On the Waterfront

Picture, if you will, that you are seated at a table in a sleek new restaurant that just happens to have a drop dead view of NYC. Now picture being served by an attentive, without being overbearing, waitstaff. And, finally, picture gorgeous food that actually lives up to its presentation.  Welcome to Haven.

Mango Margarita

Set on the Hudson River, Haven occupies a corner of a newly built shopping/ residential area in Edgewater, NJ. Inside, there is a comfortable bar manned by a very able bartender, who whipped up a luscious Mango Margarita for me and a traditional vodka martini for my husband.

While this was a media dinner, there was no pre-set menu. So I happily set out to enjoy Chef Peter Larsen's cooking.  Chef Larsen, formerly of Town and Artisanal in New York City, is a graduate of the Royal Culinary Academy of Copenhagen.

 Butternut Squash Ravioli

Chicken Taco Spring Roll

Our group ordered a few appetizers for the table, among them a sublime Butternut Squash Ravioli with parmesan, sage, and toasted pumpkin seeds; and Mac and Cheese "Parisienne," a lovely take on the classic with braised veal cheeks, morels, brioche bread crumbs, and four cheese mornay sauce. Something quite unusual and delicious were the Chicken Taco Spring Rolls, with queso fresca, black beans, bacon jam (!), and lime.

Even though beets are the "it" food right now and on every menu from Maine to Montana, I can't resist them. Especially when they are paired with a creamy burrata in a pistachio beet vinaigrette.  Heavenly.

Onto the main course.  For moi, the Coriander Crusted Tuna with Yukon Gold Potato Puree, Thumbalina Carrots, Mustard Greens in a Red Wine Reduction. The perfectly rare tuna melted in my mouth, enveloped with bites of fluffy, luxurious potatoes.

Coriander Crusted Tuna

My husband enjoyed the Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass, paired with Edamame Puree, Pearl Onions, honshimeji mushrooms, yuzu emulsion. I have no idea what mushroom family honshimeji belong to, but the whole dish went together beautifully!

Chilean Sea Bass

Although quite full, I always have room for freshly made doughnuts! These were so light, tasty, and fragrant, they did not need the chocolate or raspberry sauce served on the side. Try as I might, I could not finish them.  Other can't-go-wrong dessert options included a Salted Caramel Ice Cream Sundae, and Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream, Cinnamon Crumble and a drizzle of Maple Syrup.

Doughnuts!

The atmosphere at Haven is very comfortable, whether you just want to enjoy a drink while gazing at NYC, or sampling the Burger with Grafton Cheddar, Red Onion, Bread and Butter Pickles, Spicy Aioli, served on a potato roll. They also serve brunch on Saturday and Sunday and the menu is anything but typical. Think Eggs Benedict with Cured Spanish Pork Loin, Hollandaise, on Toasted English Crumpets. Or Pork Belly Sweet Potato Hash (yes!), made up of Poached Eggs, Chipotle Hollandaise, Scallions, and Toasted Brioche.  Definitely not your father's brunch.

In the summer, they have a beautiful patio overlooking the Hudson River. I don't know about you, but in the warm weather, I am always looking for a great outdoor restaurant, and I think Haven will have that wrapped up.

In the meantime, I'll have to settle for the inviting atmosphere indoors at Haven, and Chef Larsen's inventive and delicious cuisine.

Haven Riverfront Restaurant and Bar
2 Main Street
Edgewater, NJ
201-943-1900
www.havenedgewater.com

Freekehlicious - Direct from New Jersey!

No, this is not some throwback to the 60s article, like wow, freekehlicious, man!

On the contrary, Freekehlicious is the Norwood based company responsible for bringing the ancient grain, freekeh, to health and specialty food outlets throughout the US.

Freekeh has long been recognized as a staple in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Freekehlicious is the premier importer of Greenwheat Freekeh, a product of Australia. Freekeh, in Aramaic, means “to rub,” referring to the technique by which freekeh is made. Once the freekeh is roasted, the wheat is rubbed to reveal the grain.

Barbara Fanelli, who was seeking healthy meal alternatives for her husband who has Type II diabetes, founded the company in 2010. She first heard of freekeh while watching an episode of Dr Oz. Her research produced two vastly different sources of freekeh – one from the middle East and another from an Australian producer. She sampled both products and found the Australian grain to be cleaner and of a superior grade. She began to import and distribute Greenwheat Freekeh and Freekehlicious was born.

The company sent me samples of their cracked and wholegrain freekeh, along with suggested recipes.  But before I even tried the recipes, I loved the nutritional benefits listed on the product overview:

·      High fiber – four times the fiber of brown rice

·      High in protein content

·      High in calcium for bone health

·      Rich in lutein – important for eye health

·      Low GI – helps to prevent diabetes

·      Low in available carbs

·      Rich in prebiotic properties – important for fueling the growth of healthy bacteria

Sounds almost perfect, right?  So off I went to try the recipes!  The cooking process for Freekeh is similar to quinoa. Cook up a big batch and store it in the refrigerator for use during the week. Cooked Freekeh can be eaten warm, like oatmeal, or cold with yogurt. I tried it both ways for breakfast and loved it. You can add your favorite fruits, nuts, and spices.

Since I had quite a bit left over, and had company coming for dinner, I made the Freekeh Salad recipe that came with the samples.  The recipe called for asparagus, beets, Portobello mushrooms, walnuts, and goat cheese. I omitted the beets and mushrooms as I didn’t have any and did not feel like running to the store. Dressed with a Dijon mustard, walnut oil, white wine vinegar vinaigrette, this was a wonderful accompaniment to our London broil. It would also work well as a side to chicken or fish. Printable recipe links below.

Freekeh is 100% natural, free from all additives, coloring, chemicals, preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, and GMO.

I really loved the nutty texture and smoky flavor, not to mention the health benefits. And with all the eating that I do, I need all the help I can get!  If something can be delicious AND healthy, it sounds like a winner.

Would love to hear from you if you’ve tried Freekeh, or other healthy grains (leave a comment below).

Freekehlicious

PO Box 103

Norwood, NJ 07648

201-297-7957

Print Breakfast Recipe

Print Salad Recipe

Appetite Brings 4 Day Food Event to Red Bank (via Jersey Bites)

Strap on your seat belts Food Fanatics, The Count Basie Theater has got an exciting  4 Day event coming in September that you don’t want to miss (And we’ve got tickets to give away, Woo Hoo!!)APPETITE: A Gastronomic Experience™ features a different…

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Woodland Park Fairway Firefighters BBQ Throw Down!

Winners, 2012 Fairway Firefighters Cook-off, Paramus

Fairway Market has a long history of supporting their local communities. For the last few years, the Paramus location has held an annual firefighters food face-off, a charity event where local firehouse teams compete against each other for the title of “Best BBQ.”  The Paramus events have been very successful, and now the fun comes to Woodland Park!

 

On Sunday, August 25, beginning at “high noon,” five Passaic County firehouse teams will meet to throw down the gauntlet, BBQ style. Participating firehouses include West Paterson, Totowa, Little Falls, Wayne, and Hawthorne. Using food donated by Fairway, the firefighters will cook their tastiest ribs, burgers, and chicken or vegetable skewers. A secret ingredient, which all teams will need to include in their burgers, will be announced right before the contest begins.

The judges, with the envious job of trying to pick a winner, will be Keith Kazmark, Mayor of Woodland Park, Steve Jenkins, Fairway’s cheese monger, Terry Krongold (yours truly!), from Jersey Bites.com, Leia Gaccione, Chef de Cuisine for Bobby Flay's restaurant Mesa Grill, and Sara Monica Gaona from SmallChickBigDeals.com.

 

The winning firehouse will receive bragging rights as the best Passaic County Fire Department grilling team and a $500 gift card to the store. More importantly, the first place firehouse will select the charity of its choice to benefit from a Fairway Market “Shopping Night,” in which 25% of sales will go to that charity. 

 

This event is a fundraiser for the Woodland Park 100th centennial event in May 2014, which Fairway Market is sponsoring. To help with the fundraising, food will be available for $5.00.

 

The event will feature samples of the firefighters’ fare and food from Fairway vendors, along with the music of The American Bombshells, giveaways, and face-painting for kids.

 “Firefighters are famous for being terrific cooks and are justifiably proud of the firehouse cuisine they create,” said Bill Sanford, president of Fairway Market. “We really enjoy shining the spotlight on them and their grilling expertise and giving the community a chance to meet and greet these local heroes. Plus, it is all done for a good cause, making the event so meaningful and important.”

Come support these brave firefighters in their quest to be the best BBQ firehouse team in Passaic County!

Sunday, August 25 (rain or shine)

12 noon
Fairway Market
1510 Rt 46 West
Woodland Park, NJ 07424

Recipe in a Flash: Facebook Snack Bars

This recipe comes from a photo posted on Facebook with no recipe name (hence, the title of this post).  But, man, are they good!  And pretty good for you.  They couldn't be easier -- mash up some bananas in a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, and toss into a baking dish.  Twenty minutes later, Facebook Snack Bars!

3 mashed ripe bananas

1/3 C apple sauce
2 C oats (not instant)
1/4 C almond milk
1/2 C raisins
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8" square baking dish. Combine all ingredients in bowl, mix thoroughly. Add mixture to baking dish. Bake 20 minutes.

Print recipe

Enjoy!

My Turn...

Hi!  Thanks for coming by today. I want to talk with you about an idea I've been toying with for a long time.

You may know from reading my bio, that I used to co-own a dessert catering business. That business, called I Love Cheesecake!, was started with a recipe from my late mother's baking collection. And while successful for a few years, my good friend/partner and I came to a crossroads that eventually led us to disband the business (keep the friendship, leave the business). But I've always had a small voice in the back of my head, quietly saying, "someday I will do that again." Well, that day is here.

But it's not without a little bit of fear and trepidation that I tiptoe back in. I certainly can't afford to give up my full-time job. But if I don't take a stab, it will never happen. And while this is something I am passionate about from my foodie side, it's also something I want to do to keep my mother's memory alive. Being an only child, I don't have the collective history of siblings to fall back on. And as I've gotten older, memories of my childhood and teen years get harder to recollect. My mother died when I was 19 so I don't have alot of years with her in my memory banks. But I do remember the wonderfully delicious cakes and cookies she made. And the warmth of the house on baking days. She and my grandmother made many fabulous baked items, but the most standout thing was this cheesecake.

So I am excited to present

I've decided the best way to honor my mom's memory is by naming this venture after her. I just love how it sounds! 

I'm starting small -- just baking for family, friends (and friends of friends) so I can keep the quality top-notch (one cheesecake at a time). And as the tag line says, this is classic cheesecake, albeit with a slightly modern twist. No "frou-frou" flavors here - no jelly bean or margarita cheesecakes! 

What makes this cheesecake different from others? This is the lightest, creamiest cheesecake I've ever had (and believe me, I sample them everywhere I go!). This is not dense, New York style cake (no offense, NY cheesecake lovers). And the modern twist? Well, the original flavor is kicked up a notch with a hint of freshly grated orange rind. The hazelnut? It's baked in a vanilla cookie crust and the batter has an essence of Frangelico liqueur. Are you a chocolate lover? Then the double chocolate cheesecake is for you. And at Thanksgiving, look no further. With a bit of Jack Daniels in the batter and gingersnaps in the crust, this pumpkin cheesecake will be the star of your holiday table.

More info to come as my adventure progresses. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Have you started a small business recently? Any tips/advice you'd like to pass along?

Thanks for listening!

Bergen County Firefighter's Food Face-Off!

Looking to add a little extra fun to this weekend’s Father’s Day activities? Well, if you are in the north Jersey area, stop by Fairway Market in Paramus for the third annual FIREFIGHTERS FOOD FACE-OFF! This grilling “throwdown,” pits several of Bergen County’s firehouses against one another to prove which one has the best barbecue.

The winning firehouse will not only receive bragging rights as the best grillers in Bergen County, but also the opportunity to name the charity of its choice to benefit from Fairway’s “NJFD Shopping Day,” which the Paramus store will host on behalf of the winning team’s favorite charity.  All proceeds from the $2 charge for food at the event will also go toward the winning firehouse’s charity of choice.  

2012 Winners

Participating firehouses include the Park Ridge Fire Department, Ridgewood Fire Department, and Hackensack Fire Department. The firefighters will compete to cook their tastiest ribs, burgers, chicken or vegetable skewers, plus a secret ingredient that will only be unveiled once the contest has begun.

In addition to the food and festivities and in honor of all dads on Father’s Day, professionals from the Hackensack University Medical Center will be at the Firefighters Food Face-Off to answer questions and provide valuable health information.

It all takes place Sunday, June 16 at high noon in the parking lot behind Fairway Market’s Paramus store in the Fashion Center Mall on Route 17 in North Paramus, NJ (RAIN OR SHINE).