Bobolink dairy and bakehouse

Nina and Jonathan White are doing great things for the artisanal cheese and bread lovers of Bucks and Hunterdon Counties.

The Whites raise their own grass fed cows

The White farm is home to over 50 grass fed cows and heifers. The White’s bulls are their own new breed, the Bobolink Blacks, which are a cross breed of Ayshire, Guernsey, Jersey, and the Kerry cattle of Ireland. Visitors to the farm can join a one hour tour that will include meeting this assortment of cows and bulls. Don’t wear pumps for this hike through the fields...remember cows and pigs live and work here!

The Whites craft cheeses from the milk of these happy cows

This assortment of grass fed animals provides the most wonderful, happy milk that is used to create out of this world cheeses all handmade on the farm. The cave ripened cheddar has a rich, full, creamy flavor. The Drumm cheese is a semi-firm wheel cheese that changes seasonally. The Jean Louis cheese is made in the spring and the fall and has a bold, grassy, lemony flavor. Along with these varieties come seasonal cheeses that are made only at particular times of the year, such as the Baudolino. 

Pairing cheese with rustic bread

The White’s bake rustic breads in a wood fired oven designed by Alan Scott. The hearth measures 48” X 72” and is a single chamber oven like those used since ancient times. The Roasted Garlic Duckfat Ciabatta is a loaf that will not last beyond the first slice because one slice leads to many more. The Cheese, the Olive Onion, and the Plain Ciabatta are equally amazing. For those interested in fresh loaves try the Flax Seed or the Cranberry Walnut or the Medieval Rye breads. The Cranberry Walnut bread stick won’t even survive the car ride home. 

Other products are available

Bobolink also sells their grass fed beef, pastured whey fed pork, cultured butter, buttermilk, and Pate de Campagne.  Aspiring bakers can take classes or order 
Jonathan’s bread starter. The White’s have an active farm market schedule which can be viewed on their website. Products can be ordered online. Door to Door Organics sells some of their products as well. 

Visit the farm to appreciate the White’s mission

A visit to the farm is the very best way to be introduced to this truly special endeavor. The White’s truly care about their land, their animals, their children, and their community. Traditional food and food preparation is evident in their commitment to the age old techniques of bread and cheese making. A visit to this family run farm is a real treat. 

Rick's in Lambertville

Rick's in Lambertville, New Jersey, has a long and rich history. The red plastic tumblers, the old Phil and Dan's menus on the shelf, and the checkered table cloths are historic proof. The knotty pine interior has not changed at all over the years, but the owner has.

Alex Cormier is the chef/owner at Rick's

Alex Cormier can list stints at La Truffe, The Fountain Restaurant at The Four Seasons Hotel, Ciboulette, his own Alex on South, Harriette's, and Alison on Dominick among his many culinary accomplishments. Cormier's Rick's, following on the heels of his previous successes, has never failed to impress.

Beef Braciole Fra Diavolo

Amidst a humble backdrop of ephemera from Rick's days as Phil and Dan's, Cormier serves food that is at once hearty, humble, and inventive all on one plate. On a recent winter night, the ever changing specials menu featured Beef Braciole Fra Diavolo. Thin slices of beef wrapped around herbed breadcrumb stuffing with a spicy tomato sauce was no match for those who ordered it on a cold night out recently. A delightful Minestrone with a spicy kick was wonderful with the homemade bean dip that was served with the fresh Italian bread. Confit of Quail with Shitake sauce has been a recent feature on the specials menu as well. Cormier's vegetable special winter is usually Brussel Sprouts -  a real treat.

Italian standards

Along with Alex's inventive dishes are the standards that have been in place forever at first Phil and Dan's and now Rick's. The parmesan dishes - eggplant, chicken, portobello, tofu, veal and shrimp, are all fantastic. They come with a massive serving of tomato sauced pasta. The standard pasta dishes on the menu are also excellent -  particularly the ones with the massive homemade meatballs.

BYOB

Rick's is a great choice for both diners who choose one of Alex's weekly special creations or those who want a traditional Italian meal. Remember to grab a special bottle of wine because Ricks is BYOB.

photo Alex Damevski

We were recently in Philadelphia to view the new Barnes Foundation.

Afterwards we drove home through Northern Liberties to eat at Bar Ferdinand. I've written about BF before, but it seems fair to keep extolling the virtues of this grand place because it never disappoints. 

The chef is now David Ansill, who looks like he should be sitting around in Jamaica doing all things Jamaican. Instead he is here in bone chilling Philadelphia cooking for the lucky diners at BF. 

We started with a Cava Rose and the traditional duo of Toasted Marcona Almonds and Olives, marinated with the summer essence of rosemary. That alone would have been enough to transport us to a warmer, sweeter place. 

We tried the Mushroom Croquetas with herb aioli. Three puffs of earthy mushroom delight, crispy on the outside and oozing with goodness on the inside were set atop a garlicky sauce. 

We moved on to the Baked, Stuffed Oysters, again served in a set of three, the third of which we nearly fought over. 

The Frisee, Poached Egg, and Pork Belly was a wonderful followup for the crispy dishes, the egg poached to perfection and the pork belly...is pork belly ever bad?

Our bartender recommended the Roasted Mushroom Flatbread with goat cheese and truffles. When he put that in front of us we both dove in like Dominos had just delivered to a college dorm party. 

New York Strip Steak with truffles was paired with by the glass red wines recommended by our bartender.

Sitting at the bar is great fun at Bar Ferdinand. If you sit by the oven and prep station you can watch some of the dishes being created. The bartenders are very knowledgable and if they suspect that you are a food geek they will recommend specials and pairings that are superb. 

Throw in the flamenco music and dancing and you have a really festive night in store. 

Stay home for a romantic Valentine’s Day evening. 

Before lighting the fire, opening the wine, and setting the table, head to the Carversville General Store where Max Hansen will provide you with a wonderful selection of dishes for your cozy evening.

Hansen’s selections change daily, but here is a tempting list of Max’s special dishes. Consider his Arancine with Risotto & Wild Mushrooms. Wrap your carb craving around the homemade blocks of rich Mac & Cheese. Entertain your healthy side with Broccoli Rabe & Chorizo. Engage your inner meat lover with Boneless Braised Short Ribs or a Roasted Rack of Venison with Poivrade Sauce and a Parsnip and Yukon Gold Potato Puree with Herb Roasted Carrots. Take a dip in the ocean with Seared Viking Village Scallops, Fresh Morels, Fava Beans, and Fresh Thyme Jus. Max is renowned for his Smoked Salmon so that should surely be your first course.

And should your romantic evening lead to an engagement, consider Max for your wedding caterer. No matter what dished you choose, serve the homemade potato chips with creme fraiche and caviar. Eating these is like starting the honeymoon early.  

When you have finished choosing your dinner take a stroll through the freshly baked desserts. Lemon tartlets, freshly baked donuts, and an entire selection of gluten free sweets will complete your “dining in” experience. 

Follow Max on Facebook and Pinterest for updates and wonderful food ideas.

Jaffron indian in New Hope

photo Aleksandar Damevski

A delightful Indian couple is cooking very good food in a slip of a flourescently lit kitchen in New Hope. Their restaurant is Jaffron.

The search for Indian food can yield an off putting array of brownish yellow oily sauces with one overarching flavor that often prove to be unkind to the digestive regions.  

What makes Indian food authenticand enticing? 

Indian food should be packed with fresh ingredients. The vegetables should resemble something of their original form, not look as if they have been mashed into a jar in a far off factory. 

Each family and each Indian chef will have their own special blend of spices - coriander, cumin, pepper, ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay, tumerick - and they will differ from kitchen to kitchen. 

At Jaffron the dishes present an array of interesting flavors. The baigan ka bharta, or baked eggplant with onions, tomatoes, and fresh herbs, does indeed have fresh herbs as well as an array of seeds and leaves and pods from the various spices that are used in the sauce. The aloo gobi matar, cauliflower and potato cooked with green peas, ginger, tomato, and spices also has a collection of spice remnants that end up on the side of a diner’s plate.  The meat dishes are flavorful and fresh. The samosas are excellent, made with a crust that is not too thick or saturated with frying oil. 

Any combination of dishes from the menu will yield equally pleasing results. From the tandoori chicken to the lamb vindaloo each dish has a unique flavor and combination of ingredients. 

The ambiance in the dining room lends itself to take out - nonetheless, there is usually a strong crowd on the weekends at Jaffron, New Hope. New comers to the cuisine of India will find the staff extremely willing to make the necessary introductions.

Marsha Brown's raw bar

Oysters on Ice
Tina Phillips

Date night...where to go? 

Last night it was raw oysters. De Anna’s has great raw oysters but we were just there...so we ended up parking our tired butts at Marsha Brown’s - at the bar. 

I am not a fan of the big “congregational” room upstairs. The bar has even been feeling kind of dated decor wise. But alas, last night Randy told us there is to be a renovation starting next week. His description included booths. Not a fan. But we’ll see. Maybe it will be better. Out with bordello burgundy and in with? We’ll see...

At any rate we were there for squishy,salty things that come on platters of crushed ice with lemons and tabasco and maybe to channel some “New Orleans.”

Louisiana, particularly New Orleans, is renowned for it’s culinary culture of oysters. Why oysters in New Orleans? The estuarine environment (which describes a place where fresh and salt water mingle) in Louisiana provides a home for a veritable cornucopia of mollusks who end up on raw bars throughout the land - lucky for us all. So it stands to reason that Brown would include a raw bar in her Creole inspired restaurant. 

We ordered two of each of the three oysters offered. Two’s picky brother Voislav wants his oysters to convulse with the first squirt of lemon juice. This has never happened at Marsha’s. But then he is used to eating seafood at a restaurant on a dock in Sicily, where we are relegated to an old church in a dark, cold river town. 

Nonetheless, the oysters were very good last night. They did conjure the oceans they came from. The shrimp were fresh and had the right texture. There is nothing worse than the wrong texture or the taste of soapy water from a bite of shrimp. The snow crab claws were good as well. The colossal lump crab meat in remoulade was his good idea.  Despite a vow to eat only sprouted whole grains in the new year we polished off the warm baguette as well. I really do love the chopped salad with gooey blue cheese and bacon. They are very nice to split the order onto two plates. 

All was well last night in rawville. No complaints and really only praise for the raw bar experience at Marsha Brown’s. 

DEANNA"S

I was extolling the virtues of "locals night" at DeAnna's moments ago in a meeting. I thought a word about why this delightful, cost saving evening is worth the effort of having date night on Tuesday would be in order.

$25 includes an appetizer, a choice of main dish, and a dessert. Usually there are three wonderful options from each category. It has been our experience that the appetizer option is either a salad, a soup, or some kind of savory pudding or tart. The  puddings have always been wonderful - somehow they ooze butter and richness but retain the flavor and freshness of the vegetables that are included in their fluffy folds. And a word about the vegetables...they are always very seasonal. So Fall really feels like Fall - high lighting root vegetables and not hot house tomatoes. If there are tomatoes they are roasted(in-house) and intense. 

DeAnna makes her pasta fresh everyday.So usually there will be a pasta choice. When you order a non pasta main dish, there is an opportunity to order a vegetable or a bowl of pasta. It comes with homemade tomato sauce but we special order the pasta with olive oil, garlic, and lots of fresh ground black pepper. Fish is always a great choice too - usually whole and grilled - bronzino most recently. 

There is also always a specials menu. From that I highly recommend the pate with fruit. Highly. 

The menu has remained largely unchanged for awhile, which I like because I always know that when I don't care about getting on the scale in the morning I can order the pasta with proscuitto, peas, and cream sauce and then ask the wait person for extra grated cheese. The raviolli is excellent as well and often featured on the locals menu.  

My personal favorite is the grilled romaine. Which makes me an even cheaper date. Usually it is two nicely sized romaine hearts that are perfectly grilled so that only the tips of the lettuce are charred and then there are nice olive oily grill marks on the body of the lettuce. The Caesar dressing is perfect. The shaved parmesagne also perfect. 

Two other things to mention  - the bartenders at DeAnna's are delightful. When ramps are in season you might find a freshly pickled one in your martini courtesy of Russell. And try the St. Armand - a bourbon based cocktail invented by - you guessed it - Armand. Talk records with Russell and motorcycles with Armand and your evening will be complete. 

Almost. 

Any of the home made Italian pound cakes are amazing. My personal favorite is the blueberry almond. And the bread pudding changes according to - who knows - but every time it is fantastic. The ricotta cheesecake is renowned far and wide. Emphasize wide. Because we always seem to order dessert no matter how many St Armands and how much pasta has come before someone asks if we want dessert.