Gotham Gal

Podcast

We had our first guests for our Podcast.  It was lots of fun.  Maybe more guests coming your way..

The show is up at Positively 10th Street.  If you'd prefer to listen to it live, just click here. 

Enjoy..

Greek Salad

This is a simple, summer salad.  I like to cut everything chunky style.  Also, I put everything in the bowl separately until I am ready to toss.  That way I can see how much of each ingredient is there, if I need more of something or less of something.  Once it is built, I toss with a classic vinaigrette.

• Large chunk of feta cheese diced(I prefer French Feta if you can find it, it is a bit milder)
• Box of cherry/grape tomatoes ( you could use diced Italian tomatoes too)
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, sliced and seeded, then chopped
• 2 ears of corn grilled (if you don't like corn, bag it or maybe use sliced red onions)
• 1 1/2 lbs. of peeled (no tail too) grilled shrimp (you could use chicken or something else here)
• fresh thyme - I scattered this all over the salad before tossing in the vinaigrette
• dab of Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper for taste

Vinaigrette

• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 9 tbsp. olive oil (or vegetable oil)

The key to making a rich vinaigrette is mixing the mustard and vinegar together first with a whisk.  Then, slowly add the oil by whisking until it is completely mixed in.  This should make a thick rich vinaigrette.

This salad could be a base for anything else that rocked your boat to put in. 

Mike Doughty

We heard Mike Doughty on Massive Hysteria (my favorite podcast).  We listened to more of him on Rhapsody.  We then found out that our good friends, Razor and Tie,  had the opportunity but passed to sign him to their label.  So when we saw Mike on the schedule to play at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, we figured why not.  It was meant to be.

First of all, Stephen Talkhouse is a fantastic venue.  It is a very small club/bar with a tiny stage.  I can't imagine that they can fit more than 150 people in there.  There couldn't have been more than 50 last night.  Unfortunately, because of space, they mostly play old bands that are trying to keep their careers going, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes would be case and point but they do get some good New Orleans bands etc. 

Mike was good.  He has a distinctive voice.  He plays a variety of guitars.  He is enjoying his time on stage.  A lot of the songs sound the same but a few here or there pop out at you.  Take a listen to him on Rhapsody, see what you think and if you like it, support him.  My favorite tune if Madeline and Nine. 

Banana Blueberry Granola Muffins

The heat makes the fruit turn in seconds. 

4 very dark bananas were staring at me the other morning. 

Besides tossing them out, the only thing to do is make something. 

I opted to make muffins. I don't like them too sweet and these seem to fit the order.

• 3 cups. flour
• 2 cups sugar ( you could always add a little more if you liked your muffins really sweet)
• 2 tsps. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted and then cooled
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk (I used 2% but whole milk is probably better)
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• 1 cup bananas mashed (roughly 2-3 bananas)
• 1 cup bananas diced ( roughly 1 bananas)
• 1 cup of granola (your choice)
• 1 cup of blueberries

Put the flour, sugar, baking power, baking soda and salt into a large bowl.  You will only use one bowl for the entire recipe.  If you have a electric mixer with a paddle attachment, use it.  Mix at a low speed about 10-15 seconds to blend the ingredients.  Add the melted butter and blend.  Now add the eggs, milk, vanilla and mashed bananas.  Blend.  Don't over mix.  Muffins don't need a lot of mixing.  Now put in the granola and diced bananas and mix by hand.  When it is thoroughly mixed, add the blueberries and mix gently so they don't pop.  Otherwise the batter turns completely blue. 

Put them in muffin tins, this recipe made about 20, and bake at 350 until done (toothpick comes out clean when sticking it in the muffin).  About 30 minutes.  You could also sprinkle some granola and sugar on top for a crispy top. 

FYI - Someone finally came out with muffin tins that are strong enough that they do not need a muffin tin.  Genius.  I tried them out.   Set them up on a cookie sheet, spooned the batter in and baked.  Brilliant.

Asking Questions...

I read two very interesting editorials today.  One from Learning From Lance by Thomas Friedman and the other was Fearful Times Fe by Charlie Suisman at MUG (Manhattan Users Guide).  Although they were very different topics, there was something about the articles that made me link the two.

Friedman, like everyone else, is awed by Lance Armstrong's 7th straight victory.  His perseverance and his well planned strategies allowed him to achieve his goals.  Friedman asks the question about achieving goals.  If you were the President wouldn't you want to continue to change and mold your goals based on outside factors.  If the war doesn't work, don't you change your strategies. If we are seeing more suicide bombers, wouldn't you ask yourself if the course we are taking is making sense.  Should we look for ways to not be as dependent on the Middle East for oil to push those countries to reform?  Shouldn't we think out of the box on how to use new energies in the 21st Century?  If we are not educating our kids to be the best to compete with the best globally, should we be looking to change our goals? 

I do not believe that history will be kind to George Bush and his administration.  They have not done anything positive except stay the course with their ideologies of what should be not what is.  Documented information is inconsequential to them, if they don't agree with the data, then the data must be wrong. They have lied, and created more anger at home and abroad.  They have made the rich richer and the poor poorer.  Bigger lines have been drawn.

Suisman writes about the presence of more cops in the subways that are now doing random bag checks in NYC.  I agree with him that this will not necessarily keep terrorists out but make people just feel safer.  What we haven't done is changed how we manage our subways.  Why haven't we added cameras, made underground communication better, create better subway cars with glass that is resistant, etc.  We have really done nothing to improve our underground since 9/11 but just thrown rhetoric around and put in more men and women in blue to make us feel safer. 

What has happened in the NYC subways is no different than what the Bush administration has done for our country.  Lots of talk, great speeches, but no execution.  All smoke and mirrors.  We virtually changed our entire military after WWII in a matter of years because we needed to.  We haven't done anything in the same amount of time since 9/11.  Lots of talk, no action.  Status quo and our fingers crossed. 

At the end of Suisman's article he asks a question which is what made me put the 2 articles together.  "Isn't asking questions, what Primo Levi (an anti-fascist voice after and during WWII)  learned, one of the fundamental elements of freedom"?   Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows that our kids to go a progressive school.  Asking questions and challenging the norm is the mantra.  This administration doesn't ask the questions and they certainly don't want anyone else asking them.  My question to both articles is why aren't the citizens of this country asking the questions?  Will there be a backlash to all of this?  Have we become that numb and accepting to whatever they say goes.  Will the college campuses rise up and say we have had enough? 

There will be another serious terrorist attack on this country.  My guess is that we will learn that not much had been done after 9/11 to focus, prevent, strategize, change and lead us to different defenses.  Instead, we did nothing except a lame attempt to make us feel safer.  In the end, we will all suffer.  I hope our children's generation will at least be smart enough to ask the questions.

Visiting Day

Visiting Day was this past Saturday.  So great to go see your kids and see how happy they are.  8 weeks is a long time.  Yet it is good for everyone.  The parents get to reconnect, the kids get to be more independent and then when summer ends, somehow everyone appreciates each other a little bit more...at least for a few days.

It was a beautiful day.  We had fun.  It is incredible that it was our 7th Visiting Day.  Time flies by way too quickly...

Podcast

The podcast of the week is up and running.  Check out Positively 10th Street.  If you want to just listen to it live, click here.  LIVE  Enjoy!

French Laundry

Years ago I read The Soul of A Chef. I was hooked and then had to read The Making of a Chef. After both books I was obsessed with getting to French Laundry. My time finally came.

 French Laundry, Thomas Keller’s place in Napa Valley, is revered as the best restaurant in the country. Hmm. Could all the hype be really true? Will I be thrilled or disappointed? Could it really be that good? Well I finally got to answer my own questions. The answer is that French Laundry is a must experience for any food lover. Truly.

 This isn’t just an evening out for a good meal. After all there are 9 courses. This is a culinary feast. Your palette gets to taste extraordinary flavors, textures, pairings of unique produce cooked in a variety of ways. It is eye opening, imaginative and provocative. Was I in a museum, an emerging art gallery or at a thought provoking play? No, just at a restaurant with an incredible chef who is pushing the envelope like no other.

 The staff couldn’t more helpful and knowledgeable. There are 3 menus to choose from. The Dinner Menu which is a 7 course meal, the Vegetable Tasting which is a 9 course meal or the Chefs Tasting menu which is a 9 course meal. We (Fred and me) opted for the Chefs Tasting. Our waiter recommended champagnes, wines (all ½ bottles) and dessert wines based on our meal of the evening. We went with what he recommended. All good, believe me.

 We began with 2 treats. The first one was a warm puffed pastry melded with gruyere cheese. One pop in the mouth and the dinner begins. We started this with a “blanc de blanc” champagne. The second treat looked like a small ice cream cone. Warm, yet slightly chewy cone immersed with black sesame seeds. The cone was filled with crème fraiche and topped with a small scoop of tuna tartare. Divine. Now the 9 courses start to arrive.

 Our first course was a creamed cauliflower panna cotta. Light, creamy and buttery. There was a small hint of oyster taste and a scoop of Russian Sevruga Caviar on top. This was perfect with the champagne.

 Next course we could have gone with the salad but instead opted for the Foie Gras ($25 Supplement). Hey, you only live once. We each did a different Foie Gras. One was made from Moulard Duck made into a circular shaped terrine.  We got a 1/2 inch slice. This was placed over a peach jelly that had small pieces of picked peaches and tiny marinated red onions in it. When they served it, the server topped it off with crisped rice pieces. Of course, melba toast sliced so thin on the side that I can’t imagine how many pieces break before they get to the table. The other Foie Gras was warm. Sauteed until crisp a piece of Moulard Duck Foie Gras served with peeled poached sweet crab apples and summer onions topped with a black pepper sauce We had 2 dessert wines with this. A Gwurtztraminer for the hot and a Tocai for the cold. Perfect. Each serving was sublime. We literally savored each bite very slowly.

 We are now entering the fish courses. We had a 2003 Muersault with this (1/2 bottle). Crispy filet of Japanese Suzuki served with sweet carrots, celery and the tiniest mushrooms I have ever seen. A reduction of Sherry Vinegar was served swiped on the side of the plate. This was my least favorite dish. Simple, elegant, but not as earth shattering as the others.

 The next fish course was inspired by Caesar Salad. My first bite made my whole mouth smile. Maine Lobster tail poached and set over a creamy emulsion paired with roasted romaine lettuce and a sweet parmesan crouton that was like a square creamy like a pudding. Phenomenal.

 Meat courses are next. We drank a really great California Cabernet from Merus with this (again ½ bottle). A variety of vineyards in the region make ½ bottles for them only.

 The first meat course was rabbit. Interesting. 3 small loins of rabbit, and I mean small. This was served with a rabbit liver that had been barely charred on the outside. Brown butter pudding and soft small leaks accompanied the dish and a sauce of wonderberries. Never heard of wonderberries? Me neither but they are like blueberries but sweeter and more dense. A local favorite. Too bad I couldn’t haul some back to NYC to make jam. Oh well.

 The next meat course was lamb. My fav. 3 small round piece of lamb served over a cassoulet of pole beans, tiny cherry tomatoes and a thyme “jus”. The perfect summer dish.

 The cheese plate, at least what they considered to be the cheese plate was one of the best things I had. Crunchy sautéed corn with applesmoked bacon mixed lightly with truffles and a few pieces of tiny mache served over the top. 2 pieces of a thick yet smooth cheese that had incredible flavor but not too tart were served next to this. The different textures and tastes just worked. It was an explosion in the mouth. We loved this.

 Dessert time. We had a Muscat from Australia to carry us to the end. It was time to cleanse the palette. Mango sorbet that was beyond intense served with a yuzu scented soft cookie and a black sesame coulis underneath. Really refreshing.

 The main dessert was outrageous. It resembled a large oval egg of pure chocolate with a hint of hazelnut covering the middle that was a caramel chocolate. This was served with a rich vanilla ice cream and toasty sweet hazelnuts. We both slowly ate the chocolate dipped with the ice cream. It was like nothing I had ever had before.

 About now you start to hit a wall. Amazing that we hadn’t hit it yet. They come out with small little treats. I couldn’t resist just a tasting. Macaroons that crumbled in your mouth, tiny lemon tarts that aren’t bigger than your thumb nail, chocolate tarts too.  Our served said he'd be happy to package it to go but I wanted to complete the meal as the chef saw it. 

Alas,  it was over. What a feast. What an experience. We rolled home happy and well fed. One of the top culinary experiences I have ever had. The waiter actually told me that the last 2 weeks in December they do a 9 course truffle menu. Hmmm. Perhaps I will get back to The French Laundry sooner than I think.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The first Jonathan Safran Foer book was Everything is Illuminated.  It was a tough book to read.  Lots of different characters.  Each chapter had a different characters point of view.  It took almost half the book to get a handle on everyone.  I finished it.  Impressive first novel.  Smart author to say the least. 

His second book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I read on a plane this week.  What a book.  This novel is seen through the eyes of a 9 year old boy, Oskar,  who lost his father on 9/11.  He goes through a 2 year healing process by trying to find out information on a key that his father left behind.  Oskar, is one smart cookie.  The book is very clever and imaginative.  I really loved it.

What struck me about reading this book was how the horrific day of 9/11 still sits inside me.  We were very lucky that no one close to us was lost that horrible day but we literally lived through it,  as we live downtown.  It was a day that I can recall in a heartbeat.  I can relive it in a moments notice and tears come to my eyes.  I didn't realize how much until as I was reading this book and living through Oskars emotional roller coaster of losing his father, I found myself going back there.  I literally wept through sections of the book.  Oskar touched my heart. 

Jonathan Safran Foer is a very talented writer.  The way he writes is obviously how his mind works.  Incredibly bright and perceptive.  His attachment, just like his first novel, to the Holocaust and WWII has obviously had a major impact on his life. The story circles around intertwining characters and places.  A very original book. 

Del Dotto Vineyards

As a rule, we believe in our own taste, not what we have been told is "the best" or "must have".  We went to a few vineyards like that and decided they were not what they were touted as being. 

This morning we went to Del Dotto Vineyards.  Wow.  We have been spoiled by drinking very old vines the past few years, mostly Italian and  now find the California wines are young in comparison.  Yet, Del Dotto was impressive for a variety of reasons and steered us back to the California wines. 

We took the "cave" tour.  There is a large underground, hand made, cave where they keep their wines.  I believe there are only 2 others like that in Napa, one being Schramsberg, which is where they make sparkling wine ( I highly recommend going there if you are in the area).   The tour takes about 1 and 1/2 hours.  You get to taste the wines from a variety of different years, different oak barrels (French, Missouri, Virginia and Pennsylvania oaks - and some that are mixed).  We learned all about the process, the grapes, the aging etc.  It was quite impressive.  The most impressive was that this vineyard only puts out 7000 cases a year and the owner does it more as a passion than a money making venture.

Luck was with us today.  David Del Dotto, the owner, was down in the caves with the barrel maker.  He joined our group, 4 couples, and started talking about his wines and how much he loves them.  He tapped into the '04 Cabernets that our guide wasn't supposed to touch.  David is passionate and full of life.  He just loves the wine and what he does.  The wines were consistently delicious no matter what year or which barrel.  That is what was amazing. 

For us, it was a treat.  We have always enjoyed getting to know the face behind the product.  The majority of our art that we have collected, we know the artists.  When we were in South Africa, we got to know one of the vintners who now emails with us.  We ordered enough wine at Del Dotto that we could actually stay on the property next time we are there.  I would bet that having a dinner and drink with David Del Dotto would be one of the all time "food and wine" experiences. 

The wines we bought are coming in September.  I'm looking forward to having a bunch of friends over and cracking open those delicious bottles.