2014 line up at Summer Fancy Food Show opening today June 29 at Javits Center in New York includes Taste NY Pavilion with Empire Mayonnaise, Field Trip Jerky, Hella Bitters, Kombucha Brooklyn, La Flor Spices among others.

Next to them is Brooklyn Eats presence by Better Off Spread, Brooklyn Brine Co, Granola Lab, Jomart Chocolates, Mama O’s Premium Kimchi, We Rub You and others.

I will kick off July by paying them a visit during my Tuesday at Summer Fancy Food Show.

What falls out of fashion gets back in fashion at some point as this Black Cow Float aka Root Beer Float 1947 style from Ample Hills Creamery, Secrets & Stories from Brooklyn's Favorite Ice Cream Shop (Stewart Tabori & Chang, April 2014) by Brian Smith, Jackie Cuscuna and Lauren Kaelin of Ample Hills Creamery proves.

Black Cow Float

For the Root Beer Ice Cream:

1 recipe Walt’s Dream (available on request, please email us)
1 tablespoon root beer extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Milk Chocolate Swirl:
6 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
½ cup heavy cream

1. Make the root beer ice cream: Prepare Walt’s Dream according to the recipe directions. After cooling the base in the ice bath, add the extracts and stir to combine.

2. Transfer the cooled base to an ice cream maker and churn it according to the manufacturer’s
instructions.

3. While the ice cream is churning, make the milk chocolate swirl: Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat until it starts to bubble up. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir gently until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.

4. Transfer the base to a storage container, gently folding in heaping spoonfuls of the milk chocolate swirl as you do, softly lifting and spinning it throughout the ice cream. Be careful not to overmix. Serve immediately or harden in your freezer for 8 to 12 hours for a more scoopable ice cream.

Make a Root Beer Float:

Add a scoop or two of this ice cream to a glass of root beer with tons of chocolate swirled around
inside the glass!

(Recipe reproduced with permission from Ample Hills Creamery: Secrets and Stories from Brooklyn’s Favorite Ice Cream Shop, by Brian Smith, Jackie Cuscuna and Lauren Kaelin, published by Stewart Tabori & Chang © 2014, photos: © Lucy Schaeffer)

In past few weeks while taking clients cars for service down the street, I noticed the arrival of Ani Ramen on Bloomfield Avenue in my hometown of Montclair.

I gave them a try for lunch today and tried their 'by the number' no 5, Mazeman (broth free, with chicken and pork), $12 a bowl. Menu and pricing is same for lunch and dinner which must make it a favorite of diners on budget. It's a BYOB place too.

Before leaving I took couple snapshots of Noodle Slurping Mural at Ani Ramen.

This recent addition to Montclair food scene opened its doors in May 2014.

Noodle slurping on the wall for Tokyo Thursdays # 286

Previously: Funa Zushi, Fermented Sushi, with Water Snails at Sojiki Nakahigashi via Tokyo Food File

Give your Kale a Coconut Massage and you will be surprised how good this recipe from Salad Samurai: 100 Cutting-Edge, Ultra-Hearty, Easy-to-Make Salads You Don’t Have to Be Vegan to Love (Da Capo Lifelong Books, June 2014) by Terry Hope Romero, will be.

Grilled Kale Salad with Spicy Lentils

SERVES: 2

TIME: 30 minutes, not including cooking the lentils

Grilled kale marinated with coconut milk pairs wonderfully with lentils: the kale grills in a flash, so it’s easy to fi re up a cast-iron grill pan on the stove for flavor that rivals grilling in the great outside. Enjoy this salad year-round, or in the early spring (or late fall) when lacinato (Tuscan) kale is at its sweetest after a touch of frost.

1 pound lacinato (Tuscan) kale
1 bunch (about 6) scallions, root ends trimmed
1 cup coconut milk (full fat or reduced fat)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Sriracha
1 ½ cups Lentils for Salads (page 49) or cooked canned lentils, drained and rinsed
1 red onion, diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1⁄4 cup toasted, chopped almonds
Lime wedges, for garnish

1. Trim away the tough bottom inch from each stem of kale and discard. Slice the stems into 3-inch-long sections. Transfer to a bowl and add the scallions. Pour in the coconut milk and lime juice, add a pinch of salt, and massage the kale and scallions just enough to coat them with dressing. Preheat a cast-iron grill pan over high heat.

2. Remove only the kale from the bowl and grill it for about 30 to 45 seconds, flipping once, until it is tender and perhaps slightly charred. Transfer to a dish. Grill the scallions for about 1 to 2 minutes, transfer to a cutting board, and slice into bite-size pieces when just cool enough to handle.

3. In the bowl with the leftover coconut lime dressing, whisk in the vinegar and Sriracha. Add the lentils, onion, tomatoes, and almonds and toss to coat with the dressing. Mound the lentil mixture in individual serving dishes, arrange the kale and scallions on top, and serve with lime wedges.

(* Recipe from Salad Samurai: 100 Cutting-Edge, Ultra-Hearty, Easy-to-Make Salads You Don’t Have to Be Vegan to Love by Terry Hope Romero. Reprinted courtesy of Da Capo Lifelong Books)

Pickle your Sunday Brunch with Hot Pickled Pineapple and Peanuts from Asian Pickles (Ten Speed Press, June 2014) by Karen Solomon...

Pickling fruit is a frontier in a world of vegetable dominance, but pineapple is one of the best of the sweet fruits for the job: it’s firm, naturally acidic, and sweet. And peanuts (or any kind of nut, really) also play nicely in the pickle bath, lending a bit of heft and chew, and plumping up all pretty-like in the jar. The chile just brings it all together, and its red flecks pop against the yellow fruit. Serve this as an appetizer or a side dish, and keep this recipe in mind when you can’t eat a whole pineapple straight away. Note that if you must, you can substitute drained canned pineapple chunks, but fresh is really much better.

HOT PICKLED PINEAPPLE AND PEANUTS

• TIME: ABOUT 1 and 1/2 HOURS • MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS •

1⁄2 cup raw peanuts
1 clove garlic
11⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons chile sauce, such as Fermented “Cock Sauce” (page 156)
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1⁄2 cup distilled white vinegar
11⁄2 cups chopped fresh pineapple, in 1-inch cubes

Place the peanuts in a small skillet over medium heat. Scorch them, shaking the pan, for about 5 minutes, until blackened in spots. Set aside to cool.

Finely mince the garlic or put it through a press. In a large wood, glass, or ceramic bowl (plastic will scratch and retain odors), combine the garlic with the salt. Use the back of a sturdy spoon to mash the garlic and salt together into a paste. It will take a couple of minutes to get it smooth. (Of course, if you have a mortar and pestle, you can use that instead.) Stir in the chile sauce, anchovy paste, and fish sauce until well combined. Stream in the vinegar and mix well.

Add the peanuts and pineapple and mix to coat completely, then spoon everything into a 1-pint jar. Don’t worry if there isn't enough brine to cover; the fruit will yield more of its juice as it sits. Cover tightly and let it sit for at least 1 hour before eating. This pickle, stored in the refrigerator,
will continue to be delicious for 2 weeks.

(* Reprinted with permission from Asian Pickles by Karen Solomon, copyright (c) 2014. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Photography (c) 2014 by Jennifer Martine...)

Put a little passion in your say

Before i try my luck at interviewing Greg Marchand in French of course, here's a sinful treat from his new cookbook Frenchie: New Bistro Cooking (Artisan Books, April 2014)...

Chocolate and Passion Fruit Pots de Crème with Lychees and Candied Ginger

4 servings

For the Passion Fruit Caramel:

½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
Generous 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Generous 2 tablespoons unsweetened passion fruit juice
Scant 2 tablespoons (25 grams)
salted butter

For the Candied Ginger:

3½ ounces (100 grams) fresh ginger
1¼ cups (300 ml.) water
Scant ½ cup (110 ml.) honey
Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

For the Chocolate Pots de Crème:

4½ ounces (125 grams)
65% bittersweet chocolate
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (200 ml.)
heavy cream
½ cup (125 ml.) whole milk
¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
3 large egg yolks, beaten
12 lychees

The Passion Fruit Caramel:

Combine the sugar with the water in a small heavy nonreactive saucepan and heat over medium heat,
stirring just until the sugar dissolves, then cook, swirling the pan for even cooking, until you have a golden brown caramel. Remove from the heat and add the cream and passion fruit juice (be careful—the hot caramel will spatter) and whisk vigorously. Gradually add the butter, whisking until completely
incorporated. Let cool, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

The Candied Ginger:

Meanwhile, peel the ginger and dice it into 1⁄8-inch cubes.
Bring the water and honey to a boil in a small heavy saucepan. Add the ginger and cook over low heat,
adding a little water if necessary, until the ginger is translucent and the syrup has reduced to a glaze,
about 11⁄2 hours. Stir in the lemon juice, and reserve in the refrigerator. (The ginger will keep for several weeks.)

The Chocolate Pots de Crème:

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Finely chop the chocolate and put it in a medium bowl. Combine the cream, milk, and sugar in a small
saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the chocolate and let stand for 30
seconds to melt it, then stir with a heatproof spatula until smooth. Let cool slightly, then add the egg yolks and stir until smooth.

Pour the mixture into four 4-ounce ramekins. Put the ramekins in a baking dish and add enough warm
water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 28 to 30
minutes. The pots are done when they are firm to the touch but still jiggle when gently shaken. Remove
from the water bath and let cool. (It is best not to put the pots de crème in the refrigerator: set aside at room temperature and serve the same day.)

Finishing Touches:

Peel the lychees and remove the seeds.

Put the pots de crème on serving plates and place a tablespoon of caramel, a teaspoon of candied ginger, and some lychees on each one.

( “Excerpted from Frenchie: New Bistro Cooking by Greg Marchand (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2014. Photographs by Djamel Dine Zitout)

A French guy always has a weekness for dishes with snails so I could not resist mentioning one of the dishes tasted by Robbie Swinnerton of Tokyo Food File on his visit to Sojiki Nakahigashi restaurant in Tokyo, dishes created by Chef Hisao Nakahigashi..

Funa Zushi, Fermented Sushi, served with Water Snails

Snail paced on Tokyo Thursdays # 285

Previously: Geisha your Margarita with Green Tea Geisha Cherry Margarita, via Palais des Thes

(* Photo copyright Robbie Swinnerton, Tokyo Food File)

Home Frite Malt Flavored Boardwalk Fries Must Be On Menu at Smorgasbar on Jones Beach.

They are "seasoned with hickory smoked salt and malt vinegar powder and served with malt aoili made with Brooklyn Brewery beer."

Brooklyn by the Beach some call it.

Cherry Bitters turn Moonshine Cocktail from 'Kombucha Revolution' (Ten Speed Press, June 3, 2014) by Stephen Lee of Kombucha Wonder into a wonder drink. 

Moonshine Cocktail

Jovial King of Urban Moonshine is an expert when it comes to pairing food and drink with bitters, which are made of a variety of herbs, fruits, spices, and roots distilled in a base liquor. She inspired me to add cherry bitters to my Traditional Kombucha Wonder Drink—and what a wonderfully refreshing flavor combination! Try this re‑creation of a classic cocktail and enjoy the digestive benefits of both kombucha and bitters. The dashes of bitters lend an aromatic, well-balanced flavor to the fresh citrus, resulting in a crisp cocktail.

I recommend using Urban Moonshine’s Citrus Bitters. Serves 1

2‑inch peeled fresh ginger, chopped

Ice

1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1/2 of a lime)

1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/4 of a lemon)

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) plain kombucha (page 19)

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) vodka

5 dashes bitters

Twist of lemon peel, to garnish

Place the ginger in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and press with a muddler or blunt kitchen utensil. Half fill the shaker with ice. Add the lime juice, lemon juice, kombucha, vodka, and bitters. Shake well. Pour the strained liquor into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a twisted peel of lemon. 

(Reprinted with permission from Kombucha Revolution by Stephen Lee, copyright (c) 2014. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House LLC. Cover photography (c) 2014 by Katie Newburn All other photography (c) 2014 by Leo Gong

As you will discover if you read her 10 do's and don'ts of Columbus, Jeni likes a good drink now and then.

Drink recipe from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Desserts (Artisan Books, May 2014) by Jeni Britton Bauer is not as coarse as it sounds, the salt might be.

This cocktail could turn into a conversation starter this summer.

Salty Bitch

Makes 1 drink

Murray River Sea Salt or Himalayan coarse pink sea salt (see Sources, page 200)

One 4-ounce scoop (about 1/4 pint) Grapefruit Sorbet (page 85)

1/4 cup vodka

Sprig of tarragon

Pour a thin layer of the salt onto a small plate. Moisten the rim of a lowball glass and gently dip into the salt to coat. Drop the scoop of sorbet into the glass and pour the vodka over the top. Garnish with the tarragon sprig and serve with a spoon. 

(* Credit: “Excerpted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Desserts by Jeni Britton Bauer (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2014. Photographs by Kelsey McClellan.")