Fatty But Wholesome: Boston Mackerel

  













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Hi Folks,

This amazing fish, a relative of the tuna, is known by many to be bait rather than a delicious supper. Humble—but appealing—mackerel has collected some respect and culinary fans in recent times thanks to its affordable price and its newly embraced super-food status as a sustainably-caught little fish that’s as rich in flavor as it is in nourishing omega-3 oils. Peak season? These migratory fish splash around our waters from November through May. But don't worry you can find "as-good-as" Spanish Mackerel from July through September.

We include them often in our menus at Brooklyn Edible Social Club because of its versatile and full-flavored nature. It works well smoked, pickled, cured, roasted, poached, pan-seared, and even raw.

Look for them at Blue Moon Fish, our hands-down favorite fishmonger from Mattituck, NY, at New York City's Greenmarkets. We bet you can taste the fresh brine from the ocean, along with the love Alex and Steph put into their hard work on their boat, "The Blue Moon".

Stinky Pleasure: Cato Corner's Black Ledge Blue Cheese

 Picture:BROOKLYN EDIBLE SOCIAL CLUB

Hello Folks,

Cato Corner Farm is by far one of our favorites. This small local creamery, located in Colchester, CT, is run by a mother-and-son team working in tandem. Their superb farmstead cheeses are made with raw milk from a happy herd of mostly Jersey cows that wander the land pasturing grasses. We've planned a field trip to this lovely farm in spring, so we will be writing more about them in future posts.

But what brings us here today is to talk about their award-winning BLACK LEDGE BLUE. Aged 2-to-5 months, this natural rind blue cheese has a beautiful yellow coloration speckled with tones of blue. The fairly creamy texture and medium strong flavor has a rich, delicate and earthy finish, giving it a distinctive but approachable taste.

We're so in love with this blue because of its richness and versatility that we constantly use it in our Brooklyn Edible Social Club's winter menus to enhance and balance the flavor profile of several dishes.

You can find Cato Corner Farm at a few Greenmarkets around the city so we encourage you to sample their awesome cheeses... and remember to try the Black Ledge Blue, of course!

   

Good Morning: Our Homemade Granola

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Hey Folks,

We've been giving away our home-baked granola to guests at the end of our suppers so they can savor a little extra bite of Brooklyn Edible Social Club the next morning with their breakfast. 

We love the salty and herbal tones from the olive oil and sel gris balancing the smoky sweetness from the maple syrup and tart hints from the sun-dried blueberries. Simple flavors that combine perfectly to create a more complex but easy complement for fresh Ronnybrook's yogurt.

We're proud to showcase ingredients from awesome New York state's small farms like Cayuga pure organics, Van Glad Brothers & Dancing Ewe in this granola. You guys should try them in your next visit to the Greenmarket.

Now, here is the recipe for our granola. Hope you enjoy a good morning, early birds!

Ingredients:

- 7 cups Rolled Grain Cereal (Oats, Rye, Barley, Wheat) Or Just Rolled Oats

Cayuga Pure Organics Farm, Brooktondale, NY

- 1 cup Wood Homestead Maple Syrup "Grade A - Dark Amber"

Van Glad Brothers Farm, Stamford, NY

- 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Dancing Ewe Farm, Granville, NY

- 1 1/2 tsp Sel Gris Or Other Coarse Sea Salt

- 2 cups Unsalted Sliced Almonds

- 1 1/2 cups Sun-Dried Wild Blueberries

How to make it:

Preheat your oven to 325 F degrees, meanwhile in a large bowl mix well with your hands the cereal, salt, olive oil and maple syrup.  Put the mix in a baking pan.

Bake until golden, then gently turn and bake again for about 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and add the blueberries and almonds, mix again. Let cool down...easy like that!