2009 Slice, Dice + Spice NY Champs!

So, when are we all taking a trip to Chef Kate Elliot's restaurant, Juniper. ?

Are you there blog? It's me, Laura. I have Raspberry Scones.

You know how some food bloggers parlay their work into cookbooks? Or become food writers or food photographers. Or pursue a full-time career in the culinary arts.

Not me. This little blog, which I have woefully neglected lately, has not gotten me a food-related job.

But it has helped me get a web-related job.

Three weeks ago, I joined SUNY Geneseo at its Web Communications Manager. (Check us out on the TODAY show!) I'm work in the College Communications department, and I'm in charge of the College's strategic communication and brand conformity across the web, which includes our website (re-launch to come soon) and social media.

It is a *big* job -- transitioning a website with 30,000+ pages is daunting -- but I don't think I've ever gotten a warmer welcome or more support at work than from my new employers. It's a challenge but it's a very good one. (And the salary increase doesn't hurt, either.)

But back to the topic at hand: all that time spent writing about and photographing food, updating on facebook, tweeting on twitter, etc. etc. -- it all helped me land my new job. I don't think I would have gotten an offer without my time spent here.

It's so strange, isn't it? When you do something as a hobby, you just see it as that: something pleasant to do to pass the time. But you never know when your playing will turn into something bigger, and when it does, it's a happy surprise.

---

Our department is housed in a renovated frat house (insert joke here), which means we have a full, working kitchen. (Also, one and a half baths.) So about a week after I started, I brought in some raspberry scones and heated up in the oven before serving. They disappeared quickly.

I don't think there's anything wrong with using baked goods to assist with job-security, do you?


Raspberry Drop Scones (adapted)

1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 Tbsp. large sugar crystals (or just use more regular sugar)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and vanilla; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the cubed butter and use a pastry blender or your hands to work the butter into the dry ingredients; the butter should resemble small peas. Add in sugar and raspberries and mix gently.

Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, pour in the milk/egg mixture, reserving about a tablespoon for later. When the dough forms into a ball, knead the mixture a few times with the spatula/spoon and drop large spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet.

Brush remaining milk/egg over top each scone and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar.

Bake for scones for about 15 minutes or until golden. Cool on a rack.

Yields 8 - 12 scones.

Coconut Macaroons and Confections of a Master Baker

A few weeks ago, Stephanie to participate in The Edible Word for Confections of a (Closet) Master Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado.

The rules were to "pick a dish that she mentions in the book or an ingredient that she talks about. Find a recipe or create a recipe for that dish, pastry or ingredient, and make it! (or if you like, make one of the yummy recipes she's included in the book)

Post an entry with a picture to your blog and share with us what compelled you to pick that particular dish, and any history about the recipe you created or are using to make that dish."

Bullock-Prado's book is a fun read -- though the publishing company organized some of the recipes and chapters a bit oddly and I am bothered by the author's attitude toward people who aren't thin.

Bullock-Prado is known for her french-style, almond macaroons. It's a recipe and cookie near and dear to her heart, which she writes at length about. Unfortunately, it's so near and dear that she doesn't share her recipe with her readers.

Still all this talk about macaroons had me craving *coconut* macaroons and, fortunately, Bullock-Prado provides a nice recipe for these on her blog.

They come together quickly and easily -- and the result is absolutely delicious. I didn't dip these in melted dark chocolate, but that would be a nice touch!


Coconut Macaroons (adapted)

4 egg whites
3 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 300-degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Combine all ingredients into a metal/heatproof bowl and set the bowl on a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning.

When the mixture is hot and has thickened slightly (about 10 minutes), use a medium sized cookie scoop, to scoop and drop batter onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are dark golden brown, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom half-way through the baking time.

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

Game ON! Vote for my Finger Lakes Fantastic Onion Burger (and four sides) by clicking here, or send an email to Rebecca@VisitFingerLakes.com with "FLX Ultimate Burger Vote: Laura Kenyon" in the subject line.

Thank you for your support and enjoy the recipes!

Finger Lakes Fantastic Onion Burger

Olive oil
2- 3 garlic cloves, minced (Mullala Garlic)
1 medium onion, diced ( Jones Brook Produce)
Round wholegrain loaf (Kitchen Blessings)
1 lb ground beef from Bedient farms
Salt and pepper
sliced tomatoes (Seneca Vegetables)
Baby arugula or salad greens (Ambrosia Acres Family Farm)
Franjo farms Onion Garlic Asiago spread
nasturtium flowers for plate garnish, optional (Ambrosia Acres Family Farm)

In a small sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent; set aside and allow to cool to room temp.

Slice bread into four wedges, then slice horizontally to form buns; set aside.

Mix garlic and onion with ground beef; season with salt and pepper. Form four triangular patties (they should be similar in shape to the buns) about ¼-inch thick. Grill over medium-high heat, flipping once, to desired doneness.

While burgers are cooking, lightly brush the insides of the bun with olive oil, and place face-down on grill to toast.

When burgers are ready, place arugula or salad greens and tomato on bottom half of bun. Top with burger, then top with other half of the bun spread generously with Onion Garlic Asiago spread. Garnish plate with nasturtium, if desired.


Quick Pickles
1 pint of pickling cucumbers (Gale-Wyn Farm)
1 bottle of Roasted Garlic/Red Wine Balsamic Vinaigrette (Chef Lerman)
Sprigs of fresh dill (Firefly Farm)

Wash cucumbers and cut on a diagonal into ¼-inch slices; set aside. Heat vinaigrette in a small saucepan over medium heat until it simmers. Add cucumbers, let simmer for a minute and remove from heat. Allow cucumbers to cool until slightly warm; add sprigs of dill and stir to mix. Cool to room temperature or chill before serving.


Height of Summer Tomato and Basil salad
1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved (Gale-Wyn Farms)
Fresh basil cut in a chiffonade (Seneca Vegetables)
Maple Lemon-Lime Basil Vinaigrette (Canadice Kitchens/Sugarbush Hollow)
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss tomatoes, basil, vinaigrette (start with a couple of tablespoons and add more if desired), salt and pepper.

Lime-kissed Fire Roasted Corn
Unshucked ears of corn (Jones Brook Produce)
Lime wedges
Salt and pepper

Heat grill to medium high. Peel back the corn husks, being careful not to remove them completely, and remove the corn silk. Pull the husks back up over the corn so the ear is covered by the husk. If necessary, tie a spare piece of husk around the end of the corn to keep the husk closed.

Place the corn in their husks on the hot grill; cover. Turn the corn occasionally, until the husks are charred on all sides, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove corn from grill and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Remove the husks from the corn, and rub the ears with lime wedges. Season with salt and pepper.

Market Fresh Peach Blueberry Lemonade
8 ripe peaches, washed and pitted
2 pints of blueberries, picked over and rinsed
1 whole lemon, rinsed
Honey, to taste

Combine peaches, blueberries, and lemon in a juicer and process. Taste, and adjust sweetness by adding honey if needed. Garnish with a lemon wedge and extra berries.

Cooking as a Spectator Sport: An Interview with Michael Pollan

Here's an interesting interview with Michal Pollan on cooking as a spectator sport. I don't agree with everything he says (particularly about the obesity epidemic; this has shaped my thinking on that topic) but the idea that cooking was a giant evolutionary step is particularly provacative.

Ultimate Finger Lakes Burger Challenge at the Canandaigua Farmers' Market

Slice Dice & Spice NY is an effort by Visit Finger Lakes to promote local food. They're hosting three farmers' market challenges in which a total of nine foodies shop their local market to find ingredients to build the Ultimate Finger Lakes Burger. Once all the events are completed, recipes & photos will be posted to the Slice, Dice & Spice NY site and open to online voting. Click here for info.

I was lucky enough to be included in the event and had such a good time!

Gale, Chris and I were worked with Chef David Buchanan from Bristol Harbor at the Canandaigua Farmers' Market Challenge. Chef David is so talented, thoughtful and all-around awesome that Shane & I are already planning a trip to Bristol Harbor for dinner.

If interested, you can view video of the event (my butt makes an appearance around minute 3:15 -- whee!) and more pictures (in which I look nefarious, because THE CAMERA DOESN'T LIE).

BIG thank yous to Chef David, Gale, Chris and, especially, the hard-working folks at Slice, Dice & Spice NY!

Indian-Spiced Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

What can I say about this sandwich, except NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM ?

Ok, I can say a bit more: it's perfect for summer because you don't have to turn on the oven. It's got a curry/mango kick. It takes advantage of all that fresh arugula that's available right now.

And it's freakin' delicious. So, to reiterate: NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM.


Indian-Spiced Pulled Chicken Sandwiches (adapted)

3/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
3/4 cup mango chutney
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tsps. curry powder
4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
2 scallions, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup baby arugula leaves
4 very soft rolls, split

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, chutney, lime juice and curry until blended . Add the shredded chicken and scallions and toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Place arugula on the rolls, top with the pulled chicken salad and enjoy.

Serves 4.