Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Vermont v1.0

More photos, fewer words.  
Vermont: A delicious state.
And, here's a moderately interesting tidbit, this trip marks the first time Sean and I have ever visited a new state together (and we've been to ~36 between the two of us).  Clearly we had a lot of driving time to figure this one out....
Silver Service Inn, Manchester, VT -
I've never eaten so much for breakfast!  Ok, that's not true.  Maybe just not in the last 5 years.
Vermont Butter & Cheese Company, Websterville, VT -
Needless to say, I was mesmerized by this process.  Anyone up for some goat cheese in the next cheesemaking class?
It's so beautiful in its tiny crate! This is one of my all-time favorites: Aged goat cheese with a wood ash. 
Cremont: Double-cream aged milk and cow cheese.  Thick and creamy.  Perfect with sweet red pepper jelly.
Ben & Jerry's, Waterbury, VT -
The original van burst into flames and was dubbed the "World's Largest Baked Alaska"
The flavor graveyard!  This one had the best epitaph, but the flavor with the shortest life span was Sugar Plum at 6 weeks.  It was so bad, people called them up to ask them what was wrong with their ice cream.
We may have missed the peak of the fall foliage season, but it was still beautiful. 


Hildene, Manchester, VT -
A beautiful estate built by President Abraham Lincoln's son.  Apparently, they usually have one of the few remaining stove pipe hats that Lincoln owned on display, but theirs is on loan to the Reagan Library in California.  Just our luck. 
View from the Hildene property
A $2 waffle cone: A Manchester ice cream shop was hosting an ice cream sale before it shutdown for winter.
A massive cone to top off a dairy-focused weekend.
Just about to crossover into upstate New York heading home.  I hope there's a v2.0, and I hope it's during maple syrup season.....

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Soup Soulmate

Ok, I'll admit it, I got lazy on the blog front last week.  However, it was only because I was so busy in the kitchen.  With what exactly?  Let's just say, I don't want to see any cookies for awhile.  For maybe, like, a whole week.

Anyway, fall is definitely in full swing, and I absolutely love it.  I put the upstairs fan away, I've taken the blankets out of the closet, and I'm wearing fuzzy slippers.  It's also just cool enough to take the big stock pot out of the cupboard to make soup.  I love making soup and eating soup.  So comforting, so easy, it's like a nice, warm, food hug.

To complement a good soup, I like a nice hunk of bread.  Maybe even a slice of baguette, a wedge of corn bread, or at the very least a handful of those little oyster crackers.  Maybe even a savory scone?  With corn, bacon, and cheese?  Uh, yes.  Now, please.
Cilantro, roasted corn, thyme, applewood smoked bacon.
This is what I had in my freezer and fridge this morning...use what you have.
I was inspired by a party I attended down in DC this past weekend hosted by my college roommate for her husband.  On the menu were those mini quiche hors d'oeuvres.  Damn, they are so cute!  What's not to love about cheese, bacon, and a few herbs?  Ok, now put it all into a tender scone.  Now there's even more love to go around.

Savory Scones
Yield: 8 scones

Notes: You can freeze well-wrapped, unbaked scones in the freezer up to 1 month.  No need to thaw before baking.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups AP flour (200g)
¼ cup cornmeal (30g) [if you don't have this, just substitute in an extra ¼ cup flour]
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons butter (75g)

½ cup cheese (30g)
¼ cup corn [mine was roasted and frozen]
¼ cup cooked bacon, chopped [maybe sausage, or ham?]
1 tablespoon assorted herbs, chopped [thyme, green onions, cilantro, sage]

¾ cup cream + 2 tablespoons (200g)

Tools: Large mixing bowl, measuring cups or scale, measuring spoon, spatula, knife, baking sheet pan

Method:
1. Combine all dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt) in a bowl
2. Use your fingertips to break up the butter into small pieces. Stop once the largest pieces of butter are pea-sized.
Before.
After:
Small pieces of butter are ideal.
Just no gigantic chunks, please.
3. Add in any extras, including cheese, corn, bacon, herbs.
I used Dubliner from Kerrygold, but any cheese will work.
[Thanks for the suggestion Mark!]
4. Pour cream into butter and flour mixture.  Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon just until combined. Dough should look very shaggy.

5. Shape dough into a disk by pressing firmly and cut into wedges
Don't be scared, shaggy is good!
Using your hands, press it into shape.
Pretend you are playing in the sand, and get your hands dirty!
Cut with a sharp knife.

6. Bake at 375°F until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes, rotating after 10 minutes.


The Result: A flavorful, and buttery sidekick to soups everywhere.  A nice stand in for biscuits.  Slice and heat leftovers, for an awesome breakfast sandwich.  Remember, use what you have already in your kitchen.  Sharp cheddar and pickled jalapenos.  Gruyere and ham.  Get hungry and creative.










Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Linvilla Orchards

Last week I was invited to participate in a quintessential fall activity: Apple picking.  Little did I realize it would turn out to be so much more than that.  With the help of some new friends (with cars!), a group of us headed southwest out of the city to Linvilla Orchards in Media, PA.  Make sure to check out the before and after photos once I got home...


Back in the kitchen...
For those who know me, it's a big deal that I ate some of these....
Tomato, fresh basil, homemade mozzarella, balsamic, olive oil
For those who know Sean, it's a pretty big deal that I got him to like eggplant.... 
Baba Ganoush! Get the recipe here
Last, but not least!
Easy apple upside-down cakes with apple chips (the topic of a future blog post)