What a fun day?!  I so enjoy coming out and cooking for the customers and staff of Williams Sonoma in the Forum. The staff is like family! I have been demoing and educating the customers about eating and supporting local farmers for the past 6 months and it has been a beautiful partnership.  So many times we do not eat in season, we eat the same things week after week. I am so very grateful for the support of such an icon, like Williams Sonoma, to be able to showcase local farmers and share with their customers, creative and healthy ways to eat local.  Today we used my favorite local farm, Fry Farm in Bethlehem Ga, early spring produce, red kitten kale, baby chantenay carrots, nobel spinach and baby cress.

I wanted to put up a couple of the customer’s favorite recipes, before hitting the sack. I hope my readers will enjoy these simple and delicious farm to table recipes as well, just as we all did today.

Until next time remember to Set the Table with Love and Eat Local. 🙂

SET THE TABLE WITH LOVE

FARM TO TABLE EARLY SPRING MENU

White Asparagus, Red Spinach and Pancetta Tart topped with Baby Cress

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and rolled out
• ¼ – ½ cup pancetta, crisped and cooled
• 1 cup shaved white asparagus, cutting off the spearheads and chopping them finely to add to each tart.
• 3/4 cup gruyere, or more based on your preference
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus more for topping (optional)
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• ¼ cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups red spinach, chopped
• baby cress, as garnished
• extra virgin olive, sea salt and a lemon juice to dress the baby cress, optional.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone-baking sheet. In a saucepan on medium heat, cook the pancetta, until crispy, set aside to cool.

Combine the shaved white asparagus, crispy pancetta, gruyere, parmesan, milk, thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Place the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.

Once hot, add the shallots and garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl with the cheese mixture.

Stir together until well combined.

On a floured surface roll out the puff pasty and using the smallest cookie cutter cut out several circles, as many as you can with each pastry sheet. Place the cut pieces into a lightly mini muffin pan, mold the pastry to make a small cup in the muffin pan. Use a fork to prick holes in the bottom, so the pastry doesn’t puff up. If the pastry puffs up after your blind baking, just gently press the middle down, before adding the filling.

Blind bake the tarts in the oven for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven gently push down the middle of the tarts, if has puffed up a lot. Leave whilst to add the filling.

Spoon in a little mixture into each tart.

Brush each puff pastry with the remaining beaten egg and top with a sprinkling of extra parmesan and gruyere, if desired.

Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

Remove from oven, let cool a few minutes before serving.

Gently toss the baby cress in the olive oil, lemon and sea salt. Add to the top of each tart.

GRILLED SMOKY AND SWEET MAPLE BABY CHANTENY CARROTS, MAPLE SYRUP

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bushel of baby chantney carrots
• 1 and ½ tablespoons oil
• Sea salt
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons chipotle seasoning
• 2 – 3 teaspoons butter
• 2 – 3 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• Fresh chopped mint

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 375. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminium foil (for easy clean-up) and set aside.
• Wash the baby carrots and drain well, chop off tops.
• Tip the carrots onto the lined baking sheet (don’t crowd them, you want them to roast, not steam). Drizzle with the oil. Sprinkle with the sea salt and smoked paprika, chipotle seasoning, then toss the carrots gently to coat them with the seasoned oil.
• Roast in the oven for 30-40 mins or until almost done.
• In a saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter, and maple syrup, sea salt, and one juice of a medium blood orange, and reduce heat, until sauce has thicken. Add roasted carrots into the  saucepan and toss, until the carrots are completely covered.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with chopped mint

Smoky and Sweet Baby Chantenay Carrots