Bucks County Taste » Lynne Goldman

Canal House Cooking

Lynne Goldman — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:52:27 +0000

As partners in a business that transforms chefs’ cookbook dreams into reality, it’s good to share a common vision. It’s also good to like the same kinds of food.

Shared tastes and a love of the culinary world prompted local food experts Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer to step beyond their role of crafting other people’s books and create one of their own.

Christopher Hirsheimer, left, and Melissa Hamilton in their Lambertville loft studio

Volume one of Canal House Cooking was published this month, the first in a series of softcover cookbooks that focus on seasonal cooking. In the book the two moms, who live in Hunterdon and Bucks counties, share the summertime recipes they make at home.

The 80 recipes in the book focus on foods in season and feature summertime fare such as tomatoes, plums and zucchini. Every course is covered, from seasonally appropriate mixed drinks to dessert.

The two authors are former magazine food editors with credentials that include years spent at Saveur and Metropolitan Home. Christopher has collaborated on four other cookbooks, including three for Saveur.

Melissa is well known in local culinary circles for co-founding Hamilton’s Grill Room in Lambertville with her father, Jim Hamilton.

Canal House Cooking costs $19.95, or $49.95 for an annual subscription of three books and can be ordered through the website thecanalhouse.com.

Next will be a book on fall and holiday cooking, then a winter/spring edition. In addition to the website, books are available at amazon.com, Farley’s Bookstore in New Hope, Pa., and the Hamilton’s Grill Room. The books will also be sold at other private bookstores in the U.S. and through Anthropologie stores.

This recipe from the book is a great way to enjoy the fresh local tomatoes just coming into season:

Roasted Tomatoes Studded with Garlic

serves 4

INGREDIENTS

½ cup diced pancetta
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pasta
2 anchovy fillets
1 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
4 tomatoes, tops sliced off, seeds scooped out
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
small handful fresh thyme, parsley, or basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper
½ pound spaghetti

HOW TO

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Fry the pancetta in a skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp around the edges. Use a slotted spatula to lift the pancetta out of the skillet to a plate. Leave the rendered fat in the skillet.
Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the anchovies to the same skillet. Use a wooden spoon to mash the anchovies until they dissolve. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until they are golden.
Put the tomatoes, cut side up, in a baking dish and slip some garlic into each tomato. Mound some bread crumbs into each tomato and scatter pancetta and herbs on top. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil over all.
Roast the tomatoes in the oven until they have browned a bit and the interior is supple but the tomatoes haven’t collapsed, 1–1½ hours.
Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain.
Return the pasta to the pot and stir in some olive oil and some of the oily tomato juices from the bottom of the tomato roasting dish.
Serve the spaghetti with the roasted tomatoes and their juices spooned on top.

Marathons, Music and Markets

Lynne Goldman — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:19:22 +0000

Many local farmers’ markets invite local chefs to cook and demonstrate. This weekend, Wrightstown Farmers’ Market will have Denis Chiappa from Carlow Cookery demonstrating how to make some great summer dishes, starting at 10:30 am.

At the Linden Hill Farmers’ Market, Chef David Zuckerman of Earl’s Bucks County (formerly Earl’s Prime) will be preparing market items on the grill. Darlene Kaminsky of Chestnut Hill Farm Gourmet Foods will be teaching how to can and preserve. Both will be doing demos at 4:30 & 6:30 pm.

Local Harvest Restaurant Week continues through Sunday, July 26th. SEE, a Lambertville-based community organization, is sponsoring the event in Lambertville and New Hope to raise awareness about sustainability – in our society, environment and economy (SEE). With cooperation from local restaurants, farms, food producers, and Zone 7 (a local foods distribution business), SEE is bringing the best of the region’s local harvest to local restaurant tables. If you eat at one of the participating restaurants, you’ll be able to enjoy dishes specially prepared for the event using the finest local ingredients. Check out SEE’s website for more information about their mission, more details about the restaurant week, and a list of participating restaurants (which includes practically all of the good ones in Lambertville).

The Farm-to-Table Dinner benefiting The Heritage Conservancy is coming up soon, on Saturday, August 1st so buy your tickets soon. The catering will be done by Soup to Nuts Caterers and Earl’s Restaurant in Peddler’s Village, which recently changed its menu and concept to focus on local, farm-fresh ingredients. Price will be $45 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Heritage Conservancy, a land conservation organization here in Bucks County. It will be held at the historic Lindsay Farm in Warminster.

Here’s the run-down for the weekend. Check out our online calendar, Food Events in Bucks County for more details on any of the events below. Have a peachy-keen weekend.

Friday, July 24th:

25th Anniversary Marathon @ Dilly’s Corner, 12 am – 12 am, Centre Bridge/New Hope.
Linden Hill Farmers’ Market, 3:30 – 7:30 pm, Ottsville.
Wine Concert Series @ Shady Brook Farm, 7 – 9 pm, Yardley. Weather permitting. Free admission. Dan Kauffman is the musical entertainment.
Local Harvest Restaurant Week by SEE, 5 – 10 pm, Lambertville & New Hope.
Hot Wines from Hot Climates, 7 – 9 pm, Carlow Cookery, Doylestown.
Outdoor Summer Music Series @ Crossing Vineyards and Winery, 7 – 10 pm, Washington Crossing. Karen Rodriguez Latin Jazz Ensemble is the musical entertainment.

Saturday, July 25th:

Doylestown Farmers’ Market, 7 am – Noon, Doylestown.
Indian Valley Farmers’ Market, 8:30 am – 12:30 pm, Telford.
Plumsteadville Grange Farm Market, 9 am – 12 pm, Route 611 just north of Stump Road, Plumsteadville.
Wrightstown Farmers’ Market, 9 am – 1 pm, Wrightstown.
Zone 7 Founder, Mikey Azzara, Visits Basil Bandwagon, 10:30 am – 12 pm, Flemington, NJ.
Local Harvest Restaurant Week by SEE, 5 – 10 pm, Lambertville & New Hope.
“Fresh” Documentary Screening, 7 – 9 pm, River Valley Waldorf School, Upper Black Eddy, PA

Sunday, July 26th:

Sunday Funday: Car Show @ Shady Brook Farm, 8 am – 12 pm, Yardley.
Peach Pancake Breakfast @ Solly’s Farm Market, 9 am – 12 pm, Ivyland.
Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market, 9 am – 1 pm, Hellertown.
Hunterdon Land Trust Farmers’ Market, 9 am – 1 pm, Flemington.
38th Annual Puerto Rican Day Festival, 12 – 8 pm, Bristol.
Sangria Sundays @ Chaddsford Winery, 1 – 4 pm, Lahaska.
Wine Tasting for Dummies @ Crossing Vineyards and Winery, 2 – 5 pm, Washington Crossing.
Summerfest: Caribbean Jam @ Crossing Vineyards and Winery, 5 – 9 pm, Washington Crossing.
Local Harvest Restaurant Week by SEE, 5 – 10 pm, Lambertville & New Hope.

Monday, July 27th:

Foods & Moods with Nutritionist Ellen Book-O’Neill, Cornerstone Health & Fitness, 11 am – 12 pm, Furlong.
The Sushi Bar, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Carlow Cookery, Doylestown.

Fresh from the market: July 24th

Lynne Goldman — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:40:12 +0000

I started this feature last week, and will list for you throughout the local growing season the kinds of vegetables and fruits available at many local farmers’ markets.

Here’s this week’s freshly picked vegetables: Asian turnips, basil, beets, cabbage, chard, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, fennel, fresh garlic, green beans, green peppers, herbs, hot peppers, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, parsley, radishes, scallions, summer squash, tomatoes, zucchini.

Freshly picked fruit: blueberries, raspberries, peaches and possibly blackberries and nectarines.

Thanks to Robin Hoy of the Wrightstown Market for her help on this list.

Dilly's 25th Anniversary Marathon

Lynne Goldman — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:01:08 +0000

Dilly’s Corner is celebrating their
25th year in a big way with a 25-hour marathon. Just like it sounds – 25 hours of eating, more or less. It starts tonight, July 23rd at 11:00 pm and ends tomorrow night, July 24th, at 12:00 am. Here’s the schedule of events:

Thursday, July 23rd, 11:00 pm:
Dilly’s opens (closed during the day today)

Friday, July 24th:

1:00 – 3:00 am: 1985 Menu Pricing
3:00 – 4:00 am: Adult Ice Cream Eating Contest
(entry fee: $3)
5:00 – 10:00 am: Breakfast
1:00 – 3:00 pm: Kids Hour
(3 – 6 years old, Make-Your-Own-Cone)
3:00 – 4:00 pm: Kids Ice Cream Eating Contest
(7 – 12 years old)(entry fee: $3)
4:00 – 5:00 pm: Hamburger Eating Contest
(13 years old and up)(entry fee: $10)
7:00 – 9:00 pm: Live Music
12:00 am: Closing

All contest fees will be donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Sign-up at Dilly’s for each contest.

See our review of Dilly’s below. Have a great time!

Food, Inc. Documentary at the County

Lynne Goldman — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:30:15 +0000

For an enlightening and provocative inside look at how our food is being produced in the U.S. food industry and who’s “in the kitchen,” the new documentary Food, Inc. is showing at the County Theater, 20 E. State St. in Doylestown through this weekend.

The film opened in New York last month and is beginning to make its way around the country. It is directed by Robert Kenner and co-produced by Eric Schlosser (author of Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food). Robert Kenner is a 1968 grad of Solebury School, so we’ve got some real local ties to the film’s fame!

Showtimes are:
Thursday 4:00 and 9:35 pm
Friday 6:25 pm
Saturday and Sunday 1:15 and 6:25 pm

It’s rated PG and is 1 hour and 34 min. It’s a MUST SEE for everyone who cares about our food, our health, our economy, our environment and human and animal rights.

Thanks to Robin Hoy, manager of the Wrightstown Farmers’ Market, for this information. (Sorry I was late putting this up; the movie has been showing all week.)

Finding the right crunch

Lynne Goldman — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:30 +0000

By guest blogger Susan Sprague Yeske

Jack Baker was a man with a mission.

A retiree who likes to cook, he wanted to create the perfect pickle: one that was fresh and flavorful with just the right bite of vinegar and hint of dill. Most importantly, he wanted it to stay crunchy while sitting in its jar in the refrigerator. Soft pickles are unappealing, he said.

Over the course of seven cucumber seasons Baker would begin to work when the Kirby cukes arrived at the Trenton Farmers Market in Lawrence, N.J. He experimented with recipes from cookbook after cookbook, taking ideas from some and discarding others.

His seven-year odyssey ended, he said, when he achieved the perfect pickle, one that draws raves from friends and family. “When I go fishing, my buddies won’t let me get on the boat unless I bring my pickles,” he said.

The truth is in the tasting: they really are the best dill pickles I have ever tasted. And the crunchiness lasts and lasts and lasts.

Jack generously shares his pickle recipe with anyone who wants it, along with other favorite recipes he has acquired through the years. He also shares another hint from a fellow pickle maker: adding a single grape leave to a jar of freshly made pickles will help keep them crisp.

Here is Jack’s recipe:

Jack’s Refrigerator Pickles

INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT

8 one-quart canning jars with rings and lids
14 heads of dill, divided, or 1 tablespoon dill seed per quart
16 garlic cloves
½ cup kosher salt
½ cup granulated sugar
2 ¼ cups white vinegar
3 quarts water
Kirby cucumbers 4-5 inches long (approximately 12 to 15 pounds)

HOW TO

Brine: Mix together salt, sugar, vinegar and water and bring to a rolling boil.
While waiting for the brine to boil, sterilize canning jars and rings in boiling water for 12 minutes. Place canning lids in a bowl of warm water and let them sit until ready to use.
Once the jars are sterile, pack with dill, garlic and cucumbers sliced according to size and preferred thickness. Cover with hot brine. Seal jar with lids and rings and wipe edges dry. When jars have cooled, place in the refrigerator.

Yields approximately 8 quarts.
Pickles must be refrigerated and will maintain their freshness for up to 10 weeks or more.

Fresh Local Corn Sighting

Lynne Goldman — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:27:10 +0000

I know I’ve said it before, but it’s really here. Summer, that is. The first local corn is coming in (none of that Su’thun stuff). I know for sure you can get some at None Such Farm Market. Be on the look-out at your local farms and stores, and let me know where it pops up and how good it is.

And while we’re “sighting,” the first peaches are here too! We just had some from Fairview Farm, on Pineville Road (just down the road from the Pineville Tavern) this weekend and they were delicious (thanks, Sharon). Manoff Market Gardens on Comfort Road in Solebury also has peaches now, but Manoff reminds that these are “eating” peaches as opposed to the kind used for canning and jamming (not “freestone”). Those come in August. The Manoffs have a great blog too. Check it out.

Goodnoe's is back!

Lynne Goldman — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:54:00 +0000

As of last Friday, the ice cream “phoenix” has risen. Goodnoe’s ice cream is back, reopening in Newtown, under the managment of the next generation, Colin Goodnoe and his sister, Kendall. They are making ice cream using the family recipes in their former production facility on Silo Drive. The new store is at 4 South Sycamore Street. Stay tuned for a quickie review by the Bucks County Taste Ice Cream Taster (a.k.a. Mark).

GOODNOE FARM DAIRY BAR
4 South Sycamore Street
Newtown, PA 18940
215.968.3544

Update: Here’s an article from the Intelligencer / Bucks County Courier Times that appeared today about the opening.

Fresh from the market this week…

Lynne Goldman — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:59:31 +0000

I’m starting a new feature for the growing season. “Fresh from the market this week…” will alert you to the kinds of vegetables and fruits you can expect to find at area farmers’ markets. Hopefully it will help you plan the week and maybe even try some new things.

Here’s this week’s freshly picked vegetables, available at many local markets: Asian turnips, basil, beets, cabbage, chard, collard greens, cucumbers, eggplant, fennel, fresh garlic, green beans, green peppers, herbs, hot peppers, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, parsley, radishes, scallions, summer squash, and zucchini.

Freshly picked fruit: blueberries, black raspberries, raspberries, peaches and apricots.

Thanks to Robin Hoy of the Wrightstown Market for her help on this list.

Tidbits: Farm Fresh Cocktails

Lynne Goldman — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:55:02 +0000

If all the lovely veggies now showing up at local farmers’ markets don’t do it for you (??), here’s a Philadelphia Daily News article that highlights some delectable drinks you can make with local ingredients. That should motivate you to get out to the farmers’ market.

Here’s a couple of items that caught my eye on how to use the ingredients, particularly herbs. Recipes are included in the article.

Bistro St. Tropez chef/owner Patrice Rames is crazy about peaches right now … After blanching the fruit for two minutes to remove the skin, Rames dips it in ice water to stop the cooking process. Then he roasts the fruit, sprinkled with raw sugar, lemon thyme or mint and a little butter, in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. “I use the peach for a dessert with caramel or vanilla ice cream, but I also puree it for cocktails,” he said.

At Noble, the new restaurant on Sansom Street from Todd Rodgers and Bruno Pouget, the focus is on seasonality … Rodgers … creates a long list of cocktails using fresh ingredients, house-brewed ginger beer and cider and even homemade tonic. His two best sellers are the French 75, a mix of gin, citrus and champagne, and the Ti Jean, made with ginger beer, rye, lemon juice and mint. “The secret to getting added oomph from your mint is to smack it in the palm of your hand before you put it in the drink. That releases its natural oils,” he said.

Guess we’ve got some research to do this weekend.