veehive

A week ago today, one of the most celebrated restaurants in New York City reopened after a five week remodel. Le Bernardin was beautiful before but the post remodel photos are stunning. Designed by Bentel & Bentel {who also designed Gramercy Tavern – my other favorite NYC restaurant}, the space is more contemporary, washed in beautiful wood which highlights the retained ceiling and features beautiful pieces of art and wall coverings. Since we’re here and not there, I decided to bring Le Bernardin to us by recreating two of Chef Eric Ripert’s recipes in his cookbook Avec Eric. Earlier this year I talked about my love for Chef Michael Mina. But anyone that truly knows me knows my first chef crush award goes to Chef Ripert. Really, what’s not to love? He’s an amazing chef who makes you rethink seafood and look at it in a different way. His food is meticulously conceptualized, composed and constructed to deliver wonderful flavor in the most beautiful presentations. He’s French, he’s a tall drink of water, one of his best friends is Anthony Bourdain {which always makes me chuckle}. So like I said, what’s not to love?

If you have ever been afraid to tackle seafood beyond simple roasting or pan searing, I highly recommend Avec Eric, based on the his PBS show of the same name. Chef Ripert’s recipes in this book are easy and simple, yet deliver incredible flavor perfect for weeknight dinners or the most elegant of dinner parties. The book also features cocktails, starters, meats and desserts, all organized in chapters that tell the story of a region and its local produce, fish and meats. The pictures are beautiful and the stories at the beginning of each chapter take you on a culinary adventure.

For our entree we had roasted halibut with tomatoes, zucchini and onions {page 98} – the recipe calls for striped bass but beautiful, fresh halibut was available so I went with that instead. You must get the cookbook and make this dish. It is so elegant and incredibly tasty featuring produce available now, and since it utilizes large filets of fish, would be perfect for an end of summer dinner party.  For our starter, I was inspired by Chef Ripert’s grilled calamari with quinoa, tomatoes and olives recipe.  I changed some of the ingredients – swapped Nicoise olives for green ones, used different acid for the vinaigrette, added capers and tossed in some arugula. It was great! Paired with some beautiful white wines, we had a wonderful dinner but now I must look at our calendars and figure out when we can get back to NYC for dinner at Le Bernardin.

Grilled Calamari Quinoa Salad
serves 4

1 cup quinoa
 1 pound calamari bodies/tubes
¼ cup + 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
1 small red bell pepper {I actually used a purple one because I was intrigued}
1 small yellow bell pepper
¼ cup Nicoise olives, pitted and roughly chopped
2 tbsp. capers, drained and chopped
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, roughly copped
2 tbsp. fresh mint, julienned
2 cups baby arugula leaves 

In a medium, heavy saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to boil.  Add the quinoa, stir, reduce heat to a medium simmer and cook uncovered until the quinoa is tender, about 12 – 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, prepare the dressing: to the vinegar, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup of the olive oil, whisking to emulsify. Add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste.

Over high heat, prepare a grill pan or an outdoor grill. Toss the remaining olive oil with the calamari then season with salt and pepper. Grill the calamari until just opaque, turning once, about 2 ½ minutes per side depending on size. Transfer to a cutting board, let cool slightly to handle then slice into 1/3″ rings.

In a large bowl, add the tomatoes, bell peppers, quinoa, olives, capers, parsley, mint and arugula. Add vinaigrette and toss lightly. Distribute between four plates and top each with the calamari rings. 

A BLT is one of the easiest sandwiches to make and is also one that almost everyone likes personalize.  Maybe it’s the kind of bacon or bread; the addition of avocado or {gasp} cheese.  The slightest variances can make a big difference in taste. The amount of bread toasting; the doneness of the bacon. They all change the blt experiece.   Personally, I like my bacon pretty well done but not crunchy!  If the bacon falls apart when you bite into it, it’s just a waste. And I like just a medium toast on the bread so that it remains a little chewy and doesn’t feel like a rasp on the roof of my mouth. I know; I’m very particular. You’re probably not as picky as my but if you like BLTs I think you’ll like my take on this classic sandwich, which features tomato jam in place of fresh tomato slices.  I prefer thick cut smoked bacon {Hempler’s is my favorite} but with the addition of the tomato jam I find arugula, instead of lettuce, adds a needed nice, light peppery complement. You can make the jam a day in advance – just keep it in an airtight container and let it get to room temperature before using.  PS: This is a good version to make when tomatoes aren’t in season because you can adjust the amount of sugar you add to the jam.  

Tomato Jam, Bacon + Arugula Sandwich
serves four

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 ½ cups tomatoes, diced {I used cherry tomatoes cut into quarters}
1 tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ Kosher salt
¼ freshly ground black pepper
16 slices thick cut bacon
8 slices bread of your choice
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 cups baby arugula leaves

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic; saute until softened but not browned – about 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, sugar, thyme, salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and the consistency of the tomatoes is of medium thickness. Taste and add more sugar and/or salt if needed. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. You should have about 2 cups of jam.

While jam is cooling, cook bacon in a skillet to your preference of doneness. Remove bacon to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to remove extra drippings. Toast bread. Assemble sandwiches: apply a little mayonnaise to each slice of bread. To one slice per sandwich, lay down a layer of arugula leaves followed by four slices of bacon. Top the bacon with the tomato jam. Cover with the other slice of mayonnaised bread. Cut in half + serve.