Homemade FIRE Crackers

My friends can’t keep their hands off of my Fire Cracker - a delicious spicy, crispy cracker bread reminiscent of Armenian Lahvosh, wonderful base for just about any dip, spread, or pate in your repertoire. I’ve know several superstar chefs through the years that have made delicious lahvosh, including Elaine Robinette in the late nineties at Ozark Baking and Catering, and even more recently, chef Sarah Chase formerly of Crystal Bridges, but currently working, thriving in Tulsa. Like most chefs, cooks, and gourmets, I’ve stolen bits and pieces from a number of different sources devise a stylized cracker that I can claim as my own, indeed the name references an abundance of crushed red pepper that give the end product a POP, along with the Snap and Crackle - at it’s core, the dough is actually my Homemade Baguette recipe, baked in my home kitchen at least every other week - simple, delicious, impressive - I’m all about quick, easy and immediate gratification, and if you echo that desire in your cooking (and perhaps even in life), this is the recipe for you.

I hope you like it - it’s great with the Pimento Cheese Recipe from yesterday - but also delicious as an accompaniment to saucy curries, one pot dishes, soups, and stew - and I love it just as a snack that stays on a small uncovered tray in my kitchen - I’ve never known it to get stale, even after a few days…partly because it’s hearty, but also because it’s consumed within a day or so. It’s impressive to present on a table as well - either broken into small, fragmented pieces, or in large, round sheets; and so delicious with cold beer and white wine Even the dog loves it….

Homemade Fire Crackers

2 1/2 cups bread flour

3/4 cup warm water

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp yeast

1 tsp minced garlic

Topping:

1 whole egg, beaten

3 tbsp crushed red pepper

3 tbsp eden shake blend

3 tbsp fresh garlic, minced

3 tbsp black sesame seeds

3 tbsp white sesame seeds

3 tbsp coarse salt

3 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

Technique -

Combine first six ingredients in food processor or kitchen aide with paddle attachment - mix, combine until pliable dough forms - use additional flour or water of necessary. Knead for two minutes - place in greased mixing bowl, allow to rest and rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 360 degrees.

Divide dough into three balls - one at a time, roll each ball onto floured surface into very thin, under 1/4” thick circles - place on greased pizza pan or sheet pan - brush egg wash, then distribute 1/3 of each of the topping ingredients evenly across the surface of the dough. Bake until golden brown -approximately 15 minutes.

"Picked-On" Peppered Cheese

I hated pimento cheese when I was a kid - it seemed wet, soggy, slightly sweet and overtly rich. A horrible sandwich option found in gas stations, supermarkets, and vending machines, to be avoided at all costs - my God, I thought, who the fuck wants to eat a sandwich with a filling that is softer than the bread? And the kids in school that packed pimento cheese sandwiches for lunch weren’t to be trusted.- not at all different from the “dirty kids” down the street that mother instructed, ordered me to stay away from. A kid that eats pimento cheese, after all, probably had bad hygiene and orange teeth - gross.

Outside of sack lunches at school, the only other time I was forced to deal with pimento cheese was during the holidays when it was smeared inside the green valley of fresh celery and carefully nestled on a glass tray, between canned black olives (that were wonderful when eaten from finger tips), sweet baby pickles, and more celery stuffed with creamy peanut butter. Nobody but my grandfather ate the pimento cheese - and let’s face it, he liked scotch and whiskey….two things equally as off putting as slimy orange cheese spread.

As I got older, I mysteriously developed a deep affinity for scotch, whiskey…and yes, even pimento cheese. It’s become quite expected in the south for chefs, restaurants to serve this simple cheese spread that is delicious on white bread alone, as accouterments to burgers and sandwiches, and even as a means for simple snacking, entertaining. Please enjoy my recipe here - I like it with baked lahvosh (recipe to come soon) and pickled cucumbers and red onions (also to come soon) - I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and to all the pimento eating, dirty kids I shunned or shamed in elementary school - I humbly ask for your forgiveness - I was wrong….

Pick a Pepper Cheese

• 1 lb. of sharp cheddar; grated

• Splash of Pickapeppa brown hot sauce

• Splash of cider vinegar

• 1 cup grilled sweet peppers, rough chopped 

• 2 Tsp. onion powder

• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder

• 1 Tbsp. samball hot sauce

  21 Tsp. Dijon mustard

• 1 Cup mayonnaise (Start with ½ cup and add as needed)

• Pinch of smoked paprika

  Technique -

  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Allow to rest in fridge for an hour or so.Serve with home made lahvosh and pickled cucumbers and red onions.

Home is Where the Art's Place Is

We all need a place to call home; a proverbial hearth that simultaneous garners sanctuary, familiarity, and inspiration alongside the people we love and cherish.  Home is not simply a place, but rather a state of mind and, at times, even of taste, touch, and smell.  The fragrance of freshly brewed coffee, frying bacon, and cigarette smoke transcends me to my childhood and the home kitchen of my grandma Dighero as she poetically maneuvers through her standard, grease laden daily breakfast.  No matter when:  childhood, adolescence, adulthood….I could count on those three intermingled perfumes to make me feel safe, and perpetually hopeful. 

I’m asked on a weekly basis:  where’s your favorite restaurant, who makes the best burger, what’s your favorite beer, where do you go for a drink?  I typically derive answers based on the party questioning, and my answers to the independent questions alter day to day, depending on my mood.  However, the sum of all of those inquiries together lead me to one, undeniable location in Fayetteville:  Arts Place Bar and Grill.  {Notice, there is no “E” at the end of grill}

Dark, brooding, smoky, embellished with sounds of pool balls “clacking” intermittently beneath laughter, “rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb” muttering, and the unmistakable “sizzle” of burgers on a flat top grill.  Ahhh, this is home…this is where I come to make business deals, to celebrate the lives of contemporaries, to mourn the loss of important family, to be alone, to be part of a crowd, to break-up, to fall in love, and to, most importantly of all, drink a beer and devour the best cheeseburger on the planet.

There’s really nothing stylized about the Art’s Place burger; it’s an archetype of perfection, but one should never expect something groundbreaking or cutting edge.  The beef patty is fried in front of you, behind the bar on a flat top grill that has been seasoned with whiskey, bar brawls, and a million lonely hearts, then stratified with mayo, sliced tomato, cold iceberg lettuce, and thick sliced white onions…be sure to ask for extra crispy fries; and don’t be offended if the pretty girl sitting next you at the bar pays you little mind, because she is, well, you’ll just have to see for yourself.

Art’s Place is a lot of things to a lot of people, myself included; but at the very least it’s an important part of the edible culture of Fayetteville, Arkansas.  It may not be your idea of home, sanctuary, inspiration…but I guarantee it’ll be the best burger you’ve had in a very, long time.

Originally published for Experience Fayetteville - February 2017

http://www.experiencefayetteville.com/eat/item/21-home-is-where-the-art-is

Tailgate. Celebrate. Advocate. Inclusion in Food and Sports.

For generations, SPORTS have served as an important vessel for inclusion, bringing people together from all walks of life – Lately, in this day and age of divisive behavior from our commander in chief, sports fan are saddened to see all the mean spirited character assassinations spawned from free minded players kneeling for social justice, standing up for free speech, and even NBA GOAT Lebron James being criticized after opening a school for low income, high risk kids – so, as the fall football season kicks off, and tailgaters ignite grills and imaginations all over campuses across the country, Edible Culture offers up a series of Tailgate Foods to celebrate this year’s football season that is INCLUSIVE for ALL – When we say WIDE WORLD of SPORTS…we mean it!

 Taiwanese Barbecued Corn may be the easiest and most popular pre-game food to grace your tent and tailgate this season; offering up equal parts wet pop, earthy fragrance, and spicy bite for even the most discriminating jersey clad guest.  We love the idea of turning the very Americana Sweet Corn on it's ear (ahem) by slathering it with a modified sauce that has roots on the other side of the world - Taiwan. Here's what you'll need for the sauce:

6 Ears Fresh Corn, husks attached

1/2 cup Sambal Chili Sauce

1/2 cup Gochujang Sauce

1/4 cup Oyster Sauce

1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 tablespoon Coriander

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

6 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, coarse chop

3 Tablespoons Eden Sesame and Sea Vegetable Seasoning

Combine sambal, gochujang, oyster sauce, Worcestershire, coriander, sesame oil, 3 tablespoons cilantro.  Set aside.

Ignite the grill, creating high heat for half of the grates, and low heat for the other half.  Grease the grates accordingly, until smoking hot.  Add the corn to the hot side of the grill with the husks still on; allow to smoke, sizzle, char for about 20 minutes total.  Remove corn from the grill, and after additional 5 minutes, remove silk and husks.  Note the incredibly inviting, earthy fragrance the charred husks emits in your general vicinity - a beckoning for guests to come take a peak, taste.

Place the corn on the hot side of the grill, then slather with sauce.  Allow to baste and char on all sides for approximately 10 minutes.  Transfer to cooler side of grill for two minutes, covered.  Remove and slather with additional sauce, the top with Eden  Sesame and Sea Vegetable Seasoning and remainder of fresh chopped cilantro.   

Blueberry Pie's Free Lovin' Hippie Cousin

Recently hosting a small dinner party, I needed to create a quick, summery dessert with rustic appeal; so after a quick trip to the Fayetteville Farmers' market I devised a recipe for a simple, endearing Blueberry Crostata, a nuanced, slightly free form version of pie.

Blueberries are in full bloom, so take advantage while you can - and feel free to add or substitute any of the other raspberries, blackberries that are also available at the market.  Fresh is the secret to the filling, soul of this dessert - if you attempt this recipe with canned or frozen berries you will fail miserably, and your friends with abandon you.

One additional virtue for our Ozark Blueberry Crostata is the incredibly rich, delicious, and EASY crust - only a few ingredients and the use of your freezer make this one a keeper.   And since we're not using a tart or pie pan, the end result is utterly free form and rustic - which is great if you're cooking with your kids or in need of a quick, memorable dessert this summer.

High South Blueberry Crostata

The Dough

1 1/2 Cups AP Flour

3 Tablespoons White Sugar

Pinch of Salt

1 Stick of Salted Butter, cubed

3-ish Tablespoons of Really Cold Water

The Filling

3 Cups Fresh Blueberries

3 Tablespoons White Sugar

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

1 Pinch of Cinnamon

1 Whole Egg, beaten but not berated

1 Teaspoon Flaky Maldon Salt

Technique

Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt; then add butter cubes, toss until cubes are coated; place in freezer to chill out for 20 minutes or so.

Place chilly flour, butter combination into a food processor; pulse and grind until small pea sizes form; slowly add water until dough ball forms.  Turn dough onto a flat surface or board, use additional flour if dough is too wet; press into small salad plate size, then allow to chill in fridge while you construct blueberry filling.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees; line a sheet pan with Pam sprayed parchment (I actually used a perforated pizza pan); remove the dough from cooler, dust with flour, and roll into a 12 to 14 inch oval or circle - no more than a 1/2 inch thick.  Move dough to prepared sheet pan.

In a medium sized bowl toss blueberries together with sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice.  Add blueberries to center of the flattened dough, then carelessly fold the sides of the dough onto the outer edge of the blueberries, sealing any open edges or seams.  Brush top of the dough with egg, then sprinkle with Maldon Salt and a whisper more of sugar.  Allow to collude in the fridge for 10 minutes before adding pan with dough to 400 degree oven.

Bake until the crust is a shimmering golden brown and the berries are bubbling, chatting, probably 40 minutes or so.  Allow to cool a bit before topping with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and devouring.