Category Archives: @home {recipes to love}

Filed under @home {recipes to love}, NYC Best

Tagged as Alton Brown, Banana's Foster, Bourbon, Cocktail, Ice Cream, Mint Julep, NYC Wine & Food Festival, Recipe, Southern

October 6, 2010 · 9:30 am

recipe goodness :: flaky cheese straws, as easy as being barefoot

Inspired by her planned trip to Paris, my roommate purchased the Barefoot Contessa’s cookbook, Barefoot in Paris. And eager for the departure, we sat down one evening to plan a meal to bring a little taste of French cuisine to the comforts of our NYC apartment. The Barefoot Contessa’s recipe for cheese straws is simple, but outstanding! I would encourage everyone to keep a box of puff pastry in the freezer at all times for an impromptu addition to your next dinner party or to simply add a little flavor flare to a mid-week meal. And you could really substitute a number or herbs and cheese to take these straws in your own direction (rosemary and parmesan, chili powder and aged gouda, or cinnamon and sugar for a breakfast/dessert straw)

Barefoot Contessa’s Cheese Straws

Prep Time: 5-10 mins | Cook Time: 10-15 mins
Makes 22-24 Straws

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted in the fridge
1 extra-large egg (large is fine)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Roll out each sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured board or counter until it’s 10×12 inches. Beat the egg with 1 TBS of water and brush the surface of the pastry. Sprinkle each sheet evenly with 1/4 cup of Parmesan, 1/2 cup of Gruyere, 1/2 tsp of the thyme, 1/2 tsp of the salt and some pepper.

Step 1. Roll flavorings into puff pastry

With the rolling pin, lightly press the flavorings into the puff pastry. Cut each sheet crosswise with a floured knife or pizza wheel into 11-12 strips. Twist each strip and lay on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Step 2. Twist each strip and lay on baking sheets

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned and puffed. Turn each straw and bake for another 2 minutes. Don’t overbake or the cheese will burn. Cook and serve at room temperature.

Step 3. Bake, cool and enjoy!

What Else To Put on the Plate:
Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken
Spinach, Strawberry & Halloumi Salad
Gourmet Grilled White Truffle Corn

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Appetizer, Barefoot Contessa, Cheese, Dinner Party, Food, French, Ina Garten, Recipe

September 21, 2010 · 4:41 pm

A+ 8.ate@eight Back to School Nite

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Apologies for my absence for a few days, but I have been busy shopping and chopping for what was the last 8.ate@eight supper club of the outdoor season. You wouldn’t think preparing “cafeteria” food would be such a distraction, but when you’re hand selecting figs and prosciutto from Italy for your pizza, catching red snapper off the east coast for your tacos, hunting bison out west for your mini sliders and hand frying potatoes for your truffle-rosemary chips, then there isn’t much time for blogging. Well maybe I wasn’t actually doing all of those things {except the hand frying – look out Frito Lay!} but the menu is accurate. As several friends had kids heading back to school, I thought it would be fun to relive the nostalgia of new sneakers, trapper keepers and the best of school cafeterias — only better! Here’s the full report card…

The Syllabus:

Starter
3 Grilled Pizzettes:
{1} Arugula, Fig & Proscuitto w/ Grated Parmesan Cheese
{2} Greek Olive Tapenade, Pickled Red Onion & Feta w/ Lemon Olive Oil
{3} Spicy Italian Sausage, Roasted Fennel & Fresh Mozzarella
w/ Grandma’s Sauce & Fresh Rooftop Basil

Mini Lime-Chili Red Snapper Tacos
w/ “Fruit Punch” Sangria

Salad
Roasted Corn & Vegetable Medley w/ Chipotle Bacon & Queso Fresco
w/ Bodegas Valdesil Godello Valdeorras Val de Sil Montenovo (Spain)

Entrée
Mini Bison Sliders w/ Buffalo Mozzarella and Olive Tapenade
Homemade Truffle Rosemary Parmesan Chips
w/ “P.S.” Local 2 Brooklyn Dark Ale

Dessert
Coconut “Twinkies” w/ Lemon Curd Filling
w/ Kahlua-Rum Chocolate “Milk”

It was just like showing up to a new classroom — some old friends and some new faces to get to know. This is why I started 8.ate@eight and what I love about my table. People can come together to enjoy good food and drink and easily fall into conversation with an unfamiliar group.

Pablo is the Principal at his own school he started -- how awesome is that!

As the 8.ate@eight-ers filed in, I was busy at work grilling pizzas on the BBQ. Not an entirely new concept, but a new twist on school lunch favorite — wasn’t pizza day a must?! With dough and toppings on hand, I grilled up three different versions: an Arugula, Fig & Proscuitto w/ Grated Parmesan Cheese Pizza, a Greek Olive Tapenade, Pickled Red Onion & Feta w/ Lemon Olive Oil Pie and a crowd-pleasing favorite, Spicy Italian Sausage, Roasted Fennel & Fresh Mozzarella w/ Grandma’s Sauce & Fresh Rooftop Basil.

Fresh Figs

Served alongside the pizza were some Red Snapper Tacos with a Lime-Chili Marinade and Avocado Sauce. I’m pretty sure the lunch ladies didn’t fill our shells with anything better than greasy ground beef, but I wanted to keep it light. Both of the appetizers were served with an adult version of fruit punch: sangria! With a winning combination of spanish vino, brandy, triple sec and lemonade, I soaked a combination of lemon, lime, orange slices and cherries overnight and topped each cup off with a little club soda — every party is better with bubbles!

Red Snapper Tacos

Sangria "Fruit Punch"

Probably the least eaten items on those styrofoam trays were the vegetable medleys and fruit cup cocktails, so I decided to do a combination of both with a modified version of my friend Nora’s delicious corn salad. There are several things that are great about this salad and its a recipe for success that I have written about before: sweet, spicy, citrusy, savory and salty. I roasted several ears of sweet jersey corn, removing the kernels and adding to a combination of grapes {strange, but sweet and amazing}, red bell peppers {peppery and colorful}, red chilis {that subtle spicy kick that I love}, cilantro {a polarizing ingredient for many, but even I converted a hater at the table}, scallions and lime. So that’s the regular combination, but I also decided this salad would do well with a few bits of chipotle bacon crumbled on top with some queso fresco — if only school veggies were always this good.

Roasted Corn & Vegetable Medley

Roasted Corn Salad

It’s not only important to eat your veggies, but a good healthy protein also tops the food pyramid. I keep speaking the praises of bison to anyone who will listen {recipe here}, so I thought if I put them in slider form I could win the hearts of my table too. So let’s reiterate some important facts — please take notes.

Bison tastes very similar to beef, but is slightly richer, so I complemented that flavor with a spread of salty olive tapenade on the mini buns and melted some creamy buffalo mozzarella on top for a better take on a kiddie craving.

Mini Bison Sliders

And just like PB&J is a match made in heaven, so are burgers and chips. So I carried out the dutch oven, a few pounds of potatoes and got to work slicing, rinsing, drying and frying the makings of my Homemade Truffle, Rosemary Parmesan Chips. A lot of work, but there is something very satisfying about putting Frito Lay to shame from your own kitchen {recipe to follow}.

Toss in corn starch to remove moisture and create crispier results

Toss in 375 degree oil 4-5 minutes until golden blond

Strain and Season with Fresh Rosemary and Truffle Salt

Season with Rosemary, Truffle Salt, Parmesan Cheese and Try Not to Eat Too Many

While everyone settled in for the Ferris Bueller classic, Naerim also made a guest appearance and served her Coconut “Twinkie” with Lemon Curd filling and I blended up some Kahlua-Rum Chocolate “Milk” just in case everyone didn’t have enough to drink.

Coconut "Twinkies" with Lemon Curd

As usual, we cleared the plates, handed out some blankets as the night started to cool and fired up the projector for our guest visitor: Ed Rooney. No better end to another memorable 8.ate@eight supper club.

Ed Rooney Was Our Guest Visitor

Thanks!

Thanks to Naerim again for all the help serving drinks and food and ending the evening with a great new take on an old lunchbox treat! Thanks to Kristin for snapping some pics while I was manning the grill. And I of course want to thank everyone who grabbed a seat at the table — it was lovely to have you all!

I’m ruminating on some future indoor events for the fall and winter, so stay tuned. If you aren’t on the dinner distribution list, email me at 8ateateight@gmail.com to be added. See you at the table!

Recipe Goodness:

Homemade Rosemary, Truffle and Parmesan Chips or Fries

Prep Time: 1 Hour | Cook Time: 20-30 Minutes
Serves 4

2 1/2 # russet potatoes (about 4 large)
3 QT. peanut or canola oil

Peel and cut potatoes into either long sticks or 1/2-inch thick circles for fries or use a mandolin to thinly slice flat or waffle cut circles {using the waffle blade} for chips. Rinse cut potatoes in large bowl under cold running water until water turns clear. Cover with cold water and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.

Pour off water,spread potatoes onto towels, and thoroughly dry {important for crispiness}. Transfer to large bowl and toss with cornstarch until evenly coated. Transfer to wire rack set on rimmed baking sheet and let rest until fine white coating forms, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large, heavy bottomed dutch oven, fitted w/clip-on candy thermometer, heat oil to 325. Add half of potatoes a handful at a time and increase heat to high. Fry, shirring with mesh spider until potatoes start to turn from white to blond, 4-5 min.(oil temp will drop). Transfer fries to paper towels to absorb oil and cool. Return oil to 325 and repeat with rest of potatoes. Let potatoes cool.

Heat oil to 375. Add half of fries or chips, a handful at a time, and fry until golden brown, 2-3 min. Transfer to paper towels & repeat with remaining fries. Season immediately with chopped rosemary, truffle salt and shaved parmesan.

Read About Past 8.ate@eight Events:
8.ate@eight Went Whole Hog and Hog Wild @ the Big Southern BBQ
Who Cut the Cheese Didn’t Stink!
Silencing of the Spring Lambs was Lambtastic!

What are you still doing here? It’s over. Go home.

5 Comments

Filed under 8.ate@eight, @home {recipes to love}, Do This!, Eat Here!

Tagged as 8.ate@eight, BBQ, Beer, Burger, Date, Dinner Party, Drinks, Food, Garden, Group, Healthy, Outdoors, Pizza, Recipe, Rooftop, Salad, Seafood, UWS

September 10, 2010 · 11:28 am

recipe goodness :: lemon herb roasted chicken

Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken

Want to make your own version of RoliRoti’s ridiculously good rotisserie chicken at home? You don’t need a truck and you don’t need a rotisserie to make a deliciously herby and juicy chicken from the comfort of your own home — with or without a BBQ! It’s one of the simplest things you can throw together for a mid-week meal or for a crowd and with a few herbs you’ll take an ordinary chicken to a new level.

As a health conscious society, we tend to reach for the boneless, skinless chicken breasts when rolling down the poultry section at the grocery store, but having the skin on and bones in helps retain moisture and adds to the flavor more than you would think. Even if you want a leaner meal, try this recipe with the skin on while you cook and remove the skin later if you prefer — just see how much juicier your dinner is!

Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken

Prep Time: 3 Minutes | Cook Time: 25-30 Minutes
Serves 4

Preheat Oven 425° or BBQ @ Medium Heat

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
1/2 lemon
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 small bunch fresh rosemary
1 small bunch fresh sage
olive oil for drizzling
salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken breasts on a cooking sheet. Feel with your finger for an opening in the skin and gently run your index finger between the skin and the breast meat to separate the skin partially {but not removed} in order to create a “pocket” for your herbs. Insert 2-3 small sprigs of thyme, 1 sprig of rosemary and 2-3 leaves of sage between the breast meat and the skin in the “pocket” you just created. This will both flavor the chicken, secure your herbs and look pretty through cooked, translucent skin when done cooking.

Generously sprinkle each breast with coarse kosher salt and fresh ground pepper {this will help crisp the skin and will cook off on the grill, so don’t be afraid to be liberal}. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon and lightly drizzle olive oil over the chicken.

Oven Cooking: Put tray in oven skin-side up for 15 minutes. Flip each breast over and rotate tray 180 degrees to ensure even cooking and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

BBQ Cooking: Place chicken breasts on medium hot grill skin-side up for 5 minutes. Continue cooking, flipping chicken every 5 minutes for a total of 25-30 minutes.

NOTE: Size of chicken, oven and grill temperatures often vary. 25-30 minutes is an approximation of cooking time, but with chicken you want to make sure meat is not pink to ensure doneness. Make a small cut in the thickest part of your breast meat to make sure juices are running clear and meat is white, not pink. Extend cooking time if necessary.

Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken

I Feel Like Chicken Tonight! Chicken Tonight!:
SF Best: RoliRoti Rolls Out Revolutionary Rotisserie
Roasted Chicken Salad w/ Dried Cranberries & Sunflower Seeds
Spinach, Strawberry & Halloumi Salad
Gourmet Grilled White Truffle Corn

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as BBQ, Dinner Party, Food, Group, Healthy, Inexpensive, Recipe

August 19, 2010 · 8:55 am

recipe goodness :: kickin’ ancho chili fresh lime margarita

The Fixins' for Fresh Lime Margaritas

Ok, so I love a fresh lime margarita on a hot summer evening and apparently so do a lot of you! I have received overwhelming feedback and a lot of great comments from my Fresh Lime-Margarita Marinated Watermelon recipe, so in the spirit of another tequila shot, try this one when you’re looking for something with a new twist and a subtle spicy kick, a perfect complement to the sweet, fresh fruit juices! It’s refreshing, it’s unique, and most importantly, it’s easy! Don’t be afraid, this is not that spicy, but the chili adds a depth to the drink that cuts through all that citrus and makes it truly tasty. By the way, did you know margarita means daisy in spanish? Doesn’t that just sound like a delightful name for a killer cocktail?

Ancho Chili Margarita with Fresh Lime-Orange-Grapefruit Juice

Recipe:
2 0z tequila
2 oz mixed juice {lime, orange, grapefruit, agave}
ice
kosher salt and lime slice for rim

What you Need {See below for proportions}:
1 Bottle Tequila Blanco {I find the white tequila is smoother}
1 Dried Ancho Chili
Raw Agave
Limes
Oranges
Grapefruits

Fresh Squeezed Lime, Orange, Grapefruit

People experiment with the proportions of tequila to lime juice all the time, so it’s just a matter of personal taste. Since my recipe uses fresh squeezed juice and a little raw agave for sweetness, you don’t need to add any triple sec or cointreau. And because of the fresh juice, I like to make this one with a 1:1 proportion of tequila to fruit juice. Here’s what you can expect to get from all that squeezing {approximately}.

8 limes=8 ounces
4 juice oranges=8 ounces
1 grapefruit=7 ounces

Figure out how many total drinks you plan on making. You need 2 oz of tequila and 2 oz of juice for every drink, so multiply that to know how much you need in total of both. Here’s an example to figure out how much of everything you need to make 3 drinks for 4 people. Adjust to fit your crew!

2 hours before you plan to serve the margaritas, add one dried ancho chili to the bottle of tequila. Note: the longer this soaks, the less spicy it will get as the pepper actually breaks down in the tequila. If you don’t plan on using an entire bottle, you may want to pour the tequila over the pepper in a separate container and watch it turn a cool red hue!
Juice all of your limes, oranges and grapefruits into a separate container. Add 1 tsp of agave for every 8oz of total fresh fruit juice. Mix thoroughly and chill. Keep a few lime halves to run across the top of your glasses later to make the salt stick.
Ready to drink? Run a leftover lime half around the rim of a chilled glass. Pour some kosher salt on a plate and dip the rim in the salt if desired. Fill the glass with ice.
You can either use a cocktail shaker or just mix equal parts tequila and fresh fruit juice in a pitcher and pour over ice in each glass.
Stir, sip, enjoy, repeat.

Other Summer Sippers:
Fresh Lime-Margarita Marinated Watermelon
Pink Fizzy Lemonade Cocktails Beat the Heat

Summer Sipper Sides:
Avocado & Tropical Fruit Salsa
Creole Roasted Fresh Corn-Tomato Salsa

Filed under @home {recipes to love}, {Drink Me}

Tagged as BBQ, Dinner Party, Drinks, Margarita, Recipe

August 17, 2010 · 8:48 am

recipe goodness :: red chili-lime cornbread muffins

Chili-Lime Cornbread Cups

Cornbread is one of those things that rarely excites me — it usually tastes like cake that has been left on the counter for a week, only it tastes like, well, corn. But it’s also one of those things that people come to expect at a BBQ. You’re making ribs? Well there must be cornbread! So here, my friends, is my recipe for a cornbread cup that will be moist, surprise your guests with subtle hints of two flavors that I think make any dish better — red chili and lime, and most importantly is very easy.

Red Chili-Lime Cornbread Muffins

Makes 12-15 Muffins
Prep Time: 5 Minutes | Cook Time: 35-40 Minutes

1 package Jiffy Cornbread Mix
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 8 oz. can creamed corn
1 8 oz. can whole kernel corn {optional for chunkier muffins}
Zest of 1 lime
1/2-1 small red chili, grated

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl. The creamed corn will have smaller bits of kernels, but if you want to really add some good texture add as much from a can of whole corn kernels as you like {or an ear of cooked corn if it’s in season}. It’s a great way to make CORNbread and with some exciting nuggets of bursting corn flavor. Depending on how much kick you want to surprise your guests with, I usually use a microplane to grate 1/2 to 1 full red chili into the mix. You can either just pour the whole mix into a greased 8×8 pan or into individual cups in a muffin tin. I prefer the muffin cups because it looks nicer and they cook more evenly. There is a lot of moisture in this recipe, so place the cornbread in the oven and start checking around 35 minutes to see if their done by sticking a toothpick in the center of a few of the muffins — it should come out clean with no batter stuck to it. You don’t want to undercook these, so give them another 5-10 minutes if they still seem soft.

Curious About Corn With A Kick?
recipe goodness :: gourmet grillin’ with white truffle corn
recipe goodness :: creole roasted fresh corn-tomato salsa
8.ate@eight #3: Went Whole Hog and Hog Wild @ the Big Southern BBQ

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as BBQ, Cornbread, Dinner Party, Food, Inexpensive, Recipe

August 10, 2010 · 8:11 am

recipe goodness :: tomato, basil & feta salad

Fresh Tomato Salad

I went to the farmer’s market and bought the most perfectly imperfect tomatoes from a New Jersey farmer. They had big brown spots where the sweet fruit previously hung from the vine, they were not perfectly round, nor perfectly red on the outside, but when you cut into them, all their glorious perfection was revealed. Redder than any red I have seen before {especially from a store-bought tomato} and that red persisted throughout — there was no big seedy, liquidy center or even an ounce of that white flesh so common in a tomato these days. It’s at moments like this, that I am convinced of the merits of buying locally grown farm fresh produce — this tomato tastes far superior to anything you will find while strolling the air conditioned aisles of your grocery store. And while we have been conditioned ourselves to expect perfection on the outside of our shiny, clean, bruise-free pyramid of produce, I think we have also all experienced that piece of fruit or vegetable that tasted nothing like it looked…or didn’t taste like anything at all. So do not be afraid of buying that unwaxed, slightly gnarly produce from the farmer at the market — you may be surprised by what you find inside!

Farm Fresh Tomato

So with my perfectly imperfect red tomato in hand, I made a stop at a local artisan cheese maker, Ardith Mae {you may remember them from 8.ate@eight #2: Who Cut the Cheese Didn’t Stink!}, to pick up some fresh goat’s milk feta and came home to make a salad so simple, but so fresh and flavorful. Here it is:

Farm Fresh Tomato, Basil & Feta Salad

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Serves 4

3 large, ripe field-grown fresh tomatoes
1/2 lb fresh feta
1 sprig fresh basil
4 TBS olive oil
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Wash and cut tomatoes into equal size wedges and then cut in half again to get pieces approximately 1 inch in length. Season lightly with salt {you can add more later, but the feta will add salt to the dish as well} and pepper and gently toss. Crumble feta on top of tomatoes. Chiffonade basil by removing basil leaves from the stem, stacking 5-6 leaves at a time and rolling tightly lengthwise and then slicing with a paring knife perpendicular to the roll — this will give you delicate ribbon-like basil to sprinkle across the salad which will look pretty, but will also make sure you don’t have to chew on a full basil leaf! Drizzle olive oil over salad and gently toss. Taste and add more salt, pepper or basil as you like .

Tomato Feta Basil Salad

Looking For More Farm-Fresh Inspiration?
Orzo, Spinach & Feta Summer Salad
Gourmet Grilled White Truffle Corn
Grilled Thyme-Cumin Vegetable Kabobs
Whole-Grain Mustard & Rosemary Pork Chops

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as BBQ, Dinner Party, Food, Garden, Healthy, Inexpensive, Recipe, Salad, Tomato

August 3, 2010 · 8:36 am

recipe goodness :: how to cook the perfect sunny side-up egg

I love eggs. So much so that I have dreams of owning my own city-hen on my rooftop terrace. To me eggs are the perfect breakfast, but only if they are prepared properly. I hate eggs with the weird plastic-y edge on them. I hate eggs that are overdone and have a dry yolk. I hate eggs where the egg white is still liquidy with a clear film that moves with the plate. The perfect egg has a firm white with a light pinkish yolk on top until you break into the warm golden center which seeps out as the deliciously rich dipping treat for your toast. Ahhhhhh, eggs.

Everything I know about cooking eggs I learned from my dad. His technique is simple, fool-proof and will having you putting the most perfect egg on your plate in less than 3 minutes. That means you don’t have to wait for the weekend to make yourself a delicious breakfast!

Step 1: Heat a non-stick pan on high heat for one minute

Step 2: Melt a small pat of butter in the center of the pan

Step 2 - Melt Small Pat of Butter in Pan

Step 3: Crack the egg into the pan on top of the melted butter and turn the heat down to medium

Step 3 - Crack Egg into Pan

Step 4: Pour a small amount of water (~1/2 TBS) into the pan next to, but not on, the egg. Immediately cover pan with a lid.

Step 4 - 2 TBS Water into Pan

Step 5: Wait approximately 30 seconds. Lift the lid and check to see if egg white is firm and yolk is light pink. Note: This may take longer on an electric stove top — if more time is needed cover and check after another 15-30 seconds.

Step 6: Slide egg off the pan onto a plate. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Dip in and Enjoy!

Color IS an indication of flavor.

This Was Eggs-cellent, Tell Me More:
Put Smarter, Cheaper & More Scrumptious Food on Your Table
recipe goodness :: blueberry, lemon & coconut pancakes
Give Your Monday Morning Mug a Kick in the Pants with Kicking Horse Coffee
recipe goodness :: cumin & dill egg salad with radish sprouts
Community Food & Juice: Fresh & Fantastic Fare
Weekend Brunch: Eat Eggs @ Edward’s

12 Comments

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Breakfast, Eggs, Food, Recipe

August 2, 2010 · 8:38 am

Give Your Monday Morning Mug a Kick in the Pants with Kicking Horse Coffee

Kicking Horse Fresh Roasted Coffee Beans

Coffee is very romantic to me. There is something so soothing about waking up, with one leg still in a slumber and the other making its way toward the coffee maker. Opening the can and getting that first concentrated smell of beans that puffs out when the lid is lifted. Scoop, scoop, scoop. Grinder rattles the beans into a fine grind and then the cold water starts to drip through the coffee machine, creating an aroma of morning magic. And with a steaming, big handled mug gently gripped — the kind you can comfortably fit four fingers in — I settle on the couch and enjoy each sip of the rich, earthy goodness that starts my day with a comforting warmth {and caffeine kick}.

More than 50% of Americans drink coffee daily and as often as 3-4 times per day, which means we’re consuming more than 350 million cups of coffee a day. That sounds less romantic and more like a statistic on caffeine addicts. We’re a nation of convenient $4/cup coffee consumers who like to walk into the chain coffee counters and order our grande, skinny mochachinos with whipped cream to go. But what if you diverted that $4 towards a can of really kick-ass coffee — would that change the way you kicked-off your day?

You may remember when I wrote about my discovery of Kicking Horse Coffee at the Fancy Food Show a month ago. Lost in rows of food purveyors and low in energy, I stumbled up on their booth and a new love. My new friends at Kicking Horse Coffee were good enough to send me a can to enjoy from the comfort of my couch, and with that steaming cup in hand I want to spread the love, convert you all, and get you excited by the fact that our northern neighbors are now distributing this kickin’ craft blend in America. Here’s the scoop:

Kicking Horse Coffee Three Sisters Blend

Shakespearean Love:
I’m a sucker for creativity. Name your coffee blends something like Kick-Ass, 454 Horse Power or Cliff Hanger Espresso and you’ve not only gotten your point across, but gotten me really excited to try something that sounds more like a fun excursion than just another plain ole cup of joe. The trio of peaks known as the Three Sisters are just outside of Banff National Park near Canmore, Alberta. It is among the most photographed vistas in the Canadian Rockies and the blend I’m sipping right now pays homage to it with a triple punch of light, medium and dark roasts of Indonesian, Central and South American beans.

Quality Stands on its own Four Feet:
Beyond the name, this coffee stands strongly on its own four feet. Focused on roasting and packaging small batches daily and selling only whole beans, Kicking Horse Coffee ensures premium quality and freshness is maintained from can to cup — it’s no wonder they are outselling all other brands in Canadian grocery stores {including Starbucks!} My Three Sisters blend is a brew with a medium roast, but bold aroma and flavor that is smooth and conveys creamy, chocolately characteristics. With 17 different varieties to choose from, there is undoubtedly a brew to suit your tastes. Another cup please!

Horse with a Heart:
Kicking Horse Coffee is committed to sustainability — through community and environmental initiatives and responsible business practices.

Certified Fair Trade — the company supports its farmers, regardless of the world market, which means paying fair prices and following fair labor, environmental and quality standards. As the largest cash crop in the world, this really does make a Kicking impact.
Certified Organic — farmers who grow coffee organically use renewable resources, conserving soil and water to sustain the environment for future generations. They protect human health by avoiding pollutants, pesticides and herbicides. And they create an ecosystem that’s healthy for wildlife and birds.
Sustainability — coffee blends come in cool black cans with primary color tops which catch the eye and look cool hangin’ out next to your coffee maker. But more importantly, they are North-American-made from recycled steel and can be recycled after use. Cans are the most recycled container in the world and that means less in the landfill. Recycled steel uses 75% less energy to reproduce and can be recycled an infinite amount of times — that means you might see your can again…as a coffee maker!

The only thing left to say, is you must try it yourself! You can find it on Amazon or in a growing number of grocery stores in select states — click HERE to find a location near you and start brewing.

“Life is too short to start drinking the wrong cup of coffee”
— Kicking Horse Coffee

BREW@HOME
{tips on how to brew a kick ass cup at home}

Grind — Grind just before use and use just enough beans for the coffee you’re making. The grind size should be between .75 mm and 1 mm. If the grind is too coarse it will make the coffee taste weak. If the grind is too fine, it will make the coffee taste bitter or too strong.
Water — Water makes up 99% of a cup of coffee. If your tap water tastes good to drink, it’s good to make coffee with. Use it cold and freshly drawn from the tap.
Measurements — The suggested proportion is two heaping tablespoons for every ¾ cup of coffee. More if you’re bold, less if you’re not..
Timing {french press} — The brewing, or ‘contact’ time, should be 4 to 4½ minutes. Check the grounds after brewing. Has all the coffee come in contact with the water? Are there any dry grounds of coffee? Your cup’s final optimum temperature is 140-162°F.
Storage — Coffee absorbs odors and deteriorates when it contacts air. Keep your coffee tightly rolled in its valve bag or sealed in its can until you’re ready to refill the grinder. Store in a dry, cool location, but not in the fridge or freezer.
Enjoy!

Looking for More Specialty Food Discoveries?
Summer Fancy Food Show: Full Belly and Learnings Digestion
Do This!: A Taste of What to Expect @ Artisanal Premium Cheese Classes
Do This!: Vote for The Chocolate Gallery Cafe for Best Breakfast
Going Back to the Old Country @ The New Yasmeen Bakery
recipe goodness :: gourmet grillin’ with white truffle corn

4 Comments

Filed under @home {recipes to love}, {Drink Me}

Tagged as Coffee, Specialty Food

July 28, 2010 · 10:44 am

recipe goodness :: gourmet grillin’ with white truffle corn

White Truffle Grilled Corn

Fresh corn is one of the most abundant agricultural products we have in America and as such, it is also one of the more cost-effective items to buy and grill. Depending on where you shop, you can usually get multiple ears for $1! When it’s mid-summer you can get some extremely sweet and juicy varieties that don’t take much effort to enjoy on their own, but if you’re looking for a gourmet twist on an otherwise simple grill favorite, try this recipe and be prepared for friends to ask for seconds.

Gourmet Grilled White Truffle Corn

Prep Time: 1 Minute | Cook Time: 10 Minutes

1 Ear of corn per person
1 bottle of white truffle oil for brushing
1 jar of white truffle salt for seasoning
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat grill to high heat. Completely remove corn husk and hairs. Pour a a small amount of white truffle oil in a pyrex dish {you can always add more, but you don’t want to waste this premium product!} Cut small pieces of foil just big enough to completely wrap each ear of corn separately. Lay the first ear of corn on the foil and brush all sides with the white truffle oil {note: you could substitute with extra virgin olive oil or soft butter if you don’t want to invest in both truffle products}. Season all sides of the corn with white truffle salt sprinkling while you turn. To finish crank some fresh black pepper on all sides of the corn. Wrap entirely with foil and place on the grill for 3 minutes. Rotate 1/3 and cook for another 3 minutes and then rotate the final 1/3 and cook for the last 3-4 minutes. Remove from grill, grab some napkins and enjoy!

Looking For Other Farm Fresh Inspiration?
Orzo, Spinach & Feta Summer Salad
Grilled Thyme-Cumin Vegetable Kabobs
Whole-Grain Mustard & Rosemary Pork Chops
Creole Roasted Fresh Corn-Tomato Salsa

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as BBQ, Corn, Farm Fresh, Garden, Inexpensive, Recipe, Specialty Food

July 24, 2010 · 10:12 am

recipe goodness :: blueberry, lemon & coconut pancakes

Blueberry Pancake Ingredients

I woke up this morning craving pancakes. I can’t tell you why, because anyone who knows me knows I’m an egg girl. But pancakes for breakfast were going to happen today and you can thank me later for this pancake recipe because it far exceeded my expectations and cravings! If you have pancake mix on hand, this recipe won’t take you longer 10 minutes before you have a hot stack of good mornin’ ‘cakes.

Blueberry, Lemon & Coconut Pancakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes
Makes ~8 Pancakes

1 cup pancake mix (I used Nature’s Path)
2/3 cup cold water
1 TBS vegetable oil
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup coconut
Zest of one lemon

In a medium size bowl, stir pancake mix, water and oil until most lumps are gone. Don’t over mix, if there are still a few lumps, that’s ok. Add blueberries, coconut and lemon zest and stir to mix evenly.

Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium-high heat and lightly brush with butter or vegetable oil. Pour batter to desired size and let pancakes sit approximately 15-30 seconds until you see air bubbles coming through the batter or when you lift with a spatula the underside is light brown. Flip and cook an additional 15-30 seconds until lightly brown. Remove. Repeat. Eat. It’s that easy! These pancakes have so many good flavors, I choose to eat mine with just a bit of butter spread on top.

Note: The water, oil and pancake mix proportions were according to the Nature’s Path package instructions and make thicker, fluffy pancakes. Feel free to adjust per your brand’s instructions, but opt for the thicker pancakes so they hold up to the whole blueberries.

Blueberry Lemon Coconut Pancakes

Hungry for more breakfast?
Community Food & Juice: Fresh & Fantastic Fare
Weekend Brunch: Eat Eggs @ Edward’s

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Blueberry, Brunch, Food, Pancake, Recipe

July 22, 2010 · 12:41 pm

recipe goodness :: fresh lime-margarita marinated watermelon

Margarita Marinated Watermelon

Another weekend is nearing and the weather won’t give us any relief, but my fresh-lime-margarita marinated watermelon will. It’s best when it hangs out at least overnight, so stop at the store and pick up that pretty pink juicy fruit and get soakin’ — your friends will thank you later!

Fresh Lime-Margarita Marinated Watermelon

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Serves a lot!

1 small watermelon {lots of great varieties the size of a cantaloupe}
4 limes, juiced and zested
4 oz light tequila
4 oz triple sec or cointreau
Rock salt for serving

So it’s this easy: Find a small watermelon variety, which will make it easier to cut and also the right amount to still serve a big crowd. Cut through the equator of the melon with a large chef’s knife and then put both flat sides face down on the cutting board. Cut into 1-inch slices creating a bunch of semi-circle pieces. Lay each slice flat on the board and then cut into long finger-like slices, so each piece has a bit of rind at the end {this will make it easy to pick up as an appetizer} and discarding the end pieces that don’t have any melon attached. Lay all the finger-like pieces side by side and on top of each other in a large 9X11 dish, zesting the limes on top of each layer.

In a separate glass measuring cup, juice limes {each should give you about 1 oz of lime juice}. Pour equal parts of tequila and triple sec or cointreau {if you get 4 oz of juice, you want to add 4 oz of each mixer}. Stir thoroughly with a spoon and then pour over the watermelon slices. Cover well with a lid or plastic wrap and throw into the fridge overnight.

When you’re ready to serve, put the watermelon on a nice tray with a bowl of rock salt for dipping {any good margarita has a salted rim and it also brings out the sweetness of the melon!}

Tip: DON’T throw away the liquid left in the dish — you’ve got fresh watermelon margarita cocktails just waiting to be sipped! Pour the liquid into glasses over ice and serve with one of your marinated watermelon slices as a garnish. Recipe bonus!

Margarita Watermelon ready to chill out for a day

Marinate Over a Few Other Party Planners:
Pink Fizzy Lemonade Cocktails Beat the Heat
Avocado & Tropical Fruit Salsa
Creole Roasted Fresh Corn-Tomato Salsa
Creative Crowd-Pleasing BBQ’d Pizzas

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as BBQ, Dinner Party, Drinks, Group, Inexpensive, Recipe

July 20, 2010 · 9:12 am

recipe goodness :: grilled thyme-cumin vegetable kabobs

You can easily add chicken, lamb, beef or whatever favorite grill meat you choose to this kabob recipe, but when it’s mid-summer and vegetables are at their peak, I just enjoy focusing on the fresh farmer’s bounty with this vegetarian grilling recipe. To spice this up a little I like to add some fresh thyme, a little cumin seasoning and make a yogurt sauce to drizzle over the sweet, blistered veg. It’s very easy to make and only takes a few minutes on the grill before you can enjoy this meal.

Grilled Thyme-Cumin Vegetable Kabobs

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

12 crimini or button mushrooms
1 pint grape tomatoes or 2 large ripe tomatoes
1 green, red or yellow pepper, cut to 1-inch squares
1 medium onion, quartered {I like Vidalia as they are sweeter}
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 TBS fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. cumin seasoning
1/4 tsp kosher salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

Sauce
8 oz plain yogurt
1/4 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat grill to medium heat. If using whole tomatoes, cut each into quarters and then cut each quarter in half again so you have pieces about 1-inch in size. If using grape or cherry tomatoes, leave whole. Cut pepper into 1-inch pieces, removing the stem and seeds. Quarter the onion and separate the layers. Toss all vegetables in a medium bowl with olive oil, fresh thyme, cumin, salt and pepper until thoroughly coated. Take a skewer and alternate colors and vegetables so you get a good variety.

Once the grill is hot, place skews on the BBQ and cook for ~10 minutes, turning frequently to make sure to get a good charred edge on each side. This will add to the overall flavor! While the kabobs are grilling, add the cumin, salt and pepper to the yogurt and stir well to mix evenly. Once the kabobs are done, drizzle with the yogurt sauce and either serve alone, as a side or inside a fresh pita.

Grilled Vegetable Kabobs

Other Great Grill and Summer Recipes:
Orzo, Spinach & Feta Summer Salad
Bison, a Better Burger Worth Biting Into
Whole-Grain Mustard & Rosemary Pork Chops

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as BBQ, Food, Garden, Healthy, Inexpensive, Kabob, Recipe, Vegetable, Vegetarian

July 16, 2010 · 11:47 am

recipe goodness :: creole roasted fresh corn-tomato salsa

Creole Roasted Corn-Tomato Salsa

It’s not very difficult to make your own salsa and it’s fresher, cheaper and often solicits a lot of “mmmmms” from anyone you share it with. Plus, a really good salsa can not only make a good app, but goes really well with something like grilled fish, chicken, burgers, nachos, you name it, adding a more interesting and flavorful accompaniment than anything you’ll find in a plastic bottle.

Creole Roasted Fresh Corn-Tomato Salsa

2 ears of corn, shucked
butter or olive oil for brushing
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning for dusting
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
2 scallions, chopped
1 lime, juiced and zested
1 jalapeno or red chili, finely chopped
small handful of cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Light the grill and while that warms up, shuck each ear of corn and brush with butter {or olive oil if you prefer} and sprinkle a generous amount of Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning on all sides of the corn until covered. Wrap each ear of seasoned corn separately and cook on the grill for 10 minutes, rotating every 2-3 minutes. While the corn is cooking add the remaining ingredients to a mixing bowl. {Tip: Use only half a jalapeno or chili if you prefer a milder salsa}. Once the corn is done, let it cool slightly and then stand on the flat end of the cob and take a sharp knife down length of the corn to remove all the kernels. Add the bowl and toss well to break up the corn and mix all the flavors together. Serve in a bowl or to jazz it up a bit, take a tablespoon and fill tortilla chip “scoops” individually on a plate.

Creole Roasted Corn-Tomato Salsa and Chips

If this sounds appetizering, you might also like these recipes:
Pink Fizzy Lemonade Cocktails Beat the Heat
Avocado & Tropical Fruit Salsa
Bison, a Better Burger Worth Biting Into

6 Comments

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Appetizer, BBQ, Dinner Party, Food, Healthy, Inexpensive, Recipe, Salsa

July 13, 2010 · 9:06 am

8.ate@eight #3: Went Whole Hog and Hog Wild @ the Big Southern BBQ

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It was a dark and stormy night {almost}. The orange and yellow radar covered the eastern seaboard. The dark, cumulonimbus clouds loomed overhead. And the wind blew….but it DID NOT rain. Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then. Good thing, because this 8.ate@eight BBQ took two full days to prep and I was fixin’ to have me a party. All those dixie flavors like to hang out over night, so the kitchen was in full swing from the moment the roosters crowed Friday. Here’s the scoop ya’ll…

The Menu:

Starter
Creole Roasted Corn-Tomato Salsa
Margarita Soaked Watermelon
w/ Fresh Agave-Lime Margaritas with Ancho Chili-Infused Silver Patron

Salad
Oven Roasted Avocado Tortilla Salad
w/ ’08 Basa Ruedo Blanco (Spain)

Entrée
Slooooow Cooked Pork Ribs
Lime-Chili Cornbread
Red Cabbage, Radish & Carrot Slaaaw
w/ Abita Amber, Purple Haze and Strawberry Lager Beer (Louisiana)

Dessert
Banana Puddin’ Served in Semi-Sweet Chocolate Cups
w/ Crios de Susana Balba ‘09 Torrontes (Argentina)

It wouldn’t be an 8.ate@eight without a kickoff cocktail and since I was spicing things up with the food, I also decided to throw together an Ancho Chili-Infused Fresh Lime Margarita to warm things up {thanks to inspiration from my wine friend, Mike}. A smoked Ancho Chili went into the bottle a few hours before serving and I got to work juicing more limes, oranges and grapefruit than a minute maid. But since Top Chef contestants always like to do things “two-ways” I also sliced a watermelon into finger sized pieces and soaked those in fresh lime margarita over night {careful, they’ll get ya when you’re not looking!}

The Fixins' for Fresh Lime Margaritas

Margarita Watermelon ready to chill out for a day

And what better app to serve with fresh margaritas than salsa? I rubbed the corn in Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning and roasted it on the grill before adding to vine-ripened grape tomatoes with more fresh lime, cilantro, scallions and some red chilis from my neighbor’s rooftop garden {thanks Julie!}

Creole Roasted Corn-Tomato Salsa and Chips

Before people had one too many watermelon slices, we all grabbed a seat and I served a Roasted Avocado Tortilla Salad. This was a new experiment inspired by Jamie Oliver — oven at full whack, sliced avocado on a tray tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper and cumin seed and roasted for 15 minutes. The result: warm, roasted, lightly charred avocado slices served over crispy tortilla chips, fresh greens, sprouts and a simple lemon-olive oil dressing. Refreshing and unique.

Roasted Avocado-Tortilla Salad

Now for the main event. St. Louis Spare Ribs went for a swim in apple juice and apple cider vinegar before being rubbed with love in a dry blend of spices, garlic and orange zest and left in the fridge for a day to take it all in. Everything is slower in the South, so I also made the slaw a day before so the flavors would mix and mash and come out really tasty. The secret to good cole slaw is time. With red cabbage as the base, I added thin radish and carrots slices, all of which are pretty sturdy veg, so the longer they get to hang out in the vinegar-mayo dressing, the more they soften up and take on the flavor of the marinade. This also means you don’t have to over do it with the mayo — I was pretty light handed, contrary to what you may be used to in the cole slaw department. And it wouldn’t be a BBQ without cornbread, in my opinion. Somewhere along the line I started making my cornbread with creamed corn to make them less dry and add some actual bits of corn to the mix. This time I also took this recipe a step further and added grated neighborly-red chili and lime zest to throw in a little kick.

Carrot, Radish and Red Cabbage Slaw

Chili-Lime Cornbread Cups

Rubbin' the hog ribs

On day 2, I fired up the oven about 5 hours prior to show time and got the ribs into slow-cook mode. While they were doin’ their thang, I got to chopping, sauteing and simmering away to make one of the most unique BBQ sauces I have ever had. Again, thanks to inspiration from Jamie Oliver this blend was a combination of fresh herbs, spices, more red chili, and generally accepted BBQ sauce condiment contributions {horseradish, ketchup, worcestershire, etc.} to add the needed kick and sweetness that any finger-lickin’ BBQ sauce requires. But what stood out amongst the 8.ate@eight crowd as the most distinct and crowd-pleasing flavor was the fresh orange juice and zest — not a common flavor found on the grill, but OH so fine. All this paired quite well with a selection of Abita brews from Louisiana — Amber, Purple Haze and Strawberry Harvest. Do not be afraid of the fruit flavored beer gentlemen — it is subtle and the perfect complement to the spicy red chilies that found their way in to many of the dishes.

Makin' the BBQ Sauce

Abita Beer Selection from LA - Save the Sea!

8.ate@eighters Diggin' In

When I polled my southern friends about their favorite desserts, there were many — cobblers, pies, hand churned ice cream, but one that stood out was banana pudding. Borrowing some more inspiration from a delightful dessert blog I read, Bakerella, I decided to make chocolate cups to serve this somewhat simple, but delicious banana pudding in. Armed with 3 pounds of Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate and water balloons {sans water} I got to dipping. My eyeballs nearly popped out of my head trying to blow up the tiny water balloons, but they are necessary to use to get the right size shell. Ultimately these were very easy to make and really jazzed up the puddin’, so the next time you’re looking for a unique serving option for anything that goes well with chocolate {fresh berries, ice cream, pudding, etc.} you should give these a try.

The makings of the banana puddin'

Setting the Chocolate Cups

Pop!

Banana Puddin' Cups

So with full bellies and licked fingers, it was time to sit back, relax and welcome the 3 Amigos into the evening. After so much finger linkin’ food and a large selection of beverages, it was good to have a lively movie to keep the night going and a few guttural laughs to help with digestion. And with still no rain in sight, the evening carried on into the wee hours — I reckon it was another successful and fun 8.ate@eight supper club!

Laughter Helps with Digestion

The 3 Amigos Rode in for the BBQ

Much Obliged:

Thanks, as always, to my guests for being part of the evening. Thanks to my lovely neighbors for the tent and red chili contributions and thank you to my roommate Haley for introducing me to the wonders of Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning.

Stay tuned for news of the next dinner party. Everyone I know and love is getting married in August, so the kitchen is closed until September. If you aren’t on the invite list, email me at 8ateATeight@gmail.com to be added. See you at the table!

Recap of past 8.ate@eight dinners:
Who Cut the Cheese Didn’t Stink
Silencing of the Spring Lambs

Recipe Goodness ::
Banana Puddin’ Chocolate Cups

Pudding recipe courtesy of Cindy Lee

Makes 8-10 servings in one 8×8 pan {9×11 pan if double recipe}

Pudding:
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ cups cold water
1 (4 serving size) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
2 cups whipping cream, lightly whipped
1 box vanilla wafers
4 bananas, sliced

In large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk & water. Add pudding mix, beat with whisk until well blended and chill in refrigerator about 5 min. Then fold in the lightly whipped cream {still liquid, but aerated to make thicker}. Spoon pudding mixture (about 1 cup) into bottom of glass dish, then layer with vanilla wafers, then banana on top of wafer, pudding mix, wafer, banana, pudding mix, wafer (you want to end on wafer). You will have plenty of pudding mixture, especially if you double the recipe so use the pudding mixture generously on the bottom of the dish and throughout.

Tip: Always best to make this the day before so the flavors will marry.

Chocolate Cups:
1 pound semi-sweet chocolate per 8 cups {I like Ghirardelli}

Blow up 8 water balloons with air, not water {careful not to bust a gut!} Get a cookie sheet ready, lined with a piece of parchment paper. Melt chocolate in a small metal bowl on top of a boiling pot of water or in a double boiler. Continue stirring and once fully melted, remove bowl and move to the counter, letting the chocolate cool slightly so as not to pop your balloons. Take a small spoon and put a dollop of chocolate, evenly spaced on the parchment paper, for the foot of each bowl you will create. Start dipping! I found that it was difficult to get an even edge by dipping the balloon straight down, so I took an angled approach and continued to turn and dip, turn and dip at an angle, creating what looked like a tulip bowl. Once you have covered the base of the balloon, place it on one of the dollops, standing upright and repeat. Let the chocolate harden for about an hour and then pop each balloon with a pin and enjoy!

7 Comments

Filed under 8.ate@eight, @home {recipes to love}, Do This!, Eat Here!, NYC Best

Tagged as 8.ate@eight, BBQ, Beer, Dinner Party, Drinks, Food, Garden, Group, Outdoors, Recipe, UWS, Wine

July 6, 2010 · 9:26 am

recipe goodness :: orzo summer salad

Orzo Prep

Whew! It’s HOT out there! If you’re looking for a great recipe to cool down with, this is the one. Not many people haven’t had this salad at one of my BBQs. It’s always a huge hit and on the rare occasion that there is actually any leftover, it’s even better the next day. The orzo summer salad is extremely easy to throw together and makes a large amount, so this recipe is perfect for a big gathering and can be made ahead of time so all you have to do is toss a spoon in the bowl and put it on the table. Yay for delicious and easy crowd-pleasing recipes!

Orzo Summer Salad

Serves a lot!

1 box orzo
1/2 bag baby spinach, roughly chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 lb fresh feta
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook orzo according to package instructions (approx. 7 minutes). While the orzo is cooking, roughly chop baby spinach and add to a large bowl. Juice and zest 1 large lemon and add 1/4 cup olive oil to a separate small bowl and whisk together. When orzo is done cooking, drain thoroughly and add to the large bowl, pouring over spinach leaves. {TIP: Adding the orzo while warm will slightly cook the spinach so you get softer, brighter spinach leaves} Pour the lemon-olive oil dressing over the orzo, crumble the feta and add the green onions and halved grape tomatoes. Season generously with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly and serve immediately or cool in the fridge to serve chilled {TIP: Remove salad 15 minutes before serving if chilled to allow the olive oil to come back to room temperature}.

Orzo Summer Salad

Try the Orzo Summer Salad with one of these great entrees:
Bison, a Better Burger Worth Biting Into
Pistachio-Encrusted Spring Lamb w/ Pickled Red Onions & Cumin Yogurt Sauce
Whole-Grain Mustard & Rosemary Pork Chops

5 Comments

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as BBQ, Dinner Party, Food, Group, Healthy, Recipe, Salad

July 3, 2010 · 9:22 am

Happy 4th of July Weekend from 8.ate@eight!

Happy 4th of July from 8.ate@eight!

I hope the sun is shining as brightly as it is in NYC for all of you. Enjoy the holiday weekend and if you’re looking for a few easy and unique dishes to share at your BBQ, try a few of these 8.ate@eight favorites and let me know how they turn out!

June 30, 2010 · 8:20 am

4th Food Fare: Creative Crowd-Pleasing BBQ’d Pizzas

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BBQ’d Pizza you ask? Yes, you don’t need a wood burning oven or even a pizza stone to successfully make pizzas at home. And it’s even easier if you have a favorite pizza joint nearby that will sell you uncooked dough and even some toppings. This is so much more interesting for a great BBQ party than hot dogs and hamburgers and gets your guests involved so you don’t have to be sweating in front of the grill all night.

Easy Grilled Pizzas

Serves 8 (individual size)

1 large pizza dough ball
1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
Olive oil for brushing

Toppings: Get creative — putting multiple bowls of topping options out allows your guests to choose their favs and maybe even get a little competitive to build the best pizza combo.

Peppers
Olives
Chopped fresh tomatoes
Onions (raw or grilled)
Grilled Eggplant and zucchini
Mushrooms (grilled and sliced portobellos are great)
Sweet or spicy grilled italian sausage and pepperoni (sliced)
Different cheeses (feta, brie, halloumi)
Fresh greens: basil, rosemary, spinach

Turn grill on to medium heat
Cut dough into 8 individual balls and let rest on a tray
Two people can start simultaneously — have two guests start gently stretching the dough in their hands, turning and pulling to form the dough into a thin round circle, being careful not to pull a hole in the dough.
Once the grill is hot and the dough has been stretched, lay them on a cutting board or tray and brush one side with olive oil. Pick the dough back up and flop directly on the grill, olive oil side down, and close the lid.
After about 1-2 mins or until you see light grill marks on the under side, brush the top with olive oil and flip with tongs.
Work quickly to add all toppings from sauce to cheese and anything else. Close the grill lid and wait ~1-2 mins.
Check to make sure the cheese is melted and the bottom is a nicely browned. If the bottom starts to get too dark before the cheese is fully melted you can move the pizza to a top rack and let the indirect heat do the rest of the work without burning the dough.
Enjoy and repeat!

Tip: If you think your guests will want more than one individual pizza, buy extra dough and cheese to accommodate appetites and the number of people. You can always make other things with leftover dough.

Extra Dough:

Rosemary-Sea Salt Flatbread — After brushing the second side with olive oil, sprinkle generously with coarse gray sea salt and fresh rosemary.
Delicious Breakfast Pizza — Same steps as original pizza, but once you flip the dough, immediately move it to the top rack and crack the egg directly on the dough. This will take approximately 10 minutes for the egg to fully cook, so the bottom will burn if you leave it on the bottom. The egg will be done when you poke with a fork or knife and the white is firm.

Serve With A Refreshing Cocktail and Spinach Salad:
Pink Fizzy Lemonade Cocktails Beat the Heat
Spinach, Strawberry & Halloumi Salad

Breakfast PIzza

Filed under @home {recipes to love}, Do This!

Tagged as BBQ, Dinner Party, Eggs, Food, Group, Inexpensive, Outdoors, Pizza, Recipe

June 28, 2010 · 10:19 am

4th Food Fare: Pink Fizzy Lemonade Cocktails Beat the Heat

Pink Fizzy Lemonade Cocktail

The 4th of July is fast approaching {gasp} and if you’re looking for a little food fare fireworks to spark up your festive BBQ, try serving up a chilly cocktail to beat the heat and offer guests an alternative refresher to beer and soda. My friend Amanda whipped up this pink fizzy and the pitcher was quickly emptied, so I can attest to this being a crowd pleaser {guys and girls alike were fans of this pink drink}.

Amanda’s Pink Fizzy Lemonade Cocktail

Makes 10 servings

1 can Minute Maid Pink Lemonade Frozen Concentrate
1 can Vodka
1 liter Club Soda

Empty the frozen concentrate in a large pitcher. Refill 1 can with vodka and add to the pitcher. Add one liter of chilled club soda to the pitcher. Stir thoroughly to mix. Fill glasses with ice cubes and pour cocktail in each glass. Garnish with a fresh strawberry or mint leaves for a fun colorful touch. Note: A non-alcoholic version can be made by substituting vodka with a second can of club soda {in addition to the liter}. Enjoy!

Goes Well With Something Hot Off The Grill:
Creative Crowd-Pleasing BBQ’d Pizzas
Bison, a Better Burger Worth Biting Into
Pistachio-Encrusted Spring Lamb w/ Pickled Red Onions & Cumin Yogurt Sauce
Whole-Grain Mustard & Rosemary Pork Chops

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as BBQ, Drinks, Lemonade, Recipe

June 23, 2010 · 9:46 am

EAT@HOME: New on 8.ate@eight

New 8.ate@eight Features

Hungry for more inspiration from 8.ate@eight?

EAT@HOME:
Now you can easily access 8.ate@eight’s favorite recipes from the new tab at the top called EAT@HOME. I hope this page inspires you to try new things at your table. I’ll continue to test and share recipes I love to eat and prepare, so check back as this section will continue to grow with new ideas. Eat up!

SUBSCRIBE:
Get email updates with new blog posts, recipes and supper club announcements by visiting the home page, entering your email and clicking the “FEED ME” button.

Filed under 8.ate@eight, @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as 8.ate@eight, Recipe

June 22, 2010 · 1:04 pm

recipe goodness :: whole-grain mustard and rosemary pork chops

Rosemary Mustard Rubbed Pork Chops

Hello God, it’s me Mustard. Ok, so yes, I have admitted before that mustard is one of my single most favorite flavors to add a spicy, earthy kick to any dish. And one of my favorite things to pair this with is grilled pork chops {it’s a match made in heaven}. This dish is so easy to prepare and has such a good flavor, you will fool any table guest into thinking you work miracles in the kitchen. The mustard will caramelize, giving the pork chops a sweet and savory flavor, brightened by the herby fresh rosemary. Don’t be afraid to be generous with the mustard spreading as a lot of it will cook off onto the grill or in the pan.

Grilled Whole-Grain Mustard and Rosemary Pork Chops

Serves 4

4 8-oz bone-in Pork Chops
4 TBS Whole Grain or Dijon Mustard
1 Sprig Fresh Rosemary
Pepper to Taste

At least 2 hours before you plan to cook the pork chops {optional}, spread approximately 1 TBS of Whole Grain or Dijon mustard on each chop front and back. Give each chop a few cranks of black pepper on each side {no need to add salt as the mustard is salty enough}. Remove rosemary leaves from sprig and sprinkle on the top and bottom of each chop. Cover and let them hang out in the fridge until ready to cook to let the mustard flavor get into the meat. It’s that easy!

Heat the BBQ, or grill pan if doing on the stove, to medium heat and cook the first side for ~5 minutes until surface is slightly golden and grill marks appear. Flip and cook for another 6-8 minutes or until done. Pork chops should be firm to the touch, but can still be slightly pink in the center when done. Depending on thickness, cooking time may vary.

Grilled Rosemary-Mustard Pork Chops

Try other Mustard-Inspired Recipes:
roasted dijon chicken salad w/ dried cranberries & sunflower seeds
cumin & dill dijon egg salad with radish sprouts

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as BBQ, Food, Mustard, Pork, Recipe

June 13, 2010 · 7:03 pm

8.ate@eight #2: Who Cut the Cheese Didn’t Stink!

8.ate@eight #2: who cut the cheese

The rain held off and there was a perfect summer breeze in the air, which set the scene for another memorable evening with new and old friends. Lots of cheese, wine, beer and hand-prepared food to share, so without further ado…here’s the scoop>>>

Farm Fresh Cheese was the feature fare for the evening. To lighten things up to follow, I prepared a few citrus-centric dishes, including a grilled fishus delicious. I paired the movie with the setting instead of the food this time around. Our new friends gathered terrace-top overlooking the NY skyline and our lovely neighbors across the way, so it seemed only appropriate to roll tape on Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

Welcome!

Cheese Menu:

Cheese & Wine Paring
Nancy’s Hudson Valley Camembert (Old Chatham, NY)
Buy: Artisanal
w/ Delapierre Brut Cava (Spain)

Beringse Witte (Hamont-Achel, Belgium)
Buy: Formaggio Essex
w/ Brooklyn Local 1 Pale Ale

Ardith Mae Dairy’s Begelo (Hallstead, PA)
Buy: Union Square (Fri), 77th St & Columbia Univ. Greenmarket (Sun)
w/ Shaya ’08 Verdejo

Monte Enebro (Avila, Spain)
Buy: Artisanal
w/ Shaya ’08 Verdejo

Roncal (Navarra Region, Spain)
Buy: Artisanal
w/ Perrin & Fils ’07 Cotes du Rhone

Valley Shepherd Farms Crema de Blue (NJ)
Buy: Union Square & Borough Hall Greenmarkets (Sat)
w/ Muscat de Saint Jean de Mineverois

Accompaniments:
Grandma Wilklow’s Homemade Berry-Berry Jam
Buy: Borough Hall Greenmarket (Tues & Sat)
Tremblay Apiary Creamed Honey
Buy: Union Square Greenmarket (Fri & Sat)

Dinner Menu:

Soup
Chilled Lemon-Rice Soup
w/ Cousiño-Macul Sauvignon Gris

Entrée and Sides
Grilled Wild North Atlantic Halibut w/ Chili-Lime Dressing, served over a Lentil, Orange & Feta Salad
Carrot Ribbon & Arugula Salad w/ a Lemon-Ginger Dressing
w/ Cousiño-Macul Sauvignon Gris

Dessert
Violet’s Lemon Cheesecake w/ BBQ’d Summer Berries
w/ Tourangelle Touraine Rosé

Movie
Rear Window

Jessica Wurwarg, friend and Artisanal cheese expert {discount code and more about her cheese&wine classes here}, kicked off the evening with a beautiful array of local and artisanal cheeses. Each was paired with a selection of wines and a local Brooklyn ale to complement the flavor profiles and bring out the best in each cut. The cheese was also accompanied by locally produced Grandma Wilklow’s berry-berry jam and what I like to call semi-solid gold, Tremblay creamed honey, to add a contrasting sweetness to some of the more salty, earthy notes. If you haven’t had creamed honey before, run, don’t walk to the Union Square Greenmarket or check it out here. This isn’t your typical honey-bear liquid gold — creamed honey goes through a controlled granulation process, which results in a finely crystallized form that spreads like butter, melts in your mouth and takes on creamy characteristics.

Jessica Cutting the Cheese

Cheese Plating in Progress

Jessica Shares her Cheese & Wine Knowledge

Cheese & Jam & Creamed Honey, oh my!

8.ate@eighters

While everyone was finishing off their cheese and multiple glasses of wine, beer and more wine, I served up a small bowl of chilled lemon rice soup to cleanse the palate. Conversation ensued and I fired up the grill to get the rest of the meal prepared. I wanted to keep things simple and light to cut all the creamy proteins we just enjoyed, so I grilled up a North Atlantic Halibut that had been hangin’ out in a lime, red chili, olive oil and herb marinade for a few hours. The fish was grilled in a tin foil pouch to lock in the moisture and infuse the fish with all the fresh juices. On the side I served two salads: the first was a lentil, red onion, feta and orange salad that had a bit of a mediterranean flare to complement the fish, and the second was a very simple arugula and carrot ribbon salad with a fresh lemon-ginger-sesame seed dressing that really kept things light and not too filling.

Chilled Lemon-Rice Soup

Grilled Wild North Atlantic Halibut w/ Chili-Lime Dressing, served over a Lentil, Orange & Feta Salad

Everyone seemed to be quite relaxed after all that wine and food, so while the conversation carried on, plates were cleared and the projector was set-up to bring a little Hitchcock into the evening.

8.ate@eighters After Sunset

It’s never a bad dinner party when Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart Show Up.

Grace Kelly and James Stewart Showed Up for Dinner

While the movie rolled, I got to work plating mini cheesecakes {my grandma’s recipe} and BBQ’ing a selection of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries to serve over the top.

Summer Berries ready to be BBQ'd

Violet's Lemon Cheesecake w/ BBQ'd Summer Berries

Midway through the movie, dessert was served, some caught a little shut-eye and we closed out the evening with the suspenseful Rear Window.

Settling in for the Rear Window Viewing

Thanks:

Thank you to Jessica for selecting wonderful cheeses & wines to kick off the evening and for sharing so much knowledge with the 8.ate@eight table. Thank you also to Kristin for helping to set-up and do dishes — my least favorite thing to do was completely eliminated by the graces of a good friend!

Stay tuned for news of the next dinner party. If you aren’t on the invite list, email me at 8ateateight@gmail.com. See you at the table!

Recap of past 8.ate@eight dinners:
Silencing of the Spring Lambs

Recipe Goodness:

Violet’s Lemon Cheesecake with BBQ’d Summer Berries

Makes 20 Cupcake Sized Mini Cheesecakes or one 9″ Spring Form Pan
Bake 350° for 25-30 mins.

Crust:
1 1/4 C Ground Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 C Finely Chopped Walnuts
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 C Melted Butter

Filling:
16 oz Cream Cheese
2 TBS Heavy Cream
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Large Eggs
3/4 C Sugar
1 Lemon, Juiced (reserve for after prior ingredients combined)

Berry Topping:
1 Pint Strawberries
1-6-oz Container Blueberries
1-6-oz Container Raspberries
1-6-oz Container Blackberries

Chop graham crackers and walnuts in a food processor until medium to fine crumbs form. Mix in a bowl with cinnamon and melted butter. Press crumbs into the bottom of foil muffin wrappers placed in a muffin pan or into the bottom of a 9″ spring form pan if you prefer one cake. {Tip: Foil wrappers are better than paper to prevent any chance of leaking or absorption}

In a separate mixing bowl, combine all filling ingredients {except for the lemon juice to avoid curdling} and blend. After the ingredients have been creamed thoroughly, add the lemon juice and blend to combine. Pour filling into each cup until 2/3 full to leave room for oven rising {or pour entire mixture into spring form}. Bake at 350° for ~25-30 minutes. Filling should be firm and a toothpick should come out clean when tested at the center. Let cakes cool completely before putting into the fridge for at least 5 hours to chill and rest before serving.

To serve with BBQ’d berries, rinse and dry fruit and place in a foil pouch to place directly on the grill. Let berries cook over low heat about 3-5 minutes, or until some of the juice is released to create a sauce and the berries are softened. Remove pouch from the grill and place on a sheet or plate to avoid leaking. Remove each cheesecake from the wrapper and place upside down so the crust is on top. Scoop berries over the cheesecake and serve warm.

Filed under 8.ate@eight, @home {recipes to love}, Do This!, Eat Here!

Tagged as 8.ate@eight, Cheese, Dinner Party, Drinks, Food, Group, Outdoors, Recipe, Rooftop, UWS

May 27, 2010 · 8:32 am

recipe goodness :: avocado & tropical fruit salsa

Avocado & Tropical Fruit Salsa

Memorial Day is right around the corner , which means I break out the American flag and fire up the BBQ. Anyone who knows me knows my biggest weakness is tortilla chips with fresh salsa — not the jarred kind that tastes like bland tomato puree or the ‘fresh’ salsa that comes prepackaged at the grocery store, but the pull-your-knife-out and start chopping fresh salsa. I usually do some version of a grape tomato-corn-jalapeno-lime blend, but my cousin recently introduced me to a truly unique recipe with a blend of fruit, citrus and avocado that was both delicious and beautiful — it’s worth the effort of chop, chop, chopping and if you don’t finish it off yourself before it gets to the table, you will definitely impress your guests with something new and unexpected.

Avocado & Tropical Fruit Salsa

2 cups finely diced tropical fruit such as kiwi, pineapple, mango, and papaya
2 avocados, pitted, peeled, and cut into ¼-inch dice
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
1 fresh serrano or jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped
2 TBS fresh lime juice, plus zest
2 TBS fresh squeezed orange juice

Let the chopped onion soak in the orange juice for 10-15 minutes while you chop the rest of the ingredients {TIP: this will help take the bite out of the raw onion}. Gently toss together all ingredients in a medium bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Goes great with lime tortilla chips or with grilled fish, chicken, as a topping for a burger, whatever! The flavors are so fresh it’s hard not to love this salsa with anything.

Speaking of burgers, why not try bison?

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as BBQ, Food, Healthy, Outdoors, Recipe, Salsa

May 24, 2010 · 1:53 pm

8.ate@eight #1: Silencing of the Spring Lambs was Lambtastic!

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What can I say, the inaugural 8.ate@eight supper club was lambtastic! Perfect weather (mid-70s) and perfect company set the scene for a great evening of fresh, hand-prepared food, deliciously paired wine and good conversation shared amongst new and old friends. Here’s the scoop >>>

Naerim, my friend and French Culinary Institute-trained pastry chef, showed up around 11am to start throwing around some cake flour and gettin’ down to business preparing her superbly delicious Panna Cotta Tartlets with Balsamic Strawberries. Meanwhile, the prosecco was chillin’ and I was chopping, grinding and whizzing away to to get all the elements together for each course of the meal, organized to complement our post-dinner flick, Silence of the Lambs.

The Menu:

Starter
Minted Fava Bean & Spring Pea Puree with Fresh Italian Ricotta on Garlic Rubbed Toasts
w/ Fresh Squeezed Blood Orange Mimosas

Salad
Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Pancetta Vinaigrette, Michigan Dried Cherries & Candied Pecans
w/ 2008 Domaine Dupeuble Pere et Fils Beaujolais

Entrée
Pistachio encrusted Spring Lamb with Cumin Yogurt & Pickled Red Onion
w/ 2001 Cataregia Gran Reserva

Dessert
Panna Cotta Tartlets w/ Balsamic Strawberries

Movie
Silence of the Lambs

Everyone grabbed a Fresh Blood Orange Mimosa, introduced themselves and settled in for some good food and drinks.

Fresh Blood Oranges Being Squeezed for Blood Orange Mimosas

Fava Bean and Pea Puree

Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Pancetta Vinaigrette, Dried Michigan Cherries and Candied Pecans

While the salad was being served, we were off in the kitchen orchestrating all the elements of the entrée. The lamb (and Jessica’s sea bass) was encrusted with a spice blend of thyme, chilli pepper, cumin, lemon zest and pistachios, pan-seared and finished in the oven. Each was topped with freshly pickled red onions and a cumin yogurt sauce. The white asparagus was steamed and topped with a melted smashed mint, lemon butter sauce. Pans were flying and the kitchen mercury was rising as we had all the burners fired at once, but with the help of Naerim, we got everything cooked and plated before anyone pulled a Hannibal Lector.

Pistachio Spring Lamb w/ Cumin Yogurt & Pickled Red Onion; White Asparagus w/ Smashed Mint & Lemon Butter

After the plates were cleared, we rolled the movie, opened more wine and Naerim got to work finishing dessert.

Naerim Plating Dessert

Panna Cotta Tartlets w/ Balsamic Strawberries

Hannibal Lector showed up for a bite too.

Hannibal Lector Shows Up After Dinner

Click here to see the full album.

Thanks:

I want to thank Naerim for preparing such a beautiful and delicious dessert and for all the help in getting the 8.ate@eight-ers fed. Thanks to Kristin for snapping some candids while I was off in the kitchen and for doing dishes late night {tisk tisk!!} And I of course want to thank everyone who grabbed a seat at the table — it was lovely to have you all!

Our next dinner will be announced shortly {very shortly} so if you aren’t on the list, email me at 8ateateight@gmail.com. See you at the table!

Recipe Goodness:

Pistachio-Encrusted Spring Lamb w/ Pickled Red Onions & Cumin Yogurt Sauce

Serves 4

Chops:
12 lamb chops, ~ 1 1/2 inches thick
2 TBS fresh thyme
1 TBS ground chilli pepper
1 TBS ground cumin
2 TBS fresh lemon zest
Salt & Pepper
1 Cup shelled pistachio nuts

Pickled Red Onion:
1 red onion
1 lemon
Salt & pepper to taste

Sauce:
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt & pepper to taste

Thinly slice the red onion and put into a container that will seal. Pour the juice of one lemon over the onion, add a dash of salt and a crank or two of black pepper. Set the container in the fridge for at least 2 hours. The lemon juice will pickle the onion and soften the flavor for a nice addition to your chops.

In another bowl add the 1/2 tsp of cumin, salt and pepper to the yogurt and stir thoroughly. Set aside.

Meanwhile, mix all the dry spices and lemon zest in a bowl. In a zip lock, smash the shelled pistachios to smaller bits that will stick easily to your lamb. Pour the nuts into a separate bowl. Lightly drizzle a little olive oil over the lamb chops and gently press each side of the chops first in the spice bowl and then in the pistachio bowl, making sure both sides are generously covered in pistachios. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large oven safe pan on the stove {no need to add olive oil as the fat from the lamb will be enough to cook the chops}. Add all the of chops to the pan and push firmly down to create a good sear. Cook for 2 minutes, flip and put the pan into the oven for 4 minutes. {Note: If you don’t have an oven safe pan, you can preheat a cookie sheet in the oven and transfer the chops to the sheet to finish}.

To serve, top the lamb chops with a few rings of the pickled red onion and a drizzle of the cumin yogurt. Enjoy!