Recipes | Bite of the Best

New Haven Restaurant Tour: Scoozi’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Mustard Greens
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New Haven Restaurant Tour: Scoozi’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Mustard Greens

Entrees, Other happenings, Recipes, USA Restaurants, xyz misc

New Haven Restaurant Tour: Scoozi’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Mustard Greens

Last week during one of the Sneak Peak Week for New Haven's International Festival of Arts & Ideas to be held June 13 to 27 this year, I conducted two restaurant tours to six of New Haven's top restaurants. On our "Slow Food" tour, participants discovered organic, local and sustainable flavors of the three visited restaurants: Zinc (964 Chapel Street), Scoozi (1104 Chapel Street) and Heirloom (1157 Chapel Street), who each did a cooking demonstration as part of the tour. I promised participants that I would post as many recipes as possible. This recipe is the first of those postings. Housemade Sweet Potato gnocchi, Pan-seared Franklin Farms Organic Mushrooms and [...]

By Bonnie Tandy Leblang|2017-08-31T16:20:49-04:00February 5th, 2009|Entrees, Other happenings, Recipes, USA Restaurants, xyz misc|1 Comment

Substitute Nuts for Fat in Baking

At the recent American Dietetic Association’s Food & Nutrition Conference in Chicago, I picked up this recipe and tip from the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation : Use ground nuts instead of the other fats in a baking recipe for an equally tasty and healthier treat. For those needing specific amounts try this Macadamia Shortbread recipe. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment, or lightly oil. Process 1 c macadamia nuts, 1 c flour, 1/4 c cornstarch or rice flour, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 T ginger in a food processor until a fine powder. Add 1 egg and 1/2 t [...]

By Bonnie Tandy Leblang|2017-08-31T16:20:54-04:00November 3rd, 2008|Endings, Recipes, xyz misc|0 Comments

The $250 Neiman Marcus Cookie Story

Some of the girls in my office were recently chatting about chocolate chip cookies, not any cookies though... outrageously priced Neiman Marcus cookies. My colleague forwarded me the email she had just received (displayed below). I had not heard the cookie story before, but was very interested and had to research it. It appears the email's claim is more 'urban legend' than culinary spite, but I just love how people have kept this recipe alive; the story is actually an adaptation of a 1940's myth about Red Velvet cake from the Waldorf-Astoria (read more at Wikipedia). Submitted here for your reading... the infamous Cookie Story, and a pretty good cookie [...]

By Bryan from BiteoftheBest.com|2017-08-31T16:20:58-04:00July 27th, 2008|Endings, Recipes, xyz misc|3 Comments

Thali’s Konkan Crab
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Thali’s Konkan Crab

Recipes, Starters, USA Restaurants, xyz misc

Thali’s Konkan Crab

During the second stop of Saturday’s restaurant tour, Amal Raj — a chef from Thali — demonstrated how to prepare Konkan Crab, their signature appetizer, the one I’d call a Bite of the Best. The restaurant and this mild flavored dish, which comes from from Goa, a state on the western coast of India, are helping to change the way Americans think of Indian food. It’s not all curry. Konan Crab Cook’s notes: Before beginning this recipe, prepare mise en place – meaning have all the ingredients chopped and ready to use. Chill the coconut milk until it is creamy (Chacko brand from Thailand, preferred). Also have a cover handy, [...]

By Bonnie Tandy Leblang|2017-08-31T15:40:37-04:00June 24th, 2008|Recipes, Starters, USA Restaurants, xyz misc|0 Comments

A Taste of Bespoke with Arturo Franco-Camacho in New Haven
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A Taste of Bespoke with Arturo Franco-Camacho in New Haven

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A Taste of Bespoke with Arturo Franco-Camacho in New Haven

"Day boat scallops smell fresh, like sweet milk," explained Arturo Franco-Camacho, owner and creative chef of Bespoke (New Haven, CT) as he began his demonstration of porcini encrusted sea scallops served with a cauliflower puree, fava bean shiitake ragout and truffle vinaigrette. The demo was the first stop on the "Elegant American & Contemporary French Masters" restaurant tour at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. I stood right behind Arturo so I could attempt to look over his shoulder as he cooked. I tried to jot down each and every action so I could share the details. Here goes: Porcini Encrusted Sea Scallops Served with a Cauliflower Puree, Fava [...]

By Bonnie Tandy Leblang|2017-09-01T15:20:50-04:00June 14th, 2008|Recipes, Starters, USA Restaurants, xyz misc|4 Comments

Food Network’s Robin Miller Morphs Recipes on the Main Stage

"Morphing means to take a recipe (or part of a recipe) that you're already making, double it, and transform the extras into an entirely different meal," explained Robin Miller. She morphed one chicken dish into three others, with recipes from her cookbook "Robin Miller Quick Fix Meals" (The Taunton Press, 2007) on the main stage in the Grand Tasting Village at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival this past weekend. MAIN RECIPE: Roasted Chicken with Smokey Apricot Sauce Serves 4 TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes Prep time: 10 minutes Walk away time: 35 minutes Cooking spray 10 (5-ounce) skinless chicken breast halves (with bone) Salt and ground black pepper 1 [...]

By Bonnie Tandy Leblang|2017-08-31T16:21:04-04:00March 2nd, 2008|Breads, Sides & Salads, Entrees, Other happenings, Recipes, Starters, xyz misc|13 Comments

Tropical Mango Gazpacho from The Palms Chef Gerd Richter

Located on 30th Street in Miami Beach (FL), the more tranquil north side of South Beach, The Palms hotel was just far enough from the South Beach Wine and Food Festival — held on the beach from 10th Street to 14th Street — to walk-off some of the incredible delicacies I consumed during the festivities. The Palms, a family-owned hotel, is getting a facelift. They're in the midst of adding a spa (Who isn't?) and upgrading their rooms. I wanted to share with you this unusual soup I sampled at the hotel. From the name you'd think it would be sweet, but it's not. Instead the acidity of the [...]

By Bonnie Tandy Leblang|2017-08-31T16:21:05-04:00February 28th, 2008|Recipes, Starters, USA Restaurants, xyz misc|0 Comments

$50,000 Grand Prize Winning Best of Beef Recipe

Christine Riccitelli of Incline Village, NV won the 27th National Beef Cook-Off® in Chicago last week with this recipe. Interesting—isn’t it—that it's a slow-cooking recipe, not one that’s on the table quickly? Nuevo Chipotle Beef in Butternut Squash Boats. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place 1 1/2 lbs lean beef for stew, 1/3 c water, 1/4 c tomato paste, 2 T brown sugar, 2 T balsamic vinegar, 2 t ground chipotle pepper, 1 t cumin, 1/2 t salt and 1/2 t black pepper in a stock pot. Cover and bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours or until beef is fork tender. Meanwhile [...]