Fava Bean and Pecorino Bruschette

(from Gourmet, April 2004)

1 cup shelled fresh fava beans (1 1/2 lb in pods)

6 (1/2-inch thick) slices sourdough bread, cut from middle of a halved 8- to 9-inch round loaf

1 large garlic clove, halved crosswise

Maldon sea salt to taste

Coarsely ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup loosely packed small fresh mint leaves

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 (1/2-lb) piece Pecorino Romano

How: Blanch favas in a 1- to 2-quart saucepan of boiling water 1 minute, then immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain favas and gently peel skins from beans.

Meanwhile, heat a lightly oiled well-seasoned large ridged grill pan over moderately high heat until hot and just beginning to smoke. Grill bread slices (in batches if necessary) until pale golden and grill marks appear, about 45 seconds to 1 minute per side. Lightly rub 1 side of each toast with cut side of a garlic half, then season with sea salt and pepper and drizzle with oil(about 1 teaspoon per slice).

Toss together favas, mint, lemon juice, remaining tablespoon oil, and sea salt and pepper to taste in a bowl, then divide among toasts. Shave 3 or 4 thin slices of cheese onto each bruschetta with a vegetable peeler.

Cook’s note: Be aware that fava beans can cause a potentially fatal food reaction in some people of Mediterranean, African, and Pacific Rim descent.

Every Gourmet reader had their favorite month. Traditionalists loved November, filled with Thanksgiving side recipes and new ways to make the turkey tender and savory. For some, fall’s orchard recipes would inspire pastry chefs of all ages to break out the rolling pin and start dusting the counter with flour. For others, many would count the days before the first spring issue arrived, excited for new recipes with peas, asparagus, and artichokes, almost forgetting what these harbingers of spring tasted like after a surfeit of winter root veggies.

We decided to wait until spring to break bread. The season of renewal would inspire us, even if some of used fall recipes. Just so long as we made some of our favorites. It didn’t matter that none of us made a meat dish, or that there were two pasta dishes. This was about love and loyalty and getting together with friends to share an evening hanging out in the kitchen, and moving into the dining room when it was time. For a challenge, we’d also have to pair our dish with a beverage, either alcoholic or non-.

Barbara can never make just one thing, so we started the evening with two hors d’oeuvres:  Fava Beans and Pecorino Bruschette from May 2004 (see recipe on this page), and Oysters Rockefeller from 1943. Barbara shucked all the large Maine oysters herself, without a hitch, before we arrived, and her mise en place was spread out atop the stove and counter. Many purists pooh-pooh cooking oysters. Although we love slurping down some raw fresh oysters with a martini, Oysters Rockefeller, with its stuffing of spinach, parsley, and bacon, is a refreshing alternative. The bruschette proved to be the perfect herald of spring. Toasted in an olive-oil drizzled skillet, the sourdough was topped with fresh green fava beans, spiky mint leaves, and salty Pecorino Romano shavings. It was difficult to stop at just one. We stood around in the kitchen sipping brut champagne and noshing on the bruschette. It seemed the perfect pairing, and after two glasses and mouthfuls of the tasty app, we probably could have ended the meal right then and there. But we couldn’t stop; we had one more appetizer and three more chefs ready to stoke the fires.

Paul shook up some lemony, refreshing Tom Collinses in short glasses (we knew we’d be drinking more that evening and did not want to start bumping into the furniture), and we all cheered the Oysters Rockefeller as Barbara brought them to the table. The Oysters were impeccable—not too much bacon and just a hint of anise from the Pernod—but pairing them with a Tom Collins was a revelation. We can’t imagine the two separated ever again. Remember this when you go to your favorite tavern that serves this late-nineteenth-century delight.

The Mocktail

(created by Cocktail Buzz)

1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice (with no sugar added)

1/2 ounce orange juice

1/2 ounce pink grapefruit juice

1/4 ounce agave nectar

1/4 teaspoon grated ginger and its juice

1 1/2 ounces ginger ale

orange wedge, as garnish

Shake first five ingredients in ice for 15 seconds. Strain into a rocks-filled glass. Top with ginger ale. Add garnish.

Note: If using cranberry juice with sugar added, leave out the agave.

Tom Collins

(adapted by Cocktail Buzz)

For a Collins (or tall) glass:

2 1/2 ounces gin (try Hendrick’s and then try a London dry and Plymouth to see what works best for you)

1 ounce lemon juice

3/4 ounce simple syrup

2–3 ounces club soda

orange wheel and cherry, as garnish

Shake in ice for 15 seconds. Strain into ice-filled collins glass. Top with soda. Add garnish, speared, and rest on rim.

For a rocks (or short) glass:

1 1/2 ounces gin (we used G’Vine Floraison)

2/3 ounce lemon juice

1/2 ounce simple syrup

1 1/2 ounces club soda

cherry and orange half-moon slice

Shake in ice for 15 seconds. Strain into ice-filled rocks or old-fashioned glass. Top with soda. Add garnish, speared, and rest on rim.

Steve, batting second, presented us with an entire bubbling soufflé dish filled with Macaroni and Cheese, from the February 1998 issue.  We'd all had Steve’s macaroni and cheese before, but lapping it up once again, we paused for a moment time to parse its ingredients and praised it for the bits of heat from red pepper flakes, and the crunchy panko topping. But the secret ingredient—the one that keeps us eagerly returning to it again and again—is Dijon mustard. Its tang is the perfect foil for the gobs of extra-sharp Cheddar that go into the mix. The leftovers always leave us euphoric. Steve paired his mac & cheese with a French chardonnay (not a California—the oak might be too overwhelming). This marriage made us all swoon.

Paul, up third, decided that the Almond-Crusted Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Soy Mayonnaise would add some Asian flavor to this Eurocentric feast. Redolent with a crust of toasted almonds and topped with fresh cilantro, these shrimp cakes paired perfectly with a nonalcoholic drink we simply call The Mocktail (see recipe, left below). A light blend of balance: sweet, sour, and bitter, all rolled into one ginger–citrus lowball. You won’t even know it’s missing spirits because the pungent fresh ginger bumps this drink way beyond the level of breakfast beverage. We could drink a dozen of these and not grow weary of them.

After a walk on the promenade along the East River overlooking the glorious Manhattan skyline, we were ready for the next chef to present his favorite Gourmet meal. As we reentered the apartment, smells from the kitchen hit us hard. The fourth dish, Jon’s, was ready. He presented us with another pasta dish, Lasagna in fact, and it oozed melted scamorza (aged smoky mozzarella) as he cut into it, interlaced with sautéed radicchio, mushrooms, garlic, and parsley. The aroma was intoxicating. We poured another bottle of wine, this time a pinot noir, took a few satisfying bites and decided that we were too full to continue. We would savor this one-of-a-kind lasagna dish the next day when it would be even better from all the flavors melding overnight. Indeed it was.

The only thing missing from the evening was Ruth Reichl herself, the final editor of Gourmet. Her presence was felt by all of us as we reminisced about the discoveries we all had made from reading each issue cover to cover over the years.

Barbara (top) prepares Oysters Rockefeller as Jon consults the Gourmet Cookbook. Paul (bottom) dons chef togs and toque as he hones his knife. (Full disclosure: There was nothing to carve this evening, so the photo is bogusness at its cheesiest.)

Steve as serious chef.

The Tom Collins is a perfect blend of gin. lemon juice, simple syrup and soda. (See recipe for tall and short versions, left.)

Generous portions of fresh spring fava beans, mint, and Pecorino Romano cheese on bruschette will brighten up your cocktail party.

The penultimate issue of Gourmet, October 2009, in all its candy apple red splendor.

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