Category: The Chef

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The Chef

Haiti, Cheri

The previous decade contained much catastrophe and started on a very ominous event, September 11th.  I was a schoolteacher back then, and I remember starving for information as my fellow educators and I tried to remain calm for the children, dismissing them to their families one by one.  There were no televisions to catch any news, and the information about the extent of the damage was difficult to ascertain.  I recall being home that evening and the following day glued to the set, trying to comprehend the madness of it all, returning to work a day later with children who due to demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, were basically “untouched” by the tragedy.  I had lost a friend who was working at Cantor Fitzgerald, and New York was no longer a safe place, or at the least, shielded from terror.

Fast forward to a new decade which promises to be better, especially under the leadership of President Obama, and not two weeks into the new year a massive earthquake rocks Haiti, more personal to me because my mother was born there, and several relatives on my grandmother’s side still live in this, the most beleaguered of Caribbean isles.  Now my stubborn relatives who choose to remain in the glorious hills of Haiti may be at peril, their refusal to leave cheri Haiti sealing their fates.

Unlike 2001, I am in front of the television, and the shock of the available footage is palpable.  I am not sure I am better off then when I was kept in the dark at school with little information.  The sadness and worry is great.

It is difficult to comprehend why a people such as the Haitians suffer so.  I know that other peoples go through catastrophe, war and tragedy.  But it just seems that every time there is quiet on the other side of Hispaniola, the heavens deal a raw hand, an insurmountable calamity.

Much has been said about the resilience of the Haitian people, most of whom live in absolute poverty.  They are tough and proud and have a tremendous will to live.  It makes me think of my grandparents who fled the Duvalier regime at its apex, how the United States became a haven for my family and how I would not be here today save for that opportunity.  It is and always will be the foremost reason why this country can achieve greatness.  America was founded by immigrants and continues to thrive on immigrants.  We are the most international of places on this planet.

And now aid is flooding in, quickly, unlike during Hurricane Katrina, and the President is showing the compassion and empathy of the United States, a true measure of why leadership is paramount, and why this decade will be different than the last.

I remember fondly an article in the New York Times Dining In section in November 2005, featuring a cherished family recipe, the Haitian turkey, and how proud I am to be part Haitian (my father is Dominican, my grandmother Palestinian).  I recall the emails I received from Haitians from all over the country and Haiti, expressing joy and pride and thanks that Haiti was being displayed in a positive light for once, not the despair that is often associated with its people.

I have a resolution to try to finish a family cookbook, a long time project of mine, one which I generally find excuses and procrastination for.    But as I finish a plate of gateau de pommes de terre, shepherd’s pie, while watching the deluge on screen, I am filled with resolve to bring something positive about the Haitian culture and people to light.  I wish I could send trays of gateau to Haiti, and am anxious to have these recipes published to help feed the soul of a people who just won’t quit.

My thoughts and prayers to all the families of Haiti.  Let there be light.

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The Chef

2010 – Here we come!

Reflecting on 2009, a year of maintenance and frugality, hardships and reevaluation, not without a few bright spots and minor triumphs. Celebrate what is good in your life now, have hope in the positive that will come, and have faith in your resolve, having survived an inauspicious year.

Drink well, eat great, find little reasons to celebrate life, victories small and large, and above all share with families and friends.

Thank you for visiting Pata Negra, sharing in my thoughts, and mental support I have received in 2009.

Drink life!  Eat Life!

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Drinking Recipes The Chef

Eggnoggin’

The holidays are upon us, and seeking out the right wines to serve with holiday meals become my primary focus, as well as some well deserved proper cocktails at some of my favorite city haunts.  Recently at Apotheke, located in Chinatown, whose cocktail list is designed by a Venezuelan consultant known for aggressive flavor profiles, I imbibed on a tomato basil libation, which sounds like a salad, but was understated.  Clean tomato, then a hint of fresh basil, surprising and effective.  I am no mixologist, save for a proper sidecar, so I need to make a holiday drink for me that is not too taxing and for the masses.

Enter eggnog, a milk and egg drink spiked with brandy or Madeira, one of the true gifts from our neighbors across the Atlantic.  Eggs and milk were very expensive during the 18th century, brandy too, so rum from the Caribbean became a natural, cost-effective substitute.  But New Americans soon switched to whiskey and bourbon, anchoring the eggnog of present day.

Good recipes travel fast, as our Mexican neighbors have a version called rompope. Originally made by the nuns of Puebla, vanilla flavoring is added and extra egg yolks, imparting a more yellowish color.  In East Harlem, at a cakery called Pasteles Capy, the Dorado family have a rompope flavored version that would sweeten any holiday table.

Heading to El Caribe, the center of rum production, variations of these eggnogs became traditional national beverages.  In Puerto Rico, the Borinquen version resides in the coquito, made with coconut and condensed milk, spiced by cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

In Haiti, the drink is called kremas, comprised of creamed coconut and often evaporated milk, which is less expensive than condensed or regular milk.  Aside from cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, anise is also added.  The following is my family recipe:

Kremas Recipe

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
2 cans evaporated milk
4 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 can cream of coconut
1 Vanilla Bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
2 star anise
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp grated nutmeg
2 cups Haitian rum like Barbancourt

Instructions:
In a large sauce pot, add all ingredients. Whisk until well incorporated. Bring to a simmer and stir until mixture thickens. Cool down mixture for 15 minutes.  Add mixture to blender for thirty seconds.  Pour into large glass container with a lid and refrigerate for 24 hours.  Serve cold.

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Drinking Eating Experiences Food The Chef

Tribeca Falling

Having spent a week in my second adopted neighborhood in New York, Tribeca, I have noticed some subtle changes in the restaurant landscape.

More than ever, at night, it is quiet, and that can be directly related to the Triburbia effect, meaning the rising number of stay at home moms with strollers who have traded in late night dinners for lunch/shopping.

Many restaurants have closed, most notably Chanterelle and Danube, and there are more empty spaces now than I can remember, testifying to the rising rents everywhere.  The quality of some existing restaurants have slipped too. Old standbys like Tribeca Grill and The Odeon have not kept up with the times, serving mediocre food for unjustified prices, and the basic grub stops such as Edward’s or Petite Abeille, or Max, might as well be located in the Upper East Side.  It’s a bad sign when a chain comes along, like Dean’s pizza, further signifying a changing of the guard.  More Duane Reades, banks and chain stores like Subway.  I had a few recent meals at Bouley Upstairs and Blau Gans, and although the meals were fine, they were not up to par compared to past experiences.  I am still wondering about Nobu’s consistency.

The Little American Place, Kitchenette, Mangez avec Moi have all had changes in their food, I feel, and the void for cuisine ethnic and exciting has not been filled.

There is still a proliferation of Italian restaurants, mostly overpriced and antiquated.  This is pasta better off made at home.  There isn’t a decent burger in sight, maybe Landmark, and the steakhouses Wolfgang’s and the Palm, are not first choices for a fab cut of beef. Megarestos like Megu, Matsugen, and Ninja, still seem to stay open somehow.  Thank goodness Chinatown is so near.

Newcomers like Bar Artisanal and Locanda Verde are trying to fill the void, but my recent trips to these bars proved fatefully malserviced, coupled with uninspired, small portioned food.  The perennial brunch pleaser, Bubby’s is trying to become a late night destination.  Alas early on a Sunday night, they were out of the ribs.  I guess they are trying to fill the void left by Florent’s closing, picking up a weary Soho crowd.  Bouley Market is trying to be a wine bar at night, but the space is simply not conducive to this conversion.  I still enjoy the Japanese small plates at B Flat, a jazz mecca with fine cocktails, and have yet to give Macao Trading Co. a second chance.  Visits to Macao upon opening left me confused.

At the moment Tribeca still seems like a good destination for lunch, from the Bangladesh eateries closer to the courthouses to the Korean fried chicken at Bon Chon, including several pubs that are open for lunch offering good pub fare.  There are a couple of bars on the clandestine side, not speakeasy, but hard to find.  77 Warren might have the right vibe and feel, but their hours are not set in stone.

Pastries are still good at Duane Street Patisserie and Bouley Market, but when will real artisanal coffee arrive?  Stumptown, Counter Culture, anyone?

I still enjoy Tribeca, and will continue too seek out good quality food there, but in the meanwhile, it’s Winnie’s, NY Noodletown, Big Wong, Fuleen’s, and Grand Sichuan for me.

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Drinking Experiences The Chef Wine

Beer Please?

Every other week there is a hotly debated discussion about beer vs. wine.  The beer advocates feel beer gets an unfair shake in terms of craftsmanship and are further looked down upon by wine drinkers.  The wine advocates think it is more difficult to make wine and feel beer consumers are what the commercials portray them to be, uneducated drunkards with zero palate.  Perhaps this attitude is not shared by the winemakers or workers in the industry.  Peek at the beverage that any one of these folks have in hand during leisure time and you can be all-in that the drink of choice is beer.

As Mr. Asimov pointed out in his blog, The Pour,  beer and wine need not be adversaries, merely complimentary choices.  The horrific marketing ads for beer made without quality paint beer consumers as dolts, and after any real discussion with an avid beer lover, you will discover the same passion and knowledge as a wine geek who casually spouts out malolactic fermentation and indigenous yeasts.  It begs the question, why the divorce?  Why not a reconciliation? If one can have several courses during a meal, why not several different beverages?  Why all the rules and animosity?

I like to start with Champagne, or beer or cocktail, then move towards wine, including sherry, ultimately returning to beer or champagne at the end.

Last week I had much to celebrate.  I received I high rank in Aikido, I was a guest on a cable tv cooking show, and I attended the JETS game.  My drink of choice is Champagne, but I opted for beer at the Burger Joint, located in the Parker Meridien Hotel (still my burger of choice in a burger mad city).  The Sam Adams Boston Lager was on tap and in pristine form, full of body and frothy, perfect for the occasion, having just finished my Aikido exam.  Later in the week I found myself at the underground (literally) pizza shop speakeasy at 6th and Avenue B, although I ordered a bottled beer that was much less satisfying.  Finally on Sunday, I celebrated the Yankees victory while watching the JETS, reaching for old standbys Bass Ale and Guinness on tap, which after those two kickoff returns by Ted Ginn Jr.,drowned my sorrows appropriately.

I look at beer as a mini Champagne, a tiny split if you will, and the only decision you have to make is to choose a good one, or at least one to your liking, much like I prefer drinking vintage over non-vintage, except that the cost comparison is recession friendly.  Six packs work just as well as a bottle of wine.  Two people or four can share.  At my favorite Cantonese place, Phoenix Garden, which has a BYOB policy, I often bring a six pack of lager, and then esoteric white wines, just to try different flavor combos and pairings, returning to beer throughout the meal.  But there is no need to quarrel over which, I say choose both.

This week I will be heading at Minetta Tavern for a celebratory black belt meal.  Will it be beer, Champagne, or cocktail to start?  Maybe all three.  The beauty is in the choice and my mood, no rules or arguments.  It all fits.  It’s all good.  It’s all celebration.