Chef, caterer happiest when he's in kitchen
Oct. 26—BALDWYN — Anthony Clark has had a lot of different jobs in his lifetime.
He's worked in factories, delivered pizzas for Domino's, owned an auction company. But the only place he's truly happy is when he's in the kitchen.
So four years ago, he started Happy Eats Catering in Baldwyn.
"I grew up with food making everybody happy, and now I'm happy making food," said Clark, 41. "That's why I named my company Happy Eats. It's food that makes you smile."
Clark, who specializes in grilling and smoking, mainly caters on the weekends, because four months ago, he started his dream job: working the grill at Cafe 200 at Baptist Memorial Hospital in New Albany.
"I love it," he said. "It's like a big family, and they're tickled to death that I'm there. I'm at my happiest when I'm cooking, whether it's for a room full of people or just me and the fire."
At the cafe, he has a set menu he goes by, but he also offers a special every day. That might be diced grilled chicken with sauteed onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms smothered in melted Provolone cheese, or a mushroom Swiss burger.
"I try new recipes all the time, but most don't come from cookbooks," he said. "Let me put it this way. I come up with them on my own, although I may find inspiration somewhere."
When Clark got serious about a culinary career, he went back to school at Northeast Mississippi Community College and got a culinary and hospitality degree. He and a buddy also took some classes at the New Orleans School of Cooking.
"We learned to make jambalaya, crawfish etouffee," he said. "I found I had a knack for cooking those kind of dishes."
Even though he cooks during the week at Cafe 200, and then caters events like small weddings and family reunions on the weekends, he still loves to come home and cook in the evenings for his wife, Michelle, who teaches Spanish at Tupelo High School. Sometimes his daughter, Aysiah, a student at Mississippi State University, will join them.
"I cook three to five nights a week," said Clark, who was born and raised in Blue Mountain. "I cook like I'm feeding an army. There's always people here. My wife loves to cook, too, but she's kind of taken a backseat now. She enjoys not having to do it."
Clark said from the time he was born until about five years ago, his entire family gathered on Sunday at his grandmother's house for dinner.
"It was like Thanksgiving every week," he said. "Everybody brought dishes. You'd walk in, and there'd be 20 or more people there. You didn't miss unless you were out of town. After my grandmother died, we tried to continue the tradition, but it just didn't feel the same."
DO YOU KNOW A GOOD COOK? Send your nominations to Ginna Parsons, Cook of the Week, P.O. Box 909, Tupelo, MS 38802. Or you can call (662) 678-1581 or email them to ginna.parsons@journalinc.com.
GRILLED CHEESE DELUXE
3 ounces bacon, diced
2 ounces sweet yellow onion, sliced
2 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
2 slices brioche bread
2 slices aged Gouda cheese
2 tablespoons salted butter, divided
In a skillet over medium-high heat, sauté bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towels.
In the bacon drippings, sauté onion for 5 to 6 minutes, or until wilted. Add mushrooms, pepper, garlic powder and parsley, and cook until mushrooms are softened. Drain and set aside; wipe the skillet clean.
Assemble the sandwich: 1 slice of bread, 1 slice of cheese, the sauteed mixture, the cooked bacon pieces, another slice of cheese and the remaining piece of bread.
In the clean skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. When melted, add the sandwich. Cook until golden on bottom. Add remaining butter to skillet and cook sandwich on the other side until golden. Serves 1.
CARROT CAKE
CAKE
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans
5 carrots, finely grated
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
For the cake, blend oil and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix well.
In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Fold in nuts and carrots.
Pour batter into a greased 9x13-inch cake pan, or 2 greased and floured 8-inch round or square cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees until done.
For the frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Frost cake and refrigerate.
SHRIMP ALFREDO
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
1 pound linguine or fettuccine
1 lemon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Cracked black pepper
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 1 minute less than the package instructions. Drain and return pasta to the pot.
While the pasta is cooking, zest the lemon and set the zest aside. Slice the lemon in 3/4-inch rounds, and discard any visible seeds.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Swirl the skillet to cover the bottom completely.
When the skillet is hot and the foam has subsided, add the garlic and lemon slices. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant.
Add the shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, just until firm. Remove the skillet from heat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer shrimp to a plate. Discard the lemon and garlic, leaving as much of the butter and juices in the skillet as possible.
Place the skillet over low heat. Add the cream and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes until reduced.
Stir in the cooked shrimp, Parmesan cheese and lemon zest. Scrape the contents of the skillet into the pot with the cooked pasta and stir well to combine. Serve immediately, seasoned with plenty of pepper and topped with additional Parmesan, as desired.
MAC AND CHEESE
Salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
2/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the middle position. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente, about 1 minute less than the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk and cream, being careful not to boil it.
While the milk mixture heats, in a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the warmed milk mixture. Cook for 2 minutes, whisking frequently, until thickened and smooth (adjust the heat to keep the milk from boiling).
Gradually add 2 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, whisking until fully incorporated and smooth. Add the sour cream and whisk until smooth. Add black pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg, cayenne and Worcestershire. Season with salt to taste.
Add the cooked macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir until combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top evenly with remaining 2 1/2 cups shredded cheese and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE
4 sticks butter
3 large onions, finely chopped
2 green bell peppers, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 ounces crawfish fat
1 cup water
2 pounds fresh crawfish tails
1 cup finely chopped green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
Hot cooked rice
Melt butter in a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot. Add the onions and bell peppers and sauté over medium-high heat. Brown well, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot frequently to loosen any stuck particles. This process will take about 45 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium low and add the salt, red and black pepper, crawfish fat and water. Stir well and let simmer 30 minutes or more.
Raise the heat to medium, stir in the crawfish and cook for 10 minutes. Add green onions and parsley and let cook another 5 minutes.
To serve, place generous servings of hot cooked rice in the middle of large flat plates and spoon the crawfish around.
APPLE CAKE
4 cups sliced apples
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts
In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar and oil and blend well. Add eggs, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nuts and mix well.
Pour batter into a greased 9x13-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
