I don’t know about you, but in school I always wanted to score an A. Even seeing that A- on a report card made my heart sink a little. After college, I (stupidly) thought I’d be done with the grading system forever, till I started seeing those pesky little NYC restaurant grades in every eatery, which made me start to wonder: why does one restaurant on a given block have an “A,” while the next, which is seemingly similar, has a “B”? What does a restaurant have to do to get an “A”? Is it easy to be a good student?

Turns out, more than half of New York restaurants got an “A” from the NYC Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene.  Think that’s fair grading? We’ll break it down for you so you can decide if that “B” restaurant is really worth a visit. Your stomach may thank you.

Letter Grades: What Means What?

photo credit: www.thecultureist.com

NYC health grades are based on point values and condition levels:

• 0-13 points = A
• 14-27 points = B
• 28 or more points = C

So, the fewer the points, the better.

A public health violation gets at least 7 points, a critical violation gets 5, a general violation gets 2, and inspectors can assign more points depending on the severity of the violation. So, if you do the math (I’ll wait for you to get out your calculator), 28 or more points is a lot of violations. A “C” means DO NOT GO TO THERE.

Violations: How Do Restaurants Score?

photo credit: www.adrianbautista.com

Public Health Violations (at least 7 points)

These are considered public health hazards that have the potential to cause an immediate threat, and if the restaurant cannot rectify the situation on the spot, inspectors are instructed to shut down the establishment. These violations include mice or rats on site, no hand washing stations near food preparation areas, and contaminated food. Yum.

Critical Violations (at least 5 points)

These aren’t necessarily an immediate public health threat, but I will definitely go so far as to say they aren’t awesome. These violations include things like roaches on site, evidence of mice or rats, not washing produce before preparation, and not keeping food at correct temperatures.

General Violations (at least 2 points)

These are things that won’t kill you, but aren’t great, like unsanitary bathroom facilities, improper trash receptacles, and improper meat-thawing techniques.

Easy A: So What?

photo credit: eastvillagereporter.wordpress.com

Now we get to the interesting part.

After four years with the city’s new grading program, nearly 90 percent of New York’s 24,000 restaurants have an “A” grade, many of which were bumped up from “B” and “C” grades after they appealed for higher grades. (Non-“A” restaurants can request a “re-inspection” in hopes of earning a better score and can hang “Grade Pending” signs in their windows until after the inspection.)

Many think the scoring system is too wide and varied, because restaurants who have 13 points have the same letter grade as those who have no violations at all. The difference between an “A” and a “B” grade is considered substantial, yet they are only separated by one point. The amount of restaurants with 12 and 13 points is drastically higher than the amount of restaurants with 14 and 15 points, which means that inspectors are leaning towards giving restaurants an “A.” There also isn’t anything in place to keep inspectors from varying from one day to another, or to keep them from varying from each other, which means that each restaurant kind of just gets lucky or unlucky with who shows up to grade them.

The fact that an “A” isn’t the same across the board makes me a bit wary. For example, a restaurant can still get an “A” grade even if there is evidence of mice or rats, as long as that’s the only violation they have. Gross.

photo credit: observer.com

Perhaps there should be more varied grades, like A, B, C, D, and F, but since no one asked me, I think I’ll personally stick to restaurants with an “A” grade. It seems like a lot of disgusting things have to add up to get a “B” or a “C,” and it’s just not worth the risk.

Want more info about restaurant grades in NYC? Get the iTunes app here and the Google Play app here.

Would you eat at a “B” or a “C” restaurant? How does NYC’s grading system work or not work? Let us know below in the comments!

The post NYC Restaurant Health Grades Explained appeared first on ForknPlate.

We’ve been hearing the term “farm to table” thrown around excessively as of late, but regardless of the overuse, we’re big believers in the concept. And Alice’s Arbor in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn is doing it well.

With a strong emphasis on authentic, seasonal, full-flavored food from local or nearby farms, their menu (and in-house “store,” where you can buy local and organic maple syrup, preserves, tea, oil, even polenta) brings life to feel-good food.

The restaurant is super fun and eclectic with funky feature artwork from a local artist–on both the sidewalk and interior walls–and chalkboard throughout. With twine-hung terrariums, exposed brick, repurposed wood, hanging lightbulbs, and hipster tunes, Alice’s Arbor just exudes good vibes. The restaurant was established by 15-year friends who met in New York’s LES, including chef Mike Franzetti who took us into the kitchen to teach us how he makes a slammin’ mac-n-cheese.

Now, we all know you really can’t go wrong when you combine pasta with fresh dairy, but this recipe is special for a few reasons. Chef Franzetti uses creamy goat cheese (reason number one) that plays a pivotal part in the overall ooze of the final product, Cabot Creamery white cheddar, whole milk, and butter… lots of butter. He tops the cheese-sauce coated spirals of pasta with house-made breadcrumbs from bread made by the local bakery (delivered daily) and throws it into an authentic, Italian-made, wood-burning oven (that can heat up to 850 degrees–hot damn).

The result? A molten mess of gooey cheese underneath a crusty, golden-brown crust of salty breadcrumbs. It’s a cheat meal, for sure, but it is so worth it. Wash that down with any of their cocktail concoctions (or a selection from their extensive whiskey list–bourbons, ryes, scotches, and single malts) and you’re set.

Click here for the full recipe and try it at home!

The post Easy & Delicious Mac & Cheese Recipe by Alice’s Arbor (Video) appeared first on ForknPlate.

Rosé wine has long lived in the shadows of some of the more traditional red and white varieties. Even well-made rosés were disregarded as thirsty drinkers assumed those pink wines would taste sweet, seem poorly made, or both. Luckily for rosé lovers, those days are long behind us. It can now be argued that no wine is as sexy as rosé.

Contrary to some beliefs, rosé is not made by mixing red and white wines together. It is usually made one of two ways. The first method is the saignee (“bleed”) method. For saignee rosés, some of the juice when making a red wine is “bled” off. This approach is often looked down upon, but technological advancements have made the ominously named saignee process a viable way to create dangerously easy-to-gulp rosé wines.

However, arguably the best rosés are the varieties that are planned from the ground up. In those cases, the grapes are farmed and picked to emphasize pithy acidity and then pressed with light skin contact to emphasize color and fruitiness. Thankfully, these rosés can still be affordable, though rare versions can fetch $100 per bottle.

Below are five rosé varieties you need to try.

• Provence is a French variety that can usually be enjoyed for less than $25 a bottle. It is an easy-drinking, food-friendly wine with vibrant red berry flavors and the aromas of fresh roses. Provence wine is made with Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Cinsault grapes.
• Côtes du Rhône is another French variety. This wine is medium-bodied with a bright cherry flavor. Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache grapes are used to make this darker-hued wine.
• Rioja wine hails from Spain. It is a deeply hued pink wine with aromas of strawberries and cherries, with hints of mint, and tobacco leaf. Rioja wine is made with Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes.
• Mendoza is a South American wine from Argentina. It is dark in color and features intense aromas of raspberries, herbs, and flowers. Malbec grapes are used to create this fuller-bodied wine and a bottle can usually be found for $9-$15.
• Coming back to France one last time, Tavel is our last must-try rose! A full-bodied, powerful wine, Tavel might be mistaken for a full-on red wine. It is made with Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Grenache grapes, and this wine usually  sells for at least $20 dollars a bottle.

Whether you’re looking for a light, floral rosé, or a full-bodied almost red variety, next time you go to grab a bottle, think pink! You won’t be disappointed.

Source

Joe Roberts is a certified wine specialist. Joe is known for creating 1 Wine Dude, a wine blog aimed specifically at the intermediate wine lover. In 2009 his blog was named Best Wine Blog by FoodBuzz Blog Awards and again in 2010 by Wine Blog Awards. Follow him on Twitter!

Curious what happens when you give a “bro” rosé? It’s magic. Here’s our “Brosé Video”.

The post Think Pink: A Quick Introduction to Rosé by Joe Roberts appeared first on ForknPlate.

If you’re like many people, you’re cooking with olive oil more than ever. But are you also more confused than ever by the options available — extra virgin, virgin, pure, light? It’s important to know the difference, as they vary in color, flavor, aroma, acidity, and nutrient content. The following is a guide to help you navigate the array of olive oils to understand the different varieties, the difference in qualities, and when to use which.

A Drizzle of Olive Oil History

Native to Asia Minor, the olive spread from Iran, Syria, and Palestine. It was first domesticated in the Mediterranean basin about 6,000 years ago. Today, countries rimming the Mediterranean Sea are most renowned for their continued olive cultivation and olive oil production, but Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa also produce olive oil, as do California, Arizona, and Texas in the United States.

Making the Grade

Knowing the historical origins of olive oil is helpful, but knowing the location of origin (or provenance) of your olive oil can be even more essential to choosing the best-quality oil. Hundreds of varieties of olive trees exist, with their fruits varying in size, taste, oil content, ripening time, and other factors.

Different varieties produce distinct flavor characteristics, and the best way to familiarize yourself with these differences is to participate in olive oil tastings at gourmet food shops, farmers’ markets, or local groves, if you’re lucky enough to live near a producer.

When it comes to understanding the differences in olive oils made from different varieties and producers worldwide, look for three things:

• The oil’s age (look for the “best before” date on the bottle)
• The oil’s provenance
• The care taken to produce the oil

Unlike wine, the flavor of olive oil does not improve with age: the fresher, the better. And the less time the oil sits on a store shelf, the better. One way to ensure freshness is to obtain your oil from a local source, if possible. The more traveling a bottle of olive oil has to do, the longer it takes to arrive on shelves.

When it comes to choosing which grade of olive oil to use when, consider how much olive flavor you’re looking for and the degree of heat you’ll be using with the oil. Read the following to help you make sense of the different grades.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Extra-virgin olive oil is simply the extracted juice of crushed olives. It should be free of defects, such as fusty, musty, or rancid flavors. It should taste of fresh ripe or green olives, with ripe fruit yielding buttery and floral notes and green fruit yielding more grassy, pungent, and pleasantly bitter notes. With its rich olive flavor, extra-virgin olive oil delivers the most health benefits, as it is derived from a cold-press, chemical-free process that preserves antioxidants and “good” fats as well as keeps acidity under 1 percent. Oil must meet very specific standards to warrant the “extra-virgin” label.

Use extra-virgin olive oil, often referred to as EVOO, for salad dressings and cold dishes; drizzled over fish, meat, and baked or roasted potatoes; and as a dip for bread, a condiment, or a base for homemade mayonnaise. Get creative with EVOO, pairing it with foods as you would with wine. Pair milder oils with mild foods and more robust EVOOs drizzled over tomatoes and recipes with more full-bodied flavors.

Virgin Olive Oil

Like extra-virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil is also unrefined, using a heat- and chemical-free process similar to that of EVOO. Virgin olive oil is made from slightly riper olives, giving it a lighter, slightly less intense flavor and a higher acidity level of about 2 percent.

Use virgin olive oil for cold dishes, low-temperature cooking, and browning.

Pure Olive Oil

Also labeled as simply “olive oil,” pure olive oil blends refined and virgin oils. It’s still a product of the first press of olives, but heat is used in the extraction process, so it doesn’t retain as many antioxidants. It still offers the same healthy monounsaturated fats as EVOO, but it has a more neutral, less olive-y flavor.

Use pure olive oil for all-purpose cooking, baking, grilling, and roasting and sautéing meats and vegetables. Try it as a marinade with lemon juice and spices or as the oil in pasta, quinoa, whole grain, and potato salads.

Light Olive Oil

Light olive oil is lighter in olive flavor but packs the same calorie count as other olive oils. It is a refined oil with a neutral taste and higher smoke point.

Lighter flavor makes it ideal for sweet and savory baking, but it also works well for sautéing, grilling, and frying. Substitute light olive oil for butter in cookies, muffins, pancakes, cakes, and tart crusts. If you like to make infused oils for salads, vegetables, or bread dipping, light olive oil is the variety to infuse, as the neutral flavor really absorbs the herb, spice, or fruit. You can also use it to grease grills, griddles, and pans before heating. Be cautious of overheating, however, as this oil will smoke at high temperatures.

Olive Pomace Oil

Olive pomace oil blends refined oil chemically extracted from the fruit’s pulp after the first press with virgin olive oils fit for consumption as they are. Olive pomace is the lowest grade of olive oil; in fact, it cannot be labeled as olive oil.

For your taste buds’ sake and your health, avoid olive pomace oil. But if you inadvertently buy a bottle, you might use it make soap or to lubricate pans or grill racks.

Whichever olive oil you choose, it’s sure to make a healthy and delicious difference in your recipes. Enjoy!

The post Everything You’d Ever Need to Know About Olive Oil Varieties appeared first on ForknPlate.

You’ve stuffed your face, taken a turkey nap, had a glass (or four) of wine, and then repeated. At the end of all the thanks you’ve given for sweat pants and loose-fitting hoodies, you think you will never want to do that to yourself again. Wrong. After that thought passes, you are faced with a turkey hangover and some potentially awesome leftovers the next day. What to do with them?! Yeah, sure you can heat them up and eat them again, but why not try giving your leftovers a little face lift this year? Put the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and whatever traditional or non-traditional Thanksgiving items you’ve made in an elegant spotlight and do something creative with them. We’ve picked our 6 favorite leftover recipes for you to try out.

Gin and Cranberry Sauce Sparkling Cocktail

What You Need

• 1 ounces of gin
• 1/2 ounce of Cointreau
• 2  ounces of leftover cranberry sauce
• Sparkling wine

Make the Gin and Cranberry Sauce Sparkling Cocktail

1. Add ice, gin, Cointreau and your leftover cranberry sauce into a martini shaker.

2. Shake till cold.

3. Strain into a martini or champagne flute.

4. Top off with sparkling wine.

5. Garnish with fresh cranberries or lemon twist

It’s great with brunch!

Recipe by ForknPlate.com

The Turkey Breakfast Sandwich with a Poached Egg

What You Need:

• Biscuits (Pillsbury ones in the can are totally fine)
• Poached eggs (This is easier than you think- watch our video)
• Turkey
• Stuffing
• Cranberry sauce
• Mashed potatoes

Make the Sandwich:

1. Bake your biscuits.

2. Heat all of your ingredients up.

3. Poach your eggs, you can fry or scramble as well.

4. Layer this sandwich how you want and top with a poached egg.

We do this every year. It’s life changing and you can do it hung over.

Recipe by ForknPlate.com

Next-Day Turkey Soup with Mashed Potato Polpetti (Fancy Word for Patty)

We love this recipe by Chef Michael Chiarello because you can’t really mess it up and you can use pretty much whatever you have left over. You make a turkey stock essentially and throw in all your left over sides and your shredded turkey. The polpetti is bad ass to because it’s basically fried mashed potatoes with cheese and so delicious. Who doesn’t love fried mashed potatoes?! If you are too lazy to make the soup at least give the polpetti a whirl and top with cranberry sauce. It’s good.

Recipe

Sweet Potato and Toasted Pecan Grilled Cheese

We love Chef Jeff Mauro, not only because he seems like a giant teddy bear, but because he comes up with awesome leftover sandwiches like this. You can use this recipe and your leftover sweet potatoes, or even make your own version and use this as inspiration for your own thanksgiving leftover grilled cheese. You can’t go wrong with cheese (unless you’re lactose).

Recipe

Turkey Skin Chips

This recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine got our attention because there is nothing better than crispy turkey skin. This is a brilliant idea to crumble and top off your turkey tacos with or to layer it between a beet salad. These would also be an awesome topping for your massive turkey sandwich to give it some crunch. Try it.

Recipe

Turkey Tostadas with Spicy Cranberry-Chipotle Sauce 

Sometimes you just want Mexican, even after Thanksgiving. This is a recipe from Southern Living magazine that will help you morph your leftovers into awesome tostadas. The sauce is pretty creative as well. Sometimes you just want a little spice and this recipe will leave you feeling spicy. Try it.

Recipe

The post What to Do With Your Thanksgiving Leftovers appeared first on ForknPlate.

Add to the list of rapidly-vanishing New York establishments the walk-in souvlaki shops that used to be everywhere. Yes, there are places to buy souvlaki — food carts, Astoria, Queens and Manhattan’s Ninth Avenue, but it seems wrong that you can’t dash out for a midnight kebab without whipping out a MetroCard or hailing a cab. In a fit of nostalgia, I’ve found myself longing for the comeback of these sharp, tangy grilled treats.

What is Souvlaki?

Souvlaki is the Greek version of the Middle Eastern kebab, made of meat – or sometimes fish – marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and grilled on skewers. Unlike a kebab, which is traditionally lamb, souvlaki tradition calls for pork, especially in Greece and Cyprus. However, since souvlaki has become a popular fast food made with customers in mind, chicken, lamb, swordfish and vegetarian versions are not that hard to find.

Tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and peppers are traditionally served as part of the dish, either fresh on the side, grilled on the side, or threaded onto the skewers and grilled with the meat. Tzatziki, a cold sauce of yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill and lemon juice is also a traditional accompaniment. Souvlaki is almost always served with grilled pita, and often all the ingredients above are served in a fold of pita. Though sometimes this sandwich is referred to as a gyro or souvlaki gyro, “gyro” actually refers to a massive roast cooked on a slowly-turning vertical spit, then thinly sliced and served in pita.

Photo Credit: Tales of a Tour Guide

Souvlaki History

Souvlaki is considered a Greek food, and historians cite references to the dish in the writings of Aristotle (384-322 BC), Aristophanes (446-386 BC), and Homer, their senior by 400 or more years. The fact is, souvlaki was over a millennium old by the time Homer came along.

From 1450 to 1100 BC, Minoan culture, based on Crete, dominated the southeast Aegean Sea and was the most advanced civilization in the Mediterranean. A major outpost was Akrotiri on Santorini, some 90 miles north. Somewhere between 1645 BC and 1500 BC, a massive volcanic eruption sent the center of the island into the sea and buried Akrotiri under layers of ash and debris.

Minoan civilization went into decline and was gradually absorbed into what eventually became Greek culture. It’s now thought that Plato, writing about Atlantis a millennium later, was referring to legends that grew out of the Santorini explosion. Akrotiri was unknown until 1867, and modern excavation did not begin until 1967. Among the numerous artifacts found there were racks clearly intended for grilling skewers of meat over heated coals, proving that souvlaki dates back at least 2,500 years and is probably much older.

Souvlaki shops began appearing in Greece in the early 1950s and quickly became the reigning fast food of the region. The dish was introduced to America by immigrants who arrived in the early 20th century, many of whom were restauranteurs who settled in New York, Chicago and other urban areas. Souvlaki and all things kebab got another popularity boost when suburbs, patios and backyard barbecuing reshaped American culture and cuisine in the postwar years.

How To Make Souvlaki

Souvlaki is a snap if you have access to an outdoor grill. Since the marinade and method are the same no matter what meat you’re using, all you need is hot coals and a good souvlaki recipe. For those of us in city apartments, it’s a bit trickier. In fact, writing this article left me in such a state of souvlaki longing that I set out to see if I could make a reasonable indoor chicken souvlaki that wouldn’t set off my smoke alarm.

How to Make Souvlaki Indoors

To make souvlaki indoors, I immediately ruled out the broiler as too smoky. I also dispensed with the idea of skewers, which would be an awkward fit for my frying pan. What I did use, and what I highly recommend is a gas stove, a cast iron frying pan, and a cast iron griddle large enough to set on top of the pan like a lid.

Photo Credit: Saving Room for Dessert

First I mixed a marinade of oil, lots of lemon juice, dried oregano, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. I cut skinless, boneless chicken breasts into 1.5-inch cubes, tossed them in the marinade and put them in the fridge for about five hours. When I was ready to cook, I cut chunky slices of onion and did the same with red bell peppers. Then I heated the skillet until it was hot and threw the onions, and grape tomatoes, then covered the skillet with the griddle. I opened the skillet just once to give the veg a stir, and made some quick tzatziki while the onions finished charring.

After I pulled out the vegetables, I used the same method on the drained chunks of chicken. Again, I only took the griddle lid off to turn the chicken pieces, then slammed it on again. Creating this sealed heat chamber and keeping it closed as much as possible was the secret of getting a charred taste with no smoke.

When everything was done, I wrapped the chicken and vegetables in a homemade flour tortilla and ladled on a bit of tzatziki. The result was delicious, satisfying, and definitely worth repeating.

Featured Photo Credit: Las Vegas Food Adventures

The post What is Souvlaki? appeared first on ForknPlate.

The mildest peppers such as sweet bell peppers and cherry peppers are at the bottom of the Scoville scale. In the middle are peppers like Serrano, yellow hot wax peppers, and red cayenne peppers. At the hottest end of the heat scale are the Habanero and the Scotch Bonnet.

What Makes Peppers Hot?

Several factors account for peppers’ heat. First, of course, is the type of pepper you’re dealing with and, beyond that, whether the particular strain of that pepper has been bred for maximum or minimum heat. The next factor is whether you remove the seeds and fleshy internal ribs of the pepper, where most of the heat resides. Finally, heat depends on when the pepper was harvested. Peppers that are harvested while still green have less heat, while those harvested when they have begun to ripen to red, orange or golden are hotter. Hotter still are peppers that have been left to fully ripen on the vine.

A few peppers, like the sweet bell peppers we’re all familiar with or the pimentos we find in green olives, will never be hot. Most peppers, however, provide a kick of warmth ranging from mild to volcanic. And how are unsuspecting pepper-lovers to know what they’re about to bite into?

A century ago, pharmacist Wilbur Scoville designed a heat-scoring test for peppers that’s still in use today. While an individual pepper can taste milder or hotter than its score due to other variables, and taste sensitivity can vary from person to person, the Scoville scale is a good guide to picking packs of peppers.

Sweet to Mild Peppers

Sweet bell peppers, in shades of red, green, orange and yellow, are the most commonly sold peppers in America. Their crisp, sweet flesh is perfect for salads, sandwiches, and dipping.
Scoville Rating: 0

Pepperoncini have a light green skin and are usually sold pickled. They are also known as Tuscan peppers or sweet Italian peppers.
Scoville Rating: 100 – 600

Photo Credit: Delicious on a Dollar

Cubanelle peppers, better known as Italian frying peppers, are very mild and perfect for sautéing. If you’ve eaten a sausage and pepper sub, you’ve eaten Cubanelles.
Scoville Rating: 100 – 1,000

Banana peppers, which range from yellow to ripening red, are generally mild enough to eat raw. Like sweet bell peppers, they are popular in salads, on sandwiches, and on pizza.
Scoville Rating: 500

Mild to Medium Peppers

Anaheim peppers, also known as California green chiles, are dagger-shaped hand-length peppers with a tough, light green skin. They are mostly served cooked and are especially popular for making chiles rellenos. When fully ripened, this pepper is known as the California red chile.
Scoville Rating: 500 – 1,000

Poblano peppers are finger-length with smooth, dark green skin. Their thick-fleshed walls make them perfect for roasting and stuffing.
Scoville Rating: 1,000 – 2,000

Ancho peppers are poblanos that have been allowed to ripen to red, then harvested and dried. They are the backbone of many sauces, including mole.
Scoville Rating: 1,000 – 2,000

Medium Peppers

Jalapeño peppers are the world’s most popular pepper, used in everything from salsa to poppers to chili. Though most often harvested green, red jalapeños are also seen in stores. The number of carefully-bred varieties of this little giant accounts for an unusually wide range of heat levels.
Scoville Rating: 2,500 – 8,000

Chipotle is the name given to any variety of jalapeño that has been ripened to red, dried, and smoked. Chipotles are chiefly used as an ingredient in other dishes, and if you’re cooking with them, remember – a chipotle pepper weighs only one-tenth as much as a jalapeño, but packs the same heat, so go by count, not weight.
Scoville Rating: 5,000 – 10,000

Hot wax peppers, also known as Hungarian wax peppers, have a yellow or pale green skin and can easily be mistaken for banana peppers, listed above. However, they’re exponentially hotter, so make sure you know which one you’re dealing with. Hot wax peppers are usually eaten fresh or pickled, and are used to season sauces, soups, and stews.
Scoville Rating: 5,000 – 15,000

Serrano peppers, with their smooth and gloss dark green skin, are a slightly smaller version of a jalapeño, and almost as popular. They are good roasted, and are most often used in sauces, salsas, and as a garnish.
Scoville Rating: 6,000 – 23,000

Hot Peppers

Bahamian peppers, about an inch long, are shaped somewhat like old-fashioned Christmas tree lights. They can be harvested when unripe and green or fully ripe and bright red, and also come shades of orange and bright yellow. Unlike most peppers, which hang from their stems, Bahamian peppers grow in upright clusters, with their pointed tips in the air.
Scoville Rating: 95,000 – 110,000

Carolina Cayenne peppers, developed at Clemson University, they are resistant to a particular crop-destroying nematode. Long, thin, and bright red, the Carolina cayenne is related to – and closely resembles – the cayenne that’s dried and ground into spice. Be sure you know which kind of cayenne pepper you have, though, as a Carolina cayenne is more than twice as hot as a regular cayenne.
Scoville Rating: 100,000 – 125,000

Jamaican peppers are shaped somewhat like the Scotch bonnet, below, except that instead of wearing a Scottish tam, the Jamaican pepper wears a Hamburg-style hat with a crown and a brim. The varieties with the most heat are the hot red and yellow varieties, while another variety, that ranges from purple to chocolate brown, are a bit milder.
Scoville Rating: 100,000 – 200,000

Bird’s Eye peppers originated in Guyana, but are now widely grown across Africa, India, and Thailand. This can lead to a great deal of confusion, as what’s labeled a “Thai pepper” may be the hot bird’s eye or a milder pepper, while in Africa, the pepper also goes by the name of piri piri. The pepper’s name was inspired by its size – at just an inch or so in length, this pepper packs a lot of heat per square inch.
Scoville Rating: 100,000 – 225,000

Super Hot Peppers

Scotch bonnet peppers look like cherry tomatoes wearing over-sized tam o’shanters. At maturity, Scotch bonnets are yellow, orange, or bright red. They’re popular throughout the Caribbean, and flavor many marinades and jerk dishes.
Scoville Rating: 100,000 – 325,000

Photo Credit: Notes on the Menu

Habanero peppers are named for a city of Havana, which was once their chief trading port. Measuring from one to two inches in size, it resembles a small jalapeño or bell pepper that someone has pinched and left dents in. Colors range from light orange to deep orange to fiery red. Over the years, increasingly hotter strains of habaneros have been bred, and their Scoville rating was recently expanded from an upper limit of 350,000 to the eye-popping number below.
Scoville Rating: 80,000 – 600,000

Volcanic Peppers

Bhut Jolokia peppers, native to northeast India, are also grown in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. They are also known as ghost peppers because the name translates to “ghost cobra,” and the peppers are used in India to keep elephants from tramping through fields. The pepper is roughly the size and shape of a jalapeño, but with a thin skin that, when ripe and red, is noticeably wrinkled.
Twice as hot as the hottest habanero, the bhut jolokia is frequently listed as the world’s hottest pepper.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000 and up

Pepper Rx

It happens to every pepper lover at one time or another – you take a bite and suddenly your eyes are watering, your mouth is on fire, and you’re breaking out in a sweat. Instead of reaching for a glass of ice water, have some slices of raw apple on hand. They’re a much better way to cool the flames than ice water.

The post From Mildest to Hottest: A Guide to Peppers appeared first on ForknPlate.

Sometimes you just want a good ‘ol classic Margarita. My go-to recipe is fresh and bright and one you should definitely have under your belt as a home bartender. The best margaritas are made with fresh lime juice guys, so don’t grab that store-bought stuff! Squeeze your own: it’s totally worth the extra effort! This cocktail is made with a blanco tequila but feel free to swap it out and use YOUR favorite.

Recipe
1.5 oz Tequila
1.2 oz Cointreau
1/4 oz Agave Nectar
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
Lime Garnish and Salt Rim (optional)

How to Make
Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker
Fill with ice
Shake (about 10 seconds)
Strain into ice filled, salt-rimmed glasses

Enjoy!

Hope ya’ll like this recipe…it’s super easy and classic!

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Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or just looking to stock up your bar cart, knowing different types of glassware can help make you appear like a savvy cocktail expert. But types of cocktail glasses aren’t just for show. Different glasses are shaped in different ways to accommodate things like beverage temperature. For instance, glasses with stems are meant for drinks like red wine to prevent your hand from warming the glass or highball glasses are meant for layers of ice to cool the drink quickly.

Using this guide to drinking glassware from Invaluable you can figure out exactly which glass to use for whatever cocktail or drink you’re pouring.  Whether someone asks for a beer or a Gin Fizz, you’ll never doubt yourself again. Plus, it’s a great way to see just what glassware you still need to add to your collection if anything else!

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No matter how many times I’ve made meatballs in my lifetime for some reason I can’t ever get them to taste like my Grandmother’s. Maybe its just the love that she put into them or just the fact that they were made by an ACTUAL Italian Grandma. That being said I decided to turn to the closest person I know to an Italian Grandmother; my longtime friend, Chef Michele Ragussis (she’s going to kill me when she reads this haha).

A few weekends back on a frosty winter day I was craving a pot of warm meatballs but was too lazy to make them myself. What does one do? Well, I am lucky enough to have the luxury of being friends with a talented old school Italian chef so I sent her an “SOS; I need meatballs” text. She agreed to share some of her family secrets and techniques and it seemed I couldn’t get over to her place quick enough! Chef Michele Ragussis has been rolling meatballs almost longer than I’ve been alive (haha, again, going to KILL ME). Her Italian roots and passion for cooking have played a huge role in putting her meatballs at the top of anybody’s favorites list and it’s quite interesting to see her family styles and traditions. Here are some of the tips she shared with me that have upped my meatball making game tremendously. Just thought I’d share.

1. Don’t focus so much on the measurements but focus more on meat quality and fat content.
2. Cheese quality is also very important. This is a bit more costly but makes a huge difference. Chef Michele uses a good quality parmesan Reggiano cheese.
3. Switch out breadcrumbs for bread chunks soaked in whole milk. Helps keep the moisture in the meat. Make sure to squeeze out excess milk before adding to the meat mixture.
4. Always use fresh herbs. Never dried herbs.
5. 1 egg per 2lbs of meat.
6. Season your mixture really well with salt and pepper.
7. BEFORE you roll ALL your meatballs, roll one and cook it to test for seasoning. It’s never the same seasoning after the fact.

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As most of you know, Kristin and I have recently made the move slightly upstate in the Hudson Valley. We are doing some house flipping, exploring and self-reflection. Since the move, we’ve nailed down so many of our favorite local eating and drinking spots.  All my NYC friends have been asking for the low-down on the food scene throughout the Hudson Valley, so I thought I’d stick a list together of a few places worth stopping into. I’m going to begin with the City of Poughkeepsie because it’s probably the least expected location and we actually where we chose to invest in as well. Each post I’ll pick a new spot within 90 miles of NYC and share our experiences.

Poughkeepsie has always gotten a bad rap. In previous years, it’s become infamous for its high crime rates, shootings and drugs. Putting all of that aside, in recent years, Poughkeepsie, which is also known as the Queen City is seemingly attempting to clean up its act. Since we bought a home here we’ve seen all types of new businesses pop up and there are apparently more on the horizon. As some of you NYC peeps know, it’s the last stop on the Metro North , Hudson-line train from Grand Central Station. So come on up; it’s a very exciting time for Poughkeepsie!

Noteworthy Poughkeepsie, N.Y. spots to check out!

Pizza (and Cocktails) – Lolita’s Pizza

We can’t really say enough about this place. Its crave worthy, Neapolitan-style pizzas are always hot and delicious. They also have some incredible pasta dishes worth trying. We’ve never been disappointed. They have inventive cocktails and, in our humble opinion, probably some of the best we’ve stumbled upon in the area so far. Tim Dooley, is the talented mad scientist behind the cocktails and you can find him behind the bar shaking up well-balanced creative libations. The front of the house staff is always completely sweet and attentive. We’ve also been lucky enough to meet their Chef Craig Carpano, who is also quite the talent. This is not just any ordinary pizza place. These guys are really doing some cooking and throwing down over there. So, if you make it to Poughkeepsie put this at the top of your list. Just an added bonus this place is at the entrance to the Walkway-Over-the-Hudson, so you can walk off all the calories.

Coffee – Poughkeepsie Grind

We are utterly thankful for this husband and wife team caffeinating the city. This is the kind of place you can go into with your PJs on and not get judged (I’ve done this). They normally offer two different daily roasts, both always good. If you fancy lattes or cappuccinos they also have you covered. Added bonus: their food is also really great. They have sandwiches, salads and the best dang homemade waffles we’ve ever had. You can now get a pre-made packaged waffle mix to make at home! Make you slap your grandma good.

Sandwiches – Rossi’s

I hope most of you have heard of the voted best sandwich in New York STATE. Yup, thats right! We actually bought our current property based on the walkability to this old-school, family run Italian Deli. No shame. A huge reason this sandwich is such a standout is their homemade focaccia bread. You can walk by this place and smell the bread baking in the morning! It’s quite the vessel for their imports Italian meat mix. This place is legendary and if you do nothing else in Poughkeepsie come here and get one of these sandwiches. 

Tacos – La Cabanita

If you want a killer mezcal selection and some authentic Oaxacan food, this is your spot. They converted an old historic church into this Oaxacan-eatery so it’s full of history and quite beautiful. We were told they make their chorizo in-house so, naturally, we had the chorizo tacos and a mezcalita and we absolutely loved them. This spot is worth a stop.

Beer – King’s Court Brewery

We had to add more booze to this list. King’s court has been our local favorite in old revitalized hotel. This brewery offers IPAs and sours with unique spins. I’m personally an imperial amber ale gal and I can get one of these here also! Every week you can try something new which is why we love this place the most. We also get a kick out of the creative names and artwork on the cans PLUS bring the pups by! Cheers!

These are only a few of the places that we’ve fallen in love with. We intend to add to this list as more places open up in the area so check back for new stuff! If you like this please give it a share and if you don’t you can follow me on Instagram and tell me about why.

Thanks!

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