Eggplant & Perfect Tomato Napoleon

After further research the swan report has changed. We still have a single signet on Hook Pond and the birds feathers are still grey, I did not see it fly. The sky‘s blue and a light breeze move my drive from the left side of the green into a bunker, at least 20 swans move about between the tee and the green on the fourth hole. Ernie Clark explained the gathering of swans at the bridge, it’s a gaggle of males that have yet to hook up. They are eating something off the bottom, ravenous, preparing for a long flight south. I wish I could find out where they will winter.

Tonight I eat alone at home. Quail hill delivered vegetables at 4pm and my poached meal was the bounty. It’s tomato season so the red & yellow varieties from our special salad looked great, a head of fennel made the bag and I grabbed an eggplant too. My choice of protein was the remaining 6 inch end of last weekends pork loin special. Since Raul chose to trim the fat our refrigerator came to the rescue and provided a topping of thinly sliced salami layed over sliced red tomato and a seasoned piece of pork loin. It was roasted for an hour at 350.

Eggplant & Perfect Tomato Napoleon w/ purple basil & cream cheese

1 6 inch eggplant, sliced & seasoned w/ salt, squeezed between 2 plates & paper towel
1 large egg
½ cup milk
1 cup flour
½ cup wonderful olive oil
1 yellow tomato, chopped
1 red tomato, sliced
10 basil leaves, sliced thin
salt & pepper
8 tablespoons cream cheese at room temperature

First step: slice the eggplant as thick as your little finger then lay it out on paper towels and season with sea salt another layer of paper towels and then a few plates to press down on the slices. While the eggplant releases moisture combine the eggs and milk in a cereal bowl with a fork. Pour the flour on a plate and season it with salt and pepper. Bring the olive oil to heat over a medium flame, dip eggplant slices in the egg wash and then the flour, repeat and set carefully in the hot oil. Repeat and turn each piece as each new piece enters the pan, brown lightly and then transfer to a dry hot surface.

To layer spread cream cheese on 1 side of 2 cooked eggplant slices then lay a warmed slice of tomato on each, sprinkle with basil salt & pepper. Toss the yellow tomato with Basil, salt & pepper and a touch of olive oil and top the hat with a few spoonfuls. Place on a sheet pan, repeat to make more for the guests. Hold at room temp until service, heat at 350 for 10 minutes and serve.

September on the East End

This is my favorite time of year even the swans love it, they move about more now. hopefully the missions that I see them flying back and fourth over fairways are intended to teach the one remaining youngster. There are no grey signets on Hook pond now only birds that appear to be full grown. On Town pond the family of seven continue to parade about. While the young are still light grey they have grown to resemble the adults in size and have not started to fly.

As the cherry tomatoes started to sweeten in the Lodge garden I parted with my job as chef. While I miss the men and women who shared the kitchen my eyes are firmly on a productive future and The Lodge was not focusing on the same goals. Today I worked the dining room at the Little Kitchen and fell in love all over again. Christian Wolffer was in for lunch and he reminded me just how lucky we are to share the east end in September, it’s a fabulous day with blue skies and magical light.

Tomatoes were featured on the Cod special this weekend. Asa Gosman sold us whole fish fresh from the Montauk docks, the filets were cut leaving skin on. As with bass it helps to dry the skin and then apply a coating of almost melted butter, into the hot pan skin side down and leave the flame on full. When the skin releases from the pan place the pan in the oven until the flesh cooks through (time varies based on the thickness of the filet).

Vegetables are in full swing at Quaill Hill. Whittier harvested Purple Peruvian potatoes, Swiss chard and Turkish eggplant along with her friends Maxwell and Chloe Baschey. The harvest started in a fairytale mist, as we began to gather apples for a pie it turned to rain. The children held strong and worked the soil of the potato field with pitchforks until the basket was full and we were all soaked to the bone. Tomatoes would have to wait until later in the day after the sun took over our sky.

To plate the dish Raul shocked the Swiss Chard and the diced potatoes then added them to a hot sauté pan containing olive oil softened leeks and peeled eggplant. The fish was plated on top of the veg. and then topped with a simple sauce of reduced fish broth and roasted tomato puree (run through a ricer) finished with saffron, a splash of red wine vinegar and finely chopped parsley. At the Little Kitchen many of our specials are enhanced by Raul’s spice blend of Kosher salt, white pepper, course garlic (dry) and toasted cumin seed that’s been chopped in a coffee blender into powder form, cod filet is an exceptional candidate for this seasoning.

Squash For 4

The rain falls like an electric blanket on 96th st. this morning, New York city is not much different than a steam bath. I walked Whittier and Lyman to school this morning following a new routine of waiting in front of the building at 50 east 96th st. for bus #164, Mansell’s new transportation to school at Windward in Westchester. Today opened a chapter of our lives that should be titled $58 dollars please, it seems every turn involves the next outing or uniform and $58 is the magic number.

Dinner on Sunday night served the family at our dining room table in Manhattan. It featured a chicken roasted in the rotisserie chamber at the local grocery store, bathed in herbs and the juice of 20 other chickens it was moist and flavorful. My contribution was a spaghetti squash roasted simply in its skin and separated from its seeds after 40 minutes in a 375 oven. I do what I can to feed the kids yellow vegetables at every meal that I prepare for them. The squash was topped with a sautee of garlic, green beans and sliced red pepper tossed with EVO and a touch of salt in a hot pan until the beans begin to soften, Start with the garlic and oil in the pan first then (as the garlic begins to brown) add the rest of the ingredients.

To serve, the squash should be shredded on to a serving platter then topped with a few teaspoons of butter followed by the bean and red pepper mixture.


Squash For 4

1 spaghetti squash
1 large red pepper
1 quart green beans (tips snipped)
4 cloves of garlic (sliced thin)
¼ cup olive oil
salt to taste
4 teaspoons unsalted butter

Swordfish Stew

East Hampton town pond plays host to a family of swans 7 strong, mother and father parade the signets (very large birds last night). Returning from the north woods of Wisconsin with Phobe Brigg’s (Lyman’s best friend) our driver turned to me and commented on the flock. It was 1:00 am so I kept my mouth shut about my friends on the golf course.
Last weekend I spent enough time with Wayne Philipps from Braun oyster to learn about big fish shoulder’s or the knape. My initial interest was in a piece of fish that might feed the family. An education in butchering fish followed. The Swordfish collar is full of treasure right down to the birdlike form it’s bones take as they emerge from the oven post roast.

Swordfish stew w/ ginger jasmin rice and zucchini (big for 4)

Ask your fish monger for a swordfish collar, cod bones work too.
Clean all the meat you can off the bones and set aside. Leaving the collar intact roast at high heat for 10 or so minutes, over chopped carrots, celery and onions .squirt a little EVO before and dust with salt, pepper and herb after. Put all in a big sauce pan and Simmer with wine and water for an hour.
As the broth begins to take the meat off the bones it should be strained and blended in a hot pan with brandy and cream. Bring down by half and finish with a few spoonfuls of tomato paste, salt and pepper. Sear the meat in a flat bottomed pan with red butter and finish in the pan with a lattle full of sauce for each plate.
The zucchini should be cubed and tossed in a hot pan with crushed garlic, chopped onions, Chopped fresh tomato and sliced basil. Season with salt and pepper and serve along side the rice.
To cook the rice take time rinsing dry rice in cold water then add it to a sauce pan witb Warm water equal to the rice times 2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce heat, simmer over lowest setting for 10 minutes. Set aside until you are ready to serve. In a separate but smaller pan melt butter with lime juice, red pepper dice and fresh chopped ginger, season with salt and herb and stir into the rice. Serve the rice in the middle.

1 8LB COLLAR
2 ONIONS
2 CARROTS
2 STALKS OF CELERY
1 BOTTLE WHITE WINE
EQUAL PARTS WATER