Thanks!

By guest blogger Susan Sprague Yeske

As partners in a business that transforms chefs’ cookbook dreams into reality, it’s good to share a common vision. It’s also good to like the same kinds of food.

Shared tastes and a love of the culinary world prompted local food experts Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer to step beyond their role of crafting other people’s books and create one of their own.

Christopher Hirsheimer, left, and Melissa Hamilton in their Lambertville loft studio

Volume one of Canal House Cooking was published this month, the first in a series of softcover cookbooks that focus on seasonal cooking.  In the book the two moms, who live in Hunterdon and Bucks counties, share the summertime recipes they make at home.

The 80 recipes in the book focus on foods in season and feature summertime fare such as tomatoes, plums and zucchini. Every course is covered, from seasonally appropriate mixed drinks to dessert.

The two authors are former magazine food editors with credentials that include years spent at Saveur and Metropolitan Home. Christopher has collaborated on four other cookbooks, including three for Saveur.

Melissa is well known in local culinary circles for co-founding Hamilton’s Grill Room in Lambertville with her father, Jim Hamilton.

Canal House Cooking costs $19.95, or $49.95 for an annual subscription of three books and can be ordered through the website thecanalhouse.com.

Next will be a book on fall and holiday cooking, then a winter/spring edition. In addition to the website, books are available at amazon.com, Farley’s Bookstore in New Hope, Pa., and the Hamilton’s Grill Room. The books will also be sold at other private bookstores in the U.S. and through Anthropologie stores.

This recipe from the book is a great way to enjoy the fresh local tomatoes just coming into season:

Roasted Tomatoes Studded with Garlic

serves 4

INGREDIENTS

½ cup diced pancetta
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pasta
2 anchovy fillets
1 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
4 tomatoes, tops sliced off, seeds scooped out
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
small handful fresh thyme, parsley, or basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper
½ pound spaghetti

HOW TO

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Fry the pancetta in a skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp around the edges. Use a slotted spatula to lift the pancetta out of the skillet to a plate. Leave the rendered fat in the skillet.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the anchovies to the same skillet. Use a wooden spoon to mash the anchovies until they dissolve. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until they are golden.
4. Put the tomatoes, cut side up, in a baking dish and slip some garlic into each tomato. Mound some bread crumbs into each tomato and scatter pancetta and herbs on top. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil over all.
5. Roast the tomatoes in the oven until they have browned a bit and the interior is supple but the tomatoes haven’t collapsed, 1–1½ hours.
6. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain.
7. Return the pasta to the pot and stir in some olive oil and some of the oily tomato juices from the bottom of the tomato roasting dish.
8. Serve the spaghetti with the roasted tomatoes and their juices spooned on top.

At the Linden Hill Farmers’ Market, Chef David Zuckerman of Earl’s Bucks County (formerly Earl’s Prime) will be preparing market items on the grill. Darlene Kaminsky of Chestnut Hill Farm Gourmet Foods will be teaching how to can and preserve. Both will be doing demos at 4:30 & 6:30 pm.

Local Harvest Restaurant Week continues through Sunday, July 26th. SEE, a Lambertville-based community organization, is sponsoring the event in Lambertville and New Hope to raise awareness about sustainability – in our society, environment and economy (SEE). With cooperation from local restaurants, farms, food producers, and Zone 7  (a local foods distribution business), SEE is bringing the best of the region’s local harvest to local restaurant tables. If you eat at one of the participating restaurants, you’ll be able to enjoy dishes specially prepared for the event using the finest local ingredients. Check out SEE’s website for more information about their mission, more details about the restaurant week, and a list of participating restaurants (which includes practically all of the good ones in Lambertville).

The Farm-to-Table Dinner benefiting  The Heritage Conservancy is coming up soon, on Saturday, August 1st so buy your tickets soon. The catering will be done by Soup to Nuts Caterers and Earl’s Restaurant in Peddler’s Village, which recently changed its menu and concept to focus on local, farm-fresh ingredients. Price will be $45 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Heritage Conservancy, a land conservation organization here in Bucks County. It will be held at the historic Lindsay Farm in Warminster.

Here’s the run-down for the weekend. Check out our online calendar, Food Events in Bucks County for more details on any of the events below. Have a peachy-keen weekend.

Friday, July 24th:

• 25th Anniversary Marathon @ Dilly’s Corner, 12 am – 12 am, Centre Bridge/New Hope.
• Linden Hill Farmers’ Market, 3:30 – 7:30 pm, Ottsville.
• Wine Concert Series @ Shady Brook Farm,  7 – 9 pm, Yardley. Weather permitting. Free admission. Dan Kauffman is the musical entertainment.
• Local Harvest Restaurant Week by SEE, 5 – 10 pm, Lambertville & New Hope.
• Hot Wines from Hot Climates, 7 – 9 pm, Carlow Cookery, Doylestown.
• Outdoor Summer Music Series @ Crossing Vineyards and Winery, 7 – 10 pm, Washington Crossing. Karen Rodriguez Latin Jazz Ensemble is the musical entertainment.

Saturday, July 25th:

• Doylestown Farmers’ Market,  7 am – Noon, Doylestown.
• Indian Valley Farmers’ Market, 8:30 am – 12:30 pm, Telford.
• Plumsteadville Grange Farm Market, 9 am – 12 pm, Route 611 just north of Stump Road, Plumsteadville.
• Wrightstown Farmers’ Market, 9 am – 1 pm, Wrightstown. 
• Zone 7 Founder, Mikey Azzara, Visits Basil Bandwagon, 10:30 am – 12 pm, Flemington, NJ.
• Local Harvest Restaurant Week by SEE, 5 – 10 pm, Lambertville & New Hope.
• “Fresh” Documentary Screening, 7 – 9 pm, River Valley Waldorf School, Upper Black Eddy, PA

Sunday, July 26th:

• Sunday Funday: Car Show @ Shady Brook Farm, 8 am – 12 pm, Yardley.
• Peach Pancake Breakfast @ Solly’s Farm Market, 9 am – 12 pm,  Ivyland.
• Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market, 9 am – 1 pm, Hellertown.
• Hunterdon Land Trust Farmers’ Market, 9 am – 1 pm, Flemington.
• 38th Annual Puerto Rican Day Festival, 12 – 8 pm, Bristol.
• Sangria Sundays @ Chaddsford Winery, 1 – 4 pm, Lahaska.
• Wine Tasting for Dummies @ Crossing Vineyards and Winery, 2 – 5 pm, Washington Crossing.
• Summerfest: Caribbean Jam @ Crossing Vineyards and Winery, 5 – 9 pm, Washington Crossing.
• Local Harvest Restaurant Week by SEE, 5 – 10 pm, Lambertville & New Hope.

 Monday, July 27th:

• Foods & Moods with Nutritionist Ellen Book-O’Neill, Cornerstone Health & Fitness, 11 am – 12 pm, Furlong.
• The Sushi Bar, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Carlow Cookery, Doylestown.

Here’s this week’s freshly picked vegetables: Asian turnips, basil, beets, cabbage, chard, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, fennel, fresh garlic, green beans, green peppers, herbs, hot peppers, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, parsley, radishes, scallions, summer squash, tomatoes, zucchini.

Freshly picked fruit: blueberries, raspberries, peaches and possibly blackberries and nectarines.

Thanks to Robin Hoy of the Wrightstown Market for her help on this list.

Dilly’s Corner

Thursday, July 23rd, 11:00 pm:
Dilly’s opens (closed during the day today)

Friday, July 24th:

• 1:00 – 3:00 am: 1985 Menu Pricing
• 3:00 – 4:00 am: Adult Ice Cream Eating Contest
  (entry fee: $3)
• 5:00 – 10:00 am: Breakfast
• 1:00 – 3:00 pm: Kids Hour
  (3 – 6 years old, Make-Your-Own-Cone)
• 3:00 – 4:00 pm: Kids Ice Cream Eating Contest
  (7 – 12 years old)(entry fee: $3)
• 4:00 – 5:00 pm: Hamburger Eating Contest
  (13 years old and up)(entry fee: $10)
• 7:00 – 9:00 pm: Live Music
• 12:00 am: Closing

All contest fees will be donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Sign-up at Dilly’s for each contest.

See our review of Dilly’s below. Have a great time!

The film opened in New York last month and is beginning to make its way around the country. It is directed by Robert Kenner and co-produced by Eric Schlosser (author of Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food). Robert Kenner is a 1968 grad of Solebury School, so we’ve got some real local ties to the film’s fame!

Showtimes are:
Thursday 4:00 and 9:35 pm
Friday 6:25 pm
Saturday and Sunday 1:15 and 6:25 pm

It’s rated PG and is 1 hour and 34 min. It’s a MUST SEE for everyone who cares about our food, our health, our economy, our environment and human and animal rights.

Thanks to Robin Hoy, manager of the Wrightstown Farmers’ Market, for this information. (Sorry I was late putting this up; the movie has been showing all week.)

By guest blogger Emily Trostle

I’ve never been one to get excited over hot dogs and hamburgers, but there’s one place I’ll travel the distance to when I need to get my fix: Dilly’s Corner, on River Road in New Hope, is the place for burgers, hot dogs, ice cream and an overall good time.

Celebrating 25 years, Dilly’s Corner is always buzzing. Porsches, Harleys and SUVs all cram into the tight parking lot to experience this delightful blink-and-you-miss-it restaurant. There’s a covered patio with tables so you can sit out of the sun or avoid bad weather. For nice days, there are wooden tables placed around the parking lot.

For my spread, I got the Dilly Cheeseburger, Dilly Dog, a vanilla milkshake, and curly fries. The cheeseburger is a 1/3 of a pound patty, yellow American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayonnaise. The awesomeness of this burger lies in its simplicity. It doesn’t sound too different from anything you might make at home, but the cheese is perfectly melted, the lettuce is crisp, the tomato ripe, and the onions flavorful but not overpowering. The burger is cooked just slightly pink in the center and is superbly juicy.

Then there’s the Dilly Dog. Topped with peppers, onions and French fries, this quarter pound hot dog is served on a toasted torpedo roll. I topped it off with a healthy serving of relish – because if I’m going to have a hot dog, it’s got to be the messiest hot dog for miles. (I admit I had to surrender to my plastic fork for the first leg of this adventure.) The fact that Dilly’s toasts the Dilly Dog’s bun is what really made it for me. Like I’ve said, I like my hot dogs messy. This usually leads to soggy buns that won’t support my hot dog toppings. The toasted torpedo roll manages to hold all those peppers, onions, fries and any additional toppings without fail.

Dilly’s is popular for its ice cream, as well. While I would have liked to have gone all out and gotten a sundae to top off my meal, I couldn’t justify it after the burger and hot dog. BUT since a milk shake is made with milk, and milk is good for you, well, a milkshake would be a good thing.

I’ve had my fair share of milkshakes, but there’s just something about one from Dilly’s that raises the bar. It’s more like really thick, creamy milk than watered down ice cream. It’s not so thick that you can’t drink it through a straw and for some reason it’s not so cold that it gives you a brain freeze.

If I could come up with a theme for Dilly’s it would be “keep it simple, but do it well.” I have yet to try their salads or veggie burgers, but I’ll bet they’re just as good as the burgers and dogs.

If you crave a good burger and milkshake and don’t want to deal with diners or sit-down restaurants, Dilly’s Corner is ideal. Or, if the entire family wants ice cream, pack them up and take the scenic drive. The grill is open most nights until 9, and ice cream is served until 9:30.

See more local food stories at www.buckscountytaste.com. 

Jack Baker was a man with a mission.

A retiree who likes to cook, he wanted to create the perfect pickle: one that was fresh and flavorful with just the right bite of vinegar and hint of dill. Most importantly, he wanted it to stay crunchy while sitting in its jar in the refrigerator. Soft pickles are unappealing, he said.

Over the course of seven cucumber seasons Baker would begin to work when the Kirby cukes arrived at the Trenton Farmers Market in Lawrence, N.J. He experimented with recipes from cookbook after cookbook, taking ideas from some and discarding others.

His seven-year odyssey ended, he said, when he achieved the perfect pickle, one that draws raves from friends and family. “When I go fishing, my buddies won’t let me get on the boat unless I bring my pickles,” he said.

The truth is in the tasting: they really are the best dill pickles I have ever tasted. And the crunchiness lasts and lasts and lasts.

Jack generously shares his pickle recipe with anyone who wants it, along with other favorite recipes he has acquired through the years. He also shares another hint from a fellow pickle maker: adding a single grape leave to a jar of freshly made pickles will help keep them crisp.

Here is Jack’s recipe:

Jack’s Refrigerator Pickles

INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT

8 one-quart canning jars with rings and lids
14 heads of dill, divided, or 1 tablespoon dill seed per quart
16 garlic cloves
½ cup kosher salt
½ cup granulated sugar
2 ¼ cups white vinegar
3 quarts water
Kirby cucumbers 4-5 inches long (approximately 12 to 15 pounds)

HOW TO

1. Brine: Mix together salt, sugar, vinegar and water and bring to a rolling boil.
2. While waiting for the brine to boil, sterilize canning jars and rings in boiling water for 12 minutes. Place canning lids in a bowl of warm water and let them sit until ready to use.
3. Once the jars are sterile, pack with dill, garlic and cucumbers sliced according to size and preferred thickness. Cover with hot brine. Seal jar with lids and rings and wipe edges dry. When jars have cooled, place in the refrigerator.

Yields approximately 8 quarts.
Pickles must be refrigerated and will maintain their freshness for up to 10 weeks or more.

And while we’re “sighting,” the first peaches are here too! We just had some from Fairview Farm, on Pineville Road (just down the road from the Pineville Tavern) this weekend and they were delicious (thanks, Sharon). Manoff Market Gardens on Comfort Road in Solebury also has peaches now, but Manoff reminds that these are “eating” peaches as opposed to the kind used for canning and jamming (not “freestone”). Those come in August. The Manoffs have a great blog too. Check it out.

As of last Friday, the ice cream “phoenix” has risen. Goodnoe’s ice cream is back, reopening in Newtown, under the managment of the next generation, Colin Goodnoe and his sister, Kendall. They are making ice cream using the family recipes in their former production facility on Silo Drive. The new store is at 4 South Sycamore Street. Stay tuned for a quickie review by the Bucks County Taste Ice Cream Taster (a.k.a. Mark).

GOODNOE FARM DAIRY BAR
4 South Sycamore Street
Newtown, PA 18940
215.968.3544

Update: Here’s an article from the Intelligencer / Bucks County Courier Times that appeared today about the opening.

See more local food stories at www.buckscountytaste.com.