When you’re in need of a snackable sweet treat without the guilt, these cookies are your answer! The flecks of Marconas folded through the rich almond butter is what makes these cookies stand out. A little bit of crunch and a little bit of chew, it’s hard not to eat the whole batch in one sitting, and these are really great for breakfast the next day (which is what we did here at Chef Collective) Here’s a little tip, make sure the Almond Butter is at room temperature before attempting to stir it, otherwise it will be too stiff to mix.
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Cheese is a living thing – it changes as it ages and needs to receive careful attention as it matures so that it can reach its fullest potential. A cheese is born out of a series of decisions made by the cheesemaker, from the breed of animal and their feed to the size of the curds and which microbes it is introduced to. Many cheese makers see their cheeses all the way through their life before they go to sale, and some have help from affineurs, someone who specializes in ageing or maturing cheese. The process of affinage takes patience and benefits from much experience and it results in bringing out a cheese’s distinct characteristics and defining features such as textures, flavor, aromas, and rind development.
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A special afternoon snack or appetizer for a group OR an excellent dinner for one! These big artichokes were screaming for a cool, rich condiment to dip into and we did just that. The White Moustache Labneh is the perfect canvas for any Burlap & Barrel spices you have sitting in your cupboard, but these below are the ones that we reached for this week. The controne pepper packs a punch, so if you can’t handle the heat maybe do half or omit it from this recipe. If you want to prep before it’s time to cook, hold the trimmed artichoke in a bowl of water with lemon to prevent it from browning.
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May is American Cheese month, and we’re not talking about those golden yellow deli slices (not knocking ‘em either!). American Cheese month is a time to celebrate and promote all the amazing dairy farmers and cheese makers in America who create delicious artisanal cheeses. Before last year our passion was bringing great American cheeses into NYC’s restaurants and now we get to do that plus bring them into your home! The American cheese landscape is vast and diverse and we’d like to share a little bit about why this industry deserves some extra love.
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This is a classic French dish of leeks bathed in a mustardy dressing, and is particularly delicious with the young spring leeks we've been getting these days. This can be enjoyed as a light entree, but will also work beautifully as a side dish for a special dinner. The most important part of this recipe is blanching the leeks long enough so they are easy to slice through when serving.
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The American food landscape is full of incredible farmers and small scale craft producers and we’re lucky enough to work with some of the best. This week we want to highlight A Small Good, a charcuterie company in Rockport, ME started by Oliver Perkins. Hailing from Australia, Mr. Perkins used the local term, “small good”, which means any dried or cured meat product like salami, as his company’s moniker; it also happens to aptly describe his work ethos.
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This is the perfect sweet treat on a warm day! Cafe Grumpy’s cold brew has such a deep, rich flavor that it doesn’t need much else to make this delicious. We almost tricked ourselves into thinking we accidentally dropped a little maple syrup into the bowl when we were mixing it. The key to making this granita nice and fluffy is not forgetting about it in the freezer. Once the liquid starts to freeze you want to make sure you are raking it every 30 minutes until you reach that light snowflake texture.
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As we barrel into the heart of spring and all of it’s beautiful bounty, we’ve been trying to stop and enjoy some simple meals with the seasons first. Eating these marinated favas reminds us of how exciting spring living is. The ability to appreciate these lovely favas early on in the season helps pave the way for more creative ideas in the coming weeks. In other words, enjoy these simply first. Then, eat the pasta and the puree on bruschetta next week!
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Where you find a cheesemaker who deeply cares about the quality of their product, you’ll find they care just as much about the wellbeing of the animals from which they source their milk. This could not be more true of Lorraine Lambiase and Sheila Flanagan, the owners of Nettle Meadow Farm. Located in Thurman, New York, Nettle Meadow is not only producing award winning cheeses, but it is a sanctuary to over 130 farm animals, which includes older sheep and goats from their production herd.
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Everyone’s favorite salad. The perfect meal for when you’re really craving a little bit of everything. This is more of a suggestion and/or inspiration than an actual recipe. It’s chef’s choice when it comes to what you want to include in your salad. Don’t like eggs? Skim them! Want extra avocado? You got it! A fantastic way to clean out some of those odds and ends in your fridge, but still want to have a satisfying meal.
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The world of cheese is full of creation myths, legends and stories. They are mostly based on truths that have been spun into charming anecdotes to teach us about how some of our favorite cheeses came to be. Have you ever wondered how humans dared to enjoy cheese literally riddled with mold? Well, as the story of blue cheese goes, a young French shepherd was enjoying his lunch of some bread and sheep’s milk cheese when he spotted in the distance a beautiful young maid. Keeping some of his wits about him, the young man tucked his lunch away in a cool cave before going off to meet her. Some days later when he returned to that cave he discovered both his bread and the cheese to be moldy. Now this story leaves out just what inspired him to try that moldy cheese, but because he did we have the famous French blue, Roquefort, and so many more.
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This is a great, easy way to enjoy rhubarb if you’re not in the mood to make a whole pie! Also, a simple but elegant dessert to end your next fancy dinner. We devoured this with some whipped ricotta, but this would be equally as delicious on top of ice cream, with mascarpone, or stirred into some yogurt. Take advantage of that delicious syrup by adding it to a cocktail or a spritz!
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