Rhubarb.  It’s a word that we all hear over and over this time of year.  There’s no escaping it.  Rhubarb this.  Rhubarb that.  This filled with rhubarb.  That topped with rhubarb.  You get the idea.  And as ashamed as I am to admit it, I’ve never actually cooked with rhubarb before.  And, since I’m on an honesty kick today, the first time Asheley and I even tasted rhubarb was only a few weeks ago at the amazing meal we had at Hearth restaurant.

Judge me as you will.  I’m okay with it.

I figured one of the safest and easiest ways to break into the world of this crazy, weird looking celery look-a-like pink vegetable… oh, you thought it was a fruit too, huh?  Glad I’m not the only one.  Or am I.  Uhm, okay, well anyway, making a crisp seemed like a great way to introduce rhubarb into our household.  Making a strawberry rhubarb pie was also in the mix, but let’s be honest… crisps are way easier and simpler to make, comes together in no time, and I actually think they taste better 83% of the time.  Scientific fact.

The first time I made this strawberry rhubarb crisp was actually this past Mother’s Day, when Asheley and I pulled out the fancy paper plates to host my parents and brother’s family over for dinner.  I love having my family over, because typically even if a dish fails miserably, they’ll still eat it and pretend to like it.  And my mom will swear over and over that it was the best meal she ever had.

Nothing like the unfailing ego boost you can always count on from your mom.

Needless to say I took full advantage of the opportunity to test out some new recipe ideas on them.  Some were a big success, and some, well, let’s just say you won’t be hearing about those anytime soon.

My friend Sandra over at Kitchen Apparel has been taking all these really cool, dark and moody photos lately.  I was totally inspired and had some fun with these strawberries and rhubarb.

And side note, man I love strawberries.  I think they are my favorite fruit.  And not the ones shipped from like 2,000 miles and placed under the sad fluorescent lights at the supermarket.  Like real, legit, picked ripe fresh from the vine strawberries.  It’s one of spring’s sweetest gifts.

Pairing those sweet, juicy strawberries with the tartness of the rhubarb makes for one heavenly dessert.  Of course the butter and modest* amounts of sugar doesn’t hurt either.

*I “might” be using the word modest quite liberally.  Might.

I love how the strawberries and rhubarb create this beautiful, deeply hued sauce within the crisp.  When combined with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, it creates this creamy goodness that can only be explained as divine culinary intervention.

This recipe has been adapted from Ina Garten (i.e. The Barefoot Contessa).  I love her addition of fresh orange.  It adds such a lovely dimension of flavor.

 The Great GoogaMooga isn’t looking so hot after getting a major beat down from Sunday’s decision to shut down the “rain or shine” event due to inclement weather 90 minutes after opening.  Sure, people hopeful on attending the amusement park of food, drink, and music were disappointed at the cancellation, but that’s just the beginning.

Vendors (i.e. participating restaurants) had already set up, hired staff to man their booths, and prepped a ridiculous amount of food what what was expected to be a hoard of hungry attendees.  With vendors suffering major financial loss (some reporting losses of $10-15 K) and what can only be deemed a second disappointing year in a row for The Great GoogaMooga, it’s future looks bleak.

Nonetheless, the good people at the Great GoogaMooga graciously provided me press access to the event.  I actually met up with my good friends Matt and Rachelle at the event pre-rain on Saturday morning, and we tag teamed it up so we could sample and eat as much as possible.

Each within their own hand-painted booth, approximately 85 food vendors were spread across Neathermead, a large meadow within Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.  The festival was spaced out nicely, which is a nice change from other food events I’ve been crammed into like my fat butt in a pair of skinny jeans.

Pizza.  Burgers.  Meat.  Meat.  Meat. (and more meat).  Sweets.  There was something for everyone at the Great GoogaMooga.  There was even some vegetarian and vegan love, although I did not partake.

It was actually partly sunny and dry when we first arrived right at gate opening time.  We were some of the few to enjoy a precipitation-free couple of hours.

People brought their appetites and Prospect Park quickly became alive with the sounds of some fantastic live music from two stages (albeit a bit loud at times) and all the smells of all that glorious, glorious food.

This didn’t feel like just another food tasting event.  The live music and outdoor atmosphere reminded me of one giant artisan food block party.

Okay, let’s talk about the giant elephant, errrr, pig in the room.  I know, bad joke.  I’m sorry.  It’s late and I’m doing the best I can here.  Henri, the two-ton 22-foot steel pig, nose-to-tail, drew me in to the Hamageddon pavilion.

You really can’t go wrong with having an entire food pavilion dedicated to all things pork.  Henri isn’t just all looks, you know.  He’s not just some piece of meat.  He’s actually able to cook food from a fiery rotisserie in his belly.

Anyone else wondering what they are going to do with the Henri for the remainder of time now that the festival is over and done with?  I wouldn’t mind taking it off their hands.  It would make a great lawn ornament I think.  My neighbors would surely appreciate its beauty.

So much pork, so little time!  There was no way my stomach could try them all.

I’ve already been to Crif Dogs and The Meatball Shop and figured a visit to Pig and Khao and Porchetta would be easy enough the next time I’m in in the LES/East Village area.  We decided to descend upon Baconland, which was exclusive to to this festival only.

And really, how could we not descend upon Baconland?  It’s like the grown-up better version of Candyland.

The idea was actually pretty genius in its simplicity.  An altar of seven different bacon producers, showcasing what they do best in one unbelievable tasting flight.

It was unreal how different each piece of bacon tasted.  The nuances of smoke and cure came through instantly.  I wanted to cry it was so good.  I quickly imagined a life of being a professional bacon taste tester.  How cool must that job be?

In case you’re wondering the bacon that was presented:

• The Meathook / New York / House Cured & Smoked
• Oscar’s Adirondack Smokehouse / New York / Applewood Smoked
• Burgers’ Smokehouse / Missouri / Applewood Smoked
• Benton’s / Tennessee / Hickory Smoked
• Surry Farms / Virginia / Dry Cured & Hickory Smoked
• Wellshire / New Jersey / Peppered & Dry-Rubbed
• Draymiller and Kray / Illinois / Goose Island Matilda Beer Bacon

Being that I was in a bacon-daze and my friend Matt did his research in precisely what his stomach wanted to accomplish this afternoon, I let him lead the way over to Tom Colicchio’s block.

Although we didn’t try the Pork Belly tacos (it felt overly gluttonous considering the flight of bacon just consumed), I couldn’t resist capturing the beauty of a spit stacked with pork belly, basting itself in its own juices as it slowly turned round and round.

We did, however, get the beef tongue pastrami sandwich from Craftbar.  I actually didn’t have high hopes for the sandwich.  Not sure why.  It was, however, one of the proudest moments of being wrong I’ve ever experienced.  Hands down, this was one of the best eats of the day.

The confit and cured beef tongue was so moist and tender.  Topped with swiss cheese, beer mustard, and crispy potato chips, it was an irresistible sandwich.

Brooklyn’s Mile End Deli was just a couple booths down.  We were quickly lured in by the man with the slicing knife, cutting through that beautifully smoked all-natural Certified Angus Beef Brisket.

The brisket had been dry-cured for 12 days in a house spice blend, and then smoked for 16 hours over white oak.  Yea, I know.  Be jealous.

A great sandwich, although I think Craftbar still edged them out… I’m not a fan of rye bread though, so it could have been that.

I was excited to try Back Forty’s harissa smoked lamb served over a pickled vegetable and quinoa salad with spiced yogurt.  It sounded really good, but I think suffered from flavor overload.  There was a bit too much going on in this plate.  Still good and enjoyable though.

So much meat and so far no beverage.  It was time for some drinkage.  Brooklyn Soda Works was on hand, selling their small-batch handcrafted sodas on draft, all made with fresh seasonal fruit & herbs.  The lemon-thyme soda sounded great…

I like lemon.  I like thyme.  I should have liked this soda.  And I would have if there was more lemon flavor, but it honestly tasted like carbonated thyme.

My friend Matt and I looked at each other.  We knew what each other were thinking… it’s burger time.  And I really wish there was  enough room in my stomach and dough in my wallet to try all the burgers, but neither were deciding to cooperate.

The Dumont Burger Sliders were underwhelming, although I loved the pickled onions idea.  A note to friends and family: picked onions will now be served on all my cheeseburgers throughout the summer grilling season.  Unfortunately for this burger, the supposedly beef with house marinade was flavorless and  a bit overcooked.

The vanilla milkshake, however, really hit the spot.

Umami Burger caused quite a splash at their big debut at GoogaMooga.  Opening up a storefront in the very near future in Greenwich Village, this was our first glimpse of the California-based burger chain.

Don’t let the minimalist look of this burger fool you.  New York is going to love these guys big time.  The flav0r-packed Truffle Burger immediately brought tears of joy to my eyes, with it’s house-ground patty unfused with umami master sauce and topped with house-made truffle cheese and truffle glaze.  It honestly almost had a French dip feel to it.  So good.  If I had any more room in my stomach, I would have eaten about 3 more.

Pat LaFrieda is well-known for being the meat purveyor of choice for many chefs and restauranteurs.  Needless to say I was pretty excited to try his steak sandwich, with reserve 100% Black Angus hand cut beef, Vermont monterey jack cheese, sautéed sweet vidalia onions and beef au jus on a locally baked and toasted french baguette.

Matt and I had no problem polishing off this sandwich, but the heavily predominant flavor of caramelized onions sadly masked any taste of the beef.

The free-range Buttermilk Dipped Fried Chicken Strips with honey dijon and BBQ sauce from Dirty Bird To Go was forgettable at best.  The sauces were even less than forgettable.  Next.

Let me introduce you to the Brookster and then you tell me if you think it sounds good.  Ready?  A chocolate chunk cookie baked inside a deep dark chocolate brownie.  Sound freakin’ amazing, doesn’t it?!  Okay, okay, how about this… a Sweet & Salty Brownie with salted caramel infused into a deep dark chocolate brownie sprinkled with fleur de sel.  I know, I know, I couldn’t wait to dive in!

And these should have been good.  Really good!  I wanted it to be good.  But disappointment would be a gross understatement.  Despite the promise of “deep dark chocolate”, I had a hard time tasting any chocolate at all.  I wanted ooey.  I wanted gooey.  I got bland and boring.  What a bummer

I love Crack Pie.  You may recall the Speculoos Crack Pie version I made a few months back.

Matt and Rachelle never experienced Christina Tosi’s addictive toasted oat cookie crust with goeey butter filling before, so it was a must for them to try it.  I demanded it.  On first bite, Rachelle’s eye literally lit up.  Yea, that was the reaction I was waiting for.  Rachelle cautiously and kindly asked me if I wanted any, but I knew the answer she was hoping for.  Once you have one bite, you’re hooked.  Sharing is not an option.

Wait a minute.  Scroll back up, scroll back up.  He looks familiar.  Isn’t that the guy from The Next Food Network Star?  I think it might…

Whoa yea it is!  Meet Justin Warner, who was on hand at his “Do or Dine” restaurant’s booth, stuffing foie gras and jelly into doughnuts.  Yes, you read that right.  Foie Gras IN doughnuts.

I was super excited for this doughnut, probably more so than almost anything else at GoogaMooga.  How do I say this. Uhm.  Okay.  Well, I wish I could say it was forgettable.  But it was worse than that.  Like really bad.  Normally it takes a lot for me to not finish something, even if it’s less than great.  But one bite was way more than enough of this disaster-piece.

Matt and Rachelle agreed.  Apparently last year they said this doughnut was crazy good.  This year though, it fell way short of bad.  The actual doughnut, provided by Dough, was just a dense block of cold, dry, unappetizing dough.  The ratio of foie gras to jelly was way off (more jelly was needed).

I’ve been really looking forward to visiting Brooklyn’s Do or Dine restaurant very soon.  After this dismal display, I think the visit has been moved down my priority list.

I love sweets.  With all this disappointment, I needed some dessert redemption.  I found it at Robicelli’s booth.  Their Car Bomb Parfait was superb.

Here’s another look of their Guinness stout brownie topped with Bailey’s ricotta crème, Jameson whiskey chocolate sauce, and beer nut praline.  And at this point, my overloaded stomach threw in the towel.  No mas, por favor!  And considering it had just started to rain, we called it a day.

So let’s talk about the good and bad of The Great GoogaMooga.  I’m not talking about their decision to cancel Sunday’s “rain or shine” event due to poor weather, causing major financial loss to participating restaurants and tons of wasted food (although apparently many restaurants donated their massive amounts of unused food to various charities).  I’m not even going into the fact that they sent out an email only only a couple hours prior to that cancellation decision announcing that extra tickets were being released and available at the gate.  There were obviously some major things wrong with how this event was run this year (and last year!)

The Great GoogaMooga is now 0 for 2 in the minds of many New Yorkers.  Not a good batting average.  I’m not sure if they are even going to be back next year, and if they are, would restaurants be crazy enough to sign up to participate.  But if they do, here’s one thing to consider when mapping out what to eat.

Most of these food vendors you can just get up and go vist at their storefront.  There is nothing special in eating their food here.  On the flip side, you do have some unique opportunities to try food that is not readily available elsewhere.  Case in point, Umami Burger, which gave us a sneak peek at their soon to be opened storefront in the Village.  Or how about Pat LaFrieda, who typically is selling cuts of beef to chefs, not offering a finished product.  Getting to dine at Craftbar for $12 is a heck of a lot better than the serious dough I’d have to drop on visiting their restaurant.  There is definitely some good in attending the Great GoogaMooga.

I vividly remember my second grade teacher.  Mrs. McQueen.  McQuaid.  Mc… something like that.  Maybe not so vividly as I thought.  Anyway, I do remember really loving hot dogs right up to the point Mrs. Mc…Quaid (that’s definitely it, yes, McQuaid) told the class that they were made from pigs eyes.  I was only in second grade!  It was devastating, almost as much as watching that scene in the Lion King where Simba’s dad died.

Her hot dog declaration scared the living daylights out of me, leading me down a sad and lonely frankfurter-free diet for several years.  To think about how many backyard bbq hot dogs I missed out upon because of Mrs. McQuaid deeply saddens me.  A piece of my culinary childhood gone.  Forever.

Don’t cry for me.  It’s okay.  I’ve moved past it.  Hot dogs are back to being a mainstay on the summer grill rotation at our house.  Asheley would eat them every night for dinner if I allowed her (which I don’t, sorry hun).  And whenever we are in the East Village, our favorite hot dog joint is a must.  I present to you the amazing, the magnificent, Crif Dogs:

It’s not too hard to find Crif Dogs sunken entrance on St. Marks Place (which is pretty much just 8th street with a fancy name) thanks to a giant Eat Me dog dangling overhead.

Good news for you party animals that are taking advantage of the lively bar scene in the East Village:  they’re open until 2 a.m. weeknights and 4 a.m. weekends.  I can’t remember the last time I’ve been up at 2 a.m.  I’m more of a morning person.  I know, crazy right?  But for you night owls out there, I can’t think of anything more perfect to snack on after a late night out.

When hunger strikes us on a nice sunny day, Asheley and I like to walk our artisan dogs across the street to Tompkins Square Park.  People watching and hot dog eating.  Does life get better?

And nothing completes the experience more than heading around the corner afterwards to Big Gay Ice Cream for a Salty Pimp or Bea Arthur for dessert.

It can get pretty cramped inside Crif Dogs during peak hours.  Seating can become quite the precious and rare commodity.  If you see a free couple of seats, nominate someone in your party to sit there and call dibs while you order.

And check this out.  This place is cool enough all on its own, but there is actually a hidden speakeasy accessible only through the honest-looking phone booth within Crif Dogs.  PDT (Please Don’t Tell) is open during the evening and reservations are highly recommended since it’s super tiny in there.  I’ve never been, but a good friend of mine has and said they have mixologists serving up some serious drinkage.  Even better, they serve the full Crif Dogs lineup as well as secret menu items exclusive to PDT customers.

I haven’t even come close to eating my way through the entire menu yet at Crif Dogs, with fun and inventive dogs topped with everything from cream cheese and everything bagel seeds to fried eggs or avocado.  Some say weird.  Others (correctly) say genius.

And if you’re a vegetarian, no worries, they’ve got a dog for you too

You’re looking at my current 2 favorite hot dogs to date at Crif Dogs, the Chihuahua and the Tsunami.  The bacon-wrapped Tsunami dog is topped with pineapple, teriyaki, and green onions.  The chihuahua also gets the bacon-wrapped treatment, and it topped with sour cream and avocado.

Doesn’t sour cream and avocado sound super weird, like it wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) taste good?  I know!  That’s what I thought the first time I tried it.  But it’s so strangely….ridiculously amazing!

If you’re at all like me and wondering why the place is called Crif Dog, try saying “Chris” while chewing on a mouthful of hot dog.  That’s seriously how childhood friends and owners Brian Shebairo and Chris Antista named the place when they opened in 2001.  Random piece of culinary trivia for ya.  It could come in handy some day.

What, it could!  Case in point, I was just playing this “Foodie Fight” game with some friends the other day and there were tons of random food facts on those cards.  You’re welcome.  In advance.

And go to Crif Dogs.

It’s been such a busy weekend, I think a recap is in order.  It all started on Friday when our good friends Joe and Lisa wanted to check out Hearth restaurant in the East Village.  Oh, you remember we went there 2 weeks ago and wrote this post all about it?  Yea so, we went again!  The chef’s tasting menu is such a great value.  Totally worth every penny.  And since we arrived a bit earlier than our reservation, we pre-gamed with a glass of wine at Chef Marco Canora’s wine bar, Terroir, just a couple doors down.

Saturday was filled with getting the vegetable and herb garden ready.  That’s never fun.  Asheley made the mistake of offering to help.  I don’t think she will be offering that up anymore.  Many weeds were pulled.  Soil tilled.  Compost and other goodies added.  Oh, and plants planted.  That’s actually the fun part.

Asheley and I hosted Mother’s Day this year.  I took the opportunity to experiment a bunch of new dishes on my family.  Some were successful and thoroughly enjoyed.  Others were… well, at least eaten.  I’ll be sharing some of those recipes soon (just the good ones, don’t worry).

So you probably want to know about this shake, right?  That’s kind of the whole reason for this post.  I first heard about the milkshake you see before you from some friends at church.  They raved about an awesome toasted marshmallow milkshake they had at this burger joint (no, not THE burger joint, just a burger joint… a burger establishment).  Anyway…

I completely forgot all about the shake until one day Asheley and I were eating some of those ridiculously good Cambodian-inspired sandwiches over at NumPang and I peered outside the window from their second-story eating area. Right in my direct line of sight was   the awning for Stand 4.  Queue light bulb.

We finished up our sandwiches and headed across the street and ordered a Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake to go.  People.  This milkshake is something special.  Definitely in the all-time top 5 milkshakes I’ve had the pleasure of slurping down.

And this is literally the point I quickly went to google the link for Stand 4 to share with you, and what did I find?  Stand 4 is closed.  CLOSED?!  How can this be, when just a few weeks back I was enjoying what I was planning to be a long and lasting relationship with said milkshake!

I was going to erase this post completely and not even bother sharing something with you that was no longer attainable.  What’s the use in it.  But as my mouse wavered over the delete button, I thought better of it.  This toasted marshmallow milkshake deserves better.  It’s memory must be preserved in cyberspace.  It’s legacy must live on for another day.

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake.  Why do the good ones leave us before their time is up?  I will miss that taste of marshmallows roasting on the campfire, mixed into that oh so creamy and decadent shake.  And those two golden brown marshmallows sitting at the crown of your achievement.  They will be sorely missed.

And maybe as a tribute to my friend, the milkshake, I will try to recreate it one day over the summer.  Time to go get some tissues.  This is a sad day indeed.

]]> http://sharedappetite.com/ode-to-the-toasted-marshmallow-milkshake/feed/ 2 http://sharedappetite.com/hearth-restaurant/ http://sharedappetite.com/hearth-restaurant/#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 15:19:24 +0000 Chris http://sharedappetite.com/?p=3683

Asheley and I love the city.  That’s no secret.  If we have any free time on the weekend, that’s probably where you’ll find us.  Over the course of this past year, we’ve gotten the itch now and again to move there.  We just feel at home in the city.  It excites us.  And when you think about having all this amazing food at your fingertips all the time, it’s tempting.  It really is.

So what’s stopping us?  Oh, there are a bunch of reasons.  Our jobs for one.  Another is having to give up our beautiful home in suburbia to most likely downsize to a one bedroom shoebox apartment for the same price.  No yard, no vegetable garden, no grilling… it all adds into the equation.

The itch subsides and we return to being content with the almost weekly visits to our home away from home.  But then Chef Marco Canora’s Hearth happened.  And that itch came back with a vengeance, bigger than ever.  I rarely fall so hard for a restaurant, but Hearth did it to me.  I think I’m in love.  Hubba hubba.

Hearth is a restaurant that has been on my list for quite some time, ever since I first watched Chef Marco Canora compete on The Next Iron Chef  a couple years back.  And I’m not quite sure why it took us so long to finally get there, but repeat visits are already in the works.  We want to introduce friends to what quite possibly may be our new favorite restaurant.

What makes Hearth so special?  Impeccably sourced ingredients. Thoughtfully prepared and well-composed dishes with flawless execution.  A genuine, friendly staff.  Convivial atmosphere.  Yes, all of that.  But it’s weird, you also completely just feel at home at Hearth.  Like you belong there.

Before we go any further, I have to share this with you.  It was such a nice day out, Asheley and I decided to go for a long walk through Central Park before our dinner reservation.  Let’s not discuss the ridiculous amount of time it took us to find a parking spot.  All my usual good “parking spot leads” were taken.  Jerks.  How did they discover my secrets?!

So as we were finally walking through Central Park, we stumbled upon this amazing Roller Skating Dance Party.  No professionals.  Just a colorful bunch of regular people that love to dance… on roller skates.  Some even had synchronized dances down with their skating companion, but they eluded my camera.

They were all so into it.  It was paralyzing.  We couldn’t not watch… for a long time.  It was that entertaining.

So back to Hearth, which is located in the East Village on the corner of 12th Street and 1st Avenue.  Since we had the first reservation of the night (trying to maximize sunlight so I could snap some photos of the meal, of course) and arrived a bit early, we took a quick stroll around the area.  We actually just happened to walk by Momofuku Noodle Bar and ChikaLicious Dessert Club, two other places I want to get to real soon.  I made a mental note of their locations

The menu changes daily, with more substantial revisions seasonally.  Since I can’t think of anything better, I’ll take the next line straight from the website: “Our food is rooted in the modern traditions of the American kitchen with influences from our Italian heritage.”

That about sums it up, with one very brief addition: it’s ridiculously good.  Like so good that we enjoyed it better than the 3-Michelin Star Restaurant we visited for Asheley’s birthday.

The tasting menu looked like, and positively was, a fantastic value (7 courses for only $78) that we needed to take advantage of.

As is customary with tasting menus, our meal started with a complimentary amuse bouche of Potato and Leek Soup with Parsley Oil.

Our server suggested such beautiful wines for  Asheley and I.  She really helped guide us through the always difficult decision-making process.

Our first course was this beautiful Fava Bean Salad with Spring Onion, Pecorino Toscano, and Grilled Bread.  It tasted like Spring exploded on a plate.

I love that we started we such a light dish of raw vegetables, which were dressed in a bright lemon vinaigrette.  The garlic-rubbed grilled bread was, well… let’s just say I didn’t know grilled bread could be so good.

Transitioning into a cooked vegetable preparation was this Porcini Trifolati with Ricotta Sformato, Ramps, Gremolata, and Parmagiano.  That was a mouthful… Trifolati? Sformato? Gremolata?  I know, those Italians with their fancy words.

I wouldn’t classify myself as a fan of mushrooms, but if they could all taste this good, it would be a completely different story!  Just wow.  They had a really deep, roasted, rich umami flavor.

The ricotta sformato was light, creamy, and souffle-like, although not as airy.  Gremolata is a chopped herb condiment, typically made with lemon, garlic, and parsley.  It added a much needed acidic zing to the dish.

Our fish preparation was this stunning Olive Oil Poached Salmon with Freekah, Pickled Ramps, Snap Peas, Radish, and Trout Roe.  I’ve never had oil poached fish before, and I’m kinda mad about it.  It’s so freaking good.

And it’s funny, because just the day or two before this meal I was getting all jealous reading about how Sandra from Kitchen Apparel had so much fun Foraging for Ramps.  I never even tasted a ramp before let alone forage for them!  Did Chef Canora know my deepest desires to finally experience this beautiful, yet elusive, Spring treasure?

The Maccheroni with Pork Ragu, Peas, Ricotta, and Rosemary was a solid pasta dish.  It’s hard not to love perfectly cooked  house made pasta with a rich pork ragu sauce.  I’m also a sucker for ricotta.

But surprisingly, my favorite part about this dish was the rosemary.  I normally am totally overwhelmed by the herb and have grown to dislike it simply for that reason.  But as I came to discover through this dish, when you fry rosemary it mellows out and adds a delicate crunch.  I’m sold.  Fried rosemary is awesome.

How can you not love the beautiful presentation of Chef Canora’s food?  Case in point, this Colorado Lamb Trio withe Peas and Carrots.  It’s stunning.

The roasted loin and smoked rib were both so tender that the meat would fall apart just by looking at it the wrong way.  It was moist, juicy, and melted in your mouth.  The lamb sausage was really well seasoned and the rib had superb flavor, albeit a bit over-smoked for my taste.

The fresh peas, pea shoots, pea puree (that’s a lot of peas) and brightly acidic pickled carrots cut through the richness of the lamb for a really well-balanced flavor profile.

As you can probably tell, the sun started to go down during these last two dessert courses.  It held on just enough to snap the photos thankfully

It’s hard to put into words the definitive perfection found in this Mascarpone Panna Cotta with Candied Pistachios and Rhubarb.  It was sublime.  I wish I could eat this every day for the rest of my life.

Our unforgettable meal ended with this Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Candied Cocoa Nibs and Fior di Latte Ice Cream.  It’s everything you could ask a chocolate cake could be.  Moist, light, and very chocolatey.  And I just loved the little crunch of the cocoa nibs.

If you haven’t yet been to Hearth and enjoy dining out, this place is a no-brainer.  Put it on your short list.  Heck, get in your car right now and drive.  It’s that important.  I think you’d have a hard time finding another restaurant that can beat the incredible value of their tasting menu.  It’s thoughtfully composed, expertly prepared, and downright euphoric.

It’s here, it’s finally here!  Cinco de Mayo is THIS weekend!  I’m kinda a little bit sorta maybe excited, in case you couldn’t tell by the torrent of Mexican and Tex-Mex themed recipes I’ve bombarded you with this past month.  Sorry about that.  I just couldn’t help myself.

And no worries if you missed any of them, because here they are in one, convenient list.

Southwest Wontons

This is the Cinco de Mayo party app I most lost forward to.  They are so insanely addictive and will instantly up your “cooking cred” among your friends.  Who doesn’t like fried anything?!  Best of all, these southwest wontons are cheap and easy to make.

Serve your wontons with the healthy Avocado Lime Cream made with greek yogurt and/or the full-on-fat (my favorite of course) spicy Lime Crema.  Your friends might just deem you a Cinco de Mayo party hero.

Three Creative Guacamole Recipes

You cannot, under any circumstance, consider throwing a good Cinco de Mayo party without guacamole.  You wouldn’t do that, would you?  Nah I didn’t think so… you’re totally cool like that.

But consider branching out a bit this year with these fun guacamole additions: bacon, pomegranate-mango, and roasted corn-tomato.  You’re friends will think you are a master guacamole connoisseur.

Queso with Roasted Poblano Sauce and Pepper Relish

It’s pretty darn hard to not love tortilla chips dipped in melted cheese.  I mean really now.  It’s queso!  With the added jam-packed flavors of the roasted poblano sauce and the sweet-tangy-spicy pepper relish, it’s pretty darn irresistible.  I need to be careful not to bite off my fingers as I devour chip after chip!

Pineapple Habanero Salsa

 This is my friend Steve’s favorite salsa I make.  It’s sweet.  It’s spicy.  It’s awesome.  Enough said.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

I love this bright and tangy salsa on tacos, burritos, and the sort.  Feel free to dig in with some salty tortilla chips if you prefer.  It’s got a deeper flavor than a typical salsa verde because the vegetables are roasted first.

Simple Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo.  Salsa fresca.  Salsa mexicana.  It’s got many names, but it’s a mandatory accoutrement for all your Mexican faves.

Cilantro Lime Brown Rice

Lots of people love Chipotle’s rice.  A bright burst of lime, the herbaceous bite of cilantro.  It’s pretty darn good.  Now it’s your turn to make this easy recipe at home.  No more Chipotle trips necessary.

Cowboy Beans (Frijoles Charros)

Go to any Mexican restaurant and they give you a good ole’ scoop of the obligatory stewed or refried beans.  Unfortunately, they are normally pretty bland.  We can do better.

These cowboy beans are ridiculously good.  Asheley gets super excited every time I make them.

How To Make Perfect Carnitas

Pork shoulder is a very affordable cut of meat that is a perfect solution for entertaining on a budget.  And this recipe is so easy… it’s really almost foolproof.  You’ll have mouthwatering tender carnitas in no time!

What to do with your mountain of glorious pulled pork?  Here are two ideas:

Carnitas Tacos with Pickled Onions and Salsa Verde

Better Than Chipotle Carnitas Burrito Bowl

Swiss Chard and Onion Tacos

Have vegetarians coming to the party?  These chard tacos will make them happy campers.

How To Make Corn Tortillas

With all this taco and burrito talk, you are going to need some tortillas!  I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make these 2-ingredient tortillas.  And honestly, they taste so much better than any of the commercially sold ones you find in grocery stores.

How To Make Flour Tortillas

I’m partial to flour tortillas.  Anyone with me?  It’s ridiculous how much better tasting these fresh flour tortillas are than the sad looking ones sitting on supermarket shelves.

I recently had the opportunity to do a guest post for Dishfolio and just had to share this recipe with them.  It’s one of those tried-and-true recipes that’s been hanging out with me for quite awhile.  It’s too good not to share here as well, so…

What’s your favorite food?  This question always stumps me.  I don’t even think it’s possible to answer.  How can you pick just one?  Even narrowing it down to a single cuisine is pretty darn impossible.  More than anything else, I love variety in my food.  Italian one night.  Maybe some Thai the next.  I do, however, have one recurring, predominant food love.  Chips and dip.

Oh how I love thee.  And just to be clear, we’re not talking about that peel back container of commercially-packaged self-stable gunk they sell in grocery stores.  Fresh, homemade dips, spreads, salsas, and guacamole is where it’s at.  That’s the stuff that gets me excited.

I’m pretty much required to make this pineapple habanero salsa at almost every party during the spring and summer.   A couple of my friends demand it, threatening to disown me from the circle of trust if I fail to deliver.  Just kidding… kind of.

Pineapple and habanero just want to be together.  Who doesn’t love fresh pineapple?  It’s one of life’s most wonderfully sweet, natural pleasures.  And then there’s the habanero.  It might look all cutesy and nice…

…just look at the little guy.  Aww just look at him.  So small and cuddly…  

And then bam, it smacks you in the mouth with its fiery bite.  But just like any good relationship, it’s all about achieving a good balance.    Sweet and spicy love each other.

I know what some of you are thinking right now.  And stop it.  Stop it right now.  No, you cannot go grab a can of pineapple off the shelf.  It is not the same.

It’s like when the Mister Softee truck drives by and I run to the door, only to be stopped by Asheley who says that we already have ice cream in the freezer.  C’mon, really?  It’s not the same!

Breaking down a whole pineapple literally takes 3 minutes, so put that can back (put it back!) and walk your behind to the produce aisle.  We’ll do this together.

I used to think that a pineapple is ripe when you can easily remove a leaf from it’s crown.  Oh, you too?  Apparently they lied to us all these years…

You’ll know a pineapple is ripe by giving it a good long whiff.  If it smells like a sweet, delicious pineapple, it’s going to be a sweet, delicious pineapple.  It should also be pretty firm and only yield every so slightly to a little squeeze.

If the pineapple is totally green with no hints of a yellow, golden hue, it’s most likely not ripe.  Smell it.  No smell?  Yup, not ripe.  And on the opposite end of the spectrum, if the pineapple feels a little squishy or spongy and smells a bit fermented, it’s overripe and has already started deteriorating.

Ready to break this sucker down?  Firmly twist the crown and it will pop right off.  Lay the pineapple on its side and cut off the top and bottom.  Stand it back up and carve away the rind.  If a couple brown eyes are staring back at you, don’t worry about it.  You’ll go back in a second and ninja-chop them right out as well.

When all is said and done, it should look like this:

If you look in the middle of the pineapple, you’ll see a tiny circle outlined in white.  This is the core.

Stand up the pineapple and make four slices around the core, all the way down to the bottom of the fruit.  And you’re done.  Wasn’t that easy?

You’re only going to need half of this pineapple for the salsa.  Slice up the other half into bite-sized pieces and enjoy… and as you eat it, think about how silly it would have been to just open up a can.

Everything else is pretty straight forward.  Chop, mince, combine… that sort of thing.  The only other suggestion I’m going to throw out there is to wear a plastic glove on the hand that’s handling the habanero chile as you mince it up.  I tried to be all macho a couple of times and forego said glove, and oh how it burns.  I wasn’t macho for long.

If you don’t have a plastic glove, you can easily rig up a plastic bag or ziploc baggie around your hand that’s holding the habanero like a little mitten.

Just like any salsa, dip, or awkward party where you don’t know anyone else in the room, it takes time for all the different flavors to introduce themselves to each other and meld.

Give the salsa about an hour in the fridge and before serving, stir to redistribute all the juices that pooled at the bottom of the bowl.

Oh, and listen.  In a second you’re going to scroll down and see the recipe… it’s going to say a lot of 1/2 of this and 1/2 of that.  Sorry about that.  You can double the recipe if you want so you can use a whole pineapple, onion, and pepper, but it will make a gigantic amount of salsa.

But most likely, you’re serving this up for some sort of party anyway, so I’m sure a half of onion and pepper will be put to good use… maybe, for let’s say, these Southwest Wontons?  (see what I did there? see?)

Salty tortilla chips are all you need to enjoy this salsa gem, but it’s also great as a topping for tacos and grilled chicken or fish.  Just saying…

You have to try pretty hard to not love tortilla chips dipped in melted cheese.  Like come on, who doesn’t love queso?  My dad, who is notorious in our family for being the pickiest of picky eaters (the man eats almost nothing that’s actually delicious and flavorful), absolutely loves queso.  He didn’t even eat pizza until meeting my mom, who quickly changed that absurdity by threatening to end their relationship immediately.  But queso?  My dad is all over queso.

This isn’t just your ordinary bowl of melted heavily-processed-cheese.  Heck no.  We can do better.  We deserve better.  This, my friends, is ultimate queso time.

Do you remember that show Captain Planet?  That was the stuff.  Earth.  Water.  Fire.  Wind.  When our powers combine…  That’s what I feel like this queso is all about:  Real deal queso. Flavor-packed roasted poblano sauce. Sweet-spicy-tangy pepper relish.  When their flavors combine…

This is one of those dishes where each of the individual components by themselves taste all good and fine, but when they are put together into one glorious bite, crazy stupid good things happen.

Not just crazy.  Not just good.  Crazy stupid good.

I love both the melt-ability of monterey jack and the flavor of sharp cheddar.  Definitely use both.  I’ve tried just using monterey jack.  It was gooey but lacked flavor.  I tried just cheddar, but it was missing some of the melty-cheese factor.

Make sure to use whole milk for the queso.  Reduced-fat milk won’t thicken the way we need it to here.  If you are worried about it being too fattening… listen.  It’s queso.  Queso isn’t health food.

If you’re looking for healthy, you’ll love this Sweet Potato Hummus or Sweet and Spicy Soy Glazed Edamame.

Let’s talk about this Roasted Poblano Sauce and Pepper Relish.  This is where the magic starts to happen.

The sauce and relish are kind of like that really charismatic friend you have that’s the life of every party.  You know the person I’m talking about.  Totally outgoing.  Liked by your wild friends and conservative parents alike.  It’s kind of annoying how much everyone loves them.  Yea, that friend.

The roasted poblano sauce and pepper relish are like that… they make the queso pop.  It makes this party a par-tay.

You’ll have much more of the Roasted Poblano Sauce than needed for just this queso.  Feel free to pare down the recipe for it if you wish, but I love the extra to use in other ways.

You can drizzle a bit of it over some grilled chicken or steak, as a sauce for tacos, or even as a substitute for mayo for a spicy zing on sandwiches and wraps.  Hmm, or how about combining it with a bit of olive oil for a vinaigrette for salads or to spoon over some roasted vegetables.

I really don’t like the name “pepper relish”, but I just don’t know what else to call it.  Let me know if you come up with something a bit more creative.

And if you’re thinking of skipping the pepper relish, don’t you dare.  It’s super easy to make and goes so, so ridiculously well with the queso.  I promise.  I wouldn’t lie to you, now would I?  I like you way to much to do that.

This recipe is inspired by and adapted from Bobby Flay.

There’s always one.  You’re about to throw an amazing party, have a killer menu planned, and then it hits you.  You remember that one friend of yours that’s a vegetarian.  Doh!  Being the amazingly generous, caring host that I know you all are, your brain immediately starts thinking of a meatless alternative for your plant-loving friend.  That’s just how you roll.  You’re thoughtful like that.  And that’s why I like you.

And good news.  This taco is good enough for all the omnivores in your life as well.  It’ll make them feel like they’re being all good and healthy.

You already know about my Mexican food man-crush with Chef Rick Bayless.  Remember those cowboy beans?  And the corn tortillas? And now this… all are his and come from the really terrific cookbook Mexican Everyday, which I highly recommend.

If you have something against the Swiss and prefer a different green, feel free to call an audible.  Collard, mustard, or beet greens would all work, as would spinach.  Heck, even some frozen spinach or chard would do the trick.

And I love that this only takes one pan.  Less dishes = more time to catch up on all our DVR’d television shows.  Our latest obsession is The Voice.  Asheley has a thing for Adam Levine.  I know, I know… what girl doesn’t?

I just don’t get it.  When I wear ripped, ratty old white t-shirts and skinny jeans, I don’t get the same reaction from the ladies that he does.  Weird.

You could of course add some grilled chicken or steak to these tacos if you wanted to.  Or maybe even some carnitas.  But then it wouldn’t be vegetarian.  So don’t offer that to your vegetarian friend.  Just saying.

Have leftovers?  I love to add the Swiss chard and onion mixture to some scrambled eggs the next morning for a killer breakfast taco.  Now we’re talking.

This recipe has been slightly adapted from Rick Bayless’ cookbook Mexican Everyday:

I first made these wontons a couple of years back for a little happy hour I threw for friends from work.  I remember enlisting the help of my good friend Steve to be my sous chef to make sure everything was ready and done on time.  The first task he tackled was filling and wrapping the wontons.  We both had never done it before but he decided, very stereotypically, that since he’s Asian, that skill must have been inherently imbedded somewhere in his DNA.

Steve was totally right.  He filled and wrapped the first wonton with careful approach.  After that, he was like a wonton savant.  We both had no idea how he was prepping them so fast.  We laughed and laughed about this new-found career opportunity… that is, until he realized that now every time I make these southwest wontons, he’s in charge of filling and wrapping them.

Anyway, I think you will really love these Southwest Wontons.  They are an insanely addictive party snack and after making them for your next friendly get-together, will definitely up your “cooking street cred”.

Frozen corn will do the trick just fine.  You can use fresh corn if you’ve got it, but here in New York it’s just not that time of year yet.

That is, of course, unless you’re extremely clever like my friend Sandra from Kitchen Apparel and stash away last summer’s bounty of fresh corn in the freezer for year round use.  I’m totally doing that this year!  And really, if you have the moment, check out her really great blog.

Most supermarkets by me sell these fresh wonton wrappers nowadays.  I usually find them, oddly enough, next to the pre-packaged salad mixes.  I’m not quite sure why, but who am I to question such product placements.  Just look for them in one of the refrigerated sections of your supermarket.

Assembling these little buggers are quite easy albeit a bit of a repetitive, tedious task.  I enjoy it though, and the rewards are well worth it.

Now, listen, I know you.  You’re going to want to stuff your wontons way too full.  That’s like me trying to get myself into a pair of skinny jeans.  It’s just not happening.  Err on the side of under-stuffing.

Dip your index finger in a little bowl of water and trace the perimeter of your wonton.  Fold it over into a triangle and make sure there’s a good seal.  You’d hate to have a wonton leakage accident as they are frying up.

And then repeat.  Again.  And again.  And again.

And eventually, once all your filling it used up, you’ll have a glorious sight before you of 30-35 wontons waiting to be fried to crispy, golden brown perfection.

You’ve got two dipping options here.  One’s a bit healthier than the other, if you are concerned about that sort of thing.

Each are really good and I definitely prefer to have both.  When I get bored with one, just switch it on up!  But if you only had time to make one and are forcing me to choose, I’d go with the Lime Crema.  It’s so simple yet so awesome with the wontons: Sour cream is spiked with the zest and juice of a lime, a generous dash of hot sauce, and some herbaceous cilantro.

The healthier Avocado Lime Cream is actually made with greek yogurt.  It’s got that guacamole feel to it because of the addition of lime and garlic.  Pretty darn tasty, and kinda makes you feel better about the fact your dipping a fried wonton into something with some good nutritional value.  Now that’s my kind of healthy eating

You don’t need a deep fryer for these wontons.  I actually have one and don’t even use it for this.  In fact I’ve never used my deep fryer.  Yet.  I have to get on that.  Hmmm, what can I deep fry…

I digress.  To fry up these wontons, just pour a bit of canola or vegetable oil into a fry pan or skillet.  You need just enough to submerge half of the wonton, so probably about 1/2″.  30-45 seconds per side should do it.

They of course taste best right out of the fryer.  The wonton is nice and crispy, the inside steamy and creamy.

But I’ve also made them a little bit ahead of time before my guests arrive.  All I do then is pop them into the oven to reheat up a bit in a single layer on a baking sheet.  You lose a little tiny bit of the crunch factor, but no one seems to mind.

I know I say I love a lot of food (that was a lot of “i”s in that sentence, sorry).  And it’s the truth.  But I really, really love these wontons.  A lot.