Jessica's Dinner Party

by jessica yoon

Archives for August 2009

Roasted Tomato Sandwich With A Feta Twist

To enjoy the dog days of summer, I thought it would be nice to go on a picnic with some friends.  Cold drinks, food, and a nice spot in the shade seemed like a good idea.  I didn’t plan on making most of the food myself, but my secret wish came true.  I don’t go on picnics very often, so if I was confined to one dish, I think I would’ve had an even harder time picking out what I wanted to bring.  I mean, I thought about the picnic menu for days and ended up with almost two types of everything.  It probably didn’t help that I went to Whole Foods without a definite plan or grocery list.  My friend kept on telling me to get inspired by the seasonal ingredients, but I couldn’t!  I’m just not experienced enough to know what I can do with what.  Every time I get something, thinking I can make a certain dish, I end up having to run to the local deli in front of my house midway through a recipe because I don’t have fresh chives, tarragon, or heavy cream.  Well, after more than an hour I finalized what I was going to make, and bought almost everything I needed.  I did end up going to the deli once though.

  

The first sandwich I made is made with roasted tomatoes and onions with feta, black olives, and oregano.  It was inspired by Martha Stewart’s amazing Tomato Hand Pies.  I made them a couple of weeks ago for a potluck and everyone devoured them.  I wanted to make them again but didn’t really want to be bothered by the Pate Brisee again.  So I decided to make it into a sandwich!  It was really incredible.  The roasted tomatoes were sweet and savory while the soft onions really provided a depth to the flavor.  The feta, olive, and oregano topping gave the sandwich a nice greek twist.  I thought about using mozzarella instead of the feta and olive combination, but just decided to stay closer to the original recipe.  Next time, I may lay a piece of mozzarella on the bottom of the sandwich because my bread did get soggy by the time I got to the picnic.  But I think it was good, soggy bread and all.  The juices were all soaked up in the crusty soar dough slice.  If you have the time and patience, I really recommend making the hand pies, but if you want a faster and easier version, make this sandwich!

 

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Otto Pizzeria- Mario Batali’s Best?

I don’t eat a lot of pizza, but I crave it often. In New York City, there is a pizza place practically on every block.  I’ve been to many of the well known, highly rated pizza joints but have not yet found the one favorite place.  There are a few places that I think could be the one, but I feel like I have to check out a few more contenders before I can be sure.  It’s so easy to eat pizza here because many places sell them by the slice, but for me, I like to share a big pie and enjoy it with someone else.  To me, pizza is a group oriented activity.  When I think of sleepovers, study groups, and pool parties, pizza is always there.  Maybe that’s why I don’t like getting a slice by myself.  It makes me feel a little bit lonely.

 

 

A few days ago, a couple of my old friends and I had a mini reunion.  Some of them just recently moved to New York and others were visiting.  It was a really great opportunity to catch up and a good group to enjoy pizza with.  There were hundreds of pizza joints to choose from, but I decided to go with Otto Enoteca Pizzeria in Greenwich Village.  I have long been a fan of Mario Batali’s and love his restaurant Lupa.  But, I think my expectations were a little too high.

From the beginning, something was a little off.  Our waiter was very unfriendly and rather grumpy.  I’m usually not one to be really critical of the wait staff because I know, from personal experience, how hard it is to be a server.  But that night, everything was very unpleasant.  Our waiter was very impatient with us as we ordered.  He never checked up on us after our food arrived, even though he walked by our table over a dozen times.  Our cups were empty the entire meal and we all felt like he was purposely ignoring us when we tried to call him.  Anyhow, it wouldn’t be fair to say that the entire restaurant’s service was horrible, but this guy did not represent very well.

 

  

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Tiramisu Cake

I really love baking for birthdays.  Cakes, cupcakes, frosting, sprinkles, piping…is there anything more delightful than that?  My cakes never turn out as pretty and whimsical as I imagine them, but I try not to let that get to me, it’s all part of the fun.  I do though get stressed out a little bit before I start baking, when I’m trying to decide what cake to bake. There are so many different recipes out there and so many resources to get them from, that I find it overwhelming to say the least.

There is a sort of thought process that I go through when a birthday starts to approache.  I first think of what kind of sweets or desserts this person likes and try to create a list of flavor profiles like: chocolate and strawberries, or lemon and almonds.  Then I start the “research.”  I look everywhere.  I go to food blogs, the Food Network, my cookbooks, magazines, and I also go to the bookstore where I grab any cake/baking book I can see and look through each one of them.  This thought process lasts for hours, days, sometimes even weeks and in the end I usually end up with two or three recipes that I like.  There’s always one cake candidate that models the flavor profile list pretty well, while the others are more geared towards something I would like or something I think would taste amazing.  I mean, don’t some people say you should give a gift you would like for yourself? Well, in the end I usually do the right thing, and pick the right cake.

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Julie & Julia

Julie & Julia

 

I know this movie has been talked to death about here, here, and here, but maybe one more person will convince you to go see it if you haven’t done so already.  I just watched it this evening and am still in that movie coma faze where half your thoughts are focused on what you’re doing and the other half is still immersed in the scenes of the movie.  It was really inspiring on so many levels for me, for this blog, and for life in general.  I read the book several years ago but was not as impressed as I am with the movie. I think it was because the movie featured Julia Child as a major character while the book was solely about Julie Powell.  Both people are great protagonists, but I must say Julia Child’s attitude and lyrical voice are so memorable and such a delight to imitate.  I think the best thing that I got out from the film was that it’s important to find something that you love and are passionate about.  Once you find that, life won’t necessarily be easier but it will definitely be a lot more happier.

It is a delicious movie and you must go watch it!  Now I am off to Amazon to get myself a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Zucchini Pancakes

Zucchini Pancakes | Jessica's Dinner Party

Everyday around 4 pm my stomach starts to grumble a little bit.  No matter how filling and satisfying lunch was, at 4 pm food begins to enter my thoughts.  It’s been engrained into my body to want an afternoon snack ever since I was a little.  When I got home from school my mom always had a little something prepared for me to eat.  I remember mango slices, dumplings, mini hamburgers, and strawberry yogurt.  My favorite, however, were Korean zucchini pancakes.  They are slightly doughy with a soft crunch.  The subtle sweetness of the zucchini paired with the salty tang of soy sauce and vinegar is perfection.

Zucchini Pancakes | Jessica's Dinner Party  Zucchini Pancakes | Jessica's Dinner Party

On Sunday, as I was slowly coming out of my food coma from brunch, I started to think of these savory pancakes.  I had a couple of zucchini in my fridge, flour, eggs, milk, and sugar, the ingredients typically included in a pancake batter.  All I needed now was the exact recipe.  I called the ultimate source, my mom, and was surprised to hear that you only need two main ingredients, zucchini and flour.  How simple!  The recipe is so easy and fast that you’ll be amazed at how delicious they are.

Zucchini Pancakes | Jessica's Dinner Party

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