Main Course Catering @ Westport Farmers' Mkt Aug 4

Cecily Gans, Chef and Owner of the Main Course Catering Company, will have the rapt attention of salad enthusiasts  at the Westport Farmers’ Market this Thursday August 4th, as she introduces two new dressings to liven up those farm fresh greens. Starlight’s greens will share the spotlight with Beltane Farm’s goat cheese as she turns to fresh herbs, stone fruits and berries to accentuate the summer theme.  Chef Gans describes her favorite cheese vendor’s cheeses as “ a muse for my dressings.” Talk about inspiration springing from one ingredient!

Gans’ two dressings are virtual opposites, with the ASIAN THAI (see recipe below) utilizing Thai Basil and rice vinegar as a base for a spicier salad.

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A Thanksgiving Day Guide to Take-Out or Eat-In Feasts

Thanksgiving is the most anticipated and sometimes the most daunting meal of the year. But, in the end, it is all about food, friends and family. Depending on the number of guests in your party, there are several options for celebrating the holiday that don't involve slaving away in the kitchen for days.

We often get asked for resources that allow diners to opt out of preparing a do-it-yourself feast in favor of a catered event or a restaurant meal. Others may use a lifeline and choose to order a few dishes to supplement their home cooked menu. 

Here are a few resources for those who would prefer to get a little assistance or just make a reservation.

Restaurant Reservations

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The Cakebox: Let Them Eat Cake!

Eat, Pray, Love - you’ve heard of it, right? Well in the words of Willy Wonka, “Strike that, reverse it” - The CAKEBOX in Ridgefield has it all in the correct order - Pray (if you must), Eat (as many cupcakes as you can), and Love (absolutely!) This ESSENTIAL new dessert-stop in the Copps Hill Commons shopping center in Ridgefield is a cake and cupcake lover’s Shangri-La. Ridgefield native Jordan Gregory and her partner, Robert Byrnes, opened The Cake Box in April and have been whipping up extraordinary cakes for all occasions (including, eventually, custom wedding cakes), cupcakes by the dozen, and individual cupcakes, cookies, and macaroons at the store for your perusal and MASS consumption! Ms. Gregory received her pastry training at the Institute for Culinary Education in NYC and Mr. Byrnes, who has a degree in hotel and restaurant management, designs the custom cakes. Trust me, they know their stuff!

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This Week @ The Westport Farmers Market

Mark Sharon, Head Chef of Collyer Catering in Westport, will be offering 2 summer dishes at the Westport Market on July 15 between 10-2.

Moorefield Herb Farm in Trumbull was the inspiration for Mark Sharon’s Vietnamese Summer Rolls, which he will be preparing fresh at the market.  These veggie packed rolls are the perfect summer dish as the only cooking required is the hot water needed to soften the rice wrappers.  The fragile wrappers will be demystified for shoppers on Thursday, as Mark will lay out his ingredients and demonstrate how to work with the delicate rolls.  Hot water softens the wrappers and allows them to be rolled with a wide variety of fillings.  Inside you will find Vietnamese coriander  providing a bright citrus flavor combined with the raw veggies from Riverbank Farm.  Bean sprouts, sweet peppers, carrots and snow peas are finely chopped and simply flavored with the bright coriander. 

Chef Sharon will also be presenting his own version of “HUMMOOSE”,

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Cheese Wheels: Smile and Say, “CHEESE!”

There’s something udderly amazing going down in Fairfield County.  MOOOOVE over Pizza and  Taco truck and make way for the new cow in town! For the sophisticated palate, Westport’s Mirabelle Cheese Shop is going portable with "CHEESE WHEELS."  Andrea Itin, co-owner (with her husband) of the Fromagerie since 2008, has decided to go mobile, and she’s coming to a Farmers’ Market or private function near you. Here’s the (not-so!) skinny:

No matter what you’re into, there’s curd for you! Headed to your favorite wine shop for a tasting? Don’t be surprised if you see a reproduction 1940’s Tear Drop Trailer parked in the lot. As you pass, wafts of delectable cheese caress your nostrils and you go inside for a glass. As you sip the wine merchant’s favorite red of the month, you will be treated to divine local cheese on top of Isabelle et Vincent’s (1903 Post Road in Fairfiled) crusty baguette. Paired perfectly, cheese and wine are a marriage made in heaven. Another wine, another cheese, and you are in the zone.  

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Beach Street Sandwiches: Celebrity Chef on Wheels

On June 19th, BEACH STREET SANDWICHES, the Shoreline’s first gourmet sandwiches truck, operated by Chef Gregory McCarty, ex- Nobu and Jean Georges Chef, opens for business during Madison CT's Flea Market on the Green. 

Beach Street Sandwiches is Chef Gregory McCarty’s latest project, a shop on wheels serving sandwiches, because everything is better on bread." The chef is best known for his menu development and execution at Nobu 57 and Jean Georges Vongerichten’s Bahamian outpost, Dune. 

For the next month, Beach Street Sandwiches will be running truck-less, setting up a table at various shoreline events, the first of which is June 19 ’s Madison Lions Club Flea Market, taking place from 9am-3pm on the Madison Green.

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Dough Girl Baking Co: Rowayton's Sweetest Secret

Any time I am invited to a birthday party,  I offer to bring the cake.  I have been completely won over by a local baker who creates the most artistic, delicious and personal cakes you could ever imagine.

The first cake was for my brother's surprise 40th birthday party in New York City. The event caterer directed me to a patisserie on the upper east side, but I was determined to try a local baker, Laura Jayson, a.k.a. The Dough Girl of Rowayton, who works out of a small kitchen in Norwalk.  When she offered to deliver the cake in a box fit for travel, the deal was sealed.

For the party, Laura recommended her biggest crowd-pleaser:  a super-moist chocolate cake (she shared her secret ingredient: coffee) topped with vanilla frosting.  In the center, at my request, she created a molded figure of my brother kite-boarding. The art work was playful and the figure true to form

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Get "Baked"... The Perfect FC Clambake

It’s that time again, isn’t it?  The moon is in the 7th House, and Jupiter is aligned with Mars.  Summer’s comin’, dude. Relax, crack open a cold one and get “baked” - Clam Baked, that is. Invite your friends over for a typical New England summer culinary experience. Or head down to the beach and get “baked” by the shore. (Penfield 2 in Fairfield allows it, Compo Beach in Westport also, some others too!)  A clam bake is a great way to enjoy the best of New England and the perfect way to entertain. Birthdays, rehearsal dinners, anniversaries, graduations, start of summer, middle of summer, end of summer, because it’s a Thursday, the list goes on and on. There is always a good reason for a clam bake and there are several great seafood suppliers in Fairfield County.

Here are some of your options:

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A Moveable Feast: Skinny Pines Brick Oven Pizza Truck

The green Dodge pick-up truck slowly backed into my narrow, curved driveway with the 6 x 13 foot trailer leading.  A dome shaped, brick pizza oven was mounted on the open trailer by some ingenious contraption that prevents it from being jostled and toppling off in a crumbled mess of mortar.  Jeff Borofsky, chef/owner of SKINNY PINES, a portable wood fired oven catering company,  was bringing the party to my home. A group of lucky CTbites contributors and other Fairfield County food producers were due to arrive in 90 minutes.  I was beginning to wonder if the party would be ready for these friends with their discerning palates and voracious appetites. 

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Daily Fare: Down To Earth Gourmet To-Go

Being greeted with a cup of locally roasted coffee and the promise of a healthy prepared meal each day may be the only foolproof way to overcome the indignity that is a Metro North train commute. Located inside the Bethel train station, Daily Fare offers a nourishing and caffeinated segue into the freneticism of a work day and the welcome flexibility of a healthy prepared take-home meal for lunch or dinner.

This coffee shop-meets-gourmet-to-go is not just for commuters. For many of us faced with the daily demands and dwindling hours of busy schedules, Daily Fare affords us hungry and time-crunched souls the luxury of well balanced meals instead of shopping, cooking and preparing a meal. For many of us who like to cook, it can be a much-needed respite. For others who can't cook or don't want to, it's like having your own personal chef without having to foot the bill.

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Great Entertaining: “Lulu Powers Food to Flowers"

Elizabeth Keyser recently had the chance to interview Lulu Powers, entertaining guru, and celebrity chef. Here is what she learned, along with a few of Lulu's amazing recipes. 

After writing a profile of Lulu Powers, Weston girl gone caterer-to-the stars, I met Lulu last week at a book party for “Lulu Powers Food to Flowers” at the Westport Women’s Club. Lulu lives in L.A., where she has cooked for Madonna, Will Smith and Jada Pinckett-Smith and Bill Clinton.

Lulu’s philosophy is that entertaining should be fun, and it can be simple and fuss-free

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Fairfield Cheese Company: Cheese 101

Have you ever walked into a cheese shop, and been utterly confused by the array of choices in front of you? For those of you who just nodded your heads, let me introduce you to Fairfield Cheese Company. Their bright beautiful retail space, right next door to Harry's Wine and Liquors, serves as a canvas for carefully chosen specialty foods and an impeccable selection of artisinal and locally produced farmstead cheeses. When Laura Downey and Christopher Palumbo opened their doors in May of 2009, they did so with a purposeful dedication to demystifying the daunting process of buying cheese and introducing their customers to the range and craftsmanship of artisan cheeses. "Cheese stores can be intimidating. We wanted to take away the mystique….It's not rocket science" says Laura. 

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Behind the Scenes @ The SoNo Baking Company

It is still really dark at 4:30 AM , but the pre-dawn hours hold transformative powers.  Darkness will turn to light and the promise of a new day will be realized. Sometimes, both happen sooner than you expect. 

When we arrive at the SoNo Baking Company for a behind-the-scenes tour, it's shortly before 5:00 a.m., but the aroma of warm yeasty bread has transformed two half-asleep writers into bakers in training. Owner, John Barricelli, welcomes us in through the still dark café, chairs resting upside down on tables; display cases standing empty. Our eyes have to adjust as we walk through the sleepy cafe into the brightly lit kitchen. Suddenly awake, we are immediately caught up in the rhythm of the bakers at work. 

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Traditional & Modern Spanish Mix @ Meigas in Norwalk

Parrilada del Mar - Grilled lobster, scallops, shrimp, mussels, fish, baby squid; sate fennel, lime juice and extra virgin olive oil Photograph by Judith PszenicaI am a sucker for drinks with a kick so when I heard that Meigas, an authentic Spanish restaurant in East Norwalk, was serving up jalapeno martinis alongside their tapas, it jumped to the top of my “Gotta Get To” list.  For those unfamiliar with Meigas, it is has been around since the 80's (also under the name Meson Galacia). Some may recall (either with fondness or not) the elaborate Nuevo foam and emulsions that graced their plates in recent years. However, the menu shifted in late 2008, when Carlos Hernandez took over the helm bringing with him a return to more traditional Spanish tapas with a modern flair. 

Eager to get my hands on this jalepeno martini and to get to the bottom of Meigas' uneven reviews, my friend and I headed over for lunch last Saturday.

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Sensational Sweets @ Sweet On You Cafe & Bakery

I love the challenge of baking: trying to get a light flake in a pie crust or the perfect crumb to a cake or the right texture for a chosen cookie. But mostly I love baking because when successful, it can bring such delight to those doing the eating, usually my friends, whom I enjoy making happy. So, it is rare for me to purchase baked goods as I feel I lose out repeatedly: once in the making, once again in feeling the love, and too often in taste, with overly sweet, overly greasy or overly heavy confections. However, baking requires time, and when you don’t have it you need a quality go-to bakery that will not disappoint.  Happily, I discovered my go-to place last week:  Sweet On You Bakery in Stamford makes heavenly confections that are beautiful and delicious, and frankly, better than I can make at home. Even if you don't live in Stamford this bakery is worth the trip. 

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