The Loaf

It was a picture-perfect spring day when I snapped this image (above) -- it's the "wings" of the new World Trade Center transportation hub in lower Manhattan, with the Freedom Tower as the backdrop. The station cost an unmentionable 4 billion dollars to build, but may be worth the money.  Not only is it highly functional, connecting multiple train lines, it also showcases commendable architecture.

 On first glance, I thought the spiky wings were meant to resemble the crown of the Statue of Liberty, an obvious symbol of freedom. But this was not the intention of the clever Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava (seemingly, all the American architects were on vacation when the project's RFPs were submitted!).  Rather, he was inspired by a dove being released into the air.  And the wings help produce an inspiring, cathedral effect (reflecting on 9/11). On the inside, the wings also effectively allow light to shine through. It's beautifully done.

 Stylish architecture is becoming rare in my beloved New York City, where most of the new buildings seem rather rectangular and uninteresting.  In a city filled with pioneers, it's hard to understand why the buildings look, well, like buildings.
 They are not so ingenious, not so New York, not so American.

Speaking of American, the 4th of July is just a month away. Is your menu planned?  

What's more down-home all-American than a big old meat loaf?  And I have a recipe that is surprisingly fresh for summer.  Instead of red meat, I use turkey meat, and I fold in multiple colorful vegetables. The result: a light loaf.
It makes a great sandwich, too!

Here is what you will need:

1lb ground dark turkey meat
1lb ground white turkey meat (turkey breast)
1 large onion
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 eggs
3 slices of day old bread
1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 cup carrots, cut in small cubes
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh or dried parsley
1/2 cup maple syrup
salt/pepper
pre-made turkey gravy

First up:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, sauté 1 tablespoon of olive oil with diced onion and the tomato paste for about 3 minutes (until onion is soft and the paste has dissolved). Set aside to cool.

Soak the bread in the milk for about 2 minutes.  

Boil the cubed carrots for about 3 minutes, just to soften them up a bit.  Combine carrots with peas and corn.  

In a large bowl, fold together the white and dark meat with the sautéd onions as well as the peas, carrots, and corn. Wring out the bread slices and crumble into meat mixture.  Add the eggs and the maple syrup. Season with salt, pepper and parsley. Mix it well.  

In a large baking dish, form the loaf into large round dome and salt the top. 

Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Let the loaf rest for a few minutes before serving. 

Not only is this dish simple, delicious and down-home, it also presents itself nicely for both casual and formal gatherings! Everyone loves it! 

Since this loaf does not produce enough juice to make gravy, it's easiest to buy a pre-made turkey gravy.  I prefer Pacific's organic turkey gravy, which can be found at most organic food shops, Whole Foods or at Amazon. I often doctor up the gravy with juice that may drain from the loaf and/or with a bit of butter. 

When re-heating the loaf, slice it into pieces and cook in the gravy on the stovetop.
 It's even better the next day!  

Enjoying the newly opened farm stands on eastern Long Island

Saltimbocca

Pork Saltimbocca

Another all-time fave

Saltimbocca, which in Italian means "leap into the mouth", is a traditional Mediterranean dish that is commonly made with veal. Using veal is delicious, but I prefer to use pork. It can also be prepared with chicken. All three meats make mouthwatering Saltimbocca.  Some recipes call for the prosciutto to be rolled inside the cutlets, but I favor leaving the meat flat. Either way, it's an easy 30-minute meal, perfect for this doldrum time of year, and is a real crowd pleaser...

Here is what you will need:

6 thin sliced Pork Cutlets
6-8 slices of Prosciutto
12-14 pieces of Sage
1 cup of Flour
1/2 cup of Chicken Broth
1 cup White Wine
2 tablespoons Butter
1 tablespoon Mustard
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper

If the meat is a cut thick, slice it horizontally into 2 separate cutlets.  It can also be pounded lightly (especially if using chicken).  Each cutlet should be 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. 

Begin by lightly flouring each cutlet.  Put 2-3 sage leaves on top of the floured cutlet and place a slice (or two) of prosciutto over the leaves.  Secure prosciutto and sage to the meat with a toothpick:

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil (olive or vegetable) in a pan over medium heat. Add the meat to pan, sage side down, and agitate to avoid sticking.  Cook on this side until golden brown, or about 3 minutes.

Set the timer!

Flip the cutlets over and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Set aside and let rest, but keep the pan juices. 

Meanwhile, let's make some gravy.  

Add white wine to the sauté pan and simmer until it becomes syrupy.  Add 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 tablespoon of mustard, 2 tablespoons butter, and salt/pepper to taste.  If a thicker gravy is desired, sift a tablespoon of flour into the sauce. 

Place the meat on plate, sage side up and drizzle with the delicious gravy.  

Delectable! 

Everyone is going to LOVE it! 

Balancing Contemporary and Traditional Spaces

Interior Interests

Pairing our Anichini upholstered headboard and bed clothes with our new, contemporary, but somewhat featureless, apartment.

We recently sold our traditional, detail-dripping townhouse in Park Slope and now temporarily live in a modern Brooklyn Heights penthouse.  What a difference! While I miss our large, rambling, stately home -- very close to Prospect Park (below) -- I am enjoying our full-service building, complete with porters, doormen, and basement-level parking -- all within walking distance to our daughter's school.

When we first took on this move, I worried about the marriage -- of our mostly graceful, neoclassical furnishings to a contemporary, blunt apartment, more suited to mid-century modern. Surprisingly, however, the relationship was stronger than I had anticipated -- everyone gets along swimmingly!

The parlor level of our Park Slope home in Brooklyn

Right now, my thoughts on interiors seem to be somewhat scattered -- I am nostalgic about our past homes with all their charm and splendor, I am pleasantly comfortable enjoying our current modern space with its full-service perks, and I am becoming engrossed in the planning and  renovation of our future Brooklyn Heights townhouse (we just signed contracts). In all this, I keep finding myself thinking about the origins of my interest in design, of what motivates my schematics, and why some people, more than others, have a punctilious eye.

Without realizing it at the time, from a young age, I have always had a bend toward interior design.  But, being raised in upstate New York (way upstate), there wasn't anyone to mentor me or anything to inspire; well, aside from the idyllic and breathtaking Adirondack Mountains, or perhaps Lake Placid's rustic but upscale establishments. Oh, and of course, there were all those Anglo, Federal style churches -- surely there was some influence there!

But, the influences were nothing compared to the exposure a young person has when living close to a major metropolitan area. So, when I was 14 years old, I took it upon myself to be inspired with what I had on hand -- my childhood home. It was not uncommon for my parents to come home from work to find their living room completely rearranged, or the rugs shifted across the house, or pictures taken down and rehung, or the dining table silver centerpiece polished, buffed and repositioned somewhere else entirely.  Actually, it is still not uncommon for me to rearrange items in my house, or, better yet, if spending time with friends, in their houses too!

I am constantly rearranging our "knick-knacks," in this case, our Simon Pearce blown glass.

Strangely, fashion wasn't the path that I took professionally, After college, I darted to New York City and fell into a fairly successful career in advertising.  As I approached 40, our daughter was born, and I decided to dedicate all my energy to raising a well adjusted child.  Unfortunately, the results of those efforts won't be in for another good 20 years.

I adore color, an element missing from modern design, of late. 

I am about to undertake another house renovation and I have been taking notes, on the benefits and pitfalls of living in a newer space. For me, the biggest issue when moving from a classic, urban townhouse into a contemporary space is dealing with the "open floor plan." I don't like open floor plans! Both our current penthouse and our future townhouse have open floor plans on the parlor level. I will need to deal with this. Unless I am at an airy beach house, I prefer individually stylized, comfortable rooms over jumbled open living. Everyday life is better suited to compartmentalization -- we weren't meant to dine in the same space that our bills are paid, or worse, where we watch TV.

Fresh flowers -- always a suitable design element!

Another challenge of contemporary spaces is the seeming lack of color. As clearly shown in the photos in this post, I adore rich colors -- strong hues of gold are always attractive to my eye. Did you notice that  there is something gold in nearly all of today's pictures!

I purchased bolts of these bold, rich fabrics at a Brunschwig and Fils sale a few years back and look forward to using them in our new Brooklyn Heights townhouse.

The good news is that color and tradition and classic lines work well with modern spaces. In fact, they may even work better, since they aren't competing with overt existing detail. While traditional interiors may favor stronger patters, more texture and richer colors, so do contemporary spaces. Living in a contemporary space has taught me that the clean lines associated with modern, open spaces help traditional pieces to pop, to sing, and sometime to even jump. So, if a renovation is in your future, go ahead, blur the lines, create your own style, mix it up!

 In the coming months, as I transform our new space, making it shine as originally intended over 100 years ago,  I look forward to sharing our progress here on The Natty Dad, and hopefully, I'll be able to pass along some useful tips along the way.

Cozying up to one of my plush, golden, tasseled, velvet pillows. 

https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/sale/index.jsp?sale=true

http://guydads.blogspot.com

NYC Dressed in its Winter Cloak

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Here is the view from our terrace yesterday:

...and today:

A few words during today's historic storm in NYC

Living inside our Brooklyn Heights bubble

No longer tied to grand townhouse and its rubble

No dog to walk, no snow to shovel

Staying inside and out of trouble

The snow may fall outside should we choose to play

But we are staying inside -- it's a baked goods day.

Gives new meaning to: Made for Measure

Wherever you are today, 

in snowy weather or otherwise, 

don't fight mother nature,

take a moment, 

take a breath, 

and most importantly, 

be safe. 

Thankfully, we made it to Maison Kayser before they closed for snow!

Italian Cheesecake

Easy and Delicious Ricotta Cheesecake --

and it's Gluten Free!

Ok, so this is not a cheesecake -- it is a mouthwatering rainbow cake that I bought from Betty Bakery in Brooklyn for our Labor Day weekend party.  I wanted everyone to see it! It's a sensible choice if you have lots of kids around; or better yet, a perfect gift for contemptuous, county clerks in Kentucky...sorry, had to throw that in.

Here is the cheesecake that we are going to make. I am eating this slice at my desk presently, as I write up the recipe! YUM!!!

So, if you are in the mood for extra rich, thick cream cheese cheesecake, the one with the graham cracker crust and perhaps some heavy whipped or sour cream on top, this recipe is not for you.  The recipe that follows is a traditional, Italian-style cake that is light, has just the right amount of sweetness and has the consistency that is more like flan than cream cheese. It is delicious, and better yet, simple to prepare. It is also perfect for dinner parties, is an impressive gift, and can be prepared a day in advance. You won't regret it!

Here is what you will need:

Spring form baking pan

3 lbs of whole milk ricotta cheese. Note: Be sure to look closely at the container's label, measurements can be obscure (above, a 15 oz container? Honestly!)

2 cups granulated sugar

6 eggs

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 tablespoon vanilla paste: 

In my opinion, unless you are cutting fresh vanilla beans and removing the seeds,  Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste should be used wherever vanilla extract is required.  It is simply the best! I use a generous amount for this cake.

You can find it at:

Sur La Table

Here is how to prepare the cake

Start by preheating oven to 350 degrees. 

Lightly whisk the eggs and then add in the ricotta cheese and sugar.  

Add in the vanilla paste...

...and the lemon zest. 

Mix the ingredients together lightly. Be sure not to over mix, it should remain a bit lumpy. 

If you are looking for a new spring form baking pan, check out the German brand, Kaiser.  It is available at Sur La Table. 

This ingenious one (above) has a glass bottom, perfect to help gauge whether baking is complete!

Pour batter into the spring form pan and bake in the oven for one and a half hours, or until the top turns brown. After taking it out of the oven, it will fall a little bit. Release the spring 30 minutes after it starts cooling. The longer the cake cools, the better it will taste. It can be enjoyed at room temperature or cooled overnight. 

Top the cake with some powdered sugar and serve plain or with some fresh fruit.

Wasn't that easy??

Sur La Table is having a big sale! Check it out:

http://www.surlatable.com/