Celebrating the Local Food Culture of Central Indiana, Season by Season Spring 2013 • Number 8
edibleIndy
Publisher Edible Indy, LLC
President Cathy Bayse
Editor-in-Chief Helen Workman
Managing Editor Erica Sagon
Copy Editor Doug Adrianson
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Web Design Mary Ogle
Social Media Sarah Oudin
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Contributors
Audrey Barron • Sylvia Burlock
Amy Lynch • Andie Marshall Shawndra Miller • Caroline Mosey
Keith Roach • Erica Sagon Sarah Suksiri
Photography
Sylvia Burlock • Sara Crawford Kelley Jordan Heneveld • Christina Richey Carole Topalian
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Cathy Bayse • 317-694-6248 cathy@edibleindy.com
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Hoosier Thoughts
This spring issue holds a special place in my heart! Forgive me while I give myself a little pat on the back for what Edible Indy has grown into over the past two years.
The work that goes into each issue always seems overwhelming in the beginning… I wonder: “How will I ever get this to the printer? How will I ever choose a cover? And how on Earth am I going to write my editor’s letter?”
Then the beautiful photos and interesting stories start to appear in my inbox and I find myself blown away by all the things our community is doing with local food—growing it, selling it, buying it, cooking it, eating it, sharing it.... My excitement takes over and I realize the joy I get from being a part of this healthful and joyful movement, and I begin to realize how much our readers are going to love this issue!
Putting this issue together also gave me time to reflect on what we have been working on for the past couple of months. With each passing year time seems to go so fast, and it’s nice to slow down and reflect. I hope you enjoy this issue and what I hope to be a wonderful spring!
edible Communities 2011 James Beard Foundation Publication of the Year
Cathy and Helen
notable edibles
A Palate For Petals
When roadsides, yards and market stalls explode with spring flowers, keep in mind they’re not just good for bouquets. Try a salad topped with redbud blooms—they’re pretty as a parade float and crunchy-sweet. That’s just one possibility in a whole new culinary adventure: Edible flowers are fabulous for adding zip to your dinner plate.
The taste of a flower ranges from spicy to sweet. Here’s a sampling of spring’s floral bounty:
•Basil: blend with Neufchatel for an herb spread
•Borage: freeze in ice cubes for tea
•Calendula: mix the bright petals with butter
•Daylilies: stir-fry buds, or stuff flowers (only daylilies, not ornamental lilies)
•Garlic chives: press into pasta dough
•Lavender: create a simple syrup to stir into lemonade
•Mint: blend into custard
•Pansies: paint with milk and dip in sugar
•Redbud blossoms: garnish a salad
•Roses: fold into ice cream
•Sage: steep in vinegar
•Violets: sprinkle over a stir-fry
You can purchase edible flowers at the farmers’ market stands of KG Acres (KGAcresFarmAndFeatherwerks.com) of Lebanon and Hobbit Gardens (HobbitGardens@tds.net) of Fillmore, and Sunny Creek Farm (search for the farm on Facebook) in Belleville sells foraged wild flowers upon request. Or, pick from your own (chemical-free) yard. It’s best to avoid eating flowers purchased from commercial greenhouses, as they could be treated with chemicals.
—Shawndra Miller
Sip of the Past
Ever wonder what your grandpa’s—or great-grandpa’s—favorite beer tasted like?
Upland Brewing Co. is giving us an idea by reviving Champagne Velvet, a beloved, easy-drinking Indiana beer that had heydays before and after Prohibition. The Bloomington-based brewery, with tasting rooms in Indianapolis and Carmel (opening this spring), will debut Champagne Velvet in April with six-packs and kegs.
Originally brewed by Terre Haute Brewing Co. from the early 1900s through the 1950s, Champagne Velvet was a local craft beer before that even mattered to drinkers. Eventually, it was sold across the country.
Upland was still tinkering with its formula at press time, but Upland President Doug Dayhoff describes it as a full-bodied pilsner-style lager that’s light in color. Corn, a main ingredient, will give it a distinctive flavor, he says.
“We’re trying to be as authentic as we can,” Dayhoff says of the recipe. Upland’s take on Champagne Velvet began with incomplete brewer’s notes found in an old logbook. The team researched the corn, barley and hops used at the time, then found today’s equivalents.
Champagne Velvet is a way for Upland to mark its 15th anniversary this year, Dayhoff says, but it’s also a nod to Indiana breweries of the past.
“It’s fun to remind people that this whole local beer movement is not just a new thing—it’s also a very old thing,” Dayhoff says.
Details: UplandBeer.com
—Erica Sagon
Say ‘Fromage’
Connersville Couple Making a Mark With Cheeses
Sixty miles east of Indianapolis, Connersville-based Jacobs & Brichford Farmstead Cheese is a newcomer to the Indiana cheesemaking community.
Its European-style cheeses are among the growing local options at retailers like Goose the Market and Vine & Table, and select restaurants in Indy, Cincinnati and Louisville. Jacobs & Brichford also has a small store in Connersville.
Since 1981, husband-and-wife owners Leslie Jacobs and Matthew Brichford have lived and worked on a Whitewater River Valley farm that dates back to the 1800s. Although they only started producing cheeses last May, the planning and development stages of the operation go back much further.
“We had been researching cheesemaking for over 10 years with my husband taking several cheese courses, and we took a farmstead cheese tour of the Normandy and Savoie region in France,” says Jacobs. “We’ve worked extensively with a cheese consultant for the past three years.”
The results are three distinctive cheeses. The Alpine-style Everton ($30/pound) offers creamy texture and savory-sweet tones, like a sharper Gruyere; the Arabella ($25.50/pound) is salty and mildly lactic, calling to mind a tangy Taleggio; and the semi-soft Briana ($30/pound) with a washed rind is fresh and sweet, a perfect pairing for fruit and nuts.
Flavors That Really Pop
You could say the idea popped into his head. After hearing from customers who love to use olive oils to pop popcorn, Artisano’s owner David Burcham has started selling unpopped popcorn kernels from Indiana farms and new organic oils to flavor the snack.
Artisano’s, the oils and spices specialty store, will offer new cold-pressed organic oils with popcorn in mind, including truffle oil, lime oil, orange oil, coconut oil and peanut oil. The kernels and oils are sold separately.
To make the popcorn, the oil is heated in a deep pan on the stove, then the kernels are added. Of course, the oils also can be used anywhere else in the kitchen.
Burcham says the popcorn kernels are non-GMO, and he plans to strengthen the local angle soon.
“Our goal is to have corn grown for us, taken to the farmers’ market and shelled from the cob on site,” he says. “A lot of people eat popcorn every day. This is a way to change things up.”
Details: 1101-B E. 86th St., Indianapolis; 317-251-4100; ArtisanosOils.com
—Sylvia Burlock
“We believe we are doing something different with flavors, yet capitalizing on the high-protein, high-butterfat raw milk from our Jersey-Tarentaise-Normande cross cows,” Jacobs says.
Details: 2957 South S.R. 1, Connersville; 765-692-0056; JandBCheese.com
—Amy Lynch
loving Spoonfuls
SPLIT PEA SOUP
Recipe by Andie Marshall Serves 6 to 8
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sausage (chorizo, turkey or sweet Italian)
2 medium onions, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, puréed
2 carrots, peeled and sliced (about ½-inch thick)
2 ribs celery, sliced (about ½-inch thick)
1 cup medium potatoes, peeled and diced (about 2 medium or 1 large potato)
Split pea soup with a twist
BY ANDIE MARSHALL
You’ll notice something different about this recipe for split pea soup: It calls for sausage instead of ham. The substitution came on a whim, when I had extra sausage to use up. After a couple of tries, I found that chorizo provided the most distinctive taste.
A few other tweaks to this classic soup followed. I added sage, since it is one of my go-to herbs when I use pork (a little bit of sage goes a long way here). I also switched from using water to chicken stock as the main liquid for the soup.
That’s one of the best things about making soups: experimenting with what you have on hand. You can make a recipe your own by varying just one or two ingredients, as I did with the split pea soup. If I do not have sage, I substitute thyme. Changing the kind of sausage or using ham imparts an entirely different taste.
As always, the soup will be at its best if fresh ingredients are used. Visit L. E. Kincaid & Sons, Claus’ German Sausage and Meats, or your favorite butcher and ask for their best chorizo or other sausage. Buying or baking a loaf of crusty bread to accompany the soup is also worth the extra time and effort.
1 pound dried green split peas
6 to 8 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
½ bunch parsley, washed and chopped
½ bunch fresh sage, sliced very thinly
1.In a soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.
2.Add sausage and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. If using chorizo, slice it thinly before cooking. If using bulk sausage, break the sausage into small pieces while cooking.
3.Remove the sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon; place on paper towels and set aside.
4.Reduce heat to medium-low; add onions, salt and pepper to pot and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes.
5.Add the puréed garlic and cook 1 minute.
6.Stir in carrots and celery and cook 5 minutes.
7.Add diced potatoes, dried split peas, chicken stock and bay leaf and bring to a simmer; cook 45 minutes or until peas are soft.
8.Add reserved sausage and simmer for 5 minutes.
9.Stir in parsley and sage and serve.
Photo by Christina Richey
Grab These Granolas
BY KEITH ROACH
PHOTO BY KELLEY JORDAN HENEVELD
Whether you want a crunchy mix-in for yogurt or a high-energy standalone snack, granola is a great choice. It can be a local choice, too—check out these Hoosier-made options.
CHOCOLATE WARRIOR CEREAL from BeeFree Gluten-Free Bakery
Chunky and paleo diet–friendly, Indy’s BeeFree granola includes honey from Wildflower Ridge in Anderson and cayenne pepper, which gives each cluster some kick. This gluten-free snack and its original flavor (pictured above) are both made without oats because they sometimes come in contact with wheat. BeeFreeGF.com
Where to buy: Earth Fare in Noblesville (EarthFare.com); Nature’s Pharm at Castleton (Natures-Pharm.com); Green BEAN Delivery (GreenBEANDelivery.com).
EXPLORE
BLEND by Project Endure
Buying this granola supports Project Endure’s programs to get Indy middle and high schoolers outside—last year they went to the Rockies—and teach them about sustainability and life. The kids make the granola, using organic ingredients like oats, coconut, and ginger, plus honey, cashews, dried pineapple, and banana chips. ProjectEndure.org
Where to buy: Traders Point Creamery Green Market and store (tpforganics.com), Goose the Market (goosethemarket.com), Indy Winter Farmers Market (see inside back cover for info).
BAKEHOUSE GRANOLA by the Scholars Inn Bakehouse
Flecked with shredded coconut, pecans and sunflower seeds, and sweetened with brown sugar and molasses, this granola is just as tasty layered with fruit and yogurt as it is sprinkled on ice cream. Every batch is mixed by hand at the Bakehouse’s production facility on State Road 37 on the north side of Bloomington. ScholarsInn.com
Where to buy: Bakehouse, 125 N. College Ave. and 3002 E. Third St., both in Bloomington; more than 100 Kroger and Marsh stores.
CRANBERRY RAISIN GRANOLA by Circle City Sweets
This granola, with dried fruit, pecans and coconut, gets its distinctive taste from shagbark hickory syrup, which Hickoryworks in Brown County makes using the tree’s bark. If you prefer a sweeter granola, try this Indy bakery’s honey vanilla blueberry variety (pictured center), which has blue agave syrup and dried blueberries.
CircleCitySweets.com
Where to buy: Circle City Sweets, 222 E. Market St., Indianapolis; Goose the Market (GooseTheMarket.com); and the Carmel and Broad Ripple farmers’ markets (see inside back cover for information).
FIRE-TOASTED GRANOLA
by Muddy Fork Farm and Bakery
Muddy Fork in northeast Monroe County bakes its bread and pizza in a wood-fired brick oven on Friday, and then uses the leftover heat to bake the granola on Saturday. Less sweet than other granolas, it uses all organic or local ingredients, including honey from Hunter’s Honey Farm (see page 14). MuddyForkBakery.com
Also try the chocolate chip granola bars.
Where to buy: Bloomingfoods (Bloomingfoods.coop); Indy Winter Farmers’ Market, through March 30, and Bloomington Winter Farmers’ Market (see inside cover for information).
edible season
Seeing (and Eating) Green
Indy food blog A Couple Cooks is inspiration for spring’s leafy greens
If you’ve ever been drawn to the baskets filled with leafy greens at the farmers’ market and felt stumped by kale, chard or collards, you’re not alone.
Helping to make sense of it all is the delectable cooking blog A Couple Cooks (ACoupleCooks.com), run by husband and wife Alex and Sonja Overhiser of Indianapolis. The blog, which combines the Overhisers’ healthy, wholesome and mostly vegetarian recipes with their stylish food photos, features an abundance of leafy greens—picture kale frittata, polenta with Swiss chard and garlic, and coconut curry lentils with spinach.
The couple begins by shopping at the Indy Winter Farmers’ Market on Saturdays through April at the Indianapolis City Market.
For the healthy-cooking bloggers, the farmers’ market is a little bit like what candy stores are to kids: full of surprises to discover. Alongside familiar greens like spinach, kale and chard, they’ve found toraziroh, a tangy Japanese green that cooks just like spinach, and maruba santoh, a mild Chinese cabbage, similar to bok choy—grown by Indiana farmers.
“We’re especially fond of Full Hand Farm [of Greenfield] and Homestead Growers [of Sheridan],” Sonja says, “but every grower there has very-high-quality greens.”
Alex recommends that people who are new to greens or looking to shake up their greens routine should seek out leafy varieties in their younger stages, when they’re most likely to be sweet and tender and without the bitter flavor that tends to scare people away from trying new greens altogether.
Other than that, Alex and Sonja say selecting greens at the market is a simple matter of making sure they’re not wilted—and if you’re still learning how to distinguish a young, sweet green from an older, spicier one, just ask the vendor for a little taste.
“People have become immune to tasting the richer flavors of greens,” Sonja says. “With high-sugar or high-salt foods, you can’t taste the intricacies of flavor.”
BY SARAH SUKSIRI
A Couple Cooks, Alex and Sonja Overhiser, shop for greens at the City Market. Photo by Kelley Jordan Heneveld.
“Greens add a nutritious punch to soups in the last few minutes of cooking. The flavor adds a nice earthy tone to savory items.”
LENTIL AND SWEET POTATO SOUP WITH CHARD
Recipe by A Couple Cooks Serves 4 to 6
4 cloves garlic
2 medium yellow onions
3 carrots
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 cups vegetable stock (or, 6 cups broth plus 2 cups water)
1½ cups brown lentils
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
White wine (optional)
1.Prepare the vegetables: Mince garlic; dice onions; peel and chop carrots into small pieces. Wash sweet potatoes, then chop them into small pieces. Wash chard, remove stems and chop leaves into bite-size pieces.
2.In a medium soup pot over medium heat, drizzle olive oil in the bottom of the pan. Add the onions and sauté until they soften, about 4 minutes. Add carrots, garlic and ½ teaspoon kosher salt; sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened.
3.Add sweet potato, vegetable broth, lentils, thyme and oregano. Bring to a boil.
4.Reduce to low heat and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, until the lentils are soft. In the last 2 minutes, add the chopped chard and simmer until tender. Taste, then add additional kosher salt (about ½ teaspoon or so) and fresh ground pepper to taste. If desired, add a tablespoon or so of white wine to finish.
Photo by A Couple Cooks.
Once home from the market, greens are surprisingly easy to incorporate into almost anything.
“Throw them in a soup, or eat them raw in salads,” says Sonja. “Even sautéing them takes just five minutes.”
Some greens, like kale and chard, require trimming; others, like mustard greens and arugula, may need some experimenting to find other ingredients that pair well with their peppery flavors.
“It does take some practice,” Sonja says, “but if we can do it, anyone can.”
Alex and Sonja weren’t always so vigilant about what they ate. Before launching A Couple Cooks, they didn’t even cook much.
“I was surviving on whatever I could find in the frozen section,” Sonja says.
Since then, they’ve become cheerleaders for the kind of “simple, whole food” that their blog celebrates. The couple even wrote a cookbook, Green Mango Café and Bakery, which features recipes from the namesake restaurant in Cambodia, where the Overhisers spent time in 2012.
“Once we cut out processed foods from our own diets,” Sonja says, “our taste buds were opened up to a new array of tastes.”
KALE, RED ONION AND PISTACHIO PIZZA
Find our recipe for Easy Homemade Pizza Dough at ACoupleCooks.com.
Notes: We recommend using San Marzano tomatoes (a variety grown in Italy) as the base; we’ve found they’re irreplaceable in terms of flavor. However, if you can’t find them, you can substitute another variety of quality crushed tomatoes.
Recipe by A Couple Cooks
Makes 1 pizza
Dough for 1 pizza (use homemade dough or prepared dough)
3 garlic cloves
½ red onion
6 to 8 leaves kale
Olive oil
About ½ cup crushed San Marzano tomatoes
A few handfuls Italian cheese, shredded (we used a blend of mozzarella, provolone and Parmesan)
Handful pistachios, chopped or crushed Kosher salt
1.Follow the preparation instructions for homemade dough or prepared dough.
2.Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F.
3.Prepare the toppings: Dice garlic; thinly slice red onion; wash kale, remove the stems and roughly chop the leaves. In a small skillet, heat a few drizzles of olive oil, then add kale and sauté, stirring, for several minutes until kale is wilted.
4.When the oven is ready, stretch the dough into a circle. Place it on a floured pizza peel or pull the hot pizza stone out of the oven and carefully place the dough on it.
5.Quickly assemble the pizza: Spread a thin layer of crushed tomatoes over the dough, then add diced garlic on top. Sprinkle on as much cheese as you like. Top with kale, red onion and pistachios. Sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt.
6.Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Let pizza rest a minute or 2 before cutting.
ITALIAN-STYLE TATSOI
This is a preparation that you can use for any type of dark, leafy greens. Here, we’ve used tatsoi, an Asian variety, but prepared it in an Italian way using Parmesan and lemon. This makes a great side dish to accompany any meal. If you’re using chard or kale, remove and discard the stems.
Recipe by A Couple Cooks
Makes 4 side dish servings
1 bunch tatsoi (enough for 3 cups chopped)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
½ tablespoon Parmesan shavings
1.Wash and dry the tatsoi. Chop greens and stems into ½-inch chunks.
2.In a bowl, toss the greens with olive oil, scant ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
3.Place the greens in a hot dry skillet, in one layer as much as possible. Sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bright green. Add lemon juice and Parmesan shavings. Serve warm.
“Tatsoi is an Asianstyle green, kind of like bok choy. This recipe can be adapted for any type of green; it’s simple, healthy and delicious.”
Hive Minded
On Hunter’s Honey Farm with third-generation beekeeper Tracy Hunter
BY KEITH ROACH
PHOTOS BY KELLEY JORDAN HENEVELD
“We’re still processing our honey the same way my grandfather did 100 years ago.”
Tracy Hunter talks about bees with the enthusiasm of a kid. Which is appropriate, since that’s what he was when he began keeping them.
A third-generation beekeeper, Hunter, 51, will tell you all about this “fantastic organism,” from the health benefits of its honey, pollen and propolis—a resinous substance used to seal holes in hives—to the way it uses enzymes and flaps its wings to transform nectar into honey.
He began learning about bees as a boy, when he marveled at his grandfather’s handling of the swarming insects. He got his first hive at age 14 and gradually grew his beekeeping business. In 1990, in the hills northwest of Martinsville, he opened Hunter’s Honey Farm.
When he isn’t teaching biology and environmental science at Indian Creek High School in Trafalgar, he’s running the 75acre farm, which sells an array of bee-related products onsite, at farmers’ markets and through other retailers. He and his staff— including his wife, Christina; their 18-yearold son, Ross; and their 13-year-old daughter, Mackenzie—still follow the lessons his grandfather taught him.
“We’re still processing our honey the same way he did 100 years ago,” Hunter says.
BEES AND THEIR KEEPER
It begins with the bees. From April till September, the bees from Hunter’s 500 or so hives gather nectar from flowers. Enzymes from the bees’ honey stomachs break down the nectar’s complex sugars into simple ones, and they store the nectar in the hive’s honeycomb and fan their wings to evaporate most of the nectar’s water.
Voilà: honey.
Each plant yields a different variety of honey—such as clover, alfalfa or black locust—with sweetness ranging from mild to robust. There are more than 300 varieties of honey in the United States, Hunter says, and his farm sells about a dozen kinds each year.
Some honey is produced on the farm, but most is made elsewhere. Hunter rents his hives to Hoosier farmers to pollinate their apples, watermelons and other crops, resulting in honey varieties like apple blossom and watermelon blossom. And when he spots a place he thinks will yield good honey, he negotiates with the landowner for his bees to visit.
All of the honey made by Hunter’s bees is harvested the same way. Each hive has three to six boxes, or “supers,” which each contain ten frames of honeycomb. After blowing the bees off the hive, Hunter and the other beekeepers take the supers to the farm’s main building and put the frames into an extractor that spins the honey free.
To expand his varieties beyond Indiana plants, Hunter orders honey from beekeepers in other states. He gets tupelo and orange blossom from Florida, for example, and Spanish needle from Michigan. “Some of the beekeepers I’ve known all my life,” Hunter says. “My grandpa worked with the father, and I work with the son.”
Wherever the honey originates, Hunter merely strains the sweet, sticky liquid with cheesecloth to remove bits of bee and wax.
“Nothing’s added,” he says, “nothing’s taken away.”
Whereas other sweeteners have to be processed by humans, Hunter says, “Honey is made by nature.”
He doesn’t flash-heat or pressure-filter his honey as some producers do to prevent crystallization. Those processes destroy beneficial enzymes and remove propitious pollen grains, Hunter says.
SWEET STUFF
“It’s endless what we can do with honey and the beeswax products,” Hunter says. The farm’s store is proof.
A smattering of what’s for sale: several varieties of honey, in sizes from eight ounces to 60 pounds. Honey caramel puffs (a top seller). Beeswax candles. Honey barbecue, mustard and hot wing sauces. Beeswax furniture polish. Pollen. Honey dog treats. (Cat treats are coming soon.) Honey hand soap
and honey butter developed by Hunter’s daughter. There is even a honey-of-themonth club.
At Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Co., Hunter’s clover honey adds flavor to the Centennial Martyr Double IPA.
The farm also offers Christmas trees and a variety of tours that let you bottle your own honey, for example, or make a beeswax candle. Hunter isn’t sure if his children will continue selling the products, trees and tours when he eventually stops, but for now, he’s glad a fourth generation follows this tradition.
“We’re working with wholesome products, and we can be together,” he says. “It’s a great way to raise a family.”
Details: Hunter’s Honey Farm, 6501 W. Honey Lane, Martinsville; 765-537-9430; HuntersHoneyFarm.com
WHERE TO FIND HUNTER’S HONEY
Hunter’s honey and other products are sold at the Bloomington, Indianapolis and Carmel farmers’ markets and at stores including Georgetown Market (GeorgetownMarket.com) and Adrian Orchards (AdrianOrchards.com) in Indianapolis, Bloomingfoods (Bloomingfoods.coop) in Bloomington and Double Oak Farm (2OakFarm.com) in Columbus. Order online at HuntersHoneyFarm.com.
Tracy Hunter
Bees making honey
Ross, Hunter’s son
in the kitchen with
No Blues for Cerulean
BY AMY LYNCH
PHOTOS BY KELLEY JORDAN HENEVELD
Since its opening in November, Cerulean has added color to Indy’s dining scene with modern Midwestern offerings.
But it has also been a vibrant addition to CityWay, the urban neighborhood going up at South and Delaware streets, southeast of the Circle. Cerulean’s sleek dining room is in the ground floor of the Alexander, a four-star hotel in the development.
There, chef and owner Caleb France and his crew strive to tell a story with their food, with whimsical and striking presentations on each plate. The restaurant’s sharable small dishes and entrees often star Indiana lamb, pork, beef, duck and bison.
Though the restaurant is France’s first in Indianapolis, he also has Cerulean and Cerulean Garden, which is open seasonally, both in Winona Lake near Warsaw. Here, France sounds off on his new Indy venture:
What’s the story behind the names of your restaurants? Cerulean is my wife’s favorite color in the Crayola box! We always thought it would be a great name for a restaurant.
The local dining scene has become so savvy and diverse; how do you cater to different appetites and styles of eating to give customers what they want? We’re big on “coursing.” Our menu is divided into different courses on each page to let customers create exactly the kind of dining experience they want to have. You can come in and have a leisurely three-hour meal with multiple courses, or you can just stay on the “bites” page with items that cost around $3 and $4 and have a cocktail for a quick happy hour.
What dishes are your most popular so far? Definitely our corn macaroon “bite” with pork belly, smoked cheddar and arugula for $3. And people are going crazy about our sweet potato soup with vanilla bacon and a nutmeg-thyme cracker.
Will your menu change seasonally? At minimum. Maybe more often.
What’s your take on drink offerings? Our bar program focuses mainly on handcrafted cocktails. We work with small dis-
Cerulean’s lamb pappardelle
Clockwise, from top left: Cerulean owner and chef, Caleb France; Barrel-Aged Negroni; cheeseboard with house-made apricot cherry mostarda (left), Capriole goat cheese, and house made spiced pear jelly; Executive Chef, Chase Hinton, and Creative Team Chef, Alex Stultz; Zinfandel scallop; Cerulean's dining room.
cracker.
tillers like Journeyman (Three Oaks, Michigan), Willett (Bardstown, Kentucky) and North Shore (Lake Bluff, Illinois), and every cocktail we serve has housemade ingredients in it, such as mint foam, jalapeño lime syrup and drinking vinegars for shrubs.
How did you land at the Alexander hotel? When we decided to start looking around for a location in Indy, I envisioned us in a historic building or maybe on Mass. Ave. in a small, romantic space. [When we toured] CityWay project, my first thought was that it was exactly the opposite of what we had in mind. But the more we learned about the focus on the arts, the up-and-coming area, the boutique feel—we realized it all meshed perfectly with our beliefs and the way we do business. Winona Lake is really an arts community as well, so it felt like a good fit. We were the first CityWay business to open.
What are your plans for the restaurant in the coming months? We’ve built an area we call our “food lab” that extends into the dining room, and we use it to play around with different cooking techniques and preparations. Our pantry chefs are working out there all the time, and customers can actually come up and talk to them or ask questions. I’d love to see that continue to evolve in new directions to educate our customers about what happens in back of house, and also to challenge ourselves as chefs.
Details: Open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. 339 S. Delaware St.; 317-870-1320; CeruleanRestaurant.com
Sweet potato soup with vanilla bacon and nutmeg-thyme
Mark and Christine McConnell were after “convenient goodness” in their diets, but rather than waiting for products that fit that description to hit store shelves, they decided to create them themselves. The Indy couple launched Heirloom Ventures, a line of certified organic fruit-based sauces and chutneys.
The McConnells have long been a foodcentric family, and when their son was born six years ago, Christine began experimenting in the kitchen preparing whole, organic foods for him.
The couple made test batches of a versatile pear-based purée sweetened with natural
Convenient Goodness
With its fruit sauces, Heirloom Ventures starts from scratch so you don’t have to
BY CAROLINE MOSEY
agave nectar, which led to a line of wholefruit sauces called Perfectly Pear, now sold at select food retailers in Indy. Using only ingredients sourced from organic US farms, the pear sauces come in three varieties, each blended with additional fruit: blueberry, mixed berry and strawberry-peach.
Perfectly Pear can be eaten as a stand-alone treat similar to applesauce or used in baking, smoothies and even as a glaze for roasts.
“The reality of the modern lifestyle is that frequently our everyday foods also need to be convenient,” Christine says. “We began to think of ‘convenient goodness’ as a proper starting place.”
Organic chutneys followed the pear sauces.
“Our chutneys are sort of like your grandmother’s recipes, with a modern twist,” Christine says. “One of my favorites is a blend of peach, pear, jalapeños, garlic and shallots. Top off your fish, smother a pork roast, give your sandwiches a zing, put it on a wedge of aged cheddar.”
Up next for Heirloom Ventures: organic, vegan, gluten-free bake mixes for brownies and cupcakes called Complete Treats, packaged in fully compostable plant-based bags.
Each new Heirloom Ventures offering follows a simple principle: Use Old-World ideas about what defines good food and make them relevant for today’s palates and lifestyles.
Mark and Christine McConnell
Photo by Sara Crawford.
“Mark and I have always had an interest in food... where the ingredients came from.”
“Mark and I have always had an interest in food—how it was prepared, where the ingredients came from and how they were grown before they reached our table,” Christine says. “Mark grew up farming with his father, who farmed with his father.”
Mark now operates his own consulting company that focuses on sustainable land management and organic production, in addition to running Heirloom Ventures with wife Christine.
“I think there’s a need for real products that aren’t stuffed with filler ingredients,” Christine says. “[We’re] using real ingredients, treating them with care and providing them in a convenient form for the modern household.”
Details: 317-253-5502; HeirloomVentures.com
GET THE GOODS
Heirloom Ventures products are available at Goose the Market (GooseTheMarket.com), Good Earth (Good-Earth.com), Safeway Foods at 56th and Illinois streets and Joe’s Butcher Shop (JoesButcherShop.com), and through Green BEAN Delivery (GreenBEANDelivery.com).
advertiser directory
Our heart felt thanks to all of our advertisers for their support in helping to grow and sustain Edible Indy and our community. Please make a point of supporting these businesses and organizations.
American Harvest americanharvestspirit.com
Around the Kitchen Sink toginet.com/shows/aroundthekitchensink basilmomma.com
A. Arnold World Class Relocation 8161 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN 317.870.5777 • aarnoldmoving.com
Artisano’s Oils and Spices 1101-B E. 86th Street, Indianapolis, IN 317.251.4100 • artisanosoils.com
Best Boy & Co.
314 N. Main Street, Roanoke, IN 260.672.2080 • bestboyandco.com
Best Chocolate In Town 880 Massachusetts Avenue Indianapolis, IN 317.636.2800 • bestchocolateintown.com
Chef JJ’s Backyard 1040 Broad Ripple Avenue Indianapolis, IN • chefjjs.com
Clark Appliance 5415 E. 82nd Street, Indianapolis, IN 317.863.0542 • clarkappliance.com
Endangered Species Chocolate 5846 W. 73rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 317.387.4372 • chocolatebar.com
Green B.E.A.N Delivery 317.377.0470 • greenbeandelivery.com
Heirloom Ventures, Inc. PO Box 30168, Indianapolis, IN 317.698.8488 • heirloomventures.com info@heirloomventures.com
Indiana Wine Grape Council vintageIndiana.com
Orchard In Bloom May 3-5, 2013 • orchardinbloom.org
Pogue’s Run Grocer 2828 E. 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN 317.426.4963 • poguesrungrocer.org
Traders Point Creamery 9101 Moore Road, Zionsville, IN 317.733.1700 • tpforganics.com
Upland Brewing Company 350 W. 11th Street, Bloomington, IN 812.336.2337
4842 N. College Ave, Indianapolis, IN 317.602.3931 uplandbeer.com
Visit Bloomington 2855 N. Walnut Street, Bloomington, IN 800.800.0037 • visitbloomington.com
edible Traditions
Gentlemen, Start Your Eggs
BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Recipe from Chef JJ’s Back Yard Yields about 2 dozen cookies
1 stick butter
¼ cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
⅓ cup peanut butter
1 egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup peanut butter chips
½ cup dark chocolate chips
Chef JJ Boston updates the Indy 500 box lunch
BY SHAWNDRA MILLER
PHOTOS BY SARA CRAWFORD
It’s Race Day and you’re ready for the third turn. You’ve got binoculars, sunscreen, a hat, a seat cushion—and, of course, food and libations to last the day. You could pick up those ever-popular prepared box lunches of fried chicken, chips and baked beans, but why ditch your commitment to local, wholesome food just because you’re going to the Indy 500?
Chef JJ Boston of Chef JJ’s Back Yard, a grilling destination and Big Green Egg retailer in Broad Ripple, has found a fresh take on the traditional fried fare. Like all the food
he serves, Boston’s box lunch is locally sourced and artfully prepared with the aid of the Big Green Egg, an all-in-one grill, smoker and oven. Yes, right down to the buns and cookies.
But most of his box lunch recipes easily translate to any grill or oven.
This lighter version of conventional grab-andgo food doesn’t scrimp on flavor. In a twist on the classic breaded pork tenderloin, Chef JJ takes a Gunthorp Farms tenderloin and smokes it in the Egg. The potato salad features bacon and vinegar for a tangy-sweet flair.
The cured meat and mayo-free potato salad is shelf-stable, making for a safer race day lunch as the mercury climbs. But taste alone is enough to sell it as an inviting alternative to the usual fare.
1.Heat a large sauté pan and melt butter over medium heat. Continue to watch the butter, so it doesn’t burn. It will begin to foam and start to brown. Once the butter has reached a nice brown color and has a nutty aroma, remove from the heat. Pour the brown butter into a bowl and refrigerate until solid.
2.Using a stand mixer, cream together brown butter, both sugars and peanut butter. Scrape as needed. Add the egg and mix until completely incorporated. Add vanilla, baking soda and salt and mix well. Slowly add the flour until the dough is well mixed. Fold in the peanut butter and chocolate chips until combined.
3.Use a small scoop to produce uniform cookies. Use either nonstick baking sheets or parchment paper on the baking sheets.
4.Bake in a 350º oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside and slightly gooey on the inside. Let cool on a wire rack.
Note: To prepare cookies in a Big Green Egg, bake at 350º using indirect heat for 10 to 12 minutes.
Above: Smoked pork tenderloin sandwich, German potato salad and brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
GERMAN POTATO SALAD
Recipe from Chef JJ’s Back Yard Serves 8
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into quarters
½ pound thick-cut bacon
¾ cup finely chopped onion
cup white vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced chives, for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste Arugula, for garnish
1.Roast potatoes in a 350° oven until fork tender, about 30 minutes, and set aside.
2.Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet. Once crisp, place bacon on a paper towel–lined plate and crumble into small pieces. Pour off the rendered fat, reserving ¼ cup in the pan.
3.Add the onion. Cook over medium heat until translucent and just beginning to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes.
4.Whisk in vinegar, sugar, mustard and salt and stir until thick and bubbly. Add potatoes and toss to coat. Top with crumbled bacon, season with salt and pepper and garnish with chives and arugula. Serve warm, if possible, or at room temperature.
Note: To prepare the potatoes using a Big Green Egg, preheat to 350° using indirect heat. Roast until fork tender.
While cookies baked to perfection on the grill might take Andretti-level skill, countless rookies have mastered the art of the barbecue from Boston.
As a Big Green Egg dealer, Boston has shaped Chef JJ’s Back Yard into a destination for grilling enthusiasts. It offers classes and events, and sells grilling accessories and chef supplies, all in an indoor-outdoor space that feels like home.
Big Green Egg devotees—known as Eggheads—like Boston use the grill year round. Whether you’re an Egghead or a Weber-and-briquettes kind of cook, fresh ingredients are a must.
“No grill will make food taste good if it’s not good food,” he says.
He advises clients to patronize farmers’ markets and get on a first-name basis with their butcher—and consider growing some produce of their own. He and his staff walk the talk: Pastry chef Jenna Gatchell’s baking needs are found at nearby Good Earth Natural Foods, while eight vegetable beds—planted by
his wife, Sarah, at their south side home— provide much of the produce for Back Yard events. Gunthorp Farms in Lagrange and Moody Meats and Smoking Goose in Indianapolis are preferred sources for meat.
But how do you get that meat done without drying it out? Brining, curing or marinating is the answer. Chef JJ also says to abolish the fear of serving undercooked meat. It’s a worry that has led to many a chewy steak. “I always tell my clients, it’s really easy to take a piece of undercooked anything and put it back on the grill and cook it some more. But you can’t uncook anything.”
As far as equipment, Boston notes the importance of cleaning out a seasonally used grill before that first lap around the track this spring. Of course, he adds, “If you have an Egg you’ve probably been using it all winter long.”
Details: 1040 Broad Ripple Ave., Indianapolis; 317-602-3828; ChefJJs.com
Chef JJ Boston, owner of Chef JJ’s Back Yard
Recipe by Audrey Barron Yields 3 tarts
Short Stack
BY AUDREY BARRON
As we come out of hibernation, the new season gives us the beautiful bounty of spring greens. Take arugula, also known as rocket lettuce: It lends a refreshing peppery twist to any dish. Meanwhile, your body benefits from its ample minerals such as iron, as well as vitamin C, K and A, which help to boost the immune system during the changing of seasons.
Arugula stars in this layered tart, which is as fun to prepare as it is to eat. It’s a perfect entertaining dish to dazzle your guests. No heat is used for this “living” tart, so the flavors spring off the plate, creating a delight for the senses.
For the marinated shiitakes:
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon local, organic maple syrup
Pinch sea salt
½ cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
For the cashew filling:
1 cup cashews
3 tablespoons water
Juice of ½ lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon shallot, minced
1 teaspoon white or yellow miso
½ teaspoon white pepper
For the crust:
2 cups almonds (soaked 6 to 8 hours, then drained)
¼ cup ground flax seeds
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of pepper
1 tablespoon water
For the tart layers:
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 4 hours and sliced thin
1 cup arugula, chopped and lightly dressed with olive oil
1.Whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and sea salt in a bowl, then add shiitakes. Set aside to marinate.
2.Make the cashew filling by blending cashews, water and lemon juice until smooth. Add garlic, shallot, miso and white pepper, and blend until combined. Set aside.
3.Make the crust by adding almonds, flax seeds, oregano, salt, pepper and water to a food processor. Process until mixture is finely ground and feels like coarse dough. Add more water as needed to help crust stick together. Set aside.
4.Add half of the shiitakes and sun-dried tomatoes to the cashew filling and gently mix.
5.To assemble the tarts, place three 3-inch baking rings or cookie cutters on plates and add ⅓ of the almond crust mixture to each. Pressing with your fingers, pack the crust into the molds, creating an even surface for the filling.
6.Place ¼ cup of the cashew-shiitake filling in each crust, smoothing out the surface. Top with a thin layer of arugula, then a tablespoon of the reserved shiitakes and sun-dried tomatoes. Garnish with a bit more arugula.
7.Carefully remove the rings or cookie cutters from the plate and serve.
Audrey Barron is an Indianapolis raw food chef and owner of Be Bliss Healing Therapies, providing holistic healing services and education. BeOfBliss.com
by Christina
Photo
Richey
farmers’ market directory
38th and Meridian Farmers’ Market
Thursdays, 4–6:30pm May through October 3808 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis
Broad Ripple Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8-noon, May though Nov. 19 Located behind Broad Ripple High School broadripplefarmersmarket.com
Carmel Famers’ Market on Center Green
Saturdays, 8-11:30am, through March 17 Saturdays, 8-11:30am, May 19 through Oct. 6 5 Center Green, Carmel carmelfarmersmarket.com
Community Farmers’ Market of Owen County
Saturdays, May 5-Oct. 20 Courthouse Square, Spencer farmersmarketowencounty.com
Cumberland Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8am–noon, May 1-Oct. 31 11501 E. Washington St., Cumberland town.cumberland.in.us
Danville Chamber of Commerce Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8am–noon, May Danville Courthouse Square danville-chamber.org
Green Market
at Traders Point Creamery
Saturdays, 9am-noon, November through April; Fridays, 4pm-8pm, May through Oct. 9101 Moore Road, Zionsville tpforganics.com
Indy Winter Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 9am-noon, November 12th through April (Closed Dec. 24th & 31st)
The City Market, 222 E. Market St., Indianapolis indywinterfarmersmarket.org
Bloomingfoods East Market
Wednesday and Saturday mornings, all year round for any growers to show up bloomingfoods.coop
Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8-1pm, April 6- November Located in the parking lot of the Showers building on Morton St. bloomington.in.gov/farmersmarket
Bloomington Winter Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 9am-noon, through March 31 Harmony School, 2nd & Woodlawn (909 E. 2nd St.), Bloomington localgrowers.org/wintermarket
Farmers’ Market at City Market
Wednesdays, 10am–1pm, through March 17 Wednesdays, 9:30am-1:30pm, May through Oct. indycm.com
The Fishers Farmers Market
Saturdays, 8am-noon, May 25-Sept. 28
In front of Fishers Train Station 11601 Municipal Drive, Fishers
Greenwood Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8am–noon, April 27-Oct.31 310 S. Meridian St., Greenwood For info, search Greenwood Farmers’ Market on Facebook
Harvest Market at the Fairgrounds
Saturdays, 8am–noon, May-October 620 N. Apple St., Greenfield hancockharvestcouncil.com
Geist Farmers’ Market
Thursdays, 2:30pm-6:30pm, May-Sept. 8115 Oaklandon Rd., Indianapolis geistfarmersmarket.com
Stadium Village Farmers’ Market
Tuesdays, 4–7pm, beginning May 16 801 S. Meridian St., Indianapolis stadiumvillagefarmersmarket.com
Binford Farmers’ Market
Saturday, 9am-noon, beginning April 6 62nd and Binford Blvd., Indianapolis binfordfarmersmarket.com
in Season
What to eat Arugula • Asparagus • Beets • Broccoli • Cabbage
Cauliflower • Collards • Green Peas • Carrots • Chard • Fava beans • Garlic • Lettuce • Wild Mushrooms • Parsley • Parsnips Radishes • Rhubarb • Spinach • Strawberries • Turnips
What to plant Bell Peppers • Brussels Sprouts • Cucumbers Eggplant • Hot Peppers • Snap Beans • Summer Squash Sweet Corn • Sweet Peppers • Tomatoes
