VittlesVamp

The Last Supper

Time to bid my old kitchen adieu. It performed its duties to the utmost of its ability, but it's time for retirement. Renovation will soon be underway.

But before the jackhammers come out to play, I thought I'd give the old kitchen one more go around. A multi-course fête was planned. A handful of dear friends were invited. I put together a menu that was simple, but satisfying:

*Cheese, olives & other sundry nibbles served with cocktails
*Endive salad with roquefort cheese & toasted walnuts
*Shrimp and cherry tomatoes in a buttery sauce with lemon, fresh basil & Pastis
*Slices of crisp baguette (for sopping up the sauce from the aforementioned entree)
*Chocolate Pots de Creme with whipped cream & cocoa nibs

The sinfully rich Pots de Creme were served with glasses of bright cherry red Brachetto d'Acqui. The bubbles gave the meal just the right finish.

Then, just as I thought the evening was winding down, one of my guests was hit with a sudden burst of inspiration.

If my kitchen was going to be demolished, couldn't we all take part in the destruction? Tonight!?!

I had never had a party where my guests literally trashed the place, but the idea didn't seem half bad (especially after a few cocktails and a glass or two of Brachetto to boot).

A Sharpie was requisitioned.

More wine was poured as everyone got in touch with their inner New Yorker cartoonist. Soon my linoleum and particle board breakfast bar was home to a series of artistic scribblings, scrawlings and doodles.

Almost made me want to keep the breakfast bar countertop as a keepsake -- almost.

Instead, after "last call," I walked my pals to the door and tossed the Sharpie. Better the instrument of destruction be ferried away before the new kitchen arrives. I really don't want the same sort of artistic inspiration to strike at future dinner parties. On napkins, yes. On countertops, no.

That said, I don't think anyone has thrown a dinner quite like this "last supper." It was a memorable evening to say the least. And with that memory stored away, I'm ready to make new ones in my brand new kitchen.

Bring on the jackhammers!

Restaurant Week - On Central Park South

I've dined on many a prix-fixe New York City Restaurant Week meal in my day. Many. But I think the lunch I had yesterday at South Gate on Central Park South may be my finest Restaurant Week experience yet.

As the hostess led me through the milky white dining room, I knew I was about to have a very special lunch. She sat me at a table near a flickering fireplace. In the distance there was a view of Central Park under a blanket of snow. Sinking into a creamy leather banquette I was already feeling quite cosseted -- and that's before the basket of warm bread arrived.

The menu and my dining companion arrived all at once. A lovely pair indeed. I dug into the bread. Mmmm...

Then the meal began. My appetizer of Roasted Beets Crostini with soft and buttery burrata cheese and bits of crisp guanciale was a revelation. Pictured above, it was sweet, creamy, crunchy and salty all at once. I was disappointed to finish the last bite.

Thankfully, my main course arrived before my disappointment led to an unattractive pout. Roasted Winter Vegetables were flawlessly prepared, caramelized with just enough toothsome give. Served with house-made farfalle, a perfectly poached egg and truffled parmesan cream, the dish was that blessed combination of breakfast and dinner that can illicit deep moans of elation.

Even the dessert was spectacular, in both its plating and its palate appeal. A warm square of Apple Almond Crumble was magnificently presented with its partner in crime, a scoop of mascarpone ice cream.

After the last morsel was eaten, I sank back into the banquette with a sigh. It was wonderful. The bill? $24.07. Wonderful and inexpensive.

A lovely pair indeed.

The Brunch Dilemma: Sweet or Savory?

People always paint Sundays as glorious affairs, filled with a slow rise from your bed, mugs of piping hot coffee, a relaxed reading of the newspaper, and a leisurely brunch, followed by a myriad of activities to fill the rest of the day and evening.

They don't talk about the downside of Sundays. The quandary many of us struggle with in the late morning or early afternoon. The arduous and stressful decision-making process we face when it comes to brunch.

Sweet or savory?

I grapple with it fiercely every Sunday, hoping to land on the right decision to set my day on a pleasurable path. Sometimes I make the wrong choice. I go for Greek yogurt with granola and a drizzling of honey instead of the Nicoise Salad with freshly seared tuna. Or I go for the Lox & Onion Omelette instead of the French Toast (Prime Meats' version is pictured above).

I just can't accept the need to make a decision of this magnitude on a Sunday. On a weekday? Yes. On a weekend? No.

Once in a while, I'll cheat. Sly devil that I am, I'll convince my brunch partner to share two dishes -- one savory and the other sweet. I'm never dismayed, if I'm able to wrangle this masterful ying-yang brunch compromise, but it's not always possible.

So I look forward to next week, praying for a dining partner who will acquiesce to my neurotic inability to make a decision on a Sunday. When it comes down to it, I simply want to "swing both ways" when it comes to brunch.

I'm coming to terms with it. If there are others who'd like to come out of the closet to reveal their own bi-brunch tendencies, feel free to drop me a line. Heck, maybe we can go to brunch together next weekend?!?

Is Jewish Food Suddenly Hip?

Seriously. Suddenly "schmaltz" is in?

Mile End I get. Great Montreal-style deli. But now, I'm starting to see Bubbe fare all over town -- not that I'm complaining. The Wild Mushroom Knish (pictured above) from Chef Nikki Cascone's new East Village restaurant Octavia's Porch is absolutely divine.

I'm seeing smoked fish appearing on more and more menus. It even showed up on "Top Chef All-Stars" last week, when Cheftestant Carla Hall said her Water Taxi Beach-winning dish was inspired by the classic NYC combo of smoked fish and a bagel.

We'll see where this trendlet leads. Once I started seeing modernized Stuffed Derma cropping up at fancy hot spots, I'll know the fad has gone into overdrive.

Ringing In 2011 With Pure Pie Goodness

It may not have been the prettiest of pies, but it was a humdinger. Apple-Currant with a light, crisp crust and a shower of demerara sugar crystals, it was a sweet good-bye to 2010 and a happy welcome to 2011. Generous scoops of homemade Creme Fraiche Gelato made each slice even more delectable.

The recipe for this wintry fruit pie is below, in case you feel like starting the new year with something freshly baked and altogether yummy.

Apple-Currant Pie

Crust:
3 cups flour
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp salt
2 sticks butter (very cold)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (aka Crisco)
1/2 cup plus 1 TBSP ice water
1 egg
1 TBSP demerara sugar

Combine flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Add butter, cut into small cubes, and shortening. Pulse until mixture resembles small peas. With processor running, add 1/2 cup cold water and process until it forms a ball. (You can add a bit more water - a spoonful at a time - if it is too dry.) Shape dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap, placing in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Once chilled, cut in half and roll out into two large disks.

Filling:
8 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and thickly sliced)
1/4 cup dried currants
1/2 cup water
1 TBSP lemon zest
1 TBSP orange zest
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 1/2 cup water and add to dried currants in a small bowl. Allow to sit for 30 minutes and then drain currants. Add currants to apples along with all the other filling ingredients in a large bowl. Mix to allow for all the spices, sugars, flour, etc. to coat each apple slice.

Place one of the pastry disks at the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Spoon filling into the crust. Top with the second pastry disk, folding excess under the bottom crust and using a fork to seal the edges.

Whisk egg with 1 TBSP water. Brush on top of pie. Sprinkle with demerara sugar. Cut three slits into the top crust to allow for steam to be released during baking. Place pie pan on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for an hour or until crust is golden brown and juices are beginning to bubble down the edge a bit.