"Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are."

Writer, statesman, fugitive and gastronome, Jean-Anthelme Brillat Savarin coined this phrase in the 1800's. Not only did this phrase go down in history, but so did his name. But, little did he know his immortality would be achieved by becoming the namesake of a cheese!

Brillat Savarin fled Europe during the reign of Napolean I and lived in the United States in exile supporting himself by giving lessons in the violin and French language. He returned home after the war and returned to his career in law as a judge. He was noted for his writings on gastronomy and his book, The Physiology of Taste was published in 1825 only two months before his death. It went on to be translated by notable food writer and critic, M.F.K. Fisher in 1949 and despite being rather wordy, is considered a prominent component in the world lexicon of gastronomy writings. But, back to the cheese...

Brillat Savarin, the cheese, originated in Normandy. It was created in the 1930's by cheesemaker Henri Androuet. This cow's milk cheese is noted as a "confection" in Steven Jenkin's Cheese Primer. As a triple cream cheese, that means this buttery delight has a 75% fat content. How could it not be delicious?! Apparently, cheese makers actually adds hot, rich milk to the vat in order to acheive the correct fat content. During it's brief aging process, Brillat Savarin is sprayed with a solution containing mold spores and placed in humid conditions. This process causes the cheese to "bloom" and is characteristically noted for having a soft, white, fuzzy coating of mold. Other cheeses that undergo this process are Explorateur, Pierre-Robert and Camembert.

Brillat Savarin is best enjoyed when young. It does not pair well with red wine. The ideal beverage pairing is considered to be Champagne or cava. Perfect for New Year's Eve! Fresh fruit is always a perfect pairing as well. If nothing to your liking is in season, investigate your preserve collection. Our pick at The Mercantile would be Oregon Growers & Shipper's Cherry Zinfandel preserves.

According to Steven Jenkins, "Brillat is meant for dessert, a cheese crying out for the sweetest, most delectable..." (Although, don't tell her I told you, but I caught Chef Samantha the other night spreading it on her warm toast to have as an appetizer before our take out Chinese food extravaganza!)

Brillat Savarin is available at The Mercantile for $17.99 per pound. It comes to us from cheese maker Fromagerie Delin in the Burgundy region of France. Please note there are a number of Brillat Savarin producers and not all of them are alike.

Cheers!
-Janea

Information for this post came from Wikiepedia, the Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins, The Cheese Plate by Max McCalman and David Gibbons and from two of our guests, Kevin Dawson and his friend Rachel.

Happy New Year from Team Merc!

LOOK OUT 2009! Here we Come!

As we prepare to say "So Long!" to 2008, our friends and guests come to mind right away. It has been only three months into this game of small business and already we have had so many adventures and made so many wonderful friends.

We've had the privelage to work with Mary Lin Elementary, Oakhurst Cooperative Pre-school, Clairemont Elementary, The First Existentialist Church, The Candler Park Fall Festival, The Sweetwater 420 Fest, Inman Park Preschool, The Candler Park Neighborhood Organization, the Atlanta Food Bank, Dogtoberfest, and many more community organizations.

Between our own four walls we've tasted olive oils, poured fine teas, pressed apple cider and helped the kids get messy with cookie decorating. There's no way we could even begin to count how many unsuspecting guests we've gotten addicted to Lusty Monk mustard or introduced to Bionade. And, of course, with Chef Samantha and her culinary team, I think it is safe to say that the Candler Park-Lake Claire-Inman Park corrider residents have an entirely new way of thinking about take out food!

All that in only three months! With twelve months in 2009, who knows where we could go! We anticipate 2009 to be even more amazing and we look forward to having you in the shop and sharing that year with you, our guest. We intend to revisit the notion of "local" and re-work our produce department. Tasting events will be a regular event at The Mercantile and the children of the community will always be at the top of our priority list. So, Look out '09! Here we come!

In the meantime, we wish to share some reflections from our first few months. Please check out this link to see photos from our apple cider party in October http://picasaweb.google.com/TheMercAtl/AppleCiderParty?feat=directlink

and our cookie decorating party this past December http://picasaweb.google.com/TheMercAtl/CookieDecoratingAtTheMercantile?feat=directlink

Our Holiday Menu

Seasons Greetings! We are having the best time at The Mercantile getting ready for YOUR holiday celebrations. Call now to place your order for pick up on Christmas Eve. You may place an order for as many or as few dishes as you like. 404-378-0096

Holiday Birds! Special Order Only! Only 10 left as of this posting!
Fresh, free range, Hormone Free Turkeys are coming to us direct from Tennessee. Order yours now and it'll be trussed and hand seasoned. All you have to do is pop it in the oven and follow Chef Samantha's instructions which we include with your bird.

Beef Tenderloin Filets
Pair these with our homemade Demi Glace and these gorgeous cuts will make a perfect and memorable evening. Pre-cut into 6 oz portions.
$27.99/lb

Beef Wellington
A classic! Our delicious beef filets, topped with foie gras and wrapped in a rich puff pastry.
$12.99 per serving

Traditional Stuffing
Savory bread cubes toasted with sage, seasonings, pecans and dried cherries.

Five Cheese Macaroni
This dish is rapidly becoming a house favorite and mainstay in our deli case. Made with a delicious blend of the highest quality cheeses!

Glady's Mashed Potatoes
Traditional and ultra creamy!

Frenched Green Beans
These were a big hit on our Thanksgiving menu. Tossed with slivered almonds, fresh garlic and olive oil.

SOUPS
Squash Apple Soup with Crispy Sage
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Made with our homemade stocks and available by the quart at $10.95 each

Accompaniments
Savory Holiday Butter, Turkey Gravy, Demi Glace
Call now for prices and to reserve your servings!

Desserts
Homemade Pies are Back! Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Sweet Potato Pie. Made with our hand turned, small batch pie dough.
Each pie serves 8. $24.99 each

Don't Forget Our House Specialties are Always Available:
Spiced Pecans, Rosemary Cashews, Black Bean Hummus and more. We always keep our pantry stocked with our signature items. Feel free to also call ahead and pre-order these as well!

See You in the Shop! 404-378-0096
Janea

Late Breaking Development!

Greetings! We are thrilled to announce we'll be available to you seven days a week! The Mercantile will now be open on Mondays. Starting this Monday, December 15, we will open for our regular business hours from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Speaking of business hours, here is our holiday schedule:

Wednesday, December 24, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Thursday, December 35, closed for the holiday
Friday, December 26, closed for the holiday
Wednesday, December 31, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Thursday, January 1, closed for the holiday

See you in the shop!
-Janea, Samantha and Team Merc!

Never Scrimp on Good Shoes, Good Mattresses or GOOD FOOD!

Growing up in an Italian American home, my Dad believed that you never scrimped on good shoes, good mattresses or good food. Our principles were based upon family and tradition. My parents are 2nd generation Italians, hard working, and middle class people with 5 children to support. Family meals were central to our lives and one of the many ways our parents loved us was through good food.

Sunday mornings, we would wake up to the sounds of Tony Bennett, Perry Como and Frank Sinatra crooning on the radio. My younger sister and I would descend the stairs and find my parents dancing in the kitchen while putting up the Sunday sauce. After church, we‘d play in the neighborhood within hearing distance of my father's whistle, dinner was always at three o'clock sharp! We had better come running when dinner was served or else! At our house everything was homemade and meals were loud and raucous with lively discussions of all things that are taboo for polite conversation: politics, religion and sometimes the gossip about the lady down the street. Family meals were also a time of gathering and catching up with one another and often for settling family disputes.

I grew up learning how to cook standing next to my Mom and Dad in the kitchen. My Dad was a trained Chef, a career Navy man and Chief Petty Officer. My Mom was a traditional cook learning from her Mother and Aunts and Father and Uncles using traditional Italian techniques. Dad measured and timed all his dishes, but not Mom! Dumping a bag of flour on the counter, making a well and kneading in some eggs, milk and flavorings to make cookies was my Mom's idea of a good time in the kitchen! Making a pizza dough, rolling in some sausage crumbles, Parmesano Reggiano and caramelized onions to make her now famous sausage bread is a regular pastime for my Mom. At 80 years young, this is still my Mom's idea of a good time. Cookies for everyone at Christmas and Easter! The postal workers know her personally!

So, when I came to work at The Mercantile and began ordering the product inventory, of course I gravitated towards the Italian products. Good pasta, like our Hand cut Riscossa Orecchiette, wonderful canned San Marzano Tomatoes to start your sauce and of course regional Italian extra virgin Olive Oils were a must have for me to have on our shelves. Dressing a salad of bitter greens with Goccee di Coros Olive Oil from Sardinia is like going home for Sunday dinner (growing up, we had salad at every meal).

This week I invite you to taste a little bit of my family traditions. Stop in to The Mercantile and try some of our fine Italian products. Enjoy some of Chef Samantha's Italian dinners, like Three Cheese Ravioli with Arrabbiata Sauce or Orecchiette with Sausage and Rapini.

And remember put the up sauce early, cook it slowly to bring out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes and bring your family to the table with love.

Ciao!
Gloria Limanni

Trouble in Mustard Land

I recently received criticism for daring to open a specialty food shop and not bothering to have enough knowledge about mustard. No doubt this criticism came as a humbling experience to me. I had sworn up and down I would run a hands on operation, work side by side with my staff and know every single aspect of my shop and the products we carry. And then we opened our doors. Suddenly there were accounts to balance, checks to write, vendors to call, staff to manage, floors to sweep, sandwiches to make and somewhere in there a night or two of sleep.

So, while I ran around going absolutely out of my mind, my mustard collection was growing with or without me. So were the requests for mustard! Someone called my shop looking for a particular type of mustard. I cheerily answered the phone, and as the other end of the line began asking questions, I tromped around my shop pulling mustard off the shelves and reading the label to him. Apparently, this displayed my lack of mustard genius. I’m sure the person calling me out on my lack of mustard acumen had no intention of making an expert out of me when he dribbled out his internet ink. But, here goes.

I googled “mustard.” Came up with 18,800,000 hits. The top two hits were Wikipedia posts. The first dealing with the mustard plant itself and the second giving in depth attention to mustard, the condiment. Can you guess what the number 3 hit was? Think. Think hot dogs. Think of your childhood and those battles you had across the table with your little brother. He had the red bottle, you had the yellow one and the food fight was on! French’s mustard.

Of course, I went to their website first. This icon of the American hotdog and other picnic table extravaganzas should be able to tell me all about mustard right? Yeah, well, no. It’s all about the marketing. The entire website is dedicated to exclaiming what mustard is not! Mustard is not unhealthy. Mustard is not as fatty as mayonnaise or as sugar laden as ketchup. There’s even a calorie counter on their website. I had no idea mustard had been in heated competition with ketchup and mayonnaise. I thought of them as friends, colleagues, blood relatives even. I am sadly mistaken.

I moved on to hit number three. The Mount Horeb Mustard Museum and Mustard Store. There’s a museum dedicated exclusively to mustards in Mt. Horeb Wisconsin. Who knew? They house over five thousand mustards and offer close to eight hundred different mustards for sale to what I am sure is thousands of visitors a year! I learned all sorts of stuff. Did you know there is a National Mustard Day? Mark your calendars for August 2. Also, there’s an annual writing contest dedicated to this amazing condiment. The submission deadline has sadly passed. The Mt. Horeb Mustard Museum was founded by a gentleman named Barry Levenson who decided to start a mustard collection back in 1986 when the Red Sox lost the 7th game of the World Series. (I don’t get the connection either. Maybe it’s a hotdog thing.) Alas, not one bit of information on this website about mustard history, it’s ingredients, how it is made or flavor profiles. Nothing! Nada! Zilch!

Back to Google, I went. I gave in and surfed my way over to Wikipedia. None of us have a lot of time these days,least of all me, so I’m just going to get down to it. Here are a few things I learned. Sit up straight and take notes. There will be a quiz later!

-Mustard was invented by the Romans.

-It’s name is derived from the term “must” which is unfermented grape juice. Must was blended with mustard seeds to create the earliest form of mustard.

-The heat of mustard is determined by the type of seed used and the preparation method. If the mustard seeds come into contact with heat, it breaks down the oils in the seeds and reduces their potency thereby mellowing the mustard.

-Dijon mustard is not covered by any geographical protection or designation. In other words, the term “Dijon Mustard” is not protected like French wines or Italian tomatoes or olive oils. Dijon mustard’s primary distinction is that it contains verjus, or acidic grape juice instead of vinegar.

-Whole grain mustard, of course, mean the seeds are not ground. But, my primary question would be ‘what is the fundamental difference in eating or cooking with whole grain versus ground?’ The Wiki people did not address this.

-There’s something called an Irish Mustard which is a blend of whole grain mustard, honey and Irish Whiskey. I’m determined to find this for The Mercantile. I’ll let you know if I do.

-Prepared mustard in Europe is often sold in squeezable metal tubes. (Sounds like a good practical joke to play on a morning tooth brusher!)

From what I understand Wikipedia is rather “unofficial” and I don’t take it as gospel. How do I know the person posting on Wikipedia is a mustard expert? So, I decided to implore someone I consider to be an expert. I reached out to the maker of our top selling mustard, Kelly Davis, founder and maker of Lusty Monk Mustards.

“I would never claim to know all about mustards, Janea, so I’m not sure I’m the authority on all that. I know MY mustards.” Already, I liked this response, because I could tell I was getting information not only from a point of humility, but also from a place of passion. Mustards are clearly a personal affair to this woman. “…I thought it was odd that an art form, mustard making, that had been so common in the home had just died out. In Victorian England they would frequently make mustard fresh daily, because they wanted the strong flavor.” If you’ve never had Lusty Monk Mustards, you have not truly tasted a strong flavored mustard. People stop into the shop all the time just to have their sinuses cleared with a sample.

She explained that most prepared mustards are cooked. “…in fact most of the mustards you get in the stores have been heat processed in some way.” She not only prefers whole grain mustards, but prefers to make Lusty Monk mustards uncooked… “and that’s why it has that pungent bite-the volatile oils that occur naturally in the mustard seeds are still kickin.’ ” This confirmed the information I obtained from Wikipedia, but enlightened me to the concept of cooked versus uncooked mustards. Aging is another issue Kelly brought to my attention. “Other mustard makers age their mustards, going for a more mellow flavor.” It had never occurred to me that mustards could age like wine.

I had so many more questions. Like “which mustard seeds do you use?” I discovered in a further google search that there is white, black and brown mustard seeds. Which one is which? I’d still like to have a more clear understanding of the difference between whole grain versus ground. Maybe I just need to eat more mustard here and there. I did after all grow up with a ketchup bottle in one hand and a Coca Cola bottle in the other. My mind was spinning a web of mustard mania. But, Kelly had to deal with getting labels worked out for her brand new product Lusty Monk Honey Mustard (coming soon!) and my computer was blowing up from all of the overdue book keeping that had to be done. I simply cannot become a mustard geek right now. But, dare I say it: I’m off to a good start! Please stop into The Mercantile sometime and let’s taste Kelly’s amazing products and maybe compare them to others in a hard core taste test. It’ll give us all the chance to find out if we are really cutting the mustard at The Mercantile!



-Janea

Recipes Lusty Monk Mustards


Mustard Glaze for Ham or Pork Loin Recipe courtesy of Stephen Brawley
1/4 c. maple syrup1 Tbsp. Lusty Monk Original Sin mustard1 Tbsp. cider vinegar



Chicken Breast in Parchment PaperRecipe courtesy of Stephen Brawley
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 Tbsp. Lusty Monk Original Sin mustard
2 leeks, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a baking sheet on the middle rack.
2. Season the chicken, rubbing one Tbsp. of mustard on each breast. Prep the rest of the ingredients and toss everything except the chicken in a medium bowl. Season the mixture with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
3. Tear off a sheet of parchment paper about 20 inches long. Trace a circle with a dinner plate. Cut out circle. Fold it in half (like you're closing a book) then open it back up. Put 1/4 of the vegetable mixture in the middle of the center fold. Put 1 chicken breast half on top of the vegetables.
4. Fold the paper over so that the two ends meet (closing a book again). Beginning at either end of the center fold, make overlapping diagonal folds so that you make a tight pocket around the food. The end result will be a half-crescent shape that looks sort of like a fried pie. You have now created a papillote.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the second papillote.
6. Place each papillote on a baking sheet in the oven for 30-35 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken. When done, the papillote will inflate and become aromatic. (The chicken should reach 160 degrees in its thickest part. The first couple of times you cook this way, you may want to take the temperature by inserting an instant-read thermometer through the parchment paper. Although the closed pocket keeps the chicken moist, it's worth checking the temperature early and often during these first attempts so that you can see how long it usually takes for the chicken to cook through.)
7. Put each packet on a plate and cut the flat end open with scissors or a sharp knife. Slide the paper out from under the ingredients (like you're pulling a table cloth out from underneath a set table).
8. Add more salt, pepper, and thyme to taste.





Check the Lusty Monk Website for more great recipes