Bel Canto: The Menu

I've taken a little hiatus for the holidays, but the Astoria Book and Supper Club will be back with a vengeance in 2013.  I've been toying with the idea of cooking Ann Patchett's  Bel Canto for a while, and I think the time has finally come.  The book is based on a hostage situation in an undisclosed South American country (many say it's Peru) that brings together people from all over the world.  Set in the home of the Vice President, the hostages are confined to a small space in the home, having to survive with a group of people who speak different languages from all walks of life. I have always liked the idea of mashing up cuisines from different cultures that may not obviously go together, but actually do. Very symbolic, I know.  So here goes, the menu for Bel Canto:

Welcome Cocktail:

Pisco St. Germain Cocktail

Peru-France

First Course:

The Bel Canto Roll

Sushi roll with risotto as the rice and prosciutto as the seaweed. The filling is sautéed asparagus, drizzled with hollandaise sauce

Japan-Italy-France

Second Course:

Salmon Rillettes over Potato Pancakes

France-Germany

Third Course:

Insalata di Ceviche

Seafood salad prepared Italian Style, with Peruvian Flavors

Italy-Peru

Fourth Course:

Panko-crusted Weiner Schnitzel with Russian Potato Salad and Beets

Germany-Japan-Russia

Dessert:

Panettone Bread Pudding with Vanilla Whiskey Sauce

Italy-United States

Dinner will be held on Monday, February 4th.  Please arrive around 7:00, so dinner can be underway by 7:30.  The meal is $40, and it is BYOB this time.  Make your reservation, and Happy New Year!

11-22-63: The Dinner

This past Saturday, November 17th was the Astoria Book and Supper Club's fifth meeting.  We feasted and discussed Steven King's 11-22-63, a story about a modern day man who travels back in time to stop JFK's assassination.  I'm a big fan of nostalgia, the idea of time travel, and the mysteries surrounding the conspiracy that is JFK's assassination, so I was pretty excited for some lively discussions.  King did a great job painting a picture of American foods from that era, and I had a lot of fun creating a 'throwback' menu for this dinner.

My Idea of a "Dinery" Table setting

I wanted the setting to feel like an Any-Town-USA diner.  Very casual, kind of retro.  I used tourist attraction mugs, retro drinking glasses, utensils rolled in napkins, ketchup and mustard squeeze bottles (they were filled with my own condiments-not a fan of ketchup or yellow mustard), and markers for drawing on the place mats.

My Place Mats

Speaking of place mats, I've always had a fascination with diner place mats.  As an artistic child, I loved to draw on them when the opportunity presented itself (Woody Wood Pecker was my go-to doodle).  I have always loved the throwback cocktail lists (turns out I don't like the taste of Harvey Wallbangers) too.  So, I made my own place mats, as an homage to this diner necessity.  It included a cocktail list, a word search that pertained to 11-22-63, "Today's Specials" (the menu for the evening) and the discussion questions.

Lobster Pickins!

 For the first course, I prepared Lobster Pickins with a side of Coleslaw.  This was for sure my favorite food description in the book, which left me craving these batter-fried lobster tails for months.  I envisioned them in red baskets with deli paper just like pictured above, and I was very happy with the outcome.  To read something and then bring it to life was a lot of fun.

Feasting on Pickins and Slaw

 The slaw was a big hit, and I promise to give the recipe out, for my next post.  It had a citrus honey mustard base, because I have never been a fan of traditional coleslaw.  It also paired well with the lobster.  I advised my diners to use the sauce in the yellow squeeze bottle on the lobster.  It was made with mayonnaise, dijon mustard, honey, ginger and curry.

The ProngHorn Special

 The Pronghorn Special was served at a diner the main character frequented in the book.  It consisted of a Prongburger (a double BBQ burger) mesquite fries, and a thick shake.  The Prongburger had cheddar cheese, bacon, fried onions and BBQ sauce on it.  The red squeeze bottle had extra BBQ sauce for the fries.

Dinner Is Served!

The vanilla thick shake, which you could see above, was made with vanilla gelato from La Guli Pastry shop on Ditmars Blvd.  They have pretty amazing gelato, just DON'T open the freezer door yourself, even though it is right there at your fingertips and seems like it's there just waiting to be opened by a customer, especially since you just saw another customer open the door and not get accosted. Yes, that happened, but they are actually very nice and have beautiful and delicious things.  I just really don't like to be yelled at or made an example of!

The Root Beer Float and Pound Cake

My other favorite food description in the book was of the root beer the main character drank when he first traveled back in time.   I never so desperately wanted to drink an ice cold foamy mug of root beer in my life after reading it, and there was no way root beer was not going to be served.  I thought a root beer float would be the perfect ending to this meal.  I felt the need to add a slice of pound cake because it kind of played a cute role in the story.  It was code word for something slightly risque for that time period, and I don't want to give anymore away.

Dessert

I thought it would be cute to serve it this way and let the guests interact with their floats.  They were all pretty stuffed at this point, so they were better off pouring it when they found some room.

My Grandfather's Carving of JFK circa November, 1963

When my Grandfather heard I was having dinner party that was JFK 'themed' he very generously loaned me this wood carving he made the day after the assassination.  My Grandfather is very talented, and a true creator.  I'm so happy that this is what he spent that day doing, it's a beautiful commemoration of one of our country's most influential citizens, and of one of the most notorious days in our history.  I was very proud to have it on display for the dinner.

The Anatomy of a ProngBurger

On November 17th I will be cooking and hosting The Astoria Book and Supper Club's 5th meeting, for Steven King's 11-22-63, a book that takes a present day man back in time to prevent Kennedy's assassination.  The food described in the book has a very nostalgic appeal, and I knew I wanted to cook what many characters ate at Al's Diner, the Pronghorn Special: a double BBQ cheeseburger, mesquite fries and a thick shake.

If you're a meat eater, you most likely like burgers.  If you like burgers, you most likely have some sort of burger guidelines or standards.  For example, I like a charred and crispy on the outside, slightly rare on the inside burger with American cheese, lettuce, pickles and mayo or a special sauce on a soft bun.  We all have our favorites, and while I have my preferences, there aren't too many burgers that I would turn away.

When coming up with my version of the Prongburger, described as a BBQ double cheeseburger, I decided that the burger would have to have cheddar cheese, a homemade smoky BBQ sauce, bacon and fried onions.  Last night I had my practice run.  I bought potato hamburger buns, nice and dense and soft.  I fried up the onions in some butter and oil, using sherry to deglaze them and seasoned them with salt and pepper.  I made what is pretty close to my typical BBQ sauce, but I added liquid  smoke to it, giving it that mesquite bbq taste of Texas.  I had never used it before, and it was interesting when my apartment smelled like a tailgate when I woke up this morning.  I fried up the bacon, and then fried the burgers in some of the bacon fat-was that wrong?

Soon it was time for the last key "ingredient": the assembly.  Starting from the bottom bun, I spread some BBQ sauce on the bun, then a few slices of bacon, followed by a patty, a melted slice of cheddar, the other patty, another melted slice of cheddar, the fried onions, and then more BBQ sauce spread on the top of the bun.  I was happy with the assembly, because the burgers and accoutrements did not slide around, although they had some slippery potential.  I learned a couple lessons, and am ready to take the Prongburger on for real on the 17th.

So that was practice.  Not the greatest cell phone shot, but check back for the real thing in a couple of weeks!

11-22-63 The Menu

The Fifth Meeting of the Astoria Book and Supper Club will take place on the night of Saturday, November 17th at 7:30PM.  The book will be Steven King's 11-22-63, the story of a present day man who travels back in time to stop Kennedy's assassination.  This book combines rich historical detail with that fantastical element that Steven King does so well to create a great suspenseful read.  I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of foods from the 50s and 60s.  From the nostalgic types of food to the fresh, unprocessed pre-mass produced ingredients,  I knew that I wanted to cook this book when reading it.  So, here's the menu:

To Start:

"Lobster Pickin's"

Battered chunks of lobster tail served with a spicy dipping sauce and a side of coleslaw

Entree:

"Pronghorn Special"

A double cheeseburger with cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce, bacon and fried onions

A side of Mesquite Fries and a Rodeo Thick Shake

Dessert:

Root Beer and Pound Cake Float

So you may have noticed the menu only has three courses, but the portions will be a lot larger, and you WILL NOT walk away hungry.  I'm going to make this BYOB, and beer will most likely be the best pairing for this meal, but if you would rather drink wine, by all means drink wine! Dinner will be $35 per person.
Let me know if you're interested in attending, forward this to anyone you think may be interested in attending, and get reading!
Email me to reserve a seat or if you have any questions: leeya448@gmail.com

Save the Date: 11-22-63

Here is the official 5th Book and Supper Club announcement: you will be reading and I will be cooking: 11-22-63 written by Steven King.  I've been saving this one for November, and have been wanting to "cook it" since I've read it.  Modern day protagonist Jake Epping,  travels back in time to 1958 when he is asked to go back and stop JFK from being assassinated.  The descriptions of food are great, and I found myself wanting to try all of these fresh, unprocessed foods Jake got to eat and appreciate.

If you haven't read a "non-scary" book of Steven King's, you should try it.  The amount of research he does is worth reading the book alone, but he really does tell a great, suspenseful story.  Also, if JFK's assassination and the mystery that surrounds it is something you're into, again, you should read this!

A little food teaser for you: there will be battered lobster tails, BBQ burgers and root beer floats involved.  I promise to get the menu out ASAP, you should get a copy of the book in return! Wiki-Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11/22/63

Dinner will most likely take place Saturday night, November 17th.

Build Your Own Ignatius Dog!

An ode to the literary character Ignatius J. Reilly and New Orlean's famed Muffaletta sandwich, the Ignatius Dog was one of my latest inventions that I served for the A Confederacy of Dunces book and supper club meeting.  If you follow these simple steps, you too can dine on this hot dog of epic proportions.

From the Bottom Up:
1.) Cut and hollow out (rip off excess bread using your hands) loaves of semolina bread, so they mimic a hot dog bun.  You can just use a hot dog bun, but the classic Muffaletta is made with semolina bread, so you should think about using semolina too!

2.) Layer the roll with thin slices of Virginia Ham, Genoa Salami and Swiss Cheese (you can change this up a bit, but this makes a pretty good combination)

3.) Time to put in the Hot Dog (I prefer to buy the homemade Frankfurters at Muncan Food Corp. on Broadway in Astoria). It goes right on top of the Swiss cheese layer so the heat from the dog melts the Swiss a little bit.  I heated the dogs in a pan with a little water, once the water evaporated I threw in a couple of slices of butter into the pan, just to get the dogs to blister up a bit and get nice and snappy.

4.) Load it up with Olive Salad (recipe to follow)

5.) Serve and eat! 

Lisa's Olive Salad:

Ingredients:

Colossal pitted green Sicilian olives

Carrots (cut into a 1/4 dice)

Celery (about the same size)

Dried Oregano -the higher the quality the better (try buying a bouquet of dried oregano over jarred oregano)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil- Again, the higher the quality the better

Salt and Pepper to taste

To Do:

Chop the olives to be about just a little bigger than the diced carrots and celery.  Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, toss, and store it.  Mix it once or twice a day, and I would say to prepare this at least one day in advance so it could really marinate.  Salt and pepper it accordingly, remembering that the olives are very salty.

Shopping for The Dunces

Shopping for the A Confederacy of Dunces supper was unique because I got to buy some ingredients down in New Orleans, but I also had to use Amazon, I'm sorry to say, because one ingredient wasn't so easy to find.  I made up for that corporate purchase by stopping into many of my favorite local Astoria shops.

I came back from New Orleans with some Slap Ya Mama seasoning and the Mardi Gras King cake mix. After getting back from the south gritless, I did some research, and apparently it's not that easy to find slow grits, and only instant grits are readily available.  That's when I decided I had to go through amazon, and with my free shipping, it was pretty easy to get my hands on a container of real Quaker grits.  I went ahead and picked up an oyster knife for Liza while I was at it.

On Thursday I went over to my favorite Grocery store, Berry Fresh Farms, and picked up a lot of staples I needed for the menu, especially my ingredients for the olive salad (that would go into the "Ignatius Hot Dog") which I made that night to give it ample marinating time for Saturday.

On Friday I stopped into my fish store in Jamaica, Queens after work to pick up 30 Oysters, 8 servings of Sole and 1 pound of shrimp.  I took the subway back to Astoria and stopped into Muncan Foods on Broadway for a half pound of bacon and a dozen of their hot dogs.  This place is a meat lover's dream.  I've shopped here for three out my four suppers, and they never disappoint.  There are so many interesting types of cured and smoked meats from a range nationalities.  It's definitely worth a look.

On Saturday I stopped into The Ditmars Flower Shop for my New Orleans balcony-inspired fern-like center pieces.  This is a beautiful shop, the workers are always helpful and friendly.  The quality is great, and I find the prices to be very fair.  Then I went to Rose and Joe's Bakery under the N/Q for my 3 loaves of semolina bread.  This is great little bakery, and I can't believe I never realized they also sell Sicilian pizza in the back.  I'm definitely stopping there the next time I don't feel like cooking.  For the final stop, I went across the street to Rosario's Italian Deli to pick up the Genoa salami, Swiss cheese and Virginia ham for the Ignatius Hot Dog. Then I got my butt (and Liza's butt) into the kitchen.

If you're an Astorian and have not been to these places, I suggest that you do!

A Confederacy of Dunces: The Dinner

The Astoria Book and Supper Club met for the fourth time this past Saturday, September 15th...the meeting was for A Confederacy of Dunces, written by John Kennedy Toole.  Set in New Orleans, I decided this was my opportunity to cook up a Big Easy inspired meal, and that the book would be the perfect conversation starter.   People seem to either love or hate this book and the "Dunces" that it follows, and I would say the guests, myself and my sous chef Liza's opinions on the matter were split 50/50.  On to the meal...

The Place Setting with Menu and Discussion Questions

The Set Table, Pimm's Cup in the pitcher on the left

I set the table as New Orleansy as possible, and the drink I offered for the night was a Pimm's Cup, which personally, I love.  To make it I used Pimm's, homemade lemonade, lemon-lime seltzer and cucumber slices.  It is such a refreshing drink, and it definitely puts a smile on your face.

Homemade Potato Chips and Remoulade

The guests began to arrive, I had them meet in the living room where they were greeted with some homemade potato chips that were seasoned with "Slap ya Mama" creole spices that I bought down in New Orleans.  Crispy, salty and spicy, I was very happy with how they came out, and I have Liza to thank for their perfection (I did start my Saturday slicing the potatoes without a mandolin, I must add).  I made the remoulade sauce the night before, and it came out great, even Miko (my feline) couldn't seem to resist it. 

Sazerac Cocktail

This was my attempt at a Sazerac Cocktail, a New Orleans classic.  I made it with Cognac, a splash of bitters and simple syrup with a twist of lemon.  Definitely puts hair on your chest (and I didn't even use absinthe, which the recipe called for!).

Oysters and Garlic & Herb butter pre-broiling

Once all the guests arrived, they were seated at the table and it was time to stick the first course in the broiler.  Earlier, Liza shucked the oysters, while I put together the garlic and herb compound butter.  We broiled them for about 5 minutes, sprinkled on the Parmesan and threw them back in for another minute.

Broiled Oysters

I'm was pretty happy with the finished product, they weren't overdone at all, and look how cute the little fork looks on the plate!  That was a last minute discovery that made me very happy plating and function wise.

Cheesy Shrimp and Grits

The next course was the Cheesy Shrimp and Grits.  This was my first time making grits, and it's a little dangerous that I still have most of the container left, because they are really tasty with some cheddar cheese added to them! I added sauteed leeks, red bell pepper and rendered bacon to the cheddar grits, and lastly, added raw chopped shrimp to the hot grits, cooking the shrimp just by stirring them in.

Cheesy Shrimp and Grits at the Table

We decided to serve the grits in my old-fashioned champagne glasses, very cute if you ask me!

The Ignatius Dog!

Oh boy, the moment I was waiting for!  This is my Ignatius Dog, an invention I'm pretty proud of.  The main character in A Confederacy of Dunces is Ignatius, and hot dog eating figures prominently in the book.  I wanted to use the Muffaletta sandwich (a classic New Orleans staple) on the menu somewhere, when a light bulb went off, and I realized the ingredients that make up the Muffaletta crossed with a hot dog would actually taste great!  I think it did and my guests thought it did, and this is something you can put together home!  I promise to post an Ignatius Dog tutorial very soon!

Cornmeal Crusted Sole over Corn Salad served with Remoulade Sauce

The fourth course (I must say I was pretty tired at this point, and I think my guests may have been a little full after the giant hot dog) was the cornmeal crusted Sole over corn salad, and it was served with more of my remoulade sauce.  I soaked the sole in buttermilk for a few hours, and then dredged it in some seasoned cornmeal.  I fried it up and then seasoned it again with the 'Slap Ya Mama' creole seasoning.  I roasted the corn earlier, and added it to chopped red onion, jalapeno, scallions, orange pepper and parsley.  I dressed it with a honey and rice wine vinaigrette.

Mardi Gras King Cake

I had purchased a box of Mardi Gras King Cake in New Orleans, because I just didn't know if I would find the little freaky flesh-colored baby that I needed to hide in it, OR if I would be able to find purple, green and gold sugar crystals.  I know so little about baking that I can't even shop for baking...

Where's the baby?

The cake was swirled with a praline brown sugar butter, which gave the cake the perfect amount of sweetness, because this was more like a sweet bread (not to be confused with sweetbreads)...I actually liked it a lot, since I don't have much of a sweet tooth, and it was nice to have a slice with some tea the next morning.

The fourth meeting was a success for sure, and I'm happy to say that I already know what book I want to cook next....

You Must Eat in NOLA Before You Can Cook NOLA

This past weekend I went down to New Orleans to celebrate with a big group of friends. Conveniently, this coming weekend I'm hosting the Confederacy of Dunces inspired Supper.  It was tough, but I found times to escape my own Confederacy of Dunces to take full advantage of trying out some dishes I'll be cooking, buying ingredients, and checking out a statue of our protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly.

On Saturday morning, while nursing my Bourbon Street hangover, I strolled around the 90 degree streets with my camera and took New Orleans in.  I had to laugh at the "Lucky Dog" hot dog carts parked along many street corners around the French Quarter.  I couldn't help picturing Ignatius wolfing down his dogs, burping away and wreaking his havoc.  If that description doesn't make you want to read the book, I don't know what will.

Could This Be Ignatius' Cart??

Later in the day, I walked through the open air French Market, half of the stalls being very cheesy novelty gifts, the other half fooooood...I didn't eat anything, but I did buy myself some "Slap Ya Mama" creole spices that I plan on using for a couple of the dishes.  I opted to not buy the instant grits they were selling.  I'll test my luck to find some slow grits in NYC.  How else can you make them regular, creamy or al dente?

Next, I went into a gift shop on Decatur and couldn't believe my luck: there was a box of Mardi Gras King Cake mix for sale, that included the requisite plastic baby, and green, purple and gold sugar crystals.  This will make my life much easier, and probably make the cake a lot more authentic looking, since I don't exactly pride myself on baking.

On Monday, my last day in town, I head over to pay a visit to Ignatius' statue on Canal Street.  It did not do him justice on the size scale, but I just love that New Orleans loves him.

I met up with my friends who I had been nagging all weekend about trying a Muffaletta, and we head over to the birthplace of the Muffaletta, Central Grocery.  Guess what? They're closed on Mondays.  So we went to Johnny's Po Boys and guess what?  They ran out of Muffaletta ingredients.  Time was now of the essence, I couldn't miss my flight for a sandwich, no matter how rational that sounds.  So we raced over to Franks on Decatur.  It probably wouldn't have been my first choice, but we sat outside on their balcony, they put my order in ASAP, and I must say, I loved it!

Frank's Muffaletta

The olive salad was very good, with a great olive oil taste.  Salty meat, creamy cheese and tangy olive salad goes verrrrry well on semolina bread!  I can't wait to turn this sandwich into a hot dog on Saturday, and hopefully wow the crowd with my new-found knowledge of New Orleans fare.

A Confederacy of Dunces: The Menu

Very exciting news: the next supper club book will be A Confederacy of Dunces, written by tragic genius, John Kennedy Toole.  The book just happens to take place in New Orleans, and I've decided to host the supper the weekend after my return from that very place.  Fresh off a visit to the Big Easy, I'm sure I'll be very inspired to do New Orleans right! 

To Start:

A Sazerac Cocktail and homemade Cajun-Style Potato Chips

 Char-Broiled Oyster

Shrimp and Grit Balls

A play on shrimp and grits, these are deep fried:  crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside

The Ignatius Dog

What happens when you cross a hot dog with classic Muffaletta!

Crispy Soft Shell Crab

w/ Remoulade Sauce and Roasted Corn Salad

King Cake

w/ a hidden baby Ignatius 

The particulars:
Supper will be held on Saturday, September 15th 2012.
Arrive anytime after 7:30, Dinner will be served promptly at 8:00 PM
The meal is $40, you can always BYOB or partake in my booze, for an additional $15
I will be concocting my version of a Pimm's Cup

READ THIS BOOK!  It's great, and most probably like nothing you've ever read!
Email me if you would like to reserve a seat: leeya448@gmail.com

Shadow Shopping

Last Saturday I did most of my shopping for the Shadow of the Wind supper.  This dinner's shopping list began with the obligatory trips to my favorite Astoria super market, Berry Fresh Farms.  I'm liking it even more since it's expansion, and I'm so happy the prices are still the lowest I have ever seen in Astoria.  On Saturday morning I purchased a bunch of ingredients there, most importantly, I bought the bacalao since it needed to start soaking.  Once I got the bacalao soaking I head into the city for my much anticipated trip to Despana, which seems like THE place to go for all specialty Spanish foods and products.  Let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint.  Much to my delight, there is also a Despana outpost in Jackson Heights, which is very exciting information, and they also sell tapas right there, so it's just a fun place to be. 

All the goodies from Despana

 So, here's what I got: the bomba rice for the paella-you've got to love the packaging! Choricero Pepper Paste, which is  like a sundried pepper paste, very bland alone, almost like tomato paste, it is used to give the Romesco sauce it's peppery flavor.  Manchengo cheese-like the best ever...Dried chorizo-like the best ever...fresh white anchovies, or Boquerones if you will-like the best ever...and last but certainly not least, the Serrano Ham (seriously like the best ever) that the guy hand cut for me, this costs a little more money than the meat slicer, but seems like the right thing to do.  I was particularly excited about the boquerones since they are so hard to find and something that I really really love.  I'm already looking forward to my next trip to Despana, that's for sure.

The Cava

I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that Despana also has a wine shop next door to it's Soho location.  I was a little worried about finding a bottle of Cava in Astoria with my limited time, so it was great to walk right in and have the very friendly and handsome wine guy help me pick out a bottle of cava.  I walked out very pleased.  FYI-it was very good cava...

My Paella Pan!

My final stop on Saturday was at The Broadway Panhandler, it's really a great store if you love cooking.  They also had some sort of a sale going on, and it was hard for me to just leave with the paella pan, a sizzle plate and a much needed loaf pan, that we used for the coconut flan.  My hands were pretty full at this point, so I made my way back to Astoria.

Of course, the next morning I went back to Berry Fresh for round two, but other than that, my shopping was pretty much done!  Quick and easy, and lot's of fun to shop in Despana and the Broadway Panhandler, I definitely recommend both establishments!

Shadow Of The Wind: The Dinner

Last night, Monday July 16th was the third meeting of the Astoria Book & Supper Club, and it was a great success! I was so excited to get my Barcelona on, here's how it unfolded:  The first thing I knew I needed to get done on Sunday was: make the softrito for the paella and the romesco sauce for the third course.  Both recipes, which are slow cooked tomato-onion-garlic type sauces came from Ferran Adria's amazing cookbook, The Family Meal.  If you love to look at pictures in cookbooks more so than following the recipes, this is a must have.  I think it also makes one hell of a gift.  Moving on, Liza, my lovely sous chef came over and made the coconut flan, and other very helpful acts like slicing the manchengo and chorizo, grating the chocolate and roasting the peppers.  Meanwhile, I had been soaking bacalao for a little over 24 hours, and it was time to boil it.  I like to boil it in a half milk half water mixture for about 20 minutes.  After I boiled it, the bacalao flaked beautifully, and I processed it with boiled potatoes, butter, my seasoned salt, my fresh windowsill herbs and some clam juice.  I cleaned and trimmed the peppers, leaving the ones for the boquerones in some olive oil and white vinegar, and the rest as is for the paella.  Then I called it a day.

Monday afternoon, after I dismissed myself early from work, I bought 3 dozen shrimp, a pound of calamari and a bushel of mussels, and got myself home for some much anticipated paella making!  I had never made it before, and I was feeling pretty intimidated, but I rolled up my sleeves and got going.  First, I sauteed some boneless, skinless chicken thighs with some chorizo, took that out and fried the roasted peppers for a few minutes.  Then I fried up two serrano chilis in oil, added diced onion, then minced garlic.  Once translucent, I added the chicken, chorizo, white wine and the sofrito from the day before.  I let this all cook down and thicken, I tasted it and a-salted it.  Once thick enough, I added the stock, a mixture of chicken stock with: lobster consomme from the FCI (YES!) and ground saffron.   Next step was the one weighing on me, I had to evenly disperse the bomba rice throughout the paella pan, and NEVER TOUCH IT AGAIN.  That's a lot harder for me than it should be, and also the reason why my rice making skills end at risotto.  I let the paella do it's thing, paced around, cleaned, organized, prepared, stared at it, set the table...let's just say, good thing I had plenty to do to take away from just wanting to stir it.  When it seemed like the stock was half-way soaked through, I began to assemble the calamari rings, shrimp, peppers and peas to make it really pretty.  When it seems almost totally cooked through, I took it off the heat and covered it, knowing it still had a couple of hours before service.  Me and Liza organized, finished up some odd jobs, and soon enough, the guests arrived!

The Table is Set, I was going for a "gothic" Barcelona theme

The place setting and Shadow of the Wind menu and discussion questions

First Course: Chorizo & Manchengo, Roasted Pepper & Boquerone and Jamon Serrano & Manchengo on Pan de Tomate

 The guests arrived and took their seats, and I poured them a glass of cava.  They toasted, got to know each other, and then I presented them with the first course.  These were some of my favorite little bites, or Pinxtos as they're referred to, in Barcelona. 

Everyone seems to be enjoying their pinxtos

 The next course was the Bacalao and Potato mash, and I served it with some mashed up avoacado and lemon, a very refreshing course on such a hot day.  My guests approved of my change, since originally they were going to be fried croquettes.  It was a good change!

Second Course: Bacalao & Potato Mash with Lemony Avocado

Third Course: Paprkia-Roasted Potato and Camarones al Ajillo with Romesco Sauce

I was very happy with how the romesco sauce turned out, it was very cool and refreshing, and went very well with the potato and shrimp.  This dish was simple, easy and delicious.

The Paella!  I was very pleased...

Fourth Course: Paella served w/ mussels steamed in butter, wine and herbs

Don't you wish this was you right now?

I just like this picture.  I like to see my guests immersed in food and discussion!

The coconut flan

 So, after the success of the Paella, the next stomach churner was to see if the flan would look good and hold up once free from the pan.  Liza and I had over 24 hours to dwell on this, but, as you can see from the picture, everything turned out fine.  Thanks Liza!

Cocnut Flan with Chocolate Toast and Raspberries

 The chocolate toast was fine, not anything to go crazy for, but the flan everyone loved.  I'm not the biggest dessert person, so I don't always get what the big deal is, but people were definitely loving the flan! 

The Aftermath

So, the night came to a close, everyone was full, a little tipsy and they needed to go to work in the morning.  I have to say they were very satisfied, they loved the food, they discussed Shadow of the Wind (almost) the whole time, so I too was very satisfied.  They were great guests, and although I was stressed at some points, I'm already looking back on it as a very successful Astoria Book and Supper Club meeting that will actually be hard to beat.  I mean, Shadow of the Wind is a pretty awesome book, and Barcelona is a very tasty place!

Cancellation Policy! (cause nobody wants it to get awkward)

As I prepare for my third supper club, I think back on the first two "meetings" and the part I dread the most is the inevitable cancellation late in the game.  I totally understand that things come up, but I also need to protect myself from losing too much money.  I already feel awkward enough taking money from friends and acquaintances, who like myself live in one of the most expensive places on earth, and most likely are at many times, strapped for cash.  In exchange for the money I work very hard to create a beautiful, fun and comfortable setting for my guests, cook them a fabulous dinner and create some hopefully interesting discussion questions.  This all being said, here's what I think may be a fair cancellation policy:
I reconfirm one week from the dinner with my guests who have reserved a seat.
I typically begin my food shopping about three to four days prior to the supper.
If a cancellation happens 2 and 3 days before the event, I'm owed 50%.
The day before I'm owed 100%
The day of, I'm owed 100% and a reason that would make me feel really bad that I even asked what the reason was!
I hope most of this can be taken in jest, and that the policy won't ever have to be enforced!
Thanks to all who come and support, I really appreciate it, and have a lot of fun entertaining you!

Shadow of the Wind and El Xampanet

I had the fortunate experience of traveling to Barcelona for about a week a few years ago, and still haven't been able to get it out of my system.  I know everyone who goes loves it, and I feel like I have never heard a bad review of Barcelona.  The food is wonderful, the people are so warm and laid back, the climate is great, the layout is perfect, the markets are amazing, I can go on and on.  I love the lifestyle, and my friend Adrienne and I got very used to waking up, exploring and eating all on 'Barcelona' time.  I speak decent Italian and have picked up an ok Spanish vocabulary, so it was also pretty easy to to converse once I got my confidence up, IF I found a Catalonian who understood Spitalian...(speak Italian while inserting the Spanish words you've picked up over the years)...of course, when I really felt confident in using this technique, it was time to move on to France (bye-bye confidence)...
So, the last night of our stay in Barcelona, we saved the tapas bar, El Xampanet for our last meal.  I was so excited to try out this place.  It was hopping with lots of locals when we got there, and you kind of just have to fight your way to some seats, and tell the non-English, non-menu weilding waitress what you would like to eat.  So we're sitting in some seats (we got really lucky) amongst our  new-found friends, and the waitress is kind of just staring down at me with a "This place is mobbed, what the hell do you want to eat" kind of look on her face, and I spew out some Spitalian (luckily spanish food words are my specialty) and I order us a bunch of classic tapas and some cava.  She went away without really acknowledging anything, and I just hoped that we would be receiving something at some point in the near future.
We basically got everything I asked for, plus our Cava and all of it for 21 euro! Amazing!  We also got to sit with some pretty entertaining people, and the whole restaurant was there just to have some snacks, drinks and fun.  What a great place.
So, I was re-reading Shadow of the Wind the other day, and the author mentions the characters going to Xampanet.  I got really excited, because when I came up with the menu for the Shadow of the Wind dinner that's going to be held on July 16th, I really based it on my experience at Xampanet, so everything has kind of come full circle.  I just hope my tapas can hold up to theirs, can't wait to bring Barcelona to my apt!

The Interior Scene

A Birds-eye view of our tapas and cava

The Exterior Scene

A Shout-Out From The Fooditka!

My friend Judith posted about The Astoria Book and Supper Club on her blog, The Fooditka.  If you don't already follow her, she writes all about food, and food happenings mainly taking place in Astoria but really all over the place.  It's a fun blog, with lot's of info, so if it's your sort of thing, check it out! 

http://www.fooditka.com/2012/06/astorias-new-supper-book-club.html

The Shadow of the Wind: The Menu

Shadow of the Wind, The Menu:

 A refreshing glass of Cava to start, sangria
to be served with dinner

Trio of “Pintxos” served on pan di tomate:
Boquerones
Fresh anchovies and roasted pepper
Serrano Ham and Manchengo
Cured Chorizo and Manchengo

Croquetas de Bacalao served with mashed avocado and lemon
Cod and Potato Croquettes

Paprika Roasted Potatoes and Shrimp al Ajillo (in garlic)
served with Romesco sauce

Seafood and Chorizo Paella

Coconut Flan and Chocolate Toast

Feel free to ask me any questions about the menu.

The dinner will be served on Monday, July 16th 2012

Please try to arrive between 7-7:15, dinner will be served promptly @ 7:30 so all guests could eat, drink and merrily discuss the book, but not be too tired to wake up on Tuesday morning (or if you are, don't blame me!).  The meal is $40, add $15 for unlimited drinks.  Enjoy the book, I can't wait to cook!

email me with questions/to reserve a seat: Leeya448@gmail.com

The Shadow of the Wind, Viva Barcelona!

It has been decided that the next meeting of the Astoria Book and Supper Club will be for the book, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.  Below is a brief plot summary according to Wikipedia:

The novel, set in post–Spanish Civil War Barcelona, concerns a young boy, Daniel Sempere. Just after the war, Daniel's father takes him to the secret Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a huge library of old, forgotten titles lovingly preserved by a select few initiates. According to tradition, everyone initiated to this secret place is allowed to take one book from it and must protect it for life. Daniel selects a book called The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax. That night he takes the book home and reads it, completely engrossed. Daniel then attempts to look for other books by this unknown author but can find none. All he comes across are stories of a strange man – calling himself Laín Coubert, after a character in the book who happens to be the Devil – who has been seeking out Carax's books for decades, buying them all and burning them.

This book is definitely for book lovers, and it's a quick, fun read-perfect for summer.  It's full of suspense and intrigue, and it just happens to take place in Barcelona, a city full of delicious treats.  I'm thinking paella, boquerones, olives, croquettes, pan con tomate, jamon, sangria and cava...

So, get yourself a copy of the book if you don't have one already, and we'll meet on a Monday night towards the end of July to discuss and feast Barcelona style (only this dinner will be served before 10 PM, unfortunately).

The Great Gatsby Brunch, May 20th 2012

It all feels kind of like a dream and a blur to piece my Gatsby weekend together.  It started on Saturday morning with a trip into the city for some of my key ingredients.  It was a perfect spring day, and the tourists were definitely in bloom.  First stop was a mobbed Russ and Daughters, the famous lox emporium on the Lower East Side.  I bought a pound of the Norwegian smoked salmon for the salmon and cucumber sandwiches, and I bought myself an everything bagel with their gaspe lox.  I walked up to Union Square, and sat and enjoyed my bagel.  I made some produce purchases at the Farmer's market, and bought a few items at the Whole Foods.  I was very happy to find and purchase these California artichokes for my "East Egg" dish.

When I returned to Astoria, I stopped by the fish store under the train @ the Ditmars stop (Greek writing on the awning, no idea what it's called) and bought the Lump crab meat for my crab remoulade.  Then I head over to my brother's apartment and he kindly drove me around to some of my favorite local places to shop.  Hands down the best wine shop in Astoria, Off The Vine is my favorite place to shop for wine, where the owner is always happy to point you in the right direction.  I picked up 7 bottles of prosecco, and then walked across the street to Sorriso's to pick up some prosciutto for my "West Egg" and Pork Wellington.  Last stop was Berry Fresh Farms, my local grocery store that has recently expanded, plus they have the lowest prices in town.  We grabbed some kebabs at Balkh Shish Kebab, which I've been wanting to try (it's very good), I sat on my couch for a bit, and then began my cooking at 8:00.  I broke down a chicken and boiled it as if I were making chicken soup, for the Waldorf chicken salad.  I made my red onion "mustard" and marinated and grilled the ham for the spiced ham and pineapple sandwiches.  I carved the artichoke hearts and boiled them with some flour, water, lemon, salt and olive oil.  I set the table.  Every time I thought I was done, I thought of other things I can do to be as prepared as possible on Sunday morning. My dreams of sitting down with a glass of wine and watching Mick host SNL were "Shattered", when I decided to hard boil some eggs, make the jello and the jalapeno and chive cream cheese.  I got to bed a little after one, and in the morning I bought more lemons and oranges, a large cup of coffee and got back into the kitchen (where I belong)...
I spent the beginning of the morning chopping away.  I did the fruit cocktail, chicken salad, crab remoulade and stuffing for the "West Egg".  I wrapped the pork tenderloin, cleaned, and prepped.  At 1:45, my helper/server/brother showed up and I got him to work on juicing and muddling the citrus and mint for the prosecco cocktails while I put together the 3 tea sandwiches and made sure everything was presentable(sort of).

The Table is set for the guests, the tea sandwiches were laid out, and the table was decorated with oranges and lemons

The Menu

"Every Friday five crates of oranges and lemons arrived from a fruiterer in New York — every Monday these same oranges and lemons left his back door in a pyramid of pulpless halves." -The Great Gatsby

The salmon and cucumber sandwich was a layer of the jalapeno and chive cream cheese, the salmon and then cucumber, all on top of rye points.

For the crab remoulade I made circles out of some potato bread and griddled both sides in a little bit of butter before topping it with the crab meat that I tossed in my own version of remoulade sauce.

 I layered my red onion mustard, pineapple and the grilled spiced ham on pumpernickel points

While the brunch goers feasted in the sammies, I got to work on the second course, the dreaded East Egg Vs. West egg.  My reasons for dreading this was that in order to get it on the table, I had to poach six eggs perfectly and make the hollandaise sauce all at the same time.  I knew that if I could do this, the rest of the brunch would be pretty simple.  Luckily, everything came together fine.  I was very pleased.

East Egg Vs. West Egg.  The East egg represents tradition and old money, this is where Tom and Daisy live.  The West Egg represents the changing times and new money, this is where Gatsby lives.

East Egg: artichoke heart, poached egg and Sauce Hollandaise

West Egg: dill, scallion, avocado, feta and caper stuffed egg

While this course was served, I threw the Pork Wellington into the oven and prepared the Waldorf Chicken salad.  Basically, it is my chicken salad recipe served over mixed greens, radishes and apples, then topped with grapes and toasted walnuts.

Waldorf Chicken Salad

Prosecco with muddled citrus and mint

The Pork Wellington came out of the oven, and after sitting for a while, I sliced and served it.  I stuffed the pork tenderloin with dried apricots and fresh herbs from my windowsill. I wrapped it in prosciutto, and then brushed it with grain mustard and wrapped that in pie crust.

Pork Wellington

On to dessert!  I made gin-soaked jello and fruit cocktail.  These desserts were inspired by the fact that jello and canned fruit cocktail first came to be and were very popular in the 1920s.  The gin-soaked factor of course comes from prohibition.  I infused my own gin with cucumber and ginger for about two weeks, and followed the jello recipe, but used gin in lieu of water.  The fruit cocktail was a combination of strawberries, pineapple, grapes and cherries.  I tossed them with lime, confectioner's sugar and a drop of vanilla.  At the last minute I decided to literally whip up some whipped cream, I think much to everyone's delight.  I mean, dessert needs to be a little fattening!

Dessert

The Whipped Cream

Gin-Soaked Jello (strawberry or lime!)

The Fruit Cocktail

 The second meeting of the Astoria Book and Supper Club was a lot different from the first, and I think they probably all will be.  As long as I'm satisfied with what I've cooked, and my guests are full and happy, I think this supper club will be a success.  Poor Gatsby....:(