Tom Power Jr., has made quite a name for himself as chef of Fat Canary, a family run restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia. But despite winning a slew of prestigious awards and generous accolades from diners who must make reservations far in advance, Power remains downright modest. Of his food, which has been described as “sophisticated,” “superb,” and “major league,” Power says, “I let the ingredients make me look good.” He scrupulously sources every ingredient in every dish served at the restaurant and advises home cooks to do the same. Regarding his Apple, Hazelnut and Blue Cheese Salad, Power says, “If one uses only the freshest lettuces, the most flavorful apple and the best quality cheese, the products do all the work; all the cook has to do is combine ingredients.” Although it is not quite that easy, great ingredients do make or break this salad, so go for the gold.
APPLE HAZELNUT AND BLUE CHEESE SALAD
Adapted from recipe supplied by Tom Power Jr., chef, Fat Canary.
Yield: 4 servings
1/2 cup port
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons currents
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
About 4 heaping cups mixed baby lettuces
About 1/3 cup skinned, toasted hazelnuts (see note)
1 apple, cored and cut into slender strips
About 4 heaping tablespoons micro greens or sprouts
4 wedges (about 1 ounce each) good blue cheese
In a nonreactive pan, bring port and sugar to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Boil, stirring occasionally, until liquid reduces and becomes syrupy, about 7 minutes.
Pour hot port syrup over currents and let seep 2 minutes. Drain currents and set syrup and currents aside to cool completely.
Prepare vinaigrette: Whisk 1 tablespoon of the reserved port syrup with vinegar and oil until well blended. Toss lettuce with vinaigrette. Mound lettuce in center of each of four serving plates. Sprinkle hazelnuts and currents over and around lettuce, giving each serving an equal amount. Arrange 1/4 of apple strips haphazardly over each serving of lettuce, and then top each serving with 1 tablespoon micro greens or sprouts. Drizzle remaining port syrup on top of and around salad on each plate. Garnish each serving with a wedge of blue cheese. Serve immediately.
Note: To toast and skin hazelnuts: spread shelled nuts in one layer on a baking sheet. Put in a preheated 300 degree oven and roast, shaking pan once or twice to redistribute nuts, until skins “break” and nuts turn a light golden brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and set aside 1 minute. Rub nuts in towel to remove loose skin (not all skin will come off). Cool completely.
Last time I posted I said that most locals considered Sant’Eustachio’s coffee the best in Rome. Today I’m saying most locals consider Tazza d’Oro’s coffee the best in Rome. Okay, let’s cut to the chase. Both are great. Both coffee bars are located near the Pantheon and both serve a multitude of customers with Tazza d’Oro larger and a bit heavy with tourists. But Tazza d’Oro wins the competition when it comes to their specialty Granita di Caffè, an icy, slushy coffee concoction served with a mound of thick, rich whipped cream. COFFEE LOVERS CANNOT LEAVE ROME WITHOUT TRYING A GRANITA AT TAZZA D’ORO.
Of course, two minutes in Sant’Eustachio and you can figure out the system yourself, but what you may not know, because it is so different from other countries, is that Romans generally drink standing at the bar and gulp the intense brew rather quickly. Words of warning: in Italy, coffee consumed at a table generally cost more and Sant’Eustachio serves its coffee sweetened, so when ordering be sure to specify no sugar if you can’t abide the sweet stuff.
My dog ate a brownie. He managed to jump on a table at a party and devour the sweet before anyone noticed. This was a disaster on several levels. As chocolate can be lethal to dogs (especially adored poodles like Mojo), I rushed him to the emergency hospital, where vets did icky things equivalent to pumping the stomach. The whole deal took several hours and we didn’t return home until hopelessly late. Needless to say, my guests had left, Mojo was shaky and I was totally drained, but the camel straw of irritants was that the brownies were gone. I confess, I love Mojo to neurotic distraction, but I also confess (this is not pretty) I was irritated that he got a brownie and I didn’t. Of course these were not ordinary brownies. Patty Padawer, a St. Louis and Los Angeles cooking teacher and one of the best cooks I know, made them for the party. Rather than beg Patty for more, I begged for the recipe, which, always generous, Patty sent immediately. Of course, I will share the recipe with you, but I will take great care to never again share the brownies with anyone who bark begs.
easy on the Serenity. Aim for the luxuries in your choices. Pick caviar over the donuts, salmon for breakfast over the bacon and eggs and the low-calorie frozen yogurt over the…well, you get the picture.
RASPBERRY 
