For months I had been looking forward to our Outstanding in the Field Dinner - it was a long schlep from New Jersey all the way downtown from work in both traffic and rain that barely let up once I got to 9th St. and Avenue C. There was Ben in his new dress shoes, so soaked they went from caramel to coffee, a glass of wine in one hand, an umbrella in the other. The dining tent hadn't yet been set up in anticipation of the arriving guests, so we were forced stand around and to cover ourselves. I would stand just like Ben, slowly sinking in wet mulch for about an hour as the only woman serving hors d'oeuvres teased us by passing us by repeatedly. We started to think Outstanding in the Field would end up being something more like Mediocre in the Swamp!
However, great food, a steady stream of pours (all wines from Wolffer Estate Vineyard in the Hamptons), and interesting company resurrected this evening's doomed status. Once the canopy was set, we chose our seats carefully (no puddles at our feet) and ended up sitting across from Mike and Jen, purveyors of Flying Pigs Farm in Washington County, NY and suppliers of the evening's sausage. The dish included a trio of their sausages (skewered on rosemary sprigs) served with cippolini onions, spinach, and mushrooms. The dish (and all dishes) were prepared by Chef Alejandro Brown of Brown Cafe. I enjoyed each and every bite and also loved the bread from Sullivan St Bakery, topped with buttery di bruno bros burratta cheese (sublime) and the roasted peach dessert with brooklyn salvatore ricotta and a side of pistachio Van Leeuwen ice cream (I've had peaches twice today already because of it!).
Mike and Jen were lovely to invite us to Back Forty after this massive dinner for yet more munchies (pork jowl nuggets with jalapeno jelly and arancine with beets and goat cheese) and a nightcap (Ben- The Back Forty, me- The Red and the Black- a sophisticated strawberry margarita with a salt-and-pepper rim). At the end of the night, Ben and I were extremely grateful, full, and a little tipsy.
(Outstanding in the Field organizes farm dinners all across the U.S. Mike and Jen sell their sausages and other pork products at the Union Square Greenmarket- look for the Flying Pigs Farm tent near the southwest corner of Union Square. Back Forty is located on Avenue B and 12th St. and the pork jowl nuggets are a MUST!)
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
bites from the road- Saratoga Springs and Hudson, NY
Last Thursday, dinner @ Elizabeth... food was ok, garden more of a draw... had the Kobe beef tartare (a highlight) and fried olives and peppers to start (meh)... Lobster ravioli was decent but not amazing... a bit cool when it came out... rice krispy dessert nothing to write home about... Weekend in Saratoga... Jambalaya at One Caroline Bistro with amazing bruschetta to start (local tomatoes)... Hattie's Fried Chicken at the track (beat Bobby Flay's)... salty but satisfyingly light and crispy... breakfast at Beverly's and stop at Swoon Kitchenbar in HudsonNY en route back to the city for barbequed duck salad, health margaritas (what a paradox!), and a scoop of salted pistachio from Lick on Warren Street.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Cooking for One - Salmon Cakes with Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Though I live in a tiny Manhattan apartment ('charming' is how I might describe it on a good day), I have been generous enough to host my sister for a couple months this summer while she did her summer internship. We were tight on space, but I was especially happy to have an extra hand around in the kitchen. Having a sous chef sped up the cooking (and eating) process. To have an extra (and eager, might I add) mouth to partake in the feast was also welcome, considering when cooking for one, there's usually plenty left over. (I see no sense in halving, or even quarter-ing a recipe, if it calls for one egg, or something similar I'd end up opening/spoiling anyway.)
My sister left last week (as did my subletter) and now there's peace, space, and quiet. However, I'm missing my extra pair of hands and for that reason chose a simple recipe with easy prep and only one cooking step.
Salmon Cakes with Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Gourmet, August 2008
Notes:
Ingredients:
For the salmon cakes:
-The recipe calls for skinless salmon. Being accustomed to the flesh parting easily from the skin (when cooked, that is), I didn't think anything of buying salmon skin-on and taking it off myself. If you're lazy, or short on time, I recommend buying skinless! It wasn't easy for me to remove using a knife, and I shudder to think what my Mother would say of the wasted meat I left clinging to the skin. Also, since salmon is a fatty fish, it becomes very oily/slippery to handle.
-Because salmon is a thick fish, the larger the pieces of salmon you cut, the heavier your cakes may be- smaller pieces are more manageable when formed into cakes.
-The recipe calls for pita bread or white sandwich bread; I used Aladdin Whole Wheat pita bread (so I could use the other pitas for lunch sandwiches). The results were still good- when you cook the cakes the pita pieces puff up deliciously!
For the yogurt sauce:
-I used lowfat plain yogurt instead of whole milk (I can't find whole milk yogurt in anything but large containers and this recipe only calls for 6 oz.). The sauce turns out fine, however, may be a little runnier/thinner than if you used whole milk yogurt.
While Cooking:
For the cakes:
-Cakes may not seem to stick together too easily at first- lay them down carefully in the pan using a spatula- once you've cooked one side the mixture will harden on that side and make the cake more stable for the flip over.
-I used a Calphalon non-stick crepe pan over high-medium heat at first, which burned my first batch/side - not beyond recognition- but they didn't look pretty. For the second batch I used medium heat and kept the cakes more towards the perimeter of the pan (not directly over the flame at its center).
-I think there's room to add more Cayenne pepper if you like things spicy!
For the sauce:
-If you try the sauce alone, it will taste too salty. Don't despair. Paired with the fish, its flavor smooths out and actually no longer tastes salty (at least in my opinion)!
While Tasting:
For the cakes:
-Lemon wedges on the side are a MUST! Squeezing a bit of lemon juice onto each cake brightens the flavor and makes the salmon not too cloying.
Quick and tasty, with leftovers to spare...!
My sister left last week (as did my subletter) and now there's peace, space, and quiet. However, I'm missing my extra pair of hands and for that reason chose a simple recipe with easy prep and only one cooking step.
Salmon Cakes with Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Gourmet, August 2008
Notes:
Ingredients:
For the salmon cakes:
-The recipe calls for skinless salmon. Being accustomed to the flesh parting easily from the skin (when cooked, that is), I didn't think anything of buying salmon skin-on and taking it off myself. If you're lazy, or short on time, I recommend buying skinless! It wasn't easy for me to remove using a knife, and I shudder to think what my Mother would say of the wasted meat I left clinging to the skin. Also, since salmon is a fatty fish, it becomes very oily/slippery to handle.
-Because salmon is a thick fish, the larger the pieces of salmon you cut, the heavier your cakes may be- smaller pieces are more manageable when formed into cakes.
-The recipe calls for pita bread or white sandwich bread; I used Aladdin Whole Wheat pita bread (so I could use the other pitas for lunch sandwiches). The results were still good- when you cook the cakes the pita pieces puff up deliciously!
For the yogurt sauce:
-I used lowfat plain yogurt instead of whole milk (I can't find whole milk yogurt in anything but large containers and this recipe only calls for 6 oz.). The sauce turns out fine, however, may be a little runnier/thinner than if you used whole milk yogurt.
While Cooking:
For the cakes:
-Cakes may not seem to stick together too easily at first- lay them down carefully in the pan using a spatula- once you've cooked one side the mixture will harden on that side and make the cake more stable for the flip over.
-I used a Calphalon non-stick crepe pan over high-medium heat at first, which burned my first batch/side - not beyond recognition- but they didn't look pretty. For the second batch I used medium heat and kept the cakes more towards the perimeter of the pan (not directly over the flame at its center).
-I think there's room to add more Cayenne pepper if you like things spicy!
For the sauce:
-If you try the sauce alone, it will taste too salty. Don't despair. Paired with the fish, its flavor smooths out and actually no longer tastes salty (at least in my opinion)!
While Tasting:
For the cakes:
-Lemon wedges on the side are a MUST! Squeezing a bit of lemon juice onto each cake brightens the flavor and makes the salmon not too cloying.
Quick and tasty, with leftovers to spare...!
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