Disclosure: I was invited to a free event to sample products from McKenzie of Vermont. The opinions and recipes below are all my own, and were not influenced by any of the companies mentioned in my post in any way.
Disclosure: I was invited to a free event to sample products from McKenzie of Vermont. The opinions and recipes below are all my own, and were not influenced by any of the companies mentioned in my post in any way. I was recently invited to a delicious event hosted by Burlington VT-based McKenzie, in the gorgeous tasting room of Switchback Brewery. McKenzie has launched a line of all natural, antibiotic-free, non-GMO Artisan Deli Meats, and we all got to try our hand at building charcuterie boards and pure Vermont sandwiches using these delicious meats!
My friend Lisa and I sipped on Switchback Ale and Citra-Pils with other Vermont foodies like Katie Webster of Healthy Seasonal Recipes, Jessie Price Webster and Breana Lai from Eating Well Magazine, Jen Rose Smith, travel writer for the Moon Vermont Travel Guide and Steve Peters, food writer for the Rutland Reader. Our charcuterie board tutorial came courtesy of Clarina Cravins, also known as Little Miss Taco (check our her blog here!) She showed us essentials of a perfect charcuterie board including varying textures, heights, shapes and colors of food.
We had a smorgasbord of ingredients to play with: McKenzie Natural Artisan meats such as Buffalo Style Chicken, Angus Roast Beef and Rosemary Herb Ham, along with fresh greens, local jams from Potlicker Kitchens, pickled fiddleheads, McKenzie Artisan Cheeses like Provolone and Maple Smoked Cheddar, crackers, fruits, honey, and more and more. With Clarina’s tips, my friend Lisa and I built quite the lovely board on a beautiful, dark slate canvas!
To the meats and cheese we added brie, honey, blueberries, candied pecans and pickled asparagus. #nailedit.
We also joined in a friendly competition to create a “Pure Vermont” sandwich. McKenzie Honey Uncured Ham and Buffalo Chicken Breast were the featured meats of our sandwich, and we added in slices of Granny Smith apples, Vermont Maple Sriracha, two jellies from Potlicker Kitchens (Apple Pie and Rhubarb Balsamic) and some pickled fiddleheads. Lisa dubbed our sandwich “The Sweet-Hot Peeper.”
(What’s a peeper, you might ask? Tiny, chirping Spring Peeper Frogs come to life in the first warm days of spring, and fill the twilight hours with a sweet, peeping chorus. So very Vermont!) Lisa and I were quite proud of our Vermonty sandwich!
For me the sandwich creativity continued at home. Because it is summertime I’m preoccupied with the traditional sandwich fillings of summer. And I found myself thinking of chicken salad, which has so many possible variations but I was in particular thinking of a fresh mayonnaise-dill-red grape combination.
I created a dressing to accompany red grapes and sliced McKenzie Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken Breast in my sandwich.
And for the bread to hold it all together? A tender and buttery Scallion Buttermilk Biscuit.
Present these fresh biscuit sandwiches at a luncheon, a brunch, as an appetizer, or just for yourself to enjoy while sitting out on the deck, with a cold glass of iced tea in hand.
The Scallion Buttermilk Biscuits are quick to make but can also be made ahead of time, along with the dressing so that sandwiches can be assembled in a flash. The recipe is below!
Check out the whole line of McKenzie Natural Artisan Deli Meats and Cheeses here: read more about this 100+ year old Vermont business, their commitment to healthy, wholesome meats and cheeses, and find a store selling them near you!
These savory sandwiches feature McKenzie Natural Artisan Chicken Breast with fresh red grapes and a dilly dressing.
To get the recipe for the Scallion Buttermilk Biscuits, click here!
- Recipe for Scallion Buttermilk Biscuits (https://hungryenoughtoeatsix.com/scallion-buttermilk-biscuits/)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise, like Hellmann's
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 5 leaves from celery stalks, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup red seedless grapes, washed well and blotted dry or allowed to air dry
- 1 small head green leaf lettuce, washed, leaves separated and blotted dry
- 16 ounces McKenzie Natural Artisan Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken Breast, sliced thin
- Sandwich picks or toothpicks
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, diced celery, diced celery leaves, dried dill, white pepper and salt. Cover and refrigerate the dressing for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. (This dressing can also be prepared the day before and refrigerated overnight.)
- Slice each red grape in half lengthwise.
- Split a biscuit in half, and spread a teaspoon of the dressing on each half of the biscuit. Tear a lettuce leaf in half and place a half on the bottom half of the biscuit. Top the lettuce with 1 ounce of the chicken breast (fold/twist the chicken slices to fit them to the biscuit and to give them a nice presentation.) Place 4 or 5 grape halves on top of the chicken and then finish with the top half of the biscuit. Stick a sandwich pick or toothpick down through the top of the sandwich to hold everything together. Place the sandwich on a serving tray. Repeat these steps with the remaining biscuits and fillings.
- Serve the sandwiches immediately. The tray of sandwiches can also be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 hours before serving.
- Makes 16 biscuit sandwiches, 8 servings
Create... Be Curious... Celebrate... with Food!
www.mckenziedeli.com
I have it on good authority that your friend Lisa enjoyed it, too. That peeper looks yummy.
We did a damn fine job on that Spring Peeper sandwich!