Cooking Posts - 2019

Another year, another year's worth of cooking! As with prior years that I've been catching up, this is a collection of all the one-off cooking posts from 2019. Enjoy!

Lamb Kafta

I happened to be watching Nigella Lawson on TV one day and she made a similar version of this dish. It looked great and I decided to recreate it at home. It was delicious!

Shepherd's Pie

Arancini

Bouchon Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've made these cookies a few times and they stand as my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. They're enormous and just a little bit salty. I have to laugh every time I make them, as according to the Bouchon Bakery cookbook, their crepe cake, which I made a few years ago for one of my dinners with Al, is the easiest recipe in the book. Nope. Pretty sure these cookies are more than a little bit simpler. 

Superbowl

Mozzarella Sticks w/ Marinara Sauce

Wings w/ Blue Cheese Dressing

Nachos - Sodium Citrate Queso, Pickled Onions & Jalapeños, Cilantro, Cholula

It's no secret that while I don't care about the "Big Game" itself, I love Superbowl food. It's tradition that Leah and I make a bunch of junk food and gorge while we watch commercials and the Puppy Bowl. 

Fried Fish & Coleslaw

Dinosaur BBQ Peanut Butter Pie

BBQ Night!

Oven Ribs

Jalapeño Cornbread

Ham Hock Collard Greens

Stuffed Peppers

This delicious dish was Leah's idea to make. We used cauliflower rice and I think ground beef for the filling, topped with cheese and enchilada sauce and baked until bubbly. Wonderful!

Baked Ziti

Garganelli w/ Lamb & Peas

Whenever we visit our dear friends Al and Megan in Katonah, NY, we like to stop in the excellent Katonah Pasta Shop and pick up a few pounds of homemade pasta. Their garganelli is one of my absolute favorites. 

Spanish Coffee

1 oz Bacardi 151

1 1/2 oz Kahlua

1 dash Triple Sec

Coffee

Nutmeg

Whipping Cream

Lime Juice & Granulated Sugar (for the rim)

I used to watch a fantastic cocktail show on the Esquire Network. The hosts would travel to different places and enjoy cocktails, often posting the recipes on-screen. I would pause the screen and take photos to add to my recipe archive for any that stood out to me, like this incredible Spanish Coffee. 

Lasagna

Another amazing meal courtesy of the fresh pasta (in this case lasagna sheets) from Katonah Pasta. 

Mussels & Fries

Pork Chops & Cauliflower Purée

Vegetable Fritters

Hotpot

Another visit to Al and Megan's in Katonah, NY - we were treated to this spectacular Shabu Shabu hot pot extravaganza!

Lemon Pasta w/ Clams

The last of the pasta from Katonah - they make this amazing lemon fettuccine. Leah and I were strolling through the farmer's market near Lincoln Center and saw a fishmonger selling great-looking clams. We picked up a couple dozen and I threw together this wonderful dish. Only problem was I forgot to stick the clams in water first to let them expel their sand, so it was unfortunately a bit gritty. 

Cheesesteaks

Sodium citrate, that magical salt-like additive, is endlessly fun. Here we used it to make whiz-like cheese sauce for reasonably authentic Philly cheesesteaks.

Mac N' Cheese

Roast Chicken & Vegetables

In late October when the weather starts getting cold, nothing beats the comfort and warmth that a nice plate of roast chicken delivers.

Sugar Pumpkins

Leah's project making filling for pumpkin pies.

Au Pied de Cochon Apple Cake

As you may know if you read my post about our visit to the legendary Montreal temple to gluttony, Au Pied de Cochon, we were sent home with a couple cans of Martin Picard's maple condensed milk product. One we gave away as a gift, and the other sat in our pantry until I finally decided to use it to make this indulgent apple cake served with maple syrup. Yum. 

Aged Eggnog

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown. We made a big batch of this eggnog in early November and let it age until Christmas time. It was delicious immediately after making, but as it aged became more mellow and smooth. We have additional stock still in the fridge (I'm posting this the following year in May 2020) and it's still absolutely amazing. We'll see this Christmas what it tastes like after a full year of aging!

Dutch Baby

I can't take credit for this spectacular-looking blueberry Dutch baby - this was my mom's doing. Amazing as always!

Swedish Meatballs & Spaghetti Squash

Pumpkin Gin Sours

2 oz Gin

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

1/2 oz Pumpkin Butter

1 Egg White

Dash of Cinnamon & Fresh Thyme (for garnish)

Chicken Hearts & Grits

Store-bought chicken usually comes stuffed with a bag full of giblets. You'll usually get the heart, liver, neck, and maybe the kidneys and/or gizzard. On this occasion I opened up the bag and it contained almost a dozen hearts! Too good to be true. I set about dicing them up and cooked them with onions and thyme. Served over creamy grits, there's almost nothing better!

Orecchiette w/ Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

I feel like the older people get, the more difficult they are to shop for. Some things are always a hit with me though, like a big bundle of delicious food! This classic dish came courtesy of my brother's Christmas gift to Leah and I - a care package of great Italian ingredients. 

NoMad Bar Library

I had a minor issue scheduling an evening at NoMad Bar in late 2019 - long story short, the management offered us a reservation with a few drinks and small bites on the house to apologize for the snafu. Leah and I gladly took them up on their offer and ended up being seated in the beautiful Library, which we had never been in before. 

NoMad Bar

1170 Broadway, New York, NY

thenomadhotel.com/new-york/dining/spaces/the-nomad-bar

It was the day after Christmas, so the space was still festively decorated. Everything looked beautiful, and we felt very warm and relaxed. 

Coq-Tail No. 5

Elyx Vodka, Pumpkin Spice, Lemon, Ginger

NoMad Bar has served this fun two-person cocktail for a while, though this particular variation incorporated fall and winter flavors, and sported more cute holiday decorations.

 

Carrot

Tartare with Quail Egg, Sunflower Seeds, & Rye Crisps

I've written many times about this delicious dish, which is pound-for-pound the best on the entire menu. We get it on every visit. 

Charcuterie

Variations with Pickled Vegetables, Olive Jam, & Swiss Cheeses

A slightly awkward situation - our invitation said "drinks and snacks with our compliments". However when we arrived nobody actually spoke to us about what that would entail, so we just ordered what we wanted. Then on top of what we ordered, a few free items came out, like this charcuterie platter. It's not that it wasn't appreciated, but I wish somebody had just been direct with us and said they were going to send a couple things out on the house. In the end it added up to too much food and we ended up spending more money than necessary. Oh well, not the worst problem to have. 

As for the charcuterie itself, everything was great. We had ordered this dish once a long time ago and were disappointed by the portion size - this version felt more substantial. 

Fried Chicken

Chili-Lime Yogurt

This dish has been on the menu for a long time and we always passed over it. I'm glad we finally ordered it though, as the portion size was very substantial and the taste was fantastic. 

NoMad Hot Dog

Bacon-Wrapped with Black Truffle & Celery

Another item we almost always order - we love hot dogs and this fancy version is always a hit with us. 

French Fries

Herbs, Ketchup, Lemon & Pommery Mayo

NoMad Bar's fries are another great menu value. Crisp, delicious, and very substantial. 

Ice Cream Sandwich

One of the newer additions to NoMad Bar's dessert menu is a trio of ice cream sandwiches. Their desserts have always been pretty weak, so we were really happy that this item was absolutely amazing. This wasn't one of the regular flavors, but rather a seasonal version with, if memory serves, maple. 

Milk & Honey

Shortbread, Honey Brittle, Milk Ice Cream

NoMad Restaurant's trademark dessert, which is wonderfully light and delicate. This was another complimentary dish, which we were more than happy to receive. 

Aska - Leah's 35th Birthday

Having greatly enjoyed my experience at Frederik Berselius' acclaimed Nordic restaurant Aska with Al the previous January, I decided to surprise Leah with a special night out for her 35th birthday. The dinner was just as good as I remembered from the last time, which is to say 'fantastic with only some minor imperfections', though in this instance I was a bit disappointed that almost all of the dishes were either identical to what I had had previously, or only one minor ingredient had changed. Still, Leah had a great time, which was what really mattered on this occasion, and we were treated quite excellently by the entire staff. 

Aska

47 South 5th St, Brooklyn, NY

askanyc.com

We purposefully arrived about 30 minutes early so we could enjoy a cocktail in the beautiful garden. 

Cocktails

Left: Gooseberry Martini - Vodka, Dry Vermouth, Brine, Pickled Gooseberry

Right: Wild Negroni - Chrysanthemum-Infused Gin, Salers Aperitif, Cocchi Americano

The beautiful dark farmhouse interior - perfect for a romantic evening with your favorite lady!

Birch Aquavit

Cuvée de Kienberg Wild Creatures

American Wild Ale

Perusing the drink menu, we decided to have one more round each before the meal began in earnest. A delicious homemade birch aquavit for me and a wild ale for Leah. 

Bladderwrack

Blue Mussel Emulsion

The same opening bite from my previous visit, and one of my favorites. A long chip made of seaweed with dots of mayo-like mussel cream. Lovely!

Kohlrabi

Compressed with Linden Leaf Oil and Linden Flower Vinegar

Though the components were the same, the plate composition here was slightly different than the last time I had this dish. It was equally crunchy and light with a refreshingly tart finish. 

Potato Pancake

Pommes Soufflé, Vendace Roe Smoked in Dried Carrot Tops, Elderflower

On my prior visit this was one of the absolute stars of the menu, so despite getting three of the same courses in a row, I was still incredibly excited to see this dish return. Warm, savory, soft, creamy, and crispy. An incredible little bite. 

Roussanne
Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils 'Pure Roussanne'
Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016

Douglas Fir Juice

There was an unfortunate miscommunication with the staff, who never talked to us about drinks after the first round. We had actually wanted to order one each of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic pairings to go with the meal. So when we finally were able to mention this they had to play catch up. We heard the whole kitchen call out adjustments to timing to accommodate.

Razor Clam
Preserved Black Pine and Cucumber Reduction

This stunning presentation belied a subtle and delicate combination of flavors. Very nice. 

Caviar
Imperial Oscietra Caviar, Peas, Preserved Mushrooms, Green Gooseberries, Pea Shell Broth

Another light, subtle concept and a very unique application of caviar. It was a new experience to pair the luxury ingredient with something as humble as peas. The result was unexpected but great. 

Pinot Meunier
Christophe Mignon 'Pur Meunier' Brut Nature
Champagne 2013

Tagetes (Marigold Soda)

Langoustine

Brain, Tail, Claw, Chamomile

This was one of the previous star dishes, and for good reason. The small amount of brain in rich langoustine stock, as well as the tender, buttery tail wrapped in edible flowers, were both amazing as ever. The new addition, a bit of langoustine claw meat served as a sort of mini salad, was a nice third component. 

Onion
Grilled Onion and Scallop, Roasted Onion and Black Currant Leaf Broth

I made a minor fool of myself, reacting to the beautiful scallop shell center piece by saying, "Awesome! Clam!" I realized my mistake and the server joked that he was debating whether he should correct me or not. 

Another hit from last round - the broth was roast-y with super-concentrated onion flavor. 

Rye
Grilled Rye Flatbread, Young Wild Pine Yeast, Cultured Butter with Black Locust Flowers, Whipped Pork Fat with Dried Yarrow Leaves

Oh my god. This humble piece of flatbread was the most incredibly delicious thing we were served the entire evening. It was grilled to order and served piping hot with both butter and pork fat. Absolutely amazing. 

Bathroom break! What a beautiful little still life. 

Grüner Veltliner
Strekov 1075 'Veltlin'
Strekov 2017

Wild Upstate Apple Juice

Poached Hake
Cabbage and Seaweed Salad, Beach Plums, Bronze Fennel

Not my favorite dish. The hake was very tender and the sauce was nice. The texture on some of the seaweed around the plate was a bit papery and didn't make for such a pleasant bite with the rest of the items.  

Gamay
Jean Foillard
Margon 2017

Lingonberry Juice

Roasted VT Quail
Summer Truffle, Burnt Pine

The same main event as before, though again I was happy to see this. The difference here was the use of summer truffles rather than their winter cousins. Otherwise the rich, juicy quail meat was a hit in both breast and leg form. 

Furmint
Lenkey Pincészet
Mád Vilmány 2007

Bronze Fennel Blossom

Currants
Red Currant Tart, Preserved Black Currant, Fresh Cheese

I admit I was slightly disappointed to see this cheese course return. I didn't enjoy it last time due to the extremely tart currants combined with the overly dry, almost sawdust-like texture of the tart shell. I think this could have been saved with more cheese, but I did not enjoy this the second time around either. 

Hay
Toasted Hay Ice Cream, Summer Flowers, Fermented Honey and Bedstraw Cordial Sauce

A similar concept to the birchwood ice cream with candied mushrooms I enjoyed last time. This version delighted equally, taking unusual savory flavors and transforming them into a memorable dessert. 

Æbleskiver

Liquid Mushroom Filling

I absolutely love these warm doughnut hole-like fritters cooked in a unique pan. I couldn't help but notice though that we were served only two of these little delights, compared to the four during my previous visit. 

One of my favorite pictures of Leah and I - what a magical evening!

Mignardises

White Chocolate and Sourdough

Blood and Rosehip

Crispy Reindeer Lichen and Gold

Chewy Beet

The same four uniqely Nordic final bites. The lichen remained odd and, again, "sawdust-y", though the pig's blood bonbon still shined, tasting almost like rich chocolate. 

Along with dinner, I had ordered a signed copy of the Aska cookbook. Ok I admit this was more a gift for myself than Leah, but it was a great read and very interesting to learn about the painstaking processes that go into producing the food at this restaurant. 

Final Menu

Despite a few small misses and a lot of repeat dishes, I still had a fantastic time at Aska. I think it's a totally unique establishment and hope they continue to get the great press they deserve.