food411 blog

We recently tried an exciting creation, Mamie’s Cheese Wafers. Homemade, in a frozen slice & bake log these cheese wafers ( aka cheese straws) are delicious & ingenious. Real sharp cheddar combines with pecans and butter - the aroma alone is worth baking them. It is an instant conversation starter for your next get together, in the south no one would consider having a party without them. For everyone it is time to experience this southern tradition. We all loved the crispy texture and the wonderful taste.

Artisan chocolate producer, B.T. McElrath has created dark chocolate melt-a-ways in the form of “campaign buttons”. The two varieties are : Democrat or Republician! On their website they have an ongoing poll showing the sale results. Sounds like a great way to call this election! We sampled these and our verdict is delicious. They are not only excellent quality but they provide a fun way to imformally “poll” any group of people, Place a few boxes of each your work’s lunch room and see which “variety” has more takers–of course, we are sure if one runs out, people will be happy to switch parties to get another delicious chocolate fix.

Chef Silvia recently gave two diiner parties, one was a buffet, the other a 4-course sit down meal. Both were 10 guests and both executed “almost efforlessly”. She began to wonder, ” What is it about meal preparation that makes some meals - even if only for one or two–a complete hassle, while others with many guests seem to flow with the ease of a catered event?”. She says it is all in the planning and is willing to share her secrets with us!

Easy entertaining requires menu planning, prep work & timing. As an example she points to her buffet meal. It consisted of six different platters. All except one were made ahead of time. Tomato with mozzarella, tubetini pasta salad, caesar salad with homemade dressing & marinated eggplant were all made in advance. The last platter was sausage, pepper & onions. She par boiled the sausage the night before the party. With the guests milling around at the start of the party she sauteed the sausage, peppers & onions in a large wok - which doubled as its serving bowl.

The advance work allowed her to enjoy the party, the guest got to see some of the meal being prepared - which only adds to the fun. A fun time was had by all.

A sit down dinner party takes a bit more skill. Silvia is confident that it can result in the same effortless meal. First course: grilled vegetables tossed in a simple vinaigrette which was made & plated ahead. Second course: Linguini with a putanesca sauce - which she made in minutes while her guest were eating their first course. The next course was tilapia ( preped ahead) - which she put inot the oven while she & her guest were savoring the linguini. The final course was a blueberry/peach cobbler topped with a polenta crust & served with warm vanilla ice cream. Again made ahead of time. Silvia says the dinner was relaxed, impressive but easy to execute. The only tricky part is the timing, which she made easy by chossing simple dishes with take only minutes to cook.

To sum up her tips:

1. Several days before the party, plan your menu - keeping in mind a mix of items that can be made ahead or in minutes during the party. Being in the kitchen preparing during a party is part of the fun! Not everything has to be ready.

2. Two to three days prior to the party, do your shopping. If there are titems that need to be purchased the closer to the party make a seperate list for those.

3. Make anothe list of what can be prepared the day before, the day of, and during the party. Then make each dish according to the schedule you have created. Most importantly, remember, part of the fun of giving a party is enjoying the process!

Once again, thank you Chef Silvia! Most of the recipes for the above items can be found on her website.
Click here

Last year at the Fancy Food Show we discovered Harvest Song. We told you about their unique (and oh so good) fresh baby walnut preserves. This year they were on top of our list for a return visit. All their preserves start with their own hand picked fruits that are very minimally processed - no additives- just fresh fruit, pure cane sugar & lemon juice. The result is pure fruit. The preserves are looser than we are accustomed to but the flavor is intense. This time we enjoyed their sour cherry, apricot & plum. Outstanding flavors - when you taste these preserves you feel the warmth of the sun on the fruit - we are not kidding. Add these to your Greek yogurt at breakfast or lunch and you will be transported to another world. Pair them with chesses for an exciting party starter. These preserves are exceptional, and their beautiful packing add to their uniqueness. We compared them to farm jams we had just received that use pectin ( like most jams do) no comparison - with these preserves all you taste is the fruit - and what exceptional fruit it is!

We recently sampled this homemade granola from Amy’s Nuts. It is very lightly sweeten with pure maple syrup only and contains organic oats, and loads of nuts (pecans, walnuts & almonds) and a wonderful variety of seed ( pumpkin, sunflower sesame & flax) oat bran and 2 types of raisins. This is by far the best granola we have ever tasted. Almost every granola is just too sweet - and they just don’t contain enough nuts and seed. Granola is thought of as a health food but rarely does it live up to that. Most are just high calorie mixes with not much value. Amy’s granola really stands out. Our favorite was the Cinnamon Coffee Bean - a great way to start your day.

Cooking classes are fun, they remind us just how easy it is to make a quick and healthy dinner. Of course, the best part is eating the food after it’s prepared! Recently, we attended a class by Chef Phil Kane (Chef Phil is the Chef de Cuisine, at a private dining club). Since we know our readers are always looking for new recipes, we are sharing what we learned with all of you.

Fancy soups always seem like they must be so difficult to make……check out Phil’s Potato and Leek Soup

Fancy, yes, Difficult, NO:

4 peeled russet potatoes
2 washed large leeks
2 cups chicken stock (LOW SALT)
2 cups heavy cream
4 peeled cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Chop leeks and potatoes and put in a pot with the garlic and chicken stock, bring to a boil then turn to a simmer. When potatoes are fully cooked puree them with every thing else. Add the cream and salt and pepper to taste serve chilled or warm.

We asked about the heavy cream, and if you want a lighter version you can sub a lower fat product. BUT the chef won’t make it that way!

Next up was Roasted Pepper Risotto

1 diced roasted red pepper (peeled)
2 cups of Arborio rice
4 cloves garlic chopped
Approx… 10 cups chicken stock
Half a cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 diced onion
1 cup parmesan cheese
Half a stick of butter
2 cups white wine

Procedure
Preheat sauce pan with olive oil and put in the onion and garlic and sweat until translucent. Add rice and toast in the oil, then add white wine and stir until liquid is absorbed, repeat this step until rice fully cooked (STIR CONSTANYLY). When rice is fully cooked add the butter and cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

He then solved the crab cake mystery. How do you cook the crab cake throughout with frying it to death!
Phil’s Crab Cakes

1 lb Jumbo lump crab meat
juice of 2 Key limes
1 tablespoon of celery seed
2 table spoons of chopped chives
1cup of mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon old bay
1 egg
3 cups of Japanese bread crumb (PANKO)*Food411’s note look for a variety without transfat!
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients into a bowl except the crab and bread crumbs, and mix until smooth. Then add crab and stir with your hands only
(BE GENTLE) . When crab and dressing are fully incorporated add half of the bread crumbs to thicken. Let the mixture stand for 2 to 4 min, until the mixture stiffens slightly. Mold crab cakes no bigger than the size of a hockey puck, then roll cake in the excess breading and place on a flat surface and repeat. You should get 6-8 cakes from a pound.

To cook them preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then put a pan on the burner at a medium heat and add oil ( about 1mm high) and let it heat till it becomes a consistency slightly thicker than water. Place crab cakes in the pan and sear till golden brown on both sides,

then place in oven for 6-8 min

and serve.

Last was a light, refreshing and easy dessert. This is great for summertime.

Berries & Cream

1/2 C sugar
1/2 C water
2 oz Grand Marnier
1 pint of mixed berries
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons powered sugar

Put sugar and water in a small pan and cook until a rapid boil then add Grand Marnier and cool. Once cooled pore over berries and gently mix. Put cream in a bowl and beat until thick and add sugar to taste, and pour over berries.
Serve cold

*Food411 fun note - use a variety of beautiful glasses to serve this dessert

Ok, we realize that Farmers’ Markets have been a topic for us before, but we can’t stop talking about just how great they are. Whenever we go on our “food finding” field trips, they always include hitting the local farmer’s market ( remember our Pike’s Place visit). Buying local foods is so important: you get in touch with the people that are creating your food, you help reduce the amount of gas used to transport food, you support local family farms and artisanal producers, you get really really delicious foods - usually organic, all natural, etc. and they are fun! It is a wonderful way to teach our children about real foods, not the processed stuff that American’s have become much to familiar with. This past Friday, the town that we operate from (Ridgefield, CT), held its very first farmer’s market. For 3 years, 3 woman have been fighting the “red tape” necessary to bring this to our town. Well, we believe they must feel it was well worth all their efforts. The market was jammed, we’re told many vendors sold out completely. The assortment and high quality of the vendors was exceptional. Two artisanal organic bread bakers, 3 organic farmers with wonderful produce, free range eggs ( just plucked that day!),quality pasture-fed all natural beef, pork, chicken, local wildflower honey, potted herbs & plants, goat’s milk soaps and handmade farmstead cheeses! Heaven….this is the way to eat. These markets are a wonderful way to just enjoy a beautiful day, the whole town seemed to be in high spirits. Most people carried their own canvas bags, or wicker baskets to haul their purchases. In Europe these market are a way of life, let’s take a cue. Support your local farmer’s markets: buying fresh, local foods is a wonderful way to live. Not sure where your farmer’s markets are located? Check out Local Harvest to find the Farmers’ markets in your area.

In response to our recent June email, “Go HOG wild” - we received a wonderful note from our friend, food writer, Jacqueline Church. On a recent trip to the west coast she visted with one of the resources that we mentioned in our email - Salumi Cured Meats. Her article, “Salumi in Seattle” is a very interesting read. Jacqueline offers so many interesting food articles on her site Suite101, Gourmet Foods, be sure to check them out.

name: Van R.
email: XXXXX
state: Alabama
question: I have yet to find a good recipe(both in taste and texture) to grill vegetables like eggplant, zucchini, or yellow squash. Any suggestions?

Answer from Chef Silvia:

Hi Van,

It’s not so much a recipe you need but a technique. Let me explain…During the ten years I had a restaurant, we grilled vegetables every day. We would first cut each vegetable a specific way (how you cut them matters a great deal): zucchini (yellow) was cut about 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal, eggplant 1/4 inch rounds, fennel in 1/4 inch vertical slices (kept together by the core), red bell pepper peppers were quartered or in thirds (depending on the size) and onions were sliced as 1 inch thick rounds (or they fell apart on the grill). Then onions, fennel and peppers were tossed in a bit of olive oil because they are firm skinned and non-porous so they needed a little coating before being placed on the grill, The other vegetables are porous and have a high water content so they didn’t need anything. All the vegetable were cooked slowly on a med-hot grill to assure that they were cooked thoroughly without burning. And since all the vegetables have various cooking times, one must be patient and stand by the grill, removing each piece into a big bowl as they become done. 

Now here’s the secret…it’s all about what you toss them in now.  So, here’s a recipe for that…but don’t be afraid to try other dressings…experiment. 

Aiolo Recipe (my favorite flavored oil)

I served this as a dipping oil for fresh baked bread, placed on each table at my restaurant for many years. It was so good that we had to warn our customers not to eat too much and spoil their appetite. The staff on the other hand soon became happily addicted.

1 cup extra virgin
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic
1 tablespoon chopped kalamata olives (pits removed)
1 tablespoon capers
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil or parsley
A pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and let it sit for at least 15 minutes allowing the flavors to mingle. Toss or brush over the warm veggies. Arrange on a beautiful platter and serve with crusty bread.   

Chef Silvia shares her thoughts and recipes for biscotti.

Mini Biscotti Cookies

“I like to make my biscotti small. Why? Because then I can eat one without feeling guilty or breaking up the usually huge ones, whereby filling my clear glass cookie jar with crumbs and broken pieces-unsightly. In fact you can easily make biscotti any size you want depending on how big you make the long rod for the first round of baking. Oh…did I mention that what distinguishes a biscotti from other cookies is the fact that they are baked twice…and they’re… Italian?

When it comes to making cookies on a whim or an urge, it’s all about being well stocked in certain basics: flour, eggs, sugar ( preferably light brown), baking powder and certain extras: wlanuts or almonds or even pistachios and the extracts: anise, lemon, vanilla…..

And then you can fill your cookie jar with these precious gems…anytime you feel like it.”

Dry Ingredients
3 cups unbleached white flour + 1/4 cup (reserved for dusting on yourboard)
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients
4 eggs
6 oz canola or vegetable. oil (or you can use butter if you prefer)
2 teaspoons extract

Additions
Nuts: 1/2 cup of any of the following or any other nut you may happen to like: almonds, pine nuts (omit salt if using these) pistachios or walnuts

Seeds: 2-4 tablespoons of anise seeds, sesame, poppy or any other seed you may think of

And then there’s: raisins or cranberries or even chocolate chips

You can even make this recipe a savory one by cutting back the sugar to about 1/4 cup and adding crushed red pepper or course black pepper–play around with your favorite ingredients. Making biscotti looks kindly on individual expression…

Mix dry ingredients together in one bowl and wet ingredients in another -
Fold dry into wet ingredients, add nuts or other ingredient and knead into a smooth dough.

Divide dough into 4 parts and roll each part into a log that’s approximately 1.5 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick (the wider and thicker the log, the larger the individual biscotti.

Dust your surface with reserved flour to prevent from sticking (if dough is too sticky, just add a bit more flour)

Place on greased cookie sheet or parchment paper and bake in a pre- heated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until firm and golden.

Remove and let cool for 10-15 minutes.

With a sharp knife, cut each log on the diagonal, every 1/2 inch or so to form individual cookies. It helps a great deal if you have a large chef knife and make each cut in one push–don’t go back and forth with your knife and “saw” or the log will break.

Place cookies back on the cookie sheet, upright, with both cut sides facing out and bake for an additional 10 minutes.