Scouting: Maille New York

January 09, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Scouting

Maille New York | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Maille New York** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

A few weeks ago, just before Christmas, I was walking along Broadway when I spotted an advertisement on a bus shelter. I probably walk past a dozen or more a day, but this one caught my attention because it was announcing the opening of a new Maille boutique – the only one in the U.S. - on the Upper West Side.

I use Maille’s Old Style Whole Grain Mustard in a lot of my cooking – great texture and that perfect amount of spicy zing – so I was definitely intrigued to find out about some of their other products. An entire boutique devoted to mustard right in my neighborhood? It was a scouting no brainer.

When I arrived at the Columbus Avenue location – a shiny black and gold jewel box that truly lives up to the term “boutique” – I met the shop manager, Mike. I explained that I was planning to make Granny Smith Cheddar Handpies and was looking for something that would not only compliment the ingredients, but also really shine on its own. Mike was really helpful and immediately offered to lead me through a tasting of Maille’s gourmet mustards to find just the right one.

We started wine-tasting style with some of the milder, sweeter options before moving on to some of the spicier, more aggressive mustards. I particularly liked the Mustard with White Wine, Candied Orange Peel and Ginger; the Mustard with Sauternes White Wine; and of course, the Mustard with White Wine, Apricot and Curry Spices. Honestly, I could have walked out with half a dozen jars and made my husband think I was starting a mustard collection!

In the end, my trusty mustard advisor and I decided that the classic combination of sharp cheddar and tart granny smith apples with the sweet spiciness of the apricot-curry mustard would be perfect (spoiler alert: it was!)

If you’re in the market for some special additions to a cheese plate or to jazz up a recipe the shop is a great place to stop in for the fresh mustards on tap - pricey, but delicious - infused vinegars, and gherkins. I feel pretty confident trusting Maille - the company has been making mustard since 1747 and is seriously the Mustard of Kings - I figure if it’s good enough for Louis XV and Queen Victoria it’s probably good enough for me.

Maille New York | 185 Columbus Avenue; New York, NY 10023 | Monday - Saturday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm; Sunday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm

Deep Dish Apple Pie

January 07, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Each week I follow along with Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) and attempt to recreate one of her dishes in my tiny New York City kitchen. The catch? This is my version of cooking school and I’m making these recipes for the first time. I’ll share both my successes and um, challenges, along the way and we’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Sweet Home Supper”

The Set-up: Ina invited Michael the Flustered Florist ™ for a dinner inspired by the comfort food of his Pennsylvania childhood.

The Menu: Oven Fried Chicken, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Green Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing, Deep Dish Apple Pie

0:44 – Ina kicks off this episode with Oven Fried Chicken and I am excited to see how she manages crispy chicken without a ton of frying oil.

1:30 – Oh dear, step one involved breaking down a whole chicken. Perhaps some day I’ll be as blasé about butchering as Ina is, but not yet…

2:26 – Step 2: marinate the chicken in buttermilk to tenderize. Why is buttermilk only sold in quarts? I literally never need that much, ever.

3:18 – Quick check in with Michael at the shop and he’s playing his role of “Flustered Florist” to the hilt. Give this man an Emmy!

4:09 – We’re back with Ina as she starts the pastry for Deep Dish Apple Pie. She correctly identifies pie crust as the top source of baking anxiety. Count me among the intimidated.

5:42 – Ina’s Pro Tips for pastry success include: 1. Very cold ingredients (butter, vegetable shortening, ice water). 2. Use the food processor on pulse to cut in the butter. 3. Chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling.

9:11 – Now that the dough is resting we’re moving on to make the dressing for Green Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing, which mainly involves pureeing Roquefort (obvi) and mayonnaise in the food processor.

10:37 – Ina doesn’t say this, but I’ll bet the flavors in the blue cheese dressing improve if it’s made ahead of time.

11:36 – Onward to make the pie filling for Deep Dish Apple Pie! This is something else I struggle with, no matter how many apples I put in it always seems to cook down. Keeping a close eye on this step…

12:25 – Back to see what Michael the Flustered Florist ™ is up to – mainly covert delivery operations to patios and front stoops across the Hamptons.

13:53 – The Moment of Truth! Pie crust rolling time. Ina shares a few more Pro Tips for pie crust success: 1. A well-floured surface. 2. Keep moving the dough as you roll to make sure it isn’t sticking. 3. Use the rolling pin to help move the dough into the pie plate. 4. Ease the dough into the pie plate, don’t stretch! 5. Use a little water to re-seal any cracks.

15:45 – Ina calls this “mile-high apple pie” and she’s not kidding – I’d guess her filling is about 1.5 – 2 inches above the edge. Filing that away for later…

16:01 – Finishing touches are on – egg wash + a sprinkling of sugar to make the crust brown and a little shiny. Yum!

18:49 – Now for the frying of the chicken, which involves my least favorite cooking prep process: flouring the buttermilk soaked chicken pieces. Eww.

19:13 – Even Ina can’t quite mask her disgust over her flour-encased fingers. This is the reason Shake N’ Bake was invented.

20:56 – Chicken fryin’ time. This the other reason I never make fried chicken – what to do with all that oil?

21:48 – Pie is out of the oven, chicken is in the oven, and next Ina is making the Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes.

22:24 – Ina has heated the milk and butter on the stove before she adds them to the mashed potatoes - brilliant.

23:30 – Now for the sour cream and the seasonings. I bet the tang of the sour cream in the potatoes pairs beautifully with the buttermilk in the chicken preparation.

26:19 – Final prep on Green Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing. Ina’s play on a traditional wedge salad uses green leaf lettuce instead of iceberg. Good move.

27:07 – Ina’s solve for lettuce too big for a salad spinner is to whip it around in a kitchen towel which sprinkles her entire kitchen with droplets of water. Probably one of my all-time favorite moments.

28:32 – Well, we can trace the heirloom tomato craze back to at least 2005 when this episode first aired – Ina’s recommending them for this salad.

29:12 – Michael the Flustered Florist ™ has arrived and he and Ina are driving right into a supper that looks so, so good.

30:00 – PS: for folks following along at home – Ina’s pie did not fall in the middle and I swear I can smell the apples and spices through the TV. My stomach is growling.

Final Thoughts:
Ina has such a knack for transforming old-fashioned recipes into something fresh.

I really need to make pie – after my dessert class a few weeks ago and now this episode it’s time.

If I were coming to dinner at Ina's after a hard day my menu would definitely involve chocolate cake.

Lessons Learned:
Deep Dish Apple Pie it had to be done. I dug out my copy of Barefoot Contessa Family Style, rolled up my sleeves and prepared to make both the pie crust and the filling. If I had to identify my two major areas of “opportunity” I’d say rolling the crust and portioning the filling. I always seem to end up with a wonky shape and pies that seem really full, but then fall after they cool. Not life ending, but annoying when you’ve put in so much effort.

Alas, even though I followed the recipe to a T, I still fell a little short of where I wanted to be.

I’d chalk that up to two factors:

1. Not enough water in the pie crust. A careful observer will notice that the edge of my pie is missing in one section – that’s because it literally cracked a little and fell off during baking. I’d noticed when I was rolling out the dough that it felt a little dry and was prone to splitting a little, but it didn’t seem excessive, so I let it ride. Rookie mistake.

2. Not enough apples in the filling. I piled them up to what I thought was a crazy height and they still cooked down quite a lot resulting in a concave top. Rats.

Luckily, neither of these issues are insurmountable, but both have inexperience as their underlying cause – if I made pie more often it almost certainly would have been obvious where there were some areas for improvement before I actually baked it.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Sort of. I needed a food processor, dry and liquid measuring cups, a butter knife and plastic wrap for the dough. For the filling I added a large bowl, chef’s knife, peeler, microplane zester, large cutting board, and wooden spoon to the mix. And, of course a pie plate. Parchment paper and a baking sheet will help with clean up.

The Verdict:
I made Deep Dish Apple Pie for a New Year’s Eve dinner with friends. Since we’re on the same page about trying new recipes, I knew it was okay to bring something I’d never made before. I hate to sound ungrateful by complaining about apple pie, but I’m not sure that this one quite hit the mark. The crust was good, but the filling was overly tart – too much lemon with not enough sugar balancing it out. As result it was great with vanilla ice cream, but on it’s own…. In the end, I’m not sure that I’d make this particular version again, but it’s definitely not going to stop me from trying to find the perfect recipe or developing one of my own. That just means more PIE!

Roasted Root Vegetable, Leek and Bacon Frittata

January 05, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

Roasted Root Vegetable, Leek, & Bacon Frittata | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Roasted Root Vegetable, Leek, & Bacon Frittata** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Well, it’s January again, 2015 is underway, and resolutions are in full effect. Mike and I took advantage of our four-hour drive back to the city from Upstate after Christmas to talk through the coming year and think about what we’d like to accomplish. We both resolved to be healthier this year, so I’ve been thinking about ways to incorporate more vegetables into our meals.

I’ve also been in the mood for warm, cozy recipes and to me there’s pretty much nothing cozier or more perfect for grey winter days than roasted root vegetables. Frittata is one of my all-time favorite things to make for both brunch and dinner (other examples here and here) and this one uses a mixture of carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes lightly caramelized in the oven. The root vegetables are then pared with sautéed leeks, onions and thyme to combine the rich savoriness of the vegetables with fresh green flavors. A sprinkle of salty, crispy bacon balances everything out. Yum!

This recipe is the best of both worlds – it tastes so good and doesn’t leave me with a sense of deprivation – healthy eating I can get behind. And, you know it's good when I offer Mike a taste and he goes back for a second bite.

Roasted Root Vegetable, Leek and Bacon Frittata (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 medium) parsnips
3/4 cup (2 medium) carrots
1 1/4 cups (2 small) sweet potatoes
1 cup (2 small) yellow onions
1 1/2 cups (3 medium) leeks
8 large eggs
1/3 cup 2% milk
2 strips thick cut bacon
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
Non-stick spray (optional)

Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and dice the parsnips, carrots, and sweet potatoes into 1 inch pieces to make about 2 generous cups of root vegetables. Spread evenly on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork, turning halfway through the cooking time. Set aside.

After the root vegetables are cooked, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Place the two strips of thick-cut bacon on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, turning midway, until crisp. Drain the bacon on a paper towel and allow to cool slightly before mincing into 1/4 inch pieces - this will make about 1/3 cup of bacon.

While the bacon cooks, prep the onions and leeks. Remove the tough, dark green ends and the root from the leeks and cut the remaining white and light green stalk in half lengthwise. Rinse thoroughly with water to remove any sand. Dice the leeks into 1/4 inch strips and the onions into 1/4 inch pieces. In a large sauté pan or non-stick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat and cook the leeks, onions, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper until translucent, about 10 minutes.

Once the onions and leeks are softened, add the roasted root vegetables and minced bacon to the sauté pan and stir to evenly combine. Spread the vegetable mixture in a 9 inch glass pie plate that has been coated in a light layer of non-stick spray.

Beat the eggs, 2% milk, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Pour the eggs over the vegetable mixture in the pie plate. The vegetables should be nearly, but not entirely covered.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until the eggs are set and the top of the frittata is lightly browned. Jiggle the pie plate slightly to check – if nothing moves the frittata is done. Allow to cool about 5 minutes before serving.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Fairly. I used two baking sheets, one large sauté pan, one medium mixing bowl, a medium cutting board and a 9 inch pie plate. I also used a chef’s knife, wooden spatula, whisk, vegetable peeler, liquid measuring cups and measuring spoons. Lining the baking sheets with parchment paper will also be helpful with clean up.

The Verdict:
Honestly, I surprised myself with this recipe - to be honest, I was a little nervous about how it would turn out. Mike and I both really liked the balance of sweetness from the root vegetables with the savory flavors of the bacon and leeks. Mike says he’d eat frittata all the time, and we would both absolutely eat this frittata again. I served it with vinaigrette dressed arugula leaves and the combination makes this frittata a strong contender for brunch or for dinner.

Granny Smith Cheddar Handpies

December 30, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

You know I'm a fan of simple recipes, but no more so than when I'm expecting guests and as our annual holiday party approached I was racking my brain for ideas that would be easy, something I could make ahead of time, and would offer some variety to the menu.

As I was scanning through old posts I remembered this Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry from a few weeks ago and if it's good enough for Ina it's good enough for me, but I wanted to try something new... It's a New England tradition to pair a slice of sharp Cheddar cheese with apple pie - something my grandfather used to love - so when I decided make my own version I knew the bite of the Cheddar would pair beautifully with the tart sweetness of Granny Smith apples.

My original version used Maille Old Style Whole Grain Dijon, which is delicious, but the finishing touch came when I visited the Maille boutique (more on that later…) and tasted their Mustard with White Wine, Apricots & Curry Spices. I was excited to branch out and try something new and since curry, apples and cheddar are a classic combination I was confident that this would be a great alternate.

I decided to make these in individual servings, but if you don't have the patience or extra time to make the hand pies I can attest that it still works beautifully in the original form.

Granny Smith and Cheddar Hand Pies with Spicy Mustard (yield: 8 hand pies)

Ingredients:
1 package puff pastry (2 sheets), defrosted
1 medium granny smith apple, thinly sliced
1/4 cup spicy mustard (I used Maille Mustard with White Wine, Apricots & Curry Spices)
4-6 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flour
1 egg

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Quarter, core, and thinly slice the apple into approximately 20 pieces. Next, slice the block of sharp white cheddar cheese into 1/8 inch pieces. Set both the apples and cheddar aside while you prepare the puff pastry.

Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper and unfold the defrosted puff pastry onto it. Roll out the puff pastry from the center about 1 inch in each direction. Using a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry into 4 evenly sized squares.

Spread 1 teaspoon of mustard onto the lower triangle of each square of puff pastry leaving a 1/3 inch border. Layer 3-4 pieces of cheddar, followed by 2-3 slices of apple on top of the mustard. Brush the border of the pastry with egg wash.

Fold the top corner of the puff pastry diagonally across to the lower corner so that it covers the apples and cheese. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a 1/2 teaspoon of water to make the egg wash. Use a fork to press the edges together and seal the filling into the triangle. Brush the tops with egg wash and cut 2-3 steam vents in the top of each pie.

Once all the hand pies have been assembled shift the parchment paper to a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until the tops have turned golden brown.

Cool for 3-5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with extra mustard.

Make Ahead:
If you want to make this ahead of time, assemble the hand pies and refrigerate on a baking sheet wrapped in plastic. Wait to brush the tops with egg wash until just before baking and cut the steam vents. Bake as directed above.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes! I used one baking sheet, a small cutting board, a chef’s knife, small bowl, pastry brush, rolling pin, measuring spoon, and fork. Parchment paper will make life much easier - I highly recommend it for this recipe.

The Verdict
I made this for my family while I was home for the holidays and it made a perfect addition to our late afternoon cocktail hour snack options. My sister has declared it her new favorite thing to bring to parties or make when she has guests and I have a feeling you’ll agree.