Impromtu visit to Atherton Market

I had an orthodontist appointment in Charlotte yesterday to reattach a permanent retainer I have behind my lower teeth to keep a disobedient tooth in line. Apparently I was a little too aggressive with my flossing Monday night and the glue that holds it in place was no match.

Whenever I have to go to Charlotte for something, I always try to think of something else to do while I’m there. Not that Charlotte is far. I think it’s just a habit I developed during the 7 1/2 years I lived in York. York IS far from Charlotte and every time I made a trip to Charlotte from York, I felt like the Ingall family planning a trip to Mankato.  It felt necessary to gather as many goods as possible to take back home cuz who knew when the next trip to the city would be.

So while in Charlotte, I decided to stop by this really cool place called Atherton Market that I’d heard about. It’s right on South Blvd, just a short walk from where our first house was. It’s in the building that was the Charlotte Trolley Barn. The market is open Tuesday 3pm-7pm, Wednesday 11am-7pm, and Saturday 9am-2pm. A lot of the vendors I think are only there on Saturday – but I found plenty of things to try.

I ended up buying some Bosky Acres goat cheese, some wheat berry salad from Beverly’s Gourmet Foods, and some absolutely divine desserts from Cardais Gourmet. Bosky Acres is a family owned business out of Waxhaw and I’m very interested to learn more about them. Their goat cheese is by far the best I’ve ever had – far superior to anything at the grocery store. It’s much creamier with a greater depth of flavor and well worth the $5 price for 4 ounces.

For dinner, I used the goat cheese along with some Gala Apples from Windy Hill Orchard in a chicken dish – Chicken with Apple-Goat Cheese Slaw. The hot chicken right off the grill warms the goat cheese to a tangy, creamy mass that clings to the chicken. The fresh, sweet crunch of the apple is a nice contrast to the goat cheese.

The pecan cheesecake bar from Cardais Gourmet was heavenly. It consisted of a moist Blondie layer topped with a cheesecake layer that tasted like a cross between cheesecake and frosting, very sweet. Toasted pecans topped it off.

Chicken with Apple-Goat Cheese Slaw

• 1 apple, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. minced jalapeno
• 3 oz. goat cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

How to Do it

1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
2. Mix apple, onion, oil, vinegar, and jalapeno in a bowl. Crumble goat cheese on top. Stir and place in fridge.
3. Mix salt, black pepper, red pepper, and cumin in small bowl. Sprinkle on both sides of chicken. Grill 6-7 minutes each side, until cooked through.
4. While still warm, top each chicken breast with apple-cheese mixture.

Yield: 4 servings