A Food-Driven Day Off

Since the end of my stint at Tabla, and the end of my sentence at Naidre's (which added on a false bad note due to some bored people spreading lies and gossip and untrue garbage of exhorbitant proportions) I have been enjoying my time at Hearth, ignoring the sometimes stressful evenings with some of the kitchen staff there, and taking Jordan's advice of searching for inspiration. I decided to use today to do just that.
Allen, Poodle, and I hit Tom's Diner in Prospect Heights for a wonderful breakfast complete with a chocolate egg cream, given to us by Gus, the owner (not Tom... there is no Tom...) and some perfectly cooked eggs (the omelettes at Tom's Diner are always overcooked and spongy), and some great beef sausage that was generously squeezed with lemon. One lovely companion ordered the same, with eggs over-hard, and the other one ordered a plate of crabcakes and grits with a a thin but wonderful remoulade that was pleasantly loaded with Old Bay. One of the crowning achievements of Tom's (aside from the orange slices, ice water, sausage pieces, and hot coffee given out gratis while waiting in line) is the service. We were out in an hour, including our wait in line.
This was followed by a trip to the Fort Greene Park Greenmarket to Wilklow Orchards, the farm I used to regularly work for. We picked up an assortment of heirloom tomatoes, all in their prime, some nectarines (gorgeous and fragrant but in need of a day in a paper bag), a few red and yellow plums, two bright yellow cobs of fresh sweet corn, and the PLUMPEST of blackberries.
All of these things came together in a perfect summer late dinner, despite the humidity and pain of a hot oven and boiling water.

Mixed Heirloom Tomatoes with Mozzarella di Bufala, sel gris, black peppercorn "mignonette", and balsamic vinegar

Sweet Corn on the Cob with coarse sea salt and butter

Plum and Ginger Glazed Pork Chops with Garlic Roasted Scalloped Potatoes and Plum Puree

Romaine Lettuce, Garden Cucumbers, and San Marzano Tomatoes with Blackberry Vinagrette

Fresh Blackberries with Lemon Creme Anglaise

Green Grapes.

each course was washed down with generous glasses of dry rose... ice cold.

Happy Sunday (it's meatball night at Hearth, the best balls in the city),
jp