Thursday December 22, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday December 23, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday December 24, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Our Last Event is coming up THIS Saturday!!

Order a new Chef Jacket during the Chef Revival Event and get ONE LINE OF EMBROIDERY FREE!

A great gift idea for the Professional or home Chef!

Order a new chef jacket and get one free line of embroidery on each jacket when purchased during the Chef Revival event day at Surfas Saturday, December 3rd from 9-5pm.

Order your jacket from specially selected styles including many great new colors, styles and fabrics available only for this special event. Place your order at Surfas and it will be custom embroidered at the factory then drop shipped directly to your home or business. Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.

Could it be any easier?

You know you always wanted to try it. The rumors of extraordinarily moist birds taking a fraction of the time of a roasted bird are true. Originally a Southern tradition frying yields perfectly flavored incredibly savory turkeys. Add a brine and Spice rub and you have the perfect turkey.

Smaller turkeys are best for frying whole and our 35 quart fryer with basket and hook is sized perfectly for a 8-12lb turkey. For larger turkeys separate breast and Leg/thigh and fry separately.

We think once you fry, you may never roast again!

Purchase the turkey fryer in store, or online at CulinaryDistrict.com!

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Surfas Customer Service

To love chocolate is to love Valrhona.

Considered to be the best chocolate in the world, Valrhona has a line of impressive chocolates suited for every use and palate. From mellow and caramel-like milk chocolates to bold and complex dark chocolates Valrhona represents the pinnacle of chocolate making.

With one of the broadest selections of Valrhona available in a brick and mortar location, Surfas is the perfect place to find the perfect Valrhona chocolate for your next choco-project. Ask an associate for help or check out our Valrhona Cheat Sheet to help you decide.

Shop Valrhona products in store, or online at CulinaryDistrict.com

Smoked Basmati Rice

1 cup smoked basmati rice
1 ½ cup water
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons butter or ghee

- Bring water, salt and butter to a boil over medium heat

- Add rice and return to boil

- Cover and reduce heat to low

- Cook for 20 minutes without removing cover or stirring

- Remove from heat and fluff rice with fork.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!

Cool weather begs for hot filling soups. This week our soup pots are filled with Paris Bistro Bean Soup. Paris Bistro Beans are a longtime favorite of Surfas customers  and makes a delicious vegetarian potage.

For meat lovers, add cooked sausage.

Here’s an easy recipe that’s also a Surfas favorite!

Ingredients:
Olive Oil about 4 tablespoons
1/2  medium onion- diced
1 carrot-diced
2 stalks celery- diced (with leaves- chopped)
One 1-lb. bag Surfas Bistro Beans
2 quarts vegetable stock
1 Bay leaf
Sprig Thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:

1. Put olive oil in a heavy bottomed 4 quart soup pot. Place on medium heat until oil is hot but not smoking.

2. Add carrots, onion, celery and celery leaves; sauté until onion begins to turn translucent.

3. Add stock and beans. Season water with salt and pepper (to taste). Bring to a simmer and cook until beans are tender, about 60 minutes.

4. Taste. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Note: Some of the beans in the Paris Bistro Soup will disintegrate into a creamy texture while other types will retain their shape.  The soup is ready to serve when the firmer beans are tender and the softer beans have disintegrated to a creamy hearty texture.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!

This week we are shouting out some wonderful tools that are essential in every kitchen:

Ceramic Pie weights-
For blind baking single crust pies, ceramic pie weights. Ultimately superior to beans or rice they allow better heat circulation for a better crust.
http://www.culinarydistrict.com/Welcome/PIE-WEIGHTS-CERAMIC-1-1-4-lb

Pie Server-
Please treat your pie with care and get rid of the big spatula! Use a pie server! Shaped to remove slices beautifully with a minimum of pie-battery!
http://www.culinarydistrict.com/Products/Banquet/PIE-SERVER-WOOD-HANDLE

Apple Corer-
The faster you core the apples, the sooner to eat the pie. With a good, solid nylon grip this apple corer get the work done, fast!
http://www.culinarydistrict.com/Products/Peelers-Corers/Victorinox-Apple-Corer-3-1-2

Serrated peeler-
Speaking of fast- when you really need to get some peeling done a serrated blade whips through the bushels of apples (or potatoes or squash) like a super hero.
http://www.culinarydistrict.com/Products/Peelers-Corers/PEELER-SERRATED-STRAIGHT

A kitchen staple in Middle East kitchens, Persian Pomegranate Paste is an important ingredient in many of the fragrant stews or Khoresh in the area. With an intense fruity, slightly sour berry like flavor it pair deliciously with the richness of duck, carrots and onions.

Riffing on exotic flavors of saffron and cinnamon we came up with this very easy recipe using Persian Pomegranate Paste. It is great on top of a mound of crisp, buttery Persian rice and braised chard.

Dish up a plate and enjoy with a glass of Mourvedre or Zinfandel.

Duck Breast with Pomegranate Paste and Saffron  Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 2 small onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 pound boneless duck breast
• 2 large carrots cut into thin strips
• 1/2 pound shelled walnuts, toasted and ground finely in food processor
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup pomegranate paste diluted in 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron threads, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water (optional)

GARNISH

• 1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

Preparation

1. In a medium stainless skillet heat ghee over medium heat until very hot but not smoking
2. Salt duck breast and put breast hot pan skin side down. Sear until skin turns golden brown.
3. Remove breast from pan, cover with foil to keep warm and set aside.
4. Add onions and carrot strips to hot pan. Stir fry about 5 minutes scraping pan to lift brown bits and onions become translucent.
5. Add water to pan
6. Mix ground walnuts, salt, pomegranate paste, sugar, cinnamon and saffron water to create a smooth, creamy sauce. Add to pan and bring to simmer.
7. Return duck breast to pan with sauce, cover and simmer over low heat until internal temperature of duck reaches 122-130 degrees for rare to medium rare. Stir occasionally to prevent nuts from burning.
8. Taste sauce and adjust for seasoning and thickness. It should be sweet and sour and the consistency of heavy cream. Add diluted pomegranate paste for sourness or sugar for sweetness. If the sauce is too thick, thin with warm water if too thin reduce.
9. Slice breast and serve slices of duck breast over hot over crispy Persian style buttered rice and drizzle with sauce.

Delicious paired with braised chard or kale.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!

Halloween is extremely scary! The only thing we find that begins to relieve the extreme fright of the season is sugar cookies (and maybe chocolate). We love them in the spooky shapes of the season- bats, witches hats, ghosts and pumpkins. Decorate them with royal icing colored with Gel Paste, sprinkled with sanding sugars and you’re set for the season (just don’t look in the basement!)

Easy recipe for Royal Icing:http://www.culinarydistrict.com/Products/Herbs-Spices/Premium-Meringue-Powder-1-lb

Gel Paste: http://www.culinarydistrict.com/Search?search=gel+paste

Sanding Sugar: http://www.culinarydistrict.com/Search?search=sanding+sugar

Here is a great recipe for Sugar Cookies that works particularly well for cut out cookies:

Sugar Cookies-
with thanks to Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!