Gift Guide :: For The Average Foodie

This is part one of our four part holiday gift guide. Today’s piece is for your “average foodie.” This is the friend and family member that scours restaurant reviews, enjoys moderate cooking for others, and knows their Mandolin from their Microplane. For them (and for us), we couldn't get enough of these products:

[Photos borrowed from the sites linked below them]

Frankie's Sputino has being adding and adding to their brilliant restaurant empire here in Brooklyn and Manhattan. With their olive oil, the whole country can enjoy their high quality. This oil is definitely a step above most, plus we love the can—perfect for the countertop.

Who doesn’t love cheese? Honestly. Well Murray’s is the authority, and this great package can go anywhere in the country. This selection is perfect to help someone with their holiday entertaining, or just to enjoy all winter long.

Have a friend who is a beer connoisseur and can tell you about every obscure brew you find on tap? Well here is a project for them they probably have yet to experience: affordable and convenient little home brew kits from The Brooklyn Brew Shop are a great project for the beer lover in your life.

Sweet Deliverance is perfect for the very busy New Yorker who still loves to eat at home and enjoy local seasonal produce. This service will pick up your CSA share, prepare scrumptious meals of your liking with these fresh healthy ingredients, and deliver it right to your door. All different size packages are available. A great way to help someone stop and enjoy the season. We all love wine, we don't all know why. Give the gift of a lesson/tasting at Chelsea Wine Vault, and help a loved one expand the palette and learn subtle differences between grapes and regions. The best part is that these classes not only teach you a lot in a short amount of time, but are affordable--as are a huge selection of the wines sold here. We heart Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys, and its author--Lucinda Scala Quinn. She, a Martha Stewart editor, has compiled her favorite home recipes after years of feeding her husband and sons insane volumes of food. Her recipes are delicious, her pictures beautiful, and the graphics and title, perfection. This gorgeous compilation, The Blackberry Farm Cookbook, is brought to us by Chef Sam Beall, and the recipes from his families farm in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. The breathtaking photos and recipes are broken down by season, and utilize many vegetables grown right on the farm. The book also includes personal essays and descriptions of the restaurant's philosophy. A locavore loving must-have. Who doesn't love Jamie Oliver? We love that his books come out so rapidly, because once we have our hands on one, we can't wait for the next. Your average foodie might have already purchased Jamie's America, from September, but probably haven't reached the next step: Jamie's Food Revolution. He is here to help you learn step-by-step ways to make delicious home cooked meals that you can turn around and teach your friends.

Fall Harvest :: Cardamom Pear Crisp

For a sweet end to our Fall Harvest dinner we ate warm cardamom pear crisp with just a spot of crème fraiche on top—a wholesome ending to a fantastic night. We served ours in individual ramekins. You can do this at home, or in one dish (as explained below) for a more family style dessert.






Photography + Food Styling by Karen Mordechai

For a sweet end to our Fall Harvest dinner we ate warm cardamom pear crisp with just a spot of crème fraiche on top—a wholesome ending to a fantastic night. We served ours in individual ramekins. You can do this at home, or in one dish (as explained below) for a more family style dessert.

Cardamom Pear Crisp
Serves 4

Filling :
6 pears, peeled, cored, and cut into large cubes
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg

Topping :
1 cup flour
¾ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cardamom
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Crème fraiche

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toss the pear cubes in lemon juice, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine flour, butter, brown sugar, cardamom, salt and cinnamon. Pulse until mixture comes together and holds when pinched between your fingers.

Put pears in a medium size baking dish. Crumble topping mixture over pears. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until crisp is brown and bubbling. Let cool for 20 minutes, and serve with a dollop of crème fraiche.

Recipe courtesy of Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers

Sneak Peek :: Winter Dinner

A little sneak look into our winter dinner tabletop from this past Sunday.

The Menu was :
shaved fennel and orange salad
with warm prosciutto vinaigrette

spice rubbed lamb chops
with grape-almond port sauce
and harvest vegetables

vanilla pudding with candied kumquats

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Our class was taught by the awesome Jewels of NY. And the jewels on the table were from the very talented Deb at Bon Bon Oiseau. We used Deb's moneyclips and keyfobs as napkin rings and they added just the right touch of urban elegance. Deb has kindly offered 25% off to our readers on all keyfobs and moneyclips, through Dec 13th. Go to www.bonbonoiseau.com. (perfect holiday gifts !)type “sundaysuppers25” in the subject line of your order. You can also find Deb at gifted (dec 9-20). We'll be posting photos and recipes from the winter dinner soon.

Fall Harvest :: Pressed Chicken with Porcini Mushrooms, Chestnuts and Cipollini Onions

The entree at our Fall Dinner was a pressed chicken served over carrot puree and buttered Brussel leaves. We used real bricks for this, but you can use anything heavy to press on the chicken (canned foods wrapped in foil work well). The pressing creates a crispy skin and doesn't compromise the moisture at all. The crispy chicken, a creamy carrot puree and the perfect assortment of fall veggies. need we say more ? mmm. photos & full recipes below.





All Photography + Food Styling by Karen Mordechai


Pressed Chicken with Porcini Mushrooms, Chestnuts and Cipollini Onions
Serves 4

4 chicken breasts, skin on and de-boned
2 tbl butter
20 cipollini onions, blanched and peeled
1 c (roasted) chestnuts, quartered
1 ½ oz dried porcini mushrooms
½ c dry white wine
salt and pepper

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a large skillet and coat in olive oil. Add chicken to pan skin side down. Cover chicken with something flat and weight down with something heavy like a brick wrapped in foil or large cans. Cook for 20-30 minutes in medium high heat or until the chicken releases easily from the pan.
Remove chicken and reserve. Lower the pan on medium heat. Add butter, onions and chestnuts. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and wine. Reduce by half. Add chicken back in to pan skin side up. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Finish with 1 tbl of butter or olive oil.


Carrot Puree
Serves 4
10 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large onion
1 qt chicken stock
½ c cream
salt and pepper to taste

Boil carrots and onions until tender and falling apart when pierced with a fork. Strain and puree in a food processor with cream, salt and pepper until smooth.

Buttered Brussel Leaves
Serves 4
2 pints brussel sprouts, pulled apart into leaves
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tbl butter
1 tbl olive oil

Heat olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan. Add garlic and cook until barely browned. Remove from pan. Add brussel leaves and sauté until bright green, approx 5 minutes.

Recipes Courtesy of Casey Solomon for Sunday Suppers

Weekend Guide :: 12.04.09

We like to have to have a Sunday activity for those of you who couldn’t sign up for our winter dinner—we’re sorry it sold out so quickly! This Sunday City Winery is hosting Uncork! - a chance to “sip, savor, and shop” for the holidays. Visit them at 155 Varick Street at 2pm, and for $45 you can sip and buy New York wines, enjoy live jazz, snack on food from local restaurants and buy great foodie gifts from New York vendors. Support local businesses, check off your gift list all while eating and drinking deliciousness.

Just like last week, Gifted is up and running in Manhattan, brought to you by the ever creative Brooklyn Flea Market. Some full time, some rotating vendors will be there bringing you impeccable products of all sorts. Visit them from noon till seven, today through Sunday on east 4th and Lafayette Street.

What Sunday Suppers has been anxiously awaiting for weeks now : The Martha Stewart Craft Sale. This Saturday from noon till six, you’re invited to visit the Starrett-Lehigh Studio, 601 W 26th Street, 9th floor. There you will find dozens of Martha picked crafters selling their wares. In fact the adorable Jewels of New York, our guest chefs this Sunday, will be among the tables of talent selling their cookies.

Wishing you all a merry weekend.

Fall Harvest Recipe, Cauliflower Soup

The first course of dinner was a roasted cauliflower soup with parmesan crisps and chive oil. The soup is a simple puree that can be done with so many seasonal vegetables. And the parmesan crisps are a neat trick to have in your culinary back pocket. enjoy.

Cauliflower Soup
Serves 4

1 head cauliflower, separated in to medium size pieces
1 onion, diced
3 c chicken stock
¼ c heavy cream
3 sage leaves
salt and pepper

Boil cauliflower florets in chicken stock until soft. Sautee onions separately and add to cauliflower mixture. Add cream, sage salt and pepper and reduce by half.
Remove sage leaves and add cream mixture to blender. Puree on high until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chive oil and parmesan crisp.

Parmesan Crisps
Cover a baking sheet with parchment. Place tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese on parchment and spread each out with a spoon into small flat circles. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 5-6 minutes.

Chive Oil

Blanch 2 bunches of chives, Dry on paper towels. Blend in a blender with 1 cup of good olive oil. Strain through a fine sieve.

Fall Harvest :: Beekman Blaak

To begin our fall harvest dinner, we served Beekman 1802 Farm’s Blaak cheese. This beautiful wheel is made from a mixture of goat and cow’s milk (Beekman’s own) and is aged for four months. While aging it is coated with ash at every turning. This oh so attractive ash coating calms the acidity of the cheese, is a catalyst for ripening, and forms it’s edible rind.





All Photos + Styling by Karen Mordechai
Cheese Platter by MUD Australia, available at Global Table and Moonriver Chatel in NY