my little low country boil

A low country boil, to me, is a party thing. Boil up a bunch of stuff, then dump it out onto newspapers on a picnic table and go to town! Everybody drinks beer and gets messy and it's so much fun.

Sometimes, though, I want a the boil but can only dig up one other person. So I make a little low country boil, cover my dining table with Kraft paper, and have a smaller, somewhat tidier party. It's still pretty dang fun, and pretty dang delicious.

I like to serve a beautiful tomato or 2 on the side and a crusty baguette with lots of butter. Also cocktail sauce and hot sauce for the shrimpies! (And don't forget to put an empty bowl out for shells and cobs.)

2 tablespoons shrimp boil seasoning*

1 pound small potatoes, washed

1 kielbasa, cut into 2-inch lengths

2 ears corn, husked and cut in half

1 pound medium shrimp

Bread, for serving

In a large pot, heat 1 gallon of water and the shrimp boil seasoning to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil for 15 minutes. Add the sausage and boil 5 minutes more. Add the corn and boil 10 minutes, then add the shrimp and boil 3 minutes or until they are opaque.

*You can buy shrimp boil, or you can make your own! In a spice grinder (I use a coffee grinder), combine the following and grind until it's a powder.

6 black peppercorns

8 cloves

8 allspice berries

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon celery seed

1 tablespoon cayenne

Tomatillo-Poblano Salsa

When I go to a restaurant, the thing that ultimately makes me decide between one dish or another is the sauce that goes on it. I'm pretty open to eating anything, especially if the sauce sounds awesome. And I don't just love EATING sauces; I think in my past life I was a saucier. I love to MAKE sauces too. From Hollandaise to Hot Fudge, from Sabayon to Salsa Verde... I could make sauces all day.

Hey, did someone say Salsa Verde? Oh, right. I DID.

I served this salsa with carnitas tacos (if you ask nicely I'll give you THAT recipe), and plan to make it again for some green chile chicken enchiladas. I also drizzled it on some leftover homemade mac and cheese.

(Now, you'll notice that I have several "or to taste" notes in here. Salsa is a very personal thing, and what I like may not be exactly what you like. So feel free to play around and make it your own.)

Tomatillo-Poblano Salsa
2 poblano chiles
1 pound tomatillos, all about the same size
3 serrano chiles (or to taste), seeded and roughly chopped
1 garlic clove (or to taste), minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or to taste)
2 tablespoons lime juice (or to taste)
salt to taste

Char the poblanos on the gas burner (or broil them) until the skin is black and bubbly. Put them in a plastic bag and seal the bag to steam for about 10 minutes. Scrape the blackened skin from the poblanos, remove the seeds, and roughly chop them.

Meanwhile, remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse them to remove the sticky residue. Place them in a saucepan, then add water to cover. Simmer until they are softened but not falling apart, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving the water.

Combine the tomatillos, serranos, poblanos, garlic, and cilantro in blender. Puree, adding tablespoons of cooking water if necessary, until you've got a semi-smooth (but pretty thick) liquid. Pour into a bowl and season with lime juice and salt. Let cool to room temperature and taste again before serving.

Could you pass me that bottle of rosé? Thanks.

Ah, summer. While some look at it as a time for vacations and activity and excitement, I think of it as a time to become a complete slacker. Maybe it's because I grew up in Texas, where the summers are so hot that people actually die, or maybe it's because i was such a nerd at school that sumer was the only time i didn't feel like I needed to achieve... I don't know. But even as an adult, while people around me are planning vacations and projects and all that kind of stuff, I just want to lie back with a cool beverage and enjoy the air conditioning.

Now. I will still hoist myself off the couch to make a delicious meal. The difference, though, is the amount of actual WORK i'm willing to go through. Chopping, peeling, slicing, yes; roasting, simmering... not so much. And recently that I have become COMPLETELY addicted to the roasted chickens at Whole Foods*. I have tried every flavor, and they all taste exactly the same, whether it's "classic" or "vanilla pepper" or "buffalo." So I don't even bother picking a flavor, I just grab one and head to the produce department to get the ingredients for the delicious salad I'm going to make to go with it.

(I used to live across the street from these two lovely Scottish girls who would have me and my roommates over for dinner quite a lot, which was awesome, and they always added fruit to green salads. Now, I'd had salads with fruit dressings, and citrus was nothing unusual for me
in a salad, and there was a time when everyone put raspberries in everything, but I'd never had a spinach salad with strawberries in it. STRAWBERRIES! Blew my mind. Now I love to add fruit to my green salads: blackberries, melon, peaches... and that is why I've gathered you here today.)

Peaches partner ridiculously well with tomatoes, which isn't surprising, really, if you think about it in regard to when they're in season ... and tomatoes are classic on salads, so... why the heck not mix 'em? You could also throw in a little fresh corn if you had it. I didn't, so I didn't bother.

Green Salad with Peaches, Tomatoes, and Feta
(Enough for 2, goes perfectly with store-bought roast chicken)

2 generous handfuls spring mix
1 garlic clove, cut in half
2 tablespoons (give or take) balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup (give or take) olive oil
1 large tomato, cored and cut into wedges
1 peach, stone removed and cut into wedges (peeled, if you like)
1/4 cup (give or take) crumbled feta
Salt and pepper

Wash the lettuce, spin dry or drain really well in a colander (use paper towels on top). Rub the inside of a mixing bowl with the cut side of the garlic; discard the garlic (or use it to make garlic bread, like I did).

Add the vinegar to the bowl, then gradually whisk in the oil until the oil is blended in. Add the tomatoes, peaches, feta, and greens, and toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper. Be excited that you have an awesome meal that took like 5 minutes to make.

Happy Independence Day, I guess.

Here's the thing. I am not so into July 4. I understand it's our nation's birthday and blah blee bloo. I just find the whole day... sad, kind of. I've spent several July 4ths (Julys 4th?) recovering from horrible breakups and a recent one fighting with an airline about losing my luggage.

And I don't really dig fireworks and the pre-fireworks festivities always seem to start at odd times. So you're waiting around all day, then you have to schlep somewhere to sit on a blanket and crane your neck for 45 mnutes. And I can't really stand the "1812 Overture." So, in a nutshell, July 4? Not my favorite.

But. I don't want to be Debbie Downer; A lot of people love the holiday. It's in the middle of the summer, so it's kind of a nice opportunity to have a party, and there's usually grilling and sometimes even swimming and I am a fan of both of those things.

So recently I've tried to rethink my attitude towards July 4, focusing on the part I DO like, which is the food part. I'm not going to make a flag cake or even flag cupcakes (baby steps, people), but I can bring something to the party that is refreshing, a little less sweet than many desserts, and sooooper easy. Seriously, these things take like no work.

I used fresh key limes to make 3/4 cups of juice, and i can tell you that I squeezed approximately 12,000 limes. So save yourself the hassle and use bottled juice.

Key Lime Bars

Brown Sugar Shortbread Base
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Key Lime Topping
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup key lime juice (fresh or from a bottle)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with parchment.

In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix with your hands until the mixture looks like damp sand (the good kind to build sandcastles out of). Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Press with your hands or a spatula to make
the layer even. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. While the shortbread is baking, prepare the topping.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until combined. Stir in lime juice and flour. Slowly pour the mixture evenly over the hot shortbread. Bake until set, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving.

leftover MELON! sorbet

it's my first summer back in texas! i'd be lying if i said i hadn't forgotten just how very, very, VERY HOT it can get. but what i'm gaining in thermometer numbers is being made up in other ways: no sticky (stinky!) subway ride; no window units (central air, baby!) and (slightly) less humidity (my makeup actually stays where it's supposed to). so it works out, kind of. (and the a/c in my little car gets COLD.)

the one good thing about summer starting in, oh, MAY, is that the season for summer vegetables and fruits starts much earlier. the corn is amaaaaazing right now, like candy. and we've had beautiful tomatoes for several weeks. and the FRUIT! ohhhhh, the fruit. i'm overwhelmed when i go to the grocery store by the sheer volume of peaches and berries and plums and MELONS! (cue joann worley)

while i'm a huge fan of all things berry (i kind of have to be) and stone fruits rock my world... good lord i love MELONS! i can't get enough of them, for REALS. That sweet, heady, almost floral aroma of a perfectly ripe MELON! gives me such a thrill every time!

but if you're like me, you can't finish a whole MELON! in the time it takes for it to go from perfect to grody mush. throwing away food makes me sad for many reasons, but throwing away something like a once-perfect MELON! ... i can't even think about it.

so to avoid drama, i like to make my leftover MELON! into sorbet... it keeps for a couple of weeks (or i guess it does; it's never lasted that long in my house) and the flavor is NEARLY as awesome as a freshly sliced one.

Choose your favorite kind of MELON!; I've been nuts about Galias this year, but i've also made this with honeydew and cantaloupe. Watermelon would be great too, just strain the puree to made sure all of the seeds are gone. I also use white wine or leftover champagne in my sorbets (keeps them from freezing too solid); you certainly don't have to. Brewed mint tea would be a perfect substitute, or just use water.

Leftover MELON! Sorbet

Makes about 1 quart

6 cups MELON! (in 1-inch cubes)

1/4 cup white wine

2 tablespoons lime juice

Combine all the ingredients in a blender (you may have to work in batches). Blend to a mostly smooth liquid. Refrigerate until cold (about 2 hours), then freeze in an ice cream maker according to the directions for your particular machine (mine took about 15 minutes). Have some right away, then cover and store the rest in the freezer.

quick(ish) vietnamese(ish) meatball soup

listen. this looks like a lot of work. but it isn't, i promise. really. get someone to hep you roll the meatballs and that step will literally take 5 minutes.

you could also make the broth from scratch to begin with and infuse it with the lemongrass and stuff, then have it on hand to make this soup...

(and yes, i know it's summer. but sometimes you still want soup.)

for the broth:
2 quarts chicken broth
1 stalk lemongrass
1 (2-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1/3 of a bunch of cilantro (about 1/3 cup)
3 cloves garlic
3 scallions, roughly chopped
Sriracha, to taste

for the meatballs
1 pound ground pork
1 egg
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon 5-spice powder
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1teaspoon shaoxing vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon Sriracha, or to taste

garnish:
sriracha
sliced scallions
chopped cilantro
bean thread noodles (about a bundle per person)
sesame oil and soy sauce

Combine the broth, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic, in a medium saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and add the scallions and cilantro. Cover partially and let simmer while you make the meatballs.

Mix all of the ingredients until blended. Grab a little (about half a meatball), press it together, and drop it into the simmering broth. Let it cook and taste the mix for seasoning. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and taste it again. When it's seasoned to your liking, form the pork into 1-inch meatballs.

Remove the lemongrass, ginger and cilantro from the broth. Working in small batches, use a mesh strainer to lower the meatballs into the broth, swirling the strainer to keep the meatballs from sticking to it (this also helps make the meatballs less shaggy). Cook just until kind of set. (You're not cooking these through, you're just getting them started so they won't disintegrate when you add them to the soup.) Add the meatballs to the soup and simmer while you cook the bean threads.

Place the bean thread noodles into a large bowl, crunching them a little with your hands. Bring a pot of water to a boil and our it over the noodles, just to cover. Let them soak for about 3 minutes, then strain them and toss them with about 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and a little soy sauce.

NOW YOU GET TO EAT.

Bring the whole pot of soup to the table, along with the bowl of noodles and the garnishes. Add noodles to each bowl and ladle the soup over. Sprinkle with garnishes and add sriracha to taste.

MAY 1 MENU!!!

cocktails and hors d'oeuvres


chilled honeydew soup with tarragon


shaved asparagus salad with morels


bourbon glazed pork belly, sweet corn grits, wilted mizuna


trio of mini ice cream sandwiches


seats available here

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