What's better than ice cream in the summer? Frozen custard! Yes m'am, add egg yolk and at least 10% milkfat to your average ice cream, and frozen custard you have. I have had an affinity for this frozen treat since I was a child. My family spent summers in Conneaut Lake, PA, and we traveled often to Hanks Frozen Custard in Meadville. I spent my college years at Allegheny College, so I got to continue the tradition into my adulthood. While I still get to Hanks whenever I get a chance (as in, whenever I am within 30 miles or so), I like to have my fix at some local locations as well. But, let's start with the real deal.
Hanks Frozen Custard - Meadville, PA
Hanks in Meadville has been open since 1952, or so the website says. It offers chocolate, vanilla, and light vanilla daily, and an additional flavor every day. The flavor schedule is available on the website (http://www.hanksfrozencustard.com/flavor-schedule)and boasts some favorites like peanut butter and black raspberry. Hanks still uses the old electro freeze machines. These machines are a must if you want a real custard experience. I can't say much about the rest of the menu - I haven't had anything besides the custard. My mom, for some unknown, incomprehensible reason, got the sherbet once and enjoyed it. But, I wouldn't recommend it. Why miss out on the good stuff?
Hanks Frozen Custard and Mexican Food- New Brighton, PA
The original Hanks, this location was opened by a family member of the Meadville Hanks, though no familial relation exists today. This Hanks offers chocolate and vanilla daily, as well as a rotation of seven flavors, including strawberry and pistachio. The custard here is not made in the electro freeze machine, but is still pretty good. Less buttery and smooth, and a little heavier, but good. Haven't had a chance to try the Mexican food yet, but plan to soon. Will update.
J & T - Ellwood City, PA
J&T offers custard, hard ice cream, soft serve, and sherbet, as well as some grilled and fried foods. The custard is made in the electro freeze machines, and is awesome. They offer vanilla and chocolate custard daily, as well as a special flavor daily. They also blend some of the fresh-made flavors with other ingredients and offer them frozen. One of my favorites is chocolate almond. Overall, some very good custard.
Young's Custard Stand - Zelienople, PA
Youngs is on the vanilla and chocolate plus one flavor bandwagon. Their flavors change weekly, not daily, and include pistachio, a personal favorite of mine. Electro freeze machines are in use. Young's custard is unbelievably creamy and light, and is flavored a little more sophisticated than the other custards I have tried - in a less is more way. It also tasted fresher than the other custards I've tried, though I may have just hit it on the right day. Young's serves burgers and dogs too. But, again, I had no room for any non-custard treats. The stand itself sits in the country in a large parking lot. There are some benches and picnic tables set up, and a line usually winds around the corner. Well worth the drive and the wait.
Forbush's - New Castle, PA
Why does life get in the way of eating? I hate to do this to you, but I have yet to try this place. I don't want to fail to mention it, as it is often spoken of in the same vein as J&T. But, I can't say anything good or bad about it. I can only promise to get there, asap, and update shortly thereafter. The things I do for research...
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Breaking (Easter) Bread
As the holiday is fast approaching, I can't miss an opportunity to post something about Easter Bread. I have a love of the many varieties of flavored breads that fall into this category. Most importantly, my mom and my grandma each make their own version of Easter Bread. My mom's bread is light, anise flavored bread that is braided and iced with a sweet, thin icing. It is best right from the oven or the same day it is baked, as it tends to get dry and the icing gritty if it isn't eaten soon after baking. My grandma's (my mom's mom's) is heavier, also anise flavored, and has gold raisins in the dough. It is best from the oven or toasted for days after. It also makes for a great bread pudding.
There is an ongoing battle of sorts between my mom and gram as to whose bread is the family favorite. Problem is: the breads are so different. Which is the favorite is a matter of preference for type of bread, not bread baker. Though you can't convince my mom or grandma of that. Just today, my grandma called me on my lunch break and told me that the Easter bread was coming out of the oven and that I should come have a slice for lunch. Nothing like a thick slice of bread and butter for a healthy lunch, eh? So as to not offend grandma, I put aside my yogurt and honey lunch snack for some bread. And it was great. To my surprise, my mom called me as I was leaving work and told me that she had just made some Easter bread, that it was coming out of the oven, and that there was a loaf with my name on it should I want it. Should I want it? Do I want to be written out of my mom's will? To break her heart? To fall to the bottom of her ladder of love? She knew I was at Grandma's for lunch today, there was no way I was getting out of some after work bread as well. (Note to self: this is why my two-a-days at the gym have been of little affect lately...)Inheritance aside, I was happy to get some of my mom's hot Easter bread as well. It too was wonderful in its own distinct way.
And here's the rub of this post - the many varieties of Easter bread local to my hometown and I assume on a wider basis. Many of the Italian ladies in my hometown make Easter Bread and share it with other bread-makers as a calling card of sorts. I have had heavy, booze-filled breads, delicate anise seed bread knots, lemon bread filled with ricotta, and a lot of things in between. This year alone, I have had bread braided, in knots, in round and rectangular loafs, iced, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and baked with a hard boiled egg inside. Whatever the variety, whatever the case, I am thankful for the time and love that goes into making this holiday treat as well as the generosity of the bread maker in sharing it. Happy Easter!
There is an ongoing battle of sorts between my mom and gram as to whose bread is the family favorite. Problem is: the breads are so different. Which is the favorite is a matter of preference for type of bread, not bread baker. Though you can't convince my mom or grandma of that. Just today, my grandma called me on my lunch break and told me that the Easter bread was coming out of the oven and that I should come have a slice for lunch. Nothing like a thick slice of bread and butter for a healthy lunch, eh? So as to not offend grandma, I put aside my yogurt and honey lunch snack for some bread. And it was great. To my surprise, my mom called me as I was leaving work and told me that she had just made some Easter bread, that it was coming out of the oven, and that there was a loaf with my name on it should I want it. Should I want it? Do I want to be written out of my mom's will? To break her heart? To fall to the bottom of her ladder of love? She knew I was at Grandma's for lunch today, there was no way I was getting out of some after work bread as well. (Note to self: this is why my two-a-days at the gym have been of little affect lately...)Inheritance aside, I was happy to get some of my mom's hot Easter bread as well. It too was wonderful in its own distinct way.
And here's the rub of this post - the many varieties of Easter bread local to my hometown and I assume on a wider basis. Many of the Italian ladies in my hometown make Easter Bread and share it with other bread-makers as a calling card of sorts. I have had heavy, booze-filled breads, delicate anise seed bread knots, lemon bread filled with ricotta, and a lot of things in between. This year alone, I have had bread braided, in knots, in round and rectangular loafs, iced, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and baked with a hard boiled egg inside. Whatever the variety, whatever the case, I am thankful for the time and love that goes into making this holiday treat as well as the generosity of the bread maker in sharing it. Happy Easter!
Bona Terra - Sharpsburg
I have been meaning to go to Bona Terra for some time now. But, whenever we feel like inspired local food (which is pretty often) we usually head to Legume. We finally made it to Sharpsburg to try out this often-hyped restaurant and we are convinced that it is basically worth the hype.
Bona Terra is BYOB with a daily changing menu. It focuses on local, seasonal food. Unlike Legume (take note, Chef Dick) Bona Terra doesn't post their menu daily. Instead, you find three sample menus on their website. That leaves overly anxious diners to wait until they get to the restaurant that night to see the menu. Gasp! The menu offered five hot appetizers, three salads, a cheese plate, and six dinner entrees. We went with the waitress' recommendation of the dumplings for an appetizer, though the cracker dusted oysters and the roasted quail sounded good too. The dumplings were made with homemade dough, filled with pork shoulder, and served in spicy broth. They were delicate and quite good. We also had a salad, which was one of our favorite parts of the meal. The salad was served with tender greens, candied walnuts, chevre, and a citrus vinaigrette. It was wonderful! Each component was special on its own, and the combination was perfect. We had the striped bass over lentils and the duck breast with basmati rice for our entrees. Both were excellent - the bass was crispy and browned on the skin side and perfectly cooked otherwise. The lentils were mild and weren't overcooked. The duck was another crispy skinned protein, and was very tender. In between courses, the chef served a mango sorbet (housemade, aggressive and delicious) and a tomato soup with crispy proscuitto (smooth and buttery). We were pleasantly surprised when the waitress asked about dessert, as we hadn't seen any leave the kitchen to that point. The desserts included a lemon tart, an offering of sorbets, and a homemade chocolate cake. We opted for the chocolate cake, which was fabulous. It was dense and rich. And it was served with homemade chocolate peanut butter cup icing. Along with the salad, it was the standout of the night. Oh, and I don't want to forget the bread - housemade herbed ciabatta hot from the oven, served with herbed butter. Sooooo good. So, while I am partial to Legume (are you getting that feeling yet?), and while it remains my go-to for creative local food, there is room in my rotation for Bona Terra as well. Just not as often as Legume...
Bona Terra is BYOB with a daily changing menu. It focuses on local, seasonal food. Unlike Legume (take note, Chef Dick) Bona Terra doesn't post their menu daily. Instead, you find three sample menus on their website. That leaves overly anxious diners to wait until they get to the restaurant that night to see the menu. Gasp! The menu offered five hot appetizers, three salads, a cheese plate, and six dinner entrees. We went with the waitress' recommendation of the dumplings for an appetizer, though the cracker dusted oysters and the roasted quail sounded good too. The dumplings were made with homemade dough, filled with pork shoulder, and served in spicy broth. They were delicate and quite good. We also had a salad, which was one of our favorite parts of the meal. The salad was served with tender greens, candied walnuts, chevre, and a citrus vinaigrette. It was wonderful! Each component was special on its own, and the combination was perfect. We had the striped bass over lentils and the duck breast with basmati rice for our entrees. Both were excellent - the bass was crispy and browned on the skin side and perfectly cooked otherwise. The lentils were mild and weren't overcooked. The duck was another crispy skinned protein, and was very tender. In between courses, the chef served a mango sorbet (housemade, aggressive and delicious) and a tomato soup with crispy proscuitto (smooth and buttery). We were pleasantly surprised when the waitress asked about dessert, as we hadn't seen any leave the kitchen to that point. The desserts included a lemon tart, an offering of sorbets, and a homemade chocolate cake. We opted for the chocolate cake, which was fabulous. It was dense and rich. And it was served with homemade chocolate peanut butter cup icing. Along with the salad, it was the standout of the night. Oh, and I don't want to forget the bread - housemade herbed ciabatta hot from the oven, served with herbed butter. Sooooo good. So, while I am partial to Legume (are you getting that feeling yet?), and while it remains my go-to for creative local food, there is room in my rotation for Bona Terra as well. Just not as often as Legume...
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Dear Jesus, Please Help As I Prepare For Lent
As Lent is fast approaching, I find myself thinking not only about the spiritual ways to ready myself for the season, but also the gastronomical ways to do so. Before I get myself into a tizzy thinking about all of the awesome Lenten fish specials I want to partake in (view last February's post for more information) I need to concentrate on some pre-Lenten indulgences. Some of my favorite edible immoderations include:
Paczki - Oakmont Bakery, Oakmont, PA
I am a newcomer to the paczki. I happened into the Oakmont Bakery two years ago the Friday before Ash Wednesday five minutes before close. Somehow, though faced with the sheer terror of having to choose a treat from the vast, seemingly endless cases of dessert heaven, in a very short period of time (this decision would normally take me several recon missions on the internet prior to the visit as well as a good half hour research in the bakery), I did not crumble. I did not turn around and leave, I did not ask for whatever the counter woman recommended or what I know to be safe. I pointed to the round doughnut-looking dessert that I couldn't pronounce and I asked for one of each filling. Those fillings included prune, custard, Pittsburgh cream, lemon, raspberry, apple, and peach. Sweet success. These Polish dessert treats are similar to filled doughnuts, but with more filling and lighter dough. They are also smaller than most filled doughnuts, making them easier to try one of each!
Glazed Cinnamon Rolls- Oram's, Beaver Falls
If you haven't had one of these, go now. But if now is a Saturday after 11, don't go now, as they will likely be out of their famous glazed cinnamon rolls. Don't get me wrong, every doughnut at Oram's is special in it's own right, and an indulgence all the same. This includes some of my other favorites there, like the coconut crusted glazed doughnut and the custard filled chocolate buttercream topped doughnut. But, for all out indulgence, the glazed cinnamon rolls are unbeatable. They are the size of a small frisbee, are light (as impossible as that seems, being as they are a frisbee-sized doughnut), and are glazed with a thin, sweet icing. They are more doughnut than cinnamon roll, and are sinfully wonderful. Get extras, share with your closest friends, then go to confession. And bring them. You'll all need 40 days of fasting after this, but it will help get you through.
Davio - Beechview
Anything here is indulgent. Before your appetizers come, you get fresh baked breads, a gorgonzola spread, dipping oil, and a white bean spread. And this is just the beginning. The lobster bisque, served in a bowl big enough to feed the table, is heavy on the heavy cream as well as the lobster. Don't plan on touching the bread if you order this as anything besides your main meal, as there will be no room left in your belly. The double veal chop is easily two inches thick and can be ordered topped with lump crab meat. Along these lines, the lobster pasta is angel hair served in a lobster cream sauce with chunks of tail and claw meat throughout. Though you won't have room for dessert, one bite of the Russian sable cake (chocolate, flourless) is rich enough to make the cast of Jersey Shore blush. For those avoiding the temptation, you are out of luck. A cookie plate is complimentary after dinner, and is full of amazingly decadent cookies, often including macaroons and biscotti. Confession required again ladies and gents, and I don't mean the confession during mass where the Priest forgives the congregation in one pass of the hand. You need to sit face to face with the Padre and repent if you want to get in the pearly gates after this one.
FYI: This one is heavy on the wallet, too.
smoked mussel and scallop pasta - Seviche, Pittsburgh
For a small plate to make the list, you know it must be over the top in all of the right ways. Think Isaac Mizrahi as opposed to Joan Rivers. This pasta is not on the menu but came as part of a tasting. It is linguini with smoked mussels and smoked scallops in a cream sauce. I am not a huge fan of smoked fish, but this dish was to die for. The creamy sauce with the tender pasta was an amazing compliment to the smoky but not overpowering mussles and scallops. Mwah!
Beef and Bean Nachos - El Campesino, McKnight (or any of the other locations)
Pile of homemade tortilla chips? Check. Pound of sauteed, not too lean beef? Check. Refried beans? Check. Queso? Hell yeah. Check. Checkmark broiled to browned, toasted perfection while you are at it.
Paczki - Oakmont Bakery, Oakmont, PA
I am a newcomer to the paczki. I happened into the Oakmont Bakery two years ago the Friday before Ash Wednesday five minutes before close. Somehow, though faced with the sheer terror of having to choose a treat from the vast, seemingly endless cases of dessert heaven, in a very short period of time (this decision would normally take me several recon missions on the internet prior to the visit as well as a good half hour research in the bakery), I did not crumble. I did not turn around and leave, I did not ask for whatever the counter woman recommended or what I know to be safe. I pointed to the round doughnut-looking dessert that I couldn't pronounce and I asked for one of each filling. Those fillings included prune, custard, Pittsburgh cream, lemon, raspberry, apple, and peach. Sweet success. These Polish dessert treats are similar to filled doughnuts, but with more filling and lighter dough. They are also smaller than most filled doughnuts, making them easier to try one of each!
Glazed Cinnamon Rolls- Oram's, Beaver Falls
If you haven't had one of these, go now. But if now is a Saturday after 11, don't go now, as they will likely be out of their famous glazed cinnamon rolls. Don't get me wrong, every doughnut at Oram's is special in it's own right, and an indulgence all the same. This includes some of my other favorites there, like the coconut crusted glazed doughnut and the custard filled chocolate buttercream topped doughnut. But, for all out indulgence, the glazed cinnamon rolls are unbeatable. They are the size of a small frisbee, are light (as impossible as that seems, being as they are a frisbee-sized doughnut), and are glazed with a thin, sweet icing. They are more doughnut than cinnamon roll, and are sinfully wonderful. Get extras, share with your closest friends, then go to confession. And bring them. You'll all need 40 days of fasting after this, but it will help get you through.
Davio - Beechview
Anything here is indulgent. Before your appetizers come, you get fresh baked breads, a gorgonzola spread, dipping oil, and a white bean spread. And this is just the beginning. The lobster bisque, served in a bowl big enough to feed the table, is heavy on the heavy cream as well as the lobster. Don't plan on touching the bread if you order this as anything besides your main meal, as there will be no room left in your belly. The double veal chop is easily two inches thick and can be ordered topped with lump crab meat. Along these lines, the lobster pasta is angel hair served in a lobster cream sauce with chunks of tail and claw meat throughout. Though you won't have room for dessert, one bite of the Russian sable cake (chocolate, flourless) is rich enough to make the cast of Jersey Shore blush. For those avoiding the temptation, you are out of luck. A cookie plate is complimentary after dinner, and is full of amazingly decadent cookies, often including macaroons and biscotti. Confession required again ladies and gents, and I don't mean the confession during mass where the Priest forgives the congregation in one pass of the hand. You need to sit face to face with the Padre and repent if you want to get in the pearly gates after this one.
FYI: This one is heavy on the wallet, too.
smoked mussel and scallop pasta - Seviche, Pittsburgh
For a small plate to make the list, you know it must be over the top in all of the right ways. Think Isaac Mizrahi as opposed to Joan Rivers. This pasta is not on the menu but came as part of a tasting. It is linguini with smoked mussels and smoked scallops in a cream sauce. I am not a huge fan of smoked fish, but this dish was to die for. The creamy sauce with the tender pasta was an amazing compliment to the smoky but not overpowering mussles and scallops. Mwah!
Beef and Bean Nachos - El Campesino, McKnight (or any of the other locations)
Pile of homemade tortilla chips? Check. Pound of sauteed, not too lean beef? Check. Refried beans? Check. Queso? Hell yeah. Check. Checkmark broiled to browned, toasted perfection while you are at it.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wings Galore - Beyond the Basics
From little known places to non-traditional preparations and sauces, these wings will have you taking a happy break from the usual:
Franklin Park Inn - Franklin Park
Otherwise known for mediocre, faux Mexican cuisine, the grilled wings at the Franklin Park Inn are worth the trip there. They take at least 20 minutes to prepare and are served chargrilled. There is no choice of sauce - they are prepared in a buffalo/tobasco sauce, and are ususaly very spicy. They aren't "saucy" wings, but they are packed with flavor. I think they are marinated prio to cooking and basted throughout the grilling process, but that is purely speculation on my part. (Read: I have tried to reproduce these several times, with the help of my grillmaster husband, and have failed. I would consider doing bad things for this recipe...)
RPMs Wings and Things Bridgeville PA
Not known for quality food or even wings, RPM's serves a hidden gem: the Black and Gold wings. I support our sports teams (even the Pirates) as much as the next Pittsburger, but I support my tastebuds even more. So, take comfort in the fact that I in no way allowed the marketing genius to affect my love of these wings. The "black" aspect is a Cajun sasoning coating the wings, and the "gold" is a honey sauce drizzled over the wings. The Cajun isn't very spicy, and the sauce isn't very sweet. The combination is amazing. I don't usually like other honey wings (like honey mustard) but these don't fit into that category for me. The sauce is thick, like a glaze more than a sauce, and it is used sparingly. The wings take 20-25 minuites to prepare. Salty, midly spicy, and a little sweet...what more can you ask for? Note: RPM's is not for the faint of heart. It still permits smoking and is more a shot and a beer bar than it is a restaurant. I love the place, but I wouldn't take my grandma there. Actually, I would, because she has tatoos, extra ear-piercings, and tells joke that would make Dice Clay blush, but I wouldn't take most grandmas I know there. You get the point...
Pittsburgh Bottleshop Cafe - Bridgeville, PA
The wings at the Bottleshop are served with a choice of the usual sauces, and are not too aggressively spiced. I like my wings crispy, what most people would consider extra crispy. I don't have to ask for them "well done" here, as they are always served as such. Bonus: great beer selection in both draft and bottle. Wing night is Monday: 40 cent wings.
Wings, Suds, and Spuds - Moon Twp.
Wings here are best when requested well done. They are served with an abundance of sauce, but it is good sauce. You get to choose a sauce and order the amount of heat you want as well. I much appreciate that aspect, because I like things hotter than most. Another plus here are the fresh cut curly fries.
Zooky's Sports Tavern - New Brighton
I don't know for sure, but I think the wings served here are fresh wings. If not, they are the freshest tasting frozen wings I've had. Whatever the case, they are great. They can be ordered extra crispy, but be prerared to wait an additional 5 minutes to the usual 20 the wings take to be prepared. There are more sauces to choose from than most places I've been, including oddities like old bay and lemon parmesean. I opt for the more traditional, and usually end up liking the hot the best.
The Oak Grove Bar - Ellwood City
The Oak Grove is a small bar in Ellwood that serves wonderful whole wings. The wings are well done and unless you order a "dry" flavor, the wings are served with plenty of sauce. I have developed a love for the buffalo ranch flavor - dry ranch seasonings added to the buffalo sauce. Other favorites include the buffalo, dry Cajun, and garlic (think melted butter and sauteed, diced garlic).
Franklin Park Inn - Franklin Park
Otherwise known for mediocre, faux Mexican cuisine, the grilled wings at the Franklin Park Inn are worth the trip there. They take at least 20 minutes to prepare and are served chargrilled. There is no choice of sauce - they are prepared in a buffalo/tobasco sauce, and are ususaly very spicy. They aren't "saucy" wings, but they are packed with flavor. I think they are marinated prio to cooking and basted throughout the grilling process, but that is purely speculation on my part. (Read: I have tried to reproduce these several times, with the help of my grillmaster husband, and have failed. I would consider doing bad things for this recipe...)
RPMs Wings and Things Bridgeville PA
Not known for quality food or even wings, RPM's serves a hidden gem: the Black and Gold wings. I support our sports teams (even the Pirates) as much as the next Pittsburger, but I support my tastebuds even more. So, take comfort in the fact that I in no way allowed the marketing genius to affect my love of these wings. The "black" aspect is a Cajun sasoning coating the wings, and the "gold" is a honey sauce drizzled over the wings. The Cajun isn't very spicy, and the sauce isn't very sweet. The combination is amazing. I don't usually like other honey wings (like honey mustard) but these don't fit into that category for me. The sauce is thick, like a glaze more than a sauce, and it is used sparingly. The wings take 20-25 minuites to prepare. Salty, midly spicy, and a little sweet...what more can you ask for? Note: RPM's is not for the faint of heart. It still permits smoking and is more a shot and a beer bar than it is a restaurant. I love the place, but I wouldn't take my grandma there. Actually, I would, because she has tatoos, extra ear-piercings, and tells joke that would make Dice Clay blush, but I wouldn't take most grandmas I know there. You get the point...
Pittsburgh Bottleshop Cafe - Bridgeville, PA
The wings at the Bottleshop are served with a choice of the usual sauces, and are not too aggressively spiced. I like my wings crispy, what most people would consider extra crispy. I don't have to ask for them "well done" here, as they are always served as such. Bonus: great beer selection in both draft and bottle. Wing night is Monday: 40 cent wings.
Wings, Suds, and Spuds - Moon Twp.
Wings here are best when requested well done. They are served with an abundance of sauce, but it is good sauce. You get to choose a sauce and order the amount of heat you want as well. I much appreciate that aspect, because I like things hotter than most. Another plus here are the fresh cut curly fries.
Zooky's Sports Tavern - New Brighton
I don't know for sure, but I think the wings served here are fresh wings. If not, they are the freshest tasting frozen wings I've had. Whatever the case, they are great. They can be ordered extra crispy, but be prerared to wait an additional 5 minutes to the usual 20 the wings take to be prepared. There are more sauces to choose from than most places I've been, including oddities like old bay and lemon parmesean. I opt for the more traditional, and usually end up liking the hot the best.
The Oak Grove Bar - Ellwood City
The Oak Grove is a small bar in Ellwood that serves wonderful whole wings. The wings are well done and unless you order a "dry" flavor, the wings are served with plenty of sauce. I have developed a love for the buffalo ranch flavor - dry ranch seasonings added to the buffalo sauce. Other favorites include the buffalo, dry Cajun, and garlic (think melted butter and sauteed, diced garlic).
Sunday, December 27, 2009
It's Not How Many Karats, But How Many Cookies
Well, maybe it's both. But, I thought this article was interesting nonetheless. It was printed in the New York Times on December 15, 2009, and written by Ron Lieber. I can't figure out how to post a link, so the entire article is below:
The Wedding? I'm Here For The Cookies
LIKE brides and bridegrooms the world over, the ones in this city and nearby towns bask in the glory of the white dress, the big kiss and the first dance.
But then, a large number of them happily cede the spotlight to a cookie. Or a few thousand of them.
For as long as anyone here can remember, wedding receptions in Pittsburgh have featured cookie tables, laden with dozens of homemade old-fashioned offerings like lady locks, pizzelles and buckeyes. For weeks ahead — sometimes months — mothers and aunts and grandmas and in-laws hunker down in the kitchen baking and freezing. Then, on the big day, hungry guests ravage the buffet, piling plates high and packing more in takeout containers so they can have them for breakfast the next day.
No one knows for sure who started the tradition, or why it hasn’t exactly taken hold outside this region. Many people credit Italian and Eastern European immigrants who wanted to bring a bit of the Old Country to the big day in the New World. Given that many of them were already well practiced at laying out a Christmas spread, baking 8 to 10 times as many treats for a few hundred special friends and relatives may not have seemed like such a stretch.
But even amid the increasing professionalization of the wedding, with florists mimicking slick arrangements ripped from Martha Stewart’s magazines and wedding planners scheduling each event down to the minute, the descendants of those Pittsburgh settlers continue to haul their homemade cookies into the fanciest hotels and wedding venues around the city. For many families today, it would be bordering on sacrilege to do without the table.
So on a rainy Saturday in early autumn, Laura Gerrero, her mother, her mother-in-law and two aunts gathered to bake in preparation for Ms. Gerrero’s wedding to Luke Wiehagen. Her mother, Pat, used to make apple and cherry pies for local stores, and her aunt Elaine Ford had recently overseen the creation of over 6,000 cookies for the 180 guests at her own daughter’s wedding.
And presiding over the initial steering-committee meeting was Laura herself, a 26-year-old retail manager. The bride (and the bridegroom, if he’s interested) can veto recipe selections. Ms. Gerrero is not a huge fan of liquor or certain fruits in her sweets, so the peach cookies and rum balls fell off the list.
Some family recipes were a must, however, like peanut butter blossoms, Italian wedding cookies and biscotti. They use a biscotti recipe that Laura’s great aunt, Genevieve Raczkowski, had painstakingly recorded decades ago in her own mother’s kitchen. “She got her board that she used to make spaghetti and noodles, and she would say ‘This much flour,’ ” said Ms. Raczkowski, 74, recalling the unmeasured mountains of ingredients that would grow on the work surface. “I had to pour the flour back into cups. Twenty-four cups of flour. Eighteen eggs. So then I had to cut the recipes.”
Pizzelles, a waffle-like Italian cookie, are also essentially mandatory. The Gerrero wedding was to feature both chocolate and anise pizzelles, made two at a time on an electric press manufactured specifically for this confection.
The work spread over every inch of Pat Gerrero’s kitchen and dining room, as the women filled the lady locks — log-shaped shells — with cream, pressed out spritz butter cookies, and kept an eye on the pizzelle iron. They pored over the working list of cookies. The range of flavors was important, they explained, but so was appearance. They soon realized there were no squares, so lemon bars were added.
Even as the number of cookies grew, there was never any question about whether to skimp on more traditional wedding sweets. “We’re having wedding cake, served with ice cream,” said Pat Gerrero. “My family believes in a little bit of dinner and a lot of dessert. Which is actually an Irish thing. They love sweets.”
They’re clearly not alone in that, for the debate over which immigrant group deserves credit for coming up with the cookie table continues unabated. “I hear the Italians, the Eastern Europeans, but I wouldn’t say that to a Greek person, because I don’t think they would buy it,” said Laura Magone, a filmmaker from Pittsburgh who is working on a documentary about the tradition. “Part of the reason I wanted to do it was because it captures the rich ethnic heritage this area has.”
Pittsburgh doesn’t have an ironclad claim to the cookie table; there are some people in Youngstown, Ohio, who believe it started there. So the tale of the table may be more legend than documented history.
“One theory goes that it got a jump start during the Depression, when elaborate wedding cakes were not as common,” said Andrew Masich, the president and chief executive officer of the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. “Cookies filled in the need because so many people could contribute, so the expense didn’t fall on one family. But even that is not certain.”
Not every community adopted the tradition, either. Rabbis around town, for instance, note that they rarely see cookie tables. Assimilation, too, has taken its toll, with some families writing off the table as too ethnic or somehow common.
But that’s not how the Gerreros saw it. Pat, the mother of the bride, comes from one of the city’s well-known families, the Rooneys, who own a controlling stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. “Without a cookie table, there might have been a revolt,” she said.
So the family was left instead to debate the finer points of cookie table etiquette. For instance, just how encouraging should the hosts be of those who want to pack a few dozen for later?
A generation ago, grown-ups would discreetly slip a few cookies from a plate into a purse. The younger set didn’t bother to hide what they were doing. “When I was a kid, you’d get whatever paper napkins you could,” said Ms. Magone, the filmmaker. “Or if you could find a paper plate, that was gold.”
As guests became more shameless, bringing in their own Baggies, host families adapted. The Gerreros decided to supply Chinese-food takeout boxes.
Another key question involves whether the cookies should be on display when the party starts or saved for a big reveal. The problem with the former approach: it may encourage people to move shamelessly from the canapés straight to dessert. Children, in particular, have made a ritual of this.
The bride’s sister, Nina Gerrero, thinks hosts ought to be tolerant of the behavior. “Eating cookies before you’re really supposed to is one of the most fun parts of a wedding,” she said. “I don’t consider it a dessert, though. The cake is the dessert, and the cookies are out there all day. That’s how it is on the holidays, too.” At her sister’s wedding, alas, the cookies were not to appear until the dinner hour.
Finally, there is the bake-or-buy question. Some families cater the whole thing (and lie about it to the guests), while others will turn to professionals only for more labor-intensive cookies like pizzelles or lady locks.
“They give us the recipe, and we make it just like grandma did,” said Sandi Heil, owner of the Pittsburgh Cookie Company in Midway, Pa., who’s catered about 400 weddings while also helping customers with Christmas and other more-everyday needs. “So they can still have grandma’s cookies, and grandma doesn’t have to kill herself making a hundred dozen.”
Wedding regulars in Pittsburgh have an eye for such things and whisper to other guests about it. But there was no such talk when Laura Gerrero’s wedding weekend arrived. On Friday, the various friends and relatives who had been baking pulled their cookies from tins and freezers around town and brought them to LeMont, her wedding site. There, a staff member spends much of Friday coordinating cookie arrivals, set-up and storage.
On Saturday, Ms. Gerreros’s wedding planner, Simone Hudson, and her assistant spent about 90 minutes arranging the 2,000 or so cookies in various tiers. The florist came over to dress things up a bit. Then, they draped tablecloths over the 12-foot display to make sure no one nibbled or knocked anything over.
After dinner was served, the covers came off and word spread among the 166 guests that the moment had arrived. Everyone lined up, and many grazed with the approach of an epicurean anthropologist. “People always talk about the new kind of cookie that they’ve never seen before,” said Nina, the bride’s sister. “My aunts and that generation of women, they say `Did you see that peach cookie?’ And everyone is freaking out.”
“I look for color,” said Scott Gibbons, a Pittsburgh area native who now lives in Cincinnati but was back in the city for the Gerrero wedding. He piled his plate with at least half of the 26 offerings. “I look for unique colors that should not belong in a cookie. And if they’re soft. And chocolate and peanut butter. This is what makes or breaks the wedding. If it wasn’t here, I’d leave.”
Given that the die-hards come to eat and pack more for later, the host family always frets. “The biggest fear is that you’ll run out of cookies,” said Ms. Ford, Laura’s aunt.
Instead, at the Gerrero wedding there was a different problem. So many people wanted to take the leftovers home that the family ran out of boxes.
The Wedding? I'm Here For The Cookies
LIKE brides and bridegrooms the world over, the ones in this city and nearby towns bask in the glory of the white dress, the big kiss and the first dance.
But then, a large number of them happily cede the spotlight to a cookie. Or a few thousand of them.
For as long as anyone here can remember, wedding receptions in Pittsburgh have featured cookie tables, laden with dozens of homemade old-fashioned offerings like lady locks, pizzelles and buckeyes. For weeks ahead — sometimes months — mothers and aunts and grandmas and in-laws hunker down in the kitchen baking and freezing. Then, on the big day, hungry guests ravage the buffet, piling plates high and packing more in takeout containers so they can have them for breakfast the next day.
No one knows for sure who started the tradition, or why it hasn’t exactly taken hold outside this region. Many people credit Italian and Eastern European immigrants who wanted to bring a bit of the Old Country to the big day in the New World. Given that many of them were already well practiced at laying out a Christmas spread, baking 8 to 10 times as many treats for a few hundred special friends and relatives may not have seemed like such a stretch.
But even amid the increasing professionalization of the wedding, with florists mimicking slick arrangements ripped from Martha Stewart’s magazines and wedding planners scheduling each event down to the minute, the descendants of those Pittsburgh settlers continue to haul their homemade cookies into the fanciest hotels and wedding venues around the city. For many families today, it would be bordering on sacrilege to do without the table.
So on a rainy Saturday in early autumn, Laura Gerrero, her mother, her mother-in-law and two aunts gathered to bake in preparation for Ms. Gerrero’s wedding to Luke Wiehagen. Her mother, Pat, used to make apple and cherry pies for local stores, and her aunt Elaine Ford had recently overseen the creation of over 6,000 cookies for the 180 guests at her own daughter’s wedding.
And presiding over the initial steering-committee meeting was Laura herself, a 26-year-old retail manager. The bride (and the bridegroom, if he’s interested) can veto recipe selections. Ms. Gerrero is not a huge fan of liquor or certain fruits in her sweets, so the peach cookies and rum balls fell off the list.
Some family recipes were a must, however, like peanut butter blossoms, Italian wedding cookies and biscotti. They use a biscotti recipe that Laura’s great aunt, Genevieve Raczkowski, had painstakingly recorded decades ago in her own mother’s kitchen. “She got her board that she used to make spaghetti and noodles, and she would say ‘This much flour,’ ” said Ms. Raczkowski, 74, recalling the unmeasured mountains of ingredients that would grow on the work surface. “I had to pour the flour back into cups. Twenty-four cups of flour. Eighteen eggs. So then I had to cut the recipes.”
Pizzelles, a waffle-like Italian cookie, are also essentially mandatory. The Gerrero wedding was to feature both chocolate and anise pizzelles, made two at a time on an electric press manufactured specifically for this confection.
The work spread over every inch of Pat Gerrero’s kitchen and dining room, as the women filled the lady locks — log-shaped shells — with cream, pressed out spritz butter cookies, and kept an eye on the pizzelle iron. They pored over the working list of cookies. The range of flavors was important, they explained, but so was appearance. They soon realized there were no squares, so lemon bars were added.
Even as the number of cookies grew, there was never any question about whether to skimp on more traditional wedding sweets. “We’re having wedding cake, served with ice cream,” said Pat Gerrero. “My family believes in a little bit of dinner and a lot of dessert. Which is actually an Irish thing. They love sweets.”
They’re clearly not alone in that, for the debate over which immigrant group deserves credit for coming up with the cookie table continues unabated. “I hear the Italians, the Eastern Europeans, but I wouldn’t say that to a Greek person, because I don’t think they would buy it,” said Laura Magone, a filmmaker from Pittsburgh who is working on a documentary about the tradition. “Part of the reason I wanted to do it was because it captures the rich ethnic heritage this area has.”
Pittsburgh doesn’t have an ironclad claim to the cookie table; there are some people in Youngstown, Ohio, who believe it started there. So the tale of the table may be more legend than documented history.
“One theory goes that it got a jump start during the Depression, when elaborate wedding cakes were not as common,” said Andrew Masich, the president and chief executive officer of the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. “Cookies filled in the need because so many people could contribute, so the expense didn’t fall on one family. But even that is not certain.”
Not every community adopted the tradition, either. Rabbis around town, for instance, note that they rarely see cookie tables. Assimilation, too, has taken its toll, with some families writing off the table as too ethnic or somehow common.
But that’s not how the Gerreros saw it. Pat, the mother of the bride, comes from one of the city’s well-known families, the Rooneys, who own a controlling stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. “Without a cookie table, there might have been a revolt,” she said.
So the family was left instead to debate the finer points of cookie table etiquette. For instance, just how encouraging should the hosts be of those who want to pack a few dozen for later?
A generation ago, grown-ups would discreetly slip a few cookies from a plate into a purse. The younger set didn’t bother to hide what they were doing. “When I was a kid, you’d get whatever paper napkins you could,” said Ms. Magone, the filmmaker. “Or if you could find a paper plate, that was gold.”
As guests became more shameless, bringing in their own Baggies, host families adapted. The Gerreros decided to supply Chinese-food takeout boxes.
Another key question involves whether the cookies should be on display when the party starts or saved for a big reveal. The problem with the former approach: it may encourage people to move shamelessly from the canapés straight to dessert. Children, in particular, have made a ritual of this.
The bride’s sister, Nina Gerrero, thinks hosts ought to be tolerant of the behavior. “Eating cookies before you’re really supposed to is one of the most fun parts of a wedding,” she said. “I don’t consider it a dessert, though. The cake is the dessert, and the cookies are out there all day. That’s how it is on the holidays, too.” At her sister’s wedding, alas, the cookies were not to appear until the dinner hour.
Finally, there is the bake-or-buy question. Some families cater the whole thing (and lie about it to the guests), while others will turn to professionals only for more labor-intensive cookies like pizzelles or lady locks.
“They give us the recipe, and we make it just like grandma did,” said Sandi Heil, owner of the Pittsburgh Cookie Company in Midway, Pa., who’s catered about 400 weddings while also helping customers with Christmas and other more-everyday needs. “So they can still have grandma’s cookies, and grandma doesn’t have to kill herself making a hundred dozen.”
Wedding regulars in Pittsburgh have an eye for such things and whisper to other guests about it. But there was no such talk when Laura Gerrero’s wedding weekend arrived. On Friday, the various friends and relatives who had been baking pulled their cookies from tins and freezers around town and brought them to LeMont, her wedding site. There, a staff member spends much of Friday coordinating cookie arrivals, set-up and storage.
On Saturday, Ms. Gerreros’s wedding planner, Simone Hudson, and her assistant spent about 90 minutes arranging the 2,000 or so cookies in various tiers. The florist came over to dress things up a bit. Then, they draped tablecloths over the 12-foot display to make sure no one nibbled or knocked anything over.
After dinner was served, the covers came off and word spread among the 166 guests that the moment had arrived. Everyone lined up, and many grazed with the approach of an epicurean anthropologist. “People always talk about the new kind of cookie that they’ve never seen before,” said Nina, the bride’s sister. “My aunts and that generation of women, they say `Did you see that peach cookie?’ And everyone is freaking out.”
“I look for color,” said Scott Gibbons, a Pittsburgh area native who now lives in Cincinnati but was back in the city for the Gerrero wedding. He piled his plate with at least half of the 26 offerings. “I look for unique colors that should not belong in a cookie. And if they’re soft. And chocolate and peanut butter. This is what makes or breaks the wedding. If it wasn’t here, I’d leave.”
Given that the die-hards come to eat and pack more for later, the host family always frets. “The biggest fear is that you’ll run out of cookies,” said Ms. Ford, Laura’s aunt.
Instead, at the Gerrero wedding there was a different problem. So many people wanted to take the leftovers home that the family ran out of boxes.
Ravioli Lessons Learned
As with most others, part of my family's Christmas traditions center around the food we eat to celebrate the holiday. With that being the measuring stick, I went on a ravioli bender unparalleled in previous years. I made raviolis three different times the week before Christmas - once with a friend, so that we could have some to give for Christmas gifts, once with my extended family, so that we could have them to eat for Christmas dinner, and once with my husband's extended family, so that they could have them to eat for Christmas Eve dinner. I paid closer attention to the process this year with the intent of this post in mind. Here are some lessons I learned:
1. The quality of the ingredients does matter. At a basic level,I knew this was the case. But, I had the opportunity to taste the difference within a few days of using the different quality ingredients, and to reflect on that difference immediately after tasting it. For example, on one occasion, homemade breadcrumbs were used in the filling, and I could feel and taste the difference. The filling was firmer with the homemade breadcrumb, and the taste difference was more a lack of taste. I could taste the bread in the other (non-homemade) fillings, and that is not what it is meant for. The cheese and other ingredients should shine. The crumbs are meant for texture, not taste. Another example came when my friend managed to get us some homemade ricotta (from some guy in Altoona, PA) and I decided that, done properly, the plain cheese filling, as opposed to the veal and spinach or the sausage and cheese we also traditionally make, are my favorite.
2. Neither of my grandma's are totally right about the dough recipe. (If you know my grandmas, please do not tell them I said this, and please do not print this and show it to them, as I plan to lie through my teeth if ever questioned about it.) My mom's mom uses two eggs to every one cup of flour, and my dad's mom uses one egg to every one cup of flour. The former is too wet to hold up to the filling, and the latter too dry. I basically split the difference, erring a little more on the dry side.
3. Low boil = less broken raviolis.
4. Raisin raviolis are wonderful. I don't particularly care for raisins, usually opting to leave them out of recipes or substitute. But, my neighbor, whom I trust when it comes to food issues, insisted that I try a filling with ricotta and raisins. That was basically the only instruction he gave me, and my friend and I ran with it. We added some Parmesan, eggs, a bit of sugar (less than 1/4 c for 3 lbs ricotta), and some nutmeg. We even ate them with tomato sauce, as instructed. They were fabulous! The raisins were a pleasant surprise in an otherwise mundane ravioli. And, the sugar and nutmeg didn't bother me when paired with the sauce. Who knew?
5. Eat them fresh! They are quite good when boiled from frozen, but they are unparalleled with taken from the ravioli form to the water.
Here is my basic recipe (revised...sorry Grandmas)
dough:
1.25 eggs to every 1 cup flour
dash salt
olive oil, if needed to moisten
basic cheese filling:
ricotta
grated Parm/Romano
breadcrumb
egg yolks
parsley
fresh ground pepper
Base the amounts on the lbs of ricotta you start with, using the following ratios:
lbs ricotta to grated cheese 2:1
lbs ricotta to breadcrumb 2:1
lbs ricotta to egg yolk 1:1
parsley and pepper to taste
We have tried lots of other filling combinations, with honorable mentions going to seafood and sun dried tomato. But, we always make a ground veal and spinach filling (those ingredients mixed with enough of the above ricotta filling to bind) and a ground sausage filling (same method as the veal and spinach) as they have proven to be crowd pleasers time and time again.
I need to recover from this over-1,000-made ravioli bender. While I avoid the process, I wish you happy ravioli-ing
1. The quality of the ingredients does matter. At a basic level,I knew this was the case. But, I had the opportunity to taste the difference within a few days of using the different quality ingredients, and to reflect on that difference immediately after tasting it. For example, on one occasion, homemade breadcrumbs were used in the filling, and I could feel and taste the difference. The filling was firmer with the homemade breadcrumb, and the taste difference was more a lack of taste. I could taste the bread in the other (non-homemade) fillings, and that is not what it is meant for. The cheese and other ingredients should shine. The crumbs are meant for texture, not taste. Another example came when my friend managed to get us some homemade ricotta (from some guy in Altoona, PA) and I decided that, done properly, the plain cheese filling, as opposed to the veal and spinach or the sausage and cheese we also traditionally make, are my favorite.
2. Neither of my grandma's are totally right about the dough recipe. (If you know my grandmas, please do not tell them I said this, and please do not print this and show it to them, as I plan to lie through my teeth if ever questioned about it.) My mom's mom uses two eggs to every one cup of flour, and my dad's mom uses one egg to every one cup of flour. The former is too wet to hold up to the filling, and the latter too dry. I basically split the difference, erring a little more on the dry side.
3. Low boil = less broken raviolis.
4. Raisin raviolis are wonderful. I don't particularly care for raisins, usually opting to leave them out of recipes or substitute. But, my neighbor, whom I trust when it comes to food issues, insisted that I try a filling with ricotta and raisins. That was basically the only instruction he gave me, and my friend and I ran with it. We added some Parmesan, eggs, a bit of sugar (less than 1/4 c for 3 lbs ricotta), and some nutmeg. We even ate them with tomato sauce, as instructed. They were fabulous! The raisins were a pleasant surprise in an otherwise mundane ravioli. And, the sugar and nutmeg didn't bother me when paired with the sauce. Who knew?
5. Eat them fresh! They are quite good when boiled from frozen, but they are unparalleled with taken from the ravioli form to the water.
Here is my basic recipe (revised...sorry Grandmas)
dough:
1.25 eggs to every 1 cup flour
dash salt
olive oil, if needed to moisten
basic cheese filling:
ricotta
grated Parm/Romano
breadcrumb
egg yolks
parsley
fresh ground pepper
Base the amounts on the lbs of ricotta you start with, using the following ratios:
lbs ricotta to grated cheese 2:1
lbs ricotta to breadcrumb 2:1
lbs ricotta to egg yolk 1:1
parsley and pepper to taste
We have tried lots of other filling combinations, with honorable mentions going to seafood and sun dried tomato. But, we always make a ground veal and spinach filling (those ingredients mixed with enough of the above ricotta filling to bind) and a ground sausage filling (same method as the veal and spinach) as they have proven to be crowd pleasers time and time again.
I need to recover from this over-1,000-made ravioli bender. While I avoid the process, I wish you happy ravioli-ing
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