Spring is coming!

Though many of us are not enjoying the sunny days of spring, nor can we see the flowers, buds, and bits of green promise on the horizon due to grey wet conditions, it is officially here. And with Spring comes the beginning of wonderful things to eat. The first sprouts of green - besides your crocus, are spring peas, artichokes, cardoons, and asparagus. Strawberries and rhubarb are quick to follow.  Easter dinners often have minted peas next the lamb, or perhaps a lovely green pea soup with a hint of tarragon. Asparagus are cause for celebration in Germany, though their asparagus are often white in nature and can be used in salads, soups, side dishes and strudels!  Artichokes can be fried, steamed, stuffed, used in salads, veal and chicken dishes, pasta mixes and pizza. Cardoons are similar in taste to an artichoke and related, but a bit harder to find here in the states but a common spring dish in Mediterranean countries.

Strawberries are just sweet delicious and so rich in nutrients whether in your morning cereal, mixed with yogurt for a snack or put in a pie. But they also make a wonderful salsa over swordfish, are delicious in salads with salty cheeses, and add a wonderful balance to rhubarb in conserves, tarts, and chutneys. Rhubarb doesn't get enough table time as many people aren't sure what to do with the "red celery". Though on its on, this is not a sweet tasting item, it pairs with many flavors including nutmeg, apples, pineapple and even cabbage for a more savory dish. A simple slice and boil is often a great start to a wonderful sweet sour addition to any dish.

I remember as a kid having strawberry rhubarb pie and thought it was the best tasting thing I had ever had. Strawberries grew in our backyard, so we always had them in our breakfast bowl. Asparagus with a little butter were a favorite - because we could eat them with our fingers! Same with artichokes....how romantic for the adults to slip those lovely leaves off the heart of the artichoke, dip in warm butter, then slowly scrape the flesh of the leaf off with your teeth. Sure they were messy, slow to eat and not a whole lot to chew....but the flavor of spring is best identified in those mossy green leaves.

So celebrate spring - get some green and pink in the house and enjoy these little treasures....they are just the beginning of that wonderful season of farmer's markets, fresh locally grown goodies and healthier eating without sacrifice!

Boston Area Personal Chefs Walk for Hunger with Project Bread

A personal chef will come to your home to prepare wonderful food, all created just for you and your family. They shop, cook, and cleanup, so that you can enjoy the comforts of your home and delicious, freshly prepared hot meals. But what if you don’t have a kitchen to call your own? What if your kitchen is a food pantry?
The New England chapter of the United States Personal Chef Association has committed to helping feed the hungry on an entirely different level. On Sunday, May 3, team “Boston Area Personal Chefs” will be walking the 20 miles of Project Bread's 2009 Walk for Hunger to raise awareness of the USPCA and to raise money for a very worthy cause. Team leader and president of the chapter, Christine Todaro of Fusion Personal Chef Services in Attleboro and team secretary Laura Finnerty of Home Plate Advantage in Stoughton will be coordinating the team, and hope to raise over $2,000 for Project Bread.
“Personal Chefs and the walk for hunger just seems like a natural pairing” said Finnerty. “Our services revolve around food, and to support a cause that feeds people is a great opportunity for us.”
Team Boston Area Personal Chefs are accepting donations online at: www.projectbread.org/site/TR/Walk/General?pg=team&fr_id=1110&team_id=36450


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Dining out disappointments

Is it just me or has the quality of dining out gone terribly wrong? Restaurants that used to be good are now at best mediocre. I often feel it is the same old choices, prepared in haste, without a speck of consideration for the person who will be eating the meal.

Granted, I have not been fortunate enough to dine at the very high end, well respected establishments of late, but I am not a regular at McD’s either. Have we as a nation settled for the fast food mentality? Is it too much to ask for a well steamed vegetable, or a meal that is hot, rather than dried out? Does anyone know how to use spices? Or has bland become the new taste to match the enthusiasm we must feel for the future.

As a personal chef, I know how easy it is to make something that tastes good. A little thought, a touch of this and paying attention to your food while cooking it can be the difference between ok and yummy! I am not saying everything has to be fancy. In fact a simple piece of salmon, drizzled with olive oil, a little salt and pepper was broiled beautifully in my own oven. The portabella sandwich I had the other day at a new place in Foxboro was well…missing the meaty taste of the mushroom. The spinach was tasty, but where’s the “beef”? Portabellas are nice thick mushrooms, which should have easily been recognizable under a spoonful of spinach. I guess the chef just didn’t care enough to pick the thick one for me.

In my business, it is all about making my customers happy. I want to feed them food they love, prepared the way they love it and reduce their stress after a long hard day of dealing with the world. Let me know if you feel the same way about today’s choices for dining out.

And be sure to contact me if you are ready to have dinner done your way, for about the same cost as dining out. www.HomePlateAdv.com is my website – check it out for better dining options.