In case you didn’t already know, the term confit is usually applied to meat, especially to duck. It means that the item being cooked is being cooked in its own fat. The meat is cooked very slowly, and is seasoned while it cooks. The meat is then preserved by letting it cool down and stored in its own fat.
You may be thinking, “How can I make a confit from butternut squash? It doesn’t have its own fat!” Well, if you’re a really traditional chef, you can’t. But if you know me, you already know that I am not in any way a traditional chef. In recent years, the term “confit” has been used as both descriptive of the food and an action.
To be frank, to confit is to Cook a food in fat until it is incredibly tender and delicious.
So that’s what we did here. But combining a long used technique with a new definition, we’ve created a crazy tender, highly flavored butternut squash topping that you can use for whatever suits your needs. Just make it. It’s worth it. Trust me.
While we were in Salem last week, we made sure to eat some pretty good food. We tried to hit a few places, including some street food, because in October, there are food vendors everywhere.
If you are visiting Salem, we are recommending that you visit The Salem Cheese Shop. Located just a few steps away from the main streets you’ll be on, The Salem Cheese shop is incredible. Not only do they have hard to find cheeses and a large variety, they also carry a huge selection of wine, oils, and accouterments. We are giving the Cheese Shop 9.5/10, just because it’s a little hard to find if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
The Salem Cheese Shop
Skip the Dunkin Donuts when you go to Salem. I know, I know, that’s pretty much blasphemy as a New Englander. But, when in Salem, we want you to stop by the Brew Box. It’s a small coffee and breakfast sandwich shop. Not only do they have really good breakfast sandwiches, the prices are fair and it’s altogether really cute in the way it is set up.
Eric’s sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. He rated it a solid 4/5.
For lunch/drinks around noon, we went to the Roof at The Hotel Salem. Rooftop restaurants and bars are a favorite of ours here at One More Bite. While it was chilly in Salem, there were heaters up there, and the sun made it nice and warm. The view was incredible and so were the drinks. But we’re here to talk about the food. Frankly, we were disenchanted with the offerings. While the tacos we got were good, we only got two, and they were priced at $14.00. Frankly, that’s a rip-off. The guacamole, which is meant to be shared, was very small. Only good enough for one person. Not so nice. Until they up the portion size or lower the price, we rate the Roof at The Hotel Salem at a 5.5 out of 10.
Grace (@theedgarallanho) eats a taco at The Rooftop at The Hotel Salem
We ended our Salem trip by eating at The Hawthorne Hotel, specifically at The Tavern on the Green. We got a reservation because we were a group of nine, and they seated us at a large square table. Barry and Matt ordered appetizers, getting boneless chicken wings and soup. Eric also had the soup. The soup was given a glowing recommendation all around as were the chicken wings. As for dinner, the orders spanned from a Raspberry Chicken Salad to Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf and a variety of burgers and sandwiches. While the salad was lacking in chicken, the rest of the entrees got glowing reviews. We’re giving Tavern on the Green an 8/10.
Grain Bowl from Tavern on the Green at the Hawthorne Hotel
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