As I mentioned having hit the ground running this week, I sure have crammed a lot into the past few days. So let's recap:
Last night I went to Housing Works "A Taste of Home" chef tasting and benefit which was hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli, the executive chef of Butter restaurant and The Darby here in Manhattan. There were also tastings from Brad Farmerie, the executive chef of Public, The Monday Room, Double Crown, and Madam Geneva; Colleen Grapes, the pastry chef of Red Cat and the Harrison; Luis Nieto, the executive chef of the Palm Tribeca; Tessa Liebman, the executive chef of the Works catering; guacamole courtesy of Dos Caminos; cheeses and crackers and more.
I just wanted to highlight the homemade ricotta made by the Alex Guarnaschelli team for their mini round flatbread ricotta pizzas with sauteed mushrooms and a sprinkling of chives and greens. The ricotta was bright, lactic, tangy, and fresh, with a round mouth feel. You could tell that this was homemade ricotta done right. With the rustic earthy qualities of the mushrooms, this creamy heaven was the perfect counterpart to the crunch of the flatbread and the herbaceousness of the chives and greens on top.
Another point from last night's Taste of Home -- their cheese plates. I was much less impressed with their selections here. Hunks of Jarlsberg, Manchego, Morbier, and aged Goat Gouda were plopped down on two different platters. As soon as people started cutting into the cheese hunks, it simply looked like someone attacked the cheeses, nothing appealing about it. When catering to a large crowd, I don't think big hunks of cheese are the way to go. I recommend utilizing large rounds of cheese so that it is a neater more aesthetically pleasing selection.
Otherwise, the Taste of Home event was a lively fun evening and for a good cause.
Today, I went to Kevin Lasko's seasonally rotating restaurant concept, Park Avenue Spring. As the seasons change, the decor and the menu changes to fit the current time of year. Spring is a fabulous time to come -- bright, floral, lively decor is paired with a fish and greens forward menu. Although my Salmon tartar with oven roasted tomatoes and basil didn't have cheese, the pastry chef, Richard Leach, baked some fabulous cheesy breads -- a sourdough roll with Parmesan, thyme, and rosemary; a Jarlsberg red pepper cornbread loaf and a quinoa, bulgar, lentil spiced flatbread. Such inventive combinations of flavor profiles packed into bread format! Gets me inspired for my own baking and culinary experimentation!
Stay tuned for some fabulously fun spring-y recipes later this week!
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