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Newsletter - Text Version

“The Next Day – Holiday Brunches to Enjoy”

Hosting a brunch is a great time for getting family and friends together. With relaxed work schedules, or guests in the house, the morning hours offer a great time for a simpler, yet satisfying brunch menu.

IN THIS ISSUE, we serve up some easy, yet elegant, brunch ideas. And, we’re ready to help you conclude your holiday shopping whether you’re just starting, or filling in some holes with a few stocking stuffers. We like to think of ourselves as a one-stop shopping spot -- we’re certain to have something for everyone on your list!

Season’s Greetings and our Best Wishes for a Happy New Year!

Always the Perfect Gift!
A gift card is the perfect solution for anyone on your gift list. The recipient will easily find something that will inspire good times in the kitchen, gourmet foods for a special occasion, or a tool that improves their daily life. Gift cards can also be the ticket for attending one of our cooking classes – always a fun experience whether a novice or expert cook.

Thanks for Shopping Locally!
Shopping locally has a dramatic effect within our community. For every dollar spent at a local, independent retailer, like ours, an extra quarter stays in the community compared to businesses with ownership outside of our community. When you shop locally, it's also a gift to the community.

Thank you for your loyalty to your community’s small, locally owned businesses!

Baked Cinnamon-Apple French Toast

This recipe combines many comfort flavors into one dish – French toast with apples drenched in a brown sugar and cinnamon sauce. Top each serving with the suggested honey butter, or with a drizzle of maple syrup. The best part of this dish is that it can be made the evening before and simply popped in the oven the next morning. This recipe is a no-fail solution to starting any day off right!

Recipes from Gale Gand’s BRUNCH! by Gale Gand. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, New York NY. Copyright 2009. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

DO-AHEAD: Simplify your holiday morning! Sauté the apples and assemble the entire dish the evening before. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake the next morning.

RECIPE NOTES: Experiment with different types of bread, whole grain, sourdough, or a sweet challah braid.

Many Ways to Gift

Gift Registry – We have a direct line to Santa at the North Pole! It’s not too late to tell us your wish list and we’ll keep track of it for you. When your Santa comes to the shop, we’ll whisper in his or her ear, and share your fondest desires in just the right color, size, and quantity.

Gift Cards – With our store gift cards, it’s One Size Fits All! Our gift cards are available in any denomination and always welcomed. We’ll look forward to helping your gift’s recipient in exploring the possibilities for your kind gift.

Gift of Experience – The “gift of experience” is an increasingly popular gift. Our cooking classes are perfect gifts for someone who likes to learn and eat at the same time! You’ll find details about upcoming classes at the store or on our website.

Gift Wrap – When you shop with us, we’ll gift wrap your purchases for free! You’ll be ready for the holidays when you walk out the door.

How To Stuff a Stocking!

Kitchen gadgets are perfect little stocking stuffers! Fun and practical, they’re items we reach for repeatedly.

• Silicone Good Cookie Spatula
• Swiss Vegetable Peeler
• Strawberry Knife
• Le Creuset Silicone Tools
• Ninjabread Men Cookie Cutters
• Corkcicle Wine Chiller
• Microplane Grater
• Clever & More Corkscrew

Cheese and Tomato Galette

Elegant and delicious, this galette is reminescent of a cross between a quiche and a flan. The crust assembles easily and rolls out cooperatively. Generous amounts of three different cheeses pack in flavor and richness. Tomato slices float on top of the filling and offer a festive presentation.

Recipes from Gale Gand’s BRUNCH! by Gale Gand. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, New York NY. Copyright 2009. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

DO-AHEAD: Make the crust up to a day ahead of time and place in the pan. Shred cheese and mix filling the evening before. Assemble and garnish with the tomato slices just prior to baking.

RECIPE NOTES: Don’t overfill your baking dish; the filling will bubble and expand as it cooks. Placing the flan or pie dish on a rimmed sheet will catch any overflow.

We used a food processor to mix the crust. Stand mixer, food processor, of mixing by hand will all produce a workable and delicious crust.

A Few of Our Favorite Things!

Whether you’re shopping for someone learning how to boil water, or a self-proclaimed chef, we have a full spectrum of solutions that are sure to please!

Swiss Diamond 8” Skillet - From morning eggs to an evening burger. This nonstick skillet is a workhorse!

Cuisinart Food Processor – A special gift that enables more cooking fun with its speed and ability.

Bread Knife - the kitchen for bread, tomatoes, and much more!

Le Creuset Mini Cocottes - Collector items that are also practical and fun for baking, serving and displaying.

Le Creuset 2-pc Baking Set - Bargain deal for two pieces. Even baking, beautiful serving, naturally nonstick cleaning.

6” Cook’s Knife - One of our favorite knives in the kitchen. Versatile for many tasks, easy size to handle.

Champagne 101

Champagne’s bubbly personality is a favorite addition to brunch and a hallmark of year-end celebrations. "Champagne" designates a sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France. The bubbles come from a second fermentation process. Wine, (or a blend of wines), is bottled with added sugar and yeast. The wine ferments again, this time retaining the carbon dioxide naturally formed during the fermentation process. Sparkling wines share the same processes and fine characteristics, but are not officially from the Champagne region of France.

Within the champagne classification, different levels of sweetness exist according to the following scale:
• Doux - sweet
• Demi-sec – half dry
• Sec – dry
• Extra sec – extra dry
• Brut – almost completely dry
• Extra Brut – completely dry (no additional sugar)

Champagne is stored at room temperature, but served cold, between 43-48° F degrees. A bottle of champagne takes about 3 hours to chill in the refrigerator.

To open a bottle of champagne:

• Remove the foil, loosen the wire cage, but do not remove.
• Using a towel, hold one end over the cork and wire cage, and the other end at the base of the bottle. Angle the bottle at a 45-degree angle (providing the maximum surface area for release of the bubbles).
• Turn the base of the bottle easing the bottle away from the cork. An ideal opening produces only a whisper of noise and avoids any dramatic spray.
  

Q: Why is there a wire cover on top of champagne bottles?
A: The second fermentation process, characteristic of champagne and sparkling wines, creates carbon dioxide and raises the pressure inside the bottle. The wire cage reinforces the cork in holding back the bubbly. Bottles that could handle such pressure (up to 80 pounds of pressure) did not reliably exist until the late 1600’s.

Q: In what type of glass should champagne be served?
A: Two types of glasses are commonly used for serving champagne: (1) a flute – tall, narrow bowl on a tall, narrow stem, or (2) a coupe - a broad, shallow bowl on a stem. The flute is preferred to a coupe because it holds the bubbles more efficiently, and presents the champagne’s aroma more favorably than the shallow-shaped glass. Fill a champagne flute two-thirds full when serving.

Torta Rustica

Deceptively simple, this torta furnishes a stunning presentation any time of the year, but especially so during the holidays. Six different filling ingredients create eleven strata of wonderful flavor. Purchased puff pastry encases the tasty layers and reliably bakes into a dazzling golden brown crust. The torta slices without difficulty revealing the colorful layers. Looks good and tastes fabulous!

Recipes from Gale Gand’s BRUNCH! by Gale Gand. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, New York NY. Copyright 2009. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

DO-AHEAD: Roll out the puff pastry, place in the baking pan, and chill covered until ready to assemble the torta. Three of the six layers require some skillet cooking; this may be done ahead of time, chilled and covered until assembly time.

RECIPE NOTES: Frozen puff pastry is an allowable shortcut in our kitchen. It’s easy to work with and inspires a host of creative baking ideas. Allow it to thaw before unfolding or rolling. Keep a dusting of flour handy when rolling. Chill the pastry if it gets too warm or limp.

Cutting through a layer of baked puff pastry can be messy. With a sharp knife, score the top of the pastry before baking; avoid cutting all the way through the pastry. Once baked, use a serrated knife to cut the torta for best results.

COOKBOOK REVIEW:

Gale Gand’s BRUNCH! 100 Fantastic Recipes for the Weekend’s Best Meal by Gale Gand.
Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, New York NY. Copyright 2009.

Gale Gand, familiar to most of us as the host of the television cooking show, Sweet Dreams, she is also a James Beard Award-winning pastry chef. This book is her seventh cookbook and displays her expertise around making memorable morning meals. She offers easy twists on some classics and expands our horizons into some new brunch territory as well. Egg dishes are covered along with pancakes, waffles, and other morning quick breads. She adds several suggestions for savory sides and salads for rounding out the meal. Great for this holiday season, BRUNCH! will serve you well all year long!

Our best wishes to you this holiday season. Thank you for being a loyal customer!