SurfSide Chicken, YUM

I hope to have this blog site for years to come and if you did a word search for common words/terms, I hope “authentic” will be a top hit. Authentic was the first and last word to come to mind as I ate a delicious lunch at SurfSide Chicken in Rehoboth, DE. Located down the strip from Midway Movies on Rt. 1, SurfSide Chicken opened up in July 07, this past summer.

The chicken is outstanding. Here is why…..

Pollo A La Brasa is authentic Peruvian Style Charcoal Rotisserie Chicken…it is marinated for at least 24 hours in a “guarded” recipe handed down from generations in Lima, Peru. Although the chicken itself can stand alone, there are two, daily fresh-made sauces to accompany the bird….one is an egg-based light and creamy dipping sauce and the other is a fine blend of fresh jalapeños for a little kick in the chick. Saffron and corn rice, black beans, fries, plantains and such round out the side menu.

I hope people continue to try the food and support this joint….The next time you think about a quick rotisserie chicken from one of the fine super sized grocery stores in the area…go here instead! Support authentic fresh cooking and treat yourself and yours to awesome food.

Keep your eye on what they have going on as these young entrepreneurs have promised to deliver new Peruvian dishes to the Rehoboth palate.

The Southern Table

Frank Stitt published this cookbook in 2004. The Southern Table is one of my favorite cookbooks in my collection. I am sure there are plenty of foodies who still need to discover it and experiment with the recipes. I had the distinct privledge of discovering Southern cooking when I lived in Atlanta, GA and Birmingham, AL in the late 90’s. Sorry Atlanta…..when I moved to Birmingham is when I really discovered Southern cooking. Birmingham restaurants put shame Atlanta to shame for quality.

Frank Stitt is a chef who derives inspiration from the land….he respects the bounty and is a craftsman for the palate. As you read his words, you also feel how much he respects his staff and what Southern heritage brings to cooking. Chef Stitt did something for me I did not think possible, he made me appreciate grits. Do yourselves a favor and cook his Baked Grits recipe.

Uh huh Shun

Shun Classic U2(Ultimate Utility) Knife

Uh huh. Call it love. This knife is da’ bomb in the kitchen and is the quintessential sandwich knife. As a matter of fact, even though the knife is labeled “utility” for shopping classification, “sandwich” is the name on the knife itself. Serrated and built like a spreader, you can do it all to create every facet of a sandwich or salad. Oh, and it is just plain sexy, both in looks and feel!

Seasonal Pick: Cranberries

Childhood memories of cranberries tell me a good cran-experience only came on Thanksgiving. I must confess I believed cranberries came from a can. Here’s my visual: ridges, circling a jiggly perfectly cylinder shaped mound… to me, the sight of that thing actually made me taste metal. Of course, it was ok on my squishy white bread turkey sandwich with mayo, salt and pepper around 8pm that night. Not only acceptable, but necessary!

My respect for the cranberry has grown. Now, at 38, I try to remember they are good for my urinary tract. On top of that, apparently some current studies implicate they may have benefits/prevention of things like heart disease, stomach ulcers and dental plaque. Yep, that whole list is on my radar these days. And, if I am going to be able to keep eating my annual sandwich at 8pm at night, I gotta keep the system a bit cleaner.

Well, it is time to think of new ways to incorporate the tasty little fresh guys into home menus. Let me know if you have a good cran-experience to share!

Cranberry Orange Bliss

This is another recipe that I’ve used and it’s also good. I served this in a hollowed out orange.

Makes 3 cups

1 lb. fresh cranberries
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 lg. oranges, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 T fine minced fresh ginger/ 1 t ginger powder
1 T honey
pinch kosher salt
juice of 1 juicy lemon

Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Cover and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 or 4 hours. Serve hot or cold. Also good on sandwiches with turkey and stuffing.

Modified, shared by Betty Waldron

Grandma’s Cranberry Sauce

This is the recipe from my Grandmothers cookbook. It’s pretty basic, but good.

Old Fashioned Cranberry Sauce

Makes 8 cups

4 cups sugar
2 cups water
8 cups (2 lbs.) washed fresh cranberries
Heat sugar and water to boiling in large saucepan; add cranberries; bring to boil; lower heat and simmer 5 minutes, or until skins pop open. Let stand, without stirring, until cold.

Shared by Betty Waldron

The McQuay’s Market Story, as told by Bill McQuay Jr.

When I first started at the Market, I could sense a lot of history. The Fates sent a visitor to the store one day. Van, the current owner, my boss, was working and I was just passing by. Our visitor turned out to be Bill McQuay Jr. The following was a story he passed along via email after his visit. Here goes:

MCQUAY’S MARKET

McQuay’s Market was the continuation of Rehoboth Market which was located in the 100 block of South First Street. Rehoboth Market was conceived as a plan by Butch McQuay with a lease in the winter of 1937. It opened as a butcher shop in the summer of 1938. As to be expected, money was a problem. Alice, Butch’s wife opened a boarding house on Maryland Ave to help the cash flow problem. The butcher shop became a full blown grocery store for the same reason. The shelves in the store were stocked by the wholesaler that would give Butch the longest time to pay. So you may understand about the times, the first telephone number was 80. Then the telephone company became fancy and the number became 2211 during the war.

When the war started, meat was hard to find. A slaughter house was built and meat was easier to get. A small chicken farm was rented and chickens were raised. The next big venture was frozen foods because a large freezer became available and frozen foods were the up and coming thing.

By 1945 Butch had made money and winters in Rehoboth were too quiet so he went to Pompano Beach Florida, a sleepy little farming community with the world’s largest produce market. The market was about ½ mile long and the width of a football field. Pompano, located half way between Miami and West Palm Beach, had a surplus of produce and a shortage of new cars and the north had the opposite problems, so Butch stepped in to make more money. During this time Rehoboth Market was maintained open by an employee and a trend was started. Rehoboth Market was never closed. It was open 365 days of the year. Christmas morning the store opened late, but that was all.

Finally Butch got caught with too many pineapples and a frost that almost wiped him out. Rehoboth Market had to be sold. The present location was bought in 1946 or 1947 and the roof raised to make an apartment over the store. This was the start of McQuay’s Market on Rehoboth Ave across from the ice house. Alice, Beatrice, William Jr, and John all put their time in the store, in one position or another. A Sealtest Dairy distributorship was started which did well but hired help was still a problem. Seafood was a natural and Butch started steaming lobsters for the summer people who did not have the facilities to do their own steaming. There was no additional cost to the customer.

A liquor license was obtained to help the winter cash flow. Butch did well with this venture. As you may have realized, Butch was a very good butcher, but he was first and foremost a salesman. He died in the manner that he wanted. He drove up to the store, got out of the car, and had a major stroke. Active to the end. As a result of his stroke, the store was closed by family. When Butch learned of this, he died.

Now I know why I feel some history…..

Fall Mums

Gorgeous color for mums this season, don’t you think?

Words To Live By

Comfort, ease, efficiency and economy are wonderful things in most cases, but their effect on cooking has been devastating.
~ Russ Parsons

How to Pick a Peach, The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table

Check out the author!

Pumpkin Chunkin

In Delaware, this is tradition. This is phenomenon. There is even a fabulous PBS documentary out there…I think CBS Sunday Morning even did a thing on it….yep, how far you can chunk a pumpkin in a device you spent all year makin’ is a big thing. Delaware is proud and they should be!

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