Georgian Bread with Jan & Bert

My fellow food buddy Jan took me to another obscurely located food find in, where else, Brooklyn.
A couple/few years ago he introduced me to the culinary delights of Brighton Beach Blvd. and most recently
to, for lack of a better understanding as to what the writing on the awning says, Georgian Bread.
We met "Badri", a gentle man, gentleman, and THE baker. See him above using his paddles to place and remove the bread from the oven.
He bakes in a clay oven smack in the middle of the store called a tone'...or tandoor (seen below).
A bread called shoti is placed  literally on the inside side of the oven (I still don't get the gravity end of this) and bakes in about 8 minutes. It 's shaped similar to a ciabatta and comes out crispy and smelling (no surprise) delicious.

Below is the bread named  Khachapuri (Georgian: ხაჭაპური - xač’ap’uri or "cheese bread").
.

It is a filled bread dish from Georgia where bread is leavened, allowed to rise, and is shaped in various ways. The filling contains cheese (fresh or aged, most commonly suluguni), eggs and other ingredients.
Each Kcachapuri is $6 and, although relatively expensive (an entire pizza pie almost anywhere is $12)... you don't get something like this anywhere else...and you certainly don't get to smile like a loon from ear to ear or jump up and down tasting a slice of pizza as you do once you had your first bite of Kcachapuri.
It's better than the "A" word which, beginning this year, we have decided to remove from our vocabulary...along with "my bad" and a few others.
Either way..... this "find" is worth the trip to Brooklyn.

Georgian Bread

265 Neptune Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11235 

718-332-8082

Mangia Baby!

Bert

2012 New Years Eve Betsa Crabcakes

Hi Folks...
Sandy and I would like to wish you all a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous 2012...and... enjoy this recipe!
With the help of my cousin Mitchell Maxwell...owner and executive chef of the famous Maxwell's 148 (http://www.maxwells148.com) in Natick, Mass, I have put together this recipe for about 9 or 10 crab cakes.

Mitchell was soooo busy at the time I asked him to send me his recipe, all he could do was tell me over the phone at 6:30 pm peak hour what where his primary ingredients.

Thus, these are primarily his ingredients tweaked to my taste by virtue of proportion and brands of product.
I was left on my own with the recipe for the dipping sauce which is fantastic and simple. 

Crab Cake Ingredients

1 LB. fresh crabmeat (jumbo lump is not necessary)

2 center cut celery stalks (coarse chopped)

1 huge  coarse chopped shallot or 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives  

2/3 cups mayonnaise

1.5 cups panko bread crumbs (I like Panko bread crumbs)

1 Tbsp. dijon mustard (I always like "Bournier" brand)

10 or so shakes of Cholula lime hot sauce  or your favorite
lemon zest from 1 lemon
1 jumbo egg...mixed

1 large fresh lemon...squeezed
1 fresh lime...1/2 for recipe and 1/2 for finishing

1/2 cup EVOO and 1 oz. sweet butter for frying
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce

 1/2 tsp kosher salt or to taste

8-10 turns from pepper mill (black or white fine grind)

Technique

Saute in 2 tsp. EVOO celery and shallots or chives until soft and translucent  (remove from stove and let cool)

In mixing bowl add to the cooled celery & shallots, crab meat, mixed egg, 1.5 cups of bread crumbs, juice from one lemon, juice from 1/2 lime dijon mustard, hot sauce, worcestershire, mayonnaise, lemon zest, salt and pepper

Refrigerate for 1 hour

Shape into slider size cakes (app 3 oz.) or 9 cakes

Fry both sides on medium high in EVOO and sweet butter until golden brown (app 4 minutes on each side)
Set on paper towels to drain off excess oil...and put a couple/ few drops of lemon on each cake

Serve warm with lemon wedges

 Dipping Sauce (do this ahead of time)

1/2 cup Hellman's Mayo or Hellmans "Light" Mayo 

1/2 cup sour cream...not light sour cream unless you must

2 Tbsp. white horseradish sauce
3 Tbsp sweet pickle juice

2 tsp. of Cholula lime hot sauce

 1 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika

refrigerate for at least one hour prior to serving

TIPS

John's Market on Old Country Road in Plainview sells fresh packed crabmeat for $12 per pound at the seafood counter in the back of the store...or lump crabmeat in a 16 oz.can is available in most supermarkets for about $16.

Feel free to use any hot sauce you like. you may even want to spice it up by adding a bit of cayenne pepper and hot sauce (to your taste)

EVOO= Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cholula Lime Hot Sauce has a fabulous flavor and is not so "hot"
All ingredients are readily available in most supermarkets
If you want to serve them the next day, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, heat on a cooking tray for about 8-9 minutes and serve.

Remember...don't be shy...love to hear from you in the comment box
thanks...and...

Mangia Baby!

Chef Bert

Magical Mystery Tour

As I open my eyes yesterday morning at 8AM, Sandy says "We're going on a magical mystery tour...are you into it?"  With all of this "Say Yes" over the last year or so, of course I was.
By 8:45 we were in the car and on our way to, as far as I was concerned, an unknown destination with my new favorite Pandora linked into the radio. It's almost like a game listening to the Pandora music that produces song after song we both enjoy. Every few songs, Sandy says "this will be the test" (to see if Pandora stays on track)..and the songs just keep on pleasing, with a rare exception.
I have no idea where we are going other than east on the L.I.E and then east on Route 27.
Sandy says "make a left here"...the sign says Sag Harbor and the radio says Magical Mystery Tour...no joke!
Sag Harbor...what's in Sag Harbor? ...maybe a new restaurant and then where?
"Make a left into Bay Burger". Aha! A farmers market.
In reality, I had no idea what I was in for since this was not just any farmers market. It was the Fair Food Market at Bay Burger in Sag Harbor...a small compact venue of those among the best of what the North Fork has to offer in culinary delights.
As you enter, you meet Art Ludlow of Mecox Bay Dairy (mecoxbaydairy.com) offering tastes of his artisan cheeses (see pic). We bought 3 of them. Next was A Taste of the North Fork (www.atasteofthenorthfork.com)hosted by Jill Barr, where fresh local ingredients are used to produce some very interesting organic food products. We bought a couple of quarts of  fresh tomatoes packed in Ball jars. They also have a retail location on Peconic Lane in Peconic.
What put a smile on my face was "Fat Ass Fudge". You heard me right...Fat Ass Fudge.Can you imagine? (fatassfudge@optimum.net). Check out the pic of Jill and Donna and her Fat Ass logo.  Among many selections Donna McCue produces is chocolate fudge like I have never tasted. Sweet, creamy and the texture...ohhh, the texture. Had to have some.
Represented as well was Wolffer Estate Vineyard and several other fine purveyors. Among them was
Sweet Andy's Cookies out of Westhampton...producer of  many types of cookies cookies and one of the best oatmeal raisin cookies ever (www.sweetandyscookies.com).  It was at this point that I had actually run out of cash and they didn't take credit cards. As I'm standing there saying "nuts" to myself,
Lissa Terry  decided I was worth a Christmas present and asked me which bag of cookies would put a smile on my face. Thank you Lissa. We ARE in each others future.
Simply put, we met some gracious folks with a  world of personality. Jill from A Taste of the North Fork was even gracious enough to let me video her thoughts on what vineyards she likes and other interesting stops for the traveler.
As we were leaving, I decided to take a pic of the mural on the side of the wall of Bay Burger and a fellow walking around outside with a Santa hat pointed out the mural was painted by Molly Weiss, a local artist (see pic). He introduced himself as none other than John Landes, the owner of the Bay Burger. That cemented everything. It was meant to be that we would have to come home to the Bay Burger when they open again in season.
All in all...a truly Magical Mystery Tour.
Summer or Winter...there are things happening out here that can keep the day tripper or overnighter busy...assuming you just know how to "Say Yes".

 The host John Landes 

Lissa Terry of

Sweet Andy's Cookies

Donna & Bert

Art & his cheeses

Donna of Fat Ass Fudge & Jill from A Taste of The North Fork

Donna's FAF Logo...love it!

Absolutely Freakin' Freaky Friday Find

Up until 9:30 this evening, the next entry was to be all about sunrise and sunset pics that I had taken over the last year. All these spectacular pics from Florida to the Long Island Expressway and then some were coming your way next..
Then Sandy walks into the room and exclaims "you're not going to believe the article I just read in Dan's Papers...your gonna think it's freaky".
Let me start at the beginning.
While driving in Aquebogue on our way home from one of our usual forays to the north fork of L.I., I saw a few goats, what looked like a couple of calves in a small fenced in area and a sign that I thought said goat cheese or goats milk. Since we had tried earlier in the day to buy goat cheese from Catapano (another venerable name in goat cheese in Peconic) and found it closed for the season, I had to turn the car around and investigate. Inside a tiny little 'store' was a refrigerator packed with goat cheese, feta cheese, goats milk and other delicacies that goats and cows produce.
Never hearing or seeing this "farm" intrigued us even more, since we thought we had seen it all on the north fork. Guess not!
We bought one clear pack of goat cheese...left the money in the fridge on the honor system and finished the trip home. Only now am I thinking this may have been my opportunity to try goats milk as I have always shied away from doing so.
Below is a portion of the article from Dan's Papers...and enough info to get you there. If you have been following my blog, you will also know he we regard Luce Hawkins food and chef Keith Luce.
What makes this whole thing "freaky" is that all of these finds are connected...not only because we serendipitously found these spots, they also happen to be connected with each other.
I'll take this one step further. These finds simply do not happen unless you are open to new things. Keep saying no and you'll get old before your time. Get out there and see new things, learn the new technology, meet new people and remember to "Just Say Yes".
Read the article below and for sure this is another stop on your day trip to Long Island's north fork.
Have a Happy & Healthy New Year everybody...and see a few pix in the following "Absolutely Freakin' Freaky Friday Find Pix" with a sunset tease.
Sunrises & Sunsets to follow soon.
All the best,
Bert

                                                                         L.I.Sunrise

                                                                         L.I. Sunset

Hamptons Epicure: Great Stuff at Goodale Farms

December 22, 2011 by Stacy Dermont

I often say that one of the best things about living on the South Fork of Long Island is the North Fork of Long Island.
Last Saturday when I visited the Fair Food Market at Bay Burger in Sag Harbor, I experienced a stunning B. C. A. (Biforkal Culinary Adventure).
Having grown up in Western New York, I have a hard time trusting a good-looking farmer. But on that fine morning I allowed Goodale Farms’ Kevin Dunathan’s cow’s milk to seduce me. It comes in a GLASS bottle! Even better – it’s fresh and creamy, clean as grass.
To spur further adventure I also picked up a bottle of Goodale Farms’ goat’s milk. Yum, it’s just the thing to lighten my tea! I can’t wait to try all of Goodale Farms’ cheeses – but, it turns out, I’m kinda late to the party. One of my favorite chefs, Keith Luce, of Luce + Hawkins in Jamesport, has already put some Goodale Farm cheese on his menu. Small wonder – Goodale Farms of Aquebogue was awarded first place by the American Dairy Goat Association at its 2011 National Convention held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for both its plain chevre and unflavored feta cheeses, beating numerous national competitors. Go North Fork!
Goodale Farms was originally founded by Hal Goodale, whose family has been farming the East End of Long Island for about 150 years. Dunathan joined Goodale this fall to fulfill his lifelong dream of owning and operating a farm. Together with accomplished cheesemaker Karen Danzer, Goodale Farms claims to offer the best artisanal cheese on Long Island.
Goodale Farms is a full-service farm which believes in traditional farming. Its cows and goats are raised on the farm.

Goodale Farms was just licensed for dairy production LAST SPRING – I can’t wait to see and taste what they do next!
Their full line of products currently includes cheeses (Wasabi, Walnut Cranberry, Horseradish), butter, bottled milk, bottled cream, yogurt and cream cheeses, old school sauerkraut (with carrots in it!), pickled cauliflower and dill pickles, eggs, vegetables and fruits in season and jams, jellies and salsa. Keeping the “Good” in Goodale, all of these goods can be purchased at Goodale Farms’ on-site farmstand.


Goodale Farms, 250 Main Road, Aquebogue. www.goodalefarms.com.

BetsaPasta Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Fresh Mozzarella & Herbs

Serves 10...This recipe will serve 10 as a main course...however my "final prep" instructions are for 5

Ingredients:

Fresh "Champion" tomatoes from Zilnicki (see prior entry "Signs of Autumn") or Plum tomatoes...app. 5 lbs...
(Of course you can use fresh plum tomatoes if the Champions are not available)
Evoo*
Garlic
Kosher Salt
2 Tbsp.chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2-3/4  lb.fresh mozzarella..to your liking (cut in 1/2" cubes). I like to cut cold...it's easier...and let sit to room temperature before mixing together in the final prep
Fresh White Milled Pepper (black pepper is okay)
Assorted Fresh Herbs ie Rosemary, Basil,Thyme & Oregano(about 1 tsp. each chopped and mixed together....save at least 1/2 cup TBSP of  basil for last step)
1 lb. Pasta (for 5 people)...or 2 lb.Pasta (for 10 people)

Application:

 Slice tomatoes in half, toss with garlic infused EVOO (sliced garlic that had been sitting in EVOO for 30 minutes) and place on a baking sheet. (If you want to put the fresh garlic in the oven either whole or sliced, it will roast and impart a great flavor. As well, keeping the garlic sliced or whole instead of crushed will allow you to control the amount of garlic eaten and your kitchen will also smell great for hours
.
Sprinkle with a little kosher salt
Place in oven for 3.5-4 hours @ 225 degrees
(Quick option: not quite the same sweet flavor...375 degrees for 45 minutes)
When tomatoes are shrunk and lightly browned...turn off heat, sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs and let sit in oven for another 20 minutes with door closed.
This short heating time period of 20 minutes will allow the herbs to absorb into the tomatoes and at the same time retain their fresh flavor.
Remove from oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet.

Final prep:

Cook your favorite pasta Al Dente (firm)...toss gently with 1/2 of the roasted tomatoes...a few tablespoons of pasta water... ROOM TEMPERATURE fresh mozzarella...chiffonade of fresh basil (see bottom for "chiffonade")...salt and pepper to taste....and Mangia Baby!

*EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Note...
Some ovens actually heat hotter than others and can effect the cooking time. Don't overcook. Light golden color is your goal and any liquids left in the pan can be used in the final prep. 
Always remember to cook in plenty of (kosher) salted water. In this case, there is no need to add water to rinse...as the starch for this dish is paramount and we do not want to remove any by rinsing.
This dish should be served between room temperature and warm...not hot, as you don't want the mozzarella to melt. It will help to serve on a platter as opposed to a bowl.

Don't be shy! Comments...Questions...always welcome. See pix below

Mangia Baby! Happy Anniversary Sandy!!!

Chef Bert...ie Me

To chiffonade, place basil leaves in layers...roll together and slice lengthwise for nice long strips...
You can also log onto youtube.com and search "chiffonade" for tutorial...b