One-Minute Food & Wine Pairings

Last night, I surprised my husband by saying that “cocktails” would be served at 6 p.m.   As this is not our usual practice, it brought some unexpected anticipation.  I totally forgot what I had promised and at the stroke of 6, Michael said, “Oh, I thought we had something planned.”   “Oh yes” I said, and quickly scampered to the kitchen.  In one-minute flat, I prepared a feast!  I opened the jar of taramasalata I had sequestered in the fridge, dug out the last five large caperberries from an almost-empty container, sliced a hunk of feta cheese and plucked fresh thyme leaves from my window box.  With it I served glasses of icy cold fino sherry.  It was the PERFECT match!   So here are 15 more ideas for those spontaneous, companion-pleasing times — or, for unexpected guests.  If you have made any similar discoveries, please do let me know!

Here are some one-minute sips and bits:

Champagne with hunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano and small black grapes
Sake with iced clams on the half shell and wasabi crackers
Vodka with smoked salmon and buttered dark Russian bread
Ouzo with stuffed grapes leaves and pistachios
Raki with watermelon and feta cheese
Off-dry Riesling with prosciutto and melon
Rose wine with spanakopita and kalamata olives
Beaujolais with hungarian salami and oil-cured olives
Sweet vermouth with bresaola and sesame grissini
Bourbon with a variety of chilled oysters and unsalted pretzels (my husband’s idea)
Dry marsala with fennel, pecorino, crusty bread for dipping olive oil
Prosecco with affettato (selection of Italian salumi) with slices of warm focaccia
Sauternes with pâté de foie gras and brioche toast

Cheers!

Cannoli on the Move

Photo Credit: Jeremy Whiteman

Straight from the lens of my son’s camera in San Bruno, California are two winning photos with the caption:  SO BAD, BUT SO GOOD!  Clearly, this is the latest in food truck rage — not yet seen on the East Coast to my knowledge.  Cannoli!  Specialty filled cannoli to rival the niche marketing of tacos, botanical ice creams, yeasty waffles, summer slushes, and hummus with hubris (the Taim Mobile), for our daily affections.  But the Roamin’ Cannoli truck wins my heart. Whereas, cannolo is the correct terminology for a single pastry, cannoli is the name given to two or more pastries.  In that sense, the spelling on the side of the darling cannoli carriage is correct, as there are THREE varieties to choose from.  You can have any flavor for $4 bucks.  The “Not So Traditional” is filled with sweet mascarpone and goat cheese, orange zest, and TCHO dark chocolate chunks.  The “Lemon Meringue” is filled with smooth lemon cream and dried meringue stars.  The “White Raspberry Brulee” is filled with El Rey white chocolate filling, fresh red raspberries and bruleed sugar edges.  According to the empirical evidence, “meringue stars,” my son, no doubt chose the “Lemon Meringue.”

Photo Credit: Jeremy Whiteman

I am quite certain I would have had the “Not So Traditional.”  And Jeremy’s grandmother, who lived to be 90, loved cannolis but would not have wanted any of these.  Anne Frieda Whiteman would have opted for a cannolo at Ferrara’s in New York’s Little Italy.  I read that they make their cannoli shells with red wine — to impart the requisite hue to the crispy pastry tubes — whereupon they are filled with a sweet ricotta filling and maybe a dash of almond extract, a few mini chocolate bits or some crushed pistachios.  More than the delicious noodle pudding she used to make (written about by award-winning author Arthur Schwartz in his tome “Jewish Home Cooking: Yiddish Recipes Revisited”), this was the ultimate in sweets.  Anne, who never got use to leaving a message on an answering machine (she called it “the monster”), would certainly not cozy up to a dose of goat cheese in her beloved treat.  (But then again she put corn flakes on her noodle pudding.  Risky business in her day.) Boy do we miss her.

In my first 1-2-3 book, Recipes 1-2-3:  Fabulous Food Using Only Three Ingredients, is a curious recipe for “Cannoli Custard.”  I recommend serving it with biscotti for dipping and ice-cold shots of Strega.  Espresso to follow.

Cannoli, by the way, are of Sicilian origin, and in Italy are commonly known as “cannoli Siciliani.”  Someday history may tell us they were invented in San Bruno, California.

Thank you, Jeremy, for the photos and the memories and a brand new trend to add to your father’s list.

Cannoli Custard (from Recipes 1-2-3)

2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
9 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
3/4 teaspoon rum extract

Gently whip the ricotta, sugar, and rum extract in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Do not over-mix. Divide equally among 4 martini glasses and chill well.  Sprinkle additional confectioners’ sugar, pressed through a sieve, over the top before serving.  Serves 4

Wow, Thanks!

Okay, so once in a while I look at my Amazon reviews.  To date there are 45 reviews for Radically Simple with an average just short of five stars.  And honestly, I don’t know more than three of the people who wrote the reviews.  But just this morning (and it’s still very early), I gazed upon a review written by someone I want to know!  Written on May 20, 2011, and titled, “Great Weeknight Cookbook,” it goes as follows:

“I am a grad student, wife, new mom, and teacher so my days are pretty packed but cooking dinner is very important to me.  This cookbook gets five stars because it has so many delicious recipes that can be easily prepared on busy weeknights.  The cookbook also gets five stars because I am a foodie and want to prepare meals that taste complex and are different from the standard fare.  The Poulet au Creme Fraiche in particular was super delicious.  I have made many chicken recipes that call for some variation of cream and mustard, but never had I made chicken that came out so moist and with the skin so crisp and wonderful.  There are a few recipes that call for spice mixtures such as ras el hanout and za’atar and I think these recipes are what some reviewers are complaining about when they say some ingredients are hard to find.  But in reality they are easy to make oneself with spices that normally can be found in a supermarket, buy on-line, or if you live somewhere big enough for a spice shop or international store just buy in person.  I live in a very small town and these spices are always in my pantry.  UPDATE:  I just made the Perciatelli with French Breakfast Radishes, Bacon and Greens.  This was soooooo good, this recipe alone makes the book 5 stars and a must have.” 

With many thanks to AnthroWA, she’s some busy lady, for taking the time to write a review, and for taking the time to “cook the book.”   I haven’t made the chicken for awhile so guess what I’m cooking tonight?  And tomorrow?  (Answer: Perciatelli).

Poulet au Creme Fraiche (adapted from Radically Simple)
Super succulent!  My favorite accompaniments are steamed basmati rice to sop up the juices and a simple salad of watercress and orange dressed with walnut oil.

1 cup creme fraiche
1/4 cup strong French Dijon mustard
1 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
1 large garlic clove
3-1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces

Stir together the creme fraiche and mustard in a large bowl.  Add the thyme, garlic pushed through a press, and 1 teaspoon salt.  Add the chicken and mix well.  Set aside at room temperature for 2 hours or up to 6 hours in the refrigerator.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Transfer the chicken, with some of the marinade still clinging, to a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast for 45 minutes, until golden and cooked through.  Serve sprinkled with thyme.  Serves 4

Chive Flowers

Running into Chive Flowers at the Park Slope farmer’s market last Saturday was like greeting a long-awaited friend. Every year in late May, I expect to see her spiky lavender hat atop her long spindly green stem, waving to me in the gentle breeze.  At that moment, for I am never sure exactly when she will arrive, I smile inside and sometimes outside, too. I buy a big bunch of chive flowers in anticipation of one of my favorite warm-weather soups:  Cauliflower Vichyssoise with Chive Flowers (and parsley oil).  Yet despite the lack of warmth, or sun, I still run to the store to buy a large cauliflower, vibrant flat-leaf parsley, leeks and light cream, to make a radically simple soup for supper. You may be astounded to know that the beautiful soup in the photo below is made with only six ingredients.  Four for the soup; two for the parsley oil.  This is the supreme example of what radical simplicity in cooking means:  “When things taste of themselves,” said the great French gastronome Curnonsky.  It is the philosophy that underscores each dish in Radically Simple — and all in 140 words or less.

Chives are the only species of allium native to both the New and the Old World.  Its name comes from the French word cive, from cepa, the Latin word for onion.  I’m smiling now, too, thinking of how once upon a time, a baked potato with sour cream and chives was the height of sophistication for me as a child.   Having recently seen the remarkable Werner Herzog film, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, about cave paintings dating back 32,000 years in France, makes the 5,000 year old use of chives seem rather modern.  Nonetheless, they have been deployed as both food and medicine since then.   You will find much chatter and many good ideas for cooking with chives and chive flowers at seriouseats.com.  In the following soup, which is classically made from potatoes and leeks, both the chive leaves (straws) are used and the edible flowers pulled apart.  It is a dish of many virtues and healthy as can be.

Photo Credit: Quentin Bacon

Cauliflower Vichyssoise with Chive Flowers (adapted from Radically Simple)
This more healthful riff on classic vichyssoise is still luxuriously suave.  For a stunning presentation, blanch a bunch of parsley and puree in a blender with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup water and salt; add a swirl to each serving to dance on the white velvet background.

2-1/2 pound cauliflower, or 1-3/4 pounds florets
2 large leeks
1 cup light cream
1 bunch chives with chive flowers

Break the cauliflower into small pieces and put in a 4-quart pot.  Add 5 cups water (water will not cover the cauliflower) and 2 teaspoons salt.  Chop the white parts of the leeks to get 1-1/2 cups.  Wash well; add to the pot.  Bring to a rapid boil; reduce the heat to medium.  Cover and cook until the vegetables are very soft, about 24 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes.  In 2 batches, puree in a food processor until ultra smooth, adding 1/2 cup cream to each batch.  Transfer to a bowl; add salt and pepper.  Cover; refrigerate until very cold.  Add water or additional cream if too thick.  Garnish with chopped chives and flowers, and optional parsley oil.  Serves 6

My Lunch Companions

Photo Credit: Wai Ng

Here we are at Junior’s having a great time.  The kids all made some healthy food choices and brought any extra food home. Instead of soda, they ordered juice or iced tea and everyone had a fresh green salad or fruit salad that came in a very large goblet.  Yum. With some good luck ahead, these beautiful children may all find wonderful homes.

Photo Credit: Wai Ng

The folks at Junior’s also felt inspired by the day and treated us to lunch.  Many thanks to Colette and Mr. Allen Fleming for making everybody feel very special.  In addition to my lunch bunch, the guests included Laurie Sherman Graff, the director of Heart Gallery, the angels at HeartShare, and many of the foster moms.

Photo Credit: Wai Ng

Every child received an autographed book of his or her choice.  Eat Fresh Food or Kids Cook 1-2-3.  One wonderful young man, aged 21, who sadly placed out of foster care (he never found a home) is now in college and just found his own home — a nice studio apartment.  His dream is to become a big event planner and I know he will reach his goal.  He’s elegant, classy, and was a big help with the kids that afternoon.  Can’t wait to help him find an internship this summer.  And I know just the person to ask!  (Preston Bailey, expect a phone call from me!)

Now, I’m cooking up a storm this morning for an all-day photo shoot for Lenox.  It’s wine-and-food pairing day.  The recipes will be available on their site next week. Have a great weekend!

Celebrity Photographers (and me) Celebrate Foster Kids

I’m on my way to a special press conference launching the Brooklyn opening of Heart Gallery NYC in honor of National Foster Care Month.  Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President, will proclaim May 18th, 2011 as Heart Gallery NYC Day in Brooklyn.  This extraordinary non-profit, headed by Laurie Sherman Graff, combines the artistic talents of notable photographers with children in need of families and a place to call home.   At Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal, the Long Island Rail Road will host a large scale installation of 50 such photos — capturing the heart and spirit of these kids — to inspire potential adoptive families.  There are more than 15,000 foster children living in New York City.  Together with HeartShare Human Services of New York, the NYC Administration for Children Services, and the President of the LIRR, I will join six of the city’s foster children to entice families to become adoptive parents.  There will be opportunities for the media to interview the children, the celebrity photographers, the Heart Gallery staff, and listen to some of the guest speakers:  I am honored to be one of them.  Just 3-1/2 years ago we became adoptive parents to an 11 year old girl.  Ushering an older child into, and through, her adolescent years brings lots of challenges, but my husband and I have never been happier, nor more alive, nor more certain that life is deeper and richer for it. In the parlance of Heart Gallery, we have become a “forever family.”  If I can inspire even one family today to take action, I will be more than satisfied.

After the program, I will whisk the kids off to Junior’s for lunch to celebrate the day. We will talk about how to make healthy food choices wherever they go and I will sign copies of two of my cookbooks — Kids Cook 1-2-3 and Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs  for them.  My lunch companions will range in age from 4 to 15 (unless the Borough President plans to join us!) What fun!  In addition to eating a delicious meal, we will chat about respecting food and ourselves (and how interdependent they are), and enjoy the lost art of having a conversation around the table.  Heart Gallery’s unique project, A Home for Kids, will be on display from May 18th through June 15th.  Dedicated to raising awareness of children in foster care, the message to all New Yorkers is that it is possible to change the direction of a child’s life and thereby enrich your own.  Take a look at their website to read about the many success stories, to see the beautiful faces of these kids, and to be wowed by the list of celebrated photographers, including Amy Arbus (daughter of the renowned Diane Arbus) who have made so many “forever families” a reality.

The Un-Critic

In the midst of a week of much exuberance, I experienced three of the worst restaurant experiences I’ve ever had.  Strange that they were bunched together in this way, after decades of mostly wonderful meals, but an unwished-for prophesy is beginning to bear fruit.  As I began this blog over six months ago, I vowed never to be “critical” of people, places or things –restaurants and food, included.  It is simply not my wont; I am not a critic.  Rather, I want to celebrate the creativity of others and share as many positive experiences as I can.

But my premonition — that the nexus of young bloggers (passionate but not informed), vaunted celebrity chefs (whose glory can blind even the most fastidious reviewer), and food as “performance art” — would all lead to the culinary equivalent of the “Emperor’s new clothes,” leaving us scratching our heads to what we were seeing, or, in this case, eating.  But it is difficult not to feel defeated at a new-ish restaurant in Fort Greene, Brooklyn where the food is so over-hyped and inferior as to make you quit after the first course. Or the 4-star French chef’s bistro in midtown where we were kept waiting for our lunch for 1-1/2 hours and could not get anyone’s attention for most of that time.  When the food finally did arrive, it was placed in front of the wrong people, and we never saw our waiter again.  Or, the newly opened three-star restaurant of one of city’s celebrated chefs who rarely puts a foot in his kitchen and whose food is so expensive and overwrought as to make us depressed.  I don’t remember a single thing I ate that night we entertained our friends — none of the food was recognizable — and I felt compelled to apologize for that particular restaurant choice.   As a restaurant consultant (not critic) for more than three decades, I am generally the cheerleader at the head of the table, waving a pom-pom for each creative act or thoughtful morsel.  I love culinary intelligence and whimsy, I love when chefs riff on history, but most of all, I value authenticity and simplicity.

The good news is that I had some wonderful food experiences this week, too:  A rare-for-me press dinner at A Voce (intelligently prepared by chef Missy Robbins) and, a lovely picnic my daughter made for us to eat at intermission of the 5-1/2 hour simulcast of  Wagner’s Die Walkure at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.   I’m smiling.  It wasn’t that long ago that the legendary Joe Baum, restaurateur extraordinaire, would say, “No one knows what a danish tastes like anymore.”   I fear “the death of gastronomy,” for it is one of the greatest cultural institutions ever bestowed upon us — and certainly the most pleasurable.

Women with Beards

Mina is one of my favorite singers and I have always loved this album cover. I wonder if she cooks.

There is much chatter about women in the restaurant industry or, rather, the lack of them.  Since my early days as one of the few women chefs in New York (late 1970’s/early 1980’s), this has been a subject that rears its head every few years.  Has the glass ceiling been shattered?  Have women earned a competitive place alongside their male peers in upscale restaurants?  Is it possible to differentiate food created by women from that of  men?   It depends who you ask, but swirling speculation and empirical evidence aside, Monday night’s James Beard Awards showcased women in the brightest of lights.   A terrific article by Sumathi Reddy in the Wall Street Journal, posted moments after the awards, summed up the “women wins”:  Gabrielle Hamilton, the chef of Prune (in New York’s east village); Saipin Chutima of Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas (best chef Southwest), Andrea Reusing of Lantern in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (best chef Southeast), Angela Pinkerton of Eleven Madison Park in New York City (outstanding pastry chef), and in the wine category, Belinda Chang of Danny Meyer’s Modern (outstanding wine service).

With a note of sarcasm in her acceptance speech, Ms. Hamilton said “Wow, I didn’t know you could win a Beard Award for opening a can of sardines and serving it with Triscuits.”  Hmmmm.  Would a guy say that? Prune has a one-star rating from the New York Times as opposed to the numerous two and three-star offerings from the other nominees, including the very awesome April Bloomfield — whose simple brilliance is in evidence at the Breslin, the John Dory, and the Spotted Pig daily.  But a perusal of all the restaurant and chef categories at the Awards shows some statistical shortcomings.  Out of five choices in each category, there was only one woman, Barbara Lynch of Menton in Boston, who was a nominee for Best New Restaurant.  One woman, Suzanne Goin of Lucques in Los Angeles, for Outstanding Chef Award, one woman as Rising Star Chef — Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar, and, out of 50 nominees for regional best chefs, there were only six women* represented.  And true to the industry’s norm, there were three women out of five nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef Award.

Many more women (including me) were represented at the media and book awards and there were lots of women “guest chefs” cooking for the receptions.  And there were wonderful women chefs on stage, including Traci des Jardins and Susan Feniger, and major kudos to Emily Luchetti who organized the entire outstanding event. As past president and a member (for three decades!) of the first professional organization of women in food, wine and hospitality, Les Dames d’Escoffier, I can faithfully say that we’ve come a long way yet still have a long way to go.   But first we must continue to celebrate the industry’s extraordinary women — for our contributions are womanfold.

*Krista Kern Desjarlais of Bresca in Portland, Maine; Maricel Presilla for Cucharamama in Hoboken, New Jersey; April Bloomfield, The Spotted Pig in New York City; were nominated, three of the six won in their categories.

And The Winner Is…

Photo: Bradley Hawks - Chef Dan Kluger in the abc kitchen

There are many reasons to enjoy the James Beard Awards.  The big one, held last night at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, is a tribute to the hospitality industry, to its star chefs and sommeliers, to the country’s best new restaurants and most beloved older ones; to lifetime achievement awards, and to those who are feeding our planet in deeply nourishing ways — from Farmer Lee, to the guiding lights behind FareStart, a Seattle-based nonprofit that provides culinary job training and placement for homeless and disadvantaged individuals, who deservedly won this year’s Humanitarian Award.  It is also a nod to the ingenuity of the many chefs who fed the thousands of us last night, cocktail-party style, with an impressive assemblage of sophisticated and delicious small bites reflecting the “melting pot” that now defines us.  I drank the best tequila I ever had, tried a kickass rose wine from Bedell Cellars, and sipped a supple grenacha from Spain between breaks.

It’s a long night, after all, “the Oscars” of the food world.   There was a sense of jubilation all evening, but for me, one of the most anticipated categories was best new restaurant.   And the winner?…ABC Kitchen!  I was thrilled as it was my favorite new restaurant this year.  I have been dozens of times, experiencing something delicious and also intangible each time. As a farm-to table restaurant with the majority of its ingredients coming from nearby farms,  it is the mission that drives the food — green in every way imaginable — done in contradictory elegance and sophistication. While Jean-Georges, whose restaurant it is, has always been my hero, ABC’s chef, Dan Kluger, is an up-and-coming star.  He is the very best of the new generation of chefs — tattoo-less in fact — centered, smart, and affable, who possesses an amazing palate.  Dan runs counter to the ‘bad-boy’ persona of so many young chefs today because he possesses real confidence and skill.  He’s a breath of fresh air.

But the real creative spirits behind the restaurant are, in fact, Paulette Cole and Amy Chender, who intuited the food world’s next step and conjured up a magical dining room to showcase the artistry of the planet — from its natural resources to its edible gifts.  Paulette is the stunning visionary behind abc home and Amy is its beautiful COO.  They are mindful of the earth and continue to foster the majesty of Dan’s food.  Their mission statement, running the entire length of the back of the menu, should be required reading.   I am so pleased for them.  And for Dan.  But hey, reservations may be hard to come by.

Edible Manhattan & Edible Brooklyn

It is always fabulous to win anything.  But sometimes being nominated is just as good.  Last night at the James Beard Awards, the real thrill came from being in the company of David Tanis’ cookbook Heart of the Artichoke and Amanda Hesser’s New York Times Cookbook.  I am a huge fan of David’s (the chef at Chez Panisse who lives part of the year in Paris) and we met each other for the first time last night.  Another thrill.  But it was the New York Times cookbook that won.

Another winner last night was Edible Magazine — a community of many magazines now featured all over America.  They are beautifully designed, locally inspired, and extremely successful.   The May/June 2011 issue features a 6-page story about…me.  I saw my first issue just a few hours before the Beard awards and am now especially honored to be in this new “award-winning” mag.  Known as the Eat, Drink, Local issue called “Looking Back, Looking Forward,” it features many locavore pioneers — Peter Hoffman from Savoy restaurant, Rick Bishop (“Chef Charmer”), whose farmer’s market produce is the most highly prized, and the tastemaker story about me, warmingly subtitled: “her shining palate sparked some of the city’s brightest culinary trends.”  Since it is the “local” issue, the story focused on my time as chef at Gracie Mansion, as the chef-consultant to the Rainbow Room and Windows on the World, and about the creation of the three-star Hudson River Club and the ensuing concept of “Hudson Valley cuisine.”

Photo Credit: Stephanie Noritz

I want to take a moment to personally thank Nancy Matsumoto, the writer of the story, who so rigorously wove together a 35-year career with such care, thought, and insight, and did so in her signature graceful style.  Thanks, too, to Gabrielle Langholtz, the magazine’s formidable editor, whose idea it was to do it! The Edible community of magazines gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the local food culture that you won’t find anywhere else.  In New York alone, there is Edible Manhattan, Edible Brooklyn and Edible Eastend.  Talk about niche food passions!   I, for one, am running to the farmer’s market up the street from my house — at Grand Army Plaza — on this spectacular morning, to celebrate the bounty of New York and the joy of all things edible. Will you be there?