Category Archives: Appetizers

When You Decide

 

When you decide what you want to do with the rest of your life, you want the rest of your life to start right away. For Susan and me, that meant rebuilding our house in Westhampton. We started working with a builder and an architect and got an initial estimate. Then Covid hit, and costs skyrocketed. The final quote came back at nearly double the original estimate. The businessperson in me kept thinking buy low—sell high, so I told the builder we’d wait a few years. Then I remembered: When you decide what you want to do with the rest of your life, you want the rest of your life to start right away.

Moving forward at that time probably wasn’t the best business decision, but from a personal perspective, things really worked out. So many related decisions just seemed to fall into place. For example, we locked in a lower interest rate on the mortgage. Then interest rates rose, and we were able to take advantage of the higher rates and markets to pay off the mortgage faster. And yes, you can rationalize anything.

The real reason we went ahead with the rebuild is that Dylan (a.k.a. “Dilly Bear”) loves his Gramp’s BISTRO CLAMS. Said another way, rebuilding the house in Westhampton has given us more time with our kids and grandkids. This video pretty much says it all.

Check out the video

One of our favorite pastimes in Westhampton is clamming on the deserted islands in Moriches Bay. There’s something about getting something for nothing that the women in my life love. Last summer we had the whole crew digging clams. In about an hour, we dug up over a hundred.

Digging clams is fun. Eating them is wonderful. My recipe for “Bistro Clams” has its origins in my first trip to France years ago, when I experienced escargot. I soon figured out that it wasn’t the rubbery snail I loved, but the wonderful garlic herb butter. You could put this butter on shoe leather (or a lowly snail) and it would taste good. Pair it with a freshly harvested clam and a piece of bacon, and you have culinary heaven. The look on Dylan’s face says it all.

Check out the recipe

https://impromptufridaynights.com/bistro-clams/

When it comes to the important things in life, economics are usually way down on the list. A tasty clam dish can be important but the look on Dilly Bear’s face is priceless. Just Don’t Blink.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar stories about wine, supper clubs, and food, follow me on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Subscribe to future posts at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights—a Guide to Supper Clubs, published by Morgan James Publishing and available wherever books are sold.

 

Seafood Spread

Bagels – Not Just For Breakfast Anymore

Who doesn’t love a good bagel? Maybe I should ask, who knows what a good bagel should taste like? The best way to answer this question is with a story.

When our daughter Jennifer was 10 years old, she would spend summers at her grandmother’s (Mom mom) beach house in Westhampton NY. One day when she was eating a bagel at home in Memphis she asked: Why don’t bagels taste the same at home as they do at Mom mom’s?

A good fresh New York bagel is just different. For me, a lot of the difference is texture. The crust is a perfect amount of crunchy. The inside is chewy. A fresh warm bagel in New York is heaven. A day-old bagel that has been perfectly toasted, is another version of heaven.

At this point, my guess is that some of you are thinking: Here he goes again, the elitist former New Yorker (I have lived in Memphis for 32 years and still stutter when saying I am from Memphis. Yes, I will always be a Yankee). Another story

When we first moved to Memphis we had dinner with my friend Jeff from Connecticut. Back in the early 1980’s we had moved from Bedford NY to California and Jeff and Terry had moved from Greenwich Connecticut to Australia. We were talking about the cultural difference between Sydney Australia and Memphis Tennessee. In mid-sentence Jeff says: In both places they call you a Yankee. The big difference is that in Australia, it is not an insult.

Getting back to bagels. The truth is that people tend to like the foods they grew up with. New Yorkers like New York Pizza. People from Chicago like Chicago Pizza. People from Memphis like BBQ on their pizza. This former New Yorker likes a good New York Bagel.

You can find some great bagels outside of the New York Metropolitan area. We used to be able get an excellent bagel in Memphis. Then my favorite bagel place went out of business. Someone bought the business and refurbished the building. We were very excited for the reopening, but when they refurbished, they changed their process. The new process made a lousy product. The bagel crust was not crunchy. The inside texture was like Wonder Bread White Bread.

Making bagels has been on the list for a long time. I once read an article that basically said, homemade bagels are ok, but you cannot compete with a good bagel shop bagel. Given the demise of my favorite Memphis bagel shop and the promise of a good winter ice storm, I decided to give homemade bagels a try.

Homemade bagels fresh out of the oven

Recipe modified from the NY Times article

SOMETIMES YOU WILL AMAZE YOURSELF HOW GOOD A PRODUCT YOU CAN MAKE.

Following is a youtube video demonstrating how to make bagels

 

My homemade bagels were pretty darn good. The crust, taste and texture were excellent. Was the bagel as good as Mom Mom’s bagel shop in Westhampton? Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but these bagels are pretty good.

 

Toast up a section of bagel crust and you have a wonderful platform for an amazing array of appetizers: Bagel Crust with:

The toasted bagel wedge, a perfect base for a broad range of appetizers

  • Salami, Cream Cheese, Onion, Capers
  • Ham, Cream Cheese, Red Onion, Dill pickle
  • Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Spread with Horseradish and Dill
  • Lox with Cream Cheese and Red Onion
  • Steak with Boursin

One can go on and on. The truth is that a bagel crust is as good as any canape or crostini crust. Proving, Bagels are not just for breakfast anymore.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/wine group/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.