Interesting Find – Rappahannock Oyster Company, Topping, VA

Published on by carol lou Category: Interesting Finds

I am always looking for new food ventures and tracking food trends.  Since everywhere you turn, oysters are playing a starring role, I wanted to check out the oyster world.  I have to admit my knowledge was very limited.  All of that changed after my visit to Rappahannock Oyster Company in Topping, VA.  After driving through abundant farm land with brief glimpses of the water we finally approached our destination.  You can’t blink when you get near your next turn on to Lockies Road or you will cruise right past your turn, make a note since that is exactly what I did.  What appears to be a neighborhood street dead-ends into the most beautiful point on the Rappahannock.  With almost a 360 degree view, you have to pinch yourself and wish you had this view to look at each and every day. After taking in the amazing surroundings, I met Anthony Marchetti, Rappannock Chief Operating Officer, who gave me the most incredible look into the world of oyster farming.  I had a very hands on tour from the early stages of an oyster larvae to the dynamics involved in farming oysters and eventually landing on the table of oyster lovers. 

After the incredible tour, we were certainly ready to start tasting oysters.  On site, they have their Merrior Tasting Room, the oyster equivalent of a Napa wine tasting room.  This structure has evolved over the years from a one room office to the most beautiful venue on the water to enjoy spectacular views and fantastic food.  During our tour, we met Pete Woods their resident chef.  After meeting him, he asked what we were interested in having.  I said, anything you would like us to try.  What a taste treat we had.  Our food adventure started with a selection of their oysters.  Rappahannock River Oysters (sweet), Older Salt Oysters (briny), and Stingrays (mild).  I love oysters, but these were hands down the best oysters I have ever had.  I am sure having oysters that have been out of the water less than 24 hours is one reason these were so sensational.  The oysters were followed by two of Pete’s signature dishes, Crab Cake on grilled bread topped with Créole remoulade and “Stuffin Muffin”, oyster stuffing, Edwards’ bacon and peppercorn cream sauce.  The ‘Stuffin Muffin” is his creation from his childhood memories of this mothers after Thanksgiving meals where she would take her leftover oyster stuffing and top it with cream gravy. I can see why it is so popular – just amazing.  We just couldn’t leave until we finished with their S’mores donut.  A thin slice of cake donut topped with ganache and marshmallow.  We washed all of this down with Procesco (on tap) and Tangerine Wheat beer. 

I cannot think of a better way than to spend an afternoon.  If you are anywhere on the East Coast and the 95 corridor, this is one side trip that is definitely worth the trip.  I am already planning my second visit!.

oysters with anthony

On the oyster dock with Anthony Marchetti, Rappahannock Oyster Company, COO

floating bins oysters

Stages of oysters floating in the Chesapeake

eli and patrick oysters

Some of the farm crew, Eli Nichols, Nursery Manager and Patrick Oliver, Chief Farm Officer

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The final product – delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

Zucchini Flan

Published on by carol lou Category: Recipes, Vegetables

Looks like everyone’s zucchini crop is peeking and you can find an abundance in every market and at every farmer’s market.  I typically roast zucchini for a quick and easy vegetable side dish.  However, I thought I would try something different.  This flan features zucchini in a wonderful custard.  Perfect with any grilled meat and very easy to prepare.  Plan on letting the flan sit for fifteen minutes prior to serving.  This enables the flan to firm up prior to cutting. 

zucchini flan

Zucchini Flan
Serves 6
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Ingredients
  1. 3 tablespoon chopped onion
  2. 2 tablespoons butter
  3. 3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
  4. 1 cup heavy cream
  5. 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  6. 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  7. Salt and pepper, to taste
  8. 1/2 cup shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese
Instructions
  1. Cook onion in butter until transparent. Add sliced zucchini and cook until tender.
  2. Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish.
  3. Combine cream, eggs, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour over zucchini mixture. Sprinkle the top with cheese.
  4. Bake 350 - until custard is lightly set, approximately 30 minutes.
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Tomato Compote

Published on by carol lou Category: Recipes, Vegetables

One more tomato recipe to add your favorites.  This week at the Farmer’s Market I purchased an assorted box of heirloom tomatoes, various sizes and colors.  With a steak ready to be grilled, I wanted to create something with these beautiful tomatoes to complement our grilled steak.  I simply sliced the tomatoes, drizzled them with olive oil, added salt and pepper, fresh basil leaves and baked them for thirty minutes at 350 degrees.  Simply delicious!

compote - tomatoes

tomato compote

Bourbon Basted Chicken

Published on by carol lou Category: Main dishes, Recipes

I had the opportunity last week to stop along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. This trail consists of nine distilleries throughout the state of Kentucky sponsored by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.  Our first stop on the Bourbon Trail was a visit to Maker’s Mark.  This distillery is literally in middle of rural Kentucky.  You drive and you drive and you drive……. and finally you find the distillery.  I kept commenting that is was remarkable how rural the area was and what a long drive it was to our destination.   There are no four lane roads in this area, just winding country roads.  At last, we arrived to find a wonderful venue and very interesting tour.  The personal touch in each phase of distilling is so unique down to each bottle being hand dipped in wax was just a wonderful experience.  I have my Kentucky Bourbon Trail passport so let our adventures continue along the Bourbon Trail.  

After we returned home, I created Bourbon Basted Chicken to salute our bourbon tasting.  Easy, quick and oh so delicious, I hope you try my newest recipe. Cheers!

carol and pete bourbon trail

I would have loved to just roll one of these barrels home!

bourbon basted chicken

 

Bourbon Basted Chicken
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Ingredients
  1. One chicken cut into pieces
  2. 1/3 cup canola oil
  3. 2/3 cup bourbon
  4. 2/3 cup soy sauce
  5. Pepper
  6. Garlic Salt
Instructions
  1. Combine canola oil, bourbon and soy sauce. Pour over chicken pieces and marinate 3-5 hours in the refrigerator.
  2. Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken pieces in a large roasting pan, pour marinade over chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with pepper and garlic salt. Bake 45 - 60 minutes until chicken is glazed and tender. Baste chicken every 5 - 10 minutes during cooking.
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Quick Pickles

Published on by carol lou Category: Recipes, Vegetables

If you have a garden or frequent the farmers market, this is the time of year that there is an abundance of cucumbers. Here is a recipe for quick pickles that can be prepared and then frozen for up to 6 months. Just think of how great it would to have a taste of summer during the winter months. Besides serving these as a condiment, try topping a pulled brisket taco with these pickles. The crunch of the pickle and onions and their sweet tang will set your tacos apart from all others! My favorite onion to use in this recipe are Vidalia onions from Georgia, they have just the perfect sweetness and texture.

quick pickles

Quick Pickles
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Ingredients
  1. 4 cups thinly sliced cucumbers, my favorite cucumbers to use are the small *Persian cucumbers
  2. 1 onion, thinly sliced
  3. 1 tablespoon salt
  4. 1 cup sugar
  5. ½ cup white vinegar
  6. 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, slice cucumbers and onions. Sprinkle the salt over the cucumbers and onions, mix well. Combine the sugar, vinegar and water in a small sauce pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Cool. Pour over cucumber mixture, stir well and refrigerate for 48 hours. Pickles are ready to serve or you can freeze the pickles for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator prior to serving.
  2. *Persian cucumbers are thin-skinned, nearly seedless and are only about 5 – 6 inches long.
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Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies

Published on by carol lou Category: Desserts, Recipes

Oatmeal cookies are one of my husband’s favorite cookies.  Hard to think I would try to change our favorite oatmeal cookies recipe.  Well, I decided it was time for a change, omitted the cinnamon and added orange peel, orange juice and dried cranberries.  The results, let’s just say my cookie monster thinks they are fantastic!  That is all I need to give this recipe 5 stars.

cranberry orange oatmeal cookies

Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies
Yields 4
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Ingredients
  1. 2 cups flour
  2. 2 cups granulated sugar
  3. 4 teaspoons baking powder
  4. 1 teaspoon salt
  5. 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  6. 1 cup butter, softened
  7. 2 eggs
  8. 4 tablespoons grated orange rind
  9. 2 tablespoons orange juice
  10. 3 cups oatmeal
  11. 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
  1. In a mixer, combine butter and sugar, beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Combine dry ingredients together. Slowly add to creamed mixture. Add orange juice and orange rind, combine. Stir in oatmeal and cranberries. Preheat oven to 375. Drop by tablespoons on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes.
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Stuffed Green Peppers

Published on by carol lou Category: Main dishes, Recipes

I remember my mother cooking Stuffed Green Peppers from our garden when I was growing up.  I cannot say I was a huge fan of stuffed peppers as a child.  However, now I think they are wonderful.  I think stuffed peppers need a bit of heat and taste contrasts to make them interesting and memorable.  By adding hot Italian sausage, raisins and capers I took the best ingredients from my Piccadillo and added them to these peppers.  I think the results speak for themselves.  Next time you are at the market and see beautiful green peppers, give this recipe a try.  I think you too will agree these are a step above from your typical stuffed pepper.

stuffed green peppers

Stuffed Green Peppers
Serves 6
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Ingredients
  1. 6 green peppers
  2. 2 lbs. ground beef
  3. 1 lb. hot Italian sausage
  4. 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
  5. 1 cup cooked rice
  6. 1/2 cup chopped onion
  7. 1 large tomato, chopped
  8. 2 tablespoons capers, drained
  9. 1/2 cup raisins
  10. 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  11. 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  12. Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Remove tops of peppers and remove membrane and seeds in each pepper. Fill a large sauce pan 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil. Boil each pepper for 5 minutes, drain well and place in baking dish.
  2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook ground beef and Italian sausage until no longer pink. Stir in chopped green pepper (from tops you remove from the peppers) chopped onion, tomato, capers, raisins and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add brown sugar and vinegar. Stir in cooked rice. Let mixture cool slightly. Fill each pepper with filling. Bake 350 covered for 30 minutes. Top with grated cheddar cheese, remove cover and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese has melted.
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Iskender

Published on by carol lou Category: Main dishes, Recipes

If you are a fan of Turkish cuisine, I am sure you have had Iskender. Iskender is one of the most famous meat foods of northwestern Turkey and takes its name from its inventor, İskender Efendi, who lived in Bursa in the late 19th century.  It is prepared from thinly cut grilled lamb basted with a spicy tomato sauce over pieces of lavash bread slathered with melted butter and yogurt.  I think Iskender is just delicious and wanted to try preparing it at home.  I purchased a piece of butterflied leg of lamb that we grilled, prepared a tomato sauce, heated pita pieces, and topped it off with yogurt.  I was in heaven.  An absolute delicious combination and very different and unique.   The flavors are just outstanding and a very fun dish to prepare and to eat.  A great new recipe to add and one that I am sure many of you have never tried.  Give this one a try, I think you will be glad you did.  Finger licking good!

Iskender

Iskender
Serves 4
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Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 pounds butterflied leg of lamb
  2. Olive oil
  3. Salt and pepper
  4. TOMATO SAUCE
  5. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  6. 1/3 cup finely diced onion
  7. 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cumin (adjust according to taste)
  8. 15 oz. can tomato purée
  9. Salt and pepper, to taste
  10. PITAS
  11. Pita bread - plan one pita per person
  12. 3 tablespoons melted butter
  13. ACCOMPANIMENTS
  14. 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  15. 1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced
Instructions
  1. To prepare tomato sauce - heat olive oil in a heavy sauce pan, cook onions until soft. Add cumin and stir to combine. Add tomato purée and salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
  2. Prepare grill. Rub sides of lamb with olive oil and generously salt and pepper. Grill lamb over medium high heat for 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. While resting, prepare pitas. Slice lamb into thin pieces.
  3. Cut pitas into small rectangular pieces, bake in a preheated 350 oven for 10 minutes. Top with melted butter.
  4. To serve - place pitas on a large serving plate, top with sliced lamb, tomato sauce and yogurt. Garnish with Italian parsley.
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Interesting Find – Corndance Tavern, Mishawaka, Indiana

Published on by carol lou Category: Interesting Finds, Travel

How many times have you taken a road trip to find yourself in the middle of a town that you know nothing about?  Well, it happened to us on a recent road trip and being the foodie I am, I am always looking for a great place to eat.  When checking into our hotel, they graciously gave us a list of local restaurants.  After checking this list carefully, it looked to me to be a list that the hotel used to advertise various local restaurants, many of them large local chain restaurants.  When we are visiting a new town, the last place I want to go is to a large chain restaurant.  As a matter of fact, I don’t frequent large chain restaurants in our own home town.  There are so many more interesting restaurants to find, I avoid those large chains at all costs.

So, back to my restaurant searching.  First stop on the internet, Trip Advisor. This at least gives me a starting point in my search.  Next search, best local restaurants.  After a few searches, I happened to find Midwest Magazines list of best restaurants.  There I found Corndance Tavern in the South Bend area.  Hands down one the best restaurants I have visited in a very long time.  Farm to table and a very creative menu.  Our server, Herman Fritz, was extremely knowledgeable and shared detailed descriptions of the menu which I really appreciated.  Did I also mention they have a wonderful wine cellar. Definitely worth a try if you are in the South Bend area. 

corndance 1

Below are a few of the excellent dishes we tried.

flatbread

Merguez Sausage Flatbread with baba ghanoush spread, crumbled merguez sausage, roasted patty pan squash, charred cherry tomatoes, feta, topped with cucumber salad.

meatloaf

Bison meatloaf, spinach, fontinella cheese, toast points, bourbon shallot demi-glace, grilled caeser salad, crispy shoestring tobacco onions

 

 

 

Fruit Puff

Published on by carol lou Category: Desserts

There are times when you just need a quick, easy and delicious recipe.  This one fits into that category.  All you need is one package of frozen puff pastry and one can of pie filling.  Almost too easy to write about, however, there are times when I just want a wonderful dessert with no effort.  This is it!  I used cherry pie filling from a local market.  You can use any type of fruit filling you prefer, I drizzled mine with a quick frosting.  Out of time?  Just sift powdered sugar over the top.  Your guests will think you went to a fabulous bakery or spent all day in the kitchen!  

Fruit Puff

fruit puff 2

Fruit Puff
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Ingredients
  1. I package frozen puff pastry
  2. 1 can pie filling
  3. I egg
  4. 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
  1. Thaw puff pastry according to package
  2. Preheat oven to 400.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. When pastry has thawed, unfold one sheet onto parchment lined baking sheet. Top with pie filling, keep a one each space open around the edges. In a small bowl, whisk egg with water. Brush edge of pastry with egg mixture, top with the second layer of pastry. Using the tines of a fork, crimp edges around the entire pastry. Cut a few slits in the top of the pastry. Brush entire pastry with egg mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool. Drizzle with frosting or dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
  1. Frosting
  2. 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
  3. 1 cup powdered sugar
  4. Hot water
  5. In a medium bowl, add butter and powdered sugar. Add water one tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until it is smooth and thin enough to drizzle over the top.
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