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!

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