Big goings on of late. New job, new pope, FoodieFamily vacation. What? I hadn’t told you we were going on vacation? My bad. We did. And it was awesome. Where you ask? Well, not content to wait for spring to come to us, we decided to go to spring. Training that is. We went to warm, sunny slightly cooler than expected Tampa, Florida to see Yankees Spring Training. It was glorious. I’ve missed baseball every day since the 2012 Yanks basically failed to show up for the post-season and not only was it Derek Jeter’s first game back since breaking his ankle, but FoodieFamily got to meet him.

Not food related but still pretty awesome!

Between the trip and the new restaurant hours, St. patty’s Day has pretty much snuck up on me. (Side note: I didn’t know ‘snuck’ wasn’t a word until spell check just told me. Amazing. And sad.) If any of you, my FoodieFriends, are planning to host a St. Patty’s Day party, well, I urge you to check out the state of White Plains after last week’s parade. My God, drunkards as far as the eye could see (I was so sad to be working). But if you insist on going forward anyway, you’ll have to serve food, if for no other reason than to sop up the booze. Our good friends at Benjamin Steakhouse have kindly sent us a recipe for Corned Beef Sliders. This fits right in my sweet spot. Miniaturized comfort food that is also turned into a sandwich and can be eaten with one’s hands. Yeah, chips center of the table, I’m all in!

I love Benjamin Steakhouse. There’s really no other way to put it. I met the Chef, Arturo McLeod, and much of the staff while writing a post and filming a video interview. You can read my feelings on the restaurant, its people and its food in that post, but to cut to the chase: If you need a steakhouse in Westchester, Benjamin is your choice.

If I thought I loved them before, that was before I knew that they made chocolate covered bacon. And certainly before they were kind enough to share the recipe with me! This was a Valentines Day special. In fact, Benjamin had a lovely Valentine’s Day menu, but due to a dangerous combination of disorganization and laziness I completely missed the e-mail until after it was over. However, here in all its glory, is the recipe for chocolate covered Canadian bacon. The folks at Benjamin call it “a unique recipe that is sweet, smoky and spicy-all in one!” Since Canadian bacon is far leaner than regular bacon and chocolate has anti-aging properties, I’m gonna go ahead and file this under health food. And have it for breakfast. Every day.

Westchester residents have no shortage of options when they’re in the mood for beef. Famed nationwide names such as Morton’s, Ruth’s Chris and BLT Steak, as well as respected New York City restaurants such as the Benjamin have have all opened outposts in our fair county. We also have many local favorites such as Flames and The Willet House. Steak aficionados tend to be willing to debate the relative merits of their respective favorites whenever the opportunity arises. I’ve seen heated arguments arise over which was best, “Sparks?! Are you nuts?! Have you ever even eaten at Peter Luger?!” Whichever your favorite, we here in the 914 are lucky enough to have many options.

However, we are also lucky enough to have the best option.** That’s right, we have the best steak with the added benefit of it being famous. A steak that put the Hudson Valley on the culinary map, defeated an Iron Chef and is exclusively ours. And it won’t be found at a steakhouse. No, the steak I’m talking about is Peter X. Kelly’s Cowboy Rib Eye and it can’t be gotten in New York City, Vegas or South Beach, only right here at Xaviar’s X2O in Yonkers (Okay, and Restaurant X in Congers).

First, some history for those unfamiliar. Peter Kelly has been amazing Hudson Valley diners for thirty years, since opening his own restaurant at only 23 years old. Now the owner of four restaurants, Xaviar’s at Piermont, Freelance Cafe, Restaurant X, and the aforementioned Xaviar’s X2O, Chef Kelly has racked up a nearly unimaginable list of accomplishments and accolades. 29 out of 30 in Zagat, a rating of extraordinary in The New York Times and, in 2010, a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northeast. Dining at one of his restaurants is an experience. There is attention to every detail about your meal. Indeed, the restaurants are a true extension of Chef Kelly himself. To meet him is to find a warm and gracious man in whose company you always feel welcome. Given the ratings it is easy to see he is an accomplished chef, but just as importantly, he is a natural host who believes that it is always easier to satisfy a happy diner. He is a restaurateur who reminds that the root of restaurant is restore, and not just restoration of calories, vitamins and minerals, but restoration of spirit.  Every member of his staff that you interact will tend to be pleasant and attentive, ensuring that no negative experiences impede upon your enjoyment of the stellar food.

Accolades aside, what put Peter Kelly on the map nationally was his 2007 appearance on Iron Chef: America where he defeated Bobby Flay. With a grilled steak. Let us allow that to sink in for a moment. Chef Kelly beat a chef, famous worldwide for his grilling acumen, with a grilled steak. Specifically, his grilled Cowboy Rib Eye.

The Cowboy Rib Eye at X2O and Restaurant X is what you get when a hugely accomplished chef brings his talent and attention to detail to bear on steak. Aged anywhere from 28-35 days, the steak itself is a gorgeous, bone-in behemoth. It is rubbed with a combination of brown sugar, cayenne, salt and cracked black pepper, then left to marinate for two days. The result, after a pass under a 900° steakhouse broiler, is a beautifully charred exterior with a hint of heat and a slight sweetness to balance the smoky flavor from the char.

Initially presented whole before being removed for carving, it returns to you glistening and inviting, the interior ruby red but firm, the way only dry aged steak does. One bite and you immediately taste the bold beefiness of a well marbled, dry aged steak, but also the subtlety of the the spice rub. There is another factor that sets this steak apart. Every steakhouse seems to have branded their own line of steak sauces which accompany your selection. Chef Kelly practices Contemporary American cuisine, pulling inspiration and techniques from many of the world’s cuisines. Many of his dishes possess a French flair. His Cowboy Rib Eye is served with a classic Bearnaise sauce, the sweetness of fresh tarragon and tang of vinegar help create a rich sauce which perfectly compliments both the meat and its crust.

I began this story by discussing the link between steakhouses and luxury, and for good reason. The Cowboy Rib Eye served at X2O and Restaurant X is, indeed, luxurious. The steak, juicy, kissed by smoke and awash in creamy Bearnaise sauce needs to be as bold and assertive as it is because the side dishes accompanying it are stunning.

The steakhouse standard creamed spinach is there and just as comforting and satisfying  as mentioned, but there are no mere home fries here. Instead, the classic American accompaniment also gets a bit of French treatment (no, not French fries) in the form of Gratin potatoes. Covered in blistering Gruyere cheese, the aroma hits you like the world’s most delightful freight train. You’re there for steak but man, oh man do you want to dive right into the potatoes. I wanted to maintain manners (and also some sense of dignity), but still came close to hoarding that dish.

Bread comes in the form of three softball sized popovers. On the exterior is a buttery, crackly crust that could make a croissant cry tears of envy. Ripping one open will lead to ethereally light wisps of sweet, soft bread and a pocket of warm air that was the very essence of fresh baked bread. Though intimidating in size, these popovers are so light and airy that you will be in no danger of filling up on bread even though you will desperately want to.

Successful chefs know the mixed blessing and curse of being forever linked to a classic dish. David Chang’s Pork Buns, Wolfgang Puck’s Smoked Salmon Pizza and Thomas Keller’s Oysters and Pearls, ask them about these dishes and they may roll their eyes with a “Oh, that again” look on their faces. But they also recognize that these are the dishes that made them famous and wildly successful. So it may be that Peter Kelly is linked to his Iron Chef toppling Cowboy Rib Eye. I know that if I were linked to something so eminently satisfying as that dish I would consider myself successful indeed. It’s a classic 914 Eat!

*This was originally run on lohud’s Small Bites blog. It was to be my second installment of Desert Island Food, a conceit that I grudgingly dropped with a grumpy wave of my hands because Liz Johnson’s 914 Eats! ideas was better. Grumble, grumble.

**Cue the yelling and screaming. Proclaiming a “best” in something that people feel as passionate about as steak is just begging for abuse. Bring it on, I can take it.

Sooo gooey…

Scarpetta chef and Food Network star Scott Conant is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet and one of the best chefs around. How good a chef? He became famous for having spaghetti in tomato sauce on his menu at the low, low price of $24.00. That doesn’t make him great, just ballsy. What makes him great is that hordes of rip-off averse New Yorkers line up to pay $24 for spaghetti in tomato sauce again and again. To create a $24 spaghetti in tomato sauce that makes diners feel like they got a steal is the mark of a great chef.

How nice a guy? After creating the aforementioned miracle pasta what did he do? Well, he went ahead and published the recipe. He even demonstrated how to make it on television for all to see.

Seriously, if you had the keys to the castle, would you make copies? Yeah, me either. Or neither. What am I, an English teacher?

So, what does Scott Conant have to do with stuffed meatballs? Well, technically nothing. But how much of my inane ramblings ever have much to do with my ostensible point? But what brought him to mind was that once, while watching Chopped, I saw a contestant make meatballs. Scott Conant, this great chef, this apparent awesome dude, flared a nostril and said, “I just don’t like meatballs.” I was crestfallen. It would be like finding out that miracle man Lance Armstrong was really a lying piece of garbage and on drugs and cheating the whole time! I mean, who doesn’t like meatballs? It’s a ball of meat! Sheesh, I’d drink a glass of meat if someone would serve it to me. Meatballs, in their rustic simplicity, are among my favorite food in the world. They’re great in every culture for God’s sake! Even the Swedes have meatballs worth eating, but here was a food hero of mine who didn’t like them. I started to second guess myself. Was I a chump for loving meatballs? Did it call all my foodie beliefs into question? Then I realized that Aristotle believed in the Geocentric model of all planets and the Sun revolving around Earth. If someone as smart as Aristotle could be wrong about planet sized orbs then surely Scott Conant could be wrong about small, meat based orbs, right? In response to my near heresy I decided to not only make meatballs, but to double down and make meatballs even better. By God I was going to make meatballs stuffed with mozzarella cheese!

Since I’ve already gone on about successful restaurateurs, television networks, famous athletes, Swedish cuisine and freakin’ Aristotle, allow me another moment to discuss my meatball philosophies and techniques. Listen, if you’re still here it’s your own fault. Caveat emptor. (Great, let’s add some Latin into the mix.)

Before simmering meatballs in sauce people generally agree that they should be pre-cooked to form a crust.  Classically, this is achieved by frying them briefly in oil to brown the exterior. The other method is to bake the meatballs at high heat for 15-20 minutes until browned. Though some consider this blasphemy, it is generally the method I employ and I do so for two reasons. First of all, it’s moderately healthier. Though I’m still eating a ball of ground meat with a high fat content, mixed with bread, cheese and eggs, at least it’s not a fried ball of ground meat with a high fat content, mixed with bread, cheese and eggs. The second reason is that, because moistness and tenderness is of utmost importance to me when I make meatballs, I use a high ratio of wet ingredients like ricotta cheese, eggs and milk. When I form my meatballs they are fairly wet and tacky. Wet doesn’t fry so I bake them. I then braise them at a gentle temperature in crushed San Marzano tomatoes as, considering the relatively long braising time, I don’t want an overcooked sauce. However, these were different. That they were stuffed with cheese allowed me to worry less about the moist and tender aspect. Y’know what’s tender? A meatball with a molten core of melted cheese. This allowed me a dryer meatball which was important because I was frying these meatballs. People can argue the relative merits of baking versus frying, but I wanted these babies to be pure luxury and nothing imparts a crust like frying.

Having just used the word luxury, I must say that is exactly right for these meatballs. They were luxurious. Topped with a rich dollop of ricotta cheese, they were a study in complimentary flavors and contrasting textures. I didn’t serve any pasta with the, just some good, crusty bread and some great olive oil. Scott Conant is a great chef and everyone is entitled to his own opinion but his is wrong dammit! Dead, flat wrong. I could eat these every day and the fact that I don’t is as close as I’ll ever come to professing self control.

Recipe: Stuffed Meatballs

Preparation time: 1 hour(s) 30 minute(s)

Cooking time: 1 hour(s) 10 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

Westchester is fortunate to have its own share of talented food purveyors as well as a distinct regional flair. Indeed, if I were trapped on a deserted island, with or without a trusty volleyball for a sidekick, my choice of food would certainly be unique to Westchester. The difficult part for me would be deciding upon which of my favorites to choose. So, in this column I will try to consider all my choices. Of course, the most fun part of this discussion is always debating choices with your counterparts. For that reason I encourage, indeed I implore you, our faithful readers to give us your desert island foods!

Desert Island Food, Chapter 1: Walter’s Hot Dogs, Mamaroneck, NY.

If the idea of purchasing a hot dog (or four) from a roadside pagoda seems incongruous to you then you are definitely not from Westchester. After all, Walter’s has been churning hot dogs out of its copper roofed pagoda since 1928 (and selling hot dogs since 1919). During the summer months intimidatingly long lines stretch well down the block as fans wait to place their order at the window.

As you draw closer you are met with the smell of the dogs, sizzling on the grill. At this point, the most patient of people can begin to get a little testy as stomachs inevitably begin rumbling. Walter’s is not the most orthodox of hot dogs. They’re served split and grilled in “special sauce”. I tend to love the snap of the casing yielding when I bite into a hot dog, but I make an exception for these. There is another secret weapon at play as well, Walter’s mustard. Made from an original recipe it is, in a word, spectacular.

You overhear two basic conversations as you stand in line. The first is along the lines of, “How many are you getting? I don’t know, I was going to get four but I really shouldn’t, maybe I’ll just get three. How many are you getting? Four? Okay, I’ll get four too.” The second is how you’re getting them and this is where things can get heated. I get both Ketchup and mustard, considered blasphemy by some. However, I find the vinegary pop of the mustard and the sweetness of the ketchup combine with the buttery hot dog and toasted roll to create a near perfect food. So easy to eat are these gems that your first is usually gone before you even realize it. This is why I’ve never seen anyone order a single hot dog at Walter’s.

A trip to Walter’s isn’t complete without an order of curly fries.

Salty, crispy and piping hot, they are a perfect accompaniment. However, this too has led to arguments when discussing deserted island foods. Is it choosing one food or choosing one place?! Since I’m writing this rather than debating it I will declare myself the final arbiter: it’s one food. So if you’re going on any sketchy ocean voyages or three hour boat tours, you’d better get your fill of curly fries now. And while you’re at it, wash the whole thing down with an egg cream.

Note: This column is running on the Small Bites blog under the title 914 Eats. The Journal News’ food editor, Liz Johnson was less enamored of the desert island idea than yours truly. So what does an amateur blogger do when receiving advice from a successful professional? Why, ignore it of course! That’s why I’m the amateur. Also, I realize the correct terminology is ‘Deserted Island’, but everyone in the world says desert island so I didn’t think it was worth being a slave to grammar. My blog, my rules.

Noma has become more than a restaurant, it’s become a movement within the food world and the creation of a new cuisine. The new Nordic cuisine is what is referred to nearly every time Noma is mentioned. I am unsure what the old Nordic cuisine was but people sure were excited about the new one. Fawning magazine articles talked of Redzepi foraging in the forests and along the coasts of Denmark for the ingredients to his dishes. There was a food revolution happening and I was missing out on it entirely! Now, all was not lost. You see, when a chef and his food become famous enough you can count on the inevitable cookbook. Though it doesn’t allow you to experience the restaurant or enjoy a professional preparation of the dishes, it does give you an idea of the chef and offer you a shot at recreating the dishes that made them famous. I’d never had Oysters & Pearls, but Thomas Keller was generous enough to publish the recipe so I could at least give it a shot. You can imagine my excitement when Redzepi’s Noma cookbook was announced. Subtitled “Time And Place In Nordic Cuisine”, it promised not only recipes but “exclusive insight into the food, philosophy and creativity of Rene Redzepi.” I was positively giddy when I received it in the mail. It was big and beautiful and full of lush, vibrant, beautiful photography and utterly useless to me. Absolutely, utterly useless. You see, when Grant Achatz released his Alinea cookbook, many of the recipes called for as many chemical ingredients as food ingredients. The recipes were so daunting that blogs were created around cooking the dishes, most notably Carol Blymire’s Alinea at Home. However, as intimidating as the recipes may have been, the fact is that I could get Transglutaminase if I wanted to attempt one. But where in heck was I supposed to acquire Icelandic moss or Cladonia lichen (pg.319) or seakale seeds (pg. 320)? Also, though the photos were, in fact, lush and vibrant and beautiful, most were difficult to even recognize as food. This is not meant to besmirch a great chef or a beautiful book, but my desire to experience the NNC (new Nordic cuisine) would remain unsatisfied.

After reading the harrowing tale of woe recounted above you can only guess my imagine when a New York Times review of Acme restaurant in Manhattan was entitled, Acme Signals the Arrival of New Nordic Cuisine. It seemed that Mads Refslund, one of the founding chefs at Noma had quietly taken over the kitchen at the former Cajun restaurant and bar. I’d been longing to eat there and finally got a chance when a close FoodieFriend invited me to dinner. The food was obviously different than Noma, and I wouldn’t quite say revelatory, but it was undeniably delicious with just enough quirks and odd combinations to make it a unique experience. An appetizer of sweet shrimp and bison tartare with pickled grapes was so new and so perfectly composed that I almost ordered another. A dish called, simply, Chicken and Eggs was, in its perfect execution if not in its originality, a joy to eat. The dish that stood out to me most was seared arctic char with a buttermilk, horseradish dressing, served with romaine lettuce. It was simplicity defined, the dish standing only on the quality of the ingredients, the technique brought to bear and a perfect combination of flavors and textures. The soft, fleshy fish paired with crisp romaine, the tangy heat of the horseradish and buttermilk. Amazing.

In its simplicity it seemed a great dish to try to replicate at home. It was so simple, in fact, that it was even worth doing on a weeknight. This dish really was so incredibly simple and satisfying, the only tricky part being if you are not experienced in searing fish. You want that blackened, crispy skin to stay attached while keeping the fish medium rare. The key is to make sure the skin is as dry as possible (never salt the skin side, just the flesh), your pan is screaming hot and don’t even attempt to slide a spatula under it until the corners start curling away from the pan themselves. I wasn’t able to get Arctic char so I used wild salmon, a fine choice. Also, I couldn’t find fresh horseradish so I used prepared.

I also charred half my romaine just to add a bit of smokey flavor. This is not necessary if you’re trying to keep it as simple as possible. It added a nice flavor, but the crispness of the lettuce really did work beautifully with the fish.

Not only is this simple, but also gluten free and fairly light. Sure the dressing is creamy but a little goes quite a long way. The purpose is to add pop and tie all your ingredients together, not to drown your meal in buttermilk.

Not only do I look forward to making this again, I’m going to have to do it sooner rather than later! I hope you do too.

Ed. note: This was first posted on the Small Bites blog, with many more photos.

Are you the type to fight with a friend or spouse over a beautifully burnished, crackly, crispy pig’s ear like a couple of starving terriers? If the answer is yes (or even maybe), then has The Cookery got the meal for you!

The appropriately named Pig Dinner promises a submersion in “gastronomic perversions and barbarism.” I, for one, can see the barbarism aspect, an entire pig placed between 6-8 hungry people with naught but a few pairs of tongs to rip and shred, but perverse? If loving a whole pig is wrong then I don’t wanna be right! In fact, as someone who’s been known to roast an entire pig myself, I find it the opposite of perverse. There is absolutely no waste, no meat carved away to prepare a restaurant worthy loin chop for example. And the flavor when the animal is cooked whole? Again, I’ve described it as the opposite of perverse, pure. My exact words at the time were, “It was clean tasting, as if cooking it whole left an unblemished purity.”

For those who have never been to The Cookery, it is cool. Sort of that ’90′s grunge band, “I don’t gotta play by the Man’s rules!” cool. With exposed brick in some spots and a chalk board proclaiming specials many places could look like they’re trying too hard, like my dad with an earring. But at The Cookery it all just falls into place. Hip servers offer hip specials and one finds himself jealous of the patrons who are known and addressed by name before being led to one of the solid wooden tables. But not, however, the prime table set in the window at the front of the restaurant. Oh no, the only table at The Cookery that may be reserved, this is saved for those partaking in the Pig Dinner.

Priced at $65 per person, the Pig Dinner includes an appetizer, the aforementioned pig, and three market side dishes and dessert. Rustic as a whole pig might be, the appetizer allowed Chef David DiBari to flaunt his technique and attention to detail. A small slice of terrine was accompanied by a fantastic whole-grain mustard and vinegary cornichons, as well as beautifully charred bread. I knew what was in store for me food-wise but still finished every crumb. Also, on the plate was a blood pudding, served over a dollop of polenta. Both were incredible. The polenta managed to be creamy while maintaining a toothsome bite. It was a perfect foil for the much milder than expected blood pudding. Even those at the table who seemed at first dubious of the pudding finished every bite.

As great as the appetizer was, excitement was building to a fever pitch for the main event. Though I was sitting with my back to the dining room (take that normal diners not feasting on a whole pig!), a buzz amongst the other diners alerted me that it was showtime. As servers frantically cleared space at the center of our table, Chef DiBari himself walked the beautifully glistening pig to our table. He proceeded to, very quickly and efficiently, carve our pig right there on the table. Though broken down, the pig was still left in caveman sized hunks. We were left with tongs, instructions that the cheeks and ears were the best part, and the express hope that the table didn’t devolve into Lord of the Flies-esque anarchy.

At the risk of repeating myself, one bite of the rich, sticky meat reinforced my perception about the purity of flavor. It was clean and porky and delicious. Paired with perfectly crispy skin it was irresistible. The pig was accompanied by potatoes and vegetables that it had been roasted upon, as well as an order of “buttery salty potatoes with parmigiano and slovenian fleur de sel”. Allow me to repeat that. Buttery salty potatoes with parmigiano and slovenian fleur de sel. Only on a table with a whole pig would those not be the most delicious thing being served.

The Pig Dinner is an event and the pig itself is a showstopper. Also, a stranger stopper. Not content to merely openly gape at our pig, numerous diners stopped by the table to see if it was all it was cracked up to be. After hearing our ravings I’d guess their attestations of a return visit were sincerely meant. Not willing to cede any ground on the “perversion” part of the dinner, I prefer my title, A Porktastic Orgy Of Self Indulgent Excess. That seems about right to me. Do yourself a favor: reserve a table soon and see if it seems right to you!

With that in mind I cooked a fish….er, dish that was so simple, so delicious, and such a showstopper that it was almost worth calling dibs on Christmas Eve again. Then I carefully proceeded to take photos so I could write an extensive post, documenting the simplicity and stunning outcome.

Then I proceeded to lose said photos. POOF! Gone into the virtual ether. The worst part? I made it twice. Swear to God. The first time I made it I was alone with the FoodieKids and just snapped a few shots from my iPhone. However, it came out so well that I just had to make it again for FoodieWife and take some actual, decent photos. Both sets, gone.

Well, enough build-up and excuses. What was this miracle dish? This dish to end all dishes? This Christmas miracle? Yeah, the build-up is officially too much. It was Salt Baked Fish. That’s it, fish baked in salt. Hey, don’t get mad at me if I oversold it, go re-read the title of the post. Caveat emptor!

I have made no bones about (pun?) my love of cooking animals whole. Whether it be pig, or chicken or, hopefully this summer, goat. Fish is no exception. I’ve been hooked (pun?) ever since, when on vacation on Grand Cayman a few years back, I bought a red snapper, stuffed it with lime, lemongrass, ginger, cilantro, jalapenos, butter, soy sauce and garlic, then cooked it whole on a grill. In the Caribbean. At night. It was just so perfect. However, though she’s no longer a vegetarian (thank God), FoodieWife gets skittish eating anything with a face still attached. Salt baking a fish bought me some cover. No, it literally bought me a cover. When I cracked the salt shell that encased my perfectly steamed, fragrant, moist and tender branzino, I just left the part that was covering the face. That is, until FoodieWife wasn’t looking and then I selfishly ate the cheeks, the best part, by myself. Hey, not my fault she’s a face-o-phobe.

Thankfully, the internet has no shortage of recipes for salt baked fish. There are even a bunch of beautiful images. Just not here. As I said, I used branzino which worked beautifully. However, any firm-fleshed fish such as red snapper, sea bass or bream work well. You will notice that many recipes are similar and that most are stunningly simple. Stuff some herbs into the cavity, encase in a salt and egg white mix, cook, crack, and enjoy. Take a moment, when you first crack the salt crust to enjoy the incredible aroma that wafts up at you. Delicate, delicious, redolent of both Earth and sea. If you are having a lot of people, it is no harder to cook two or three than it is to cook one.

Any of these recipes will work beautifully:

Epicurious (by David Paternack)

Food Network (by Mario Batali)

Saveur (Jody Adams)

NY Times (Daniel Masse)

Note: Many of these recipes call for sea salt as a crust. I used kosher salt which worked beautifully but requires a bit more egg white. Your mix should have the texture of wet sand and should hold together when you pack it around the fish.

I hope you use one of these, I hope you enjoy one of these, and I wish you all a very merry Christmas!

Anyone who’s ever given this blog a cursory perusal knows that we love to entertain at the FoodieCompound. I love to cook and, more than that, I love to host. Everyone has their areas of interest and generosity. Nothing gives me more pleasure than providing the opportunity for friends and/or family to come, make memories and enjoy a meal together. The potential pitfalls to this love are two-fold: First, it can become exorbitantly expensive. Obviously the choice of menu is a large determining factor of cost, but, if you’re serving a multi-course meal for numerous people, cost is a fait accompli. The second problem (and the one FoodieWife chastises me for constantly) is that, as host, the last place you should be all night is holed up in the kitchen. This is a trap that is easy to fall into. If you want to “wow” your guests it is easy to believe that the dish must be intricate and labor intensive. Yes, you can try to prep in advance, however, it is easy to overlook or underestimate the length of time an a la minute dish will take. While this may make for great cooking it will make for poor hosting.

This dish, a steaming hot, beautifully glazed bone-in pork shoulder served with herbed beans, is as close to the best of both worlds as any I’ve found. It comes to us courtesy of Marc Vetri, the Philadelphia restaurateur. Vetri, building off the astonishing success of his eponymously named  flagship restaurant , has gone on to build a mini-empire in Philly as well as authoring two fantastic cookbooks. Though it requires a bit of advanced planning and a lengthy cook time, almost all of the time is inactive. The pork cooks in the oven, slowly softening to the point of perfect succulence, the beans gently simmer on the stove leaving you, the host(ess) to relax with free hands and free mind to entertain and enjoy your guests.

Served family style, a pair of tongs and serving spoon the only necessary utensils, there isn’t even the lag time involved in plating and, if your guests are anything like mine, the will enjoy pulling hunks of steaming pork of for themselves.

The only reminder I’d give is that there are steps that need to be taken a day in advance. A dry brine of fennel, pepper, salt and sugar is applied the day before so that it can permeate the pork, flavoring it throughout and the beans need to soak overnight. But, considering how easy those steps are it obviously shouldn’t dissuade you.

The recipe for the pork shoulder is here. The entire menu is here.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, this meal is nearly perfect (unless of course you’re kosher or (shudder) a vegetarian). I used flageolet beans because I had them in the house already meaning that, for this entire meal, the only ingredients I needed to purchase were whatever fresh herbs I didn’t already have. (Why yes, I did already have a bone-in pork shoulder in the freezer, don’t you?) I spent about $4.50 and almost no time and presented a dinner that wowwed my guests. Make this soon. And often!

This post turned out very different than I originally imagined it. It started out as a potential new feature where I speak with local chefs and get tips in their particular area of expertise. After speaking with the good folks at the Benjamin, their Executive Chef Arturo McLeod generously offered to meet with me for a video interview and, what I’d envisioned as Grilling With The Masters. It’s not that I didn’t do the video interview or watch a master at work, I did. It’s just that it turned into so much more than that.

Allow me to explain: I’ve always had certain preconceived notions about steakhouses, as I imagine many others do as well. Power brokers in power ties chowing down on huge slabs of beef and washing it down with a 2005 Petrus, all on an expense account. I began to see steakhouses as corporate extensions of their patrons, soulless, sometimes publicly traded corporations, the testosterone charged culinary equivalent of a Gentlemen’s Club. And don’t get me wrong, if that’s what you’re looking for, Benjamin, Hartsdale can certainly be your place. Westchester has enough bankers, lawyers and hedge fund honchos to support exactly that type of environment. The dining room is beautifully appointed, luxurious really, with heavy drapes, detailed moldings and glossy wood accents. A glass encased wine cellar, complete with a private table for that special occasion, lines a wall across from a beautiful wood bar. According to Arbresha Sinanaj, the wife of one of the two Benjamins of the restaurant’s namesake (and sister of the other), this is the Benjamin Steakhouse experience on weeknights.

However, on weekends there is a subtle shift, from expense account playground to family restaurant. This is where my post, as intended, left the course I’d charted. Here I was, speaking with a woman who was the wife of one owner and sister of another as she painted a picture of a restaurant where she wants her children to bring their first dates one day and an establishment she still wants them to enjoy when they grow old. A restaurant where, on the weekends, local families can come for dinner. If the idea of kids at a steakhouse seems incongruous, imagine plate after plate of cheeseburger sliders rolling out of the kitchen before delighted little eyes. The kids may not realize that Chef McLeod cooks his fries twice, once to poach the inside to a fluffy consistency and then a second time at higher temperatures for a crisp, golden exterior, but they will know they’re fantastic. If you recognize that steakhouses are all about excess, then imagine that theory applied toward a child’s ice cream sundae dessert! The picture that came into focus was the exact opposite of the steakhouse as a soulless entity, but that of a family restaurant that enjoyed catering to families.

Of course, this whole experience was predicated upon interviewing Chef McLeod, so let’s discuss him for a moment. Chef McLeod, part owner and Executive Chef, cooks because he loves it. It’s as simple as that. He has a passion for what he does and it comes out whenever he talks about food. He told me a story about how, as a young man, he almost took another job for the stability and financial security of his family. Then working in the kitchen of Brooklyn’s historic Gage and Tollner, under famed chef Edna Lewis, the thought of leaving cooking saddened him so much he couldn’t do it. He joked that the job, for the sanitation department, would have allowed him to retire by now, but he’s thrilled every day with his choice. This passion leads him to source the best Colorado beef and lamb, and has him even questioning the classics. Having worked at world famous Peter Luger’s for 25 years, Chef McLeod saw countless dishes of creamed spinach pass through the kitchen, noticing the balancing act necessary to keep the dish from breaking down. This led him to create his Cream-less Spinach, garlicky spinach added to a roux and butter, resulting in a dish just as rich, possibly more delicious and much more reliable. His menu is full of small details which elevate classic steakhouse fair, such as the aforementioned double cooked French fries and boiling onions with his potatoes before mashing for an added depth of flavor.

But where Chef McLeod really lit up was in his dry aging room, and I preach its virtues to you with all the zeal of the newly converted. Rack after rack of beef, Porterhouse, Sirloin and Rib Eyes slowly aging for 30 days at 37°, their juices and flavor concentrating in the center. The reason dry aged meat costs so much is the waste involved. The loss of moisture is a positive when it comes to flavor, but the shrinkage involved leads to a lower saleable yield. Add to that the fact that, as the beef loses moisture, discolored or dehydrated meat and fat must be trimmed from the outside. But the results……wow, the results. You will see, in the video that follows, the dry aged lamb chops we grilled. When you cook meat at home you need to let it rest in order for the juices to be reabsorbed into the meat. Because of the dry aging I was able to cut into these chops while still sizzling from the grill and see the juice glistening in the pink interior without having it spill forth onto my plate.  And the flavor! Everything that is great about lamb, its grassy, tangy essence was enhanced in the process. The other benefit of dry aging it that it creates a better, browned exterior. The combination of caramelized exterior and tender, juicy interior was incredible. I’m not sure if I’ve ever considered ordering anything besides steak at a steakhouse, but these lamb chops won me over immediately.

I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to see behind the curtain of this venerable steakhouse and peek at the human faces that keep it running at a high level. The Benjamin also has holiday menus. Their prix fixe Thanksgiving menu is $54.95 per person and their expansive Christmas menu, beginning service at 11 am and running until 11pm, is $59.95 per person. I can think of worse ways to spend a family holiday than with the Benjamin family. And a rack of lamb.

Lastly, I’d like to thank the lovely Raechel Szymanski, Event Coordinator and Patti Schwartz, Private Event Manager, for their help, communication and company while I was interviewing, writing, photographing and making a general nuisance of myself.

Oh yeah, wait a minute…..I seem to recall mentioning a video interview………