Radish- a lovely new general store has opened in our hood and I stopped by to check it out. I couldn’t resist taking a few photos and telling you all about it. It’s really well designed and super cute.
But beyond the standard general store offereings – radish offers an array of prepared foods that they sell by the pound. An Orzo Salad, a token Radish Salad (but of course), and I tried the fruit salad which was an Apricot and Blackberry Salad with pistachios and mint (it was d-lish). They also have warm foods like mac and cheese and Beef chili (in those gorgeous grey staub pots). The little shop was full of handy little picnic gear too – like mexican blankets, enamel plates and tiffen stackable lunchboxes. Seems like the perfect picnic go-to spot. The shop stocks a bunch of local pickings, including our friends from Whimsy and Spice, Brooklyn Honey and My Friend’s Mustard (made with six-point ale). Oh did I mention they make home-made sodas too ? I could go on and on….but it’s definitely worth a trip to see for yourself. Radish is located at 158 Bedford Ave (between 9th St & 8th St) (718) 782-2744.
At our Ladies Lunch we served a Berry Lemonade with Basil Simple Syrup, it was refreshing and quite a hit – so we promised to post the recipe (see recipe card below). As a take home we gave out jars of Raspberry Lychee jams. All the labels and sign you see are from the fab Betsy Dunlap. A warm thank you again to all our guests and vendors for sharing such a lovely day with us.
This weekend is going to be beautiful out and we’re so excited, we’re thinking of going to the Hester Street Market downtown to check out some new vendors. Other things going on about town are : The Central Park Conservancy Film Festival, would pair perfectly with a little picnic in the park. Brooklyn Honey is hosting a bike tour of all the (now legal) hives in the area and there’s a neighborhood pig roast and sidewalk party on North 3rd and Kent Ave (you must buy tickets in advance here). What are you guys doing this glorious weekend ?
This lovely dessert was the perfect sweetness at the end of our Ladies Lunch. This takes a bit of time to set, but you can make these ahead of time , keep them refrigerated and top with the macerated berries before serving. We served them in these vintage dessert glasses, but of course any glass or ramekin will do. enjoy : )
This Summer pasta salad is just that – summery- clean flavors. The mint, hazelnut and cannellini beans come together for a nice flavor combo. And you don’t have to convince us to use the wonderful heirloom tomatoes that are abundant in the markets these days. (see recipe below)
A wonderful and refreshing second course at our Ladies Lunch was this corn soup. We love that this is served chilled since our meal was served al fresco, great for a summer day. Bon Appétit. (see recipe card below for full instructions)
The Jewels of NY started off the meal with these tasty squash blossoms, they are quite easy to make and are only in season for a short time each summer.
For the full recipe click on the recipe card below.
This Ladies lunch was served al fresco on our rooftop, we scored a prefect sunny day – and the Jewels’ menu was as follows : Fried Squash Blossoms stuffed with herbs, ricotta, fontina cheese and served with homemade tomato dipping sauce Chilled Corn Soup topped with smokey ham and fried corn bits Summer Pasta Salad with heirloom tomatoes,white beans, herbs, hazelnuts and parmesan Panna Cotta with muscat macerated summer berries
For decor, we displayed our students’ work on the tabletop and hung these fabulous garlands from Ashley Meaders. We found Ashley’s work on etsy – and it has also been making the blog rounds recently. These garlands – and all of Ashley’s work is simply to die for, you can buy some garlands here, or contact her for custom work. Ashley sent us some extra flowers – which we used to tie the silverware with (great trick for a windy day). And last but not least the gorgeous calligraphy on our menus and a few other signs (coming soon) are from the ever-talented Betsy Dunlap. Betsy’s work is whimsical and unique, without being overly girly – we thought it was the perfect fit for this party.
We’ll be posting all the recipes this week and next, so stay tuned….
Ok, as promised we’ll be posting the images from the Ladies Lunch all week. As you may remember – the class was a two-part session: a floral arrangement class by The Little Flower School and a cooking lesson with The Jewels of NY. The flower class was taught by the fabulous duo that runs the Little Flower School, Sarah Ryhanen (Owner of Saipua) and Nicollette Owen (of Nicolette Camille). We enlisted our friends Nicolette and Sarah to do a mini class at our Sunday Supper – and we couldn’t have been more excited. Our loft looked fantastic: set up like a little parisian flower shop, with buckets of incredible flowers in hues of deep purples and pinks. Students were guided as they created their arrangements, they were introduced to all these amazing new flowers, where and when to buy them in NY, how to properly cut and arrange and got some great insider tips. I actually put my camera down for a bit and made an arrangement myself, I couldn’t resist. We borrowed the students’ beautiful arrangements to adorn the table for our lunch, and later everyone went home with their creation. It was so wonderful having the Little flower school at our place, and congrats to sarah and nicolette for this awesome writeup in the times this week). xoxo- km
Below is a list of all the flowers we used, we are kind of obsessed with the Nigella Pods – which is your favorite ?
Hello all – sorry for the quite blog week, we were away for a little personal trip and we’ve just been catching up on everything. But here’s a little peak at what’s coming next week, photos from our Little Flower School and the Ladies Lunch- so please come back and visit next week.
And now for the weekend guide- If you weren’t able to purchase tickets for our Grilled Pizza Making this Sunday before we sold out, here are some other fun foody options for your entertainment:
Join Smith + Mills Saturday at 11:15am for an oyster shucking lesson ! Chef Nick Korbee with be your instructor, and class is followed but a delicious brunch of Penn Cove oysters + Rainier cherries, grapefruit brulee + lemon mascarpone, and poached eggs with Bluepoint oyster fritter, roasted potatoes, and choron sauce. Plus a cocktail, all for $18.
Saturday and Sunday visit Blue Hill Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York for their “Summer on the farm” weekend (a Sunday Suppers dream). You’ll find family friendly activities including vegetable scavenger hunts for kiddies and canning classes for adults. For your different ticket options, look here.
Meet Basis local food delivery bright and early this Saturday, and join them for a tour of Washington County Farm. You will get to dig your own potatoes, and be served a yummy farm-to-table lunch, and visit Battenkill Valley Creamery (ice cream !). Meet Basis at 8am at 420 W 14th Street, and purchase tickets first, here.
What are you doing this weekend ? Feel free to post any other events we may have missed & Have a wonderful weekend
Radish- a lovely new general store has opened in our hood and I stopped by to check it out. I couldn’t resist taking a few photos and telling you all about it. It’s really well designed and super cute.
But beyond the standard general store offereings – radish offers an array of prepared foods that they [...]
Panna Cotta with Macerated Berries
Serves 8
• ACTIVE TIME:20 MIN START TO FINISH:8 1/2 HR
For Panna Cotta:
• 2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (from 2 packages)
• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup mild honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 1/2-pint baskets assorted fresh berries (such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries)
• 1/3 cup sweet white wine (such as Moscato)
• 1/3 cup sugar
Make Panna Cotta:
• Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small heavy saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften. Stir in cream and 1/8 tsp salt, then heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring, until gelatin has dissolved.
• Whisk together yogurt, honey, and vanilla extract, then whisk in cream mixture.
• Pour mixture into 8 small bowls and chill, covered, until set, at least 8 hours.
Prepeare berries:
Combine berries and 1/3 cup sugar in medium bowl. Crush berries slightly with back of spoon. Mix in wine. Let compote stand until berry juices and sugar form syrup, stirring often, at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.
Spoon compote over puddings.
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons, juiced and zested
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pints, mixed baby heirlooms, halved
1 head of frisee, coarsely chopped
1 box(16 ounce) of Orecchiette
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/2 cup torn mint leaves
Parmesan for garnish
Cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until tender but firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain and toss with olive oil to coat, place in freezer for a couple minutes to cool.
Make vinaigrette by combining olive oil, lemon juice, zest, shallots, garlic, salt and pepper.
Combine the tomatoes, frisee and beans with the chilled pasta and dress lightly. Garnish with hazelnuts, mint and parmesan.
3 1/2 cups whole milk
8 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut from cobs, cobs broken in half and reserved
1 pound piece of smoked ham shanks or ham hocks
4 1/2 cups water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 large fresh thyme sprigs
4 bay leafs
1/2 cup smoked ham, diced
fried corn and ham for garnish
ice
salt / pepper to taste
Bring milk, corncob halves and ham shank just to boil in large stock pot. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep while sautéing vegetables.
Melt butter in large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion; sprinkle with salt and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add corn kernels, carrot, celery, and garlic; cook until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add water, thyme, bay leaf, and milk mixture with corncobs and ham shank. Increase heat and bring to boil. Cover partially, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes to blend flavors.
Cool soup slightly. Discard corncobs, herb sprigs, bay leaf and ham shank. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until very smooth. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain soup into large bowl, pressing on solids. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Cool over ice water bath. Cover and chill.
Fried Squash Blossoms with Homemade Tomato Dipping Sauce
7 Servings
14 squash blossoms
1/2 pounds roma tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup italian fontina cheese, grated
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup italian parsley
10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup of flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups of seltzer water
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper, sugar to taste
pinch of red pepper flakes
canola oil for frying
For Tomato Sauce:
In a small saucepan heat olive oil, cook 2 garlic cloves until softened. Combine tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, cumin, cinnamon and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens, about 30 minutes.
For Squash Blossoms:
Heat canola oil to 375 degrees.
Meanwhile in a food processor mix ricotta cheese with egg yolk, grated cheese, 4 garlic cloves, lemon zest and parsley. Season to taste. Transfer to a piping bag. Gently open each blossom and pipe in filling. Twist the end to close. Refrigerate.
Combine flour, cornstarch and seltzer. Season to taste. Dip stuffed blossoms in batter and fry until golden. Serve with tomato sauce.
This Ladies lunch was served al fresco on our rooftop, we scored a prefect sunny day – and the Jewels’ menu was as follows :
Fried Squash Blossoms
stuffed with herbs, ricotta, fontina cheese and served with homemade tomato dipping sauce
Chilled Corn Soup
topped with smokey ham and fried corn bits
Summer Pasta Salad
with heirloom tomatoes,white beans, [...]
Ok, as promised we’ll be posting the images from the Ladies Lunch all week. As you may remember – the class was a two-part session: a floral arrangement class by The Little Flower School and a cooking lesson with The Jewels of NY. The flower class was taught by the fabulous duo [...]
Hello all – sorry for the quite blog week, we were away for a little personal trip and we’ve just been catching up on everything. But here’s a little peak at what’s coming next week, photos from our Little Flower School and the Ladies Lunch- so please come back and visit next week.
And now for [...]
[ August 8, 2010; 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. ]
Vincent Rotolo will teach us how to make Grilled Pizzas: highlighting cheeses from across the world Spain, Italy, France and the US
The meal will include an array of antipastos and salads as well as 4 different typed of grilled pizzas
Served al fresco (weather permitting)
