Deathbed Manhattan Food

DEATHBED MANHATTAN

Steps:

• Combine all the liquid ingredients in a mixing glass three-quarters filled with ice, and stir until chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with cherry.

EGGPLANT AND CHICKPEA STEW

Steps:

• Place a flameproof casserole or other large, wide pan over medium heat, and heat oil. Add onion, and sauté until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, coriander, cumin, paprika and salt.
• Add eggplant and stir until well-coated with oil and spices and beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add wine, and bring mixture to a simmer. Add tomatoes and chickpeas and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to as low as possible. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.
• Allow stew to cool a bit, then serve warm, rather than piping hot. If desired, serve as a side dish with herbed and butterflied leg of lamb.

PRESIDENTIAL BIRTHDAY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and place the rack in the middle of the oven. Line the bottoms of two nine-inch cake pans with wax paper or parchment paper, and grease the sides of the pans.
• Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture turns white, scraping the sides often. This takes about 15 minutes.
• Add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating between additions, until thoroughly blended.
• Blend the flour and baking powder, and slowly mix into the batter with the milk, just until incorporated. Spoon equal amounts of batter into the prepared pans, and bake about 20 minutes. If necessary, switch the pans after the first 15 minutes so that they brown evenly. The layers are ready when a cake tester or toothpick inserted into their centers comes out clean.
• Remove the pans from the oven, and cool on racks for about 30 minutes. Then flip them over, and remove paper from the bottoms. Cool completely. If the layers are higher in the middle than on the sides, slice off the domes to make them flat.
• Place one layer on a serving plate, and spread evenly with the raspberry preserves. Top with second layer, and spread the top and sides with buttercream frosting. Other decorations can be added. Refrigerate until serving time. The cake can be made a day ahead.

CLASSIC CIABATTA

Steps:

• To make the starter, stir the yeast into the warm water and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the tepid water. Then add the flour, a cup at a time.
• Beat by hand, in an electric mixer or in a food processor, to form a sticky dough. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a cool place to rise until tripled in volume, 6 to 24 hours. Starter can be made in advance and refrigerated until ready to use.
• To make the dough, mix yeast with warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set aside 10 minutes.
• Add oil and the prepared starter and a little of the tepid water. Start mixing at very slow speed, adding the rest of the tepid water gradually until these ingredients are well blended. Mix flour with salt, add them, and mix for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Attach a dough hook to the mixer and mix for 2 minutes at slow speed, then 2 minutes at medium speed. Scoop the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead briefly. The dough should be very moist and elastic.
• Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The dough should still be sticky but full of air bubbles.
• Place dough on a well-floured work surface and cut into four equal portions. Roll each into a cylinder, then stretch the cylinders into rectangles about 4 by 10 inches.
• If you can bake the bread on stones, generously flour four pieces of parchment paper and place each shaped loaf on a sheet of the paper, seam side up. Otherwise, oil a baking sheet, dust it with flour and cornmeal and place the loaves on the baking sheet. Cover loosely with damp tea towels and allow to rise about 2 hours, until doubled.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with a baking stone in it if you have one. Dust the stone with cornmeal. Gently roll the breads from the parchment onto the stone so the seam is down and the floured side is up. Otherwise, simply place the baking sheet with the breads in the oven. Bake until the breads are golden brown, about 30 minutes, spraying them with water a few times during the first 10 minutes. Cool on racks.

CHICKEN BREASTS EN PAPILLOTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Spread a large piece of aluminum foil on a flat surface. Invert a 12- or 14-inch round cake pan on it and trace around the edge with a sharp knife to make a circle. Repeat until there are 4.
• Cut off and discard the stem of each mushroom and cut caps into thin slices.
• Cut carrots crosswise into 1 1/2-inch lengths. Cut each piece lengthwise into a julienne shape.
• Trim and wash zucchini, and cut in the same fashion.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan. Place aluminum rounds on a flat surface and brush them with melted butter.
• Place one chicken breast on each round slightly below the center, leaving a margin large enough to fold over.
• Brush the top of each breast with about 2 teaspoons of mustard and place equal quantities of mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, shallots, thyme around each. Sprinkle each serving with a tablespoon of white wine and parsley, and dot with remaining butter. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Fold foil to completely enclose the contents while leaving some room for expansion. Crimp the seal as tightly as possible. Arrange packages on a baking sheet and bake about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

FISH CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Sprinkle the base of a baking pan with a thin film of olive oil. Lay the fish skin (or skinned) side down. Sprinkle with about a tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt. Bake until the fish is just cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Lift the cooled fish from its skin, leaving behind any bones or brown parts, and break it into small pieces as you drop it into a mixing bowl. Add the parsley and fresh bread crumbs. Whisk together the egg, mayonnaise and mustard and pour it over the fish. Use a fork to lift and fold the fish. Don't overmix. Pour the dry bread crumbs into a bowl. Pat the fish into 8 3-inch cakes and coat with the bread crumbs. The fish cakes may be covered and chilled for up to a day.
• Place a large sauté pan over medium heat. If the fish cakes have been chilled, also preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the sautépan is hot, add the butter. As soon as it stops foaming, lay the fish cakes in the pan. Let them be until they are browned on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and cook for another 2 minutes. If the fish cakes were chilled or are not thoroughly hot in the center, place the pan in the oven and bake until heated through, about 4 more minutes. Serve with a wedge of lemon and tartar sauce.