one good dish. david tanis.

For years I used Heart of the Artichoke and A Platter Of Figs, religiously. They are amongst my very favorite cookbooks. So you can imagine how over the moon we were to collaborate with Chef David Tanis on his most recent book One Good Dish .We ploughed through almost two solid weeks of shooting, in the darkest hours of winter. We arrived each morning as the sun rose and finished each day long after dark It was a marathon of shooting and eating and eating some more... David patiently put up with us taking over his entire space.

 Thank you David. Thank you Artisan. Thank you Samin for the introduction! 

Below are a few favorites. 

quail eggs with flavored salt

kale

real garlic toast

blood orange and persimmon

mussels on the half shell 

 gorgonzola and walnut crostini 

 sweet and salty nut brittle

 gunpowder and fresh mint tea

very green fish stew

 .well charred-endive with anchovy butter

save your life garlic soup

 remnants of mussels on the half shell

Save-Your-Life Garlic Soup

Recipe by David Tanis

 From One Good Dish.

said to prevent and cure hangovers...

2 heads garlic, preferably new crop[

separated into cloves (about 16 medium cloves) and peeled

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

12 sage leaves

salt and pepper

6 cups of water

4 eggs

4 slices of bread, lightly toasted

chopped parsley, scallions or chives.

slice or roughly chop the garlic cloves

warm the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.

add the garlic and the sage and let siszzle a bit without browning ( about 2 minutes)

season with about 1 teaspoonsalt and a few grinds of pepper

add the water and bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a brisk simmer.

Cook for 10 to 15 minutes

Taste and adjust the seasoning

Ladle about an inch of the soup into a skilliet and bring to a brisk simmer over medium heat

Carefully crack the eggs into the pan and poach for about three minutes.

To serve, place a slice of toast in each soup bowl and top with a poached egg. 

Ladle the soup over the eggs and sprinkle with a little parsley.

obsession.

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. It was a nice one, kind of quiet.  I love cooking at my Dad’s because he has a plethora of beautiful things that inspire chopping, mincing, stuffing and eating. Everywhere I turn there are beautiful eclectic collections of dishes and bowls and strange and unusual objects. An antique taxidermy falcon lives next to a wooden swan and a bowl full of misshapen eggs. He is antique dealer and like me with my honey, a bit of a hoarder. I know it is not nice to covet, but covet I did for many years his beautiful French Sabatier knives. I remember when he bought them. It was the late 1970’s and they were very fancy as far as knives go. Over the years after much use they have come to be replaced by newer and shiner non-carbon steel knives, smaller knives, but they always remained in their place. So this weekend when he gave them to me I nearly fainted, as I never imagine him parting with them. I suddenly feel very grown up.

One of the greatest things about my father is that he simply indulges whatever current object obsession I might have and right now I have a bit of a knife one. He has seen many obsessions come and go. As an antique dealer and a purist, he has of course raised an eyebrow at some of my choices over the years, which I was always able to defend with “It’s a prop. I can use it in a photograph.”  This past weekend I went in search of copper pots. I always find it is best to have one thing in mind when looking.

In New Hampshire a giant copper pot suitable for the kitchen in Oliver Twist suddenly appeared in the junkiest of shops. I justified my need for this giant cauldron by telling  my father “everyone needs a big stockpot and just think... if we had had it yesterday we could have made the turkey soup in it and the patina is SO nice!”

He took the pot from me, and did not tell me I was insane. Instead, he walked to the counter and battled the antique maiden and got that pot for a price lower than I could ever imagine and it was awesome.

 

  Vintage Sabatier....