From the Maker's Mouth: First Prize Pies

My first interaction with Allison Kave was last fall when I fell in love with her company called Butter and Scotch.  She and her business partner Keavy Blueher make unique, creative, classic American desserts and cocktails.  Their cocktail caramel popcorn is a fun twist on a traditional caramel corn and the depth of flavor is just amazing. We decided it was a good fit for our gifts at The Savory Pantry.  Since then we have gotten to know Allison and Keavy and have used them to help us expand our cocktail selections.  When we learned that Allison was coming out with a cookbook we were so excited and made sure to place a pre-order.  As a gift or for yourself, this cookbook is educational, user friendly and has lots and lots of tantalizing pictures.  Enjoy!  -Tina 

What was the inspiration behind your cookbook? I was inspired to create a book that would encourage both home bakers and professionals to have a more confident, adventurous, and playful approach to pie baking.

What is it about what you do that you love the most?  The most enjoyable part for me is definitely coming up with new recipes, and testing them until they’re just right. Sometimes things just fall into place right away, but other times it takes a lot of trial and error before you hit on the perfect recipe.

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Photo by Tina Rupp

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Photo by Tina Rupp

What is the most unique pie you ever made and did you like it? This is a hard one for me to answer, as I pride myself on coming up with some pretty unique pie recipes! I’d say the top three are probably my Mint Julep Cream Pie, Trifecta (Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel), and Root Beer Float. I like them all! I wouldn’t bake them or put them in my book if I didn’t.

What is your most memorable meal?  This is a really tough one! I’ve been fortunate to have had many memorable and delicious meals in my life. I’d have to say it’s a tie between a surprise anniversary dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns a few years ago, and my mom’s 60th birthday dinner at Pierre Gagnaire in Paris last year. Both were incredible on every level: flavor, creativity, service, and ambience.

What is your favorite food or food trend?  My favorite foods tend to be very rich: hot fudge sundaes, foie gras, and lobster rolls are right up there for me. As for trends, I love the emphasis that a lot of chefs and food writers have been placing on umami, and as a result of all these recipes buzzing around, I’ve been using a lot more miso in my home cooking.

What is your (food) guilty pleasure? I don’t feel guilty about pleasure - bring on the queso!

From the Makers Mouth: Virginia Chutney

Nevill Turner grew up in England. Clare grew up in East Africa. Chutneys were a part of the local food culture and their childhood. When the couple moved to Virginia, they discovered that the American South had a rich tradition of chutney making as well. Today the Turners, along with their son Oliver, make this versatile condiment from locally sourced fruits and all natural ingredients. The chutneys they make tend to be a bit sweeter and a little spicy, and go well with pork and chicken dishes.  And one last  thing they are naturally fat free...  ~Tina 

What makes your product different from others?  Unlike other chutneys our chutneys are fruit based and are better suited to pairing with cheese than curry.  We prefer simple flavor profiles with a clean finish and do not add spices like cardamon or cumin.

What's your favorite food or food trend?  Food Trend -  it turns out a few tablespoons of chutney added to a bowl of quinoa is delicious.

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How do you most often use your product?  What was the most unexpected way of using your product?  Our chutneys are well suited to pairing with cheese particularly cheddars, bries and fresh goat cheese.   However, one of our customers reported that she loved dipping chocolate into chutney!  Some customers also like it on vanilla ice cream.

What's next for your business?  Trying new recipes and thinking of using honey instead of sugar.

What is your most memorable meal?  Hard to choose the most memorable but we had a family holiday in France many years ago and had our first dandelion, bacon and poached egg salad.  It was lunch time and we were sitting in a little cafe in gentle sun with a glass of wine with the whole family and it was magical.

What is your (food) guilty pleasure?  Bacon - would love to have a BLT every single day for lunch!

From the Makers Mouth: Grove 45 Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I remember reading about Grove 45 Olive Oil when it first came to market, and immediately called hoping to procure some for The Savory Pantry.  I was told, quite politely, that the oil was in very limited production and the initial harvest was completely sold out, but that I could check back again the following year!

I followed up early after that next harvest, and was thrilled to be able to get a couple of cases of oil.  Since that time, it has become a favorite of our customers as well asall of us in The Savory Pantry.

Nena Talcott and Bonnie Storm are two truly inspirational women, and a perfect example of how life can be lived to the fullest.  We have shared so many great times together, and I amlooking forward to many, many more.  In fact, they'll be making their 3rd trip to Arkansasin mid-March, sampling this year's oil in The Savory Pantry,  enjoying the races at Oaklawn Park, and attending the First Ever 11th Annual World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade!   No doubtwine will be involved...   - Keeley DeSalvo, Owner, Savory Pantry

Grove 45 has achieved a cult-like following in a few short years.  What sets your oil apart from other California olive oils?  Grove 45 Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a robust, pungent oil.  Our trees were imported from Tuscany and they produce a bold style oil with a big pepper punch at the finish.  Also, we purposely harvest very early to avoid a freeze which will ruin the crop. Harvesting early produces a more robust and pungent oil since more of the fruit is unripe (green).  The 2013 harvest ripened early with much higher oil content than normal.  Due to this the 2013 oil is softer, considered medium robust, and will most likely have a more universal appeal to the consumer.

What has been your biggest challenge in bringing your product to market?  Not having enough product.  We are a very small producer.  We were fortunate to have been “discovered” by a nationally circulated magazine in our first year of production.  The instant demand created could not be entirely met by our production quantities.  It is a challenge to satisfy our existing and prospective customers.

What is it about what you do that you love the most?  We love the fact that we do it all.  Bonnie is the farmer and drives the tractor and Nena is the office and drives the computer.  We haul olives to the mill and bring the oil home to rest.  We deliver the oil and all of the bottling supplies to the bottling line and bring the finished product back to the ranch where we then hand apply all of the embossed pewter labels.  We enjoy going out on the road and visiting our accounts.  Except for pruning and picking we do it all; we are the company.

You take the time to personally visit your accounts each and every year.  Why is that so important to you?  We feel it is very important for the people who buy our oil and their employees to put a face together with the product.  Grove 45 EVOO is a story as well as a product.  Personal service can make a big impact in a crowded marketplace.  This year we plan to visit as many accounts as possible.

How do you most often use Grove 45?  As often as possible!  We use Grove 45 EVOO instead of butter on everything, on salads of all kinds and as a garnish on soups, stews, beans, etc.

What is the most unexpected way of using your product?  It’s funny, each of our “go to” snack is air popped popcorn generously drizzled with Grove 45 EVOO and sprinkled with sea salt, truffle salt or garlic salt. 

What is your most memorable meal?  On a bicycle trip in Spain a few years ago.  A few days into the trip the guides told us we would be hiking to a very special place for lunch.  After trudging along a precarious trail in the scrub brush our restaurant came into sigh…El Bulli! No joke.  The meal was a riot of molecular food the likes of which we had never seen or tasted before.  Amazing, we will never forget the experience.

What is your favorite food or food trend?  Bonnie is a big fan of pasta.  She keeps it very simple usually sautéing garlic, mushrooms and sage.  She likes pappardelle pasta.  Then she likes to finish it off with a generous amount of Grove 45 EVOO of course and a grating of parmigiano.

Nena likes cheese, almost any kind.  She drizzles some Grove 45 EVOO on mozzarella, parmigiano or a truffle cheese for a snack or when she is entertaining.

We both like to check out the newest and most talked about foodie spots and restaurants when we are traveling. It is a great opportunity to discover what is happening in the food scene around the country.

What is your (food) guilty pleasure?  For Bonnie; bring on an ole’ rib eye and don’t forget the frites!  She doesn’t do it often but will not pass up the opportunity at a restaurant known for it’s meat.

For Nena it is raw oysters.  All kinds large and small.  East coast, west coast, bring them on!  Only problem, they are one of the few foods that do not go well with Grove 45 EVOO.  She has tried...

You are both exceptionally strong women, how has that helped you build your brand?  We are at an age and a place in life where we are not afraid of much.  We believe in our product and we have a great time working together and telling anyone who will listen about Grove 45 EVOO, how we started our business and how we operate.  It is much easier out in the market place to be two rather than one.

What would be your advice to others who might be trying to bring a product to market? Lead with your passion and enjoy the process.  Design a unique, appealing and eye catching package.  Research your market and decide where you would like to do business.  Most of all, have fun!

From the Makers Mouth : Bathtub Gin Jams

Amy Lorber and Erin Ackley, two sisters from Nashville with a love of the 1920’s and 30’s, developed a homemade jam that combines fruit and spirits, giving everyone a piece of the roaring twenties-legally! Bathtub Gin uses organic ingredients, and always tries to buy locally grown produce. They firmly believe that using the highest quality fruits and liquors available creates the absolute best tasting fruit spreads-we completely agree. Their theory has been proven over and over, by winning the top award for Jams at the Good Food Awards.  Flavors include: Coconut Rum Pineapple Jam, Limoncello Strawberry Jam, Peaches n Cream and Rum Raisin Mission Fig Jam.  Amy and Erin were kind enough to answer a few of our questions and share the story of how it all began!

How did you start the company or get the idea for the product?  We are sisters and grew up making strawberry jam and apple butter with our Mom and Dad. There is something therapeutic and soulful about stirring a large batch of jam. We grew up in Minnesota with long, very cold winters and it was always such a treat to open a jar of strawberry jam and despite the snow outside, find the ruby red fruit just as you had left it that warm day in June. Preserving is this magical time machine that can instantly transport you to the moment a fruit was harvested. We wanted to honor this tradition while making it our own. We have a fascination with the 20s and 30s Prohibition era and the speakeasys of the day and decided to combine our loves and create these cocktail-themed preserves.

What makes your product different from others?  We make our jams the way they were made during Prohibtion, without the use of artificial pectins and slow cook each batch. The two of us make each jar and perform each step by hand from fruit prep though labeling. Our marmalades are made according to traditional British methods and takes three days to craft a batch of thick-cut rind marm. Unlike nearly every jam available today, our jams contain no artificial pectins and rely solely on the fruit’s natural pectin and a very long cook time to set. We use only organic ingredients and buy local produce whenever possible. We have incorporated our fascination with the Prohibition era into our jams by using fruit in the same way that speakeasies did –  by combining it with its perfect match in a spirit or liqueur to enhance the flavors, giving Bathtub Gin preserves a unique twist. Each jar is made the old-fashioned way using fresh, beautiful fruit that is slow-cooked and then hand-packed and labeled so that our customers can enjoy a taste of the perfect, summer cocktail whenever they desire.

What’s your favorite food or food trend?  We are supporters and consumers of organically grown products. We are fond of any product that is made with respect for sustainable growing practices and love supporting small farms and artisan producers. We know how much time and care goes in to producing foods this way and we are happy to support those businesses.

How do you most often use your product? What was the most unexpected way of using your product?  In a cocktail! Each jar of Bathtub Gin comes with a cocktail recipe card so that customers can use their jam to create a fabulous cocktail. One of the perks of our job is getting to create custom cocktails using our jams. Customers are often surprised to find that in addition to pastries and cheese plates and desserts, they can use their jam to craft a delicious cocktail.

What’s next for your business?  We are continuing to create new flavors as we discover more local organic produce options. We are also looking to expand our cocktail syrup line and create more fabulous jam cocktails!