Homemade Guest Series: Spring Brunch, pt. 2

Series Guest Matt Clark (l) with his partner Stephen Der Margosian

enjoying his delicious Spring Brunch on the patio at Bittersweet Cottage.

Part 2 of our first Guest Series takes us to Bittersweet Cottage & Suite, where co-owner Matt Clark is whipping up a delicious Spring Brunch featuring the local and seasonal goodies we picked up at the Tailgate Market in Part 1.

Bittersweet Cottage, a beautiful getaway just minutes from downtown Asheville.

A reminder of what we found at the Tailgate Market:

Fresh ramps, kale, quali eggs, lamb sausage, a fine baguette, 

sunflower sprouts and Matt's homemade pickled beets & onions.

Matt at work in his uniquely spaced, yet highly functional kitchen.

Matt wanted to keep the preparation simple to let the flavors of these fresh, local ingredients be the star attraction. And these recipes can work throughout the year as other varieties of greens come into season. If you can't find quail eggs, you can use chicken eggs (even better if from your own chickens or from a local farmer!). And the same goes for the lamb sausage - this is a recipe that can have many variations.

Our Menu:
Ramp Pesto on Toasted Baguette

Lamb Sausage with Kale, Ramps, & Quail Eggs

Pickled Beets with Sunflower Sprouts

Asheville Brewing Company Shiva Ale

Our crusty baguette and Ramp Pesto, in small crock
by Matt Clark (did I mention he's also a potter?)

Ramp Pesto 
(makes approx. 1 cup)
Ramps have a deliciously strong flavor, and the raw garlic jumps right in with an added zip. The pesto would still be great without the garlic, if it makes you shy!

2 cups loosely packed tender ramp greens*, chopped
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 cup raw walnuts, lightly toasted
1 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste
1 fresh, crusty baguette

Place ramp greens, nuts, garlic, cheese, black pepper, and lemon juice in food processor. Pulse or run on low until ingredients are evenly processed. Slowly drizzle in olive oil. Taste for salt and salt to taste.

can't you just smell it?

Cut baguette on the diagonal in 1/2" slices. Lightly toast under the broiler. Lightly brush or drizzle with olive oil, then spread pesto on top of each slice. Garnish with thinly sliced radish.

*We used one bunch of ramps for the entire menu, using the tender leaves for the pesto and adding the chopped stems to the Kale (recipe follows). 

Lamb Sausage on a bed of kale & ramps with bacon,

stoneware serving platter by Crazy Green Studios.

Sausage & Kale

1 pound lamb sausage, whole
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 pound kale, rinsed, stems removed and chopped, leaves torn into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup chopped ramp stems & bulbs
4 slices bacon*
salt
fresh ground pepper
1 TBSP red wine vinegar

*use your favorite bacon. Matt had just splurged on some Mangalitsa (wooly pig!) bacon from Johnston County Hams (Smithfield, NC), and we used that. Smokey, salty, rampy greens.

Cook the bacon in a 12" skillet until as crisp as you like it. Set aside on paper towels to drain off excess grease while you prepare the rest of the dish. Pour off all but 1 TBSP of the bacon grease and reserve for other uses. 

In a 10" saute pan, heat 1 tsp. vegetable oil over medium heat. Brown whole sausages on all sides, then remove from heat. When cool enough to handle, cut on diagonal into 1" slices. Reheat oil and brown sausage on cut sides (in batches if necessary). 

Re-heat the pan over medium heat, then add the chopped kale stems and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Add chopped ramp bulbs & stems and continue to cook another minute or so, then add the torn kale leaves and sprinkle vinegar over the pan. Stir greens and continue to cook until the kale leaves are wilted and tender (we used young kale, which was already tender, so this didn't take very long at all). Remove from heat.

quail eggs

Quail Eggs
3 quail eggs per serving
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Heat a 10" saute pan over medium heat. Add just enough oil to grease the pan. Carefully break three eggs into a saucer. The inner membrane is tougher than a chicken egg, so we ended up cracking the egg with the back of a knife, then making a slit in the crack to make opening the shell easier. When the pan is hot, gently slide the three eggs together into the pan. Lightly season with salt & pepper and cook to 'sunny side up' (firm whites, soft yolks). Slide cooked eggs onto a clean plate and cook off in batches for each serving.

To serve: crumble some of the bacon atop the greens and serve with several slices of the sausage, and slide the quail eggs on top of the greens. Serve with a side of pickled beets & onions on a bed of sunflower sprouts, drizzled with the liquid from the pickled beets and a sprinkle of salt.

Spring Brunch, served on stoneware plates by Crazy Green Studios

Matt's Pickled Beets & Onions were so delicious, we couldn't leave them out! You'll find that recipe on the blog portion of my website, just click HERE.

We leave you with our lovely view from the patio outside Bittersweet Cottage, until our next adventure (hint... have you ever cooked with stinging nettles?)!

ahhhhhhhh....

Homemade Guest Series: Spring Brunch pt. 1

Spring has arrived, the Tailgate Markets are opening, and the Homemade Guest Series begins! I'll be joined each month by one or more guests: chefs, food professionals, and massively passionate home cooks. Together we'll explore one of our many local Tailgate Markets, and once fully stocked and inspired, our guest cook will plot a meal while I collect some beautiful handmade pottery for its compliment.

Each Guest Series will appear here in two parts. Part One will be the Market visit, and Part Two the making of the meal, including recipes. And for those who are used to my rambling, narrative suggestions of recipes, prepare yourselves as we'll be presenting actual recipes (but I reserve the right to liberal use of the phrase "to taste"). Let the seasonal, local eating begin!

April Guest Series: Spring Brunch

This month, my guest is Matt Clark, co-owner of Bittersweet Cottage & Suite in Asheville with his partner, Stephen DerMargosian. Matt has always had a love of good food, and while he honed some skills working in catering, his natural abilities, along with his passion for food and for cooking, are what makes an invitation to his table highly coveted by all who know him. Bittersweet Cottage & Suite is a peaceful, private, and romantic getaway tucked away on Elk Mountain Scenic Highway and yet just minutes from downtown Asheville. Learn more and see how lovely it is HERE.

Spring Brunch, Part One:

We visited the Wednesday afternoon Tailgate Market at the

 French Broad Food Co-op, and found all sorts of goodies for inspiration:

We found tender kale among lots of green goodies in the Jake's Farm booth

Lori from MiLo Acres showing off the quail eggs we just bought.

Could not pass up a crusty baguette from Simple Bread!

Spring Brunch just wouldn't be right without ramps! Also from MiLo Acres.

Lamb sausage from Dry Ridge Farm completed our shopping.

Our Market haul, with some walnuts and sunflower sprouts from the Co-op
and a jar of Matt's homemade pickled beets & onions.

Stay tuned to see how these luscious, local ingredients came together to make a beautiful brunch. One final teaser - here was the view from our brunch table on the patio outside Bittersweet Cottage:

aaaaaahhhhhh!