Farm To Market Bread Company

Enjoy Panettone and Stollen for the Holidays

Born out of the back of the Classic Cup restaurant, the locally owned Farm To Market Bread Company had been baking bread since 1993. Now located in Waldo, the Farm To Market Bread Company has become the best-known bread maker in the city. Farm To Market Bread Company supplies bread to various restaurants across the metro and grocery stores.

Farm To Market Bread Company offers a wide variety of breads including Ciabatta, French, Sourdough and more. This time of the year, the Farm To Market Bread Company is offering Stollen and Panettone.

Panettone originated in Milan, Italy and features cranberries, oranges and almonds in a sweet, light, cake-like bread. The word "panettone" comes from the Italian word "panetto" which means small loaf bread.

Legend has it that during Christmas one year, a Milanese baker had no dessert to offer to his guests so a mere kitchen boy, called Toni prepared a sweet bread. It was so good, he won the praise and honor of the bakery owner and guests. Due to the praise he was now considered worthy to marry the bakery owners daughter, and that is the story of Panettone, the Bread of Toni!

I received a loaf of Panettone from Chef Jasper Mirabile along with a few recipes. I had a pomegranate to use up and I had good intentions of making Panettone Panzanella recipe featured below.


I wanted to try the bread before I dove into the recipe and sliced some up to toast. It was a lazy Saturday morning and it went great with a cup of coffee. Problem is everybody else wanted some too. Well after over half of the loaf had disappeared, I realized I no longer had enough for my Panzanella and wrapped up the rest for later.


Later came sooner than I thought with Sunday morning the next day, and I used up the rest by making French toast.


I will be adding a loaf of Panettone to my shopping list so I can try out the Panzanella recipe for Christmas dinner. I think the salad greens, mixed with the cranberries and the pomegranate would make a festive presentation.

Pick up a loaf or two from Jasper's restaurant or check the Farm To Market website for a list of markets across the metro where the bread is sold.

Try out one of the recipes below courtesy of Chef Jasper Mirabile, or simply enjoy it toasted with a cup of coffee. This is also a great time of year to take a loaf as a hostess gift to your next holiday gathering.

If you have a great food find in Kansas City you think I am missing, email me.

In Good Taste,
Sharm

Panettone Panzanella
4 cups Wild Greens
1/2 lb. Pancetta or bacon
Jasper's Tuscan Salad Dressing
Farm To Market Panettone
1 Pomegranate
1 Granny Smith Apple sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut Panettone into cubes. Drizzle with butter and toast in oven until
crispy. Set aside.

Sauté pancetta in large skillet over medium heat until crisp; transfer
to paper towels to drain. Combine Panettone croutons, pancetta, apple with
greens in large bowl. Add greens. Add enough vinaigrette to coat,
tossing to blend well. Transfer salad to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle
with pomegranate seeds. Serve with cracked pepper and salt.

Jaspers Chicken Frederico
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 Whole Fresh, Never Frozen Chicken
6 Jasper's Italian Sausage Links
1 Medium Onion (Sliced Into Strips)
3 Green or Red Bell Peppers (Sliced Into Strips)
1 cup Wine
28 oz Italian Tomatoes
1 cup Green Peas
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 tsp Dried Basil, Tarragon, Rosemary, Thyme
3 Baking Potatoes (Quartered)
1 cup Sliced Mushrooms
Salt and Pepper (To Taste)

Directions
Wash chicken and cut into legs, thighs, breasts and wings. Preheat oven
to 450ºF. Heat olive oil, add chicken and sausage and brown for 10
minutes. Add peppers and onions and cook until onions are translucent.
Place chicken, onions, peppers and remaining ingredients except
potatoes and peas into a large baking dish. Bake 30-45 minutes. Add
potatoes and peas and bake another 30 minutes.

Panettone Stuffing
From Bottega by Michael Chiarello

Half of one 2.2-pound panettone, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (9 cups)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
Sea salt, preferable gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup julienned dried apricots
1/4 cup dried sour cherries
1/4 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery or fennel
1/2 cup finely chopped peeled carrot
1 1/2 cups roasted chicken stock or turkey stock, or more as needed
1 large egg, beaten (optional if you like a firmer stuffing)

For the stuffing: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the panettone cubes
out on two rimmed baking sheets. In a small saucepan, melt 2
tablespoons of the butter over medium heat and cook until light brown,
about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and add half the sage. Season
with salt and pepper. Pour the sage butter over the bread and toss
gently but swiftly. Toast the bread in the oven, turning with a spatula
halfway through cooking, until light brown, about 15 minutes. Remove
from the oven and pour the croutons into bowl, leaving the oven on.
Meanwhile, put the dried fruit in a large bowl and add boiling water to
cover. Let soak for at least 10 minutes to make the fruit plump and
soft. Drain and set aside.

Increase the oven temperature to 375°F. Heat a large sauté pan or
skillet over medium-low heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter,
and cook until it foams. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and sauté
until soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the plumped fruit and remaining
sage, then add to the cooled croutons and gently toss. Add the 1 ½ cups
stock to moisten. Add more stock if you like a softer stuffing. For a
firmer stuffing, stir in the beaten egg now. Taste and adjust the
seasoning. Set aside.

Farm To Market Panettone Bread Puding
1 Farm To Market Panetone
3 cups Eggnog
6 eggs
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Almonds (sliced)
1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

Preheat oven to 400. Cut pannetone into cubes. Mix all ingredients in a
large bowl. Add more eggnog if needed. Butter or spray a loaf pan. Add
mixture to pan. Bake for 45 minutes until golden.

3 Girls Cupcakes

Have cupcakes will travel

Meet Simonie Wilson owner of 3 girls cupcakes, Kansas City’s first mobile cupcakery. While on a visit to Nashville in October of 09, Simonie noticed many cupcake shops and one of them offered curbside service. The idea of a mobile cupcake truck popped into her head and 3 Girls Cupcakes was born.

Up at 4:00 am you will find Simonie baking away at her commercial kitchen in Liberty and then it is off for the day to make deliveries and sales.

Simonie’s route is mostly in the downtown area, you can find her in Westport, The Crossroads District, Crown Center and everywhere in between. Currently her route goes as far south as 91st and Stateline, NKC and Riverside, but is based on demand, so give her a call! She even does drive by’s and deliveries.


That is where I caught up with her. I have been aware of this mobile cupcakery for quite some time but have not written about it just because I had not had the chance to try a cupcake. I had been in communication with Simonie about wanting to get my hands on some of those sweet gems, but did not have time to go downtown just for a cupcake. She sent me a message one day letting me know she would be in my area and we could meet!

The timing was perfect; it was the day before Thanksgiving so I placed my order and checked dessert off my list. I got half-dozen cupcakes 2 red velvet, 2 pumpkin, and 2 vanilla. They were all topped off with some of the best icing I have ever tasted. When I asked her the secret behind her icing, she told me that although she could not reveal any secrets, it is from an old family recipe that she has perfected. The cupcakes are moist and decorated with handmade candy.

3 GirlsCupcakes is a family business, and the three girls are her daughters. They help by labeling boxes, stamping bags and lending a hand at festivals and farmer's markets. Ten percent of all sales go to local children's charities on a quarterly basis, and they are constantly donating cupcakes and gift certificates for good causes around the city as well.



A daily schedule of times, flavors, ordering and delivery information is available at the 3 Girls website and on their facebook page. You can also call: 816-813-6999


If you have a great food find in KC you think I am missing, email me.

In Good Taste,
Sharm

Frida's Contemporary Mexican Cuisine

Not Your Average Mexican Fare

The motto at Frida’s is “Expect the Unexpected.” So what exactly does that mean? It means at Fida’s you will not find your usual burrito smothered in cheese and sour cream, but something much more elegant. If you are familiar with Ixtapa or Guadalajara Café, which are owned by the same family that owns Frida’s, you know this is not your average Mexican fare.

I will be the first to admit that I love those cheesy Mexican American combos, because I really do, it is just that Frida’s different, and I mean that in a good way!

When the owner Ivan Marquez came over to check on the table, I commented on all the unique dishes on the menu. He said,” This is how we really eat in Mexico; we don’t use a lot of cheese.” The fare at Frida’s consists of a variety of chicken dishes, fresh seafood, steak, pork and vegetarian items, all prepared in authentic Mexican way.

As I scanned the menu for a starter, the Guacamole Duo practically screamed my name. I love guacamole and it did not seem to out of the ordinary since guacamole is considered traditional Mexican fare. The twist is, one is made with pomegranate and apples. I had to get it just because I found it to be very unusual and sounded so intriguing. I was trying to imagine how in the heck you make something like that. When the guacamole platter arrived, the presentation was beautiful. The traditional guacamole was great and had a wonderful hint of lime, the pomegranate and apple had a much sweeter flavor and much more texture. Both were delicious. I thought the apple pomegranate would make a beautiful dish to take to a holiday party with all red pomegranate seeds against the greenness of the avocado.


For dinner, the dish I chose was the Pollo en Hoja Santa, which is a charbroiled chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and squash blossoms wrapped in a hoja santa leaf. Our server explained that the hoja santa leaf is believed to have certain healing powers. Though I was not ill, it seemed to unique to pass up. I also love goat cheese and decided it would be a good choice.

I split this dish with my husband and we were both pleased. The dish is served with steamed vegetables and green rice. The vegetables were cooked perfectly, having the perfect level of “crisp tender” steamed vegetables are supposed to have, and the color against the white plate made a great presentation.


Now about the rice, I really did not mean to devote a whole paragraph to the rice. It was tasty and was filled some unique spices. However, I also like rice and really did not think much of it until my husband tried it. You see for some reason, he is just not a big rice fan. He loathes the red rice that comes with your typical Mexican fare and says, “Rice is for Chinese food.” Therefore, I was surprised when I saw that he was trying it and then even more shocked when he said, “That rice is really good.” So if he likes you know it has to be good!

The chicken was moist and the goat cheese was salty and creamy. Those flavors most people are familiar with, but the hoja santa leaf not so much. I kept thinking it tasted a little bit sweet and like something, I have had before. As I was eating the leftovers the next day, and still could not put my finger on it, I used the power of Google and searched “hoja santa leaf flavor.” The results came up and I chose a sight that was about plants and herbs. The description about the hoja santa leaf mentioned the healing powers which our server had mentioned and that the flavor is compared to root beer. I am not much of a soda drinker these days and it has been years since I have had root beer, but that was it! I was so glad to have solved the mystery flavor. If you enjoy that salty sweet flavor combination, I recommend the Pollo en Hoja Santa.

I had my camera with me and of course was taking pictures of all the food. Ivan asked if I was with a magazine. I told him no, but that I wrote a blog about locally owned food finds in Kansas City. As generous gesture he gave us a complimentary dessert. It was Especiales de Atole which is a homemade corn milk ice cream. The topping of goat milk caramel and toasted nuts, gives this dessert a rich and creamy texture with a little crunch. Our server described it as a mix between gelato and ice cream. On the menu, it is hailed as their most successful mistake. Evidentially, it came about from a mishap one night in the kitchen. Ask your server to tell you the story.



Named after the famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo whose work is described to have featured intense and vibrant colors, Frida’s food, and décor are along those same lines.

The building is adorned with paintings, colorful light fixtures, and vibrant orange walls. The food is presented in a beautiful fashion and is truly a piece of art. The vegetables are a mix or vibrant orange, green and yellow that pop against the white plates. The dishes are also arranged in such a way that they are almost too pretty to eat. If the saying, “we eat with our eyes first” truly meant that, you would be stuffed even before your first bite!

Frida’s is open for lunch and dinner daily. Appetizer, soups, and salads range in price from $6.99 - $8.99. Lunch menu entrees range from $6.99 - $9.25 and dinner ranges $13.35 - $17.25.

Frida’s is located at 14861 Metcalf, Overland Park, KS 66223. 913-897-0606.

If you have a great food find in KC you think I am missing, email me.

In Good Taste,
Sharm

Foo's Fabulous Frozen Custard

A treat year around!

You may be asking yourself, “Why is she writing about frozen custard in the winter.” I am sure I would have thought the same thing if I had never been to Foo’s, but now I have and here is why.

Foo’s has two locations in the city, one in Brookside the other in Leawood. Both locations mix up a mean concrete but it is the Leawood location that will warm you up.

Open for breakfast at 7:00 a.m. (8:00 a.m. on Sunday), Foo’s offers Le Monde pastries and a variety of coffee and espresso drinks featuring Kansas City ‘s own Roasterie coffee.

Not up that early? Then stop in for lunch. Served from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Foo’s offers a variety of sandwiches made with bread from the locally owned Farm to Market Bread Company, wraps, salads, and soups.


The most popular soup at Foo’s is the roasted red pepper with smoked gouda cheese. I had that along with a turkey sandwich and was not disappointed. The sandwich was great, but the soup is what sold me! For starters it was nice to have something warm on a chilly day and second the flavor. The sweetness of the peppers combined with the saltiness of the cheese is a delicious combination.

Foo's was the idea of Joe Bremser whose nickname is Foo, and his wife Roseann. Foo's opened in 1988 and is recognized as the original custard shop in all of Kansas City. The store was purchased by Foo's sister, Betty Bremser, in 1996. Today, Foo’s is one of the most recognized brands in Kansas City. Foo’s custard is served at all area blanc locations and b:2 where they use the frozen custard in their shakes.


Foo’s Fabulous Frozen Custard was selected as Kansas City's Best Local Ice Cream/Custard by KC Magazine in 2010. Foo’s prides itself as a being a locally owned Kansas City business and shares that spotlight with other locally owned Kansas City products. Foo’s carries the locally made Hippie Chow granola, Best Regards cookies, coffee from The Roasterie and Christopher Elbow signature chocolates. Christopher’s chocolates are available by the piece or in 9 piece, 16 piece, or 21 piece boxes along with 14 chocolate bar flavors.


Even though the weather was chilly, I was at Foo’s Fabulous Frozen Custard after all, so how could I not leave without a custard. I had the Reese's Lovers - Reese's, Peanut Butter, Chocolate. I am a sucker for about any combination that contains peanut butter and chocolate. Though similar to ice cream, custard is richer, thicker, and creamier because there is more egg yolk and butterfat mixed in and less air incorporated. Foo’s has perfected the recipe and it is delightfully sweet and creamy!


If you are just too chilly to go the custard route but your sweet tooth is aching, you can warm up with one of their signature coffee drinks or a Christopher Elbow Drinking Chocolate (Cocoa Noir, Venezuelan Spice, Peppermint, or Mocha). The drinking chocolate is served with one of his handmade marshmallows, now that is heaven in a cup!

Be sure to stop into Foo’s and warm up with nice hot bowl or soup and sweet cup of Christopher Elbows drinking chocolate. Also be sure to pick up some great local products and share a little bit of Kansas City with your family and friends.

Foo’s Fabulous Frozen Custard location and hours

Brookside
6235 Brookside, Plaza Kansas City, MO 64113
Phone: 816-523-2520
Sunday and Monday 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 11:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday and Saturday 11:30 AM - 10:00 PM

Leawood
9421 Mission Road, Leawood, Kansas 66206
Phone: 913-383-3667
Fax: 913-383-3666
Sunday 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday - Thursday 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday, Saturday 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM

In Good Taste,
Sharm

Jude’s Kansas City Rum Cake

Support local and “Let them eat cake.”

I was at the Holiday Mart this fall and had a sample of Jude’s Rum cake. It was love at first bite! I gave the guy behind the booth my card and told him I wrote about locally owned food business and restaurants in KC, and that this cake was amazing! He gave me his card and it turned out to be the owner, Craig Adcock who also owns Belly Up BBQ, a company that includes full service catering, BBQ products and more.


As I have mentioned before I really love meeting the business owners. I love seeing their eyes light up when you tell them how yummy their product is.

Craig sent me some information, and I was delighted to write about it for the Kansas City Food Examiner page I write for. As a thank you, Craig called me up and said he wanted to give me one of his cakes. What a generous gesture, I was not going to turn down that offer. I promptly made my way to Lenexa where they are locally made to pick it up.


When I went to pick up my cake, I was able to visit a bit more with Craig and see the commercial kitchen where he bakes them. These cakes truly are a labor of love and only finest quality ingredients are used. Jude’s Rum cakes are hand-made in small batches using whole eggs, real butter, Barbancourt Rum from Haiti and locally grown pecans from Missouri Northern Pecan Growers.


As it so happens, the cake was given in perfect timing to double as my birthday cake! I was delighted to share it with my family. Everyone raved!

My sister-in-law said that the cake was “killer” and wants to order one to have for Christmas. My father-in-law said, “Man that cake is really good.”

The cakes are soaked in rum, which makes them delightfully moist, and the combination of the pecans and sugar adds a wonderful sweet crunch.

Jude’s Rum Cakes are recognized nationally by Foodie Extraordinaire David Rosengarten, who is also author of the Rosengarten Report, a James Beard winning food and wine newsletter. On the local scale the cakes have been featured in KC Magazine, Present Magazine, and Glace owner Christopher Elbow has even made ice cream using it.


These cakes make excellent holiday gifts and are shipped nationwide, what a great way to share a bit of Kansas City to those on your list. If you are local to the Kansas City metro area order one to share at your next event or take as a hostess gift. These cakes are available all year around so don’t just wait for the holidays to enjoy.

Jude’s Rum Cakes come in three sizes. The large 4-pound version ($50) yields 16 large slices and the smaller size 2-pound ($30) will yield 8 slices. They also bake and sell mini muffin-size and two-bite teaser rum cakes. ($12 - $15)
Order online or arrangements can be made for pick up and by calling 913.526.6708.

If you have a great food find in KC you think I am missing,email me.

In Good Taste,
Sharm

Apertures and Appetizers Class by Berkel Photography

A delicious and informative class

The timing on this class was perfect and I want to thank Gordon Roe of Tastebud Magazine and Glori Berkel from Berkel Photography for setting it up!

I recently purchased a new camera with hopes that it will help me take some better photos. Well I have come to find out that it is not about the camera, but about me knowing how to run it, in order to take those great shots.

Whether you have just a basic digital camera or one of those high-end ones, they all have the similar settings that can help you take great pictures, and that is where this class comes into play.

Taught by Glori Berkel of Berkel photography whose work is featured on stockfood.com, has a food blog of her own, and has taught classes for UMKC, she knows a few things about getting those great shots.

In this class, Glori will show you how to change the settings on your camera to compensate for poor lighting in a restaurant and talk about how to make the plate look yummy without too much fuss. It is not to technical, but also talks about white balance, ISO, the mode settings, and focusing. The best part is that food is included in the price of the class.

I had a wonderful time learning about my camera and chatting with the other KC foodies in attendance which included Jenny Vergara of Making of a Foodie and Jason Burton of Lab 5702. The class was held at The Drop Bar and owner Eddie Crane made up a platter of their mouthwatering bruschetta to practice photographing, which made the class yummy as well!



A couple of the most important things I learned were when and when not to use a flash, the ISO speed and the need for a small table top tri pod. The best pictures come out when the ISO is set on a lower setting. With the low setting and holding the camera, it is hard to keep the camera still enough and a blurry picture will result. That is where the need for the tripod comes in. Pictured below is one with holding the camera and the other taken using the tripod.




Another great tip was about focal points. The photo below shows a sample of that.



If you are interested in photography but not into taking pictures of food that is ok, Berkel Photography offers many types photography classes.

To contact Glori Berkel or get information and pricing on this class or other classes she offers visit the Berkel Photography website.

To taste the delicious bruschetta be sure to visit The Drop. To get the mouthwatering recipes and the scoop on other things about food in KC, pick up a copy of tastebud magazine.

And as always, if you have a great food find in KC you think I am missing, email me.

In Good Taste,
Sharm