THE NIBBLE » July 4th

RESTAURANTS: Philadelphia’s City Tavern, Choice Of The Founding Fathers

admin — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:03:02 +0000

What did our Founding Fathers eat to celebrate July 4, 1776?

Philadelphia’s City Tavern was “the” place where the signers of the Declaration of Independence would gather to dine. The tavern was constructed in 1773 and became the unofficial meeting place for the First Continental Congress, beginning in late summer 1774; they also celebrated the first anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1777, there.

Unfortunately, neither that bill of fare nor any bills of fare from 1776 were preserved in Tavern’s records. Didn’t the owner realize there was history in the making?

Philadelphia’s City Tavern: You can dine where the Founding Fathers ate.

The good news is that the tavern is still in business, looking as it looked back in 1776 (plus modern amenities such as electricity and plumbing). You’ll dine on reproduction china, flatware, pewter and glassware, starting with cornmeal-fried oysters, smoked salmon and trout, and salmagundi (an 18th century classic that preceded our “chef’s salad”—fresh garden greens, ham, smoked turkey, smoked chicken, salami, Cheddar cheese, hard-boiled egg, olives and dressing). Entrées include beef, chicken or lobster pot pie, braised rabbit, roast duckling, pork schnitzel, crab cakes, bratwurst, port chops and venison medallions. Even the bread basket delivers the culinary experience of the 18th century: Sally Lunn bread, Anadama loaves and sweet potato and pecan biscuits (Thomas Jefferson’s favorite). Enjoy the cuisine with period-style ales. Find out more at www.citytavern.com.

Hungry for some delicious bread or biscuits? See our Bread Glossary. Happy Independence Day!

TIP OF THE DAY: Red, White & Blue Cocktail

Nibble Editors — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:59:02 +0000

It’s Independence Day: Mix yourself a red, white and blue cocktail with Stolichnaya Blueberi vodka. Start the fireworks with a Stoli Blue-Tini: 1-1/2 parts Stoli Blueberi and 1-1/2 parts Stoli Vanil. Stir with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with blueberries and red raspberries.

Find more recipes with flavored Stoli vodka at Stoli.com.
See THE NIBBLE’s cocktail recipes.

TIP OF THE DAY: July 4th Patriotic Pound Cake

Nibble Editors — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:59:38 +0000

It couldn’t be easier to make this impressive holiday dessert. Cover rectangular slices of pound cake with whipped cream. Line up blueberries and raspberries (or strawberries diced to the size of blueberries) in “stripes” like the American flag. If the fruit isn’t as sweet as you’d like, toss it in a bit of sugar first (which is what the restaurants do—we use Equal or Splenda to save the calories). You can bake a pound cake in a large rectangular pan, cover with whipped cream and decorate to create horizontal red (raspberries), white (plain whipped cream) and blue (blueberries) stripes. If you have room in the freezer, you can make the ice cream cake variation of this dessert, substituting vanilla ice cream for the whipped cream. Patriotism is delicious.

Find more dessert recipes.

July 4th: Freedom Ice Cream From Sheer Bliss

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:19:33 +0000

Freedom ice cream from Sheer Bliss is red, white and blue: vanilla ice cream with red and blue swirls of pomegranate and blueberry. It’s the perfect flavor for an Independence Day celebration (it’s all natural and certified kosher, too).

Sheer Bliss is available at fine food stores nationwide; you can find a store locator on the website, SheerBlissIceCream.com. If you live near a Publix store in the Southeast, there’s a two-for-one special beginning July 2, in honor of AmVets, the veterans service organization.

See more of our favorite ice cream products, plus recipes.

Discover the difference between ice cream and gelato.

Celebrate Independence Day with Freedom ice cream from Sheer Bliss.

RECIPES: July Fourth

Editorial Assistant — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:00:19 +0000

Red, white and blue ingredients create
the perfect July Fourth dessert. Photo
courtesy Dove Chocolate Discoveries.

Not only are berries, such as strawberries and blueberries, in season during the Fourth of July, but they also come in patriotic colors, making them great ingredients in recipes you can make for your Independence Day celebrations, such as this White Chocolate Covered Strawberries recipe, courtesy of Dove Chocolate Discoveries.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound fresh strawberries

8 ounces white chocolate

Blue-colored sugar

Parchment paper

Chocolate tempering machine or substitute

PREPARATION

1. Wash and completely dry strawberries.

2. For optimum results, temper chocolate in a chocolate tempering machine. If you don’t own one, simply melt the chocolate in a microwave oven or double boiler.
3. Holding a strawberry by the stem, dip about half of it in chocolate. Give it a quick twist, shake off excess and point it at the ceiling for a second to be sure the chocolate adheres.
4. Before chocolate dries, dip tip of strawberry into blue-colored sugar (available in the cake-decorating aisle of grocery store, or online). Place on parchment paper to set up and cool. If set up seems slow, place in refrigerator for 3 to 5 minutes.

Note: chocolate-covered strawberries are best enjoyed the day they are made.

Check out more of our special July Fourth recipes:

Fourth of July Cookie Pizza

Red-Eye Mojito

Stars & Stripes Toll House Cookies

Jubilee Sangrita

Red, White & Blueberry Vanilla Liqueur Cocktails

Red, White and Sapphire Cocktail

TIP OF THE DAY: Gourmet Nachos

Nibble Editors — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:59:30 +0000

Turn your regular recipe into an Independence Day celebration by using blue and red tortilla chips and adding some blue cheese or goat cheese, along with white Cheddar or other good white melting cheese. Think of the Red, White and Blue theme for Labor Day and Memorial Day, too.

Read about our favorite tortilla chips.

FOOD HOLIDAY: Barbecue Month

Editorial Assistant — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:41:25 +0000

As we begin Memorial Day Weekend, note that May is Barbecue Month and go out with a bang. We have plenty of recipes that go beyond the basic burger, to keep you well ‘qued through the end of summer. Review the basics of barbecue before you delve into the Grilling Hall of Fame (15 award-winning grill-ready recipes).More on barbecue:

- Best Barbecue Sauces (we taste so many each year—these have sass and class)

- Grandville’s Barbecue Sauce (a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week, so good we eat it from the jar)

- Chocolate Barbecue Sauce Recipe (savory, made with Scharffenberger chocolate, and something guests will talk about for years)

- Barbecue Chicken Pizza Recipe (kids love it)

- Barbecue Cookbook Reviews

Celebrate Barbecue Month!

And try some good microbrews with your barbecue—also spelled barbeque and BBQ.

Enjoy the holiday weekend!

RECIPES: A Time to Grill

Editorial Assistant — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:50:14 +0000

Turns out there is no such thing as Grill Season. Serious grillers and so-called barbecue-tionists use their grills all year round, according to a recent survey by The Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association. Still, when the rains pass and the weather gets warm, we find ourselves drawn out of doors…into the streets…and, inevitably, toward the wafting smell of charcoal. Click here for a round-up of 15 grill recipes that recently won a place in Crisco’s Cooking Spray Hall of Fame. Recipes include Pineapple Ribs, a Grilled Sweet Potato Salad, and Cardamom-Scented Tropical Fruit Skewers. Grill away– but don’t be too surprised to find a NIBBLE editor wandering up your driveway.

-Recipes: The Grilling Hall of Fame.
-Master the basics of barbecue with our comprehensive BBQ Guide.

Grilled Avocado Shrimp Boats.

Sophisticated Cherry Cocktails: Red For Independence Day

Nibble Editors — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:48:54 +0000

Tart cherry juice is a flavor-rich ingredient for cocktails. Photo by Liv Friis-Larsen \| IST.		One of the healthiest juices you can drink is tart cherry juice. Sometimes called a superfruit,* tart cherries (also called sour cherries and Morello cherries) have among the highest levels of disease-fighting antioxidants, as compared to other fruits. They also contain other important nutrients such as beta carotene (19 times more than blueberries or strawberries), fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium and vitamins C and E. A growing body of scientific research links cherries to health benefits, from helping to ease the pain of arthritis and gout, to reducing risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Cherries also have been found to help regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, prevent memory loss and delay the aging process. You can read more about the fruit at the website of the Cherry Marketing Institute, ChooseCherries.com. *A superfruit is one that has a high antioxidant level as well as nutritional density. Others include açaí, blueberry, cranberry, grape, guarana, mangosteen, noni and pomegranate.
Most of us are acquainted with the fun side of cherries: cherry pie, ice cream, yogurt and other delights. Now consider the cherry cocktail. These bright red cocktails are also perfect for red-themed holidays like Independence Day, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Find recipes for a Cherry Red Eye Mojito and Red Alert Cherry-Coconut Fusion on TheNibble.com.