Thanksgiving 2019

Time for a breather amid my tales of our trip to Japan . . .

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and, as always, our family met at our apartment. This year we had fourteen, and I decided to repeat my menu of 2018 with few changes. Why argue with success? Here's what I made:

For hors d'oeuvres, I made Michael Romano's great bar nuts from the Union Square Cafe Cookbook, roasted with an inspired combination of rosemary, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, butter and salt,

Union Square Cafe bar nuts

as well as Whipped Feta Dip, from Milk Street, served with fresh pita chips.

Whipped Feta Dip from Milk Street

For some reason, I have been craving tonnato (tuna) sauce lately, the kind used in vitello tonnato. I turned to Marcella Hazan's iconic Essentials of Italian Cooking for her recipe, but altered it greatly to make it into a stand-alone dip, served with little endive leaves for dipping.

Tonnato dip with endive leaves

This was accompanied by Dorie Greenspan's simple but delicious mustard batons and my hors d'oeuve de résistence, Shrimp with Toasted Garlic (Camerones de Ajo) from Tyler Florence.

Tyler Florence's Shrimp with Toasted Garlic (Camerones de Ajo)

This is always a huge hit, especially with my seve year-old great nice and her grandfather (my brother).

For me the actual dinner is less interesting. I made my usual turkey, a version of Julia Childs' deconstructed turkey (which Michael Chiarello's fennel seed rub) cooked over sausage stuffing from The Food Lab (also the source of my gravy recipe),

Deconstructed and carved turkey

accompanied by hashed Brussels sprouts quickly sauteed with lemon and poppy seeds, also from the Union Square Cafe Cookbook (I added toasted pine nuts, which I love, but found they offered little to this dish),

Union Square Cafe's Hashed Brussels Sprouts

and Sweet Potato Gratin from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook,

Ottolenghi's Sweet Potato Gratin

together with my fiery cranberry mostarda, a confit of dried cranberries and cranberry juice, mustard seeds soaked in wine, mustard powder, orange zest, cinnamon and lots of Champagne vinegar, a recipe from Food and Wine.

Cranberry mostarda

For dessert, guests were kind enough to bring a pumpkin pie, a chocolate cake and (yes, it's true) a peppermint cake, but I had to make at least one, in this case Clotile Dusoulier's Flourless Orange and Ginger Cake, a moist masterpiece of a cake suitable for serving friends with celiac disease (my celiac-afflicted friend has become addicted) and for Passover. This is one of my best recipes: it's easy, can be made a day or two in advance and never ceases to please. By the way, I use clementines rather than oranges.

Clotilde Dusoulier's Orange and Ginger Cake

So there it is, a large meal, followed by a good night's sleep and thoughts of what to do next year.

Bobby Jay

Simple Summer Soup: Watermelon Gazpacho with Feta Crema

It's the end of summer, but the corn, melon, tomatoes and, depending on the weather, Tri-Star strawberries, have another month or so to go. Inspired by some great tomatoes,

Watermelon and tomato gazpacho with feta crema

I made this watermelon and tomato gazpacho the other day, using the recipe recently published by Bon Appétit. It was excellent. You can use Bon Appétit's recipe, as I did, or substitute any watermelon gazpacho recipe (or even a traditional gazpacho) that you like and add the feta crema, which is what makes it special: chopped toasted almonds, sour cream, milk and feta. Since it was so simple, I decided to kick things up a notch by serving the soup in really wonderful bowls that Joan, a dealer in Japanese contemporary ceramics, found during one of her many trips to Japan.

 Enjoy the summer while you can!

Bobby Jay

Paris - 2015 Salon d'Agriculture

One of the highlights of my year is a visit to the Salon de l'Agriculture, held in Paris at this time each year. A spectacular array of animals that are brought by proud breeders and traditional foods from all over France and its foreign territories and colonies, which may be eaten at the fair or taken home. (There are foods from other countries, but I generally pass on them in favor of France; after all . . .)

This year I went with two Japanese artist friends who have lived in France for many years, speak the language and appreciate the culinary tradition. One had never been to the Salon d'Ag and she could not get enough of it. When two of us left after 5 1/2 hours, she stayed on to see some of the things we had passed up.

We ate fairly little under the circumstances, starting with a fantastic sausage, potato and cheese from Picardy,

Crispy sausage, potatoes and cheese

and continuing with a hot foie gras sandwich, cooked before our eyes.

Waiting while our foie gras is sauteed.

We also partook of the many samples of sausage, cheese and sweets (nougat, cakes, sheep milk ice cream) on offer, and the best freshly pressed apple juice I have ever had.

Figatelli from Corsica

Fuseau from Lorraine

Looks nice, Auvergnates, but we passed

And we bought a few things to take home: pain d'epices, banana conserve, turmeric syrup, morteau sausage, chicken liver pâté, Valençay cheese and figatelli (see above).

Banana preserves from Guadaloupe - 85% banana, 15% sugar

Curcuma (turmeric) syrup from Martinique

Prune confiture and pain d'épice

 Then off to see the animals. First, horses, with splendid samples of dozens of breeds.

Horses doing what they do best - eating - and in competition

Next, the food animals: sheep, pigs and cows.

Award-winning cul noir pig

Happy sheep

1,650 kilo Charolais steer. HUGE!

The fair was packed, the most crowded I have ever seen it. This is great, because it enables the urban population (especially children) to connect with the agriculture from which their food comes, an especially worthy practice in an era where the shrink-wrapped products that are available in supermarkets bear no relationship to the actual animals from whence they come. I can't prove it but I believe that this connection helps the French to maintain respect for the farms, farmers and animals that nourish them so well.

Bobby Jay

Still Summer

Summer may be winding down but the farmers' markets are bursting with late summer fruit and vegetables.

For dinner the other night, I celebrated heirloom tomatoes . . .

Heirloom tomato salad with mozzarella di bufala and torn basil

and apricots.

Apricot pistachio tart

What a pleasure to cook with great fresh ingredients like these!

Bobby Jay

Light and Lovely: Lunch from the Farmers' Market

J and I were headed to a big meal at Gramercy Tavern last night so I made a light lunch with wonderful seasonal produce from the local farmers' market.

We started with melon gazpacho with mint

and ended with tomato and micro-green salad with mozzarella di bufala and feta,

each served in/on ceramics made by Japanese artists that we acquired at their studios.

Bobby Jay

Summer Freshness - Lemon Verbena Sorbet

You haven't heard from me lately because I have been recovering from an operation that I underwent six weeks ago. All went well, and I am back.

Plainly this is the best time of year for a home cook to recover from surgery because the abundance of healthful and varied local summer produce provides half the meal with no, or very little, cooking. My favorite food is sweet corn, which I serve plain or made into Bobby Jay's Corn Soup, served hot or cold. And it is hard to beat juicy and sweet heirloom tomatoes, served as a salad (salted for 30 minutes, seasoned with pepper and dried oregano, vinegar and olive oil), with or without mozzarella di bufalo or burrata. Or just sliced and made into a caprese salad with mozzarella, olive oil and torn basil.

Wonderful fresh produce can be supplemented with rotisserie chicken, by itself or in a main course salad shredded with cabbage, lettuce, carrots, nuts and the dressing of your choice (I use a Chinese inspired dressing with peanuts).

Lemon verbena, washed and laid out to dry

In summer, we eat fruit for dessert almost every night, with a little homemade ice cream (ginger being my and J's preferred flavor) or, if we are being really virtuous, low-fat yogurt mixed with some cardamom powder and vanilla. An easy way to extend the life of fragile fruits, like sour cherries, is to cook them for five minutes or so with something sweet: a little sugar, honey or maple or agave syrup. I use a spoonful each of ginger and almond syrup, and serve the resulting lightly stewed berries over ice cream or yogurt.

Going to farmers' markets can provide unexpected inspiration. One day I was browsing at the farmers' market and saw some lovely lemon verbena, which I felt compelled to buy, although I had no fixed idea of what to do with it. Returning home, I found a recipe for lemon verbena sorbet on Clotilde Dusoulier's excellent blog Chocolat & Zucchini. While the sorbet turns quite icy after the first day, I just scrape it with a fork and use it as granita atop summer berries of all kinds. It is summer on a spoon, light, herbal and a perfect complement for fruit. You can also dry lemon verbena and use it for herbal infusions (verveine).

It is a pleasure to be cooking again, especially in the summer, when preparing light and healthful meals is made easy through the efforts of our local farmers.

Bobby Jay

Spring! Ramps and Asparagus

I went to our local farmers market (on Columbus Avenue behind the Museum of Natural History) on Sunday, and was greeted by lovely local spring produce, the first of the season.

Everyone has discovered ramps by now, but I was an early adopter and have been making ramp risotto for about five years. I use the white parts in lieu of onions or shallots and finish with the leaves. The slightly garlicky notes are subtle but unmistakable.

Ramps from the farmers market

Ramp risotto

I also got some gorgeous early asparagus, grown on Long Island according to the rubber band holding them together. A perfect appetizer before the ramp risotto, a vegetarian meal to feel good about. I have nothing against Peru, but am very happy to get asparagus grown 50, rather than 3000, miles away. Better for so many reasons! I trimmed and grilled the stalks, grilled for seven minutes on a hot grill pan, and served with a mustard and green peppercorn vinaigrette that I borrowed from Bobby Flay: very concentrated asparagus taste enlivened by the acidic dressing.

First local asparagus of the season

Ah, the delights of spring!

Bobby Jay

Paris - 2014 Salon de l'Agriculture

If it's the beginning of March, it's time for the Salon International de l'Agriculture in Paris. So I went for the third time today, with a new friend who had never been before. We both loved it!

We started by admiring the dozens of breeds of horses on display . . .

Horses (no, that's not a super giant Schnauzer) at the Salon d'Ag

. . . and then moved on to the pavilion where foods from all regions of France and its possessions are available for tasting and purchase. This year I was austere, and only had a sandwich of foie gras and Espelette pepper, half a paper cone of Bayonne ham, a coupe of Champagne and a glass of Armagnac. Of course, there were many, many foods to ogle and photograph, and we did the tour of all the principal regions.

Alsacian cheeses, conserves and sausages

I bought lightly this year, too, just 2 small jars of foie gras, a bottle of Bas Armagnac, 4 linen torchons (dish towels) and Corsican sausage.

Then downstairs to admire more horses, cows, sheep, goats and pigs of all varieties. They are perfectly kept and cared for, and there is virtually no bad odor in the massive exhibition hall. Here are some of my favorites.

 

 

Happy cows, sheep, goat and pig at the Salon de l'Agriculture

My friend, not an Easterner, observed that the Salon d'Ag is like a state fair in the US but with good food. Indeed, there was not a corn dog to be found (although there was cotton candy (barbe à papa), which French kids seem to love).

French food would not be as good as it is without the country's wonderful agriculture, which is still alive and kicking, literally.

Bobby Jay

Paris in June

Paris in June is a treat, even if, this year, it is cold and wet. The great thing is the amazing fruit, especially cherries, apricots, strawberries and melons that taste the way they are supposed to.

Marché de l'avenue du Président Wilson

I arrived yesterday but resisted the temptation to shop, preferring to wait until this morning for a trip to the open-air market on the Avenue du Président Wilson, my favorite.

High tech chocolates at Jadis et Gourmande

Later, walking my little Sylvie, I came across a new branch of chocolatier Jadis et Gourmande, where you can buy a chocolate iPhone or iPad.

Moroccan food with my niece later.

Bobby Jay

Santa Fe - Pepper Guy at the Side of the Road

Hot peppers are among the highlights of New Mexican cooking, so when in Santa Fe, I buy them in various forms. Last year I found a guy selling his own peppers by the side of the road near Chimayo and bought some items. I wasn't sure I could find him again, but there he was, on Rte 76 West of Chimayo. This year I chatted with him at some length, and found out that he is Earl Sherwood. Earl is pretty excited about his peppers, and offered me tastes that enabled me to make intelligent choices.

Earl E. Sherwood and his peppers

Earl's extra hot crushed red peppers are, of course, hot, but they also have a sweet, paprika-like taste that really got my attention. Earl says to add them to slow cooked pork during the last hours of cooking, and that is what I plan to do.

I also bought some hot green pepper powder. Exciting on the tip of the finger - think about the essence of a poblano pepper, but hotter - but what to do with it? This will require some research into Mexican and Southwestern dishes; I'll let you know what I find out.

I bought some hot green chile peanut brittle bars, which Earl sells but does not make himself. Still awfully good: the salty peanut and spicy pepper tastes complement each other perfectly.

In order to save some buying (storage) capacity for the Santa Fe farmers market, I left it at that with Earl, but am already looking forward to seeing him again.

Bobby Jay

Santa Fe - Farmers Market

We spent a few days in Santa Fe the first week of August. In addition to viewing some magnificent scenery - Bandelier and Tent Rocks National Monuments, among other things - I enjoyed returning to the great farmers market at the depot. The produce is beautifully and appealingly presented by the proud farmers who grow it.

Santa Fe Farmers Market - El Bosquet Garlic Farm

My favorite stand is that of El Bosque Garlic Farm, where many varieties of onions, garlic and shallots are sold. Among these are long-life shallots, which are supposed to last for six months or so in a basket on the counter. Despite being skeptical of this claim, I bought some last year, and indeed they were still excellent at Christmas time. So this year I bought more and shared them with my friend Piglet.

Marinated Feta with Peppers, Roasted Garlic, etc.

I also bought some feta marinated in roasted garlic and oil. (To my surprise, I preferred this to the one marinated in peppers and oil.) A transformative addition to a simple green salad. When I finish the jar, I may try to make this myself to keep on hand.

Bobby Jay