Phoebe's Kitchen

Find the Taste and Tales of Massachusetts at Orchard House in Concord, MA

Orchard House was the home of author Louisa May Alcott.  The house is most noted for being where she wrote and set her beloved classic, Little Women, in 1868 at a "shelf desk" her father built especially for her.  Approximately 80% of the furnishings on display were owned by the Alcotts, the rooms look very much as they did when the family lived there, causing many modern-day visitors to comment that, "A visit to Orchard House is like a walk through Little Women!"

Our cookbook, the Taste and Tales of Massachusetts is available at the Orchard House Museum Store.  This weekend there will be holiday festivities at the House, "A Little Women Christmas at Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House"

French Apple Pie

 6      large apples - 2 each                                    MacIntosh,  Cortlands and                            Granny Smith  

1/2   teaspoon cinnamon                        

1/2  teaspoon nutmeg                               

1      cup sugar                                               

        pinch  sea salt 

 1     tablespoon flour                                      

 3/4 cup raisins tossed with 1 tablespoon  flour

1. In pie shell arrange alternate layers of apples, sugar,spices, and raisins.  Cover top with thin pastry.
2. Slash top in several places and seal edges.
3. Bake 60-70 at 350° until pastry is golden.
4. Top with confectioners sugar mixed with water.

Optional:  Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries before covering pie.

Find Taste and Tales of Coastal New England at R J Julia in Madison, CT

R J Julia at 768 Boston Post Road in Madison, CT now carries the Taste and Tales of Coastal New England, A Taste of Lobsters and some tales too... and the Taste and Tales of Cape Cod.  

Growing up our family spent many hours along the Connecticut shoreline.  I took my first boatride at the age of 6 months from Clinton, CT.  As teenagers my brother and I spent time at Hammonasett Beach.  It is so different than it is today.  Back in the 1960s, there was a wonderful boardwalk with concession stands and even music events on weekends. The My brother and his pals usually spent a week camping at the State Park.  The word Hammonasett means, "where we dig holes in the ground" and refers to the place where a settlement of eastern woodland Indians farmed along the Hammonasset River. The park has served many purposes since 1898 when it was used as a testing range for Wincester Repeating Arms Company; an army reservation during WW II and an aircraft firing range.  I best remember it as a beach. My brother and his pals usually spent a week camping at the State Park.  I remember going from our home in Old Lyme one evening and having sloppy joes sitting around a campfire.  

                                                                                                                                                                    
Sloppy Joes                    

1 pound lean ground beef  

1  medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 cup celery

1 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon ground mustard

freshly ground pepper to taste

6 hamburger buns, split

 

1. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef, onion, garlic and celery over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients except buns. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.
3. Fill buns with beef mixture.

Serves 6

 

 

San Diego and the Night the Lights went out

Following my visit to Tuscon, I moved on to San Diego for a conference.  Upon landing and checking into my hotel, I had plans to spend the afternoon at the San Diego Zoo.   I was told that the weather in San Diego was always in the mid-70s and the dewpoint was around 50.  However, on this particular day the temperature was 97 and the dewpoint was over 70, so no zoo.                              

That evening I decided to walk to Little Italy and decided to  dine at Buon Appetito on India Street.  I have to say it was one of the best meals I have ever had.  I didn't see it on the menu, but I requested Veal Parmigiana and I have to said I have never had any better.  First, they served me warm Italian bread with a dipping sauce they was made with olive oil, fresh chopped tomatoes, fresh chopped basil, minced garlic and a dash of red pepper.  Soon after I was served a delicious plate of Veal Parmigiana.  Most of the meals I have had of veal are served with a marinara sauce, but not this one. On top of the most tender slices of veal was a sauce made from all fresh vegetables and herbs.  It was absolutely delicious.                                      

The next nght I walked to the waterfront and dined at Anthony's Fish Grotto on the bay.  This restaurant was recommended by the driver of the shuttle from the airport.  He said make sure I tried the  cole slaw with a creamy pineapple dressing.  I decided to have the Pacific Ling Cod served over a bed of citrus pilaf.   The roll was served with a butter mixture with garlic dried tomato paste. 

On Thursday, I was in the last session of the day and the speaker from Microsoft was about to begin his presentation when the lights went out.  Seems that a workman in Arizona cut a cable that turned off all the light from Phoenix to L.A. My friend from high school was on her way to have dinner with me.  She called at 4:55 p.m. and said she was 2 miles out and would arrive in 20 minutes.  She showed up at 7:00 p.m.  Traffic was in gridlock and nothing was moving.  Barb and I went off to fine something to eat but the health inspectors had shut down all the restaurants so we went back to the Hyatt.  They were making sandwiches and for $9.00 we had two slices of turkey on dry (no mayo or mustard) bread.  We sat on the curb of a planter.  The next day we learned that other area hotels provided food free to their guests.                                                         

I wanted to see more of the town so on my final afternoon in town, I took the San Diego Trolley Tour.  It was great!  You can get off and on at whatever tops you want.  In particular, I want to see the Del Coronado Hotel and this was the best way to get there.  I started the tour at Seaport Village.  The trolley then took us through the city and up over the Coronado Bay Bridge to the island of Coronado with the U.S. Navy's occupying  the north end of the island.  The tour took us through the town and along the beach which was listed as the second best beach in the World this year.  Of course, not to gloat, the winner was Siesta Key Beach  in Sarasota, FL. 

I got off to tour the Hotel Del Coronado.  Our tour guide said that the roof of the hotel has over two million red tiles. When it opened in 1888, it was the largest resort hotel in the world and the first to use electrical lighting. The lumber for the hotel was floated over on a barge.  Over the last 120 years, the "Del" has hosted presidents, royalty, and celebrities throughout the years. 

From the "Del," I got back on the trolley and continued the tour to Balboa Park and "Old Town."  Old Town is known as the Birthplace of California. In 1821, when Mexico gained independence from Spain, a small group of Mexican settlers began building homes at the foot of the hillside below the first mission and Presidio. Because wood was scarce at the time, sun-dried adobe bricks were used.

 For my last night in town, my friend and I went to the Prado Restaurant in Balboa Park.  The Prado  is located at the historic House of Hospitality in the center of San Diego’s famous Balboa Park.  It is a beautiful setting with some of the most amazing blown glass structures situated around the restuarant.  We both had a delicious seafood paella, but the piece de resistance was the dessert "Tres Leches".  It consists of a traditional "three milk" soaked sponge cake, baked pistachio meringue filled with caramel bananas, and vanilla bean ice cream.

 

Anthony's Cole Slaw with Creamy Pineapple Dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, optional
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 8 - 10 cups coleslaw mix

1.  In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, pineapple, milk, ketchup, sugar, poppy seeds if desired and Worcestershire sauce.

2.  Place the coleslaw mix in a large bowl; add dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. 

Yield: 4-6 servings.

Travels to Tucson

Over Labor Day weekend I headed west to visit family in Tucson, Arizona.  The landscape is so vastly different than that of the Northeast.  It is such a dramatic change to go from lush green to the stark brown of the dessert.  For those tired of mowing lawns and trimming trees, this is the place to live.  It takes a few days to adjust and then you really begin to enjoy the desert and the mountains that surround Tucson.

My first adventure was to travel to El Charro Cafe where the chimichangas was   invented.  I did try the El Charro Carne Seca, the original chimichangas that made the El Charro Cafe famous.  I thought it as a little greasy, but had a lot of flavor.  What we did have as an appetizer that was absolutely delicious was a Cheese Crisp.  It is basically a tortilla with cheese on top baked in the oven.  Consider it a pizza made with a tortilla. 

On Sunday, we headed up Mt. Lemmon in the Coronado National Forest.  It is a 9,167 feet above sea-level.  We drove up the Catalina Highway which starts on the eastern side of Tucson.  The views on the ride up are absolutely spectacular.  Near the top is the town of Summerhaven which was burned out in the Aspen Fire in 2003.  Many of the homes have been re-built.  We had lunch at the Iron Door Restaurant near the top with hummingbirds enjoying the sugar water near out table.  While there the temperature dropped 35 degrees and it rained.  However, go a few hundred feet down the mountain and there was no rain.  At 4,000 feet Saguaro cactus and other desert plants are once again visible.

Know as the "White Dove of the Desert," San Xavier Mission, the oldes European structure in Arizona, was founded as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692.  The current church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797.  The interior is filled with marvelous statuary and mural paintings.  In 1783, Franciscan missionary Fr. Juan Bautista Velderrain was able to begin contruction on the present structure using money borrowed from a Sonoran rancher. He hired an architect, Ignacio Gaona, and a large workforce of O'odham, a group of aboriginal Americans who reside primarily in the Sonoran Desert of the southeastern Arizona, to create the present church.

Cheese Crisp

1 (10-inch) tortilla                    

 

 1-1 1/2 cup grated cheese (Cheddar, Monterey, Queso Quesadilla  and Asadero) or your favorite

 

1. Place the tortilla on a large, dark cookie sheet. Spread butter all over the top of the tortilla, making sure to get the butter all the way out to the edges. (The butter is very important! Don't omit.)  Sprinkle top

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and cook for 6 minutes, or until the tortilla begins to visibly brown. Remove from oven, sprinkle cheese over the top and return to oven for another 2-3 minutes.  Be careful not to burn the tortilla. 

 

 

Farmers' Museum Celebrates New York Foods

On exhibit through October 30, 2011, the New York’s Good Eats! Our Fabulous Foods is happening at the Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown, NY. 

Many of these foods from Buffalo Wings to Pie a la Mode to Jell-o were invented in New York State.

Our latest cookbook, the Taste and Tales of New York, highlights many of these foods.  Below is the tale about one of New York's famous drinks.

What is an Egg Cream?                                                                                                         

This is definitely a Brooklyn drink and it does not contain either eggs or cream.  I can remember from my days as a buyer in New York that after a busy day in the market our resident buyer Joe would suggest we all go for an egg cream.  Initially I thought he meant a chocolate egg cream, but I learned that he meant the following drink.  There are a couple of versions of how the egg cream came to be.  The first was that a Yiddish actor had a drink called chocolate et creme, in Paris, France, and wanted one made here.  A more likely tale is that in the early 1900s candy shop owner Louis Auster, owner of Austers, invented the drink and sold hundreds a day until the store closed.

Cadwell's Cheese House

Cadwell's Cheese House in Dewittville, NY was the first to carry our latest book the Taste and Tales of New York. 

 I have know the owner Jane Currie- since the 70s..  She is an outstanding photographer and the author of several books about western New York state around Chautauqua.  Cheese  had been in the Currie family since the last 1800s and the Cadwell Cheese House has been selling quality cheese and gifts since 1927. 

Check out their website at http://www.janeandpamela.com/cadwellmain58/cheese32/pid1cheese.html

Taste and Tales of New York

        Introducing our latest cookbook with over 200 recipes and nearly 200 interesting tales and tidbits. 

Once again Louise Minks of Leverett, MA painted an amazing image that we used for the cover.  The colors literally just jump off.

Kudos go to Lynee Rudie of Turners Falls who designed the book.  She did an absolutely fabulous job. 

The book is available through our website, www.basspondpress.com.  There are representative tales and a delicious recipe for the official muffin of New York, an Apple Muffin.

 

 

Disaster and Candlelight

Those of us who live in New England have always been so happy that all we have to put up was snow which could be shoveled and pushed around. We didn't have to worry about severe hurricanes and tornadoes.  That all ended on June 1, 29, 2011.  I had spent the day in Boston and as I was headed home, I received a call that told me the Commonwealth was under a tornado watch.  I got off the turnpike in Palmer and had planned to do some shopping, but one look at the sky made me change my mind. I called a friend and asked where the storms were, she checked the internet and indicated they were just crossing the New York state border.  I turned my car around and headed home.  I watched the area tv stations and they were all talking about a storm cell in the Northampton-Amherst area.  Nobody mentioned any other areas.  All of a sudden I noticed a green dot in the Westfield area that was growing quickly.  Within a few minutes, the weatherman said touchdown in Westfield (and he wasn't discussing football).  I watch the sky darken and all of a sudden I heard a sound like a wall of hail approaching.  I headed to the basement and by the time I got to the foot of the stairs, it was over.  I looked out my windows and everything looked normal, not a leaf out-of-place.  Pretty soon I noticed cars turning around and my neighbor flying into my driveway saying I had to come see what had happened to the lake we live one.  I could not believe my eyes - all the trees on both sides of the middle of the lake were gone.  I went back home and started walking down the street - about 200 feet away I could see the beginning of the devastation. Prior to the day, our street could have been certified as a canopy road, but not anymore.  Within minutes the police were going house-to-house to make sure nobody was injured.  Thankfully, there were none.  They then suggested we return to our houses as the warnings were still on.  I then spent an hour or so in my neighbor's basement.  We then decided it was time to eat.  Since there was no power and had no idea when we would get it back, we had to get some items out of the freezer. 

My neighbor's eldest son, Peter, is quite the cook and had already brined chicken to grill that night. So to the table we added lobster and a salad. A few Coleman lanterns were added for lighting and tea candles for ambience.

Lemon Grilled Chicken

5 lemons, halved

12 bay leaves

1 bunch (4-ounces) flat-leaf parsley

1 bunch (1-ounces) fresh thyme

1/2 cup clover honey

1 head garlic, halved

1/4 cup freshly ground black peppercorns

2 cups (10-ounces) kosher salt

2 gallons water

2 roasting chickens, cut-up

1.  Combine all ingredients in a large pot, cover and bring to a boil. Boil for1 minute,  stirring to dissolve the salt.  Remove from the heat  and cool completely,  then chill before using.  The brine can be refrigerated for up to three days.

2.  Place cut-up chicken into brine and let sit for for 12 hours, stirring several times.  Remove chicken, rinse and dry.

3.  Heat grill. Rub chicken pieces with olive oil, garlic, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Place chicken on grill and grill, turning once. Serve immediatley.

We enjoyed this delicious chicken with a wonderful salad and grilled kale that was seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Recipe adapted from Thomas Keller.                                                            

 

 

 

 

Easter Brunch - Potato Brunch Casserole

Hard to believe that we ate outdoors last Easter on the first Sunday in April.  This year the weathermen can't make up their mind - rain or sun.

The dish below was given to me by a dear friend from Sarasota, Florida.  Whenever it is served, it just disappears. All I can say absolutely  delicious.  From Taste and Tales of Massachusetts

                 Potato Brunch Casserole

1 (32-ounce) package hash browns

1 pint whipping cream

1 (16-ounce) package Swiss cheese, grated

1 stick butter, melted

few dashes nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Put all ingredients in an oven-to-table casserole dish; mix thoroughly.  Sprinkle top with paprika.
3. Bake covered for 30 minutes; remove cover and continue baking for another 30 minutes until golden and bubbly.                                                           

Note:  Do not double recipe in same pan.  

Serves 6-8                             

Host of Golden Daffodils and A Daffodil Cake

Yesterday on April 11, 2011 the last bit of snow melted from my yard at the same time my first daffodil of the season bloomed.  It took me several hours to clean out my beds and 15 containers of leaves, etc were left for pick up.  Hopefully, this year will be not as hot as last and everything will bloom when it is suppose too. Winter did a number on my shrubs with one "Cornell Pink Azalea" being destroyed by snow coming off the roof. Have the remnants in a vase and am enjoying the blossoms  in the dining room.

Daffodil Cake

1 cup cake flour
2 tablespoons of sugar                                                   
12 egg whites
1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

Lemon Glaze
1½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Stir together the cake flour and the 2 tablespoons of sugar and set aside.
2. In a large electric mixer bowl with the whisk attachment, ,beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt for about 60 seconds, until foamy. Add the 3/4 cup of sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. Gently fold the vanilla and lemon zest into the meringue.
3. In another electric mixer bowl, beat the egg yolks for about 5 minutes, until they are very thick and lemon colored. Set aside.
4. Sprinkle the flour-sugar mixture, one quarter at a time, over the meringue, gently folding the flour in just until the dry ingredients disappear. Pour half the batter into the bowl with the whipped egg yolks, and fold gently together.
5. Get out an ungreased tube pan, about 10×4 inches. Spoon the yellow and white batters alternately into the pan, and gently cut through the batters with a knife to swirl.
6. Bake on the bottom shelf of your oven for 35-40 minutes, until the top springs back when gently touched with a finger. Invert the pan on its funnel and let the cake hang until it is completely cooled.
7. While the cake is cooling, it’s time to make the glaze. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and add the lemon zest. Add the lemon juice one tablespoon at a time to the powdered sugar, whisking vigorously until the mixture is smooth.  The mixture will thin very quickly as you add the juice so go slowly and stop when you get to your desired glaze consistency.
8. Carefully remove the cake from its pan and spoon the glaze over the top.  Enjoy!

Betty Crocker Cookbook

From Sun to Snow

Spring arrived 2 weeks ago according to the calendar, but  I guess someone forgot to tell Mother Nature.  Two  weeks ago I was sitting in the sun on Siesta Key beach  in Sarasota, yesterday I was preparing the snow blower to be used.  Is there something wrong with this picture? 

I must say the weather was marvelous for my annual trip.  It was raining as I left Bradley International, but miraculously ended as the plane landed in Tampa.  As I stepped out of the airport the warmth enveloped me.  I headed out in rental car with the windows open and headed to Publix, my favorite grocery store. 

Sarasota has one of the finest Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning.  Always best to get there early in order to get a good parking spot.  The flowers, vegetables, and fruits are straight from the growers.  After the   market we head to the Broken Egg at  Lakewood Ranch.  Their meals are very inventive and don’t besurprised to see Dick Vitale having breakfast or signing books. 

 

As usual a trip to Anna’s Deli on Siesta Key was in order.  Founded in 1971, it is now the oldest
restaurant on Siesta Key.  The reason for this success is the delicious sandwiches, especially the surfer.  It is a combination of ham, turkey, cucumbers (sliced on length very thin), cheese and their special dressing.  Friends kept testing and believe that the dressing is a combination of mustard and mayonnaise. 

One can not leave Florida with out having grouper.  I prefer mine grilled and the Phillippi Creek Village Restaurant and Oyster Bar.  The restaurants sits on the edge of the creek and dining is in the Old Florida tradition.  Phillippi Creek Oyster Bar is actually the converted winter home of the Phillippi family and has changed little since being built in 1604.  His ship the “Philly P” is said to have gone down off Island Park during Hurricane Maria in 1619 and supposedly on moonlit nights a ghostly vision of the ship can be seen sailing up the creek without a paddle.

For my entire trip, the days were warm and sunny and the skies were cloudless and there is nothing quite like the sun setting over the Gulf of Mexico.      

 

                                                         Grilled Grouper

4 (6-ounce) grouper fillets                                                                                     2 teaspoons olive oil         1/2 teaspoon salt                                                                                                                                                                 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper                                                                  lime wedges                                                                                              cooking spray

1.  Rub fish with olive oil, psrinkle with salt and pepper.                                       2.  Heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium high heat; coat pan with cooking spray or heat grill at same temperature and spray grill with cooking oil.                  3.  Add fish, cook 5 minutes on each side or until flakes easily when tested with a     fork.                                                                                                                  4.  Serve with lime wedges.

Serves 4                                                                     Taste and Tales of Florida