Cooking with The BRJ

I had my research plants and worked at Willowwood in the late 60s/early 70s when it belonged to Rutgers and I got to know Dr. Ben Blackburn and Russ Myers. I also received a small grant from the Willowwood Foundation to conduct botanical research in Europe, in 1970. I was always impressed with the “Englishness” of the place. One thing that sticks in my mind is the cleaning of the shovels and rakes at the end of the day with an oiled piece of burlap, almost like a Japanese tea ceremony.

Another thing was the rest at the end of a gardening day with drinks on the back veranda, looking down the allee. Mrs. “L” was the cook. I never saw it spelled out, but I understand that the “L” stood for Mrs. Llanagen. Here is her cheesecake recipe that she shared with us.

Set oven to 325 °F and grease an 8 ½ x 3-inch spring form pan.

Ingredients

Crust:

1 ½ cups of Graham cracker crumbs

3 tbsp. sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

Filling:

1 lb. cream cheese (softened)

1 lb. creamy cottage cheese (strained)

1 ¾ cups sugar

4 eggs, well beaten

½ cup melted butter

3 tbsp. cornstarch

3 tbsp. flour

1 pint sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ tbsp. lemon juice

Crust: mix crumbs, 3 tbsp. sugar, and 1/3 cup of melted butter. Press into the bottom and sides of the pan.

Filling: Combine cottage cheese and softened cream cheese. Add sugar slowly. Add eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, and butter. Mix cornstarch and flour with half of the sour cream; add this and other half of the sour cream to the mixture. Bake one hour, turn off oven, and leave in closed oven overnight. Chill for several hours (or overnight) before serving.

Dr. Tucker’s recipe for Willowwood Cheesecake first appeared in our Winter 2003/2004 issue.

Georgia may call itself the “Peach State” and South Carolina may be the largest peach producer this side of the Mississippi, but if you are looking for the kind of peach that summer memories are made of you don’t have to go any further south than New Jersey, where the best peaches anywhere have been a staple for more than 300 years.

Often thought of as a native of the Americas, the peach’s long journey to the orchards of New Jersey actually began thousands of years ago in China, where the golden fruit is still celebrated as a symbol of abundance and longevity. Around 300 BC seedlings were carried along ancient trade caravans to the Persian Empire. From there the glorious fruit known then as the “Persian Apple” was carried into Egypt, Greece, and many of the once mighty civilizations that dominated the Mediterranean. In the 1st century AD conquering Romans carried the peach across the Alps and the Pyrenees as they advanced into Gaul and Spain and the peach, along with the Roman legions, marched across Europe.

It would take another 1,000 years however for the peach to set sail from the ports of Spain and reach the New World, where Spanish explorers and missionaries introduced it to the Native Americans in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Native Americans fell in love with this luscious fruit from across the great Atlantic and as they carried it north into what would eventually become the United States, a group of early English settlers landed with their own peach seedlings at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607.

Within a few short decades the peach found its way into “the Jerseys” and by the late 1600s, wagonloads of peaches from New Jersey, dubbed the “Garden of the world” by one 17th century European atlas, were being hauled to markets in New York City. By the 1800s the agrarian landscape was dominated by peach orchards and by 1850 Hunterdon County was the state’s chief grower. It’s estimated the of the 4 million peach trees in the Garden State at this time, half of them were in Hunterdon, where an entire industry which included railroads whose main purpose was to deliver the peach crop to market, evolved around the booming orchards. 

With such a yearly bounty peaches became an anticipated summer tradition in New Jersey and found their way into preserves, pies, cakes, cobblers, and homemade ice cream. Peach cider was also a staple in many areas and some enterprising distillers even produced peach brandy. But at the peak of its “Golden Age” a “peach blight” from the orient, known in the U.S. as the “San Jose Scale” found its way to a New Jersey nursery on plum trees shipped from California. It quickly spread through New Jersey peach orchards killing “thousands of acres” of trees. A spray became available to control the disease but many farmers considered its price to costly to allow them to make a profit. By 1920 there were “fewer trees in the entire state than in Hunterdon County in 1890”. The effect on the economy was devastating forcing many farmers into bankruptcy as well as businesses, industries, and rail lines that benefited from the peach trade.

But not all farmers were willing to see a lifetimes, or in some cases generations, of hard work go to rot, and a few determined growers, like the Melick family in Oldwick, did what it took to save their orchards, no matter what the cost. Due in large part to their perseverance during the hard times and the knowledge they have passed down the Jersey peach was saved and today it is still a viable industry in New Jersey. There are currently around 150 peach growers in New Jersey, cultivating over 8,000 acres of orchards, which according to the New Jersey peach Promotion Council “are fresher, juicier, and sweeter and have a longer shelf life than all other peaches.” Peach season runs from mid-July until late September, so if you want to know what a Jersey summer tastes like, try a “Jersey-glo”, “White Lady”, or any locally grown New Jersey peach – they have a history of good taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups spring mix (packed)

2-3 medium beets

1/2 tbsp olive oil

salt to taste

2 tablespoons feta

1 tablespoon walnuts (chopped)

2 tablespoons vinaigrette

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 °F 

Remove leaves and wash beets.  Cut into 1/4" slices.  Toss with olive oil and salt to taste.  Roast in a single layer on a pan for approx. 20 minutes, or until tender.  Set aside to cool, approx. 10 minutes.

Assemble salad with spring mix, feta, walnuts and beets. Toss with vinaigrette (of your choosing) and serve.

I love this family-friendly recipe because it is easy to substitute ingredients, it’s healthy, and the filling freezes nicely. It’s easy to make and even easier for the older kids to re-heat. Everyone seems to love it. You could easily make this dish dairy-free (substitute the sour cream for tomato sauce) or gluten-free (use gluten-free bread crumbs.)

Ingredients:

6 or 7 medium-sized peppers (I like to use yellow, red and/or orange peppers because I think they have more flavor and it makes the dish look aesthetically appealing. To save some money, or if you can only find green peppers, they would work as well.)

One pound of ground round (I have also substituted ground turkey)

One large onion (about 1 ¾ cups) finely chopped

One garlic clove, minced.

One jar of your favorite tomato sauce (approx. 29-ounces) or you can make your own sauce. (In a pinch, I have also drained a can of chef-cut tomatoes or you could use tomato paste and water)

One and a half cups of cooked rice. I use brown but you could also use white. (Time saving tip: You could add a bag of Boil-in-Bag rice, at the same time that you add the peppers to the boiling water. Both will cook for 10 minutes…or you can cook rice the old fashioned way)

Salt and pepper to taste (About 1/8 tsp of salt and ¼ tsp. of freshly ground pepper)

One half cup of seasoned breadcrumbs.*

One fourth cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.*

Olive oil to drizzle.*

One fourth cup of sour cream or additional tomato sauce to serve.* 

*Optional

1) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and put a large pot of water on the stove top to boil. Cut the tops off your peppers. Remove and discard the seeds and membranes. Finely chop the pepper tops (discard the stems.) Set the chopped pepper tops to the side and put the remaining peppers into the boiling water. (If you are using Boil-in-Bag rice, add that now.) Cook uncovered for ten minutes. Drain the peppers up-side-down.

2) Cook the chopped pepper tops, the ground round, onion and garlic over medium-high heat in a large pan until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are soft. Add the tomato sauce and the rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and then simmer for five minutes uncovered.

3) Spoon the meat mixture into the drained pepper “cups” and place them into a baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Take the peppers out and top them with a mixture of breadcrumbs and cheese. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on top. Put the peppers under the broiler for about 3 minutes. The topping will turn golden brown. (Do not let the topping burn) The stuffed peppers can be served with sour cream or additional tomato sauce. Serves 6 people.

Enjoy! 

Hi all,

Greetings from Black River General Store and Catering. The current health crisis has been really hard on my fellow friends and family in the food industry, but we must stay strong!

I received this recipe for from a Tuscan Chef, who was gracious enough to share it with me while I was visiting Ravello, on Italy's Amalfi Coast.

Ingredients: (serves 4 – 6)

2 stalks of celery

1 medium yellow onion 

3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil (for sauté)

2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil (for baguette cubes)

10 basil leaves

1 tsp dried oregano

1 qt. of chicken stock

1 28 oz. can of peeled plum tomatoes

Cut one fresh, crusty baguette into cubes and toss with 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil, granulated garlic, salt, & pepper. Lightly toast on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until crisp, remove and cool.

Brunoise dice (very small in English) celery & onions, lightly sweat (lightly sauté) in extra virgin olive oil on medium heat with fresh basil and oregano until the onions are translucent.

Add fresh chicken stock, peeled plum tomatoes with juice (lightly mash the plum tomatoes) and bring to a boil, stir in toasted baguette, taste and adjust seasoning (add salt and pepper to your liking).

Serve in a bowl with freshly shaved Parmesan.

Stay Safe and be strong, 

Chef B

After a winter of roasts, soups, and long braises, it is nice to be able to return to the light, delicate meals of spring and summer. It is a welcomed sight to see the farmer’s markets start to unfold and bloom as the temperatures rise and the grasses turn green. Great, locally grown, fresh vegetables and fruit will again grace our pantries and dinner tables.

One of the first available crops of spring is the young, early peas, which are available locally around May 20 (fresh peas continue to be picked into late June and early July). These are smaller and sweeter than the mealy, older peas of summer. These fresh peas, combined with ham, cream, and butter, provide a quick and easy celebration of the season that your mouth will not soon forget.

This adaptation of a Marcella Hazan sauce will go with a variety of pastas, but it is best to use ones with holes and voids that will capture the light sauce. Any penne or shell pasta will work, but my favorite dried pasta is Campanelle (Barilla). Its unusual shape holds the sauce perfectly and adds interest to your plate. If you are really ambitious, this sauce is perfect with fresh, homemade pasta, which I used in this meal.

You will need the following ingredients for 6-8 large servings:

4 pounds of fresh young peas in their pods (As of this writing fresh peas are still not in season so I substituted 2 cups of frozen petit peas for the photos. These are adequate, but nothing beats the fresh taste of young peas.)

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon of salt

1 cup finely chopped onion 

1/2 pound un-smoked boiled ham, sliced as thin as possible and then cut into ¼” strips

1 cup of heavy cream

Freshly ground black pepper

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese (plus another 1/3 for passing at the table)

2 pounds of dried pasta

Shell the fresh peas and rinse them in cold water then drain. Place 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and peas into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a slow simmer, cook for 10-15 minutes until the peas are tender. Most of the water should be evaporated.

Meanwhile, in the smallest pan available that is large enough to hold the pasta, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter (or all 8 tablespoons if using frozen peas) and add the onion. Turn the heat to medium. As soon as the onion starts to turn translucent, add the ham strips (the ham is going to want to stick together, so once its in the pan, use a fork to gently separate it as best as possible). Your goal is to slowly cook the onion until lightly golden and the ham until slightly crisp. Adjust heat as necessary. 

Add the cooked peas (or thawed frozen peas) and cook at medium heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the cream, salt to taste, and add generous grindings of fresh black pepper. Turn up the heat and reduce the cream, stirring frequently until dense. Take the pan off the heat.

Cook the pasta as directed on the box. Drain the pasta (reserve a cup of pasta water), but try to leave it at wet as possible. The starchy water will help loosen the sauce. Add the pasta into the pan with the sauce and return to medium heat. Stir the pasta for a minute or two until coated evenly, loosen up with the reserved pasta water if necessary. If you are not afraid of cardiac arrest, add one more tablespoon of butter for extra flavor.  

Remove from the heat, mix in the Parmesan and transfer to a warm serving bowl. 

Serve immediately after opening a fine red wine accompaniment. 

Make a toast: Spring is here!

Raised in Lyon, France, a 2,000 year-old city with its own proud and unique culinary traditions, Sebastien Destree spent 20 years as a chef in Europe and New York before settling in Long Valley, NJ with his wife and two children. Sebastien is the owner of The Pastoral Pig, in Flanders, NJ, where his pasture-raised, hand-aged meats are sought after by customers who want the healthiest and most flavorful cuts. Sebastien also offers a variety of store made creations using the finest and freshest ingredients for those who love to eat, but would rather have someone else do the cooking. One of our favorites is his beef bourguignon. (We leave the metric conversion for your translation.)

Sebastien's Recipe for Beef Bourguignon 

You will need: 

250g of grass-fed chuck meat, 1 inch diced

Meat from the shoulder is more flavorful and its fiber breaks down better during a long cooking process. Avoid meat from the round (back leg). It is cheaper, but the meat will dry out and will not fall apart.

50g of bacon, diced 

Bacon will bring much needed fat during the long cooking process and will also add a bit of smokiness to the dish.

8 oz of 100% grass-fed beef broth.

The bone broth as opposed to water will add more body, more flavor and more nutrients. If you don’t have a good source for your beef broth, do it with water instead but add a bone marrow inside. 

450ml of red wine

Beef bourguignon has its name from the Burgundy region of France. I for myself like bolder wine, so I use Cabernet, Malbec or Shiraz. Remember that if it isn’t good to drink it isn’t good to cook with, especially in a dish based on wine.

250g of carrot diced

100g of celery diced

120g of red onions or Spanish onions depending on what you have in your pantry, diced.

20g of fresh garlic, crushed without the skin

250g of parsnip, diced

If you want to eat your bourguignon with tagliatelle use parsnip; otherwise, the more traditional way would be to use Yukon potato instead. 

125g of quartered cremini mushroom.

Spices:

2g of black pepper

5g + of kosher (Morton salt)

Every brand of salt has a different strength. All our recipes at the store are made with Morton Kosher salt. It is 30% more potent than the Red Diamond brand. It doesn’t matter which one you use but always use the same one.

1g ground clove

Don’t use too much. It is a very potent spice.

1g of ground star anise

You can use 1 whole star anise if you don’t have ground at home. 

Few Juniper berry crushed

3g of fresh thyme

Add it up at the end

Flour, to coat (the meat)

At the store we use King Arthur organic. If you want to make it gluten-free at the end of cooking add cornstarch or arrowroot. When you add cornstarch or arrowroot you need to dilute it in cold water otherwise it will clump in the sauce. 

Tip: I do not marinade the beef prior in wine. The alcohol will start cooking the meat (ceviche), it will tighten the fibers and prevent the flavors from being incorporated to the meat.

How to do it:

1. Bring the temperature of the oven to 300 degrees. Season the meat with salt and flour.

2. Bring the Dutch oven pan to medium high heat and sear the meat on all sides until brown (not black). When done reserve the meat on the side.

3. Sear the vegetables until lightly golden. You don’t want to caramelize them too much, you are just building the flavor.

4. Add the meat to the vegetables. After that mix the spices into it.

5. Deglaze with the wine, scraping the bottom of the Dutch oven pan. Add the broth.

6. Cook it until the meat falls apart around 3 hours depending on your oven.

7. Optional: if you want to enjoy less cooked vegetables you can remove the ones that cooked and replace them with fresher ones for the last hour.

Making gnocchi is deceptively simple. The pillowy potato dumplings require merely five ingredients. And like all things diced and cooked, there are no big secrets to making delicious gnocchi… just a few little secrets (which I share with you as “tips” below). I use my gnocchi recipe as a foundation to creating a seasonal dish. Simply serve with a few roasted or grilled vegetables that are in your pantry and the dish becomes yours. Finish with a little olive oil and maybe a spoonful of ricotta to add a touch of decadence. 

I treat gnocchi as a canvas and I paint it with the season. My winter gnocchi iteration is bathed with a creamy ladle of butternut squash soup and served with roasted mushrooms, beets, cranberries and walnuts. It is a delightfully comforting dish that keeps the cold at bay. During the summer, I like to serve them with grilled summer vegetables like zucchini or corn and pair them with a little acidity like blistered cherry tomatoes to create a refreshing and satisfying meal. There really are no set rules so use this recipe as a jumping board to create your own gnocchi at home. Be creative and let the season guide you.

Here’s what you’ll need for a serving for four…

Ingredients:

3 medium size russet potatoes

3 egg yolks

160g (1 ¼ cups) flour

65g (5 tbsps.) butter

6g (1 tsp.) salt

Utensils: food mill, sifter, bench scrape, large pot w/ lid

1. Bake the potatoes in your oven at the highest setting for 45 min or until done. The best way to check for doneness is by pricking the potato with a fork or a cake-tester. If your fork slides right in after piercing the skin, it is done.  

2. While the potatoes are roasting, cube your butter onto a plate and set them by the oven to temper. Tip: Temper the butter to a spreadable-soft texture but do not allow the butter to melt. If the butter isn’t to the desired softness, take your bench scrape and scrape down on the butter until it softens. Taking this extra care ensures a silky, rich mouthfeel.

3. Start a large pot of water to boil and season with salt. Slice the potatoes in halves while they are still hot from the oven. Scoop the innards into your food mill and mill into a large bowl or a clean working surface. Tip: Do not wait for the potatoes to cool and work quickly. Doing so will allow the ingredients to mix together better and will keep you from overworking the dough.

4. Form a well with your milled potatoes and sift the flour on top. Add your butter, yolks and salt and gently mix everything together using your bench scrape to form a dough. Tip: Do not overwork the dough as doing so will activate the starches and gluten, making the gnocchi dense and gummy. Mix only until everything is well incorporated and no dry clumps of flour remain.

5. Very lightly dust your working surface and scoop off tennis ball sized pieces to roll into a rope. (If this is your first time, try starting with a smaller sized piece.) Cut into 1” sized pieces with your bench scrape and place onto a sheet tray or large plate. Refrigerate the gnocchi for 15 min or until they are firm. Tip: First shape the dough into a small log and roll with both hands starting from the center and gradually move your hands outward. Repeat the movement until a rope has formed.

6. Prepare a sheet tray or large plate by lightly drizzling the surface with olive oil. Blanch the gnocchi in the boiling water, scooping them out as soon as they float to the top and place them on the oiled tray. Cool them in a refrigerator and store in sealed containers after cooling. They will keep refrigerated for 3 days or can be kept frozen. To serve, sear the gnocchi on both sides in a hot pan to golden brown with a little olive oil or browned butter. Add your meat or vegetables and enjoy!