As the winter truffle season comes to end — winter black truffles are typically available from mid-November to mid-March — Alison Barshak, chef-owner of Alison at Blue Bell shares a favorite recipe for these extravagant mushrooms. Thankfully, her truffled grits call for slightly less expensive black truffle butter and oil. Barshak typically pairs the truffled grits with a pan-seared filet of halibut.

Truffled Grits
From Alison Barshak

1 cup grits
12 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more salt to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons black truffle butter
Black pepper, to taste
Black truffle oil, to taste

Wash grits with cold water several times to remove impurities. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine washed grits, vegetable stock and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens. Add butter and truffle butter. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with truffle oil. Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish.

Image, wikimedia.org

Le Bernadin executive pastry chef Michael Laiskonis is consulting on Ripert’s latest project — 10 Arts, scheduled to open in the Ritz-Carlton in May. So, he’s been playing around with the most classic of Philly pastries, the Tastykake.

On his lovely new blog, Laiskonis raises this important question: “What the hell is a Tastykake?” Then he goes to work with Vanilla Cream Kakes, Kandy Kakes, a blender, a Silpat, and an ice cream maker. The results: Pineapple Coconut Tastykakes (that is, a citrus biscuit, coconut sorbet, and vanilla-and star anise-infused pineapple juice with molded Tastykake cream, Tastykake tuile and Tastykake crouton, shown) and Malted Peanut Tastykakes (malted Tastykake ice cream with peanut butter powder).

No guarantees they’ll make the menu, but ambitious home chefs can follow Laiskonis’s detailed recipes.

It seems no matter which New Year you celebrate, the New Year’s Eve dinner binge and New Year’s Day resolution to eat healthy is universal. According to chef Joseph Poon, a healthy dish is traditionally served on the first day of the Chinese New Year — that’s tomorrow — after tonight’s characteristically decadent New Year’s Eve banquet-style meal. So whether you are celebrating the Year of the Rat, or you’re just trying to get back on your 2008 diet plan, try chef Poon’s recipe for an antioxidant- and protein-packed stir-fry.

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Sunday mornings in your house may not be as relaxing as kicking back in your favorite coffee shop, but this perfect-anytime cake from Mount Airy’s High Point Café is certain to slow things down a bit. The sweet taste, crumbly exterior and hearty texture will stand up to that strong cup of joe.

Coffee Cake

1 ½ c. unsalted butter, plus extra to prepare pan
1 ½ c. granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1 S c. cornstarch
1 S c. all-purpose flour, plus extra to prepare pan
2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 apples, skin on, diced into ¼-inch squares

Icing

1 c. confectioner’s sugar
2-4 Tbsp. water

To read the full recipe, click here.

Photography by Brett Thomas

Usually when something food-related really excites me, writing about it is enough to get it off my mind. But after my recent potato skin posting, I still could not stop thinking about Barclay’s spuds. Apparently, I wasn’t alone because my husband suggested we throw an Eagles party just so we could attempt Skins a la Barclay at home.

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This summer, Johnson’s Farm in Medford gets an extreme farm makeover, with a new line of heat-at-home dinners, an expanded selection of seasonal goodies — think strawberry yogurt scones and blueberry-flavored pretzels — and kid-tempting go-karts. But this peach cobbler recipe won’t ever change; it’s been served on the farm for more than 20 years. We love it for the sugar-cookie-like topping and standout peachiness, and because it takes less than 20 minutes to throw together.

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