There’s No Place Like Home

There are many fun places to go out to breakfast in Avalon but in my opinion, the best breakfast around is the one we cook at the house. There’s nothing like cutting up fresh local Jersey melon, peaches, and plums, adding a some fresh blueberries and raspberries to serve with French Toast made with cinnamon bread from Isabel’s, our favorite bakery/coffee shop.

Add some Taylor pork roll or my buddy Barbecue Bob’s homemade maple bacon, my wife’s incredible home fries and a New Jersey fresh sea breeze coming through the window and you have the perfect start to a day on the beach playing in the surf until lunchtime arrives.

Dining Out For Breakfast in Avalon

Over the years I’ve been to most of the breakfast restaurants down here in Avalon, but there are a few I go back to every year. While most of them have good eggs and pancakes, young locals working as waiters and waitresses, ok service and above fair market value prices, there are a few that go out of their way to make you feel particularly invited.

Our favorite breakfast spot of all is the Fishin’ Pier Grill at the start of the Avalon boardwalk next to the Beach Patrol shack (32nd & Boardwalk). Every year we enjoy at least one breakfast at the grill and every year Sue, owner and greeter, remembers who we are and chats it up with my daughters. With the thousands of visitors that must visit every year, it’s nice when the owners remember who you are.

The interior of the Fishin’ Pier Grill is one room plus a counter for 6 or 7 patrons. The tables are packed in but it doesn’t matter if your neighbors are close, the atmosphere has a “throwback in time beach feel” making breakfast or lunch taste all the better.

The food, prepared by Sue’s husband Rick, is delicious and the portions plentiful. You know what you are getting because the kitchen is open behind the counter and you can watch Rick flip pancakes and prepare his specialty gigantic omelets. The staff is young (Sue and Rick’s kids help out each year), professional, and very helpful.

Get there early, especially on weekends because by 9:00 am there is a crowd but waiting outside on the boardwalk watching morning strollers walk by is no big deal. There are lots of great breakfast places in Avalon but the Fishin’ Pier Grill is the one we always come back to.

Sitting here on the beach in Avalon, NJ, one of the most beautiful places to vacation reading Mark Schatzker’s new book Steak - One Man’s Search For the World’s Tastiest Piece of Beef, one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read on the subject of beef.

No, it’s not a typical read for the beach. I enjoy a fast paced detective novel that I can scan through in a couple of days. This is a combination travelogue, history, biological culinary guide into the world of meat, where it comes from, what’s in it and why we should look for the real thing.

I’ll be writing more about Mark’s book when I finish but for now, I highly encourage you to read my interview with Mark if you are a foodie or someone who loves a good steak and wants to learn the truth about today’s beef industry and then go out and buy Steak. So far I have learned about beef from Texas, France, Scotland, Italy and am now learning about the famous Kobe beef in Japan.

Terroir - Eating Geographically

What I wanted to talk about in this blog is the French term “terroir” Mark describes in the Italy chapter. He writes,

“Describing what terroir means is not easy. An advertisement for a wine I once found in a magazine does a good job: The location, soil and climate of a given vineyard site directly affect the flavor and characteristics of the wine produced from that vineyard.”

He then goes on to compare this concept to food. He says,

“If you spend enough time eating in Italy, it begins to feel less like a country than like a collection of Italian-speaking tribes who happen to live on the same peninsula and eat similar food, though they themselves believe their foods are distinctly different. They cling to local food not to reduce carbon emissions or in the name of maximum freshness, but out of pride: Italians are the world’s proudest regionalists. Culinarily speaking, they cling to their dialects.”

And in the Japan chapter I’m currently reading, Mark writes about “brands” of beef when describing the difference between Iwate beef and Kobe beef. He says,

“Kobe beef comes from Kobe. Iwate beef comes from Iwate. As the Japanese see it, every part of their country has its own distinctive climate, geology, water, traditions, and so forth. Each region, therefore, produces its own equally distinctive foods, and they all compete with one another to produce the very best. Branding, you might say, is the Japanese version of terroir.”

New Jersey Terroir

As I’m reading this, I’m thinking about what I’ve been eating down here at the Jersey shore. I wait all year to enjoy the New Jersey beef steak tomatoes that are grown close by and purchased at a Clinton Conover Farm Stand on Route 9. It’s the same with the local sweet corn. It’s the best corn all summer - “in my opinion.”

Sure there is some local Jersey pride happening here but I just asked my friend from Utah about our tomatoes and she says they are the best she’s ever tasted. The peaches here are also outstanding. They seem sweeter than the local peaches we get from our farmer’s co-op out of Lancaster which are really good but not quite as sweet.

So I understand this term “terroir” from a Jersey state of mind and will start paying attention to it in the future when buying local harvests back in Philadelphia. I don’t think the United States will ever become as territorial as Mark describes Italy and Japan but I’m hoping I can get more involved with the local farmers’ markets and the wonderful source of goods produced by the Amish in the Lancaster area.

I have  enjoyed a small sampling of dairy and meat products offered to me by my friend Bruce Gill who makes a weekly journey to pick up supplies for the Harriton House in Bryn Mawr. I know there are local suppliers of chicken and pork but have not made the effort to seek them out. So I thank Mark for introducing me to this term “terroir” and encourage you to find your own versions in your own backyards.

I’ve been recently working on my Mexican culinary skills with my friend Paula.  I hope to share with you some authentic Mexican treats in future posts so I was very happy to see these classic Mexican recipes from contributing writer Chef Mark Vogel.

Another Mexican Feast

I love all kinds of ethnic cooking.  But when I want a really hearty meal I find myself returning to Latin fare more than any other cuisine.  And that’s why this is yet another Mexican feast!  It begins with chicken burritos made with a creamy sauce from poblano peppers and spinach.  It’s served with spicy refried beans and the coup de grâce, a pitcher of margaritas.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

Chicken Burritos with Creamy Poblano-Spinach Sauce

For the poblano-spinach sauce:

3 poblano chiles, divided, (two for the sauce and one for the chicken burritos)
1 jalapeno chile
1 large handful baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

For the burritos:

2 large, boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil, as needed
1 poblano chile from the sauce recipe above
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
6 flour tortillas (or substitute corn tortillas and make enchiladas instead)
Grated cheese such as Monterey Jack, or a supermarket “Mexican cheese blend,” as needed

Fully pre-heat your broiler.  Slice the stems off the three poblanos and one jalapeno and then cut the peppers in half vertically.  Remove the seeds.  Place the poblanos and jalapenos, skin side up on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Broil until the skins have blackened.  Remove from the broiler to cool.  Turn off the broiler and heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the spinach into a blender.  When the peppers have cooled, remove the skins.  Place two of the poblanos and the jalapeno into the blender.  Cut the remaining poblano pepper into thin strips and reserve.

Heat the butter in a saucepan.  Add the onion and on low to medium heat cook the onion until soft.  Do not brown the onion.  Add the garlic when the onion is almost done.  Add the flour and cook an additional minute or two.  Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken broth and continue to cook and whisk until the sauce thickens, about five minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the mixture into the blender with the spinach and chiles.  Allow it to cool somewhat and then blend it.  Reserve the sauce in the blender.

Butterfly the two chicken breasts by cutting them down the center parallel to the cutting board.  Season both sides of the breasts with salt and pepper.  Heat some vegetable oil in a large skillet until it starts to smoke.  Sear the first side of the chicken until fully browned, flip and sear the other side.

Remove the breasts and cut into thin strips.  Don’t worry if they’re not cooked through to the center as they will be added back to the pan to cook more.  Reheat the pan, adding more oil if necessary.  Return the chicken to the pan as well as the one reserved poblano that was cut into strips.  Add the chili powder and cumin.  Sauté a few minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and the poblano has softened.

To make the burritos:

Give the reserved sauce in the blender another whiz to mix it.  Pour some of the sauce into the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish and swish it around to cover.  Divide the chicken/poblano mixture amongst six flour tortillas.

Place a tortilla in the microwave for about ten seconds just to soften it.  Add 1/6 of the mixture to the center of the first tortilla.  Pour a little of the sauce over the chicken and then roll the burrito.  Place it seam –side down in the baking dish.

Repeat with the remaining five tortillas.  When finished pour the remainder of the sauce over the rolled burritos.  Sprinkle the burritos with cheese.  Place the baking dish into the oven until the cheese melts.  Serve with the refried beans and some margaritas, (recipes below).

Basic Refried Beans

Vegetable oil, (or even better), lard, as needed
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans pinto beans with their juices
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon chili powder (or if you like it even hotter, ground cayenne pepper)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat the oil or lard in a large skillet.  Add the onion and jalapeno and sauté.  When the vegetables are almost soft add the garlic.  Meanwhile empty the two cans of beans with their juices into a blender and blend into a puree.  With a rubber spatula, scrape out the beans into the skillet.  Add the spices and stir and cook until the mixture has thickened.

Like so many recipes, alternatives abound.  The lard will absolutely impart more flavor but vegetable oil works as well.  Adjust the jalapeno and chili powder to suit your heat preference.  If you’re not a fan of heat, substitute some bell pepper for the jalapeno or omit it altogether.  The consistency of the dish can vary as well.

For a completely smooth final product you can blend the onion/pepper mixture with the beans.  Conversely, if you like some whole beans mixed in, only puree one can.  Drain and rinse the second can of beans and add them as is.  Finally, other spice options include Mexican oregano, achiote, epazote, or cilantro.

Margarita

This recipe will produce a small pitcher of margaritas.  Change the amount accordingly but use a ratio of 1.5 parts tequila, .5 parts triple sec, and 1 part lime juice.

12 oz. tequila
4 oz. triple sec or for a blue margarita use Blue Curacao
8 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

Whiz the ingredients in a blender.  Add ice to the blender if you prefer a frozen margarita.  Take a lime wedge, slice it through the center and slide it around the rim of your margarita glasses.  Then dip the rim in kosher salt.  Add ice to the glass, (if not making the frozen variation), a lime wedge and serve.

Chef Mark R. Vogel