Eat First

Central New York local food gift guide 2022

Well, it happened again: The holiday season is here.

Where to shop is a no-brainer: Shop small and local Central New York businesses to find tasty gifts and stocking stuffers the food (and drink) lovers and cooks on your list will enjoy year-round. Following are 11 suggestions.

Hot Crispy Oil: This fiery and flavorful condiment, similar to chili crisp and other chili oils with crunch, is made in the Albany area by John Trimble, a former restaurant owner who created the oil in his home kitchen during the pandemic. The product is made with blended olive oil, fried garlic and shallots, and a “proprietary blend’’ of chili peppers. Try it on rice, noodles, eggs, pizza, tacos, stuffed peppers and everything else you can think of. Buy it at Chuck Hafner’s Farmers Market, Lombardi’s Imports, Vince’s Gourmet Imports, Thanos Imports and other locations. Price: About $10. MORE INFO

The Curd Nerd: Grab a gift box or basket and head over to The Curd Nerd in Syracuse to fill it up with cheesy goodness for the cheese lover on your list. This small shop in Syracuse’s Eastwood neighborhood carries a wide selection of local, New York State and regional cheeses, and you’ll also find cheeses that need a passport to get here, like Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy, orange-hued mimolette from France, and goat cheese from Spain. (All cheeses are not available all of the time.) The Curd Nerd offers gift cards and carries things that go with cheese, like crackers, honey, jams, pickles and boards. MORE INFO

Old Home Distillers minis: ‘Tis the season to imbibe a little, and what’s not to like about a sampler pack of small-batch bourbon, whiskey, rye, and gin from Old Home Distillers in Madison County? Put together a custom box with five of your favorite Old Home craft spirits or pick up an already-assembled assortment of five (50ml) bottles at the tasting room in Lebanon or a local farmers market (Old Home is at the Central New York Regional Market most Saturdays). They’ve got several maple- and spice-infused options that are a natural for this time of year. Price: Varies. MORE INFO

Cheffrey’s Pickles: Sweet treats like cookies and candy canes get all the attention during the holiday season. How about something briny and a bit salty? Fulton-based business Cheffrey’s Pickle Pub specializes in homemade, hand-cut pickles and pickled vegetables (think dilly beans). Varieties include bread and butter, dill, garlic dill, spicy dill – you get the picture. Look for them at 20/East, Cazenovia, Ontario Orchards, Oswego, Nelson Farms Country Store, Nelson, and other locations. Price: $8-$23. MORE INFO

Winosaurs: No, that’s not a typo. Winosaurs are gummy candy dinosaurs made with wine – hence their name. That makes them candy for the 21-and-over crowd. The candies were created by a couple who got married at a winery and were looking for a wine-themed wedding favor. Eureka. They decided to create their own favors and Winosaurs were born. The candies come in flavors like sangria, Moscato, peach Bellini and Rose. Look for Winosaurs at stores like Metro Home Style in Syracuse. Shipping is available to some states. Price: About $7. MORE INFO

Salt City Coffee special holiday blend: Local roaster Salt City Coffee makes it a mission to partner with the Rescue Mission each holiday season. The goal is to spread joy and make a difference in the lives of others. For every purchase of a 12-ounce bag of Salt City’s Holiday Traditions blend, $4 will be donated to the Rescue Mission. Pick up a bag for the coffee lover on your list and grab one for yourself, too – Salt City Coffee’s goal is to raise $1,200 for the Rescue Mission. Salt City Coffee has three locations in Syracuse and one in Fayetteville (formerly Soleil Cafe). MORE INFO

Flour City Pasta: John Stadt uses local and organic ingredients and his own two hands to make the distinctive artisanal pastas Flour City Pasta is known for. The business based in the Rochester area is a regular at the Central New York Regional Market. You’ll find flavors like chili pepper fettuccine, sweet potato pappardelle, spinach garlic linguine, and Cabernet Franc pappardelle – as well as traditional pastas like shells, rigatoni, linguine and fettuccine. Price: About $10/package. MORE INFO

Nav’s Popcorn: You might have visited the seasonal Nav’s Popcorn store in Alexandria Bay to satisfy your gourmet popcorn fix. Did you know they pop up regularly (see what I did there?) at the Central New York Regional Market and have a year-round store in Syracuse (Eastwood)? Nav’s is known for its flavored popcorn, from classics like kettle and cheddar to more unusual flavors, like salt and vinegar, pickle, garlic Parmesan, and Buffalo blend (Buffalo wing and ranch). Grab a bag to stuff a stocking and one for yourself. Price: $4 and up.  MORE INFO 

Beeswax food wraps: OLSEN+OLSEN beeswax wraps are a stylish way to keep food fresh and help reduce the use of plastic wraps and bags in the kitchen. To use, warm the wraps in your hands and mold them over bowls and casseroles, sealing with your fingers. You can also use the wraps directly on food, like half an apple or lemon. The wraps come three to a pack (small, medium and large). They’re washable, reusable and compostable. Price: $16. Available at BeeKind, Syracuse. MORE INFO  

Farm Girl Juicery juices: The struggle to eat healthy during the holiday season is real. Farm Girl Juicery to the rescue. The juice stand, open daily at Salt City Market in Syracuse (and in season at Chuck Hafner’s Farmers Market and Garden Center), features teas, tonics and multiple varieties of cold-pressed juices, which are rich in nutrients and also serve as an immunity boost. Options include green juices made with ingredients like cucumber and kale, and root juices made with things like apples, beets, carrots, oranges and sweet potatoes. My favorite is owner Abigail Henson's Tonic 42, made with alkaline water, lemon, maple syrup and cayenne. Price: About $8. MORE INFO 

Bayside Wood cutting boards: Cheese boards and charcuterie boards are all the rage these days, and a new board makes a great gift for someone who likes to cook and/or entertain – or for yourself. Bayside Wood Products produces cutting boards in a variety of styles and sizes. Their signature products include multi-color baker’s boards for rolling dough (and for cutting and serving) and Syracuse skyline boards. Look for Bayside at the Central New York Regional Market on Saturdays and check their website for pop-up events. Price: Varies. MORE INFO  

Photo credits:

Hot Crispy Oil photo courtesy of Hot Crispy Oil

Old Home Distillers sampler pack photo courtesy of Old Home Distillers

Winosaurs photo courtesy of Metro Home Style

Salt City Coffee photo courtesy of Salt City Coffee

Farm Girl Juicery photo courtesy of Farm Girl Juicery

Bayside Wood cutting board photo courtesy of Bayside Wood Products

All other photos © Margaret McCormick 2022

Hot Crispy Oil: a love story

Do you have a favorite condiment? My favorite condiment of late is Hot Crispy Oil, a combination of olive oil and fried garlic, shallots and hot chili peppers. I’m kind of obsessed with it and keep exploring new ways to use it.

Hot Crispy Oil is produced in the Albany area. It’s a pandemic project turned entrepreneurial success story for chef and former restaurant owner John Trimble. Trimble created Hot Crispy Oil in his home kitchen when his family’s restaurant, La Serre, was shuttered and he was home cooking for his family, according to the website.

When the Trimble family decided not to reopen their restaurant, John Trimble pushed forward with making and marketing Hot Crispy Oil. He says it’s inspired by Asian crunchy garlic and chili oils, Mexican chili oils, Vietnamese chili sauce and Turkish and Calabrian chili paste.

I picked up my first jar of Hot Crispy Oil last summer and have been using it regularly ever since. Open the jar, give the contents a stir and drizzle it on eggs and avocado toast. Toss it with spaghetti or angel hair pasta. Dab it on cheese for grilled cheese – go easy, the oil packs a lot of flavor. One of my go-to lunches and suppers is basmati rice garnished with Hot Crispy Oil, topped with scallions and sometimes a fried egg (see above).

The crispy ingredients give the oil a bit of “chew,” which makes it fun to eat. An extra hot version of Hot Crispy Oil is available, but I haven’t tried it. The original is plenty hot – to my taste buds, anyway. When the jar runs low, stir in a little olive oil to use up all the crunchy bits.

In the Syracuse area, Hot Crispy Oil is available at stores like BeeKind, Chuck Hafner’s Farmers Market and Garden Center (in season), Lombardi’s Imports, Vince’s Gourmet Imports, Thanos Imports and others. It retails for about $10.

Good news for those outside of Central New York: You can order Hot Crispy Oil online. For more information, including shipping details, store locator, and recipes, CLICK HERE.

Top image: © Margaret McCormick

Product shot: © Crispy Hot Oil

 

Food and Ferments Fireside Tonic

Whether it's cooking, baking, tree trimming, hosting family and friends, writing cards into the night or doing double-duty at work in advance of holiday time off, it's easy to get run down this time of year. We all know it's important to eat healthily, stay physically active and get plenty of sleep, but we tend to burn the proverbial candle at both ends.

No one wants to spend the holidays sniffling and sneezing or in bed with the flu. I'm taking a preventive measure, thanks to Carly and Dave Dougherty at Food and Ferments, in Truxton: Fireside Tonic.

 

Fireside Tonic is a natural, traditional folk remedy that supports the immune system with a bit of punch. It's made with organic raw apple cider vinegar, oranges, local raw honey, ginger, onions, garlic, horseradish, kombucha vinegar, jalapeños, beets, turmeric, dried habaneros, rosemary, cayenne, hibiscus and pomegranate juice.

 

I sampled it recently at the Food and Ferments stand in the F Shed at the Central New York Regional Market, headed home with a bottle ($12) and have been drinking a straight-up shot of it every morning for health and wellness, along with a mug of warm lemon water.

 

My first thought on tasting Fireside Tonic was that it would make a great flavor enhancer for Bloody Marys. It's savory and super-flavorful, with a bit of heat that warms you from the inside as it goes down. Instructions on the bottle recommend drinking it "as is,'' adding a little to water, juice, tea, marinades and dressings and mixing it in creative cocktails. If you like pickle juice or "drinking vinegars,'' as so many people do these days, you probably will like Fireside Tonic.

 

Fireside Tonic is just a small part of the Food and Ferments product line. The Doughertys are perhaps best known for their sauerkrauts (including interesting flavors like curry kraut and rosemary and lemon kraut), kimchi (salted and fermented vegetable medley) and kombucha (tangy, fermented teas, in flavors like cherry lime and lavender blueberry) that are rich in probiotics and good for your gut. They also offer beet Kvass (another healthy tonic, popular in eastern Europe) and fermented pickle juice.

 

Find Food and Ferments every Saturday at the CNY Regional Market. Their products are also available at some local stores and online.

 

 

 

Favorite things: Black Button Distilling Bourbon Cream

I'm not usually a fan of brown liquor. But add some cream and vanilla and a hint of caramel and I'm in.

Blame it on Tina Conte McPherson, of Primo and Mary's Salsa, for getting me hooked on Black Button Distilling's Bespoke Bourbon Cream.

 

Black Button is a craft distillery (with tasting room) located a stone's throw from Rochester's Public Market and Rohrbach Brewing Company. Its products include gin, vodka, whiskey, bourbon and moonshine (corn whiskey), made in small batches from local grain. It even makes a limited-edition lilac gin, in honor of Rochester's famous lilacs and Lilac Festival.

 

Black Button sets up shop each month at the Winter Farmers Market at Baltimore Woods Nature Center, in Marcellus. In January, the Black Button display was next door to Primo and Mary's Salsa stand. "Try the bourbon cream... it's so good,'' Tina said, gesturing to her neighbor.

 

He poured a small sample. It's creamy and sweet (not overly) and rich -- an easy stand-in for Bailey's Irish Cream in coffee and delicious on its own. I had budgeted $20 for market purchases and had to think about spending $33 on a bottle of booze.

 

"You're worth it,'' I told myself. "Besides,'' I rationalized, "It's local. Or almost local.''

 

The first time I served the bourbon cream, I poured it in small sipping glasses, like those you'd use for sherry or port, and served it room temperature. Since then, I've been adding ice to the glass, pouring the bourbon cream over the ice and giving it a swirl. It's excellent that way -- an indulgent, adults-only mini milkshake for dessert.

 

I haven't tried it in coffee yet, but that's just a matter of time. It also would make an excellent "adult" iced coffee or coffee smoothie. For March birthdays and St. Patrick's Day, I've made chocolate cupcakes and frosted them with Bailey's-infused buttercream icing -- there's no reason the bourbon cream liqueur can't stand in for the famous Irish whiskey cream liqueur.

 

I'm looking forward to a Rochester road trip and visit to Black Button Distilling some day soon. In addition to the Winter Farmers Market at Baltimore Woods, you can find Black Button products at stores like Vinomania and Harbor View Wines and Liquors in Syracuse and Liquor City in DeWitt, according to the distillery website.

 

Cheers!

 

Dear Penzeys Spices: Can we get a Penzeys in Syracuse?! Please?!

Albany has a Penzeys. Buffalo has a Penzeys. West Nyack has a Penzeys. Long Island has a Penzeys.

Syracuse? No Penzeys!

 

Penzeys Spices is an upscale retailer of spices, based in Wauwatosa, WI. It has 67 retail outlets in 29 states, as well as online and mail-order shopping -- which is a good thing, since we here in Syracuse are completely Penzeys-deprived!!!

 

I've been ordering from Penzeys online for years -- the quality of their spices is excellent and their prices are reasonable. Orders over $30 are shipped for free and I love how they include a sample-size spice or seasoning with orders. Last month, it was a thrill to FINALLY visit a Penzeys store in person (Crossgates Mall; Albany). The store SMELLS great -- it's packed with more than 250 spices and seasonings -- and the staff is very friendly and helpful.

 

On returning home and unwrapping my haul, I contacted Penzeys to advocate for a Penzeys store in Central New York and received this reply.

 

"While there are no specific plans for the next round of new Penzeys stores,'' wrote Penzeys' Margie Gibbons, "I'm happy to pass on your interest for a store closer to you.''

 

So, if you want to pile in the car and make a Penzeys run to Buffalo or Albany, give me a shout.

 

A Few of My Favorite Things from Penzeys:

 

Double Strength Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract: Double the vanilla love in baked goods and desserts. Each bottle of extract contains a vanilla bean to fish out -- or to transfer to the next bottle for steeping.

 

Vanilla Sugar: Great for decorating Christmas cookies -- and to add to hot cocoa.

 

Pizza Spice: A hand-mixed combination of salt, Indian fennel seed, Turkish oregano leaf and powder, sugar, garlic, Tellicherry black pepper, sweet California basil, white onion, crushed red pepper and cayenne red pepper powder. Sprinkle it on homemade pizza and in omelets.

 

Vietnamese Extra Fancy Cinnamon: It's extra strong and flavorful, too. "The highest quality, strongest cinnamon available in America today,''  according to Penzeys. 

 

Cocoa Powders: Natural cocoa is great for baking. The Dutch Process cocoa powder makes excellent hot cocoa and hot fudge sauce.

 

Penzeys Spice Packages: Boxes like nine-jar Baker's Box ($70), which contains two kinds of cinnamon, Dutch Blue poppy seeds, ginger powder, lemon zest, Dutch cocoa, ground cloves, ground cardamom and Double-strength pure vanilla extract, make memorable gifts.

 

Quality cooking deserves high-quality spices. Add Penzeys to your Christmas wish list or treat yourself today.

 

 

Soup’s on, Central New York!

Stir up the Campbell’s? Nope.

Chicken Soup for the Soul? Sure, that’s fine. But truth is, in winter, any kind of soup is good for the soul – especially if it’s homemade.

So far this winter, we’ve stirred up pots of Black Bean Soup With Cumin, My Favorite Lentil Soup and Curried Cream-less Broccoli soup, all from “Jane Brody’s Good Food Book’’; Kale and Potato Soup from Alice Waters’ “The Art of Simple Food’’; Beef Minestrone Soup from Wegmans Menu magazine; Vegetarian Minestrone Soup from “St. Basil’s Celebration of California’s Cuisines’’; and Pasta e Fagiole a la Mary Anne Esposito, to name a few.

Mary Kiernan, a chef and instructor at Syracuse University, shared with me her recipe for Chorba Ras el Hanout, a hearty vegetable soup made with the Moroccan spice blend ras el hanout, for a feature that will appear in the March-April issue of Central New York (The Good Life) Magazine. March will still be soup season. I can’t wait to try it.

Why soup? It’s warming, satisfying and comforting, and fills the kitchen with savory aromas. It can take a lot of chop-chop, but once you get into the rhythm of it, it’s no chore.

Soup is inexpensive to make, often uses what you already have on hand and provides multiple servings. Leftovers make a great lunch – or lunches.

Way better than Campbell’s or Progresso. Mmmm Mmmm good! And good for you.

Curried Cream-less Broccoli Soup

Adapted from “Jane Brody’s Good Food Book’’

You will need:

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil (or a combination)

1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, chopped (about 2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon curry powder

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 2/3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup water

1 bunch broccoli, including the stems, cut into flowerets and ½- inch slices (about 1 pound) 

1 large potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch slices

1 cup milk

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, heat oil/melt butter. Saute onion for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook briefly. Add the curry and pepper and stir. Add the broth and water to the pan, bringing the soup to a boil. Add the broccoli and potato.  When the mixture returns to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until all the vegetable are tender (about 20 minutes).

Puree the soup using with a stick blender (or in a food processor or blender. Return puree to pan, stir in milk, and cook over low heat until hot.  Do not boil soup once milk has been added.

Makes 6 servings. The recipe doubles easily. You might want to make it ahead, to allow the flavors to meld.

 

Favorite things: Hercules Candy Co.

I have many favorite Christmas moments each year: listening to my favorite holiday CD, Chuck Leavell's "What's In That Bag?'' once again; pulling Aunt Anne's handmade ceramic tree with tiny lights out of its box and plugging it in; seeing Bailey's giddy reaction to fresh fallen snow; driving around town, usually with Mom, to see some of the spectacular light displays people go to great lengths to stage at their homes.

No matter how busy things get, the holiday season wouldn't be complete without a trip to Hercules Candy Co., in the village of East Syracuse, to pick up some homemade candy canes for gift- giving and personal enjoyment.

The candy canes cost 85 cents each and come in three minty-fresh flavors: wintergreen, spearmint and peppermint.

 

 

I'm partial to the wintergreen, but they're all delicious.

 

The canes also come in raspberry and root beer flavors. I haven't tried those. Yet.

In this day and age, when you can pick up a box of dozen candy canes for $1 or less at Walgreens or Wal-Mart, candy-making the way it's done at Hercules is fast becoming a lost art.

Hercules owners Steve and Terry Andrianos twist their candy canes and delicate, brightly colored ribbon candy the old-fashioned way: by hand.

 

No machinery, other than a stove, is used to make their chocolates, filled chocolates, chocolate-covered potato chips, peanut brittle, mint bark and other specialties. Chocolate and other ingredients are purchased directly from the producer. Nuts are roasted on site.

White chocolate and milk chocolate Rudolphs, $2.99 each, with red nose, of course.

The couple are the third generation of the Andrianos family to make candy in East Syracuse. The shop was originally on West Manlius Street, the main drag, but moved to the family home on West Heman Street during the Great Depression.

Steve Andrianos started making candy when he was 12, learning from his parents and grandfather, and always dreamed of running the business. He has done so since 1977, and turned it into a year-round operation in the late 1980s, thanks to the addition of an air conditioning system.

If you stop in to pick up some candy this holiday season -- and you absolutely positively must -- ask if anyone is making candy. You may be invited downstairs to have a look at works in progress. Group tours are available, but must be arranged in advance.
Filled chocolates, ready to be boxed.

Hercules Candy Co. is at 209 W. Heman St., off Kinne Street, in East Syracuse. From Thanksgiving to Easter, the store is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 463-4339.

 

Favorite things: Creme fraiche

What's in that Jadite bowl?

It looks like thickened heavy cream, and it is, but with a tangy twist.

It's creme fraiche, one of our favorite things to have on hand in the refrigerator.

Creme fraiche can be used as a garnish for soups and as a topping for baked potatoes. You can spoon it on fruits, like berries. It has a rich and creamy consistency, and it won't break down if you stir it into sauces.

I've read that you can use it as a filling for crepes, dollop it on pancakes and waffles and stir it into salad dressings, but I've never tried it in any of those ways. I do know it works well on warm scones, along with a smear of jam.

Mostly, we use it as a garnish for pureed soups -- both for eye appeal and flavor. 

You can spend a lot of money for a teeny-tiny jar of imported creme fraiche at Wegmans. You'll find it in the gourmet section, alongside the European butters and cheeses.

We bought it once, until we got smart and decided to make our own.

"The Food Lover's Companion'' suggests making creme fraiche by combining one cup heavy cream and two tablespoons buttermilk in a glass container and letting it sit, at room temperature, until thickened. In winter (and in our drafty house!) this can take up to 24 hours. Refrigerate the creme fraiche and it thickens further and will keep for maybe 5 days.

Lately, we've been making creme fraiche with one part (1 cup or half a cup) heavy cream and one part (1 cup or half a cup) of sour cream, which, unlike buttermilk, we tend to always have on hand.

Combine the cream and sour cream in a glass bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until very thick. This can take several hours or many hours (overnight). When thickened, give it a stir and transfer it to a jar with a lid and refrigerate.

Creme fraiche seems to get a little more tangy as it ages. The last time we made it with heavy cream and sour cream, it stayed thick and fresh for more than a week.

That's a great rate of return for not very much work.

 

Favorite things: Roasted Squash Soup

This is the first of an occasional series on my favorite foodie things. The Thanksgiving table is so laden with good things to eat -- turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, salads, cranberry sauce, cranberry bread, pumpkin bread, dinner rolls -- that another traditional accompaniment to the feast, pureed squash, sometimes gets overlooked. Here's a way to give locally grown winter squash, so abundant and inexpensive this time of year -- and so flavorful! -- a starring role at any meal. The recipe is adapted from "The New Basics Cookbook,'' by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, which probably should get its own "favorite things'' post. For years now, it has been a go-to for great ideas and recipes and answers to cooking questions. Roasted Squash Soup You will need: 4 winter squash, about 8 pounds total (try a combination of butternut, buttercup and acorn) 1 stick butter or margarine (it does add depth of flavor, but you can use less) 8 teaspoons dark brown sugar 3 carrots, peeled and halved 1 large onion thinly, sliced 10 cups chicken or vegetable broth 3/4 teaspoon ground mace 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger Pinch of cayenne pepper Salt and pepper to taste Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise (this can be the most difficult part of making this soup) and scoop out all the seeds and as much of the stringy fibers holding the seeds as you can.

Place squash halves skin-side down in a large, shallow roasting pan. Place 1 tablespoon butter (half a tablespoon works, too) and 1 teaspoon brown sugar in the cavity of each squash half. Arrange carrots and sliced onion around and on top of squash. Pour 2 cups of broth in pan, cover the pan tightly and roast squash for 2 hours.

Remove pan from oven and let the squash cool enough so you can handle it.

 

Scoop squash flesh out of skins and into a large soup pot. Add remaining vegetables and cooking liquid. Add remaining 8 cups broth plus mace, ginger, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Using an immersion (stick) blender, puree the soup until smooth. If it seems too thick, add some heated broth, a little at a time, until puree is of a consistency you like.

Serve the soup with a spoonful of sour cream, if you have it, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley, chives or chopped scallions.

Bonus: You will have plenty of leftovers for lunch or other subsequent meals! The recipe makes 12 or more servings and the soup freezes well.

Note: We like this soup topped with a dollop of creme fraiche, another favorite foodie thing. More on that in my next post.