Monthly Archives: May 2019

Recipe: Bacon, Egg, Cream & Kale Toast

The BECK (Bacon, Egg, Cream & Kale Toast)

Spring is in the air and the Farmers Market is full of kale(s)! Try this quick, one-skillet dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner as it’s a great way to utilize a lot of different local products, many of which are available year-round, like bacon, eggs & cream.  This is also a handy recipe which is great for an easy vegetarian meal, just omit the bacon and use olive oil instead of the bacon fat. In this recipe, I’m using kale form Bloomsbury Farm, Cluck Truck Eggs & cream from Hatcher Family Dairy. You can find some delicious local bacon from Bear Creek Farm, River Cottage Farm & Peaceful Pastures.

 

BECK (Bacon, Egg, Cream & Kale) Toast

Serves 4

1 small bunch curly green kale or Red Russian kale, torn into pieces
½ yellow onion, sliced thinly
4 slices of bacon
½ cup Hatcher Cream
¼ tsp salt
A few turns of black pepper from the mill
4 farm eggs
4 slices of country bread or toast
1-2 tsp of butter or bacon fat

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and fry the slices of bacon. When cooked through and slightly crispy remove and set aside. Reserve 1-2 tsp of the rendered bacon fat for frying the eggs later. Add the sliced onions to the skillet and fry the onions in the remaining bacon fat (add a little butter if needed). Once the onions have begun to lightly brown, turn down the heat a touch, and add the torn kale.  Stir-fry the kale with the onions until completely wilted, 2-3 minutes, then add the cream, salt, and pepper.  Let the cream reduce for 3-4 minutes, then remove to a bowl and keep warm while you fry the eggs and toast the bread. Wipe out the skillet and return to the stove over medium heat, add a little of the butter or bacon fat and fry the eggs, sunny side up just until the whites set, season with salt and pepper. Toast the bread in the toaster or in the oven, then assembly the BECK- Toast on the plate, creamed kale on the toast, a slice of bacon and top with the fried egg. Enjoy!

Michael R Martin
South Fork Catering Co.

9th Annual Franklin Strawberry Festival: Show Your Love to Our Strawberry Farmers!

The Franklin Farmers Market will host its 9th annual Franklin Strawberry Festival on Saturday, May 18th beginning at 8am, hosted by market sponsor, Williamson Medical Center. Strawberries are short-lived and definitely something to celebrate, but this year our strawberry farmers are in need of your support. 

Strawberry Alert: For obvious reason, our farmers keep an eye on the weather. Weather plays a role in when they plant, when they need to protect fragile fruit plants from freezing temperatures and when to irrigate. This year too much rain has affected our middle TN strawberry farmers and many have lost all of their strawberry crops. Strawberries are susceptible to fast decay when they receive too much water, particularly in peak season. If you are lucky enough to find some local berries, it is best to eat them or preserve them quickly, as wet conditions cause the fragile fruit to breakdown immediately after harvest. 

As of Friday morning, 7:30 am May 17th, we will have no Strawberries for Shortcakes and extremely low quantities of Strawberries. Our Strawberry Festival will go on with many free activities and strawberry inspired foods and drink for fun and entertainment! Free kids activities will include face painting, a trampoline from market sponsor Springfree Trampoline, storytelling and games. In typical Tennessee tradition, live music will entertain market visitors on our patio where customers can enjoy the best food in middle TN from one of our food trucks who source produce and meats from our market farmers. Market Sponsor and leading Healthcare provider Williamson Medical Center will have a booth supporting this year’s Strawberry Festival.

We are grateful for Market Sponsor Williamson Medical Center for making this year’s Franklin Strawberry Festival possible! From left to right Paul Bolin, Chief Financial Officer; Nicole Volk, Director of Marketing and Business Development; Julie Miller, Chief Operating Officer; and Lori Orme, R.N. Chief Nursing Officer, F.A.C.H.E

Califarmia food truck will serve a special strawberry themed dessert on our patio. Karen’s famous shortcakes, a local favorite tradition from Norton Family farm, will once again be the popular dessert in the celebration. Karen Norton will be making homemade shortcakes for the occasion, topped with berries and served with whip cream made from Hatcher Dairy cream. Ellie’s Donuts will serve up their delicious strawberry donuts. Many vendors will have their own strawberry surprises for customers including fresh strawberry lemonade from Belle Springs Lemonade. Visit this link for a delicious Strawberry French Toast Recipe prepared by Chef Michael Martin of South Fork Catering. 

Click on the link above for this incredible Strawberry French Toast Recipe created by Chef Michael Martin of South Fork Catering

It’s a family affair at the Franklin Strawberry Festival with free children’s activities, homemade shortcakes by Norton Family Farms and Califarmia’s strawberry surprise. Come out to show your support to your favorite strawberry farmer! 

The Franklin Strawberry Festival isn’t all that is happening at the market. Festival attendees can enjoy all that our market has to offer- fresh, locally grown produce, locally made artisan goods and food trucks, Califarmia, Jay’s Chicago and others for breakfast and lunch. Admission to the festival and the market is free! The Franklin Farmers Market is located at the corner of Liberty Pike and Franklin Road, behind The Factory.

The Franklin Farmers Market is held every Saturday from 8am-1pm behind the Factory in Franklin, TN. The market is a 17 yr old producers only market with the largest assembly of local farmers providing fresh farm food all year long each Saturday morning. Find us at 230 Franklin Road behind the Factory. Visit us online at www.franklinfarmersmarket.com or follow us on Facebook, twitter and Instagram for the latest market news. 

Brown Butter French Toast with Strawberries & Local Honey

Brown Butter French Toast with Strawberries & Local Honey

A delicious Brown Butter French Toast with local Strawberries and Honey prepared by Chef Michael Martin of South Fork Catering

Serves 4

4 Slices of Challah or Brioche bread, Sliced 1 inch thick
2 farm eggs
1/4 cup of Cream
1 tbl Brown sugar
1 tsp ground Cinnamon
A little pinch of sea salt
2 tbls unsalted butter

Local Chandler Strawberries when in season

For the Strawberries

1 lb farm fresh strawberries, washed and cut into quarters
1 tbl fresh lemon juice
4 tbls local honey

Place the challah or brioche slices in a baking pan in one layer.  Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat lightly with a fork, then add the cream, brown sugar, cinnamon and the salt and beat until combined. Pour the egg mixture over the sliced bread and let stand for 2-3 minutes, coating each side evenly.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Cook the butter for a few minutes until it starts to foam and turn brown and nutty. Take the slices of bread out of the egg mixture (most of it should be soaked into the bread by now) and place into the skillet. Be sure to work in batches if your skillet does’t hold all of the slices at once. Turn up the heat slightly and fry the bead for 1-2 minutes on each side until browned and a bit crispy. Remove to a serving dish to keep warm while you make the strawberries and turn down the skillet to medium-low.

Don’t forget the Local Honey!

In the same skillet that you made the French Toast, add the strawberries, lemon juice and local honey. Stir everything together to coat be berries while gently warming them over medium-low heat, about 1-2 minutes. Once the strawberries a slightly glazed spoon them over the reserved French Toast and serve while warm with a light dusting of powdered sugar and freshly whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Chef Michael Martin
South Fork Catering Co.