GASTRONORMOUS

Last weekend, the Hubs and I decided to use the beautiful weather we were experiencing as an excuse to take advantage of the many outdoor dining options in Fort Greene. Earlier in the day we spied a lovely looking garden at the back of Caffe e Vino on DeKalb Ave., an adorable Italian restaurant on an unlikely block of unsavory bodegas and greasy Chinese takeout, right across the street from the Hospital. The back garden is a wee oasis away from the grit outside, and I was surprised to find that at 8:00 on a lovely weekend evening that the garden tables were only half occupied.

The meal started with a basket filled with crusty bread and foccaccia and a compimentary “tomato flan.” I admit I was apprehensive upon the latter’s arrival at our table as its molded presentation looked more like a cloudy aspic than anything, but it was in fact more the texture of pate than gelatin, and had an intense tomato-basil flavor. The breads that accompanied it were equally delicious. The artfully presented starters we ordered were both winners, too.

The caprese salad (pictured above) was served, as I do it at home, with aged (or reduced) balsamico and a splash of olive oil, but the cheese and tomatoes were in big hunks rather than slices. Not how I would do it, but not unpleasant. We also got a porcini-filled crepe, which I don’t think I have ever seen at an Italian restaurant before. It was quite delicious, with a great combination of mushrooms, cheese and slightly crispy crepe. A bit of truffle oil imparted a hint of pleasant earthiness.

After the promise of the beginning of the meal, the entrees fell surprisingly flat. The malfatti (spinach and ricotta gnocchi) with Butter and Sage was catastrophically underseasoned; the only bites that tasted of anything were the ones I accidentally took of the enormous stem of sage nestled in with the malfatti (it is the wormy looking thing in the photo, left). The mixed mushroom ravioli were better than the mafatti, but tasted identical to the filling of the crepe entree. The descriptions of the items indicated that they were quite different, not that they were identical, down to the touch of truffle oil. I suppose we should have known better than to order two mushroom plates in one meal, but in my opinion it is part of a waiter’s duty to inform customers when one person orders two nearly identical dishes.

They had a nice selection of wines, mostly moderately priced and mostly Italian. We had the Nero D’Avola, one of my favorite Italian reds, and it did not disappoint, especially after a bit of breathing time.

The service was spotty. The person I assume was meant to be our water was often too busy with the other table he was serving in the garden to pay attention to us. When he saw that we needed attention, though, a manager (or owner?) who was sitting nearby with a friend got up and take our order, or tend to whatever else needed tending. Everyone there was quite pleasant, so it wasn’t a trouble to us, but certainly it wasn’t busy enough in the restaurant to warrant the tag-team treatment. Those issues need to be worked out.

All in all, the first half of the meal was pleasant enough, as was the setting. But the entire experience was not satisfying enough to warrant the nearly $100 we spent (including the $30 bottle of wine) on dinner. And it certainly doesn’t pass the Bocca Lupo test. It is to be seen if we will return. Maybe another evening of beautiful weather will lure us there again some day…

Caffe e Vino
112 DeKalb Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11201

A very brief, but striking, blurb from The Pour on Robert Mondavi (photo, left). Rest In Peace, Mr. Mondavi.

Lemons that taste like candy to you, but sour to others? It isn’t an especially palatable acid trip, it’s miracle fruit! See this NY Times Dining Section article here.

At the Kitchn, a story on the original daquiri, which is apparently “endangered.” It should be more like a margarita (made with rum rather than tequila, of course), served straight up, than the cloying, fruity sugarfest most of us think of when we hear the word.

Also from the Kitchn. Biodegradable, compostable, cheap(!), and good looking plates and cups that are made form a non-corn based renewable resource! You will feel doubly good about your picnic using these!

Do not attempt at home: Jack’s Stir Brew claims that their method of stirring the grounds whilst brewing provides for a less bitter brew. As I drink my coffee black and and unsweetened, I am intrigued (though, I must say skeptical). Thanks, NYC Nosh, for the item!

I made mayonnaise once. I guess it tasted okay, but it ended up looking more like oily mustard than mayonnaise (I think the recipe actually called for mustard, which, needless to say, confused me). Ruhlman is hardcore with the mayo. Armed with just a bowl and a whisk, manages to whip up something that looks just like Hellman’s. Makes me want to think of something I need to make mayonnaise for. Maybe some artichokes? Any other ideas?

After going to the Flea nearly every weekend for the past month to search for items needed for our new apartment (specifically, a dining table, paintings, and miscellaneous objets), I have determined that, as much as I love perusing vintage junk, the best part of the Flea is the food. The increasingly enormous lines we have encountered offer testament to that.

We were hungry at noon with only coffee in our bellies, and there were plenty of options at the Flea to sate us. The Red Hook Ballfields Papusa vendor was indeed there (as long rumored), but the lines were prohibitively long (like seriously, a half-hour long), so we decided we could wait for the ballfields opening in June. Waffles and Dinges were not there for some reason, which left me forlorn until I took a bite of the sandwiches we ended up getting at the Choice Market booth. Hubs, The Predicate, and I enjoyed hangar steak and grilled vegetable sandwiches, which were totally delicious; loaded with perfectly proportioned meat, veggies and cheese, on super fresh bread. This fueled our shopping excursion.

Whilst shopping I had two food-people sightings: I spied someone who looked an awful lot like Zoi a “cheftestant” from Top Chef, being hugged and kissed by someone who did not look an awful lot like Jen, her girlfriend and co-cheftestant. About 10 seconds after seeing her, I saw Wylie Defresne and a companion, browsing the goods, not the foods.

Before leaving the Flea, we stopped to get a little sweet treat. The Predicate got a cannoli from Salvatore’s, which was 10 times better than the average NY cannoli (though it is in my opinion still no Boston cannoli, the likes of which send me into a bliss I cannot describe), and Hubs and I each had a mini cupcake from Kumquat Cupcakery (pistachio and strawberries-and-cream, respectively), which were much better than your average cupcake. I am picky about frosting in general and cupcakes in particular, and, well, let’s just say I scarfed mine down before I had a chance to take a picture of it, which is a shame because it was about as freakin’ adorable as a baked good can get.

See you next Sunday!

Whew, it’s been a long, long time, but I am back with more food news from the west coast.

I happen to have a weakness for mysteries and afternoon tea, and this book, part of the Tea Shop Mystery series, has both. Sure, on the surface I’m a cynical 30-something with a pottymouth, but deep inside languishes a dainty, middle-aged Southern belle with a red hat, purple dress, and a fierce need to eat something on a doily. Oh, and I love killing. We all have our quirks.

But why write about a cheesy mystery on a food blog, you ask? Because this is a cheesy mystery with a twist: recipes!

The book wasn’t that great, but I tried a few of the recipes in the back, and I think I’ll probably come back for more. Last night I whipped up lavender scones and faux Devonshire cream, and I think I’ll be looking for new ways to incorporate lavender into my dessert fare (and sure, main dishes while I’m at it).

Lavender Scones

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
6 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp dried culinary lavender, chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk

Sift flour and baking powder together. Cut the butter into flour mixture until it has the consistency of bread crumbs. Stir in sugar and lavender. In separate bowl, beat egg and buttermilk, then add to mixture, forming dough. Place dough onto well-floured surface and shape into a circle. Pat down dough until it is about 1 inch thick. Use a floured cutter to stamp out 12 scones [WCB note: I made mine considerably smaller to share at work, so I made about 20; just cook for slightly less time]. Place scones on parchment-lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with Devonshire cream and jam or preserves.

Simple Devonshire Cream

1 3-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp sugar
1/8 Tsp salt
1 cup heavy cream

Cream together cream cheese, sugar, and salt. Then, beat in cream until mixture forms stiff peaks. Chill until serving.

Makes 2 cups.

(both recipes from The Silver Needle Murder, by Laura Childs)

Any fan of the King and the kitchen would be a fan of this glass cutting board. [$26.50]

Two months after opening, the Brooklyn Flea‘s awesome food vendors finally caught the notice of the NY Times Dining Section. Last weekend, corn and agua fresca vendors from the Red Hook Ballfields, were in attendance, and there is rumor of other vendors coming soon. The author doesn’t mention the waffle stand, but I can attest to the deliciousness of their offerings (photo, left). The waffles are sweet, dense, and chewy. Though next time I would skip the Nutella, which as a rule I like, but here overwhelmed the great flavor of the waffle itself.

Grub Street has a brief item on an apparently famous person named Yung Berg, who is afraid of sandwiches. Sandwiches. I see a special edition of Maury Povich: Crazy Celebrity Phobias!

This post on pie from the Accidental Hedonist goes out to Michelle!

Over at Food & Wine magazine’s blog Mouthing Off, there is a great story on pairing wines with junk food. I assume that the 10 year St-Joseph Blanc that goes with Cracker Jack might also pair well with Fiddle Faddle?

More on the Florent closing. A wistful and honest little homage by Frank Bruni, and a longer piece in the NY Times Dining Section. I love that one person interviewed, was it Spike Lee?, talked about going to Florent in the late ’80s–early ’90s and seeing transvestite hookers on the corners, and now you go and it is just shocking, what with all the rich people, etc. I guess it is all about perspective. An interesting fact: Police Comish Ray Kelly is/was apparently a regular at Florent. Makes me like him a little more.

Lastly, Epicurious has a great new social-networking feature called “My epi profile” in which you can join a network of cooks with similar interests, post a description and picture of yourself, save recipes to a virtual recipe box (recipes from the site or from your own arsenal), and leave messages on other members’ “fridge doors” (precious!).

Ramps, also called Ramson or wild leeks, are in their brief season right now in the Northern US. Food people in New York City have been going cuckoo for them over the past few years, and for good reason.

I had never heard of them until I saw an interview with Mario Batalli two years ago about using them in a recipe of his, and I wondered what in the world he was talking about. I turned to the internet—and my grocer—to find out.

Ramps are native to to North America, and are not cultivated, but grow wild along river banks. The flavor is often descibed as a garlic-onion combo, though I think there is also a unique, very earthy element in the mix, too. They are especially popular in Appalachia, where the funky allium is celebrated every April at the festival “The Feast of Ramson” (aka the “Ramp Feed”). Ramps must be an east-coast-only affair because growing up in California, where there happen to be river banks aplenty, I never heard of them.

Last spring, Hubs and I found a recipe online for Ramps Risotto, and followed it word for word, except for the part where I accidentally blanched the ramps in boiling water for 3 minutes rather than 3 seconds. That turned out not to be a very successful dish.

Last weekend we spied some ramps at the local farmers market, and were able to snag two of the last four bunches left at the stand. I gave ramps risotto another try, but this time based it on my own basic recipe for risotto rather than one from the internet. I did not blanch the ramps at all because I thought with all the cooking it was going to do with the rice, that was sort of a redundant step. I cut the white bulbs, purple stems, and the greens of the ramps in a thin slice (for the greens, I did a chiffonade). I decided not to add any vegetables other than the ramps in order to let their unique flavor shine.

Ramps Risotto

4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 TB butter, plus a few tsp olive oil
2 bunches of ramps, thinly sliced (or about 1 cup each of sliced whites and greens)
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup arborio or other short white grained rice
1/2 cup white (un-oaked) wine
3/4 cup shredded parmigiano reggiano
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat broth and leave on a simmer, covered.

Meanwhile, heat butter and oil on medium heat in the bottom of large sauce pan. Add sliced white bulbs and purple reedy stems, and a few grinds of black pepper, to pan and sautee until soft, but not brown.

Add the rice and sautee for about a minute, until rice is well coated with oil–do not brown the rice. Add wine and stir gently but constantly until wine is absorbed. Add one ladleful of broth and stir until absorbed, then add another ladle. Continue this process until the rice is almost al dente; this should take 25 or so minutes. Now stir in the ramps greens and cook a few minutes more until greens are cooked through and rice is tender (but not mushy!). [Please note that you do not need to use all the broth. Cook until the risotto is done, not until the broth is gone. Conversely, if you run out of broth, test the texture of the risotto before assuming it is done, you may need to add even more broth, or use water.]

Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese the cheese.

Now taste again and season if necessary with salt and pepper (it might not need any salt as the cheese is pretty salty). Also feel free here to add more cheese or some butter if you think it needs it. Serve garnished with shredded parm.

Makes at least 2 servings.

This risotto was delicious, and though ramps are notoriously pungent, this cooking process mellowed it into near-subtlety. If we can find ramps at the farmers market this weekend, I am going to try this delicious-looking spaghetti with ramps from Epicurious.

The best part of planning a wedding is, well, of course it is looking forward to spending the rest of your life with your one true love, but also it is getting to sample the menus of a bunch of caterers! Hubs and I got married in Santa Fe, NM, last summer and so “had” to go out there for a few planning trips to meet caterers, photographers, etc.

One caterer we met made wonderful food for us to try, including a fresh salsa with fire-roasted cherry tomatoes. I asked how she roasted such tiny tomatoes, and she brought out a grill similar to this to show us. She said she just put a bunch on the grill and rolled them around over the stovetop gas flame. We ended up going with another (much less expensive) caterer, but her amazing salsa (and other food) gave us pause in making that decision.

I’d prefer a grill like this with a single, longer handle, rather than the two tiny knobs this one has (I’d like to roast my tomatoes, not my knuckles), so if anyone has seen something like that around, let us all know. In the meantime, the low price might make this a good purchase just in time for summer picnics! [$15.95]

Usually when we cook broccoli rabe (a frequent side to pasta or other italian fare in our household), it is a complicated process of blanching, chopping garlic and/or onion, sauteeing it all, then adding just the right-sized splash of balsamic at exactly the right time. You see, one must give the balsamic enough time to reduce and sweeten, which tones down the bitterness of the rabe, without overcooking the rabe. Who knew a dark leafy vegetable could cause so much stress?

Well, the other night, Hubs made pasta with broccoli rabe for dinner, and to prepare the broccoli rabe, he simply dumped a jar of marinated artichokes hearts and their marinade in a sautee pan and cooked the hearts until the juices reduced a bit, the dumped in the blanched broccoli rabe. It was delicious and took the balsamic-guesswork out of the equation.

If I didn’t love cooking so much, I’d let him cook for me every night!

A gmail ad first alerted me to the miraculous Tater Mitt. With such an intriguing name, how could I not check out the product website? The video on the website is hysterically funny, in the mode of many “as seen on tv”-type products. My discovery happened to be before last Christmas, and I joked a few times to my husband that I wanted them for Christmas. Well, wouldn’t you know that I have the type of husband that would actually by them.

I laughed at the joke gift, but I was secretly pleased, having been seduced by the website and video, which claim that it takes exactly 8 seconds to peel a potato using their mitts. And it couldn’t be simpler, just run the potato under water while you rub it with your mitted hands. No more hassle, no more nicks from knives or peelers! Easy, and in just 8 seconds!

The Mitts are a sight to behold in person. They are enormous, first of all. Lou Ferrigno must have provided the hand upon which they based their sizing. Basically, the Tater Mitts are huge dishwashing gloves with something resembling aquarium rocks attached to the palms and fingers. Which is fine if they work. But they don’t. Well, not exactly.

I didn’t read the instructions because, ahem, the video made it look so simple! So on Christmas day I went to work on a potato. Nothing happened. The surface of the potato was slightly abraded, but none of the skin came off. That is when I discovered something in the instruction manual that is mentioned only in the fine print on the website: the potatoes must be boiled first in order for the Tater Mitt to be effective (I swear I don’t remember seeing this disclaimer on the website until my most recent visit)! Ah, silly me.

I imagine the Mitts do work if you boil the potatoes first, but I also imagine scraping your thumbnail over a boiled potato also so a pretty good job of getting rid of the skin. And, by the way, the skin of the potato in the video looks bone-dry–they must have boiled it and let it dry out before taking the mitts to it. Pretty misleading if you ask me!

So, I still have my Tater Mitts, but they are stuck in a basket under the kitchen sink. Maybe the next time I cook potatoes, I’ll use the mitts to scrub the dishes after I’m done.