Wholesome Wave

Friday

5

April 2013

0

COMMENTS

Chef Andrea Reusing Visits Serenbe

Written by Marie Nygren, Posted in marie nygren, Recipe Articles, Southern Chefs Series, The Inn at Serenbe, Wholesome Wave

On a recent spring weekend, the Southern Chefs Series welcomed Chef Andrea Reusing of Chapel Hill’s Lantern Restaurant to my kitchen. What a weekend it was!

One of the most exciting aspects of the series for me is the exposure to the many talented chefs and the range of menus, flavors, and experiences they bring to their class. It’s such a joy to have the opportunity to try different types of cuisine in an intimate class setting. Sometimes we “travel” to other regions of the country through a guest chef’s chosen menu, and other times, I feel as though we boarded a plane and landed in an exotic locale. We traveled far with Andrea and what a culinary journey it was!

Chef Andrea enjoying class.

Andrea’s menu was inspired and clever. On Sunday afternoon, we prepared and then enjoyed warm paneer, kombacha and date salad with red watercress, vadouvan shrimp with spicy carrot puree and cardamon rice, and Louisiana tangerine sorbet with candied kumquat. In Monday’s class, we prepared and happily consumed all night pot-au-fen (French beef stew) with spring vegetables in broth and crushed strawberry mess (see recipe below).

Kombacha and date salad with red watercress – it’s gorgeous!

We are having a fabulous time with each guest chef in the 2013 expanded Southern Chefs Series. There are still spaces available in future classes. Proceeds from this year’s series benefit Wholesome Wave. Visit the Inn at Serenbe online for information on upcoming classes and call the Inn to register for Southern Chefs Series classes, 770 463 2610.

Crushed Strawberry Mess, Delicious!

Crushed Strawberry Mess

Serves 4

For the meringue:
3 egg whites from jumbo eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
a pinch of kosher salt

For the strawberries:
About 25 very ripe strawberries, washed and hulled
3 to 4 tablespoons turbinado sugar, or to taste
2 pinches of kosher salt

For the cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar or honey, or to taste
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and seeds removed by scraping with a sharp knife

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with half the sugar at medium speed until they are foamy. Beat in the remaining sugar, the cream of tartar, and the pinch of salt until the egg whites are shiny and stiff. Spoon the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment to form 12 to 14 mounds, and bake for 30 minutes. Continue to bake for an additional hour with the oven door slightly ajar. When done, the meringues will be crisp and dry on the outside and tender and fluffy within. (Serve within 4 hours.)

Place the strawberries in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the sugar and salt. Crush them with a potato masher or large fork until they are juicy and a spoonable consistency but still chunky. Let the strawberries sit for 15 minutes before serving.

In the meantime, combine the cream, the sugar or honey, and the vanilla seeds and pulp in a medium bowl (save the vanilla pod for another use). With a whisk or an electric mixer, whip the cream until it is thickened and softly set but not firm. Whip the yogurt and fold together.

To serve, arrange the meringues, strawberries and juice, and the cream in layers on a platter or individual plates.

Thursday

24

January 2013

0

COMMENTS

Chef Linton Kicks Off the 2013 Southern Chefs Series

Written by Marie Nygren, Posted in Linton Hopkins, marie nygren, Recipe Articles, Southern Chefs Series, The Inn at Serenbe, Wholesome Wave

January 20 and 21 marked the kickoff to the new year for the Southern Chefs Series, now in its 4^th full season. Ten eager participants arrived at my door on Sunday afternoon to learn from a master. Chef Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch Public House, and H&F Bread Co. and a 2012 co-winner for Best Chef Southeast by the James Beard Foundation, donned his apron, unpacked his coolers of food, and began instructing his protégés in the preparation of what was termed a “Southern Masala” dinner, this to be contrasted with the next day’s “Southern Classic” lunch. The mood was light, the instruction complete, and the resulting meals delicious, colorful, and world’s apart in flavors, despite the fact, as Chef Linton pointed out, southern India and Georgia are on the same latitude and have many foods and preparations in common.

Uniquely, none of the students had attended any previous Southern Chefs Series classes, but all left indicating they plan to enroll in additional classes, citing the intimate setting, personal interaction, and Linton’s attention to each person as favorite aspects of the class. Fabulous, wonderful, and beautiful are adjectives participants used to describe the experience.

Our Sunday Masala Dinner featured tandoori BBQ chicken and pork shoulder, fragrant butter-laced pureed mustard greens (recipe below), sea island red pea dal, kale chaat, corn bread with radish, accompaniments (including a saffron laced mango chutney with almonds), and sweet spoonbread with buttermilk and persimmon lassi. Monday’s Southern Classic lunch included shrimp salad with citrus, lettuce, and fennel; winter squash soup with bacon and herbs; buttermilk yeast rolls; and old fashioned chocolate cake.

Restaurant Eugene’s Fragrant Butter Laced Mustard Greens

(serves 12)

5#          mustard greens
2#          fresh spinach
½ cup   yellow corn flour
4 each    serrano chilies, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
5 cups    water
2 each    green bell pepper, chopped
4 tsp      cornstarch, dissolved in 4 tbl water
kosher salt
12 tbl       ghee
½ cup     minced ginger
6 tbl        minced garlic

1. Destem and wash all greens thoroughly and chop coarsely.
2.   Place corn flour, onions, and serrano chilies into water and bring to a boil; add the greens and bell pepper and 1 tbl of kosher salt; bring back to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.
3.   Puree in small batches with a food processor until smooth.
4. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook until thickened and smooth.
5.   Heat ghee in pan, add aromatics, and cook until they just begin to brown.
6.   Place greens in serving vessel and stir in fragrant ghee.

The proceeds from this expanded season of the Chefs Series will benefit Wholesome Wave as it prepares to establish additional chapters in the South, making fresh, healthy, local fruits and vegetables affordable and accessible to all. All of us involved (the chefs, Lori and I who assist, and the photographers) are doing so free of charge. We will publish a cookbook, also benefiting Wholesome Wave, at the conclusion of the 2013 series, featuring the chefs and recipes from each month. Registration for future classes is still open. Call the Inn at Serenbe, 770 463 2610, to reserve your space.
I am thrilled to welcome this year’s outstanding chefs to my kitchen and hope you will join us.

Wednesday

9

January 2013

0

COMMENTS

New year, new series

Written by Marie Nygren, Posted in Linton Hopkins, Southern Chefs Series, The Inn at Serenbe, Wholesome Wave

The Chefs Series is coming, the Chefs Series is coming.

We are less than two weeks from kicking off the expanded Southern Chefs Series cooking classes in my home kitchen in Serenbe, and Linton Hopkins, James Beard Foundation award winner and acclaimed chef/owner of Atlanta standouts Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch Public House, and H&F Bread Co., will lead us into the new season with his class on January 20 and 21.

Chef Linton Hopkins

The Series’ classes are filling up, and I don’t want you to miss out. Call today to reserve your place in what promises to be an outstanding year of classes. Each of the renowned Southern chefs invited to participate this year will assist you in fine tuning your culinary skills with hands-on instruction and a good measure of fun.
Excellent meals, comfortable overnight accommodations at the Inn at Serenbe, and lively conversation await.

Chef Linton during the 2012 class

All proceeds from this year’s series will benefit Wholesome Wave, one of the most-effective organizations at improving the accessibility and affordability of healthy, locally grown fruits and vegetables!
Call the Inn at Serenbe to reserve your spot, 770 463 2610. Visit www.serenbeinn.com for the complete list of participating chefs.

I look forward to cooking with you in my kitchen.

Thursday

18

October 2012

0

COMMENTS

2013 Southern Chefs Series classes filling up – register today

Written by Marie Nygren, Posted in marie nygren, Southern Chefs Series, The Farmhouse at Serenbe, The Inn at Serenbe, Wholesome Wave

2013 Southern Chefs Series classes filling up – register today

Chef Chris Hastings
and “students”

The 2013 Southern Chefs Series is attracting attention, and classes are filling up. To date, three classes are sold out, with others nearing capacity. If you want to work side-by-side with the bestchefs in the South, many of whom are James Beard Foundation awarded chefs, you’ll want to take advantage of this opportunity and register now!

January 20-21, Linton Hopkins, Georgia

February 24-25, Anne Quatrano, Georgia

March 24-25, Andrea Reusing, North Carolina

Chef Kevin Gillespie

April 14-15, Sean Brock, South Carolina

May 19-20, Hugh Acheson, Georgia

June 23-24, Steven Satterfield, Georgia

July 28-29, Chris Hastings, Alabama

August 25-26, John Besh, Louisiana

September 29-30, Tyler Brown, Tennessee

October 27-28, Kevin Gillespie, Georgia

November 10-11, Johnny Currence, Mississippi

December 1-2, me! Marie Nygren, Georgia with

Wholesome Wave founder Michel Nischan, Connecticut

Chefs Series participants busy at work

Chef Michel Nischan

Proceeds from the coming year’s classes will go to a seed fund to establish additional Wholesome Wave chapters. Wholesome Wave Georgia, launched in 2009, is going strong, and Wholesome Wave founder Chef Michel Nischan’s goal is to establish additional Southern chapters.

Wholesome Wave improves access and affordability of fresh, healthy, locally grown produce to historically underserved communities. Wholesome Wave programs benefit consumers and the farmers who provide for them.

One of their innovative programs is the Double Value Coupon Program (DVCP), which matches the value of a consumers federal nutrition benefits (i.e. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP], formerly Food Stamps) when used to purchase fresh, healthy, local produce at participating farmers markets.

Chef Anne Quatrano and Star Provisions
cheese monger Tim Gaddis

Every SNAP dollar spent at a Wholesome Wave partner market becomes two dollars for the shopper andthe farmer. DVCP consumers realize health benefits, and farmers reap the economic benefit. Wholesome Wave programs impact the economy and the health and well-being of the communities and consumers they serve.

To register for Chefs Series classes, please call the Inn at Serenbe at 770 463 2610.

See you in my kitchen!

Tuesday

11

September 2012

0

COMMENTS

2013 Southern Chefs Series Lineup Announced!

Written by Marie Nygren, Posted in Anne Quatrano, Hugh Acheson, Kevin Gillespie, Linton Hopkins, marie nygren, Michel Nischan, Serenbe Farmhouse, Southern Chefs Series, The Inn at Serenbe, Wholesome Wave

The lineup of amazing Southern chefs for the 2013 Southern Chefs Series is sure to interest foodies from the region – and beyond! Registrations are being accepted now for the coming year’s Southern Chefs Series, and we’ve made it bigger and better than ever! Twelve of the South’s best chefs will be cooking in my kitchen, and I want you to be part of the fun!

It’s been difficult keeping this under wraps for the past few weeks as dates and chefs were confirmed; I’m so happy to be able to let the proverbial cat out of the bag.

One of the best parts of the coming series is that all the proceeds will go to a seed fund to help establish additional Wholesome Wave chapters in our region. Wholesome Wave Georgia, launched in 2009, is going strong, and Wholesome Wave founder Chef Michel Nischan’s goal is to establish additional Southern chapters. Your participation in the Chefs Series will help achieve this important goal.

Wholesome Wave’s mission is to improve access and affordability of fresh, healthy, locally grown produce to historically underserved communities. Doing so creates economic viability through local food commerce that can rebuild our nation’s food system. Wholesome Wave, a national 501(c)(3) organization, partners with farm-to-retail venues, community leaders, healthcare providers, nonprofits, and government entities to implement programs that benefit both consumers in underserved communities and the farmers who provide for them.

The organization reaches over 28 states, working with more than 60 community-based organizations that manage more than 300 farm-to-retail venues and impact nearly 2,500 farmers. Wholesome Wave’s innovative programs address issues of food insecurity, farm viability, economic vitality of local communities, and diet-related diseases.

To read more about the exciting chefs, with links to their websites, please visit the 2013 Southern Chefs Series button on the Inn at Serenbe’s website. Registration is $650/participant and includes Sunday afternoon/evening class with dinner, overnight stay at the Inn, and Monday late morning class with lunch. Classes are limited to 10 participants. Historically, the series sells out quickly, so register today!

To register, please call the Inn at 770 463 2610.

For more on Wholesome Wave and their programs, please visit their website.

I look forward to cooking with you in the coming year.

Tuesday

4

September 2012

0

COMMENTS

Coming Soon…the 2013 Southern Chefs Series Lineup Announcement

Written by Marie Nygren, Posted in Southern Chefs Series, Wholesome Wave, Wholesome Wave Georgia

I’m excited to announce that the 2013 Southern Chefs Series has been greatly expanded from six to twelve chefs…that’s twice the fun and a year’s-worth of great cooking and eating in my kitchen.

Additionally, the proceeds from the 2013 series are earmarked for a seed fund to help establish Wholesome Wave chapters in our neighboring Southern states. It’s been a privilege and honor to partner with remarkable chefs at the Southern Chefs Potluck, Wholesome Wave Georgia’s fabulous fundraiser event held at Serenbe. The opportunity to help the parent organization, Wholesome Wave, set up chapters elsewhere in the South is exciting.

Wholesome Wave’s mission is to improve access and affordability of fresh, healthy, locally grown produce to historically underserved communities. Doing so creates economic viability through local food commerce that can rebuild our nation’s food system. Wholesome Wave, a national 501(c)3 organization, partners with farm-to-retail venues, community leaders, healthcare providers, like-minded nonprofits and government entities to implement programs that benefit both consumers in underserved communities and the farmers who provide for them. Every nutrition benefit dollar spent at a Wholesome Wave partner market becomes two dollars for the shopper and the farmer.

Stay tuned for more on the series, including the exciting lineup of stellar Southern chefs and their respective class dates. Registration will be open soon. Classes are limited to 10 people and fill quickly.

Wednesday

8

August 2012

0

COMMENTS

Southern Chefs Potluck Nets Big Dollars for Georgians

Written by Marie Nygren, Posted in marie nygren, Southern Chefs Potluck, The Farmhouse, Wholesome Wave, Wholesome Wave Georgia

Last Sunday’s Southern Chefs Potluck, benefitting Wholesome Wave Georgia, boosted the agency’s coffers when 150 patrons and 20 of the Atlanta area’s top chefs converged on Serenbe to provide a bountiful smorgasbord of the finest food our region offers.

For the main course, The Farmhouse at Serenbe provided its famous fried chicken, recently touted the best fried chicken in the August 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living, and Jim N’ Nick’s B-B-Q offered up White Oak Pastures meats and their own hot links. The participating chefs provided Sunday supper sides along with homemade pickles, relishes, and desserts.

Patrons dined family style with the chefs while being entertained by local talent Christ, Lord!, Lily and the Tigers, and Under White Pines. Once sated, the talented auctioneer Will Harris worked the crowd to raise money for Wholesome Wave Georgia.

Four one-of-a-kind chefs packages were on the auction block. Patrons bid high and bid often, raising more than $53,000 for the agency from the auction and ticket sales. This figure represents more than $106,000 in local, fresh food purchased by Georgia nutrition assistance recipients at farmers markets as well as in excess of $106,000 in business for small, local and family farms.

Thank you Georgia residents for attending the Southern Chefs Potluck and, more importantly, for supporting the good work of Wholesome Wave Georgia. Together, we make a difference!