Sweet & Victuals

Voir Dire Italian Plum Tart

So I've been doing civic duty this past week as Juror #3 in a trial.  By the luck of the draw (and the fact that for years  I was registered to vote in California instead of New York) and previous postponements, this is the first time that I've been on a jury.

One of the perks of jury duty include the food and wine magazines lying around in the deliberation room. That's where I got the idea of baking an Italian plum tart.   Italian plums are smaller and oval-ish than the regular kind and their skin is a pretty violet-blue.

This recipe is a simplified form of the one that Wolfgang Puck makes.

• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 10 oz. butter
• 3 eggs
• 16 Italian plums, pitted and sliced

1. Start by making the pastry shell.  Combine flour and 8 oz. of the butter  in a food processor and add 2 egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until smooth. 
2. Make a ball of the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 30 min.
3. Pit and slice plums into 1/4 inch thick slices.
4. Sautee plums in 2 oz. of butter for 3 min. with 1/4 cup sugar.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Let plums cool to room temperature.
7. Press dough into flat circle and place in a pie tin.
8. Place plums in the center.
9. Bake until crust is golden brown, anywhere from 30-45 min. depending on the oven.

Servings: 8, Prep Time: 15 minutes (+30 min. to chill dough + 45 min. bake time), Calories per Serving: 120, Pair with: Sauterne

Yellow Squash and Cucumber I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not Pasta

I wish I could say I was the clever person who invented this recipe, but alas no, it was the New York Times who came out with this faux pasta recipe - sauteeing ribbons of vegetables to appear like curvy noodles.  It actually made it to the top of the "Most Popular Emailed" Times article list, so I thought I should give it a try to see what all the fuss was about.

When I made my version above (when my little sister Mac was in town over Labor Day to help celebrate my birthday), however, I substituted yellow squash and cucumber for the zucchini in the Times' recipe and it turned out just as well.  For hotter palates, I also turned up the proverbial heat a little by sprinkling paprika on top, which the Times doesn't do.  I also sauteed a side of baby bella mushrooms to accompany the I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Pasta.

• 1 cucumber
• 1 small yellow squash
• 1 tsp. paprika
• thinly sliced parmiggiano-reggiano cheese

1. Use vegetable peeler to peel ribbons of cucumber and yellow squash.  It helps to chop the vegetables lengthwise first.
2. Sautee in extra virgin olive oil.
3. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place a couple slices of parmiggiano-reggiano on top.
5. Sprinkle with paprika.

While she was here, Mac took me to a lovely North African restaurant with lamb tangine with slivered almonds and moist currants to celebrate my birthday.  There was even a live belly-dancer whose unreal midriff moved like one of those hypnotic bobblehead dashboard ornaments.  So, new goal for this winter: I'm going to learn how to make tangine - I have a feeling it's going to take longer than 15 minutes and 5 ingredients, so it might not be blogged about here, but it must be done...

Servings: 2, Prep time: 10 minutes, Calories per Serving: 43, Pair with: Prosecco

Schwinn Breeze-y All-American All-Star Crab Cakes

Some people might think it's a little strange that I'm naming a recipe after a bicycle.

But that's because they haven't met this one. She's a vintage bike: 1960s, single-speed ladies' Schwinn Breeze with a frame of slender cobalt-blue tubing, straight handle bars, and a charming old-fashioned bicycle bell engraved with the American flag.  And she's all mine, as of this Saturday.

Breezy's frame came without a single dent or scratch - I'm guessing she was bought as a birthday present for a rebellious teenage girl who ran off to join a hippie commune and ended up sitting in a suburban garage for almost half a century.  She's a little bit of a fixer-upper: there's the faintest patina of rust about her wheels, which I'm going to scrub off with some Brillo after writing this post.

Scuba and I went all the way to Greenwich, Connecticut this weekend on the Metro-North line to pick up  Breezy and to bike around the leafy town and the harbor together. 

Scuba's bike is a true racing bike: a state-of-the-art sleek and aerodynamic 2008 Italian Bianchi track bike with curved handlebars.  I mean, it's Tour-de-France-worthy-here, okay?  His Bianchi is built to go up to 50mph, leaving a comet-like blur across the asphalt. 

My Breezy, on the other hand, is a cruiser, built for a lazy summer day, bumping along the rickety planks of a beach boardwalk.  I bought her to toodle along the Central Park loop, carrying a picnic basket and had the bike shop fix her up today with a basket to buckle Dash (the puppy) into. 

So as Scuba and I rode around peaceful and pedestrian-less Greenwich, there happened to be this classic car show near Grass Island Park with very cartoon-y looking 1950s convertibles.  Including this pastel-pink-and-blue Chevy, which I adored.  And here I was, wearing a beat-up old pair of Diesel jeans and my little sister Mac's Converse all-star sneaks, feeling very much like an eight-year old all-American kid.  Or alternatively: an extra in the musical Grease.

Then it occurred to me that for all my fondness for exploring exotic or international flavors, I hadn't cooked a single American dish for the blog.  A surefire misstep on my part.  That's why tonight I made my #1 favorite all-American dish: crab cakes.

(A lot of crab cake recipes involve frying, but we're baking ours - and using light mayo - for a healthier spin on this traditional Chesapeake recipe.)

• 1 lb. crabmeat
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 4 tbsp. fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise

Optional, for extra feisty kick:

• 2 tsp. whole-grain dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Beat the egg.
3. Wash and chop fresh parsley and measure out 4 tbsp.
4. Mix dijon mustard, egg, mayonnaise and breadcrumbs together.  Mix fresh parsley and crabmeat.  Combine all until even.
5. Shape into 10 golf-ball sized spheres and flatten into 3/4-inch tall patties.  Place on a greased baking sheet.
6. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cayenne.
7. Bake until golden (approximately 12 - 20 minutes, depending on the oven).
8. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice, garnish, and serve with tartar sauce or mayonnaise and dill.

Servings: 10 (1 crab cake), Prep time: 10 minutes (+12 - 20 bake time), Calories per Serving: 160, Pair with: Riesling

Vicky Cristina Barcelona Catalonian Bruschetta

Last night I watched an open-air screening of The French Connection as part of the Central Park Film Festival with one of my friends from my law school days (since he's clean-cut and preppy and decidedly prefers khakhi, we're calling him "J.Crew"*).  So J.Crew and I had a picnic under the stars (along with 200 or so other New Yorkers) on an Astroturf-ed surface just west of East 65th and 5th Avenue as we watched a young Gene Hackman chase French heroin-dealers on the silver screen.  I brought homemade bruschetta, strawberries, and seltzer.  J.Crew brought a bottle of red wine, which the park authorities promptly confiscated, and we conveniently hid in the brambles for future use.

Bruschetta (pronounced "brus-ke-ta" in Italian, but "bru-she-ta" by Americans)  is sort of a fancy Italian way of saying: "open-faced tomato basil toast."  It sounds vaguely melodic and pretty, but the word is actually derived from the Roman verb "bruscare," which means "to roast over hot coals."  Go figure, right?  Very tricky...

Bruschetta is also truly perfect picnic fare.  I was inspired to make it after watching Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona over the weekend, which had its own picnic scene with Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz.  I was entranced by Woody Allen's newest work (and not simply because of the Sapphic kiss between Scarlett and Penelope!).   Perhaps it was the film's sumptuous golden and ochre colors, dreamy Catalonian scenery decorated with Gaudi sculptures and Spanish tile, or the hypnotic strumming of the flamenco guitar.  As a viewer, you feel as if you're not merely watching the film - you are drinking it all in and basking in the afterglow.

There are some stick-in-the-mud Woody Allen fans who think that the director peaked artistically with Annie Hall (1977) and Manhattan (1979). I'm not one of those.  Allen's willing exploration of humanity's darker side, perhaps inspired by his luscious new muse, Scarlett Johanssen, seems far more compelling than his earlier, more facetious work.  I was spellbound by Allen's recent film, Match Point (2005).  And though he hit a lull with Scoop and Cassandra's Dream, which followed, Vicky Cristina - which poses the provocative question of whether we should toss away comfort and convention for love that is wild, dangerous and passionate - redeems him and eclipses Match Point even still.

But back to why is bruschetta so wonderful?  As an avid picnicker, I love that it doesn't soil your fingers during a picnic.  Also: it uses olives and olive oil  - the secret to the "Mediterranean Diet," a theory explaining why people in Mediterranean countries have lower rates of cardiovascular disease and even cancer.  To make, we use:

• 1 French baguette
• 2 tomatoes
• 20 basil leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 16 multicolored olives

1. Slice baguette into 3/4 in" thick pieces.
2. Toast (or put in broiler) until firm and crispy.
3. Wash tomatoes and basil.
4. Dice tomatoes roughly.  Puree tomatoes and basil leaves in blender or food processor.
5. Slice garlic cloves in half and rub against the toasted baguette slices.
6. Spread tomato-basil puree over the toasted baguette slices.
7. Pit the olives.  Dice the pitted olives and decorate the bagette slices with them.
8. Drizzle all with olive oil.
9. Season as desired with salt and pepper.

Servings: 4 (approximately 2 slices per serving), Prep time: 10 min., Calories per Serving: 97, Pair with: Cava 

Watercress Salad with Shrimp and Cannelloni Beans

The only thing better than preparing a homemade meal is being cooked for.  This past Friday night I found myself, happily, in the West Village at the table of a friend: the CozyCook. 

When you first walk into the CozyCook's apartment, you are met with walls painted in cheerful yellow and violet, spotless ebony hardwood floors, an oversized candy-striped designer settee that one might imagine Alice in Wonderland might have sat on during her Tea Party with the Mad Hatter, other  mid-century modern-inspired furniture (including a table that CozyCook designed herself in college), and a French singer crooning softly from the stereo.   This apartment's interior, with its European sensibility and colorful global-boho chic, would feel right at home in an Architectural Digest spread.  Or in the Latin Quarter of Paris.  Or the West Village in New York City, for that matter.

As an architect, the CozyCook is wearing a dress that is, in itself, architectural.  It's very Scandinavian and geometrical, with a front fastening zipper, the fabric is made of part metal and the collar can be worn in any number of ways with an entirely different effect.

Since she is one of the most organized people I know, it's no surprise that the CozyCook has kept a detailed notebook with the menus / recipes for the dinner parties (averaging about one a month) that she's hosted in her home through the years.  We flip through lists of appetizers, entrees and desserts and which wine was brought by whom.  What a great way to remember times shared with friends, is what I'm thinking.

For dinner this Friday, we enjoy some wonderful sauteed grape tomatoes, which the CozyCook prepared in a recipe out of the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (ingredients: tomatoes, parsley, garlic, basil, thyme, olive oil), as well as her very own Watercress Salad with Shrimp and Cannelloni Beans (featured below).

The CozyCook, In Her Own Words*

Age. 30

Sex. Female

Occupation. Architect

Hometown. Richardson, Texas

Current Town and Neighborhood. New York City (West Village)

Signature dish. It changes, but right now, probably lasagna.

What music do you listen to when you cook?  Radiohead or whatever is popular.  But when I have guests over I switch to Henri Salvador.

Who taught you to cook, when and why? I taught myself to cook with cookbooks after college.  Primarily, it was for monetary reasons.  I didn't want to ever feel I was missing out on good food because I couldn't afford to eat out.  Fortunately, I lived near a Fairway.

Favorite novel or movie about food. Babe.

Some of your pet peeves about cooking:  Erroneous recipes, when the kitchen gets really hot, and when the cooking takes so long that it is no longer fun.

Best secret cooking tip. I prep everything beforehand and clean dishes as I go.

Tell us about the funniest cooking/culinary experience you had.  In 2000, I was in Geneva with my sister.  At one of the restaurants, I didn't know what one of the dishes was.  I looked it up in my language guide and it translated into "raw beef."  I laughed it off, thinking, "They wouldn't serve raw beef!"  So I ordered it, and they brought me this carving board sized platter of thinly sliced raw beef.  It was my first experience with carpaccio, and now I can't get enough of it.

Why do you love to cook.  It feels good to be able to take care of myself in this most basic way.

How do you make this fantastic salad?  I use:

• 1/2 bunch watercress
• 1/2 lb. medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 1/2 cup canned cannelloni beans
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Trim stems off of watercress, rinse well, and arrange on plate.
2. Squeeze some of the lemon half onto the watercress.  Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a medium frying pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add shrimp.  Stir until cooked through a few minutes.
5. Add white beans to pan.  Squeeze rest of lemon juice on top.  Season shrimp-bean mixture with salt and pepper.  Cook until beans heat through.
6. Spoon shrimp-bean mixture onto watercress.
7. Serve immediately.

Servings: 1, Prep Time: 15 min., Calories per Serving: 407, Pair with: Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay

Copyright Sweet & Victuals2008.  This article and photograph is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 

My Blueberry Nights Rum Trifle

Can you tell I am a film lover?  I love foreign and indie films, in general.  And in particular, I love the work of Wong Kar-Wai, the Cannes Film Festival-winning auteur who directed In the Mood for Love.

So when WKW’s first English-language film, My Blueberry Nights (starring Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz, and Norah Jones), came out in limited release in New York City this past April, you can bet I was there opening night.  Front row.  With popcorn. The New York Times  claims that WKW’s work has “caters to a persistent appetite for luxury” and “[ascribes] nutritive value to eye candy,” but then muses “and why not?  We all need to eat, and why shouldn’t we eat cake?”  

Note the opening shot: a slow-motion “money shot” of vanilla ice cream “deliquescing” into the syrupy filling of a crumbling blueberry pie (I knew WKW was a foodie!). But the director goes one step further.  Food becomes a metaphor, and blueberry pie, in particular, a metaphor for solitude and romantic disappointment. 

Just consider this dialogue between Norah Jones (a lovelorn girl still raw from a break-up) and Jude Law (the drifter working the counter at a greasy spoon in Soho*):

Norah: "Everything has a reason."
Jude: "Hmm.   It’s like these pies and cakes.   At the end of every night, the cheesecake and the apple pie are always completely gone.   The peach cobbler and the chocolate mousse cake are nearly finished… but there’s always a whole blueberry pie left untouched."
Norah: "So what’s wrong with the blueberry pie?"
Jude: "There’s nothing wrong with the blueberry pie.  Just… people make other choices.  You can’t blame the blueberry pie, just… no one wants it."

I was a little indignant of course, given my affection for blueberries and the general superiority of blueberry pies to just about any other variety of pie I’ve ever tasted. Inspired by My Blueberry Nights and by an adorable little cookbook which Scuba brought back for me from his last trip to Maine, The Maine Wild Blueberry Cookbook, filled with 400 whimsical blueberry recipes), I decided to invent my very own, not-to-be-trifled-with blueberry rum trifle:

• Package of fresh blueberries
• 3 tbsp. mascarpone cheese (heavy version) or whipped cream (light version)
• 2 one-inch thick slices of pound cake
• 3 tbsp. Blueberry preserves
• 1/2 tsp. rum

1.    Slice the pound cake into 1/2-inch cubes and press into bottom of serving glass.
2.    Brush with 1/4 tsp. of rum Spread a half of blueberry preserves over pound cake.
3.    Spread a 1.5 tbsp. layer of mascarpone cheese (for a heavy dessert) or whipped cream (for a lighter version) over blueberry preserves.
4.    Top with a handful of blueberries to cover the cheese or whipped cream layer.
5.    Repeat sequence of steps 1-5 by layering another layer of pound cake coated in rum, blueberry preserves, mascarpone cheese or whipped cream, and blueberries.
6.    Refrigerate glass for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Ideal to refrigerate for 8 hours, for all the layers and flavors to seep and blend together.

Servings: 1, Prep time: 8 min. (+30 min. refrigeration), Calories per Serving: 870 with mascarpone or 560 whipped cream (it is such a rich dessert, it really should be served with two spoons and split with your partner), Pair with: Muscat

*The blueberry pie scenes with Norah Jones and Jude Law were filmed at Palacinka, a Soho café on Grand near Thompson, which has since closed its doors. P.S. - Three dessert postings in a row!  I promise: the next one will be... salad.

Night Blooming Dragon Fruit Granita

Can I just say that I've been mesmerized by the precision and the performance of the Olympic divers and gymnasts on television this past weekend?  I even did a cartwheel in my living room.  (Call it wishful tumbling.)

Perhaps inspired by the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Scuba and I went to Chinatown in Lower Manhattan on Sunday morning to grab some dimsum (literally translated: "a touch of the heart") at Dim Sum Go Go (5 E. Broadway at Chatham Square).  The French-American food writer Collette Rossant discovered the chef, Guy Lieu, in Hong Kong and their collaboration in the restaurant Dim Sum Go Go is what the New York Times personified in a review as "somewhat renegade, the good kid who likes hip-hop and is thinking seriously about an eyebrow ring... Chinese, but a little bored with the old ways."  Indeed, Dim Sum Go Go serves up a punked-out version of a thousand year old tradition. Not only punkier, but healthier, too, with its delicious variety of steamed and/or vegetarian dishes.

After filling up on shumai and turnip cake, Scuba and I picked up a couple glasses of black tea with tapioca pearls ("bubble tea") to go and went exploring in the neighborhood.  The streets were filled with the cries of hawkers selling faux Chanel wallets and pirated DVDs and the dissonant aromas of newly caught fish and sweet baked goods.  I was admiring the shine and color on a bin of cherries when a strange fruit caught my eye:

Of course, having no clue as to what this strange fruit was, I promptly marched straight to the counter and bought two of them.  In the meantime, Scuba, with his lightning thumbs, did brisk research on his BlackBerry.  We found a matching picture on Wikipedia and discovered that this prickly pink-and-green grenade was called "Dragon Fruit" (Red Pitaya), a cactus grown in Central and South America and South East Asia.  Tucked inside its forbidding exterior is soft flesh - either red or white and sprinkled with black seeds - with a taste like that of a ripe kiwi, only less tart.  The flower of the dragonfruit is the legendary night-blooming cereus: it blooms in the desert, just once a year, at midnight - its petals unfolding like the tentacles of a giant white sea anenome.

It rained later on Sunday afternoon. The hot and humid weather made me hanker for a bowl of ice-cold granita.  Native to Sicily, granita is a "sorbet-in-the-rough."  It's coarser, more crystalline, and less high maintenance.  Luckily, the dragonfruit made perfect granita fodder.  And it's so easy to make, it doesn't even require an ice cream maker, just a freezer and a fork.  Just use:

• 2 large dragonfruit
• 1/6 cup light agave nectar
• 1 oz. of vodka
• juice of 1 lemon

1. Slice dragon fruit in half, lengthwise.  Scoop out the flesh with a spoon without damaging the skin and chop into cubes.  Save the skins in the fridge.
2. Combine light agave nectar, vodka, and lemon juice in bowl.
3. Puree the dragon fruit in a blender, mixing in the other combined ingredients.
4. Freeze all in a flat container.
5. As the mixture freezes, stir occasionally with a fork.
6. Plate inside the empty skins as shown.

(As you might be able to tell from the previous posts, I have a "thing" for plating dishes inside the rinds of fruits and vegetables.  The dragonfruit, with its fierce and exotic coloration and texture, makes a particularly ideal display bowl).

Servings: 2, Prep Time: 8 minutes (+1.5 hours freeze time), Calories per Serving: 193,  Pair with: Eau de vie

Copyright Sweet & Victuals 2008.  This article and photograph is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 

Blue Agave Nectar Stone Fruit Salad with Walnuts

Can I let you in on a little secret for dessert that the ancient Aztecs and modern-day diabetics have known for ages but that I've been oblivious to until now?

Blue agave nectar.   It's syrup made from juice extracted, filtered and heated from the core of the agave plant (also used to make tequila).  While refined sweeteners such as sugar and honey have a high glycemic index and result in an uncomfortable "sugar rush," agave nectar has a low glycemic index and has fewer calories than refined sweeteners.

My favorite yoga instructor started raving to me about the health benefits of agave nectar ages ago, but I hadn't had the chance to work it into a recipe until this morning.  Usually for stone fruit salad, I would make a reduction of rum or brandy to drizzle over the fresh fruits, but today I opted for a healthier route.

Agave nectar comes in light, dark and amber varieties.  In desserts such as this one it's best to use light agave nectar.  The sweetness of the nectar is intensely concentrated, so even a small dollop goes a long way.  (When baking, substitute 1/3 cup of agave nectar for 1 cup of sugar.)

• 1 ounce (1/8 cup) blue agave nectar
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
• variety of smooth-skinned stone fruits (1 plum, 1 nectarine, 12 cherries)

1. Toast walnuts.
2. Mix blue agave nectar, ground cloves and cinnamon in microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 15 seconds.
3. Remove the pit from the plum, nectarine and cherries.  Slice plum and nectarine into thin semi-circles.  Slice the cherries in half.
4. Plate the fruit with the toasted walnuts.  Drizzle the blue agave nectar and spice mixture over the fruit and walnuts.

Servings: 2, Prep time: 10 minutes, Calories per Serving: 209, Pair with: Muscat

Copyright Sweet & Victuals 2008.  This article and photograph is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 

Maine Lobster Grapefruit Avocado Salad

How could I resist making a little lobster salad for dinner tonight? Lobster is notorious these days - a little under-the-sea media attention whore.

Last week, the FDA warned the American public that they could get Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning from consuming the "tomalley" (e.g. the soft, green substance found inside the body cavity that functions as a liver and pancreas) inside Maine lobsters. A red tide episode in Northern New England and eastern Canada might be responsible for the heightened level of toxins in tomalley.  Now, I know that tomalley is considered a delicacy by some, but I've never been partial to it.  So good riddance, I say, never liked that green goo to begin with!  You can still eat lobster safely; just wash or scrape the part you never liked away...

In the same week, the Boston Globe informed us that as grocery prices for everyday staples like milk, bread and eggs have skyrocketed, lobster (traditionally considered a luxury good) has become a bargain.  And even though prices for lobster have plummeted, demand remains weak.

But you, as a savvy foodie, sense the opportunity for arbitrage here and will get thee to a lobstermonger asap.  As Marie Antoinette might have put it, No bread?  No problem!  Let them eat lobster!

And why not eat it like this:

• 1/4 lb. meat of a steamed fresh lobster
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 lemon
• 1 avocado
• 1 serrano pepper

1. Cut grapefruit in half.  Remove the hemispheres of flesh, keeping them intact (I stick my thumb between the flesh and rind and work it around).  Save the two halves of the grapefruit rind to use as "bowls" to plate this dish.  Separate the sections of grapefruit flesh as you would slices of an orange.
2. Cut the avocado in half.  Remove the pit.  Scoop out the avocado and mash in a bowl until it has the quality of guacamole.
3. Slice the serrano pepper in half and remove the seeds.  Finely dice the serrano pepper.  Mix the diced serrano pepper with the avocado.
4. Place slices of grapefruit flesh back in the rind, alternating with spoonfuls of the avocado-pepper mixture so it looks like a pinwheel with pink and green sections.
5. Cut 1/4 lb. of lobster in half.  (Lobster is available freshly steamed and can be shelled on the spot for you at food stores such as Citarella.)  Squeeze lemon juice onto the lobster halves.  Season lobster halves with salt and pepper.  Place on top of grapefruit. 
6. (Optional) Serve in margarita or martini glasses.  Garnish with parsley or cilantro, as desired.

Servings: 2, Prep time: 8 minutes, Calories per Serving: 280, Pair with: Chardonnay

Copyright Sweet & Victuals 2008.  This article and photograph is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 

The Central Park West Diet: Why Upper Westsiders Don't Get Fat and Why Gourmet Does Not Equal Glutton

During my lunch break today, a flashy new title caught my eye at the bookstore.  It was the freshly-minted Park Avenue Diet by Dr. Stuart Fischer (Hatherleigh Press 2008).  The Park Avenue Diet suggests that posh wardrobes, chic hairstyles, and excellent dermatology are why Upper Eastsiders stay thin.  Dr. Fischer thinks Americans can "make themselves over" into a state of skinny-ness.  Really, doctor?  I’m not so sure that conspicuous consumption, especially at a time when our nation is headed into troubled economic waters, is the answer.

As for myself, I’m a diet atheist, probably because most diets fly in the face of my cherished love for food.  In fact, the one diet book (it’s actually more like a non-diet book) I would vouch for is French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret to Eating for Pleasure (Knopf 2004) by Mireille Guiliano.  Madame Guiliano tells us that unlike American women, French women have a guiltless and sensual—not masochistic—relationship with their food.  Savoring your meals while exercising portion-control, she says, is the key.  I absolutely concur.

Musing about geographically-inspired diet books such as French Women Don’t Get Fat and the Park Avenue Diet, I wondered if my neighborhood, the Upper West Side of Manhattan, could provide an interesting social analogue.  Like France, the Upper West Side is home to many avid restaurant-goers, gourmands, and amateur cooks.  And like French women, Upper Westsiders of both genders tend to fall toward the slim side of the scale. 

But let's be clear: I'm neither a nutritionist nor a social anthropologist.  I'm just a casual observer and student of my surroundings.  That being said, below are some lifestyle habits that I've observed in my neighborhood.

We’re calling it the "Central Park West (Non) Diet," as a counterpoint to the Park Avenue Diet.  Unlike the Park Avenue Diet, you won't have to shell out the big bucks at Barney's for a new wardrobe or a new hairdo at Privé. It's not about consumption; it's about conservation. (Yes, you'll probably even save money by following these hints.)  Our points are not revolutionary but rather simple, just like the recipes on this blog.

1. Eat more fish / shellfish.
2. Drink coffee (black), tea (green), and wine (red, one glass per day).
3. Care for a dog.
4. Travel "green" (walk, bike, ride the subway, and take the stairs).
5. Do yoga.
6. Get 8 hours of high-quality sleep.
7. Cook a few times a week.
8. Savor your food.
9. Balance your consumption.
10. Exercise portion control.

The discussion continues in more detail below:

1. Eat more fish.  If you run an advanced search on Menupages.com, you will find that the Upper West Side has 49 sushi restaurants and 11 seafood restaurants but only 7 steakhouses and 10 burger joints.  Sushi/seafood places outnumber steakhouses/burger joints 60:17.  I'm not saying everyone has to become a pescetarian overnight.  After all, I'm an American girl—about once a month, I absolutely crave a nice thick steak or juicy burger and go out of my way to indulge in one.  But maybe try eating some fish or shellfish as a daily goal and save the red meat for special occasions or weekends.  The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish have been shown to help ward off high cholesterol, blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, depression and even cancer.  Larger fish (shark, tuna, swordfish, etc.) may have higher concentrations of mercury, so try to stick with the smaller fish (salmon, sardines, trout etc.) or shellfish.
2. Drink (black) coffee, (green) tea and (red) wine.  Your prototypical Upper Westsider walks down the street with a coffee cup in one hand (and a dog leash or stroller handle in the other).  Even though coffee has gotten a bad reputation in recent years, the press has vindicated it recently. Research has found that coffee consumption reduces the risk of Parkinson’s disease and Type 2 diabetes. Coffee itself won't make you gain weight if you don't load it up with milk and sugar.   Instead, the caffeine in both coffee and tea may boost your metabolism while also suppressing hunger cravings.  Sipping a glass of red wine with dinner lowers your risk of heart disease and enhances the flavor in your food.  Red wine may also slow down the effects of aging and inhibit the development of pre-fat cells.
3. Care for a dog.  I think it's safe to say that the Upper West Side has the highest concentration of dog lovers of any neighborhood in Manhattan.  Not only does a dog provide unconditional love and devotion and happiness, a dog will regulate your metabolism and exercise habits.  My puppy Dash wakes me up at the same time every morning and whimpers until he's taken out for a walk.  He doesn't care if it's a weekday or a weekend or if it's scorching or snowing outside.  He needs to go potty, so we’re going for a walk.  I walk him at least two or three times a day and therefore walk myself in the process.  If you don’t have time for a dog of your own (note: raising a dog is a serious commitment of time, energy, and love requiring careful deliberation and should never be embarked upon simply for the sake of a diet), you can always offer to walk a friend's or neighbor's dog or volunteer to temporarily foster a dog from a shelter.
4. Travel "green."  Given the recent escalation in oil prices, this tip makes sense for both your body and your wallet.  Walk to the subway instead of hopping in a cab.  Get off the subway one station before your destination and walk the rest of the way.  Or better yet, instead of taking the subway, ride a bike.  Take the stairs instead of taking the elevator in your building.
5. Do yoga.   Your prototypical Upper Westsider walks out of her brownstone wearing stretchy Lululemon Athletica yoga pants with a rolled-up yoga mat slung over her shoulder.  She is probably headed to one of the 15 yoga studios in the thirty-block stretch between the West 60s and the West 90s and with good reason: The meditative aspect of yoga washes away the stress of daily living, which benefits weight loss. Yoga promotes good posture and studies show that when you maintain good posture, even in a state of rest, you’re working out your abdominal muscles and keeping your spine healthy.
6. Get 8 hours of high quality sleep.  Emphasis on high quality. The Upper West Side is the quiet and sleepy side of town, at least compared to the bustle and energy of downtown Manhattan.  Here's the catch, though: we sleep like babies here.  But regardless of where you live, you can practice good sleep hygiene.  Don’t sleep with the window open (for noise and temperature control) and don’t place your bed right next to the window when arranging the furniture.  Keep the curtains drawn at night so no sunlight peeks in during the early morning hours to disrupt your sleep.  Use a sleep mask and ear plugs if necessary. 
7. Cook a few times a week.  Like yoga, cooking is a meditative exercise, which helps people unwind and relax.  Also, while cooking, you have a sense of the quantity and type of ingredients that go into each dish, so you’re conscious of what you’re putting in your mouth and avoid the preservatives that go into prepackaged food.  When I cook, I make a detour to Fairway or Zabar's on my way home from work to pick up the fresh ingredients I’m going to use that very night.  (Just think of the shopping bags you're carrying home as freeweights).  Use simple, quick recipes and plate your food attractively.  Turn off the television, put away the newspaper and light the candles at your dinner table.  These rituals form part of the culinary art of appreciation, which in turn helps you savor your food.
8. Savor your food.  Conjure up memories of other times you've enjoyed the dish you're eating at the dinner table and think about the ingredients and the steps that went into its preparation.  Observe its color, texture, taste, and presentation.  Chew slowly, putting your knife and fork down and taking a sip of water or wine between each bite.  When food is high quality, you need less of it to feel satiated.  Studies also show that if you eat slower, you tend to eat less.
9. Balance your consumption. If you're going to have a three-course meal at dinner at a nice restaurant, don't feel guilty about it!  Simply have just a soup and salad for lunch the next day.  Keeping a food journal or diary of everything you put in your mouth can build an awareness of how you may or may not be balancing your consumption.  There's no need to count every calorie.  Simply listing out what you’re eating or drinking is helpful, so you can detect your weaknesses or indulgences.
10. Exercise portion control.  You know the expression "eating for two," for pregnant women?  Strive to "eat for 1/2."  Don't limit the types of food you can enjoy but merely the quantity of it.  More hints to exercise portion-control below:

Portion-Control Tips while Eating Out:

• Draw a "line of demarcation."  If a restaurant serves overly large portions (as many do, these days), you can literally cut your entrée in half before taking a single bite.  Or, as you order, you can simply ask the waiter to bring your dish split on two plates—most restaurants are more than happy to oblige.  You can take the unconsumed half to-go and zap it in the microwave for dinner the next day.  Asking for a doggie bag might be considered a faux pas in France, but even at the nicest restaurants in NYC, nobody really blinks an eye at this practice anymore.
• Sharing is caring.  Split that entrée with your dining partner at dinner.  Or forgo the entrée course entirely and order a few appetizers to share, family-style.  Never eat a full dessert by yourself but always offer to share with your dining companions.
• Patronize restaurants that already serve small portions. Tapas and sushi restaurants are perfect examples of restaurants with built-in small dishes and portions.

Portion-Control Tips at Home:

• Use smaller serving plates, glasses and utensils.  It's a psychological trick but this academic study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests that people eat less when given a smaller plate and spoon.
• Make fewer servings when you cook.  Halve or quarter the ingredients in any recipe.

Copyright Sweet & Victuals 2008.  This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.