Potatoes and Onions December 15, 2009

Italy is my second favorite place on Earth. New York wins first prize, in case you were wondering.

My parents lived there before I was even a zygote.   We all lived there for a bit while I was a toddler.  My father spent quite a while there on a Fulbright scholarship.  Imagine my father as a really really smart Bluto (Animal House) to get the full picture.

There is a tape of me at the age of two having a conversation with my grandfather. I have a spectacularly heavy Southern accent and then suddenly I start speaking in perfect Italian. It was impressive for a three year old. Despite living there for a time and my perfect Italian, I remember almost nothing. I have only a memory of a carousel and of my Mickey Mouse sheets. Otherwise, nothing.

I spent my entire life hearing about how amazing Italy was. How gorgeous it is. How incredible the food is. One of my friends in high school went back to visit her family every summer and I burned with jealousy. Probably because she got to go to Gaeta. From her, I pretty much heard how hot the guys were. We were 16. It’s really all that mattered at the time.

I finally got to go back after I was married to Mr. Butterpants. We went on a belated honeymoon and spent time in Rome, Florence, and Positano. Heaven. Heaven.

I have a postcard my Dad sent me from Italy when I was a kid. It’s a picture of a cafe in the piazza in front of Pantheon. When my husband and I went, I took a photo to recreate the postcard. I’m not going to lie. I cried. I was so happy to be there. I was so happy to be in a space that I had stared at for so long. I was happy to be in a place that meant so much to my parents. It felt both unfamiliar and like I was finally home.

While we were in Italy, I ate Caprese salad, pomodoro sauce over whatever pasta was closest to my mouth, Paglie e Fieno, and gelato. Look, I’m a simple girl. I have simple needs. These foods are spectacular in their simplicity.

One day in Florence, we were ready for our seventh gelato of the day (I think it was 10 am) and stopped off at a gelateria. There was an osteria right next door so we decided to balance out the sugar with some… potatoes.

Potatoes and onions. Potatoes and onions are on my list of the top five foods I could eat every day and never get sick of.

Recently, I was missing Italy a bit. I kept flashing on those potatoes. So I made some. Man, did they hit the spot. It’s amazing how food can transport you. I was immediately back in that little osteria in Florence, a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed newlywed on my honeymoon. Lovely.

These are great breakfast potatoes, a side dish, dessert. Whatever you need.

Potatoes and Onions

1 large onion, sliced thin
4-6 Yukon gold potatoes (depending on the size), sliced thin
1 tbs. minced garlic
1/4 c.butter (I tend to use unsalted. I don’t know why.)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. I had to use a wok because I had a crapload of potatoes. Dump your sliced potatoes and onions in your pan. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the potatoes don’t stick together. Dump in your garlic, salt, and pepper. Continue stirring and frying until your potatoes and onions are tender and slightly browned. Eat.

Here's what they look like on a plate.

Mr. Butterpants is obsessed with cheese and potatoes, so he added cheddar to his. He really liked that. So you could do that, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Be excellent to each other,
Ms. Butterpants

Just Baked Brooklyn November 29, 2009

This is a very special edition of The Buttery Blog, and I am so excited to introduce Just Baked Brooklyn to everyone!

Oatmeal Cinnamon Butterscotch

I recently met up with Heather Lattuca Ferrari, the owner of Just Baked Brooklyn, at a cafe in the West Village. I asked her if she would talk about her new business, which is a year in the making, but just a few months in full swing! She happily accepted my offer, and brought some delicious samples with her. Over a lunch of savory crepes, we dished about food, life, and dogs.

Heather bakes up sweet treats for people and pooches. The company’s motto is “Life is Sweet.  Give a dog a treat.” …and why not give yourself a treat as well! She already has two business clients that have weekly orders.

 

What inspired you to create people and dog treats? 

I have always loved making cookies for friends and family.  When I moved to New York, people would hire me once in awhile to make a cheesecake or a bread or cookies.  I grew up in a restaurant family.  One of my parents’ first businesses was Just Baked, which was a seasonal (summer) pastry shop in Watch Hill, RI.  When I married my husband, a trained chef, I knew the journey would continue. 

Our inspiration for The Odie Collection (our dog treats) is our dog Odie.  We adopted him in November 2008 and fell in love!  He is my first dog and I never knew how much I could love an animal.  He is not always interested in food so I try and make treats that he likes.  Making dog treats is so much fun!

The Odie Collection

 

Did you have to do any special research to create the dog treats?

Yes!  Dogs are highly allergic to some very common baking ingredients, like chocolate.  I researched what types of foods are good for dogs (pumpkin, oats, apples, turkey, beef) as well as the flavors they generally love (peanut butter, cheese, bacon).  I was important to me to have a good combination of both.  Many dogs are allergic to gluten, so we have gluten free treats as well.

 

What is the favorite cookie on your menu?

The Chocolate Toffee Sea Salt cookie!  

(PS. Buttery B agrees. That cookie rocks!)  

 

What is your favorite bakery? 

My all time favorite bakery was Just Baked.  I love Henion Bakery in Amherst, MA.  In New York, I would have to say Amy’s Bread.

 

How long had you been thinking about creating your own business until you finally took action? 

A couple of years.  I moved to New York almost 8 years ago to pursue my acting/singing career.  Before I started seriously thinking about Just Baked Brooklyn, I wanted to see if there was a way to do both.  I am starting off at a slower pace with Just Baked Brooklyn so I can learn to truly balance both my acting career and baking business.

 

Do you have a mentor or role model? 

Many- my mom and dad, my husband, Julia Child, Cesar Millan.

 

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about starting their own catering or baking business? 

The food business requires a lot of time and hard work, so you need to love it!  You need to enjoy making people happy.  Keep it simple and delicious. 

If you’re interested in learning more about Just Baked Brooklyn, become a fan on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/justbakedbrooklyn). For orders, email your request to justbakedbrooklyn@gmail.com.

 

 

For The Buttery Blog readers, just mention “Buttery Blog” and get free shipping on one order until December 31, 2009.

 

♦ Buttery B

Just Baked Brooklyn Menu

 

The Odie Collection

A Southern Mother in New York November 24, 2009

Kiss my grits!

The joys in my life are simple. One of the things I love to do is make food for someone that they have never tried. As you might imagine, in New York City that is quite hard to do. People here eat food from all over the world. Today was the Thanksgiving meal at Butter Boy’s class. We were supposed to bring in food from our own cultural background. It was the perfect storm for me. I could make some true Southern food that a lot of these New Yorkers had never tried. Yes! The dish- cheese grits. I bought grits- real grits- this summer when I was in North Carolina.

Southern Boil

I have yet to come across grits here that are not instant and awful. This recipe doesn’t specify what kind of grits you need to use so let me specify for you. You need real grits, not Quaker instant grits from the super market. I use Daniel Boone grits which worked great.  The recipe that I used is from Paula Deen, of course! It was a big hit. I think you should try it!

 

Baked Garlic Cheese Grits

6 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups regular grits

16 ounces Cheddar, cubed

1/2 cup milk

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

8 ounces grated sharp white Cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 4-quart casserole dish.

 

Bring the broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cubed Cheddar and milk and stir. Gradually stir in the eggs and butter, stirring until all are combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the white Cheddar and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set.

A Wild Rumpus! October 29, 2009

I’m sure that by now, you’ve seen Where the Wild Things Are.  Or at least the trailer.  If you’re anything like Lady Butterbuns or Ms. Butterpants, you wept the entire way through the trailer and probably through the last quarter of the film.  This seems to be a pretty polarizing film, but I (Ms. B) loved it.  I thought it was raw, heartbreaking and beautiful.  I read somewhere that it’s not a movie for children, but it is a movie about childhood.  I agree.

But you people don’t come here for movie reviews.  To the food!  Months and months ago Lady Butterbuns and I decided that we would see the movie and make the entire event about food.  Because that’s how the Buttery Ladies roll.

Lady Butterbuns trained it up from San Diego, Honey Bee Cake in tow! Our theme was “Wild Foods” and we invited some old college peeps and made them fill out anonymous comment cards.  The menu and comments are below.

Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding!

Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding

- “Mushroom? Good. Bread? Good.  Pudding? Good!”

- “Yummy!”

- “So awesome, I had seconds.  Maybe thirds.”

- “Yum!  So hearty.  The cheese and mushroom combo are very good!  I like the crust on top.”

- “Would work better without the mushrooms and the bread pudding.” – Clearly Mr. Butterpants.  He’d prefer to eat things that suck.

Salad. And a wild thing.

Spinach Salad with Cherries and Toasted Pine Nuts
*We forgot the Pecorino and turned the currants into cherries.
-”The only remotely healthy thing on the menu.”

- “I’m not a fan of green things, but this was good!”

- “So flavorful!”

- “Really like the dried cherries- nice twist and pine nuts, mmmm! “

Shrimps

Jerk Shrimp with a Pineapple Salsa

Pineapple Salsa

- “Who’s the jerk who made this delicious shrimp?”

- “Spicy! Love the salsa!”

- “Yum! I love the shrimpies and pineapple!”

- “Love it!  The pineapple really accents the spice of the shrimp!”

- “Great spicing!  Tangy and tasty!”  – While typing this I thought this read, “Tangy and trashy!” which could describe so many things in my life.

 

 

Pomegranate 'Rita!

Pomegranate Margaritas

- “Holy crap!”

- “This is dangerous!”

- “Delicious- has bite!”

- “I’m already falling over!”

- “Who am I?  What am I doing here?  Stop touching me!”

 

 

 

Beeeee Cake

Honey Bee Cake

- “Love it!  Not too sweet, moist, frosting was awesome.” – for the record, I hate the word moist.  I felt gross just typing it.

- “More please!”

- “Sweet. Creamy. Cakey. Honey…ey.”

- “Wish I could eat more! The almonds really go with the yummy, creamy, chocolatey, sweetness.”

Gorilla Bread Innards

and Gorilla Bread for breakfast the next morning.

- “No monkeying around- pretty tasty!”

Before Lady Butterbuns headed to the train, we stopped off at Surfa’s, where they sell Coney Island Hot Dog Mustard  (hooray for specificity!)

Mustardy

and colorful pasta.  Go here. Go now.

Fancy.

 

So most of the recipes are linked above, but here are our two favorites.

Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding adapted (to make it fattening) from Cooking Light

Ingredients

3 cups milk, divided
8 cups (2-inch) cubed country or peasant bread (about 12 ounces)
2 (4-ounce) portobello mushrooms
1/4 c. butter
6 c. quartered cremini mushrooms (12 oz) (I couldn’t find cremini so I used Baby Bellas and shitakes)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
4 large eggs
Cooking spray
1 1/3 cup shredded Gruyère cheese, divided

Preparation

Combine 2 cups milk and bread. Cover and chill 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove brown gills from the undersides of portobellos using a spoon; discard gills and stems. Cut mushroom caps in half; cut halves crosswise into 1/2-inch slices.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add portobello and cremini mushrooms, and sauté 4 minutes (I do longer because I like my mushrooms pretty brown, though not crisp). Stir in parsley, rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute.

Combine 1 cup milk and eggs, and stir with a whisk. Spoon 2 cups bread mixture into a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with the mushroom mixture; sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Top with remaining bread mixture and the rest of the cheese. Pour egg mixture over top. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until set.

 

We are drinkers, though we haven’t shared any of our favorites before. So here you go. A buttery cocktail.

Pomegranate Margarita by Danny Broome

Ingredients

Lime wedge, plus more for garnish
Salt
Ice
4 ounces white tequila
2 ounces Triple Sec
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 lime, juiced (optional)
Club soda

Directions

Pour salt onto a plate or shallow dish. With a lime wedge rub along the rim of a glass and dip glasses upside down to salt the rim. Fill glasses with ice. In a cocktail shaker with ice place the tequila, triple sec, pomegranate juice, and lime juice. Pour into the salt-rimmed glasses and top off with club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge, if desired.

 

We’ll eat you up, we love you so.
Ms. Butterpants and Lady Butterbuns

Questionable Butter: What’s Your Favorite Movie Snack? September 27, 2009

 

Once in a while we’ll pose a question to our readers and tell you our answers as well. This week we want to know what your favorite movie snack is.

 

Buttery B loves her Raisinets, as does Lady Butterbuns. Mother Butter is a traditionalist with a bucket of popcorn and a soda. Mrs. Butterpants digs on Milk Duds.

 

Now it’s your turn to share!

 

 

Hello world! May 16, 2009

More to come soon!