Sunday Brunch in Late November

The first snow flurries of the season fell early this afternoon in Hudson. It was almost nice to see, though I would rather it still be warm outside.

On a more positive note, it made for a lovely day to sit at the bar and enjoy a glass of champagne with some of our great brunch items.

The Duck Confit Hash W/ Poached Eggs is one of our signature brunch items, and one I am completely addicted to. I eat this almost every Sunday. With a little sriracha on the side of course.

Nina opted for the Pan Roasted Tile Fish, W/ Spicy Haricot Vert, Crispy Onions and Aioli
It wasn't the busiest day ever but sometimes its nice to enjoy a Sunday afternoon ourselves.

Breakfast of Champions

I'm always looking for a tasty breakfast that will get me through a few miles of running, tennis etc. Three of my favorite things really keep me going: German whole rye bread, Greek strained yogurt and honey. I was just given this fantastic raw Sage honey as a gift. It's sooooo delicious and just feels good when you eat it. Ever had sage tea? Fresh or dried it is restorative, incredibly soothing and pleasurable.  

Portland, Maine Take 3: The Fabulous Pizza at Flatbread

We love a good pie. And at Flatbread they do things right, organic ingredients, a hand-made wood burning oven, fresh local greens and beer. I could go for a slice right now!

We ordered a mushroom and house-made no nitrate pepperoni.

Bresca in Portland

 Last week's trip we discovered a tiny gem of a restaurant called Bresca, which means honeycomb in Catalan. It was recommended to us by the owners of Rabelais--a lovely little cookbook store chock full of foodie favorites old and new. There were some luscious highlights. 

Butcherblock topped tables

A dish of local ricotta, polenta, local shrooms, lardo...

Raspberry Financier

Coconut Tapioca, Caramelized Figs

Panna Cotta, Passion Fruit Broth

About Portland...Maine that is.

We were just in Portland last week for a few days. If your looking for a culinary getaway, this city is the spot. One of our favorite places to eat is Street & Co. It's a seafood only restaurant with warm ambience and really good rustic fare. We always sit at the bar for some perfect local oysters. This time we also ate a little salami, excellent linguine with clams and Panna Cotta for dessert. Delicious.  

Shrooms!

The Boletes are early and there are loads. Every week I play tennis in Round Top with our friend Annie. Her court is on the mountain, in the woods, surrounded by wild blueberries, moss and bluestone slabs. A keen collector of shrooms, right before I arrived in the morning Annie gathered a basketful of boletes. She cooks them fresh or slices and dries them for soups in autumn and winter. After we played, she gave me a brown bag full of some beauties. We ate them that night, sauteed in Spanish olive oil with some smoked salt, Tarragon and Lemon Thyme. Yum!!

August rain brings mushroom bounty.

Jeff may think his eye sight isn't as good as it used to be, but I don't know anyone else who can spot wild mushrooms on the fly while driving. Last year it was a scattering of Chanterelles under a dark canopy of evergreens and this year, at the far end of a field, a soccer sized Giant Puff Ball and its' anomalous kin. 

Check out their sculptural, alien forms!

d'Yquem & the best eggs in the valley...

On the way home yesterday, I stopped by Grazin' Angus Acres to pick out dinner. Ended up with an amazing Rib Eye, some eggs for the morning and some Angus breakfast sausage.

I made an Frittata for lunch, with some left-over Corn Succotash from the night before, Jalapeno Jack cheese, a little Prosciutto and lots of herbs from the garden. 

I gotta say, the eggs were some of the best I've had in a long time. They were soooo vibrant yellow and soooo ultra creamy! Wow! I think they rivaled the eggs from the chickens my parents raised when I was a kid.

To go with it, I made potato salad with the tasty breakfast sausage--really great flavor! It was unique and a little meatier than you might expect for a breakfast sausage, with a polite amount of spice.

Just as the Frittata went in the oven, Jeff came home with a bottle of d'Yquem sec. This really excited me, because I'm in love with beautiful white Bordeaux. And d'Yquem, known for their dessert wine--%100 semillon, well, need I say more? Ok, I will! Its complexity, perfumed aroma, honeyed, floral, wide, long finish, might have descended from the angels.

Corn!

Well, it's August, and it's all about corn. Deliciously sweet, juicy and lightly crunchy "Butter & Sugar" Holmquest Farm corn, that is! Our friend Jeffrey Elliot picked me up a package of Japanese spice for my birthday during his trip to Japan, while checking out the production of Henckels knife making, the company for which he works. So jealous of his trip, filled with the best Uni, brilliant chefs & bizarre seafood finds at the fish markets...  

Sweet butter and Japanese Spice, yes, oh so nice!

Left-overs. Oops, there's little to none!

Awesome!

Pickles & Pork

Kirby cucumbers are now at all the local farm stands.

They are perfectly tiny, firm, moist and delicious. And they make a great pickle.

We did a basic 3-2-1-1 brine on the cucumbers and served them w/ crispy braised pork belly, peanuts, beans sprouts, cilantro and a spicy sauce made from the reduce pork braising liquid along with some soy sauce & sambal. This is a good one!