Artisan Kitchen

2012-01-31T12:09:00.000-06:00

Support Kentucky's Special Olympics and TEAM AK in the Annual Polar Plunge

TEAM AK will be plunging into the icy waters of Kentucky Lake THIS Saturday, February 4 to support Kentucky's Special Olympics!!!!!!!! BRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! We're collecting donations at Artisan Kitchen--and IF we collect $10,000 owner DAVID JONES will take the plunge in the buff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (so if you happen to have an extra...say....$9700 lying around or you know someone who does who MIGHT want to donate it to the KENTUCKY SPECIAL OLYMPICS, please let us know!!!!!!!!!)

Or if you happen to be one of David Jones 771 Facebook friends and if each and EVERY one of you would be so kind as to send us a tax-deductible check in the amount of $12.97 made payable to the Kentucky Special Olympics, we would greatly appreciate it.

Or if you happen to be friends and/or acquaintances with any number of the Kennedy clan...yes THE KENNEDYS. You know any one of them would be more than willing to donate to the Special Olympics --one of the Kennedy charitable organizations. Contact your favorite Kennedy TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Cake Artists Jean Schrage, Brittny Miller and TIffany Dehart, and our newest Chef Jessi Donaldson are already scheduled to plunge!! It would just be a bonus for David Jones to jump, too. Hey, if we raised an additional $10,000, do you think co-owner Karla Lawrence would polar plunge into Kentucky Lake as well??????

Jean Schrage took the plunge last year. "It really wasn't that bad...it's only cold for seconds" she said. "Plus it's not like you're on your own....everyone does it at once!"
The temperature on Saturday isn't predicted to be below freezing or even near freezing. It wasn't last year, either. Outside it was about 60 degrees; the water temp was about 42 degrees. BRRRRRR!
The Polar Plunge is one of the biggest Special Olympics fundraisers of the year. The Plunge is a truly unique event and includes a fun, festive atmosphere with food and great prizes. The Plunge works just like a Walk-a-Thon, but with one big twist. Participants still solicit donations to support their effort (a bear minimum of $75 to take part or $50 for Junior Plungers). Instead of walking, Polar Bears take a chilly dip into the lake at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park.

Last year, the Polar Plunge raised a record $69,000 to support the efforts of Special Olympics Kentucky athletes.

In other Artisan Kitchen news....

We have several bake-it, take-it one dish suppers available:
Kentucky Hot Brown
Chicken Tetrazzini
Pesto Chicken
Chicken & Dressing
French Quarter Pasta
Meat Loaf
plus several side dishes and salads...

The Bakery Case is also full of some tasty selections:
Strawberry and Tart Lemon Trifle--YOU WANT THIS!!! YES YOU DO!!!!!!
German Chocolate Cake
Red Velvet Cake
Chocolate Covered Orange Cake
French Vanilla Butternut Cake
Carrot Cake
Banana Cake
Key Lime Cheesecake
Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cheesecake
New York Cheesecake
Brownie Sundae Cheesecake
Old fashioned Yellow Cake with Chocolate Butter cream Frosting--5-inch size!!! Perfect for 2!
Fresh Cobbler with Vanilla Bean Peach Filling
plus all of our delicious cookies and dessert bars!!!!!!!!!!!

2012-01-25T13:37:00.000-06:00

Stop By Artisan Kitchen On This Cold, Cold Wet Day.....

We have three soups today! Yes! Three! We are featuring Country Harvest Soup this week, which is a hearty soup of ham, potatoes, celery, carrots in a light cream base. It's comfort soup beyond compare. But if that weren't good enough, Chef Jessi Donaldson made a luscious pot of Sweet Pepper & Smoked Gouda Soup--which is a creamy, peppery, cheesy and simply delicious taste sensation. And then...we received a call from one of our very special customers late yesterday requesting a pot of our ever-increasingly popular Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Sausage Soup! So, of course, Chef Danny McGowan made extra!

So if you're feeling the chilly effects of this rainy, cold, and rainy rainy weather stop by Artisan Kitchen for a bowl of soup. Larger quantities are also available today, too. A quart of soup would feed an average family of four. Pair that up with one of our fresh salads or an Artisan Kitchen Pizza and you've got a meal that's sure to please everyone!

Pizza, you say? Yes. Artisan Kitchen has pizza--three different ones, in fact! The SPA (Spinach, Portobella Mushroom & Artichoke) Pizza and the Artisan Bacon & Smoked Gouda Pizza have been selling very well for some time now. Today, we are pleased to introduce the Artisan French Onion Pizza--featuring roasted garlic, caramelized onions braised in a beef broth, smoked Gouda and asiago cheese!

We also have some wonderful take-it, bake-it casseroles and sides on hand today:
Turkey & Dressing
Turkey a la King
Meatloaf
Vegetable Lasagna

Chicken Spidini

French Quarter Pasta

Salmon Carbonara

Chicken Tetrazzini

Beef Pot Pie

And don't forget dessert.....

Yellow Caramel Cake

Banana Cake

Red Velvet Cake

Chocolate Covered Orange Cake

Strawberry Cake

French Raspberry Champagne Cupcakes

Key Lime Cheesecake

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

and all of our wonderful dessert bars, cheesecake lollies &; tarts, and cookies!

2012-01-23T13:36:00.002-06:00

January 23, 2012

Hungry? Why wait? Come on into Artisan Kitchen and grab yourself a meal, a dessert or a snack! Here's what we have available today:

Casseroles & Accompaniments

Hummus Dip

Crab Rangoon Dip

Greek Pasta Salad

Swiss Scalloped Potatoes
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Spicy Ginger Green Beans
Sesame Braised Asparagus
Pesto Fried Corn
Peas & Pearls
Spinach Salad

Garden Salad

Chicken Spidini & Risotto
Kentucky Hot Brown
Beef Stroganoff
Beef Pot Pie
Turkey & Dressing
Shrimp & Prosciutto
Meatloaf
Chicken Tetrazzini
Vegetable Lasagna
Turkey a la King

French Quarter Pasta

WOW! That's some selection! If you can't find your favorite there...well.

Desserts on hand include:

Banana Split Cake

Strawberry Cake

French Vanilla Torte

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

French Raspberry Champagne Cupcakes

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake

--tastes like a Snickers Bar not like a Snickerdoodle cookie...just sayin'

Key Lime Cheesecake

Chocolate Chip

Cheesecake Lollies

Cheesecake Tarts

Dessert Bars

Derby, Tahitian Jewel, Caramel Pecan, Chess and Pecan Pie

Freshly Baked Cookies

-Blood Orange Cherry, Cranberry Almond, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Chocolate Butterscotch Pecan, Double Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter and the AK HOUSE(peanut butter, chocolate chip, walnut!)

2012-01-20T11:52:00.003-06:00

THANK GOODNESS IT'S FRIDAY!

Artisan Kitchen Specials for January 20, 2012

Soup of the Day

Country Harvest Soup--potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and ham in a light cream broth.

Hummus Dip

Crab Rangoon Dip

Greek Pasta Salad

Waldorf Slaw

Garden Salad

Spinach Salad

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Swiss Scalloped Potatoes

Spicy Ginger & Country Style Green Beans

Beef Stroganoff

Meatloaf

French Quarter Pasta

Country Ham & Potato

Turkey & Dressing

Chicken Pot Pie

Oven French Toast--a breafast treat!

In the BAKERY CASE:

Double Fudge Rum Raspberry Cake

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Banana Split Cake

Lemon Blueberry Cake

French Raspberry Champagne Torte

French Vanilla Butternut Torte

French Vanilla Butternut Cake

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Lemon Black Raspberry Cheesecake

Key Lime Cheesecake

SnickerDoodle Cheesecake

Cheesecake Tarts

Cheesecake Lollies

and of course our yummy dessert bars and cookies.....

Artisan Kitchen...Catering & Carry Out To Simplify Your Busy Life!

2012-01-17T15:48:00.000-06:00

January 17, 2012

Check Out What's New at Artisan Kitchen!!!!!!!!!

The fabulously creative Cake Artists at Artisan Kitchen are baking up some fabulous new desserts--TORTES! These are smaller versions of our wonderful cakes--they serve just a few but are just as tasty as our regular sized cakes! The French Vanilla Butternut covered in Chocolate Ganache and adorned with edible "pearls" (above) and the French Raspberry Champagne Torte (below) are available today!!!!

"We are going to try to keep a variety of different desserts in the case from now on," Brittny Miller explained. "Sometimes people just don't need a big cake...they are looking for something smaller."

There will also be a wider variety of pastries in the coming weeks. Of course, Artisan Kitchen will still have a wide variety of cakes and cheesecakes to choose.

In addition to these two tasty tortes--each $15.95, we also have these tasty sensations in our bakery case today:
Banana Split Cake--new to some of us! It's a triple layer cake--strawberry, chocolate and banana topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting, caramel, chocolate ganache and chopped peanuts and a cherry!
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake
French Vanilla Butternut Cake
Lemon Blueberry Cake
Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
Italian Cream Cupcakes
Snickerdoodle Cheesecake
New York Cheesecake
Lemon Black Raspberry Cheesecake

There are Strawberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake Lollies, River City Mudd and Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Tarts--and, of course, chess bars, pecan pie bars, derby bars, caramel pecan brownies and our newest Tahitian Jewel Bar--which is basically a chess bar with dried cherries, coconut and pineapple!

Popping in to pick up supper? We have a wide variety of take-it, bake-it casseroles today:
Chicken Pot Pie
Kentucky Hot Brown
Meatloaf
Chicken Tetrazzini
French Quarter Pasta
Country Ham & Potato
Beef Stroganoff
Chicken Spidini on Risotto

And you can't leave without a cookie!
Double Chocolate Chip
Peanut Butter
Cranberry Almond
Blood Orange Cherry
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut
Chocolate Butterscotch Pecan
and our House Cookie--Peanut Butter, Walnut, Chocolate Chip!

Artisan Kitchen--Catering & Carryout to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2012-01-12T12:14:00.001-06:00

January 12, 2012

Food Trends: What's In, What's Out in 2012

What's hot and what's not in the new year--culinarily speaking? Yes! "Culinarily" speaking! Artisan Kitchen is always on the cutting edge and we've been perfecting the hottest food trends for the new year for quite some time now! According to an article in the January 2012 edition of Saveur magazine and a segment on "The Today Show", the culinary trends on the horizon focus on familiarity and hometown pride. Here's a sampling of what's IN this year....

MEAT LOAF IS THE LATEST "IT" FOOD!

Comfort food is always in and mea tloaf is the King of Comfort Food! Meat loaf is a grown-up food...a hearty food... and is a true culinary classic. There are zillions of recipes for meat loaf out there but Artisan Kitchen has THE ABSOLUTE BEST! What makes ours so special? "It's the zingy sweet and spicy sauce on top!" says AK Chef Jessi Donaldson. There are a few special ingredients that take our meatloaf from ordinary to EXTRAORDINARY! We have it on hand almost every day as a take-it-bake-it casserole. Pick up some garlic mashed potatoes (another classic comfort food), some country style or spicy ginger green beans and VOILA you have supper!!!!

And speaking of meatloaf...Shandies offers a Bacon and Gouda Encrusted Meatloaf everyday on the regular menu! It's to absolutely die for!!!!!

Back to Artisan Kitchen....we have several Artisan Kitchen meat loafs in the case today. We also have;

Pesto Chicken Penne

Shrimp & Prosciutto Penne

Turkey a la King

French Quarter Pasta

Chicken and Dressing

Pork Madison

Beef Pot Pie

Beef Stroganoff

Kentucky Hot Brown

Vegetable Lasagna

And speaking of lasagna.,..

Italian-American Food Replaces Regional Italian

Not that there's anything wrong with regional Italian food--signature Sicilian dishes or the cuisine from Northern Italy--but the food specialists are stressing that Italian-American food is taking over! What exactly is Italian-American? It's America's spin on Italian favorites and lasagna is the perfect example. We offer three versions of lasagna at Artisan Kitchen. Our traditional lasagna is made with our homemade marinara, creamy ricotta and mouth-watering mozzarella cheese. It's a favorite with many of our regular customers. Our vegetable lasagna features our marinara sauce and a bevy of fresh vegetables including spinach, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers and onions. We have another meatless lasagna--Portobella Florentine. It features hearty portobella mushrooms, fresh spinach and lots and lots of cheese. It is very rich and creamy--and is extremely popular. Our lasagnas are available in three sizes--a two pound pan (which feeds 2-3 unless one happens to be a teenage boy!), a serves-six size and a serves 12 size. For the larger sizes, we ask that you give us a 24-hour heads up!

Let Them Eat Cake!

I hate to break the news to you but the cutie cupcake craze is slowly dying down and decadent layer cakes are on the rise! And Artisan Kitchen is the place to get THE BEST layer cakes! Red Velvet, Old-Fashioned Chocolate, Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Neapolitan Sundae, French Vanilla Butternut! You name it...we can make it! We offer more than 20 different varieties of cake and if it's not on our menu we can perfect a recipe for the flavor you want! Now we're not saying we aren't doing any more cupcakes--we can do all kinds of cupcakes--but if you want to be on the cutting culinary edge order a layer cake today!

We have several layer cakes in the bakery case today:

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

French Champagne Raspberry Cake

Strawberry Cake

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake
French Vanilla Butternut
Neapolitan Sundae--which could be one of the most decadent layer cakes! It's a layer of chocolate, a layer of French Vanilla and a layer of strawberry filled and topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting and chocolate ganache.

And for those of you reluctant to change, we DO have some delicious Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cupcakes available!

In addition to all of the wonderful cutting edge foods already mentioned....we have several side dishes, including garlic mashed potatoes, Swiss scalloped potatoes, pesto fried corn, country style green beans, spicy ginger green beans, sesame braised asparagus and a variety of the freshest salads. We also have a SPA pizza and Bacon & Gouda Pizza! We've got you covered!

Artisan Kitchen.....Catering & Carry Out to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2012-01-09T10:53:00.000-06:00

January 9, 2012

We're BAAAAACK!

Artisan Kitchen is OPEN FOR THE NEW YEAR! After a wonderful week to rest, rejuvenate and replenish (our fuel tanks)...we're back! Come on! You know you missed us! :) We know we missed you! We have cakes, cheesecakes, cupcakes, cookies and casseroles aplenty to satisfy that Artisan Kitchen CRAVING! So stop on by...we'll be here until 6!

Here's what we have to offer TODAY...MONDAY...JANUARY 9:

Our soup de jour is a wonderful Garden Harvest Ham and Potato --loaded with creamy potatoes, celery, carrots and country ham! Oh yes, and Swiss Cheese for extra punch...says Executive Chef Karla Lawrence.

Take-It & Bake-It Casseroles and Accompaniments:

Meatloaf

Kentucky Hot Brown

Beef Stroganoff

Vegetable Lasagna

Beef Pot Pie

French Quarter Pasta

Pork Madison

French Quarter Pasta

Chicken & Dressing

The DESSERT CASE is filling up with your favorites as I type...

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Strawberry Cake

French Vanilla Butternut Cake

Italian Cream Cake

French Champagne Raspberry

Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cupcakes

As always, we have our delicious DESSERT BARS and COOKIES!!!!!

Artisan Kitchen...Catering and Carry Out to Simplify Your Busy Life!!!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-29T14:45:00.000-06:00

As the year closes out, I'd like to thank all of our friends in the community who have stood by and supported us through a big year of growth with the opening of Shandies in downtown Paducah. It's not always been easy, and a few mistakes were made along the way, but as has been the case with the growth of Artisan Kitchen, we learn quick, and try to be honest with ourselves about what is and is not working. Thank you for your patience, your patronage and your friendship.

The staff at Artisan Kitchen deserves a big thank you.   They have been a steady inspiration and reminder of why I like people. In particular, Danny, Jean and Brittny have been champs at staying on top of production and maintaining our standards. We also added two very talented people who I hope will be with us for some time. Jessi and Tiffany both exhibit the type of professionalism and attention to detail that will take them very far in life.

Of course, my dimpled partner, Karla the magnificent, deserves a very special thank you.  I am very lucky to work with someone as talented, smart and hard working as she.

Karla and I have been working on updating our catering menus and getting a schedule for cooking classes together for the new year. You'll be seeing more of her smiling face at Artisan Kitchen this coming year as we step up recipe development for both Artisan Kitchen and Shandies. We also have several special events that are already in the works: Desserts First, a Girls Scout fundraising event;  a day of cooking demonstrations for the Real Woman's Expo; the Lourdes Foundation Mardi Gras benefit; and the Carson Center Vintner's Dinner. We've also been tossing around cookbook ideas for some time now, so who knows.

So, I end the year with a very good feeling about how things are coming together and what's in store for the new year.  May the new year bring good things to you as well.

See you soon,
David

2011-11-21T09:48:00.001-06:00

November 21, 2011

IT'S NOT TOO LATE...IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holidays wreaking havoc? Stressed beyond stressed? Forgot to thaw your turkey? Didn't make it to the grocery yet? Haven't quite gotten the knack of lump-free gravy? Embarrassed to serve jellied cranberry sauce from the can? Aren't even going to attempt to bake another pumpkin pie?

NO WORRIES! We've got this!

Let Artisan Kitchen help take the stress from your Thanksgiving Day feast! We are still taking Thanksgiving orders...from the entire meal to a pint of our out-of-this world cranberry relish! Call 270.538.0250 TODAY and place your order today. We are conveniently open on THE BIG DAY until 2 p.m. so you can swing by and pick up your order hot and ready to eat!!!! Our store will be stocked with plenty of extras--danish, cookies, cakes, pies, and a host of other goodies to add to your festivities, too!

We offer complete meals, whole roasted turkeys, and a big bunch of yummy side dishes! So why stress out? Let us cook for you!

2011-11-15T10:12:00.000-06:00

November 15, 2011

THE DANISH ARE COMING!!!! THE DANISH ARE COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok ok...I know it's really the British Are Coming! but DANISH are coming to Artisan Kitchen...actually the first batch popped piping hot out of the oven this morning! MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!

Artisan Kitchen's Pastry Specialist Tiffany DeYoung has created a line of flaky, buttery pastries especially for our bakery case! We are now offering a delicious danish filled with your choice of fruit fillings or cream cheese. Honey, Blueberry, Peach, Apple, Cherry, Strawberry or Cream Cheese! She has also created a fabulous Cinnamon Sugar Twist pastry! We will have some on hand tomorrow morning and, as always, by special order.
What a great way to start your day!!!!!!!!!

In other Artisan Kitchen News.........

Holiday Orders are coming in! Don't forget to place yours TODAY!
Soup of the DAY: White Chili--which is a twist on chili. Instead of beef and chili beans, white chili uses tender white meat chicken and white beans and a tasty blend of herbs and spices. Come in and try a bowl today...or better yet take a quart home for dinner!!!!!
Casseroles and Accompaniments include:

Portabella Florentine Lasagna

Traditional Lasagna

Baked Ziti

Turkey a la King

Pork Madison

Meatloaf

Chicken & Dressing

Kentucky Hot Brown

Turkey & Dressing

Shrimp & Proscuitto Penne

Bakery Items include:

Christmas Neapolitan Cake

(layers of pistachio, red velvet & French vanilla butternut)

Double Fudge Rum Raspberry Cake

Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cake

Italian Cream Cake

River City Mud Cheesecake

(gooey marshmallow, chocolate, caramel and nuts)

New York Cheesecake--a CLASSIC!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Cheesecake Lollies

Cake Pops

Dessert Bars

Freshly Baked Cookies

Artisan Kitchen....Catering & Carry-Out to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-11-14T10:50:00.000-06:00

November 14., 2011

THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS MENU IS AVAILABLE!

Let Artisan Kitchen take the stress out of your Thanksgiving Feast. We can do the entire meal or just a little! Our Thanksgiving Traditions Menu is scrolling down the side of the blog but there are a few things worth mentioning again:

Thanksgiving Traditions Made Simple

Dinner Option #1

Roasted Turkey Breast & Gravy (5 lbs)

Corn Bread Dressing

Cranberry Relish

Dozen Yeast Rolls

10" Pumpkin Pie (Bourbon Pecan Pie 2.00 additional)

Serves 10-12

109.95

Dinner Option #2

Roasted Turkey Breast & Gravy (5 lbs)

Corn Bread Dressing

Cranberry Relish

Dozen Yeast Rolls

10" Pumpkin Pie (Bourbon Pecan Pie 2.00 additional)

Choice of two side items:

Sweet Potato Casserole Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Country Style Green Beans Green Bean Casserole

Pesto Fried Corn Candied Brandy Carrots

Serves 10-12

139.95

A La Carte Choices

Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast

Whole Roasted Turkey 10-12 lbs

Gravy

Cranberry Relish

Corn Bread Dressing

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ham & Potato Casserole

Green Bean Casserole

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Pesto Fried Corn

Yeast Rolls

Desserts

Assorted Dessert Tray

12-inch

16-inch

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Apple Spice Cake

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

Carrot Cake

French Vanilla Butternut

Italian Cream

*** These are suggestions, all of the delicious Artisan Kitchen cakes and cheesecakes are available.***

CALL TODAY 270.538.0250 to place your order! Let us simplify your busy life!

ARTISAN KITCHEN NEWS

The Soup of the Day is our FAMOUS WHITE CHILI.!!!!!!!!!!!!

TAKE IT BAKE IT CASSEROLES (serves 2-3) include:
French Quarter Pasta
Turkey a la King
Traditional Lasagna
Baked Ziti
Meatloaf
Pork Madison
Chicken & Dressing
Kentucky Hot Brown
Shrimp & Proscuitto Penne

DESSERTS include:
Christmas Neapolitan Cake
Italian Cream Cake
Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cake
Brownie Swirl Cheesecake
New York Cheesecake
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Assorted Dessert Bars--featuring LEMON BARS
Assorted Cookies--featuring BLOOD ORANGE CHERRY

Artisan Kitchen....Carry-Out & Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life!!!!

2011-11-08T10:49:00.000-06:00

IT'S ELECTION DAY ...

GET OUT AND VOTE!

Get out there and VOTE TODAY!!! It's Election Day in the Commonwealth! And in keeping with the voting spirit, we're asking our readers to VOTE for their favorite sandwich here at Artisan Kitchen! Yes, it may not be QUITE as important as deciding the governor and other elected officials but it's all in good fun! Let us know...and tell us why!

Here's the ballot! Please only vote for one...well, ok...if you REALLY cannot decide you can vote for two:

Brie Brushcetta

Tempura Tangiers

Fiesta Verde

Roman Veggie Sub

BBLT

Thailand Beef

Chicken Parmesan

Mangalore Chicken Salad

Chicken Caponata

Cranturkey Croissant

Southwest Turkey Club

Three Little Pigs

Polpetta Di Carne

Tender Melt

Tender Bleu

The "precinct" will close at 6 p.m. We will let you know the results tomorrow.

In addition to our everyday, all day sandwich, salad and entree menu, we have the following options available to help simplify your busy life:

Ham & Potato Soup

Shrimp and Proscuitto Penne

Kentucky Hot Brown

Traditional Lasagna

Beef Pot Pie

Meatloaf

Chicken and Dressing

Turkey and Dressing

Pork Madison

DESSERTS...which is stressed spelled backwards...we are offering:

French Vanilla Butternut Cake

Italian Cream Cake

Strawberry Cake

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake

CaKe PoPs

CheEseCaKe LoLLiEs

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake

New York Cheesecake

German Chocolate Cheesecake

Freshly Baked Cookies

Dessert Bars

2011-11-07T18:04:00.000-06:00

Wine Tasting & Dinner at Shandies Featuring Eddy Creek Vineyard of Princeton!

Wine tasting dinners can teach you so much about wines and how the different varietals pair with different culinary creations. Far gone are the days of strict wine rules: white wines with chicken or fish and reds with beef and pork! The rules have lightened up and the wine varieties have changed a lot through the years!

So join Shandies' own Karla Lawerence as she teams up with the Eddy Creek Vineyard experts to create a fabulous four-course Wine Tasting & Dinner on Wednesday starting at 6 p.m. The cost is $50 per person and you can make reservations by calling Shandies at 442.2552 or Artisan Kitchen at 538.0250.

For the first course, Shandies will present their signature East Indian Egg Rolls with a Green Tomato-Tamarind Dipping Sauce and Eddy Creek pairs that with its Chardonel--a semi-dry white. The Chardonel is a fruit forward wine, with a nice and light taste. This grape is a sister grape to the chardonnay.

The second course features Creamy Tomato Basil Soup and the Shandies House Salad. The Eddy Creek Selection is the Vidal Blanc--a dry, crisp white wine with a blend of citrus, pineapple and pear nuances.

Parmesan-Encrusted Beef with Pasta Marinara--one of the most popular Shandies' specials--is paired up with a semi-dry red wine. The Eddy Creek Chambourein tiers of oakiness, black cherry and plum characteristics. It is served best at room temperature and pairs exquisitely with red meats and pasta.

And last but never least. The Shandies Brownie Craze featuring whipped chocolate ganache and white chocolate whipped cream is paired with the Eddy Creek Ruby Blush Infusion. It's a sweet wine with a hint of spiciness and is a blend of the dry white Vidal Blanc and Chambourein.

Award-winning Eddy Creek Vineyards, formally known as Black Oak Vineyard, is basically right in our own backyard in the heart of Land Between the Lakes in Caldwell County--about six miles from Barkley Lake! This boutique vineyard has been producing wine since it's first harvest in 2004. It's owned and operated by Dr. David Hall and his wife, Dr. Jenny Franke, who bought the land to return to their family roots of wine making in Northern Italy and a beaming vision to add to the area's tourism. They started out with 960 vines--and has developed quickly into 2500 plus vines.

THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS

2011-11-04T14:42:00.002-05:00

November 4, 2011

Thanksgiving Traditions

Young or old...everyone has a FAVORITE Thanksgiving dish! Something you may have only once a year...something that MAKES Thanksgiving...something that makes your mouth water just thinking about it!!! You know what I'm talking about!

We, at Artisan Kitchen, decided to share our perennial favorites with you....

"I guess I stick with the basics...turkey and dressing."
--David, Owner/Executive Chef

"TURKEY...no doubt about it!"
--Karla, Owner/Executive Chef

"Chess Pie."
--Danny, Chef and Kitchen King

"Sweet Potatoes and Turnip Greens."
--Paula, Supreme Salad Specialist

"Cornbread Dressing and Cranberry Sauce."
--Jessi, Chef-in-Training and Kitchen Princess

"Mashed Potatoes. It's all I ever ate until I was five and my grandmother made the best in the world!"
--Annette, Up Front Girl and Catering

"Sweet Potato Casserole."
Tiffany, Chief Cheesecake Officer

"Mashed Sweet Potatoes!"
Jean, Cake Artist

"Broccoli Cheesy Rice Casserole or Hashbrown Casserole..it's a toss up!"
Brittny, Cake Artist

"That's a hard choice. But if I had to pick it would 'chittlins'! Yeah, it's an acquired taste!"
Daryl, Dishwashing Expert

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

So Artisan Kitchen friends, fans and faithful blog followers....

Tell us WHAT's YOURS!?!?!?!?!?!?!

So what's cooking today at Artisan Kitchen....

Turkey a la King

Meatloaf

French Quarter Pasta

Traditional Lasagna

Chicken and Dressing

Ham & Potato Casserole

Country Style Green Beans

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Spicy Ginger Green Beans

Spinach Salad

Garden Salad

Artisan Kitchen...Catering and Carry-Out to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-11-03T09:57:00.001-05:00

November 3, 2011

THANK GOODNESS FOR ARTISAN KITCHEN!!!!!!!!!!!

It's that time of year...Thanksgiving! It's the culinary day of the year...for those who cook and for those who love to cook! But for those who don't...it's a nightmare! Never fear! Artisan Kitchen to the rescue. Whether you need us to make your entire meal--Roasted Turkey Breast and Gravy, Corn Bread Dressing, Cranberry Relish and all the delicious side dishes like Sweet Potato Casserole, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Country Style Green Beans, Green Bean Casserole, Candied Brandy Carrots or Pesto Fried Corn! Or help just a little like with a pie or cake or made from scratch yeast rolls. We have it covered!

We have several complete dinner options, a bunch of a la carte choices and, of course, our decadent desserts! Menus are available at Artisan Kitchen or online. Scrolling right alongside this blog <------in fact! All you have to do is call and we will have it ready for you. Convenience is the name of the game here. We are open late on Wednesday so you can take it and reheat for the big day--and we're open until 2 p.m. THANKSGIVING DAY. Your feed can be warmed and ready to eat or you can take it and bake it at home complete with re-heating instructions so there's no second guessing!

Thanksgiving...piece of cake!!!!!!!!! We've got you covered!

PS Shandies is open Thanksgiving Day until 7 p.m. and is currently taking reservations. It's a traditional Thanksgiving Feast--complete with a to-go Leftover Box!!!!!!!!!!! Call today at 270.442.2552 to make your reservation!

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We also have tonight's supper covered...today we are featuring:

Curried Carrot Soup

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Spinach Salad

Garden Salad

Pork Madison

Ham & Potato Casserole

Chicken and Dressing

Kentucky Hot Brown

Traditional Lasagna

Chicken Tetrazzini

French Quarter Pasta

Turkey a la King

Meatloaf

To satisfy your sweet tooth..

Italian Cream Cake

French Vanilla Butternut Cake

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

New York Cheesecake

Kahlua Cheesecake

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Tarts

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Tarts

Cheesecake Lollies

Dessert Bars and Cookies

Artisan Kitchen...Catering & Carry-Out to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-11-02T12:27:00.000-05:00

November 2, 2011

FALL IS HERE!!!!

It's absolutely gorgeous outside and smells absolutely fabulous inside ARTISAN KITCHEN!!!!!!! Fall is in the air...inside and out! Pop into Artisan Kitchen and sample our Pumpkin Walnut Bread....fresh out of the oven! MMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm! It's our moist pumpkin bread with a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon topped with walnuts and packaged ever-so cute in a tiny wooden basket! Perfect for a chilly morning breakfast snack or to give as a token of appreciation (since it is packaged so sweetly!) Freshly baked today and they are $6.95 each.

Pumpkin is the theme of the week apparently....we also have a scrumptious Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake!!!! It's our cheesecake twist on a traditional pumpkin pie! All the pumpkin pie flavor combined with the rich, creamy yumminess of our fabulous cheesecake! It's $32.95 for a whole cheesecake or $3.95 a slice.

Wondering what to make for supper? No worries! We have it covered for you at Artisan Kitchen!!!!!!!! Today we are offering our take-it, bake-it casseroles! In thirty minutes, supper is served!

Ham & Potato Casserole

Pork Madison

Shrimp & Proscuitto Penne

Chicken Alfredo

Chicken & Dressing

Turkey & Dressing

Kentucky Hot Brown

Meatloaf

Turkey a la King

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Desserts! Desserts! Desserts! Desserts! Desserts!

French Vanilla Butternut

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Mousse

Red Velvet Cake

Italian Cream Cake

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Kahlua Cheesecake

New York Cheesecake

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Tarts

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Tarts

Cheesecake Lollies

Assorted Dessert Bars & Cookies

Artisan Kitchen ....Catering & Carry-Out to Simplify Your Busy Life!!!!!!!!

2011-11-01T12:56:00.000-05:00

November 1, 2011

CUTE CUPCAKES...Yes, we DO!

Our talented cake artists can make EVERYTHING!!!!! Check out these cutie cupcakes ....rich buttercream frosting and moist and delicious french vanilla butternut or chocolate cake underneath! YUM! Cupcakes are the craze of late...as are Cake Balls! We do them both...place your holiday orders today!

And speaking of holidays....our Thanksgiving Menu is available at Artisan Kitchen today! We can help you take the stress out of your holidays by preparing a side dish, rolls or the ENTIRE MEAL! We can take care of every detail, except washing up the dishes! And if we catered the meal for you, we'd take care of that, too!!!!

We can take the stress out of an ordinary Tuesday...like today...by helping you prepare supper! In today's case, we have the following take-it, bake-it casseroles ready to eat in 30 minutes!

Shrimp & Proscuitto Penne

Pork Madison

Meatloaf

Kentucky Hot Brown

Chicken & Dressing

Turkey & Dressing

Chicken Alfredo

We also have lovingly prepared:

Garden Salad

Spinach Salad

Country Style Green Beans

Spicy Ginger Green Beans

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Fruit Salad

Greek Pasta Salad

Potato Salad

Waldorf Slaw

Bacon Gouda Pizza

SPA Pizza--Spinach Portabella Artichoke

Curried Carrot Soup

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Artisan Kitchen...Catering and Carry-Out to Simplify Your Busy Life!

270.538.0250

2011-10-12T16:27:00.002-05:00

October 12, 2011

What Do You DO?

Each and every day, the phone rings at Artisan Kitchen and someone kindly asks me if we do birthday cakes...or wedding cakes...or baby shower cakes...or specialty cakes...or cakes? The answer is a MOST DEFINITELY YES! YES WE DO! Artisan Kitchen is a complete bakery offering everything from cookies and dessert bars to cakes and cheesecakes! We make pies and specialty desserts with advance notice, too!

Artisan Kitchen Specialty Cake

In today's bakery case, we have a wide variety of cakes, cheesecakes, cupcakes and goodies to satisfy ANY sweet tooth!

Double Fudge Rum Raspberry

French Vanilla Butternut

Strawberry Margarita Cake

French Raspberry Champagne

Banana

Chocolate PEANUT BUTTER---my personal favorite this week!

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake

New York Cheesecake

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Halloween Cupcakes

Halloween Treat Cheesecake Lollies

Dessert Bars and Cookies

Stop by and let us do the cooking tonight!

French Quarter Pasta

Shrimp & Prosciutto Penne

Country Ham and Potato

Kentucky Hot Brown

Beef Stroganoff

Chicken & Dressing

Artisan Kitchen....Catering and Carry-Out to Simplify Your Busy Life!!!

2011-10-11T13:48:00.001-05:00

October 11, 2011

Happy Fall Y'All !!!!!!!

It's definitely looking and feeling more like Autumn outside--well Autumn in Kentucky, that is. Highs in the 80s, lows in the 50s. It's also looking a lot of Autumn here at Artisan Kitchen....our busy, busy, busy Dessert Artists are busy, busy, busy creating all sorts of Autumn-inspired goodies........like our Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake and our Apple Spice Cake!

We also are getting ready for Halloween with all sorts of goodies from decorated sugar cookies, cupcakes, CAKE POPS and cheesecake lollies!

Halloween Treat Cheesecake Lollies

Call us today to place your Halloween order for your ghosts, goblins, black cats and witches!!!!!!!!!!!! We love HALLOWEEN and can't wait to get baking!

Need help with supper TONIGHT? Are Sporting events, school functions, work and life in general making you stressed to get supper on the table? Let us take the worry out of it for you!

We have take it, bake it casseroles and entrees ready to go that are oven to table in 30 minutes! We have a wide variety to choose from--they typical feed 2-3 and range in price from $12.95 to $16.95.

Pork Madison

Kentucky Hot Brown

MeatLoaf

French Quarter Pasta

Ham and Potato Casserole

Shrimp & Prosciutto Penne

Chicken & Dressing

Beef Stroganoff

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Soup of the Day: Hearty Chicken & Noodle!

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In the bakery case, there are all sorts of goodies:

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Brownie Sundae Cheesecake

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake

New York Cheesecake

Cheesecake Lollies

Cheesecake Tarts

French Vanilla Butternut Cake

Double Fudge Rum Raspberry Cake

Banana Cake

Assorted Dessert Bars--Chess, Derby, Pecan Pie, Caramel Pecan Brownie

Cookies! Cookies! Cookies!

Artisan Kitchen....Carry Out & Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-10-10T13:29:00.001-05:00

October 10, 2011

Happy Columbus Day!

For some, this is a holiday...for others...business as usual. Here at Artisan Kitchen we are going strong and have a bevy of options to simplify your busy life!

Today's Casseroles Include:

Meatloaf

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken & Dressing

Ham & Potato Casserole

French Quarter Pasta

Kentucky Hot Brown

Vegetable Lasagna

Beef Stroganoff

Pair any one of those with a garden or spinach salad and one of our delicious side accompaniments and VOILA! Dinner is served! Our casseroles are prepared with the freshest ingredients and are ready to eat in about 30 minutes start to finish!

For dessert, we have an entire bakery case full of yummies! Our featured dessert of the week is the Spiced Apple Cheesecake--it tastes very much like a good old fashioned apple pie only BETTER. Imagine the creamiest of cheesecakes merged with apple pie. DeLISH!

In addition to the Apple Spice Cheesecake, we are offering:
Brownie Sundae--a perennial favorite!
Snickerdoodle--which is like a peanut, chocolate and caramel treat not a snickerdoodle cookie!

We are also featuring Meet Your Maker's Cheesecake Tarts--a mini version of our delicious cheesecake with the same name found ONLY at Shandies! It's a chocolate cheesecake SPIKED...and I do mean SPIKED with Maker's Mark Bourbon and topped off to mimic the signature top of a Maker's Mark bottle. If you haven't tried this yet, you are really missing out!

We also have several cakes today:
Banana
French Vanilla Butternut
Chocolate Covered Orange
Double Fudge Rum Raspberry
French Raspberry Champagne

We always have a great selection of other scrumptious desserts including--Halloween Cheesecake Lollies, New York Cheesecake Tarts, and an array of dessert bars and freshly-baked cookies.

Artisan Kitchen....Catering & Carry Out to Simplify Your Busy Life

2011-09-12T09:45:00.001-05:00

September 12, 2001

Just Another Manic Monday....

That immortal song from The Bangles always pops into my head when I arrive for work at Artisan Kitchen on Mondays! It's always a blur of activity! Not that everyone isn't busy EVERY day...but on Mondays there is a slight urgency to get everything prepped and prepared for the new week! It isn't easy making everything from scratch and using the freshest of ingredients but it OBVIOUSLY makes a difference. Artisan Kitchen quality IS...well Artisan Kitchen quality! Enough said!

Stop in or call for delivery for lunch! Our sandwiches and salads are ALWAYS made to order and take just a few minutes more than typical fast food. Planning a working lunch, business meeting or presentation and need to feed a crowd...let us take the stress and have your lunch delivered ready to eat! All you have to do is show up and begin the meeting. Our sandwich and entree buffets are delivered with everything you need from the most delicious food to the fork and napkin you'll need to eat with!

As far as our carry-out casseroles, (which typically feed 2-3 people --unless one of those people is my football-player son!) We have a wide variety to choose from. Ready in 30 minutes or so, it's a simple, stress-free way to feed your family.

In the case today:

Kentucky Hot Brown --MY PERSONAL FAVORITE

Turkey Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

Meatloaf

Baked Ziti

Portabella Lasagna

Traditional Lasagna

Pork Madison

Chicken & Dressing

French Quarter Pasta

Ham & Potato Bake

Beef Stroganoff

We also have fresh garden salad and spinach salad AND our delicious pizzas. Yes, we have pizzas--bacon and gouda and our SPA--spinach, portabella and artichoke heart pizza.

Needing to satisfy your sweet tooth, check out our bakery case!

Whole Cakes Available while they last--

Old Fashioned Chocolate, Neapolitan, Pineapple Macademia Nut and Apple Spice!

By-the-Slice:

Chocolate- Covered Orange Cake, Italian Cream Cake and Banana Cake.

Cheesecakes By-The Slice--Strawberry Swirl and Kahlua.

Whole Cheesecakes--Chocolate Chip and New York.

And don't forget about our cooking class next week: Apples! Sweet and Savory. It's at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 20. Classes are $30 and you get to eat what you make sooooo come hungry! Call 538.0250 for more information or drop us an email telling us you'll be here at artisankitchen@bellsouth.net !

Artisan Kitchen...Catering & Carry-out to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-09-09T16:18:00.000-05:00

September 9-10, 2011

Let Artisan Kitchen Simplify YOUR Busy Life This Weekend!

Weekends can be hectic! Sometimes even more hectic than the work week! Let us help you here at Artisan Kitchen! The very least we can do is feed you! We have a wide, wide variety of options to satisfy your gastronomic needs....whether you need a meal, a dessert or BOTH!

We will begin with our savory selections! We have an amazing assortment of TAKE IT! BAKE IT! Casseroles (ready to eat in 30 minutes), a plethora of Accompaniments(you know the fancy, schmancy word for side dishes), Pizzas (baked off in 10 minutes--REALLY!) and Salads (THE very freshest in town)!

Today's selection includes

Mediterranean Chicken Stew

Chicken & Dressing

Meatloaf

French Quarter Pasta

Beef Stroganoff

Pork Madison

Ham & Potato Casserole

Traditional Lasagna

Baked Ziti **

Garden Salad**

Spinach Salad

Greek Pasta Salad**

Traditional Potato Salad

Fresh Fruit Salad**

SPA Pizza--Spinach-Portabella-Artichoke**

Bacon & Gouda Pizza

Country Style Green Beans

Spicy Ginger Green Beans**

Swiss Scalloped Potatoes**

Garlic Mashed Potatoes**

Pesto Corn**

Braised Sesame Asparagus**

**Vegetarian selections

In the Bakery Case...while they last:

French Vanilla Butternut Cake

Neapolitan Cake

Italian Cream Cake

By the slice:

Double Fudge Rum Raspberry Cake

Choclate Covered Orange Cake

Italian Cream Cake

Banana Cake

Kahlua Cheesecake

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

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French Vanilla & Banana Cake Pops

Chocolate-Almond & White Chocolate-Orange Truffles

Key Lime, Blueberry & Chocolate Cheesecake Tarts,

Dessert Bars

Freshly-Baked Cookies

Hours

9 am - 6 p.m. Daily

10 am - 2 p.m. Saturday

Don't see your fave listed here, call 270.538.0250 and order it!

Artisan Kitchen...Carry-Out & Catering To Simplify Your Busy Life!

SEPTEMBER COOKING CLASS FOR ARTISAN KITCHEN !!!!!!!!

2011-09-09T11:53:00.000-05:00

apples! ApPLeS! APPLES!

Growing up on a Southern Illinois orchard, September can only mean one thing to Artisan Kitchen's David Jones...APPLES! So naturally, the September Artisan Kitchen Cooking Class is all about APPLES--sweet and savory recipes using apples! It's Tuesday, September 20 at 7 p.m. at Artisan Kitchen at 1704 Broadway.

Classes are casual, friendly and very hands-on. "Students" are strongly encouraged to participate--regardless of their cooking expertise. It's a social event as much as it is a "class"! The atmosphere is casual, friendly and inviting. Newcomers are encouraged to give it a try!

"There's also an added bonus! You get to eat whatever you make...so come HUNGRY," added Jones, who teaches the class along with Executive Chef and business partner
Karla Lawrence.

The class themes vary from month to month--and have included a wide range of topics from cold soups to desserts to cooking with wine! Recipes are provided.

"David and Karla make the evening so much fun and they are so giving in class!" said Rebecca Robinson--who's been attending classes for a couple of years now.

"It's a real treat for me to attend the cooking classes! I learn something new in EVERY class," Robinson said. "I hate to miss!"

Classes meet at 7 p.m. at Artisan Kitchen. Soft drinks, tea and bottled water are provided but attendees can also bring their favorite beverage of choice, too. Wine and cocktail glasses are provided! Each class is $30.

Private cooking classes for a few or a crowd are also offered and the menus can be customized to fit any theme. Prices will vary, depending on the menu.

Call Artisan Kitchen at 270.538.0250 to register TODAY or if you prefer, email us at artisankitchen@bellsouth.net !

2011-08-05T13:53:00.000-05:00

Corporate Meeting Stress?

No Worries with Artisan Kitchen!!!!

Are you tasked with planning your next corporate lunch meeting, company gathering, holiday party or celebration event??? No Worries...Let Artisan Kitchen sweat the details of how your next event will be catered. No matter what your taste, no matter what your budget, Artisan Kitchen has just what you need. We can handle that big company function you've been planning or simply deliver a wonderful luncheon buffet to your door!

Artisan Kitchen has a wide selection of custom menus for any budget, and you can see a sampling of what we have to offer on our website at www.artisankitchen.net . Our food is always homemade, using the freshest of ingredients available. Our meals are always tasty, refreshing and fun. With more than 10 years of catering experience, and a long tradition of focusing on complete personal experience, Artisan Kitchen will oversee every detail so you don't have to! We will do all the work...and the best part....you get all the credit!!!

Artisan Kitchen is regionally-known for our hands-on commitment to excellence. Trust that your next corporate gathering or meeting will be a success by letting us handle everything. Give us a call at 270.538.0350 or visit us online at www.artisankitchen.net .

Fabulous cuisine brought right to your door...with sandwich buffets starting at $9.95 per person offering three types of our delicious sandwiches, Waldorf slaw, Greek pasta salad, relish picks, your choice of tea or lemonade and all the necessary disposables. For a hot meal, our entree buffets start at $12.95 per person. You can an select an entree item such as Kingston Pork with Apple Apricot Chutney or our very own Chicken Spidini, a fresh garden or spinach salad, two signature side items, drinks and disposables. For a few dollars more, we will also provide an assortment of our delicious dessert bars and cookies. Free delivery in McCracken County...minimal fee for outside areas.

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Today at Artisan Kitchen....

We offer a wonderful selection of desserts including an Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake, Lemon Black Raspberry with Italian Meringue Frosting, French Vanilla Butternut, Strawberry, CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRY, and Italian Cream Cake.

We are also featuring French Macaroons--which are a delicate cake-like sandwich cookie filled with a creamy vanilla custard. We also have a special treat of white chocolate tulip cups filled with french vanilla mousse and topped with a fresh raspberry!

Cheesecake wise....we have a fabulous Kahlua Cheesecake and a scrumptious Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake!

And don't forget our Cake Pops.....YUM-MMMY!

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Too Hot to Handle the Kitchen Tonight?

Artisan Kitchen can handle it for you! Stop by for one of our fresher-than-fresh salads, take-and-bake casseroles or side dishes.

We offer:

Reuben Casserole--made with corned beef, roasted Brussels Sprouts & our own 1000 Island Sauce

Turkey Reuben Casserole--just as tasty as our Reuben made with our signature roasted turkey breast.

Chicken Spidini with Creamy Risotto

Chicken Tetrazzini

Salmon Carbonara

Ham & Potato Casserole--COMFORT FOOD at it's finest!

Beef Stroganoff

Artisan Kitchen....Catering & Carry-Out to Simplify Your Busy Life !!!!!!!!!!

2011-07-21T11:01:00.000-05:00

Thursday, July 21, 2011

SALADS! SALADS! SALADS!

On days like this when it's absolutely sweltering outside, a crisp, fresh, chilled salad full of garden fresh veggies just sounds like the right thing to do! We offer the freshest of the fresh salads at Artisan Kitchen and each are prepared to order. Here's a rundown of our entree salads:

Fresh Garden Salad: A bed of mixed greens and tossed with broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, red onions and tomatoes.

Spinach Salad: A bed of mixed greens and tender fresh spinach leaves tossed with our signature spicy bacon, toasted walnuts, mandarin oranges, red onions and mushrooms.

Artisan Chef Salad: Our garden fresh salad topped with shredded cheddar cheese and your choice of our roasted turkey, grilled chicken, or Black Forest Ham.

Salmon Caesar Salad: Grilled-to-perfection salmon atop of bed of fresh mixed greens, black olives, fresh Parmesan, croutons and our homemade Caesar dressing.

Thai Beef Salad: Beef tenderloin medallions marinated in a blend of Thai spices on a bed of fresh mixed greens, red onions, radishes and cucumber with our Thai Peanut Dressing.

Asian Chicken Salad: Fresh mixed greens topped with almonds, mandarin oranges, bamboo shoots, chicken and water chestnuts with Mandarin Sweet Oil Dressing.

All Artisan Kitchen Salads are served with your choice of the following homemade dressings: Mandarin Sweet Oil, Peppercorn Ranch, Creamy Bleu Cheese, Raspberry Vinaigrette, French Poppy seed and 1000 Island.

Stop by for a SALAD and pick up one of our take and bake casseroles. There's lots to choose from including veggie lasagna, french quarter pasta, chicken tetrazzini and meatloaf! Thirty minutes from oven to table and dinner is DONE!!!!

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Our bakery case is overflowing with goodies today:

Chocolate Caramel Cake

French Vanilla Butternut Cake

Chocolate Covered Orange Cake

Italian Cream Cake

Lemon Blueberry Cake

Our SINFULLY DELICIOUS Brownie Sundae Cheesecake

Kahlua Cheesecake

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

Cheesecake Tarts, Cookies and Dessert Bars

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A special thanks to all who stopped in and bought our Cake Pops in honor of National Lollipop Day!

Artisan Kitchen....Carry-Out and Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-07-20T13:49:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

In addition to all of the activity in the bakery with National Lollipop Day aka at Artisan Kitchen as Cake Pop DAY....our talented Cake Artists Jean, Brittny and Tiffany ...and Executive Chef Karla have deliciously filled our bakery case with a bevy of cakes and cheesecakes!

Today we are offering....

Kahlua Chocolate Cheesecake

Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake & Tarts

Italian Cream Cake

Banana Cream Cake

Chocolate Covered Orange Cake

Lemon Blueberry Cake

Chocolate Mousse Cake

French Vanilla Butternut Cake

Pick up a whole cake or just a slice today!

In the deli case today because it's really too hot to cook...

Pork Madison

Vegetable Lasagna

Portabella Florentine Lasagna

Meatloaf

Calypso Turkey

Herb Roasted Chicken

Chicken Tetrazzini

French Quarter Pasta

Kentucky HOT Brown

Ham & Potato Casserole

We also have accompanying side dishes including garlic mashed potatoes, country style green beans, pesto corn, potato salad and Waldorf Slaw.

We also have our Burgundy Butter in the case for a limited time. Burgundy Butter is a compound butter of herbs and spices to accompany steaks, hamburgers...well all beef dishes in general. It really brings out the flavor. Try some, you'll like it!

Artisan Kitchen....Carry-Out & Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life!

Wednesday is National Lollipop Day!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-07-19T17:11:00.001-05:00

July 20 is ALWAYS National Lollipop Day!

Show of hands now...who knew that July 20 is National Lollipop Day????? Ok, well there's always one in every crowd! WE here at Artisan Kitchen take our National Holidays very seriously and in order to celebrate this culinary celebration our Bakery Artists have created the tastiest Cake Pops ever! They are absolutely precious in a RAINBOW of colors and flavors!

What exactly is a Cake Pop? Well, Cake Pops are a baker's version of a candy lollipop only using cake! Our deliciously moist cake is delicately blended together with rich butter cream frosting to form a ball and then dipped in milk chocolate or white chocolate and rolled in sprinkles!!! Insert a stick and VOILA a Cake Pop is created! I've sampled a couple, wink wink..and they are DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!! We have Cake Pops in all of the most popular flavors this week--French Vanilla Butternut, Italian Cream, Strawberry, Double Fudge Rum Raspberry, White, Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut Butter! Do I really need to go on?????

Stop by and pick up one or a dozen today! They're specially priced at $2.50 each or $26.95 a dozen!

Cake Pops aren't the ONLY lollipop-like creations at Artisan Kitchen...don't forget about our Cheesecake Lollies! Yummy cheesecake on a stick and bite size! We keep those year-round in an array of flavors. The most popular? New York Style dipped in chocolate ganache.

Some interesting lollipop facts:

The first lollipops date back to the Middle Ages when nobility would eat a boiled sugar concoction with a stick.
The Racine Confectioners Machine Co. claims credit for inventing the first lollipop machine after agreeing to help another candy maker fill an order for hard candy on a stick. Their machine made 40 lollipops a minute! FYI: Today's machines can produce up to 6.000 lollipops a minute.
Dum Dums came out in 1924 and were given their unique name when a clever salesperson decided that "dumdum" was a name even a baby could say! Now that's no dummy!
Tootsie Pops were invented in 1930. The company has new flavors out including pomegranate, banana, and green apple. Who knew?
Candy maker George Smith holds the trademark on "lollipop" after naming his stick candy creations after his favorite race horse--you guessed it--Lolly Pop!

Stop by and get a CAKE POP today but remember we will have them all week!

Artisan Kitchen....Carry-Out & Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-07-18T11:59:00.000-05:00

There's still time to sign up for the Artisan Kitchen July Cooking Class!!!!!!!!!!!

Chefs Karla Lawrence & David Jones will be featuring DESSERTS! DESSERTS! DESSERTS! at this month's cooking class. Specifically, they will be demonstrating the art of cannoli--which originated in Sicily and is an essential element in Sicilian cuisine. Cannoli literally means "little tube" and these tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough are filled with a sweet, creamy filling--usually containing ricotta.

The class begins at 7 p.m. and it's $30 for each person. Come on! It's casual and fun and BYOB!

We're having a heat wave....a not so tropical heatwave here in Western Kentucky. It's the two H's everyone in this part of the nation dreads---HEAT AND HUMIDITY. It's too hot to do much of anything...especially cook. So let Artisan Kitchen do the cooking for you! Or stop in and pick up a made-to-order fresh garden, spinach or chef salad!

FEATURED ITEM OF THE DAY: GAZPACHO

Gazpacho is a cold, raw vegetable soup and is tasty tasty!

We also have plenty to choose from in the deli case as far as take-away meals go:

Pork Madison

Kentucky Hot Brown

Traditional Lasagna

Herb Roasted Chicken

Chicken Tetrazzini

French Quarter Pasta

Meatloaf

Ham & Potato Casserole

We also have a wide assortment of cakes, cheesecakes, cupcakes and cookies.

If you haven't tried the Chocolate Covered Orange Cake...you are in for a treat! It's like an orange pop-up (you know, the ones from the ice cream man!) covered with luscious chocolate frosting and ganache!

We also have Chocolate Covered Strawberry CUPCAKES! Delicious...in a word!

Other desserts include:

Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Strawberry Passion Fruit Cheesecake Tarts

Strawberry Cake

Chocolate Caramel Cake

French Vanilla Butternut Cake

Hope to see you soon!

2011-07-15T18:16:00.000-05:00

July 15, 2011

Did you know that Artisan Kitchen is open on Saturdays? Every Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. serving our delicious made-to-order gourmet sandwiches, salads and entrees! We also try to keep our carry-out casseroles, sides and pizzas in good supply to carry you through the weekend.

There are several whole cakes in the bakery case!

French Vanilla Butternut

Double Fudge Rum Raspberry

Chocolate Covered Orange Cake

and several cakes, and cheesecakes to have by the slice!

Dessert bars, cookies, cheesecake tarts and other yummies are always available for the sweet tooth in all of us!

We have a great selection of casseroles, including my personal faves--Kentucky Hot Brown, Pork Madison and the ever-popular Artisan Kitchen Sweet & Savory Meatloaf.

Don't forget to sign up for our July cooking class featuring DESSERTS! DESSERTS! DESSERTS!

It's Tuesday, July 19 at 7 p.m. It's $30 per person. It's so simple to sign up...just call us at 538.0250 or email me at artisankitchen@bellsouth.net to reserve your spot!

Coming NEXT WEEK.........National Lollipop Day !!!!! Watch for the delicious LOLLIPOPS we will have to honor the day!

Looking for something fun to do this weekend...try our SHANDIES in historic downtown Paducah!!!

Call 270.442.2552 for reservations!

Artisan KItchen...Carry-out & Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-07-14T10:05:00.000-05:00

July 14, 2011

Well those Artisan Kitchen Bakers have been at it again!

They've created a new cookie taste sensation--available only for a limited time unless they become so popular we decide to make them as a house cookie...it's up to YOU!

It's our delicious chocolate butterscotch pecan cookie with a twist! We tweeked the recipe, adjusted the chocolate and topped it with a bittersweet chocolate mocha sauce and VOILA! the Artisan Kitchen Chocolate Butterscotch Mocha Cookie !

And, of course, the bakery is stocked with our scrumptious cakes, cheesecakes, cookies and dessert bars!

Today's bakery features:

Chocolate Covered ORANGE Cake

French Vanilla Butternut Cake

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Double Fudge Rum Raspberry Cake

New York Style Cheesecake

By the slice:

Strawberry Cake

Brownie Sundae Cheesecake

Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

French Vanilla Butternut Cake

We also have Caramel Brownie Cake Pops, Chess Bars and Derby Squares!

Not in the mood to cook?? Stop in for a tasty casserole, pizza, or salad.

Select from SPA pizza *spinach portabella artichoke*, Bacon Gouda Pizza, Spinach Salad, Garden Salad, Kentucky Hot Brown, Beef Tenderloin with a Sherry Cream Sauce, Ham & Potato Casserole, Chicken Tetrazzini, French Quarter Pasta, Calypso Turkey, Herb Roasted Chicken and Pork Madison!

And don't forget about the Artisan Kitchen Cooking Classes! Our next scheduled class meets Tuesday, July 19 at 7 p.m. at Artisan Kitchen, 1704 Broadway! We will be featuring desserts! The classes are $30 and we always have a lot of fun and NO ONE leaves hungry!

Artisan Kitchen....Carry-Out and Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-07-13T13:27:00.001-05:00

July 13, 2011

It's toooooooo hot and humid to cook!!!!!!!!! So why not stop in Artisan Kitchen this afternoon and pick up supper!!???????!!!!!!

Today we are featuring delicious and nutritious Gazpacho! It's $4.75 a bowl and comes with a croissant. It's $9.95 a quart! We also have a Spicy Veggie-Beef Tenderloin Soup!

We also have several salads, sides and carry-out casseroles today:

Spinach Salad

Garden Salad

Pasta Salad

Haricot Verts

Super Stuffed Spuds--our version of a Twice Baked Potato!

Calypso Turkey

Kentucky Hot Brown

Chicken Tetrazzini

Beef Tenderloin with Cream Sherry Mushroom Sauce

French Quarter Pasta

Meatloaf

Herb Roasted Chicken

Salmon Carbonara

Ham & Potato Casserole

Pork Madison

SPA Pizza (Spinach, Portabella, Artichoke)

We are also featuring in the bakery today a wonderfully unique variety of cupcakes--Chocolate Peanut Butter, Hummingbird and French Raspberry Champagne!

There's lots more to choose from to satisfy your sweet tooth:

Chocolate Covered Strawberry

French Vanilla Butternut

Chocolate Covered Orange

Chocolate Mousse

Strawberry

Double Fudge Rum Raspberry

Caramel Brownie Cake Pops

Brownie Sundae Cheesecake

Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

and, of course, our fabulous DESSERT BARS AND COOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-06-01T10:35:00.001-05:00

June 1, 2011

We are featuring a new dessert bar--Milk Chocolate Banana Walnut Chunk Bars! Stop by today and taste one!!!!!!!!! We, of course, have all of our dessert bars in the case Chess, Derby, Caramel Pecan Brownie and Pecan Pie. These are sure to sate any sweet tooth!

Don't feel like cooking or need to take a meal to a friend? Stop by and select one of our take-away casseroles:

Traditional Lasagna

Vegetable Lasagna

Kentucky Hot Brown

Apricot Pork

Swedish Meatballs

Chicken Tetrazzini

Meatloaf

Shrimp and Prosciutto

Pork Madison

Beef Pot Pie

French Quarter Pasta

Don't see a favorite casserole in the case, ask? We might have it in the back.

Whole Cakes Available Today:

Cookies and Cream

Italian Cream

Double Fudge Rum Raspberry

Have a piece of Lemon Blueberry or Red Velvet Cake!

We also have lots of treats in the bakery!

French Vanilla Butternut Cupcakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Brownie Sundae Cheesecake

White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

Chocolate Swirl and White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Tarts

What Happened to Spring?

2011-05-31T10:53:00.000-05:00

May 31, 2011

With near record-breaking temperatures soaring into the 90s ALL WEEK, it's too hot to cook! So let Artisan Kitchen do it for you!!!!!! Call ahead and we'll have everything ready to go...warm...and ready to eat!!!!!

Today we are featuring Apricot Pork....our delicious pork tenderloin medallions in a creamy apricot sauce...perfect with rice or pasta! Serves 2-3 for $14.95. It's ready and waiting! Reheats in 30-40 minutes!

Other Carry-Out Casseroles include:

Traditional & Vegetable Lasagna

Kentucky Hot Brown

Swedish Meatballs

Shrimp & Prosciutto

Pork Madison

French Quarter Pasta

Chicken Tetrazzini

Beef Pot Pie

For Dessert, Artisan Kitchen offers several cakes including Italian Cream Cake and Lemon Blueberry. Or stop in for a piece of Red Velvet Cake. We also have French Vanilla Butternut Cupcakes with Butter Cream Frosting and Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes. There's a New York Style Cheesecake AND a Brownie Sundae Cheesecake in the case, too!

2011-03-31T14:55:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, March 31, 2011

If you're not in the mood to cook tonight or you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, Artisan Kitchen is the place for you! Today we have probably every take-away casserole ever created at AK as well as cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes and cookies to die for!

Here's the rundown:

Portabella Florentine Lasagna

Traditional Lasagna

Vegetable Lasagna

Calypso Turkey

Pesto Chicken & Artichoke Pasta

Meatloaf

Kentucky Hot Brown

French Quarter Pasta

Ham & Potato

Chicken Spidini

Chicken & Dressing

Chicken Tetrazzini

Shrimp & Prosciutto

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Spidini is an entree from our catering menu and is uber delicious!! White wine marinated chicken breasts with a cream cheese, pesto and roasted red pepper filling. Served as a take-away feature with our creamy risotto. and topped with red peppers. It is one of our favorite entrees, no doubt about it! We also have spinach and garden salads, Greek pasta salad, swiss scalloped potatoes and garlic mashed potatoes!

Our bakery case is full, full, full of such wonderful treats!!!! Cake Artists Jean Schrage and Jean Miller, along with Cheesecake Specialist Brooks Park have been busy, busy, busy!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here's what's what!!

Cupcakes, CUPCAKES and more CuPcAkEs!!!!!!!!!!!

Chocolate, Strawberry and French Vanilla!!!!!!!!!!

Apple Spice Cake with Caramel Icing

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake

French Vanilla Butternut Cake

Italian Cream Cake

Butter Pecan Cheesecake

Or stop by for a slice of Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cake, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cheesecake or our ever-popular New York Style Cheesecake!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have Amaretto-Almond Cheesecake Tarts and dozens of Cheesecake Lollies!!!!! We are also pleased to introduce the AK Chocolate Chess Bar! Of course we have the stand-by favorites--caramel pecan brownies, derby bars and chess squares!

2011-03-22T11:45:00.006-05:00

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

We've been experimenting at Artisan Kitchen and the creations are amazing! Our very own cheesecake specialist Brooks Park was tasked with a peanut butter cheesecake. It may have been on the menu at some point and time but none of us could remember it! So Brooks elaborated on the basic cheesecake recipe-- adding a dash of this and a dash of that and lots and lots of creamy peanut butter. Cake Artist Jean Schrage gave it a whipped chocolate ganache topping with Reece's Cup pieces!!!!!!! The "taste-testing team" tried it and agreed that he's onto something wonderful! And VOILA...a new cheesecake sensation was created at Artisan Kitchen!

We owe this phenomenal new cheesecake flavor to Christy Stanley, who wanted to surprise her daughter Jasmin for her 20th birthday. First she ordered a chocolate cake but soon called back to change her order. She said her daughter wanted a peanut butter cheesecake and asked if we could do it? Never backing down from any culinary challenge, Brooks and the tasting team soon turned out the most perfect peanut butter cheesecake known to man!

"It was amazing...simply decadent!" said Christy Stanley.

Stop by Artisan Kitchen tomorrow and get a slice!

And while you're here...pick up one of our delicious sandwiches for lunch or a take-away casserole for dinner!!!!

Here's what's available today:
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Chicken Tetrazzini
Vegetable Lasagna
Portabella Florentine Lasagna
Beef Stroganoff
Calypso Turkey
Chicken Divan
Ham & Potato Casserole
Kentucky Hot Brown
Shrimp and Proscuitto
Baked Ziti

In the bakery today, we are featuring several whole cakes--Old Fashioned Yellow with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, Double Fudge Rum Raspberry and French Vanilla Butternut! By the slice we have Orange Dreamscicle and Italian Cream Cake! We have cheesecakes by the slice, too. Apricot Amaretto and Kahlua cheesecake!!!!!! Of course, we have our dessert bars--chess, pecan pie, caramel pecan, derby and our newest banana-milk chocolate-- and cookies!

2011-03-14T11:04:00.003-05:00

Monday, March 14, 2011

Rain AND Monday AND a time change....This has to be some sort of CRUEL joke!?!?!?!?

Our latest culinary creation from the kitchen...Spicy Sicilian Beef Stew is sure to lift your spirits on this cold and rainy, sleepy Monday! Succulent beef tenderloin chunks, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, black olives and a kick of spices come together for a taste explosion in your mouth! Deliciousio!
Pair that up with our Polpetti di Carne Sandwich (AK's Spicy Meatball Sub) and lunch is done!!!!!

Or stop by and make your supper plans simple:
French Quarter Pasta
Chicken and Dressing
Chicken Tetrazzini
Chicken Divan
Herb Roasted Chicken with Risotto
Ham & Potato
Shrimp & Prosciutto
Pork Madison
Kentucky Hot Brown
Calypso Chicken
Meatloaf
Traditional Lasagna
Portabella Florentine Lasagna
Vegetable Lasagna

And the Cake and Cheesecake Artists have been busy this morning....we have a bunch in the bakery case today! Our featured dessert item today is cupcakes! We have "Cute as a Button" French Vanilla Butternut mini-cupcakes and Psychedelic Red Velvet Cupcakes! YUM-O!
Cookies and Cream Cake
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cake
Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake
French Vanilla Butternut Cupcakes
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
Brownie Sundae Cheesecake
Cheesecake Lollies & Tarts
Dessert Bars
Cookies

Artisan Kitchen...Catering and Carry-Out to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-03-11T10:33:00.003-06:00

Friday, March 11, 2011

Today's featured menu item--The Artisan Kitchen Salmon Caesar Salad--grilled to perfection salmon with black olives, fresh Parmesan cheese and croutons tossed with our homemade Caesar Dressing!

Our Soup of the Day is Creamy Potato!

Cake...CAKE...CaKe!!!!!!!!! We have treats galore in the bakery case today!
French Vanilla Butternut
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Lemon Cream
Double Fudge Rum Raspberry
Pistacio Cream
Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cupcakes!
New York Cheesecake
Key Lime and New York Cheesecake Tarts
Cheesecake Lollies

Take the STRESS out of supper tonight with one of our hearty and delicious take-home casseroles or pizzas!
Chicken Divan
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Tetrazzini
French Quarter Pasta
Herb Roasted Chicken with Risotto
Pork Madison
Baked Ziti
Traditional Lasagna
Portabella Lasagna
Ham and Potato
Calypso Turkey
Shrimp and Prosciutto

And don't forget about our hand made pizzas.....Spicy Bacon & Gouda or Spinach-Artichoke-Portabella! Artisan Kitchen Signature Pizzas bake up in about 10 minutes and are like nothing out there! The freshest of ingredients ingredients with homemade sauce and crust! These flavor combinations are phenomenal!

Artisan Kitchen...Carry-Out and Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-03-10T10:31:00.002-06:00

Wednesday, March 10, 2011

We have the Hillyard Field Organics, CSA contracts available at Artisan Kitchen!!!!! What's this, you ask?????
Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, is a relationship of mutual support and commitment between farmers and members with pledges of financial support BEFORE the growing season begins. Members help decide what is grown, how much will be planted and in return, they are assured of safe, nutritious fresh produce.
Hillyard Field Organic Farms will pack up a share of freshly-harvested produce each week for delivery.
The Farm Share Option supplies a family of 2 adults and 2 children with weekly produce. The bounty average is that of a half-bushel basket. Cost $475 and runs for 20 weeks from mid-May to September. However, there is an Early Bird Special and the cost for new members paying in full by March 31 is $450. Any partial payments and the cost remains at $475. Cost for returning members is $450.
The veggies depend on the growing season but a typical spring/fall haul might include mustard green mix, lettuce, radishes, sugar snap peas/shell peas, beets, carrots, spinach, Swiss chard, cabbage, kale, sweet potatoes and mushrooms. A summer yield might have potatoes, beets, carrots, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, okra, squash, zucchini, blackberries and watermelon.

In other news at Artisan Kitchen......
Soup du Jour : Creamy Potato

We have our fresh pizzas available today--spicy bacon & Gouda or spinach-artichoke-portabella! Delicious!

Take-Home Supper TONIGHT with one of our tasty one dish meals which serves 2-3 people:
Meatloaf
Chicken Divan
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Tetrazzini
French Quarter Pasta
Kentucky Hot Brown
Calypso Turkey
Pork Madison
Ham & Potato
Traditional Lasagna
Vegetable Lasagna
Portabella Lasagna
and from our catering menu--Herb Roasted Chicken with Risotto

The Cake Artists and Cheesecake Specialists have also been busy!
We are pleased to introduce a NeW dessert bar...Banana Milk Chocolate Bar!!!! Of course, we still have our scrumptious caramel pecan brownie, chess, pecan pie and derby bars but we are "retiring" the Black Forest bar for a bit!
In the bakery case :
Lemon Cream
Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cake AND Cupcakes
Old-Fashioned Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Double Fudge Rum Raspberry
Brownie Sundae Cheesecake
New York Cheesecake
Key Lime and New York Cheesecake Tarts
and the LoLLieS!!!!

Artisan Kitchen...Carry-Out and Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-03-04T12:26:00.003-06:00

March 7, 2011

It's just another MaNic MoNdAY!!!

WOW!!!!!!!!!! It's been ExTrEmElY busy here at Artisan Kitchen...and that's a GREAT THING! The Soups & Stews Cooking Class was a big hit last week and there's a new one coming up on March 22 at 7 p.m.....You won't want to miss this one! Executive Chefs David Jones and Karla Lawerence welcome Guest Chef Todd Thorodopolos for a night of Greek cuisine! Can we call if Our Big Fat Greek Cooking Class?!?! Just call us here at 538.0250 or email us at artisankitchen@bellsouth.net and let us know you'll be here. Classes start at 7 p.m. and are $30 per person!

And are you thinking about supper tonight? We are! We have almost every take-home casserole known to mankind in the deli case today:

Baked Ziti

Beef Strogonoff

Calypso Turkey

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Tetrazzini

Early Morning Casserole *

French Quarter Pasta

Ham and Potato

Kentucky Hot Brown

Pork Madison

Portabella Lasagna

Shrimp & Proscuitto

Vegetable Lasagna

* The Early Morning Casserole is our most popular breakfast casserole! A perrenial favorite at the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Breakfast!

The bakery case has quite a selection also:

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cake

Double Fudge Rum Raspberry Cake

French Vanilla Butternut Cake

Lemon Cream Cake

Brownie Sundae Cheesecake

Cheesecake Lollies

Cookies, Cookies and more Cookies!

Carry-Out and Catering to Simplify Your Life!

2011-02-23T15:10:00.002-06:00

February 23, 2011

The Empty Bowls Project...
Your friends and neighbors have made the bowls.
Artisan Kitchen, Shandies and many other are restaurants will fill the bowls for you to take home with the knowledge that you fought hunger in your hometown!
How can YOU be a part of this?
Make plans to attend this Saturday, February 26, choose a wonderful hand-made bowl, have it filled with some wonderful food and help feed the most vulnerable members of our community! ALL proceeds go directly to the Community Kitchen--which provides 1000s of needed meals every year right here in Paducah.
Tickets are $15. Doors open at noon at the Cherry Civic Center.

Artisan Kitchen is serving White Chili and Shandies will have Tomato Basil Soup! YUM! And did I mention....you get to keep the bowl!!!!! Thank you Michael Terra of TerraCottage for organizing!

Soup of the Day: Pumpkin, Black Bean & Sausage!

Featured Casseroles
BEEF POT PIE
Chicken Pot Pie
Pork Madison
Kentucky Hot Brown
Chicken & Dressing
Chicken Tetrazzini
Chicken Divan
Beef Stroganoff
Meatloaf
Portabella Florentine Lasagna
Vegetable Lasagna
Calypso Turkey

Cake Artists Jean Schrage and Brittny Miller have outdone themselves once again....and so has Cheesecake Specialist Brooks Park.....today we are pleased to offer:
Chocolate CHOCOLATE and MoRe ChOcOLaTe!!
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Chocolate Mousse Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake and CuPCaKeS!
Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake
Chocolate Banana Nut Chunk Cheesecake

And if, for some UNEARTHLY reason chocolate ISN'T your favorite.......
Orange Dreamsicle Cake
Lemon Cream Cake
Strawberry Cake Ball Truffles
Strawberry MaRgArItA Cake Ball Truffles--in honor of National Margarita Day (yesterday!)

Stop in and see what's cooking....

Artisan Kitchen.....Carry-Out & Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life.

2011-02-22T13:02:00.003-06:00

February 22, 2011

Cooking Classes at Artisan Kitchen Start March 1

After a slight delay in the schedule to get Shandies opened up and going strong downtown, the beginning class in the Artisan Kitchen Cooking Series is set to begin on Tuesday, March 1.

Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Artisan Kitchen, 1704 Broadway
Cost: $30 per person, per class
Class: Soups and Stews

To sign up for this class, call at 270.538.0250 or email at artisankitchen@bellsouth.net

In other news...we have Shandy Stix available daily here at Artisan Kitchen for $3.95/six. They are the perfect accompaniment to one of our delicious Ready-To-Go Casseroles, Soup or Salad!

And speaking of casseroles, today we have a wide variety of casseroles, salad and pizza!
Our featured casserole is Beef Pot Pie-a savory treat of beef tenderloin chunks, carrots, potatoes in a rich sauce and topped with puff pastry!
Chicken Pot Pie
Pork Madison
Chicken & Dressing
Kentucky Hot Brown
Vegetable Lasagna
Portabella Florentine Lasagna
Beef Stroganoff
Meatloaf
Chicken Rollatini

In our bakery case today, we feature a Chocolate Mouse Cake, with creamy, rich and decadent layers of chocolate mousse! There's also a Lemon Cream Cake, Orange Dreamsicle Cake, Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake, Banana Chocolate Nut Chunk Cheesecake, Double Fudge Rum Raspberry Trifle, French Vanilla and Italian Cream Cupcakes, Cherry and Lemon Blueberry Tarts and "Tuxedo" Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

Artisan Kitchen.....Carry Out & Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-02-17T10:58:00.002-06:00

February 17, 2011

If these early Spring temperatures have you out and about...and NOT wanting to cook...stop by Artisan Kitchen!!!!! We have casseroles, sides and salads to suit every taste and desserts galore! We are also featuring SHANDY STIX...from our sister establishment Shandies...located in the historic CC Cohen building downtown. The Shandy Stix are a fixture there and we carry them HERE, too! They are in a six-pack for $3.95!!!!

Soup of the Day is a Hearty Ham & Potato Chowder

Casseroles:

Traditional Lasagna

Portabella Florentine Lasagna

Vegetable Lasagna

Pork Madison

Kentucky Hot Brown

Beef Stroganoff

Chicken Pot Pie

Shrimp & Proscuitto Penne Pasta

Chicken Tetrazzini

French Quarter Pasta

Chicken Divan

Meatloaf

Lobster & Crab Alfredo

The Artisan Kitchen Bakery is featuring Cake of the Month Chocolate Covered Strawberry, French Raspberry Champagne Cake and CUPCAKES, Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes, Italian Cream Cake, Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake, New York Style Cheesecake and, of course, cheesecake tarts & lollies and COOKIES COOKIES COOKIES!!!!!!!!!!

Artisan Kitchen...Carry-Out & Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-02-15T12:09:00.003-06:00

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Needing some comfort food after your Valentine's Day candy fix???? We have lots of casseroles and savory creations in the case to help you out! Artisan Kitchen Crab and Lobster Fettuccine Alfredo is available while it lasts at $15,.95 each.

Featured Casseroles and Sides Include:
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Divan
French Quarter Pasta
Chicken Tetrazzini
Pork Madison
Meatloaf
Portabella Florentine Lasagna
Traditional Lasagna
Vegetable Lasagna
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Swiss Scalloped Potatoes
Orange Marmalade Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Country Style & Spicy Ginger Green Beans
Pesto Corn
Spinach Salad
Garden Salad

Still needing a sweet treat? We have those, too! In addition to our Cake of the Month Chocolate Covered Strawberry....we have French Raspberry Champagne, Italian Cream Cake, White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, New York Style Cheesecake and the usual suspects: cookies, cheesecake lollies and cheesecake tarts! Delicious!

2011-02-11T18:55:00.003-06:00

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake is the AK Cake of the Month...haven't had it, yet? OH MY! You are definitely missing something! It's a four-layer chocolate cake filled with MORE chocolate and MORE strawberries...with a delicious strawberry mousse between each layer...topped with a white chocolate ganache frosting and adorned with ...what else? A pair of chocolate covered strawberries!!!!

"It's decadently delicious!" claims AK Cake Artist Jean Schrage...but don't take her word for it. Paducah's very own Woman About Town, ILister and Artist Nikki May loves this particular AK creation. "Artisan Kitchen is the only place in town I would even consider going for cake...I have dreams about their Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake!" Now how's that for an endorsement! Thank you Nikki May!

As our featured cake of the month, there should be one in the bakery case every day! Stop in and have a piece or order one to take and spread the love!!!

2011-02-11T15:55:00.005-06:00

February 11-12, 2011

Valentine's Day is fast approaching...AND it's looks like Cupid has stopped by the bakery this weekend!!! There are so many "love"ly desserts in the bakery case...a variety of beautiful cupcakes in all sorts of exotic flavors....almond butter cookies decorated as only the Artisan Kitchen artists would do....Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Tort for two (awwwwwwww they are sooooo sooooo precious!!!) and enough chocolate to put anyone in a better mood! There's the ever-popular AK Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake, a scrumptious chocolate brownie sundae cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake tarts and lollies....and let's not forget our Caramel Pecan Brownies and Double Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!!!! DId I mention there's a Red Velvet Cake, also????? Stop in Saturday from 10-2 and browse to your HEART's content...there's surely something that will tempt you!!!!

_______________________________________________

Don't forget that special day!!! Forget reservations...let Artisan Kitchen simplify your romantic evening with our "Romance Made Simple" menu featuring appetizers, entrees and a special dessert for two.

Appetizers (serves 2)

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

Half pound succulent jumbo shrimp sauteed in our signature spicy butter and beer blend. -14.95

Bacon-Wrapped Chili Chicken Kabobs

Four 6-inch kabobs of bacon-wrapped chili chicken bites grilled with sweet and savory pinapple and peppers. - 12.95

Sauteed Mushrooms

Sliced mushrooms in a butter and garlic sauce. Finished off with a cream sherry sauce, green onions and pistachios. -9.95

Entree (serves 2)

Roasted Beef Tenderloin

A pound of roasted beef tenderloin in our signature burgandy butter. Served with gorgonzola mashed potatoes and sesame-braised asparagus. -36.95

Fettuccini with Crab and Lobster Cream Sauce

Accompanied by marmalade glazed sweet potatoes. -32.95

Chicken Roma

Tender roasted chicken breasts pounded thin and rolled with Italian sausage. Finished off with a fresh tomato and sweet pepper saute. Served with haricot verts and creamy rice fiona. - 28.95

Featured Dessert for Two

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Tort

A 5-inch chocolate covered strawberry cake with strawberry mouse filling and chocoalte ganache swirled frosting. Adorned with a pair of chocolate-covered strawberries. -15.95

Call 270.538.0250 today and simplify your Valentine's Day!!!!

2011-02-09T12:14:00.002-06:00

February 8, 2011

Come in and try our newest……CITRUS TEA BREAD!!!!!!!!!!!!

Artisan Kitchen is pleased to offer our version of an age-old Irish tradition….
This treat is sweeter than bread but not quite as rich as cake. In Ireland and throughout the British Isles, it is known as Bairn Breac and is traditionally baked with “surprises” inside. These small objects, such as a pea or a stick or a piece of cloth, were used to tell the fortune of those breaking bread together! We have forgone the fortune telling aspect of this delicious treat but we “foresee” that you will love our new creation. We have lots of samples to share today!!!!!!

What's for supper? Stop in at Artisan Kitchen and pick up a savory casserole & salad tonight!
Chicken & Dressing
Chicken & Tetrazzini
Chicken Divan
French Quarter Pasta
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Pork Madison
Traditional Lasagna
Meatloaf

In our dessert case, we have several delicious goodies on hand!
Neapolitan Cake
Red Velvet Cake
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake
Key Lime Cheesecake
Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake
Carrot & French Vanilla Cake Ball Truffles

And don't forget we always keep Caramel Brownie Bars, Chess Squares, Black Forest Bars, Derby Bars, Pecan Pie Bars, Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies and Oatmeal Blueberry Cookies.

Artisan Kitchen...Carry-Out & Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life!!

2011-02-07T14:02:00.003-06:00

Monday, February 7, 2011

Let It Snow ! Let It Snow ! Let It Snow !!!!

We're not afraid of a little snowstorm!!! Bring it ON!!!!! Just like our mail carrier friends, the weather does NOT stop Artisan Kitchen! Cake Artist Jean Schrage and Kitchen Guru Danny McGowan Jr. were here just as the snowflakes started falling and we've been going strong and steady all day!!! The AK delivery van can handle the SNOW!!!

So if you're out and about stop in and pick up something delicious for supper! We have a bunch of casseroles in the case and the yummy sides to go with to make your meal complete and hassle-free!!!!!!!!!!!

Country Ham & Potato
Chicken & Dressing
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Chicken Tetrazzini
Chicken Pot Pie
Pork Madison
Meatloaf
Traditional Lasagna
Vegetable Lasagna
French Quarter Pasta
Beef Stroganoff
Chicken Divan

And if you're wanting to sate your sweet tooth, there's a wide variety to choose from today!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake
Red Velvet Cake
Neapolitan Sundae Cake
Dreamsicle Cupcakes
French Vanilla Butternut Cupcakes
Strawberry, Chocolate and White Chocolate Cheesecake Lollies
Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake
Key Lime Cheesecake

Artisan Kitchen...Carry-Out and Catering to Simplify Your BUSY Life!

2011-02-04T11:35:00.002-06:00

Friday, February 4, 2011

Artisan Kitchen To-Go Menu Has Something for Every TASTE!

From exotic Tempura Tangiers and Thailand Beef to savory Brie Bruschetta and Three Little Pigs to spicy Fiesta Verde and Southwest Turkey Club, there's a sandwich for you at Artisan Kitchen! Made exactly to order in a matter of minutes--so why fast food? We're located conveniently in mid-town Paducah at 1704 Broadway. For a complete list of sandwiches, salads, individual entree meals and accompaniments, go to our menu at www.artisankitchen.net .

Today's featured sandwiches are the AK Tender Melt and the AK Tender Bleu . The Tender Melt is thinly sliced beef tenderloin, sauteed portabella and onions, asiago cheese and horseradish sauce on our homemade asiago bun. The Tender Bleu is thinly sliced beef tenderloin, roasted red pepper, spinach and the AK house bleu cheese dressing on our homemade asiago bun.

Carry-Out Casseroles:

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Divan

Chicken Tetrazzini

French Quarter Pasta

Chicken & Dressing

Meatloaf

Beef Stroganoff

Vegetable Lasagna

Portabella Spinach Lasagna

Pork Madison

And don't forget dessert.....Italian Cream Cake, Double Fudge Rum Raspberry Cake, Banana Cupcakes and Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake....in addition to our yummy dessert bars, cheesecake tarts and lollies, and cookies!

2011-02-02T11:46:00.005-06:00

February 2, 2011

Romance Made Simple
Your Valentine's Day Meal Without the Fuss!

CALLING ALL MEN: Try something different this year and treat your wife, girlfriend, significant other to a delicious, romantic dinner prepared lovingly by Artisan Kitchen and served by YOU right in the comfort of your own home. Forget fighting for reservations on one of the busiest nights of the year!

Appetizers

(serves two)

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp
Half pound jumbo shrimp sauteed in a spicy butter blend. -$14.95

Bacon Wrapped Chili Chicken Kabobs
Four 6-inch kabobs with grilled pineapple and peppers. - $12.95

Sauteed Mushrooms
Prepared in butter and garlic. Finished with a cream sherry sauce, green onions and pistachios. -$9.95

Entree
(serves two)

Roasted Beef Tenderloin
One pound of roasted beef tenderloin served with our signature Burgundy Butter. Accompanied by gorganzola mashed potatoes and sesame-braised asparagus. -$36.95

Crab & Lobster Cream Fettuccine
Accompanied by marmalade-glazed sweet potatoes. -$32.95

Chicken Roma
Chicken breasts pounded thin and rolled with Italian sausage. Finished with a fresh tomato and sweet pepper saute. Served with sauteed haricot verts and a creamy rice Fiona. -$28.95

Desserts for Two

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Tort
A five-inch chocolate strawberry cake with strawberry mousse filling and chocolate ganache swirl frosting. Adorned with a pair of chocolate-covered strawberries. $15.95

2011-01-31T12:54:00.003-06:00

Monday, January 31, 2011

The Artisan Kitchen deli case is overflowing with sensational savory creations to simplify your dinner plans tonight!

Casseroles and One-Dish Meals

Pork Madison *
French Quarter Pasta *
Chicken & Dressing *
Meatloaf *
Calypso Stuffed Turkey *
Chicken Pot Pie *
Shrimp & Prosciutto *
Beef Stroganoff *
Chicken Divan *
Country Ham & Potato *
Traditional Lasagna *
Vegetable Lasagna *
Portabella Florentine Lasagna

Salads and Sides
Garden Salad
Spinach Salad
Greek Pasta Salad
Fruit Salad
AK Potato Salad
Country Style and Spicy Ginger Green Beans
Swiss Scalloped and Garlic-Mashed Potatoes
Pesto Fried Corn

...And what IS Pesto Fried Corn, you may ask? It's the Artisan Kitchen spin on corn, of course! Seasoned corn and roasted red pepper tossed with pesto sauce and butter!!!

In the bakery case...try a slice of Red Velvet Cake, Lemon Cream Cake, and Double Fudge Rum Raspberry! Or give a French Vanilla or Old-Fashioned Chocolate cupcakes a try! We also have the AK Samoa Brownie...featured at the Girl Scout Desserts First Extravaganza last weekend! On our cheesecake menu, we feature the traditional New York Style and the tantalizing Kahlua Cheesecake! Also, our decadent Brownie Sundae cheesecake tarts are available while they last! And don't forget the Cheesecake Lollies--strawberry, pistachio, dark chocolate and white chocolate!

Artisan Kitchen....Carry-Out and Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life!

2011-01-29T09:55:00.003-06:00

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Artisan Kitchen Cake Artists Jean Schrage and Brittny Miller have been busy, busy, BUSY in the bakery this week preparing for two gala events! Their wedding cake and grooms' cake creations for Bristol's Bridal Expo truly set this duo apart as artisans. Check out these fabulous cakes and sample our yummy cupcakes, as well! Our catering menus are also available for planning purposes. Bristol's Bridal Fair is 10 am to 5 pm TODAY at the former Goody's Building at Kentucky Oaks Mall. Admission is $5.

DON'T forget DESSERTS FIRST!...Girl Scout Cookies...All Grown UP! This cookie dessert extravaganza begins tonight at 6:30 pm at the Lurther F. Carson Four Rivers Center. Tickets are $30 at the door. The Artisan Kitchen creation will knock your socks off and have you begging for "SAMOA". If you love chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate, creamy caramel and co-co-coconut then don't miss the Artisan Kitchen dessert of epic proportions!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And yes...we are OPEN on Saturdays here at Artisan Kitchen from 10 am to 2 pm serving our signature sandwiches and entrees. There are casseroles and desserts in the case to choose from to simplify your busy life! Stop by.....

Carry-Out & Catering to Simplify Your Busy Life

2011-01-26T10:00:00.002-06:00

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

SAVE THE DATE!

Don't forget "Desserts First Girl Scout Cookies...All Grown UP!" this Saturday, January 29th from 6-8:30 pm at the Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center. This cookie dessert extravaganza, to benefit Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, features a silent auction, cash bar, music, hors d'oeuvres, competing chefs (INCLUDING ARTISAN KITCHEN) and a bevy of gourmet cookie desserts featuring your favorite Girl Scout Cookies. Did I mention that ARTISAN KITCHEN will once again be creating a dessert sensation that will have you begging for "SAMOA"!!!!! ???? Reserve your tickets NOW by calling 270.443.8704 or logging in at www.kyanags.org today! Tickets are only $30 and corporate tables are available!

...and speaking of DESSERTS

The Artisan Kitchen Cake Artists are featuring a French Raspberry Champagne Cake~AK's signature French Vanilla cake with a hint of citrus and marbalized with our scrumptous raspberry sauce. This beautiful cake is also topped with rasberry sauce and is DEE-licious!

Stop by for a slice of Italian Cream, Old Fashioned Chocolate or Spice Cake! We also have Almond Custard Trifle and Black Irish Cupcakes in addition to our New York Style, Key Lime and White Choclate Raspberry Cheesecakes!

Today's casseroles include: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Swedish Meatballs, AK Meatloaf, Chicken Divan, Vegetable Lasagna, Tradtional Lasagna, Shrimp & Procuitto Pasta, Pork Madison, Beef Stroganoff and the ever-popular Kentucky Hot Brown!

We have salads, pizza and several side dishes to round out any table!

ARTISAN KITCHEN...carry-out and catering to SIMPLIFY your busy life!

2011-01-24T10:05:00.004-06:00

Tuesday, January 25, 2010

Think Desserts!!!!

Fresh from the Artisan Kitchen Bakery today:

Black Irish Cupcakes...our most popular French Vanilla Butternut cupcake filled with almond cream...truly delicious!

Or you might want to try our Almond Custard Trifle!

Other offerings include:

Strawberry Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Italian Cream Cake

Double Fudge Rum Raspberry

French Vanilla Butternut...a Paducah favorite

White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

Key Lime Cheesecake

New York Style Cheesecake

Brownie Sundae Cheesecake

& Artisan Kitchen Dessert Bars, Cookies, Cheesecake Tart & Lollies!

A wide variety of savory casseroles are available today including:

Pork Madison

Chicken Tetrazzini

French Quarter Pasta

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs

Portabella Florentine Lasagna

Vegetable Lasagna

Traditional Lasagna

Pesto Chicken Pasta

Calypso Turkey

Country Ham & Potato

Baked Ziti

Kentucky Hot Brown

What is a Kentucky Hot Brown?

For those of you who did NOT grow up in the heart of the Bluegrass, a Kentucky Hot Brown is a culinary tradition featured on menus from Pikeville to Paducah! The traditonal Hot Brown is an open-faced sandwich of toast, turkey, tomato and bacon smothered in a Mornay Sauce and broiled. Historians date the sandwich to 1926, when Chef Fred K. Schmidt at The Brown Hotel in Louisville created a different sandwich to appease the appetites of the late-night dance patrons. The Artisan Kitchen version features savory French toast with roasted turkey, tomato and bacon layered in a three-cheese Bechamel Sauce and topped with more Parmesan Cheese and Green Onions. A southern comfort favorite, no doubt!

Check out the entire Artisan Kitchen menu at www.artisankitchen.net!

Stop by and let us SIMPLIFY your life!

2011-01-20T14:04:00.005-06:00

Let us SIMPLIFY your life by picking up a casserole or carry-0ut order for dinner TONIGHT!!!

FRIDAY SELECTIONS:

Soup of the Day

Tomato Basil Soup

Casseroles & Sides

Traditional Lasagna, Vegetable Lasagna

Portabella Florentine Lasagna

Country Ham & Potato

Baked Ziti

Calypso Turkey

Meatloaf

Pesto Chicken Pasta

Kentucky Hot Brown

Creamy Chicken & Rice Fiona

Shrimp & Procuitto Pasta

Braised Asparagus

Potato Salad

Fruit Salad

Greek Pasta Salad

Swiss Scalloped Potatoes

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Spinach Salad

Garden Salad

Bacon Gouda Pizza

In our bakery today, we are featuring Italian Cream Cake, Orange Dreamscicle Cake, and French Vanilla Butternut Cake by the slice and Double Fudge Rum Raspberry and Lemon Cream Cakes !!! As an added treat we have Old Fashioned Chocolate, Strawberry and French Vanilla Butternut cupcakes! On our cheesecake shelf, we have our most popular New York Cheesecake as well as Brownie Sundae and Key Lime. We also have a variety of cheesecake tarts including white chocolate raspberry and our ever popular CHEESECAKE LOLLIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...And Don't Forget to Check Out Our Complete Menu at http://www.artisankitchen.net/!

LOOK FOR OUR ROMANTIC VALENTINE'S DINNER MENU COMING SOON!!!!!

2010-11-10T09:12:00.005-06:00

2010-05-19T11:28:00.019-05:00

Check out our complete salad and sandwich menus online at www.artisankitchen.net

2009-07-07T09:42:00.016-05:00

Latin Cabbage and Corn Salad

Serves 6

For Dressing

2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
20 grinds of fresh black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For Salad

1 small head of green cabbage, trimmed , cored, and shredded
1/2 small head of red cabbage, trimmed , cored, and shredded
1 15 oz. can of whole kernal corn, drained
1 bunch fresh cilantro, washed, dried, and finely chopped
1 bunch of scallion, washed , dried, and thinly sliced into rounds

Directions:

Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Toss al the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.

Just before serving, toss the salad with the dressing, Keep refrigerated and covered until ready to use.

Mango Salsa

LIST INGREDIENTS IN ORDER OF USE

2 Roma Tomatoes Diced

1 Mango diced

1 English Cucumber diced

½ red bell pepper diced

¼ cup Chopped Green Onion

¼ Cup Chopped Cilantro

1 tsp. Sriracha Pepper sauce

1 Tbs. Fresh Ginger Grated

3 Tbs fresh lime juice

2 Tbs. firmly packed brown sugar

½ tsp salt

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients down to the cilantro. In a separate bowl combine the ginger, mint, lime juice, brown sugar and mix thoroughly. Pour over the diced ingredients and stir gently.

Pastitsio

Pasta Layer

1 1/2 lbs. dry penne pasta

2 TBS. olive oil

4 TBS butter

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

dash ground nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

3 eggs, lightly beaten

Meat Layer

2 TBS butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 pound lean ground beef or lamb

1 6oz. can tomato paste

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

2 TBS chopped fresh parsely

1 tsp fresh oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Cream Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1 egg, lightly beaten

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Pasta

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente; drain and return to pan.

2. Melt butter until golden brown and pour over pasta, add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt, pepper and toss well; allow to cool. Add eggs and toss again; set aside.

Meat Layer

1. Gently saute onion and garlic in butter in a skillet until onion is soft. Increase heat and add ground meat; stir well. Cook until meat begins to brown. Add tomato paste, wine, broth, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Cream Sauce

1. Melt butter in sauce pan, stir in flour and cook gently for 2 minutes. Pour in milk all at once and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil gently for 1 minute. Add nutmeg, salt, pepper and cool slightly before stirring in beaten egg. Transfer 1/2 cup of this sauce to the meat sauce.

Assembly

1. To assemble pastitsio, Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spoon half of the prepared pasta evenly in the bottom and top with meat sauce. Top that with the remaining pasta. Pour on cream sauce and spread to completely cover pasta. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

2. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into ssquares to serve.

Pumpkin, Black Bean and Sausage Soup

Makes 3+ quarts

2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb. Italian Sausage, casing removed

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice

2 cans (15 ounce) pumpkin puree

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbs curry powder

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

4 Tbs. sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add oil. When oil is hot, add onion, garlic and sausage. Saute 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, black beans and pumpkin uree. Stir to combine ingredients and bring soup to a boil Reduce heat to medium low and stir in cream, curry, cumin, cayenne and sugar. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 5-10 minutes, adjust seasonings and serve.

More Updates From Karla!!
Wow, I didn't realize how far behind I had gotten or how quickly this is going by!! I owe you a report on four days worth of classes!! So I better get to it. Day 2 Ciril Hitz(the Bread God), Was my morning instructor. He is now an instructor at Johnson & Whales University in Providence Rhode Island since 1997. He is originally from Switzerland. He did his apprenticeship there and many classes in France as a Pastry Chef/Chocolatier. Ciril has been recognized with numerous awards and accomplishments both in the industry and as a faculty member at Johnson & Whales. His work has been featured on the Today show and The food Network. I have attended the World Pastry Forum for three years straight now and Ciril is amazing everytime. I always come away from his class with more knowledge and some inspiration.We worked with several types of doughs, learned some new techniques and revisited some old ones. A very nice change from the barrage of chocolate we are exposed to on a regular basis.Afternoon class was Biagio Settepani & Robert Ellinger, We learned about Gluten free, Lactose Free and Kosher Baking. Both of these guys are great! They both have shops in New York and are very close friends. The Costello & Abbot of the pastry world.Day 3 was Vincent Pilon, Anil Rohira & Robert Adria. Vincent demonstrated a beautiful chocolate showpiece, Anil demonstrated tempting praliines and Robert Adria Shared his story of El Bulli. If you are a true foodie this is a story you should really look into. We watched his documentary that was created around him and his family's story. This is the story of the molecular gastronomy surge that has over taken the culinary world. He has released his book Natura, which will make you realize that there are still so many possibilities!! Well I hate rushing thru all of this there is so much to share so I will stop here for now. The last day of the championships is today so I want to get down and watch the chocolate & Sugar show pieces go up. Last night was such an amazing night. It was my birthday so I was serenaded by many of the chefs and reps on the patio. I was served champange and a beautiful ball of gourmet ice cream with a candle!!! These guys are wonderful!! Well, Im off for now. The awards ceremony and Gala are this evening so that will be fun. Talk to ya soon.
Sincerely,
Me :-)
P.S. The BBQ Sunday night was a blast too, I can't help but feel like Alice in Wonderland here!!

2009-07-02T10:27:00.004-05:00

Karla's First Day of School
First day of classes were amazing and inspiring! My first class was Petits Gateaux(mini cakes) & Tartlets. With Laurent LeDaniel,MOF 97. He owns 3 very successful & personal pastry shops in and around Rennes, France, a part of Brittany. His assistant/interpreter, Michele was quite the compliment to Laurent. We Learned how to make 4 different mini desserts, all with a different type of chocolate mousse, and all are ones he makes and sells in his store. Brittany, composed of Dark chocolate creme brulee, milk chocolate mousse, hazelnut biscuit & salted caramel.Lagune, composed of Tropical fruit compote,tropical cream, chocolate mousse and a crunchie crumble. Matcha, composed of Green tea Matcha creme brulee, Dark chocolate mousse, Raspberries Biscuit macaron.Sakura, composed of a compote of morello cherrie, cherrie chocolate mousse,cacao biscuit,hazelnut crumble. They were all wonderful & I hope to make some in the future for ya'll. Laurent was extremely informative and I look at it as an honor to be his student. His time is quite devoted to his shops and he does not plan to come back to the states again. His knowledge and demonstration that he provided will prove to be invaluable to myself and the other chefs. Next class was Alain Roby's, Creative Sugar Artistry for Production. Alain is the Senior Corporate Pastry Chef for the Hyatt Regency Hotels and has worked at the Hyatt Regency Chicago for over 20 years, which is the largest hotel in Chicago and the Corporations flagship hotel. He demonstrated all kinds of sugar work. Even in our humidity I will be able to do much of what I learned when I have the opportunity....so give me the oppourtunity, let me WOW you!! :-) So Classes were great, sitting for that length of time was a bit straining, being used to standing all the time but sooo worth it! I have gotten to see several of the chefs that I met last year and previously, but there are many new and that is exciting. An hour after class rafting around the lazy river and back to the room for a quick change for dinner and a jazz concert. We went to an Italian restaurant The Tuscany, quite possibly the best most authenic Italian food I have ever ate! This restorante is rated AAA Four Diamond, with a modern italian menu.We did the 4 course chef tasting menu along with the 4 course wine flight. I started out with their signature cocktail the Golden Apple, vanilla vodka,Disaronno, apple and lime juice in a grahm cracker rim. Quite yummy. Antipasti was a trio of Bruschetta- Pomodoro-Basil,Chickpea Puree, & Robiola cheese & organic apple. Oven baked Potato Gnocchis with a smoked tomato cream pecorino & Basil sauce(Absolutely amazing!!!)Handmade campenelle pasta Bolognese, Veal Osso Bucco with creamy polenta, chantrelle mushrooms on a bed of Tuscan Kale. I am salivating just thinking about it again!!! Sous Chef Ryan Lamkin then presented us with a trio of desserts that made the tastebuds sing soprano!!!. I was so stuffed that I was really looking forward to a long walk and the concert. Then to bed. Well, I have to finish getting ready for class today, Bread and special diet desserts are on the agenda for today. Hope everyone back home is doing great. Miss ya'll
Sincerely,
Me :-)

2009-07-01T10:12:00.004-05:00

Karla in Phoenix: Day 2

I went down to the convention center this morning and they are getting the class rooms all set up. Already spoke with some of the Chefs, they are streaming in all day today and early in the morning. Ciril Hitz (bread God) is as charming as ever and I have learned he is a Starbucks fan. He is the Master Bread man in the Pastry world. Anil Rohira, a chocolate master by his own rights, is popping around getting things done. . Vincent Pilon is still smiling with his boyish good looks, and the amazing talent he has with chocolate is inspiring. Of course, not to forget the cake decorating god and goddess, Nicholas Lodge & Collette Peters are working hard on getting their rooms set up. They are working their sugar flowers like no tomorrow. Have not yet seen any of the Chefs that are going to be competing for team USA in the world competition next year. Hopefully tomorrow. have my registeration packet to go thru tonight. I must admit I was quite nervous about trying on my chef coats. I had ordered a size smaller than last time and IT FITS!!!!!! LOOSely too!!!!!! YEA.!!!! If I set that as a goal every year then I might actually get down to what I need to. ;-) But I must say, for myself going from a tight 3x to a loose large is pretty damn good over the last 3 years. Now back to my eating excursions.... kinda ironic eh?? LOL Tonight we ate at a Place called Ocean Prime. I had a beautiful cocktail... Ill have to ask Gary what the name of it was. But it had Ky. bourbon in it!! :-) Appetizer was truffled deviled eggs. So rich and creamy, Then a spinach salad served with crispy pancetta, sharp goat cheese, Brioche croutons and a lovely djon vinaigrette. My entree was Filet Mignon with Green Peppercorn & Cognac sauce. Then I couldn't resist trying their spin on a southern classic, Candied Yams with Marshmallow Brulee!! Dessert was Baked Alaska with a duo of chocolate and raspberry sauces. Quite a nice meal. Gary ordered a really nice red to go with our dinner. Again Ill have to ask him what it was. All in all a very nice and rich meal. I am walking alot!!!! AH HEM.... We'll Im off to take in some night life. It is still early here so I best try to fit in. Ill keep ya posted on classes tomorrow. I am sooo excited!!!
Sincerely,
Me :-)

2009-06-30T08:24:00.005-05:00

Karla's first post from the World Pastry Forum in Phoenix
Well, I made it!! The plane trip(s) was great. I am flying everywhere now!! Phoenix is beautiful. I was able to take a quick tour of the city when I got here yesterday, some of these homes are amazing!! I have already been to one of the malls, The Market-Place. It is on 1600 acres and is like a serpentine chain of stores with humidity spraying cooling docks positioned thru out the compound. Last night one of my fellow pastry chefs took me out to eat at Roy's. Famed Hawaiian restaurateur Roy Yamaguchi's renowned Hawaiian fusion cuisine is sizzling in flavor and style. I was very impressed. It was exciting to see and sample the impressive menu. Gary (Pastry chef) previously worked on a cruise line that sailed the Hawaiian islands and met Roy while he was there. He started his Asian-influenced cuisine restaurants there in 1988, using fresh local ingredients. The Aloha style service was entertaining and welcoming. He now has several restaurants here in the U.S. Our Amuse Bouche was Edamame. I let Gary do the ordering since he was on a mission. He told me that he doesn't gamble, so when he goes out he EATS!! We shared the Canoe Appetizer, a large white china boat that had amazing treats inside. First there where crispy fried lobster pot stickers, WOW! then an amazingly crunchy Ahi Tuna roll(My favorite) Then there was a huge Hawaiian shrimp Skewer and a steak skewer. Their sauces were so packed with flavor I thought my taste buds were going to explode!! We split the Arugula-Asian Pear salad, the vinaigrette was wonderful, I wanted to lick my plate! Gary ordered the Butter fish, a deep sea fish from out of the pacific & i got the blackened Ahi tuna, rare. I had never had butter fish and it was amazingly delicious. The texture went beyond any fish that I had ever had and the only way to describe it was that it was just like butter melting in your mouth. After feeling like I could not eat another bite Gary told the waiter that we would like a sampling of all the desserts on the menu with a wine pairing for each! OMG!!! 20 minutes later we had another canoe brought out loaded with deserts. There was a chocolate souffle, with a vanilla Ice cream. A blueberry-mango tart with Lavender ice cream in a Lacey tulle basket. An apple tart with another cream, topped with a beautiful sugar decoration. Quite overwhelming. With spoon in hand I felt like Anthony Bourdaine!! The wines were exceptional as well. After feeling like I was Violet in Willy Wonka and thinking I was gonna have to be rolled out of the restaurant, we headed out to the patio for some live music and some beautiful scenery. I must say my first day in Phoenix was quite extraordinary. Today I register for the Forum and take in some more of this city along with some water play. Most of the chefs will be arriving throughout the day so this evening should be quite exciting. I'll keep you posted as I go.
Sincerely,
Me :-)

2009-06-17T09:28:00.004-05:00

Here's another recipe that was a hit at one of our cooking classes.

Honey Walnut Shrimp
2 cups water
1 1/3 cups white sugar
1 cup walnuts
8 egg whites
1 1/3 cups cornstarch
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 Tbs honey
2 Tbs sweetened condensed milk
2 cups vegetable oil for frying

1. Stir together the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the walnuts. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and place walnuts on a cookie sheet to dry.

2. Whip egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Stir in the cornstarch until it has a pasty consistency. Heat the oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium-high heat. Dip shrimp into the batter, and then fry in the hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.

3. In a medium serving bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey and sweetened condensed milk. Add shrimp and toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the candied walnuts on top and serve.

2009-06-15T10:58:00.004-05:00

Following is another recipe from our Chinese Cooking Class.

Egg Rolls

3 Tbs Sesame Oil
1 Cup Shredded Cabbage
1 Cup Slivered Snow Peas
1/2 Cup Chopped Green Onions
1/2 Cup Mung Bean Sprouts
2 Tbs Fresh Cilantro
2 Tbs Minced Garlic
1 Tbs Minced Ginger
8 oz. Pork Sausage (can be omitted for vegetarian version)
1 tsp Thai Fish Sauce (can be omitted for vegetarian version)
1 tsp soy sauce
Dash chili Oil
Oil for frying

Heat 3 TBS of sesame oil in skillet. Add cabbage, snow peas, green onions and cook until tender (about 3 Minutes). Add sprouts, cilantro, garlic, ginger, sausage, fish sauce, soy sauce. Cook just until blended and sausage is cooked.

1 Tbs Cornstarch
1 Tbs water
8" egg roll wraps

Mix cornstarch and water. Lay out wrappers with a corner facing you. Brush edges with cornstarch mixture. Place about 3 Tbs of filling along the center of wrapper. Fold left and right corners toward the center. Bring the closest corner over the top and continue rolling.

Egg Rolls may be frozen at this point for frying later.

At time of service, heat remaining oil to 375. Fry a few at a time, turning once. Drain on paper towel.

2009-06-09T10:43:00.006-05:00

Following is a great chinese recipe I adapted from a recipe by Lynne Rossetto Kasper who hosts one of my favorite NPR shows, A Splendid Table.

Edamame and Smoked Tofu Succotash
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs chicken or vegetable broth
sesame oil
1 small red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 garlic cloves, minced
One 6-8 ouce block of firm Tofu cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 1/2 cups fresh cut corn
1 cup cooked shelled edamame (available frozen)
1 large tomato, diced
3 whole scallions, diced
red pepper flakes
salt anf fresh ground black pepper

1. Mix the soy sauce, vinegar, and broth together in a small bowl.
2. Lightly film the bottom of a large skillet with sesame oil and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, tofu, and soy sauce mixture. Saute for about 3 minutes more. Be careful not to fully reduce the cooking liquid. If you run out, simply add a bit more broth to the pan to keep things moist.
3. Turn the heat to low and stir in the corn, edamame, tomatoes, and scallions. Saute stirring gently, for 5 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium and cook for a few more moments, until there is a slight golden glaze in the bottom of the skillet and the flavors are rich and concentrated.
4. Season to tast with red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. Serve in a shallow bowl.

2009-04-08T07:25:00.002-05:00

Arroz con Pollo with Salsa Verde
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
1 (3-pound) whole chicken, cut into 10 serving pieces (2 Pounds Chicken breasts cubed
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons ground cumin
11/2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 chorizo sausages (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 Spanish onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 bay leaves
2 cups long grain white rice
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with liquid
3 cups chicken broth, warm
1 cup pimento stuffed green olives
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry. In a small bowl, blend 2 tablespoons oil, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, paprika and cayenne. Rub each piece of chicken with the spice paste and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes for the flavor to develop.
In a heavy, ovenproof casserole with lid, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Fry the chorizo over medium heat until it is crispy and renders its fat. Remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Place the chicken in the pan, skin side down, and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes Remove from pan and set aside. Make a sofrito by sauteing the onion, garlic, bell pepper and bay leaves; cooking until the vegetables are very soft and almost dissolved. Stir in the rice so the grains are well coated with the sofrito.
Add the tomatoes and broth, season with salt and pepper. Return the chorizo and chicken to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and transfer pot to oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is done and the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid. Scatter the olives on top of the chicken and rice before serving.
Salsa Verde:
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup blanched almonds, toasted
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lime, juiced
To prepare the Salsa Verde: In a mortar and pestle or food processor, mash together all ingredients to form a loose paste. Garnish Arroz Con Pollo with Salsa Verde before serving.

Roasted Corn, Jicama and Mango Salad
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
4 ears fresh corn, unshucked
1 large jicama, peeled and thinly julienned
1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Citrus vinaigrette, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Put the ears of corn on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove and let cool. When the corn has cooled, shuck it and stand it on end. Using a sharp knife, run the blade down the cob to cut the kernels off. Rotate the cob and repeat until all the kernels have been cut off.
Combine the jicama, mango, red onion and cilantro in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooled corn, and toss with the vinaigrette. Chill until ready to serve.
Citrus Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
2 teaspoons sugar
Dash hot sauce
1 cup olive oil
Salt pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
In a large bowl combine the lime juice, orange juice, orange zest, sugar and hot sauce. Whisk together and slowly add the olive oil, whisking as you go. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and cilantro and whisk until combined.

Baked Costa Rican-Style Tilapia with Pineapples, Black Beans, and Rice
Serves:4
Ingredients
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 (5 to 7-ounce) tilapia fillets, rinsed and patted dry
2 cups jarred or homemade tomato salsa
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups diced fresh pineapple
2 limes, thinly sliced
Directions
Combine the rice and chicken broth in a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed all of the liquid, about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, oil, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro, the garlic, and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Add the tilapia fillets to the marinade, turning to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, turning occasionally.
Stir together the cooked rice, salsa, beans, pineapple, and remaining 2 tablespoons of the cilantro in a 2 or 3-quart baking dish. Remove the tilapia from the marinade, reserve the marinade, and lay the fish fillets over the rice mixture, overlapping if necessary. Pour the reserved marinade over the fish. Shingle the lime slices over the fish. Bake until the fish flakes easily, is opaque, and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Arepas: Arepas de Choclo
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen corn kernels
1 cup milk, plus more if necessary
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fine yellow cornmeal
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 slices mozzarella cheese
Directions
Defrost the corn by placing it in a colander and rinsing it under cold water. Drain well and set aside for about 10 minutes.
Place the defrosted corn in a blender and puree with the milk, sugar, salt, and pepper, to taste. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the cornmeal to make a thick pancake-like batter.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat.
Add 3 tablespoons of the arepa batter to skillet, using the bottom of a spoon to flatten. Spread the batter into a 3 to 4-inch circle. Cook arepas for about 8 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown. Flip arepa and cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes until crisp. Add more butter from the remaining 3 tablespoons to the skillet between batches when necessary.
Lay 1 slice mozzarella cheese over arepa. Top with another cut out arepa to create a sandwich.

Cocadas
Serves: 24 cookies
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, stir together coconut, cornstarch, condensed milk, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes.
Drop by heaping rounded spoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheet about 1-inch apart. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Cucumber-Bell Pepper Quinoa
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
4 cups water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups quinoa
1/2 medium English cucumber, halved lengthwise, small dice (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 medium red bell pepper, small dice (about 2/3 cup)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
Combine water and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa. Add the quinoa and stir briefly. When it returns to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until quinoa absorbs the liquid and grains are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
When quinoa is ready, stir in remaining ingredients until well combined. Taste, adjust seasoning, as needed, and serve.

Colombian Chicken Soup
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 pounds, skinned and cut into 8 pieces, plus 1 whole chicken breast, skinned and cut in 1/2
1 medium onion, quartered
2 medium carrots, cut into 4 pieces
1 medium rib celery, cut into 4 pieces
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, stems only (leaves reserved for soup)
For the soup:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium rib celery, finely chopped
2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 lemon or lime, juiced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves only, finely chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Bijol (available at Spanish grocery stores) or a pinch each of ground cumin and saffron threads
For the salsa:
1 large very ripe tomato, halved, seeded, and finely chopped
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed and mashed into a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon or lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and very finely minced
2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves
Salt
Directions
Combine all the ingredients for the stock in a large soup pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, skimming any foam from the top of the stock as it simmers, until the chicken is fall-from-the-bone tender. Add water, as necessary, to keep the stock ingredients covered.
Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve, discarding everything except the boiled chicken, and return the stock to the rinsed-out pot. Remove the chicken from the bones and shred into small pieces. Set aside.
Add the onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes to the stock and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
While the soup is simmering, combine the lemon or lime juice, garlic, cilantro leaves, scallions, oil, Bijol, and a tablespoon of the soup broth in a small bowl and mash into a paste with a fork.
Also while the soup is simmering, prepare the salsa by combining all ingredients in a glass or stainless steel bowl and mixing well. Season, to taste, with salt just before serving.
When the potatoes are tender, add the reserved chicken and seasoning paste to the soup and stir well to combine. Allow the soup to return to a simmer, then remove from the heat, and let sit, covered, 10 minutes before serving. Serve garnished with a spoonful of the salsa.

Quinoa Salad
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa ( Inca Red)
2 cups water
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons orange juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
4 tablespoons raisins
4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 oranges, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (optional)
Salt and pepper
Directions
In a strainer rinse the quinoa under running water and drain. Combine the quinoa and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until all the of the water is absorbed. In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the quinoa and mix well. Serve chilled or at room temperature

Churros
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
5 cups water
8 ounces butter
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon nutmeg
5 cups all purpose flour
8 eggs
1 pint corn oil
Cinnamon Sugar, recipe follows
Chocolate Caliente, recipe follows
Directions
Heat water, butter, salt, sugar, oil, vanilla extract and nutmeg to a rolling boil. Stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball (about one minute). Remove from heat. Beat eggs in all at once. Continue beating until smooth. Let the dough cool. Place dough in a piping bag with a star tip. In a large frying pan, heat corn oil. Pipe the churros in long rods directly into the hot corn oil. Fry until golden brown on all sides. Dust with Cinnamon Sugar and serve with Chocolate Caliente.
Cinnamon sugar:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup ground cinnamon
In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together and store in an airtight container.
Chocolate Caliente:
1 quart milk
1/2 pound Dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup Dark Brown sugar
Bring milk to a boil. Add in chocolate and sugar. Stir over heat until chocolate is melted and sugar has dissolved.
Yield: 4 servings

Latin Limeade
Serves:
6 servings, about 1 cup each

Ingredients
1 cup lime juice
4 cups crushed ice
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 cups cold water
Directions
Stir together lime juice, ice, sugar and water.

2009-04-01T09:00:00.005-05:00

As a part of our continued support for the WKCTC Culinary Program, Karla and I started our second series of classes for the year. This set is an introduction to Latin American Cuisine. Covering a broad range of cuisines makes it impossible to do more than a cursory exploration. Following are the recipes from our first night.

Plantain Chips Patacones
Serves: 4

Ingredients
2 green plantains
1 cup vegetable oil, plus more if necessary
Salt
Directions
Cut off the ends of the plantains and then carefully cut a slit down the length of the skin without cutting into the plantain itself. Using a wooden spoon, pry up the edges of the peel and pull off the skin. Once the peel is removed cut the plantain crosswise into 3 or 4 pieces, each about 2 to 3 inches long.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat until it shimmers, about 3 minutes. Add the plantains and fry them until they turn golden on all sides, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then place between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Reduce the heat to medium.
Flatten the plantains by pressing down on them with a heavy-bottomed pan. Return 1/2 of the flattened plantains to the oil and re-fry until deep golden on both sides, about 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer back to the paper towel-lined plate to drain and repeat with the remaining flattened plantains. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

Latin Cabbage and Corn Salad
Serves: 6

Ingredients
For the dressing:
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
20 grinds fresh black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad:
1 small head green cabbage, trimmed, cored, and shredded
1/2 small head red cabbage, trimmed, cored, and shredded
1 (15-ounce) can corn kernels
1 bunch fresh cilantro, washed, dried, and finely chopped
1 bunch scallions, washed, dried, and thinly sliced into rounds
Directions
Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Toss all the salad ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Just before serving, toss the salad with the dressing. Keep refrigerated and covered until ready to use.

Chorizo and Potato Fritta
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced onions
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound chorizo sausage, small diced
2 cups small diced white potatoes, blanched
8 large eggs
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large non-stick ovenproof saute pan, over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until caramelized, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage and saute for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to saute for 1 minute. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Season with salt and pepper. Using the back of a spoon, lightly press the chorizo/potato mixture over the bottom of the pan. Pour in the egg mixture.
Place in the oven and bake until the center is firm to the touch, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool slightly. Slice into individual servings and place on serving plates. Garnish with parsley.

Sancocho with Aji
Serves:6
Ingredients
For the aji:
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
8 scallions, white and light green part only, finely chopped
1/2 small Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped white onion
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
3/4 cup water
1 small plum tomato, cored and finely chopped, optional
Salt
For the soup:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large yellow onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 large tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 pounds chicken thighs, skin and excess fat removed
2 pounds beef flanken ribs (also called cross-cut ribs)
2 green plantains, peeled and cut into 2-inch long pieces
2 ripe plantains, peeled and cut into 2 inch long pieces
1 large bunch fresh cilantro, stems tied together with kitchen twine
14 cups chicken broth, homemade or canned low-sodium broth
1 1/2 pounds small red or white potatoes, peeled
3 cups diced pumpkin or butternut squash
10 (2-inch) long pieces frozen yucca
4 ears of corn, husked and quartered
White rice, for serving, optional
1 medium Hass avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and sliced for serving, optional
Arepas or tortillas, for serving, optional
For the aji:
Directions
Place the cilantro, scallions, chiles, onions, lime juice and 3/4 cup water in a small glass bowl or jar with a tight fitting lid. Add the tomato, if using, season with saltm to taste and stir all of the ingredients together. Cover and set the aji aside at room temperature for several hours to allow the flavors to release into the liquid, then refrigerate until serving.
For the Soup:
Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the onions and garlic and cook until they're soft and transparent, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, and thyme and continue to cook 5 more minutes. Add the chicken and the beef ribs and cook until the tomatoes have disintegrated, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming the foam from the top of the broth when necessary. Add the green plantains, cilantro, and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the plantains are tender, 30 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside. Add the potatoes, pumpkin, ripe plantains, yucca and corn and simmer, uncovered, until both are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the cilantro and the bay leaves and return the chicken to the pot to re-heat it. To serve, arrange a piece of chicken, some beef, plantains, and a few pieces of yucca and potatoes on each plate. Serve the broth in a small bowl, and the aji sauce on the side, along with a bowl of rice, corn, some avocados and arepas or tortillas on separate plates.

Basic Sofrito
Serves:
1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 scallions, white and light green part only, finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, cored and chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions, onions and tomato. Cook until the onions are soft and golden and the tomatoes have broken down, about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add cilantro, and salt and pepper.
Transfer to a bowl. Use warm or at room temperature.

Brazilian Feijoada
Serves: 10

Ingredients
2 pounds dried black turtle beans, picked through and rinsed
1 pound salt cured beef, such as carne seca or corned beef
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound salt pork, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium white onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 serrano pepper, halved
2 bay leaves
1 pound smoked ham hocks
1 pound linguica or Spanish chorizo sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound pork ribs, separated into individual ribs
1 pound beef stew meat, top round or chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
Hot sauce
2 oranges, peeled and cut in segments
Collard Greens, recipe follows
Cooked white rice, for serving
Directions
Starting a day ahead, place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water; soak the beans overnight in the refrigerator. In a separate bowl, soak the salt cured beef in cool water to cover to tenderize the meat, do this overnight also but change the water a couple of times. Drain the beans and carne seca; cut up the cured beef into chunks.
Coat a large heavy pot with the oil and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the salt pork, onions, garlic, pepper, and bay leaves. Cook and stir for 5 minutes to render out the pork fat and soften the vegetables. Add the ham hocks, sausage, ribs, cubed beef, carne seca, and black beans. Cover with just enough cold water to cover (about 21/2 quarts). Bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce to medium-low heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring now and again. Skim any foam that rises to the surface during cooking and add more water if necessary to keep the ingredients covered during cooking.
Dig the ham hocks out of the pot, discard the rind and fat, shred the meat, and return the ham to the pot. The beans should be really tender, like they are almost bursting. Mash about 1 cup of the beans against the side of the pot to cream them out. Give the stew a good stir, taste and check for seasoning.
To serve, ladle some of the bean broth into shot glasses or little cups, add a dash of hot pepper sauce and drink – this is traditionally done to get the palate prepared for the feijoada. Serve feijoada in large wide bowls, garnished with orange segments and accompanied by collard greens and white rice.
Sauteed Collard Greens:
2 bunches collard or kale greens, about 2 pounds
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1 cup chicken broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
To prepare the greens: cut away the tough stalks and stems from the collards and discard any leaves that are bruised or yellow. Fill the sink with water and salt, the salt helps to remove any impurities. Wash the collards thoroughly to remove the grit, 2 or 3 times, until the water runs clear. Dry thoroughly. Stack up several leaves and roll up lengthwise in a bundle, cut them into 1-inch ribbons. Repeat until all the leaves are shredded.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; blanch the collard greens for 3 minutes until tender but still bright green. Drain the greens well.
Heat a large deep skillet over medium flame and coat with the oil. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes to soften. Add the blanched greens and toss well with the oil and garlic. Pour in the chicken broth and cook for 5 minutes until the greens are wilted and tender; take care not to overcook. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the feijoada.
Yield: 8

Arroz con Leche
Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3 whole cloves
4 cups water
1 egg
3 cups whole milk
1 (12-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins, optional
Directions
Soak the rice, cinnamon sticks, lemon zest and whole cloves in the water in a heavy saucepan for 1 hour.
After soaking, bring the rice mixture to a boil on high heat, uncovered. When it starts to boil (about 5 minutes), lower the heat to medium and cook for 10 to 12 more minutes or until water is almost evaporated.
While rice is cooking, beat the egg in a bowl. Add the milk and stir well to mix. Add the egg mixture, vanilla extract and condensed milk to the rice and cook over medium-low heat, stirring carefully, until it thickens slightly or until desired consistency, about 25 to 35 minutes.
Let cool uncovered.

2009-03-29T13:58:00.001-05:00

Recipe from the Real Women's Expo Cooking Demonstration

Skillet Chicken and Dressing

#6 Tbs Butter
1 Cup diced onion
1 Cup diced celery
2 Tbs Sage
1 Cup corn
2 Cups dice chicken
3 Cups chicken broth
1 egg
6 Cups corn bread
Salt and Pepper to taste

Sautee onion and celery in butter with a little salt and pepper until softened. Add sage, corn, chicken, ½ of stock, ½ of crumbled cornbread and stir until stock is absorbed. Mix egg with remaining stock then add to skillet with remaining cornbread. Adjust salt and pepper and cook until heated through.
Gravy
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs Flour
1 cup warm stock
Melt butter in skillet. Add flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until flour has had a chance to cook. Add warm stock and wisk until thickened and smooth.

2009-03-17T06:35:00.008-05:00

Upcoming events that Support the Carson Center (We love the Carson Center!!)
On March 28, we will be catering the celebration for the 5th Anniversary of the Carson Center. This is especially meaningful to us because we just celebrated our own 5th anniversary last April and the Carson Center has been a part of our growth as a business from the beginning. It is a huge asset to this community, and I would like to personally thank all of those in the community who had the forsight and understanding necessary to make it a reality.

The second event we will be partipating in is the Wine Tasting and Auction on April 16th. A number of other restaurants and caterers will also be participing to make this a fun night of wine, food and fun.

And finally, we will be catering the Vinter's Luncheon on April 28. This will feature a reception with Anton Pestun of Robert Mondavi Winery, silent auction and art display, and a luncheon and seminar on pairing wines and food.

For more information and tickets please contact the Carson Center, http://www.thecarsoncenter.org/.

Following is the Pre-Show Menu for Ain't Misbehavin on April 7 and 8.
Contact the Carson Center Box Office for tickets. http://www.thecarsoncenter.org/

Fresh Cut Fruit Salad
Spinach Salad: Mix of spinach, field greens, romaine, toasted walnut, mandarin oranges with Mandarin Sweet Oil Dressing.

Creamy Rice Fiona (vegetarian): Basmati rice with sauteed onions, peppers, spinach and sour cream sauce.
Kielbasa Stuffed Pork Loin
Pittsburg Potatoes: Roasted Potatoes in a savory red pepper sauce.
Pesto Fried Corn
Brandied Peach Praline Trifle.

2009-03-13T08:00:00.004-05:00

Following is another recipe from our recent dessert class at WKCTC.

Red Wine Poached Pears with Mascarpone Filling
Ingredients
6 ripe pears
1 bottle red wine (we recommend a Cabernet)
1 vanilla bean, whole
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
2 cups sugar
2 (8 ounce) containers mascarpone cheese, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
Pinch cinnamon
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter
Directions
Peel pears and leave stem intact. In a large saucepan, bring wine and an equal amount of cold water to a simmer. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and add to wine and water mixture. Add cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and sugar. Add pears to liquid and simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender. Cool pears in wine mixture to room temperature. You can refrigerate them in the poaching liquid until you're ready to fill them.
Remove stems from pears and set stems aside. Core pears with an apple corer, leaving pear whole.
Whisk together mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, pinch cinnamon and powdered sugar until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag, or if you do not have one, use wax paper tightly wrapped into a cone with the corner snipped off. Pipe filling into cored pears and finish by putting the stems gently into the mascarpone filling on top of the pears.
Bring 3 cups of poaching liquid to a simmer and reduce by half. Add cold butter to reduced sauce and stir until combined. Cool to room temperature and spoon generously over pears before serving.

2009-03-12T07:38:00.007-05:00

Following is the Pre-Show Menu for Ain't Misbehavin on April 7 and 8. Contact the Carson Center Box Office for tickets. http://www.thecarsoncenter.org/

Fresh Cut Fruit Salad
Spinach Salad: Mix of spinach, field greens, romaine, toasted walnut, mandarin oranges with Mandarin Sweet Oil Dressing.
Creamy Rice Fiona (vegetarian): Basmati rice with sauteed onions, peppers, spinach and sour cream sauce.
Kielbasa Stuffed Pork Loin
Pittsburg Potatoes: Roasted Potatoes in a savory red pepper sauce.
Pesto Fried Corn
Brandied Peach Praline Trifle.

Here's another recipe from our dessert class.

Deep Dish Chocolate Eclair
Crust:
½ cup butter
1 cup water
½ tsp salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Place the cold water, salt, sugar, and butter into a pan and set over a high heat. Bring to a rolling boil. Turn down the heat to medium and stir in the flour, beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. As soon as the mixture starts to come away from the side of the pan and forms a firm ball, stop beating and place into a mixing bowl. Let cool for a few minutes. With a paddle beater and mixer on low, beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition, until you have a smooth paste. Spread into 9 x 13 inch greased pan. Bake at 350- 375 F degrees for 30 minutes till golden brown. Cool completely

Filling:
2 boxes white chocolate or Vanilla Pudding reserving 2 Tbsp. for topping.
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
18 oz. cream cheese

Beat cream cheese with beater bar on medium speed till smooth scraping the bowl down while mixing. Add the pudding and sugar and continue to beat. Switch to wire whisk and add cream, vanilla, and milk and whip till fluffy. Spread evenly on top of the cooled crust.

Topping :
8 oz. Heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp pudding
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Using wire whisk, whip all ingredients till medium firm peaks form. Spread on top of filling. Drizzle with chocolate ganache. (1 cup chocolate chips ½ cup heavy cream 1 Tbsp. butter melted together) Refrigerate till served.

2009-03-11T09:59:00.006-05:00

Following is one of the the recipes from our recent dessert class at WKCTC. Our focus was on the use of Pate Au Choux. This is a really versitile pastry dough used to make cream puffs, or Eclairs. I'll be posting more in the days to come.

Boston Cream Puffs or Eclairs
Pate Au Choux
· 1 cup Water
· 1 cup Flour
· 1 teaspoon sugar
· ½ teaspoon Salt
· ½ cup butter
· 4 Eggs

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 - 375 F. Place the cold water, salt, sugar, and butter into a pan and set over high heat. Bring to a rolling boil. Turn down the heat to medium and stir in the flour, beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. As soon as the mixture starts to come away from the side of the pan and forms a firm ball, stop beating and place into a mixing bowl. Let cool for a few minutes.
2. With a paddle beater and mixer on low, beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition, until you have a smooth paste.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle. Pipe about 18 walnut-sized balls and 18 fingers onto the baking sheet, spaced well apart. Egg wash the pastries Level the peaked tops of the puffs with a fork dipped into the egg was and drag it over the fingers. Bake for 18-20 minutes until well risen and golden brown.
4. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting and filling.

Boston cream Filling
Ingredients: * Recipe has been doubled for other applications

· 2/3 cup white sugar
· 4 tablespoons cornstarch
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 3 cups milk
· 4 egg yolks
· 4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
In a 2 quart saucepan, mix sugar, the cornstarch and salt. Stir in the milk gradually and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir at least 1/2 of the mixture slowly into the egg yolks. Return egg yolk mixture to the saucepan and boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool to room temperature

Chocolate Glaze
*Recipe has been doubled for other applications

Ingredients:
· 4(1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
· 6 tablespoons butter
· 2 cup confectioners' sugar
· 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
· 4 tablespoons hot water

Directions:
Heat the chocolate and butter or margarine over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the confectioners' sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the water, one teaspoon at a time, until glaze is of desired consistency.

· **For a yummy Boston Cream Pie follow the cream and glaze recipes but cut them in half. Below is a recipe for the sponge cake that you can make sometime.

· 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
· 1 cup sugar
· 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 3/4 cup milk
· 1/3 cup shortening
· 1 egg
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour one 9 inch round cake pan.
Beat the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, 3/4 cup milk, shortening, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla at low speed, scraping bowl constantly for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally for 3 minutes. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until done. Remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack. Carefully split cake in half evenly, fill with the cream and top layer and spread the glaze.

2009-03-09T10:26:00.004-05:00

It's official.
All of the permits are in order and work has begun on our expanded kitchen. The dance studio next door moved out at the first of the year and we have been planning our expansion since. The extra space will primarily be used for prep work and cake decorating. We will also have expanded area for retail space. I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Cooking Classes
We will be conducting the second night of our Delightful Dessert class for the A La Carte series at WKCTC on Tuesday. Our upcoming classes will feature Chinese and South American Cuisine. Please contact Becky Haus at the college (270-534-3086) if you would like more information and schedules. We increased the number of spots to 20 for each class to accomodate for people.

2009-02-27T08:21:00.004-06:00

We've had the Oscar Party to support Maiden Alley, Mardi Gras for the Lourdes Foundations, and next up:

Desserts for Girl Scouts!
That's right, more of our food for free! This time it's all about dessert on Monday, March 2 at the Carson Center. We, along with several other area restaurants and cooks have been working to develop original dessert creations featuring Girl Scout Cookies. I can't devulge our secret yet but here are a couple of hints. We are using a brand new cookie for 2009, the Dulce De Leche, and if you were at the Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting VIP Dessert Reception, you got a sneek preview.Now, back to business.

Are you going to see Mama Mia at the Carson Center?
If so, make reservations for our preshow dinner in the Myre River Room. We'll be serving each night, March 3, 4, and 5. You will have first access to parking, no wait in a restaurant, and regardless of the weather you'll show up dry and warm for the show. Contact the Carson Center Box Office to make your reservations. We have a special Greek themed menu that is sure to satisfy. You'll find it just below.

Greek Salad with feta, kalamata olives, green pepper and vinaigrette.
Fresh Fruit Salad

Stifado: A Greek Stew with pearl onions, beef and tomatoes.
Vegetarian Moussaka
Basmati Rice with pine nuts and fennel
Sauteed Haricot Verts with Red onion and Lemon

Baklava: a traditional Greek Dessert

Stifado is a very hardy dish traditionally done with lamb or venison. Our version is done with beef, seared in olive oil with onion and then simmered with tomatoes, red wine, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, allspice berries, rosemary, thyme and whole peppercorns. Potatoes and carrots are added part way through the cooking process. The result is a very rich, seasoned stew.

Our Vegetarian Moussaka is a twist on the traditional which would be made with lamb. We use thin slices of potato and eggplant, and layer that between layers of feta cheese and a light tomato sauce of onions and chic peas with a hint of nutmeg.

Our Baklava has a combination of almonds and walnuts in a very sweet and buttery filling. This gets layered between sheets of phyllo dough, drizzled with an orange and lemon infused syrup and baked.

American Culinary Federation
Karla and I have officially joined the newest chapter of the American Culinary Federation (ACF). We are both so excited about the possibilities this has for informing the local culinary landscape and bringing an even more professional attitude to the field. It is based in Murray, and membership is open to professional chefs, cooks and food enthusiasts. Our meetings are once a month and include informative and interesting presentations from various members of the food world including producers, distributors and chefs. The ACF offers an excellent way for professionals and food enthusiasts to network and gain access to educational programs and materials. One very important aspect for professionals looking to further their careers is the various educational certification programs available, as well as national networking opportunities. Whether your interest in the culinary world is professional or personal, all are invited to attend a few meetings to learn about what membership in the ACF can mean for you.

Develop a Theme for your next get together! (Call us. We'll Help)
Every little get together deserves a theme. It just helps an evening come together. And the little effort you put into developing the theme will pay off in the amount of time you can spend at your gathering enjoying the company of others rather than entertaining them. Look at your theme as pre-entertaining.

The great thing about a theme is that they turn every guest at your party into a actor. And you get to stand back and direct. Everyone on your guest list is a character around which to weave a story of humor and good cheer. As long as your motives remain pure, you can be assured everyone will have a good time. One of the lessons I have learned is that almost everyone wants to have a good time. They just need permission and an excuse.

A few suggestions:
Make attire a part of the theme. This helps to get everyone on the same page and eliminates a very important question for every event- What to wear? It gives them license to create their character and insures they are still in the same play. This doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You can think about what conversations you would like to hear. Think about an event you find interesting. Even if it is as simple as blue jeans and sweaters, someone you know will take this to an extreme and boom, you have a party.

Music sets the mood. This will help keep everyone in character. It doesn’t have to be loud and intrusive. You want your guests to be the focal point. But some nice background music gives a subtle hint as to what is expected of their behavior. If you have loud, frenetic music, your guests are going to be loud and frenetic. If you have quiet, sullen music, your guests will be quiet and sullen. We’ve all be to funerals. It’s no party. Plan your music accordingly.

Please feed the animals! This is obviously near and dear to my heart. Give your guests something they don’t expect and can’t get every single day of their life. Worry less about what you think people like and more about what you would like to try. Even very good, boring food is boring. Find a cuisine you would like to learn more about. Your guests don’t have to eat everything on the menu, and if your menu is extensive enough, everyone will find something they like.

Finally, relax and have fun. Your anxiety will become everyone’s anxiety. If you have done a little work beforehand, all you have to do is put on a big smile, confidently invite your guests in and the rest will take care of itself.

2009-02-20T07:41:00.003-06:00

Karla Lawrence Recieves the Bobby Holman Award
At the Feb. 17 meeting of the Paducah Hospitality Association, our very own Karla Lawrence recieved the Bobby Holman award. This annual award recognizes a PHA member for volunteerism, promotions, leadership, and participation in the association. She was also appointed to the position of Vice President. Congratulations!!

Dessert Classes at WKCTC

We have an upcoming class for the A La Carte Cooking series at WKCTC. It is a two night series meeting from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. on March 3 and 10. We have a really good time, eat an obscene amount of dessert and answer all of you questions. If you go to the gallery section of our website, you'll find some of the beautiful creations from last year's class. Please contact Becky Haus at 270-534-3086 to sign up and to check out the full schedule of classes.

2009-02-17T07:45:00.004-06:00

Here's a recipe from one of our cooking classes at WKCTC last year. I haven't found the cookbook from which this recipe comes. I think I loaned it out to someone, but I will try to get that information and post it here. Regardless, this is worth making. It looks like alot steps, but if you read over the recipe a few times, it's not nearly so complicated as it looks at first glance. A piece of advice; assemble all of your ingedients and pre-measure before you start cooking. This goes for all cooking. I always find it tempting to just jump right in and start lighting the burners, but especially when I'm unfamiliar with a recipe, I just get myself in trouble.

Kao Moke Gai
Chicken with crispy shallots in yellow rice

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 4 to 6 chunks for each breast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus vegetable oil for deep frying shallots
5 quarter size slice of fresh ginger
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
2 cups jasmine rice or regular long-grain white rice
2 3/4 cup water
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots, cut crosswise
4 small cucumbers, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into thin ovals
A handful of fresh cilantro

In a small bowl comine the cayenne, cumin, coriander, turmeric, white pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Mix together well. Sprinkle half of the spice mixture over the chicken, rubbing in the spices to coat each piece well. Set aside both the chicken and the remaining spice mixture.

In a medium stockpot, heat the two tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown well on both sides. Remove the chicken to a shallow bowl, cover and set aside.

Pour off some of the oil leaving about two tablespoons in the pan. Be careful not to remove any of the brown bits left from cooking the chicken. Reheat the oil remaining in the pan and add the ginger, turning and pressing it into the oil for about 30 seconds. Add the garlic and toss with a spatula until golden brown, 30 to 45 seconds.

Add the onion and the remaining spice mixture. Stir-fry until the onion is softened and translucent, about 1 minute. Add the rice, toss until the spiced oil coats and colors each grain.

Add the water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt to the pan. Bring the rice to a vigorous boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to discourage grains from sticking to the bottom. Boil the rice until the surface becomes dry and the grains begin to swell, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and, using a spatula or wooden spoon, bury them, one by one, near the bottom of the pan, under the partially cooked rice. Add any chicken juices that have collected in the bowl to the pan as well. Smooth out the rice to hide the chicken completely, cover, and cook over low heat until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small skillet pour in oil to a depth of two inches. Heat the oil over medium-high heat uhntil hot but not smoking. Drop a piece of shallot into the pan. If it sizzles immediately the oil is ready. Sprinkle the shallots over the surface of the oil, and, using a slotted spoon, separate and turn them quickly. As soon as the shallots are light brown, remove them with the slotted spoon and drain on paper towels until cool enough to touch. Then lay them out on a small plate and set aside uncovered.

When the rice and chicken are done, remove the pan from the heat and let stand uncovered for 15 minutes while you prepare the sauce and garinshes. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar and the remaing 1/2 teaspoon of salt, stirring or whisking well until the sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid thickens slightly. Sprinkle the chili slices on top of this sauce and transfer this sweet sour dressing to a small serving bowl.

To serve, dig the chicken out of the rice, scraping away any clinging rice grains., remove and discard the ginger slices, and mound the rice on a serving platter. Arrange the chicken on the platter with the rice, and garish the dish with the cucumber slices, cilantro leaves, and crispy shallots. Serve warm or at room temperature with sauce alongside.

2009-02-16T10:45:00.002-06:00

Kevin's Cheesecakes

I think we can make it official. Kevin has now perfected the cheesecake. He is developing an average of one new recipe every two weeks. I'm really not joking. If you have a special flavor that you would like, you just need to call him up and discuss it. His latest creation is packed full of dried fruits and called Tahitian Dream. He also carried the idea over to his chess bars, creating a new variety that are arguable better the his already delicious, original chess bar.

Here's a very good sugar cookie recipe that we've adapted.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl on low speed of electric mixer just util well blended. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; add t butter mixture, stirring until blended.

2. Divide dough in half. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until firm enough to handle. Heat oven to 400 degrees. On lightly floured surface, roll each half of the dough to about 1/4" thick.

3. Cut into shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Decorate with sprinkles or coarse sugar, or leave plain to frost after cooking.

4. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

This recipe will make about 3 dozen 2" cookies.

2009-02-11T08:19:00.005-06:00

Small Business in a Down Economy
While maybe a little off topic, we are, nonetheless, a business. And like many other small businesses across the country, we are watching the economic “crisis” tentatively. We, unfortunately, can’t know the future. Even in good times, events can turn against any individual business. I, for one, tend toward optimism.

For now, our business continues to grow, but nothing can be taken for granted. This is a good opportunity for small businesses to refocus on their core products or services. In good times, it can be tempting to go far a field of one’s core business. Lean times require using employees wisely, talking with employees about economic realities, spending carefully and making sure you are in a stable position when the rebound begins.

I have found that the talk of the economic downturn has made us even more conscientious of the customers we have. It has made us more conscientious of waste. These efforts have to be taken on by each employee. I am fortunate to work with wonderful people, and when they understand that they are not being left out of the equation, they are willing to step up to the plate. That is an advantage that small businesses very much need to keep in mind. Our employees tend to be closer to family than employees, and in harder times, families need to pull together.

My aunt Georgia recently completed a memoir detailing her memories of our family history, a story including peace and war, prosperity and depression, life and death. One continuing thread was the strength and steady hand of my grandmother. Always working, always teaching, always going about the business of maintaining a household. As with much in life, our happiness, our prosperity, and our state of mind are in our own hands. Through good and bad, the family worked together, grew and took care of there own. These are lessons that every family and every small business should heed. For our part, here at Artisan Kitchen, we are continuing to work together, learn from one another, teach one another, and focus on the core of our business- the best food we know how to create.

For the Beginner
While people who don’t cook are great for business, they are truly missing an opportunity to participate in an activity that can be quite enjoyable, satisfying and even relaxing.
The first step is to stop treating it as another chore and start viewing it as an opportunity for personal and family growth.
Second, Start simple. Make a side dish to go with a meal you’ve purchased. If you start with a seven course meal, you are dooming yourself to failure. And while “from scratch” is an admirable desire, if you are a true beginner, buy the items that require more experience to create. You’ll save yourself frustration while building your confidence and spurring creative ideas for future projects.
Finally, take a class. WKCTC offers the A La Carte cooking series that consists of one and two night classes consisting of some demonstration classes and some hands-on classes. These offer a great opportunity to ask question and learn. Karla and I have several scheduled.

Fun First Projects
Personalize store bought items.
Marinara is a great place to start. Buy a tomato sauce you like and make some additions. Add chopped pepperoncini to spice it up. Roasted garlic is great addition. Cut the top third off of a whole garlic bulb, drizzle it with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast it for about an hour to an hour and a half until it is soft and the consistency of room temperature butter. You can add this to the marinara or spread it on toasted French bread.
Saute some portabella mushroom with olive oil, a little butter, salt and pepper and add this to the marinara. Go a little further and sauté some fresh green beans, squash and zucchini or even some fresh cut corn. Add this for a great vegetarian dish or and interesting side.

Food Trends
Fresh and local is here to stay. It just makes sense. The fresher the food, the better it is for you, the less energy it takes to get it to market and it supports the local economy. I know this is all old information. So what is new? The fact that we need to finally practice what we already know is right! Farmers’ Markets are springing up in nearly every community. A directory of Kentucky Farmers’ Markets can be found online at www.kyagr.com/marketing/farmmarket/directory.htm. A list for Southern Illinois can be found at www.agfun.com/southern_farmersmarkets.html.
Local governments often sponsors educational programs to spur interest. The McCracken County Health Department coordinates cooking demonstrations at the Farmer’s Market in downtown Paducah. Karla and I will also be doing a class this summer offering great recipes with fresh items from Paducah's Farmer's Market.

Container and Landscape Gardens
You already have pots of flowers and beds around your house for landscaping. Why not fill at least some with vegetables and Herbs? Vegetable plants and herbs can be beautiful and provide you with fresh goodies to eat.
Obvious plants to start with are basil and tomatoes. They will provide you with two things that go great together without even having to light your stove. And both work great in containers. There are beautiful heirloom varieties of tomatoes that will give your plate more interest. Basil is also available in a many varieties. There is a Purple basil whose leaves are a deep purple, and a Thai basil that has a more narrow green leaf that flowers in a deep purple. Others vary in flavor, some with hints of cinnamon and lemon.
Another plant that works great for landscaping is broccoli. These plants get up to two feet in diameter with large leathery leaves and, of course, a large center head of broccoli. Planted with a pretty purple kale (yes you can and should eat it), these two plants can make a lovely display that will satisfy both early and late in the season.
Dill is another great choice. It will get tall and whispy with a lovely burst of yellow flowers that resemble fireworks caught in mid burst. Plant the dill with zinnias and you have the makings for a butterfly garden. Swallowtails, in particular, love dill. You will loose some to the caterpillars, but my experience is that there is plenty to share.
Eggplant is another beautiful plant. It has leaves that resemble Pin Oak leaves but thicker and with a velvety white underbelly. And, of course, beautiful fruit that can come in a variety of incarnations.

While They’re Young
Your teenager may no give you the time of day, but if you have younger children, chances are they may not view helping in the kitchen as work yet. When I was young I loved to help. I don’t remember it as work at all. I didn’t necessarily do that much, but I learned a lot in the process. Things like burners are hot and knives are sharp. I also learned to boil water, stir macaroni and cheese, and mash potatoes. These were small educational victories, but it made for good parent-son time and eventually resulted in a career. There were also less obvious things I began to learn indirectly. Math is prevalent in cooking. Ingredients are constantly being measured, divided and multiplied. Recipes are a great tool for reading. The words and sentences are usually simple and you have an activity and items with which to tie their meaning.