The Flow of Harvest!

Happy summer, food lovers! What a great time to enjoy the flowing seasonal harvest. Let's see we have already said, 'see you around' to ramps, fiddle head ferns, and spring mushrooms. Speaking of mushrooms, all of the rain we are having in Vermont is bringing us a raging mushroom season! Fava beans, snap peas, scapes (Garlic scapes are the flower/seed stalk that shoots up from the garlic bulb), lettuce, spinach, and kale all seem to be blessing our tables. We have a vegetable garden that just gave us a generous amount of scapes. The scape harvest was turned into pesto with almonds, Romano cheese, honey, and basil that went in between fresh pasta sheets, to make the best summer ravioli I ever had.




It seems every year on my birthday I get a very special present, strawberry season! This year was extra special, my first sweet and juicy bite was on one sunny Sunday morning. I started this year's strawberry celebration with plain eating, then jumped right into strawberry cardamom pancakes and hazelnut strawberry cake.
My sister and I went berry-picking at Pomaykala farm in Grand Isle Vermont. We came home with 24 pounds. I have found that some of the best strawberries come from this hard-working Vermont farm. The berries are big, red, and super sweet! Strawberries like these are not found in supermarkets! Explore your own town and enjoy finding some local farms to support.
I have stored most of the berries nicely tucked away for winter pancakes and margaritas.





Happy Summer boating, BBQing, and summer sports!

Bug Buddies

Well it is official, Jim and I are bug buddies and proud to bee!
June 9th at sunset we drove about 1 1/2 hours to Orwell VT, where we picked up hundreds of bees from Singing Cedars Apiaries. Two nucleus colonies to be exact which is 4 frames full of bees and the important queen bee. This will give us two bee hives.


We enjoyed our ride home on Vermont's winding back roads telling stories, full of excitement for our new friends the bees.

At 9:00 we safely brought the bees home to our beautiful oasis. The setting is full of wild flowers, wandering deer, happy singing birds, and a fine red barn off in the distance. We filled the smoker with dried pine needle and sparked it up. By smoking the bees they gorge themselves on honey — a survival instinct in case they must vacate the hive and recreate it elsewhere. This gorging has a tendency to pacify the bees. We then carefully arranged the bees on an old refurbished farm trailer. After the bees were all setup we sat in the truck smiling at our accomplishment and enjoyed the fire flies sparkling in the twilight!




Bee well and keep in touch with yourself!

Greek Easter

Sunday April 27th is Greek Easter also know as the Orthodox Easter. For my family this has always been a day of laughter, traditional Greek foods, and togetherness. We meet at the Parthenon restaurant in Chicago's very own Greek town. The usual suspects are my godmother, mother and at least five of my closest funny friends. The celebration starts about two o'clock and ends at 9:00, if we are lucky. Over the years we have created many unforgettable memories, these include restaurant hopping, backgammon, and lots of red egg cracking. The Greek Easter feast is amazing!


When we arrive, we request our favorite table and waiter. We begin with wine, toasted Greek bread, and fine Greek olive oil for dipping. Then we start ordering the best hot and cold mezas (small plates), these include saganaki (flaming cheese with brandy), the good large olives (gotten only by special reguest or you will have tiny oilves), tzatziki, Lima beans cooked with tomatoes and garlic, and cold rice stuffed grape leaves with lemon wedges. After some laughs we will move to the Greek salad with lots of feta cheese, onions, and cucumbers. One of my favorite parts of the meal involves the lamb. A delicious spring lamb cooked on the front window rotisserie, is paraded around the restaurant with sparklers almost every hour. I always order the lamb, the shoulder of course, my sides of choice are okra and rice with red sauce. With joy we finish the meal with baklava and Greek coffee.


Greek coffee is a strong brew, served with foam on top (Kai-maki) and the coffee grounds on the bottom. My talented godmother reads the exciting ground coffee fortunes in our small coffee cups. With a tiny little bit of coffee and lots of coffee grinds still left in your cup, put your coffee cup holder on top of your coffee cup, make three horizontal circles with your cup, and then with a quick movement turn the coffee cup with the cup holder upside down. This will slowly bring down the coffee grinds along the coffee cup down to the coffee holder, but in the meantime will form all the patterns that the coffee grind reader needs to tell you about your future. After wallowing in my fortunes of success and great love, I walk over to the best Greek bakery, (Pan Hellenic Pastry Shop - 322 S. Halsted Street (312) 454-1886) and stock up on my favorite cookies, the Melomakarona, pronounced meh-loh-mah-KAH-ro-nah . Oh so good!
Below is my personal Baklava recipe that you must make soon! I enjoy using olive oil insted of butter in the phyllo layers. Kalo Pashcha! or "Beautiful Easter (to you)!

Be well and keep in touch!

Baklava

Preheat: 325º
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Makes: One 10” by 13” rectangular baking dish

Syrup
1 cup Honey
1 1/3 cups Water
½ Lemon, lightly squeezed and placed in syrup mixture
2 Cloves, whole (plus extra for topping)
2 tablespoons Ouzo (optional)
1 orange Zested

Filling
1 pound Walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon, ground
3 tablespoons Sugar

Pastry
1 pound Filo dough, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
½ pound (2 sticks) Unsalted butter, melted or 1 cup olive oil

1. Cook syrup:
-Combine all syrup ingredients except the ouzo in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil.
-Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.
-Remove from heat, add ouzo and allow to cool.
-Remove lemon and cloves.

2. Create filling:
-Place all ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
-Pulse several times until nuts are finely chopped.

3. Assemble baklava:
-Butter a 10” by 13” rectangular baking dish.
-Unfold filo from package and cut dough in half (each half sheet should then fit in baking dish).
-Layer 2 sheets of filo into dish, keeping unused filo covered with a slightly damp towel.
-Brush layer with melted butter.
-Continue until 10 sheets have been used.
-Spread 1/3rd of the filling over the top.
-Continue making 2 more 10 sheet layers, similar to above, placing nuts between the layers and on top.
-Drizzle top with remaining butter.

4. Bake:
-Trim away excess filo from edges of pan as necessary and cut into small squares or diamonds before baking. Pierce each diamond with a whole clove.
-Bake until pastry is golden brown and crispy, about 1 hour.
-Remove and let cool for 30 minutes.

5. Finish and serve:
-Pour cooled syrup over warm pastry and allow to soak in.
-Cool and serve at room temperature.

Frolic and Fun!

Sledding is fun!

Winter is not over yet. It is still winter in beautiful Vermont and there is still plenty of time to frolic around in the snow. Build a bonfire, go sledding, drink Long Trail's Hibernator beer, and make moose stew; this is my idea of a great time!

I am sharing a recipe that will keep you warm through the end of winter. Vietnamese Pho (pronounced fuh), the broth smells beefy, laced with ginger, star anise and freshly chopped onions and cilantro. A bowl of pho, Vietnam's treasured beef noodle soup will take the chill off on a cold Vermont night. The rice noodles are velvety and fresh, the edges of the rare beef curl up expectantly in the hot broth. Reach for a piece of lime to squeeze into the broth, a handful of cool, crisp bean sprouts, a few sprigs of herbs and fresh chilies. Pho is complete, nutritious, infinitely delicious and we could eat it morning, noon and night, day after day. Slurp up the flavor, eat it while it's piping hot, and warm up.

Pho

6 cups beef broth

4 (1/4-inch thick) sliced ginger

2 whole star anise
1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick
2 clove garlic, smashed

1/2 pound piece boneless beef sirloin, trimmed of any fat

3 ounces dried flat rice stick noodles

1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon honey

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt as needed

1 cup fresh bean sprouts, rinsed and drained

1/8 cup minced scallions

1/4 cup fresh cilantro sprigs, washed and finely chopped

1 small thin fresh red or green Asian chili, sliced very thin

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

Lime wedges for garnish

In a 2 quart saucepan bring broth, ginger, star anise, black peppercorns, cinnamon, and garlic to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
With a very sharp knife cut sirloin across the grain into very thin slices.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add rice stick noodles and cook 6-8 minutes. Drain noodles in a colander. Set aside.
Strain broth into saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in fish sauce, honey, salt and pepper. (Add more sugar for sweeter taste, or more fish sauce for saltier taste. Keep soup broth hot on the stove).
Add sirloin and sprouts and cook 30 to 45 seconds, or until sirloin changes color. Skim any froth from soup.
To serve, divide noodles into 4 bowls. Ladle soup over noodles. Sprinkle scallions, cilantro, chilies and basil over soup and serve with lime wedges.

Mr. Barkley came out to play!

Where are the marshmallows?

The Secret Ingredient Is ...Love

Have you ever tasted that special ingredient love? I often here about people adding it to recipes and have even seen it written on labels of different foods as an ingredient. Have you added it? I have, and I also remember the memorable meals with love added. This Valentines Day add some love to your romantic meal for your special one. I know it will be well received and remembered!



Below is the menu for my Valentine's Day Dinner for two:

Mussels with Provencal


Honey Lavender Roasted Vermont Raised Chicken

Wilted Spinach with Black Pepper and Local Goat Cheese

Wild Rice with Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potatoes


Hazelnut Chocolate Lava Cakes



Chocolate Hazelnut Lave Cakes

Serves 6


lots of love
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup ground hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 425º. Butter six ramekins.
Melt chocolate and butter in heavy sauce pan over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
Whisk whole eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. Add sugar and mix well. Then fold in chocolate mixture, love, flour and hazelnuts.
Pour batter into the ramekins, dividing equally.
Bake cakes oven until the sides are set but the center remains soft and runny, about 14 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 2 minutes.
Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Immediately turn cakes out onto plates and serve hot with favorite garnish.

Warm and Cozy By The Wood Stove

Here in Vermont we create amazing
connections to land and food year round! We see red currents on a bush in our yard and turn them into wonderful wine that we share with family and friends. We hunt, and our freezers become full of amazing cuts of venison and moose, which we then share with family and friends.

Recently I had the pleasure of enjoying venison back straps wrapped in crisp maple-smoked Vermont bacon as a treat before dinner. Unforgettable indeed! In the summer we grow spicy garlic --with roots back to Germany-- that we savor in the cold winter months. The local bakery makes wood-fired artisan bread that is truly the best vehicle, for slow-roasted caramelized garlic. We find cheeses made in small batches by hard-working Vermonters in our independently-owned grocery stores. Winter also supplies us with local chicken, raised in a natural, stress-free environment as nature intended. By the wood stove, we are keeping it all sweet with community and of course our local maple syrup and wild honey.

These are just some of the many ways we are staying local in Vermont this divine winter season!
Explore your own town and see what special foods you find.

Be well and keep in touch,
Courtney

http://butterandcheese.net/
http://www.ontherisebakery.net/
http://www.sweetclovermarket.com/
http://www.mistyknollfarms.com/

Chef Idol for the week?

Submit your favorite recipe. Each week Star 92.9 along with myself will select the top 5 recipes. Then it’s up to you, the listeners, to decide which recipe is worthy of being the Chef Idol for the week. Starting Saturday January 19th, 2008, check back to this page to vote for your favorite then watch as Lana and I cook up the winning recipe online. The winning recipe will receive a free Chef Inn Training class to sharpen their cooking skills alongside Chef Courtney.Don’t forget about the big finale, as the winning recipes from each week will square off in a head to head challenge, where you decide the next Chef Idol. The Chef Idol will be treated to a culinary getaway in their own backyard at the Inn at Essex.

http://www.wezffm.com/cc-common/globalcontestfinder.html?contest=26552

Christmas Season in Vermont!

I am filled with gratitude for this wonderful holiday season. Thank you to everyone for the endless gifts of love and laughter!
From the festive holiday work party at Peter's with Jim's surprise guest, Caesar Salad, to Christmas Eve drinks with the sweetest Dave and Nancy who gifted me BBQ ribs for Christmas because they know a chef is always hungry. Then on a snowy Christmas Eve off to the Anderson's in Charlotte VT where we played Santa and drank Sarah's divine glug that not only had cardamon pods and orange peel but caramelized sugar as well.

The next morning was filled with presents, joy, excitement, and more culinary creations from Chef Sarah.

After assisting (refilling beverages) on the just built Ice House/Igloo, Sarah and I made the Christmas dinner feast while enjoying the sunset over the Adirondack's! We seared and roasted local beef tenderloin, sauteed winter greens with garlic and glug, roasted pearl onions and tiny potatoes , then may favorite, Ginger Bread which had the usual suspects like cloves, molasses, cinnamon, but what about mustard powder, coffee, and black pepper. Yes indeed and did it taste so out of this world, especially with Orange Hard Sauce. After all that I drove back to Mallets Bay so full of gratitude.

Thank you to all that made this a holiday I will always remember.

Holiday Cookie Recipe:

Happy Holidays from my kitchen to yours!

Enjoy this family favorite Greek holiday cookie recipe. My mom always says they get better as they sit. So make them now and get a head start on your holiday baking. Be sure to save some cookies for New Years Eve 2007 as these are a traditional New Years Greek cookie!

Be safe, have fun, and keep in touch!

Kourabiethes

Yield: 3 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoon Brandy

2 ½ cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 pound powdered sugar, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. In a bowl mix the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy.
3. Mix in egg yolk and brandy.
4. Then slowly add flour and baking powder. Knead well until dough is smooth.
5. Divide dough in half. Mix cocoa powder into one half, mix until incorporated.
6. Take small pieces of dough and shape into balls using both even amounts of the chocolate and the plain dough to create a marble effect. Shape the size of a small egg, crescents, or into small pears and insert a clove in the top of each.
7. Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake cookies 18-20 minutes.
8. Roll Kourabiethes while warm in powdered sugar. Then sift sugar over as they must be very well coated.

Variation: You may add 1/2 cup blanched and finely chopped almonds to the dough.

Chef Contos on the Radio

Tune in or listen on the web at on December 12th and 19th at 7:40am. http://www.wezffm.com/cc-common/globalcontestfinder.html?contest=26050
INFO:
Are you having friends and family over for the holiday season? Impress them with your newly minted cooking skills courtesy of Star 92.9 and The Inn at Essex, "Vermont's Culinary Resort."On Wednesday December 12th and 19th at 7:40a, tune in to Lana and Nolan to learn some exquisite holiday cooking tips with Chef Courtney Contos, New England Culinary Institute, Chef Instructor, at the Inn at Essex. Not only will Chef Contos give you some great tips for cooking this holiday season, but Star 92.9 and The Inn at Essex want to give you the opportunity to have some more in depth and personalized training with Chef Contos. On both mornings, you'll also have an opportunity to win a Chef "Inn" Training class with my self, Chef Contos. You'll be able to choose from classes including, Holiday Desserts, Heroic Holiday Entertaining and Winter Soups.