Rhubarb, also known as the “pie plant,” is sour. It is actually related to buckwheat, which is not wheat at all. In recent years, rhubarb has seemed to have a resurgence in New York. I see it posted all over Instagram for various food publications. I have made rhubarb pickles, and BBQ sauce, and shaved vegetable salads. And, while rhubarb can be used in savory applications, I most prefer it in pies and crisps. When rhubarb is paired with berries or apples, it balances nicely. Most rhubarb recipes call for a good amount of sugar, so adjust as you like. I prefer it on the sour side.

ANNE BYRN’S DOUBLE-CRUST STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling

• 1 1/2- 1 3/4 Cup Sugar, or more if you prefer
• 2/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp. grated orange or lemon + a little juice
• 4 cups rhubarb, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 cups strawberries, hulled and diced
• Dot with Butter
• Bake 425° F

Pie Dough, based on Betty Crocker cookbook. Mom’s notes:

• 2 crust pie
• 2/3 cup Cisco- maybe 1 tbsp. extra
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. Salt-maybe a little less
• 1 tsp. Sugar – I have added this recently
• 4-5 tbsp. Cold water

Stir flour, salt, and sugar together. Use pastry cutter to cut in Crisco. Mix well until consistency is like oatmeal. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time and stir with a fork. I usually use 5 tablespoons. Form 2 equal balls of dough. I flatten and use a pastry cloth and rolling pin cover to roll out. I sprinkle the pastry cloth and pin cover with flour before I roll out.

A couple notes:

Bake at 425° F in a regular home oven. It needs the high heat so that the flour thickens and binds with the fruit. If the pie starts to brown too much, cover with foil. It takes 45 min to an hour to bake. A good pie has a golden crust.

A good pie is a drippy pie. It needs to ooze before it is done.

Mom prefers flour to thicken, not cornstarch or tapioca. Again, this is a personal preference.

Here are a few notes about pie making from The Joy of Cooking:

1. “Chilling dough after mixing tenderizes it, keeps it from shrinking during baking and makes it easier to handle. We recommend refrigerating it covered for 12 hours or more.” My notes: I like to wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and put it in a Ziplock bag. I like the bottom crust slightly bigger than the top. You can also freeze the dough, up to 1 month.
2. “Always preheat the oven before baking the pie. You want a hot oven, which will help keep the dough light.”
3. About Rolling Pie Dough: “A pastry cloth and roller stocking are highly recommended. They do away with the sticking and require the use of very little additional flour.” “Roll the dough from the center out. Lift the roller. Do not push it to and fro, stretching the dough. Roll the dough to a least a 1/8 inch thickness or less. Should it have few tears, patch them carefully rather than trying to reroll.”
4. My notes: I prefer an all-butter crust because of the flavor. It is more like a Pop-Tart. Also, the trans fat thing. Butter is more difficult. For a good pie recipe, try Alison Roman’s pie crust from Dining In. I also do not use a pastry stocking or cloth, even though my mom has given me one before. I tend to use a French pie pin. I also prefer a slab pie vs a round pie because I think the crust to filling ratio is better.

Enjoy!

The post Chef Kate’s Family Recipe: Double-Crust Strawberry Rhubarb Pie first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

Combine this with the fact that this time of year I’m normally out most evenings doing events. Annual Spring events are on pause, but some events are always on my mind. Many years ago, when I was a young chef at The Plaza Hotel, we would cater the Debutante Ball. Not being raised from this ilk I had no idea what this was. Well, what it was is sort of a “coming out” for the daughters of New York’s elite “one- percenters”. For some odd reason, every year the menu included Chicken Tetrazzini. A very hearty, even heavy, entrée combining spaghetti with chicken, peas, mushrooms, wine, or sherry, with a heavy bechamel (white cream sauce). Again, no idea why this was appropriate, but whatever…

So last night, as I was pondering what to make, I opened the fridge and saw peas, mushrooms, a roasted chicken from the previous night and I decided to create a lighter, more “today” version of Chicken Tetrazinni. Below is my latest creation with a nod to our socially distant lives.

Chicken Quarantini

You can use whatever vegetable you have in the fridge or whatever vegetable you like I guess, but this is what I had on hand, so I made it this way:

Pre-Roasted chicken breast and thigh, boned and roughly shredded

Corn, cut off the cob

Mushrooms, quartered

Chopped garlic

Roasted tomatoes

Marinated artichokes

Pitted olives, cut in half

Peas, from the freezer or can is fine

Pesto and shredded basil leaves

Spaghetti

Grated cheese Romano or Parmigiano in my house

(yes, I know, we always have a lot in our fridge)

Sauté garlic and mushrooms until brown, add other vegetables, and sauté for a few minutes. Fold in shredded chicken, season with salt & pepper and pesto. At the same time, boil the spaghetti in salted water. When ready, put the pasta into a serving dish, check the chicken for seasoning to your liking and spoon the mixture over the pasta. Of course, sprinkle with a generous amount of grated cheese.

Buon Appetito

The post Chicken Quarantini! A Recipe from Thomas Preti first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

MAKES 36 COOKIES

Ingredients:

12oz Butter

12oz Light Brown Sugar

7oz Granulated Sugar

3 eggs

1lb 8oz All purpose flour

2 tsp Baking Soda

1lb Chocolate Chips

1tblspn Vanilla Extract

Pinch of salt

Method

Cream together sugars & Butter, mix for 5 minutes low speed on mixer

Add eggs, continue to mix & scrape down the sides of the Bowl, add vanilla.

Take flour, salt & baking powder mix into butter mix, incorporate well

Stop mixing scrape down bowl & add the chocolate chips

Stir by hand making sure the chips are distributed evenly through the dough

Scoop the cookies on to parchment or baking pad lined sheet pan, the size of a golf ball approximately

Flatten the cookies so the cook evenly, bake @ 325 for 15 minutes or until light brown

Allow to cool on the pan.

Enjoy

The post A Classic Weekend Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe! first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

Follow along and tag us in your family’s Chicken Curry!

The post SCLO Haus Chicken Curry, with Scott Parrish! first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

This Oat Molasses Bread recipe (a family favorite) is my mother in law Margaret’s recipe.  It is so easy to prepare and smells amazing when it is baking: the aroma of flour, oats, molasses is so delicious …. you will want to eat it right out of the oven. But, please let this bread cool awhile before slicing. We find that the sweet molasses flavor pairs really well with cold creamy butter. It is also an amazing accompaniment to soup or toasted for breakfast with a little smoked salmon and cream cheese. Another great thing about this yummy bread is that is completely freezable. Bake a loaf and freeze the other one. It’ll defrost perfectly and taste freshly baked.

Happy baking!

OATMEAL MOLASSES BREAD RECIPE

YIELD: Makes 2 large loaves (4 smaller)

INGREDIENTS & PREPARATION

Combine the following ingredients in a large bowl and let cool

• 2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 3 ½ cup boiling water

Combine the following and add to above (when cooled)

• 1/2 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
• 2 Tablespoons dry yeast

Combine the following and add to the above

• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 10 cups (about) unbleached all-purpose flour

(butter needed to prepare the bowls)

PREPARATION NOTES

Place the oats and the shortening in large bowl; pour the boiling water over. Let stand 30 minutes (water will be absorbed and oatmeal will be very soft). Next, fill a large glass measuring cup with the warm water. Sprinkle yeast over; stir to blend. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. Then add it to the oats mixture and blend thuroughly. In a separate bowl, combine the molasses, brown sugar and salt and then add this to oat mixture. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, to form medium-soft dough, mix by hand until well blended using all the flour. Turn out dough onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 9 minutes. Butter a large bowl; add dough, turning over to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch down dough; turn out into floured surface, divide dough form into loaves. Place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Cover with towel; let rise in warm draft-free area about 45 minutes. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F for 40 minutes. Bake until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool 10 minutes and transfer to cooling rack. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Wrap tightly in foil and freeze. )

The post Carl’s Mother in Law’s Oat Molasses Bread Recipe first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

Chef Ron’s Homemade Matzo Balls

Ingredients:

Makes 25 matzo balls

9 Eggs

3/4 cup Ice water/seltzer

1/2 cup +1 Tablespoon Melted Chicken Fat

2 cups Matzo Meal

Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

Whisk eggs and ice water/seltzer

Add chicken fat and whisk

Add matzo meal at once and whisk slowly then stir by hand until combined well

Add Salt & Pepper

Refrigerate overnight

Scoop into 2 inch balls and place in a pan or baking dish

Heat up 2 quarts of your favorite chicken stock or broth, to a boil. And pour over the matzo balls.

Cover with a lid or aluminum foil

Don’t touch for 10 mins

Turn and cook 30 mins in a 325 degree oven,

Cool off in liquid.

If serving immediately, place in a bowl, add your broth and garnish with cooked carrots and parsley.

The post Our Chef’s Homemade Matzo Ball Recipe! first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

While we’re all practicing self-isolation, our whole team is getting creative and having fun in the kitchen! This weekend, our Executive Pastry Chef Paul whipped up a batch of his spectacular chocolate fudge brownies. Today – we’re sharing his own recipe with all of you! Photos above are to follow along with the recipe!

Enjoy- and tag us in your finished Brownie posts! 

Makes 2 pans 9×12 inches

Bake @ 320F for 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

•  1lb Butter
• 14oz Chocolate (to be melted)
• 1lb Sugar (granulated)
• 8 eggs
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 14oz All Purpose Flour
• 1 Tablspoon Cocoa Powder
• ½ teaspoon Salt

Method

1. Melt the butter & chocolate in a bowl over a pot of hot water.
2. Mix together to combine.
3. Whip the sugar, eggs & vanilla on a machine to fluffy light yellow color, about 5 minutes.
4. Measure flour, cocoa & salt stir together to distribute the cocoa & salt in the flour.
5. Remove egg mixture from the mixer & pour in the chocolate mix.
6. Stir in the chocolate to the eggs.
7. Then add the flour mixture incorporate so all ingredients are combined & evenly distributed.
8. Divide the mixture in two & drop on to two pre greased & parchment paper lined pans.
9. Spread out the mix evenly over the base of the pan.
10. Put the pans into a pre heated oven & bake for 15-20 minutes.
11. When the brownies are done remove from the oven & allow to cool before cutting.

Enjoy!

The post TPC Brownies! first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.

Thank you to Chef Peter & Chef Paul for all of your hard work and dedication!

Here’s our recipe for Chef Ron’s World Famous Meatballs, so you too can get in the kitchen with the kids and whip up some memories!

CHEF RON’S WORLD FAMOUS MEATBALL’S

INGREDIENTS
• 4 oz Ground veal
• 4 oz Ground beef (or Pork)
• 2 oz, sautéed mirepoix (puree of onion, carrot, celery and garlic)
• 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
• ¼ cup grated romano cheese
• 2 oz. panada (1 oz heavy cream mixed with 1 oz fresh bread crumbs)
• 1 egg
• ½ cup dry bread crumbs

TO MAKE:
1- Place both the ground beef and veal in a bowl
2- Add the mirepoix, parsley and cheese
3- Mix well with your hands
4- Add the egg and the panada
5- Mix into meat mixture
6- Add the bread crumbs a bit at a time until the mix tightens
7- Season with salt and pepper
8- Scoop and roll into balls

The post 2017 TPC Kids In the Kitchen! first appeared on Thomas Preti Events to Savor.