Gotham Gal

peach blueberry unconstructed tart

Ever notice when you find out about something or meet someone that their name crops up at every turn? 

I had the pleasure of meeting Amanda Hesser at the beginning of the year.  Funny enough, she had been meaning to contact me.  We finally did get together a few times with her partner, Merrill Stubbs, to talk about Food52, a site that they both built.  Food52 is community of food lovers that cook and bake and through their engagement  of providing recipes and knowledge, Food52 has created the first crowd-source cookbook that will hit the stands soon.  An excellent site that is rich in information including look and feel.  Love the site and what they are doing and plan on being involved. 

On the other hand, I am at a meeting this past week and we are talking food.  One of the women start gushing about a lemon risotto that she has made many times and the recipe came from Cooking For Mr. Latte written by Amanda Hesser.  I went home and bought the book.

I am in the last chapter which I will finish tonight.  I love the book.  Knowing Amanda and now reading the book gives me a little glimpse into the world of Amanda.  She has a fantastic voice.  The book is the story of how she met her husband.  The dating, the expectations and more important, the food.  She talks about food and enjoys food and cooking like I do.  I can hardly wait to cook a meal with Amanda.  Each chapter finishes off with a few recipes that are part of the chapter.  After all, life is all about the next meal.  What is truly shocking is how tiny Amanda is considering how much food she loves to consume.  Good gene pool.

This evening we had Fred's family over for dinner.  Josh and I cooked together this afternoon.  I basically oversaw the production and Josh did the work.  He made the peach tart out of Cooking for Mr. Latte which is a recipe that comes from Amanda's Mom.  We doubled it and it was delicious.  The recipe below is the original. 

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp. flour

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

3/4 cup plus 1 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter (chopped into small pieces)

5 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and thickly sliced

1/2 pint blueberries ( we added this )

Preheat the oven to 425.  Stir together 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp. sugar.  In another small bowl, whisk together the oil, milk and almond extract.  Pour this into the flour mixture and mix gently with a fork.  Once this begins to resemble a wet dough, pour into an 8 inch square pan.  Use your hands to push the dough down evenly and up the sides about 1/8 inch. 

In a bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tbsp. flour 1/4 tsp salt and the butter.  Use your fingers to mix this together until the ingredients get crumbly.

In another bowl, mix together the peach and blueberries and then place over the dough and spread out to make a singular layer.  Now take the small bowl of pastry and sprinkle over the top.  Use it all.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until browned and bubbling.

Serve with creme fraiche whipped cream

1 cup whipped cream

1/2 cup creme fraiche

2 tbsp. confectioners sugar

Beat until peaks. 

Delicious.  We actually served it with a spoon. 

garlic?

Some of you already know this and others might be surprised, I hate garlic.  Yes, I am an avid cook and baker and love going out for dinner to the latest and greatest but I always request no garlic.  Not for me.  My kids laugh but they are now trained to not really like garlic either. 

How did I come to become a garlic hater?  A few reasons.  The first, which is most important, is that when Fred eats garlic, it literally pours out of him.  Rolling over in the middle of the night and getting hit with a wave of garlic was a total killer.  I could tell if he had garlic from 40 feet away.  Some people can't digest it.  I have gone to an exercise class and between the alcohol and garlic sweat, I want to crawl into a hole. 

I began to omit garlic from anything I made.  In Europe, I have found that garlic is used to enhance flavor where as in the US garlic is used to be the flavor.  There is a huge difference.  I have never felt that taste of garlic taking over my entire mouth in Europe like I have at restaurants in the US. 

The other killer is friends who love garlic.  They come to give you a kiss or speak to you and the smell alone sends me back a few feet.  It is overwhelming.  Not sure they even realize it.  Obviously other people don't mind.  Maybe I have a highly sensitive nose. 

When you don't eat garlic and then have it, it is not easy on the stomach.  It gives you a stomach ache.  The other thing is that not using garlic in some ways is a challenge to be a better cook.  People are always blown away that I hate garlic and never cook with it.  Shallots do work.

Unfortunately as I have aged, heavy garlic in anything, even a pre-packaged product, kills me.   I have a few friends who can't go near garlic.  Kills their stomach.  Garlic is very potent.  To me, the smell of garlic spilling out of a restaurant on to the streets makes many people inhale the essence as heaven on earth.  To me, it literally makes my stomach turn.  As my father always says, I guess that is what makes horse races. 

fancy food show

This is my second year attending the fancy food show.  It is some show.  There are booths of food from all over the world.  Chile, Scotland, Thailand, Italy, France, Canada, Greece and more.  In the US section, they break the areas down by state.  Ricks Picks was in New York. 

What is overwhelming is all the food.  Large companies that represent a variety of options.  Smaller companies that are just starting out.  Companies that carry only one cheese and others that carry 20.  Companies that are geared towards the high end of the market and ones that are geared towards the lower end of the market.  It is the place to figure out your inventory. 

Rick is introducing the Spicy Pickle called Hotties, sure to be a winner, at the show.  The booth was seriously packed and the response was fantastic. 

I only stayed a few hours this year after hanging in the booth and then walking the show.  A few hours wiped me out.  There was nothing that screamed out trend but the one thing that was clear is how the industry is changing and growing. 

These are a few products I liked that are starting to break out.  Ricks Picks, of course.  There is also Effie's which I have written about before.  New packaging that looked great and a new cracker.  Each cracker is so good and a little cheese on top goes a long way.

I also liked Castleton Crackers.  Really nice, tasty and a good crunch.  The owner is the woman with her eyes shut.  Sorry about that picture.

Also I really liked the products from Maya Kaimal.  They were honestly as good as home made and the spicy ketchup is a must for the refrigerator.  Heat one of the curry's up and serve over rice and dinner is ready.

The last one was Fat Toad Farm which sold delicious caramel sauces that would be quite tasty over ice cream.

I will be back next year.  It is really quite the event. 

portrait of an addict as a young man by bill clegg

I have certainly read plenty of addiction memoirs but this particular book, Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man by Bill Clegg, is different.

Bill Clegg was a successful literary agent who descended into hell through drugs and alcohol.  The short paragraphs in each chapter are tiny tidbits of his slow decline.  Clegg has a brilliant command of the words he chooses to describe the highs, "the warm glow of the drug shield me from caring."  His addiction is to crack.  Vodka just helps the buzz.  There is comfort to having a pipe in his pocket waiting for the next hit.  Clegg spends day holed up in hotels through out NYC smoking and drinking without food for days.  Money slowly dries up. 

Certain chapters are devoted to snippets of his childhood.  Substance abuse is in his family.  There are interventions from his family and his boyfriend, Noah, who Clegg is lucky to have watching his back. 

He goes to rehab, he relapses, he doesn't care.  Drugs can make you care about nothing else but just doing drugs.  Clegg writes in a way that makes the reader really understand why it is so difficult to quit, how the drug becomes you. 

The book is a quick read.  It is a powerful.  He might have been an agent but Clegg is a powerful writer.  An amazing insightful story of his addiction.  A worth while read. 

lobster rolls

Josh went with his friend and his parents over to Greenpoint last week to pick up some lobster rolls from the Lobstah Pushah.  It is worth watching the video.  This guy in Greenpoint makes lobster rolls in a little kitchen.  You text him, he makes you up a fresh lobster roll and then he hands it off to you at the pre-determined destination to make the transaction.  It is like a drug deal. Josh said the roll was so good that when they drove back into Manhattan after crossing over the Williamsburg Bridge, he didn't even know that they were back in Manhattan because he was so enjoying his roll.  He described the roll so beautifully that I have had a hankering for the perfect lobster roll since.

Last weekend I had a lobster roll at Clam Bar.  It was good but not great.  I bought a ridiculously expensive lobster salad from the local fishmonger which was pretty good but I vowed I could make better.  I had a lobster roll at Citi Field which was good but again not great.  This weekend I was determined to make a good lobster roll.

The only problem with the one I made is I should have made more.  You really should do one lobster per roll.  Think a one and a half pound lobster per sandwich.  Sounds like a lot but it is actually perfect.  I pulled out the hot meat and tossed it with chopped celery, a dash of Old Bay seasoning, some salt and just enough mayonnaise to bind the salad. Bread is key here too.  In a pan, I melted some butter and put the buns (potato hot dog buns) in with the inside down and let them get a little bit browned and soak up the butter.  Add the lobster salad and serve.  Not a cheap but lunch but so good.  I might have to make them again tomorrow.

a nice summer dinner

The traffic out to the Hamptons this weekend was hell.  I am going to be out here this weekend but not again until August.  The entire way out I was thinking about how this is my second to last drive out here for the summer.  I so hate traffic.  I am spending a chunk of the summer in Europe.  Blogging will follow.  Beginning in Rome then to Tuscany and then up to Zurich and over to London for the duration.  I am the only constant in Europe from the Wilson family.  Others come and go.  I'm looking forward to it.

When we finally arrived out here, I rushed out to the store to fill up on makings for dinner.  Dinner was the perfect summer meal.  Local swordfish rubbed with chopped basil, thyme, sage and rosemary mixed with a little bit of olive oil and salt on the grill. 

Caprese salad, which is my all time favorite.  I made some fresh pesto for the occasion. 

A farro salad mixed with the local vegetables.  I love farro.  I grilled corn, asparagus and zucchini and cut that into small pieces (just took the corn off the cob).  I also used local kirby cucumbers that I peeled and sliced into small pieces.  Beets are local now too and I roasted a bunch of them and cut them into small pieces once they cooled.  For a dressing, I used lots of red wine vinegar, some olive oil and salt.  I also took just a few large pinches of feta cheese which just gives the salad a nice bite.  You don't even realize the cheese is in it but it makes a difference.  If I wasn't serving mozzarella in the other salad, I'd probably add more feta for a bigger taste. 

Dessert was simple.  Nectarines, cut in half, and brushed with balsamic vinegar and then grilled.  A scoop of vanilla ice cream, half a nectarine, fresh blueberries and strawberries drizzled with balsamic vinegar.  Very summery and good. 

Go Mets!

On Thursday night we went out to Citi Field to watch the Mets play Detroit.  I admit, that I am not the biggest baseball fan but it was a great night.  I find the game incredibly long and drawn out.  I am well aware that it is truly a thinking mans game and the stats are part of the thrill.  I get it.  Yet going to a game on occasion, eating some baseball fare and enjoying a warm summer night isn't so shabby.  We had the absolute pleasure of sitting in one of the boxes the other night.  Our seats were prime.  Josh was in heaven. 

Citi Field is pretty damn sweet.  The place is pristine.  The food halls are pretty good.  There is something magical about the place.  As I said, I do get it. 

chocolate covered strawberries

I admit, chocolate covered strawberries are not my favorite thing but there is something about how beautiful they look. 

My brother and his family are in town this week and we have been spending some time together.  They used to live in NYC so it is nice for them to come back and reconnect with old friends.  My brother comes in frequently for work but his wife and kids don't get to. 

Emily and her friend got my nieces involved in the project of making chocolate covered strawberries after dinner.  The key is cold strawberries.  Also, melt the chocolate and add just a little bit of vegetable oil.  Dip the strawberries into the melted chocolate ( no longer on the heat ) and lay them on cookie tray covered with parchment paper.  Put in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens.  Serve.  Really hard to go wrong.

doing what you love

Today I got an amazing gift.  Wendy, who is an avid reader of this blog, is a Jamster.  She sent me a bunch of recently made jams.  Peach Habanero, Spicy Mango, Black Forest Jam, Cherry Pinot Grigio, Peach Lavender, Raspberry Pepper Jam, Strawberry Balsamic and Apricot Vanilla.  Wendy began making jams a few years ago and the world of Sunchowder's Emporia was created.  The jams and chutneys are amazing.  The packaging is beautiful.  She should seriously write a cookbook with all her creations.  

First off, I love that I actually have avid readers.  Second, I love that Wendy had a career shift in life and found herself living in Florida and following a passion.  Life is never a straight path. 

Wendy recently started a blog which I am going to add to my blog roll.  I highly recommend going to her site and picking up a few goodies for yourself.

The Highline's annual event

Annual events are tough.  Many organizations depend on that particular evening to raise funds for the year.  You want the event to be fun and perhaps different while getting across the heart grabbing message so people continue to give and support the organization.  Not sure I have yet to go to an annual chicken dinner that I liked.

Last night was one of the High Line's annual events.  There are only a million reasons why I love the High Line so I won't name them all.  One of the many reasons for their success is the organization's people behind it.  True professionals who get it and make sure that every t is crossed and every i is dotted.  I continue to be impressed with them at every turn.

My guess is that there was a desire for the event to be hip and cutting edge at the same time.  Isn't easy to make happen.  People bitch about these events but at the end of the day there are a few things that are the key to success.  Keep the speeches and presentations short.  The majority of the time should be given to schmoozing with people that you see and your own group.  Make sure the event takes place in one big room.  It can be ungainly but there is something about going to the bathroom and bumping into people you know.  It is a good thing to see other people you know there supporting something you both care about.  You don't want to find out later that someone was there that you would have liked to see.  If you are going to have an auction, have it between the appetizers and dinner.  Make sure people are fully loaded with alcohol before having that portion of the event.  Keep the wine glasses and water glasses full at all times.  Make sure the give away at the end of the night is cool ( if there is one ) not something that was given by a sponsor.  The High Line gave out a book that was on the art projects happening on the High Line.  Total cool book that people will put out out on their coffee table which makes for smart fund raising.  Make sure every person who buys a table gets one that is separate.  If people buy single tickets it could be very clever to create a long table that is communal or sit them randomly at smaller tables if that is okay with the person who paid for the rest of the table.  One thing the High Line did last night that I liked was the food was tapas style.  A variety of plates filled with bite sized food which created conversation and a communal experience.  Much better than a chicken or fish dish. 

Last night was not one of the best but you only learn from your mistakes.  Events are tough.  There is a shit load of stress that goes into these events and everyone prays that the decisions that were made will prove to be clever and smart but it doesn't always work out that way.  Remember who your audience is.  Older people want to be catered to when they write the big check.  Younger people want to socialize in a very different way. 

Regardless, I am always happy to support the High Line on an annual basis.  It is absolutely one of the most exciting interesting thrilling things that have changed the face of NYC in a long time.  The change will continue into next spring when the High Line is extended to 30th street.  That will change traffic patterns in the neighborhood, create economies in areas that have been grasping for an audience and give us all a very different view and perspective when looking at NYC.

Damn, I do love the High Line.