Chewy Brownies for the Holidays

November 14, 2018 — Posted in: Desserts, Recipes

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Melt chocolate chips and butter together over low heat in a double boiler. Combine all ingredients in a mixer. Pour into buttered 1/2 sheet pan & place in preheated 375°F oven for 25 minutes.

Sofrito from field to plate

November 1, 2018 — Posted in: Recipes, Sauces, Sides, Stories, Vegetarian

Harvesting different types of peppers at the Quail Hill Farm

Reporting in from the Quail Hill Farm on October 30th. My membership here extends back to the early days, having joined New York’s first Community Supported Agriculture adventure (CSA) in 1993 I’m always thrilled to harvest here.

Harvesting carrots was my first task. Take a look at our carrot video in the Estia Seed to Plate series. Once I was finished with the pitchfork in the carrot bed I moved on to find an abundance of chili’s three beds to the west. As always my eye was distracted by the beauty of the farm that’s been created and maintained by the Quail Hill crew now run by farmer Layton and mentored by poet and seed specialist Scott Chaskey.

Last week my email inbox featured a note from my pal Laura’s wife Catherine. She had visited a garden—planted by a man she spoke fondly of—and she carried a large bag filled with peppers home that day. Her note to me requested a recipe that might properly celebrate the harvest. Read More »

Lemon Squares

October 26, 2018 — Posted in: Desserts, Recipes, Vegetarian

Ingredients for crust:

1 pound butter – cold – cut into pieces
2 cups AP flour
1 cup white sugar
2 cups gram cracker meal
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup corn starch

Combine flour, gram cracker meal & butter in a food processor, pulse for 30 seconds.

Add the rest and run until it starts to turn into a ball.

Line a ½ sheet pan with parchment. Roll the crust dough out to flat with a rolling pin and line the bottom of the sheet pan with the dough. Place in a 350°F oven for 25 minutes. Read More »

Ramshackle Ranch Salad

October 1, 2018 — Posted in: Chicken, Recipes, Salads, Sauces

It’s been years since a good, simple ranch dressing has graced the menu at Estia’s Little Kitchen. Inspired by Julia Moskin’s article “Ranch Nation” (Sept. 2018 NY Times) I put this recipe into play. The dressing is not original ranch style in that it doesn’t contain mayo. Instead, yogurt and red wine vinegar have been added, along with egg yolks to tighten it up.

For years my dinner menu has featured a Crisp California Chicken, finished with agave/chili sauce which has been made to order. Fingers crossed that this new salad finds an audience. The agave/chili sauce will now be prepped in advance and used on both dishes. I think it goes as close as our kitchen will to a simple, light buffalo chicken wing sauce. With that in mind, the salad is finished with just enough blue cheese to counter point the sweetness that the agave lends to the salad. Read More »

“Over the top” Mac & Cheese

September 22, 2018 — Posted in: Pasta, Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian

This is a dish that I started using as a big starch filler for our annual Christmas party last year. The key ingredient was love as I had my 3 daughters by my side, each of them stuffing penne into rigatoni, singing Christmas songs and making it all so easy.

Today as I stood alone in the kitchen I was missing the girls—and their hands, their smiles & their cooking enthusiasm. Then our pals Stew, Tina and Amy walked in and took over the pasta stuffing. I made the béchamel, added the cheese, and in 15 minutes there were 3 casseroles going into the fridge, ready to be baked and served at tonight’s harvest dinner.

Recipe serves over 20 people

Ingredients:

2 boxes Penne (DeCecco, Penne lisce #10)
2 boxes Rigatoni ( DeCecco, Mezzi rigatoni #26)
16 oz Swiss cheese, grated
24 oz Gruyer cheese, grated
16 oz Mozzarella, grated
3 cups, salted butter
1 cup A.P. flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
4 tablespoons salt

Sweet corn & rye berry salad

July 13, 2018 — Posted in: Recipes, Salads, Vegetarian

Serves 10

Ingredients:

6-8 corn cobs
1 cup dried rye berries (or wheat berries)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons, juiced
2 cups diced zucchini
1 cup chopped scallion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Little Kitchen Tortilla Soup

June 18, 2018 — Posted in: Recipes, Soups, Vegetarian

Recipe serves 30 cups

Ingredients:

6 quarts water
3 tablespoons kosher salt
10 plum tomatos
25 Guajillo chilis (stems removed)
3 Arbol chilis (stems removed)
1 Spanish onion
6 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons cumin powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 dozen fried, chopped tortillas

CHILI CHICKEN RELLENOS

June 13, 2018 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Chicken, Main Dishes, Recipes, Videos

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 3.5 lb chicken, roast, remove all meat in advance
4 poblano peppers, medium size
2 x large eggs
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 small Spanish onions, diced fine
3 tablespoons chipotle with adobo
1 cup shredded jack cheese
2 cups queso fresco, cubed
Salt & pepper
½ cup vegetable oil
2 cups brown rice
12 oz Lange Pinot Gris
2 tablespoons saffron
36 oz chicken stock

Beaverkill Hatchery Rainbow Trout with Roasted Grape Relish

May 28, 2018 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Cooking over Fire, Fish and Shellfish, Main Dishes, Recipes, Stories

Beaverkill Trout Hatchery rainbow trout with roasted potatoes and roasted grape relish

Adapted from a recipe by Galen Sampson, Chef and G.M. at the Beaverkill Valley Inn that he demonstrated over fire at the BVI.

Galen Sampson has settled into a comfortable life with his wife on the edge of the Upper Beaverkill River in the Catskill mountains. As the Chef and General manager of the Beaverkill Valley Inn, Galen works hard to create new and interesting dishes and experiences of all kinds for his guests. Chef Sampson’s recipe is a good example of how he responds to expectations that an Inn on a famous trout stream should serve trout, without pulling fish from the Inn’s private stretch of river. This is a highly prized trout fishing paradise that requires all guests to agree to catch and release practices prior to stepping into the special mile of river.

Hatchery Steelhead with Smashed Potatoes and Wild Greens

April 19, 2018 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Cooking over Fire, Fish and Shellfish, Recipes, Stories, Videos

We cooked this delicious recipe over an open fire alongside the Eel River in Benbow, California

Adapted from a recipe demonstrated by Joshua Schwartz: Executive Chef at Del Dotto Vineyards

Josh Schwartz has an eye for all tasty things in the wild. When invited to spend a day fishing and cooking with our American Rivers Tour crew, he was quick to suggest we start by foraging for watercress and other wild greens that sprout around the cool, clear creeks which run into Humboldt County’s Eel River. He reminded me that any wild fish we catch should be returned to the resource. Hatchery steelhead are available in Northern California so our recipe will help tell that story.

Priqly Pear & Habanero Tequila Margarita

April 4, 2018 — Posted in: Beverages, Recipes

This is our feature drink for the month of April at Estia’s Cafe in Darien! Make your own or come visit us at the restaurnat!

Ingredients:

1 ounces Priqly Pear Liquor
2 oz Tanteo Habanero Tequila
2 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz pineapple juice

Pour all over ice in a shaker glass, shake aggressively.

Salt the rim of a large wine glass, fill ½ way with fresh ice.

Strain the shaken cocktail over ice, garnish rim with lime and pineapple. Read More »

Cooking Rainbow Trout Over Fire: Snake River Surf & Turf

December 22, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Cooking over Fire, Main Dishes, Recipes, Videos

Recipe from our lakeside lunch at the South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho.
Find out more about our trip by visiting AmericanRiversTour.com !

It’s not often that a trout is harvested from any river and transferred directly to the skillet on the American Rivers Tour.

Previously unknown to us, the Idaho Fish & Game Department is focused on reducing non-native rainbow trout in the Snake River. For this special occasion, we harvested a 19 inch non-native rainbow and cooked it along with 2 elk steaks for lunch. This is a simple 2 skillet meal. We prefer to use Lodge Skillets. The vegetables were purchased at a grocery store in Idaho Falls, pre-cut, and poured into the skillet from a bag. The vegetable stir fry with garlic, ginger, onions, jalapeno and soy brought the vegetables and elk steaks together nicely. Adding the rainbow was a unique and unexpected surprise.

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span> Read More »

Blackened Buffalo Medallions cooked over open fire at the Lakeside Lodge in Idaho

October 2, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Cooking over Fire, Meat, Recipes, Videos

Adapted from chef Jacob Dibble’s recipe
Lakeside Lodge, Island Park, Idaho
Serves 4

This dish is made with the trim and or chain from bison tenderloin. The chain is a long thin strand of meat running from the head of the tenderloin down the side. It includes a fair amount of connective tissue that should be cut away. The whole loin includes 4 to 6 prime center cut filets that will weigh 6 to 8 ounces each after butchering. In addition to the prime filet cuts there will be trim to be used for side dishes, pasta, salads etc. This recipe is intended to make use of the additional trim meat and end pieces, including the chain, after butchering.

Stuffed Buffalo Tenderloin | Cooking over fire at the Lakeside Lodge in Island Park, Idaho

October 2, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Cooking over Fire, Meat, Recipes, Videos

Adapted from chef Jacob Dibble’s recipe
Lakeside Lodge, Island Park, Idaho

This dish can be served to 4 people as a main, single course. It can also be used with other smaller courses and be cut in half to serve 8 or more as a supporting dish.

Ingredients:

4 Bison tenderloin (filets) 6-8 oz each
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ tablespoon of cracked black pepper

Toss cleaned filets in a bowl with the salt, pepper and oil, set aside. Read More »

Grilled Montauk Fluke over Mrs. B’s Kale Salad

September 24, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Fish and Shellfish, Main Dishes, Recipes, Salads, Videos

Serves 4

Herb mayonnaise is a great way to flavor a fish fillet or steak while still keeping in the moisture as it cooks. This is a super easy recipe that can be adapted to whatever fresh herbs you have in your kitchen or garden. Serving grilled fish over a kale salad keeps the healthy component of your diet in check. It’s also an easy riverside preparation: just slice the kale, organize ingredients in advance then add vinaigrette as you start the fire.

Ingredients:

For fish & coating:

2 thick fluke or flounder fillets, 8-12 oz each
1 cup mayonnaise
Zest of one lemon

Cornmeal Crusted Catfish Desert Solitaire

September 22, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Fish and Shellfish, Main Dishes, Recipes, Salads, Videos

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 10-ounce catfish fillets cut in two lengthwise along the bone line
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1½ cup cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 T chili powder
1 T garlic powder
Optional herbs, we used some fresh oregano from the garden
½ tsp salt
2 cups bacon fat

Long Island Clam Supper: Bucatini & Littlenecks

August 18, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Fish and Shellfish, Pasta, Recipes, Sauces

Bucatini and Long Island clams on the porch at Estia's Little Kitchen in Sag Harbor

Makes 4 Generous Servings

Ingredients:

For the sauce (can be made ahead):

3 dozen Little Neck clams, rinsed several times in cold water
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 cup white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)

For the pasta:

6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 T olive oil
4 T chopped parsley
1 T red chili flakes
1 box Bucatini no. 5

Refrigerator Beet Pickles | Red and Yellow Beet Recipes

July 28, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian

Finding pickled beets at Hayward Farmers Market

Red Beet ”Refrigerator Pickles”

Ingredients:

6 medium sized beets (peeled and sliced into ½ inch discs)
2 cups shredded beet greens
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
3 dried red chilis, chopped
½ cup chopped green onions
½ cup chopped fennel bulb
½ cup chopped celery
8 oz water
5 oz white vinegar (plus extra to top off jar if needed)
3 oz white sugar
1 ⅔ T sea salt

Chili Rellenos

July 13, 2017 — Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Meat, Recipes, Sauces

We cooked this recipe alongside the Au Sable river in Michigan | Read about the adventure on American Rivers Tour 2017!

Inspired by chef Matt Haley, Gates Au Sable Lodge, Grayling, Michigan.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 poblano peppers
1 pound fresh chorizo, cooked and drained
12 oz Mexican melting cheese, (shredded Cotija or Monterey Jack)
1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Roast peppers over open flame until skin is charred and blistering. Rest in paper bag or bowl covered in plastic until cool enough to handle. Chop or crumble chorizo into thumbnail sized pieces and combine with remaining ingredients. Read More »