Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Just drizzle the decadence

In my  last post about menu planning I mentioned that I would be serving a buttermilk lemon cake with a bittersweet chocolate sauce for dessert.  The cake recipe actually calls for a lemon glaze topping.  I've made it that way and can attest to its deliciousness.  But this time around I wanted to see if the subtle lemon flavors in this lightly-textured cake could complement the more complex flavors of passionfruit and dark chocolate.  With a jar of Renee Suzette's bittersweet seduction chocolate sauce on hand I thought I'd give it a try. 

Well, why did I wonder?  Truthfully this sauce, which I defy anyone from taking spoonfuls directly from jar to mouth, would go beautifully with any pound cake recipe.  I can even envision it served atop banana bread (instead of baking chocolate chips in the banana bread, for example). And though arguments can be made for going for "full cake coverage" I think that a restrained drizzle provides all the decadence you need.  It isn't that it would be too sweet (this is not like the cloyingly sweet chocolate syrups you'll find in the supermarket aisle--this is basically ganache in a jar).  But because it is basically ganache in a jar, I'm inclined to take it easy.  Love, love, love this!

See...this is what I'm talking about!

Renee Suzette's Chocolates are available online from her website and at select wineries and shops.

Statement of disclosure:  This jar was given to me by Renee Suzette Daldry with no request or expectation of a review or endorsement.

This is what's blowing my mind these days...

First up:  Jennifer Ward's by lines on the Atlantic Monthly Food Channel website.  You know Jen--Fresh Cracked Pepper Jen.  Well, her piece on Coffee in Haiti after the earthquake is getting tweeted all over the blogosphere.  That's our girl! 

I'm finally pulling some decent looking--and great tasting--espresso shots.  But when I'm getting my latte's on the run--the shots pulled at Funk 'N Waffles is blowing my mind.  I checked them out after a commenter sent me there (you see, your comments really do help me out)  Their shots of Gimme!'s Leftist were so spot on, I could taste the nuance of the flavor profile through the steamed milk--genius! 

Local cooking oil!  Have you had some of this butternut squash seed oil--it is fantastic!  It has a smooth and nutty taste that is just perfect for roasting up all of those root vegetables that are still left in the larder.  And there's something about roasting butternut squash in its own oil seems just so right.

I picked up this bottle at Max Market in Pittsford but check out the Syracuse Real Food Co-op to get some closer to home.  Update:  I guess I posted too soon.  The Co-op doesn't carry it but I put a note in the suggestion box so perhaps they will soon.

Based in Geneva, NY and Boston, Stony Brook is all about the deliciousness--you may have also come across their cookies.  Trust me, if you see them, don't pass them up. 

 A cafe destination for your country drive.  Red and White Cafe is in DeRuyter and I plan a more extended post on them because there's lot's to tell.  But for now, let me just say--this place rocks!  This is the real deal--authentic to its community, delicious house-baked breads, doughnuts, and other treats, good coffee, fantastic people--you have got to get there.  More on them soon....  Thanks to Neil Miller for introducing them to me.  Speaking of Neil--have you checked out his blog lately?  Check out his post on our lunch at Circa and dessert at Red and White.

So how about you?  What's blowing YOUR mind these days?

Market Find--R&G Goat Cheese

 

Reasons to continue shopping the CNY Regional Market in late fall/winter:

• New producers continue to arrive selling amazing cheeses, meats, and breads.
• With a pared down market, it is easier to discover what's been under your nose all along

And so it is that I continue to traipse out to the Regional Market each Saturday morning--usually in hot pursuit of my weekly must-haves.  I like to call them the 3Bs--bread, biscotti, and beef/bison.  When the pantry and freezer begin to empty out I add other letters of the alphabet--C-- for chicken, cereal and cheese--you get the idea.

I was not on an "alphabet expansion" trip when I stumbled across R&G Cheese Makers but there they were, in plain sight in the "A" shed--on the opposite end of the shed from where I find my other cheese-making friends.  I can't even tell you much about them except to say that they are based outside of Utica and that their maple-chipotle goat cheese is worth checking out.

I couldn't resist the flavor profile and picked it up figuring I could use it on some appetizer for a holiday potluck.  Not happening--because it will be gone before the next round of parties.  I spread some on a beautiful crusty slice of Rock Hill Bakehouse's raisin pecan bread and it was the quickest snack I conjure up on an overcast wintry day filled with errands.  R&G has got the sweet/heat thing balanced just right so that neither the maple nor the chipotle overpowers the creamy, slightly tangy goat cheese.  I imagine that this particular flavor (they also have plain and a few others) would be perfect stuffed in chicken breasts and pan-grilled.  Yum.

If you check them out, post a comment and let us know what you think.

NYC Cheese Hunt, Part 1

It used to be that cheese was a relatively simple affair--at least it was in the world I grew up in.  There was mozzarella for pizza, cheddar for mac and cheese, and parmesan--Kraft, in the familiar green canister--for the spaghetti and meatballs.  My life changed, in more ways than one, when I spent the summer of 1996 in Syracuse doing an internship as part of my preparation for ordination to the Episcopal priesthood.  My hosts, who gave me a place to live for the summer, were the Radke family.  It was a dreamy summer filled with conversations about art, religion, and food.

Nancy Radke is known to some as the co-author of the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que cookbook but she is most famous for heading up the American information office for Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.  If there is anything to be known about this amazing cheese Nancy knows it.  She is a gifted communicator and educator and so I spent a summer at her elbow learning how to cook and enjoy Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. 

I learned (but have not mastered) how to cut a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano.  I savored slivers of Parmigiano kissed by droplets of 40 year-aged balsamic vinegar.  I enjoyed Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on nearly everything and learned how to take the rind and dice it up to flavor stock for Italian soups. 

After spending a day running around NYC to purchase Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for a special breakfast Nancy was hosting during the week of New York's Fancy Food Show, I've come to understand how little know I know about this rather complex cheese. 

Exploring Long Island Wine Country, Part Three

I love Mattituck.  I mean, I could easily see living there--what with the ocean so close by, a charming Main Street, acres of farmland, and Shinn Estate Vineyards, what's not to love?  We had the perfect afternoon to wrap up our 24 hours on the North Fork. 

We picked up some delicious sandwiches, cheeses, and olives from the Village Cheese Shop.  Every town ought to have a place like this--tons of beautiful cheeses in the case, including that incredible Ouray made by those Hudson Valley nuns at Sprout Creek Farm; yummy gourmet products to tempt the palate and the wallet, and a selection of good, crusty breads.  This place would be on my weekly agenda if I lived anywhere near here.

Lunch, however, had to wait a bit.  We were signed up for the vineyard tour of Shinn Estate Vineyards, led by co-owner Barbara Shinn herself.  After eating at Barbara Shinn and David Page's restaurant in Greenwich Village, Home, last August, I couldn't wait to see the place that produced such fantastic wine.  What was really special was the opportunity to see a sustainable agriculture philosophy lived holistically.  Everything Shinn and Page does from vine to table is imbued with their reverence for the earth and passion for food and drink that ignites the palate. 

This commitment to sustainability is literally the foundation of all they do at Shinn.  For starters, Shinn Estate is located on property that is protected by a covenant that will ensure that it will always be used for agriculture--so the effort to preserve Long Island's farming heritage in some form will last long past the current generation of owners.

Before Shinn and Page came along the land that is now vineyards was previously planted with corn, rye and barley.  Now, in addition to growing grapes they consider themselves clover and grass farmers too.  Under each row of grapevines cover crops of native plants, clover, and grass help to enrich and feed the soil which in turn feeds the grapes.   Their operation is over 90% organic and is proof that going organic doesn't mean sacrificing taste.

Speaking of tasting, after the vineyard walk on that hot day all I could think of was wine and lunch.  We ended our tour back in the tasting room where I tasted a fight of limited production wines.  My favorites were the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc--this beautiful light straw colored wine offered nice grapefruit notes on the nose and a balanced mineral and citrus flavor on the tongue.  I also loved the 2004 Cabernet Franc--just 175 cases were made of this wine--another argument for the development of this grape in New York.  Lastly, there was that 2004 Reserve Merlot--a wine that could make me fall in love with Merlot all over again.  It was very nice--typical merlot profile with just a bit of heat on the finish--could it be that splash of Cab Franc (11%) and pinch of petit verdot (2%)?  Whatever it was, it was working for me.  The perfect ending to all that walking and wine was our picnic lunch right outside the tasting room--did I mention that I could live here? 

This blissful 24 hours could have ended right then and I would have been happy but Lenn had one more winery for us to visit--Roanoke Vineyards in Riverhead.  By way of introduction Lenn said, "I know you like small, artisinal producers".  How could we pass it by? 

Roanoke's tasting room has only been open three years but it clearly has a dedicated following.  Like Corey Creek, Roanoke shares a vineyard manager and winemaker with Wolffer Estate so we had the opportunity to taste some of their wines as well.  In fact the Wolffer 2003 Reserve Chardonnay ended up being one of the purchases of the day.  I also liked the 2006 Rose--it actually had some lemon notes that drew me in. 

However, the purchase of the trip--the purchase that made the whole excursion worthwhile--was the 2001 Grapes of Roth red, named after winemaker Roman Roth who had the opportunity to "do his own thing" to fantastic results.  This Merlot already had a lot of buzz with talk of how Long Island could compete with California with reds that were cellar worthy.  Well, believe the hype.  This was a mature and complex red, balanced, not too fruity, and if you've ever wondered what drinking the finest velvet might be like--this is it.

Our visit to Roanoke was supposed to be our last stop on our way back upstate, but we got curious on our drive to  Roanoke--a couple of things caught my eye:  the Garden of Eve farmstand and Briermere Farm .  There are no photos of this last stop--we only pulled in because of the line of cars looking for parking that snaked out of the lot onto Sound Avenue.  What was the deal we asked?  The deal is pie--the most incredible, flaky crusted, fruit jammed pies I've ever had.  If I could get back to the North Fork for some great wine and out of this world pie before the winter hits--I'll be a truly happy woman.  Well, five wineries down, only 35 or so more to go...

A sign too tempting to pass by.

Two week old lambs goats---too cute!

Archive Alert:  On this date in 2006 I was tasting wine at the New York Wine and Culinary Center.

Exploring Long Island Wine Country, Part One

Living near the Finger Lakes means that it is fairly easy to score a local wine.  Even if I can't find my favorites at the wine shop, strategic planning means that in an afternoon I can usually hit one of the lakes and pick up the juice straight from the vineyard.  Finding other New York wines, however, is as different story. 

Until a few years ago I didn't know much about the other wine regions in our state and I was fairly happy to live in ignorant bliss.  But one of the first food and wine blogs I began reading regularly was LennDevours--covering New York State wine and food.  Lenn opened me up to the possibility that the Finger Lakes didn't have the monopoly on good wine in the Empire State and it was many of his tasting notes that got me to visit Channing Daughters in Bridgehamton.  I loved them so much that I joined their wine club.  So once a year (should be more, I know) when business brings me down to Long Island I make a stop at Channing Daughters but this time around, I added an overnight, brought a friend, got a killer  itinerary from Lenn and set out for 24 hours of East End wine tasting. 

The first day was pretty simple, check out Channing Daughters, explore Sag Harbor and have dinner, and rest up for a full day on the North Fork where most of the Long Island wineries are located.

So here are some photos with commenetary of the first day.  Following posts will detail all the new places that Lenn introduced me to.

My beloved and trusty car hit its 100,000th mile just as we entered Water Mill--not too far from Bridgehampton.

The Channing Daughters vineyards offer a whimsical mix of outdoor sculpture among the vines. An image of this upside down tree graces many a Channing Daughters wine label.

Okay, if I'm not going to show you any wines I should at least post a photo of the vineyard.  Since I was the driver of the day I didn't really taste much at Channing Daughters--in fact, I had just received a shipment the day before I headed down to the winery. 

Channing Daughters wine club has been a great way to learn about Long Island wines because they make the full gamut.  Tonight we enjoyed their naked, or unoaked 2006 Scuttlehole Chardonnay but we also loved their 2005 Rosati di Cabernet Sauvignon--my purchase of only one bottle last year was an error in judgment.  I think they really excell at their whites but I also love their Research Cab--a red blend that I just gave away as a gift.  As I discovered on day two of our jaunt, Long Island has better conditions for producing reds than most of what I've had in the Finger Lakes (Silver Thread, Ravines, and Lamoreaux Landing are among the notable exceptions.) 

Tomorrow:  How I fell in love with Mattituck.

If it looks like a duck and it...oh wait!

Yesterday's mystery item yielded some great guesses--many of which were partly correct.  But I have to give it to Jill for suggesting a cat-shaped fruit roll up!  It took me a minute but after staring for awhile, the cat image jumped right out.

However, those of you who guessed bacon were very close.  This is what duck bacon looks like after it has been sizzling for five minutes.  Now, y'all know how much I love bacon so I couldn't resist picking up this D'artagnan Duck Bacon from the Co-op.  I'd actually forgetten it was in the freezer until the other day.  So with about a pound of lamb riblets (more on those tomorrow) to cook up I knew it was time to bring it out.

The key things to know about duck bacon are these:

• It has much less fat than pork bacon
• It cooks up in about five minutes when prepared on top of the stove
• It shrinks up to about half its original size after cooking
• Even though it looks like a fruit roll up when it is cooked--it is as tender as can be and it tastes awesome!

This bacon is not salty but you won't get that crisped edge of bacon fat that you can get with pork bacon.  As you would expect, it tastes delightfully like duck.  I could see eating this with poached eggs and toast but yesterday I used the rendered fat to saute my carrots and onions for the lamb riblets and then diced up the bacon to flavor the pot.  Duck bacon will probably work in any dish that calls for bacon but I don't think I'd recommend them for cookies.  Stick to pork bacon for that.  D'artagnan also makes duck proscuitto--you just know I've got to get my  hands on some!

Tasting Notes: Mario Batali's Pasta Sauce

With my great love for our local Consilvio's pasta sauce I haven't been in the habit of trying new bottled sauces.  However, while cruising the aisles of a Whole Food Market last month, a row of jars caught my eye.  Mario Batali is one of the celebrity chefs that folks love to love.  Many say he is the best thing on the Food Network for those who really like to cook--I can agree with that but I do love Ina Garten too.  Anyway Mario, like other celebrity chefs, not only has several restaurants and cookbooks to his credit, but has recently expanded into the area of more widely available products like salumi and his new line of pasta sauces.

Now, lots of good folks have been inclined to put their names on jars of pasta sauce--but this one is truly worthy of the celebrity name.  First of all, you can eat this with a spoon.  This is a pasta that really sticks to the pasta because the ingredients are real and substantial.  Real slivers of carrots, fennel seeds, onion, garlic, and tomato chunks make this a sauce you could pass off as made from scratch.  The garlic and fennel taste really fresh and maintain their distinctive flavors--there's nothing muted about this sauce.  If you've ever wondered what the phrase "flavor exploding with every bite" really means--this is the sauce to explain it.

Lastly, one of my personal tests of an outstanding sauce is the length of time it spends in my fridge.  And note, my husband is allergic to tomatoes so this is just me.  Sometimes I find jars of half-eaten sauce hiding in the back of the fridge weeks later.  This jar was gone in five days.  My favorite quick dish:  grilled D'artagnan Rabbit and Ginger sausage, sliced, warmed in the sauce and served on penne pasta with shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Molto Mario indeed!