I was starting to wonder when summer would finally grace Rockford with its presence and, last Friday, there it was...our first gorgeous weather market day. We had record attendance and the riverfront was packed from State street all the way to the Jefferson bridge. We sold out of breads at both Rockford City Market and North End City Market past weekend - and I just want to express how grateful our whole C&C team is for your patronage!
Last year, one of the most popular loaves of the season was the Olive & Three Cheese Semolina and buttery castelvetrano olives were used for them. With a cheesy bread already on the menu, I've been itching to bring back a classic olive loaf and it's happening this weekend! This time around, the star of the show is the kalamata olive. Kalamatas are deep purple olives grown in southern Greece with a smooth, meaty texture. They grow to be twice the size of other olive varieties and are cured in a red wine vinegar brine along with olive oil which gives them incomparable flavor.
The Rosemary & Olive Oil Semolina loaf was a hit last week and it'll be back on the menu this weekend as well. I tell ya, it's a wonder these even make it out of the kitchen because the smell that hits us right when it's coming out of the oven makes us want to eat it all right then and there. But...olive you guys :) so we will bring plenty to go around! Cranberry & Walnut, Seven Seed Whole Wheat, and Country White sourdoughs will also be available.
For the last three weeks, I have been partaking in something called #ToastTuesday on our Instagram. It's been fun and challenging to come up with creative ways to enjoy C&C bread and share it with fellow breadheads. The picture above was from this week's post - it's a combination of mascarpone, fresh cherries, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of bourbon smoked sugar (a friend brought it back from a trip to Kentucky). If you have other awesome toast ideas I should try, let me know!
Ok, just one more...and then olive the pun-creating up to you!