Market Square Holiday Market 12/1/12

The holiday markets are finally here! I'll be featuring some holiday-exclusive items at my booth these last four weeks of market, including lots of tasty gifts for those on your list. I will also have order forms available for those of you who would like to order items in quantity for holiday office parties, family get-togethers, gift-giving en masse, etc. You do the celebrating and let me do the baking!

Also, some very exciting news for Little Blue...I finally found a good kitchen space to work in and a great place to sell my baked goods over the winter. Tea At the Gallery is a really sweet little space in Bearden (on Kingston Pike, in the same shopping center as the Fresh Market) run by a coterie of lovely ladies. They have a huge selection of loose leaf teas, and they serve a full tea service as well as light lunches. They have very graciously offered me the use of their kitchen and will be carrying some of my baked goods through the winter (and beyond). Right now, the only items I have for sale there are my shortbreads and granola (slightly more expensive than at market, as I'm selling on consignment), but there will be more very soon. I'll keep you in the loop.

I will also be selling some of my baked goods at a new little butcher shop in Alcoa called The Local. It will be opening in January and will feature, as you might expect, lots of high-quality meat butchered by a professional, but also locally-made artisanal products by people like me! I know Shawn (owner of The Local) has talked to Jim Smith (hot sauce guru that I'm sure a lot of you know from the market) about selling his goods there as well, so you might think about making a trip down Alcoa way in 2013 to help support this fledgling business (it's located on Calderwood St., right across from the Shrimp Dock).

Now for this week's eats and treats.

Little Blue Hot Cocoa Mix and Homemade Marshmallows--$3/bag (if you've never had homemade marshmallows before, you must try them--like eating a fudgy cloud)

Baker's Bundle (a wooden berry basket lined with burlap and filled with an 8-ounce bottle of my double-strength vanilla extract, a bag of vanilla sugar, and 3 Tahitian vanilla beans)--$12

Bartender's Bundle (a berry basket lined with burlap and filled with 4 different flavors of my homemade bitters)--$10

Party Mix (think grown-up Chex Mix--contains mixed nuts, pumpkin seeds, pretzels, puffed rice, puffed sorghum, and my homemade spice blend)--$7/12 oz

Boozy Fruit Cakes (the real deal, folks--a fruit cake packed with walnuts, figs, dates, raisins, dried plums, cherries, and candied orange peel, soaked in spiced rum and wrapped in rum-soaked cheesecloth--these have been aged for 4 weeks to improve their flavor and can be kept until Christmas and beyond, if you choose)--$12 for a 1-pound loaf

Seeded Granola--$7/12 oz

Pumpkin Seed Brittle--$3/4 oz

Earl Grey Shortbreads--$2/bag

Lemon Meringue Tartlets (homemade all-butter tart shells filled with my extra-tart lemon curd and topped with a cloud of toasted meringue)--$5

Kale and Parmesan Scones--$3 (local kale)

Cranberry-White Chocolate Scones--$3

Leek and Sweet Potato Quiches--$5 (local sweet potatoes)

Croissants (plain, chocolate, ham and cheese, and almond)--$3, $4, and $5

I will also have order forms available for any of you who would like to place a holiday order.

Looking forward to seeing you all! The weather should be most lovely.

Market Square Farmer's Market 11/17/12

The last official market is upon us! I'm not feeling too nostalgic or sentimental quite yet, as we have four holiday markets to go, and I envision myself shivering beneath my tent for most of them. One of the many wonderful things about the market--it takes you out of your comfort zone in more ways than one!

Just to be clear, I will be at all four holiday markets. The first is on December first, and then they follow for three weeks after that. The markets run from noon to 7 p.m., and vendors begin setting up in the morning at around 10 a.m. You can expect many of the Little Blue baked goods you know and love in addition to some showstoppers for gifts and stocking stuffers.

I just made my annual batch of fruitcakes, which will be available at the holiday markets. They are absolutely packed with fruit and nuts--figs, raisins, dates, dried plums, cherries, pecans, and hazelnuts. I will be brushing them with spiced rum for the next couple weeks, and then they will be wrapped in rum-soaked cheesecloth. This week I also unwrapped a fruitcake that I made last November and have been aging in the back of my fridge ever since. It's perfectly moist and boozy and no worse for wear. I will have this well-aged fruitcake at my booth for sampling--I used the same recipe this year.

I will also have "Baker's Bundles" for sale as stocking stuffers--a bottle of my double-strength vanilla, vanilla sugar, and a few vanilla beans all tucked into a wooden berry basket. I will also have a selection of unique candies (my espresso pumpkin seed brittle being one of them) and cookies.

Now for this week's offerings:

--Cheddar Scallion Biscuits--$3 (Colvin Family Farm scallions; Cruze Farm buttermilk)

--Lemon-Blueberry Scones--$3 (Cruze Farm buttermilk)

--Butternut-Sage Scones With Walnuts--$3 (Terraced Gardens Farm butternut squash; Cruze Farm buttermilk)

--Green Eggs and Ham Quiche--$5 (all-butter pastry crust; arugula pesto feat. Colvin Family Farm arugula; prosciutto)

--Cranberry and Roasted Pear Tarts--$5 (all-butter pastry crust; Asian pears)

--Plain, Dark Chocolate, Ham and Cheese, and Almond-Filled Croissants--$3, $4, and $5

--10-Grain Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls--$4 (Musick Mountain Farm pumpkin)

--Rosewater and Black Sesame Shortbread--$2/bag

--Grasshopper Sandwich Cookies--$2 (crisp dark chocolate cookies; peppermint buttercream)

--Dark Chocolate Cacao Nib Loaves--$5 (Dutch-process cocoa powder, cacao nibs, spiced syrup)

--Seeded Granola--$7/ 12 oz (pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds, cacao nibs, walnuts, organic oats, organic local sorghum syrup, maple syrup, olive oil)

--Double-Strength Vanilla Extract--$8/ 4 oz (Bacardi 151 and Tahitian vanilla beans)

 * I have several spots still open for my intro to pie and pastry class this Sunday. If you're interested in attending, please let me know at petitbleu88 (at) gmail (dot) com. The class is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes a light breakfast and lunch, four hours of hands-on instruction, a booklet of tips and recipes, and a pie to take home. Cost is $65 per person.

Market Square Farmer's Market 11/10/12

In my not so distant past, I worked on a goat farm in western NC. Over the course of three and a half years, I learned how to make many different kinds of cheese, how to milk, feed, and care for goats, and the nebulous art of working a farmer's market.
Market day was always my favorite, because it not only meant that I could represent a business I cared very much about, I got a chance to talk about my product nonstop with customers for a good four hours. I answered questions, responded to concerns, and generally met a lot of really wonderful people.
When I decided that I wanted to start my baking business here in Knoxville, I knew from the start that it would be a farmer's market business. Of course, there are practical reasons for this--not having to rent a storefront, getting to test the waters to see if what I bake will sell in the first place, and being able to work another job in addition to the bakery are just a few of those reasons.
But really, one of the most compelling reasons for my choice is the people. Unlike a lot of business owners, I get to see my customers face to face every Saturday. If you have a concern or a question, I can answer you on the spot. If you have a complaint, I don't get to hide behind employees or a customer service department. I know that I have to answer for any item I sell, and as a result, I stand behind my products.
The best part, though, is that I get to meet some really fabulous people. I can learn your names, see your children (and dogs as the case may be), and figure out what your favorites are. It's not quite "friendship," but it's certainly more meaningful than your average customer service interaction.
Now that the market season is winding down, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you. You have made my first year awesome and totally worthwhile, and I want you to know that seeing many of you every week and some of you fairly often is a bright spot in my week. It makes all the hard work worth it. Thank you.

--Cheddar Scallion Biscuits--$3 (Cruze Dairy buttermilk, Vermont white cheddar)

--Cranberry White Chocolate Scones--$3 (Cruze Dairy Buttermilk)

--Roasted Tomato and Arugula Pesto Scones--$3 (Colvin Family Farm arugula)

--Mushroom and Brie Quiches--$5 (Cage-free eggs)

--Vegan Pumpkin Brûlée Tarts--$5 (Musick Mountain Farm pumpkin)

--Plain, Dark Chocolate, Ham and Cheese, and Almond Croissants--$3, $4, and $5 respectively (all butter)

--10-Grain Masala Spice Cinnamon Rolls*--$4

--Vanilla Rooibos Shortbread--$2/bag (real vanilla beans, rooibos tea, lavender, and rose petals)

--Spicy Ginger Sandwich Cookies--$2/ea. (powdered, fresh, and candied ginger)

--Seeded Granola--$7/12 oz. (Doubletree Farms sorghum)

--Vanilla Extract--$8/4 oz. (Madagascar vanilla beans, high-proof rum)

*Whole grain wheat, whole grain rye, corn grits, whole grain triticale, whole grain oats, soy beans (for added protein), whole grain millet, barley, whole grain brown rice, oat bran, and flaxseed meal.

Market Square Farmer's Market 11/3/12

November! Month of cranberries and dry turkey, you're finally here! I would be lying if I said I didn't have a soft spot for deep autumn and almost everything that comes with it--the crinkly sound of dry leaves (and getting to use the leaf blower--so cool), a really good excuse to make a hot toddy, and pulling all my musty sweaters and scarves down from storage. Very pale people of Scotch-Irish descent are just not made for 90+ degree days. Fall is a welcome friend.
I also find myself getting hungrier as the days grow shorter and colder. Whether it's a hibernation complex or just a primordial craving to fatten up before darkest winter, I have been perfectly ravenous. With any luck, some of you will come to market perfectly ravenous, too, as I'm baking my heart out tomorrow to bring you some really delicious and highly fattening goods (um...but all the calories get canceled out because I bake with love?).
I missed you all last weekend, but it was a necessary errand. In addition to attending the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair where I purchased my very first raw fleece (the idea being that, once I get over how intimidating the thing is, I'll turn it into yarn), I also stopped by the farm of an old friend for the ingredient that makes my granola delicious: sorghum syrup.
For those unfamiliar with this product, sorghum is a thick, dark syrup (not unlike molasses, but without the bitter notes) made from the juice of sorghum cane, a relative of sugar cane. The juice is pressed out of the cane and boiled for hours and hours (like maple syrup) until it caramelizes. Sorghum syrup is traditionally made in the South, as sorghum cane grows well here, and the farm I buy my sorghum from still uses draft horses to mill the cane. They also boil their syrup over a wood fire.
All the syrup I've been able to find from Tennessee cane processors is much, much lighter than the sorghum I get from Doubletree Farms (located in Madison County, NC). Doubletree's method of boiling the syrup over a wood fire produces a deeply caramelized syrup, whereas the Tennessee producers I've found use steam. Steam processing produces a very light, almost honey-like syrup. Unfortunately, while this syrup is perfectly fine for drizzling over biscuits and such, the darker stuff is what I need to make my granola. There's just no way around it. So, I've stocked up on the good stuff again and can continue making granola that's up to my standards.

Mini Pecan Pies in a Whole Wheat Crust--$5 (corn syrup-free!)

Quiche With Leeks and Butternut Squash--$5 (butternut squash from Terraced Gardens Farm)

Pumpkin and White Chocolate Scones--$3 (pumpkin from Musick Mountain Farm)

BCT Scones (bacon, chard, and roasted tomatoes)--$3 (Benton's bacon, organic chard from my garden)

Croissants (plain, dark chocolate, ham and cheese, almond)--$3, $4, $5 and $5, respectively

10-Grain Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls--$4 (pumpkin from Musick Mountain Farm)

Grasshopper Sandwich Cookies--$2

Earl Grey Shortbreads--$2/bag

Cheddar Scallion Biscuits--$3 (Cruze Farm buttermilk)

Walnut Spelt Muffins--$3 (organic spelt flour, Cruze Farm Buttermilk)

Seeded Granola--$7/ 12 oz (Doubletree Farms sorghum syrup)

Double-Strength Vanilla Extract--$8/ 4 oz


P.S. Please let me know if you'd like to pre-order fruitcakes. My fruitcakes are absolutely packed with fruit and nuts and are soaked with rum or bourbon before being aged for a month. Nothing like store-bought fruitcakes with those weird red and green pseudo-fruits! I will be making mini fruitcakes for $10 apiece (like I said--packed with fruit and nuts--I spare no expense for this once-a-year luxury). I will have some available at the holiday markets in December, but if you'd like to reserve a few, please let me know!