Category: Delicious

New York, I Love You

This weekend we have dear friends visiting from down south, a pair of bon vivant and raconteur travelers who’ve found themselves in the flats of Iowa, the mountains of Virginia, and the deep pines of Athens, Georgia- all for the pursuit of knowledge. Though they live among the rolling country hills right now, the countdown is on for the end of their bucolic tenure and their subsequent carbetbag transatlantic move to London. There couldn’t be a better time to show them our New York. She’s tricking herself out in flowers and opening her arms as she always does for spring wanderers. And, in making plans for their arrival, I’m reminded that the best way to fall back in love with your own city is to show off her best sides to someone you love.

On the docket:  Sichuan in Bay Ridge, a visit to MoMa, a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and a brown bag picnic at the carousel, dinner at Roman’s, The first session of the Brooklyn Flea back outdoors, the opening of the Dekalb Market, Passover Seder with Sweetheart’s family, lunch at Spumoni Gardens, a trip to Coney Island to ride the soon-to-be-closed-Sweetheart’s-childhood-favorite Eldorado AutoSkooter Bumper Cars, A trek either to Arthur Avenue or to Staten Island for Italian delights, and Michael Daves at Rockwood.

Chag sameach, thank you New York, and may everyone have a marvelous weekend.

 

Gorgeous top image: Ernst Haas, Central Park, Spring, 1970
from the awesome ICP photography blog.

Cocktails, Dreams, and a very happy weekend

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carrie came over last night and we had what might be the last glasses of red wine of the season. Now, New York hasn’t exactly been cooperating with this season business- winter was a mere turkish delight’s worth of chill and March has come on like a liger, tricking the crocuses and then making them cry. My mourning for red wine and whiskey is almost more symbolic than anything else, a wish for the warmth I know/hope is coming. To that effect, I think maybe instead of looking back on the end of the season, I’ll look forward. To late sun and backyards and flowy striped dresses with bare legs. And for that I need to raise my glass with something fresh, light, champagney, and not too silly. Perfect timing for Meags sending me this early-spring-perfect concoction, the cherub’s cup. Added bonus: you can fix it in batches in a big pitcher, alleviating muddle fatigue, and allowing for that “breezy effortless hostess” thing that’s so very hard to capture. Oh this? Just whipped it up.

Cherub’s Cup

1/4 cup sliced strawberries + more for garnish
1/2 cup St. Germain
1 cup Hendrick’s gin
1/3 cup lemon juice (this is NOT exact, so you can adjust)
~1.5 bottles dry sparkling wine (enough to fill your pitcher 3/4 of the way)

:: Muddle your strawberries with a bit of the St. Germain (it’s easier to muddle if you’re working with a small volume)

:: Pour the muddled berries and all the hard alcohol into a large pitcher. Stir in the lemon juice and the sparkling wine and taste to make sure you like the proportions. You can make a bit more of the St. Germain + gin mix and add it in if you like. Add additional sliced berries to the top for a pretty finish, or slice a slice on the diagonal and perch it on the rim of the champagne flute.

:: Put on pink lipstick, something cottony, maybe a silk scarf, and tiptoe through the tulips.

It should get to 55 today, let’s cross our fingers and our legs at the ankle and pray for 60. Happy weekend.

Cherub’s Cup Recipe/image from new fave (and serious sister-in-cocktails) Heart of Light.

In Living Color

With the purple carrots, rainbow chard, and def beets that have been showing their true colors on the shelf at the Co-op, this awesome food-color-chart is right on time:Bring on Spring!

Miraculous curry-alls and inscrutable mushroom mysteries courtesy of the brilliant Renee (you might remember her spot-on gingerbread brownstone).

Grapefruit Revelation

Breakfast for me usually means a) just dark coffee with a fair amount of sugar or b) the full works: eggs, sidemeat, toast, mimosa. Occasionally I’ll venture into some sort of honeyed granola territory, but usually it’s all or nothing. Imagine my surprise when, down visiting McKay in Mississippi, I discovered the simple, bittersweet joys of the prepared grapefruit half. What an adult epiphany. Maybe it’s the ritual of the preparation, segmenting out each little slice, or perhaps it’s that there are specialized serrated spoons and bendy three-sided knives just for the task, the not-quite-absolutely-necessary tools that make any food experience so much better (see also: escargot tongs, olive fork, clam ram, cake stand), or maybe it’s just the juicy goodness, complex, funky, and unbelievably fresh. Whatever it is, I like it.

 

ps. this picture was taken in Miss McKay’s morning dining room. I can’t even begin to talk about the light, the daffodils, or the hot-pink-muffler that was Miss Molly’s hostess gift. More on all of that next week.

E-Z Bake Bread

I baked this loaf of bread. Yep, I did it. This wonderful, perfectly round, air-bubbly, still warm from the oven, undeniably bread-y to its very essence loaf came out of my oven. I’m no genius, and though I make a mean almond cake and can poach a passable egg, I’ve always thought that bread baking takes cooking beyond the artful science of experimentation and flavor into the ACTUAL science of chemical reactions, margins of error, and precision measurements- not usually my strong suit. My dear friend Kitty (who lives here) passed along this recipe to me with promises and assurances that The Recipe (a revision of the now-infamous no-knead Mark Bittman recipe that took home-ovens by storm in 2006) was, in fact foolproof. I can attest: make this. It is easy, cheap, and utterly, completely satisfying. Do you need a commercial kiln oven and generations of flour covered grandparents to make this? Nope, you only need about $3 worth of ingredients, a (preferably bright red) dutch oven, and 24 hours.

Bread a la Sheila McDuffie.

3 c bread flour
¼ tsp. yeast
1 and ¼ tsp. sea salt
1 and ½ c water at 75 degrees, plus a Tlb. or 2 (well or spring water)
Flour for dusting
Finishing: flour, bran, cornmeal, semolina flour, sesame seeds, flax seeds, or rice flour

Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a glass bowl.  Add water and stir with a wooden spoon for 30-60 seconds until a shaggy dough forms and all the flour is incorporated.  Add a bit more water if necessary.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rest at 70-75 degrees for 12-16 hours or up to 20 hours.

Scrape the dough onto a well floured surface spread slightly into a flattened square, and fold all four sides, one by one, onto the center of the dough.  Invert so the seam is down, dust with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Form the final loaf by holding the ball of dough in your hands and gently pulling and tucking under around the edges 8-10 times while rotating it.  Be careful not to over-stretch—allow the gluten cloak to form.  Generously coat a plate with the desired finishing and place the dough with the crease facing down.  Or use parchment paper.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 1 hour.  Preheat the oven, with your Dutch oven in it at 475 for 30 minutes.  Loaf rises for a total of 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Using oven mitts, take Dutch oven out of hot oven, dust with flour, and flip the dough into it or lower the parchment paper in.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake 30 minutes more, until the crust is a dark chestnut color.  Interior temp:  180 degrees. Take bread out of the pan and cool on a rack for 1 hour.  Do not cut until the hour is up.

Here’s a breakdown of the loaf timing to serve the bread the next day for 7pm dinner:

Mix dough 9:00 p.m.
Fold step 3:30 p.m. the next day  (18 hours 30 minutes)
Form loaf 3:45ish
Preheat oven, etc. 4:45
Bread goes in 5:15
Cover comes off 5:45
Bread comes out 6:15
Ready to serve 7:15

Broke Ass Emily Post: The $100 Dinner

Whew! Thank you for all of the posts and comments on the matter of the $100 dinner (if you missed the initial argument, check it out here). From the responses, it appears as though the entire 1% is forcing everyone I know to drop a cool hundo on boozy Manhattan dinners against their will, and it also seems, regardless of tax bracket, that pretty much everyone feels a certain ambivalence at check time. I am not alone. The problem with the $100 dinner boils down to this: at best, it is easier just to split up a bill evenly, at worst it’s a microcosm of judgment over the life choices of the broke (musician, writer, yoga teacher, butcher, baker, occupier etc.) vs. those of the well heeled (people who chose to be a “banker” on the Oregon Trail). As Hilty so perfectly put it: I didn’t want to bring it up at the table that I was the only one without a well-paying job. So. What to do when the check drops? A collective of like minded souls gave me some great suggestions:

– Always order the most expensive and delicious thing on the menu at a group dinner, that way at least you will have enjoyed the meal you’re paying for.
– Let them know you’re no longer subsidizing their Kobe steak or Caspian Sea caviar.
– Eat absolutely nothing and have one glass of wine. That way you can simply say, “I only had one glass of wine”. No spending, no paying. You could even (sadly) leave early and leave cash for your drink just to be on the safe side.
– Go back to the bathroom and make a break for it?
– And the most popular: Don’t be afraid to grab that thing and do the arithmetic!

Last week I decided to test the waters, put all this talk into action. A group of us went to The Fat Radish, the exact little studied and purposefully casual kind of hole in the wall where these things always seem to go down. Subway tiles, distressed brick, old mirrors, expansive expensive cocktail list with funny names, reclaimed wood tables, bartender with an accent, edison lightbulbs… you know the drill. It was a great crew of girls… ladies…uh… women. And not a bunch of stuffy banker types either- all of us work in one creative field or another- a gallerist, a yogi, an artist- all incredibly lovely, the exact right mix of gorgeous and profane you always hope will fill your table when you first move to New York City. We were kindred spirits. But when the oysters started coming and the cocktails kept raining down, I knew I was going to have to step it up in the stink making department. If a stink was required, a stink I would make.I had a big delicious kale salad, two yummy beers, and when the bill came I snatched it right up, grabbed a pen out of my purse, did my math (I forgot: I am slooow at math), wrote my name and $33 on the back of the bill (yes, that’s how much a kale salad and two beers costs you in lower Manhattan), put my card down and handed it to the person next to me.

She said “I’m so glad you just did that”.

The girl who ordered the oysters and the vodkas said “Aww, Look at that”, referring to my writing my name on the back of the check, “That’s so cute”, and plunked down $90 cash.

The girl across from her said “Thanks for figuring the check out”.

The waiter came and everyone lived happily ever after.

So, I guess the moral of the story is: Only a jerk would be a jerk about splitting the check, and there’s no shame in divvying it up. If someone has a problem with that, then I guess you’ve just paid $100 to know that you don’t have to be friends with that person anymore. A bargain.

Love,

Broke Ass Emily Post

Thanks to Rav, Hilty, Todd, Brittany, Janelle, Mels, Carrie, Andrew, Sara, Irina, and Sally for the advice and moral support. Let’s all go out to a big dinner together sometime soon.

Fat Radish images from here.

Super Bowl: Frito Madness

O behold the bounty of Fritos! After my recent discovery that Fritos aren’t, in fact, the devil, Meags sent me this totally amazing comprehensive history of Fritos. JUST in time to see sweet, half-dumb lookin’ Eli take on the evil juggernaut that is the Pats in this weekend’s Superbowl XLVI. Now- if Peyton goes to the Redskins, then that’ll be something. In the meantime, here’s a recipe for Frito pie:

-Take bag of Frito’s, cut the side open
-Pour in hot chili
-Grate cheese, apply sour cream
-Eat with spork, revel in being American

In light of the $100 dinner, we present: The $5 dinner

After all of the discussion over the dreaded $100 dinner that so many of us have found ourselves forced into at one time or another (more on that tomorrow), how refreshing it was to find this series of $5 dinners from the ever-lovely Sarah over at Pink of Perfection. These sweet and simple recipes are culled from pantry staples and feature hearty wintry vegetables- but, like all good things, each has an ingredient or two that makes it zing, pow, sparkle and mmmm. Humble lentil, meet dashing caramelized onion, tomato soup, go ahead bring along your friend poached egg. Seeing as this is essentially my current life motto: live well, but simply, and add a bit zing-pow-sparkle when you need it, these recipes couldn’t come at a better time. Substitute “spending a quiet night with a crossword puzzle and a glass of wine” for “Lentils” and “wear a sparkly jacket and a party hat and go dancing” for “caramelized onions” and this recipe might as well be my g-cal. Life’s good.
Red Lentil Soup with Lemon and Caramelized Onions
Serves 2

3/4 cup red lentils
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water
pinch cayenne
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 small onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon sugar

To caramelize the onions, melt the butter over moderate heat. Throw in the onion and cook until beginning to brown. Sprinkle sugar evenly over onions and continue to cook until onions are brown, sweet, and sticky.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine lentils with water, stock, cayenne, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils are soft and beginning to break down. Turn off heat, and stir in chopped parsley and lemon juice. Ladle into bowls and serve with caramelized onions.

as mentioned, recipes and images from the truly wonderful Pink of Perfection.

The Brooklyn Endorsement: Fairway Lobster Roll

One of my New Years Resolutions was to eat more lobster rolls. I like to make realistic goals. To this point, I must give my ringing endorsement of the stellar roll from Fairway Market. It’s no secret that I love Fairway, in part due to their generous burlap sack policy, but the Fairway cafe- tucked in the very back corner of the Red Hook compound, seems like my little secret. It feels especially very special on lone weekday afternoons when it’s all but deserted. The Fairway lobster roll is served on a warm griddled bun, with chips, pickle, and slaw- all for $9. It’s big enough to share (or not) And you get to eat it looking at this:

Divine Lemony Roasted Broccoli

Broccoli gets a bad rap. Relegated to rubbery-ranch dressing ignominy on crudite plates or as the lesser half of Beef’n’ at bad chinese restaurants, humble broccoli doesn’t often get the cruciferous credit it deserves. Mama sent me this recipe, and holy wow- it is delicious! It came out like broccoli candy- and you use the whole head of the broccoli, even the stems. Which, in these recessionary times, is pretty great.

Lemony Roasted Broccoli
Serves 2-4 as a side

Ingredients
* 1 large bunch of broccoli, cleaned, trimmed and cut into florets and chunks of a similar size
* Zest of two lemons (get organic since you’ll be using the skin) and the juice of one of them
* 3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
* 3-4 Tbsps olive oil for roasting
* Sea salt
* Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the broccoli florets on a heavy baking sheet large enough to hold them in a single layer.
2. Toss the garlic with half the lemon zest, all of the garlic, sea salt, pepper, and the olive oil. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping once to ensure even roasting, until the pieces are crisp-tender and browned at the tips.
3. Remove the broccoli from the oven and toss with other half of the lemon zest and the juice from one lemon. Serve hot.

 

Perfect for V-to-the-egetarians.

Ah-mazing! Recipe and image from here.