VittlesVamp

My Parisian Pandemic - In Brooklyn (Merci Monsieur Lebovitz)

I was supposed to go to Paris late March. Supposed to go. Didn't go.

Perhaps that is why I discovered David Lebovitz's Instagram Live "Apero Hour" from Paris, a civilized and joyful respite from the pandemic, 12noon Eastern, Monday through Saturday.

Well before all this, I had been an admirer of Lebovitz. Earlier in his career he was a cook and pastry chef at Berkeley's Chez Panisse. He moved to Paris decades ago and has been writing about his experiences - glorious and exasperating and everything in-between - ever since. I had often cooked recipes from My Paris Kitchen and enjoyed reading his memoir-meets-cookbook called The Sweet Life in Paris, but it wasn't until I stumbled on his genius recipe for Almond Cake that I became an ardent fan. It's the bombdiggity! Just let one mere crumb of this dessert past your lips and you will instantly become a fan girl (or fan guy)!

His "Apero Hour" IG Lives began as a substitute for a book tour to promote his latest tome - Drinking French. The COVID-19 crisis had most of the world in lockdown, so instead of visiting bookstores to talk about the cocktails, apéritifs, spirits, and other drinks that are the cornerstone of French café and bar life, he took to Instagram. At 6pm Paris time he makes a drink from his Parisian kitchen - sometimes accompanied in-person by his utterly charming partner Romain. And, once in a while, he is joined remotely by a guest bartender, distiller, or another drinks-focused author, who could be located anywhere in the wilds of France or the deepest darkest depths of Brooklyn.

It has become appointment viewing for me.

As a result, I've purchased some new cocktail ingredients - including Plantation Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum (who knew it was made by the French?). I have shaken and stirred a new range of drinks for sipping during Zoom happy hours and alike. I have made Lebovitz's Rosemary Gimlet, followed his recipes for making a Montparnasse, The White Lady, and a Daiquiri (using the aforementioned pineapple-infused rum - YUM!). I also tried my hand at drink recipes offered by his guests, including a stellar Margarita from Ivy Mix of Brooklyn's Leyenda and the bitter and brilliant Tunnel Cocktail from Franck Audoux, the owner of Cravan in Paris (snapshot of my rendition above.)

In addition, I connect with a makeshift community of sorts when I log on. Several of us "regulars" chime in and chatter with each other, as well as David, in an effort to make "Apero Hour" our own.

And, lest you think that I've solely been imbibing thanks to Mr. Lebovitz, I can attest to the fact that I have been trying more of his food recipes too. In fact, his Shallot Marmalade...

...is up there in genius, swoon-worthy territory. And, his "Apero Hour" featuring French cheeses, inspired me to buy a serious slice of Brie de Meaux to go alongside some of the marmalade.

Sure I will be exploring more of his recipes - and those he recommends - in the coming weeks. I have already added certain spots like the bar Combat and the Fédération Française de l'Apéritif to my Paris map for when I can finally return to the City of Lights. Until then, and for as long as he'll allow, I will be virtually visiting David Lebovitz's kitchen for my fix of France.

Merci, David Lebovitz! Merci!

Garden & Gun & Good Eating

Visitors to my Brooklyn apartment are typically treated to a healthy dose of hospitality. Often that comes with a shaken or stirred cocktail, nibbles aplenty, and once in a while it arrives with a flurry of coursed out dishes meant to tempt, soothe, and delight.

And, typically, new visitors to my home are not only struck by the hospitality at Chez Vamp, but are also taken by a collection of magazines on my coffee table -- a pile of Garden & Gun issues that sport cover photos of hunting dogs, Southern beach scenes, and mouthwatering food and drink from below the Mason-Dixon line.

What is a nice gal in New York City doing with a subscription to a magazine called -- of all things -- Garden & Gun?

Did you not just read the earlier sentence about the dogs, beaches, and food?!?

This is a magazine about the modern South -- but a bit mythologized and curated by design. From tales of roadtriping and partying from New Orleans-based author Julia Reed to an essay of a bad dog gone good by non-fiction writer S. C. Gwynne to thoughts on Mardi Gras and the importance of bees from literary legend and humorist Roy Blount Jr, the writing is top-notch.

Plus, a wealth of insights on Southern travel, books, music, and more.

And, then there are the photos. Lush. Sly. Transporting.

Oh, and did I mention the recipes?

More than once, the magazine has inspired me to whip up a bit of Dixie. Most recently, I tried my hand at making James Beard Award winning cookbook author Virginia Willis' cast-iron skillet Blueberry Cobbler (pictured above).

It was divine. Are you surprised?

I anticipate that my kitchen will be taking many a "trip down South" this summer, compliments of recipes and inspiration from Garden & Gun. If you're lucky, you'll get an invite to my table.

Word to the wise though: don't mock the mag. It might not be the hand that feeds you, but it's certainly feeding this home cook's imagination.

Foodgasm in Bangkok - Pt. 2

What's better than going to a world-renowned food market in Bangkok?

Going to said market with a local chef by your side.

Luckily, my hotel was keen on making my foodie dreams come true and the Lebua's Thai Chef de Cuisine Prayong Khundongling graciously escorted me to Or Tor Kor Market, guiding me through colorful aisles filled with pristine produce, dried fish and seafood piled high like jewels, bags of every type of rice imaginable...

...stalls packed with mangosteens and Thai rose apples, bottles of freshly pressed sugarcane juice, tray after tray of just-laid and pink preserved eggs...

...whole roasted ducks and chickens, bowls overflowing with dried chili peppers, and enough platters of Thai specialities to keep anyone happily grazing for days...

And, as if that wasn't enough to get my foodie on, Chef Khundongling whisked me away from the market and back to the hotel kitchen to teach me how to make a few regional dishes, including Gaeng Kiew Wan Khae (Thai Green Curry with Lamb), and Yam-Sam O (Pomelo Salad with Prawns)...

It made for a swoon-worthy lunch.

I followed that up with an all-important local tradition - Thai massage.

Two-hours of brilliant stretching and pummeling later and I was ready for another hard-hitting session of relaxing by the pool with a G&T in hand.

And, after all that, a final dinner in Bangkok meant hailing a cab and heading over to one of the most popular restaurants in town - Issaya Siamese Club. Just off a small side street, the restaurant is the flagship of famed Thai chef, cookbook author, and TV personality Ian Kittichai. Hidden from view until you walk through its gates, Issaya ushers guests through a lush garden, onto a magical terrace, and into an exquisite dining room brimming with tropical flowers and a mix of Thai and Moroccan antiques.

Oh, and then there's the meal. What a meal!

A blur of beautiful plating, intoxicating aromas, and intense flavors, I had a hard time not moaning at my table, especially when tucking into dishes such as a fork-tender Australian Veal Cheek Simmered in House Blended Spices, served with a generous drizzling of coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves.

Okay, I may have moaned a little. And, yes, it might have gotten me a bit of attention.

But, at least some of that attention was from Chef Kittichai himself, just returned from snagging number 21 at the 2017 Awards for the Top 50 Restaurants in Asia. He was utterly charming and I was delighted to thank him for such an amazing dinner. He smiled and thought it wise to send me off with a special opportunity to continue my Bangkok foodgasm at home...

...presenting me with a signed copy of his Issaya Siamese Club Cookbook.

So, I may be back in Brooklyn, but New York has plenty of Thai groceries available, and I'm armed with some mighty fine recipes.

There's no reason for this foodgasm to stop now - or ever.

We Can't Have Nice Things

What do we do when we find a hole-in-the-wall Chinatown treasure? We write about it so freaking much that I have to wait for 45 minutes on the street on a summer night to get to a ramshackle table with my BYOB beers and order dinner.

Not cool.

And yet, I get the irony. I'm part of the problem.

That said, Spicy Village, a dingy Henan spot in Manhattan's Chinatown, is already firmly on foodies' radar screens. But word has unfortunately spread further than necessary, as evidenced by the suburban neophyte diners to our left who were scared of most of the ingredients on the menu.

Thankfully, I was with a Chinatown pro (aka a Manhattan-raised Judaic pal) and he knew that we not only needed to order the Spicy Big Tray Chicken, but had the foresight to request "more noodles" to soak up the dish's deeply satisfying, tongue-tingling chili oil sauce and juices when we were starting to run low.

So, tomorrow I'm headed to Jackson Heights for a bit of a food crawl. My mission - not to say a word about the undiscovered momo counter I'm hoping to discover. Sometimes a well-kept secret is a food lover's best friend.

Got A Cookbook For That?

Do you like Deviled Eggs? Me too. Do you like them enough to need an entire cookbook devoted to the topic?

Have an urge to bake with almond flour? I have a cookbook for you!

How about corn? Who doesn't enjoy a butter-slathered piece of corn-on-the-cob? Maybe you want a whole cookbook dedicated to the gorgeous yellow-kerneled beauties?

You an avid "Downton Abbey" fan? Think you might need a cookbook that makes you believe that you've swiped Mrs. Patmore's secret recipe box.

My next cookbook purchase? Not sure, but somehow I keep leaning towards tomes that are from chefs that I respect and admire. That said, glad to know that if I ever have an urge to cook with cannibas (when visiting Seattle or Denver, of course), that there is indeed a cookbook for that.

Fresh Figs Make Me Think Of "I, Claudius"

Anyone else remember that critical moment in "I, Claudius" when Emperor Augustus, recognizing his wife Livia's murderous treachery, decides to eat a diet of only ripe figs he picks himself from the palace garden? Nonetheless, Augustus mysteriously worsens and dies.

Only after his death do we learn that Livia coated each and every piece of fruit on the tree with poison.

Death by fig.

And yet, when I see them at the local produce market, I can't help but pick up a few of these pitch-black plump beauties. Livia be damned, they are the perfect breakfast. I slice them to reveal their bright pink centers and serve them over a cloud of fresh ricotta, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with rosemary and sea salt.

A meal fit for an Emperor -- and most definitely for a Vamp.

Book Giveaway - The Kitchen Daughter

Every once in a while I like to move my kitchen -- move it to my bedside nightstand. Happily, I was able to do just that, reading "The Kitchen Daughter," a debut novel from author Jael McHenry. The book opens the door to a world that includes family secrets, ghosts brought to life through recipes and a love of cooking that leads to one woman's journey of self-discovery.

All in all, it's a very satisfying read with recipes served in each chapter as a bonus side dish.

One giveaway copy is up for grabs! Just post the the name of your favorite hand-me-down recipe from family or friends in comments below or Tweet it out with the hashtag #KDgiveaway and you'll be entered to win. The winner will be selected at random via Random.org on Monday at 5:00pm Eastern.

Cookbook Giveaway - "Quick-Fix Southern"

Don't those biscuits look good? Learn how to make 'em, along with other Southern staples like Three Cheese Grits, Lime Mint Juleps, Fried Green Tomatoes and Benne Seed Sugar Cookies, from a new cookbook destined to make your mouth water - "Quick-Fix Southern". The cookbook's author Rebecca Lang (who also happens to be a contributing editor for Southern Living magazine) promises homemade hospitality—Southern style—in 30 minutes or less.

Just comment below on your favorite Southern dish or send a Tweet with the hashtag #southernfix before end of day Sunday and you'll be in the running for a giveaway of this Dixie quick-fixie. The winner will be selected at random on Monday morning.

You know you want to get your Southern on!

Italian Comforts

There are times that the healing power of food is undeniable. Sometimes it is when a bowl of homemade Chicken Soup helps get rid of a debilitating cold. Sometimes it is more. Sometimes food and the act of taking to the kitchen soothes and cures on several levels at once.

Such was the case for journalist Paula Butturini, as she went through years of trying to emerge from the aftermath of her husband's severe gun shot wound and the debilitating chronic depression that followed. Finding comfort in the daily Italian rituals of cookery, Paula helped them both regain a foothold in life to ultimately reclaim the joy that once defined their relationship. Her memoir "Keeping the Feast: One Couple's Story of Love, Food, and Healing in Italy" is inspiring. In fact, it inspired me to pluck open another book - Marcella Hazan's "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking."

Listening to Marcella's words of wisdom, I found deep satisfaction in a simple Tomato and Basil Salad. I found pleasure in stirring a creamy Asparagus Risotto, tossing in a pat of creamery butter and sprinkling grated Parmesan atop. And, I discovered contentment and grace in a bowl of farmer's market-fresh strawberries, bright red and juicy, topped with a fluffy mound of Sheep's Milk Ricotta and drizzled with golden honey.

My dining table has never been so restorative.

Ground Black Pepper - The Australian Incident

This story from the BBC must be read to be believed.