“Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant”

By Adrienne

Recipe: Goat Cheese Scramble

An article this summer in the New York Times Magazine by Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore’s Dilemma, laments how Americans no longer cook. In the piece, entitled “Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch,” he details the popularity of programs on the Food Network, spectator cooking shows such as Top Chef, and the memoirs of amateur chefs like Julie & Julia. But while food porn has become a staple of U.S. households, he writes, home cooking has been shelved.

He’s right—at least partially. Cooking to sustain oneself or one’s family has declined. After working for 10-plus hours a day, I’m likely to eat hummus and tortillas for dinner or leftovers that require minimal reheating. It’s hardly what one would call high-end cuisine.


What Pollan doesn’t acknowledge, though, is that cooking as a social endeavor has never been higher. Among my friends, dinner parties are a key source of entertainment. We meticulous prepare menus weeks in advance, shop for the freshest ingredients at four different locales, and spend hours cooking the day of the soiree. One of my friends even had pre-printed menus detailing each course of the meal while another sketched hers out on a blackboard.

That said, when I have the time, I do like to prepare a nice meal for myself, sit down with a glass of wine, and savor each bite. Granted, it’s a rare event in my life.

There’s a great book, “Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant,” that reflects on such personal moments in eating. It’s a collection of short stories by authors like Ann Pachett and food journalists, including Laura Calder. The title comes from an excerpt in a Laurie Colwin novel, and the book also includes recipes. It still ranks among my top foodie tomes, along with anything by Ruth Reichl.

When I’m home alone (and have the time), I prepare one of the following comfort foods:

My Grandmother’s Chicken Soup (recipe forthcoming)
Pot Roast
Macaroni & Cheese

Lately, I’ve been eating scrambled eggs with goat cheese, a simple recipe that like many of mine has less than five ingredients. The joy of this egg dish is that it can be prepared in less than 15 minutes and enjoyed with a Sancerre. Lately, it’s been a great way to unwind after work. I’ve also been known to eat them in the morning before work. Okay, I admit it: I’ve been known to eat eggs with goat cheese three to four times a week. What can I say, I’m a creature of habit and comfort.

Goat Cheese Scramble
3 farm fresh eggs
1/5 red onion, diced
¼ red pepper, diced
2 slices of ham, diced
2 to 3 oz. of goat cheese (or more if you’re like me an enjoy obscene amounts of cheese)

Sauté red onions in butter until translucent. Add peppers and ham. In a bowl, scramble together eggs, 3 tbs. of water, salt, and pepper. When onion, peppers, and ham have been sautéed together for a few minutes, add eggs. Scramble until preferred consistency. I like my on the softer side.

In a wide shallow bowl (key serving dish for comfort food,) crumble half of the goat cheese at the bottom. Add eggs. Crumble remaining goat cheese on the top. The heat of the eggs will make the goat cheese all nice and creamy.

Eat with a chilled glass of Sancerre.
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Rachel's Housewarming

By Jason
Recipes: White Bean and Basil Crostini & Red Chili Shrimp and Avocado Crostini

Rachel and I are fated friends. We met at a scholarship competition hosted by Syracuse University’s Maxwell School the spring prior to our freshman year. The assignment was to analyze the welfare system and then suggest an alternate policy at either the federal or state level. Yes, I am a closet geek. I am that guy at the party that remembers everyone’s name, when and where we met, and a random fact about whatever the current topic of conversation, even if its astrophysics.

The first step in the competition was to submit an essay. Neither of us put much effort into the paper, but somehow we both got to the next round in which we present our arguments to a panel of judges. We were placed in the same group and hit it off before the discussions began. We didn’t much prepare for the presentation either, another point of bonding. Nor could we contain our laughter as the other one struggled to present and defend the argument.

Following the presentations, the smaller groups convened for the scholarship award, which we, of course, did not get. Rachel and I traded contact information and prepared to go our separate ways. We quickly discovered that our fathers had randomly seated themselves at the same table. In that moment we both knew we would stay friends for years to come.

We ran in separate groups at Syracuse. Rachel fell on the social-activist side of the coin. I spent my four years drunk or recovering from such drunkenness. (Given my inner nerd, I still managed high marks.) Despite our different social circles, we managed to share a few beers from time to time—and the friendship still remains.

After school I immediately moved to NYC while Rachel settled in D.C. Like all smart souls, she eventually relocated to NYC and several apartments later moved into a large studio in the depths of Brooklyn. Just moments after the movers finished, Rachel was planning her housewarming. With her round-the-clock work at a charter school, Rachel didn’t have much time to prepare. So I offered to cook for her 50 guests.

My philosophy for entertaining large groups is to offer small variety of simple appetizers. Vegetarian options provide the bulk; they keep costs low and placate guests with modern diet restrictions. For seafood/meat-eaters, my go-to protein is shrimp – it’s on the cheap side, works in a variety of dishes, and yet somehow makes people feel fancy.

The Menu
White Bean & Basil Crostini
Red Chili Shrimp & Avocado Crostini
Roasted Corn and Poblano Crostini
Fingerling Potatoes with Herb Aioli

The party was a huge success. Guests appeared throughout the night carrying bottles of wine (some even brought cases of beer). Food favorites were the White Bean & Basil and Red Chili Shrimp & Avocado crostini, and the recipes appear below.

In addition to preparing the crostini topping, you will need a few baguettes. Thinly slice the baguette. Brush each slice on both sides with extra virgin olive oil and toast under the broiler, flipping to brown each side. The broiler works its magic quickly – you’ll only need about two minutes per side.

White Bean & Basil Crostini


2 cans cannelloni beans, rinsed
½ cup grated Grana Padano cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream, room temperature
2 cups basil, chopped
Zest from 2 lemons
Kosher salt
Fresh pepper

Combine the rinsed beans, grated cheese, and heavy cream in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth, and season with salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be thick, but spreadable. If it’s too thick, add additional cream.

In a small bowl combine the chopped basil and lemon zest.

Spread the white bean mixture on the crostini and garnish with a pinch of the basil and lemon zest.

Red Chili Shrimp & Avocado Crostini


1lb medium shrimp, peeled, de-veined, tails removed
2 tbsp fresh red thai chili paste (or 3 tbsp jarred)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh pepper
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 ripe mangos (should be ripe and soft to the touch)
½ cup finely chopped red onion
2 ripe avocados
½ cup fresh chopped cilantro
Juice and zest of two limes
2 cloves garlic

In a bowl combine the shrimp, thai chili paste, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to marinade. This can be kept in the fridge for a few hours/overnight or kept at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shrimp in one layer so that each is in direct contact with the pan. Cook shrimp about 2 minutes per side, until pink. Remove from heat and the pan. When cool enough to handle, slice each shrimp in half along where the vein would be so that they are butterflied, but separate.

Peel and thinly slice the mangos. I prefer to use a mandoline or vegetable peeler, but you could also just finely dice the mango. Combine with the red onion in a bowl and set aside.

Combine the avocado, cilantro, garlic, lime juice and zest in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the avocado mixture onto the crostini and top with one half shrimp. Garnish with a pinch or two of the mango/red onion mixture.

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What Happens in Vegas…

by Adrienne
Recipe: Lucky Ladies Salad

Apparently my mother enjoys gambling, a lot. I learned this fun fact on a trip to Las Vegas for work.

The signs were all there, I suppose, from a young age. My mother and father took their twice often trips to Atlantic City, where they wagered $100 each on video poker. Afterwards, they would hit White House Sub Shop, a hole in the wall restaurant in Jersey. To this day, they still serve my favorite cheese steaks. I looked forward to those trips, waiting patiently for them to return home with the ode to meat and cheese, white American. The White House Special, essentially an Italian hoagies, is also amazing.

But I never experienced this addictive side of my mother until this recent business trip. It was Mother’s Day weekend so I figured I would get points for inviting. She’s amusing, at least for a few days. We stayed at the Wynn, one of the classier places on the Strip. And by classier, I mean the garish colors and man-made water features are only slightly less tacky than at those hotels that mimic metropolitan cities or Ancient Rome. And the $28 buffet is among the best in Vegas.

There was routine to our mornings. She woke up way too early and quickly shuffled out of the room to avoid incurring the wrath of a sleeping Adrienne. When I woke up a couple hours later, I would call mom, and she would come rushing up with coffee and oatmeal. Yes, I resort to old roles around my parents; I am the baby. On one particular morning, she hurried up with my breakfast and quickly retreated to walk the Strip and pick up tickets for a show. I meanwhile ate my breakfast in bed while reading Jason’s well-worn copy of A Year in Provence.

I finished my coffee, oatmeal, and the book—but mom never returned. After a couple of hours, I started to get nervous and somewhat impatient as I wanted to sun by the pool. I called my mom, who sheepishly answered the phone. “Where are you?” I said in my usual less-than-courteous tone. She hesitated before responding: “Playing video poker.” It’s at that point that I realized she had never even left the hotel, drawn in by the bells and whistles of video poker. She was up $300. How could she possibly walk away from this hot machine? I mocked her, hung up, and realized she was two steps away from a 12-step program. She never did get tickets to a show, but at least she paid for dinner—several times.

For all of its idiosyncrasies, Las Vegas is a foodie’s dream, albeit one lit in neon. BLT Burger. Osteria del Circo. Joel Robuchon at the Mansion. Now, I’m not typically a fan of Wolfgang Puck, who’s taken his commercial chef shtick a bit too far. But his pink lady salad at Spaggo is simply delicious. Here’s my interpretation:


Lucky Ladies Salad
1 pink lady apple
½ lb. burrata
½ lb. baby arugula
¼ cup hazlenuts
¼ lb. prosciutto
¼ cup of chopped hazlenuts lightly toasted.
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Thinly slice apple into circular pieces. Arrange slices on four plates. Top each part with equal parts of prosciutto and creamy inside of burrata. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

In separate bowl, toss arugula lightly with vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Top apple combination with arugula. Garnish with toasted hazlenuts. Serve.

(In case you didn’t notice, there’s extra burrata. This should be consumed at your leisure, preferably by yourself with a nice glass of red wine and sopresatta.)
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Sitting by the Dock of the Bay (while Dancing in the Moonlight)

By Jason
Recipes: Wine Poached Scallops with Peaches & Steamed Clams with Hot Italian Sausage

It’s confession time.

I am afraid of the ocean.

Every time I dip a toe in the water I am convinced that will be eaten by sharks, attacked by a rogue colony of crabs, or caught in a rip current and swept out of sight.

My oceanic fears were exposed on a recent weekend trip to the Hamptons. Adrienne laughed as I jumped at every shadow and limited my swimming to the waist-deep bay water.

Thankfully, my love of eating marine wildlife is not affected by these fears. I eat clam chowder for breakfast when hungover, slurp oysters by the dozen for a snack, and cook scallops weekly for dinner. Nothing beats sipping a beer and enjoying the clean, salty brine clams hold hostage in their shells. And as there is no better place to be eating seafood than by the ocean, I fell in love with the cottage on Bittersweet Lane, a house Adrienne shared with friends this summer.

As Adrienne has already said, Bittersweet is the perfect beach house. Outside of a few necessary repairs (no door handle to the outside, decades old wooden beach chairs with broken springs, etc), the cottage is a welcome respite to the well-documented drama of the Hamptons. For both Adrienne and me, cooking is relaxing. So naturally, when we’re relaxed, we cook. This weekend was all about sitting back, reading at a leisurely pace, and eating from first light until the sun set over the bay horizon.

Here’s hoping that everyone remembered the food, and not my yelping after being maliciously attacked by the biggest, my ferocious crab in the history of crabs.

Wine Poached Scallops with Peaches


1lb sea scallops, rinsed and cleaned
1 bottle white wine (anything with citrus or mineral notes preferred), at room temperature
6 sprigs fresh thyme, a few leaves reserved
Juice of 2 lemons, in separate bowls
2 ripe fresh peaches, peeled (the softer the peach the better)
Sea salt
Fresh Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a high-sided sauté pan combine the white wine, thyme, and juice from 1 lemon. Heat over medium until it comes to a bowl and lower to a simmer. Poach scallops (meaning they should be almost, if not completely, submersed in the simmering wine) until cooked through. About 2 minutes per side depending on the size of the scallops. Remove the scallops from the pan, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge until completely cool – at least 1 hour.

Remove scallops from the fridge and slice into thin rounds. Thinly slice the peaches (I use a mandoline). Plate the dish by building a circle on the plate, alternating scallop and peach slices. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh pepper, and drizzle with olive oil and the remaining lemon juice. Garnish with a few leaves of thyme.

Steamed Clams with Hot Italian Sausage


4 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed clean
8 hot italian sausages
4 bottles of beer (I use Moretti), at room temperature
3 large shallots, finely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp saffron threads
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 ½ cups fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cook sausages in 1 beer in a sauté pan with high sides over medium low heat. I never split or puncture sausages because the liquid inside the casing helps cook the meat and keeps it moist when eating. When the beer has evaporated, add in olive oil and raise heat to medium. This will brown the sausage casing. Once cooked through (about 15 minutes in total), set the sausages aside until cool enough to cut into rounds.

Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil over medium-low heat. Saute the shallots and garlic until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Pour in the beer and let settle. Wisk in the mustard, saffron, lemon juice, zest, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until slightly reduced. Bring the mixture back up to boiling and add the clams. Cover and cook until clams are opened. You can remove clams as they open so that the others have room.

When all of the clams have opened (those that do not open are dead – just throw these out) place them in a large serving bowl along with the sausage and chopped parsley. Pour over the broth and serve with slices of crusty bread.

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Hamptons Not-So Chic

By Adrienne

Recipe: Plantain Mash

I’m not one for scenes. I don’t like traffic. And pretension at the beach seems ridiculous. Yet for some reason, I decided to take a share at the Hamptons, the elite New York coastal area where heiresses and financiers summer. As I suspected, there are a lot of annoying things about the Hamptons. It can take an hour to get to a grocery store that’s six miles away. Prada flip flops are commonplace. And people wait in line to go to nightclubs. This is not relaxing at the beach to me.

But there is something quite magical about our house on Bittersweet Lane. The small cottage sits on the edge of the Noyack Bay, which glistens on sunny days. We can walk right down to the water or kayak to a nearby wildlife refuge. You can relax on the screened-in porch and listen to the waves. Other than the neighbors—not so affectionately referred to as the Sopranos—the place is idyllic.

Dinners at the Bittersweet house are a communal affair. My first time out, we fed 15 people, squeezing them all together on a semi-broken picnic table and a round metal patio table. Three people shared the cooking duties. I made a pork loan with a cumin rub. Larry made green beans with almonds. And Al whipped up some pasta with shrimp.

This weekend, Jason and I are handling the cooking duties. As per usual, it was a bit of an affair. Jason started cooking shortly after waking up this morning. And other than a break for a dip in the bay and a way-too-long shopping run, we’ve been puttering around the kitchen most of the day. Here’s what we’re making:

The Menu
Steamed Clams with Hot Italian Sausage
Confusion Ribs
Plantain Mash
Guacamole Salad
Goat Cheesecake

Jason and I have made most of the recipes before. But I decided to test out something new today—the plantain mash. Basically, I just like the idea of combining plantains and goat cheese. (Okay, I pretty much like goat cheese in anything). In any case, it took a bit of experimenting to figure out how to cut the sweetness of the plantains, but I managed to do so with a bit of bacon. I’m thinking I’ll want to try chorizo in this recipe next time, just to keep with the Latin flavor. But a smoky meat is a must, otherwise it’s far to sweet a dish.


Plantain Mash
6 plantains
6 pieces of bacon
1 medium onion
½ cup of whole milk
4 oz. of goat cheese
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Dice onions. Chop each plantain into six pieces or so. In pan, sauté olive oil and onions, until translucent. Add plantains and continue sautéing for 10 minutes or until all pieces are somewhat mushy. As plantains browns add a few tablespoons of milk to help deglaze the pan and get all the yummy goodness in the mixture. Continue this process, using about half of the milk.

In separate pan, cook up bacon. When crispy, remove bacon and chop into small pieces. Set aside bacon grease.

In pot combine plantain mixture and chopped up bacon. Add goat cheese and remaining milk. Stir and mash until you reach desired consistency—I tend to like mine on the chunkier side. You can achieve a fluffier version by adding a bit more milk and combining with a hand mixer. Once mashed, add four tablespoons of bacon grease. Stir and serve. (This can also be prepared ahead of time and reheated shortly before dinner.)

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Cartersberg Orchard, Auction House, & Duty Free

By Jason
Recipes: Dijon Thyme Shrimp & Goat Cheesecake

Growing up 20 miles west of Manhattan in Mountainside, NJ, I had the best of both worlds: deer in the backyard and city lights on the horizon. My summer days were spent in tennis whites learning to slide on clay, and weekends were spent in the city visiting museums or Tribeca trattorias. I was always fascinated with city life, but being close was never good enough. I wanted that life, and I knew that I, too, would end up renting a few square feet of vertical living space.

But after spending seven years living in Manhattan, I now dream of a more rural life. So when the opportunity for a weekend exodus arises, I’m usually the first to sign up. Among my latest escapes: “Stretchy Pant Weekend” in the Berkshires with Adrienne, Francesca, and Adam.

Adrienne and I can never seem to travel without issues. For one thing, I often start the festivities the night before my departure, and then have to travel dehydrated and lacking sleep. Our Berkshires journey was no exception. The drive up was further complicated by rain, hydroplaning, and my need to stop twice for food and milkshakes. But after I picked up a Hudson River Valley real estate leaflet, our spirits were bolstered with talk of purchasing a home to share with friends.

As with our cooking adventures, the plans quickly escalated. Within minutes we went from looking for a simple country house to purchasing an abandoned airport set on 40 acres. I’d have an orchard; Adrienne would run an auction house; and we’d alternate nights sleeping with a headset on in case we had a bogey coming in hot on our runway. For the moment, Cartersberg Orchard, Auction House, & Duty Free was our future. We did, after all, name it after ourselves—or at least the combination of our last names.

After a weekend of relaxing, cooking, and eating, we hit hours of traffic on the ride home, and plans for the Cartersberg property have since been sidelined. I know that I’m addicted to NYC, with it’s pace, culture, and conveniences. For now I’ll settle for weekends away with good friends and good food.

Adrienne has already posted her Confusion Ribs and Splendid Mojito recipes. Here’s some of what I brought to the table:

Dijon Thyme Shrimp


1 lb 16-20 count uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon-thyme or herbes de provence
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp fresh pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix gently until the shrimp are coated. Allow flavors to combine in the fridge for at least 2 hours or for 30-45 minutes at room temperature. (If kept in the fridge, allow the shrimp to come up to room temperature before cooking).

Coat the bottom of a sauté pan with olive oil and bring it up to medium heat. Add the shrimp in one layer (otherwise they will steam rather than sauté) and cook approximately 2 minutes per side, or until pink.

Goat Cheesecake


2 boxes cream cheese, at room temperature
10.5 – 11oz goat cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
Pinch of kosher salt
3 eggs, at room temperature
Zest of half a lemon
1 frozen pie crust or graham cracker crust (I never bake/make my own, store bought works perfectly).

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Combine cream cheese, goat cheese, and sour cream in the bowl of an electric mixer or food processor. Mix until smooth and then add in the sugar, flour, and pinch (small) of salt. Slowly mix in the eggs, one at a time. Add lemon zest.

Pour the mixture into the crust and place the filled crust on a baking sheet. Bake until set in the center – about an hour. Allow to cool and then place in the fridge until cold.

I also love this cheesecake with mascarpone instead of cream cheese, and ricotta instead of sour cream. Try serving it or the variation with blueberries with fresh lemon juice and thyme, or any of your favorite fruits.

(Adrienne Note: This cheesecake doesn’t last long. Francesca and Jason proceeded to consume most of it the night of our big meal. Adam and I merely watch in amusement. It is that good.)
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Stretchy Pant Weekend, with boys

By Adrienne

Recipes: Confusion Ribs & Splendid Mojitos

The concept of stretchy pant weekend (SPW) was invented in the Berkshires a few years ago. These are the basics. My friend Francesca, aka FP, invites me to her mom’s place in Massachusetts, or I invite myself. Boys are not included. For the entire weekend, stretchy pants with elastic waste bands are worn. Showers are optional, although we generally regret that decision on the drive home.

We try to do this a couple of times a year. It’s much the same every time. We grab diner food on the way up late Friday night. The food is consumed over too much red wine. Saturday night is our big blowout meal. We go shopping at Guidos, the high-end market in Pittsfield. Typically, lamb is served, accompanied by more wine. We buy cheese and wine at the wine & cheese shop down the street. (The shop has a name, Nejame’s. But we always refer to it simply as “the wine & cheese shop.”)

This past weekend we invited boys, Adam and Jason. I didn’t know what to expect. I spend a fair amount of time with both Jason and Adam. But stretchy pant weekend is about getting in touch with our inner slob. I wasn’t sure how boys would factor into it. I wasn’t even sure Jason understood the philosophy of stretchy pant weekend. The week before the trip he sent me e-mails with plans for the weekend, including skeet shooting. That’s just not what the SPW is about.

Needless to say, we had to make a few adjustments. We all regularly showered. I actually put on makeup once and wore something other than sweat pants. And rather than cooking at lunch on Sunday, we went to a restaurant on the lake. Blasphemous for SPW.

But ultimately the spirit remained: a lazy, relaxing weekend filled with food. FP handled dinner Friday night, a meat feast with chicken and beef kabobs. We drove to our friend Matt’s place in Otis for a lunch that included yummy barbecue chicken and a homemade strawberry rhubarb pie, courtesy of his boyfriend Brian.

Jason and I took charge of Saturday night dinner. After trips to two grocery stores, one farmer’s market, one petting zoo, a few coffee runs, and the beloved wine and cheese shop, we had all our ingredients.

Here’s what we served.

The Menu
Dijon Thyme Shrimp
Confusion Ribs
Guacamole Salad
Chipotle Rice Pilaf
Goat Cheesecake



Confusion Ribs
These were meant to be Puerto Rican ribs, a dish that first appeared on Top Chef. My friend, Jeremy, sent me the recipe—three times. And each time I kept deleting it from my Blackberry. I had I to wing it without a recipe, and so developed confusion ribs, a fusion of Asian and Latin flavors.

2 racks of pork ribs
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, shredded
2 cups low sodium soy sauce
2 bottles Goya Malta beverage
Salt and pepper
Chinese Five Spice

Preheat oven to 225. Rub ribs with salt, pepper, and Chinese five spice. Wrap them together in foil. Roast in oven for three hours.

Just before the ribs are done—say 15 minutes or so—combine jalapenos, scallions, ginger, and soy sauce. Bring ingredients to boil. Add Malta. Bring to boil, and reduce ingredients by more than half until gooey, glazy, and delicious.

Brush each side of the slow-roasted ribs with glaze, using three-quarters of the glaze. Set aside the remaining glaze. Grill ribs for three to four minutes on each side. Essentially, you want them to be grilled but not charred. After the ribs are grill, rub the remaining glaze on each side of the ribs. Cut and serve.

Splendid Mojitos (ie, the diet mojitos)
(A recipe refined from my mom)

Juice of 12 limes
2 cups of simple Splenda syrup
A bunch of mint
2 liters diet tonic
.75 liters of rum
(Ingredients are for the full bottle of rum. Each serving should be prepared individually as below, rather than by pitcher. It’s all about the art of the cocktail.)

To prepare the simple syrup, combine 2 cups of Splenda and 2 cups of water. Boil until it is approximately half the amount. Cool.

In a pint glass, combine 3 Tbs. of lime juice, 3 Tbs. of simple syrup, and 10 to 15 mint leaves. Muddle together. Add ice to fill the glass. Pour in equal parts rum and diet tonic. Serve, preferably outdoor at sunset.
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Spring Saturday

By Jason
Recipes: Farm Fresh Eggs with Basil and Parmesan & Fresh Strawberries with Camembert and Honey & Beet Salad with Lemon-Thyme Dressing, Camembert, and Lambs Quarters & Honey Glazed Sea Scallops with Strawberries and Lemon

My love of eating is paralleled only by my love of sleeping—or being horizontal in general. I am seemingly one of the few New Yorkers grateful for rainy Spring Saturdays. Wet weather indulges my penchant for spending mornings inside catching up on TV (thank you Hulu), afternoon naps, and nights in the kitchen or on the couch. These days the only thing that gets me out of bed early on a Saturday is the promise of fresh produce, seafood, and meat at the Union Square Greenmarket (USG).

And so today I entertain my appetite. Adrienne is attending a bridal shower, and another group of friends is touring Long Island's North Fork vineyards. I chose to stay behind for a solitary weekend of reading, relaxing, and cooking. With coffee in hand, I headed east to Union Square.

Saturday mornings at the USG are a celebration of local farming. Purveyor tents line the park borders; droves of New Yorkers (and tourists) shop and sniff. With a single breeze carrying scents peonies, scallions, and thyme, the streets feel more county fair than cultural epicenter.

I have two greenmarket rules. First, take a lap before purchasing anything. You'll see who is selling what, and at what prices (both vary from stand to stand). Second, ask questions. Connecting with a provider allows you to connect with your food. You may gain insight into how the food you're buying was grown or raised, learn a new preparation, or find something you've never tasted. More than anything, you'll discover how passionate everyone here is about their product. It's inspiring.

After two hours of meandering, I returned home with a weekend's worth of food. Most notably, I picked up a Summerflower honey from Tremblay Apiaries. Besides rich notes of the namesake summer flowers, the honey can help provide immunity from local summer allergies.

Below you will find recipes for everything I ate throughout the day. All ingredients - save lemons, parmesan, oil, salt, and pepper - were purchased at the Greenmarket.

Farm Fresh Eggs with Basil and Parmesan
Farm fresh eggs from sustainable farms are usually richer than supermarket varieties. The yolks are bright orange from beta-carotene, and they are rife with omega-3s.

2 eggs
Fresh chopped lemon basil
Freshly grated parmesan
Unsalted butter
Kosher salt
Fresh pepper
Fresh bread

I toasted sourdough slices while preparing sunny-side-up eggs in a tablespoon of butter. Eggs go on the toast, and are then topped with the basil, parmesan, a pinch of salt, and fresh pepper.

Fresh strawberries with Camembert and honey

Fresh strawberries
Camembert
Summerflower Honey

Hull the berries, slice the cheese, spoon the honey and take it to the mouth.


Beet Salad with Lemon-Thyme Dressing, Camembert, and Lamb's Quarters


Boiling beets is time consuming, so I make enough of this salad for a few days. I keep the beets, greens, dressing, and cheese separated in the fridge and mix portions just before eating.

Lamb's Quarters is a mild green related to and more nutritious than spinach. If you can't find lamb's quarters, you can substitute your favorite green. I suggest spinach, arugula, or frisee.

8 medium beets
1 bunch lamb's quarters (wild spinach), rinsed
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tbsp dijon mustard
5oz Camembert, cut to bite sized pieces
Kosher salt
Fresh pepper

Boil beets in water until fork tender - about 45 minutes to an hour. Drain and cool. Once cooled, remove skins (should be very easy) and cut off any darkened, hard sections. Slice or chop beets to your preferred size.

In a bowl whisk lemon juice and olive oil. Add shallots, thyme, rosemary, and dijon mustard, and then season with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until everything has combined into a thick dressing.

Season and dress greens and beets separately. On a serving plate, layer greens and beets. Dot with portions of cheese.


Honey Glazed Sea Scallops with Strawberries and Lemon


Scallops are by far my favorite seafood. In the spring and summer-time I love to top them with fresh fruit. Try this recipe using blackberries or pomegranate seeds. Grilled asparagus and heirloom tomato slices accompanied the scallops - both lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil. I chose an Argentine Sauvignon Blanc (La Flor - Pulenta Estate) which was light on the tongue with citrus and tangerine notes. I found this wine to be too acidic for this dish – it’s better paired with the beet salad.

2 Sea scallops
1/2 tsp summerflower honey
4 strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 lemon, zested and juiced
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh pepper

Combine strawberries, lemon zest and a very small amount of salt. Set aside.

Clean and dry scallops. Brush top and bottom of scallops with honey, and then season with salt and pepper. Sautee scallops in a pan with a little olive oil over low/medium heat for 3 minutes per side (depending on their size). Because of the sugar content of the honey you have to closely watch the cooking. If the heat is too high, the honey will over-caramelize (aka burn). Plate scallops and squeeze lemon juice over each. Top with strawberry/lemon zest mixture.
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