After a tough day I crave more rich foods. Hamburger is a winner for the meal after a Pedal Co-op day after a snow storm.

I had a few brioche slider buns left after a Blanchet event (it was O3worlds holiday party...pictures soon to come!) and some ground beef. Roasted zucchini over rough-chopped hazelnuts(this keeps them up and allows moisture to escape through bottom. It's what you'd not call a nut rack.

Made one long patty, and split it in two for the sake of "more toasted brioche please" . Spread with olive oil mayo and had pickled red onions on the side.

Most who know what there talking about would say a burger should drip down your hands and elbows. I agree, that is part of a delicious experience... however, this burger was a med-rare with a strong sear... it was formed wider/flatter than the soft balls you see at pubs, and it was sooo good but it wasn't a sloppy mess. The lesson here is how much good bread is important to a good sandwich. A big thanks to Modi! (Georges' in Wayne) The toasted brioche was not overwhelmed with beefy runoff, it was still toasty and structurally sound. If you have mediocre bread, then yes, enjoy the improved and resulting burger pudding with which your fingers will sink into. But... with really good bread... don't. As you can see, my burger was juicy enough to drip just a bit. Just right.

I was making myself dinner the other night and had plenty of time to play around. I had some pork braising in the oven already, so it was a simple question of what to have with it. Keeping different grains on hand in the pantry is something I try to maintain, and on this day I saw amaranth. Instantly, in my head, I heard a quote about amaranth that came from a chef somewhere in my past. "That stuff taste like bird seed!"

Now while some may agree with this, I know that amaranth can be delicious and I wanted to try a new way of preparing it that might change the opinion of those quick to dismiss the grain. I went through a thought process that included alternate ways of coking grains and polenta came to mind. Probably because amaranth can be popped like dry corn...so corn just "popped" up in my head.

I decided to go for a result that was like creamy polenta. I used my rice cooker first, with just water and a pinch of salt, I wanted the amaranth expanded and tender before I started playing around with it. Cooked amaranth is not delicate like cooked rice, so over-cooking or beating it to mush is not an issue. With the braised pork now out of the oven, I spooned in some of the cooking liquid oven the amaranth, added a touch of butter and simmered while stirring. The dense nature of the amaranth softened in the broth and butter and became smooth and creamy just like I hoped. I finished it with a good amount of Paresanno Regianno grated with a micro plane, it melted right in and highlighted the creaminess with more dynamic flavor. Had that chef tasted this, I'm sure he'd concede that amaranth doesn't always taste like birdseed.


Hey.... how's he know what birdseed taste like anyway?

It was a private event at the attractive little byob in queen village named Sautee. A special menu was designed by chef Nick Cassidy featuring truffles in each course. The dinning room was set for just one seating of one large party of guest, who were friends and regulars of Sautee. The manager, Zachary Firestien, who also works with me for Blanchet Private Chef, asked if I'd like to come and partake in the special occasion night of cooking. Being very familiar with truffles, I was happy to contribute and work along side Chef Nick Cassidy.

Beautiful dishes of food and fantastic wines were enjoyed by the guests and by us as well, once the work was complete. What a fun night, I helped with some knife work and some sauces while Nick cut some amazing grass fed veal which would become a tartar for the second course. Fresh pasta was rolled with truffle slices in the dough! It's a technique that can be done with herbs too and yields beautiful presentation. I may include this technique in my workshop at the Wallingford Community Arts Center later this winter.

I was able to get a few photos with my little cannon which are what you're looking at, but we also had a professional photographer there and he took many more pictures through the night. I'll see if I can get some of them for the photo album of this website.

In my garden we have a golden raspberry bush. These are a high anticipated item with big time sensuality. If I had to pick a favorite food...one stand-out edible thing above all else....it would be berries. Memories of climbing Mulberry trees and stuffing myself while hanging, sneaking into a neighbors raspberry patch and sampling, and going to orchards for blueberries and gorging certainly influence my opinion and enhance my love of them.

So raspberries have a signature flavor that comes from ethyl formate. As it turns out or Galaxy has a large surrounding cloud of this same chemical. It is therefore safe to say that our galaxy, the Milky Way, tastes like Raspberries.

Goose eggs became available recently at FFFS. They have more richness than chicken eggs, mainly from the fact that the yolk is larger both in size and in proportion to the whites. They make a great scramble and the yolk is amazing if cooked just barely, as in the lacquered yolk technique. These are from Geese at Pecan Meadow Farm in Newburg, PA.

This is a frittata I made with morels, Gold Ball turnips, and Landisdale organic kale. It was for a clients brunch party and seemed to be a real crowd pleaser. Green Meadow baby mesclun, roasted beets, crispy shitakes and good olive oil are also in this dish.

Here are some pictures of me in the kitchen at Fair Food Farmstand.

If you've seen the back of the Blanchet flyer, then you've seen 3 dishes that relate to each other. This image is also part of that series. Mussels being a major part of all four dishes, this dish is a good example of something I'd serve in a private dinning event. The green sauce on the plate is arugula pesto, olive oil is also dressed over the dish. Red lentils, tomato, seedling arugula, and crisp rice paper are also part of the dish. Summer is the appropriate season for theese ingredients.

Food Blog will follow food occurrences as they happen in the Blanchet world. Issues of food excellence, sustainability, and reflections of a consumer.