Cast Iron Roasted Fruits & Vegetables Recipe from Chef Arik of Le Farm Features Thanksgiving healthy Recipe CTbites Team November 26, 2014 Arik Bensimon, Chef de Cuisine at Le Farm, has always been an innovator when it comes to cooking. His roots run deep with French technique, but the ingredients always come first. We liked the simplicity and deconstructed quality of his Thanksgiving side dish. Not only is the recipe absolutely beautiful but it preserves and highlights the integrity of the seasonal ingredients. Enjoy Chef Arik's recipe for Cast Iron Roasted Fruits & Vegetables. Read More
Roasted Butternut Squash & Bosc Pear Soup Recipe from The Spread in SoNo Features Holiday Soups Thanksgiving healthy Recipe CTbites Team November 25, 2014 It's not too late to run to the store and pick up some Butternut squash for this incredibly delicious recipe created by Carlos Baez of The Spread in SoNo. This one is sure to be a keeper. When your guests are sighing with delight, please feel free to thank us. Enjoy this recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash and Bosc Pear Soup. Roasted Butternut Squash & Bosc Pear Soup 1 Butternut Squash, cut in half and seeded 1 Tsp Kosher Salt, divided ½ Tsp Black Pepper Read More
Down Home Apple Crisp Recipe from Mama's Boy in Sono Features Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe Dessert CTbites Team November 25, 2014 You really can never have too much dessert...especially when it involves warm fruit. Grab yourself some apples and try out this recipe from Chef Chaz Mazas of Mama's Boy Southern Table & Refuge in Sono. Mama's Apple Crisp never tasted so good! Read More
Chestnut Butter Bruschetta with Burrata, Kale or Arugula Recipe from Locali Pizza Bar Features Entertaining Thanksgiving Recipe CTbites Team November 23, 2014 As family and friends arrive, it's always a great idea to have a few nibbles ready for them to enjoy as the cooks in the kitchen place the final touches on the main courses. Many homes will be filled with the aroma of chestnut stuffing, so tantalize the taste buds with a delicious appetizer with a hidden ingredient, chestnut butter. Chef Mogan Anthony of Locali Pizza Bar + Kitchen shares his recipe for “Chestnut Butter Bruschetta with Burrata, Kale or Arugula” that pairs chestnut butter with greens and Burrata. Read More
Napa & Co.'s Maple-Bourbon Banana Pudding Cake Recipe Features Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe Dessert CTbites Team November 22, 2014 You’ve finished the turkey, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, sides galore, apple sauce, cranberry sauce, salads, cole slaw, and maybe a few glasses of cider, wine and beer. In the background, the football games are on the TVs and maybe a little jazz, rock or classical fills the air. It’s been a great Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family. So what’s next? Close your eyes and travel to the South and focus on one of their comfort food desserts, Bread Pudding. Chef Adam Truelove of Napa & Co. in Stamford was kind enough to share his version with CTbites, and he starts with a simple bread pudding and adds his special twists…bourbon, maple syrup and bananas. Here's Chef Truelove's recipe for Maple-Bourbon Banana Pudding Cake. Read More
Friday Froth: Beer Pairings For A Very Merry Thanksgiving Features CT Beer Thanksgiving Beer James Gribbon November 21, 2014 You can smash that wine bottle against a new ship's prow, because I'm drinking beer this Thanksgiving. I enjoy wine, but the waveform of my interest in it describes a gentle curve approaching zero on this particular day of the year. There's very little you can put on the table in late November that will get my personal circuits firing like a nice beer pairing.This week's Froth will be a selection of suggested beers for both Thanksgiving hosts and guests, presented in the order you may like them to appear during our country's great feast. I enjoy typing that word. Say it with me: "FEAST!" I wish I had a relative with an eight foot tall fireplace suitable for roasting an entire ox. I hope at least one of you reading this is going to attempt a feat of inadvisable open flame cookery next week. Bonus points if you have to bribe a child so they don't tell a spouse what you're doing. A quick note to begin: I wrote a Thanksgiving column back in 2011, and this new post is an update/overhaul. Read More
Sage Infused Turkey w/ Pomegranate Juice & Chestnut Sausage Stuffing via South End Features Entertaining Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe CTbites Team November 21, 2014 One of the most important guests at any Thanksgiving table is the turkey. In our ongoing Thanksgiving recipe coverage, Nick Martschenko, Executive Chef at South End, New Canaan, has kindly shared his recipe for Sage Infused Turkey Basted w/ Pomegranate Juice & Chestnut Sausage Stuffing. Sure, anyone can toss a turkey in the oven, but Chef Martschenko has given his bird the love and attention it deserves. Check out his incredible recipe which will likely end up an annual tradition. Read More
Thanksgiving Recipes from The Chefs @ Westport Farmers' Mkt Features Chef Talk Farmers Market Thanksgiving Recipe Lori Cochran November 20, 2014 We, Westport Farmers’ Market, wanted to find a way to say thank you for the support our communities continue to provide us, so…… We have collaborated with the best of the best in Fairfield County to bring you a local, delicious and certainly special Thanksgiving menu. You might even say it is a celebrity chef Thanksgiving menu created just for WFM. We've gathered recipes from the likes of: Bill Taibe, Matt Storch, Mischel Nischan and so many more. View The Complete Recipe Guide Here & view the list of chefs below. Looking for the perfect recipe - heck, the perfect menu? Look no further! Each recipe will include a grocery list for Saturday's market at Gilbertie’s Herb Garden in Westport. Celebrity Chef Thanksgiving Menu Read More
Delicata Squash Soup w/ Coffee Roasted Carrot Coulis Recipe via Boulevard 18 Features Entertaining Holiday Soups Thanksgiving Recipe CTbites Team November 19, 2014 It's time to dust off those recipe books or re-visit that Pinterest board. Thanksgiving is almost here, and in honor of our favorite culinary holiday, we have asked a few local chefs to share their favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Boulevard 18 in New Canaan is the first up with a delicious Delicata Squash Soup with Coffee Roasted Carrot Coulis and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. Stay tuned for additional recipes as we will be posting new ones up until the big day.... Read More
Guide To Thanksgiving Planning & Recipes via Marcia Selden Features Entertaining Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe Marcia Selden Catering November 13, 2014 Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Don’t panic. Let us be your guide to creating the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy a traditional meal with family and friends, right? For some people Thanksgiving turns into an all-out crazy fest in the kitchen filled with ranting’s and multiple trips to the supermarket. Never again! Read on for our simple, fool proof guide to hosting a stress free Thanksgiving meal. If this all seems like too much for you, we’d be happy to help you…just call! Not only do we have an up to the minute timeline for your Thanksgiving prep, but we have the quintessential recipes for: Marcia’s Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey & Old-Fashioned Southern Pecan Pie. Ready, set...Go! Read More
Westport Farmers' Market Moves Indoors To Gilberties November 15th Ingredients Features Farmers Market Westport CTbites Team November 10, 2014
New Haven Restaurant Week: November 2 - 7, 2014 Features Restaurant Week New Haven CTbites Team October 28, 2014 The semiannual New Haven Restaurant Week kicks-off on Sunday, November 2 and runs through Saturday, November 7, 2014 featuring prix fixe 3 course menus for lunch and dinner, $18 and $32 respectively, at 36 restaurants at last count. Participating restaurants include, 116 Crown, Barcelona Wine Bar, Caseus, Heirloom, L'Orcio, Oaxaca Kitchen, and Roia. For information on participating restaurants and menus, visit: http://infonewhaven.com/restaurantweek Read More
Guide To Great Caterers in Fairfield County: Holiday Catering Made Easy Features Catering Entertaining Special Dietary Needs April Guilbault October 26, 2014 A stack of gifts. Cards with cute holiday stamps. Family parties. Work parties. Kids’ parties. Cocktail parties. Concerts. Shopping. Even more shopping. And now you want me to host a party of my own or host eighteen relatives?? Your holiday to-do list is quickly making the song “The 12 Days of Christmas” look like a lullaby with all the items that are mentioned-that partridge atop that pear tree has nothin’ on you and your list. So...save yourself some gray hairs and a freak-out by booking one of these delightful, highly capable, and creative caterers to take over the food-portion of your entertaining obligations this season. They will do you proud and you can actually relax and enjoy an evening before you have to wrap that 200th gift. And with that, may there be peace on earth. + CTbites readers get special discounts. See below. Here is our Guide To 9 Great Caterers in Fairfield County: Read More
"Future Chefs," A New Cookbook by Westport Author, Ramin Ganeshram Features Chef Talk Cookbooks Recipe Jessica Ryan October 24, 2014 This is not a kid cookbook – well, of course it is, but it’s not the type of cookbook you’d expect from a bunch of kids. This is a book to be gifted, passed on and shared, especially among children and teenagers. It’s inspiring and thought-provoking. Future Chefs: Recipes by Tomorrow’s Cooks Across the Nation and the World is the brainchild of chef, food writer and author, Ramin Ganeshram. Future Chefs is a remarkable collection of stories and recipes from extraordinary children world-wide. Some of the recipes are quite complex, others couldn’t be more simple, but the messages about the food and around the food are what inspires. We are introduced to a new generation of chefs, foodies and tastemakers and we see the ever changing world of food through their eyes. Today’s children are smart and savvy. They are aware of all that lies around them. Many of these children are keenly aware of health and nutrition, the importance of fresh, wholesome ingredients, supporting local businesses and farms and using organic ingredients. In Future Chefs you will meet all sorts of children from a wide array of socio-economic backgrounds – some are privileged, others are not, and many have remarkable stories to share. These children, are focused and determined. Collectively they have published recipes, have food blogs, have been invited to the White House as guests of Mrs. Obama, and have made appearances on The Today Show, The Tonight Show, NPR, and Chopped. Read More
Recipe for Coleslaw from TRUCK Chef Features Recipe CTbites Team October 23, 2014 This Thursday, October 30th, at the Westport Farmers' Market, chef/owner of TRUCK restaurant, Nancy Roper, will be demonstrating their house coleslaw. Stop by and try a mini green chile cheeseburger topped with TRUCK coleslaw. TRUCK Coleslaw 1/2 head medium sized farmers' market white cabbage, thinly sliced 1/4 head medium sized farmers' market red cabbage, thinly sliced 1/2 lemon juice and zest 3 carrots shredded 1/4 red onion, finely chopped 1 cup parsley, chopped 1 cup mayonnaise (add more or less depending on house saucy you like your coleslaw) freshly ground black pepper to tastefinish with Maldon salt Gently mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Read More
16 Fall Recipes from Our Local CT Chefs Features Chef Talk Recipe Video Recipe Emma Jane-Doody Stetson October 22, 2014 Temperatures have started dipping and a fall chill is in the air! CTBites has collected recipes from local chefs and popular restaurants that embody the seasonal harvest. We've compiled some of our favorites below- and included three new fall inspired recipes. Try Chef Frederic Kieffer's Acorn Squash Cappuccino Soup, Chef Matt Storch's Quince and Hazelnut Torte, and Cask Republic's Harvest Vegetable Medley. Autumn Harvest Apple Contorno, The Boathouse Curried Butternut Squash Soup, Chef Nicole Cider Braised Turkey Legs, le Farm Prosecco Apple Fizz, Sugar & Olives Baby Pumpkin, Bernard's Spiced Dark Chocolate & Pumpkin Seed Bark with Sea Salt, Katie Vitucci Homemade Apple Fashioned Cocktail, Luxe Wine Bar Pecan Pie, Leticia Schwartz Apple Tart, Tina Rupp Read More
Black Rock Farmers Market Throws a HARVEST HOOTENANNY Oct. 25th Ingredients Restaurant Bridgeport Farmers Market Stephanie Webster October 16, 2014 The Black Rock Farmers' Market is throwing a party to celebrate the closing of the market for the 2014 season. Go shop the market on October 25th from 9-1pm, and then stay for an afternoon of celebration at their Harvest Hootenanny featuring local food, local breweries, and live music, from 1-5pm. Musical guest will be Black Rock's own Oh, Cassius! Hootenanny Event Schedule Pig Roast (sponsored by Walrus + Carpenter) Beer Tasting for Charity (Two Roads Brewery and other local breweries) Lounge Area (sponsored by B:Hive) Bonfire Bouncy Obstacle Course Dunk Tank (sponsored by Stoked Progressive Smoke Shop) Haunted House (sponsored by St. Ann Academy) "Corn Hole" Bag Toss Game (sponsored by B:Hive) Live Music from Bedlam Brothers Square Dancing led by Bill Fischer, the Dance Caller Read More
Halloween Recipes Kids & Adults Will Love, via Marcia Selden Catering Kids Bites Features Holiday Recipe Marcia Selden Catering October 09, 2014 Halloween is around the corner, and in honor of this ghoulish holiday, Marcia Selden Caterers have created the perfect menu plan for your Halloween party. These dishes are both adult and kid-friendly, and are simple time-saving delicious meals that will leave you plenty of time for dress-up. This is the first in our series, and really... what defines the real joy of Halloween more perfectly than eatable severed body parts? Enjoy receipes for: Bloody Brains (Dumplings with Sesame Chili Oil); Bat Sh*t Crazy Wings- Honey BBQ Glazed Chicken Wings; Bloody Fingers in a Blanket; Devil on Horseback (Bacon Wrapped shrimp Skewers with Blue Cheese Dip); & Worms in Dirt- Hijiki Salad. Read More
Best of Wines Recap: Greenwich Wine + Food Festival 2014 Ingredients Features Greenwich Wine + Food Festival WIne Wine Tasting Emma Jane-Doody Stetson October 07, 2014 The Greenwich Wine + Food Festival feels a lot like a rock concert. People from across the state come by bus, train, cab, and car to Roger Sherman Park. This year marked the 4th year of the festival. Although I have attended the event for the last three years, it never gets old. Each year, Greenwich Food + Wine evolves with new guests and changing formats. This year, the first thing I marveled at was the organization. The number of demonstrations and participants had definitely increased, but guests were evenly distributed throughout the grounds. As wine correspondent, I enjoyed the food (understatement!) but focused on the wines and drinks served that day. Wine is central to the festival; demonstrations not only include the best chefs, but also revered mixologists and sommeliers. Here are my selection for some labels to watch: Read More
Behind the Scenes @ Fresh & RIPE: Connecticut's Craft Juice Movement Ingredients Features Special Dietary Needs Specialty Market New Haven Amy Kundrat October 07, 2014 We are in the midst of a craft food and beverage movement. Craft cocktails, craft beer, craft butchers, so why not craft juice? The New Haven-based FreshBev Craft Juicery, best known by its RIPE bar juice and Project Fresh product lines, is seeking to define the craft juice movement, one cold-pressed bottle of fresh vegetables and fruits at a time. I had the opportunity to visit the New Haven factory (read: I was nosy and curious, so I invited myself over) to meet the folks behind the juice, taste some juice, and was excited to find a Connecticut business succeeding in the emerging and highly competitive juice market. First a little history. In 2008, frustrated by the abundance of preservative-laden shelf-stable cocktail mixers, founders Michel Boissy and Ryan Guimond took to their kitchen to create a natural and fresh juice for cocktails, beginning with everyone’s favorite cocktail staple, the margarita. Read More