StyleBlueprint » Margot Cafe and Bar

Three Chefs, Three Soups, Three Wines.

Elizabeth — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 02:13:36 +0000

Soup, in my humble opinion, defines a good chef. I always try the soup when I go to a new restaurant unless it is something weird or unappealing. The soup that arrives usually gives me a good idea of what’s ahead. I can even remember certain special occasions by the soup that was served. Also, I love a creative garnish or presentation with a soup. A favorite restaurant in Chicago served the soup with a medley of fresh greens in an empty bowl — the waiter then arrived to pour a steaming broth over the top. Simply delicious.

And, I don’t know about you, but both Liza and I keep a pot of soup on the stove all day leading up to the big Thanksgiving meal. Here are three delicious soups by three equally as delicious chefs. We have great wines for your Thanksgiving meal at the end as well.

Dancing Bear Lodge, Townsend, TN — Chef Jeff Carter

Chef Jeff Carter

I wrote about the Dancing Bear Lodge last May and returned a couple of weeks ago to celebrate my anniversary. This time, unlike in May, my husband and I hiked in 17 degree weather with 3-4 inches of snow and ice; I even encountered a black bear on the trail. Believe me, the steamy bowl of soup* which arrived on the table that night, was delectable and just what I needed.

* Liza: I made this soup this past Sunday and it’s well worth the effort. It does take some time, but the end product had everyone scrambling for more. This is a restaurant sized portion, so your efforts can be shared with friends or frozen to enjoy later. This soup is the essence of showcasing seasonal eating. YUM!

This Butternut Squash & Apple Soup is now in the family recipe book.

.Butternut Squash and Apple Soup:

2 oz olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 small carrots, peeled and diced
5 butternut squash
2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
1q apple cider
1 cinnamon stick
11/2 g vegetable stock
1 T salt
2 oz cider vinegar
8 oz cream
6 oz sorghum
1 c brown sugar

Cut butternut squash in half leaving the neck and the bottom. Cut the bottom in half and scrape out the seeds. Rub the flesh with olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Roast flesh side down in a 375 degree oven for about 1 hour or until the squash becomes soft. Set aside to cool. With the neck section, which is not being roasted, peel the skin off and dice the squash into small chunks. Set aside.

While the roasted squash is cooling, sweat onion and carrot in olive oil for 5-7 minutes. Add the diced squash, vegetable stock, apples, apple cider, cinnamon stick, and salt. Bring to a simmer. Take the roasted squash and scoop out of the flesh and add to the soup pot. Discard the skin. Simmer for 2 hours. Remove the cinnamon stick, puree and strain through a fine mesh strainer and add the cider vinegar, cream, sorghum** and brown sugar. Check seasoning and serve with a dollop of spiced crème fraiche.

** Liza: I fond sorghum at Publix with the gluten-free products, near the frozen foods. For 6 oz, I estimated 2/3 cups and it was unbelievably good.

Makes 6 Q

Spiced crème fraiche

1 cup crème fraiche (to make homemade, add 2 Tbs of buttermilk to one cup of cream in a glass container. Mix, cover loosely, leave on counter top 8-12 hours. Mix again. Refrigerate for up to a week.)
1 t pumpkin pie spice

Add spice to crème fraiche and whip to soft peeks.

Margot’s Bar and Cafe — Chef Margot McCormack

Margot Bar and Cafe in the winter offers a cozy atmosphere and Margot’s selection of soups will warm you to the bone. Aromatic and rich, this soup will titillate your taste buds.

Chef Margot McCormack

Roasted Pumpkin Bisque:

1 medium pumpkin
2 cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon,
1/8 teaspoon of clove, nutmeg
1 bunch of leeks, pale green and white bottoms only. chopped and washed.or if leeks are not available one yellow onion chopped will do just as well.
4 cps chicken stock

1. Cut pumpkin in half and scoop out seeds. Place in roasting pan cut side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fill cavity with cream and a tablespoon of butter each. Sprinkle with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. Roast in a 350 degree oven for about an hour or until flesh is soft. Different types of pumpkin will have longer or shorter cooking times. I prefer a Long Island cheese pumpkin but the average jack-o-lantern works fine; French Cinderella pumpkins I have found to take a long time to cook but are delicious.

2. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the cooked pulp making sure to save the creamy liquid. This step can be done a few days ahead of time and reserved.

3. In a medium sized pot, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and saute leeks until tender. Add the roasted pumpkin and cover with stock – about 4 cups.

4. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes until all ingredients are incorporated.

5. Puree.

Taste and correct seasoning (meaning add more salt and pepper if necessary). Serve hot with an appropriate garnish. You can save the seeds and toast them lightly with olive oil and salt. This will yield soup for 4 entree size bowls or about 8 appetizer portions.

Miel Restaurant — Seema Prasad, Proprietor; Freddy Brooker, Chef

Miel, my neighborhood restaurant, is tucked ever so quaintly behind Bobbie’s Dairy Dip. Never again will I look at a shrimp shell the same after preparing this tasty shrimp stock recipe. Seema Pradsad and Chef Freddy Brooker wow us with their fresh-from-the-garden menu and amazing wine offerings.

Miel Restaurant

Shrimp Bisque:

STOCK

2 tbl canola oil
Shrimp shells (from 3-4 lbs of shrimp)
1 medium onion
1 carrot
3 stalks celery
3 cloves garlic
3 tbl brandy
2 cups white wine (full bodied, dry))
2-3 cups water
¼- ½ cup tomato paste

Rough chop celery, onion & carrot. Heat the oil in pot until almost smoking, turn heat to medium. Sauté the shrimp shells in the oil approximately 1 minute until they start to color. Add vegetables & garlic. Sauté 2 minutes on medium heat. Add brandy, flame in pan, when flame subsides, add white wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste & water. Simmer 3 minutes. There’s your shrimp stock!

HERBS & SPICES

1 tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbl black peppercorns
1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp white pepper
3-4 bay leaves
2-3 juniper berries (optional)
Pinch saffron (optional)
Couple sprigs of Thyme, Rosemary & Chervil

1 quart heavy cream
1 quart half & half
½ cup long grain rice (Basmati or Arborio), uncooked

Add all herbs & spices. Simmer 2 minutes. Add heavy cream and half & half. Turn heat up to medium/high and simmer 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Lower heat to low/medium, stirring as needed. Add rice, simmer 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes. The rice is used as a natural thickening agent. Press through a fine mesh strainer into a soup tureen. Discard all solids. Soup is ready to serve.

Garnish with grilled shrimp, crème fraiche’, chives or sherry as desired.

Village Wines – Hoyt Hill

I paid a visit to my favorite wine guru, Hoyt Hill, owner of Village Wines in Hillsboro Village. In the serious wine circles around town, Hoyt is known as the Wizard of Wine, with the most evolved palette in Nashville. I have traded with him for years — when the wizard speaks, I buy. However, he is not a wine snob, at least not to his customers; he genuinely wants to help you make a good choice. Whatever your price point, Hoyt will find you an incredible bottle of wine. The best advice I can give you when you walk into Village Wines is to say, “What do you recommend?” You won’t be sorry.

Two wines and a champagne to wow your guests available at Village Wines in Hillsboro Village.

Duval-Leroy NV Brut Champagne, $35 (normally $50)
2008 Foris Pinot Gris Rogue Valley, Oregon, $15
2007 Domaine du Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone Villages “Champauvins”, $18.50 (normally $21)

What can we say? Eat. Drink. Be Merry.

Thanksgiving Pairings: Two Favorite Chefs & Two Favorite Designers

Elizabeth — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:37:36 +0000

image courtesy of Google Images

Get comfortable because this is a long post crammed with information on how to make your Thanksgiving magical. While many feel Thanksgiving requires lots of preparation, I promise you I know folks who have zoomed to the store looking for a fresh turkey because, OOPS, they forgot to thaw the one in the freezer. I know people who pick up their entire meal from their country club and thus only worry about a table setting. So, don’t freak out! Thanksgiving may be next week, but it is a holiday that can handle as much or as little as you want to put into it.

My favorite thing about Thanksgiving? (Elizabeth talking here) I know I should say gathering around the table with friends and family. But, truth be told– the turkey and dressing. My love affair did not begin with my Mother’s dressing, but rather in the school cafeteria at my school, Immaculate Conception. My favorite dressing was prepared by the famous school cooks, Pearlie and Pauline. It was a special day when Pearlie and Pauline whipped up their famous southern cornbread dressing. Unlike my Mother’s, it was moist and could be scooped having been made with lots of eggs and chicken broth. A heartfelt thanks, Pearlie and Pauline for showing me the way when it came to making delicious dressing. Sorry Mom!

Jimmy and Seema Philips, Miel

I asked Jimmy Phillips, chef of Miel restaurant, and Margot McCormick, chef of both of Margot Cafe & Bar and Marche, to share their favorite cocktails, wine, and side dish recipes with the StyleBlueprint readers. Both restaurants offer Thanksgiving food to pick up and you can not go wrong at either place. Both Margot and Jimmy love seasonal delicacies and understand the concept that less is better. Both are masters at using high quality ingredients thus allowing the flavor of the food to stand on its own.

Jimmy Phillips of Miel Restaurant

Favorite Wine: “I always pull out a Riesling from the cellar. This year, a 2002 J J Prum Spatlese.”

Favorite Cocktail: “A single barrel bourbon to sip after dinner, preferably by a fire! Of late, I have had some Four Roses and Sazerac Rye but the idea is to appreciate the master distillers artistry and style, so I pour it in a glass all by itself– neat.”

Favorite Side Dish: “Hands down, sweet potatoes. I use white, purple and traditional orange sweet potatoes.”

Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 pound sweet potatoes of any and all varieties
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 lemon
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1 t kosher salt
pepper
bunch fresh thyme

Optional garnish: pecans, dried cranberries
You can make this a day ahead of time, reheat and garnish.

Yield: 2-3 servings as a side dish

Peel and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. For every 1 pound of potatoes (2-3 servings) toss in 1/4 c olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp fresh thyme cut up enough to release oils, 1 tsp kosher salt and pepper to taste. I will also add a pinch of Garam Masala to add more depth.

Roast on a cookie sheet for 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until soft. When they come out put the hot potatoes back in the bowl you tossed them in. Add a tablespoon of honey per pound of potatoes and more fresh thyme if you like. Garnish with pecans, dried cranberries and fresh thyme.” Liza and Elizabeth are both salivating. YUM!

Miel Restaurant will offer a huge selection of Thanksgiving side items and desserts. Basically the only thing you need to cook is your protein . Go to their website: www.mielrestaurant.com to get their phone number. Call and they will email you their selections!

Margot McCormack of Margot's Cafe

Margot McCormick of Margot Cafe & Bar

Favorite Cocktail: Ginger Cider
“Add 2 oz. Canton Ginger Liqueur to glass of apple cider (hot or cold). Could add in addition vanilla vodka and/or spiced simple syrup. For something a little stronger try a Vieux Carre-rye whiskey, B&B, Carpano and orange bitters.”

Wine Selection: “If you like fruity full-bodied wines like a Zinfandel, try a sparkling Shiraz. If that’s a little too much wine, try a nice Alsatian Riesling, Pinot Gris or Pinot Blanc. Also a red Burgundy should do well if you’re not overdoing the sweet potatoes and marshmallows. A definite favorite is Domaine Ostertag ,Riesling, 2007, Alsace for about $25 a bottle”

Favorite Side Dish: Savory Bread Pudding

Savory Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
1 loaf foccacia bread- other bread can be substituted but this is the perfect bread for this dish as it is highly seasoned and has a fine crumb which absorbs the custard
6 whole eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese or Gruyere
1 cup of the following flavoring ingredient your choice: roasted mushrooms, sweet potato or squash puree,
or 1 head of roasted garlic, 1 large onion caramelized
onion, 1 cup roasted fennel or 1 cup cooked spinach or swiss chard- the list is infinite.

Servings: While Elizabeth and Liza say 6 – 8 restaurant servings, I think 4 – 6 with the seconds everyone will get!

Mix the eggs and cream together in a large bowl.
Add the focaccia tearing or cutting into small cubes.
“Add whatever additional ingredient you prefer as well as the cheese. Mix well. Let the mixture rest in the bowl for 10 – 15 minutes allowing the bread to absorb the liquid. You will want the mix to still appear wet but not dry. Much will be determined by how fresh the bread is and how much extra liquid your additional ingredients have. Feel free to add more bread or liquid as you see fit.

Pour mix into pie tin, springform pan or 9 by 9 square pan or muffin tins and bake at 375 30-45 mins. Baking time will vary depending on what cooking vessel you choose. This recipe can easily be doubled.

This recipe is perfect for chilly fall or winter weather. It’s easy to prepare accessible to everyone with all of its variations. It makes a great addition to the Thanksgiving table in lieu of stuffing or on its own.”

Marche has a full Thanksgiving catering menu available. You can order Oyster Bread Stuffing, Cauliflower and Cheese Gratin, Autumn root vegetables and so much more. Click here to see the full menu: marche Thanksgiving Catering Menu.

Both restaurants will be closed for Thanksgiving; Margot, however, will be serving a Thanks Giving feast to about 60 people who are in the Martha O’Brien “Linked Together” program. Way to go Margot!

Now that your menu is swirling in your head, let’s head onto Table Decor!

Jason Parker Counce

Jason Parker Counce has come through for us once again with bountiful tips for this great day. He believes that one look at the dining room table sets the mood for the entire day. If you need Jason’s help with any Holiday party or home decorating, contact him NOW so that you can enjoy the Holidays with ease and panache. He really is great and has killer ideas that won’t break the bank. www.jasonparkercouncedesigns.com

Jason:

This season I am all about using what we have and “recycling” with natural elements. We all have the dishes, grandmother’s tablecloth, and family silver to use…but it is more than just that. I am talking about, “Simple is More”: a philosophy I try to live by everyday!

One look we can achieve is a “Fall Tone” table by using our wood tones in the dishes, place mats, and centerpiece. Put the turkey on a Vietri Faux Bois platter that is a Terracotta color rather than a silver tray. Use a pair of glass vases and fill them with pine cones and nuts (still in the shell), topped with your pillar candles. Go outside and get a few fall leaves to incorporate on the table. Use a “Pine Cone Candle” for the place card and your guests can take it home to enjoy.

Here are some pictures that can help you achieve this look:

Fall Tone table at Obelisk, on Hillsboro Rd next to Bradfords

Available at West Elm

Next, the ”Natural Tone” table. I like to use more unfinished or light wood tones with white accents to achieve this effect. White plates on silver or pewter chargers, linen napkins using small vine wreaths or jute rope for napkin rings. Place cards are easily fashioned from unfinished wood pieces from the craft store– just write their name with permanent or paint pen. The centerpiece can be anything from a fantastic driftwood candle holder to a collection of wood logs from the yard with candles placed on top (secure those candles before you light!). If you don’t have a tablecloth or a runner to use, why not MAKE IT! Go get some Burlap from the fabric store (Liza piping in here: it’s really cheap and the back room at Fabric House has tons of colors of burlap, but so does JoAnn’s). Measure your table and add two feet for overhang off the ends. Pull off a few pieces of the burlap thread for an all around fringe look and voila!: no sewing and SO MUCH LOOK for very little effort!

Some pictures to help you achieve this look:

Obelisk

I couldn't resist this closeup of the driftwood centerpiece.

I am all for the dramatic statements and this is the best look I have seen: Take a long log about 4 feet and tie jute rope on either end to suspend from your ceiling (use big C-Hooks from the hardware store.)and drape over a large stand of clear lights and voila: instant “Natural” chandelier. If you still don’t have a chandelier above your table, do this. Otherwise, think bar area, sideboard, island or above the fireplace.

You can see this in person at West Elm

Jason concludes his advice to us all by saying:

“Don’t forget to make the day easy for you too! Set up your sideboard or accent table with a hassle free buffet: pile up the dishes, napkins, flatware in a clay pot or glass vase and the side dishes. Do the same thing at a bar by placing out the glasses, napkins and accouterments. Open the wine and set out the liquor. Don’t forget the “Game Day Beer” placed in a galvanized tub with ice, sweet tea, water and soft drinks. After the hustle and bustle of running around, literally like a “Turkey!” set aside just a few moments to relax and enjoy before the guests arrive, raise a glass and say “Happy Thanksgiving to all!” www.jasonparkercouncedesigns.com

Roger Higgins of R.Higgins Designs

Next, Roger Higgins of R.Higgins Designs created this centerpiece for Elizabeth’s sister. Her dining room is a gorgeous in tones of blues and golds. Since she scored on getting the family heirloom dining room table, she needed a centerpiece to anchor this table that seats 12 people. The seasonal apples and greenery are wonderful for the fall and winter months. You can see how it can be used for Thanksgiving and then you just add some red berries and your Christmas centerpiece is done as well. We love that simplicity.

Centerpiece by R. Higgins Design

Enjoy your Thanksgiving day. We all have much to be thankful for. – Elizabeth and Liza

Shop with Heartfelt Intention This Valentine’s Day

Elizabeth — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:24:29 +0000

I had a great conversation with Margot of Margot’s Cafe and Bar. Hands down, Margot’s is my favorite restaurant in Nashville. I love that she comes out from her kitchen and visits, uses local purveyors and has magically created the coziest atmosphere of any restaurant in Nashville- right down to serving desserts on antique china.

I frequently ask her if she knows of any new places to eat. Margot is the road warrior of finding off-the-beaten-track ethnic places. Margot said, “You know, I ate at this deli (wouldn’t dare mention the name) and I don’t think I’ll go back. They really don’t care if I eat there or not, but Hot Kabobs on Whitebridge Rd., now HE cares.” Bingo! What a refreshing concept.

Be intentional about who you patronize and where you spend your money. Take care of the businesses you love most because they may not be here in the months to come. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and here are some my local favorite picks which can be found….just around the corner!

Elizabeth’s perfect Valentines Day gifts… written with love and intention:

Dinner at Margot’s (for reasons already stated with the addition of the killer martinis!)
An Orchid from Horizon Landscaping Greenhouse owned by Jim Sovine in Sylvan Park. Why spend the extra money for delivery charges at FTD whatever when you can buy a GORGEOUS orchid for just $45 around the corner?
Fresh strawberries, assorted chocolate bars, and chocolate covered almonds from The Produce Place on Murphy Road.
An exquisite necklace or earrings from Art and Invention Gallery in East Nashville. Don’t forget to ask Meg, the owner, (and inventor of the Tomato Art Festival!), to show you her stash of scarves made from recycled ties, handmade Valentine’s cards by Amanda Lee and MUCH, MUCH more..Now doesn’t that feel good? Local shopping is the best.

Liza is listing her favorite ideas for Valentine’s tomorrow. Not sure what they are…but I know that they, too, support LOCAL!

StyleBluePrint wants to hear your picks for this Valentine’s Day.