Summer Drinks - Installment I -an alternative to sugary beverages

As soon as the weather turns from slippers and sweaters, to short sleeves and flip flops, a major change takes place in our kitchen. Tea cups rarely make it out of the cabinet, relegated to the occasional early morning hot cup of coffee or tea, and large jars filled with an ever changing assortment of cold beverages garner considerable space in our fridge. Homemade iced teas and coffees bring thirst quenching pleasure from June to October. 

Making homemade iced tea is incredibly simple, inexpensive and healthy. All you need is a jar, some water and a teabag or two, or some herbs from your garden and you are set. These days, the standard black tea doesn't get much play in my rotation of flavors: peppermint, rooibos chai, earl grey, lemon zinger, raspberry, or green tea are among my favorites. I used to brew these teas by boiling water, pouring it over a few tea bags and then leaving the jar out to cool for a few hours before placing them in the fridge, but a few years ago, I heard a tea expert rambling on about ice tea on the radio and he talked about cold brewing for herbal or green teas, so I gave it a try. Cold brewing is just the process of putting tea leaves or a tea bag into cold water and letting it steep for a number of hours, no heating required. Sun tea is a common name for this process, but you don't actually need to let the tea sit in the sun, I experimented with this process on the window sill and in the fridge, resulting in the same end product, refreshing iced tea that took about 30 seconds of my time to prepare and about 20 cents for a half gallon. Sure beats spending money on those sugary bottled versions.

Life is so full and busy these days. The weight of all the work to be done and the enormity of the problems in the world can sometimes feel overwhelming. It is the simple treats in daily life, the small moments of pleasure that bring me joy and help me to have some perspective. I know it sounds cheesy, but staring at the two jars of iced tea on my fridge door brings a little flutter to my heart and the moment it takes to decide between the peppermint tea poured over ice or the refreshing red chai with a splash of milk and honey is like a 10 second vacation, and the time I spend sipping the lovely concoction from a tall sweating glass is like a small gift managing to poke a hole in the stresses of life.

Homemade Iced Tea

Please experiment with hot or cold brewing and the amount of tea per jug of water that works for you.

I find with cold brewing or sun tea, that you actually need less tea to create a flavorful brew. I prefer to sweeten my teas to order, if we sweeten them at all. This allows you to control your sugar intake. If you do prefer sweetened iced tea, add your sweetener while the tea is hot or add the sweetener to a bit of hot water to dissolve it and then mix into the tea. Agave or honey are good alternatives to sugar.

What you'll need:

Large pitcher or jug that fits in your refrigerator approximately 1/2 gallon

(use glass if filling with boiling water)

water

1-3 tea bags - tags removed,  or fresh herbs like mint, lavender or lemon verbena

1. For Cold Brew: herbal or green tea bags or loose tea, approximately 2 bags per half gallon of water. Place tea bags in water jug on counter or in your fridge, and steep for 3 hours or until tea reaches desired potency. Remove tea bags and refrigerate tea. Drink straight, over ice, with sweetener, lemon or milk, Enjoy!
2. For Hot Brew: Boil water and pour over tea bags, 2-4 tea bags per half gallon of water. Steep tea for 20 minutes, remove from the water and let tea cool. Place in refrigerator and drink as desired once chilled.

These iced teas are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to summer time drinks, so check back soon for more ideas...

Healthy Corner Stores

As I've said more than a few times lately, my life in food has been seriously busy. One of the many great projects I am trying to lend a hand in is the Healthy Corner Store Initiative in New Haven, CT lead by a great local organization: CARE and the New Haven Health Department.  The idea is to work with local corner store owners to carry more healthy foods and to place them in prominent locations in the store to increase the amount of healthy foods purchased by customers. One of the main objectives is to get the stores connected with local wholesale produce vendors to get fresh fruits and vegetables into the stores. Here is a link to an article on the launching of the second Healthy Corner Store - Clinton Food Center, last week, and an article on the first launch of Adam's Store the week before.

 

Kids from the school across the street help to launch the healthy corner store 

with pledges to eat healthy foods and snacks (above). Some of the new fruits and 

vegetables being carried at the store, and racks of healthier snack options,

a better alternative to potato chips and candy bars (below).

For each store launch I have been helping out by serving up fruit kebabs to get kids and adults thinking and eating fresh. The kebabs are a big hit, and really easy to make. 

The thing I love about fruit kebabs is that they take simple fruits and make them festive and easy to eat in a party setting, no plates or utensils needed. I served these for my son's birthday party in the park this spring and the kids loved them, as much or more than the cake! Many schools are working to eliminate cupcakes and sugary sweets in the classroom for kid's birthdays during the school year, and something like fruit kebabs are a great fun alternative treat!

Fruit Kebabs

Ingredients:

An assortment of fresh fruits: pineapple, melon, grapes, strawberries, apples, etc. 

   Soft squishy fruits such as raspberries, mango, kiwi or oranges, don't work as well.

   If using apples you'll also need a lemon or some cinnamon

 6-8 inch long skewers, available in the cooking supply or grilling area of the grocery store

1. Wash and cut fruit into 1 inch cubes and place in separate bowls or bags. Grapes can be left whole, strawberries can be cut if they are large, and apples should be tossed in a touch of lemon juice to stop them from browning. Cinnamon can also be used on apples if you enjoy the flavor.
2. Use the pointed side of the skewer to poke through each piece of fruit. For a nice display, choose a pattern for the fruit and make a large bunch of kebabs with the same pattern so they look nice on a platter.
3. Cover and keep refrigerated until you are ready to serve. Will hold for 1 day in the fridge, but are best if made within a few hours of serving. Enjoy!

These kebabs would be fun made with vegetables as well 

and served up with a salad dressing dipping sauce. 

Wicked Sweet Boston

A few years back this wonderful little bakery, Flour,  popped up in Boston's South End. I'd heard about it and went for a visit and was truly delighted. A large assortment of interesting and finely crafted sweets and treats, not too sugary (except for their famous sticky buns). Among my favorites are some of their brioche based sweets, including a baked cream danish style treat, and a sugar dusted brioche bun, lemon custard muffins, cracklin'- a danish filled with bitter orange marmalade-topped with toasted almonds, home made oreos, fruit tarts piled high, buttery scones, chocolate glazed dacquoise, creme brulee, and so much more. On a recent trip to Boston, I was happy to discover that is wonderful bakery has grown to three locations: South End, Fort Point Channel and Central Sq., and I had the good fortune of eating from each of them in the 2 days I was there, Oy!!!

In addition to the wonderful desserts, the bakeries serve a number of savory items, but I must admit, I didn't even notice them, I was so busy looking at the sweets. Each bakery has a beautifully designed space with many creative and unique touches. Certainly worth a visit!

If you are interested in more from Flour Bakery:

Flour Bakery Cookbook

Dacquoise recipe from one of the bakers @ Flour bakery
This type of Dacquoise is a french dessert made from almond meringues layered with espresso buttercream and chocolate ganache...very rich and decadent!

More on Boston:
We also stopped by the SoWa Market on sunday morning: farmers' market, craft market and food trucks. Not as packed as I'd hoped it would be, but a fun little adventure.

If you make it up to Beantown, you might also check out:

Foundry on Elm or Bella Luna - both spots feature exceptional food by my friend and talented Chef Sam Putnam.

Hi-Rise Bread Co. - another lovely bakery, this one in Cambridge.

Sevan's Middle Eastern Grocery, Watertown - great food, one of my favorites is their Muhamara - a spread made of walnuts, red pepper paste, pomegranate molasses and olive oil.

Porter Square Exchange - Japanese food court filled with inexpensive and tasty small restaurant stalls, Cambridge.

Super 88 Asian Grocery Stores - I heard rumor that some of the locations have closed, but these are incredible and very large Asian markets. They may have changed name, but it is worth searching out some of the great and large asian groceries in the Boston area.

Do you have any favorite food spots in Boston?

Panini in a Frying Pan

I'm kind of a sucker for a hot sandwich. Call it a Cubano, a Panini, a hot sub, hoagie or hero, I don't really care. Since I generally don't eat meat that is raised on factory farms, most of the delicious sounding sandwiches on a sandwich menu don't land on my plate. When eating out, I usually end up with a vegetarian sandwich, which I know is better for my health and the earth, but sometimes I really crave a little meat, which leads me to making a good hot sandwich at home. I don't own a panini press, just a couple of heavy skillets which double as a sandwich press.

In this panini I used Applegate Farms sliced turkey, a pesto and feta spread from Sankow's Beaver Brook Farms, spinach, and a little extra-sharp white cheddar. The bread is a ciabatta "stick" with roasted garlic from Chabaso bakery. I think it was a fortuitous day, since I don't often have this bread or pesto spread on hand, so this panini was a little more special than usual. One of my stand-by favorite sandwiches is apple, cheddar, dijon and spinach, with turkey or bacon if I have any.  (For a vegetarian alternative, try using smoked tempeh or "Fakin' Bacon".). Honestly just about any combination of tasty ingredients stuffed between two slices of bread and heated between two frying pans will yield delightful results!

One key technique to note is that you can wrap the sandwich in tin foil (butter the outside of the bread if you like) and then set it in a frying pan on medium heat and top with a second frying pan. You still get the nicely browned bread, but you can really press the sandwich without all the fillings falling out and making a mess. If you want more weigh try adding a large can to the top frying pan or pressing on the top pan once the sandwich is warm. Flip the wrapped sandwich over part way through, and cook and press the other side.

Some great sandwich spots: 

Blue State Coffee - New Haven- the menu I created for these cafes include sustainably raised meats and locally sourced ingredients. Try the fabulous grilled cheese with pear and dijon, or the turkey Sriracha with pickled red onions and avocado.

'wichcraft - in NYC - an amazing assortment of finely crafted ingredients and sandwiches from Tom Colicchio and Sisha Ortuzar ( who I worked with briefly at Gramercy Tavern)

Num Pang - A wonderful Camobodian sandwich shop in NYC started by a good friend of mine, Ben Daitz and his partner, Ratha Chau. An inspired and delicious menu, and a line out the door to prove it.

Share some of your favorite sandwich combinations by commenting below!

Hot Pot Fun

My Love of food is firmly routed in the passion for food of both of my parents. It is no surprise that the primary focus of each of their wants and desires for a Birthday celebration (or any celebration for that matter) revolve around food.  For my Mother's recent birthday, she requested that we all go out to a local Chinese restaurant for a Hot Pot dinner. Despite my overwhelming love for Chinatown in any city in this country, and the many Dim Sum meals and other great chinese food I have eaten over the years, I have never actually had a Hot Pot or Shabu Shabu  meal, so was very happy to accommodate her request!

Some of you may have seen this type of meal from the sidewalk side of the restaurant window. A large table with a pot set into the middle of it filled with simmering broth, perfect for cooking a large assortment of thinly sliced meat, fish and vegetables by the diners armed with chopsticks, a long handled cooking basket and a hungry belly.

The selection at the Great Wall of China in New Haven, CT worked well for vegetarians as well as meat eaters alike. We had two types of broth, one basic, one spicy with szechuan peppercorn. It is recommended that meat and fish be cooked in the broth first to help add flavor, followed by vegetables and noodles. Periodically a waiter added boiling water to the pot to make up for broth that had evaporated or been absorbed by noodles. Additional sauces were available to add flavor as well.

Over all it was a fun meal. I was not wowed by the flavors, but it was definitely good, and worth the experience.

25 Hot Pot Cooking Tips - from About.com

Popular Hot Pot Restaurants

I have not tried all of these personally, but wanted to list some of the popular restaurants around the country to get you started. Feel free to read reviews on Yelp or ChowHound and have a little food adventure of your own. 

New Haven, CT: Great Wall of China

NYC: Grand Sichuan

San Francisco: Old Mandarine Islamic Restaurant

Boston: Shabu Zen

Have you eaten Shabu Shabu or Hot Pot before? Please comment below and share your thoughts!

Artichokes for Dinner

My original ode to the Artichoke post appeared a week ago, for a mere 12 hours, before being mysteriously deleted by the folks at Google's Blogspot while they performed some updates on their blog service. The spontaneous words and thoughts there-in are now lost to an internet graveyard. I'll try to conjure a bit of the joy and flavor of that post for you again rather than mourn the loss completely. 

These lovely specimens of nature grace our table only on occasion, and usually at the request of a three year-old. I love that freshly cooked artichokes make any meal feel festive and special. For me, they are a splurge and treat, but a great one. I usually just slice off the tip of the bulb and trim the rest of the spiky leaves with a pair of scissors (as seen above). Then toss them into a pot of boiling water with a little salt, lemon and black peppercorns (but plain old water will do just fine). Boil (or steam) the artichokes until a leaf pulls easily off from the bulb, about 25-30 minutes. You can use a pressure cooker to speed up the process if you have one.

A freshly cooked artichoke heart is buttery and smooth, 

nothing like it's tough pickled cousins from a jar. 

When you get to the heart of the artichoke, the leaves will be paper thin. Pull off the few remaining leaves, use a spoon to scrape out the fine "hairs" covering the heart (shown in the center picture). Slice the heart into a few pieces to prolong it's existence and enjoy it, plain, with butter, herbs, salt and pepper or any other way you can imagine. For a simple vegan dipping sauce, stir some miso with warm water, a pinch of black pepper and an optional drizzle of sweetener such as honey or agave.

For this meal I served the chokes with a small bowl of melted butter, and some turkey, avocado and spinach sandwiches. My kids started devouring the food before it left the counter which was a good sign, and we managed to set up a little front yard picnic to build on the festivity. It was one of those wonderful nights that help me to slow down and remember some of the blessings I have: family, food, and space.

One other blessing I discovered was spinach growing in my raised beds, ready to harvest in May!! I planted this spinach last fall in hopes of building a cold frame or a row cover to experiment with winter growing. The building never happened, and the tiny spinach leaves lay insulated under 2 feet of snow all winter. As soon as it melted, the spinach burst to life and I can now harvest tinder 4-6 inch leaves daily. I've planted new spring seeds around the fall patch and they are slowly catching up in size.

How do you like to serve artichokes? 

Please comment below.

The Quest for Treats

You'd never guess it from looking at these pictures, but I have been trying to cut way back on the amount of sweets that I eat. Infact, I managed to go a whole week without eating sugar (well, almost). Last week was however, school vacation, and I was able to get a few days off to hang with my family and some great friends in Brooklyn. When I lived in Brooklyn, my general motivation for leaving my apartment was food (either for work or adventure). On this trip, I have to say I ventured out after many fewer sweets than usual, but there are still some good things to share. Over the break we also spent one day hanging out in South Norwalk for a children's museum visit and managed to score a bunch of delicious treats there too....

So with no shame, I will share with you some of my guilty (and not so guilty) pleasures:

 Amy's bread 

Fabulous, NYC based bread co., the Semolina Bread with Golden Raisins and Fennel (and corn meal). This bread when toasted is unbelievably good. My wonderful mother in-law manages to bring me a loaf every time she visits and had this one waiting for us when we arrived at her apt! If you stop by Chelsea Market you can watch them being made by hand!

Mast brothers Chocolate

The Mast Brothers are part of the beard wearing, slow food, almost cultish, artisnal food making Brooklyn elite. Exceptional, handcrafted, single origin chocolates, with only 2 ingredients : cocoa and sugar. That's it. I have to admit while I have known about this chocolate for some time now, I had yet to be able to splurge on a $10 chocolate bar. These were a gift from my fabulous sister in-law, and a wonderful gift they were. The Madagascar bar was particularly great. The cocoa nib bar was less bitter than most cocoa nibs I have tried. I'm guessing that they were carefully roasted, so not burned, but the chocolate in that bar (the grey wrapper) was much more acidic, and not my favorite. My kids taste buds agreed with mine, and while it warmed my heart to see them enjoying such fine chocolate, I had to hide the bar so it didn't disappear as quickly as it had arrived.

Cousin John's &  SoNo baking Co.

 

This was an almond croissant. Need I say more about how good it was? This one was from Cousin John's in Brooklyn, the predecessor to the more refined SoNo Baking Co. in South Norwalk, whose almond croissants are event better, if that is even possible (thanks to John Barricelli) . Dark, crispy, caramelized edges, filled with sweet, tender almond paste cream. A serious treat.

 A fancy raspberry mousse cake from SoNo Baking Co. My boy's choice.

Taste of Holland

Some of you may have read my posts from my trip one year ago to Holland with my grandmother. This salty black licorice is an acquired taste, one I am thankful to have had since childhood.When I was a kid, my aunt Claire used to bring us these cone shaped bags from a Dutch store in Toronto, on her visits south. Now we are lucky to have a Dutch store of our own right here in CT, Taste of Holland in South Norwalk, CT and they have a website. Two of my other favorite Dutch sweets are applestroop: a dark strong apple jam made with sugar beet syrup and apples, and Honey Spice cake: a chewy slightly sweet cake made with rye flour, unusual, but delicious. 

Cafe Regular

Ok, there is more great coffee around these days than anyone could possibly drink, and certainly not just in NYC (who was kind of late to the great coffee game to be honest.) There is one sweet spot in Brooklyn though, that has been around for a while, has excellent coffee, and a particular flare for interior design - french style. The original Cafe Regular was about a block from my last B'klyn apt, and in an unlikely hole in the wall, which attributed to part of it's charm. The owner was known for training his employees for months on the particular techniques of steaming milk, long before there were latte art had over 1 million google image hits. And, the painted and distriessed tin ceiling and walls, and the menu written on a mirror had an old world, handcrafted, hip charm. My occasional perfect latte from the original spot was always incredible. I've had hit and miss experience with the new spot, although the interior of the store and all the details are incredible, and even a "bad" latte from here is still great. They also have these amazing handmade ring dings from Tumbador chocolates that are kosher and I think vegan. (yes, I know that sounds rediculous.)

While I'm on a favorite treats role here, I can't help but mention a few other places I love even though I didn't get to them on this trip:

Franny's & Brooklyn Larder

Franny's is a fabulous Farm to Table pizza (and more) spot on Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn. It first opened when my son was born and I have the fondest memory of walking there and eating at the bar with him asleep in a sling. It was his first meal in a great restaurant and my first proof that life with good food didn't have to end just cuz I had a baby. Brooklyn Larder is their Cheese and Provisions store across the street. Gorgeous store, fine artisnal foods, way out of my price range these days, but amazing none the less!

Bagel Hole

There is no argument that these are some of the absolute best bagels in NYC. (ok, start arguing). These must be eaten the same day you get them, because the extra crusty/chewy exteriors get harder by the hour, but when you get them fresh, they are just incredible, and a far cry from the all too fluffy bagels that seem to be everywhere else. The pumpernickel has tiny pieces of onion flecked throughout, a real treat.  One other good bagel spot is Terrace Bagels, very good, but in my opinion a second place to the Bagel Hole.

Oh, I could go on and on, Damascus Bakery, Almondine, The Pickle Guys....anyway, I'll have to save something for another trip....

And, just so we can all remember that a treat does not have to be a food, or a sweet, two wonderful spring garden related treats to get you going on the summer harvest treats to come: 

Turning a pallet into a garden - a beautiful garden project, especially if spaces is tight! Many garden centers will give you pallets for free. We used them to make our compost pile too!

Homemade seedling starter cups - use b&w newspapper or newsprint paper (like the kind you can get at ikea check out) to make little seedling starter pots!

What are some of your favorite treats???

There's a Party Happening at Stop & Shop!

Finally, after over a year of shuttered doors, there is a new, full-service, centrally located grocery store in New Haven! Yesterday, the Stop&Shop near downtown opened to the public. It was incredible to see the parking lot full, and hundreds of people milling in and out of the store. Typically big corporate ventures are not high on my list of things to be happy about, but when you live in a city of 126,000 with no centrally located full-service grocery store, and very few grocery stores within city limits at all, this is really something to celebrate! 

The atmosphere within the store was festive, with balloons, music and tasting stations everywhere. They did a great job at having a lot of foods for different ethnic communities, Chinese, Jamacian, Kosher Jewish foods, Latino, etc. They've hired 100% New Haven folks, a bunch of great people to run departments, including a large number of people of color,  and are planning community outreach and nutrition events. This is certainly a great step towards improving availability of healthy food for the people of our city. Let's hope that the store continues to respond to the needs of the entire city to create a vibrant and thriving urban food center!

It has been deeply disturbing to me recently how all of the large grocery store chains refused to open a store within our city limits, and even shuttered the one existing store, even though it was profitable. Most large grocery companies don't really seem to understand the urban grocery market, and seem unwilling to alter their suburban models at all to provide a service and make money within these under-served "food deserts".
Enormous congratulations go out to the Greater Dwight Development Corporation, the people of the Dwight community, and all the New Haven partners that worked extremely hard to get this store open!!!

I was caught up in the party atmosphere and kind of randomly snapped some pictures...

 And, I bumped into 3 friends while I was there!