Forking Tasty

Five Minute Canoli

Ok…sooo…I really like Food Network Magazine. Even though it’s based on bubble gum, celebrity TV chef’s and their individually contrived “schtick’s”, the content is good. Maybe even great. I know, bold statement. As a brand guy I think the magazine was a brilliant move. The cookware products even smarter. Giving America a chance to touch and feel their favorite TV chef is tough to do. Short of sleeping with Guy Fieri you can now tear out a quirky response to a reader question and pin it to your wall. It’s probably not the same but it fills a need. I digress and forgive me for the back handed Food Network compliments, I’ve been reading a lot of Bourdain lately. In short, it may be the second best food magazine out there. First being Cook’s Illustrated. Yes, 1 and 2 are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum but we like the stark contrast here at FT. It keeps us on our toes.

In the June issue of Food Network Magazine there was a section on fast desserts. Running a 20-seat monthly supperclub keeps us looking for new, quick dessert ideas all the time. The above image is my favorite from the lot. A canoli lover by birth, this was an easy choice. The work part of making canoli’s is the shell. It’s a long process and a smelly one too. Take that out of the equation and you can make a plate of these in under 5 minutes. Canoli cream is easy when you 86 the candied citrus. Personally I am a purist. The best ricotta and some confectioners sugar is all you need. A quick mix and then pipe or spoon into the sugar cone. Crunch! Eat! Done!

But …there is more. The Canadian has been on a bit of a Nutella binge lately and she decided to line a cone in this Italian, hazelnut flavored, cupboard mainstay. We then topped it with the canoli cream. “Madonna mia”, as one less than fluent Brooklyn, Italian kid shouted. (me). Try it yourself this weekend. Make your own concoction and share it with us. We’d love to have some new fillings to try for next weeks pack of sugar cones. Yes. We are addicted.

Sunday Standard

You can almost see the strong hand that rung the above lemon dry and tossed it to the cutting board to move onto more important tasks like eating.

The post kitchen disaster is one we all know well but most of us done’t love it like I do. No, I don’t like cleaning but I do like to review the food carnage post any good meal. Sunday suppers are always the best because just 60 minutes prior the kitchen was a buzz with at least 5 people doing multiple tasks readying the food and table for the “BIG” meal. As I walked through the kitchen on this particular evening pockets of simple ingredients, like the lemon and grated parmesan cheese, could be found in every corner of the kitchen. On the stove was a lightly oiled pan containing some remnant garlic, chopped parsley and a few spaghetti strands. In the sink a starchy calendar next to a bowl of sticky breadcrumbs and egg whites. The other counter had several glasses half full with pre-dinner wine abandoned for a proper glass and the better wine of the dinner table.

Aside from the clues around the kitchen reminding me of the meals preparation, the post supper clean up continues the conversation back to the kitchen completing the circle of dinnertime. In our house, when I was a kid, it wasn’t just about the time we were sitting and eating. It was about the before and after just the same. These days we barely have 30 minutes to eat let alone 3 hours to cook, eat and clean. So, Sunday’s make me happy. Happy to cook. Happy to eat. And, happy to clean. Of course the food is always wonderful but to slow down the craziness of life, catch up with my family or friends, hone my work ethic and relax is a mostly unrecognized biproduct of any dinnertime. I believe it should get more conscious press. This weekend take a moment and cook, talk, eat…then clean. It might just be the relaxation you needed.

The Canadian’s Full English in America

I took the opportunity to write a headline that is truly global since my wife was determined to make breakfast for dinner this weekend.

For those avid readers this needs little explanation. For the new comers, my wife was born in the UK. This adequately explains her admiration for anything British, particularly bangers.

Her idea to cook a full English breakfast for dinner came immediately after I informed her of my Living Social coupon to Myers of Keswick. $10 got us $20 worth of necessary provisions at the little West Village shop. On a side note, I’m not sure you have to pay full price for anything anymore. Counter clockwise from the top…

Finally Forking Spicy

It took over a year but chef Ben Long and I finally made it into the kitchen together. It had become our mission to collaborate on a 4-course meal since our mutual supperclubs, Spice and FT Suppers, came into existence. In our vision we cooked a magnificent, over-abundant, delicate and rich meal for over 40 bi-coastal diners who flew, walked and rode in just for the occasion. As it turns out we spent a random weekday evening crafting 4 succulent dishes for Ben’s wife, my friend and business partner, Kelly. Sometimes your vision is wrong and reality is the only thing that can prove what’s perfect. Shedding the pressure of the guests, the craziness of the kitchen and the perfection we both demand of ourselves we were left…

Meltdown Homestyle

Again with raiding the pantry and refrigerator for lunch. Today I cobbled together a long time comfort food favorite. It has long been in my top 5 post “night out” breakfasts of all time. It’s versatility is unmatched as it works as a dinner just as well as a b-fast. The three simple components themselves, when broken down, have thousands of variations.

From bottom to top

1. A solid stage in which to build the star
2. The star-Tuna salad
3. A blanket to keep the star snug

Think about it. What’s your favorite tuna melt? Let me know in the comments. I’ll make my favorite from your answers one next week.

Working Lunch

It seems like I have not left my desk since the year started. And remember, my desk is currently in my bedroom as I transition to the new office. The upside of that is I get to play RAID THE FRIDGE everyday. Including the pantry in this game allows for some interesting concoctions. A mix of leftovers augmented with some fresh goods from the C-Town across the street makes for interesting ingredient fodder. Today’s hero ingredient was the 8″ flour tortilla. For breakfast I rolled two fried eggs with some shredded cheddar and a splash of Tabasco.

For lunch I dug out the remains of last nights rotisserie chicken from Pio Pio, some plantains and some canned plum tomatoes. A little hot pepper and olive oil in the tomatoes made me a quick salsa. I sauteed the plantains with some garlic after a quick dice and then added the chicken that I shredded off the bone. Before I rolled the tortilla I added a quick dab of mexican crema. Not a bad days work but I think I have to get out from behind this desk for dinner.

14 Excuses for Skipping Dinner

Nonsense happens at the holidays. I am sure for many families that comes in different forms. With no surprise my families nonsense comes in edible form. The crux of this derelict family trait is THE COOKIE TABLE. It sits in the corner of the dining room and taunts us all with silent sweetness. The first “official” cookie course doesn’t come until Christmas Eve but each of us quickly falls into temptation after the confectionery seduction uncrosses it’s proverbial legs. By the time dessert on Christmas Eve arrives each of has already dipped our fingers into one or more of the tightly sealed but loosely guarded cookie tins.

Let’s dig into this tradition and these baked menaces one by one…

American vs Italian Fried Chicken

Saturday I decided to fry some chicken. After 2 weeks of hints dropped by the Canadian I figured I couldn’t escape the gentle coaxing any longer. It’s not that I didn’t want fried chicken, it’s just that…well…it’s a big, smelly, oil riddled production that always leaves the far reaches of my apartment smelling like a roadside joint in north Georgia. In addition, you never make just fried chicken. The chicken is just the gateway to creamed spinach, fried potatoes, beans, beer and the occasional hard narcotic. Ok, that’s a step too far, unless you can overdose on canola oil. The picture above reveals the ultimate success in the aforementioned madness. It wasn’t until Sunday when the point of this post was revealed. After such a calorie-counting-less indulgence I decided to keep it simple and clean on Sunday. Or so I thought.

I popped into the supermarket late Sunday afternoon and…

Thanksbringing 2010

This past Sunday was my annual ThanksBRINGING Potluck. As the name implies, I invite my friends into the kitchen to help craft a monumental meal from all cuisines in an effort to unite us around the thing that has been my true north since I was a little boy, dinnertime. I’ll spare you the diatribe about dinnertime for now. All you need to know is that it may be the single most important part of any child’s upbringing. Mine obviously had significant impact on the food side of things.

This year we tripled the meats added a spit roasted lamb leg and a smoked brisket to the, now traditional, Indian spice brined, fried turkey. From there the dishes ran as far as a Puerto Rican arroz con gandules to a simple Pennsylvanian mashed potatoes. The table was once again covered with sides, mains and appetizers leaving not even an inch of space for more. By the time dessert lined up on the counter the satiation had set in. The troops needed to rally hard to find any spare room in their stomachs. Chocolate cake, Pumpkin tiramisu and fresh cookies galore piled up high making choices very difficult. Just when we thought it was over two more friends showed up with this hand crafted Rice Krispies treat turkey. Amazingly, my crowd mustered up the strength to carve this suger bad boy up until just the wish bone was left.

On that note, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. If you’d like to join us for ThanksBRINGING next year make sure you are on the list. I will leave you with…

Cooking Comfort Without Comfort

I have always prided myself on the ability to cook with my nose. People often look at me puzzled when I say that. Smell is how I usually figure out what works with what and, how much of what is right for a dish. I am not discounting taste but my nose knows. I have been able to tackle many regional cuisines this way. From Caribbean to Indian, I have sniffed myself far out of my comfort zone and mastered those foreign cuisines. Visiting these countries helps a lot too. My nose is good but its proximity to the home of a particular cuisine helps out a lot.

I’ve been to England many times and my nose and adventures have proved to be ineffective in mastering their cuisine. Although Britain is notorious for “bad” food, it wasn’t until…