Essex Street Market Open On Sundays!

 

For as long as I can remember the Essex Street Market has been closed on Sunday.  This Sunday that is about to change!  In addition old time favorites like Jeffrey's Meat Market you can now shop of foodie destinations like Saxelby Cheese, Formaggio Essex, Puerto Rican Coffee Company and Pain D'Avignon Bakery on Sunday. 
 
TheEssex Street Market has become a one stop shopping destination which has now become more convenient! The market is open 10-6 on Sundays and when you have finished your shopping walk a few blocks south and treat yourself to a doughnut at the Doughnut Plant - but be prepared for a line!

Blue Hubbard Squash Souffle 2 Ways

Blue Hubbard is my favorite squash.  I love how it looks and it's so easy to prepare.  You don't need to steam it or add water to a baking pan, just cut it in half, take out the fibrous seedy center and cook it in a preheated 425 F oven until it is soft, about 35 minutes for a small to medium size squash.

 

Cooking in the oven, the squash is lightly covered with a crinkled, slightly moistened piece of parchment paper.

Let it cool until you can scoop out the flesh into the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse in the food processor until it is creamy. 
 
You don't actually need very much if you are only making one of these recipes, but I encourage you to do a blue Hubbard tasting menu at least once this Fall with a savory menu course souffle and a gently spicy and sweet one for a dessert made all the more special with a scoop of cinnamon nut crunch ice cream on the side.

You can use any squash or pumpkin flesh for these recipes, even yams would work, just avoid spaghetti squash as it's too fibrous.

Savory Squash Souffle

Generously coat with at least 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter a 1 quart souffle dish and then dust it with 2-3 Tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan cheese just as you would if it were flour (conversely, if you wish, you can do smaller 4 ounce individual souffle dishes instead of one large one, you can also substitute flour for the cheese).

Preheat the oven to 375 F

In a saucepan over medium heat melt 5 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter.  When it is fully melted whisk in 3 Tablespoons of All Purpose Flour, once incorporated slowly whisk in 1 1/4 cup of Whole Milk.

Grate in about 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 Teaspoon cayenne, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. 

Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently over medium-low heat.  It will be thick verging on paste-like.   I added a little more milk because I use a local flour which is more like whole wheat.

While the base is cooking separate 5 large eggs.

When the souffle base has cooked long enough, turn off the heat and whisk in the egg yolks one at a time.

Then add 3/4 cup of squash puree.  Whisk until it is well incorporated then add 2 Tablespoons of roughly chopped Sage. 

Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper.  Stir in 3/4 cup extra sharp white cheddar cheese.

 

Beat the egg whites until foamy then add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar, continue to beat until they form gentle peaks.  Fold in 1/3 of the whites into the white sauce and gently incorporate.  Add the remaining egg whites and fold, every so gently, until just mixed being careful not to deflate them!

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish (or dishes) and bake for 35-45 minutes (15 or so for 4 ounce ramekins) until golden and puffed but still just a little wobbly in the middle.

I served it with some lightly steamed in season local Brussels Sprouts and Broccoli which I tossed with a little bit of butter and salt and freshly grated black pepper which were a nice counterpoint to the sharp richness of the souffle.

Here is what mine looked like just out of the oven.  It deflates fast so make sure you serve it immediately.

Sweet Squash Souffle

Generously butter the souffle dish (or dishes) with 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter then dust them with 3 Tablespoons of sugar. 

In a sauce pan bring 1/2 cup grade B maple syrup to and boil then reduce heat to medium/low and reduce by half at a gentle simmer.

Preheat the oven to 375 F

Remove the reduced maple syrup from the heat when reduced - it takes about 8-10 minutes.

Add 3/4 cup squash puree, 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of half and half, 1 teaspoon ginger,  
1/2  teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon clove, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, pinch of cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt to the maple syrup.  Using a whisk over low heat mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated (the syrup maybe a little thick and sticky).

Separate 7 large eggs. 

One at a time whisk the egg yolks into the squash mixture.  When all the eggs yolks have been mixed in add 3 Tablespoons of all purpose flour, whisk to incorporate.  Put back on the stove over medium heat and bring just to a simmer,  cook for about 2 minutes to thicken then turn off the heat and stir in  
2 Tablespoons of room temperature butter. 

OK this part is tricky and very much about timing.  Have the egg whites already in the bowl in a standing mixer.  Put a glass of very cold water close by.

Then in a sauce pan with a candy thermometer attached add 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of cane sugar with 4 Tablespoons of water over medium heat bring to a rolling boil.  It's best if you can use a candy thermometer for this.  You want it to come to the "soft ball" stage which is around 240-250 F.

While you are waiting for this to happen start beating the 7 egg whites you have ready in the bowl of a standing mixer, when they start to become foamy add a pinch of cream of tartar.   Whisk until they form soft peaks then slowly add 2 Tablespoons of sugar.  Once the sugar has been added turn off the mixer and wait for your simple syrup to be ready.

Once the simple syrup reaches 240 F start to test it by dropping a bit into the cold water.   Keep testing it until it forms a soft ball at the bottom of the glass of water.

Quickly  (the minute it is done) turn the mixer back on to medium high speed and very slowly pour the sugar syrup into the eggs whites.  Continue to whip for about 4-5 minutes; they should continue to bulk up and become thick and shiny.

This is called an Italian meringue.

In 4 parts add the meringue to the squash mixture, folding it in very gently.  Then scoop the batter into your prepared baking dish or dishes.  If using a quart size souffle dish, cook it for about 45-50 minutes; you want it to be ever so slightly wobbly in the middle and nicely brown and puffed up.  Serve immediately either with cinnamon nut crunch ice cream or whipped cream sweetened with a little bit of grade B maple syrup.

Sun Chip's Noisey Bag

There is a lot of buzz in the press (at least the press I read) about this Sun Chips bag and how so many people are up in arms about how noisy it is.  Well I can understand it being annoying if say the people at the end of your row in at the movies have it and are eating out of it during the show, but the fact is they aren't supposed to!  Sun Chips aren't sold in the theater (the only people eating things out of bags are the inconsiderate idiots who bring their own food to the movies, and personally I hope there is a special circle of hell for these folks.  Not that I have anything against bringing a fine bar of chocolate or some organic popcorn to the movies, but for goodness sake be considerate about the container you bring it in; no one wants to hear your noise during the show! OK, enough of my digression).

In reality most people are buying snack chips to eat at home, so why is the noise the bag makes an issue? When you get them home take them out of the bag and put them in a bowl!  Problem Solved! Right?  Am I missing something?  Apparently the bowl solution was more than most Americans could manage to figure out.  So this really cool bag which is the most environmentally friendly thing to come around in the snack food world in like, ever, is no longer being made here, but in Canada....well watch the video...it's very cool, and it's things like this that make you realize just how different Canadians are.  I mean even if a commercial like this were to be made here in the good old US of A it would feature some Hollywood type with blond hair and a good figure, not a very real husky guy of Indian (I'm guessing) decent, like it does in this infomercial from Canada.  All I have to say is go Canada! And I love the ear plugs offer, too funny and smart!

Please don't think this is an endorsement by the UrbanFoodGuy of Sun Chips; it's not, but the bag and this commercial are really cool....I'm still of the very motherly belief that an apple and some raw almonds are really a far better idea for snacking or some home made organic non gmo popcorn or even 70 percent cocoa chocolate....

Cabbage: Nigel Slater Cheers Me Up on A Grey Fall Day

I love Cabbage and as a locavore want-to-be, it is the only crunchy green vegetable that is local and around for most of the winter months here in NYC.  I made a slaw with it recently using persimmons and pomegranate (which are in season in California so see I've already broken down...) rice vinegar and lots of fresh ginger; it was the hit of the dinner.

Anyway, here is Nigel in his garden patch talking about his cabbages and what he likes to do with them.

You can buy both volumes of Nigel Slater's brilliant book Tender at my Amazon store.

Day of the Dead: Ofrenda Restaurant

 

Walking down Seventh Avenue last night on my way to meet my friend Michael at the Monster then on to see the new Charles Busch play, I walked by Ofrenda restaurant which has this amazing Day of the Dead display out front.  The restaurant itself looks very serious and in doing some reading about it I'm now very excited to go as the word on the street is that it one of the best Mexican places in town.
Certainly this is the most serous Day if the Dead display I've ever seen!

Cinnamon Nut Crunch Ice Cream

With Thanksgiving and then Christmas sneaking up on us with such rapidity, I've started to develop some (what I hope will be) tasty different variation on the usual holiday fare.  I made this cinnamon ice cream and a version of the nuts last week for my Om Dinner and realized that together they would make great an even better ice cream!  

Try it over some simply roasted apples or by itself this ice cream it's a winner, but a scoop on the side of a Blue Hubbarb Squash Souffle (recipe tomorrow) will have your dinner guest wanting to move in!

Cinnamon Nut Crunch Ice Cream

Wrap 3 or 4 cinnamon sticks in cheescloth or a small muslin spice bag, smash with a rolling pin or a hammer and place in a large heavy bottomed sauce pan.

Then add 2 1/4 cups heavy cream and 1 1/2 cups whole milk and bring just to a slow simmer.  Reduce heat and simmer on low for about 20 minutes.  

Meanwhile, as the milk/cream mixture is heating up, place 6 egg yolks and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a bowl and whisk until the mixture looks like a thick mayonnaise (I use a standing mixer with the whisk attachment and mix it for about 3 minutes).

Very slowly add the warm milk mixture to the egg sugar mixture.  Once fully incorporated return the mixture to the sauce pan over medium low heat until it reaches 160-165 on a candy or instant read thermometer, stirring constantly. 

Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl, add 1 Tablespoon of good quality amber rum and let cool to room temperature.   You can put this bowl in an bigger bow of ice cube and water to speed up the process if you want to.

Cover and place in the fridge until completely chilled 4 hours or overnight. (In truth often if I decide in the morning I want to have ice cream at dinner I place this mixture into my freezer, stirring every 10 minutes and in about 45 minutes it is completely chilled. I'm sure this breaches some culinary etiquette but it works for me and saves you having to wait.  Just make sure you stir it often).

Place the chilled mixture into whatever ice cream maker you have and process accordingly.

When the ice cream is finished processing add 11/2 cups of roughly chopped  spicy sugar coated nuts and slowly stir in until well incorporated.

Place in the freezer until the ice cream has firmed up, anywhere from 2-4 hours.

(I decreased the amount of sugar I added from when I initially posted this recipe - tho not because anyone complained the ice cream was too sweet in reality it was quite popular I just felt the sugar in the nuts was significant enough that it was better to eliminate the 1/4 cup of cane sugar that I had originally added to the base of this ice cream....so now the recipe is just 1/2 cup of brown sugar.   And even though I am going to make a similar note on the sugar coated nuts I figured I'd mention it here as I have tweaked them as well, increasing the amount of salt and adjusting the measurements of spice).

Spicy Sugar Coated Nuts

Because at times like these we could all use some sugar coating.

These are delicious in a bowl as a tasty treat, just on there own or you can use them in Cinnamon Nut Crunch Ice Cream (which I will post immediately after I finish this!).  Feel free to make them saltier or hotter depending on your taste.  These go great with a scotch over the rocks or a Vodka Tonic and Lime!  This recipe is great for all those little bit of left over nits you have in your pantry.  In this batch I used walnuts, cashews, pecans and almonds.  Just make sure you always buy raw nuts so you can roast and salt them yourself.  Conversely if you want to use just Pecans or Peanuts or Hazelnuts or whatever you have it's all good.  This recipe doubles well and these are great treats to have on hand as we head into the holiday season. They keep well in a sealed container.

Spicy Sugar Coated Nuts

Preheat the oven to 325 F

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper (or grease it well with butter).

In a mixing bowl whisk together 3 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ginger, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, a pinch of cloves, a pinch of allspice, a pinch of ground cardamom, a grate of fresh Nutmeg, a grind of fresh black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 egg white (or if you are like me and always have left over egg white in a container in the fridge about 2 Tablespoon)  3/4 cup of sugar (white or brown both work well) and 2 teaspoons of good amber run (or scotch or brandy or vanilla).

Toss in 3 1/2 cups of nuts until well coated then spread them out onto the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven.  Bake for 20-30 minutes.  Half way through cooking give the nuts a stir with a wooden spoon.

Cool before serving.

 

Above before baking and below after

All the spicy sugar egg white crumble that is left on the sheet when you are done is great sprinkled over ice cream...

International Versus Domestic A Cheese and Wine Rumble!

 

Some of my favorite local purveyors of cheese and wine have gotten together to duke it out over which is best with lots of audience participation required!  A fun way to taste a lot of good wine and cheese, in an "underground venue" only announced after you have bought your tickets - I'm intrigued!  Here's the dirt in their own words:

Usually wine and cheese freaks use a whole lot of flowery language to try to evoke images of bucolic pastures or elegant country chateaux. Well, you probably know by now we're not the usual wine and cheese freaks. Maybe we're a little bit off, but we think some of the greatest things in life happen not on sun-splashed hillside vineyards or in mountaintop chalets, but in dank, smelly cellars with minimal lighting--namely wine maturation, cheese ripening and illegal bare-knuckle boxing. The world has been waiting for someone to combine these noble pursuits, and we've answered the call.

We're going to go ahead and break the first rule of Fight Club and the second rule of Fight Club to announce a one-night-only-no-holds-barred-all-out-overly-hyphenated Vino and Whey Melée. We've assembled a motley collection of rival LES factions for a proper underground rumble. That's right--September, Discovery, Formaggio Essex and Saxelby Cheese are going to duke it out on Monday, November 15th, and teach all in attendance a bit about wine and cheese in the process.

But like Fight Club, we don't do bystanders. Participation is mandatory for all, but don't sweat it too much. Instead of the taste of your own blood, we're inviting you to savor the taste of some of the finest artisanal wines and cheeses from around the world.
       
So cop a ticket and shake yourself out of your blue oxford button down matching couch set complacency. Go underground for a night of low-light, funky-smelling, tasty chaos. And when the last crumbs are finally swept up off the wine-splattered floor, you'll decide who will reign as the next people's champ.

 

Monday, November 15th @ 8pm
$60/per person
To reserve your seat, please contact: bittersweetsoursalt@gmail.com

Red, White and Blue Popcorn

I was so excited when I saw that Oak Grove Mills, one of the farm stands at the Union Square Market was selling red and blue corn kernels along with the regular white. It seemed the perfect dinner party amuse-bouche for 4th of July or mid term elections. Sadly when it is popped it all looks the same.  As I was looking to post about something that was thematic and mid term election themed this seemed perfect.  If one has to look for metaphor in ones popcorn you could say it starts out with great promise and ends up being disappointing.  Just as I dread tonight's results are going to be more then a little disappointing.  But at least I will have some nice warm popcorn, that I will cover in butter and truffle oil and salt and a nice big bottle or two of wine, though sometimes tells me tonight might require something stronger...a nice blended scotch or maybe a few stiff chilled gin martini's?

If you live in the USA please vote.  These may not seem like a food related issue, but indeed it is, food policy, school lunch programs and regulation of big AG all require a Democratic majorityif we are to see any positive change at all.

Monday Open Thread: Where Was Your Favorite Meal?

Recently I saw Mario Batali on a TV show (maybe on Jimmy Fallon, could have been an old show promoting the opening of Eataly I think....)  Which show is not really important; it's what he said that has stuck with me.  To paraphrase, it was that the best meals in our lives are not eaten out at fancy restaurants, but rather eaten in people's homes.

What I want to know is:  Where was your favorite meal?

It's not an easy question, maybe not even a question that can answered absolutely, so feel free to give a couple of answers or a top three or something. 

For me Florent was the place of some of my most memorable meals and not because of the food, although they did make some of the best French Fries ever, and I loved the bottle of cheap and good Moroccan red wine (the name of which I can't remember)... mostly though it's because any time I ate at restaurant Florent it was special, it made me feel good somehow.   Florent had created this vibe, this kind of umami of experience....

There are two other places.  The first one is dinners at home with Neil and our friends - really can't be beat.  The food is sometimes great and sometimes not as great as I'd like it to be, but somehow at the end of the day it doesn't matter.

Lastly a meal that Neil and I had early on in our relationship on a trip to Venice.  The food was brilliantly simple and delicious.  I still remember a fresh seasonal Tomato Soup.  We sat outside overlooking a courtyard; the restaurant is still there and it's called Al Covo.  An Italian Chef and his American bride opened it in 1987; I think Neil and I ate there in 1988 or 1989?  And I'm still thinking about it all these years later...

Now tell me yours.