The Experimental Gourmand Has Moved!

The Experimental Gourmand has moved!  After more than 5 years on Blogger, I decided to move to WordPress and my own domain name.  It’s been a lot of work over the last month or so, but I think that the new location will be worth it.  Please save this bookmark: http://www.theexperimentalgourmand.com to keep up with all the Food Events, Market Trips, and Recipes that are the features of this site.

Buon appetito!

Rolling in Dough or No at The Brooklyn Brewery

On Wednesday night, I crossed the river again to head to the Brooklyn Brewery for an event organized by Brooklyn Based, a website and newsletter about the borough and its activities, called "Rolling in the Dough or No?".  Featuring several favorite and well-known local food entrepreneurs, the setting for the evening was a panel about what it is like to start a food business in the city and what might be some of the pitfalls, hurdles, and aspects that anyone who is interested in pursuing this should consider.  There were also some tasty treats to try as well.

A Royal Wedding Tea Party

I've always loved tea parties.  When I was little, my aunt gave me a miniature tea set in porcelain, and I played with it for hours.  I had to hide it from my younger siblings to keep it from being destroyed.  My mom and I used to make a slot in our travels to have tea and for my parents' 25th wedding anniversary, we kids surprised them with a formal tea to welcome them home from their trip to Paris.

Easter Brunch 2011

Ah, the gentle hum of the dishwasher.  What a great sound.  I had a few friends over for Easter Brunch today.  I really enjoy entertaining, but what I also like is that satisfying feeling after putting my home back in order when it is all done.  Thankfully, too, I have friends who are willing to trek all the way to the Upper East Side on a weekend when the MTA has decided that the one subway line to my neighborhood has to be completely re-configured for repairs.  I hope that the food I served was worth it.

How to Tell A Good Egg vs. A Bad Egg

Eggs.  Eaten at this time of year, they symbolize rebirth, the Resurrection, spring, fertility, and one of the most basic human foods.  We use terms like, "Last one in is a rotten egg" and "He/she is a 'Good Egg'" to describe people.  Eggs, in many forms, are a fundamental part our life and vocabulary.  When I looked at my Recipes, I have more posts about Brunch than I do about almost any other single food category aside from Desserts and Vegetable Dishes, and most of those are egg dishes like the ones that will be on my table this Sunday afternoon.

We Have a Royal Wedding Giveaway Winner!!!

Congratulations to Turboterp whom the Randomizer selected as the winner for this prize!!!! 

No, Hogwarts was not the answer to where Prince William and Catherine Middleton first met, no matter how many of you wanted it to be that way.  They met at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, founded in 1413.  It is the third oldest university in the English-speaking world, according to their website.  It is also the alma mater of some of my friends, so I was glad to give the school a chance to make an appearance on this website.

It was great to see the enthusiasm for this prize pack.  Thank you so much to Schoolhouse Kitchen, Lush Candy, Sugar Flower Cake Shop, and MitchMallows for their generosity in providing these items.  You can reach their websites by clicking on the links above to find out how to order these great products for yourself or to see where you can buy them at your local markets, where available.

The Royal Wedding Week will continue next week after Easter with some new recipes and some more ideas for hosting your own viewing party.  

Buon appetito

Product Giveaways - William & Kate Royal Wedding Edition

All the press has been aflutter with the preparations for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, especially as we are now 11 days away from their nuptials.  Knowing how crazy the UK souvenir hawkers and general public can get about these big events, I sort of wish I was there to see how all this will unfold.  When I was in London a couple of months back, there were only a few items that I could see picking up to commemorate this occasion.

Product Spotlight - MitchMallows

I have to confess, I'm not a fan of marshmallows.  To me, they are overly sugary, powdery dense blobs of fluff with little flavor.  That's why it was such a revelation to come across MitchMallows by Mitch Greenberg one Sunday at the Foodshed Market at the Brooklyn Commons.  One taste of his Maple Syrup Pancake creation with its lighter-than-air texture and rich, sweet, buttery flavor and I was hooked.

"Starving the South" at the Culinary Historians of New York

On the day 150 years ago when the Battle of Fort Sumter started, kicking off the conflict that almost ripped the United States into shreds, Andrew F. Smith introduced his book "Starving the South: How the North Won the Civil War" at an event hosted by the Culinary Historians of New York.  Appropriately, this gathering was held with dishes featuring foods of the South provided by the members of the organization.  61 Local, which opened fairly recently in Brooklyn, was the meeting site.

Duck-off at Jimmy’s No. 43 to Benefit Food Systems Network NYC

A Duck Cookoff?  Really?  Yep.  That’s where I was yesterday, indoors at Jimmy’s No. 43 while other New Yorkers were enjoying a very bright sunshiny day out of doors.  All proceeds of this event went to Food Systems Network NYC, a non-profit organization that seeks to bring together stakeholders across the systems of food production and consumption.  As was mentioned by a few folks to whom I spoke and the judges as well, it was really interesting to see the variety of dishes that the contestants (both pro chefs and amateur competitors) came up with using this one protein as their base.  

Tasting Brooklyn Event by Brooklyn Exposed

Last night I ventured over the river to a loft in DUMBO for the first Tasting Brooklyn event by Brooklyn Exposed to try specialities prepared by more than 20 food and drink vendors.  The evening was sponsored by Bao Fresh Kombucha and Fairway Market (opening this summer on the Upper East Side!).  This was a great opportunity to try dishes from some places I've never visited as well as to see some food folks whom I hadn't run into in a while.

Yotam Ottolenghi's "Plenty" at Williams-Sonoma

It isn't often that I'm waiting in anticipation for a new cookbook to come out.  In fact, like many of you, I suspect, I did a big weeding out of my book collection a few years back and just kept the essentials.  Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, based upon recipes from his column in the Guardian UK as well as some new ones, has just come out in the United States and is a welcome newcomer to my bookshelves, making it an exception to my rules.  So, last night, at the Williams-Sonoma on Columbus Circle, I found myself on line with several other fans of his cooking at a Q&A, book in hand for him to sign it.

Bakesale for Japan at the Brooklyn Flea

Today was another one of those glorious springtime days that you just want to bottle up to save for when the next wave of winter weather gives us a sock in the gut.  Bright sunshine, people eating brunch at outdoor tables, couples laughing while strolling arm-in-arm, and, that sure sign of the change of seasons: The Brooklyn Flea's first Saturday market having moved outside. Released from their wintertime abode at the old Williamsburgh Savings Bank, the Flea today was also the site of a fundraising Bakesale for Japan.

Mussels in Spicy Thai Coconut Broth

Mother Nature has decided that Winter gets to have one last blow at us before Spring can take over again.  This change in the weather, combined with a stint baby-sitting my nieces and nephews, prompted a return of the cold I'd had back in November.  Fortunately, I'd been given a recipe last week for Mussels in Spicy Thai Coconut Broth in the cooking class* that I took at the Institute of Culinary Education that could chase the chill and the sniffles away.