PB & J...and Tabla

Can we just talk about the world's most ancient, most tried and trusted combination in the history of America? More so than chocolate and peanut butter, more so than french fries and nuclear-orange colored cheese. There is nothing more comforting (at least to me) than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Sometimes when I am home and it's too soon for dinner, I will make a snack from Wasa crackers, peanut butter and jelly. The Wasa crackers because they are slightly lower in calories than a slice of whole grain bread, but at the same time, they are crisp and crunchy and there is something satisfying about biting into one of them.

The only thing wrong with peanut butter is how your breath smells when you're finished eating it and how the perfume of it seems to linger on your fingers long after you've washed up. I am one of 'those' who eats peanut butter with a spoon right out of a jar. I've started mixing it up, jelly-wise. Since the strawberry preserves of Bonne Maman were not at Gristede's both times I recently visited, I bit the bullet and tried Wild Blueberry, which was rather satisfying in itself, though strawberry is my favorite.

I'm trying to be healthier and eat more natural peanut butter, which, so far has been successful. The only downfall of the natural kind is that the oil separates and looks less than enticing when you open the jar. But it's always nice to not have preservatives.

There is a shop called Peanut Butter & Co. in the West Village, that I have been dying to check out. My brother brought me a peanut butter shake from there two summers ago and I drank it down so quickly that I got a cold headache. That's certainly on the agenda this weekend when brother comes home for my mom's birthday. And we have MASA reservations. There will certainly be a post on that!

This is restaurant week and so was last. Mumsy and I went to Tabla, my favorite restaurant in the city. I had the chickpea chaat with "moog" lentils and the scallops with lentils and bacon. Mom had skirt steak and cod. Floyd Cardoz was there and I waved him over to say hi and he remembered me from the last time I was dining there TWO summers ago with Natasha! He commented on the fact that neither of us had ordered the oxtail and when we said we really wanted to stick to what we had, he sent over a full portion of the oxtail, which we gladly devoured. No shame in that at all. Desserts were lovely, though I should have stuck to the traditional Vanilla Kulfi, which they do so well over there. It was accompanied with a rose-rosemary sauce which was SO incredibly subtle and sweet and flavorful. It really made a mockery of my mango lassi kheer. Now I know to stick to tradition, though I avoided the chocolate tart with pistachios and cardamom this time. Sigh. I could eat there every single week.

Gnostic Gnocchi

Post work time usually includes spending a large portion of time with my friends. And it's usually a quick and easy fix to say, let's meet for dinner, or let's meet for drinks, which usually turns into dinner, and unless we plan to go somewhere really fun or stellar or somewhere we have always wanted to go, the dinner place turns out to be a less than memorable experience and you don't remember half of what you are eating because you are making so many dinner dates with people that sooner or later, in an attempt to really listen to what your friend is saying, all the food starts tasting the same and you spend a pretty damn penny at a trying-too-hard-to-be-trendy restaurant. Whew. I say, skip all that and do something really NICE with your friends, something you'll remember and something where you'll learn something, or get exercise or participate in something together.

Last night, Sebastian and I cooked together! It was so lovely. We met at his gorgeous abode, and headed to Gourmet Garage, where we picked up all things white truffle-related. Sebastian has been telling me about his speciality, something he made for his partner Michael, (who sadly was in India, and unable to attend our gourmand feast) white truffle gnocchi. We had once tried to make it at my house, but unfortunately, one of the hobs was out of whack and we realized that it would take a lifetime to boil potatoes, so we made it with penne. It was amazing, but the gnocchi was so much more fun to make and so much more delicious.

Sebastian is a firm believer that if you're making a white truffle sauce, you should be using as many thing white truffle as possible. So we had on hand: truffle flour, truffle butter, truffle stock, truffle oil and truffle paste. He sauteed shitake mushrooms while boiling the potatoes. Once the potatoes were done, he peeled them quickly and mashed them up with equal parts of pastry flour and an egg to bind it. Then he showed me how to form the gnocchi, which I think mean "pillows" in Italian, but don't quote me on that! you take a scoop of the potato/flour mixture, roll it in your hands and into a thin rope onto the marble countertop (I know, what these countertops were originally built for!) You have to make sure all the 'ropes' are of equal or more or less the same size, and then cut them into inch and a half length pieces and toss them in cornmeal, though we were fancy and used flaxseed meal. So much better for you anyway. He and I are both trying to cut back with foodwise, though tonight proved to be the exception for both of us. The decadent cream sauce that usually accompanies the gnocchi, mushrooms and sauteed chicken was made a touch healthier by using less cream and more water. We must refind our figures, now! But one would never be able to tell. It was phenomenal. Though we used wheat flour (the horrors), which gave it a grainer texture, it turned out extremely well and was so incredibly tasty that I wished I wasn't watching my stupid figure. We had a bottle of Moet to accompany it as well as a chopped salad (Romaine lettuce, pinenuts and a finely chopped granny smith apple) with Sebastian's secret vinaigrette ( I *know* the secret!) Such a lovely, classy dinner with candlelight. Candlelight truly makes all the difference.

So classy are we that we had Tasti-Dlite for dessert. And talked til midnight. A perfect evening.

The BEST hamburger I've ever had

Now, I'm not really big on meat (insert obvious joke here) or at least I never have been. But lately I've been finding myself going to restaurants and ordering the slow cooked lamb or just craving some red meat from time to time. Fish and seafood have always been my thing and I've always prided myself on it, namely because it sounds classy and also because it's better for you. But when my mother suggested that we go to db bistro moderne after seeing a Broadway play and the proximity just made sense, I copied her form and ordered the house specialty- the db bistro moderne burger. And OH...my god...

Some may say a burger is a burger is a burger, much like some say a steak is a steak is a steak. But now, I am becoming one of THOSE people, who say that the people who say that, are transitioning vegetarians. Note to self and to all of you out there tha may be reading this: ALWAYS order a hamburger, especially a GOOD hamburger in a place where you feel that they will actually take HEED of the way you order a burger, MEDIUM RARE. The best advice that I, a not very meat-eating person could give another person.

This burger (and I still drool about it now) is the creme de la creme of all burgers. When it arrives, it looks small, but appearances can be deceiving. It's not wide, no, but it's stuffed. Stuffed, I tell you, with a layer of MEDIUM RARE ground beef, just the way I ordered it, short ribs off the bone, a layer of foie gras, and another layer of black truffles. Unbelievable. There is a thin slice of tomato, not too overpowering to hide all the other sensations that you receive when biting into this and a parmesan bun, which on its own is scintillating beyond measure. And the thin, sauteed onions...You literally have the eat the burger sideways to be able to eat it without all the insides falling out. And the flavors that linger on your tongue long after it's over- let's just say that I had been willing to forgo dessert. But we had a cheese plate nonetheless. I had a quartino of Rioja which accompanied the burger magnificently.

Originally, my mom and I had been planning to each get pommes frites but when the Middle Eastern guys at the table behind us got their burgers and I sighted the potato souffles, I asked our Michael Baryshnikov-lookalike waiter to make one of the orders souffleed as well and boy were we happy about that decision. These things are like "Potato Puris" for those of you who know Bombay chaat. They are so crispy and light and airy and flavorful...I almost didn't want to eat my french fries- I did of course, because of the tangy, creamy, tart mustard that was on the table.

This is the kind of meal I dream about. This is the kind of meal that I just want to jump into with a glass of red wine after a long day at work, or a long day of shopping or even first thing in the morning. Magnificent, Mr. Boulud. Hats off!

THE ORIGINAL db BURGER
Sirloin Burger filled with Braised Short Ribs, Foie Gras and Black Tuffles
Served on a Parmesan Bun with Pommes Soufflées or Pommes Frites

Que Sera Sera- "New Year's Eve" in "Italy"

I meant to start this two weeks ago, when one of my unspoke resolutions was fulfilled. Yes, by me! I threw a (yes, I might say so myself!) lovely dinner party with much needed assistance- Rupa was my sous-chef and she was fab. I spent New Years and Xmas in Italy, eating like a queen, or King rather, much like Louis XIV, and his four stomachs so I wasn't able to ring it in with my best friends, most of whom also love to eat and most of whom weren't able to have the luxury of eating Italian style like me. So I brought it home. The May 2005 issue of Bon Apetit magazine proved to be a godsend, not only in Italy, for pointing out the best wine bars, gelato stops, paninotecas, etc., but also brought home some of each region with us.

I have to admit that I was rather nervous. Entertaining is one of my passions in life, but I also freak out at the prospect that someone won't have had enough wine, or that there isn't enough gravy to bathe the lamb. Needless to say, a Negroni (one part gin, one part campari and one part sweet vermouth) certainly helped assuage some of my fears. I had my first Negroni in Florence in Piazza Stregni with my brother and my exchange brother, on New Years morning around 2 am. They are certainly hard-hitting, which is why I was tickled pink to hand them to guests as they arrived and watched them mellow into oblivion as an hour passed. I had made some of the antipasto the night before (Braised Baby Onions with Orange Juice and Balsamic Vinegar) and the biscotti (Almond) and assembled all the other prep vegetables. I marinated the 7 lb leg of lamb in garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and lemons for 24 hours beforehand. I cut up the broccoli rabe into stems and leaves and assembled the chickpeas in their very own container to soak overnight.

Friday night was the rush night. I came home, tossed the zucchini in mint, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and stuck it in the fridge to chill. On the way home I had stopped at Whole Foods for some quality Italian bread and fresh ciabatta which I sliced for the table along with some extra-virgin olive oil. Rupa took over the Green Beans duties, braising them in a pan which didn't exactly fit all of them, but she did a great job nonetheless and we politely fought over stove space while I attempted to boil the pasta simultaneously. Sebastian was a godsend as he (without being asked) brought over EVERYTHING needed for a smoked salmon appetizer, including capers and cream cheese, which he beautifully arranged on two platters in the living room. He is honestly the ideal dinner guest- he notices when things need to be done and he just does them and does them beautifully, like going out to buy ice or carving the lamb and making his own garnish out of a tomato, lemon and a sprig of rosemary. And he set out dessert to look amazing as well- just a tin of biscotti became a dessert tray with sliced oranges and broken pieces of gianduja chocolate with whole hazlenuts as garnish. The lamb- if I do say so myself- was utterly fantastic. I cannot believe how tender and succulent it was. I was very impressed with myself, being a red meat virgin and all.

The night was just magical. My mother had kindly set the table before she was ushered out to dinner and a movie with my dad with a brilliant orange sari. Punit had the genius idea of setting out little tea lights and dining by candlelight (yes, who would have thought shutting off the overhead lights would have made all the difference?!) and everything just looked specular. Seating boy, girl was certainly the way to go and I'll stick to that rule from now on. I was rather taken aback when Justin slid a small velvet jewelry box over to me and I proclaimed to everyone that I was being proposed to, when in fact he had bought me a pair of beautiful dangly gold earrings with peridot stones. Mmm...food AND jewelry! Everyone got drunker and happier and more comfortable as the night went on and I will always be sure to make sure that wine is on hand. We even had two bottles left over (10 people, 6 bottles of wine, not too shabby, though I'll admit that I thought we would do more damage and I believe the Negronis had something to do with it!) Dessert was casual- lounged in the living room and sharing our proudest moments together. There is something inspiring about eating and lounging by candlelight. So magical. I am so blessed that I have friends who love to eat and be entertained and who just are great elements to a good evening spent at home. Now I want to have a dinner party every month. Though Rupa is hosting the next one- Valentine's Day Dinner at her place with red/pink themed food. Though sorry boys, this one is just for the ladies :)

The Menu:
Antipasto:
- Braised Baby Onions with Orange Juice and Balsamic Vinegar
- Zucchini Carpaccio with Grated Pecorino Romano
- Braised Green Beans with Basil and Fresh Tomato

Pasta:
-Orechiette with Chickpeas and Broccoli Rabe

Meat:
-Roasted Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

Dessert:
- Almond Cantucci e Vin Santo

Pictures here