Like Bringing A Sandwich To A Smorgasbord

Bringing a bottle of wine to an event at certain people’s home is like bringing a sandwich to a smorgasbord. We just spent a few days with our friends Kathy and Scott Flora in Florida. Scott has been my wine muse for years. When Scott moved from our neighborhood the local wine store (affectionately referred to as Germantown Baptist Wine & Liquor – see below) flew flags at half-mast for a week. All kidding aside, the place was sold a short while after he left.

What is the old Joke: What is the difference between a Catholic and a Baptist? The Catholic will say hello when he sees you at the Liquor store.

The truth is that there was big controversy when a liquor store originally wanted to open close to the local Baptist church. Ever since the store did open, we have called it “Germantown Baptist Wine & Liquor”. Come to think of it, Kathy Flora was probably the first to use that handle.

Scott knows his wine and is very generous with his inventory. An excellent example of his generosity was at the kick-off party we had for our daughter’s wedding. We had a party at my mother’s house in Westhampton for about 75 people. The meal consisted of:

Memphis Smoked Sausage Plate with real polish Kielbasa from the Polish town in Riverhead and dry seasoning rub from Rendezvous BBQ in Memphis
Grilled Local Swordfish with a dill-based compound butter
Grilled 2-Inch-Thick Steaks with an herb-based compound butter
Mom Mom’s Potato Salad
Grilled Eggplant
Late Season Heirloom Tomato Salad

Clockwise Above: The Kick-off Dinner Spread, Mother of the Bride/Father of the Bride and Scott & Kathy Flora

Of course, we had plenty of wine and beer. Before the party, Scott asked me if I would mind if he brought some wine from his inventory since at the time, he was living in Connecticut which was a short ferry ride away. Very early on at the party I noticed that people were congregating around Scott’s table. Turned out, he had cases of his better wine under the table. I will confess, that I was among the many that enjoyed Scott’s wine that night and many other nights before and since.

This week was no exception. While I did bring a few bottles, what we brought was nothing compared to the cornucopia of wonderful wine that Scott served us. Fortunately, Scott and Kathy let me cook. True to theme of “Bring A Bottle And An Appetizer” we had two wonderful meals based on Appetizers. One night we enjoyed some Gougeres. We had a fun day of golf and came home in time to watch Kathy’s beloved Kansas City Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills. Gougeres are easy to make and are always a hit. They bring the added benefit of smelling great as they bake in the oven. The smell alone is a reason to make this perfect appetizer which can also be a meal.

Gougere With Bacon

The next night, after a late lunch, we weren’t particularly hungry for a big dinner. Kathy offered that she had some cauliflower based pizza crusts that we could use to make a quick pizza. Originally, I was skeptical as I have tried a few times to make a cauliflower crust and the results were not good. It turns out that the Caulipower, Cauliflower based pizza crust (see Below) was excellent. Cauliflower is the main ingredient, but they use rice flour to give the crust a more traditional pizza taste and texture. The whole crust is only 510 calories. We made a few versions using mozzarella, parmesan, garlic, spinach, olive oil, shrimp, and pepperoni as toppings. The end product tasted great, and my bet is that in a blind panel, no one would know that cauliflower was the main ingredient in the crust…

Particularly, while enjoying a Smorgasbord of Scott’s wine.

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.

Playing Chopped

Have you seen the Food Network’s show “Chopped”? The basic premise is that participants are given a few core random ingredients and challenged to make a dish that will impress a panel of judges. While you may, or not, be a fan of the show, it is fun to play the game with a few random ingredients.

We were up in Canada helping our daughter Jenn and her husband Ethan get ready for a move to Albuquerque NM. As we were cleaning out the refrigerator, I decided to play the game to make an appetizer for a neighborhood birthday party. In the freezer was a package of phyllo dough that had probably been there for quite a while. Our grandkids are major consumers of cream cheese, but a Costco purchase of two containers of cream cheese was too much. Hence the question.

What can be made with phyllo dough and cream cheese?

Phyllo dough, while not easy to work with, became a wonderful base. Using a mini cupcake pan as a shaper, I was able to bake up a good set of phyllo cups.

Cream cheese became the base for a homemade Boursin. Combining the cream cheese with butter, and:

Dried spices from the pantry (dill, black pepper, and marjoram),
Fresh chives, thyme, parsley, and basil from the herb garden
Sauteed shallot and garlic

This resulted in a tasty product that was easy to make and better than the store-bought version.

With these bases in place, I raided the refrigerator and came up with two version of

Phyllo Cup Boursin Appetizers with: (check out the recipe)

Bacon, Scallion and Tomato
Blue Cheese, Strawberry and Apricot Preserve

The best part of the game was the audience. Jenn and Ethan have been in Ottawa for close to 4 years and have the best set neighbors. After corporate stints in Virginia, Saint Louis, and Charlotte they have found that all neighborhoods are not that receptive to short timers. Their neighbors in Ottawa have been the best, especially given the difficult environment caused by Covid over the last two years. The group in Ottawa doesn’t need much of an excuse to party and are particularly appreciative of whatever I make. They loved the Phyllo Dough, Boursin Appetizers

The moral of this story is that sometimes the combination of Impromptu Appetizers, an Impromptu party and a great set of friends can be more than a lot of fun.

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.

The Seven Dollar Tomato

There are good things and bad things about spending the summer in Westhampton. And, sometimes even the bad things are good.

When you tell people that you are spending the summer in the “Hamptons”, quite often you get that look. You know the one, it is where someone looks at you as if you are too cool for school. My buddy, the “High Rolling Redneck” from Memphis once flicked his finger off of his nose when I told him my mom lived in Westhampton. My mom, who is one of the least pretentious people on earth, has taken to telling people she lives on Long Island, versus Westhampton, just to avoid that look.

One of the really good things about summer in the Hamptons is the local produce. Everyone has heard about the rich and the famous, but the truth is, historically, the Hamptons is more famous for its farm produce, than its celebrities. There is a local farm stand that we have been fans of for over 40 years. It is one of my mom’s favorites and she has gotten to know its owners. Not only are the owners good farmers, but they are really good business people. They have built a reputation and expanded their offering to meet what the market will bear.

To me, very little says summer more than a home-grown tomato. In Westhampton, you usually don’t get the real thing until August. To push the season, our local farm stand has found a local source (probably New Jersey) of tomatoes that gets a decent tomato to market a little bit early, but you have to pay for it. Hence:

The Seven Dollar Tomato

Mom’s favorite farm stand sells a bunch of them. They have even come up with ways to ripen them (see photo below). The early tomato is sold as an “Amish Tomato” which builds on the mystique of the farm stand’s elderly owners long flowing white beard. My guess is that he is more likely a good presbyterian versus Amish, but one thing is for sure, he is a good marketer and I buy his Seven Dollar Tomato. They also sell a full offering of produce, and emphasize local wherever possible. I once heard a New York City-ite right off the expressway, ask the bearded owner if his pineapple was local. To his credit, and marketing skill, he didn’t laugh at her, but you can.

Note: The farm stand offers a wide range of produce, some it local and some not so much. Notice how they ripen their $7 tomatoes under the shelves.

If you ever make it to the Hamptons, make sure you check out the farm stands, just be sure that you don’t pay too much for the good and the bad. But,then again, even the bad is good.

The Seven Dollar Tomato Caprese Salad

Check out the recipe