Sufganiyot (Cream Filled Doughnuts) Hanukkah Recipe from Roia Restaurant Recipe Holiday Recipe Stephanie Webster December 01, 2015 The first night of Hanukkah is December 6th. The miracle of Hanukkah is that only one vial of oil was found with just enough oil for one day, and yet it lasted for 8 full days. And so, we celebrate the holiday by paying homage to an ingredient no cook can do without...oil. Roia Restaraunt in New Haven has shared a wonderful recipe to enhance any true Hanukkah celebration Sufganiyot (Cream Filled Doughnuts). Pay tribute to the oil that lasted 8 days while enjoying one of America's favorite desserts. Happy Hanukkah! Read More
2015 CT Food Lover's Holiday Gift Guide Restaurant Recipe Gift Guide Holiday Kitchen Gear Specialty Market April Guilbault November 29, 2015 “At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” said the incomparable Maya Angelou. Well, we couldn’t agree more! So this holiday season, we know that when you give some of these gifts that we have found (along with a wide smile, a big hug and happy greetings!), the lucky recipients will surely be feeling the love. Happy them, happy you. Happy holidays, everyone! Here are 16 creative and delicious local CT gifts for the food lover in your life. Read More
Great Cakes & Cupcakes at Forever Sweet Bakery Ingredients Recipe Bakery Catering Kid Friendly Dessert CTbites Team November 24, 2015 Forever Sweet Bakery is celebrating its third anniversary as one of the most creative bakeries for cupcakes, cake pops, and special occasion themed cakes. Located off the beaten path in a strip mall on New Canaan Avenue in Norwalk, CTbites visited on opening day several years ago and over the last three years the bakery has received numerous accolades including the 2014 & 2015 Best of the Gold Coast Cupcakes. CTbites recently returned to Forever Sweet to confirm the original impression and taste the expanded offerings of cupcakes that owners Sky and Frances Mercede have created. Over the years, their cakes have been featured at many political victory parties and charity events including the Connecticut Food Bank, the Westport Little League and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Sky and Frances believe in giving back to the community as often as possible. Read More
Holiday Recipe: Autumn Old Fashioned by La Zingara in Bethel Recipe Cocktails Holiday Recipe CTbites Team November 24, 2015 Although we all love the Thanksgiving holiday, there comes a time in any family gathering where one simply requires a cocktail or two. La Zingara in Bethel is here to help you in your time of need with a classic drink. Their Autumn Old Fashioned cocktail recipe will drown out any trying relative, and just make the dinner that much better. Read More
Holiday Recipes: Scandinavian Caramelized Potatoes & Mushroom Toast via Community Table Recipe Holiday Recipe Thanksgiving CTbites Team November 23, 2015 One of our favorite Litchfield County restaurants, Community Table, has contributed these deceptively simple but absolutely delicious appetizers for the upcoming holidays. Chef Marcell Davidsen's recipes for Scandinavian Caramelized Potatoes & Mushroom toast will delight even the most discerning guest. You may want to add this one to your virtual recipe box. Read More
Holiday Recipe: Chef Carey Savona's Heirloom Kale Salad Recipe Holiday Recipe Thanksgiving CTbites Team November 21, 2015 "By far our most requested recipe (I get at least three a week) is for our kale salad. I know that kale has jumped the shark, but this recipe was featured in the CT Farm to Table Cookbook and it fits well on the holiday table; healthy, but still very flavor forward," says Chef Carey Savona of Heirloom in New Haven. Enjoy this recipe for Heirloom's Kale Salad. Read More
Holiday Recipe: Black Truffle & Leek Bread Pudding from elm restaurant Recipe Holiday Recipe Thanksgiving CTbites Team November 18, 2015 Executive Chef Luke Venner, of elm restaurant in New Canaan, has a decadant and delicious Thanksgiving recipe for our CTbites readers. If you want to make your guests extra happy this season, go beyond traditional bread pudding with his recipe for Black Truffle & Leek Bread Pudding. We are quite certain it will elicit praise all around. Of course, personally I'd rather have Chef Venner cook it himself, but if you can't get to elm restaurant, try this recipe at home this Thanksgiving season. Your guests will thank you. Read More
Thanksgiving Recipe: Match Restaurant's Maple Braised Squash + Wine Pairing Recipe Holiday Recipe CTbites Team November 17, 2015 It's time to get ready for our favorite holiday here at CTbites...Thanksgiving. Chef Matt Storch has a recipe to consider as you get your Thanksgiving menu organized, Maple Braised Squash. Our wine expert, Emma Doody, has also chimed in with some suggestions for wine pairings to enhance this dish. The sweet flavors from the maple and the squash call for a wine that imparts sweetness of its own. At the same time, I would stay away from a true dessert wine. They tend to have syrupy, thicker bodies and the maple will already have that texture. The wine should have a touch of acidity to cut through the decadence.An ideal bottle to complement this is Robertson Winery’s 2015 Late Harvest Gewürztraminer. It retails in Connecticut stores for around $9.99. The wine, which comes from South Africa, hovers on the brink of dessert wine. The late harvest makes it sweet without being rich. One could also pair an Italian Muscato with the dish. Read More
Holiday Recipe: Cauliflower & Apple Soup via Marcia Selden Catering Recipe Holiday Recipe Soups Marcia Selden Catering November 16, 2015 We are days away from Thanksgiving, and the menu planning has kicked into high gear. Marcia Selden Catering has shared one of their favorite fall soups. This recipe for Cauliflower & Apple Soup with Curry Drizzle, can be served both hot and cold, with equally delicious results. Happy holidays and enjoy. Read More
Video: Tofu Master Minh Tsai Talks Tofu and Sustainability at Yale Ingredients Chef Talk Video Amy Kundrat November 09, 2015 Minh Tsai, investment banker turned tofu master, is speaking at Yale this week about the intersection of tofu and sustainability. Watch the event live on Tuesday, November 10. From Yale CBEY: Meet Minh Tsai, the investment banker turned tofu master, and learn about his company Hodo Soy, an artisanal tofu supplier from Oakland. Minh has been a pioneer in getting chefs and large institutions to use tofu including Chipotle (heard of sofritas?) and Costco. This talk is sure to entertain and inspire and provide an enlightening discussion on how traditional recipes (along with Masters students) can be used to change our future impact on the earth. Read More
Friday Froth: Iceland And Sweetwater Come To Connecticut Ingredients Beer CT Beer Friday Froth James Gribbon November 06, 2015 Reykjavik and Atlanta usually don't have anything in common besides yours truly, but we've all come full circle this week. The daisy chain works like this: I love Iceland, and have done some work for the country here in the U.S. which allowed me to to visit the land of fire and ice, eat hákarl, and learn the correct pronunciation of Eyjafjallajökull. I also have a degree in history from the University of Georgia, where I became acquainted with Sweetwater Brewing Company. Just recently, Two Roads and Evil Twin conspired to produce Geyser Gose, using Icelandic ingredients, and Sweetwater made their Connecticut debut. Hell yes. Read More
bfresh Grocery Store Opens in Fairfield with Fresh New Shopping Experience Ingredients Features Fairfield Specialty Market Jessica Ryan November 05, 2015 Not another grocery store… Not something else to create more congestion to our already congested Post Road… These were my thoughts when I heard that yet another grocery store was coming to town. Read More
Westport Farmers’ Market Heads Indoors Saturday Nov. 14th Ingredients Farmers Market CTbites Team October 28, 2015 As the temperatures start to dip and winter approaches, we must bid a fond farewell to what has been a phenomenally successful summer season. While we continue our Ten Year Anniversary we celebrate the fifth year of our winter market. We are thrilled to announce the start of the Winter Westport Farmers’ Market which will officially begin on Saturday, November 14 at 10:00am. The market will return for our fifth season at Gilbertie’s Herb Garden on Sylvan Lane in Westport. We will operate Saturday, November 14 – March 12 from 10:00 – 2:00. Read More
Blackrock Farmers' Market Halloween Hootenanny Ingredients Events Farmers Market CTbites Team October 11, 2015 Black Rock Farmers Market (BRFM) presents a hoot of a party to celebrate the closing of our 2nd season. Join them for an afternoon of corn hole games, barn dancing, beer tastings, a pig roast by Walrus + Carpenter, local eats, and live music, from 1-5pm. Proceeds will directly benefit our 2016 season. The event will be family-friendly and include a haunted house. Come in costume to trick or treat through the market. Halloween Hootenanny Lineup Beer tasting with Two Roads Brewing Company and other local breweries Pig roast by Walrus + Carpenter Corn hole tournament from 1-3pm – REGISTER HERE Live music from KC Sisters, G Rockwell & The Still River Ramblers Barn dancing led by Bill Fischer, the Dance Caller from 3-5pm Haunted house Lounge area & bonfire Read More
Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese via Watson's Catering Recipe CTbites Team October 07, 2015 What says fall comfort food better than Mac N' Cheese? Kids and adults will both love this classic recipe. Really...what's not to love? Cheddar...Gruyere...Ummmm. Try this simpe recipe at home from Watson's Catering and let us know what you think. Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese YIELD: Serves 4 INGREDIENTS: 1/2 pound mini shells 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour Read More
Meet "The Cheese Nun" in Bethlehem at the Farmstead Festival Ingredients Cheese Festival CTbites Team October 06, 2015 On Saturday October 17 take a drive to Litchfield County to enjoy the fall foliage and enjoy the richness of the local, handcrafted fare offered by the Farmstead Festival at Percy Thomson Meadows Farm, 78 Thomson Road in Bethlehem. The festival, organized by Artisan Made Northeast and Percy Thomson Meadows Farm, begins at 11 a.m. and runs through 5 p.m. and features handcrafted cheeses, wine, meats, condiments, chocolates, baked goods, produce, an educational pig roast and entertainment. As an added incentive, Sister Noella Marcellino, “The Cheese Nun,” will make an appearance at the festival and participate in a question and answer session in the education tent. She is internationally recognized as one of the foremost experts in the art of natural-milk cheese making. She received her PhD in microbiology from the University of Connecticut, and was awarded a Fullbright grant to study cheese making in France. Her focus was the Auvergne, in central France, and the study of fungal populations in the many cheese caves of the region. For her work, she received the prestigious French Spirit Food Award. Read More
Friday Froth: I Give You IPA...Firefly Hollow, Victory & Beer'd Brewing Co. Ingredients CT Beer Beer James Gribbon October 02, 2015 We're going to ignore the seasonal background noise this week, and focus on the always topical subject of IPAs. Two of the beers we taste in today's Froth are Connecticut originals, and I'm also taking the opportunity to introduce the newborn Vital IPA from Victory Brewing. A single can of this last made its way into my sinister grasp a few days before its official introduction to the world, and your first look is below the jump.First, though, I have to geek out about some Firefly Hollow trivia...Firefly is located in Bristol, and run by partners Rich Loomis, Bill Collins, and brewmaster Dana Bourque. Two out of three at UConn grads, and I've mentioned their beers here before. A while back I had the opportunity to try another one of their beers, Lil Troll session IPA. As the name suggests, this one is just under 5% abv, and pours golden with a big head. The hop aroma is earthy, and maybe even a bit sour on the nose. Read More
Friday Froth: Love The Harvest Ingredients CT Beer Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon September 11, 2015 Screw pumpkin beer and the sell sheet it rode in on. Screw it in September, and double-dog screw it in August, when I first start seeing it in stores. The fact I wasn't arrested for petty vandalism last month is a minor miracle. If you complain about summer being over to soon while ordering a late fall seasonal I hope you step in something wet while wearing socks. Such are the depths of my disdain. I say all this, even though I don't dislike pumpkin beers as such, because the end of summer and early fall are excellent times for beer. Hops and grain are both being harvested this time of year, and I encourage you to take full advantage of the brilliant little season between light, summer beers, and the heavy, spiced beers of winter, because that middleground is fertile, delicious,and short-lived. Let's do this. Read More
Friday Froth: 3 Beers for Day, Dusk and Dark Ingredients Beer James Gribbon September 04, 2015 The summer wind-down is on us, but I am holding onto the season like a starfish attacking a clam. The days are starting their slow slide, and I've been thinking about light changing over to dark, so that will be our theme this week - day to dusk to demonic. Day Southern Tier Tangier is your high-noon-in-summer brew. It's a session IPA - light in alcohol and color - but heavily dosed with Azacca hops and tangerine peels to arrive with swirling flavor. Tangier pours a cloudy amber with a thick head. The flowery Azaccas pair excellently with the citrus in the creation of a very, very nice drink that is more IPA-ish, than straight up IPA. Sometimes a beer can get in its own way, and the heavier malting of other citri-fied IPAs like grapefruit Sculpin can sometimes lend them a bit of drag in some situations, but Tangier's weight and execution make it outstanding for hot, humid days. Read More
Friday Froth: Negative And Positive Ingredients CT Beer Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon August 28, 2015 I like beers from Otter Creek and Jack's Abby, but their collaboration beer, Joint Custody, is a can full of nope. Thankfully it's also exceedingly rare, so chances are you'll be spared from drinking one. I don't usually talk about bad beer experiences in this column - and feel free to skip down to the two contrasting examples I give below - but this one's been nagging at me. The collective German heritage of the OC and JA brewmasters inspired them to seek out two newborn German hop strains, Huell Melon and Mandarina Bavaria, in the creation of what they call a Nouveau Pilsner. Joint Custody pours cloudy gold, and has a slightly odd lemony scent - both fine - and then you take a drink and taste fresh Band-Aid. There is the unmistakable pils malt underneath, but what in the hell with this plasticky flavor? In beer-nerd terms, we sometimes call this ortho-chlorophenolic, because it's a medicinal smell/flavor which usually comes from residual sanitizers, or using chlorinated water to make the beer. I don't think that's what happened here, we're dealing with seriously talented brewers, so the only remaining explanation is they've done this on purpose. Read More
