Posts from March 2015

Active Hose Company Number 1, Greetings from Rosendale, Hudson Valley, New York

Fire departments can have poetic names as I discovered on my mini week-end in the Hudson Valley, New York.

Active Hose Co 1

Here's a photo of Active Hose Company Number 1 in Rosendale, on a grey Saturday afternoon.

Sunday turned out sunny as noon snapshot of Rondout Creek  proves.

Rosendale Sunday Noon

I stayed at 1850 House Inn and Tavern in Rosendale...

Still unseasonably cold for March 29...


Indulgence for Paleos, Upside Down Apple Tartlets, Paleo Cooking from Elana's Pantry

Indulging for Paleos courtesy of Paleo Cooking from Elana's Pantry Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes (Ten Speed Press, 2013) by Elana Amsterdam 

Upside-Down Apple Tartlets

Serves 8  Sweetness: Medium  

Crust

2 cups blanched almond flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup coconut oil, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon vanilla crème stevia

Filling

6 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 cup apple juice

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Upside-Down Apple Tartlets

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place eight 1-cup wide-mouth Mason jars on a large baking sheet.

To make the crust, pulse together the almond flour and salt in a food processor. Add the coconut oil and stevia and pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.

To make the filling, place the apples, apple juice, lemon juice, arrowroot powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl, and toss to combine. Transfer the apples to the Mason jars so that each one is overfull. Divide the remaining juice from the bottom of the bowl between the jars.

Remove the dough from the freezer, place between 2 pieces of parchment paper generously dusted with almond flour, and roll out the dough 1/4 inch thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment. Using the top 
of a wide-mouth Mason jar, cut out 
8 circles of dough and place one on
 top of each apple-filled Mason jar.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the juices are bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Serve the tartlets hot out of the oven.

Coconut Whipped Cream

Makes 1 Cup  Sweetness: Low

This dairy-free whipped cream recipe calls for full-fat canned coconut milk. The fat is what makes the recipe creamy and luscious; light coconut milk won’t work and results in a watery mess. Serve over Upside-Down Apple Tartlets (page 101) or Peach Cherry Crisp (page 98). See photo on page 100.

1 (13-ounce) can Thai Kitchen coconut milk

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 drops vanilla crème stevia

Pinch of sea salt

Place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator at least 24 hours before making the whipped cream, so it is well chilled. Chill a metal bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Take the coconut milk out of the refrigerator and remove the lid. Gently scoop out the coconut fat, placing it in the chilled bowl. Pour the remaining liquid into a glass jar and store in the refrigerator, saving it for another use.

Using a handheld blender, whip the coconut milk fat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Whip in the honey, vanilla extract, stevia, and salt.

Use right away or store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

 (* Recipe reproduced with permission from Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry, by Elana Amsterdam -Ten Speed Press, 2013- Photo by Leigh Beisch)


Fly RT in July from New York- Newark Liberty to Frankfurt, Milan, Paris for $880 to 980

Fly RT in July from New York (Newark Liberty) to Frankfurt, Milan, Paris for $880 to 980.

Dolce amaro

Prices I spotted this morning via Google Flights for travel July 7 to July 28, 2015.

Dollar-Euro exchange rate today stands at $1.08 per Euro...

Another good reason to visit Expo Milano 2015 opening May 1.

(* Image from Expo Milano 2015 from their Facebook page)

 


Give St Patrick's Day a New Zealand Twist with Fa'Alifu Taro and Corned Beef Recipe

My food and photography loving cousin based in New Zealand surprised me a while back by sending me a copy of The Great New Zealand Cookbook (Thom & PQ Blackwell) .

Browsing through it on Sunday i thought the Fa'alifu Taro and Corned Beef dish by Michael Meredith of Meredith's in Auckland pictured below would add a nice twist to St Patrick's Day table.

Taro and corned beef

Find out more about the book and how to order it outside New Zealand by visiting The Great New Zealand Cookbook site...

Great new zealand

( Snapshot from The Great New Zealand Cookbook -Thom & PQ Blackwell- Photos by Lottie Hedley


Do Not Dip in Your Beer, Barmbrack Speckled Loaf Recipe by Rachel Allen on St Patrick's Day

Do Not Dip in Your Beer

On St Patrick's Day, Barmbrack Speckled Loaf Recipe from Rachel's Irish Family Food (Harper Collins) by Rachel Allen on St Patrick's Day.

Barmbrack

Originally shared on February 25, 2013

(* Recipe from Rachel's Irish Family Food by Rachel Allen- Harper Collins, February 2013- reproduced with permission)


D.O Conca de Barbera, Mas Foraster Montblanc 2010, New Red Spanish Favorite

From Denominacio d' Origen Conca de Barbera this Mas Foraster Montblanc 'Crianza 2010' by Josep Foraster is a new red Spanish favorite or should I say, Catalan.

Try it and you will see why.

Josep foraster montblanc

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tempranillo.

Retails in $16 range

 

 


Don't Want Piece of Liver that Looks like a Couch, The Chef Says

Need an easy read that runs from crude to profound to funny? 

Thechefsays page 67

Grab a copy of The CHEF Says, quotes, quips and words of Wisdom (Princeton Architectural Press, Fall 2014) compiled and edited by Nach Waxman & Matt Sartwell.

(* Excerpt reproduced with permission, all rights reserved)

 


Absinthe and Duvel turn into a Green Devil, from 'Cocktails on Tap' by Jacob Grier

We run all over the color spectrum from Raspberry Pink Zelda from  Cocktails on TapThe Art of Mixing Spirits and Beer (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, March 2015) by Jacob Grier to this second recipe where Absinthe and Duvel turn into a Green Devil...

Green Devil

Absinthe

1 oz. gin

About 11 oz. (330 ml) Duvel or other Belgian-style golden ale

Serves 1

Green Devil

Lightly rinse the inside of a Duvel chalice or other glass with absinthe, discarding the excess. Add the gin and then top it off with the Duvel, allowing a large head to form.

(* Recipe reproduced with permission from 'Cocktails on Tap' by Jacob Grier - Stewart, Tabori and Chang, March 2015- Photographs: David L. Reamer)