Fat Cat Chef

:: The Fat Cat Skinny ::
Pleasantville Farmers' Market
Pleasantville, New York (Westchester County)
914-923-4837

When: Saturdays, June 26 until Nov 20. Rain or shine, all the stands are under tents. And don't flatter yourself: you won't melt.
Hours: 8:30a - 1p
Where: Memorial Plaza in Pleasantville, NY -- directions and map
Parking: Park in the permit area -- it's free. Plus, it's where the market is located. Otherwise, you'll have to feed the meters outside the permit area. Not good...

Fat Cat Tip: Bring plenty of cash, not all the vendors accept credit cards.
:: :: :: ::

If you're looking organic vegetables, fresh baked bread, homemade jams -- heck, even high-class booze -- you'll find it at the Pleasantville Farmers' Market.

Some of the friendly farmers and what they peddle:

Bialas Farms -- veggies, jams and more

Cascade Mt. Winery -- if you visit their winery & restaurant, you can take a self-guided tour of their wine cellar. Lunch is served Thurs-Sun, dinner on Sat. Say hi to Paula, she's a sweetheart. Credit cards accepted.

:: The Fat Cat Skinny ::
By far one of the best restaurants in Westchester County, the Iron Horse Grill has everything a Fat Cat looks for: great food, a friendly staff and a comfy setting.

The Iron Horse Grill
20 Wheeler Ave.
Pleasantville, NY
914-741-0717

Fat Cat Tip #1: Curl up on the patio (during the summer, obviously); call 914-741-0717 before you go to snag a seat.

Fat Cat Tip #2: The portions are large -- and filling. You may want to share a 1st course and dessert from the 3 course prix fixe (make sure you get your own entree though).

Fat Cat Tip #3: The Jacob Burns Film Center is nearby, so you can catch a great show after your meal.
:: :: :: ::

If you're looking for a restaurant in Westchester County that covers all the bases -- food, service, outdoor seating -- you can't beat the Iron Horse Grill. (Others agree with us too).

Here at the Fat Cat Food Institute, we're more chowhounds than smug foodies. But when we feel like parting with some of our hard-earned kitty, we head to the Iron Horse Grill.

On our first visit, owner Phil McGrath, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, was breezing across the patio, spreading cheer and goodwill (not to mention some free glasses of wine... no wonder we love this guy).

For some sadistic reason, I read the weekend edition of the New York Times. Why, I don't know. (Well, I kind of know, but that's another story).

The June 6 Book Review had a cookbook section, so naturally we decided to have a little look-see.

My expectations are always low when I pick up the NY Times, and I was promptly rewarded when the cookbook reviewer listed "The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating", written by an English chef, as a modern classic.

First of all, when was the last time good food came out of England? Second, listen to this description:

"[The Whole Beast], by the English chef Fergus Henderson, is a terrifically dour, Edward Gorey-ish guide to cooking with offal...".

Dour? Yipee, just the kind of cookbook I'm looking for. And who the F is Edward Gorey? More importantly, who cares?

Typical NY Times jerkalism: pompous, condescending ramblings to show that the jerkalist is smarter -- and more worldly -- than you.

But the worst part of the cookbook reviews -- aside from the whole section actually -- was the snarky swipes at the Cook's Illustrated cookbooks, starting with "Inside Americas Test Kitchen: New Recipes and Product Ratings From Public Television's Favorite Cooking Show":

"But the long and rigorously dweeby explanations about how the editors arrived at the final version of a recipe, which works O.K. on television, can be tedious beyond imagining in print. Reading all this throat-clearing (''One last procedural issue we investigated . . .'') works as an appetite suppressant -- like listening to a guy in a white smock overexplain a sonnet or a Wilco song or his girlfriend. The books have a Ben Stein drone."

Hmmm, I say the exact same thing about every article that I read in the NY Times. So I guess we're even.

But remember, those "dweeby explanations" serve a purpose, it's called "understanding how to cook really good food". Gee, I guess we unwashed Fat Cat masses lack the culinary sophistication of you Upper West Side intellectuals, Mr. Jerkalist.

Next up on the chopping block (so to speak), Steaks, Chops, Roasts, and Ribs: "Buy it for the carnivorous straight-A student in your life." Yes, of course, the "heavily researched" recipes just don't appeal to your typical high school flunky.

Finally, A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen: Easy Seasonal Suppers for Family and Friends by Cook's Illustrated editor Jack Bishop: "... his enticing new book has none of the galloping nerdiness of [the Cook's Illustrated] books."

Just can't leave well enough alone, can you? Ah well, the NY Times never disappoints me.

:: More Fat Stuff ::
The New York Times Cookbook reviews for June 6, 2004 -- free access usually ends after 2 weeks, so read it soon... or not. No great loss.

Cookbooks from the Cook's Illustrated bookstore

A humble Thank You to the troops -- both past and present -- that fought for our freedom on that special day 60 years ago.

We owe our freedom today to your remarkable courage and beliefs. And sadly, mere words will never repay the debt of gratitude that we owe you.

Thank you.

Our Fat Cat Kitchen Consultant, Cyrus "The Fat Tom Cat" Yang just returned from a vacation in Tuscany with his lovely wife Kathy and a couple of friends people they know.

Inspired by his trip to the culinary Motherland, he put together this Cantucci cookie recipe.

Now, Cyrus is a bit, shall we say -- [ahem ahem] -- "obsessive" when it comes to food. Of course that's good, but we can just imagine Cyrus bursting into their condo and making a frantic dash to the kitchen after 2 long weeks without an apron and oven mitts, leaving poor Kathy to unpack his crusty socks and wrinkled Polo Ralph Lauren oxfords. (And he probably even made her carry the luggage... he's such a 21st century Cat.)

Anywho, I haven't tried this yet, but Cyrus has never steered us wrong when it comes to food. After all, that's why we put up w/ his annoying banter and shallow materialistic aspirations.

Here's some background info from Cyrus:

"I developed a cantucci recipe (small biscotti from the Prato region). It's based on Giuliano Bugialli's recipe in "The Fine Art of Italian Cooking," but only loosely. I did some research on the net and sort of triangulated around quantities and ingredients before settling on something that fit my palate -- and one that reminded me of Florence.

One last note: if you can score some, get 00 (double zero) Italian flour [called Doppio 0 -- fcc]. It makes a kick ass pasta (or pastry). The protein content is lower than that of American flours, and it makes a big difference in the bite. You can even roll out the dough to notches 7-8 and have the pasta retain its integrity. Plus, you literally only need to boil the pasta for 15-30 seconds at that thickness. It will be perfectly al dente."

See, this guy knows food, much more so, I dare say, than those pretentious food snobs at the New York Times.

"Fat Tom Cat" Cyrus' Cantucci Recipe (Makes ~ 4 dozen cookies)

Fat Ingredients:
2 Cups Italian 00 flour (plus 1/2 cup extra for kneading as desired)
1 Cup white granulated sugar (or cane sugar for a darker biscotti)
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon kosher salt
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs (2 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk separated from egg white)
3/4 Cup whole roasted hazelnuts
3/4 Cup whole roasted almonds

Fat Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Separate one the eggs into yolk and white. Beat the egg white lightly and set aside. Combine the egg yolk with the other two eggs and beat lightly.

Mix the eggs (2 whole + 1 yolk), sugar, honey, and vanilla extract in a standing mixer on low speed using the paddle attachment until combined.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

Grind 1/2 of the hazelnuts and almonds in a food processor until sandy. Combine the ground nuts with the flour mixture. Coarsely chop the remaining nuts (in half or in thirds) and set aside.

Stir dry ingredients into the wet mixture a half a cup at a time until all but half a cup of it is combined. Transfer the dough to a large, lightly floured board for kneading. Knead the dough gently and incorporate the final half cup of dry ingredients. Knead only enough to combine the ingredients evenly. The dough will be slightly tacky after all the flour mixture is added. Gently fold the chopped nuts into the dough.

Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a rope approximately 3/4 of an inch thick. Each rope should be approximately a foot in length.

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper and place the dough ropes on the paper, spacing the ropes 1-2 inches apart from each other (when baking, the dough will expand sideways). Brush the ropes with the beaten egg white using a pastry brush.

Place the pan onto the middle oven rack and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden. Once finished, decrease the oven temperature to 275 degrees and transfer the cookie bars to a cooling rack and cool for 10 minutes. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the bars into 3/4" – 1" pieces, slicing on the bias (45 degree angle). Each bar should yield 10-12 cookies.

Lay the cookies cut-side down on the parchment paper and bake in the 275 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. Once finished, transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before eating or storing.