Fresh Tart

John and I snuck in another quick weekend trip to NYC, always a happy time.  As I've written before, my husband is from Manhattan, and my in-laws still live there, and they graciously allow us to crash in on them several times per year.  Weather-wise, it was a horrible time to descend on the city - as cold as Minnesota, damn it all, with slicing windchills and dreary skies.  And yet...we had a blast, because despite the cold, it wasn't Minnesota, and given the mid-winter doldrums, that's all that mattered.

We arrived on Thursday to attend an event at the New York Public Library.  I'd never been in the grand ole dame before and was not disappointed.  We didn't make it much past the soaring lobby and the stunning room set up for the dinner, but that's OK.  The food - despite being, you know, a big banquet - was truly excellent.  We opened with a parsnip flan, topped with a frisee salad, creamy, crunchy, and rich.  I chose black-sesame-seed encrusted black sea bass for my entree, against my better judgment - fish at a banquet?  Usually, a big yuck.  But I had a feeling, given how delicious the hors d'oeuvres and salad were...and my feeling was right.  Silky fish, a little sweet with miso, a little spicy with Chinese five-spice, so much better than most any piece of fish I can find in Minnesota.  Hate to say it, but it's true.  And I therefore enjoyed it thoroughly.

After dinner we hopped in a cab and whisked off to Bar Pleiades at the Surrey Hotel for sexy, pretty cocktails in a sexy, pretty room.  I had on 4-inch red heels, in New York, and I was not going to waste them.

Friday, I sort of died a little.  John and I bundled up against the bitter wind and walked up 5th Avenue to the Guggenheim Museum.  We briefly watched a couple making-out as an impressively choreographed performance art piece (part of the Tino Sehgal exhibit) in the atrium.  We wandered on into the permanent collection of Impressionists, springy and beautiful and blessedly colorful on a bleak January day.  And then...I hit a wall.  All my recent sleep deprivation caught up with me and I felt not museum fatigue (you know exactly that feeling) but something more like...painful jet lag.  We unfortunately (thankfully) abandoned lunch plans to return me home.  I dropped into bed for a nap and...slept for two hours!  Not how I wanted to spend precious hours in NYC, but there it was. And wasn't.

I rallied for a festively delicious - and wonderfully energizing - dinner at Shun Lee West with our friends Bartley, Natalie, and Jaime as well as my brother-in-law's family.  We talked and laughed and made fun of each other, all while devouring family-style spring rolls, to-die-for crispy prawns with broccoli, silky three-nut chicken, decadent orange beef, and crunchy stir-fried vegetables.  A typical Levy feast, we got home and simply crashed.

I emerged Saturday feeling myself again, a good thing because we had an ambitious and special day planned.  My sister Etta and my dear friend Michelle both live in Brooklyn, so John and I planned to spend the day driving and visiting and eating around non-Manhattan, a new experience for us both (yes, even for John).  We borrowed my father-in-law's car, picked up our friend Maud, and headed first to Chelsea to check out a couple of galleries and grab some lunch.  We strolled through two amazing exhibits (David Zwirner and Richard Misrach) before bidding farewell to Maud.  Then John and I moved on to a chic, hopping little spot called Cookshop for what happily turned out to be brunch (not lunch).  John dropped me off and went to park the car - I walked into the cafe, saw gorgeous Bloody Mary's everywhere I turned, smiled widely, and was half-way into one of the spicy, ruby beauties before John was even in the door.  I have secret extra-love for Bloodies garnished with fat olives (it's a Kollege Klub thing), and these had not only those, but also slices of lemon and long stalks of celery.  Crunchy!  Zingy!  Happy!  We ordered eggs and fries and a panini and shared it all and had the most delicious, sunny meal.  Big treat, great start to our day.

We rushed past a couple of cool buildings (so bitterly cold, such cool modern architecture), then climbed back into the car and made our way over the Williamsburg Bridge into Brooklyn to pick up my sister Etta.  With her riding shotgun as John's co-navigator, we headed over to the Forte Greene neighborhood to pick up Michelle.  Then all four of us set out for a 2.5-hour drive around several Brooklyn neighborhoods, marveling at the sheer hugeness of it all, as well as the endless rows of beautiful historic brownhouses, neighborhood after neighborhood of shops and restaurants, parks, and stunning views of Manhattan.  We ended our day back at Etta's lovely apartment, joined by friends for cocktails (and seriously amazing cheeses), capping it all off with an outstanding dinner at Dressler (in Williamsburg).  I savored a creamy, warm artichoke heart salad, followed by a perfectly roasted chicken breast, crispy and tender, resting on a bed of pillowy gnocchi, wild mushrooms, and a rich demi-glace.  Uff, such fullness.  I really couldn't make much of a dent in the chicken breast, despite giving it my all.  Ah well, I'll just need to go back - fantastic place.

After dinner we said our good-byes (boo), made our way back over the Manhattan Bridge (two out of three - next time, Brooklyn Bridge), and again collapsed into bed.  This morning John ran out for pastrami, cole slaw, and rye - yes, that was our breakfast, what can I say?  We happily piled creamy, crunchy slaw on warm, tender slabs of pastrami, packed our bags, and made our way home.

And now, here I am, a little blue like I always am when we return from that great city, but glad to be home too.  I put together a broccoli quiche and John and I ate it quietly, enjoying the last bit of the magic that is...New York, baby, New York.

Let me clarify - I was not in France (sacre bleu).  Instead, France kindly came here, to freezing cold and colorless Minnesota-in-January, at the invitation of the Commanderie de  Bordeaux Minnesota Chapter.  Let me clarify - I'm not a member of the Commanderie de Bordeaux (sacre bleu).  But my friends Debbie & Stu the Wine Genius Williams are, and I've been privileged to accompany them as a guest to a few of the Commanderie's insanely fabulous wine tasting dinners, including last night.

The guests of honors were Patrick Maroteaux, owner of Chateau Branaire-Ducru; and Count Stephan von Neipperg, manager of Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere, La Mondotte, Clos de l'Oratoire, Chateau Peyreau, Clos Marsalette, and Chateau d'Aguilhe. They each charmingly described their wine-making history, philosophy, and introduced the (dozen) wines we tasted as the evening sipped on.

As usual, The Minneapolis Club's executive chef John Thompson and staff created a lovely menu to pair with the wines:

Chanterelle Mushroom-Speck Terrine

Sweetbread Strudle with Hollandaise Noir

Duck Liver Parfait with Black Currant Preserve

Château Branaire-Ducru 2007

Duluc de Branaire-Ducru 2005

St. Julien

Château Cannon La Gaffeliere 2007

Clos de l’Oratoire 2007

St. Emilion

Lanson Brut Gold Label 1996

Champagne

Truffle Poached Diver Scallops with Skate Wing, Parsley-Parsnip Coulis and Tomato Jam

Château Branaire-Ducru 2003

Château Branaire-Ducru 2000

Château Branaire-Ducru 1995

St. Julien

Juniper Roasted Breast of Squab with Rosemary Spaetzle, Foie Gras Emulsion, Smoked Portabello Carpaccio

Château d’Aiguilhe 2003

Cotes de Castillon

La Mondotte 1997 en Magnum

St. Emilion

Château Canon La Gaffeliere 1989

St. Emilion

Rogue River Blue, St. Nectaire, Beaufort d’Alpage (selection of cheeses)

Poached Apricot Tartlette with Caramelized Pineapple Coulis

Château Guiraud 1990

Sauternes

All of the wines were oustanding - for me, an incredible grouping.  The food-wine pairings were interesting as well, in particular the rich and gamey, crisp-roasted squab with the La Mondotte 1997, a truly spectacular wine.  From Robert Parker: "94 points, an amazing effort and unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage, La Mondotte's 1997 boasts a saturated purple color as well as an explosive nose of blackberries, violets, minerals, and sweet toasty oak.  Huge and massive, yet gorgeously proportioned, it possesses an unctious texture with no hard edges."  To me it smelled heavenly and tasted smooth, earthy, rich...and French.  How amazing to be able to taste such a special wine, certainly not something I'd be able to do without Debbie & Stu's generous invitation, so yet again, I thank them.

The only drawback to attending Commanderie dinners is that I am next to worthless the next day - so lame.  Although perhaps it's a good thing that my body just can't take such a massive infusion of rich food and wine.  Instinctive moderation.  I like it.

Melt it!  (I microwaved for about 15 seconds).

Dip rasberries, strawberries, or walnut pieces - unlike a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop (three licks), I savored six raspberries and two walnut pieces for a total of eight delicious bites.

Take that, owl.

Truffle by Vincent A Restaurant (still savoring them even a few weeks after our party...).

And an almost-post about it.  I bit off a bit more than I could chew this afternoon and attempted a multi-step dinner when I knew that I had to be out out the door by 4:45 pm (basketball practice, church run).  I usually keep Wednesday night dinners extremely simple (due to basketball practice, church run), but I had crispy chicken breasts on the brain, thanks to both a NYTimes feature on rethinking chicken breasts, and the delicious-sounding Sunday Supper at Lucques chicken paillards with Parmesan breadcrumbs, escarole, capers, and rosemary I was going to make on Monday (but didn't).  And while my kids aren't (yet!) interested in escarole, capers, and rosemary (a dish intended for just John and me), they do love a spicy tomato sauce, so I set aside good sense and started pounding chicken breasts anyhow around 3:30 pm.

Actually, chicken parmigiana - at least the way I make it - is not at all tricky.  It took me 10 minutes from start to finish to pound the breasts into cutlets.  It took me another 15 minutes (or less) to quickly beat an egg with a little milk, make fresh bread crumbs tossed with Parmesan (Cuisinart), and pass the chicken breasts through both.  I laid out the breaded cutlets on a baking rack over a baking sheet as I went along, allowing them to dry a bit.

As I sauteed the breasts in batches, I also made a simple tomato sauce (canned chunky tomato sauce, garlic, olive oil, herbs, splash of wine) and sliced some mozzarella cheese (I happened to have a lovely whole-milk version in the fridge, but part-skim shredded works just fine).  I spooned some of the sauce into the bottom of a baking pan, topped the sauce with a layer of sauteed chicken breasts, topped the chicken breasts with a bit more sauce, then topped the sauce with a few slices of cheese.

While the chicken breasts baked at 350 degrees (until the cheese melted, about 15 minutes), I started to make linguine - I'd say that I tossed the linguine with the rest of the tomato sauce, a little pasta cooking water, a healthy grating of Parmesan cheese, and several grinds of black pepper, but I was gone by that point, so John did it.

Yep, I ran out of time, somewhere between sliding the chicken into the oven and stirring the pasta into boiling water.

I took exactly zero pictures after 4:30 pm, which is about when I realized there was no way in hell I was going to complete dinner by 4:45 pm.  Therefore the pics of breaded cutlets, and merrily sauteeing cutlets, but none of actual chicken parmigiana...

I did manage to slice a chicken breast into strips, and quickly pack the strips with some tomato sauce for dipping, for my son to scarf down in the car between school and church.  Not ideal, but it worked.  I ate my dinner, reheated from ice-cold (tasty but completely unphotogenic), between church drop-off and pick-up.  (And made a mental note to stick to the un-pounded, un-breaded basics on Wednesdays from now on...)

And oh, PS, Thursday morning now: I got so cranky about goofing up my timing that I forgot to say that it's completely worth making chicken parmigiana on a less busy day, because it's delicious and kids love it, but also because if you make it at home it doesn't have to be the calorie bomb it tends to be in restaurants.  To keep the breading on the lighter side, I use fresh bread crumbs or panko crumbs - both are fluffy, stick to the breasts in spots, and therefore don't create a heavy, thick coating.  Saute the breasts in oil meant for high heat (peanut oil or refined safflower oil, for instance) and the keep the heat at medium high so the breasts brown quickly (and soak up less oil).  And use a light hand with the cheese - no need to bury the chicken, a smaller amount tastes fabulous and doesn't drown out the fresh tomato sauce and ruin the crisp crust you just worked so hard to create!

It feels a-mazing to be chilling out this Sunday vs. running errands, wrapping presents, cooking for a crowd, chasing around for school supplies, cleaning up the house, grocery shopping, or getting on a plane.  I didn't plan for it to be this way, but I am relaxing, and ahhh what a wonderful concept.  Not sitting still (which is what I should be doing), but doing fun things, like working on my blog name change and making a simple cauliflower gratin, a recipe I saw on The Wednesday Chef a few days ago and decided that I must make.  I knew that I had all the ingredients in the cooler, not to mention the must-have champagne to go along with preparing and consuming it, so around 11:30 this morning I dug in.

The gratin is lovely, lovely and easy too.  The only thing I think I'd change is to skip the potatoes and go all cauliflower - it ends up so sweet and delicious, and is such a perfect foil for gruyere cheese, that I found myself a little bummed each time I got a bite of potato instead of cauliflower (it's hard to tell as you spoon it up, given white vs. white in white sauce).  Most definitely don't skimp on salt.  And I admit, I kept wishing for a kiss of garlic as well, although it's certainly not necessary.  Perhaps I can't shake the image of MFK Fisher's cauliflower gratin (which I tried a few times, but gave up because the cream and cheese do not "come together in a perfect sauce" with 21st century not-French cream and gruyere - definitely go with this recipe and consider the aforementioned tweaks).

Anyhow, lightly cheesy cauliflower underneath a crusty topping is about the best Sunday afternoon lunch/brunch I could imagine.

So, what do you think of the new name?  Moderate Epicurean has a special place in my heart, but it's awfully clunky to describe to people and I was ready for...something crispier.  I like both 'fresh' and 'tart' for meaning sassy, because...I'm (worse than) sassy (but what I really am wouldn't make an appropriate blog name).  I like that it also alludes to fresh start, which is what this is all about.  My goal is to take things up a notch here at...Fresh Tart...so stay tuned for better design, photos, and perhaps the addition of demonstration video clips.  And yes, this all includes getting my recipes in order.  (In case you're wondering, the Just One Bite name I was messing around with earlier in the week is the name of...rat poison.  Dang, that seriously made me laugh.  Too bad though, I liked how it alluded to moderation.  Ah well, so it goes in the blogoshpere.)

On my mind this weekend, other than renaming/designing my blog, is one of my favorite cookbooks, Michael Chiarello's Causal Cooking.  I've posted a few recipes from it before  - spaghetti all'amatriciana, tomato soup, spuma di tonno (tuna spread), and herb butter.  But I'm ready to try a few more, like mozarella in carrozza.  From his book: "A carrozza is a "carriage," in this case the bread that sandwiches the mozzarella and delivers it to the table.  Mozzarella in Carrozza is southern Italy's grilled cheese sandwhich, with a litle anchovy to cut the cheese's miky sweetness and an egg batter to make a golden coat."  Oh yeahhh, right?  Kinda fresh, kinda tart (definitely salty), I like it.  (Recipe here.)

This pretty salad also appeals to me, using clementines in place of tangerines (because they're so delicious right now)...shaved carrot, fennel, and tangerine salad.  Paper thin slices of carrot, fennel, and red onion are dressed with lemon juice and olive oil and tossed wtih tangerine sections and watercress.  Seriously fresh and tart, yum. (Recipe here.)

Or, a gorgeous-looking winter panzanella (bread salad), this version with roasted butternut squash and slivers of Brussels sprouts, both of which I have languishing in the cooler (not very fresh sounding, but they're quite decent, as seen up top).  I might innovate and add a bit of crispy pancetta to finish and call it dinner - I'm on my own tonight, and since the rest of the fam enjoys neither squash nor Brussels, it's a perfectly lovely thing to make for myself. (Recipe here.)

I can't get enough of it (as you well know if you read this blog - I do a soup consolidation post every winter).  Warm, nutritious, satisfying, easy to make, and delicious - what's not to like?  I mix things up with garnishes....a grating of cheese, a sprinkle of toasted nuts, a drizzle of excellent olive oil or nut oil (hazelnut, walnut, sesame), a dab of creme fraiche, or a spoonful of pesto....you get the idea.  It's fun to add a crispy version of whatever veggies are in the soup base to perk things up - picture crispy cauliflower as a garnish to a creamy cauliflower soup.  Or a shower of chopped fresh herbs.  Or a few pieces of crisp, salty meat to elevate something simple to sublime - a few cubes of crunchy, chewy pancetta or bacon finish off a basic mushroom or tomato soup beautifully.

Or, my personal favorite, ladling soup over freshly made croutons - some sort of crusty bread, cubed and sauteed in a bit of olive oil with garlic, finish with a generous sprinkle of salt.  So good, they can turn a basic broth into something incredible (add a sprinkle of Parm, and freshly ground black pepper...peasant food at its finest).

I often make a great big pot, we have it for lunch or dinner, then I freeze the rest.  Happiness is coming home at 7 pm, thinking there's nothing for dinner, then remembering the lovely soup you tucked into the freezer a month ago.  Label containers carefully (date, contents) for maximum enjoyment, minimal confusion.

Some ideas if you're hankering for a bowl (I enjoyed two yesterday - split pea for lunch, beef with barley for din, NICE) -

split pea with bacon & herbs

beef with barley

new england clam chowder

manhattan clam chowder

watercress with anchovy crouton

french onion

vegetable with pesto (middle pic)

fish with grilled bread and rouille

quick black bean

portuguese caldo verde

pappa al pomodoro (tomato bread)

quick chicken with bacon, asparagus & truffle oil

matzo ball

tortilla

quick chicken gumbo

avgolemono (Greek egg lemon)

chickpea with rosemary & sage (bottom pic)

tomato with crouton (top pic)

cabbage with gruyere

For more ideas, check out this consolidation of my soup posts.

I've written this before, but I feel I should give another plug for lovely souffles.  They seem so intimidating, especially given all the fallen versions we've seen on TV comedies, mocking some poor cook for daring to try one.  But seriously, they're ridiculously easy, and cheap, and stunningly delicious (even if they fall), and not at all overly rich.  When John and I are alone for dinner, I'll often whip one up for a simple dinner.  Separated eggs are the heart of the dish - the yolks are cooked into a quick custard, with cheese whisked in (and sauteed mushrooms, my personal favorite; but I've also added small blanched broccoli florets or crab meat).  Then the whites are beaten to soft peaks, folded quickly into the custard, the whole mess is poured into a round, deep casserole (or hollowed out tomatoes, salted and drained a bit), baked until puffy and browned, et voila, souffle.  Serve immediately, alongside a simple salad - cheesy, eggy heaven.  (Recipe here.)

Souffles are wonderful for dessert as well, of course.  The lemon souffle I've made for the past couple of Christmas Eves is my family's favorite all-time dessert.  Served warm, with a dollop of softly whipped cream - unbeatably delicious.  I make the custard right before the guests arrive, hold the custard at room temperature, then beat the eggs whites (takes approximately 3 minutes with a stand mixer), fold them in, and pop the souffle into the oven right as we sit down for dinner.  Try it, I swear you'll love it.

Note: John and I had dinner with Debbie and Stu the Wine Genius Williams last night, at Heartland in St. Paul (home of our Bizarre Foods appearance).  Chef Lenny Russo is a local-ingredient pioneer, so his menu is always studded with local game, fish, eggs, cheeses, fruits, and vegetables.  He and his staff even preserve the bounty of end-of-summer produce, pulling jars of this and that out for delicious mid-winter menu items like preserved tomato and smoked freshwater fish stew, and a homemade ketchup that was so spicy-rich-good, I could have licked my husband's plate (he had it alongside a bison ribeye steak, serious).   My favorite dish of the evening was the housemade (of course) chicken-liver pate, plated with kohlrabi slaw and toasted bread.  Give me that for dinner, and the beautiful wine that we drank (specifics forthcoming, I had to email Stu...), and I'd be a happy chick.  Must be the reason that I am a happy chick.  And oh!  Almost forgot, we had a little taste of cassoulet as well, which convinced me that I must make some soon.  I've not made it before, although I came home and immediately googled a Julia Child recipe and plan to give it a go in the next few weeks.  Need to put my hands on goose (or duck) fat, preserved goose (or duck) with cracklings (that might be impossible if I don't make it myself), although the rest looks doable, if time-consuming.  I can only hope it will be half as fabulous as the cassoulet Debbie, Stu, and I enjoyed at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville (Napa Valley) a few years ago.  Stay tuned for the details...

Seriously, it's been below-zero for a week.  Nothing new for Minnesota, just a particularly harsh reminder that holiday and birthday fun are officially over, welcome to real winter.  Forget the fluffy snow-twinkly light-wrapping presents-sledding winter.  No, this kind of cold is way beyond the warming reach of hot cocoa.  This is ugly, mean, dangerous cold, the kind that every year has me asking...WHY DO I LIVE HERE?  Sigh.  I'll stop now.

And make the best of it, as I always do, by whipping up something warm and comforting.  Peasant-style food works here, in today's case humble polenta.  Or spectacular polenta, as it were, with just a kiss of butter, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and either a generous shower of grated Parmesan cheese or - my breakfast this morning - an over-easy egg.  The trick with polenta is to cook it for a long time and give it several good stirs, that's what makes it creamy-dreamy without a drop of cream (although go ahead and add cream if you wish, you certainly won't regret it).

Follow this recipe, tonight perhaps, and serve it alongside beef stew, or grilled lamb chops, or roasted vegetables, or even just sauteed mushrooms.  Sauteed greens are particularly delicious (think collards & grits and you get the picture...).  Make a big batch, eat the first round porridge-style, then eat the leftovers sliced and sauteed or grilled (since it becomes quite firm upon cooling).

On a slightly different note, here are two healthy, comfort-y recipes that could be nice for the weekend - green salad with warm potatoes, and frisee salad with an egg (perfect brunch food, add a glass of bubbly; they leave off the traditional bacon/lardons, but I submit that a very small amount of bacon packs a big flavor punch, so go for it if you think you'll miss it).

Later note, February 14, 2010: Mark Bittman/NYTimes has a similar rave, plus a video, check it out.