Hello  my Foodie Friends!   

I love the scents of Autumn. My nose hits overdrive when September rolls around, and it has nothing to do with allergies. There’s a reason we love the smell of autumn. Think of all of the spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice. This is also why we covet fall-themed desserts. Baking and autumn go hand-in- hand. Taking someone a baked good represents love and comfort. Who doesn’t love the smell of something baking in the oven! Having the right tools to bake a cake or pie is important. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up, these are the baking making essentials. 

It is difficult to make a great pie without a great pie plate. Pie plates come in a variety of styles, and the differences aren’t just aesthetic—a pie plate’s material, thickness, and color all affect the final product. Maybe choose a baking sheet or cake pan as well. There are standard baking essentials that are needed to make your favorite baked treats. Cooking and baking are really enjoyable if you can find recipes that are inspiring and delicious. Flipping through a cookbook, you’ll find that most cooking and baking recipes use precise measurements. Portioning ingredients in a dish balances flavors to create the best-tasting recipes. Dry measuring cups, liquid measuring cups, and measuring spoons are three of the fundamental kitchen tools that will help you measure your ingredients. 

The best measuring cups and spoons make it easy to portion your ingredients and wash up after you’re done cooking or baking. Dry measuring cups are important kitchen tools to have in your drawers. The best measuring cup sets consist of five different measuring cups, ranging from 1/3 cup to 1 cup for measuring dry goods. You’ll find that dry measuring cups are made from many different materials, including plastic and stainless steel. Both of these types of materials can be placed in the dishwasher, which makes it easier to clean up after you’re done cooking or baking. These materials are used in measuring cups because they will not react with food and then can even by placed in the refrigerator or freezer if you need to cool ingredients. If you are baking, make sure that you clean out your measuring ups after each use to that you don’t contaminate any of your ingredients. 

Aside from measuring cups, measuring spoons are also a must-have in your kitchen. A standard set of measuring spoons is great if you are baking in the kitchen because you can use the right portion of baking soda and baking powder to get the perfect texture for your best sweet treats. Measuring spoons can measure both liquid and dry ingredients so they’re super handy to have in the kitchen.

A pastry brush is the easiest way to apply a thin, even egg wash over pies with a double crust, like a classic apple pie. Choose between the natural (or thin nylon) bristles or the thicker silicone style.

If you’ve always felt anxious about rolling out pie dough, it’s worth playing the field to find a rolling pin that makes you feel confident in the kitchen. While choosing the best rolling pin is a highly personal process, I love the simplicity of a French pin, which is lighter and more maneuverable. After you’ve rolled out pie dough, a sturdy bench scraper will make quick work of any mess. It will scrape up all the flour and stubborn dough scraps left behind, helping you clean up in a few easy swipes. Plus, it’s handy for dividing blocks of dough without scratching the counters.

Hopefully, trying out fall baking recipes is at the top of your list of things to do this season. Not much can beat the tastiness of a homemade baked good. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place. Pick up the cool tools for cooks to help you with your Autumnal delights. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

Take Care, John & Paula

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

Exploring new foods in the New Year may be a way to expand your taste palette and introduce you to different cultures. We have all been there; it can be scary to try new dishes. However, it can be deliciously rewarding. You can learn more about different values and traditions, ingredients, spices, and staple dishes that are popular in different parts of the world. We can become bored in our kitchens cooking the same dishes we fall back on. Food is a universal necessity. The food we eat is intricately intertwined with our culture. 

My father-in-law came from a German background. This past holiday season, my mother-in-law was reminiscing about some of the German cuisine dishes that he enjoyed. One of his favorite dishes included the side dish of spaetzle. 

Spaetzle is a unique, fun, and easy German dumpling that everybody should learn how to make. It is traditionally used as a base for both sweet and savory dishes, soups, and one dish meals. Done in just minutes, these are great on their own, as part of a traditional German meal, or perfect for any dish that might use a macaroni pasta. Spaetzle, or spätzle, is a simple dumpling or small noodle that is typically associated with German food heritage. If you have ever made a simple egg noodle, it is almost identical in ingredients and easier to make. Making homemade spaetzle is a mix of a simple batter of flour, eggs, milk, and sale and the use of a spaetzle utensil to drop the batter into boiling water. It can be boiled in water or broth. 

The spaetzle maker is a convenient device usually made of metal that’s sole purpose is for the making of small dumplings known as spaetzle. The metal plate has holes in it that you pour your spaetzle batter through directly into boiling water. The spaetzle maker nestles over a pot of water or broth. Once your batter is ready, you pour it into the sliding box onto the grater-like base. Slide it from side to side, and the little droplets slip through the holes and drip into the boiling water. Moments later, the noodles will be floating on top. The holes are specialized which enables the batter to cling and stretch into the right shape. The taste and texture of spaetzle is comforting and can be topped with a variety of ways to suit those around your table. 

Be adventurous this year and try something new. It is a great way to use the cooking experience to bond with those around us and stimulate some interesting conversations about geography, different cultures, customs, and ceremonies. Expand your horizons this year. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your neighborhood kitchen and cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place to help you with the culinary tools you need to explore new foods. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care, John & Paula

Isabel Burlingham holds her family, Scandinavian heritage, and traditions close to her heart. Her new baking business, parchment, is, in fact, a culmination of all of her passions. 

Burlingham worked as an analytical research chemist for the past ten years but became uninspired by her work. When she heard of a business incubator program through the Troy Waterfront Farmers’ Market, she decided to pursue her passion for baking.

Isabel Burlingham delves deep into her Norwegian roots, baking traditional bread, pastries, and cookies using a combination of family and contemporary Norwegian recipes while acknowledging science for making the baking process possible.

“Scandinavian baking is unique because it is less sweet and uses traditional flavors like cardamom, almond, and pecan,” says Burlingham.

At parchment, everything is meaningful – from the selection of breads, pastries, and cookies to their ingredients, packaging, and business name. 

“The name parchment comes from parchment paper,” explains Burlingham. “Parchment was one of the original writing tools used to record stories that we’ve passed down through the ages. And parchment is also a baking paper used in modern baking.” Burlingham adds.

For bread, Burlingham makes Rugbrød, a dense and tangy Nordic-style rye sourdough, and Julekaker, a yeasted cardamom bread made in a brioche-style with crystalized ginger and raisins. 

Her centerpiece pastry is Kardemummabullar, a slightly sweet cardamom flavored roll with a cardamom filling available in various flavors, including traditional, raspberry, chocolate, almond, and orange.

Traditional cookies are a cornerstone at parchment. Burlingham bakes various cookies, including Pepperkaker, a thin, crisp spice cookie, Lavendelflarn, a crisp, buttery lavender shortbread (with seasonal variations), Pekannflarn, a crisp, lacey pecan cookie with a chewy, caramel finish, and Kniplingskager, a buttery crisp Danish lace cookie with a hint of ginger – just to name a few. 

Burlingham relies on local and organic ingredients whenever possible, and she uses organic flour from New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts.

For Isabel Burlingham, her work is inspiring and rewarding. She loves to share the origins of her products and the stories that go with them.

You can find parchment at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, the Troy Farmers’ Market on Saturdays, and the Schenectady Greenmarket on Sundays. You can also find parchment’s products at the Honest Weight Food Co-op. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Wilton Mall Food Court. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @SaratogaFarmersMarket.

Hello, my Foodie Friends! 

January: The notorious month of New Year’s resolutions is officially here! Though you can obviously plan healthy meals for every month of the year, we’re betting that eating healthy in January tops your list of priorities. If you’re trying to eat clean this month, it can be hard to know where to start. One of the definitions of the word Resolution is: a promise to yourself that you will make a serious effort to do something that you should do. Though it’s a pretty well-documented fact that most New Year’s resolutions fail, we keep making them-and we’re not alone. The custom of making New Year’s resolutions is most common in the West, but it happens all over the world. Losing weight, eating healthier, getting fit, improving our health, or getting back in shape are among the most popular resolutions made every New Year. 

Unfortunately, this is a resolution that we tend to remake year after year. It can be daunting when your list of New Year’s Resolutions is as long as your holiday shopping list. In addition to the post-holiday slump, not being able to keep your resolutions by February, March or even late January may increase your anxiety. When your holiday decorations are packed up and stored away, the frustration of an unused gym membership or other reminders of failed resolutions can make the later winter months feel hopeless.

However, it is important to remember that the New Year isn’t meant to serve as a catalyst for sweeping character changes. It is a time for people to reflect on their past year’s behavior and promise to make positive lifestyle changes. By making your resolutions realistic, there is a greater chance that you will keep them throughout the year, incorporating healthy behavior into your everyday life. Making healthier food choices can help with improving the quality of your diet. However, regulating the size of food portions is a simple process that can help with weight loss. Weighing out food before it is eaten is a convenient method of controlling portion sizes and is something you can easily do at home with basic kitchen equipment. A digital kitchen scale helps with measuring. 

A pointer to assist with weighing: Weigh out the desired portion size. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a standard portion for most meats and fish is 3 ounces. Look for portion size information on packages and use online resources such as MyPyramid.gov to learn about the recommended portion size of other foods. Weigh the food before it has been washed or cooked. Place the plate of food on the scale. The calibrated scale will measure the weight of the food only. Remove or add more of the foods until you reach the required portion. You can remove the plate as many times as you like provided that you do not press the tally button for a second time. For Food Safety reasons, you need to wash the plate thoroughly with hot water and detergent between weighing different foods.

Keeping our Promise to scale down as a part of those New Year’s resolutions can require using the right tools to make it work. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, located at 33 Railroad Place in Saratoga Springs to select a digital scale to assist with weighing ounces, pounds, fluid ounces, grams, and milliliters. We wish you all a happy, healthy, and fun in the kitchen year ahead. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

Take Care, John & Paula

The best way to stay healthy during cold and flu season is to take preventative steps before you feel that first sniffle. If you become sick, resting, staying hydrated, and getting proper nutrition are some of the most important things you can do to feel better and recover faster. Many locally grown and sourced foods can alleviate and support you during the healing process.

Pasture-raised chicken and grass-fed beef bones are available at the farmers’ market and can be boiled down to make nutrient-dense stock. Bone broth is rich in minerals, amino acids, and essential fatty acids and has many health benefits. To get started, place 1 gallon of water, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2-4 pounds of animal bones, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a large pot or slow cooker. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 12-24 hours. The longer it cooks, the better it will taste and the more nutritious it will be.

Vitamin C is largely associated with a strengthened immune system and may help to reduce cold and flu symptoms. Brussels sprouts, potatoes, tomatoes, and fresh herbs like parsley and thyme are high in vitamin C and currently available from local farms.

Freshly harvested leafy greens like spinach and kale can also help boost your immune system as they contain vitamins E and C. A green smoothie or a raw salad can offer a daily dose of essential, health-building vitamins.

Whether your looking to alleviate a cough or boost your immune system, honey is the perfect food to consume on its own or in a cup of tea. Honey is known for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Bee products such as propolis and bee pollen, available at Ballston Lake Apiaries, are high in zinc, magnesium, and B vitamins.

Garlic has been used in alternative medicine for centuries. Scientists have found that plant compounds in garlic are immune-supportive and anti-inflammatory even when consumed raw in small doses.

While no food alone can cure sickness, eating the right foods may help support your immune system and offer relief from certain symptoms.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Wilton Mall Food Court. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @SaratogaFarmersMarket.

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

It’s that time again for us here at Compliments to the Chef to thank all the wonderful acquaintances that have helped us throughout the year. As Clarence said to George Bailey in the film It’s a Wonderful Life: “No man is a failure who has friends.” We have foodie friends which is even better. So many great people have come through our door with questions and suggestions about cooking and culinary tools that are needed. We believe that we have a great extended family who shares in our joy of cooking and creating our own masterpiece meals. As we get ready to ring in the New Year and welcome 2022, memories of some New Year traditions come to mind. Upon meeting my wife Paula, I had the opportunity to be exposed to some of the southern traditions her mother made based on her father’s background growing up in Virginia. The serving of black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day has been considered a lucky New Year’s food that dates back almost 1500 years. The tradition arrived in America during the 1930’s in Georgia and spread after the Civil War. In the Southern states, the tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day is considered good luck to bring prosperity to the New Year. The traditional meal includes collards, turnips, or mustard greens, and ham. The swelling of the black-eyed peas symbolizes prosperity; the greens symbolize money; the ham represents positive motion. 

Here is a great recipe that includes all of the ingredients we hope brings good luck to you. Add a slice of cornbread, and you’ve got “peas for pennies, greens for dollars, and cornbread for gold.” 

We have wonderful round cast iron Dutch ovens from Le Creuset, Staub, Chantal, and Lodge that can help you with this wonderful dish. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, to pick up your cool tools for cooks to help with your New Year’s culinary preparations. Cook up some good luck this New Years. Have a safe and happy New Year. Cheers to a happy 2022! 

Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life happens in the kitchen!”

 Take Care, John & Paula

The holiday season evokes traditions that create lasting memories while reinforcing our values and identity. This week, we look to our local farmers and producers as they share some of their favorite memories of their holiday traditions on the farm.

“When we were kids, Christmas Eve was always our big dinner and presents,” shares Laurie Kokinda of Kokinda Farm and Laurie’s Jams and Jellies. “Christmas morning, we always saddled horses and went for a trail ride through Luther Forest. Back then, it was a single dirt road and especially beautiful if we got fresh snow.” 

Christophe Robert of Longlesson Angus takes a traditional New Year’s Day family hike on their farm. “After a big New Year’s Eve celebration full of food and drinks, we hike to cure the hangover,” says Robert. They also bring their goats along as, according to Robert, “they hike better than the dogs.” 

At Slate Valley Farms, Gina Imbimbo happily anticipates the farm’s New Year’s tradition of making natural dyes from their farm-grown Christmas trees. The dye is a red-brown hue used to color yarn, socks, and linens. Their family also prepares for the maple season by tapping maple trees on the first full moon in January, the wolf moon, per Native American traditions.

Corinne Hansch of Lovin’ Mama Farm describes their family traditions as “land-centric.” “Normally, around Thanksgiving, we do cider pressing, and in the New Year, we help with processing maple syrup,” says Hansch. Processing maple syrup is just for their use, and Hansch explains their rustic tradition of carrying buckets of sap to be boiled.

Nettle Meadow Farm and the Kemp Animal Sanctuary celebrates Christmas with a big holiday bash hosted by the farm owners for the employees. The farm’s annual party includes a feast, a secret Santa gift swap, games, and good conversation. Farmworker Sean Dean jokes that the farm’s senior rescue turkey has the safest home.

This holiday season, we encourage you to build traditions of your own. Perhaps by sharing a favorite recipe, shopping for your holiday feast at the farmers’ market, or simply spending time with loved ones — which is where the true spirit of the season lays. The farmers’ market will be closed on Christmas Day and reopen on January 1, 2022.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Wilton Mall Food Court. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @SaratogaFarmersMarket.