just a quick nibble with drinks

Liran Mezan of The Fillmore Room’s Luscious Smoked Trout Rillettes

Posted on: July 16th, 2015 by Ellen Swandiak

Summer recipes call for cool, light bites. This chef’s recipe for Smoked Trout Rillettes covers all of the above. Try serving with pickled vegetables and a grainy mustard.

Next time you are gallery hopping in West Chelsea, NYC or taking a stroll on the High Line you must make a stop at The Fillmore Room, the newest project from Chef Liran Mezan, formerly of STK. You might think this restaurant has been a NYC staple for a 100 years or more, with its sprawling, deco-style bar, tin ceilings, and fireplaces, but it has just been thoughtfully renovated to achieve the feeling of nostalgia. [UNFORTUNATELY, this place has permanently closed since this post ran. But please make the fab recipe at your next hosting, and get the details for the rest of the menu for throwing a fun summer bash at this link.]

You can also welcome a straightforward menu of well-made American fare with a French influence. For starters, dive into a bounteous raw bar platter, sweetbreads, or steak tartare with gribiche sauce. Nicely-priced entrees include a brown-butter trout, pea/ricotta gnocchi, and roasted eggplant, mushrooms, with pecan-faro ravigote. Steak lovers can feast on a peppercorn NY strip or share a dry-aged bone-in ribeye. Brunch offers a trio of drinks from the Bloody Bar: the classic Bloody Mary, Fiddler’s Green includes a medley of fresh veggies along with gin, or the Mellow Yellow, which pairs tequila with peppers, pineapple, herbs and hot sauce.

Mezan welcomes neighborhood folks and those wandering on the west side to partake in the casual, bustling space—and to host a party room in the cavernous room in the back. The venue would be ideal for weddings—or a birthday bash with your 100 closest friends.

Chef Liran Mezan shares the recipe for this seriously seductive bite. (I tried the Smoked Trout Rillette at the opening party and just had to know how it was made.) Be sure to serve on toasted slices of a baguette with a side of pickled vegetables. fillmoreroom.com

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recipe

Smoked Trout Rillettes

1/4 lb butter
2 TB chopped onion
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1/2 LB smoked trout, skin removed, bones removed, shredded
1/4 cup white wine
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp salt
pinch white pepper
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2 TB chopped chive
1 TB mascarpone
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Heat a medium size heavy bottom sauté pan. Add the butter and melt until foaming slightly. Add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add the trout meat, white wine, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Cook until wine evaporates.

Cool the mixture slightly before mixing. Spoon the mix into a bowl and add the chives and mascarpone cheese. Cool over ice and refrigerate.

10 Stellar Foodie Gifts to Bring to Your Next Party

Posted on: July 16th, 2015 by Ellen Swandiak

It’s summer party season, and if you are headed away for the weekend, or just next door, treat your host to something more imaginative than a standard bottle of wine. HOBNOB gives you the foodie gifts to impress and delight even the most snobby host.

Make sure to include the background story with your gift—they are SO inspirational, admirable and plaise-worthy. We found stellar examples in the foodie realm that really stand out from the crowd to include in this roundup.

[1] Bumbleberry Farms Honey Creams

Tell your host to put down the Nutella because a new sweet spreadable obsession has arrived. Bumbleberry Farms’ honey creams are as deliciously decadent as they sound. Spread, stir, and drizzle into a honey frenzy with flavors like Lovers’ Leap Sea Salt Caramel, Squirrel Crazy Maple, Molten Lava Spiced Chocolate, and Sticky Buns Cinnamon.

It’s almost impossible to decide—so we recommend the Honey Cream Gift Set which includes all 4. Each is made from small batch honey carefully collected from hand-spun honeycomb. Though their bees may travel up to 55,000 miles, visiting more than two million flowers, Bumbleberry keeps things local with the addition of high-quality, all-natural ingredients in their honey creams, hand-selecting and sourcing the dairy and maple sugar from operations just down the road. Bumbleberry Farms, based in the foothills of Pennsylvania’s Laurel Mountains, is led by owner and “Queen Beekeeper” Karen Mosholder, who has gone from making 18 jars of her golden delicious spread at a time on her honey-house stove to now cooking up to 100 gallons a batch. $40. bumbleberryfarms.com

[2] Savannah Bee Company

Tupelo is a supreme honey, collected for two weeks every spring, while tupelo trees in the Southeastern swamps bloom globe-shaped clusters that glisten with nectar. Savannah Bee Tupelo Honey is very unique and only produced in the threatened tupelo ecosystem of the Altamaha and Apalachicola River Basins of Georgia and Florida. Gold Reserve Tupelo Honey comes in a limited edition, and gorgeous package—and the contents are just as special. $112 for an 80 oz bottle. savannahbee.com

[3] Tonewood Maple Syrup Cubes

Tonewood’s products are made with pure, premium maple syrup that is single-sourced, unblended, and free of additives. The Maple Cube, housed in a sleek black gift box, can be shaved over oatmeal, fruit, ice cream, and more—anything that could use a touch of golden sweetness. What a revolutionary concept.

Get your Maple Cube in two varieties: try Golden Delicate, which features a lighter, buttery maple flavor, or the more intense Dark Robust. Like wine, Tonewood’s artisan sugarmakers pay deep attention to their maple syrup’s terroir. Their trees grow in Mad River Valley, VT where the combination of rich soil, southern facing slopes, and high elevation allows them to produce a syrup with incredible flavor, clarity, and color. Raising the bar for maple products, Tonewood is also dedicated to preserving small-scale maple production and involved in funding climate research, local farming efforts, and sustainable, forest stewardship. $17. tonewoodmaple.com

[4] Hella Bitters

After years of obsessing over the perfect bitters, the team at Hella Bitters decided to hand craft its products in New York in small batches, using classic age-old techniques and only the best ingredients. With upwards of 130 botanical ingredients (yes, that’s 130) used in highly secretive formulas, their bitters are vibrant and complex.

For the DIY-ers, the Craft Your Own Bitters Kit includes essentials tools such as glass infusion jars, apothecary style dropper bottles, and a custom steel fine mesh strainer and funnel, plus their proprietary mix of herbs, spices, bittering agents, and dried fruit peel. Bring this to your budding mixologist hosts. $65. hellabitters.com

[5] La Tourangelle Artisan Coconut Oil

You might ask, why coconut oil? How does thus qualify as an artisanal pleasure? With its numerous health benefits, coconut oil is all-the-rage in certain crowds, but La Tourangelle takes their product to the next level with their 100% Fair Trade practices, extruding organic, extra virgin oil made from fresh coconuts—never dried.

La Tourangelle uses organic coconuts picked right off the tree to produce the freshest oil possible. The oil is processed by their revolutionary centrifuge technology, producing an oil with a unique light texture, while retaining all of its natural antioxidants and nutrients. With its super high quality, you can even use your coconut oil outside of the kitchen as a soothing moisturizer for dry hands and lips, deep hair conditioning treatments, and face masks. Perhaps a spa weekend is in order. $14. latourangelle.com

[6] Caravel Gourmet’s Infused Sea Salt

Salt is indispensable. These samplers with different flavor profiles are a thoughtful gift for that person who loves to dabble. The themed samplers offer six different salt varieties in each set. Choose from Spicy, French, Infused, Natural, and Smoked. From rosemary to Hawaiian bamboo jade, every dish can taste like something new, with just a flick of the wrist. $22. seasaltsuperst ore.com

[7] Back to the Roots Herb Kits

Maybe your host has imagined dreamily snipping fresh herbs from a garden, but the closest thing to Eden is a rusty fire escape. Well, we’ve got their green-thumb fancies covered. Not much beats the satisfaction of nurturing a plant from seed, and Back to the Roots makes it incredibly easy with their line of ready-to-grow cans for small-space windowsill gardening. Just pop open the can, plant the seeds, water, wait patiently for nature to do its thing, and harvest. The Garden-in-a-Can Gift Set includes four organic herbs (basil, cilantro, oregano, and sage). Also nice to bring to those with kids, so they can have a fun summer project. backtotheroots.com

[8] Bittermilk Old Fashioned Mixer Gift Set

Channeling your inner master mixologist and crafting speakeasy-level cocktails has never been simpler. Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Bittermilk produces small batch, hand bottled, all-natural, non-alcoholic mixers inspired by classic cocktails.

The Old Fashioned Set, perfect for lovers of strong, serious cocktails, includes the Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Fashioned, the New Orleans Style Old Fashioned Rouge, and the Oaxacan Old Fashioned. Enormous amounts of attention is paid to the techniques used to prepare the unique ingredients in each mixer, creating complex, incredible layers of flavor.

Aged in Willett bourbon barrels, the Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Fashioned mixer is made with burnt sugar, a touch of orange peel, and classic old fashioned bitters spices like gentian root and cinchona bark.

Inspired by the traditional and beloved Sazerac cocktail, the New Orleans Style Old Fashioned Rouge has strong Absinthe-like notes from spices like wormwood, gentian root, and cochineal, a Peruvian red beetle that imparts the original red coloring of Peychaud’s bitters.

The Oaxacan Old Fashioned, packed with complex chile, chocolate, and dried fruit notes, is made from a base of dried Mexican chiles and raisins and a syrup aged in drums with cocoa husks. All you have to do is add your favorite booze and enjoy. $45. shop.bittermilk.com

[9] Red Rocker Candy Chocolate Bark

Simple but deliciously satisfying, Red Rocker Candy’s rich chocolate treats bring back the nostalgic flavors and sentiments of times-gone-by. Handmade using only the highest quality ingredients, owner Sue Charney is committed to old-fashioned values.

Keep it classic with her amazing chocolate bark, available in four flavors: Crispy (using crispy rice cereal), Marshmallow Coconut (a fun take with fluffy marshmallows and toasted coconut), Nonpareils (a grown-up version of the mini snow-capped chocolates of yesteryear), and Roasted Almond—all available in both milk and dark chocolate varieties. $12. redrockercandy.com

[10] Brooklyn Slate Co.

From a family-owned quarry in upstate New York, Brooklyn Slate Co. offers a natural platform for displaying cheese, hors d’oeuvres, and more. Use the accompanying soapstone pencil to inscribe a personal message to your host—and also to label what’s being offered. Also nice to send as a thank-you gift after the weekend—with pickles, cheese, or the makings for gourmet s’mores. $28 for the cheese board. $65-$80 for food/slate packages. brooklynslate.com

These ingredients are part of our weekend BBQ party plan. Whether you are showing up at a party, or preparing to host a fun BBQ, see my other details that will get the party flowin’.

Raw Party Dip: Zucchini and Cauliflower Curry

Posted on: June 1st, 2015 by Ellen Swandiak

In order to get an intense yellow coloring on this raw party dip we relied on a mix of curry spices, which includes turmeric. This refreshing dish that stars as the color YELLOW is part of the six colors that we used in our party theme for create a buffet in a colorful rainbow menu.

Tip: Make sure to remove all the water from the zucchini, so your mix will be dry enough to eat without messy drips. Best to prepare day of the party.

Rainbow Shortcut for the color Yellow: Order a curry dish (one with lots of turmeric, and very yellow) from your favorite Indian restaurant, chop into small bites, mix with rice and set out in small cups.

Other yellow foods to consider: mango, curried rice, yellow bell peppers, plantains, yellow squash, lemons, pineapples, yellow soups. See our picks on PINTEREST for more fantastic rainbow party ideas and recipes.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART

GET OUT THE FOOD PROCESSOR… MAKE THE CURRY

2 oranges, peeled, separated into quarters
2 carrots, peeled, cut into chunks
1 yellow tomato
1 avocado
1/4 CUP basil
1/2 TB turmeric
1/2 TB curry powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
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Process ingredients together till fully combined.

MAKE THE DIP

3 large zucchinis, grated in food processor
salt
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1/2 head cauliflower, grated in food processor
1/8 CUP sesame seeds, toasted w salt
curry sauce
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Place the grated zucchini in a shallow platter, sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 1 hour. Drain, move to a strainer and press out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to bowl, add cauliflower and sesame seeds. Toss with curry sauce. Set out in small bowls with yellow tortilla chips for dipping to stay with the yellow theme.

Wild Ingredients: Colorful Lettuce, Alligator Sausage, Foraged Foods, & Wild-Caught Fish

Posted on: May 20th, 2015 by Ellen Swandiak

Your guests will be wowed when you take them off the beaten track and treat them to tastes of wild, unexpected ingredients that they wouldn’t find in their regular grocery aisle. Whether it’s foraged food, wild-caught, or just simply wild in its taste and appearance, we’ve got the goods.

Elevate your party food to adventurous, daring, and bold new heights with these extraordinary selections. It will get the conversation flowing.

[1] I’ll Take My Lettuce in Pink, Please

This gorgeous fuschia-flecked yellow lettuce, radicchio castillo franco, looks like it came from a blooming field of fresh flowers, but we found ours at Eataly, a great source for specialty produce. Vibrant colors don’t just belong in your flower vases—get inspired by nature’s palette and visit your local farmers’ market or specialty grocer for veggies that pop. See our recipe for Fresh Cranberry Bean & Barley Wraps that will make your table pop. eataly.com

[2] Maille Dijon Mustard Boutique

Maille, the Cadillac of mustards, recently opened its first mustard-only boutique in New York City featuring dozens of incredible flavor combinations. Try mustards infused with some of our favorite wild ingredients such as Roasted Onions, Wild Thyme & White Wine and Shallots, Chervil & Chanterelle. Your picks will be freshly hand-drawn into beautiful earthenware pots and carefully sealed with cork stoppers on the spot. Feeling overwhelmed by too many good choices? Don’t worry—their in-house mustard sommelier is there to assist. See a great party recipe for Gougères with Mustard. maille.com

[3] Exotic Meat Sources

Get adventurous with all-natural, farm-raised game and exotic meats from Fossil Farms. Their combo packs are perfect for bold party-goers to try a range of exotic offerings. The sausage pack includes varieties such as Venison Sausage with Blueberries and Merlot Wine and Wild Boar Sausage with Cranberries (see our recipe featuring these exotic sausages paired with two dijon dips in this month’s issue), while the daring should go for the wild game assortment that includes alligator, antelope, elk, and more. Other great sources for exotic meats include: Belmont Butchery, Marx Foods, and BuyExoticMeats.com.

[4] Foraged Finds at the Union Square Greenmarket

Support your local farmer’s market. In NYC the Union Square Greenmarket has foraged finds at: Lani’s, Mountain Sweet Berry Farm, Berried Treasures, Bodhitree, Gorzynski Ornery Farm, Yellow Bell, Deep Mountain Maple, Lucky Dog. Union Square Greenmarket

[5] Wild-Caught Fish

Do your best to avoid farm-raised fish and support amazing wild fish purveyors such as John Dolan’s World Wide Direct Seafoods at the New Fulton Fish Market in New York. Get the best, freshest wild-caught seafood, including black cod, wild arctic char, American red snapper, wild Atlantic striped bass, Pacific pollock, and much more. Worldwide Direct Seafoods

Exotic Sausage Bites with Two Dijon Dips: Explore New Tastes

Posted on: May 4th, 2015 by Ellen Swandiak

If you are a sausage lover, as I am, then these four exotic sausage varieties will be a tempting lot. We matched the four kinds: Venison, pheasant, wild boar, and rabbit with a couple of dipping sauces. Serve this at your next party to introduce new tastes to your friends.

The two sauces fall into very different categories, and are super simple to make. Tangy Dijon Beer Sauce infuses German reduced wheat beer into the dip, and the Creamy Old-Style Mustard Sauce is a lush, slightly sweet alternative, whose plump mustard seeds pop in your mouth. This dish can be made a day ahead. Reheat the sausage just before the party in a microwave. They’re great eaten at room temperature.

We’ve discovered a great source for healthy, and unusual, meats in Fossil Farms, located in NJ. Order this sausage sampler online, and be sure to check out their other offerings. Like this recipe? See other exotic recipes made with wild ingredients at this link.

MAKES 56 BITES OF EACH VARIETY (CUT EACH SAUSAGES INTO 14 SLICES, DISCARDING THE ENDS)

PREHEAT OVEN 350º… COOK THE SAUSAGE

12 oz Venison w Blueberries and Merlot
12 oz Wild Boar w Cranberries
12 oz Pheasant w Hazelnuts
12 oz Rabbit w White Wine & Dijon Mustard
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Place each variety of sausage in a separate baking pan with a little water on the bottom. Bake 20 min (make sure there is space around each sausage so they cook thoroughly. Sausages should be firm to the touch).

In a cast iron pan, brown each sausage variety separately. Allow to rest before slicing.

TANGY DIJON BEER SAUCE

1 CUP Paulaner Hefe-Weizen Natural Wheat beer
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1/4 CUP Maille Dijon mustard
1/4 CUP mayonnaise
2 tsp Breitsamer Honig Forest Honey
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Reduce the wheat beer: simmer in a small pot for 15 min (the end result will be about 1/4 cup). Allow beer to cool, then whisk with rest of the ingredients in a small bowl.

CREAMY OLD-STYLE MUSTARD SAUCE

1/2 CUP sour cream
1/2 CUP Maille Dijon Old-Style mustard
4 TB Maille Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Breitsamer Honig Forest Honey
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Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.

TO SERVE

Slice the sausages and place in bowls. Serve with small bowls of the dipping sauces. Add labels, so guests know which is which (swipe image below and print).

Small Bites: Baby Blue Potatoes with Caviar

Posted on: March 1st, 2015 by Ellen Swandiak

Every time I am in the supermarket and see the bags of baby potatoes, I think, “ooh, how cute.” Well, these can come in really handy for creating small bites at your next gathering. And the blue ones add a bit of mystique to the dish, though the tri-color potatoes would be lovely as well. Tip: Monitor the potatoes when boiling, so they do not overcook, they should not be mushy. Pierce one with a knife, and when it can go through easily, they are done. To plate, cut a tiny bit off the bottom which creates a flat base.

To add more delight to hosting guests in your home, I created an entire party menu of little bites which you can view in my Mini Party theme.

MAKES ABOUT 30 BITES

COOK THE POTATOES

1 bag blue baby potatoes
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Boil potatoes for 7-8 min. Run under cold water to cool, drain. Let cool.

PREPARE THE POTATOES FOR STUFFING

When cool enough to handle, cut a slice off the top and bottom, so potato will sit upright. With a sharp knife, core out the centers of each potato, maintaining the shape.

MAKE THE STUFFING

1/4 CUP Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, room temp
3 slices lox, minced
1 TB dill, minced
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Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream
dill, minced
John West Black Lumpfish Caviar
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Mix the Tofutti cream cheese with lox, and dill. Using a small spoon, stuff each potato with the mixture. Top with a small dollop of Tofutti sour cream, a sprinkling of dill, and a little pile of the caviar.

Colorful Mini Stuffed Peppers with Spiced-Up Couscous

Posted on: March 1st, 2015 by Ellen Swandiak

These mini stuffed peppers will make an adorable bite at your gathering and the recipe is absolutely fool-proof. Couscous is one of the easiest grains to cook, just boil water, add in the couscous, and remove from the heat. Voila! To attain uniformity and a one-bite size, cut each pepper so it sits about 1 to 2 inches high, and save the trimmed pieces for future use.

If you like these mini peppers, you must see the entire party menu with a mini ingredients theme in mind, at this link.

MAKES 40 POPPERS

COOK THE COUSCOUS

1/2 CUP water
1/2 CUP dried couscous
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In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil, stir in couscous, cover. Remove from heat, let sit for 10 min. Fluff with fork.

FLAVOR THE COUSCOUS

2 TB EV olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 TB thyme, minced
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2 CUPS cooked couscous
1/4 CUP pumpkin seeds, toasted, finely chopped
1/2 TB cumin
1 TB coriander seeds, crushed and toasted
3/4 CUP parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
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1-2 TB EV olive oil (to moisten)
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Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and thyme, sauté for 5 min. Turn off heat. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and combine well. Add the olive oil if it seems dry.

PREHEAT OVEN 350ºF… BAKE THE PEPPERS

2 bags mini bell peppers
couscous mixture
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Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream
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Cut tops off peppers, remove seeds. Stuff with couscous mixture and move to baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake 15 min. Remove from oven, allow to cool a little. Top with a small spoon of Tofutti sour cream.

Fresh Pea Pods Stuffed with Shrimp Dip

Posted on: March 1st, 2015 by Ellen Swandiak

These are a refreshing mix to your party bites. The snap of the pea pods adds a nice contrast to the creamy shrimp dip. It’s a little bit fussy to plate, but worth it for the freshness of these flavors meld together. I used an Xacto blade to carefully cut a slit across the tops of the pea pods and a pastry bag with fancy tip to fill the pea pods and make them extra pretty.

Hack Tip: If you don’t have the proper pastry bag, you can put the shrimp dip into a plastic sandwich bag and cut one of the corners off. You won’t get the pattern, but you can squiggle it in for the artistic effect.

Everybody loves mini ingredients, they are just extra cute. See my other MINI recipes and party plan at this link.

Makes about 40 bites

STEAM THE SHRIMP

24 shrimp (51-60 count)
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Steam the shrimp for 2-3 min. Finely dice.

GET OUT THE FOOD PROCESSOR… MAKE THE SHRIMP DIP

1 container Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
6 TB Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream
juice from 1 1/2 lemons
2 tsp lemon zest
2 TB dill, minced
1 tsp thyme, finely monced
1/2 tsp Sriracha
1 tsp coarse black pepper
diced shrimp
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Pulse together all the ingredients. Move to a bowl, refrigerate covered for at least 2 hours.

STUFF THE PEAPODS

40 pea pods (on the large side)
shrimp dip
dill, cut into tiny fronds
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With a sharp knife or xacto blade, slit open the pea pods on the top. Pipe in the dip. Garnish with dill fronds.

Andrea Montobbio of Asellina’s Addictive Bar Bite: Stuffed Olives

Posted on: March 1st, 2015 by Ellen Swandiak

Here’s a mini appetizer that’s delivers big. Stuffed olives are delectable with a meaty-cheesy-truffle oil concoction that no one can eat just one of.

Our guest chef Andrea Montobbio developed a passion for cooking and all things culinary in the small town of Capriata d’Orba in Northern Italy, where he grew up in a family who made their own wine and grew bountiful produce in their garden. (ASELLINA HAS SINCE CLOSED, BUT YOU CAN CREATE A SPECTACULAR DISH BY CHEF ANDREA MONTOBBIO WITH RECIPE BELOW)

He landed his first job in picturesque Il Fattore, a Michelin restaurant known for its impressive selection of specialty wines. He learned pasta making at Il Archivolto, and at prestigious Albergo Ristorante de Corona, he became Head Chef after only six months. It was here he received the opportunity to travel to Atlanta where he honed his skills further, opening one fine restaurant after the other.

At Asellina at the Gansevoort Park Hotel on Park Avenue in New York City you can savor all that talent and experience. The fresh pastas on the menu are truly transcendent. The agnolotti with short ribs is a flavor-packed taste sensation, with meat juices and vegetables that mix together in a sauce reminiscent of a rich pot pie. Squid ink linguini is laden with a bounty of perfectly done lobster and shrimp. You will have trouble deciding what to order here, but, rest assured, every dish is stellar.

For the mini party, a plan featuring a menu of miniature bites, we were able to snag the recipe for stuffed cerignola olives from Andrea Montobbio, which may just be the most luxurious bar bite ever. A tangy, rich veal mixture gets stuffed into fresh cerignolas, which are then breaded and deep fried. Serve these at your next gig and I guarantee, people will go absolutely crazy. asellina

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