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10 Vidalia Onions Facts in 5 Courses

By Teresa • July 27, 2015 • Food and Recipes

There’s a little more than a month to go before Vidalia Onion season is over. If you need some inspiration to help you use the ones you have on hand or the ones you’ll want to buy before they’re gone, just take a look at this.

Hosted by Susan Waters of the Vidalia Onion Committee, I, along with several members of the blogging and foodie community were invited to enjoy a lovely dinner prepared by Chef Tom Hall of Baraonda Ristorante Italiano. He also happens to be the winner of the 4th annual Golden Onion Culinary Competition. Here are the 5 Courses along with some fun facts about the beloved Vidalia Onion.

Antipasti - GA White Shrimp with Vidalia onion, remoulade and roasted corn and farro salad – paired with Banfi Principessa Gavi Piemonte, Cortese.

1. They were discovered in the 1920s and are only grown in a 20-county production area of Georgia by about 100 growers on roughly 12,000 acres. About 70,000 plants are produced per acre.

2. Vidalia Onions are Georgia’s official state vegetable.

Insalata – Iceberg Wedge with Vidalia onion green goddess dressing, diced tomato, apple wood smoked bacon, gorgonzola crumbles – paired with Purato Rose Sicilia, Nero d’Avola

3. Vidalia Onions are a good source of Vitamin C and they’re fat free, cholesterol free and sodium free.

4. The majority of Vidalia Onion farms are multi-generational, family owned and operated businesses.

Pesce – Pan-seared American Red Snapper with Vidalia onion, red cabbage and fennel slaw with a citrus vinaigrette – paired with Satrico Bianco Lazio, Chardonnay-Sauvignon Blanc-Trebbiano

5. In the 1980s Piggly Wiggly, formerly known as “The Pig” and headquartered in Vidalia, GA, helped farmers get their sweet Vidalia Onions onto store shelves.

6. The sweet onions are available from late April through Labor Day.

Manzo – Braised beef stuffed Vidalia onion with tomato sauce and shaved pecorino Toscano – paired with Tageto Donna Olimpia Tuscany, Cabernet

7. The water content in Vidalia Onions contributes to the sweet taste. It also shortens their shelf life.

8. To help preserve Vidalias in the refrigerator, wrap each bulb individually in paper towels to help absorb moisture and place them in the crisper with the vents closed.

Dolci – Vanilla bean gelato with Vidalia onion and aged balsamic jam – paired with Troj Rosso Veneto, Merlot-Schioppettino-Refosco

9. Store by placing in the legs of clean, sheer pantyhose. Tie a knot between each onion and simply cut above the knot when you want to use one. Hang in a cool, dry, well ventilated place.

10. You can use them to prepare your own creative 5 course dinner paired with wine just like Chef Tom Hall from Baraonda did.

Those are the 10 Facts and this is Chef Tom’s trophy. Pretty cool don’t you think?

You can find more information, recipes and tips at VidaliaOnion.org

Disclosure: The Vidalia Onion dinner was complimentary. Thank you to Susan Waters of the Vidalia Onion Committee, Chef Tom Hall, sommelier Rich Stratdman and the Baraonda Ristorante Italiano staff for a lovely evening. I received no monetary compensation for this post. All opinions are based on my own personal experiences and were not influenced by the host. You can view my full Disclosure Policy here.

Peach Berry Cobbler + Dreaming Tree Crush

By Teresa • July 20, 2015 • Desserts, Food and Recipes, Fruit

I so look forward to weekends. Before settling into my desk and having that first sip of coffee on Monday mornings, I’m that person who’s already planning for the next weekend. Not too long ago, I spent a Saturday with my sisters which is a bit of a rare experience these days considering our busy schedules. It started with errands and ended with us sitting around the table with some barbeque, a cobbler and a bottle of Dreaming Tree Crush.

The red wine medley was a complimentary sample that I planned to try along with a Peach-Berry Cobbler recipe by Fiona Bohane, head chef for the Dave Matthews Band and crew. With Atlanta being one of the band’s tour destinations, Chef Bohane took the opportunity to craft a dessert using some of our delicious Southern Peaches.

The recipe also allows the use of a choice of fresh berries. I opted for blackberries and blueberries.

This cobbler is the first one like it that I’ve ever tried. Peeling and slicing the peaches was the only step that took some time to complete but it wasn’t complicated. The sliced peaches and berries were placed in a pot with brown sugar, cornstarch, white wine and a pinch of salt.

After approximately 10 minutes, then mixture was transferred to a baking dish.

The next step required mixing the topping. With a food processor, it only takes a few minutes to make. If you work with a pastry cutter like I did, you can expect it to take quite a few minutes more with the added bonus of a nice little workout for your arms. It’s worth it though.

The fruit filling was topped with the biscuits and 40 minutes later, a fantastic smelling cobbler emerged from the oven.

I have to admit that I was concerned about the thickness of the liquid in this. Initially it seemed a bit thin, but it thickened nicely as it cooled.

It was hard not to dig in right away but we resisted by focusing on the barbecue we were having for dinner. With it we corked our bottle of Dreaming Tree Crush. The wine is a collaboration between world-renowned musician Dave Matthews and his business partner, Sean McKenzie.

The eco-friendly bottle of wine paired well with our Brisket and Smoked Portabello. It pairs well with many other types of foods as well but I found that it’s also nice on its own.

Bottled with the environment in mind, the labels are made with 100% recycled kraft brown paper and the bottles are a quarter pound lighter than the typical bottle so it takes less fuel to transport. You can read more about Dreaming Tree Wines’ Vine to Table sustainability practice here.

As far as the cobbler is concerned, we finished off our meal with the dessert topped with a scoop of ice cream. It was a great finish to our day together. Here is Chef Fiona’s recipe so you can try it for yourself.

Peach-Berry Cobbler

Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients for Filling
3 pounds of fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (see note below)
1 pint berries, raspberries, blackberries and/or blueberries (can use a single berry or a mix)
½ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons white wine
1 pinch salt

1. Place all ingredients in a pot

2. Heat over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until mixture comes to a simmer and the liquid becomes clear, 5-10 minutes

3. Turn off heat and carefully transfer to an 8×11/12in glass or ceramic pan

Note: To peel peaches, cut an “x” in the bottom of the peach, just through the skin. Put in a pot of boiling water for about 20 seconds (you may need to do this in stages), then place into ice water to cool. Skin should come off quite easily. If fresh peaches are not available you can use frozen. Defrost the peaches and follow the recipe from there

Ingredients for Topping
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar, plus 2T reserved
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
1 pinch salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2/3 cup kefir, buttermilk or heavy cream + 2 tablespoons reserved
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

2. While the filling is heating, mix together all dry ingredients. If you have a food processor you can use this. Pulse the dry ingredients. Add the cubed butter and pulse until incorporated and you can’t see any large chunks of butter

3. Transfer to a bowl, add 2/3 c kefir and vanilla and gently mix with a wooden spoon until the batter just comes together

4. Using a spoon or your hands, take biscuits and place on top of the filling. The topping will cover most of the filling but make sure to leave small space between the biscuits to allow the heat to escape

5. Brush tops of biscuits with reserved kefir and sprinkle with remaining sugar

6. Bake for 40 minutes, until nicely browned and biscuits cooked through

7. Allow to cook for at least 30 minutes

8. Serve with ice cream

For more information on Dreaming Tree Wines

Visit their Website | Follow on Twitter

See which stops are left on the Dave Matthews Band’s North American 2015 Summer Tour

Disclosure: I received a complimentary bottle of Dreaming Tree Crush. I received no monetary compensation for this post. All opinions are based on my own personal experience. You can view my full Disclosure Policy here.