It's hard to get too worked up about stuffed cabbage, at least for me. Hearty, homey, tasty -- yes. But elegant? Not so much. Until now. This stuffed cabbage cake, or better still, Chou Farci Gâteau, takes a modest meal and elevates it to true star stature. And it's not all that hard. Instead of individually stuffed rolls, the braised meat is built up in layers of … [Read more...]
EXTRA LARGE SUMMER FRUIT TART HACK
Working off the same base recipe posted earlier, this XL version used tonka beans to infuse the crust with a smooth spicy taste and heady vanilla aroma. Not to worry, cinnamon still works fine. Nectarines and apricots were the fruit de jour; they're great for this tart because they don't need to be peeled. The large 11" tart pan with removable bottom allows for apricot … [Read more...]
MARCELLA HAZAN STYLE TOMATO SAUCE CANNING RECIPE – FRESHTECH HACK
Marcella Hazan's celebrated tomato sauce is pretty simple - the original recipe calls only for tomatoes, onion, butter and salt. And it makes about two cups of sauce, a nice amount for one pound of pasta. But Marcella's recipe is not home-canning friendly. Her simmered-then-discarded onion is fine, the big chunk of butter is not. The solution? Make the sauce without the … [Read more...]
OVER-STUFFED LOBSTER ROLLS WITH A SCIENTIFIC COMPARISON OF PRE-SHELLED LOBSTER MEAT VS. HOME COOKED
Stuart's, our excellent seafood store in Amaganset offers cooked lobster meat out of the shell for $55 a pound. The pieces are nice and big, the claws neatly extracted to keep their form. The thick tails are tightly curled, a crucial sign. Lobster tails will only curl up when cooked if the lobster is alive just before cooking. Already dead lobster tails don't curl. The … [Read more...]
SUMMER FRUIT TART HACK WITH PLUMS AND APRICOTS
Seems like this is the summer of recipe "hacks," the near-miraculous shortcuts that crack the code of everyday cookery. Or something like that. As there are a about million blog posts and Pinterest boards dedicated to the pursuit of the hack, the time felt right to share one of my own. Easy thing #1: This summer fruit tart recipe works well with all stone fruit -- … [Read more...]
WHITE CLAM PASTA WITH SEA BEANS – LINGUINI ALLE VONGOLE
Freshly foraged briny little sea beans pair beautifully with just-dug quahogs for a hearty, down-home tangle of linguine alle vongole. And the best part is out here in East Hampton the ingredients are only as far away as the water. At water's edge of our favorite clam bed in Three Mile Harbor is a healthy stretch of sea beans. Also known as salicornia, glass wort and … [Read more...]
SAMPHIRE ASPARAGUS VINAIGRETTE
One of the thrills of foraging is tapping into Mother Nature's limitless abundance. While some treasures of the earth are hard to come by (see: truffles) wild samphire is abundant here on eastern Long Island and at its peak now, in early summer. Samphire, a.k.a seabeans, sea asparagus, salicornia, or picklewort, thrives in the marshy, sandy shores of Three Mile Harbor in … [Read more...]
PEA SHOOT PESTO
Turns out early summer isn't such a bad time to join Weight Watchers. Facing the somewhat grim regimen of Points, Power Foods and vanishing carbs is easier when fresh produce (for the unlimited fruits and vegetables the program allows) comes into abundance. These pea shoots were on offer at an East Hampton farm stand. The guy said they would make a nice pesto. True … [Read more...]
PURPLE ASPARAGUS
After our not-so-wonderful winter and spring, opening day of the North Main St. farmers' market in East Hampton was gratifyingly robust. Witness these gorgeous, freshly cut stalks of purple asparagus. And they're organic to boot! The violet hue is not the only difference between purple asparagus and its green brethren; the purple variety is sweeter and less fibrous. The … [Read more...]
SALT LIBRARY
Flavored and specialty salts have been infiltrating the larder here for some time now. So much so that an inventory was in order. Here's what we found: SPANISH ROSEMARY SALT (The Filling Station) Nice rosemary aroma, nice rosemary taste, pleasing loose … [Read more...]