I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, “Andrea botched up this post because that is definitely not grilled pizza.”

Guess what? It is grilled pizza enrobed in cinnamon sugar with French vanilla ice cream in the middle and chocolate sauce on top. How’s that for an insanely good dessert pizza? Yes, my hand slipped and I went a little overboard with the chocolate sauce, but it still tasted delicious!

This delicious creation comes from Chef Craig Priebe and his first cookbook, Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas, recently released by DK Publishing. I received an invitation to review the book and host a give away, and I only had to think about it for a nano second. Pizza is my favorite food and any chance to play around with my favorite food will make my day! As soon as I saw Priebe’s incredible dessert inspired by churros (photo above), I knew what we would have for our Cinco de Mayo celebration. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Priebe formerly owned C.K.’s Grilled Pizza in Atlanta, and his creative take on this great American favorite garnered acclaim and awards. As I read the book, I knew this was a man who loves to make pizza; it’s not just a job for him, it’s a passion, and the book shows that. He starts with the basics and introduces the required equipment. Do you have a grill? A pair of tongs? A cookie sheet? Then you can make grilled pizza. You can even make the pizza indoors on a grill pan or bake it in the oven if you prefer. After acquainting you with all the gear, he dives right into the basic dough recipe and his favorite sauces and toppings. Then he demonstrates proper grilling technique, after which he leads you on a feast for the senses with beautiful photos and recipes for great topping combinations.

His basic pizza dough recipe is truly easy and will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. I made the dough on Friday night and grilled on Sunday, and the dough had taken on a very nice yeasty flavor after sitting for two days. I fell hard for the grilled crust. I think it’s as close to a brick oven pizza as I can get at home, and the pizzas take on a lovely smokiness that plays well with the thin, crispy crust.

We made two savory pizzas that I will show off later this week, and we used the basic pizza dough recipe for this dessert, which my boys couldn’t get enough of. Priebe also offers recipes for a dessert dough as well as piadina doughs, and even if you aren’t a scratch cook, Priebe says that Trader Joe’s fresh pizza dough works very well on the grill. He even tosses in his favorite salad recipes for accompanying pizza and provides helpful tips on party planning with grilled pizzas, including specific recommendations for which pizzas to make for the main course, the best salad, and the best dessert pizza.

Now in Chicago (my old stomping ground), Priebe has put his talents to work as the chef for Henry Crown & Company, and yes, he’s even making pizzas for the people at the investment firm. If I can just convince him to come to DC sometime and teach a few pizza lessons, I would call us very lucky! That’s an open invitation, Chef Priebe!

Of course I’m going to share his recipe for making those delicious churros, but first let’s talk about the give away! I have one copy of Priebe’s new book to give away to a lucky pizza grilling fanatic or wannabee. If you want to win your own copy of Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas, leave a comment below telling us your favorite pizza toppings. Please make sure your email address is correct so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner. Apologies to my international readers, but the book can only be shipped within the continental U.S. The contest closes at 6 P.M. EST on May 11, and I’ll have Random.org select the winner. Look for the announcement of the winner in this post soon after.

UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner, Alejandra of Always Order Dessert! A copy of Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas is on it’s way to you!

If you want to catch up with Chef Priebe at a book signing or other event, check out his schedule to find out when he will be in your area.

Other Recipes You Might Like

Pizza Caprese

Chicago-Style Stuffed Pizza

Sangria for Cinco de Mayo

Equipment

medium bowl
grill
tongs
cookie sheet or pizza peel
serving plates

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 recipe pizza dough, cut into 6 equal pieces
2 tablespoons melted butter (I used salted butter to balance out the sweetness of the sugar and ice cream.)
6 mini scoops ice cream (just a couple tablespoons)
chocolate syrup

Preparation

1. Preheat the grill to about 400° F/204° C.

2. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in the medium bowl. Set aside.

3. Roll the pieces of dough into small crusts about 4 inches (10 cm ) wide. Grill for about 2 to 3 minutes one one side and one minute on the other.

4. Brush both sides of the crust with the melted butter. Place the crust into the cinnamon sugar mixture and coat well.

5. To serve, place a small scoop of ice cream in each crust. Fold the crust in half and press down to seal. Drizzle the chocolate syrup on and serve.

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Source: adapted from Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas by Craig W. Priebe with Dianne Jacob

Thanks for reading Andrea’s Recipes through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2009 Andrea’s Recipes.

The book, recently released by DK Publishing, is a spin off from the “competitive dinners” that Old and Calagione started in 2003 at his brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Each evening offers a five course meal, and each course comes with both a beer and a wine pairing. Using anonymous ballots, the diners vote for the best pairing for each course, and though both Marnie and Sam thought there would be a clear winner, that has never been the case. The margins have been slim, and the number of wins for either side has been pretty even, strong evidence that beer and wine both pair well with a variety of foods.

The book presents information in five sections, including brief primers on both wine and beer, as well as the main section dedicated to pairing food. There is a handful of recipes in the final section, and of course each comes with suggestions for good beers and wines to enjoy with the food. The folks at DK always do a great job with their full-color books, and this effort certainly fits in with their style. There are some lovely, bright photos of wine, beer, and food that compliment the text well, and of course Sam and Marnie keep up their friendly banter about the relative merits of wine and beer throughout.

I found the book enjoyable and informative. I was in my early to mid 30s before I acquired a taste for beer, but I’ve enjoyed wine for a long time, and I’ve tried to pick up some knowledge here and there, especially while Michael and I were on our honeymoon in Germany. (Aside: We chose Germany because we wanted to go to Oktoberfest, and we arranged our whole trip so that we could be there for opening day. Oktoberfest started off as a wedding celebration in 1810, and we had a great time celebrating our honeymoon there! Well, and everywhere else we went in Germany! Good beer, good wine, traveling throughout Germany. What more could you want?)

Yes, that’s me, before children and gray hairs, sipping from that huge mug of beer in Munich! Good times! We don’t have any pictures of us sipping wine, but trust me when I say we sampled plenty! (Just so you know, Marnie looks so much more elegant in her book photos than I do with that big mug in my face!)

Ok, enough of my babbling, now for the give away! This is my first time to host a give away here and I’m excited!

I have two copies of this fun book to share with my readers. If you want to win your own copy of He Said Beer, She Said Wine, leave a comment below telling us your favorite wine and/or beer. Please make sure your email address is correct so I can contact you if you are one of the lucky winners. Apologies to my international readers, but the books can only be shipped within the continental U.S. Contest closes at 6 P.M. EST on April 27, and I’ll have Random.org select the winner. Look for the announcement of the winners in this post soon after.

UPDATE: Congratulations to our winners, Michelle M and waynebretski! A copy of He Said Beer, She Said Wine is on it’s way to you!

And if you want to catch up with Sam and Marnie, check out their websites for details on appearances, book signings, and other events. They are coming to DC in the middle of May and I may have to check out that event!

Marnie Old – Calendar

Dogfish Head – Calendar

Thanks for reading Andrea’s Recipes through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2009 Andrea’s Recipes.

Murphy is the chef and owner of Sweet Melissa Patisserie in New York City, a popular bakery considered one of the best in the city. I spent some time on the bakery’s website, wishing I had a spot in my neighborhood with food that good so I could take the laptop and hang out there on my mommy days. The menu is so tempting and her wedding and specialty cakes are breathtaking. I plan to take a trip to New York City sometime, and one of my first stops will be Sweet Melissa, especially if it has WiFi. Murphy also has a few baking podcasts available on PodCastGo.com, which are now on my iPod.

Because my favorite meal is breakfast, I started in the “Dessert for Breakfast” chapter with her Sweet Muffins recipe. For both her sweet and savory muffins, Murphy encourages variation by not specifying particular fruits or cheeses and vegetables within the text of the recipes, but saves the suggestions for tasty combinations for the end. I made the sweet muffins while Michael’s parents were visiting a few weekends ago, and added apples, cinnamon, and dried cranberries. The muffins were a hit, and it’s a good thing I made a double batch that morning, otherwise there would have been none left for me to photograph. They were perfect right out of the pan, no butter or jam required, with a slightly crispy crust and moist crumb, and the vanilla sugar on top added a sweet, aromatic crunch. I can’t wait to try some savory muffins with a bit of soup and salad.

Murphy’s mother tells the story about the family’s “French pancakes” (recipe below) and how her sons still call mom when they want to make crepes for their families. I’ve enjoyed crepes many times for an appetizer or dessert but never made them, and I thought I might make these if I could find a reasonably priced crepe pan. After spotting a nice one at Ross for just $8 (score!), I knew that crepes were in our near future. I’ve made them two weekends in a row and now my boys ask for crepes every morning. Good thing they are easy to make! The crepes keep well in the refrigerator between sheets of wax paper, so now I plan to make them at night and just warm each one in the pan in the morning so I don’t keep the family waiting.

We served the first batch with fried apples and fresh whipped cream with a dusting of cinnamon, and then the second batch with bananas foster and toasted coconut and almonds. Michael saw the bottle of rum on the counter and said, “Rum? For breakfast?” Absolutely, flames and all. It was to die for. And no, we didn’t share the bananas foster crepes with the boys…those were strictly an adult treat! Fortunately the boys were very happy with their cherry, blueberry, and raspberry jam filling.

The chapter on truffles, brittles, and candies is brimming with wonderful and generally easy ideas for delicious gifts or treats for special occasions. It’s been a long time since I made truffles, one of my favorite decadent chocolate treats, and I felt that situation needed to be remedied. The thought of Earl Grey, my favorite tea, paired with rich, dark chocolate was all it took.

The aroma of the tea leaves steeping in the cream was intoxicating and I could hardly wait while the truffle mixture cooled in the refrigerator. I had chocolate all over my hands by the time I finished rolling the truffles, and I couldn’t put them away without tasting just one. So rich and satisfying, and the Earl Grey offered a sumptuous background note, not overpowering in the least. Truffles are very easy to make, and Murphy’s simple directions make them even more accessible to a truffle novice.

There are so many good recipes in this book, but here is a short list of the ones I have my eye on:

• Guinness Gingerbread
• Chocolate Malted Layer Cake
• Plum Raspberry Pie with Sweet Almond Lattice
• Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake with Blackberry Glaze
• Butter Toffee Crunch

And as we approach the summer fresh fruit season, I can’t wait to try all the recipes calling for fresh fruits, including her preserves. I love this cookbook and my family is enjoying everything I’ve made from it.

Mom’s French Pancakes (crepes)

Equipment

blender
crepe pan or 8-inch nonstick pan with a short lip
nonstick spatula

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups whole milk
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon canola oil or melted butter, plus more for the pan
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

1. THE BATTER (MIX AT LEAST ONE HOUR BEFORE): In the blender, combine the milk, and eggs. Pulse for a few seconds to blend. Add the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse until the batter is smooth and has the consistency of heavy cream. Don’t over mix. Allow to sit covered in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight.

2. COOK: Preheat the crepe pan. Rub it with a few drops of oil. Check the heat by putting a drop or two of batter on the skillet. If it sizzles, the pan is ready. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot pan, then quickly pick it up and swirl it around so that the batter spreads into a circular shape. It may take a little practice, but it’s pretty easy.

3. When the surface of the crepe appears dry, use the nonstick spatula to carefully loosen the edges, then quickly flip it over. Remove from the pan almost immediately and lay the crepes on a board, covered with a towel to keep them warm.

4. Serve warm filled with jam, or fried apples, or just about anything that sounds good. Savory crepes filled with goat cheese, roasted, vegetables, and fresh herbs make a delicious lunch or appetizer.

Tips

The batter will keep for up to 1 month in the freezer. After thawing, whisk well to recombine.

To keep the cooked crepes, place each one between layers of wax paper and put them into a plastic zip bag. You can also freeze them wrapped in aluminum foil. Thaw while still wrapped.

To reheat the crepes, lay each one on a hot crepe pan or griddle for a few seconds on each side.

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Source: adapted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book, by Melissa Murphy

Thanks for reading Andrea’s Recipes through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2009 Andrea’s Recipes.

The book, written by mother and daughter team Lucinda Wallace and Heather Wallace, focuses strictly on the recipes with no photos or lengthy introductions to the various cookies. The recipes are divided into sections for bar cookies, drop cookies, rolled cookies, shaped cookies, and no-bake cookies. The instructions are simple and many of the cookies can be mixed in one bowl. I skimmed the book as soon as it arrived, looking for what I call pantry recipes, or cookies that I can make on short notice because all of the ingredients are pantry staples. I was pleased to find many pantry cookie recipes, and I marked those for future reference. When I need cookies fast for a school function or some other occasion, it will be easy to find them.

So far I have made three different cookies from the book and we enjoyed them all. The first cookie was the Colossal Double Chocolate White Chip Cookies, which this time happened to be a pantry cookie because I still had some milk chocolate and white chips left over from Christmas baking. They were very easy to make and the neighbors loved them! They are big, gourmet size cookies with a slightly chewy texture, great for gift-giving in a cookie basket or sending in a care package.

One thing I like about the book is the number of recipes that call for caramel, my favorite sweet treat. I chose these Caramel Apple Crisps (bars) because we love apples and had some on hand. The bars have four layers: short bread crust, apple pieces, caramel, and crumbly topping. The boys had fun helping make these, and they were quite a hit. Chewy, gooey, crumbly, messy, delicious.

I made the Frosty Pink Lemonade Cookies (shaped) one night after the boys went to bed, and Michael and I decided to keep them for ourselves because we liked them so much. These soft sugar cookies have a light lemony flavor with a touch of peach/pink color, and would make cute Easter cookies. They were very easy, though the dough needs some resting time in the refrigerator so you need to plan for that.

We have really enjoyed all the cookies we’ve made so far, and I think this has some great recipes for busy moms. I will return to this book often for good cookie recipes.

Colossal Double Chocolate White Chip Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Equipment

cookie sheets, ungreased (or lined with parchment for easy clean up)
large mixing bowl
medium bowl
#20 cookie scoop (optional)

Ingredients

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chips
1 cup chopped nuts (I used slivered almonds.)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. In the medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

3. In the large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat eggs and vanilla extract into butter mixture.

4. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Stir in milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chips, and nuts.

5. Drop by level scoop ( ¼-cupfuls), about 2 inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown. Cookies will be puffy in the oven then will flatten as they cool. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

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Source: adapted from 101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes, by Lucinda Wallace and Heather Wallace (www.easypeasyrecipes.com)

Cross-posted on Andrea’s Reviews.

Thanks for reading Andrea’s Recipes through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2009 Andrea’s Recipes.

This is a story of chance meets opportunity, of how I went to a cooking demonstration thinking that I would just be a number in the crowd but in an amazing bit of luck got a three hour private cooking lesson with a famous DC chef! And it all happened this past Saturday in my own neighborhood.

Around the end of September, we received an advertising flier in the mail from Van Metre Homes announcing a big open house day on October 20 to promote their new home designs in several communities around Northern Virginia. What caught my eye was the announcement that the pros of DC’s famous Equinox Restaurant would be doing cooking demonstrations at the various sites, and Executive Chef/Co-Owner Todd Gray would be in my neighborhood only a few blocks away! Immediately I wrote the date on my calendar and made plans to attend.

I must confess that Michael and I have never been to Equinox, but it’s because DC is a little far away for us to go for an evening out, and well…there’s the boys. We take them everywhere we go because we think it’s important, and even though we have taken them to restaurants since they were only days old, the kids are still too young for a place as quietly elegant and genteel as Equinox. I can see it all in my mind…the baby dropping food on the floor, because gravity experiments are his favorite thing to do now; the 3-year-old standing up in his chair so that he can see something interesting across the room, or diving under the table to retrieve his spoon or fork for the fiftieth time; and my oldest, who is almost 5, loudly and proudly announcing that he pooped on the potty as he comes back to the table. Yeah, I’m sure the other diners would be thrilled with us! So for now we have to stick with restaurants that have a minimal noise level of around 90 decibels (equal to the noise produced by a lawn mower), but someday Michael and I are going to get a sitter and have ourselves a lovely, quiet time at Equinox.

Since I had not been to the restaurant but wanted to be prepared for the demonstration, I spent time on their website trying to learn about the Grays, the menu, cooking philosophy, history of the restaurant, and anything else I could pick up on. I read about all of their awards and Chef Gray’s five James Beard nominations, as well as their focus on fresh, local, organic produce, sustainably fished seafood, and certified humane meats. After all my reading, I felt that I would be able to fully enjoy the presentation and even ask a question or two if the opportunity presented itself. On Saturday morning I got ready and left early to get a good seat, because I felt certain that foodies from all over Northern Virginia would descend upon the place, but when I arrived I realized I had left my camera at home and had to run back. When I returned a few minutes later, Chef Gray and his wife Ellen were just arriving. They were very pleasant and greeted me as they came into the model home and started setting up in the kitchen. So far I was the only person in attendance other than the Van Metre sales and marketing people and the photographer.

A menu and recipe handout was sitting on a ledge, so I spent a few minutes reading and trying to prepare any questions I might have about the menu. It appeared that the plan was to serve a tasting of fall comfort foods throughout the afternoon. The menu included:

• Butternut Squash Risotto with Cippoline Onions and Sauteed Spinach,
• Tournedos of all Natural Beef with Madeira Peppercorn Jus and Potato Mousseline, and
• Warm Apple Cake with Ginger Ice Cream and Rum Caramel.

Chef Gray and Ellen introduced themselves and her parents (who had come along for the day) and shook my hand, and I did respond in kind, but I suddenly found myself all shy and tongue tied! I cannot believe how nervous I was! In a bit of bad luck, I’ve also had laryngitis since Wednesday and could barely talk, but I managed. The Grays finished setting up and then had a couple minutes to chat before the appointed starting time. Chef Gray asked me questions about my cooking blog and by then I was starting to relax. I asked if I could take photos, and he said of course.

Now it was eleven o’clock and time to start, but I was still the only person in the audience. I was shocked that no one else was there. Chef invited me to come up with him and get a lesson on how he would make the butternut squash risotto. I wanted to jump out of my seat and run to the cooktop, but I tried to look composed and casual, as if famous chefs offer to share cooking techniques with me every day of the week. I think I pulled it off.

He demonstrated how to saute the arborio rice for a few minutes in olive oil and onion, deglaze with white wine, and then add a clear vegetable stock and let the rice cook until the stock was absorbed. He added the vegetable stock two more times, stirring as he went. While the risotto was cooking, he sauteed some baby spinach in olive oil and shallots. He had brought along some cippoline onions to add to the spinach, but at the last minute decided to skip that. Lovely aromas were starting to drift and as visitors came through the house, he would turn around and tell his audience what he was doing. As the last round of vegetable stock was added to the pot, Chef added diced butternut squash and squash that had been pureed with heavy cream. He stirred that all in and let it cook until heated through. For the final touch, he stirred in butter, Parmesan, and salt and pepper, then plated it with the sauteed spinach on top and a sprinkling of Parmesan.

The risotto was wonderfully rich and creamy with a hint of sweetness, and the sauteed spinach provided a nice earthy contrast with some salty Parmesan sprinkled on top. Chef kept the pot warm on the stove throughout the afternoon and would occasionally add some more stock to keep the risotto creamy and prepare warm plates for visitors as they came to visit the house.

The whole time he was cooking, Chef was very congenial and kept up the conversation asking about cooking blogs and how they are different from restaurant blogs, and also sharing information about a food blog multimedia magazine that a friend of his recently started (Cork & Knife).

The next course was the beef medallions, and I got another cooking lesson. He seasoned the medallions with salt and pepper and seared them in the pan for about 4 minutes per side. The sauce had been prepared offsite, a simple pan sauce made with shallots sauteed in butter with Madeira added, then reduced. Cream, veal stock, drained green peppercorns, and salt and pepper are stirred in and the sauce is warmed. The potatoes were pureed with butter, milk, heavy cream, and then seasoned with salt and pepper. It was all plated with the potatoes as the base, a slice of tender beef on top, and topped with the peppercorn sauce, then a few crystals of dark smoked sea salt was sprinkled on. The flavors were simple and comforting, great for a fall afternoon, and the smoky sea salt added a nice touch.

The final course was dessert, and all of the components had been prepped offsite, which turned out to be a good thing because the ovens wouldn’t heat up. Not unusual because many model homes do not make the cooking appliances functional until after the model is sold, but for the demonstration it would have been helpful to warm up the cake as Chef had planned. He took it all in stride and plated the dessert with the sauce drizzled over the top, a scoop of ginger ice cream on the side, and a sprinkling of crushed pistachios. The apple sheet cake was moist and tasty, but I think that the sauces and the ginger ice cream really made the dish. The ginger flavor was subtle and not overpowering, tamed somewhat by the sweetness of the milk and sugar.

I had such a fantastic time, and although I had a million questions I could have asked, I was still suffering from my attack of shyness. I did manage to ask questions about the restaurant and his upcoming venture, the Salamander Resort & Spa that’s being built in Middleburg, VA. He even asked me questions about my cooking blog and seemed quite pleased that I share my love of good food and cooking with my boys.

At the end of the demonstrations, I thanked Chef for the opportunity and expressed how enjoyable the experience was. He thanked me for staying throughout the afternoon and asked for my contact information and said that he wanted to check out my cooking blog (although he really doesn’t need any cooking tips from me!), then he presented me with a delicious gift: two beef medallions and some of the risotto. Guess what’s on the menu at the Meyers house tonight?

Chef Todd Gray’s Restaurants

Equinox Restaurant, Washington D.C.

Market Salamander, Middleburg, VA and Palm Springs, FL

Salamander Resort & Spa, Middleburg, VA (coming 2009)

Tips

Check out the Equinox and Market Salamander sites for information on Chef Gray’s monthly cooking classes.

The focus is on fresh, local food, and Shelburne Farms does it beautifully. The working farm, which started out as a model agricultural estate built by Dr. William Seward Webb and Eliza Vanderbilt Webb in 1886, is a National Historic Landmark and environmental education center. They raise a herd of Brown Swiss dairy cows for making award-winning cheeses, a flock of English sheep for sheering and eating, and they have a sugarhouse for making their own maple syrup for use at the Inn. In keeping with their educational goals, they offer programs for children and adults designed to teach about the workings of the natural world and sustainable agriculture.

Recently Shelburne Farms released a new cookbook, Cooking with Shelburne Farms: Food and Stories from Vermont, and in an interesting twist, co-authors Melissa Pasanen and Rick Gencarelli structured the cookbook in a way that highlights the local agriculture of Vermont rather than focusing on meal courses. Chapters focus on Savory Milk and Cheese, Savory Maple, Early Spring and Summer Greens, Lamb, Wild Mushrooms, Game and Fish, Pork, Root-Cellar Vegetables, Apples, Sweet Milk, and Sweet Maple, and all of these ingredients are available either on the farm or locally. Each chapter has a story or two about local food production that gives the reader a sense of Vermont agriculture. For example, in “Listening to the Land,” the reader learns about wildcrafters Les Hook and Nova Kim, who seek out wild mushrooms and edible and medicinal plants and have done so for 27 years.

The very first recipe is for churned butter, and I waxed nostalgic with childhood memories of my family churning butter. We lived near an Amish community in Missouri in the late 1970s, and my father would bring home gallons of fresh, unpasteurized milk with a heavy cream layer floating on top. We put the cream into an old glass butter churn with a hand crank on top and then turned the crank. My mother took the fresh butter and molded it in an old-fashioned wooden butter mold, then wrapped it up and froze it. There’s just nothing like the taste of fresh, sweet butter, and as soon as I read the recipe from Shelburne Farms, I felt inspired to start making my own butter again, that is if I can find a local dairy provider. I’m still looking.

As for the rest of the book, we have thoroughly enjoyed the recipes we have tried so far, including Oven-Roasted Applesauce and Apple Butter, Maple and Black Pepper Chicken, and Ale-Braised Kielbasa with Sauerkraut. The Maple and Black Pepper Chicken was a cinch to make, with a delicious pan sauce that mixes sweet and savory flavors. It was easy enough for a weeknight, yet elegant enough for our anniversary dinner. The kielbasa dish was also easy and perfect for an October night, and I loved the aroma of the cider and beer reducing with the onions, garlic, and rosemary. I have flagged over 50 recipes to try, including:

• Tomato-Cheddar Soup
• Mushroom and Root Vegetable Potpie
• Scalloped Potatoes with Mushrooms and Canadian Bacon
• Duck Breast with Tart Apples and Hard Cider
• Juniper and Maple Venison Steaks
• Roasted Cauliflower with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts
• Roasted Apple Plum Parfaits
• Apple-Rhubarb Chutney
• Maple-Cream Cheese Pound Cake

All the recipes and stories in this cookbook makes me want to live on a farm, or at least near one or two so that I can have fresh everything every day. At the very least I will have to visit Shelburne Farms sometime so that I can take in the whole experience.

References

Shelburne Farms

Wikipedia – Shelburne Farms

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Cross-posted at Andrea’s Reviews.

For a few months I’ve been thinking about doing more cookbook and product reviews and shopping tips geared toward cooks and food bloggers, but I didn’t want it to take away from the cooking focus of this blog. After toying with several different ideas, I’ve started a new site called Andrea’s Reviews. The reviews I’ve done here have been colocated at Andrea’s Reviews, although I haven’t yet figured out how to easily transfer the comments. I’ve written a couple new posts with plans to add one new review or tip each day.

The site is in beta while I work on the design and add more content, but my plan is to fully launch in a few months with a separate URL.

Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think! Honest reviews welcome!

Spatulatta.com is a James Beard award-winning website with video cooking lessons for kids. The hosts are Isabella and Olivia Gerasole, sisters ages 11 and 9, and they do all the video demonstrations. If you have not seen the website, you must go and visit it because the videos are lively and fun. The girls, who are naturals in front of a camera, prepare foods while their mom and other guests help out with things like cutting, assembling the food processor, and working with the stove or oven. Spatulatta has webcasts demonstrating recipes and basic skills, such as separating eggs and chopping an onion.

The full-color cookbook, which was released this month, begins with a basic skills overview for such tasks as chopping, shredding and grating cheese, measuring, and food safety, and also includes information on essential cooking tools and measurements. Recipes are divided into six chapters: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, Vegetarian, and Snacks. Each section presents a variety of dishes including main dishes, sides, breads, and snacks. So far we’ve made the Green Beans with Garlic and End-of-Summer Salad and enjoyed them both. Each recipe starts with a list of ingredients and required equipment, then has step-by-step instructions accompanied by photos and a quote from either Isabella or Olivia stating what they like about the recipe or something they learned when making the dish. Recipes are simple and designed to make cooking healthy foods easy and enjoyable for kids.

Published by Scholastic Inc., the cookbook is a good follow-on for the website and several of the recipes are also demonstrated online, such as the Tuscan Bean Dip, Cheese Boereg, and Harvest Soup. The target age range for this children’s cookbook is ages 9 to 12, and as a teacher I would say that is appropriate. The recipes and overall design are presented in an engaging manner, and children who are interested in cooking will likely enjoy using the book. Younger children will need more assistance from an adult, but even so my preschool-aged boys love looking at the book and trying to read the words they recognize. They also help me measure and weigh ingredients and arrange food for presentation. If you are looking for a cookbook that you can use with your children, The Spatulatta Cookbook is an excellent choice.

My only quibble with the book is the plethora of salads in the Vegetarian section, which accounts for five out of the seven recipes. It would be nice to see a more balanced selection of dishes in a section devoted to vegetarian foods, but quite a few of the recipes in the other sections are vegetarian or can be easily adapted, so vegetarian/vegan families will find plenty of foods appropriate for them.

UPDATE August 17, 2007: Bill confirmed that they have restored communications with the outside world and have shipped all orders that were held up due to the phone/internet problems. They are in business and have a new video on the website demonstrating the product. Check it out!

UPDATE August 15, 2007: After receiving word from one of my readers that the folks at Cooktopcover.com are unreachable, I tried to contact them myself via phone and email. I was also unable to reach them via phone so I tried sending an email through their registrar. Bill Miller responded, letting me know that they are indeed still in business, they were just unfortunate to be caught up in the Sunrocket bankruptcy, which suddenly and without notice left them stranded without phone or internet access. They are getting all their services restored with a new provider and should be fully operational soon. Thanks for your patience while they sort out their situation.

When we moved into the new house in March, I posted about adapting to the new kitchen and showed a photo of the cooktop in the island, noting that there was no safety lock on it to prevent the boys from turning on a burner. Our previous kitchen had a gas range with an electronic system which locked out both the oven and the cooking surface, a safety feature that we found to be very helpful. So one of our first purchases for the house was a cooktop cover designed to cover the entire cooking surface and hide the burners and knobs.

After shopping around for a bit, we ordered our cover from www.cooktopcover.com, which is based in North Carolina. They have one standard size that fits many 30-inch cooktops, and it’s reasonably priced at $99 (cheaper than a trip to the ER), although you can order a custom sized cover for additional cost. The cover is made from pressed 0.08″ thick aluminum alloy, has industrial powder coat paint, and weighs about 8 pounds. Supposedly it will support up to 190 pounds, not that I ever plan to put a 190 pound object on top of it, but it’s comforting to know that it can stand up to a bit of abuse. It certainly feels more substantial than most burner covers.

WARNING: While the website notes that this cover can be used on both gas and electric cooktops, they post a strongly worded warning that it is not safe to use with a pilot light. If your gas cooktop has a pilot light, do NOT use this product.

After submitting my PayPal order online, the cover arrived in about five business days. I knew it was going to fit a 30-inch cooktop, but I was still surprised at how large the box was. The cover came wrapped in paper for transit protection.

One of the first things I noticed was the handles cut into the sides for easy lifting, a nice touch. The second thing I noticed was that the cover did a great job covering the knobs and it was the right height for our GE cooktop. The third thing I noticed was that when we took it off for cooking we needed a place to put it. Now why didn’t we think of that before? For now we just stand it up next to the end of the cabinets, and the boys have left it alone. If they start messing with it we’ll have to revisit that issue. Joyce Miller of Cooktopcover.com slides her into the pantry, but my pantry isn’t big enough for it.

We’ve been using the cover for over a month now, and we really like it. The website promotes how it gives extra counter space when in use, and it really does. We can now use that cooktop space in the island for serving space when we have company; a nice bonus. The only thing we did extra was to add some rubber strips along the bottom edges. It probably would not scratch the counter top, but we wanted to be sure. We purchased some of the rubber strips that you put on the edges of your car doors, an easy and cheap solution.

The bottom line:

Pros: Well made, fits many brands of cooktops, works on both gas and electric ranges, reasonably priced.

Cons: Not safe for cooktops with pilot lights. Storage is an issue when not on the cooktop.

Source: www.cooktopcover.com

Price: $99 for the standard size, more for larger or custom sizes

Dimensions: 30-1/4″ wide x 22-1/4″ deep x 2-1/4″ high

Colors: black satin, appliance white

Materials: The standard cover is made from aluminum. Stainless steel is available as a custom order.

UPDATE May 29, 2007: As far as I can tell, KidsAprons.com is no longer in business. Their website is gone and when I tried to call their toll free number I got a message that the number had been disconnected. Bummer!

Our little chefs like to join in the fun when we’re cooking, so as I’ve mentioned before, we keep a bin of wooden spoons, little bowls, plastic measuring cups and spoons, old oven mitts, and other assorted pieces of gear for the kids to use. Our two older boys started taking Daddy’s apron and wearing it around the house, which was so cute because being only 4 and 2 years old, they’re not tall enough for the apron to clear the ground. We helped them cinch it up around the waist and shortened the neck string, and they had a grand time.

That gave us the idea to get chef hats and aprons for the boys for Christmas. So off I went digging around the net trying to find good quality aprons that wouldn’t break the bank. After much searching, I settled on KidsAprons.com for several reasons:

1. The price is right. Toddler aprons start at only $3.75 and junior aprons start at only $4.78.
2. They carry several different sizes. Toddler aprons fit children ages 1-3, junior aprons fit children ages 4-8, and medium aprons fit children ages 9-12. They even carry teen/adult sizes.
3. The hats come in 9-inch and 11-inch sizes with a long strip of velcro on the band for a custom fit.
4. They have lots of different colors available in both the aprons and the 9-inch hats.
5. For about $5.00, you can have your child’s name embroidered on both the aprons and the hats, which we did so that each of the boys could easily identify his own hat and apron. We also got one for me (pictured).

We were pleased with both the products and the customer service. I placed the order online at the end of November and received a call a few days later with a message that the color we had chosen for the hats was temporarily out of stock and they couldn’t guarantee delivery in time for Christmas. We were obviously disappointed and the customer service rep suggested that we may want to change colors if these were to be Christmas gifts. We thought about it briefly, but decided to stick with our color choice even though the order might be late. The company pulled off an LL Bean and got the order to us on the 19th, so they got a big kudos for that.

The boys like their hats and aprons and wear them when we are cooking, and they also wear them when they play “restaurant.” Very cute!