21 August 2012 Dad’s Quebec Smoked Meat Sandwich

Dad’s Quebec Smoked Meat Sandwich

August 21, 2012 By

A special Quebec treat I enjoy is a perfectly steamed smoked meat sandwich.  Dad has had a restaurant-grade food steamer since I was a little girl that his brother from Montreal found for him. Fabulous hot dogs and smoked meats have come out of that steamer over the years, and this past weekend, while I was in Quebec, dad treated the family to the tasty sandwiches.

A 10-pound piece of corned beef was steamed for a couple hours until perfectly moist and fork tender.  Rye bread was also steamed for a minute to create the perfect sandwich.

The steamed meat was sliced thin on an electric meat slicer and piled high on the rye bread. A little mustard and some crisp pickles were the only complements the sandwich needed.

If you make your way to Quebec City or Montreal, be sure to sample a real Quebec smoked meat sandwich, it ranks up there with the very best New York corned beef on rye.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Canadian, Culinary Travel Tales, Other Neat Things Tagged With: , , ,
10 July 2012 Cheese Making Fun with Caputo Brothers Creamery and A Toute Heure

Cheese Making Fun with Caputo Brothers Creamery and A Toute Heure

July 10, 2012 By

On Saturday, I attended a fresh Mozzarella-making class hosted by Rynn Caputo, President of Caputo Brothers Creamery. The class lasted two hours and was held at lovely A Toute Heure, a farm-to-table restaurant in Cranford, New Jersey.

The class was attended by 25 cheese fanatics and everyone had a chance to make cheese under the tutelage of patient-beyond-words Rynn.

Working from frozen then thawed curd base, hot water and salt were added and gooey cheese began forming.  It is an art to know when to stop stirring the hot water and curd mixture and when to begin stretching the cheese to make it silky, smooth.  “Doing this process at home is a great way to teach kids about cheese making with a cheese that most of them are already familiar with from eating pizza.  It gets them excited about food and encourages them to participate in the cooking process”, says Caputo.

Rynn molded the fresh cheese into balls, tore it into long strings for Burrata, creamy-cheese filled cheese (brilliant) and flattened it, pizza dough-style, for pesto-stuffed pinwheels.  I have not had a better fresh Mozzarella cheese, even in Italy.  The cheese is perfectly salted, soft, milky and overall, heavenly.

A Toute Heure features Caputo Brothers Creamery cheeses at to the delight of its loyal clientele.  Executive Chef Kara Decker is thrilled to offer Burrata and Burino, butter-stuffed fresh cheese, to her clients, and I cannot wait for my next visit to sample her summer menu.

For details on future events hosted by A Toute Heure, access its Events Page.

To learn about Caputo Brothers Creamery, where to buy its products and to find information about its future classes, access its website.

Cheers,

Veronique

 

Filed Under: Cheese, Culinary Travel Tales, Other Neat Things Tagged With: , , ,

Happy 4th of July

July 4, 2012 By

To all my friends and fans, happy 4th of July!  Hope it’s a day filled with delicious food, drinks and friends/family.  It’s burgers and hot dogs at my home and I’ll post photos in the next few days.

Let’s celebrate Independence Day and be grateful to be Americans!

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Other Neat Things
29 June 2012 Tamaya and Lauca Wine Dinner at Morris Tap and Grill

Tamaya and Lauca Wine Dinner at Morris Tap and Grill

June 29, 2012 By

Beef Course

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending a Chilean wine dinner at Morris Tap & Grill in Randolph, NJ.  Chef Eric LeVine designed a creative tasting menu that helped showcase the various wines.  Here is what we enjoyed:

Avocado Shrimp Ceviche
Sauvignon Blanc, Lauca, Maule Valley, 2011

Grilled Seafood Sausage with Garlic Tomato Rice and Tarragon Aioli
Chardonnay, Tamaya, Limari Valley, 2011

Oven Roasted Pork with Mashed Yucca, Carrots and Grilled Corn
Pinot Noir, Lauca, Maule Valley, 2009

Pork Course

Chimichurri Beef Loin skirt Roulade
and Carmenere Braised Short Rib, Roasted Tricolor Tomato
Carmenere, Tamaya, Limari Valley, Reserva 2009

Dulce de Leche with Roasted Figs
Rose, Pink Goat By Tamaya 2010

Morris Tap & Grill is planning many fun events for the remainder of 2012 and you can stay abreast of all of them by following its Facebook Page or by subscribing to its newsletter.

Cheers,

Veronique

 

Filed Under: Other Neat Things, Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: , , ,
17 June 2012 The Food and Wine Chickie 2nd Annual Lobsterfest

The Food and Wine Chickie 2nd Annual Lobsterfest

June 17, 2012 By

Last night, I hosted a dinner party for close friends where lobster was king.  This was the 2nd annual “lobsterfest” I’ve held and think it’s a really fun concept that can be executed rather simply.

Friends always offer to bring “something” to my parties, and last night, I decided to take them up on it.  One friend was tasked with bringing potato salad (future post I hope) and another with bringing a few cheeses we could enjoy post-dessert.

I popped a few bottles of bubbly, what could be better with rich lobster?  2 ½ – 3-pound lobsters were boiled using my Boiling Lobster 101 technique, Lemon Butter Cream was quickly prepared and the party was on its way.  Dessert was my Easy Like Sunday Morning Key Lime Pie which is a popular summer dessert that’s easy to prepare using semi-homemade staples.

I urge you to try this type of party that’s both worry-free and very festive.  Your guests will appreciate the luxe meal and you’ll love that it can be put together in a breeze.

Enjoy!

Veronique

 

Filed Under: American, Entrees, Other Neat Things, Potatoes, Seafood Tagged With: , , ,
28 May 2012 Smorgasburg – Brooklyn Foodie Paradise

Smorgasburg – Brooklyn Foodie Paradise

May 28, 2012 By

When my friends from Florida come to visit me in New Jersey, I always try to arrange a foodie girls’ day in Manhattan.  The idea is to cocktail at one place, appetizer at another, eat an entrée elsewhere and finish with dessert someplace new.  All done, if possible, in different neighborhoods.

Saturday, I instead opted to venture to Brooklyn to the place ‘everyone’ is talking about, at least in my foodie circle: Smorgasburg – a weekly market featuring hand-crafted foods on the Williamsburg waterfront.  Every Saturday between North 6th and North 7th St., the East River transforms into a festive gathering of food entrepreneurs and successful purveyors offering packaged and prepared foods, fresh produce and other food-related goods.  Smorgasburg typically features over 100 vendors and is open rain or shine during the non-Winter months.

As I entered the 44,000 square feet space, the aromas of the various food stands greeted me and prompted me to start sampling.  Since this was my first visit, I decided to walk around the food labyrinth to get a feel for what was being offered.  The tantalizing options are overwhelming.  Fried whole anchovies from Bon Chovie?  The Montreal-style smoked meat sandwich of famed Mile End?  A three-cheese grilled cheese from Milk Truck?  A perfect porkie sandwich from Porchetta?  I finally selected the sesame noodles with hot brown meat sauce (pork braised for four hours in hoisin) from Shorty Tang & Sons, the crispy pork belly on steam buns from Bite Size Kitchen, a miniature Canadian maple butter tart from Cutie Pies and a tiny maple and bacon cupcake from Kumquat Cupcakery.  I washed everything down with a fantastic slushy concoction from Kelvin Natural Slush Co.  I just couldn’t fit in the lobster roll from Red Hook Lobster Pound that I’d been eyeing since arriving – next time!

People appear to make a day out of going to Smorgasburg.  There were families picnicking in the grassy area near to river and folks enjoying a walk around the space with their dogs.  Veterans of the event are helpful to newbies and food vendors are clearly proud of showing off their craft.

The place has an energizing buzz about it that is contagious to both vendors and consumers and I urge you to get out there during the season to experience a super smorgasbord in Williamsburg.

Smorgasburg
27 N. 6th St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Cheers,

Veronique

 

Filed Under: Culinary Travel Tales, Other Neat Things Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
24 May 2012 5 Easy Memorial Day Recipes

5 Easy Memorial Day Recipes

May 24, 2012 By

I just love a reason to BBQ and have friends over, so Memorial Day is one of my favorite holidays.  I know this is a special holiday and being very patriotic, this weekend’s celebrations will have me reflecting on my country, my friends and my family.

Here are 5 easy recipes ideal for any Memorial Day weekend BBQs:

1.      Chorizo and Manchego Bites

2.      Hot Spinach, Artichoke and Cheese Dip

3.      Grilled Mexican Corn on the Cob

4.      Quick and Easy Pan Fried Smashed Potatoes

5.      Whole Grilled Chicken for the Non-Cook

A very safe and happy holiday weekend to all my friends and fan.

Cheers,

Veronique

 

Filed Under: American, Other Neat Things Tagged With: , , , ,
10 May 2012 May is Riesling Month in the Finger Lakes

May is Riesling Month in the Finger Lakes

May 10, 2012 By

Photo Courtesy of Finger Lakes Wine Country

Being a fan of Riesling, I’m excited about May being Riesling Month.  Being a huge fan of Finger Lakes Rieslings…read article.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Culinary Travel Tales, Other Neat Things, White Wine, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
4 May 2012 Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

May 4, 2012 By

The official reason to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the USA is to honor the cause of freedom and democracy during the early years of the American Civil War and to revel in Mexican heritage and pride.  The unofficial reason, let’s be honest, is to have a dedicated day where everyone just parties with Mexican food and margaritas.  Here are some simple-to-make dishes to pair up with your favorite tequila-spiked cocktail.

Lime and cilantro make everything taste better…enjoy this festive holiday responsibly.

Salud,

Veronique

 

Filed Under: Mexican, Other Neat Things Tagged With: , , , ,
13 April 2012 World Malbec Day – Celebrate from the Comforts of Home

World Malbec Day – Celebrate from the Comforts of Home

April 13, 2012 By

World Malbec Day, April 17th, offers an interesting platform for Malbec lovers to compare wines of this varietal, share their thoughts about them on Twitter and Facebook, see what other tasters have to say and add new wines to their favorites list.

If you’ve never participated in an online wine tasting, it’s great fun:

  1. Buy your favorite bottle of the featured grape varietal, in this case, Argentine Malbec.
  2. Invite some folks to share the experience, or snuggle in your JPs in front of the computer.
  3. Sip and share your wine comments with other tasters from around the world!

What I’ll be uncorking for the big day:

  • 2010 Graffigna Centenario Malbec, an affordable ($12) little number from Argentina.

Remember to use the hashtag #MalbecDay to participate in the celebrations on Twitter (are we connected there? @foodwinechickie) or share your tasting notes on the Wines of Argentina Facebook page.

About Malbec:  Malbec is medium to full-bodied and offers ripe fruit flavors of plums and blackberry with notes of vanilla, spice and tobacco.

Typical Malbec Food Pairings:  Red meats are the perfect pairing for Malbec, but it can also stand up to spicy Mexican, Cajun, Indian or Italian foods.  BBQ is great matched with Malbec.

Salud!

Veronique

Filed Under: Other Neat Things, Red Wine, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
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