Hello my Foodie Friends! 

Like with any genre of film making, there are periods of time where there’s an influx in a certain type of entertainment and then it ebbs away again. I have always enjoyed watching movies about the Vikings, being one who appreciates the aesthetics and stories of the Vikings. There are some great Viking movies out there. Of course there is “Thor,” the Mighty God of Thunder, and “The Vikings” starring Kirk Douglas as the Viking prince Einar and Tony Curtis as Eric the Slave. One of my favorites is the movie “How to Train your Dragon.” DreamWorks make such good pictures that it is no surprise that it is also one of the best Viking movies of all time, especially since they are based on the popular children’s books by Cressida Cowell. I believe I truly loved watching these movies, making modern day Vikings one who approaches the unknown with curiosity and strives to face hardships with courage. One who displays loyalty and honesty, and who values integrity and honor. 

So what does being a Viking have to do with cooking? Apart from just the appetite, cooking shows make you yearn for one more thing; the cookware. Behind a fantastic cookware set is a reputable company that is dedicated to making your kitchen-time enjoyable and fruitful. The cookware industry comprises of well-known companies that have spent decades in manufacturing some of the best kitchen brands that are in most households. “Viking cookware” is one of my personal favorites. These professionals are experts in the industry, and they understand how to easily enhance the overall kitchen experience while offering top-of-the-line cookware that goes along with any kitchen design and offers an amazing culinary experience. So many of our customers come in and state that they want good cookware. They are tired of going through generations of cookware that does not last or is not providing them with the heat conduction or distribution they are looking for in cooking.  Good pans are worth their price because they manage heat better. Being a “good conductor” and “heavy gauge” are the key features of good cookware. 

Here’s how these characteristics affect cooking. You get responsive heat. Good heat conductors, such as copper and aluminum, are responsive to temperature changes. They’ll do what the heat source tells them to do—heat up, cool down—almost instantly. You get fast heat flow. Heat flows more easily through a good heat conductor, assuring a quick equalizing of temperature on the cooking surface. You get even heat diffusion. A thicker pan has more distance between the cooking surface and the heat source. By the time the heat flows to the cooking surface, it will have spread out evenly, because heat diffuses as it flows. You get more heat. Mass holds heat (heat is vibrating mass, so the more mass there is to vibrate, the more heat there will be). The more pan there is to heat, the more heat the pan can hold, so there’s more constant heat for better browning, faster reducing, and hotter frying.

At Compliments to the Chef, we carry the 5-ply construction Viking cookware. With 5-ply construction and four outer layers of treated aluminum, this cookware is designed to offer an incredible heat transfer for all your cooking needs. You can use these pans with ovens, broilers, and grills. These pans, with the help of aluminum layers, can easily withstand a temperature of up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use this cookware on all cooktops, including induction, without having to worry about sacrificing the integrity and taste of your dishes. The heat transfer ensures that your cooking experience is remarkable and delicious. The polished interior is non-reactive and does not add any foreign or metallic flavor to your food. One of the best perks of using this cookware is the signature Viking stay-cool handle. This ergonomically designed handle ensures that you do not burn yourself during the cooking experience, and also offers a secure grip, maximum comfort, and ultimate balance at your fingertips. Viking Professional Series Cookware will enable you to experience the art of luxury cooking and they are handcrafted in the USA.

Buying good cookware could be a wonderful gift to give your culinary enthusiast. Stop by Compliments to the Chef – your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place. Make music in your kitchen with the sounds of stirring, pots and pans clanking. Play some music while you cook. Maybe even put on a Viking movie while you are cooking. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen!” 

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Spring is finally bringing warmer weather and with it an abundance of much-anticipated seasonal produce to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Greens, in many forms, including perennials, hearty cold-weather crops, and greenhouse-grown, have been catching our eye, and we invite you to try some fresh new flavors of the season.

Several farms at the Wednesday and Saturday farmers’ markets offer varieties of greens. This includes red romaine, baby spinach, radicchio, green romaine, red leaf, arugula, mustard greens, red chard, and tatsoi. These greens offer distinct fresh flavors and textures, and they are high in nutritional value, too. Depending on the green, some may be cooked, wilted, or enjoyed fresh as a salad. 

Vibrant sunflower and sweet pea shoots are available at Leaning Birch Farm on Saturdays. Pea shoots have the sweet, grassy flavor of snap peas with a refreshing crunch, and sunflower shoots have a nutty taste with a similar crisp bite. According to Nic Fera of Leaning Birch Farm, both are a year-round crop for their farm. “They are great to add a little fresh accent to dishes,” says Fera. 

Capital Greens NY brings varieties of microgreens to the Saturday farmers’ market, including the mixes like their Signature Gourmet, Thai Basil, and Gourmet Fiesta. Microgreens are young vegetable greens packed with nutrients and are easy to incorporate into many dishes or used as a garnish. Try them on sandwiches, in salads, on pizza, or blend them into a smoothie. 

If you’re a fan of fiddleheads, stop by Ramble Creek Farm this month while they’re in season. Fiddleheads are young shoots that grow from the ostrich fern, and with a very narrow harvest season, you can only enjoy these shoots in the early spring from around late April to early June. With a nutty and sweet flavor reminiscent of asparagus, fiddleheads may be steamed, braised, or sauteed, as they contain a trace amount of a toxin and cannot be consumed raw. 

This week, we encourage you to try something new, whether it be a new product or shopping with a new vendor at the Wednesday or Saturday markets.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wilton Mall and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at High Rock Park.  Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

This weekend is Mother’s Day. Remembering my mother at this time brings those memories that make me laugh and cry. I lost my mother many years ago. However, I do still have my Mother-in law, who I do love very much and I recently got to visit her for the first time in a year and a half. As I reflect on the years that I did have with my mother, the importance of family and time spent with family is a significant piece that stands out. Our home was filled with emotions, excitement and constant family interaction.

I have talked about growing up in an Italian family in many of my articles. Italians are a matriarchal nationality. It’s the women who carry on the traditions and hand out the majority of discipline, wisdom and nurturing to the children. As I was growing up being one of five siblings, every room in the house involved teaching and training by my mother. Life seemed much simpler and sweeter then. We had parents who loved us but weren’t afraid to discipline us. I continue to reminisce with my siblings on the “Italian” scoldings we would often get with something being said in half Italian and half English and the constant phrase “…because I said so!”

There are so many of life’s lessons we learn from our mothers, that get handed down from generation to generation. Lessons such as: “it’s the small things that count, or don’t sweat the small stuff; always be honest; admit mistakes, be humble; care about the right things; laugh often, learn from others.”  I can go on and on there are so many. 

Compliments to the Chef would like to salute all the Moms who have made life happen in our homes and especially in the kitchen. Who is the first one to start cooking a meal and the last to sit down for a meal?  Who is still in the kitchen cleaning well after everyone else has left?  What room in the house does mom dole out free advice on dating, school, employment and dealing with disappointment?  Where do some of your funniest memories of mom take place?  Moms hold court in their kitchen as a judge does in his court room or Queen Elizabeth does in Buckingham Palace. My Mom didn’t hold a staff like the Queen but she did carry a rolling pin and a wooden spoon.  For a few years it was never very far from her right hand. 

This Mother’s Day when it is time for dinner, seat mom first and clean up so she can enjoy her day.  Call Mom on a regular basis and tell her how you feel about her.  You cannot say “I love you Mom” enough.  Meal time is family time. Look at each other, listen to each other, tell stories, and talk about life. Whatever the gift is that you give your Mom on Mother’s Day, the greatest gift is the smile and love you give her. Hold onto these traditions and family time you have created. Enjoy your time at home and make beautiful memories. Thank our moms for the valuable life lessons learned that we continue to pass on. 

At Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, we are available to help you with finding that special gift to give to Mom. Remember my Foodie Friends and Moms: “Life Happens in the Kitchen” – those memories will last you a lifetime.

 Take Care,
John & Paula

A good breakfast sandwich is a New York staple, and people tend to have strong opinions about their favorites. Does it come on a bagel, English muffin, or a biscuit? Do you top it with bacon, sausage, or no meat at all? Saratoga Farmers’ Market customers can put it to the test: the breakfast sandwich is back.

Returning for their 22nd year, with a one-year hiatus in 2020, M&A Farm’s staff dishes up stacks of breakfast menu items for customers to customize into their favorite sandwich. Served on English muffins, M&A uses local, farm-fresh eggs and meats (sausage and ham – combine them to order a “Manwich”) and provides the option to add a hash brown.

At 85, Arnold Grant continues as the farm owner and the main cook at M&A’s stand, but he has help from a big crew made up of three different generations in the family. The Grant family has owned their farm, located in Durkeetown, NY, between Fort Edward and Argyle, for over 200 years.

 “My first memories are of the farm being operated as a dairy farm by my great uncle, and then by my dad, still as a dairy farm,” says Grant. In 1998, he joined the Saratoga Farmers’ Market initially to sell his meats, but the breakfast sandwiches took off at the same time.

Over the years, M&A Farm has been a crowd favorite, as well as a Saturday farmers’ market breakfast tradition. Many customers were noticeably excited for their return last weekend as the summer market season officially began. 

“It hasn’t seemed right without you,” said a customer named Linda just as we walked up to speak to owner Arnold Grant. At the same time, customers who only recently started shopping at the farmers’ market since last year’s move to the Wilton Mall were pleasantly surprised to see a new ready-to-eat option. “We’re so excited to see egg & cheese sandwiches at the market! Now we know to skip breakfast and come straight here,” noted Bethany, another market-goer.

“We’ve been open for a long time,” says Grant resolutely. “I’m hoping to pass the business on to my granddaughter. At 85, I’m getting ready to retire soon, but I’d like it to stay in the family,” he adds. It sounds like Saratoga Farmers’ Market customers will be able to enjoy the farm-fresh sandwiches for some time to come.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wilton Mall and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at High Rock Park.  Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

Next week is Cinco de Mayo. Many of us foodies may be planning some type of festivity for this day. And what better way to celebrate than to eat delicious Mexican food. Our son lives in San Diego. The city is renowned for its wide selection of excellent Mexican restaurants and influence on the cuisine in that area. Mexican food is a major player on the San Diego food scene. Our son has also learned to add many Mexican flavors to his regular meals. One of his favorite things to do is to work with avocados and make guacamole or to get creative with salsas. To make the guacamole, the molcajete (a black volcanic rock) connects with making amazing and laborious Mexican dishes. One of those dishes is a salsa cruda, which is a red raw spicy salsa. The molcajete can be a very valuable object to assist when making your guacamole or salsa this Cinco de Mayo. The molcajete is among the world’s oldest culinary tools, volcanic rock mortars and pestles like these have been used by great cooks for thousands of years. Our molcajete (mortar) and tejolete (pestle) are hand carved from a single piece of basalt rock, so every piece is unique. In addition to being a great prep tool, the molcajete makes an impressive serving dish for guacamole and other party favorites. It is perfect for crushing whole spices and making spice blends, ideal for blending and serving guacamole—or for making pesto and other rustic sauces. You can line the molcajete with lettuce leaves to use as an all-purpose serving bowl. The rough interior texture of mortar helps crush and grind ingredients and it has a heavy pestle that does the work for you, ensuring efficient grinding, blending and mixing.

At Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place, we offer various types of mortar and pestles including the beautiful molcajete. Stop by and view our many spices that can be used to help you with your Cinco de Mayo culinary creations. Have a festive Cinco de Mayo. Remember Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Spring is in the air, and we are eager to move outdoors for our summer market season. May 1 marks the beginning of the 43rd outdoor market season for the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, the area’s longest-running, producer-only farmers’ market. The Saturday market will open at the current location, the Wilton Mall Bon-Ton parking lot, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Wednesday market will open at High Rock Park in downtown Saratoga Springs from 3 to 6 p.m. every week. 

The location split results from various factors, including COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, customer parking, accessibility, and community feedback. A recent survey with more than 700 responses resulted in an even split in public opinion on holding markets downtown versus the Wilton Mall. 

This year’s weekly Saturday markets will feature more than 70 vendors selling fresh produce, dairy products, eggs, meat, poultry, flowers, prepared foods, and more. The Wednesday markets will feature about 20 vendors with a similar range of products. Both markets will also include music, community guests, and periodic special events like Saturday’s Blueberry Festival in July and Power of Produce (POP) Club for kids on Wednesdays this summer.

We are excited to welcome new and returning vendors into the mix carrying a variety of products. Some to look out for include Capital Greens NY, Charlton Woodworking, Dancing Ewe Farm, Grazin’ Acres Farm, Leaning Birch Farm, Lovin’ Mama Farm, M & A Farm, Mirage Waterless, Native Farm Flowers, Night Work Bread, Old Tavern Farm, TogaNola Snack Company, Vashti’s Kitchen Delights, and Nine Pine Soup and Design. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market has remained committed to creating a safe environment for both vendors and customers, including handwashing and sanitizing stations, social distancing, and mask requirements. As we move into the summer season, we will continue to enforce these state-issued regulations for the health and safety of our community. 

The addition of an online ordering and curbside pickup program has provided an alternative for customers to safely and conveniently access local goods without having to shop inside the market. Orders can be placed online each week between Monday at 9 p.m. and Thursday at 9 p.m. for curbside pickup on Saturdays. Visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

“Warming temperatures are a sign that the summer market season is about to begin, and we can’t wait for all it will bring this year: spring flowers, summer produce, live music, and community in the great outdoors,” says Market Administrator Emily Meagher.

Wednesday Market Vendors:

• Burger Farm
• Euro Delicacies
• Gifford Farms
• Gómez Veggie Ville
• Left Field
• Mister Edge Sharpening
• Nine Pine Soup and Design
• Old World Farm
• Owl Wood Farm
• Saratoga Apple
• Saratoga Garlic Company
• Scotch Ridge Berry Farm
• Squash Villa Farm
• The Chocolate Spoon
• The Food Florist
• The Mushroom Shop
• Underwood’s Greenhouse/Shushan Valley Hydro Farm
• Vashiti’s Kitchen Delights

Saturday Market Vendors:

• 518 Farms
• Argyle Cheese Factory
• Balet Flowers & Design, LLC
• Ballston Lake Apiaries
• Big Breath Wellness
• Bunker Hill Organic LLC
• Burger Farm
• Capital Greens NY 
• Charlton Woodworking
• Daily Fresh
• Dancing Ewe Farm
• Elihu Farm
• Euro Delicacies
• Feathered Antler
• Fossil Stone Farms
• Freddy’s Rockin’ Hummus
• Giovanni Fresco
• Gómez Veggie Ville
• Grandma Apple’s Cheesecakes, LLC
• Grazin Acres Farm
• Green Jeans Market Farm
• Hebron Valley Veal
• Junbucha
• Kokinda Farm
• Leaning Birch Farm
• Left Field
• Longlesson Farm
• Lovin’ Mama Farm
• M & A Farm
• Mariaville Mushroom Men
• Mirage Waterless LLC
• Moon Cycle Seed Company
• Moxie Ridge Farm
• Mrs Londons
• Muddy Trail Jerky Co.
• Mugzy’s Barkery
• Native Farm Flowers
• Nettle Meadow
• Night Work Bread
• Old Tavern Farm
• Old World Farm
• Owl Wood Farm
• Petra Pocket Pies
• Pleasant Valley Farms
• Puckers Gourmet
• Pura Vida Fisheries, Inc
• R&G Cheesemakers 
• Ramble Creek Farm
• Saratoga Apple
• Saratoga Chocolate Co. 
• Saratoga Crackers
• Saratoga Garlic Company
• Saratoga Peanut Butter Co.
• Saratoga Spicery
• Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff
• Scotch Ridge Berry Farm
• Slate Valley Farms
• Slovonian European Cafe
• Slyboro Cider House
• Something’s Brewing
• Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery
• Squash Villa Farm
• Talmadge’s Vegetables
• The Chocolate Spoon
• The Food Florist
• The Smoothie Shoppe INC
• TogaNola Snack Company, LLC
• Underwood’s Greenhouse/Shushan Valley Hydro Farm
• Vashiti’s Kitchen Delights
• Yankee Distillers LLC

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

For the most part, I do not like having spiders in my kitchen -or anywhere, really. When I was a child, I would love to play with insects in my mother’s garden. However, I have outgrown that! I will make an exception for one spider, though: my beloved wood-handled, stainless steel spider. I am talking about the kitchen tool that looks like a mini flattened colander with a long handle. (It’s called a spider because the woven metal netting resembles a spider’s web.).  It is much less creepy than an actual spider. I have found that the spider has become one of the most reached-for tools in my kitchen. The perforated bowl is perfect for transporting pasta from pot to pan (while reserving the pasta water), lifting items like dumplings or thinly-sliced potatoes out of sizzling oil, and picking blanched vegetables like carrots or green beans out of boiling water. Another great way to put the spider in action is when making eggs hard or soft-boiled. Any egg that goes in boiling water benefits from being carried in a spider. The spider makes it easy to lower multiple eggs gently into a pot, and removing them three at a time is no problem either. Eggs love spiders, and spiders love eggs—it’s the perfect boiled egg tool. The best part is that you do not need a fancy or expensive one to reap all of those benefits. We carry the Helen Chen Spider, offered with a wooden or stainless steel handle. It is comfortable and lightweight. 

At Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, we carry all types of “cool tools” for cooks. Sorry, no real insects like spiders, but we have the ones that will help you do the job in the kitchen. Remember my Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen!” 

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Happy Earth Week! Some places celebrate Earth Day, others make it a weeklong event, and others organize month-long festivities. At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, we like to think that every day is Earth Day.

Farmers’ market operations are inherently more sustainable than factory and grocery store operations. Most obviously, vendors produce food locally, cutting down on transportation impacts. The Farmers’ Market Coalition cites that, on average, food travels over 1,000 miles from the point of production to the retail store. In contrast, practically all vendors at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market live just a county away from the market.

Many grow and produce their food with extra care for the environment, for instance, by growing organically or choosing sustainable packaging. Think compostable mushroom boxes, egg carton returns, or glass deposits on items like maple syrup, yogurt, or kombucha. “It’s obvious to consider the earth when you’re a farmer; your hands are literally in the dirt. But other food producers are equally responsible for operating sustainably,” said Shane Avery, owner of Junbucha.

That green focus is evident in customers’ minds, too. Customers are prepared to shop with reusable totes and netted produce bags. They religiously return their empty containers. They often choose the more sustainable options even if it costs a little more. Julia, one market customer, stopped by to return her glass maple syrup jar, calling choosing glass over plastic “the intuitive choice.” She chooses jars as they are reusable, returnable, recyclable, and she uses them to store granola at home before returning them.

And then, there are the green choices that extend further than the farmers’ market. The Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s partnership with the Franklin Community Center is a prime example: customers drop off compost at the farmers’ market to be used in the Center’s community garden, while vendors donate unsold food to the food pantry.

All these green efforts point out a quiet strength of farmers’ markets: their belief in the efficacy of traditional ways, where less is more, quality trumps quantity, and there is a deep-rooted connection to the earth.

Join us this Saturday, April 24, for our last winter market before welcoming our new summer vendors. We will be joining The Children’s Museum at Saratoga’s Children’s Road Rally event and offering a scavenger hunt and prizes for kids. Starting May 1, our Saturday markets will take place at the Wilton Mall from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., while you can find our Wednesday markets at High Rock Park from 3 to 6 p.m. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

There are many ways to make coffee. Our cups of coffee are very important to us since we start our days with that “necessary cup.” If you like coffee, you will find that you have many choices. You can spend lots of money to let other places make it for you. Many people find that their choice is a French press machine. People who use a press know and act like it is their own secret.  You can see it in the smile they have when they talk about it as they are purchasing one for a friend.  You can also see it in their frowns when they need one because the old one is lost due to a move or they are visiting here for an extended vacation and need one now!  My customers have many different passions for their favorite products but French Press people are knowledgeable and loyal. French Press coffee captures more of the flavor, aromas and oils from the coffee beans than drip coffee makers.  You lose a lot in a drip maker to the paper filter.  The difference between French press and drip coffee is that the grounds using a French press are steeped in boiling water while water just passes through the grounds in an auto or manual drip system. Grounds used for French press coffee must be larger and rougher. These grounds tend to release more caffeine, especially when steeped longer. Connoisseurs contend that this method of brewing produces a richer, fuller flavor. A serving that’s higher in caffeine may also have health advantages as well.

Once you have your press, here are the simple directions:
• Place the pot on a dry, flat surface. Hold the handle firmly, then pull out the plunger.
• Add a heaping tablespoon (7-8 grams) of coffee to the pot per 200 ml (6.7 oz) of water.
• Pour hot water—not quite boiling—into the pot, and gently stir.
• Carefully reinsert the plunger into the pot, stopping just above the water and ground coffee (do not plunge yet), and let stand for 3-4 minutes .
• Press the plunger down slowly, exerting steady pressure.

After each use, wash the pot with water and mild detergent, and dry thoroughly. Use coarse ground coffee. (remember fine will come through your screen).

You should probably consume your coffee within about 20 minutes as it could become bitter. Some people prefer it that way so whatever your tastes are is fine. You can also vary the strength by adding more or less coffee. If you remember, last week I talked about Tea and they also make a tea press which is catching on with Tea customers also.

Whereever your tastes take you, do what is best for you! Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

It felt so good to feel sunshine on our faces this past Saturday at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. 

From now through the end of April, the farmers’ market will be outside, weather permitting, in the Bon-Ton/Bow Tie parking lot at the Wilton Mall on Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Current COVID guidelines still stand, so mask up, bring your shopping bags, and remember to social distance as we continue to ensure the safest (and freshest) shopping experience.

As we eagerly anticipate spring perennials like asparagus and rhubarb, they are still much too young to harvest as vibrant shoots have just recently broken through the earth. Even fiddleheads are weeks away from emerging. However, early spring offers an opportunity to savor the first tender greens that are getting their start in greenhouses and the last of stored crops like beets, kohlrabi, and radishes. Innovative farmers are also bringing hydroponically grown produce like cucumber, watercress, and herbs. And, some farmers work tirelessly to bring crops that grow year-round, like mushrooms. 

If you are eager to make spring meals, there are plenty of flavorful ingredients available at the farmers’ market. We feel inspired to share recipes for a fresh herbed salad and seared pork chops this week. Combining stored fruit and vegetables with freshly harvested greens, fresh farm eggs, and heritage meats is what spring cooking is all about. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.