Market Photos 4/28/12

This coming week, I'll be reducing the price of my cakelets to $2 or 3 for $5. Being such a young business, Little Blue is still figuring out how best to price baked goods to be fair to both you and me.

The lovely French Apple Pie was perhaps too fragile for market, but it was certainly appreciated by those who tasted it.

If the bundt cake is the duchess of cakes, then the Mimosa Pound Cake is queen.

Heartbreakingly moist and a lovely thing to behold.

Check back soon for updates on the 5/5 market. Lots of good things in store.

Rossini Festival Market 4/28/12

This one'll be short and sweet, folks. I'm busy, busy, busy in preparation for tomorrow's market. A quick note about how you can pay for your Little Blue treats. I accept cash, market money (swipe your card, get tokens that vendors accept as money and for which we are reimbursed for at the end of market), credit and debit cards, and local checks.

1.) Cheddar Scallion Biscuits--made with Vermont white cheddar

2.) Strawberry-White Chocolate Scones--Colvin Family Farms strawberries

3.) Spinach and Parmesan Spelt Scones--local spinach; organic spelt flour

4.) Broccoli Rabe-Shallot Quiches--local broccoli rabe

5.) Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Seeded Streusel--pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds

6.) Breakfast Cookies--oat-studded cookies with golden raisins and candied ginger

7.) Ginger-Molasses Cookies--my mother's recipe!

8.) Rhubarb and Brown Butter Loaf--roasted rhubarb in a moist loaf with brown butter icing

9.) Gluten-Free Hazelnut Brownies--you'll never know they're gluten-free; made with hazelnut meal and whole Oregon hazelnuts

10.) Mimosa Pound Cake--named for the cocktail, complete with champagne glaze

11.) Très Citrus Shortbreads--lemon, orange, and lime zests

12.) Almond Shortbreads--rich and crumbly, with sliced almonds

13.) Pumpkin Seed Brittle--obscenely delicious; redolent of coffee, vanilla, and caramel

14.) French Apple Pie--as simple as it gets; an all-butter pastry crust filled with organic golden delicious apples and brushed with apricot jam

15.) Spiced Cacao Nib Cakes--dark chocolate cakes topped with cacao nibs (crushed, roasted cocoa beans), and brushed with a spiced syrup

16.) Lemon Bars--shortbread crust topped with a rich lemon curd

17.) Granola--Little Blue's signature granola made with sorghum and maple syrup

Market 4/21/12

My first market.
The week has not gone as I had planned, which I should have suspected to begin with.
On my first day in the south Knoxville kitchen I rent, I forgot a few things. Measuring spoons for one. I also had an overly ambitious schedule planned, and I didn't finish everything I had intended to.
And then market day wasn't quite a success--the rain could have been disastrous for my baked goods if my neighbor hadn't had extra plastic sheeting, and I was told that the crowds were down.
But you know what? I'm so, so happy with how everything went.

Back in my days as a cheese maker's apprentice, I did two markets a week, and what I loved about them then, I still love. The people, the farmers, the bustle and sense of community. People supporting other people, supporting their community and region.
These things matter. When you buy a bunch of kale from a local farmer or a muffin from a local baker, all the money goes to them. No middlemen. This means that you support them, and they are motivated to sell you the best they can offer and at a fair price, ensuring you a better product and them a living.

It's also just plain fun. You get to know people. You learn to appreciate the seasons. You meet a lot of interesting characters.
I'll be back. It was a pleasure meeting a lot of you, and I hope you enjoyed your treats if you bought something from me (or otherwise--I hope you enjoyed those, too). If any of you have special requests or things you really like to see bakers bring to market, tell me! I love to hear your suggestions, and as I plan on changing up my offerings by the week, I should be able to accommodate most everyone at some point.

Very soon, I'll be posting more about my recipes to give you an idea of where I get my inspiration and how I make recipes my own. I also want to do a full post on my granola and why it's so expensive. There are reasons for these things, after all.
Thanks to everyone who made my first market such a wonderful day. I'm exhausted but happy. See you next week!

about my ingredients

One important part of my mission statement is that I use the best quality ingredients I can afford/find. I don't cut corners. There are many peripheral reasons for this,--sustainability, ethics--but flavor is the central reason. I've tasted enough mediocre baked goods to know that using better ingredients makes a huge difference in the flavor and quality of the end product. Margarine does not taste as good as butter. 
But it goes further than the debate between margarine vs. butter. This is where ethics comes in. I use as many organic ingredients as I possibly can. I use as many local ingredients as I possibly can. I like to support local farmers by buying their produce. Support local farmers and you support the local economy. You also support higher-quality, fresher produce. I like knowing that the rhubarb I buy at the farmer's market was picked that morning. As someone who considers the freshness of ingredients important, I find the quality of the specimens sitting on most grocery store shelves dubious.
I also use organic, unbleached flour from a reputable mill. Ditto my rolled oats, spelt flour, seeds, and produce. Whenever possible, I buy local produce. Of course, this all depends on what I can find at the market...
Which brings me to my next point. I bake seasonally. Spring pastries will include strawberries, rhubarb, greens, and citrus among other things. Summer pastries may include tomatoes, squash, eggplant, and peppers. In autumn, I will focus on winter squashes and cold-hardy greens. I'm not interested in out of season produce--it had to be shipped from somewhere, and most likely somewhere far away. No thanks.
This week, some of my local ingredients include strawberries, rhubarb, buttermilk, and eggs. My hope is that, as I get a chance to interact with Knoxville area farmers and producers, I will be able to feature more and more local ingredients.
This business model is only possible on a small, local scale. I bake very small batches of my baked goods, and I try to have a greater diversity of items on my table. This ensures my use of high-quality, local ingredients. I only sell at farmer's markets, where I sell directly to you. You can ask me questions face to face, and therefore I am directly accountable to you.
This business model helps all of us. I put my dollar into the local economy via farmers and artisan producers (as opposed to supporting Sysco or big agriculture). You put your dollar into the local economy by purchasing my baked goods. It's better for all of us.
That said, my baked goods cost a little more. Buying local is more expensive for a small producer because I'm not buying massive quantities of produce from a wholesale outfit. And I don't mind telling you that my profit margin is small--I'm not making bank on farmer's market customers. I just want to be able to do what I love, and I love baking and being part of the farmer's market culture.
Look for updates on this site--I post a weekly list of my offerings at the Market Square Farmer's Market, and I try to be as specific as I can. I list local and organic ingredients so you know what you're getting. Of course, you can always just quiz me at the market. I'm more than happy to divulge.
A note on market packaging--I have paper bags, compostable clamshell containers, and compostable plant-based "cellophane" bags available at market for your baked goods. I purchase these from a Nashville-based packaging company, again keeping my dollar as local as possible (and shipping distance shorter). 
Of equal importance, I want you to enjoy your baked goods. Never hesitate to contact me directly (petitbleu88 at gmail dot com). I'm happy to respond to your queries.

gearing up for first market

I'm nervous.

Nervous and excited and antsy.

It's like the first day of school, my first contra dance outing, my first speech.

I've read over my recipes again and again, retested a few things that I felt needed retesting, bought all my last-minute groceries, and planned out everything to the nth degree. I know I'm ready, but I'm still nervous.

Mostly, I'm nervous about being the new baker at market, when I know that the established bakers already have a loyal following. I'm nervous about having to charge a little more than my competition for my baked goods because I use high-quality ingredients. I'm nervous because I don't know what Knoxvillians like or want.

I'm betting on the chance that you'll try me out. Ask me questions. Get to know me a little. I'm betting that people will remember the old adage that you get what you pay for.

market list 4/21/12:

-white cheddar-scallion buttermilk biscuits (vermont cheddar; organic scallions; og flour)

-strawberry-vanilla buttermilk scones (cruze farm buttermilk; colvin family farm strawberries)

-lemon-thyme spelt scones (with thyme from my organic herb garden; og spelt)

-coffee kuchen with streusel topping

-rhubarb coffee cake (og local rhubarb)

-mini mushroom-shallot quiches (cage free local eggs)

-breakfast cookies with golden raisins and candied ginger (og rolled oats)

-little blue's signature ideal granola (local sorghum; og rolled oats and seeds)

-banana-apricot loaf (og fair trade bananas)

-arnold palmer loaf (og lemons)

-gluten-free hazelnut brownies (og hazelnuts; valrhona cocoa powder)

-mimosa pound cake (og oranges)

-lime-cardamom shortbread (og limes)

-chocolate-chili shortbread

-pepita brittle (og pumpkin seeds)

-spicy white cheddar buttons (vermont cheddar)

-fluted french apple pie (og apples)

I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday! Come by to taste my granola--it's strictly the best.