TrelayneNYC

You're going to ask, "how was it?" and "how does it compare to previous visits?"

Well, it was a chef's tasting -- so while there were some selections from the regular menu, there were others that weren't, like for instance the Jerusalem artichoke/bok choy combination.

We were satisfied with everything, although I thought the weakest course was the pasta (the gnocchi). I didn't sample much of what my partner ate, although based on what I had, I'd say his meat entrée was the better of the two. I am a sucker for perfectly cooked chicken, and his was spot on.

GT remains one of my favorite restaurants in New York City. Chef Anthony has an extremely refined, Japanese-influenced sensibility. I adore his cooking, and I love how he's transformed the restaurant in the time that he's been there. I eagerly look forward to more.

Ramp custard, trout roe, pickled mushroom



Beef tartare, pine nuts, capers, pickled mushrooms

Txakoli, Txomin Etxaniz, 2012, Spain



Fluke tartare, salmon roe, radish



Smoked trout, cipollini purée, pickled onions



Halibut, spinach, ramps, shiitake mushrooms, mushroom broth



Roasted Jerusalem artichokes, baby bok choy, cauliflower purée, almond



Roasted carrots, cumin seed, pistachio



Gnocchi, sweet potato chips, creamed spinach



Spaghetti, squid, peas, ramps



Duck breast, wheat berries, turnips



Seared chicken breast, radicchio, potato purée
Pinot Noir, 2011 Belle Pente, Yamhill County, Williamette Valley, Oregon



Pear sorbet, pear cake, linden flower custard, caramel sauce, brown sugar meringue



Blood orange panna cotta, Cara Cara orange granita, tapioca



Assorted pastries

Clockwise from top left: coconut white chocolate pound cake, mint chocolate "Oreo" cookie, dark chocolate cake with powdered sugar, milk with straw, chocolate chip cookie, raspberry jam cookie, gingersnap shortbread, fig rugelach.





Mignardises

You might say that it was a night to remember.

Gramercy Tavern - Website
42 East 20th Street (Park Avenue South)
Gramercy Park

Curried chickpeas with coconut and spinach, served with spicy tomato chutney, raita and garlic pickle

Just something I threw together. I wanted to introduce my boyfriend to homemade Indian food since all of his previous experiences have been at restaurants. Homemade tends to be lighter and fresher (e.g., not as much ghee, sour cream or coconut milk).

The chickpeas were soaked last night for 8 hours, then drained and simmered in lightly salted water on medium-low heat, partly covered, for an hour.

Curry contains ghee, black mustard seed, dried curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste, sliced onion, black cumin seed, cardamom pods, chickpeas, dried coconut, Greenmarket spinach, sea salt, turmeric and a little of the chickpea cooking liquid.

The chutney and pickle were store-bought. The raita is just cumin seed and panch phoron toasted in some ghee, then stirred into unflavored yogurt, seasoned to taste with sea salt.

Toasted bread, with fromage blanc, ramps and bacon.

Baked eggs, with cream, leeks and cheese.

You might try looking into chickpea flour. I don't know if someone's already mentioned it upthread.

Amazing dishes!  Amazing photos!  Did you prepare the dishes and take the photos?

I'm drooling.

Yes, I prepared everything and shot everything.

You're looking at photos taken over a 3-4 year period.

edited to add that the pesto, soup and fried eggs/bacon/ramps were from earlier this year. the ragout was from 2010 I think, and the squid from either 2011 or 2012. all of the pix are on my blog, linked in my signature.

I'm jonesing for Greenmarket asparagus right now...well, maybe this weekend there will be. Been a long winter...

Crudités plate -- celery sticks, carrot sticks, steamed heirloom potatoes, raw French breakfast radishes, hard-cooked farm egg w/anchovy; chive mayonnaise, lemon vinaigrette.

Chickweed, sorrel and mint salad; hazelnut vinaigrette

Spaghetti, with squid, ramps and toasted herbed breadcrumbs

Bumping this thread because ramps are back.

I just bought a couple bunches at the Crystal City farmer's market.

If anyone has any new revelations since 2008, post them!!

They go really well with eggs. I fried these in bacon drippings and butter. Ordinarily, I usually use leeks or greens like spinach, or beet greens.

Ginger chicken broth, with ramps and baby spinach, and a fried farm egg

Ramp pesto

12 vegetable ragoí»t

Olive oil-poached squid, with ramps, citrus zest and crispy roasted potatoes

I kind of adore them.

French breakfast radishes, chive mayonnaise

Máche, sucrine and herb salad, shallot vinaigrette.

Salad: máche, sucrine, baby mesclun, sorrel, mint leaves, parsley leaves, oregano leaves

Vinaigrette: mince some shallots, then sprinkle a pinch of salt on them and macerate in: 1 tablespoon red wine, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, for 5 minutes. Whisk in 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and taste for black pepper. Use as needed.

Roast chicken with sorrel stuffing (stuffed the chicken with sorrel leaves, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper); broccoli rabe, with anchovy, garlic and red wine vinegar

I haven't read this article yet (it's going to be a really busy day today), but I thought that a lot of you might enjoy this: http://madfeed.co/post/78754154929/the-future-of-food-criticism

A sample quote:

The chefs on the panel questioned whether its always the case that a print critic does his job professionally. I think a lot of critics come into a restaurant with an idea in mind already, and its easy to be funny through negativity, said Bech. One of the examples that came up in the discussion was critic Pete Wells takedown of Guy Fieris Times Square restaurant, a 1000-word assessment composed entirely of rhetorical questions. Among them: Why did the toasted marshmallow taste like fish? As Abend and Frank argued, if the experience is so bad if it looks like the restaurant is trying to take advantage of those spending money to eat there the critic should tell readers just how offensive the place is.

There's a podcast embedded in the article in case you want to listen to the symposium. About 1 hour and 50 minutes of your time.

Pan-seared asparagus salad, with baby mesclun and fried farm egg

Adapted from: http://goo.gl/Nq9lvS

I probably added the mesclun a touch too early since it's a little bit wilted. Tasted great though.

I omitted the garlic/anchovy paste in the recipe, instead opting for shallots in the vinaigrette and shallots in the pan along with the asparagus spears.

Fettucine with morel mushrooms, crimini mushrooms and radish greens

Littleneck clams with heirloom potatoes and ramps

Clams: steamed with white wine and water; meat removed and shells discarded; clam juices and broth reserved

Potatoes: peeled, cut into chunks, then seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and olive oil; roasted at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Ramps: fried in unsalted butter, to which were added the clams and potatoes. sea salt and black pepper to taste, and some reserved clam broth. snipped chives for garnish.

Crudités plate -- French breakfast radishes, asparagus, hard-cooked farm egg w/ anchovy, herb mayonnaise

Poached wild sea bass, lemon butter sauce, side salad

Spaghetti with broccoli rabe and bottarga

Plain apple tart, vanilla ice cream

Not the usual thing one might have for lunch, but it's satisfying -- particularly since I'm not a baker. I thought the dough came together beautifully, and that was a minor victory in and of itself.

Recipe: pages 48-49 from http://www.amazon.com/A-Platter-Figs-Other-Recipes/dp/1579653464

Fava greens and ramps, with anchovy and currants

Creamy scrambled eggs, morel mushrooms, chermoula.

Bread, butter, radishes, herb mayonnaise, salt

The mayonnaise is the same as that served for the oeufs mayo from a few days ago.

Mesclun and herb salad -- baby mesclun, edible flowers, sorrel leaves, parsley leaves, mint leaves, tarragon leaves, oregano leaves, stonecrop leaves, shaved Appalachian cheese, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice and black pepper.

Spaghetti with ramps, ramp pesto and breadcrumbs

Roast lamb, braised vegetables, chermoula.

it's funny that Zora and I posted about the same thing.  LOL.

Boneless lamb shoulder.

I wasn't able to get bone-in lamb shoulder, but I imagine that's not going to be a huge issue. This was stuffed with slivers of heirloom garlic and oil-packed anchovy fillets, then rubbed with sea salt and black pepper. It sat in the fridge overnight and will be roasted later today.

This is 3 lbs., about $38 worth from Eataly.




1 tablespoon black cumin seeds and 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted in a dry pan over high heat until fragrant...





...then ground in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder until it's a coarsely-textured powder.



Each time I make chermoula, I almost always vary the green ingredients a little bit. There is not one recipe for this sauce, so feel free to come up with your own combinations. Clockwise from right: heirloom garlic, scallions, mint, arugula, cilantro.

Combine garlic, scallions, mint, arugula and cilantro in a food processor or blender, along with a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper (or minced fresh or dried chiles; how much depends on how spicy you want your sauce). Other ideas include but are not limited to: preserved lemon, preserved orange.

Pulse until you have a rough-textured purée. Transfer the purée to a bowl, then pour in about 1/2 cup olive oil and add the cumin powder. Mix well.



Chermoula.

This is best the day it's made; its potency will diminish over time.

Along with the lamb, you can use it for just about anything imaginable -- with roast beef sandwiches, over pasta, stirred in scrambled eggs like so:



Creamy scrambled eggs, with French breakfast radishes and chermoula.

To be continued...

6 leeks, after about 30 minutes of steaming.

Mustard-bacon vinaigrette.

The amount of bacon here is about 3 rashers worth, chopped into not-quite pea size lardons, but close enough. The ratio of bacon to mustard is probably off by a little a lot, but that's okay; I need only satisfy myself. David's recipe (page 88) calls for 2 cups, but that serves approx. 4-6 people. I was fine with the reduced amount.

Poireaux vinaigrette í  la moutarde et aux lardons ("leeks with mustard-bacon vinaigrette").

I have at least two bottles at home at all times -- one for cooking, and one for finishing.  It's probably the one thing I buy the most frequently, besides butter, onion and fresh herbs.

Oeufs mayo.

David [Lebovitz] calls for tomato in the salad, but I subbed French breakfast radishes instead; while greenhouse tomatoes *are* available at USGM, I didn't have those on hand.

Gambas al ajillo ("garlic shrimp").

Carrots and salsify, with garlic and saffron

Peel and trim salsify, cut into batons, place in a bowl of acidulated water (1 cup water, juice of half a lemon). Peel and trim carrots, cut into batons. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add carrots and salsify; cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.

Melt unsalted butter in a skillet, add chopped garlic. Fry until garlic turns a pale gold, add carrots, salsify and a pinch of saffron. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables are golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in chopped parsley. Taste for salt and pepper, then serve.

Omelette aux fines herbes, sautéed spinach with shallots and sesame oil.

The omelette is from page 133 of

If you ever get dandelion flowers, they make AWESOME tempura.