New - Requested Cooking Classes, A Benefit to Raise Money for Cancer Research, and Catching Up!
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Cinco de Mayo UPDATE: Order Taco and Margarita Kits Now by TOMORROW (Tuesday, 5/4)!
/Cinco de Mayo Taco and Margarita Kits will be available for order until tomorrow, Tuesday, May 4 at 5pm!
Spice up your Cinco de Mayo with Chef Abby’s delicious taco kits (serves 4) with meat options including beef, carnitas, chicken, or a chef’s mix! All appropriate toppings are included.
CWA is also offering Everything but the Tequila Margarita Kits (4 servings) with incredible flavors including Strawberry Mango, Cucumber Mint, or Classic Lime.
Happy Cinco de Mayo, and we hope we can help you celebrate and connect through FOOD!
Cooking With Abby: Cinco de Mayo - ORDER TODAY and Mother's Day Edition!
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Hello CWA Family and Friends!
I know it has been a bit since I have communicated this way, but with Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day both coming up this week, I have lots to share and offer to you. I also am so excited to officially announce two new(ish) team members that will help me with social media, events, and more! This upcoming spring will include lots of seasonal culinary gifts, events both online as well as in person, and more! I cannot wait to welcome you back to my studio and Gray’s Landing. We have had fun creating beautiful spaces for your event(s), special dinners and our Farm to Table Dinners and “The Wine Shed Series”.
My Team is fully (or will be very soon) vaccinated and we are ready to host you. Please reach out directly to me with any food or event needs. I am your Private Chef - and I love it!
xo,
Chef Abby
Recipe of the Week: Citrus Shrimp
Adapted from Robyn Stone, these shrimp are so easy to make and will impress your guests or family!
Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2-3 pounds medium shrimp
• 1 medium orange, cut into wedges
• 1 medium lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, garlic, onion, 2 teaspoons of the parsley, and pepper. Pour the mixture into a large skillet set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the shrimp, cover, and cook until they turn pink, about 5 minutes. Top with the remaining parsley. Serve with the orange and lemon wedges on the side.
Introducing Our New CWA Team Members: Kate and Sofia!
KATE: My love for events began as a child, planning and designing holiday parties alongside my mom. Since my very first job, I’ve been rooted in the hospitality industry, developing a deep passion and understanding for both events and restaurants. I followed this passion to college and earned my bachelor’s degree in Event Management. I’ve planned and coordinated both public and private events, with the ultimate goal of providing the best experience for both clients and guests. I love all things local and of course, food! My favorite part of Gray’s Landing is the shabby chic wine shed- let’s talk about hosting your next party there!
SOFIA: Going to high school with Abby’s daughter, I have always known about Cooking with Abby (and adored it, too!). After my first marketing internship as a junior in high school, I fell in love with the power of marketing through social media and creating a community out of local companies. Abby and I connected at the beginning of this year, and boy am I lucky. Learning more and more each day, creating content for Cooking with Abby and other local companies is a passion of mine I am excited to use while continuing my education next year. I am going to be a freshman at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and although I will be studying economics, marketing has become both a skill and passion very close to my heart. My favorite part of Gray’s Landing is the beautiful koi pond- the best place for some Instagram content!
Order now: Cinco De Mayo Taco and Margarita Kits!
Want to spice up your Cinco de Mayo, even if you are spending it at home? Go to my Cinco de Mayo Page to order a taco kit (serves four) made with carnitas, chicken, beef, or a Chef’s Mix of meat. Made with hard or soft shells, all appropriate topping are included. In addition, you may order an additional pint of homemade guacamole, and/or a quart of Abby’s famous fire roasted salsa!!
Also being offered this Cinco de Mayo are delicious Margarita Kits (just add tequila!). Flavor options include Classic Lime, Strawberry Mango, or Cucumber Mint. All margarita kits make four drinks.
Order your kit(s) by Monday, 5/3 by 5pm to be picked up at Chef Abby’s House!
Mother's Day Gift Baskets: Celebrate ALL the moms in your life!
This year, Chef Abby is creating beautiful, customizable crates filled with a delicious quiche, potted herbs, and a bottle of Prosecco! Head over to the Culinary Gifts page to order one today for a mother, grandmother, sister, or a strong women who deserves it!
Connect with Chef Abby!
URGENT: Please support Chef Abby for a chance to be featured in Bon Appetit Magazine!!
/Vote For Abby!
Cooking with Abby friends and family,
After weeks of voting through rounds of the Favorite Chef Competition, Abby is now in SECOND place in her group and we need your help! Abby needs to be in first place by tonight in order to continue on, and all of you know how deserving and dedicated Abby is to her passion- cooking for and celebrating YOU!
Have a lovely evening and HAPPY VOTING!
Cooking with Abby Special Edition: Vote for Chef Abby!!
/Calling all foodies, local families, and friends of Chef Abby: We need YOUR help!
I have been nominated to compete in Bon Appétit Magazine’s Favorite Chef Competition! This is a very exciting opportunity and honor for the CWA family, and it would mean the world to me to get your vote. Benefiting Feeding America, winning this competition would mean a feature in Bon Appétit’s Magazine as well as a cash prize in order to further grow and share my love for cooking for all of YOU. Click the button to vote for me via your Facebook account. Voting starts today!
xoxoxo,
Chef Abby Gray
Cooking with Abby: Week of 12/7/20 Update
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Happy December, everyone! This week brings lots of good food and holiday gifts for you including date night boxes, spice racks, holiday pies, and any events or Zoom classes that fit your needs. Please contact me at cookingwithabbygray@gmail.com with any questions!
xo,
Chef Abby
Recipe of the week: Gougères!
These delicate cheese puffs always impress. Once you get the hang of the dough, you’ll serve them at every opportunity.
Ingredients:
MAKES ABOUT 50 SERVINGS
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) grated Comté cheese or Gruyère
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg yolk
Preparation
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400°. Bring butter, salt, nutmeg, and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until butter is melted. Remove from heat, add flour and stir to combine.
Step 2: Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and forms a ball, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring vigorously, until a dry film forms on bottom and sides of pan and dough is no longer sticky, about 2 minutes longer. Remove pan from heat and let dough cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Mix in whole eggs one at a time, incorporating fully between additions. Mix in cheese and pepper.
Step 3: Scrape dough into a piping bag fitted with a 1⁄2” round tip (alternatively, use a plastic bag with a 1⁄2” opening cut diagonally from 1 corner). Pipe 1” rounds about 2” apart onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Whisk egg yolk and 1 tsp. water in a small bowl; brush rounds with egg wash.
Step 4: Bake gougères until puffed and golden and dry in the center (they should sound hollow when tapped), 20–25 minutes.
Step 5: DO AHEAD: Dough can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Gougères can be baked 2 hours ahead; reheat before serving.
Holiday Culinary Gifts 2020!
All available on my Holiday Gifts commerce page, I am so exciting to help you give, receive, and eat this holiday season! All available for pick-up or shipping (flat rates apply). Happy Holidays! xo
Wooden Spice Racks: hand-crafted spice racks including 16 generous, 4-ounce spice tins chosen by me as a chef’s perfect mix of spice blends. Racks can be personalized (natural or stained finish) for your kitchen or as a gift. Head to my Holiday Gifts page to order yours today!
Holiday Gift Boxes: Even though I closed my store, Olivia Browning, I still love to build a great box for Christmas. This gift box will focus primarily on gourmet treats, a nice olive oil, some of my favorite spices (that can be used in everyday cooking!) five weeknight recipe cards, a gift certificate for a Zoom Cooking Class OR a dinner drop-off (if local). Add-ons may include: candles, fudge, and personalized ornaments.
Date Night Packages: Since you won’t be going out for date night quite yet, I have decided to bring date night to you! You can pick the destination, and I will do the rest. This package is primarily for South Shore and Boston customers. You may order dinner for two (customized to any dietary needs), a bottle of wine and/or beer, a small personalized cheese/charcuterie board, and personalized music and movie recommendations. Foods, candles, linen napkins included! (This will be on Holiday Gifts page, but also will become a year-round offering!)
Hand-Crafted Cutting Boards: Made by my husband, these beautiful boards can be laser engraved, and are made of cherry and ash wood. Extremely limited availability, so contact me for details if you are interested!
With Good Food Comes Good Music!
Check out Abby’s Holiday playlist to celebrate this year: in the kitchen or not!
Chef Abby’s Quick Tip of the Week!
Store spices in the right location. To prolong the life of your spices, keep them in a cool, dark place. Don’t store them on top of the stove, as heat and humidity can alter their flavor.
Holiday Pies 2020
Can be ordered throughout December; please give 24-hour notice! My pie page can be found at this link.
Dutch Apple
Pumpkin
Chocolate Chip
Pecan
Coconut Custard
Blueberry Lemon
Weekly Produce Boxes: locally sourced, seasonal fruits and vegetables with some fly-ins!
Contact Chef Abby to set up your personalized produce plan for you and your family!
Add-ons include: dozen free-range fresh eggs, zucchini bread, dozen chocolate chip cookies
College Care Packages!
Don’t have time to create a care package for your college student? Let Abby do it! Stocked with snacks, treats, and a personal note, you can show your student how much you love and support them. Available in standard and large sizes, these boxes can be customized to any dietary restrictions or preferences. See below for details, and head to my College Care Package page to order yours!
Cooking With Abby: Week of 11/30/20 Update
/Hello fabulous people! Thank you so much for all of your holiday pie orders. We are happy to offer pies, classes, and gifts this holiday season. Most of our classes will be taught via Zoom until it is safe for all of us to be together. Please contact me directly if you have in-person options you want to discuss. Hope you are healthy, happy, and ready for the holiday season!
-Chef Abby
Recipe of the Week: Buche de Noel/Yule Log
The first Christmas Yule log cake is correctly known as a Buche de Noel recipe and was cleverly created in the late 1800s by a French pastry chef looking to replace and pay culinary homage to the original Yule log tradition. The new, gastronomic tradition caught on in spectacular fashion, and the Christmas dessert is now celebrated worldwide.
Ingredients
Sponge Cake:
• 4 eggs (room temperature)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cake flour
Chocolate Buttercream:
• 7 egg whites
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate (melted and cooled)
• 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (softened)
Steps to Make It
Note: while there are multiple steps to this recipe, this yule log recipe is broken down into workable
categories to help you better plan for baking.
Make the Cake
1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
3. Butter a 10-inch by 15-inch baking pan with a 1-inch lip (jelly-roll pan) and line it with parchment paper.
4. Butter the parchment or spray it with cooking spray. Set the pan aside.
5. Beat the eggs for 5 minutes, until they turn thick and foamy.
6. Add the sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to the eggs and continue beating for 2 minutes.
7. Carefully fold the flour, a few tablespoons at a time, into the whipped egg mixture.
8. Once the flour is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing. Do not over-mix or the cake will bake up into a tough texture.
9. Gently spread the batter into the prepared pan. There will be peaks of batter; gently smooth over them, but do not press the batter down.
10. Bake the cake for 10 minutes, until the cake is just set.
11. Invert the baked cake onto a clean, dry kitchen towel and peel off the parchment paper.
12. Wait 3 minutes and then 1-inch in from one of the short side score across the cake taking care not to cut right through.
13. Fold this piece of cake in towards the center.
14. Then gently roll the cake, still in the towel, starting at the 10-inch end.
15. Allow it to cool completely.
16. While it cools, make the buttercream.
Make the Chocolate Buttercream
1. In a clean, completely dry bowl, beat the egg whites on high until soft peaks form. Set them aside for a moment.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and 2/3 cup water to a boil.
3. Allow it boil until it has reduced into a slightly thickened syrup.
4. Begin beating the egg whites on high speed again, and pour the hot sugar syrup into the eggs in a slow, steady stream.
5. Pour the melted chocolate, espresso powder, and vanilla extract into the egg whites and continue beating them until the meringue has cooled completely, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the softened butter to the meringue, 2 tablespoons at a time, while beating on high speed, until all of the butter is incorporated into the frosting.
7. If the buttercream becomes runny during this process, refrigerate the meringue until it has chilled through.
8. Continue the process of beating the butter into the meringue.
Assemble the Chocolate Yule Log
1. Unroll the cake and set aside the towel.
2. Evenly spread 2 cups (or desired amount) of the chocolate buttercream on the inside of the cake and following its natural curve.
3. Gently form it into a cake roll.
4. Cut off the ends of the cake roll on the diagonal and reattach them in the center of the cake with a bit of buttercream to fashion a “branch” coming off the main Yule log.
5. Spread the exterior of the Buche de Noel with enough chocolate buttercream to cover it and gently pull a butter knife or small, offset spatula through the frosting to give the appearance of rough tree bark.
6. Add a Pere Noel figure and meringue mushrooms to complete the festive look.
7. Chill the cake before serving it, and refrigerate any leftovers.
8. Enjoy!
Update: Holiday Culinary Gifts available this Friday!!
The Holidays are here, and we are busy making magic in the CWA workshop! Spice boxes, date night boxes, and more will be available for purchase this upcoming Friday, December 4. All items can be either shipped (flat rates apply) or locally delivered. Can’t wait to show you all of our holiday gifts!
xo,
Chef Abby
Chef Abby’s Quick Tip of the week!
Mise En Place: The most important three words in the kitchen, aside from "don't catch fire," are "mise en place." This French phrase, meaning to put things in their place, refers to the chef-approved technique of measuring, cutting, and otherwise prepping ingredients and laying them out before attempting a recipe. Doing adequate prep before you start cooking will make the cooking process a whole lot faster. Better yet, it's easy to avoid overcooking your food if you're not frantically trying to find ingredients.
Holiday Pies 2020
Can be ordered throughout December; please give 24-hour notice! My pie page can be found at this link.
Dutch Apple
Pumpkin
Chocolate Chip
Pecan
Coconut Custard
Blueberry Lemon
Weekly Produce Boxes: locally sourced, seasonal fruits and vegetables with some fly-ins!
Contact Chef Abby to set up your personalized produce plan for you and your family!
Add-ons include: dozen free-range fresh eggs, zucchini bread, dozen chocolate chip cookies
College Care Packages!
Don’t have time to create a care package for your college student? Let Abby do it! Stocked with snacks, treats, and a personal note, you can show your student how much you love and support them. Available in standard and large sizes, these boxes can be customized to any dietary restrictions or preferences. See below for details, and head to my College Care Package page to order yours!
Standard Box
-6 cookies -6 brownies
-2 beef jerky -M&M’s in a jar
-2 apples -Assorted chips
-A note from mom and dad
-More candy, sunflower seeds, and a fun surprise!
Add-ons
-blueberry or chocolate chip muffins -trail mix
-dried apricots or mangoes -PB or heath bar bark
-PB balls -granola
-cashews -Campbell’s Soup: chicken noodle or tomato
-graham crackers -homemade Chex Mix: sweet or savory!
-small jams and crackers
Cooking With Abby: Week of 11/15/20 Update and Recipe
/Welcome to my newsletter! Here you will find all of my current offers including classes, menus, recipes, baked goods, and more! I am so excited to share this with you and keep you in the loop with all the deliciousness!
—Chef Abby
Recipe of the Week: Chocolate Pudding!
Follow my easy recipe for this decadent chocolate pudding as comfort food or a delicious dessert!
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
M&M’s (optional)
Nutritional Facts
One 1/2 cup serving (prepared with skim milk and margarine and served without M&M’s) equals 196 calories, 4 g fat (0 saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 244 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 0 fiber, 5 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat, 1/2 milk.
Directions
1. In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Gradually add
milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove
from the heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Spoon into individual serving dishes.
Chill until serving. Sprinkle with M&M’s if desired. Yield: 6-8 servings.
College Care Packages!
Don’t have time to create a care package for your college student? Let Abby do it! Stocked with snacks, treats, and a personal note, you can show your student how much you love and support them. Available in standard and large sizes, these boxes can be customized to any dietary restrictions or preferences. See below for details, and head to my College Care Package page to order yours!
Standard Box
-6 cookies -6 brownies
-2 beef jerky -M&M’s in a jar
-2 apples -Assorted chips
-A note from mom and dad
-More candy, sunflower seeds, and a fun surprise!
Add-ons
-blueberry or chocolate chip muffins -trail mix
-dried apricots or mangoes -PB or heath bar bark
-PB balls -granola
-cashews -Campbell’s Soup: chicken noodle or tomato
-graham crackers -homemade Chex Mix: sweet or savory!
-small jams and crackers
Baked Goods of the Week!
Pies can be purchased on the pie commerce page, but contact Chef Abby for the weekly quiche, cookies, and more delicious baked goods!
Chef Abby’s Quick Tip!
When icing a cake, make sure to put your room temperature, cooled cake, in the refrigerator for at least an hour before you ice it. When icing, keep a bowl of hot water by you and dip your spatula in the hot water to smooth out the icing.
Yes it’s true…the holiday season is coming!
Order your thanksgiving pies now!
Click here to head to my pie page to order your Thanksgiving pies by Friday 11/20 and choose from any of the following options! More options will become available as Christmas approaches, so stay tuned!
Thanksgiving Pies 2020
Apple
Pumpkin
Pecan
Coconut Custard
Blueberry Lemon
