No Farms, No Food

Everyone sitting in the long line of traffic on Scuttlehole Road today had to pass this sign at the roundabout. So true! You can hear what Senator Kristin Gillibrand has to say about sustainability and farming's future on the East End tomorrow morning at Quail Hill Farm. For info about the event, click here.

Sag Harbor Kids Are the Cutest

My kids are now too old to appear in my annual Newsday back-to-school lunchbox story, and even my nieces in East Hampton have aged out of the job. So I was grateful to some generous Sag Harbor parents who lent me their very cute child for our photo shoot a few weeks ago. But do you think she is upstaging my roast beef sandwich on a mini-bagel?

Bread Salad a Darkhorse Winner at Dinner Last Night

The corn has been so sweet and juicy lately. I knew I wanted to eat it again for dinner last night. The main course--a bread salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and mozzarella cheese was really an afterthought. But a big handful of chopped oregano and thyme leaves from my backyard pots gave it a remarkably lively flavor and freshness (the whole wheat boule and cheese from Cavaniola's didn't hurt). Here's the recipe:

Whole Wheat Bread Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Serves 4

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper
Six one-inch-thick slices whole wheat country bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 ripe tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/3-inch pieces
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste in a small bowl.
2. Combine bread, tomatoes, tomatoes, and cheese in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until bread is moistened by dressing and tomato juices. Serve immediately.

Beverages for All Purposes

This morning I took my daughter to have some difficult baby teeth pulled by our very skillful dentist. It all seemed worthwhile when she got her chocolate milkshake at Bay Burger. And I couldn't resist buying a bottle of locally made Sweet 'tauk lemonade as a treat for myself.

Home and Happy Not to Cook

I returned from a nice, long vacation in Amsterdam and Dublin (expect stroopwafel and brown bread recipes in the coming weeks) just in time for Quail Hill's At the Common Table dinner last night. Good company and food that was so much nicer than what my jet-lagged self could have thrown together! I probably ate more than my fair share of scallop ceviche with cilantro, before sitting down at the long table to enjoy tomatoes and mozzarella, striped bass, roasted potatoes, and panna cotta with rhubarb and peaches from the farm. And I took home some leftover pickled beets, which may well become a goat cheese and beet salad in an hour or two.

A Reason to Go to the Beach?

Bringing a pie to a beach picnic isn't really practical. But these hand pies are a different story--no need for a pie server, plates, forks. Now I have no excuse to stay inside. Here is the recipe:

Blueberry Hand Pies
Makes 6 hand pies

3/4 pound (enough for a single crust) pie dough, chilled
3/4 cup blueberries, rinsed and picked over
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Sanding sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the blueberries, vanilla, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally and mashing a small amount of berries with the back of a spoon, until the sugar is dissolved.
2. On a lightly floured countertop, roll out the dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. Use a 5-inch round saucer as a guide to cut out as many circlesas you can from the dough and transfer to the prepared baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with flour.
3. Working with one circle at a time, place about 2 tablespoons of filling on one side of the circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold dough over blueberries. Use the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Repeat with the remaining dough circles and blueberries.
4. Space the pies at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Use a sharp paring knife to cut three 1/2-inch vents in the top of each one. Brush with the cream and sprinkle with the sanding sugar. Freeze for 15 minutes. (At this point, you can slide the hand pies into a zipper-lock bag and freeze them for up to 2 weeks before proceeding.)
5. Bake the pies until golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tasteful Show at Gallery Valentine

 Have you seen these giant layer cakes in the windows of the Gallery Valentine in East Hampton?