PANAMA CITY BEACH — Serve the freshest and most flavorful dishes of the season by sharing autumn’s bounty.
“We change our menu seasonally, and a favorite is pumpkin pancakes with apple butter,” said Leia Mayer, who co-owns Bridge Span 14 organic restaurant in Carillon Beach with her husband, Andy. “I even roast the pumpkins myself. I don’t use canned pumpkin. It makes a big difference.”
On Monday, she also added Pumpkin French Toast to the menu.
“A lot of people have pumpkin pancakes,” she admitted. “People love our French toast, so I was thinking maybe that added a little bonus.”
Mayer begins by roasting an organic pie pumpkin, which she adds to the batter. Thick slices of Challah bread are then dipped into the mixture, cooked until golden brown and served with organic butter and Vermont Maple Syrup. The fresh pumpkin is a delicious, yet subtle, addition.
“I like to eat seasonally. My great grandmother (Agnes Alexander) introduced me to the Farmers Almanac calendar as a teenager, and it had recipes in the back,” recalled Mayer, who grew up in Northern California. “It occurred to me this was the way to eat.”
She and her husband are passing on their love of fresh ingredients to their 2-year-old daughter, Sophia — at home and at the restaurant.
The Fresh Vegetarian Kuri Squash with Gruyere Bechamel Sauce is part of Bridge Span’s pre-ordered food to-go menu with Wednesday through Friday pick-ups at 105 Carillon Market St.
“I’ve been making extra portions and taking them home with us — very convenient since I am already making it,” Mayer admitted. She described the kuri as “a cross between a sweet potato and pumpkin flavor, even a little sweeter than butternut.”
“We’ve been getting some beautiful squash — kuri squash, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, pie pumpkins and lacinato kale and the red kale’s been beautiful. We’ve also been getting some really nice cauliflower, broccoli, onions — all the winter and fall vegetables,” Mayer said. “The price goes down in season, and the quality is amazing.”
First Watch’s Tastes of Fall menu runs through November at the franchise’s 120 locations, including the cafe at 11160 Panama City Beach Parkway.
Since First Watch’s Executive Chef Shane Shaibly joined the Bradenton-based franchise in February, his focus has been on the seasonal menus. But when it comes to fall flavors, many customers — and employees, already have their comforting favorites.
“Three of them are items that ran last year and back by popular demand,” said Shaibly, whose original addition is the Harvest Hash — “sweet potatoes, turkey sausage, zucchini and crimini mushrooms all play together quite well.”
The menu also includes Pumpkin Pancakes with pumpkin puree, Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa drizzled with balsamic dressing and Butternut Squash Bisque sweetened with carrot and nutmeg.
“I really like the roasted quinoa and Butternut Squash Bisque — it’s so creamy and it is sweet. Squash is sweet. I add salt to change it a bit,” said Monica De Marco, marketing manager/event coordinator at First Watch in Panama City Beach.
“The quinoa is a nice dish to make fresh, looks nice. Quite a few older customers split it,” said Joshua Martinko, who has been head chef at the Panama City Beach location since it opened in October 2012. “All veggies we do the day of; quinoa sometimes the day before — it holds up well.”
Putting my fork through the cold layers of fresh herbed goat cheese to reach the hot tender chicken and quinoa meant different combinations of textures, flavors and temperatures in each bite, accented by the crunch of the pecans, dried cranberries and diced roasted butternut squash.
“It has some sweet notes to it,” Shaibly admitted. “Butternut squash’s cool orange color can intrigue little ones. Our son loves them. You can always omit the goat cheese or sub it out, and the cranberries are nice, and the balsamic is mild enough.”
The tangy herbed goat cheese was my favorite touch.
“The goat cheese is just so creamy,” said Julia Delsignore, assistant manager at First Watch in Panama City Beach. “We have a lot of people who come from the gym and eat a bowl. And it’s good cold the next day, too.”
Fresh ingredients translate well with any style of cooking.
“I come from a fine dining background,” said Shaibly, who attended Johnson & Wales in North Miami. “The ingredients we are using are elevated anyways, although it is not white tablecloths. We still cut all the fruits and vegetables every day in-house. We roast vegetables ourselves, still cracking eggs in the back. Ingredients can fit into both places quite well.”
When making the Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Bowl at home, three of the ingredients can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time and refrigerated.
“The freshness aspect makes something much better. The good news is fresh ingredients and fresh fruits and vegetables are becoming more and more available,” said Shaibly, who added First Watch supports local farmers in the individual markets when possible. “A lot of fall vegetables — beets and pumpkins, can be have the skin taken off, diced up and put in bags, and then roasted in dishes throughout the week. We do that for our family at home. We go to the farmers market on Saturday, get enough for us for the week. Then we spend an hour and prepare for the rest of the week.”
Advance food preparation especially comes in handy with Shaibly’s 3-year-old son.
“My son wants a snack, roast off beets or squash, already been done. Grapes, take off the stem and put in containers for him. Just dice up raw vegetables and it will hold up to five days. Once roasted, it starts the 24-hour clock, if you will.”
And pumpkins aren’t just for carving.
“Pumpkin soup is always an easy one anyone can make. I think people are a little intimidated by pumpkin, don’t know what to do with it. Treat it like any other squash — roasted it is fantastic,” Shaibly added. “We are doing roasted pumpkin seeds for Halloween. Roast pumpkin seeds with a little salt and pepper for a snack, an easy dish.”
For the perfect pumpkin seeds, he said, “Start by drying them out at 225 degrees, then turn it to 325 or 350 and toss with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Cool at room temperature. Don’t put them in a bag when they’re hot or it will steam and get soft.”
Waterfront Markets Inc. celebrates local farmers and their harvests Oct. 24 with the Grand Harvest Dinner at Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant, 5551 N. Lagoon Drive, by incorporating seasonal ingredients from area farmers who frequent the Grand Lagoon Waterfront Farmers’ Market on Saturdays and Sundays.
The four-course menu prepared by Chef Alonzo Keys will feature Roasted Pumpkin and Sand Pear Soup with Shaved Nature’s Hand Grass-fed Beef, and mixed fall greens with Chipley Corn Salad. Entree choices include Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing or Roasted Breast of Chicken with apples and savory stuffing, roasted garlic mashed potatoes and candied acorn squash. Sand Pear tarts with almond butter served with SeaBreeze Reduction will feature sand pears from Happy Homestead and wine from SeaBreeze Winery. Garden of Eaten will be contributing spices, herbs and eggs.
First Watch Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Bowl
3 fluid ounces chicken stock
8 ounces Cooked Quinoa*
½ cup Roasted Butternut Squash, diced ¾-inch cubes**
¼ cup dried cranberries
4.5 ounces Grilled Chicken Breast Strips, sliced into ¼-inch slices
1 ounce balsamic vinaigrette
2 tablespoons Herbed Goat Cheese***
2 tablespoons pecan pieces
Combine butternut squash, dried cranberries, cooked quinoa and 2 ounces of stock in an omelet pan and heat over medium-high heat for 3 minutes until heated through and chicken stock has evaporated.
While quinoa is heating, in a second omelet pan combine chicken and 1 ounce of chicken stock over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, until hot and chicken stock has evaporated.
Place heated quinoa mixture in a large, flat salad bowl. Then place chicken on top.
Drizzle balsamic dressing over the top in a zig zag pattern and sprinkle with herbed goat cheese and pecans. Serve immediately.
* For Cooked Quinoa, cook quinoa according to package instructions. (Quinoa can be cooked and cooled under refrigeration for up to 24 hours before use.)
**For Roasted Butternut Squash: Pre-heat convection oven to 375 degrees (or 400 degrees for conventional oven). Peel, seed and dice 1 medium sized butternut squash into ¾-inch cubes. Toss cubes in 1 tablespoon olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and cracked pepper to taste and spread onto a baking pan. Roast at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Carefully remove pan and mix cubes with a rubber spatula. Continue roasting for another 10 minutes or until cubes are slightly browned and fork tender.
Cool at room temperature until needed. Roasted butternut squash can be held for up to 24 hours under refrigeration.
***For Herbed Goat Cheese: Mix 1 ounce goat cheese crumbles with ½ tsp fresh minced chives and ½ tsp fresh minced parsley. Refrigerate until needed.
Source: First Watch Daytime Cafe
Pumpkin French Toast
½ cup roasted pumpkin*
4 cage-free eggs
½ cup organic sugar
½ cup organic flour
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
¾ cup whole milk
1 loaf Challah Bread
* For roasted pumpkin: Split and deseed 1 organic pie pumpkin. Roast the pumpkin at 400 degrees until soft. Once cool enough to handle, scoop roasted pumpkin out; set aside.
Place eggs, sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and milk in a bowl; whisk briefly (lumps in batter are preferable). Carefully fold in pumpkin.
Heat griddle to 300 degrees and butter surface of griddle. Cut Challah bread in thick slices and dip into batter. Cook each side until golden brown. Serve topped with butter and organic Vermont Maple Syrup.
Source: Leia Mayer, Bridge Span 14 organic restaurant
Organic Kuri Squash with Gruyere Bechamel
2-3 Kuri Squash, about 6-8 cups
1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons butter (Ocheesee Creamery)
2 tablespoons gluten-free flour (all-purpose Bob’s Red Mill)
1 cup whole milk (Ocheesee)
½ cup cream
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups Gruyere cheese
Roast squash in 400-degree oven. Remove seeds and split; set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove skin and set aside.
Meanwhile, sauté onions and garlic until soft, then add roasted squash. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer squash to baking dish; cover with grated Gruyere cheese. Melt butter in skillet, add flour and incorporate. Add milk, cream and nutmeg. Whisk on medium-low heat until thickened; pour over squash. Place uncovered in a 375-degree oven and bake until golden and bubbly.
Source: Leia Mayer, Bridge Span 14 organic restaurant
GRAND HARVEST DINNER
- What: Annual meal celebrating local farmers and fall harvest; learn about local food system
- When: 6 p.m. Oct. 24; cocktail hour begins at 5 p.m.
- Where: Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant, 5551 N. Lagoon Drive, Panama City Beach
- Reservations and entree choice: WaterfrontMarkets.org and 763-7359