Since there is no possibility of recreating my meal from Blue Hill, I decided to go with a rendition of ABC Kitchen’s crab toast and wild fish with crushed tomatoes.
In true farm-to-table fashion we opted to take our grocery shopping down to the Union Square Greenmarket. It has been around for close to 40 years with fresh picked fruits and vegetables, heritage meats, award-winning farmstead cheeses, artisan breads, jams, pickles, and much more. It is hands down one of my favorite farmers markets in the city but it can get packed so my advice is to go early and bring cash.
After an hour or so of rummaging we had just about everything we needed, except the big, juicy, bright red beefsteak tomatoes that I fantasize about every August and early September. I called my mom to see if she could pick some up and long story short she refused. Apparently, she grew her own tomatoes this season and “although were not large, were just as juicy” and in her words, not mine, “size doesn’t matter.” The jury is still out on that one.
Anyway, at this point we had worked up an appetite and since it was a nice day out we decided to head over to Smorgasburg, which if you haven’t been, is a foodies dream come true and takes place every Summer weekend in Brooklyn. The open air market features over 100 different local vendors with a plethora of delicious food choices. Think of a local food truck rally minus the food trucks. The options are endless and if it wasn’t for a lack of cash, stomach space, and seating I could probably hang out there all day. Sous chef and I dug through our pockets and managed to come up with $28.52 – just enough for a lobster roll (invented in CT back in 1929), macaroni and cheese (influenced by Thomas Jefferson in late 1700’s), and bacon on a stick (not sure of the origin but clearly genius). I also was hoping to squeeze in a homemade ice cream sandwich (invented in NYC in 1899) but unfortunately I was out of cash.
A few hours later with groceries in tow we were headed to my mom’s house in NJ for dinner.
In comparison to the restaurant:
Crab Toast: I used a fresh baked rye sourdough bread I found at the farmer’s market which offered a nice balance. I also used less garlic and more lemon in my aioli sauce which I found let the crab speak for itself.
Fish: At the restaurant they used Halibut which is probably my favorite fish however since it’s not local and they didn’t have it at the farmer’s market I opted for freshly caught Long Island Black Cod. Like halibut it is a mild fish and also paired well with tomatoes.
Vegetable: I traded out the carrot salad for the Jersey Fresh corn. It was so sweet it could have been confused for candy, pairing perfectly with a little butter and salt.
Dessert: My aunt, who also made an appearance tonight, brought chocolate zucchini cupcakes in which she grew the zucchini and made from scratch. Nice touch I might add!
All in all, it was a great night in the Garden State. Next stop Indonesia.
Wanderlust Chef 