In addition to blazing trails with restaurants (Thali, INDIA, Indian Kitchen) Chef Prasad has begun to make his fans swoon on a more intimate level with a regular cooking school series. What a special treat. I recently went to one of his Sunday classes and came away with a whole new passion for Indian cuisine. And believe me, I’ve already been a giant fan for years. (Jackson Diner, Queens anyone? I lived in Jackson Heights for ten years).
Join the culinary professionals that lead the kitchens of Westport restaurants Terrain Cafe and Amis at Stamford Museum & Nature Center as they show you the joys of sourcing and cooking with the best in seasonal and sustainable ingredients. From salads and appetizers to entrees, pastas and desserts, this six-part series (January 27 through March 9.) takes you through the methodology of creating show-stopping dishes as you also learn how to source the best ingredients right in your own backyard.
For the next two weeks CTbites will be featuring a series of Thanksgiving recipes from local CT chefs. Some of these recipes will be family favorites, or dishes the chefs cook in their own homes. Others will grace the holiday menus found at your local restaurant. One thing is certain. They will all be delicious and worthy of a seat at YOUR table. Our second in this series comes from Chef Emily Mingrone of Tavern On State. Enjoy her recipe for Candied Kabocha Squash.
You’ve arranged to keep the kids busy all summer long with camps and lessons, sleepovers and maybe a bit of volunteer work here and there, but what about some fun for YOU? Those kids shouldn’t get all the fun. And because we are, eh-hem, adults, learning a few new things alongside that good time is always a welcome bonus. Cooking classes are a unique way to have a memorable evening. You can go solo, with a friend or a group. Choose the flavors or the skills you are interesting in knowing more about. Then walk away with a full belly, new information and probably a few laughs under your chef’s apron. What the heck are you waiting for? Remember too, these are great gift ideas as well. Friend with a birthday during the summer? Treat them! It’s like dinner out but so much better. Pencil in some time for yourself this summer and treat yourself..like a kid.
Here is our Guide To Adult Cooking Classes in Connecticut.
PRO refrigeration, Sub-Zero’s boldest, most iconic design, was an instant hit when it came on the scene several years ago. Its 48” wide all stainless or stainless with glass refrigerator door designs changed the face of kitchens throughout the country. Now this bold, professional look is finally available in a 36-inch-wide model. This means the stunning PRO look and unparalleled features can fit into almost any kitchen.
“Everything about this new Sub-Zero is spectacular,” explained Marco Barallon, the corporate showroom director for New England’s Official Sub-Zero/Wolf/Cove Showroom and Test Kitchen. “For designers who are looking for a new way to make a stunning kitchen statement, you can create a six-foot-wide food preservation armoire by placing two 36” PRO units side by side – one with a left hinge, the other with a right – with the glass doors, this is like nothing you’ve ever seen in kitchen design. Beyond the show-stopping look, discerning homeowners love the features.”
Hot summer days and you don’t feel like cooking. The stove, oven, even the grill…it’s all so hot. But hold on a minute there, maybe *you* don’t have to! With a little foresight (read: now), your kids can learn to cook this summer, get inspired and whoa-oh, looks who’s not in the kitchen anymore?! Beyond your parental joy, though, kids will enjoy learning cooking skills, whipping up some pretty cool menus from around the globe and even having a cooking competition or two just to test their mettle. Just be sure to sign up your aspiring chefs soon, these classes and camps fill up quicker than hot grease will jump out of a pan!
If you follow Fortina Pizza or chef/owner Christian Petroni on Instagram, chances are you thought about hitting that “skip a shipment” in your Blue Apron settings for something a little more local and a lot more restaurant quality.
Petroni’s wood-fired restaurants known for their Neapolitan pizza, pasta dishes, and tasty Bronx Italian grub just got in the meal kit game in the middle of February when they launched Fortina At Home.
Every two years Clarke, New England’s Official Sub-Zero/Wolf/Cove Showroom and Test Kitchen, hosts its Sub-Zero and Wolf Kitchen Design Contest to celebrate the best kitchen designs in the six New England states. On May 10th, Clarke awarded $15,000 in prize money to first and second place winners in three categories: Traditional Kitchen, Contemporary Kitchen and Transitional Kitchen. This year, two of the six awards went to kitchen designers in Connecticut. Veronica Campbell of Deane Inc. received the first-place award for a transitional kitchen, while Gerard Ciccarello of Covenant Kitchens & Baths won second place in the traditional kitchen category.
Clarke, New England's Official Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom and Test Kitchen, is pleased to announce a unique offer for homeowners who make their first visit to a Clarke showroom between now and May 1, 2018. This offer is designed to inspire homeowners who are considering Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances to take the next step in their exploration. When you enjoy your first visit to a Clarke showroom in Boston Seaport, Milford, Mass. or South Norwalk, Conn., during March or April, you will be entered into a drawing to spend a day on the television set of Chef Lidia Bastianch on May 17th.
For decades, New England homeowners would shop for appliances by walking down a line of different models and make their selections based almost entirely on price and aesthetics. All they knew about the operation or benefits of an oven or cooktop was what they could read in product signage and learn from talking to the salesperson.
In the 1990s, Tom Clarke, founder of Clarke Distribution, changed all of that for Connecticut homeowners when he opened a Sub-Zero and Wolf showroom in South Norwalk. This Clarke Showroom not only won national awards for its extraordinary design, but also for offering homeowners the opportunity to cook on these appliances in order to make a much more educated buying decision. In fact, it is not unusual for a homeowner to make a Clarke Showroom appointment to bake her favorite pie or loaf of bread in multiple ovens to decide which model has the features and provides the results she desires.
There are a lot of appliances in the marketplace that claim to be the best, and as we turn our attention to holiday cooking and baking, we thought it would be valuable to understand how one manufacturer stands out in a class all its own.
Wolf distills legendary professional heritage, power and finesse into cooking equipment whose precise control ensures the dish you have in mind will be the dish you bring to the table. While Wolf offers a wide array of industry-leading appliances (Gas, Dual Fuel and, now, Induction Ranges; Built-In Ovens; Cooktops; Specialty Modules; Ventilation and totally unique Coffee Systems), their technology just keeps getting more exciting.
There's a whole new alternative to gas in a high-performance range and you can explore it at Clarke, your Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom and Test Kitchen in South Norwalk. The new Wolf Induction Range (which will be available in Clarke's authorized dealers later this fall) gives you a cooktop with incredible speed, control and energy efficiency. It boils water faster than gas (really - with almost instantaneous temperature response!) It gives you precise high end to low end control. Imagine control steady enough to simmer sauces and melt chocolate without scorching. A Wolf Induction Cooktop also means you'll never have to worry about children burning themselves on a flame or about forgetting to turn off the cooktop (when you remove the pot or pan all you're left with is a cool surface.)
Clarke, New England's Official Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom and Test Kitchen, has just unveiled a stunning new kitchen to replace the iconic English Country kitchen that has wowed homeowners for more than a decade in their South Norwalk location. Vincent Cappello of Putnam Kitchens worked with Clarke Showroom Manager Marco Barallon to create a new magnet for all who want to explore the latest in kitchen design and technology.
In 2001, visitors often used the phrase "a feast for the eyes" as their immediate reaction to entering the SoNo space and laying eyes on the first kitchen. "Our recent visitors are even more entranced now," said Barallon, who reports dozens of designers are already escorting clients in to demonstrate elements they plan to incorporate into designs. In fact, in an unprecedented moment, Clarke CEO Tom Clarke recently saw the new kitchen for the first time and said, "This is what I want, wrap it up," referring to his intent to replicate the entire design in his own new home in Massachusetts.
"I wanted the custom cabinetry to reflect the newest thinking in design and engineering," said Cappello."It needed to complement the new technology being employed by Sub-Zero and Wolf in their iconic appliances. Together they needed to make a bold new statement."
Whether you're a chef or a home cook, I'm sure you have an arsenal of kitchen tools and gadgets you simply can't live without. Alton Brown favors multi-taskers. Some favor a broader approach of single use gadgets (my favorite being the cherry pitter). We've posted some of our favorites over in our Gadget Guru section, but we want to hear from you.
What is the one kitchen gadget you can't live without?
Post your comment below!
[This shout out was first posted in 2010. A lot has changed in 5 years...or perhaps not so much.]
“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.
Homeowners often tell us that one of the elements in designing a new kitchen that is the trickiest for them is selecting ventilation. There are many kinds of ventilation to consider and, in this post, we'll be looking at the most popular, overhead ventilation.
Overhead Ventilation...why do we need it?
There are four by-products that are created when we cook: heat, grease, steam & smoke. The purpose of your ventilation is to remove these by-products from your kitchen so they are not deposited on your ceiling, walls, cabinets, fabrics, etc.
How do we achieve this?
There are four basic factors in selecting the right overhead ventilation for your project.
It seems that the Chinese have been cooking with steam for more than 3,000 years. And the "combi oven" (steam and convection combined) is a fixture in the finest European restaurants, bakeries and home kitchens. For the past several years in the U.S., many have been talking about steam ovens and how this is such a healthy way to cook. People bandy about the terms "Steam Oven," "Combi Oven," "Convection Steam Oven" and we're here to talk about the one option that is leading the pack in features, performance and number of models available.
With the Wolf Convection Steam Oven you enjoy exactly the right mix of heat and humidity for any dish - crispy or flaky on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. You have ten cooking modes at your command: Steam, Auto Steam Bake, Convection, Convection Humid, Convection Steam, Gourmet, Slow Roast, Reheat, Recipes and Keep Warm.
For CTBites readers, fresh ingredients are key and proper food preservation is the way to maintain them. Three generations ago, Sub-Zero introduced refrigerators and freezers that were the same depth as standard kitchen counters. And they have been improving on the concept ever since. With the exception of those homeowners who love the look of an iconic gleaming stainless steel Sub-Zero refrigerator (and there are many), most people have long wished they could make their refrigerator disappear, while still keeping food preservation close at hand.
If your online research or a visit to your kitchen designer has turned up terms like "integrated" and "overlay" refrigeration, you may be like many homeowners who find this choice confusing. In fact, that is one of the questions most often asked of the consultants at Clarke, New England's Official Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom.
The original Sub-Zero Built-in Refrigerator requires a countertop depth of no less than 26-3/16". With a Built-In Sub-Zero, you can help to disguise your refrigerator or freezer by putting a cabinetry panel (overlay) on the face of the refrigerator, freezer or combination. The face of the appliance will blend with your kitchen, but you will still know it is an appliance.
