Pete's Dish - May 14

What's going on in and about town! 

 

The 12th Brazilian Film Festival of New York includes the Taste of Brazil, honoring the diversity of Brazilian ingredients and cuisine with Brazilian dishes and cocktails that will be offered on their menus throughout the week of the festival. Participating restaurants include: Plataforma, SUSHISAMBA (their Kiwi Caipirinha is shown above), Cantine Parisienne, Emporium Brazil, Los Americanos, Organika, Jacques 1534, The Diner, Botequim, Tablao, Gradisca, and Rice & Beans.

 

For more info, go to Inffinito.com or to get tickets, click here for the direct link or go to TicketWeb.com.

Eolo in Manhattan's Chelsea 'hood is hosting a Sicilian "Feast for the Senses" this Sunday, May 18th, between 3-6pm. Melissa Muller Daka, who helms the restaurant, will be celebrating a much anticipated spring with Sicilian-inspired dishes that include antipasti, pastas, entrees, desserts and a three hour open bar with Sicilian wines, all served table-side. Live Sicilian folk music by Allison Scola and her group Villa Palagonia will set the tune for the afternoon. Go to EoloNewYork.com for more info; for reservations, call 646-225-6606.

In en plein air news: New York magazine's online Grub Street feature created a list of where to eat out of doors (such as Amanda Freitag's Empire Diner) that I found to be most newsworthy. The link is here. Take a deep, fresh breath and do enjoy!

A Dinner to Die(t) For

As Baby was away on business for three weeks and rigorously dieting all the while, I wanted to create a celebratory dinner for him upon his return; one that was delicious but also mindful, regarding pounds and ounces. I had read an article in New York magazine about the influence of cauliflower in terms of the city's tables--I was instantly intrigued as it set my mind to work on what was to be the centerpiece of our dinner--cauliflower steaks! This cruciferous vegetable has been blanched, sliced and griddled all over town apparently as of late. I was drawn to a particular description of the cauliflower first being "milk-pickled" at Blue Hill in Greenwich Village before being cooked sous vide and then seared. For a number of hours, I thought to let our halved head of cauliflower sit refrigerated in low-fat milk with a few tablespoons from a tin of buttermilk brining powder we had bought at Williams-Sonoma, shaking the mix about now and then. The cauliflower was then ready for a sear in a cast iron skillet. I wasn't sure if the whole thing would fall apart but it didn't, clinging firmly to its leaves at the base, which added a fine flavor. I think our veggie friend could have even withstood more time in the pan for an even markedly deeper char.

Garlicky kale from Fresh Direct was a great side and we absolutely fell in love with our easy-to-make, beautiful summer squash salad so fresh and full of flavor from basil and parsley with crunchy red quinoa and complementing walnuts from Epicurious.com.

Rosie Daley, Oprah Winfrey's spa chef from years ago, provided a recipe for Chocolate Tofu Cake from In The Kitchen With Rosie for a wonderful dessert! Tofu, cocoa powder, cinnamon, maple syrup, low-fat ricotta cheese and cream cheese, a few tablespoons of Godiva chocolate liqueur and Patron coffee liqueur were first all whipped up and then chilled (no crust!) to lead us to a most satisfying, guilt-free conclusion! 

Praise The Pearl - Blue Smoke's Bleu Smoke Martini

So after the fit I had succumbed to whilst reading about the Blood Orange Margarita from Blue Smoke in New York magazine, which I did manage to successfully recreate at home, I still wanted to go directly to the source. It was just as wonderful (but also prohibitive at $13 a pop), if a little different. New York magazine doesn't tell you that the generic orange liqueur they suggest should really be Grand Gala or Grand Marnier (as Blue Smoke's waiters offer up).

And while I was at Blue Smoke, I did discover another gem, amidst the many fabulous cocktails that they also serve, to whit: the Bleu Smoke Martini.

Now, I like my martinis like I like my martinis: blisteringly dry and readily available. And too, I understand the idea of subbing something different for the vermouth in a martini, as I'd first witnessed such some years ago at the Astor Hotel in Miami, where a drop of Campari and a whisp of Chivas Regal stepped into a Black Tie Martini. Loved it. So when I saw that Blue Smoke offered a cocktail that tangled with Stoli, Ardbeg 10 year scotch (and blue cheese stuffed olives), I was more than eager to try.

The Ardbeg has a very peaty nose and there's just enough of the Stoli to temper it, with a cunning little fork to stab the olives. Although they didn't give me the recipe, I'll wager this is how you'd make it at home:

3 oz. Stoli
A rinse of Ardbeg
Any number of blue cheese stuffed olives

Rinse the glass with Ardbeg, shake the Stoli with ice, douse the olives and enjoy.

Praise The Pearl - Blue Smoke's Blood-Orange Margarita

I have to admit, I've been a little ahead of the blood orange curve, having created a drink of my own, the Bloody Good Screw (email me or post a comment if you'd like the recipe). Perfect for brunch! Just today when I opened New York magazine, I dropped it almost immediately and ran to get a pen to write down the ingredients for Blue Smoke's Blood-Orange Margarita and then ran further, out the door, to purchase them. I didn't even look to see what Adam Platt was up to. The recipe is below (it's delicious!), with my suggestions and comments in italics.

Blue Smoke’s Blood-Orange Margarita

FOR THE BLOOD-ORANGE PURÉE:

4 blood oranges, peeled, segmented, and seeded

1 tablespoon simple syrup (combine an even ratio of sugar and water in a bottle and shake until sugar is dissolved) I use a 2:1 ratio of water to sugar, it's too sweet otherwise for me. I also boil it all until melted together, and let cool by an open window while peeling the blood oranges.

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

FOR THE MARGARITA:

1 lime wedge and coarse salt I suggest Morton's Coarse Kosher Salt for rim

Ice

2 ounces puro blanco tequila I had a convenient nip of Don Julio Blanco Tequila on hand

1 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice (approximately 2 1/2 limes I don't think this is true, I used a half of a big juicy Persian lime)

3/4 ounce orange liqueur I used Cointreau also on hand, I wonder what using Patron Citronge might be like

1/2 ounce simple syrup

3/4 ounce blood-orange purée

1 lime wheel (optional) I didn't do it, I just used a lime wedge.

1 blood-orange wheel (optional) I didn't do that either.

FOR THE BLOOD-ORANGE PURÉE:

In a blender, combine the orange segments, simple syrup, and lemon juice and purée until smooth. (Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use; the purée will keep for up to two days.) Oh, just drink it straight away!

FOR THE MARGARITA:

Moisten the edge of a rocks glass with a ¼-inch wedge of lime. Sprinkle a good amount of salt on a plate and press the outside rim of the glass into the salt. Chill glass in freezer for a few minutes. Fill cocktail shaker and glass with ice. Add the tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, simple syrup, and blood-orange purée to the shaker and (1) shake vigorously. (2) Strain into glass and (3) garnish with orange and lime wheels.

(Adapted from Mix Shake Stir, Little, Brown, 2009.)

What they don't tell you is how gorgeous it looks too!