andre's what's cookin'

you like apples?

2011-10-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

When we were kids my grandfather would take me and my brother apple picking at Och's Orchard in Warwick, New York. Like everywhere else he took us, he always knew someone and there was some type of special treatment. On the way home we would stop at Rockaway Sales . Grandpa would give us each one dollar. That used to mean a matchbox car. Then they raised the price, so with tax it came to $1.06. Grandpa wouldn't budge, if a dollar wasn't enough pick something else. I think that is when I started to carry my own money. Just so I could kick in the extra cash and get what I wanted.
I don't remember picking many apples on those trips. It was more about hanging out with grandpa's friends, drinking cider, walking around in the different barns and out buildings.

Fast foward to the first time I went apple picking as an adult.
I think there were 15-20 of us. We decided that Thanksgiving was to far away. We should have a big feast after a day of apple picking. We all met at the orchard, set up our blankets and layed out snacks. we threw the football around picked some apples drank some wine. I can still remember the smell in the air. It was a perfect fall day, just a hint of a chill in the air, clear skys and a warm sun. the smell of over ripe apples starting to ferment right on the ground. The bees to drunk to bother with the likes of us.We all went back to a friends house to enjoy our pot luck Thanksgiving. Peeled apples, made pie and crisp, carved pumpkins. Then it came time to sit down for dinner. My friend (bachelor) had three forks and two knives. Luckily he had plenty of chopsticks. So the knives were passed just like gravy, even with chopsticks we all ate to much anyway.

Fast forward a second time, and now I am bringing my own kids on the annual pilgrimage in search of the perfect apple. The past two years we've gone to Windy Brow right in Newton. I know a few people there and when I see the owner it always reminds me of grandpa and his cronies. The kids (all of us) love the cider donuts. We still bring a picnic, and throw a ball or a Frisbee. This year Rob and Kate joined us with their kids. My brother and one of his two, my cousin and his wife with their kids and a couple of friends. Some awesome cheeses, a hunk of smoked duck breast, some moonshine, beer and wine. Afterward we all headed back to our house. We enjoyed a big feast. Rob left his camera in the car. But, I personally witnessed him and walked him through, the apple crisp preparation.
Oh and now that we are grownups, everyone had their own knife and fork.

Here's the recipe for the crisp topping. It's my version of the one grandma used to make.

1 cup flour
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
spice as you like, I use cinnamon

Combine the ingredients and cut the butter into pea size.

This mix gets spread evenly over apples that have been peeled, sliced, and seasoned with sugar, lemon juice and more spices. Bake at 425 until golden brown and bubbling.

Lucky 13

2011-09-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

"You make your own luck"

I had heard this before. So, when I googled it I was happy to see it was none other than Pappa Hemingway who gets the credit for saying it.
In case you hadn't heard we celebrated the 13th anniversary of our restaurant opening this month. I thought it would be fun to throw a 13 course dinner to commemorate the occasion. Each course would somehow nod towards luck, superstition or good fortune.

For all of those years I have heard many rave reviews from customers, family and critics. The times that I am most proud of are when someone takes a few minutes to tell me how much they enjoyed everything and then finish with "...and your staff is just wonderful!" Typically I would respond with " Yeah, we are really lucky to have some great people working with us." Then one day I was corrected. "You have hired the right people. You have trained them well. And, most importantly, you take care of them. That is why they do what they do for you. That is why they take care of us, That is why they care. And that has nothing to do with luck" And, so it is. Our staff really is like another family. Don't get me wrong there are times when they make me want to rip my own hair out. But, when it comes down to it they would do almost anything for me. And I wouldn't be able to do what I do without them, all of them. From bartender to dishwasher and everyone in between,they are the magical glue that keeps this squeaky little machine going. So, if I am not "lucky" to have them, then I guess I need to take a minute to express how much I appreciate having them. And, if any of them are reading this...
Put your smart phone down and get back to work!

As promised, here are some photos from the Lucky 13 Dinner... this is how the menu read...

Black Pearl in an Oyster

A Pot of Gold

Wish Upon a Star

Revenge(a dish best served cold)

The Luck of the Irish

Rabbit Fingers

Lucky #7

Schwien Gehabt

Chimney Sweep

Mighty Oak

Broken Mirror

Vegas Baby

Chocolate Thirtini

and we picked a few nice wines as well...

Nicholas Feuillatte Brut Rose

Domaine Weinbach Reisling

Pacific Rim Vin de Glacier

Laetitia Pinot Noir

Black Jack Ranch Syrah

Pedroncelli Vintage Port

Cheers!

P.S. I was really happy that Rob was able to come by and capture the night.Our schedules don't always line up. When one of our guests heard he was in the kitchen he asked if he could meet him. He said some thing like "I love the photos you put on Andre's blog" I know he meant no harm. He was paying a compliment. But I winced a bit when I heard it. I was in the middle of plating what totaled to nearly 1200 plates of food and couldn't pull myself away to correct him. So, for the record, this is and always will be Rob and Andre's Blog.

vegas, part two/margarita?

2011-04-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know it's been a while. As I have said before "sometimes life gets in the way". However, on the occasion of polishing off the last of the complimentary, ginger lemongrass soap, cream, and conditioner from The Wynn. I decided it was high time to get back in the saddle and tell you a bit more about our trip to Las Vegas! Good thing I took some notes.

Mr. Bond had his martini, Pappa Hemingway had his daiquiri. As a novice consumer of alcohol more years ago than I care to admit I thought that I to should have a cocktail of my own. After all Grandpa had his scotch, Mom drank Vouvray, Dad went through his own Martini phase. Why shouldn't I be known as the____guy. So after a short bit of experimenting I settled on The Gin and Tonic as my cocktail of choice. It seemed more mature than the sweet cocktails and wine coolers my friends were drinking. Although truth be told I consumed my fair share of those as well. And now at Christmas time Grandma could give me a big bottle of Tanqueray knowing it would make me happier than some sweater or a crappy cookbook with no pictures.

And then one cold December night after I had graduated from cooking school my Dad kinda blew the whole thing. "Is that a Gin and Tonic?...Isn't it a little cold out to be drinking Gin and Tonic?" And that's when I realized that yes, even cocktails have a season. Before there were mixoligists and cheftenders, before the house made bitters and freshly infused syrups even a simple Gin and Tonic had a season.

Well as you probably know, in Vegas, everything is always in season. Whatever you want whenever you want it. So on that first day with a little more than an hours sleep in the last 36, after two glasses of Champagne at brunch. Tracey and I headed out to hit the strip. I admit I found the whole thing a little overwhelming. The people, the lights, the skeezy dudes handing out business cards with photos of naked women.

But it was warm and sunny and we were on an adventure. Just as I was thinking we should be back at the pool Tracey says "ready for a drink?" Coincidentally we happened to be right in front of Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville. As you know I am not much of a chain restaurant person. However they do make a good drink. And there is Margarita in the name. Unfortunately the place is packed. and with so many options it seemed silly to wait for a table. Back out on the street less than half a block down but still part of margaritaville is a tiny 4 seat bar totally empty save for the lonely bartender. And so it is that I find myself sitting on a stool on the Vegas Strip kicking off my shoes and settling into the first of many expensive drinks we were to consume over the next three days and nights.
There was Grunerveltliner at Bar Masa. Some awesome Italian reds at Carne Vino.A Negroni at Sinatra,followed by an attempt to strip mine the wine list for some great values. I think I impressed the sommelier with my selections because he kept bringing us tastes of wine from other bottles. Then there were the fancy cocktails in the Eiffel Tower, dry Rose at Mon Ami Gabi.

More fancy cocktails at that really cool bar in the Cosmoplitan, Vesper Bar. By the way if you get to Vegas this was the best bar in the worst location. We sipped some of the greatest $16 drinks under a staircase in what felt like a suburban shopping mall, and it was worth it!

At B&B Ristorante we were surprised by a gift of one of the best Pinot Noirs I have ever had, from friends of the our restaurant back home. Unfortunately the notes on that stayed in Vegas.

We did also consume many more over priced margaritas by the pool at the Wynn and Parasol Down on the other side of the hotel. I know, it sounds like all we did was drink. We sure didn't sleep much. But, I assure you we did eat some great food. We gambled a little. Tracey and I got to know Rob and his wife Kate a little better. We saw some cool shows. And we made it back alive.

vegas part one / exit strategy...

2011-04-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

A lesson I learned long ago from my maternal grandparents regarding vacation... pack light, plan well and don't forget to celebrate your departure.

As a kid it didn't matter who was going away. It was an excuse to get together the night before and crack a bottle of cheap champagne. An opportunity to congratulate ones self on being smart enough to take a break from it all. A true Bon Voyage! There seems to be some part of that wisdom that sticks with me to this day. Get the party started ASAP. Most of our vacations lately have been road trips. And, whenever possible I like to arrange it that I get to do some cooking. The planning starts well in advance. The week of the trip I like to square away a shelf in the walk-in to start stocking supplies. A few special items, maybe a new cheese or three. As the week goes on one shelf turns into two and then I start to plan how to pack the coolers and decide what wines to bring and what types of cocktails we might want. My week of vaca turns into two because every day of the week before I am planning and thinking about what to eat and drink. The kitchen staff pokes fun at me and how much I tend to pack. When they see the cases of wine and booze going into the car they ask again, "how long will you be going for" and "how many people are going" I make up for it by bringing only a small backpack of clothes. And whoever goes away with us is always pleased with my pantry.

So anyway, then we win a trip to Vegas. I have said this phrase so many times, both in my head and out loud, and let me tell you it doesn't get old. WE WON A TRIP TO VEGAS! Anyway, there will be no packing of food and booze, no cooking at all. So the Bon Voyage energies get re-focused. Our flight is at 7a.m. Sunday. Newark airport wants us there at 5a.m. So I get the bright idea... Lets just leave right from work Saturday night. Hit the city for drinks and appetizers and then go to the airport. I can hear Balthazar calling my name. Get the party started. Sounds great but then we start to over think the situation. Is this really the smart way to start a short trip in a different time zone? No, probably not. However every time we do the math it really doesn't make sense to go home and sleep for two hours and then drive to the airport. Part way through the deliberation process Tracey remembers about the park and fly program at one of the hotels close to the airport. Perfect, for a few extra bucks we get a hotel room close to the airport, shuttle service and parking. A fancy bottle of wine, a little sleep, hop on the plane and be ready to hit the strip.

Well it didn't quite work out as planned. The kid at the front desk tells us they have over booked and so they will be shuttling us to the Holiday Inn. Wait for a bit, honey in the car. This is when I realize the kid has his shirt miss buttoned. I mean the young man in charge of running the hotel for the evening can't line up the buttons on his shirt? I should have left right then and there. "can I just drive to the holiday inn?" ..."no, they don't have enough parking" wait a bit more... Finally the shuttle shows up and we load our gear and climb in, and then wait for a bit more. At this point it's approaching 1:30 a.m. and we have yet to start the party. So I go inside to find the driver, Imagine a shorter skinnier uglier Vanilla Ice, if there is such a thing, fighting with his girlfriend via cellphone. I tell front desk kid that I am unsure about getting into the vehicle with an obviously distressed driver. But, they both assure me all is well. So out to the bus we go for a 25 minute drive south to Carteret. Tired and frustrated we check in and the girl at the desk wants to know if she should call a cab for the a.m. We inform her that it's a stay and fly so we have a shuttle. "No, we don't offer that" Get the original hotel on the phone and they are willing to send a shuttle for us in an hour and a half. an hour and a half! So at 2:30 in the morning we are sitting on the floor in a Holiday Inn in Carteret sharing an expensive bottle of merlot, without the benefit of glassware for fear of being charged for a room we won't sleep in. Waiting for the shuttle bus. As luck would have it the very same driver comes back to pick us up. Mr Ice is now the picture of happiness, realizes that he now has the opportunity to suck up in hopes of a tip. 25 min. north, grab the car, long term parking here we come. I could add here that not at any point during this rigmarole were we offered the slightest apology. Take note of where we parked? Thank you, no. Security...I won't even go into that, I'm sure you have your own vision of personal humiliation you can just insert here.

So we arrive at the airport right on time and annoyed as hell for a flight that is also over booked. May I please sit next to the overweight armrest hog? Thank you very much. Gin and Tonic at 9a.m.? yes please! Through all of this BS we couldn't help but laugh and have fun. After all we had won a trip to Vegas! There, I said it again. Me, Mr. EvenSteven was a winner, out for a few fun filled days of adult activity with my favorite person in the world. And of course our partners in crime.

We land and get to the hotel around 10:30 a.m. Vegas time with still no sleep. We check in and the room is ready. Set the alarm for 1 hour, shower, dress and off to complimentary brunch and then hit the ground running. I am convinced that there are very few things that a glass or two of champagne can't fix. The highlight of brunch was a riff on Eggs Benedict. Not sure how they made it but what follows is a recipe for my version. Stay tuned for a few stories from the rest of our trip.

English Muffin

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup water
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon honey
corn meal

combine yeast and water and let stand in a warm spot. add the butter, honey, and most of the flour. add the salt and remaining flour and knead for 5 minutes or so. using the cornmeal to dust the table, roll the dough to 1/2 inch thick. cut into circles. let stand, covered with a towel for 15 minutes. cook in a pan on top of the stove over medium low heat 7-10 minutes per side.

Cured Salmon

heavily season a salmon filet with salt, pepper and sugar. cover with plastic, top with a weight and refrigerate for 3-4 days. scrape off the seasoning and slice as thin as humanly possible.

this is rediculously easy to do and you will be amazed by the results!

Hollandaise

In a small pan reduce 1/2 cup white wine with a splash of lemon juice and some fine diced shalllot. meanwhile melt 1 pound of unsalted butter. in a medium mixing bowl whisk 2 egg yolks and add the reduced wine, shallot mixture. whisk over a double boiler until pale and frothy. in a slow steady stream whisk in the hot melted butter taking care to not let the mixture seperate. season with salt, pepper and tabasco.

Poached Egg

heat a small pan of water to about 180 degrees. it will look like soda water with tiny bubbles but no real movement. season the water with a few tablespoons of good vinegar and some kosher salt. stir the water to form a delicate whirlpool and drop a raw egg in the center. cook for 4-6 minutes until the white has set enough to contain the yolk.

Farm to Fork

2011-02-19T10:50:00.000-08:00

Farm to Fork Celebration
An Exercise in Cooking Locally

When I was asked by the Food Shed Alliance to prepare a meal for 60 guests, using all locally grown/ produced foods I jumped at the chance. I feel blessed to own and operate a restaurant in a region with such diverse food sources. Having the opportunity to showcase these products and the people behind the products would be a treat. When I found out the dinner would be in the middle of one of the coldest, snowiest winters we have had in NJ in many years I thought it would be more of a challenge than I expected.

As I understand it the Food Shed has two main goals when they put together an evening like this. First of all to promote our local foods, second and no less important is to raise funds. Typically when we are approached to cook for a nonprofit we are asked to donate time and product. This can be daunting for a small business. One of the nice things about working with the Food Shed Alliance is that they view our restaurant as a producer of local food. Therefore it’s their mission to help promote us. If we succeed, they succeed. Although our only need for an event like this is to cover expenses I think it speaks to a sustainability issue. If you are going to ask from your community you need to remember to support the community as well. As a business owner I can only keep giving if you do the same. The land can only produce so much if you don’t take the time to nourish it. And that is part of what made this evening a little more special for us. It felt like an honor to be asked to prepare the meal, rather than a burden to make a donation of time, staff and food.

My proposition for the menu was to offer a sampling of passed hors d’oeuvres, followed by a six course meal. Each course would feature a local farmer/producer. One of the choices I had to make here was how do I define local. Many chefs use the 100 mile rule. And, although I think that is perfectly fine almost all of the products came from within 50 miles, most less than 10. That being said, I think Rules are made to be broken. As an example I don’t think a meal like this would be complete without a fish course. We have a purveyor from Long Beach Island NJ that supplies us with some of the most pristine Sea Scallops you have ever seen. It would be a shame not to include them because of a self imposed rule.

Step Two: Rough draft a menu and decide which producers to use. In this case it was a mix of old and new friends plus a few “discoveries”. I wouldn’t dream of doing an event like this without the help of my friends at the community Supported Garden at Genesis Farm. They are some of the nicest people you could ever know, and they grow some of the tastiest vegetables you could ever eat. I would be cooking from the root cellar, but over the years they have chosen the best varieties of vegetables to winter over. I also have a dear friend that has helped me select a variety of French beans which she grows specifically for the restaurant all summer. Obviously the beans would be out, but she also raises chickens or as I like to say “she grows eggs”. One course would defiantly be a celebration of the egg from Sunny Ridge Farm.
Another old friend or more appropriately, pair of old friends Jonathan and Nina White of Bobolink Dairy would provide the cheeses. All made on their farm from the milk of grass fed cows. One of our newer friends is Lou Tomasso of Pittenger Farm. Lou would provide the protein for the main course. Although he also raises chicken and goat, we decided on a trio of lamb, beef, and pork. Another new acquaintance is the gang from Arthur and Friends. They are growing hydroponic lettuces, cooking greens and herbs in a green house at the Sussex County Fair Grounds. As for the new discoveries Gene Ventimiglia of Ventimiglia Vineyards in Wantage knocked on my door in early January and let me taste some of his wines. I was very impressed by the caliber of his dry European style whites and reds. Gene would provide a number of wines for the evening. The last minute entry was a friend of a friend that raises a small number of lamb each year. If I would butcher two of his animals I could keep some of the meat for myself. All of the organ meats would make an interesting addition to the cocktail hour.

To pull off a dinner like this, mid-winter, without the connections I had made would be this side of impossible. After I sat down and thought it out I realized that slowly over the years I have cultivated and continue to cultivate relationships with people who are as passionate about what they do as I am. This dinner would not be nearly as difficult as I originally thought. The groundwork had been laid slowly and quietly over a long period of time. When I started making phone calls everyone that I asked also felt honored to have their product featured on the menu. Three of them were able to attend the dinner.

Step Three: Publicity. The majority of these duties fell to The Food Shed. Post cards, press releases etc. We were all a bit nervous by an initially weak response. I would like to chalk it up to folks still getting over their holiday hangovers. In the end the event sold out and raised over $3000 for the cause. By the way, I still believe word of mouth is the best advertising. It doesn’t get much more environmentally friendly than that. They say if you have a bad experience you tell 10 people. If you have a great experience you tell 2. Part of promoting the local food movement is turning that ratio upside down. Helping friends and neighbors build relationships with the people that grow their food.

Step Four: Execution. The only major menu change came when I realized that I could choose between a whole, freshly killed hog or a trio of meats from Lou’s freezer. At this point I should mention that I would not normally offer frozen meat at the restaurant. However because of the cost of production and lack of awareness, most local meat is processed and then sold frozen. Unfortunately, we as a country are quickly loosing the skills to cook, and appreciate the different cuts from the entire animal because we are “rich” enough to afford the most tender cuts. This leaves the small producer with no outlet for the lower cuts and organs, hence the freezer. That being said I have cooked meat from Lou’s freezer in the past with great results, but with the chance to offer a trio of preparations from a fresh animal…Three little Pigs it shall be.The day of the event the clock seemed to be spinning a little faster than usual and the prep list a bit to long. Was the menu more than my new kitchen staff could handle? Luckily at the 11th hour, two chef/friends stopped in to check out the menu and wound up staying to help finish prepping and serve the meal.
Farm to Fork Celebration
January 30, 2011

Andre’s Restaurant
Newton, NJ

For the reception

Smoked lamb heart, pickled turnip
Lamb and kidney pie
Lamb Liver Pate

For the Meal

Genesis Farm
A trio of Vegetable Soups

Viking Village
Sea Scallops, Potato Gnocchi, Watercress Pesto

Arthur and Friends
Mixed Reds and Greens, Honey Herb Dressing

Pittenger Farm
Sampling of Pork,
Loin, Sausage, Bacon
Onion Marmelade, Dried Fruits, Wheat Berries

Bobolink Dairy
Cave Aged Cheddar, Jean Louis, Baudolino

Sunny Ridge Farm
A Celebration of the Egg

For a quick re-cap of the evening, I have to say it encouraged me how much everyone enjoyed the organ meat preparations of the cocktail hour. I think most people have a pre-conceived notion of offal and aren’t willing to try it. That was not the case with this group.
The three soups were all served in the same bowl. This required me and my two new cooks to each pour one soup into the same bowl at the exact same time, at the exact same rate, to achieve the desired result. Before we started to plate the course I said “This will be a test to see how we really get along” The three of us rose to the occasion and worked together as a team.
Course two, Sea scallops with gnocchi, It was a crime to cook those scallops. I was snacking on them raw throughout the day as we prepped the rest of the meal.
The greens from Arthur and friends came to the back door of the restaurant still alive. I made a display to place on the bar so that everyone could enjoy how beautiful they were.
As for the Pittenger Pig, I used every last bit. Cured bacon, fat back, fresh belly, pulled pork, liverwurst. We didn’t serve it all that night, but I enjoyed more than my fair share over the following days.
The cheese oh, the cheese… If you haven’t enjoyed the pleasantly pungent funk of a great cheese I don’t think I am up to the task of explaining it here. But, Bobolink makes some of the best.
Dessert was for most the favorite course, a little crème caramel baked in the egg shell, with a side scoop of house made ice cream and sabayon, all from the Sunny Ridge eggs. It’s fun for me to take something as simple as an egg and present it in three very different ways on the same plate. I think it causes people to slow down a bit and pay closer attention.

Without realizing it I had designed a menu of triads. Three offal presentations…three soups…reds, greens and herbs…three little pigs…three cheeses…a trio of egg preparations. It wasn’t until a day or two later that this occurred to me. And maybe it was a subconscious way of emphasizing the triad in our earth, us and the things we choose to nourish ourselves with.

A Night in the Kitchen.....

2010-11-27T20:47:00.000-08:00

One night, no flash, only my 50mm lens.

So, Rob and I met when Tracey and I opened the restaurant 12 years ago. Shortly thereafter I asked him to come by and take some action shots, during service that we could use for promo and press release type stuff. He got some great images and he actually he shot film! I would love to be able to share some of those shots with you in the future.

Well tonight, he surprised me, hung out in the kitchen, snacked, drank, and he and I had a great time talking. Each of us doing our thing. I would be lying if I didn't say, that it took me a bit to relax and focus. I guess I don't like surprises. Yet, I was able to settle into a groove and do what I do.

We have both come a long way. Started families, Furthered and expanded our businesses, Self published a cook book, and now we are having fun with this blog collaboration.

I think his photos speak for themselves. But, I will offer you a few comments as you scroll along.

drying some herbs from the parking lot garden

the omnipotent black steel pans. I couldn't do it without them.

Cauliflower Steak for a vegetarian...

Finding my groove.

Marinated Oranges with Port Wine Sabayon as a dessert for a lactose intolerant customer.

loosing focus?

Panko Crusted Bass with Soy Butter...

nice little steaks!

Prince Edward Island Mussels Steamed in White Wine.

one more steak...

kitchenheather...

everyone ordered scallops tonight.

This fine gentleman had an amazing meal and insists I am lying about my age!

I have to say that all in all it was a pretty uneventful night. I hope you enjoyed your backstage tour.

even steven

2010-11-17T19:23:00.000-08:00

Sorry, it has been a while...

I wanted to share a story.

On our last trip to California, a few years back, Tracey and I shared an aisle with a guy about my age. If you know me at all, you know I'm a bit shy at first, but, still very friendly. Except on the plane. The last thing I want to do is make "friends" with some joker I will never see again. My M.O. is to bury my nose in a magazine, scrape the meal around, watch a movie and barely acknowledge your presence until shortly before landing. Then I can assume my regular status, make a little small talk and then you feel like we bonded. On this particular flight the Joe sitting next to me was a perfect Gentleman. No armrest hogging, zero flatulence, happy to be left alone. So, upon descent, I strike up a conversation. Turns out, the guy is flying on a Buddy Pass. For those of you not in the know, this means he has a friend that works for the airline and if there is a seat available he flies for free. So I say to him "I think that's really cool for you. However, I never get that. Don't miss understand, I don't have bad luck, I just never win anything. I never get the free upgrade. My scratch off never hits.I don't have a "buddy" in the airline biz." We have a laugh, exchange itineraries and move on. Never to see one another again. So anyway Trace and I have a great week! Wine Country, restaurants, you get the picture. We get to the last stop and try to check into our hotel. A cool old school place in Sausalito just north of San Fransisco. Upon presenting myself at the front desk I am informed that we have been "upgraded". What are the chances? Apparently we will be staying in the Caseta. I didn't and still don't know what a caseta is. But they proceed to give us driving directions which lead us to a trailer behind the house of the owner of the hotel. Let me tell you, the overgrowth was competing with the Graffiti. And, the toilet facilities were a separate entity. You actually had to leave the casita to pee. A lovely little pied a tere, maybe. But not an upgrade from hotel living. We had a great time none the less. Which brings me to the point of the story. I am very pleased with my lot in life I consider myself truly blessed. With a healthy family, a partner that I truly adore, and on top of that I get to cook food for nice people, and I get paid to do it. But, truth be told I have never really won anything. And that's where you come in. Rob and I decided to enter this Photo contest. I told him what I had in mind. A dog-eared copy of Zagat, with a plate of food on our bar. The crust of the Creme Brulee seemed like a perfect choice to highlight the copper. The hammer was made for me by a now long gone, but treasured employee. As usual, Rob worked his magic and right now our photo is in first place. For the first time ever I may very well win something! And that something is a trip for two to Las Vegas! Rob and I agreed that we wouldn't leave the ladies home. It's a trip for two after all. So we'll need to figure out the details.Like who is getting in the suitcase. Anyway, here are some shots that didn't make the cut. Oh, and by the way, If you didn't vote today there is still time.

4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar (plus some for the topping)
1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean

combine the eggs and sugar, split the bean and add it to the cream. bring the cream to a boil, pour over the egg mixture. strain. pour into 8, 1 cup ramekins bake in a water bath at 350 degrees for about 30 min. or until just set. chill the custards, then sprinkle with sugar and brulee with a propane torch. Enjoy your dessert and then send Rob and Andre' to Vegas!!!

corn

2010-08-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

just one bite...

imagine your eyes are closed as you read this. A large spoon... as you bring it to your lips you smell the basil, plucked only minutes ago... you put the spoon in your mouth and barely sense the metal on teeth because you are hit with a rush of flavor, texture and temperature... of course the basil hits you first. But, it is followed immediately with the , let's get this party started taste and texture of cool, ripe, sushi grade avocado and a punch of lime...then you feel the warmth and richness of the creamed corn...punctuated by little pops of sweetness...at this point it's headed upward into the olfactory...and then you sense the truffle oil, pulling all the flavors together as they reverberate in your mouth... and then they all go away,... but you are left with a lingering sense of freshness, brightness, sweet creamy goodness and the funky earthy lovely taste that makes you wish it wasn't just one bite. In real time this took 1.78 seconds.

At the restaurant each night we offer a little bite from the kitchen, this one occurred a few weeks ago and I wrote it down and sent it to Rob as an idea for a potential post.

So, we went to "the Garden" as we affectionately call The Community Supported Garden at Genesis Farm, a CSG that both of our families belong to. I got a lesson in picking corn, and how to tell if it's ready. And, yes the silk at the top is already dried out when it's picked.

Then I went down to the garden house and picked out some other great stuff and threw together a soup.

Onion, garlic, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, all cooked slowly in a bit of oil. Then a splash of wine and chicken stock to cover. Cut the corn off the cob. add the cob to the pot and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Remove the cobs, add the corn, simmer 2-3 minutes. Puree, add a bit of heavy cream. Adjust the seasoning and top with crab meat, basil, and diced tomato.

burger anyone?

2010-08-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

Many words have been written about the Hamburger. So many, that you have to wonder if there is anything more to say. The ultimate American "Sandwich"! Like so much of our culture it started with something we stole from somewhere else and completely took ownership of. Maybe Rob and I just needed an excuse to get together and enjoy some ground beef. Anyway I'll give it a go.

If you haven't already picked up Anthony Bourdain's new book "Medium Raw" I would recommend it. He writes a chapter about the beloved burger that is equal parts funny and scary.

In any case this American Classic seems to take on a new costume everyday. A new topping or addition to grab our attention. A new layer of gold on an already perfect lily. I admit it, I am among the guilty in this. One of my early creative endeavors, I might have been eight years old, was the "Hamdogger" a hot dog encased in ground beef, grilled and served on a hot dog bun. Destined for failure, because to leave the beef a respectable mid rare you end up with a cool hot dog. Not very appetizing. I have done my fare share of stuffing burgers, and topping them with all kinds of stuff. BBQ pulled pork inside of a cheese burger topped with coleslaw is a wonderful thing. The burger on a toasted English Muffin with Taylor Ham and Cheese was a Saturday night staple for me for quite some time.

If you haven't tasted, I'm sure that you have at least heard of the million dollar burgers making their way onto four star menus from coast to coast. There isn't a single thing wrong with the DB burger.http://http//www.danielnyc.com/dbbistro.html With it's filling of braised short ribs and foie gras and black truffle on a house baked brioche bun.

But, when I set about designing the burger for Andre's I wanted to keep it pretty straight forward but still show that I wasn't being lazy. Just a little tweak to amp up the flavor.

It starts with dry aged Angus beef from the back end of the strip loin. To this I add hickory smoked bacon for a 25-30% total fat content. Keep everything nice and cold and grind away. We use the Kitchen aid mixer with a grinder attachment. Season with salt and pepper just before grilling, top with aged Gouda and serve on our house made English Muffin with our own pickles and freshly made mayo.

English muffin

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon honey
corn meal

combine the yeast and water, put flour in mixing bowl with salt, with machine running add yeast mixture, honey, and melted butter. knead about 5 min. for a smooth elastic dough. roll to 1/2inch rectangle and place on a floured tray in the fridge for 15-20 min. Re roll to 1/4 inch and cut desired shapes. dust with cornmeal, cover and let rise until double the volume. Cook on a preheated iron griddle for about 8 min. per side. cool on a rack. cut with a fork. toast and go.

Mayo

check back to the crab post for this recipe

Pickles

Typically we use an English cucumber. But, this time of year you can get great local organic cukes. Make a brine of 1 cup Sugar, 1 cup Water, and 1 cup Champagne Vinegar, 1/3 cup salt season as you like. heat the brine and pour over the sliced cucumber. Let stand in the fridge overnight or up to 2 weeks.

Oh, and would you be kind enough to pass me that beer?

crabby...

2010-07-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

OK, so we all get a little crabby every now and then...

This past Sunday we had our 11th Annual Crab and Lobster Fest. This coming Sunday I guess we will have to call the 11.5 annual. In any case this is the one special dinner that has been without a doubt the most popular of all our themes. Everyone loves the harvest dinner in the fall. Regional French dinners suit me well and are always well attended. New Years Eve comes close only in loyalty. Many customers have bragging rights having been to every New Years at Andre's. But, let me tell you the folks are crazy for crustaceans! We had to run this dinner for two Sundays because we couldn't accommodate all of our loyal customers. Well, some people come to both.

So, I invited Rob to come and have an early dinner, and if he thought there was anything worth while he could do that thing that he does with light and time. You know, the way he bends it just so...

The first bite always evolves more than any course. You have an idea but, it needs to set the stage for what is to come. It can't be finalized until the whole menu is set. It's a tease, yet it needs to make sense in the sequence of the meal.

The first course is like the opening number of a Broadway show. You need to let the audience know that you came to kill it. But, it's just the first glimpse and it shouldn't overpower the rest of the show.

Next comes Crab Cakes. I can't say much about this. I think the proof is in the pudding, as they say. If you've had the opportunity to taste mine, it's a pretty damn good pudding.

OK if you don't want to take my word for it try for yourself.

1 # jumbo lump crab meat
1/4 cup + 1 T mayo
1/4 slowly cooked diced red bell pepper and onion
1-2 T bread crumbs
salt, pepper, Tabasco to taste

gently combine and form into patties, dip in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. fry in 350 oil till golden brown and delicious.

Oh, I almost forgot. You have to make the mayo to.

In a blender,
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup strong mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
juice from 1/2 lemon
salt, white pepper, Tabasco

with the blender running slowly pour in 2-3 cups vegetable oil until the mixture thickens. It will not be as thick as Hellman's until it is fully chilled.

So now for some soup. Lobster and Crab Curry. Coconut Milk, Ginger, Jasmine Rice...

Love 'em or hate 'em, I couldn't not, not include the Soft Shell. Personally, I can't get enough of them. In my humble, but perfect, opinion there are only two ways to truly appreciate the soft shell. The first is as a sandwich, more on that later, and the second is with some fresh pasta and really good butter.

We have been throwing this party for many years. Every year we try to pull off some kind of Chocolate Crab, or Bitter Sweet "Sebastian"-(think little mermaid). Last year was Crab in a Blender. This year, I don't know why, I decided to avoid the shtick, the play on words, and just make a nice dessert. Simple, honest and true. As I read those last few words I think it's some thing we could all use a little more of. Simple, honest, true...

light bulb...

2010-07-06T11:35:00.001-07:00

Did you ever get an idea? You know, a really good idea. One that deserves to be brought to life. Not the, pretty good idea that would do just as well to fester in your mind for a while and eventually rot away and be disposed of into the good idea compost. I mean the kind of idea where all you need to do is come up with a plan of action and then pull the trigger on the whole thing. Get that ball rolling and the natural forces take over. You wonder back to that dream state for a moment and think...Inertia alone will bring your fetus of an idea to it's joyous birth. A can't miss. A sure thing. The mother load!

Let me just back up a minute and say, that for more than a few years now I have had the pleasure to create menus and events to make our customers feel special, happy, even excited to be coming out for the evening. And let me also say, I am the first to admit that we have a format. A format that, even though in constant evolution, is a pretty well confined playpen for us. We know what works and what doesn't. This is the price for such and such courses, beverage package optional, plus tax and gratuity. We just pick a theme or a cuisine and the rest takes care of itself. We get to go all creative on the whole thing. But, at the end of the day, it's a plastic turtle full of sand. I could add that through and through you have all liked what I've done with that sand, and I've enjoyed playing.

Back to the matter at hand... innocently enough a few months ago I had that "Idea". Wouldn't it be fun to throw a party? Like nothing else we have ever done at Andre's. Summer time, a few bands, some good food and a totally casual experience. Pull all the tables outside, kick in some awesome beer and, Ahhhahhhh... The immaculate conception, and we shall call it "Beer, BBQ & Rock-n-Roll". It seemed like a no brainer, perfect, all the little things will take care of themselves idea. A perfect game. A sure thing! So I came up with a plan and put the ball into motion, game on.

So, if you have ever had one of those ideas, you already know... You make a plan, put it into action, and that inertia kicks in. But that inertia is a bit lazy, not quite the be all and end all you thought or hoped for. Inertia doesn't get the job done, so much as it makes it impossible for YOU to not get the job done. After all you were the one who started it. It was YOUR IDEA!

So many times along the way I thought "what have I done, how will I pull this off?"

I won't go into my own self psychoanalization, but I will say that I was riddled with doubt. Coming up with new disaster scenarios, what ifs and potential fire storms everyday.

In the end, we turned away more people than we served. God I hate that. The fire alarm did not go off, a representative from the company was in attendance. The Police and Fire company also kept the peace or more importantly their distance. A lot of the last minute could go wrongs didn't. Well let me tell you, What a fun day! Mike Lawlor said it best " a bunch of real nice people came to partay!" And between the beer, the food and the music, well lets just say we set the house on fire!

I won't say the self doubt was for nothing. We definately made adjustments along the way. The original idea needed to be tweaked to make the whole thing work. But, I did a whole lotta worrying for nothing.

There were two great bands "cousins" and "Mike Lawlor Banned". Four breweries and 16 beers: Ramstein, Flying Fish, and Climax all from the Great State of New Jersey and representing the left coast- the beers of North Coast Brewing Company.

The menu consisted of duck fat popcorn...deviled egg salad...sliders...hot legs...BBQ ribs...bacon ribs...pulled pork sandwiches...cedar planked salmon...grilled wahoo...whole roasted pig...mojo sauce...macaroni and cheese...Brazilian baked beans...grilled vegetables...home made hot sauce...strawberry shortcake and mini chipwhiches!

It took till Wednesday to recover! The big problem to consider now is, do we fine tune the idea, make a brand new box for it and tell it how much we love it. Or, just let it grow, nurture it and let it have a life of its own, see how big she can get...

Herring Run...

2010-06-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

We always seem to want the things we can't have. Along the same line, things we work for, or wait for are always a little sweeter. Chalk it up to human nature.

A few years ago on a family trip to Holland, we spent a good amount of time in search of the Maatjes Herring. This is a young fish that has yet to spawn. The fish are traditionally placed in an oak barrel in a salt brine for five days and then filleted and eaten raw with a little chopped onion. After the museum, in the small town, whatever the activity was that day didn't matter, it was followed by some inquiries for New Herring. I had heard all about it. My dad was born there and he and my uncle would reminisce about this Dutch delicacy, the sashimi of the Netherlands. We never did find any herring on that trip. Come to find out that we missed the first boat by one day. The story goes that when the fishing boats come into port the first barrel goes to the Queen and the second barrel goes to Grand Central Station in New York(read New Amsterdam).

Last year, completely by chance, I read that the New Herring was arriving in New York at the http://oysterbarny.com/ in Grand Central Station. I promptly organized a field trip with my brother, my dad and my uncle. We ate herring and drank beer and geniever or dutch gin. A great afternoon that I will not soon forget. The only down side was, we had to deal with a snotty waiter, and Maatjes Herring is more of a street food. You eat it standing up with your head tilted back, holding the fillet by the tail, a little of the juices drip down your chin. So, this year I hatched a plan to make a return trip. This time, we would skip the Oyster Bar, and the snotty waiter and buy the fish over the counter. Unfortunately only my Dad could make it. Brother and Uncle couldn't get away. Luckily Rob was available to join us. A little bit of traffic and a terrible time parking but, otherwise a seamless journey found us at http://russanddaughters.com/ , A family run shop offering smoked and cured fish since 1914 . A bit of negotiation between Dad and I, and we placed our order, stepped onto the street and with head tilted back enjoyed the new catch. I will admit that Maatjes Herring is probably not for everyone. Put it on the love- hate list if you will. The three of us had a short conversation about how to describe it and didn't come up with much. It's one of those foods that texture and flavor are dancing in your mouth at the same time and can't be separated. Full flavored, briny, velvety, slippery, salty, oily, rich and unctuous all come to mind but, words alone will never offer the experience of standing on a side walk, near a street once known as de Waal straat, head tilted back, enjoying a delicacy from your fathers homeland. True to form we did procure some beer before our journey home. Fittingly, we took the Holland Tunnel. And, yes, we did bring some back to share.

'tis the season...

2010-06-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

The ramps are done. The asparagus is on it's way out. Memorial Day is behind us, and all of this can only mean one thing. Strawberries!

So, Rob and I went on location, to the Community Supported Garden at Genesis Farm, we picked some fruit and took some photos and, OK, we ate a little too. This trip really reminded me about why we started this blog. To get together and do what we do. I don't have a fancy story about strawberries for you, just a few recipes and Rob's beautiful images. I only hope that you enjoy it half as much as we did.

Creme Anglaise

8 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1 quart heavy cream

vanilla or spiced rum

combine the yolks and sugar and whisk till pale, bring the cream to a boil with the vanilla or rum and whisk into the egg mixture. pour back into the sauce pan and return to the stove. over medium heat stir constantly for three to five minutes until thick. Don't cook it to long or it will curdle. Pour into a chilled bowl and use as desired. Or just pour yourself a glass and enjoy!

I made the creme anglaise and poured it straight over the berries, warm from the fieldand topped it with some crushed fresh tarragon. Simplicity at it's best.

If you were to make the above recipe and then take one cup of creme anglaise, combine it with one cup of lightly sweetened strawberry puree, one cup of lofat yogurt and one quarter of a cup sugar, you would have the base mix for our Strawberry Yo Scream. From there you put the mix into an ice cream freezer and let 'er rip! Frozen strawberry goodness with one third the fat.

One more simple elegant tecnique.

Save the egg whites when you prepare the anglaise.

Combine 8 egg whites with 1 cup of sugar. warm to room temp and then whip to stiff peaks.

Meanwhile whip 1 1/2 cups heavy cream to stiff peaks. Fold the two together with 2 cups of quartered strawberries. Spoon the mixture onto plates dressed with the anglaise. Then sprinkle with sugar and brulee with a propane torch. New Style Chiboust. Viola!

Friends of Michael Arnone

2010-05-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

O.K., not how I planned on starting this but, Tracey and I just did some math. We have been together for 18 years.

Since the beginning we have been prone to go on adventures. Some near, some far. A road trip to Montreal, in search of their version of the perfect bagel (hate to admit it, but the Canadian bagel is superior) Rock climbing in PA ( I loved it, Tracey is still afraid of heights). Sometimes it was a quest. Sometimes we would just head out and see where the road took us.

Well one day about 17 years ago, we found ourselves eating crawfish and alligator sausage, drinkin' Budweiser and listening to zydeco music, in a now long gone, little hole in the wall, called Sun Tan Lake. I remember they had big Bud trucks with a tap right on the side. I remember dancin' and listening to Buckweat himself. I remember kissin' my girl and thinkin' I was on top of the world. Somehow, and it wasn't that day, I had the good fortune to meet Mr.Michael Arnone the organizer and promoter of Craw Fish Fest or CFF. In various restaurants over the years I have cooked for Michael. And he has bragged on me probably more than I deserve. His Craw Fish Fest has grown into a three day festival with more music than you could manage, multiple stages, camping and plenty of food. It's now held at the Sussex County Fair Grounds. Right in my back yard. Over the last few months I have been in touch with him to try to make my own place at Crawfish Fest. To bring a little of the Andre's magic to Michaels over the top event. Sadly it's not gonna work out this year. And I think Michael knew it before me. He said "why don't I bring a gang around the restaurant and you just do what you do"

So, what follows is the menu and photos, of me doing what I do. I would like to say that Michael truly inspires me. Along the way one of his guests said "It's good to be a FOM" (friend of Michael)With his passion for food, friends, music and contagious smile I have to say that, I am happy to be a Friend of Michael! Tracey and I will be going to Craw Fish Fest on Sunday the 6th of june, and we would love to see you there!

Laizes les bon temps roule'

We started with Oysters, barely warmed, with flavors of spinach and fennel. Inspired by Oysters Rockefeller.

Next was Crab Cake with Pickled Watermelon Rind, Yukon Gold Potato and Spicy Mustard.

Followed by, Quail Stuffed with Foie Gras and Duck Confit.

Then, Lamb Loin on the Grill with Local Asparagus, Red Wine and Grains of Paradise.

Dessert was Strawberries with Creme Anglaise

and a last little bite of Deep Fried Cafe Brulot Truffles.

Pizza, Pizza...

2010-05-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

I am sure that you all have your own memory of "The Perfect Slice". You were in Italy and the sun was just so, and the red wine made it perfect. Or, maybe, it was that first slice at John's after 2 weeks in France and all you wanted was a taste of home. For that matter, it could be the memory of a road trip to NYC for a slice at any one of the many infamous joints. If you were at the Taste of Talent, http://piesonwheels/ was cranking out a pretty awesome pie.

I am equally sure that you have your opinion of what makes a really great slice. For a food so simple, with not to many variables, the possibilities seem endless. Personally, a thin, crispy crust with just the right amount of sauce and not to much mozzarella, hold the dried oregano please! is what I call a great slice. I wanted to share my dough recipe with you, as well as, a red and a white topping. The red is a traditional tomato pie. The white is a take on the Alsatian Flammekuche with crispy bacon and caramelized onions. During the shoot Rob and I traded some pizza tales.

A few years ago before a trip to Holland with my family, I suggested we meet at my brother's house for lunch before the ride to the airport. I would bring some food (all cold) that we could eat off paper plates, allowing us to ditch the plates and start our vacation on a full stomach. In case you haven't gathered, I don't like to operate hungry and I like airplane food even less. The day before the vacation my aunt presented me with an "Onion Pie" similar to the recipe I have for you here. So I thought that would be a nice addition to the buffet. Great! Get to my brother's, turn on the oven and enjoy our meal. Plates in the garbage and off we go. By the way, the pie was perfect. Crispy crust, sweet and savory topping, I think I should call her and ask her to make me another. Anyway, we had a fantastic trip back to my fathers homeland (no pizza) we all ate our weight in Dover sole, and searched in vein for the new herring (a true delicacy, the season starts this year on June 8th). When we returned home and walked into my brother's house, happy to be home, but, sorry it was coming to an end, we realized something was not right. It was considerably hotter in the house than it should have been. Holy $#!t we left the oven on for 10 days!!! We all looked at each other shocked for a good 5 minutes before realizing that everything was OK. Our shock turned to relieved laughter. And we played a little "what if?"

So, here are a few recipes for you. I hope you are inspired to create a perfect pie of your own. Just, please turn off the oven when you are done.

The dough

2 1/2 cups water

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons dried yeast

1/4 cup oil

6 cups flour

1 Tablespoon salt

mix the first 4 ingredients, add 1/2 the flour, stir to incorporate. Let stand, covered, 15 minutes. Add the salt, remaining flour and knead until very springy. You may need a bit more flour, but try to keep the dough a bit wet. Put the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and let rise at room temp. Punch down and divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

let the dough come halfway to room temp and then roll or throw the dough to desired thickness.

We cook our pizza in a two step process at the restaurant. First it's grilled to give it a bit of smokey goodness then we add toppings and finish it on a pizza stone in a 500 oven.

Red Sauce

I puree a can of Muir Glenn Organic fire roasted Tomatoes with a pinch of sugar and 2 pinches of salt and a little fresh thyme

White sauce

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

1 egg

1 1/2 Tablespoons of flour

combine and use as your sauce

1 onion caramelized

1 pound of bacon crispy

sprinkle on as topping and bake

A Taste of Talent...

2010-04-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

So, apparently I have fallen behind in my self imposed weekly blog post. What can I say? Life got in the way! You can take comfort in the fact that I had a fantastic break! A bit of spring skiing and mountain biking in the great state of Vermont.The end of the vacation found us smack in the middle of charity food events. With "Wine and Roses" behind us, The "Grand Tastings" and "The Katie's House "Sock Hop" http://http//www.katieshouse.org/ still to come, the first day back was "A Taste of Talent" to benefit Project Self Sufficiency. I really enjoy doing most of these events. It's a chance to meet new customers and connect with colleagues, enjoy some good food and drink and of course support the cause. I say "most" because occasionally we are not treated as well as you would expect by the event organizers. But I'll save that rant for another day. The Taste of Talent is one of my favorite events mostly because of the people, both restauranteurs and attendees. The tricky part this year was to pull off a tasting for about 450 guests on the first day back, with empty refrigerators and no staff. The no staff thing was a decision to let everyone have as long a break as possible. I would do all the prep myself. Nothing a little planning couldn't take care of. Before we left for vacation I decided to do a cured salmon dish, or Lox. A quick call to http://www.peronafarms.com/ to make sure they weren't serving their world renowned smoked salmon, and Kirk gave me the go ahead. I asked my Sous Chef to meet the fish guy and cure the salmon while we were off. Not more than an hour or two out of one of his days off and he can know that he, helped the cause, if you will. So with that taken care of I felt pretty confident that I would be able to pull off a nice dish. Cured Salmon, maybe a potato pancake and some sour cream, a little fresh dill for garnish. Well as you can imagine these things tend to evolve, and with a week away from the restaurant the evolution can be pretty dramatic. Whenever I put a dish together I like to make sure that in addition to the main item there is some type of starch and vegetable included. The guys at the restaurant always tease me when we do an event like this because I tend to add what they consider to be a few to many components. So I tried to keep the vision pure and simple. The potato pancake turned into a blini (still a pancake of sorts) but, then I was enjoying some strained Greek yogurt one day and thought that it would compliment the fish nicely in place of the sour cream. To incorporate the vegetable I thought cucumber would be a nice fresh addition, but why not dice it and stir it into the yogurt to streamline the plating. Well, with some mint, cilantro and seasoning the cucumber yogurt would become "Raita" a middle eastern condiment. Sounds great, but now my potato blini seemed culturally out of place. The recipe for blini that I like to use comes directly from Thomas Keller's http://www.frenchlaundry.com/ Cookbook. What if I substituted pureed chickpeas for the potato? I could cook them at the event and they would round out the dish Perfectly. So there you have it, Cured Salmon with Chickpea Blini and Cucumber Raita. I paired it with a "Garden Martini" ( the martini costs $5 which we donated back to the cause) It consisted of Kettle One Vodka, Kettle One Citron, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueurhttp://www.stgermain.fr/, Cucumber, Mint, and Cilantro, shaken with a little egg white and fresh lime. MMMMM...

Welcome Back!!!

Cured Salmon

1 pound fresh King Salmon Fillet

make a mix of 1 part sugar to 2 parts kosher salt

cover the fish liberally with this mixture, about 1/4 c per pound

add some seasoning. Fresh herbs or shallots are nice. The salt will

carry the flavors into the fish. Cover with plastic and top with some weight,

a gallon of milk works nicely. Put this in the coldest part of your fridge

and let marinate for 3-4 days. Give the fish a rinse and slice as

thinly as possible. Left unsliced the fish should last for at least a week in the fridge

Cucumber Raita

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 cup strained Greek yogurt

fresh mint, fresh cilantro

cumin and coriander toasted and ground

salt, pepper, Tabasco

season the cucumber with salt and let drain in a colander for 6 hours

then stir together with the yogurt and seasonings. I like this to be a cooling

element on the palate however it's also good with some jalapeno pepper.

Chickpea Blini

1 pound chickpeas pureed

2 tablespoons flour

2-3 tablespoons Greek yogurt

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

salt, pepper, cumin

again, this recipe is borrowed from Chef Keller with only minor changes.

combine the ingredients and cook like pancakes. about 3 dz.

Garden Martini

equal parts

Kettle One Vodka

Kettle One Citron

St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

egg white

shaken with muddled cucumber, mint, cilantro, and fresh lime

..utilization...

2010-04-05T16:47:00.001-07:00

Generally speaking you can't eat the whole animal in one sitting. I do however enjoy cooking all the parts. Sometimes when I'm writing a menu it's difficult to choose which parts to cook up and serve, and which parts to save for another day. I do, and have always gotten great satisfaction out of using the whole animal. Butchering the whole duck for example, the breast is pan roasted, and served as a main course with some seasonal fruit (can't wait for the first cherries). The legs, seasoned and slow cooked in rendered duck fat for confit, with menu possibilities to numerous to mention. The extra fat is great for cooking potatoes or poaching fish. Extra skin is fried up for cracklin's to garnish a salad. The livers are whipped into a pate', the bones are roasted and simmered for a stock to eventually turn into soup or a sauce. I enjoy roasting the hearts and either pickling them or just snacking on them myself, but lately I've taken to turning them into a snack for our dogs. Man's best friend deserves an extra tasty treat now and then. The point of the story is really that it's difficult to pick which parts to serve.

Well I never thought of it in this context but Rob has the same situation going on, trying to choose which images to serve up to you on a weekly basis. So in the spirit of utilization here are some images that didn't make it into previous posts but were to tasty to rot in the hard drive.

Bon Appetite!!!

chicken, chicken, chicken...

2010-03-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago Tracey kicked me out of the kitchen and into the dining room. She was pregnant with our first child and I wanted to close the Restaurant on Sundays. I wanted time with our family and at that point in the evolution of the restaurant I didn't have anyone to run the place on a day off. So, she said " if you want to close on Sundays you will have to start teaching those cooking classes you have been talking about." Well, it's true I had been talking about teaching classes but, if you know me, you know I'm a little shy, standing up in front of a bunch of strangers cutting vegetables and sauteing chicken was not my idea of a good time. I figured I'd write a couple of classes, nobody would come and that would be the end of that. Maybe I could get a part time job or something. Of course the opposite has occurred and our cooking classes have become very popular. I truly believe that I have learned as much if not more than I have taught. If you don't believe me you can conduct a little survey of the teachers in your life. Most of them will tell you that after the BS there is great gratification (not to mention decent health benefits) For me there is no, or at least very little BS. All of the folks who attend the classes truly want to learn or at the very least be entertained. It all comes back to the passion that I have for what I do. The cooking classes are my chance to have the face to face contact with people and inspire them to get in the kitchen and cook real food. What follows are Robs fantastic images from my most recent class. I will do my best to post the accompanying recipes shortly. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy and are inspired to cook, shoot photos, paint, or express yourself because I truly believe that creative expression is just one small part of true happiness.

Happy Valentines Day

2010-03-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

disclaimer: "and now for something completely different"

So I hope you are all enjoying our blog. For reasons you will shortly understand Rob could not be present during the events as they unfolded. I only hope that my own snapshots will give you a little bit of visual gravy on our holiday.

If you have been following along at all, at this point you get the idea that I truly love what I do. This can however get a bit tricky at times (read important holidays) with the ones that matter most to me. For example I can't remember the last time I sat down to a mothers day dinner. I try my best to pull off Thanksgiving. The Christmas holiday season is the craziest at the restaurant. I am not complaining it's just that there are so many more things I would like to do for them and with them. I know that my family understands, yet it has always been difficult for me to divide myself between the Family and the Restaurant. The People and the Thing.
Squeezing in birthdays, communions, graduations, that's another story!

The big one for me, and really, not my wife but me, is St. Valentines Day. I really try to let her know how important she is to me, to us, everyday. But, Valentines Day is that one day that I am supposed to remind her out loud. In front of everyone. Yet, every year we are flooded with reservations at the restaurant. The prep and planning take over my world. Inevitably I never pull off the big romantic plan. If it does bother her she doesn't let on.

Well this year I planned ahead, made reservations, and lined up all of my ducks, even babysitting, and if you have kids you know how difficult that can be. Well, OK most of my ducks. I didn't factor in that I had scheduled our precious Valentines weekend when the kids had off from school for presidents day. Major wrinkle because we like to maximize time with them and the days off from school usually correspond with my days off. So we had to reschedule.

And now, here we are, one month later. Thanks to friends and family, babysitters and dog walkers, keys to a midtown apartment, you get a glimpse at a chef's valentines day.

1:00 Lunch Reservations www.elevenmadisonpark.com

Tabla for drinks at 4:00

6:30
back to the apartment to change after a bit of retail therapy at the Time Warner Center

7:30
St. Marks.
Story telling
&
Burlesque

9:30 cocktails at PDT. a bar hidden
in a hot dog stand accessed thru a vintage phone booth

11:30
pasta
and
wine

We capped off our weekend with a wine tasting on Tuesday afternoon which is way my post is a few days late. I hope you enjoyed my snap shots but, I look forward to Rob's Images next time!

game on...

2010-03-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

Almost ten years ago I was asked to prepare a venison dinner for the Branchville Business Men’s Club to be held at a local fire house. I was told that it was a traditional Venison Dinner. The club members did the hunting, they had lined up a butcher and they needed someone to do the cooking for 100 men. The man who had done the cooking for many years was retiring. Well, I jumped at the chance. There were, however, a few bumps in the road. First of all, I had never been to a “traditional” venison dinner, but I figured that was easy enough to work out and as you know I was going to put my spin on it anyway. Second and more importantly, my kitchen at the time was tiny (actually 12 foot square) with barely enough space to accommodate the needs of the restaurant. I didn’t have pots for 100 portions, most times I prepared 1/5 that amount.
Using my automobile as a make shift fridge, creatively writing a menu and cooking in batches, sub contracting some items to a local smokehouse and utilizing space at a friend's restaurant allowed me to some how pull off the feast. The firemen and their wives (the only women in attendance) helped with service and cleanup and aside from a few comments about my “spin” the evening was a huge success and I have been asked back every year since.
Each year seems to get a little easier and a little better, though not without a hiccup or two, like the year I stored the braised cabbage in the dining room managers Blazer; she couldn’t get the smell out for weeks. Or the year the butcher ground more than half of the meat. There are only so many ways to fancy that up. And it seems to snow every year which adds a little drama. But, it is a rain or shine event. The preparations have been made, the show must go on.
So every year I tweak a little bit. But these guys are old timers and certain things cannot be touched. There is never enough jerky, There had better be stew, or as they like to call it ragu, and they want the meat COOKED. They do not want their venison mooing! I don’t know about you, but even a well made stew has never been the highlight of my day. Rare to medium rare venison is the way to go and I have never heard a deer say “moo”. I will agree there never can be enough jerky. But, anyway, they built me a box and I am very happy to play in that box once a year.

I have however always wanted to build my own box and see what it would feel like to play there, a box where I could make the rules. Well, I have the box but, sadly no toys. The much needed main ingredient is not readily available to a kid with no shotgun or bow and arrow.

Enter our hero, a new friend and Black Belt from my son’s karate dojo. A bad ass with a weapon that doesn’t mind it rare, as long as it’s not to gamy. Can’t you just hear Anthony Bourdain reading that last sentence? We started talking over a year ago about doing our own dinner at the restaurant. With life constantly getting in the way it’s easy for things like this to become something that you talk about but never do. But, the planets aliened. So with some encouragement from mutual friends we agreed on a date and set the wheels in motion.

It would be a fund raiser for the dojo. He would hunt, I would cook; my little box was coming together. A few weeks before hand we got together for a meeting to discuss details and he said they had decided to donate the money to the Red Cross for relief to Haiti instead of buying new equipment. I love generous souls and I said that I thought it was a great idea and at the same time reiterated to him that my own, selfish motivation for the whole event was to get together, meet some likeminded people, cook, eat, and drink.
So the mutual friends became kitchen help for the day. The menu was not limited to venison; it included sushi, wild mushrooms, duck and boar (one plain chicken) and ice cream sundaes for dessert. The meet new people thing didn’t work out; I spent most of my time in the kitchen. I didn’t get a chance to eat much. But, there are always leftovers. As for the cooking and drinkin? As it can sometimes happen, I did a little too much of both. Next year, and yes, there will be a next year; the kitchen help will take a greater role in menu writing and final execution. And I will try to drink a bit more water. I might even cut a hole in my box.

Why I Cook

2010-03-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

The other day I was noodling around on the computer, checking out some of my favorite websites looking for inspiration and ideas. I usually wind up clicking on links and getting lost somewhere, dreaming up amazing dishes that are too complicated to execute in our little kitchen. Anyway, I found myself at http://blog.ruhlman.com/ not a blog I check out often enough, as I have enjoyed many of his books. So, he posed the question "why do you cook?" I have to admit I kinda passed over it at first. But, then I got to thinking that it might make an interesting post (and challenging for Rob). I think Rob really excels when he's put to the test. So, as I write I'm wondering what sort of images he will come up with.

So, here goes...
Cooking is not so much what I do as it is who I am. It's something that I feel I was born with. Like the color of your eyes, not something I have a choice about. Some people get into the discussion of whether cooking is an art or a craft. I like to joke that it's a disease that I was born with. I see how that could sound negative or dramatic and really, I love what I do. The only negative comes in that sometimes I can't get away from it if I try. Like going on a well deserved vacation and spending early mornings in the markets salivating over local products that I have no means to cook (oh woe is me). Or, getting home from work at 2 AM and feeling the need to cook an elaborate dinner, or produce the ultimate sandwich( I know, you feel terrible for me don't you?) By the way look for the ultimate sandwich as a future post. But, to take a step away from all that and really look at the question, I think it comes down to one word, Pleasure. The simple act of cooking and eating are surrounded by pleasure at every turn. It starts with just thinking about what to cook. Then going to the market or the garden and choosing the products. I love to be able to touch the food that I am going to cook, to experience the smells and colors of the raw products. Then there is the joy and magic in transforming these items into a meal. That can come from simply caramelizing an onion, turning the acrid bulb into sugar on steroids or combining flavors to produce an explosion on the palate. As much pleasure as I receive from enjoying food that I have prepared for myself, even more is derived from the pride of watching people enjoy the food that I have prepared for them. The pinnacle, however, is to do the shopping, prep, and final execution and then sit down, and enjoy the food, drink, and conversation with a group of family and friends. Instant gratification, albeit in a slow food kind of way.

making snowballs

2010-02-22T09:02:00.000-08:00

In the restaurant business

there are a few, extra busy days; New Year's Eve, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day... you get the picture. Working in the kitchen on these days the "prep" can be a bit overwhelming. I have always likened the experience to preparing for a snowball fight. As kids we would have epic battles. Starting of course by building a fort, but then spending the better part of the afternoon making snowballs.Then when the fight begins you very shortly start to think, "OH $#!+, I didn't make enough!" When I started cooking professionally the "fight" was my favorite part. It didn't matter what station I was working, the intensity and focus were all powerful. The adrenalin rush lasted well into the night, long after the dinner service had ended. But the prep...the prep was something you had to do. I can remember dreading some of those extra long prep days. They seemed endless. Usually in a hot windowless kitchen, working away, snowball after snowball, just hoping to eventually get to the service; the fun part, the fight. The service was the challenge and the prep was the mundane. snowball after snowball. As I mature, I find that I am getting more and more satisfaction out of the prep. How can I work as efficiently as possible to minimize my time away from my family? Challenging myself to be as organized as possible to make sure the snowball fight is a success. When I was a kid my older brother and his friends usually pummeled me. Now if we have a snow day it's my kids turn. But, at the restaurant, most nights I get to throw more snowballs than anyone else. If I happen to get a thrashing, at least you know I was there, that I care, that I did the prep as best as I possibly could and I was trying to win.
I wanted to offer some kind of snow ball recipe, but instead, I'll share the recipe for the chocolate caramel tart that we served this past Valentines Day. It's made up of three basic recipes that we use in many different ways on the dessert menu. I hope you will give it a try.

for the crust

1 # unsalted butter (soft)
11 oz sugar ( about 1 1/2 cups)
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
28 oz flour (about 5 1/4 cups)

Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs one at a time blending after each addition, add vanilla, salt, and flour, mix until just combined. This makes enough dough for about 3- 10 inch tarts. It will last a week in the fridge and it freezes nicely. I like to roll it between two sheets of plastic wrap instead of the traditional flour method. For our purposes here roll the dough and form your tart, then chill for twenty minutes, then bake at 350 until golden.

for the caramel

1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
6 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon sour cream

Over medium heat stir together the sugar, corn syrup, salt , and water continue to stir until the mixture boils. Cook until the mixture turns a dark auburn or registers 365 on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and carefully add the remaining ingredients. ( the caramel likes to spit at you when you do) . Pour into the prebaked tart shell and chill for 2 hours.

for the ganache

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 oz bittersweet chocolate (chopped)

Bring the cream to a boil, pour over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. If some lumps remain place the ganache over a double boiler and whisk until smooth. If the ganache looks oily or starts to separate add a few drops of water. Pour this over the caramel and chill for 3 hours.

making the bed

2010-02-16T13:25:00.001-08:00

OK, I'll admit it, as a kid making the bed was not my thing.But, my mom had a rule, you were allowed to keep your room as clean or as messy as you liked as long as your bed was made. So, you do the math. By the way, she did make us clean our rooms for company. Anyway, my bed got made and the rest of the room was a mess. Well as they say, with age comes wisdom. I made my bed, and slept on top of the bedspread. In the morning all the blankets went under the bed and viola it was made. Perfect.Then as I stumbled into early adulthood the whole making the bed thing went out the window (which reminds me of another story) and that part of my life could be a complete and total mess. Just shut the door and go. After Tracey and I got married the bed making responsibilities fell to the last one out of bed. Guess who that was. So if you know me at all, you also know my mantra is "happy wife, happy life". So my friends, I have become a Bed Maker! and actually I enjoy it. The whole thing, straight sheets, fluffed pillows and all. I do occasionally find, that when things get hectic I will be leaving for work saying to myself it's okay to not make the bed today, you don't have time. And then, I stop myself and go back to the bedroom and I make the bed. And the reason is this. I have a friend that I shared a house with before I was married. We were both in that just shut the door phase. Leading busy lives with no time to make the bed. When she felt her life was spinning out of control, like the to do list was just to long and she didn't know where to start. She would make her bed. The reasoning being, She could face all of those things because she could give into them and say to herself "at least the bed is made". Or in my mind, at least I did one thing right today. At the very least, in this crazy world when I feel like I have lost all control, like I don't even know where to start, and will never catch up no matter how many things I cross off the list. At least I know the bed is made. There is the smallest sense of order and control. And I can build on that.

paying attention

2010-02-09T12:59:00.001-08:00

people ask me all the time, "how do you come up with your menu?"
...the answer...

"eat alot , and pay attention!"

As a father of two small children (rapidly getting bigger) I am consciously trying to raise them as citizens of the earth. To assume responsibility for their actions. To take only as much as they need. To leave behind as little as possible. But most importantly, to Pay Attention! Sometimes the most important information is coming from behind you. When you cross a busy street are you actively crossing the street? Are you paying attention? Or are you eating, texting, blowing your nose, talking with your friends and just putting one foot in front of the other and hoping for the best? Missing out on the fact that the old lady standing next to you could have used a hand navigating the pot holes, or that there was a driver that almost just clipped you. Did you ever find yourself sitting in traffic and if the guy in front of you would just pull up six inches you could make that precious turn? Next time you find yourself there cursing him out, think about how often you use your own rear view just to see what's going on behind you. By paying attention you will get more out of life. Sometimes in the satisfaction of helping a stranger or simply slowing down to let someone cross the street. If you are both paying attention, very often you don't even need to hit the brake, you just need to take your foot off the gas. Please don't misunderstand me, I love to multi-task as much as anyone. In these fast-forward times we live in, technology is making it easier by the nanosecond. I am guilty of the "I am more important than you, get out of my way" as much as you are. But, I'm trying to be better. I find that as I try to be a good parent and teach the kids to be great people, I am learning as I go. They are teaching me as much, if not more than I could ever teach them.

A few weeks ago (OK it was a few months ago) we took the kids to Philadelphia. Museums, The Pool in the Hotel, The Aquarium. Many, many Highlights. But for me there was one special dinner, at a restaurant called Osteria. Maybe a little too fancy for the kids. It was a little later than they usually eat, and we were all a bit tired from a busy day. The kids were both drawing and excited to be having pizza and pasta in a fancy restaurant. When the server brought our appetizers we were moving along fine. It could have been a nice night out with great food and that was that. But Tracey's pasta was heaven on a plate. Butternut Squash Ravioli, Sage Brown Butter, Grated Amaretto Cookies. One of the greatest, most memorable dishes of my life. Again, we could have been done and on our way but, I was paying attention and needed to know what was making this dish so fabulous. Well, it was the Pasta itself. So thin and delicate, with just the right amount of bite. So I asked a few questions, and after our trip, back at our restaurant I started playing around with my own pasta recipe. First switching to King Arthur bread flour. Then adding some semolina. Then, thanks to my sous chef getting my hands into some imported OO flour from Italy.

Next I will start to play with the ratio of eggs to flour and the results of whole eggs to egg yolks. For a recipe with only a few ingredients the possibilities seem limitless. But the hardest part is the paying attention. I can't tell you how many times I carefully put something together and then get distracted. The restaurant rolls into service and the pasta is gone, sold out before I got to sit down and contemplate the differences of the finished product. So, the next time you find yourself with a cold winter afternoon and no pressing engagements. Get in the kitchen, make some pasta, and don't forget to pay attention. The recipe that follows is the current base recipe we use at Andre's. I am still playing with the eggs.

18 ounces OO flour

5 large eggs

1/2 shell full of olive oil

1/2 shell full of water

(a 1/2 shell is a little more than a tablespoon)

going bananas

2010-02-01T08:15:00.000-08:00

A few years before opening Andre's I was having a conversation with a young cook newly graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. We were working on a new dish for the menu. I don't recall the specific protein but, she refused to try it claiming she "didn't like it". I did my best to explain that she didn't need to like it but she needed to understand it in taste, texture and presentation. So that in the future if she intended to impress a boss or customer who requested it, she could shine. Patience is always an issue with a young culinary grad that thinks they are ready to run the whole operation. Well, she wouldn't give in and came back at me with "you are a hypocrite! You don't like bananas and you never put them on the menu". So what's a guy to do? I came to work the next day with a new dessert. Caramelized Banana Tart with Coconut Ice cream. It seemed easy enough, quality ingredients, prepared with care, a crispy fillo crust, vanilla pastry cream, topped with thinly sliced bananas, sprinkled with sugar and brulee'd. A scoop of coconut ice cream to finish it off. Ready to ram straight down her throat. Well that dessert went on to be one of the most popular plates on the menu. Every time I took it off the customers would request it. So, I got stuck working with my least favorite ingredient just to prove a point. Fast forward a few years. (remember, with age comes wisdom) Me and Tracey are on vacation and I'm reading a book by Jeffrey Steingarten called "The Man Who Ate Everything" . In the book there is a story about him overcoming his own food phobias or aversions. He claims that if you eat said item eight to twelve times you can overcome your aversion. So I proclaim to my lovely wife that upon return from the sandy beach I will be consuming a banana a week for the next eight to twelve weeks. My wife, in her infinite wisdom declares me a fool, and insists on an eight to twelve DAY regimen. When we get home, true to my word I give it a go. The first banana actually took thirteen hours to eat. I do not lie! By the way I decided a long time ago that it is much cooler to eat everything than it is to be a fusspot. So I really truly want to like the thing. Anyway the guy was right, after about ten days of a banana a day I kinda got to like 'em. Sometimes now I actually crave them, with all that potassium and the disposable environmentally friendly wrapper. So it is with pride and affection that I may offer you the Caramelized Banana Tart complete with Coconut Ice Cream both here, in recipe form and at Andre's Restaurant on the new dessert menu. Oh, and the last thing on the list of things I don't like is the hard boiled egg. Which I do offer at the restaurant every now and then.And for the record I'm coming around ...

For the crust

16 sheets of fillo
1/2cup butter melted
2 tablespoons honey

combine butter and honey with a pastry brush alternate dough with butter mixture to form two sets with eight layers of dough in each set. cut each set into four even rectangles. bake in a 350 oven until golden brown.

For the pastry cream

2 cups milk
1/2 cup +2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup flour
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter

bring the milk to a boil. combine flour and sugar. add yolks and vanilla, whisk to combine. whisk hot milk into egg mixture. return to heat and cook until very thick. do not boil! strain and stir in the butter. chill.

For assembly

spread an even layer of pastry cream over the baked fillo rectangles. top with 1/2 of a banana sliced very thin. sprinkle with sugar and torch or broil to caramelize the sugar. serve with coconut ice cream.

For the ice cream

13.5 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
13.5 ounces milk

1/2 cup Malibu rum

1/2 cup sugar
8 egg yolks

bring milk, coconut milk, and rum to a boil. combine egg yolks and sugar, whisk until pale yellow. Whisk hot milk into egg mixture. return to heat and cook for three or four minutes to thicken slightly. chill and follow manufacturers instructions.

Finding a voice

2010-01-25T14:14:00.001-08:00

OK, so believe it or not, I've always considered myself to be a bit shy. Ask my wife, my friends, they will tell you. They have all been pre-approved or suggested by another pre-approved friend. And this started long before the FB days. I don't tend to search out things, people, ideas. I wait for them to come to me. So why blog? Why put myself out there? I have always been a creative soul, more interested in the visual than the verbal. I have also always had a creative outlet. Art and photography in high school, and then, cooking. But, the cooking was always for someone else and the pressure was completly different than running my own restaurant. I could put all of my energy into one dish and let that dish sing. When Tracey and I opened the restaurant the different menus just flowed and evolved.It took me a while to find my voice. Customers would ask for things like foie gras and oysters that I wasn't sure I could offer in our little store front in Newton. By the way, I have always maintained that what is on the menu is less important than the quality of the ingredients, and I guess that is why my voice gets heard. As the restaurant has evolved I find a shift in that creative balance and now I am writing a menu of the people, instead of for the people. Don't get me wrong, I still love what I do but the pure creative outlet is coated in plaque. I know that sounds so negative, but it makes the point.
Which brings us back to why I'm here. Finding my voice. This blogging thing has been pre-approved by a dear friend and a superbly talented photographer.The intention is that he and I have a place to let the juices flow, to let it all hang out.The intent is to provide a regular stream of thoughts and inspirations with an occaisional recipe thrown in to keep your attention. Please remember your comments are appreciated, but this is about us, and finding our voices and letting them sing.

First Post 1/22

2010-01-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

Big Photos. Big Ideas. Lot of Attitude.