fourth of july recap

Every time Summer rolls around, a rather fierce internal battle gets triggered and I start to question why in God's name I am living in New York City when I escape to Connecticut nearly every weekend. Truth of the matter is, I love being there. I mean, for one thing, it's home. But it's relaxed--nothing is rushed, it's a million times easier to get from point A to point B, I'm predominantly on the water with friends, and I will admit I tend to eat a heck of a lot better there too (perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I can actually cook in a spacious kitchen).

So again: Why am I living here? And not there?

As soon as the weather cools down again, I'll be reminded, I'm sure. But until then, I'll default to looking at these pictures, longingly and ad nauseum, until the next weekend I get to return home, boat bag in hand, and a head full of recipes to try, and snap some more.

Plum-Red Wine Sorbet: halved plums, red wine, sugar, water, orange peel, mint, peppercorns, basil.

Strained and pureed sorbet base ready for the ice cream maker.

Rosé on a boat.

I chatted with this lady for a few minutes to get the scoop: she and her husband caught the oysters in North Fork the night before and she was rinsing and shucking them to get them ready for the grill. Grilled oysters were to be topped with a simple mignonette sauce. I was practically doggy paddling my way over to her in hopes of getting a taste. No dice. But mad props to ya, Spots and Shots.

Bruschetta, olive tapenade, truffle tremor, and a sheep's milk cheese were brought and prepared by a friend and chef at Chocopologie in South Norwalk. Tip: befriend a chef as often as you possibly can.

White Peach Sangria: sliced peaches, orange, and lime, a sprinkle of sugar, a glug of triple sec, and fill the rest of the pitcher up with white wine. Allow to groove for at least a couple of hours. Serve over ice.

Great way to do mussels on the grill for a crowd: In a large disposable aluminum tray, add plenty of butter, some olive oil, copious amounts of grated garlic, a dash of red pepper flakes, and some kosher salt. Place tray on grill over high heat and allow butter to melt. Splash in some dry white wine, dump in your mussels, cover tray with aluminum foil, close the grill, and allow mussels to steam for a few minutes (until all the shells have opened. any unopened shells, discard). Top with tons of chopped fresh parsley, toss, and immediately bring to the table. Dig in.

Doing what (it would appear to be) I know best: grilled pizzas. In an ode to the holiday, I did one pizza with red onion, shredded mozzarella, and sliced, grilled kielbasa. It was then topped with a sprinkling of baby arugula, balsamic-marinated roasted red pepper strips, and served with a sweet-spicy mustard for optional dipping. Let's just say I may or may not have eaten my weight in kielbasa this weekend.

Scoop of Plum-Red Wine Sorbet, scoop of store bought vanilla ice cream, a few fresh blueberries: Happy Fourth of July.

This tends to inevitably be the aftermath: Bose cranked up to maximum capacity, blaring none other than the late Michael Jackson, ice cold Corona Light in hand. Happy place.

Hope you all had the happiest, most festive, safe, and more importantly, delicious, Fourth of July.

weekend dinner party: fourth of july

grilled kielbasa with sweet mustard dill sauce

2006 Zin 91 Old Vines Zinfandel

lobster rolls with kettle chips and homemade sweet dill pickles

Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Wine

plum-red wine sorbet with blueberries

I admittedly struggled a bit when deciding whether or not to commit to lobster rolls for this menu because I'm sure the knee-jerk reaction for a lot of you will be that it's too expensive. Next! But here's the thing: over the past year or so, the price of lobster has become very reasonable (something about an overabundance? best "problem" ever). Case and point: a few weeks ago, they were on sale for $5.99/lb. at my local grocery store. Each lobster roll should sport about a pound or so of meat so you're looking at about a little less than a lobster per person. Ideally, this spread works best for a smaller crowd but for those rocking a full house, might I suggest BYOL? Not kidding.

There's a whole big heated debate when it comes to lobster rolls: warm with butter or cold with a little mayo (must be Hellman's). Just take a look at the spread in last week's New York Magazine for further proof. I happen to be on the mayo-based team--which is actually quite surprising considering the only way I like to eat lobster is steamed with drawn butter. But there's something so quintessentially summer about a lobster roll sprinkled with tiny bits of celery on a top-split New England bun. Really, there's little better.

I happen to love Kielbasa. And I didn't even know this until about a year ago (a damn tragedy, I know). They're ridiculously flavorful--garlic, salt, smoke--and in an ode to the class pigs in a blanket, I'm proposing you grill a few up, slice them on the bias into bite-size pieces and serve them up with a sweet mustard-dill sauce. Appetizer: done.

If you prepare the lobster salad, sweet dill pickles, and plum-red wine sorbet the day before (the sorbet could be made several days in advance), you're looking at a whole lot of little to nothing to do the day of. Besides soaking up as much sun as possible (responsibly of course, with SPF) at the beach or on the boat with your loved ones.

See you on the Sound.

Cork'd wine pairings for the spread are explained by Jon Troutman:

"With our country's pending independence celebration, it would be practically un-American to drink anything made outside the good ol' U.S. of A. Luckily, we have some perfectly suitable and appropriate wines made right here in the Land of the Free.

Kielbasa: Grilling season means Zinfandel season, and there really isn't a better, more suitable pairing for a smoky, steaming sliced Kielbasa starter. America's unofficial All-American grape, Zin is rarely found outside of the states. Like other things in America, it tends to be a very big wine--practically obese sometimes with its scorching alcohol levels. Look for something with moderate alcohol (under 15%) that won't be over-the-top in the oppressive July heat. At a tame 14% alcohol and a price tag under $15, the 2006 Zin 91 Old Vines Zinfandel might be a safe bet.

Growing up on Cape Cod, I know a thing or two about lobster rolls and potato chips. After heating up with Kielbasa and Zin, you'll wanna refresh yourself and cool down with something fresh, something cool, and something...celebratory. One of California's great sparkling wines, Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Wine (100% Chardonnay) fits the bill. Sparkling Wine and Lobster is a classic pairing...heck, in my book, sparkling wine and potato chips is too!"

RECIPES

Sweet Mustard Dill Sauce

Lobster Roll (recipe courtesy of Pearl Oyster Bar)

Sweet Dill Pickles (aka Swedish Cucumbers)

Plum-Red Wine Sorbet

Kettle Chips: Cape Cod 40% Reduced Fat get my vote 100 times over.

Little table decorating tip: Collect the prettiest mussel and/or oyster shells you can find at the beach, bring 'em home, wash them well, then use them for salt vessels all down the table.

Due to a power outage, this post was written entirely by hand. This photo is proof.

a decidedly cuban fourth of july

This year's Fourth of July Cuban celebration was, if I do say so myself, a huge success. A house full of family and friends and a sweeping table set up in the yard to accommodate them all, guests piled their plates high with a group effort of Cuban treats. After a long, lazy, yet wild and crazy day of boating in the Long Island Sound, we dragged our sun kissed bodies back inland so that I could get my contributions to the feast underway. Gargantuan-sized shrimp were quickly boiled, chopped, and then immediately tossed in a ceviche marinade full of lime and lemon juice, garlic, red onion, jalapeno, avocado, and cilantro. Then the spread for the cuban grilled corn was whipped together with mayonnaise, chipotle in adobo, chili powder, and lime zest and juice: to be lightly brushed onto the hot grilled corn and covered in crumbled queso fresco and a side of sliced limes for squeezing. This was all to be served alongside a cuban slow roasted/grilled pork, black beans with coconut brown rice infused with ginger, and sweet and salty tostones.

A quick jump in the shower to somewhat regrettably wash off the salt water and into a festive blue cocktail dress and I was ready to enjoy the holiday.

Mint-tea infused mojitos were then hastily prepared in a large pitcher and immediately poured over a generous amount of ice and just like that, party-mode was in full force.

Then it was off to the town fireworks to lay back, relax, digest, and watch the sky light up with fantastic bright lights, our bodies feeling the smooth vibrations of every crack, sizzle, and pop.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone.

feasting on the fourth

When faced with planning the menu for this year's Fourth of July celebration, burgers and dogs didn't even cross this girls mind. Not once did I consider whipping up my favorite potato salad or perhaps giving Bratwursts a try. Nope, not this year. Because this year? Well, I decided to go Cuban.

I suppose it's not so much of a surprise given the affair that's turned into a committed relationship between Cuban cuisine and I this year. There's something about the flavors and the overall feeling of happiness and festiveness that this food genre most literally brings to the table that I thought would be perfect for a Summer party. And when faced with the skeptics who say, the Fourth is an All-American holiday, well I'll quickly have their lips zipped. Because as our friend Donna said, there are plenty of Cubans living in America. And with that, I got to planning.

MENU

Roasted Pork Shoulder Cuban Style (orange, lime, garlic galore)

Coconut Brown Rice with Black Beans

Shrimp and Avocado Ceviche

Cuban Grilled Corn (à la Cafe Habana)

Tostones (fried plantains)

Homemade Mango Sorbet

Mojitos (lots and lots of Mojitos...maybe Mango Mojitos)

But the special thing about this year's spread is that I have delegated out the dishes amongst three of us (the other two are seriously well-seasoned cooks that ALWAYS deliver phenom food). A hard thing for me to do, I will admit. But I'm thinking about it this way: the more I get out of the way the night/morning before, the longer I get to lazily lounge in the sun on my good friend's boat laughing the day away with the best of company. In other words, Saturday could not come soon enough.

So with that, I now ask you: What are your BBQ plans for this year's Fourth??