#PiePartyICE 2015

Another year, another pie party. And for me, 2015 wouldn’t be complete without one. Once again, Jackie Gordon and Ken Leung were the organizers & MCs of a masterful event. I mean, the word ‘pie’ is in the name! If you’ve read my posts on this event from previous years you know that pie party is a gathering of the food writing/blogging community namely in sake of the almighty pie! Does it have a crust? Then yes it counts as pie-ish. It can be savory or it can be sweet. It can be gluten-free, vegetarian. It can come in mini form or ginormous size. It can have a thin crust with a bed of toppings or it can be encapsulated in dough with a delicious filling to bring the flavors home. Basically just bring something delicious and we’ll eat it.

My contribution was once again savory! This time a free-form onion tart. This wasn’t too hard to make either. Pre-make the dough and then morning of slice over 2 pounds of onions and cook with lots and lots of butter, some thyme, and a couple of scoops of crème fraiche (which I forgot). Roll out said crust then bake and you have yourself a tart! In my case not the prettiest of tarts but it was tasty y’all!

What also brings in the fun and camaraderie of Pie Party are the people and the fantastic and generous contributions from sponsors such as Cabot Creamery and King Arthur Flour so that there were high quality ingredients in this tart. Butter really does make a difference so putting two sticks of it in the crust and then a good amount in the onion sauté helps elevate the flavors entirely. And the crust was super easy to work with too thanks to the flour and method. Will I make this again? Damn straight. And I will remember the crème fraiche!

On a day that was completely gray skies, blistery winds, and rain it was cozy to come upstairs to the new Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) center and be surrounded by pie, Cabot cheese samples, many delicious hors d’oeuvres (they had mac n’ cheese bites!), and mix of fall themed drinks thanks to Reyka Vodka, Mizu Shochu, and Tequila Tromba.

The ICE staff were the epitome of kindness and professionalism helping us to heat pies, find plates large enough for some people’s tarts, and also serving those wonderful appetizers in a steady pie pre-game. Also on-hand was The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen’s (Susan Palmer) beef and chorizo empanadas. (I swiped several of those to take home, thank-you-very-much.) Add to that Cabot Cheese & Butter had samples of their apple pie with a cheese crust, and then there was the cheese station with crostinis and crackers and some fruit. Areas to try and win some goodies from such great culinary kitchen staples from Anolon, Wüsthof, or the Dub Pies station. Really Dub Pies has been a steady sponsor so I kind of keep an eye out for their minis since I was introduced to their goods at the very first pie party several years ago.

So, when did we actually get to the main course of the day? In due time my friends. Grab a drink. Get two, three even they’re themed drinks! Take a few photos of all the glory of pies. Put on an ICE jacket and take some selfies why don’t you for a chance to win a free class!

Okay, okay, yes, pie. The parade of pies were split by savory and sweet with them coming in at fifty-fifty in representation. In the sweet section some pies were melting. But, as I told several people even though I bemoaned the look of my own creation, “I don’t care how it looks, I just care how it tastes.”

After hors d’oeuvres and drinks I think my eyes were a bit bigger than my stomach. So much pie! Meat pies with oxtail or pork or duck confit (Thanks Experimental Gourmand)! And sweet! Since I had had my fill of the savory in the form of the cheese table and then some kick butt appetizers. I’m telling you those mac n’ cheese bits were something I honed in on. Whenever an ICE staff member was nearby with one my arm snapped out to grab a few. And once I found a plate of them it was all over. So when Jackie announced Pie Party was officially on I went straight to the sweets. No regrets friends.

Well, one regret is that I couldn’t eat more pie. I took home a conservative amount since I knew I would be out of town the following week. I had the ace Abby Dodge’s caramel apple pie that I, to this day, dream about. I perfectly folded galette crust with an interior that hit all the spots in terms of my craving for something sweet. I had Jeff of Foodmento’s lemon pistachio tart which, after much sugar and chocolate, was a citrus-y and light palate cleanser that I could’ve devoured in more than a couple bites. I also had someone’s pocket pumpkin pies with a cinnamon sugar glaze that was uber sweet. More contributions included Banoffee Pie from The Cake Dealer, a lovely strawberry tart from the ever creative and on point Daisy Bow, and a chocolate hazelnut torte by Kelly Vass I regret being unable to tackle due to the abundance of chocolatey goodness. So lovely and rich! And Jackie’s cupboard harvest pie was a literal pie with the words pie decorated all over. It was made of apricots, apples, currants, cranberries, and golden raisins. So consider your antioxidant intake fulfilled after a piece of this! It was just right as a mix of tartness and sweetness to truly hit the fell of fall.

   

On the savory spread my tart got demolished with a small portion left. Yay! There was Margaret’s Oxtail pie. The pictures she’d been posting the previous day and her contribution from last year was a short rib that was braised similarly. Consider that pie on point. I also enjoyed Kian Lam Kho’s Sichuan chicken hand pies. Day after and toasty warm it was delicious with or without the accompanying Sichuan dipping sauce. There was 4 cheese pie with tomatoes and leek pie and more hand pies. Pies with bacon! Pies with more and more cheese in various forms! Love. It.

At the end ICE provided a tour of their new digs for anyone willing. There was plenty of Dub Pies to go around and also some that they again generously provided in our goodie bags. Did I say goodie bag? Why yes I did! Those have also become a staple of Pie Party. Take home pie and get some pie-themed goods. Check out this swag, y’all!

I didn’t want to go home and walk back through the whipping winds and drizzling rain. I could’ve stayed at ICE all day and eaten pie, gabbed with my foodie peeps, some of whom I hadn’t seen in a long while and some I met for the first time in person, and had more of those mac n’ cheese balls if they were around. But it was time to go and we all got to take home a little bit of Pie Party with us, or a lot, I mean there was a lot of pie left, for next year. I personally cannot wait and now have an additional arsenal of goods to make my pie or tart or galette (whatever you wanna call it) to bring my A-game.

As always a HUGE THANKS to the kindness of sponsors like Anolon, Wusthof, Dub Pies, HalfPops, ICE, King Arthur Flour, Wild Hibiscus Tea, Honey Ridge Farms, Cabot, Tovolo Home, Mizu Schochu, Reyka Vodka, and Tequlia Tromba for making Pie Party the place to be for the local food writing community. We are indebted and now addicted to your respective products, you know, if we hadn’t been already.

In Memoriam: Brook Stephenson

Hearts have been heavy these past couple of days. On Sunday, August 9th I, and others, found out that a wonderful person/artist/man died unexpectedly the previous evening. That man was Brook Stephenson. Brook basically knew every Black writer in NYC and potentially every writer of color in the area and other cities as well. He was most recognizable by his smile and his presence. I remember saying to him at a reading in Harlem, "Man, you are everywhere!" He nodded, grinned, and we chatted for a bit.

Brook and I met at the Harlem Holiday Fete in December 2014. He was giving shout outs to so many Black writers, established and emerging, and other industry folks. We were crowded, shoulder-to-shoulder, back-to-back at the Fete with the vibration steady from pockets of discussion throughout the restaurant. Brook was someone I was searching for to say "Thanks for organizing this," and when he went to the front of the restaurant/lounge he definitely had a welcoming aura about him. I introduced myself and he was encouraging. There was a queue starting up just to speak to him. He'd created a writers colony and wanted people to apply, he was working on his own stuff, (he was multitasking) also introducing others who may be like minds in terms of connection. We exchanged cards.

In 2015 is when I saw him more regularly because we were often at the same events. He wanted to support everyone. Jacqueline Woodson, Renee Watson, Tracy Sherrod, new artists at Sundays At, his own crew, the last reading I had hoped we may see each other was last week at B&N for The Book of Luke. I smiled when I saw his pictures because I just knew he'd be there. "Man, you are everywhere!"

I was unable to go to the reading he held for some of the residents at RI Writers Colony but I was confident I'd see Brook again soon. He had been coming to my readings this summer when I invited him, his a familiar face, the goatee framing his ever-present smile was always nice to see in the audience. I introduced him to my mom at my second-to-last reading of the month on a day that felt like 105-degrees. I thanked him repeatedly for coming out. "I'll see you soon" I said and believed I would.

I recall when Brook walked me to the subway after a reading. A true gentleman even though the 2/3 train was not on his path. He asked me why I was taking so long to write my collection. He remembered my statement for RI Writers Colony in which I revealed, as I had been in many statements, the 7 years and counting it was taking to get me to that place I felt my linked anthology would be complete. I got a bit indignant, "Well how long is it taking you to complete your work?" Again, that smile. We are both activists. We had so many ideas and balls in the air. Him the colony, a business, his work, a full-time job, writing gigs, and being everywhere. There's so much he was doing and wanted to do to elevate those voices. We commiserated in wishing we had more time. More time to focus on ourselves and our work but agreed, the work we're doing is important. Our brothers & sisters need to be heard and recognized and then that's when it'll be our time.

On Sunday I was with two writer friends talking about how to better reach out to other artists of color. We gather monthly and talk about our concerns and frustrations, we talk about the work to be done. It's a conversation I know Brook would've been able to contribute to highly and has. I checked Facebook quickly for something, but was halted by a post from a mutual friend tagging Brook as having passed. None of us believed it. And it seemed so many who were posting on Brook's wall couldn't either. "I just saw you" many wrote, said, and thought, including myself. I had seen him 3 weeks ago on that projected 105-degree day. He ate one of the lemon ricotta cookies I made and nodded saying he enjoyed them. He met my mother. He clapped and smiled and encouraged me to keep going. He was a constant, positive, welcomed presence urging you forward. And suddenly, he was gone.

I sat in shock. I am still shocked. I am shocked, saddened, and obsessive in looking at the many people Brook's mere presence touched and inspired. I am considering how to continue to honor a man who gave so much to others in genuine kindness and interest. I am hurt that such a wonderful person was taken so soon from so many of us, his family, friends, girlfriend, and even more the many who would've read his words on the printed page and connected to it on a deeper level. I am pushing myself to move beyond being shocked and to do the work Brook encouraged me and other artists to do because he emphasized how much our voices mattered and how much he cared. I am moving forward to know that every word I write, every kindness, every day will be in honor of Brook because that's how he lived.

"Man, you are everywhere!" And Brook is, and he will continue to be everywhere, in our spirit, actions, and art. We miss you, Brook.

Ta-Nehisi Coates on Writing via The Atlantic's Creative Breakthroughs

The Atlantic's Creative Breakthrough w/ Ta-Nehisi Coates

Delayed on Posts, But More to Come Soon. Promise!

Well, in looking at my last post it was almost 2 months ago! And it will be 2 months ago by the time I am able to get my next post up. I have been delinquent with the blog this year and hope to remedy that in July, along with focusing on many other writing endeavors.

Lots has been going on in the past couple months since I returned from Italy. I got a promotion for We Need Diverse Books and am formally the head for the 2016 diversity festival. I am running the Minorities in Publishing podcast as a one-woman act, and I am moving this week! So it's been lots of meetings, planning, organization, more meetings, lots of diversity-related stuff, setting up interviews for the podcast, planning on writing and not writing, some freelance thrown in with a full-time job and all that good stuff.

So, I do apologize for the lack of posts. I have a couple drafted and queued up in particularly for the Brooklyn Wing Crawl I was part of before Memorial Day and this years' last BEA/BookCon in NYC for a bit, and there'll be more Cookbook Trials, of course, once I get set up in my new apartment. So, yes, more to come and please bear with me as I get re-acclimated in a new space, get more focused and organized in terms of my time, and also schedule some necessary food outings so I can keep you all in the know!

#CookbookTrials: Fried & True

Delinquent! Delinquent I say! I know, I know. And I do love blogging but impending move means that Cookbook Trials may be on hiatus while I pack and then unpack. Yeesh. Anywho, I did do March (which stretched into April's) trials using the cookbook Fried & True I received at a launch event I attended at the supperclub under Red Rooster in Harlem. I got a mini cast iron skillet for Christmas and a wok for my birthday so I was set friends.

I managed four recipes as per the usual. Two sides and two chicken. The basis for Fried & True is as the title states, fried chicken recipes. Fifty of "the best" in the United States as found by the editor Lee Brian Schrager with Adeena Sussman of this cookbook. One of which was Charles Gabriel's fried chicken and he's not too far from where I work in Harlem.

Swiss Chard Salad with Pine Nuts and Lemon (Art Smith)

Prep/Cooking Difficulty: No difficulty whatsoever. You have five ingredients (not including salt & pepper) and mix it all together. The only prep was cleaning off the swiss chard leaves and toasting the pine nuts after that it's all mixing.

Taste: It's a nice healthy mix to add to a fried protein. Swiss chard has a slightly bitter taste close to mesculun or even kale in a way and is super good for you. The crunch of the toasted pine nuts and some saltiness with the parmesan and salt/pepper was a nice mix and I ate it all in one day since I made half a serving. Good and good for you!

Yay or Nay? Yay for healthy!

[Vietnamese] Fried Chicken (Hy Vong)

Prep/Cooking Difficulty: This was another deliberately easy one, folks. Chicken stock, soy sauce, jalapenos (which I skipped), and scallions along with chicken is all you need. Fry the chicken immediately and make the sauce while the chicken fries and that is it.

Taste: Perhaps the real kick comes from the jalapenos for this recipe as I found without the chicken being flavored you rely a lot on the sauce, which is the intention, but that's none too flavorful for me. I usually make recipes with soy sauce that also have sesame seed oil, oyster sauce and other items so this being really stock, soy sauce, and in my case no peppers it didn't have as much flavor as I would have liked but is definitely a nice alternative.

Yay or Nay? I'm middle of the road on this one as it's not as good day after where as other fried chicken may hold up better.

Candied Yams (Charles Gabriel)

Prep/Cooking Difficulty: Not very. You do make this is two stages which is boiling the potatoes then cutting that up to bake and making a sauce to put on top which includes orange, cinnamon sticks, and sugar. I've made much more complicated sweet potatoes in mashed form.

Taste: The syrup is what makes this dish! Oh my goodness it IS like candy. Move over old school recipes I've done before Charles' takes the cake for me from now on.

Yay or Nay? Yay. For goodness sake yay!

Country Pan Fried Chicken (Charles Gabriel)

Prep/Cooking Difficulty: As mentioned I went with the easier of recipes and this was one of them. It must be brined overnight with salt, pepper, and garlic powder so that those flavors literally stick to the meat when you're ready to bread and fry it.

Taste: The brining makes the difference here because the garlic powder and salt/pepper stick to the meat with little else needed in the breading. When you fry it all up you taste those spices in the juicy chicken and it's all good. Reminds me of my grandma's chicken for sure.

Yay or Nay? You know what I'm gonna say don't you? If not: YAY!

So overall would I recommend Fried & True? Yes, with the caveat that it's not all easy. There are some multi-step, hardcore recipes in here and it'll take a while to get through. Plus it's a lot of fried chicken with just a couple alternates so that's a huge amount of oil. I'd say pick your recipes wisely and definitely try out the sides as they were fun to look through and consider. The sides range from Popeye's like biscuits to mac n' cheese to waffles to various slaws and grit type sides so there's a nice range.

Since summer is coming I may try for some more dessert-y cookbooks, or not.