Eggplant balls with molten mozzarella centers
Adapted from Marcella Hazan, Marcella Cucina Makes about 20 3 medium eggplants 2 tsp. salt 2 tbsp. olive oil 3 oz. mozzarella 2 large eggs 1 1/2 tbsp. flour 2 large eggs 1 1/2 tbsp. flour 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped 1/2 cup bread crumbs Oil for deep frying Preheat oven to 350. Cut the eggplants into even half-inch slices. Sprinkle with salt, rub with olive oil, and roast on a sheet pan for 30-40 minutes, or until tender but not yet brown. While the eggplant is roasting, thoroughly drain any liquid from the mozzarella and cut it into small cubes, about...
Read MoreGoat cheese, fig, and hazelnut terrine
This sweet and savory dish will wow guests at your next cocktail party or wine tasting and can also be served as an appetizer or cheese course. This recipe makes either one large terrine (in a 6″ x 3″ loaf pan) or two smaller terrines. The mold can be any dish that’s longer than it is wide, though even a simple loaf pan turns out a beautiful result. It must be made at least a half day in advance, though it is even better if it can rest for two days before serving. Adapted from Jody Adams, In the Hands of a Chef ¼ lb high-quality dried figs ½ cup sweet sherry or Marsala...
Read MoreWhy certify?
Yesterday I gave a talk at NYU about sustainability certification–organic, fair trade, and others. Some of the questions students had were really solid and thoughtful, which made me think it might be useful to post some responses and thoughts on the subject. Any stamp on a label is put there to tell you, the customer, something about the product. The price tag tells you how much someone wants you to pay. The ingredients list tells you what’s inside. The name “Chianti” tells you that the wine came from a certain part of Italy and contains certain grapes. “Fair...
Read MoreMove over, Juan Valdez…
I was invited to attend a coffee summit in Haiti last week, where people from all over the country and every part of the sector came together—from farmers and coops to speculators and processors to buyers and roasters—to see if we could figure out how to restore Haitian coffee exports to the levels they were before the 1980s. To make it clear what this was all about, I should give a brief history lesson. Coffee arrived in Haiti in 1727, planted by French colonists, and within 50 years the country was producing 77 million pounds of it a year–or 40% of the world’s supply. Soon...
Read More