"A Romantic Picnic " Valentine's Day Edition

With Valentines Day coming up, I thought it would be fun to share a picnic that I did for my sweetie.
A picnic is the best because you can pick the scene to have the picnic and you can build the picnic basket with a wide array of treats and surprises. Here is a picnic that I created recently for my Valentine and some tips for making a picnic into a romantic moment for you and the one you love.

• Pick a spot with awesome scenery but private enough to enjoy each other and not feel uncomfortable. I picked my favorite beach near our house and we went after sunset.  The view was amazing and the sound of crashing waves created nice mood music. 

• Consider possible disasters like bugs, weather and do what you can to plan for such a situation. 
• Bring Blankets, to sit on and to snuggle in case it gets cold. The beach is perfect for a picnic but got very cold by dark having an extra blanket gives a good excuse to get closer. 
• Bring entertainment, we always used to bring a book we called "The Happy Book".  This gave us dialogue and created a romantic tradition. Poetry or even coloring books or games to have fun and dream and to be childish can make a moment special. 
• Be thoughtful: a flower arrangement, a handmade card or a sentimental gift will be valued more than something even more costly creating a magical memory is the way into a woman's heart. 
• Picnic menu ideas: Layer the picnic so that you don't unveil food from the basket all at once. Use the basket like a magicians hat and create surprise and spread out the moment. 
• Appetizers: Bring  fruit, berries, honey, Greek yogurt and granola or dried fruit and nuts.  Put this into a bowl and layer it with the yogurt on the bottom, then the fruit and granola, dried fruit such as cranberries and nuts. Be sure and bring spoons, a knife, a cutting board, some bowls, cups, plastic wine glasses are super convenient. 
• Here are some suggestions pick a few to build your basket:

1. Crackers: Triskets, Bagel chips, crostinis, crackers, tortilla chips, pita bread
2. Dips:  hummus, salsa, cheese spread like boursin
3. Meats: Pate', sausage, salami, vegetarian tofu 
4. Artisan cheeses: Aged cheese such as Reggiano Parmigianno, Manchega, Montaccio. Fresh Cheese such as goat cheese, chevre, mozzarella balls, cilleginis, prosciutto wrapped provolone. Blue veined cheese, Gorgonzola or Maytag blue. Herb cheeses, drunken cheeses or other flavored cheeses, such as cranberry laced cheese. 
5. Whole fruit and berries: cut the fruit and arrange it on a sharing platter. Make little samples for her to taste and do all the work. 

6. Drink: If wine is allowed Champagne is great or Moscato di Asti. Brachetto di Aqui is what I brought to our last picnic. It is slightly sweet with some bubbles and is red sooo,  yum! Sparkling water and with lemon and lime. Make sure you chill the drink and put it in a wine cooler or thermal container if you are going far. 

7. Sweets: Make something if you can, remember finger foods are best, go with cookies, brownies, bites chocolates, even chocolate covered strawberries.

• Don't forget to bring napkins, corkscrews, forks, spoons, knives, blankets, Shade like an umbrella if necessary, bug spray if you live in Florida, and anything else you may need. 
• Remember to make it fun, if you are not comfortable with artisan cheeses and pate' bring something simpler, delicious and thoughtful. 
• A handwritten menu on pretty paper rolled and tied is a nice touch.  

Live to Cook!
Regards, Chef Dave

Vinegar 101

When you are cooking and layering elements of flavor, a vital ingredient is the acid. This excites your palate and and makes the flavors jump out. Ascetic acid is this important part of food also known as vinegar.

How is vinegar  made? I'm glad you asked! It's all in the sugar. Anything containing sugar can be made into a vinegar. Two processes take place before the final product of vinegar occurs; Alcoholic fermentation and acid fermentation.   Some common types vinegars are cider vinegar made from apples; white wine, red wine, balsamic vinegar, all made from grapes; and rice vinegar.

My favorite, Balsamic vinegar, is traditionally made from the trebbiano grape. This grape is also blended to make  Conqac in France, where it is known as the ugni blanc. Trebbiano is a white grape but in the process of making balsamic, it is reduced and often thickened using ingredients like corn flour and even color is added with caramel. In the modern production of balsamic vinegar the aging process may not include wood barrels, but traditionally the grape juice is placed into barrels and aged. The types of wood used would often change as well as the size of the barrels. So a very old 100 year balsamic would end up in a small barrel.  Some of the traditional techniques are not adhered to because the demand is so high.

                                                         

By combining oil and vinegar a simple vinaigrette is produced. The ratio of oil to vinegar is usually about three parts oil to one part vinegar. This is a general ratio and may vary with the style of vinegar and personal taste. Since a balsamic vinegar is softer because of aging, when making a balsamic vinaigrette, you might do a ratio of half balsamic vinegar to extra virgin olive oil and then add salt, black pepper and dried oregano.

Here are a couple of recipes where the vinegar is part of the flavor component.

Grilled Bruschetta Two Ways

Slice Crusty French bread thinly, using a bread knife. Lay the bread slices in and drizzle more 

oil on top. Continue to stack the bread with oil in between. Then follow one of the following to 

recipes or both!

Tomato and Avocado Bruschetta:

6 Plum Tomatoes diced

2 ripe Avocado diced

2 Cloves of garlic minced

6 leaves of cilantro coarsely chopped

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Shredded Mozzarella

Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Balsamic syrup for garnish



Directions: In a stainless bowl combine the ingredients except for the mozzarella cheese and 

season with salt and pepper to taste. Place into a plastic container, cover and refrigerate. 

Place Mozzarella on top of the bread once it is grilled. Place remainder of ingredients on top  

and finish with a drizzle balsamic syrup.



Tri-Color Pepper Bruschetta:


2 Red bell peppers (seeded and sliced)

2 Yellow bell peppers (seeded and sliced)

1 Green bell pepper (seeded and sliced)

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 Red Onion Sliced

1/2 cup Pure olive oil

1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar

6 leaves of basil cut into chiffonade or sliced thinly

Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste


Directions: In a saute' pan heat the oil then add the minced garlic and cook until aromatic, next 

add the onions and saute' until translucent. Then add the peppers and cook until slightly soft. 

Add the salt, pepper, Basil and red wine vinegar. Store the pepper mixture in a plastic 

container and refrigerate. Top the peppers over the sliced French Bread.

Live to Cook!
Regards, Chef Dave