Page 87 ⋆ Jersey Bites

An Evening Out: Vidalia in Lawrenceville

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July 25, 2016

An Evening Out: Vidalia in Lawrenceville

New Jersey is no stranger to great Italian restaurants. My favorites have always been the small, cozy eateries that welcome guests as family to enjoy authentic food, crafted with passion. This vision frames Chef Salvatore Scarlata’s Vidalia Restaurant, a charming BYOB celebrating more than 10 years in Mercer County’s village of Lawrenceville. Visiting for dinner, Vidalia’s warm hospitality made me feel as if I had been dining there for years. It was my first visit, but will not be my last.

Scarlata’s pride in Vidalia and passion for the art of Italian cuisine are deeply rooted. He was born in Sicily and raised in Northern Italy, where his interest in cooking was ignited at a young age. In fact, Scarlata’s grandfather was a well-known plum tomato cultivator and his grandmother processed their crops for sun-dried tomatoes. Sourcing from distributors such as FarmArt Produce and Severino Pasta, Vidalia’s menu reflects an appreciation for the beauty of fresh, local ingredients. “As a small, local business myself, I want to support other businesses in the area and those who aim for exceptional quality as I do,” Scarlata explained. “We live in this town, our kids go to school here, and we’ve been a part of the community for ten years, so supporting local businesses makes sense for us. Plus, it ensures our customers receive only the best from doing so!”

Finding it impossible to choose between Vidalia’s “Primi” selections, my dinner guest and I decided to take Scarlata up on his offer to surprise us with appetizers. As something of an artichoke fiend, I secretly hoped that one of his choices would be the carciofi francese, and he did not disappoint. Enrobed in a lemon, white wine, and butter sauce that was just tart enough to awaken the dish without being too assertive, the lightly battered Roman artichoke hearts provided a bright start to the meal. We especially appreciated the textural balance of the asparagus, prosciutto, and mozzarella bundles that followed. Each bite of flaky puff pastry yielded a center of crisp-tender asparagus that contrasted the bed of sun-dried tomato sauce well.

Asparagus, prosciutto, and mozzarella bundles

Our Insalate course consisted of a beet salad (pictured at top) that was as interesting to the eyes as it was to the palate. With walnuts, figs, goat cheese, and honey-balsamic vinaigrette, the salad was earthy, sweet, and satisfying. Scarlata’s garnish of balsamic caviar from Modena intrigued us. The tiny pearls of balsamic vinegar popped on the tongue for a punctuation of flavor that rounded the dish.

vidalia-pasta, Amanda Biddle, Jersey Bites — Fresh fettuccine tossed with plum tomato sauce, sautéed eggplant, fennel sausage, and Vidalia onions

I always ask for entrée recommendations when I visit a restaurant for the first time. When two of the staff remarked that we should not miss Scarlata’s red sauce, my guest ordered Vidalia’s namesake dish. The generous portion of fresh fettuccine tossed with plum tomato sauce, sautéed eggplant, fennel sausage, and Vidalia onions was fresh and comforting, without being heavy. A seafood lover, I opted for pan-seared scallops with black truffle oil-infused parmesan mushroom risotto. The Boston Day Boat scallops were meltingly tender, paired with a vermouth cream sauce for a luxurious finish.

vidalia-scallops, Amanda Biddle, Jersey Bites — Pan-seared scallops with black truffle oil-infused parmesan mushroom risotto

I’m not sure how we managed to fit dessert but am glad we did! The torta di creme brûlée (creme brûlée pie) paired a thick graham cracker crust with velvety, classically-flavored filling. We both remarked between forkfuls on how much we enjoyed the filling’s light texture. A delightful twist on a dessert staple.

creme-brulee-pie, Amanda Biddle, Jersey Bites — Torta di creme brûlée

Vidalia is open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Friday, and dinner on the weekends. Since seating does fill up (the restaurant was full on the rainy weeknight I visited), dinner reservations are recommended. Guests may request al fresco dining on the patio, recently updated for year-round use. Vidalia’s amiable atmosphere and creative presentation of eclectic, Northern Italian inspired cuisine are as well-suited to dining with a group of friends as enjoying a romantic dinner for two. Buon appetito!

Vidalia Restaurant
21 Phillips Avenue
Lawrenceville
609-896-4444

Size and Taste Matter at Callahan’s

Veronique @ Food & Wine Chickie

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July 22, 2016

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It’s National Hot Dog Day! And that makes today a perfect opportunity to introduce diners unfamiliar with Callahan’s Hot Dogs to the popular Bergen County restaurant and to make loyal customers drool over the the pictures they’re about to see.

I’ve been following Callahan’s on social media for a while (on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) and images they posted truly look fantastic, and yes, a bit over-indulgent. When I was recently invited to check out the place, I jumped at the opportunity.

About Callahan’s

Callahan’s is a family-owned-and-operated fast casual food business serving specialty hot dogs and complementary dishes. The original Callahan’s opened in 1950 in Fort Lee and flourished until 2006 when the family opted to close the business. In 2014, Daniel DeMiglio, the original owner’s grandson, reopened the business with a Callahan’s food truck. After a very successful year, DeMiglio opened the flagship Norwood store with a gas station look and feel reminiscent of the original Fort Lee location. The third generation-owned business now has an additional food truck to help maintain the growing catering business.

When I visited the Norwood store, I was fortunate enough to meet and speak with both DeMiglio and the restaurant’s chef, Danny Fabian. The duo was fresh off a television appearance (view the segment here) and shared interesting facts about the food as well as the memorabilia found in the restaurant that was once in the Fort Lee location. Visiting the storefront is like a fun trip down memory lane. DeMiglio incorporated a number of Callahan’s original design elements into his restaurant: tables, glass blocks, stained glass lighting, vintage tin signs built into a custom bench and the tail end of a ’57 Chevy built into one wall that serves as the bottle opener for the vintage glass bottled sodas. Original store photos decorate the dining room walls, further supporting DeMiglio’s efforts to share and continue his family’s legacy.

The Food

Chef Danny brought out quite a sampling for our party to try, including various hot dogs, of course, the truffle mac ‘n cheese burger and some loaded fries.

The three hot dogs we tried were the BBQ pulled pork and coleslaw dog, the peanut butter, salted caramel and bacon dog and the mango salsa dog. All three start with a New Jersey traditional “ripper:” fried hot dog made with pork and beef that, as Callahan’s slogan suggests, are “So Big, So Good.” Hot dogs are available in two sizes: regular (9 inches) and super (over a foot long). My favorite, if I had to pick one, was the peanut butter, salted caramel and bacon version. The combination of the salty and crunchy bacon, sweet caramel and the creamy peanut butter is a winner.

To simply call the burger we had a “burger” is doing this dish a disservice. The softball-size meat patty is stuffed with rich, gooey, decadent truffle Gouda macaroni and cheese. I’m not typically a fan of stuffed burgers as most times the texture and integrity of the burger is compromised. This version, however, has a crispy exterior, from it being deep-fried, that keeps the meat moist inside. This enormous burger is easily shareable among friends.

Callahan’s offers a choice of classic, curly or sweet potato fries (and also onion rings). Chef Danny’s imagination takes off from there with outrageous toppings. We enjoyed the buffalo bacon blue cheese fries. One could also order disco fries featuring homemade gravy and fries topped with chopped hot dog.

For clients who can’t pass up sweets, Callahan’s offers specialty desserts like its CinnaBON ToastCRUNCH fries and double-battered deep-fried cupcake with Yoohoo drizzle.

A “Callakids” menu is also available with a choice of burger, hot dog, chicken fingers or grilled cheese, a beverage and fries. The meals are served is a classic car-themed cardboard box and come with a sticker and Fantastic Frank bendable toy.

Location and Hours

Callahan’s food trucks can be found all over New Jersey and can be reserved for private parties and events.

Whether off the side of its food truck or in the retro dining room of its Norwood location, be sure to visit Callahan’s for a delicious casual meal served by professionals with a passion for the business and for keeping family traditions alive.

Callahan’s
10 Broad Street
Norwood

Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: Saturday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Hours subject to change. For truck locations and hours, visit the Callahan’s website or access the business via social media.

Cheers,

Veronique

Burlington County Farmers Market: Season 10!

Christina Carrell

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July 22, 2016

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Burlington County Farmers Market: Season 10!

If there’s one word that describes the Burlington County Farmers Market best, it’s community. During my first visit of the 2016 season, my husband, toddler, and I watched from a spot on the lawn as shoppers relaxed with their friends and families. Shaded under the umbrellas at the market’s picnic tables, locals swayed to the live acoustic stylings of TonyO’s Music while dining on hot gyros served up by Kuzina by Sofia. The weather was sunny, the mood cheerful, and the market full of unique flavors.

Mary Pat Robbie, director of the Burlington County Department of Resource Conservation, explained that the market’s overwhelming sense of community is something she has watched evolve since the venue’s 2007 debut. “People do know one another from coming to the market,” Robbie told me. “They know their vendors, they talk, they chat, they bring their dogs. They sit and listen to music, and it’s just a nice way to spend a Saturday morning.”

And that community vibe extends beyond the market’s shoppers. In fact, the market’s more than seventy vendors also bond with one another at the weekly event, which is held every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., May through October. Melissa Crandley, chocolatier of MECHA Artisan Chocolate, pointed out that in addition to the customers, the other vendors have been an especially important part of the market’s neighborly atmosphere. “There is a great sense of camaraderie among all the vendors,” Crandley noted. “We like to see each other succeed.”

Together with her husband Charles, Crandley makes artisan chocolate from a modest kitchen located in the SoHa Arts Building in Haddon Township. The market offers her an additional outlet to perfect her art, particularly because the shoppers who frequent her table are adventurous eaters who don’t shy away from unusual taste combinations. She emphasized that her customers look for original, exciting new flavors that challenge her creativity. As a food artist, she loves that she can use the market to practice her craft and invent daring new chocolate varieties. “The market allows us to experiment, test, and expand our offerings so we can ‘wow’ our customers,” Crandley remarked.

Jersey Farmhouse 1 — Jersey Farmhouse Jams

Danielle Brenner of The Jersey Farmhouse echoed many of Crandley’s sentiments, praising the loyal customers who return to her booth week after week. Like Crandley, Brenner appreciates the bold palates of her clientele, which allow her to fully explore her culinary creativity. And, creative is certainly the right word to describe the Farmhouse’s products, which use Jersey Fresh ingredients to innovate unconventional flavors like peachy pepper jam. “They not only are very supportive, but are fun and daring whenever I want to try a crazy new flavor,” Brenner said of her customers, adding, “They appreciate my mission of keeping it local and seasonal. When they tell me they are stocking up for the holiday or taking to a friend, it is the ultimate compliment.”

Although the market now boasts a wide variety of food, beverage, and craft vendors, when Robbie and her colleagues first conceived the idea for a market, their primary mission was to offer local farmers a place to direct market their produce. Three years before the market began, the county purchased a 68-acre farm on Centerton Road in Moorestown. Because the farm was located outside of their usual preservation area, they brainstormed some ways they could make it as special as possible. They believed the farm’s location in suburban Moorestown would be an ideal place to host a farmers market.

The remarkable popularity of the event, which is measured using parking lot car counters, has proven the accuracy of that prediction. When the market began, it started with only seventeen vendors. But it has grown so much that, in 2015, an average of 900 cars visited the market on any given week. On some peak weekends, the market’s customer base has increased to as many as 1,300 cars, demonstrating just how much of a success it has been.

Due to the market’s high volume of traffic, many of the participating farm vendors have gained new customers. “Agricultural vendors are very pleased,” Robbie said. “They’re moving a lot of product.”

Nancy Hlubik of Hlubik Farms in Chesterfield described the market as “an integral part of the community.” She praised its role in expanding her business, adding, “I love the fact that we are able to introduce our product to a wider customer base and build new relationships with the customers.”

But supporting local farms wasn’t the only goal Robbie’s team had in mind when they began the market. The second part of their mission was to educate the public about Burlington County’s agricultural scene. To fulfill that goal, they have worked closely with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, which hosts demonstration plots on the farm where the market is held. At the preserved farm, they also host other programs and events designed to foster an understanding of local agriculture, and the market is another means to help fulfill the department’s twofold mission of ensuring the viability of area farms and helping people appreciate the agriculture in the area.

If you stop by the market, you’re likely to at least develop a greater appreciation for some of the unique and entrepreneurial ways local farmers are using agriculture to create new area businesses. Elizabeth Ann Sidhom owns the Cat’s Meow, a vegan/vegetarian cafe in Medford. To be clear, the cafe isn’t your typical soggy, frozen veggie burger joint. In the truest sense of the term farm-to-table, Sidhom takes the vegetables her husband, Wilson, grows at Fertile Crescent Farm to cook the items on their menu.

The next time you’re in Moorestown on a Saturday, make a point to swing by the farmers market. Better yet, if you love local food, make a special trip there. Once you’re there, you’re certain to discover not only something new to delight your taste buds, but you’ll also feel like you’re truly a part of a community coming together to support local food—and each other.

Watch for recipes from The Jersey Farmhouse and The Cat’s Meow, coming soon on Jersey Bites!

Baker Spotlight: Rachel Crampsey of Montclair Bread Company

Rachel Bozek

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July 20, 2016

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Baker Spotlight: Rachel Crampsey of Montclair Bread Company

An integral part of the Montclair community, the Montclair Bread Company maintains a full calendar of classes, camps, parties, and a running club. (You’d think the place were fueled by doughnuts or something.) Crampsey sat down with Jersey Bites to discuss everything from coffee to community to the Culinary Institute of America.

JERSEY BITES: What is your earliest food memory?
RACHEL CRAMPSEY: I remember when I was really little, I wanted chocolate milk in a bottle and my dad mixed it with cocoa instead of chocolate syrup. It clogged the nipple and I couldn’t drink it, and my mom yelled at him because he didn’t know what he was doing. It’s a weird memory, but I remember that. And I remember cakes. My grandmother decorated wedding cakes for a living. She really let me be involved in that process. She would give me a paper plate to decorate while she was decorating the real thing and I remember lots of frosting, all of the time. I remember it being frustrating because she’d be whipping the frosting, and the mixer was so loud I couldn’t watch cartoons because the mixer was in the background.

When did you realize you wanted to do something with that?
My dad’s dad was a very conservative businessman. So to do something like this a career was unheard of because you would never make any money and you could never survive—you got to sell a lot of doughnuts. Then I went to college at the University of Florida, and I was baking cookies and brownies and selling them at the local coffee shops to pay my rent while I was in school.

What did you major in?
French. [Baking] was just something that I could do and I enjoyed doing, so I did it but I never really thought it could be my life. While I was in school at Florida I had a following for my cookies: cowboy cookies, and rocky road brownies. There would be a line waiting for me to drop them off at this one little deli. That was when I started thinking about culinary school. I started looking into it and I wrote a couple of essays. Then I graduated and I moved back to my hometown, Chestertown, Maryland. I signed up to substitute teach and my first day on the job a teacher walked out, so I [taught] for the rest of the school year. But in the mornings before I went to teach, I helped my friend who had a catering business make all of the desserts for her parties. I’d get up at three in the morning, go do that, then go teach. That’s when I applied for the Culinary Institute of America and I got accepted and decided to make a career of it, because teaching wasn’t for me.

How would you describe your style or your approach?
The community is the most important thing—being a part of that through food is what I try to do. I know some people think we’re expensive but we also have lower price points too. [And we make] sure that we have stuff for kids, adults, everybody. We even have a running club now. So creating this community awareness through food and doing whatever we can, as a local business, to embrace our community. And then we just happen to make some really great breads and doughnuts, too.

If we can bring everyone on our journey from grain to loaf through education, through marketing, whatever it is that we can do, so that everyone knows how it’s made, and why we do what we do, and what ingredients we use, that’s part of it.

What is the most memorable baked good you’ve had?
When I first went to France I was from a meatloaf, mashed potatoes kind of family. I was fourteen maybe, if that. I went with a school group. I had never had a leek before; I never had a scallop; I never had an endive. There was so much that I never even knew existed. And I never had a baguette before, not a real baguette. It was my first baguette and it was just so amazing, everything about it. Even when I come close to hitting the mark on it and it gets me somewhere near that first memory it’s just incredible. Then on that same trip I had this thing, and I know there’s a name for it, I still, to this day, can’t figure out what the name is, but it’s basically a fried brioche bun, like a burger bun, coated in granulated white sugar, split in half, and filled with pastry cream. It looks like a burger. I kept asking the family to take me back to that bakery so I could get that hamburger thing. It’s not a hamburger thing it’s really this classy French delicacy. That really inspired my doughnuts, and how I make my donuts. All of that treatment was from that memory. I only had it once.

What would you choose as your last meal?
Chicken and dumplings.

What were your early years baking professionally like?
You have to work a lot for nothing forever in order to get what you want. I baked bread for free for two years before I could get a paying job as a baker. I worked at Bread Alone and I worked as a barista because there were no openings for somebody with zero experience. I came in eight hours before my shift and I spent eight hours working alongside the bakers and learning as much as I could before I went to my paid job. I’m not from a wealthy family, my parents worked two jobs to pay the bills so it’s not like I had somebody financing this adventure in bread, I just really wanted it, I really did.

What advice do you have for aspiring bakers?
You really have to pay your dues and put the time in, and absorb as much as you can and learn as much as you can. Have zero expectations, be willing to live for nothing. When I opened the bakery we were on food stamps. I think people see my line, people waiting for doughnuts, and assume that we’re loaded. [But] what I’m most proud of in all of this is having this staff and being able to support all of these families and not just mine. We’re not in it to rake in the bucks, we really just want to create this and foster this community.

If you could be any food, what would you be?
I guess maybe brioche, because I find it to be the most versatile of all of dough.

What’s one staple food item or ingredient that you always have on hand at home?
Coffee. That’s the only thing that I never run out of.

And what’s your beverage of choice?
Coffee. And beer.

Favorite comfort food?
Chicken and dumplings.

What New Jersey bakeries or bread shops do you love?
Piece of Love Pastries. They’re doing some really great things, like jam made from fruit from the farmers market. [The owner, Jen] also makes hand pies from the jams she makes. I really love what Ester [Mallach] does at the farmers market, at Ester’s Treats. I think her chocolate oatmeal bars supported my second pregnancy.

If you could have dessert with any three people, living, dead, fictional, who would you choose?
My grandma, my great grandmother, and my daughter.

Montclair Bread Company
16 Label St (entrance on Forest)
Montclair, NJ 07042
973-509-2525

All images are courtesy of Montclair Bread Company unless otherwise noted.

Beach Party at Newport Green

Marina Kennedy

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July 19, 2016

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Bringing Community Together for Food and Fun

Last week, the 14th Annual Beach Party at Newport Green brought the best of summer fun to Jersey City as hundreds of guests enjoyed entertainment, food and community spirit. Families and many more visited the Green’s sandy beach area, playground and the kids’ interactive waterpark. Scores of guests kicked back and enjoyed the music of two performing groups, the family-friendly, Hoboken-based band, The Fuzzy Lemons, as well as The Benjamins.

Newport Green is a centerpiece in the community: a common area where people can gather and enjoy stunning riverfront views of New York City. And it includes the only “urban beach” on the Hudson River.

Local eateries had pop-up stations with delicious menu items to satisfy everyone’s tastes. Cosi served refreshing drinks like its popular raspberry lemonade as well as salads and brownies. Loradella’s Family Pizzeria offered Italian favorites like their calzones, stromboli and pizza. Bwe Kafe was also on the scene.

Raj, Abhi, Susie, of Raaz (photo by Marina Kennedy)

Raaz, the popular neighborhood Indian restaurant on Washington Boulevard in Jersey City, offered a great menu of its specialties including samosas, chicken biryani, mixed vegetable pakora and gulab jamun.

We spoke with Frank Clapsaddle, general manager for the Newport Community. He said, “The community has grown because it is family focused. The event is designed expressly for children, guided by and for the families of Newport.”

Newport is a master-planned, mixed-use community in Jersey City that includes retail, residential, office, and entertainment facilities. The neighborhood is situated on the Hudson waterfront opposite Lower Manhattan. The area is served by PATH, the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, and New Jersey Transit busses.

Photos by Mark Wyville unless otherwise noted.

Harvest, Cook & Dine with Chef Eric LeVine

Veronique @ Food & Wine Chickie

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July 18, 2016

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Harvest, Cook & Dine with Chef Eric LeVine

I recently experienced a totally memorable farm-to-plate VIP evening at the breathtaking Donaldson Farms, a 500+ acre, working, family-owned-and-operated produce farm. The event included a hayride to the fields where we harvested fresh ingredients that we then brought back to well-equipped outdoor kitchens. Once in our own kitchen, each pair of guests received a hands-on cooking lesson from Chef Eric LeVine of Morris Tap & Grill in Randolph. After we finished cooking and grilling, we sat and ate as a group, next to a field of strawberries and under a sea of twinkling lights.

Our farm-to-table menu featured the following:

Sides: mixed green salad, cantaloupe and lime salad
Main: pork loin, chorizo with zucchini
Dessert: raspberry lemon curd tartlet

This fun concept kicks off an eight-week culinary series where up to 24 participants can take part in this harvest, cooking, and dining experience.

Participants are asked to arrive at the farm by 6:30 p.m. A different seasonal and delectable menu has been created for each event in the series. Access the event calendar to view upcoming menus. To ensure ingredients are as fresh as possible, sides, herbs and other menu items may be substituted due to current crop and weather conditions, however the main portion/proteins will not change.

Events are all on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. The schedule is as follows:

July 27
August 3
August 10
August 17
August 24
August 31
September 7

The rain-or-shine events are held in a beautiful tent on the farm. Dinner is casual and guests should dress appropriately in order to be comfortable harvesting ingredients from the fields and cooking outdoors.

The events each cost $115.00 per person. Please notify Donaldson Farms ASAP if you need to cancel your reservation. These are limited seating events that are often times wait-listed. (No refunds will be given within 72 hours prior to event.)

Donaldson Farms
358 Allen Road
Hackettstown

908-852-9122, press ‘2’ for events
[email protected]

Cheers,

Veronique

Save the Date: Can-it-Forward Day, July 22!

Recipes

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor

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July 17, 2016

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Save the Date: Can-it-Forward Day, July 22!

When the Ball brand asked me to participate in this year’s Can-it-Forward Day, I accepted. I’ve declined the invitation in the past because, frankly, it looked like a lot of work, equipment and time. As it turns out, it can be all of those things, but doesn’t have to be. And sometimes the work, equipment and time makes for the perfect excuse to have a party.

Speaking of parties, on Friday, July 22, the Ball brand will host its sixth annual Can-it-Forward Day: a day to celebrate the joys of fresh preserving, and encourage both new and veteran canners to preserve more. This year, the event will take place entirely online, via Facebook Live. Throughout the day, the Ball brand and its expert ambassadors will demonstrate a variety of canning recipes in the true spirit of canning it forward. For every engagement received on the videos, whether it’s a comment, like or share, the brand will donate $1 to a local charity.

I had the “new canner” requirement covered by my own involvement. Now I needed to recruit a veteran canner to help me with this project. I immediately approached my friend Chantale Taurozzi, who grew up in Warwick, New York, in a refurbished barn on a retired apple orchard. She’s that person you see on Facebook sharing their latest canning or cooking project. You know, the one who makes you feel lazy as hell.

On our day of canning, I plopped myself at Chantale’s kitchen island and let her do the canning while I did the typing. (I was not being lazy. I had a story to write.) When she pointed out that her kitchen has two sinks and two dishwashers, I knew I’d picked the right partner for this project. “The clean sink is for the canning,” she pointed out. And that, my friends, is dedication.

“Some people like to go to the gym, or read, I cook,” she said with a shrug. Chantale’s love of cooking large quantities came from spending time with her grandmother. “She wouldn’t make one batch, she’d make seven batches,” she said. “Everyone went home with food.”

So as I sat at the kitchen island waiting for the water to boil, I threw out the questions.

Chantale's grandmother and great aunt — Chantale’s canning mentors: her grandmother and great aunt

DEB: Why do you like canning?
CHANTALE: First, it’s very nostalgic. It reminds me of my grandmother and great aunt and our days at the bungalow by the lake in New York, canning for hours. It’s really an event. You can’t stop once you start. Families make parties out of their canning days. It’s also nice not to have to shop. In the winter, especially, the fruits are so nice to have on hand. We’ve got great peaches, tomatoes. It also gives you a sense of self-sufficiency. After Sandy, I had a cupboard full of food which I gladly shared with neighbors. And, last but not least, you know exactly what’s in your food.

Chantale's son Giuseppe helping Mom on tomato sauce day. — Chantale’s son Giuseppe helping his mom on tomato sauce day.

What tips do you have for rookie canners?
1. Learn the science behind canning. Get yourself a Ball brand cookbook. They cover the science and teach you how important it is to preserve correctly. You do have to take it seriously because you can get very sick. Acid is very important.

2. Never reuse the lids.

3. Your dishwasher is good for keeping bottles warm until you’re ready to fill them.

4. Ball’s Facebook page is great for tips.

Chantale also shared her favorite things to can:

Tomato sauce and pizza sauce.
Fruit. Peach butter doesn’t require a lot of sugar and it just cooks down. It’s like summer in a jar.
Raspberry coulis is nice to have around to make your everyday dessert a little fancy.
Pesto, which I freeze so it stays bright green.
Barbecue sauce fun to can and brings back summer in the middle of winter.
Fast pickles—they are super easy.

And she let this newbie in on rookie mistakes to avoid:

Overfilling the jars.
Not cooking long enough for the size jar you’re using.
Not waiting the recommended five minutes after cooking and before removing.

For our Can-it-Forward project I decided to make the Chipotle Tomatillo Salsa, from The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving. It’s an easy, six-ingredient recipe. The first three ingredients go on one baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Throw everything in the blender and you’ve got a tart and smoky salsa pretty much ready to can. That’s my kind of recipe.

Chipotle Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients:

2 lb. (1 kg) fresh tomatillos, husks removed
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lime juice (about 3 large limes)
½ tsp. (2 ml) salt
3 to 4 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Arrange tomatillos, stem side down, and onion quarters, skin side down, on a large rimmed baking sheet. Wrap garlic cloves in a small piece of aluminum foil. Place foil pouch on 1 corner of baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes or until tomatillos and onion are beginning to char and soften. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack to cool. When vegetables are cool enough to handle, remove peels, and place in a food processor. Add lime juice and remaining ingredients; process until pureed.
Transfer mixture to a large stainless steel or enameled saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
Ladle hot salsa into a hot jar, leaving a ½ inch (1 cm) headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band, and adjust to fingertip-tight. Place jar in boiling-water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
Process jars 25 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat; remove lid, and let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

The folks at Ball sent me four Collection Elite Wide Mouth Pint Jars. These are new 16 oz jars. The salsa recipe I prepared was only enough to fill two jars, which my veteran canning partner thought was hilarious. “Deb, anything under 40 jars is not canning,” she said. Baby steps, Chantale, baby steps.

For a ton of tips and to take the Can-it-Forward pledge this year, visit the Ball brand Tumblr and website. And remember to tune into Facebook Live on July 22 for a fun day of canning tips and fundraising for local charities.

Go Ahead and Judge: An Evening at BBQ, Bourbon & Biergarten

Essex
Events

Rachel Bozek

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July 16, 2016

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Go Ahead and Judge: An Evening at BBQ, Bourbon & Biergarten

Last week’s Montclair Food & Wine Festival’s BBQ, Bourbon & Biergarten event, held at the Montclair Art Museum, included a memorable and top-notch selection of dozens of meal samples, craft brews, and bourbon. An additional layer of the evening involved a two-part competition: people’s choice and judges’ choice. Veronique Deblois, a frequent contributor to Jersey Bites and also blogger at her own Food and Wine Chickie, sat on the three-person panel of evaluators. When I was invited to attend the event, I knew right away that I wanted to get an up-close-and-personal education about the judging process. Deblois is a seasoned food judge (see what I did there?), and she took the time to offer true insight into her evening of sampling and scoring. And sampling some more.

JERSEY BITES: How many items did you try?
VERONIQUE DEBLOIS: We judged around 40 entries. Small bites was key!

Were there any participating restaurants that you haven’t been to before?
I hadn’t been to several restaurants that ended up serving some of my favorite dishes, like Halcyon, with those buttery, garlicky grilled oysters (pictured at top), which ended up taking first place from the judges and the people’s vote. That was a really smart thing to serve, although that guy shucking several hundred oysters was likely exhausted at the end of the night.

What else did you enjoy seeing—and tasting?
I was glad to see the Wood Pit bringing brisket and a suckling pig to the event. Their family sauce was stellar and screamed Carolina BBQ. I was also excited to see Essex Junction go big with a whole hog and loved their tacos with moist pulled pork topped with a perfect crackling. Two delicious, yet a bit unexpected, dishes were the ribs with an Italian spin from Spuntino, and the outstanding spicy kimchi from Escape that smartly topped a piece of perfectly tender pork belly on homemade bread.

What did you think of the general setup of the event?
It was pretty perfect: tables aligned to make it easy to walk around, even with 600 guests in attendance, a great band, easy-to-access bathrooms in the museum, tents in case of rain, which it did. And beer tables at each end of the event space. It was well done!

Veronique Deblois, Jersey Bites — Deblois, aka Food and Wine Chickie

How did judging work?
We were three judges at a table. We each had entry forms where we entered our thoughts on four categories: appearance, aroma, appearance and taste from 1, being the lowest rating, to 5, being the highest. Runners brought each dish to the judging table and each was rated in this format. At the end of the judging session, all the points were tallied up to determine a winner.

Do you feel super full afterward?
Honestly, I took extra small bites so in the long run, I likely ate less than guests who ate full portions of half the dishes.

Any final thoughts on the evening?
It was a fabulous charity-driven event that I know took many months of planning and was one of the best outdoor events I’ve attended…and I go to many!

Miss Nicky and her rum whisky butter cookies

Halcyon with MFWF President Francesco Palmieri

So Fresh, So Jersey at So Jersey Mobile Café

JerseyBites

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July 15, 2016

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So Fresh, So Jersey at So Jersey Mobile Café

In many cases, people who don’t live in New Jersey don’t know just how good we’ve got it here, especially when it comes to local produce and the farms dotted throughout the state who grow it. (We aren’t called the Garden State for nothing!)

We spoke with Daisy White Maurer, owner and operator of So Jersey Mobile Café, about how the South-Jersey-based food truck is serving up locally-sourced and grown Jersey Fresh ingredients in new and delicious ways.

JERSEY BITES: How did So Jersey Mobile Café begin?
DAISY WHITE MAUER: My husband and I had some background in food. I used to work in a bakery a long time ago and went to a vocational school to work in a bakery. This is all back in the ’90s [laughs]. I left the field for a while and I’ve been working in career services. My husband worked as a waiter at a country club long ago—we’re both super foodies. A couple years back we just both kind of looked at each other and really wanted to do something different than what we were doing. So we started looking at opening a food truck and what that would be like, and took the plunge.

We’re both southern-New-Jersey born and raised. I’ve lived here all my life, and one of the things that gives me reason to give people more details about what it’s like living in South Jersey is when we talk to people who aren’t from New Jersey. They have a preconceived idea about what New Jersey is. That’s really what inspired us to come up with the concept for the truck, we wanted to highlight all of the great things that are New Jersey, as far as cooking and then the availability of produce that we have here.

What do you enjoy most about operating the food truck?
The thing that I actually enjoy most about operating the food truck is the thing that I was surprised about the most: the community [of food truck owners]. We thought it was going to be cutthroat, like really competitive to the point where people were not going to be as nice to each other as they are. If you’re having a bad day, or you forgot something, or you need something, there’s no hesitation from any of the other food trucks if you’re at an event with them. Everybody’s kind of [extending] their hand to help each other out, which I find to be surprising and the best thing about having a food truck.

How long has So Jersey Mobile Café been in operation?
We’ve been in operation for about a year and a half now. We started in February of last year, so we’re still new. The first year was definitely rough [laughs].

Why is it important for the ingredients you use to be locally grown and sourced, and organic when possible?
I think it’s important for everybody to eat local. I might be biased but I kind of think New Jersey has the best produce. I mean, it’s just about supporting the farmers here that are growing these things and having everything as fresh as it can be.

What would you say is your favorite kind of Jersey produce?
I think tomatoes, because tomatoes also go into a lot of iconic New Jersey dishes. When you think New Jersey you think pizza, bruschetta, and meatballs—a lot of Italian things. I feel like if you were anywhere else but in New Jersey, those are the things that people associate with [the state]. When I travel around and they’re in season, I will bring people baskets of Jersey tomatoes.

What are some of the farms you’re affiliated with, and how did you go about finding them?
One of them is DanLynn Farms and they’re in Pedricktown, in the same vicinity as us. There’s a farm market and custard stand down here in Pennsville that we use, too. We discovered them because we live in Salem County—everything is right there.

What’s in season now and how is it highlighted by your menu?
Blueberries, for instance, we put in our cupcakes. We have a blueberry, Greek yogurt, and granola cupcake; we do blueberry cannolis; we have blueberry balsamic baby back ribs, we call them Baby Blues. Strawberries just came out of season, but we did a lot of stuff with those. What’s coming into season now is corn. We do a cornbread that we griddle on the flattop and serve with Jersey Fresh honey and butter. It’s really decadent. And tomatoes are coming out now. Our menu is very tomato-heavy. We do grilled cheeses with tomatoes; we do what we call So Jersey fries, and they’re basically fries that have bruschetta, with tomatoes and fresh basil, and a pesto mayo.

What are your most popular menu items?
Those So Jersey Fries are pretty popular. One of our most popular sandwiches is a peach, Brie, and bacon sandwich, with onions (pictured at top). It’s really popular when we do wine festivals and things like that because it’s a huge plate, only a sandwich. And our Caprese sandwich, with fresh mozzarella, tomato, and pesto. Those are pretty much our two most popular sandwiches. The sandwich menu is pretty standard but we will change it up in the fall.

How many times does the menu change throughout the year?
Every week or so you can expect a different sandwich to be on there. Definitely different cupcakes—those change. We usually have about six to eight flavors available and they change week-to-week. We try to include whatever’s in season. Peaches are coming up next too so we’ll probably do like a peach cobbler cupcake and a green tea, peach, and ginger one.

That sounds great! What’s your favorite item on the menu?
My favorite item would be the So Jersey fries. They’re just good. I mean tomatoes, basil, and there’s this pesto mayo that we use. And it’s on french fries, which you can’t go wrong with. It’s just bright.

Where can readers go to visit So Jersey Mobile Café?
They can go to the Westmont Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 4 to 7:30 p.m. and we are at McGuire Air Force Base on Thursdays. On select Saturdays in the summer we’re at Merchantville Farmers Market. And then the rest are different events that we have booked.

Where’s a good place to find updates for events that you will be at?
Our website and we have a Facebook page: the Facebook page is probably the best place.

To learn more about So Jersey Mobile Café or to find out where they’ll be stopping next, visit the website or Facebook page. For more information about Jersey Fresh, click here.

By Andrew Farinaccio

Celebrating Seafood at the Shore

Jersey Shore

JerseyBites

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July 15, 2016

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No matter where you are in New Jersey you’re never far from the Jersey Shore, and in turn, great seafood. Come summertime, New Jersey residents everywhere, myself included, flock to towns all along the shoreline for seafood festivals—a fixture of coastal foodie culture.

Upcoming seafood festivals taking place across New Jersey this summer include the following:

July 16 and 17: Monmouth Park Surf & Turf Seafood Festival, Oceanport
August 4 to 7: Highlands Clam Festival, Highlands
August 20 and 21: Bellview Winery Seafood Festival, Landisville
September 10 and 11: Atlantic City Seafood Festival, Atlantic City
September 17: Festival of the Sea, Point Pleasant

A couple of weeks ago, I stopped over at the Bradley Beach Lobsterfest, during its eighth annual celebration of the king of crustaceans.

As I walked up and down the bustling boardwalk where the event was being held, there was no doubt as to what the focal point of the weekend’s festivities was. Practically every food vendor had signage mentioning “lobster” in one way or another, whether it was lobster rolls, lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, lobster bisque, lobster cakes, or even lobster empanadas.

However, having never tried the classic lobster roll before, my Lobsterfest objective was clear from the very beginning: I had to get my hands on one.

My lobster roll proprietor of choice was the Nauti Mobile food truck, owned and operated by Luke’s Lobster, a series of self-described Maine-bred seafood shack[s], specializing in sourcing ingredients from sustainable fisheries and highlighting them by way of simple, no-frills preparations.

A brief mission statement on side of the Nauti Mobile read, “… we buy directly from lobstermen so we can trace its exact origin back to the very dock it came from,” and while Luke’s Lobster uses only lobster from the waters of Maine, the taste of their lobster roll made me question if they had actually just pulled a fresh lobster out of the nearby ocean only minutes before.

The first thing I noticed about the lobster roll from the Nauti Mobile was that there could be no doubt as to what kind of sandwich I was about to dig into: the generous amount of lobster meat jam-packed between the embrace of a warm, toasted roll was more than enough indication that this was, indisputably, a lobster roll. The second thing I noticed was the vibrant color of the lobster meat, which consisted of vivid whites and reds, peppered by flecks of seasoning.

Not surprisingly, the lobster tasted just as fresh and bright as it looked. The lumps of meat were cool and tender, and the light seasoning and simple preparation showcased the sweetly succulent flavor that lobster ought to always have.

As the name “lobster roll” would suggest, however, the lobster makes up only half of what made this sandwich so crave-worthy. One might assume that the other half, the roll, would likely be overshadowed by its crustacean counterpart since, after all, this was Lobsterfest and not Rollfest, but that assumption would be far from the case. Instead, the roll served as the perfect companion to its impressive-on-their-own contents.

The bread was fluffy, with a crisp, light brown exterior that was likely achieved by having both sides of the roll spend a moment getting acquainted with a smear of butter atop a flattop grill. The sweet flavor of the butter became embedded within the roll itself and, in conjunction with the lobster meat, was reminiscent of the classic combination of broiled lobster turned deliriously decadent with a generous dousing of clarified butter.

Overall, this lobster roll was a fitting example of everything Lobsterfest and other New Jersey seafood festivals celebrate: great foods made from fresh ingredients that make us appreciate what the bounty of the sea has to offer. Bonus: It also paired really well with a side of crisply fried Oreos and a fantastic ocean view.

By Andrew Farinaccio

15 Northern NJ Restaurants to Visit on National French Fry Day

Veronique @ Food & Wine Chickie

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July 13, 2016

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15 Northern NJ Restaurants to Visit on National French Fry Day

July 13 is National French Fry Day and fans across the Garden State are celebrating their favorites at local restaurants. Some purists enjoy the simple double-fried version while others seek out outrageously topped fries.

Here are 15 of our favorite northern New Jersey french fries.

Bin 14, 1314 Washington Street, Hoboken, 201-963-WINE
Executive Chef Anthony Pino and Chef de Cuisine Justin Antiorio put an Italian twist on french fries. Their three popular offerings are the pecorino fries, the Cacio e Pepe Fries (cheese, fries, black pepper, yolk) and the truffle fries with Romano and black pepper.

Broadway Diner, 55 River Road, Summit and two Bayonne locations, 201-455-8239
While the disco fries at this popular diner are the favorites, the loaded waffle fries topped with melted cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon and sour cream also have a devout fan base.

BURG, 55 Park Place, Newark, 973-482-2874
The secret to Chef Chris Siversen’s ultra-crispy-yet-still-chewy fries is that they’re cooked three times. BURG’s version of disco fries features crisp fries layered with béchamel and gravy. Fans who want to take things to the next level can add bacon, sour cream and scallion for the whole hot mess.

Callahan’s Hot Dogs, 10 Broad Street, Norwood, 844-HOT-DOG1
Callahan’s offers several kinds of loaded fries for just $4.50. Any combinations can be requested on sweet potato fries or curly fries instead of the usual steak fries. The top sellers are buffalo bacon blue cheese fries (chunky blue cheese dressing, buffalo sauce topped with crispy bacon pieces), the BBQ pulled pork and cheddar fries (homemade BBQ pulled pork marinated for 48 hours, cheddar cheese sauce and topped with a drizzle of the house-made signature BBQ sauce) and the Broad Street disco fries (house-made brown gravy and mozzarella cheese baked in the oven then topped with grilled onions).

George & Martha’s, 67 Morris Street, Morristown, 973-267-4700
This Morristown hot spot offers guests smothered fries: french fries topped with smoky applewood bacon and green onions then smothered with bleu cheese for a tangy bite.

Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern, 1 E Franklin Turnpike, Ho-Ho-Kus, 201-445-4115
This popular Bergen County restaurant serves poutine fries: covered in taleggio cheese and foie gras gravy with fines herbes.

Jefferson Diner, 5 Bowling Green Parkway, Lake Hopatcong, 973-663-0233
The often-featured-on-Food-Network diner serves some of the best, classic disco fries around. No fancy ingredients: fries, melty cheese and brown gravy. Just the way diner disco fries should be.

Kimchi Smoke, 49 W Church Street, Bergenfield, 201-338-8333
At his food truck-turned-storefront-restaurant, Robert Cho has created the outrageous, decadent ChoLander Fries. The concoction features crispy fries loaded with smoked kimchi, cheddar cheese, pulled pork and his BBQ sauce named Fatboy Sauce.

Kraverie, 24 Mercer Street, Jersey City, 201-737-5877
Created in 2011, Kraverie came to be when two of Jersey City’s most popular food trucks decided to park their wheels and team up. One of the most popular dishes is the kimchi cheese fries, which can be topped with bulgogi ribeye.

Paramus Ale House, 270 Route 4 East, Paramus, 201-342-4800
Zinger Mountain Melt—crispy fries topped with the franchise’s own medium garlic Zingers—and then smothered with melted Monterey jack and cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon and green onions. The literal mountain is served with a choice of bleu cheese or ranch dressing.

Park & Sixth, 279 Grove Street, Jersey City, 201-918-6072
At Park & Sixth, the mac-n-cheese fries have their cult following for a reason: crisp fries topped with gooey mac-n-cheese. What’s not to like!? Not a mac-n-cheese fan? Try the John Travolta fries, which are topped with short rib gravy, Gorgonzola and cheddar.

Pig & Prince Restaurant & Gastro-Lounge, 1 Lackawanna Plaza, Montclair, 973-233-1006
Leave it to Chef Mike Carrino to serve a Breakfast Poutine which features seasoned french fries and southern-style sausage gravy topped with fried eggs.

Redux, 3 Central Avenue, Madison, 973-845-6263
While they are called disco fries, Chef Rob Ubhaus’ version of the popular diner dish is unlike any other. The highly addictive dish features wedge fries topped with rich veal “gravy” and slabs of Saint Andre cheese.

Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas, 70 Kingsland Road, Clifton, 973-661-2435
Truffle fries made with truffle oil, Parmigiano Reggiano and Italian herbs, and—new to the menu—herbed polenta fries, made with Pecorino Romano, chopped parsley and cracked black pepper, served with tomato sauce.

Taphouse 15, 75 State Route 15, South Jefferson, 862-437-1300
At this recently opened restaurant, fries take a beefy turn. The short rib cheese fries feature crispy fries topped with braised short ribs and American cheese served in a cast iron skillet.

BONUS FRIES!

Fricassée, 6 Park Street, Montclair, 973-744-2191
While they’re not technically extreme in any way, the fries at Fricassée are a must have. No over-the-top gilding here, just well-made, crunchy-on-the-outside, velvety-on-the-inside fries. Chef and owner Mark Papera says cooking the fries in pristine oil where no other foods are fried results in a product with a clean taste without off-putting secondary favors. Quick tip: Dip the fries in mussels Meunière broth.

Cheers,

Veronique

Recipe: Zesty Zucchini with Mild Whole Sweet Peppadew Peppers

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor

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July 12, 2016

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Jersey Bites

An Evening Out: Vidalia in Lawrenceville

Size and Taste Matter at Callahan’s

Burlington County Farmers Market: Season 10!

Baker Spotlight: Rachel Crampsey of Montclair Bread Company

Beach Party at Newport Green

Harvest, Cook & Dine with Chef Eric LeVine

Save the Date: Can-it-Forward Day, July 22!

Go Ahead and Judge: An Evening at BBQ, Bourbon & Biergarten

So Fresh, So Jersey at So Jersey Mobile Café

Celebrating Seafood at the Shore

15 Northern NJ Restaurants to Visit on National French Fry Day

Recipe: Zesty Zucchini with Mild Whole Sweet Peppadew Peppers

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