Cleveland's Famous

This is great story, and timely with the beginning of baseball season. We have all had a frank, pretzel and Cracker Jack. But add baseball at your home stadium and you have a memory for a lifetime. So what is it that makes that unforgettable experience? I have great memories of my Dad and I at Yankee Stadium. That is reason enough. But yes, that frank tasted great, a flavor you can't quite replicate at home. I am not sure that Bertman Ball Park Mustard graced the top of my frank, but for all the lucky kids in Cleveland, Ohio there is great history and heart behind the golden condiment pumped on their ball park frank. 

Three generations of Bertmans have been making their secret recipe Ball Park Mustard for Cleveland's ball park. Their grandfather developed this great product in his garage the 1920s and the rest is history. So if you attend a game at Progressive Field, the home of the Indians, get a frank or pretzel and top it with Original Bertman Mustard. And - don't forget Dad.

Picnic Ham

Since the early 1900s, American's proclaimed corned beef and cabbage to be their favorite Irish dish, even though it really never have graced dinner tables in Ireland. Since then, Americans has embraced it as the meal of choice for St. Patrick's Day, March 17. Corned beef got its name before refrigeration, when meat was preserved using coarse grains of salt, called 'corn'. Today, beef is corned with spices strictly for flavor, not for preservation, so the meat must be refrigerated. Whether you're a wee bit Irish or not, boost your luck by celebrating St. Patrick's Day with friends and a feast. 

Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

The Original Flavor

What is the first sign of spring to you? Daffodils, birds singing, or is it the return of Major League Baseball? If it’s baseball, then that means there’s a seventh inning stretch with the legendary song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (by Jack Norworth 1908) accompanied by consumption of one of America’s oldest snacks. The popularity of that song, still sung today, with the line “buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack” will be heard throughout baseball stadiums in America this month.

But Cracker Jack is so much more than candy caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts. There is also that special little surprise in each box which still brings smiles to faces on kids of all ages. Did you know these one-of-a-kind prizes are sought after by collectors fetching north of 50k dollars? Hey that’s cool! - which by the way is the meaning behind the term ‘Cracker Jack’ in the 1890’s. I do think the name Cracker Jack is fitting, somehow ‘Cool Jack’ just doesn't have the same ring.

Watch this classic TV commercial from the 1960’s featuring Jack Gilford.

Pierre Ferrand: Plantation Rum

It' a perfect marriage between well-aged Cognac Ferrand oak casks, artisanal rum and France. And it makes perfect sense. Ferrand has supplied Caribbean rum producers with their coveted cognac casks for years. So why not combine the art, resources and passion to create a collection of the best rum and present it to market. Keep in mind this is the same house whose Collection Privee 1914 demands $1500. The Plantation Rum Collection consists of a range of ten of the finest English style, Spanish-style and Rhum agricole rums, from $40. Did I mention double aged? After the rum has aged in the ideal climactic setting of the caribbean the rum casks are shipped to France to age some more, 18th century style at Cognac Ferrand's Chateau de Bonbonet for an exceptional finish. Santé.

A Fruit or A Vegetable?

Yes, Rhubarb is a tart vegetable used to make tasty desserts and sauces. The mere use of the word rhubarb can have many meanings when not presented on a menu:

• A bench-clearing brawl in baseball
• A hubbub or irrelevant chatter
• A Rhubarb Patch as describing the Brooklyn Dodgers Ebbits Field
• “Out in the rhubarb patch”, meaning out in a far off area

Here’s an easier to swallow meaning. . .This recipe is always a crowd pleaser and that's no bunch of rhubarb.

Rhubarb Crisp | chefgeorgehirsch.com

recipe by George Hirsch | Makes 4-6 servings

4-6 cups rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
juice from one orange
1 Tablespoon orange zest, finely grated
1 cup Turbino sugar (sugar in the raw)
3/4 cup flour

Cover rhubarb with half of the sugar (1/2 cup sugar), orange juice, zests and marinate 1 hour. Mix remaining sugar and flour together and combine with marinated rhubarb. Grease a 9 inch ovenproof casserole or several small individual ramekins; add marinated rhubarb and sugar flour mixture to greased baking dish.

For the topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon.
3/4 cup rolled oats (not instant oatmeal)
1/2 cup light brown sugar

Mix flour, butter, ground cinnamon until it makes a smooth pastry dough. Add oatmeal and brown sugar, crumble together and place on top of marinated rhubarb in baking dish. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until top is light brown, the top is crisp and rhubarb is tender. Serve warm with coffee ice cream.

Tip:
Mix apples, pears, peaches, plums or berries in with rhubarb for seasonal dessert variations. Mix in a hand full of pecans or walnuts for a crunchy addition.