Head Judge on Top Chef Tom Colicchio to Visit Adelphi University on October 27, 2010

GARDEN CITY, NY, October 2010—Adelphi University is pleased to welcome Tom Colicchio, renowned chef, restaurant owner, cookbook author, and head judge on Bravo’s Top Chef series. The event will take place on Wednesday, October 27, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. in the Ruth S. Harley University Center’s Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom. It is co-sponsored by Lackmann Culinary Services.

Tom Colicchio’s career reached a turning point when he co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City in 1994, where he served as a co-owner and executive chef of the restaurant. It was voted the Most Popular Restaurant in New York City by the Zagat Survey in 2003 and 2005. He also founded the Craft Restaurant chain, which has grown to include locations across the United States, and the recently established Colicchio and Sons restaurant in New York.

Mr. Colicchio is best-known for his role as head judge on Bravo’s Emmy Award-winning reality television program Top Chef. He also served as the consulting producer for Bravo’s Top Chef spin-off series, Top Chef Masters. The recipient of the 2010 Outstanding Chef Award from the James Beard Foundation, Mr. Colicchio has been awarded five James Beard Foundation medals for his culinary accomplishments. He has also published three cookbooks, Think Like a Chef (2001), The Craft of Cooking (2003), and ‘Wichcraft (2009).

Tickets for this event are on sale now and will be available at the box office for $15 to $25 depending on seating, or $7 for Adelphi students. For more information, please call the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center Box Office at (516) 877-4000, or visit

http://aupac.adelphi.edu/season.php

About Adelphi University: Adelphi University, chartered in 1896, was the first institution of higher education for the liberal arts and sciences on Long Island. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Honors College, Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, and the Schools of Business, Nursing, and Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls nearly 8,000 students from 41 states and 60 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.

Crazy Pumpkin Pizza with Leeks, Chorizo, Pine Nuts, Feta…

by SporkorFoon

Now, I know what you are thinking. This pizza sounds crazy. But let me tell you this. This is an unbelievably delicious, completely satisfying, and unique pizza.  I saw this on Tastespotting maybe two weeks ago and have been itching to try it ever since. 
If I open a restaurant or find myself on Top Chef one day (because I could make scallops and gremolata and be a part of this cast. Even though this is “Top Chef, not Top Scallop!”), this is the type of thing I would make that would really make you go “hmm”.  And if you are making this for the non-adventurous eater (“Meat and potat”uh”s”, as my father says), this would be one of those dishes where you tell them the ingredients after they try it (and fall in love with it).

I made some changes to the recipe, but you really have to give credit to Mike at Mike’s Table for coming up with this amazingly crazy recipe.The creamy pumpkin “sauce” along with the feta and chorizo and roasted squash was like nothing I have ever tasted before. The flavors were spicy and sweet, with a hint of pumpkin and warm flavors, and were complimented by the perfectly crunchy dough.  I will be sure to make this again and again.
Recipe adapted from Mike’s Table

Dough (good for 2 pizzas, or one thick crust)

3 cups flour

1 cup warm water

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1.75 tsp active dry yeast

1.5 tsp honey

1 tsp salt

Pumpkin Sauce
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 shallot, minced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon thyme

1 1/2 tablespoon sage, roughly chopped

1 dried chile (I used a California chile)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or use your own combination of cloves, cinnamon, ginger or all spice to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings
20-25 kalmata olives, sliced

1 leek

1 cup butternut squash, diced and roasted

6-8 oz feta cheese

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

3/4 cup chorizo

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Dough

First, prepare the pizza dough as that needs time to rest.

In a small bowl, pour warm water (as in pretty warm, but not piping hot) and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes until the water is cloudy or foamy. Mix remaining dough ingredients together. A food processor with a dough hook is definitely easier, but you’re welcome to use a hand mixer, too. Once the yeast is ready, add to remaining ingredients and mix well. The dough should naturally come together into a ball, being neither goopy nor overly tacky. If it is, add small amounts of water or flour to get the right consistency. Punch and knead the dough until it is smooth.

Very lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in a bowl, covering the top with a towel. Let sit in a warm place for about an hour.

After the dough has risen for an hour, cut it in two and form a ball out of each half and place these two on a lightly floured surface. Cover with a towel and place this back in your warm place again. Let the dough rise for an additional 45 minutes (the dough should roughly double in size).

Toppings

If using a pizza stone that requires heating, place it in the oven to heat. While heating the stone, rub a halved acorn squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, and let it roast in the oven. When fork tender (anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour), skin it, cube it, and set it aside.

In a dry pan, toast the pine nuts for 2 minutes or so. Set aside.

Remove chorizo meat from casing and brown for 7 minutes. Drain grease and set aside.

Rinse the leek well and chop finely.

Sauté the leek for 7 minutes or until tender. Set aside.

Slice olives and set aside.

Sauce

Begin by dry toasting the pepper in a pan for a minute or two. Sauté the minced shallot in a bit of olive oil over medium heat for 6 minutes and then add the minced garlic for 1 minute more. Add the pumpkin purée to the pan along with the vegetable broth, herbs, and seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes and puree in a food processor or blender. Return the sauce to the pan and continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes further until you reach your desired texture. Set aside.

Finally, working quickly, toss your dough to the size appropriate for your pizza stone. Throw a generous sprinkle of cornmeal (to prevent sticking) or spray with vegetable spray, lay on the dough, ladle on the sauce, and toss on the toppings (if you have more handy than you can fit on your pizza, don’t overcrowd it–just hang onto it and eat them later). Bake this in the oven for roughly 20 minutes or until crust is golden.

Minty Chocolate Crackle Cookies

by SporkorFoon

I love chocolate crackle cookies.  These festive cookies, with their craggly white tops and paths of chocolate peeking through, are the ultimate Christmas cookie to me.

I decided that I wanted to change it up a bit, though, and add some mint to the mix. I’ve been loving chocolate and peppermint this season (but do NOT love the new Peppermint Mocha flavor of coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts.  Gross.), so I decided to experiment a little with these.  And I am glad I did, because the peppermint really adds another delicious dimension to one of my favorite cookies in the land.  These are like winter in a cookie to me – minus the whole freezing my butt off as I walk to the subway while cursing the slushy snow and hoping a cab doesn’t drive through a puddle and spray me with grey gook part.

Minted Chocolate Crackle Cookies adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes about 4 dozen

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/3 cups light-brown sugar, firmly packed

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for rolling

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Chop bittersweet chocolate into small bits, and melt over medium heat in a heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and light-brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add melted chocolate and peppermint extract. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients and milk until just combined. Divide the dough into quarters, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.

On a clean countertop, roll each portion of dough into a log approximately 16 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, using confectioners’ sugar to prevent sticking. Wrap logs in plastic wrap, and transfer to a baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes. Cut each log into 1-inch pieces, and toss in confectioners’ sugar, a few at a time. Using your hands, roll the pieces into a ball shape. If any of the cocoa-colored dough is visible, roll dough in confectioners’ sugar again to coat completely. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on a Silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake until cookies have flattened and the sugar splits, 12 to15 minutes (I actually had to bake mine for 20 minutes, so check accordingly).

Transfer from oven to a wire rack to let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

O’s Food and Wine Bar-An Interview with Chef Philippe Corbet

by Christine Gerani

During Long Island Restaurant Week a bunch of friends and I wanted to try this new place called O’s in St. James, NY.  What a magnificent surprise!  If you are looking for ambience, this place is for you. Stone walls that wrap around two open fireplaces add to the already warm atmosphere of O’s Food and Wine Bar. Once called Oscar’s this restaurant has transitioned itself from an American Style restaurant to a more International Fare with a Tapas Menu that is out of this world. I came back to O’s to meet Executive Chef and Managing Partner Chef Philippe Corbet to find out a little more about his restaurant and culinary style.

Christine – You’re from France. Tell us how you started your culinary career in America.

Chef Philippe – I worked at Georges Blanc Restaurant where I met a lot of friends, and one of my Chef’s moved to America  and worked at Stone Creek Inn where I started.  He wanted me to come here but I was not ready to come here. I was a Sous Chef at the time.

Christine – You were young?

Chef Philippe – I was 23 or 24 when he called me, I had always wanted to come here but I’d have to sell everything to move here.  Then, one Saturday night there was a fire, and I lost all the stuff in my apartment. Two weeks later I called him and said I’m moving in.  I originally was coming for a year, maybe a year and a half but I never left.

Christine – This restaurant was once called Oscar’s tell us about your transition into O’s?

Chef Philippe – I was brought here by an old partner that was once in this location and decided that the restaurant was more American.  One day he told me I was too French (we laugh) so I said “I’m sorry that’s what I am if you want an American Chef… get an American Chef”.  He decided to leave and I took over and I decided that I wanted to do what I really wanted to do.  So that’s when I started the Tapas Menu.  I changed the name, changed the ambience, music and everything else.

Christine – The food here is delicious, what was your inspiration when you created this menu?

Chef Philippe – It’s very seasonal it depends on the weather a lot.  If it’s a sunny day you’re going to have a fun dish.  I have a lot of fun doing it for it it’s relaxing to cook and I try to do everything myself.  For me it’s very important.  In my background, I started working at a Michelin star restaurant, but I wanted to learn the best way to do things at this kind of place, but do it right.  We started to do the International Tapas every month and that’s something for me that’s very challenging because I’m always learning, always looking to bring more flavor to my food because of new  techniques and spices.

Christine – We asked Head Bartender Lara Lowenhar about the favorite cocktails at O’s Food and Wine Bar- The Pink Lemonade, The Very Berry Martini is very popular and of course the Starry Night…

Chef Philippe – And on the Tapas Menu…menu-wise.  For me it’s different as it’s simple as you can but it is amazing.  The Octopus is really good it’s one of my favorites.  It’s tough to answer the question for a favorite.  Lots of people ask me what is my signature dish…and I don’t have one, because I’m changing all the time!

Christine – That’s what makes you guys so unique which I think is great.  When you are home what does your wife Christine like that you cook?

Chef Philippe – She likes roast chicken, beef stew with a lot of vegetables. Very earthy, very comfy food.

Christine – Does she cook?

Chef Philippe – She makes great grilled cheese!

You can visit O’s Food and Wine Bar at

552 North Country Road St James, NY 11780
tel: (631) 584-4600

Visit them on the web at

http://www.osfoodandwinebar.com/

My First Attempt at Fondant!

by Teanna DiMicco of SporkorFoon

A friend of mine asked me to make her daughter’s first birthday cake.  She sent me a photo of the dress her little girl would be wearing and asked if I could design a cake that reflected the dress. It was a whimsical purple dress with green tulle and purple roses around the waistline.  I immediately knew that I wanted to focus on those adorable purple flowers.

Unfortunately for me, my icing skills are crap and I definitely can’t draw roses in buttercream.  So my next thought was fondant.

I always hear horror stories about fondant.  ”It’s impossible to work with.” “It is extremely delicate.” Or as one friend on facebook put it: “Fondant sucks.”

Needless to say, I was nervous.  But I forged ahead.  I turned to my best friend, Google, and type in “how to use fondant.”

Let’s get off subject for a moment.  Have you ever payed attention to what pops up as your type your search query into Google?  As I typed “how to”, I could have been distracted and clicked on “how to kiss” or “how to tie a tie” or, if I was really feeling ambitious, “how to solve a rubix cube.”  But I digress.

I found this tutorial on how to make fondant/gum-paste flowers by one of my favorite bloggers, Mary Ann of Meet Me in the Kitchen, where I discovered that I needed supplies such as a fondant pad and veining tools. I then found What’s Cooking America, which has THE BEST fondant Q&A on the internet.

Let the money spending begin.

I headed down to the NY Baker’s Supply store (my second home), and stocked up on seriously overpriced supplies such as a fondant rolling pin (which I discovered I really didn’t need for the small cake I was making), fondant pads, cutouts, pre-made fondant, fondant smoothers, gum-tex (to add to the fondant to help the flowers harden quickly and keep their shape) and other accoutrement. 2 hours and $100 later, I was back at my apartment, ready to make some fondant flowers.

I rolled out my fondant, cut out the flowers petals using a 2″ cookie cutter, veined the flowers, added some green bulbs in the middle, and gave them their shape by letting them dry at room temperature in a standard muffin tin. I made the tendrils by cutting thin strips of green fondant and wrapping them in a spiral shape around lollipop sticks.  Three days later, the flowers and tendrils were hard and held their shape!  I dusted them with a little luster dust and did a happy dance.  Holla!

Now it was on to the cake. Easy, peasy, no sweat, no problem.  My friend wanted a plain cake, so I decided to make a delicious 3-layer, 9″ butter cake, which is always a crowd pleaser. Seriously, who doesn’t love a cake that is filled with butter, egg yolks, and tons of cholesterol? I knew this cake would be delicate however, and was nervous how it would hold up against the weight of the fondant.

I started the cake at around 4 pm, and at 6:30, all cakes were cooled and ready to be iced.  I evened out the tops of the cake and iced the first layer. I topped it with a second layer. So far, no problem. I iced that layer, and grabbed the third and final layer.  When I picked up the cake layer, it felt a little wobbly and unstable, but I paid no mind and added it to the top of the cake.  Two seconds later, the layers edges collapsed.  As I tried to fix the edges of the cake, it only progressively got worse, as each layer began to crumble.

I knew there would be cursing and tears with this cake, but I thought my despair would be at the hands of the tricky fondant, not a simple butter cake! I was wrong.

In frustration, I either wanted to throw the cake across the room or pound my fists into the layers of the cake and have a huge tantrum.  Luckily, I was able to hold it together and instead tried a stronger yellow cake recipe.  Two hours later, the cake was cooled, and I carefully assembled the cake layers with success.  I breathed a sigh of relief. My stomach however, was doing backflips, not from nerves, but from constantly tasting cake and buttercream for four hours.  Needless to say, I almost lost it a few times.

I watched tutorial after tutorial on YouTube on how to roll out fondant and cover the cake. Thirty minutes later, I headed to my kitchen to try the fondant myself. I added the height and width of my cake and knew I needed to roll out my fondant to at least a 14″ diameter.  I rolled the fondant around the pin and transfered it to the cake.  It went on without a problem!  Holla!

I then began to smooth the sides of the cake and found it unbelievably therapeutic.  All of the stress of the afternoon dissipated as I pulled and smoothed the sides of the marshmallowy fondant.  Five minute later, the cake was covered and smooth.  I couldn’t believe it.  I made a cake with fondant!  Double Holla!

I attached the flowers to the cake, added a purple ring around the bottom, and reveled at the cake. Sure, it was a little lopsided. Sure, you could kind of see the layers through the fondant. But for my first time, I think I did an ok job!

Yellow Cake Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Arrange two racks in the center of oven, and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of two 8-by-2-inch buttered cake pans with buttered parchment paper. Dust the bottoms and sides of pans with flour, and tap out any excess. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream butter at medium speed until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, and continue until lightened, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides once or twice. Gradually add eggs, beating after each addition until batter is no longer slick, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides, about 5 minutes.

Slowly add the flour mixture on low speed, alternating with buttermilk, a little of each at a time, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat in vanilla.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes; rotate the pans in the oven if needed for even browning. Continue baking until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, 10 to 20 minutes more. Transfer to wire racks to cool, 15 minutes. Remove cakes from pans; set cakes, top side down, on wire racks, and allow to cool completely, about 1 hour.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1/8 teaspoon salt

Cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed. Gradually at powdered sugar and cream for 2 minutes, or until smooth. Add remaining ingredients.