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By John, 8 February, 2014

Read any good books lately?

A classic of New England CookeryHave you seen the listing of cookbooks in What's on my Shelf? If you're the sort to enjoy whiling away a winter evening with a few good cookbooks and dreams of great ingredients and friendly farmers' markets...Well you could do worse than the two dozen+ books on that section of this site.

There is a broad variety of books listed there, with links to Amazon pages for the same books. Most (all?) of them feature in recipes on this site. And they have writer's insights about the books, and more. It's not a comprehensive list of the best cookbooks in the world, or even of the best in New England. Honestly, who has the presumption to tell you what's best? Why would you listen to that presumptuous fool?

This list is randomly generated from the sources of the recipes on this site, and the few books that simply could not be ignored - This is what's on my shelf. What's on yours?

Maple Syrup Standards

The Four Proposed Grades, image from IMSITwo international organizations cooperate to help ensure quality and production of maple syrup and the health of the often very local, small-farm maple syrup production industry:

  • The North American Maple Syrup Council is comprised of representatives from state/provincial maple producer associations in Canada and the United States. This organization focuses primarily on issues of concern to maple syrup producer groups and actively supports maple research.
  • The International Maple Syrup Institute is comprised of state and provincial maple associations, maple equipment manufacturers and other maple businesses and individuals. The Institute focuses its efforts on international standards for pure maple syrup, product quality assurance and marketing in the international marketplace. The two organizations often work together in helping resolve issues of importance to the maple syrup industry

The IMSI is all about the quality standards, espousing the mission:

  • To protect the integrity of pure maple syrup;
  • To encourage more industry cooperation; and,
  • To improve communication within the international maple syrup industry.

(These three bullets and the two above are quoted from the IMSI website, linked above)

By John, 18 January, 2014

A Maple Syrup Tasting

Maple ArrayIn early colonial times, before the molasses trade established that sticky black substance as the sweetener of choice in Boston and much of New England, maple syrup and honey were the only sweeteners available to most kitchens. Many recipes were adapted to use maple syrup, and those old versions are still worth exploring.

There's a good overview of maple syrup in cooking at the maple syrup page, with links to recipes.

SugarbushSo in March of 2013, we made a series of trips deep into the sugarbush country of northern New England. We wanted to learn more about maple syrup and how it gets from tree to table. There's a good, detailed overview of maple syrup production in the Exploring Maple Sugaring in Maine entry.

This event was strictly about the flavors of the syrups, both different grades and any evidence of terroir or of other geographical effects between Maine and Vermont. We set up the array shown in the first photo above. The samples were:

 

By BBQ_Mike, 20 December, 2013

Christmas Mexican Lasagna

Christmas Mexican Lasagna, photo by BBQ_MikeThe title of this post is Christmas Mexican Lasagna. Why would I call this Christmas Mexican Lasagna?

Christine and I are experiencing our first married Christmas together. In just a few short weeks we will be heading out on our postponed honeymoon. Between Christmas and the upcoming honeymoon vacation we are working at hoarding some extra money for gifts and our travel plans.

Like most people, we put stuff in the freezer and forget it. It is so easy to do! We are looking for ways to not spend money so I decided to go Freezer Diving. There is a lot of really "cool stuff" in there that really should be used up.  

Assembling the lasagna, photo by BBQ_MikeI found a pound of ground turkey sitting in there. What do you do with ground turkey?

Christine likes ground turkey and I find it very bland. We could spice it up with a chipotle rub and make burgers, mix it with some stuff and make turkey meatloaf but I have done that and still find it very bland. It is not really exciting.

By John, 15 December, 2013

Annette's Fancy French Birthday

Annette's Fancy French DinnerAnnette wanted a fancy French dinner for her birthday this year. Actually, she wanted a Diplomat Pudding and the rest of the menu developed from that idea. She had discovered the Hotel St. Francis Cook Book, from 1919. It is not a standard cookbook; it has three fancy menus for every day of the year, and recipes where needed. The menu for December 7th was not that compelling so we came up with this.

Roasted Potatoes and CarrotsWe had:

  • A trio of Vermont Cheeses
  • French Onion Soup
  • Roasted Potatoes and Carrots
  • Braised Lettuce
  • Stuffed Capon St. Antoine
  • Diplomat Pudding
  • Artesano Traditional Cyser

We started with three fine Vermont cheeses: A perfectly ripe Harbison from Jasper Hill, and the Verano and Invierno from Vermont Shepherd.  These were followed by a French Onion Soup. Both the cheeses and the soup were served with a Chateau Haut-Beausejours St-Estephe Bordeaux 2005. 

By Anonymous, 22 October, 2013

Old-Time Goodness at the Oxford Creamery in Mattapoisett, MA

Oxford Creamery, Mattapoisett, MA - photo by Richmond TalbotIt got to be a joke.  It seemed every time we passed the Oxford Creamery on Route 28 in Mattapoisett it was closed, and we speculated they saw us coming and had all the customers move their cars and hide. We'd heard rumors of good food, but had just about given up tasting it. The other day, however, we detected activity. We were headed for Turk's, and my mouth was watering for their shrimp Mozambique, but life stirred at the Oxford Creamery and it was an opportunity not to be passed up. 

Oxford Creamery Signs - photo by Richmond TalbotHaving operated on the spot for eighty-two years, Oxford Creamery is the type of old time eatery I love. Brightly painted in blue and white, it evokes the past.  The interior is festooned with signs that substitute for a menu.  Their prices are old fashioned too, and with sandwiches starting at $2.50 and soft drinks at $1.25 you can easily get lunch for under $5.00. 

Seats inside may be at a premium, but there are picnic tables just outside the door and in a grassy area on the far side of the parking lot.  The food is available to go, and you could take it to Ned's Point Lighthouse, and eat it with a beautiful view of Mattapoisett Harbor.

By John, 13 September, 2013

Pilgrim's Progress 09: LA and Homeward Bound!

LA Union Station

We had enjoyed an absolutely stellar vacation, but it was nearly over. Everything had gone right, and we had even had a few serendipitous extras that were highlights of the trip.

The ride home was also a part of the vacation. We always enjoy riding the Southwest Chief. It has great views, it's a big, spacious train, and the vibe is the best of all the trains we have ridden.

That's no idle observation. Lorna and I have ridden virtually all of Amtrak's long-distance trains: the Lake Shore Limited, the Sunset Limited, the Crescent, the Empire Builder, the California Zephyr, the Coast Starlight, and the Southwest Chief. We have ridden a number of them several times, and we agree the Southwest Chief is the most fun to be on. This trip was no different.

By John, 25 August, 2013

Pilgrim's Progress 07: The Anderson Valley, Russian River, and Sonoma Wine country

Evening arrives at a Russian River WineryWhen we finally left the broad western horizon of the Pacific Ocean behind us, we had good incentive to cross the rugged coastal hills to the valleys of the wine country. It's a gorgeous area everywhere you look, fine for driving and exploring down roads that barely appear (or don't appear) on the maps. Drive by hunch! This is no place for a GPS. GPS devices come with built-in serendipity destroyers.

Elegant wine tasting setup at GoldeneyeWe have been to the Wine Country several times, and each time we get better at it. The first time, back before the turn of the century, we drove up the Napa Valley, visited some wineries and tested their wares, and thought it fun. On the next visit we planned ahead and drove up the Sonoma Valley, dutifully stopping at whichever winery we had on our list, checking them off as if we were still at work.

By John, 1 August, 2013

Pilgrim's Progress 05: San Francisco

The TransAmerica PyramidAfter one more morning in Santa Cruz, we spent a wonderful day in San Francisco. We covered a lot of ground; fortunately we had a plan going in and we hit all of our objectives.

The weather was beautiful, and that's never a guarantee in the City by the Bay.  We parked near Fisherman's Wharf in an all-day garage that was not as expensive as I had feared. Then we walked along the waterfront, looked out at Alcatraz, and did more people-watching than window-shopping.

One restaurant we passed proudly proclaimed itself "Home of the 60-ounce Margarita" or some such silliness. It was really crowded, so we headed off toward the famous Ghirardelli Square.

Crabs on Fishermen's Wharf

Along the way it was impossible to miss the fact that Fisherman's Wharf is still very much about the seafood. Seafood restaurants are everywhere, and fresh fish markets with Pacific seafood piled high on great glaciers of ice. It was lunchtime but we were not yet even remotely hungry, and there's plenty of foodie awesomeness in San Francisco to we continued our explorations.

By John, 28 July, 2013

Richmond's Greek Birthday

Dolmas, Spanakopita, Olives, and AlmondsWe celebrated Richmond's 2013 birthday out on the beach with a Greek feast. Present were the usual foursome.

We had brought fixings for Gin & Tonics, but that was merely a precaution against the beastly heat and our ignorance surrounding the two Greek wines I had brought. Everything else was Greek in style, if not in provenance.

SaganakiWe opened the festivities with:

  •  Saganaki, a festive flaming cheese appetizer. This thriller is on the menu of every self-respecting Greek restaurant, and it always gets plenty of attention, but the restaurants cannot always get the right Kefalograviera cheese. I have had Saganaki made with provolone, with pecorino romano, and with other cheeses that I was unable to discover, but they clearly were not kefalograviera. As with most of the ingredients for this feast, I got the cheese at Bahnan's Market in Worcester. 

Tomato and Feta Salad

By John, 14 July, 2013

Pilgrim's Progress 04: Santa Cruz

Welcome to Santa Cruz!We spent the next day and a half in Santa Cruz, visiting with friends, shopping Pacific Ave, and exploring the boardwalk, the long pier, and the pleasant streets of that fine small city.

I posted a smallish (43-photo)  photo album over at Facebook; if you've never been to Santa Cruz, it's worth a look. If you have been there, you might check it out just for the memories.

Appetizers at The Greek in Santa CruzWe arrived late, after a long drive from Morro Bay along Big Sur through Carmel and Monterey to Santa Cruz. We met our Greek friend Hector, who naturally took us to one of my favorite restaurants in California - The Greek!

I went to Greece in 1995, and I remember drinking Greek wine and grazing on little bites at the taverna with my friend's family late into the evening. That's just what we did in Santa Cruz that evening, drinking Greek wine and feasting on dolmas, saganaki, skordalia, horta vrasta, spanakopita, and other Greek delights as we caught up with Hector.

By John, 9 July, 2013

Pilgrim's Progress 03: Los Angeles to Santa Cruz via the Hearst Castle

Route 1 along Big SurEveryone who reads this blog knows how we love scenic drives, and one of the most famous outside of New England is the drive up the Pacific Coast Highway along Big Sur. We knew we would have time in Los Angeles at the end of the trip, so we got a car and hit the road! By lunchtime we were shopping in Ventura, and we spent our first night on the road in Morro Bay.

We stayed at the Best Western El Rancho just north of town and gave it good marks. I have reviewed almost all of the restaurants and hotels and many attractions that we saw throughout the trip; you can find them on TripAdvisor.

Morro Bay

Morro Bay is a pretty harbor best known for the island in the middle, often referred to as the Big Rock. You don't see it in all its glory here because of the fog, but that's not unusual in Morro Bay.

Morro Bay is not a big town, but it is scenic and it enjoys close proximity to the celebrated Hearst Castle, which we planned to visit the next day.

By John, 3 July, 2013

Pilgrim's Progress 02: Chicago Interlude

The Willis Tower in ChicagoThe Lake Shore Limited and the Southwest Chief both have termini at Chicago's Union Station, so both coming and going we had some hours to explore the downtown area while we waited for the latter train to board.

There's a lot to see in downtown Chicago. To start with, Union Station is a big, bustling place for people watching (on the return trip we chatted with some zombies from a 5000-zombie flash mob that had just finished) and some fine Art Deco architecture. Just outside the door you can strain your neck looking up at the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) just across the canal. And about a 15 minute walk to the east is a string of parks and museums along the shore of Lake Michigan.

Three House-Infused Vodkas at Russian Tea Time

After a brisk walk to stretch our legs and work up an appetite, we had a very nice lunch at Russian Tea Time - a fancy establishment with a beautiful collection of samovars and an extensive bar. I could not resist trying the trio of house-infused vodkas (coriander, black currant, and lime) with a dish of pickled herring and some black bread.

Lorna was able to resist that gustatory delight and contented herself with a stuffed chicken breast and a Coke. 

By John, 24 June, 2013

Pilgrim's Progress 01: The Lake Shore Limited

The route of Amtrak's Lake Shore LimitedThis is the first of a series of entries that more or less track our Foodie Pilgrim Grand Transcontinental Adventure. I say "more or less" because it won't quite be a day-by-day relation of events, but more a series of possible day-trips that you might enjoy if you some day take a similar journey. This installment describes the trip to Chicago aboard Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited.  

South Station, start of the grand transcontinental railway adventureWe left Plymouth on the 9am Plymouth &Brockton bus, arriving at Boston South Station after a comfortable and uneventful ride.  Lorna had a light lunch at Cheeseboy, a small chain. I noshed on a kabanoszy from my store of provisions. I had stocked up on goodies from The Cheese Shop in Concord and from Baza Market in Newton because the food on the train can get pretty boring.

Ted's Steamed Cheeseburgers - A Connecticut Tradition

Ted's Steamed CheeseburgersBoiled beef is sought after by gourmets all over the world. Tafelspit, the famous Viennese version, is made from special cuts and is reputed to be sublime. If I ever get to the famous Plachutta Wollzeile in that city, I'll report on it, but for now my topic is the steamed cheeseburger.

To truly appreciate a steamed cheeseburger, you have to put aside all your preconceived ideas about hamburger.  Forget the sweet, crunchy caramelization produced by contact with the heat of the grill.  Forget medium rare. Then you have to travel to a small area in central Connecticut where steamed cheeseburgers are a local delicacy.  

Inside Ted'sI was visiting our friend Ina in Meriden when I set out to investigate this phenomenon.  I went to Ted's Restaurant at 1046 Broad Street in that fair city, but there are other eateries in town where you can expand you r culinary horizons and sample the treat. Another restaurant I visited on my stay had to install a steamer to satisfy popular demand.  

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