Erin A La Carte

Beach in RI..in the middle of winter

My friend Meredith has always raved about weekends in Little Compton, Rhode Island, and after spending three days in her gorgeous, unique house there, I can finally see why. Rhode Island is beautiful, and on a sunny winter’s day with clear skies against a still, crystal blue lake, all worries and the angst of city life completely dissolve. That is what I call vacation.

in Newport

In addition to the joy of being in Meredith’s artifact-filled home, totally removed from urban chaos and amid picture perfect weather, I was surrounded by fellow-food lovers whose priority was a weekend filled with collaborating on cooking delicious, wintery, stick-to-your bones food. Considering that I live in a studio apartment, hanging out in a kitchen larger than the typical porta potty is a luxury to me. And with good music, free-flowing wine and great company, I was pretty much in my ideal scenario for relaxing all Presidents’ Day Weekend.

paella

Mer, currently head over heels for a Spaniard, kicked the weekend off with an incredible paella. After heading to Newport to pick up a sturdy paella pan, we stopped at the local seafood shack for lobster, snails, scallops, fish, clams, and mussels to add to the mix. I don’t know much about spanish food, but I know that the key to a good paella is a crispy, crusty bottom, or in more professional terms, “socarrat.” After a big production of Mer sauteing the sausage, onions, and garlic, adding tomatos and pimentos, rice, and a robust seafood stock prepared by her friend Jason, the paella came out as a beautiful array of colors and flavors, fit to feed a table of 9.

killing lobster

the makings of fish stock

sauteing onions and sausage

cooking the rice, post-toasting the rice

surrounding the paella

The next day, after recounting the amount of delicious cheese, paella, salad, alcohol, and cookies I consumed, I promised myself to be a little bit less gluttonous in the near future. That all ended when Jason, Mer’s good friend from high school, pledged to cook beef bourguignon and bone marrow, and Mer decided to bake homemade bread (my weakness). Watching them prepare was like watching masters – Jason sauteed the bacon and onions, and after adding wine, mushrooms, carrots (just for flavor), pearl onions, and thyme, he stewed the meat for almost four hours, cooling it down completely and heating it up again to make it as tender as possible (trick of the trade I assume). He simultaneously whipped up the best, creamiest, garlic mashed potatoes I’ve ever had. Meredith meanwhile prepared her challah and waited patiently as it rised, finishing it in the oven just as the bone marrow, butter lettuce salad with asparagus, and beautiful, deep brown beef bourguignon were being transferred into gorgeous white dishes.

the baker

GORGEOUS finished product

luscious marrow

beef and mashed potatoes

table set

The food was phenomenal. Only on a cozy winter’s night can you really appreciate the richness of braised red meat in sauce alongside a buttery bone marrow served with garlic and chives. Meredith’s bread was warm, doughy, and nourishing, and sitting right in front of it, I must have been responsible for consuming at least half.

scharffen berger brownies

We finished off the weekend in front of the fire with a plateful of brownies (my contribution) made with dark Scharffen Berger chocolate. They were buttery, slightly salty, and divine to say the least. And with a belly full, I felt completely satisfied to have spent the weekend creating and eating with wonderful people in a beautiful setting outside of New York City.

my excuse for eating across the street

I was ecstatic when I found out that a rustic restaurant called Bakehouse was opening literally steps from my apartment, which is at least a few blocks away from decent coffee and food (…well, maybe two full blocks). On a snowy day like today, I finally had my chance to justify eating so close to home and I met my aunt there for lunch. Bakehouse is just the type of place that I’d ask for to be easily accessible. It’s cozy, cavernous, and welcomes sit-down diners as well as those who want to enjoy coffee while reading the paper. At the restaurant’s entrance, you can line up to buy a selection of house baked bread ($7 for an olive loaf), pastries, or freshly baked cookies (I’ve had the chocolate chip before – delicious), which will be perfect for the days when my sudden carb cravings take over.

view from my booth seat

My aunt and I were seated right away at noon. There isn’t a bad seat in the house – all tables face what was the snowy westside highway, and little Christmas lights that frame each window make you feel that much more at home. I was instantly impressed when my tea arrived in a large white mug – I despise drinking out of 1 ounce teacups. The brunch menu has a simple list of well rounded selections, but the second I saw a white truffle oil, asiago, and mushroom omelette, my decision was made. My aunt ordered the salmon benedict. Our meal came with a selection of both freshly baked french bread and multigrain bread, and the omelette was incredible – the eggs were delicately layered with a generous amount of wild sauteed mushrooms and sharp asiago, and served with a side of simple roasted potatoes and mixed greens. My side order of sauteed spinach was a great addition as well – buttery, fresh, and hot.

perfectly cooked eggs

salmon benedict

The service was perfectly attentive, the food was homey and filling, and the warm ambience fit the occasion of catching up with my aunt just beautifully. I can’t wait to become a regular and have my first solo meal at the bar!

Grade: A+

Location: 113 Horatio Street between Washington and West

Website: www.bakehousebistro.com

Victorious!

Wow it’s been a long time since I’ve written, mainly because I have been trying to eat a tad more simply after two weeks of gorging in San Francisco. This past weekend, however, I was challenged by my sister’s friend’s fiance in a cooking competition, so all bets for being food-conservative were off. The secret ingredient, revealed to us the night before, happened to be one of my favorite things on earth: Balsamic Vinegar. Vinegar is one of the most crucial ingredients to cooking. It brightens any dish, adds a tang that’s just close enough to being spicy without being distracting, and it can lighten up dishes so dense as meatloaf. These triggered thoughts of freshness inspired me to cook a Tuscan pasta with balsamic-marinated tomatoes, feta, basil, olives, capers, onions, garlic, and parmesan cheese served along side balsamic marinated grilled shrimp and garlic toast. But as delicious as that sounds, the main show stopper, which secured me the gold at the end of the night, was a perfect panna cotta.

I recalled Dave Lebovitz’s version because he focuses on few, simple ingredients, and uses fresh vanilla bean. Paired with Ina Garten’s balsamic berries, it created a masterpiece that truly wowed the Top Chef judges.

I had never made panna cotta because personally, I prefer desserts with chocolate. Panna cotta, flan, creme brulee, pudding – all of these “vanilla” sweets don’t do much for me. But with a secret ingredient of balsamic vinegar in mind, I knew I needed something to pair well with balsamic marinated fruit – the sound of balsamic chocolate makes my stomach turn. And it turns out – all panna cottas are easy! Unlike custard, there are no eggs required – just cream, sugar, and gelatin. Almost like a variation on ice cream, except instead of a crazy machine to churn the mixture, you only need a fridge. Simple.

cute jars drying

The key ingredients to this simple dessert, in this case, were the fresh vanilla bean and the delicious stewed berries. But what made it really special was the old school $1.50 jam jars that made the dish feel rustic and homey. This was not only beautiful, but saved the hassle of inverting the pudding from a ramekin.

Ready for fridge

Final product with berries

My competitor made an incredible dessert as well, with flavors far more complex than mine – ginger ice cream with a ginger-chocolate balsamic reduction and roasted pear, blueberries and pistachio. To be honest, the chocolate won me over, so I’m glad our votes didn’t count in the overall pool.

Opponent's dish

After a lot of dollars spent and sweat droplets lost, I think it will be a while before I participate in my next chef competition. But I have to say, it feels quite rewarding to be recognized for something that I sincerely love to do.

Videos of the competition can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/user/JustynBellsey/videos

Recipe for Panna Cotta

Ingredients adapted from Dave Lebovitz’s recipe

2 cups half and half
2 cups heavy cream
2 packets of gelatin (knox)
6 tbsp water
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean

Heat the half and half, cream and sugar in a saucepan or microwave. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and scrape the seeds from the bean into the cream and add the bean pod. Cover, and let infuse for 30 minutes. Remove the bean then rewarm the mixture before continuing. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium-sized bowl and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the very warm Panna Cotta mixture over the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Divide the Panna Cotta mixture into the prepared cups, then chill them until firm, 2-4 hours.

Balsamic Berries (adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe)

2 pints berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)
2.5 tbsp balsamic
1 tbsp sugar
Fresh Black Pepper

Slice berries and toss with above ingredients about 30-60 minutes before serving on top of the chilled panna cotta. Sprinkle with lemon zest if desired.