A Local Book Review for a "Local" Cookbook -- just in time for Thanksgiving

Here below is the text of a wonderful book review for The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook from the East End’s premiere newspaper, Dan’s Hamptons.

I am so grateful for Ms. Dermont’s detailed review, suggestions and support. 

And couldn’t agree more that the book is “sure to be the go-to gift of the season. No doubt it will appear beneath Christmas trees and Chanukah bushes across the Island.”

Further, Dermont says, “Fingers crossed, sooner rather than later, there will be a bigger and better “Volume II.”

I second that!

And I knew the book worked its magic when I read this in Dermont’s review: “I really enjoyed reading about many of the chefs’ backgrounds. I love their food and now I better know where it comes from. This book also introduced me to some chefs and restaurants I think I’d like to try…”

Enjoy the review. Enjoy the book’s Homegrown recipes. 

The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook is the perfect hostess Holiday gift:

I am giving thanks this holiday for the inspired chefs and growers who grace the book.  And our plates…

And I Love beach plum jelly too. 

Dan's Hamptons

The Only Hamptons Resource You Need

        

A “Local” Cookbook

NOVEMBER 17, 2012 By Stacy Dermont

The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook, Local Food, Local Restaurants, Local Recipes by Leeann Lavin with photography by Lindsay Morris and Jennifer Calais Smith is sure to be the go-to gift of the season. No doubt it will appear beneath Christmas trees and Chanukah bushes across the Island.

Voyageur Press is putting out a series of these tomes honoring unique food cultures. Other editions include Boston and Chicago.

This book profiles 27 Long Island chefs, farmers and producers and its author has held a number of tastings, dinners and book signings across the Island. This included a recent dinner at 18 Bay on Shelter Island with chefs Adam Kopels and Elizabeth Ronzetti. The two chefs are featured in the book, providing a glimpse into this 16-seat gourmet restaurant that most of the public might not otherwise experience.

Some of the other area chefs featured in the book are Lia Fallon of Amarelle in Wading River, Starr Boggs, Keith Luce of Luce + Hawkins, Joe Isidori at Southfork Kitchen and Gerry Hayden and Claudia Fleming of The North Fork Table & Inn. Also featured are some of the many farmers and producers who bring forth delicious food from Long Island’s soil and waters. The book profiles Noank Aquaculture Co-op in Southold, Balsam Farms in Amagansett, Crescent Duck Farm and Paumanok Vineyards in Aquebogue, The Hayground School, Open Minded Organics and Mecox Bay Dairy, all in Bridgehampton and Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett.

The photos of food and scenes are naturally gorgeous, but the portraits leave something to be desired. I know that most of these people are considerably better-looking than they appear in this volume because I see them every week. More troubling, though, is that on the pages featuring portraits of chefs alongside those of farmers and baymen, the chefs’ names are listed but not the producers’. In case you’re wondering, the super cute farmer from Balsam Farms is named Ian Calder-Piedmonte and the Sylvester Manor farmer pictured is Creek Iverson, not Bennett Konesni, as you might gather from the text.

Overall I think that Lavin has done a good job highlighting some of Long Island’s best local restaurants and producers. Of course, in a burgeoning foodie culture like ours, you can’t include everyone. As Chef Tom Schaudel says, “It’s like Disneyland for food out here.”

Fingers crossed, sooner rather than later, there will be a bigger and better “Volume II.”

Missing, naturally, are some big players who just came to the table, including Tom Colicchio’s Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton and the All Star in Riverhead, which features a menu designed by Keith Luce. Both of these eateries opened a couple of months ago.

But there’s many a fascinating story told in this book and I suggest that you go right ahead and buy a copy for every foodie on your gift list. Locals will love it. As will native Long Islanders who now live “away.” People who sometimes visit our shores will also “eat it up.”

Lavin got quite a bit right (if you can forgive a reference to a “potato pasture”), like featuring the grand dame of local foodie culture, Anna Pump, the founder of Sagaponack’s Loaves & Fishes. I can’t wait to try her recipe for Lobster Potato Salad! I’m also jazzed to try making Keith Luce’s Apple Rosemary Fritters and Gretchen Menser’s Apple Gremolata. Yum!

I really enjoyed reading about many of the chefs’ backgrounds. I love their food and now I better know where it comes from. This book also introduced me to some chefs and restaurants I think I’d like to try, including The Grey Horse Tavern in Bayshore and Kitchen A Bistro in St. James.

Warning: Reading this book will make you hungry. I had to break for a PB&J midway through. (Yes, the jelly was local—beach plum!)

Bon Appetit!

‘The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook, Local Foods, Local Restaurants, Local Recipes’ by Leeann Lavin (Voyageur Press, 2012) $30, available locally and online.

TAGS: Cookbooks, Hamptons, Local Restaurants, The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook

                 

Link to the full story with graphics:

https://danshamptons.com/2012/11/17/a-local-cookbook/

The Food Network's FN Dish Names Top Recipes for Virtual Thanksgiving

I couldn’t be more Thankful!

It is thrilling to get the email that two of the recipes from my soon to be released book, Hamptons and Long Island Homegrown Cookbook were selected by the Food Network for their first-ever virtual Thanksgiving Communal Table! 

Wow! 

Below is the list and links to the full list of food blogger recipes.

Food is love and sharing.

And I am honored and grateful that my talented chefs shared their talent and passion for local, homegrown ingredients and recipes for the book.

 

Imagine the double header of getting the book layout and the news that

not one, but two recipes were chosen by the Food Network! (noted below with asterisks.  Recipes are provided via links and in previous post.)

That’s a lot to give Thanks for!

In the Cocktails, Soups and Salads category, Chef Jonathan Parker, The American Hotel’s www.theamericanhotel.com earned a top spot for his Peconic Clam Chowder. 

It’s local, and delicious!

Almond Restaurant's Master Chef, Jason Weiner

Chosen as one of two Mains, is Almond restaurant’s www.almondrestaurant.com executive chef and owner, Jason Weiner’s recipe, for an amazing Grilled Quail with a warm beet, frisee and pistachio salad. Elegant, easy and sublime taste. 

Chef Jason Weiner and Jennifer Pike, Pike Farms, his inspiring, local farmer

I am gobsmacked to have been invited to participate in this premiere Food Network event.

I was eager to share the delicious, homegrown dishes from my locavore chefs featured in the Hamptons and Long Island Homegrown Cookbook.

I can’t wait to cook up a storm using all the Communal Table Food Network’s curated recipes. 

“pull up a chair.”

The food community is keen to share their love of food.

I know I am.

Announced by the Food Network:

Last week, FN Dish invited food bloggers from around the country to “pull up a chair” to our virtual Communal Table. Needless to say, we received link after link of incredible Thanksgiving dishes, tips and photos.

See what our new friends are bringing to the table and tell us what you would bring to the table on Twitter by using the hashtag: #pullupachair.

Cocktails, Appetizers, Soups and Salads:


Eat Be Mary: She’s Mulling It Over Wine


Cookistry: Bread With Ancient Grains


* Celebrity Chefs and Their Gardens: The American Hotel Peconic Clam Chowder 


Picky Eater Blog: Butternut Squash Soup With Thyme and Parmesan


Good Food Good Friends: Mushroom Soup

Mains:


* Examiner.com: Grilled Quail with a Warm Beet, Frisée, and Pistachio Salad 


She Wears Many Hats: Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey

Sides:
Living Mostly Meatless: Vegan-Friendly Corn Casserole


Healthy Green Kitchen: Red Kuri Squash Pie


The Naptime Chef: Crispy Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes (pictured
above)

Gluten-Free Blondie: Apple and Cranberry Studded Stuffing


Eat Drink Man Woman Dogs Cat: Blue Cheese and Rosemary Celebration Potatoes


Burnt Lumpia: Turkey, Sweet Potato and Cranberry Empanadas


Panfusine: Pan Fried Polenta Seasoned With Cumin, Ginger & Black Pepper


Homemade Cravings: Warm Brussels Sprouts and Cranberry Slaw


Bakeaholic Mama: Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Crispy Prosciutto


Show Food Chef: Beer-Braised Brussels Sprouts


T’s Tasty Bits: Sweet Empanadas with Pumpkin and Lupini Beans Filling


The Amused Bouche Blog: Braised Kale 


The Little Kitchen: How to Make the Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Desserts:


The Macaron Queen: Macaron Tower


Poet In The Pantry: Amaretto Apple Crisp


Farm Girl Gourmet: Pumpkin Coconut Panna Cotta


That’s Forking Good: Cinnamon Chip Pumpkin Blondies


Out of the Box Food: Out of the Box Food Maple Pumpkin Pie


Cake Baker 35: Orange Spiced Pumpkin Pie


Lisa Michele: Pumpkin, Pecan, Cheesecake Pie


Food For My Family: Buttermilk Custard Pear Pie


Simple Bites: Black-Bottom Maple Pumpkin Pie


A Cooks Nook: Swedish Apple Pie


Yakima Herald: Pretzel Jell-O Salad


How Does She: Three of Our Favorite Desserts


Dollhouse Bake Shoppe: Thanksgiving Candy Bar Name Plates


Sweet Fry: Pumpkin Latte


Tasty Trials: Spiced Apple Panna Cotta With Caramelized Apples and Caramel Sauce


An Uneducated Palate: Puff Pastry Apple Tart


Frugal Front Porch: Mini Cheaty Cheesecakes

Even more:
Kitchen Courses: Thanksgiving for Six People Under $60


A Curious Palate: The Communal Table

Here is the link to the Food Network news:

http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2011/11/16/communal-table-food-community/

Be sure to tell Food Network you'll be bringing Peconic Clam Chowder from The American Hotel's Chef Jonathan Parker and Grilled Quail from Almond Restaurant's Chef Jason Weiner to the Communal Table.

#pullupachair

Cheers, darlings, and Happy Thanksgiving!  

It's THE best holiday.

Come hungry. Leave Happy.

Celebrate the honor of our harvest with good, real food, family, friends – and love.

Food Network to host first-ever virtual Thanksgiving

While every day is a food holiday for food lovers, Thanksgiving reigns supreme as the mother of all things culinary. 

In honor of Thanksgiving, every foodie’s favorite holiday, the Food Network organized a Virtual Thanksgiving: The Communal Table, scheduled for Wednesday, November 16 at noon EST. 

Food writers have been invited to post an article about the dish they are “bringing” to The Communal Table.  The Food Network curates and aggregates the recipes so that readers and viewers can discover what food experts are bringing to the Table. 

There will be a cornucopia of recipes to peruse, try out and serve for an exciting, Thanksgiving menu of unmatched variety.

This reporter is bringing a seasonal recipe from her soon to be released cookbook:  Hamptons and Long Island Homegrown Cookbook. While there are nearly a hundred delicious mouthwatering dishes to be found in the book, all created by local, farm to table and fin to fork master chefs from which to choose to from, here are three to jump start the Thanksgiving holiday:

The American Hotel Peconic Clam Chowder

Serves 8

1 c. smoked bacon, finely diced

1/2 lb. sweet butter

2 medium onions, chopped to 1/4-inch dice

4 c. leeks, whites only, washed and chopped to 1/4-inch dice

1 bouquet garni (2 fresh bay leaves, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, and 6 fresh parsley stalks tied together)

1 c. dry white wine

2 c. Wondra flour

2 qt. clam juice, heated and strained

1 qt. milk, hot

1 qt. cream, hot

3 c. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced small

1/2 gal. chowder clams, chopped and juice reserved

1 qt. surf clams, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

3 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

In a stockpot, render down the bacon until it is light golden brown. Add and melt the butter. Add the onions, leeks, and bouquet garni. Sweat, covered, for 10 minutes (cook gently with a lid on low-medium to low heat). Deglaze with the white wine, and on a low flame, reduce until dry. Add the flour and cook, stirring for 5 minutes, to form a blonde roux.

Gradually add in the hot clam juice, milk, and cream, and any strained juices from the clams. Stir. Add the potatoes, and cook until they are cooked but still a little firm (about 15 minutes). Next, add both chowder clams and surf clams. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir well, and skim off any impurities. Add salt and pepper to taste and chopped parsley. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Almond Restaurant Grilled Quail with a Warm Beet, Frisée, and Pistachio Salad

Serves 4

4 semiboneless quail (quail with all bones removed except the leg and wing bones)

3 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. sherry vinegar

2 tbsp. grapeseed oil (canola would also be fine)

3 sprigs fresh sage

1 tsp. cracked black peppercorns

kosher salt, to taste

1 1/2 c. roasted baby beets, mixed colors, chopped to large dice

1 head frisée, cleaned (core and dark green leaves discarded)

3 tbsp. pistachios, roasted and shelled

5 chives, cut to matchstick size

About 5 hours before you plan on eating, lay the quail in 1 layer in a small casserole dish or Tupperware container. They should fit snugly. In a mixing bowl, combine the honey, vinegar, oil, sage, and peppercorns. Whisk vigorously for a moment. Pour the mixture over the quail. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill for about 5 hours.

Heat the grill. Remove the quail from the marinade (reserve the marinade), and season with salt. Put the quail on the hottest part of the grill. You want to crisp the skin before the quail gets overcooked in the middle. Quail is best when pink. If the grill is nice and hot, the bird shouldn’t need to be on the grill for more than 2 1/2 to 3 minutes (2 minutes on one side, 30 to 60 seconds on the other).

While the quail is cooking, put the reserved marinade in a nonreactive saucepot and heat it on high heat. As soon as the marinade comes to a simmer, take it off the heat and pour it through a strainer to remove the sage and black pepper.

Put the beets, frisée, and nuts in a mixing bowl. Season with salt, and toss. Add the warm marinade. (You may not need it all.) Toss again. Divide the salad between four warm salad plates.

When you take the quail off the grill, let them rest for a moment, then cut each in half. Crisscross the halves on top of the salads. Garnish with the chives, and serve.

Vine Street Café – Shelter Island- Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toasted Almond Brittle

Pastry Chef Lisa Harwood

Serves 8-10 people

Sticky Toffee Pudding:

3/4 c. dates, chopped and pitted

1 c. boiling water

1/4 c. brewed coffee (French roast or full bodied)

1 tsp. baking soda

4 tbsp. unsalted butter (room temperature)

3/4 c. sugar

1 large egg (room temperature)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. plus 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour

pinch salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 c. walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted

1/4 c. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

3/4 c. pitted dates, chopped

Preheat a convection oven to 325°F or a conventional oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x5-inch ceramic loaf pan. Measure all the ingredients. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then add the chopped chocolate and walnuts. In a separate bowl, place the chopped dates and coffee, baking soda, and boiling water. Set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until blended. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter and mix until just combined. Pour the dates and coffee into the batter, and mix until just combined. Scrape down sides of the bowl with a spatula, and stir to make sure the batter is evenly mixed. Pour batter into the loaf pan (previously greased). Bake until “pudding” is set and a cake tester (toothpick) comes out clean. It will look like a cake when it is finished.

Toffee Sauce:

8 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 c. packed dark brown sugar

pinch salt

Place all of the ingredients in stainless steel saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Boil gently over medium to low heat until the sauce has thickened (about 10 minutes). Be careful not to over cook the sauce; it should have the consistency of a warm caramel sauce.

Toasted Almond Brittle:

1 1/3 c. water

4 c. sugar

3/4 c. corn syrup

2 sticks (16 tbsp.) sweet organic or unsalted butter

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

4 c. toasted sliced almonds

To make the caramel, combine the water, sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt in a stainless steel pot. Cook without stirring until mixture becomes a light-colored caramel. Turn the stove off, and quickly yet carefully stir in the baking soda. Add nuts. Turn the mixture out onto a silpat/silicone mat or baking sheet, and spread evenly with the back of a wooden spoon. Move quickly and carefully. Caramel cools quickly making it difficult to spread while remaining seriously hot to the touch.

            To serve: Remove the Toffee Pudding from the baking pan, and place on a small sheet pan. Pour half the sauce over the cake, and place under the broiler until the sauce starts to bubble. Take the cake out of the oven, and place on a serving dish. Pour the remaining half of the sauce over the cake. Rough chop the almond brittle and sprinkle it over the cake. The Sticky Toffee Pudding can be served with your favorite ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

Bon Appetit!