A Killer Kebab
Page 22
“I figure this might be all the decoration we need,” he said. Jack leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine in a soft kiss.
Give me understated decorations anytime.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
According to a recent survey, Thousand Island is the sixth most ordered salad dressing in restaurants across the country. In Northern New York, and the Thousand Islands region in particular, the number is probably somewhat higher. There are many origin stories for the dressing.
The most popular is that it was created on a yacht owned by the manager of the Waldorf Astoria, George Boldt, by his famous hotel maître d’ and sometimes chef, Oscar Tschirky, while Boldt was on a boating excursion in the St. Lawrence River somewhere around the turn of the twentieth century. Tour boat operators have been repeating this story for decades, because it dovetails nicely with the story of Boldt Castle, the most famous landmark in the Thousand Islands. However, there appears to be no evidence that Oscar ever visited the area, much less cooked personally for Boldt.
The Blackstone Hotel in Chicago claims that its chef, Theo Rooms, created the dressing for the 1910 opening of the hotel. Why a Chicago hotel would name a dressing after a geographical region nearly a thousand miles away has not been explained.
In the Thousand Islands area itself, the owner of a restaurant a few miles upriver from Bonaparte Bay says that he found the original recipe in a safe when he bought the building. He bottles and sells the dressing, but keeps his recipe secret. Various other restaurants claim to have, and serve, the original recipe.
Another version involves vaudeville actress May Irwin, who summered in the Thousand Islands in the early 1900s. May was served a dressing created by a woman named Sophia LaLonde, who was the wife of the captain of a charter fishing boat. Sophia created the sauce to go with the fried fish her husband served as a shore dinner to his customers. May, who was a collector of recipes, loved the dressing so much, that she allegedly gave it to George Boldt, Theo Rooms, or both, and suggested that the dressing be served in their hotels.
Evidence has come to light in the last few years in the form of a recipe, in May Irwin’s handwriting, called “Sophias Sauce” (no apostrophe in the original document), which has been dated conclusively to 1907 based on a letter associated with it. One look at the ingredients and it’s clear that this can be nothing other than Thousand Island dressing. Interestingly, May Irwin produced a cookbook in 1904 (May Irwin’s Home Cooking), which did not contain a recipe for the dressing and lends credence to the idea that the dressing was created somewhere between 1904 and 1907—or at least that May didn’t know about it until after 1904.
Sophia’s is the version of the story I like best and the one that makes the most sense, and it’s certainly the one that has the best documentation, so Sophia gets the credit in A Killer Kebab. By the way, no one seems to know why the dressing became known as Thousand Island, rather than Thousand Islands. Let me know if you have any theories.
RECIPES
Thousand Island Dressing, circa 1907
Makes about 16 servings.
1 c. mayonnaise
½ c. ketchup
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. lemon juice
¼ c. sweet pickle relish
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped fine
Mix all ingredients except egg in a bowl, using a fork or whisk. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving (overnight is better). Just before serving, mix in chopped egg.*
Delicious served on a crisp wedge of iceberg lettuce, topped with cooked, crumbled bacon; as sauce for a burger; or as I believe it was originally intended, as a sauce for fried fish. Dressing will keep for about a week in the fridge without the egg.
*Note: I found when I tested this recipe that the egg, if added and allowed to sit, overpowered the dressing. The early recipe does not differentiate between dill or sweet pickle relish, so I went with sweet, though I think dill would also be tasty. And don’t expect this dressing to look or taste like the kind you can buy in the supermarket. The original has quite a tangy, pungent kick from the lemon and Worcestershire, so use judiciously.
Tiropita (Greek Cheese Pie)
Makes about 24 rich, cheesy triangles.
¾ lb. feta cheese, drained and crumbled
8 oz. (1 c.) ricotta cheese
¼ c. grated romano or parmesan cheese
2 eggs, well beaten
1 t. ground white pepper
½ t. ground nutmeg (or 10 to 12 scrapes of a fresh nutmeg on a tiny grater)
½ lb. phyllo dough
2 sticks (1 c.) unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare a baking sheet by covering with parchment paper.
Using a fork or spoon, mix cheeses together in a good-sized bowl, then add beaten eggs and spices and mix well.
Unroll phyllo and lay three sheets on a cutting board. Cover unused portion of dough with a barely damp kitchen towel (really squeeze the water out, or the phyllo will get too soggy). Using a pastry brush and a very delicate hand, liberally brush the top of the three-sheet stack with melted butter. With a sharp knife, cut the stack into three lengthwise strips.
About an inch from the end of each strip, place about a tablespoon of the cheese filling. Bring one corner of the phyllo over the filling to the opposite edge of the dough, forming a triangle. Gently flip the tiropita up and over, side to side, aligning the edges and encasing the filling, until you reach the end of the strip and have a triangle several layers thick. (The technique is just like folding an American flag. See the author’s website for photos.) Brush the triangle with a bit more butter, and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving an inch of space around each savory pastry. Repeat with remaining phyllo (covering the unused portion with the barely damp towel) until filling is used up. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until flaky and golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature, as an appetizer or light lunch or supper, with a salad of romaine, ripe tomato, onion, and cucumber, dressed with a vinaigrette. Also delicious with tomato soup.
Maple Walnut Sandies
North Country people love their maple syrup. These tasty cookies will melt in your mouth.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
2 sticks (1 c.) plus 2 T. butter
2¼ c. all-purpose flour
⅓ c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1½ t. cinnamon
¼ c. plus 1 T. real maple syrup
1 c. finely chopped walnuts
1 c. powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Beat 1 c. butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute, until light and fluffy. Add half the flour, sugar, vanilla, 1 t. cinnamon, and 1 T. maple syrup. Combine thoroughly, then add remaining flour and nuts. (You may need to do this last step with a wooden spoon and some muscle if you don’t have a stand mixer.)
Roll into balls the size of a walnut and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space around each cookie. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet or a piece of foil with edges turned up.
When the cookies are cool, make the glaze: Melt 2 T. butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Whisk in ¼ c. maple syrup and ½ t. cinnamon, then powdered sugar, to make a medium-thick glaze. Drizzle over cookies and allow glaze to set before serving.
All-Purpose Greek-Style Seasoning
2 t. salt
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. dried oregano
1 t. white pepper
1 t. dried dill
1 t. dried mint
1 t. dried basil
½ t. dried thyme
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
1 t. cornsta
rch
Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place (I use a cute glass jar with a tight-fitting lid). Shake or stir before using in recipes.
This delicious seasoning can be used in many ways:
—Mix 1 or 2 t. seasoning with olive oil and lemon juice for a delicious Greek vinaigrette to top a salad or steamed green beans or broccoli.
—Mix 2 t. seasoning with 2 T. olive oil and brush on chicken before baking until the juices run clear. For a deeper flavor, brush the mixture between the chicken skin and flesh, then bake.
—Cut 2 pita breads in half (to make 4 circles), then cut each circle into 6 triangles. Place on a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet. Mix 2 t. seasoning with 2 T. olive oil and brush lightly on each triangle. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes, or until crispy and lightly browned. Keep an eye on them, as they go from perfect to burned very quickly. Enjoy with tzaziki (see Feta Attraction or the author’s website for the recipe).
For more recipes, visit the author’s website at www.susannahhardy.com.
Susannah Hardy, author of Feta Attraction and Olive and Let Die, is the pen name of Jane Haertel, who grew up near the Canadian border in northern New York. She attended St. Lawrence University and has served on the board of directors of the Connecticut chapter of Romance Writers of America. She is a member of the Kiss of Death Chapter of RWA, as well as Sisters in Crime. Jane writes weekly about anything that strikes her fancy at the Writing Secrets of 7 Scribes blog. Jane lives in Connecticut with her husband, teenaged son, and Elvira the Wonder Cat. Visit her online at susannahhardybooks.wordpress.com.
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