kitchen nightmares

Unfortunately, I am not referring to the TV show.

Rule #1,205 of throwing a dinner party: Only invite people you really, really like. That way, when your crappy little oven suddenly stops working and throws your entire roasting-based menu for a loop, they'll still stick around, cheer you on, and eat whatever you end up cobbling together.

Last week was the first official day of fall, and it's definitely here in our neck of the woods. The weather's more grey and rainy than crisp and autumnal, but I'm already craving apples and pumpkin and roasted pork. Things that typically get roasted or baked in an oven. Which inspired this menu:

Autumnal dinner:
Sparkling ginger cocktails
Assorted sliced apples and cheese
Roasted pork loin with mustard breadcrumbs and haricots verts
Roasted gremolata potatoes
Pumpkin custard

Sounds good, right? At around 5 PM on Saturday, I whipped up the pumpkin custard (so easy--I'll post the recipe later) into my preheated oven, thinking I was such a pro and so on top of things, making dessert a whole HOUR before everyone was supposed to come over.

Except the oven wasn't hot. Or even warm. And the oh-so-scary smell of gas was starting to fill the apartment. [Commence freaking out, Googling appliance repair shops, searching for the landlord downstairs, more freaking out.]

After cursing the oven, our apartment, the poor, blameless pork loins marinating in the fridge, my menu, and the lack of appliance repair-people who will come out on a Saturday night, Dan slapped me across the face (not really, he started playing Salt-N-Pepa and dancing around the apartment, which cheered me up) and I pulled myself together. Deep breath. Plan B. I considered throwing in the towel and ordering pizza, but that wouldn't give me anything worth writing about here. So I reached for the grill pans.

I can't say that grilling individual slices of potatoes (when I should have been cleaning myself up and putting on a decent shirt) was exactly fun, but it got the job done. The grill pan gave the potatoes some char as if I had roasted them, as the recipe called for. Before dinner, I just reheated the potatoes in the microwave and tossed them with the delicious gremolata marinade (see below for recipe) I had made earlier.

The pork tenderloin was a bit of a conundrum. The original recipe called for searing the meat in a pan on the stovetop, then roasting it in the oven for about thirty minutes. The tenderloins were fairly thick and I was afraid that grilling would burn the meat on the outside and leave it raw in the center. I had to figure out a faster way to cook them, so I sliced all three tenderloins down the center, length-wise, making them thin enough to cook evenly. This produced nine strips of meat, so I used both of my grill pans (which barely fit on my sad little stovetop) to cook them all at once. This, of course, produced so much smoke, mainly from the burning bits of garlic from the marinade, that I had to strategically position fans away from the kitchen to air out the room. I heard several people coughing in the living room, so I plied them with more wine.

Somehow, miraculously, my plan worked and the pork ended up being perfectly cooked. Nice char on the outside from the grill, and slightly pink and juicy on the inside. I followed the recipe and served the pork sliced on top of some blanched green beans and showered with mustard breadcrumbs. The smoke cleared and we all dug in. The pumpkin custard could not be saved, but the Chris Rock HBO special and copious amounts of dessert brought by my thoughtful, kind, non-judgmental friends helped.




Roasted pork loin with mustard breadcrumbs and haricots verts
Adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin. The original recipe calls for spring onions with the haricot verts but I skipped them. This recipe looked much more labor-intensive than anything I've made lately. But the Interwebs have been all a-twitter about how good it is, and I really enjoyed eating at A.O.C., one of Suzanne Goin's restaurants in LA, so I figured I'd give it a shot. And really, it wasn't so complicated--even without an oven. It's just steps, people. You make a few simple mini recipes, then put all the components together to make one impressive dish.
(Serves 6 to 8 people)

For the pork marinade:
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. thyme, plus 3 whole sprigs
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 cloves garlic, smashed

For the roasted pork:
3 lbs. pork loin, center cut
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 sprigs rosemary, broken into 3-inch pieces
10 sage leaves, plus 3 sprigs
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the haricots verts:
1 1/2 lbs. haricots verts, topped but not tailed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. thyme
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
10 small sage leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mustard breadcrumbs:
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. chopped parsley

Marinate the pork:
Whisk together the mustard, parsley, thyme, and 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a shallow baking dish. Stir in the garlic and slather the pork with the mustard mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

While the pork is marinating, make the breadcrumbs:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Heat a small sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the butter and when it foams, whisk in the mustard, thyme, and parsley. Remove from heat, let the mixture cool a few minutes, then toss with the breadcrumbs, coating them well. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a baking sheet (or in a toaster oven) and toast them for 10-12 minutes, until they're golden brown and crispy. Set aside.

Roast the pork:
Take the pork out of the refrigerator one hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature. After 30 minutes, season the pork generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 3 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil and wait a minute or two, until the pan is very hot and almost smoking. Place the pork loin in the pan and sear it on all sides until well-browned and caramelized.

Transfer the pork loin to a roasting rack. Slice the butter and place it on top of the pork. Arrange the rosemary, sage, and thyme sprigs on top. Roast the pork, basting often with the melted butter, herbs, and natural juices, 45 minutes to an hour, until a thermometer inserted into the center reads 130°F to 135°F. Remove the pork from the oven and rest at least 10 minutes.

As the pork is roasting, make your beans:
Blanch the haricots verts in a large pot of salted boiling water 2-3 minutes until tender, but still al dente. Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 tsp. thyme, and the haricots verts. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring to combine and then add the butter and sage leaves. Cook a few more minutes, tossing to glaze the beans. Taste for seasoning and cover until serving so they stay warm.

How to serve it forth:
Arrange the haricots verts on a large warm platter. Thinly slice the pork about 1/4 inch thick (a serrated knife helps with this) and layer it it over the beans. Spoon some of the juices and herbs over the meat and sprinkle the mustard breadcrumbs over the top. Ta da!

Roasted gremolata potatoes
I was just going to roast some potatoes with rosemary, salt, and olive oil, but I am so glad I found this recipe instead. Adapted from Zoe restaurant via Luisa, the lovely and talented Wednesday Chef, the addition of parsley, citrus zest, thyme, garlic, and red pepper flakes elevates roasted rosemary potatoes to a whole other fragrant, savory, utterly delicious level. You could probably spread that marinade over an old shoe and it would taste divine.
(Serves 4 people, I doubled it to serve 8)

1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 medium Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), rinsed and dried
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Whisk together the olive oil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, zests, garlic and red pepper. Set aside for at least a half hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. (Or heat up your grill pan and grill each individual slice. On second thought, don't bother.) Cut each potato into 6 to 8 wedges. Toss the potatoes with the gremolata, and add salt to taste. Spread the wedges out on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. Pull out the sheet, flip the potatoes with a spatula, and then continue roasting them for another 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot.

link-o-rama

Sick of reading about flowers? There will be more recipes to come next week, I promise. Until then, here's some food links to tide you over:

In a story that warms my heart, The New York Times reports that power outages from Hurricane Ike have forced many Houstonites to use up perishable, often expensive food, creating impromptu post-storm dinner parties. Sounds pretty fun, except for the destruction and lack of running water, and all that. Best quote: “It just killed me to think of all those silky sauces going down the drain,” Mr. Lamb said. Me too, Mr. Lamb! [via NYT]

The Kitchn has a useful "appetizer template" of jam + cheese + pork pairings. I like the combination of fig, proscuitto, and Manchego myself. [via the Kitchn]

A tasty-sounding weeknight dinner party menu (pesto-crusted lamb chops, potato-leek mini gratins) from Domino magazine [via Domino]

A bit late (and who watched the Emmys, anyway?) but here's cocktail and snack ideas for an Emmy Party, or any party. Just ignore the cutsey TV show tie-ins. [via Food & Wine]

Also, for those of you following the Mario Batali/PBS show, Spain...On the Road Again, I am blogging about it over at newly-launched food site Delish.com.

fast flowers: creative containers

To me, containers are secondary to what's inside of them. If you arrange flowers, you probably have a favorite vase (mine is a gravy boat) but I think a bouquet can look gorgeous in just about any vessel.

Like condiment or mason jars:

Or drinking glasses. The colors of this plastic cup perfectly matched this bunch of gerbera daisies:


Or any other household vessel, like my favorite gravy boat:


My point is, cool containers help, but they don't need to be expensive to show off a naturally beautiful arrangement. Use tea cups, tin cans (put a container inside to prevent rusting), cookie jars, creamers, beer bottles. I actually like a little contrast. A beat-up vase filled with elegant flowers like roses looks interesting, and draws your eye in. Likewise, displaying a rustic-looking bunch of wildflowers in a sleek, modern vase. A contrast of styles can turn an ordinary handful of flowers into something surprising and memorable.

fast flowers: using herbs

We go through a lot of herbs at home. And by go through, I mean reaching into the vegetable bin to find a putrid, liquified bag of something that used to be green. Oops!

When stored the right way (in a glass jar, covered with a plastic bag, in the refrigerator) cut herbs can last up to a week. Sometimes I do this. But usually there are too many containers of Dan's Dannon coffee yogurt or containers of odd condiments to also fit several jars of water in our fridge. So into the vegetable bin/death chamber they go. I've also heard that you can freeze fresh herbs, which I haven't tried yet.

Another way to use them up is in arrangements. Sometimes I tuck sprigs of herbs into bouquets, creating a fragrant filler. Or, when I buy a huge bunch of basil or mint for $2 at the farmers market with ambitious plans to make big batches of pesto that fall short, I'll just make an all-herb bouquet. It makes the house smell nice and makes me feel less guilty about not using the whole bunch.

Any fresh herb will work as filler, although the larger the leaf, the easier it is to work with. Basil, cilantro, mint, oregano, and sage are all good options. Just make sure you strip off any leaves below the waterline to prevent rotting. For herbs with woody stems like rosemary, lightly crush the ends of the stems to help them soak up more water. This is a good trick for thick, woody flower stems too, especially hydrangeas.

fast flowers: what to choose

I love to cook, but I'm crazy about flowers. If I could do anything else for a living, I would be a floral designer. When I see a great bouquet, I stop in my tracks the way teenage boys rubberneck around a cute girl. Sometimes I have to reach out and physically touch (or bury my face in) an arrangement. And picking flowers off bushes--well, let's just say I've had a very hard time controlling myself since the age of three. Flowers have a certain irresistible-ness that even rivals food for me.

Although this site is about food and entertaining, I think flowers are a really important and fun part of throwing dinner parties. It doesn't matter if it's a bodega bouquet or dahlias from your garden or a dozen red roses. In a subtle way, flowers communicate that you're happy to have your friends over and that it's a special occasion. And on an everyday basis, flowers make your surroundings feel a little happier and more luxurious, even when mail is piled up on the coffee table and you're eating cereal for dinner. The next few posts are going to be about flowers and what a quick, inexpensive, uplifting addition they can be to dinner parties and your day-to-day life.

The most logical starting point is what to buy. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when faced with rows and rows of blooms, all equally gorgeous. Most people gravitate toward a certain color or type of flower they are familiar with. Which is totally fine. Flowers should be pure happiness (unless you have allergies, I suppose) so just go with what calls your name. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get something beautiful.

The farmers market is my favorite place to go flower shopping. Not only is it fun to see a variety of things you don't typically see in flower shops or grocery stores, prices are usually low and bouquets are super-fresh and generously sized. I think this stunning bouquet of dahlias ran me about $8 and lasted about a week. Because the flowers are in season and usually locally-grown, you're saving shipping costs. Most of those cheap long stemmed roses get flown in from places like Ecuador, which adds to the cost and isn't so eco-friendly. Bargains can also be found if you go the market at the end of the day. Many vendors don't want to pack up those leftover, extremely perishable flowers at the end of the day and are willing to bargain.



Don't have a farmers market nearby? Most grocery and corner stores stock plastic-wrapped bouquets that are perfectly fine for arrangements. I'm no flower snob. High-end event and floral designers make amazing things out of baby's breath and carnations all the time. It just depends on how you use them. One reliable, long-lasting flower to look for at the grocery store is the alstroemeria, AKA Peruvian lily (above). They have pretty, butterfly-like blooms, come in almost every color, and last for up to two weeks if you change the water and remove all leaves below the water line--a good tip for any arrangement.

What if you hate flowers? Or don't want to spend $5 on a bouquet? There's hope for you yet. Sometimes when I'm pressed for time or just want to brighten up a corner here or there, I'll snip leaves off my houseplants (or, um, the neighbor's plants) and put them in a small vase filled with water, like the sweet potato vine above. Easy and virtually free.

A final suggestion: don't overlook plants or flowers that might seem weird or even ugly. This silvery blue sea holly (doesn't that sound so exotic?) is kind of dangerous looking with its spiky, thistle-like flowers, but I got a big bunch of it at a bodega for under $10. Plus, unusual flowers make good conversation starters. Everyone inevitably wants to know what they are called. When in doubt, just call the flower in question sea holly.

feeling full? eat this.

After a wedding (with mac and cheese and fried chicken stations), two dinners out with friends (with very fine cocktails), and a work event involving a whole roasted pig (oy), my stomach needed a break. Other than nothing at all, what do you eat when you've had way too much to eat? Salads? Yawn. Tofu noodles? Blegh. I found the solution: chilled cucumber soup.

Yes, I know it's time for sweaters and boots and roasted chicken and root vegetables and apples and all things fall. But trust me, make this before the weather really turns. Creamy and smooth from a generous amount of yogurt, and flecked with bits of fresh dill, this beautiful green soup just as soothing as its hot counterparts. It would make an elegant first course, or can be eaten on its own—especially if you've consumed one too many of anything.

Cucumber-yogurt soup
Adapted from the fantastic Vegetarian Planet, one of my go-to cookbooks since college.
(Serves 4)

4 cucumbers, peeled and chopped (I prefer long English cucumbers for this because you don't have to seed them)
2 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 lime, juiced
4 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill, plus extra
1 shallot, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper

In a blender, combine cucumbers, 2 cups yogurt, shallots, oil, lime juice, and 4 Tbsp. dill. Puree until smooth (you can do it in batches if your blender is too small). Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into bowls and garnish with an extra dollop of yogurt and a few dill sprigs.

link-o-rama

The Kitchn has a short article on the proper way to eat a cheese plate. Nothing too eye-opening here, except that you should only eat the bread as a palate cleanser, not with the cheese. Apparently, when you spread cheese on bread, it "breaks down the natural structure and integrity of the cheese." Huh. Is there anyone else out there who didn't know that, other than me? [via the Kitchn]

A gorgeous caramelized tomato tart from the oh-so-prolific Melissa Clark. A perfect way to use all of those end-of-summer tomatoes. [via the NYT]

10 fall recipes from Gourmet. Hello, mac and cheese souffle! [via Gourmet]

Did you know the Amateur Gourmet does not like cooking for large groups? Well, now you do.
[via the Amateur Gourmet]

Food freak: the Stramato [via Serious Eats]