Tomatoes on Toast

I was concerned when I read in the Express this week about the tomato blight plaguing local farmers and gardeners. My new Michael Graves for Target toaster had just arrived, I had a piece of yesterday's baguette, and I had big plans to make a tomato sandwich. So I was overjoyed when I saw these huge and unblemished yellow and red tomatoes at a tiny stand on Ocean Road in Bridgehampton.

Ocean Road Tomato Sandwich
Serves 1

Many people will tell you that you have to use soft, fresh, untoasted white bread slices for a real tomato sandwich, but I like to toast the bread so it is better able to absorb the juices from the tomato. Don't skimp on the mayonnaise here, which makes this sandwich an end of summer luxury.

One 6-inch length of day-old baguette, split and lightly toasted
1 to 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
One medium-size ripe tomato, cored and sliced
Sea salt
Ground black pepper

Spread some mayonnaise on the cut side of each baguette half. Place the tomatoes on the bottom half, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and top with the remaining baguette half. Enjoy with plenty of paper napkins and a chilled glass of Channing Daughters Mudd Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.

United Steaks of America

Happy Labor Day Weekend! I wonder if the expert butchers at Cromers (3500 Noyac Road; 725-9004) could trim some of these for my barbecue on Sunday...

Join the Club

I've never been much of joiner. I don't belong to a book group, a country club, or a knitting circle. I believe I am the least active and effective member of the Sag Harbor P.T.A. Several years ago, however, I found a group that made few demands on my time, energy, and social skills while providing an inordinate amount of pleasure: The Channing Daughters Wine Club. I didn't have to submit to an interview or provide a letter of recommendation. To join, all I needed was a valid credit card number and a reminder to drive over to the winery every other month to pick up two new bottles. Perks of membership include 10% off all Channing Daughters wines and the chance to enjoy the sight of rows of Long Island grapes growing under a spectacular sky when you are there. The winery was especially beautiful yesterday afternoon when I stopped by to pick up the newest releases, a bone-dry, crisply acidic Tocai Friuliano, and Sylvanus, Channing Daughers' vin de terroir made with grapes grown in the field adjacent to the tasting room on Scuttlehole Road. I may very well return this weekend with my houseguests (another perk--as a member I'm allowed to bring up to 5 friends with me for free tastings) to enjoy the view, and some of the half-dozen wines they're pouring from 11 to 5 each day.

Better Than Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Still working my way through that bag of blanched hazelnuts, so when I went to bake some cookies for a party yesterday, instead of making peanut butter cookies topped with Hershey kisses, I made these: Hazelnut thumbprints filled with Nutella, piped with a pastry bag to look just like Hershey Kisses. Here's the recipe:


1 ½ cups skinned hazelnuts
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup Nutella

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Place the nuts in a food processor and chop fine. Don’t over-process. Combine the flour, salt, and ground nuts in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in the flour and nut mixture until just combined.
4. Scoop up a scant tablespoonful of dough and roll it between your palms to form a ball. Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Press each cookie with the back of a small measuring spoon to make a thumbprint.
5. Bake the cookies until they are lightly colored, 15 to 18 minutes. Let them stand on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then carefully slide the entire parchment with the cookies from the pan to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
6. Fill each cookie indentation with a scant teaspoon of Nutella.

IGA Item of the Week

Oh, Schiavoni's! I didn't forget about you while I was shopping at Borough Market. Salted capers have more flavor than capers packed in vinegar (which tend to taste a lot like vinegar and only a little bit like capers). They're less easy to find than capers packed in vinegar, but if you go to the shelves in the IGA right across from the freezer cases, you'll see these. I used them last night in this Savoy cabbage salad (adapted from a recipe in Italian Two Easy by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers).

Savoy Cabbage with Salted Capers
Serves 6

1 small head Savoy cabbage
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
Salt
Ground black pepper

1. Remove the tough outer leaves from the cabbage, halve it, core it, and thinly slice it. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, and mustard and pour it over the cabbage. Toss to coat. Stir in the capers and parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 hours and serve chilled.

Shop Local

Just after I received a message from Save Sag Harbor about the organized effort to patronize local shops, I passed by a local teenager chalking this sign in front of Flying Point (34 Main Street, 631-725-0705). It took him quite a while on his hands and knees as the ridiculous crowds tramped by, so I think buying a pair of half-price Havaianas for next summer is the least that we can all do to reward his effort.

Harbor Pet

Too bad the rain this morning stopped me from parading my dog up and down Main Street after she was groomed. Isn't this the perfect Sag Harbor poodle cut? Elegant, but not over-the-top. They really know how to walk that line around the corner at Harbor Pets (12 Bay Street, 631-725-9070).