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Posts with tag maple syrup
LeNell It All - Little Bit of Country
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| LeNell Smothers. |
The moving truck rolls into Brooklyn this week. The big international move to Mexico has been brutal to organize, but -- lucky me! -- I had the very cool cats called Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC) host a splendid Hasta Luego shindig in my honor.
One of the members, Elayne Duke, served up an original creation she called "Little Bit of Country," that's perfect for the chill coming in the air these days. Her cocktail pretty much sums me up: kick of bourbon, little sweetness, nice tartness, touch of spiciness and just enough bitter to balance it all out. My Granny sent me a fabulous leopard-print dress to wear that just had to have a pink feather boa for the party ... and I sported my cowboy boots for a "little bit of country."
'Martha Stewart's Cupcakes' - Cookbook Spotlight
'Martha Stewart's Cupcakes'Recipes from the editors of Martha Stewart Living
Photographs by Con Poulos and others
Clarkson Potter -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon
If there's one thing in the food blogosphere that provokes as strong a reaction as the words "Martha Stewart," it's "cupcake." So when we heard that Martha was busting out a brand-new book containing 175 of the suckers, we knew we had to get behind the scenes.
Martha's test kitchen cooks are both notoriously talented and fussy about their recipes, so we went straight to the top of the editorial food chain to find out which of the tome's 352 pages contained the best palm-sized cakes. (If you just can't wait, it's after the jump).
As with "Martha Stewart's Cookies," this is a thorough, imaginative and utterly vibrant paean to a beloved member of the baked goods family. The title truly does say it all: there's nothing but cupcakes as far as the eye can see. There's cupcake frosting, cupcake decorations, cupcakes for every season and occasion -- there's even a recipe for "Creepcakes" for, yes, Halloween. It's a candy-colored rebuke to the cupcake haters, those who view the craze as an infantile indulgence or see the diminutive desserts as the cloying, edible equivalent of those tiny dogs who travel around in handbags. Cupcakes, as done by Martha and her team, are a force to be reckoned with. The cover photo says it all: Cupcakes are here and they're not going anywhere, except maybe to your mouth.
See what we tested, what a top test-kitchen toque recommends and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
Continue reading 'Martha Stewart's Cupcakes' - Cookbook Spotlight
Maple, Pork and Passover - The Toronto Star in 60 Seconds
- Toronto is reveling in all things maple -- in wine, mustard, sugar, cheddar and even vinegar.
- The story of Melton Mowbray Pork Pies, local pride and the man behind their current success.
- Writer Corey Mintz shares his unique spin on Passover and being Jewish.
- Smoke in the kitchen can be tough to tolerate, but it's worth it if blackened catfish is the result.
- How to bake for Passover without using leavening.
- New wines that have "such excellent value even Harrison Ford would be excited": Casa Lapostolle 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Cleebourg Prestige 2006 Pinot Gris, Walter Clappis The Hedonist 2005 Shiraz, Sportoletti Assisi 2006 Rosse, Stringy Brae 2006 Shiraz
- Recipes: Spinach and Prosciutto Lasagna, Mixed Greens with Fennel and Tangerine, Peppermint Patties, Down-home Tuna Casserole
NYC Maple Syrup Stink Comes From New Jersey
Just yesterday, a NYC maple syrup mystery was solved. For several months now, there has been a mysterious smell over Manhattan that's been identified as maple syrup-like. Scientists in New Jersey and New York examined chemical registries, air samples, weather reports and 311 call logs. So what is the cause of this stink? Mayor Bloomberg states - New Jersey.
Frutarom factory in North Bergen is responsible for what the New York Times calls an "aromatic mystery". Mayor Bloombery assured reporters yesterday that the smell is harmless. The factory produces this smell on nights when it processes fenugreek seeds. To see what these seeds look like, check out AOL's coverage on the story. So, what's the deal with these seeds?
Fenugreek seeds are often used as a spice in Indian cuisine, in particular curry. Interestingly, in the U.S., fenugreek is often used as a flavor in industrial less expensive maple syrups. In the Middle East, it's used in many sweets. And, in Egypt, it's made into a tea and sold at coffee shops. For me, what began as an intriguing story over a syrup mystery has spurred an interest in discovering this aromatic spice and herb.
Mahi-Mahi, Meet Maple and Ginger
What I most love about fish is the ease in which you can make a truly tasty dish. It doesn't take a lot of prep, and with very little time investment, you can make a brow-raising and tastebud-pleasing entree to plate and serve.
I thawed some mahi-mahi from a Whole Foods splurge a few months ago, and had no idea what to serve with it until my eyes landed on the piece of fresh ginger that I had just picked up. Quickly, the marinade came together. In an ultra-rare twist from the girl who rarely merges sugary sweet and savory, I made a ginger and maple syrup glaze amped up with shallots, garlic, and other spices to top my broiled mahi-mahi.
It's really simple: Quickly saute a shallot in some butter, then add finely chopped ginger and garlic. After it gets a chance to cook, season the mix with just a bit of cayenne and chili powder, pour in some maple syrup, and then squeeze in a small lemon. Just let it reduce down and you have a tasty topping for your fish.
The Boston Globe in 60 seconds: Salads, Syrup, and Soy Milk
- It's spring, and time for salads.
- The bread basket: good or bad?
- Restaurant reviews: Mulan and MKT.
- This Vermont company is making soy milk, tofu, and other alternative dairy products.
- Maple syrup: the first crop of spring in Maine.
- This week's recipes: Vegetable Cutlets, Fromage, Tuna Noodle Casserole, Baked Fennel and Tomato Casserole, Coleslaw, Maple Baked Beans, Lemon-Walnut Loaf Cake, and Nonna Santopietro's Cookies.
The fly-by-night pancake house of maple syrup season
As mentioned in a recent post, maple syrup prices are soaring due to high fuel oil costs and a shorter season due to climate change. But if you want to indulge your maple syrup-tooth right now, and happen to be in the Angelica, New York vicinity (about two hours from Buffalo), try Cartwright's Maple Tree Inn. The Cartwrights, a family of longtime maple syrup producers, began serving pancakes and syrup for a few weeks during the harvest season in 1963. They've been selling stacks of buckwheat pancakes ever since, to tourists from as far away as Germany and Japan. The restaurant is only open for two months - from February 12 through April 13 this year. How's that for local, seasonal eating?
The Cartwright's pancake recipe is a family secret, but here's a link to The Minimalist's Pancake Primer - his ricotta pancakes are killer (in case you can't make it to Angelica before April 12).
It's maple syrup season and the prices are high
We're in the thick of the maple syrup harvest season right now, but high fuel costs will likely lead to price increases of around 30 percent, according to an article in the Boston Globe. Fuel prices - sugarmakers use fuel oil to boil the harvested sap into syrup - combined with already low syrup reserves from several poor harvest seasons are driving up retail prices. Warmer winters due to climate change have shortened the season, causing historically low output. Plus, there's an increased demand for maple syrup as consumers grow increasingly hip to its superiority over the faux corn syrup-based pancake syrups.
So get your whole grain pancakes with wild blueberry-maple syrup while the gettin's good.
Vodka Notes: Vermont Spirits Gold
Vermont Spirits Gold is 40% abv. / 80 proof and is made from Vermont Maple Syrup. Vermont Spirits makes three types of vodka. The Gold is from ample syrup the Vintage Gold from maple sap, and the White is made from milk sugar. They are small batch vodkas made in wood fired, steam heated distillers and the Gold is limited to 1,000 cases a year.The aroma is graceful and delicate, full of maple and hints of butter; with a nice warm alcohol base. The taste starts slightly sharp and peppery and then quickly has maple and buttery notes come through. These last a long time with a slight sweetness joining in. The body is full with an enjoyable oily-silkiness that slides along your tongue. It finishes with a cool-warm tongue and lip tingling.
Created by Duncan Holiday, an anthropologist, it is his answer to using local resources and products in a new way. This is definitely a vodka that you want to sip straight, cold, or on the rocks. Mixing this with much of anything will overwhelm the delicate flavor.
Banana maple pecan bread
Tuesday afternoon, I was struck with unshakable need to bake a loaf of banana bread. My favorite, basic, go-to recipe generally is the Quick Banana Bread recipe from Joy of Cooking. I've made this loaf so many times that my edition of Joy naturally opens to that page when left to it's own devices. This time though, I wanted something slightly different, something sweetened with maple syrup and including a mass of toasted and chopped pecans. I googled around a bit, until I hit upon this recipe. Taking it as a starting place, I adapted a bit and I think I hit on a winner. It has a very smooth, soft texture that is not too sweet or too bland. I'm afraid my old recipe may have been supplanted by this one! If you want to try it out, the recipe is after the jump.
Maple lover's dream dessert: Nutmeg-Maple Cream Pie
My family is intensely passionate about quality maple syrup. There's none of that fake, cloyingly sweet pancake syrup in our houses. Only dark, grade B, deeply flavored maple. It's best bought in bulk from a local health food store, although Trader Joe's brand does in a pinch. I love using it to sweeten oatmeal and also have an oatmeal cookie recipe that incorporates it. On those occasions when my sweet tooth beckons and there isn't a bit of chocolate in the house, a small spoonful of maple syrup sates the sugar need nicely.
Knowing a little about this maple obsession of mine will help you understand why I am now totally fixated on the recipe Deb posted on Smitten Kitchen yesterday. She baked up a Nutmeg-Maple Cream Pie (and let's not get me started on my love of freshly ground nutmeg. I use it in nearly everything) that she dug out of the New York Times archive. She chose to bake it in a tart pan instead of a pie pan, which makes it look elegant as well as delicious. This is one that's going in the Must Make file for the very near future.
Happy National Pancake Day!
Finally. After a couple of days of food holidays like National Crab Newburg Day and National Cherries Jubilee Day, here's something I can really sink my teeth (and fork) into.
Not that I do that often, actually. The only time I seem to eat pancakes is if I go out for breakfast, which isn't often at all. But it's one of my fall resolutions to change that.
Yes, I make fall resolutions.
Here's a recipe for Blueberry Pancakes and here's one for Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes, both from About.com. CDKitchen has a recipe for Raspberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes, while AllRecipes has one for Dad's Delicious Whole Grain Pancakes. Sarah told us about Banana Cocoa Nib Pancakes, and they look great.
Don't forget the maple syrup!
Learn how to do cool stuff through the CSREES
How would you like to learn about raising chickens for eggs? Or growing herbs, shiitake mushrooms or chile peppers? Or possibly even how to make your own maple syrup or press your own apple cider? Thanks to the helpful folks at the Cooperative Extension Service, you can learn to do all these things and much, much more.
The Extension Service was actually renamed Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) in 1994, but it has it's roots in the 1914 Smith-Lever Act that founded it along with the Land-Grant University system. It's purpose is to "advance knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being" and offering helpful information about a vast number of things is included in that mission.
Also available on their site are tips for home canning, curing a Virginia ham and making homemade cheese (a project I am itching to try).
Via Metafilter
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Vermont Sweetwater Maple Seltzer
Vermont Sweetwater is a small, family owned and operated soda bottling company that makes all natural sodas in eight different flavors. I had heard of, but never seen their products on the shelves before, but when I did I had to try it. The Maple Seltzer is made with fresh Maple tree sap that is lightly carbonated, and sometimes a touch of Maple syrup is added to provide consistency in the flavor. This is because maple sap's flavor can vary quite a bit depending upon the weather and the point in the sap season when it is collected. Besides the Maple Seltzer they also make a Maple soda from maple syrup and carbonated water, but I haven't run across it yet.The Maple Seltzer has a nice, clean, light, and refreshing taste to it. You can really taste that it is mostly the sap and not much syrup since it doesn't have any of the smoky intensity of maple syrup. It has a really different flavor than I expected and wasn't overwhelming like many sodas and flavored seltzers can be. I'm not a big soda / seltzer drinker except for ginger, root, birch beers, and sarsaparilla; but I really enjoyed this seltzer and would get it again.
Besides the two maple based products, Vermont Maple Soda and Vermont Maple Seltzer, they also make four fruit flavors. Mango Moonshine, Tangerine Cream Twister, County Apple Jack, and Raspberry Rhubarb Ramble. They also have Kickin' Cow-Cola and Rugged Mountain Root Beer. I'm looking forward to trying the maple soda and the root beer some time soon.
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