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The Union Square Cafe

review by Paulette Licitra

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Then there's the book! 150 favorite recipes from the Union Square Cafe menu. As soon as I got my hands on it, I skipped over the tender watercolor paintings, and hip black and white photos to the pages of recipes. My real interest was the lists of ingredients. Maybe it takes a Houdini to make those dishes, I thought. I was partially right. Porcini gnocchi: 22 ingredients, 10 cooking steps! Thankfully, the whole book's not like that. I was especially curious about their American recipes. I immediately wanted to make the mashed turnips with crispy shallots (anything resembling mashed potatoes thrills me). To make it a meal, I thought I'd try the grilled lamb chops "scotta dita," And for dessert: pear-almond crisp. (8 ingredients, 6 steps; 8 ingredients, 3 steps; 10 ingredients, 6 steps respectively that looked doable. I'm not lazy, just wary!)

It was fun turning my kitchen into a mini-Union Square Cafe. Here are the recipes as written in the book, followed by some personal notes (and reviews) from my laboratory.

MASHED YELLOW TURNIPS WITH CRISPY SHALLOTS
serves 4 to 6

• 1 1/2 cups light olive or vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 5 to 6 shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings
• 2 large yellow turnips (rutabaga), about 4 lbs.
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup milk
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2. Remove the shallots from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Once the shallots have dried and crisped, in about 15 minutes, they can be stored in a cool place, covered, for several days. Serve the shallots at room temperature.

3. Peel the turnips to remove their waxy skins and cut them into generous 1 inch chunks. Place them in a saucepan with water to cover and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until easily pierced by a paring knife, about 35 minutes.

4. In a separate saucepan, heat the milk and butter over low heat until the butter has melted and the milk just begins to simmer.

5. Drain the turnips and puree (in several batches, if necessary) in a food processor. With the motor running, add the melted butter and milk in a steady stream. The turnips should be very smooth.

6. Return the turnip puree to the saucepan, season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and reheat, stirring, over a medium flame. Serve piping hot, sprinkled generously with crispy shallots.

I did as the recipe asked and bought large yellow turnips. The hard part was peeling them! And did you ever try to cut through a turnip the size of a small cantaloupe? Not an easy task. I had my husband rushing into the kitchen to help while I wrestled with three knives stuck into the thing. Just as he arrived, I cut through. Success! After that, it was easy.

The dish tastes really down home. It's like creamy earth in your plate. The crispy shallots (which I cooked after I got the turnips cut and into the pot, rather than the other way around as they suggest) are a tasty added dimension, but which Peter said he could have done without.

Also, in step one I assumed the "butter" they referred to is the first 3 tablespoons listed, and in step 4 the "butter" is the 6 tablespoons listed near the bottom.

GRILLED LAMB CHOPS "SCOTTA DITA"
Serves 4

• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup extravirgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup julienned basil
• 12 1 1/2-inch thick rib lamb chops, trimmed of excess fat

1. In a nonreactive bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, garlic, vinegar, salt, and pepper with 2 teaspoons water. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to form a creamy marinade. Stir in the cut basil.

2. Add the chops to the marinade and toss to coat evenly. Marinate the chops for 1 to 3 hours, covered and refrigerated.

3. Preheat a grill, grill pan, or barbecue to very hot. Shake the excess marinade from the chops and grill 4 to 5 minutes a side for mediumrare, or slightly longer for more well done. Transfer to a warm platter and serve.

I know I was supposed to use rib lamb chops, but when I saw how little meat those guys actually have, I just had to opt for the boneless loin lamb chops instead. I know this blows the "scotta dita" part, since it means "burn your fingers." The dish comes from a time when chops were cooked at festive meals outdoors on a grill. People picked them up by the bone straight from the grill. Since we weren't going to eat them that way, I chose the chops with more meat. They turned out just wonderful.

I went out and bought a grill pan just for this recipe and now I'm sold on it. Grilling keeps the meat very tender. This coupled with the mustard marinade makes the lamb delectable.

PEAR/ALMOND CRISP
Serves 10

• 4 pounds ripe Bosc pears, peeled and cored
• 1/2 cup Poire Williams brandy
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup whole blanched almonds
• 1 3/4 cup allpurpose flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 11 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup crushed amaretti cookies
• 1 pint chilled heavy cream

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees F.

2. Halve the pears lengthwise and cut into 1/2inch slices. Place the pear slices in a bowl, drizzle with pear brandy, sprinkle with the white sugar, and stir with a wooden spoon to coat evenly. Set aside to macerate for 30 minutes.

3. Toast almonds on a baking sheet for 7 to 10 minutes, or until evenly toasted. Remove and cool. Finely chop almonds and set aside.

4. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix in the butter, working with your fingers until the mixture holds together and is crumbly. Stir in the chopped almonds and the crushed amaretti cookies. Set aside.

5. Place the pears and their juice in a 12-inch round porcelain tart pan. Spread the almond mixture evenly over them. Bake for 1 hour, or until the pears are bubbling and topping is golden brown.

6. To serve, scoop the hot crisp into individual dessert bowls and drizzle the chilled cream evenly over each portion.

I served the Pear-Almond Crisp to my cousins when they came over for dinner. It was fun making this dish, fruit is so luscious to handle (I'm not usually interested in desserts too much, but this one wasn't the usual pastry-based sweet, so I was happy). I didn't have the Poire Williams brandy, and used a plain brandy I had in the house. It seemed to work just as well. My husband and cousins exclaimed, "delicious," "very good," "succulent," "orgasmic," "apple crisp with a pedigree," and "high octane apple crisp." (I reminded them it was pears, not apples, they said they knew that, but pears were just a snooty version of apples. ???? Go figure.) The chilled cream is a must.

After such great success in the kitchen with the Union Square Cafe Cookbook, why pop for the big bucks to eat at the restaurant? No reason that I can see, except for maybe the ambience, the friendly staff, the glamour, the porcini gnocchi with prosciutto and parmigiano cream...mmmmmm! At 22 ingredients and 10 cooking steps, I believe I shall return!