VittlesVamp

Gourmet Gifting

Twas the season. Cookie baking was mandatory and gift-giving was in motion.

When I am honest with myself, I know I am challenging person to buy for. I live in a small - but lovely - apartment, so "stuff" often ends up as clutter. I also don't need much that I don't already buy for myself. Plus, I am persnickety.

Not a good combo when my birthday and the holidays converge in the same month.

But this year, my friends did me a solid. Seriously great gifting!

A German baking book after I received my German citizenship in mid-December? Yes, please! (Already baked one humdinger of an apple cake from the tome pictured above!)

Recognizing that what I lack in space, I make up for in numerous dinner parties, I was gifted an expandable wooden cheese board with cheese knives hidden within. It folds into a quarter of its full size for easy storage. Yes!

Also knowing that I need to clean up after said dinner parties, another friend gave me a trio of tough kitchen sponges that offered the additional benefit of being sparkly. Functional and festive? Yes!

And, then there was the present that celebrated my long-lasting, deeply affectionate relationship with Sven - aka my dishwasher. That's right, I christened it Sven many many years ago, and he's never let me down since.

Now, a complete set of dish towels and pot holders emblazoned with the name "Sven" grace my kitchen. YAAAASSSS!

Lucky Southeast Asian Potluck

I have a great number of blessings and several lucky turns to be thankful for.

Seriously. I know I am fortunate - very fortunate.

My foodie friends are just one of the many joys on my proverbial plate - and on my literal plate too.

Case in point: a Southeast Asian potluck dinner at friends' apartment the other night.

My contribution? A banging rendition of a Thai dish that pairs pieces of fresh pineapple with a room temperature pork, shallot, palm sugar and fish saucey jam. Sound weird? Perhaps. Taste delicious? Heck yeah! The dish is called Ma Haw, and here is the recipe.

Now, let's turn our attention to what others brought to the table...

Vietnamese Banh Mi with sliced steak and homemade paté. Someone else "whipped up" gorgeously sour Pork Larb. Another guest made spicy Thai Papaya Salad. And then there was this...

Holy mother f*ckin' sh*t! This Thai Khao Soi was ethereal. Apparently it was based on a recipe from the dearly departed Thai hot spot Pok Pok. I immediately looked up the recipe.

The recipe is a heavy lift. That potluck guest brought some serious weight to the game. I was duly impressed.

And then, there was this...

Wow.

Yeah. One of the guests was a former Pastry Chef (she preferred Pastry Cook) at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Her Southeast Asian-inspired dessert was a beauty - a Filipino calamansi pudding with lime zest, coconut crunch and little meringue buttons.

Yup. Enormously thankful for my foodie friends.

And, to be clear, their friendship is even better than their food.

How lucky am I?

Thank You For Being A Friend - With A Kitchen

I know I've said it before, but it is worth repeating. I deeply appreciate it when my friends make me food.

It doesn't need to be a full-blown gourmet affair. A dinner on-the-fly is welcome. Case in point, this spice-coated tuna steak cooked by my pal Tracy. It was delicious and made me feel - how do I put it? - deeply cared for.

Same goes for this colorful arrangement of farmers' market tomatoes and basil, with a side of fresh goat cheese, made by my longtime friend Kristin...

Minimal effort. Maximum pleasure. A lunch that made me feel cosseted.

No need for fuss. Just friendship and food.

Chinese, But Make It Cold

When I have thought of cooking Chinese food with friends, I imagined several of us gathered around a table making dumplings, pinching them closed with a flourish, steaming them up, drizzling with black vinegar and enjoying them with abandon.

But to quote Cole Porter: "It's too darn hot!"

Nonetheless, my pals Brett and Emily were thinking about cooking Chinese food. Now, I was too. Thank goodness for the various cold dishes on the Chinese menu.

A non-negotiable was Cold Sesame Noodles. Made this recipe from the NYT. Despite my using tahini instead of Chinese sesame paste, this dish was a serious win.

Then Emily and I tag-teamed on Chinese Smashed Cucumbers with Sesame Oil and Garlic...

...Yes, the recipe was also from the NYT. And, yes, Emily did the heavy lifting on this dish, but I found the recipe and did a tidbit of the work, so I am staking some claim.

Finally, Brett brought it altogether with his rendition of a Chinese Wood Ear Mushroom Salad. You want to see it? Sorry! My photos were way too fuzzy for blog use. You'll just have to trust me. It was a beautiful dish - and delicious as well.

Did we stop there? No. We succumbed to the call of the stove. Brett whipped up some Mapo Tofu, and it was fantastic.

Still, I feel like the meal was centered on chilled Chinese. Maybe next time I'll try my hand at a Cold Jellyfish Salad? Hmmm...Maybe not. But those Sesame Noodles? Hell-to-the-yes! Perhaps with the addition of cucumbers and cold poached shrimp or chicken...Lots to consider, and I am already getting hungry.

Shout Out To My Foodie Friends

Yes, I host a lot of dinner parties. But, I am not alone in this endeavor. Happily, I have friends that often host me in return -- friends with some serious kitchen skills.

I'm thinking of Nick and Steph with their homemade pastas and glorious salads. Then there is David and Cat who not only make the most amazing cocktails at their Sunset Park pad, but also throw pizza throwdowns. There is Tracy, who regularly whips up dishes that marry citrus with umami and a freshness that makes dinner at her table seem like I have dined at a high-end spa. And, lets not forget to shout out about the mad talents of Mark and Wendy, whom I have partnered with on dinners from time to time. They are so hardcore in their culinary ways that they woke up in the wee hours to make their own coconut milk for a Sri Lankan feast we were preparing.

And, providing a little photographic evidence of my tasty friends' tables, with snapshots from a recent Vietnamese dinner at Brett and Emily's new Prospect Heights apartment. I mean, c'mon! Look above at that Bo Kho, a rich beef stew with noodles, scented with star anise, cinnamon, and lemongrass. And, then there is this...

Um. Yeah. As delicious as it was colorful, this was a bangin' platter of Goi Ga, a Vietnamese shredded chicken salad with crunch from cabbages, peanuts, and fried shallots.

My friends know how to bring it. I am one lucky lady. And, they are lucky in return.

Symbiotic culinary goodness.

Haute Indian Winter in Brooklyn

After my trip to London, I couldn't stop thinking about the superlative Indian restaurants I visited there. I needed a replay - but London is far. And, the high-end Indian spots in NYC are so popular that it is hard to score a table. So, I needed to put the matter in my own hands. Well, my hands and my pal Brett's hands as well.

We started with the above - a brunch of Bombay Scrambled Eggs from the late great Chef FLoyd Cardoz, and Curried Potatoes and Cashews, a riff on a Madhur Jaffrey recipe.

It wasn't just good. It was delicious.

A dinner party idea was born. And so it was...

That plate of Dal? It was in-freakin-credible. Brett outdid himself.

Next up, an Indian Chicken Rice Pilaf scented with coconut milk, ginger, tumeric, and more. Alongside, an umami-packed Oyster Mushroom Curry.

And then there was dessert...

Hell-to-the-yes! Tejal Rao's Quick Mango Kulfi recipe is pure genius. The trick? Canned mangos from India. Seriously. Canned. Soooo good.

Do I still want to return to London's haute Indian restaurant scene? Do I want to nab a reservation at Sona and Semma in Manhattan? Yes and yes! But in the meantime, I am trying my best to get Brooklyn to deliver as best as my kitchen (and Brett's) can muster.

My Thanksgiving

I know. I get it. What the heck is this photo? Where is the picture of a perfectly cooked Buttermilk-Brined Spatchcocked Turkey?

Well, I made it. It was tasty. That's not what this post is about. Deal with it.

That photo above? It's of my friends David and Cat shucking oysters. They generously brought two dozen to Thanksgiving dinner and had my guests and me transfixed as they wriggled each of these precious crustaceans open for a special treat during cocktail hour. Between the whole "dinner and a show" effect and the briny delights slipping past my lips, it made for a marvelous holiday memory.

And, then there were the cheers. The many cheers. We all bordered on tipsy at certain points in the evening, but always slid back gently with a glass or two of sparkling water. That said, some of the wines were fantastic.

Conversation? There was plenty. Furious intellectual debates about Freud and the true nature of art had me thinking that "Thanksgiving-as-a-salon" wasn't a bad idea. (Besides, Mama Vamp threw out a few zingers that were glorious!)

Of course there was that aforementioned Turkey alongside Ciabatta Stuffing with Sausage, Wild Mushroom Gravy, Fall Fruit Chutney, a Wilted Escarole Salad with Crispy Shallots and Prunes, as well as Spicy Sweet Potato Puree with Pineapple and Lime Zest.

But was there pie? Yes. Yes. There was a Chocolate Pecan number which I served with homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. But, there were also drop-dead gorgeous cupcakes that looked more like a bouquet than any Edible Arrangement ever could...

They were also quite delicious.

But then was the evening's grand finale.

Sherry? Port? Amaro?

Guess again.

The correct answer is: song.

From karaoke warbling of Janis Ian's classic At Seventeen to belting out Kiss Me Kate's I Hate Men, the evening had taken a turn in a way that was sad, wistful, joyful and truly celebratory.

I have no idea if I'll ever be able to top this Thanksgiving. But I am awfully thankful for it.

Sri Lankan Feast

Back to the whole topic of "not trying this at home," led me to cooking at the home of two friends - a couple who do not know the meaning of "do not try this at home."

And, so we make a Sri Lankan feast. More exactly, they made a Sri Lankan feast.

I may have made the dish above, a Chicken Kottu Roti, which I think of as a cross between stuffing and fried rice, with strong dashes of curry and pandan tossed in the mix. I also whipped up some Ginger Snaps laced with Sri Lanka's answer to maple syrup - Kithul Treacle. But, my friends most definitely whipped up the lion's share of the evening's repast, including two Cashew Curries...

...as well as curries showcasing fish, beef, and plantain.

They prepared sombals for days. Pol Sombal, fragrant with coconut, chili peppers, and dried fish flakes, was an all-around favorite. A bright Mint Sombal was another winner. Then there was the refreshing Pathola salad with snake gourd...

And, did I mention that my friends got up at the wee hours of the morning to make their own coconut milk from scratch? They woke up at dawn and started cracking coconuts. Seriously. COCONUT MILK FROM SCRATCH.

I am officially put to shame. And, yet, just glad that I have friends that are willing to go to that much trouble - delicious trouble.

Tati Is In Town

Those in the know have primed their livers accordingly.

My pal Tati has descended upon New York, intent on drinking in every last gulp of good times this city has to offer. I am excited to see her in the morning - ready to take on a veritable whirligig of executive chefs, pastry chefs, sous chefs, bartenders, somms, ice cream makers, cheesemongers, butchers, sandwich makers, wine merchants, and more.

Not sure how to categorize my friend Peter, who owns Shelsky's, but I know she's planning on a stop there to get her fill of herring. Lots of herring. Copious amounts of herring.

Tati is one of the most gregarious gals I know - and dang if, in addition to making "all gone" with a school of herring, she can't polish off a bottle of pink champagne like a pro. Haling from Russia, she has a way around a bottle of vodka too. It's impressive. She's impressive.

I wish I could live up to her revelries, but I always fall short - needing to down glasses of water instead of a cocktail or vino, when she is imbibing. And, let me be perfectly clear, my friend stays perfectly sober. Well, maybe a buzz...

Still, she's a marvel.

In the past, unbeknownst to Miss Tati, I would bribe bartenders to give me soda water instead of another drink, garnishing it just so, as not to give up the charade that I was matching her drink for drink.

Now, I know better. And, I am coming clean.

I may admire Tati's stamina and her unbridled joy - but I am a cheaper date. That has to count for something, right?

At the very least, it should leave us a bit more moolah to hit a few of New York's hot spots this weekend. I can't wait!

Chyn & The Chips

My friend Chyn is obsessed. Seriously obsessed. I do like a potato chip now and then - especially if I am able to plunk a bit of creme fraiche, caviar, and snipped chives atop - but Chyn is the Queen of the Chips.

She cannot resist a new flavor, texture, or brand.

I took her to Shelsky's for a smoked fish fiesta, and although she was enchanted by her first bialy and downed two different sorts of herring, it was their selection of potato chips that had her swooning. All three pictured above were purchased - Iberian ham, black truffle, and caviar. Then she bought a different brand's white truffle chips to round things out.

The other night, walking home after being mightily stuffed on brilliant Thai food at Brooklyn's Ugly Baby, she stopped short when she spied some Korean BBQ-flavored potato chips in a bodega. It took some persuading to get her to agree to keep moving and not buy a bag.

Right now, Chyn is somewhere in deepest darkest Montreal. I imagine she has a bag of foie gras-flavored potato chips by her side. Or maybe they are poutine-flavored. Then again, perhaps they are smoked meat-flavored.

Any which way, I am sure she's happy. Or should I say chipper?