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
Fairfield County Winter Farmer's Markets Ingredients Farmers Market Local Artisan Local Farm Specialty Market Farm Fresh Deanna Foster December 07, 2010 The sounds of the Farmer’s Market change with the seasons. The “mmm’s” in June when the strawberries arrive; the “ooh’s and ahh’s” in July when the tomatoes make their entrance; finally, the sad, sighing “uh’s” in the fall as the weather chills and the markets draw to a close. This year, thanks to the unabated demand for local produce and the persistence of some devoted market managers, we can enjoy a new season of sounds at our local Farmer's Markets. 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
Eggnog Lollipops? Ingredients Cocktails Dessert Stephanie Webster November 26, 2010 Last year, we told you about Suckerborne Suckers, lolli's that aint just for kids. In fact, with boozy flavors like "Dark and Stormy" and "Lemon Vodka MeanyTini," you might want to keep these stored in a high place. Finally, a sophisticated and spectacular lollipop designed for adult palettes. Using nothing but sugar, a stick, and some outrageously decadent yet all natural ingredients, Darien resident Megan Ferrell has entered the candy market with chic and style. Yes, lollis with a decidedly adult twist can be found right here in Fairfield County, and just in time for the holiday season, their EGGNOG lollipops are back! Read More
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
Scratch Baking Debuts in Milford Ingredients Restaurant Bakery Milford Breakfast Dessert Amy Kundrat November 23, 2010 Chances are pretty good that if you’ve ever lusted after a baked good in Fairfield County, Lesli Flick of Milford's newest bakery Scratch Baking may have literally had her hands on it. Scratch is a beacon of baked goods, opening in a cozy space adjacent to the Milford train station just this past weekend with seasoned pastry chef Lesli Flick at its helm. Flick has been moving steadily north since attending culinary school in Manhattan, beginning her baking trajectory on the upper east side and then (thankfully for us) moving to Connecticut. 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
Thanksgiving Wine Pairing & Shopping Guide Ingredients Holiday Thanksgiving This Week In Wine Wine Chat Kathleen Hall November 18, 2010 Thanksgiving presents a special challenge in wine pairing. Think about the typical foods served for Thanksgiving dinner: salty roasted turkey, savory turkey gravy, tangy cranberry sauce, creamy mashed potatoes, herbal chestnut stuffing, sweet candied yams, rich butternut squash soup, vegetal green beans…. so many contradictory flavors and textures ! Which wine should you choose? Well… you will need a wine that is not too high in tannins because that will overwhelm the mild flavors of the turkey. A wine with medium to high acidity to cut through the fatty and creamy textures. A wine with an abundance of fruit flavor to complement the sweet side dishes. The answer is: there is no ONE wine ! It’s all a matter of personal preference. The key is to pick a versatile wine that will harmonize with the many flavors of the meal. Here are a few wine suggestions that I believe might just do the trick complete with a handy local FC buying guide for easy holiday shopping: 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
