Sandwiches and Happy Hour for Kids

Glimmerglass Opera - inspiration for this week's column

http://www.registerstar.com/columnists/food_for_thought/article_5b819efa-05ef-11e3-8ccb-001a4bcf887a.html

sandwich from a loyal reader of this blog

My lunch inspired by your article... Just before the idea to sprinkle chopped pistachios over the tomatoes.  A basic BLT but with the addition of some home grown avocado,  a smear  of fresh pea puree on 1 side of  toasted home made bread.  Obviously the other toasted slice had a wisp of Hellmann's. 

 It was delicious! - Mr. Guy, The Peninsula House, Las Terrenas, D.R.

 

Not just sandwiches on my mind - although they do make eating a meal a convenient exercise - but also cocktails.

I refer to the time spent with the friends mentioned in my article.  I was happy to be their guest at the same time that their daughter, and grandchildren were also in residence.   Somewhere around 5:30 - 6 pm when there's a universal desire for an apertivo - a little preprandial cocktail, something to stimulate the appetite(should you need to be coaxed - or not).

I tried to explain the concept of happy hour to the kids, ages 5 - 10 - and talked about the Shirley Temples of my childhood and started to remember the ingredients for the cheerful, non-alcoholic cocktail named for an equally cheerful child movie star (MUCH older than I).   Grenadine is the addition that gave the drink its color and faint flavor.  Grenadine is made with pomegranates I said.  And that's when Rita, my host, said that she had some pomegranate molasses.  Then Tessa, the 8-year old, middle grandchild, and I created an eponymous cocktail for the minors in the group to enjoy.

 

 

THE TESSA

Tessa thought that adding edible pea blossoms to the straw would identify the cocktail.  She was right. Her comment after her sip - "It tastes a little like Gummy Bears."  High praise, don't you think?

makes 1 drink - highball

1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
a few splashes orange juice
lots of ice
2 - 3 sprigs fresh mint
sparkling water
a straw
edible pea blossoms for garnish

Add the pomegranate molasses to a highball glass.  Add the orange juice, ice and mint.  Pour in the sparkling water to fill the glass.  Stick a sweet pea blossom into one end of a straw.  Use the straw as a mixer, and stir/muddle all the ingredients together.  Sip.

Campari, soda and mint for the adults

 

Chicken-of-the-woods mushrooms which were harvested right after this photo was snapped - grilled with garlic and olive oil, garnished with freshly chopped garlic  - eaten with dinner.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:   another thing to do with what will soon become a surfeit of vine ripened tomatoes (isn't that the  way it goes - you wait and wait for them and all of a sudden there are mounds and mounds of them and not enough time to make everything you desire?).
I call this Pan Valenciano because that's what I understood it to be called when I ate it in Barcelona years ago.  I think that it's also called Pan Tomate. It's simple: Cut a baguette in half, lengthwise (or any bread); cut a very ripe tomato in half and squeeze and smear it on the bread; drizzle extra-virgin olive oil all over the bread and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.  Bake at 350 degrees F. until the bread is golden and appears crispy.  Eat with just about anything.

Allegra either fishing for frogs or eating some grass

 

This Saturday in Hudson

Come, meet Joshua and Jessica Applestone the owners of the renowned Fleisher's Meats in Kingston, and Brooklyn, New York, who'll be at the Hudson Farmers' Market on the 27th July from 10am - noon signing copies of their book - "The Butcher's Guide to Well-Raised Meat".   The book is a must, not just for carnivores but also for those who have eliminated meat from their diets and are reconsidering their choices.  Josh, a former vegan, and Jess, a vegetarian - will tell you in their own words about their conversion back to meat, and how they think about raising and treating the animals who'll become dinner.

The Hudson Farmers' Market is located at 6th and Columbia Streets in downtown Hudson. 
I'll be there too. 

 Susan Simon Says - Food for Thought column in tomorrow's paper - www.registerstar.com (click on columnists and scroll down to mine)  has five, almost no-cook salad recipes  to make when you don't want to rely on your stove - too much.  Not with this summer's weather.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

My friend, Mary, who was my neighbor when I lived in the East Village (NYC) - still lives there, but also has a home near where I live now.  Her fully organic, biodynamic vegetable garden ripened rapidly with the recent heat wave.  Everything matured at once.  She sent me an email at the beginning of the week inviting me to go over to her property and help myself to vegetables.  The picture shows what I harvested without making a dent in what was available .  Those poor little tomatoes, just bursting out of their skins will make a wonderful raw pasta sauce or relish.
I'll be keeping track of what I make and share the dishes with you.
Of course, Allegra came along and even went for a dip in the pond.

 

The Other Whaling Town IV

 

There were so many reasons that it was nice to be on Nantucket during the week that included the 4th of July, not the least of which is that it was almost always at least 15 degrees cooler than on the swelteringly hot mainland:
  

The blue hydrangeas that are to be found in everyone's garden, everywhere on the island, achieve their startling blue color from Nantucket's lime-rich soil.

A  Pimm's cup made by a native Englishman. Although, "Sorry, I didn't have real English lemonade", said David Lovett who put together the beautiful, refreshing, and legendary summertime drink.
Pimm's No. 1 was created in England in the early 19th century by infusing a variety of herbs and liqueurs with a gin base.   To make the drink that has become synonymous with warm weather English sporting events like the Wimbledon tennis tournament, and the Henley Regatta;
Mix 1 part Pimm's No. 1 with 3 parts chilled lemonade - the English lemonade is carbonated, so David added sparkling water to flat lemonade (I'd use San Pellegrino limonata).  Garnish with cucumbers, strawberries, orange, and mint leaves.

Fresh oysters from the Steve Bender's Pocomo Meadows oyster farm.  All that the mollusks, floating in a saline puddle, needed was a touch of lemon to complement the sweetness that you tasted once you bit into them.

Eggs gathered a few hours after they were laid, poached, and garnished with wild rose sea salt from Ambrosia.

The views that never cease to soothe me.


The variety of fresh fish at the market - or gifted from a fisherman pal. 

NANTUCKET BAKED BLUEFISH
Serves 4 - 6

Perhaps the most repeated island preparation for bluefish, the ubiquitous summertime catch, this recipe does a good job of disguising and at the same time complementing the infamous bluefish flavor.
Here's a hint:  Take a good look at the fillets.  If there appears to be a lot of dark meat on the underside of the fish, cut it away.  That's the strong-tasting part of the fish.

3 pounds bluefish fillets
unsalted butter for greasing the pan
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup good-quality commercial mayonnaise
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons lemon juice

1.   Heat an oven to 400 degrees F.  Wash and pat dry the fillets.  Butter a baking dish and place the fillets in it.  rub them with the salt and pepper.  In a bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, chive and lemon juice.  Cover the fish with this mixture.
2.   Bake for 20 minutes, or until the fish is firm and opaque all the way through.  the set under a broiler for 5 minutes to brown.  Serve piping hot.

 

A dog, Allegra, who still loves the beach.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:   Even although I'm posting less frequently than I have in the past, I write a regular food column for the Hudson-Catskill papers that's published every Friday in several upstate New York county papers.  You can find the column, Susan Simon Says - Food for Thought by going to www.registerstar.com , clicking on columnists and scrolling down 'til you find my column.  It would be nice if you would consider bookmarking it for weekly updates.   Thanks.

Jessica and Joshua Applestone who were scheduled to appear at the Hudson Farmers' Market this weekend, July 13th,  to sign copies of their book, "A Butcher's Guide to Well-Raised Meat" (Fleisher' Meat market) have had to postpone until July 27th.

Lunch Outdoors, Yes

After the outdoor dinner that didn't happen outdoors, I was slightly trepidatious  about planning two outdoor lunches.   One involved a little voyage "upstate" - according to my NYC friends, I live upstate, but when I go to visit my friends in the northern Catskills it's real upstate - about 1 1/2 hours from Hudson.
It turned out to be a knock-out day, ever so blurred by an ounce or two of haze, enjoyable company, and delicious food.

My friend, Rita always sets pretty tables - this one on her screened-in porch overlooking the rolling lawn and pond - with the best flower (out of her garden) arrangements anywhere.  It's because they're so simple.  They feature the blossom.   And that's how she makes food she too.  It stars the main ingredients.

 

Rita found a locally-grown cauliflower at a farm stand in Middleburg, which is just that much farther north to have the cold nights that the compact white head needs to  thrive.  She made her interpretation of a frittata recipe out of Yotam Ottolenghi's book, Plenty.   Basically, Rita followed the recipe - she just didn't add as much cheese as it called for.  Could've fooled me - it tasted like it should have.  Super savory.

SMOKY FRITTATA

This is what Yotam says, " Scamorza affumicata  is an Italian cheese that melts fantastically well.  Often labeled 'smoked mozzarella', it is highly effective in adding depth and pungency to vegetarian dishes."    Rita didn't use scamorza - and as I said, I didn't miss it.  However, if it had been added to the frittata it would have elevated the flavor even further.   You might be able to substitute a more readily available smoked cheese.
Serves 4 - 6
1 small cauliflower, cut into medium florets
6 eggs
4 tablespoons crème fraiche  (or sour cream)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
3 tablespoons chopped chives
5 ounces smoked scamorza, grated (including the skin for extra flavor)
2 ounces mature Cheddar, grated
salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Simmer the cauliflower in a large pan of boiling salted water for only 4 to 5 minutes, until semi-cooked.  Drain and dry.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Break the eggs into a large bowl.  Add the crème fraiche, mustard and paprika and whisk well, making sure the eggs and crème fraiche are thoroughly blended.  Now stir in the chives and three-quarters of the cheeses, and season well with salt and pepper.
Heat up the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan.  Fry the cauliflower for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown on one side.  Pour over the egg mixture and use a fork to spread the cauliflower evenly in the pan.  Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Scatter the remaining cheeses on top, then carefully transfer the pan to the oven.  Cook for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the frittata is set.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 2 to 3 minutes before cutting into wedges.  Eat immediately with a peppery green salad.

Our salad was full of stuff: nascent leaves and shoots from Rita's garden, cucumbers, crumbled blue cheese and walnuts.

Bread from Hudson's Bonfiglio & Bread.  Where else?

Dessert - Alice Water's recipe for baked rhubarb.  Rhubarb from the garden cut into 1 - 2-inch pieces, sugar ,and orange juice and zest baked 'til soft.  Not too long.  Rhubarb cooks quickly.  It was served with homemade kefir - sour milk.

Frankie, Rita's dog decided that she'd just watch Allegra cross the rapids

 

This fall's apples starting to grow

Then we went for a post prandial stroll through the lower meadow until we reached the usually docile creek which had become raging rapids from the previous stormy days.  My intrepid dog, accustomed to crossing the creek to get to the upper fields, did so - without thinking.  She made it - but thought long and hard about her return trip.   I told her that I couldn't go in to rescue her so she had better figure out a way to get back.  And she did at age 13 years and 3 months.  Brava Allegra.

Next outdoor lunch was planned a few weeks in advance.  Some friends were coming up from the city to attend a wedding on the other side of the river - the left bank.   As their destination was only about 1/2 hour from Hudson I asked them to come for lunch at my house the next day.  They accepted, and I invited some mutual friends who had recently moved to a hamlet near Hudson.

I made the meal easy for myself by buying just about everything at the previous day's farmers' market.   It's amazing how fresh ingredients can speak for themselves and give you the most delicious repast.

.    Grilled sausages from Pigasso Farm served with a sauce that I made by sautéing fresh, spring garlic in olive oil and adding chopped grape tomatoes, fennel seeds, chopped capers, hot peppers and fresh, from my garden, basil.
.    Roasted asparagus - easy peasy - place the spears on a parchment-paper covered baking sheet with sides, toss with olive oil and flaky sea salt and cook at 400 degrees F. until crispy on the outside and soft as asparagus flan on the inside
.   Tossed market salad with radishes, dressed with mustard-shallot vinaigrette
.   Assorted local cheese,  Amazing Real Live Camembert, Adirondack Cheddar, Ewe's blue
.   Bonfiglio & Bread.  Of course.

.   Semolina, coconut & marmalade cake, fresh strawberries and sheep's milk yogurt


SEMOLINA, COCONUT & MARMALADE CAKE

Another recipe from my culinary crush, Yotam Ottolenghi.  This one comes from his and Sami Tamimi's  2012 multi-award winning Jerusalem.   He says,"  Semolina cakes soaked in syrup are so numerous all over the Middle East and vary in so many ways it is hard to find a single definition or an accurate enough name to fit.  Some cakes have coconut in them; some have yogurt; some bakers prefer  flavoring them with citrus syrups, others with flower blossoms; some use sugar and others honey.  In any case, the moist light texture and the aromatic flavors are what 's all about.

Makes two 1 pound loaf cakes

3/4 cup sunflower oil (I used canola)
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (the juice of 2 oranges)
1 cup orange marmalade (fine-cut or without peel)
4 large free-range eggs
grated zest of 1 orange
1/3 cup superfine sugar
3/4 cup shredded dried coconut
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons semolina
2 tablespoons ground almonds
2 teaspoons baking powder

thick Greek yogurt with 1 or 2 drops orange blossom water to serve

Soaking Syrup
1 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons water
1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.   Whisk together the oil, orange juice, marmalade, eggs, and orange zest until the marmalade dissolves.   In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients and add to the wet ingredients.   Mix until well combined.  The mixture should be runny.
Grease and line two 1-pound loaf pans ( 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 -inches) with waxed paper.  Divide the filling evenly between them.  Bake for 45 - 60 minutes, until a skewer inserted in a cake comes out clean and the tops turn an orangey brown.
Near the end of the baking time, place the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.  As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, start brushing them with the hot syrup using a pastry brush; you'll need to do this in a few goes, allowing the syrup to soak in for a minute or two before you carry on brushing with more syrup.  Make sure you use up all the syrup and it is all absorbed into the cakes.
Once the cakes have cooled down a little, remove them from the pan and leave them to cool completely.   Serve with the Greek yogurt flavored with a drop of orange blossom water.

These cakes will keep well for at least five days if wrapped carefully in parchment paper or aluminum foil.


SUSANSIMONSAYS:   This Saturday at the Hudson Famers' Market come meet Rebecca Miller Ffrench and let her sign a copy of her newest book, SWEET HOME, just for you - or a friend who's having a birthday, etc.  Rebecca will be serving samples made from one the recipes in her book.

Lunch at the Bocuse

It  had to be the snowiest day in a while.  The stuff was gushing out of the sky in big wet drops - and sticking - oh geez - sticking.  But I had a date - a date for lunch at the new Bocuse restaurant, named for the legendary French chef who is considered, among other things to be the creator of novelle cuisine , at the Culinary Institute of America - the CIA in Hyde Park, NY.  Nothing was going to stop me.  Allegra (now why would I schlepp a dog along?) & I took off down slippery route 9 in my Subaru Forester - and true to its publicity -  all its wheels were on the road, working like crazy to keep us from sliding off.

We arrived, miraculously, just a few minutes late.   My dining companion,  CIA graduate, food writer, blogger, Marissa Sertich,  was at the table, with its  stunning view of the snow-blanketed Catskill mountains and the icy Hudson River, waiting with a smile.   Now, before I go any further - you know that the Culinary Institute is a school, and all of its 5 restaurants, from a cafe, The Apple Pie Bakery, that serves sandwiches, soups and salads to the utterly elegant - worthy of competition from any big city 4 star restaurant - Bocuse are student operated - with a little help from their chef/professors.  The waitstaff are students - all eagerness and grins.  

We  ordered a prix fixe meal that included an appetizer, entree and dessert.  We each ordered soup to start.  I couldn't pass up the opportunity to taste one of chef Bocuse's signature dishes, Soupe aux Truffes V.G.E.  The chef created the dish when, in 1975, the French president, Valery Giscard d'Estaing awarded him the Knight of of the National Order of the Legion of Honor.  The soup, beef broth with a tiny dice of vegetables, and slivers of  black truffle was served in its own Bocuse-designed tureen, topped with puff pastry, then baked. Crack open the egg-glazed topping and inhale the unmistakable aroma of truffles.  Marissa had lobster bisque, deconstructed, and served with snowy foam that mirrored the outdoors.

Entree choices were straight out of the classic French kitchen.  I had lemon sole with lemon sauce and steamed vegetables.  Marissa's duck a l'orange was a modern version of everyone's favorite - 1950s-1960s dinner party meal.   They were all well-executed, tasty and attractively presented.

 

 

Dessert.  Oh gosh.  Dessert is almost always my preferred course.  I usually ask for the dessert menu at restaurants before I order my entree.  Wouldn't want to spoil my appetite for dessert!     Marissa told me the the pastry chef/instructor was famous, and I can't remember his name.  He's brought the game, in all the CIA's restaurants up to a very high level.    I ordered Mont Blanc - one of my all-time favorite desserts.   I was not disappointed with what I was served - but it wasn't a classic Mont Blanc which is a meringue filled with chestnut puree and topped with whipped cream.   My dessert was a little chestnut-swirled hut, sitting on a pound cake foundation, filled with black currants and decorated with meringue sticks - a scoop of cassis ice cream sat beside it.  Very nice.  Marissa had  cheese cake - details not noted, by me.   Guess from the photo.  Tasted good too.  

I buttered a roll and asked the staff to wrap it up for me to bring to Allegra.  They did and graciously added a few extra rolls to the package.

The whole Bocuse experience was delicious, and a delight.  One that I recommend.

 Allegra's patience was rewarded with a buttered roll, and a chance to dash around the CIA soccer field.  She completely forgot that she had waited for me in the car.  Why did I bring her along?  For the company. 

By the time we drove back to Hudson the only sign of snow was on the ground  - the road was clear.  Mark Twain famously said about the weather in New England, "If you don't like it, just wait a few minutes."  He could have been talking about this part of New York State.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

On Saturday, March 16th, Chris Jones and I are hosting a cocktail party, benefit, to give all the children in the Hudson City School district  an opportunity to attend the May 4th Book Festival AND have the means to buy an autographed book from one of their favorite authors.
Come to The Red Barn on route 9H in Ghent, 5 - 7pm for a drink, some really good snacks, and music.  A donation of $25.00 is requested.

Rain, Rain Goes Away

The rain didn't completely go away on Sunday - but it did share the day with us.   After a straight shot west on Route 23 from Hudson, NY- in the pouring down rain - I turned right onto Route 10 - in the bright sunshine - in Stamford, NY and continued until I reached my friends Rita and David's picture-perfect home in Jefferson.  The occasion for the visit - besides visiting my friends, at their country home, who I was accustomed to seeing with a kind of regularity when I lived in the city - was to visit with their daughter and grandchildren who now live in Uganda.   Zoe, her husband, David and their 3 children visit the States twice a year and it's my pleasure to see them, and watch the kids grow up and acquire a kind of British colonial accent.

I arrived in time to have an hors d'oevre selection of cheese from the nearby Harpersfield Cheese Co. Sunday's choices included raw milk, jalapeno, and black peppercorn.  The Brovettos - who own the dairy use Tilsit - a German, semi-firm cow's milk cheese that's tangy in a mild way, and fruity in that it's a welcome host to whatever other flavors are added to it - and there are many - as the basis for their cheese.  In Hudson, Cheese! at the farmers' market sells one that's aged in Ommegang ale (from the famed Cooperstown brewery).  But wait, here's the really cool part of this cheese story.  My friends have acres and acres and acres of  fields of hay on their property.  The Brovettos mow it, bale it and feed it to the cows who give the milk that makes the tasty cheese.

Lunch was served in a screened-in porch that overhangs a garden chock-a-block filled with hostas and the rest of the backyard view - it feels somwhat like sitting in a treehouse.  The table was draped in fabulous East African, purple and green tie-dyed cloth that provided a stunning background for John  Derian for Target leaf-patterned melamine plates.  (you may have noticed that last week, my outdoor table was set with the same ones - they are the perfect outdoor plate - and unfortunately they are no longer available - except maybe on eBay), and John Robshaw grass green napkins. These necessary accessories set off a generous offering of food, the ingredients for which came from the Oneonta farmers' market and Rita's garden.

There was selection of meat from various Oneonta market vendors that included pork hot dogs, spicy lamb sausages and ground beef for grilling into mini-burgers.

Zaide's Potatey Salad - made from several varieties of potatoes grown by zaide, or grandpa, David in his potato patch, green beans from the garden and freshly pounded pesto.
David's potato patch is guarded by a folk-art goat sculpture made by neighbor, John Jackson.

Rita's Cole Slaw was made with finely shredded cabbage and carrots, grated fresh garlic and dressed with half and half, a bit of mayonnaise, a whisper of sugar, salt and pepper.  Make it at least an hour before serving to give it time for the flavors to marry.

Steamed corn on the cob and sliced tomatoes completed the quintessentially summertime meal.

Our post prandial entertainment was provided, pond-side, by various swimming children and Frankie, the Golden Retriever who felt that it was her duty to stay close to those kids.  She was, in fact, their own personal life guard.  Not that she needed an excuse to stay in the water (she was born to swim) - unlike Allegra who goes in up to her knees only in order to chase frogs and bite the water.

At some point, after picking warm-from-the-sun raspberries, we returned to the porch for dessert.  I made the summer cake - already photographed for this blog - and recipe included.  The cake was served with vanilla ice cream.   Sound like a day that you might see described and photographed for a glossy magazine?  It was.  But, even better -  we were there.  


Lagniappe - or, what has Allegra's rapt attention?

 SUSANSIMONSAYS:    Come and meet legendary cookbook editor, and James Beard award-winning cookbook author himself, Roy Finamore at the Hudson Farmers' Market, Saturday, August 4th.  Roy will be signing copies of his classic books, "One Potato, Two Potato", and "Tasty", from 10:30am - 12:30pm.   I will continue to remind you that everyone loves a cookbook  as a birthday present or to celebrate a winter holiday.