This sponsored article is brought to you by Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment.
In its all-new facility, the Meadowlands Racetrack will host its inaugural Homestyle Chili Cookoffon Saturday, January 30, with a grand prize of $1,000 up for grabs! In addition to the $1,000 grand prize, the winner earns a spot in the International Chili Society’s World’s Championship Chili Cookoff in Reno, Nevada.
Homestyle chili is defined by the International Chili Society as the cook’s favorite combination of ingredients resulting in a dish seasoned with chili peppers and spices. Contestants must cook their chili on site, between 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Judging will take place immediately afterward.
“This event is another opportunity for us to create a unique event to expose new fans to our beautiful facility,” said Meadowlands general manager and CEO, Jason M. Settlemoir. “Plus, who wouldn’t love to cook and sample chili on a cold winter day?”
Both amateur and professional cooks, are invited to register by visiting the sign-up page. There is a $20 registration fee, due prior to the start of cooking. (This covers the membership fee to the International Chili Society.)
In addition to the chili competition, a side contest for homemade salsa will take place, with a $500 first prize.
For complete rules and additional information, click here.
Note: Jersey Bites was invited to visit the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern and our writer received a complimentary meal.
Ho-Ho-Kus often grabs the attention of passers by because of its catchy name and rich history. Making the trip to this quaint town is well worth it, especially if you’re into the “small town” feel or looking for a great place to eat. There are plenty of dining places in the area, but the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern is sure to catch your eye—and tickle your taste buds.
The Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern was originally built in 1790, with portions of the building dating back to pre-revolutionary times. The Inn served as a residence until the late 1800s but as time went on, it became a stagecoach shop, hitching post, inn and hotel, as well as a tavern and restaurant for out-of-town travelers. Today, the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern stays true to its roots by maintaining some of the design elements and relics from its earliest days while simultaneously putting a modern spin on the restaurant. It is no surprise that the food is just as remarkable as the interior design and atmosphere.
I recently dined there with my boyfriend, on a cold and rainy Friday night. We were immediately warmed after eating the flavorsome bacalao soup. When I think of baccalà, I think of the strong taste of salt on the fish and pretty much prepare myself for such flavor. This soup, however, was perfectly balanced with roasted garlic and cream, making for a savory appetizer, wonderful in both taste and aroma. It was absolutely delicious.
Next, we tried the lobster and white truffle gnocchi and the Nantucket bay scallops. The gnocchi were cooked to perfection, with the most delicious smoked bacon crème fraiche on top. My absolute favorite bite of the night, however, was the mouthwatering scallop dish I had. These tender scallops were placed over a carrot-ginger risotto with really nice beet oil on the side. The risotto was cooked al dente, allowing for some resistance rather than being too soft. I wanted to order more of this dish because it was just that good; I was craving more after we left! We paired both of these dishes with a glass of Kistler chardonnay, which was suggested to us by our waiter and, of course, it was a very good choice.
Lastly, we had the roasted venison with braised Swiss chard, pearl onions, and fingerling potatoes in a cherry-cognac demi sauce. This was both our first time eating venison, so I was a little uncertain at first. But when I took my first bite into it I was pleasantly surprised. The meat was tender—but not gamey—and the cherry-cognac sauce really added to the delightful taste. We paired this dish with a glass of Old Vine zinfandel, a red wine with black cherry notes.
Aside from the food, I really loved the friendly and attentive staff as well as the atmosphere of the restaurant. Each dining room has its own personality. Although they each have an upscale and elegant feel, each room maintains the historical aspect of the restaurant. Dining at the Inn is a rich, cultural experience right in the center of downtown Ho-Ho-Kus.
Note: Jersey Bites was invited to visit The Ryland Inn and our writer received a complimentary meal.
Outside of food professionals, writers, and intrepid foodies, precious few people seem to know the scope of The Ryland Inn’s menu. I’m here to tell you that they have something for everyone! Whether it’s an intimate family dinner or a large corporate party, The Ryland Inn serves up delicious and upscale meals in a beautifully refined setting. And now they are offering a delicious lunching experience as well.
The lunch menu has some mouth-watering appetizers, from savory Wagyu beef tartar to fall-inspired pumpkin soup to perfectly grilled flatbread to an indulgent charcuterie board (pictured above) to a sweet and savory autumn squash salad. I sampled the autumn squash salad, layered with house-made ricotta cheese, fennel sage, and bitter chocolate. The brilliant addition of chocolate really delighted my palate and took simple ingredients to new heights.
The Ryland has a delectable hamburger, which I highly recommend and it is served with house made bacon jam, baby arugula, cheddar, roasted garlic aioli, and potato chips. Entrées also include tilefish, salmon, short rib Reubens, pork schnitzel, risotto, an amazing turkey breast sandwich as well as Griggstown (a favorite local farm of mine) chicken paillard Nicoise (pictured below). Additional sides can be ordered to complete your meal, including classic Brussels sprouts, broccoli rabe, and garlic Parmesan fries. Each dish is seasoned to perfection, cooked expertly, and served beautifully. All of the ingredients are precisely positioned on their plates and are exceedingly fresh.
Chicken paillard NicoiseGin-Tuition
Whether you are entertaining clients or enjoying a leisurely lunch, be sure to enjoy one of The Ryland’s tastefully prepared cocktails. I enjoyed the Gin-Tuition, a cocktail with chamomile-infused small batch gin, lime, orange, and angostura (shown here). Much like The Ryland Inn itself, the cocktail is warming, simple, and elegant.
If you have driven past The Ryland Inn wondering what the restaurant has to offer, wonder no more. Stop in for lunch and enjoy the perfect combination of appetizing dishes with professional service. I highly recommend this wonderful spot!
Note: Menu items may change on a seasonal basis.
The Ryland Inn
115 Old Highway 28
Whitehouse Station
908-534-4011
Looking for a new dinner recipe? Ring in the new year with this one, from Chef Laercio Chamon, Jr., (a.k.a. Junior), for roasted Long Island duck over creamy polenta—with an orange and Blue Mooney reduction. Chef Chamon recently shared it with Jersey Bites contributor Melissa Beveridge, so if you haven’t been toZOE Bistro in Little Silver, let us bring a piece of it to you!
Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon thyme 1 tablespoon onion power 1 whole duck (or 3 duck breasts) 4 cups polenta 1 quart chicken stock 1 quart heavy cream 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1/2 lb whole butter 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 cups Blue Mooney wine 2 cups cherries (dry or fresh) 1 cup of beef stock (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Wash duck in cold water for 3 minutes. Place duck in a hotel pan with a cooling rack, mix salt, pepper, thyme, and onion power together then rub it on duck, spreading it all over. Place duck in over set timer for 25 minutes. (If you’re using duck breasts sear for 4 minutes on each side and let it rest for 2 minutes then slice and serve.)
In a large sauce pan, boil chicken stock, heavy cream, red pepper flakes, chopped garlic, and 1/4 lb butter. Bring it to a boil then add polenta slowly and stirring it so it doesn’t clump up. Stir every 5 minutes on a low heat, for about 40 min. (If you’re using instant polenta, stir it for 5 minutes, til polenta becomes creamy.)
Add Parmesan and remaining butter, salt, and pepper to taste. If needed, add warm water til polenta becomes soft again.
In a small sauce pan place wine, cherries, and orange zest on a low heat. Cook til wine reduces like a syrup, about 20 min. (Optional: Add beef stock to sauce.)
Place polenta on the plate the duck. Top it with sauce and enjoy!
By any account, neither Grace Crossman nor Laura Brahn should have ended up working in restaurants. “I was supposed to stay away from this industry,” Brahn said with a smile after telling me that both she and her business partner have degrees in literature.
Even though cooking wasn’t their first plan, they both found their way into restaurants and haven’t looked back. The two chefs have been working at various restaurants in Asbury Park for five years (including Porta, Pascal and Sabine, and Talula’s). Crossman also spent time working in New York City restaurants as well as on an organic farm in New Jersey.
Now the pair has decided to venture out on their own. They are opening Cardinal Provisions, a restaurant and catering business in Asbury Park, set to open in January 2016.
Cardinal Provisions will serve breakfast and lunch. It will be a full-service daytime food spot, plus they’ll have a carry-out case with grab-and-go options. The food will have an emphasis on seasonal, local ingredients and in general will slant in the healthy direction. They want to put out the kind of ingredient-focused food they like to eat during the week: lighter and fresher than what they might indulge in on the weekends. But their kitchen is also their playground, so they plan to host occasional pop-up dinners that will allow them to flex other culinary muscles that go beyond the offerings on their regular menu. Their vision is strong but still fluid enough to allow room for the pair of creative chefs to experiment.
Event catering will be a major component of their business as well. According to their website, they are interested in catering partly because they “love the temporality and excitement of the short term” and it allows them the opportunity to frequently take on new creative challenges. They enjoy crafting new, customized menus to fit the needs and personalities of their catering clients.
When I visited with Crossman and Brahn in mid November, the restaurant was a construction site. Watching the two talk about their vision was a treat. They are doing a lot of work themselves, so Cardinal Provisions is coming together on a tight budget. This is forcing the duo to get creative with their choices. They have been scouring flea markets and antique shops to source decorative fixtures for the restaurant. Their mothers have been helping hunt for interesting pieces of china. They intend to create a space that works for daytime but will also transform well for evening events. The signs in the windows were done by Steady Hand Lettering and the signage was created by Quiet Points. The exterior trim is painted a shocking bright green, while the space’s interior will be a bit more subtle. They both smiled when they described their plans for the restrooms, which are going to be playful and surprising. An antique taxidermic flamingo that came from the shooting range at Palace Amusements (and has family ties to Brahn) is going to find a home there.
As if they aren’t busy enough, Brahn and Crossman have several other projects going on. They have been recording a podcast about their experience with opening the restaurant, with a focus on the challenges of creating their vision on a budget. They are thinking about publishing a Cardinal Provisions zine in the future. They’re also selling hand-printed t-shirts featuring their logo.
Cardinal Provisions participated in the Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten’s Christmas market in December. Brahn and Crossman sold an assortment of holiday treats including preserved lemons, spiced nuts, Szechuan peppercorn peanut brittle, and German chocolate truffles. Their offerings at the market were an exciting preview of things to come. I had the opportunity to try some of the brittles and spiced nuts and it made me even more excited for the opening of their restaurant. They created something really tasty from simple ingredients and I can’t wait to experience what else they can do. I wasn’t able to try their intriguing bacon jam because when I stopped by they were sold out—for the second day in a row.
Crossman and Brahn may not have intended to become chefs, but luckily for us, they did.
Go 15 miles west of the glitzy casinos, boardwalk kitsch, and crashing waves of Atlantic City, and you’ll find thousands of acres of pine forests, interspersed with small farms. The climate of Atlantic County is similar to that of the winegrowing regions of France and Italy. Since the 1860s, the area near Egg Harbor City has had vineyards, and today there are seven active wineries in Atlantic County. Although I do not have a favorite New Jersey winery, this is my favorite of the state’s wine regions, and everyone I have taken to these vineyards has left very satisfied. The Atlantic County wineries are the largest and oldest in the state, but at the same time, they are all family owned and offer very personal service.
I had the opportunity to interview Joseph Milza, of Renault Winery, and Jim Quarella, of Bellview Winery. Renault (pronounced re-NALT) is the oldest and best-known winery in New Jersey. The winery has a long and colorful history, and in recent years has blossomed into a full-fledged resort with two restaurants, a 50-room hotel, and an 18-hole golf course. In 1864, Louis Nicholas Renault planted a vineyard in Egg Harbor City using vinifera grapes from Europe. Renault Winery started selling wine in 1870, and has long been known for its champagne. During Prohibition, the winery obtained a permit from the federal government to make sacramental and medicinal wines.
Giant wine barrel at Renault Winery
In 1977, newspaper publisher Joseph Milza purchased Renault. At the time, the famed winery’s heyday had passed, and sales had slumped. Joe began the transformation of the Renault into a winery resort. In 1983, Renault opened the first of its two restaurants. Around 2000, Milza opened the Tuscany Hotel, and four years later, a vineyard-themed golf course debuted. Renault has an extensive collection of wine glass art and antique winemaking equipment. It is the only winery in the United States to make a blueberry champagne, which has become Renault’s best-selling wine. Milza noted that Renault has been making champagne long enough that the name is grandfathered, and can be called champagne rather than sparkling wine. This year, Renault won the New Jersey Governors Cup for its 2012 Merlot.
Bellview Winery tasting room
Jim Quarella is a fourth-generation farmer with a penchant for innovation. Quarella’s great-grandfather Angelo was originally from Italy, and in 1914 started a fruit and vegetable farm in Landisville. In order to keep up with global competition in the produce market, Quarella planted specialty Asian vegetables in the early 1990s. A full-scale vineyard was planted in 2000, and the following year the winery opened. Quarella stated that the biggest challenge of operating a New Jersey winery is the belief that the state only produces fruit wines or very sweet wines. In fact, dry wines from the state routinely win medals in national and international competitions.
While Bellview initially only grew three acres of grapes, it now has 40 acres under cultivation, and sells over 20 different varieties of wine, including ones like Grüner Veltliner and Blaufränkisch, which are uncommon in New Jersey. Their biggest seller is Fiesta, a blend of cranberries and red wine. Bellview is the only winery in the state and one of only a handful in the entire country to make a dandelion wine. Quarella said the wine is based on an old family recipe, and is difficult to produce, but ages very well. The winery is also exploring the use of Marzemino, a rare Northern Italian grape that is mentioned is Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni.
Both Renault and Bellview are members of the Garden State Wine Growers Association (GSWGA), and take part in numerous festivals and events each year. Of the wines that I have sampled at Renault, my favorite is its American Port. Made from Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, the port is strong, smooth, and sweet, and would make for a nice treat while sitting by the fireplace on a winter night. At Bellview, I strongly recommend both the black currant and dandelion wines. Black currant is smooth and effervesces with the sweetness of fruit. Dandelion was just as sweet and smooth as black currant, but with an herbal kick.
Bellview Winery 150 Atlantic Street
Landisville
856-697-7172
Renault Winery 72 North Bremen Avenue
Egg Harbor City
609-965-2111
Photo at top: Antique winemaking equipment at Renault.
Chef Marita Lynn from RUNA Peruvian Cuisine, Red Bank, shared her recipe for alfajores with one very lucky Melissa Beveridge. Make and enjoy these for Christmas, New Year’s, or just for you!
Alfajores
Recipe yields 50 alfajores, serves about 6
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted ¾ cup butter, room temperature 4 tablespoons powdered sugar 1 cup Manjar blanco (a.k.a. dulce de leche)*
Cookie preparation: 1. In a bowl, mix together, the flour, butter and sugar. Once mixed, use your hands to create a uniform dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 350°F.
3. On a floured surface, making sure to flour your roller, roll the dough to ½- inch thickness. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut out alfajores and place on baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20 minutes
5. Let the Alfajores cool on a wire rack.
6. Fill the Alfajores with dulce de leche, sandwich style.
7. Dust with powdered sugar.
*Manjar Blanco/dulce de leche can be bought jarred or in a can. If you’d prefer to make your own, here’s what you need to do:
Ingredients:
1 can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
1 cinnamon stick
Directions:
Combine evaporated milk and condensed milk in a pan with cinnamon stick and simmer for two hours until the color changes and takes on a thick consistency.
Melissa Beveridge checked in with Porcini, where Chef Chris Atamian shared his grandmother’s Beraks recipe. It’s an Armenian cheese triangle that they made together at the holidays when he was growing up. And now he shares grandma’s Beraks—it’s everyone’s favorite holiday hors d’oeuvre!
Recipe yields 30 to 40 Beraks.
Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter, melted 1 box of phyllo dough 2 lbs cottage cheese 1 teaspoon fresh dill 3/4 cups grated parmesan cheese 3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Pitch of salt, to taste 4 eggs
Directions:
Combine cheese, herbs, eggs, and spice in a large mixing bowl.
Unroll one sheet of phyllo dough onto counter, brush with melted butter.
Place second sheet of dough directly on top of already buttered dough and butter again, generously, so that you have 3 sheets of dough buttered and stacked.
Cut the rectangular phyllo dough into 4 equal sections from top to bottom (vertically).
With a teaspoon, put a dollop of filling at the bottom of each rectangle. Fold bottom left corner to meet right side (like a paper football). Then repeat, folding with right corner to meet left side.
Repeat until each strip is folded and stuffed into triangles.
With the melted butter, paint the final folded corner of each triangle to seal closed.
Repeat this process until all phyllo dough sheets are gone.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Arrange Beraks out on paper and bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Jose Lopez, executive chef, Nassau Street Seafood (Princeton) shared his recipe for salmon stuffed with creamed spinach with Jersey Bites contributor Amanda Biddle. Give it a try this week—or any time of year!
Salmon Stuffed with Creamed Spinach (Salmon Relleno con Crema de Espinaca)
Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 pound salmon fillet, butterflied 1 pound fresh spinach 3 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 4 tablespoons olive oil ½ cup heavy cream or milk ½ tablespoon salt ½ tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon all purpose flour ½ cup panko breadcrumbs ½ tablespoon paprika ½ tablespoon fresh chopped parsley Lemon slices and dill sauce (available for purchase at Nassau Street Seafood), for serving
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Wash spinach well and set aside. Grab a large pan and sauté garlic in butter for 3 to 5 minutes. Add heavy cream or milk and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper and let it simmer. Slowly start whisking in the flour. Once the mixture starts thickening, add in the spinach and let it simmer for a few minutes. Slowly stir in the panko bread crumbs. Remove from heat and set aside until thickened.
Spoon the spinach mixture onto the open, butterflied salmon fillet. (You do not want it to run out of the salmon. If it does, the mixture is not thick enough; go back and add a little more panko.)
Once the mixture is settling on the salmon, season with salt and pepper. Close butterflied fillet and top with olive oil, paprika, and chopped fresh parsley.
Place salmon into a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Serve with dill sauce and lemon slices.
Aperol, Italy’s very popular light spirit, finally arrived in the US in 2006. It boasts a rich, romantic Italian history: in 1919, the Barbieri family of Padua, who created Aperol’s original secret recipe, which was an infusion of more than 30 aromatic herbs and spices including bitter and sweet orange. To this day, the original recipe remains unchanged to this day. It was introduced as a breakthrough innovation as a spirit with an unusually low alcohol content of only 11%.
Due to its relative novelty in on these shores, Aperol cocktails are rare. However, the Pegu Club in New York innovated the Intro to Aperol to introduce its customers to a fun, refreshing aperitif. The intro version removes Angostura bitters from the Pegu Club’s recipe, allowing the zesty orange Aperol flavor—and sun-drenched color—to take center stage.
And without further ado, here’s Salt Creek Grille’s take on the Pegu Club’s Intro to Aperol.
The Introduction
Ingredients:
1½ oz Aperol
¾ oz gin
½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
Orange rind, for garnish
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.
2. Shake and pour into a short glass (or strain into coupe).
3. Garnish with an orange rind.
Salt Creek Grille’s twist on…
The Jack Rose, a popular, Prohibition-era cocktail
Jack Rose was a crook who was notorious for using cunning and imagination to pin his crimes on others. Eventually Rose used the same guile and enthusiasm to go into the catering business. Legend has it, he came up with this cocktail, based on AppleJACK and the color is a telling ROSE-pink. Others have claimed it was invented by New Jersey’s own Joseph P. Rose, a world champion mixologist.
Either way, Laird’s AppleJack is making a comeback and the recipe for the Jersey Jack Rose, with its gorgeous color and triple-fruit flavor, is one you should have in the recipe book for the winter.
Ingredients:
2 oz Laird’s AppleJack
½ oz house-made grenadine (equal parts pomegranate juice and sugar)
½ oz fresh lemon juice
Magners hard cider
Lemon rind, for garnish
Directions:
1. Shake AppleJack, grenadine, and lemon juice with ice and strain into a martini glass.
2. Top with a float of the cider.
3. Garnish with a lemon rind.
You can order both of these cocktails at Salt Creek Grille – Princeton’s Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve special dinners. Salt Creek Grille will be celebrating Christmas with a special Christmas Eve menu designed by new Executive Chef Luis Estrada. You’ll be able to enjoy all of Salt Creek Grille’s signature mesquite grilled favorites and more, including baked goat cheese marinara, lobster and shrimp pappardelle, coffee encrusted New York steak and butterscotch pot de crème. Also, you can ring in the New Year in style with Salt Creek Grille’s New Year’s Eve dining options. There are three to choose from, with prices starting at $75 for hors d’oeuvres, an open bar til 1 a.m. and music provided by Rainbow Fresh. To book for either of these events, please call 609-419-4200.
From the Feast of the Seven Fishes, to signature menus, to family-style offerings, Christmas Eve without the prep work or cleanup might just be the way to go! Here are just a few of the many restaurants statewide with big Christmas Eve plans.
Seating is not guaranteed. Please call for availability and reservations.
The Bernards Inn From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., guests will enjoy Christmas Eve dinner at the Bernards Inn, complete with a visit from Santa. Choose between a three-course, prix-fixe meal, or a buffet in the Fenwick Ballroom. 27 Mine Brook Road, Bernardsville. 908-766-0002.
The Bonney Read On Christmas Eve, but also throughout the month, The Bonney Read celebrates with the Feast of the Seven Fishes, offering diver scallop crudo, insalata di frutti di mare, spicy clam stew, fritelle di baccala, shrimp scampi, pesce spada, and whole pan roasted bronzino. 525 Cookman Ave., Asbury Park, 732-455-3352.
Escape Montclair (pictured above) On December 24, Chef Bryan Gregg recreates the popular Christmas Eve meal at Escape using the freshest fish and seafood on the market. The dinner is $49 per person plus taxes and gratuity. Reservations for this special dinner can only be made by phone. 345 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair. 973-744-0712.
Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen
If you’re looking for a family-style Christmas Eve dinner, set up your reservation at the Rathskeller($75/person or $140 with beverage pairings), while the Dining Room will be serving its Feast of the Seven Fishes ($120/person or $195 with wine pairings). The Oyster Bar will also be open! 110 South Street, Morristown. 973-644-3180.
Landmark Landmark Hospitality serves Christmas Eve dinner at Liberty House, Stone House, Logan Inn, andthe Ryland Inn. Click your desired location for menus, contact information and directions.
Salt Creek Grille — Princeton Chock full of mesquite-grilled goodness, the Princeton location of the Salt Creek Grille serves dinner from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. From stuffed jumbo shrimp to roasted squash and ricotta ravioli to flourless chocolate cake, or any of the other selections on the menu, you may never stay home for Christmas Eve again. Forrestal Village, 1 Rockingham Row, Princeton. 609-419-4200.
Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas
Enoy Spuntino Wine Bar’s Feast of the Seven Fishes menu through December 24. The Feast of the Seven Fishes tasting menu is $45 ($65 including wine pairings) and dishes are also available a la carte. The full Feast of the Seven Fishes menu is available here. 70 Kingsland Road, Clifton. 973-661-2435.
Strip House at the Hotel Westminster From 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. the dining room offers its classic steakhouse menu, with seasonal specials, and the bar will be open from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. 550 W. Mount Pleasant Ave., Livingston. 973-548-0050.
These delicate, buttery, waffle-like Italian cookies are one of my favorite Christmas traditions. To bake the batter, you’ll need an electric pizzelle iron (available in many kitchen stores), which will imprint the cookies with a beautiful pattern. I’ve found that the polished plate models (as opposed to those with a nonstick coating) bake the thinnest, most crisp cookies. For an especially light texture, my family uses cake flour in the batter. Enjoy pizzelles on their own with your favorite warm beverage or a bowl of ice cream, or shape them into cones and fill with whipped cream, chocolate mousse, or sweetened ricotta!
Yield: 30, 5-inch pizzelles
Recipe: Vanilla Pizzelles
Ingredients
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1-3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and granulated sugar until thick. Add cooled melted butter and vanilla and whisk to combine. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder into wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. (You can also use a hand mixer.)
2. Preheat and grease an electric pizzelle iron according to your manufacturer’s directions. Drop batter onto iron and bake until steam subsides and cookies are a light golden color (this takes around 30 seconds on my iron using heaping teaspoonfuls of batter; models will vary). Remove cookies from iron and lay flat on a wire rack for round pizzelles, or immediately wrap around a cone mold. Pizzelles will crisp as they cool. If desired, use a pair of kitchen shears to trim any uneven edges from the cooled cookies.
3. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. If pizzelles lose their crispness after storing, place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350°F oven for 1 to 2 minutes to refresh.
While Bellview initially only grew three acres of grapes, it now has 40 acres under cultivation, and sells over 20 different varieties of wine, including ones like Grüner Veltliner and Blaufränkisch, which are uncommon in New Jersey. Their biggest seller is Fiesta, a blend of cranberries and red wine. Bellview is the only winery in the state and one of only a handful in the entire country to make a dandelion wine. Quarella said the wine is based on an old family recipe, and is difficult to produce, but ages very well. The winery is also exploring the use of Marzemino, a rare Northern Italian grape that is mentioned is Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni.
