Harry's Bar Club Sandwich

This is the One. Makes 6 sandwiches. The key trademark Harry's sandwich is a hump in the middle, a self-centered sort of sandwich, and definitely too posh for triple decking...

12 slices bacon

2 tblsp unsalted butter, softened

12 slices good quality thinnish unsweetened white bread

1 cup home-made mayonnaise

1/2 head shredded bibb lettuce

3 sweet red tomatoes, halved lengthwise then sliced crosswise

3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cut into julien

S&P

worcestershire sauce

poached chicken

2 breasts chicken

home-made chicken stock

celery, onion, carrot, bay leaf, salt

mayonnaise

egg

red or white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp dry mustard

salt, white pepper

light olive oil

lemon juice

chicken broth to lighten

1. make mayo using listed ingredients
2. boil (uncovered) the vegetables, bay leaf and salt in the chicken broth for 10 minutes, then add chicken, lower heat and simmer for five minutes; remove from heat and let chicken cool in broth for 30 minutes
3. preheat broiler
4. cook bacon in skillet until crisp, dry on paper towel
5. butter one side of each slice of bread, toast buttered side up under broiler
6. spread mayonnaise generously on unbuttered side
7. mound layer of lettuce on top of mayonnaise on six slices of toast, leaving a one inch margin of bread!
8. lay half of tomatoes, chicken on top of lettuce
9. season with S&P, a few drops of worcestershire sauce
10. drizzle a bit more mayonnaise, lay on the remaining tomatoes, followed by 2 slices of bacon on each toast
11. cover with remaining bread, toasted side up
12. press edges to seal sandwiches and trim off the crusts
13. just before serving, broil sandwiches two inches from heat source until crisp and golden

Caprese Spasso

This is a circa 1997 recipe from the Grand Hyatt's Spasso restaurant in Bangkok. I'm pretty sure it was still on the menu some years later. The thing that makes this a special caprese is the oven-dried tomatoes, red onions and the generous amounts of black pepper.

sweet cherry tomatoes (or any sweet tomato)

red onions

buffalo mozzarella

basil leaves

EVOO

best quality aged balsamic

maldon sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

1. cut tomatoes in half; place in oven for 6 hours at lowest temperature possible
2. slice onions super thin with a mandolin, place on a paper towel and let dry a couple hours
3. assemble: in separate bowl dress tomatoes and onions with EVOO, vinegar, S&P and scatter on platter; rip up cheese and scatter on top of other ingredients along with basil; add lots of pepper

Tagliolini alle Erbe

I first came across this recipe at Assaggi on Chepstow Road. The fun thing about it is that you can adjust the individual quantities of herbs according to taste over time. I've added mint to this recipe for a special twist; just a tad of it will produce question marks on your guests' foreheads (although I don't take credit for this combo as we often see the pairing of mint and pecorino in certain pasta dishes).

thyme

oregano and/or marjoram

rosemary

basil

parsley

mint

S&P

softened butter to taste

parmesan (optional)

1. chop/mince all herbs quite finely (take particular care that the rosemary is minced up very finely)
2. heat oil, warm herbs for about a minute, add S&P
3. cook pasta, drain very well
4. add pasta into pan with herbs, butter and toss well off heat
5. transfer to a heated platter, garnish with remaining parsley
6. pass around parmesan, if desired

Prissy Croque Monsieur

An elegant version of this cafe staple from Harry's Bar, complete with its individual napkin wrap. It's normally greeted with big smiles as a casual late afternoon snack, perfect with a glass of crisp white wine. For six sandwiches, or 18 batons.

12 thin slices of artisan white bread, crusts removed

225 gr gruyere or emmental, diced, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk

1 tblsp worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/8 tsp cayenne

maldon sea salt

single cream, if needed

110 gr of boiled ham, julienned

EVOO

1. put all ingredients except cream, ham and salt in a food processor and mix until smooth
2. taste and season with salt; if too thick to spread easily, thin mixture with some cream
3. spread mixture over one side of all the bread slices
4. arrange ham over cheese on half the slices of bread and invert the remaining bread over the ham; press sandwiches firmly together
5. film skillet with EVOO and heat on medium/high heat until very hot
6. add as many sandwiches possible in the pan, fry, turning once until they are golden brown and crisp
7. repeat with remaining sandwiches, adding more oil to the pan as necessary
8. cut sandwiches in thirds (three rectangles) and wrap with small, individual paper napkins

Heston's Potatoes

Found this recipe in the Times, which is remarkably close to Michelle's version!

potatoes (Maris Piper, or if possible Golden Wonder or Arran Victory)

EVOO, or beef dripping

garlic

rosemary

maldon sea salt

1. cut potatoes so that there are plenty of corners and edges get crispy
2. cook potatoes in simmering water, taking them as far as you can go--just as they're about to fall apart; strain them off and let them steam dry
3. give the drainer an extra shake if you're confident that the potatoes won't fall apart completely
4. put them in a pan of either olive oil or beef dripping (dripping better than goose or duck fat, according to Heston); a "centimeter or two" of fat is recommended quantity, but I got by with a lot less.
5. once potatoes are in pan, put in oven at 180-190 degrees, start turning after a half hour; potatoes will take between 60-90 minutes, but about 10-15 minutes before they're done, bash up some rosemary and garlic in a mortar and throw this in
6. once out of oven, sprinkle with salt!

Potatoes Sauteed a Crus

These come out nice and crispy, based on a recipe by Joel Robuchon's cousin near Poitiers. Key is to use waxy red-skinned potatoes, to rinse the latter very well and to season just before serving so that they don't go soggy. Make sure potato pieces are all about the same size to assure even cooking.

450 gr small red-skinned potatoes

1 tblsp goose fat

1/2 garlic clove, minced

maldon sea salt

1. peel, rinse with cold water and quarter potatoes; rinse again with several changes of water and dry thoroughly with a thick towel
2. in a large skillet, heat the fat over medium-high heat; when hot add the potatoes and brown thoroughly one side before tossing to brown the other side (resist temptation to meddle!).
3. cook until potatoes are nicely browned and offer no resistance when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes
4. add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more; don't allow it to brown!
5. transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl, season with salt and serve immediately

Lasagnette Pesto

A superb dish that makes its presence known! First discovered in Santa Margherita, this is indeed a very popular local dish. The most renowned version is at Da Laura, an island beach shack just a quick motorboat ride out of Portofino. The trickiest thing about this dish is to keep it hot without cooking the pesto. Doing the latter makes the parmesan gooey and the pesto separates into a sad affair.

silky pasta (see blog entry)

pesto (see blog entry)

butter

maldon sea salt

parmesan

1. make pasta, put through finest setting, cut in 3x3 inch squares
2. heat plates in oven
3. spread 6-7 tblsp of pesto on a serving platter, put the latter over the pot of boiling water as lasagnette are cooking (a better, more risk-free option is to put the pesto into a large bowl straight into a low heat oven to slightly warm)
4. add 1-2 tblsp butter to pesto, stir to melt and take platter off heat (or out of oven); drain pasta well, mix in with pesto and toss well until lasagnette are perfectly coated (alternatively remove pasta sheets from boiling water with thongs and place straight into bowl of warmed pesto-- the pasta water will help to warm the pesto as well)
5. bring to table, grate parmesan over lasagnette and add a bit more salt, if you like before serving

Notable Meals

Hereford Road, lunch, cold and rainy winter day. Perfect!

Salt Cured Pollack, White Beans, Watercress

Celeriac Soup & Seared Foie Gras

Whole Guinea Fowl, Rocket & Dandelion

Green Salad

Young Potatoes

St Tola

Hot Chocolate Pudding & Vanilla Ice Cream

Bordeaux Chateau Nardon, 2002

Bowling Alley Club Sandwich

Been wanting to make a proper club sandwich for a long time. Harry's Bar is famed for having the best, but I'm sure there are other versions (including the one, from what I understand, at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco)! This was a good start. For two, with some good quality crisps and Negro Modelos!

6 slices of quality white bread

2 small quality chicken breast

best bacon

ripe and sweet tomatoes

home-made mayo

bibb lettuce

S&P

cayenne pepper

1. make mayo (or if you prefer a little bit of zing, mix some commercial Spanish aioli, commercial French mayonnaise and dijon mustard into a tasty spread)
2. season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and a little bit of cayenne; saute in pan for 3 minutes on each side, then place in a pan in oven at 180 c for 10 minutes
3. while chicken in oven, fry bacon in pan until crisp
4. toast bread slices while carrying out steps 2 and 3
5. place 2 slices on cutting board, smear each with mayo followed by lettuce, chicken, bacon and tomatoes
6. smear mayo on both sides of 2 more slices of bread and put these on top of first 2 slices; repeat using up rest of toppings; finish by adding a final slice of bread, which has also been spread with mayo.
7. cut sandwiches in 2 triangles and fasten with tooth picks.

Fennel, Frisee & Almonds

I had this at Polpo some time back. One can replace the frisee with red or yellow endive.

2 medium fennels

big handful frisee

1/2 tblsp lemon juice

EVOO

maldon sea salt

handful toasted whole almonds

1. slice fennel in mandolin as thinly as possible
2. dress with lemon juice, EVOO and salt
3. combine fennel with the frisee and let flavors mesh
4. sprinkle almonds over salad

Charred Mushroom Salad

Just made this now, and what a fun way to have leftover mushrooms. The texture is at once chewy and crispy. I think if you grill them just right, they can be juicy too.

portobello mushrooms, sliced half inch thick

EVOO

sherry vinegar

tiny squeeze of lemon

piment d'espelette

garlic puree

maldon sea salt

fresh ground pepper

chives

parsley

1. crush a quarter of a garlic clove in mortar & pestle with some salt
2. put grill on stove top over medium-high heat
3. scatter mushrooms over grill, let be for 15-20 minutes
4. when charred on one side, turn over for a few minutes and grill some more
5. cut mushrooms up roughly, dress with above ingredients (be careful not to overpower with garlic)

Treviso Bergamasche

This reminds me of my favorite little trattoria in Bergamo. For whatever reason we've always ended up there on our way in or out of Italy with time to spare for a quick meal. Invariably Nona is always happy to tuck our suitcases away into a corner cabinet while we dine. Nona--who has a striking resemblance to my aunt 20 years forward-- cuts her radicchio and rucola extremely fine and dresses the leaves at the table. Actually she uses just regular radicchio but if you happen to have some treviso even better. A nice quality EVOO is imperative.

treviso

rucola

aged balsamic

EVOO

maldon sea salt

1. cut treviso and rucola very finely
2. dress with vinegar, EVOO and salt

Tonight's Dinner

A tasty dinner tonight for ASK's 42nd. The choice of veggies for the bagna cauda noteworthy: fennel, radish, baby carrots and red endive. Using top quality EVOO for the apple salad paid off.

bagna cauda

san daniele & apple salad

lasagnette pesto

osso bucco & risotto milanese

chopped treviso & rucola

bosina & truffle-rosemary honey

michelle's lemon tart

Sausage & Taleggio Risotto

It's rare that I don't peek at the Arbutus menu walking down Frith Street on the way to work every morning. Right about this time of year, Anthony Demetre's taleggio and radicchio risotto appears on the menu, which I reproduced tonight. The cold weather tempted me to add one more delicious ingredient: Sienese sausage. I think it worked very well.

1 red onion

3 cloves garlic

3 small Sienese sausages (Camisa has good ones)

half small radicchio, cut into smallish pieces- not shredded

2 cups risotto (use carnaroli for more creaminess)

1-2 glasses red wine

home-made chicken stock

200 gr taleggio

parmesan

S&P

1-2 tblsp butter

1. saute onions and garlic in EVOO and a bit of butter
2. remove sausages from their casings and crumble into small pieces
3. once onions and garlic are soft, add sausage; break up as it's cooking; once sausage is all crumbled, let it saute further until it begins to brown (can leave for a few minutes at a time); every few minutes mix so that sausage can brown all over
4. by this time you will have lots of goodness forming on the bottom of the pan; add radicchio and let saute for a few minutes; then rice and stir for a couple minutes until well-coated
5. add wine, scrape the goodness from the bottom of the pan, let evaporate a bit
6. begin to add ladlefuls of stock until rice is al dente, seasoning as you go; add just a bit more broth at the end, along with the cheese and butter, then cover for a few minutes before serving
7. hopefully there will be a nice creaminess to the risotto, which you can top with a bit of grated parmesan, more S&P if needed

Silky Pasta Dough

Making note of the flour and egg quantities that yielded a very elastic and beautifully-colored pasta dough last night. Will use this post to add variations of these ingredients/quantities over time depending on the recipe at hand. Using orange yolk (color of blogger logo) only!

1 3/4 cup "00" flour
1 whole egg
5 egg yolks

pinch of salt

Aglio Olio Davide

There are so many versions of this, but this has come to be my own and favorite. The green chili is the trick, although just a little. I think butter also makes a world of difference (you can sneak it in and no one will know why it tastes so good!). Spaghettini versus spaghetti also key.

half pack spaghettini (225 gr)

4 garlic cloves

1 red chili

1/4 green chili

2 pinches freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch piment d'espelette

maldon sea salt

good quality EVOO

1.5 tblsp butter

big handful chopped parsley

1. slice garlic cloves thinly and length wise
2. chop red chili but only 2/3 way up (stop when there are too many seeds); chop the smaller quantity of green chili
3. saute chili and garlic in EVOO
4. boil pasta about 5 minutes, drain well & add to pan with chili and garlic
5. add butter, parsley, black pepper, piment d'espelette, salt to taste
6. make sure everyone is at the table, serve immediately in warmed shallow bowls

Pan-Fried Skate & Hazelnut

A really fun tapa (maybe from Melbourne's Movida?). Just plop it in the middle of a table and let your guests dig in.

1 kg skinless skate

flour to coat

EVOO

butter

capers

175 gr of roughly chopped hazelnuts

parsley

maldon sea salt

juice of two lemons (or less depending on taste)

1 lemon cut into wedges

1. preheat oven 180 degrees
2. lightly coat fish with flour and salt
3. heat EVOO, fry skate until golden all over, about a minute each side
4. season with salt while cooking
5. put pan in oven for 8 minutes until cooked through
6. transfer fish to a warm plate, cover with paper towel
7. remove remaining oil from pan, turn up heat and reduce the lemon juice a bit scraping all the goodness from the pan, poor over fish, sprinkle parsley over the whole lot and serve with lemon wedges on the side

Tequila & Sangrita

A napkin scribble from a rickety old bar in lovely Puebla ten years ago! I remember the barman meticulously going through the ingredients with me as we shared a few shots. It was the first I heard of sangrita, something I think perfectly embodies the flavors of Mexico. A good tequila--according to my host and from the look of the locals--was best sipped with this sangrita chaser.

1/4 small onion

2 green jalapenos, seeded & chopped

4 coriander roots, washed & scraped

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

400 ml fresh tomato juice

100 ml freshly squeezed & strained orange juice

50 ml fresh lime juice

lime quarters to garnish

silver or reposado tequila

1. using a muddler, pound together onion, chili, coriander, paprika and 1/2 tsp salt until well combined (barman said blender ok too)
2. transfer mixture to a jug and stir in juices, then refrigerate at least an hour for flavors to develop
3. to serve, pair small tumblers of sangrita with tall caballitos/shot glasses of room temperature tequila (can also combine to make a cocktail shaking about 30 ml and 70 ml per person, but better to leave this for the ladies)

Cream Corn Veloute

I think something I got from a modern American restaurant in NYC -- can't remember the name. I love cream of corn, but this is even better. Quantities can be halved.

6 corn on cobs

2 liters whole milk

150 gr unsalted butter

80 ml double cream

white pepper

EVOO

300 gr shittake, chanterelles etc

2 shallots

chives

hazelnut (or walnut) oil

celery salt

1. remove corn from cobs, put in a pot with the bare cobs and cover with milk; simmer for an hour
2. with slotted spoon remove corn from pot and put in blender; discard cobs and add a few tblsp of the milk to the blender ; puree until a nice smooth consistency
3. put latter through a food mill over large saucepan; add butter and cream
4. saute shallots and mushrooms in butter
5. emulsify soup, pour into individual coffee cups on a tray
6. add mushrooms, drizzle oil and a sprinkle tad of celery salt

Smoked Cod & Pesto Crostini

This is sort of an unlikely combo and really stimulates the palate.

good quality smoked cod slices (or any white fish)

genovese pesto (see blog recipe)

ciabatta

EVOO

1. slice bread thinly and grill on stove top (or toaster)
2. cut up into smaller pieces, rub a bit of garlic and drizzle EVOO over toasts
3. spread pesto generously on each piece of toast, followed by a couple slivers of smoked fish
4. drizzle more EVOO and serve ASAP

Grape, Mozzarella & Tarragon

A long lost favorite that I just came across in my endless piles of notes and recipes. I cannot remember where I got the idea for this, but will take full credit for the combo. Not really a mid-winter dish but want to include here before I forget. This dish somehow doesn't taste right unless you use maldon or some kind of crystal-like, coarser sea salt.

best quality buffalo mozzarella

green seedless grapes

EVOO

lime

maldon sea salt

tarragon

1. rip mozzarella up into pieces and scatter over platter
2. cut grapes in half and scatter over mozzarella (put as much as you like)
3. tear tarragon and scatter over mozzarella and grapes
4. drizzle EVOO and squeeze juice of lime over whole lot
5. season with salt

Crudites de Bistrot

These are some of my favorite things in the world. It all started with the carottes rapees my grandmother taught me. I've entertained myself (and will continue to do so in this here post) by listing them in order of preference.

carottes rapees

leek vinaigrette david

creamy cucumber salad

celery & green apple remoulade

beets & walnuts with walnut oil dressing

beets with creamy horseradish dressing

celery & roquefort salad

Mac & Truffle Cheese

This is a good one to do after the poule au pot. The extra chicken broth is perfect for reducing into a syrupy glaze and topping this luxurious Robuchon mac and cheese!

500 ml chicken stock

300 ml whole milk

3 tblsp sea salt

3 tbsp EVOO

large macaroni (zitoni)

3 tblsp truffle butter

100 gr gruyere

chopped chives

fresh ground white pepper

black truffles, or best quality forest mushrooms

truffle butter

60 gr unsalted butter, room temperature

10-15 gr of chopped truffle (preferably the real deal, or else the stuff in a jar)

1 tsp coarse sea salt

1. make truffle butter by combining the ingredients, transferring to a ramekin, covering securely
2. reduce chicken stock to a nice syrupy glaze (125 ml); transfer liquid to a double boiler and set over simmering water; cover and keep warm
3. bring 3 liters of water, the milk, salt and EVOO to a gentle simmer over moderate heat in a pasta pan; be careful that the liquid does not boil over
4. add the macaroni and cook until just tender, about 7 minutes; put macaroni in a colander with a slotted spoon so that they do not break or tear; eliminate as much as the pasta water as possible; reserve the cooking water
5. in a large non-stick pan, melt the truffle butter over moderate heat; when melted add the macaroni again taking care not to break the pasta; add a few ladlefuls of the cooking water to create a sauce; sprinkle gruyere evenly over the macaroni and cook, without turning, for 2 minutes
6. transfer macaroni to warmed plates, season with pepper (try not to use black pepper!); shave some truffles over macaroni (or else saute forest mushrooms in EVOO, butter, S&P and truffle oil for fake truffles)
7. spoon the reduced chicken stock over the whole lot; sprinkle with chives, season further if needed and serve immediately

Poule au Pot & Aioli

An easy, St John poule au pot less the stuffing and other embellishments. The method of first bringing to a boil, then setting the chicken aside, should yield a tender and tasty bird. Of course, the dish isn't really complete without the aioli.....

good quality free range chicken (slit between the leg and breast)

2 carrots

1 onion

head of garlic, skin on

2 celery stalks

bundle of thyme, rosemary and thyme

2 bay leaves

whole peppercorns

maldon sea salt

8 leeks, ends trimmed, left whole

aioli

cornichons

1. make aioli, set aside
2. put all the ingredients in a pot except the leeks, bring to boil; once boiling remove pot from burner, cover and set aside to cool
3. remove chicken from pot, skim broth of any scum; poor some broth into a smaller pot to cook leeks and return chicken to larger pot; simmer latter for a half hour (don't boil!), and cook leeks for latter 10 minutes before the chicken is done
4. to serve, divide chicken breast, legs and thighs among bowls; do the same with leeks and ladle broth over the whole lot; everyone helps themselves to the aioli and cornichons!

Tartiflette Epoisses

A favorite Savoie dish, using Epoisses rather than the usual Reblochon. The bolder Epoisses works wonders here, and if I had Maroilles that would be even better. I had a tartiflette at Terroirs last week (Maroilles version), reminding me how satisfying this dish is in the midst of winter. This goes perfectly with a little endive & radicchio salad and thick mustardy vinaigrette and tons of herbs. Mind you this version omits the onions, white wine and creme fraiche --often found in the dish-- out of respect for the cheese!

maris piper potatoes

pancetta, chopped

sprig of thyme

couple cloves garlic

Epoisses

S&P

1. steam or boil potatoes, peel and slice and put in an oven-proof dish with pancetta, thyme and garlic; grill in the oven for a few minutes until the bacon crisps up
2. remove dish from oven, spoon over Epoisses (as much as you like!), return to oven for a few minutes until cheese is bubbling
3. remove from oven, season with some maldon sea salt and lots of ground pepper

Tarama & Chili Creme Fraiche

One last entry for the year! Since tarama can be bitter the creme fraiche is a nice offset. The oat cake should hold equal quantities of the tarama and creme fraiche, but only if the latter is half-fat. Key ingredient is the green pepper tobasco!

best quality tarama

half-fat creme fraiche

ton of chives

a half lemon

green pepper tobasco

S&P

oat cakes

dill

1. mix creme fraiche with chives, grated lemon rind, tobasco to taste, S&P, squeeze of lemon
2. put spoonful of tarama on oatcake, topped by another spoonful of creme fraiche
3. sprinkle lots of dill, followed by another squeeze of lemon, some drops of tobasco and a sprinkle of maldon sea salt