Chicken Tortellini Soup
A comforting bowl of soup you can get on the table in under 30 minutes Isn’t it time for you to take a break? If you’re like millions of us, you never cooked so many meals in your life. And it’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner.…
A comforting bowl of soup you can get on the table in under 30 minutes Isn’t it time for you to take a break? If you’re like millions of us, you never cooked so many meals in your life. And it’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner.…
A Vegetarian Pasta kicks off Asparagus Season with a twist. The first asparagus of the season is something we can’t wait for. Asparagus has become a virtually year-round staple, imported off-season from South America. But nothing compares to the home-grown variety. We love asparagus so…
The lamb chops at Costco represent great savings compared to almost anywhere else. These lovely trimmed chops are irresistible at Costco prices. But darned if I could cook them correctly. I tried all kinds of methods. Stovetop or oven-roasted, mine were inevitably inconsistently cooked. They…
If dreams had wings, we would all be on this paradisical island in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Connoisseur Magazine has just published my article about this phenomenal private resort island in the Maldives. We can dream, can’t we? Actually, we can…
From a treasure trove of recipes, Food and Wine chose this as one of its best. In 2018, Food and Wine Magazine named this recipe one of its 40 best of all time in its 40-year history. When I saw it, I was immediately drawn…
Open up your Asian pantry and make great meatballs in 20 minutes flat. When I saw this recipe in the New York Times, I had misfired with meatballs all too recently. I’ll spare the ugly details, but that recipe used un-cooked rice in a meatball…
Introducing the first Viking River Cruise ship to sail the Mississippi, Viking Mississippi. My latest article takes Armchair Cruisers on the grandest ship to ever sail America’s Mississippi River. Here’s a link to the article I just wrote for Connoisseur Magazine. And after that, in…
This cooking method is totally unorthodox. But the results were the best steak we’ve had in ages. We love a great steak. One that has a deeply browned crust on the outside and a true rosy medium-rare inside. We like New York Strip best for…
Banana Bread recipe searches surge. I wasn’t entirely surprised to read that on-line searches for banana bread recipes had risen as stay home continues to be the mantra of sensible people everywhere. From Great Britain, where Reuters reported “Great British lockdown: bread-making frenzy sweeps the…
In a world turned upside down, Food Hero Joe Ariel is coming to the rescue of both First Responders, Healthcare Workers and the Restaurants who need our business to survive. After graduating from college in Nashville, Joe Ariel’s move to New York City was accompanied…
A transformative dish that takes me to a much happier place. I think it will do the same for you. These days dinner means more than mere sustenance. While we all ‘shelter in place’, it’s a mighty punctuation point to our day. Dinner is a…
This will make this year’s Easter Dinner end on one delicious note. Now we realize that this a very last minute post and it’s completely out of our normal publishing cycle. But Andrew is making this today and we’ll be sharing it under strict social…
There’s no bad time for these little bits of heaven that use just 6 ingredients and take under 15 minutes to bake Truth be told, in good times and bad, it’s always time for a financier. The little French almond cakes, leavened with egg whites,…
It may not be the best time in our lives…but it’s still a great time to bake. We’ve noticed there’s more baking going on than usual. And why not? We not only have the time while we self-quarantine, we also have the need to lift…
PRODUCT NEWS YOU CAN USE

Did you know that New York State is the second largest apple producer in the whole country? Only Washington State tops us. Trust a resourceful friend of ours, Wendy Brovetto, native New Yorker and grandchild of an Upstate New York Farm family, to create truly incredible Rustic Apple Jams in 4 extraordinary flavors. When she did, Croton Trading Co. was born.

Wendy explains ”We created our apple jam after one of those overzealous days of apple picking yielded a larger-than-usual haul. With more apples than any family could consume, the experimenting began and gave way to what we think is the perfect blend of apples and cinnamon.”
“We source our apples from local NY Orchards -- Thompson's Orchard in Westchester Co andl Richters Orchard on Long Island. I have a special fondness for these family-owned farms. Richters Orchard was a big part of my childhood, as my sisters and I would go on weekly outings with my dad to stock up on apples and cider"

"We carefully blend different apples to create our flavor profile and find inspiration from seasonal spices to create our Apple Jam”. Wendy proudly states.

Now Croton Trading Company is up to 4 flavors: Fall Harvest Blend, Ginger Pear Fusion, Chai, and Brown Sugar. You can see the whole range here:

Needless to say, we couldn’t wait to put Croton Trading Company’s Apple Jam to work making our Skillet Apple Pork Chops. This one-pot recipe is perfect for weeknights but so good you may want to serve to company. The chops finish cooking in Croton Trading’s Apple Jam and we always serve it on the side to give even more great apple taste to the dish. Here’s the recipe:
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 (6-oz.) bone-in pork chops
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
½ cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
1 cup Croton Trading Rustic Apple Jam (we used Ginger Pear)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 small red onion, thinly vertically sliced
Chopped Parsley for garnish.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle pork chops evenly with 3/8 teaspoon salt and 3/8 teaspoon pepper. Add pork chops to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until pork chops beautifully browned. Remove from pan. Set aside pan and drippings.
In a small bowl, combine stock and Croton Trading Apple Jam, stirring with a whisk. Set aside. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan with drippings, swirl. Add remaining 3/8 teaspoon salt, remaining 3/8 teaspoon pepper, sage, rosemary, and onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in stock mixture. Return pork chops to pan; cook 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Plate each chop individually. Top with chopped parsley as a garnish. Serve with plenty of Croton Trading Apple Jam on the side.
CULINARY CRUISING: RIVERSIDE RAVEL IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE