A Short Foodie Tour of Eureka

Eureka Springs, Arkansas is a quiet little mountain town, nestled cozily in the eons old Ozarks.  The area was originally hailed as a place of miraculous health, not only by the European settlers but also by the natives that lived there centuries before.  The source of Eureka’s “power” came from the natural mineral springs that flowed from the limestone mountain.  Natives and settlers alike found the waters to be healing, eventually bringing more people to the area.  What started as a hunting camp in the late 1800’s turned quickly into a flourishing Victorian town.  The springs were each named, beautiful Victorian style homes were built, and hotels were erected.  130 years later, it seems like little has changed…

What makes Eureka Springs most unique is the people who have flocked there.  As the years have passed, Eureka has become a haven to artistic and unconventional thought.  She has embraced every community outwardly and inwardly.  One foot inside the city limits and you can feel you are somewhere special.  Downtown has antique stores aside contemporary local artists’ galleries, Christian book stores next to psychics, rainbow flags displayed proudly on Harley Davidson’s.  It would be impossible to figure out how it all makes sense, but once you are in the middle of it all it somehow just does.

For me, Arkansas is home.  It is where I spent much of my childhood, though not in Eureka Springs specifically.  It is my sister and her family who have settled in the beauty that is Eureka.  That being the case, I left it up to them to take us to the “foodie” places that Northwest Arkansas has to offer.  It is an important job, too…not to mention challenging.  You see, as much as I love Arkansas, you can generally break down the cuisine selection into four specific groups: BBQ, Local Diner, Gas Station, or National Chain.  The further out of the cities you get, the less you see of the chains.  So, truly decadent culinary options can be limited.  However, Eureka Springs is an exception.

Without taking everyone on a “play by play” of our week there, let me just say that if you like good, local food…Eureka and NW Arkansas are ready to serve it up.  The highlights…

The 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa is located high atop the mountain that Eureka Springs is essentially built into.  This majestic building towers over the valleys below.  With a history of society, service, and ‘spooks’ there is something for everyone.

 Inside her Crystal Dining room, the Crescent staff has recently started a farm to table event that runs throughout the busy season, the end of which is a special locally grown and produced brunch buffet that rivals any ever conceived.  Luckily we were in town on just that weekend!   The brunch is named after a local 170 year old working mill, the War Eagle Mill, which provides all the grains used to make the breads, cobblers, and pancakes. This combined with locally raised meats and produce created a buffet I felt lucky to have been able to eat.

Unfortunately, the Crystal Dining Room’s War Eagle Brunch was not available every day.  As a result, almost every other morning we had breakfast at the Mud Street Cafe.  Locally roasted coffee, homemade granola, and special sour cream pancakes made for a good start to any day.  Down the street, the Local Flavor Cafe brings those same fresh and local foods and fresh flavors to your table consistently at every meal.  My fav there is the Santa Fe Pita.  Pillowy flat bread, bright green and creamy avocado, tomatoes, chicken, sour cream and handmade local salsa and cole slaw.  I got so excited that I covered it in sour cream before I remembered to take the picture!

Another one of my favorite meals was eating dinner while overlooking Beaver Lake at sunset from the Horizon Restaurant.  The food was good, but the scenery was incredible.

However, as with any adventure where my family is involved, the majority of our fun was not had in any restaurant.  It was the nights we prepared dinner at my sister’s house that brought us the most joy. Instead of a fresh and flashy menu, we cooked food hand selected from the market.  While some of us cooked, others put together jigsaw puzzles or went through family albums while smiling and laughing.  Then after eating dinner we sat around the dining table and played Gin Rummy instead of pondering over a dessert menu.

It has been my experience that the level of satisfaction that any food holds relies entirely on whomever you share that meal with.  While Eureka Springs certainly holds a treasure trove of culinary secrets and those things which beg to be discovered, little can can hold a flame to time spent with family.  Those will always be the lingering memories I remember when I think of Eureka Springs.

Quick Sunday Glaze

We eat chicken…often.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love chicken.  It is versatile, easy, and budget friendly.  That being said, the truth is I would LIKE to eat more red meat.  On the opposite side of the coin, I would also like to live a long and healthy life.  Despite my love of red meat, I’m sure that my arteries thank me for the limitations.

Chicken, in its frequency of use, can get old.  Let’s face it, chicken can be down right boring.  This is the reason I take every opportunity to mix it up, try a new recipe, and make chicken more than just chicken.  I try cooking it differently or mixing it with different sauces or spices.  In the end, as boring as chicken could be, I can’t remember the last time I was bored with it.

Last night I knew I wanted to have chicken that was decently healthy but that tasted like it was not healthy.  That is always an important first step, because sometimes I do want it to taste light and healthy.  Not on a Sunday, though.  Sundays are mildly gluttonous in our household.  Since I knew I wanted a richer flavor, I bought thighs at the market instead of white meat.  The dark meat gives them a deeper, fattier flavor.  I trim off the excess fat and they still end up juicier than if you were to use, say, a chicken breast.  I also knew I wanted something sweet…

Sauces can be really easy.  Since I am a) from the South and b) a huge fan a BBQ, it makes sense that I would turn to the sticky sweet side of the culinary aisle when given the chance.  A quick and relatively healthy way to make a sweet sauce is to cook down (or reduce) something that is naturally sweet.  I used a single serving bottle of orange juice (pure juice, not from concentrate) as the base for my sauce.  First, though, I sautéed a 1/2 cup fine dice shallots in a sauce pan with a little oil, salt, and pepper.  Then I added the juice and brought it to a boil.  You can even throw in some herbs (I used thyme from my window box herb garden) and a dash more off salt and pepper and let it cook down until you can see it thickening up. This shouldn’t take more than 15 to 20 minutes. Since I used shallots and full sticks of thyme, once the sauce had reduced, I strained it.

After I strained it, I threw a couple of thyme leaves for color and let it come to room temperature.  This reduction alone, could work for a great glaze.  I wanted more, though, so I also stirred in a tablespoon or Worcestershire sauce and about 3 tablespoons of Maple Syrup ( the real kind.)

For the chicken, I just gave it a little salt and pepper and gave it a good seer in a wicked hot pan and olive oil.

Once it had a good seer on both sides, I threw it in a 400 degree oven to cook off.  This should only take about 15 – 20 minutes and can be done while the sauce is reducing.  Once the chicken was about 5 to 7 minutes from being finished, I started basting it with the sauce.

Do this a couple of times before it is finished and when the chicken is cooked, you have some sinfully sticky chicken thighs.

So, it isn’t the healthiest of all routes, but at the end of the day it really isn’t much worse that having a glass of juice.  The best part is that you use another burner on the stove and simultaneously make some quinoa or couscous and in under 30 minutes, you have made yourself a finger licking good Sunday meal.

Sweet Summer Ribs

I’m spent the majority of my childhood in Arkansas and Missouri.  Now I am a New Englander.  Here in New England, they call where I come from “The Middle.”  Of course, they call everything from Pennsylvania to Nevada “the Middle.”  The truth of the matter is, as anyone from “the Middle” knows, each state has its own flavor.  You can hear it in the vernacular, see it in the faces of the people, and taste it on the local tables.  Each region, state, and even city is like a microcosm, each with its own ‘way.’  These innately individual traits among locations have brought me volumes of inspiration and interest through my travels.  It has also given me a glimpse into my own personal tastes and the evolution that has taken place as I grow older.

The region of North Central Arkansas where I grew up certainly has its own ‘flavor’ and its food is no exception.  What I consider to be one of the coolest areas of food in Arkansas is its approach to BBQ.  When you hear about different kinds of BBQ, you usually hear the city or state associated with the different ‘basic’ methods as part of its name.  (I say ‘basic’ because BBQ is truly unique to each individual, though each region seems to have a ‘known’ set of characteristics.)  The “styles” of BBQ most referred to are Memphis, St Louis, Kansas City, Texas, and Carolina.  Now picture each of those places on a map.  Leaving Carolina BBQ out of the equation, both geographically and gastronomically, you might notice that the known variations of BBQ literally surround Arkansas.  The result is Arkansas BBQ; an incredible muddling of the best traits of each of the surrounding regions…sweet, smoky, spicy BBQ that melds as perfectly in theory as it melts in your mouth.  That style of BBQ, in its entirety, is my favorite type of food.

As we draw another week closer to my annual week-long trip home to Arkansas, I cannot help but be excited.  Family, the Ozarks, and food you cannot get anywhere else are all elements that bring a smile to my face even as I sit here typing.  I think it was in that spirit of nostalgia and my love for my home state’s version of my favorite kind of food that inspired to make this meal; Sweet Tea Ribs. It was initially inspired by a dish I saw in Food Network Magazine and I, of course, just added my own little twist.

It may be one of the simplest basic preparations out there.  I have used both baby back and spare ribs, and both have turned out equally delicious.  Something to keep in mind; spare ribs are generally more budget friendly than baby back ribs.  I used spare ribs this time, about 2.5lbs.  In a bowl I made the rub; I took the tea from 3 bags of Irish Breakfast and 1 bag Lady Grey tea (any tea would probably work), brown sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper and mixed it together.  (The great thing about rubs, though, is they can be whatever you want them to be!)  Rub the mixture all over the ribs.

Then, while the oven is preheating to 250 degrees, make some actual tea on the stove top.  2 cups or so using the same kind of tea from the rub.

Once the tea is made, add 1/8th cup or so of brown sugar to make it sweet.  Pour the tea into a roasting pan or even a broiler pan.  If you are using baby backs, you can just set the ribs down in the liquid.  The natural curve of the rack keeps the majority of the meat out of the liquid.  However, when I use spare ribs, I put them on a rack of some sort to keep them elevated.  Cover the pan with foil and throw the ribs in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or so.

Once the ribs are tender, you can start basting them with the liquid from the pan.  To do this, pull the ribs from the oven and crank the temp to 450 degrees.  Pour about half of the cooking liquid back into the saucepan you used to brew the tea.  Return the ribs to the oven, sans foil, basting every 10 minutes or so until the ribs are sticky and slightly crispy.

The ribs are sticky and gooey enough that you don’t need any sauce.  You may need a lot of napkins, though.  I served them with white wine sautéed mushrooms and tomatoes sprinkled with a little gorgonzola cheese.  The tangy cheese and earthy mushrooms were a great complement to the sweet ribs.

We discovered a new cocktail thanks to some friends while we were in P-town a couple of weeks ago that went VERY well with this meal.  Absolut Vodka has a Wild Tea flavor in their arsenal.  This black tea and Elderflower vodka infusion was sure to go with these ribs.  Mix it with some ginger ale over ice and you have yourself a perfect mate to this sweet, Southern inspired, summer meal.

Writing this blog today made me smile as my thoughts played between this meal and memories of home.  I love my life in the city, but the little boy who grew up in the country will always have a place in my head and at my table.  It just reminds me that the next time I’m homesick for Arkansas, all I have to do is whip up a little piece of home up in my kitchen.

Welcome to Burger Night

Each week is full of challenges…work, school, childcare, insomnia, or any mixture of the aforementioned. In fact, the week begins with the dreaded Monday…a day which by name alone causes many to shiver in fear.  In the worst of these weeks, the only thing that can get us up and moving is the knowledge that the weekend is coming.  Friday has thus become the near opposite of Monday.  Songs are written about it, restaurants are named for it, and it is generally loved by all.  Where Monday is dreaded, Friday is revered.  Monday…bad.  Friday…Awesome!  This is all on the assumption that Saturday is even better, and mostly because the work week is over.

When those that work Monday through Friday finally reach their weekend, what is it that they do?  Well, they do what they didn’t have time to do during the week.  They go out to eat with friends, go to the movies, get their hair done, and visit a few watering holes.  The down side to the practices mentioned is that the majority of my adult life I have worked in restaurants, bars, and salons.   In consequence, while others are leaving to begin their weekend, I am heading to work.  While this has been the source of some minor frustration throughout the years, I am no worse for the wear.  I still have ways of enjoying my Fridays in spite.  In that spirit, I say, “Welcome to Burger Night.”

Every Friday, with little exception, we have burgers.  They are my second favorite food and given the opportunity I would happily eat a burger everyday.  Sometimes they are just regular beef burgers with salt and pepper. Other times, they are something special.  I saw a recipe a few weeks ago using the Argentinian condiment of chimichurri on some incredible cowboy cut steaks.  The thought of the herbal ‘dressing’ melting over the top of a steak as the oil in the chimichurri heated up made my mouth water.  I immediately thought how a burger might look dressed up the same way.

You’ll find a million different recipes for chimichurri.  Some use parsley, others cualantro (which I didn’t even know existed.)  I was inspired by the fresh summer flavors of a mojito in making mine.  Yep, mint and lime!

Taking flat leaf parsley, mint, lime juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper, I assembled my ‘mojito’ chimichurri.  By processing the ingredients in a food processor, you can get a fragrant, smooth, bright green paste.

With the chimichurri finished, you can set it covered in the refrigerator, letting the flavors combine even further.   For the burgers, I wanted something more than a ‘run of the mill’ burger to go with the fresh and boisturous flavors of the chimichurri.  Instead of just salt and pepper, I decided to add grilled onions and garlic to the burger meat before cooking them.  The onions add flavor and more.  I almost always use ground sirloin or bison for our burgers.  While this lowers the intake of saturated fats in our diets, it can always take away some moisture.  The sautéed onions help to keep even a ‘well-done’ burger tender.  For an extra boost, I also added some crushed red pepper flakes.

 

Once the onions are translucent, they are done.  The trick to these is a fine dice, making them almost melt inside the burger once it is cooked.  Once the onions have cooled completely, it is time to assemble the burgers. To spice it up a little further, I also added about a teaspoon of cumin, a pinch of oregano, and a 1/4 cup of cilantro (and of course salt and pepper) before I formed the patties.

1 pound of meat can make four really decent sized burgers.  (I won’t be mad if you just make 2 though.  Ya know, if you’re really hungry.)

 I would venture to say that when it comes to burgers, a grill is always best.  There is just something about it, some strange “grill magic” that just makes things taste better.  However, when you live in the city, sometimes that is not an option.  Alternatively, I would say pan cooking the burgers can do well.  Then again, sometimes you have bad ventilation or an extra sensitive smoke alarm.  In that case, it is okay to broil them.  I admit that we always broil…  On the same token, we always have great burgers…so mind your time and broil away.

After it was all said and done, I had some beautiful burgers.  Add a bun and whatever veggies you like to garnish it (I tend to go a little on the minimalist side) and the burgers are ready for a healthy dollop of the chimichurri.

If you hadn’t noticed, this round came with a healthy portion of my (self-proclaimed) famous sweet potato fries.  It was a good fit.  That just left one final component that needed some ironing out.

In my opinion, little else goes better with burgers than a nice beer…perferably an ale.  However, I thought with the elevated flavor level I would try something bold and outside of the box.  I’m walking through the wine store trying to decide if I want a sturdy Red Zinfandel or a fruity Pinot Noir to put a finish on our Burger and Fry-day.  Then I saw that a special “Tour de France” display had been set up in the store, highlighting several affordable wines from around France.  Then the little devilish thought came creeping in…Bordeaux.

 Sure enough, this burger has just enough spunk to tangle nicely.  Still, I think Bordeaux and I think warm fireplace and snuggling.  As good as it was, it didn’t fit the summery flavors of the lime and mint in the chimichurri like I had wanted.  I would ultimately suggest the Red Zin…and tell me which one you decided on so I can give it a try.  Maybe even on the next Burger night.

>Whale of a birthday

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July is an exciting time in our house.  Not only do we have the opportunity to go to the beach or take the dog on long walks around the city, it is also my husband’s birthday on the 3^rd.  His idea of a perfect celebration is heading with our friends down to Block Island, RI to partake in the annual 4^th of July beach fest known as “Rock the Block.”  This is an opportunity to spend the entire day on a remote island off the coast of Rhode Island soaking up sun and drinks.  It is a rite of summer, a celebration, and my husband loves nothing more.  Unfortunately, schedules do not always align appropriately.  This year was one of those schedule snafus and we knew we were not going to be able to make it to ‘the Block.’  I knew this meant I needed to do a little something special to help ease the sadness associated with the missing birthday trip.

Carvel’s Fudgie the Whale

Several months ago, when out and about with friends, the name Carvel came up in conversation.  For those not from New England, Carvel is company that makes ice cream and, more importantly, ice cream cakes.  These cakes are not your DQ variety cakes.  The Carvel ice cream cake characters are legendary…at least to people from the Northeast.  There is a 3D butterfly, a bear named “Hug Me,” and a strange ice cream alien with a sugar cone nose named “Cookie Puss.”  However, it was “Fudgie the Whale” that took over the conversation on this night.  This layered ice cream cake is shaped like a whale, complete with a huge smile.  It was this cake that my husband got excited about.  I decided that” Fudgie the Whale” would be the special guest for this year’s birthday.   I was disappointed to find out that the nearest “Fudgie the Whale” was located in Connecticut.  Without a car or way to get out of state, I knew that if I wanted Fudgie I was going to have to make him. 

I do not bake.  This is for a multitude of reasons.  One reason is that baking requires a certain amount of science; an unprinted, passed down from Grandma, known because “your ancestors perfected” it kind of science.  Sure, a recipe will give you the proper amounts of ingredients needed, baking time and temperature, etc.  However, baking has the additional stress of knowing that using one grain of sugar or pinch of salt too much will completely ruin a cake.  In addition, there are a plethora of ‘secrets’ to baking…like using ice water for pastries or only baking with room temperature eggs.  I know these things matter, but I don’t know why and I certainly don’t know when to use these so called ‘secrets.’ 

            The real reason I don’t tend to bake is because the end result is a sugary, sweet, decadent treat that sits around the house for one purpose and one purpose only…to be eaten.  Working from experience, when foods sit around the house for the sole purpose of being eaten, namely sugary foods, they get eaten.  That means that the 5 miles I ran today can be negated almost immediately should I decide to bake something tasty and let it sit around the house.  For these reasons, among many more, I shy away from my Artisan stand mixer. 

            Birthdays warrant a bending of the rules.  Besides, there is no baking when it comes to ice cream cakes…right?  Well, ice cream cakes require time and I did not give myself very much of that.   By the time I realized I wasn’t going to be able to acquire a “Fudgie” cake, I basically had 24 hours to come up with an alternative.  I decided that the next day I would bake a layered cake and form it to ‘look’ like “Fudgie”. Sure, it wouldn’t have the cool yummy qualities of the original “Fudgie”, but it would look the part and stir up the nostalgic emotions associated.  The next morning, he left for work around 8am.  I knew I had to leave for work by noon, giving me 4 hours to make two cakes, cool them, split them, cut them into the correct shape, and ice it to look like a replica of the beloved whale.  To assist me, I turned to Betty Crocker.  (You didn’t think I could make it from scratch as a novice baker in 4 hours did you?!)

My version of Fudgie the Whale

Fast forward 4 hours.  Even using boxed cakes and icing, the kitchen looked like a bomb might have hit it.  There were crumbs of cake on every surface imaginable.  One huge chunk of unfrosted cake, what had been cut out to create the whale’s tail, lay off to one side.  Icing was smeared on the counter, the wall, the faucet, and my face.  Knives, measuring cups, empty boxes, and used cake pans littered every inch of open space.  Mayhem had certainly taken charge of this situation.  Despite it all, “Fudgie” sat smiling up at me from the counter.  I could see in his frosting expression why so many found him a happy piece of their memory.  I looked down and hoped he would bring a smile just as large and meaningful to my husband’s face….and he did.

>Green with Envy

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A summer night calls for food that spices up the evening without heating up the house.  While many people would find themselves turning to their grill as this time of year settles in, I find myself green with envy.  Our condo is quaint and in most ways perfect; tree lined street, exposed brick in every room, large kitchen.  However, like many Bostonians, our outdoor space is non-existent.  That being the case, we find ways to enjoy summer cooking to the best of our grill-free ability.

Dinner last night was just such an occasion.  Instead of allowing our nonexistent grill to make us green with envy, we decided to break out some alternative expressions of green in the form of Vinho Verde, or Portuguese “green” wine.  Vinho Verde is used to refer to ‘youthful’ wines grown in a specific region of Portugal and have red and white varieties.  However, I have only imbibed the white versions.  These wines are generally budget friendly but not cheap tasting.  Though they are not a sparkling white, all the white Vinho Verde that I have had has an effervescent quality.  This makes them fun, crisp, and friendly.  There are several good labels, but our favorites come out of the Aveleda winery. With a good chill on it, we popped the cork of a bottle of Aveleda’s Casal Garcia and poured ourselves a healthy glass.

I turned to my recipe pile to find a good grouping of summer flavors to go with the Casal.  My heart settled on a Tequila Lime Chicken recipe.  Though intended for the grill, I fired up the oven defiantly.  I figured there was enough of a breeze blowing through that the Vinho Verde would keep us cool until dinner was made.  Before turning to the chicken, however, I prepared my favorite stand by side dish…Sweet Potato Fries.  These guys are really simple, which is why I think I turn to them so often.  After cutting a couple sweet potatoes down to fry size (skins on), I just toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper before laying them out on a single layer on a baking sheet (sprayed with some cooking spray.)  You throw them into a 400 degree oven, rotating after 10min, flipping after another 7 or 8, and allowing a final 7 or so minutes to brown up.

The chicken was equally as simple.  The sauce is just 1 cup of liquid (1/3 tequila, 2/3 juice) and about 1/4c brown sugar (or honey).  Cook on the stove until reduced and then add some crushed red pepper and the juice from two limes.  This sweet and sticky sauce makes a great glaze for chicken.  I decided to rub some boneless thighs with chili powder, cumin, and a dash of Cheyenne pepper then baste with the sauce and seer on the stovetop before sliding them in the 400 degree oven to finish ‘em off.  It satisfied my sweet tooth and my desire for some spice with minimal time spent with the oven on. 

It just proved to me that a little inspiration and a glass of ‘green’ wine can make up for missing grill.