Chef Talk: Beat the Winter Blues With Booze Ingredients Features Chef Talk Cocktails Holiday Norwalk Recipe Stephanie Webster January 12, 2010 When asked to share a recipe with our CTbites readers, Jennifer Balin of Sugar & Olives went right for the drink. If you have been to an event at her great retail/party space you already know that she mixes a mean cocktail loaded with organic infusions and flavorful syrups. Here are two cocktail recipes you can try at home, including directions for her wonderful ginger syrup. Whip up one of these "Sugar & Olives Martinis" or "Bourbon Marries Ginger" drinks on a cold winter's night (when you aren't carpooling) and you'll barely feel the cold. Read More
Fairfield Cheese Company: Cheese 101 Ingredients Features Catering Education Fairfield Specialty Market Farm Fresh Stephanie Webster January 11, 2010 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. Read More
Tabouli Grill: Stamford's New Mediterranean Contender Restaurant Delivery Service Mediterranean Middle Eastern Stamford Lunch Marcy Shinbaum January 10, 2010 Until a few months ago, Stamford was a two falafel town, Myrna’s Authentic and Layla’s Falafel. That’s why I was thrilled this fall when I began to hear rumblings of a new contender for the Stamford, Connecticut Middle Eastern heavyweight title. Tabouli Grill had entered the ring -- with gloves on. “Oh, you’ve got to try it,” cooed one of my Stamford girls. “It’s so fresh,” declared another, “I’m there once a week” and the holy grail of suburban dining, they deliver too! Read More
All in the Family Bargain @ Tutti’s Ristorante Restaurant Italian Westport Kid Friendly Christy Colasurdo January 07, 2010 Since I’ve lived up in Connecticut, I’ve been less than impressed with many of the area’s “finest” Italian restaurants. I just can’t wrap my head around a precious $25 dish of angel hair pasta studded with a few shrimps or lobster morsels—a portion that wouldn’t satisfy a seven-year-old Growing up, my family frequented some of the best Italian restaurants in New York and Long Island. We knew most of the proprietors by name—and they knew ours. I’m not talking about the pretentious, upscale Italian eateries pandering to the facelift and Fendi crowd, but the tiny, authentic holes-in-the-wall catering to folks who know great Italian food doesn’t mean a hose down. Give me a real family-run Italian joint any day—a laid-back trattoria presided over by the owners, where the entrees, pastas and sauces are homemade, plentiful and most likely prepared and served with a smile by a bonafide member of the family tree. That’s just what you’ll find at Tutti’s Ristorante. Read More
What The Heck Is A CSA? Ambler Farms Event Tells All Ingredients Features Education Local Farm Organic Wilton healthy Farm Fresh Stephanie Webster January 05, 2010
Exclusive CTbites Lunch Event @ Wild Rice Restaurant CTbites Lunch Events Fairfield Japanese Lunch Stephanie Webster January 04, 2010
Behind the Scenes @ The SoNo Baking Company Ingredients Restaurant Bakery Catering Education Norwalk Breakfast Dessert Deanna Foster January 03, 2010 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. Read More
Winter Comfort Food: Lamb with Leeks & White Beans Features Ask Chef Nicole Recipe Comfort Food Nicole Straight December 31, 2009 On a snowy day, there is nothing like slow cooked meat and savory beans. Braising (where the main ingredient is seared, or browned in fat, and then simmered in liquid on low heat in a covered pot) is a low-effort way to get that great tender fall-off-the-bone meat we all crave. If you are still stalling on your New Year's Eve menu, this is an easy recipe to make for both a dinner party or a cozy quiet night at home. Hmmm..I may need to go pick up some lamb shanks and whip up a pot right now. Lamb with Leeks and White Beans Read More
Stay At Home Sushi: A Dinner Party Primer Features Japanese Seafood Specialty Market Recipe Stephanie Webster December 29, 2009 Ok…Seriously…How good does that look? Given the widespread adoration for sushi these days it has always amazed me that more people don't attempt to replicate this Japanese meal in the comfort of their own homes. What could surpass the pleasure of creating your own maki combinations with an endless supply of fish? Just think of the possibilities. My suspicion is an overarching belief that some meals are better left to the experts. The precision and foreignness of Japanese cuisine feels daunting to most. Surely there is some trick to obtaining the stunning entrees that arrive tableside when we eat out. Where in the world would one even get all of the ingredients, not to mention sushi grade fish? It was with all this culinary baggage that I received an email from a CT Bites reader. "I'm hosting a sushi dinner…where in Fairfield County can I get sushi grade fish?" Aha..a brave soul. I led her to the appropriate fish market (Spolier alert: Fjord Fisheries) but now feeling implicated in this fish-fest, I had to see how this sushi dinner unfolded. I invited myself to dinner. Here is how it went down, and how you can replicate this sushi smorgasbord in your own home. Read More
S & S Dugout: The Delicious Dive That Could... Restaurant Delicious Dives Southport Breakfast Lunch Sarah Green December 27, 2009 In every town, often where you least expect it, lives the pulsating heart that gives that town its spirit. Amid the hustle and bustle of rural mayhem, tucked quietly on the corner of Post Road and Center Street (3449 Post Rd), lives the S & S Dugout, the little greasy spoon that "can." While other big and bossy diners of Fairfield County toot their whistles and snub their noses at those of us longing for charm and wicked Roast Beef sandwiches, (and not necessarily in that order!) S & S gives us that tiny extra push over the proverbial suburban mountain. S & S Dugout of Southport delivers with tasty breakfast, lunch, and dinner fare that oozes with taste, not pretension. Read More
Entertaining: Shrimp, Mango & Jalapeno Lettuce Cups Features Ask Chef Nicole Holiday Recipe Nicole Straight December 26, 2009 Need a menu item for your New Year's Eve party? Why not try these elegant and easy to prepare lettuce cups filled with shrimp and mango? They have a great subtle kick, and can be made with slightly un-ripe mangoes so you don't have to drive all over town looking for the perfect fruit. Here is the real beauty of this dish. You can prepare almost all of this recipe ahead of time so you can actually enjoy the party instead of slaving away in the kitchen while your guests party on without you. Check out my directions for pre-prepping below: Shrimp with Lime, Mango and Jalapeno in Lettuce Cups Read More
Chef Talk: LeFarm's Bill Taibe-Slow Roasted Pork Belly Features Chef Talk Holiday Recipe Stephanie Webster December 23, 2009 For Chef Bill Taibe of LeFarm, a holiday is not a holiday without a little pork belly. Here is his amazingly decadent yet simple preparation for Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Apple Pulp, Fresh Horseradish Root & Arugula. I'm already drooling... Read More
What Are Your Holiday & New Years Food Traditions? Features CTbites Shout Out Holiday Stephanie Webster December 22, 2009
Chef Talk: Osetra's Chef David Nivens-Lobster Spaghettini Features Chef Talk Norwalk Recipe Stephanie Webster December 21, 2009 Don't you always wonder what chefs make when they leave their throng of paying diners, kick back, and cook for themselves? Enquiring minds wanted to know, so CTbites asked top local chefs to share a holiday dish from their at home recipe box. This might be something they serve to their family at the end of the day or food that simply defines the season. We will be featuring these recipes throughout the month of December. We hope you try some of these meals in your home. You can be guaranteed they're good! Enjoy this delicious simple pasta entree from Chef David Nivens of SONO's Osetra. Read More
CLOSED Traditional & Modern Spanish Mix @ Meigas in Norwalk Restaurant Catering Norwalk Spanish Lunch Jennifer Spaide December 20, 2009 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. Read More
Cookies Part 1: Give the Gift of Homemade Cookie Dough Features Ask Chef Nicole Holiday Recipe Kid Friendly Dessert Nicole Straight December 17, 2009 Who doesn't appreciate a tin of cookies around the holidays? Well we've got some great tried and true recipes for cookies of all shapes and flavors. But before you pop these Coconut-lime Snowballs, Chocolate, Pecan and Orange Biscotti, Dark Chocolate Chewy Cherry Cookies, Lemon Snickerdoodles, or Chewy Kitchen Sink Oatmeal Cookies in the oven....why not gift without the heat? A gift of uncooked cookie dough allows the recipient the freedom to enjoy his or her cookies whenever desired. Plus YOUR gift won't go stale while your mail carrier or teacher attempts to consume the other 10 tins they received. Just wrap your dough in parchment, wax paper, or plastic wrap, and let your giftee know that it might be a good idea to get this parcel into the fridge as soon as possible. (Cooking instructions are helpful as well). For those of you who just want to bake up some delicious cookies, here are the recipes mentioned above. Read More
The Dinners at the Farm 2010 Schedule is Up!! Restaurant Education Local Farm Farm Fresh Stephanie Webster December 15, 2009
Butternut Squash Chevre Ravioli in Sage Butter Features Ask Chef Nicole Recipe Kid Friendly Nicole Straight December 15, 2009 Sure the cold weather brings fewer local fruits and vegetables, but have no fear, there's one versatile fruit (yes, it's a fruit) that you can count on in any season. I'm talking about the formidable squash, specifically the Butternut Squash that keeps us nourished with Vitamins A & C throughout the Fall and Winter months. This recipe for Butternut Squash Chevre Ravioli in Sage Butter falls into the category of elegant comfort food. You could include this dish in a dinner party menu or serve 'em up for a weeknight family dinner. The goat cheese and browned sage butter add nuance to your more standard squash ravioli and the result is remarkably delicious. These little pasta pockets look complicated but they are actually quite simple to construct if you follow my step-by-step video with added tips and tricks. Butternut squash chevre ravioli in sage butter Read More
