Like any other businesses restaurants have in and out seasons. Of course the busy times are a boon to eateries. It means more of a food turnover as well as more cash flow coming in. It's a great time?Or is it?
I experienced this yesterday when visiting my favorite shore restaurant , the Atlatnic Highlands Bahr's and its' offshoot, Moby's Lobster Deck. I was in need of some serious eats.after a beach day of walking and splashing about. I figured it wouldn;t be that crowded.Was I wrong.It was beyond packed. Thanks to the holiday and the high temps this shore hang out was crammed with customers and cars. It was a headache. This is start of the in season for many shore eateries. That means making reservations or waiting and fighting for everything from parking spaces to tables. It also means long lines and shortages.What to do? Think about packing your own meals. This saves on both eating out and waiting a ridiculously long time for a cup of clam chowder and fries. Pack a lot.Have plenty of extras such as water and snacks. You don;t want to make an extra stops, especially if you're in a steady line of traffic. That will delay more time at the beach. If you do want to eat afterwards, then head inland. There are some cute and often well rated cafes a mile or two from the sand and sea. Check them out on line.You may even find one that will become a family favorite.
With warmer weather more people spend dinner time out and about. Again this means making reservations at places that you normally wouldn't. Another idea is eating at an earlier time. Many Yelp reviews list the most popular times. Follow this when you''re planning a night out and go for an early hour. Another idea is take out dinners .It's really the best of both worlds. You eat your favorite dishes in the quiet of your backyard patio. Ask for dessert as well to complete the experience. You could also recreate then at home. It could be a fun challenge to whip up a dish even better than your favorite chef could. What happens if the restaurant becomes too popular and crowded? Again, like with the beach front places , look to other ones. Take advantage of Groupon and Val-Pac which introduce the newest eateries to the local population.. Newer restaurants do not have a following as the older, more established ones. They will not only be grateful for the business but also accommodating.
An in season place is going to usually be overcrowded and rife with shortages and sell outs. Go to it in the off season. Take this time to discover new eateries and quiet dinners on the back patio.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Reinterpreting Francis Lam
Spoiler alert - this about the recipe in tomorrow's New York Times Sunday magazine.
There's nothing like an interesting recipe to get a home chef's creative juices going. That what it was today when I happened upon Francis Lam's recipe using red peppers. It was inspired by his two year old's love and constant demand of red peppers. Unfortunately the kid sometimes gets tired of them, leaving a fridge of bright red spears quickly aging. Mr. Lam who also is the host of The Splendid Host. on American Public Media looked to Justin Smillies cookbook, "Slow Fires" a book he edited. It is a kind of a red pepper jelly, made flavorful with onions and thyme and garlic -lots and lots of garlic.
Of course I put my own spin on it. I used four colors of peppers and two huge onions.
There's nothing like an interesting recipe to get a home chef's creative juices going. That what it was today when I happened upon Francis Lam's recipe using red peppers. It was inspired by his two year old's love and constant demand of red peppers. Unfortunately the kid sometimes gets tired of them, leaving a fridge of bright red spears quickly aging. Mr. Lam who also is the host of The Splendid Host. on American Public Media looked to Justin Smillies cookbook, "Slow Fires" a book he edited. It is a kind of a red pepper jelly, made flavorful with onions and thyme and garlic -lots and lots of garlic.
Of course I put my own spin on it. I used four colors of peppers and two huge onions.
The onions were minced in my mini-chopper and I also added chopped tomatoes for more of a ratatouille vibe.
About four cups of chopped onions were added to a quarter of a cup of olive oil. The amount of oil was just not enough. I increased it to one half cup which worked very well.
The peppers were cut into sticks as per Mr. Lam's recipe.
The onions were cooked down first with the tomatoess and garlic in the olive oil. As per directions four large pinches of sea salt were added to sweat out the juices. Thyme was in the original recipe but I felt oregano was more suitable and flavorful.
Mr. Lam used old peppers however I used fresh ones that took about twenty minutes to cook down.
The end result was tasty. Mr. Lam served his over toasted slices of artisanal bread with a large dollop of ricotta slathered on each. I'm not a big ricotta person and soft bread wouldn't work . I used Italian bread cut into four cubes. The peppers were poured over them in a large bowl.
The bread perfectly sopped up the juices and it proved to be very delicious.A plus is that there was so much left over I'll create a second meal with flavored rice for it.
I plan on making this again with definitely less onions and definitely more peppers. I do want to keep in the tomato.It added more flavor and color.
Friday, June 15, 2018
Celebrating Versailles
Desserts had their renaissance and glory days during the last days of the Bourbons. They were creamy, and elegant, sculpted and delicious. Now thanks to a modern day pastry chef , home bakers and chefs can recreate them for their summer parties.
Yottom Ottolenghi wrote about them the other day in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. He is hosting a night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the museum's Visitors To Versailles exhibit. It is a joint venture between the Met and the Chateau de Versailles, featuring every aspect of court life from April to closing at the end of July. To celebrate his night there, Chef Ottolenghi has created two desserts worthy of any Versailles pastry chef. One is an elaborate apricot tart made with the heavenly frangipane cream and marzipan a must and luxury of Marie Antoinette. On top of the tart is a creme patisserie layer, a cooked cream that was becoming popular in the late 1700's. It's kind of like a sweet roux married to a sabayon thanks to the addition of four egg yolks. The star of this though, is poached apricots. Lime and Sauternes, a sweet white dessert wine are added to it for more flavor. The apricots are cooked again, this time baked when they 're added to the pie. The pie and all its' components is a bit to elaborate to make during these sweltering summer days. Unfortunately there are no short cuts here.
Luckily, there is an easier alternative which I wanted to try. This still has the poached apricots in Sauterne but without all the fuss of crusts and layering different creams. It is still an elaborate make and will probably take me an entire afternoon. I do want to try this with the apricots but also want to try this with peaches and possibly nectarines.. Could berries be added, like strawberries or blackberries?. I was wondering if it's really necessary to add the Sauterne ttoo - can I just use water?. It's only a scant cup. Will the additional flavor really be missed? Maybe. The fruit slices are cooked twice, once poached, then briefly cooked over a high heat. The cream that goes with it is a marriage of mascarpone and heavy cream. Unsalted and toasted pistachios are added to it along with crushed amaretti cookies and sugar. Again I wonder if I can put in variations. Suppose salted pistachios are used for more depth and to cut the sweetness? As for amaretti cookies which are a rarity around here in the summer - can I switch in crushed biscotti? Both are flavored with anise, except the biscotti has a milder dose of it. Then another interesting poser- can I freeze it to make a kind of semi freddo? That would make a neat dessert with the apricots.
The French patisserie chefs of Versailles made amazing desserts. It will be fun to emulate them and create these sweets. They are a salute to the glory of Gallic baking and cooking. Let's see if us commoners can recreate them,
Yottom Ottolenghi wrote about them the other day in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. He is hosting a night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the museum's Visitors To Versailles exhibit. It is a joint venture between the Met and the Chateau de Versailles, featuring every aspect of court life from April to closing at the end of July. To celebrate his night there, Chef Ottolenghi has created two desserts worthy of any Versailles pastry chef. One is an elaborate apricot tart made with the heavenly frangipane cream and marzipan a must and luxury of Marie Antoinette. On top of the tart is a creme patisserie layer, a cooked cream that was becoming popular in the late 1700's. It's kind of like a sweet roux married to a sabayon thanks to the addition of four egg yolks. The star of this though, is poached apricots. Lime and Sauternes, a sweet white dessert wine are added to it for more flavor. The apricots are cooked again, this time baked when they 're added to the pie. The pie and all its' components is a bit to elaborate to make during these sweltering summer days. Unfortunately there are no short cuts here.
Luckily, there is an easier alternative which I wanted to try. This still has the poached apricots in Sauterne but without all the fuss of crusts and layering different creams. It is still an elaborate make and will probably take me an entire afternoon. I do want to try this with the apricots but also want to try this with peaches and possibly nectarines.. Could berries be added, like strawberries or blackberries?. I was wondering if it's really necessary to add the Sauterne ttoo - can I just use water?. It's only a scant cup. Will the additional flavor really be missed? Maybe. The fruit slices are cooked twice, once poached, then briefly cooked over a high heat. The cream that goes with it is a marriage of mascarpone and heavy cream. Unsalted and toasted pistachios are added to it along with crushed amaretti cookies and sugar. Again I wonder if I can put in variations. Suppose salted pistachios are used for more depth and to cut the sweetness? As for amaretti cookies which are a rarity around here in the summer - can I switch in crushed biscotti? Both are flavored with anise, except the biscotti has a milder dose of it. Then another interesting poser- can I freeze it to make a kind of semi freddo? That would make a neat dessert with the apricots.
The French patisserie chefs of Versailles made amazing desserts. It will be fun to emulate them and create these sweets. They are a salute to the glory of Gallic baking and cooking. Let's see if us commoners can recreate them,
Thursday, June 14, 2018
The Start Of Barbecue Season
One of the best aspects about Flag Day is that it's the start of the barbecue season. Where else but to look to Germany where our barbecue staples originated. Stick with the standards or try some modern twists.
Of course there are hamburgers, originally from the northern port city Hamburg, located on the Elbe River. These are always tasty and over the years have had been changed with all sorts of spices and extras thrown into the original recipe. It calls for onion which gives the chopped meat that distinctive flavor along with dried bread crumbs and parsley. Egg is used for binding. What many American home chefs don't realize is that there is another flavor - an undercurrent of spice. It is nutmeg, usually one quarter teaspoon. There may be a debate about this of whether or not to use grated fresh or bottled. That's really up to you and if you can get fresh nutmeg or not. (most farmer's markets do sell the nuts, they're about the size of chestnuts). A good dose of fresh ground pepper and a teaspoon of sea salt is also added. The onion must be cooked until translucent in a foam of butter (use a knob of butter and cook until a pale golden brown foam forms).Let the onions cool and add them and the other ingredients to the chopped beef. Cook until nicely browned on both sides.
Hot dogs or frankfurters are another German contribution. Unfortunately, they can't be made at home yet you can easily buy those that taste like the first dogs.Frankfurter Wurtzschen can be bought at German butchers in your area, This may take an extensive Google search (although should it should be easier in the Chicago area) however if you're in the Bergen County area of New Jersey , then go to the Swiss Pork Store in Fair Lawn.. They make the most original frankfurters along with weisswurst, the creamy , ivory colored wurst. If you don't have one nearby then look into The Wurst Haus which comes out of Hermann, Missouri. They may be able to sell them to you. If not , then go for Nathan's which has the best flavor and texture. Another barbecue must have is bratwurst. These are delicious just grilled and served with mustard and sauerkraut. If you can make the last then do so, It is fermentation but it's one of the easiest ferments to do at home.
It's the start of the barbecue season. Go for the wursts , bratwursts and Hamburg steaks.Enjoy the originals.
Of course there are hamburgers, originally from the northern port city Hamburg, located on the Elbe River. These are always tasty and over the years have had been changed with all sorts of spices and extras thrown into the original recipe. It calls for onion which gives the chopped meat that distinctive flavor along with dried bread crumbs and parsley. Egg is used for binding. What many American home chefs don't realize is that there is another flavor - an undercurrent of spice. It is nutmeg, usually one quarter teaspoon. There may be a debate about this of whether or not to use grated fresh or bottled. That's really up to you and if you can get fresh nutmeg or not. (most farmer's markets do sell the nuts, they're about the size of chestnuts). A good dose of fresh ground pepper and a teaspoon of sea salt is also added. The onion must be cooked until translucent in a foam of butter (use a knob of butter and cook until a pale golden brown foam forms).Let the onions cool and add them and the other ingredients to the chopped beef. Cook until nicely browned on both sides.
Hot dogs or frankfurters are another German contribution. Unfortunately, they can't be made at home yet you can easily buy those that taste like the first dogs.Frankfurter Wurtzschen can be bought at German butchers in your area, This may take an extensive Google search (although should it should be easier in the Chicago area) however if you're in the Bergen County area of New Jersey , then go to the Swiss Pork Store in Fair Lawn.. They make the most original frankfurters along with weisswurst, the creamy , ivory colored wurst. If you don't have one nearby then look into The Wurst Haus which comes out of Hermann, Missouri. They may be able to sell them to you. If not , then go for Nathan's which has the best flavor and texture. Another barbecue must have is bratwurst. These are delicious just grilled and served with mustard and sauerkraut. If you can make the last then do so, It is fermentation but it's one of the easiest ferments to do at home.
It's the start of the barbecue season. Go for the wursts , bratwursts and Hamburg steaks.Enjoy the originals.
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Reinfusing A Classic Eatery
Thai Chef Pim Techamuanvivit has one of the toughest jobs of any chef - redoing the menu for the famed Nahm restaurant. Tejal Rao, another chef,and contributor to the Times Food section wrote about her today
Nahm was opened in Bangkok i 2010, and run by Aussie chef, David Thompson, This was unusual because Thai women usually do the cooking. Her background was her family's tutelage and her blog chez Pim.. She dated a chef and found herself in that world.After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, sh broke up with him.
Without a doubt, she will definitely make her mark on Nahm.
Nahm was opened in Bangkok i 2010, and run by Aussie chef, David Thompson, This was unusual because Thai women usually do the cooking. Her background was her family's tutelage and her blog chez Pim.. She dated a chef and found herself in that world.After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, sh broke up with him.
Without a doubt, she will definitely make her mark on Nahm.
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Amoxicillin Sickening Side Affects
Amoxicillin is really never mentioned on food blogs yet it has to be. Its' side effects are extreme to the nth degree severe nausea. Every second of every hour is spent retching and gagging. You will not be able to get food down for two to three days. It also takes forty-eight hours to leave the body.
If you are asked to take it , whether for a tooth extraction or strep throat DO NOT. Tell the dentist and the doctor that you don't want it and that you have an allergy. The hell accompanying it is not worth it.
Ask for an alternative, after you both research it.
If you are asked to take it , whether for a tooth extraction or strep throat DO NOT. Tell the dentist and the doctor that you don't want it and that you have an allergy. The hell accompanying it is not worth it.
Ask for an alternative, after you both research it.
Monday, June 11, 2018
A Small Review Wendy's New Southwest Avocado Salad
Due to my oral surgery last week, I'm going to be cutting back on the length of the blog entries. It will be just a few lines for the Monday through Sunday,
I went back to Wendy's , hungry for something. I hadn't eaten properly in a few days and I wanted a salad.What caught my eye was their new Southwest Avocado Salad. Anything with guacamole had to be good - which it was. There are chunks of chicken mixed in along with tomatoes and Pepperjack cheese. The highlight are those two large scoops of guacamole on mixed greens - not too spicy but creamy.what I wasn;t too fond of was the spicy ranch. A pepper laced vinaigrette would have been better. I had it again today with their new limeade .
All in all pretty good - save for the dressing.
I went back to Wendy's , hungry for something. I hadn't eaten properly in a few days and I wanted a salad.What caught my eye was their new Southwest Avocado Salad. Anything with guacamole had to be good - which it was. There are chunks of chicken mixed in along with tomatoes and Pepperjack cheese. The highlight are those two large scoops of guacamole on mixed greens - not too spicy but creamy.what I wasn;t too fond of was the spicy ranch. A pepper laced vinaigrette would have been better. I had it again today with their new limeade .
All in all pretty good - save for the dressing.
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