Top Cooking Moment of 2007

Dara and James write:

It was our proudest culinary moment of the year. For James’s birthday in December we put together the following menu for six of our friends.

Hors d'oeuvres : Grandma Shipley’s cheese dip (equal portions mayonnaise and grated sharp cheddar cheese, with a bit of chopped onion, baked in a dish for 15 minutes). Green olives from Whole Foods.

Main course: Cider braised pork shoulder with caramelized onions with 4 lb deboned pork shoulder butt from Flying Pigs Farm (Union Square Greenmarket); thinly sliced brussels sprouts with purple cippolini onions and lime juice; mustard roasted potatoes; sour dough levain bread from Our Daily Bread (USG)

Dessert: 7 inch strawberry shortcake from Veneiro's bakery. It's a light cake, perfect after a heavy meal.

Drink:

Cocktails: 2 bottles Lini lambrusco bianco (sparkling)

Wine: 1 Vigna del Noce 1997 Barbera d’Asti from Trinchero Renato;
1 Rocche 2001 Barolo

Digestives: 2 Braida Giacomo Bologna 2006 Brachetto d’Acqui (sparkling red sweet wine, first sampled in Turin at Cambio); amaro

All wine from Vino, New York.

Top Ten Restaurant Moments of 2007

Dara and James write:

Here are our favorite tastings of the year. Sorry New York: our honeymoon in Italy produced the most delicious moments.

(1) Warm pistachio cake at Guido in Pollenzo, Italy
(2) Apricot gelato at Grom Gelateria in Turin, Italy
(3) Salsa verde over ripe tomatoes and Spanish anchovies (see picture above) at the little enoteca next to Produttori del Barbaresco in Barbaresco, Italy
(4) Brussels sprouts with kimchee puree at Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York
(5) Eel at Sushi Yasuda in New York
(6) Thunder Pickles from Katchkie Farm in upstate New York
(7) Finanziera at Cambio in Turin, Italy.
(8) Vitello Tonato at La Libera in Alba, Italy
(9) Risotto al Salto at Trattoria della Pesa in Milan, Italy
(10) Chicory salad with anchovies and olive oil at Bebel's in Milan, Italy

Beer and Brats

Dara writes:

James and I spent Christmas in the snow and winds of Madison, Wisconsin with James's mother's side of the family. Every year, this family does a grab-bag of gifts, going on the premise of, if you bring one, you get one. It's a remarkably inexpensive and fun way to celebrate. This year, it was James's idea we do "consumables." We brought Greenmarket items.

The two things that made our grab-bag gifts were liverwurst from Flying Pigs farm in upstate New York, and Thunder Pickles from Katchkie Farm, also upstate. The pickles have a stunningly spicy, vinegary, and garlicky flavor. They don't crunch, but the taste lingers and beguiles. The Flying Pigs swine enjoy a good life under the care of Michael Yezzi and his wife, Jennifer Small, who are at the Union Square Market on Saturdays. We had to special order the pickles.

James's cousin from Milwaukee added Serbian cheese and meat pies to the grab bag. Another cousin from the South (Georgia) added pickled okra and lemon-artichoke spread. We were lucky enough to take home Wisconsin micro-brews and glasses from the Milwaukee brewery. Overall, the consumables idea was a good one.

Finally, it wouldn't be Wisconsin without bratwurst. James's uncle brought us to State Street Brats. State Street is the main campus drag. Of course, school was out, but we got a taste of the storied beer hall. Wanting to be virtuous, James and I ordered just brats--not in a basket with plain or spicy fries. The brat arrived swaddled in a chewy sourdough roll, wrapped in wax paper, and adorned with a pickle. We both ordered white brats, which were delish. I garnished mine with pickle relish, red onions, sauerkraut, ketchup, and mustard. I washed it all down with a Sunset Weisse beer. It was a fab, apricot-y, thick-but-not-heavy wheat garnished with an orange slice. It chased away the cold--and it was cold. More snow than I'd ever seen. And we basically flew in during a snow storm. Before we took off the pilot said, "Basically the whole flight will be bumpy." Superior!

But it was a superior Christmas!