VIDEO: How to Make Stuffed Squash for Thanksgiving

Barrington chef Erin Bailey shows us how to make this elegant and delicious dish for Thanksgiving dinner.

La Pomme de Pin at Home

VIDEO: Erin's Top Five Ways to Use Thanksgiving Leftovers

Chef Erin Bailey gives us recipes to use for all of those Thanksgiving leftovers.

Since Thanksgiving is one of those holidays where most families have their own special recipes, I thought I could offer a top five ways to use your leftovers.  #5: Turkey Sandwiches  Common, yes, but I like to serve them with a little bit of herbed cranberry mayonnaise.  ¼ cup prepared mayonnaise ¼ cup leftover cranberry sauce or cranberry relish 1 teaspoon chopped sage Mix ingredients until combined. Makes enough for four sandwiches #4: Potato Pancakes  These go well with beef tenderloin with a little horseradish or gorgonzola sauce.  2 cups leftover mashed potatoes 1 large egg, beaten lightly 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 1/2 tablespoons grated onion ¼ teaspoon sea salt dash ground nutmeg olive oil for frying the pancakes In a bowl …

• Videos (1)

La Pomme de Pin at Home

Chef Erin Bailey Cooks Up Dinner On Patch

Erin Bailey explains her culinary background, and shows us what to expect on La Pomme de Pin at Home.

Meet Chef Erin Bailey, the face of the weekly Barrington Patch feature, La Pomme de Pin at Home. The column will be a weekly resource about locally grown, organic foods and how to prepare them.   Bailey's background as a professionally trained chef and owner of La Pomme de Pin in Barrington will be a resource for residents who are looking for tips on spicing things up in the kitchen while keeping the ingredients close to home.  If you have cooking questions, or if you'd like to see a specific dish prepared on the column, please e-mail Barrington Patch Editor Morgan Delack at morgan@patch.com. We are looking forward to your feedback. Bon Appetit! 

•  7 Comments
• Videos (1)

La Pomme de Pin at Home

VIDEO: A Chef's Trick to Make Snap Peas Less Stringy

Chef Erin Bailey shows us her favorite tip to removing the stringy, pithy part of a sugar snap pea.

Sugar snap peas are one of the top five ingredients in season in Barrington this week.  You are probably familiar with them, but if you avoid using them because of the stringy, pithy part, I'll show you a trick.  To remove the stringy, pithy pieces, just break off the top of your bean and pull it down. If it becomes a problem, which sometimes in tender young peas it can, you can use a vegetable peeler.  Watch the video to see Erin's technique in removing the stringy part of the bean. Be sure to check out the top five ingredients in season in Barrington this week! 

• Videos (1)

La Pomme de Pin at Home

VIDEO: Cilantro Gives Flavor to Summer Foods

Chef Erin Bailey shows us how to use cilantro in a mouthwatering dish.

This week in my Community Supported Agriculture box, I received cilantro. We're finally into herb season.  Cilantro is also known as Coriander or Chinese Parsley. It's very common in Asian dishes and also in Latin American cuisine. You are probably familiar with cilantro, but what you might not know is that it's used a little bit differently than other herbs.  While with most herbs, we're mainly concerned with snipping off the leaves and discarding the stems, with cilantro, the stems are just as flavorful and easy to use.  Click here for one of Erin's favorite cilantro rice recipes. 

• Videos (1)

La Pomme de Pin at Home

VIDEO: Preparing Baby Greens

Baby greens require special care when washing and preparing them.

We're starting to see our baby greens come up this time of year. What I like to do when I harvest them is wash them and keep them in the refrigerator. They typically can wilt easily and they don't stay crisp.  This way, with a little bit of moisture, they will stay fresher for longer, but what's important is that when you wash them, you treat them gently and don't overcrowd your bowl.  One of my favorite ways to use baby greens is dressed with a buttermilk chive dressing, which you saw in our last segment of La Pomme de Pin at Home. Click here for instructions on how to make it. 

• Videos (1)

La Pomme de Pin at Home

VIDEO: Glazed Turnips Make Exciting Side Dish

Turnips are in season here in Barrington. Chef Erin Bailey teaches us how to glaze them in this week's video.

Turnips are in season here in Barrington from November through February. These root vegetables are fairly easy to prepare, and can be used in a variety of different ways. In today's video, Erin shows us how to glaze them to make a delicious side dish.  Glazed Turnips Serves 4 as a side dish 8 small turnips, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1/8ths 1 tsp salt 1 Tbs sugar 2 Tbs butter 2 cups water Place all ingredients in a sauté pan and simmer over medium heat, covered with parchment paper until soft and water has evaporated.  Toss and serve warm.

•  3 Comments
• Videos (1)

Erin Bailey

9:18 pm on Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Great question: The reason I use parchment paper is so that I can vent it, which is why I cut a hole in the middle. We want the water to evaporate, but not too quickly, which is why we cover it this way.   more ›

La Pomme de Pin at Home

VIDEO: Cooking with Sweet Potatoes

This root vegetable is often mistaken for a yam, and is loaded with vitamins.

In my CSA box this week, along with the other storage vegetables I received, I also got these sweet potatoes.   Sweet potatoes are often mistaken as yams, especially in the South. So, to my friends down in Atlanta, those yams you're buying are actually sweet potatoes and are incredibly good for you. They are loaded with vitamins A and C and are just as easy to prepare as a regular potato. In fact, one of my favorite ways to prepare them is to just peel them, cut them up and boil them in water to mash them.  To prepare your sweet potatoes for boiling, first you peel them.  Once they're peeled, we trim the ends and any spots that look deep and dark. Then we dice them up and put them in our pan. Next we are going to cover them with cold water…

• Videos (1)

La Pomme de Pin at Home

Secrets to Perfect Tart Dough

Chef Erin Bailey teaches us to make beautiful and tasty tart dough.

What I still remember from growing up is my grandmother's pies.  She used to serve a fruit pie after every meal. What I was too young to remember is that my great grandmother used to come for two weeks every summer and put up with my grandmother.  Aside from canning vegetables and fruits like the blueberries, cherries and apples for her pies, what they also did was make enough pie crusts for my grandmother's entertaining to last the whole year and put them in the freezer.   I know having a dinner party can be overwhelming, it can feel hectic and the last thing you can imagine is to make your own pie crust from scratch.  Especially since they are so accessible in the grocery store freezer.  Please don't do that! Instead, what I recommend …

•  2 Comments
• Videos (1)

Erin Bailey

9:24 pm on Wednesday, February 23, 2011

And this is why I married you, hubby :)   more ›

La Pomme de Pin at Home

VIDEO: Whip Up a Soufflé to Impress House Guests

A soufflé is a delicious and impressive dish that would be a great addition to New Year's Day brunch.

Tis the season for house guests, which for me means standing post in the kitchen for three meals a day. If the same goes for you, and you're looking for something new, why not try a soufflé? Soufflés can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, which is reason alone to learn how to make them and keep them in your back pocket. And before you say they're too intimidating, too difficult, I'm never going to try that, listen, they're not.  But they do require a little bit of elbow grease, which is sometimes what it takes to get the wow factor you're looking for.  To prepare a soufflé, what you'll need is a ramekin, a bowl for beating egg whites, a whisk, a wooden spoon, and a couple of sauce pans.  Our first step is to butter our …

• Videos (1)