FOOD FUN: A Beautiful Bagel

Few people would call a bagel beautiful, but Baldor Specialty Foods has overturned that notion. On top of an everything bagel with cream cheese, they have arranged: Capers Edible flowers Chives Mini cucumbers Pickled red onions Salmon Caviar Smoked Salmon   You can substitute goat cheese for the cream cheese. If your Mother’s Day breakfast…
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RECIPE: Spring Pea Crostini

[1] Spring Pea Crostini (photo courtesy Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog). [2] Spring peas fresh from the field (photo courtesy The Chef’s Garden). [3] Fresh mint (photo courtesy Good Eggs). [4] Fresh spinach (photo courtesy Good Eggs). [5] Garlic, to infuse the olive oil (photo courtesy Domain Image).   One of the great treats of…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Breakfast Tartines

Tartine is the French word for an open-faced sandwich with a rich spread or fancy topping. The word actually refers to a slice of bread. Tartine is the French diminutive of the Old French and Middle English tarte, derived from the Late Latin torta, a type of bread*. We have a childhood recollection of a…
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TIP OF THE DAY #2: Grilled Cheese Tips

[1] A Caprese grilled cheese sandwich made with mozzarella, tomatoes and fresh basil. Here’s the recipe from Cooking Classy. [2] Dessert grilled cheese: queso blanco and fresh raspberries (photo courtesy Litehouse Foods).   April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Day. We’re passing along these tips for a better grilled cheese sandwich from the culinary team…
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FOOD 101: Mahlepi or Mahleb, A Middle Eastern Spice

We would never have heard of mahlepi or mahleb*, a Middle Eastern spice, were it not for Greek tsoureki (photo #1), one of our favorite Easter breads. Tsoureki, a soft, sweet and buttery braided yeast loaf, is famous for its embedded Easter eggs. We’ve never made it because it’s a two-day process, and we never…
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