More November Moments

A constant dining companion at Cafe Drake is the Pickle Plate. Above: French cornichons and bird's eye chilis.

Mysteriously labeled (beyond the indecipherable Mandarin characters, what exactly is steam powder?) to attract the curious attention of Cafe Drake, this esoteric seasoning is becoming a fast favorite in these parts. A powdered mix of rice flour and Chinese spices, the steam powder is dusted across fatty cuts of meat (spare ribs, pork belly) that have previously marinated in soy sauce and white wine and are then steamed until tender. The ultra-moist method of cooking ensures a juicy finished product. We like it even better with wedges of sweet potato and daikon radish added in the final half hour of cooking.

Besides generally amplifying the flavors of most anything, roasting is a welcome contribution to a chilly winter kitchen. Even jumbo whole prawns get the baked treatment at Cafe Drake! Simply toss with salt, pepper, a bit of olive oil and some lime juice. marinate at room temperature for 1/2 hour then roast for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Delicious.

Another autumn-themed table setting at Cafe Drake.

Mood lighting!

Easy Steps to Perfect Pumpkin Soup

We began our soup making with a 4-lb. pumpkin used in the previous weeks as autumn decoration at Cafe Drake. Smaller squash will be easier to work with for the pumpkin soup novice.

Wash pumpkin of any dirt or debris then chop in half. Scrape out all seeds and stringy flesh. If you plan to roast the seeds later, scatter them on dish towels to dry thoroughly.

When pumpkin halves are cleaned, cut into quarters or large wedges and place on a baking sheet with a 1/4" of water. Roasting the squash will not only improve the flavor and consistency (i.e. creamy, soft flesh) but also saves you from the daunting task of peeling.

While the pumpkin is roasting in a 400 degree oven until fork tender (about 1 hour, maybe more) begin cooking 1 large onion and 2 peeled and chopped apples in a mixture of butter and olive oil. To this we added some dried red chilis and a few cloves of garlic.

When the pumpkin is cooked scrape all orange flesh into the soup pot with onions and apples. Add at least 4 cups of water, some salt and pepper and a tablespoon of good quality curry powder. Simmer for 20-30 minutes then process till very smooth in a blender. Return to pot and stir in a little heavy cream and salt, pepper or even sugar to taste.

Cafe Drake likes a thin soup as a first course, so as above, we used more water/stock than others may desire. Garnish with snipped chives or toasted pumpkin seeds.

Octavio samples the finished product.

Condiments, Cordials, Oven-Roasted Veggies and a Garden in the Sky

Persimmon Vinegar Sure Is Easy: Place 1 fruit, trimmed at top, in a jar with approximately 2 cups of vinegar and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Seal tightly and decant in 4-6 weeks. Use flavored vinegar for salad dressings, and by all means slice up the pickled fruit to add piquant flavors to any roasted meat entree. Vegetarians will enjoy the pickles with beans and rice.

Never Roasted Grape Tomatoes: Why not? Roasting for 15 minutes at 400 degrees intensifies the sweetness of baby tomatoes, which can then be added to pasta dishes or served as a side. Toss tomatoes with olive oil and kosher salt prior to roasting. Also delicious when stirred into finished risottos.

A 6,000 sq. ft. garden lies improbably on top of a former factory building in Greenpoint, Brooklyn's waterfront district. Recently the collectively-run, volunteer manned Rooftop Farms opened its doors (or, um, fields) to the public and Cafe Drake snagged fresh chiles, micro greens and a bag of dinosaur kale. Talk about local produce!

Sweet and tender baby turnips make a delicious gratin, and for those busy weeknights, aid in speedy preparation by their lack of need to be peeled. Slice a bunch thinly and layer with slivers of leek. Salt all and sprinkle a teaspoon of flour on each layer. Cover with good, nutty cheese and grated nutmeg. Salt again and pepper well, then pour in a few tablespoons of cream and dot with tiny bits of butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 60 minutes or until veggies are fork tender. Incomparable with pork roast but mild enough to dish up alongside fish as well.

November Interludes

Marinade Ingredients for Georgian-Style Chicken Kabobs:
Mix together yogurt, sweet and hot paprikas, salt and black pepper, onions, garlic and fresh mint leaves and marinate with chicken overnight in the refrigerator. Broil chicken till just done and browned on top. Serve with flatbreads, sliced red onions dusted with sumac and creamy red cabbage salad.

A Special New Favorite Introduced to Cafe Drake via Jen Ruske

Autumnal Rabbit Stew:

Chop rabbit into pieces, shake with seasoned flour and brown quickly in olive oil. Add 1 large chopped onion, 1 peeled and chopped large parsley root, a cup of good red wine, a sprinkling of herbes de provence, a couple of bay leaves, some black peppercorns and salt to the pan. Cover and simmer on low until rabbit is just tender. Add water as needed. Do not overcook or the meat may be become dry and chewy. Remove rabbit, allow to cool, pull all meat from bones and return the meat to the pan. Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes then serve hot. Cafe Drake plated the stew with homemade whole wheat spaetzle. Ruske proclaimed the entree "restaurant-quality".

Casual Dining at Cafe Drake

Ultimate Comfort Food from Jen Lazzaro: Green Salad with homemade Toasted Parmesan Crisps, Roasted Organic Chicken Breasts and Turnip Puree and New Potatoes with Garlic

Fast & Creamy Cabbage Salad:
Shred 1/2 head of red cabbage and toss lightly with a bit of salt. In a large bowl mix together equal amounts of yogurt and mayonnaise and whisk well. Season with more salt, black pepper and 1/3 bunch of minced fresh dill. Whisk in a tablespoon of white wine vinegar and a tablespoon of sugar. Mix dressing with cabbage and let rest for 1 hour. Stir well and re-season as needed before serving.

Jen Lazzaro: Birthday Girl

A Gift of Orchids for the Birthday Girl

Jen & Dallas

Brian & Anna

Margaret & Mike

A Candlelit Birthday Dessert

Another Beautiful Birthday Bouquet

Cafe Drake recently gathered with friends and family of Jennifer Lazzaro to celebrate a milestone (of sorts) birthday at South Williamsburg's Rabbithole. Better known for their illustrious and packed brunch scene, the cozy and pretty restaurant proved a perfect setting as Jen and her crew settled into a corner banquette conveniently located next to the wooden bar. The food was great, the portions sizable and the service friendly and efficient, all paling only next to the glow of our delightful guest of honor.

Persimmon Cookies

Use very ripe persimmons for these cookies, i.e. fruit that is dotted with black spots and soft to the touch. To puree, just cut open persimmons and squeeze the flesh out into a food processor or Magic Bullet. Note that the finished result here is mild in flavor but appreciated by all. Good with afternoon tea or coffee. Feel free to add raisins, dried cranberries or chopped nuts if you'd like.

PERSIMMON COOKIES

• three average size persimmons, pureed as above
  
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour ( or split it up and use 1 cup of whole wheat flour)
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease or line one large baking sheet (or 2 smaller) with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.
3. Cream the butter or margarine with the sugar. Beat in the egg and persimmons. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Random November Moments

Freshly baked treats for pets

Inspired by Miki's delicious Japanese winter vegetable stew, Cafe Drake's version included parsley root, turnips, lotus root, leeks and sweet potatoes.

Jen L relaxes between courses at Cafe Drake.

Late autumn table setting at Cafe Drake.

A Page family tradition includes chili on Halloween, here topped with a whole wheat cornbread crust.

Fresh cranberries, shredded ginger and chopped hot chili peppers make a bright tasting quick relish for cold weather. Good to ward off colds as well.

A Traditional Izakaya Meal at Miki's Home

Tucking in to a feast of traditional izakaya dishes, or "tapas" typically served at a Japanese drinking establishment.

Bottle feeding Baby Kitten.

Attempting to handroll one of Miki's scrumptious gyouza dumplings.

Kinoko Takikomi Gohan (Japanese Mushroom Rice)

Gyouza, or Leek and Pork Dumplings

With great dexterity Miki flips the dumplings from pan to plate.

Feeding tiny kitten. Miki rescued this beautiful baby from a city park in Flushing.

Braised fishcake and vegetables.

Waiting for adoption.

A typically welcoming table at Cafe Miki.

The Master instructs apprentice Jason in the art of dumpling making.

Simmered Satoimo (Yaro Tams in a Pork Broth)

Cold Weather food at its most comforting: Oden, or Japanese Hot Pot of fishcakes, cabbage, eggs and daikon radish. Delicious!

Pineapple Pork Stew

We really raided the Cafe Drake pantry when inventing this slow-cooked, hearty autumn stew. The addition of pineapple juice and fresh green chilis keeps things from getting too heavy. Sided in the Cafe D kitchen with mashed rutabagas it would also be good alongside fried or mashed plantains.

Cut a 1-lb piece of pork loin into small-ish cubes. Brown very well in olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Now add 1 chopped red onion and cook for 5 more minutes before adding about 1 1/2 cups of pineapple juice. Chop up 3-4 hot green chilis and add to the stew along with 1 cup of water. The liquid should just barely over the meat. Cover and cook on medium-low for an hour or until pork is tender and almost falling apart. Remove lid and cook on high to reduce any liquid to a thick sauce. Serve at once.

Cafe Drake in Autumn

Around the World in 80 Minutes (or less)

Below you'll find a sampling of Cafe Drake's favorite international recipes unrivaled in ease of preparation. Perfect for the armchair culinary traveler or the jet set gourmet, these dishes will require less time in the kitchen and allow more for bag packing, even if your valises are only imaginary.

TRINIDADIAN DUMPLINGS (FooFoo)

To be served with a wide variety of soups and stews. Be creative with the flavoring and choose spices complimentary to your main dish, i.e. nutmeg dumplings with cream-based soups or green herbs for fish stews.

In a bowl mix: 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornmeal, some salt and 2 t. baking powder with herbs or spices of choice. Use about 1 t. of seasoning. Now thoroughly rub into flour mixture 1 T. of softened butter. Gradually add small amounts of water until you have a soft dough. Break off small pieces of dough and drop into the soup or stew to cook till desired doneness.


SWEET POTATO CAKE

From Cuba comes a rare dessert posting on Cafe Drake. This one is so basic (but delicious) even we can't screw it up. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a side of homemade pudding such as vanilla or butterscotch.

1/4 cup rum mixed with 1/2 cup water / 1/2 t. pure vanilla extract / 1 1/4 cups sugar / 1 pound of sweet potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed / 1/2 cup butter, melted / 3 eggs / 1/2 cup flour / 2 t. baking powder / 1 t. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix together the rum/water mixture, vanilla and sugar. Now add the sweet potatoes and butter. Separate the egg whites from yellow and add the yolks (well beaten) to the sweet potatoes. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold into the sweet potato mixture.

Beat the egg whites till they form stiff peaks and fold into sweet potatoes as well. Lightly grease a 10-inch cake pan and our the mixture into it. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, testing for doneness with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready.

Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and eat warm or cold.


TAGINE OF CHICKEN AND PRUNES

Probably the most basic and barest-bones Moroccan dish we know, this stew cries out for improvisation. Best of course with couscous and if you have one, by all means prepare in a ceramic tagine in a 350 degree oven. Works with any cut or type of chicken but do adjust cooking times accordingly for larger pieces or bone-in poultry.

6 large chicken pieces / 2 large onions, chopped / 1 t. saffron threads / 1 1/2 t. or so chopped ginger / salt / 1 cup small pitted prunes / about 4 cups of water

1. Combine everything (reserve 1/2 of the onions and 1/2 of the prunes) in a pot and simmer gently, covered, for 1 hour. Stir from time to time.
2. Now add the remaining onions and prunes and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.
3. Add water as needed but not too much; the sauce should be thick when the tagine is served.
4. When the prunes are soft, the chicken is cooked and you have a lovely thick sauce, the dish is ready to eat.

PLANTAIN BREAD

Integral to Ivory Coast cuisine, plantain bread makes a most unusual starch substitute when weary of potatoes and rice. We've done our best to re-create a menu item popping up all over Brooklyn's nascent African restaurant scene.

A word about ingredients: Plantains when very ripe will be yellow in color; if only green ones are available let them ripen a few days on your countertop. Sambal is a chile paste available at all Asian and African food markets and some gourmet food stores. Rice flour is a must here.

3 large and very ripe plantains / 2 t. chile sambal / 1 cup rice flour / salt / 1/4 cup plain vegetable oil / 2 t. turmeric Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel plantains and mash them well in a large bowl. Add sambal, rice flour and salt and mix well. In a small skillet gently heat the oil. Add turmeric, remove from heat and mix into the plantain mixture. The "dough" should be thick yet still sort of pourable. If it is too soft or runny add a bit more rice flour. if too stiff, add small bits of water, one at a time. Grease a loaf pan and pour in plantain mixture.

Bake for 1 hour or until cooked and firm to the touch. remove from oven and let stand about 15 minutes before turning onto a wire rack.

Slice and serve.