Any New Jersey kid will tell you boardwalk food rules. Not matter where you go on the Garden State Coast Thea's some kind of seaside amusement area that has a large variety of fun foods ,. You can get sausage an dpeppers, fried Oreos and boardwalk staples cotton candy and candy apples. It a fun way to end a day at the beach.
I recently reconnected with boardwalk food at Keansburg Amusement Park. Technically the place isn't really a boardwalk and it's not on our state's oceanside.It's on the Raritan Bay with amazing views of Manhattan Brooklyn and Staten Island. However the park has the some kind of fun, (and somewhat seedy) allure of any of our other boardwalk like Seaside Heights or Wildwood. The food is relatively the same. A lot of Italians have had business since the boardwalk's early days in Altantic City so there's always pizza and calzones. Seafood also always predominates and almost every Jersey boardwalk has a raw bar where diners can also chow down on fresh fried fish and chips as well as crab legs, and raw oysters. These and other fast food places sell beer too, a boardwalk staple.
Sweets play an important part in boardwalk cuisine, Zeppoli, those yummy fried Sicilian dough balls, had their own stand at Keansburg. I was tempted to buy a bag of the fresh made, freshly sugared treats however got waylaid by those classics: candy apples and cotton candy. No trip to any boardwalk would be complete without them. I had a Granny Smith that was perfectly enrobed in a crunchy candy coating and topped with fresh coconut. The cotton candy was typical sweet and sticky,but fun to inhale. Other treats were ice cream along with waffles Italian ices (both are staples) and fried anything. Most boardwalks also have a homemade candy booth where there's everything from homemade fudge to saltwater taffy,along with molasses pops and haystacks .
Boardwalk food is a summer treat that has to be experienced. Anything from pizza to fries , to ice cream or fudge is spend to a fun day at the beach. If you're in Jersey visit our boardwalks for some culinary treats.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Hello Ruby Tuesday
If you think all chain restaurants are built alike, think again. Ruby Tuesdays has reinvented itself into a classy eatery, with a new upscale look and interesting haute Americain dishes. Best of all it's still maintained its' warmth and top notch cooking making it a must go to restuarant for a summer gathering or just a night out.
Ruby Tuesdays came about in 1972 when five University of Tennessee students wanted to create a business after graduation in Knoxville TN. It wa s named after the popular Rolling Stones song and quickly became a hit with students.It has since changed owners twice . It made my local mall twenty years ago and instantly became a local go to place. It had the best chicken Caesar salad along with excellent steaks. Rubys' salad bar was and still is chocked with unusual foods that wouldn't be found in a normal run of the mill one. Soy beans and pumpernickel croutons are side by side with the regular spinach leaves, broccoli and ham cubes.
Their new menu is reflective of haute American cuisine of today. I ordered the zucchini cake sliders which are deep friend zucchini fritters stuffed with goat cheese, There was also spaghetti squash, served both as a pasta and as a buttery side. This type of squash is rarely served in American box restaurants, Usually the more creative ones in our big cities such as New York, Chicago or even Washington have spaghetti squash on their menus. You can also get it when ordering th e all veggie platter .Ruby's also has gone Mexican by adding chicken quesadillas too. These are made more like paninis and have a wonderful crunch to them. A new dessert are red velvet and carrot cupcakes along with their classic after dinner treats and sweets.\
If you haven't been to Ruby Tuesdays in a while, drop by for lunch dinner or even a Sunday brunch. The changes are amazing both to the decor and the menu. It may be a stop in your local mall, but it the restaurant feels like classy metro hangout.
Friday, July 8, 2011
A Revolutionary Garden
This is the season for fresh veggies and herbs from the garden .It's time to harvest the small age and burnet. These may. Sound strange -even foreign to you however they were a big part of the Colonial diet.Before there were modern greens there were their wild cousins. Even though they were staples back in the 1600s and 1700s, they still can be used in today 's recipes.
This was the subject of a very interesting article in the Thursday Home section of the NewYork Times. Michael Totorello wrote this thought provoking article that deals with plants from the past four centuries. A lot was written about small age ,a precursor of celery.This was used as aside to meats.It still can be used today in salads and even soups. Burnet , a popular and well used herb ofPuritans was used for doctoring wine. it's light cucumber like taste could easily be added to any 21st Century summer dish. There is also skirret which instantly takeover the garden,Unfortunately it takes a lot plants to get enough pulp for dish.
Cooking these greens does take some patience.Purslane, another 18th Century "sallet green, has to be blanched first before cooking.Scozonera, another celery like plant has to be over baked to soften its woody core which can be super tough to eat. the tastes may be a little intense for modern palates however they can be softened with sautes in olive oil or butter. Scallions and garlic can also be added too or even spinach which was a very popular dish in the 1700's.
Travel to the culinary past this summer. Add colonial favorites like small age, purslane and burnet to your cooking.It's a neat way of connecting with our culinary past.
This was the subject of a very interesting article in the Thursday Home section of the NewYork Times. Michael Totorello wrote this thought provoking article that deals with plants from the past four centuries. A lot was written about small age ,a precursor of celery.This was used as aside to meats.It still can be used today in salads and even soups. Burnet , a popular and well used herb ofPuritans was used for doctoring wine. it's light cucumber like taste could easily be added to any 21st Century summer dish. There is also skirret which instantly takeover the garden,Unfortunately it takes a lot plants to get enough pulp for dish.
Cooking these greens does take some patience.Purslane, another 18th Century "sallet green, has to be blanched first before cooking.Scozonera, another celery like plant has to be over baked to soften its woody core which can be super tough to eat. the tastes may be a little intense for modern palates however they can be softened with sautes in olive oil or butter. Scallions and garlic can also be added too or even spinach which was a very popular dish in the 1700's.
Travel to the culinary past this summer. Add colonial favorites like small age, purslane and burnet to your cooking.It's a neat way of connecting with our culinary past.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Flash Feasting Paris' Annual Dinner In White
Imagine a warm, summer's night. Thousands dress up in white to convene at a place for bacchanalian dining and drinking. There is music and dancing afterwards. Is it a new cult? A coven meeting to celebrate midsummer, No, it's thousands of elegant Parisians to have a flash feast in front of the Louvre Museum and Notre Dame Cathedral.
This version of a flash mob was written about in yesterday's New York Times Dining section by newcomer Liesl Schillinger. She tells of how a group of very well behaved city people came together at exactly eight o clock last year and had the grandest picnic of them all. It's an annual event, since 1988, called "Diner en Blanche" or "Dinner In White". Men wear pristine white suits while women float in dresses of the same snowy color.. They carried picnic baskets filled with foie gras, poached salmon and different cheeses.Champagne along with wine and water were drunk. Each table provides its' own meal along with linens and silverware. There was also dessert and hors d'ouevres too. Just as soon as the meal is finished, everything is cleared away and cleaned up. so that there;s dancing in t he squares.
Not everyone can just join in. There are private invitations. otherwise it would be the largest food fest ever (and quite messy in the end) . The actual venue is kept a secret until a few days before to avoid gatecrashers. However both New York and Montreal and planning on these flash feasts and of course - the invites are going out via Facebook and Twitter. Don't think that these dinners will have a few hundred gate crashers. There is also a penalty for those who behave raucously or don't clean up. They get barred from next year's Diner en Blanche.
it should be interesting to see how New York and Montreal's flash feasts do. Will both be as casually elegant as their French counterpart? Even more interesting how will the food be?
This version of a flash mob was written about in yesterday's New York Times Dining section by newcomer Liesl Schillinger. She tells of how a group of very well behaved city people came together at exactly eight o clock last year and had the grandest picnic of them all. It's an annual event, since 1988, called "Diner en Blanche" or "Dinner In White". Men wear pristine white suits while women float in dresses of the same snowy color.. They carried picnic baskets filled with foie gras, poached salmon and different cheeses.Champagne along with wine and water were drunk. Each table provides its' own meal along with linens and silverware. There was also dessert and hors d'ouevres too. Just as soon as the meal is finished, everything is cleared away and cleaned up. so that there;s dancing in t he squares.
Not everyone can just join in. There are private invitations. otherwise it would be the largest food fest ever (and quite messy in the end) . The actual venue is kept a secret until a few days before to avoid gatecrashers. However both New York and Montreal and planning on these flash feasts and of course - the invites are going out via Facebook and Twitter. Don't think that these dinners will have a few hundred gate crashers. There is also a penalty for those who behave raucously or don't clean up. They get barred from next year's Diner en Blanche.
it should be interesting to see how New York and Montreal's flash feasts do. Will both be as casually elegant as their French counterpart? Even more interesting how will the food be?
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Real Old Fashioned Sodas
Our great grandparents enjoyed a treat that's a rarity today - an old fashioned fountain soda.These were amazing concoctions all made before the birth of Coca Cola and Pepsi. Everything but the kitchen sink went into these lavish hot weather treats. Ingredients were fresh made and full of foamy goodness. Will those days ever come back? Yes thanks to a few dedicated purists..
This was the subject of an article in today's New York Times Dining section. The great Julia Moskin wrote the well researched piece that took her to old fashioned soda fountains. Before the birth of Coke in the 1890s soda, including colas were mixed in pharmacies across the country. After the drink's invention sodas weren't that special anymore and a once a week treat like ice cream sodas could be made at home. Thanks to a few dedicated soda jerks that world is coming back. The name jerk come from the jerking motion of pulling the soda taps and the modern ones are just as proud of the title as their 1890s counterparts were.
During the golden era of home made soda, the egg cream reigned king. This was and still is an amazing concoction that involves cream, chocolate and seltzer. The original recipe is making a comeback as is a strawberry egg cream made with fresh Long Island strawberries. Other creations are calling for fresh huckleberries and locally grown hazelnuts. Fresh milk from Hudson Valley dairies is also used giving the drinks a purer flavor. Artesanal seltzers are also being used. Before carbonation, pharmacists used water mixed with potassium, calcium and magnesium to give it fizz (this water was also made for medicinal purposes as well). Homemade sodas are also made, using the same ingredients as 19th century jerks used.
Nothing beats an ice cream soda on a hot summer's day. Even better is when it's made the old fashioned way with homemade seltzer and fresh ingredients. If there is a true soda fountain in your neighborhood visit it. Enjoy the purity of a real 19th century treat!
This was the subject of an article in today's New York Times Dining section. The great Julia Moskin wrote the well researched piece that took her to old fashioned soda fountains. Before the birth of Coke in the 1890s soda, including colas were mixed in pharmacies across the country. After the drink's invention sodas weren't that special anymore and a once a week treat like ice cream sodas could be made at home. Thanks to a few dedicated soda jerks that world is coming back. The name jerk come from the jerking motion of pulling the soda taps and the modern ones are just as proud of the title as their 1890s counterparts were.
During the golden era of home made soda, the egg cream reigned king. This was and still is an amazing concoction that involves cream, chocolate and seltzer. The original recipe is making a comeback as is a strawberry egg cream made with fresh Long Island strawberries. Other creations are calling for fresh huckleberries and locally grown hazelnuts. Fresh milk from Hudson Valley dairies is also used giving the drinks a purer flavor. Artesanal seltzers are also being used. Before carbonation, pharmacists used water mixed with potassium, calcium and magnesium to give it fizz (this water was also made for medicinal purposes as well). Homemade sodas are also made, using the same ingredients as 19th century jerks used.
Nothing beats an ice cream soda on a hot summer's day. Even better is when it's made the old fashioned way with homemade seltzer and fresh ingredients. If there is a true soda fountain in your neighborhood visit it. Enjoy the purity of a real 19th century treat!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Name Day Treats
If you're traveling to Italy or Greece this summer you may hear something about onomasticas or saints days.This when people celebrate the saint they've been named for. Celebrations could include small gifts or better yet some special meal or treat. Onomastica day usually means a favorite food of to be made, whether it's an elaborate dish like risotto or something as simple as an ice.
The name onomastica derives from the Greek and was a way of code way of distinguishing Christians from pagans in the Church's early days. If someone had a saints name like Mary or John a fellow Christian would know their religion and act accordingly with them. (Most Christians were either jailed or killed for openly practicing this "new religion."). As the centuries passed and Christianity became the leading religion, saints days became a second birthday. Children were given small gifts and even cakes. In some Italian provinces a saint' s day dictates that a favorite meal is to be made. A saint's day is also called a feast day and a namesake church may have a three day to week long celebration of all sorts of fun foods from sausages to zeppoli.
Some saints' have their own built in treats .St Joseph's Day, which is March 19th, has its' cream puffs . These are lush concoctions that are filled with cannoli filling and topped with a cherry.Of course there are the more famous St. Valentine's Day and St Patrick's Day. These are universally celebrated with more than enough hoopla. Both have all sorts of tie in foods and drinks. However as with any onomastica it boils down to what the namesake wishes to eat.
Celebrating your saint's day is a good way to tap into tradition and understanding the early church.It's also a good day to have others treat you with a favorite meal or sweet. If you're named Elizabeth ,then enjoy today, St . Elizabeth's Day.
The name onomastica derives from the Greek and was a way of code way of distinguishing Christians from pagans in the Church's early days. If someone had a saints name like Mary or John a fellow Christian would know their religion and act accordingly with them. (Most Christians were either jailed or killed for openly practicing this "new religion."). As the centuries passed and Christianity became the leading religion, saints days became a second birthday. Children were given small gifts and even cakes. In some Italian provinces a saint' s day dictates that a favorite meal is to be made. A saint's day is also called a feast day and a namesake church may have a three day to week long celebration of all sorts of fun foods from sausages to zeppoli.
Some saints' have their own built in treats .St Joseph's Day, which is March 19th, has its' cream puffs . These are lush concoctions that are filled with cannoli filling and topped with a cherry.Of course there are the more famous St. Valentine's Day and St Patrick's Day. These are universally celebrated with more than enough hoopla. Both have all sorts of tie in foods and drinks. However as with any onomastica it boils down to what the namesake wishes to eat.
Celebrating your saint's day is a good way to tap into tradition and understanding the early church.It's also a good day to have others treat you with a favorite meal or sweet. If you're named Elizabeth ,then enjoy today, St . Elizabeth's Day.
Monday, July 4, 2011
A Happy Fourth
Have a good Fourth of July to all my American foodies here and abroad. Enjoy this day full of fun food and fireworks! Go for that corndog or hamburger. Enjoy a pie eating contest or just margaritas around the pool!
Keep those in the Armed Force s in your thoughts and pray they come home for the next year's Fourth of July. Remember they're keeping the dream of Washington and Jeffereson, Adams and Franklin alive fighting for us to continue our freedoms.
Toast them tonight and our country!
Keep those in the Armed Force s in your thoughts and pray they come home for the next year's Fourth of July. Remember they're keeping the dream of Washington and Jeffereson, Adams and Franklin alive fighting for us to continue our freedoms.
Toast them tonight and our country!
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