Citrus Juicer
The spark and intensity of fresh citrus juice can add great flavor dimension to lots of dishes. It naturally follows that an essential tool for every kitchen is a wooden citrus juicer. Sometimes referred to as a reamer, these simple wooden items are easy to use, easy to clean and inexpensive to buy. At home, just cut and orange, lemon or lime in half and flick out the seeds with the tip of a paring knife. Grasp a half in your left hand, assuming you’re right handed, and then push the juicer into the center of the citrus, twist it and the juices will run into a bowl. |
 |
Squeezing the citrus while you twist the juicer increases liquid output. It’s very easy to clean. A simple hot water rinse will do it. Don’t put them in a dishwasher. Wooden citrus juicers are readily available in kitchen stores. I found mine at a target. Prices range from $2.00-$3.00, and it’s worth every last cent. |
|
Posted by Floyd at 05:36 PM
The Rochester Public Market a Year Round Event
When you think about it, one of the world’s oldest professions is probably farming and the eventual sale of the produce.
Public markets, sometimes referred to as Farmers Markets, continue that profession in today’s modern world. It’s a bazaar, a place of commerce.
But, most importantly, a public market is a place to gather, to communicate and to share in a common goal, to find food for dinner.
The Rochester Public Market is a secret gem.
Three mornings a week, every week of the year, produce growers and retailers offer their goods, in an open-air, covered marketplace.
Understand that in the winter months, selection is reduced to cold storage produce like apples, pears, potatoes, onions, beets and the likes from cellars and various other items from the gardens of the world.
Best of all, prices at the Public Market are fully half to two thirds less than grocery stores.
Selection is always best for the early birds.
On Tuesday, 8 o’clock is a fine time to shop. But be aware that pickings are slim.
Thursday, earlier is better, say 7-ish.
Saturday is busy, very busy, year round.
Vendors are ready to do business around 6 A.M., and by 9 A.M., selection and quality dwindles as the crowds thicken.
The rules are simple, get there early and bring cash, small bills. And, don’t try hard to dicker down prices. These people work hard for their money.
Posted by Floyd at 05:27 PM
Good Food
There are lots of people out there who qualify as arm chair gourmets. Simply put, they buy food magazines and read them for the sheer pleasures of the words and the photographs. The possibility of a kitchen application in their own home is a distant possibility. If that scenario fits you or a friend, then make way to a magazine rack in a good book store and search out “Good Food.” This popular publication from Great Britain is published by the BBC, and it’s just plain fun to read. It’s filled with delectable food art, tons of recipes and a generous portion of tidbits to tease the appetite in all of us. Generally speaking, the content is from the food stars of the BBC, and the accompanying articles give insight into their world of work and play. "Good Food" also has a “Reader Taste Team”, composed of random readers who have sampled some of the magazines food formulas. It follows that the team offers their opinions, a reality check for readers. Mostly, "Good Food" is a nice journey to another kitchen, a foreign kitchen, complete with stove and refrigerator ads, food advertisements and even B&B destinations. It’s fun, it’s different and it all about food. "Good Food" will tip the till at around $7.00, a very affordable vacation for any armchair gourmet. |  |
Posted by Floyd at 12:42 PM
Beringer Gewurztraminer
 | Shopping for wine can be a daunting affair. So many labels, so much terminology, so many foreign names. Without a lot of tasting experience, many of us shop for the familiar labels, hesitant with the unknown. One of the most unusual, yet wonderful wines to take a taste gamble on is Gewürztraminer. Pronounced ga-verts-tra-mean-er, this wine is of German origin, and translates as spicy traminer, traminer being the original grape variety. The white wine is characterized by its distinctive character. Wine fans will tell you it has a highly aromatic bouquet, will be slightly sweet, loaded with spices and certainly full flavored.And, if you can score a 2000 Beringer Gewurztraminer from California, all those characteristics will explode on your palate with this wine that’s a circus in a bottle, and I mean that in a very positive sense. |
Right off the bat, this Gewurztraminer will please the eye with its pale wheat color that possesses a distant hue of green apples. It’s clear as a bell, a flawless liquid gem. Take a whiff, and your nose will detect a fruity bouquet with hints of apricots, very ripe peaches, even some ripe cantaloupes at a fruit stand in summer. This wine has a beautiful nose. Taste the wine, and at first, its acidity will slam the roof of your mouth with flavors that then burst open at the rear of your tongue. Swallow, and the taste drapes down the sides of the mouth. The second sip can be a bit more interesting on the palate. More spice, more balance and more pleasant acidity will be apparent. There will be more flavor activity to decipher. Swallow, and the mouth is almost peppery as flavors linger and the savory sensations dwell. The finish is long and lasting with innuendos of apricots and peaches detectable. By the third taste, the mouth is awake and alert, waiting for more. I find this wine is almost better when it sits for 10 minutes or so, there’s more taste bursting in the mouth. A Beringer Gewurstraminer is a joy ride, a fun excursion for anyone with an interest in the next and the new for the palate. It’s alive and perfectly suited with spicy Asian foods, even curry dishes. Go ahead, take a chance, and try a bottle soon. | |
Posted by Floyd at 12:15 PM
Carrots
I love a public market. There’s something very wholesome about buying food from people who have the dirt it was grown in under their nails. And, for the most part, I’ve always found that the folks who grow the stuff, get up early, stand in the rain and bag up my choices are friendly, appreciative and as pleasant as they come. I feel good about doing business with them. Of course, not all the foods offered by vendors at public markets are grown by them all year long. But, experience has shown me that these retailers know their stock well, whether they grow it or not. Ask questions about an items’ point of origin and you can usually get the straight and the skinny. On a recent produce shopping excursion to our local Public Market in Rochester, New York, we ran across a gentleman who offered carrots, a 10 pound bag he said was closer to 11 pounds, for just $3.00. They hailed from Canada. It’s winter now, and the days are gray, the winds are chilly and the snow is beginning to be a daily part of life. Both Deb, my wife, and I were looking for some color in our diets. Carrots, here we come.
The Facts:- As Americans, we eat close to a 100,000 bushels of carrots a day.
- These orange vegetables are a good source of Beta Carotene, which helps us see better in dim light.
- Carrots have been enjoyed by the ancient Greeks, the Romans and certainly by the Europeans, who have cultivated them since at least the 7th century.
- Carrots are available fresh all year long.
- Most stores even manage to carry fresh carrots with their tops intact.
- Carrots are also available canned and frozen.
- For the most part, carrots play a supporting role to other items on a main course dish.
- But, carrots are well suited to soups, stews and low and slow cooked braised dishes since they don’t lose their shape, color or flavor due to extended cooking times.
- January is National Carrot Month.
Posted by Floyd at 12:11 PM
Brasserie 8 ½
New York City is my baby, a complete collection of architecture, art, style, history and humanity. And food, never forget the food. On your next venture to the best city on the planet, I’d like to offer a suggestion for dinner, Brasserie 8 ½ at 9 West 57th. Street, Midtown. Just a hop, skip and a jump from the fabulous boutiques of Fifth Avenue, 8 ½ is swanky, period. You enter at street level, you’re greeted and you then saunter down a curving staircase, seduced on the way by orange, rich, sensual and inviting as you descend into this subterranean temple of gastronomy.
The cocktail lounge beckons first, where smart revelers will sip a Fellini Bellini, a very tasty champagne concoction. Step down into the dining room and let it’s glass and mirrors sparkle in contrast to the cozy booths and tables. Professional, smart staff will see to your needs without fanfare and fuss. It’s just good service is all.
We let the chef, a culinary alchemist one Julian Alonzo, create a palate journey via a tasting menu. We held on tight; this was going to be serious stuff.
Intelligent designs in glass and porcelain transported and highlighted sensuous flavors and textures from the sessions beginning to the end.
Both my wife and I swooned over an amuse bouche of New England Clam Chowder, its flavors shouting freshness as we tipped the soothing and creamy soup into our mouths.
A raw seafood appetizer quartet, food jewels of composition, was perfect.
As was the quail and foie gras, rabbit confit with homemade angel hair pasta and fussy tomatoes, it all managed to satisfy a need for culinary exploration.
Although the Chef would have continued to send out dish after dish, we begged for an end, and selected a simple (we thought) dessert of assorted cookies.
The exuberant presentation was a large white Chinese take out container, resplendent with wire handle, stuffed with pastel tissue papers. Poking out were thin sticks of various familiar cookie flavors, among them ginger snap and chocolate chip. Other tiny savories dotted the plate’s surface along with a multi-chocolate lollipop, which I selfishly devoured with my wife’s permission. O.K., so we’re out-of-towners in the big city.
But, we love to dine and explore with our palates.
At Brasserie 8 ½, we took a journey and we loved it.
Posted by Floyd at 01:48 PM
GOOD FOOD - IT’S THREE TIMES A DAY AND IT’S LEGAL