friday favorites: food round-up

For this installation of Friday Favorites I’ve put together a little round-up of food products that are tasty and interesting…and a good number of them are made in either my adoptive state of Colorado or in my native state of New York. Quite a few of these will be making an appearance this weekend as we celebrate the Broncos winning the Super Bowl, er, I mean watching the game and hoping Denver takes the cake. Let me know what some of your favorite companies are doing!
Enjoy your weekend, Happy Chinese New Year and Let's Go Broncos! 

xo, 

Batya

1. Noosa Yoghurt: Honey, Blueberry, and Lemon are always in my fridge. (Colorado)

2. Mm Local Foods: The Pickled Boulder Beets are awesome, and the Western Slope Peaches are to-die-for! (Colorado)

3. Happy Leaf Kombucha: Denver's only kombucha brewery. (Colorado)

4. McClure's Potato Chips: Garlic Dill Pickle potato chips, for real. (Brooklyn)

5. Old Field Farm Maple Syrup: Perfect on almost anything. (Upstate NY)

6. Dram Apothecary Bitters: Cocktail bitters and Colorado herbal extract. I haven't been to the Bread Bar/Tasting Room, but it's on my list! (Silver Plume, Colorado)

7. Sweet Deliverance Jams + Chutneys: Delicious! (NYC)

8. Justin's: Nut butters + peanut butter cups! Hello. (Colorado)

9. Empire Mayonnaise Co.: With flavors such as lime/pickle + smoked paprika, it's hard to go wrong! (Brooklyn)

10. Rare Bird Preserves: Lemon Curd! Have I mentioned how much I love lemon curd? The make wonderful preserves and there are seasonal options too. (Illinois)

11. The Real Dill: My favorites include the caraway garlic dill pickles + their Bloody Mary Mix!

Thanks to Carly Loman- my colleague at DLD PR who put this montage together. See you next week! 

cook the mag: bon appetit's beet salad with miso + black sesame

I’ve had a sweet tooth for as long as I can remember. It became more intense with my first pregnancy and by the time my second son came around, well, I couldn’t walk past a bakery without stopping in and buying something. I have self-restraint in some areas, but this is not one of them.

It’s been 2 ½ years since I gave birth to Theodore and I still have a pretty intense desire for a daily sugar hit…evidenced by the fact that almost everyone who works at a bakery, pastry shop, cupcake store, or donut plant near my home knows me by name. Within a minute of walking through the door I’ll hear “Oh hey, Batya. How was your trip?” or “Did that biscotti come out right?” or “Is Otis feeling better? I hope so…” and knowing that I’ve been looking for a good deal on a mid-century modern piece I’ll get asked, “Did you find that credenza for the dining room?” It’s possible that I’m a little bit too regular, a bit too familiar,  at some of the local establishments selling sweets.

That said, I can’t and I won’t give them up. But I am determined to get a bit more balance back into my diet. I cook a lot and there aren't a ton of preservatives in the foods I eat, but I've kind of lost my way a little bit. I feel more lethargic and sluggish than usual. Some of this I attribute to the exhaustion that comes with raising two young boys. Game of Thrones marathons that run well into the night don't help either (I need more sleep!). But I just haven't been eating right and that causes drag too. I know it, I really do. I'm keenly aware that when I eat well I feel better. So I've started picking up juices at a fabulous local place my friend introduced me to (and I joke that I'm "juicing"-- not in the hey-my-neck-is-gonna-disappear-athlete sort of way but in the cold-pressed-raw-vegetable-and-fruit sort of way) and I'm incorporating lots of super foods into my diet.

As I celebrated my 38^th year on this Earth, I made myself a promise that I’d add more salads to my repertoire and treat them as meals (which I rarely do) and if I really crave something sweet then I will walk to get it…but maybe only once a week. Two times, tops! For now, let there be salad...

Beet Salad with Miso + Black Sesame  (Courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine) 


Ingredients

         6 small beets (about 1 lb.), preferably golden, scrubbed, divided

         3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

         Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

         ¼ cup white miso

         2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

         1 bunch watercress, trimmed

         1 teaspoon black sesame seeds or toasted white sesame seeds

        

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400° F. Place 4 beets on a large piece of foil and rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and close up foil around beets. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender. Bon Appetit says 30–40 minutes but mine took about 1 hour and 10 minutes (maybe because I used larger beets) until they were tender.

Unwrap beets and let cool slightly.  Peel and cut into ½” wedges.

Meanwhile, whisk miso, vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Set dressing aside.

Thinly slice remaining 2 raw beets on a mandoline. 

Arrange watercress and roasted and raw beets on a platter and drizzle with reserved dressing; top with sesame seeds.

Do Ahead: Beets can be roasted 2 days ahead. Cover separately and chill.

Friday Favorites: Sweet Treats (Mostly Chocolate)

I come from a long line of noshers, and just like my dad I’ve got a serious sweet tooth.  So for my new blog series called Friday Favorites, a weekly round-up that will feature curated collections of food, recipes, fashion and design, I thought I’d start with some sweet treats and delicious bites that make me happy…and yes, they are mostly in the form of chocolate. In the words of Charles Shultz, “All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” Happy weekend! xo, Batya

1. French Macarons from La Maison du Chocolate (Manhattan + Paris)

2. Chocolates from Marie Belle (Manhattan)

3. Bars from Mast Brothers (Brooklyn)

4. The Mount Baum Trio from Glaze The Baum Cake Shoppe (Denver)

5. Caramel Sauce from Helliemae's (Lakewood, Colorado). Also try the Chili Palmer Sauce!

6. Fondue au Chocolat Noir from Aux Anysetiers du Roy (Paris- beg someone visiting to bring it back! + Online) 

7. Chocolate Bark from Jacques Torres (Brooklyn)

8. Classic Salt Caramels from Helliemae's (Lakewood, Colorado)

9. Chocolate Bars from Ritual Chocolate (Denver)

10. Caramel Popcorn with Dark Chocolate from Jacques Torres (Brooklyn)

11. Boxes (Salt Caramels shown) from Nunu Chocolates (Brooklyn)

* How could I have forgotten Theo Chocolates out of Seattle. Try the Pili Pili Chili!

Have I missed a favorite of yours? Tell me which one. I'll try it and feature it in a future Friday Favorites! 

Note: This is not a sponsored post. It is a collection of sweet treats that remind me of good times and good people. Thanks to my colleague Carly at DLovesDesign for making this collage graphic! 

inspiration: the populist's cauliflower + pear soup with help from Food52

Ladies night boils down to this: great food, wonderful conversation, a few drinks and good friends. It's absolutely essential to my mental well-being and I'm quite certain that it makes me a better mother. I return home feeling refreshed and renewed and I should probably do it more often...

Back in November my friend Jo Ellen and I went to The Populist, one of Denver's best restaurants according to pretty much everyone. Now The Populist isn't cheap and ladies night isn't always this high-brow. Most of the time I opt for hole-in-the-wall type places that serve hummus platters, tacos, pho or Ethiopian food. But this get-together was special since my friend gave birth to her third child and this was our first time out together since mid-summer. We also really wanted to try the restaurant and the post-baby celebration gave us good cover. So on a chilly November night we went out on the town, got to the restaurant and sat down at our table shortly after we finished our first round at the bar (and yes, the cocktails were excellent). 

Now here's the thing about the meal: I'm still thinking about it. It was stellar. Exceptional! We ordered a bowl of cauliflower + pear soup, the butternut squash salad, curried chick peas and for my entree I chose the huitlacoche ("the Mexican truffle") agnolotti. Now I'm more of what you'd call a home cook and I thought the agnolotti was above my chef grade. But I'm really comfortable in the soup realm and so I though I'd take a stab at the cauliflower + pear. 

I scoured the internet for a recipe and found this one from the Food52 Community. It got great reviews and sounded like it would work really well. It was simple, straightforward and could be made using a cutting board and one pot (a.k.a. not much to clean). I loved the flavor of the pear and the sherry made it pop. Was it similar to The Populist's version? Not really. It was missing the dehydrated pear, which really adds a lot of texture, and it wasn't quite as smooth. But it was very good and the boys ate it by the bowlful. And in my book that's a success story. Next time I might serve it alongside some grilled cheese sandwiches. 

In case you were wondering how we finished off our ladies night...we concluded the meal with an excellent slice of lemon ice box cake that was lip-smacking good. I can't wait to go back to The Populist again and sit in their outdoor patio (that's covered with vines) once winter passes...

In the meantime, keep warm and enjoy the soup.

Cauliflower and Pear Soup (Adapted only slightly from Food52)

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of butter (you can make this vegan by omitting the butter and adding another tablespoon of olive oil)

1 large leek, white and light green parts, chopped

1 small shallot, chopped

1 head cauliflower, green leaves and trunk removed, florets chopped

2 small yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 medium sized pears, peeled, cored, and chopped

5 leaves fresh sage (or about 2 teaspoons chopped)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

5 cups homemade vegetable stock or good quality store-bought

kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 teaspoons sherry vinegar, or to taste (champagne vinegar also works)

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, for serving (optional)

Preparation
Heat the oil and butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the leek and the shallot, and cook until they are soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, potato, pear, sage, and thyme, stirring to thoroughly coat them with the oil and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently, another 8 to 10 minutes. You're aiming for a little caramelization around the edges for depth of flavor.

Add 5 cups of vegetable stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat to just maintain the simmer, and cook until all of the ingredients are very tender, about 30 minutes.

With an immersion blender or regular blender, puree the soup until it’s smooth. If you're using a blender, you may need to do this step in batches, then return the soup to the pot. You're looking for a smooth, velvety texture, so take your time to blend thoroughly. Thin with more chicken stock, if needed, until you reach desired consistency.

Season to taste with vinegar and salt and pepper (this is key!). Serve the soup in heated bowls, garnished with chives...or with large pieces of french baguette (I picked up mine from Babette's at The Source).