Baking Holiday Cookies c/o The Cookiepedia Features Holiday Recipe Dessert Amy Kundrat December 05, 2011 Pies are to Thanksgiving as cookies are to the December holidays. So without futher ado, we are officially kicking off the cookie-baking season with this set of recipes from Stacy Adimando, a Trumbull, CT native and author of the recently published and irresistible, The Cookiepedia. From Almond Biscotto to Mint Thins, more than 50 cookie recipes fill her book and Adminando has graciously offered to share a few of her recipes with us as we get ready to break-out those mixers and dust-off those measuring cups. Read More
Chilibomb Opens in Fairfield: Calling All Chiliheads! Restaurant Delicious Dives Fairfield Comfort Food Lunch Kid Friendly Nancy Kleeger December 04, 2011 Calling all chiliheads: On a portion of Fairfield's Black Rock Turnpike that should be dubbed “restaurant row,” sits a newly opened storefront restaurant, Chilibomb. The brainchild of Stamford native, Peter Weberg Jr., Chilibomb is the first in the area to serve an impressive array of mouthwatering chilis in addition to having created an Oscar worthy brand for his business. Peter started making chili simply because, he liked it...a lot. From there, he started entering his chili into the numerous fairs and chili contests around the area. You may have also known him back in the late 80’s when he ran a food truck called Buffalo Pete’s serving hot dogs ‘n’ chili. After jobs in the food industry behind the scenes, he decided it was time to bring his chili dream to life. “Chilibomb,” aptly named after his hot selling chili of yester year, was finally coined and trademarked in 2008. Read More
Invite: "Iberico" Ham, Wine & Cheese Tasting @ Barcelona Restaurant CTbites Invites CTbites Team December 02, 2011 Join Chef Helton DaSilva of Barcelona Restaurant Fairfield and Michele Buster of Forever Cheese on Dec. 7th from 7-9pm for a unique tasting event featuring the coveted Spanish specialty "Iberico " Ham. Learn about the history and curing process of the most delicious ham in the world, found only in Spain. Enjoy a multi course tasting session accompanied by a variety of Spanish cheeses, wines, and sherry. Small plates will also be served throughout the evening incorporating this unique Spanish delicacy. RESERVE YOUR SEAT HERE. What's so great about Iberico Ham? Read More
Friday Froth: Bringin' A Mix Ingredients Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon December 02, 2011 The Monday after Thanksgiving is one of the cruelest of the year. A country isn't really worthy of the name until it has a National Day Of Feasting, (and a beer and an airline, according to Frank Zappa) but I feel like a good feast, especially a winter-ish one, could really do with a National Week Of Hibernation subsequently. But we all have our roles to play in the national ant colony, and so we waddled back to our jobs, office chairs protesting perhaps more loudly than we ourselves did at the morning's alarm. My role at Thanksgiving, however, was considerably more enjoyable: Bringer Of The Beer. Here's how that went. Craft brews have officially tipped in the Malcolm Gladwell sense. Most bars and restaurants now feature at least one tap dedicated to interesting beers, and brew-focused establishments seem to be springing up everywhere, to the delight of the hop head. Read More
Food Porn: White Truffles Class w/ Chef Matt Storch Ingredients Chef Talk Cooking Classes Norwalk Stephanie Webster December 01, 2011 The white truffle. Available for only a few months a year, this buried treasure is sold for $2500 a pound and is one of the most sought after ingredients on the planet. They are elusive, hidden underground. No longer sniffed out by pigs who had the audacity to occasionally eat them, the white truffle hunters have been replaced by the more trust-worthy canine. Their complex delicate taste is revered be chefs and diners everywhere, but you can only find white truffles in one place...the Piedmont area of Italy...and Fairfield County. October-early December is white truffle season, and in celebration of these sublime fungi, Chef Matt Storch of Match Restaurant hosted a 12 course White Truffles Cooking Class at Clarke Culinary Center in Norwalk. Each course featured raw shaved white truffles (added at the last possible moment to preserve the taste of their ethereally earthy flesh). The smell alone could have kept the foodie in me satiated for days. Read More
Kids Review: Aux Delices Cooking School Kids Bites Cooking Classes Recipe CTbites Team December 01, 2011 And now a word from our 10 yrs old food critic.... Cake, bacon, and cinnamon; these are the words that my nose told my brain as soon as I walked into the kitchen at Aux Delices. I was so delighted that I was going to be cooking a scrumptious meal and not trying something that a professional chef created. The cooking class that I went to was instructed by Lynn Manheim. She is also the cooking school director. The first recipe that we made was scones. Most of the ingredients were out on the table but the sugar and the flour were in two big bins. Mrs. Manheim shows everyone exactly how to do each step and how much of each ingredient to use. She will wait for everyone to finish one step before she goes onto the next, and if you need some help Mrs. Manheim will always give you a hand (especially if you’re grating butter like I was). Read More
Meet James Beard Winning Author Laura Werlin @ FCC Stephanie Webster November 30, 2011 Saturday, Decmber 3rd 1-3pm, come to Fairfield Cheese Company to meet Laura Werlin, who has recently authored her fifth book, Grilled Cheese, Please! This James Beard award winning author will be signing books and serving up a little grilled cheese sampling. An expert in cheese and wine pairing and in particular American artisan cheese, Werlin received the prestigious James Beard award for her book The All American Cheese and Wine Book, which was the first of its kind in America to focus entirely on cheese and wine pairing. Also a die-hard grilled cheese sandwich lover, Laura's latest book, Grilled Cheese, Please! is dedicated to America's (and her) favorite food. This is her second book on grilled cheese having written the popular Great Grilled Cheese as well. That book was the winner of the World Gourmand award for best cheese book in the world. Read More
Bumper Crop: Cauliflower Risotto Features Farmers Market healthy Recipe Melissa Roberts November 30, 2011 Cauliflower is a tough sell at my house. My husband is a reluctant vegetable eater at the best of times, and I’ve tried to get my boys to try it under clever marketing names like “brain vegetable.” But alas, little success. As a risotto pusher, however, I’ve been victorious. If its on a menu, hubby will always order it, and if I cook it for dinner (which admittedly isn’t often), it will vanish. So I thought, Why not combine the two and see what happens? Lovely, almost petite heads of cauliflower abound in the greenmarket now, so buying it is an easy temptation. Once home, I separated the cauliflower into florets and roasted them--and if you don’t know my stance on roasting, I strongly advocate it for bringing out the best in vegetables. The cauliflower caramelizes in a hot oven, with yummy, toasty browned edges. Folded into a creamy risotto, it’s one of the best vehicles imaginable for cauliflower, and over at my house, one way it will always get eaten. Read More
Cupcakes: Trend or Tradition? A Guide to the Goods Restaurant Kid Friendly Dessert CTbites Team November 29, 2011 A friend of mine recently referred to cupcakes as “portion-controlled cuteness.” While I can’t argue with the cuteness part, I may take issue with the portion control. At least, my self-control is a little lacking in that department. Admittedly, the tasty little treats are perfect for a toddler’s birthday party. But lately, they’ve become a different kind of indulgence. The craze took flight in 2004 when New York City’s Magnolia Bakery had their signature red velvet cupcakes featured on Sex in the City. Since then, cupcakeries have popped up across the nation with reckless abandon. No doubt the little cuties are a recent phenomenon. The real question is sustainability. Is their popularity as fleeting as being crowned Prom Queen or will they reign supreme for decades to come? Read More
Texas BBQ franchise opens in Bridgeport via ctpost.com Restaurant BBQ Bridgeport Comfort Food Lunch Kid Friendly CTbites Team November 29, 2011 This just in from ctpost.com. The biggest barbecue fast food chain in the country is coming to Connecticut in the North End of Bridgeport. Dickey's Barbecue Pit will have its soft opening Sunday and its grand opening Dec. 8. Cohen is a Dallas native, and often ate at Dickey's growing up. The first Dickey's Barbecue opened in Texas in 1941. The original location is still open for business, and Dickey's Barbecue is still owned and operated by the Dickey Family, according to the company website. The company began franchising in 1994. Customers can expect to get their food in three minutes or less, Cohen said, but the meat is smoked for hours. The brisket, for example, is smoked for 14 hours before it hits a plate. "We have fall-off-the-bone ribs," Cohen said. "Most restaurants use a thermometer to test if the ribs are done. We test our ribs by picking them up and if they don't break in the middle, we know they're not ready to serve." Read More
White Truffles Dinner w/ Chef Matt Storch of Match CTbites Team November 28, 2011 Can you picture yourself in Alba running through the woods chasing down the dog that has sniffed out your White Truffle gold, and then shaving them over rich and buttery pasta or eggs or roasted meat and fish while sipping juices from the Nebbiolo grape? Then this exclusive culinary experience is for you. Chef Matt Storch of Match Restaurant in SoNo has only 2 seats left for an exclusive private class and dinner featuring the elusive and divine White Truffle this Wednesday November 30th 6-8pm. Yes...every dish in this evening's 10 course menu will prominently spotlight white truffles. Matt Storch will teach you about the golden fungus, what to pair it with and, of course, give you the opportunity to eat as much as you possibly can of it. Today's White Truffle market price is $3425 per pound Read More
Road Trip: Aberdeen Seafood & Dim Sum in White Plains Restaurant Asian Brunch Chinese Dim Sum White Plains Lunch Nancy Kleeger November 27, 2011 Upon our return to the United States this summer from living abroad for 13 years, with our most recent move from Hong Kong, my family and I were faced with a serious food challenge. We hadn’t had access to good pizza, bagels and deli for years, so the first few weeks after we moved back, we became “born again” NY carb fanatics, showing our faces at every bagel and pizza joint north of NYC. After a month or so, this eating frenzy thankfully began to wear off. One of the things we miss most about Hong Kong is going out for Dim Sum, or yum cha, as it’s also called in Cantonese. After a friend mentioned Aberdeen Seafood & Dim Dum in White Plains, I knew we had to go to bridge East meets West food chain. Read More
Red Mango All Natural Fro-Yo Coming to New Canaan Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger November 25, 2011 Red Mango, a Dallas based company offering 100% all-natural frozen yogurt will open its first Connecticut location in New Canaan at 125 Elm St. Red Mango has a "real" yogurt taste more akin to Pinkberry vs. the more sugary versions found in many fro-yo venues these days. According to the Red Mango website, its frozen yogurt contains live and active cultures with no preservatives, artificial coloring, or preservatives. Its gluten-free yogurt uses only natual sweeteners and will offer an alternative to other frozen yogurts in the area that use high fructose corn syrup in their products. The standard flavors include the original Sweet and Tangy, a Pomegranate by POM, Madagascar Vanilla plus with an ever-changing special flavor, currently Cinnamon Apple Orchard at other locations. Read More
Ad: Cheesecake Factory & Brio Open @ Danbury Fair Mall Restaurant American Danbury Italian Advertisement Kid Friendly CTbites Team November 23, 2011 Danbury Fair has made shopping more appetizing this winter with the addition of popular restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory® and BRIO Tuscan Grille. These great new dining options bring affordable upscale dining to Danbury Fair and will provide the perfect rest stop during the upcoming holiday shopping frenzy. The Cheesecake Factory®'s award winning family friendly menu with over 40 decadent desserts promises something tasty for everyone while BRIO brings authentic, Northern Italian cuisine to Danbury CT. Read More
Connecticut Food Bank Needs More Turkeys Stephanie Webster November 22, 2011 Connecticut Food Bank needs your help by 2pm TODAY!! It is estimating that its annual Thanksgiving for All campaign is about 1,800 turkeys short of its goal this year. Please take a moment to help and donate a turkey through the CT Food Bank's virtual food drive at www.ctfoodbank.org. Last year, Connecticut Food Bank distributed 24,000 turkeys and enough trimmings to provide an estimated 790,000 meals for people in need during the holiday season. This Thanksgiving, Connecticut Food Bank needs to distribute more food so more people in need can be served, especially in the ongoing challenging economic climate. Member organizations of Connecticut Food Bank are reporting an average 30 percent increase in demand for services. Read More
Eating Fairfield: Great Dining Deals Start Nov 27th CTbites Team November 22, 2011 The New England Culinary Group is gearing up for a week-long celebration of dining in Fairfield, CT from Sunday, November 27- thru Friday, December 2, 2011. Restaurants participating in Eating Fairfield will offer consumers specially discounted prices on prix fixe menus and special offers throughout the entire week. Unlike your typical “restaurant weeks” that have so fabulously been taking place throughout the country, Eating Fairfield will not only include specially priced prix fixe menus, it will also include an array of delicious and fun offers from participating restaurants and markets, allowing for a wider variety of choices throughout the week. Read More
leFarm's Whipped Chicken Livers w/ Shallot Jam Recipe Features Recipe Bill Taibe November 22, 2011 What would Thanksgiving be without a little offal and who gives better offal than LeFarm's Bill Taibe? I mean really...the man knows his organ meats. LeFarm will be offering this recipe for Whipped Chicken Livers with Shallot Jam for pickup at leFarm (203.557.3701), but if you want to make it yourself at home, here's how: At a loss for where to find some great tasting chicken livers? Try the new Craft Butchery in the Saugatuck area of Westport. Read More
