Q&A, Book Signing: The Dressing Room's Michel Nischan Features Cookbooks Events Stephanie Webster May 01, 2010
Chef Talk: Sono Baking Co's Tomato Tarts Features Bakery Chef Talk Cookbooks Recipe Stephanie Webster April 30, 2010 John Barricelli, owner and chef at Sono Baking Company, takes his tarts seriously. If you visit his storefront, you will see them perfectly crisped, savory, and seemingly impossible to make at home. A few months ago, we went "behind the scenes @ Sono Baking Co." and watched John cooking up these tasty morsels, and decided this was one recipe we had to have. Fortunately his new cookbook came out last month and now every home cook can enjoy these divine Tomato Tarts without having to drive to Norwalk. Read More
Green Food Tips To Reduce Your Footprint Ingredients Features Education Going Green Organic Seafood healthy CTbites Team April 29, 2010 One of the easiest ways to make Earth Day every day is to green your kitchen. Here are some delicious and fun ways to reduce your family's "foodprint" while eating well. You can also view some of Analiese's tips on this Channel 8 news segment. 1. Buy locally grown food from a farmers' market and learn to cook with the seasons. Michel Nischan's (of The Dressing Room) latest cookbook is perfect for anyone looking for inspirational ways to cook with the seasons Read More
Green Gourmet To Go: Healthy Eats in Bridgeport Ingredients Features Local Farm Organic Special Dietary Needs Vegetarian healthy Farm Fresh Liz Rueven April 28, 2010 If you discover sweet potatoes and spinach in your fudge brownies at Green Gourmet to Go don't be surprised. OK, you can keep that a secret from your kids because the veggies are not detectable in these moist, chocolatey bites or in the Blondies with a sweet potato base. The chocolate (anti oxidants a plenty!) masks the veggies and you will be better off for having added a few more to your daily intake. My fave desserts were the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and the almond oaties. They tasted most like what I would expect (read: crave) from a cookie. Imagine eating your veggies in your dessert! I didn't mean to jump to the end first but I was so enthralled by the ingredients list that I did exactly that! Linda Soper-Kolton has been open in Black Rock for only 5 weeks but she is well on her way to establishing herself as a resource for healthy meals and nutrient dense foods. Read More
Bringing Back The Martini Ingredients Features Cocktails Recipe Amy Kundrat April 27, 2010 The gin martini deserves to be revered. Done well, it's a study in radical simplicity. Done poorly, and you’re better off using it as a cleaning solution. Each Monday I encourage you to celebrate the start of the week with a classic dry gin martini. A weekly ritual in our house, it should begin with good quality gin, a whisper of vermouth, combined with a shaker full of ice and finished with a twist of lemon served in a chilled glass. (If you'd rather not serve, but be served this classic cocktail, check out our "Martini Map" below.) An acquired taste for many, the juniper and botanical essence of gin over time will grow on you, especially when paired with an olive or olive juice (the dirty martini), perhaps a pickled onion (the gibson) and of course (my preferred pairing) the lemon twist Read More
Great Entertaining: “Lulu Powers Food to Flowers" Features Catering Cookbooks Education Elizabeth Keyser April 22, 2010 Elizabeth Keyser recently had the chance to interview Lulu Powers, entertaining guru, and celebrity chef. Here is what she learned, along with a few of Lulu's amazing recipes. After writing a profile of Lulu Powers, Weston girl gone caterer-to-the stars, I met Lulu last week at a book party for “Lulu Powers Food to Flowers” at the Westport Women’s Club. Lulu lives in L.A., where she has cooked for Madonna, Will Smith and Jada Pinckett-Smith and Bill Clinton. Lulu’s philosophy is that entertaining should be fun, and it can be simple and fuss-free Read More
How To Make Grilled Pizza Features Ask Chef Nicole Chef Talk Pizza Recipe Video kids activity Recipe Kid Friendly Nicole Straight April 20, 2010 With warmer weather on its way, it's time to clean up that grill and bring on the 2010 grilling season. And really...doesn't everything taste just a little bit better on the grill? Even pizza.... If you've never made grilled pizza, you'll be amazed by how simple it is. Chef Nicole throws down some serious pie in her step-by-step video, and she's got tons of great tips. We've gone with Prosciutto, smoked Gouda, and arugula for our toppings, but feel free to dream up any accompaniment you wish. If you decide to make you own pizza dough vs. picking one up in the store, Chef Nicole has a great recipe for homemade dough. Happy cooking! Read More
Chef Leticia Brings Brazilian Cooking To Fairfield County Ingredients Features Brazilian Cooking Classes Education Deanna Foster April 19, 2010 You never know what to expect when you sign up for a cooking class. How much cooking will you do? Who will attend and what will they want from the class? How will the personality of the chef influence the experience? What if you could cut down on all those variables by gathering a group of friends with common food interests and visiting the home of a chef whose only motive is to ensure you have a good time and eat well? It would be a fabulous experience – wouldn’t it? Recently, eight CTBites contributors had just such a fabulous culinary experience with chef, teacher and cookbook author Leticia Moreinos Schwartz at one of her in-home Brazilian cooking classes. Read More
Wkend Brunch: Pear & Candied Ginger Granola Muffins Features Ask Chef Nicole Chef Talk Recipe Breakfast Nicole Straight April 17, 2010 Muffins are alway a crowd pleaser in my family, so I'm always looking for interesting new recipes. Chef Nicole developed these Pear and Candied Ginger Granola Muffins during her days as a personal chef. The candied ginger gives these healthy fruit based muffins a little extra zing. You can buy candied ginger at any number of groceries (i.e. Trader Joe's) or make your own. David Lebovitz has a great recipe if you are feeling up for the challenge. Pear and Candied Ginger Granola Muffins Read More
Ask Chef Nicole: Provencal Braised Chicken Thighs Features Ask Chef Nicole Chef Talk Recipe Nicole Straight April 15, 2010 It's not easy coming up with the mid-week meal, especially if you've got picky kids. It is precisely this type of conundrum that makes Chef Nicole tick. Mired in a massive cooking rut last week, I called her for some advice. She had just the solution for a tasty and ridiculously simple healthy weeknight dinner, Provencal Braised Chicken Thighs. I used to steer clear of chicken thighs favoring the white meat breasts, but I'm a changed woman. Thigh meat has great flavor, and only 10% more fat than the leaner breast. This is a delicious dish that the whole family will enjoy. Provencal Braised Chicken Thighs Read More
Re-creating leFarm's Golden Beet Salad w/ Lentils & Feta Features Vegetarian Recipe Farm Fresh Lauren fister April 07, 2010 I came across this post from a local blogger, Lauren Fister of chatNchow.com. The words "excellent dinner at leFarm" caught my eye, and I read on to find out that Lauren and I shared a common obsession with a new appetizer featured on leFarm's menu, the Beet & Lentil Salad. In fact, she liked it so much, she went home and tried to re-create the dish in her own kitchen. From the looks of it, she did a pretty good job. Mind you, we're not promising Bill Taibe here, but check out her recipe for a delicious Golden Beet Salad (Nature's Candy) With Lentils & Feta. Golden Beet Salad (Nature's Candy) With Lentils & Feta Read More
Chef Talk: The Schoolhouse Serves Apple Tart Tatin Features Chef Talk Wilton Recipe Dessert Stephanie Webster April 03, 2010 If you have dined at The Schoolhouse at Cannondale in Wilton, you have experienced the consistently inspired dishes that emerge from Chef LaBant's kitchen. LeBant's ingredients are pristinely fresh, locally farmed, and always beautifully prepared. An evening in The Schoolhouse's intimate dining room is always a treat. With a strong background in French cuisine, LaBant does jutice to the classic French treat, Apple Tart Tatin. This recipe will take you right back to the great bakeries of Paris. Plus, it's surprisingly simple. Enjoy. Read More
Passover Dessert Solution: Matzoh Toffee Brittle Features Holiday kids activity Recipe Dessert Stephanie Webster March 30, 2010 Passover can be tough times for the young who need to give up their baked goods, or at least modify their ingredients. Here is a dessert recipe that is both satisfying and simple, and it makes for a great gift. Kids will enjoy decorating the brittle once it is prepped, and the topping options are limitless. Think marshmallows, sprinkles, candied nuts...you name it! Our tester felt she could have used half the quantity of butter in this recipe, but taste it yourself and see what you think. Matzoh Toffee Brittle Read More
Salad Dressing Roundup: Make Your Own! Features Ask Chef Nicole Chef Talk Recipe Nicole Straight March 29, 2010 Often, when I peek into peoples' refrigerators, I see upon the shelves a multitude of bottled salad dressings. Everyone loves salad but many don't know how easy it is to make a delicious homemade vinaigrette. The basic proportion of a vinaigrette are 3 parts oil, 1 part tangy (vinegar, citrus). Add some salt and pepper, find yourself a left over jam jar with a good lid, and you are ready to start dressing. Note: I can not stress the importance of having a tightly fitted lid, as I’ve spilled more dressings when I’ve gone to shake it. Here are a few tried and true recipes I make in my house. You'll never buy bottled again! Try these simple recipes for Classic French Dijon Vinaigrette, Asian Balsamic Vinaigrette, Latin Vinaigrette, Creamy Blue Cheese Vinaigrette and Caesar Salad Dressing. Read More
Chef Talk: Passover Planning w/ Tabouli Grill's Chef Judy Features Chef Talk Stamford Recipe Stephanie Webster March 26, 2010 When contemplating my Passover planning this year, I once again pulled out the old tried and true recipes from my family's ancestral Jewish bubbie playbook. But somehow this year I felt I needed a break from the past, or at least an update. I knew just whom to ask for help; Chef Judy Roll of Tabouli Grilll in Stamford. I had gotten wind of her Passover menu (seen below) and had been keeping it in the back of my mind as a solid contingency plan if things went awry in the kitchen. Chef Judy was happy to help out with a few suggestions that were both kid and adult friendly. Armed with her Passover Fattoush Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette, Matzah chips, and Scallion, Cottage Cheese, and Matzoh Meal Latkes I was ready for action...and now you are too. Read More
What Makes Great Chili? Where to Sample in FC? Ingredients Features Events Recipe Comfort Food Stacy Lytwyn Maxwell March 24, 2010 Stacy Maxwell is the author of the upcoming book, El Cheapo Gourmet—Thinking Outside the Restaurant Box: The Best Homemade Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner in Connecticut. Chili with…corn? Absolutely….That’s what some of the evening’s guests at this past winter’s Connecticut Audubon Society Center’s Adirondack Night felt about the three corn-laden crock pots full of chili while others at the event felt: absolutely not! Without doubt, the bright, sunny specks of color added aesthetic appeal to the Adirondack, Sweet and Vegetarian-style dishes that provided the main fare for one of three major annual fundraisers. Of course, when the palate is involved, beauty amounts to beans. As I sampled a cup full of chili while chilling next to a guest who was also hankering down on his eats, I commented, “Perhaps the corn in the chili is a Yankee tradition.” While chewing intently on the kernels, he shrugged off my assumption, saying, “This belongs somewhere in northern New York—far north.” Chidings in the chili world are not new. Back in the 1980s, I was part of a television crew Read More
Want A Free Kitchen Makeover? New TV Show Casting CT Features Events Stephanie Webster March 19, 2010 Do you have a friend or loved one who has a real passion for cooking but is trapped in an outdated, nonfunctional or just plain ugly kitchen? Now's your chance to nominate him/her to receive a kitchen worthy of a gourmet chef for free! We are currently casting dynamic homeowners who love to cook but are in desperate need of a completely new kitchen. We're also looking for you. ..our accomplice in this mission. If selected, you would help our team install a state-of-the-art kitchen for the frustrated foodie in your life. ACT NOW. They're casting the series IMMEDIATELY! RIVR Media is based out of TN produces shows for DIY, HGTV, Food Network, Animal Planet, A&E, etc. They are casting homeowners in CT, or cities that are within an hour or so of NYC (ex. Stamford, Greenwich, Darion, etc). This is a “reality” show – one similar to those on HGTV or Extreme Home Makeover on ABC. Good luck! If you're interested in nominating a cook and being a part of our exciting new show, please email them the following information: Read More
Green Gourmet To Go in Bridgeport Ingredients Features Bridgeport Organic Elizabeth Keyser March 19, 2010 Originally written for the Fairfield Green Food Guide. It’s way too soon to change the name to Green Rock, but Black Rock is getting greener. Green Gourmet To Go, offering local, organic vegetarian and vegan meals, will open on Fairfield Avenue in April (yes I know the photo says March, but dates slip). The attractive little storefront, with its soothing celedon walls and coppery silk curtains will offer healthy and environmentally conscious hot and cold lunches and dinners. Chef-Owner Linda Soper-Kolton was a lifelong food lover and dedicated home cook before she decided to attend the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City. The recent NGI graduate is inspired. She wants makes to make eating healthy meals easy and approachable. “I’ll serve burritos, but healthy burritos,” she said in a recent interview. Think burritos filled with sweet potatoes, kale, black beans and grains. Her Dixie burger is made from black-eyed peas and sweet potatoes and served with chipotle sauce. Her hummus and avocado wrap gets punch and crunch from shiitake “bacon” crisps. Read More
Kid-friendly Cooking Project for Stir-Crazy Adults Kids Bites Features Holiday kids activity Recipe Kid Friendly Jennifer Spaide March 15, 2010 For those of you with functioning ovens and kids home from school, here is a tasty time consumer. For creative great tasting "homemade" cookies in a pinch, try this shortcut from Jennifer Spaide of Greenchic.com. As a chef it’s important to know your weaknesses in the kitchen. And I am fully willing to admit that mine is baking. If it’s more complicated than emptying a mix into a bowl, cracking a few eggs, and whisking, don’t expect me to do it well. So you can imagine the panic that pulsed through me when I was asked to bake cookies for some gift baskets. What, me? Really?! But I was up for the challenge… or the cheat. Don’t tell, but I decided to pull a Sandra Lee and take some “semi-homemade” help from the grocery store by purchasing premade sugar cookie dough. I chose an all-natural brand because it’s a little healthier (no trans fats or high fructose corn syrup). With the basic batter under control, and a little stress off my shoulders, I was free to get creative with the flavors & fillings. I decided to make three different kinds of cookie: Chocolate Cherry Almond, Ginger Sesame Coconut, and Orange Fig Thumb Drops. These recipes are so simple it's genius (not to toot my own horn, but “Toot toot”). Read More
Ask Chef Nicole: Latin Roasted Pulled Pork Features Ask Chef Nicole Chef Talk Recipe Kid Friendly Latin American Nicole Straight March 11, 2010 I don't know about you, but in my family, the one meal that is unanimously savored is pulled pork. With three kids, it's a minor miracle if nobody turns their nose up when we sidle up to the table, but everybody loves the shredded, juicy, tender "other white meat." Sweet, spicy, savory...any way you make it, it's good. We traditionally go BBQ style, but eager for a change from the vinegary sweetness of this recipe, I asked Chef Nicole to come up with an alternate version. She suggested this spicier cousin, Latin Roasted Pulled Pork. What I like about this recipe is that it requires almost no work and you don't need a slow-cooker to make it. Sure, you can use yours if you own one, but when we taste-tested this recipe I quickly realized I didn't miss the equipment. If you are cooking for kids, just leave out the jalapeno. It still tastes great. Note: If you are looking for a quick BBQ pulled pork recipe, check out the Screamin' Meanie Pulled Pork Bites from our Halloween party snacks post. Latin Roasted Pulled Pork Read More
