TASTE OF RECIPES

Balsamic Roasted Cranberries And Brie Crostini

Courtesy Chef Karla

Ingredients

1/2 each French baguette, sliced thin, toasted (Cut into ~12 slices) 12 ounces Fresh cranberries 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup Sugar 1 tablespoon Rosemary 4 ounces Triple cream brie

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. • In a small bowl, combine the cranberries, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and rosemary. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. This mixture will become sticky, to avoid scrubbing, line the pan with parchment paper. • Roast cranberries for 15-17 minutes. The cranberries should be popped open with juices running out. • Top each toasted crostini with a slice of brie and a spoonful of cranberries.

Chef’s Note: This is the perfect appetizer for all your upcoming holiday parties. These can be served while the cranberries are still warm, or you can make the components ahead of time. The cranberries can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days. If you aren’t a big brie fan, swap it out for goat cheese, guoda, or parmesan.

Karla is owner of Chef Karla LLC specializing in creating crave-worthy and good-for-you cuisine. Karla provides nutrition coaching, personalized prepared family meals, and small group catering. For more healthy recipes and wellness tips visit www.chef-karla.com or connect directly at Karla@chef-karla.com

Working for PEANUTS

How a little boiled peanut company in Bluffton is heating up an age-old Southern tradition.

BY BARRY KAUFMAN • PHOTOS COURTESY LURAY PEANUT

Lauren Marcinkoski remembers driving onto Tybee Island back in the day, stopping by to greet the unofficial welcoming committee of roadside boiled peanut vendors. These ramshackle stands once met every visitor to the island, serving up some piping hot southern culture right out of the crock pot. No doubt those of you who have been Hilton Head Island locals remember a similar welcome when heading on island.

That roadside peanut vendor was once a staple of the South, sending visitors on their way with a belly full of that inimitable snack food that once defined the region. Blissfully robust and salty, like mashed potatoes in pill form, the classic boiled peanut is one of those treats that connects us all to the first time we made our way to the area. For us newcomers, it’s the taste that helped us fall in love with the South. Over time, Marcinkoski noticed fewer and fewer peanut vendors as she drove onto Tybee. Pushed out by the big developments and the ceaseless march of progress, they were quickly becoming a thing of the past. She wasn’t about to let that happen. “There’s a lot of nostalgia for this snack; it’s a part of a lot of peoples’ childhood

memories,” she said. “What we’ve done is add the ease of throwing a pack in the microwave to get perfect boiled peanuts.”

Luray Peanut Co. sources its peanuts from all over the region, with the lion’s share coming from co-founder Corrin Bowers’ family farm, one of the largest in the state. And while the peanuts alone are some of the best you can find, it’s what Luray does with them that sets theirs apart.

“The technology has been around for a while, and what we did with it was quite simple,” she said.

Each pack of Luray peanuts is boiled to perfection, flash frozen at its peak, and sealed in a bag. You just microwave them for a few minutes and you have boiled peanuts that are as fresh as any roadside stand could ever hope to make. This convenience factor has made Luray Peanuts a hot item, landing them on convenience store shelves as well as every Harris Teeter and Food Lion in the state.

Luray Peanuts really hit the big time this past summer, however, when it became the official boiled peanut of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“The team and the whole group there are very supportive of local startup companies,” she said. “A lot of stadiums had boiled peanuts in the past, but the old crock pot model made it very labor intensive.”

With their heat-and-serve bags, Luray Peanut Co. was able to bring the classic boiled peanut back to TIAA Bank Field and it’s been a smash hit at the concessions stand ever since.

“We started with a few concerts before the season starts, and it’s been the second or third top-selling item in the stands,” she said. “It’s not just a concept anymore.”

To learn more, visit luraypeanut.com.