Wednesday, July 28th
Spice : Long Pepper
The oldest known pepper. It’s name in Sanskrit is pippali – the root of the word pepper!
Menu :
Braised Beef Brisket – Beef Brisket cured with Long Pepper and braised in a white wine from the Southern Rhone.
or
Stuffed Summer Squash - Summer squash stuffed with Basmati rice, French lentils and ricotta.
Flatbreads with Long Pepper
Crunchy Fresh Green Beans
Butter Cookies spiced with Long Pepper
I hope to see you there!
damn this looks delicious. so sad that i will be out of town for this one!
Great menu! See you there tomorrow at 11! 2 people and a half (Ez).
that summer squash sounds good… when are you going to get around to shipping?
You know that if I weren’t working the Farmers Market that I’d be there, right. Long Pepper Brisket, that I smelled as it was waiting in the fridge the other day. . . It might challenge the bacon!
Brilliant idea, G. The menu looks perfect to showcase pepper; I long for the recipes! Much love, xox…
brian. thanks! if i had anything left, i’d bring it to the market for you but i don’t
next week, i’m saving a plate for you …..
What I learned today:
1) … about piper longum … i’m thinking piper nigrum to start, but hotter, leaner/more agile, and showing a distinctive marasca cherry topnote
2) … that longpepper is hot. and its sharp perfume slices unexpected relief through muggy air.
3) … about ricotta as a spice mediator, a frame, a texture and a base note.
4) Another talent is now public. So it’s time.
Thanks for the terrific lunch. The activity and excitement west of north Main were palpable. I don’t see how I can miss any of these.
Posting from an email from Gillian :
” so good!
I loved the brisket. It was really perfect! The green beans and cashews
were perfect, too. The flat breads were tough and tricky thus to eat. I
loved the cookie. I love the style of the room, the plate, and the
beautiful, clever, learned menu. I’d eat at your restaurant, in short.
Long pepper was not a strong taste, I didn’t think. I was surprised. Best I
thought (most interesting) in cookies, really. And nice on the brisket,
too!
Thanks, Gillian”
Gillian
Thank you SO much for this thoughtful response. I really appreciate it. And thank you for the vote of confidence. You have no idea how much it means to me!
The flatbreads were a lesson learned for me too. I’ve never quite made them in individual sizes before and had not realized how much textural impact it would have. I had anticipated some but not quite that much.
The spice aspect is interesting. I’ve gone back and forth in my own mind about how I want to express it – I ended up choosing a subtler expression of it but in various venues (brisket, shortbread, cookie) so that people learned of its breath and versatility but I’m not entirely decided on that approach.
For the cumin menu, I’m going to try a bit of both approaches. Powerful and subtle. Would love to hear what you think. I responded to your and Abigail’s reservation request in a separate email.
Thanks again for the email. And for your engagement. That’s what it is all about for me.