A Fanciful Feast Reminiscent of the South I Love + Extra Dose of Creativity @Barry Maiden's Hungry Mother, Cambridge, MA

Love the space at Hungry Mother.  It's quaint and charming along with its staff. 

 The bar is intimate and stocked full with fantastic spirits, churned into notable potables by the likes of Lino (previously of Upstairs on the Square, Cambridge) and Heather (State Park & LUPEC Boston).

Had this beauty in cocktail called a "Monkey Flip"

I love a good flip - a cocktail made with one whole egg shaken to perfection with the likes of gin, or rum, or brandy, etc.   

Now, don't freak out, it is an elevation on an eggnog and I'm sure the vast majority of us have sampled eggnog. The velvety richness, the frothy top, the highlighted spirit makes a classic flip so very special.  

The "Monkey Flip is made even more delicious by the presence of one of my favorite amari - Punt e mes- along with a lovely liqueur called Banana du Bresil.

The "Monkey Flip" 

Ron Abuelo Rum

Banana du Bresil

Whole egg

Punt e mes 

A beautiful coffee cocktail created by Lino

Everything, that can be, is locally sourced from the seafood to the cornmeal used for HM's mind-blowing black skillet style sweet cornbread seeping with melty sorghum butter.  Other ingredients are generally from the Appalachian/Mid-Atlantic region. 
Check out HM's purveyors, here.

Skillet cornbread with sorghum butter

Nothing will rock your world more, as a side dish, than the hearty antebellum grits topped with cheddar and peppery tasso ham.  They're cheesy, savory, and all around amazing.  

Welcome to the south!

Antebellum grits

The cuisine is southern at heart with flashes of French influence, as a number of southern dishes (especially in the Southeast U.S.) tend to be.  It's a testament to Chef Maiden's time at Lumiere.

Take the treatment of the wild Burgundy escargot.  These magnificent mollusks were bathed in a beautifully fragrant, savory, herbaceous persillade broth, topped with crisp, salty confit fingerlings, and dollops of "Duke's" aioli.  Duke's is a traditional mayo created by Eugenia Duke in 1917 in Greenville, NC (where my maternal side of the family is originally from in the states).  It is a staple in southeastern kitchens, used for such side dishes as cole slaw, potato salad, and sandwiches.

Escargot

I also immensely enjoyed another preparation of escargot...

Wild Burgundy escargots & grits tasso ham, shimeji mushrooms in a moderate, fragrant broth

Green tomato, cucumber, goat's milk yoghurt, Texas olive oil gazpacho topped with Maine crab

Cold soups are perfectly refreshing during the summer months, whether asparagus or watermelon.  

I'm a fan of gazpacho.  I think this had to be my first green vs. red tomato gazpacho.  It was fresh and vibrant with added texture and flavors from juicy, sweet Maine crab.

In keeping with the fresh farm-to-table items on the menu, the juicy, sweet corn on the cob sprinkled with andouille sausage crumbs, Parmesan cheese and lime, was simple and delicious.  

I was not a fan of the sauteed collards.  I prefer my collards a bit more tender.

Sauteed collards

A garden fresh, hearty batch of charred corn and cherry tomato relish with pickled okra topped a luscious morsel of pan-roasted bluefish (wild caught in Chatham, MA) on a bed of romano beans, basil oil, and smoky bacon.

Bluefish

Looking for something on the lighter side try one of their dinner salads.  My friend and fellow foodie dinner date (Jen Sutherland of Berkshire Mountain Distillery) enjoyed her green salad piled high with greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, Anson Mills Salt Island red peas, Steen's Cane vinaigrette.

One evening, the dinner salad was made with mesclun greens, smoked and spiced hazelnuts, grapefruit, 
Vidalia onions, and spring cow's cheese.


Is nose-to-tail dining your thing as much as it is mine?  
If so, try the tender waygu beef tongue au jus with dijon mustard, Robinson swiss cheese, on crusty toast 
or
 the rosemary tagliatelle with confit chicken giblets, soft quail egg, Kentucky Worcestershire sauce, and SarVecchi (a Wisconsin cheese reminiscent of Parmesan).

Beef tongue

Beautiful rosemary tagliatelle with chicken giblets and a soft quail egg

Chef sent out a lovely dessert.  The absolute highlight being the vibrant mint ice cream!

Oh, and don't forget to order a 40 ounce! 

 

Me & Chef Barry Maiden

Cooking Class with Private Chef Jason "Irie" Herny, Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Back in January, my mother and I attended an ocean view, outdoor private cooking class at The Great House at Prospect Plantation built in the early 18th century on the outskirts of Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  

Back porch of estate.  Photo credit: http://www.getyourguide.com/

Now, those who know me are well aware that I am not one to cook.  At this moment, since moving into my new place in November 2013, I have yet to stock my kitchen with one pot or pan.  BUT...offer a private cooking class overlooking the ocean in the Caribbean, on a sprawling estate surrounded by lush gardens and rooted in history, and am an all in!

Caribbean sea view from back porch of the estate where class took place.

I suppose I'm ready to cook!

We joined a small group of tourists under what's known as the Great Mahogany tree planted by Sir Winston Churchill in 1953.  After the 950 acre (currently 400 acres) property was purchased by Sir Harold Mitchell in 1936 and featured Jamaica's first hydroelectric power station, notable guests were allowed to plant a tree to commemorate their visit. Sir Winston Churchill's mahogany remains in the center of the yard leading to the front door.

Me & Mommy

Our garden tour lead by Chef Jason Herny (aka Chef Irie) included checking out the Pimento trees from which the fragrant wood was sourced for the grill used to finish our jerk chicken, thyme, scotch bonnet peppers, and an interesting Plumeria tree (aka the Frangipani tree) with origins from West Africa.

Chef Irie underneath the Frangipani tree.

Once settled in on the back porch and armed with a cool Red Stripe, the prep began.

Chef Jason "Irie" Herny

 We began with the steamed callaloo.

Callaloo bunch

After removing the membrane from the stalks, we cut the callaloo into one inch pieces and added to a skillet with green and white onion, small amount of diced tomato, sprigs of thyme, green bell pepper, and margarine.  Chef informed us that when a Jamaican says "add two spoonful", you should add four.

Seasonings for the callaloo:

We coated a boneless, skinless chicken breast with special seasoning in preparation for grilling over pimento wood and dousing with red stripe beer. 

I was chosen to man the grill!

The spicy sent of flaming then smoldering pimento wood was intoxicating!  The flavor it imparted to the chicken was unmatched.

Chef tending to jerk chicken on the grill

Next up was the Shrimp in Coconut Sauce which was eventually plated over yellow rice.

While we awaited the chicken to be finished, we formed and kneaded Festival, a fried dough/dumpling Jamaican dish.

Festival

We then prepped the sauce for the jerk chicken:

Final products were perfect:

Overall, it was a beautiful day to learn a few classic Jamaican dishes!  Chef Jason "Irie" Herny was an amazing teacher and host.  I strongly recommend partaking in this class if ever in Jamaica.  You can sign up, here.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez! Mardi Gras in Boston @ The Hawthorne

We had a blast for only $75 of Fat Tuesday with fresh crawfish, muffaletta, oyster po' boys and ...King (cup)Cakes!  There were also Hurricanes Sazerac, Vieux Carre, and Ramos Gin Fizz cocktails.

Muffaletta

 

The Hot Tamale Brass Band was amazing!  I wanted to second line up Commonwealth!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!