Slack tomato plants waiting for planting

It’s been too beautiful to sit at the computer the last two days, so I’ve been a bit of a laggard. I spent this morning cleaning up the yard and planting some new herbs I got yesterday from Chuck Rekemeier, who owns Town & Country Greenhouses in Pineville. Chuck’s greenhouse is on Fairview Farm, out back, beyond the peach trees and the little store where you can buy vegetables, milk, baked goods and some of the best peaches around (in season).

I met Chuck last year when I was buying tomatoes at Fred Slack’s farm in Forest Grove. Chuck grows Fred’s tomato seedlings from seeds that Fred gives him. Then the tomatoes end up at The Pineville Tavern every summer in a tasty appetizer called “Freddy’s Tomatoes.” I also spent some time with  Fred and his wife at their kitchen table to talk tomatoes. Look for a post sometime in July on this wonderful local “triangle.” Oh, and Fred says they’ll probably have tomatoes by July 10th. Yum.

Father’s Day is upon us! And why is it that fathers are expected to grill on their “day,” but moms get taken out for brunch or whatever? (Maybe they figure moms are so tired of cooking…). Kind of sexist, I guess. So, why not take Dad out for Father’s Day, or at least do something fun, instead of having him stand over the Weber?

There are FOUR firehouse breakfasts this Sunday, and I can personally vouch for two of them: Riegelsville and Plumsteadville. But don’t take my word for it. Try any of the others if they are closer to you, or some of the other Father’s Day breakfast events.

Take Dad to a vineyard. Crossing Vineyards and Winery is offering “Wine Tasting for Dads” Saturday afternoon from 1 – 4 pm. Unionville Vineyards in Ringoes, NJ (just up Rt. 202, before Flemington) is hosting all weekend a “Father’s Day Walk in the Vineyard,” with complimentary wine tasting, music and winery tours. There’s also the Sangria Festival with Chef Ron Spada at the New Hope Winery on Saturday from 12 – 5 pm. Chef Ron is setting up his 14 ft. smoker and will be selling ribs, chicken, and pulled pork sandwiches, with all the fixins’.

Saturday’s weather looks beautiful and what a great opportunity for a ride along the river. Then stop in at The Homestead General Store in Upper Black Eddy, the oldest, continually-operating, general  store on the river. They’ll be putting on their Coffee and Crafts Fest from 11 am – 4 pm. There will be coffee tasting and roasting demonstrations, local crafts, live music, book signings by local authors and live alpacas (!).

Coming up this week. “FRESH: The Movie,” will be at The County Theater at a special screening this Thursday, June 24th at 7 pm. If you haven’t seen this great film about eating locally, now’s the time. Here’s a description of the movie by director Ana Sofia Joanes:

FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

The film will be followed by a discussion with a panel of local experts who are doing similar things right in our own back yard:  celebrating local food and producers, using local ingredients, raising food in a natural and sustainable way. To learn more, see our post from earlier this week. You can buy tickets at the County Theater’s web site. I’ll see you there!

If we weren’t going to the movie Thursday, we’d be going to the “Peak Organic Beer Dinner” at The Yardley Inn on Thursday evening. Chef Eben has put together an exciting seasonally fresh menu. The meal will be entirely organic, featuring fresh, local ingredients, produce, meats, and cheeses from local organic farms, and fine organic beers. Call to see if reservations are still available.

What can you expect to find produce-wise this week at local farm markets? The big news? BLUEBERRIES are here! In addition, you’ll probably find: arugula, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, early/mild turnips, english peas, fennel, garlic scapes, green beans, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce of all sorts, mustard greens, pea shoots, radishes, salad mix, scallions, snow peas, spinach, starter herbs, sweet snap peas, swiss chard, vegetable plants, zucchini,  and, quite possibly, the first raspberries of the season, along with other berries and maybe even cherries.

For more details on any of these events, please go to our full calendar, Food Events in Bucks County. Have a special weekend.

Friday, June 18th:
Forecast -  Sunny, 87°

• Stockton Farmers’ Market, Stockton, NJ [11 am - 7 pm]
• Warrington Farmers’ Market @ Valley Square, Warrington [3 - 6 pm]
• Ottsville Farmers’ Market @ Linden Hill Gardens, Ottsville [3 - 7 pm]
• Friday Night un(Wine)d Concerts, Doylestown [6 - 9 pm]
• Summer Wine Concert Series @ Shady Brook Farm, Yardley [6 - 9 pm]
• Summer Music Series @ Crossing Vineyards and Winery, Washington Crossing [7 - 10 pm]
• Barbara Trent @ The Centre Bridge Inn, New Hope [7 - 11 pm]
• Kindle Cafe Supper Club at Rojo’s Roastery, Lambertville, NJ [7:30 - 9:30 pm]
• Bob Egan @ Bowman’s Tavern, New Hope [8 pm-12 am]

Saturday, June 19th:
Forecast -  Sunny, 86°

• Doylestown Farmers’ Market, Doylestown [7 am - 12 pm]
• Plumsteadville Grange Farm Market, Plumsteadville [9 am - 12 pm]
• Wrightstown Farmers’ Market, Wrightstown [9 am - 1 pm]
• Stockton Farmers’ Market, Stockton, NJ [9 am - 3 pm]
• Coffee and Crafts Fest @ the Homestead General Store, Upper Black Eddy [11 am - 4 pm]
• Sangria Festival with Chef Ron @ New Hope Winery, New Hope [12 - 5 pm]
• Wine Tasting @ Phillips’ Fine Wines, Stockton, NJ [12 - 5 pm]
• Father’s Day Walk In The Vineyards Weekend, Ringoes, NJ [12 - 7 pm]
• Spring Herbs in the Kitchen @ Tinicum Herb Barn, Erwinna [1 - 3:30 pm]
• Wine Tasting for Dads @ Crossing Vineyards, Washington Crossing [1 - 4 pm]

Sunday, June 20th:
Forecast – Sunny, 90°

• Breakfast Buffet @ Plumsteadville Fire Co., Plumsteadville [7 am - 12 pm]
• Pancake Breakfast @ Applebee’s, Newtown [8 - 10 am]
• Buffet Breakfast @ Chalfont Fire Co., Chalfont [8 am - 12 pm]
• Breakfast @ Riegelsville Fire Company, Riegelsville [8 am - 12:30 pm]
• Breakfast Buffet @ Richland Twp Fire & Rescue, Quakertown [8 am - 1 pm]
• Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market, Hellertown [9 am - 1 pm]
• Stockton Farmers’ Market, Stockton, NJ [10 am - 3 pm]
• Father’s Day Breakfast @ Graeme Park, Horsham [11 am - 3 pm]
• Father’s Day Walk In The Vineyards Weekend, Ringoes, NJ [12 - 5 pm]
• Open Hearth Cooking Demonstration: June’s Bounty in the 17th Century, Morrisville [1 - 4 pm]

Monday, June 21st:
Forecast – Mostly sunny, 87°

• 94 Cents Cookie Night at Chubby’s Dairy Barn, Plumsteadville [6 - 9 pm]

Tuesday, June 22nd:

• Langhorne Farmers’ Market, Langhorne [3:30 - 6:30 pm]

Wednesday, June 23rd:

• American Legion Meals on Wednesdays, Quakertown [11:30 am - 9 pm]
• The Farmers’ Market @ Playwicki Farm, Feasterville [4 - 7 pm]
• Complimentary Beer Tasting @ the Copper Leaf Grill, Buckingham [5 - 9 pm]
• Summertime Sicilian Cooking Class @ Casa Casale, Lahaska [6:30 - 9 pm]

Thursday, June 24th:

• Lower Makefield Farmers’ Market, Yardley [3:30 - 6:30 pm]
• New Hope Farmers’ Market, New Hope [3:30 - 7 pm]
• Springtown Farmers’ Market, Springtown [4 - 7 pm]
• 94 Cent Ice Cream Cone Night @ Uncle Dave’s Ice Cream, Yardley [5 - 9 pm]
• Lobster Night @ The Centre Bridge Inn, New Hope [6 - 10 pm]
• Nutrition 101: How, what and when to eat!, New Britain [6:30 - 8 pm]
• “FRESH: the Movie” showing @ County Theater, Doylestown [7 - 9 pm]
• Peak Organic Beer Dinner @ Yardley Inn, Yardley [7 - 10 pm]

Look for Bucks County Taste on Facebook and Twitter!

I know I mention my mom from time to time here in the blog, and she’s definitely “in the kitchen” with me a lot – in my thoughts, in my techniques and, certainly, in my recipes. My sister and I both have a BIG binder of copied recipes that my mom set up for us, and we’ve continued to add to. My brother…well, he went onto a professional career as a chef. I remember sitting in one of the restaurants where he was chef, munching away at the cole slaw. After one forkful, I froze. “This is mom’s cole slaw!” I exclaimed. [You have to understand. My mom's cole slaw is not your typical restaurant slaw. It's sweeter, has carrots and just a touch of lemon.] “Yes,” he said, “I just set out to make the best cole slaw I could, and kept doctoring it until it tasted like mom’s.” He was also known to make long distance phone calls from some very good San Francisco kitchens asking for a recipe from my mother.

Open Table, the Web site that connects diners to restaurants to make reservations, just published a series of posts on famous chefs sharing how their mothers influenced their cooking. Read about Chef Jose Garces, winner of “The Next Iron Chef,” and whose Philadelphia restaurants include Amada, Distrito, and Tinto. In Caroline Potter’s article, Garces says,

I’ve been privileged to work with some of the finest chefs in America and Spain,” says Chef Garces, “but my passion for cooking comes from my early memories…. Even when I was a child, I was drawn to the joy of cooking a great meal. I have always loved the way that food can transform a person’s whole outlook and really make their day.”

The series also includes thoughts by New York Chef Daniel Humm and San Francisco Chef Michael Mina. I think I need to put a ticker in my file for next year to see what Bucks County chefs have to say about their mothers!

But…Susan S. Yeske has put together a nice list in her article in the Bucks County Herald this week, so take a peek at that.

Also, check our Food Events in Bucks County calendar. We’ve listed lots of Mother’s Day buffets, breakfasts and dinners happening at local firehouses, churches and parks. And give your mom a kiss for me.

It’s traditional to do a thorough spring cleaning of the house before the holiday. My close friend, Fran, is an Orthodox Jew, and where she lives, they start cleaning the day after Purim, a month before Passover. So I always feel inadequate. The idea is to rid the house of all “chometz” – a term encompassing not just bread, or crumbs, or cookies, but all not-kosher-for-Passover food. A Sisyphus-like task, and one I never complete. My hat’s off to my more observant Jewish sisters.

I asked Mark last night what Passover meant to him. I asked because we won’t be able to celebrate the seder (a holiday ritual meal the first two nights of Passover) with friends and family this year. We’re still trying to get over our respective illnesses. He talked about the connection he felt to history and tradition, to the beginning of the “modern” era of Judaism, when we were freed from Egypt and given the law at Mt. Sinai by G-d.

Then I asked myself the same question. “Food and family,” I said, a little surprised at my answer. Maybe it is because I am a woman. I married later in life, and now I finally have a family, and a home to make. The younger, feminist Lynne was a little taken a back, but she’s mellowed too in the last few years.

But what’s the connection to Bucks County? I guess I’m grateful – that I live in such a place, that I’ve found something worthwhile to do, writing about food and people here. And, grateful that I live in a country where I can practice my religion openly and without fear, even to publishing these thoughts on the internet. That’s no small thing. I won’t speak for all American Jews, but I still feel a hesitation – after centuries of persecution – being so open about my faith. But to have a freedom, one must exercise it, or else it’s no good.

And now, let’s talk about food. Last year I published my Fried Matzoh, also called Matzoh Brei, recipe. Do check it out. It’s better than it sounds!

I’m also passing along two recipes that looked interesting. It is amazing how creative Jews can get, substituting this for that, all to make it kosher for Passover. These recipes comes from Eli Kirshtein, a guest executive chef at New York City’s New American Kosher restaurant Solo. Thanks to Susan S. Yeske for passing it along to me.

And to all my Jewish readers, Bucks County Taste wishes you a Zissen (sweet) Passover, and a good holiday!

Mac and Cheese

INGREDIENTS
2 cups Israeli cous cous
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup fontina cheese
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Cook the cous cous like pasta, chill and hold. Reduce the cream by half. Melt the mascarpone and half of the fontina cheese into the cream. Season with salt and pepper, to personal taste. Combine the cous cous with the cream and cheese mixture. Put into a casserole and cover with the remaining fontina cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven until hot and browned on top. Serve immediately.

Low-Cal Zucchini Quiche

INGREDIENTS
3 medium zucchini, peeled
1 tsp. salt
1/2 lb. cheese **
1/2 onion
3 eggs
1 dash pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
3 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

** cheese can be swiss, mozzarella or cheddar (2 cups grated)

• Put the grater attachment on food processor. Cut the zucchini to fit the feed tube. Grate, using firm pressure. Transfer to a strainer and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Press out all liquid.
• Grate cheese and onion, using medium pressure. DO NOT EMPTY BOWL. Remove grater and insert plastic knife [or steel knife is just fine also]. Add remaining ingredients except parmesan cheese to processor bowl. Process with 3-4 quick on/off turns, just until mixed.
• Place in a greased 9 inch pie plate or ceramic quiche dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until set and golden brown.

Look for Bucks County Taste on Facebook and Twitter!

Related posts:

1. Yes, "fried" matzoh

Here’s the deal:

• Rent 2 chicks for 2 weeks for just $35 (additional chicks $5 each)
• Everything is included: Natural-colored (no pink or blue) chicks, food, bedding, box, and instructions.
• You provide simple care and supervision.
• Pick up at Happy Farm on April 2nd or 3rd and return them two weeks later.

Contact Tom at ahappyfarm@yahoo.com.

Look for Bucks County Taste on Facebook and Twitter!

Related posts:

1. Freezing eggs
2. CSAs: It’s like having your own farm

These are in alphabetical order with any interesting details I could find.

Have a wonderful holiday!

The Black Bass Hotel is offering a 3-course Easter Sunday Champagne Brunch, served from 10 am to 3 pm, at a prix fixe of $35 per person. The inn is at 3774 River Road in Lumberville. Phone: 215.297.9260

Just added…Bobby Simone’s in Doylestown is serving Easter brunch from 10 am to 1 pm with music. Bobby Simone’s is at 52 E. State St. (down the alleyway). You can reach them at 215.340.1414.

The Brick Hotel at 1 East Washington Ave. in Newtown is putting on both an Easter brunch and dinner. Brunch starts at 9:30 am and goes to 4:30 pm (last seating at 4 pm). Price for adults is $32.95 and for children, $14.95. The a la carte dinner is from 5:30 to 10 pm. See the above links for more menu details and call 215.860.8313 for reservations.

The Brick Tavern in Quakertown is serving Easter dinner from noon to 6 pm. Contact them at 215.529-6488. The tavern is at 2460 Old Bethlehem Pike.

The Buck Hotel is offering an Easter buffet brunch from 10 am to 2 pm. Price for adults is $34.95 (plus tax and gratuity) and $15.95 for children. Easter dinner will be served from 3:30 – 7 pm with a special holiday menu. The Buck is at 1200 Buck Road in Feasterville. You can reach them at 215.396.2002 for reservations.

The Centre Bridge Inn is serving an Easter buffet brunch from 10:30 to 3:30 pm, for $29.95 (Adults) and $19.95 (children). The Inn is located on 2998 River Road (right at the bridge to Stockton, NJ) in New Hope. Call for reservations: 215.862.9139.

The Golden Pheasant Inn in Erwinna is serving a 3-course Easter brunch for $22, as well as dinner from 3 to 8 pm. The Golden Pheasant is on 763 River Rd. Call 610.294.9595 for reservations.

Hamilton’s Grill Room is serving an Easter buffet brunch from noon to 4 pm. Call 609.397.4343 for reservations. Hamilton’s is in Lambertville at 8 Coryell St.

Also, in New Jersey, the Lambertville Station Restaurant is offering an a la carte breakfast menu from 10:30 am to 1 pm. A holiday dinner menu will also be available until 8:30 pm. For reservations, call 609.397.8300. The restaurant is at 11 Bridge Street in Lambertville.

The Logan Inn in New Hope is hosting Easter brunch from 9 am to 1 pm, and dinner from 1 – 8 pm. The inn is at 10 W. Ferry St. Phone: 215.862.2300

Maize Restaurant in Perkasie is offering a 3-course Easter brunch menu, including my favorite, the blue cheese tart. See their facebook page for the full menu. Price: Adults, $30, Kids, $15. Contact them for more details at 215.257.2264. The restaurant is in Olde Towne Perkasie at 519 West Walnut Street and serves locally sourced ingredients in an innovative menu.

Marsha Brown will offer both Easter brunch (11 am – 2 pm) with a $19 prix fixe brunch menu or choices from their lunch menu, and Easter dinner from 2 – 8 pm. Marsha Brown is at 15 South Main Street in New Hope. Reservations: 215.862.7044

Mother’s Wine Bar & Restaurant in New Hope will be serving their a la carte breakfast menu on Easter morning from 10 am – 2 pm, and a $24.95 Easter dinner menu starting at Noon. You can reach them at 215.862.5857. Mother’s is located on 34 North Main St.

At Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, the options are varied. The Cock ‘n Bull is offering a traditional Easter Buffet with additional brunch entrees from 9:30 am – 2:30 pm and additional dinner entrees from 3 -  7 pm. Adults: $28.95 and children: $13.50. At Earl’s Bucks County Executive Chef Chris Tavares has created some slow cooking options for holiday diners. From 11 am -8 pm, Tavares and his staff will be serving the regular menus plus a la carte Easter specials. Meanwhile at Sweet Lorraine’s lots is going on, including an appearance by the Easter Bunny.  Brunch is available from 10 am -4 pm, $29.95 for adults, $26.95 for seniors, $14.95 for children 6-12 and free for children 5 and under. Click on the links above for more information, including phone numbers for reservations.

The Raven in New Hope is serving an Easter ham dinner from 5 to 10 pm for $12 per person, with their full menu also available. Call them at 215.862.2081 to reserve. The Raven is located at 385 West Bridge Street.

The Stockton Inn will offer Easter brunch from 10 am to 3 pm. $32.95 for adults, $15.95 for children 12 & under. (3 & under free). Regular dinner menu with special additions will be available following the brunch from 3 – 9 pm. Reservations for brunch can be made by calling 609.397.1250. 

The Temperance House is presenting Easter brunch from 10 am – 2 pm for $26.95 per person (adult) and $13.50 (child) and an Easter dinner menu from 4 – 6 pm. The Temp is at 5 N. State St. in Newtown. Call 215.860.9975 for reservations.

Tuscany at the Towpath House is open for Easter dinner from 2 to 9 pm. Contact them at 215.693.1599 for reservations. The restaurant is at 18 West Mechanic Street in New Hope.

The Vintage Grille  is open for Easter, serving their a la carte breakfast menu from 8 am to 2 pm, and an Easter dinner menu from 11 am to 8 pm, featuring Easter favorites such as baked ham, herb crusted lamb chops, and slow roasted prime rib. Contact them at 215.348.4850. The Vintage Grille is at 3617 Ferry Road in Fountainville (just north of Doylestown on Rt. 313).

For you early risers, Vaders Bar & Grill in Southampton is hosting Easter Brunch from 8 am – 2 pm. Dinner will be from 4 – 8 pm. Call 215.953.7575 for more information. Vaders is on 727 Second Street Pike.

The Washington House is seating for a 3-course prix fixe dinner from 12 noon to 7 pm. Prices: $27.95 (adult) and $7.95 (child). A la carte menu also available. You can find them at 136 N. Main Street in Sellersville. Phone: 215.257.3000

The Yardley Inn Restaurant and Bar will be serving Easter dinner from 1 – 7:30 pm with a special holiday menu. Entrees range in price from $15 to $38. You can find the Yardley Inn at the corner of Afton Ave. and River Rd. in Yardley. For reservations, call: 215.493.3800.

PLEASE let me know if I’ve missed some good restaurants (I’ve got a cold, and I’m dragging a bit). I’ll be happy to add them to the post. Updated 4/1/10.

Look for Bucks County Taste on Facebook and Twitter!

Related posts:

1. Going out for Thanksgiving
2. Mad about shad – or not – it’s still a fun festival
3. Getting local food on the local table

Rich Baringer

Jewelry? Flowers? Those are nice, but come on. Flowers die and let’s be honest, you don’t really want to go shopping for diamonds, do you? Now, we all know how true it is that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. But did you know that you could find your way to HER heart and feed yourself at the same time?

Think how happy she’d be if you showed her a freezer full of delicious, custom-made dinners for Valentine’s Day? Show your appreciation for all that she does by giving her some time to herself. Since she won’t have to plan, shop, or cook dinner, she’ll have lots of time to do the things that she wants to do. What better way to make Valentine’s Day extra special?

Rich would be happy to discuss menu options and packages with you. You can contact him at 215.804.6438, richmb@netcarrier.com, or his Web site, www.MyChefSite.com/DinnersDonePA.

"Please get me out of this."

It’s the first “hump day” of the New Year, and everyone is a bit down (overcast sky above too). Let’s bring back some of the warmth of the last few weeks to cheer up January.

I’ll remember our friends, Adam and Elena, visiting the week of Christmas. We ate, and drank, and laughed, and talked – and ate and drank some more, cozied around the fireplace, with the dogs snuggled in. My special memory of the week? Standing by Elena in the kitchen as she showed me how to make tiramisu – and us guiltily eating it for breakfast the next morning. Yum.

What was your favorite holiday moment – especially to do with food? A new dish you tried that was a grand success (do give us the recipe!)? Good spirits shared around the fire? A special meal shared with special friends or family? Please share by adding your comments below. Happy New Year!

I always find it interesting to reach into the past to illuminate the present. Rich Baringer, our blogging personal chef, has done just that, sharing how the Pennsylvania Dutch have influenced so many Christmas and year-end traditions. Here are some excerpts from an article published in The Bucks County Herald this week (December 16th). Maybe it will give you some ideas for what to serve for the holidays.

The Pennsylvania Dutch are credited with bringing the Christmas tree to America. The first written mention of this tradition in the United States was in 1821 in Lancaster County. The tabletop trees were often branches or limbs, which were surrounded by or decorated with apples, gilded nuts, candies in colorful wrappers and other food items and ornaments.

The first Christmas cookies in the U.S. have been attributed to the Pennsylvania Dutch as well. Some, like the crisp sugar cookies called sand tarts and gingerbread, are still favorites today. Gingerbread people, some as big as a foot high, often decorated the outside of homes instead of being eaten.

Food often takes a starring role in holiday rituals and Pennsylvania Dutch customs were no exception. Food was often given – and highly prized – as holiday gifts. Traditionally, children would put out a plate or a box that the Christ kindle (the Christ Child) would fill overnight with fresh and dried apples, nuts, oranges, pretzels and cookies. Probably most cherished by kids were the clear, colored sugar candies known as “clear toys.” Any respectable Dutchie store still carries these treats in all shapes, sizes, colors and flavors.

The Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas feast included much of what they would have enjoyed in Germany: roast goose, sausage, smoked meats and ham, stewed red cabbage, cakes, breads. Later, the abundant turkey became a staple of their holiday tables. Tradition holds that turkey was eaten at the end of the year because turkeys scratch backward to the past, while pork is eaten on New Year’s Day since pigs dig forward into the future.

See the Bucks County Herald article for a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe for Gingerkraut.

A somewhat minor holiday in the Jewish calendar but loved nonetheless. And it’s eight days long! Eight days that you have an excuse to eat things fried in oil (connected to the story of Hanukkah) – like potato pancakes, also known as latkes, (Eastern European tradition) and jelly doughnuts (Israeli custom).

I was once engaged to a non-Jewish man. Like a good Jewish girl I made latkes for Hanukkah. He gobbled them up appreciatively. Some days later, he said tentatively, “You know, I loved the latkes, really, I did, but…how long does it take to get rid of that frying oil smell in the house?” “Oh,” I said with a sigh, “about eight days.” And so it goes! But boy are they good.

Here’s my favorite recipe among the thousands for potato pancakes. It’s from Cook’s Illustrated, and is a bit more work, but they are delicious. I prefer them with applesauce but a lot of people like sour cream on top. They are good cold, too, eating them standing over the kitchen sink the next morning…if there are any leftovers.

Click here for the recipe…

Thick and Creamy Potato Latkes
Makes approximately 14 3-inch pancakes.

Published November 1, 1997.

Matzo meal is a traditional binder, though we found that the pancake’s texture does not suffer without it.

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes or russet potatoes, peeled
1 medium yellow onion , peeled and cut into eighths
1 large egg
4 medium scallions , white and green parts, minced
3 TBSP minced fresh parsley leaves
2 TBSP matzo meal (optional)
1 1/2 tsp. table salt
Ground black pepper
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

HOW TO
1. Grate potatoes in food processor fitted with coarse shredding blade. Place half the potatoes in fine mesh sieve set over medium bowl and reserve. Fit food processor with steel blade, add onions, and pulse with remaining potatoes until all pieces measure roughly 1/8 inch and look coarsely chopped, 5 to 6 one-second pulses. Mix with reserved potato shreds in sieve and press against sieve to drain as much liquid as possible into bowl below. Let potato liquid stand until starch settles to bottom, about one minute. Pour off liquid, leaving starch in bowl. Beat egg, then potato mixture and remaining ingredients (except oil), into starch.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1/4-inch depth of oil in 12-inch skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Working one at a time, place 1/4 cup potato mixture, squeezed of excess liquid and pressed into 1/2-inch thick disc, in oil. Press gently with nonstick spatula; repeat until five latkes are in pan.

3. Maintaining heat so fat bubbles around latke edges, fry until golden brown on bottom and edges, about three minutes. Turn with spatula and continue frying until golden brown all over, about three minutes more. Drain on a triple thickness of paper towels set on wire rack over a jelly roll pan. Repeat with remaining potato mixture, returning oil to temperature between each batch and replacing oil after every second batch. (Cooled latkes can be covered loosely with plastic wrap, held at room temperature for 4 hours, transferred to a heated cookie sheet and baked in a 375-degree oven, until crisp and hot, about 5 minutes per side. Or, they can be frozen on cookie sheet, transferred to zipper-lock freezer bag, frozen, and reheated in a 375-degree oven until crisp and hot, about 8 minutes per side). Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.