Open Window

1 World Trade Center

Progress is finally being made on the World Trade Center and it looks like 1 World Trade will be elegant and stunning.

Photo © 2012 Peter Tooker iPhone

Sent from my iPhone
Claudia Danforth Ward

Photo Exhibition at Ashawagh Hall

The photo exhibition at Ashawagh Hall last weekend, sponsored by Hampton Photo Arts and curated by Laurie Barone-Shaefer, has been deemed a success by one and all. Over 50 photographers, ranging in ages from 9 -81, exhibited a wide range of images and a number were even sold  - including Laurie's. 

SOLD: Towd Point ©2012 Laurie Barone-Schaefer

Peter showed two of his architectural HDR images, one of the New York Skyline and the other of Montparnasse in Paris. 

"New York Skyline" © 2009 Peter Tooker

"Montparnasse, Paris" © 2010 Peter Tooker

I exhibited "Spring", a flower photograph printed on metallic paper, and "Montauk - Post Hurricane Bill", two images framed together of a Coast Guard Cutter braving Bill's waves and dodging surfers off Montauk Point.

 "Spring" © 2009 Claudia Danforth Ward

"Montauk - Post Hurricane Bill" © 2009 Claudia Danforth Ward

 

Once again it was great fun to see everyone's work and to get to know some of the other artists first hand. 

Thanks again to Dave, Ben, and everyone at Hampton Photo Arts, and of course, the indefatigable Laurie. 

 

Ham - It's What's for Dinner

This time of year, we love to cook meals "that keep on giving" - like a ham. We like the shank half because it's slightly sweeter than the butt half, has less fat and only one bone, making it easier to carve. A dear friend of mine shared her recipe for glazed ham years ago and I've been making it the same way ever since. The flavor of her glaze is what makes me come back to this recipe time after time. Brown sugar, orange juice, dry mustard, ground cloves and ginger, are spiked with a touch of cognac or brandy - tell me that doesn't sound delicious. The recipe is easy. The first and second meals are great: sliced ham served with a tablespoon or two of that wonderful glaze, accompanied by sweet potato fries and green beans, or some variation thereof. Then the leftovers are diverse and wonderful ... Stuffed Green Peppers perhaps, and/or Split Pea and Ham Soup. We don't have ham very often, but when we do we never let anything go to waste.

Carol's Glazed Ham

10 pound smoked ham (Cook's), Shank-end - (NOT an un-smoked Picnic Ham)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 small can frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup cognac/brandy
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Shake of cinnamon
==================================
 

Glaze Sauce

• Combine the brown sugar, defrosted oj concentrate, cognac/brandy, mustard, ground cloves, ground ginger, and cinnamon in a medium-size bowl or a 16-ounce measuring cup.

Ham

• Place ham in a large dutch oven or stock pot, broad side down. Fill with water, covering the ham as much as possible (¾) without risking boiling over. Cover pot, canted, if possible. Boil ham about 2½ hours. If you cannot cover the pot, add water during the 2½ hours as it evaporates.
• Preheat oven to 350℉
• Place ham in roasting pan with a little water, and put in preheated oven.
• Baste ham with glaze/sauce every 15 minutes. Cook 30-60 minutes.
• Allow ham to rest, carve and serve pouring some of the extra glaze over each portion.

 

Rain

Yesterday we had rain ....

Girl in Rain Gear and A Ship © 2012 Claudia Ward

Boy in Rain Gear © 2012 Peter Tooker

Let us know what you think!

The Thank You Art Show

Ashawagh Hall, Springs, East Hampton, NY

Last weekend, Hamptons Photo, Arts and Framing sponsored the 3rd annual Thank You Art Show at Ashawagh Hall in Springs on the east end of Long Island. This is their way of thanking their customers for their patronage over the years. More than 100 artists showed their paintings, photographs, sculptures, and more. There was even edible-art in the form of cupcakes for sale, with the proceeds going to charity.

Edible Art Cupcake

The turn out on Saturday night was excellent despite the snow and slippery roads. The hall was abuzz with people enjoying refreshments, music by William Falkenberg, all of the art work, and each others' company; and, Sunday was equally as rewarding for the artists, as there was a constant flow of visitors right up until the show closed at 4:00 p.m. Live music by "Icepack" Jackson and friends provided a lively background to this day's event. Although the primary intent of the show was to provide a venue to display artists' works, several were also fortunate enough to sell their pieces too. At the end of each day, the hall was filled with a resounding "Thank You" from all of the artists to Dave and Ben, from Hampton Photo Arts.

 

"Duck" © 2008 Peter Tooker

I've created a brief slide show of photographs I took of just a fraction of the art that was on display to share with you the variety of art that was there. Peter and I each displayed a photograph, he displayed "Duck" and I displayed "Timeless", a photograph of a 1957 Flame-Red T-Bird.

 

"Timeless" ©2010 Claudia Ward

I must say, I would be hard pressed to say which pieces in the show were my true favorites, although I had a real soft spot for the acrylic paintings of three young brothers, Andrew, Charles, and MJ Schaefer, who range from 9 to 3½ years old. Their pieces were displayed together, vertically, in order of oldest to youngest. I think you'll agree that there's just a little bit of artistic talent in that family!

Paintings by the Brothers Schaefer
  

So The Thank You Art Show is Hampton Photo Arts and Framing's way of thanking the art community on the east end of Long Island, and this post and slide show are my thank you back to them.

 

Slide Show by Claudia Ward
Music: Woodstock's Theme from the soundtrack of Snoopy (The Musical) 

Roquefort Soufflé II

 

Photo © 2010 Peter Tooker

Assembling a soufflé, savory or sweet, can be intimidating but, in reality, it shouldn't be. When we recently made one of our favorites, a Roquefort Soufflé, Peter made a video of the process to demonstrate just how easy it is. The hardest part of this recipe is separating the eggs and watching the soufflé begin to deflate immediately upon being taken from the oven. Do not despair, that light airy texture and those divine flavors are still there. Just serve as soon as you possibly can, the warmth of a soufflé is part of its divine pleasure.

So here's the video to show just how to prepare this soufflé and the recipe is here once more for your easy reference. Next stop? Chocolate soufflé!

 

Video © 2010 Peter Tooker 

Roquefort Soufflé*
(Serves 2-4)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus some for greasing the soufflé dish
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for dusting greased soufflé dish
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup scalded milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch nutmeg
4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 ounces good Roquefort cheese, chopped
5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
⅛ teaspoon cream of tarter
====================================

Preheat the oven to 400℉. Butter the inside of an 8-cup soufflé dish 7½ inches in diameter x 3¼ inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.

Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the ¼ cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Put the egg whites, cream of tarter, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.

Whisk one quarter of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the soufflé dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on the top with the spatula to help the soufflé rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375℉. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don't peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

* This recipe is from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris.

 

 

Open Window's Second Year

It's official, Open-Window is now two years old. I can hardly believe I began this blog on a cold January day, sitting at the island in my kitchen, 730 days ago. In the past two years, Open-Window has focused my days on creating stories, snippits, and photographs that I hoped you would find entertaining, sometimes informative, and maybe even amusing. We've covered a lot of ground and many diverse topics over this time ranging from Hawaii to Paris, Hamburger Relish to Caviar, Horse Racing to Airshow Acrobatics. As time has passed, we increasingly focused on the images and slide shows that would accompany a post, and have worked diligently to improve the quality of all that we delivered. Peter has continued to emphasize wide-angle HDR (high dynamic range) photography whether on his DSLR (digital single lens reflex-camera) or his, ever-handy, iPhone, and I have continued with my love of all-things-macro, although we each dabbled in the other's specialty just to keep it interesting.

Mexican Train Tiles and Turtles
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward 

Over the past twenty four months, we've made 388 postings to Open-Window which is an average of almost 4 per week, nearly every one containing at least one photograph and 60 of which included a slide show with music. When we embarked on this endeavor, we expected to focus on travel, food and photography. As it's turned out, the focus has been just that ... but in reverse - photography, food and travel. See, we'll photograph nearly anything - food that we eat, games that we play, children at the beach, machines of any sort, flowers and their residents, landmarks and landscapes, moon-rises and sunsets, and even light itself. 

The Outer Banks of North Caroline
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward taken with the iPhone using the Pro HDR App

This year has been quite a journey photographically as well as geographically. Peter and I traveled over 14, 500 miles. We drove the entire east coast from the east end of Long Island to Orlando, Florida, traversing Florida, and turning north to reach Memphis Tennessee. We crossed the states of Tennessee and North Carolina end-to-end (west to east), photographing some of this country's most beautiful scenery in the Great Smoky Mountains. When we reached the Atlantic Ocean, it felt like we'd returned home, for tidal waters are in our veins, and the days on the Outer Banks are now cherished memories. Early morning sunrises over the ocean, wild horses on the beaches, hang gliding from the dunes, and fish tacos are just a few of the things we captured in-frame. With tornadoes nipping at our heels from western Florida, to Memphis and eventually to eastern North Carolina, we headed home just hours before their destruction hit the locales we'd come to know and love. Atlantic City was our refuge from the storms, before returning to the calm, untouched East End.

Spanish Mustang on the Outer Banks
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward

Thirty days and thirty nights, and 4,000 miles on the road gave us a tremendous, renewed appreciation for the beauty and diversity of this country we live in. A couple of hundred more miles were covered seeking out horses at Saratoga Springs in August. For one who isn't known as an animal lover, I do love photographing them. Whether in their stance or stride, they speak volumes to me and hopefully that is being captured by the lens. Finally, the balance of those miles (nearly 10,000) were accomplished by a trip to The Big Island of Hawaii, where we were able to photograph the incredible diversity of this island's landscape and all of its beauty from a helicopter. 

Antique Hood Ornament
Photo © 2011 Claudia Ward 

More locally, we visited Belmont Park just a week before the Stakes were run and attended the Hampton Classic Horse Show every single day it was held over Labor Day weekend. There were at least three Antique Auto Shows, one Road Rallye and a Mini Cooper Scavenger Hunt that we shot as well. Our beaches on the east end of Long Island are some of the most breathtaking in the country (right up there with North Carolina's) and we spent many happy hours either hip deep in snow in January or ankle deep in sand in August, capturing the undulating shapes of their dunes draped in snow or the power of their seas after a storm.

Light Painting for New Year's
Photo © 2011 Peter Tooker 

The holidays that dot our calendars were also not ignored. Memorial Day is always an homage to the "Opening" of the Hamptons season. Flag Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the Christmas season were all duly noted and celebrated with photographs too.   

Meaty Tomato painted by Barbara Andolsek

Let me also add, ever so humbly, that I have once again been thrilled that Barbara Andolsek continues to make paintings based on some of my photographs. Barbara and I have yet to meet but feel a friendship beyond pen-pals. Nearly 3,000 miles apart but with a shared appreciation for the beauty of the world around us, Barbara and I have forged a friendship that could only occur in this wonderful 21st century. It still astounds me at how incredibly open and selfless so many people are using the internet to connect, communicate, and share. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to be a part of it.

The word "blog" is derived from the expression "web log", which originally was an online journal of sorts and has morphed, over time, into a platform for communicating and exchanging information and ideas. I want to thank you all for your enthusiasm and support over the last two years but more importantly for your participation - "communication and exchange" are exactly what has occurred when you've left comments for us, and you've made it just that much more fun and interesting.

So here is a slide show which represents a snapshot of Open-Window's second year. It's shorter than last year's and yet still longer than most at just under 10 minutes. Perhaps you can set aside a little time next Sunday morning. We've made this for you, to enjoy and remember a year that we shared, and for that I want to say with great sincerity "Thanks for the memories". 

  

Photos & Slide Show by Claudia Ward & Peter Tooker © 2011
Music: Concerto in E-flat Major for Trumpet & Orchestra: 1. Allegro Con Spirito by Wynton Marsalis, National Philharmonic Orchestra & Raymond Leppard 

 

P.S. Please feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you thought of year two and if there is something you'd like to see more of in the coming months.

 

 

Tarragon-Sherried Mushrooms on Toast Points

Tarragon-Sherried Mushroom on Toast Points
iPhone photo by Peter Tooker

I've never met a mushroom I didn't like and we love using them in salads, as salads, in dressings, as a vegetable, as an appetizer, and for the main course for lunch. Years ago, I cut this recipe out of some magazine and just recently stumbled upon it once again. I bought a huge package of cremini mushrooms at Costco and we've just had to use them up some how. Alas, we've had these delicious, creamy tarragon-sherried mushrooms on toast points twice this week. The good news and the bad news? The mushrooms are now gone.

These are a wonderful, easy appetizer for a dinner party - everyone thinks you worked so hard, and they're a perfect fall lunch accompanied by a salad of tossed greens with a light vinaigrette.

Sherried Mushrooms
(Makes two servings)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ pound mushrooms, sliced (white and/or cremini are what I use)
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons medium dry sherry or Madeira, to taste
½ teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
Four pieces of thin-sliced bread, lightly toasted

==================================

• In a medium skillet, heat the butter and oil over moderately high heat until foam begins to subside.
• In fat, sauté the mushrooms and shallot stirring until mushrooms begin to give off their juice.
• Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook mixture, stirring for one minute.
• Stir in the broth, sherry, tarragon, parsley, and salt and papper to taste. Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened.
• Stir in yogurt, arrange toast points on 2 plates. Spoon mixture over toast points. 

Baked Stuffed Clams

A friend's son went clamming over the weekend and made quite a haul, so he shared some of it with us. A dozen 4-5 inch chowder clams, the largest of the quahog (pronounced CO-hog) family, were delivered to our doorstep, and Peter and I immediately resurrected a recipe for Baked Stuffed Clams that another friend shared with us years ago.

The effort to make these is not onerous but it's also not insignificant, and the results are divine - so we went out to our local fishmonger and bought a dozen cherrystones, the next smallest quahog, to complement the catch.

 
Peter loves a good baked clam and is always sampling them wherever we go, with disappointing results most of the time. What makes a baked clam disappointing? Too much bread, too little clam, too dry, and garlic (in any proportion). So, what makes a baked clam memorable and worthy of repetition? A moist proportional mixture of bread to clams - remember they're called baked clams, not baked bread with clams, subtle herbs and a little cheese (to hold things together), and no garlic, it simply overpowers everything.

In his opinion, based on decades of research, this recipe produces one of the best baked clams he's had. If you want the maximum clam flavor, bake some immediately and enjoy. These freeze beautifully and we enjoy them all winter, but we have noticed the distinct clam flavor is reduced a little once they've been frozen. Personally, I'll take them any way I can get them, and hope our clamming friends continue to share their haul.

Baked Stuffed Clams

2½-3 dozen medium clams - "chopped"
1 (14 oz) pkg Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing
1 cup hot clam juice
¼ lb butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon (heaping) parsley
3 Tablespoons (heaping) Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon (level) dry mustard
Pepper to taste
½ cup cubed Swiss or Gruyère cheese
1 3-inch onion finely chopped
========================

• Open clams, trying to preserve the shells. Separate the clams from the shells; place clams and as much juice as possible in a bowl. Scrape the shell clean of all muscles. Rinse shells well and let dry. (TIP: If the clams seem to be a challenge to open, place them in the freezer for about 20-25 minutes, you don't want to freeze them just confuse them, so they'll be easier to open.)
• Remove clams from juice, rinse under running water to remove any shell fragments, and place in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the clams are chopped, NOT puréed.
• Strain the clam juice through a fine strainer lined with cheese cloth. Do twice if necessary.
• Measure out 2 cups of clam juice (add store bought clam juice if there isn't enough). Place juice in sauce pan, heat to a simmer. (I found that the clam juice evaporated incredibly fast, thus the reason for measuring out 2 cups when you only need to use one.)
• In a large bowl, pour 1 cup of hot clam juice over the stuffing and stir together.
• Add the melted butter; stir to blend.
• Add the milk; blend.
• Add the parsley, Parmesan cheese, dry mustard, pepper, Swiss/Gruyère cheese and the onion. Stir.
• Add clams and toss together to blend.
• Stuff each clam shell.
• If you are going to cook them immediately, place the stuffed clams on a cookie sheet. (At this point, Peter sprays each clam with a touch of butter spray to ensure browning.) Bake in a preheated 350℉ oven for 15-20 minutes, or until brown.
• If you are going to freeze them, freeze them on a cookie sheet, stacked with wax paper in between layers, and wrapped in plastic or foil. Once the clams are frozen, put them in freezer bags so you can easily remove the quantity you want at any time (without them being frozen together). When you are ready to enjoy some, defrost them and then cook according to the instructions above, or (if you're in a hurry), defrost them in the microwave (Peter uses the Speed Defrost setting for about 5 minutes). Then, place them on a cookie sheet, spray each with butter spray (if you like), and bake in a 350℉ oven for 15-20 minutes, or until brown.

 Enjoy ... these are really good!

The Bee's Knees

Have you ever heard the expression "The Bee's Knees" and wondered where in the world it came from and what it means? Well originally, in the late 1700's that is, it referred to something small and insignificant, which would seem to make some sense given the size of a bee overall. But in the Roaring Twenties in America socialites adopted this "excellent" phrase and in "flapper speak" it came to mean "the height of excellence" along with other rhythmically and visually entertaining expressions like the "cat's pajamas", the "elephant's instep", the "kipper's knickers", the "snake's hip", the "eel's ankle", and the "cat's whiskers". Only two of these expressions have prevailed over time, "The Cat's Whiskers" and "the Bee's Knees". Is that perhaps because they at least refer to something that does exist? A cat certainly has whiskers, but does a bee really have knees?

Some Google research revealed that a bee carries pollen back to the hive in sacs on its legs called corbiculae, a.k.a. pollen baskets, and these pollen baskets are located on the central part of its legs (the tibiae). That certainly sounded close enough to be considered a knee, but we wanted confirmation so two investigative photographers were charged with finding out - do bees really have knees? Take a look and let us know what do you think. Do bees have knees or, at the end of the day, is it just plain fun to say "It's the bee's knees"?

 Photos by Peter Tooker and Sarah Ward
Music: The James Bond Theme by John Barry from the Album The Bee's Knees

 

Lemon & Olive Chicken with French Green Beans

 All iPhone 4 photos processed in HDR Pro ©2011 Peter Tooker

 I found this wonderful recipe for Lemon & Olive Chicken with French Green Beans in A Feast at the Beach which was recommended as a delightful read by Julie Mautner at The Provence Post. Written by William Widmaier, the book is a loving account of the author's vacations at his grandparents' home in St. Tropez in the 1960's. William's Provençal adventures were shared by his older brother Stephen, and an extended family of uncles, aunts, and cousins. I won't rewrite Mautner's colorful synopsis of the book here, but I agree that Widmaier's "book is filled with powerful flavors, scents, images and traditions" in addition to recipes for a Sleeping Potion, a few Provençal libations, mayonnaise, pesto, Grilled Shrimps Provençal, and this incredible chicken dish.

Mise en Place

I enjoyed assembling this dish as much as I enjoyed eating it, but neither equalled my husband's enjoyment of the leftovers. Peter went "over the moon" for the reheated vegetables - yes you read it correctly, my vegetable-hating husband, went "over the moon" for vegetables. Yeah! We were recently on the Cape and shared some with a family member and she too raved about the vegetables. By the way, this takes nothing away from the leftover chicken which was moist and wonderful, and used in several salads on subsequent days. It's just that we all found the vegetables uniquely delicious.

This family member said she follows Open-Window regularly and when a recipe is posted she looks first at the number of ingredients before adding it to her "Do Try" list. I don't know what the cut-off is but she has a "do not exceed" threshold for ingredients. My advice for this recipe is ignore any such self-imposed thresholds. This recipe is incredible all around and can be shared or reheated at any time. It's delicious, fun to make and makes me feel very French. 

I've transcribed the recipe nearly verbatum from this book. Having said that I have one very strong suggestion - "mise en place" which means "put in place". Measure and cut all of the ingredients before you begin assembling the dish. You will be ever so thankful that you did. Also, the recipe asks for you to "lightly salt chicken", we would strongly recommend you increase the amount of salt, that was all that was evidently missing in our first pass at this wonderful recipe. Thank you Mr. Widmaier for sharing your memories and especially your Mémé's recipes.

Cook in 400℉ oven for 2 hours

Lemon & Olive Chicken with French Green Beans
(Serves 4-6)

1 large roasting chicken
4 sweet Italian sausages, cut into 2-inch length pieces
3 ounces of salt pork or thick cut pancetta, cut into ½-inch cubes
2½ cups of dry white wine
1½ pounds of fresh French green beans - the long thin kind (haricot vert)
1 large yellow onion, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 lemon
4 small fresh, sweet red peppers (we used red bell peppers), sliced in half, seeds scraped out, and each piece cut in half again
6 garlic cloves, each cut into 4 pieces
12 black oil-cured olives
2 tablespoons of pine nuts
1 heaping tablespoon of Herbes de Provence
½ teaspoon of fresh ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 ounce pastis, preferably Ricard brand (can substitute Pernod, Anisette, or Sambuca)
Mediterranean sea salt
===================================

• Preheat oven to 400℉.
• Place chicken in a large Dutch oven, ideally a large Creuset model.
• Cut lemon in half, cut a ¼-inch slice from each face and reserve. Squeeze juice from two halves over chicken, making sure to coat as much of the chicken as possible. Take one of the squeezed-out lemon halves and stuff it into chicken cavity. If chicken came with gizzards, place these in Dutch oven outside chicken. Let chicken sit with its lemon-juice coating while preparing the rest of ingredients.
• Take green beans and one at a time trim the very ends off both ends, easily done by hand by just snapping the very tips off. (I cut each end off bunches of the beans at the same time.) Place trimmed beans into a large bowl. When you've trimmed all the beans fill bowl with water and let beans sit.
• Return to chicken and rub Herbes de Provence onto chicken, coating entire chicken, top to bottom, letting any excess fall into Dutch oven.
• Position chicken in Dutch oven breasts side up. Dust chicken with ground cumin.
• Take half of green beans let them drip dry before placing them around chicken, pushing them to the bottom, but not under chicken.
• Take chopped onions and sprinkle them over green beans.
• Take sliced peppers and distribute them evenly around chicken onto green beans.
• Take salt-pork pieces and distribute evenly around chicken onto green beans and stuff two or three pieces into chicken.
• Take remaining green beans and after letting them drip dry, surround chicken with them, covering the previous green beans, onions, peppers and salt pork.
• Sprinkle garlic pieces onto green beans. 
• Place cut sausages evenly around chicken on top of green beans.
• Sprinkle pine nuts evenly around chicken over green beans.
• Spread olives around chicken, over green beans, while also stuffing two olives in chicken.
• Pour 2½ cups of wine around chicken, over green beans but not over chicken.
• Pour ounce of pastis (pernod, anisette, or sambuca) around chicken, over green beans but not over chicken.
• Dust green beans with cayenne.
• Place reserved lemon slices over meatiest part of chicken breasts, one on each side.
• Lightly salt chicken and lemon slices with Mediterranean sea salt.
• Put lid on and stick in oven on middle shelf or as high as Dutch oven lid will allow it to go and still clear.
• Cook for two hours at 400℉.
• After one hour, take the lid off and be careful to let hot steam vent away from you, and with a long wooden spoon stir up green beans just a bit. If most of liquid has evaporated (it can happen if the lid has large gaps - but usually doesn't), add ½ cup of water and ½ cup of white wine. Put the lid back on, and place casserole back into the oven.
• At the end of second hour, take the lid off, and be careful to let vapors escape away from you.
• Serve directly from Dutch oven, as chicken will be too delicate to move. Cut pieces off chicken (it should be practically falling apart) and serve with big spoonfuls of green beans along with all the rest that has acquainted itself well.
• You can choose from a number of different accompaniments for this dish. Widmaier suggests oven-roasted rosemary potatoes (cut into 1-inch cubes, toss with minced rosemary, olive oil and sea salt, spread on a cooking sheet and roast 45 minutes at 400 ℉, mixing occasionally). Or delicious with orzo pasta - just ladle juices from chicken over cooked pasta.
• Serve with warm baguettes, to mop up sauce.

 

As Widmaier says at the end of this recipe, "Mangez lentement, riz, et savourez la belle vie" which means "Eat slowly, laugh, and savor the good life". Sounds like good advice to me.

Race Day at Belmont Park Race Track - The Video

Peter has combined still photographs and video to give you his perspective on what it's like at Belmont on a day of racing. We enjoyed this so much, we can't wait to go again. BTW, Peter thinks the blond woman is somehow tied to ownership of Animal Kingdom, this year's Derby winner, that's why she's there.

 

The Belmont Stakes runs at 6:30 p.m. EDT, may the best horse win!

Enjoy!

The Start of Memorial Day Weekend by Peter Tooker

Memorial Day Weekend is the start of something big. On Friday night, Peter and I photographed the arrival of the LIRR Cannonball train, which is an express train from NYC to the Hamptons. Peter works in video as well as still photography, and here has found a way to combine the two to document this momentous occasion in all Hamptonites' lives.

 

 Video ©2011 Peter Tooker

 

 

New York City Subway Art

Peter and I love New York and truly believe there's no better way to get around than by the subway. Over the years the subway stations have certainly improved and mosaic art work has sprung up in several stations. When we were in the city recently we found this mosaic mural which neither of us had seen before. Peter took this HDR with his iPhone, once again validating the quality of its camera. Can anyone tell me where we found this mural in Manhattan? We know but do you?

© 2011 Peter Tooker, NYC Subway Art
 

Brunch

Brunch on the shores of the mighty, muddy Mississippi. Catfish in the sun with a spicy Bloody Mary at Tug's in Harbor Town, Memphis, TN.

Photo ©2011 Peter Tooker. HDR photo taken on an iPhone.

 Sent from my iPhone

Half Moon Over Toronto

When Peter and I were recently "stranded" in Toronto, we had a spectacular sunset the first evening we were there - deep red cumulus clouds set against a midnight blue sky. We thought of that as our payback for all the hassles of the day. But, little did we know, the best was yet to come.

The moon rose so clearly in the pitch-black sky that evening, and we watched it traverse the nighttime sky until dawn (which was possible given our jet lag). Naturally Peter, set up a tripod and camera to see if he could capture the moon, that had been so elusive during the recent lunar eclipse and look what he got!

Half Moon Over Toronto ©2010 Peter Tooker; 1/40s at f 6.3 ISO 200 624mm

I couldn't believe my eyes when he showed me this photograph and the detail that it reveals - even the craters are clear! Now this, in my estimation, made the lay-over in Toronto, all worthwhile. Would you agree? 

Open Window Anniversary

One year ago today I began this blog called Open Window. The name was derived from something that Maria said in The Sound of Music. "When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window." Eighteen months ago, I was laid off from a job on Wall Street, and Peter and I vowed then that we would make this our "open window", thus the name for the blog.

When I look back to one year ago, I can't believe all I've learned and all we've done. A year ago I knew absolutely nothing about blogs. The internet to me was used primarily for plane reservations and a computer was used for word documents, excel spreadsheets, and tweaking jpeg photos. Well all of that has changed. Our blog is now firmly established and I've learned to post from anywhere, even from 35,000 feet over the rockies. I've learned that the internet is a phenomenal source of information on any and every topic you could ever want, and the land of blogs is the friendliest and most generous community I've ever known or been privileged enough to participate in. These days I follow ten blogs religiously on the topics of photography, food, art, and french words - no surprises there. I've learned a great deal from those who have gone on before, through their example, and sincerely hope that they agree with the adage that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". These days you will also rarely find me without my computer in hand. All of our photography work is done on a computer, our address books, calendars and my recipe box all reside on my MacBook, my homepage provides me with up-to-the-minute weather, stock prices and surf conditions, nearly all of my ongoing contact with friends occurs via email, messages or video chats, and whenever we have a question, we "ask our best friends", my computer or Peter's iPad. We have happily taken up full-fledged residence in the 21st century, something we never had time to do before.

First and foremost, one year ago, we set out to entertain on Open Window and we sincerely hope we've achieved that goal. We've made 231 posts to Open-Window over the last twelve months which is an average of 4 posts a week, mostly focused on food, photography, and travel. Want to know which posts were your favorites? The post with the most pageviews was Chipotle & Rosemary Roasted Nuts by Ina Garten, and the second was Cooking with Patricia Wells in Provence. Posts on my two favorite cookbook authors lead the way. The next two most viewed posts were Tomato Tarte Tatin and, believe it or not, Participles and Prepositions. But perusing all of the stats reveals to me an equal interest in travel, photography and food.

In 231 posts, which included 35 slide shows, we've shared a lot this year: Flying Tigers, Reflections in an Icicle, and a Narcissistic Swan; the big picture and the smallest details of trains, planes, boats and antique cars; snows of last winter, the flowers of spring, summer surf, and the brilliance of fall; pictures of the shorelines and skylines of Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas, in addition to those of Chicago, Nantucket, Provincetown, Lake Placid, Bridgehampton, and Paris; and recipes galore, including Homemade Dill Pickles, Mushroom Soup without Cream, Sautéed Corn off the Cob, Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges, Salmon & Israeli Couscous, and Pear Sorbet.

Your participation in the blog is what has inspired me to keep creating something I hope you'll find pleasing to look at, thought provoking, humorous, or just plain entertaining. Blogging is all about communication and I have thoroughly enjoyed our connection over the last year. Thank you, one and all, for all of your enthusiasm and support. Let's see what the new year will bring.

In the meantime, I took this opportunity to do a photographic summary of Open Window's first year. This slide show is longer than most so you may want to hold off watching it until a quiet spell comes upon you ... maybe Sunday morning. The video itself is 13 minutes and 39 seconds long, but summarizes the year we've shared, and what a year it was. Merci beaucoup and leave a comment - let us know what you think of Open Window's first year.

 

Photographs ©2010 Claudia Ward and Peter Tooker
Music: Mozart - Sinphonia Concertante in E Flat, K 364 - 1. Allegro Maestoso by Levon Chilingirian; Neville Marriner: Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields

Click on the square of outgoing arrows in the bottom right corner to expand the slide show. 

 

 

Harbour Lights in Downtown New York

Downtown New York holds a special place in my heart, as many of you know. It just suits all my sensibilities - the narrow streets, the architecture, the history, and easy access to views across the waters of the Hudson River, New York Harbor, and the East River. Perched above the East River, set deep in the South Street Seaport, is one of my favorite places in all of New York - Harbour Lights, a restaurant with one of the all time best views in the city, hands down.

Harbour Lights is on the third floor of Pier 17, tucked securely into the northeast corner of the building. Peter and I have been going to Harbour Lights for years and were so glad when we saw it reopen after 911. We've loved sitting out on the deck on a summer day, enjoying a lobster salad but even more enjoying the panoramic view of Brooklyn, the river with its three southern bridges - the Brooklyn, the Manhattan and the Williamsburg, and lower Manhattan. Spectacular on any day, this view is breathtaking at night when all the lights of these burroughs and bridges come up, and on a crisp evening around the holidays, there's no more festive location. Harbour Lights dresses itself elegantly in garland and white lights in December, but never seems to detract from the city just beyond it's picture windows. 

Peter and I met friends here last week and of course Peter came with cameras in hand. He couldn't wait to see how HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography would reveal parts of the city we both love. We sincerely hope you feel the festiveness of the holiday season in downtown New York.

 

Photos @2010 Peter Tooker; Slide Show by Claudia Ward & Peter Tooker 

White Oaks

White Oaks, located in the scenic Upper Delaware River Valley, is the country home of good friends. The property comprises a log cabin, several out-buildings, and a spring fed pond, all situated on rolling hills amidst 30 acres of wooded grounds. The peace and quiet at White Oaks are to be savored. There are trails in the woods for hiking in the spring, summer, and fall, and skiing in the winter, and the pond is perfect for swimming in the summer and ice skating in the winter. The entire property is special but what is most charming is the house - a log cabin, built solidly - with the logs acting as their own insulation!

Peter's been practicing internal shots with HDR processing and these are the results. No burned out or blacked out spots, isn't it great? Enjoy this little slice of country living - we certainly did.

 Photos © 2010 Peter Tooker; Slide show by Claudia Ward

Music: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F, Bwv1046: 3rd Mvt., by J.S. Bach

 

 

 

Pittsburgh PA

The architecture in The Golden Triangle in downtown Pittsburgh is stunning - modern steel and glass reflect stone structures from previous generations. In this slide show, I think you'll agree that Peter has captured Pittsburgh at her finest and shown her off with wonderful high dynamic range. (Note: This is Peter's work, it was only posted from my Vimeo account.)

 HDR Photos ©2010 Peter Tooker

Music: Winning by Randy Newman

 

Lackawanna Station Hotel - Scranton PA

The Lackawanna Station was built in 1908 when Scranton was a railroad hub and had five major railroads running through it. Today it's a hotel, converted in 1983 and renovated in 2006, which is run by the Radisson chain and I must say this must be one of the jewels in its crown, certainly on the east coast of the U.S. From the outside, this six story neo-classical structure appears solid and permanent - meant to last several lifetimes, and it is. On the inside, The Grand Lobby is breathtaking and if you sit there long enough taking in all of the details, you can imagine it a bustling train terminal once again with ticket booths under the marble arches and doors opening to the tracks that could take you anywhere in the U.S. The lobby features an ornate tile floor, rare Sienna marble walls and 36 unique hand-painted faience tile murals from the DL&W (Delaware, Lackawanna & Western) Mainline, and it's all illuminated by natural light filtered through a tiffany barrel vaulted stained-glass ceiling. The beauty and richness in all of the details and materials speaks volumes about the immense success of the railroads at the turn of the 20th century and their significance in American business.

The Lackawanna Station was and is considered one of the most beautiful railroad terminals in the country and we thought you might like to see what we enjoyed so thoroughly.

 
HDR Photos © 2010 Peter Tooker
Music: It's Only A Paper Moon by Derek Paravicini

 

The Delaware Water Gap

 Photo ©2010 Claudia Ward

Another first on our recent sojourn was a stop in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area. I've crisscrossed the Delaware River many times and seen the signs for the Gap, but never had a chance to stop. Having nothing to rush home for, we took the time and were so pleasantly surprised. We pulled off Route 80 at Kittatinny Point at The Gap end of the park. It was a beautiful warm fall day and the moment we left the highway we were surrounded by all the vibrant colors of fall. Naturally we started taking pictures and then stopped in the visitor center to see what we could see. The park ranger gave us a map. The park runs a 40 mile length of the Delaware River in New Jersey and Pennsylvania - it's huge and it's beautiful.

Recognizing our love of photography, the ranger pointed us in the direction of the Upper Glen and a hike in the forest to a pretty waterfall. It sounded right up our alley, so we picked up the Old Mine Road north. What a serenely beautiful road. It follows the winding path of the river, has a speed limit of 15 miles an hour, is only one lane in places, and has almost no traffic, at least on this fall Monday. The entire park is an incredible treasure - available for camping, swimming, boating, hiking, fishing, and, of course, wildlife and birdwatching, and there are no entrance fees!

We hope you enjoy the slide show of Peter's HDR shots in the park.
He was determined to reach the waterfall and he did, lugging cameras and tripods over hill and dale. 

I think it was well worth it, wouldn't you agree?

 HDR Photos © 2010 Peter Tooker; Slide Show by Claudia Ward

Music: Acoustic Sunrise

 

Steamtown PA

Scranton Pennsylvania is a place, I'm sad to say, I've avoided all my life, happily driving past it on so many trips through New York State, thinking "Who would want to stop there?" Well recently friends told us about Steamtown which is in Scranton. Part of the National Park system, Steamtown was established in 1986 "to further public understanding and appreciation of the role steam railroading played in the development of the United States" and Peter and I decided we had to see it, and we're glad we did.

Who doesn't like trains and all the romantic images they conjure of new landscapes passing by the windows and far away destinations? Romantic images indeed because it was the train's workhorse characteristics that contributed to the growth of the U.S. during the last half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth. "Between the Civil War and World War I, the United States was transformed from an agricultural to a manufacturing nation, thanks largely to the railroads" and people like George and Seldon Scranton, ironmakers who founded the DL&W (Delaware, Lackawanna & Western) Railroad. Trains "brought raw materials like coal, oil, iron ore, and cotton to factories and carried away steel, machines, cloth, and other finished products. They moved livestock, grain, and produce from farms to the cities. And they carried people everywhere." In 1812, they say a trip from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia took six days by stage coach. In 1854, the same journey took 15 hours by train, and by 1920 the trip was down to 5 hours! Now that's progress! After WWI, cars and trucks began to eat away at the train's monopoly on transportation and in 1925, the introduction of the cleaner, more efficient diesel-electric engine began the retirement of the steam locomotive altogether.

But in Steamtown in Scranton PA the age of steam is alive and well. The Steamtown collection consists of locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, a mail car, and a Pullman. You can take rides on one of the restored trains and tour the inside of the roundhouse where restoration work is still underway. You can also watch the steam engine on the 90 foot-long turntable in the center of the roundhouse, being turned to enter its bay at the end of the day. And if you're in town, as the train to Moscow is pulling out of the station, run to the bridge that crosses the tracks - the perspective is incredible. The picturesque town of Scranton is the backdrop for this Norman Rockwell sight, as the train releases steam, clangs it's bell, sounds its whistle, and slowly gains speed, heading directly for the bridge. The whistle sounds ever more alarming and the black and white smoke clouds become larger and larger as the train approaches and finally envelops you as the train passes under the bridge. It's quite a thrill and certainly underscores the power of these magnificent machines.

 

 Photos ©2010 Peter Tooker All Rights Reserved

 THE TRAIN TO MOSCOW

Video ©2010 Peter Tooker 

  THE ROUNDHOUSE & THE TURNTABLE

Video © 2010 Peter Tooker 

 

Spanakopita

Question: What does one do with a whole box of defrosted phyllo dough? 
Answer: Make Spanakopita and lots of it if you like appetizer portions.

Recently, one of us accidentally left the freezer ajar over night, defrosting everything within its usually frosty confines, including a brand new, unopened box of phyllo sheets. I'm not a hundred percent sure exactly how many sheets are in a new box, but I don't think I'm far off if I said close to 35 or 40. That's a lot of phyllo and the only thing we could think of to use all that phyllo was Spanakopita. We made it once years ago and loved these small, flakey pockets of spinach and cheese. They freeze really well which is also a blessing as only two sheets of phyllo are needed to make three appetizer-size pastries - you do the math. So now we're set for hors d'oeuvres for the holidays. Some of the steps may sound a bit tricky so Peter decided to take some pictures to hopefully aid you in the process. 

Spanakopita
Makes about 30 pastries

1-2 sticks plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound fresh baby spinach or 2 boxes of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled (about 2 cups)
Juice of one lemon
1/4-1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, if desired
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
One sleeve of phyllo sheets (12- by 9-inches), thawed. (There are 2 sleeves to a box, each sleeve having close to 20 sheets of phyllo.)
===================================

If using fresh spinach: Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, then cook the spinach, stirring, until wilted and tender, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible (there's no way around this, this is the best way to get the liquid out). Coarsely chop spinach.

If using frozen chopped spinach, allow it to thaw in a colander, then squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible.

• Transfer the spinach to a large bowl; stir in the feta cheese, lemon juice, nutmeg (if using), salt, and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 375℉.
• Melt 1 stick butter in a small saucepan, keep the other at the ready, if needed.
• Open the sleeve of phyllo sheets, roll it open in a sheet pan. Cover the phyllo stack with 2 overlapping sheets of plastic wrap and then a dampened kitchen towel. Use two sheets of plastic as one is too flimsy and sticks to itself; two together are sturdier and are only interested in one another.

• Take 1 phyllo sheet from stack and arrange on work surface with the shortest side nearest you. (Keep the remaining sheets covered with the plastic and damp towel at all times to avoid drying the sheets out and thus rendering them nearly useless - certainly for spanakopita.)

• Brush the sheet with some melted butter. Top with another phyllo sheet and brush with more butter. Cut buttered phyllo stack into 3 strips (roughly 3- by 12-inches).

• Put a heaping teaspoon of filling near 1 corner of a strip on an end nearest you, then fold corner of phyllo over to enclose filling and form a triangle. Continue folding strip (like a flag), maintaining the triangle shape.

• Put triangle, seam side down, on a large baking sheet and brush top with melted butter.

• Continue making triangles in the same manner, until you have used all of the spinach mixture and/or the phyllo.
• Bake the spanakopita triangles in the middle of the oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool slightly.

• Freeze if you are not using them in the next three days. Reheat frozen spanakopitas in a 325℉ oven for 10-15 minutes; do NOT thaw.

Note: This recipe is an amalgamation of over a dozen recipes I found in various cookbooks and on the internet. I should mention that one Epicurious recipe said "Pastry triangles can be formed, but not baked, 3 days ahead. Arrange in 1 layer in a heavy-duty sealed plastic bags, then freeze. Bake frozen pastries (do not thaw) in same manner as above."

 

Hank's Pumpkintown

Every year in the fall from mid-September to the end of October, Hank's Pumpkintown is erected in a large open field on Montauk highway in Water Mill. Over the years, word has spread about this novelty and crowds come from all around to enjoy the crisp fall air and all that Pumpkintown has to offer. Needless to say, you can pick your own pumpkin (or you can just pick it up) and there are life-size wooden toys for the children to play on, in and around. There are wagon rides, tractor train rides and slides. There's a playground, a sandbox, and Maze Park, with three separate mazes and six different games to play in them. And once you're tuckered out, you can rejuvenate yourself with some hot or cold apple cider, cider donuts, candy apples, or roasted sweet corn!

Hank's Pumkintown is the fall attraction on the east end and brings traffic to a crawl but what fun for the entire family, and Hank provides "monogrammed" wheelbarrows to help you transport all of those gourds, indian corn, and, of course, pumpkins to your car. It's Halloween weekend and the last for Pumpkintown until next year. Pack up the kids and drive out east, you'll have a ball.

   

Photos © 2010 by Claudia Ward & Peter Tooker
Slide Show by Claudia Ward
Music: Munsters by the Halloween Creature Crew

 

Mountain Top Inn - Chittenden Vermont

Fall is upon us and soon the trees will begin to change color. Peter and I are always trying to find charming new locations where we can enjoy the fall foliage in the northeast. We found a perfect place on our recent trip up north. It's at the top of a mountain and is reached by a beautiful winding road that passes bucolic brooks and horse farms. We can't make it this fall but maybe you can.

The Mountain Top Inn is in west-central Vermont, in Chittenden, northeast of Rutland - headquarters for the Green Mountain National Forest. The Inn, like so many things in New England, is quite modest in its appearance. Yet, when you enter the Inn's charming, comfortable lobby you are captivated by the breathtaking view in the floor-to-ceiling windows beyond. The Inn overlooks a large lake from which the Green Mountains rise in the distance. We could only imagine on that late summer day what this vista would look like dressed in the bright colors of fall, or, for that matter, covered in the white of winter's snows. Looking at the brochures, it looked to me like a wonderland in any season, for hiking, swimming, horseback riding, cross country skiing, or just reading by the fire. 

Photos by Peter Tooker ©2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Music: Vermont by The Da Vincis

We had lunch on the Terrace, soaking up the view and fresh air, and then said adieu to the staff before getting under way. One in particular stands out - Bailey - the near-resident beagle. Beloved by staff and guests alike, Bailey has a singular perspective on this glorious location and seems ready to share it with anyone who will pay attention.

The Moon and Jupiter Over Pleasant Bay

"Jupiter is at opposition", at least it was last week. That means Jupiter is directly opposite the Sun in the sky and Earth is in between. It also means that Jupiter is as close to Earth as it will get in many years. It's about 355 million miles away! It's also a really big planet, 86,000 miles across or 11 times wider than our precious Earth, which allows us to see it.

Some have said that last Tuesday was the best night to see Jupiter and that we won't see it like this again in years. Well check out this brief article in Discover Magazine to get the skinny on that. I will say, we'll probably be hard pressed to see it hand-in-hand with a full Moon again any time soon.

This is what the Moon and Jupiter looked like over Pleasant Bay on Cape Cod last Wednesday, just 8-9 hours before the moon was completely full. Jupiter is the small bright light directly below the Moon. Pretty special in my book! And, we did see Jupiter the next night too, standing proudly to the Moon's right.

 The Moon and Jupiter Over Pleasant Bay © 2010 Peter Tooker ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Full Moon and Jupiter Over Pleasant Bay @2010 Peter Tooker ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Click on each photo to expand it further.

For those of you who are interested, Peter took these photographs with a Nikon COOLPIX P90 on a tripod with time exposure, no flash, and a wide angle setting. They were both taken at f2.8, 2.0sec, with ISO 200.

Sculpture-Scott Partlow-Bridgehampton

A friend introduced us recently to a neighbor who just happens to also be an incredible sculptor. His name is Scott Partlow and he sculpts wonderful things out of huge pieces of black walnut, poplar, mahogany, sugar maple and cherry. He recently showed three pieces at a show at Ashawagh Hall on Springs Fireplace Road in East Hampton (Vito Sisti Presents Painting and Sculpture).

Dancer carved from cherry wood is sleek and has the angles and outstretched limbs of an Alvin Ailey dancer. Whelk is the most incredible and breathtakingly beautiful shell - all carved and sanded from spalted maple. And, Dawn is simply spellbinding - the form of a naked woman revealed in cherry wood. The latter he just recently completed and Partlow laments that he won't be able to get to know her better as she sold during the show.

Partlow rents an old house in the village of Bridgehampton and has lots of space to store (and age) his raw materials in the yard. Each sizable piece of wood will become something quite special in Partlow's hands. Chain saws, grinders and sanders may not be considered the typical artist's tools, but the results are pure art. He finishes each piece with tung oil which provides a wonderful sheen to the wood that just beckons you to touch it, and Partlow encourages that at every turn. In fact, each piece is irresistible whether it's the incredibly smooth surface of Flame or the carved outside shell of an Acorn - you want to know what it feels like which engages the viewer even more.

© 2010 Peter Tooker - Photos & Digital/HDR Processing

Music: A New Day (The Guitar Song) by Michele McLaughlin

Check out Partlow's website to view more of his art and jewelry, and seek him out to see his sculptures first hand, in the Hamptons.

Note: The colors of each sculpture may vary from the original due to digital/HDR processing of the photographs. 

Fields of Power - Peter's HDR Slide Show

Peter and I stumbled upon an "Engine Run" called the Fields of Power in Sagaponack, NY last weekend. A bright red biplane doing barrel roles over the beach caught our eye, so we tracked it down to a grassy air field amongst the fields of Foster Farm on Sagg Main Street.

Saturday was a glorious day - sunny with a bright blue sky, puffy cumulus clouds, a light breeze and temps around 75 - does it get any better than that? Sunday was cloudy, threatening rain, and cool - really, a nice contrast to Saturday for us photographers.

This is the third annual "Fields of Power" event. The Fosters invite fellow members of the Long Island Antique Power Association (LIAPA) to show off their engines and prized pieces of antique farm equipment. Between Saturday and Sunday, we viewed antique planes that flew in (and out) just for this event, tractors of every size, shape and vintage (it seemed), vintage automobiles including a classic Bentley, all manner of machinery like a "dancing" compactor, a hot water maker, and an antique shingle mill dating from 1888! I never knew machinery could be so interesting. 

A precursor to this "Fields of Power" event happened every year in Bridgehampton on the grounds of the Historical Society across the street from our house. We never attended it but heard it each day it operated because the engines "ran" all day. Given all of the sputtering, popping, whirring, and whistle blowing that filled the air all day, we dubbed the event "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". That event has now been replaced by the "Fields of Power". If you're in the area, seek it out because it is not only interesting but a lot of fun. In addition to watching all these machines run, there are tractor pulls, a "mini" air show when the planes take off and land, model airplanes buzzing the air field, a hay ride, and a demonstration of how that Shingle Mill makes shingles from huge logs. On Sunday they even ran an obstacle course for antique cars where the driver was blindfolded and the passenger guided them through the course - that was hilarious!

Here's Peter's view of all we saw, processed in High Dynamic Range (HDR). Let us know what you think of the event and the photos. Stay tuned for my "telephoto" perspective.

Photos and Slide Show © 2010 Peter Tooker ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

We sincerely hope this continues for many years to come.

HDR Photography - Vermont

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and it's a very exciting part of photography these days one that Peter has really gotten in to. 

Ever taken photos of a sunset at the beach or in the mountains and found that in the picture you have very dark areas showing none of the details that your eyes saw and very, very bright areas, also revealing little that you could see? Well, your eye saw much more, and a camera has limitations. However, processing digital photographs these days provides such exciting opportunities to reveal that which could not be revealed before .... ergo HDR photography. 

In its basic form, it can be defined as taking a photograph at "zero exposure" and then auto bracketing so the camera will then take another photograph at +2 exposure and another at -2 exposure. What this does at the end of the day (thanks to Photomatix Pro) is merge all three so what's in the shadows is revealed and what's in the bright lights is not lost. I think it's truly breathtaking, and after all of that, you can then begin to have fun ... it's all art.

On our way to a wedding in northern NY state recently, we stopped in Vermont to see friends. Peter shot these in HDR, and we'd be very interested in what you think - of the photographic technique, of the picture, of the location, ...

© 2010 Peter Tooker ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Southampton Antique Auto Show

There was an antique auto show at Rogers Mansion in Southampton on Saturday and Peter and I got there early, wanting to see and photograph some of the old cars before the crowds got too large. We arrived just after 10:00 a.m., when it started, and we were still there chatting with the owners and photographing their beautiful cars well after noon. 

There were automobiles and trucks from as early as 1915 going all the way up to 1958. The preponderance of participants were Fords - and some real beauties. Model A's from the '30's were well represented, in mint condition with wonderful radiator caps and grills. A 1931 navy blue, Ford Sport Coupe stole my husband's heart but the Thunderbirds nearly stole his soul. What a bevy of beauties - each one made both our hearts race faster. First, I fell for the 1956 peacock blue Thunderbird convertible, but being fickle my crush was quickly and easily transferred to "Timeless", a gorgeous 1957 flame red T-Bird, and then we both saw her ... the 1954 satin yellow Kaiser Darrin -sweet. The interior and fiberglass exterior were satin yellow, as was the steering wheel and she has sliding "pocket doors" - Peter was "a goner". Not even the Jaguars could turn his head, of which there were three - a sexy white E-Type L2 (she's the only one that had a chance), a sleek silver-gray XK, and a '53 black convertible XK with red interior. All he could do was take pictures of all of these beauties to savor later.

I, on the other hand, found myself now captivated by trucks, of all things - a 1958 sky blue Chevrolet 3100 pick-up truck with a custom cover captivated my imagination (very Mayberry); and, the Hildreth's Chevrolet delivery truck reflected the store's history (the oldest department store in the country) but also everything around it. I got some wonderful photos of all of the trucks around it, reflected in its side panels.

We thought the show was wonderful and a great success, and hope to attend again next year. In the meantime we want to share two slide shows, so you can see what we saw. 

Today's slide show is Peter's. He's our wide-angle man and the one working on HDR photography (High Dynamic Range) using normal, exposure fusion, and grunge effects. You'll notice the different results and effects in the photos. Please sit back, enjoy, and let us know what you think. 

Photos & Slide Show @2010 Peter Tooker, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Don't you wish you'd been there?

The Great Bonac Fireworks Show

The Great Bonac Fireworks Show is a 30 year tradition of mid-summer fireworks over Three Mile Harbor in East Hampton, and Peter and I got to see it from his cousin's boat smack-dab in the middle of the harbor - front row center. Originally started in the early 70s by George Plimpton, the late-writer, actor and founder of The Paris Review, for his friends visiting him on the East End, the event was always scheduled for the first Saturday following le quatorze juillet (14th of July a.k.a. Bastille Day) because of his love for Paris. The event soon became public and in 1980, Plimpton partnered with Tony Duke and Felix Grucci, Sr. to have the fireworks benefit the camp, Boys and Girls Harbor, which was founded by Duke. When it was no longer possible to continue the George Plimpton/Boys and Girls Harbor Fireworks event, The Clamshell Foundation took over the event in 2009 renaming it "The Great Bonac Fireworks Show". 

Let me shed a little light on that regional expression, "Bonac" refers to an area of East Hampton called Springs. Bonackers descend from East Hampton's first white settlers, hardy souls who first landed, as lore tells it, at Accabonac Harbor. The harbor's name derives from an Algonquin word for "root place," perhaps somewhere wild potatoes grew, and the community became known as Bonac. Bonackers made their living as baymen*, fishermen, and farmers. 

The Gruccis of New York staged the fireworks production and what a show it was. If you don't know, the Gruccis are a fifth-generation, family-owned and operated company on Long Island, NY that designs, produces, and displays over 300 performances all around the world every year. We loved the show so much, we want to share it with you in its entirety, so here it is in two parts (because of a YouTube restriction). In total its 15 minutes long, so grab a cup of coffee or tea, a coke or perhaps a glass of wine, set the settings to the highest resolution possible and expand it to fit your screen. Now sit back and enjoy, we certainly hope you do.

The Great Bonac Fireworks Show; © Peter Tooker, 2010

 

The Great Bonac Fireworks Show; ©Peter Tooker 2010

* Check out Billy Joel's song Downeaster "Alexa" to hear about these baymen.

 

Zucchini Blossoms

Zucchini, corn, potatoes, tomatoes - you name it and it grew in the fields behind Bruce's Restaurant in Wainscott, NY when I worked there waiting on tables years ago. One year, in early July, Bruce introduced me to a delicacy that I've never forgotten and until yesterday I've never been able to reproduce, namely Fried Zucchini Blossoms. 

Did you know that zucchini plants have blossoms, I didn't? Not only that, they have female and male blossoms! The female flower is on the end of the emerging zucchini itself and the male flowers grow directly on the stem of the zucchini plant. And, if you're wondering, there's no difference in taste - only in shape as you can see.

When we were chatting with Mike at our favorite farm stand - Babinski's on Newlight Lane in Watermill - yesterday, we mentioned our perennial search for zucchini blossoms and our frustration with not being able to find any, even in the midst of all of the East End's farms. Mike immediately smiled and said "Follow me". He led Peter and me to the fields behind his family's stand, retrieved his clippers from his belt, and bent over and began to clip, blossom after beautiful blossom, and only stopped when the basket was filled with a baker's dozen - comprised of one female and a dozen males flowers.

Happily in possession of our small treasure trove, we returned home to execute our dream. Wanting desperately to replicate that light crisp texture and exquisitely simple flavor, we set about frying a batch. First we checked the blossoms for any free-loaders and finding none, we coated each blossom with a batter comprised of only flour (2/3 cup), beer (3/4 cup), and a little salt and ground white pepper. We deep fried them (2-3 at a time) for a minute or two in a mixture of canola and olive oil (1 inch deep in a sauce pan) heated to 375 degrees F, just until they were golden. We removed them to paper towel, sprinkled them with a little salt and a dusting of freshly ground Parmigiana Reggiano, took a few photos and then ... they disappeared! They were just as delicate and delicious as I remember them.

So if you're fortunate enough to be in an area where there are farm stands or farmers markets, befriend a farmer and ask if he/she would sell you a basket full of zucchini blossoms. They are simple to prepare, as you can see in Peter's video.

Eat them shortly after cooking them while they are still a little warm and very crisp - it's pure bliss!

Blue Angels

The Bethpage Federal Credit Union sponsors an air show every year around Memorial Day at Jones Beach and this year we linked up with former colleagues of mine from the bank and made a day of it. It was a wonderful day, cool, generally overcast with hints of sun from time to time, so we didn't have to worry about sunburns or too much heat. By 8:00 a.m., Kevin had secured an area for all of us along the front edge of the boardwalk. Chairs, coolers, cameras and sweaters were the required kit for the day. The show commenced at 10:00 a.m. and was over by 3:00 p.m. and I can honestly say I was never bored. Parachutes, bi-planes, helicopters and jets - you name it and we saw it fly but the pièce de résistance was the Blue Angels in the F/A-18 Hornets.

The Blue Angels were introduced to the skies over the beach by a Lockheed-Martin C-130 Hercules which the Blue Angel pilots affectionately call Fat Albert. It's big, slow-by comparison, and has propellers. The F/A-18's, on the other hand, are sleek, fast and jet propelled. Their formations are familiar to most and a challenge to photograph especially at the higher speeds between 500 and 700 mph! But thousands upon thousands of us tried and the attached slide show is an aggregation of what Peter and I thought were our best and most entertaining shots of the Blue Angels from that day. Of course I had to put music to it, so why not Navy Blue & Gold played by the American Military Band. Let us know what you think. Once you click on the arrow to start the slide show don't forget to click on the 360 and select the largest number from the dropdown list to get the highest quality slide show. Expand it to fit the entire screen by clicking on the four arrows.

 

Photos & slide show by Claudia Ward & Peter Tooker, 2010, All Rights Reserved

 

We're working on another slide show of the other performers from that day. Stay tuned.

 

East Hampton Swans

There's a family of Mute Swans that lives on the pond in the center of East Hampton, New York. They've been there for as long as memory serves and each spring the cob (that's Dad) and the pen (that's Mom) start a new family and produce five to nine cygnets (those are the kids). It's really quite something to watch this family float along the water right in the center of town. 

One can spend hours on the water's edge watching them preen, play and nap, which is exactly what Peter and I did last spring. There were seven cygnets then, one "blond" and six "brunettes". The pen never wanders very far from her brood, but the cob ... that's another story which plays out in the slide show and video attached below. 

Permit me to set this up for you. As we all know, swans mate for life, which is a reality that can make even the most monogamous pine for a little variety from time to time. Despite having a picture perfect family and a beautiful mate, this cob just had to stretch his wings and see what might be happening at the other end of the pond, and what did he find? Apparently one equal to his every fantasy, one rendering him powerless and unable to restrain his passionate nature, one willing to receive his attentions and caresses without complaint for hours on end - literally.

 

Photos and slide show by Claudia Ward, 2010, All Rights Reserved
Music: Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Op.20: No.22 Danse Napolitaine by Boston Pops Orchestra & Seiji Ozawa

This cob showered kisses upon this reflection of himself for over an hour and as you can see was truly devastated when the object of his affections was taken away. Have you ever seen anyone so utterly dejected?

Video by Peter Tooker, 2010, All Rights Reserved

LIRR Cannonball - The Movie

Peter's Post: 

Variations on a theme; the movie version of Claudia's slideshow: The Hamptons Memorial Day Weekend. Enjoy!

Video by Peter Tooker, 2010, All Rights Reserved

With a Name Like Co Co. ...

it's just got to be good, right? We stumbled upon one of the best restaurants Peter and I have ever eaten in, on F Street in Washington D.C., called Co Co Sala. I'd seen it from the double decker bus that we'd been touring the city on to get our bearings, and with a name like CoCo I couldn't resist. There were tables outside under chocolate brown umbrellas, but the day had heated up and we decided to cool down inside. Walking inside was like being transferred to another world. It was immediately apparent that this was no ordinary restaurant and that this was going to be an experience to remember. In fact, Co Co Sala isn't a restaurant in the ordinary sense of the word, it's a "chocolate lounge and boutique". The decor is comfortably modern with two rooms and we chose to sit in the one where we could watch the artisanal chocolates being made as well as the artistic dessert plates being prepared. The staff could not have been more friendly and our waiter guided us to selections we may not have made without his assistance. 

Peter photographed every aspect of this unique environment, including the four foot tall flower sculpture made entirely of chocolate that could be seen behind the glass, in the kitchen. Once we finally settled in, our waiter suggested that we might like to try one of Co Co's "Signature Sips" - perhaps an Alisar might quench our thirst, made with Grey Goose Le Citron, cucumber and fresh lime juice, or perhaps the Co Cojito, Van Gogh infused vodka, with fresh mint and limes, topped with dark chocolate flakes, the latter having been recently voted the best cocktail in D.C. We had one of each and my oh my what an experience in flavors!

Co Co Sala has a three course prix fixe lunch which we had to partake in because it all sounded just so interesting and good. Peter started with Five Cheese Fritters and, believe it or not, I started with Rosemary and Parmesan Fries - the best fries I have ever had! Our entrees were Chicken Caesar Flat Bread and Artichoke Tart, and dessert was simply sublime. Check out the photographs in the slide show. Every plate was a work of art, appreciated by the eye as well as the palate. Needless to say, we didn't leave the boutique without a small sampler of Co Co's artisanal chocolates and of course Peter couldn't resist the chocolate cover, apple-smoked bacon! Mon Dieu!

This was such an unexpected surprise and an experience neither of us will forget. Co Co Sala is a must if you ever come to D.C., especially if you have a penchant for chocolate. It's located at 929 F Street, NW and you can call 202 347 4265 for a reservation.

Pittsburgh - The City of Bridges

Those of you who have been to Pittsburgh recently (and you know who you are) will recognize this perspective of Pittsburgh. It's from the Monterey Bay Fish Grotto Restaurant on Mount Washington in Pittsburgh. The food is wonderful but the view is spectacular during the day and downright breathtaking at dusk when the lights of the city sparkle.

 Photo by Peter Tooker 2010 All Rights Reserved

Bric-a-Brac Slide Show

Peter and I have a new lens - a 90mm 1:2.8 macro lens. We bought it with my flower and shell photography in mind but Peter played with it all day yesterday, taking stills of a whole bunch of bric-a-brac we have around the house, with spectacular results. We couldn't decide on one or two photos to share with you so we assembled another slide show. After you click on the arrow below, remember to change the setting from 360p to 480p - make the change just below the picture to the right. This makes a huge difference and lets you see what Peter's photos really look like. Also if you want to see his photos full screen, click on the square made of four arrows going in four different directions.

 

 

Please let Peter know what you think by leaving a comment here. 

By the way, you can see Peter reflected in one of these photos, can you find him?

School's Out ...

After two and a half days of various classes and workshops in the city (New York City that is), Peter and I decided to reward the student body - literally. We went to one of our favorite restaurants in Manhattan - Balthazar - for lunch. Balthazar serves traditional bistro food in a perfect bistro environment. Tell me we weren't happy spending a couple of hours here!

Looking at the menu (and we recommend you do too), we grappled with our choices because there wasn't one thing listed that we didn't like. Peter decided to order completely off the appetizer portion of the menu and my eyes landed on Wednesdays' special, Koulibiac - a salmon dish wrapped in pastry with wild rice and spinach accompanied by sauteed mushrooms in a delightful white sauce. After sharing a sampler of east- and west-coast oysters and some delicious split pea soup with smokey bacon, Peter was served his "entree" - Chicken Liver and Foie Gras Mousse. 

Being a bistro, tables are quite close to one another which is cozy to the clientele but can be challenging to the wait-staff. As one of the waiters was delivering lunch to our neighbors, he accidentally tipped my water glass over. I successfully caught it before it emptied all of its contents in my half eaten lunch plate but some "damage" was still done. I mention this not to criticize but, in fact, to compliment the staff as they efficiently corrected the problem by whisking my plate to the kitchen, replacing the paper that covered our table cloth and delivering an entirely new entree - all within a matter of minutes. 
I certainly would have thought this would be enough compensation for what was obviously an accident, but not for the staff of Balthazar. Look what they brought to us ... homemade sorbets and assorted berries, "compliments of the house".

So our wonderful lunch became dinner for our last day in the city. For those of you who live in or around New York or plan to visit, we recommend you call to make a reservation at this very special restaurant. You'll probably have to wait to get through, but we assure you it's worth any amount of time.

For those of you who are interested, all of these photos were taken with the camera on our iPhone. 

Like what we're writing about? Let us know, leave a comment and we can "chat".

New York, New York ...

it is a wonderful town, but it's been seriously testing that lyric the last two days. At last count we've had between 4 and 5 inches of rain in two days and we feel like drowned rats! But enough sour grapes, today is simply cloudy which is a marked improvement.

Peter and I came in to the city on Monday so that we could attend a number of workshops at the Apple Store in Soho, one of my favorite places in all of NYC. At the risk of sounding like a paid advertisement, which I assure you I am not, I have to say that the service provided by this company and especially at this store is superb. There is no such thing as a dumb question to Apple people, at least they never let you think there is and they're all so friendly! But the FREE workshops are phenomenal. Trying to establish a photography business, Peter and I can use all the support we can get and the workshops on setting up websites and integrating social networking into a business are proving to be invaluable. So we have one more day of "classes" and then return home to start using all that we'e learned.

Photo by Peter Tooker 2008 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

In the meantime, we want to share this photo that Peter took of the NY skyline, pretty spectacular wouldn't you agree? Leave a comment and let us know, we love hearing from you.

Slide Show-Storming the Beaches

The Northeast just can't seem to catch a break. It started raining on Friday and here we are on Monday morning and it has yet to stop. But the rains have been only part of this storm sequence; the winds have been gusting at gale force since Saturday afternoon. Gusts of 54 mph were reported in Wainscott, the hamlet just east of Bridgehampton. All of this naturally wreaks havoc on our beaches, which were battered with nor'easters last fall, and snow storms and squalls all winter.

The beaches on the east end are our treasures and every town works diligently to protect them as best they can. Snow fences are common on all of our beaches and are strung along the dunes with the hopes that they'll fight off the ocean's relentless waves and high tides, and act as a retaining wall for our precious sand dunes. They truly are our front line soldiers. They take tremendous beatings as you can see but hold their ground until the bitter end.

At one beach, the town even fortified the dunes with used Christmas trees, burying them under tons of sand and building the dunes out beyond their core. As you can see in the slide show these efforts were all for naught with this week-end's storms. These fortified dunes were clawed apart by the waves and winds, sending the sand out to sea and littering the beach with the dunes' protectors.

Slideshow photos by Claudia Ward and Peter Tooker 2010 All Rights Reserved

The news is reporting trees and power lines down, and outages across the northeast and I'm afraid it's probably affected many of you who visit this blog. Peter and I hope you all have weathered the storm and come through on the other side, not too much worse for wear.

Note: Remember to click on the number 360 and change it to 480 for the best quality "view". Also enlarge the pictures by either clicking on the box that looks like arrows going in four directions, next to the numbers mentioned above, or by double clicking on the slide.

Have you got any storm stories you want to share? Leave a comment and let us know how you fared.

Nice Weather for Ducks

A friend and former colleague phoned this morning, we're going to have lunch out here in Bridgehampton despite the weather and a two hour drive for him in the pouring rain. It started raining late yesterday and it's not meant to stop until Monday. No complaints mind you, it isn't snow and it's good for the water table, and what better way to spend a rainy day than catching up with friends over good food.

It's nice weather for ducks! 

Photo by Peter Tooker, 2009 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

We hope this photo brings a little light to an otherwise dreary day here in the northeast. It's one of my favorites of Peter's taken last spring in East Hampton; he caught incredible texture in the feathers and light in the water! Remember, you can click on the photo and it will expand. What do you think, about the photo, about the weather, ...?

The Power of Positive Thinking ...

The power of positive thinking ... is flagging these days. There's been another storm hovering over the northeast for well over 24 hours; although I must say we on the east end of Long Island haven't been as badly hit as our compatriots to the west. It's been snowing for over 12 hours here but our accumulation this time is small - about four inches. Tiresome, however, still comes to mind.

Our beaches are being eroded badly as you can see.  One can hardly tell where the snow ends and the surf begins on some beaches ... and tomorrow is the full moon!

Photo by Claudia Ward 2010 All Rights Reserved

But the storm has made our village and its lanes "picture perfect".  We hope you agree.

 Photo by Peter Tooker Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved

Comments are welcome on the state of the winter, the photographs, or this blog. 

Kite Surfing in Northwest Puerto Rico

As promised this is Peter's video of the kite surfers in Isabella, PR.  These were shot near Jobos Beach.

Our Final Meal on Maui - Mama's Fish House

To start our last meal on Maui at Mama's Fish House, Peter and I chose the Hookipa Sunset - an ambrosia of pineapple vodka, with pineapple, lime and Creme de Banana - incredibly smooth and dangerously refreshing!

 

The waiter recommended the main course that I selected, Monchong with caramelized Maui onion, tomato, avocado and jasmine rice - perfection! Monchong is a firm white fish which flakes with a fork and is absolutely delicious. 

 

Peter had the signature dish, mentioned in an earlier post, Mahimahi (caught by James DeBussey along the north shore of Maui) stuffed with lobster, crab, Maui onion and baked in a macadamia nut crust. None of the fish served here is commercially caught or farmed, it's all caught by the local fisherman, making it incredibly fresh and flavorful.

And all of this was enjoyed looking out under a canape of green palms to the ocean, enjoying the warm breezes and the wide-open windows.  This is paradise!

 Aloha!

Our Final Day on Maui - Ho'okipa Beach

With flights leaving Maui at around 2:00 p.m., we made a reservation for lunch at Mama's Fish House on Kuau Cove at 11:00 a.m. The day was glorious - bright sun, clear blue skies, warm and a light breeze. We left Hana early, around 7:00 a.m., in order to miss the road work on the Hana Highway as well as to give us time to stop and take photos along the way.  Even with stops, we pulled in to the parking lot for Ho'okipa Beach, next door to Kuau Cove, at 9:30 a.m.  

Ho'okipa Beach - What a magnificent location!  This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The mountains in the distance, the rows of breaking waves approaching the shore, the green of the palm trees and the blues of the water and sky, I could have stayed there all day, mesmerized.  And, when you add the surfers, and our whale and turtle sightings, it was truly entertaining as well.  See what you think by watching Peter's video on Youtube.  

 

 

  

Maui - Mama's Fish House

We arrived in Maui last Friday night after nearly 22 hours of travel and couldn’t wait to have our first look at Hawaii in the morning … still Journey Proud.  As we got in late, we stayed at a small hotel a few miles from the airport, right on the ocean.

Our friends flew in from Oahu Saturday morning, we did some shopping to stock the necessities for our condominium for the week ahead and then set off on the Hana Highway.  With our priorities clearly in order, we stopped for lunch nearly immediately at Mama’s Fish House in Paia.  It sounds like it could be a cute grass shack on the beach that would serve the best fresh fish from paper lined baskets, and it may very well have started that way some 37 years ago when it was Maui’s first fresh fish restaurant.  But today, it’s a soundly built open-air wood structure, decorated with simple elegance, looking out across a well-kept lawn to Hookipa beach where wind and kite surfers zag and zag across the horizon line. 

Was any part of that first descriptive accurate?  Yes!  “The best fresh fish.”  As soon as we began reading the menu we declared this meal dinner.  We began our midday “dinner” with a variety of drinks with umbrellas in them!  And for food, we shared a silver snapper appetizer that was delicate and delicious, and Peter’s tuna sashimi that had been caught that morning aboard the fishing vessel “Lady Christine”.  We’d never seen tuna sashimi this bright red, a color that just screamed, “Just caught!” 

Our main courses included: Mama’s signature dish, Mahimahi, stuffed with lobster, crab, Maui onion, baked in a macadamia nut crust; deep-water Ahi, seared in ginger and panko crust with rice pilaf; and a wonderful red snapper special of the day.  Full but determined, we perused the dessert menu and decided to share a crème brulee, billed as the smoothest and delivering on that promise, as well as a medley of Mama’s tropical fruit sorbets.  At this point we knew we had to do one more thing before we left … make a reservation for lunch on the day we leave Maui.  Done!  Stay tuned and visit Mama's website, it's incredible.  http://www.mamasfishhouse.com/