Dope on the Slope

Invertebrate Blogging: Eat Your Broccoli Worm!

Well, one just never knows what one will find lurking in their salad spinner. This little feller is the juvenile form of the cabbage white butterfly that is so common during the spring and summer months.

I found this specimen munching a head of broccoli that I had just rinsed, so I decided to use the term "broccoli worm," which is what my grandmother called them, even though the rest of the free world calls them "cabbage worms." My family had sworn off growing their own cabbage since Uncle Cole forbade the practice back in 1847. We called it Cole's Law.

Anyhoo, I vividly remember my grandmother finding a particularly large specimen while cleaning a big mess of broccoli over the sink when I was around 6  years old. She extended her finger toward my little brother and said "lookie here!" He promptly grabbed it and stuffed it in his mouth.

New Brewpub on 4th Avenue

Must. Resist. Cannot. Succumb.

They have a blog.

Bob’s Triple Roasted Peanuts

In honor of baseball season, I thought I would share this incredibly simple but highly effective method for improving the flavor of the salted-in-the-shell peanuts you can buy at the grocery. This technique was taught to me by my good friend Bob, who always had several buckets of these nuts available, along with a seemingly endless supply of ice cold long necks or nearly frozen 6 ounce bottles of Coca-cola.¹ Either beverage makes the perfect accompaniment to these salty delicacies.

First, you'll need a bag or six of salted-in-the-shell peanuts. The recipe will work just fine with unsalted peanuts, but what you don't want is raw peanuts, which require a different roasting technique altogether. The peanuts you want have already been roasted according to the manufacturers.

Next, you want to preheat your oven to 450 degrees. I've found that is the ideal temperature to ensure a robust roast, but avoid scorching. While the oven is preheating, spread the peanuts on a cookie sheet in one even layer. It is very important not to have peanuts covering other peanuts. If you have several bags of peanuts, you may want to prepare multiple cookie sheets.

Once the peanuts are ready to go, and the oven is properly heated, set a kitchen timer for 5 minutes.

Put the peanuts in the oven and cook for 5 minutes.  Pull them out, and let them rest for 5 minutes. Repeat this process twice for a total of three roasts (four if you want espresso roasted nuts). If you have multiple trays, you can alternate the roast/rest cycle. When you've finished roasting the peanuts, allow them to cool and store them in an airtight container.

If you like peanuts in the shell, you'll be addicted to these.

¹ Also known as "Brown Bombers."

Useless Mark-up

Make sure to check your chickens before you buy.

I was visiting a not-to-be-named local market yesterday with my mom to buy a small roasting bird so I could grill up some spatchcocked chicken for dinner. As usual, I decided to pick up a 3 lb Murray's Chicken. What was unusual was the price tag for the bird I picked up - over $22!!!

Needless to say, I was flabbergasted. I read the label and noticed it was priced at $6.79 a pound. Unbelievable. Finally I noticed that the label said "boneless," but that was impossible as I quickly ascertained via a thorough massage of the bird I was holding (my God, will I be squeezing the Charmin next? What's happening to me?).

Anyway, amid my indignant sputtering and spewing of phrases like "whiskey tango foxtrot," and "highway robbery," a clearly annoyed young woman behind me said "excuse me, I just need to get a chicken," and grabbed the pre-massaged bird. I looked around and noticed several other customers smirking and laughing at my curmudgeonly antics. Thoroughly abashed, I grabbed my mom and dashed down to the 5th Avenue Key Food, where the very same chicken was $2.49 a pound.

Whose laughing now folks?

Food Coma

Spiced Pecans Cheddar Cheese Pennies Chocolate Covered Ginger Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup Sweet Potato Biscuits Mashed Potatoes Wood Roasted Turkey (w/Alton Brown's brine) Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/Onions & Pancetta Cornbread Dressing Port-infused Fig and Cranberry Sauce Creamed Corn Pumpkin Bread Pudding w/Caramel Sauce Double-chocolate brownies Tipsy Pound Cake Lots of White Burgundy and Beaujolais

Pipistrelle prepares to ignite the spectacular "Orchidée Flamboyante" centerpiece. It's a little thing Martha Stewart picked up during her prison stint.

Stick a fork in us, we're done.

Both the cooking and eating were a team effort, and, although there were some white-knuckle turns in the final stretch before the dinner bell, everything came together as planned (even the grilled turkey, which was under seige by wicked winds and a very chilly rain).

I'll post some links to the recipes, most of which came from food blogs, later this week.

In the meantime, I'll enjoy one of those famous "long winter's naps."

Flaked Out: Sweet Melissa vs. Colson

Sweet Melissa (above) and Colson (right).

A few Saturdays ago, we decided to stop in and try out Sweet Melissa, the new pastry shop on 7^th avenue between 1^st and 2^nd. We ogled a tempting assortment of goodies in the display counter as we entered, and our mouths began watering. A harried hostess escorted us to a table in the rear courtyard, and said a server would be right with us. 

Our menus said "ask our servers about our daily selections."  We were very eager to ask, but it was a full ten minutes before we got the chance. Things did not bode well when the virtually catatonic server finally arrived, and suggested that we head back to the front counter to peruse the selections rather than rely on her to recite them. Luckily, I had already decided on a scone, and Pipistrelle on a slice of almond encrusted bread pudding. Unluckily, they were already sold out of scones, so I decided to skip the pastry and just order some vanilla tea (it was quite good). Pipistrelle ordered the almond bread pudding, but sometime between her utterance and the delivery of the goods, that got translated that into "banana chocolate" bread pudding (they sound so similar). We were too frustrated at this point to send the dish back, so she shrugged and dug in. I can't speak for Pipistrelle, but I thought the pudding was soggy, dense, and bland.¹

Based on our first visit, I couldn’t recommend Sweet Melissa at all.

The next day, we stumbled on Colson (9th and 6th) on our way to brunch,  and decided to give it a try. Although it was much smaller than Sweet Melissa, the selection was suprisingly diverse, and the quality of our food was outstanding. The service wasn’t spectacular, but in comparison to Sweet Melissa it was exemplary, especially given the small space and busy counter. We both had quiche, and it is without a doubt the best quiche I’ve had in New York.

When I make quiche, the crust is crispy, the contents are savory, but the filling is more akin to a frittata than custard. I find most quiches at restaurants around here are similar – very flavorful, but certainly not delicate. By contrast, the Colson quiche filling has the consistency of panna cotta or crème brulee, and it's seated in a firm, flaky crust – I’ve never had anything like it. Their café au lait was pretty darned good too.

Of course, I wouldn’t want to pass judgment based on just one visit. So I decided to give both establishments the croissant test. In my opinion, the standard by which one should judge any patisserie is the quality of their croissant. I admit that this standard is flawed given that what constitutes the "perfect" croissant is ultimately a matter of taste, but the variables that matter for me are: flakiness, butteriness, and "weight." A doughy, leaden croissant with not a hint of butter flavor is a zero, while a light, ultra-flaky butter bomb is Nirvana. By this measure, Colson is the clear winner. The Sweet Melissa croissant is decent (3 out of 5), but it can’t compete with Colson’s (4.5 out of 5). The difference is service was evident on my subsequent visit as well. The counter at Sweet Melissa was in complete disarray, while the service at Colson was delayed but adequate.

In the interest of fairness, I did witness a huge service faux pas at Colson on my most recent visit. A fairly long line had formed at the counter, but only one person was attending to the needs of the patrons. This situation developed while another employee morosely counted out the contents of the tip jar in full view of the people who were waiting to be served (ten minutes!). I saw one woman leave in frustration.

Here’s my tip – if your shift is over, at least have the sense to count out your tips in the back.

Still, I chalk that incident up as an outlier and declare Colson the clear winner for now. I'm fully prepared for the blood feud that I'm courting with the Sweet Melissa devotees, but deep in your heart you all know the truth.

¹ Of course, nothing can compare to the chocolate bread pudding at Blue Ribbon.

Superfine Brunch

We finally tried the much vaunted Bluegrass Brunch at Superfine in DUMBO today. When I saw the drink prices ($6.50 for one mimosa?), I was prepared to be disappointed, but we had huevos rancheros and the breakfast burrito, two dishes that featured real New Mexican chiles, and both were delicious. The blueberry banana bread, on the other hand, fell far short of the banana bread we bake here at the Dope test kitchen.

However, the absolutely captivating  M Shanghai String Band was so good we could easily forgive mediocre baked goods in exchange for a chance to sit and listen awhile (even if we had to nurse a few expensive drinks). This unassuming ensemble  featured eight musicians who did an amazing job maneuvering on the stage, so that nearly every member enjoyed the spotlight at least once. There was a tasty melange of instruments, including two banjos, double bass, mandolin, two guitars, fiddle, kazoo and saw(?!).

If you like bluegrass or green chile, then I can highly recommend Superfine's Bluegrass Brunch on both counts.

PS: Superfine is also famous for their Bloody Marys. I tried one, and it was deftly prepared. However, I didn't think it warranted the "spectacular" rating that the Village Voice reviewer offered - especially not at $6.50. I ended up drinking Six Points Summer Ale.

Mighty Good Gumbo

(NOTE: While this recipe was tested in Dope's kitchen laboratory, I must give credit to the real artist. The following set of instructions was freely adapted from several recipes and lore at The Gumbo Pages, by Chuck Taggart. Drop on by and show him  some love. He's doing God's work. Also, the recipe is long, so you'll need to read the extended post)

This recipe is highly adaptable, but there are some basic rules:

1. You must make the roux, and you'll want to have all of the other prep done before you start that step of the process.
2. Do not use any thickening agents other than roux, okra or gumbo filé.  Cornstarch is taboo, and flour added after liquids are added will ruin the taste.
3. Do NOT ever use olive oil. Always vegetable oil.
4. Go easy on the spices (especially cayenne) to start. You can always spice it up at the table.
5. Don't eat it on the same day you prepare it. It's always best at least a day old.
6. Avoid tomatoes. You don't need them.

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The Basic Vegetables

• 6 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 onions chopped
• 2 bell peppers chopped
• 3 ribs of celery finely chopped

These five items form the basis of nearly every gumbo recipe I've ever tried or read. It's the equivalent of a miripoix for French cooking or a battuto for Italian cooking.

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Okra

There are plenty of  "authentic" gumbo recipes that don't use okra. But I like okra, so I always use it. For the amount of vegetables listed, you'll need about 4 cups of sliced okra (1/2 inch pieces). I don't know for sure since I play it by ear, but I think that amounts to 40-50 pods. If you end up buying too much, you can always coat it in cornmeal and fry it up as a side dish.

Some folks claim you need to "sweat" out the gummy goo by cooking the okra in a hot iron skillet prior to adding it to the pot. I've tried this technique, and, indeed, the latex-like goo gets exuded from the okra in the process. However, I like the slime as a thickener in my gumbo, so I don't bother with this step.

A Perfect Sunday

For cooking and sitting in the "backyard" with the screen door open. They had excellent fresh okra at the Grand Army Greenmarket yesterday, so I whipped up some mighty good gumbo this morning. I'll post the recipe a little later. I also went out on a limb and tried my first "slow and low" hickory smoked pork shoulder on my new ceramic grill. I've cooked burgers, corn on the cob, swordfish, shrimp, potatoes, sausage, whole chickens and even peach cobbler on this grill so far. Not one thing was underdone or dried out, and the grill can hold a steady temperature quite well in the 300 to 500 degree range. Pulled pork, on the other hand, is best cooked at temperatures between 200 and 225 degrees. The best I could do was stabilize at around 240. Maybe I needed fewer coals. We'll see how it tastes. The aroma is heavenly, which puts me in mind of a t-shirt I had as a kid. My parents bought it for me at Myrtle Beach circa 1974. It had a rat-fink style caricature of a drooling wolf with his muzzle buried in a pie. The caption read "If It Smells Good, Eat It." Words to live by.

Dope's Fatso Pesto

I call this "fatso" pesto because it has a little more nuts, oil and cheese than most recipes. I also tend to process it a little longer until it's almost the consistency of peanut butter. This pesto is very versatile. It works well as a pasta dressing,  a spread for crackers or a topping for french bread pizzas (with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes). It can also be used to stuff mushroom caps for the grill.

A sh*tload of basil (4 cups of packed leaves or 1 large stalk) 1 cup of pine nuts 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cup of grated parmigiana reggiano 3-4 medium cloves of garlic 2-3  tsp of  fresh ground black pepper 2-3 tsp salt

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1. Procure a large stalk of basil at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket on Saturday.
2. Open an ice cold beer or pour yourself a glass of wine.
3. Pick the leaves off the stalks (discard wilted ones) and wash them in a colander.
4. Place 4 cups of leaves and the chopped garlic cloves in the food processor. Pulse until a fine consistency has been reached.
5. Add the pine nuts and pulse again until thoroughly incorporated.
6. Turn the food processor on and slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube in a steady stream. You can drizzle oil with one hand, and sip wine with the other. It should take 3-4 minutes to drizzle in the entire cup and a half.
7. Add the grated parmigiana through the feed tube in small handfuls. Wait until one handful is fully incorporated before adding the next.
8. Add half of the salt and pepper, and then taste. If more is needed, adjust accordingly.
9. Remove to glass jars and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Buon Appetito!