Out to Lunch (35 page)

Truffled Pappardelle

SERVES 6 AS A SIDE DISH, CAN DOUBLE EASILY IF YOU HAVE A LARGER PARTY

This is one of the easiest dinner party side dishes on the planet. It comes together in a flash, but has big wow factor.

1 pound wide pappardelle pasta

1 3.5-ounce tub truffle butter

Zest of one lemon

3 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta to al dente in well-salted water. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and strain pasta, returning it to the pot off heat. Add the butter, chives, and lemon zest, a pinch of salt and good grinding of black pepper, and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water, and mix until all the noodles are well coated. If the pasta seems a little dry, you can add more of the pasta water. Taste for salt and pepper and serve hot.

Pistachio Cake with Fig Glaze

SERVES 10 TO 12

This nutty cake is simple and not too sweet and works well for both a fancy dinner dessert, or a casual brunch offering.

5 ounces ground pistachios

½ pound unsalted butter (plus 1 tablespoon melted extra for greasing the pan)

½ vanilla bean

1 ⅓ cups powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting the cake

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

5 extralarge egg whites

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

½ cup fig jam (you can substitute apricot)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut out a circle of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of a 10-inch round cake pan. Brush the pan with a little melted butter and line the bottom with the paper.

Place the rest of the butter in a medium saucepan. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise down the center, using a paring knife to scrape the seeds and pulp onto the butter. To make sure not to lose any of the seeds, run your vanilla-coated knife through the butter. Add the vanilla pod to the pan, and cook the butter until the butter browns and smells nutty (about 6 to 8 minutes). It helps to frequently scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last couple of minutes to ensure even browning. Set aside to cool. Remove the vanilla pod and discard.

Mix pistachio flour with the confectioners’ sugar in a food processor until mixed. Transfer to a large bowl. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the granulated sugar and mix on high speed 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture forms very stiff peaks. Transfer the whites to a large mixing bowl.

Alternate folding the dry ingredients and the brown butter into the egg whites, a third at a time. Remember to scrape the bottom of the brown-butter pan with a rubber spatula to get all the little brown bits.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour. Cool on a rack 30 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan, and invert the cake onto a plate. Peel off the paper, and turn the cake back over onto a serving platter. Heat the jam with 2 tablespoons water until you have a liquid glaze, and pour over the cake. If you are serving as a brunch or tea dish, leave like this. For a dinner party dessert you can add a layer of bittersweet chocolate ganache over the glaze, or serve with a scoop of ice cream.

Elliot’s Roasted Veal with Cognac Shallot Sauce

SERVES 4

Elliot knows that the way to a chef’s heart is through her stomach, and this classic and simple French roast with a pan sauce is the perfect thing to make for her.

1 loin of veal (2 to 2 ½ pounds)

3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

1 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar

3 tablespoons cognac

3 tablespoons walnut or hazelnut oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons chopped shallots

1 ½ tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Season loin with salt and pepper, rub with thyme. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet and sear the loin to golden brown on all sides. Roast in oven until medium rare. Remove the cooked loin to a plate. Rest covered with foil.

Put the skillet back over a burner on medium-high heat, add the nut oil, and sauté the shallots until they are translucent. Then reduce the heat to medium low and deglaze the pan with the cognac (add cognac off heat to prevent flare-ups), being sure to get all the browned bits from the bottom. Once the alcohol has burned off, add the thyme, and whisk in the butter until you get an emulsified pan sauce. Add the thyme, and taste for salt and pepper. Serve over the sliced veal, and sprinkle with parsley.

Fregola with Sweet Corn and Chives

SERVES 4 TO 6

This unexpected side dish is a fun change from the usual potatoes or rice.

Kosher salt

1 ½ cups fregola pasta (a large toasted pearl shape, you can substitute Israeli couscous but you’ll lose a little of the fabulousness)

2 ears corn, shucked

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¾ cup chicken stock

¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 tablespoons chopped chives

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Set up a small ice bath nearby. Cook the fregola in the boiling water until somewhat tender but not cooked through, very al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the fregola, refresh it in the ice bath, and spread it on a tray lined with paper towels to dry.

Preheat the grill or a cast iron skillet.

Brush the ears of corn with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place on the grill or in the skillet, turning every 2 minutes until all sides are nicely browned or charred and the kernels are just beginning to burst. Remove the corn and, when the ears are cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the cob with a sharp knife.

Combine the blanched fregola, sweet corn, and the chicken stock in a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan and cook over high heat until the stock boils and is mostly absorbed into the grain, about 5 minutes. Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and salt and pepper and toss over high heat for 1 minute more. Stir in the chives and serve hot.

Gâteau de Semoule

SERVES 8

This is an old-school French dessert that is enormously comforting. And since Elliot knows that Jenna went to culinary school in France, it is the perfect dessert to woo her with.

¾ cup plus 12 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons butter, melted

3 large eggs

4 cups whole milk

1 vanilla bean

Pinch of sea salt

¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon fine semolina

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ cup golden raisins, soaked in ¼ cup hot water or a liqueur of your choice (optional . . . I often substitute dried cherries or currants or leave it out altogether . . . toasted pine nuts are an interesting substitution as well)

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Have a 6-cup soufflé dish or charlotte mold ready.

Place 12 tablespoons of the sugar in a medium skillet. Cook over medium heat, swirling the pan as the sugar dissolves. Once it has turned golden, quickly scrape the caramel into the dish or mold, swirling to coat the bottom. Once the caramel has hardened on the bottom, brush the sides of the dish with melted butter.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, the remaining ¾ cup of sugar, and the vanilla bean (split lengthwise and seeds scraped into the pan). Whisk over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges. Remove from the heat, cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean.

Return the milk to medium heat. When small bubbles form around the edges, add the salt and slowly sprinkle in the semolina, whisking constantly. Once it is incorporated, stir with a wooden spoon until thickened, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and quickly whisk in the eggs. Stir in the nutmeg and raisins. Pour into the prepared dish and bake until puffed and golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm from the dish, or cool and unmold. To unmold, run a knife around the sides, set the bottom of the dish in boiling water for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a cake plate.

Elliot’s Burgundian Stew

SERVES 8 TO 12

Elliot and Jenna are taking things slow . . . even in the kitchen. A dish like this will make your house smell delicious all day. It’ll serve a crowd handily, but don’t let the volume dissuade you from making it for two; it freezes beautifully.

Adapted from The New American Cuisine cookbook (1983)

12 ounces diced slab bacon or salt pork

2 medium onions, chopped

1 cup chopped celery heart, with the leaves

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 ½-inch chunks

2 leeks, white part only, chopped

2 small turnips, diced

1 ½ pounds lean pork shoulder, cut in 1 ½-inch cubes

1 ½ pounds beef shoulder, cut in 1 ½-inch cubes

1 ½ pounds kielbasa sausage, in 2-inch chunks (use a good local butcher version if you can get it, grocery store versions can break down and get mushy)

Bouquet garni of 3 sprigs parsley, a celery stalk with the leaves, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves tied in cheese cloth or just wound with butcher’s twine

8 cups good beef stock

3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut in eighths

1 small green cabbage (use Savoy if you can get it) cut in 8 wedges, with the core intact to hold the wedges together

2 cups flageolet or cannellini beans, soaked overnight

3 tablespoons demi-glace or condensed beef stock (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large heavy-bottomed wide Dutch oven, cook bacon slowly over medium-low heat to render the fat and make it crispy. Drain bacon and reserve for serving. Add onions, celery, carrots, leeks, and turnips to the hot bacon fat and sweat vegetables slowly about 10 minutes. Add all the meats and bouquet garni to the pot and cover with the beef stock. Raise heat to high and bring to boil. Skim the foam, then reduce heat to low and cover, and simmer gently about 1 ½ hours, the meat should be tender, but not falling apart. Add the beans and cook about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the demi-glace if you have it. I like to cook it to this stage, cool it down in the pot, and then refrigerate overnight for up to two days. If you are making and serving it the same day, just continue immediately with the next steps. The day you want to serve, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, add the potatoes and cook about 15 minutes. Nestle the cabbage wedges down into the broth and cook covered another 10 minutes. Taste to be sure all the vegetables are cooked through and the meat is the right level of tenderness, and season the broth with salt and pepper. Turn on low and leave until you want to serve; it is fine to be on low for 3 to 4 hours.