An Ice Cream's Semi Sweet Story

 Ample Hills Ice Cream is a comeback brand. This Brooklyn based frozen dessert has had more spins and turns than a swirled cone. It was successful . Then it wasn;'t, Then it was. then another low point. Now' it's coming back, stronger and better than before.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about this remarkable company in today's New York Times Food section. The company was first started by Brooklyn couple Jackie Cuscuna and her husband Brian Smith. The original idea came about when the couple moved from their careers, she as a teacher and he as a B movie screenwriter. He was also an ice cream hobbyist with a dream. Mr. Smith hand cranked their product and made up the business as they went along. They finally opened a brick and mortar store in Prospect Parjust before Memorial Day in 2011. he had to close the sotre for a week after, being overcome with exhaustion and elation. Their ice cream Ample Hills , taken from another Brooklynite Walt Whitman's poem, the famed Crossing Brooklyn Ferry was becoming Brooklyn's destination ice cream parlor. Customers fell in love with such flavors as  Snap Mallow Pop and Cherry Cola. It even caught Oprah's attention thanks to her friend  Bob Iger,disney chief executive. He even enlisted the couple to make Marvel and Star war themed ice creams for their theme parks.

Anyone would think that their success would last. It didn't . The smiths failed.The costs of their expansions in 2020 swamped their revenues and in March 2020 the company had to be sold.Mr. Smith  was heartbroken. Ten years of his life had been devoted to creating new flavors and making good and unusual ice cream. The couple declared personal bakruptcy and had to move to a smaller apartment. They worried what they'd do next. They enrolled in a pivot workshop held by the North Brooklyn chamber of Commerce which led them to whuskey wednesdays, a regular networking event held by Norm Brodsky. Mr. Brodsky was a high profile entrepreneur who could sympathize with th esmiths. His courier business created in 1979 went boom then bust in the 1986 stock market crash. Armed with new cash the couple (who also were the subject of a Harvard business course entitiled entrepreneurial failure) opened up the social in 2021.It's lack ofcustomers provided its a second bankruptcy  thanks to opening it at the end of the pandemic.That they ae coming back in Manhattan and Brooklyn with new flavors lik e Morning In Paris that has ground croissant in it and bananpudding which has the ingredients of banana pudding.They want stores and parlors where people cna enjoy their ice cream and they can talk to their customers.

Ample Hills will be back, Loyal customers will return. It's due for a comeback and this time it will be stronger than ever.

Pastina Caci E Pepe

what do you do with leftover pastina?There's a lot you cna do but a tasty variation is caci e pepe.  This is usally made with spaghetti but it can be made with any kind of pasta, from the smallest to the largest.

I had leftover pastaina from lunch. Dinner was going to be a hurried affair . What to do? Add a good blob of Melt plant butter and a good sprinkling of black pepper.

It was then adding two vegan cheeses on top for flavor.I used Vitalife 's mozzarella shreds and Parma vegan cheese.The dish was then cooked for twelve minutes in the microwave.  The end result was a fiery cheesey buttery spoonful of goodness.I linws this although I would add more pepper the next time around. Keep in mind you can do this with any plain leftover pasta. 

Caci and pepe is a nice change up from the usual pasta. Try it with any kind , from pastina to linguine for a different kind of dinner. It's a great way of using leftover pastina too.

African Influences On American Cooking

 Juneteenth is an impotant holiday,celebrated with foods that represent hope and resistance. Yet it's the cooking of the enslaved that really is the backbone of our country's cooking. american cuisine would not be the same without it.

Many think that Indigenous and European  cooking are the basis of Americna cooking. In some ways that's true. we have the Noth American tribes to thankfor the Three Sisters corns beadn and squash. european cooking brought different dishes and such ataples as bread, wine and  ale. Yet it was the enslaved that brought a variety of fruits and vegetables , incorporating them into the American diet. We have our summer treat watermelon coming over in the Trans Atlantic slave trade. Veggies we take for granted such as okra an d black eyed peas were also used in dishes brought over. These went from the slave gardens to the fancy tables of the country's then rich and powerful. They became part of many dishes that are deemed "American." Dishes using one of the most important West African imports rice came from Black chefs cooking for such men as Washington and Jefferson They enjoyed dishes  such as gumbo or gombo, a mix of diffrent meats and seafood poured over rice and jambalaya  - another flavorful stew based on jollof rice.

Most of our cooking methods also came from enslaved Africans. they brought with them fried foods and the method for doing such. without them we wouldn't have the Southern classic fried chicken, Steaming also came into play with foods being first wrapped in banana, plaintain or corn sheaths along with miraculous berry and cocoyam leaves), They were also big on adding fruit to pies instead of meat although most European countries did have some form of fruit pie.Spicing foods is also a West African influence recipes were given more flavor by the addition of peppers and certain herbs . Another major impact was the addition of mutrient rich greens into their and the plantation owners' diets. They gathered and cooked collards, kale and turnip tops , to be cooked in an another influential cooking method - the one pot meal.They were able to get good doses fo Vitamin C while cooking the greens in a tasty mix of  ham hocks and spices.

We celebrate Junettenth today. However we need to celebrate African cooking all year round. It is a main influence and should be honored.

Dad's Day Eat Out

 Usually it's the moms who eat out for their special day . Yet dads can too for Father's  Day and they can have a variety  of choices. hy put him behind the grill to cook when he could be taking it easy.

What restaurants appeal to any man? Usually ones that features a wide array of meat. One is Texas Roadhouse . These are all over the US can easily be found  in your neighborhood. The kids will love walking in and seeing the trays of honey rolls waiting to be baked. Each table receives a basket full of them along with a ramekin of Texas Roadhouse;s famed honey butter. Dad will love their famed  hand cut steaks. Treat him to a porterhouse T bone or filet mignon medallions that come with a choice of sauce and rice. Of course he deserves a dessert and Texas Roadhouse doesn't diappoint. They have a brownie sundae , cheese cake and classic apple pie. another fun dad place is BJ's Brewhouse.it's perfect for the beer loving man of the house; There is the in house brewed Mexican Cureveza that has a hint of lime and salt in it. Dad will love their Nutty Brewnette that has a healthy dose of hops in it. He can also try their hard lemonade that also has prickly pear and raspberry juice also in it.BJ's brewhouse has a wide array of dishes from pizzas to  pastas and a good choice of meat fish and chicken.

 New Jersey fathers would appreciate a lunch or dinner at Bahr's This famed restaurant  (which was featured in a Sopranos influenced Chevy commercial duing the Super Bowl) has very good seafood  dishes. treat dad to a full lobster meal complete with cole slaw. They also have an excellent Manhattan clam chowder and a filling shrimp cocktail. For a more New England vibe eat at their oudoor l obster shack, Moby's It's a fun hangout with great views of Sandy Hook and the Nevesink River. Inland papas can spend a long lunch at Red Lobster. The chain has recently updated their menu. Take advantage of their Crab Fest going on now. This is several dishes that have crab as the featured meat. Dad can go wild over crab legs and cheese over  fries or have them just with butter sauce. There's also  variations on the classic surf and turf meal that lets the diner pick out the beef cut they want. A plus about Red Lobster is that they offer family meals the enire clan can share. A family of shrimp lovers will go wild over one that has everything from shrimp scampi to shrimp and linguini with alfredo sauce. Also opt for their Bar Harbor obster bake which is kind of like a seafood paella served over linguine. It has mussels, fresh tomatoes, lobster tails, shrimp and bay scallops;

Let  the breadwinner relax in a good restaurant with good food. There's a wide array of excellent eateries out there dad can enjoy. Treat him to a tasty lunch or dinner.

Big Grilling Weekend

 It's going to be a big grilling weekend with Father's day and Junettenth happening one day apart. There's so many fun foods that can be barbecued and tasty sides to be savored

How to celebrate dad? Try all sorts of steak cuts. A skirt cut would be perfect for those who live a good thin cut. Keep in min that skirt steak can be tough thanks to all the muscle fibers running through it. You can pound it with a meat mallet  or rolling pin or try a good marinade to soften the texture. Think a soy marinade , rich with scallions and gingers for an Asian take. You could also serve it with a chimmichurri sauce. This is mixing cilantro, oregano ,parsley and cilantro with olive oil to form a kind of pesto. fresno chile or jalapenos are added along with garlic is added in for heat and flavor.  Add a dash of red wine vinegar for a little more zing. Another Father's day treat is a grilled T one. These are lovely marbled and fatty cuts so there's no need for amarimade. Just barbecue and serve with a blob of herbed or garlic butter on top. what happens of your fathe r i smore of chicken lover than a beef one? Then serve crispy wings. Get them extra crunchy by adding cornstarch tothe seasonings. Thsi coats the skin and gives it an extra crackle. You can do the same with legs and breasts too.

The day after is Juneteenth, a time to celebate the end of enslavement in the US, Millie Peartree,a famed chef and food writer gave some delcious recipes to wednesday's new York Times Food section. Red foods should be served because they represent resilience and joy. Watermelon is always a welcome barbecue treat. Combine it with chopped cucumber for a different take on the barbecue favorite chow chow.it also has a Junettenth staple hibiscus  in it along with jalapeno for bite and chopped red onion. Sugar is also added. Another staple are ribs.  Think  baby back ones slathered ina barbecue sauce on the grill. You could serve them with a red cabbage slaw instead of traditional white one. follow Chef Peartree's chicken recipe that again employs hibiscus in its' sauce.It's firs dry rubbed with a mix of seasoned salt and onion and garlic and then drenched in red tangy sweet sauce that has a ketchup base. Theres sock it to me cake a kind of hybrid and pound with a crunchy topping of walnuts and brown sugar.A new idea for dessert is red velvet cookies. Make them sandwich cookies with the addition of a cream cheese frosting filling.

Celebrate these two important days with good food on the grill. These recipes are perfect for family and freinds . Get together over a good piece of meat.

Cooking Dads

 Father's day is not just about barbecue and dads . fathers today are much more sophisticated than the generations before them. Theyre into hip dishes made with fresh and healthy ingredients.

Cookbook author and new contributor JJ Goode wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Today's dad may not even own a grill and may prmot5e a vegan lifestyle. even Mr. Goode, author of such cookbooks as Turkey And The wolf :Flavor Tripping Through new Orleans and Salt and Straw Ice Cream Book, doesn;t even have the trendy Big Green egg grill or a sixteen pound baking steel to make pizza for his kids. WHat  will he work with? Sneaking veggies into his kids pasta sauce for a healthier bite. There are more like him. Basically the star tof this modern dad cusine came from the turn of the century dude cooking where men embraced cool attitudes  and studied the swashbuckling chefs of the era. Still feeding people was still seem as being feminized. for some men that felt risky and they pushed back. They wanted their foods to be different than what moms were making.

Dads have evolved.Raymond Ho of Los Angeles cooks regulary for hist twin daughters. Hwoever he did have a role model in his dad who cooked for his family while his wife worked in a flower shop in Hong Kong.  His father brought him to wet markets to buy fish and meat.Mr. Ho is following suit He  not only splits cooking responsibilites with his wife but also grills on his Traeger pellet smoker and afire pit. he even ages steak. For  the couple Chase weideman-Grant and his husband Cory Grant, cooking meals are aspirational. He grew up watching the great British chef Jamie Oliver creating spaghetti with arugula for his daughters Poppy and daisy. he made his kids three different  roasted veggie dishes. There was cauliflower with chili crisp, carrots with honey and sumac and broccoli with lemon and garlic. None of the fathers Mr. Goode interviewed rfelied on barbecued meat but have a certain masculine take over. Some dads like Nathan englander make pita and baba ganoush from scratch instead of buying them at the grocery.

dad cooking is evolving and will evolve much like fathers themselves. They may grill. They may not. The will have the desire to provide their offspring with good food.

The Summer of Good Eating

 New York City and it's surrounding area   is a summer paridise. There are musems, beaches, outdoor concerts and plays. Best of all are its' restaurants. You can always find a good meal in Manhattanno matter what the season.

Almost every New York Times Food section contributor from Pete Wells and Florence Fabricant to Priya Krishna,Alexis weibel and Nikita Richardson have their favorites. even Eric Asimov who writes The Pour about wine and other alcohol weighs in. It's not just limited to Manhattan. There's even a short list of Jersey City eateries such as Filipino bread House which features petite enseymadas a kinf of cheese Danish.The city offers a wide range of Mexican places like Mezcal Kitchen and Indian like Honest. Of course the boroughs have some great restaurants too.Umi Syam covers Queens which has excellent Korean barbecue places like Yong sam Gyup Goo Yi where diners can customize their dinners and the Japanese Beat Mazesoba which features soba noodles with washugyu beef.Of course there is trendy Williamsburg and its' rooftop dining. These places are perfect for tourists looking for good food and stunning night time views of Manhattan There's westlight with dining influences from Asia and south america and  the Wythe's Hotel Bar Blondeau wit its' high end menu. Try Philadelphia's based Laser Wolf on top of the Hoxton Hotel for fun nibbles.

Are there seafood restaurants? Yes, since New York is a port city. Visitors cna easily go to The Bronx' City island located in the norteast section of the borough. Seafood lovers will love Johnny's Reef which has a wide range of seafood. of course you can also visit the Rockaways and Coney Island too, to escape the hot city streets. You can surf in the wild waters off the Rockaways and then head to Margie's at The Rockaway Hotel for a lobster BLT or go to Tacoway Beach for fish tascos with pineapple.There's also Uma's and LaCerviccheria. Nathan's is the place to go at Coney Island for their famed franks and super crunchy fries. Also try denas Sweet Shoppe for boardwalk faves like funnel cake and Paul's daughter for fried clams.  Also check out Staten Island including a  roller rink. Yes there are good places in Manhattan proper too.check out the chicken parmesan at Cafe Fiorello on upper Broadway and the lemongrass pork banh mi at salguette at Columbus Circle.Tourists will appreciate the burgers at JG Melon and West African food at Teranga.Those wanting to eat al fresco can enjoy Panzon in Greepoint Brooklyn or a night out eating great snacks at shea Stadium.

New York and its' environs is a food lover's paradise. There are so many goodies out there to try. This is the summer to go wild and taste everything.