Temple Bar Brunch — Cambridge, MA

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blogger events, boston, boston bloggers, boston brunchers, boston food, Breakfast, brunch, food

It’s brunches like these that make me wish I lived closer to Cambridge. I mean, Newton has its fair share of good restaurants, but Cambridge’s food scene is quite wealthy as well.

Saturday the Boston Brunchers headed over to Temple Bar for their brunch. I was lucky enough to snag a seat at the table, and as always, eager to see what they had in store for the brunchers.

The wait staff was incredibly attentive at Temple Bar. My water glass was never half empty at any point during the meal. And right after we sat down, they came around with those pretty drinks above. What service!

We got to order one item off the menu (check it out—you will drool immediately). I decided to go with the Bacon Cheddar Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich. The bacon drew me in, also the egg in the sandwich. And a side of home fries.

The sandwich came with a side of red jalapeno jelly, which was sweet and spicy all in one, adding a great zing to the sandwich (and of course the home fries). The biscuit had little bacon bits and cheddar cheese baked into it. So not only was it buttery and flakey, just the way a biscuit should be, but it also included two of my favorite things — bacon and cheese — roll that into one bite? I’m afraid I’ll never go back to a plain ol’ buttery biscuit again.

And after the main courses were sitting happily in our stomachs, the wait staff came out with an array of desserts to sample. Above, a creme brulee with a hint of ginger and nutmeg — also laid out on the table was a chocolate bread pudding, pumpkin parfait, and a raspberry cake. My favorites were a tie between the pumpkin parfait and the chocolate bread pudding.

Overall, as usual it was a wonderful brunch. I always have a great time meeting bloggers and brunchers I haven’t met before, and of course catching up with the old ones.

Looking forward to the next excursion!

Harbor Sweets Factory Tour

Tags

boston bloggers, Candy, chocolate, food events, handmade chocolates, harbor sweets, tours

It’s no secret that I’m a huge chocoholic. So when I heard about the opportunity to go on a tour of a chocolate factory, do you think I had to be asked twice?

Rachel, head of the Boston Food Bloggers allowed 10 people to sign up for a tour of Harbor Sweets, a handmade chocolate factory located in Salem, MA right by the water. And after the factory tour we were treated to a complimentary dinner at Adriatic Restaurant in downtown Salem. I was pumped I had last week off for vacation because it meant I could spend the afternoon with Kathy Can Cook and The Mighty Rib, explore Salem a bit, and get an inside look at how handmade chocolates are made.

Me, Kathy (Kathy Can Cook), Phyllis LeBlanc (Owner and CEO), Kevin (The Mighty Rib)

Kathy, Kevin, and I arrived at Harbor Sweets at 3:30 and were immediately greeted by a tray of their chocolates.  I tried one of their dark chocolates filled with an almond butter crunch from their Dark Horse Chocolate line, and Kathy tried one of their signature Sweet Sloops. After a long drive, a dark chocolate that melted in my mouth was just what I needed. And the simultaneous crunch? Perfect. I could easily eat a box in one sitting.

We also had a chat with owner and CEO, Phyllis LeBlanc at the beginning of our tour. Phyllis began working at Harbor Sweets in 1977 dipping chocolates (the company was founded in 1973) while she was a student at Salem State College. She grew in the company and soon grew the company itself. She introduced the idea of having a Dark Horse equestrian chocolate line–which is made possible by their hand-crafted horse molds.

Phyllis showed us around their gift shop and introduced us to their product line, which includes their signature Sweet Sloops, Dark Horse Chocolates, a Chocolate Advent Calendar, and various dark and milk chocolates (with and without their almond butter crunch in the center).

I was quite tempted to just stick my head under there and drink that chocolate...

After we looked around the gift shop, our next stop was the molding room. First of all, the smell of chocolate in this factory was completely heavenly. I either have to get one of these chocolate tempering machines (to keep the chocolate at a consistent temperature all day so there are no air pockets or lumps that develop), or invest in some sort of chocolate air freshener. Or maybe just move into that factory.

Anyway, this room is where the chocolates get molded. As I mentioned above, Harbor Sweets has hand-crafted molds, and they also make custom molds. They’ve made chocolates for the Boston Pops, surrounding colleges, local businesses for parties—you name it. Once the chocolate is put into the molds, the workers then shake the molds to even out any air pockets that might have formed. They then put them on shaking trays to get out any extra air they might have missed (it was quite loud in there!). Then they put it on a conveyer belt that takes the molds straight into the refrigerator to harden.

We then got to see the Sweet Sloops live in action. After being cut by hand, the sloops get placed (by hand) on a special machine that rotates white chocolate through to coat the bottom of the candies.

The candies then go through a refrigeration section of the machine to harden the chocolate on the bottom. They then go through the next part of the machine that coats the tops of the candies.

After they are coated, a worker takes the back of a spoon and makes one quick swoop across it—giving the candy its signature sailboat look.

The sloops are then dipped in dark chocolate—while the dark chocolate is still soft, the sloops are dipped again in a pecan crumble mixture. They go through another cooling round and are then ready to be wrapped, packaged, and shipped off to drooling customers.

Here are the finished sloops! (We got to have some of these…. )

After seeing the sloops in action, we got to take a look at the shipping department and had a chat with their shipping manager, Chrissie Santos, who said the holiday season is chaotic, but in a good way. They ship their chocolates all over the country and internationally—from Texas to Sweden, Harbor Sweets has been there. And in the hot summer months (which seem to be lingering lately)—and if they’re shipping to a warmer climate, they always ship their candies on ice so they aren’t melted when they arrive.

We also got to try some of their almond butter crunches covered in dark chocolate. They were sort like giant peanut M&Ms, but way better, and with their almond butter crunch instead of a salty peanut. These addicting candies are included in their Trail Mix and Snail Mix packages, which I would kill to get my hands on right now. These packages were actually requested by customers, because they’re that good.

The tour ended with a look at their kitchen where they make their almond butter crunch. The candies are cooked in copper kettles, then poured onto their cutting table where it’s smoothed out and cut into the desired shapes. The table is so used that you can actually see the lines where they cut the candy—they’re very precise.

Overall, I was so impressed with Harbor Sweets. I’m glad there are handmade chocolates that still thrive out there, especially in this economy. Seeing what kind of work and attention to detail that goes into these candies makes me appreciate things that are labeled “handmade”. Not that I didn’t before, but after seeing a tour and seeing these workers do this right in front of me makes a huge difference. If you ever get a chance to go on a factory tour where handmade things are made—whether it’s chocolate, cookies, ornaments, you name it—sign up! It’s so interesting.

Thank you Harbor Sweets for having us! And thanks for the chocolate goodie bag that you handed to us on the way out the door. My fiance and I are certainly enjoying them

 

Note: This tour was provided to me by Harbor Sweets free of charge, but all opinions expressed here are my own.

Boston Brunchers Set Sail on the Odyssey

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blogger events, boston, boston bloggers, boston brunchers, brunch, events, food, food bloggers, odyssey

It’s not often you get to go to brunch. On a boat. With your fiance. Free of charge.

But Sunday that’s just what happened! I entered to win 2 seats to brunch aboard the Odyssey on the Boston Brunchers website and won in the random drawing. Hooray! My luck is still holding strong in these drawings

I decided to bring Chris along since he had never been to any of my swanky food events. We dressed in our Sunday best and hopped on the T down to Gov’t Center, then walked down State Street to get to Rowe’s Wharf–and what a beautiful day for a walk and brunch cruise! The sun was shining, and I think I only saw one cloud the entire afternoon.

We were greeted at the table by our servers and a nice glass of champagne (which many people eagerly turned into some Sunday morning mimosas!) After chatting with some fellow friends and food bloggers, Chris and I eagerly approached the buffet line. They had two sides–one for breakfast and one for lunch. And at the end of the line was chocolate fountain and several cakes.

I did not hesitate to load up my plate. The breakfast selection was decent. They had bagels, pastries, and muffins. They also had home fries, french toast, waffles, sausage, bacon, yogurt and granola, and fresh fruit. As you can see, I was going heavy on the carbs and bacon The food itself was pretty good, though nothing like the Biltmore or the Four Seasons. The bacon was a little too overdone. The mushrooms and polenta I grabbed from the lunch station was cold, which wasn’t very pleasant. And the red velvet cake they had out–although it looked gorgeous, lacked in the distinct red velvet flavor. But overall, I did enjoy the food, and it certainly filled me up!

After Chris and I filled our stomachs, we headed to the upper decks of the boat and enjoyed the sunny skies and the views of Boston and chatted with some other wonderful bloggers and their guests.

It was a great ending to my vacation! Thanks to the Odyssey for hosting us on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon!

Note: This brunch was provided to me and my guest free of charge by Odyssey Cruises. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies for Bloggers Bake for Hope

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bake sale, boston, boston bloggers, chocolate, Cookies, fundraiser, good cause, virtual bake sale

Don't you want 2 dozen of these cookies?

For all of those who have always wanted to buy my baked goods and have me ship them to you, your dreams have come true.

I’ve signed up for the Bloggers Bake for Hope, a virtual bake sale to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The bake sale is hosted by Jen from BeantownBaker and Cara from Cara’s Cravings. Dozens of bloggers have signed up to donate their baked goods already, and I’m extremely excited to participate in it this year. This is for a great cause, and I’m also happy to see that so many bakers have signed up for it. And I’m eager to see how much money this fundraiser makes.

The bake sale is running from May 4th to May 6th.

So how does it work?

Well, on May 4th-6th, you simply go here and take a gander at all the amazing baked goods that bloggers are whipping up in their kitchens. Once you see one (or several) that you want to buy, simply click the link and place your bid. At the end of the virtual bake sale, the bidder with the highest bid will get that item shipped to them.

Fun, right?

I’m baking two dozen of these chocolate chocolate chip cookies for the cause. These are by far the best chocolate cookies I’ve ever made, and my family goes nuts over them every time I make them. My brother-in-law in particular always asks if I’m making these cookies whenever I announce I’m making cookies for a family gathering.

They’re made with both semi-sweet and white chocolate chips, a lot of butter, and the perfect amount of cocoa powder to give it that irresistible chocolate flavor.

I’d be honored if you bid on my cookies

Enjoy the bake sale! I hope you all leave the bake sale eager to see a bundle of sweets show up at your doorstep.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 3 dozen

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cups cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until light and fluffy.

3. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until the batter is well blended.

5. Fold in the chocolate chips and drop onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

6. Bake for 9 – 12 minutes until the cookies are set. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Highlights from the Seder Plate Challenge

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blogger events, boston, boston bloggers, cooking, food, friends, friendship, get-togethers, passover, seder, seder plate

Our Seder Plate

I promised earlier this week to update you in more detail about the Seder Plate Challenge held at Cara’s from Cara’s Cravings this past weekend.

I’m not Jewish, but I really enjoyed learning about what each dish on the Seder Plate means at Cara’s. (She describes it wonderfully in this post.) I think traditions in general are so wonderful. Regardless of the religion (or lack thereof) that you practice, having a tradition you go back to every year or every once in a while is a bind for families or friends. It brings you closer together. And being in a room of several bloggers I had never met before, this tradition certainly made me feel close to them.

Food is another element that makes me feel close to people. I met many of these bloggers at the Passover Feast virtually, but we all brought in bags and bags of food, hugged each other, and sat around the table with beaming faces like we’d been practicing this tradition since we were born. It came so naturally.

And might I add that all of the food was delicious at the table. One reason why I personally like getting together in person with people and bringing our own food is that we get to actually taste what we make on our blogs. I also love going to restaurants and food events downtown, but to make and share and eat food with other people in the comfort of their homes–well, it can’t get much better than that!

Enough of me talking, right? I’m going to showcase what we had at the Passover Feast, and I encourage you to visit these blogs–great food and great people!

Renee made a beautiful charoset accompanied with horseradish sauce. We topped some crackers with this–it was perfect and crunchy and packed full of flavor.

Melissa’s horseradish cauliflower latkes. These were moist and extremely flavorful.

Amanda showed up with Parmesan-crusted asparagus with horseradish hollandaise (which she saved after it separated, by the way–what an achievement!). I usually only roast my asparagus plain with salt and pepper, but the addition of the Parmesan added a perfect crust.

The hostess herself, Cara, made some show-stopping lamb crepes. These were moist, the lamb was tender, and the crepes fluffy and golden. Couldn’t ask for anything more.

Jen, the infamous baker, showed up with a rich apple slaw. This bowl sat beside me at the table (and so did Jen), and needless to say, I went back for thirds, and fourths..and maybe a fifth? It was wonderfully sweet and crisp.

Elina prepared this massaged kale and beet salad on the spot. I got to see her work her magic right in front of me! In it went freshly roasted beets, kale, lemon juice, walnuts, prunes, and goat cheese. I don’t think  I need to describe this any more other than that it was pretty damn good. If there’s something with goat cheese in it, I’ll take sixths, please.

And how is a feast complete without some dessert?? Shannon made white chocolate truffles with fresh wasabi–and in the middle of them–a hunk of candied ginger.  It was a blend of sweet and a hint of spicy–perfect ending to the meal.

Cara also provided some almond butter meringues. I’m not usually a fan of meringues but these were airy, sweet, and not too sugary.

Here’s a view of the whole table–gorgeous, right?

Thanks, Cara, for hosting us!

Looking forward to more blogger get-togethers in the future

 

Boston Brunchers Take on 5 Courses at Biltmore Bar and Grille

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boston bloggers, boston brunchers, Breakfast, brunch, dining out, food, restaurant review, restaurants

Dear Biltmore Bar and Grille,

Why have I not heard about you before?

Clearly I need to get out more and explore my own town, Newton, because when Renee announced this month’s Boston Brunchers venue would be at Biltmore Bar and Grille in Newton–I was shocked I hadn’t heard of it before.

But I’m so happy I know it exists now because brunch was without a doubt astounding.

First of all, I was lucky enough to win this brunch. (I know, I know! I’m winning things left and right lately–and loving it ) In order to get into this brunch, we had to write a note stating why we think it’s important that new bloggers join the brunching/Boston blogging community. It was a no-brainer for me. I was new to the Boston blogging scene just a few months ago, and sometimes it floors me how much my blog has grown in readership since then. I’ve grown too–meeting new bloggers at events allows me to make new friendships, discover more about food, and step out of my comfort zone. I’m on the T at least once a week trekking out to new food adventures–or taking a drive out to a new friend’s house to cook/bake/enjoy food and company. So to introduce a new blogger to the community gives me such pleasure. Just imagine how much this can do for them–plus for us! More friends, new ideas–more fun all around So I invited Marie from Chocolate and Wine to join me at the brunch. What a blast we had too! Marie and I used to go to college together, and blogging has reconnected us–!

Biltmore Bar and Grille was incredibly generous to host us and provide us with a five course brunch. Yes, folks–five courses! Everyone showed up with their mouths watering ready to dig into the fabulous tasting menu they prepared for us.

First they brought a colorful array of morning drinks: Mimosas and Bloody Marys. Everyone oohed and aahed at these bubbling brews and immediately started sipping them. The Mimosas were spot on–sweet and tangy at the same time. The Bloody Marys were also a hit among everyone. They had a spicy little kick to them.

Next they brought out the first course: Lobster Frittata. For those of you who don’t know, a frittata is simply a quiche without a crust. Crack a bunch of eggs, mix with milk or cream, add some veggies and meat, bake. Ta-da! Fritta-ta! This frittata was egg-tastic. It was creamy, filled with hunks of tender lobster, and topped with a pea tendril.

Next up was a large chive biscuit topped with the most perfect poached egg I have ever seen. Biltmore chefs, if you ever see this, please share your poached egg secret with me. I try and try and try poaching a perfect egg–they taste alright, but they don’t look nearly as symmetrical and luscious as yours did. This dish was topped with a cheddar jalapeno sauce. My taste buds were tingling with delight after taking a few bites of this. And believe me, it was hard to stop eating this to save room for the next three courses. Many others at the table could not hold back–plates were very nearly licked clean of the egg + sauce.

Our third course was pigs in a blanket. And these weren’t any ordinary mini hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls. This dish consisted of full-sized sausages wrapped in a puffy pancake sprinkled with powdered sugar. On the side? Maple apple butter syrup. With the sausage juicy and flavorful, the pancakes fluffy and golden, and the syrup hot and sweet–how could you go wrong with this course? That’s right. You can’t. And they didn’t.

Fourth! (This is turning into an episode of Man vs. Food!) Chicken and Waffles. This is a very southern dish, and definitely something Paula Deen would feature on her show (has she? she must has..) And another home run with this dish. The chicken was incredibly moist on the inside but the skin had a delicate crisp to them. The waffles were grilled and had a slight crunch–something that I love in a waffle. They’re often too soft or even get soggy when you add syrup. These maintained their crunch, and chicken and waffles pair surprisingly well together. The south may be onto something…

And last but certainly not least was the Granola and Berry Parfait. First of all, how beautiful is that presentation? Fresh berries and homemade granola were layered in a wine goblet and topped with fresh whipped cream. The granola was sweet and crunchy–and trust me when I say this, I would eat this granola every single day for breakfast if I could. Again, Biltmore, what’s your secret The whipped cream wasn’t too sweet, and paired beautifully with the sweetness of the granola and the oozy berries.

So are you convinced?

This was by far the best brunching experience I’ve had with the Boston Brunchers as of yet–be sure to get out there for brunch if you have a chance. I’m 100% positive you won’t regret it.

However, I have to warn you that they don’t offer all of these items on their menu. The lobster frittata and the chive biscuit are not regular menu items–they were specials. But the other three are regulars–so go get ‘em.

Thanks again to Biltmore Bar and Grille for hosting us!