Foodies

Sourdough Success

by Julia Bruce

In the spring of 2020, Jennifer Balin was running her wildly successful restaurant Sugar and Olives, when COVID-19 shut everything down. With time on her hands, she—like many other people—experimented with sourdough. She started baking as many as three loaves a day, mailing her bread to friends and family around the country. After mastering bread, Balin set her sights on making bagels. “I always love a challenge,” she said. Through trial and error, Balin perfected her creation. News of her delicious sourdough bagels spread through social media and by word of mouth. “Once orders started multiplying, I decided to go all in on the bagels,” she said. This started the birth of Badass Bagels. The process of making the bagels is an intensive labor of love. First, the starter needs to be fed and active. The starter is then mixed with flour and water to form a levain, which acts as a natural leavening agent—a substance that causes expansion of dough by the release of gases, producing baked products with porous structure. After time to rise, the dough is then shaped, boiled, topped, and baked. “The whole process takes about four days and is very precise,” Balin said. She is grateful for a cast of loyal workers by her side in the kitchen. The resulting bagels have a light crunch on the outside but are airy and chewy, with a slight tang on the inside. Currently, there are nine varieties including golden sesame, black sesame, poppy, smoked sea salt, everything, pumpernickel, cinnamon raisin, and plain. Gluten-free bagels made from white and brown rice flour are also available.

Uniquely flavored cream cheeses, such as pimento scallion or smoky black garlic, are made in-house. Balin added other items to the menu including whitefish salad, her recipe enhanced by radishes, celery, three-color carrots, and parsley stems. She also cures her own gravlax. “I don’t want to do a thousand things halfway, but a few things really well using the best ingredients I can source,” she said.

Last summer, Balin paired with Millstone Farms in Wilton, using some of farm’s vegetables in her cream cheeses and offering her bagels to their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members, many of whom are now regular customers. She also sells at the Westport Farmer’s Market and has had successful pick-up collaborations in Larchmont and Greenwich. “One of the things I’m most proud of is the relationship I have with my customers,” said Balin.

Badass Bagels makes upwards of 2,000 bagels each week, which are pre-ordered by texting the Bagel Hotline. Balin is growing her business with the same attention to detail that she grows her sourdough starter “I’m doing food with meaning and purpose,” she says. “There’s so much depth to every transaction. Each bagel is made with intention, because it has a home to go to.”

Pick up times are at Sugar and Olive, 21 Lois St, Norwalk. To order bagels, text the bagel hotline at 203-816-0028.

Gabriela Cenatiempo showcases the shaped dough that will rest before baking. The final product: bagels that look as good as they taste.

STILL AHEAD

ACT (A Contemporary Theatre) of Connecticut

SEASON

ANNOUNCEMENT

Friday, May 6, 2022 | 6 PM Honoring Anita & Nick Donofrio

MAY 26–JUN 19

Michelle Tattenbaum returns to ACT of CT this Spring to direct the musical RENT. In 2019, Michelle directed ACT’s production of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. Some of her past credits include the world premiere musical NOBODY LOVES YOU, an international production of URINETOWN, and has also directed numerous fi ction podcasts for kids including over 200 episodes of the mystery thriller SIX MINUTES, and the Peabody Award Winning podcast THE UNEXPLAINABLE DISAPPEARANCE OF MARS PATEL.

ACT: This is your second production at ACT of CT. What do you specifi cally enjoy about working at this incredible Ridgefi eld venue?

MT: I love all the people at ACT of CT. They have created a place that really supports the vision of the artists who work there. I can have big ideas and then bring them to fruition with the help of my collaborators and the amazing producing team.

ACT: Is there anything that you can tell us about your specifi c concept

for this production of RENT? MT: My production of Rent is about the way our experiences when we’re young shape us and bring us strength throughout our lives. I will be setting up the story as a memory play, beginning with middle-aged Mark in 2022. He feels lost and alone, as many of us have in the past two years. In a moment of desperation, he begins to remember his time living La Vie Bohème and the people he loved and lost. Connecting with those memories, Mark fi nds what he needs to get through this today, and the next today, and the next.

ACT: RENT was on Broadway in 1996 and was considered

groundbreaking at the time. How is this musical still relevant today?

MT: It would be impossible to overstate the relevance of Rent to audiences today. We have spent the last two years living through a pandemic. We have been measuring time, just like the characters in Rent. We have counted out the days of a quarantine. We have counted months until a COVID vaccine was available. We have counted days after an exposure. We have counted minutes after taking a rapid COVID test. Many of the other issues that Rent explores are ones we continue to grapple with today. And by telling a story about a disease (HIV/AIDS) that is no longer a death sentence, we remember that there is hope. What other musical can teach us how to stay connected to others and to our own humanity in the face of death and despair?

ACT: Why are regional theaters like ACT of CT important?

MT: I have had the privilege to direct shows at theaters all over the world, to get to see the unique relationship that each theater has with its community. Having a theater in your town makes you feel like you belong to that theater, and that theater belongs to you. And that relationship is the best kind of feeling of belonging.

PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE STONE

Food Truckin’

Three Mobile Food Businesses You Need to Try

by Sarah Galluzzo

Ah, food trucks! The sheer brilliance of easy-to-eat gourmet meals being served roadside is not lost on me, so I am excited to share this review of three very different mobile food businesses.

When I set out to write this article, I had no idea it would prompt me to face my lifelong culinary nemesis: the all-American universally adored hot dog. This is the first time I have willingly eaten a hot dog since I was 12 years old. Without experiencing a hot dog from Chez Lenards, a time-honored tradition in Ridgefield, I can’t possibly talk about the business that holds a special place in the heart of so many locals.

On a Saturday afternoon in late March, I visit the cart set up on 144 Main Street in Ridgefield with some trepidation that quickly disappears when meeting the owner and proprietor, Mike Principi. This is a man who loves what he does in the town he loves.

“My Mom used to bring my sister and me here when we were kids. I worked here through high school and college. It was the best job I ever had growing up.”

Lenard Des Lescinskis started the stand in 1978 with the idea of putting a French spin on the flavor and taste of traditional hot dogs, and the business passed hands several times. Fast forward to 2007 when Mike decided to pivot from a corporate career in HR and buy the company.

The cart has a unique lineup of toppings inspired by French cuisine. The overall impression of the cursive written menu, the French flair of the toppings, the French toque adorned by the vendor, and the amazing smells wafting from the cart are 100% gourmet.

He caters a few hundred parties each year, and his catering menu offers burgers and dogs. But how did I like it? At first, my preconceived notions were getting the best of me, though it was encouraging to see that the stand drew a long line of people from all ages – from middle schoolers just finishing dance recital on up.

To fully experience the flavors he can coax from the humble hot dog; you’ll have to try one. I was amazed. My fave is Le hot dog Choucroute Alsascienne et Garniture Suisse, a decadent medley of imported cheese fondue in white wine and sauerkraut with caraway seeds. The caraway seeds and wine elevated the experience of the savory fondue flavor. Le hot dog facon Mexicaine is a spicy delight with chili, chopped onion, and hot pepper flakes. The soft potato bread bun offers the perfect pillowy texture to sop up extra toppings while allowing the quintessential spices of the frank to shine through.

Now that I have visited, I understand why this gourmet cart has been featured on the Martha Stewart show. So, the next time someone offers me “Le Hot Dog” from Mike’s cart, I will definitely say “oui” and “merci.”

The food looks even better

The Valencia mobile food truck features Chef Michael Young’s authentic Venezuelan beach food served up hot and fresh. According to their catering manager Cathy Turey, “We have newer trucks, and they have all been rewrapped. The new design looks so good.” “Our food truck menu features our famous arepas and empanadas, rice and beans, plantains, and fresh salads,” Turey says.

You will be hard-pressed to find a fresher, tastier meal. Everything they serve offers a delicate balance of perfectly nuanced flavor. I can’t get enough of the black bean and cheese empanadas, and the Carlo

While food trucks are not as common as they are in cities, there are still a surprising variety of options that offer great gourmet food. For a detailed list of local food trucks, visit ridgefieldmom.com/guides/food-trucks.

arepa rocks my world, featuring fennel, chicken, avocado, and queso. You can find the Valencia truck in various places around Southern Fairfield County, including Liberty Square in Stamford during lunchtime hours, the Merritt 7 buildings in Norwalk, and often on the weekends at local events.

Be sure to sample their sweet plantains and try all the sauces they serve, each tastier than the next. If you happen to have them cater your home or corporate event, order the margaritas and sangrias. Alcohol is only available for private events or in person at their brick-and-mortar restaurant in Norwalk.

If you like dumplings, you are going to love Dumpling Underground. This new business, the brainchild of chef Josh Pekar, is run from a six-by-twelve trailer towed by a truck. Often invited to outdoor areas such as Two Roads in Stratford and other local breweries, Josh shows up and makes his magic happen. “These are dumplings like you have never had before. I like to call it American Bar Food,” Josh says.

His menu features traditional dumplings and some surprising combinations--the perfect two bites bursting with flavor! Have you ever had a cheeseburger dumpling? How about a Philly cheesesteak dumpling or a combo of curry, potato, and peas? Sausage and pepper dumplings are also on the menu and drawing long lines of dumpling-crazed fans. Finally, be sure to try the Jamaican curry dumpling with a special BBQ sauce. To find out where Dumpling Underground will be next, follow them online at www.dumplingunderground.com

Food trucks have gone from the construction site to gourmet and almost anything can be ordered for private events; keep your eyes open for these gems! •