Lunch in Paris

It’s simple: Women who pick at their food hate sex. Women who suck the meat off of lobster claws, order (and finish) dessert – these are the women who are going to rip your clothes off and come back for seconds. I have a friend in the Sates who never considered herself a very good flirt, but I never worried for her, because she is a fabulous cook and an adventurous eater. I never doubted that when the right guy came along, she would devour him like a hot fudge sundae, and I was right. (Elizabeth Bard)

I am waiting to evaluate the validity of that statement, though it is certainly food for thought. I just finished reading Elizabeth Bard’s Lunch in Paris, a light and highly entertaining memoir of learning to live, love and eat French. This book joins The Sweet Life in Paris and My Life in France, along with a plethora of other books, in a growing genre of literature dedicated to documenting food memories and the emotions they evoke and are associated with. This Eat, Pray, Love phenomenon is fascinating – did people always have life changing revelations mid-bite? What is it about food that catalyzes these realizations? Or is it the fact that these authors are traveling abroad, and the foreign place itself sets in motion the wheels of self discovery? My friend Andrea studied abroad in Spain, land of the Sagrada Família and David Villa. She returned with a wonderful love story of having fallen head over heels for one Fernando. Several years later, they are still continuing their romantic trans-Atlantic love affair, seamlessly transcending time zones, cultural clashes and language barriers. Don’t you envy that?

Tortilla Española con Sofrito
Spanish Omelettes with Sofrito
Andrea introduced me to this Spanish staple. It is a very common tapa dish, essentially an egg omelet of fried potato and onions. The omelet’s exterior is browned to a crisp, crunchy shell, that once broken reveals layers of cooked potato and onion. It can be served as is, but I made an easy Sofrito, or tomato based sauce, to pair with the omelet. There is a great picture tutorial of how to make a Spanish omelet, so you might want to check it out before making this dish. The recipe below serves 2.

Sofrito
Ingredients
1-2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
splash of EVOO
1 tsp sweet paprika
salt, pepper & sugar to taste

Directions
Heat a small sauce pan on medium and add EVOO. Add onions and garlic and cook until sweet and translucent. Add chopped tomatoes, and cook until soft, allowing to simmer, bubble and thicken. Season with paprika, salt, pepper and sugar. While still simmering and thickening, use an immersion blender to break down the large solids, yet leaving some texture. Remove from heat and serve immediately or at room temperature.

Tortilla Española
Ingredients
2-3 Yukon potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 large eggs
1 c olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
In a small frying pan, heat 1 cup olive oil on medium high heat. Once hot enough (sizzles when you add a drop of water), turn heat down to medium-low, and add the sliced potatoes. Your potatoes are ideally of even thickness so they cook evenly. Essentially, you are boiling the potatoes in hot oil, and want minimal browning. The potatoes are done when you can easily pierce them with a fork. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on paper towels and cool a little. Remove all but 2 tbs of olive oil from frying pan, and turn heat down to low.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, onions, salt and pepper. Once the potatoes have cooled off enough to handle (but still warm), toss in egg mixture and use a spatula to distribute evenly, making sure egg coats all potato slices. It is OK to break up the potato slices.

On medium-low heat, return potato/egg mixture to pan, spreading over pan evenly. Fry until bottom edge is crisp (5-8 minutes). With the help of a plate, invert the still runny omelet onto a plate and slide the uncooked omelet face down back to the pan. This will allow even browning of top and bottom of the omelet. Once the bottom is crisp, slide onto napkins and drain oil. I even pat the top with paper towels to remove the excess oil. Transfer to plate, cut into wedges. Garnish with sofrito and enjoy!

After reading all this literature on food and love and life, don’t you feel like conquering the world one dish, one plate at a time? Don’t you want to accidentally and coincidentally run into the love of your life while abroad in the canals of Venice, or surrounded by the Ottoman domes in Beirut, or perhaps lost in the rice fields of Vietnam? Well, for the rest of us who are home-bound, who says we can’t explore the wealth of other nations in our very own kitchen? All you need is an open mind, an adventurous attitude, and a willing palate, ready to be sated.

Mentally I am in Seville,
anhD.

ps. for those who are going to Spain for Worth Youth Day in 2011, you must try this!

Brunch for One

It is a beautiful day here in the Heights – a premature autumn breeze swirls leaves around one’s feet in anticipation of the fall to come. And yet there are still kayakers and jetskiers out on the Hudson, vainly prolonging the inevitable arrival of summer’s end. Over the weeks, I’ve settled in quite nicely, and dislike the city less and less each day. Transitioning to an urban lifestyle means not buying in bulk and having to grocery shop once every few days. I can walk down Broadway and pick up a fresh loaf of brioche and bouquet of hydrangeas all in one stop. I really appreciate the numerous farmers markets and the delicious food carts that sprinkle the streets. I enjoy my solitary strolls around the city, and actually find comfort in the opportunity to roam and explore the concrete jungle. It is somewhat liberating.

This morning, though, I am treating myself to a delicious brunch for one, complete with window seat view of the city and river below. Jealous yet? Just wait til you see what I made!

Back home, David and I occasionally visit Holder’s Country Inn for really big filling breakfasts, usually before a long grueling hike or road trip. We ALWAYS end up ordering 2 plates of Eggs Benedict, usually with hash and corned beef on the side. Sounds like an artery-clogger, right? But sooo worth it! Just make sure to run an extra mile or two that day. Well, going out to eat Eggs Benedict alone seems a bit like adultery, so I cheated a little and made it in my own kitchen. I’m sure you’ll forgive me.

Eggs Benedict & Hollandaise Sauce
Below is a basic recipe, with tons of room for creative improvisation. A basic Benedict begins with a split toasted English muffin, layered with some ham (or bacon), topped with a poached egg, then drowned in Hollandaise. Here, I added a quick guacamole (avocados + diced tomatoes + diced onions + splash of lemon juice + pinch cumin + salt), as well as some veggies to lighten up the whole thing. The acidity of the tomatoes and crunch from the cucumbers really helps add more flavor and texture. But really, have fun being creative here – the possibilities are endless.

In terms of chronological process, I suggest making the Hollandaise first. Then while you are poaching the eggs, you can get your fixings ready and toast the muffins. When ready, quickly re-warm the Hollandaise, assemble the muffin + egg, and spoon the Hollandaise over it. Done.

Easy Hollandaise Sauce
*makes about 8 servings, but you can definitely use it for other things, like over steamed veggies
Ingredients
3 large egg yolks
1 tbs water
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper or paprika
3-4 tbs lemon juice
8 oz cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/4 tsp sugar

Directions
In a small saucepan, whisk together eggs, water, salt, cayenne/paprika. Place saucepan over VERY LOW heat and whisk vigorously for 3 minutes. The mixture should NOT bubble or boil, or your eggs will curdle and you will end up with scrambled eggs. If it gets too warm, simply move off heat but continue to whisk. Begin to add single cubes of cold butter into the egg mixture, whisking each cube until it has disappeared, before adding another cube of butter. Once all butter has been incorporated, slowly add lemon juice and remove pan completely from heat, all the while still whisking. Add sugar and whisk until dissolved. Taste test and make adjustments as needed.

Poached Eggs
If you’ve never poached an egg, this demo will really help. Also, if you are new to poaching, I suggest doing 1 at a time, nothing to ambitious. Poaching an egg can be tricky. It was recently a challenge on a Master Chef episode, but once you master poaching – you have bragging rights.

Ingredients
Water, enough to cover eggs
Splash of vinegar
Pinch of salt
Eggs

Directions
Add water, vinegar and salt to saucepan/pot/skillet/etc and cook on LOW heat. Bring to a simmer NOT a boil. While you are waiting for the simmer, crack each egg into a bowl. So, 5 eggs = 5 bowls. When the water reaches a simmer (small slow rising bubbles), gently slide the egg into the water. It takes about 3-5 minutes for the egg whites to firm up. The vinegar helps the egg whites to coagulate and hold shape, otherwise you would have a stringy mess of egg protein floating in your pot. The egg is ready when the egg whites are firm (you can even pick it up and hold it), but the inside is still clearly runny.

If you want perfectly round poached eggs, you could always do the (tedious) water bath method, which requires you to preheat a set of ramekins or custard cups in a hot water bath, then adding an egg to each cup. It takes about 5 minutes for the egg whites to set.

Meanwhile, prepare the fixings/sides and toast your muffins!

Once cooked, remove with slotted spoon to drain the liquid and serve immediately.

Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
poached eggs
sliced ham or cooked bacon
Hollandaise sauce, warmed
other fixings
halved & toasted English muffins

To assemble the Benedict, simply layer ham, fixings, and poached egg on top of each English muffin half. Drizzle the Hollandaise sauce over the top, add a sprinkle of pepper, and enjoy!

It really is a very satisfying meal – even if it’s just for one. Today I’m a lot more hopeful and optimistic than I have been. The culture shock has worn off and I’ve finally made the transition. Now, it’s time to take the city by storm.

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York…

AnhD

Addendum: I realize post facto that Salmonella’s been a huge problem in eggs lately. Ooops! Well then, I suggest eating scrambled eggs or an omelet instead! If I live through this, I’ll be sure to write about it in my next blog entry. Until soon (hopefully!)

Review: Fig & Olive

Fig & Olive
10 East 52nd Street
New York, NY 10022-5308
(212) 319-2002

Upon landing in New York City, I immediately dove into Restaurant Week, a fabulous opportunity for New Yorkers to sample prix fixe menus from some amazing restaurants for a fraction of the usual price. Restaurant Weeks are celebrated in most big cities, so if you get a chance, you should definitely go.

Fig & Olive
Roit and I made reservations for the Fig & Olive conveniently located between 5th Ave and Madison, on a random Friday night, and were surprised that we didn’t actually need one. Most of the tables were empty, and there was a nice subdued ambiance about the restaurant.

Before we even had the chance to review the menu, we were brought delicious focaccia bread and olive oil tasting, comprised of 3 very unique olive oils. For the life of me, I can’t remember the exact names, but I do remember taking a liking to a very fruity, sweet, and vibrant oil imported from Australia. The others had earthy and herbaceous undertones, and all were subtly aromatic. Truth be told, I’ve never been olive oil tasting, but just that opportunity at Fig & Olive made me really appreciate the art of making olive oil.

From the prix fixe dinner menu, we started with the Zucchini Carpaccio and Chicken Samosa. The carpaccio was standard as thinly sliced raw meat goes, but the difference was in the pinenuts and bright olive oil that really brought some zing to the carpaccio. My chicken samosa was distinctly Mediterranean, with a nice herby Greek yogurt dip and harissa (North African hot chili) oil. It was a nice change up from the heavily spiced Indian samosa.

In addition, we also ordered shrimp ceviche off the regular menu, and I’m glad we did! Halved shrimp were bathed in a lemon, scallion, red onion and fennel concoction – the marriage of the sweet shrimp and the tart juice were divine on the toasted buttery crostini. There was crunch and texture, and tons of flavor with every bite.

For the main course, I had the grilled lamb skewers and couscous. The grilled lamb was moist and tender (and not too gamy!!) and because they were speared on a sprig of rosemary, the aroma was to die for! The saltiness of the meat and crunch from the bell pepper and a splash of the yogurt/honey combination – resulted in a feast of flavors in your mouth. As the restaurant is named Fig & Olive, figs and olives were incorporated into several of the dishes, particularly my couscous, which added a bright sweetness to the otherwise bland grains.

Roit ordered the carmelized cod, which was served with a sweet and tangy raspberry balsamic vinegar alongside a bed of sweet garden vegetables, such as baby carrots, artichokes, turnips, and pearl onions. The fillet was flaky and its natural sea salt contrasted nicely with the tart vinegar and sweet vegetables.

For dessert, we had a chocolate pot de creme and fresh berries served on mascarpone cheese on shortbread. The chocolate custard was too rich for my liking, but the crostini was a nice light ending to a good meal.

In creating this menu, I think the head chefs put a lot of effort into creating a well balanced and well rounded meal. Every flavor had it’s complementary foil, and great effort was employed to create a visually and olfactorily pleasing meal.

Despite delicious food and excellent atmosphere, the service here is really terrible. The server forgot our wine, even after we had reminded him a second time. To some, the pace may be a bit slow, but it helps foster a leisurely ambiance that forces conversation and enjoyment of the food. If you are in a rush, Fig & Olive is not for you. Overall though, I really enjoyed my experience, and can’t wait to try the other dishes or even purchase some of their specialty olive oils.

Restaurant Week Summer 2010 just ended in NYC, but that doesn’t mean the end of my New York eats. Until next time!

anhD