Tag Archives: Recipe

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Farro, Healthy, Kale, Lemon, Parmesan, Pine Nuts, Quick, Recipe, Salad, Side, Vegetarian

February 16, 2011 · 9:38 am

Breadmaking 101: How to Make Bakery Quality Bread @Home

Homemade Bread

Yes, you too can achieve these results. No, you don’t need a bread machine or fancy mixer. Just your two hands, and the recipe below. This is the week of generously sharing family secrets to put excellent handmade food on your table.

A good meal is not complete without a great crusty bread that is also soft and chewy on the inside. I never thought this was something that could be accomplished at home, but after spending the day with my highly talented cousin, KimNora, I learned differently and a new bread baker was born! KimNora has been perfecting her bread for many years, experimenting with technique, ratios and environment, to create a bread that would give even Daniel Boulud a run for his money!

Homemade Crusty Whole Wheat Bread {Stretch & Fold Method}

Makes 1 Loaf | Total Time: 4 hours

2 cups unbleached bread flour {~305 grams}
1.5 cups whole wheat flour {~213 grams}
50 grams dried spent grain {optional}
2.5 teaspoons kosher salt {~14 grams}
2 teaspoons (scant) rapid rise dry yeast
Optional: 1 Tablespoon (scant) barley malt powder {~14 grams}
1 tablespoon each of fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, finely chopped
450 milliliters room temperature filtered water
corn meal for dusting proofing basket

If you want to flavor your bread {ideas: thyme-rosemary-sage, thyme-meyer lemon, rosemary-meyer lemon, raisin}, add the zest and herbs to the water and let sit for 15-20 minutes to infuse with the flavors. Raisins are best when they are plump, not totally dry, so letting them absorb some of the water is key.
Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk.
Create a well in the middle and slowly add half the water, stirring with a butter knife {tip: this is an easy tool to pull sticky dough from}. As the dough comes together add remaining water to the center and stir with the knife to bring in the remaining flour, working from the center outwards, so as to minimize the amount of dough that sticks to the side of the bowl. Dough should be slightly sticky, but not smooth at this point. If it is too sticky add a few pinches of bread flour.
Cover the top of the dough loosely with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 10 minutes so flour hydrates and gluten bonds form.
After 10 minutes, dip hands and bread scraper in olive oil to prevent dough from sticking. Loosen dough from sides of the bowl and gently work into a smooth ball.
Lightly pour olive oil on counter or marble working surface and spread with hands to oil both your hands and surface.
Grab the dough with oiled hands and bring to the oiled counter to gently stretch the dough into somewhat of a rectangle shape. DO NOT pull or tear at dough — you just want to gently work it from the center to the outside to reshape.
While gently stretching the dough by grabbing one end, pull it up and fold like a letter into thirds. Right side folded first, then left side over that {stretch and pull, but don’t let the dough tear}. Then take the opposite ends that were just folded and fold into thirds again — top to the center and the bottom over that, stretching and folding. In the end, you will have almost a square shape.
Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying out for 10 more minutes.
Repeat steps 5-8 two more times, so you will have stretched and folded and let rest for a total of 3 times. After the 3rd stretch and fold, allow the dough to rise for 1 hour, covered with plastic wrap.
After 1 hour rise, very lightly flour the surface and remove dough from the bowl to the counter. Spread and fold a 4th time and then start to form into a smooth ball by grabbing the edges and tucking the dough under itself, turning as you smooth and round the ball.
Generously add corn meal to a bread banneton {or place a clean towel in a small bowl and flour the towel}. Generously flour your hands and pick up the ball of dough, adding it to the basket or bowl, smooth side down, so your tucking seam is facing up. Gently pinch the seam to smooth the top of the dough facing up.
Cover with plastic wrap and let allow for a 2nd rise for 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile make sure your rack is in the center of the oven, with no rack above it and turn on your oven to 500 ºF with a metal baking sheet, pizza stone, piece of slate or terra cotta tiles on the rack to come to temperature with the oven.
After rise is complete, work quickly {so you don’t lose your heat} to dump dough from your basket onto the hot slate or pizza stone and using your sharpest knife or a bread lame, slash a fairly deep cut across the center and in any design you would like. Cutting the dough will open it up to expand upward, giving you good rise and will also look beautiful!
Turn oven down to 450ºF and cook for ~30-40 minutes.
Around 30 minutes, be sure to smell for any burning — remove immediately if necessarily. When bread has a nice dark crust, remove to the counter and while holding with one hand (use an oven mitt) check the temperature of the bread by inserting a thermometer in the bottom of the bread. If it reads 200-205º, it’s done! Add back to the oven if any less than 200.
The hardest part: resist the temptation to slice into your masterpiece right away, allowing it to cool for 1-2 hours as it completes its baking process on a wire rack on the counter.

The Art of Baking Bread:

Steps 1-4

Steps 5-7

Step 11: Smooth side down, pinch to close the tuck seam

Step 12: Final Rise

Step 14: Dump on cooking stone, slash, add water and close!

Step 16: Check Temp for 200-205 deg

Step 17: Leave it alone, admire from afar!

Enjoy Bakery Quality Bread at Home

The Rise on More Family Secrets:
Secret DiLaura Family Frittata with Sweet Italian Sausage
Grandma’s Italian Wedding Chicken Soup
Homemade Gnocchi and Sauce: Channeling My Italian Grandmother
Violet’s Lemon Cheesecake with BBQ’d Summer Berries

4 Comments

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

Tagged as Artisanal Bread, Baking, Bread, Breadmaking, Handmade, Homemade, Homemade Bread, Loaf, Recipe, Whole Wheat

February 9, 2011 · 6:30 am

8.ate@eight is Filming with Food52 Today

After working with food52 co-founders, Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs on whipping up lots of mean excel spreadsheets, we decided it was time to direct some of that energy to the kitchen — a place we all love to work.

For those of you who don’t know food52, the company grew out of the insight that some of the best recipes come from home cooks. Each week they host a contest focused on one ingredient, allowing talented home cooks to show their stuff. The food52 team then vets the recipes and presents the best selections for the community to vote on, choosing a winner that will be published in an annual cookbook. How brilliant is that!

So this week they’ve asked me to come by their kitchen and film a video about my favorite food: My Grandma DiLaura’s homemade gnocchi. Stay tuned for more photos, videos and the secret family recipe! In the meantime, think about adding your own favorite recipe to this week’s contest, with the potential to be published in a cookbook and win a whole slew of prizes from Williams-Sonoma, Viking, OXO and TinyPrints. And you thought Christmas was in December.

Your Best Recipe with Citrus & Olives – BOOK 2 — WEEK 24

SUBMIT BEFORE 12am ET 02/11/11

Photo: Sarah Shatz

Winter citrus is at its finest, and most welcome, right about now. And when you add salty, briny olives — well, that’s practically a dance party. For this contest, pair them in any way you like, just make sure that both co-starring ingredients shine through mightily.

6 Comments

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

Tagged as 8.ate@eight, Amanda Hesser, Dinner, Entree, Food52, Fresh Pasta, Gnocchi, Grandma DiLaura, italian, Main, Merrill Stubbs, Pasta, Recipe, Video

February 4, 2011 · 10:24 am

recipe goodness :: braised grass-fed beef brisket and polenta

Braised Grass-fed Brisket and Polenta

It’s Superbowl weekend and you’re looking for an alternative to just another bowl of chili? Why not delight your pigskin party pals with a warm, rich bowl of polenta and braised brisket. The best thing about this dish is you can throw it all in a pot and let it cook for a few hours {or make the day before!}, while you enjoy the TV ads and a few brews. Of course, this dish is perfect for any cold winter night and doesn’t have to be saved for the big game — the bonus is it gets better with age, so leftovers are supreme.

Braised Brisket

Braised Grass-Fed Beef Brisket and Polenta

Serves 8-10 | Preheat Oven 350º

5-6 pounds grass fed brisket {I love Grazin’ Acres}
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 bottle red wine
14 ounces fire-roasted whole tomatoes and juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3-4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large sprig rosemary, leaves chopped
2 bay leaves
water
polenta
parmesan for grating

Braised Brisket Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soak dried mushrooms in 2 cups boiling water.
Cut round piece of parchment with a quarter-sized hole in the middle to fit inside the pot on top of your ingredients before putting into the oven. This will prevent the sauce from cooking down too much.
Season brisket well with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large, heavy pot (I used a 7.5-qt. enameled cast iron dutch oven) over medium heat until shimmering. Brown brisket for 2-3 minutes per side, then set aside. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of accumulated fat from pot {using grass-fed beef, which is leaner may not leave much excess fat}, then sauté onion, carrots and celery until soft. Add garlic and stir until fragrant.
Create a hot spot in the pot by moving vegetables aside and leaving about a 3-inch radius bare. Add tomato paste to the hot spot and stir vigorously until caramelized, then stir into the vegetables. Add red wine to deglaze and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add tomatoes, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, mushrooms and soaking liquid (minus the last 1/4 inch to keep sediment out of your dish), plus herbs.
Add brisket to pot, fat side up and fill with water until brisket is nearly covered. Bring liquid to a boil, then cover with the round parchment paper and tight fitting lid and braise in oven for at least 3 hours or until brisket is fall-apart tender.
Remove brisket from liquid and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove bay leaves and discard. While brisket is cooling, skim fat off surface and then purée the braising liquid with an immersion blender until thick and set over medium-low heat to reduce if the sauce seems thin. When brisket has cooled down, discard large pieces of fat, then shred the beef and return it to the pot.
Brisket can either be served immediately or refrigerated overnight. The next day, remove additional fat from the surface before reheating.
When serving, cook polenta per package instructions.
Add polenta to serving dish, topped with braised brisket and grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Adapted from Minimally Invasive for food52.com

And a Side Of…:
Red Chili-Lime Cornbread Muffins
Rosemary, Truffle and Parmesan Chips or Fries
Roasted Cauliflower with Gremolata Breadcrumbs
Autumn Manhattan {Herby Garnished Classic a la Tippling Bros.}

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Beef, Braise, Brisket, Dinner, Entree, Food, Grass-Fed, Grazin' Acres, Main, Polenta, Recipe, Superbowl, Winter

February 3, 2011 · 10:23 am

recipe goodness :: inside-out scotch eggs w/ ground lamb, harissa yolk & panko gremolata

Inside-out Scotch Egg

What is an inside-out scotch egg you ask? If you want to be a traditionalist, the scotch egg usually involves enrobing a hard boiled egg with ground meat, breading it and deep frying that sucker. As I prepared for 8.ate@eight’s Robert Burn’s night with the Tippling Bros., I knew I didn’t want to be deep frying, nor serving something that ends up being the size of your fist, so I took inspiration from these flavors, flipped them inside out and created an appetizer that is creamy, spicy and somewhat devilish — the perfect drinking companion. Serve this at your Superbowl party and you will be legendary!

Inside Out Scotch Egg With Ground Lamb, Harissa Yolk & Panko Gremolata
Makes 12 | Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

6 Eggs, two-weeks old

Lamb:
¼ lb ground lamb
1 teaspoon harissa paste
salt

Harissa Yolk:
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chives, chopped very fine
1 teaspoon harissa paste {add more for spicier kick}
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Panko Gremolata:
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped

For the eggs and lamb:

Use two-week old eggs to allow hard boiled egg to separate from the shell more easily. The night before you plan to make, rest each egg horizontally in the carton with the lid open. This will help center the yolk for better presentation.
Bring eggs to room temperature for 30 minutes {still resting on their sides}.
Add eggs to a large pot and fill with water, covering the eggs by at least an inch. Salt the water and bring to a boil.
When water is boiling, remove from heat and cover with a lid for 30 minutes.
While eggs rest, sauté ground lamb, harissa paste and salt until no longer pink. Remove from heat and drain any excess oil.
After 30 minutes, cool eggs in ice bath immediately and rest for 20 minutes.
While eggs cool, make gremolata.
Once cooled, roll each egg along the counter to crack shells and place back in cold water for 5 minutes to allow for easy separation between egg and shell.
Remove the shell, cutting each egg in half and remove the yolk into a separate bowl.
Mash the egg yolk till powdery and then add remaining ingredients. Taste mixture and add additional harissa if you prefer spicier flavor.
When ready to assemble, use a small spoon to scoop lamb into the cavity of each egg half.
Using a pastry bag and tip with a large opening, pipe the egg mixture on top of the lamb in each cavity.
Right before serving, sprinkle the gremolata on top of the yolk and enjoy!

For the Gremolata:

In a small sauté pan heat olive oil on medium heat and add panko breadcrumbs. Continue stirring until panko breadcrumbs are light brown in color.
Add minced garlic and lemon zest and stir to release the flavors, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add to chopped parsley.
Set aside until ready to serve {may get soggy if added to eggs to early}

You Might Also Like These:
How To Cook The Perfect Sunny Side-Up Egg
How to Cook the Perfect 8.5 Minute Egg
Mini Wild Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie w/ Scotch! {bottom of post}

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

Tagged as 8.ate@eight, Appetizer, Breadcrumbs, Egg, Food, gremolata, Harissa, Lamb, Panko, Recipe, Scottish, Side, Side Dishes, Snack

January 31, 2011 · 10:43 am

Crispy Cayenne Roasted Potatoes

Still on the wintry kick here — winter hibernation, means good satisfying meals that don’t leave you hungry or bored with flavor. After a visit to the farmer’s market, I came home with an array of colorful potatoes just begging to be roasted and crispy. These are not your mother’s potatoes. I suggested a few varieties below, but you can use any combination, although I like the smaller spuds that are easy to cut into bite-sized pieces and get a nice charred edge on them. I also like these because they vary in both color and flavor, so you take a simple roasted potato dish to something with much more depth and with no additional effort. This recipe is easy to throw together as a last minute side dish and requires minimal prep.

Crispy Cayenne Roasted Potatoes
Serves 4 | Cook Time: 45 minutes | 400º

¼ lb Fingerling Potatoes
¼ lb Purple Peruvian Potatoes
¼ lb Red-Skinned Potatoes
Olive Oil
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Rinse and dry potatoes. Cut each potato in half through its narrowest equator and add to medium sized bowl {quarter them if yours are larger than a ping pong ball in size}.
Add olive oil to coat, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper {1/2 teaspoon if spicier potatoes are preferred}.
Toss to coat and spread evenly on baking sheet.
Slide baking sheet into middle or lower rack the in oven for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, use a spatula to turn potatoes allowing opposite side to face up. Rotate baking sheet 180 degrees and place back in the oven for remaining 25-35 minutes, until outer edge is brown and crispy.

The Side Came First, Now For the Entree:
Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken
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 Cayenne Pepper, Food, Potato, Recipe, Roasted Potatoes, Side, Spicy

December 22, 2010 · 10:44 am

In a Holiday Foodpickle? Your Answer is Seconds Away

We all stumble upon questions mid-prep. What’s the difference between heavy and whipping cream? How do I make homemade whipped cream? How long do I cook shrimp? Usually, my mom is at the ready to answer all my cooking fire alarms, but if you find you need an instant answer or don’t want to ask the woman who raised you, foodpickle from food52 is a real-time food q&a service supported by a community of passionate and knowledgeable foodies at the ready to share their expertise and set you on the right preparation path.

And if you’re the one with all the answers, you could win a up to $150 prize from Viking for the being the best foodpickler each week! That’s better than Santa!

TEXT MESSAGING
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FOODPICKLE ON TWITTER
Tweet @foodpickle a question from anywhere — your stove, the grocery aisle, a dinner party. foodpickle will @reply or d.m. you the responses.

Follow @foodpickle on Twitter to see questions and answers as they come in.

Read more: http://www.food52.com/foodpickle#ixzz164cxUUNs or see Foodpickle coverage on ABC News: http://bit.ly/eLkuEW

Holiday Dinner Fail? Eat Out at One of 8.ate@eight’s FAVOR8 Instead:
8.ate@eight’s New Top 8 FAVOR8 Restaurant List
The Art of Eating {and Drinking} Well @ L’Artusi
Rustic Space Features Really Good Wood-Burning Oven Pizza
Highlands Highlights: Scottish Plaids, Pub Fare and Hand
18 Favorite Meat Dishes for Men & Barbeque Heaven @Fette Sau
The Red Cat: Comfortable Quarters & Cuisine
Community Food & Juice: Fresh & Fantastic Fare
August in April

‘Tis the Season from 8.ate@eight!

Set Your Holiday Table:
Autumn Manhattan {Herby Garnished Classic a la Tippling Bros.}
Fireside Sparks {Champagne Cocktail a la Tippling Bros.}
Cinnamon Sugar & Dark Cocoa Almonds
Rosemary, Truffle and Parmesan Chips or Fries
Best Butternut Squash and Green Apple Soup
Flaky Cheese Straws, As Easy As Being Barefoot
Roasted Cauliflower with Gremolata Breadcrumbs
Perfect Pear Cranberry Pie

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

Tagged as Food52, Foodpickle, Help, Holiday, Recipe

December 21, 2010 · 9:04 am

recipe goodness :: italian sausage & chard stuffin’ muffins

Italian Sausage & Chard Stuffin' Muffins

If you’re looking for another crowd-pleasing side to add to your holiday table, look no further. We made this recipe last year for Thanksgiving with my sister-in-law’s family. The addition of italian sausage, swiss chard and herbs brings a ton of great flavor to an otherwise very bready dish. What I love most about this recipe though, was how her family bakes this dish — instead of just cooking in the cavity of a turkey or in a large casserole dish, her family puts stuffing in muffin tins — hence stuffin’ muffins!. Everyone always loves the crispy pieces from the corners of traditionally prepared stuffing, so to make sure everyone gets some crispy bites the stuffing is divided into muffin pans, also providing for the perfect individual serving sizes — how brilliant is that!

Italian Sausage & Chard Stuffin’ Muffins

Serves 16 | Prep Time: 30-45 mins. | Cook Time: 30 mins.

3/4 loaf french bread
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
2 lbs Italian sausages
1 cup chopped fat-leaf parsley
1 garlic clover, minced or pressed
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 1/2 lbs green swiss chard, stem ends trimmed, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried rubbed sage
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
salt

Cut bread into 1/2-in slices. Place slices in a large bowl and add milk. Mix gently with a wooden spoon to saturate with milk and let stand about 30 mins. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, place a 6-8 QT. pot over high heat. Squeeze the sausages from casings into pot. Discard casings. Cook meat, stirring often to crumble, until lightly browned 10-15 mins; discard fat. Add parsley, garlic, onion and celery. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are lightly browned 5-8 mins. Add chard and 1/2 cup water and cook, stirring often, until chard is wilted, about 5 mins.

With your hands, squeeze bread slices to break them into tiny pieces. Add cooked meat mixture, parmesan, basil, sage and rosemary. Season mixture with salt to taste.

Preheat oven to 350°. Spoon stuffing into a non-stick or well-greased muffin tins. Bake until hot or lightly browned, at least 30 mins.

Make ahead: Up to 1 day ahead, make stuffing, put in casserole or muffin tins, cover and chill. Allow about 1 hour to bake.

2 Comments

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Christmas, Holiday, Italian Sausage, New Year's, Recipe, Side, Side Dishes, Stuffing, Swiss Chard, Thanksgiving

December 9, 2010 · 8:25 am

recipe goodness :: perfect pear cranberry pie

Last year I spent Thanksgiving with my sister-in-law’s family and we were all asked to come with a recipe to prepare. So in typical foodie fashion I found a recipe that would be reminiscent of Thanksgiving, but would also step outside the middle-of-the-road boundaries of the seasonal standards. What I found was this Alton Brown recipe for a Pear Cranberry Pie. It was a risk making a pie that had to compete with fan favorites like pumpkin and apple, but knowing that Alton would have perfected every layer from crust to filling, I was hopeful this dessert would delight. And I was right. So this year, the Pear Cranberry Pie made an appearance at our table again and will probably continue to do so. It may be past Thanksgiving, but this pie is a great addition to any holiday party, so if you’re looking for an inspirational addition to your Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year’s celebration, I can guarantee this one will be enjoyed by many.

Pear Cranberry Pie
Courtesy of Alton Brown

Makes 1 Pie | Pre Time: 1 Hour | Cook Time: 40-50 Mins. | 425° F

Crust:
6 oz unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-in pieces
2 oz vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-in pieces
5-7 TBS cranberry juice
12 oz all-purpose flour (~2 3/4 cups)
1 tsp salt
1 TBS granulated sugar

Filling:
3-3 1/2 lbs pears {mix of Bartlett, Bosc and/or Anjou}
1/2 cup sugar, divided
6 oz dried cranberries
3 TBS tapioca flour
2 TBS cranberry jam
1 TBS cranberry juice
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

Crust:

Place the butter, shortening and cranberry juice into the fridge for 1 hour.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar by pulsing 3-4 times. Add the butter and pulse 5-6 times until the texture looks mealy. Add the shortening and pulse another 3-4 times until incorporated.

Remove the lid of the food processor and sprinkle in 5 tablespoons of the cranberry juice. Replace the lid and pulse 5 times. Add more cranberry juice as needed, and pulse again until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Weigh the dough and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Filling:
Peel and core the pears. Slice into 1/4 to 1/2-in thick wedges. Toss all the pears with 1/4 cup of the sugar, place in a colander set over a large bowl and allow to drain for 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer the drained liquid into a small saucepan, place over medium heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool. Toss the pears with the remaining sugar, tapioca flour, jam, cranberry juice, lemon juice, salt and nutmeg.

Preheat oven to 425°

Remove 1 disk from the refrigerator. Place the dough onto a lightly floured piece of waxed paper. Lightly sprinkle the top of the doug with flour and roll out into a 12-inch circle. Place into a 9 1/2 to 10-in pie pan that is 2 inches deep. Gently press the dough into the sides of the pan, crimping and trimming the edges as necessary. Place the pears into the unbaked pie shell in concentric circles starting around the edges, working towards the center and forming a slight mound in the center of the pie. Sprinkle the cranberries a little at a time as you go.

Pour over any liquid that remains in the bowl. Roll out the second pie dough as the first. Cut several slits or designs into the center of the pie crust to allow for steam to release when backing. Place this dough over the pears, pressing together the edges of the dough around the rim of the pie. Brush the top crust with the reduced juice everywhere except around the edge of the pie. Trim excess dough.

Gently cover the edges of the pie crust with foil to protect from burning. Place the pie on a half sheet pan and bake on the lower rack of the oven for 20 mins. Remove foil and continue to cook for an additional 20-30 minutes until crust is a golden brown and pears are cooked through but not mushy. Remove to a rack and cool a minimum of 4 hours or until room temperature.

More Inspiration From Alton:
Alton Brown’s Bourbon Banana’s Foster w/ Bourbon Ice Cream
Alton Brown’s Bourbon Mint Julep

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Alton Brown, Cranberry, Dessert, Pear, Pie, Recipe, Thanksgiving

December 5, 2010 · 11:37 am

Do This!: Holiday Cards for Every Appetite

food52 recipe holiday cards

Sharing your favorite food52 recipes has never been easier! This holiday food52 has partnered with Tiny Prints to bring you cards, recipe card inserts and custom gift tags so that your holiday cards keep on giving. With different food52 recipes to choose from {with beautiful photos!} and a myriad of card combinations, gift giving just became a piece of cake.

“Every recipe is better with a picture and a personal message!”

Go here to put your best food forward and save 15% on all Tiny Prints orders!

Recipe Holiday Cards for Foodies: Easy as 1-2-3

Happy Holidays 8.ate@eighters!

Filed under 8.ate@eight, Do This!

Tagged as Cards, Food52, Gift, Holiday, Recipe, Tiny Prints

November 30, 2010 · 10:01 am

recipe goodness :: grandma’s italian wedding chicken soup

Italian Wedding Soup

My grandmother used to make this soup every New Year’s day. After what seemed like weeks of eating – from Thanksgiving to holiday parties, Christmas Eve and our big Italian Christmas feast, it was nice to come together for one more meal that was both simple and light, but still delicious {as Grandma’s cooking always was}. If you’re looking for something to lighten the load after all the Thanksgiving grub, this is the recipe for you!

This soup can be made any time of the year and makes enough that you can even freeze some to easily pull out a great mid-week meal. I would even suggest replacing the chicken with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving if you’re looking for something to do with your remaining bird this week. It’s not only a great cold day dish for us adults, but kids love the tiny meatballs and mini pasta. So spend a few minutes chopping and throwing all the goods in a pot — the fresh veggies and rich flavors from the meatballs and chicken will really put any canned soup to shame!

Grandma’s Italian Wedding Soup
Serves 8-10 | Cook Time: ~1 hour

Soup:
4 cans {14oz ea} chicken broth
1 cup of boiling water w/ 2 tsp dissolved chicken flavored concentrate
3-4 carrots diced
3-4 celery stalks diced
1 onion diced
2 boneless & skinless chicken breasts
1-1¼ cups pasta of choice {mini pasta is best!}
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan or romano cheese
Spinach, kale or chopped parsley {optional}

Meatballs:
½ lb ground beef
¼ cup of bread crumbs
1 egg
¼ tsp nutmeg
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Poach the chicken: Place chicken in a pan covered with water & bring to a boil over med. high heat, uncovered. Immediately remove from burner, cover, and let completely cool. Turn oven to 350 deg.

Prepare the meatballs: Combine all ingredients and thoroughly mix. Take a bite size sample and cook to test for taste. Adjust seasonings as desired. Form tiny marble sized meatballs. Place on cookie sheet and brown in oven ~5-10 mins. Remove and place on paper towels to drain.

Soup Broth: Meanwhile, in a large stock pot combine the chicken broth and the cup of chicken concentrate, cover and bring to a boil. Taste, add salt and pepper if required. If broth does not have a rich chicken flavor to your liking, add 1 tsp at a time of the chicken concentrate to reach the desired taste.

Dice the carrots, celery, onion and chicken into bite size pieces. When chicken broth reaches the taste desired, add vegetables, chicken, and meatballs; bring to a boil then lower to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables reach the tenderness of your liking {I prefer al dente as the vegetables will soften as they continue to absorb the broth}. Optional, when the soup is almost done add torn spinach kale or chopped parsley just for color.

While the vegetables are cooking, in a separate pot prepare the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the box.

To serve: place desired amount of pasta in soup bowl add chicken soup, and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Tip from Grandma: Keep the pasta in a separate container when you store leftovers so they don’t soak up the broth and get too soggy. Add them to the bowl and pour of hot soup when ready to serve.

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Chicken, Chicken Soup, Grandma, italian, Italian Wedding Soup, Recipe, Soup, Winter

November 15, 2010 · 8:43 am

recipe goodness :: herbed buttermilk biscuits

Herbed Buttermilk Biscuits

Today is my dear friend Kristin’s birthday — the same one who went to Paris and loves all things french. So in honor of her big day, I made her these incredible herbed buttermilk biscuits from french food writer and cookbook author, Dorie Greenspan. I love when someone takes something so ordinary {enter biscuit} and adds one small, but brilliant touch {enter thyme} to reinvent the old standard. Dorie is a master with pastry, so I had no doubt these would turn out to be a fantastic breakfast treat, but biting into the warm, flaky biscuit and surprising your still somewhat sleepy taste buds with the fresh herby thyme is a delightfully unexpected way to start your day.

Herbed Buttermilk Biscuits
{From Dorie Greenspan; adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours}

Makes 12 biscuits | 425º | Cook Time: 14-18 minutes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, crushed between your fingers
6 TBS cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
3/4 cup cold buttermilk, well shaken

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, soda, sugar and thyme together in a bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces with flour. Quickly, working with your fingers, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You’ll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces of every size in between – and that’s just right.

Pour the buttermilk over the ingredients, grab a fork and toss and gently turn the ingredients until you’ve got a nice soft dough. Now reach into the bowl with your hands and give the dough a quick gently kneading – 3 or 4 turns should be just enough to bring everything together.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Dust the top of the dough very lightly with flour and pat the dough out until it is 1/2-inch thick. Don’t worry if it isn’t completely even. Use a knife or biscuit cutter to divide the dough into 12 pieces and transfer the pieces to the baking sheet.

Slide into oven and bake until the biscuits are puffed and golden brown, 14 to 18 minutes. Serve immediately {with delicious jam or honey — Fauchon is my favorite french jam if you really want a franco-breakfast}.

Breakfast Inspiration:
recipe goodness :: how to cook the perfect sunny side-up egg
Give Your Monday Morning Mug a Kick in the Pants with Kicking Horse Coffee
Greenmarket: Put Smarter, Cheaper & More Scrumptious Food on Your Table
Michael Pollan Agreed With Me, $8 Eggs Are A Good Idea

2 Comments

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Biscuit, Breakfast, Brunch, Buttermilk, Dorie Greenspan, Fauchon, French, Recipe, Thyme

November 11, 2010 · 9:21 am

recipe goodness :: secret dilaura family frittata with sweet italian sausage

I think my grandmother would be more proud than angry that I’m sharing her recipe for Frittata with Sweet Italian Sausage. Her frittata evokes memories of the holidays, so I thought it’s the perfect time to share with all of you. Every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter morning for the past 32-ish solid-food eating years, I have walked into a kitchen smelling of roasted sausage and sweet buttered Italian panettone toast. Inevitably the kitchen also smelled of grandma’s spaghetti sauce, slowly simmering away for the evening feast. I cannot recount a past holiday when grandma’s frittata was not the start to a day filled with family and good eating. And even now that my grandmother is no longer with us, my dad has taken over as the frittata master — beating, cooking and flipping our breakfast to perfection. Tradition is good.

Her frittata is not rocket science, but requires a little skill with the flipping of a hot pan, which could result in a dozen eggs on your shoes, if unsuccessful! But the finished product is worth the risk and makes for a beautiful breakfast presentation to share with friends and family. We’ve been making this every year with italian sausage, but you can always get creative and substitute veggies, cheese, fresh herbs, whatever!

DiLaura Family Frittata with Sweet Italian Sausage

Serves 5-6 | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 40-50 mins. including roasting sausage

1 dozen eggs {2 per person, plus 1-2 extra for good measure}
3/4 lb sweet italian sausage {I love Grazin’ Angus Acres grass-fed beef sausage}
1 TBS olive oil
1/4 C water for thinning
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Roast sausage for 30-40 minutes at 375° in a baking dish. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. {Note: Sausage can be cooked a full day in advance to save time and make the breakfast prep quicker}.

Step 2: Crack eggs into a large bowl and add ~1/4 cup of water, salt and pepper generously {my dad actually uses the very precise method of putting the bowl under the faucet and turning it on for a second to add water}. Beat eggs until a light froth forms on top.

Beat eggs and cook sausage

Step 3: Cut each cooked sausage at a 45 degree angle into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Heat a medium sized non-stick omelet pan to medium heat with 1 TBS of olive oil. Place as many slices of sausage as will fit side by side in the bottom of the pan and brown lightly for ~2 minutes. Reserve any excess slices to serve on the side. Using tongs, flip each piece individually and brown the other side.

Brown sausages slices on each side

Step 4: Remove any excess oil with a spoon. Pour beaten egg mixture into pan over browned sausage slices.

Our beaten egg mixture over browned sausage slices

Step 5: Using a rubber spatula, continuously move around the side of the pan, pulling the firm egg away from the edges, allowing liquid to pour over the edges and stream to the bottom. Also use the spatula to break through the middle of the frittata creating small holes in the center where egg liquid can seep through the bottom. Be sure to also push the sausage slices into the firming egg. When almost all of the egg liquid has gotten firm, get prepared to flip.

Pull edges away with spatula to allow liquid to pour over edges

Step 6: Use a platter that is larger than the pan with angled edges. Remove pan from heat, place platter upside down on top of the pan and hold firmly in place. QUICKLY flip pan and platter, angling slightly away from you so any excess liquid won’t run onto your hands or arms {my dad prefers to do this over the sink, just in case he accidently spills, so there is no egg on the floor}.

Hold platter firmly and quickly flip frittata from the pan to the platter

Step 7: Slide upside down frittata back into the pan from the platter, so the uncooked side is now on the bottom of the pan. Cook 2 more minutes or just enough time to firm the remaining liquid egg. Rinse and dry platter while frittata finishes cooking.

Slide back into pan to firm uncooked side

Step 8: Flip the frittata back onto the platter. The last side cooked is less brown and looks better when presented facing up. Cut into equal sized pie slices and enjoy!

Last side cooked facing up

More Eggs that Are Everything They’re Cracked Up to Be:
recipe goodness :: how to cook the perfect sunny side-up egg
Greenmarket: Put Smarter, Cheaper & More Scrumptious Food on Your Table
Michael Pollan Agreed With Me, $8 Eggs Are A Good Idea
The Art of Brunching Well @ L’Artusi
A Better Brooklyn Breakfast @ Dizzy’s Finer Diner

5 Comments

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Breakfast, Brunch, Eggs, Food, Frittata, italian, Recipe, Sausage

October 30, 2010 · 12:38 pm

Do This!: New York Times Cookbook Launch Party @ Chelsea Market

New York Times writers Amanda Hesser, of The Essential New York Times Cookbook and Melissa Clark, of In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite team up for a joint book launch event celebrating 20 of the city’s best chefs. Each chef will prepare delectable bite-size nibbles of their favorite New York Times recipe, while Sixpoint Craft Ales, Russ & Daughters, and Cienfuegos will quench your thirst with beer, egg creams, and good ol’ fashioned punch.

All proceeds will benefit the Wellness In The Schools program, a New York City community based organization that works to improve the environment, nutrition, and fitness in NYC public schools.

When: Tuesday, Nov. 2nd, 7-9pm
Where: Chelsea Market
How: Buy Tickets here {$50}
Who: Amanda Hesser and Melissa Clark
Who Else: Read on!

Alex Raij * TXIKITO
April Bloomfield * THE BRESLIN
Ben Van Leeuwen * VAN LEEUWEN ICE CREAM
Bill Telepan * TELEPAN
Brian Bistrong * BRAEBURN
Bruce and Eric Bromberg * BLUE RIBBON SUSHI
Dan Barber * BLUE HILL
Dan Silverman * STANDARD GRILL
Dorie Greenspan * Author of “AROUND MY FRENCH TABLE”
Frank Castronovo & Frank Falcinelli * FRANKIES SPUNTINO
George Mendes * ALDEA
Karen Demasco * LOCANDA VERDE
Marc Murphy * LANDMARC
Michael Anthony * GRAMERCY TAVERN
Michael White * MAREA
Marco Canora * TERROIR
Pichet Ong * SPOT DESSERT BAR
Sara Jenkins * PORCHETTA
Sisha Ortuzar * RIVERPARK
Zak Pelaccio * FATTY CRAB
_________

BREAD by Amy’s Bread
CHEESE by Lucy’s Whey and Cellars at Jasper Hill
SNACKS by Martin’s Pretzels, Nuts + Nuts, & Food Should Taste Good
SWEETS by Valrhona Chocolate & Liddabit Sweets
_________

BEER by Sixpoint Craft Ales
EGG CREAMS by Russ & Daughters
PUNCH by Cienfuegos
_________

MEDIA SPONSOR by Edible Manhattan
BOOK SALES by Posman Books
BIODEGRADABLE TABLEWARE by Sustainable Party
MUSIC by Finger On The Pulse

Learn more on the event’s Facebook page and for more on Amanda’s book tour stops across the country, you can also follow The Essential New York Times Cookbook’s Facebook page.

What Else Is Happen’ @ Chelsea Market?
New York City Wine & Food Festival Kicked Off With Good Eats
NYC Best: Falafel @ Ruthy’s, Chelsea Market
Why Buy the Cow, When You Can Get the Milkshake for Free?
NYC Best: Take the Dull Out Of Cooking {Knives} with Samurai Sharpening @ Chelsea Market

Filed under Do This!

Tagged as Amanda Hesser, Chelsea, Chelsea Market, Cookbook, In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite, Melissa Clark, New York Times, Recipe, The Essential New York Times Cookbook

October 26, 2010 · 9:40 am

recipe goodness :: best butternut squash and green apple soup

Fall is my favorite time of year. The air has a slight chill and smells of damp leaves, the colors have a vibrance that puts spring blooms to shame, and the farmer’s market is flush with the fall harvest eager for roasting up a cozy meal to share. Some of the most spectacular veggies made their way to the market this weekend, so before I jump into my favorite fall soup recipe, I just have to share my bounty: Easter Egg Radishes and Graffiti Cauliflower…

Fall Farmer's Market Bounty

…leeks, butternut squash and granny smith apples.

Butternut Squash Soup Inspiration

I’ve made this recipe so many times, I’ve lost count. The base of the soup is courtesy of Michael Chiarello, but I’ve made a few adjustments that make this one of the best bowls of butternut squash soup I’ve ever had. The sweetness of the squash and apple is enhanced by the subtle spice from the chili and pepper, but what really adds a memorable, unexpected contrast is the slightly tart pomegranate that bursts with each bite and the salty melt-in-your mouth fluffy popcorn.

Best Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves 8

Squash Soup
2 TBS unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sliced leeks, white parts only (~1 large leek)
1 TBS minced garlic
6 cups peeled and roughly diced butternut squash (~1 medium squash)
3 cups peeled and roughly diced apples (~2 large apples)
3 tsp Toasted Spice Rub, recipe follows
6 1/2 cups chicken stock or 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth mixed with 3 cups water
Sea salt
Pomegranate, deseeded
1 bag microwave popcorn

Toasted Spice Rub
Note: the spice mixture makes enough to fill an empty spice container to use in the future and make the soup even quicker next time.
1 TBS coriander seeds
1 TBS black peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup pure chili powder (about 1-ounce)
2 TBS kosher salt
2 TBS ground cinnamon

In a small heavy pan over medium heat, combine the coriander seeds and peppercorns. Turn on the exhaust fan, add the red pepper flakes, and toss, toss, toss, always under the fan. Immediately turn the spice mixture out onto a plate to cool. Put in a blender with the chili powder, salt, and cinnamon and blend until the spices are evenly ground. If you have a small spice mill or a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices, grind only the coriander, pepper, and chili flakes. Pour into a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, and cook until it turns nut brown. Add the leeks and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute briefly to release its fragrance. Add the squash and apples, raise the heat to high, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Toasted Spice Rub and cook briefly to toast it, about 1 minute. Add the stock or broth-water mixture, bring to a simmer, and partially cover. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the squash and apples are tender, about 40 minutes. Transfer in batches to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, reheat to serving temperature, and season with salt. Divide the soup among bowls and garnish each portion with some of the pomegranate and popcorn. Serve immediately.

Roughly Dice Peeled Squash and Apples

Slice Leek and Mince Garlic

Saute Leeks and Garlic Until Soft

Stir Until Caramelization Begins and Add Toasted Spice Rub

Add stock, simmer partially covered for 40 minutes and then blend until smooth. Garnish with Pomegranate seeds and popcorn kernels. Serve immediately.

The Best Butternut Squash Soup

A Bountiful Market:
Crop to Cup Creating Quality Community Coffee
Greenmarket: Put Smarter, Cheaper & More Scrumptious Food on Your Table
Why Buy the Cow, When You Can Get the Milkshake for Free?
I Scream, You Scream For MilkMade Handcrafted Ice Cream

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Apple, Butternut Squash, Cauliflower, Greenmarket, Leeks, Pomegranate, Popcorn, Radish, Recipe, Soup, Spicy

October 20, 2010 · 8:34 am

recipe goodness :: roasted cauliflower with gremolata bread crumbs

Stunning Graffiti Cauliflower

“Say it with cauliflowers.” Because I love you, one great cauliflower recipe begets another this week. For a couple years I’ve had a photo I took of a purple cauliflower hanging on the limited wall space of my NYC kitchen. And while I was walking through the farmer’s market this weekend, I saw him again. The most stunningly royal purple “graffiti cauliflower.” Let me be clear — this graffiti cauliflower is not purple because of some lame carnation-in-dyed water method, this is the color nature intended! So I bought him, brought him home and consulted one of my favorite food websites Food52 for some inspiration from their week 6 recipe contest: “your best cauliflower recipe.” Just today the recipe below was announced as the winner — and I concur with the crowd!

This winning recipe is just another reason to fall in love with cauliflower, and while most people turn the other way from the boring, colorless white cauliflower, let me remind you that this veg is packed with cancer fighting nutrients and vitamin C. So when you can cook up a recipe with lots of other great flavors and find a beautiful variety like this one, you not only create a heathy dish, but one that looks and tastes spectacular. If you can’t get your kids to eat this, I don’t think there’s any hope for them! This recipe is so tasty I recommend following the quantities below so you have leftovers, but you can easily cut it in half if you only want to make enough for 2-3 servings.

Roasted Cauliflower with Gremolata Bread Crumbs
Courtesy of: TheThinChef

Prep Time: 5 mins. | Cook Time: 20 mins | Preheat Oven 425°
Serves 6

2 large heads cauliflower {I used purple grafitti}
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp coarse salt, divided
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup panko {Japanese bread crumbs}
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 TBS roughly chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425°F. Trim tough stem and core from cauliflower and discard. Using a paring knife, cut cauliflower into smaller spears. Place in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; toss to combine. Spread cauliflower out on 2 large, rimmed baking sheets. Roast until edges start to brown, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add panko and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir to coat in oil. Cook, stirring constantly, until bread crumbs are golden. Add lemon zest and garlic and toss until mixture is very fragrant and bread crumbs are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Place in a medium bowl and add parsley, stirring to combine. Set aside. Remove cauliflower from oven and place on serving platter. Top with bread crumbs and serve immediately.

The Goods-Roasted Cauliflower with Gremolata Bread Crumbs

Toss with Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper and Spread on Baking Sheet

Add Fresh Chopped Parsley to Toasted Bread Crumbs

Take Lots of Pictures and Enjoy

My Fall Harvest

Fall Harvest Fare:
Autumn Manhattan {Herby Garnished Classic a la Tippling Bros.}
Rosemary, Truffle and Parmesan Chips or Fries
Savory Cauliflower Fried Rice

4 Comments

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Cauliflower, Greenmarket, gremolata, Healthy, Recipe

October 18, 2010 · 9:48 am

recipe goodness :: savory cauliflower fried rice

It’s cauliflower season! Are you scratching your head wondering why I could possibly be so excited about cauliflower, a generally overlooked and underappreciated vegetable? Well, it’s also Breast Cancer awareness month and it seems only fitting to highlight this veg for both of these reasons. Cauliflower contains two key nutrients {indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane} that help fight against cancer and heart disease by cleaning out the system of toxins that would normally damage cells and by keeping estrogen levels low, which is known to foster tumor growth. If that doesn’t make you think of cauliflower as a new friend, how about the fact that three florets of cauliflower a day will provide you with 67% of your daily vitamin C requirement — keep that in mind as cold season fast approaches.

In my opinion cauliflower by itself doesn’t have any super flavors to write home about, but given how nutritious and substantial these little guys are, it’s a great base to mix with other fantastic flavors and create a healthy and tasty side or main dish that is worth getting excited about. Here’s a recipe from Everyday Paleo that I made the other night. I must admit, I never would have thought about combining with coconut, but the flavor was a fantastic complement and coconut has a great nutrient profile of its own that makes this a noteworthy alternative for diabetics or for those who can’t eat gluten.

Savory Cauliflower “Fried Rice”

Prep Time: 5 mins. | Cook Time: 10 mins.
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

1 head organic cauliflower, steamed
1/2 red onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBS fresh basil, diced
1 egg
2 TBS coconut flour
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper to taste
3-4 TBS coconut oil

Bring 2 inches of water to a boil. Remove thick stem and core from cauliflower and discard. Using a knife, cut cauliflower into smaller florets. Add to boiling water and cover, cooking for approximately 2-3 minutes or until knife tender. In a large mixing bowl, add the minced onions, garlic, and basil. Place the steamed cauliflower in the bowl as well and add the egg, coconut flour, salt, and pepper. Using a potato masher or metal whisk, mash the cauliflower down to the consistency of rice. Mix all the ingredients well. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the cauliflower rice and saute for 7-10 minutes or until the “rice” starts to crisp up a little and the onions are tender. Remove the rice and keep warm in the oven. Note: This is better, the longer it sits, so preparing ahead of time and warming in the oven is a good thing!

All the Goods

Add the Steamed Cauliflower to the Rest of Ingredients

Mash with Ricer or Whisk Until "Rice" Size

"Fry" it up and Enjoy

Put More on My Plate:
Roasted Cauliflower with Gremolata Breadcrumbs
Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken
Giada’s Sweet & Sour Pork Chops
Whole-Grain Mustard & Rosemary Pork Chops

6 Comments

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

Tagged as Cauliflower, Coconut Flour, Diabetic, Gluten-Free, Paleo Diet, Recipe, Vegetarian

October 14, 2010 · 9:10 am

Getting Tipsy with the Tippling Bros. @NYCWFF Mixology 101

The Tippling Bros. Introduce Mixology 101

What do you get when you mix a crowd full of foodies, a session focused on mixology and two non-related “brothers” stirring in some fascinating facts about the history of cocktails and tippling tips and techniques? A real good time. After attending two earlier New York City Wine & Food Festival events that day, all I expected was to sit back, take notes and learn a hint or two from Tippling Bros. Mixology 101, but what we got was an early start to a boozy Saturday night.

Tippler Paul Tanguay Settin' Up Bar

The event kicked off with a seasonal Champagne cocktail called Fireside Sparks, created by the two tippling partners Paul Tanguay and Tad Carducci. As we sipped, these “perpetuators of libational awareness and enjoyment” jumped into a lesson, fully equipped with a powerpoint. Not exactly what you would expect from typical barmasters, but these experts are two of the most well known beverage consultants, whose common mission it is to help the world drink better! Here’s some useful info to successfully get you through your next trivia bar night…

Tippling Trivia:

The word “punch” originated from the Hindi word for five — panch {make a fist and it will all make sense}
There are 5 components to the original punch recipe: spirit, citrus juice, sugar, spice {often tea} and water
The word “cocktail” first appeared in print in 1806. Politicians, dignitaries and wealthy businessmen drank cocktails in the morning to get over the previous night
The original cocktail was made up of: spirit, sugar, water and bitters
Jerry Thomas wrote the first cocktail book in 1862

Hardly Done with Fireside Sparks, When The Smokey Margarita Arrived

It was not soon after starting to sip down the first cocktail, that the second arrived — a Smokey Margarita. Mmmm, love ‘ritas. How generous of them to give us two cocktails while we enjoy the mixology lesson. On to bar tools…

Every Home Bar Should Have:

Shaker {Boston or Cobbler}
Mixing Glass
Strainer {Hawthorn or Julep}
Bar Spoon {You know, those spoons with a really loooong stem}
Muddler
Jigger {Don’t be afraid to measure, proper proportions are key to a quality cocktail}
Knives
Juicer

Check out Bar Products and Cocktail Kingdom to stock your bar properly.

Tippling Bros. Tips:

Pecking order — Always start from the cheapest ingredient when concocting your cocktail — that way if you lose count or mess up, you’re not out the good stuff!
Perfect “sour” proportions — 2:1:1 Strong:Sour:Sweet {e.g. Margarita}
Manhattan or Martini proportions — 2:1
Garnish — Add an aromatic garnish to change the flavor profile of your cocktail and make sure it’s sticking out of a glass such that your nose gets near it when you sip {try a rosemary sprig stuck in a cherry to anchor}
Batches — make 3/4 of the amount of drinks you want to serve when making batches {ice / water makes up 25% of every cocktail}. P.S. Making batches is a great way to enjoy your own party without having to play bartender. That’s one lesson I starred, highlighted and underlined.
Make crystal clear ice — Boil water and pour while hot into ice cube trays or muffin tins. The movement of the boiling water pushes out all the air, to create “clear” ice. Get fancy by adding citrus slices to your form after 30 minutes in the freezer.

Somewhere between learning about shaking and stirring, a Manhattan appeared in front of me and somewhere between learning about the garnish in my newly poured Autumn Manhattan and the wisdom of making batches, my pour from the Bottle of Baron also arrived. Ok, I get it. This is a drinking event. I checked my watch, it was only 6pm. The night was young, but I was well into an evening of strong cocktails thanks to my new friends. I guess this is what you get when you attend a session all about mixology, hosted by the masters of tippling themselves. Thankfully with camera in hand, I could put down the pen and still manage to snag some great cocktail recipes for you all. Cheers and Bottoms Up!

Tippling Bros. Hand Crafted Cocktails

Fireside Sparks

Hardly Done with Fireside Sparks, When Smokey Margarita Arrived

2 oz. Cranberry-Infused Whiskey
.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1 oz Spiced Syrup
1/4 Tangerine
1 oz Chilled Sparkling Wine

Muddle tangerine in a mixing tin. Add remaining ingredients and shake. Float champagne over the back of a spoon. Strain into a chilled flute or sour glass. Garnish with a tangerine peel and sugared cranberry skewer. Lightly dust with nutmeg.

Smokey Margarita

1.5 oz Tequila Blanco
0.5 oz Mezcal Joven
0.5 oz White Grapefruit Juice
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 oz Agave Nectar
Grilled Lime Slices for Garnish

Spicing the Glass Rim:
2 parts Kosher Salt
1 part Cinnamon
1 Part Cumin
1 Part Chili Powder

Shake all ingredients together. Strain over ice in an old fashioned glass rimmed with Mexican-spiced salt. Garnish with grilled lime wheel.

Autumn Manhattan

Autumn Manhattan

2 oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey
1 oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth
0.25 oz Oloroso Sherry
2 Dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
Rosemary Sprig stuck in a cherry for garnish

Stir all ingredients together until well chilled. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with Luxardo cherry and rosemary sprig.

Bottle of Baron {think sweet island cocktail}

8 oz Aged Rum
2 oz Grand Marnier
2 oz Simple Syrup
4 oz Orgeat Syrup
4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
2 tsp Hibiscus Concentrate {Jamaica Concentrate at your local bodega is the same thing}
6 oz Cold Water

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl or plastic container. Funnel into a clean wine bottle. Cork and refrigerate for several hours before serving. Serve over one cube of ice in a small punch glass. Garnish with an orange slice or vanda orchid.

It's Closing Time

Bartender, I’ll Have Another:
Hands On with Giada De Laurentiis at Food Network’s NYCWFF Demo
recipe goodness :: Alton Brown Does Bourbon in the Morning
New York City Wine & Food Festival Kicked Off With Good Eats
Kickin’ Ancho Chili Fresh Citrus Margarita

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

Tagged as Cocktail, Cocktails, Dinner Party, Drinks, Fireside Sparks, Manhattan, Margarita, Mixology, NYC Wine & Food Festival, Paul Tanguay, Recipe, Seasonal, Tad Carducci, Tippling Bros.

October 13, 2010 · 9:03 am

Hands On With Giada De Laurentiis at the Food Network NYCWFF Demo

Giada de Laurentiis Greets the Audience with a Big Smile

Following Alton Brown’s “opening act” for the New York City Wine & Food Festival demos, Giada De Laurentiis was warmly welcomed by longtime friend and Food & Wine Editor, Dana Cowin. With her husband and a houseful of fans in the audience, she greeted the crowd with her big…smile. People actually asked me if her head was in fact as big as it seems on TV, so let me answer that question. It’s not so much that she has a big head, but that she has a teeny tiny body. How a woman who makes a living cooking and eating — mostly Italian food — can stay so skinny is beyond me! But I digress.

Giada couldn’t have been more charming or likeable and took a totally hands-on, participatory approach to her demo. Enter the lucky husband and wife team selected from halfway back in the seats to come on stage and help Giada cook Smashed Potatoes. I think the wife actually claimed her husband was the cook in the family, just so he could come up and meet her in person. Giada left them to follow a few simple steps {start with some fingerlings, boil ’til tender, smash with your hand, brown in a pan with a little olive oil & garlic and then toss in a lemon-parsley vinaigrette. Easy!} while she took questions from the audience.

Giada De Laurentiis Knows Her Audience

Husband and Wife Team Make Smashed Potatoes for Giada

The Infamous Tasting Bite from Giada

With her 2 1/2 year old daughter, Jade, to look after, Giada’s new cookbook is inspired by making good food, faster — relying a little more on good pantry items that are always on hand to cook a meal. So it was only appropriate that for her second dish, she invited two pint-sized friends on stage to help prepare her sweet & sour pork chops.

Giada's Little Helpers

Tiny fingers sure can be generous with the salt! It’s a good thing this was all for show and no one was actually eating these chops!

The Kids Were Very Generous with the Seasoning

Giada’s Sweet & Sour Pork Chops

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

4 Boneless Pork Chops
Salt and Pepper to Taste

1/2 cup Honey
1/2 cup Balsamic Vineagar
3 sprigs of Rosemary
1 bunch Scallions, diced

Add the honey, balsamic, rosemary and scallions to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick pan to medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook pork chops 4 minutes on one side and 3-5 minutes on the other side, or until slightly pink in the center. Remove from heat, add to a plate and pour sweet & sour sauce over top.

With mere seconds left on the clock for her demo, Giada still made time to call up another set of eager helpers to whip up the world’s fastest batch of double chocolate cookies. It was all for show, but the benefit of being on set is the {voila} already made finished product. And the benefit of sitting in the front row, is snagging one as the helpers return to their seats with a full plate of chocolate-y goodness. For all you chocolate bakers out there, I asked Giada what her preferred chocolate to bake with is and she said Ghirardelli is the best {but Giada, you have to get the pronunciation correct, it’s Gear-ar-delly with a hard G like SpaGHetti!}

Giada's Helpers Whipping Up Double Chocolate Cookies

The Benefits of the Front Row

Another tasty New York City Wine & Food Festival event. Everyone benefits from the up-close access to some of Food Network’s biggest stars. Food Bank for New York City, Share Our Strength, the fans and my readers!

Want Another Bite?
recipe goodness :: Alton Brown Does Bourbon in the Morning
New York City Wine & Food Festival Kicked Off With Good Eats

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

Tagged as Chocolate, Cookie, Double Chocolate Cookie, Giada De Laurentiis, NYC Wine & Food Festival, Pork Chop, Recipe, Smashed Potatoes, Sweet & Sour Pork Chop

October 12, 2010 · 9:01 am

recipe goodness :: Alton Brown Does Bourbon in the Morning

Yes Alton, I'm Still Saving You A Seat at 8.ate@eight

Alton Brown considers himself a Southern cook and lives by the motto that everything that happens in the kitchen is about science. And what is the defining flavor of the South, you ask? Bourbon, of course. Bringing those two perspectives together during his New York City Wine & Food Festival demo, Alton concocted three classic Bourbon recipes shared in the post below:

Bourbon Mint Julep
Bourbon Ice Cream
Bourbon Banana’s Foster

: It’s 11am and Time for a Mint Julep

Alton Brown’s Bourbon Mint Julep
Prep Time: 3-5 mins
Serves 1

10 mint leaves
1 tsp sugar
1 jigger Bourbon
Ice
Seltzer or Club Soda

Add the mint leaves and sugar to your glass and gently muddle to bruise the leaves, but careful not to tear {about 3-5 turns of a muddler}. Add a full jigger of Bourbon, fill the cup with ice and top off with seltzer water or club soda. Alton recommends not stirring for a stronger surprise near the bottom of your swig.

Gentle Muddling is Key

Getting into the science behind cooking with Bourbon, Alton pulled out the periodic table and his chemistry notes to explain that ethyl {found in alcohol} doesn’t freeze — in fact it acts as an antifreeze. So when making something scrumptious like Bourbon ice cream, it’s important to mimic the flavors you would find in Bourbon, with non-alcoholic ingredients. Pulling out a glass pickle jar for easy ingredient shaking and a large canister of liquid nitrogen {clearly not in most home kitchens}, Alton revealed a few on-stage tricks for instant ‘scream.

Alton Brown’s Bourbon Ice Cream

1/4 cup Bourbon
2 cups Half & Half
1/2 cup Agave
1/4 cup Molasses
1/4 cup Buttermilk
1/2 tsp Nutmeg, grated
Handful Chopped Pecans
1/3 cup Bacon, Cooked Extra Crispy

Add the Bourbon, Half & Half, Agave and Molasses to a microwave safe container and microwave until the Molasses dissolves. Allow to cool. Add cooled liquid and rest of ingredients to a tight sealing container {Alton recommends a bulk glass pickle jar} and shake vigorously. Add to home ice cream maker, or if you’re like Alton, add to a Kitchenaid mixer and starting pouring in liquid nitrogen for great effect and a quick freeze {not sure I would actually recommend this}.

It's All About Science in the Kitchen

Adding a Touch of Bourbon for Authenticity

Shake Shake Shake

Everything Into the Mixer (Including the Liquid Nitrogen)

Wrapping up the 45-minute demo, Alton pulled out a few more tricks, this time involving flames, to make a Banana’s Foster dessert to pair with the Bourbon Ice Cream. An important ingredient to making this dessert successfully is heat from the caramelized sugar. Without it, the Bourbon would not burn on its own. And note to the parents out there, it’s impossible to boil out all the alcohol because steam from the cooking process puts the flame out first….so if you want little Johnny to fall asleep early, this might be the dessert for him.

Alton Brown’s Bourbon Banana’s Foster

Cook Time: 7 mins
Serves 2

2 TBS unsalted butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 under ripe bananas, sliced in half lengthwise
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Melt butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar and nutmeg and stir until sugar dissolves. Add bananas and cook for 1 minute on each side, carefully spooning sauce over bananas as they are cooking. Bring sauce to a simmer and carefully add the bourbon. If the sauce is very hot, the alcohol will flame on its own. If not, using stick flame, carefully ignite and continue cooking until flame dies out, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. If sauce is too thin, cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it is syrupy in consistency. Add orange zest and stir to combine. Immediately spoon the sauce over ice cream and serve.

Alton Melting the Sugar and Butter with the Bananas

Opa!

Great Bourbon Demo

Great demo and early morning learnings for us science geeks who like to know why something works or doesn’t work in the kitchen! If you liked Alton Brown’s Bourbon in the morning approach, then check out his new book that just came out called Good Eats 2: The Middle Years.

More NYC Wine & Food Festival Fun:
New York City Wine & Food Festival Kicked Off With Good Eats
Hands On with Giada De Laurentiis at Food Network’s NYCWFF Demo

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.

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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

Keep Busy in the City:
Do This!: Artisanal Premium Cheese & Wine Classes w/ Jessica Wurwarg
Greenmarket: Put Smarter, Cheaper & More Scrumptious Food on Your Table
NYC Best: Summer Sausage & Other Seriously Good Eats @ Summerstage
NYC Best: Take the Dull Out Of Cooking {Knives} with Samurai Sharpening @ Chelsea Market

Filed under @home {recipes to love}

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

August 24, 2010 · 8:10 am

Gone Fishin’ :: Back in a Week…

Farewell Bachelorhood!

As I referenced in a previous post, I’m off in San Francisco to be the best groom’s girl I can be in my brother’s wedding this weekend. Jackie, my soon-to-be sister-in-law, works for Ghirardelli. She’s pretty darn sweet as a person, but it also doesn’t hurt that she brings a dowry consisting of a lifetime supply of chocolate. Welcome to the family!

I’m sure I will have no shortage of things to blog about upon my return — I promise it will be more interesting than a post about rice and will include musings from Napa. In the meantime, visit some old favorites…

Make A Delicious Dinner For Friends:
Kickin’ Ancho Chili Fresh Citrus Margarita
Avocado & Tropical Fruit Salsa
Orzo, Spinach & Feta Summer Salad
Whole-Grain Mustard & Rosemary Pork Chops
Grilled Thyme-Cumin Vegetable Kabobs
Violet’s Lemon Cheesecake with BBQ’d Summer Berries {bottom of post}
More Recipes >>> EAT@HOME

Enjoy a Cold One in the Garden:
Not so Standard Biergarten
Mission Dolores {Accomplished}: Great New Brooklyn Beer Garden
Nothing says Warm Weather Like a “Gut Biergarten”

And in the Spirit of Weddings, Go on a Date!:
Summer Lovin’ Me Some Oysters @Mermaid Oyster Bar
Highlands Highlights: Scottish Plaids, Pub Fare and Hand Crafted Cocktails
The Red Cat: Comfortable Quarters & Cuisine
Love, Love Shabu Shabu: Fun to Say and Eat
August in April
Bocca di Bacco: I say PotaTO, You say PoTATo
barmarche: Some Clever Crudites

Eat Up!
Christina

Sibling Fun in Tokyo

2 Comments

Filed under Do This!

Tagged as BBQ, Beer, Brooklyn, Brunch, Burger, Date, Dinner Party, Drinks, East Village, Eggs, Food, Garden, German, Group, Inexpensive, LES, Lunch, Microbrew, Organic, Outdoors, Pizza, Recipe, Scotch, Specialty Food, UWS, West Village, Wine

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