Kelly Brant

Peach season is almost over. Don’t let it slip by without making this bourbon brown butter crisp.
The original recipe as it appeared in made a bunch of servings. I scaled it down to just a few servings and made some other tweaks.
Details in Front Burner https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/aug/13/front-burner-opinion-make-the-most-of-summer-ripe/?features-food and the 8/14/2024 digital replica via the app.

I was honored to be considered as a source on Arkansas baking for this new book by
It is even more beautiful and revelatory than I imagined. The stories, the photos, the recipes — all so lovely.
There are other Arkansas recipes too — Crescent Dragonwagon’s ()Dairy Hollow House Cornbread, Eliza Ashley’s buttermilk pound cake, (uncredited) Arkansas chocolate gravy, Kat Robinson’s ( ) Possum Pie and more.
The 485-page hardcover will be released September 3 by Harper Celebrate.
Anne tells me she will be in Little Rock for Six Bridges Book Festival Sept. 22-29.

Tomatillo Watermelon Salad is sweet, tart, spicy and refreshing.
You’ll need:
Diced watermelon
Chopped tomatillos
Sliced cucumber
Red onion
Chiles
Citrus
Mint
Basil

Find the complete recipe in Idea Alley, Arkansas’ source for tried-and-true, reliable recipes since 1949, https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/aug/06/idea-alley-3-watermelon-salads-take-advantage-of/?features-food and in the 8/7/2024 digital replica edition via the ADG app.

Olive Oil Cake With Grapes and Rosemary Sugar is the sweet-but-not-too-sweet cake that’ll take you from summer to into fall.
Recipe at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/aug/06/front-burner-opinion-its-not-too-sweet-olive-oil/?features-food (follow link in profile) and in the 8/7/2024 digital replica edition via the ADG app.

Citrusy, spicy and just a little sweet is how I describe this air fryer chicken recipe.
Details at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/jul/30/front-burner-opinion-post-vacation-meals-rely-on/?features-food and this week’s Front Burner in the digital replica via the ADG app.

Pre- and post-vacation cooking can be challenging. You don't want to leave any perishable foods to spoil while you're away, but you also don't want to have to go to the grocery store (or eat yet another restaurant meal) immediately upon arriving home.
This citrusy, sweet and spicy chicken bowl made a great post-vacation supper.

FRONT BURNER | OPINION: Post-vacation meals rely on pantry, frozen items | Arkansas Democrat Gazette Sweet and Spicy Chicken served over rice with lima beans. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Kelly Brant) Pre- and post-vacation cooking can be challenging. You don't want to leave any perishable foods to spoil while you're away, but you also don't want to have to go to the grocery store (or eat yet another...

Bacon, lettuce and tomato are only the beginning…BLT-inspired things:
BLT(A) Chicken Salad
BLT Grain Salad
Spicy BLT Dip
BLT Scones
And their star— oven-cooked bacon

Recipes at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/jul/30/recipes-bacon-lettuce-and-tomato-are-only-the/?features-food and the 7/31/24 digital edition via the ADG app.

What are you reading and cooking this summer? I rounded up 17 of my favorites — available in stores today and coming soon — plus two recipes in this week’s Front Burner.
Details at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/jul/23/front-burner-opinion-new-cookbook-assortment-nets/?features-food and in the 7/24/24 digital replica via the ADG app.

Zucchini-Corn Fritters With Ricotta and Tomato-Basil Salad adapted from “The Vegetable Eater” by Cara Mangini
This combination hits on so many summer favorites: squash, tomatoes, fresh herbs and corn.
For more, visit https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/jul/16/front-burner-opinion-zucchini-corn-fritters-made/?features-food or read Front Burner in the 7/17/2024 digital replica via the ADG app.

Few foods epitomize summer more than glistening ears of fresh corn. At its peak freshness, it tastes like sweet, juicy sunshine. Past its peak, it is pasty and bland.
Sweet corn waits for no one and you shouldn’t wait to make these excellent corn dishes.
1. Burrata with peaches and charred corn
2. Cheese ravioli with bacon, corn and zucchini in white wine cream sauce
3. Spicy potato-corn chowder
4. Corn on the cob with herb-lime butter

Recipes at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/jul/16/recipes-corn-covers-the-bases-from-side-dish-soup/?features-style and in the 7/17/24 digital replica via the ADG app.

Say goodbye to dry chicken.

FRONT BURNER | OPINION: Zucchini is secret to moist, juicy chicken patties | Arkansas Democrat Gazette Chicken-Dill Patties With Zucchini and Greek Yogurt (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Kelly Brant) What zucchini can do for baked goods -- add moisture and bulk without altering the flavor (much) -- it can also do for chicken patties.That Already a subscriber? Log in!

We ate our aprepas before I could snap a pic — they were excellent — but this mango-colada was probably the best thing I’ve had all week — so ono!

Yesterday, to celebrate my birthday, we went to the tasting room at King’s Cottage, Upcountry, Maui.
We tried the pineapple wines (hula o Maui, Maui blanc, Maui splash) three of the Rose Ranch wines (lokelani, kula, mele) and three Estate (Ulupalakua vineyard) wines (blanc de blanc, grenache, GSM - grenache, syrah, malbec)
My favorites were hula o maui pineapple sparkling and the GSM (first picture), all the wines were delicious.

My many, many greats-grandfather Brant fought in the American Revolutionary War.
But he wasn’t a Colonist. Johan Christian A. Brandt, anglicized to John Christian A. Brant, was a Hessian, born in Germany around 1751. More than 30,000 German soldiers were “leased” to the British as auxiliary troops during the American War of Independence. My great- (x5) grandfather was one of them, fighting for the British before switching sides.
Read more about his journey in this week’s Front Burner column (https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/jul/02/front-burner-opinion-blueberry-earl-grey-scones/?features-food and via the ADG app) plus get a delightful scone recipe adapted from

What is Raspberry Cate? A cool, dreamy dessert layering crunchy ladyfinger cookies, mascarpone whipped cream, fruit curd, plain whipped cream and fresh raspberries.
Why Raspberry Cate? Cate is an old word, archaic even, for “something that is pleasing to eat because it is rare or a luxury,” according to Merriam-Webster. And this dessert is definitely pleasing to eat.
Get the complete recipe in this week’s Front Burner — https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/jun/25/front-burner-opinion-raspberry-cate-tasty-way-to/?features-food
and in the 6/26/2024
digital replica via the ADG app.

Meet my new favorite summer dessert: Raspberry Cate.
In this original recipe I layer crunchy ladyfinger cookies, mascarpone whipped cream, homemade orange-raspberry curd and fresh raspberries for a delightfully cool and creamy treat.

FRONT BURNER | OPINION: Raspberry Cate tasty way to enjoy fresh berries | Arkansas Democrat Gazette Raspberry Cate layers crunchy ladyfingers, fresh raspberries, orange-raspberry curd, mascarpone whipped cream and a plain whipped cream for a cool and creamy summer dessert. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Kelly Brant) Shhh, don't tell strawberries. Raspberries may be my favorite berry.My absolute favori...

It isn’t even noon and I’ve already heard from so many readers sharing memories and tips for making salmon croquettes (aka salmon patties or salmon cakes).
Tell me about your recipe. Do you include an unexpected ingredient? Or have a trick for helping the patties keep their shape?
Read my latest recipe — a riff on my mother-in-law’s — in this week’s Front Burner (link in profile) and in today’s (6/19/2024) digital replica via the ADG app.

I was skeptical of smashed cucumber salads for a long time. I was convinced it would make them mushy and soggy. I was SO wrong.
Not only did the cukes keep their crunch, they were more flavorful too.
In this week’s Front Burner at ArkansasOnline (🔗 in profile) I riff on Ali Slagle’s Greek chicken with cucumber-feta salad.

As Arkansas strawberry season winds down, blackberries and blueberries are just getting started. And if you’re lucky, you might find some local raspberries too. (If you don’t, the in-season berries at the grocery store are pretty darn good too.)
Lemon Ricotta and Semolina Cake With Boozy Blueberries adapted from “Italian Snacking: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Hour of the Day” by Anna Francese Gass
Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake adapted from King Arthur Baking Co.
Peanut Butter and Jam Cake With Raspberries adapted from “Snacking Bakes” by Yossy Arefi
Raspberry Amaretti Cookies adapted from “Nadiya Bakes” by Nadiya Hussain
French Berry Yogurt Cake with blackberries adapted from “Boheme Cooking: French Vegetarian Recipes” by Carrie Solomon

Recipes at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/jun/11/states-seasonal-berries-bursting-with-flavor/?features-food and in the 6/12/2024 replica via the ADG app.

When the weather heats up you’ll find me eating all the cool foods like this Lemon Herb Pasta Salad With Marinated Chickpeas adapted from Pinch of Yum
Recipe in Front Burner at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/jun/04/front-burner-opinion-chilled-pasta-salad-a-cool/?features-food and in the 6/5/2024 digital replica via the ADG app.
Pasta salad from a box (aka Suddenly Salad) was one of the first things I learned to cook for myself as a tween. I ditched the boxed stuff long ago, but pasta salads remain a favorite.

What do you do when you get your hands on fresh, ripe locally-grown raspberries?
Me? I make the cake I’ve been dreaming about for 2 years. Inspired by a recipe by Half Baked Harvest, this towering layer cake features raspberry-studded vanilla layers that are glazed with raspberry jam as soon as they come out of the oven, cooled and then frosted with white chocolate buttercream and topped with crushed raspberries.

Recipe in Front Burner https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/may/28/front-burner-opinion-raspberry-cake-dream-finally/?features-food and in the 5/29/24 digital edition via the ADG app.

There’s a whole world of bean salad beyond the old school mix of wax beans, green beans and kidney beans.
We’re talking Lima beans with cucumbers, sweet peppers, cucumbers and fresh herbs; mixed beans with pasts, salami, tomatoes, mozzarella and pickled peppers; white beans with creamy avocado, crisp cucumber, lemon and dill; and black beans with scallions and charred tomatoes.
Recipes and tips at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/may/28/recipes-these-bean-based-salads-offer-plenty-of/?features and in today’s digital edition via the ADG app.

Sheet pan suppers don’t get more flavorful than this Chicken With Sweet and Hot Peppers, Onions and Tomatillos adapted from Milk Street’s new cookbook Milk Street 365”
Tuck it into tortillas, over rice or keep it low carb and enjoy it on its own.
Full details on the recipe, plus my thoughts about the book in general in this week’s Front Burner at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/may/21/front-burner-opinion-chicken-with-sweet-and-hot/?features-food and in the 5/22/24 digital replica via the ADG app.

This bright, flavorful pasta dish adapted from Milk Street COOKish is perfect for a warm spring or summer evening.
The sauce is a simple mixture of olive oil, lemon zest and juice, parmesan cheese and black pepper. Combined with a bit of butter, fresh herbs and some of the pasta’s cooking water it creates a flavorful, silky coating with minimal effort. In fact, the bulk of the work in this recipe is grating the parmesan and finely chopping the herbs.
Details in Front Burner at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/may/14/opinion-front-burner-pasta-with-lemon-parmesan/?features-style

and in the 5/15/24 digital replica via the ADG app.

It may not be picnic weather today, but sunnier days are ahead and these recipes are perfect for outdoor dining.
Our Very Best Deviled Eggs (psst: pickle brine is the secret ingredient)
Tomato tartlets — super easy and super flavorful
Dill and Green Onion Dip — pair it with veggies or, my favorite, potato chips
Pimento cheese — whether piled on a cracker or loaded into a sandwich, PC is the perfect picnic food

Details, safety tips and recipes in today’s ADG digital edition via the app and https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/may/07/cooking-picnic-friendly-recipes-and-safety-tips/?features-food

A spicy pineapple margarita that isn’t too sweet, too spicy or too boozy? It does exist and I wrote about it this week at Arkansas Online and in the digital replica via the ADG App.
Find all the detetails here https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/apr/30/front-burner-a-spicy-pineapple-margarita-that/?features-food

Tacos. Tacos. Tacos.
Sweet potato and poblano tacos
Spring onion and fried potato tacos
Chicken tacos
Steak tacos
Plus four salsas
Details in today’s ADG and at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/apr/30/recipes-mix-and-match-fillings-sauces-and/?features-style.

Chicken poppers and carrot fries from the just-released “The ‘I Love My Air Fryer’ Easy Recipes Book” by Robin Fields.
(Details https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/apr/23/front-burner-i-love-my-air-fryer-cookbooks/?features-food and in the 4/24/2024 digital replica via the ADG app).

The.Best.Time.Of.The.Year
Fresh strawberry pie
Strawberry shortcake bars
Strawberry sauce
Strawberries and cream with toasted cake

Recipes at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/apr/23/arkansas-strawberries-where-to-find-them-how-to/?features-food and in today’s digital replica edition via the ADG app.