munch time 6.29.10

Currently I'm working at a nut-free and gluten-free bakery here in town. Oftentimes parents will come in, desperate to find a "normal" treat for their child with celiac disease (or other gluten-intolerances)--something to resemble what all the other kids at school have in their lunch boxes or what they get to munch on at parties. We have tons of yummy options for them like cupcakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, etc; but I sometimes send customers out the door with a guilty conscience weighing down on me. I wish there could be a wholesome snack for gluten-free kids that wasn't filled with sugar to disguise the taste of the bean flours often used in wheat-free products.

So today I was really excited when I noticed a new product on our shelves: Funky Monkey--Fruit That Crunches! Packaged in 1 oz units, this super crunchy freeze-dried fruit comes in 7 flavors, each with 3 servings of fruit per container (each container standing as one serving.) Because they're made with no other ingredients but the fruit, they're naturally fat-free , gluten-free, and have no added sugar. I tried the Mang-OJ (mango with orange juice) and then Pink Pineapple (pineapple with guava). Both were munch-tastic. They're a super healthy snack that's substantial enough to fill up a little one or even an adult like me.

I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of these snack packs.

rhubarb dilemmas.

The other day, AnnaD brought me a giant bunch of ruby-red stalks of rhubarb! Though I'm a fan of rhubarb, it's one item I have very little experience with. Not knowing exactly what I wanted to do with this jeweled treasure, I peeled off the strings, chopped up the stalks, and froze it all. With too many exciting ideas for its use, what should I do with my rhubarb?!

Ideas anyone?

fritta-ta-ta.

So I've been watching a lot of Jamie Oliver lately, thanks to the Cooking Channel. This dinner was inspired by his potato episode: frittata of potatoes, ham, and goat cheese. I used the smallest size cast iron skillet I have to make this a personal-sized frittata, but you can certainly double the recipe for a larger crowd.


Frittata
(Yield: 1 personal frittata, about 6" round)

5 fingerling or new potatoes, small, quartered
1 slice good ham, diced
1 clove garlic, small, roughly chopped
3 eggs, beaten
1 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1 t paprika
1 t curry powder
1 T extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat oil in cast iron or oven proof skillet.
3. Saute potatoes and garlic over medium heat until warmed, about 2 minutes.
4. Add ham, spices, and seasoning; cook for 1 minute. Pour out warmed items into separate bowl and let sit.
5. Pour eggs into warm skillet and swirl to cover entire surface. Let sit without stirring for 2 minutes, then scatter potato and ham mixture on top of eggs. Crumble in goat cheese; then place skillet in oven, and finish by baking.
6. Bake 5 minutes or until frittata has puffed up slightly and is no longer jiggling when tapped.


Serve on bed of steamed kale, or lightly dressed mixed greens.

hankering for ice cream.

Mmm. It's nice and steamy out right now and there's only one thing that can cool me down: ice cream! And not just any ice cream: I've got a hankering for a blackberry/kona coffee mix from Blue Marble Ice Cream. Located 3 short blocks from my old apartment in Boerum Hill, Blue Marble, with its lush hidden back patio, is the cutest place to just sit and enjoy a giant cone, or compostable organic bowl of ice cream.

Clicking my heels in hopes of landing there...

cooking channel thoughts

This weekend marked the debut of the Cooking Channel, the Food Network's "smart new channel for today's food lover, by food lovers."

I've watched a few of the new shows and so far they've been pretty interesting. One episode of "Foodography" delved into the world of ice cream (mmmmm). Infinitely less kitschy and dumbed down than Unwrapped, each segment gave an intelligent and un-superficial discussion about the history or scientific elements of my favorite frozen treat. Though heavy on the science aspect of using ice cream in conjunction with molecular gastronomy, each ice cream "pro" expressed their expert information in an easy-to-follow manner without all the child-like graphics and annoying sound effects.

And even more exciting is that after being marginalized to the 6:30am time slot over on the FN, the saucy Ms. Nigella Lawson is back in prime-time in all her decadent glory on the Cooking Channel.

Love it or Hate it? Let me know what you think about this new station.