The Godfather: The Menu

So, I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse (yeah, I went there).  I will be cooking Mario Puzo's book, The Godfather, you may have heard of it, on Sunday, April 14th at 7:00PM.  It'll be a real Italian Sunday dinner, and I'm very excited to cook and host this!

Course one will be a family-style spread:

Stuffed Calamari (my version is lemon, the tentacles, capers, pignoli nuts and parsley)

Caponata (fried eggplant, onion, tomatoes, peppers and olives)

Prosciutto and Soppresata from Calabria Pork Store on Arthur Avenue

Fresh Mozzarella and Talleggio from Casa della Mozzarella on Arthur Avenue

Pork Bread from Rose and Joe's Bakery in Astoria

My Homemade Sweet and Hot Red Onion Marmalade
Arancini 

Course Two:

Sunday Sauce (with sausage and my Nonna's meatballs) over

Fresh Colossal Homemade Rigatoni

Course Three:

Veal Chop Milanese topped with an arugula fennel and citrus salad.

Course 4:

Nutella and Mascarpone Filled Cannoli

Peaches, Oranges and Grapes in Red Wine

Dinner and a non-stop flow of Chianti will be $60, or you can BYOB for $50.  So, get yourself a copy of Mario Puzo's The Godfather, start reading and let me know if you want to attend!

Try the Veal...

After some debating I've decided that the next book to cook will be Mario Puzo's The Godfather.  Before the deservedly infamous movie came out, it was a book.  I've always been kind of interested in reading it, and I've been wanting to cook some Italian food for a book club meeting.  I think this is the perfect book, because everyone could have a lot of fun with it, and eat well too!  I'll be pulling out all the stops, and it will be held on Sunday, April 14th. Once I've read the book, I'll post the menu as soon as possible.
So, 'save the date' and start reading The Godfather if you want to come to Sunday dinner, and don't worry, I won't hide a gun in the basin of my toilet!

Bel Canto: The Dinner

My South American themed table

 Last night was the Bel Canto dinner.  The theme of the night was cultural mash-ups.  The book centered around a bunch of people from all over the world living amongst each other as either hostages or terrorists.  I decided that I would make each course a fusion of flavors and techniques from different culinary backgrounds.  Ones that aren't too obvious but end up working well together.

The Place setting

St. Germain Cocktail

 I started the guests off with a St. Germain Cocktail, made with, yes, St. Germain (which is an elderflower liquor) soda water and freshly squeezed limes. 

The Bel Canto Roll

The First Course

The first course was the "Bel Canto Roll".  I've been making 'Italian Sushi' for a few years now, and it's just a fun appetizer.  It's easy to eat and kind of tasty, and also kind of different.  I use risotto as the rice and prosciutto as the seaweed.  In this version, I stuffed them with sauteed asparagus, and then drizzled hollandaise sauce over them.  Asparagus and Hollandaise was served in the book, so it was nice to be able to incorporate a little of the book into the meal.  So the countries represented in this dish are Japan, Italy and France.

Salmon Rillettes over a Potato Pancake topped with Wasabi Roe

The Second Course

 This was probably my favorite dish of the night, but also the one I was most looking forward to making.  I had the rillettes recipe for a while, it's Eric Ripert's recipe he uses at Le Bernardin.  The potato pancake seemed like a great way to serve the rillettes, and the wasabi-infused flying fish roe was a stroke of luck.  I came across it at Russ and Daughters last Saturday afternoon when I was buying the smoked salmon for this dish.  I had been wanting to top the dish with Caviar, but didn't really want to spend $250 on some.  I love the way the colors work on the plate, and I must say, biting into this was pure decadence.  It was great.  This dish whisks us off to Germany, France and Japan.

Shrimp Ceviche

The Third Course

 The third course was Shrimp Ceviche.  It had a nice little kick to it, because I used two types of chili peppers in it, and also avocado, orange bell pepper, cilantro and lots of lime.  It was a refreshing dish, and lightened things up since it was served between two fried dishes.  This dish ended up not being a culinary mash-up, it's basically just Peruvian.  It's never actually stated, but most people agree that the book is set in Peru.

Panko Crusted Weinerschnitzel over Warm Potato Salad topped with a Raw Beet Salad

The Fourth Course

The fourth course was not too shabby.  This dish took us to Germany, Japan and Russia.  The warm potato salad was tossed with olive oil, rice wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, scallions and my homemade seasoned salt.  The weinerschnitzel (I used a pounded pork tenderloin) was nice and crispy and very juicy and tender.  The raw beet salad was derived from a few Russian beet salad recipes.  The shaved beets were tossed with some mayo, dill, grated cucumber and garlic.  It had such a nice refreshing taste, and the color on it was just gorgeous.  I love how this plate looked, because the colors and textures were just so visually pleasing.  It was a great finish to dinner.

Panettone Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Syrup

The Fifth Course

On to dessert, a Panettone bread pudding.  I had never made bread pudding before, and it's quite easy, and uncomplicated which is what I look for in a dessert.  The cinnamon syrup really added a nice layer of sweet and warm flavors at the end.  I consider this dish Italian American.

So that was the Bel Canto dinner.  I think it was very successful, and I could NOT have done it without my sous chef, Liza, she's the best!  Also, thanks to my guests, they were very into the discussion last night, if you've read the book, you know there's lots to discuss.

I just need to figure out the next book to cook!

Bel Canto Menu & Questions

So, I just created and printed up tonight's menu and discussion questions, which I leave at each place setting at every dinner.  Each course gets a question, and this really keeps conversation flowing well.  Bel Canto is a wonderful book, and I'm excited to see what my diners thought of it.  Now I just need to concentrate on cooking!

Bel Canto Shopping

I've gone over my menu and have created my shopping list for the Bel Canto dinner next Monday night, February 4th.  The list is interesting, because this may end up being my "finest" dining and most international menu, but my least complicated shopping list.
Lemons, limes, potatoes, eggs, butter, flour and shallots are some recurring simple ingredients.  There's some nice produce that I'll have to find which may end up posing a problem this season, but I will scour my markets to make it happen.

I'm very much looking forward to paying another visit to Russ and Daughters on Saturday, and then strolling over to the Union Square farmers market.  I'll be buying some of their Gaspe Nova smoked salmon for my salmon rillettes, and I may buy some wasabi roe to top it, I just need to figure out if it's in my budget.  It would make a beautiful topping, and keep up with the international theme.

I need to get my hands on a bottle of Pisco and St. Germain (YES) and my first stop will be this really cute shop in LIC, Hunter's Point Wine and Spirits.  The shop is very homy with what seems to be a carefully selected group of wines and spirits, and although the space isn't huge, I've found everything I've ever needed in there.

Another stop I need to make is at the Italian specialty shop under the N/Q at Astoria/Ditmars, Rosario's Italian Deli, here I can pick up the prosciutto for my "Italian Sushi" and the panettone for the Panettone bread pudding.

I'll stop in to King's Fish & Seafood Market after work and before all my cooking on Monday, the day of.  Every morning as I walk to work off the E in Jamaica, I watch the guys haul seafood off the truck and into the store, so I know it's fresh.  The prices are also pretty unbeatable.  I'll be picking up all the seafood for my ceviche.

So, hopefully shopping goes smoothly, and then there's cooking all of it-yeesh! Glad Liza will be helping!

Lobster Pickins' and Cole Slaw: Culinary Artistry

Lobster Pickins' and Cole Slaw

The first course for Steven King's 11-22-63 book club dinner, was something I had been wanting to create for a Book Club meeting even before I began the Astoria Book and Supper Club.  I visualized it just as I served it: in diner-style baskets with deli paper and a side of cole slaw.  It was lots of fun to create, and even more fun once I tasted it and knew I was serving something great for my guests.

My friend Liza, professional chef and Astoria Book and Supper Club co-cook in the kitchen, bought me the book, Culinary Artistry by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page.  This book is the perfect "cookbook" for someone like me, who doesn't necessarily like to read recipes, and looks more to cookbooks for inspiration and ideas.  There are some great recipes by great chefs, but the book is basically a list of foods and the other foods, herbs, cooking techniques and ingredients they pair with.  For example, Pork Chops will list: about 20 ingredients like apples, leeks, mustard, ginger, and then techniques like braise and pan-fry.  Say you have an acorn squash and don't know what to make for dinner, you can get so many ideas from this book.  I highly recommend it if you find yourself often stuck in the kitchen.  I think it can also build confidence in your palette and your ability to pair foods and understand why they go together.

I am not a fan of classic mayonaise-based cole slaw, and I knew I wanted to make a more lemon and mustard based coleslaw that would still be a nice pairing with corn-meal and beer battered lobster.  Knowing I wanted a citrusy mustard base, but not much else, I consulted Culinary Artistry and based on my ""findings" of what pairs well together, I decided to dress my cole slaw with capers, honey, lemon, dijon mustard, fresh dill and horseradish cream.  My cole slaw was a blend of white cabbage, gala apple and carrot, that I shredded using my food processor (very satisfying).  I tossed it in my dressing with some olive oil, and let it sit for about an hour in the fridge.  

When I served the lobster with the cole slaw, there was that nice silence at the table which can only mean people were enjoying what they were eating.  It did surprise me that when people finally spoke, it was this unique play on cole slaw that had everyone raving.  Do yourself two favors, make this cole slaw, and get a copy of Culinary Artistry!

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!