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Baked Spiced Apples with Oats and Fresh Cream

October 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Baked Spiced Apples with Oats and Fresh Cream

Baked Spiced Apples with Oats and Fresh Cream

Baked Spiced Apples with Oats and Fresh Cream

This is a perfect Fall dessert- it’s easy to make, and a real crowd pleaser.

Serves 6-8

Pre-heat Oven to 350 Degrees

Ingredients:

8 Granny Smith Apples peeled and cut lengthwise

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup + 2 tablespoons butter softened butter

½ cup sugar

1 ½ cup rolled oats

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

For the Topping

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Dash of fresh ground nutmeg

Directions:

Grease the bottom of a 9 X 13 casserole dish with the softened 2 tablespoons of butter.

In a large bowl, place the brown sugar, butter, sugar, rolled oats, all-purpose flour, and salt. Combine the ingredients thoroughly.

Place 1/3 of the sugar mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish. Place ½ of the apples on top of the sugar mixture.

Place another 1/3 of the sugar mixture on top of the apples then place the remaining apples in the casserole dish.

Place the remaining 1/3 of the sugar mixture on top of the apple and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until the apples become soft.

In a clean stainless steel bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar, and continue to whip until firm peaks form.

Add the fresh cream to the baked apples after they have cooled slightly.

Garnish with fresh grated nutmeg.

Enjoy!

Chef Chuck Kerber

Pittsburghhotplate.com

chefchuck@pittsburghhotplate.com

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Bridge Ten Brasserie, Pittsburgh

September 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Bridge Ten Brasserie

Bridge Ten Brasserie, Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (September 4, 2012) – After two months of renovations and developing menus, Bridge Ten Brasserie celebrates its grand opening on Monday, September 10. The beautifully renovated space next to the Holiday Inn Express on Pittsburgh’s South Side features a full French brasserie menu including sophisticated and fun wines, beers, spirits and cocktails.

Owner and well-known wine writer and radio host David DeSimone and his collaborators offer Bridge Ten Brasserie as a classic French brasserie and bar with a welcoming outdoor “terrasse.” Capacity includes 60 seats in the main dining room, a 30-seat private dining room, a full 30-seat bar and outdoor seating for 40.

Bridge Ten Brasserie Delicious Food!

Bridge Ten Brasserie Delicious Food!

Guardian Construction Management Services oversaw the two-month renovation project and Edge Studio provided architectural support. Renovations include a completely renovated main dining area with brasserie-style mirrors and lighting as well as original artwork by French photographer Bertrand Celce, local Pittsburgh photographer, Hilary Robinson and other original artwork selected by Michael Hertrich of La Fond Galleries on the South Side.

“We were delighted to welcome the many guests who joined us for the “soft” opening during renovations,” said DeSimone, who holds certification as a French Wine Scholar from the Washington, D.C.-based French Wine Society. “Their enthusiasm confirms our belief that Pittsburghers are eager to enjoy authentic French food and drinks.

“We are excited now to invite Pittsburghers and visitors alike to enjoy our full menu in our upscale, yet relaxed and comfortable ambiance,” he adds. “We want to transport our guests to France by simply paying us a visit on the South Side.”

Bridge Ten Brasserie accepts reservations via its website (www.bridgeten.com) using Open Table and by telephone (412-586-5033) for individuals, groups and private parties for happy hours, business meetings and family gatherings. Gift cards are also now available.

The “Flavors of France” menu, expanded for the grand opening, features classic brasserie appetizers such as escargots, steak tartare and soups along with main courses such as steamed mussels, duck breast with black cherry sauce, coq au vin, steak frites, bouillabaisse, pork crêpes and grilled quail. The French cheese and dessert options have expanded to include flaming Crêpes Suzette au Grand Marnier served tableside. The expanded drinks list adds excellent values on “premium” wines from Burgundy and the Rhône Valley and brandies from Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados.

Guests can explore different regions of France through food and drink with Bridge Ten’s featured prix fixe menus, which will change monthly. The “Drunken Goat” happy hour offers discounted drinks and select menu items Monday through Friday from 5-7 p.m., and the “Menu Etudiant” offers daily discounted fixed menus for students.

Bridge Ten’s Executive Chef Shawn Carlson is a Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts graduate and served as Executive Chef for Toni Pais, owner of the former Baum Vivant in Shadyside.

French-born David Cesaro is Maître D. Cesaro trained in Switzerland before working at Le Bernardin in New York City. He also owned the acclaimed French bistro, L’Ardoise in New York.

“We are excited to work with our entire team in offering our guests the pleasures and flavors of France,” DeSimone said.

Bridge Ten Brasserie’s lunchtime guests enjoy complimentary parking in a secured parking lot behind the Holiday Inn Express. Dinner guests have the option of using a $5 valet service.

Bridge Ten Brasserie operates independently of the Holiday Inn Express. Stay up-to-date with Bridge Ten news on Facebook (www.facebook.com/bridgeten), Twitter (@bridge_ten) and by signing up for the monthly newsletter via www.bridgeten.com

Chef Chuck Kerber

pittsburghhotplate.com

chefchuck@pittsburghhotplate.com

Bridge Ten Brasserie on Urbanspoon

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Ribollita

May 3, 2012 By 2 Comments
Ribollita

Ribollita

Ribollita is a hearty Tuscan soup made with bread and vegetables. The name, Ribollita means re-boiled.
This recipe requires quite a few veggies, and preferably crusty, left-over bread. Let the soup sit for a
day; you’ll be pleasantly surprised how well all the flavors blend together.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cups chopped celery

3 cups chopped carrots

3 leeks, cleaned and chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

3 bunches Kale, cleaned and de-ribbed, and chopped

2 bay leaves

½ head of chopped savoy cabbage

2 bunches swish chard

4 cups chopped tomatoes

4 cans of canellinni beans

6 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

1 loaf of crusty Italian bread.

Directions:

Place the olive in a large stainless steel soup pot on the stove over medium heat. Put the celery, carrots, leeks, and garlic in the pot, and slowly sauté the vegetables for 10 minutes. After the vegetables have had time to caramelize, add the 4 cups of chopped tomatoes, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the kale, bay leaves, savoy cabbage, and swiss chard. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

In a blender, combine 2 can of the strained canelllinni beans with two cups chicken stock. Blend well. You may need to do this in two batches if all of the contents don’t fit in your blender. Add this mixture to the soup pot.

Add the additional 2 cans of strained beans, along with the remaining 4 cups of chicken stock to the pot. Let this mixture cook for 30 minutes on low heat.

Add the chopped parsley and thyme.

Place a thick slice of crusty Italian bread in a large soup bowl.

Carefully ladle the finished soup over the bread.

Grate fresh pecorino or parmesan on top.

Delicious Ribollita

Delicious Ribollita

Enjoy!

Chef Chuck Kerber

Pittsburghhotplate.com

chefchuck@pittsburghhotplate.com

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Cibo, Pittsburgh, PA

June 10, 2011 By 2 Comments

Cibo

If you’re a reader of pittsburghhotplate.com, you know that I’ve been in search of a good Italian restaurant for quite some time. What makes a good Italian Bistro? That’s easy- pasta that’s not over-cooked, a spicy marinara (leave out the extra sugar please), a bold Bolognese with plenty of nutmeg, and some good rustic Italian bread. You’d think that wouldn’t be too difficult to find in a city as sophisticated as Pittsburgh. Still, good Italian fare has eluded me for a while now, so I still search…

Cibo, in Regent Square is the owned by Dino DeFlaviao. If you live in the east end, and don’t know who Dino is, you must not know the areas as well as you think. Prior to being Cibo, DeFlavio’s Pizza occupied the space that is now the new Italian restaurant. Cibo has only been open a few days, but so far the food has been received well by the East End crowd.

Atmosphere:

Cibo is a small, intimate restaurant. The walls are covered with rich, warm colors (reds, and oranges) and beautifully finished wood tables and chairs are spread throughout the open space. All of the tables are covered with white linens, and perfectly polished utensils. The vibe at Cibo is casual, kind of a “come as you are” setting- one would be ok with a sport jacket or a pair of shorts on a hot summer day. The tables are situated close to each other, but it’s still easy to hear your dinner mate regardless of how many other patrons were in the restaurant. Cibo is BYOB.

Chef Eric

Food:

Eric Schwartzmeier is the Chef at Cibo, and although young, has some obvious talent. We started with his cold seafood salad with blanched potatoes, shrimp, mussels, clams, poached shrimp, and fennel. The cold seafood was especially delicious on this particular evening, because it was so hot outside. The mussels and clams were sweet and salty like the sea, and the large shrimp was perfectly cooked- the fennel added a nice contrast to the delicate taste of the fresh seafood. The lemon dressing was tart, and the fresh basil on top of the salad provided a fragrant after-taste.

Seafood Salad

After we finished our salads, were served some sliced Italian bread which was given to us by itself; maybe a small amount of butter, or herbed dipping oil would have been a nice accompaniment.

Seafood Risotto was next, and probably our favorite dish. Huge shrimp, more mussels, and a tomato-based seafood broth surrounded the dish. The food had a bit of a kick to it, which made us both happy. The taste combination was great, and we quickly devoured the rice, and soft mollusks.

Mussels and Pasta

Seafood Pasta

Grilled Seafood

Another seafood dish arrived with penne, more enormous shrimp, and baby clams. The penne was cooked, but not over-cooked (finally, someone who knows how to cook pasta!), and the creamy seafood sauce coated the ridges on the penne. This particular dish was rich, and I quickly lost track of how much pasta I was consuming.
The dessert selection at Cibo is limited for the time being- only Italian ice is available. Although delicious, I would really have liked to have had some tiramisu!

Cibo Sorbet

Service:

We had excellent service. Our needs were not only met, but anticipated.

Cibo is a nice, small Italian bistro that serves authentic Italian food. The menu has representative offerings, and most likely will accommodate picky eaters, and even vegetarians. The portions are very large, so keep that in mind while ordering.

If you find yourself in the east end, Cibo is definitely worth trying.

Chef Chuck Kerber
Pittsburghhotplate.com
chefchuck@pittsburghhotplate.com

Cibo on Urbanspoon

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Buttermilk Biscuits

January 31, 2011 By 1 Comment

Buttermilk Biscuits

Buttermilk Biscuits

I’ve been obsessed with buttermilk biscuits ever since I ate my first portion of Biscuits and Gravy when I was a kid. I loved the gravy, but the star of the show was the fluffy biscuit. Buttery and dense, the small doughy creation had my attention…

I’ve tried many different recipes over the years, but could never find that perfect mixture of ingredients. This is my recipe; I hope that you find it easy to make, and delicious to eat!

Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

7 cups unbleached flour
2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
2 Tablespoons Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
¼ Cup Sugar
1 ½ cups of cold unsalted butter
4 cups buttermilk

Procedure:

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
Cube the butter, set aside.

Place ½ of the flour mixture in a food processor. Slowly add the butter while processing, a bit at a time until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Add the remaining flour, and mix with a pastry cutter or fork until fully incorporated.

Begin adding the buttermilk 1 cup at a time. After each cup of buttermilk, slowly mix the wet and dry ingredients, just until incorporated; do not over mix.
When all of the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated, turn out onto a dry, floured surface- knead three times. Then, with a rolling pin, roll out the dough and fold over onto itself, repeating this procedure three times; this will create layers in the dough.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface, and cut into circles with a cookie-cutter, or you can cut them by hand into square-shapes.

Place on a greased cookie sheet, and coat with a small amount of butter with a pastry brush. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Biscuit Mixture in Food Processor
Buttermilk Biscuit Cut Outs
Buttermilk Biscuits Ready for the Oven

Enjoy,

Chef Chuck Kerber

chefchuck@pittsburghhotplate.com

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