Our passion for good cheese

Denise Appel — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:37:45 +0000

Here is an anecdote—our friend recently visited her friends and family in Italy. While ready to devour the delicious piece of parmesan across the table from her she asked “May I have the cheese, please?” Little did she know the debate this would incite around the table. “Cheese!” They proclaimed, “That is not cheese! That is parmigiano!”

The moral of this story is that as Americans, we tend to think of cheese as little more than something we grate over our pasta and melt on our pizza. The Italians on the other hand are passionate about their cheese choice—they do not pick any old cheese for their meals, they deliberately select, in this case, a beautiful hunk of artisan parmesan.

As self-proclaimed cheese creatives, we are always searching for great, cheesey artisans to feature in our restaurants and recipes [a personal favorite is the Beemster Aged Gouda from Holland]. While Mr. Cook in this aptly titled article, “The Reigning Whiz of Artisanal Cheese” is a bit out of the way in Wisconsin, we enjoyed reading about his passion for the cheese and very unique creative process—who could have guessed a swiss cheese and Hershey Bar sandwich could lead to so much deliciousness. It’s such great insight to how a cheese craftsmen gets his ideas. Hopefully you will never again think of cheese, as just cheese.

We hope you can appreciate our passion for good cheese, and and next time you stop in, try something a little different-like our Purple Haze, a goat milk cheese that is mixed with lavender and wild fennel pollen and let us know what your favorite is!

It’s a foodies favorite time of year-Restaurant Week!

Denise Appel — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:47:23 +0000

Calling all foodies, it’s that time of the year again—New Haven Restaurant Week! Join us from Sunday, November 6th- Friday, November 11th and sample some of our delicious dishes created just for the occasion. Lunch is only $16.38 (the year New Haven was founded) and the three-course dinner is just $29.00! Book early, because we will fill up fast this week!

As a member of the New Haven dining community for the past 12 years, we have been dedicated to supporting our local farming community. This year we are also proud to support another great cause, the Connecticut Food Bank. New Haven Restaurant Week has partnered with Citizens Bank to raise money for the Connecticut Food Bank by asking diners to donate $1 to the cause. It’s a great way to fill your stomach and fill your heart.

See you there fellow food lovers!

This week’s menu:

Lunch

ZINC PLATES

Cheese Tortelloni/ Smoked Fall Tomato Sauce / Green Olives + Mint/ Piave Cheese

Grilled Local Chicken Apple Sausage/ Sweet + Sour Chile Mostarda/ Yukon Gold Mashed Potato/ Crème Fraiche

Pan Seared Shrimp/ Preserved Lemon + Thyme Jam/ Local Late Fall Succotash with Giant
Peruvian Lima Beans

DESSERTS

Crème Caramel/ Fennel Pollen Sorbet Coupe

Nutella + Chocolate Cup/ Crème Fraiche + Peanut Brittle

CHEESE

(9.00 Supplement)

Grafton Cheddar + Great Hill Blue Cheese with Local Honey + Toasted Raisin Walnut Bread

Dinner

SMALL PLATES

Roasted Local Fall Squash Soup/ Porcini Mushrooms

MAIN PLATES

Creamy White Polenta/ Roasted Tomato Ragu/ Liuzzi Ricotta Cheese

Pei Mussels/ Herbed Jus + Yukon Gold Potatoes

Perline Mozzarella/ Radicchio + Pepita Pesto/ Hot Cherry Pepper-Green Beans

Roasted Pork Loin/ Horseradish Gremolata/ Apple Cider Butter Sauce/ Cannellini Beans + Shaved Brussels Sprouts

Cheese Tortelloni/ Smoked Fall Tomato Sauce / Green Olives + Mint/ Piave Cheese

Grilled Local Chicken Apple Sausage/ Sweet + Sour Chile Mostarda/ Yukon Mashed Potato/ Crème Fraiche

Pan Seared Scottish Salmon/ Preserved Lemon + Thyme Jam/ Local Late Fall Succotash with Giant
Peruvian Lima Beans

DESSERTS

Slow Poached Seckle Pear/ Smoked Maple Syrup + Vanilla Gelato

Crème Caramel/ Fennel Pollen

White + Black Cannolis/
Lemon Ricotta + Cocoa -Ricotta Filling

Nutella + Chocolate Cup/ Crème Fraiche + Peanut Brittle

CHEESE

(9.00 Supplement)

Grafton Cheddar + Great Hill Blue Cheese with Local Honey + Toasted Raisin Walnut Bread

Final Market Menu Recipe of the Season

Denise Appel — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:06:50 +0000

It is officially the last market menu of the season. Our Sweet Autumn Bread is the perfect last recipe to post because its perfect for the upcoming holiday season.

We have armed you with all of our best recipes to keep you nice and busy until next season, we even posted everyone’s favorite duck nachos. We are also working on other ways to share our recipes with you, even some kid friendly ones!

Market Menu Recipe

Denise Appel — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:11:19 +0000

So we just heard about these delicious sounding parties called cookie swaps! Well, we want to help you be the most popular baker at your own cookie swap this year! If you didn’t get a chance to try this weeks oatmeal cookies thats okay, because we posted the recipe just in time to practice for the holiday season. These sweet treats are beloved by our adult and child patron’s alike, so try them out at home with the family and warm up with these homemade cookies this month!

Market Menu Recipe

Denise Appel — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:59:13 +0000

Ginger is one of our favorite ingredients to use when cooking and this week it was Carrot Ginger Soup, so good. Besides from being just a tasty ingredient, ginger has numerous health benefits including relieving achy muscles and settling a nervous stomach!

Market Menu Recipe

Denise Appel — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:27:57 +0000

Pho broth may sound unusual, but it was one of our most popular dishes on the market menu this week. Pho broth is a typical Vietnamese soup traditionally served with beef and chicken. We put the basic Pho broth recipe on the blog to help you get started. We have a whole arsenal of soups prepared to keep you warm this winter wether you are dining with us or dining in your home.

Market Menu Recipe—Celeriac + Caramelized Onion Soup

Denise Appel — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:26:03 +0000

It’s getting a bit chilly in New Haven! While we will miss the sunshine and warm weather, we are ready to start trying out some of our favorite fall soup recipes, like the Celeriac + Caramelized Onion Soup from this weeks market menu. Soups (when they aren’t coming straight from the can) are great for all seasons, all ingredients and very healthy. The NY Times actually has an entire section devoted to soups! Have fun and enjoy!

Market Menu Recipe

Denise Appel — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:11:00 +0000

Fall not only brings cooler weather and changing leaves, it brings apples! As we move out of peach season and into apple season, we wanted to jump right in with a delicious Juniper Apple Crisp as part of our special market menu in honor of CT Farm-to-Chef Week.

We also recently received a fantastic review in The Examiner and thought we would share their clever guide for choosing the right apple for the job!

Market Menu Recipe

Denise Appel — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:29:03 +0000

This week was all about the pickled beets! Canning, pickling and preserving are the perfect food centric activities for this time of the year. In fact, the NY Times has an entire section of their website devoted to it!

This week the first course at ZINC is comprised of a pickled red beet salad, dilled cucumbers and creme fraiche! Delicious!

Market Menu Recipe

Denise Appel — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:24:39 +0000

If there was ever a time to save room for desert, it’s tonight! We stayed true to our local roots by using pluots and honey to change up the mouthwatering, but traditional ricotta cheese cannoli on this weeks market menu.

What is a pluott, you ask? Simply, it is a mix between a plum and an apricot, get it? But, the most important thing you should know, is that they’re delicious! There are many unusual fruits available during the final summer months including pluots and apriums!