On the road to La Samana, D.R.

After a few false starts - "I'm coming, yes, I'm coming" and "Thank you so much for your gracious invitation, but I don't think I can come right now".  I went.  Oh boy, did I ever go.  Whooshed away directly by Jetblue from JFK to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, I was met at the airport by the charming Victor and driven straight through the navy blue tropical sky, fringed by silhouettes of palm trees to The Peninsula House located at the north-western top of the Samana Peninsula.   The Peninsula House ,owned by a dear, old friend, Cary Guy, and his partner, Marie-Claude Thibault, calls itself an "exclusive guesthouse".   In fact, when you step foot into the luxurious Caribbean-style house, you feel as if you are arriving at the home of a 19th century French planter who made a fortune in sugar cane products then sent his new-found fortune  back to Europe to purchase the most exquisite furniture, rugs, paintings, sculptures, crystal and china that those rum pesos could buy. You are comforted by the formal setting - not overwhelmed by it.
Actually, before you are allowed inside the house, you are obliged to coo coo and caress the house's two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Dallas and Jake - and to tickle  the tummy of the Dominican mutt, Bill - who's a girl.

There's so much to say about this award-winning spot (for 3 years in a row the readers of
Conde Nast Traveler have chosen it the number ONE hotel in the Caribbean and number TWO in the entire world.  I'm breathless) that I think that I'll divide information and observations into a few entries.

China used for breakfast service.  It was previously owned by the Aga Khan.

Jake & Dallas

Bill

Pool and the Atlantic Ocean

The Beach House.  It's a few minutes away from the main house.  Here, you can take the sun from a a comfy chaise lounge parked in the powder sugar sand and swim in the tepid, turquoise ocean.   Lunch at the Beach always begins with a dish of warm coconut chips.

Make with shaved, fresh coconut meat, place on a baking sheet, toss with sea salt and cook at 350 degrees F until deep gold - a few minutes.  Watch carefully or they'll burn.

Consume with a drink, invented on the spot, and made to order by Luca: fresh pineapple juice, a splash of campari and topped with sparkling water.  Divine.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

It didn't get much better than my stay at The Peninsula House.

Coming - breakfasts and other food, and pink and green dwellings. 

Celebrating Friends with Food and Enjoying Food with Friends

Last Sunday I drove up to Kingston, NY - more specifically to the mid-century home of my friends, Mark & James.  They call their place Ringtop Ranch.   On that particular Sunday they hosted a party for their friend, John.  John had lived in  the Hudson Valley for many years, beginning his association with the area while studying at the CIA (not that one - the Culinary Institute of America, instead, in nearby Hyde Park).  Last spring he left upstate New York for  sunny Florida and an exploration of life in warmer climes.  While he was on a recent trip to the Hudson Valley he organized a party and invited all his "foodie" friends in the area.  Our mutual friends, Mark & James kindly opened their stunning  ranch for the big event.   John's food, wine and CIA friends rose to the directive to contribute one their specialty foods or beverages to the feast that he prepared.    The result of the "call out" was an extraordinary variety of clever - and delicious - food and drink.

Among my favorites - a salmon and tuna tartar covered with creme fraiche and garnished  with globs of salmon roe and fields  of chopped chives that made the presentation looked like a design for Marimekko.    I don't have a recipe for it but I can guess that equal amounts of fresh salmon and tuna were coarsely chopped and flavored with lemon juice and grated zest and something spicey.  The mixture was added to an oiled 8-inch springform pan and then garnished as described.  I'm sure it was well-chilled before released onto a platter to serve - with thick, crunchy potato chips.  Rose Leblanc, the maker of the dish told me that she usually serves it with homemade waffled potato chips - but didn't have time to make them for the party.

I liked the crostini topped with white bean puree and roasted 'til limp, broccoli rabe.

I liked the lamb meatballs served with spicy mustard.

I liked seeing James, relaxing for a moment with the Ranch's guard-dog, Cicero.

And, Mark doing the same.  Even although Ciciero enviously eyed that glass of champagne - HE DID NOT IMBIBE.  Whew.

I went asolutely nuts (yes, pun intended)with Kingston's The Elephant's sweet, savory, and salty maple-bacon cracker jacks.  I couldn't stop eating it.

I thought that whole grilled snapper were a great dinner choice.  They were served with roast chicken, mouthwateringly good, macaroni and cheese with cauliflower from Red Hook's Flatiron, spinach and mushroom lasagne from John, James' roast brussels sprouts and potatoes and oher things too numberable to mention - much less remember.

Dessert choices included various flavored cupcakes; pumpkin, carrot, zucchini, and chocolate maple, all frosted with cream cheese icing, made by a local baker.  And crispy ginger snaps made by me from my mother's recipe.   She would make them for every special ocassion that our family celebrated - and then some.  There were years that she would make them as Halloween treats.  Oh, those lucky ghosts and goblins.

HILDA SIMON'S GINGER SNAPS

makes about 5 dozen 2 -3 -inch cookies or 14 dozen 1 1/2-inch cookies

1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening

2 cups sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

2 eggs

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 cup dark molasses

1.   Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.   In a large bowl cream the shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs well.

2.   Sift the flour, baking soda, and spices together.   Add the molasses and dry ingredients to the shortening mixture.   Beat to combine.

3.   Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.  Sprinkle with sugar.  HOWEVER - here's what I do; I make small - about 3/4-inch - balls which I roll in sugar then finish with an extra sprinkle on top.  I don't grease the baking sheets but instead line them with parchment paper.  Place the dough about 1 1/2-inches apart.  I bake my version for 12 minutes to achieve crispy cookies.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.    If you follow my mother's recipe - to make larger, chewier cookies - bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until the outside edge  begins to crisp  and turns slightly darker and the middle is still soft.   Transfer to a rack to cool.

These are Kermit's Brownies.    They were just about the best brownies I've ever eaten.  Part cake, part fudge.  Light, chocolatey.  Too bad - you can't stop eating them, they slip down that easily.  Geez.   Kermit doesn't have a link yet but his brownies are for sale at various Joe coffee shop locations around NYC. 

SUSANSIMONSAYS: 

Wait.  Did that party really happen?   Is this the same spot where 40+ people drank, ate and gossiped less than 24 hours before?   hmmmm- Allegra's wondering where those bits of cheese, lamb meatballs, frito pie, artichoke dip, and oh so many other edibles have gone.   And, the comfy chaise lounges - they're what she's really missing.

Hurricane Relief Dinner

I know, I know - I said that I'd post news of the dinner that my friend Roy & I put on to benefit NY state farmers who were so devastated by Hurricane Irene.   The delay is pure sloth on my part. 
 I keep telling myself that the photos are too ugly to publish, because they were taken with a flash, to make a proper story.  That's a pretty weak excuse.

It had threatened to rain on the Sunday of our dinner, but it didn't.  It was coolish and quite humid and we were able to eat outside.  Whew.  I have more room for entertaining outside than in.
Guests were invited for 6 and they all arrived in and around that time.

Here's what we served:

.    Tunisian Swiss chard tagine cut into little squares
.    Pizza with heirloom tomatoes, feta cheese, and pesto

.    Roasted and faintly smoked (with cherry wood) chickens who were called Mr. Henry and Charlotte before they were sacrificed for our meal.

      This is my go-to roast chicken.  The method - it's not really a recipe - comes from Thomas Keller.  He explains how to do to make "Mon Poulet Roti" - "My Favorite Simple Roast Chicken" on page xii, in the introduction to his book, "Bouchon" (Artisan, 2004).  
one 2- to 3- pound farm-raised chicken
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (I never put pepper on the chicken)
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)

unsalted butter
Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out.  The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.
Salt (and pepper) the cavity, then truss the bird.   When you truss the bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out.  Trussing helps the chicken cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.
Now salt the chicken - I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon).
Place the chicken in a saute pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven.  I leave it alone - I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want.  Roast until it's done, 50 - 60 minutes.  Remove from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan.  Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Keller goes on to wax rhapsodic about how delicious the chicken is served - after carved - slathered with fresh butter and mustard and how "you'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good."

He's so right.  The recipe was worth the price of the book.    I use only salt. When I use the oven, I roast the chicken on a cast iron skillet.   When I roast it on the grill - a gas grill - I push the lava rocks to the side and top them with thoroughly soaked fragrant wood. I place a pan, fitted with a rack in the empty space.  Keep a bit of water in the pan (just enough to keep the bottom from burning) - roast until golden and the the thigh temperature is 165 degrees F.   I rarely serve it with butter and mustard.  It really doesn't need much more than a few good side dishes.

.    Sicilian-style potato gratin
.    Ratatouille
.    Stir-fried baby bok choy

.    Cornmeal Cake with early Autumn red wine poached fruits
.    Almond biscotti

Yes, there were leftovers - but not a lot.



SUSANSIMONSAYS:  We raised a nice amount of money for GrowNYC 's Hurricane relief fund.  We  ate well and had a nice time.   You can do this too.

Nantucket - mid-September 2011

Allegra and I took  a trip up to the island right smack in the middle of the month of September.  You could say that it's one of my favorite times to be on Nantucket.  Our recent weekend did not disappoint.  Dry, sunny weather, active surf (for viewing only - I don't do rough waves), good friends, delicious food and a few well- organized local actvities made our stay a pure delight.

Saturday morning on Cambridge Street - between St. Mary's Church and the Post Office - down to North Union Street we found the colorful and thoroughly delightful Sustainable Nantucket, Nantucket Farmers and Artisans Market.   On some Saturdays, more than 40 local farmers and artisans display their wares for sale.  The market is open for business June 11 through October 15th, from 9am - 1pm.   There's something very satisfying when you peruse the various vendor's stalls knowing that everything is grown or made on Nantucket.   Bravo.

Vegetable, herbs, and flowers from the organic Pumpkin Pond Farm.

Anna Lynn Bender and her delicious, mohair throws, scarves, cowls and rugs - just a small sampling of her woven goods which are found in greater variety at her home studio, The Weaving Room.

Whale whirligigs and Nantucket zip code tee shirts are a few of the amusing items at
Nantucket Woodworking.

And so much more.

On Saturday afternoon my sister, Laura & I went out to the old Navy base at Tom Never's field to attend the Island Fair.  What a treat.  It was a mini version of those great, huge state fairs, complete with animals, produce (especially pumpkins) and baking competitions, and of course, fried dough.

Laura's cantaloup got a 1st prize blue ribbon, while her borlotti beans took a red ribbon 2nd.

Have you ever seen two more adorable bunny rabbits?

or  best friends, a miniture donkey and a miniature horse...

or a goat called Mango...

or sleeping piglets.

My brother-in-law, Jimmy, is a beekeeper - not just a hive or two - but a dozen or more.   There is not subject that pleases him more than talking about the virtues of bees and their well-ordered lives.   His honey has won many blue ribbons - in compettion with with half of the states of the USA.  Pretty impressive.  Jimmy had a table at the Fair where he spoke to everyone who passed by about beekeeping - in great detail - and sold out jars of his  honey faster than than the Missoni collection sold out of Target.

There were nice days at the beach and good meals with good friends.   Including one with old friends, Marina and Michel.  Michel, a former professional chef - cooked a simple, a la minute meal that was delicious, healthy and simple, simple, simple.   Sauteed to a crisp local flounder, local corn on the cob, and baby bok choy, wok-cooked in hot oil until just-about caramelized.

We sure did have a good time.


SUSANSIMONSAYS:   My friend, Roy & I are cooking dinner for a few paying friends and acquaintances.  The proceeds from our dinner will go to GrowNYC the organization who is helping upstate New York farmers recover from the ravages of hurricane Irene.  Please go to the website to see how you can help.  Next blog will include menu and photos from the dinner

Pig Island & growNYC

September 10th 2011, on Governor's Island just a bit off the coast of Manhattan, a group of 20 New York chefs showed  event attendees just what they could do with 80 pigs.   This was the second year for the collective feast known as Pig Island.    Downtown Manhattan - where we boarded the Governor's Island ferry - must have been the safest spot in the universe that day.  The was a huge police presence guarding against a whispered, but reliable terrorist threat on the day before the ceremonies commemorating the 10th anniversary attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center .

The public was urged to carry on.  And carry on they did.   After debarking we walked over to the lawn at Colonial Row where tents and grills were set up for each participating restaurant/chef.    I must admit that I have a kind of ambiguous feeling about eating so much meat.   I'm not a vegetarian but I do have many mental discussions about animal rights.  I was assured by the event's organizers that the pigs used for the occasion led good lives in upstate New York before they were slaughtered for food.

We were greeted by this as we entered.  Kind of a Renaissance Fair atmosphere.  Don't you agree?

Judging by the size of the crowd (chief organizer, Jimmy Carbone guessed that at least 1,500 people came to Pig Island) who had gathered to sample the offered wares, ambiguous thoughts did not enter most participants minds.
I don't believe they were disappointed with the generous portions of food that each vendor dished out.

Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez, owner/pastry chef at Print served mini maple bacon sticky buns.

The delicious slow roasted pork terrine with French bean salad and mustard vinaigrette was made by chef Eduard Frauneder of Edi and the Wolf.

The green chorizo on the grill, from Hecho en Dumbo, gets it color from the addition of cilantro, parsley, poblanos and Swiss chard to pork.   The restaurant's booth had the longest line of all the others.

The maple bacon custard with pork belly brittle and French toast from Mary Queen of Scots pastry chef, Ryan Butler, was my favorite dish of the event.  I have a BIG sweet tooth - that may be the reason.

and sooooooooooo much more.

Get yourself on the Pig Island mailing list for details about next year's event.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:  A large number of  upstate New York farmers were devastated by the punishing floods perpetuated by hurricane Irene.   80% of the organic farmers will probably loose their certification - the result of the rich soil washing away.  It takes four years to rebuild the organic soil, plus untold expenses to become certified again.   GrowNYC has set up links to events that have been organized to benefit New York farmers.  Or, you can make a donation directly through their site.  It would be a mitzvah (a blessing).  Think about it.   Thanks.