Perfect Shrimp Cocktail w/ Homemade Cocktail Sauce Features Ask Chef Nicole Chef Talk Entertaining Seafood Recipe Nicole Straight December 14, 2010 Shrimp cocktail is the perfect holidays starter, but purchasing good ready-to-eat cooked shrimp can be a tad spendy. This classic appetizer is so simple to make at home, there is really no need to ever buy out again. There is just one trick to this dish. The shrimp must be boiled in court bouillon NOT water (unless you like your shrimp rubbery and tasteless). The key to the perfect shrimp cocktail lies not just in the quality of the seafood but in the boil. Here's how to do it right, complete with zesty homemade cocktail sauce. Read More
Fairfield County Cooking Classes = Great Gifts Ingredients Features Cooking Classes Education Events Stephanie Webster & Liz Rueven December 13, 2010 The holiday season is rapidly approaching (for some it has already past), and as we seek out the perfect gift for that special someone, I offer up the gift of culinary knowledge. Whether your recipe repertoire needs a little spicing up or you are just looking for some tips and tricks from a pro, these cooking events are both fun and educational. Plus, in Fairfield County we are lucky to have access to a variety of chefs with serious pedigree. Avoid the malls. These outstanding Fairfield County cooking classes are all you need: Sono Baking Co.'s John Barricelli, Match's Matt Storch, Chocopologie's Fritz Knipschildt, Barcelona or Brazilian, there is something for every cook--including some great holiday classes for kids. Your friends and family will thank you (and this year they'll mean it). Read More
Homemade Apple Chips c/o Fix Me a Snack Kids Bites Features kids activity Recipe Kid Friendly Fix Me A Snack December 09, 2010 This easy recipe for homemade apple chips is a new favorite at our house. My kids love them. I love them. Everyone’s happy. It’s been a while since I made something so simple yet brilliant. Hooray Apple Chips! Apple Chips Recipe via Fix Me A Snack I use Macoun and Empire apples to make these and they didn’t require any measures to prevent browning. If you think your apples will brown excessively, dip them in a solution of 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice right after they have been sliced. Read More
Hot Cinnamon Apple Toddy Features Cocktails Recipe Amy Kundrat December 07, 2010 What's a hot toddy like you doing in a place like this? There is something about a steaming alcoholic drink that invites some of the best pick-up lines and conjures images of campy backdrops. Mix this warm and fuzzy-with-a-kick drink and I guarantee you'll be coming up with a few of your own lines. Hot tub and ski lodge not included. Read More
Fairway Wines & Spirits Opens in Stamford Dec. 15th. Ingredients Features Cocktails Specialty Market Stamford Wine Chat Stephanie Webster December 06, 2010 As if the opening of the renown grocery mecca Fairway Market wasn't enough to make a foodie faint, Fairway Wines & Spirits (689 Canal Street), a 6,500 square foot store will open on Wednesday, December 15th next door to the new Fairway Market (699 Canal Street). The shop will feature approximately 2,500 wines, more than 600 varieties of spirits from around the world and over 500 different specialty and traditional beers. Need assistance? A highly qualified staff of specialists and sommeliers will be on the premises to help customers with their wine and spirit selections. Let's talk wine: Wine selections will include the large national brands, local wines, kosher wines, organic and biodynamic wines, sparkling and dessert wines and a variety of esoteric wines from smaller vineyards. Fairway also intends to carry wines from different parts of the world that will be exclusive to Fairway Wines & Spirits. Read More
Ad: How to do Fondue c/o Fairfield Cheese Company Ingredients Features Entertaining Holiday Advertisement Stephanie Webster December 06, 2010 'Tis the season for eating entertaining with family and friends, but as any host knows all too well, 'tis also the season for endless planning, cooking, and the inevitable mile-high pile of dishes at the end of the evening. What's a holiday host to do? Fairfield Cheese Company, Fairfield’s source for artisanal and farmstead cheese and fine foods has a savory solution to the dinner party doldrums. A Fondue Party. This simple solution to entertaining allows the host to stay out of the kitchen and in the action where the act of eating becomes the evening’s entertainment. Whether you go with the traditional Gruyere & Emmentaler or mix it up with a Beer & Chedder Fondue recipe below, Fairfield Cheese Company has everything you need to jumpstart your fun and festive culinary adventure. (Fondue fixins also make for a great holiday gift!) So grab your fondue pot…here’s how to get started … remember, the better quality the cheese, the better the fondue. Read More
Chicken Chili Verde via The Parsley Thief Features Recipe Comfort Food Kid Friendly katie vitucci December 01, 2010 I have been busy lately with more catering jobs, closer together, than I've had in a long time. Which is great! This chili is going to be an hors d'oeuvre filling at one of them. Of course, I made enough so that we could eat it for dinner as well. This recipe for Chicken Chili Verde requires a bit of effort to prep & saute the ingredients. But, once that's done, it cooks itself. It can be stored in the fridge & reheated, or frozen. So, it's a great recipe to make a double batch of & freeze half for another day. Read More
Thanksgiving Shout Out: Best Dish? Worst Dish? Features CTbites Shout Out Thanksgiving Recipe Stephanie Webster November 27, 2010
The Day After Thanksgiving: Turkey Pot Pie Features Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger November 25, 2010 It's the morning after. You swore the night prior that you would never look at turkey again, much less eat it. Alas, you walk downstairs, open the fridge and there it is staring you in the face. Not wanting to waste this tasty bird, one has to get creative....but not another sandwich...Turkey Pot Pie. Read More
Napa's Chestnut Corn Bread & Foie Gras Stuffing Features Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe CTbites Team November 24, 2010 Napa & Co. wraps-up our Thanksgiving Day Virtual Potluck Dinner with a decadent take on stuffing...Chestnut Corn Bread & Fois Gras Stuffing to be exact. A hearty thank you to all the chefs, bloggers and readers who took the time to share one of their favorite recipes on on of our favorite holidays. Happy Thanksgiving! Read More
Reader Recipe: The Yummiest Cranberry Sauce Ever Features Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe Gayatri Batra November 22, 2010 Thank you to Gayatri Batra for her recipe submission for "The Yummiest Cranberry Sauce Ever." My five year old son, Jai owns this sauce! When he was in pre-school, he learnt how to make it with his teacher Ms Michelle Fulton for a class Thanksgiving Feast. He could not get over how easy it was to make and how good it tasted. He was completely bowled over when he was complimented on his culinary skills! That sealed his ownership on this sauce and has converted him into a cranberry lover. Read More
BONDA's Fire Roasted Brussels Sprouts Features Chef Talk Holiday Recipe CTbites Team November 22, 2010 There is something about Brussels Sprouts that just screams Thanksgiving. This hearty and sometimes controversial vegetable is packed with nutrients, and although I have eaten brussels sides at Bonda numerous times, I have yet to try this version. If you decide to make Jamie's recipe at home, please report back and let us know what you thought. Fire Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts, Dried Cranberries, Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano & Sherry-Walnut Vinaigrette Read More
MATCH'S Luscious Whipped Potatoes Features Chef Talk Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe Matt Storch November 19, 2010 I know everyone has their favorite mashed potato method. Some like it lumpy, some like it smooth, some like it baked in the oven so the top gets nice and crispy. This is a method of making super rich and creamy mashed potatoes using a ricer or food mill (cheap device you can find in any food store). I like the food mill better. Note: Potatoes have a ton of starch, so if you do not want ‘gummy’ mashed potatoes, do not over cook them, and do not use a mixer or any other electric device to mix the potatoes. The idea is not to over work the potatoes. MATCH's Luscious Whipped Potatoes Read More
The Boathouse's Autumn Harvest Apple Contorno Features Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe John Holzwarth November 18, 2010
Thanksgiving Cheese Selections c/o 109 Cheese Market Features Chef Talk Holiday Thanksgiving Monica Brown November 18, 2010 A cheese platter, like our "109 Thanksgiving Cheese Selection" is an easy and elegant way to ease into a holiday feast. Whether you buy a platter of craft your own, this is a great way to kick-off the holiday and can be endlessly repurposed into your holiday leftovers. The first cheese selection is an award-winning Fiscalini Bandaged Cheddar, a mature cheddar aged in cloth from Modesto, CA. A little further south, I've chosen a smooth and bold blue with the Point Blue Reyes. For a lighter and creamier cheese, I chose the Vermont Butter and Cream Cremont an earthy selection from Vermont goats and cows. And finally, a Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper, a mild sheeps milk cheese from France with a slight nuttiness and nice body and one heck of a name. Read More
Reheated: Dorie Greenspan & Darien Restaurant Week Features News Amy Kundrat November 16, 2010 In Connecticut... Darien Restaurant Week is underway! Info CTbites.com Free Cold Stone Creamery samples tonight at participating stores. Info DiningAlaCarte.org Chef Pietro Scotti, of Westport's DaPietro's will offer a Thanksgiving Cooking class on Nov 16 at The Clarke Culinary Center. Info CTbites.com. Dorie Greenspan will be speaking at the Darien Library on Nov. 18. Info DarienLibrary.org & an interview via CTbites.com. CT Food Bank has launched a virtual Thanksgiving Day food drive. Info CTFoodBank.org. Welcome to The Feast, an NBC-owned site that will be all things shop-food-play in regions such as our lovely state of CT. TheFeast.com. Read More
A Thanksgiving Day Guide to Take-Out or Eat-In Feasts Features Catering Holiday Thanksgiving CTbites Team November 16, 2010 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 Read More
Thanksgiving Guide: Buying a Local Turkey Ingredients Features Holiday Local Farm Thanksgiving CTbites Team November 09, 2010 Thanksgiving is a wonderful harvest feast and there’s no better way to honor the spirit of the holiday than celebrating with a locally raised turkey. Locally grown turkeys are highly coveted and in short supply, so anyone looking for a local turkey from a nearby farm should place their order immediately. Fresh and frozen broad-breasted whites and Heritage turkeys are available for purchase directly from the farmer, but lucky for consumers, you don't have to go to the farm to pick it up. Here are the best local resources for buying that perfect centerpiece to your Thanksgiving meal. Read More
Smokey Potato Leek Soup c/o chat N chow Features Soups Recipe Comfort Food Lauren fister November 09, 2010 I had the AC on just last week and now it's time for the heat. It's also time for blankets, fires and soups! A friend brought back some bacon fresh from a smoke house up in Vermont. I wanted to make something that would complement the flavor so I came up with a Smokey Potato Leek Soup and it was fantastic. I ended up eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner since it was sooo good & simple to make! Read More
