Category Archives: Blog

New York Delis Are The Answer

Where would I go if I had to find dishes for both a:

  1. Supper club dinner party?
  2. My last meal?

The answer is a New York deli. You can‘t go wrong and you certainly can’t beat the combination of salads, meats, fruits, cheeses, breads and desserts  that you can find. Now there are chains of Gourmet Markets that are like deli’s on steroids that are fantastic.

Last week we visited relatives in Montauk New York. Maureen and Brian drove out from Yonker’s for the weekend. They were having a dinner party that night and stopped at Citarella’s, a gourmet market in Easthampton, to pick up 3 or 4 dishes for a ready-made dinner party. There were lots of great options but Citarella’s is famous for their food and being proud of their product. Brian pointed out while he was sure the artichoke hearts were great, but $16 for two was a little crazy.

(Citarellas’ Gourmet Market in Easthampton NY)

 

(Pictures of Fort Pond Bay in Montauk NY)

This reminds me of the story that Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa tells. Her first shop was in Westhampton (The poor man’s Hampton) where my mom lives. She opened up her second shop in Easthampton. In the first week a guy came in and Ina saw him hemming and hawing over the lobster salad. Ina worried that she had overpriced her salad at $20 a pound. She asked the guy if he needed help and he said: “Yes I am just not sure if I need 5 or 6 pounds”. She knew she was in the right Hampton.

We also went to Sag Harbor for lunch. Back in the 1800’s Sag Harbor was a center of the Whaling industry. Today it is a quaint old town with lots of shops, marinas and restaurants. We love to go to Schiavoni’s Grocery to pick up salads for a picnic lunch in the park, on the harbor. Schiavoni’s is an IGA and has everything from cleaning supplies to gourmet food fare.

The Hamptons are great, but you can get amazing food in thousands of deli’s across the New York area. Traditionally, deli’s were place where you bought sandwiches. The deli meats and breads are fantastic. Where I grew up in Westchester, north of New York City, you didn’t get subs or heros. You got wedges. They were called wedges because they were served on wedges of Italian bread. The breads were so good that anything that came on them would taste great. Give me a bologna wedge from Lake Farms in Silver Lake NY, and I have died and gone to heaven.

Today most delis have an assortment of salads and side dishes, as well main courses such as chicken/veal cutlets, chicken Piccata, eggplant parmesan, and on and on. To make a long story short, you can get all kinds of great things without having to cook anything. The good news is that while this type of offering used to be unique to New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, today you can get it in a lot of the U.S and in markets around the world.

In the end, to be a great supper club host/hostess you don’t need to know where to cook, you just need to know where to buy.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/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.

Do You Love Lobster?

The People that love lobster, really love lobster. Building a summer time menu around lobster is always popular. Lobster salad is a great summer-time way to enjoy lobster in s supper club dinner party.

(Susan and Jennifer at Jennifer’s and Ethan’s wedding rehearsal dinner which featured – LOBSTER)

My wife Susan is a consummate lobster lover. She remembers the first time she had lobster as a ten-year old girl. She enjoyed it then and never misses the chance to enjoy it again. When we make our annual pilgrimage to the beach she tries to have lobster at least once a week. Somehow lobster tastes better at the beach. I will never forget the lecture she gave an old boyfriend of our daughter’s who was a Memphian. He hade the mistake of saying that the lobster from Kroger in Memphis was as good as lobster in the Hamptons. That boyfriend didn’t stand a chance…

(Another crustacean that lost out to Susan)

After college we had an annual “Hamptoons” party with over 20 friends at my parents place in Westhampton. The highlight of the weekend was a lobster feast we would have on Saturday night.  Every year some of our guests were lobster neophytes. Susan would conduct “How to eat lobster” training. Back in the day, there was a fair amount of alcohol consumed at those parties. Somehow the combination of a little too much alcohol and a lot of lobster with butter led to stomach issues. Every year we would give out the “Poison Lobster” award to poor sucker that was either over served kamikazes or over indulged with lobster or both.

(Susan relaxing by the pool in Westhampton)

Lobster salad is a great, lighter way to enjoy the prince of the seafood world. I prefer to serve lobster salad in conjunction with a salad ring. Check out the recipes:

Lobster Salad

Salad Ring

I prefer my lobster salad as part of a larger salad with cucumber, tomato and fresh mozzarella versus a lobster roll. My daughter’s in-laws spend summers in Montauk N.Y. where lobster rolls are legendary. I have had some great lobster rolls in Montauk and elsewhere. For me, the bread takes away from the lobster versus the salad ring that complements the lobster. In the end, whether it is in a roll or with a larger salad it doesn’t matter. It is all about the lobster.

(Ode to Montauk and its Lobster Rolls)

Build a supper club menu around lobster and you can’t go wrong.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/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.

That “Go To” Recipe

For any supper club menu it is great to have a “go to” recipe that you know will taste great and be a hit. My mother (Mom-Mom to her grandkids) makes vinaigrette that is legendary. The beauty of Mom-Mom’s vinaigrette is its versatility and the fact that it is a healthier alternative.

The primary use of Mom Mom’s Vinaigrette is as a salad dressing, but I have used it for:

  1. Salad dressing
  2. Base for a blue cheese or Gorgonzola salad dressing
  3. Vegan dressing for potato salad
  4. Dipping sauce
  5. Marinade for fish, meat and veggies

My mom lives in Westhampton NY. She will be 96 in August and is still an amazing hostess. A friend once said about my mom: “She is interested and interesting”. She started going to college when she was just 16 and she is still going to college today at 96. She was teacher and college professor of mathematics, but we are still learning form her every day. Beyond that, everyone in the family swears by her recipe for vinaigrette.

(Mom at her 95th birthday party in 2017)

There are lots of great things about living in Westhampton. At the cornerstone, the Hamptons are beautiful and you get lots of visitors. Mom will have a parade of guests from May to October. From a culinary standpoint, there is a lot of great seafood and even better local produce in season. There are farms all over the Hamptons and the sandy soil generates a wide array of seasonal produce. Every summer meal at mom’s features fresh vegetables from her garden and/or the local farm-stands.  Many of the vegetable dishes have been enhanced by Mom-Mom’s vinaigrette.

  1. Basic Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 2 cloves of garlic minced and mashed with a teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons of Dijon Mustard
  • 1 teaspoon of honey
  • ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs (chives, basil, parsley or dill)

Instructions

  • Dice and mash the garlic with kosher salt. The result should be a salty garlic paste
  • In a small bowl combine the garlic, vinegar, honey and mustard whisking together into an emulsion
  • Drizzle in the olive oil whisking constantly to bring together a complete emulsion
  • Whisk in herbs and serve

  1. Base for a Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola salad dressing (See Recipe)

My Romaine Wedge with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette is phenomenal. You know a recipe is a winner when friends ask for it and then real friends complain when they don’t get it.

  1. Vegan Potato Salad

My mother’s potato salad is also legendary and will be featured in a future blog but it isn’t vegan. My mom is German and my dad used to say that if the Luftwaffe had bombed with Mom’s Potato Salad, they would have won the war. It uses mayonnaise (eggs) and sour cream (dairy). I have substituted Mom Mom’s vinaigrette for the traditional potato salad dressing to rave reviews.

  1. Dipping Sauce

In an attempt to be healthier I will often serve a crudité (fresh veggies) instead of, or as an alternative to chips. Somehow, healthier is not always as popular. To make crudité more of a winner I developed a dipping sauce based on Mom Mom’s vinaigrette. The recipe is simple. You use the same recipe as above substituting three tablespoons of mustard instead of two teaspoons and make it in a blender. The increased mustard gives you a better emulsion and the aeration with the blender gives you a texture like a loose mayonnaise. The result is a winner.

  1. Marinade

Nothing influences the flavor of food more than how it is cooked. Grilling is a “go to” way to cook anytime during the year, but especially in the summer. Marinades are a great way to add flavor and improve texture. This vinaigrette works great as a marinade with poultry, beef and fish. It also works really well when you brush it on vegetables just before grilling and a light brushing after grilling is a neat trick as well.

Mom has three children and 6 grandkids. All of the grandchildren would spend summers visiting mom in Westhampton. My daughter did a survey last year and 5 of the 6 grandkids use Mom’s vinaigrette regularly. It tastes great. It is a healthier alternative (fresh, lower fat, vegan, gluten free) and it reminds them of summers with Mom-Mom.

Try Mom Mom’s vinaigrette and I bet it will become a “go to” component of your supper club and everyday menus.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/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.