Grace

Last night, we went to Chef Ben Vaughn's new restaurant Grace in Cooper-Young, and we are still talking about it this morning even before we have our coffee. It is located next door to Burke's Books in a transformed space that is light and beautiful with pale green walls, couches and chairs up front for small groups, and every detail meticulously in place. There are lots of local, seasonal foods in the dishes, and the idea is that there will be a revolving menu based on the ingredients available at the time. First, the brioche and butter brought to the table blew us away. Next, TCV tried the bluefoot and chanterelle mushroom quiche and the fried green tomatoes stuffed with goat cheese and sprinkled with pecans, and The Wife, vegetarian when it suits her, chose seafood bisque and a grits cake with all kinds of treats with it. AMAZING. Desserts we had were blueberry cornmeal crumble with blue cheese ice cream and a poached pear with pecan baklava. We are so excited about having this restaurant, with its deconstructed, elegant take on Southern food, in Memphis. Grace has just opened, so go for a leisurely lunch or dinner soon. Say hi to our friend Marshall who is in charge of the front of the house. Make sure to call before you go (274-8511) because it looks like word is getting out quickly about this lovely new spot.

Lobster ... Mushrooms, that is!

When I spotted fresh lobster mushrooms in the bin at Whole Foods, I knew I had to have them. Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I am a nut for fresh, hard-to-find mushrooms. Since I had never tried lobster mushrooms before, it was a no- brainer for me. So I snatched up one of the bright coral-colored caps as my head began to fill with all of the ways I might prepare these beauties. I raised it to my nose and gave it a sniff....wow! It smells like fresh seafood. So the name not only comes from the color but also the flavor. I decided then and there that I would make a vegetarian version of shrimp and grits using my newly-found treasure.

I prepared them simply by brushing them with olive oil and sprinkling them with a cajun dry rub. Then I grilled them for 3-4 minutes per side in my trusty cast-iron grill pan. I served them on top of spicy grits with a homemade remoulade sauce and chopped arugula.

Refrigerator Pickles with Garlic, Dill, and Coriander

This is so simple you won't believe it. It is also a lot of fun because you can experiment with all kinds of different spices to make your own unique pickle. Gather these things and go to the kitchen.

2-3 cups white vinegar

2-3 pickling cucumbers

palmful dried dill

palmful of whole coriander seeds

3 whole cloves garlic

1/4 cup salt

1/8 cup sugar

Thinly slice cucumbers. I use the slicer blade on my food processor which works perfectly for this. Arrange cucumber slices in a glass container that is just big enough to hold them. You don't want a lot of extra space. In a pot over high heat add the vinegar and the rest of the ingredients. You will only need enough vinegar to cover the sliced cucumbers. Cook vinegar mixture until all of the salt and sugar has dissolved and it has started to boil. Pour the hot vinegar over the raw cucumber slices, allow it to cool on the countertop, cover, and stick it in the fridge. They will be ready the next day and will keep for about a month.

Pasta with Fennel and Morel Mushrooms

I made this incredibly simple savory dish because I found some nice looking dried morel mushrooms at the supermarket. I love fresh morels, but they are very expensive and hard to come by most of the year. This package of dried morels was only 10 bucks.

The mushrooms and the fennel play off one another very nicely. The earthy smoothness of the mushrooms is offset by the bright crunch of the fennel bulb. It is unexpected and delicious. There were no leftovers last night.

You will need:

1-2 cups morel mushrooms (sliced into 1/2 inch pieces)

2 shallots (minced)

1 "not-chicken" bouillon cube

1 medium fennel bulb (cored, halved and sliced into slivers)

1/2 cup white wine

2 servings of pasta

olive oil

salt & pepper

4 oz fresh mozzarella

In a large saute´ pan over medium heat saute´ the mushrooms, shallots, and bouillon cube in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Once the shallot has browned and the bouillon cube has melted deglaze the pan with the wine and allow it to cook until most of the wine has evaporated. Add the sliced fennel and plenty of black pepper to the mix. Allow the fennel to cook briefly before adding the cooked pasta and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Toss. Taste. If it is too dry add a bit more olive oil. Pile pasta onto a warm serving dish and garnish with fresh mozzarella and fennel fronds.

Thank You So Much!

Thank you Mo, Lindsey, Amelia, Paul, Gina, Amy, Alisa, Benjamin, Dave, Brittany, Mel, Bobby, Steve, and Blandy!

I have been bowled over by your generosity this week.

Thanks to all of your kindness I have now surpassed my original personal goal of $1000. Let's see how far we can take it before the race.

Click HERE to donate.

-J

Running the Chicago Marathon, Raising Money for St. Jude

Sunday, October 11, 2009 will be the day I complete my first full marathon. Not too long ago, I could barely run to the corner, and now I am prepared and ready to go the distance. It took more than a year of hard work to get to this point, and it all started with the Firecracker 5K on July 4th of last year. My mother, Suzanne Burks, watched me cross that finish line, and she was so proud of me and of my brother Graham for meeting our goals that day. After a wonderful summer spent with family and friends, Suzanne passed away in a car accident on October 19, 2008. My older brother Graham and I decided that there would be no better way to honor mom's memory than to raise money in support of her favorite charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. It is amazing how much running has helped us navigate our way through the past year; now we want to use this new focus to make the world that Suzanne made so bright become even brighter for others who need hope. We ran as Heroes in the St. Jude Half-Marathon in Memphis last year, so this will be the second race for us as "Team Suzanne." This time we are joined by my longtime friend -- a veteran of the 2007 Chicago Marathon -- Kelly Robinson. The three of us are certain that Suzanne's spirit will carry us across the finish line in Chicago. We are happy for this opportunity to serve, and we hope you will help us honor Suzanne by supporting St. Jude in making an immeasurable difference in the lives of children in need.

Thanks for helping me reach my goal for the kids of St. Jude

Click HERE to donate

Market Value from Memphis Magazine

The Memphis Magazine story The Wife and I worked so hard on this summer is now posted on line. Click HERE to view and read it. It is a comprehensive look at the connection between farmers and chefs in the city of Memphis. Read it and let us know what you think.

Chili Dogs or Dogs of Chili

I came up with this cool concept while staring at a whole mess of leftover chili. I decided to deconstruct a summer favorite, the chili dog, and turn it into something new: a dog made of chili. The flavor of the dogs will all depend on the flavor of your chili, so use a good one.

You will need:

1 cup prepared brown rice

4 cups leftover vegetarian chili with lots of beans (most of the liquid drained off)

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. All ingredients go into a food processor and are blended until well incorporated. It should be the consistency of bread dough. If it is too loose add more breadcrumbs. Then to form sausages, lay 1/2-inch mound of the mixture across a piece of foil leaving a 1/2-inch margin on either end. Roll it tight like a sushi roll and twist the ends shut. Find the middle of the large roll and twist it to for two smaller links. Repeat until you have used all of the mixture. Place links on a baking sheet and place them into the oven for 1 hour. Allow the links to cool. Place links in the fridge for an hour before unwrapping them. Brush them with olive oil and grill'em up. Serve on a whole wheat bun with shredded cheese and onions\ and a side of sliced, salted watermelon.

Zucchini & Tomato Galette

This simple dish has a very elegant presentation. For that reason, it's a great thing to take to a party -- it is sure to get a few oohs & ahhhs. This recipe is great because you can use just about any vegetables you have lying around to make variations of it.

You will need:

pie crust dough

1 large zucchini (sliced into thin rounds)

4 medium tomatoes (sliced into thin rounds)

2 small eggs

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1 clove garlic (minced)

salt & pepper

parmesan for garnish

Roll pie crust into a large rectangle and place on a silpat-lined baking sheet. Arrange the vegetables in a shingle-like pattern on the crust leaving a 1/2 inch margin. Fold extra crust up over the edge of the vegetables and pinch at the corners to seal them together. In a bowl, whisk eggs, ricotta, garlic, salt & pepper together until well incorporated. Slowly pour the mixture evenly over the veggies. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Allow to cool completely before eating.

Roasted Eggplant Pizza with Onion & Goat Cheese

Another homage to my new favorite food, the roasted eggplant. Follow roasting instructions from my previous post. Use roasted eggplant instead of tomato sauce on your next pizza. You will love it.

Jackalope Jr. with Roasted Eggplant

At a cookout at his house this summer, my buddy Andy told me the legend of the jackalope. He said that he practically lived off of them in college at the University of Tennessee. No he wasn't eating an imaginary bunny/ deer hybrid. The jackalope is a grilled vegetable sandwich that contains both a portobello mushroom and a thick slice of eggplant. He would pop the slice of eggplant into the gill side of the mushroom and grill it up. He made a version of the jackalope in his backyard that day, and it was delicious.

I decided to try it out at home. I, of course, had to put my own spin on it, so instead of grilling the eggplant, I roasted it. Do this by sticking a raw, uncut eggplant on a hot grill for about 3o minutes. You want the skin to turn completely black, so you want to turn it every 10 minutes. Once the eggplant is nice and burned, place it in a metal bowl, cover it with foil, and put it in the fridge until it's completely cool. Using a spoon, scoop the flesh away from the burned skin and place into a container. Do not add the juice that had collected in the bowl. It is bitter. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like to roast several eggplants at once because the smoky and creamy flavor makes a great sandwich filler and a delicious pizza topper.

Let's make the sandwich:

2 cups roasted eggplant

4 grilled portobello mushrooms

chopped parsley

balsamic vinegar

spring mix

sliced tomato

sliced onion

sliced rustic bread

vegan mayo

Toast bread and spread a little vegan mayo on each side. Stuff the gill-side of each mushroom with the roasted eggplant mixture, and drizzle each with balsamic vinegar. Build your sandwich any way you'd like. Enjoy the rich smoky flavor of the jackalope jr.

Purple Basil Lemonade

This is really simple but has a great, unusual taste. I've been on the lookout for purple basil so I could make it, and Grow Memphis's booth had it on Wednesday at the Botanic Gardens market.

Rinse basil and set it in a small pitcher. Squeeze 3 lemons and one orange, add it to the basil, and muddle it all up for a little bit. Whisk 1/8 cup agave nectar with water. Add agave, ice, and 2 cups water. Stir and pour.

Panelle

The world's best foods are simple and comforting, and that is exactly how I would sum up panelle. A close cousin to falafel, panelle hails from Sicily and is made from garbanzo-bean flour. It looks like tofu, and tastes as creamy as cheese. When I first saw it described on Lidia's Italy, I thought I must be dreaming. It's my fantasy food: low-fat, tasty, creamy, inexpensive, and simple to make. The traditional way to eat these garbanzo flour cakes is simply on a sesame bun. I dolled it up a little with a few slices of tomato, a little vegan mayo, and some rustic bread. I loved it from the first bite. My mind is racing coming up with new ways to use this wonderful concoction.

Find Lidia's recipe HERE.

(The only thing I did differently is to add 1 "Not Chicken" boullion cube to the water for extra flavor.)

One of Ten Mighty Mini-Burgers on Womansday.com

I was honored to be selected as one of ten mighty mini-burgers in an article on Woman's Day's website. The Wife was very excited as she takes that magazine. Click HERE to view the mini-burgers article. Click HERE for my BBQnoosh slider recipe.

In Print: Local farmers + local chefs

Check out the August issue of Memphis magazine (the one with blue suede shoes on the cover) for our article 'Market Value,' a look at the many connections between chefs and growers in our region. We are really proud of it! The Wife wrote the story and TCV took the pics.

Adjusting to Life as a Part-Time Vegan

I am no longer frustrated with finding vegan food for lunch. I have adapted quite nicely. Here is a gallery of some of the things I have made for lunch over the past few weeks.

Chinese "Chicken" Salad:

Fried Green Tomato Po Boy:

Red Beans & Rice:

Grilled Zucchini Steaks with Risotto, Tomatoes, and Pesto:

Tempeh Torta with Grilled Squash, Avocado & Black Beans:

Cantaloupe Agua Fresca

Last Wednesday, Keith from Whitton Farms presented me with the world's largest cantaloupe as a part of my CSA. I swear the thing was barely manageable. It was more the size of a medium-sized watermelon than a regular-sized cantaloupe. Anyway, it was delicious, so it was a good thing that I had so much of it. I cut that sucker in half and snacked on it all week. Now it's Monday, and I still had half of the beast left in my fridge. I decided that it was time for it to become one of my all-time-favorite summer drinks: agua fresca. You can make them out of just about anything, but I really love the melon flavors when it is really hot outside.

1/2 a huge cantaloupe

1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar

1 lemon (juiced)

3 cups water

Scoop the flesh out of the cantaloupe and into your food processor. Blend until very smooth. Add the lemon juice and sugar. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth and into a pitcher. Add water, pour over ice, and enjoy.

Smoky Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas

Makes 4-6 quesadillas

1 sweet onion (halved, skin left on)

2 whole portabella mushroom caps (stems removed)

1 green pepper (sliced off the core)

1 whole poblano pepper

4-6 whole-wheat tortillas

1 tbsp. ancho chili powder

2 to 3 cups oaxoca cheese (shredded)

olive oil

salt & pepper

Light the grill and leave it on high to preheat. Place the poblano pepper on the grill. Once one side is burned black, turn it and burn the other side. Once the poblano pepper is completely charred, place it in a paper bag to cool. In a large bowl, toss the other vegetables, ancho chili powder, and a few tablespoons of olive oil together until the vegetables are coated. Place the mushrooms gill-side-down on the grill. Place onions and peppers skin-side-down on the grill. The green peppers will be done first because they’re thin. Remove them from the grill once you get some nice grill marks on them. This should take about 4-6 minutes. Turn the mushroom over after 4 minutes. Allow the onion’s skin to burn black. (You will peel it later.) Move the mushroom to indirect heat. Allow the mushroom to cook until tender, which should take about 10-15 minutes. Once all vegetables have been removed from the grill and are cool enough to handle, you can begin to prepare them for the quesadilla. Remove burnt skin and seeds from the poblano. Remove burnt onion’s skin. Slice all vegetable into long, thin strips. Portion vegetables onto half of each tortilla. Cover vegetables with shredded cheese and fold the tortilla. Grill dry tortillas until they are nicely marked by the grill grates and the cheese has melted. Serve with hot sauce, sour cream, and limes.

Edible Memphis Website

At the Grow Memphis dinner at Interim on Tuesday Melissa pulled me aside and quietly told me that she has just finished the new Edible Memphis website. I was so excited that I pulled it up on my phone immediately. It is beautiful. Go see for yourself:

http://www.ediblecommunities.com/memphis/

While you are there search my name (my real name) and you will find tons of recipes and photos and stories by me and the wife.

Japanese Eggplant Bacon

Hardly anything is vegan. I went to make a trusty BLT for lunch the other day with Morningstar Farms Veggie Bacon, a product I have relied on for years, and discovered that it has egg whites listed as the first ingredient. Since I committed to VB6, the Veggie Bacon was out of the question. I already had the rest of the sandwich made: The bread was toasted, the tomato sliced, the avocado cut and smashed onto the bread with a fork. I had to think quick. I spotted a few baby japanese eggplant in my fruit bowl that my buddy Andria gave me. That would do, I thought.

2 small japanese eggplant

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 table spoon sesame oil

sesame seeds

Braggs

I sliced the eggplant thin on the mandolin, and pan-fried them in a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of sesame oil. Just before they were crispy, I hit them with a few drops of Braggs and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. I transfered the eggplant to my waiting sandwich, closed the top, and took a bite. It was better and fresher than the processed stuff.

In Print

Check out this story I wrote for The Memphis Flyer about a new veggie friendly spot in Collierville.

...and this one The Wife wrote about how to green up your backyard party.

Spicy Carrot, Fennel, & Ginger Soup topped with Sesame Shiitake Mushrooms

Well, you aren't going to believe this, but it's absolutely true: I'm on a diet. I made a friendly little wager with my older brother, my dad, and our friend J.C. Each of us ponied up our share of dough, stuck it into an empty water bottle, filed it up with water, and froze it at a secret location. The idea is for each of us to lose 10%. The one who loses the most by Labor Day weekend gets the "frozen assets." Simple enough, right?

My strategy is simple: eat vegan until 6 p.m. Mark Bittman came up with the concept he calls VB6. Having been vegan on and off for large periods of time, this is not too tough for me. In fact, I have rather enjoyed it. I feel better, and I have been dropping a pound a day for the past 10 days. No kidding.

So how do you fill up eating vegetables? Soup is the answer. Yesterday I made this spicy and flavorful soup with the ingredients I had on hand.

7-10 large organic carrots

1 large fennel bulb

1 orange bell pepper

1 large sweet onion

2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger

1 can light coconut milk (+ one can of water)

3 loves garlic

1 shallot

2 Not-Chicken cubes

sriacha hot sauce

juice of 1 lime

olive oil

s & p

garnish:

8-10 shiitake mushroom caps (sliced and sautéed in sesame oil)

4 green onions (chopped)

Roughly chop pepper, carrots, and fennel and toss them with olive oil. Arrange those vegetables flat on a baking sheet and stick them under your broiler. They should stay under the broiler long enough to get some color. In a large soup pot, sauté the roughly chopped onion, shallot, garlic, and ginger in olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the roasted vegetables, coconut milk, cubes, and a few good squeezes of hot sauce. Allow this mixture to simmer for about 10-15 minutes so that the carrots can soften. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup smooth. Garnish with mushrooms and onions.

Be on the lookout for more delicious vegan fare and wish me luck. I want to win!

Watermelon Ice & Honeydew Melon Ice

The summers here in Memphis are so brutal that it makes us want to climb up into our tiny freezer and stay there until the middle of October. Our new favorite way to combat the heat is homemade fruit ice desserts. They are extremely simple to make, but they do require you to have two key pieces of equipment: a food processor and an ice cream maker.

1 melon

1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 a lemon or lime (juiced)

Halve the melon using a sharp knife. Using a large spoon, scrape the flesh out of the melon and into your food processor. Once the melon halves are clean, put them into the freezer. You will use the rind to serve your dessert. Add the sugar, salt and lemon to the flesh. The amount of sugar you use will depend upon how sweet you like your dessert. I'd say no less than 1/4, but no more than 1/2 cup of sugar. Turn on the food processor and let it run until the melon mixture is smooth. Turn your ice cream maker on then pour the melon mix into it. (If you put the melon mix into the freezer bowl before turning on the ice cream maker, it will freeze to the sides of the bowl. I know, I have made that mistake.) Allow the ice cream maker to run for about 20-25 minutes until it has nearly doubled in volume. Transfer to an plastic container and stick it in the freezer. Take it out of the freezer for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Scoop into your frozen melon rinds and enjoy. Your hands are all cold from the frozen rind as you slurp down the melon ice; it's a combo that is sure to result in the tastiest brain freeze ever.

Grilling Class Today 2pm

Yeah!!!!! Can't wait. We have been hard at work to make sure this class is a success. The class is at the Botanic Gardens on Cherry Rd in East Memphis. You will NOT use the main entrance. You will go down the road that is directly north of the main entrance. It is a dirt road that runs between southern and the gardens. Head east on that road until you see the lake on your right, Park your car and walk into the open gate towards the gazebo. You will find us there.

Update:

I'd call it a success. I was able to get through all of the dishes that we planned, and nothing stuck to the grill. Plus, everyone got to try a little of everything we cooked. We had an attentive class of 24 that made me feel at ease the entire time. I will write more later.

The Wife's Trip to Columbia, Mississippi

"It feels good to eat with people when you're always having to eat alone," my grandmother's friend said at the Columbia, Mississippi Catholic church's monthly senior citizens' potluck. I didn't expect this from her, a lively New Orleans native who ran in at the last minute and brought her fried chicken, jittery energy, and ebullient commentary. But she's right: I love to eat, but it's just not as satisfying to eat by myself.

We go to Columbia, Mississippi because my grandmother, 82, and grandfather, 89, aren't able to travel anymore. They used to drive up to Memphis, no problem, but now it is iffy whether they should even be driving to Hattiesburg, twenty minutes away from their house, so driving for five-and-a-half hours is out of the question. For me, nervous as all get out about even lesser dangers, to be riding in the back of the Buick with my grandfather at the wheel is a major feat, but he is so gentle and funny and kind that I would sooner die if I offended him in any way. So we go places if everyone's up for it, and we visit their surprisingly vast and tightly-knit network of friends and relatives.

Even so, Columbia is small. I mean, it is tiny. It is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone. People honk if they see us driving by and wave if they're sitting on the porch. My grandmother makes it her business to know what is going on with everyone, and my great-aunt writes the 'out and about' column in the local paper. (We always get a mention the week after we visit.) My mom and I walked around the Main Street square by the courthouse -- economy be damned, all the spaces were open and bustling, because everyone in this very small town has bought back into the gospel of going local -- and in the jewelry store, we talked to a lady my mom knew growing up, and I snagged a ridiculously ruffled summer dress at Berlon's Friendly Store, where my mom shopped when she was a child. Unable to identify the blond working at the clothing/Merle Norman store, church annuals are consulted and many phone calls are made, and we finally unravel the mystery of which Davis the clerk actually is after a forty-five-minute investigation.

Along with knowing who's related to who, food in Columbia is serious business. Basically, life there revolves around church, cooking, and family, just like it used to. My grandparents' across-the-street neighbors eat all their meals outside and hang out together all day because, according to my grandfather, that's how they do everyday life in Southern Louisiana, and after Katrina, these neighbors are continuing the tradition in Columbia. Now this was really cute when we arrived, seeing the kids play in an inflatable pool so large that it touched both sides of the driveway as they listen to all-1950's songs on the radio, but not so adorable late at night when I am trying to sleep. But this family eats their breakfast at tables in the carport and goes on through lunch and dinner, together, so it kind of made me dream about doing the same.

The day after we arrived, there is absolute quiet the potluck in a cavernous room at the church and then an explosion of energy as these sensible Southern ladies, who outnumber the men in attendance three-to-one, arrive with their dishes. Everyone seems to have collapsible quilted covers that they tie around their containers in order to make them easier to carry and to keep the contents warm or chilled. I feel so hungry as the cozies are removed; my grandparents never will succumb to the idea of supper in the evening; dinner happens at noon, and then they might have a piece of blueberry pie or pound cake before bed, but that's it. I woke up ravenous and I eye the dishes as they are set out: salads and entrées on the countertop, copious desserts on the side table.

We have sweet corn casserole, sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, fried chicken, broiled chicken, red beans and rice, garlic bread soaked with butter, baked beans, vinegary bean-and-vegetable salad, fruit salad slathered in whipped cream, baked spaghetti, and I think there's more, but that's basically all I can fit on my drooping styrofoam plate. Of course, we have a jar of sweet tea that is labeled with masking tape and a jar of unsweetened tea that is not marked. Everyone eats with pleasure -- the food is amazing since it was made by people who have worked on their home cooking all of their long lives, but I also notice how thrilled everyone is to be visiting and talking and laughing. I sit by my grandmother because I know from years past at similar events that one of her greatest pleasures in life is to order me to do her bidding in front of her friends so that she can display to her many friends how obedient and thoughtful her grandchild is. Out of practice, though, I mess up her tea order at first, which greatly annoys her, but then I save fact by fetching extra napkins, more tea, and then a brownie at her request. I have always been a fast eater -- my aunt calls me the little wolverine -- so already finished with my plate, I don't mind getting up and down for her at all. My mother, however, can't stop giggling as she watches me hard at work.

This revolving group meets every second Wednesday of the month, and I bet they wished it was more often. The eighty-year-old man sitting next to me can't hear but we repeat our conversations and questions for him until he does. There is much talk about who is seriously ailing -- one triple bypass happens the day after we eat -- and who is not able enough to come. There are prayers for them led during grace, and there are post-funeral thank-you letters passed around for everyone to read. I learn that even those who have decided to attend the Episcopalian church down the way still come back for the fellowship at the potluck.

       And all of this does make me think. My grandparents, who moved to Columbia, the big city, after living for years in even-tinier Foxworth, Mississippi, are lucky, being one of the only couples in attendance. They have attended separate churches all their lives since my grandmother is a staunch Catholic and my grandfather is an easygoing Baptist. But other than that, they are intertwined in ways that I cannot even imagine. They believe the same things, they share the same opinions, they know all the same people, and they spend most of their time with each other. "It feels good to eat with people when you're always having to eat alone" rings true to me. I loved getting to go to the potluck with them and see how important it was to everyone. Now that I'm home, I do worry about what's going to happen when we lose them. I dread the tearful five-and-a-half-hour drive when it happens. But for a minute there, I was able to see them happy, surrounded by friends and comforting food, and to know that they are not alone.

Roasted Corn and Grilled Crookneck Squash Soup

Soup in the summer? That's right. Even when it's hot outside, there is nothing more delicious than taking a bounty of summer-fresh vegetables and blending complementary flavors together to make a hearty meal. I knew this is what I was going to do as soon as I opened my CSA from Whitton Farms. Ears of fresh corn and huge yellow squash tumbled out of the bag as I set it on my counter. I fired up the grill and sprang into action. My favorite thing to do with summer soup is to add a smoky character by first grilling the vegetables outside. So that is exactly what I did for this summer corn soup.

Makes 2-4 servings:

4 ears of corn (shucked)

2 yellow crookneck squash (sliced 1/4 in thick)

1 yellow bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 jalapeno (minced)

1 chipotle pepper

1/2 onion (chopped)

3 cloves garlic minced)

tablespoon flour

1/4 stick butter

4 sage leaves

1 Not-chicken boullion cube

3 cups water

olive oil

salt & pepper

On your outside grill over high heat, char the red and yellow bell peppers until completely black and then transfer them to a paper sack to cool. Brush olive oil onto the corn and squash. Grill both over high heat until nice grill marks appear. (This should take about 3 minutes per side.) Remove vegetables from the grill and allow to cool. In a large soup pot, add the butter, garlic, sage, and onion. Cook over medium until onion is translucent. Add the flour and cook for two minutes more. Cut the kernels off the corn cobs. Remove the burnt skins and seeds from the roasted peppers. Add yellow pepper, corn, squash, boullion, jalapeno, and chipotle to the pot. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup to your liking. Heat the soup through, and it is ready to go.

I topped mine with the diced roasted red pepper, crumbled goat cheese, fresh green onion, and crispy tortilla sticks. I made the tortilla sticks by slicing a whole wheat tortilla into thin strips, coating them with a tablespoon of olive oil, and toasting them in a 350 degree oven for 6 minutes.

Portobello Mushroom Carpaccio with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar

I have a very simple but delicious recipe for you today. Everybody can do this, and it looks very impressive on the plate. I'd love to take credit for this ingenious use of fungi, but I had something very similar at a new restaurant in Memphis called The Kitchen on Brookhaven Circle. I was blown away by the wonderful flavor and texture, and I could not wait to try to make it in my own kitchen.

2 large portobello mushrooms

2-3 oz goat cheese

olive oil

salt & pepper

10 year old balsamic vinegar

fresh flat-leaf parsley

The hardest part of making this dish is is slicing the mushrooms paper thin. Lay the mushroom flat on the cutting board gill-side down. I suggest using a serrated knife and working with a slow, steady hand. Cut as many thin slices as possible from the cap. You will not be able to use the whole mushroom for this, so reserve the gills and the edges for another dish. Pan fry the mushroom slices in a few tablespoons of olive oil until the edges turn brown. I use a cast-iron pan for this. Arrange mushrooms on a large plate, add salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with vinegar, crumble the goat cheese over the top, and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with crostini.

We Grew These!

Pear Tart with Hazelnut Dark Chocolate and Honey

We saw Joanne Weir use this technique on her show, so we just had to try it, too. We grabbed all the different kinds of pear that were at the store, peeled them, set them in a lemon water bath, then cut them, fanned them out a bit, and slid them onto the tart crust. The Wife added chocolate because 'just pears looked boring.' Here is her supereasy, made-from-memory crust recipe:

Basic Tart Crust:

1 1/2 cup flour

1 pinch salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 tbsp. raw sugar

3 tbsp. butter, cut into small bits

Mix ingredients listed above. Make a well and add 1/2 to 1 cup ice water, stirring until it just comes together. If you have time, chill it for an hour. Roll it out and fill your tart.

There is a New Blog in Town

Hungry Memphis is the Memphis Flyer's new food blog, and it's curated by my friend and fellow vegetarian Susan Ellis. Her succinct writing and dry wit make Hungry Memphis a fun and fast stop as you lazily browse your way through your workday.

You will find many of my pictures on the blog, and every once and again I may write a little something if I feel like I have something to say. Go check it out and put it in your blogroll.