foodie nyc

A $17 Italian Original

I'd been looking for a few bottles of an everyday red to drink with casual dinners at home.   I then stumbled upon Robert Parker's description of the Saladini Pilastri Pregio del Conte 2001 and picked up 5 bottles.  This is definitely a case in which his tasting notes match my own.  I think this is a good value worth picking up.

"The 2001 Pregio del Conte mixes Montepulciano with Aglianico, and this is, to my knowledge, as far north as this outstanding southern Italian grape ever gets. A blast of smoky, tarry, plum and raspberry fruit on the nose, its dense, concentrated, and potent flavors, richly tannic but with much velvet as well, represent something quite original on the central Italian scene and much worth developing in warm areas where Aglianico can be ripened. Drink: 2006-2018. "

Robert Parker, 92 points

Blue Heaven

After Per Se, the restaurant that has been at the top of my wish list has been Blue Hill at Stone Barns.  If you haven’t heard of it, the Barber family behind Blue Hill in NYC opened a restaurant on their working farm in Upstate NY, dedicated to using farm raised vegetables and local produce to create a more direct route from farm to plate.

This concept has always been a dream of mine.  In my fantasy world, I’d also have a working farm that produced organic ingredients.  This would inspire a daily and weekly tasting menu at my dream restaurant, a la Stone Barns.  Oh yeah - throw a vineyard in there as well while you're at it. 

I was lucky enough to be taken to Blue Hill at Stone Barns as part of a celebration dinner a few days ago.  Not only was the 45 minute car ride worth it, but it indeed achieved its mission of creating a true difference in taste and experience.

After Per Se, my meal at Blue Hill Stone Barns has been one of the best I’ve had in the past year.  I've documented some of my favorite dishes and tasting notes below...

Carmelized Cauliflower

I had been convinced that cauliflower was a boring ingredient.  When working at Cafe Boulud, the kitchen used to make a puree of it with an insane amount of butter and cream to make it taste like...well...anything.

Now, cauliflower is on the menu of many restaurants in the city.  Why? Thanks to roasting and broiling, caramelized cauliflower develops a deep flavor that is a great vehicle paired with a variety of ingredients.   The best combination I've had is smoky crumbled bacon, a blast of hot chili and the sweetness of raisins.  I've also added garlic and olive oil to the mix, as well as a handful of mint to round it out. 

Check out my recipe at Gothamist.

PBS Sundays: Better than Food Network

Year after year, the Food Network gets even more watered down from its original cooking programming heritage.  Long gone are professional and celebrity chefs actually cooking and teaching techniques to home cooks. 

Instead, Food Network began to move their celeb chefs from one-on-one cooking demos in front of the camera to cooking in front of an audience.  This happened with Flay, Molto, and of course Emeril. Over time, these chefs (Emeril aside) were taken out of the kitchen and placed into food travel shows (add Ming Tsai and Anthony Bourdain to the above list) and replaced them in the kitchen with 30 minute meal home cooks like Rachel Ray, Barefoot Whatever, Giada DeLaSomething and worst of all, a show called Semi Homemade.  Food Network has gone from "learning how to cook at a high level" to "how to be an average cook and get dinner on the table quickly".   

Sure, I guess it makes sense from a pure numbers perspective.  Most people in this country don't even cook all that much, so the Food TV programming aims to get them into the fold rather than entertain and challenge you and I with interesting, inspired cooking shows. 

Rather than spending time dissing every hack show on the Food Network that I think should be discontinued immediately (i.e. The Secret Life of...and it's brutal host being #1 on the list), I will talk to you about why I think PBS Sunday programming has the best cooking shows on TV.

Turbot, Brown Butter, Grapefruit

As you know by now, I like to play Iron Chef at home for my own amusement.  I believe cooking without a plan keeps me sharp and allows me to come up with new ideas that I draw upon down the road.

Last night, I was randomly brought home turbot fillets, broccolini, yellow pepper, grapefruit and savory.  Since it was 8 pm, I needed to get something together quickly. 

Turbot and brown butter is a classic combination, as well as quick and easy to do. I used a tablespoon of butter and gently heated it until brown.  I seasoned the turbot and sauteed it on high heat for 3 minutes a side.

I blanched the broccolini and then sauteed it in garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil for a minute.

Roasted pepper sauces are an easy way to go and are very quick, believe it or not. I blistered them on a gas stove top flame, charring on each side. I did not peel the skin, as I firmly believe the char flavor is something that shouldn't be tossed away.  I pureed the pepper with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of the savory.

Considering I'd spoon some of the brown butter onto the fish, I wanted to dice the grapefruit for a sharp, acidic counterpoint to the nutty butter flavor.

Believe it or not, we were eating by 8:40.

Craving....

....Blue Ribbon's steak tartar.  Hype alone has 21 Club a top city favorite, but my money lies with Blue Ribbon.  The steak comes lightly seasoned with a creamy dressing, capers, onion and maybe parsley.  I ignore the cornichons, but the tangy side of an excellent Dijon mustard adds another dimension to the dish.  I've pushed this favorite on about five people over the course of time who claimed to not even like steak tartar and they end up fighting me over it.

The dish is taken over the top with thin waffle potato chips.  The creamy tartar, the tangy Dijon, the salty and crunchy chip. 

Looks like you'll know where to find me this Saturday night.

The Process of Creating Recipes

My process for creating recipes is something that evolves from my spontaneous cooking at home. 

The braised oxtail spring roll recipe I made for Gothamist is a great example.  As you've seen with the spontaneous spring roll dish I made recently, I had been experimenting with this technique and it was on the top of my mind.  Experimenting with the technique allowed me to refine it, make adjustments and understanding cooking times, ingredient amounts - basically perfecting it.

Then, it's just a matter of being inspired by an ingredient.  Braised oxtail is amazingly tender and rich.  After enjoying it recently, I just knew it would make a great filling for the spring rolls I had been experimenting with.  The soft, tender braise is a great contrast for the crunchy exterior texture.  These spring rolls are excellent for a party.  I made this as part of an appetizer course for 15 people and they were a big hit.

This simple little process allowed me to add a new dish to my arsenal.

Click here for my full recipe at Gothamist.