"Sweet Genius" Contestant, Paula Shoyer, Baking in Westport via "Kosher Like Me"

photo courtesy of FOOD NETWORK

Did you miss Paula Shoyer, author of THE KOSHER BAKER, on the Food Network’s new baking competition “Sweet Genius”?

 If so, you can catch her in Westport on Wednesday, January 25 when she will be offering a baking demonstration and scrumptious tasting at Chabad of Westport.

Shoyer performed magnificently on “Sweet Genius.”.She was poised, cool and creative in that episode in October 2011. Along with other contestants, she was given unexpected, last minute challenges like being asked to integrate jelly beans and hot sauce into her recipe already in the works. Her rosemary lemon sponge cake with raspberry mint sorbet between the layers was not the version she had planned on when she started!

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An Interview w/ Westport's Own Ramin Ganeshram

I recently had the pleasure to sit down with Ramin Ganeshram to talk about her cookbook; her newly released Stir it Up! a novel written for young adults, as well as her involvement in the community.  

But before you start reading...In Stir It Up! heroine Anjali Krishnan enters a video cooking contest for a shot at a reality cooking competition show on Food Network. She does such a good job she makes it to the finals. If you have a young aspiring chef in your family, check out Ramin's video contest below.

Ramin, who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, was greatly influenced by the cultures of her Iranian mother and Trinidadian father.  The marriage of two different heritages and lifestyles would result creating in new traditions; food was one of them. Ramin explained, “We had access to Middle Eastern markets growing up, but all Middle Eastern ingredients are not the same.

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Sara Moulton Teaching Cooking Classes @ The Silo

The Silo, one of the region’s preeminent Cooking School, is offering area residents a chance to meet and learn from one of the culinary world’s greats – Celebrity Chef Sara Moulton. She’ll be teaching two demonstration classes at The Silo on Friday evening, November 4 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday morning, November 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The Silo Cooking School is located at Hunt Hill Farm, 44 Upland Road in New Milford, CT. 

The Friday, November 4 evening class, Friday Family Dinner with Sara Moulton, will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m.  The menu will consist of Panko Scallops, Breakfast for Dinner Pizza, Celery and Parsley Salad, and Grape Crumble.

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Chef Gabrielle Hamilton & Colman Andrews in Stamford

Food Writers Gabrielle Hamilton and Colman Andrews will speak at the Main Library in Stamford, Wednesday, October 12 at 6 p.m. as part of the Friends Author Series. 

Gabrielle Hamilton is the owner and chef of the popular and highly influential restaurant Prune in Manhattan's East Village. Her bestselling memoir, Blood, Bones & Butter was published in 2011. She has also contributed articles and essays to The New York Times, The New Yorker, Food & Wine and other publications.

Colman Andrews was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Saveur magazine, and a former restaurant columnist for Gourmet. He is the co-author and co-editor of three Saveur cookbooks and the author of six books of his own. His latest book, The Country Cooking of Italy, will be released in November.

Doors open at 6 p.m. for a wine and cheese reception. Tickets are $15. Proceeds benefit the Library. Register online at www.fergusonlibrary.org or call 203 351-8275.

Perfect Pies Cookbook from Michele's Pies

Fairfield County's own Michele Stuart of Michele's Pies has a new product on her menu...a cookbook, featuring "the best sweet and savory recipes from America's pie-baking champion." Fresh from her appearance at the Primetime Emmy Awards with her Chocolate Pecan Bourbon Pie, and her recent throwdown with Bobby Flay, Michele reigns supreme in the pie making world. 

If you have enjoyed Michele's Pies at your Thanksgiving table, or have visited her new Westport retail location, you will likely crave the secret to her sweet success. We hope the answers are in her new cookbook, "Perfect Pies." 

Buy your copy here. 

Kids Review: Stir It Up by Ramin Ganeshram

Rebecca is a 7th grader at The Unquowa School in Fairfield, CT. She loves to read, write, draw and cook. This is her review of Ramin Ganeshram's new book, Stir It Up. [Note: Don't miss the great recipe for Coconut Dark Chocolate Cookies below.]

In Stir It Up by Ramin Ganeshram, the thirteen year old main character, Anjali, causes quite a stir when she chances losing some of the most important things in her life.

Anjali loves to cook; she loves working in her family’s roti shop. Her dream is to have her own Food Network cooking show by the age of fifteen. On the other hand, her father wants her to take an entrance exam to get into the prestigious Stuyvesant High School in New York City.

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Chef Nicole Straight Launches Cookbook for Busy Families

Award winning local chef and long time CTbites contributor, Nicole Straight, has just published her second cookbook, "More Time to Eat! Delicious recipes from a busy kitchen," which aims to teach families how to streamline time spent in the kitchen, as well as make delicious meals in 15 minutes. 

The new cookbook is an evolution of Straight’s lengthy experience as a cooking instructor who has taught thousands of people how to bring their families back to the table and simplify the nightly 6 o'clock dinner time dilemma.  

Her new book comprises a plethora of easy recipes, such as BLT Tortellini, Provencal Braised Chicken Thighs, Asian Quinoa Salad and Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies.  She teaches you how to simplify meal preparation while minimizing time spent in the kitchen for both family meals and entertaining friends. 

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Vegan Desserts, Sumptuous Sweets for Every Season

Perhaps one of the keys to the bold flavors and exciting range of vegan desserts presented in Hannah Kaminsky’s latest cookbook, VEGAN DESSERTS, SUMPTUOUS SWEETS FOR EVERY SEASON, is that she insists that there aren’t any disclaimers about her recipes.  “Each dessert must be delicious, bold and beautiful,  not just for a vegan dessert but for ANY dessert.”  It is for that reason, that Kaminsky’s latest book will appeal to a wide range of home bakers including those concerned with reducing fat and sugar, vegans and vegetarians, and Kosher bakers  (always on the prowl for non-dairy desserts)  alike.

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Harvest to Heat Cookbook: A Farm-to-Kitchen Journey

Cookbooks used to be written for those who loved to cook or for those who needed to cook.  Today’s food-centric culture has added breadth and depth to the genre.  Food lovers and home cooks look to chefs not just for instruction, but for inspiration. “Harvest to Heat, Cooking with America’s Best Chefs, Farmers, and Artisans” by Darryl Estrine and Kelly Kochendorfer goes one step beyond, showcasing the local farmers, ranchers and artisans who serve as muse to those esteemed chefs.  The result is a celebration of the symbiotic relationship between farmers and chefs and the masterpieces created by their combined efforts. 

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Martha Stewart @ Stamford's Fairway Market

If you would like to get a book signed at the event, pre-registration is necessary. Go to  martha@fairwaymarket.com and send in your name to pre-register. 

The Naptime Chef: Success While the Kids Sleep

In her former life, pre children, Kelsey Banfield of Fairfield CT, (The Naptime Chef), worked for Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital’s Development office where she helped to create a cookbook to benefit the hospital.  It was titled Park Avenue Potluck was published by Rizzoli in 2007.  Here, Kelsey learned the ins and outs of the publishing industry and all it takes to put a cookbook together.  Little did she know that she would be developing a cookbook of her own just years later...while her kids slept. 

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Food Writing & Blogging Class w/ Corinne Trang

Looking to learn how to write about food or start a blog? Why not learn from a master?  Corinne Trang is an award-winning author of several books including Noodles Every Day (2009), Curry Cuisine (2007), The Asian Grill (2006), She was dubbed the “Julia Child of Asian Cuisine” by the Washington Post, and has written for numerous publications including Saveur, Food & Wine, Relish, Cooking Light, and Bon Appetit. 

Now is your chance to study with Corinne Trang in a very intimate setting. Here are the details:

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Tartines for the Holidays via Healthy Living Blog

I had the most fortunate experience of meeting Dorie Greenspan, a James Beard Award-winning author, several months ago at a BlogHer conference. Dorie was signing her new cookbook at the Darien library recently, Around My French Table: More than 300 recipes from my home to yours. After leaving Dorie’s book signing, I was so inspired that I went through her entire cookbook, page by page. 

The Dieter’s Tartine caught my eye as it is popular among ladies who lunch in Paris, who want something filling, but not fattening. A tray of assorted tartines would also be especially festive during the holidays (cut in half for appetizer size portions).

I made Dorie's Dieter's Tartine, a tartine topped with artichoke tapenade, a sardine piquillo pepper tartine, a zucchini tartine, and a blueberry tartine. I have to say my son and I loved them all (his favorites were the artichoke tapenade, sardine piquillo pepper, and blueberry tartines). As you can see, the possibilities are endless.  Report back on any new toppings and combinations you come up with for tartines. 

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A CTbites Holiday Cookbook Guide

Dozens of cookbooks may line your shelves, but chances are there are a few that are a bit more "loved" that the others.

Their soiled, dog-eared pages and long since discarded book jackets reflect the patina of a cookbook worth its weight in kosher salt.

And if you're like me, chances are good that you may even know some of the recipes by heart, but you'd never dream of getting rid of them as their mere presence acts like a culinary confidence placebo.

We decided to compile a short list of some of your most well-soiled and thus well-loved cookbooks. Don't worry, we didn't ask anyone to give up their actual copies (we'd sooner ask for your first born), we simply paired a list of your recommendations your words as to why it's in heavy rotation in your kitchen, and thus would make a great gift for any food lover's cookbook collection.  

Also, don't miss our recent CTbites Shout Out "What's Your Favorite Cookbook?" for more great suggested reading. 

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Dorie Greenspan Speaks in Stamford

If you missed Dorie Greenspan's recent appearance in Darien, fear not fellow gourmand. 

The prolific cookbook author, francophile and bon vivant will be speaking at Kitchens by Deane in Stamford on Tuesday, December 7 at 5:30 to 7:30 pm. This event is sponsored by Connecticut Cottages & Gardens. You can RSVP by emailing event@candgpublications.com.

Read more about Dorie and her new best-selling cookbook, Around My French Table, in our recent interview.