Le Fromage Sur L’Herbe (The Cheese on the Grass)
Summertime and the livin’ is easy. But is the living easy on your cheese? The Cheese Mistress recently gathered fellow friends of the fromage in Central Park one recent 95-degree Saturday to share their favorite curds. The question was: what cheese could withstand the withering heat?
I turned to my friends at cheese institution Ideal Cheese for the answer. "Go Firm” was the solution! I walked out with two delectable selections, both of the raw milk variety (and always the tastiest, in my mind). One was Ossau-Iraty Vallee d'Aspe, a nutty, raw sheep’s milk cheese from the Basque region of France. The other – my favorite of the day - was a spunky aged Spanish goat cheese called Murcia Curado. At the picnic, other cheeses that withstood the heat were several varieties of cheddar, aged Gouda, a Morbier, and an especially tasty Italian Piave. We washed it all down with icy, crisp white wine and beer while stretched out languidly on a shady patch of grass, and almost forgot we were in the middle of an urban oven.
Say It With Flour – Dessert Delivery
Tired of sending just flowers? Does the fruit basket seem a little, well, old school? Want to really stand out from the crowd and make a memorable impression with a huge caloric impact? At Dessert Delivery, they think you should “say it with flour” and send someone your very best in the form of fresh baked deliciousness.
I was recently the lucky recipient of a huge, gooey, luscious Cookies ‘n Cream birthday cake, sent to me at work by an extremely thoughtful friend. For survival reasons I shared it with my co-workers, but it was so good I really just wanted to disrobe and eat it alone in private! They use the freshest ingredients available and turn out decadent cakes, cookies, brownies and other goodies that can be brought right to your door or straight to the door of a special someone.
Dessert Delivery is a charming local neighborhood bakery with national outreach; they deliver within Manhattan and across the nation -- and thank goodness, because far-flung friends will want this! Just pick-up the phone and that cake can be yours.
Dessert Delivery: 360 E 55th St. between First and Second
Avenues (Midtown East); 212-838-5411
Tailor
Short ribs braised in root beer. Vanilla-smoked carrots. Caraway ice cream. Cats laying down with dogs - what the heck is going on over there at restaurant Tailor? Chef Sam Mason is in the house pushing salty-sweet flavor combos to the extreme, with mostly successful results. Sam Mason is former pastry chef from “molecular gastronomy” temple WD-50, so it should come as no surprise that my palate was going to be challenged –in a good way. It began with the cocktails…I ordered a “Blood & Sand”, which is a mix of scotch, sweet vermouth, Redbach beer and topped off with orange foam. Gastrochic, always up for a challenge, ordered "The Waylon”, a mix of bourbon and smoked coke, which was very refreshing!
With our appetites primed and ready, we moved on to the
food, beginning with a plate of thinly sliced veal surrounded by a scattering
of white chocolate beads filled with crispy marrow, parmesan crumble and drops
of huckleberry sauce. Following this creation was a dish of what seemed like
savory Foie Gras and cocoa bars sprinkled with a peanut butter sand and crisp
slices of pear. All delicious!
Still up for the challenge, we forged ahead with a plate of meltingly tender
roasted duck over spaghetti squash, Hon Shimeji mushrooms and a lightly sweet
raisin broth. Then the
show-stopping dish arrived, the plate of goodness that continues to haunt me to
this day: cubes of roasted pork belly nestled in a creamy miso butterscotch
sauce, punctuated by tender briny slices of artichoke. I wanted to lick the bowl clean and
then climb inside – it was that good. To top it all off, if you can image that was possible, we spilt a
dessert of “French Toast” – a deep fried block of brioche with a scoop of maple
ice cream, crispy raisin “paper” and…bits of bacon!
All this culinary derring-do plays out against a warm, industrial-chic backdrop reminiscent of a turn-of-the-20thcentury apothecary.
Worth going back? While I wouldn’t take the relatives visiting from Des Moines here, I would return with open-minded foodie friends in search of fun, eccentric and memorable flavor bombs.
Tailor: 25 Broome St. bet. Sullivan & Thompson Sts.
(Soho); 212-334-5182
Easy Flatbread Pizza, with Recipes!
Ah, I have opened the windows and flung open the doors. It’s time for easy living and the fun foods that go along with it, and flatbread pizza is the name of the game. I especially like to serve this at parties because it’s a quick and easy hot hors d'oeuvre that you can crank out and barely break a sweat.
Save yourself the trouble of making the pizza dough and get some already baked flatbreads, such as Turkish Pide bread, Armenian Lavash, or, short of that, a round of Boboli bread – all available at Whole Foods and other markets. Put your effort into the toppings, all of which can be done ahead of time. Here are some suggestions:
* For all of the pizzas, pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Peppers & Olives
The colors of this pizza really make it pop!
- 1 red & 1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced and combined
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pits removed
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- Approximately 1/2 pound Fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to taste
- Sea Salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
1) Place flatbread on a sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil over the flatbread and spread the minced garlic over the entire surface.
2) Scatter the bread with a layer of the mixed peppers. Add a dash of sea salt.
3) Scatter the olives over the peppers; drizzle with a bit more olive oil.
4) Drape the fresh mozzarella over the peppers and onions and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.
5) Sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper and a bit of sea salt. Slice and serve immediately.
Pesto & Mozz
This lush pesto freezes beautifully, so whip up a batch
when basil is in season in the summer and you can enjoy it all winter long.
For the pesto:
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, rinsed and dried
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted (in 350 degree oven until fragrant and light brown, about 15 minutes)
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano (don’t skimp by using
that stuff in a can – splurge for the real thing, the flavor can’t be beat)
- Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste.
For the pizza:
- About 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1) Add the basil, garlic and pine nuts to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped.
2) With the motor on low, slowly pour in the olive oil.
3) Turn off the motor and add the grated cheese and stir to combine. Add a generous amount of pepper and taste, adding salt if necessary (the cheese is salty, so adding more salt may not be needed).
4) Place flatbread on a sheet pan. Spread surface of the bread with a layer of pesto. Add a layer of mozzarella and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbling. Slice and serve immediately.
Miracle Sauce & Mozz
This sauce was made famous by Italian cookery legend
Marcella Hazan. You will be amazed
by how easy and incredibly delicious it is.
For the sauce:
- 2 cans of imported Italian plum tomatoes (try to use San Marzano if available)
- 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Sea salt & fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
For the pizza:
- About 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- Fresh whole basil leaves
1) Into a large pot add the tomatoes (with their juices) and crush.
2) Add the onion and butter. Bring to a low simmer and cook, uncovered for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3) Remove the onion and discard. Add pepper and salt to taste.
4) Place flatbread on a sheet pan. Spread surface of the bread with a layer of sauce and dot with fresh whole basil leaves. Add a layer of mozzarella, scatter a handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano across the surface and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbling. Slice and serve immediately.
