And The Fruit Of The Summer Is...

Peaches by a Landslide, plus Grilling and Beer!

Hi friends,

It’s August! In the words of one 8 year old girl I saw on the street, “Sometimes, summer can be too hot.” Lucky for us we have stone fruit and cold drinks. Let’s dive in.

Something to cook:

A snack dinner: I made a batch of hummus last week and assembled a delightful dinner featuring hummus, topped with paprika and cumin and so many things to dip: roasted broccoli (cook at 400 for ~20 minutes until nice and crispy), a jammy 6 1/2 minute egg (make extra for the rest of the week), carrots, english cucumber, red bell pepper, sliced avocado and a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt, my favorite ingredient.

Julianne and Ian hosted a barbecue on their roof (pictured above) and as usual, people rose to the occasion. There was so much food: sous vide hamburgers (a classic Bradlee move), ribs by Ian, potato salad, mac and cheese, veggie kabobs, salads, homemade tortilla chips, rosé and so much more.

Julia, my pie queen/roommate, made a peach pecan crumble that we absolutely demolished. Sorry for the spooky lighting but this pie was insane.

Tyler grilled peaches. The secret ingredient, “lots and lots of butter.”

I made guacamole and Julianne and Ian made homemade chips in their deep fryer (I’m so lucky). My guac is avocado, jalapeño, red onion, lots of lime and a tiny bit of lemon, salt, and a tiny bit of cayenne. No tomato allowed.

We had watermelon salad, perfect for summer. This version, with marinated watermelon, looks so good.

Matt shared his recipes for potato salad and mac and cheese, both of which disappeared quickly:

Potato Salad

Recipe based off one from roommate extraordinaire and Potato Salad Master, Mike Cherepko. Amounts approximate, taste test throughout.

1. Cut into large chunks and and cook until tender, in salted water, 5 lbs of red potatoes

2. Separately, mix 1-2 cups mayonnaise, mustard powder, salt (kosher, - Lawry’s and Crazy Jane, because we had all three on hand), splash of apple cider vinegar, one diced sweet onion, few stalks diced celery,

3. Drain potatoes and let cool, mostly

4. Mix potatoes and everything else.

5. Add lots of fresh dill, mix again.

6. Chill.

Four Cheese Mac and Cheese

This was lifted almost entirely from Jeffrey “The Culinary Fanatic” Rogers’ “Ultimate Five-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese” recipe, which I found on YouTube.

I made it a little simpler than he did, skipping the Parmesan and the sugar and using a 13.5" metal lasagna pan, rather than a Dutch oven, to quicken the cooking process (I was running late).

Because my lasagna dish was thinner-walled and shallower than Rogers’ Dutch oven, the finished mac and cheese seemed slightly denser and chewier than his video version: It made for a good “mac and cheese bar,” because one could eat it without a fork, if one so chose. Can confirm, we all did this. If I were to make this again, I’d use a Dutch oven to try to make the internal noodles a little more tender.

I also finally tried Bon Appetit’s marinated zucchini with ricotta which was really good. We used almonds not hazelnuts because $$$. The method of cooking zucchini takes a while but gives it so much flavor.

Something to order:

A beer! I have been drinking more beer than ever before this summer (It upset my stomach a few times in college so I swore off it for years) and it’s a been a fun thing to discover.

Lillie was in town so we caught up at Drop Off Service in the East Village. It’s a great happy hour ($3 and $5 options till 8 pm) and the scene is not bro-y. My favorite was the Bluepoint Summer Ale.

I interviewed the couple behind Grimm Ales, a Brewery and Taproom that recently opened in East Williamsburg. Story coming soon but the beers are great. I loved the sour beer with cherries and they’ve collaborated with Samesa to make some pretty tasty mediterranean bar snacks: za’atar pita and tomato salad, yes please. They offer 4 ounce pours with no markup so it’s easy to try different things.

Beer goes well with moving furniture so Lizzi and I had Brooklyn Brewery Bel Air Sours while we set up her room. Sour beers and kombucha have so much in common so not surprised I like them.

The Bushwick Daily crew met at El Kucho on Wilson last week and it’s so good. Everything is well priced and the service is super friendly. I got a tostada piled high with roasted veggies, crunchy lettuce, avocado and queso fresco. The salsas are great and we all liked the red one best.

The next day, I had a quesadilla at the party of the summer: Uptown Bounce, a free event by the Museo del Barrio and Museum of the City of New York. The museums are a block apart and each one offers food and drinks for sale, a dance floor, and after hours museum access (the Museo del Barrio is under renovation so they’re missing this part). Sarah, Isa and I had a blast at the Museum of the City of New York: the dance floor was full of people of all ages and backgrounds, many still in their office clothes and the DJ was a middle aged woman who seemed to enjoy her work so much. The energy was insane and everyone was so supportive of the dancers, from the 11 year old girl dancing with her brother to the hospital worker in his Mount Sinai polo shaking it up. Uptown Bounce is an August tradition and there are two more to go! If you’re free Wednesday, check it out!

I tried a new Palestinian egg preparation at 12 Chairs with Auntie Barbara: Eggs siniya, which means cooked with tahini and in this case, chili. The eggs were sunny side up with jalapeño and a rim of tahini. Apparently lamb and other vegetables are often prepared this way (See this recipe for an idea). It was so good and I even made a version for lunch today.

Defying economists everywhere, Dale and I got a free lunch on saturday when the sweetgreen cash register wasn’t working. On our way out, we passed a free ice cream pop up from Dig Inn which is making its way all over the city. The oat and honey flavor was really good so look out for it in the next few weeks.

Emma and Jesse moved to Park Slope! The unwritten rule of Park Slope dining is to eat late, after all the parents have gone home. We went to Fonda a little before 9 and were seated immediately. Everything was delicious, from the guacamole which came with tortilla chips and actual tortillas to the cocktails (I got the cucumber one and everyone else went for hibiscus). I loved the mushroom huarache and the carnitas and fish tacos also received high praise.

I couldn’t stay away from Brooklyn Cider House for long. Dale and I went back for dinner on the patio and a cider flight. They do a good kale salad, plus wings and fries and the ciders are delicious – I usually get the raw or half sour.

Coffeeshop dispatch:

Gotan in Williamsburg has updated their laptop policy. It’s communal table only which was fine on a weekday but might be rough on the weekend.

Ost Cafe in the far Lower East Side is an exceptionally friendly place to work for the day. The area feels like a neighborhood and many of the customers knew the owner. They have lots of space, affordable coffee and tea, and wifi.

Stopped by And/Or on the way home from yoga with Julia and the iced coffee is good. They also seem to make ice cream which I will need to investigate and they have wifi.

Something to read:

Surviving this summer heat and the emotions it stirs up, with cold soup.

Not food related (though nutrition is a huge part of education) but I’m so blown away by LeBron’s school and so excited he’s a Laker.

David Dennis Jr.@DavidDTSS

read this on LeBron's school. then read it again. This is incredible, man. and doesn't appear to be one of those celebrity boutique schools built on respectability politics. Chills, man. pic.twitter.com/9zXvyRVK2h

July 30, 2018

On the Food TV front, Gordon Ramsay’s new show is a colonialist mess.

A nice Gossamer (a magazine for people who also smoke weed) interview with Lalito chef and owner Gerardo Gonzalez.

So much innovation in grocery stores around the country

Sucks that a white guy wrote this but, there’s a boom of Taiwanese restaurants in New York now (featuring my #1 bb Win Son)

From a Registered Dietician making a very good point: Our idea of healthy eating excludes other cultures and that’s a problem.

Smith Canteen in Caroll Gardens wants to be New York’s greenest coffeeshop

Two beautiful reflections on Jonathan Gold from Ruth Reichl: on her blog and in the LA Times.

For Bushwick Daily, I interviewed the North Brooklyn Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. And some fall movie news: Bushwick Native Anthony Ramos is starring in a new movie about police brutality.

Now…for your favorite summer fruits.

From the 20+ responses, peaches were the clear winner. Peaches are so good and so unavailable for most of the year. It is peach appreciation season and we are here for it!

You guys showed them so much love:

-give me ALL the peaches

-This is the hardest question ever because fruit is my favorite food (food group?), but it's a toss-up between the blueberries from my parents' backyard (the bush is literally 8 feet tall!) and peaches/tomatoes in August.

-Peaches with a bit of crunch

-any kind of stone fruit!

-peaches so ripe it's like eating sex

-Grilled peaches

-Peaches! (x3)

Berries have their fans:

-raspberry or apricot

-farm strawberries, baby

-Blackberries

-Berries!!

-blueberries

-raspberries

Mango took third place which I attribute more to the lack of great mangos in the US because yea, mangos are insanely good.

-Mango!

-mango!

-Mango

Some wildcard favorites at the end:

Lychee / Mangosteen (ily Southeast Asia)

Next week, I want to hear about what you eat on your birthday, whether it’s a dessert or just a favorite food. Reply to this email and let me know because Virgo season is near.

In the game of summer fruits, there are no losers, except for us in the winter. Go forth and make the most of this season!

Happy eating and thanks for reading. Please also consider this entire newsletter as an earnest PSA to see Mamma Mia 2 as soon as possible. You’ll love it.

Abigail Koffler@abigailcoughler

Some personal news, I saw Mamma Mia 2 and am on cloud 9. Inject this film into my bloodstream please it’s pure joy.

July 30, 2018

xo, Abigail