Quick! Go to your neighborhood fireman’s carnival! We are first night Mendon fireman’s carnival junkies. I suggest you get hooked as well. 🙂 I figured I’d try and entice you with cotton candy and a few funky iPhone pictures. I would have taken pictures of our Italian sausage and fried dough, but they were gone almost before we got them. Hope you enjoy!
Cotton candy trifecta!
Fluffy Circus cotton candy. Mmmmm!
Don't forget a ride on the ferris wheel!
Chef Mark’s birthday…part 2! So what does a chef want for his birthday dessert? To make his own napoleon! This was fun to watch, so I captured a few steps of the process. The one very important chef’s tip that I learned was to create each pastry dough layer using a whole box of puff pastry. At first this sounded crazy, until Mark explained that you bake a whole box of dough (after unrolling) while compressed between 2 cookie sheets, to keep the dough from rising. Add some pastry cream and  raspberries between each layer, top with powdered sugar, and you have a dessert fit for a chef! (or a short French dictator)
Chef Mark's dynamite napleon!
Chef Mark hard at work, on his birthday!
Our good friend Chef Mark recently had his birthday, and we were fortunate enough to host his gathering. So what does a chef want for his birthday meal? To make his own pizza! Chef Russell generously offered to make some of his “secret recipe” pizza dough (thanks Russell!), Chef Mark brought over some delectable toppings, and we were off to start cookin’ the birthday meal! Since the recipe for the dough is top secret, for now I’ll suggest picking up some pre-made dough at the store. Be sure to bake it on a pizza stone for best results. Place the pizza stone in the oven prior to pre-heating, and heat your oven as high as it can go. We had ours at 550 degrees. This will create a pizza with a crisp outside and a nice tender center. Top with whatever your heart (and stomach) desires. For this particular pizza, we created a version of the margherite with tomato sauce, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil and sea salt. Get creative….make your own masterpiece! Let me know what you come up with…
Chef Mark making his own birthday pizza!
The homemade sourdough margherite pizza. Yum!!
I wanted to make sandwiches for lunch. There was no bread in the house, except for a baguette. Normally, this would make for a fantastic sub-like sandwich, but this loaf was pre-sliced! So, I decided to run with it.  A few thin chunks of gruyere, some turkey, a couple of apple slices, baby spinach and dijon mustard to top it off……voila! Grill them in a sauté pan with some cooking spray, and lunch is soon ready. Mmmm..sandwiches.  Mini, grilled, tasty, (cute), sandwiches….yum!
Sliced baguette sandwiches. YUM! (don't forget the apple!)
That was the question I asked Heather. We visit many of the Finger Lakes wineries, and during our last trip to Heron Hill we purchased the Dry Riesling. I thought sushi would be perfect (and she agreed)! Light and spicy (with the addition of ginger and wasabi) would pair with the wine nicely. The wine was excellent… as are most Finger Lakes Rieslings. Crisp, light and somewhat sweet for a “dry” (1.8% r.s.), with a nice citrus tone.
At some point, I hope to do a post on making sushi. This, however, we got at the store to go… and passed these giant aloe leaves on the way to the counter. I couldn’t resist. So this is my simple reminder to “present” the food that you serve, since I’m positive that good-looking food tastes better. 🙂
Present your sushi...then eat it!
Heron Hill Dry Riesling.
It was suggested to us to try the 2006 Atwater Cabernet Franc with grilled portobello mushrooms. So…we did!
I find  portobellos to be a light, healthy, yet extremely flavorful, substitute for beef. They only take a few  minutes for each side on the grill….coated lightly in olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill a few small peppers at the same time. Slice them on a platter when done and throw on some blue cheese, letting it melt. Plate over a bed of arugula blend and thinly sliced red onion. Top with balsamic vinaigrette and you have a satisfying, healthy meal.
New York State doesn’t get a whole lot of credit for its red wines. The Atwater Cabernet Franc is one of the best ones I have had, so I think we’ll have to explore a few more. We thought the wine would pair well with almost anything grilled (including our mushrooms), not to mention the strong, earthy cheese. Its light tannins, blend of red fruit flavors, and slight earthiness made it very drinkable and a food-friendly wine.
It was a fabulous treat all around, and a great selection for a nice warm spring evening.
2006 Atwater Cabernet Franc.
Grilled portobello mushrooms over arugula blend. (click for bigger fungi)
What would Cinco de Mayo be without guacamole?! Our marvelous friend Chef Mark (yup…he’s a chef!), prepared a Mexican feast for  some friends 5 years ago on Cinco de Mayo . It was the 3rd date for Heather and I, and guacaomle and margaritas were a wonderful part of the memorable menu. This is my derivation of the recipes for both.
Chunky guacamole. Pit and scoop out 3 ripe avocados and chop into roughly 1/2″ to 3/4″ chunks. Place in a mixing bowl and squeeze the  juice of 1 lime onto it to keep it from browning (and add some great flavor). Finely chop half of medium white onion and a large handful of fresh cilantro. Dice a small to medium tomato into 1/4-inch pieces. Mince 2 jalapeno peppers (OK..I like it HOT and chunky, but this won’t be too hot if you remove the seeds). 
Throw them all into the mixing bowl with some sea salt (to taste) and stir. This will break up most of the chunks a little, but some hardly at all. Thus…. creating your chunky guacamole.
The margarita. Ah, the margarita. It took me a while to perfect this recipe. I prefer to use a reposado tequila for the smooth smoky flavor. 1800 is a good value and generally my choice. In a shaker with crushed ice add 2 ounces tequila, 1 1/2 ounces triple sec, 1 1/4 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice and 1 1/4 ounces simple syrup. Shake and strain into a margarita glass. Garnish with a lime and orange twist to signify the blending of the 2 flavors. I prefer it up with no salt, but feel free to salt the rim and serve over ice (as I do for Heather 🙂 ).
PS. If you’re in the Rochester area, I highly suggest you take a class from Chef Mark at the Wegmans Pittsford cooking school. It’s very entertaining and informative!
(Chunky!) Guacamole, with hearty yellow corn chips.
The margarita. Up, no salt.
Guacamole ingredients.
There isn’t much on the breakfast table that looks as good as maple syrup glistening French toast. Until you add the powdered sugar and raspberries! This tasted every bit as good as it looks. We used our left over Easter bread; a light bread with raisins and golden raisins. Being a day old, the bread soaks up the batter better. (Say that 6 times fast!) I like to cook as light as possible, so I only used egg whites and a touch of skim milk for the batter. Throw it on a hot griddle with a touch of cooking spray (once again trying to keep it light) until golden brown. Top it off with pure maple syrup, raspberries and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Mmmmmmm.
We decided to have some Tart Cherry Stomp to go with our French toast. This was our first time trying this 100% fruit nectar. Yum…tart and sweet, a great combination. Good morning to you!!
Easter bread french toast for breakfast! (click me and make me bigger)
Tart Cherry Stomp from Red Jacket Orchards, in Geneva.
I just wanted to offer up a few hard boiled Easter eggs that our 3 sons colored, as an Easter morning treat! We’ll be eating the egg whites shortly….sprinkled with salt and pepper and a touch of hot paprika. Here’s hoping you get a few of your own. Enjoy some time with your family!
Easter eggs.
French camembert. Gooey, earthy, creamy, pungent French camembert. Ours was super ripe, enhancing all the flavors and textures. If you don’t like strong cheese, this is probably not for you. If you have a slightly adventurous palate, then I highly recommend it! Â Grab some crusty bread, maybe an artisan salami, some wine, and you’re in for a treat.
Heather and I decided to do a wine pairing experiment, picking a French red and a French white to go with our fromage.  This, if I may say…was a fantastic idea. First up was the 2004 Chateau La Guillaumette Bordeaux. This medium-bodied, balanced wine brought out the earthiness of the camembert. It was an excellent pairing, and was enhanced by the food. I probably would have preferred this had the cheese not been so ripe. Our second wine was a 2008 Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuissé. This lightly oaked chardonnay was an excellent match, as well, and brought out the creamy, buttery flavors in the cheese. We both preferred this wine, as it was a better balance with the rather strong cheese. What started as a little experiment turned into an excellent dinner!
Camembert and required accessories!
Just look at that ooze.....very ripe.
2004 Chateau La Guillaumette Bordeaux.
2008 Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuissé chardonnay.
The French know how to make cheese!
2eat2drink 