Stay Tuned!

Hi all,
I am in the process of updating the site with some fun new material so please check back soon! In the mean time here is a great new recipe I developed when visiting my mom at her lake house last week. It is a perfect side with dinner or for a light lunch. This is a healthy ("Raw"), delicious and easy dish to make using the best of the Summer's fresh produce:

Zucchini Ribbons with Sweet Corn and Fresh Basil Pesto:

Ingredients:

2 Small Zucchini Squash (sliced into 1/8 inch thin slices)
1 Ear of Fresh Sweet Corn (slice kernels off the cob, uncooked)
20 Basil Leaves
2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or Grapeseed Oil)
1 Garlic Clove
1 TBS Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 ounce of Feta Cheese
6 Raw Almonds
Salt/Pepper
1/4 Cup Feta Cheese (crumbled)

Directions:

In a blender or food processor, combine the basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, 1 ounce of feta cheese, almonds and a dash of salt and pepper, until uniform.

Place the zucchini ribbons and sweet corn in a serving dish. Add the basil pesto to the dish and mix until fully incorporated and the zucchini and corn are well coated. Top with feta cheese crumbles and serve!

Yield: 2 Servings

Fancy seeing you here!

I'm always excited to check out the Fancy Food Show when it comes to town, not only are there rows and rows of yummy little treats but you also get the chance to meet some cool people and see the interesting new products coming to the market. This year during the 55th annual show at the Javitis Center in NYC I had a wonderful and delectable experience, but like in most of my Em a la Mode adventures it started out with a minor set back, this time involving a toothpick in the toe...ouch! My friend Andriana and I arrived at the show at 11:15am, our badges around our neck, the floor-plan scoped out and our tummy's ready to taste. We started on the top floor and decided to work our way down to the lower level later in the afternoon. Not even half-way down the first row, Andriana gasped for air and immediately grabbed her big toe...she had been stabbed by a toothpick...and it was in there deep! We asked where we could find a band-aid and some disinfectant (as it was a used toothpick), the show staff directed us down to the nurses station!


Once we arrived at the station, the nurse took a look at her foot and said "Yep, it ain't a show, until someone gets a toothpick to the foot," obviously she has seen this many times before! After a few minutes of soaking her toe, the nurse bandaged her up and we were on our way.


As we "carefully" walked back on the floor...trying to avoid the toothpicks at all cost we sampled and tasted our way through the show. We tried a little bit of everything....from tangy cheeses to Bourbon Brittle to licoricy liqueurs. The shear amount of cheese purveyors alone was a surprise to me and a little nerve-wracking, as I am a cheese-aholic and I knew I was gonna get into some trouble!


My Happy Place: The Cheese Cave!

On the liquid side, I tasted some delicious wines from Austria, Italy and who would have thought...Mexico! Here is a list of my favorites in food and beverage from the show:

Weingut Norbert Bauer: Austrian Wines, we liked the Gruner Veltliner and the Zweigelt
Norbert Bauer, myself and Markus Glanz (Winemaker of Cellar 99)

Cypress Grove Chevre: Mary Keehn (Owner and Cheesemaker)
I loved the Purple Haze and Humbolt Fog Cheeses

Brix Chocolate: Chocolate and Wine...I'm a fan!

Caffo Liqueurs: We loved the Liquorice and the Limoncino

Anette's Chocolates of Napa Valley: Beer Brittle and Bourbon Brittle were great


Les Trois Petits Cochon: Amazing Truffle Mousse

Salumeria Rossi NYC: Cesare Casella's new place on the Upper West Side


After 5 hours of mulling around the Javits Center, having many valuable conversations, and trying way too many little goodies, me and gimpy decided it was time to hit the road! We thank everyone we met and hope to see them (and their products) again very soon!

Cheers,
Em

It takes a Village!

Chef Mendes (Right) and his Sous

Last week I had the pleasure of dining at newly opened Aldea! It is in a small, yet sleek space of Flatiron District, where Chef George Mendes returns to his Portuguese roots and serves up an avant-garde menu. The name, which translates to “village” in Portuguese, offers a variety of fresh and seasonal fish, shellfish and pork dishes; and commends an eclectic wine list with averaged priced bottles from Argentina to California to France. The 68 seat restaurant captures the essence of water, air and earth within a sequence of unique interior spaces, and an exposition kitchen located in the back of the restaurant allows diners to catch a glimpse of their Iberian-accented spread being prepared. Artfully crafted seasonal dishes include:

Sardines with madeira raisins, bitter almond milk, citrus

Sea urchin toast with cauliflower cream, sea lettuce and lime

Shrimp alhinho with garlic, coriander and pimeton

Razor Clams a la planxa

Escolar with fresh chickpeas, market vegetables, arbois wine

These and other signature dishes like the foie gras terrine with spiced fig tuile and cocoa and Bev Eggelston’s roast pork belly with littleneck clams, vegetable pickles and baby fingerling potatoes, are going to keep this establishment on the radar of adventurous foodies. Sweet treats venture into a molecular way, but stay minimal and refined like the chocolate in textures with candied black olive and the rice pudding tarte with chamomile sorbet and crisped rice puffs.
http://www.aldearestaurant.com/

You can also find my review on Gayot.com or simply click below:

http://www.gayot.com/restaurants/aldea-new-york-ny-10011_1ny090614.html