Reinwald's Bakery Newsletter
Love is in the air...
and football of course!
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Reinwald's Bakery has 2 Certified Master Bakers, A Certified Decorator, 2 culinary school graduates and 4 generations of baking knowledge. Questions on ingredients, methods and general food knowledge are welcome.
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Greetings!
Finally February! While I generally feel the days speed by,
January is the exception. After the hustle and bustle of the holidays January
is too rapid of a deceleration. Regular customers often say, "Oh, I have to
stay away from the bakery because I have to lose weight." Of course, as the
bakery owner I cringe when I hear this, but the reality should be that the
bakery can be part of a healthy lifestyle and losing weight.
Several years ago Carole and I were planning a quite active
trip to Machu Picchu, Peru and I resolved to get in
shape. My son Thomas, a former wrestler said, "Dad, weight loss is easy; eat
less, exercise more." While true, anyone over 50 knows that is not the entire
solution.
I looked at many diet plans and books that left me feeling
depressed and unsatisfied. Then I saw a book called The Sonoma Diet by
Connie Guttersen, R.D., P.H.D. that recommended a diet which stressed eating as
opposed to fasting. She stressed eating a well rounded diet that lets you enjoy
good food and leaves you satisfied. Honestly, she recommends avoiding sweets
and fats, however the central point of the book is to create an enjoyable
lifestyle that after an initial weight loss will maintain good overall health. She
advocates adding whole grains to your diet and allows for occasional sweets
that makes life special. The results for me were a loss of 30 pounds. I
followed my son's advice and increased my activity level, but I also had
dessert twice a week.
With obesity and diabetes being so prominent in the
headlines the cliché of, "you are what you eat" is becoming more and more true.
I read a book recently called In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. It
advocates eating real food with a minimum amount of processing. Pollan feels
that eating real food allows your metabolism to work the way it was designed. Reinwald's
Bakery takes raw ingredients and makes all our products right here in Huntington. We don't use
high fructose corn syrup. We've eliminated the use of shortenings with trans fats
(except for our doughnuts) and we do not use any food additives. Some products
that we buy contain preservatives but we are constantly looking for fresher and
less processed ingredients. If you have an opinion about this we would love to
hear from you, feel free to reply to any of our emails!
Sincerely,
Rich Reinwald
Reinwald's Bakery |
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How It's Made: Brioche
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It is a breakfast item that makes it's way to the dinner
table. It is a sweet bun that wants to be a croissant. It is a plain roll that is
surprisingly special. This roll seems to have a delicious identity crisis. Brioche comes in many sizes shapes and
varieties, all with one clear similarity, deliciousness! Many people have never
heard of this French style sweet bread; what a shame! It is time that we let
them know what this slightly sweet, buttery, pastry-like delight is all about.
Although you may see it in a bread basket next to other
rolls on the dinner or breakfast table, don't be fooled Brioche is smarter than
your average bread. It is a special dough made through extra special processes
that give the finished product the unique flavor and texture. Making brioche is
a two day process, and not an easy one at that.
First it is time to mix the dough. It is extremely important
that this is done while the wet ingredients are cold. Mixing flour, water,
sugar, eggs, salt and yeast together into a fully developed dough starts the
process. A developed dough means that the gluten in the dough has fully
developed creating a strong dough which should be able to stretch out until
almost transparent without tearing. Developed
gluten will trap gases created when the yeast ferments the sugar in the dough
causing it to rise. It also helps to hold the structure of the finished, baked
product.
Once the dough is developed cold butter is slowly incorporated
to just the right degree. The dough is set aside and brought up to room
temperature allowing for preliminary fermentation. The dough is punched to
eliminate gases and add to the texture. The dough then gets a cold night's rest
in the refrigerator.
The next day it is time for shapin' and bakin'. Nothing
about this thing is ordinary so why stop now? Traditional Brioche has a funny
shape. Baked in a cup with a little knob on top of the roll, you can't mistake
it. At this point you can add pretty much anything to the dough, we make three
varieties; plain, chocolate chip and cranberry. They are baked in their cups until
the crust is golden brown and sprinkled with crystal sugar. Amazingly, with all
of the rich ingredients and handling of the dough, the finished product has a
light texture.
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From the Reinwald Home Kitchen
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Shrimp and Pasta Primavera
This is a quick and easy recipe for Valentine's Day. You can use either fresh or frozen precooked shrimp. If you decide to use fresh shrimp there are three very good fish markets in Huntington and many more throughout Long Island.
Marty's Gourmet Seafood
266 New York Ave
Huntington, NY 11743
(631) 673-1888
Jeff's Seafood
170 New York Avenue
Halesite, NY 11743-2796
(631) 427-5120
Fort Hill Seafood
113 E. Main Street
Huntington, NY 11743
(631) 427-2444
Ingredients:
 4 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups. milk
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
12 shrimp
2 c. broccoli, chopped
1 med. onion, sliced
1/2 red sweet bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, julienne cut
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
1 pound cooked pasta
Salt and pepper
Fresh parsley
Method:
In a sauce pan melt you butter,
add flour and stir to a roux. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium low heat
stirring often so not to burn it. Slowly whisk in the milk until combined well.
Continue stirring until mixture begins to thicken slightly. Stir in the swiss
cheese and remove from heat.
Spray another skillet with non-stick spray or a light
coating of vegetable oil and sauté shrimp for about 3 minutes on each side or
until they are opaque. Remove from skillet and set aside. In the same skillet,
add more spray or oil and the vegetables until they are cooked (I prefer a
little bite to the vegetables, but you may like them cooked through). Return
shrimp to pan with vegetables. Add salt, pepper and parsley. Pour sauce on top,
toss in the pasta and enjoy!
If you are using precooked shrimp flash heat
them in the skillet for a minute on each side.
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Things to do on Long Island
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It seems that February is a busy time on Long Island. With the Superbowl, Valentine's Day, President's Week, Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday all falling in February it is sure to be an exciting an interesting month. Here are some great local events that you might be interested in:
Valentine's Benefit Boutique - Huntington Station, Feb. 4-6
Victorian Valentine Workshop - Walt Whitman Historical Site, Feb. 6
Dinner and Dancing with the Rat Pack - Feb. 6
Long Island GreenFest - Farmingdale, Feb. 6-7
Long Island Career Fair - Melville, Feb. 8
Craft & Gift Show - Walt Whitman Mall & Smithaven Mall, Feb. 11-14
Tango from the Heart - Valentine's Day at The Heckscher - Huntington, Feb. 13
Lighthouses are for Lovers - Fire Island, Feb. 13
Fine Arts and Crafts Valentine's Day Spectacular - Tilles Center, C.W. Post, Feb. 13
Clemente: Hearts - Art Exhibit, Southampton, Feb. 14
Valentine Dinner - Vanderbilt Museum, Centerport, Feb. 14
Parading Down Main Street - Northport Historical Society, Feb. 21
24th Annual Cold Spring Harbor Antiques Show - CSH Fire Dept., Feb. 28
Events provided by ExploreLI.com and Lifeonlongisland.com.
If you have a local event that you would like us to feature please do not hesitate to let us know!
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Become a fan, stay connected.
Not a fan of Reinwald's Bakery on Facebook yet? What are you waiting for? Become a fan to check out some of the fun things on the page, post pictures and comments, we would love to hear from you! Already a fan? Great, You can help! Visit facebook.com/reinwaldsbakery and click share on the bottom left corner of the page to suggest us to your friends. While your on the page let us know what your planning for Valentine's Day or Superbowl Sunday! |
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