‘Hyde Park’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Review: American Bounty {Culinary Institute of America’s restaurant}

April 16, 2014 · Narrative

A dinner at the American Bounty restaurant, located on the Culinary Institute of America’s campus. An upscale dining experience with the menu to match.

When I traveled to Rhinebeck, New York in February, part of the weekend festivities included dinner at the American Bounty restaurant on the Culinary Institute of America’s property. Staffed by the CIA’s students and graduates, it is a fine dining restaurant with perfect table settings, attentive service, and a carefully paced meal. Its focus is the farm-to-table experience, and many of the ingredients come directly from the Hudson Valley area.

To say we were in for a treat would be an understatement.

The menu was filled with seasonal items, and many specialties. I had heard good things about their new Pastry Chef, namely that she was into fun desserts that bordered on scientific experiments, but I tried my best to focus on first things first.

Appetizers.

Any time I’m out in a restaurant, I try to order things that a) I don’t usually cook at home and b) items I’ve never had. And this particular weekend was no exception.

Once I saw cage free foie gras on the menu, it was a given that I would order it, although it was hard to pass up the Prince Edward Island Mussels. Beautifully presented and perfectly proportioned, the foie gras was soft and smooth and everything it should be. Served alongside a smear of dipping sauce and several slices of toast points, it was devoured pretty quickly. (I *did* have a bite of the mussels as well, and they were garlicky and tender, and served in a generous portion.)

For my main course, I went with Wild Striped Sea Bass, with a crispy skin, kohlrabi, and shiitake mushrooms. It also featured a white wine butter sauce and it was amazing. Had I not been in the company of the Jones Dairy Farm team, I would have licked the plate clean. It was my first time having sea bass, and it won’t be my last. Expertly cooked and flaky bite after bite.

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Visit: The Mansions of Hyde Park, New York {Vanderbilt & Roosevelt}

April 2, 2014 · Narrative

Looking for a fun, yet historical, day trip? What about a trip to the mansions of Hudson Valley? Vanderbilt … Roosevelt … Let’s go!

When we visited the Rhinebeck area for our Jones Dairy Farm trip in February, Sarah and I planned to leisurely check out some of the sights before heading home to our kids. You know, before my kids called and asked if I could come home early. We thoroughly explored the downtown Rhinebeck shopping area, and just before hopping on the highway homeward bound, we made quick visits to the mansions in the Hyde Park area. Although a chilly weekend, the scenery was gorgeous nonetheless.

Vanderbilt Mansion was our first stop. What struck me most about this first stop was the sheer immensity of the mansion. All things considered, it’s huge by today’s standards. Which means it was positively ginormous back in the day. The original construction began in 1764, when the Gilded Age was all the rage. It sits on over 200 acres of beautifully maintained grounds, just east of the Hudson River. It is a National Historic Site, and with its proximity to New York City and the railroads, the mansion became prime real estate in the Hudson Valley. With over 54 rooms, it was the epitome of grandeur, and in the early 1940s, parts of the mansion even served as quarters for President Roosevelt’s Secret Service to stay.

One hour guided tours are available daily, and entrance to the grounds and parking are free. There is a small gift shop inside the visitor’s center that features great little treasures and souvenirs.

119 Vanderbilt Park Rd, Hyde Park, NY 12538
(845) 229-7770

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Meeting Jones Dairy Farm

February 12, 2014 · Narrative

My sister and I grew up on Jones Dairy Farm breakfast sausages. In fact that’s the first thing my Mom mentioned to me when I said that I would be meeting the folks from Jones Dairy Farm this past weekend. And both my own kids love sausages, whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, so it’s a tradition that has continued to this day.

So how was I going to say no to a weekend adventure? Especially when it was taking place at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

I wasn’t.

With iced coffee in hand, at the unforgiving time of 6:20 am on Saturday morning, I set out for the campus. The CIA side of the visit will come in another post, likely next week. For today, we focus on Jones Dairy Farm.

First of all, I hate to admit it, but I didn’t even know they made bacon. I don’t know if I just wasn’t paying attention, and maybe really did know but just didn’t know that I knew …? But that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. If you saw my bacon picture on Instagram on Saturday morning, you know what I thought about the bacon.

Amazeballs.

Just the perfect amount of crispiness, and fat, and chew, and black pepper.

And if we didn’t have a full day ahead of us that morning, I totally would have gone back for more.

In fact, I even texted Sarah across the table that we should, because, you know, there is strength in numbers.

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Recipe: Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower

February 10, 2014 · Narrative

A super simple cauliflower recipe made in a way that you’ve never seen it before. Indian flavors, two steps, pure deliciousness.

To say I have a new appreciation for cauliflower would be an understatement. Or, at the very least, an appreciation for turning cauliflower into something completely unique and different than how it originally started out. So when my friend Cathy sent me a recipe for a spicy whole roasted cauliflower, it immediately got added to my list of things to make.

Natch.

Gone are the days when we just had straight up cauliflower smothered in melted cheese. Now we’re turning cauliflower into breadsticks and pizza, risotto and mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and steak. In fact, I even have a cheddar and bacon cauliflower pancake recipe coming soon. I made tonight’s cauliflower recipe on Friday, and it ended up coming in handy this weekend. The basic premise of the recipe is you mix Greek yogurt with a handful of spices, cover the cauliflower with this marinade, and bake it in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. It could not get simpler than that, and beyond the simplicity of the recipe, I love the flexibility of it. Although the spices I used are Indian-influenced, you could mix and match any flavor profile you want. Make a Greek version with some oregano and lemon juice. Or perhaps an Italian version with oregano and basil, with maybe some sun-dried tomatoes thrown in for good measure. I honestly don’t think this recipe can be screwed up.

I made it on a night when I needed something easy that required pretty much no thought and ingredients I had on hand already. I didn’t have a dinner plan ready, and Nick had a dance to go to that night. I made the kids a tray of roasted broccoli (they’re not cauliflower converts … yet), and this for me. Leftover ribs for protein.

Now for the cauliflower story from this weekend… I spent Saturday at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) campus in Hyde Park (more details on that coming later this week), and one of the things we did while we were there was to have a Chopped-style challenge. If you’re not familiar with the Food Network show Chopped, you’re basically handed a basket of ingredients and have to make something amazing with it. I, along with three other team members, was handed a basket that had broccoli, kale, bulgur, lettuce, cauliflower, oranges, and Greek yogurt. All those specific ingredients had to be used to create one main dish and one side dish in an hour, and we could also use any Jones Dairy Farm products we wanted, along with any herbs and spices in the CIA kitchen.

Once I saw the cauliflower and the Greek yogurt, it was a no-brainer, and I took the reins for making the side dish, while the other three team members worked on our main course.

There was a team of CIA chefs in the kitchen during our one hour of cooking time, offering assistance as we needed it, and doing some taste testing along the way. Two of the chefs were also judges, along with two members of Jones Dairy Farm. When Chef Michael came around and took a taste of my marinade (pre-bake), I watched his face for a reaction, and he said “Interesting.” I asked him “Interesting bad or interesting good?” “Just interesting. I can’t say anything else because I’m judging.”

Although I wasn’t worried, I was certainly wondering.

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