Tag Archives: chef

Everything Bagel Mac & Cheese

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For our final #sausagesunday collaboration with BFR Meats, it was implored upon my son to make his favorite mac & cheese of all time, Everything Bagel Mac & Cheese. This recipe is inspired by Lindsay of The Hunger Diaries, who came up with this “hack” for her YouTube Channel. There are several meatless Everything Bagel macs on the interwebs and her hack includes sausage to give it that “breakfasty” kick. I had to make a few changes since she uses feta but it’s a close tribute to her recipe and it’s so so good. And I’m absolutely shocked that my son loves this mac so much because he typically refuses to eat anything that’s everything. I mean, has he ever in his little life tried an everything bagel, everything pretzels, everything seasoning? That’s a hard no. Go figure.

BFR Meats has gotten into the pork business lately and I love their pork products, especially this breakfast sausage. It’s not too fatty and has great flavor.

So when the little man said it was the best mac & cheese he’s ever tasted and one of the top 5 meals of his life AND he asked for it for his birthday, well it went down in the history books (after I was wiped up from the floor). If you give this recipe a try be sure to tell me what you think and share it on the socials!

Ingredients: 

1 8oz block cream cheese at room temperature
1 lb pasta (short, spirally like cavatappi and be sure it can handle the stirring)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar
1 cup shredded gruyere (you can also add or sub asiago)
½ cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese or parmegianno
6 cups whole milk 
1 turn (about 1/4 cup) heavy cream (optional)
6 cloves garlic, minced 
Salt/Pepper 
Drizzle of EVOO 
1 lb. breakfast sausage, crumbled and browned
2-3 tbs. everything but the bagel seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Place cream cheese in the center of a large round casserole or a 13-inch baking dish. 

Spread the uncooked pasta and cheeses around the cream cheese, pour milk around the center, add garlic, and salt. Mix it in lightly around the exterior and try to cover the pasta as much as you can but leave the cream cheese in the middle. Add freshly cracked black pepper to the top and drizzle the cream cheese with some olive oil.

 Bake at 350 for 55 min. Give it a good mix about halfway through baking.

Meanwhile in a medium size skillet, crumble and brown up your sausage and set aside.

Once the mac & cheese is bubbly, remove from oven and stir in the sausage. It should be creamy and cheesy. If it’s not quite ready, gritty or needs more creaminess, add some milk and return to the oven for a few more minutes. You can even top with more cheese here if you wish and bake another 20 minutes. If you look closely, my cream cheese did not get entirely creamy but I was running out of time since we were headed to the movies ;).

Before the mix-ins

Top the finished mac with everything bagel chips, everything but the bagel seasoning, and chives or parley for some color (you’ll see I didn’t do that since a certain someone won’t eat it if I add something green). Enjoy!

This mac & cheese reheats well with a little bit of cream to loosen it up and fresh crushed bagel chips on top.

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Beef Short Rib Bo Ssam w/ BFR Meats

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Slow cook Sundays are our current collaboration for the month of February with our friends at BFR Meats. You can find BFR’s meats including steaks, ground beef, sausages, ribs. pork, jerky. Check them out online and on High Country Food Hub.

My family and I recently enjoyeda beef short rib version of Bo Ssam, traditionally a pulled pork dish served with all kinds of toppings and sides and has been made famous by Momofuko’s David Chang. Ssam, is Korean for “wrap” and butter or bib lettuce is used as a vessel to hold decadent and unctious pork shoulder that’s been cooked for hours and hours. It’s paired with kimchi, toppings and sauces. While we are no strangers in NC to a great fall off the bone pork butt, I wanted to try it with BFR Meats Beef Short Ribs and the result was fantastic. It still takes a few hours so, let’s put your slow cooker to use. Ssam is great fun with family and friends who can choose to wrap or make a plate or bowl. Try out all the flavor combos and just go to town. 

Ingredients
4lbs. beef short ribs
4 cups stock
1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari
1 tbs. turbinado or coconut palm sugar (white sugar will do)
5 tbs. brown sugar
1 tbs. salt

Ssam Accompaniments 
Bib lettuce
Kimchi
Ssam sauce (Momofuko inspired recipe below)
Ginger scallion sauce (Momofuko inspired recipe below)
Carrots, Scallions, Cilantro, Micro greens for toppings (optional)
Rice

Marinade
3 tbs. tamari
3 spring onions, sliced
1 tbs. rice wine vinegar
2 tbs. sesame oil 
4 tbs. Gochujang sauce or sambal oelek
1 inch knob fresh ginger, grated or sliced (you can use jarred)
3 cloves garlic smashed or minced
Salt/Pepper

Directions: 
Generously salt and pepper short ribs. In a bowl mix the marinade and pour over the ribs. Work it in well. Conversely, place ribs in a plastic bag and pour over, giving it a good massage. Let marinate overnight or at least 2 hours. 

When ready to cook, remove ribs and place in your slow cooker. Add the 1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari, 1 tbs. of turbinado or coconut sugar, and stock to just cover the ribs. Cook on low for 8 hours. Check after 6 hours to see if the ribs pull apart from the bones. Once the meat is cooked and very tender, remove from the liquid and then remove the meat from the bones, roughly shred, and place on a foil lined pan. ***Note***At this point, you may choose to remove some of the connective tissue from the meat, as it makes for a more enjoyable and visually appealing eating experience. It’s not entirely necessary but we do it.  It won’t take long if the meat is cooked until tender.  Save and strain the cooking liquid for later. 

Mix the brown sugar and the tbs. of salt in a small bowl. Spread the shredded meat on the pan and sprinkle with the brown sugar and salt mixture. If it looks a little dry, drizzle a bit of the cooking liquid onto the meat. Bake at 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the meat is caramelized with some crispy edges. 

Ginger Scallion Sauce inspired by Momofuko
Ingredients: 
1 bunch thinly spring onions, white and green part
splash soy sauce 
1/4 cup freshly minced ginger (I use jarred)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp sherry vinegar
salt to taste

While the meat cooks, mix together ingredients for Ginger Scallion Sauce, adjust seasonings to taste. 

Ssam Sauce inspired by Momofuko
Note: Here’s where I had to modify as I don’t have access to the suggested recipe’s ssamjang. 2 tbs. ssamjang or fermented bean &n chili paste. I used 2 tbs. gochujang (found with Asian sauces)
2 tbs. tbs. chili garlic paste or sambal oelek
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup neutral oil

Mix the sauces and vinegar and slowly add oil until desired consistency. Adjust for taste. 

Once the short rib meat is caramelized and the sauces are made, place on a platter and surround it with your ssam sauces and toppings. Serve with rice and have fun making the different combinations. 

This is the meat mixture with kimchi, all the sauces on rice

This is the meat mixture in the bib lettuce “ssam”

Oven method:
Follow the marinade recipe as instructed. Drizzle the bottom of a braiser or dutch oven with oil and place the ribs in a single layer as much as possible.  Add stock, soy/tamari, tbs. of sugar, pop the lid on and cook 300 degrees for 3 hours. Continue with the rest of the recipe above. 

Triadfoodies Chef’s Table Recap: Cille & Scoe

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As the sun set on a popular restaurant in downtown Greensboro, a new concept emerged. Forged from a childhood spent with grandparents on an urban farm. a dream was being woven and a little boy learned how to grow his own food each season, harvest it, and prepare it for dinner. That lifelong love and learning of a true farm to table experience has brought to life a restaurant, that calls itself “Southern, redefined.”

Roscoe and Lucille Reaves

Lucille and Roscoe Reaves taught Chef Sean Reaves so much of everything that he knows, that the namesakes and their passion for growing their own food are at the heart of ‘Cille & ‘Scoe, affectionately adopting the nicknames of the two people who’ve impacted him the most.

I usually don’t inundate (haha) a new restaurant with one of our events so soon, but to know Sean and his wife, Tara, is to love them, and I couldn’t wait to show them off a little bit. I strongly encourage you to listen to my podcast as we interviewed this beautiful couple about their life, Sean’s career, their family and this new “baby” they’re nurturing.  Speaking of babies, the Reaves already have two very little “littles” and another one on the way. Yes. They’ve been busy. 

Open for about a month in the location that once was 1618 Downtown, we enjoyed a November Chef’s Table at ‘Cille & ‘Scoe where our sold out “small group” of 25 shared multiple courses family-style. The place was jumping, no question about that and what goodness it was to our eyes to see this early on.  Let’s take a look at the courses, shall we? 

Course One: Charcuterie

Course 2: Shrimp & Grit Cakes

Course 3: 4-Day Chicken (this chicken has been brined, dry rubbed over then coure of 4 days, then roasted)

Course 4: The R & R, Rabbit Ravioli

Course 5:

Beef & Beet (Beef with homemade spaetzle and beet consomme)

It was so nice to meet Sean and Tara and I know our guests enjoyed talking to him toward the conclusion of the evening.

We think ‘Cille & ‘Scoe have a successful road ahead. As many restaurants that are new and young, the Reaves are working out some of those early kinks with execution and getting things to the table quickly. And some dishes are so popular, they’ve sold out of them on some nights. The love affair with local is real and you can see the passion in Sean’s and Tara’s eyes. If you attended our Chef’s Table, we thank you so much for supporting our local chefs. We’ll see you again at the table in the new year!

Wanna go?
‘Cille & ‘Scoe is located at 312 S. Elm Street, Greensboro
336-522-6592
cilleandscoe.com

A Review of Winston-Salem’s Newest Chicken Sandwiches

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When last we visited the fair Camel City, we decided to check out two very different chicken sammies. One is huge and packs some heat and the other is also a good size, yet more traditional. Let’s take a stroll to 5th Street downtown…

Top: Timmy’s Hot Chicken’s The Tim Bottom: Skrimp Shack Chicken Samwich

Timmy’s Hot Chicken 237 W. Fifth Street

We flew in on Timmy’s Hot Chicken’s second day open. Not something I usually do, but it’s not Tim’s first rodeo. We ordered The Tim ($8) which is as “basic” as it gets: chicken, pickles and comeback sauce. Although I like spicy food, I ordered it medium because I was scared 🙂 …It’s GIANT with two good-sized perfectly crispy thighs that are super juicy on the inside, a light schmear of comeback sauce and a few pickles. Pic of size does not do it justice. I removed one of the thighs and still wasn’t able to finish the entire sandwich. The goal was to share it anyway, but my entire table wanted their own sandwich (only my husband could finish his). With medium. it still had a kick but wasn’t uncomfortable. I’d be willing to share the Hot with mr. foodie one day. You can get as many toppings as you want, all the way up to The Timothy ($10) which is basically loaded with slaw, bacon, cheese and sauce. Not into bread? You can also order chicken tenders, thighs or beyond chicken if you prefer a protein to go with a side.  A plethora of sides are available at Timmy’s and we especially enjoyed the mac & cheese. The slaw is a nice accompaniment to the rich chicken. We didn’t try the collard greens, but if you do, let us know what you think! All in all, the sandwich is a good value for the size. Sides are not included in the sandwich price.

I highly recommend the bread pudding as a dessert. It wasn’t full of layers like you are used to as it was really like pudding, but you could really taste the banana and it had a nice depth of flavor.

Oh and if you love a challenge and are so inclined, Timmy’s invites you to try the Hellfire wings and eat them in 10 minutes or less and you get your name on a plate! Note: Tim told me that hellfire is ridiculously spicy.

Across town at the Skrimp Shack (1103 Silas Creek Parkway)…we were invited to pop in and try their new Chicken Thigh Samwich which features their crispy signature breading, slaw, pickles and their own “sweet sauce” that was created just for the sandwich. The sauce will remind you of a comeback sauce or a bit like a white barbecue too, albeit less spicy than Timmy’s. 

Skrimp’s chicken samwich isn’t as huge as Timmy’s, which means you’ll likely be able to finish if you didn’t just eat half of The Tim, lol. This is the sandwich you’ll want when you want to eat local, fast, inexpensive and you want your chicken sandwich traditional. We don’t always need bells and whistles, y’all, right? The sandwich comes with slaw and feel free to get yours the way it comes, but I like to taste the main event in a sandwich so I ordered my slaw on the side. Skrimp Shack’s slaw is really good, I just ususally prefer slaw not on my sandwich. If you’re not in the mood for a sandwich or even chicken at Skrimp Shack, by all means order some freshly fried oysters, shrimp or fish as they never disappoint. They even have terrific fish tacos. Sides are too many to mention but we do love Skrimp Shack’s mac & cheese.

Chicken Thigh Samwich, slaw on the side and an order of mac & cheese

Fried Oysters…just a few to sample

Again, this is not a best or better review…simply a tell-all about chicken sandwiches, but if you love you some banana pudding, Skrimp Shack has it too and it’s a big one …big enough to share and it has the layers like you may know and love. It has more of a vanilla pudding base with bananas layered in. Super old school and yummy.

Oh and fun fact! If you can’t eat your whole sandwich and you happen to have an air fryer, these chicken thighs reheat incredibly well. I literally had 2 whole chicken thighs and 2 half sandwiches to eat when we got home and they made some delicious leftovers.

With that foodies, I send you out into the world to eat local and try some locally-owned chicken sandwiches. Where do you find your favorite non-chain chicken sandwiches? Let us know below or comment on our instagram post!

A Look Back at Our Chef’s Table at Sixth and Vine with Chef Ebony Warfield

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A Chef’s Table is an experience. What started five years ago as a handful of people letting the chef surprise us has transcended into a gathering of friends that seem to extend beyond itself as we see new faces each month. When we sat together at 6th and Vine to get to know Chef Ebony Warfield, there was an unmistakable magic in the air and by the end of the evening, Chef Ebony felt the magic and the love.

Ebony Warfield is the new executive chef at 6th and Vine, a restaurant located on 6th Street that has become somewhat of a Winston-Salem icon. Ebony is the first Black Executive Chef in Winston-Salem. It’s even more special because the restaurant is also woman-owned as Kathleen Barnes has remained an integral part of WSNC food scene for a number of years. You can learn more about Ebony and Kathleen in my podcast on the Triad Podcast Network. With a military background and a number of years working locally in some of our top dining establishments, this wife and mother’s dedication to her profession is inspiring. I knew I NEEDED to feature Ebony at a Chef’s Table. She and Kathleen promptly said “yes,” and once we went live, the event sold out in just a few hours.

Ebony introduced the evening that was about to commence as “…dinner at your grandma’s house, if your grandma went to culinary school.” Soul-filling and nourishing dishes that inspired by her upbringing and training were nudged into creative iterations that dazzled our eyes and palates. The attention to flavor and detail was remarkable. At the end of the evening, Ebony received a well-deserved standing ovation, which led to her tears and our tears. She felt it! It was special. If you were there, thank you for being a part of it. Thank you for showing this talented chef all the admiration she’s due. If you missed it, fear not, foodie. She’s in the kitchen of 6th and Vine dazzling diners 5 days a week including Saturday/Sunday brunch.

Let’s take a look at our four course Chef’s Table with Chef Ebony Warfield.

Course 1: Southern Charcuterie with homemade cornbread, pimento cheese, pickled collards, homemade jam, homemade toasted & caramelized pecans

Course 2: Pureed White Bean Soup, Ham Cup, Parley Oil

Course 3: Roasted Chicken with Local Seasonal Vegetables

Course 4: Lemon Blueberry Upside Down Cake

We hope you get a chance to visit 6th & Vine and see what Ebony and her team are churning out. While the menu has stayed the same in many ways, because Ebony didn’t want to mess with what was working, her touches are evident and the specials always look amazing.

Tears of joy with a standing ovation

Chef Ebony Warfield, 6th & Vine owner Kathleen Barnes, Mary Haglund

Our next Chef’s Table is September 15 at Spring House Restaurant, Kitchen and Bar featuring Chef Tim Grandinetti. It’s SOLD OUT but stay tuned for more Chef’s Tables in the coming months.