Brusnwick Stew Perfect for Fall

 A good stew on a chilly day is perfection. Abrunswich stew is even better than that.This American classic is making a big comeback - although to fans it enver really left.

Regu;ar contributor and famed chef wrote about it in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Brunswick stews origins are a mix if Indigenous, African and  European influences..American>tribes like the Assiniboine, from the Northern great Plains made soups and stews in  taut aninal skin covered holes in the ground. Whatever they could catch and forage went into the stew. Of course there were the other influences , possubly German.The name could come from Brusnwick County Virginia or Chef Kim's hometown of Brunswich Georgia. The recipes have been passed down from geneation to geneatiuon. There is even a Taste of brusnwick Festival, entering its' twenty-fufth year in Lawrenceville, Virginia, in Brusnwick COunty. This town, directly west ofNorfolk Virginia features Stewie, the festival's mascot, a smiley cast iron pot.He's filled with the Virginia trinity of tomatoes corn and butter beans.A ll five feet eight inces of him are along with fans are spreading the word about this tangy bite that also has chciken and catsup as its' ingredients. It was a favorite of Franklin d. Roosevelt and has fed many a Virginia hunter over the years.

What's in it? Chef Kimsgives the recipe.Tomatoes and potatoes figure heavily in it. It's the potatoes that give it a thickness that gives it's body.Most stews are made in large cauldrons, able to feed whole small towns.  Yellow onions are first cooked in a Dutch oven and then bay leaves,c elelry seeds and cayenne are added.Then there's the plum tomatoes, g ranulated sugar and worcester sauce. everything else is added afterwards. Use  peeled Yukon Gold potatoes and chicken stock followed by two pounds of skinnned chicken thighs along with fresh or frozen corn and lima beans. The original recipe calls for squirrel meat but this is not doable. The thighs should be cooked for at least one hour or until the chicken meat is soft and easily shreddable. Chef Kim suggests shredding the meat with two forks - although you don't have to. large chunks fo meat taste delicious here. Adjust the taste if you want with more salt, pepper, cayenne or sugar. Many serve Brunswick stew with cornbread but I can see it with rice or even polenta.

Brunswick stew is the perfect dish for fall. It's a mix of tangy and sweet , fiery and savory. Try this chillc haser for a different take on stew

Phoenixes of The Industry

 Climate change affects us all. It is destroying our farming and now our food industry. However there are those dedicated farmers and chefs who look this global issue in the face. They are fierce ., They will not back down despite droughts, floods and wildfires.it's never more evident in the Oregon town Ashland in the heart of the Rogue Valley.

Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote this informnative piece for today's New York Times food section. Ashland Oregon is the home of the Oregon Shakespeare festival whose plays are the area's main draw. Yet' it is a produce rich area where there are good restaurants and wines. It's becoming a destination place to visit. and producing wines rivalling the famed Willmette Valley to its' north. All this in the face of the lingering effects of the infamous Almeda fire. It started in Ashland but spread and demolished the neighboring towns of Talent and Phoenix. Most towns and their residents would have shut down, Not Ashland. rogue Food Unite was created to help local chefs and restaurants , many shuttered by the pandemic to provide food to resdieitns now living in temporary housing. The organization's director Amber ferguson said that "It came together - a beautiful dream of lets find money, pay the restaurants buy from farms , feed the people.It's a resiliance program and feeding program all at once." She was not going to give up on t he town that welocmed her from Portland where she managed the restaurants Beast and Toro Bravo.

Many of her fellow Ashland residents feel the same way. Like her, they'rre transplants to this usually lush and fertile valley. Kelsey Jacques left her native Michigan to start Orange Marmalade farms last year.  She's optimistic about moving beyond her quarter acre of farm and expanding . It will be hard because lingering smoke deters any plant cultivation and crops from flourishing. Stillshe manages to supply such local restaurants with her Siskiyou orange tomatoes, and sweet Walla Walla onions. Another transplant who is thriving despite the fire's after effects is baker Carla Guinmaries who moved from Santa Barbara California in 2020. She moved to Ashland during the worst time, in the middle of the pandemic and and just before the fires. She opened up Vida Baking Company , highlighting her specialty gluten free pao de quiejo, a popular cheese bread from her native Brazil.It was hard to maintain customers. People just vanished from the streets, she noticed. Yet there is a new era of vitality. Even former restauranteur Charlene Rollins rebuilt on what was left of her family restaurnat Sammy.'Her husband is buried near there,a fig tree on hsi grave.It symbolizes life.

Every town will be affected by climate change. They can learn from ashland to not bend, They have to face climate change head on, work with it and challenge it.

Parma Vegan Cheese Your Holiday Must Have

 Cheese is always an important part of the holiday and cooler winter table.Grated cheese is the most verstile. it can be used in everything from soups, to pasta to hors d'ouevres. Yet it can be high in calories. What to do? Go vegan! Parma Vegan Cheese is the best sub in for dairy made Parmesan cheese.

This has always been my favorite go to vegan cheese.Unlike other vegetarian cheeses that are made with soy Parma, founded by Shannon Schnibbe uses ground walnut s, organic hemp and sunflower seeds. Nutritional yeast and Himalayan sea slat is added for flavor..I like the original flavor and Garlicky Green. Parma sells other flavors like Better Tan Bacon and Chipotle cayenne along with Garlic Basil and Jalapeno Bacon.

Of course I love it liberally sprinkled on pasta.It adds to the sauce and flavors it more. I plan on making Parmesan toast with it, This is slicing Italian bread, brushing the rounds and then air frying them for a few minutes at 360 degrees Farenheit. The cheese can be sprinkled over steamed and buttered Brussels sprouts too. It's also good sprinkled on a Caesar salad too or a different way to make grilled cheese. Sprinkle it on such veggie soups as cauliflower and broccoli.

Make Parma Vegan cheese your holiday must have this season.It's great as an add in to pastas and salads.Use it for cheesey bread as a breat appetizer. It's the perfect versatile ingredient.

Plainsboro's Asian Food Market A True Gem

 Plainsboro, New Jersey  may be in the shadow of Princeton yet this quaint Garden State country town is standing out. There has been an  uptick in building with restaurants, salons and stores gracing new malls. One that stands out is Asian Food Market a chain throughout South Jersey and Staten Island. This is a breathtaking market that makes American grocery stores pale in comparison.

I had to see this market and was amazed not just by its' size but what it sold. There are mini shops selling tea sets and hand painted ceramic tables. Shoppers can stop at the mini food court in the front of the store and enjoy Korean barbecue and bubble tea. Yet it's inside that's truly awesone.

This is a combo of American barbecue sauce and different sauces. There's all sorts of Asian specialties from Indian ot CHinese.

This is a huge market that has more of a warehouse/ Costco vibe.It's a no frills look, You can buy everything from rice steamers to

                                                             

                                                                 Japanese sweet potatoes.I could not get over the array of 

                                 Japanese milk bread sold around for the day

There are also fancy cakes and cupcakes 

You can also buy noodles,along with Peking duck, pork ribs  and chicken for a quick no cooklunch or dinner.

There are tables where you can eat and enjoy a meal before perusing the long aisles .It's even a great place to stop for a quick lunch.

If you;re in Plainsboro, stop by the Asian Food Market for a fun shopping trip.The store has everything you could possibly dream of.Go there for the variety and a tripo through Asia.

One Apple So Many Recipes

 This is apple picking season and that means many home chefs will have baskets of them. They'll also be asking themselves what to do with the Braeburns or MacIntosh's they've picked. Apples can go either savory or sweet. They're a versatile fruit.

My kitchen will also be filled with orchard grown apples. One recipe I know I will make is crockpot apple sauce. I've made this before and I like the easiness of the recipe. It's just cooking up six sliced and cored apples and slow cooking them with a splash of lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon. I will probably sub in maple syrup for the sugar. This homemade treat is excellent with potato pancakes and both make a great fall dinner. Galette is on my  radar too. It's rustic look is appealing and a lovely dessert. Of course there are baked apples and I want to make them in the air fryer.

Apple slices are good in savory dishes too, Many home chefs use them in German pork dishes.They're sliced and cooked with the meat. Some put the slices in sauerkraut to give some sweetness to the usually tart cabbage. I think I'll use mine in a salad, along with walnuts and grapes for a nice fall spin, For fun I may try an apple slaw which combines shredded or mandoline sliced apples with cabbage and a vinaigrette. This would make a good side to late season barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers.

It's apple season and that means a jaunt in an orchard. It's always a fun trip full of possibilities. A basket of apples equala weeks of tasty recipes .

It's Coleridge's Birthday!!!

 Celebrate this amazing poet , Samual Taylor Colerdige born this October 21st in Ottery, St Mary's East Devon, England  Celebrate the foods he would have enjoyed, namely clotted cream and jam on scones,a good tea, possibly a good beef roast dinner with all the trimmings and that frothy treat syllabub.

As for me, I'm celebrating with these all American cupcakes.

Une Souffle Parfait

 One of the most elegant desserts any home chef can create is the chocolate souffle. It's also the lushest sweet, airy and delciate as it melts against the tongue. Yet it fills home bakers with fear.It shouldn't.it's one of the easiest recipes to make.

Claire Saffitz, author of DessertPerson "Clarkson POtter 2020) and her latest book due out next month, Dessertperson: Recipes and Guidance for baking with Confidence. (Clarkson Potter) gave her spin on it in yesterday;s New Yorlk Times Wednesday Food section. Ms. Saffitz knows desserts. She loves desserts so creating the perfect chocolate souffle is vital to her. She crushes the many myths associated with the recipe, like don't slam the oven door while it's baking. It'll fall. Eat it warm or it will be ruined.However her deconstruction can help many a home baker recreate this French classic. One of the most important steps is stabilize your eggs.The dish requires three egg yolks and five egg whites. You need to understand the last in order to make a good souffle. It;'s the egg whites that are the most important. They're to be whipped and when this is dome air bubbles trap water and retain water.Older eggs provide this and Ms. Saffitz recommneds getting them from the local farmer's market. The eggs have to be cold as well when they're separated and then the whites are left out at room tmperature before beating. The whites have to be beaten into stiff peaks otherwhise there could be puddles.

Another must is buildng your base. Chocolate souffle needs an anchor of sorts This comes in the form of a thin pastry creme thickened with a little flour along with chocolate and cocoa powder. The gluten from the flour adds just enough structure to support the souffle without muting the rich chocolate flavor.Many souffle recipes rely on just the chocolate alone for support. The eggs whites are quickly added other wise the combination of yolk chococlate and milk could cause the whites to collapse. Another must is properly prepping the ramekins. They're first greased with room temperature butter and then coated with sugar to prevent cracking and the batter sticking to the sides while baking.It also acts like a grip for the batter to adhere to. fill the ramekins to the top and then scrape off the top for a perfect even cap, Sprinkle more sugar on top and run a finger along the inner rims wiping away the batter. This will ensure a perfect even rise.How do you know when it's done? Press the souffles centers down with a finger. There should be a certain springiness as the eggs begin to ser. Serve warm from the oven.

Any home baker can create the perfect chocolate souffle. It just takes myth busting and following the recipe ina thoughtful way.. The result is a chocolate fantasty , light airy and delciosuClaire Saffritz, New York Times chocolate souffle. eggsl whipp, ramekinds, butter dugr, flout