Gotham Gal

Carving Pumpkins

Carving pumpkins is a tradition.  We went to Union Square Greenmarket on Saturday afternoon to pick our pumpkins.  What would Halloween be without an afternoon of carving pumpkins and toasting pumpkin seeds?

The nice thing is that the kids were psyched too.  They reminded me that we have to make the gingerbread house for Xmas too. 

Of course when the kids were trying to come up with an idea about what to carve where do you think they looked for creativity?  The Internet of course.  After everyone did their search, printed out their concepts, they were ready to roll. 

All and all, a wonderful kick-off to the beginnings of this festive season. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble Squares

This is a good one for Thanksgiving.  Really rich.  Very easy.  The recipe came out of the October Bon Appetit.

You need a 9 X 9 X 2 inch metal baking pan.  Set the oven to 350.  You need a food processor for this.  Generously butter the metal baking dish.

Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup golden brown sugar
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup pecan halves
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats

Put the top four ingredients in a food processor.  Pulsate until this becomes coarse.  Then add the pecans and pulsate again.  Now add the oats, pulsate again until the mixture is moist but not clumped.  Take 3 1/2 cups of this mixture and put it into the baking pan.  Evenly spread the mixture over the bottom and push down.  Put in the oven for 30 minutes or until browned.  Take the remaining part of the mixture and toast on a baking sheet until browned (10 minutes?).

Filling:
1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger

Using the food processor (don't clean it down from the crust) blend all the ingredients until smooth. 
Spread filling over the warm crust, bake until set, dry in the middle and the ends are beginning to rise.  About 20 minutes.

For Topping:

1 cup sour cream
2 T. sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix all the ingredients for the topping and spread evenly over the top of the filling.  Bake for about 5 minutes or until bubbling on the sides. 

Take the toasted crumbs and spread evenly over the top with your hands.  Don't use a spatula.  Cover and chill until cold. 

I cut these into small bite sized squares.  Eating a large square might put you over the top.

Toffee-Chocolate Candy

This was easier than I thought.  Delicious too.

12 ounces of chocolate chopped (I used a mix of milk and semi-sweet)
1 cup. unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Chop the chocolate and set aside.   

In a heavy saucepan (use a candy thermometer if you have one) melt the butter, sugar, water, corn syrup and salt on a medium heat.  Continue to stir until it totally melts.  Then stir occasionally as the mixture heats up and begins to darker.  If you are using a candy thermometer, you want it to get up to 300 degrees.  If you don't have one, don't fret.  Just note it probably takes about 15-18 minute to get there.  The mixture starts getting really golden and it is very thick.  Once this happens, take it off the heat and add in the vanilla.  Stir.

Now, pour this into a metal 9 X 11 pan (must be metal b/c the glass will split due to the heat).  Tilt the pan so the toffee covers the entire pan.  Let it hang out about 2 minutes.  Then pour the chocolate bits over the top and spread over the entire toffee mixture with a spatula.  Now take a cookie tray and put it over the top so the heat is sealed in and the chocolate melts.  A few minutes.  Then put the nuts over the chocolate.  Don't spread the nuts just use your hand and drop them over the top.

Let cool completely.  I put it in the refrigerator and a few hours later took it out.  The toffee literally slides out.  Break it up into pieces.  So good.

My Name is Rachel Corrie

My Name is Rachel Corrie is currently playing at Minetta Lane Theater.  It went to see it last Thursday night.  The production is a one woman play that last about 1 1/2 hours.  A chronicle of a young woman's life working from emails and letters finding a political voice living in the Gaza Strip supporting the Palestinians.

The actress, Megan Dodds, who plays Rachel Corrie is incredibly talented.  Also, the language in the play is impressive.  Very well written.  Would probably be interesting to read the play.  The set is also well done.  As she moves from her bedroom into the bullet ridden streets of Gaza, the moving parts allow her to do so. 

As a Jew, I went because I was interested in the other side.  What I left with was mixed. 

Outside the theater, before we entered, were a few people giving out information from their side.  In essence, they felt the play was very one-sided so they were compelled to give out this piece of information for the viewer to read before they entered the theater.  The Jewish/Palestinian conflict stirs up lots of opinions.  That was actually the most interesting in terms of controversy.  After reading the piece that was given to me, it was obvious that these people were pro-Israel. 

Rachel Corrie was an idealist.  She grew up in Oregon, took a trip to Russia when she was a pre-teen and it changed her life.  She looked at America differently.  How she got mixed up as a Palestine sympathizer never becomes clear but her naivety does.  Who can't sympathize with people trapped inside their homes with no jobs and bullet holes in their living room walls.  It is awful.  No hope for the future.  But Rachel emphasizes that it isn't like she is working for Hamas.  She's right but the people whose living room she is sitting in voted for Hamas.  The people who she is trying to support aren't helping themselves.  They have unfortunately been taken over by a bunch of radicals who are creating havoc which causes Israeli to retaliate. 

Sad for all fronts.  Not sure how anyone changes what is going on over there but Rachel was an idealist.  What is sad is how she got swept up into a no-win situation sympathizing with the families of a war torn area.  She was a remarkable girl and I wish she had found a different cause.  Perhaps she'd still be alive today. 

I left the play saddened by a life wasted.  From what I saw as a viewer (her parents have been the backers of this venture ) she had incredibly energy and compassion.  It is just a shame that she didn't use it somewhere else.

Thai Chicken with Mushrooms and Green Beans

I am sorry I didn't take a picture but this is one easy dinner and good too.  Serve this over a bowl of rice.
Serves 5 with no extras so keep that in mind.  When I make it again, I will add half more of everything.

3 T. oyster sauce
2 T. fish sauce
2 t. sugar
vegetable oil
1 lb. green beans - cut into 2 inch pieces, I used scissors..very easy that way.
6 scallions - white and light green parts cut into 1 inch slices
salt
1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts pounded thin and cut into strips
1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms stemmed and quartered
1 large jalapeno - halved and sliced into 1/8 inch pieces

Mix the oyster sauce, fish sauce and sugar into a small bowl. 

In a wok (I use a big non-stick frying pot)
heat 1 t. of the vegetable oil until it is really hot.  Now add in the green beans and stir fry them at the high heat for about 5 minutes.  They start to get crispy and blackened.  Take out the beans and put them aside. 

Add another 3-4 T. oil on a high heat.  Add the scallions and 1 t. kosher salt.  Fry until golden.  30 seconds.

Add the chicken in 3 batches.  Wait a few seconds in between batches and stir-fry until the chicken is white.  It takes about 2 minutes or so.

Add in the mushrooms, jalapeno and beans.  Fry for another 2-3 minutes until everything is getting crispier.  Then add the oyster sauce mixtures and stir-fry until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Another 3 minutes or so. 

I put a scoop of rice in each individual bowl and and served the chicken over the top.  Really good and very simple.

Tomato Soup

Emily was home sick.  She was craving tomato soup and we needed an afternoon activity. 

2 large Spanish onions chopped
2 large carrots peeled and chopped
6 cups whole tomatoes (we used tomatoes that we had canned this summer)
2 T. sugar
1 cup cream
*I was going to use about 1/2 t. cumin but Emily wouldn't let me

Start with a large pot that is going to fit the soup.  Put in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot.  Put in your onions and carrots.  Stir for about 5 minutes or so until they are soft on a medium heat.  Add in the sugar (and cumin if you choose), stir.  Now, add in the tomatoes and start to break them up  with a wooden spoon.  I let them hang out in the soup pot for about 10 minutes on a medium heat and continued to break them up.  Once this is done turn off the heat, and add 1 cup of cream. 

We chose to puree this mixture in the Cuisinart after this but you can keep it chunky too.  It gets a little mealy when you puree it unless you keep it in the Cuisinart for a very long time or use a blender.  Plenty of salt is needed at the end but it is a perfect bowl of soup for a cold day.  I particularly like it accompanied with a Gruyere grilled cheese sandwich with caramelized onions. 

Thank God for Entrpreneurs

Reading in the New York Times yesterday that the Ford Motor Company reported the worst financial loss in 14 years made me so angry.  A loss of $5.8 billion dollars which is likely to get worse.  Worse? 

What I found incredulous is that the executives of the Ford Motor Company just stayed the course.  No out of the box thinking.  They didn't look at every other countries emission standards.  Every other country is expecting the cars to get a gas mileage at the minimum of 50 miles per hour or more.  Other countries are concerned about the shortage of fuel and the pollution we are putting into our environment.  Instead, the Ford Motor Company decided to continue to feed the US economy with large over sized gas guzzling vehicles because the US Government has no problems with that.  Let's just ride that tide until is dies.  Well, it is starting to die.  The consumers are telling Ford that they don't want to stay the course.  Actually, that is one of the things that make America great.  The people can't give a company tax breaks but they can send a signal by what they purhase.

Did Ford Executives ever look into the future?  Did they ever think about being a innovative forward thinking company?  No, they went with what was easy and didn't consider that we are living in a flat world where consumers outside our own borders effect decisions made in US companies. 

Shame shame on Ford.  They deserve the losses that they have incurred.  Unfortunately they are also bringing down life long employees that have counted on their vision and leadership. 

Thank god for the Entrepreneurs in our country who are creating new businesses that will be linked to the rest of the world, changing the focus of how we do business and are not so concerned with getting tax benefits from the US Government so they can just stay the course.

I only wish there were more people thought like Entrepreneurs for some of the largest companies in the world, like Ford and take shared ownership in the products they are building for the future.

Last Nights Dinner

We try to eat as a family as often as we can.  It has been a seriously busy fall but last night we all got the opportunity to sit down, talk and eat.  What could be better? 

I roasted a pork loin that was smothered in mustard and honey tossing the extra wine from the cabbage and some water in the bottom of the pan it baked in. I also cut up acorn squash into round pieces, doused them with olive oil and kosher salt and roasted them at a high temperature of 420 for about an hour so they got really crispy.  The third addition was for a red-wine braised cabbage and onions dish that I found in this months Gourmet magazine.  It was really good and completed the meal.

Here is the recipe:

4 T. unsalted butter
1 1/2 lbs. red onions cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 large head of red cabbage also cut into 1/4 inch pieces (this is alot of cabbage)
2 cups dry red wine ( I picked up a cheap Cabernet for $6.99 at the local wine store)
2 cups water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 film sweet apple (I used a gala) peeled and coarsely grated
1 1/2 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
1- whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves

Melt the butter in a large non-stick pan.  Add in the cabbage and onions and saute for about 20 minutes or more until everything is starting to brown and is wilted.  Now add in the wine, water, vinegars, apple, sugar and salt and bring to a boil.  Put the peppercorns and bay leaves in a cheesecloth and tie with a string.  I found these great little cheesecloth bags that I use.  Add that to the mixture.  Then take a piece of parchment paper and cover the top of the pan and then cover that pan with the lid.  Reduce to simmer and let it hang out about 2 hours. 

I was a bit skeptical about the parchment piece but went with it.  Totally works.  It makes the dish get rich and thick.  Big hit at home but intense cabbage can be a killer a few hours later.

Sushi Gari opens on Restaurant Row

Our friends have been patrons of Gari for 20 years, before Gari opened Gari Sushi.  At the last minute last night we were invited to come along to the pre-opening at Gari Sushi on Restaurant Row.  This is his fourth restaurant, the other three are on the Upper West Side, Upper East Side and Tokyo.  Tonight his new restaurant on West 46th Street between 8/9th will open to the public.

It was an eating extravaganza.  Same menu, same concept but just as good if you are a Gari Sushi fan.

We started with a small square piece of custard in a tiny round bowl.  I thought it was tofu but quite frankly it tasted too good.   This was actually sesame seeds that had been boiled down and made into a custard that they served with a dollop of wasabi and a light ponzu sauce.  It was really good and creamy.

Second course was a plate of sashimi.  Lobster thinly sliced with a citrus type sauce,  pieces of yellowtail with a spicy sauce, kumamoto oysters (my fav) with a wasabi tang and tuna with a smattering of ginger.  All delicious.  Each piece had a flavor to complement the fish but nothing too overpowering.

Our third plate and the plates that followed were all sushi.  What Gari does is basically use something on each piece of fish to create a different experience.  Tuna with a dollop of a puree of tofu, mackerel with a plum sauce but my favorite on this plate was salmon with a warm layer of roasted tomatoes over the top.  Really interesting.

Next up deep fried tarot root chips with a mixture of salad and mushrooms served over a piece of white fish, citrus sauce over mackerel, ginger sauce over Toro and a jalapeno sauce over yellowtail.

Fifth plate, we actually ate more than I realized, was Mackerel with small veggies with a citrus sauce, tuna with chopped daikon radish on top,  white fish with sauteed mushrooms on top and roasted oysters wrapped in seaweed and a wasabi sauce.  The oysters were really interesting and good.

Our last plate was scallops with red peppercorns,  seared Toro with ginger, cooked sea eel (this was really good) and torched urchin (basically charred).

Dessert was red bean and green tea ice cream.

The sake at all his restaurants is Gari's exclusively that he gets in Japan. 

The restaurant is small and simple.  Very similar to his Westside restaurant.  I have never been to the Eastside.  As a rule, I am a sushi purist.  I am not a big fan of the toppings on each of the different pieces of fish.  Gari continues to serve a lot of the same fish through out the night but the change of toppings, sauce and textures is his signature.  Some are really good and innovative, others I could pass on.  Gari is such a character and certainly one of the more creative sushi chefs in NYC.  Big congratulations on opening this space.  Now there is at least one other top restaurant in the theater district.  Something that area has been calling for.  My guess is he will be packed from day one. 

The League for the Hard of Hearing

A variety of our friends are either involved or connected to some non-profit organzation where they either sit on the board or help raise money and awareness.  Each of them is passionate about their cause.  Through everyones work, our kids have a better understanding how that affects each organization.  This is a very good thing. 

One of my very best friends in the world co-chaired last nights event for The League of the Hard of Hearing.  It appeared to be a huge success from the amount of people that came to support the event. 
We have been attending their events off and on over the past 6 years.  She has definitely made an impact.

One of the things she was adamant about which is very hard to get across is no comps.  The big fundraisers of the year are to make money for the organzation.  A tremendous amount of capital comes out of these events which allows the organizations to run successful programs through the year.  Board members that just comp people so that they can bring their friends along to an event is not what these events are for.  She has also changed the culture of what raising money means.  The event used to be low key and inexpensive.  I believe that they still have that event so everybody can come which is great for community but the big event of the year is not for everyone, it is for people who can afford to buy a big ticket.  This can cause serious friction among the board and the staff to set the path for doing this but there is no doubt that when one person sets their foot down about the realities of the big fundraiser, the benefits become obvious.  So, my hat goes off to her for being tough.  That is not an easy thing to do.  It isn't easy to change years of the status quo.

The League has touched over a million people.  A young girl spoke last night about how people treated her because she had a hearing disability.  The League was there to support and help her navigate the world.  She eloquently talked about how a teacher at school told her that as far as she was going to possibly get is working at McDonald's.  She thought to herself if I am going to work at McDonald's, I am going to own that McDonald's.  This young woman is hopefully going to be attending Columbia University next fall.  My guess is there are thousands of stories like that from kids and adults that the League has touched. 

The organzation has been around since 1910.  Each organization goes through different cycles but I have seen and heard about the impact that our friends have made at The League since they have been involved.  The League is lucky to have them.