Former patrons of Norman Jordan's Hidden Treasure restaurant, a Jackson Ward gem that may have been a little too hard to find, will soon be able to taste the chef's creations at a new gourmet café and takeout shop. Since Hidden Treasure closed in January, Jordan has started a catering business called Trés Bon Foods with partner Shelley Austin while preparing to open a new eatery. Lavenders is set to open this month at 119 E. Main St. And yes, it will feature Jordan's fried lake trout, along with vegetarian dishes, baked goods, a juice bar and specialty teas. Jordan, a Henrico County native, is a Culinary Institute of America graduate and former cooking instructor. Borishia Dozier, the shop manager at Lavenders, says Jordan plans to wear his educator's hat along with his chef's hat by starting a program that will bring in young people to learn about food preparation, healthful eating and good etiquette. In the meantime, he's sharing one of his recipes with us.
Butternut Squash Bread With Spiked Cranberry Spread
Ingredients
For the bread:
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup of canola oil
• 3 cups of grated, uncooked butternut squash
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla exact
For the spread:
• 1 (8-ounce) package of light cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 stick of butter at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons of whole cranberry sauce
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons of raw sugar
• 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons of toasted pecans, chopped
Directions
For the bread: Stir together the first six dry ingredients. Mix the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Add the squash to the wet mix and stir, then add dry ingredients and stir until moist (do not over-mix). Pour the mixture into a lightly oiled loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack.
For the spread: Mix ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
