CT Berry Picking is On!! Ingredients Kids Bites Local Farm kids activity Farm Fresh Kid Friendly Dessert Stephanie Webster July 19, 2010
A Truly Excellent Apple Pie @ Stew Leonard's Ingredients Features Specialty Market Farm Fresh Dessert Stephanie Webster July 15, 2010 It's a few hours before your guests arrive for that big family BBQ. You're scrambling to get the prep done before the doorbell rings….and oh no…you realize you forgot the dessert!! Fear not my brave Fairfield County residents. Stew Leonard's has the perfect solution for you…and you'd never guess it wasn't homemade. Named "best pie in America" by Gourmet Magazine as well as the Wall Street Journal (a dubious food critic, but we'll go with it), Stew's is now carrying The Elegant Farmer's "Apple Pie Baked In A Paper Bag." I know what you're thinking. 1. Stew's? Really? and 2. Doesn't the bag go up in flames? Yes and no. We were introduced to this gem by a CTbites reader, and had to check it out for ourselves. This Wisconsin based pie shop uses apples fresh from their farm, and they make their pies just how I like them. Read More
Top Summer Cocktails: A Connecticut Blogger Round-up Ingredients Features Amy Kundrat July 08, 2010 The summer cocktail season is in full-swing and rather than mindlessly reach for the shaker and ice we decided we needed a lesson or two (or ten). We asked ourselves, what are all the cool people drinking? To answer this we went to the source and rounded up a few of our favorite food and drink bloggers in Connecticut to share their favorite summer cocktails with CTbites. I guarantee these cool summer drinks will have you planning meals AROUND your drinks. And if you feel inspired, please share your favorite summer cocktail as a comment below. Cheers! Read More
Gin Tasting @ NRG Wines Ingredients Cocktails Events Amy Kundrat July 06, 2010 If your preferred cocktail is a gin martini or the summer staple, a gin and tonic, there is an event happening this week you will not want to miss. Peter Troilo at Nicholas Roberts Fine Wines will be hosting a gin tasting this Friday July 9 beginning at 5 pm at their shop located at 1053 Boston Post Road in Darien. Usually known for a great selection of wines, NRG is mixing it up and will be presenting four gins with equally different styles and approaches to taste. If you’re on the fence about the juniper substance, you may want to read my love note to the stuff as inspiration, Bringing Back the Martini. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, let’s meet our contestants. Read More
This Week @ The Westport Farmers Market Ingredients Farmers Market Liz Rueven July 04, 2010 On July 8, from 10-2, Bill Taibe, executive chef and owner of LeFarm in Westport, will be offering some special dishes at the market. Taibe’s commitment to local growers and artisans is the concept upon which LeFarm is built. This 30 seat, cleaned up barn-like dining room in Colonial Green offers its diners meticulously sourced, deceptively simple, always exceptionally excellent fare. Taibe will be wow’ing visitors to the market with Nasturtium Honey Blunts. You got it! Taibe cleverly refers to rolled cigars here. For this preparation, Taibe sources the largest leaves of the Nasturtium flower (no more than 2-3 inches across), rolls them around a filling of chopped black olives, La Quercia prosciutto, Red Bee honey and Beltane Farms goat cheese. The variegated, bright green leaf has a peppery, arugula -like flavor which contrasts unexpectedly against the creamy cheese and the sweet honey. How’s that for finger food? Taibe will also offer pickled veal tongue served with bright, local tomatoes. Read More
Honey Tasting @ Sport Hill Farm Ingredients Easton Events Local Artisan Local Farm Farm Fresh Dessert Stephanie Webster July 01, 2010
Great Wine Buys for An All American 4th of July Ingredients Features Holiday Wine Chat JoAnn LoGiurato June 30, 2010 Our nation’s birthday brings out the patriotism in me. I like to make a toast to American winemakers by celebrating with all American wines on the 4th of July. Whether you are at the beach, the pool, picnicking in the park or on your boat, here are some wine recommendations and things to consider before the fireworks get started: 1~The wine needs to quench my thirst—for that I prefer wines with good acidity and crispness. I’m thinking-- a crisp, juicy Sauvignon Blanc. I like these California producers Girard ($16), Merry Edwards ($35), and LEED certified, organically grown Hall Napa Valley ($20). I also really enjoy the smokiness of Ferrari Carano Fume´Blanc ($17). Sauvignon Blanc is great with green salads, vegetarian dishes and anything with goat cheese or fresh tomatoes. Read More
100% Gluten-Free @ Cafe Cogolulu Ingredients Restaurant Bakery Special Dietary Needs Lunch Kid Friendly Amy Kundrat June 29, 2010 Most of us don't think twice about trying a new restaurant, taking a night off from cooking with takeout or browsing the aisles of a grocery store. But for a small percentage of Americans, these simple and daily rituals can be excruciating. Celiac disease is a digestive disorder that affects, by some estimates, 1 in 133 children and adults by compromising the ability to process certain proteins found in gluten. An oasis for sufferers has emerged in Fairfield County in the form Cafe Cogolulu, a reopened and 100% gluten free cafe in Wilton offering families suffering from this inherited autoimmune disease some much-needed respite. Read More
Meet Michel Nischan @ The Westport Farmer's Market Ingredients Cookbooks Events Farmers Market Stephanie Webster June 28, 2010
This Week @ The Westport Farmers Market Ingredients Events Farmers Market Liz Rueven June 27, 2010 Kausik Roy, Executive Chef and owner of TAWA, Stamford, will be the guest chef at the Westport Farmers’ Market on Thurs. July 1st, from 10-2 Roy will offer two of his restaurant patrons’ favorite dishes. This self described “rule breaker” seeks to present authentic ethnic cuisine while incorporating an abundance of locally grown veggies, which are not commonly found on menus in Indian restaurants. His desire to alter how his customers think about Indian cuisine is evidenced in his re-creating many traditional dishes. A bright and crisp chilled native corn and asparagus salad will highlight the tail end of the asparagus crop Read More
The Double L Rises Again! Ingredients Farmers Market Local Farm Westport Farm Fresh Christy Colasurdo June 24, 2010 My friend Lloyd Allen is crazy. At least that’s what people said years ago when he decided to go into the fashion business (yet wound up igniting a rage for trendy rain ponchos), publish a book about former neighbor Martha Stewart (despite the fact that she had just been indicted) and, two years ago, re-open his 1980s farm stand, the Double L (in a ramshackle red-barn structure in Southport). Still, when Lloyd gets an idea into his head, there’s no stopping him. Perhaps it’s his “just do it” quality that makes people root for him against all odds. So when the rickety red building that housed the Double L was finally too dilapidated to be useful, Lloyd teamed up with Michael Van Haaften and set out in search of a site where they could create a year-round indoor farm stand Read More
Cheese Wheels: Smile and Say, “CHEESE!” Ingredients Features Catering Specialty Market Sarah Green June 23, 2010 There’s something udderly amazing going down in Fairfield County. MOOOOVE over Pizza and Taco truck and make way for the new cow in town! For the sophisticated palate, Westport’s Mirabelle Cheese Shop is going portable with "CHEESE WHEELS." Andrea Itin, co-owner (with her husband) of the Fromagerie since 2008, has decided to go mobile, and she’s coming to a Farmers’ Market or private function near you. Here’s the (not-so!) skinny: No matter what you’re into, there’s curd for you! Headed to your favorite wine shop for a tasting? Don’t be surprised if you see a reproduction 1940’s Tear Drop Trailer parked in the lot. As you pass, wafts of delectable cheese caress your nostrils and you go inside for a glass. As you sip the wine merchant’s favorite red of the month, you will be treated to divine local cheese on top of Isabelle et Vincent’s (1903 Post Road in Fairfiled) crusty baguette. Paired perfectly, cheese and wine are a marriage made in heaven. Another wine, another cheese, and you are in the zone. Read More
This Week @ The Westport Farmer's Market Ingredients Events Farmers Market Liz Rueven June 20, 2010 Executive Chef, Erin Hunt, of Barcelona Wine Bar and Restaurant in Fairfield, is the guest chef at the Westport Farmers’ Market on June 24 between 10-2. Chef Hunt will be offering shoppers cups filled with two chilled Spanish soups: tomatillo gazpacho and Valencia gazpacho. During the warm summer months when local tomatoes are easily accessible and reliably flavorful, this summer staple often reappears as a refreshing, seasonal favorite. Highlighting the creative variations on this traditional dish, Chef Hunt will blister the tomatillos to bring out the slightly tart flavors of this tomato variety. These charred, bright green beauties are then combined with Spanish onion, garlic, shallots, cilantro, a drop of hot sesame oil and a splash of mild, rice vinegar. Read More
Dough Girl Baking Co: Rowayton's Sweetest Secret Ingredients Bakery Catering Farmers Market Dessert CTbites Team June 16, 2010 Any time I am invited to a birthday party, I offer to bring the cake. I have been completely won over by a local baker who creates the most artistic, delicious and personal cakes you could ever imagine. The first cake was for my brother's surprise 40th birthday party in New York City. The event caterer directed me to a patisserie on the upper east side, but I was determined to try a local baker, Laura Jayson, a.k.a. The Dough Girl of Rowayton, who works out of a small kitchen in Norwalk. When she offered to deliver the cake in a box fit for travel, the deal was sealed. For the party, Laura recommended her biggest crowd-pleaser: a super-moist chocolate cake (she shared her secret ingredient: coffee) topped with vanilla frosting. In the center, at my request, she created a molded figure of my brother kite-boarding. The art work was playful and the figure true to form Read More
Wine Chat: Summer Wine - A Bottle Full of Sunshine Ingredients Features Wine Chat JoAnn LoGiurato June 11, 2010 JoAnn LoGiurato is the founder of Dancing on Grapes, specializing in private wine tastings. Her passion is wine pairings with a focus on events tailored to women. Here are her picks for great Summer drinking with a buying guide for specific labels. The sun’s out, there’s music in the air, and you’re ready to throw an outdoor party. You might be thinking, “Should I serve Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Cabernet to my friends?” Well, why not drink something different? There are so many great wines that work with summer foods; some are just perfect for sitting by the pool or sipping at the beach. Others are perfect with seasonal picnic and barbeque foods — grilled meats, fish salads and veggies. Here is a list of sassy sippers that will get you out of your wine doldrums: Read More
This Week @ The Westport Farmers Market Ingredients Chef Talk Farmers Market Liz Rueven June 08, 2010 Tandoori Shrimp: Copyright 2010, Chuck Dorris, eDining.us June 10, Guest Chef: Prasad Chirnomula, Executive Chef/ Owner, Thali Westport Farmers Market, Imperial Avenue, 10-2 Throughout the Summer, shoppers at the Westport Farmers Market will have the opportunity to sample multiple dishes prepared by an outstanding group of guest chefs. As part of this exciting new program, every week a different chef will shop the market and prepare 2-4 dishes using vendors' ingredients and products. This is a tremendous opportunity for chefs, farmers and enthusiastic eaters alike. On June 10, hungry shoppers will have the opportunity to sample three creative dishes prepared by Thali of Westport's Executive Chef /Owner, Prasad Chirnomula. His quest for inspiring ingredients at this market prompted him to create three exciting dishes. Read More
Calling All Dads Cooking Class @ Sugar & Olives Ingredients Features Cooking Classes Education Holiday Norwalk Recipe Stephanie Webster June 08, 2010
Crave-Worthy From Trader Joe's Ingredients Specialty Market Dessert Stephanie Webster June 04, 2010 My husband hates shopping with me. It can take me a full 20 minutes to get down a "good" aisle as I'm always looking for new and interesting products. Trader Joe's is one of my favorite places for time-wasting as they are constantly coming up with unusual and unexpected grocery items with interesting ingredient combinations. Who didn't love the seaweed puffed corn balls, the chocolate covered edamame, or the 80 ways to use the Acai berry? If you roast an Acai berry in cayenne is it still healthy? On a recent trip to Trader Joe's I came across an item on the end-caps that had previously gone unnoticed…Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds with Sea Salt & Turbinado Sugar. The description was mouthwatering all by itself. I must admit I have a weakness for salted confections, or really anything with that sweet-salty combo that has become so popular of late. I dropped them into the cart, and now rue the day as I have been addicted ever since. Read More
Red Bee Honey Tasting Ingredients Events Recipe Dessert Stephanie Webster June 03, 2010 I've long been fascinated by honey bees, their caste systems, the remarkable dual functioning of their hives as both wax dwellings and sustenance, their vital role in pollinating our fruits, nuts, and flowers, and of course the liquid gold made and stored in their hives. Fresh honey has been both a delicacy and a natural medicine for thousands of years. It is beneficial for allergy relief, boosting the immune system and is a great source of antioxidants. Sure, there are big chain honey makers out there, but to truly reap the health and nutritional benefits of honey (not to mention experience the variety), you need to start buying the local unpasteurized product. CT residents are lucky to have a few small beekeepers right here in Fairfield County as these are the people who are keeping the tradition of pure honey production alive. One of these people is Marina Marchese of Red Bee Apiary in Weston. Not only is Marina an expert on everything related to a honey bees, but she enjoys sharing her vast knowledge with others. Marina has been keeping bees for 10 years, and is truly passionate about these docile creatures. When a CTbites reader emailed us to express interest in a "honey tasting," we knew who to call. Read More
