This Sunday, September 12th, the Bucks County Symphony hosts A Symphony of Flavors, their third annual wine and food pairing event, at the beautiful Prallsville Mills in Stockton, NJ. A specially selected group of “boutique wines” will be matched with dishes created by some of the best local chefs. Marnie Old, Philadelphia based wine author, educator, and sommelier, will provide expert commentary at the Patron Party, and will discuss current trends in wine at the main tasting event.

Participating restaurants include Café at Rosemont in Rosemont, NJ, The Waterwheel Restaurant in Doylestown, PA, Jake’s Restaurant in Flemington, NJ, Jack’s Roadhouse in Lahaska, PA, Erini Restaurant in Ewing, NJ, Maize Restaurant in Perkasie, PA, Vine & Fig Tree Bistro in Doylestown, PA and Cal’s Comfort Café, Milford, NJ. Bucks County Biscotti in Perkasie and The Coffee Scoop in Pipersville will provide dessert and coffee. The event wine sponsor is Central Liquors in Flemington, NJ. Proceeds from the event benefit the Bucks County Symphony. The evening begins at 3:30 pm with an afternoon limited admission Patron Party followed by the main Wine and Food Pairing Event, starting at 5:00 P.M. Tickets are $75 per person for the main event. For more information, please see their website.

Next weekend on Sunday, September 19th you’ve got a hard choice. There are TWO farm to table dinners in Bucks County and one in Hunterdon, all with great food and chefs. Zone 7, the local food distributor, is partnering with Manoff Market Gardens in Solebury to host a delicious dinner from 3:00 to 7:00 pm. Mark Miller and his team from Hamilton’s Grill Room will showcase the best offerings of the farm, with a strong emphasis on Manoff ’s fruits and vegetables, in a special four-course meal with complimentary wines specifically chosen to accompany each course from Crossing Vineyards & Winery in Washington Crossing, PA. The Dinners On The Farm series, which combines behind-the-scenes farm tours with fresh and seasonal meals prepared by luminary local chefs, will host the final dinner in this year’s series in October at Blooming Glen Farm in Perkasie, PA with Chef Vincent Peterson of Kindle Café in Lambertville, NJ. Tickets are $135 per person. For more information or to register, visit www.freshfromzone7.com.

Next choice? Equally tempting. How about a farm to table dinner at None Such Farms, featuring their famous farm-raised beef and farm-grown produce, all prepared by Chef Max Hansen? Al Fresco on the Farm will take place on Sunday, September 19, from 5 pm to 9:30 pm. Check out the wonderful menu online. Tickets are $125 per person, and proceeds will benefit the Food Pantry of Fisherman’s Mark in Lambertville and the Doylestown Food Pantry. To purchase tickets, stop in at None Such Farm Market or call them at 215.794.5201, ext. 2.

Finally, also next Sunday, the Acme Screening Room, which shows interesting and fun movies in Lambertville year around, is hosting a farm to table dinner and vacation auction at the Chimney Hill Estate in Lambertville. Dinner will be prepared by Chef Chris Georgett using seasonal ingredients donated by local farms, and will include entrée (meat & vegetarian option) and desert provided by The Chocolate Box (it’s also BYOB). The event takes place from 4 pm to 7:30 pm. The highlight will be the auction including vacation packages in Lake Tahoe, Myrtle Beach. Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at door You can buy tickets at this website.

And that’s just September. I didn’t mention the great event occurring at Linden Hill Gardens in Ottsville on September 25th because, well, it’s sold out. I didn’t want you to feel bad. Chef, architect, and local restaurant icon Jim Hamilton, of Hamilton’s Grill Room, has been working with Kristen Perry, of The Kitchen Potager at Linden Hill Gardens, to build an outdoor, earthen oven. On that Saturday he’ll be conducting one of his famous “Cooking Class Dinners.” One person arrives at 2:30 pm for the class and dinner preparation, the other person comes at 6:30 pm as the guest for dinner in the lovely barn at Linden Hill. When I chatted with Jim at the Pineville Tavern last month, he was really excited. He loves doing the classes, especially with the outdoor oven. Hopefully Kristen will schedule another similar event next year. Keep an eye on her website or email her at kristin@lindenhillgardens.com for more information about future events, including another ”class-dinner” in October. 

If I’ve left any events out that you know of, please let me know. Just email us at info@buckscountytaste.com.

Related posts:

1. Farm-to-Table…to mouth
2. Getting local food on the local table
3. Bucks Food Calendar: July 1, 2011

I’ve noticed that many fundraising events these days involve tasting food from local restaurants, wineries and caterers. What a great idea. Non-profits get to raise some money, local chefs and food/wine establishments get to strut their stuff, and we all get to eat.

Three such events are going on this week. See if you can swing by at least one. They all benefit great causes.

This Thursday evening, the Women in Business Committee of the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce is once again hosting the Gourmet Getaway, with over twenty restaurants, bakers, caterers and wineries participating.The event takes place at Keenan Motors on 4311 Swamp Road in Doylestown, in the 2nd floor showroom, from 5:30 – 8:00 pm, on Thursday, March 25. Tickets are: $45 Public/$40 Chamber Members. There will be a silent auction, raffle and prizes, and live entertainment by Courtney Colletti. For more info or to purchase tickets, call 215.348.3913. All proceeds benefit the Women in Business Scholarship Fund.

To truly celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of spring, why not go to the 5th Annual Cabin Fever Feast? This evening, benefiting the Bucks County Audubon Society at Honey Hollow in New Hope, will also feature samplings from many of the best local restaurants, wineries, breweries and dessert shops. Who will be there? Jim Hamilton from Hamilton’s Grill Room, The Black Bass, Hotel du Village, Earl’s Bucks County, Town Crier Bakery, and many more. Live music and a silent and live auction will also be part of the event. Tickets are $75.00 pp. To purchase, call 215.297.5880 or visit www.bcas.org.

And, finally, you can have your cake…and ice cream too. 

Yum Alert. Beth Raynock, the wonderful cake decorator at Chubby’s Dairy Barn in Plumsteadville, will be holding a cake tasting this Sunday, March 28th between 1 – 4 pm to benefit charity: water, a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations (100% of public donations directly fund their water projects). The cost is $10 for cake and beverages. Visit Beth’s Painted Cake facebook page or Web site to learn more. Beth is also pastry chef at Kome and creates custom cakes for The Ferndale Inn.

Look for Bucks County Taste on Facebook and Twitter!

Related posts:

1. Ice cream and cake at Chubby’s
2. Bucks Food Calendar: April 30, 2010
3. September farm-to-table dinners

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

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain.
7. 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.
8. Serve the spaghetti with the roasted tomatoes and their juices spooned on top.

Related posts:

1. Canal House Cooking: A local voice
2. Canal House Cooking for the winter
3. A feast for the eyes and the tummy

Related posts:

1. Getting local food on the local table