Eat First

Season's readings

 

Some people have visions of sugar-plums dance in their head this time of year. I just have visions of sugar. In the form of Christmas cookies.

I still miss Gourmet magazine, especially its December issue, usually devoted to cookies and other sweets of the season.

But there are other sources of inspiration, like classic recipes from Mom's file (Snickerdoodles, Pecan Sandies, Peanut Butter Blossoms), the annual Land O'Lakes magazines (recipes developed by a leading butter maker can't be bad, right?), and, of course, cookbooks.

Betty Crocker's "Cooky Book," with its vintage, slightly garish photos, is always fun to thumb through, and there are some excellent recipes in there, too. Martha Stewart's "Cookies'' causes dreaming and drooling. "Sweet Maria's Italian Cookie Tray'' is a slim volume with dozens of mouth-watering ideas: almond paste cookies, almond crescents, biscotti, you name it.

                 

A food blogger who loves to bake finds plenty of inspiration online, too. Some sites you might want to visit:

• Smitten Kitchen's "all cookies'' section:  Hazelnut Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies, anyone?
• Food52: The online community of cooks and food lovers, launched by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is a fabulous resource for real recipes from real people. A holiday cookie plate HAS to have something ginger-y on it. I'll be trying Food52 contributor Jenny Steinhauer's recipe for Ginger-Spiced Molasses Sugar Cookies.
• You knew there had to be a website called Christmas-Cookies.com. It's broken down into categories: rolled cookies, refrigerator cookies, drop cookies, decorated cookies, bar cookies, no-bake cookies -- more than 500 recipes in all.

Happy baking -- bring on the butter, flour and sugar!

Ready to roll (and slice and bake later): Two batches of World Peace Cookies, from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From My Home to Yours." 

The winner of "Simple, Fresh & Healthy'' is...

Drumroll, please: The winner of  "Simple, Fresh & Healthy,'' Linda Hafner's seasonal, local and recently published cookbook, is Joanna Giansanti, of Syracuse.

How right she was to point out that the book would come in handy after a trip to the Regional Market in Syracuse. Congratulations, Joanna!

To everyone else who left a comment here for a chance to win the cookbook: Thanks for stopping by and stop back again for more giveaways.

Consolation prize: I have my own copy of the book, and would be happy to loan it to you.

 

Win a local cookbook: "Simple, Fresh & Healthy"

There's a new local cookbook in my over-crowded cookbook shelves, next to "Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse" and "Joey's Italian.'' It's "Simple, Fresh & Healthy: A Collection of Seasonal Recipes,'' by Linda Hafner, with Denise Owen Harrigan (Beaufort Books, $19.95).

Linda Hafner and her husband, Chuck, are co-founders of Chuck Hafner's Farmer's Market and Garden Center in North Syracuse. She's a gardener (to say the least!), mother, grandmother, working woman, busy woman and enthusiastic cook who understands that there isn't always a lot of time to get dinner on the table. She's also a former home economics teacher, a certified fitness instructor and a major proponent of eating fresh food, in season.

"I don't believe you can be healthy if you're eating stuff out of a box all the time,'' Hafner says.

Hafner spent more than three years working on her book. It's divided into four main chapters -- spring, summer, fall and winter -- and contains more than 80 recipes. The book features gorgeous color photography -- a photo with each recipe -- by James Scherzi, who also worked on the "Dinosaur'' and "Joey's'' cookbooks.

The reaction from readers so far: "People love it because it's simple and has a lot of pictures and easy-to-follow recipes,'' Hafner says. "My idea was just to get people to cook. If you can do it simple, you can do it healthy.''

"Simple, Fresh & Healthy'' is available for $19.95 at Chuck Hafner's Farmer's Market, and will be available at book sellers like Barnes & Noble and Amazon in the spring of 2011.

ENTER TO WIN!: I have one (1) copy of "Simple, Fresh & Healthy'' to give away to a reader from Central/Upstate New York. To be eligible to win, leave a comment in the comment field below. Members of my family are excluded. The deadline to enter is noon Monday, Nov. 29. The winner will be notified by e-mail Monday afternoon and must be able to pick up the book in person next week at Chuck Hafner's Farmer's Market, Buckley Road, North Syracuse.

Good luck!

Above: Linda Hafner's Healthy Granola (Page 124) with fruit and yogurt. Photo by James Scherzi.

 

Rise and shine: Brunch at L'Adour

Who needs three meals a day? Brunch, that lovely combination of breakfast and lunch generally reserved for weekends, is the perfect meal for lazy, unstructured Sundays. And nobody does brunch better than L'Adour Restaurant Francais in downtown Syracuse.  

THE VIBE: Bustling and welcoming. Sunny and bright (if the weather cooperates), thanks to south-facing windows along the front. Relaxed and convivial. Couples and students, some with their parents, brush tables with families and babies in strollers. If a table isn't open, you're welcome to share space at the bar.

 

LIQUID ASSETS: Juices, teas and coffee (the house blend, $3 a cup, comes from Kind Coffee Co. on West Fayette Street). If you're after something festive, like Champagne or a Mimosa, you'll have to wait until noon.

 

THE MENU: Enjoy something as simple as a house-made almond croissant and coffee. Or, feast on crepes, poached eggs, omelets, galettes, quiches and sandwiches. You can even have escargots, if that's your pleasure first thing in the morning.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS: Who could resist sharing a basket of pastries and a trio of homemade jams ($12) with coffee before our main course? The basket contains a selection of five pastries worth splitting and sharing, including a French apple turnover, raisin Danish and almond croissant.

For my entree, I chose the Atlantique galette, a savory crepe topped with house smoked salmon and creme fraiche ($10). The salmon was moist, tender and mildly smoky in flavor. And the creme fraiche? Ooh la la -- can you say rich? Garlicky potatoes (the menu described them as sauteed, but they looked to be fried) and a Provencale tomato stuffed with bread crumbs rounded out the plate.

Robert set to work on a house specialty, the brunch plate ($18). The feast big enough for two features a poached egg Adourette (with ham, Hollandaise and toasted bread), Belgian waffle with maple syrup (and a hint of orange in the batter), smoked salmon, bacon, potatoes and Provencale tomato.

Do French people eat like this for breakfast? I don't think so, but the plate is a lovely combination of savory and sweet and Robert finished it (to the surprise of our waitress).

THE DAMAGES: $60 (including tip). Lucky for us we had a $50 gift certificate, a birthday gift from a thoughtful friend.

WOULD WE GO BACK? Mais oui! Even if we don't have a gift certificate. A visit to L'Adour is worth saving up for, we agreed the next morning, over leftover pastries.

 

THE DETAILS: L'Adour is at 110 Montgomery St., Syracuse, across the street from City Hall. Breakfast/brunch is served 8 to 11 a.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Check the website for dinner and lunch times.

 

 

Meet some of our locally raised meats

The desire to eat meats raised in our own part of the world is a natural extension of the desire to eat locally grown produce and use locally sourced ingredients in our cooking.

Want to learn more about the variety of meats raised close to home?

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County is holding a Local Meats Education and Tasting Fair 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 20 at Central Square Middle School, 248 State Route 11.

Organizers expect 10 local vendors to be on hand to talk up farm-raised pork, poultry, lamb and goat. And you will be able to taste their products: Janet Wells, of Farm House Catering Co., Sackets Harbor, will demonstrate the use of local meats in a variety of food samples.

Admission is $5 at the door. To learn more, visit the Cooperative Extension website.

Pastured meats from small, family farms are more flavorful than the meats found at grocery stores. Meat, eggs and dairy products from pasture-raised animals are also lower in fat and contain no hormones and antibiotics.

For more information on the health benefits of pasture-raised meats and a statewide directory of farms, visit Eat Wild.

 

Savoring CNY at Pride of NY Harvest Festival

Pulaski's Grindstone Farm is serious about produce -- certified organic produce. Its owners brought organic carrots, peppers, broccoli, turnips and other vegetables for admiring, munching and dipping to the Pride of New York Harvest Festival Saturday. Farm staff also shared information on community supported agriculture (CSA) shares (winter shares available), free-range chicken dinner boxes and more. 

Grindstone is one of the hundreds of farms, specialty food producers, wineries and craft brewers from across the state participating in this weekend's Pride of New York Harvest Festival at the state fairgrounds in Geddes. The festival continues noon to 5 p.m. Sunday in the Horticulture Building. Admission is $25 at the door.

Central New York food  interests are well-represented at the festival this year. Among the standouts:

The Cookie Connection is a home-based family baking business started by two sisters, Kathy and Betty, who happily shared Orange Rind, Almond Puffs, Maple Walnut, Pecan Delights and other Italian cookies, plus bites of gluten-free cake. The sisters can be found every Saturday at the Regional Market in Syracuse. They also are known for their pasticiotti and other Italian pastries.

 

Canale's is a traditional Italian-American restaurant in Oswego and, since 2006, in Liverpool. If you can't get there for dinner, the next best thing is having a jar of their traditional or marinara sauce in your pantry for serving with pasta. Shown here is a sample of Canale's traditional sauce ($4.99 per jar) with a slice of Italian bread. The sauce has the depth and richness of flavor that comes from slow cooking. I'm not embarrassed to tell you I asked for another slice of bread to wipe that little serving cup clean.

 

Organically Hip, a business owned and operated by two friends, is known primarily for its organic baking mixes, including chocolate chip cookies, microwaveable brownies and pecan waffles, including some gluten-free options. I came home with a bottle of their vanilla extract, which co-owner Maria Euceda promised will add extra vanilla oomph to my holiday baked goods because it doesn't contain any water. I can't wait to try it.

Meadowood Farms, near Cazenovia, had a spacious corner spot at the Harvest Fest for showcasing its sheeps' milk cheeses (including feta, boursin, award-winning ginger cheese) and yogurts and pasture-rasied lamb (sampled in the form of lamb meatballs and sauce). Their products are available in the local food case at Circa restaurant in Cazenovia, Green Hills Market in Syracuse and other locations. 

Family-owned Gannons calls itself "Syracuse's favorite homemade ice cream." It's no doubt some of the richest, too, with flavors like Almond Bark, 'Cuse Trax and Cappuccino Crunch. Gannons rolled several of its seasonal flavors out at the Harvest Fest, including apple crisp, eggnog and pumpkin (my photo of the pumpkin sample doesn't do it justice). Savor the possibilities for holiday entertaining. 

Two win tickets to Pride of NY Harvest Fest

Brad Stalter of Syracuse and Jackie Dickinson of Poplar Ridge have each won a ticket to the Pride of New York Harvest Festival this weekend at the Horticulture Building at the state fairgrounds.

Thank you to everyone who visited my Eat First blog and entered the inaugural ticket giveaway here. It's my goal to have more freebies for Central New York food lovers up for grabs in the future.

Visitors to the Harvest Fest will have the opportunity to sip New York wine and craft beer and taste samples from dozens of specialty food vendors from throughout the state. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $25 at the door. 

Samples of McCadam Cheddar's Empire Pepper Jack cheese

While you're sipping and sampling, don't forget to register to win a “Pride of New York Basket of Bounty,” featuring a selection of NYS-made wine, beer, marinades, maple products, baked goods and more. Sign up at the table near the New York State Display. Entrants must be 21 years of age to be eligible. A winner will be selected at random at the end of the day Sunday. The winner does not have to be present to win.

I'll be at the event on Saturday and plan to post some photos. Hope to see you there!

 

Win tickets to the Pride of NY Harvest Festival

The folks from Keuka Lake Coffee Roasters will be there. Good to know. Christmas is coming and their spice rubs make super gifts and stocking stuffers. The grape/cherry growers cooperative Western New York will be there, too. Good deal. We're all out of their tart cherry juice concentrate, which we mix up to drink on its own and enjoy in adult beverages.

Mercer's Dairy, of Boonville, will be there, bringing gallons of wine ice cream to keep the crowd happy. Wine ice cream sounds weird but it is soooo delicious! The thought of a sample of Red Raspberry Chardonnay ice cream, alone, is enough to woo me to the encore presentation of the Pride of New York Harvest Festival in the Horticulture Building at the state fairgrounds in Geddes this weekend.

Thinking about going? You're in luck. I have two tickets to the festival (admission is $25 at the door) to give away. To enter: You must be from Central/Upstate New York, you must be at least 21 years of age and you must leave a comment including your name in the comment field below. Look closely -- it's kind of hard to see. Note to family members: You're not eligible to win. Sorry.

The deadline to enter is noon Thursday, Nov. 4. Winners will be announced here on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning. Names of the winners will be turned over to festival organizers and tickets will be available for pick-up at the fairgrounds.

The Pride of NY Harvest Festival features hundreds of specialty food producers, wineries and craft brewers from throughout the state. It's a fun event for mixing, mingling, chatting and -- best of all -- SAMPLING.  Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Food seminars are scheduled both days in the Martha Eddy Room of the Art and Home Center.

For complete details, visit the Harvest Fest website.

 

To turn the clock back a year and read my post from 2009, click here.