Most of you know my day job keeps me tied pretty tight to the latest digital wizbang. One trend that has fascinated me for some time is the digital magazine. With apps like Aol Editions and Flipboard making our internet consumption prettier and simpler I decided to try out a few digital ‘zine products for our first ever Forking Tasty Magazine Issue. Technically it’s a REEL TASTY recap issue but, if you like it, we’ll make the next issue more FT Universal.

Go ahead try it. Click the center of the image where it says “expand”.

What you’ll see is the Issuu version of the magazine. We also produced a MagCloud version. MagCloud is HP’s digital, but printable, magazine division. The advantage of MagCloud is a digital and printed version of each issue is available. If you’d like to touch the Forking Tasty Mag you can order one up and have it shipped right to your door.

Ariba! Ole! and Amigos!

The season 3 finally of REEL TASTY went off better than we could have ever expected. Again we bit off a little more than we could chew. In the end the Mexican fiesta, with our favorite three amigos, was a pinata smash hit.  Although we didn’t have an actual pinata we did have everything else very well represented form pork to beans to tequila.

For those who are unfamiliar with our dinners, Reel Tasty is Forking Tasty’s summer supper club where Aimee, my co-chef/host, and I screen a movie on a 2 story building while our guests sample some of our latest and tastiest gourmet creations. As many of you who follow know, we had a few run in’s with the weather this season. For our final dinner on the deck, mother nature gave us a treat. A 78 degree day with a cloudless sky in October blessed our deck. This set the scene for a lovely, unusually warm evening to unfold.

As our guests arrived  they were greated with a pitcher of pomegranate margarita to ease them into the mood and begin snacking and mingling. The wines for a Mexican dinner were tough to choose. Lily, of Dandelion Wines, decided to go the Latin route from two prominent Latin wine regions. Chile and Spain are much more known than Mexico for their vino. Although we looked for some Mexican wines, we just kept coming up tequila. She settled on a Spanish white rioja and a Chilean carmenere to pair with our quinticenssial snacks. Guacamole & tortilla chips along with mini corn muffins with bacon-jalapenos started off the snacking and gave the tequila some place to land.

photo credit: Kun Kim

The big hero of the night had already been in the oven for 3 hours when our final guests arrived. As the slow and low continued we started with our first appetizer, a short rib taquitos with crema & tomatillo-poblano salsa. These little gems were succulent, crispy double bites of Mexican heaven and our guests snapped them up with crema smeared smiles.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Next out was the sweet potato-chipotle soup topped with creme fraiche and chorizo. That was followed quickly by a super fresh shrimp & scallop ceviche served in bibb lettuce. We always try to choose a menu that encapsulates all regions of the country we’ve focused on. With this myriad of appetizers we were able to travel from the mountain towns to the sea villages while still getting in traditional favorites.

photo credit: Kun Kim

The food and beverages seemed to spark some great conversation and our guests started to cozy up rather well. Watching the transformation from strangers to eating friends is one that never gets old for us. It always remains a huge reason we produce our suppers.

photo credit: Kun Kim

While our guests continued to get acquainted the kitchen was coming close to finishing up the entrees. A mind boggling 8 dishes were about to hit the table. The tough part about cooking Mexican is that it’s very difficult to edit down a menu. How could we not have rice? Or pork? Or beans? We couldn’t. But, we also had to twist up the traditional preparations a bit which only added to the complexity. It just wouldn’t be as fun if we didn’t challenge ourselves.

By now our hero had been removed from the oven and was being handled by the business end of my 9 inch Wusthof for several different dishes. There was a cast iron pan with sizzling contents on the stove top with a bubbling, giant crock pot behind it. In the oven was a 12” stainless saute pan chirping with goodness. Simultaneously, a fork was fluffing a hotel pan of rice which awaited it’s final ingredient and some beautifully glazed legs, thighs and breasts were being pulled from the grill.

All of that finally culminated into a presentation that rivaled some Mexican parades. In a very particular order, here is the food fiesta rundown.

1. Jicama cucumber salad

2. Citrus rice

3. Slow cooked chipotle heirloom beans

4. Flame kissed garlic chicken with tequila glaze

5-8. Roasted suckling pig four ways

The vision was to reconstruct a pig with pork in various ways. To do this we started with the head and the feet. We pulled the pork from the butt and thighs which filled in the pigs rear. We then pulled the pork from the ribs, shoulders and belly and simmered it in a home made adobo sauce. That filled in behind the head creating our shoulders and the top part of the body. The last two dishes were smoked danish bacon and chorizo sausage. The thick cut bacon filled the gap between the adobo and pulled roast pork. The chorizo flanked the entire length of our reconstructed body. The presentation was grand as we paraded the pork board out to our guests and placed it on it’s own serving table. This is the first time we asked our guests to stand up in order to serve a dish. Although a bit against our family-style-serving-grain, the drama of the presentation and the picking from the pig board proved a smart decision.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As entrees were being finished up and the pig was reduced to a head (minus the cheeks) and feet our three other heros lit up our make shift screen. This movie is one of our favorites and being able to craft a meal with it as inspiration was lots of fun. We kept the food coming by providing our guests with a hot chipotle buttered popcorn snack while the people of Santa Poco greeted the Amigos on screen.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As the Amigos attempted to defeat El Guapo we cooled and cleansed our guests palettes with a scoop of homemade margarita ice cream.

photo credit: Kun Kim

That prepped them for our final treat of the evening, a chile-spiked chocolate pudding with fresh churros.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Of course no recap is complete with out recipes and a shout out to the crew. They are the backbone of our whole operation and a huge thank you is as due them as you’d give us. The biggest thanks always goes to our guests. You guys are the best. Our next dinner will be annouced shortly make sure you are on the list to get the update.

Recipes:

Whole Roast Suckling Pig

Ingredients:

10 15 pound dressed, oven ready suckling pig (see Note)
1 1/2 cups orange juice
3/4 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 grapefruit, quartered
2 oranges, halved
2 limes, halved
1 head garlic, halved
Lemon, lime, or apple for the mouth
Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the orange, lime, and grapefruit juice and whisk together with some salt and pepper. Place pig in a large garbage bag and combine with marinade. Turn pig every 3 hours. Marinate for 12 hours minimum.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Remove from bag and pat the pig dry with paper towels. Sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper and place it in a large roasting pan, belly side up.

Place the grapefruit, oranges, limes and garlic inside the cavity and skewer it closed. Turn belly side down and place a rolled up piece of aluminum foil about the size of a lemon in the pigs mouth. Skewer the legs into position by pulling the forelegs forward and bending the hind legs into a crouching position (if the pig will not fit, lay it on it’s side curling the rear legs up and between the front legs. Tie the legs into place).

Cover the tail, snout and ears with small pieces of foil to prevent them from burning. NOTE: spray teh foil with cooking spray before wrapping so it does not stick to the pig skin. Place the pig in the oven and baste with the citrus juice mixture. After the pig has roasted for 15 minutes, baste it again with the citrus juice mixture and reduce the heat to 325 degrees. Roast for 20 minutes per pound longer, basting generously every 15 or 20 minutes with the juice mixture and then the pan juices. To test for doneness, prick the thigh with the tip of a sharp knife to see if the juices run clear. The internal temperature should read 165 degrees on a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes, loosely tented with a large piece of aluminum foil. Remove the foil from the tail and ears and replace the foil from the mouth with a lemon. Carve at the table.

Churros

 Ingredients:

Canola oil for frying
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup or 1 stick butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs

Directions:

Add enough oil to a large saucepan or deep skillet to come to a depth of at least 2 inches; heat to about 350 degrees. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon together on a large plate.

Combine remaining sugar, butter, salt and 1 cup water in a saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, and add flour, all at once. Stir constantly until mixture forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, and beat eggs one at a time into mixture, stirring until smooth after each addition.

Spoon dough into a pastry bag with a large star tip (or simply drop spoons full of batter into oil). Press strips of dough about 4 inches long into hot oil. Cook as many as will fit comfortably at once, turning as they brown, 5 to 10 minutes each.

Remove churros from oil, and drain on paper towels, then immediately roll them in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve hot or warm.

The past two weeks I’ve been a bit busy to say the least. Those of you eagerly awaiting the REEL TASTY season finally recap, I promise it will be up next week. The delay is not without good excuse. Another example of how my Manifold world overlaps with my food world, I was called out to Vegas by LinkedIn to orchestrate 10 super high end experiences with a gastronomic twist for their top VIP clients. These days Las Vegas is a new Mecca for amazing dining experiences. It’s not just the TV chefs that have restaurants popping up either. International chef’s like Pierre Gagnaire and Joel Robuchon have built beautiful restaurants tucked into some discrete corners of the biggest casinos on the strip.

To create these incredible, unique and delicious dinners we hand picked what, we think, is the best of the best. Then we went directly to the chef’s to get their input on both the menu and the ambiance. All of the dinners were executed in private rooms adding to the exclusivity and the “once in a lifetime” event. The dinners were orchestrated simultaneously sending our 88 VIP’s to 10 different fantasy locations.

The first trick was fishing them out of the almost 2000 other attendees that were at LinkedIn’s Talent Connect conference. To do this we utilized an SMS concierge so that our VIP’s simply had to follow their blackberry’s to the initial meeting location. What awaited them was a fleet of jet black, luxury buses and a team of onsite valets. The valets loaded the buses with the appropriate guest list and sent them off to the different restaurant locations. Each bus was then met by a hostess that escorted the group through the casino maze until they were safely seated in our private rooms. Our hostess then helped our VIP’s with anything they needed during the evening that fell outside our chef’s realm.

Once the guests were seated and the meal began, most chef’s made a special appearance introducing themselves and explaining the treats our VIP’s would enjoy. The conversation started flowing immediately. Part of everything I do is aimed at fostering good conversation and this was no exception. From the luxury bus to the intimate table for 12, each step was carefully crafted to spark this connection and chatter. That leads us to the food.

A conversation starter in itself, the menu’s pulled out no stops with unique flavor profiles and decadent preparations. I suppose it’s appropriate to reveal our restaurant list at this time along with a few of the delights that hit the table. Ohh P.S., the below all were paired with wines for each course.

PEARL
Wok-fried Boston Lobster with Thai sauce
Fillet of Australian Rock Cod Garoupa
Pan-seared Filet of Kobe Beef Tenderloin with Black Pepper Sauce

CRAFTSTEAK
Hand-Cut Wagyu Beef Tartare
A5 New York Strip
A5 Skirt Steak
2 lb. Braised Maine Lobster with Tarragon Butter

BERTOLOTA
Ligurian octopus salad, olive oil, lemon
Oven-baked imperial langoustino with aromatic bread crumbs
Grilled Adriatic cuttle fish, salmoriglio sauce
Sheep’s milk ricotta ravioli with Tuscan pecorino cheese and Marsala wine glaze, *white truffles

SINATRA
Lump blue crab, brioche croutons, tomato, cucumber, tomato fonduta
Agnolotti filled with bufala ricotta, fresh white truffle, parmesan sauce
Braised veal ossobucco, risotto Milanese and gremolata

SCARPETTA
Oysters & Caviar – Golden Osetra Caviar & Leek Zabaglione
Seared Scallop – Cauliflower, Lemon & Bottarga di Muggine
Milkfed Veal “Osso Buco” – Saffron Semolina Polenta, Gremolata & Veal Sugo
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake – Graham Cracker Crust, Pumpkin Seed Brittle

MILOS
Fresh Maryland Lump Crab Cake
Grilled Mediterranean Octopus
Grilled Mediterranean Bass with Santorini Capers
Colorado USDA Prime Lamb Chops

JOEL ROBUCHON
Emulsion of blood orange on a wild berry gelée
Light chestnut cream with foie gras on lardons foam
Black Cod in a yuzu radish velvet puree
Braised veal cheeks in Thai broth, vegetable couscous with broccoli

TWIST
Scallops Ceviche, Mimosa Langoustines, Jerusalem Artichokes Gelée, Celeriac & Horseradish Cream
Grilled Alaskan Halibut Fillet, Chicory Fondue, Fennel and Orange, Potato Alexia
Grapefruit Marmalade, Hibiscus Syrup, Rose Kirsch Parfait, Rose Cristal de Vent, Exotic Fruit Salad, Hibiscus Granite

PICASSO
Pan Seared U-10 Day Scallop
Sautéed Steak of “A” Foie Gras
Roasted Tournedo Loin of Colorado Lamb

BOUCHON
Marinated Olives Rillettes aux deux Saumons Pâté de Campagne
Sautéed Scottish salmon melted leeks & sauce beurre blanc
Pan seared prime flatiron caramelized shallots, maître d’hôtel butter & pommes purée

Now that you are done freaking out and drooling all over your keyboard I’ll add my own experience to the mix. As research (read perk), I was able to dine at my choice of the above establishments. Given the limited time I had onsite and not already booked I was only able to choose one and believe me it was not easy.

I settled on Twist and made my way to the 23rd floor of the Mandarin Oriental. I was seated by the window and treated to the 6 course tasting that my VIP’s enjoyed the night before. Pierre was in town so he added a little switch to my courses switching the veal for the deer. We normally see this on a menu as venison but Pierre put it the way it’s killed. DEER. I admire that. A beautiful, rich, roasted loin of deer accompanied by sautéed sweet potato hyssop and a gorgeous rich reduction sauce was the first plate of a three plate course. Not uncommon, I had quickly learned, for Pierre. The second plate was a juniper marinated deer leg confit with roasted foie gras. The third a sauerkraut and smoked bacon sour red cabbage ice cream with thinly sliced mustard seasoned sausage “Strasbourg”. As you can imagine each one of these items was wonderfully delicious on its own and uncannily complimentary of the other dishes. A truly masterful chef orchestrating an unforgettable experience. As I looked out the sky-high window and soaked in the seemingly entire glitter of Las Vegas I thought distinctly that it didn’t get much better than this. But it did.

After my next 3 courses, a macchiato and an escort from my table back to the elevators, I returned to the first floor of the hotel and asked for a cab. Moments later a late model, freshly waxed, black Mercedes pulled up. The bell hop thanked me by last name and explained that Casey would take me home in the house car. I can’t lie, I felt pretty special. As I spend a lot of my time crafting amazing experiences for others I often harp on the details claiming that every single thing counts. It will ultimately add, or subtract, from the experience. Every once in a while I get a taste of my own passion and this night was one of those moments.

Saturday, October 8th at 6:30pm. This is as close to a western as we may ever get. Here’s the skinny on the fat.

Starts: 6:30pm (cocktails and appetizers)
Ends: 11pm (really, when the film is over)
Donation: $60 (make a reservation below)
Movie: The Three Amigos

Let’s ride! A song filled, dance inducing, joke a minute, slapstick comedy, anchored by three amazing comedians has us counting the minutes until the 24th. Join us to fight the Evil El Guapo and eat some tasty, cheesy, crispy, spicy, hearty, hot, sweet, salty, luscious, peppery, juicy food. I suppose we could have just said delicious but then again, we are not writing a telegram. Bring your little buttercup and stay a while, while. Ok, we promise to try and tone down the movie quotes once we finish writing this.

Menu

We are putting together a plethora of delicious Mexican specialties. Yes, you read correctly. A plethora. We are playing with all sorts of variations on roast pork and stewed chicken. Beans are already on their way from an amazing heirloom distributor out west. The rest will fall into place in the coming weeks after our test kitchens pushes out a few possibilities. Of course we couldn’t show this movie without Tequila. You know Tequila? Uhhh…It’s like beer.

TABLE FULL-Reservations

Reservations are required. Space is limited to 20 people. In the note section let us know if there are any food restrictions anyone in your party has. Location and directions will be sent to guests one day before the event.

More on Reel Tasty:

Jason and Aimee pair a 5 course gourmet meal for 20 friends, some new and some old on a HUGE deck in Brooklyn. As the name implies, we will be screening a movie during the meal. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of time pre-entree to mingle, catchup and meet some new friends. Once the sun goes down we will role the film in all its two story high glory. This is an experiment, so we are not sure how much silence or chatting will go on. That’s for you to decide. We hope you will come out and enjoy yourselves with us this summer. See you on the deck.

You can check out pics from our last dinner here.

If you can’t make this dinner but want us to send you an invite to the next one, jump on the list.

The great escape finally happened.

When hurricane Irene blew in we didn’t know if this dinner would ever happen and we never thought a “true” escape from New York would be necessary. Luckily we got it back on the calendar ironically a day before perhaps the most somber escape from New York ever. On September 10, we filled a table of 20 to celebrate NY, it’s food and the sci-fi, 80′s cult classic Escape from New York.

For those who are unfamiliar with our dinners, Reel Tasty is Forking Tasty’s summer supper club where Aimee, my co-chef/host, and I screen a movie on a 2 story building while our guests sample some of our latest and tastiest gourmet dishes. Although, the movie and the very important anniversary don’t really compliment each other, it did provide a vehicle to honor New York, get an on screen peek at the World Trade Center and respect those heros and victims in our own little way. The rest of the night was about the sci-fi hilariousness and NYC amazingness (manifested through food).

The evening began with a personalized “fun pass” for each guest which explained the gastronomic ride they were about to embark on.

photo credit: Kun Kim

We started off with a few snacks appropriately made for the theme. Candied mixed nuts, AKA Nuts about Nuts, and chopped liver with bagel chips provided the necessary stomach preparation that a homemade snake bite cocktail would require. For those of you who simply are out of the loop, Snake is the main character of the movie. Ahhhh, now ya get it.

photo credit: Kun Kim

In case the snake bite was a little much, a little early, some Brooklyn Lager was on hand along with two delicious New York wines hand picked by Lily, of Dandelion Wines. As we saw that snakebite pitcher bottoming out we knew we needed to send some more substantial treats to the deck. A delicious first app and great liquid absorber, Aimee’s homemade NYC pretzels with mustard seed butter were first out.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Next out was the Manhattan snake chowder you saw at the top of the page followed by our cute and fun little take on diner food, mini gyros with tzatziki.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As our guests enjoyed, the kitchen was busy prepping for the first round of entrees.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Olive oil poached salmon with roasted tomatoes, pickled onions and toasted garlic butter topped bagels got the quick attention of the table.

photo credit: Kun Kim

That was followed by a heaping board of grilled pizza. My cousin Mario showed me this technic a few years ago and he swears by it. It is amazing for a new flavor on pizza, that grilled char, as well as keeping my apartment cool during those hot summer nights. A mix of provolone, salumi and my standard marinara topped the grilled dough giving it just a touch of bite.

photo credit: Kun Kim

The table got busy mingling and munching as we prepped the next two entrees.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Just as our escapees were finishing off the pizza and the salmon we came by with our next two entrees. The first containing our only “service announcement” of the evening. What was to be a roof top farm heirloom tomato salad turned into a green market harvest due to Katrina’s little fit which upset the rooftop crops. Never fear, the roof recovered.

photo credit: Kun Kim

The salad which was simple dressed in extra amazing olive oil and a splash of cider vinegar (honestly that is all it needs when the tomatoes are so perfectly ripe) was followed by the namesake dish of the evening. Our New York strip steaks with lemon bearnaise sauce came just in time to fix our carnivores worry that their stomach was filling up too fast.

photo credit: Kun Kim

With the table nearing satiation and the conversation flowing faster than the wine we knew we had done New York proud. The sun had long dimmed behind the building facade movie screen. With a controlled dimming of our fabricated lights, the screen took over the deck and began to dominate the conversation. Of course we wouldn’t send our guests into a futuristic New York epic without something to munch on. A smoked bacon salted popcorn accompanied the opening trivia game and following sci-fi madness.

photo credit: Kun Kim

A good 67 minutes later, just as Snake was escaping New York, we had just 2 more official temptations to serve. Aimee’s amazing ricotta cheesecake with mixed berries slipped in front of our screen mesmerized guests.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Normally our final course is simply a homemade ice cream but we didn’t think we could finish a New York meal with out coffee. To do a coffee ice cream didn’t seem creative enough for a city that brims with art and innovation. We decided to pull a retro New York delicacy, an acquired taste I must admit, and mix it with a basic handmade sweet cream. These Manhattan Special ice cream floats provided the caffeinated pop and necessary nod to NYers morning, noon, night, midnight and wee hour staple.

photo credit: Kun Kim

A word on Manhattan Special because apparently it’s not as well known as it is in the Anello household. It’s an espresso soda made and bottled in Williamsburg Brooklyn. My father would drink this constantly when I was a kid. My brother and I hated it. We never understood the mix of cola and coffee but then again we didn’t grow up in the 50′s in Greenwich Village. That’s to say we always chalked it up to a city thing. Experimenting with the beverage for theme reasons seemed right. But, when I stumbled on the ice cream float I actually found the perfect place for this beverage to live. Deep inside an ice cream filled vessel was a fantastic discovery that I now keep as a staple for any drop by guests with a sweet tooth.

One more small but eye-popping morsel surprised our guests as they departed for the evening. Handmade, mini black and white cookies were individually wrapped for each guests for their journey home.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Of course no recap is complete with out recipes and a shout out to the crew. Without them, these nights would be much dirtier and certainly a lot more difficult. The biggest thanks always goes to our guests, in this case our escapees. You guys are the best. Our next dinner is October 8th. This could be the season finally. Ariba!!

Recipes:

Lemon Béarnaise Sauce

Ingredients:

2 shallots, finely chopped

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup champagne vinegar

2 preserved lemons (finely chopped)

Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

4 large egg yolks

2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut up

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh chervil

Salt, to taste

Directions:

Combine shallots, wine, vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemons, and 2 pinches pepper in a small pot set over medium heat, and reduce to about 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool. Beat the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons water over low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes or until they become thick and foamy. Add the butter, about a tablespoon at a time, whisking until the mixture thickens and increases in volume. Add the cooled shallot mixture, chervil, and the remaining tarragon. Season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

Grilled Pizza

 Ingredients:

Pizza dough

olive oil

toppings of your choice

Directions:

1. Heat grill to it’s hottest possible point. All burners on high.

2. Roll out dough to form pizza. Make pizzas no more than 15″ in diameter. Anything larger will be tough to manage

3. Brush olive oil on one side of the dough. MAke sure to get the entire surface. Do the same to the grill.

4. Place pizza olive oil side down on the grill and close the lid quickly. In 5 minutes remove the pizza from the grill

5. Olive oil the uncooked side then flip pizza so grilled side is facing up. Add sauce and topping. Place back on grill for another 5 minutes or until toppings are hot/melted.

6. Remove and cut to desired size. I love serving it right on the board but you can plate it or use a serving tray just as well.

When we decided to show Escape from New York we didn’t think we’d have to take it literally.

We have rescheduled this dinner for September. By then Irene will have said her goodbye’s. We’ll let you all know if any seats open up due to this change. In the meantime, stay dry and safe.

Starts: 7:00pm (cocktails and appetizers)
Ends: 11pm (really, when the film is over)
Donation: $60 (make a reservation below)
Movie: Escape from New York

It’s been hot in NYC. Hot like a prison. New Yorkers have started to act out. The heat is getting to them. It’s almost as if Manhattan island has become a maximum security prison walled off from civilization and they have left us all for dead. Ok, that’s a bit much. It’s not that hot. But, Brooklyn is typically a few degrees cooler so consider visiting us on the 27th.

Menu

This movie is begging us to design a New York themed menu and we intend fulfill. We have run down the classics; pizza, hot dogs, roasted nuts, cheesecake…the list is long. While we are pairing it down and twisting up some quintessential New York classics, gather your friends and grab a seat. We will update you once we get a few ideas through the test kitchen. Until then try and  stay cool.

TABLE FULL-Reservations

Reservations are required. Space is limited to 20 people. In the note section let us know if there are any food restrictions anyone in your party has. Location and directions will be sent to guests one day before the event.

More on Reel Tasty:

Jason and Aimee pair a 5 course gourmet meal for 20 friends, some new and some old on a HUGE deck in Brooklyn. As the name implies, we will be screening a movie during the meal. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of time pre-entree to mingle, catchup and meet some new friends. Once the sun goes down we will role the film in all its two story high glory. This is an experiment, so we are not sure how much silence or chatting will go on. That’s for you to decide. We hope you will come out and enjoy yourselves with us this summer. See you on the deck.

You can check out pics from our last dinner here.

If you can’t make this dinner but want us to send you an invite to the next one, jump on the list.

We’ve been waiting to execute this dinner for a long time.

Almost as long as you’ve been waiting for this recap. Apologies, it’s been crazy busy. The genre itself has some really fun flicks but we played deep into it not only with the food but right down to the menu design. Details people. Details.

For those who are unfamiliar with our dinners, Reel Tasty is Forking Tasty’s summer supper club where Aimee, my co-chef/host, and I screen a movie on a 2 story building while our guests sample some of our latest and tastiest gourmet dishes. From the hair pick to the dessert we packed as muck blaxploitation as we could into every edible and non-edible morsel of the evening. Here’s the rundown.

Upon arrival our guests snacked on some quick pickled okra and a few bacon-jalapeno mini corn muffins. Just a lil’ stomach opener.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As they munched and became acquainted we provided a little beer and wine to wash down the snacks. A couple Honey Brown’s and some Porkslap cans would do the trick for the beer. The wine proved a bit trickier and so I turned to Lily, of Dandelion Wines, as usual. Considering the theme and the cuisine she provided two excellent choices. The white was a classic Cotes du Rhone with a honeysuckle nose and fruity notes of white peaches and apricots. Delicious and addictive! DOMAINE DE LA BASTIDE COTES DU RHONE BLANC 2010. The red was aptly named and as bold as the movie genre’s collective statement. THE PEOPLE’S ZIN 2009 is a full and jammy California Zinfandel with notes of smoke and blueberries. Perfect for soul food and finding a soul mate!

photo credit: Kun Kim

As our final guests arrived we started immediately with our carefully curated appetizers. First up was fried mac and cheese balls with homemade hot sauce.

photo credit: Kun Kim

We followed that with oxtail marmalade tartlets.

photo credit: Kun Kim

While that kept our guests busy chatting and chewing, major kitchen prep kicked into overdrive.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Grits, pork and the final appetizer spun the kitchen into a momentary frenzy.

photo credit: Kun Kim

In the midst of that very long, hot, frantic moment of food prep Aimee plated and served the final appetizer. One in which we had been dreaming of making a reality since last season. Fried chicken thighs and waffles with a little Mike’s Hot Honey to drizzle over top. This one was so good I had to include a double picture of it.

photo credit: Kun Kim

And, it seemed as though our guests felt the same.

photo credit: Kun Kim

That long moment seemed to drag on longer than expected. The kitchen frenzy continued as the grits thickened and the fish slide into the oven with it’s bright yellow top coat. Over at the prep table the raw collards, risky but delicious, were being combined and tossed with the grapefruit and dressing. Simultaneously the pork was being freed from it’s butcher twine restrains and drizzled with a touch of peach nectar reduction.

Our guests seated themselves anticipating the entree parade that was just minutes away. First up was our salad. We really wanted to incorporate collard greens but we didn’t want to serve the standard. We thought keeping the greens fresh and raw would be more summer but we had to figure out a way to cut the bitter and mellow the texture. Grapefruit along with very tiny pieces of green did the trick.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Next up was reversed smothered pork loins. Again we wanted to be true to soul food but wanted something new about this dish. We struggled with using a pork loin because it was the antithesis of where soul food came from, cheaper cuts of meat rather than the most expensive. After we got past that we decided to smother the pork although the twist is we did it from the inside out using an onion and peach filling.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Third were some uber rich, crazy creamy grits that we finished with a little lavender butter. Lavender is a tough spice to work with because it can become very floral and over power everything. It’s delicate scent is deceptive when used as an ingredient. We found the perfect balance earlier in the week in the test kitchen. Here we also discovered the perfect finishing cheese, a creamy montina.

photo credit: Kun Kim

The final dish out was something we created out of our deep commitment to the soul food/Blaxploitation theme. We couldn’t imagine not having sweet potatoes and green tomatoes represented at the meal. And, I have a personal love for the heavy thick bite of biscuit gravy. Taking all that into consideration the Soul Napoleon was born. A roasted sweet potato served as our base. On top of that we stacked a fried green heirloom tomato and then a perfectly crisped piece of cod dusted with turmeric. To finish it, a small dollop of bechemel sauce.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Our guests dove into the plates with the same excitement and dexterity of the 6 foot 2 special agent that would soon make her debut on the deck.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Shortly after the final bite of pork and slup of grits was completed Cleo jumped to the big screen and our Blaxploitation evening was propelled to the next level. Hot sauce popcorn was served up as a snack while the kitchen started prepping the desserts.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Just before the movie came to a close we snuck out a few sweet treats. First a piece of coconut cake with warm peach compote. That was followed by a refreshing scoop of cherry cobbler ice cream. Come on! How could we finish a soul food meal without cobbler?

photo credit: Kun Kim

Of course no recap is complete with out recipes and a shout out to the crew. These nights wouldn’t be possible with out them. The biggest thanks, as always, goes to our guests. You guys are the best. Our next dinner is August 27. If it stays this hot you might just want to Escape from NY ;) We can help with that. Hope to see you all soon.

Recipes:

Lavender cheese grits

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk

2 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup coarse ground cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 ounces soft cheese, shredded (we used Montina)

1/4 bunch lavender

Directions:

1. Place the milk, water, and salt into a large pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking. Once all of the cornmeal has been incorporated, decrease the heat to low and cover. Remove lid and whisk frequently, every 3 to 4 minutes. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is creamy.

2. Add butter to a small sauce pan and melt. Add in lavender springs. simmer for 10 minutes. drain butter to remove lavender. Set to teh side.

3. Remove from the heat, add the pepper and butter, and whisk to combine. Once the butter is melted, gradually whisk in the cheese a little at a time. Serve immediately.

Collard Green Grapefruit Salad

 Ingredients:

collard greens, small dice

grapefruit, slice away all the rind and pith

grapefruit zest

honey

olive oil

cider vinegar

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. mix about a tsp of honey into teh grapefruit and let sit for one hour

2. remove from refrigeratior and drain reserving the juice

3. Vinegrette: add a few tablespoons of teh reserved grapefruit juice to a bowl. Mix in olive oil and a splash of cider vinegar. Add a tbs of honey and salt/pepper to taste

4. combine grapefruit and collard greens and toss with the vinegrette

Saturday, July 16th at 7:30pm
Blaxploitation never tasted so good! Here’s the skinny on the fat.

Starts: 7:30pm (cocktails and appetizers)
Ends: 11pm (really, when the film is over)
Donation: $60 (make a reservation below)
Movie: Cleopatra Jones

We have wanted to hit this genre for a while. We struggled a lot with choosing a film that would keep things light but not cliche the genre. Shaft, although fantastic, has been remade and is almost too overexposed to properly re-examine the Blaxploitation era. Others, like “Cornbread, Earl and Me” dive deeper into social issues. Although that’s a strong message for the genre as a whole, we still wanted to keep you entertained while not making that left brain wrestle too hard with the ideas the film forces us to examine. So where did we go? A 6ft tall, ex-model, international female spy who can kick ass, drive like a pro and fire a gun better than Rambo. Cleopatra Jones of course.

Menu

This is where it gets really fun for us. Think of the quintessential soulfood dish and we will probably represent it somehow. Right now we are playing with Kale, pork, cobblers the list goes on. As usual we will present our take on these sinfully delicious classics. This dinner might not be the best for vegetarians as Aimee and I tend to love our pork fat. All that said, we are definitely not trying to compete with anyone’s grandma’s soulfood skills. We wouldn”t even try. To that end we have brought in a secret consultant to keep us focused on what’s important and what’s now.

TABLE FULL-Reservations

Reservations are required. Space is limited to 20 people. In the note section let us know if there are any food restrictions anyone in your party has. Location and directions will be sent to guests one day before the event.

More on Reel Tasty:

Jason and Aimee pair a 5 course gourmet meal for 20 friends, some new and some old on a HUGE deck in Brooklyn. As the name implies, we will be screening a movie during the meal. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of time pre-entree to mingle, catchup and meet some new friends. Once the sun goes down we will role the film in all its two story high glory. This is an experiment, so we are not sure how much silence or chatting will go on. That’s for you to decide. We hope you will come out and enjoy yourselves with us this summer. See you on the deck.

You can check out pics from our last dinner here.

If you can’t make this dinner but want us to send you an invite to the next one, jump on the list.

Our season opener was a hole-in-one but not without it’s series of sandtraps. The boys from Caddyshack graced the screen while Aimee and I did our best to whip up our fanciest country club fare amidst the formidable obstacles namely, mother nature.

For those who are unfamiliar with our dinners, Reel Tasty is Forking Tasty’s summer supper club where Aimee, my co-chef/host, and I screen a movie on a 2 story building while our guests sample some of our latest and tastiest gourmet dishes. This evening we decided to start the evening off with a sort of drunken Arnold Palmer. A little vodka, some Fresca and a few secret ingredients left us with an ice cold pitcher of fizzy, spiked, lemonade-iced tea-ish beverage that went faster than the Caddyshack gopher disappears down his hole. As prepping began inside, those sandtraps I mentioned earlier kept us guessing. The grey clouds overhead let on a sprinkle, then stopped, toying with our emotions as we wondered if our 20 guests would be soon be huddled around my coffee table.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As prep began to heat up in the kitchen our guests were treated to a few snooty snacks. Radishes with bagna cauda butter and bacon marmalade palmiers were platted and served to compliment our wine choices.

Usually Lily, of Dandelion Wines, picks out the grapes but I neglected calling her until the last minute in my pre-day prep. Luckily, Tom over an Dandelion picked up the slack and found two suitable bottles. The 2010 Vrac rose, if that doesn’t say midwest country club I don’t know what does, was a simple, fresh and fruity grenache syrah. The red on the other hand was a big, powerful Cabernet Sauvignon that is hugely flavorful, and studded with notes of licorice. The craziest part of this 2008 Tortoise Creek Cab was that the finish had a smoky flavor that I could swear reminded me of a hickory wood BBQ pit.

Soon after the drunken pro golfer pitcher was drained and the palmiers were reduced to crumbs we marched out our three appetizers. First up to compliment the red, smoked trout devilled eggs. Any smoked fish immediately says country club in case you were wondering the tie in. Next was a warm asparagus soup with lemon oil and sourdough croutons because asparagus is in season and Aimee makes amazing soups. Finally, you can’t have country club kitsch without a club sandwich. Ours was a foie gras BLT on fresh baked, then toasted, brioche.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As our guests snacked through appetizers and warmed up to each other we realized we had gathered a nice crowd based on their chatter, dismisal of a few rain drops and desire to capture every course and moment on film (pixels). The rain had finally seemed to give us a break and we finished up setting the table for our 20 guests. This was our first 20 guest table, up from 16 last season, and the extra 4 seats were an exciting addition for us.

About 20 minutes later the entrees were being finished up, the sun was doing the same and our guests had found a seat at our extra long dinner table. We paraded out the entrees with stories and explanations, as usual, to our waiting new friends. Starting with a heaping bowl of roasted broccoli dusted with fresh mint we moved through the dishes. Israeli couscous with roasted asparagus tips made its debut because of that ever so fresh, in season, asparagus. Dialing up the country club vibe once again we finally presented the surf and turf. We liked the idea of Lobster but thought that it was too fancy for the Caddyshack style club so we used it as an opportunity to introduce our favorite lobster substitute. Our poor man’s lobster rolls were roasted, chilled, monkfish with a vinegar/mayo based sauce. To anchor the entrees we chose filet mignon. More accurately we tied off 4 beef tenderloins and grilled them to perfection with a quick finish in the oven to get that desired medium rare center. Sliced in 2 inch thick medallions we served this with honey rhubarb chutney, another in season veggie that called our name while we strolled through the farmers market during our pre meal shopping.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As the table ate up we retired briefly into the kitchen and contemplated the next course. A little surprise each dinner is the popcorn. We never tell our guests it’s on the menu and we never decide the flavor ahead of time. It’s a little creative game Aimee and I get to play in the middle of “service” that keeps us on our toes. What popcorn goes with Caddyshack and country club kitsch?

photo credit: Kun Kim

The movie soon lit up the deck and our guests attention turned towards the back of the deck. We decided on a duck fat, truffle salt popcorn. Basically putting every over the top indulgence in one bag.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As the movie came to a close there was one more surprise from the kitchen. Twenty “Baby Ruth” brownies with whipped cream and a quick caramel sauce were spread out down the long table. If you don’t get the Baby Ruth joke I won’t spoil it but let’s just say it was a culinary risk using that ingredient. The brownie was followed by a scoop of fresh cut wheatgrass ice cream to brighten up the palate and conclude the evening.

Of course no recap is complete with out recipes and a shout out to the crew. The crew is what makes these nights possible. Kumiko not only rode her bike from midtown Manhattan to our deck but rode it home after standing strong at the sink for 3 plus hours. She is a true gem that was a big part of our success. Of course we also have to thank mother nature for keeping us on our toes and ultimately keeping us dry.

The biggest thanks, as always, goes to everyone who attended. You guys are the best. Our next dinner is July 16th. Hope to see you all soon.

Recipes:

Poor Man’s Lobster Rolls

Israeli couscous with Asparagus and cherry tomatoes

Saturday, June 4th at 7:00pm
Join us for a hole-in-one! Here’s the skinny on the fat.

Starts: 7:00pm (cocktails and appetizers)
Ends: 11pm (really, when the film is over)
Donation: $60 (make a reservation below)
Movie: Caddyshack

To kick off season three we dug deep into our favorite movie list and pulled out Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield. Join us as we take a trip back to 1980 where some of us actual made our scratch by carrying rich peoples woods 18 holes over highly landscaped terrain. If you were a caddy or not, you can at least relate to the pesky gofer that seems to turn the whole country club upside down.

Menu

You can bet on some Country Club fair for sure. Of course Aimee and I are still scheming on the exact menu but think old standards with a new twist. The club sandwich probably will make an appearance and you better believe we will serve Arnold Palmers all night.

TABLE FULL-Reservations

Sorry, we have a full deck. To be reminded about our next dinner, jump on the list.

More on Reel Tasty:

Jason and Aimee pair a 5 course gourmet meal for 20 friends, some new and some old on a HUGE deck in Brooklyn. As the name implies, we will be screening a movie during the meal. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of time pre-entree to mingle, catchup and meet some new friends. Once the sun goes down we will role the film in all its two story high glory. This is an experiment, so we are not sure how much silence or chatting will go on. That’s for you to decide. We hope you will come out and enjoy yourselves with us this summer. See you on the deck.

You can check out pics from our last dinner here.

If you can’t make this dinner but want us to send you an invite to the next one, jump on the list.