VittlesVamp

2012: The Year of the Egg?

We are used to seeing the humble egg grab the spotlight on Sundays, when brunch is the preferred meal du jour and dishes that range from the classic Eggs Benedict to Colonie's savory Duck Hash with Poached Egg and Fingerling Potatoes (pictured above) are taking centerstage.

But lately, I've been seeing a bit more of the freshly cracked, gentle white and yellow eye appearing on evening menus -- and we're not talking about "breakfast for dinner" here. For example, Danny Meyer's Manhattan hot spot The Modern showcases a Slow-Poached Farm Egg with Maine Lobster, Artichoke Purée, Crosnes and Sea Urchin Froth on its Bar Room Menu. One of Chef Thomas Keller's most famous French Laundry dishes is a riff on "Bacon and Eggs," sporting a spoon filled with a soft-poached quail egg with applewood-smoked bacon and beurre monté. And, proving that the egg is more than just an American phenomenon, "The Hen and the Egg" is the signature dish of René Redzepi, the chef at Noma in Copenhagen, arguably the most lauded restaurant in the world.

To top it off, WD-50 molecular gastronomy whiz Wylie Dufresne presented a dynamic lecture about the wonder and glory of the egg at a recent TED conference.

So, is the egg going to finally overtake pork belly as the "it" ingredient of 2012? Poached, sunnyside up, scrambled or hardboiled, my bet is in.

New Year's Curry

I'm woefully late on my New Year's post, but the truth of the matter is my New Year's Eve wasn't any major shakes. It involved a bagel and watching the last few episodes of "Game of Thrones" on-demand. (Now, don't get jealous of my crazy, New York, glam lifestyle!)

Still, I didn't feel the need to do anything special on New Year's Eve. I'd already had plenty of good times, good friends, good food and good drink a few nights prior.

That's the thing about a really good dinner party. It can carry you through a few weeks -- especially when the dinner party was really an all-day affair.

In this case, the affair began with my Spice Hunting pal Max. (Get your mind out of the gutter!) We had always wanted to cook together. (Once again, get your mind out of the gutter!!!) It was the time to make the dream a reality. We hit Chinatown with a vengeance and returned to my Brooklyn kitchen with a bevy of ingredients, including sesame seeds, supremely fresh fluke, green curry paste, freshly hacked chicken parts, frozen coconut milk, baby bok choy, fresh ginger, sesame seeds, serious soy sauce, rice cooking wine, stalks of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and of course, this essential...

Okay. Now you can put your mind in the gutter! And while you're there, let me regale you with the dinner preparations...

*Max's rich and fragrant Chicken Curry with Eggplant and String Beans beginning a two-hour journey on my stove top...

*Baking up mixed nuts with melted butter, brown sugar, sea salt and Japanese Seven-Spice Powder for a perfect nibble with cocktails

*Slinging a sharp knife to finely dice the fluke with a bit of miso paste, sesame seeds, ginger and scallion, for a Japanese tartare that made a fish-hater swoon.

*Pouring decadent, deep chocolate ganache over a Chocolate-Orange Cake...

As you can surmise, the meal didn't suck. In fact, it was nothing short of fantastic.

Next on the docket with my Spice Hunting pal: a trip to Little Italy (or dare I hope, Arthur Avenue?) and a day filled with pasta-making and cucina Italiano.

Seriously. Who needs to blow it all out on New Year's Eve when you have the whole of 2012 to enjoy?

Where The Kois Are

These days I may be keen on jetting off to Shanghai or finding Chinatown hideaways, but admittedly my affinity for Chinese cuisine started at a shopping center restaurant on Long Island. I can't remember the name of the spot to save my life, but it was a moderately grand affair painted in ruby red, sporting a indoor pond full of koi. There, I learned to enjoy classics like Beef and Broccoli, Shrimp with Lobster Sauce and Pork Fried Rice. I may have moved beyond those timeworn dishes to new favorites like Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf and Duck Soup with Dumplings and Duck Feet, but there is still something about textbook Chinese food and bit of grandeur that I find rather soothing, if not downright delightful.

So, needless to say, I was ecstatic when a colleague recently invited a group of us to join him at Tse Yang, an upscale Midtown Chinese stalwart complete with formal white table cloth seating, massive fish tanks and intricate wooden carvings of Oriental landscapes. I knew the place was costly, so I was equally appreciative that my colleague, a loyal Tse Yang devotee, invited us as his personal guests and insisted on picking up the tab.

Walking into the iconic 51st street restaurant, I spied several well-heeled Scotch-drinking execs at the bar, seated next to a sizable statue of a beaming Buddha. The veteran coat check woman seemed knowing -- if only I could speak Cantonese and wheedle a few tales out of her. (Did the gents at the bar offer her stock tips along with fivers as they retrieved their coats?) The dining room was filled with staid, prosperous-looking customers. Moving about the room, the grey-haired waiters, dressed in red Mao jackets, had clearly worked at the restaurant for 20 years or more.

As the food arrived, I realized that part of the place's charm was that the menu hadn't changed for more than 20 years either. All the quintessential dishes were had: Baby Spareribs, Spring Rolls, Fried Rice with Crabmeat, and Peking Duck.

It may not have been Duck Feet, but that wasn't really what I had been hoping for that evening. I'd been seeking old-school Chinese comfort food made complete with a hefty dose of New York sheen and polish -- and I got it.

Sadly though, our host revealed that this Manhattan mainstay is going to have to shut its doors in January. Their building is being demolished to make way for something modern and new. The owners are searching for a nearby location to reestablish Tse Yang, but have yet to find a spot that is close enough to the original address to keep their regulars from wandering off to find something closer at hand; potentially something modern and new.

I left the restaurant hoping that the new year finds them in a new location, but that the old traditions, high-priced Scotch, their knowing coat check lady, the gargantuan aquariums, Peking Duck and happy Buddha statue are all part of the move. Tse Yang wouldn't be the same without them.

Happy Freakin' Birthday To Me!

I like my birthday. I really like my birthday. Strike that. I LOVE my birthday. Besides, the alternative to turning a year older is highly unattractive.

Par for the course, over the past week or so, I have enjoyed many courses at many different restaurants with family and friends, all in the name of celebrating the anniversary of my birth.

*As you can see from the photo above, my adoration of dumplings was given homage. In this case, at David Burke Kitchen in Soho, happily downing these beautiful, plump and altogether decadent Lobster Dumplings with a dear friend in from Boston.

*A brilliant sushi and sashimi extravaganza was had with another pal at the East Village's peaceful and pristine Jewel Bako, including fatty toro and supremely fresh, sweet raw scallop drizzled with yuzu.

*Genius Brandade Crema with Fried Fennel and Sweetbread, and Doppio Ravioli with Taleggio and Oxtail were only two of the breathtaking dishes I shared with Mama Vamp at Philadelphia's esteemed Vetri Ristorante.

*Potent cocktails were tossed back at Orient Express in the West Village with a gaggle of girlfriends, followed by Meatballs with Pine Nuts and Raisins, Roasted Beets & Avocados with Balsamic Vinegar, and Cavatelli with Faiccos Hot Sausage & Browned Sage Butter at Frankies Sputino's lively outpost on Hudson Street.

*Then there was a lesson in the sheer brillance of Austrian wines at Chef Marco Canora's Hearth, accompanied by good pals, Grilled Octopus with Potato, Celery, Smoked Black Olives and Aioli, and Roasted Duclair Duck with Confit Duck Leg, Honey-Crisp Apple and Cabbage. No better way to follow-up a meal like that than with Brown Butter Quince Cake with Walnut Nougatine and Vanilla Ice Cream...

...and happy birthday wishes painted in chocolate, of course!

Gobsmacking Turkey Gumbo Goodness

One of the best parts of Thanksgiving (real or faux) is most definitely the leftovers. Who doesn't love revisiting turkey, stuffing and sweet potatoes after the big day is over? Still, there is just so much anyone can handle. That's when a little creativity in the kitchen is called for. In my case, I needn't look any further than a recipe from Justin Devillier of La Petite Grocery in New Orleans -- Leftover Turkey Gumbo.

No surprise, I added my own VittlesVamp twist to the dish and delivered a humdinger of a spicy Big Easy bowl of goodness. (One slurp of this magic elixir and my pal Joy started speaking with a Creole patois -- and she's from New Jersey!)

Here's a link to the original recipe, if you want to check it out. Below is my version...

Gobsmacking Good Turkey Gumbo

Roux:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup & 3 TBSP vegetable oil

Over moderate flame, heat the vegetable oil in a large enamel-coated cast-iron skillet. Add the flour slowly while whisking out any lumps. When all of the flour is incorporated, the mixture should have a viscosity slightly thinner than cake batter. Cook while whisking constantly to prevent any roux from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning. As the roux gets close to finishing—in about 30 to 40 minutes—it will turn dark brown. Remove from heat and transfer to a heatproof container. Use in recipe, or cool completely, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use, bringing the roux back to room temperature.

Gumbo Ingredients
leftover cooked turkey (half a breast, turkey leg and wing should do)
4 cups chicken broth (preferably College Inn)
4 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 andouille sausage (cut into 1/4 inch thick coins - should be approximately 1 cup)
2 small yellow onions (diced)
6 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1 green bell pepper (diced)
4 stalks of celery (diced)
1 bunch thyme
1 sprig sage
1/8 cup paprika
1 TBSP cayenne pepper
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup hot sauce (Crystal preferably)
Coarse salt and ground 
black pepper

The night before: Place the turkey in a five-gallon pot and add broth, water and bay leaves. Over moderately high heat, bring the liquid to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for a few hours to make an enriched stock. Cool and refrigerate. The next day: Remove turkey stock (with turkey bones) from refrigerator and let stand for one hour. Over moderate heat, bring back to boil, add the roux, and stir to dissolve. Add remaining ingredients, lower heat, and simmer the gumbo until thickened, about 2½ hours. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with rice, if so inclined.

Cranberry, Quince & Apple Chutney

I'm no liar. I promise you one of my personal T-day recipes and here I am to offer one up -- my Cranberry, Quince and Apple Chutney. Pictured above, it is a zesty autumnal fruit affair that will easily make you forget the jellied cranberry sauce tragedies of Thanksgivings past.

It's simply delicious. In addition, it is the perfect accompaniment to a Christmas goose or Hanukkah latkes, or even atop Greek yogurt for an anytime treat.

Cranberry, Quince & Apple Chutney

1 cup water
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 quince (peeled and chopped)
2 granny smith apples (peeled and chopped)
1 bag of fresh cranberries (approximately 3 cups)
juice of 1 orange

Combine quince, water and sugar in a pot over medium-high heat. Boil for 15 minutes. Add apples. Boil for 5 minutes. Add cranberries. Cook for 10 minutes more, until cranberries have burst and the mixture has taken on a crimson color. Add orange juice and mix. Allow to cool and then refrigerate before serving.

My 2nd Annual Faux Thanksgiving

Suddenly what is faux is what is real -- at least at Chez VittlesVamp. For the second year running, I have followed up my Philly Chinatown Thanksgiving a week or so later with a full-on turkey spread, surrounded by friends and enough food to feed a small army (okay, perhaps a large army!).

This time around, I got the turkey from Paisano's Meat Market on Smith and dry brined the bird for three-days straight a la Chef Judy Rodger's famous "Judy Bird." One taste of the bird's gloriously succulent flesh and I knew that the "Judy Bird" was justly famous.

But man does not live by turkey alone. At least not at my table!

There was a Butter Lettuce Salad with Radishes and Scallion Buttermilk Dressing, Haricot Verts Almondine, Stuffing with Cremini Mushrooms and Andouille Sausage...

...Homemade Gravy with Turkey Drippings, my friend Martha's Brussel Sprouts with Red Grapes, Toasted Walnuts and Yogurt...

...Cranberry, Quince and Apple Chutney, and -- compliments of a recipe in Garden & Gun -- Sweet Potato Casserole with Sorghum. Check out the deets here.

(Warning: Your rendition will never be as good as mine, because my sorghum came from a friend's farm in Stinking Creek, East Tennessee. Seriously. It is of the utmost importance to know your sorghum's terroir!)

And if that wasn't enough to send us off into a blissful food coma, there was dessert...

This gorgeous Pecan Pie, as well as Martha's apple beauty, were enhanced by the creamy goodness that is my pal Max's Scotch Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. If you want the scoop on said frozen confection, here's a link to Max's recipe up on Serious Eats.

Feeling full yet?

Now, if the links above to the sweet potato and ice cream recipes aren't enough for you, hold tight. One of my personal T-day recipes will coming your way shortly. Stay hungry!

Jewish Christmas Comes Early

It's beginning to feel like tradition.

Just as I did last year, I grabbed a train to Philly for Thanksgiving, gathered up Mama Vamp for a potent cocktail at the Ritz-Carlton's bar and then hailed a cab to Chinatown. We hit the well-worn dining room of Shiao Lan Kung and, still a bit buzzed from a series of cocktails, summarily order ourselves up quite a spread: Lobster with Scallion and Ginger, Sauteed Snow Pea Leaves with Garlic, and House Fried Chicken. The chicken is pictured above, boasting crisp Peking duck-like skin. Its crackling goodness is offset by tender juicy meat and wedges of sharp citrusy lemon.

Not turkey, but damn if it isn't something to be thankful for nonetheless.

Now, of course, as tradition would have it, you KNOW that I can't live without making the classic Thanksgiving fare.

Stay tuned to be regaled with the details of my 2nd annual Faux Thanksgiving feast...

Mas (Farmhouse) - What Took Me So Long?

Chef Galen Zamarra has held court in the West Village at his Provencal-inspired Mas (Farmhouse) for over seven years. I'd passed the rough-hewn wooden door to the restaurant on Downing Street several times, but never crossed the threshold. It took a birthday to finally get me to take that big step inside. The birthday in question belonged to my amiga Sandra -- and her birthday is an event that always requires some serious celebration.

I know my dear friend likes great food, an elegant environment and a quick refilling of the bread basket. After doing my research, I decided Mas (Farmhouse) might do the trick. The food sounded scrumptious. The dining room was both white linen sophisticated and casually comfortable all at once. The one hitch? There was no bread basket, per se, but they promise three kinds nonetheless.

The menu, room and breads happily met with Sandra's approval. Whew!

Feeling rather coddled as we downed Sazeracs and nibbled on a very amusing amuse bouche, we began to ask our ebullient host Dave questions about the menu. Within seconds, we decided to forgo the stress of making decisions and ordered the chef's six-course tasting.

As you can see from the snapshot of Paddlefish Caviar with Butternut Squash, it was not a mistake. Gorgeously presented dishes, came at a steady clip: House-made Pork and Sauerkraut Sausage with Quince Puree, Cider Braised Cabbage and Glazed Kohlrabi;
Roasted Lobster Tail and Poached Lobster Claw atop Ricotta Gnocchi, Baby Spinach and Cauliflower in a Leek Cream -- and so on. As we luxuriated in glasses of Vacqueyras Domaine le Sang des Calliou 2008, the cheese course arrived, including creamy Nettle Meadow “Kunik” and tangy Belle Weather Farms “San Andreas."

Yes. This was good. This was very good.

Dessert didn't quite live up to the glow of dinner itself, but Sandra's birthday candle burned brightly nonetheless.

A return visit to Mas (Farmhouse) is definitely on my "to-do" list. Perhaps for my birthday? (Hint! Hint!)

Dishing About San Francisco

My recent trip to the Bay Area was brief, but delicious. Get ready for a pu-pu platter of appetizing memories from my San Francisco sojourn...

*Making the obligatory stop at the Ferry Market Building, grabbing a table outdoors at Hog Island Oyster Bar with my New York City gal pal Martha for a late lunch of Clam Chowder chockablock with Hog Island Manila clams, aromatic veggies, smoked bacon, fork-tender potatoes and copious amounts of cream. As if that bowl wasn't enough, we also ordered up the Oyster Stew with sweetwater oysters, their briny liqueur, spices and even more cream. Unsurprisingly, we cut the richness with obligatory glasses of dry white wine.

*Slowly sipping on an intense cup of drip coffee from Blue Bottle, as I try to breathlessly clamber up the perilously steep incline that is California Street from Market to Powell.

*Indulging in a perilously perfect meal at one of the world's greatest restaurants -- Boulevard, a glorious Belle Epoque dining room with unfussy service and food worth making a fuss over. From Maine Lobster Pyramid Ravioli cast in black squid ink pasta and drizzled with both Lobster Sabayon Sauce and Spicy Tomato Emulsion, to a moan-worthy Heritage Pork Chop served with Butternut Squash Gnocchi, Chef Nancy Oakes hit all the right notes...

*Diving into a bowl of addictive Brussels Sprout Chips at North Beach's Park Tavern, fighting off longtime friends Hi and Ho for the last salty bite.

*Introducing my newly transplanted gal pal Jen to her first Sazerac at downtown's just-hipster-enough Rye.

*Frowning with displeased faces all around at the much-too-hipster Mission Chinese Food, where the food was salty, the service was less than serviceable, and we all left wishing we'd just gone somewhere less interesting and more tasty. So NOT worth the hype!

*Paying call for the very first time on the legendary Tartine Bakery. Every crumb of my Morning Bun was divine. Showered with cinnamon-orange sugar, it was irresistible -- so much so, I needed to try one of their Croissants with Ham and Gruyere to prevent me from downing another Morning Bun. Now, THIS is worth the hype!...

All in all, a very fulfilling -- and filling -- trip. Thank goodness my hotel had a gym!

Mama Vamp's Plum Cake

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I thought this recipe was lost forever. Then, miracle of miracles, Mama Vamp found the fragile, 1970s-era recipe card that contained the secrets behind this delectable autumn treat.

The season for Italian prune plums is almost over. I strongly recommend you buy some immediately and whip up this cake in your own kitchen. You won't -- no, you can't -- be disappointed with the results.

The Plum Cake

1 cup flour (sifted)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBSP sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

1 1/2 TBSP butter

Add into dry ingredients, using pastry cutter.

1 egg
2 TBSP milk

Add into the mixture until it forms a stiff dough.

Spread into a greased 8x8 square pan to 1/4 inch thickness. Cover top closely with plums in a circular fashion (about 12 Italian prune plums, cut in half and pitted). Place skin side down. Sprinkle with a combination of:

1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg

Dot with additional butter. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Three-Way in Providence

It was hot.

How could the city be anything less than sizzling during WaterFire? One-hundred bonfires turned Providence's rivers into magical canals. Wasn't quite Venice, but for New England it wasn't half bad. Decidedly cheesey, but wonderful.

And, if you want to talk about Providence and "cheesey" and "wonderful," you better hightail it over to the city's most famous restaurant - Al Forno. Cynical New Yorker that I am, I expected to be sorely disappointed by this age-old Italian joint. Then the pizza arrived...

This pizza was like no pizza I have had before or since. It was light. Ethereal. The flavors were intense, but the crust was whisper thin and delicate. One bite at a time, it literally melted on my tongue.

All I can say is go. Run. Now. Did I say go?!?

And, lest you think I'm a barbarian who simply visited Providence for the late night pyres and pizza, I did actually spend a few hours at the RISD Museum. It was an exceptional collection. Art History 101 under one roof. Frankly, one of the best art museums I've been lucky enough to visit.

So, to sum up Providence: a must-do menage-a-trois of pyres, pizza and paintings.

Where's my cigarette?