Month: August 2011

Buried in tomatoes? It’s time for tomato jam on burgers

When we were working earlier this summer on a New England burger roundup for the Boston Globe (see Sample articles), we had no idea that we would discover a partial solution to the late-August glut of tomatoes. When we dug into the basic hamburger served at Christie's in Newport--the casual restaurant of the luxurious Hotel and Marina Forty 1º North--we just knew that chef Kim Lambrechts' tomato jam was the perfect complement to the rich beef burger. With a little cajoling, we found out how it's made. TOMATO JAM Chef Kim Lambrechts is the director of all food and beverage operations at Hotel and Marina Forty 1º North in Newport--including the casual restaurant, Christie's. He serves this brilliant ketchup substitute on beef burgers. We find...Read More

Watermelon steak from José Andrés

When we first tasted this at Cayman Cookout on Grand Cayman Island in the middle of January, it was hard to think about watermelon. But José Andrés was thinking nothing but—demonstrating eight recipes for watermelon in an hour-long session. Andrés is perhaps the best ambassador of Spanish cooking to America. His Washington, D.C., restaurants include Jaleo, Zaytinya, Oyamel, Café Atlantico, and minibar by José Andrés. His grand Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills has taken Los Angeles by storm. We always think of watermelon as the most juvenile of summer fruits, but José showed just how sophisticated it can be. The preparation that stuck with us was his version of bistec de sandia, or watermelon steak. As every calorie-counter knows, watermelon is actually...Read More