Every time I visit a market in France, I look for the tapenade vendor.  Tapenade is a savory paste made from ground black or green olives and capers blended with garlic, dried tomatoes, anchovies, tuna, or herbs.  Each vendor has several varieties on display, and sampling is encouraged.  I taste several varieties and always find a new version or two to take home.

Tapenade is great  on toasted French bread, slathered on sandwiches, with goat cheese, or stirred into mayonnaise to make a dip for shrimp or vegetables.   Try it on a boned out leg of lamb before rolling and roasting, or put some inside a chicken before it goes into the oven.

Of all the varieties of tapenade I have sampled, my favorite has to be this one made with dried figs.  It has a salty tang from olives, balanced with the mellow sweetness of the figs. Dijon, garlic, and fresh herbs round out the flavor.  Sometimes I sprinkle the top with chopped toasted walnuts just before serving.  I make a big batch and put it in a tightly sealed  container with a slick of olive oil on top.  It keeps well this way in the refrigerator for a month, so I can have it on hand for easy snacks or meals.

Provencal Fig and Olive Tapenade

Makes about 1-1/2 cups

3/4 cup dried figs, stem ends removed

1 cup pitted black or green olives

1 small garlic clove

1 tablespoon rinsed capers

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Freshly ground black pepper

Place the figs in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup water.  Cover and bring to a simmer.  Cook until softened, about ten minutes.  Let cool.  Drain the figs, reserving the liquid.

In a food processor, combine the figs, olives, garlic, capers, vinegar, thyme, mustard and black pepper to taste.  Blend until the mixture forms a thick paste.  Thin with some of the reserved fig liquid if necessary.  Refrigerate the tapenade several hours or overnight.

Serve with thin slices of toasted baguette.  Store leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Tony May slicing culatello

With the opening of their new restaurant SD26, father-and-daughter team Tony and Marisa May have brought their upscale and sophisticated approach to Italian dining to Madison Square Park.

Designed by the renowned Massimo Vignelli, the glamorous 14,000 square foot space has three levels.  At the entrance is a wine bar and lounge area, while the dining room and open kitchen are at the back.  The décor is simple with colorful fabric sculptures on the walls and suspended from the ceilings.  A private party space is located on a mezzanine above while the cantina, a cozy dining room in the wine cellar, is on the floor below.

Speaking of wine, the restaurant boasts an enormous list, which diners can access on a hand-held electronic device that is brought to the table instead of a traditional printed wine list.  It’s a good idea that I am sure will work out just fine once everybody figures out how to use it.

As at the Mays’ former restaurant, San Domenico, Odette Fada is the chef at SD26.  From our table near the cheese board and bright red salumi slicing machine, I could see Odette busily overseeing the kitchen operations. Tony came by and insisted we try some culatello, the choicest part of the prosciutto, which he then sliced for us himself.  He was right.  The culatello was tender, sweet, mellow — and expertly sliced.

I resisted the urge to order my old favorite from San Domenico, the poached egg stuffed raviolo, and opted instead for the rich and gamy pappardelle with boar ragu.  Charles loved the meltingly tender beef cheeks braised in red wine while I enjoyed baccala prepared three ways.  We ended the meal with a pistachio cake and poached figs.

We tasted only a few of the dishes on the menu, but we are looking forward to returning.  I can’t wait to sample some of the unusual cheeses that Marisa told us no other restaurant in the city has.  And, of course, another plate of culatello sliced by Tony.

On Thursday, December 3 at 5:30, I will be teaching at De Gustibus Cooking School at Macy’s.  We’ll make a variety of Italian dishes that you can use for all of your holiday entertaining.  I am working on the menu now, but you can be sure there will be something old — it’s not Christmas without struffoli – and something new, a creamy ricotta  cheesecake you can make in a slow cooker!  All the dishes have one thing in common:  they can be made ahead so you can relax and enjoy being with your guests.  Have a special request?  Let me know and I will try to include it.  Charles is lining up some great wines to match the menu.

To find out more about the class, please go to:  http://www.degustibusnyc.com/index.php?option=com_eventlist&Itemid=45&func=details&did=185

Hope you can join us!

Some friends came over for a casual dinner on Sunday.  Because the weather was so steamy, I made cold zucchini soup with basil, followed by grilled local swordfish with a fresh corn and tomato salsa, and potato and arugula salad on the side.   I wanted something blueberry for dessert, and decided on a galette.   These rustic, free form tarts have the perfect balance of crust and filling.  And I like the fact that they are quick to make.  It’s okay if their shape isn’t perfect —  that is part of their charm!

It has taken me a while to find just the right crust for a galette.  I had tried a number of variations.  One contained cornmeal for crunch, but I thought it was too heavy.  Another had a lot of butter, plus shortening.  It tasted great, but became difficult to handle in a hot kitchen.  I finally came up with this basic one which is easy to make and stays crisp even under the juicy fruit.

Try the galette with other summer fruits.   I don’t think I have to tell you that this tastes great with creme fraiche or sour cream.

BLUEBERRY GALETTE

Serves 6 to 8

Pastry:

1-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar plus 1 teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

1 large egg, separated

3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

3 cups blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

1. Make the pastry:  In a food processor or large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar and the salt.  Add the butter and pulse or blend with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the egg yolk and 3 tablespoons of water.  Pulse the machine or stir with a fork until the mixture just begins to come together and form a ball.  If it seems dry, add a little more water.  Do not over mix.

2. Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a disk.  Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least one hour or up to 3 days.

3. Make the filling:  In a large bowl, toss together the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest, cinnamon and salt.

4. Preheat the oven to 425° F.  Butter a large baking sheet.

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 15-inch circle.  Center the dough on the baking sheet.  Pile the blueberry mixture in the center of the dough leaving a 1-1/2-inch border all around. Dot the filling with the butter.  Pleating it as you go, fold the border of the dough over the filling.

6. Beat the egg white and brush some of it over the dough.  Sprinkle it with the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar.

7. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  Cool the pan on a wire rack 10 minutes.  Slide the galette onto a serving platter.  Serve warm or at room temperature dusted with confectioner’s sugar.

On Sunday, I stopped at the Shake Shack for an ice cream cone.  The flavor of the day was blueberry and  it was so good that I have been thinking of  it ever since.   I had some blueberries in the refrigerator, plus a half quart of buttermilk, so I thought I would make a buttermilk version of the Shake Shack ice cream.  During the summer, I always keep a container of buttermilk in the fridge.  It makes great corn muffins and cakes, cold soups,  and best of all, a light version of ice cream.  I had used the rest of the container in a delicious cold zucchini soup the other day.

I put some blueberries and sugar into the blender and only then realized I was short about 1/2 cup of buttermilk.  So I added some sour cream to the mix and blended them all together.  The result was light, a little tart, and fresh tasting with gorgeous color and just the right amount of richness from the sour cream.  You can always make it with all buttermilk if you prefer something more like sherbet.

Can’t wait to try this combination with other fruits.  I’m thinking apricots, bananas, peaches…

Blueberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

Makes about 4 cups

2-1/2 cups blueberries

1 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups lowfat buttermilk

1/2 cup sour cream

In a blender, combine the blueberries and sugar and blend until the berries are pureed.  Blend in the buttermilk and sour cream.  Pour the mixture into an ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.  Transfer to a tightly sealed container and freeze at least 1 hour before serving.

Pear Tree

It hasn’t been a great summer as far as the weather goes, but it seems like the pear tree on my terrace doesn’t mind.  The pears are growing big and fat and the ones at the top of the tree  have a beautiful red blush.  I’m not sure what variety of pear it is.  The tree was here when we moved in and it just gets bigger and more fruitful every year.  They are still a couple of weeks away from being ripe, but I know that if this year’s crop is like last year’s, they will all ripen at the same moment.  When that happens, we’ll have lots of fresh pears and pear tarts and I plan to make a batch of pear conserve like I did last year.  I froze it in small batches and we enjoyed it all winter.

Blueberries in Bloom

The blueberries came in big and fat and juicy in late June and July, but they did not have a lot of flavor.  Still, I enjoyed going out every morning and picking a cupful for breakfast.  I ordered two more blueberry bushes this spring to add to the two I already had, but they won’t bear fruit this year.  Blueberries don’t seem to mind the harsh winters and hot dry summers we get on the 20th floor.  They are also gorgeous plants and very decorative.  The bright green leaves turn bright red in the fall and last all winter.

I plan to make blueberry jam again this summer, but I will have to rely on berries from the Greenmarket.  I’ll post the recipe when I make it.

First Tomato!

Here it is!  My first tomato of the season.  It’s really tiny, about the size of a quarter size right now. But we got a late start this year and, of course, there is the weather.  Just the sight of it makes me happy.  I have visions of homegrown tomato sandwiches like those my friend Miriam Rubin wrote about last year in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.  www.post-gazette.com/pg/08255/911041-34.stm

Basil from Palermo

The basil is thriving.  I picked the seeds that these plants come from off the tops of a huge plant I came across growing in the garden of a baronessa in Palermo.  Lucky I came along when I did!  Those plants would just have gone to seed if I had not nipped off the tops and tucked them into a pocket pack of tissues to dry.  The seeds really like living the high life here in Manhattan!