December 2017 Feast Magazine

Inspired Local Food Culture | M i dw e st

feastmagazine.com |

december 2017

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Baked Brie with honey and pomegranate seeds on p. 60

P. 7 6

5

FESTIVE DIY gift recipes

fruitcake

P. 7 0

P. 5 7

&

Merry SIpS SnaCkS for holiday entertaining

revival

in the missouri ozarks

®

WORTH WORK THE

Sometimes waiting is the hardest part, and no one knows this better than Missouri winemakers. After the warmth of the summer has blended into the chill of fall and the harvest is complete, the next stage of the time-tested winemaking process begins. Now is the time when wine ages and evolves, developing character and complexity over months or years of careful devotion. It’s hard to wait, but when your goal is to craft high quality wine, it’s definitely time well spent.

Missouri wines… worth the work.

m i s s o u r i w i n e .o rg Inspired Local Food Culture

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promotion

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Weber Grill Academy Four Spots to a Hands-On Grilling Class, $340

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Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Co. Craft Chocolate Bar Gift Box, Chocolate Factory Tour and Tasting for Six, $90

Favazza’s on The Hill Five-Course Italian Dinner and Wine for Two, $150

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YOGA WORKSHOP GIFT CARD

Good for one Y oGoGirls 2018 yoga class or w orkshop.

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The Passport Program Five Kansas City Passport Winter Editions, $100

Debby Siege (YoGoGirls.com l, RYT /yoga-worksho ps) Based on a vailability. Expir es 12/31/18

Blood & Sand Chef’s Tasting for Two, $150

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promotion

Our annual holiday giveaway is back! This year, we’re giving away more than $4,265 in prizes!

From a five-course Italian dinner and wine for two to a prepared holiday brunch for 10 to our grand prize of an 80-person catered whole-hog event, these giveaways are sure to get you in the holiday spirit!

Dec

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The Art of Entertaining Prepared Holiday Brunch for 10, $150

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18 Chef’s Shoppe Artisan Gourmet Food Basket, $129

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LaChance Vineyards Dinner and Hotel for Two, $200

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19 Snax Gastrobar Whiskey, Rye and Dine Event for Six, $210

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The Kansas City Steak Company Kansas City Signature Combo, $200

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20 Christopher’s Holiday Hostess Basket, $140

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Ole Tyme Produce Gourmet Holiday Gift Basket, $150

Holladay Distillery Holiday Spirits Package, $250

Grand Prize!

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The Post-Dispatch Store Hometown Baseball Fan Bundle, $135

Pappy’s Smokehouse 80-Person Whole-Hog Event, $1,250

Visit feastmagazine.com/promotions to learn how to win these great prizes!

Inspired Local Food Culture

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Jose Llana and Laura Michelle Kelly in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I. Photo by Matthew Murphy

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december 2017

from the staff

57 64 70 76

small bites big cocktails

throw your best holiday fête yet with these festive hors d’oeuvre and drink pairings.

a knack for quack

some of the best duck in the region is coming from a family farm just a few miles from downtown Lawrence, kansas.

peace of cake

contemplative monks sequestered in the missouri ozarks make 30,000 fruitcakes a year to send all over the world.

make merry

five simple dIy food and drink gifts you can make for family and friends this season – plus recipes for how to cook and bake with them at home.

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from the PUBLIsher

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dIgItaL content

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feast tv

Warmth and cheer What’s online this month Drink local

dIne

| 18 |

on trend

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where we’re dInIng

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one on one

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one on one

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In season

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one on one

Wood-fired cooking Grace Meat + Three, Brady’s Public House, Omo Japanese Soul Food Brad Walters of Sully and Hanks and Basil Leaf Jina Yoo of Jina Yoo’s Asian Bistro and Le Bao Meyer lemons Scott Davis of Café Osage

drInk

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on trend

| 31 |

one on one

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where we’re drInkIng

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one on one

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the mIx

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on the sheLf

Turmeric cocktails Jason and Colleen Gerke of Jowler Creek Winery Black Dolphin, Queen City Wine Dive, Extra Brut Emily Parker of Schlafly Beer The Ultimate Champagne Cocktail What to drink this month

shoP

| 38 |

shoP here

| 38 |

get thIs gadget

| 40 |

one on one

| 40 |

cULInary LIBrary

| 42 |

shoP here

| 42 |

artIsan ProdUcts

KC Soda Co.

A soup infuser and travel pour-over coffee bottle Darrell Tindal and Andrea Schnetzler of The Berry Nutty Farm The Laura Lea Balanced Cookbook

by Laura Lea Goldberg Saint Louis Hop Shop Sasha Nicholas dinnerware and Schaetzel’s Popcorn

cook

| 48 |

taBLe of contents Photo of the

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don’t caLL me sUreLy cocktaIL from Brady’s PUBLIc hoUse (P. 20) By aLIstaIr tUtton cover Photo of Baked BrIe wIth honey and Pomegranate seeds (P. 60) By sherrIe casteLLano

heaLthy aPPetIte

Loaded fingerling potatoes with cheese, olives and herbs mystery shoPPer

Nablusi cheese

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qUIck fIx

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sweet Ideas

Tartines with scrambled eggs, chorizo and Gruyère cheese Chocolate cream pie

Volume 8

| Issue 12 | December 2017

Vice President of niche Publishing, Publisher of feast Magazine

Catherine Neville, publisher@feastmagazine.com

sales

director of sales

Angie Henshaw, ahenshaw@feastmagazine.com, 314.475.1298 account Manager

Jennifer Tilman, jtilman@feastmagazine.com, 314.475.1205 sPecial Projects editor

Bethany Christo, bchristo@feastmagazine.com, 314.475.1244

eDITORIal senior editor

Liz Miller, editor@feastmagazine.com Managing editor

Nancy Stiles, nstiles@feastmagazine.com digital editor

Heather Riske, web@feastmagazine.com Kansas city contributing editor

Jenny Vergara st. louis contributing editor

Mabel Suen editorial intern

Making gravalx, a traditional Scandinavian cured salmon, is an easy way to add an impressive element to your holiday table. Cured in salt, sugar, dill and a sprinkle of gin, this dish is luxurious and perfect for brunch or as an hors d’oeuvre.

Visit feastmagazine.com for the recipe.

Jackson Roman fact checKer

Danielle Lacey Proofreader

Erica Hunzinger contributing Writers

Christy Augustin, Ettie Berneking, Julia Calleo, Sherrie Castellano, Gabrielle DeMichele, April Fleming, Natalie Gallagher, Lisa Waterman Gray, Hilary Hedges, Brandon and Ryan Nickelson, Ana Pierce, Matt Seiter, Jenn Tosatto, Jessica Vaughn, Shannon Weber

aRT

art director

Alexandrea Povis, apovis@feastmagazine.com Production designer

Jacklyn Meyer, jmeyer@feastmagazine.com contributing PhotograPhers

Brandon Alms, Zach Bauman, Angela Bond, Julia Calleo, Sherrie Castellano, Sarah Conroy, April Fleming, Jonathan Gayman, Stuart Heidmann, Aaron Ottis, Ana Pierce, Jennifer Silverberg , Christopher Smith, Starboard & Port Creative, Mabel Suen

FeasT TV

producer: Catherine Neville production partner: Tybee Studios

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 Thomas Norton for St. Louis, Jefferson City, Columbia, Rolla and Springfield at TNorton@post-dispatch.com and Jason Green for Kansas City at distribution@pds-kc.com.

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

All contents are copyright © 2010-2017 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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publisher’s letter

T

o me, the true gift of this season is time spent with family and friends and the joy in sharing experiences with others.

Material gifts don’t hold nearly as much value as the ability to spend time connecting, celebrating and creating memories. That’s what matters and what lasts, not the latest and greatest must-have gadget. In that spirit, we’ve pulled together a December issue full of inspirational recipes and stories that are focused on facilitating a joyous holiday season full of flavor.

Turn to p. 76 for Julia Calleo’s delightful ideas for easy culinary gifts paired with recipes sharing how to use them. Each year I try to find ideas for kitchen-focused gifts that won’t just sit on a pantry shelf, unused because the recipient isn’t sure exactly what to do with it. Julia’s approach solves that problem: She includes her own recipes along with the gift. Simple, personal and very thoughtful.

Then, when you’re ready to host the perfect holiday fête, Sherrie Castellano has devised recipes for foolproof cocktails and easy hors d’oeuvres to match. Beginning on p. 57, she offers her recipes for festive sips and corresponding snacks that will ensure your guests are dazzled and devour each and every bite.

And for those of you who think you don’t like fruitcake, turn to p. 70. Managing editor Nancy Stiles traveled to Ava, Missouri, to visit with the brothers at Assumption Abbey to learn the secret of their famous fruitcakes.

More than 30,000 of theserum-laced cakes are produced each year. Almost every morning, the monks head to the kitchen to bake the cakes, often working in silent contemplation as they fold Burgundy-soaked fruit with nuts and spices to make an exemplary ode to wintertime flavors.

I have one of their fruitcakes sitting in my pantry – I picked it up when I visited Rockbridge Trout Ranch for Feast TV – and I can’t wait to taste it. I have a feeling it will become a new tradition to slice and serve an Assumption Abbey fruitcake for Christmas, a fitting way to share the flavor of the season with those I love.

Happy holidays to you and yours from all of us at Feast!

Until next time,

Catherine Neville

12.17 sherrie castellano St. Louis, Writer & Photographer “If I were to host the holiday party of my dreams, I would serve nothing but small bites and bright, beautiful cocktails. The focus would be on color, vibrancy and over-the-top garnishes. This issue allowed me to live out that dream. My favorite combination of the bunch is the black pepper-honey Old Fashioned and baked Brie with honey and pomegranate seeds. Cheese, especially one as luxurious as Brie, is the very best way to balance out a strong cocktail. And let’s be honest: We all need a strong cocktail or two during the holiday season.” (Small Bites, Big Cocktails, p. 57)

stuart heidmann Kansas City, Photographer “Spending the day at HoneyDel Farm was like escaping to the English countryside. I arrived on a sunny Sunday afternoon and was greeted by the friendly faces of the Felch family. The quaint farm, located just north of Lawrence, Kansas, was flooded with ducks, chickens and sheep of all sizes and colors. Their children, Myka and Hunter, walked me through their daily routines of feeding the various animals, letting the ducklings out of the brooder and showing me the small lake on the property. You can find their products at the Lawrence Farmers’ Market as well as at a handful of restaurants in Kansas City, including The Rieger.” (A Knack for Quack, p. 64)

jonathan gayman St. Louis, Photographer “Capturing holiday photography can be tricky – there’s a fine line between festive and campy. For this month’s The Mix column (particularly since this is Matt Seiter’s last one) I decided to go with a simple, classic composition and lighting scheme for the Champagne cocktail: Elegant color to invoke a swanky black-tie holiday bash, clean lines and just the right amount of fizz and bubbles. Pro tip: Many modern Champagne glasses have micro-holes laser-drilled into the bottom of the glass, which gives you beautiful streams of bubbles even when the wine starts to go flat! ” (The Mix, p. 34)

jessica vaughn Columbia, Missouri, Writer “When I sat down with Jina Yoo to chat about the opening of her second restaurant, Le Bao, it was clear that her first restaurant, Jina Yoo’s Asian Bistro, has been successful not only due to the quality of the food, but because it’s truly a part of her. There were many times we paused during our conversation so she could hop up to seat a party, make a cocktail or give a quick hug to a guest – and she loved every second of it. Yoo’s culinary inspiration comes from her time studying music in college and has blossomed into a well-composed career as a chef. I loved her comparison of the methods of creating music and creating a recipe; it shows just how much thought goes into every dish on her menus and every aspect of her restaurants.” (One on One, p. 22)

Inspired Local Food Culture

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STL

12/13

sChnuCks Cooks: TarTines WiTh sCrambled eGGs, Chorizo and Gruyère Wed., Dec. 13, 6 to 9pm; $45; Schnucks Cooks Cooking School, 12332 Manchester Road, St. Louis; 314.909.1704; schnuckscooks.com

In this class you’ll learn how to make Eggs in Purgatory, or eggs baked in tomato sauce served over toast. You’ll also learn how to make true Danish waffles, which are sweeter and crispier than their more famous Belgian cousin.

STL

12/31

nye masquerade ball Sun., Dec. 31, services at 5:30pm or 8:30pm; $100 to $150; Extra Brut, 14 S. Bemiston Ave., Clayton, Missouri; 314.669.9170; universe.com/extrabrutstl

Extra Brut will be hosting a New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball. Prepare for an enchanting evening of decadence, set to sparkle until the start of 2018. There will be two dinner services – one in the early evening and a later, extended service. Both services will include four courses perfectly paired with Champagne. The second will extend into the new year with a celebratory balloon drop at midnight and a chance for a guest to win a magnum of Champagne. Cocktail attire and masquerade masks are encouraged.

STL

2018

Conrad' s Restaurant & Alehouse

STL Affäre

1/1

Chefs’ GaraGe sale Early 2018, exact date TBD; 314.913.6632; midwestfarmersmarkets.org

Taking place in early 2018, the Chefs’ Garage Sale is accepting donations on Sat., Dec. 9, 8am to noon. Drop off upscale, gently used and unique kitchen wares, linens, utensils, small appliances and more at the Midtown Farmers Market in University City, Missouri.

Proceeds benefit local farmers’ market culinary programs.

hanGover breakfasT Mon., Jan. 1, 10am to 2pm; Square One Brewery and Distillery, 1727 Park Ave., St. Louis, Missouri; 314.231.2537; squareonebrewery.com/events

Kick off the new year with Square One Brewery and Distillery’s Hangover Breakfast from 10am to 2pm. Relive last night’s fun or nurse yourself back to health with the restaurant’s Sunday brunch and, if you’re up for it, Bloody Mary flights, Mimosas, beermosas, beer and full bar. Reservations are suggested and can be made online or by phone.

District Pour House + Kitchen

KC

Enjoy multi-course menus and extraordinary values from KC’s hottest restaurants. Best of all, 10 percent of each meal benefits local charities, including Kansas City Community Gardens.

KCRestaurantWeek.com • #KCRW2018 Platinum Sponsors: The Kansas City Star, Kim Crawford Wines, Meiomi Coastal California Wines, Robert Mondavi Private Selection

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1/121/21

kansas CiTy resTauranT Week Fri., Jan. 12 to Sun., Jan. 21; participating restaurants; kcrestaurantweek.com

Enjoy delicious multicourse menus and extraordinary values from Kansas City’s hottest restaurants. Best of all, 10 percent of each meal benefits local charities, including Kansas City Community Gardens.

RING IN THE NEW YEAR AT

Feast Magazine’s

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featuring:

 Cakes & Desserts  Venues & Reception  Catering  Rehearsal Dinners, Bachelorette & Bachelor Parties prom otio n

cakes & desserts Picture perfec

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this month on

feastmagazine.com the feed

PhOtOgraPhy by aPril flemiNg

PhOtOgraPhy by mabel sueN

Our annual holiday giveaway is back!

We’re celebrating with four weeks of giveaways from Nov. 27 to Dec. 22. Just head to the Promotions section at feastmagazine.com for all the details.

KC At 1764 Public House in the Central West End, St. Louis meets New Orleans. The newest concept from Gamlin Restaurant Group features modern spins on sister cities classics, like a pork steak po’boy and crawfish ravioli.

It’s time for some serious gift-giving.

We’ve collected a list of items that all the different foodies in your life will enjoy, from the beer-lover to the creative home cook to the person on your list with a major sweet tooth. Happy shopping!

-

KC Prepare to be surprised at the newly reopened O’Dowd’s Gastrobar on the Country Club Plaza. In addition to an interior remodel, the restaurant features a brand-new American-style menu as well as the Irish classics.

PhOtOgraPhy by ettie berNekiNg

PhOtO by amaNDa WileNs

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This fall, Wonder Wieners opened a brick-and-mortar location inside Springfield, Missouri’s Battlefield Mall.

The restaurant serves Seattle-style hot dogs including jalapeño-Cheddar brats, Polish sausages and chicken sausages topped with cream cheese and jams.

feastmagazine.com

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AP lace for Both

SAVORY

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There is constant innovation in the beverage industry. Craft beer, distilling and other segments of the business are pushing boundaries, creating new experiences and resurrecting old ones. In this episode, we explore our region’s liquid culture and indulge in a drink or two. In the kitchen, host Cat Neville uses local gin to make traditional Scandinavian-style cured salmon that’s an easy addition to your holiday recipes. Pair with a local gin cocktail to celebrate our region’s growing spirits industry.

At Lifted Spirits in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, small-batch gin and vodka are made on-site and used in cocktails at the distillery’s bustling bar.

The gin from Lifted Spirits is used in Cat’s recipe for gravlax, which she piles on top of soft blini with crème fraîche and microgreens.

Old Bakery Beer Co. brews creative craft beers and serves up beer-focused comfort food in a restored bakery near the Mississippi River in Alton, Illinois.

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

Missouri Wines supports the more than 125 wineries operating in the state and is focused on promoting the industry’s growth and vitality.

14

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With a focus on sustainability and great design, IKEA is your destination for affordable, innovative and high-quality kitchen products.

dec em ber 2 0 1 7

Kaldi’s Coffee is dedicated to creating a memorable coffee experience for customers and guests via sustainable practices and education.

Ole Tyme Produce provides some of the finest produce in the St. Louis region, serving restaurants, hotels, food service and catering companies.

The Raphael Hotel is Feast’s official hotel, offering luxury accommodations and dining near Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza.

Wine • Food Flavors • Fun Step 1 Unique Wines Are Sourced From All Over the Globe

Step 2 Chefs Create pairings With Small-Batch Artisan Foods

Step 3 Shipped Fresh to You In 100% Recyclable Refrigerated Boxes

In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to watch Feast TV Mondays at 9:30pm.

hot turmeric drinks, cold weather hot toddy

rt comfo food menu

Subscribe today

WWW.VINOpAIR.COM In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) Sundays at 8am and 6:30pm.

KMOS engage

educate

entertain

You can watch Feast TV throughout mid-Missouri on KMOS (Channel 6) Saturdays at 10am.

Located In

2620 S Glenstone Ave, Springfield, MO 65804 (417) 864-6994 farmersgastropub.com

Uniquely Kansas City Experiences Landmark Historic Hotel & Iconic Country Club Plaza Lights Curated Packages & Romantic Holiday Getaways New Winter Menus & Friday Tastings with Chef Joe

Feast TV airs in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8) Saturdays at noon and Mondays at 12:30pm.

Check mylaketv.com to watch Feast TV in the Lake of the Ozarks area.

Live KC Jazz Nightly & Weekend Jazz Brunch

Historic Hotels of America

325 Ward Parkway I Country Club Plaza I 816.756.3800

raphaelkc.com I chazontheplaza.com

Inspired Local Food Culture

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take a bao

Jina Yoo rolls out a new concept in Columbia, Missouri, on p. 22. photography by aaron ottis

Flyover COLUMBIA, MO. on any given day, around 10 of the 15 rotating menu items at Flyover in Columbia, Missouri, are coming out of the restaurant’s wood-fired oven. executive chef adam Wells-Morgan says he and co-owner Dan Dethrow thought wood-fired cooking would be the best way to showcase local ingredients in as elemental a form as possible. the bulk of the menu changes weekly, but you might see wood-fired spice- and amaro-cured duck breast; late-summer squash with baby kale-studded israeli couscous and a toasted sesame-lime vinaigrette; wood-fired mac 'n' cheese or wood-fired soft pretzels served with warm boursin fondue. one of Wells-Morgan’s favorite dishes on the winter menu is the cassoulet, which features eight-day duck confit, white bean ragout, two types of sausage, kale, root vegetables and tomatoes baked in earthenware. “one of the best things about woodfired cooking is not just the flavor and texture that the high temperature and smoke produce, but the fact that cooking times are remarkably short,” he says. “instead of cooking an inch-and-a-half thick pork chop sous vide ahead of time, we can put it on a cast-iron plate raw and it will cook in four minutes.”

fired up Written by HeatHer riske

|

PHotograPHy by aaron ottis

Despite being one of the oldest tricks in the book, wood-fired cooking is one of the hottest trends to hit restaurant kitchens. Chefs say it’s really more of a return to our roots; the rustic, primal style of cooking is often volatile and unpredictable, requiring constant attention and vigilance. But one thing’s for sure: Cooking with an open flame achieves unparalleled flavor and texture.

am

u ed d cur o ar

ck breast

Sp ice -a

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212 E. Green Meadows Road #9, Columbia, Missouri, flyovercomo.com

Soft pretzels with Boursin fondue

IgnITe Wood FIre grIll LEnExA, kS. true to its name, most of the menu at Ignite Wood Fire Grill, which opened

Balkan TreaT Box

this spring in Lenexa, kansas, is prepared on the restaurant’s wood-fired grill. Corporate chef bradley gilmore says there’s a simple reason for that: it just tastes good. ignite uses oak for heat retention and cherry and pecan wood to imbue proteins like scallops, whitefish and chicken with soft fruit flavors. “With wood-fired cooking, you get higher heat, which gives you more texture on the outside of the protein and picks up the flavors from the burning wood,” gilmore says. almost every protein and vegetable hits the grill at some point, whether it’s charring the tops of green onions for potato soup or finishing the slow-roasted rotisserie chicken on the grill. “there’s also an element of atmosphere and entertainment,” gilmore says. “We have a chef’s counter at the open kitchen where you can sit 10 feet from the fire and watch what the guys do all night.”

ST. LOUIS. When Loryn Feliciano-nalic was developing the menu for Balkan Treat Box, there was one thing she knew she couldn’t go without: a wood-fired oven and grill. the food truck, which she launched in st. Louis this spring with her husband, edo, specializes in traditional bosnian cuisine, and the oven is essential to maintaining the authenticity of the recipes. balkan treat box serves just three items, which are served on bread made from scratch daily. “apart from the dough, the fire on which the bread is baked plays a huge role in quality,” Feliciano-nalic says. “it was a no-brainer; it’s airy and chewy and just a little bit burnt by the fire. you can’t replicate it.” the truck’s eye-catching pide is a wood-fired turkish flatbread stuffed with beef and cheese, then topped with ajvar, a spicy roasted red pepper relish, and kajmak, a condiment similar to clotted cream. “it’s so familiar and comforting,” she says. “that feeling, that flavor – it’s home.”

8721 Ryckert St., Lenexa, kansas, ignitewoodfiregrill.com

balkantreatbox.com

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In addition to a handful of in-house brews, Brewery Emperial in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District serves a full menu of wood-fired fare, including shell-on shrimp, chorizo-black bean meatballs and grilled whole trout.

Last fall, Manzo’s Wood-Fired Pizza hit the streets in Columbia, Missouri, serving sourdough pizzas cooked in under three minutes in a 900°F wood-fired oven – on wheels.

At Michael and Tara Gallina’s much-hyped Vicia in St. Louis, the wood-fired hearth on the large covered patio imbues deep flavor into everything from charred shishito peppers to Berkshire pork.

Thanks to the return of local chef Ken Baker, the food is getting just as much attention as the brews at Lawrence Beer Co. in Lawrence, Kansas. The menu is largely composed of shareable items made on a wood-fired grill in the open kitchen.

No matter where you’re seated at Mike Randolph’s Público in University City, Missouri, you’ll be able to spot the custom oak-fired hearth, which turns out creative Mexican- and Latin American-inspired plates like whole fish, grilled sweetbreads with pineapple, agave and habanero; or grilled octopus with chorizo and paprika.

RISTORANTE (636) 949-9005

•

www.FratellisRistorante.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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

Grace meat + tHree story and PhotograPhy by mabel suen

ST. LOUIS. one of st. louis’ most anticipated restaurants of 2017 debuted in september. Grace Meat + Three, from husband-and-wife duo rick and elisa lewis, features the couple’s take on southern cuisine with an emphasis on down-home hospitality in a fast-casual setting. rustic, refined fare meets a navy blue and gold dining room filled with reclaimed décor. menu highlights include charcoal-smoked ribs, catfish, fried chicken and country-fried tofu, as well as rotating proteins including turkey legs, duck meatloaf and pulled pork. a focus on vibrant sides is also at the forefront of the menu, including everything from mac ’n’ cheese and marinated beets to rotating varieties of peas and greens. For dessert, choose from banana pudding, chocolate chess pie and seasonal options such as sweet potato pie.

4270 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, Missouri, stlgrace.com

Brady’s puBlic HOuse Written by Jenny Vergara

|

PhotograPhy by alistair tutton

KANSAS CITY. When the weather gets cold, who doesn’t swoon at the thought

of hearty irish comfort food? Co-owners and fellow irishmen ray dunlea and executive chef shaun brady have three goals at Brady’s Public House: serve good irish food when you’re hungry, a well-made drink when you’re thirsty and provide a warm, inviting place to enjoy them both. they’ve succeeded on all fronts. try the classic cottage pie, with ground beef, brown gravy, root vegetables and a blanket of fluffy mashed potatoes. you’ll savor the crunch of brady’s fish and chips, served with traditional mushy peas and housemade tartar sauce. For brunch, enjoy a classic irish breakfast complete with bacon, sausage, black pudding, white pudding, baked beans, eggs and toast. Pair any of those with a warming glass or two of good irish whiskey, local beer or a pint of guinness from the handsome new bar.

5424 Troost Ave., Kansas City, Missouri, bradyskc.com

OmO Japanese sOul FOOd Written by ettie berneking

|

PhotograPhy by brandon alms

SPRINGFIELD, MO. springfield, missouri, welcomed its first ramen house this summer when OMO Japanese Soul Food opened in the Chesterfield Village shopping center. owner tingting liu, who also co-owns hula hawaiian kitchen, has stacked the menu with her favorite Japanese dishes including okonomiyaki, a savory Japanese pancake studded with cabbage and topped with green onion, a house sauce and lime mayo, and tender gyoza, traditional pan-fried dumplings. in addition to a decent sushi selection and a handful of curries, the real star is the ramen. simply choose your toppings, one of four broths and ramen or udon noodles. settle in for an over-sized bowl of comfort filled with a soft-boiled egg steeped in housemade soy broth plus corn, green onion, Japanese fish cakes, bamboo shoots and a slice of seaweed.

2101 W. Chesterfield St., Springfield, Missouri, facebook.com/omo-japanese-soul-food-1907678472838615

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brad walters

owner, sully and hank’s and basil leaf

q&A

story and photography by april Fleming

LAWRENCE, KS. brad Walters opened his first restaurant, Basil Leaf, as

a humble food counter in the corner of a gas station in West lawrence, Kansas, in 2009. Walters’ flavors quickly attracted notice, and after just a few years he was able to move basil leaf into its own storefront just a few blocks west of downtown at 9th and indiana streets.

Fittingly, Walters opened his newest restaurant in a former gas station last summer. Sully and Hank’s, located next to basil leaf, immediately had lines out of the door for his take on classic Kansas comfort food, including fried chicken biscuits, barbecue, bierocks, burgers and the pig in a biscuit (pictured below) with pulled pork, smoked tomato, ranch and coleslaw on a housemade Cheddar biscuit.

Why move Basil Leaf to its own storefront? at the gas station, we were super limited on what we could do. i wanted higher-end full service, from noodles and salads to entrées with every protein you can think of, [but] we kept it small so we could focus on quality instead of volume. We wanted to create a homey vibe; the wood in the [dining room] is from my dad’s barn in central Kansas. it really has a personal touch. Did opening Sully and Hank’s affect Basil Leaf? in october, we [took] it in a new direction. When sully and hank’s opened, we weren’t serving lunch [at basil leaf]. We reopened for lunch, but kept it simple with a pasta, salad and breadsticks buffet. We have fresh-made pastas daily, and different items every day. i’m a buffet person, and it’s something you don’t see anymore. For dinner, we’ve focused on becoming a full-service italian restaurant. Up until recently, we’ve been everything but – we even had a Creole and asian influence. For the next several months, we’re going to focus on strictly italian foods: more steaks and proteins, more seafood. We’re trying to elevate it and take it to a higher level and with better presentations, and a better price point for customers.

Why did you want to open Sully and Hank’s? it seemed like a logical concept: it’s right next door, and was a nice opportunity to bring something to lawrence that wasn’t there before. basil leaf was selling 80 to 90 percent sandwiches for lunch, so with the changes at basil leaf, it made sense to move those over and allow people’s favorites to still be available [at sully and hank’s].

We’ll keep changing that menu to bring in new, innovative foods. i label it americana fusion food, food i grew up on in central Kansas – bierocks and barbecue. Tell us about the beer menu at Sully and Hank's. the beer offerings came after we had a [food] menu in place.

We thought we needed to do everything in cans, except for Kansas beers [which are on tap]. i think beer drinks better in cans, and it’s easier to run the restaurant if your footprint is lower with regard to the environment. We can smash those cans down, as opposed to recycling all the bottles. it’s also a little bit different and unique. Keep an eye on us – we’re always trying new things.

The holidays are a time of nostalgia. What better way to ring in the holidays than with a blend composed of very nostalgic coffees: a dry processed coffee from Ethiopia and a wet hulled coffee from Sumatra, calling back to the original coffee blend, Mocha Java. This year’s version offers notes of dried fruits, vanilla, and baking spices.

Find it in our cafes and online at: kaldiscoffee.com/tistheseason Use code TIS online, and get 15% off your whole order when you buy a bag of ‘Tis the Season.

602 W. Ninth St., Lawrence, Kansas, facebook.com/basilleafcafeks Inspired Local Food Culture

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jina yoo

chef-owner, jina yoo's asian bistro and le bao

q&A

Written By Jessica Vaughn

|

PhotograPhy By aaron ottis

COLUMBIA, MO. Jina yoo is celebrating a successful

decade of business at her columbia, Missouri, restaurant, Jina Yoo’s Asian Bistro, by doubling her culinary footprint. in 2018, yoo’s next venture, Le Bao, will open in the north Village arts District. the eatery will break from the slightly formal atmosphere of Jina yoo’s, operating counter-service style, complete with a bar. the menu will offer chinese-style bao steamed buns – both stuffed buns and open sandwiches – ramen, and other sweet and savory treats.

Tell us about Le Bao. Bao is a chinese-style steamed bun. normally they put in pork and chicken; but me, i’m doing chicken curry, Philly cheesesteak, chili, fajita, meatballs with marinara, chorizo, and a soft-boiled egg with Black Forest ham and swiss cheese. so anything cheesy and melty, we’ll put it in there. For the sandwiches, we’ll have pork belly, tempura eggplant, cheesy egg omelet and bacon, tofu steak and fried rock shrimp. anything that you can put in it and make a steamed-bun sandwich, that’s what i’m doing. For something sweet, we’re making mango-coconut rice, inside the steamed bun, and then we’re going to deep-fry it lightly so that it’s a little crunchy. We’ll also have s’mores, bananas Foster, and peanut butter and jelly buns. since we’re using a lot of meat, we’re going to have a lot of meat stock – we’ll use that for the ramen. Where do you draw inspiration for your recipes? normally i think, “What do you put in something like this?” and then i study it based on what’s done [traditionally], and i put my twist on it. For instance, there’s a Korean bibimbap [bun]. there’s a traditional style; i think, “What actually is bibimbap?” it originally means mixed rice, and you can mix it with whatever you want. i take that concept here, and mix it with so many different ingredients that we now have that we didn’t then [in Korea]. i never learned about avocados when i was in Korea, but here we have broccoli, avocados, asparagus – so many different vegetables i’d never even heard of. When i teach my line cooks, i try to make them understand why rather than memorize a recipe. if you understand why, you can create whatever you want based on what you learn. But if you memorize it, you can’t go from there. you’re just stuck. so, i ask them to always use their imagination, and to picture it.

You’re a self-taught chef with a formal music education. Why did you switch to cooking as a career? i think of music and food in the same way. it’s like creating another form of art. in music, different notes make a harmony: We have c, a, e, g, and we can build a chord. and we have carrots and creams and all this stuff, and i kind of take it and turn it into something else. so it’s the same thing: i’m composing. jinayoos.com

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Bánh mì

Grilled tofu with seasoned oyster mushrooms and black bean aïoli

Chinese pulled pork with chipotle aïoli and coleslaw

dec em ber 2 0 1 7

promotion

farmers s’ market

Cocktails second

Spring

Serves | 1 |

assembly 1 ½ 1 4 ½

oz till Vodka oz amontillado sherry tsp raw honey oz hot spiced apple cider (recipe below) oz lemon juice clove-studded apple or pear slice (for garnish)

sPiced hot aPPle cider

photography by angela bond

2 10 ½ 1 1

sticks cinnamon whole cloves gallon louisburg cider mill’s apple cider (or another local cider) pod vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped for use tsp freshly grated nutmeg

| PreParation – assembly | Temper a ceramic or

glass mug with hot water, then discard water. Build ingredients in tempered mug, and stir gently. Garnish; serve.

| PreParation – sPiced hot aPPle cider | In a medium, dry saucepan over medium-low heat, toast cinnamon sticks and cloves until fragrant. Add apple cider to pot before adding vanilla bean (pod and seeds) and nutmeg. Stir occasionally, and allow to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and serve hot.

beau williams Owner and General Manager, Julep Cocktail Club

kansas city, mo

In winter, Beau Williams, owner and general manager of Julep Cocktail Club in Kansas City, gravitates toward hot, spiced drinks. “The smell alone of spiced apple cider reminds me of the potpourri my mom set out [around the holidays],” he says. Beau used till Vodka as a backbone for his Second Spring cocktail, combined with hot spiced cider, sherry, lemon juice and raw honey.

“The first thing that struck me was the vodka’s remarkable creaminess and mouthfeel,” he says. “We tinkered with flavors to make sure they showcased the subtle flavor profiles that Till brings.”

tillvodka.com; @tillvodka Julep cocktail club 4141 Pennsylvania Ave. #104, Kansas City, Missouri, julepkc.com Till Distilling Company, Atchison, Kansas. 40% ABV. Enjoy Responsibly.

Seasonal Ingredients

spiced apple cider, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg When Beau Williams tasted Till Vodka, he pulled notes of lemon curd, a subtle white pepper and white floral with a crisp, clean finish. Julep’s chef was already developing an infused cider recipe using spices that evoke this time of year – cinnamon, clove e and nutmeg. Along with sherry for or a nutty element and lemon juice for brightness, Beau highlighted Till’s Till’ flavor profile to round out the rest of the drink.

“The subtle floral al notes in Till play nicely with the raw honey,, of course,” he says.

“The lemon-curd creaminess helps giv give body to the apple cider and drink at large. And the subtle white pepper-spice undertone from Till enhances the spices used in the cider itself.”

Inspired Local Food Culture

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in seasOn: nOveMber thrOuGh March

Meyer LeMons Written by Liz MiLLer

A citrus fruit native to China, Meyer lemons were first brought to America in the early 20th century by their namesake, Frank Meyer, an agricultural explorer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Thought to be a cross between traditional lemons and either mandarin or common oranges, Meyers are less acidic and much sweeter, making them ideal for both sweet and savory cooking.

stock hill kansas city. The best-selling dessert at Stock Hill in Kansas City is one that co-executive chef Kelly Conwell developed for the restaurant’s opening menu: a Meyer lemon tart with pine nuts, hibiscus jam and crème fraîche ice cream. “I wanted to hit all of the checkmarks in putting a dessert menu together: something chocolate, something with ice cream, something citrus," she says. The base of the tart is made with vanilla wafers; Conwell chose Meyer lemons as her citrus for their natural sweetness and less acidic bite. “When you squeeze a Meyer lemon, the juice almost has a creaminess to it,” she says. “It’s really lovely when guests compliment us on it. Some people say it takes them back to a dessert their mom or grandma made… I think that’s one of the best compliments you can get." Look for Meyer lemons to appear on Stock Hill’s fall and winter menus, including in a sauce for a new roasted chicken dish.

4800 Main St., Suite G-001, Kansas City, Missouri, stockhillkc.com

b + b boulangerie sPrinGFieLD, MO. “I love Meyer lemons because they’re like lemons, but tasty,” says Katie Kring, chef-owner of B+B Boulangerie in Springfield, Missouri, with a laugh. “No, I love all lemons, but Meyers are like lemons but friendly.”

Kring has used Meyer lemons in a variety of sweet treats at the bakery, from citrus sun-drop cookies to jams, marmalades and, one of her personal favorites, blueberry-ginger scones with a Meyer lemon glaze.

“Blueberry and lemon is a pretty obvious [combination], but then you add the ginger, which gives it some warmth – almost an exotic flavor,” she says. For the winter holiday season, Kring says she’ll likely offer macarons and pâte de fruit made with Meyer lemon juice and zest. “Meyers have a natural sweetness and a thinner, softer peel than a regular lemon,” she says. “The peel on a Meyer lemon is a lot less offensive in terms of flavor, and it’s also just much more tender. If you’re zesting them, I think you get more interesting aromatic notes.”

607 S. Pickwick Ave., Springfield, Missouri, katiemadeit.com

sardella cLaytOn, MO. At Sardella in Clayton, Missouri, Meyer

lemons are used year-round in a range of dishes. Executive chef Ashley Shelton slices them very thinly, mixes them with equal parts sugar and salt, vacuum-seals them in a bag and then freezes them. “Then, when we need them, we pull them out and chop them up,” she says. Meyer lemons are used two ways in the tomato toast dish on Sardella’s brunch menu: as a light dressing for fresh arugula, and preserved slices, sharing space with blistered Sun Gold cherry tomatoes and garlic ricotta. “Lemon juice can be a little harsh sometimes, but Meyer lemon juice has a little bit of sweetness to it. Everything on top of the toast cuts through the richness of the cheese: You get crunch from the bread and a little pop of sweetness from the tomato and Meyer lemon," she says. Meyer lemon juice is also often used with poultry at Sardella, and this fall, it was employed in a vinaigrette to dress raw root vegetables.

7734 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, Missouri, sardellastl.com

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scott davis executive chef, café osage

q&A

Written By Jackson roman

|

PhotograPhy By sarah conroy

ST. LoUIS. When scott Davis left three

Flags tavern after nearly two critically acclaimed years as chef de cuisine, he sought a new direction in the industry, as well as more time with his young family. after a successful stint at rise coffeehouse, he made waves when he accepted the executive chef position at Bowood Farms’ Café Osage in June. now fully settled, Davis brings an elevated farm-to-table experience with produce fresh from Bowood’s garden, like poached salmon with sweet potato, asian greens, dill and horseradish (pictured left) and a grilled little gem salad with corn chowchow, egg and buttermilk (pictured below). Davis also recently helped develop the first regular food menu for gezellig, a tap house and bottle shop in the grove.

How did you connect with Café Osage? they approached me about taking over because they were looking to make some changes and bring in somebody fresh to revisit the concept. i had already started the process of moving into daytime work at rise, and after that project, i was looking for something new. i’ve always liked Bowood, and thought that the dining room was a really nice space.

When i thought about how great of a resource the garden would be and pictured the idea of filling that space with my food, i warmed up to it really quickly. What do you bring to Café Osage? i’d say that while the menu here isn’t strictly vegetarian, it’s very vegetable-forward, and i’ve always done a lot of vegetable-forward cooking. i think [the owners] saw me as somebody who could execute a creative vision and bring some new energy, while showcasing the garden here as much as possible. What’s your creative vision for the restaurant? When i think about three Flags and other places like it, what makes those places really work is a team who wants to make everything in house and as fresh as possible, and that’s how i like to operate as a chef. consistent changes to the menu, doing more breads and pastries in-house, and really making the food our own – that’s what we’re looking for. also, the idea of a slower-paced brunch with more shared plates and starters that really make an event out of the meal, rather than just people coming in for breakfast and leaving. Tell us about your partnership with Gezellig. Well, Brandon [cavanagh, owner of gezellig] has always had food in his plans for the place, and they had previously done the fish-fry events, as well as the burger nights that we [rise] collaborated with them on. We spent a lot of time together, and had conversations over a beer or two about what he wanted to do and what made sense for them, and in the end we helped them put together a small menu. What’s next? i’m trying not to stretch myself too thin! i work at café osage full time, and i’m still a consultant with rise, so i’ve got quite a bit going on, but i do have some irons in the fire. i have a series of casual pop-up dinners in the works, and of course we always want to keep the menu at café osage evolving, so i’ll be plenty busy.

1012 SE Blue Parkway | Lee’s Summit, MO | 816.246.4434 www.thesummithickorypitbbq.com

Peruvian Dining

in SpringField MO Date night, networking, holiDay fiesta, the perfect spot!

234 East Commercial St, Springfield, MO | 417.868.8088 | www.cafecusco.com

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4605 Olive St., St. Louis, Missouri, 314.454.6868, bowoodfarms.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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Regional RestauRant guide 4 Hands Brewing Co. 1220 S. Eighth St. St. Louis, MO 314.436.1559 4handsbrewery.com

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Cafe Cusco 234 E. Commercial St. Springfield, MO 417.868.8088 cafecusco.com

Duke’s 2001 Menard St. St. Louis, MO 314.833.6686 dukesinsoulard.com

Hoss’s Market 1010 Club Village Drive Columbia, MO 573.815.9711 hosssmarket.com

Asian Cafe Bar & Grill 1260 Bryan Road O’Fallon, MO 636.272.4429 asiancafebg.com

Capitalist Pig 2727 S. 12th St. St. Louis, MO 314.772.1180 capitalistpigbbq.com

Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard 10035 Edg-Clif Drive Potosi, MO 573.438.4741 edg-clif.com

J.Fires’ Market Bistro 725 N. Market St. Waterloo, IL 618.939.7233 jfires.com

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

Chandler Hill Vineyards 596 Defiance Road Defiance, MO 636.798.2675 chandlerhillvineyards.com

Farmers Gastropub 2620 S. Glenstone Ave. Springfield, MO 417.864.6994 farmersgastropub.com

Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co. multiple locations kaldiscoffee.com

Basso 7036 Clayton Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.932.7820 basso-stl.com

Charleville Brewing Co. & Tavern 2101 Chouteau Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.241.4677 charlevillebeer.com

Farm to You Market Cafe 5025 Old Highway 100 Washington, MO 844.682.2266 farmtoyoumarket.com

Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria 9568 Manchester Road 14173 Clayton Road Rock Hill, MO | Town and Country, MO 314.942.6555 katiespizzaandpasta.com

Beast Craft BBQ Co. 20 S. Belt W Belleville, IL 618.257.9000 beastcraftbbq.com

Chaz on the Plaza at the Raphael Hotel 325 Ward Parkway Kansas City, MO 816.802.2152 raphaelkc.com

Favazza’s on The Hill 5201 Southwest Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.772.4454 favazzas.com

King & I 3157 S. Grand Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.771.1777 kingandistl.com

Bella Vino Wine Bar & Tapas 325 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.724.3434 bellavinowinebarstl.com

Cleveland-Heath 106 N. Main St. Edwardsville, IL 618.307.4830 clevelandheath.com

Fox & Hounds Tavern 6300 Clayton Road St. Louis, MO 314.647.7300 cheshirestl.com

Kingside Diner 4651 Maryland Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.454.3957 kingsidediner.com

Bissell Mansion Restaurant & Dinner Theatre 4426 Randall Place St. Louis, MO 314.533.9830 bissellmansiontheatre.com

Cork & Barrel Chop House and Spirits 7337 Mexico Road St. Peters, MO 636.387.7030 corkandbarrel.com

Fratelli’s Ristorante 2061 Zumbehl Road St. Charles, MO 636.949.9005 fratellisristorante.com

Klondike Café at Montelle Vineyard 201 Montelle Drive Augusta, MO 636.228.4464 montelle.com

Blood & Sand 1500 St. Charles St. St. Louis, MO 314.241.7263 bloodandsandstl.com

Crabby’s Seafood Bar & Grill 815 W. Seventh St. Joplin, MO 417.206.3474 crabbysjoplin.com

Herbie’s 8100 Maryland Ave. Clayton, MO 314.769.9595 herbies.com

LaChance Vineyards 12237 Peter Moore Lane De Soto, MO 636.586.2777 lachancevineyards.com

The Blue Owl 6116 Second St. Kimmswick, MO 636.464.3128 theblueowl.com

Crown Valley Brewing & Distilling 13326 State Highway F Ste. Genevieve, MO 573.756.9700 crownvalleybrewery.com

Hidden Lake Winery 10580 Wellen Road Aviston, IL 618.228.9111 hiddenlakewinery.com

Lenexa Public Market 8750 Penrose Lane Lenexa, KS 913.477.7516 lenexapublicmarket.com

Boundary 7036 Clayton Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.932.7818 boundary-stl.com

Delta Queen Port of Call 6035 Second St. Kimmswick, MO 636.223.7170 dqportofcall.com

The Homesteader Cafe 100 E. Seventh St. #100 Kansas City, MO 816.474.8333 thehomesteadercafe.com

Mai Lee 8396 Musick Memorial Drive Brentwood, MO 314.645.2835 maileestl.com

feastmagazine.com

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SGF

SGF

Molly Darcys 26 N. Meramec Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.863.8400 mollydarcyspub.com

Snax Gastrobar 3500 Watson Road St. Louis, MO 314.353.9463 snaxstl.com

We encourage you to visit any of these fine establishments as proud supporters of Feast Magazine. From fine dining to fast casual to wineries and breweries, there is an array of experiences to choose

The Muddled Pig Gastropub 2733 Sutton Blvd.

Maplewood, MO 314.781.4607 themuddledpig.com

Southern 3108 Olive St. St. Louis, MO 314.531.4668 stlsouthern.com

Paddy O’s 618 S. Seventh St. St. Louis, MO 314.588.7313 stlpaddyos.com

Square One Brewery and Distillery 1727 Park Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.231.2537 squareonebrewery.com

from, so support and eat local!

BY REGION: St. Louis St. Charles County Kansas City

Pappy’s Smokehouse 3106 Olive St. St. Louis, MO 314.535.4340 pappyssmokehouse.com

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

Columbia, Missouri Springfield, Missouri

Porter’s Steakhouse 1000 Eastport Plaza Drive Collinsville, IL 618.345.2400 porterscollinsville.com

Summit Hickory Pit BBQ 1012 SE Blue Parkway Lee’s Summit, MO 816.246.4434 thesummithickorypitbbq.com

Q39 1000 W. 39th St. 11051 Antioch Road Kansas City, MO | Overland Park, KS 816.255.3753 | 913.951.4500 q39kc.com

The Taco & Ice Cream Joint 2738 Cherokee St. St. Louis, MO 314.224.5799 facebook.com/tacoandicecreamjoint

Robust Wine Bar 227 W. Lockwood Ave. 635 Washington Ave. Webster Groves, MO | St. Louis, MO 314.963.0033 | 314.287.6300 robustwinebar.com

Three Sixty 1 S. Broadway St. Louis, MO 314.241.8439 360-stl.com

Rockfair Tavern 506 S. Franklin St. Cuba, MO 573.885.7518 facebook.com/rock.fair.tavern

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

Ruth’s Chris Steak House 1 N. Brentwood Blvd. #150 315 Chestnut St. Clayton, MO | St. Louis, MO 314.783.9900 | 314.259.3200 ruthschris.com

Weber Grill Restaurant 1147 St. Louis Galleria St. Richmond Heights, MO 314.930.3838 webergrillrestaurant.com

Mid-Missouri and Southern Missouri Southern Illinois Winery and Vineyard Brewery

Visit

Feastmagazine.com to view the regional restaurant guide and read more about some of the places listed here.

Stay up to date with the latest restaurant news by connecting with Feast: feastmag

@feastmag

@feastmag

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feastmagazine Inspired Local Food Culture

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THE HHEE

PEERFECT PERFECT RFECT RF FECT ECT CT T G GI GIFT FOR OORR SOMEONE OMEON OMEONE MMEONE EOONE EONE ONNNEE YYO YOUU

LOV LO LOVE OVVE OOVE VE

HAATTTE HATE HA HAT OR OR

...OR ..OR HAVEN’T MADE

YOUR M MIND UP ABO ABOUT!

JAMES CARVER FRIEND OF LAPHROAIG® SINCE 2014

Laphroaig® Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 43% Alc./Vol. ©2017 Laphroaig Import Company, Chicago, IL

dive right in

Relax with wine and cheese at Queen City Wine Dive in Springfield, Missouri, on p. 32. photography by ana pierce

Extra Virgin KANSAS CITY. for Extra Virgin bar manager berto santoro,

turmeric is attractive partly for its vibrant color. “there's something about the color that makes you feel like you're drinking a really different, unique cocktail,” santoro says. “it's kind of an experience, and i love that.” he's also interested in the spice's holistic uses; turmeric root has also long been considering a healing ingredient in india and other southeast asian countries thanks to its main active ingredient, curcumin. in santoro’s it’s not a tumoric, he shakes up a combination of Del Maguey vida mezcal, turmeric, grapefruit and a pear-white peppercorn shrub.

1900 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri, extravirginkc.com

the gold standard

Written by natalie GallaGher

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PhotoGraPhy by jennifer silverberG

Commonly used in Eastern and Asian cuisine, turmeric has increasingly been the star of craft-cocktail programs as bartenders are charmed by its brilliant daffodil-yellow hue and earthy flavor.

V. Picasso CHAMPAIGN, IL. at V. Picasso in downtown Champaign,

illinois, bar manager jake Wallace uses turmeric in a play on the classic bee’s Knees, which traditionally features gin and honey. the v’s Knees includes a ginger-turmeric simple syrup, gin and fresh lemon juice. “honey mixes really well with turmeric,” he says. “the taste of turmeric is a little bitter – almost harsh – so the bittersweet combination with honey really sets it off on the palate. it covers the full range of the tongue; i end up using the turmeric-honey combination a lot.” Wallace has long been a proponent of adding spices to cocktails for extra complexity. “i think they add another dimension of flavor,” he says. “they taste really good, and i like to use as many spices as possible on my menu.”

122 N. Neil St., Champaign, Illinois, vpicasso.com

rEtrEat gastroPub ST. LOUIS. “i’ve used turmeric in cocktails for a couple years now,” says tim Wiggins, bar manager at Retreat Gastropub in st. louis. “after reading Liquid Intelligence, i started infusing gin with fresh turmeric to make earthy yellow Gimlets. for cocktails, the function of the turmeric is both flavor and color – but mostly color. the flavor is mild, but it provides a savory earthiness that works well with gin, coconut, fresh lemon and orange liqueur.” these are the ingredients in Wiggins’ Golden state cocktail, a drink he designed to mimic the flavors and color of coconut curry soup. turmeric adds a glowing yellow color which pairs well with his opaque coconut syrup, and it also provides a slightly spicy flavor. “i think the use of turmeric is a rising trend mainly because of its amazing color,” Wiggins says. “if you want to create a great cocktail, it has to look as good as it tastes, and turmeric is the perfect ingredient for that. Using root vegetables and savory elements is a great way to show another level of presentation, complexity and flavor that bartenders are falling in love with.”

6 N. Sarah St., St. Louis, Missouri, retreatgastropub.com

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q&A

jason & colleen gerke

owners, jowler creek vineyard & winery WRITTEN By LISA WATERMAN GRAy

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PhOTOGRAPhy By zACh BAuMAN

PLATTe CITY, Mo. In a rural part of Platte City, Missouri, north of Kansas

City, Jason and Colleen Gerke’s Jowler Creek Vineyard & Winery has become Missouri’s first “green” winery. Earlier this year, it was certified under the state’s Agricultural Stewardship Assurance Program (ASAP) in specialty crops, farmstead, grassland, energy and livestock. Explore 16 stops on the self-guided Eco Tour throughout the property, from a green-waste composting bin to an electric-vehicle charging station.

What exactly is a green winery? We just try to do a lot of little things that have a positive impact on our environment.

We want to have a sustainable business and be a sustainable and positive part of our community. A green winery to us [means] utilizing sheep rather than herbicides, having chickens [and bats] that eat bugs, using solar power to offset some of our electricity and using glass bottles that weigh less for our wine. From a business standpoint, it has to be good economically, too. –Jason Gerke To pass [this winery] on to our next generation, we need to be sustainable. So the less we can spray in our environment, it makes the world a better place for them. –Colleen Gerke Why make Jowler Creek green? We didn’t set out on this path. We just started doing individual things we thought were the right thing to do for our business, and our customers started calling us a “green winery.” That’s when we really started to take the idea seriously. Around 2011, after we got our solar panels, is when we decided to be a green winery. –C.G. Tell us about your wines. We make eight wines, from dry to sweet: Chambourcin is a drier red that Jason introduced me to. We have a Norton, which is Missouri’s state grape.

There’s Traminette, a semi-dry white, and Vignoles, a semi-sweet white.

Our Butterfly Blush with Catawba and Vignoles [grapes] is semi-sweet.

Red Cock-A-Doodle-Doo is a sweet red, Muskrato de Missouri is a blend of Muscat and Vignoles, and Nort is a Port-style version of our Norton.

–C.G. What are some of the green features at the winery? On the self-guided walking tour, you can see our sheep and chickens roaming around, and we’ve had quite a bit of interest in our bees. We also have the electric-vehicle charging station. There aren’t a lot of charging options once you get outside of Kansas City; and we have a Tesla charger, too. So people will stop here and top up. –C.G. Why take the step of applying for ASAP certification? We’ve always felt blessed to have a piece of land to call our own, yet we recognize that we're only caretakers for a little while. Our goal is to contribute to our community by being productive, while at the same time protecting our natural resources for future generations. The Missouri ASAP program gave us the opportunity to benchmark our efforts to see if and how we were progressing in our sustainability goals. –C.G. Why should other wineries go green? There’s an economic benefit to taking care of your environmental resources. We want to be good stewards and good neighbors in our community. We want to contribute as good neighbors and employers,too. –J.G. 16905 Jowler Creek Road, Platte City, Missouri, jowlercreek.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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

Queen ciTy Wine Dive story anD photography by ana pierce

SPRINGFIELD, MO. For a bar with the word “dive” in its name, Queen City Wine Dive is far from shabby. Located in a refurbished historic building, the modern-industrial atmosphere provides the perfect backdrop for a generous selection of draft wines and sharable plates. the wine comes in kegs, eliminating factors that can affect its quality, like sunlight and

oxygen. owner micah pope took on much of the space’s renovation and buildout himself. observant patrons will notice some of pope’s influences – his résumé includes local favorites Flame steakhouse and scotch & soda – like the riverside inn Fried chicken board, inspired by the iconic riverside inn in ozark, missouri, where pope got his start in the restaurant industry. open from 4pm until late-night tuesday through saturday, it’s a must-try this holiday season.

2105 Park Central Square, Springfield, Missouri, facebook.com/queencitywinedive

exTra BruT story anD photography by mabeL suen

CLAYTON, MO. a new weekends-only

dining experience in clayton presents an upscale lounge setting with a classic pairing: champagne and oysters. Extra Brut opened in september featuring a highly curated list of bubbly libations, small plates, a raw bar and more, in a space inspired by 19th-century French design. the concept comes from Whitney VinZant, owner of Louie’s Wine Dive next door. at extra brut, a team of sommeliers compiles an elaborate, ever-evolving bottle menu with more than 60 varieties of sparkling wine. selections cost between $42 and $600 per bottle, from regions around the world including the u.s., France, germany, austria, italy, spain and beyond. a few by-the-glass specials await as well, in addition to food pairings such as caramel kettle corn, goat-cheese crostini, classic new orleans-style charbroiled oysters and oysters on the half shell.

16 S. Bemiston, Clayton, Missouri, extrabrutstl.com

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The Black Dolphin Written by Jenny Vergara

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photography by christopher smith

KANSAS CITY. above the popular green Lady Lounge jazz club (and one door over), The Black

Dolphin has opened in the former tank room space. the sexy new crossroads arts District music venue, owned by John scott, boasts great acoustics, exposed brick walls and comfortable black leather sofas. although the focus is the music, the black Dolphin offers a full bar and an impressive list of spirits. With so many bottles of booze on hand, a classic cocktail is the way to go when tapping your toe to the music. consider a martini, manhattan, negroni, horse Feather, or choose from one of many different mules on the menu., like the London mule with gin, ginger beer and lime.

1813 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri, greenladylounge.com

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head of brewing operations, schlafly beer

q&A

WRITTEN BY HEATHER RISKE

|

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH CONROY

ST. LoUIS. When Emily

Parker was enrolling at the University of California-Davis on a golf scholarship, one major caught her eye: brewing and viticulture.

She wasn't exactly sure what that meant at the time, but once her mom told her she'd get to drink beer, she was sold. Now, as the head of brewing operations for St. Louis' Schlafly Beer, she oversees a team that brews more than 70 different beers, from the classic Schlafly Pale Ale to the inventive new Ibex Series.

Recently, Parker was named as one of Wine Enthusiast's 40 Under 40, which recognizes "trailblazers who are shaping the future of wine, beer, cider and spirits in America."

How have you seen Schlafly evolve in the past seven years?

We’ve become really innovative with our styles. When I first got here, you’d see the same core beers and special releases coming out year after year. We’ve really shaken up the portfolio – especially starting this year. Our new 20-gallon pilot system allows us to take ideas, perfect them on a smaller scale and develop them into great beers. What necessitated that change?

Customers, most definitely. You’re constantly seeing more and more breweries open up every year, which is fun because St. Louis is becoming a craft-beer destination, but it’s [also] becoming more competitive. The craft consumer isn’t necessarily brand-loyal; they want to try the next new thing, and that has caused us to develop fun, new beers. It’s been really exciting to try a new ingredient, then figure out if it works in beer and how to get the maximum taste out of it. What new beers are you most excited about? I was initially super nervous about our Coconut Crème Ale, which ages on toasted coconut for a few days. We started it out on the pilotworks and slowly moved up to the bigger system, so we were able to learn from the previous batches. At the last second, we decided to try adding pineapple purée, and that really brought it all together as a beer. It’s inspired by a Piña Colada; we’ve been playing around with a few cocktail-inspired beers. Our Art Outside beer is a take on a Kentucky Mule: We introduced ginger syrup during fermentation, added lime juice in the end and aged it on bourbon chips. We’ve also gotten into dessert beers like the Berry Berry Tart, which is inspired by a berry tartlet with blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and vanilla. Tell us about the new Ibex Series. These are the kind of beers that take a lot of time to make; you’ve got to be patient. One of the first in the series was the apricot Berliner weisse, which has a lot of flavor. We used persimmons and different fruits from Tower Grove Farmers' Market that created this amazing wild yeast and bacteria culture that ended up souring the beer really quickly and cleanly for a nice fruity character. Our brewers have always wanted to do a beefier imperial stout, so The Variant was aged on cocoa nibs in Port barrels for several months for a really creamy, decadent, delicious beer. These are the kind of beers where we throw ingredients in barrels and don’t always know if it’s going to work out or not. It’s hard to think that you might not like a beer at first, but if you let that wild yeast and bacteria continue to develop, it can turn into something really nice. It’s crazy the roller coaster it will go on.

the best italian “on the hill”

Happy Holidays from our family to yours Free $30 giFt certiFicate Valid January, February, March 2018

For every $100 giFt card purchase

Can be any combination totalingg $100, $25 min., Byy 12/30/17 Gift cards can be purchased at the restaurant or online at favazzas.com 5201 southwest avenue | st. louis, Mo 314-772-4454 | www.favazzas.com

multiple locations, schlafly.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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SToRy And RECipES by MATT SEiTER phoTogRAphy by JonAThAn gAyMAn

The UlTimaTe Champagne CoCkTail SERVES | 1 |

1 4 1 4 to 5

brown sugar cube dashes Peychaud’s Bitters oz chilled Camus VSOP Cognac oz chilled Champagne orange peel (for garnish)

| preparation | Chill a Champagne flute or coupe along with cognac and in the freezer for a few hours. Shake dashes of bitters onto sugar cube and place in chilled glass. Add cognac. Tilt glass and top with chilled Champagne.

Twist orange peel over top and serve.

The UlTimaTe Champagne CoCkTail For more than six years, it’s been my privilege to write for Feast, sharing history, lore, anecdotes and of course, cocktails. It’s time, however, for me to step away from writing this monthly column.

But before I go, I’m giving you one last cocktail; it seemed fitting to say farewell with a little bubbly.

I’ve written about a few drinks with Champagne in them, but never the Champagne Cocktail. As with just about all classic cocktails, recipes vary author to author, decade to decade, century to century. Some of the earliest recipes call for this drink to be served over ice either crushed or a few cubes – those recipes were written prior to reliable refrigeration – but as time went on, chilled cognac replaced it. Bitters vary between Angostura and Peychaud’s; garnishes range from none to twists of lemon or orange peel, or both. You can use whatever sparkling wine you want, but do so at your own risk.

Other sparkling wines – not the ones made in the Champagne region of northern France – lack the yeastiness and bready aroma that pairs so well with the citrus oils and bitters. I’ve made and served these cocktails with Prosecco and cava – then I had one side by side made with real Champagne. Learn from my mistake: Go with the Champagne.

It’s been a pleasure. Cheers.

Matt Seiter is co-founder of the United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG)’s St. Louis chapter, a member of the national board for the USBG’s MA program, author of The Dive Bar of Cocktail Bars and senior brand ambassador for Tom's Town Distilling Co. in Kansas City.

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on The shelf : december PIcks

WINE noBoleis VineyarDs' 2016 Brut rosé written by Hilary Hedges

Noboleis Vineyards first began producing sparkling wines for celebrations at the winery, making it an ideal wine for ringing in the new year. the brut rosé is a blend of estate-grown norton, seyval blanc, Vignoles and traminette. the norton grape provides the beautiful blush color and adds flavors of fresh berries to the blend. the wine is fermented and blended by the winemakers at noboleis, then sent to st. James winery for bottling, where a counter-pressure filler is used to give the wine its crisp effervescence. it features fresh flavors and aromas of cherry, strawberry and melon with a hint of white pepper on the finish. the brut rosé has very limited distribution, but is available at the tasting room in augusta, Missouri.

St. Louis’s Newest Downtown Brewery

photography by mabel suen

Provenance: augusta, Missouri PaIrIngs: Baked ham • Scallops • Almond-encrusted halibut

14 Beers on tap | Open 7 days Lunch, Dinner, Saturday & Sunday Brunch 2101 Chouteau Ave, St. Louis, MO 63103 | 314.241.4677

noboleisvineyards.com

Merry All Year Long!

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

Fresh Turkeys • Produce Nuts • Candies • Pastries Flowers • Gifts

BEER Mother's Brewing Co.'s winter grinD written by ryan niCKelson

sTyle: american stout (6% abV) PaIrIngs: Double-crème Brie • Barbecue • Cinnamon coffee cake

730 Carroll Street • St. Louis, Missouri 63104 Wed-Fri 8am - 5pm; Sat 7am - 5:30pm Special Holiday Hours 11/21 & 22 8am - 5pm • 12/19-12/22 - 8am - 5pm 12/23 7am - 5:30pm • 12/24 8am - 3pm

winter grind from Mother's Brewing Co. in springfield, Missouri, is an american stout brewed with a cold-brewed espresso blend. think fresh-roasted coffee meets dark chocolate. the aroma is a coffee-lover's paradise: a slightly sweetened and roasted espresso with hints of mocha. the beer hits the palate carbonated but velvety smooth, instantly followed by a rich, cold-brewed coffee and slightly burnt sugar flavor with hints of caramel and toast. this is one to pick up for those chilly nights with friends. mothersbrewing.com Brothers Brandon and Ryan Nickelson are available to help with beer picks and pairing recommendations at their store, Craft Beer Cellar, a craft beer shop in Clayton, Missouri, with an upcoming location in South City. To learn more, visit craftbeercellar.com/clayton.

SPIRIT DogMaster Distillery’s BourBon whiskey written by Jenn tosatto

Photo Amanda Wilens

Provenance: Columbia, Missouri (45% abV) Try IT: in a berry Cobbler cocktail

Proving that good bourbon can be made outside of Kentucky, DogMaster Distillery first released its bourbon in 2016. the mash bill combines corn, oats, wheat and malted barley, resulting in a bright distillate that’s then aged in 30-gallon Missouri white oak barrels. the Columbia, Missouri, distillery also uses local spring water to take it down to bottle proof, making this is a uniquely regional bourbon, and quite a good one at that. the taste is rather light and subtle, even at 90 proof. it’s a perfect bourbon for cocktails, especially those that feature berries. dogmasterdistillery.com You can find Jenn Tosatto running the bar at Mission Taco Joint's newly opened Kansas City location. She also loves donating her skills to many charity events around the city, as well as working private events.

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holiday hosting

Get modern heirloom dishware from Sasha Nicholas in St. Louis on p. 42. photography courtesy sasha Nicholas

KC Soda Co. WriTTeN By JeNNy Vergara PHOTOgraPHy By aNgela BONd

KANSAS CITY. lucas Thompson chose the City Market for his third mix-and-match soda shop because he wanted to bring his love of soda to downtown Kansas City. He opened KC soda Co. in september in part of the former Winslow’s bar space, and business has been popping ever since. The craft-soda shop stocks more than 1,000 varieties of soda from more than 200 producers, including sodas from all over the world. shop nostalgic favorites like root beers, colas and cream sodas before challenging yourself to try rose, celery, bacon or pickle sodas. guests can purchase one bottle or mix six-, 12-, or 24-packs for quantity discounts, or full cases of single flavors at wholesale prices. Next summer, look for scoops of ice cream to make your own ice cream float, too.

20 E. Fifth St., Kansas City, Missouri, kcsoda.com

WriTTeN By NaNCy sTiles

full circle brumi pour over hot + cold brew bottle soup pot flavor infuser This handy tool works double time during the winter months: infuse soups with myriad herbs and aromatics, or fill it with spices and fruit to make toasty mulled wine. The stainless steel and silicone infuser is easy to clean and makes flavor infusions a cinch.

Never get stuck traveling with a sub-par cup of coffee again. Full Circle’s Brumi Pour Over Hot + Cold Bottle makes it easy to make pour-over coffee on the go. The double-walled bottle features a stainless steel and mesh filter for more nuanced flavor; simply add coffee grounds to the filter and pour hot water over top. To make cold brew, refrigerate bottle overnight for a chilled, concentrated coffee.

For more information or to purchase the infuser, visit uncommongoods.com.

For more information or to purchase the bottle, visit fullcirclehome.com.

PHOTO COurTesy uNCOMMON gOOds

PHOTO COurTesy Full CirCle

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Rockfair

Tavern

The premier consignment gallery serving the St. Louis community for 23 years.

A Classic for More than 30 Years

Mention this ad for a 15% discount on your purchases of $50.00 or more.

14081 Manchester Road St. Louis, MO 63011 Two miles west of 270 (636) 527-4747

Restaurant and Lounge 3 Blocks South of Route 66

Store Hours: Monday - Friday 10AM - 6PM Saturday 10AM - 5PM Sunday 12 Noon - 5PM

506 S. Franklin St., Cuba, MO 65453 573-885-7518

secondsitting.com

GIVE ‘EM WHAT THEY REALLY WANT This holiday season, let Q39 take care of all your catering needs— from office holiday parties to family get-togethers. We offer drop-off or full-service catering options to make sure no one goes hungry. ull-ser Visitt Q Q39KC.com/catering to view our catering menus, and make your plans today.

Q39 MIDTOWN 1000 W 39TH ST, KCMO | 816.255.3753 FOR CATERING, MICHAEL@Q39KC.COM

Q39 SOUTH NOW OPEN 11051 ANTIOCH RD, OPKS | 913.951.4500 FOR CATERING, DANI@Q39KC.COM

Inspired Local Food Culture

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q&A

darrell tindal & andrea schnetzler the berry nutty farm WRITTeN BY HeATHeR RISKe

|

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACKLYN MeYeR

INDEPENDENCE, MO. Darrell Tindal and Andrea Schnetzler didn’t really mean to get

into the fruit-spread business. Back in 2010, Tindal was working in technology and Schnetzler in banking when her grandfather gave the pair about five bushels of apples – in Schnetzler’s words, a lot of apples – from his farm outside of Boonville, Missouri. When Tindal got a craving for his grandma’s apple butter, they spent the weekend experimenting with making their own. A few friends tried it, loved it and demanded they make more – even taking orders from their friends at work. Soon, The Berry Nutty Farm was born. In addition to that signature apple butter, products include cranberry, raspberry, blackberry and blueberry spreads, most of which are made from local fruit. You can find The Berry Nutty Farm products at Whole Foods in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas, Straub’s Market in St. Louis, Root Cellar in Columbia and Jefferson City, Missouri, and Farm to You Market in Washington, Missouri.

You specialize in “traditional-tasting” spreads and butters. What does that mean? Our recipes are old world-style. We don’t use high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives or dyes, and we don’t add water. –Darrell Tindal People will often say, “This tastes real, this tastes like what my grandma used to make.” It kind of cracks me up to hear, “This tastes real,” but it’s refreshing. That’s the effect we want to present to people. –Andrea Schnetzler What exactly is a fruit spread? Our products are spreads, not jams or jellies. The difference is that scientifically, a jelly is just fruit juice and sugar, and a jam could be water, pulp and sugar. Our spreads are just pure berries, with less sugar than a jam. All of them are going have pectin in them; the bigger difference between a jam and a fruit spread is the sugar.

–A.S. We’re technically classified as diabetic-friendly by most nutritionists because we have such a low sugar content. –D.T. What are your most popular products? Our apple butter is our best-seller every single month. It’s a thick and chunky old-style German apple butter, as opposed to some of the more paste-y apple butters on the market, which are more like glorified applesauce. Our fruit spreads include multiple fruits, like the Bottom of the Barrel, which is a blend of strawberry, blueberry and blackberry. We had extra fruit so we threw it in the pot and made it, never dreaming that we’d ever need the recipe again.

But we kept having clients requesting it, so we decided to specialize in crazier flavors as opposed to the typical grape and strawberry that you can find elsewhere. –A.S. What else can you use Berry Nutty products for? Since our spreads are lower in sugar than what you would typically find, they’re easier to cook with. I always say our products are able to be used on anything from meats to sweets. We’ve used them in drink mixers, barbecue sauces, salad dressings, Key lime pie and sautéed green beans. You just need to jump out of the bread box and have some fun. –A.S. theberrynuttyfarm.com

The Laura Lea BaLanced cookBook WRITTeN BY JACKSON ROMAN

The health-food world is littered with remnants of bygone fads, questionable advice and flavorless recipes; Laura Lea Goldberg wants to do away with those forever.

Frustrated by an industry built on trendy, one-size-fits-all diets, the certified holistic chef started LL Balanced, a recipe website dedicated to healthy, home-cooked meals aimed at everyday cooks. Now, in The Laura Lea Balanced Cookbook, Goldberg provides not only recipes, but the framework to understand them. She lays out her favorite ingredients, techniques, tips and tricks for a balanced lifestyle, in terms understandable even for nutrition novices. The recipes are divided into sections: “snack-itizers,” beverages and smoothies, breakfast, bakery, sides, lunch and dinner entrées, salads and soups, and desserts. The offerings range from simple (the Mexican-inspired version of Bolognese boasts an active time of five minutes) to mildly challenging, but all are achievable for the determined home cook. Make the barbecue shrimp and quinoa grits for a healthier take on the classic dish, or try the smoothie-bowl variation of LL’s Daily Green Smoothie for a morning boost.

By Laura Lea Goldberg, springhousepress.com

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M erry Christmas

Plan your group’s Christmas Party at J.Fires'. A beautifully decorated space, delicious food and the best spirits are all right here!

Call soon to get your date reserved!

delicious

and memorable  CreateYour Own Gift Basket  Hostess Gifts

 Hearty Healthy for the Holidays  Gift Certificates

New Year’s

Eve

Celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of our 10th year in Business (2018) and the 200th anniversary for our building. (Built in 1818!)

Follow us on Facebook!

d e R r e h c t u y. e k B s i h y W d o n r Co Blo e,

palat t, fron y to the p u r h pe ot Smo and pep ish. y n l e fi Liv clean a h t Wi

Locally grown, fermented, distilled and aged at Wood Hat Spirits.

4 Course Dinner with Wine Pairings Available

725 N. Market Street, Waterloo, Illinois 62298 618-939-7233 • www.jfires.com

cask arrel s e c un eb Anno th, singl g stren

ate corpor t gif s option 1650 Beale Street, Suite 167 | St. Charles, MO 63303 636.757.5455 | www.olivinotastingbar.com

A hands-on process from planting to labeling, this corn whiskey is aged in one-of-a-kind Missourimade, toasted barrels that were coopered from air-dried staves, washed by rain for years, mellowing the tannins. Single barrel batches.

ased, e l e r r e v ne tities n a u q d e limit

Where to find us: Available soon at the distillery & limited discerning establishments.

woodhatspirits.com 573-216-3572 | New Florence, MO | Tours & Tasting Room Inspired Local Food Culture

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Saint LouiS Hop SHop Story and photoGraphy by Mabel Suen

ST. LOUIS. last fall, Saint Louis Hop Shop moved to a bigger home just a few doors down from its original location. the corner storefront is nearly twice the size of its previous incarnation, which debuted on cherokee Street in St. louis in May 2015. the craft-beer bottle shop’s evolution includes much more product thanks to additional shelving, an extra cooler and a larger bar. “we really enjoyed the last store but felt like we had outgrown it,” says ryan Griffin, who co-owns Saint louis hop Shop with Justin harris. “this gives us a bit more space to experiment. it’s a great upgrade and opportunity to showcase what we believe the community of craft beer is all about.” local artwork adorns the walls in the roomy, naturally lit space, which features the same clean aesthetic as the original. handmade wooden bars and shelving by local Mwanzi co. provide sleek, functional definition, including the new 10-foot bar outfitted with six frequently rotating taps. choose from craft beers like perennial artisan ales’ Von pampelmuse, dogfish head brewery’s lupu-luau ipa and Stillwater artisanal’s Shoegaze farmhouse pale ale. the inventory is currently divided into cooled six-packs and individual bottles and cans sorted by size and region.

Guests can expect to find all the core favorites while digging deep into the portfolios of the purveyors on hand. additions in the future will include a selection of local, small-batch spirits and ciders. “we’re just keeping true to our motto of ‘Good beer, good people and good times’ by carrying over the same energy from before,” Griffin says. “we want people to feel the same welcoming kinship when they’re inside our store.”

2600 Cherokee St., St. Louis, Missouri, saintlouishopshop.com

artisan products schlaegel’s popcorn written by nancy StileS

WHITING, KS. Gourmet popcorn has long been a favorite

holiday gift – just ask Gary and Marian Schlaegel, co-owners of Schlaegel’s Popcorn. the family has been growing corn for popping since 1970 on their farm in whiting, Kansas. back then they mixed up caramel popcorn for friends, but today, Schlaegel’s offers more than 20 flavors, including cotton candy, bacon and cheese, cherry-cheesecake and butterscotch. you can also get your popcorn in themed tins such as the Kansas city royals or chiefs, plus unpopped popcorn, gift boxes and more. popcorngifts.net

sasha nicholas dinnerware

written by JacKSon roMan

ST. LOUIS. cynthia nouri practiced dentistry for nearly 30 years before turning her attention to one of her passions: ceramics. a short few years later, dinnerware brand Sasha Nicholas (named after her two children) is sold nationwide. in an era when many homes have transitioned from ornate fine-china dining sets to everyday dishes, nouri says her goal is to find a happy medium between the two, and restore some of the meaning and personality to dishware. Sasha nicholas products are made using high-quality porcelain imported from europe and fired in studio in Kirkwood, Missouri. Sasha nicholas dinnerware places a custom monogram, crest or design in the center of its dishware, which “allows the food to be the star of the show,” nouri says. customers can also provide handwritten messages such as letters or old family recipes to be inscribed directly onto the back of dishes.

sashanicholas.com photoGraphy courteSy SaSha nicholaS

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written by bethany christo | photography courtesy cellar rat wine merchants

Hand-Picked Wines

“We have wine from $8.99 to $899 and everywhere in between,” says Kevin Hodge, owner of Cellar Rat Wine Merchants in Kansas City. Although a boutique shop, Cellar Rat’s prices for its 1,500-plus high-quality wines, beers and spirits remain low thanks to the relationships Hodge has cultivated with wine importers and local producers. A membership to any of Cellar Rat’s three wine clubs make a great gift for the holidays, or stock your cellar with the semimonthly “Taste the Case” events.

For $10, sample 12 hand-chosen wines that can be mixed-and-matched in its $100 case.

“Cellar Rat is there to make you look good,” Hodge says with a laugh – whether that be helping you pick out a bottle based on occasion or price point, to wrapping your purchases on the spot, to sharing seasoned tips for food pairings.

Holiday Shopping

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“For gifts and parties, simpler is better,” Hodge says. “Bring a bottle of red wine with you. Or, when in doubt, I always suggest bubbles. I dare anyone to be sad when there’s a bottle of bubbles open.” Along with wine, beer and spirits, Cellar Rat offers a wide selection of artisan gourmet food gifts – sausage, cheese, chocolate – and all things to do with eating and drinking like flasks, ice-cube trays, aerators and bitters – Hodge is a fan of Fee Brothers black walnut bitters in his Manhattan at the moment.

Another stocking stuffer that Hodge can’t live without? “A double-hinge waiter corkscrew is just about the handiest thing you can have, it fits in any drawer and it’s definitely the thing I use close to every day,” he says.

Cellar Rat Wine Merchants | 1701 Baltimore Ave. | Kansas City, Missouri 816.221.9463 | cellarratwine.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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Cap off a holiday meal with this foolproof, rich and indulgent chocolate cream pie on p. 54. photography by jacklyn meyer

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story, recipe AND photogrAphy by sherrie cAstellANo

Loaded FingerLing Potatoes with Cheese, oLives and herbs serVes | 10 |

20 fingerling potatoes 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste ½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese ¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced 1 bunch curly parsley, chopped

| preparation | preheat oven to 425°F. in a large mixing bowl, toss potatoes in 1 tablespoon olive oil. evenly spread potatoes on a baking sheet and roast in oven 20 minutes or until soft and tender. Flip potatoes and slice lengthwise. roast for an additional 15 minutes. Allow potatoes to slightly cool to the touch. pour remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over top of potatoes and season generously with salt and pepper. sprinkle cheese, chopped olives and parsley over top of each potato, carefully tucking ingredients inside of each. serve warm or at room temperature.

Loaded FingerLing Potatoes with Cheese, Olives and herbs

December is a month of gathering with friends and family over hearty, festive meals and toasting to the season. this month, we’ll dine on an abundance of indulgent small bites and cheery cocktails and call it dinner: basically, the best time of the year. since everything should be a little fancier at holiday parties and get-togethers, trade your favorite cheesy potato skins recipe for fun and no-fuss loaded fingerling potatoes. these potatoes are the epitome of comfort finger food with just a touch of refinement. As a bonus, they require almost no time to put together, ensuring you spend more time with your loved ones than laboring in the kitchen.

Sherrie Castellano is a former health coach turned food writer, photographer and pop-up chef based in St. Louis. A collection of Sherrie's recipes, stories and images can be found on her Saveur Blog Award-nominated website, With Food + Love. Sherrie has created content for brands and publications including Absolut, better homes and gardens, Chobani, Driftless Magazine, Food52, LaCroix Sparkling Water, selF, Urban Outfitters and Vegetarian times.

. 57 Turn to p for more erfect holiday-p e small-bit . recipes

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mystery shopper

meet: Nablusi Cheese story and recipe by shannon weber photography by jennifer silverberg

Sweet-and-Savory nabluSi tartS These addictive little tarts are a lightning-fast, impressive appetizer for holiday gatherings that practically make themselves. Simply trim the squares to size, top with a few ingredients and toss them in the oven for the perfect beginning to a meal. yields

2 2 12 2 4 4 1

| 24 pIeces |

packages (about 24 oz total) nablusi cheese sheets thawed frozen puff pastry dried apricots, each sliced into 3-inch strips lengthwise Tbsp honey tsp za’atar tsp olive oil large egg

What Is It? Imagine a world where Feta and halloumi cheeses could be combined to make some sort of hybrid. What you’d get would be nablusi; a semi-hard, brined palestinian cheese made of sheeps’ or goats’ milk. this squeaky number has been around for centuries and is best known as the main ingredient in kanafeh, a traditional palestinian and turkish dessert that pairs nablusi with shredded wheat pastry and an orange blossom- or rose water-infused syrup.

What do I do WIth It? In short, anything. It’s surprisingly versatile for a salty cheese, but that salinity adds a certain loveliness to sweets.

in a small bowl, beat egg until blended. remove trays from refrigerator and use a pastry to brush borders of each tart with egg wash. transfer baking sheets to oven and bake tarts for 15 to 18 minutes, or until pastry is golden and puffed, rotating trays halfway through baking. transfer to a platter and serve warm.

there’s no limit to what you can do with nablusi, but there’s one rule you should heed: Always soak the cheese for at least eight hours (or ideally overnight) to remove some of the ultra-salty brine and increase its pliability.

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 that the words “I can’t” should never apply to food preparation and that curiosity can lead to wonderful things, in both the kitchen and life.

| preparation | soak nablusi cheese for 8 to 12 hours in water to remove excess salt; pat dry. preheat oven to 400°f and line 2 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper. lightly flour a work surface and roll out 1 sheet puff pastry to measure 9-by-12-inches; use a pizza cutter to cut into 12 3-inch squares. give each square a ½-inch border by scoring it with a paring knife on all sides. place 1 square of cheese inside border of each pastry square: trim cheese down as needed to fit. top each with 3 strips apricot, evenly spaced; drizzle honey over cheese. refrigerate tray for 15 minutes. repeat rolling, cutting and scoring on second sheet of pastry; top each with a square of cheese, trimming as needed to fit. sprinkle ¼ tsp of za’atar over each; drizzle olive oil over spice. place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Go savory by pan-frying rectangles of nablusi until the exterior is crisp and the insides are molten, then add to vegetarian sandwiches or pita, or serve it warm alongside hummus, olives, za’atar (a middle eastern herb blend) and a generous glug of olive oil. to bring out the sweeter side of nablusi, try your hand at traditional kanafeh, or pair it with honey and dried fruits like apricot, plum or cranberry in turnovers, phyllo dough or puff pastry tarts.

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story and recipe by Gabrielle deMichele photoGraphy by jennifer silverberG

TarTines wiTh scrambled eggs, chorizo and gruyère cheese serves | 4 |

4 2 ½ 2 1 2 8 4

large eggs egg yolks tsp Dijon mustard flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Tbsp unsalted butter, divided loaf French country bread, cut into 1-inch slices, divided Tbsp olive oil oz cooked chorizo, thinly sliced medium slices Gruyère cheese

| preparation | preheat oven broiler to high heat. adjust an oven rack to the second slot from the top. heat an empty 8-inch skillet over low heat. in a medium mixing bowl, add eggs, egg yolks and mustard, and whisk until combined. season with salt and pepper to taste. add 1 teaspoon butter to warm skillet and swirl to coat entire pan. add egg mixture. as eggs cook, incrementally add remaining butter.

Using a flat-bottomed spatula, stir eggs until they form ribbons and curds. turn off heat when eggs begin to get creamy, continuing to stir until softly set. remove from heat. on a lipped baking sheet, add slices of bread. put sheet under broiler. toast about 2 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden. remove toast from oven but not baking sheet; leave broiler at high heat. drizzle each slice of toast with olive oil and divide cooked chorizo evenly on each slice. top toast with Gruyère cheese and scrambled eggs. transfer tartines to baking sheet to broil for another 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese has melted. serve immediately.

quick fix

TarTines

with Scrambled eggS, chorizo and gruyère cheeSe Whether you’re hosting out-of-town guests this month or spearheading breakfast on christmas morning, these tartines are sure to impress – and as an added bonus, they take almost no time to whip up. feel free to swap out ingredients here to fit your tastes. if you prefer a less spicy meal, trade the chorizo for bacon or breakfast sausage, or nix the meat altogether and sub in roasted portobello mushrooms, tomatoes or eggplant. Goat cheese or ricotta works wonderfully in place of Gruyère as well.

chef’s tip THAT’S ALL, YOLkS. adding egg yolks to your scrambled eggs

gives them a richer, creamier, almost custardy flavor, while dijon mustard offers some tang.

the Menu • Eggs in Purgatory • Candied Bacon • Tartines with Scrambled Eggs, chorizo and Gruyère cheese • Danish Waffles

LEArn MOrE. in this class you’ll learn how to make eggs in purgatory, or eggs baked in tomato sauce served over toast. you’ll also

learn how to make true Danish waffles, which are sweeter and crispier than their more famous Belgian cousin.

get hands-on: Join Feast Magazine and schnucks Cooks Cooking school at 6pm Wed., dec. 13, at the des Peres, Missouri, location to make the dishes in this month’s menu. tickets are just $45 for a night of cooking, dining and wine. RsVP at schnuckscooks.com or call 314.909.1704.

FRESH EVERY HOLIDAY.

WATCH IT ON THESE NETWORKS

In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to watch Feast TV Mondays at 7pm.

SEASON’S GREETINGS AND MUCH, MUCH MORE.

BETTER QUALITY, BETTER FLAVOR, LESS WASTE…NO JOKE.

In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) Sundays at 8am and 6:30pm.

This year’s centerpiece…

Schnucks spiral sliced ham.

It’s made for us with natural juices, is a hand trimmed and sliced to the bone for a flavorful yet lean, tender ham. Plus, it’s slow-smoked with real hickory wood.

You can watch Feast TV throughout mid-Missouri on KMOS (Channel 6) Saturdays at 10am.

Feast TV airs in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8) Saturdays at noon and Mondays at 12:30pm.

Check your local listings to watch Feast TV in the Lake of the Ozarks area.

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

©2017 Schnucks

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sweet ideas

ChoColate Cream Pie story and recipe by christy augustin photography by jacklyn meyer

ChoColate Cream Pie You’ll likely have extra chocolate pudding. If so, pour it into individual cups or ramekins and refrigerate for several hours or up to 3 days for a special treat. There’s no need to wrap the finished pie in plastic wrap before refrigerating, as this recipe doesn’t form the dreaded pudding skin! yields | 8 to 12 slices |

Pudding 1½ cups 50 or 60 percent dark chocolate chips 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 tsp pure vanilla extract ²⁄₃ cup granulated sugar, divided 3 Tbsp cornstarch 2 Tbsp cocoa powder pinch kosher salt 2 cups whole milk 1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided 3 egg yolks 1 9-inch prebaked chocolate cookie crumb crust chantilly cream 1½ cups heavy whipping cream ¼ cup powdered sugar ½ tsp pure vanilla extract pinch kosher salt

| preparation – pudding | in a medium, heatproof bowl, combine chocolate chips, butter and vanilla. set aside. in a separate medium heatproof bowl, whisk together half of sugar with cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt. set aside. in a heavy-bottomed saucepot over medium heat, add milk, remaining sugar and half of heavy whipping cream and stir to dissolve sugar. Whisk egg yolks into dry ingredients and thin with remaining cream. as milk mixture begins to simmer, slowly pour egg mixture into pot to temper, whisking as you go, until fully combined. stir with a heatproof rubber spatula until pudding begins to bubble and thicken. boil for 45 seconds to 1 minute. if lumps form, whisk them well before taking pudding off heat. pour hot pudding into bowl of chocolate and let sit 30 seconds to start melting chocolate, then whisk until chocolate and butter have melted. pour pudding into prebaked pie crust, filling it to the brim. chill for several hours or up to 3 days before topping with whipped chantilly cream.

| preparation – chantilly cream | in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip all ingredients together until medium peaks form. don't overwhip. spoon cream over pie and chill for 1 hour or up to 2 days before serving.

if i have an occasion to serve pie, i always opt for this decadent chocolate cream number. my family now requests this pie over all the other desserts we make at the bakery for the holidays. on first read, the recipe may sound complicated, but chocolate pudding is pretty foolproof if you follow my tips. adding some of the sugar to the milk and cream as it heats up keeps the dairy from scorching. slowly ladling warm milk into the egg yolks protects the protein from overcooking and scrambling. and the cornstarch is your fail-safe, helping to ensure a smooth, creamy filling. chantilly cream is just the fancy French word for whipped cream with vanilla. it’s simple to make, but the result is so much better than any store-bought topping that i’m sure you’ll never go back. the quantity here is a bit more than you need for most prebaked pie shells, but just right for a deep-dish shell. at Pint size, we make the pie in a chocolate cookie crust, but it’s amazing in a flaky crust or even a sugar cookie tart shell.

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.

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promotion These festive drinks are made with local and regional spirits and will definitely get you in the holiday spirit – pun intended.

Make one for yourself while you’re decking the halls, or make a few for friends and family while roasting chestnuts over an open fire – merrymaking is sure to be had no matter the occasion.

coldwater christmas cream

original sin martini

rubenesque cream

This cocktail is a fresh holiday twist on a classic whiskey.

They say the best Martinis are made by the best vodkas, and Cardinal Sin Vodka from St. Louis Distillery was named one of the five best vodkas in the world this year by Risu Brand.

This cocktail is the perfect merger of holiday spirit and traditional bourbon cream.

Serves | 1 | Spiced Simple Syrup 1 cup water 1 cup sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish ½ tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp ground cloves Coldwater Christmas Cream ice 1 oz Crown Valley Brewing & Distillings Coldwater Whiskey 1 oz spiced simple syrup (recipe below) 2 oz vanilla egg cream (can substitute French vanilla cream) 2 oz half-and-half whipped cream (for garnish)

| Preparation - Spiced Simple Syrup | In a small

saucepot, bring water and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat, and add spices. Chill until ready to use.

| Preparation - Coldwater Christmas Cream | Fill

shaker with ice. Add remaining ingredients; shake well. Pour into glass, and garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon.  Recipe created by the bar staff at Crown Valley Brewing & Distilling 13326 State Highway F, Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, 573.756.9700, crownvalleybrewery.com

Serves | 1 | ice 4 oz St. Louis Distillery’s Cardinal Sin Vodka 1 oz extra-dry vermouth 2 dashes orange bitters lemon twist (for garnish)

| Preparation | Prepare a chilled Martini glass. In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine all ingredients. Stir, and strain into prepared glass. Garnish with lemon twist, and serve.  Recipe developed by Charlie Myers at John D. McGurk’s Public House 755 Friedens Road, St. Charles, Missouri, 314.805.0867, stldistillery.com

Serves | 1 | 1½ oz Wood Hat Spirits’ Bourbon Rubenesque ½ oz heavy cream ½ oz Kahlúa coffee liqueur ½ oz Torani almond (orgeat) syrup ice club soda

| Preparation | In a shaker filled with ice, add all ingredients

except club soda. Shake for 10 seconds, then double-strain into an 8-ounce Fizz or Collins glass. Top with club soda, pouring from about 6 inches above glass. Wait a few seconds, then add another splash of soda to lift foam above top of glass. Serve with a straw.  Recipe adapted from a liquor.com recipe and created by Sarah Noebels at Wood Hat Spirits 489 Booneslick Road, New Florence, Missouri, 573.216.3572, woodhatspirits.com

throw your best holiday fête yet with these festive hors d’oeuvre and drink pairings

STory, recipeS And phoTogrAphy By Sherrie cASTellAno

The holidays are the time to indulge in big, bold flavors. Because we want to enjoy as many over-the-top festive eats and drinks as possible this season, we’ve developed five cocktail and small-bite pairings perfect for holiday entertaining (or for just sipping and snacking at home). These five pairings are anchored by classic flavor combinations – salty and sweet, effervescent and earthy, sweet and spicy, botanical and chocolate, and complex and creamy. Although each pairing was developed with balance and complementary flavors in mind, try your hand at making various versions of the combinations to delight family and friends.

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Complementary citrus flavors connect this juicy, effervescent sangria with tangy roasted olives. The sweet balances the salt, making the pairing the ideal palate opener for a dinner party. sparkling citrus sangria serves | 4 |

½ 1 1 1 1

juice of 1 lemon juice of 1 lime juice of 2 oranges cup honey 750-milliliter bottle chilled Prosecco or other sparkling wine lemon, sliced into wheels lime, sliced into wheels orange, sliced into wheels ice

| preparation | In a punch bowl or large pitcher, combine lemon, lime and orange juice with honey and stir to blend. Add prosecco and stir once more. Add citrus wheels and ice. serve.

roasted herb-citrus olives serves | 4 to 6 |

2 cups mixed green, black and Kalamata olives 2 Tbsp olive oil ¼ tsp fennel seeds 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced ½ tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp orange zest

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| preparation | Preheat oven to 350°F. In a baking dish, combine all ingredients except zest and toss to incorporate. roast olive mixture for 15 minutes or until sizzling.

Toss cooked olive mixture with orange zest and additional olive oil if desired. serve warm with crostini or crusty bread.

earl grey french 75

Boost the traditional French 75 with Earl Grey tea, which adds depth of flavor and richness.

Paired with earthy, buttery mushrooms, this combination is pure luxury.

serves | 6 |

½ cup water 2 bags Earl Grey tea 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, plus more for rimming glasses 1 lemon wedge 3 oz gin, divided 1 750-milliliter bottle chilled sparkling wine 6 lemon peels, for garnish

| preparation | In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, heat water until almost boiling. steep tea bags in water for 3 minutes; discard tea bags.

Add sugar and stir to dissolve. refrigerate until cool. spread a thin layer of sugar on a small plate. Lightly squeeze lemon wedge across the rim of six Champagne flutes and dip rim of flutes in sugar to coat. evenly divide chilled earl Grey tea in each flute. Pour a ½ ounce of gin into each flute and top with sparkling wine. Garnish each flute with a lemon peel and serve.

brown-butter mushrooms serves | 4 |

¼ ¼ 1 3

cup unsalted butter cup dry white wine tsp fresh thyme leaves cups button mushrooms, halved sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

| preparation | In a large skillet over medium heat, heat butter until almost browned, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add wine and thyme; cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and season to taste with salt and pepper. sauté auté mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until fully cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes. spear mushrooms with toothpicks if serving as a small bite.

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Lightly sweetened with honey and spiced with a touch of pepper, this Old Fashioned is a bit more complex than the classic. Rich baked Brie drizzled with honey and tart pomegranate seeds provides an excellent foil for the bold cocktail. black pepper-honey old fashioned serves | 6 |

1 cup water 1 Tbsp black peppercorns, plus more for garnish 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup bourbon Angostura bitters orange peel, for garnish ice

| preparation | In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water, peppercorns and sugar to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. strain peppercorns from syrup and allow to cool.

In a large glass Mason jar, combine simple syrup with bourbon and stir. evenly divide mixture into 6 highball glasses filled with ice.

Add a dash of bitters to each glass and stir. Garnish with orange peels and crushed black pepper. serve.

baked brie with honey and pomegranate seeds serves | 8 |

1 ¼ ½ ½ ¼

8-oz Brie wheel cup honey cup pomegranate seeds tsp sea salt tsp freshly ground black pepper

| preparation | Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place Brie in the center of prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until bubbly. Watch Brie closely, as cheese cooks very quickly.

In a small saucepan over low heat, slightly warm honey and remove from heat. Add pomegranate seeds, salt and pepper. When Brie is finished baking, while still warm, pour honey-pomegranate seed mixture over top. serve warm with a cheese board, tart apple slices or crusty bread.

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Rosemary and gin are a natural match.

This cocktail hits all of the right notes : floral and botanical yet sweet and spicy.

The rosemary also lifts the chocolate mousse , adding earthiness to counterbalance the richness of the dark chocolate .

rosemary-gin fizz serves | 6 |

1 cup water 5 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup gin ½ oz lemon juice club soda ice

| preparation | In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water, rosemary and sugar to a gentle boil. reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. strain rosemary from simple syrup and allow to cool.

In a large glass Mason jar, combine simple syrup, gin and lemon juice and stir. Divide mixture evenly between 6 highball glasses filled with ice. Top each cocktail with club soda and a sprig of rosemary for garnish. serve.

coconut-chocolate mousse serves | 6 |

1²⁄₃ cup aquafaba (liquid from roughly 2 cans chickpeas) or 1 can coconut milk 1 tsp fresh lemon juice (if using aquafaba) ½ cup water 12 oz roughly chopped dark chocolate ¼ tsp sea salt flake salt, for garnish

| preparation | In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine aquafaba and lemon juice. Beat until stiff peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes.

If using coconut milk, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat on low speed, slowly increasing to medium-high, until fluffy.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring water to a simmer. Place a heatproof bowl over pan to temper chocolate; add chocolate to bowl and stir occasionally with a heatproof spatula until chocolate is smooth. Fold chocolate and sea salt into aquafaba or coconut milk and stir until combined. spoon poon mousse into 6 ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours or overnight. sprinkle flake salt over top prior to serving.

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Missouri’s Restaurants

Support your local restaurants.

dirty chai martini serves | 4 |

This Martini combines winter-perfect chai flavors with espresso for a little extra kick . Paired with salted espresso fudge made with coconut milk , this sweet -and-salty pairing will appeal to both tea and coffee lovers.

1 4 2 2 1 4

cup water bags chai tea Tbsp maple syrup oz brewed espresso or coffee cup whole milk oz vodka ice 4 cinnamon sticks, for garnish

| preparation | In a saucepot over medium-high heat, heat water to almost boiling. steep tea bags in water for 4 minutes; discard tea bags. Add maple syrup and espresso or coffee and stir to combine. refrigerate until cool.

Combine cooled tea mixture in a cocktail shaker with milk, vodka and ice. strain liquid evenly into 4 Martini glasses and garnish each with a cinnamon stick. serve.

salted espresso fudge yIelds | 12 squares |

1 can full-fat coconut milk ¼ cup honey 7 oz roughly chopped 70 percent dark chocolate 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil ½ Tbsp extra-fine ground espresso or dark roast coffee, plus more for garnish ½ tsp Himalayan salt ¼ tsp sea salt

| preparation | line an 8-by-8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring coconut milk to a gentle boil. reduce heat to low and add honey. simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken.

In a large metal or glass mixing bowl, combine chocolate with coconut oil, espresso or coffee and Himalayan salt. Pour warm coconut milk mixture over chocolate and stir until smooth.

Pour chocolate mixture into prepared baking dish and sprinkle espresso or coffee grounds and sea salt over top. refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours or overnight and then until ready to serve. Cut fudge into 12 squares and serve.

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Some of the best duck in the region is coming from a family farm just a few miles from downtown Lawrence, Kansas.

Written by Natalie gallagher Photography by stuart heidmann

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D

uck farming isn’t always what it’s quacked up to be.

It’s not that ducks aren’t cute. The week-old Grimaud Pekin ducklings tottering around Derek Felch’s small backyard pen are downright precious, with their fluffy buttercup-yellow bodies – the perfect size for scooping up into warm palms – and pale pink beaks emitting the gentlest of quacks. Derek’s 9-year-old son, Hunter, expertly catches one in his hands and runs a thumb along its head, and the delight on his freckled face is infectious.

The ducks are adorable, to be sure, but that’s not the reason Derek bought his first ducklings and started HoneyDel Farm in 2011. The other factor guiding him was the knowledge that there weren’t a lot of local duck farmers, and he had the notion to carve out a comfortable place in the market for his business, located just a few miles outside of Lawrence, Kansas.

“There's a lot of chicken and beef and pig, but not a lot of people doing ducks,” Derek says. “After we raised them, we realized why,” he continues with a laugh.

Derek is a jolly sort of fellow – everything he says has a wry tinge, and he still speaks with the vowelelongating Upper Midwestern accent etched in him during his youth in Minnesota.

Ducks are difficult, he explains, more so than the average farm animal. Ducks love water, and while they can be raised without a pond, they won’t be happy unless they’re wet. That means that the outdoor hose is used to fill a kiddie pool twice weekly and several five-gallon buckets at least once a day (in the winter, when it’s below freezing, the Felches haul water from their bathroom tub).

Life on the farm The Felches raise other animals on their 10 acres, too – turkeys, grass-fed lamb and free-range chickens – although ducks are their main stock. There’s very little separation between the house itself and the farm: Two groups of ducks– about 100 ducklings up to three weeks old and another 100 mature fowl up to eight weeks old – are penned separately in a clearing that would probably be considered more of a lawn than a field. Another 100 or so laying ducks roam around the vicinity of the house, all between 1 and 5 years old.

Three of the Felches' four children are still at home: Hunter, 12-year-old Myka and 18-year old Maggie. The kids split farm chores: carrying buckets of various animal feed (including a custom ration that comes from Perry Milling, a family-run mill in Perry, Kansas), refilling water containers, ushering the ducklings out of the brooder in the morning and back into it at night. Spring and fall are the Felches' two main breeding seasons, when they have close to 300 ducklings.

“The ducklings will live in the brooder about two to three weeks,” Derek says, gesturing to a squat little greenhouse full of heat lamps covered in white tarp at the edge of the fence. “Brooding the ducklings is the hardest thing. For those first few weeks, baby birds can’t regulate their own heat, so they need the heat lamps, and that’s the brooding stage – but ducks are particularly messy. They like to take water with their beak and throw it on the back of their head, and they just get water everywhere. It makes keeping the brooder clean and dry a nightmare.”

Ensuring that the brooder stays in tip-top shape is also one of the kids' duties. Farm work starts early – most mornings at about 6am or 7am – and doesn’t let up until long after school is out. Aside from Derek and Robin, the Felch kids are the only helping hands on the farm.

“I’ve had some issues with those employees,” Derek says, laughing. “They’ve tried to unionize on me, but they enjoy it probably half the time. The Amish figure labor as part of their profit, and we've adopted a little of that as our philosophy.

This may be the hardest physical labor they’ll ever do, and they'll appreciate that later.”

There are some perks to being farm kids, Robin adds. For instance, getting front-row seats to the birth of lambs, which then need to be bottle-fed; watching incubated eggs hatch; and taking chances with rare breeds, like the Crested Polish chicken, with its famous mohawk and its unreliable egg laying, that was purchased for Hunter, who wanted to raise “the weird-looking chicken.”

The children are also learning about the costs and economics of running a farm. When the Felches returned from a family vacation over Labor Day weekend this year, they learned their storage freezer had suffered an outlet failure. This meant that they lost around 90 percent of the product they were ready to sell – some 50 processed chickens and duck, three whole pigs and lamb and mutton. The revenue loss alone is significant to a small-scale farm like HoneyDel – an estimated $8,000 to $10,000 worth of ruined product – but what’s more is that the Felches lost food they had planned to eat through the winter. It’ll be the first time in years, Robin says, that she’ll be back at the grocery store, purchasing meat.

It’s the butchering, though, that can make duck farming a hassle. The Felches take their seven-toeight-week-old ducks to Anco Poultry Processing in Garnett, Kansas – one of only two plants in the state that processes duck.

“No one likes to clean them,” Derek says. “They have windows of feather growth, and about every seven weeks, they start to have rows of pinfeathers. If you hit them just right, they’ll clean fairly beautifully. The thing is that they’re water-resistant, so normally, you use heat and water to loosen the feathers and clean chickens and turkeys, but since duck [feathers] are designed to resist water, it doesn’t work as quickly.”

The involved and lengthy butchering process, Derek says, means that he pays about five times as much to process one duck as it costs to process one chicken.

That means his ducks are an expensive product to sell – which makes the whole business a good deal more demanding than he or his wife, Robin, envisioned six years ago.

“With the freezers going down, we explain to the kids how that affects them, and they get it,” Derek says.

“As much as a 9-year-old can get it.”

“We were really naive when we started,” Derek says.

“I didn't grow up in the country, but Robin did, and we felt that acreage out here would be fun. I had a mentor when I was younger, and he raised three cows, a pig and some chickens every spring and butchered everything in the fall, and I thought that was beautiful.

the honeyDeL Way For Derek, the economics of farming are ever-present, thanks to a little family influence. He was born a “city slicker,” he says with a laugh, but he’s got country roots.

Summers were spent with his

“Plus, I like business, and I thought, ‘What if we got other people to buy our food? We could basically eat for free.’” He laughs. “We didn’t know anything, and we definitely didn't picture this.”

PiCtUreD toP: Crested Polish chicken.

PiCtUreD aBoVe: Hunter and Myka Felch splitting chores on the farm.

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PICTURED: Grimaud Pekin ducks (left)

Khaki Campbell ducks (right) “IT has a gREaT flavoR anD TExTURE anD IT's a lITTlE lEanER Than ThE avERagE PEkIn. ThE PRoPoRTIon of faT To mEaT Is whaT makEs IT gooD.” -howaRD hanna, ThE RIEgER

Cured Five-SpiCe duCk BreaSt Duck breasts are cured in salt for two days prior to spicing and then aged in the refrigerator. This gives the meat a firm texture and turns it a deep red color, similar to prosciutto, with clean white fat on the skin side. The five-spice blend will yield more than you’ll need for this recipe; reserve leftover blend for future use.

ReCIPe By HOWARD HAnnA, CHeF-PARTneR, THe RIeGeR SeRVeS | 8 oRDERs as anTIPasTo

4 2 1 2 2 2 2

|

cups kosher salt, divided duck breasts cinnamon stick Tbsp star anise Tbsp szechuan peppercorns Tbsp fennel seeds Tbsp whole cloves

| preparation – curing spice | In the bottom of a casserole dish, add 2 cups salt in an even layer. Lay duck breasts spaced evenly apart over salt. Top duck with remaining salt. Cover dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 48 hours.

Remove duck from salt and pat meat with a damp towel to remove salt. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add remaining ingredients; toast spices lightly, tossing pan frequently, until fragrant and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to a spice grinder and process until smooth.

Place duck breasts skin-side up on a wire rack. Rub 1 teaspoon five-spice mixture generously on each duck breast. Refrigerate duck on rack to dry, uncovered, for 3 days.

| to serve | Using a very sharp knife, slice duck breasts very thinly and arrange on a platter or charcuterie board. Serve with other cured meats, salumi, charcuterie, cheese, crackers, nuts or olives.

onlInE ExTRa Visit feastmagazine.com for Howard Hanna's recipe for tagliatelle with braised duck.

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uncles, Lowell and Delmar, who taught Derek about farming and tasked him with chores like driving a tractor and milking cows. Delmar and his wife, Carlé, previously operated a farm called HoneyDel. When Derek started his own farm, he named it HoneyDel to honor his uncles and their love of farming.

39, The Rieger and The Farmhouse in Kansas City all rely on HoneyDel for duck, as does Lawrence’s own Hank Charcuterie.

“What we’ve learned to appreciate is that the chefs and the owners of those restaurants commit to taking a lower profit because they’re committed to supporting local farms – which means a more expensive product for them,” Derek says. “We don’t take that for granted, and we appreciate the customers making the choice to support those restaurants, too.”

“My uncle Delmar used to lament the plight of the family farm as farms got bigger and more commercial,” Derek says. “This [was] back in the ’70s and ’80s, and he used to say, ‘As the farms go, so goes the country.’ That’s always been in the back of my mind, and I’ve been reminded of a lot about that as we've “what we’ve learned to started this process and learned about what people do to keep small appreciate is that the farms alive.”

chefs and the owners of

The Felches are transparent about that steep learning curve.

The regulated aspects of raising, butchering and selling meat and animal products weren’t even a thought when they got started with the farm – and Derek says that pricing those products comes with its own complications.

“People are used to cheap food, just like we were,” he says. “I used to go to the farmers’ market and think about how ridiculous it was to see chickens sold at $4 a pound when we were used to seeing it at the store for 79 cents. But then we butchered some animals ourselves, and it was a lot of work – an incredible amount of work.”

those restaurants commit to taking a lower profit because they’re committed to supporting local farms

–

which means a more expensive product for them. we don’t take that for granted, and we’ve learned to appreciate the customers making the

DUCk, DUCk, DInnER The Felches raise Grimaud Pekin ducks, a breed that's a hybrid of two different French strains from Grimaud Frères farms in France. The Felches chose the breed for its tendency to grow quickly and lay a good amount of eggs – as well as for its reputation as an excellent meat source. The ducks are known for their milder flavor compared to breeds like Moulard or Muscovy. The Felches frequently roast whole duck, something they say their Grimaud Pekin ducks are ideal for.

The local consensus is overwhelmingly positive, too.

“I like the HoneyDel duck opposed to some other local duck farmers because they have a good ratio of meat to fat,” restaurants, too.” says Vaughn Good, chef-owner of - derek felch Hank Charcuterie. “Some ducks and heritage-breed ducks are super fatty – you almost get more fat than meat. Duck fat is awesome, and we use it for confit and roasting things in, but if you’re going to Profit and loss are the realities of any business, but when it serve a duck breast, you don’t want it to be 50 percent fat and 50 comes to farms, especially small, independent, family-run percent meat.” farms like HoneyDel, the margins can be razor-thin.

Howard Hanna, chef-owner at Kansas City’s The Rieger, agrees: “The risk sits entirely with the farmer,” he continues. “An order “It has a great flavor and texture and it's a little leaner than the falling through – that’s a big blow for us. The freezer going average Pekin,” he says. “The proportion of fat to meat is what [out], we’re grappling with right now. Any disaster becomes a makes it good.” On Hanna’s menu, HoneyDel ducks appear in large disaster.” various dishes – roasted and stuffed into pasta or confited on the charcuterie board.

What’s important is having a support system when disaster does strike – and at those times, the Felches can count on It’s not only the flavor of the duck that sold Hanna on some of the most recognizable restaurants in the area. Room HoneyDel, though.

choice to support those

"to me, it’S really important to Support loCal farmerS – that’S keeping your DollarS in the loCal eConomy."

-Vaughn gooD, hank CharCuterie

Duck confit With curing Spice Duck confit is very versatile: Use this confit in a salad or tartine, as part of a charcuterie board or even tucked into a pot pie. Look for Tellicherry black pepper at local spice shops and specialty grocers.

ReCIPe By VAuGHN GooD, CHeF-oWNeR, HANk CHARCuTeRIe SeRVeS | 2 to 4

|

Curing SpiCe 1 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tbsp ground tellicherry black pepper 2 tbsp ground cinnamon 7 tbsp kosher salt

“HoneyDel are just great people,” he says. “They're nice, I like them and I want to support them. Also, for my growth as a chef, I went from seeking out local products strictly because of flavor and thinking that because it's closer to us, it's most likely to be fresh. Now, I'm trying to go deeper than that and really think about our food system in general, and how my purchasing decisions impact that. It's not just about helping Derek Felch – it's about him buying grain locally and processing his ducks locally, and that's what we need to have regionally as a food system. It's not just farms and chefs at the two ends of the spectrum, and by supporting HoneyDel, I'm supporting a local mill and a processor.”

The ducks get put to use in many of Good's dishes at Hank Charcuterie, as well, including the duck legs confit on the dinner menu and smoked duck ham.

Like Hanna, Good believes in supporting the local farm for both its quality products and ethical animal husbandry.

“I appreciate that they’re humanely raised and pasture-raised,” he says.

[The Felches] put animal welfare at the forefront of what they do, and they’re super easy to work with. To me, it’s really important to support local farmers – that’s keeping your dollars in the local economy and helping out instead of using imported products.”

The HoneyDel ducks do appear happy, and perhaps none more so than the laying hens who cozy up to the base of the Felches’ house or cluster around shady trees. Plenty of their eggs end up as ducklings, but they can also end up just as easily in Robin’s frying pan. Duck eggs have long been coveted for their large yolks and rich flavor – Robin heartily vouches for their baking properties – but the Felches didn’t

originally intend to get into the egg business.

“We kind of stumbled into duck eggs,” Derek says. “We can only process so many ducks at a time, so we couldn’t keep hatching them. But ducks don't lay as consistently as chickens do, so we don’t have a regular supply of them to stock anywhere.”

For now, the family’s duck eggs are sold to local restaurants and are – like the rest of the HoneyDel product line – available Saturday mornings at the Lawrence Farmers’ Market, where the Felches have had a tent for the past several years.

“That was the weirdest thing when we started selling at the farmers’ market,” Robin says. “It was surprising that even people at the market would ask us if we raise the ducks ourselves. The chefs do a good job of telling our story in their restaurants, but I think sometimes people don't realize what goes into the small farms that these restaurants support.”

Derek agrees, adding that they had to overcome a daunting learning curve to get to where they are today. He gestures toward the swarm of pale yellow and white feathered birds behind him. His words are punctuated by soft quacking.

“We’re out here every day, trying to keep these guys safe from predators and elements that would take them away from us," Derek says. "We’re involved with their lives from beginning to end. It’s a struggle – more than we ever thought it would be – but our eyes have been opened. There are few things more rewarding than getting to enjoy food that you raise and care for yourself, and when you think about that, it’s easy to be inspired.”

DuCk Confit 2 duck legs 2 to 4 tbsp curing spice (recipe below) 4 cups rendered duck fat 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1 sprig fresh rosemary 2 garlic cloves

| preparation – curing spice | In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and combine. Set aside.

| preparation – duck confit | Prepare a wire rack over top of a sheet pan. Set aside. using a boning knife, cut duck thigh bones from the first joint to the second joint to expose meat for curing spice. Rub curing spice all over trimmed duck legs, using as much as possible, until excess seasoning falls off skin. Transfer duck legs to prepared rack over sheet pan and cover with plastic wrap. Place a heavy plate on top of wrapped duck to press down on meat. Refrigerate with plate over top for 8 to 12 hours. using a damp pastry brush or towel, remove excess seasoning from duck legs.

In a medium saucepot over medium heat, melt rendered duck fat. Add remaining ingredients to saucepot, as well as uncovered duck legs. Reduce heat to low and cook until meat is tender and can be removed easily from the bone. Remove duck meat from duck fat, reserving fat, and allow legs to cool until lightly cool to the touch. Strain aromatics from duck fat and set aside. Remove skin from meat and all meat from bones. Store duck confit covered in reserved duck fat inside a lidded glass container. Confit will keep in refrigerator for several weeks.

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ou won't find Assumption Abbey unless you’re looking for it – and maybe not even then. You might drive through Ava, Missouri, the closest town to the monastery, on your way to Arkansas on state Highway 5. The Douglas County town of just fewer than 3,000 is about an hour southeast of Springfield. Yet even here, you’re still a good 20 miles from the secluded abbey. From Ava, state Highway N winds through lush Ozark hills and forests. Radio reception is spotty and cell reception is nonexistent. Eventually, a gravel road angles through the trees up to a complex that looks not unlike a forgotten summer camp. It’s here that an order of Trappist monks make 30,000 traditional English-style fruitcakes a year.

At about 5:30 5:30am, five days a week and every other Saturday, Michael Hogue arrives at the abbey's bakery. He’s not a monk – he’s not even Catholic – but he’s been the head baker at Assumption for five years.

He lives about a mile up the road, which is partly why he took the job.

WRITTEN BY NANCY STILES PHOTOgRAPHY BY STARBOARD & PORT CREATIvE

“I dream about fruitcake,” Hogue chuckles.

The monastery was gifted an oven from a St. Louis supermarket in the late 1980s. It takes up almost an entire wall and features 20 trays that rotate upwards in a circular motion, almost like cars on a Ferris wheel. The team bakes 126 cakes in the oven daily.

Three or four additional brothers arrive a few hours after Hogue, dressed in civilian clothes (T-shirts, khakis, button-up shirts, fleece jackets), and begin decorating cakes baked the previous day. Each fruitcake gets eight squirts of rum – about an ounce total – from injector needles. They’re then brushed with a splash of hot corn syrup before the brothers add pecans, arranged in the shape of a cross. Red and green cherries are next, and the final touch is another glaze of syrup.

“Father Cyprian showed up at my house one day, and said that the monks were getting old and they wanted somebody to help out,” Hogue says, referring to the monastery’s superior. “I showed up for work and I’m still here.” Hogue and bakery manager Michael Hampton were hired to help out the dwindling community.

The fruitcakes are shipped all over the world, but of course, the bulk of orders come during the holiday months. Cakes have been sent to Australia, South Korea and Iran. This year marks the 30th anniversary of fruitcakes being baked at the abbey, a tradition that has, over the years, gained the attention of national and international media and become a holiday ritual of its own for thousands of families.

Each morning, Hogue mixes the fruitcake batter by hand. In the center of the kitchen, there are big plastic bins with dried fruit and nuts. The candied and dried fruit – which includes pineapple, cherries, lemon and orange peels, black and golden raisins and currants – is soaked for two weeks in four gallons of Burgundy wine. Hogue combines the fruit mixture in a large metal container with flour, eggs, butter, sugar, brown sugar, walnuts, vanilla and cinnamon. He scoops batter into round cake pans lined with red paper, and baking assistant Father Basil makes sure batter is distributed evenly and that each one is perfect. He then places the pans onto baking trays and slides the trays into tall sheet-pan racks where they’ll stay until it’s time to bake.

Assumption Abbey was established in 1950, an offshoot of New Melleray Abbey in Peosta, Iowa, near Dubuque. The monks belong to the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance; they’re more familiarly called Trappists. They follow the rule of St. Benedict: stability, fidelity to monastic life and obedience. Trappists don’t take a vow of silence, but as contemplative monks, many are encouraged only to speak when necessary. Because the order is independent and not supported by any parish, mission or school, it must be self-sufficient.

PICTURED: Secluded Assumption Abbey is tucked in the woods near Ava, Missouri.

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Father Cyprian, Superior at Assumption Abbey

“We’re called contemplative monks; we live a life of intercessory prayer [praying for others] and sacrifice,” says Father Cyprian.

“Because we don’t serve [people] hands on, we shouldn’t live by their charity but by the work of our own hands.”

Many monasteries rely on farming, he says, and Assumption tried that for about 10 years. The land – 3,400 acres – was gifted to New Melleray Abbey in 1950 by wealthy newspaperman Joseph Pierson.

Pierson had experienced ancient monastic orders in Europe during World War I, when he started the first overseas edition of the Chicago Tribune in Paris. “The only conditions he gave were that there be a few rooms for guests and that, if the new foundation failed before 60 years passed, then the property would return to his family,” according to the monastery’s official history.

The first winter was spent “pioneering.” Six monks had arrived from New Melleray on Sept. 24, 1950, and found the house, a Swiss chaletstyle building built by Pierson and his sons during World War II, without running water, electricity or central heating. First, the monks raised sheep, and then they tried to establish a dairy herd – then orchards, then a vineyard. But the combination of Ozark hills, rocky soil and lack of pasture made farming less than ideal. For the next 25 years, the brothers dredged sand and gravel out of the property’s creeks to make cement blocks.

In 1971, the monks moved into their permanent monastery, built with money from the cement block plant. It’s shaped like a cross, and includes a chapel, infirmary, library, kitchen, refectory, guest house and classrooms. By the 1980s, though, the “recession and competition were too much for [the] concrete block industry,” and Assumption searched for a few years for a new means of income. Louise Salmon, the wife of an Episcopal priest in St. Louis, suggested the brothers get into the fruitcake business in 1987; there were a few other monasteries across the country already baking and selling them.

The chef was Jean-Pierre Augé, who had indeed cooked for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, aka King Edward VIII and his wife, Wallis Simpson, as well as de Gaulle, Queen Elizabeth II, the American Embassy in France and more. He came to the U.S. in 1964 to work for the father of the former ambassador to France. “The Duchess,” he told The Pantagraph in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1981 of Simpson, “was not the easiest person to work for.” When Salmon consulted him on behalf of Assumption Abbey, he was teaching cooking classes in St. Louis and working as the chef for Mark Twain Bank.

“She knew this French chef in St. Louis who had been a chef for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and the pastry chef for Charles de Gaulle for a couple of years,” Father Cyprian says. “She asked him if he had any fruitcake recipes, and he sent us a half-dozen. We chose a couple and kind of refined them a bit and were able to make a cake. He said, ‘Oh yeah, that’s a good cake – you can use my name.’”

His fruitcake recipe follows the classic English style: rich, full of nuts and fruit and most importantly, moist. “I gave them some recipes, they made it, brought it back, and I thought everything was very good, so I helped them to start the business,” Augé says today in his thick French accent. “When I was with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in Paris, we used to do that for the holiday. The English – they always like to have fruitcake.”

Several sources – The New York Times, the Village Voice and Saveur, among others – attribute the fruitcake’s fall from favor in America to Johnny Carson. “The worst Christmas gift is fruitcake,” Carson said on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1985.

“There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other, year after year.” Mass-produced mail-order fruitcakes first debuted in 1913, and the phrase “nutty as a fruitcake” appeared in 1935. By midcentury – and well before Carson's famous joke – fruitcakes were considered the lazy person’s holiday gift.

Fruitcakes weren't always so maligned: They actually date back to the ancient Romans. A similar cake appears in De Re Coquinaria (or The Art of Cooking), a fifth-century cookbook, one of the oldest surviving culinary texts. The Romans’ version, called satura, meaning a mixed dish, includes pine nuts, raisins, wine, almonds and barley mash. A more recognizable fruitcake became popular in Europe in the Middle Ages; most importantly, Pope Innocent VIII granted the use of butter without paying a fine (for royals, at least) in 1490.

By the 17th century, the abundance of sugar from the American colonies made fruitcakes ubiquitous in Europe. Queen Victoria’s 1840 wedding cake was a 14-inch deep fruitcake (called plum cake in England); Kate Middleton’s was multi-tiered and frosted in fondant, but a fruitcake nonetheless.

PICTURED: Fruit is soaked for two weeks in four gallons of Burgundy wine.

After the cakes are baked, they're brushed with hot corn syrup before the brothers add pecans and dried cherries.

First lady Martha Washington’s recipe for fruitcake – she dubbed it Great Cake – is not unlike the one used by Assumption Abbey, with golden raisins, currants, candied orange and lemon peel, candied red and green cherries, sugar, butter, nutmeg, brandy and sherry. She advised aging the cake in brandy-soaked cheesecloth for at least a month, but Assumption Abbey fruitcakes are aged in rum for a minimum of two months.

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“The rum really helps to meld the flavors together during the aging process,” Hampton says. “My personal preference is [that] six months tastes the best. If you tasted a new cake and aged cake, I think you could tell the difference. The new cake has a much stronger rum flavor, but in the aged cake, it’s kind of a mixture of everything – the rum’s in the background.”

After the cakes are decorated, the brothers remove them from the pans, cover them in plastic wrap and heat-seal them before they’re packaged in white tins and stacked inside a warehouse adjacent to the kitchen to age. The brothers who do the decorating, as well as bakery assistant Father Basil, are newly arrived from Vietnam. So far there are eight Vietnamese brothers, and Assumption is expecting four more by the end of the year.

“They came in as an experiment to see if it would work to integrate two communities, and it worked out well,” Hampton explains. “They learned the business and they’re happy, I think, here. Eventually – probably sooner than later – there’s gonna be a transition of power.”

The Vietnamese brothers are in varying stages of learning English; they speak Vietnamese to each other as they top the fruitcakes with pecans and cherries, but stop occasionally to joke with Hogue and Hampton. Some are in their 20s, but others are much older.

“Our program is a blending and then a transfer,” says Father Cyprian.

“Our American monks are getting old – at present, the Vietnamese are guests, but in a few years, the plan, which is working well, is to transfer everything here to them. It will be their monastic community, and we will stay here as their guests until we join our brothers in the cemetery.”

Hogue reckons his time at the monastery is about up as well, as the Vietnamese brothers have got the baking routine down. Hampton, who came to the abbey after working as an IT consultant on the monastery’s computer system, will probably continue to manage the bakery, including ordering supplies and shipping fruitcake orders, for the foreseeable future.

Probably 95 percent of the monastery’s operating budget comes from fruitcake sales, Hampton estimates. A big boost came in 1989, when the cakes were added to the famous Williams-Sonoma holiday catalog. The annual gift guide brought the fruitcakes into the homes of people across the country; at its height, Assumption Abbey was selling 14,000 cakes – about 90 percent of its output – through Williams-Sonoma. At one point, the brothers even sold their fruitcakes at brick-and-mortar Williams-Sonoma stores.

Carmine Fiore, director of food development and sourcing for Williams-Sonoma, says Assumption Abbey fruitcakes were always a favorite of company founder Chuck Williams. Each year the monks set aside enough of the “prized fruitcake” for Williams to sell. “This is not your everyday fruitcake,” Fiore says. “It won’t get passed on.

[It’s] very dark, very spicy and well-laced with rum.”

Today, the monks bake five or six days a week, February through December, and generally sell out of their stock of 30,000 cakes by the end of the year; Williams-Sonoma accounts for about 3,000 orders these days, with an additional 10,000 sold through various retail shops across the country.

“It’s a simple operation – there’s nothing complicated about it,” Hampton says. “Everything is done by hand, and we come out here and do the same thing every day all year long. Plus, it’s really a good product, on top of that.”

Father Cyprian also says the fruitcakes fit much better into the monastic life than the cement block plant ever did. “As we get older,” he says, “it’s much easier to stack fruitcakes than to stack cement blocks, for one thing.”

After the morning’s fruitcakes have been decorated, it’s time for the blessing. The brothers and bakers circle around the unpackaged cakes and pass around laminated prayer sheets. The call-and-response style reading is led by Hampton and Brother Alfonse, a young Vietnamese monk wearing a University of Texas baseball cap. Hogue stands outside of the circle with his hands behind his back – but he knows each response by heart. The blessing, which includes a Bible reading from Brother Alfonse, ends with a simple prayer: “O God, creator of all things, bless now these creations of our hands, that these cakes may be received as tokens of your love and shared with friends as hints of your Eucharistic feast. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ incarnate in our midst. Amen.”

Tomorrow – as Hogue puts it, “like the movie Groundhog Day” – the brothers will commune once more and do it all over again.

Ava, Missouri, assumptionabbey.org

PICTURED: The monks bless the fruitcakes before packing them in tins.

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StorY, recIpeS anD photographY bY JulIa calleo

You can’t exactly gift wrap happiness for the holidays, but in my experience, food is a very worthy substitute. I love making original presents to share with friends and family, and because so much of the season revolves around hearty and festive eats and drinks, I love crafting special food gifts accompanied with creative recipes for how to cook with them at home. When brainstorming ideas for DIY gifts, I tend to choose items that are staples in my own kitchen: vibrant spice mixes and rubs, fragrant aromatic extracts, infused compound butters and earthy bitters for cocktails. I have so much fun making these gifts, and I can only hope that my loved ones experience the same joy when cooking with them at home.

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gift it

Vanilla Bean sugar This flavored sugar adds extra depth and holiday cheer to any sweet treat thanks to the inclusion of fresh vanilla bean. I recommend using Madagascar vanilla beans; however, international grocery stores usually sell common vanilla beans in bulk at very affordable prices. yields | 4 cups |

2 vanilla beans, split and scraped, pods reserved 4 cups granulated sugar

| preparation | in a small mixing bowl, add sugar and scraped vanilla bean. Mix together with a wooden spoon until well combined. Pour mixture into a large Mason jar or container and add split vanilla bean pods for additional flavor. seal tightly and label; allow sugar to infuse for at least 3 days or up to 1 week before using.

use it

Vanilla Caramels With Dark ChoColate anD sea salt

| preparation | line an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with

yields | 50 |

1 5 ½ 1½ ¼ ¼ ¾ 2

nonstick cooking oil spray cup heavy cream Tbsp unsalted butter tsp kosher salt cups vanilla sugar cup light corn syrup cup water cup dark chocolate Tbsp flaky sea salt

parchment paper and spray lightly with nonstick cooking oil spray.

minutes, letting syrup come to a boil without stirring. Once sugar reaches 250°F on candy thermometer, but before it reaches 320°F, turn off heat.

in a medium saucepot over medium heat, add cream, butter and salt, stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat and set aside.

slowly pour warmed cream-butter mixture into syrup and gently whisk until fully combined. (The mixture will bubble, so be sure to go slowly to avoid splatters and burns.)

in a large saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, corn syrup and water until a thick paste forms. Wipe down sides of pan to avoid sugar crystals forming. Place a candy thermometer against one side of pan so it’s immersed in sugar paste. Cook over medium-high heat for about 7

increase heat back to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil (do not stir). When caramel begins to turn a reddish brown and the temperature reaches between 240°F to 245°F on thermometer, remove pan from heat. Pour caramel into prepared baking dish over parchment paper

and leave out at room temperature for 2 hours.

When caramel is almost finished setting, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 1-inch of water to a gentle simmer. Place a heatproof bowl on top of pan (bowl should not be touching water). Add dark chocolate to bowl and stir occasionally with a heatproof spatula until chocolate is smooth and fully melted. drizzle melted chocolate over dish with caramel and sprinkle flaky sea salt over top. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour before cutting caramels into small squares or rectangles. Wrap individual caramels in parchment paper and twist paper at either end, or place inside a gift box lined with parchment paper.

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gift it

Blue Cheese Compound Butter It seems like there’s never enough butter in my home during the holiday season. This blue cheese compound butter adds tang to a range of dishes, including crostini with bacon and honey, mashed potatoes and steak. yields | 20 Tablespoons |

16 1 1 2 1 ½ 2

Tbsp unsalted butter, just softened cup crumbled blue cheese Tbsp chopped fresh parsley cloves finely chopped black garlic tsp garlic powder tsp kosher salt tsp freshly ground black pepper

| preparation | in a small mixing bowl, add butter. Using a hand-held mixer, whip butter until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and, using a fork, mix until well combined. set an 8-by-8-inch piece of plastic wrap onto a flat work surface and place butter in center. Wrap butter and carefully roll into a log shape, about 4 to 6 inches in length. set log covered in plastic wrap onto a large sheet of parchment paper and wrap until covered. Twist corresponding ends of paper and fasten with kitchen twine to package. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving or gifting; butter should be refrigerated soon after it's gifted. Will keep, refrigerated, for about 2 weeks.

The recipe calls for black garlic, which is my absolute favorite ingredient. I particularly love the warm earthy notes it brings to compound butter.

You may substitute the two cloves of black garlic with two teaspoons of garlic powder if desired. I wouldn’t recommend using fresh minced garlic as a replacement, as I feel that the flavor of the blue cheese is powerful enough on its own. Garlic powder gives the butter garlicky notes without major bite.

use it | preparation | in a small mixing bowl, combine first 6 ingredients. Transfer marinade to a large plastic freezer bag.

Place steak inside bag with marinade and remove as much air as possible before tightly sealing. Gently shake bag to cover steak in marinade on all sides. Marinate steak inside bag in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight.

seRves | 4 |

¼ 2 2 ¼ 2 1 2

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cup olive oil Tbsp balsamic vinegar Tbsp soy sauce cup Worcestershire sauce Tbsp Dijon mustard Tbsp minced garlic cloves lb boneless rib eye freshly ground black pepper blue cheese compound butter

Remove steak from refrigerator 30 minutes before ready to cook. set oven to broil. Remove steak from bag and pat dry.

Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with a little pepper. in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon compound butter. Allow to heat until butter is sizzling, 1 or 2 minutes. Add steak to skillet and brown 30 seconds on each side. Transfer skillet to oven and broil 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until internal temperature registers 130°F on a meat thermometer. Remove steak from oven and tent with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes before serving. serve steak with a small dollop of blue cheese compound butter over top.

gift it

Orange extract I absolutely love using orange extract in the chilly winter months, when we’re all longing for a little warmth and vibrancy.

When making an extract using citrus fruit, don’t allow the mixture to marinate for more than three or four days before filtering it, as it will create an overly acidic flavor. When zesting citrus, be sure not to peel into the white pith under the skin, as it’s extremely bitter. yields | 1 cup |

zest of 1 orange 1 cup vodka

| preparation | Add zest to a Mason jar. Pour vodka over top and seal jar with lid. let zest and vodka marinate for three to four days. line a fine-mesh sieve with a coffee filter and strain extract.

Package in a brown or dark-colored glass jar with an eyedropper lid to preserve both flavor and color.

use it | preparation | in a large mixing bowl, combine butter, tahini and sugars using a hand-held mixer at medium speed; beat until fluffy. Add egg, egg yolk and orange extract and mix for another 30 seconds, scraping bottom and sides of bowl as you go, until eggs are fully incorporated.

Orange extract enhances both sweet and savory dishes, but I especially love adding a small amount to cookies and sweet treats. These orange-tahini-chocolate chunk cookies offer something for everyone: The tahini adds a salted, earthy flavor that nicely balances the chocolate, and the orange extract adds a pop of bright citrus flavor.

yields | 16 cookies |

8 Tbsp room-temperature unsalted butter ½ cup tahini ¼ cup granulated sugar ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 1 1½ 1¼ 1 1 1

large egg egg yolk tsp orange extract cup all-purpose flour tsp baking soda tsp kosher salt cup chocolate chunks flaky sea salt

in a separate large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt with mixer on low speed. slowly add dry mixture to wet until ingredients are fully combined. stir in chocolate chunks and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Transfer bowl to refrigerator for about 1 hour (if you desire a more intense flavor, allow dough to chill for a little longer).

Preheat oven to 350°F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set out a wire baking rack. Using an ice cream scoop, form round cookie dough balls about 1½ to 2 inches each. Transfer dough balls about 3 inches apart from one another on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. After about 1 minute, transfer cookies from baking sheet to wire rack to cool.

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gift it

Cardamom Bitters Cardamom is my favorite way to add wintry spice to holiday cocktails. These spiced bitters will enhance almost any cocktail, whether the recipe calls for traditional bitters or not. Case in point: My favorite way to enjoy these bitters is in a classic Hot Toddy. yields | 8 oz |

1 1 2 2 1

lemon peel cup whiskey, divided Tbsp cardamom pods whole nutmeg Tbsp black peppercorns

| preparation | in a small bowl, add lemon peel and pour ½ cup whiskey over top; refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.

Using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind and crush cardamom pods, nutmeg seeds and black pepper.

Transfer ground spices to an 8-ounce Mason jar and pour remaining whiskey over top. Tightly seal jar with lid and shake jar vigorously. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.

Using a fine-mesh sieve and coffee filter, strain lemon peel from whiskey, as well as jar of spices with whiskey into a brown or dark-colored glass jar with an eyedropper lid to help preserve color and flavor. seal jar tightly and shake vigorously.

use it

holiday

hot toddy Apple cider is preferred to hot chocolate in my house, especially when used to make Hot Toddys. I love having a comforting and soothing cup in the evenings, usually after a robust meal or a long night of entertaining.

seRves | 2 |

2 1 ½ 4 2 2 2

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cups apple cider cup water lemon, cut into four slices oz brandy, divided dashes cardamom bitters, divided lemon wheels (for garnish) cinnamon sticks, divided (optional)

| preparation | in a small saucepot over medium heat, bring apple cider and water to a boil; immediately remove from heat. divide liquid evenly into 2 mugs. Add 2 ounces brandy and 1 dash of bitters to each. Garnish mugs with lemon wheels and cinnamon sticks. serve warm.

gift it

Curried Salt rub I make this bright, earthy and lightly spicy curried salt rub from scratch and store it in bulk to use with everything from lamb and pork to poultry and roasted vegetables. yields | ¾ cup |

4 4 2 2 4 2 2 1

Tbsp curry powder tsp ground turmeric tsp ground ginger tsp ground cumin Tbsp garlic powder tsp granulated sugar Tbsp freshly ground black pepper Tbsp kosher salt

| preparation | in a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer salt rub to a small Mason jar and label.

uSe it

Curried

lamb ChopS These chops pair beautifully with a yogurt-mint dipping sauce: Simply combine 1 part yogurt, ¼ part fresh lime juice, ¼ part chopped fresh mint leaves and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

serves | 4 |

8 lamb rib chops, each about 1-inch thick 2 Tbsp olive oil 3 Tbsp curried salt rub

| preparation | Preheat oven to broil. rub lamb chops with olive oil. evenly distribute curried salt rub over both sides of lamb chops and pat and rub mixture into each. let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Transfer lamb chops to a grill pan and broil for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 140°F on a meat thermometer, turning chops over halfway through cook time. remove lamb chops from oven, tent with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes and serve.

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Although her pastry career began recently, Carly Love hasn’t wasted time embedding herself in the Columbia, Missouri, community. In August 2016, after working part-time at Harold’s Doughnuts, she opened CoMo Confectionary, a made-to-order cake service run out of her kitchen and the commercial kitchen at Harold’s. CoMo Confectionary specializes in custom cakes for events ranging from weddings to birthday parties. We caught up with Love to learn where she dines in town when she’s off the clock. –Jackson Roman

with Carly Love owner,

como confectionary

photo by aaRon ottis

cafe berlin

barred oWl butcher & table

imagine you have one entire day to dedicate to dining out in columbia. Where Would you grab breakfast, lunch and dinner?

I love grabbing breakfast at Cafe Berlin with a bunch of friends. Bottomless coffee, a veggie scramble and if it’s a “treat yo self” kind of day, a Dirty Hippie [chai latte with a shot of espresso] for the road. Then I’d hit up the Katy Trail and head out to Meriwether Café and Bike Shop in Rocheport for a trailside lunch. You can’t beat a MeriBurger after a long bike ride. For dinner and drinks, you’ll find me at Barred Owl Butcher & Table [where I’ll order] the Butcher Board, Butcher’s Sugo and the Sunshine Soda [cocktail]. The seasonally changing food and drink menus leave room for something different every time.

meriWether café and bike shop

What do you believe is a hidden gem in the columbia food scene? dogmaster distillery

PHOTOGRaPHY COURTeSY InSTaGRaM USeRS

“ Peggy Jean’s Pies never ceases to amaze me. Watching their company and product grow inspires me to try new flavors and change tradition.”

just jeff’s

peggy jean’s pies

Just Jeff’s. [Order a] burger or dog [and] you won’t be disappointed for an on-the-go lunch. They’ve just expanded their kitchen and patio, too!

Where do you go for a nightcap?

I’ll head to DogMaster Distillery for a nightcap and a round of cards. I never get the same drink twice because I’m always trying something new. Watch out for the spicy bar mix, though – it’s got more kick than you think.

What’s currently your favorite meal at a local restaurant?

My favorite constantly changes based on the season or time of day. Lately, I’ve been a sucker for a half bacon-apple-Cheddar sandwich and the Thai Caesar salad from Uprise Bakery.

uprise bakery

Who in the local restaurant scene inspires you?

columbia farmer’s market

Peggy Jean’s Pies (PJP) never ceases to amaze me. Watching their company and product grow inspires me to try new flavors and change tradition. I didn’t grow up in a pie household, but there’s a caramel-apple pie from PJP on my table every Thanksgiving now!

What’s your go-to specialty market, grocer or farmers’ market?

The Columbia Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings is on point. I grab honey from Bonne Femme Honey Farm and flowers from Lisa Bennett’s Flower Garden to spruce up the dinner table.

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