A Thought For Food

Spring Garlic Pancakes

Brian @ A Thought For Food — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:01:00 +0000

This is the week of milestones. Yes, it was Father’s Day yesterday. But it was also Eric’s birthday (the big 32… I like to remind him that I’ll forever be his younger man). In addition to this, we attended (and I photographed) our dear friends’ wedding. Despite a week of rain, things lightened up Friday afternoon, just in time for their rehearsal dinner, and stayed bright and sunny for the next 36 hours. The weather reminded me of our own wedding, which occurred four years ago this week. It’s hard to believe that time has flown by like this. I couldn’t be happier with the life we’ve created with each other. Full of laughter and love (and no shortage of delicious food and drinks). We don’t have a lot planned in the way of celebrations, but I can guarantee a lobster dinner and a bottle of champagne will grace our table.

Spring Garlic Pancakes

Yield: Makes 4 pancakes

Tools
Whisk

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water
Vegetable oil or peanut oil
1 cup chopped spring garlic
Salt

Ingredients for the Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1 garlic clove, minced

Instructions

Make the dipping sauce by whisking together all the ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
To make the pancakes, add the flour to a large mixing bowl and slowly stir in the warm water to form the dough. Transfer to a floured board and knead three or four times.
Using a knife, cut the dough ball into four even pieces.
Take one ball of dough and, using a rolling pin, begin to roll into a circle. Sprinkle the spring garlic over the dough and fold it into itself three or four times, until there is spring garlic evenly placed throughout the dough ball. Roll out again into a circle about 8 inches in diameter. Repeat with remaining dough.
Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. While it’s heating, brush the pancakes on each side with oil. Sprinkle each side with a pinch of salt.
Fry in the pan for 2-3 minutes, or until it turns golden brown. Flip the pancake and cook for another 2-3 minutes, being careful not to burn it.
Repeat with remaining pancakes. Transfer to cutting board and cut into wedges.
Serve with dipping sauce.

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Honey, Ricotta and Berry Muffins

Brian @ A Thought For Food — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:01:44 +0000

It occurred to me as I sat on the plane to Vegas that I hadn’t read a book in a while. Like, a really long time. Articles in The New York Times or pieces in The New Yorker, yes. But an actual book? It’d been over a year. Before our trip, though, I purchased the latest David Sedaris book, thinking that maybe he could set things right. And, you know what, he did. As always, I found his words engaging, his stories honest and hilarious. Just what I needed to get back on the reading wagon. As I finished the book and flipped the last page (or, in this case, tapped my phone), I gave myself a pat on the back. And now I’m searching for another great piece of literature (any suggestions are welcome).

Memorial Day marked the start of my family’s annual summer reading contest, where we see who can read the most books. When it was just the four of us participating (meaning my parents and sister) the race was tight. Over the last few years, though, we’ve invited other relatives and friends to join in and I’ve pretty much given up any notion of winning. It’s still a lot of fun, though, and I’m so happy that we’ve continued this tradition.

Books and breakfast seem like the perfect summer pairing. Mornings are when I get most of my reading done, either in bed or sipping on a cup of coffee at our kitchen table, the windows open to let a warm breeze in. Leisurely mornings like that make every day feel like vacation. While I’m kind of a scone fanatic, sometimes a muffin is what I crave. As we roll into berry season, I feel the need to pack all of my morning treats with them.

Honey Ricotta and Berry Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Tools
Whisk
Regular muffin tin (not mini)

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups mixed fresh berries (chopped strawberries, whole blackberries, and blueberries)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. with rack in the center position. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with fluted paper liners or grease the cups with butter.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and honey until they are blended together. Whisk the milk and vanilla extract into the wet mixture.
Mix the wet mixture with the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in the ricotta cheese and mix in the lemon zest.
Fold in the berries.
Spoon the mixture into the greased muffin cups so each is filled a little more than halfway. Add a blackberry to the top of each and push in slightly with your finger.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Let sit for 5 minutes before taking out of the pan. Transfer to a rack to cool before serving.

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Silent Sunday: The Pie Store – Montclair, NJ

Brian @ A Thought For Food — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 04:01:09 +0000

The Pie Store
100 Watchung Ave
Montclair, NJ 07043
(973) 744-4424

Click Here to View More Silent Sunday Posts

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Pasta Tossed With Mint Pesto, Asparagus, and Shiitake Mushrooms

Brian @ A Thought For Food — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:01:29 +0000

I’m keeping things short and sweet today, folks. There’s a ton of work piling up and instead of getting it done, I’m here slackin’ off. But, heck, sometimes we need to play a little, right? I’m currently in the middle of a cookbook shoot and I have some other fun projects coming up, including an iPhone food photography class I’m teaching next week at a local Whole Foods. I’ve taught one on one classes before, but this is going to be quite different. Actually, I’m really excited about it. We’re starting off the class by going around the store, taking pictures of the various produce, cheese, and fish displays. From there, we’re going to do have a little cooking class and, as we prepare each dish, I’ll go over some ways to style and shoot the food.

So, yeah, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by things, but I didn’t want all of this to stop me from posting. I’ve had mint pesto on my mind a lot recently. I first had it at a restaurant years ago and my mind was blown by how refreshing it was and how wonderfully it paired with other spring produce, like asparagus. Here, I’ve tossed it up into a big pasta dish and have included one of my other favorite seasonal ingredients… mushrooms. Enjoy!

Pasta Tossed with Mint Pesto, Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms

Yield: Serves 4-6

Tools
Chef’s knife
Large pot (for cooking pasta)

Ingredients
3/4 lb pasta, such as penne, gemelli or cavatelli (not long pasta)
2 1/2 cups mint leaves, stems removed, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup whole almonds, chopped
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3/4 lb asparagus, ends trimmed and stalks cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt and pepper
Zest of 1/2 a lemon

Instructions

Put a pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta as directed on the box.
While it is cooking, prepare the pesto. You can do this in a food processor, but I like doing it by hand, so as to not turn the pesto into mush. To do it by hand, place the garlic clove on a large cutting board and add 1/3 of the mint leaves on top of that. Using a large chef’s knife, chop the leaves and the garlic. Once it is finely chopped, add another 1/3 of mint leaves and continue chopping. Repeat with the remaining mint. Once this is done, add the chopped almonds on top and chop until they are incorporated into the pesto. Add the cheese on top and chop and fold into pesto mixture to combine. Add this mixture to a bowl and stir in 1/4 cup olive oil. Set aside.
At this point, the pasta should be finished cooking. Drain and let cool as you cook the asparagus and mushrooms.
In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan and let cook for a minute. Add in the asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the asparagus is bright green and, when you taste a pieces, it remains slightly crunchy.
In a large serving bowl, toss the pasta with the pesto, making sure to coat each piece evenly. Mix in the mushrooms, asparagus, and lemon zest. Taste for seasoning and, if necessary, add additional salt and pepper.

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Silent Sunday: Las Vegas and Saveur Food Blog Awards (in iPhonography)

Brian @ A Thought For Food — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 04:01:04 +0000

For more shots, follow me on Instagram

Featured in this post:

Resorts/Casinos

Bellagio
Cosmopolitan
Aria
Planet Hollywood

Restaurants/Bars/Clubs

Eat.
Lotus of Siam
Secret Pizza (Cosmopolitan)
Hyde (Bellagio)
Blue Ribbon Bar and Grill (Cosmopolitan)
The Chandelier (Cosmopolitan)
Sensi (Bellagio)

People

Joy Wilson – Joy the Baker
Aimee Wimbush-Bourque – Simple Bites
Tsh Oxenreider – Simple Mom
Teri Lyn Fisher – Spoon Fork Bacon
Jenny Park – Spoon Fork Bacon
Sara and Hugh Forte – Sprouted Kitchen
Eric Frishman (the man giving me a smooch)

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Shrimp Toast with Mango Butter

Brian @ A Thought For Food — Wed, 29 May 2013 07:20:56 +0000

There seem to be plans being made every day. Last year, at least the first half, was a lot slower than this. Yes, I traveled. A lot. Which helped distract me. But there were moments that were slow. Really, really slow… So slow that I started to read Fifty Shades of Grey (thirty pages in and I had to put it down because of how awful the writing was. Sorry Grey fans!). I like busy. I like having projects to work on… meetings, deadlines, things that create a sense of accomplishment.

As I type this, it does occur to me that having down time isn’t a bad thing either. I’m always go-go-go that sometimes I forget to chill. Watching TV even becomes something that gets in the way of work. I feel guilty when I’m not checking my three email accounts (maybe someone sent me a message I have to respond to RIGHT NOW). It’s a problem… But one that I’m aware of at least. Balance is what I constantly strive for. I don’t think I’ve found it yet. Actually, I know I haven’t. I want it though… Whatever “it” is. I’ll figure it out one day.

I guess my real down time comes when I’m able to work on a blog post. It’s when I stop worrying about calendars, clients and money and focus on a single creative task. Over the winter, I did most of my recipe development in the shower or on our couch sipping on mugs of coffee. Someplace warm and cozy. Now I do it on long walks with Maki. Typically this isn’t what I set out to do when I take her around the block to relieve herself, but often I return with an urge to cook. Maybe I’m just hungry.

This shrimp toast and mango butter came to me last week while on an exceptionally long, hot and sweaty walk. As Maki trotted along with her tongue sticking out, a list of available ingredients in our fridge ran through my mind. Most were things I had worked with recently. Asparagus, fiddleheads, tomatoes. And then… mango. The night before, Eric had said that we needed to do with it. That’s when it hit me… Mango Butter. Spicy mango butter. On bread topped with shrimp. Done.

Shrimp Toast with Mango Butter

Yield: Serves 6-8 as an appetizer

Tools
Paring knife
Food processor
Baking sheet, large
Non-stick sauté pan, large

Ingredients
1 baguette, cut into 1/2” round slices
Olive oil

Ingredients for the Mango Butter
1 mango
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon agave
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

Ingredients for the Shrimp
Raw shrimp, deveined and shells removed
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
Salt and pepper

Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush the slices of baguette with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the slices have toasted slightly (lightly browned). Alternatively, to get grill marks, cook the pieces of bread on a grill until marks form.
Meanwhile, prepare the mango butter. Start by using the paring knife to slice thick pieces of mango, leaving the pit behind. Hold a piece of mango in one hand, flesh side up, and the paring knife in another. Being very careful not to cut yourself, make thick slices of mango using the knife (you do not want to pierce the mango skin and you definitely do not want to pierce your own skin). Take a spoon and scoop the mango flesh out from the skin.
Once you have done this with all the mango, transfer to the bowl of a food processor, along with the butter, agave, and 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt. Process until all ingredients have mixed together. It’s ok if you see some small pieces mango in your butter. It doesn’t have to be completely blended.
Once the baguette has toasted, remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes, or until it has cooled.
Set a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and, once it begins to bubble, add the shrimp so they lay flat in the pan. Season the shrimp with 1 teaspoon of salt and a bit of ground black pepper. Cook on one side for 3 minutes, or until they turn pink. Flip each piece over and cook for another 2 minutes.
To assemble the dish, spread a generous helping of mango butter on a slice of baguette. Top with two shrimp and chopped cilantro. Serve.

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Potato Salad with Dill + Horseradish Aioli

Brian @ A Thought For Food — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:01:27 +0000

What a week! Actually, what a month! I can’t believe May is wrapping up. Feels like I always say that. It’s so odd how time just flies by. The burst of travel hasn’t helped with slowing things down. And next week I pack up for a few days in Vegas, where I’ll be attending the Saveur Blog Awards (our little project, The Boys Club, won the Best Cocktail Blog category). As soon as I mentioned the win to Eric, he scurried off to his computer to look at flights. Having never been to Vegas, we’re doing it up… fancy dinners, theater tickets (Eric’s birthday is coming up as is our wedding anniversary, so this is our big celebration). No gambling though… I’m not a fan, though I have a feeling he might hit the tables while I’m off doing foodie things.

There are no words to express how excited I am to finally get to meet the bloggers going to this event. Some of my favorites are going to be there, including David and Luise, creators of the blog Green Kitchen Stories, who have just come out with their book, Vegetarian Everyday. Often when I’m asked which sites are my favorites, I rattle of a long list, but between you and me, GKS is at the top. I’ve been a fan of theirs for a long time and am so thrilled for their much deserved success (a wonderful mobile app, a cookbook, and a Saveur award all in twelve months). So, yeah, I’m kind of psyched to meet them next week.

While flipping through Vegetarian Everyday, the dish that tantalized me the most, surprisingly, was their potato salad. It’s a stunner… never had I seen a potato salad with such vibrant colors and flavors. I knew immediately that I had to make it and get it up here before the Memorial Day weekend. I’ve taken some liberties and incorporated homemade aioli into it. Their recipe is definitely healthier than mine, but I’m a mayo fan and it’s not potato salad in my world without a little of it thrown in.

Potato Salad with Dill + Horseradish Aioli

Source: Adapted from Vegetarian Everyday by David Frenkiel + Luise Vindahl

Yield: Serves 4

Tools
A pot, large enough to cook the potatoes
Medium bowl
Whisk

Ingredients
2 lb – 3 oz small new potatoes
15-20 red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups fresh sugarsnap peas, sliced lengthwise
1 large handful of fresh dill, coarsely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Horseradish Dressing
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup canola oil
1 tablespoon prepared horesradish

Instructions

Place the potatoes in a saucepan with just enough cold salted water to cover. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. Test with a small sharp knife. If the potatoes fall off the knife, they’re done.
Drain and set aside to cool.
To make the horseradish dressing, whisk the egg yolks, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt. Slowly drizzle in the canola oil while whisking nonstop until the mixture begins to emulsify. Continue to whisk in the oil until mixture has achieved a thick, mayonnaise-like consistency. Whisk in the horseradish and, if necessary, season with additional salt and pepper.
Combine the tomatoes, peas and dill in a large serving bowl.
When the potatoes have cooled, transfer them to the serving bowl. Pour the dressing over them and toss with your hands to coat with the aioli. Serve.

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Honey Green Tea and Rosemary Refresher and an Honest Tea Giveaway

Brian @ A Thought For Food — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:01:18 +0000

I was watching Louis CK’s 2011 comedy special, Live at the Beacon Theatre, the other night and was cracking up at his rant about how he believes humans are aliens because we are constantly complaining about how uncomfortable we are here on Earth. We use air conditioning and heating units and fans to make everything juuuuuuust right. Louis notes that it just doesn’t make sense that we were meant to be on this planet. If we were, we would just be able to deal with the extreme highs and lows without freaking out. I’ll admit that I’m one of those complainers. While I can handle winter weather alright, the heat and sweat and that stickiness that takes over from June to August is unbearable.

This weather we’ve been having recently, however, has been perfect… and I feel the need to say that out-loud to myself that at least once a day. “This is fantastic! It needs to stay like this forever. Ah, yes… seventy degrees and sunny with a slight breeze.” I know it won’t last long, but I’m taking as much of it in as I can before it gets warmer.

You may have noticed a lot of beverages on here recently and I’ve been enjoying playing around with some fun cocktail recipes for you (Hope you’ve been enjoying consuming some of them too!). Over the last few weeks, Eric and I have switched from whiskey drinks to gin and vodka and tequila. Just like food, our bodies crave different libations as the seasons change. So, here is a vodka “refresher” for you to all enjoy that utilizes some of Honest Te a‘s Honey Green Tea, which the company generously sent over for me to try. I was thrilled with the subtle sweetness of the tea, especially since I had planned on including a little simple syrup in the cocktail.

In addition, they’re offering one lucky A Thought For Food reader a chance to win a month’s supply of their tea (30 drinks)! Woo hoo!

See below for details on how to enter the giveaway:

A word from the folks at Honest Tea:

“Honest Tea would like to keep you refreshed for 30 days, on us. Brewed with organic tea leaves and half the calories and sugar of other bottled teas, we hope you’ll find it a sip in the right direction. ”

To Enter the Honest Tea Givaway: Leave a comment here telling me what your favorite warm-weather beverage is (alcoholic or non-alcoholic).

Giveaway Disclaimer: No purchase necessary. Open to US residents only . Giveaway will end on May 27th 2013 at 12:00 pm EST. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be selected. Samples of Honest Tea products and the giveaway items were provided to me by Honest Tea through the NoshOnIt Publisher Partner Program.

Honey Green Tea and Rosemary Refresher

Yields: 2 drinks

Glassware
Highball glass

Ingredients
3 fl. oz. vodka, optional
1 fl. oz. rosemary simple syrup, see recipe below
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 16 fl. oz. bottle of Honest Tea’s Honey Green Tea
Ice
Rosemary sprig, for garnish
Lemon slice, for garnish

Directions

In each glass, pour in 1.5 oz vodka, .5 oz rosemary simple syrup, and 1 tsp. lemon juice. Stir together with a spoon.
Fill the glasses half way with ice and then top with the tea. Give another stir with a spoon.
Garnish the rim with the lemon slice and insert the rosemary sprig into the glass.

Rosemary Simple Syrup

Yield: Approx. 1 cup

Tools
A small pot
Whisk

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 rosemary sprig

Instructions

Put water and sugar into the pot and bring to a simmer.
Whisk until sugar dissolves.
Add rosemary sprig
Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Once it has cooled, it can be used in the cocktail.
Store in refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.

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