StellaBites

South Jersey's Farm to Fork Week | July 22-27, 2007

“Farm to Fork Week”

A Week-Long Celebration of Local Farming
with Special $30 Dinners in Many Local Restaurants
July 22nd thru July 27th

The South Jersey Independent Restaurant Association (commonly known as SJ Hot Chefs) presents “Farm to Fork Week”, a week long tribute to local farming, Sunday, July 22 through Friday, July 27.  Each restaurant will present a four course dinner at $30 per person featuring products from local New Jersey farmers.  Participating restaurants will present a unique four course menu, with each individual dish highlighting a specific local product.                

Farmers will be present at various restaurants throughout the week to educate diners on the benefits of using locally grown products and provide explanation on how these items are grown and harvested.  Both farmers and chefs are looking forward to a week that promises to be both delicious and educational.  “It’s a great way for our diners to get a feeling for what’s out there in Jersey,” explained Chef Michael O’Mara, executive chef and owner of MO Café in Voorhees.  “By buying local, we are able to use produce that was picked that day, which allows the restaurant to put out a superior final product.  One of the dishes we will be featuring is a Crispy Black New Jersey Sea Bass.  Almost everything on the plate comes from New Jersey.  It’s served with an heirloom tomato and avocado gazpacho, micro greens and sweet corn salad, topped with a blueberry foam.”  The “Farm to Fork Week” menu at MO Café will include locally harvested produce, fish, meat and dairy products. 

To see a list of participating restaurants, click here.

via SJHotChefs.org

4th of July

Butter Cupcakes with White Frosting (and red/white/blue decorations)

Mr. H and I are going to a picnic this afternoon. Hopefully the weather will hold out until the fireworks are over, but if not, we can always watch them on TV while snacking on these patriotic cupcakes I whipped up this morning!

Butter Cake
2 c all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 c butter, softened
1 1/4 c sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c milk
1 t vanilla

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Cream sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add half of the flour mixture then half of the milk. Add vanilla. Mix until blended; add remaining flour and milk and beat until smooth. Fill 2 greased and floured layer cake pans or a 13x9x2-inch baking pan or 24 papered cupcake tins with the batter.

Bake at 375° for 25 to 35 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched near center.

White Frosting
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable shortening (I used butter flavored)
1/2 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
2 tsp. vanilla

Make white sauce with flour, and milk. Cook until thick. Cool.
Cream sugar and shortening. Add to cooled white sauce and add vanilla.
Beat with mixer until fluffy.

Lemony Risotto with Fresh Asparagus & Parmesan

To serve eight as a side dish or 4 as a main course:

5-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 bunch asparagus, tough ends discarded, tips separated from middles
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup onions, small diced
¼ cup white wine
2 cups arborio rice
2 tsp. lemon zest
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp. butter

Bring the chicken broth to a full boil. Boil the asparagus in small batches until tender. Drain and cool quickly in bowl of ice water, remove and reserve for risotto. Reserve chicken broth for cooking the risotto.

Heat heavy bottom, wide pot over medium high heat. Add olive oil and onions, cook for 1 minute or until softened and sweet smelling. Add the rice and cook for another minute to coat the rice with the oil and to heat. Add the wine, stirring until rice absorbs.

Reduce heat to medium and add the heated stock a half of a cup at a time while stirring with a wooden spoon. When rice has nearly absorbed liquid, add more. Continue for about 15-20 minutes until the rice is tender with just a hint of firmness at center.

Finish rice by stirring in the reserved asparagus, lemon zest, Parmesan cheese, and butter. Heat through and serve immediately.

Spring Mill Cafe | Conshohocken, PA

Spring Mill Cafe is a rustic French restaurant in Conshohocken, PA, a suburb outside of Philadelphia. My friends Alan and Jennifer took me to dinner there to celebrate my new business venture, FocusPoint Events. The food was amazing and the atmosphere is so cozy. It is definitely a romantic place and I can't wait to go back with Mr. H!

Appetizers:


Greens with Apple, Walnuts & Blue Cheese

Greens with Goat Cheese & Beets

Soupe de Seasone (I think it was a fish soup with mussels, but I did not order it, and cannot remember!)

The Main Course:

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with mashed potatoes and baby carrots

Cassoulet

LambChop with sweet potato mash and braised red cabbage

Dessert:

Tarte Tatin (Apple Tart)

Chocolate Mousse

Daffodil Cake (Light angel food cake with Lemon Creme, Coconut  & freshly grated lime)

Spring Mill Cafe
164 Barren Hill Rd
Conshohocken, PA  19428
610.828.2550
Reservations Recommended
Spring Mill Cafe is a BYO restaurant

ISO: Ice Cream Maker

Anyone have an ice cream maker they want me to take off their hands?
I promise lots of free tastings of creamy yummy ice cream experiments (if your local).
If you are not local, I will pay for postage and send you something lovely (maybe handknitted) in return!

Anyone?

Valentine's Day Dinner

Mr H and I had plans to try out a new restaurant for a Valentine's Day prix fixe dinner but the weather here in Philly did not cooperate.  Instead, I made a roast beef with roasted peppers and onions, mashed potatoes and we ate the Girl Scout cookie ice cream for dessert.

I used the recipe from Everyday Food issue #39 and instead of roasting potatoes, went for the mashed instead. (Plus I needed the leftover mash for my supper plans tonight, so it all worked out!)

Roast Beef with Peppers & Onions

3 red bell peppers, ribs and seeds romoved, cut into 1" wide strips
2 yellow bell peppers prepared as red peppers
2 medium red onions, halved and cut into 1" wedges
5 garlic cloves, peeled (3 left whole, 2 sliced into slivers)
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
2-1/2 pounds of eye-of-round beef roast
3/4 t dried thyme
(you can definitely add scrubbed white potatoes cut into 1" chunks in place of making mashed potaotes)

Preheat oven to 400degrees. Place peppers, onions and whole garlic cloves in baking pan. Drizzle with half the oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

Using a sharp knife, make 12 small slits in the top and sides of the roast; push in garlic slivers. Place beef in center of baking pan with veggies all around. Coat with remaining oil and rub salt, pepper and thyme on roast.

Roast 40-50 minutes, tossing veggies occasionally, until tender and an instant read meat thermometer reads 130degrees for medium-rare. Let meat rest for 10 minutes, loosely tented with aluminum foil to keep warm. Cut into thin slices and serve with vegetables.

February means...

...it's Girl Scout cookie time!

I've already purchased a box of Thin Mints and the Samoa imposters Carmel D'lites (to tide me over until I get my hands on a box of the real deal), but I was not prepared for what I found at my local grocery store on Tuesday.

 

Apparently it also comes in Tagalong and Samoa flavors too! I had a scoop after dinner last night and it is great! Creamy chocolate ice cream with chunks of Thin Mint cookies! Yum!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

I got laid off from my job last Wednesday. My former company closed down 2 sites and laid off over 1000 people. I was one of the unfortunate casualties... or was I? I was given a severance package that will allow me to live comfortably for the next 6 months without having to take the first job that comes along... that doesn't sound so bad to me!   

Monday was a little weird... waking up without anywhere to go, but I quickly remedied that situation! I brewed a pot of coffee and did some yoga while everyone else I knew was driving to work on icy roads.  After watching an episode of Nigella Feasts that was on my TiVo, I whipped up a batch of her Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins for breakfast. They were exactly what I needed... a little sweet to take the sting out of a bad situation.

Chocolate makes everything better.

Nigella's Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

1-3/4 c all purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
2 T best quality unsweetened cocoa
1 egg
3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (plus more for sprinkling later)
1 c milk
1/3 c + 2 t vegetable oil
3/4 c sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400degrees and fill muffin tin with paper cups.
Measure the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Pour all the liquid ingredients into a measuring cup. Mix both together, remembering that a lumpy batter makes teh best muffins. Spoon into waiting cups. Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top, then cook for 20 minutes until muffins are dark, risen and springy.

Makes 12 (though I got 20 out of this recipe)

PhillyCooks! o7

 

The first local culinary event of 2007 is just around the corner!

The Philly Cooks! competition brings the best of the best in Philly cuisine to one location to duke it out for the titles of Best Savory Dish, Best Sweet Dish, Best Display, Dish of the Year, etc. You can sample dishes from over 50 of the finest Philly restaurants all in one night! A foodie dream come true!

Philly Cooks! takes place on Wednesday, January 17th from 6:30-9:30pm at Turbine hall at the Wharf at Rivertown, 2501 Seaport Drive, Chester. The cost is $85 in advance and $95 at the door. Proceeds will be donated to MANNA- a local organization that delivers nourishment to people at nutritional risk from life threatening illness.

Live music and food/beer pairings will also be featured.

PhillyCooks!
800.595.4TIX
tix@phillymag.com

Merry Christmas!