Vaca - Part III - Philly

There's no doubt that Philadelphia is a foodies dream - there are almost too many choices. One great example of this is the Reading Terminal Market on North 12th Street. Fresh produce, meats, seafood, pastries, Amish specialties, sushi, (just to name a few) and my personal favorite - Cheese!



For one of our lunch stops, we took a quick cab ride down to University City to White Dog Cafe near UPenn (thanks RDM for the recommendation!)





White Dog is a barely converted brownstone which prides itself on fresh local ingredients. The dining areas are very cozy...



and the food is as unique as the decor.






Next Stop - Tria



If I were to open a restaurant, I think this would be it... a simple bar/winebar/cafe/tapas joint... a place that's all about good wine, beer, and cheese with a knowledgable staff to help diners have a fantastic experience.





We'll definitely be back next time we're in PHL.

An afternoon cocktail stop - Stephen Starr's The Continental

From the outside, The Continental looks like a retro-chrome diner, but inside is a swank tapas-style restaurant. The highlight for me was my cocktail, called the Buzz Aldrin: a mix of Tang, Absolut peach vodka and triple sec in an orange tang-rimmed glass... what could be better on a hot day?





Even bowling takes on a gourmet twist in Philadelphia - North Bowl is unlike any bowling alley I've ever been to.



with food that you actually want to eat!

Miso at a bowling alley??


But how can you beat six types of Tater Tots?

Vaca: Next Stop.... Home

The next stop on our trip was my hometown - Nutley, NJ.



I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I guess I was too busy chatting and eating. But for me, it doesn't get any better than this - a hot sausage sammich with peppers and onions on a fresh italian roll from Vitiello's bakery.



... and of course eating it with the fam (say cheese D!)

Vaca: day one

*** For those readers not related to me, please bear with my next few vacation posts (although there are always edible adventures along the way) ***



The first leg of our vacation was a 500 mile journey to Chateau Clayton (aka, my sister and brother-in-laws house) right outside Washington, DC.



The wine list was fantastic (as usual)




and although dinner was delicious, I think dessert was the highlight - Cream Puffs!


But what's in there?



That's Bailey's cream inside - YUM!



Thanks R & E for a great night!



To be continued...

Thought

Just because it's a weeknight and we're making cheezy (literally and figuratively) ground beef burritos, it doesn't mean it can't looks as good as it tastes.

Cauliflower Bisque

While in Charleston, C and I had an amazing Cauliflower Bisque which was drizzled with truffle oil. You know a dish is good when you are still talking about it months later. So, when I brought home a head of cauliflower over the weekend, guess what was immediately on the menu for Sunday night?! Since I didn’t have any truffle oil on hand (and after looking in two stores with no luck for it), I decided to just make my own infused oil with mushrooms and crispy bacon and use that as a topping to try and give it the same earthy flavor.

Click Here for Printable Recipe

Ingredients
Olive Oil
1 head cauliflower, cut into flowerets
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
2 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
48 oz chicken stock
salt/pepper to taste

I decided to throw a potato in the mix to help thicken it, but that seemed to mute the cauliflower flavor a bit. It was tasty, but I think if I made it again I would leave out the potato and just use another thickener if necessary.

Topping (optional)
Olive Ol
4 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 slice bacon, cut into small pieces
salt/pepper to taste

Instructions
Heat olive oil in a medium stock pot. Add bacon pieces and render for a few minutes. Add the onion, celery, and potato and cook until vegetables begin to soften, but not brown. Add the cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Once cauliflower softens, blend in food processor or blender - strain if desired.

Topping:
Heat olive oil in small sauce pan. Once the oil is hot, add the bacon and sizzle away. Once it begins to crisp, add mushrooms and cook until they soften.

C paired the soup with a beautiful white wine - 2004 Tandem Chardonnay, Richard Vineyard

Cake Batter Ice Cream (aka French Vanilla)

With temperatures in the 80's last week, we decided to dust off the ice cream maker and whip up some frozen goodness this weekend. While I'm partial to natural vanilla, there's something about the custard-like flavor of French vanilla that reminds me of cake batter (and who doesn't like to eat cake batter).

For this batch we went with a recipe from The Chocolate Gourmand. I've included the recipe below, but you can find step-by-step photos on the original website.

Ingredients:
3 cups half and half
1 vanilla bean
3/4 cup sugar
6 egg yolks

Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Place the seeds and bean pod in the half and half and heat over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and proceed to making the custard.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until well blended. The color will change to a beautiful bright yellow when this happens. With the mixer still running, slowly pour in the simmering half and half. Continue blending and then return to the stove. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. When a finger drawn across the back of a wooden spoon leaves a path, it is thick enough.

Strain the mixture to remove any large vanilla fibers or bits of egg that may have gotten cooked. Don't worry, the vanilla bean seeds will pass through.

Cinnamon Hazelnut Biscotti

A hot cup of coffee and a bag of leftover hazelnuts from Easter were the inspiration for making these cookies. I went searching for a cinnamon-hazelnut biscotti recipe online and found one on allrecipes.com ... click here for original

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup hazelnuts

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; mix into the egg mixture. Stir in the hazelnuts. Shape dough into two equal logs approximately 12 inches long. Place logs on baking sheet, and flatten out to about 1/2 inch thickness.

Bake for about 30 minutes in preheated oven, or until edges are golden and the center is firm. Remove from oven to cool on the pans. When loaves are cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to slice the loaves diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet.

Bake for an additional 10 minutes, turning over once. Cool completely, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Happy Easter!

Easter just isn't Easter without peeps, cadbury cream eggs, and of course...Lambie Cake! This was my first solo attempt. After three surgical procedures, here he is.


and when life gives you excess cake batter...

Charleston Food & Wine Festival

After finishing up a long term project at work, C and I took a weekend getaway to Charleston for the Food & Wine Festival. It was sort of a last minute trip, so we were limited on our choice of events, but it was a fantastic break.

We stayed at the Embassy Suites on Meeting Street. The building is the original Citadel Military College, with many of the original features restored. Here is the atrium...



C checks out the little port hole window in the bedroom. These appear all over the building. I'm sure they served a purpose at some point (anyone know?)


The first event we went to was Bubbles & Sweets late Saturday evening,



Amaretto Cocktails as you entered (yes, that woman's hat is attached to the table)


a DJ to keep the party going...






candy sushi




Cake with a BOURBON MILKSHAKE ...the inventer of that drink was a genious :)


Chocolates from NYC


My favorite sweet of the evening...


and it's creator...


and look who it is, Jim Cantore from the weather channel...


and Sam Talbot from Top Chef


We spent the next morning in the Culinary Village and had tickets for the tasting tents (our hotel's the castle looking building behind the tent)...






Hanging at the Childress Racing/Winery tent...






CHEERS!

C's Slaw

Since we woke to a beautifully sunny morning, I dropped C off at the gym and headed to the monthly farmers market downtown. While the produce options are still pretty slim, there were beautiful heads of cabbage to be found. I picked up one green and one purple. And since the weather channel promises me that tomorrow will be just as beautiful, we decided we will have a small bbq including some homemade slaw.



Ingredients



1 head green cabbage, shredded
½ head red cabbage, shredded
4 medium carrots, shredded



For the dressing, mix together...
1.5 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise
4.5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dash black pepper
1.5 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pour dressing over shredded cabbage and carrots, toss and refrigerate. For the best taste, make this a day ahead so the flavours have a chance to blend.