Tag Archives: photography

Olive Bread…Dipping

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What a simple delight. Any crusty bread would work wonderfully for this tasting, but we love the olive bread from Wegmans. Even though fabulous on its own, creating an olive oil dip takes it to another level. Chopped fresh oregano is my favorite ingredient to add to a high-end extra virgin olive oil, along with chopped kalamata olives, chopped basil, crushed red pepper, grated parm, salt and pepper. Splendido!

Made for dipping!

Fresh oregano! (& friends)

Wegmans olive bread.

Add a nice red and you almost have dinner.

Gin + Juice

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I was rollin’ down the street (on the way back from the store), laid back (with my mind on my honey tangerines and my honey tangerines on my mind)….and I thought hey, Snoop D-O-Double-G  has a good idea! Gin and juice.

This seemed like a perfect time to get out my snazzy blue bottle of Bluecoat American Dry Gin. The honey tangerine juice is very light and sweet, and it mixed well with the slight citrus in the Bluecoat. So… just the gin and juice would have been fine, but I was looking for a few more layers of flavor. Adding some Pimm’s No.1 and a little maple syrup did the trick.

Pour 1 1/2 oz. Bluecoat American Dry Gin, 1 1/2 oz. fresh squeezed honey tangerine juice, 1 1/2 oz Pimm’s No.1, and 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup over ice in a rocks glass. Stir and garnish with a half slice of honey tangerine. Refreshing and complex!  Cheers!

Bluecoat Gin & Juice.

Good ingredients = good drink!

The sweet and delicious honey tangerine.

Irish Red

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I realize that St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone. But since the Irish Reds are some of my favorite beers, I figured I should write about and photograph them while they are still fresh and available. To give props to some of our hometown brewing talent, I decided to do both a local ale and a lager. The ale, Custom Brewcrafters St. Patrick’s Irish Ale. The lager, Dundee’s Irish Red Lager.

My esteemed group of tasters all agreed that the CB ale is stronger and hoppier, but still very drinkable. It has a slightly sweeter smell and taste, with a hint of caramel. The Dundee lager is malty and mellow, not strangely, just as the label states. It has a slightly roasted, nutty, smokey aroma and taste.

Both get my thumbs up, it just depends on your mood. Cheers!

Custom Brewcrafters St. Patrick's Irish Ale.

Ah, the color and bubbles of St. Patrick.

The perfect pour!

Too good to shoot full! (and a very cool label!)

the Ravioli Shop

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I’d heard great things, but had never been to the Ravioli Shop. So off I went to see what I could find for Heather and I to have for dinner. I decided on the spinach ravioli with tomato red pepper sauce. It was a tough call not to get the lobster ravioli. My, that sounds decadent…but we’ll save that for another post! With the addition of the rosemary sea salt focaccia bread I found on display there (all the breads I sampled were excellent!), I headed home to prep. The ravioli came 30 per box, and looked really cool in a sheet. After separating and setting up my leaning tower of ravioli, they cooked up just as directed; 7 minutes, a touch al dente. Some ravioli can be quite thick and heavy, but these were extremely light, fresh and delicious. With the addition of a little shaved parmigiano reggiano, some fresh basil and a nice bottle of chianti, this meal was superb!

The spinach ravioli.

The leaning tower of ravioli!

The spinach ravioli ready, with the anticipation killing me.....

Rosemary and sea salt focaccia bread....Mmmmmmm.

The 2008 Terre Del Palazzo Chianti was a good match.

The Ravioli Shop...go there!

Team Edward vs. Team Jacob

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Hi! It’s Heather. I usually work behind the scenes around here (editing, assisting, baking, etc.), but Rich decided to turn this post over to me. I think the title explains why. Anyways, I’ve never blogged before, so here it goes!

Ok, so Rich brought home some blood oranges, and wanted to create a drink with them, but wasn’t sure what direction to go in. I got to thinking… blood oranges… vampires… Twilight! Seemed like a natural progression to me…

While playing around with different combinations, we actually came up with two drinks we liked. Naturally, I dubbed them the Team Edward and the Team Jacob.

Team Edward: Shake 1 oz. Absolut Los Angeles and 1 oz. fresh squeezed blood orange juice with crushed ice. Strain into a champagne flute and top with chilled Chateau Frank Celebre Rosé. Garnish with a blood orange twist. Light, sweet, and sparkly, just like Edward!

Team Jacob: Combine equal parts Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso vodka, Godiva Chocolate liquer, and fresh squeezed blood orange juice in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake and serve in a martini glass. Garnish with a blood orange half-slice. Dark, sweet, and silky. Yeah, that’s Jacob!

Try them both, and let me know which team you vote for!

The blood orange. Perfect for vampires and werewolves alike.

Team Edward...light and sparkling. Team Jacob...dark and unpredictable.

Absolut Los Angeles, Chateau Frank Celebre Rosé, and blood orange juice.

Chateau Frank Celebre Rosé was a perfect sparkling fit, to keep the sweetness right.

Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso vodka, Godiva Chocolate liquer, and blood orange juice.

Caprese!

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Fresh. That’s how we describe the caprese salad, and making it with fresh ingredients is key! Tomatoes on  the vine, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, sea salt, crushed peppercorns, a nice extra virgin olive oil, and (ok, this is obviously not fresh) some aged balsamic vinegar. That’s it. Super simple and delicious! Eating this just feels like summer. I know it’s not (since it’s snowing outside as I write this), but it will get you in the mood for a change of season. Enjoy!

The caprese salad prep.

Fresh tomatoes on the vine!

The caprese salad, ready to enjoy!

Chili Chocolate

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Yeah, I know it sounds weird, but this is one of my favorite types of chocolate. You have to try it. It’s not hot, but does certainly have a touch of chili spice to it, after a quick initial hint of dark chocolate bitterness (only 49% cocoa), and a sweet, silky melt as it lingers in your mouth.

Now enter the Graham’s “Six Grapes” Reserve Port! It’s a non-vintage young wine, but it’s a tremendous value. The aroma of cherries, spice and chocolate are wonderful as the glass approaches. Port is generally strong, as is the Graham, but is fantastically mellow with the mix of the chocolate. The flavors are extremely harmonious, and perfect for relaxing by the fire. Enjoy!

Graham’s “Six Grapes” Reserve Port and chili chocolate.

Holy Flavor Explosion

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Buckwheat honey? Who knew it would be such a good pairing for scallops? It’s fun to mix a lot of flavors that play well together! So, to start out this experiment, we tested the aroma of 4 different sweets to determine which one to drizzle over the scallops – clover honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, and buckwheat honey. We knew we wanted to use thyme with our scallops, so we tried each of the sweet scents along with the scent of that herb, to see which combination would be best. Any would have worked, but the buckwheat honey stood out as a great match; it was dark and rich, and had a bold, intense, almost spicy flavor.

We pan seared scallops in olive oil with thyme, and seasoned with pepper and a touch of salt. We then served them over mashed sweet potatoes. This by itself is a great pairing, but when you sprinkle a little more thyme over them, and drizzle with the honey, it gets even better!

This paired extremely well with the 2007 Hayman & Hill Russian River Valley chardonnay we picked up.  I say that despite the fact that I was originally looking for a buttery chardonnay. The wine was smooth, light on the oak, and with a bit of citrus. If I may say, it was all fabulous!

Buckwheat honey scallops on mashed sweet potatoes!

2007 Hayman & Hill Russian River Valley chardonnay.

Honey,maple syrup, brown sugar.

Pure buckwheat honey!

Shank you, shank you very much.

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(said with my lame Elvis impression). Lucca Wood-Fired Pizza! The home of the most fabulous Neapolitan pizza, splendid pork shanks (now you get the title), and fresh flavorful salads. I thought it might be fun to do some photos at a restaurant. I mean, it’s still about food, and it looks marvelous….so why not? I apologize to those of you who live elsewhere, but this is definitely worth the trip! Heather and I frequent Lucca often, so hopefully we’ll see you there…

Charlie Augello seems to always be there creating his masterpieces. The roasted pear salad is the perfect way to start the meal. The Carolina pizza pictured has basil pesto, fresh mozzarella, spinach, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, portobella mushrooms and parmesan. Some other favorite pizzas are the Margherite and the Funghi. The pork shanks are extremely tender, the meat falling right off the bone. The blend of Sicilian spices keeps you wanting more. (I highly recommend the chicken wings, as well.) If you have room, get a cannoli for dessert.

Lucca is located at 90 West Main Street in Victor, NY. Don’t forget to bring your own bottle of wine!

http://www.luccawfpizza.com/

The Carolina pizza.

Pork shanks with sicilian spices and balsamic glaze.

Sliced roasted pear salad, gorgonzola, candied walnuts & balsamic vinaigrette.

Charlie Augello manning the fire and creating masterpieces.

Lucca, 90 West Main St., Victor, NY

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

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This is just a quick reminder to enjoy everything Irish today (in moderation). I decided to skip the green beer and offer this up instead. Try a nip of your favorite Irish whiskey with a bit of Kerrygold Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey (they blend it right into the cheese!)  A great mix of robust flavors that surprisingly brings about a smooth finish. Enjoy!

The blended whiskey I had would not be my suggestion, given the characteristic burn I felt as I was sipping. (Is that Drunken Lullabies by Flogging Molly I hear in the background?) I suggest you go for a nice single malt. Let me know what your favorite is, so I can try this again!

Kerrygold Irish Whiskey Aged Cheddar, a little crusty bread, and shot of your favorite Irish Whiskey.