foodie nyc

Corn Flan, Strawberry Mint Corn Salad

I know, I know.  As I write this, corn isn't really at its peak yet.  But looking through some of my photo archives, I noticed this unpublished dish from last summer and thought I'd give you a little taste of the sweet corn brilliance that lies ahead this summer. I'm all for turning corn into fuel, but as long as I can get my crack corn addiction satisfied late in the summer season, all is good in my world.

Savory flans were a go-to dish when I first started doing Foodie NYC events.  They are simple, easy to prepare and can act as a foil for any type of creative condiment.

As I look at this corn flan I made last summer, I've realized this may have been the last flan I made.  (I just had a tingle of EMO writing about a flan...wow, this is embarassing. OK, I'm over it.). That's so wrong.  I predict a few of you out there will be eating a savory flan in your not too distant future.

This corn flan is very rich and explodes with multiple textures of corn flavor.   A corn puree adds corn flavor into every bite, while the whole kernels add a bit of texture. (I've also made this dish with toasted, charred corn which I highly recommend). While I like the interiors of my flans creamy and soft, I like a broiled crusty top for a bit of depth.

There are so many ways to garnish this corn flan.  I wanted to feature corn again, but thought I'd pair it with the sweetness of chopped strawberries, chopped mint and some finely diced red onion.  Damn, this dish was tasty.  (Uh oh.  I'm starting to get a little flan EMO again.  Is this healthy?).

The full recipe for corn flan is below. 

The Bitchy Sweetness of Peperoncino Honey

I was recently thinking about the personality traits of the women I tend to gravitate towards.  One trait they seem to have in common is that they're sweet, yet have the tendency to turn on a witty brand of sarcastic humor on cue.  Maybe there's even a little bitchiness there.  Regardless, the balance of sweetness and bitchiness varies from one person to the next, but somehow, I enjoy that dichotomy in my life.

While I obviously prefer the balance to skew strongly towards sweetness, I like a bit of spiciness as well.  The kind of spiciness that hits me right in the back of the throat, slightly taking me by surprise after a burst of sweetness comes through.  Maybe there's a lingering tingle in my mouth, or even a little warmth under my collar.  A spicy balance can go a long way to keep things interesting.  But while a little kick in the ass is nice, too much heat overwhelms me. 

This need for the perfect balance of sweetness and spiciness is the inspiration behind a peperoncino honey I made as a summer condiment to drizzle onto fish, vegetables, figs, cheese....you name it.  Just add a cup of a neutral honey to a pot, along with a generous pinch of peperoncino.  When just at the point of boiling, pour the honey into a container and let it cool for a few hours.  The oils of the chili will have infused into the honey, creating a bottle of bitchy sweetness all your own.

Cherry, Avocado, Lemon Basil, Jalapeno, Corn Salsa

I spent the day in beautiful Greenport on the North Fork of L.I. this weekend.  One of the highlights was a salsa I made for a grilled swordfish dish. 

We went to Sang Lee farms, where we picked up a beautiful bunch of delicate, baby lemon basil.   For reasons unknown, I immediately wanted to use it in a salsa with cherries.   Cherries were on my mind due to my recent cherry vinegar experiment, but also because of the cherry picking that was happening at farms all around us.

To counter the sweetness of the cherries, I picked up a jalapeno for a spicy counterpoint.  Avocado would be a creamy textural note, and then felt the need to add a charred flavor from the grill.   I know corn is not at its peak right now, but I figured the starchiness and the charred flavors would add another complex element to the salsa. Charred corn it was.  The lemon basil was a fresh, herbal note that made the salsa pop with flavor.  A bit of lemon juice and a touch of salt and pepper tied the salsa together.

The uses for this cherry salsa are unlimited.    I went with a meaty piece of fresh grilled swordfish, simply seasoned with olive oil and salt, then a squeeze of lemon juice after grilling.   From swordfish to chips, this cherry salsa is going to be on my menu for the rest of the summer.  Now, if I only brought a big pot of that baby lemon basil back to the city with me.....

Lavender Steamed Cod, Cherry Chili Vinegar

I'm a bit of a condiment junky.   Siracha, mustards, olive oils top the list.  But this weekend, a friend made a vinegary, chili, herb laden condiment that I found inspiring.

I thought I'd riff off of the idea and create a white vinegar based cherry and chili vinegar.  I simply pureed fresh cherries with some serrano chili and lots of white vinegar.  I heated the mixture briefly, for only a minute or two to let the flavors bloom. I did not reduce at all, as I didn't want a thick, concentrated fruit driven reduction.  I wanted a loose condiment that balanced fruit, acid and spiciness all in one bite.  I  let the condiment cool and marinate for a few hours as well (of course, it was better the next day).

A natural companion could have been anything gamey or fatty, like duck, foie gras, lamb or pork.  But I felt the need for something simple and healthy and decided that cod would be a nice partner with the cherry chili vinegar. 

I ran into a beautiful bunch of lavender at the market and wondered if the aroma of steamed lavender would impart its floral flavors into a piece of cod.  I simply brought a little bit of water to a boil, added a ton of lavender and added my fish to the steamer.   A closed lid sealed in the aroma and infused the cod with a subtle, floral accent.

Red Mullet, Banana Guacamole, Cucumber Campari

I thought long and hard about whether or not this dish would make it to the Internets.  One side of my brain was impressed with its own resourcefulness, while the other side simply reminded me that THIS DISH SUCKED!

Well, let me clarify.  The crispy, pan seared red mullet paired with the creamy sweetness of the banana guacamole far from sucked.  In fact, they were both delicious together.  But the entire origin of this dish was built around my desire to create a sauce based on one of my favorite spirits, Campari.

This all started while at my favorite place to get a drink, Milk & Honey.   We were debating the merits of Campari (I love it, friend hates it) and asked the bartender to whip us up two drinks featuring the bitter beverage.  I watched as the barkeep muddled cucumber with the Campari and let the flavors marinate for a few minutes.  Sure enough, the bitter Campari had the distinctive underlying flavor of cucumber, which was an excellent touch.  Friend still hated it, of course.

I wondered what it'd be like to muddle the cucumber with Campari and reduce it until syrupy in texture.   Sure enough, the flavors concentrated but that meant bitter beyond belief.   Said friend also hated this dish (yes, I'm a glutton for punishment).

I still wonder whether the idea of a Campari reduction could work.  Maybe the bitterness of Campari could be balanced with the sweetness of a gastrique?  We shall see.....

Mini Asparagus Morel Waffle

I've been doing tons of personal catering and dinner parties over the past month.  The majority of my menus have been focused within the little canapes/tapas style, as opposed to elaborate sit down meals. 

Thanks to all of these personal cheffing assignments, my little bite arsenal has expanded times ten.  One of the little bites that people seem to clammer over are these asparagus, morel mini waffles.

I simply blanch or broil asparagus tips (depending on my mood), poach my morels per usual, and place them on a mini waffle that I usually make in my waffle iron.   They also sell mini waffles at Whole Foods for $3, which I've used before and generally like.  When I make my own waffles, I add an ingredient like rosemary, crumbled bacon or smoked paprika to the batter for another layer of flavor.

The waffle is the perfect vessel for the spoonful of morel sauce that finishes the dish.  As you'd expect, the nooks and crannies of the waffle are a great conduit for an intense, rich morel sauce.  Yep, loving the mini waffle these days.

Cooking For One: Jersey Sans Jersey

I looked in my fridge and saw a large eggplant, leftover ricotta and kafir lime leaves.  Surely, a run to the store was in my future for dinner tonight.

But wait.  Today's Iron Chef tasting and judgment panel would consist of me and only me.  Time to make the best of it and get creative.

I thought about eggplant parmigiana.  A natural progression for me, as this was one of the first dishes I'd ever made.  (C'mon people, I'm from Jersey after all).

Rather than labor to make a traditional eggplant parm, I thought it would be interesting to explore multiple preparations and textures of eggplant within a single dish. 

These little stacks of eggplant would feature a layer of crispy, crusty baked eggplant, coated in a crust of curry and bread crumbs.  A second layer of curried fresh ricotta would add an earthy creaminess.  The third layer of this 'not eggplant parmigiana' would be slices of eggplant cooked slowly in a kafir lime infused coconut milk.

This dish was very simple to make.  Simply slice 1/4 inch thick slices of eggplant (use a ring mold to make them uniform if presentation is important to you).  Beat an egg and brush it on half the eggplant.  Then sprinkle these slices with a bit of salt, pepper, curry powder and bread crumbs (both sides).  Give them a drizzle of olive oil over the top, then bake the eggplant in a 350 oven for 10 minutes, finishing on broil for maximum crispiness.

In the meantime, add the rest of the eggplant slices to a pot and cover with coconut milk, a bit of stock, a few kafir lime leaves and a squeeze of lime juice.  Simmer on low heat (avoid boiling) and cook until the eggplant are tender, about 10-12 minutes. While waiting for the eggplant to cook, mix a pinch of curry and chopped chive into the ricotta.

To serve, make layers of the crispy eggplant, a dollop of ricotta and finally the coconut kafir eggplant, repeating twice.  Finish with the crispy eggplant slice and you're ready to serve.  A few tablespoons of the coconut kafir lime sauce is a welcome finish to the dish.

And there you have it.  Jersey, sans the Jersey.