Shake off those winter blues at Twigs Restaurant and Cafe!

12/17/10
Ok. Yes, Weve been slacking! Updates far and few. Gonna try to fix that! Coming up end of Jan 2011 date to bee sent out. Twigs World Famous Martini Tasting #2 ...if you missed the first, your loss!  Designated drivers a must! Be Safe on the road! Watch for this event!

Hello Twiggies - and thanks for returning to our blog! Spring time is just around the corner and we can’t wait! Every season has distinct tastes, aromas, and colors that are particular to the climate change. Spring means you will be seeing lots of lighter dishes including crisp greens, and savory herbs such as lavender, parsley, and chives in the daily lunch and dinner features at Twigs Restaurant and Café. Due to the magnificent responses we received regarding the recipe from our first post – we have decided to include a Twigs Restaurant and Café crafted recipe along with a drink pairing. These combinations will be exclusivly formulated by Twigs staff to really bring out the fine taste experiences in each dish. Following the recipe will be the dates these pairings will be available exclusively at Twigs Restaurant and Café for your enjoyment! Come on in and try our version of our one-of-a-kind dishes, then use our at-home recipes to put your own twist on it. Make sure to give us lots of feedback! The pairing for March will be Sous Chef Ryan Bogedin’s Roasted Chicken Breast over Rice Pilaf in a Ginger Plum Sauce paired with General Manager Jenn Higgins recommendation of Chardonnay by Cupcake.


We recently updated our food menu. Twigs chefs are proud to announce these additions:

• Sambusak (Appetizer) - Flash fried vegetable pastry pockets. Garlic Sauce.
• Rosemary Chicken Salad or Wrap - Baked chicken seasoned with fresh rosemary mayonaisse. Awesome.
• Miso Cod - Baked Cod, Miso glaze.
• Cubano Panini - Ham, Turkey, Swiss, Cranberry dressing, Pickles, Mustard on Foccacia.

As our exclusive E-Club members know, we will be featuring another Six Course Wine Pairing Diner on March 19th at 6pm. Enjoy the dedication of Twigs Restaurant and Café staff to pair fine wine flavors with savory dishes as you enjoy the view from downtown Tunkhannock from either the Twigs Upstairs room or our main seating area. Listen and learn as our hosts give you detailed explanations of the reasoning behind each pairing. Seating is limited for this event as we will be exploring the select flavors of local Nimble Hill wines. Tickets cost only $75 per person and include tax and tip. Special thanks to Michael Cahill for the wonderful review of our Beer Pairing hosted last month! (Check it out at http://www.tunkalive.com/) Take a special sneak peak of the wines we will be featuring and the foods hand-crafted by our chefs to bring out the fine tastes of the wines.

1st Wild Mushroom Salad with a Lavender Truffle Vinaigrette dressing paired with Nimble Hill Innocence
2nd Almond Encrusted Sea Scallops with an Apple Puree and Nimble Hill Pino Grigio
3rd Green Pepper Soup paired with Nimble Hill Vidal Blanc
4th Seared Sea Bass with White Chocolate Buerre Blanc and Nimble Hill Chardonnay
5th Pistachio encrusted lamb with Nimble Hill Cabernet Savignon or Mysteria
6th Cardamom Ice Cream, Blini with Nimble Hills Mountain Magic

Due to increasing traffic on our site, we will be posting every 4 weeks instead of 6. Be sure to check back April 1st to learn about upcoming events hosted exclusively at Twigs Restaurant and Café. Have a favorite dish you want to see a Twigs-Twist on? Love one of our features and want to make it at home? Simply click the link on the left-menu to become a follower and send us a message! A recipe you want will be featured next! Remember, for every 10 followers we receive, a random winner is chosen to receive Twigs goodies such as gift certificates or merchandise! See you again on the first!



Roasted Chicken Breast over Rice Pilaf in a Ginger Plum Sauce (Serves 2)

Roasted Chicken Breast
Ingredients
-2 6oz chicken breasts seasoned to taste with salt and pepper
Cooking Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Season chicken to taste with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and cook for about 20 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.

Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
-½ yellow or white onion (small diced)
-1 tsp Italian seasoning
-Pinch of salt and pep
-1 cup rice
-½ oz oil or butter
-2 cups water (Our Chefs recommend substituting Chicken Stock for additional flavor!)
Cooking Directions
In a medium saucepan, heat oil. Add onions and Italian seasoning until onions turn opaque. Add the rice and continue stirring until the rice begins to slightly brown. Add the water/chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once the rice is boiling, turn the heat off, cover the pot, and cook in the oven for 15 minutes. To finish, take the pot out of the oven and let sit covered for 15 minutes.
Ginger Plum Sauce
Ingredients
-½ oz oil
-1 tsp garlic
- 1 tbsp onions small diced
-½ cup red wine
-½ cup plum preserves or jam/jelly
-½ cup heavy cream
-½ cup water (or chicken stock)
-1 tsp ginger powder
-Pinch of rosemary, salt, and pep
Cooking directions
In a medium saucepot, bring oil to a medium heat. Sautee off garlic and onions until opaque. Add the red wine and bring to a boil. At this point reduce the wine until it is ¼ of original volume (basically let it boil until it is *almost evaporated). Add plum preserves and heavy cream. Bring to a boil. Add water/chicken stock, and season with ginger, rosemary, salt and pepper at a medium heat. The plum sauce should have a light liquid consistency.

Twigs Restaurant and Café Chef Ryan recommends plating the dish by layering a heaping of the rice on the bottom, laying the chicken breasts on top, then drizzling the ginger plum sauce over the whole dish. Jenn Higgins recommends pairing (one of our latest additions to our wine menu) Chardonnay by Cupcake from California. This white wine is soft and creamy – with apple, tropical fruit, and spiced flavors.