Which brings me to the pastrami. Here for our usual vacation this year I made the mistake of mentioning that I had perfected pastrami in Chicago and had planned to bring some down for our friends but had changed my mind at the last minute due to luggage space-or lack thereof. Our friends pouted. They complained. They told me I wouldn’t wear that pair of boots anyway and the space would have been better served holding pastrami. In the spirit of neighborliness and holiday generosity I quickly counted the days I had left in New Orleans and volunteered to re-create the pastrami using the kettle grill in the courtyard. This was met with loud applause and more champagne. Only later Drew asked me, “How are you going to do that?” It was easy enough to order the brisket from our neighborhood grocery store. The owner isn’t really friendly to me yet (after 8 years I am still an outsider) but he said he would accommodate my request. I told him exactly what I wanted (brisket flat, with all the fat left on). It would be ready in 3 days.

When I picked it up the brisket was fully trimmed and cut into pieces because, as he said, “people won’t buy it any other way”). I thought of mentioning that I had ordered it whole and untrimmed but since I had to get it into the brine I just said thank you and hurried the 2 short blocks home.  It was there that Drew’s question began to make sense. How was I going to brine 7 pounds of brisket when I only had a 5 quart bowl and a 3 quart saucepan? Where would I find the essential sodium nitrite that would keep the pastrami rosy? (I begged a couple tablespoons from Cochon and tipped the bartender heavily.)

I rummaged through my neighbor’s cabinets for the requisite spices and mixed up the brine at home using all the pots and bowls in my kitchen in the process. Amazingly, the brisket fit (in two pieces) into the 5 quart bowl and after adding the brine and weighting the beef  with a plate to keep it submerged, I covered the whole thing with foil and shoved it into the fridge where Drew had thoughtfully rearranged the bottles of wine so it would fit.

After a three day soak in the brine the brisket was ready for resting. Just as a roast needs to rest after cooking to redistribute the juices and turn the meat uniformly medium rare, a brined piece of meat needs a 12 hour rest to allow the brine to equalize and the meat to become uniformly salted.

New Year’s Eve I got up early and set up the Weber in the courtyard. Drew made Bloody Marys and we read the newspaper as the coals burned down. A couple quarts of soaked hickory chips started a good, thick smoke and the meat went on the cool side of the grill, opposite the fire and chips. After about 15 minutes of smoke our next door neighbor called our upstairs neighbor to tell them the courtyard was on fire. This brought the rest of the neighbors out and the party was on. Drew made muffins, eggnog appeared and, after an hour or so it was time for lunch. Leftover barbecue from The Joint became smoked chicken poor-boys and champagne corks popped to toast the end of the year. More coals, more wet chips, some basting with Abita, more champagne and the day went by. People came and went and the brisket smoked slowly at about 250°F for the next 8 hours. A little after dark I took the brisket off, wrapped it in foil and closed up the grill. Debbie called down from upstairs to say that dinner would be ready in an hour and to bring up some red wine. I had just enough time to shower the smoke away and change for dinner. Granted, this was a holiday celebration and we were on vacation. Some of our neighbors are retired but a few work full time and work long hours.  Not everyone in New Orleans spends all day feasting. But even a dinner of 2 people can become a feast if there is joy in the eating and drinking. Good food and good friends make every day a holiday and every meal a feast.

Oh yes, the pastrami? Well, the outside was so crusty I couldn’t slice it thinly enough so I called on Debbie to take it to the grocer to slice on his slicer. (Being an outsider, I couldn’t ask for the favor.) I divided the rosy, slightly chewy meat among the neighbors and made a mental note to skip the extra boots (that I didn’t wear) and take food along with me when we return for Mardi Gras.

Perfect snack for National Blondie Day!

Sunday Snack
It is not often that I want a sweet snack. When hunger hits I am usually looking for olives, potato chips or something similarly salty. Today, however, is National Blondie Day and so, when I felt a little restless pang hit I thought, why not?
First off, a little clarification. A blondie is not a vanilla brownie. It is not a cookie. It is a luscious butterscotch-y morsel that is very easy to whip up when hunger strikes or company comes.
At its simplest, a blondie is a bar confection consisting of butter, brown sugar, flour, egg, vanilla and not much else. Melt the butter, whisk everything together in a bowl, bake and in less than an hour you have a yummy snack to share. My recipe only makes an 8”x8” pan which means I don’t have blondies for days. Since I rarely let things be at their simplest, today I added chopped white chocolate, salted macadamia nuts and a slug of good bourbon to my snack. Pretty tasty I must say.
So, happy blondie day everyone-don’t wait til next year to whip up a batch.

White Chocolate-Macadamia Nut Blondies
Makes 16 small squares or 9 ridiculously big ones

½ cup melted unsalted butter, cooled to room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon good bourbon (I used Michter’s)
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup chopped white chocolate
¼ cup chopped salted macadamia nuts

Spray an 8”x8” square baking pan with baking spray and line the pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving a 2” overhang. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Scrape melted butter into a medium bowl and whisk in the sugar. Whisk in the egg until combined.
Add the baking powder, soda, salt and flour and stir well. Fold in the chocolate and nuts. Batter will be stiff.
Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake until set and a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs, about 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake.
Let blondies cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then lift paper and blondies out of pan and continue to cool completely. Peel paper or foil from blondies and discard. Cut blondies into 16 pieces. Remember, this is a snack.

The Menu

Meyer Lemon-Crusted Scallop with Avocado-English Pea Salad and Meyer Lemon Syrup.

Chef Nadia Tilkian

Maijean

2009 Alfredo Roca, Chenin Blanc / Chardonnay, San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina

Anson Mills Farro Salad with Wild Mushrooms, Fava Beans and Evalon Goat’s Milk Cheese

Chef Meg Colleran Sahs

Terzo Piano

2010 Le Cirque, Rosé, Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes, Languedoc, France

Ravioletto di Capra e Crescenza

Crescenza cheese and braised Pleasant Meadows goat filled pasta

with Pachino tomato, fresh chick peas and Parmigiano Reggiano

Chef Sarah Grueneberg

Spiaggia

2010 Notro, Sangiovese-Bonarda, Cruz de Piedra, Mendoza, Argentina

Sorghum-Glazed Berkshire Pork Belly with Toasted Barley and Rhubarb-Basil Compote

Chef Susan Goss

West Town Tavern

2009 Chateau Saint Baulery, Saint-Chinian, Grand Vin du Languedoc, France

Milk Chocolate Calvados Cheesecake, almond financier crust, blood orange basil sorbet

Jessica Oloroso

Black Dog Gelato

NV Cases de Pena, Muscat de Rivesaltes,AOCMuscat de Rivesaltes Controlee, Roussillon, France

WEST TOWN TAVERN PIE PASTRY
PAGE 40

CORRECTION

2 ½ cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 ¼ teaspoons sea salt

6 tablespoons vegetable shortening

6 tablespoons butter

¼-1/3 cup ice water

Go ahead! Write the correct measurements right on the page! My cookbooks are all covered with notations, wine recommendations and comments. A cookbook is first and foremost a workbook-not something to be kept pristine! Now, go make yourself a batch of pastry scraps and celebrate!

Turley and Pig Dinner
March 30, 2011: The winter has been long and hard. We need a holiday (and St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t count!). Chef Susan and Drew Goss think this is a perfect excuse for a Turley Wine Night at West Town Tavern.
Four courses, three wines. And to add to the excitement each diner will draw lots to determine which wines he/she will drink. Will you start with a zinfandel from Lodi or Howell Mountain? Perhaps a petit syrah from the Turley Estate?
Join us Wednesday March 30 as Drew pulls all the corks on the Turley wines. Chef Susan will prepare a three course all-pork menu to complement the wines and even throw in a red-wine friendly dessert.

MENU

Crispy Pork Rillettes with Wild Arugula and Sauce Gribiche

Escarole with Benton’s Country Ham, Roasted Tomatoes, Aged Sheep’s Milk Cheese and Sherry-Mustard Vinaigrette

Slow-Smoked Suckling Pig “Kalua Style” with Fried Potato Salad and Grilled Pineapple Relish

Double Chocolate Brownie Sundae with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce

$75 per person, not including taxes and gratuity.

Reservations for this Turley experience are required. There is no set start time; reservations are available between 5:00 and 10:00PM on March 30th. The full Tavern menu will be available as well.

Join chef Susan at The Hideout for Soup and Bread Wednesday March 16th from 5:00-7:30. Susan will be serving West Town Tavern’s Wild Mushroom Chowder and raising money for the Lakeview Pantry. Delicious breads provided by La Farine Bakery. Come by for a pay-as-you-can dinner of soups and breads and help feed hungry people in Chicago.

For more information click here

Living for more than two and a half centuries in Bergheim,
the Lorentz family cultivates its passion for wine in the middle
of this small, medieval town located in the heart of the wine area of Alsace.
From father to son, despite all of the vagaries of history,
they have perpetually passed on their heritage. Each generation
has taken respectful care of this, and then added their own imprint
to help the Maison Lorentz to develop in accordance with the times.

MENU
ONE
Smoked Diver Sea Scallops with Mango-Mint Relish
2009 Gustave Lorentz Reserve Pinot Gris
TWO
Pan-Roasted East Coast Haddock with Bacon, Fingerlings, Rosemary and Savoy Cabbage Ragout
2009 Gustave Lorentz Reserve Riesling
THREE
Hoisin-Glazed Grilled Shortribs with Coconut Rice
2009 Gustave Lorentz Reserve Gewurztraminer
FOUR
Gruyere Cheese Tart with Salad and Dried Fruit
2009 Gustave Lorentz Crémant d’Alsace
Truffles and Cookies