The Franklin Farmers Market is proud to present the first annual Local Farmers’ Chili Cook-Off, sponsored by Unity Chiropractic. On Saturday, March 5th, 2016, from 9 a.m. until noon, come and taste our farmers’ most famous chili recipes made with their own locally raised beef, pork, bison, chicken, and lamb, and you — our market shoppers — will be the judges! Simply sample each submitted pot of chili and cast your ballot by 10:45am on the day of the Chili Cook-Off. Winners will be announced at 11 a.m.
If you didn’t know already, the Franklin Farmers Market hosts the largest selection of locally raised meats in middle Tennessee, and we are excited to taste what these farmers’ are cookin’. Slow-simmered chili is perfect for winter, but made even better when made with locally raised meats. We’re excited to taste what kind of hearty creations our farmers produce for this exciting new chili cook-off community event.
Participating farms in the first annual Local Farmers’ Chili Cook-Off will be as follows:
This event would not be possible without the generous support of our wonderful sponsor Unity Chiropractic of Franklin. Thank you Dr. Devan Arman and staff for your focus on nutrition and the benefits of eating local foods! And don’t forget, folks, that all chili prepared by our farmers will be sampled out for our market shoppers to taste until it’s gone, so be sure and come early to taste as much chili as you can and to ensure your vote is cast! See you for the first annual Local Farmers’ Chili Cook-Off, and be sure to come hungry!
Why hassle with the crowded restaurants this weekend when you can prepare these special Valentine Filet Mignons with Bordelaise right at home for your favorite someone. There is nothing more romantic than a couple of tender filet mignons perfectly seared and topped with a pan sauce of shiitake mushrooms and red wine, and Triple L Ranch has the finest cuts of grass-fed grain-finished beef tenderloin for your romantic dinner. Place each filet mignon on a bed of Nicoletto’s fresh garlic pasta with a side of Delvin Farms shaved organic Brussels sprouts, and you and your valentine will enjoy a delicious meal raised locally and with lots of love.
From L to R: Delvin Farms Brussels sprouts, Nicoletto’s fresh pasta, Hatcher Family Dairy sweet cream butter, Bloomin’ Shrooms, LLC, shiitake mushrooms, Triple L Ranch filet mignons. Not pictured: Triple L Ranch whole cream, Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese asiago reserva
Triple L Ranch filet mignon is grass-fed, grain-finished, and raised with no antibiotics or hormones.
Begin by allowing your Triple L Ranch filet mignons to reach room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes before searing. Heat a cast-iron skillet on high with 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Liberally salt and pepper each filet, add them to the hot skillet, and immediately turn the heat down to medium-high heat. Do not touch for 3 minutes. The filets will develop a beautiful dark crust which is what you want! After 3 minutes, flip you filets over and let sear for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest on a plate with a foil tent on top.
Perfecting a good sear on a locally raised filet mignon is a very attractive quality and quite romantic.
Next, turn the heat down to medium heat and in the same skillet add 1 tablespoon Hatcher Family Dairy sweet cream butter and 1/4 cup of minced shallots. Cook for 3 minutes before adding 1 quart-size container of sliced Bloomin’ Shrooms, LLC, shiitake mushrooms to the pan. Sauté until soft (about 10 minutes).
Beautiful sliced shiitakes from Bloomin’ Shroom, LLC, make a savory mushroom bordelaise sauce.
Next, deglaze your skillet with 1 cup cabernet sauvignon (or any red wine you have on hand) and be sure to scrape up all the good browned bits (known as the fond) from the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 cup good beef stock, a sprig of thyme if you have it, and let the mushroom bordelaise simmer until it has reduced by a bit more than half(about 10-20 minutes). To finish, crank in some freshly ground black pepper, add another knob of Hatcher butter and swirl in a little cornstarch slurry to thicken and set aside.
Then for the pasta. Pasta is always an excellent choice for a romantic dinner (think Lady and the Tramp), and we simply love the fresh garlic pasta from Nicoletto’s Pasta Company. But to begin, you must build the perfect cream sauce, and no cream sauce is better than one built with Hatcher Family Dairy whole cream. Start with 1 tablespoon Hatcher butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan set to medium heat. Add 1/4 cup minced shallots (any type of onion would work well, too), and 1 minced clove of garlic. Sauté until soft (about 3 minutes). Then add 1 cup of your favorite white wine and 1 cup of a good chicken stock and let simmer and reduce for 10 minutes. Then add 2 cups of Hatcher Family Dairy whole cream and 1 cup graded Kenny’s Farmhouse Asiago Reserva cheese from the MoonShadow Farm booth and let the temperature reach a simmer again. Let bubble for another 5 or so minutes until thick. Remove from heat.
Find all the Kenny’s cheese at the MoonShadow Farm booth.
Hatcher Family Dairy whole cream is used in this perfect yet simple cream sauce.
Next, boil a large pot of salted water and add 1 package of Nicoletto’s Pasta Company fresh garlic pasta. Boil this pasta for only 2 minutes, then remove to finish cooking in the cream sauce (Italian style). Swirl the noodles around in the cream sauce for another minute or two on medium heat. Voila! Perfect fresh pasta in the simplest cream sauce ever.
Nicoletto’s fresh garlic pasta swimming in a sea of love.
At this point, your Triple L Ranch filet mignons should have had plenty of time to rest and reach medium rare. Serve the filet mignons on top of the pasta and cream sauce, topped with the shiitake mushroom bordelaise and a nice side of Delvin Farms shaved Brussels sprouts that have been sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, salt a, and pepper, and you’ll have a romantic meal made with love. Happy Valentine’s Day, you locavorian lovebirds!
Delvin Farms organic shaved Brussels sprouts.
A couple of Triple L Ranch filet mignons — the perfect romantic dinner for Valentine’s Day.
Large crowds welcoming back Crepe A Diem sweet tasting crepes!
Blue skies and bright sunshine shone down on shoppers in search of local foods this past Saturday on one of our busiest and most beautiful winter market days we’ve seen. Customers dove into freshly baked breakfast muffins and biscuits while they shopped for locally raised meat and vegetables for their Super Bowl party spreads. Our food trucks and vendors were busy all morning with long lines of hungry families, and our farmers were giddy over the warmer weather and excited for the months to come. Visit our market photo gallery to view photos from the day.
Mardi Gras King Cake from Jones Mill Farm
Speaking of what’s to come, Mardi Gras is just around the corner, and our crowds were delighted to see the freshly baked King Cakes as big around as beach balls at the Jones Mil Farm booth last Saturday. The festive cakes were topped with a traditional glaze and a bright blast of multicolored sprinkles, and shoppers were excited to take the cake home to celebrate the cultural holiday with loved ones here in middle Tennessee.
Locally grown Arugula from Paradise Produce
Due to the recent warmish weather that our region has been experiencing, bins upon bins of young tender greens were back at our market last Saturday!! Norton Family Farms offered their famously fragrant arugula, and Paradise Produce hosted a selection of baby greens and lettuces like kale, mizuna, bok choy, and more. If we weren’t so afraid of jinxing ourselves, we might say that Spring is right around the corner… But until then, we’ll keep quiet and enjoy the fresh local foods and beautiful weather while it lasts.
Our winter market has also been the destination for shoppers to find the most quality cuts of locally raised meat this winter, and last Saturday was no exception. Customers shopped for Super Bowl briskets and steaks for grilling, pork chops for dinner, ground lamb, sausages, bison, and more. We foresee our shoppers preparing some delicious locally raised meals this week in their kitchens!
Beautiful steaks for Grilling from Triple L Ranch
Next Saturday, we are expecting lots of shoppers with hearts in their eyes in search of the freshest and most quality local meats, cheeses, and produce for an exceptional Valentine’s meal. Our market will supply entrée options like lamb shanks, fresh pastas, shiitake mushrooms, filet mignons, lobster raviolis, and sides such as organic Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, squashes, red potatoes, and more local foods. Visit our market recipes for some delightful tasting local food creations. So see you all this Saturday, love birds, and have a wonderful week!
Whether you’re a Denver Bronco or a Carolina Panther, this Slow-Roasted Brisket topped with a spiced brown sugar glaze is sure to score touchdowns with your Super Bowl crowd. I love how a 9 lb brisket from Bear Creek Farm falls slap apart after spending 12 hours in an oven at 275 degrees, and the spiced brown sugar glaze caramelizes to produce a top “bark” that is flavor-packed and irresistible. This Slow-Roasted Brisket recipe produces enough meat to slice and serve with mashed potatoes or set on Jones Mill Farm sourdough slider buns for a sensational Super Bowl celebration.
Succulent Bear Creek Farm Slow-Roasted Brisket is prime eats for Super Bowl Sunday.
Like all Bear Creek Farm beef cuts, these briskets are all-natural Angus beef that are grass-fed and grain finished. I like to think of them as the linebackers of the beef world — hefty and strong with just the right amount of fattiness. In fact, it’s the exceptional marbling of Bear Creek Farm brisket that makes if perfect for low and slow roasting in the oven.
Exceptional marbling in Bear Creek Farm grass-fed, grain-finished brisket makes it ideal for slow roasting in the oven.
Brisket is unique in the way that it comes with its own juicy insurance policy — the fat cap! And Bear Creek Farm brisket has a mighty fine one. You can trim the fat cap down to about 1/4-inch, or completely remove it if you prefer a leaner cut of meat. I prefer to trim away the tougher deposits of fat from the brisket before roasting and leave the fat cap be to create plenty of juiciness. But for sake of simplicity, feel free to roast your brisket as-is.
The fat cap is the side of the brisket covered in the most fat and ensures a super juicy Super Bowl brisket.
Once I trimmed my brisket, I covered it in an ample amount of salt and pepper and let it rest while I sliced two large onions in 3/4-inch slices (I like thicker onion slices with my Slow-Roasted Brisket). Fill the bottom of a large roasting pan with the onions and mix with a bit of salt, then place the raw brisket on top with the fat cap up.
Before I place my Bear Creek Farm beef brisket in the oven, I whip up a spiced brown sugar glaze to produce a caramelized crust that mimics the hard outer “bark” of a smoked brisket. I use 1 can of tomato paste to give my glaze a sticky texture and tart flavor, and mix in 1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark), 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar, 5 minced garlic cloves, and a ton of yummy spices. This makes a sticky, sweet glaze to cover my slow-roasted brisket. (Tip: The glaze can also be slathered on a day in advance and left overnight in the refrigerator if you have the time or forethought.)
A tomato-y spiced brown sugar glaze adds a sweet tang to slow-roasted brisket.
Brisket is known for possessing a lot of connective tissue that can be broken down in the oven for many hours at a low temperature. To get that sugary dark crust on top, I slather my brisket with the spiced brown sugar glaze and roast it uncovered for 12 hours at 275 degrees. If you like a softer “bark” and a steamier brisket, you can cover it with foil during the last 6 of the 12 hours at the same temperature, and give it a quick ten minutes under the broiler to crisp-up the glaze. (Tip: feel free to throw in any market root vegetables that you like, such as fresh carrots, potatoes, turnips, or radishes.)
Add some market root vegetables before roasting if desired.
The finished product has a deep dark bark and is done when the back of a fork inserts easily.
Once my Bear Creek Farm Slow-Roasted Brisket was finished roasting, I let it rest on a cutting board for 20 minutes, and then began to slice it at the thinner end against the grain. I left my foil by my cutting board to remove and transfer the fatty parts, and a platter for the succulent slices. Once I got closer to the thicker end, the meat began to pull away easily — perfect for making Super Bowl sliders!
Leaving the fat cap on your brisket and roasting low and slow produces a succulent fork-tender slice.
Bear Creek Farm slow-roasted brisket pulls apart easily — perfect for Super Bowl sliders!
Speaking of sliders for Super Bowl Sunday, we hear the best slider buns to be found this Saturday at our market will be at the Jones Mill Farm booth. Judy Stroud’s sourdough buns will be baked fresh and ready for pulled Bear Creek Farm brisket and hunks of caramelized onions to feed hungry football fans. Enjoy and go team!
Everyone loves a hearty slider for Super Bowl Sunday.
The Franklin Farmers Market is proud to present the first annual Local Farmers’ Chili Cook-Off, sponsored by Unity Chiropractic. On Saturday, March 5th, 2016, from 9 a.m. until noon, come and taste our farmers’ most famous chili recipes made with their own locally raised beef, pork, bison, chicken, and lamb, and you — our market shoppers — will be the judges! Simply sample each submitted pot of chili and cast your ballot by 10:45am on the day of the Chili Cook-Off. Winners will be announced at 11 a.m.
This event would not be possible without the generous support of our wonderful sponsor Unity Chiropractic of Franklin. Thank you Dr. Devan Arman and staff for your focus on nutrition and the benefits of eating local foods! And don’t forget, folks, that all chili prepared by our farmers will be sampled out for our market shoppers to taste until it’s gone, so be sure and come early to taste as much chili as you can and to ensure your vote is cast! See you for the first annual Local Farmers’ Chili Cook-Off, and be sure to come hungry!
