Scouting: Roberta's Garden

Garden at Roberta's | Image: Laura Messersmith

Garden at Roberta's | Image: Laura Messersmith

My friend Alana seems to have her ear to the ground (no pun intended) on all things fun and happening in Brooklyn – this is a talent I wish I had, but for now I pretty much rely on her to tell me when there’s something we should check out. She is also game for exploring with me and this has led to scouting missions in Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, Gowanus, and yesterday Bushwick to see the garden at Roberta’s Pizza and do a little herb planting.

Garden at Roberta's | Image: Laura Messersmith

Garden at Roberta's | Image: Laura Messersmith

We learned during our tour from the lead gardener Melissa that the produce she grows supplements the food purchased by the kitchen. On a quarter acre there are fruit trees, tomato vines, edible flowers, and of course, herbs.

Part two of our class involved how to grow new herb plants from cuttings. We were given a dozen or so different herb plants to choose from – purple sage, English thyme, basil, mint, lavender – and instructed to snip a small sprig from a lighter green area of new growth. After we removed some of the lower leaves and pruned the upper ones a final diagonal snip of the rooting end completed the prep.

Herbs | Image: Laura Messersmith

Herbs | Image: Laura Messersmith

I love the bright flavor fresh herbs add to my cooking and many of the recipes I make call for them, but keeping them on hand and in usable form is tricky, so having a pot of thyme or rosemary ready to donate a few leaves would be awesome. My little herbs are now nestled into a tiny seeding pot and I am (semi-patiently) waiting to see if new growth happens….

Herb Cuttings | Image: Laura Messersmith

Herb Cuttings | Image: Laura Messersmith

In the interest of journalistic integrity I have to tell you that at this very moment a dish herb garden is struggling for life on my windowsill, so I’m not making any promises that these little shoots will survive. But if Mother Nature is with me on this project then my grocery store herb days might be numbered…. I’ll keep you posted! 

Garden at Roberta's | Image: Laura Messersmith

Garden at Roberta's | Image: Laura Messersmith

Lobster & Shells

Lobster and Shells | Image: Laura Messersmith

Lobster and Shells | Image: Laura Messersmith

As inspiration for more adventurous culinary efforts I’m following along with Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, in my tiny New York kitchen. Let’s see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Sweet Charity”

The Set-up: Ina donated a lunch to charity and now it’s time to make that $$$ raised worth it.

The Menu: Chilled Cucumber Soup with Shrimp, Lobster and Shells, Eton Mess

0:39 – This is one of my all-time favorite episodes thanks to the awesomeness of ‘guest stars’ Mariska Hargitay and Alec Baldwin. Trust me, this is way better than the Mel Brooks dinner and my photography has improved too, so there’s that…

1:01 – Ina admits that she’s under pressure due to the six-figure pile of cash the auction winners paid, but she’s refusing to be fancy (i.e. fois gras and caviar) and is instead making a simple lunch with a luxurious touch.

2:13 – To start she’s serving Chilled Cucumber Soup with Shrimp which seems to involve all the English cucumbers known to man and a few tubs of Greek yogurt. So far so good.

2:52 – We cut away for a minute to see footage of the bidding on Ina’s dinner complete with shocked reactions from Mr. Baldwin as the figure hits $100K. I’m having flashbacks to my non-profit days….

4:07 – Pureeing in batches is my number one, least favorite part of making smooth soups, but I’m glad to see that Ina has to deal with it too just like the rest of us.

4:55 – Now we go to Quail Hill Farm with Alec Baldwin to get vegetables for Ina. Even the guy at the farm stand knows this is a tricky task…

5:14 – I’m glad to see Mr. Baldwin is taking this very seriously – he is out in the field harvesting dill and scallions in his penny loafers. Fresh!

9:22 – Main course time. Ina is making Lobster and Shells and Alec arrives right on cue with the box of vegetables from the farm stand. They agree how much they “love Quail Hill.”

10:56 – Onward with the cooking, which involves cutting the kernels off corn on the cob. Two observations that make me feel better – Ina doesn’t seem overly concerned with getting every last piece of silk off (I get kinda obsessed) and she also has corn kernels flying everywhere.

11:18 – Alec somehow managed to find the most adorable cherry tomatoes on the vine, those little guys are seriously cute and of course the perfect size to stay whole. Nice.

12:34 – Lobster time and once again Ina and I are 100% aligned on not wanting to cook our own lobsters. She also notes that this is the high part in her “high/low” take on entertaining.

13:09 – We go outside for a moment with Mariska who is looking impossibly lovely in a gorgeous sheath dress as she lays out striped napkins for the table setting. These people are getting their money’s worth!

14:37 – Back inside with Ina who is whipping up a dressing for the lobster and shells. Perhaps I should make clear: this is essentially a macaroni salad, but with diced lobster and Alec-harvested produce.

15:08 – Ina finishes up by stirring in the dill and even her most giant bowl is barely up to the task – it is a MASSIVE salad.

20:25 – Last stop: Eton Mess and Ina has a scheme in mind; she’s making the guests assemble their own dessert and then she reveals that the meringues are from a bakery (“There’s absolutely no reason to make them yourself!) If Ina had an evil laugh now would be the time to unveil it…

22:14 – Eton Mess seems to involve a healthy quantity of fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce, so I’m going to look the other way on the meringue incident.

23:53 – The auction winners have arrived and I’m 98% positive that the wife of the guy doing the bidding left him at home and brought all her girlfriends.

27:06 – Cucumber soup garnished with shrimp is finished; time for the Lobster and Shells which Alec points out, ahem, could not have been made without his help. Props are duly given and accepted with humility.

28:19 – Ina is already my hero, but even more so now – she has the guests crushing up their own meringues. Brilliant.

28:52 – Back outside to the dessert table and Ina demonstrates how to assemble Eton Mess by making one for Mariska. When you’re an Emmy-winning actress some special treatment is to be expected.

29:07 – I can’t tell if the ladies are impressed or not, but except for one woman who looks a little peeved they all seem to roll with it. Alec hams it up by making the messiest Mess.

29:46 – Then everyone receives a copy of How Easy Is That?, which coincidently (?) features that exact recipe on the cover and the ladies go back to their normal, non-celebrity lives. Sigh.

Final Thoughts:

I love Ina’s take on high/low entertaining – centering a dinner party on home style classics, or taking something simple and adding a dash of something really special.

I’m fairly sure that if Mike won this lunch for six people I’d ask if just the two of us could have three lunches instead. Maybe one with Jeffrey and one with T.R.? #envelopepusher

Raise your hand if you also want a show where Alec Baldwin runs errands for other famous people. Sarah Jessica Parker’s dry cleaning, library book returns for Bob DeNiro - think about it…

Lobster and Shells | Image: Laura Messersmith

Lobster and Shells | Image: Laura Messersmith

Lessons Learned:

Full disclosure: I spotted the recipe for Lobster and Shells in my copy of How Easy Is That? earlier this summer and but then promptly forgot I wanted to make it until this episode came along and the light bulb went back on. Since I knew my access to sweet corn and good cherry tomatoes was dwindling I finally got my act together and actually tested this dish out.

One Important Note: I cut the  recipe detailed here in half since I was only making it for two people and definitely did not need 16 servings. This is an easy one to do that with though since the ingredient amounts can be easily divided in half – one pepper instead of two, etc.

I also made one substitution and used Chobani Greek yogurt (lemon) in the dressing. It’s quickly become one of my favorite tricks when a recipe calls for sour cream and for lemon juice because it lightens up the calories a little and compliment the flavors. Definitely worth trying.

The main skills for this recipe are prepping the vegetables and coordinating the timing of everything. I’m a little slow when it comes to cutting up produce, mainly because I’m really focused on keeping the sizes consistent and also because it’s a little therapeutic (weird I know) so I tend to get in the zone, which doesn’t really lend itself to quickness. That was a long way of saying, do your veggie prep as the water is coming to a boil and try to finish before you add the pasta so that you can work on the sauce while the shells are cooking.

Lobster and Shells | Image: Laura Messersmith

Lobster and Shells | Image: Laura Messersmith

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Mmmm, kinda. For a half-recipe I used a large pot, large cutting board, a medium sized mixing bowl, one small bowl, a chef’s knife, measuring spoons, a liquid measuring cup, a whisk and a large spoon. If you’re making the full recipe then a very large bowl is necessary and everything else is pretty much the same.

The Verdict:

I made Lobster and Shells on a warm for mid-September Friday and it was so good. All the flavors of a summer meal on the beach whirled together in a dish that manages to combine all four food groups. We tried it again later in the weekend and the flavors do meld together even better with a little more time in the refrigerator. I’m a little sorry that the season for corn and tomatoes is coming to a close since this is a recipe that makes the most of them, but definitely pin this one for next summer’s picnic ideas – it will be something to look forward to!

Lobster and Shells | Image: Laura Messersmith

Lobster and Shells | Image: Laura Messersmith

Smoked Salmon & Cucumber Tartines with Herbed Cream Cheese

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Tartines with Herbed Cream Cheese | Image: Laura Messersmith

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Tartines with Herbed Cream Cheese | Image: Laura Messersmith

After my visit to Barney Greengrass last week I wanted to make a recipe that would incorporate the gorgeous eastern nova salmon I tasted and make it the star of the dish. The salmon itself is very tender, gently smoky and a little on the salty side in flavor and since it’s already cooked thanks to the smoking process it struck me as more of a pairing choice. I knew I wanted to do something with herbs (Ina Garten was helpful there) and with a recommendation from one of the Barney Greengrass to use cucumber I was on my way in creating my version of a classic bagel shop creation.

I love the deep comforting flavor of the toasted multi-grain bread with the smoothness of the herbed cream cheese – do let this chill for a bit after mixing the herbs in, it definitely grows in power – and the thin slices of cucumber help balance out the saltiness of the salmon, while still allowing it to shine.

I’m also brainstorming other combinations - with pickled red onion or maybe capers? Something to think about for future incarnations as I continue to explore the flavors and ingredients found in New York’s Jewish delis!

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Tartines with Herbed Cream Cheese | Image: Laura Messersmith

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Tartines with Herbed Cream Cheese | Image: Laura Messersmith

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Tartines with Herbed Cream Cheese (serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 ounces plain cream cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoons minced scallions
2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
pinch kosher salt
12 thin slices seedless cucumber, also called English cucumbers
4 slices smoked salmon
4 slices dark, multi-grain bread

Instructions:

Allow the plain cream cheese to come to room temperature, then place in a medium mixing bowl. Mince the scallions, fresh dill, and fresh parsley. Using a fork stir the minced herbs and kosher salt into the cream cheese until evenly combined. Place the seasoned cream cheese into a small ramekin and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to allow the flavors to develop and the cream cheese to firm up.

Slice 4 pieces of dark, multi-grain bread (pumpernickel or seedless rye would be good too) about 1/3 inch thick. Toast until lightly browned. Slice the seedless cucumber as thinly as possible.

Spread each piece of toasted bread with a generous layer of the chilled cream cheese, then arrange 2-3 pieces of cucumber on top of the cream cheese, and finish with a slice of smoked salmon. Serve immediately.

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Tartines with Herbed Cream Cheese | Image: Laura Messersmith

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Tartines with Herbed Cream Cheese | Image: Laura Messersmith

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Yes, definitely. I used a medium cutting board, one medium mixing bowl, a chef’s knife, and a bread knife along with measuring spoons and a rubber spatula. Finally, I used a regular home toaster, but a sheet pan in the oven would work too for making the tartines.

The Verdict

The salmon and cream cheese are delicious together and surprisingly filling, so don’t be fooled by the small(ish) portion suggestion. Mike and I each had one as an early evening snack and then discovered that we weren’t really hungry for dinner later. I think this could be a great option for a cocktail party when I want to serve something a little more substantial than crudité, but less than a full meal.

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Tartines with Herbed Cream Cheese | Image: Laura Messersmith

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Tartines with Herbed Cream Cheese | Image: Laura Messersmith

Scouting: Barney Greengrass

Barney Greengrass | Image: Laura Messersmith

Barney Greengrass | Image: Laura Messersmith

One of my favorite things about New York is the sense of energy, of change. It’s exciting to live in a city that’s constantly evolving – shedding old layers and taking on new ones. The flipside of all that change is a sneaking anxiety that the history and charm of the city’s sometimes gritty past will be wiped away. Even as a new arrival to the city I worry that the “authentic” places will disappear and be replaced by some slick storefront devoid of personality.

Some of the old spots – places recognizable to even the most old-school New Yorker like Barney Greengrass – survive in our neighborhood and I admit that I get a thrill of satisfaction from visiting them. I like knowing that I stand where decades of other people have stood and taking my small place in the parade of humanity that has crossed the threshold since the business (established in 1908) opened it’s doors on Amsterdam Ave.

Barney Greengrass | Image: Laura Messersmith

Barney Greengrass | Image: Laura Messersmith

I know almost nothing about traditional Jewish deli & appetizing food. I definitely wanted salmon, but beyond that ...well, just imagine crickets chirping. I was a little nervous when I first arrived and braced myself, expecting exasperation, but thankfully I needn’t have worried.

The gentlemen behind the counter listened patiently as I described my intended recipe (stay tuned for the results…) and since the shortest distance between two points is a taste-test they offered samples to help me make a selection.

Barney 1.jpg

Friends, I think I picked the right place to try smoked/cured fish for the first time. The texture of Barney’s hand-cut slices is beautifully delicate and thanks to my guides I left with new insight into why there are such strong opinions on which preparation is best - smoked eastern nova tastes really different from say, house-cured gravlox.

There’s a reason that places survive for more than 100 years and it’s not just nostalgia keeping them viable. Those years come from the Greengrass family; owners that value tradition, treat their customers warmly and provide a high-quality product. I’m excited to continue my education on the wide world of smoked fish and with any luck Barney Greengrass will be around to serve as my classroom.

Barney 2.jpg