Getting fresh Archived article from Dec 9, 2002   Sweet corn, tomatoes, peaches, apples, peppers and berries — the best that New Jersey has to offer — are the star ingredients in the more than 100 recipes offered in a new cookbook, "Fresh Tastes from the Garden State" (Rutgers University Press, 2002). The book, in essence, is a love letter to the state's famed produce. The creative, healthy recipes, which took author Carol Byrd-Bredbenner just 10 months to create, include such treats as herbed corn pudding, cranberry acorn squash and peach champagne granita. Talk to Byrd-Bredbenner for a while and you'll hear terms like "flavor palette" and "flavor profile," a result of her training at the Culinary Institute of Napa and the Cordon Bleu School in Paris. Such experience has given Byrd-Bredbenner, a professor and nutrition extension specialist at Cook College, insight into the ways to achieve layers of flavor in a single dish. Her favorite recipe is Peachy Shrimp Kabobs, a combination of flavors. "It has some heat from the ginger, twang from the lime and a touch of saltiness from the soy sauce," she says, noting that the colors of the peaches, the shrimp and the bed of greens are visually striking. "It's a wonderful, light summer dish." While Byrd-Bredbenner the chef is concerned with taste, Byrd-Bredbenner the nutritionist has an ulterior motive: to get people to eat their fruits and veggies. As someone who drops terms such as flavonoids and anthocyanidins into conversation like croutons on salad, she includes information on the recipes' nutritional content — a serving of her tomato chutney, for example, has 68 calories, with one gram of fat and a whopping 54 percent of the recommended daily requirement of vitamin C — as well as health benefits and food lore. "Fresh Tastes," the first cookbook that Rutgers University Press has pub- lished in a quarter century, is the debut title in what press Director Marlie Wasserman hopes will be a series on regional cuisine, from Middle Atlantic seafood cookery to recipes from top restaurants in the state. The cookbooks, she says, will tap into "an increasing interest in the role of food in the cultural landscape," as well promote local food and cuisine. Publishing "Fresh Tastes," Wasserman says, with a nod to Martha Stewart, is "a good thing" to do for the state. All proceeds from the book will go to Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Cooking with Carol I spread out the ingredients on the kitchen counter: vivid yellow tomatoes, a hot red pepper, a bag of lentils, a handful of dates, fresh ginger, a plump lemon and for a touch of India — cumin seeds. Since I could tell that this was a two cutting-board job, I dragged my husband into the kitchen. Our goal for the evening: tomato chutney. In no time, we sat down to chicken smothered in a moist blanket of tomatoes, tinged with just the right amount of spice to make things interesting. While it wasn't exactly what I thought of as chutney — it seemed more like a salsa that had packed its bags for a holiday in Bombay — it was full of flavor and, despite a lot of chopping, easy even for a challenged cook. — Renée Olson Tomato Chutney 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes 4 medium yellow tomatoes, pared, seeded and coarsely chopped 4 dates, pitted, finely chopped 1 small hot red pepper, finely chopped 1/2 cup cooked brown lentils 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, finely chopped 1 teaspoon cooking oil, preferably canola 1/2 teaspoons black pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1. Place sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let stand 10 minutes, drain, pat dry and chop finely. Set aside. 2. Place tomatoes, dates, hot pepper, lentils, ginger, oil, cumin seed, black pepper and salt in a medium skillet. Heat over medium heat until tomatoes soften (about 6 to 7 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat. 3. Stir in lemon juice and sun-dried tomatoes.

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