Wonder Woman of the High South - Chef Maudie Schmitt

Who:  Maudie Schmitt

Where:  Café Rue Orleans

What:  Crab and Shrimp Mirliton Stuffing

Insights from the Metro-billy:  Chef Maudie Schmitt is the godmother of authentic, comfort food in Northwest Arkansas as owner, chef of Café Rue Orleans, one of the most successful, longest running restaurants around.  She graced the pages of Citiscapes nearly 15 years ago with her famed Deep Fried Turkey technique, and hasn’t missed a beat with this classic Louisiana Chayote stuffing recipe that is certain to become a favorite for your family, friends this Holiday season. 

Crab and Shrimp Mirliton Stuffing

Ingredients:

6 Mirlitons, chopped

1 pound Jumbo Lump Crabmeat

1 pound (70–90 count) Shrimp, peeled and deveined

¼ pound Butter

1 cup yellow Onion, diced

1 cup Celery, diced

½ cup Red Bell Peppers, diced

¼ cup Garlic, minced

Salt and Black Pepper, to taste

Louisiana Hot Sauce, to taste

¼ cup chopped Parsley

2 cups Italian Bread Crumbs

1/2 pound Butter

Technique: 

Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Boil mirlitons in lightly-salted water 30–40 minutes or until tender. Remove from water and cool. In 12-inch cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Sauté mirliton, onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic in butter for three to five minutes, or until vegetables are wilted.

Add shrimp and cook two to three minutes or until pink and curled. Cook additional fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring until flavors develop. After most of liquid has evaporated, remove from heat, then season with salt, pepper, hot sauce and parsley. Fold in crabmeat, being careful not to break lumps.

Sprinkle in approximately 1½ cups of bread crumbs to absorb excess liquid and to hold stuffing. Place mixture in baking pan and sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

https://www.citiscapes.com/eats-drinks

Wonder Woman of the High South - Chrissy Sanderson

Wonder Women of the High South: Melody, Maudie, and Chrissy

Girl Power in the High South

November 2018

Gender equality is the key to responsibly traversing the cultural, social evolution in this day and age of #metoo and #timesup.  Women chefs have a special knack for simultaneously bringing respect, creativity, order, and calm to the otherwise chaotic atmosphere of a bustling, busy kitchen.  Egos are selflessly checked at the door, which is why some of the names in this article might be unfamiliar, new to Citiscapes readers; but trust in knowing that the women featured are the best and brightest of the best and brightest in not only the High South, but also the entire United States.

Who:  Chrissy Sanderson

Where:  Mockingbird Kitchen

What:  Smoked Apple Brined Turkey

Insights from the Metro-billy:  Chef Chrissy Sanderson is the epitome of a smart, strong female chef; boasting an impressive line of successful tenures in an industry that hangs its proverbial chef’s hat on failure, via elevating Bordino’s to the next level, then a stint as general manager of the award winning Tusk and Trotter in Bentonville, before launching one of the most beloved restaurants in the High South, Mockingbird Kitchen.  Be forewarned, those of you committing to Sanderson’s Smoked Apple Brined Turkey this holiday season, will never make another turkey recipe ever again.        

Smoked Apple Brined Turkey

Ingredients:

1 10-12 pound Turkey, thawed   

brine:

1 ½ gallons water                                                           

2 whole Green Apples, chopped              

2 Star Anise pods                                            

1 tablespoon Black Peppercorns                              

4 Garlic cloves                                   

½ whole Ginger root, sliced thin                                .

2 Bay leaves, dried                         

2 sprigs fresh Sage                                                          

1 cup Kosher Salt                                             

2 cups Brown Sugar                                        

4 cups Ice                                                       

 basting liquid:

1 pound of Butter, melted

Apples from the brine

Technique I: 

1. Thaw the turkey before brining.

2. Combine all of the Brine ingredients, except the ice, in a sauce pot and stir together

3. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar and salt

4. Turn off heat and pour into a container large enough to fit the turkey into your refrigerator

5. Add the ice to the warm liquid to help cool

6. When the liquid is cool add the turkey.  Cover the container and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours

7. After 24 hours remove the turkey from the brine

8. Optional:  Save the apple chunks from the brine and add them to your basting liquid

Technique II: 

1. Get your smoker ready using wood of your choice.  I prefer hickory or apple wood

2. When the smoker is ready, smoke the Turkey according to your smokers directions

3. If using apples from the brine, add them to blend with melted butter for the basting liquid

4. Baste the turkey every 30 minutes

5. For this recipe I smoked the Turkey for 1 hour then roasted in the oven for another six hours.  Cooking time will depend on the size of your turkey.

6. Be sure to cover the turkey with aluminum foil if the Turkey is getting too dark

7. Turkey should be cooked to 165 degrees.  It is best to check the turkey temperature between the breast and leg

8. When the turkey is cooked, let rest for 30 minutes before carving

https://www.citiscapes.com/eats-drinks

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