The Tomato Tart

Ok so I love to receive the Williams Sonoma catalogs, especially for the recipes they feature.  I was flipping through one today, looking for ideas on something summery, not too complicated, and kind of light to make for dinner today.  I know tomatoes are in season, and they are also prominently displayed in this current catalog.
I came across a tomato heirloom tart, that looked colorful and cheesy; upon closer inspection in the website, it seemed pretty easy to do, if I used an already made pie crust.  I also would not have the ability to choose from a wide selection of tomatoes from the local corna supamarket, but I figured a few different sizes and shapes of the red plum and hot house tomatoes would be quite delicious.
You can find the recipe online as well at the Williams Sonoma website, so I won't repeat it here; but I will say I substituted the pie crust recipe with puff pastry dough (am very grateful the corna market carries it in the summer).
I also used less parmesan cheese than the recipe called for, I used about half  of it, because of some of the comments underneath the recipe saying the tart came out too salty.
I baked the puff pastry dough in a non-stick pie pan for 10 minutes, then let it sit and cool a bit.
I mixed up the tart filling.  (Oh how I love the smell of fresh basil!). I dolloped it onto the pastry crust and spread it around with the back of a spoon.
I achieved a thick filling,a nd then sliced the tomatoes, about 1/4 inch thick, and slicing in half again the slices of tomato from the bigger tomato.
I drizzled a little bit of olive oil over the top, and then, in accordance with a comment under the internet recipe again, I popped the tart into the oven for 10 minutes to warm it up and let the flavors of the cheeses and herbs blend a bit.
It smelled wonderful - my husband commented on it, as the scent wafted out of the kitchen.

I sliced into it a few minutes later - and it was a little hard to cut, as the ricotta mixture was thick, and I realized, kind of weighed the crust down.

I served myself the unsightly first piece, then served my husband.
Then it was time to taste.
I really liked it; it was akin to a calzone, thick ricotta, the tomato and then the thin crust.  I eagerly eyes the tart, planning on my next piece.
Hubby ate slowly and asked if we were eating cottage cheese.  I explained that it was ricotta and he told me he doesn't really like ricotta.  Well, not in a huge quantity.  He really liked the crust though.
So ok, the votes are split on this; I had seconds and thirds, and gave hubby my crusts.  Hubby later had a sandwich.
I would try this again, but use less ricotta mixture on the tart; I do think the recipe intended there to be a thin layer on a larger circumference; I had used a pie pan and not a tart pan.
I have a quarter of the tart left, and I am going to have my sister try it too.  But ok, I am pleased I tried this.
And I have a lot of lovely tomatoes and basil left over.

My attempt at a British style chicken pot pie

So after being inspired by the scent of what I surmised was a chicken pot pie, being baked by a neighbor, the provocative scent wafting in the hallway, I was determined to make a chicken pot pie today.*
The last time I tried to make one, it was fashioned after a series of pot pies I'd had in England in 1996, made by the dear grandmother of a close friend of mine.  My sister and I had finished our study abroad year in Austria, and we had driven up to England with our Welsh friend who had also finished his Erasmus year abroad (Erasmus was the name then, of the exchange program of students within Europe and the U.K. and Ireland).  Our plan was to stay with him in Wales and see the sights for a little while, then to sight see in London for a couple of days, and then fly home. 
Wales was beautiful; we stayed in Pontypool with our friend and his generous and loving family; we went for walks in the hills (and yes indeed there are a lot of sheep); we visited Cardiff Castle and Chepstow Castle (we nicknamed it Cheapstone for no other reason then that it was easier to say), and I had the honor of attending the Swansea Ball as my friend's date, and to drink Hooch into late in the night, then wake up to a full English breakfast. 
Alas though, it was time to head home.  Our friend's grandparents lived in Colchester, and hearing their grandson was going to be in London, they insisted we come and stay at their house for the days we were touring the big city.
We loved those grandparents so much; Betty and Dick Furminger; in the evenings, after coming home on the regional train, they took out their memorabilia boxes from World War II; they had ration cards still from the war(!); and Dick was a change bell ringer - he was an active player in a group in a church tower - one magical evening we took a double decker bus and rode into town; we climbed into the tower and watched as he stood within a circle of players and tugged on a rope, according to a sheet of what looked like written music, but upon closer inspection, was difficult to decipher. The tower rocked with the music of those powerful bells as the sun went down.  We were lucky indeed.
And food wise....we had Betty's exquisite cooking to come home to every evening.  She made pies and tarts, little sandwiches and scones(she pronounced it as an American would, and laughed heartily when we were puzzled that she didn't call it "scoon").  The chicken pies she made for us were a mixure of soft vegetables, creamy gravy, and just perfectly flaky crust.  It was eye rolling-good.  We asked her for a recipe; she answered, "Well you just take some chicken, carrots and peas,make a gravy, and put in in the crust.  It's quite easy really."  That was cute, but we realized she had made it so many times, she had perfected it, and she couldn't give us measurements - it was intuitive to her now. 
So back home in Noo Yawk, we were left to our own devices.  With our Mom, a couple of weeks after returning home, we tried to concoct a chicken pot pie.  The effort was worth it, and while delicious, it wasn't quite Gran's pie; we sautéed some chicken breast, and took some frozen peas and carrots, cooked that up in a can of Campbell's cream of chicken soup; added the chicken, and then poured that thick mixture into a pair of Pillsbury pie crusts.
We didn't really attempt that pie again. 
Now it is some cough cough -teen years later, and smelling that pie cooking so close to my own kitchen...I was inspired!
I quickly skimmed a few recipes online, and came up with this; I made a simple crust of 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 stick of cold diced butter, and 1/4 cup of cold water.  I formed a ball, then wrapped it in plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator until it was time to assemble the pie.
Then I sautéed some chicken breast chunks in about 2 teaspoons of olive oil.  Once the chicken was browned, I removed it, and fried up 3 tablespoons of butter; I added half a box of frozen peas, half a box of frozen peas and carrots mix, and one chopped onion.  I let that slowly cook until the whole mixture was warm and the onions were soft.  Then I added the chicken, and sprinkled everything with about 2 tablespoons of flour.  I let that cook for about 3 minutes, while stirring.  Then I added about 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth, and stirred that for about another 5 minutes watching for a natural thickening to occur - that is the gravy. I sprinkled a little bit of turmeric and salt and pepper over it all.






I turned the heat off on the chicken and vegetable mixture.
I took the dough out of the fridge, and rolled it out between 2 pieces of parchment paper (love parchment paper!), sprinkled with flour.
I poured the chicken mixture into my pie pan, and then laid the dough over the pan, letting it droop over the edges where it was uneven (it's fun to snap these edges off after the pie is baked).
I baked this at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes - I think I should've baked it at a higher temperature - maybe 425, because it took longer to bake than I had guessed for a pie with an already cooked center. I took it out once the crust was a nice brown.
I let the pie cool for 5 minutes, then I served it up.
My husband went cuckoo for it!  The gravy was nice, the peas had become very mushy and the crust was very slightly sweet.  I liked it very much - THIS was more like Gran's pie! 
*photos coming soon.  I am seriously spazzing out with how to upload photos here lately.

Did it again - the yearly Milchrahmstrudel!

Wieder gemacht - Milchrahmstrudel

It's in Amenia!

                                         

Can you believe this???  A drive-in theatre?  Yes - in Amenia, NY!  About a 2 hour drive from Queens up Route 22 parallel to the Hudson River, Amenia boasts a rural feel similar to some of the further reaches of Long Island, while also offering some intensely delicious food and just about the best bed and breakfast I've ever experienced.
My husband and I had driven up to Amenia on a jaunt from housesitting in Westchester in early July, and from some cursory internet searches, read some positive reviews about Amenia, and in particular, the restaurant Serevan.  We have been keeping an eye out for places to possibly buy a weekend home, and thought, let's go check out Amenia, and have a meal at Serevan.
We were utterly charmed.  Amenia has some horse farms, a green market and a tiny center of town,  where you can find the post office, library, gas station, pizzeria and several quirky antiques stores. Using our trusty (read:it's now more like a family member) GPS, we drove around and scouted some houses for sale, and then sailed on over to Serevan as it opened its door for dinner.  What a lovely building - an old house converted into the restaurant, it has well tended gardens and we lingered outside for a few minutes.  Then we headed inside - the attentive staff directed us to a table by a window, and the owner himself, Serge Madikians, swept by our table, and we chatted for a few minutes. Serge took a photo of us silhouetted by the window, and it appeared on facebook, a few days later. 
But back to: the food!  We got a hummus appetizer, which was fresh and tasted homemade - there is a stark difference between hand crushed chick peas and the store bought hummus - this was handmade.  We gobbled that up.  We then moved on to our main dishes; now I am a BIG fan of Kaesespaetzle - my favorite iteration coming from Zum Schneider on Avenue C in Manhattan; this was from the same family.  The spaetzle I ordered had a mix of herbs, mushrooms and goat cheese - forkful after forkful was gooey, slightly crunchy and very satisifying.  I finally raised my head to look over at my husband, and he was immersed in his plate of chicken with lemons, olives and couscous.  He offered me a bite, and I could see the slight reluctance to let a forkful of this get away from him; but when I finished my dish before him, he felt bad for me and my cow eyes and I scored a few more bites!

I ordered baklava - because I knew it would be good and I was right - real honey and a mix of nuts - just - no words.  My husband got a mix of fruits with pistachio ice cream.  REAL pistachio ice cream.
We will be back here - this place is a real showcase - a place to take guests and to celebrate.

We returned to Amenia at the start of last weekend.  We were looking at some properties nearby, and decided, on the fly, to stay overnight.  Again, checking out reviews, my husband found great reviews for a Bed and Breakfast called Hilltop House Bed and Breakfast - he called them and they readily agreed to put us up for the night.
First, we decided to grab a bit to eat - and thought we would try out the pizzeria that is off the center of town, called Four Brothers Pizza and Restaurant.  We ordered the artichoke dip, and shared a medium sized pizza.  We thoroughly enjoyed our food - the artichoke dip was what we expected - a concoction of artichoke and cheese; and the pizza was very tasty - a crispy crunchy crust and they were able to do one of my favorite toppings - fried eggplant.  (That's an extra bonus point in my book.)

As we stepped outside of the restaurant, we noticed, directly adjacent - a sign for a drive in theater.  We trotted over - what  - really?  And yes - with a little ice cream shack to supply snacks during the movie, this was a real working drive in theater.  What a delightful find!  The last one I ever saw was near Rocky Point, NY, already defunct, but you could see the screen from the roadway.  We vowed to come back one time and do the whole drive-in experience.

Then we were off to our B & B. 

We arrived at the enormous home at the corner of Depot Hills Road and Prospect Avenue.  The house and the neighboring homes reminded me of the homes from Anne of Green Gables -   I immediately had a cozy feeling.  We opened the wooden screen door and our eyes were drawn to the light from the kitchen - a huge kitchen - my dream kitchen - and off to the side was a little nook with a table where we were greeted by Sandy, one of the owners.  We chatted and found out that she and West, her husband, both hail from Brooklyn - also Noo Yawkas!  She showed us up to our room - the Sunshine Suite - a corner room with en suite bathroom - with double basins (I thought it was called Jack and Jill, but that describes a bathroom with 2 exits). And there was a little chandelier above the headboard.

 

OH the quiet!  OH the greenery out our windows. 

And then, as evening came on, we went out for a walk in the neighborhood - more of the charming Green Gables houses, and on our return - the scent of cinnamon and cookies baking greeted us.  Simply enchanting!!! That scent of cookies wafted through the house for the next couple of hours - and to me, there is no smell more inviting, homey or trance-inducing than that!  I was hoping that we would see the baked goods at breakfast the next morning, and I was not disappointed!

Sandy asked us what time we wanted breakfast, and we told her 8 a.m., as we had to get back to the city for work.  We had a peaceful night in the room - there is no television, and we quite liked that - we had our various electronic devices, but it also allowed us to give ourselves permission to relax and not be so connected.

We bounced down the stairs at 8 a.m, and there the cawffee was waiting, and Sandy greeted us and told us to sit wherever we liked.  We sat out on the covered side porch - I cannot describe how delightful this was - here are some pictures to help relive it.

And the breakfast was scrumptious - as you can see - scrambled eggs from local farmers, crunchy toasted bread, a pat of butter, stewed plums, the most perfectly crisped bacon, and then the source of the lovely baking aroma - zucchini bread!!!  This is what Sandy had been baking the night before - it was evenly browned, you could see the shredded zucchini in it, yet it had the beckoning cinnamon and brown sugar taste that a breakfast bread should have. 
My husband at first was hesitant to try the zucchini bread - he thought zucchini should not be a breakfast food - but I begged him to try, and his eyes expanded 2x at the first bite. 
We were so enchanted with the whole experience, we were sorry to finish our breakfasts and to have to leave.  My husband is a big bacon fan, and Sandy shared with me her secret to that perfect bacon. 
Off we went on that sunny morning, vowing we would be back.
Yes it's all in Amenia!

Foiled; search for the old time German style bakeries in Queens

After much ado reading about the Stork's Bakery in Whitestone, Queens, not far from the beloved and much missed Cake Box in Bayside, Queens, I drove over to Stork's; I had memorized the directions on Google maps; I chugged my way down 150th Street in the 90 degree temperature, and sighted the bakery!

I parked, paid the Muni Meter, and skipped across the street to Stork's on the corner - what a huge bakery from the outside!
But as I neared the door, I saw this:

Darn - July 7- August 15th closed!  The German bakery has the German vacation (I wish the U.S. had more Urlaubzeit).  We shall have to return mid August.

Bicerin-finally finally tasted one!

Ever since reading about the famous Bicerin drink from Turin, I have longed to taste it; having travelled in Italy in the cold winter months in the year we did our study abroad and so been introduced to the thick chocolatey pudding heaven that is an Italian hot chocolate, I had no doubt that combining this superb hot chocolate with espresso and cream would be an experience akin to reaching the peak of a chocolatey Mount Everest.
I thought I might have to travel to Turin, but as fate would have it, Turin came to me, or rather, to Manhattan; the food emporium/ restaurant/ cafe/ almost all things Italian enterprise of Lidia Bastianich and Mario Bataly, called " Eataly" , on 23rd street, selling the coveted Bicerin. Here was my chance!
I confess, it took me a little longer to get there than I had planned-simply because, as a New Yorker who has worked in and commuted back aNd forth to Manhattan for over a decade, I was reluctant to travel into Manhattan on an off day.
But last Monday, I finally did it; I stepped into Eataly at lunchtime ( if you go, I do not recommend lunchtime because of the swelling crowds), and at the caffe bar, ordered my Bicerin.
At close to $5, and just the size of an overfilled espresso, it is a little painful on the wallet, but again, how much would airfare be to Italy? I stepped out to Madison square park and found a bench amongst the lunch breakers to sit and savor my drink.
I found it thick and rich as expected; a drink to be sipped slowly, but not too slowly as the extreme heat of the espresso wears off quickly. The coffee and chocolate meld nicely in the palate; I don't know if this is blasphemy, but the taste, after a few sips, reminded me vaguely of a Starbucks' caffe mocha. The cream slowly sifted down and dispersed, like marshmallows on hot cocoa.
I was sorry the drink was over, I shook the cup for the last drops. Was it what I had expected; yes, I would say delightfully so!
Here is my cellphone pic of my Bicerin:

 

Yes - that is chocolate on the rim of the cup...ooh lala!

Good eats in Alabama!

Hello - it's been a while since we posted here!  Sorry - been busy and time flies by - but food is never far from our thoughts!
Here are a few more delish dishes I had on our trip down south - a couple of restaurants - one that is beloved by my mother -in-law and her husband, and another we discovered on our journey to Alabama.
Here is superb Italian food - Frank's Italian Restaurant, in Sheffield, Alabama.  We started with the bread dip - I believe this one is tomato pesto - we just couldn't get enough of it:

Darn - I see this photo is a little blurry - I thought it was clearer, sorry.  But you can see the herbs mixed in the sauce,and the sauce was a pink color, kind of like vodka sauce.

I also ordered the eggplant parmigiana - just lovely - fried cutlets of eggplant - I  love deep fried cuts of eggplant without the skin, and that's just what this was!  Smothered in sizzling cheese.

My husband and his Mom ordered the lasagna - it looked cheesy and perfect.

When we go back down to Florence, we are definitely returning to Frank's - if you are in the Muscle Shoals area, and there are many reasons to be there, besides being beautiful it also has a rich musical history-stop in at Frank's!

And I want to give a shout out to Sapphire, in Knoxville - it was right next door to a popular sports bar; the sports bar had an hour wait, and so we tried Sapphire next door, and were delighted.  So delighted, in fact, that on our trip back home to New York, passing through Knoxville again, we beelined it right back to Sapphire.  They had a lot of non-traditional takes on traditional food.  They had outstanding sweet potato potato chips, but also, brussel sprouts that were flash fried on the outside, so that the outer layers were shriveled but hugging the curve of the brussel - and perfectly soft on the inside.  We ordered them both times.

Ok, that's my tale for now.