Enthusiast Magazine

Dining out is, and should be, an experience. Quality selections of meat and seafood, exquisite ingredient pairings to truly enhance and bring out flavors and textures, and a skillful, mastered hand to draw them together and serve a wondrous dish.

The ingredients come together to build a story, as the 'farm-to-table' movement is in full swing, which focuses on nearby farms and vendors to source the freshest foods. Farms just under an hour's drive from a candle-lit fine dining table in a bustling city; earth-ripened vegetables from here, a grass-fed sirloin from there, and a robust red wine bottled and corked just down the hill. These food stories provide the answer to finding upscale ingredients which are available to the dining table in your home.

Chateau Elan's Chef de Cuisine Tim Rowland and on-site spa restaurant Fleur de Lis' Chef Christina Dolby are dedicated to hospitality and incredible food. Together, they have shared gourmet recipes and industry techniques to bring the same experience Chateau Elan is known for into your kitchen. They’ve revealed that finding upscale ingredients is not out of reach for you or your family. Local farms that supply the restaurants in and around the Atlanta area will also, and happily, sell locally to individuals in their community.

Tim and Christina alike thrive on fresh and healthy ingredients, the simplicity of what is available to them in the area to create one-of-a-kind meals. The turn of the seasons, and with that the influx of newly growing and available ingredients or seasonal meats, gives the chefs inspiration for new dishes and flavors. Find what’s inspired Tim and Christina this spring and what masterful dishes they have shared and can be created by any at-home chef.

Microgreen Champagne Salad & Seared Sea Scallops with Parmesan Grits 

• Microgreen Champagne Salad
• 2 large heirloom tomatoes, wedged 3 oz hydroponic grown watercress 2 oz young arugula
• ¼ red onion or shallot
• 1 lemon, squeezed
• 1 fl. oz Chateau Elan brut champagne 1 kosher salt, pinch
• 2 fl. oz eureka lemon olive oil from the Olive Basket - Northeast GA
• Parmesan Grits
• 1 1/2 cups stone ground grits
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup Chateau Elan brut champagne 1 oz. parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter
• fresh ground black pepper, pinch 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• fresh basil
• Sea Scallops
• 12 sea scallops U-10
• 2 tsp olive oil from the Olive Basket Northeast GA
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• fresh ground black pepper, pinch 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 lemon

Add all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl and toss to cover everything and allow the flavors to combine. Then set aside. Mise en place (set up) for the parmesan grits. Chiffonade fresh basil to yield 1 teaspoon. Microplane grate parmesan cheese to yield ¼ cup.
Combine stone ground grits, chicken stock, water, and salt and pepper in a small, uncovered stockpot. Bring to rolling boil over medium-high heat for two minutes. Remove stockpot from heat and cover. Let grits rest for 15-20 minutes. After resting, uncover and return grits to medium-high heat. Boil for 20-22 minutes, stirring regularly while make sure to scrape the bottom of your stockpot to ensure that the grits don’t starch. Chef’s Recommendation: Use a whisk to prevent grits from clumping. Add in champagne and continue cooking for 1 minute. Remove grits from heat and gently stir in butter (8 tablespoons), cheese, cream and basil.
In cold water, clean scallops. Dry and remove the side muscle. Add olive oil and butter (2 teaspoons) to a stainless steel sauté pan and bring to a low smoke point over medium-high heat.
Lightly season scallops with salt and pepper, all around, and sear scallops for 2 minutes on the first side. Then flip over and sear on the other side for 1 minute. Immediately pull off heat and let rest in the pan, for 2 minutes. Plate in a shallow bowl, starting with a generous spoonful of parmesan grits as the base. Then, top with seared sea scallops and finish with lemon zest. Chef’s Recommendation: Add a drizzle of your favorite EVOO; I personally enjoy an artisan-made Eureka Lemon from ‘Olive Basket in Northeast GA.’

Vegan Pasta Cashew Alfredo with Primavera Vegetables 

• Cashew Alfredo
• 1 package of linguine
• 1/3 cups already soaked cashews
• 3 sliced vidalia onions
• 1/3 cup garlic cloves, roughly chopped 1/3 cups nutritional yeast
• ¼ dry white wine from Chateau Elan 1 qt onion/garlic stock
• 1/3 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ground nutmeg, pinch
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil from the Olive Basket - Northeast GA
• Primavera Vegetables
• 1/2 bushes of asparagus
• 1 onions, chopped
• 2 sweet peppers, sliced
• 1 tomato, chopped
• ¼ cup peas
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil from the Olive Basket - Northeast GA

Mise en place (set up), soak cashews overnight to soften. In a large pot, boil the linguine noodles to al dente and set aside. Then in a large rondeau, add sweet onions, nutritional yeast and garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Once the onions begin to become translucent, add the white wine. Simmer until wine is reduced. Add the stock and cook until absorbed. In the Vita Prep or blender, blend the cashews with vegetable mixture, lemon juice and dry seasonings until smooth. Add vegetable stock as needed to reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and black pepper. In a large sauté pan, add oil and sauté primavera vegetables (assorted spring vegetables). I recommend asparagus, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and peas.

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