Beacon of Light

georgehirsch May 27, 2024

Our nation's Beacon of Light honors those who serve and have served.

A National Historic Landmark, the Montauk Point Lighthouse is located on the easternmost point of Long Island, New York. It is the oldest lighthouse in New York State. The Second Congress, under President George Washington, authorized the Lighthouse in 1792. Construction began on June 7, 1796, and was completed on November 5, 1796.

This beacon and its military significance: Civilian keepers maintained the Lighthouse until World War ll when the U.S. Army took over as part of the Eastern Coastal Defense Shield. Adjacent to the Lighthouse, Camp Hero was opened by the Army in 1942 and was heavily fortified with massive guns during the war. Those gun emplacements and concrete observation bunkers are still visible as a reminder of our freedom due to the bravery of those who serve.

Never taking for granted the freedom and beauty of American shores, I have been drawn since I was a child to the Montauk Lighthouse's towering structure. Years ago, my culinary students won one of many gold medals in a culinary competition from the Société Culinaire Philanthropique for an all-Long Island theme submission in food and pastry based on local food and geography. Our table stood apart from the competition as the Lighthouse was replicated in pastillage sugar work.

Montauk, A symbol of great fishing, its beaches, and surfing, the Lighthouse has been featured in the opening of George Hirsch Lifestyle and several episodes of the TV series as a strong image of Long Island and our place in history. The Montauk Lighthouse has been part of Long Island's land and seascape for over 200 years and still serves as an active aid to navigation and a beacon of light to all who have served.

More Facts:

- Fourth oldest active lighthouse in the United States

- Foundation is 13'deep and 9' thick

- Constructed of sandstone blocks from Connecticut, 8" high and varying in length from 18" high to 44"

- The walls are 6' thick at the base, tapering to 3' thick at the top

- The height of the tower is 110' 6"

- There are 137 iron steps to the top of the tower

- The light flashes every 5 seconds and can be seen at a distance of 19 nautical miles

For more information and to visit the National Historic Landmark, the Montauk Point Lighthouse

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Whats a Scape? tune-in George Hirsch Lifestyle

George Hirsch May 14, 2024

Just in time for Spring! Hard Neck Garlic, grown in the northeast and featured on GHL from Quail Hill Farm, located on the East End of Long Island, is a green garlic-like scallion. Scapes are slim, bright-green, foot-long shoots with a curled top that new garlic bulbs send up in Spring. Crisp and flavor-packed with an onion garlic-like taste. The scape growing season is very short, so you need to be on the lookout when available in spring.

So what to do with a garlic scape? Use in the same manner as you would use garlic or green onions. Chop and toss into sautéed vegetables, sauces, and grilled seafood. And, my favorite is chopped and used for making pesto.

Garlic Scape Pesto from George Hirsch Lifestyle TV series

Garlic Scape Pesto

makes one cup

chefgeorgehirsch.com | as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle TV series

1 cup Garlic scapes, washed, dried, and chopped

1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, washed and dried

2 Tablespoons pine nuts, chopped

1 ice cube

3 Tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

3 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Place garlic, scapes, and pine nuts in a food processor. Puree gently. Add ice cubes and basil and slightly grind. Do not over-grind too long, or you will actually be cooking the tender leaves. Add the olive oil and cheese and process until it makes a paste. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Use for more than pasta. Scape pesto is a great addition to salad dressing, topping bruschetta, poultry, seafood, grilled seafood, and vegetables.

Tips:

- Use good quality extra virgin olive oil.

- Great make-ahead dish for a work-week dinner crunch. Simply make the pasta and toss in refrigerated pesto sauce, top with grated cheese.

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Ramping Up!

George Hirsch April 30, 2024

A ramp is one of the first green veggies to sprout up in springtime. It is also known as wild leek or spring onion, which is fitting since it adds a sweet onion and a bit of garlicky flavor to various dishes. Add ramps to pep up a dish; they are ideal for soups, eggs, potatoes, and seafood. One of my favorite ways to prepare a ramp is grilled, which brings out its natural sweetness. It is ideally served atop a grilled pizza.

The how-to is simple, Grilled Ramp: After cutting off the stem end, wash the whole ramps and dry them. Drizzle olive oil over the whites and greens, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and grill on high heat until lightly charred. Cool, then place on pizza before baking as you would add any topping.

Do you lack time to make the dough? Then, top with my easy Nann-style flatbread pizza recipe with grilled ramps. But I encourage you to make time and toss the dough on my flatbread pizzas, as seen on the George Hirsch Lifestyle TV series.

Grilled Three-Cheese Naan Pizza

Makes four appetizer servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

1 pre-baked Naan Bread Crust

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola

1/2 cup goat cheese or feta

6 fresh basil leaves, lightly torn

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat grill to medium or an oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush Naan on both sides with olive oil. Top Naan on one side with cheeses leaving a half-inch border around the crust. Place Naan on the grill's top shelf or bake on a pizza pan for about five minutes until the crust is crisp and the cheese is melted. Remove and top with fresh basil and pepper, and serve immediately.

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Banana Walnut Bread

George Hirsch April 24, 2024

I am a sucker for traditions, and banana bread is one of those desserts I look forward to making when I feel the need to relish the goodness of basic quick baking. It's the perfect time because I seem to have enough bananas in the freezer that always seem to go ripe overnight.

Tip: Ripe bananas (black) are the key to success. Save ripe bananas still in their skins and freeze them in a plastic freezer bag until you have enough to make a full recipe.

The crumble topping is optional. For a lower-fat Banana Bread recipe, replace butter in part or all with applesauce.

Banana Walnut Bread

Makes 1 loaf or 10-12 muffins

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

For the Crumb Topping:

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 Tablespoons walnuts or pecans, chopped

1 Tablespoon sweet butter

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts. Blend butter in with a fork until the mixture is crumb-like.

For the Loaf Mix:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups about 3-4 large very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup pure cane granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons honey

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 cup sweet butter, melted, Or replace with part/ all applesauce

Lightly grease the loaf pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. SEE DIRECTIONS BELOW

PBS George Hirsch's Oven Fried Chicken Video Recipe

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, honey, egg, cinnamon, vanilla, nuts, and melted butter. Fold in by hand with a spatula the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just moistened.

Place batter into loaf pan; and if using the optional crumb topping sprinkle on top of batter.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. Test with a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf. Done when it comes out clean.

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Easter Muffin

George Hirsch March 31, 2024

The Blueberry Muffin is the most popular muffin, and with Easter this weekend, my Blueberry Nut Muffins are ideal to serve for breakfast or include in your Easter Brunch. Make-n-bake in under an hour.

No sweat if fresh blueberries are in season in your neighborhood; a good quality frozen berry will do just fine.

Tip: Stock up your freezer with extra blueberries for recipes like this. Store whole fresh berries in sealed plastic storage bags for up to six months.

Tip: Did you know that tossing blueberries with flour before adding them to the batter will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin during baking?

Blueberry Nut Muffins

Recipe by George Hirsch | Makes 10-12 muffins

For the topping:

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 Tablespoons nuts, walnuts, or pecans, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

1 Tablespoon sweet butter

Mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts in a small bowl. Blend butter in with a fork until the mixture is crumb-like.

For the muffin mix:

1/2 cup sweet butter, room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon flour for coating blueberries, plus greasing muffin cups

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup pure cane granulated sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 cup milk

Grease a regular-size 12-cup muffin pan with butter and dust with flour, banging out excess flour, or use muffin cup liners.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, use a mixer to cream butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla and orange zest to beaten eggs, then add eggs one at a time, mixing until eggs are absorbed.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and milk in three stages, mixing until all are incorporated. Do not overmix.

Toss blueberries in a fine strainer with about one Tablespoon of flour to lightly coat. Using a rubber spatula, fold in 1 1/2 cups of the blueberries. Place batter into muffin cups with an ice cream scoop or large spoon, filling each cup to three-quarters full. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries on top of the muffins and divide the crumb topping over the muffins.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until muffins are golden brown. Check muffins halfway through and rotate if the oven temperature is uneven. Test with a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin; it should come out clean, or when touched lightly, the muffin should have a slight resistance to finger pressure.

Remove from oven and allow muffins to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from pan.