Some Sweets from my Sweetie for Valentines

Like many of you, we have been trying new recipes over the last year, and a few have really stuck with us, and are a regular part of the Chez Nez dessert menu—whether they be pumpkin muffins, cinnamon buns (a Sunday morning requirement), and especially for Valentine’s Day are these melt-in-your-mouth warm out-of-the-oven Peanut Butter Blossoms.

I can’t take credit for making any of these, my sweet valentine Colleen is the baker in the house, and the boys and I fight over the last one of anything she makes!

Normally Colleen uses kisses, but the heart-shaped chocolates were the call for today! Milk or dark chocolate, they melt a little when pressed into the warm cookies. Yum!

From Scratch Cinnamon Buns, with chopped Pecans rolled in.

There is nothing like the smell of warm pumpkin muffins coming out of the oven!

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Firefly Gastropub & Catering Co.

Exited to be working on another collaboration with Great Sky Media shooting for Firefly Gastropub and Catering in Lenox, MA. Looking forward to sharing their new site when it’s done, and Joe is getting some great video clips. It’s a fantastic place to check out if you are in the area this summer.

Menu Shoot at Gringo Jacks—Manchester, Vermont

I wanted to share a few mouth-watering shots from the Gringo Jack’s shoot. Jack and his crew pulled out all the stops, and I have to say if you have never tried Gringo Jack’s do yourself a favor and go!

Château De Chausse Tasting

I am always excited to shoot wine events in New York City, and this recent seminar and tasting was a lot of fun. My friends at Cornerstone Communications asked me to come down and cover the US release of Château De Chausse wines—a vineyard in France recently purchased by Charles S. Cohen. The venue was held at 979 3rd Ave., also owned by Mr. Cohen in the restaurant Upper Story by Chef Charlie Palmer. The view on the 14th floor patio of the 59th Street Bridge was pretty amazing, and the invited guests and media were treated to a tasting seminar by winemakers Laurence Berlemont and Franck Bailleul, then some more Chausse wines as well as passed hors d’oeuvres from Chef Palmer’s kitchen.

Winemaker, Laurence Berlemont

Goat Cheese Soufflés

Duck Rillettes, Gastrique, Crostini

Ratatouille Tartlets, Goat Cheese Mousse

 

 

Sheraton Parsippany

I wanted to share a few pics from a recent shoot in New Jersey at the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel. They have just renovated their restaurant, Amuse, and the food and hospitality is fantastic. I highly recommend staying there if you are in the area or book a group if you have a corporate meeting coming up.

 

 

Jamtastic!

Very happy to spread the Jam with my friends Ross and Danine of Jamtastic, for their new Website http://www.jamtasticjam.com.

Terroir & Meroir—Photos from a Kim Crawford Wine and Oyster Pairing

I wanted to share a few photos from a recent assignment in New York City to cover the media event Terroir & Meroir, an exploration of wine and oysters with Kim Crawford winemaker Anthony Walkenhorst. Shucking lessons and pairings by Zadie’s Oyster Room Chef Devon Dearden and Oyster Sommelier Chris Maslowski. I was impressed with the staff (who put up with me shooting in the prep areas and behind the bar) as they cracked and shucked hundreds of oysters for the assembly of writers and reviewers. My favorites were the amazing prepared oysters (see menu below)—which were baked, broiled, fried, and poached—with complex layers of flavors that paired beautifully with the Kim Crawford wines.

Oyster Sommelier, Christ Maslowski (second from left) and Kim Crawford Winemaker, Anthony Walkenhorst (far right), along with the professional servers at Zadie’s Oyster Room

 

Oysters from Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, Washington and California, as well as New York

Broiled Oysters with Sea Lettuce, Soffritto, and Parm

Fried Oysters with Dulse, Kohlrabi, Garlic, and Lemon

Crab Cake Sliders with Cucumber and Aioli

Chef Devon Deardon and his team shucked and prepared a feast of oysters for the pairing

Poached Oysters with Wakame, Cream, Sherry, and Succotash

Baked Oysters with Seaweed Butter, Prosciutto Cotto, Egg, and Leeks

Brown Bread with Anchovy Butter, as well as Smoked Bluefish Paté

Catering is Key

Aside from the ceremony, the dress, ring, venue, and guests—the food at a wedding is key to a great night. My friends at Apogee Catering excel at cranking out loads of mouth-watering tidbits and delicious entrees for large and small events alike. These are a few of my favorites from last weekend’s wedding at Stoneover Farm in Lenox, MA. Having the open firewood charcoal pit to cook on a cool autumn night on only made it better.

Herb-rubbed Roasted Pork Loin, almost ready for the carving station

Prosciutto, sopresatta, country paté, Brie, herbed-goat cheese, and aged cheddar, with marinated vegetables, mixed nuts and sun-dried fruits, artisanal crackers…in other words nom noms

Vodka, ginger beer, fresh squeezed lime.

Crudite “Bentos” (Fresh veg with feta-herb dip and roasted red pepper aioli)

Sundried tomato-Asiago Arancini (crispy-creamy risotto balls)

Bruschetta with Rosemary, Roasted Plum tomatoes, Ricotta and Prosciutto

Beef Carpaccio on Edible Asian Spoons (with a dollop of horseradish cream)

Mini Stuffed Peppers (with ground Angus beef, rice, caramelized onions, garlic, and marinara sauce)

Toasting the pita bread before it’s cut up for the above mentioned nom noms

Not sure if these were shrimp or small lobsters

Chef Eric doing what he does so well

The Apogee team putting the finishing touches on the tables inside the beautiful barn at Stonover Farm

Fresh tomato and mozzarella sprinkled with chopped basil

Alfredo sauce is always good.

Putting the finishing herbs on penne with sausage and peppers

Bacon and Scallion Smashed Potatoes

Grilled Vegetable Platters, Caesar salad, fresh tomato basil and mozzarella, fresh mini corn muffins and artisan rolls.

Eggplant Rollatini (with ricotta, mozzarella, Provolone and Campari tomato sauce.

Oh, and the Herb-rubbed Roasted Pork Loin. Yum…

Georges Duboeuf Crus Beaujolais 2013 Preview Event

I am always honored when asked to shoot the annual Beaujolais Crus events for Georges and Franck Duboeuf, and each year the location, wine, and food pairings are superb. So when I was asked to cover this year’s event at Chef David Bouley’s Test Kitchen in Tribeca, I was really excited. Bill and Peter Deutsch of Deutsch Family Wines hosted the event and my friends at PadillaCRT coordinated the details down to a T, with beautiful flower arrangements, and as always ran a very polished media event for the attendees. The space is perfect for hosting private functions like this and Chef Bouley’s Test Kitchen is absolutely amazing. Here are just a few of the photos…

A Taste of Tradition—Cider of Asturias

If you haven’t noticed, the cider market is booming. And last fall I was asked to cover a tasting event sponsored by Sidra de Asturias at Tertulia in Manhattan. Sidra de Asturias is a Protected by Designation of Origin (PDO) product of Spain and the Asturias region, or Green Spain, is located along the northern coast. The region has been producing cider since the 11th century and supplies 80% of the national production.

For centuries, servers called escanciadores have been pouring Asturias cider in a way that aerates the beverage and enhances the flavor and aroma. Only a shot is poured high over the server’s head and is to be consumed in a single gulp. For more info on Ciders of Spain and the beautiful Asturias region check out these links:
http://www.cidersofspain.com
http://www.sidradeasturias.es

It was a really fun event and towards the end the pros let the attendee’s give pouring a shot, needless to say the floors were a bit sticky by the end of the night, but coupled with the fantastic cider and the amazing tapas cranking out of the kitchen by Chef Mullen’s team at a dizzying rate, no one seemed to mind.