I hope all these restaurants added some extra menu printing cost into their budget this year… I see many a menu swipe in their futures!

Someone, however, was missing this holiday season… my lovely Grandma. On December 20th, she passed away peacefully in her sleep. It’s still too fresh of a heartache for me to share very much right now, however the food love she inspired in me certainly shines through in this year’s Xmas Eve Eve dinner, from the Dutch oven I used to the trivets & tablecloth. I know she was there with me in the kitchen all weekend.

And so I present, my Xmas Eve Eve Dinner Menu 2012:

Oven Poached Salmon w. Pink Grapefruit & Tarragon Sauce

Emeril’s Potluck: Comfort Food with a Kicked Up Attitude – Recipe

Cider-Brined Roasted Turkey w. Star Anise & Cinnamon

Bon Appétit November 2011 pg 94 – Recipe

Butternut Squash & Corn Bread Stuffing Muffins

Food & Wine: Michael Symon’s Heartland Thanksgiving Menu November 2011 – Recipe

Caramelized Onion Scalloped Yukon Gold & Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from two recipes:

Bon Appétit November 2008 – Recipe #1

Bon Appétit December 2012 – Recipe #2

Broiled Asparagus w. Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette

Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook

Sautéed Shiitake, Cremini & Buna Shimeji Mushrooms

Julia Childs’ Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Generic Brown & Serve Dinner Rolls

I’m only one woman!

I put the rest of the fam in charge of booze, hors d’oeuvres, & dessert once again. Dad & Mary Ann are always on point with their beer & wine selection. Im polishing off the final, and aptly named, Evil Twin Before, During and After Christmas Beer as I type. Kerry & Rich made mini crab cakes, citrus-goat cheese endive and classic lil smokies & BBQ sauce. Dessert was a selection of cakes including an out-of-this-world Yule Log filled with fresh strawberries that Dre’s mom brought and Kerry’s chocolate chip bread pudding a la mode. And another holiday feast has come and gone…

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

“Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.” – Chef Marcel Boulestin

URBN Mix & Match Cutlery – Set of 16 for $39

PuttingUpPickledPurpleOkraPuttingUpPickledPurpleOkraPuttingUpPickled
PurpleOkraPuttingUpPickledPurpleOkraPuttingUpPickledPurpleOkra

This summer has been challenging to say the least. On July 4th, I had a bit too much fun and tequila on the Brandywine River. Ever since, I’ve been banished to the first floor of my house with no less than 4 fractures in my right heel. Total. Summer. Bummer. Cooking, and obviously fun in general, were originally lacking from my daily immobile routine but, thanks to my trusty knee scooter, I’m back at the kitchen counter.

Picking up my farmshare from Greensgrow has also been a biweekly respite from my post on the couch. I’ve been steaming husk-on corn in the microwave, mixing donut/saturn peaches into Greek yogurt, cutting my carb intake with half spaghetti/half julienne zucchini dishes, and eating tomatoes in every way possible (mostly on bread slathered with mayo). With last week’s share, we also received $5 in Greensgrow bucks to use at the farmstand.  One of the farm volunteers was so helpful with carrying all my share items that I didn’t want to be my usual indecisive self with spending my “bucks”. So I quickly pointed at a few beautiful green & red tie-dye heirloom tomatoes and a basket of alien-esque purple okra. Look how weird and beautiful they are!

They’ve been sitting on my counter for damn near a week now, challenging me with my first encounter of cooking fresh okra. What to make? I heard suggestions of curry and duck gumbo, baking and frying… but I just wasn’t ready to have that much okra to eat right here, right now. So I referred back to two of my favorite things: my newfangled canning hobby and the amazingness of Food In Jars.

In about 3o minutes, from sanitizing jars to cleanup, I had a pint of beautifully pickled purple okra begging for a future next to some hearty BBQ or bobbing out of a bloody mary with my spicy dilly beans. I’m so excited to try these!

Small Batch Pickled Purple Okra

Recipe by Marisa McClellan – Food In Jars
Sourced from Mother Nature Network
Adapted to 8oz/0.5lb of okra to yield 1 pint

Ingredients

• 0.75 cups apple cider or white vinegar
• 0.75 tablespoons pickling salt
• 1 lemon slice
• 1 tablespoon pickling spice
• 0.5lbs okra, washed and trimmed into 1inch pieces or leave whole
• 1 garlic clove, peeled

1. Place  1 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jar in a water canner. Fill both the pot, including the inside of the jar, with enough water to cover the jar by at least an inch. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Place the lid and screw top in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
3. Remove  sanitized jar from simmering water canner with jar lifter and dump water back into canner. Place on a clean towel on your countertop.
4. Put a lemon slice and 1 tablespoon pickling spice in the bottom of the sterilized pint jar. Then pack the okra in, first laying them in so that the points are up. Then insert another layer with the points down, so that they interlock. If okra is cut into 1inch pieces, pack in jar tightly to fill to 1inch from top of jar.
5. Nestle 1 garlic clove among the okra in each jar. I like to smash my clove first, but that’s just a personal preference.
6. Combine the vinegar, 0.75 cups water, and pickling salt in another small saucepan and bring the brine to a boil. Make sure all salt is dissolved by stirring gently with a non-reactive spoon.
7. Slowly pour the hot brine over the okra in each jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
8. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Expect alot more bubble release than a usual canning session as there are alot of pockets inside the okra. Check the headspace again and add more brine if necessary to 1/2 inch headspace. Discard leftover brine, if necessary.
9. Wipe the rims, apply the lid using the magnet, and screw ring to fingertip tightness. Place in water bath using jar lifter and bring water up to a boil.
10. Once water reaches boiling, process for 10 minutes. Remove jar from water bath with jar lifter and sit on a clean towel on your counter to cool  for 24 hours. After 24 hours, test lid to made sure the “button” has inverted and is sealed properly.
11. Store in a cool, dry place. Allow to cure for at least 1 week before eating.

I also want to take a quick moment to thank the family and friends, some of which came out of the woodwork, that have called me, sent cheers, got me out of the house, got me back into the house, driven me to doctor’s appointments, made sure I was well-fed, and visited over the last 6 weeks. And an extra special thank you to my dedicated boyfriend, Andre, who suffered through my control issue breakdowns, moved in without any empty drawers to put his clothes away, makes sure I’m up the stairs & showered, and just takes good care of me every day. You all mean the world to me!

But, deep down, I really wish they were rapping about carrot sticks and whole grains. I couldn’t help but be saddened on those mornings I’d catch the bus to work and literally see 4 year olds being fed Funions, Honey Buns, & soda for breakfast.

I love reading the new restaurant hype in the Philly food scene but usually don’t play into it. I’d rather give a place some time to settle, and for Rittenhouse Tavern it didn’t seem to take long. Despite the pedigreed management & culinary staff at this Restaurant Associates-owned establishment and its prime location on the SE corner of Rittenhouse Square, most of what I’ve heard in its first couple months of service was word of mouth versus plugs on the typical food outlets – Foobooz, Grubstreet, Eater, etc. I take this as a good thing – PR shouldn’t make a restaurant, guest experience should (Yelp feedback of course being an exception) – and “on the street” talk amongst my hospitality & foodie friends was all recommendations & accolades.

Rarely would I notice or comment on my experience with a host/hostesses (unless it’s a bad one), but who knew a greeting and a walk to our table could be such a pleasure. The smiley hostess confirmed if we would still like to sit on the patio (of course we do!) and led us right to our seats. All night, on each trip to the ladies room, I encountered that smile. I think I have a new girl crush.

Now let’s get to the food – that’s what we’re here for, right? I had reviewed the menu a week before we went as I like to ponder what collection of items would give me the most diverse experience of the food. All of that went right out the door when the Farmer’s Market Tasting Menu hit my place-setting… SOLD!

NOTE: If there’s a tasting menu, get the tasting menu. Let the chef show off!

That being said, there was one thing from the standard menu that I couldn’t skip – the deviled eggs with pork scrapple. This wasn’t your typical deviled egg presentation, but the flavor was beyond expectations. I’m not usually a scrapple fan, but crispy, fried, & salty, it served as a perfect base for a swirl of deviled yolk mousse. I could eat 100 of these!

Keeping reading for more food love as I make my way through 5 courses with wine pairings from the Farmer’s Market Tasting Menu.

Now bear with me. I love taking high quality photos with my real camera but I didn’t tote it along with me this night. My iPhone photos via my Instagram do enough justice to the beautiful presentations, especially the first course while the outdoor lighting was perfect. This watermelon salad is everything I wouldn’t imagine a watermelon salad to be, but boy did it work! The block of seedless watermelon resembled a beautiful piece of raw ahi tuna. It was topped with pearls of summer squash and tender young almonds, adding more raw crunch to the firm fruit. I’m not sure what the dressing was, though I feel the dish overall could use more acid, nor could I identify the salty film slice on top of the dish, but the chicharrones added crispy & savory to finish the dish well.

The next course was the raviolo, one large pasta with three filled pockets. The moment the plate was put in front of me, it’s all I could do not to ask for a straw to slurp up the foamy, buttery sauce, who’s aroma was dancing in my nose. The chicken filling was good, yet not very inspired, and I love snails, but the fresh pea & aged goat cheese filling was downright amazing. After falling in love many times over with Buddakan’s and Sampan’s versions of edamame ravioli, I’m officially sold on peas as the perfect pasta filling.

Also, I made a last minute request to enjoy the wine pairing with my tasting. I’m not usually a big chardonnay fan, but I loved this one! Wish I remembered what it was…

The first of the entree courses was a beautiful piece of striped bass, cooked to flaky moist perfection. The description says it included quinoa, which I can only assume was ground into a flour and used to crust the fish. I’ll take some extra protein any way I can get it! The celtuce, baby leaves of Chinese lettuce, added freshness & crisp texture to the soft fish. There’s no denying, though, that the rhubarb butter was the winner here. The color was so beautiful I want to paint a room in my house with it and its subtle tartness made me a rhubarb believer. The rosé paired perfectly with this dish in taste & color as well.

The final savory course was a tender pork loin stuffed with house made sausage – though I think it may have been too tender in a way if that may be possible. I can assume that it was cooked sous vide, but I may be wrong, as the texture was chewy yet very soft. It wasn’t bad, just different, and the flavor was definitely on point! It was crusted in some sort of nut that gave a good balance of crunch, as did the bed of mixed summer beans that the loin sat atop. The menagerie of lightly cooked legumes was a perfect demonstration of the fresh, light flavors that encompassed the whole meal.

At this point, nightfall was upon us and I had to push back our reservation at the best cocktail bar on earth, The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. – a reasonable delay in order to enjoy a delicious meal and my favorite dish of the tasting menu. I’m not typically a dessert person, but the savory-sweet approach of the vanilla & long pepper panna cotta was a perfect finish to the meal. The panna cotta was smooth & clean with vanilla flavor that cooled the spicy sweetness of a strawberry & long pepper compote. The pickled peppers, fresh strawberries, & sugar toile were just icing on the… uh… cotta. The wine pairing was also one of my favorites and not what you’d typically expect, so I’m glad GM Dan Elliott was there to elaborate. What arrived was a cordial glass of Dolin de Chambéry Blanc Vermouth topped with a splash of club & a strawberry. I LOVED it and am so excited to see they serve it for $5 as the “simply dolin” during happy hour.

Five courses later and I have mostly amazing things to say about Rittenhouse Tavern! The food was clean and simple, a nice diversion from the heaviness you’d expect from a typical “tavern”, and the service was attentive, yet not overbearing. My current budget may not bring me back for dinner too soon, however I will absolutely be indulging in one of their soft shell crab sandwiches for lunch that I keep hearing about. Or maybe one of their la frieda or lamb burgers… or their $7 happy hour deal on the deviled eggs with pork scrapple. One way or another, I’ll see you soon Rittenhouse Tavern!

Rittenhouse Tavern
251 S. 18th St. | Philadelphia Art Alliance | Philadelphia, PA 19103
215.732.2412 | www.rittenhousetavern.com

After a comfortable, scenic 7 hour Amtrak ride, I was ready for a bite in a new city. I’m even surprised after living most of my life in Pennsylvania, that this was my first time in Pittsburgh. So as they ask in the Steel City – Do you want fries ON that? Actually, it’s your only option.

Sunday night, Tom and I headed out for a quick beer & dinner at a local joint in the Dormont neighborhood called The Saloon of Mt. Lebanon. Tom ordered some wings with “Licker” sauce, which tastes like a sweet BBQ sauce & buffalo blend. Despite the fact that it’s more of a Louisiana thing, I definitely dug it. I didn’t want anything too heavy so I went with a buffalo chicken salad topped with – you guessed it – fries. Waffle fries to exact. It’s safe to say I’m sold on salads with fries.

Monday morning, Tom & I were ready to get this food tripping show on the road, but not without a stop at Pittsburgh’s famous Primanti Bros. for a sandwich. Tom went for the bartender’s choice of pastrami or corned beef (he got pastrami) and I opted for kielbasa – or as they spell it, kolbassi(?). The sandwich that arrived in front of me was not what I was expecting – I knew it would be topped with fries & slaw but thought it’d come on a hoagie style roll. Nope – instead, the behemoth delivered to me was stacked between 2 delicious, fluffy slices of white Italian bread. BE STILL MY HEART!

Another thing I was surprised by was the coleslaw. It was not mayo based like I’m used to, but rather what seemed like just cabbage and apple cider vinegar. A dash of hot sauce gave it a kimchee flavor and definitely took the sandwich to a new level. My only complaint is that I’m a hardcore kielbasa/kolbassi lover (get your head out of the gutter) and the 3 inches of tomato, slaw & fries overpowered the sandwich.

On a final note, the photos above are via Instagram on my iPhone. We got to Primanti Bros., I turned on my camera, and, well, it didn’t turn on. Dre will be upset with me on this one but I forgot to charge it before I left for my trip. Now I’m charged and ready to go!

iPhone (and now Android) users can follow my adventures in photos on Instagram. @SincereFoodLove

iPhone users can follow my adventures in photos on Instagram. @SincereFoodLove

Mahalo!

All photos from the Library of Congress. Entire collection found HERE.

It’s also important that no matter where my next job takes me, I have changes to make in my own kitchen, too. During my time of unemployment, it’s been great to cook with such leisure while getting creative on a low budget. As often as possible, I incorporate seasonal produce, “from scratch” foodstuff, locally-sourced ingredients, regional specialties or any combination of these in my culinary adventures. I found a new comfort with cooking in 2011 and am ready to challenge myself, and my diet, in 2012. So, on to my (foodie) resolutions and my wordiest blog post to date:

1. Only eat bread I make myself.

If any food is especially a weakness of mine, it’s bread. May it be baguette, sourdough roll, uber-processed Wonder Bread, pita, tortillas, or bagels – I can’t get enough carbs! It’s a problem that needs to be curbed as I’ll probably never be inclined to live a low/no-carb/gluten-free lifestyle. In 2011, my pal Sunshine gave me her bread machine before her move to Florida. It was perfect timing as I was finally starting to overcome my hatred for dealing with flour (it gets EVERYWHERE!). The more bread I experimented with, in and out of the bread machine, the more I wanted to learn. So in the quest to eat less bread but learn more about breadmaking, I solemnly resolve to only eat breadstuff at home that I make myself. Note the “at home”…

My first loaf of white sandwich bread in 2012.
Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker that was so insanely delicious and simple

2. More fresh foods, less fresh food waste.

I’ve gotten in the habit of almost weekly trips to the Asian supermarket right up the street from us. The freshness and prices of their produce and meats are unbeatable and I learn a little more about the mysterious greens, sauces, and delicacies each time I go. Especially in the winter, it’s my go to place for fresh produce (literally 50% cheaper than the grocery store) and a great opportunity to cook something new. Last week, amazing kohlrabi puree! Come spring, I’ll be back in action with my Greensgrow farmshare as well, giving me greater opportunity to incorporate lots of healthy veggies into my diet (and resolution #3). This year, I’m really going to step it up, too. I can’t usually afford organic on the regular, though I wish I could, so at least I can solemnly resolve to consume more fresh foods and do so before they go to waste.

3. Canning EVERYTHING

Along with my distaste for working with flour, I have also denied my strong desire to learn how to can out of fear of doing something wrong and wasting food/killing Dre with year-old spoiled canned chili. Another part of the problem was financially committing to all the equipment needed. In 2011, I added a canning set and various Ball jars to my Amazon orders with hesitation as I knew they’d just sit in my cabinets for months, as they did. It wasn’t until Christmas that I finally decided what I wanted to gift myself – a massive 23qt pressure canner. And so the 2012 canning fest has commenced! Last week, I canned my first homemade batch of vegetable stock, knowing that it wouldn’t be a major lost if I screwed things up. But alas, aside from a serious boiling water burn on my hand, I came out with 4 beautiful quarts of bronze vegetable stock. Now I’m even more excited than ever for my farmshare this summer! So with all the equipment and foodstuff at my fingertips, I solemnly resolve to can straight thru the year to extend winter’s soups, summer’s bounty, and autumn’s harvest into 2013.

A gallon of vegetable stock, canned into eternity!

4. Travel no less than 12x

This is only somewhat food related in that I, and my family, plan most getaways around where I want to eat. I whined far too much during my unemployment that I wish I could be using the time to travel but felt guilty spending money on “leisure”. In 2012, I say “go eff yourself” to that notion! I wanna travel and I want to travel often and so far I have a solid start.

January = a double-date Amish Country B&B weekend with Jen & Brian
February = a ski trip to Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada with my family
March = a long-overdue trip to Boston via Megabus with Tomithy to explore and see my old Hawaii’an buddy, Jimmy.

So with 9 more months of travel to plan, I solemnly resolve, at least once a month in 2012, to getaway more than 50 miles from my house and explore the local dives and regional specialties along the way.

5. Take this blog more/less serious.

With all the free time I’ve had, I’m pretty disappointed in myself for the lack of blogging, especially since I’ve been cooking often. I get so wrapped up in clever anecdotes, tastespotting-worthy photos, and detailed recipes that I often just don’t share my food love at all. So typical of an introverted Cancer like me. But in 2012, I’m living by a new mantra – a new outlook that is vastly different from how I’ve approached so much in life – and that is, Progress not Perfection. I’ve never blogged for lots of hits or notoriety, I do it out of a sheer love of sharing good food with others. I need to allow that to be more natural, while at the same time, more frequent, so I solemnly resolve in 2012 to share my food love freely, often, and without judgement.

What are you resolving to do (or not do) this year, food-related or otherwise?

How are you doing with sticking to those resolutions?

I’m offically making a public decree that I’m not longer allowed to complain about baking. My cooking style doesn’t involve alot of precise measuring so baking has always been a chore for me. At this point, the reward is getting too good for me to deny my baking skills. Sweet, swirled, glazed skills…

These baby cakes were created totally out of necessity. Over Thanksgiving, my girl Sunshine, of a Blog Full of Jelly, came for a visit from her new home in Florida with some beautiful citrus in tow. First was a Buddha’s hand, a creepy claw-y shaped fruit with a bright citrus flavor and lots of rind. It’s STILL soaking in some vodka for some serious cocktail making. The other citrus wonder was a Ponderosa lemon - pretty much the BIGGEST lemon you have ever seen – and provided me with over a cup of juice. I also still had a bag of beautiful crimson cranberries from my last farm share pickup and I wanted to make something other than my Cranberry-Pear Shortbread Tart. Combine them with the need to whip up a homemade treat for our friends’, Doc & Erica’s, pre-Holiday house warming and I was ready to bake!

Check out my Mini Cranberry-Swirled Lemon Cupcakes w. Lemon Glaze recipe after the jump!

Mini Cranberry-Swirled Lemon Cupcakes w. Lemon Glaze

48 mini cupcakes
adapted from the Cupcake Blog’s Meyer Lemon Cranberry Cupcakes

Lemon Cupcakes

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup fresh (ponderosa or regular) lemon juice
• 1T lemon zest

Cranberry Coulis

• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Lemon Glaze

• 2-3 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Equipment

• medium saucepan
• small metal sieve
• blender, food processor, or hand blender
• stand mixer
• mini cupcake pan(s)
• 3 mixing bowls

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. For Cranberry Coulis - Combine cranberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup of sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Boil about 5 min, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst and break down.
3. Remove from heat. In a blender or food processor or with a hand blender, puree the cranberries until smooth.
4. Push cranberry puree through a metal sieve, discarding solids. Set cranberry puree aside.
5. For Lemon Cupcakes - Beat butter on high in a stand mixer until soft, about 30 seconds.
6. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
7. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
8. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
9. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
10. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, beat to combine.
11. Scoop into mini cupcakes pans about 3/4 full. Drop approx. 1tsp of the cranberry coulis on top of batter and swirl with a toothpick.
12. Place cupcakes in the oven and turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Bake for 15-18 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and let stand for 10min. Then remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on cooling rack.
13. For Lemon Glaze – Combine confectioners’ sugar and 1.5T lemon juice in a small bowl and stir to moisten. Dribble additional lemon juice until icing slides off tip of spoon. Drizzle over cupcakes and serve.

Roast Beef Tenderloin w. Caesar Crust

Bon Appétit December 2011 pg 103 – Recipe

Cider-Brined Roasted Turkey w. Star Anise & Cinnamon

Bon Appétit November 2011 pg 94 – Recipe

Gnocchi Gratin w. Gorgonzola Dolce

Bon Appétit December 2011 pg 92 – Recipe

Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Squash w. Bacon Vinaigrette

Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving: A Holiday Guide 2010 – Recipe

Glazed Carrots

Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving: A Holiday Guide 2010 – Recipe

No-Knead Onion Rolls

Real Simple November 2011 pg 250 – Recipe

I put the rest of the fam in charge of booze, hors d’oeuvres, & dessert. I’ll report back once I’ve recovered from the Xmas gluttony.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Check out my General Tso’s Braised + Glazed Spare Ribs recipe after the jump!

General Tso’s Braised+ Glazed
Spare Ribs

Serves 2
Total time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients

• 1 dozen spare ribs (about 2 lbs), seperated
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup  rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup of hoisin sauce
• 1T sriracha
• 2T sesame oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1T vegetable oil
• 2tsp ginger, minced
• 5 garlic cloves/2T, minced
• 12 dried red chilis
• 1T cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup scallions, chopped
• 4 cups of prepared white rice
• 2 cups steamed broccoli

Equipment

• wok with lid
• medium mixing bowl
• whisk
• baking sheet
• foil
• cooking spray

1. Combine chicken stock, soy sauce, hoisin, rice wine vinegar, sriracha, sesame oil, & sugar in a bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
2. Heat 1T vegetable oil in a wok over high heat. Add ginger & garlic and saute approx 30 seconds until fragrant without browning.
3. Add sauce mixture to wok. Add ribs and dried red chilis.
4. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to medium-low.
5. Allow to simmer for 30minutes and then flip/rearrange spare ribs. Add chicken stock as needed if liquid reduces too low.
6. Re-cover and allow to simmer for an additional 3o minutes.
   If prepping a day ahead, you can stop here. Remove from heat, allow to cool completely, and store in refrigerator over night. Resume with Step 7 approx. 30-45 minutes before serving.
7. Pre-heat oven on Lo broil setting. Cover a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
8. Remove wok from heat and transfer ribs meaty side down on baking sheet. Broil approx. 4 inches from heating element for about 5 minutes. Turn ribs (or use my genius method noted below) and broil for another 5 minutes until glazed & crispy.
9. While ribs are under the broiler, return sauce to stove over medium heat. Whisk together cornstarch & water. Add to sauce and combine. Bring to boil, stirring regularly, for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to thicken.
10. Toss ribs and half of scallions in thickened sauce.
11. Plate 2 servings of white rice and divide ribs. Spoon extra sauce on top and sprinkle with remaining scallions. Serve with steamed broccoli.

I’m a genius.

When it came time to flip my ribs to the meaty side, I realized that they were too arched to magically stand up and broil to the level I wanted to achieve. Lightbulb moment! I grabbed my bundt pan, flipped it over opening side down, covered it with foil, and draped the ribs around the arched disc. Please note that all your ribs may not fit so you may have to broil in batches. Also, make sure to lower your oven rack down a level or two so that their is still a headspace of about 4″ between the broiler and ribs.

What Pumpkin laid before us that night was a beautiful balance of refinement and approachability; effortless expertise; living proof that loving what you do is the only option. Executive Chef/Owner Ian Moroney, Chef de Cuisine Chris Kearse, and Sous Chef Craig kept us laughing as they “stacked flavors” through 6 of their classic courses & new creations. Hey, guys!!

I consider myself to be quite knowledgeable about food (I read cookbooks like great novels), but these guys were throwing around ingredient names that I’ve never heard of. Good thing class was in session as they took turns explaining the obscure items and processes being used. I can’t act like I didn’t have to look some up again when I got home – like nasturtium. This peppery & tangy watercress was featured in an ice cream created using agar, flavored with black cardamom, atop ground almond, next to a sudsy mountain of sudsy apple cider foam.

What’s the orange and crimson flame on the back rim, you ask? A speck of flavor-packed honey-miso with a beautiful edible petal. It was already a bowl of amazingness and the starring layer was still to come – a simple velvety autumn vegetable soup. Lily, executive director of COOK, helped pour lakes of the sweet puree, flooding the textural shores with flavor and color.

If I didn’t know 4 more courses where headed my way, I’d have asked for seconds. Luckily, Chef Ian shared the recipe and some words of wisdom after my own food-loving heart.

“Recipes are meant to be changed. It’s most important to use quality ingredients and good cooking practices.” – Chef Ian Moroney

Pumpkin’s Autumn Vegetable Soup

1/2 lb of each, peeled & chopped

• carrots
• apples
• rhutabaga
• sweet potato
• onion

• 1/2 lb unsalted butter
• 1/2 qt heavy cream

1. Melt butter in a heavy pot and add onions, sweating until translucent over medium heat.
2. Add remaining vegetables and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer until tender. Drain any excess liquid and return to pot.
3. Add heavy cream and salt, to taste. Puree with an immersion blender or standard blender. Serve.

4 more courses for your viewing and reading pleasure after the JUMP!

The intense color palate and complexity of each dish had my imagination on hyperdrive. The next course, curly-cues dancing over the vibrant orange of longneck butternut squash, whisked me away into a familiar fairytale complete with a pumpkin reference – Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage. The shaved celery root & whimsical greens were delicately tweezed over rich, perfectly prepared offal: evil-ly delicious stepsisters of pigs feet & sweetbreads chasing foie gras dressed in a huckleberry gelee fit for a princess. Mulled wine sauce, white balsamic, and argan powder completed the happily ever after.

Next up was a beautiful piece of pan-roasted sturgeon with a horseradish caviar sauce. If you haven’t had sturgeon before, like me, it’s a hearty mild white fish and Chef Ian cooked it to perfection. Beets rounded out this Russian-esque dish.

Have you ever heard of pork cooked in hay? Me neither, but apparently it’s a classic preparation that Pumpkin’s chefs took to the next level. They cloaked a beautiful roast in cheesecloth, covered it with hay, and sealed it in a plastic bag for a slow poach in their immersion circulator. Linda Geren, of the sustainable High View Farm in North Hanover, NJ, was on hand to make sure her ham (and hay) were duly represented. She certainly put her piggies in the right hands.

As with all the dishes, many components come together to perfectly achieve the flavor stacking that defines Pumpkin’s cuisine. The pork cooked in hay was modestly seasoned with a hint of honey, allowing the natural flavors to shine on their own or the chance to pair each bite with a different combination of the accompaniments: chestnut puree, parsnip, black garlic chips, salsify root cooked in red wine, and a lady apple stuffed with scrapple (you heard that right).

All that and we still had dessert! White chocolate is caramelized under the broiler and combined with goat cheese for the most decadent cheesecake I’ve ever tasted. Golden yam ice cream, textural argan powder, and candied poached cranberries offset the richness with savory and sweet. I can see why Chef Craig dubbed this dessert, “The Panty Dropper”.

Pumpkin’s cuisine pairs subtle moleculer gastronomy with big flavors, creating a Halloween memory I won’t soon forget. Their balance of complex ingredient combinations, technical preparation, and artful presentation – each aspect receiving equal attention – are to be admired and deserves great recognition (more that I feel they receive). It is haute without intimidation, as Chef Ian and his crew at Pumpkin welcome you each night into the kitchen (literally) to learn and experience the love they put into each seasonal dish. Grab a few great bottles of wine and stop in to see them soon!

Pumpkin
1713 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19146
215-545-4448
www.pumpkinphilly.com
Pumpkin Market
Twitter – @PumpkinPhilly
FB – Pumpkin BYO

Filed under: Restaurant Rewind ]]> http://nolovemoresincere.com/2011/11/11/restaurant-rewind-pumpkin/feed/ 0 nolovemoresincere butter chefs nasturtium ice cream + apple cider foam autumn vegetable soup butternut squash salad sturgeon pork cooked in hay pork cooked in hay plate panty dropper http://nolovemoresincere.com/2011/11/10/in-other-news-its-flava-time/ http://nolovemoresincere.com/2011/11/10/in-other-news-its-flava-time/#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:19:06 +0000 Erin L. http://nolovemoresincere.com/?p=1300 ]]> I love the BigSpot.com commericials – hello, who wouldn’t love a neck basket?!?! – but this new one is straight BOSS! Flava time ankle bracelet FTW.

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