The British invaded the REEL TASTY deck last month with it’s comfort classics and it’s, now icon, international man of mystery. Aimee and I spun up our take on some of those classics while Austin Powers provided the entertainment.

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. What better way to start the evening but with a specialty Pimm’s cup, some Port-glazed walnuts with stilton and some curry shortbreads. Ohh, how British.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Choosing the beer and wine for this dinner was extra fun. Lily, of Dandelion Wines, took things in the spy direction with Sherman and Hooker’s SHEBANG!. This paired great with the short rib shepards pie. For the white she went with Alpha Zeta 2009 Soave from Northern Italy. A stylish white that is crisp and clean as a whistle. For the beers we stayed true Brit with Bass and Bodingtons.

The evening temperature was perfect for snacking on appetizers and letting our guests mingle as we prepared the main course. First appetizer from the kitchen were these gorgeous and scrumptious sausage rolls with fried quail egg & bacon.

photo credit: Kun Kim

They were followed shortly by mini fish & chips and a few large platters of welsh rarebit. You can eat those for hours, I swear.

photo credit: Kun Kim

So I have to admit, this meal was potato heavy. Everything we tried lead us right to a potato. This then translated into a lot of oil, crazy amounts of butter and the fattiest menu we have ever served. We went with it, realizing this was mostly unavoidable with the exception of our take on the mushy peas.

We had an interesting crowd that ran the gamet from younger to older and newbies to old timers. That made for an easy and interesting bit of comradery and conversation, something we always love to see during our meals. The light faded away quick it being so late in the season and the deck began to twinkle as everyone buddied up a bit more.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As the last bit of chips were pulled from the deep fryer our entrees were ready and guests took their seats at the cozy table set for sixteen. Our take on Shepards pie was the corner stone made with zinfindel braised short ribs in place of the ground beef. (recipe below)

photo credit: Kun Kim

The hero entree was surrounded by a few other delicious items running from “just-as-unhealthy” to “fully-healthy”. In order of unhealthyness, the curry chips were first. A special “straight-from-India” recipe was used to bring these crispy spuds into super tastyville.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Getting healthier we served a classic walnut stilton apple salad. We threw in some fresh heirloom tomatoes because it was the tail end of tomato season and we just couldn’t help ourselves.That was followed by those unmushy peas I mentioned earlier. Swapping sweet peas for edamame gave the dish some substance and freshness. We simply dressed them with a lemon verbena infused olive oil and fresh mint.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Despite the heavy fat and potatoes our guests enjoyed and, if I didn’t know better, reveled in the glutinous meal.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As maximum consumption was reaches we turned the evening over to Mr. Powers and let our guests settle in to digest.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Of course we always have a few more tricks up our sleeve. The evenings popcorn was an appropriate salt and vinegar. And, just before Austin foils Dr. Evil and saves the day two last surprises hit the table. Our home made tea and scones ice cream along with a fresh sticky toffee custard pushed anyone who wasn’t quite there yet over the top. We can’t help ourselves we want to make sure you leave full.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Of course no recap is complete with out recipes and a shout out to the crew. Without the crew these evenings would not be possible. A new member of our staff took his rookie night in stride. A special thanks to the always hardworking and forever quirky Fletcher. Thanks as always to everyone who attended. You guys are the best. Our next dinner is a little up in the air. We need to move inside as the air gets colder. Make sure you are on the list for the next announcement. Hope to see you all soon.

Recipes:

Un-Mushy Peas

ingredients
edamame (steamed and peeled)
olive oil (lemon verbena infused if you can find it)
salt
fresh mint (chopped)

directions
1. mix mint and peas
2. drizzle with olive oil
3. add salt to taste
4. serve

Shepard’s Pie

ingredients
10 bone in short ribs
1 bottle of red zinfindel
4 cups of beef broth
3 onions-chopped
frozen of fresh peas
10 yukon gold potatoes
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of cream
1 cup of milk
1 brick gruyere cheese-shredded
thyme
salt and pepper
canola oil
flour

directions
1. Add 3 tbs of oil to a large cast iron pot
2. Salt and pepper ribs and in batches to caramelize on all sided
3. remove ribs and deglaze with 1/2 cup of wine
4. pour reduced wine and all the bits over ribs
5. add another tbs of oil to the pot and toss in the onions
6. when they are caramelized add back in all the ribs
7. add the rest of the wine and as much beef stock as needed to just cover the ribs
8. cover and place into a 350 degree oven for 3 hours
9. remove from oven. remove ribs. Place sauce and ribs in the refrigerator overnight
10. In the morning, remove the layer of fat from the top of the sauce and simmer on high to reduce by 2/3
11. Add ribs back to the sauce and place in 350 degree oven for 1 hour
12. remove from oven and strip meat from bones in a separate pan. Discard the fatty layer that attaches meat to bone.
13. shred rib meat
14. add peas to the meat
15. Add flour to water and make a slurry
16. With sauce still simmering, add slurry to sauce and whisk to thicken
17. Once thick pour sauce over rib meat
18. peel and boil potatoes
19. drain potatoes. add 1 stick of butter and cup of milk
20. mash vigorously. add cream and more butter until smooth
21. add fresh chopped thyme and a few pinches of pepper
22. Take an oven safe casserole dish and start to build your pie
23. layer half to 2/3 of the pan with rib-pea mixture
24. on top of that layer mashed potatoes
25. smooth with a spatula and be sure to use potatoes to seal the edges of the casserole dish
26. sprinkle with cheese over top
27. bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes until hot

Get on our list for upcoming dinners. Jump on.

The movie screen currently has scaffolding on it. Uhhh, we have to fix that.
Saturday, August 28th at 7:00pm
Come join us for some space travel. 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: Spaceballs

Movie

We partnered up with Smaltz Brewing Company for this one and in honor of their Jewishness we figured we would bring Mel Brooks and his hilarity to the deck. Of all his movies it’s hard to pick a favorite. The deciding factor was the number of Hebrew references we could remember in each film. In the end, Dark Helmut and the rest of the Spaceballs came up winners. The hilarious Star Wars spoof is complete with Druish Princess’, John Candy as a half man-half dog and Pizza the hut. I guess all we can say is “May the Shwartz be with you!”.

Menu

Ohh, this will be interesting and tasty for sure. A mix of Jewish food and space food is already being crafted by Aimee and I. We are smoking a brisket for sure and there are talks of homemade pickles and kinish sandwiches. Although the juices, I mean brine, is still churning, salmon will be represented along with lots of Smaltz beer. Lily from Dandelion Wines will do her best to pick some delicious bottles to pair with this juxtaposed theme.

Reservations

Reservations are required. Space is limited to 16 people. When booking please make sure to change the quantity field to the number of people in your party. In the note section let us know if there are any food restrictions anyone in your party has.

I am always amazed how hot food can silence 16 talkative, jovial and passionate conversationists in mere seconds. Perhaps food is the great equalizer. Perhaps it is the key to that ubiquitous and intangible “world peace” idea. If it is, we are doing our part every week on a big deck in Brooklyn.

For those who are unfamiliar with the dinners, Reel Tasty is our 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. It has been a while since we hosted this dinner and I apologize for the delay. The menu for Wet Hot American Summer was quintessentially summer camp through and through.

Aimee started out the evening with a trio of delectable summer treats twisted in the way only she can. Somehow it makes you feel like you are eating gourmet comfort food tapas style.

photo credit: Kun Kim

She started the apps light. Well, not really. Fried corn & lobster mac and cheese bites so popable that you’d think they were bite size from the way the plate emptied. By light I meant there is fish in them. The glazed baby back pork ribs were up next. With a sweet hit from the bourbon sauce you had to take two…or three of these bad boys. Finally, what is more summer than watermelon? We mixed it up a bit, creating Watermelon with feta, balsamic and basil. It also was a nice palette cleanser as the grill, oven and stove top raged prepping the entrees.

Lily got crafty this time pairing the wines not only for taste but for style. Boxed wines sound horrible right? Think again. Over at Dandelion Wines they know what’s up. For the white she chose Château du Chatelard Bourgogne Blanc (100% Chardonnay). A classic white Burgundy made from unoaked Chardonnay is delicate with floral aromas. Honeydew, lime, and herbs mingle happily on your palate… For the red she went fresh and supple with flavors of black cherry and plum. Subtle notes of lavender and spice linger longer than expected in this Domaine Le Garrigon Côtes du Rhône (60% Grenache 30% Carignan 10% Syrah)

photo credit: Kun Kim

As guests sipped the kitchen prepped. The finishing touches went into the celery/nectarine salad.

photo credit: Kun Kim

The smoked Chicken was plated

photo credit: Kun Kim

And, the burger assembly line was turned on high speed

photo credit: Kun Kim

Somehow we were able to pull everything together at once. 32 burgers, 16 chicken legs, 2 bowls of salad and a giant bowl pasta with roasted cauliflower and broccolini marched out of the kitchen simultaneously and onto the stretched table of 16 guests. Presentation is never without a story or two. As we presented the dishes, their ingredients and their thematic characteristics of summer, guests wasted no time digging in.

photo credit: Kun Kim

This brings us back to that silent table I mentioned at the top of this post. The crunch of celery and squish of biting into a juicy burger replaced the sounds of laughter. Soon enough those sounds were then replaced with the unmistakeable beginning to Jukebox Hero as the movie lite up the back wall and guests turned to settle deeper into our summer camp adventure.

photo credit: Kun Kim

What summer camp story would be complete without smores. We just had to. Of course Aimee fashioned them into tarts for no muss and no fuss with fires and smoke.

photo credit: Kun Kim

That was followed by home made Pillow Fight ice cream. Nutella and marshmallow Fluff mixed with white and dark chocolate morsels churned up an edible pillow fight where clean up was NOT a problem.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Of course no recap is complete with out recipes and a shout out to the crew. This was an all hands on deck affair. Anthony was off the boat and he handled the task of burger assembly like a champ. Thanks as always to everyone who attended. You guys are the best. Our next dinner is August 28th. Hope to see you all soon.

Get on our list for upcoming dinners dinners@forkingtasty.com

Recipes:

Celery/Nectarine Salad

ingredients
celery
nectarines
cilantro
olive oil
scallions
pepper/salt
cider vinager

directions
1. cut celery and nectarines to the same size. About an inch long
2. mix with salt and olive oil
3. add cilantro and scallions
4. drizzle with cider vinigar
5. mix and serve

Wet Hot BBQ Sauce (served with the smoked chicken)

ingredients
1 can tomato paste
1 cup espresso
5 dried chilis soaked in espresso
3 tbs molasses
1 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
dash cumin
dash cayanne

directions
1. soak dried chilis in espresso
2. when rehydrated grind in food processor
3. mix in all other ingredients
4. mix well
5. simmer in sauce pan for one hour
6. transfer to container and chill in refrigerator

Get on our list for upcoming dinners dinners@forkingtasty.com

Saturday, July 31st at 7:00pm
Come join us for camp. 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: Wet Hot American Summer

Movie

This is a star studded flick but before any of them were stars. On the last day of summer camp, Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Showalter, Marguerite Moreau, Paul Rudd, Molly Shannon, Christopher Meloni, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Ian Black, Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, Zak Orth, A.D. Miles, and members of MTV’s sketch comedy group The State try and find someone to kiss at the end of the big talent show that night.

Menu

This menu will be really fun. Think summer camp and BBQ and that’s exactly what you’ll be tasting. Smoked chicken and delicious ribs are a must. You can bet there will be our version of smores but it might be a little different that you are used to. Of course, we will have hamburgers. Little mini ones so you can sample a few of the gourmet flavors we have planned. Home made “pillow fight” ice cream will end the night. Take a guess what that is. As always, Lily from Dandelion Wines will pick some delicious bottles to pair with our menu. Last I talked to her she was raving about a hi-end box wine. Hmmm, so totally camp!

Reservations

Reservations are required. Space is limited to 16 people. When booking please make sure to change the quantity field to the number of people in your party. In the note section let us know if there are any food restrictions anyone in your party has.

IF IT RAINS: If it rains dinner is off. All donations will be refunded at the time we make this decision.

More on Reel Tasty:

Jason and Aimee pair a 5 course gourmet meal for 16 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 send us an email at dinners@forkingtasty.com and we will put you on out special list. Or join the facebook fan page and get announcement updates that way.

Last week we packed out the deck with another set of 16 friends (and friends of friends) to have dinner with Cary Grant. As he was chased across America our guests sat comfortably satiated sampling dishes from the places he visited and the era he lived in.

For those who are unfamiliar with the dinners, Reel Tasty is our 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. The menu last Saturday was designed around the movies story but also after a few stories of our own.

We started out with some Pork belly cracklins, Sullivan St. Bakery’s bianca con pecorino and Ricotta with fresh herbs.

photo credit: Kun Kim

To accompany that we had some fabulously paired wines from Dandelion Wines. Lily had done her research picking two perfectly matched vinos. The white(rose) was a Wolffer Estate 2009 Rose, Long Island, New York and the red was Castle Rock 2009 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As if the wine wasn’t enough, these Old Fashioned’s made easing into the evening that much easier as Aimee brought out the first appetizer, squash blossom pizza with burrata.

photo credit: Kun Kim

That was followed up with a cool and refreshing creamy gazpacho with grilled shrimp and spicy/sweet bourbon-glazed chicken wings with blue cheese dipping sauce.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As guests dipped and sipped we got the entrees fired up. The fish was popped into the oven. The short ribs were pulled apart. The corn hit the grill and the frybread was…well…fried. While all that was happening the sun bid us a good evening and slide behind the giant movie screen. Our guests found there seats at the long 16 person table continuing their conversation and eagerly awaiting the entrees.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Soon enough the entrees and matching stories rolled out. First up was a baked black cod with a fennel, cucumber mint salad crown. This was supposed to be blackfish, instead of cod, but apparently there was a scarcity of blackfish all of a sudden. The cod turned out to be a perfect, thick and supply base for the thinly slices and lightly dressed fennel/cucumber on top.

photo credit: Kun Kim

This was accompanied by a mustard green salad with grapes and a tangerine vinegrette sourced from the local rooftop farm, Brooklyn Grange. It was my first trip up to Ben’s new farm and it blew my mind. What seemed like miles of crops layed out in front of me after I poked through a few abandoned industrial spaces on the 3rd and 4th floors of the city block long building. Ben popped up from behind some tall corn and showed me to the makeshift office. A rooftop farm operation is a truly amazing urban innovation. I highly suggest a trip if any of you are interested.A quick follow up to those two dishes was roasted corn on the cob with a basil ghee and the short rib Indian tacos pictured below.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As always, the entrees were served family style to promote sharing and bring our guests just a little closer together.

photo credit: Kun Kim

The entree plates finally made their way around the table and our guests chatter dropped to silence as they indulged in the tasty and sipped their wine.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Soon enough Cary Grant joined us on the deck and our the guests spread out across teh deck to make themselves a bit more comfortable.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Just before the BIG Mount Rushmore scene we cooled our guests off with some wine-soaked peaches and raspberries with almond sables.

photo credit: Kun Kim

We followed that with some Homemade coffee iced cream. After all, Cary’s character  is an ad executive in the late 50′s. It was either that or 3 martini lunch ice cream.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Of course no recap is complete with out recipes and a shout out to the crew. We were back to basics this dinner with our senior crew Ross and Eric. A bang up job by the pros as expected. Thanks as always to everyone who attended. You guys are all wonderful. Our next dinner is July 31st. GET ON IT NOW, while seats last.

Get on our list for upcoming dinners dinners@forkingtasty.com

Recipes:

Short Rib Indian Tacos

This recipe has a bunch or parts although the assembly is quite simple.

Part 1: The Fry Bread

ingredients
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon powdered milk
1 tablespoon lard or margarine
1 1/2 cups warm water

directions
1. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and powdered milk.
2. Add lard or margarine and mix. Add water to make dough soft. Refrigerate until use. Dough will keep several days.
3. In a heavy skillet, heat 3/4-inch of oil to 375 degrees F.
4. Pat or roll out dough into about 6 (1/4 to 3/8-inch thick) rounds.
5. Slide into hot oil. Puncture once or twice. Fry until golden brown. Flip the dough over and fry other side to golden brown.
6. Take out and drain on paper towels.

Part 2: The short ribs

ingredients
short ribs bone in or out
bottle of red wine
vegetable stock
salt and pepper
olive oil

directions
1. In a dutch oven heat oil
2. saute short ribs until browned on all sides
3. remove ribs and add enough wine to deglase the dutch oven
4. put ribs back in and add more wine and some vegetable stock
5. put in 325 degree oven for 3 hours
6. remove from oven and put in refrigerator over night
7. separate the short ribs and the sauce, leaving the sauce in the dutch oven
8. in the am remove fat from top of the sauce then reheat the sauce on the stove top over high heat reducing the sauce by half
9. lower heat. add back in the short ribs and simmer for another hour
10. serve and enjoy

Part 3: the tacos

ingredients
braised short ribs(see recipe)
Frybread(see recipe)
shredded ice burg lettuce
shredded cheddar cheese
mexican creme
heirloom tomato slasa

directions
1. build from bottom up on a fresh piece of fry bread
2. short rib
3. lettuce
4. cheese
5. salsa
6. creme

A week ago 16 guests joined us on the deck for a gasto-adventure of summer blockbuster magnitude. In addition to our guests we were visited by one very important person. Dr. Henry Jones took the deck by storm just as the sun settled behind the building he was projected on.

For those who are a little lost, Reel Tasty is our summer supper club where Aimee, my co-chef/host, and I screen a movie on a 2 story building while feeding our guests some of our latest gastronomic creations. The menu that evening was crafted around traditional dishes from the countries Indiana Jones visited in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The giant leg of lamb was set up on the rotisserie hours before guests arrived. Basted in prune juice and red wine every 20 minutes the aroma wofted over the entire deck and into the kitchen during our prep and setup.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Guests arrived on time as usual and started to mingle over some snacks and drinks.

photo credit: Kun Kim

A new addition to the dinners are hand selected wines by Lily of Dandelion Wines. We recently struck up a friendship with our awesome neighbor Lily under the joint goal of letting people know how cool Greenpoint is. Lily chose a delicious white and red that was specifically paired with our menu.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As the apps rolled out the guests were quick to gobble up the tasty right off Aimee’s platter. First up was Snapper ceviche and Za’atar, lamb and feta pizza.

photo credit: Kun Kim

The final app soon followed. Chorizo-stuffed bacon-wrapped dates, one of Aimee’s tradmark dishes, was met by happy guests waiting to be transported to Egypt to replay the famous swordsman scene from Indiana Jones.

photo credit: Kun Kim

No adventure would be complete without a signature drink. Pulling from Peru, Aimee mixed up some pisco sours to settle the stomach and clean the palette for the entrees.

photo credit: Kun Kim

The sun finally set and we rounded up the guests to sit. One of our favorite parts of the night, we marched out the entrees and after explaining each dish passed them to the table so our guests could make even closer friends with each other. We love the family style serving because there are few things in life more intimate then spooning food onto someones plate.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Roast leg of lamb with a prune juice/red wine reduction served with a yogurt cucumber mint sauce was first to be announced. That was followed by mergez sausage on a bed of watercress and caramelized onions.

photo credit: Kun Kim

An egyptian lasagna and vegetable ceviche tomato cups followed.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Guests dug in as Aimee, me and the crew slipped back into the kitchen to prep the theatrical start to the film.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As the gasto-adventure part of the evening took a pause the travel adventure part kicked off with a boom. Guests settled in and turned to bask in the glow of the 2 story movie screen that appeared on the wall behind them. After 2 seasons I still get just as excited when that screen lights up.

photo credit: Kun Kim

About an hour or so later, as Indy was trying to catch the bad guys and recover the ark, we served two last treats. Suspiro a la limena with a port wine meringue and a dulce de leche stuffed cookie came out first. It was quickly followed with a homemade masala chai ice cream.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Of course no recap is complete with out recipes and a shout out to the crew. The crew as always. Everyone was on point as usual. Eric had exceptional flare with fedora and bullwhip in hand and our rookie helper, guest-turned-help Hannah, fit right in.

Thanks as always to everyone who attended. You guys are the best. Our next dinner will be announced very soon. So stay tuned or expect an email. If you are not on the list yet. GET ON IT NOW. This season is sure to be packed with tasty surprises.

Get on our list for upcoming dinners dinners@forkingtasty.com

Recipes:

Chorizo-stuffed bacon-wrapped dates

Ingredients
12 medjool dates
1 small Spanish chorizo link (the dry sausage)
4 thin slices of bacon – cut crosswise in three equal pieces
12 toothpicks

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Slice chorizo into small pieces – the length of the date but 1/4 inch tall and wide.
3. Pit dates – I use a chopstick to poke the pit out from one end.  Stuff with chorizo batonnet.  Wrap with 1/3 slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

4. Line sheet pan with foil or parchment.  Place bacon-wrapped dates, seam-side down on sheet.  Cook for 15-20 minutes or until bacon is cooked through

Vegetable ceviche cups

Ingredients

Vegetables:
celery
celery root
cucumbers
scallions
jicama
tomatoes

Vinegrette:
lime juice
coconut water
parsley
olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
shallots
garlic

Directions
1. Seed cucumber. Slice all vegetables (except tomatoes) into matchsticks. Make them as close to uniform in size as possible.
2. Make vinegrette by mixing all ingredients in a food processor. strain and set aside.
3. Using a melon baller or a spoon scoop out the tomatoes so they have enough room to hold the matchsticks. HINT: take a thing slice of the bottom so the cup does not roll on the plate.
4. When ready to serve, dress match sticks and stuff into tomatoes. Serve.

Get on our list for upcoming dinners dinners@forkingtasty.com

Saturday, June 19th at 7:30pm
A trip around the world with Dr. Jones. 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: Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Menu

Pulling from the countries the movie lands in, Aimee and I were sent into overdrive. From Nepal to Egypt to Peru there are tons of great tastes and ingredients to play with. For now, be prepared for a culinary voyage. We will post more as it develops. And no poison dates, we promise.

Reservations

Reservations are required. Space is limited to 16 people. When booking please make sure to change the quantity field to the number of people in your party. In the note section let us know if there are any food restrictions anyone in your party has. Your movie ticket is your pay pal receipt, when you arrive please just let us know your name so we can keep track of you.

TABLE FULL

IF IT RAINS: If it rains dinner is off. All donations will be refunded at the time we make this decision.

More on Reel Tasty:

Jason and Aimee pair a 5 course gourmet meal for 16 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 send us an email at dinners@forkingtasty.com and we will put you on out special list. Or join the facebook fan page and get announcement updates that way.

Last Saturday’s public season opener of our REEL TASTY supper club was LEGENDARY. Ok, maybe that’s channeling Barney Stinson a bit much, but the dinner was sensational. The day was gorgeous with barely a cloud in the sky and the temperature hovering around 72. I had 20 hens naked and ready for dressing as Aimee arrived with her usual box of treats. After the ritual “taste this-taste that” routine we stepped out onto the sunny deck to set up the evening.

For those who are not in the know, Reel Tasty is our summer supper club where Aimee, my co-chef/host, and I screen a movie on a 2 story building while feeding our guests the latest gastronomic creations our food blitz brains could imagine. My personal vision for this dinner was locked on creating a giant pile of ham wrapped hens for the table. Aimee’s focus was on modifying a cookie cutter to look like a ghost. With that success we started off with her ingenious and made-from-scratch ghost jelly shots pictured above. We followed up quickly with these delicious, bite sized pretzel morsels. That was quickly followed up with mini pretzel hot dogs, grilled hangar steak bruschetta with ramp butter and finally a crab and mango salad with avocado puree in crispy corn cups.

photo credit: Kun Kim

As our guests mingled and ate Aimee and I were able to get started on the entrees.

photo credit: Kun Kim

After the bachelorette dinner, (I almost forgot a key component to the pasta) I decided to be a bit more organized with what hits the grill when. That choice seemed only to distract us but the wall did look cool.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Finally entrees were ready and the guests had settled into their seats out on the deck.

photo credit: Kun Kim

The roasted Cornish hens with mom’s Italian sausage stuffing and a serrano ham blanket were piled high fulfilling my vision of serving that big ‘ol pile-a-poultry. That was followed by roasted broccoli with caramelized red onions. Lastly we sliced and served the two pizzas; soppressata and fresh mozzarella pizza followed by ricotta and basil pizza. The guests got to chow down and the kitchen got its first rest of the evening.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Soon after the last of the hens were reduced to bones we fired up the projector and rolled into Ghostbusters.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Just as Zul was attempting to take over the earth we took over the table once more with dessert. A chocolate-bottom cheesecake with mocha-ed nuts and hot fudge was first to land its way into guests laps. Finally, as if part of the script, a bright green tub of homemade pistachio-marshmallow ice cream was passed just as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man began destroying Manhattan.

As the night came to a close our guests seemed to want more. There was a sense about this crowd, a feeling that they were not quite ready to leave each other. As the REEL TASTY crew began to clean up, the lingering and chatting continued. With this observation we have developed a new twist for future REEL TASTY’s that will allow our new friends to continue the “hang” for as long as they would like. Stay tuned for more on that soon,

Of course no recap is complete with out recipes and a shout out to the crew. The crew rocked the unusually hot kitchen (for May). As far as the first dinner of the year goes, there were no cobwebs to clear. Everyone was on point as usual.

Thanks as always to everyone who attended. You guys are the best. Our next dinner will be announced very soon. So stay tuned or expect an email. If you are not on the list yet. GET ON IT NOW. This season is sure to be packed with tasty surprises.

Get on our list for upcoming dinners dinners@forkingtasty.com

Recipes:

Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients
2 heads of broccoli
2 red onions
balsamic vinigar
1 head garlic
breadcrumbs
pecorino romano
olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions
1. Cut broccoli into 3-inch spears, toss with olive oil and bread crumbs.
2. slice red onions into 1/4 slices. place in bottom of roasting pan and drizzle with balsamic vinegar
3. Roast at 450 degrees for 45 minutes.
4. when onions are done. remove from pan. add broccoli to same roasting pan and place in oven for 15 min
5. add slivered garlic for last 5 minutes
6. remove. mix all cooked ingredients
7. sprinkle cheese over top and serve.

Deck is clean. Knives are sharp. Screen warming up. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, REEL TASTY: Season Due is set to begin. Tomorrow night will kick off the season with a bachelorette party. A table full of ladies eating drinking and laughing their to-be-wed friend off in style. 80′s style that is. The Sarah Jessica Parker/Helen Hunt madness of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” will be on the big wall and the food will try it’s hardest to compete with the on screen dance off.

It looks like our first official dinner will be right around May 15 possibly the week before. Those of you on the mailing list, don’t worry you will get an email. Those of you not on it, get on it. This season is going to be packed with new recipes, new people and some new features. We have some ideas around a movable feast version of REEL TASTY. Look for that literally POPPING up on a block near you. As well, we might fancy up a few dinners and bring in some special wine peeps and movie peeps. Of course I am purposely being vague. I wouldn’t be good at my day job if I wasn’t right? So, Aimee and I are excited to say the least. We hope to see you on the deck very, very, very soon.

Get on our list for upcoming dinners: dinners@forkingtasty.com

We never say goodbye, just see ya next time. Saturday was our last dinner on the deck for the season. As expected we threwdown some hardcore southern Italian tasty. Thanks to Brooklyn Based, we had some great new guests turn up and break bread with us.

As many of you know I have personally been waiting for this dinner all season. My morning consisted of popping around on Metropolitan Avenue getting the provisions for the evening. I jumped from the fish market to Mario’s meat shop to the hardware store, stopping at the bakery and flower shop in between. The dialogue was routine to me but foreign to most without a vowel ending their surname. As Mario’s pounded the braccioles from freshly cut meat, John gutted and cleaned my fish and Tony helped me find the new deck lighting necessary for the evening.

Back at the apartment and a good way into prep, Aimee arrived with the traditional box of goodies and the tasting began. A few hours later we were ready to go. The table was set, apps were being prepped and snacks were out.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Guests soon started popping in and Eric, one of our most loyal family staff, gave them the back of deck run down on the drinks and snacks. 6pm was an early start but with a fast sunset and a 2.5 hour gangster movie to screen we had to keep a quick pace.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Appetizers were sent after the snacks were gobbled up and we dropped our first round of rigatoni into the water.

photo credit: Kun Kim

Pea & mozzarella arancini

photo credit: Kun Kim

Prosciutto wrapped mozzarella-stuffed peppadews

photo credit: Kun Kim

Grilled polenta with gorgonzola and mushroom ragout

Small things that you never think about always pop up during these meals. For example, feeding 16 people rigatoni requires two pots of boiling water, but we only had one. Hence the batches.

photo credit: Kun Kim

By this time our guests stomachs were getting their first period of fullness and their mouths were practicing the finer art of congenial socialization. Our intention for the evening was to serve the meal as close to Italian style as possible. Everything served family style and multiple courses allows for high interaction resulting in comfort with your neighbor. In short guests make friends over food. And that is what we LOVE to see.

photo credits: Kun Kim

We sat our guests for rigatoni and my family gravy kicked up with some marscapone cheese around 7. That course was followed with a fresh arugula salad dressed simply with salt, pepper, killer olive oil and some lemon. This was an unexpected course but one that worked out well in the end.

photo credit: Kun Kim

The fish had taken an unexpected turn and was pulled from the oven underdone. Meanwhile the braccioles were off the grill and resting. One of the best parts of these dinners for me is dealing with these “problems” as our guests sit oblivious outside. I love problem solving and those relating to food I certainly revel in. As our guests nibbled their salads and the tempurature dipped a touch lower we, in the kitchen, fixed the fish problem on the grill and blasted the bracciole in the high heat oven to keep it warm. Ten minutes later these two dishes were plated and passed to the anxious 16 waiting outside.

photo credits: Kun Kim

We started the movie shortly after letting Pesci, Liotta and DeNiro entertain our guests for the next two plus hours.

photo credit: Kun Kim

After a short kitchen break we kicked into the parmesan popcorn making and delighted both guests and ourselves with this appropriate and tasty thematic touch.

photo credit: Kun Kim

After the crew, Aimee and I cleaned, it was unexpectedly time for dessert prep. Aimee went a bit overboard this time with five homemade cookies. Because of all the sweat equity and the fantastic outcome I think it is worth a call out by cookie.

photo credit: Kun Kim

clockwise from left: pizzelles, almond and walnut biscotti, chocolate-hazelnut sandwich cookies, pignoli cookies, pumpkin cookies with brown butter frosting

The cookies were accompanied by a homemade hot chocolate finished with a splash of frangelico and a homemade marshmallow.

photo credit: Kun Kim

This warmed our guests on several levels as Tommy got wacked and Henry went to trial. One final round of food, olive oil icecream arrived just before the credits.

The finally was a huge success and we had a ton of fun. This season was great. The people we met, the food we all ate and the experience all our guests and staff had we wouldn’t change for anything. As I always say, REEL TASTY is about the great food and great cinema but without the connection of strangers the mix is without the proper glue.

We are taking a month or so off while we look for an indoor space to host a winter version. Hopefully we will get in one or two over the long cold. None the less, we will be back in the spring with fresh new menus and a new list of blockbuster hit movies. In the meantime stay tuned for our cookxperience book containing some delicious recipes and interesting happenings from all six summer dinners. All the proceeds from the book will go to a charity Aimee and I healthily support.

Thanks again to everyone who attended goodfellas and to those who attended the other five dinners. We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Get on our list for upcoming dinners dinners@forkingtasty.com

Recipes:

Prosciutto-wrapped mozzerella-stuffed Pappadews

ingredients:
20 good-sized peppadew peppers (ideally the size of a ping pong ball)
10 small mozzarella balls – halved (or one large mozzarella ball cut into 20 pieces)
1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Stuff each peppadew with the halved mozzarella ball.
Split a slice of prosciutto into three pieces.  Wrap the stuffed peppadew – ensuring that the opening of the peppadew is covered (so that mozzarella does not melt out).
Cook for 7-10 minutes (until cheese is melted).

Anello Italian Gravy (Sauce)

ingredients
2 cans tomato puree
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans tomato paste
1 med onion (chopped)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
parsley, oregano (dried or fresh)
red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, sugar
Some kind of pork (I used pork chops

Directions

Add some olve oil to a large stock pot. Saute porkchops until carmelized on both sides. Remove from pan. Sweat onions and garlic in pot for approx 5 min. Add in all tomato products. Add spices fresh and dried to taste. Mix thoroughly. When temperature of the sauce is hot, lower heat to a simmer. Add back in pork. Simmer for 6 hours. Ladle onto favorite pasta. Add Marscapone cheese for added richness.