people who are really phobic – my wife is one. If I’m picking mushrooms and say, ‘Let’s hug,’ she says, ‘I can smell those mushrooms on your fingers.’”

That dedication to diversity has endeared Lumpe to chefs and regulars at farmers’ markets. For the past several years, Lumpe has sold his mushrooms at Badseed farmers’ market in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District. This spring, Brooke Salvaggio, who runs Badseed with her husband, Dan Heryer, sold Wakarusa’s mushrooms on his behalf.

“It’s not only the quality of the mushrooms that impresses me so much, but also the seasonal variety,” Salvaggio says. She tosses Wakarusa mushrooms in breakfast burritos and uses her favorite variety, pink oysters, to make a vegetarian version of clam chowder. “The depth of flavor and personality among the mushroom varieties are remarkable – a cook’s dream,” Salvaggio says. “They can be added to almost any dish to make the ordinary something extraordinary.”

Lumpe has been able to grow so many varieties of mushrooms because his research didn’t stop with fungi. Just as the fertile soil in the Wakarusa River valley has sustained farmers for generations, Lumpe is searching for the ideal material for the substrate to sustain his mushrooms.

“The biggest problem with growing mushrooms is finding substrate,” Lumpe says. “Where do you find wood chips the size of your fingernail and perfectly shaped? You have to make them yourself.”

Over the past 11 years, he’s rented a wood chipper and processed elm and box elder trees on his property. The chips are then mixed with sawdust from Missouri mills – he’s been through four suppliers in an effort to find a consistently coarse product.

Lumpe walks through the tall grass behind the farmhouse, greeting the three geese that patrol the grounds, which he believes brings good luck. He stops at the first structure, a hoop house where sunflower heads are drying out on beds. Each has been picked by hand. The heads, husks and shells will be scraped from the stalk and then chipped or shredded.

He has spent the past two years testing the growing properties of sunflowers and red corn. The corn is easier to process (like the sunflower heads, the cobs are chipped or shredded) and has more applications – like with an on-site mill to make masa for tamales – but the sunflowers are easier to grow.

The milled material is wetted and left to soak in black tubs or 5-gallon white buckets. Lumpe adds millet, wheat bran and gypsum to balance the pH and provide nutrients. When he needs material to grow mushrooms, he scoops the top layer off a few buckets each morning 56

feastmagazine.com

NOVEMBER 2015

black poplar mushrooms

– gravity having provided the right amount of drainage – before heading over to the KU campus for his shift at the health center lab.

“It can’t be too dry because then the spawn can’t grow throughout the block, and it can’t be too wet because that encourages competing bacteria,” Lumpe says. “It’s the unseen that drives you crazy. For every mushroom problem, there are probably 10 different reasons. My goal is to find the right thing, no matter what.”

A few yards past a loose semicircle of soaking substrate, he slips off his rubber boots and steps inside the building that houses the second grow room. It’s here that he’s experimented with growing PoHu oysters on sunflower shells and golden oysters on wood.

The first stop is a massive 32-inch-by-12-foot-long pressurized chamber, the autoclave, which was last used in a baby food factory but now sterilizes the roughly 5-pound plastic bags filled with substrate. The goal is to eliminate any organism that might compete with the mycelium. In 2012, it was 130 bags a week. Now, Lumpe processes 300 bags weekly.

After bags are sterilized, they’re inoculated with spawn. The bags are then stacked on shelves in an incubation room that’s kept between 70°F and 80°F to help kick-start the first phase of growth.

Lumpe does a spot check of the incubation room and then steps through a small hallway into the grow room. Bags of substrate are brought here after a few days or weeks in the incubation room. He peeks inside a few bags, which are starting to puff up with heat and moisture. White dots indicate pinning – a sign that the mushrooms are beginning to fruit. He makes a quick pull and tear to the bag as his eyes flick through the substrate looking for growth of all kinds.

“When bags start to pop open, you’ve got to let them out a bit,” Lumpe says.

“That’s the art of this. Everybody does it a little bit differently.”

A new crop of mushrooms can grow in as little as a few days, depending on the temperature and humidity. In the heat of summer, oyster mushrooms will need to be harvested as often as twice a day and yield as much as 1 pound per bag over the course of its lifetime.

After harvesting, Lumpe documents the results of a given substrate, deposits the used organic material in his compost pile and brings the mushrooms to the farm’s kitchen, where they’ll be packed up for market, made into tamales or sent out for restaurant deliveries.

“It’s always interesting to see what chefs do with the mushrooms,” Lumpe says. “And that’s one more person that might like them now.”

Wakarusa Valley Farm, 965 E. 1000 Road, Lawrence, Kansas, 785.749.4241, wakarusavalleyfarm.com

Tuesday, November 3rd, 6pm 4 Hands Brewing Co. Beer Dinner

Celery Root Bisque

crab jam, hijiki, kaffir lime

Cuvee Ange

Hamachi Crudo

beet, wasabi, cucamelon

Lemon Gose Crispy Egg

lamb chili, sour cream, scallion

Resurrected

Dry Aged Pork

lemongrass, thai basil, crispy shallot

Opus

Chocolate

bourbon caramel, peanut

Volume 1

6pm | limited seating $55 per guest (tax & tip not included) 816-221-0785 815 W 17th St, Kansas City, MO 64108

Inspired Local Food Culture

november 2015

57

Wakarusa Valley Farm Omelet

Creamy Vegan Mushroom Sauce or Soup

A classic French-style trifold omelet will have a barely set, but very soft, creamy curd (like beautiful soft-scrambled eggs), enveloped in a very thin, smooth layer of fully set egg around the outside.

Recipe couRtesy HowaRd Hanna, cHef-paRtneR, tHe RiegeR

Serves | 1 | 2 tsp canola oil ¼ cup cleaned and trimmed Wakarusa Valley Farm oyster mushrooms 2 Tbsp butter, divided sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 pinch minced shallot 1 pinch minced garlic 1 pinch herbs (equal parts chopped parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon) 3 eggs, beaten thoroughly 1⁄8 cup grated Tomme cheese* 1 tsp crème frâiche 1 sprig chervil (for garnish) *Hanna recommends using Green Dirt Farm’s Prairie Tomme cheese.

| Preparation | in a small sauté pan over high heat, heat canola oil until just below smoke point. add mushrooms and spread evenly in pan. don’t move pan too much at first, letting mushrooms sit for 1 minute. when the first side is an even golden brown, flip to brown other side. Mushrooms will have soaked up some oil and pan will be dry; add 1 tablespoon butter and swirl around in pan to avoid burning. season mushrooms with salt and pepper, and when other sides are browned, add shallot and garlic. toss thoroughly to combine. cook 45 seconds to 1 minute longer until garlic becomes fragrant, then remove pan from heat. toss with herbs, keep warm and set aside.

Recipe couRtesy MaRk luMpe, owneR, wakaRusa valley faRM

Serves | 4 to 6 | 1

cup chopped dried mushrooms hot water olive oil 1 onion, chopped ½ cup cooked oatmeal sea salt splash tamari white pepper

| Preparation | in a large bowl, combine dried mushrooms with hot water, cover and allow to soak until soft, 1 to 2 hours. strain mushrooms and reserve water.

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in a large bowl, combine cheeses. once mushrooms have cooked, add rosemary, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. after a few more minutes, add lemon juice and zest. add wine and cook until liquid has evaporated. transfer mushroom mixture to bowl with cheeses and mix. drizzle truffle oil over top; serve warm or refrigerate and serve chilled.

transfer mixture to a food processor and process until smooth. if needed, add additional water or vegetable stock to thicken. Mixture should be thick enough to use as sauce. add salt, tamari and white pepper to taste. sauce should taste of pepper without overwhelming the mushroom flavor. to make sauce into soup, add more vegetable stock or water. add reserved chopped mushrooms and onions, season to taste and serve.

| Preparation – Chile Jam | inn a skillet over high heat, add oil and fry shallots, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and kochukaru until fragrant. Reduce heat to medium and add liquid tamarind, sugar, leeks and fish sauce and cook for 5 minutes or until leeks are tender. set aside to cool. | Preparation – Diced Sweet Potatoes and Purée | cut peeled potatoes into ¾-inch

in a large saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil, add onion and sauté until soft. add strained mushrooms and sauté until soft.

Remove ¼ cup cooked onion-mushroom mixture from pan. add cooked oatmeal and reserved mushroom water to saucepan with remaining onion and mushrooms and allow to cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

in a small nonstick pan over medium-high heat, heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter until it melts, foams up a bit, then subsides, and pan is fairly hot. season beaten eggs with salt and pepper and pour into pan. working quickly, shake pan gently while stirring eggs in small, tight circles with a rubber spatula. when eggs look finely scrambled but not quite set, about 1 minute, quickly scrape all of them cleanly to 1 side of the pan, tilt pan away from eggs and smooth them out into a thin, even layer and stop stirring. this will make outside of omelet silky smooth and inside tender, steamy and just barely done.

Remove pan from heat, add warm mushrooms in an even line down center third of omelet and top with grated cheese. fold a third of omelet over mushrooms and cheese. push omelet to edge of pan, with unfolded portion nearest rim. tilt pan onto a warmed plate and begin to slide omelet onto plate. when unfolded third of omelet is on plate, lift handle of pan up and over so omelet folds onto itself, fold-side down, and into center of plate, creating trifold look. By this point the cheese should be melty and the tangy, nutty aroma will have blended with the deep woodsy flavors of the mushrooms. add a dollop of crème frâiche on top, garnish with chervil and serve.

| Preparation | in a large saucepan over medium heat, heat oil. add shallots and sauté until translucent. add mushrooms to pan and allow to cook for 10 minutes.

cubes and reserve all trimmings (irregular parts that aren’t perfectly diced). in a stockpot over high heat, boil water and cook diced potatoes until tender, approximately 10 minutes. Remove diced potatoes from water with a slotted spoon and reserve to a plate to cool. set aside for later use.

Seared Scallops with ChileLeek Jam and Mushrooms This is the base for a Novel signature dish, which has been on the menu featuring Wakarusa Valley Farm mushrooms since the restaurant opened in 2013.

Recipe By Ryan BRazeal, cHef-owneR, novel

Serves | 4 entrées or 12 appetizers |

add sweet potato trimmings to boiling water and cook for 12 minutes until soft.

Remove from water and, in a blender, purée trim with butter. season with salt and pepper. cover and keep purée warm.

| Preparation – Scallops | season scallops with salt to taste. fill a skillet with ¼-inch oil and sauté scallops, with the large, flat-side down, until golden brown. carefully flip scallops and continue to cook for 3 minutes until medium-done. they should still have a little give when you squeeze them but should be warm, not hot, in the middle. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Chile Jam

¼ 1⁄8 1½ 1½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1

cup canola oil cup finely chopped shallots tsp finely chopped garlic tsp finely chopped ginger pinch crushed red pepper flakes tsp kochukaru* (Korean red pepper powder) or smoked paprika Tbsp liquid tamarind* tsp sugar cup thinly sliced leeks, white part only Tbsp fish sauce

DiCeD Sweet PotatoeS anD Purée

Mushroom Pâté Recipe couRtesy MaRk luMpe, owneR, wakaRusa valley faRM

Yields | 30 to 40 ounces | ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp olive oil ¼ cup finely minced shallots 2 lbs mushrooms, finely chopped (½ lb shiitake and 1½ lb oyster) 1 cup goat cheese 2 oz grated Parmesan cheese 2 tsp minced fresh rosemary ¼ tsp garlic granules 1⁄8 tsp cayenne pepper sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 tsp fresh lemon zest ¼ cup Madeira wine 2 tsp truffle oil

2 2 ½

large sweet potatoes, peeled quarts water Tbsp butter sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

SCalloPS

12 U10 diver scallops, adductor muscles removed sea salt olive oil muShroomS

1 ¼ 1 ¼

lb Wakarusa Valley Farm oyster mushrooms, stems removed lb shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, cut into quarters lb baby spinach, washed cup ½-inch cubes bone marrow sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

*Kochukaru and liquid tamarind are available at most international markets.

| Preparation – Mushrooms | in a pan large enough to hold all mushrooms in a shallow layer, add all mushrooms and sauté until soft. add spinach, reserved diced sweet potatoes, chile jam and bone marrow and cook until spinach is wilted and bone marrow is tender. season with salt and pepper. | To Serve | spoon 1 tablespoon sweet potato purée into center of a plate and use a spoon to make a 4-inch diameter circle in the middle. top with cooked mushroom mixture and scallops. serve.

– Brooke Salvaggio, CO-OWNER, Badseed in Kansas City

The bittersweet past and fruitful future of American hard cider. wriTTen by VAleriA TurTurro KlAmm | phoTogrAphy by JonAThAn gAymAn

t

here was a time not so long ago when orchards of bittersweet apples were plentiful.

Varieties such as Dabinett, Yarlington Mill and Tremlett’s Bitter, which are low in acid and high in tannins, were natural choices for producing dry hard cider – especially since the flavor of bittersweet apples makes them unsuitable for eating.

When British colonists arrived in the New World, they brought the rich tradition of cider-making with them. By the early 1800s, hard cider was a staple in many rural areas in America, with thousands of families keeping a barrel of it by their front door for everyone in the family to enjoy. Many of the apple trees planted by John Chapman, or “Johnny Appleseed,” in the Ohio Valley were specifically intended for cider-making.

Fast forward to 1920, when Prohibition banned the production, sale and transportation of alcohol and restricted the production of nonalcoholic cider, effectively eliminating the need for bittersweet apple orchards. Today, more than 80 years after the repeal of Prohibition, these orchards have yet to see a true comeback.

“Because there is [little] bittersweet apple production in the U.S. right now, there’s very little traditional cider being made in the country and no traditional cider being made in Missouri,” says Dan Kopman, co-founder of The Saint Louis Brewery, the maker of Schlafly Beer, which began making hard cider in 2003.

Kopman spent eight years working at a brewery in England that owned part of a cider company. He describes the infrastructure for hard cider production as a longterm commitment.

“Think about growing barley [for beer],” Kopman says. “It’s a cereal grain, so a grower can say, ‘I’m going to grow wheat this year and barley next year,’ as opposed to a farmer saying, ‘I’m going to commit these acres for the next 25 to 50 years to these trees. For a farmer it’s all about dollars per acre. Why are they going to put in a bunch of trees if they don’t have a commitment [from cider producers]?” Because bittersweet apples are only used to make cider, farmers need to be guaranteed that if they plant an apple orchard, they will yield a profit.

Despite the dearth of bittersweet apples, hard-cider production is seeing a revival at breweries and wineries across the country, averaging a 73 percent increase each year since 2008. Many producers either make do with a blend of apples widely available in America – cooking or dessert varieties such as Gala, Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith or Fuji, which are sweet but low in tannin – or source a blend of apple juice.

temperature and time When Schlafly Bottleworks opened in Maplewood, Missouri, in 2003, it was the first new production brewery to open in St. Louis since the end of Prohibition (although the brewery first launched in 1991 with a Downtown brewpub, The Schlafly Tap Room).

Prior to Bottleworks’ launch and subsequent changes in state law, Kopman says brewers couldn’t make cider unless they had a separate wine license.

restaurants, distribution is limited, so consumption is small compared to its beer.

“If we’re going to see the artisanal or traditional cider business develop in the U.S., it’s going to take a long time to educate the consumer that there’s a difference between the bulk cider market and the traditional cider market,” Kopman says.

Kopman is currently working with a good friend and cider-maker in Devon county in England to begin importing bittersweet juice for blending in 2016, and he visited this month to better understand the harvest and pressing process. This fall the brewery produced a trial run of dry-hopped cider by dry-hopping a keg of its hard apple cider with the Australian hop Ella. Much like a dry-hopped beer, dry-hopped cider is produced by adding hops to fully fermented cider to impart a floral aroma and flavor. Kopman says there will likely be tweaks to the dry-hopped cider as time goes on.

The Saint Louis Brewery is also working to bring its ciders’ ABVs under 7 percent. Next year, it will experiment with producing barrel-aged cider in used white wine or bourbon barrels, which will likely appear at one of the brewery’s festivals, such as Hop in the City.

Further out, Kopman hopes to stably bottle the brewery’s ciders.

“The goal for artisanal cider-makers in the U.S. is to have a reliable source of raw materials for cider – an orchard of bittersweet apples,” Kopman says. “Whether that’s Schlafly or someone else is hard to say, but we’d love to work with a U.S. grower who can guarantee a great bittersweet juice product.”

Winemaking meets BreWing At Crown Valley Brewing & Distilling in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, which is owned by Crown Valley Winery, cider-making has been a team effort since opening in 2008.

“It’s fun because our winemaker touches it, and our brewmaster has a lot to do with it,” says Bryan Siddle, Crown Valley’s director of operations.

Siddle has been a fan of international ciders since the early ‘90s. Armed with a winery license through Crown Valley Winery and relationships with apple orchards in Illinois, Siddle thought it would be an easy transition to begin making cider. Crown Valley initially made two ciders, a dry and a strawberry. It has since eliminated the dry and focuses on blackberry and strawberry flavors year-round, plus other seasonal varieties, all of which clock in at 5 percent ABV. Siddle says demand has been steady since 2012, and there was even a three-week shortage this year.

“We had supply issues because of the national cider craze,” Siddle says. These places where we’re going for ingredients, a lot of people were gobbling them up quicker than we could reserve them. We were sold out for the first time in a long time. It was very hard.”

During the first few years of production, though, sales were slow, and Siddle admits he considered getting rid of the product altogether.

“I’m sure glad I stuck with it,” he says with pride.

“With the opening of Bottleworks, it was like, ‘Great, now we can make some cider so I can drink some cider,” Kopman says. “It wasn’t, ‘Oh, the cider market is going to be the next big thing for us as a business.’”

Kopman says producing hard cider at a brewery can be tricky. When The Saint Louis Brewery first experimented with making hard cider, it used local apple juice, but the juice proved to have too much wild yeast, which yielded unstable (and unusable) liquid.

Today, The Saint Louis Brewery sources a pasteurized and stable 100 percent juice concentrate blend high in Granny Smith apples. The juice is fermented in one of two fermenters in the cellar of The Schlafly Tap Room using an American ale yeast similar to wine yeast. After fermentation, apple or other fruit juices or purées are blended in, depending on the cider variety. Production takes three to four weeks, averaging about 930 gallons of hard cider per month.

Around 2012, the Illinois orchards were no longer able to keep up with Crown Valley’s demand, so the winery began sourcing its apple base from Washington state. The juice, a sweeter blend of mostly Fuji and Jonathan apples, is filtered and fermented at the winery. Once the hard cider is made, it goes through a quality-control pasteurization process to kill bacteria and yeast. Strawberry or blackberry purée is then added, and cider is left to age and assume the aroma, color and flavor of the fruit. Crown Valley grows 32 acres of blackberries, which it uses to flavor its cider as well as some of its wines and vodkas.

Crown Valley’s pumpkin seasonal variety was released in early September (and quickly sold out), and will be followed by a gingerbread cookie cider in December, made with allspice, cinnamon and ginger.

“It’s a pretty straightforward process, but it took a number of years to get straight because we were looking for a very dry finish to our cider,” Kopman says. “It’s about the fermentation temperature, the time and the yeast strain we’re using. Because we’re 7.2 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), that helps.

Siddle forecasts Crown Valley’s cider production will be up to 60,000 gallons, or approximately 600,000 bottles, this year. Its ciders are distributed in bottles in 16 states in the Midwest, the South and on the East Coast. Siddle has been experimenting with eight new flavors, along with some small releases of ciders aged in the winery’s Chardonnay barrels and the distillery’s whiskey barrels.

“The response for our hard apple cider has been really good. The challenge is that it’s not something you’re going to drink five of in a night with the higher ABV. It’s like a wine as opposed to a sessionable alternative to beer.”

“We’re trying to figure out where the cider craze is going,” he says. “You see millennials and a lot more people drinking it. For us, it’s been a challenge to figure out where should we go – with these [fruit] flavors, the aged program or intense, crazy flavors?

In addition to its dry hard cider, The Saint Louis Brewery also makes fewer than 500 gallons of fruit-variant ciders annually. In 2015, that included cherry and red currant, blackberry, raspberry and sour black cherry. The ciders are sold in limited capacity throughout Missouri but only on draft. Although the cider is popular at the brewery’s

“We know consumers lean toward the sweeter side, whereas more of the industry and restaurant [folks] lean toward the drier side,” Siddle says. “The ciders I prefer personally are bone-dry. I think they’re very refreshing and very food-friendly. But, we don’t [create products] for just ourselves to consume; we’ve got to [create them] for everybody.”

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Let them Drink CiDer Like Kopman and Siddle, producing hard cider started out as passion project for Bryce Schaffter. He opened Cinder Block Brewery in 2013 in North Kansas City and has been making cider from the start. His wife told him that if he were to open a brewery, he had to continue making hard cider, which he’d been doing at home since 2010.

Schaffter says the combination of sweetness, acidity and tannins of various apple varieties remind him of combining grains and hops when brewing beer.

The yeasts he uses to make cider have a different fermentation cycle than those used in brewing beer, so learning how flavors develop over time has been an educational process.

In his early home-brewing days, Schaffter used a small basket press and hand grinder to press apples. As he refined his palate with different apple varieties to balance out levels of acidity and sugars, he began working with local orchards to source apples. Now, when seasonally available, Schaffter gets a variety of tart and sweet apples from Louisburg Cider Mill in Louisburg, Kansas, as well as from orchards in Oregon and on the East Coast. This year he’s working to source heritage apple varieties from an orchard near St. Joseph, Missouri.

Because yeast consumes all of the apple juice’s sugars, it produces a fermented product that is not sweet at all. At that point, Schaffter adds fresh-pressed apple juice to balance the cider’s flavor profile.

and brandy barrels, as well as whiskey barrels that previously aged a cherry imperial stout. “When you’re brewing beer and making cider, there’s opportunity for overlap,” he says.

The brewery pulled six barrels of aged cider in September to celebrate its second anniversary and another six in early October.

Cider Block French and Cider Block (English Cherry) are on tap at the brewery, as well as a few bars around the city, and can be purchased in growlers for customers to take home. Not a fan of gluten-free beers, Schaffter sees the brewery’s cider as a good alternative for those who request gluten-free options.

“When we started producing cider, I wasn’t sure what the uptake would be,” Schaffter says. “It’s been interesting to see who the cider drinker is. A lot more men drink cider than I would have expected. People who watch soccer drink a lot of cider.”

As hard-cider production continues to grow across the country, producers like Schaffter are redefining it with ingredients and flavors all their own. It’s not the same cider English colonists pressed and poured in the 17th century, or even what was produced a hundred years ago. It’s something altogether new and distinct for today’s craft beverage industry.

Cinder Block produces 50 to 100 barrels of its tap mainstays – Cider Block French and Cider Block (English Cherry) – each year. The French cider has a dry finish due to the strain of yeast used to make it and a slightly different fermentation cycle. The English is a fairly dry, pub-style cider, to which the brewery adds Michigan cherries to create a very tart cherry flavor.

Cinder Block Brewery, 110 E. 18th Ave., North Kansas City, Missouri, 816.298.6555, cinderblockbrewery.com

This fall, Cinder Block introduced a cyser, or honey cider, and a dry-hopped cider. Schaffter has also been experimenting with aging cider in Chardonnay

The Saint Louis Brewery and Schlafly Beer, multiple locations, 314.241.2337, schlafly.com

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Crown Valley Brewery & Distilling Co., 13326 State Highway F, Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, 573.756.9700, crownvalleybrewery.com

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Eat, Drink and

Cranberry

Take advantage of fresh cranberry season with sweet and tart starters, sides, sweets and cocktails.

STory, recIpeS And phoTogrAphy

by SherrIe cASTellAno

Fresh, whole cranberries are brightening up my kitchen this fall. These tart and sweet gems hail from evergreen shrubs or trailing vines, and their antioxidant powers are capable of so much more than that jellylike substance found on many Thanksgiving tables. Simmered and stewed, roasted or baked, cranberries can be brilliant when highlighted in less conventional ways.

When I use cranberries in savory recipes, I like to include lots of fresh herbs, particularly ones that complement fall flavors such as thyme, sage, rosemary and parsley. These aromatics, along with the deep, rich notes of caramelized shallots and browned butter, beautifully mellow out the berry’s tartness.

Although cranberries are a total natural when it comes to desserts and cocktails, they sometimes have a tendency to go ultra-sugary, hiding their vibrancy and subtle nuances. In order to preserve their natural light-and-bright flavor, I’ve sweetened them ever so slightly with brown sugar and freshly squeezed citrus juices. In the following recipes, I’ve balanced sugariness with fresh herbs, peppercorns and added a touch of acidity with a little apple cider vinegar. My hope is that these eight seasonally focused recipes will showcase cranberries’ finest attributes and inspire you get creative in the kitchen this holiday season.

Editor’s note: The following recipes were tested with frozen cranberries.

Blinis are easy to make in large batches and are the perfect party appetizer. Use whatever fresh herbs you’d like – rosemary, sage or thyme all work well.

Serves | 10 | 2⁄3 ½ ½ 1 1 3 1 8 ¼ 1 1 1

cup all-purpose flour cup buckwheat flour tsp sea salt, plus more to taste tsp dry active yeast cup warm water Tbsp olive oil, divided egg, separated oz goat cheese cup milk Tbsp finely chopped parsley sea salt and freshly ground black pepper cup fresh cranberries Tbsp chopped fresh herbs

| Preparation | Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. Add warm water, cover and allow to sit for 1 hour. After 1 hour, stir 2 tablespoons olive oil and egg yolk into batter.

In a small bowl, add egg white and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into batter.

In a greased frying pan over medium-low heat, pour batter into pan 1 tablespoon at a time. Cook until small bubbles form, about 2 minutes. Then flip and cook for 1 minute more, or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter and set blinis aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine goat cheese, milk, parsley and pinches of salt and pepper. Using a hand-mixer set to low, blend mixture until creamy and smooth. Refrigerate until ready to assemble blinis.

In a small bowl, toss cranberries with herbs, remaining 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt. Transfer mixture to prepared baking sheet and roast in oven for 10 minutes, or until soft and lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Top each blini with a dollop of whipped goat cheese and 3 to 4 roasted cranberries. Serve at room temperature.

appetizer

Buckwheat Blinis with Whipped Goat Cheese and Herb-Roasted Cranberries

side dishes

Caramelized Cranberry Chutney with Roasted Acorn Squash This is a fantastic meat-free meal or a wonderful side dish for your holiday table.

Serves | 4 | 2 1 3 3 3 3 ½ ¼ 1½ 1

acorn squash, sliced into quarters and deseeded Tbsp olive oil Tbsp unsalted butter shallots, thinly sliced Tbsp apple cider vinegar cups fresh cranberries cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish cup brown sugar tsp sea salt tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more for garnish pepitas (for garnish)

| Preparation | Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly brush squash with oil and roast in a baking dish for 40 to 50 minutes or until soft.

While squash is roasting, heat a sauté pan over medium-low heat and add butter. Once melted, add shallots and cook for approximately 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn heat up to medium and add apple cider vinegar; stir and bring to a gentle simmer.

Add cranberries. Stir frequently and smash cranberries down with a wooden spoon once they are soft. Add parsley, brown sugar, salt and pepper and stir. Simmer for only a few more minutes or until you’ve reached your desired texture.

Top roasted acorn squash with cranberry chutney, pepitas and a pinch of fresh parsley and pepper. Serve.

Cranberry Stuffing with Fennel and Sage Punch up traditional stuffing with tart cranberries, which complement the earthy flavor of fennel and sage.

Serves | 4 to 6 | 1 2 1 2 1½ ¼ 1½ 1

loaf crusty bread, torn into large bite-sized pieces Tbsp olive oil medium onion, small dice cups small dice fennel bulb sea salt and freshly ground black pepper cups fresh cranberries cup sage leaves cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided egg

| Preparation | Preheat oven to 375°F. Disperse pieces of bread on a baking sheet to dry out. If you have time, allow bread to become stale overnight or lightly toast in oven, just enough to take some of the moisture out. It should measure about 10 loosely packed cups.

In a large frying pan over low heat, heat olive oil. Sauté onion until it becomes translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add fennel and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Turn heat up to medium and add cranberries, sage and ½ cup vegetable broth. Simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated; remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss bread with egg. Add cranberry mixture and remaining vegetable broth and mix to combine. Pour in ovensafe baking dish and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until top is lightly golden brown. Serve.

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Cranberry-Balsamic Glaze This glaze is delicious served over your favorite roasted vegetables, winter squash, pork or lamb – or even leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Yields | 1 cup | 2 1 ¾ 4

cups fresh cranberries cup water cup brown sugar Tbsp balsamic vinegar

| Preparation | In a saucepan over medium-low heat, bring cranberries, water and brown sugar to a gentle simmer. Stir constantly and smash cranberries with a wooden spoon once soft enough. A thick glaze consistency should form within a few minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and allow hot glaze to cool until just warm.

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Cranberry-Black Peppercorn Shrub Cocktail

Cranberry-Citrus-Champagne Punch

Shrubs are on trend right now, and this slightly herbal cranberry-black peppercorn version is brimming with fall flavor.

This batch cocktail works well for Thanksgiving, winter holiday parties or New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Yields | 2 cups |

Serves | 10 |

1 1 2 2 1 1

cup sugar cup water Tbsp black peppercorns cups fresh cranberries cup apple cider vinegar oz bourbon, gin or vodka (to serve) ice (to serve) sparkling water (to serve) freshly ground black pepper (to serve)

| Preparation | In a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat, combine sugar, water and peppercorns. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved.

Add cranberries and simmer until cranberries are completely cooked down and liquid is bright red, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add apple cider vinegar.

1 ½ 1 2 2 5 10

cup cranberry juice cup freshly squeezed orange juice bottle Champagne Tbsp simple syrup (optional) cups fresh cranberries sprigs rosemary (for garnish) orange slices (for garnish) ice

| Preparation | In a large punch bowl, combine cranberry juice, orange juice, Champagne and simple syrup (for additional sweetness, if desired). Top with fresh cranberries, rosemary and orange slices. Serve in individual glasses over ice.

Strain mixture through a sieve into a glass jar. Discard solids. This can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

To serve, combine 1 ounce of your favorite spirit with 1 tablespoon shrub syrup over ice and top with sparkling water. Garnish with a dusting of pepper and serve.

To serve cocktail sans alcohol, pour 2 tablespoons shrub syrup over ice and top with sparkling water.

cocktails

Cranberry-Ginger Fizz Light and bubbly, this refreshing cocktail works with or without booze.

Serves | 8 | 2 1 1 1 8

cups fresh cranberries, plus more for garnish cup water cup sugar small, 1-inch knob ginger, grated ice oz vodka (optional) ginger ale or club soda

| Preparation | In a medium-sized saucepan over low heat, combine cranberries, water, sugar and ginger and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until cranberries have softened completely and liquid is bright red, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain mixture through a sieve into a glass container. Discard solids.

Allow cranberry-ginger syrup to cool completely before using.

Fill 8 glasses with ice. In each glass, add 1 ounce cranberry-ginger syrup and 1 ounce vodka. Top with ginger ale or club soda, garnish with a few fresh cranberries and serve.

To serve cocktail sans alcohol, combine 2 ounces cranberry-ginger syrup over ice and top with ginger ale or club soda.

Cranberry-Thyme Upside-Down Cake with Ginger Whipped Cream Cranberries with notes of thyme pair well with this lightly sweetened cake topped with a ginger whipped cream that has just a hint of spice.

Serves | 8 | GinGer WhippeD Cream (Yields 1 cup)

1 1 ½

cup whipping cream Tbsp sugar or maple syrup heaping tsp ground ginger

Cranberry-Thyme UpsiDe-DoWn Cake

1¼ 2 2 ½ 1 ½ 2 ½

cup olive oil, divided sprigs fresh thyme, destemmed and leaves reserved cups sugar, divided cups fresh cranberries, halved eggs cup milk cup all-purpose flour cup finely ground cornmeal tsp baking powder tsp salt

| Preparation – Ginger Whipped Cream | Chill a metal mixing bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Using a hand-mixer, combine all ingredients into chilled bowl and mix until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

| Preparation – Cranberry-Thyme Upside-Down Cake | Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-by-2-inch cake pan. Set aside.

In a sauté pan over low heat, warm ¼ cup olive oil and thyme. Add ¼ cup sugar, stir and let dissolve. Add halved cranberries, allow them to warm through and then remove from heat. Press cranberries into prepared cake pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add remaining sugar and olive oil, eggs and milk and whisk to combine. In a separate mixing bowl, add remaining dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour dry ingredients into wet and mix batter until thoroughly combined.

Pour batter into cake pan on top of cooked cranberries and bake for 40 minutes. Cake is finished when top is golden brown and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cake to rest for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of ginger whipped cream.

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Free $10 Gift Card With Your To-Go Order King & I is now offering a Customer Rewards program for Dinner take-out orders. Earn a stamp on your rewards card when you order a dinner entree to-go. Collect ten stamps and get a $10 gift card good for your next visit to King & I .

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NOVEMBER 2015

Come join us!

Don Emiliano’s Restaurante Mexicano is open in O’Fallon and ready to provide you with a cultural dining experience. Try our famous street tacos or any meat dishes that feature our house marinade; an orange juice and herb base that really make the citrus flavors stand out. Our chef offers a wide selection of traditional dishes that can also easily be adjusted for vegetarian and vegan diners. We invite you for lunch and dinner; we have a standing lunch menu Monday through Friday and dinner combinations as well as our regular and to go menus.

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NOVEMBER 2015

73

rank Reese’s turkeys can fly.

In the wild, that’s nothing special, but on a turkey farm, it’s a rare sight to see.

Reese’s birds also run, jump, dig holes, roll in the dirt, eat bugs and roost just like turkeys have in America for more than 200 years.

His Standard Bronze, Narragansett, Black, White Holland and Bourbon Red turkeys and Plymouth Barred Rock, New Hampshire, Cornish, Silver Laced Wyandotte and Jersey Giant chickens are standard-bred, otherwise known as heritage breed, birds.

A fourth-generation kansas farmer, Reese’s grandparents settled in Salina, kansas, right after the Civil War, and he can trace his family’s turkeys’ bloodlines back to 1917. He’s raised turkeys and chickens on range his whole life, the better part of 60 years, first on the family farm in Salina and, later, on his own land in Lindsborg, kansas, at Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch.

“I just enjoyed chickens and turkeys, even as a little kid,” he says. “At a young age, instead of being sent to the milk house or the cow barn, I was sent to the chicken house. Back then, there wasn’t anything other than what they call heritage today – and I hate that word. They’ve been called standard bred since 1873.”

By the time Reese was in high school, he was showing birds through the Four-H Club and at the kansas State Fair.

“That’s where I began to learn a lot about poultry and how to raise poultry for market, and I was very successful at it,” he says. “When I went to a show, I went to win. But back then we didn’t just raise birds to be pretty or to win shows, they also had to be marketable – [to] be able to produce eggs, to produce meat.” early in his career, Reese met legendary turkey farmer Norman kardash, known to folks in the industry as the Turkey Man, who quickly became his hero and mentor. kardash could trace his turkeys’ genetic lines back to the 19th century and was particularly known for his awardwinning Narragansetts. When kardash passed away in 2003, he left his birds and breeding legacy to Reese.

at home, or have been the focus of farm dinners hosted by chefs Alice Waters in Berkeley, California, and Mario Batali in New York City. Several years ago, Reese’s farm was profiled in writer Jonathan Safran Foer’s nonfiction book about industrial farming and animal welfare, Eating Animals, and in the past three years, filmmakers adapting the book have visited Good Shepherd more than a dozen times. “People have been very good to me,” Reese says of the attention.

When he describes his turkeys and chickens, it’s with the pride and protectiveness of a father, but also the respect of a farmer who appreciates not just their beauty and personalities, but also the bounty they bestow. Reese cares deeply about his animals, and part of caring about something involves fear and concern.

And every year, he grows more concerned.

All domesticated turkeys are descendents of the Standard Bronze, or “the king,” as Reese describes them, which are native to North and Central America. Feathers on the backs of Bronze toms (male turkeys) and hens (female turkeys) include three bands: white, black and iridescent bronze. Their feathers glisten a brilliant shock of penny copper from their shoulders down their backs. Hens have distinctive lacing, or a white pattern on each feather, covering their breasts. When you imagine a turkey, you’re probably picturing the Bronze.

“The Bronze is the genetic basis for all the other varieties of turkeys,” Reese says. “In fact, every domesticated turkey – I don’t care if it’s a Butterball or what it is – its ancestor was the Bronze. It was the first real breakthrough for farmers back in the 1830s, who began to raise and market a domesticated turkey that was reliable. And so it became the king.”

From there, varieties like Narragansett, with its silver coloring, black and white frosted wings and golden tail, and Bourbon Red, with its chestnut wings and white tail, were selected and bred for their intricate and beautiful colorings.

once in a while a white one would show up in the breeding, or a black one would show up, and they would keep it and breed it, trying to get more white ones or black ones,” Reese says. “Pretty soon, they had entire flocks.”

Although beautiful, the varying color patterns have no effect on the meat – and Reese says if anyone tries to tell you otherwise, it’s “a bunch of hooey.”

Instead, he says texture and flavor are determined by how the farmer bred the animal, what he fed the animal and how he treated the animal. “My Bronze turkeys look like they look, taste like they taste and have those nice big round breasts because I’ve selected for that [in breeding], not because they’re Bronzes.”

Preserving and protecting heritage breeds is only half of Reese’s work.

He’s also passionate about maintaining traditional farming practices – what was once the only way of doing things in the poultry industry but has, in the past 50 years, slowly faded away.

Reese describes three essentials to raising standard-bred turkeys: birds are naturally mating, which means farmers don’t have to – and don’t choose to – artificially inseminate hens for reproduction; birds are allowed a natural rate of growth for healthy skeletal and muscle development; and there is longevity, which means that birds not killed for meat will live long lives on the farm and be used for breeding. These tenets also form the mission of the American Poultry Association (APA), which is the only organization that can issue certifications for standard-bred turkeys.

Reese has been a member since the 1950s and was the first poultry farmer to be certified by the APA.

he says. “That’s the basis, and even my mission, for selling birds: to save them from extinction and to bring them back to what they originally were meant to be – quality farm animals for eggs and meat.”

In the early 1900s, Standard Bronze and Bourbon Red birds roamed the pastures of farms across the country, foraging for food, exercising their muscles and gaining weight at a natural pace. In the 1920s, enterprising farmers began breeding the Standard Bronze to have broader, meatier breasts and aptly named the new variety Broad Breasted Bronze. Within 20 years, the Broad Breasted Bronze fell out of favor, as its dark pinfeathers were considered unappealing to consumers after plucking.

By the early 1960s, a new hybrid emerged, the Broad Breasted White, developed by crossing Broad Breasted Bronze and White Holland turkeys. Broad Breasted Whites are bred to have larger breasts than standard-bred turkeys, and they also mature almost twice as fast, yielding fatter birds – and on industrial farms, fatter profits. Today, Broad Breasted Whites make up 99 percent of the turkeys farmed in America.

While it takes Reese about 28 to 32 weeks to raise 18- to 20-pound toms on range, a Broad Breasted White tom raised on an industrial farm lives

“It’s important to me that people who buy my products know that it’s the true, authentic thing,”

“If a farmer had 300 turkeys, which was a lot of turkeys [in the 1800s] for one farmer, every

Reese has a slight country drawl and speaks in a measured and quiet way.

You’d never guess the modest kansas farmer and his birds have made multiple appearances on The Martha Stewart Show, teaching Americans about standardbred poultry and how to properly cook it

Inspired Local Food Culture

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Frank Reese knows his standard-bred chickens and turkeys are more expensive than what’s sold at the grocery store, and that the discrepancy can be confusing for customers.

“A lot of people think our chickens and turkeys are very expensive and that we’re making a lot of money,” Reese says. “The reason our chickens and turkeys are so expensive isn’t the animal’s fault; that’s not the problem. We pay much more for processing and packaging.”

It costs Reese about 38 cents a pound to humanely slaughter, process and package a turkey, compared to industrial turkey operations, which spend about 18 cents a pound to process birds, according to Reese. Chickens have an even wider gap, costing Reese $1 compared to 13 cents at industrial operations.

“During a live radio interview with a station in New York City, the interviewer asked me if I realized that people in New York were paying $140 for one of my turkeys,” Reese says. “I said, ‘Ma’am, that might be, and if it is, I really thank them for supporting what we’re doing. I really appreciate it. But of that $140, me, the farmer, I get about $22. And out of that $22, I’ve got to feed the parents, gather the eggs, hatch the eggs, raise the turkeys, truck them to the processor and pay for processing. So when I get done, I make about $5 for a year’s worth of work.’ And she changed the subject.”

In addition to whole turkeys and chickens, Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch produces ground turkey and chicken, which can be purchased online through Heritage Foods USA. In the Kansas City area, Reese’s products can be found at Paradise Locker Meats, Hen House Market and Hy-Vee. Reese recommends seeking out cookbooks published prior to 1950 for recipes for his chickens and turkeys. We suggest vintage copies of classics such as The Joy of Cooking, Mastering the Art of French Cooking and Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. We also love paging through older cookbooks for historic preparations of classic dishes, including the following: Recipes from Good Things to Eat As Suggested By Rufus (1911)

by Rufus Estes: FRIED CHICKEN: Cut up two chickens. Put a ¼-pound of butter,

mixed with a spoonful of flour, into a saucepan with pepper, salt, a little vinegar, parsley, green onions, carrots and turnips and heat.

Steep chicken in marinade for three hours, having dried the pieces and floured them. Fry until a good brown. Garnish with fried parsley.

ROAST CHICKEN: Having drawn and trussed the chicken, put it between a few slices of bacon, taking care to fasten the feet to the spit to keep it together. Baste it with its gravy and when well done, serve with cress around the dish and season with salt and vinegar.

Cover chicken and bacon with buttered paper, until five minutes of the bird being done, then take off the paper and finish the roasting by a very bright fire.

TURKEY TRUFFLES: Take 3 or 4 pounds of truffles, chopping up a handful with some bacon fat and put into a saucepan with whole truffles, salt, pepper, spices and a bay leaf. Let cook over a slow fire for three-quarters of an hour, take off, stir and let cool. When quite cold, place in body of turkey, sew up the opening and let turkey imbibe the flavor of the truffles by remaining in a day or two if the season permits. Cover the bird with slices of bacon and roast.

CHICKEN GRAVY: Put into a stockpot the bones and trimmings of a chicken with a small quantity of stock and boil them. Add flour and butter to thicken it, place the pot on the side of the stove and let simmer. Stir well and after the gravy has simmered for some minutes, skim and strain it, and it will be ready to serve.

Recipe from Directions for Cookery, in Its Various Branches (1839)

by Eliza Leslie: TO ROAST A TURKEY: Make a forcemeat of grated breadcrumbs, minced suet, sweet marjoram, grated lemon peel, nutmeg, pepper, salt and beaten yolk of egg. You may add some grated cold ham.

Reserve the turkey’s neck, liver and gizzard for gravy. Stuff the craw of the turkey with the forcemeat, of which there should be enough made to form into balls for frying, laying them around the turkey when it is dished. Dredge it with flour and roast it before a clear, brisk fire, basting it with cold lard. Toward the end, set the turkey nearer to the fire, dredge it again very lightly with flour and baste it with butter. It will require from two to three hours roasting according to size.

Make the gravy of the giblets cut in pieces, seasoned and stewed for two hours in very little water; thicken it with a spoonful of browned flour and stir into it the gravy from the dripping pan, having first skimmed off the fat.

Inspired Local Food Culture

NOVEMBER 2015

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SEASON LONG SPORTS COVERAGE Home or away, rest assured there’s a St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist covering your game.

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Inspired Local Food Culture

NOVEMBER 2015

81

written by Shannon weber | photography by Jennifer Silverberg

the scene: you and your guests are pleasantly stuffed – just as your turkey was a few short hours ago – and chatting and laughing as the smaller guests circle the table. plates are collected, and the clink and clatter of china, flatware and glass become the sound track for post-dinner coffee. only one small thing remains, but it’s the very thing that makes this holiday what it is.

before you dive into thanksgiving dessert planning this year, think about the bounty that’s available to you in the fall. too often we limit ourselves to the standards – mile-high apple pie, luxurious pumpkin custard, achingly sweet pecan pie – festive choices, to be sure, but they tend to be the trees standing in the way of a forest of other dessert flavors and styles.

Consider the possibilities: a simple pie can transform into a rustic galette or crostata, an elegant, show-shopping tart or a crowdpleasing slab. Crumbles offer their crust in sweet streusel, and crisps crackle with oat-coated tops, while cobblers and grunts hit you with a generous dose of Southern-biscuit charm. if you’re looking for something even more unexpected, try your hand at a clafoutis or far breton, both rich, custard-based options with hidden (and not-so-hidden) fruit inside.

Surprising fillings don’t end there; broaden your definition of what really goes into your desserts this year. apples are a true classic, but pears are gorgeous and readily available in the fall, as are persimmons, pomegranates and grapes. Dried fruits always seem to be an ideal cool-weather counterpart to summer’s rampant juiciness; experiment with prunes or dried cherries, apricots or figs. reimagine sweet potato or butternut squash in place of pumpkin in a custard, or tuck pistachios, cashews and pepitas inside rich caramel or chocolate. your holiday feast is merely nourishment compared to the enchanting finale of desserts that grace your table – the bits and crumbs your guests will linger over as the evening passes. this year, make it memorable.

Making caramel out of sweet potatoes may sound arduous, and indeed it can be, but not the way I make it. Here, you’re simply thickening some sweet potato pulp on the way to making it into a caramel, and the result is a mixed-nut tart with a distinct earthy flavor.

Serves | 14 to 16 | Sweet Potato Caramel

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1-inch-thick rounds 1½ cups water, divided 1 Tbsp unsalted butter tart CruSt

1¼ 2⁄3 ¼ ½

cups unbleached all-purpose flour cup powdered sugar tsp kosher salt cup unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes 2 large egg yolks 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 to 2 Tbsp heavy cream, divided Nut FilliNg

1 1 ¾ 2⁄3 ½ ½ 1⁄3 1⁄3

84

cup raw pecan halves cup raw whole cashews cup raw pepitas cup raw walnut halves, very roughly chopped cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces cup tightly packed dark brown sugar cup granulated sugar cup heavy cream feastmagazine.com

NOVEMBER 2015

2 ¾ ½ 1

Tbsp honey tsp kosher salt cup sweet potato caramel (recipe below) tsp pure vanilla extract

| Preparation – Sweet Potato Caramel | Preheat oven to 425°F. Place sweet potato rounds in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish; pour 1 cup water around sweet potatoes.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until potatoes are cooked. Remove from oven and pour remaining ½ cup water over hot potatoes; allow to cool to room temperature in baking dish and soak up more liquid. Line a large vegetable strainer with cheesecloth and hang strainer over a large saucepan or bowl; pour potatoes and liquid into center of cheesecloth. Pull up sides of cheesecloth and squeeze potato liquids through cheesecloth (some pulp will squeeze through as well) until you have 1 to 1¼ cup total of thick sweet potato pulp in bowl. Discard sweet potato solids remaining in cheesecloth.

Place sweet potato pulp in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan and boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir frequently as mixture caramelizes; reduce mixture to ½ cup, whisk in butter until combined, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Set aside.

| Preparation – Tart Crust | In the bowl of a food processor, add flour, sugar and salt and pulse a few times to blend. Add butter cubes and pulse until pea-sized crumbs form and mixture resembles damp sand.

In a mixing bowl, add egg yolks, vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream and whisk to combine. With food processor motor running, stream in egg mixture and pulse to combine. If crust is too dry, stream in remaining 1 tablespoon heavy cream until dough forms. Turn out onto workstation and form into disc; refrigerate at least 1 hour until firm.

Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out onto floured workstation, lifting and rotating dough as you roll so dough doesn’t stick to counter. Roll out enough to allow dough to slightly hang over sides of 10-inch round tart pan. Transfer to pan and press dough into sides; trim edges so dough is uniform. Transfer to freezer for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 400°F. Remove tart crust from freezer and line with aluminum foil large enough to cover over edges of pan.

Fill with pie weights, dry beans or rice, pressing firmly so sides are supported.

Bake for 13 to 14 minutes until crust has dried out; decrease oven temperature to 350°F, remove foil and weights, and bake

for 10 to 12 more minutes, until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

| Preparation – Nut Filling | Heat oven to 325°F. Set baked and cooled tart crust near workstation.

In a small bowl, toss pecans, cashews, pepitas and walnuts together until evenly distributed; set aside.

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, bring butter, sugars, heavy cream, honey and salt to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to stir constantly as mixture bubbles and caramelizes; when mixture reaches 235°F on a candy thermometer, about 4 to 5 minutes, remove from heat and whisk in sweet potato caramel rapidly until mixture is smooth and homogeneous. Add nuts and place back over high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens slightly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla; pour into baked tart shell and smooth to evenly distribute nut mixture; transfer to wire rack to set filling and cool. Chill in refrigerator if desired.

| To Serve | Slice sweet potato caramel-andnut tart into very thin wedges. Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serve.

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Store-bought pomegranate molasses can be a wonderful thing, but the only way to achieve true ruby-red pomegranate brightness is to make it yourself – an easy task; don’t worry.

Watch it carefully during the final minutes of cooking so nothing scorches.

Serves | 12 | Walnut Crust

¾ 3¼ 1 2 1 ½

cup walnut halves cups unbleached all-purpose flour Tbsp granulated sugar tsp kosher salt cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed cup shortening, cold and cut into 6 pieces 1⁄3 cup chilled vodka 2 to 3 Tbsp ice water Pomegranate molasses

16 oz unsweetened pomegranate juice 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar juice of 1 lemon Pomegranate-Pear slab Pie

¾ ¾ ½ 2 4¼

cup granulated sugar tsp kosher salt tsp ground Vietnamese cinnamon Tbsp cornstarch lbs (about 6 large) d’Anjou or Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and sliced into ¾-inch chunks 3 Tbsp melted unsalted butter ¼ cup pomegranate molasses (recipe below)

| Preparation – Walnut Crust | In the bowl of a food processor, add walnut halves and pulse until ground into a fine meal. Add flour, sugar and salt and pulse until ingredients are evenly distributed. Add chilled butter and pulse twice to distribute; add shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and drizzle vodka over top; fold until mixture is hydrated and smooth, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough forms. Divide into 2 discs, 1 a bit larger than the other; flatten, wrap tightly with

plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

When ready to bake, roll out larger disc of dough into a rectangle on a generously floured surface, lifting and rotating as you roll to eliminate sticking. Carefully transfer dough to a 9-by-13-inch nonstick jelly roll pan; dough should cover bottom and sides of pan and hang over sides slightly. Trim sides as needed. Set aside.

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| Preparation – Pomegranate Molasses | In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add all ingredients and stir. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until mixture has thickened and reduced to ½ cup. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

| Preparation – Pomegranate-Pear Slab Pie | Preheat oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, combine sugar, salt, cinnamon and cornstarch and whisk to combine. In a large bowl, add sliced pears and sprinkle sugar mixture over top; add melted butter and pomegranate molasses and fold until sugar mixture has evenly coated fruit.

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Pour fruit mixture into prepared pie crust; spread evenly throughout middle and sides of pan. Roll out second disc of dough on a floured surface and transfer to cover pie; trim sides and crimp edges together firmly. Cut several slits in top crust to vent or use small cutters to cut a few decorative vent holes near center. If you like, roll out excess crust and use small cutters to cut shapes to decorate crust.

Bake on middle rack of oven until pie is golden on top and fruit is bubbling, 1½ hours, covering edges with foil if they begin to brown early. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature to set filling. Slice into squares and serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

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This pie is a twist on a classic gingerbread cake with citrus glaze. Make the gingersnaps ahead of time, or save a step and use store-bought gingersnaps; look for a thin, very crispy version – Anna’s Ginger Swedish Thins work wonderfully.

You will need around 90 cookies for the cake.

Serves | 10 to 12 | GinGersnaps

2½ 1½ ½ 4 1½ ½ ¼ ½ ¾ ⅓ 1⁄3 1 2

cups unbleached all-purpose flour tsp baking soda tsp kosher salt tsp ground ginger tsp ground Vietnamese cinnamon tsp ground cloves tsp cayenne pepper cup unsalted butter cup firmly packed dark brown sugar cup blackstrap molasses large egg, lightly beaten Tbsp grated fresh ginger

Lemon Curd

1 8 1⅓ ¼ 3

cup fresh lemon juice, strained (8 to 10 lemons) zest of 2 lemons egg yolks cup granulated sugar tsp kosher salt Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Lemon-masCarpone Cream

3 8 ¾ ¾

cups chilled heavy cream oz mascarpone cheese cup granulated sugar zest of 2 lemons cup lemon curd (recipe below)

| Preparation – Gingersnaps | In a large bowl, add

flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cayenne pepper and whisk to combine.

Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add butter, dark brown sugar and molasses and whisk frequently until mixture is smooth and homogenous. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add egg and fresh ginger and whisk to combine; mixture should be smooth and glossy.

Pour molasses mixture into flour mixture and use a spatula to incorporate until a cohesive dough forms. Form into 2 smooth balls, flatten into discs and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325°F and line a rimless baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove 1 dough disc from refrigerator; generously flour a work surface and roll out dough to ¹⁄₁₆- to ¹⁄₈-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inches-round cookie cutter and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until cookies are firm and begin to darken around edges. Transfer sheet to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough, rerolling as needed; you should have 90 to 100 cookies. Allow gingersnaps to cool completely before assembling icebox pie.

| Preparation – Lemon Curd | In the top of a double boiler, whisk together lemon juice, zest, egg yolks, sugar and salt until combined. Set over justsimmering water and heat, whisking constantly, until curd has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Add butter and stir constantly until butter has melted and mixture is homogeneous; remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Transfer to jar, seal tightly and refrigerate; curd should be chilled before using. | Preparation – Lemon-Mascarpone Cream | In a cold mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat cream, mascarpone, sugar and lemon zest until medium peaks form. Fold in chilled lemon curd; whisk by hand until stiff peaks form, taking care not to overbeat and break cream.

Set aside.

| Assembly | Line a 9-by-3-inch-high springform pan with 13 to 14 gingersnaps, covering base as much as possible and breaking cookies as needed to fill. Scoop 1 heaping cup of lemon-mascarpone cream on top and spread evenly over cookie base using back of a spoon or offset spatula. Top with 12 whole cookies (9 perimeter, 3 center), overlapping edges as needed and breaking cookies to fill center, and top with another heaping cup cream mixture, spreading evenly over cookies. Continue layering cookies and cream until you near top of pan, finishing with cream mixture; you should have 5 to 6 cookie layers. Smooth top and transfer to refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight, until cookies have softened and formed a “cake” within cream.

| To Serve | Remove icebox pie from refrigerator and remove ring from pan. Drizzle top with remaining lemon curd. (Alternatively, serve a little curd alongside each slice.) Slice using a large, sharp knife, and clean blade with a damp towel after each cut for clean slices.

Serve chilled.

Cherries get an early winter makeover in these darkly spiced individual crisps. If you can, use frozen or jarred cherries in their juice rather than the canned variety, which can taste tinny and don’t have as much overall flavor as the jarred or frozen sort.

Serves | 8 | Crisp Topping

4 Tbsp soft but cool unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing ramekins ½ cup old-fashioned oats ½ cup roughly chopped pistachios 1⁄3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour ¼ cup tightly packed brown sugar 1½ tsp caraway seeds, broken up with mortar and pestle 1⁄8 tsp ground Vietnamese cinnamon pinch kosher salt Cherry Filling

1 cup granulated sugar 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour 2 tsp ground Vietnamese cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves ¼ tsp kosher salt 4 lbs pitted sour cherries, frozen or jarred (weigh after draining)

| Preparation – Crisp Topping | Preheat oven to 375°F and butter bottoms and sides of 8

ramekins (7- to 8-ounce sizes).

In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, pistachios, flour, brown sugar, caraway seeds, cinnamon and salt until evenly distributed. Add the 4 tablespoons of butter pieces; use electric mixer on medium speed to blend until large crumbs form. Set aside.

| Preparation – Cherry Filling | In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cinnamon, cloves and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, add cherries; sprinkle sugar mixture over cherries and fold into cherries to combine. Using a slotted spoon, distribute cherry mixture into prepared ramekins; evenly divide any remaining liquid between ramekins. Divide crisp topping over top of each ramekin. Transfer ramekins to a baking sheet and bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until filling is bubbly and has thickened. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

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Crostatas and galettes are everywhere in the summer, only to disappear when cool weather hits.

Bring them back to your table with this simple-butlovely late-fall combination of sweet, dark grapes and almond nuttiness.

Serves | 10 to 12 | Crust

½ 2¼ 1 ½ 2 1 1⁄3

cup blanched almonds cups unbleached all-purpose flour Tbsp granulated sugar tsp kosher salt oz frozen or very cold almond paste cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes cup ice water

Grape-FranGipane FillinG

1½ 3 1 ¼ ½ 1 5 1 1 1

lbs black or red grapes, small to medium size Tbsp granulated sugar Tbsp cornstarch cup kosher salt tsp ground Vietnamese cinnamon Tbsp melted unsalted butter oz frozen or very cold almond paste egg yolk Tbsp water Tbsp Demerara sugar

| Preparation – Crust | In a food processor, pulse almonds until finely ground and powdery. Add flour, sugar and salt; pulse to combine all ingredients.

Grate almond paste into almond-flour mixture using largest holes on a box grater; pulse again to combine. Add chilled butter cubes and pulse until mixture forms pea-sized, slightly moist crumbs.

With motor running, stream in ice water; pulse until dough begins to form. Remove from processor and form into a ball; press into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours until firm.

| Preparation – Grape-Frangipane Filling | Line a rimless baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, add grapes, sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon and melted butter and toss to combine; set aside.

Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out to ¼-inch thickness on generously floured surface, lifting and rotating as you work to ensure dough doesn’t stick to surface. Trim edges to a 12- to 13inch round and transfer to prepared baking sheet; use excess dough to decorate crostata as you wish.

Grate chilled almond paste evenly onto center of dough, working outwards, leaving a 2-inch border around edge. Press almond paste gently into dough. Pour grape mixture evenly on top of almond paste foundation, maintaining a 2-inch border. Fold dough over fruit, pressing folds together tightly so dough stays in place. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and water; brush entire crust with egg wash, sealing any cracks as you go. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 30 minutes; cover loosely with aluminum foil and continue to bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Slice crostata into thin wedges and serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

This fig-speckled, flanlike custard sounds fancy, but it’s tremendously easy to make.

Whip up the batter and soak the figs the day before, then throw it all together on Thanksgiving morning, and you’ll have one dramatic (and delicious) dessert.

Cider-Fig glaze

liquid from cider-soaked figs 1½ to 1¾ cups apple cider

| Preparation – Cider-Soaked Figs | In a medium saucepan, heat apple cider and honey until liquid comes to a boil; add figs, remove from heat and stir. Allow to cool at room temperature undisturbed so figs soak in liquid, at least 6 hours or overnight (refrigerate if leaving overnight).

A springform pan can also be used but only if it’s completely airtight; even a pan that handles thick batter well isn’t always able to hold liquid securely. Test your pan by filling it with water and setting it over | Preparation – Far Breton | In a blender, a lipped sheet pan: If it leaks at all, use an add milk, cream, sugar, eggs, melted 8-inch cake pan instead. butter, vanilla and salt and pulse several times to combine. Add flour and blend Serves | 10 to 12 | on medium speed 1 minute longer, until batter is smooth and homogeneous.

Cider-Soaked FigS Transfer blender pitcher to refrigerator, 1¼ cups apple cider covered, to chill overnight.

2 Tbsp honey 1 cup black Mission figs Far Breton

1½ ½ 2⁄3 3 4

cups whole milk cup heavy cream cup granulated sugar large eggs Tbsp melted unsalted butter, plus extra for pan 1 tsp pure vanilla extract ¼ tsp kosher salt ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for pan cider-soaked figs (recipe below), drained, liquid reserved

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F. Grease bottom and sides of an 8-inch, high-sided cake pan with butter and line bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Grease top of parchment and flour bottom and sides, tapping out excess.

Remove figs from refrigerator and drain, reserving liquid. Remove batter from refrigerator and blend for 5 to 10 seconds; pour batter into center of

prepared pan. Drop figs into batter, spreading them out evenly; figs will sink into liquid as you drop them. Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, until top is deep golden brown and a knife inserted into center comes out cleanly and batter is no longer wobbly in center. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

| Preparation – Cider-Fig Glaze | In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add reserved liquid from soaked figs and enough apple cider to equal 2 cups total liquid. Heat until mixture comes to a boil; reduce to low and allow to simmer until syrupy and reduced to ½ to ¹⁄3 cup, about 45 minutes. Set aside to cool.

| To Serve | Once far breton has cooled completely, run a thin knife around cake to release sides. With your serving platter ready, place a plate over top of custard.

First, turn custard out upside down onto plate, lift pan off and remove parchment circle, then carefully flip back onto serving platter. Slice into wedges using a sharp, thin knife; wipe blade off with damp towel between slices to keep sides as clean as possible. Drizzle with glaze and serve immediately.

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HOW ‘BOUT THEM APPLES? Whether picked fresh from a local orchard, baked into a flaky and sweet pie or dunked in caramel, apples are the quintessential fall fruit. This month, we invited our Instagram followers to share photos of apple-inspired treats, from Gala to Granny Smith, by using the hashtag #feastgram. To learn about the history of American hard cider and how several regional breweries are making their own varieties, turn to p. 60.

Then, flip to p. 16 for a recipe for apple pie Pop-Tartlets with cinnamon glaze from Kaylen Wissinger, chef-owner of Whisk: A Sustainable Bakeshop in St. Louis.

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| 1 | Spencer pernikoff @whiskeyandsoba Breakfast of champions! And people who forgot to buy eggs yesterday. #STL #STLEats #Midwest | 2 | JeSSica armStrong @fooddrunk Apple-cinnamon coffee cake and almond streusel! New brunch pastries @Bluestem_KC #AppleLovers

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| 3 | grace pritchett @glpritch The cinnamon whiskey-soaked apples found their place in these delicious cinnamon rolls with a whiskey glaze to top it off. #FoodIsLove #InMyKitchen | 4 | guS guS fun BuS @gusgusfunbus Apple cider donuts at the Clarksville Apple Fest in Clarksville, Missouri. | 5 | chad & anna @guyandhisgirl Scenes of fall in the Midwest. #Eckerts #GoldenDelicious @EckertFarms | 6 | anna petrow @annapetrow How ‘bout them mini apples? (at Webster House)

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| 7 | Landon VonderSchmidt @landonvonderschmidt Hot spiced cider from Dunn’s Cider Mill. Perfect for these fall weekends. #OneOfTheBunch #LifeAndThyme #OutWithLocals #DunnsCiderMill

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| 8 | Sam + adam @livelocalstl We always make the best dinner the night of Maeystown’s Oktoberfest: apple-butter grilled cheese. #LiveLocalSTL #AppleButter #AppleSeason | 9 | Stephanie harreLSon @mrs.stef.harrelson ’Tis the season for everything apple.

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| 10 | anna neweLL

@urban.apron A red delicious hanging with the goldens. #Homegrown #KirkwoodFarmersMarket

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Want to see your photos in the December issue of Feast?

Next month, our focus turns to cheese.

From holiday cheese plates to mac ‘n’ cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches and cheesecake, we want to see the cheesy starters, sides and sweets you’re eating. To submit your photos for consideration, simply include the hashtag #feastgram and tag @feastmag on your Instagram photos beginning Sun., Nov. 1.

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PHOTOGrAPHy COurTESy INSTAGrAM uSErS

#feastgram

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Š2015 Schnucks

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