Last Sunday was a bon voyage party for Hubs’ friend Katie, who is leaving this week to go live in a villa in Tuscany to grow grapes and make (and presumably drink) wine. Indefinitely. This might sound suspiciously like the plot of a certain travel-diary-turned-Diane-Lane-vehicle-chick-flick, but I assure you it is not. Yes, that which is but a romantic dream to women of a certain age all across America, will, to Katie, just be–life. Or, shall we say, la dolce vita!
The party was hosted by Katie’s dad Jeff and Kim at their spectacular apartment in the Meatpacking District. On a table was set an array of Italian meats and toasted bread, along with a ramekin of peppery olive oil that happened to be from the very farm that Katie is moving to. I glanced over at the kitchen just as Jeff was opening the oven door to reveal a luscious-looking pizza inside. Looking at it’s toasty-brown cheesy bubblyness, my terrible jealousy of Katie’s new life abated–just knowing such beautiful things could be had outside of Italy lessened the sting. I couldn’t wait to try a slice.
Sauce slopped to the floor as I took the first bite of the delicate point of the slice. I wiped up the mess before scarfing down the rest of it. My bane is a pie that skimps on sauce, as I have mentioned before, so this slice made me happy despite the unfortunate mess I made with it. Besides the favorable sauce-to-crust ratio, the cheese-to-sauce ratio was also perfect. A divine proportion seemed to be in effect.
I walked over to the kitchen island and watched as Jeff uncovered another plump ball of dough and stretched it our into a circle. I sheepishly admitted to him that making anything involving yeast intimidated me and so I was duly impressed by his pizza-making skills. He assured me that it was easy, pointing to the baguette and ciabatta he has also made, and mentioned that he took an artisanal bread course at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan. Turning back to the pizza, he poured on a generous amount of olive oil and ladled on the sauce before sprinkling it with cheese and toppings (in this case, mushrooms). He indeed made it look look easy, but I am going to need more counter space and a good amount of culinary fortitude before I attempt it at home.
For dessert, Kim made two desserts that were as delicious as they were beautiful. One was a lemon tart featuring a homemade lemon curd and a pignoli crust; very Italian all around. The filling was equal parts sweet and tart, but without being cloying as such desserts often are. This last quality, or lack there of, is probably partly attributed to the brilliant pignoli crust, which countered its sweet filling with mellow, slightly salty, nuttiness. The other dessert was sort of a combination of an apple galette and tart tatin. The apples were caramelized as in a tatin, but the crust was a straightforward pie crust; a stroke of genius that really allowed the chewy apples to shine. As with everything else from the evening–the pizza, the wine, the company, the view–it was inspired, and a great send-off for Katie!
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March 12th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
The pictures look good enough to eat and now I am really hungry.