The Perfect Day for a Picnic

In the current issue of edible Buffalo, I deconstructed the perfect picnic. The great thing about this summertime cuisine ritual, is for the most part, there's little muss and no fuss. However, Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate with social calendars.

What do to when the cloud Gods open the skies, and meals have to be moved inside? A modified version of the movable feast.

A group in Western New York recently gathered for a cookbook club (aka Cooka Nostra) meeting. Garden fresh tomato and basil, and fresh mozzarella salad; corn on the cobb with home-enhanced butter, fruit skewers and yogurt dip; Chicago-style hot dogs and homemade apple pie, were all on the menu.

Butter mixed with sea salt, chives, garlic, lime zest and a touch of juice, gave farm-fresh corn a kick. The butter did have to be set in the fridge, since we were in the middle of a heat wave.


Blogger Lucinda Scala Quinn recently published her Chicago dog recipe in Living and it came in handy when searching for something to make inside.

Eating out of the garden is a summertime perk

Dishing Up Buffalo

Every summer, hundreds of culinary samples are served on the streets of downtown Buffalo, NY by the area’s best restaurants.

Taste of Buffalo, sponsored by TOPS, is the largest two-day food festival in the United States, according to the Taste of Buffalo website. This year, close to half-a-million patrons roamed Delaware Avenue and Niagara Square, in the July heat, to get a taste of WNY’s premier outdoor festival.

Common vendors made their presence known, but there were also a few new faces. Sakura Sushi (3719 Union Road, Cheektowaga 14225) was serving both traditional and contemporary dishes, including the freshest dumplings in town. Fresh, thin skin on the outside led way to a chicken center. Dipping sauce was not even necessary. These little balls of goodness were perfect on their own.

Healthy and delicious

The mid-July heat did not stop foodies from tasting the Beer Cheese soup at Eddie Ryan’s of Lancaster. Made with local cheddar cheese and “cheap” beer, just a sample was a hearty dish and the perfect way to settle into an afternoon of eating. Thick and creamy, there was a hint of beer but cheese lovers won’t be able to get enough of this hot dish–no matter what time of year.

Ed Beck of Williamsville, NY can't get enough of Beer Cheese soup

The closest Dinosaur Bar-B-Que may be in Rochester, New York but a summer food festival would not be complete without BBQ. Rows of ribs, coated in Dinosaur’s well-known sauce, was the perfect backdrop to eat a mini BBQ sandwich. Pulled pork, fresh off the barbie, drenched in traditional BBQ sauce and on a fresh bun.

Nothing says summer like the smell of BBQ

The day would not have been complete without dessert. Bravo! may be a chain but their crème brulee is a creamy homemade custard with fresh vanilla bean and caramelized sugar, and uniquely worth the calories.

A sweet touch

Local wines, on crushed ice, were served up at the Icy Sangria Wine Slush tent. A chillaxing way to end a hot and full day.

Local, chilled wines draw a crowd

DIY Dino BBQ

Set to the background of Blues music a group of women (and one man) recently gathered to re-create the famed Dinosaur BBQ cookbook. With their individual twists, a multi-course meal was served.

Laura and the Dinosaur BBQ Cookbook: An American Roadhouse

A Thai green curried chili that was the result of cabbage having soaked overnight, spiked with cilantro and flavored with Mae Ploy Sauce, on hot dogs, received praise: “I’m incorporating this salad into my repertoire,” Lynn said. But it wasn’t the “winning” dish.

Slaw and wieners

Mississippi-Style Catfish Strips with Bacon-Fennel BBQ Sauce captured the attention and palates of dinner goers. Dinosaur BBQ originally created the dish for a fiery food show but some of the ingredients were altered. Although it happened to be Lent when Dino BBQ developed the recipe, I don’t think the Pope would mind having taken liberty with it. In the end, it was sinfully good.

The Fish

1-pound catfish fillets

1 egg slightly beaten

½ cup cornmeal

½ cup flour

Old Bay Seasoning

3 cups vegetable oil

Slice the catfish into ¾ inch wide by 5 to 6 inches long. Toss in a bowl along with the egg. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Fill a bowl with a mix of cornmeal and flour. Pour the oil into the skillet. Slide the oil-filled skillet onto a front burner and get it heating over medium heat until hot but not smoking.

Next, line up the cookie sheet, the cornmeal mixture, and the bowl of marinating catfish. Pluck the catfish from the marinade, drop it in the cornmeal mix, and roll it around in the mixture until coated. Then move the coated strips to the wax-lined pan.

Once the catfish strips are breaded, fry them in the hot oil in batches without crowding the pan. Cook, flipping once, for a total of 4 to 5 minutes until nicely brown. Drain on paper towels. Feeds 3 to 4.

The Sauce

8 strips regular-slice bacon

1 heaping cup slivered red onion

1 heaping cup slivered fennel

Pinch each of sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1 cup Dinosaur BBQ Creole Honey Mustard Sauce

Juice of ¼ lemon

Fry the bacon over medium-high heat just until crisp and brown. Pull it out of the pan, drain it on paper towels, crumble and set aside.

Pour off all but 3 to 4 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan. Dump in the onions and fennel, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sizzle over medium heat until brown and caramelized. Stir in the sauce and lemon juice.

Pour the sauce over the fish

Back to the meal

Beer was on tap and so was a Trilogy Red wine from Black Willow in Olcott, NY

Ending the meal with Julie’s Peanut Butter Pie with an Oreo crust (she used graham crackers and Cool Whip instead of Heavy Whipped Cream) was a perfect conclusion to a summer BBQ.

Spicy Summer Lovin’

Blame it on the long summer nights that cause us to throw caution to the wind, make a move on that crush you’re smitten about, and try new things; but while embracing the few short months of tempest bliss, why not open your mind and mouth to another temptress . . . the hot pepper.

The spicy snap of a hot pepper is enough to make anyone wonder whether his or her stomach is in danger after eating just one. Fortunately for those of us who crave the appeal of hot cuisines and their ingredients, adding a little spice to your diet, and life, is good for you. According to a study by Dr. David Y. Graham of Baylor College of Medicine suggest that capsaicin, found mostly in the white pithy ribs and seeds of the pepper is actually helps protect the stomach lining.

Serious spice is not lethal

The hotness of a pepper is measure using the Scoville heat scale. The sweet bell pepper has zero Scoville units, while the hottest pepper in the world, the bhut jolokia, has a whopping 1 million Scoville units.

According to ehow.com, eating hot peppers can speed metabolism, which helps to burn extra calories. Hot peppers can also act as an appetite suppressant. Additionally, they can help alleviate respiratory problems when eaten because capsaicin causes the body to release fluids that wash away irritants.

The hottest peppers from Southeast Asia can be found, almost in your backyard

In Western New York, there is a section of Amherst where spice seekers can find the hottest spices around. Super Bazaar (3218 Sheridan Dr. 14226) supplies the best in South Asian grocery. After challenging your taste buds there, try the below recipe to tempt the senses.

Spicy Indian Side

Spicy Indian Side

5 ¼ cups of water

3 cups Basmati rice

2 10 oz. jars of Hot Mango Relish

½ cup almonds, silvered and roasted

Red pepper flakes

Japones (Dried Chiles) Hot

½ fresh orange

Bring the water to a boil

Stir in the rice, cover and reduce heat to a summer for 20 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed.

Add the Hot Mango Relish and almonds and stir.

Completely cover the top with crushed red pepper flakes.

Season with broken Japones

Squeeze fresh orange juice over top and use the rind as a garnish.

Jellies

Or jell-o as we call it across the pond. Is apparently popular in the England, especially for a wedding reception. Too bad the only jell-o molds in the U.S. are probably found in our parents' basements. Unmade jell-o, it's not going to get my spirits down!

I am seriously awake for this

First thing, must put on a strong pot of coffee.

A Toast to Earth Day

Almost as long as Earth Day has been celebrated, the masses have known that eating local is healthy and environmentally friendly. But what about drinking locally? Welcome to the Niagara Wine Trail USA. Nestled between Niagara Falls and Buffalo, award-winning wineries sit amongst sleepy farms and pastures, all within a brief drive.

The Winery at Marjim Manor, at 7171 East Lake Road (Route 18) Appleton, NY 14008, produces fruit wines and folklore. A former convent, the property the mansion sits on was originally purchased from the Holland Land Company. Although the majestic home has been turned into a reception hall and winery, it's been reported that some of the old souls still linger. Just don't tell William Shakespeare, one of the resident cats.

At a recent tasting, some traditional upstate New York wines were tried, but they are always a little too sweet for me. However, blueberries, plums and pears soon danced on my tongue. If you go, True Blueberry ($20.95) is great for vegetarians because of it's compliment traits to vegetables, especially eggplant. Followed by an oaky cab, and then Pear Made in Heaven ($7.95). The first wine made at Marjim, it is not only a bargain but a light, crisp wine, perfect for humid WNY summer nights on the porch.

Marjim Manor

There are almost 15 wineries on the Niagara Wine Trail and guided tours are available. Coming this summer, Gust of Sun Winery and Long Cliff Winery will be open for business. Don't forget Niagara Reusable Wine Bags and recycle your bottles when you're done.

If you decide to stay the night, don't miss the latest must visit overnight destination. Brookins Inn & Suites is modernized old world charm, at 2697 Maple Ave., Newfane, NY. Decorated in a crisp French country style, this inn is brimming with history. Built in 1893, the inn was built by by Delisle Brookins, who was also responsible for the Olcott Beach Hotel. In it's heyday, the hotel served as the stage for such big bands as Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and Louis Armstrong. Today at the Inn on Maple Ave., the proprietors, Beverly and Dan Mandaville, make sure eco-friendly soaps are placed in every room. Environmentally and wallet friendly, with quaint surroundings, all tucked away on the Niagara Wine Trail.

Western New York is known to already be home to one wonder of the world, but after a vacation to Niagara Wine Country, you'll see this spectacular attraction is something to be discovered.