October 24, 2012

Hazelnut path to Luce & Hawkins, a symphony at its best

October 24, 2012/ laura luciano

With much anticipation, I finally dined at Luce & Hawkins which has been long overdue.

My first visit to the Jedediah Hawkins Inn in Jamesport, NY was this past May. I attended an opening reception for our friend and artist Charles Wildbank at the Barn Gallery which sits behind the historic Victorian Inn and happens to face a Potager Garden that Chef Keith Luce has created for the Inn's Kitchen.

At the time I knew nothing about Chef Luce or his restaurant Luce & Hawkins. The Garden, however was beginning to tell me a story about what to expect if I was to dine there. I noticed the pathway through the garden was lined with Hazelnut shells which clearly defined a natural walkway and probably used to keep the weeds in check. This hazelnut pathway enticed a passerby like me to peruse amongst the lavender, grape vines and rosemary. It was as if the garden was carefully and thoughtfully measuring my every step, the crunching sounds beneath my feet were reminiscent of a clicker counter tallying up the anticipation of how long it would be before I would take a seat at a table in the dining room.

As I was leaving the garden I got a glimpse of the kitchen staff at work and knew they must have been creating quite a symphony for what was to come that evening. I never forgot about that garden and said to myself I would be back to take a seat at Luce & Hawkins.

Five months later, I did.

My husband and I had a reservation for 8:30pm and we decided to arrive early for a cocktail to take in the prime time service vibe before we sat down to our meal. I learned that Chef Luce's first passion was music and I would say it was quite evident upon entering the restaurant, it felt as if we walked into the middle of a symphony; the hostess, bartender, wait staff and managers were working together, balanced and poised.

Chef Luce happened to come out of the kitchen to have a conversation with the bartender. Knowing his surroundings so well, he turned around and welcomed us to his restaurant as if he knew us for years and made us feel very much at home. Earlier that day I visited with the Crescent Duck Farm and knew Chef Luce served their product. I thought to myself, "What a great way to cap off this day with tasting a Crescent Duck breast prepared by Chef Luce!"

We sat down promptly at 8:30pm and was greeted by our waitress Shannon who has been working at Luce & Hawkins since May the same time I came across the kitchen garden. She was an absolute delight, a local from Mattituck, NY with a passion for making her own chocolates with homemade Jam. Her competency and training was evident as she was happy to accomodate my curiosity with such questions as: Did chef make his own butter? Where is the bread from? Is the cheese accompanying my salad from Catapano Dairy Farm and are these KK Haspel's greens? She was an integral part of the Luce Symphony, being the face for the kitchen to answer the various questions one may have. Many years ago I used to be a waitress at the Inn at Quogue in Quogue and it reminded me how the chef would instill in us the importance of understanding where the ingredients came from and to be the story of the restaurant. I gathered what we were about to have would tell a wonderful story about the north fork region.

First Course
The Harvest Salad with baby lettuce, farm stand veggies, goat cheese and a farm egg. The creaminess of the goat cheese was a nice contrast to the baby greens and veggies. The egg yolks were fire orange and fresh as can be! These simple local ingredients was a perfect starter for our palates for what was to come.

Crab Cakes with micro-greens was up next which was the special appetizer of the evening. I can taste Chef Luce's French culinary influence in this dish, the texture was velvety with a touch or horseradish which gently coated the crab and the sear on top was the perfect amount of crunch to counter the smoothness.

Second Course
Hand cut tagliatelle with cauliflower, roasted tomato, capers and breadcrumbs.
You can taste the eggs from Chef Luce's chickens in making this pasta which was light and fresh. The sweetness of the roasted tomatos, fresh cauliflower bits and the brines from the capers with a touch of breadcurmbs was a nice combination.

Crescent duck breast duckling confit & dried cherry tostada
I now understand what Douglas Corwin the CEO of Crescent Duck Farm meant by his product being discernibly different. Chef Luce honored this duck breast with the utmost care and perfection. It was meaty, yet succulent with a perfect sear. The cherry jus complemented the duck beautifully, which melted in your mouth. Bravo.

Farro risotto autumn squash, brussels & cipollini
I am very fond of risotto and it happens to be one of my signature dishes, but I have to say this was very well executed and probably the best risotto I have ever tasted. This dish sung autumn to me, the silky arborio rice coddling the nutty taste of the Farro with the autumn vegetables nestled in these pillows of creaminess was perfect. Maybe one day if I am lucky Chef Luce will show me how to make this dish.

Dessert
Croissant pudding with rum raisin ice cream
Who would have ever thought to make bread pudding out of croissants. This was not my first choice and frankly was probably my last choice. However, Shannon the waitress suggested we must try this and so we did. Thank You Shannon, for letting us in on Jamesport's newest best kept secret the croissant pudding. To my surprise it was light and buttery with moments of melted chocolate and the rum raisin ice cream simply topped it off.

Our meal told us a story about Luce & Hawkins and the chef behind these creations. A historic place, with a team that has strong neighboring sensibilities, honoring and caring for the freshest of ingredients with respect to the local environment.

If you are taking a trip to the North Shore of Jamesport to visit Jedediah Hawkins Inn it is a must to visit the garden and walk the hazelnut path to make sure you take a seat at Luce & Hawkins sooner than later.

October 19, 2012

stewards of the out east food community

October 19, 2012/ laura luciano

Over a month ago I launched out east foodie, and in a short time I have met some of the most dedicated stewards of the out east food community. My journey started with Harvest East End in Bridgehampton where I mingled with passionate chefs and winemakers and tasted my way through each artisans craft. Next was the North Fork Foodie Tour which led me to Egg and Dairy Farms with award winning cheeses and horticulturalists who specialize in unique Micro-Greens and Vegetables. I shared with you the story of my Father's Fig Tree and our Stripe Bass Fishing Trip in the Shinnecock Bay which reminded me of the generations of families who live off the land and sea and their contribution to the out east food culture. At the Long Island Garlic Festival at the Garden of Eve Organic Farm and Market in Riverhead I met with many garlic fanatics and had a date with a cup of garlic ice cream. And last but not least was the Slow Food East End Annual Potluck Meeting at the Hayground School in Bridgehampton where like minded foodie activists shared stories and homemade delights within a setting that is a great example of an Edible School Garden and Cooking Kitchen/Cafeteria for children. In between all these events and storytelling I was inspired to cook from my own kitchen and even try my hand at making puff pastry, ricotta cheese and a fig pistachio frangipane tart. I know I have only scratched the surface of the out east food scene but I wanted to thank you all for sharing with me your passions and the love of labor that you create. It is a true honor to tell your stories and be inspired by You, the out east community and I look forward to meeting each and every one of you in the future.

My bucket list grows by the day: This weekend I am taking a tour of the Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue and dining at Luce & Hawkins at the Jedediah Hawkins Inn in Jamesport.

October 15, 2012

Turnovers more ways than one

October 15, 2012/ laura luciano

This past week I did the dreadful turning over of clothes from summer to fall. When you live in a 400-sq. foot apartment in NYC every inch counts. (Any New Yorker will tell you storage space is impossible to come by.) We even go "ooh and aah" over how we gained 1 sq. foot because we got rid of the 100 reusable shopping bags that have been stored under the kitchen sink for over a year.

Typically, in situations like these you need to purchase a closet, like the one we have from IKEA which resides in our bedroom/my office that my husband Chris, our dog Trixie and I share.

Yes, Trixie is a fashionista and shares in our most precious space and some would say she is far more fashionable than her parents. The nightmare of 'turning over' begins with pulling all of the clothes out of the IKEA closet and dragging the winter clothes out of the back closet which is barricaded by our bed. When pulled out it looks like a giant piece of salami. The entire room is in shambles for a day and Ms. Trixie watches from the hallway as I tackle this amazing feat! While I am conquering and dividing the clothes situation I am thinking about our upcoming home "Sheridan Green", and how just this week the structure is starting to have a frame!

I thought about our kitchen which will have an oven that will no longer have the nickname "easy bake" and enough space where I do not feel like I am doing the tango with my husband over making a pot of coffee. Or, my American Dream which is to have a normal size refrigerator that is not sized for a college dorm. And finally, a walk in closet and actual storage space where the clothes are not hanging like stuffed salamis. There will be 1 more turning over of the closets in Spring of 2013 and who knows what that will inspire then. But in the meantime, all of this turning over of closets and daydreaming of spaces got me thinking about a perfect tribute and delight to the fall season — the Apple Turnover.

INSIDE-OUT PUFF PASTRY
adapted from the book “Desserts” by Pierre Hermé

Turnovers are typically made with a puff pastry dough that contains hundreds of thin layers of butter and pastry dough, which puffs up into a light, crispy pastry once it bakes in the oven. There are four main ingredients in puff pastry: flour, butter, salt, and water and the way these ingredients are combined is which causes the puff reaction to occur. This was the first time I ever made puff pastry and if you are on the fence about making your own you should just go for it! Typically, when making puff pastry the block of butter goes on the inside, but Pierre Hermé has it going on the outside. Since it was my first time making puff pastry I had nothing to compare this to so I figured what the hell. The process will take you about 2 days to prepare and to be honest I had my moments but this buttery, crispy puff pastry was totally worth it.

1st "block" mixture

3 sticks plus 4 tbsp of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

directions

Put butter in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream until smooth.
Add the flour and mix until combined.
Scrape the soft dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and form a 6 inch square and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

2nd "block" mixture

3/4 cup of cold water
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white vinegar
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted and cooled

directions

Mix the water, salt and vinegar together and set aside.
Put flour in the mixer on medium-low speed and add the melted butter and mix until the flour is moistened.
Gradually add the water mixture slowly to the flour while the mixer is on low speed. You might not need all the water and will know once the dough begins to wipe the sides of the bowl clean. The dough should be elastic like tart dough.
Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a square that is about 2 inches smaller than the butter block. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

to roll and turn

First mixture: Place the chilled butter block on a well-floured work surface (marble is ideal as it typically keeps cool) Roll dough into a rectangle that is roughly 12x7 and be sure to roll in both directions and dust with flour as necessary.

Second mixture: Place the flour block onto the bottom half of the rolled out butter block and fold the top half of the rolled-out dough over and press the dough into a neat package. Make sure the block that is inside reaches out to all corners and comes to about a 7x8 size. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for another 2 hours.

First double turn or wallet turn: Roll the dough on a well floured surface to about 21–24 inches long, 3x its width. (do not worry if your dough isn’t exactly the specified size) Fold bottom quarter of dough up to the center and then the top quarter of the dough down to the center (so they meet). Now fold dough in half at the center. (you will have 4 layers of dough)Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Second turn: Repeat with above. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.

Last turn: Same as above however you will be doing a letter or business fold. Roll the dough three times the longer than its width. Fold one end so it covers the middle third of the dough and fold the other end over it. The dough should be in the shape of a square (if not it will still be fine as long as it is 3x the size as its width). Wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Note: You can roll and turn the dough, wrap it and let it stay in the refrigerator for several hours rather than the minimum 2 hours to accommodate your schedule. Just make sure you do all the steps. Also you can refrigerate the dough for 48 hours or put in freezer for up to a month.

Roll the dough to about 1/8" thickness and refrigerate the dough for another 30 minutes before cutting.

APPLE TURNOVERS

ingredients

3 large apples such as granny smith, crispins, or mutsu (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 tsp corn-starch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup apple cider
3 tbsp of Laird's apple jack whiskey
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp of dried black currants
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 egg and 2 tbsp mixed for eggwash
3 tbsp of granulated sugar for sprinkling on turnovers

note: you can make vanilla sugar for sprinkling by taking a used vanilla bean and covering it in a glass container with sugar.

directions

Peel, quarter, and core the apples and then cut them in 3/4-inch dice.
Add to a pot over medium heat the cider, whiskey, lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla and corn starch. Stir for about 5 minutes over a slow boil and then shut off heat.
Place apples and currants into hot liquid and let sit until cooled.

note: you can prepare this filling the day before and store in the refrigerator or use immediately once it is at room temperature.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Take the Puff Pastry and cut a 12x12 inch square and create (4) 6x6 squares for the Apple Turnovers. Keep chilled until ready to use.

Brush the edges of each square with the egg wash and neatly place about 1/3 cup of the apple mixture on half of the square. Fold the pastry diagonally over the apple mixture and seal by pressing the edges with a fork. Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the top with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, make 2 small slits on top, and bake for 20 minutes, until browned and puffed. Serve warm or at room temperature.