The organizers of the sixth annual Miss-i-sippin’ tasting event scheduled for April 3, 2014 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Powerhouse Community Arts Center have unveiled this year’s menu (see bottom of page). The addition of several new sponsors inspired a plate full of updated culinary creations. New food sponsors for the event include Red Smith Foods, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Golden Flake, and Cups Espresso Café. Yalobusha Brewery will be joining other southern breweries, Abita and Lazy Magnolia, providing tasting stations in addition to offering almost 20 other beers. Different than a beer festival, Miss-i-sippin’ is a culinary event aiming at pairing different beers with custom created recipes developed by students in the Hospitality Management program at the University of Mississippi.
Red Smith Foods worked with students to develop recipes that focused on the southern tradition of pickling. The culinary creations for the event include a pickled deviled egg, an assortment of pickled veggies from Yokna Bottom Farms, and pickled sausage skewers. Wayne Andrews, director of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and co-organizer of the event, says, “These products inspired the students to think about a different way to prepare, season, and serve foods. Pickling is a very hot trend, and having a partner such as Red Smith encouraged students to explore both historic and current food trends.”
Nielsen-Massey Vanillas provided the students with an assortment of vanillas and extracts. The students created light and sweet marshmallows to be paired with darker beers and coffee. Nielsen-Massey challenged the students by providing Madagascar bourbon vanilla, rose water, almond, peppermint, and orange extracts. Cups Espresso Café, which recently opened a location on Jackson Avenue in Oxford, will be offering one of their blends specially selected for the sweet treats.
The students were further asked to blend salty and sweet, which led to a recipe for chocolate-covered potato chips, corn chips, and pork rinds. The results were then cleverly named Pork Chocs & Chocolate Chips. This encouraged Golden Flake to donate an assortment of flavors to the event.
Miss-i-sippin’ is a culinary pairing which challenges the students in the Hospitality Management program at the University of Mississippi to create, prepare, and host a tasting event that raises funds for their program. The event was created in partnership with the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council six years ago.
“We have been very fortunate that this event has been successful on many levels,” Andrews says. “Our founding sponsors Coors Beer, Clark Beverage Group, Polk’s Meats, Sanderson Farms, and Delta Pride Catfish have supported us each year. The public is kind enough to purchase tickets and enjoy sampling the culinary pairings.”
The official menu and sponsors for this 2014 Miss-i-sippin’ include:
Wild Wings Station
Sponsored by Sanderson Farms
Paired with Coors & Coors Light
Delta Fish Tacos
Sponsored by Delta Pride
Paired with Dos Equis Lager & Blue Moon
Chicken & Waffles
Sponsored by Sanderson Farms
Paired with Purple Haze & 3rd Shift
Float Your Boat Beer Floats
Paired with Abita Root Beer & Lazy Magnolia
Shrimp & Grits
Sponsored by Gulf Select Shrimp
Paired with Killian’s
Drunken Fruit Bar & Dips
Sponsored by Cathead Vodka
S’more Brownie Bits
Paired with New Castle & Red Apple Cider
Rendezvous Skewer
Sponsored by Polk’s Meats
Paired with Abita Abbey Ale
Party Ham Sandwiches
Sponsored by Polk’s Meats
Paired with a beer from Yalobusha Brewery
Pickled Snack Bar
Sponsored by Red Smith Foods & Yokna Bottoms Farm
Paired with Torpedo & Smith Forge Hard Cider
Fried Mac
Paired with Batch #19
Pork Chocs and Chocolate Chips
Sponsored by Golden Flake
Paired with Abita Andy Gator
Spinach Balls
Paired with Stella Artois
Buffalo Chicken Cupcakes
Sponsored by Sanderson Farms
Sausage Muffins
Sponsored by Polk’s Meats
Paired with Sierra Nevada
Homemade Marshmallow Bar
Sponsored by Nielsen – Massey Vanillas & Cups
Paired with Magic Hat #9 & Guinness Draft & Cups Coffee
Tickets for Miss-i-sippin are on sale through the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and the University of Mississippi Hospitality Management School. To order tickets, call 662-236-6429.
