Eat Boutique

A few weeks ago, I had a small event to celebrate the release of a small NYC movie. In addition to all those luscious cosmopolitans (recipe to come shortly), I decided to grill some pizzas before we buzzed up to the movie theater. I’ve always grilled my pizzas and am constantly surprised to hear of so few people who do. Since Deb at Smitten Kitchen presented several pizza recipes last week, I was inspired to share mine.

Grilling pizzas is as easy as (pardon me, folks) pie, especially if you don’t have to make the dough. I know how to make dough but why make it when there are so many fabulous pizza parlors near my house? I buy a few balls of dough and keep them in the freezer for last minute parties. These were made from fresh dough so required just a little kneading and rolling to make a good shape on which to pile my goodies.

Know that pizza goodies come in all shapes and sizes. I often make these grilled pies with whatever leftovers I have in the fridge. If we made zucchini the night before, I chop a little of that up to dress the dough. If we had tomatoes, corn or asparagus, I sprinkle that on the pie. It truly is up to you and whatever is sitting in your fridge. I happened to have some wild mushrooms and briny olives, and they happen to go nicely together, lucky me!

But before piling on the toppings, I brushed olive oil on one side of my flattened pizza dough and placed that oiled side directly on the grates of my gas grill, preheated to about 400 degrees. (Gas is not my first choice, but it’s quick and we hand to rush to squeeze into long lines at the theater.) Close the grill lid for 4-5 minutes while crispy grill marks form on the underside of the dough. Brush a little olive oil on the non-grilled side and turn the pizza with tongs and gusto (and quickly, so you don’t burn your hands).

I really don’t love tomato sauce on my pizzas. I think it has something to do with growing up in New Jersey around the corner from the best little Neapolitan pizza parlor and overdosing on their pepperoni pie at a very young age. I matured into a white pizza gal and, in this case, a green pizza gal. I had made some vibrant basil pesto the day before and spread a thin layer on the dough.

On top of the pesto, I layered some pre-sauteed wild mushrooms, pitted kalamata olives and mozzarella cheese. With a quick drizzle of olive oil, I closed the lid on the grill for another 4-5 minutes while the cheese oozed into melty goodness.

I made two pizzas for this little party. One had olives and one did not, because while my husband was not celebrating the release of this little movie, he was indeed celebrating pizza and cannot stand the brininess of olives on anything. So I threw him a bone, and a pie, with extra mozzarella and a little goat cheese.

Once the pizza is melty and gooey, I slid it onto a big white platter and sliced it up into 4-bite slivers. Before serving, I quickly dressed a few pea sprouts with lemon juice and olive oil. A little pile of pea sprouts on top delivers a nice fresh zing against the rich pie.

Thank you to my dear friend Lise for taking such nice photos!

Food forms community. A few burgers on a grill can lure family and friends to a backyard. Piles of smoked beef and pork call an entire neighborhood to attention. And a medley of barbecued meats and grilled oysters pulled some friends to our garden a few weeks ago.

The menu was plentiful and presented a lot of variety, as you never know which dish will speak to which friend. We served a small smoked brisket, pork and beef ribs, citrus-marinated shellfish and a pile of oysters tossed on the grill with melted dill-butter. It was all fun and delicious, and our guests sampled a little bit of this and that while taking in the late Spring sun, a certain sun that always seems to be accompanied by a slight breeze.

The best part of the afternoon wasn’t the formal menu, though we did indeed have a nice meal. My favorite moment was when we placed a large white platter of fresh fruit in the center of the table. Everyone quickly returned to their seats, lunging for soft apricots and popping sweet strawberries. The multiple conversations ceased. We all were joined in one large monologue as we tugged on cherry stems and refilled our glasses with wine or beer.

Most of the dishes required hours of preparation, especially the meats that demanded dry rub the night before. But the dish that required virtually no work - a simple fresh fruit platter - pulled us all together, joined our conversations, and, in essence, brought us back to center. Food forms community. Instead of further food photos, how about photos of the community that formed around that meal?

My birthday was last week. I won’t pontificate on how old I am. And I definitely won’t get into how I feel like half my life is gone, and that my real life is finally here and just beginning. We all know that life goes on. We grow old and eventually die. So I strive to enjoy the fun stuff, like cooking!

The best part of my birthday is that I didn’t actually have to cook, and I was oddly relieved to come home from work to a little feast warmly prepared by my husband. He hit our favorite Italian butcher on the way home and prepared his version of surf and turf. He seared the Delmonico steaks and then finished them off in the broiler. With a pinch of red pepper flakes, he finished off his own version of shrimp scampi (sans butter). They were sauteed in olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and those red pepper flakes for a few minutes, then gently placed atop those Delmonico steaks.

Surf and turf really doesn’t need much else, but the husband knows how much I adore brussels sprouts and couldn’t resist cooking up a few. Or a lot. He sprinkled them with olive oil, salt and pepper and then put them in a 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes. I look at these photos and want to just return to that night, and swim in those brussels sprouts. The bright green mixed with the crusty caramelized parts just call to me. We have more in the fridge and I may to have whip up a few right now.

Dessert was made up of six glorious cupcakes, all for me, and pictured above. But I could barely make it through one due to all that sugary frosting. These cupcakes were purchased at Baker’s Best, an independent catering business in Newton and Needham, Massachusetts. These treats lasted three days.

We had a great bottle of wine with dinner - a Malbec from Argentina. I just loved that label. Can you see the cat in the ancient drawings used on the label?

I’m pretty sure Giada DeLaurentis is a bit of a diva (and I’m speaking from personal experience here), but I have to thank her for this very easy Short Ribs with Tagliatelle. I am no stranger to beef short ribs. In fact, it is pretty much my signature dish, and I’ve applied my technique for cooking ribs to all different sorts of tough meat, like these Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks.

Last night, I had some friends over and wanted to try something new. This short rib preparation had far fewer steps than my own beef short rib recipe, so I was skeptical. Boy, was I projecting my own issues on this recipe or what?! The short ribs turned out just as tender and luscious as I’d hoped. The sauce was savory, warming and full or flavor. I found a great dried tagliatelle at my local Italian butcher shop, and that turned out to be very filling and rich. All in all, we could only eat one bowl, for fear of exploding. We did, however, chow down a few slices of bread used to clean the bowl.

I did make a few mistakes when I served this. First, we laid out a plate of cheeses for appetizers. My guests brought back some lovely finds from their recent trip to Italy, including a recipe for a plate of parmasean cheese, honey and pine nuts. It was divine, but very filling. Second, I served My Own Personal Secret Dessert Weapon for dessert. Both the cheese before and pudding after dinner made it so we really couldn’t move at the end of the evening. Next time I serve this, I will do some fresh radishes or fennel with olive oil for a starter and a dessert of fresh fruit with a touch of mascarpone.

This was a perfect recipe for a Saturday afternoon. It took me about 20 minutes to get things going, then you simply cook for three hours. When the meat falls off the bone, I shredded it and returned it to the thick red sauce in the pan, leaving the pan to sit over extra-low heat to simply keep warm. When we were ready to eat dinner, I boiled the water and tossed in the pasta. Ten minutes later, dinner was served. So easy.

This past weekend was my Mom’s 70th birthday party. It was quite the extravaganza. First, it was a total surprise. Family visited from as far as Philadelphia, some with significant others in tow, and all stayed at my home, squished into three bedrooms, somehow. We were all tightly packed but happy to be so; it reminded us of our early years when we all lived in a multi-family house in Jersey. There were so many parties in my childhood home, and it’s always great to party together again.

My Mom is from Honduras, so we’re all Latin and I opted to throw a Latin-themed fiesta jam-packed with salsas, a fish and vegetable soft taco bar, margarita ice cream and a homemade dulce de leche cake. The food was well-received and perfect for such a diverse crowd. My family is packed with vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, non-dairy, non-butter, non-cream folks… the list goes on and on. A soft taco bar permits everyone to create their own meal. Choose fish, shrimp or sauteed peppers and onions and then add all the fancy fixings - cilantro, chopped onions, sour cream, salsas, scallions, chives, watercress, cabbage and a fresh squeeze of lime. Everyone was happy; and it felt nice not to have to worry as there was something for everyone.

The highlight of the event was the opening cocktail. Whenever I throw a fancy, special party, I always make a drink to salute the guest of honor. Tonight’s opening cocktail was “The Normarita.” Its name is a collaboration of my Mother’s name (Norma) and her favorite drink (a Margarita).

My sister, also known as my co-host, and I spent most of the afternoon the day before scheming up unique ways to combine tequila, triple sec, lime juice, sweet and sour mix and grenadine. We wanted it to be a light red, though it looks slightly pink in this photo. We found the perfect combination, with the right amount of picante, as my Mom would say. We rimmed the glasses with lime and kosher salt, or I should say, my very helpful cousin (also a chef) did this ever so perfectly the day of the party. I made a large batch, poured just enough into each glass and garnished with a slice of jalapeno. Jalapeno, because, well… my Mom is what we call very spicy. And a spicy personality is very hard to explain, either you get it or you don’t. And my Mom is very, very spicy.

I made three batches of this cocktail mix for the entire room before we all moved onto red and white wines. It’s nicely tart with a touch of sweetness from the grenadine. It tastes basically like a fancy Margarita. Needless to say, it’s quite strong (again, like my Mom), so drink wisely. Below I’ve included the recipe, along with everything written on the drink card that folks grabbed as they left the next day. Whenever I have a fancy party, I like to give a few takeaways, as reminders of a fun evening. After this party, folks left with a drink card and bottles of very, very spicy hot sauce, as a reminder of my Mom.

The Normarita

A freshly made Margarita served straight up in a martini glass, garnished with coarse salt and a slice of jalapeno, to represent Norma’s spicy personality. This recipe makes two cocktails, as she never likes to drink alone.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup, Sauza Tequilla
• 1/4 cup, Triple Sec
• 1/4 cup, Rose’s Lime Juice
• 1/8 cup, Sweet and Sour Mix
• 1/8 cup, Grenadine
• Limes, cut into wedges
• Coarse Sea Salt, poured onto plate
• Jalapeno, cut into slices

In a shaker, add ice, Tequilla, Triple Sec, Rose’s Lime Juice, Sweet and Sour, and Grenadine. Shake well. Rub lime wedge around edge of ice cold martini glasses. Dip edge of glasses in coarse sea salt to get a complete coating. Pour contents of shaker, without ice, into martini glasses. Place jalapeno slices in martini glasses, serve and “get happy”!