Farewell to the Pig...and Roquefort

The Spotted Pig has gone downhill.

There was a time when we hit up the Pig three times in as many weeks. The cask-conditioned Sixpoint and the faggots were well worth the long wait for a table. It even got to the point where the front of house staff started to recognize us. So I don't break allegiance with the Pig lightly.

Maybe it's just that the weekend brunch/lunch kitchen staff isn't up to par with their nighttime counterparts. Maybe April Bloomfield has shifted focus to The John Dory. Whatever the cause of the decline in quality, it hit us hard.

Four friends joined us for a late brunch at the Spotted Pig. The meal was inspired by Roquefort's impending price increase, as importation tarrifs on this A.O.C. bleu will skyrocket on April 1st. What better way to kiss Roquefort goodbye than with one of the Spotted Pig's hefty, delicious, Roquefort-slathered hamburgers?

Half of us ordered the burger. I think the other three of us would have been well advised to have done the same; instead we went for the French toast, the Dutch Baby, and the corned beef hash with two poached eggs. The French toast looked good, if a little dry. My corned beef hash and eggs was merely alright. It lacked salt, and although the corned beef was tasty, I couldn't discern it from the potato in the uniformly brown-gray hash. The eggs were slightly over-poached and under-seasoned, overwhelmed by the parsley heaped on top. And that Dutch Baby? I wouldn't have served that. A Dutch Baby should be served in a Dutch oven, and look like the awesome offspring of a popover and a pancake. Instead, what came out was a dry, shrivelled approximation of a county fair elephant ear, maple syrup pooling in its crevices, some Jimmy Dean-looking sausage links resting on top, the whole thing doused in powdered sugar. The unfortunate owner of this ill-conceived dish regarded it with morose. You would have, too.

And what about those burgers, the entire reason we'd headed to the Spotted Pig in the first place? They were good, but nothing remarkable. The shoestring fries, though crispy and not greasy, were too thin for the rosemary to stick to them. Without the rosemary, they were flavorless. The thick burger patties were juicy and cooked perfectly to order, but the meat was bland and couldn't hold up to the Roquefort.

Our service, as usual, was friendly and professional, but it took over an hour for our food to come out - and when it did, it trickled in inconsistent batches, like a short-order diner. There's no reason a seasoned gastropub used to much larger crowds should need an hour to get three burgers and some rather standard breakfast items to the table. Hunched on backless stools, we felt every minute of the wait.

It's not like we didn't know there are better brunch spots or tastier burgers in the city. Next time, we'll head to Back Forty, where the grass-fed burger is so flavorful and rich it doesn't need cheese and the rosemary fries are substantial and salty enough to live up to the rich beef. Or, for a more well-rounded meal, we'll wait until the Redhead starts its much-rumored brunch service. Both restaurants offer a burger that's 40-50% cheaper than the Spotted Pig's and immeasurably tastier.

Afterwards, we'll head to Murray's to spend the money we saved on a nice hunk of cheese. Roquefort's not the only sheep's milk bleu in the game, after all.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

AWOL

I've been AWOL for a ridiculously long time now. There's a very good reason why, and its name is Humphrey.








I have lots of recipes, stories, and photos to share with you as soon as I find the time.

FALL IN FLORIDA: PART III: COOKING IN SARASOTA

Mmm, steak

With our farmers' market bounty and some t-bone steaks my dad had bought, we set to work in the kitchen. Max and Kit manned the grill while I sliced the fingerling potatoes thin, then tossed them in a hot pan with olive oil and kept them there 'til they were brown on both sides. Then I browned some butter and fried some whole fresh sage leaves in it and then tossed the potatoes in with that, finally sprinkling them with pink Hawaiian sea salt and fresh chives after transferring the potatoes to a dish.


Crispy fingerling potatoes with chives in a brown-butter sage sauce

Every once in awhile, I'd check in on the boys out at the grill. Kit had beheaded the shrimp - a very messy process - and they were waiting, wrapped in bacon and skewered on sprigs of fresh rosemary, for their turn over the gas flame. But first we had a lot of vegetables and six juicy steaks to cook up.


Grill mise-en-place

Max and I whipped up a simple, delicious dressing for the veggies: grilled key limes mashed with olive oil, crushed red pepper, fresh cilantro and salt. Grilling the key limes was a smart touch: it gave the tiny, sharply acidic limes a deeper undertone, cutting down their overwhelming tartness.


Grilling green onions (back), and key limes (front)

Then we grilled up the vegetables: yellow and green squash, eggplant, bell peppers, red cipollini onions, and those green onions in the picture above. After they came off the grill, we tossed them with the key lime dressing, some of the grilled key lime halves, more fresh cilantro, and sea salt.


Grilled veggies in a key lime-cilantro dressing

And then, onto the steaks. Not much to say about these; you can see how beautiful they were in that lead photo. Kit and Max grilled them for about 5 minutes a side with a little salt, pepper, and olive oil, and threw sprigs of fresh rosemary in the herb tray under the grill to add a little aromatic depth to them as they cooked. Very shortly, these big, beautiful, perfectly browned steaks were off the grill and crowding up our cutting board and it was all we could do to wait until their juices had settled before we cut into them.


Mmm, steak...again

And then, onto the grill went the bacon-wrapped, rosemary-skewered shrimp. A few minutes later, they came off sweet, rich and aromatic: the crispy bacon practically caramelized around the edges, the shrimp silky inside and just touched with a hint of flavor from the rosemary skewers.


Bacon-wrapped shrimp, off the rosemary skewers

This was certainly not the most elaborate, fancy, or decadent meal any of us had ever cooked, but it was easily one of the most fulfilling. Sitting around the table with my parents, brother, and boyfriend, sharing good food bought that morning from local farms and cooked with love...this is what good food is all about.

And of course, an afternoon of swimming and drinking isn't a bad way to start.



Family portrait

POST THANKSGIVING POST

By now, probably everyone is sick of reading and thinking about Thanksgiving (even though the leftovers the next day are always, somehow, so much tastier than the actual meal). So I'll spare you photos or too much talking about the turkey, the sides, and the methods and skip right to the one thing no one ever gets sick of:

Dessert.

Without further ado, I give you:


Penny's pear tarte tatin (made by Kit's dad)


Bourbon apple pie


Pumpkin custard & toffee pie with pralines

And, last but definitely not least:


Pumpkin beeramisu

There were also oatmeal and oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies, but all 3 dozen of those were gobbled up before any photos could be taken.



PUMPKIN BEERAMISU
16 oz. mascarpone cheese
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2/3 cup pure pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup pumpkin pie mix
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 package ladyfinger cookies (a big package - I think I used about 40 ladyfingers)
1 cup beer - Porter or Stout (I like the Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre
3/4 cup coffee, brewed very strongly
1/2 cup cocoa or finely chopped chocolate bits (I used dark, milk, and white for color)

In a large bowl mix together the mascarpone, sugar, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie mix, beaten eggs and vanilla. Fold in the whipped cream. Set this mixture aside.

In a separate dish stir together the beer and coffee. Dip the ladyfingers cookies into the mixture; be quick about it or the ladyfingers will get soggy. Arrange the ladyfinger cookies in a single layer in a glass casserole dish. Evenly spread a layer of the mascarpone-pumpkin mix over the cookies, about 1/2 thick. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the chopped chocolate. Repeat all steps, mixing more beer and coffee together for the ladyfinger bath if necessary. End with a layer of the mascarpone-pumpkin mixture and a healthy sprinkling of the chocolate. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but up to 1 day, before serving.


PUMPKIN CUSTARD & TOFFEE PIE WITH PRALINES
FOR THE TOFFEE:
2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk

FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:
20 whole graham crackers (10 ounces), broken
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

FOR THE PUMPKIN CUSTARD:
1 1/2 cups pure pumpkin puree
3/4 cup pumpkin pie mix
1 12oz can evaporated milk
3 large eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

FOR PRALINES:
1 cup pecans - whole or chopped is up to you, I prefer whole
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 Tbs. melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)


MAKE THE TOFFEE:
Remove the labels from the cans of condensed milk. Do NOT open the cans. Place the cans in a pot of lukewarm water. Make sure the water reaches at least 1 inch above the top of the cans. Bring water to a boil and turn down to a simmer; keep it here for the next 4 hours, checking often to make sure the water is still at least 1 inch above the top of the cans (this is very important - if the water goes below the top of the cans, the pressure inside can build up too high and the cans will explode and cover your kitchen in a layer of incendiary condensed milk).

After 4 hours are up, carefully remove the cans from the water (use tongs and wear oven mitts!) and set aside for about an hour or until cans are cool enough to hold with your fingers. Open the cans and marvel at the gorgeous, creamy brown toffee inside (or, transfer them to the fridge, unopened, to be saved for much, much later.) Vow to never reveal to your friends how incredibly easy it is to make your own toffee (really, it's dulce de leche).

MAKE THE CRUST:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Combine graham crackers, butter and sugar in processor. Using on/off turns, blend until crumbs begin to stick together. Press crumbs onto bottom and 2 3/4 inches up sides of a pie tin or glass pie pan. Bake crust 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool while preparing filling. Turn oven up to 425°F.

MAKE THE FILLING:
In a small bowl, stir together the spices. In a large bowl, stir together the beaten eggs, the pumpkin puree, and the pumpkin pie mix. Stir in the evaporated milk. Pour into the cooled graham cracker crust until the crust is about 1/2 full (leave room for the toffee!). Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then turn down to 350°F and bake for another 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and let cool to just above room temp. Don't turn the oven off.

MAKE THE PRALINES:
Stir together melted butter, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Toss pecans in mixture and spread evenly in a pie tin. Bake for 15-20 minutes, tossing frequently, until sugar has melted and nuts are soft.


Once pumpkin custard is mostly cool, grab a spatula and your cans of toffee and spread the toffee over the pumpkin custard. Let the warmth of the pie soften the toffee. It's thick stuff, but it will spread more easily than you'd expect - it won't rip the pumpkin custard. Top with the pralines.


And if you're feeling really decadent, you can mix together 1/2 cup creme fraiche with 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon and cloves and 1/4 teaspoon each of ginger and nutmeg and top the pie with that. It will cut the sweetness of the toffee and pralines for anyone who likes a less dentist-visit-inducing dessert and doesn't mind a few extra calories (pah!).

FALL IN FLORIDA: PART II: SARASOTA

Backyard sunset

After the Halloween wedding and the day at Epcot, Max, Kit and I bid goodbye to Caty and headed down to Sarasota to spend a few days visiting the parents. And to do some cooking.

Max and I started off the weekend when we woke up at 6:30 in the morning on Saturday. Why would we do such a thing? To guarantee a successful trip to the farmers' market, of course.

The Sarasota farmers' market was an interesting experience. I knew not to expect anything on the level of the Union Square Greenmarket, but beyond that, the market was a blank slate for me. So I was happy to see a full 3 blocks of stalls carrying a good variety of food. The market had everything from big stalls selling produce with random PLU stickers, like they'd gathered up fruits and vegetables that had fallen off the backs of trucks, to stalls of fresh herbs measured by the gram, organic squash, pork and turkey, flowers and fruit plant hybrids (key lime kumquats, anyone?), and - best of all - fresh, local seafood. One hour and $60 after arriving at the market, Max and I were loading up the car with tote bags stuffed with fingerling potatoes, yellow squash, fresh rosemary, huge leeks, and 8 gorgeous, enormous, and ridiculously cheap head-on gulf shrimp.

Back at home, we joined Mom, Dad, and Kit for a long family swim and dip in the hot tub. Then Dad and Kit disappeared for over an hour to pick up supplies at the liquor store while Max and I put out a cheese platter - cheese and mixed drinks are kind of an informal family tradition when we're all together on a weekend.


Bar mise en place


Something tasty Max made with spiced rum, dark rum, cranberry juice, and lime.

Later in the evening, Kit and I took a stroll around the lake behind my parents' house and took lots of photos.



And then we came home to join Max for some serious cooking...

THANKSGIVING MENU: WEDNESDAY NIGHT UPDATE

After a bit of hectic running around the city (people trying to find each other in Zabars! forgetting to eat until it was time to get the rental car! forgetting to bring the homemade chicken stock Kit slaved over for 2 days!) and lots of last-minute grocery shopping, our Thanksgiving feast is shaping up nicely. I don't have any pictures to share with this post, so I'll keep it short and just fill you in on the highlights:

- The Turkey That Could Have Been A Drug Deal.
We ordered our turkey from Dines Farms and we couldn't be happier with it. But for a few moments, we thought we might not be able to get it: they had us scheduled to pick up the turkey Tuesday night at the Greenpoint market, but we were leaving town Tuesday afternoon. Luckily, they were able to switch us to a Monday night at Thompkins Square Park. At 6pm on Monday we sidled up to an unmarked minivan on the street corner, by a line of old Polish women waiting for a free chicken dinner, and a man by the van checked us off his list and gave us a whopping, beautiful turkey out of the back of the truck in exchange for a handful of cold, hard cash. Lucky we picked the right guy to approach, or we might have ended up with a bagful of Thanksgiving heroin instead of a 16.6 lb pasture-raised turkey.

- The Turkey vs. Beowolf Moment
Again with the turkey? Yes, again. Supermarket birds come with little bags of broth-making organs tucked neatly inside. Our turkey came with his heart, lungs, kidneys and neck poking out between his knees. Kit promptly reached up into the turkey's body cavity and pulled out the still-bloody turkey heart out, triumphantly raised his fist in the air, and yelled, "I AM BEOWOLF!" True story.

- The Exploding Belgian Beer
On the way back from the grocery store today, a bag full of Belgian beers fell over and scattered around the back of the minivan. Kit climbed back to do damage control and had just shoved one of the bottles into one of the cats' carrying bags (it seemed like a sturdy and secure place to put them) when it shattered, spraying beer all over the car and filling the cat travel bag with broken glass. Lucky for him he had it in the bag already when it happened or he could have been hurt badly.


But despite how it may seem, our Thanksgiving prep is going really well. Three of the desserts are already made, our friends Lauren and Eli had no traffic trouble on the L.I.E., and the turkey's entering hour 6 of its brine. Happy Thanksgiving to you all - and I promise, the next post will have pictures.