| Tweet |
For Part Two of my $50 mission — last month I hit up the Farmer’s Market of Honey Horn — I made the trip to Cahill’s Market in Bluffton with 50 bucks in my pocket and recipe ideas floating in my head.
The Cahill’s farm has been around since 1918, so I knew I was headed to Fresh Produce Heaven. But it wasn’t just the tables stocked with the in-season vegetables and fruits that caught my eye; there were tons of varieties of butters, salsas, preserves, dressings and grits everywhere I turned. The cold case was filled with eggs from the Cahill hens, hoop cheese (cheddar — nice), country side meat (bacon — extra nice) and gorgeous blackberries. I immediately thought one thing: brunch!
Let’s get cooking. (Each recipe serves 6.)
Grits casserole
with hoop cheese and country side meat
- 8-10 oz. Foothills country side meat, diced
- ¾ cup Palmetto Farms grits
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ lb. Foothills black rind hoop cheese, grated
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 eggs, beaten
- Hot sauce
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a shallow casserole dish. Fry side meat in a large skillet until golden brown, remove using a slotted spoon and set aside.Bring water, milk and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add grits. Simmer until thick and smooth, stirring frequently, 20-25 minutes. When grits are done, remove from heat. Stir in cheese, side meat, eggs, butter and season with hot sauce. Pour grits into prepared dish, bake until golden brown 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.
Photography / Rob Kaufman
Blackberry clafouti
(Traditionally made with cherries, a clafouti is like a custardy pancake loaded with fruit.)
- 16 oz. blackberries
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
- ½ cup flour, sifted
- Grated peel of one lemon
Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a 10-inch round pie plate.Toss blackberries with 2 tablespoons of sugar and peel and arrange in plate. Heat the milk and cream in a small pan until just simmering. Remove and set aside. Whisk ½ cup sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined. Add the flour and whisk until smooth; the batter will be thick. Add milk slowly; whisk constantly making a custard, then pour over blackberries. Bake 35-40 minutes until the calfouti is set and slightly puffy.
Caramelized Vidalia onion and apple butter tart
(The onions can be prepared a day in advance, but the pastry can’t — it’ll go soggy. This could also be made into individual tartlets for a cocktail party.)
- 2-3 Vidalia onions, peeled and sliced thinly
- ½ cup Cahill’s apple butter
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- Flour
Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they soften. Add balsamic vinegar, stir, lower heat, and cook 45-50 minutes, stirring often, until the onions become sticky and deep-caramel-colored.
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the pastry to measure approximately 10x10 inches on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to the baking sheet. Using a pizza wheel, score each edge about one inch in. Fold the scored “edge” toward the center to create a border. Using the back of a fork press the outside edges of the border down. Prick the inside of the tart in rows about ½ inch apart. Bake 15-20 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from oven, press down the center using the back of a spoon if it puffed up.
Lower oven temperature to 325F. Spread the pastry shell with ½ cup of apple butter, top with onion mixture and re-heat for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.
The $50 Bill
- Vidalia onions:$3.59
- Cahill’s apple butter: $5.29
- Foothills country side meat: $7.18
- Palmetto farms grits: $5.99
- Foothills hoop cheese: $4.43
- Cahill farm eggs: $3.50
- Blackberries:$5.99
- Total: $35.97
