Flavors in Love

Last night I had the pleasure of attending Taste of the Nation at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. It was a phenomenal night for a great charity, with some of the best food I’ve ever tasted.  I love these big food events with so many restaurants in one room, where you can really see what the trends are and it’s like a big competition.

Hazelnut Crisps from Pure Food and Wine

Taste of the Nation is New York’s premier food and wine event to end childhood hunger in America. It is hosted by Share Our Strength, a national organization whose motto is “No Kid Hungry”.

Some of my favorite dishes were the Hazelnut Crisp with wild mushrooms from Pure Food and Wine… so crunchy. Those Hazelnut Crisps are fantastic.  Bread Pudding in Caramel Sauce from Gramercy Tavern was one of the most decadant desserts I’ve ever put in my mouth. Chicken Arepas from Yerba Buena , Parmesan Pudding from South Gate, and Sticky Asian Short Ribs from Asia de Cuba.. so flavorful. I loved the Spring Vegetables in a martini glass from Felida.. like eating spring in one bite and I had 3 of the cocktails from Pegu Club. I admit, I was a bit tipsy when I left with my goody bag. But a true foodie has to try everything, right??

Spring Vegetable Martini from Felidia

I’m always so delighted when people entertain in their homes, and I especially love theme parties. A Moroccan-themed dinner party I attended last week for my friend Nurit’s birthday was a testament to true sisterhood. Two of Nurit’s dear friends created a dinner in her honor and you could see and taste the love!

Our two lovely hostesses...Chantal and Marla

The tables were decorated beautifully and the food was fantastic…lamb and couscous, bisteeya, a fun and flavorful mezze plate, and chocolate mousse with strawberries for dessert.

Moroccan Mezze Plate...smoky eggplant dip, sweet and sour carrot salad, roasted beet salad, and green salad with feta

All lined up and ready for dinner...

Chicken Bisteeya- A Classic Moroccan Dish

There were so many different tastes and flavors, plus a beautiful table decorated with stunning china in shades of red and gold, jewelry as napkin rings, and flowers which came straight from the Westchester garden of one of our hostesses.

Such a gorgeous table!

My place setting

One of our Hostesses, Chantal, with flowers from her garden

My friend, Nurit Kahane-Haase, is an amazing hostess and has a true gift for setting an extraordinary table. I had the pleasure of sharing Sunday lunch with her and a few other women at her home on Park Avenue. I prepared the food, and Nurit gave me a spectacular back drop to serve my creations.

I made the ladies a healthful, organic, grilled chicken salad with heirloom tomatoes, haricots verts, domestic feta cheese, olives, and fresh herbs. It’s a perfect warm weather salad and you’ll love preparing this for your friends too.

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad

Serves 6

3 boneless, skinless, organic chicken breasts

2 lemons

A few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and black pepper

An assortment of herbs (I used fresh dill, parsley and dried oregano)

Fresh salad greens (I used romaine hearts, red leaf, and arugula)

½ lb crumbled feta cheese

A dozen or so olives

A dozen small heirloom tomatoes, halved

2 dozen haricots verts (approx.), blanched in boiling water for 30 seconds

Place your chicken on a large cutting board and cut it in half horizontally to butterfly it. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken, and pound it until it is very thin with a meat mallet. Marinate chicken in a few tablespoons of olive oil, a generous amount of salt and pepper, the juice of 1 lemon, and some fresh, roughly chopped herbs. Set aside while you compose the rest of the salad.

In a large bowl, combine all of the other salad ingredients and toss lightly with your hands.

In a stovetop grill pan, grill chicken in 2 batches until done and nicely charred with grill marks. On a clean cutting board, slice chicken in diagonal slices.

Drizzle some lemon juice and a little extra virgin olive oil over the salad, and season with a little salt and pepper. Toss well. Top salad with sliced chicken and more fresh herbs, and serve.