So I got an email:
Hi Erik,
Sorry to bother you. I wanna pick your brain. If you had to bring something for a pot luck what are the top 5 things/ dishes (appies can be included) you would make? 🙂 I had to ask.
Thanks in advance.
Short version:
Dear —–,
I don’t like potlucks.
but this was my response:
HAHA I started writing about this a few weeks ago – I’m probably in the minority, but I hate potlucks. Dont’ get me wrong, I love people. I love eating with people. But I think at this point, people should at least attempt to make dinner and TRY – even if it’s mediocre. I used to host large dinners (20+) and Ori told me to stop hosting big dinners because people come but then he said, when do you ever get an invitation? And then that got me thinking.
Potluck means literally luck of the pot, usually, the luck is shit. I personally care, some people don’t and half ass it.
which is really the meat and potatoes of your question. You want something that can sit for a little bit and not deteriorate in quality and taste. This is difficult. However, if you put effort into it, surely your food will be the first to go. I’m still waiting for when someone will invite me over for a dinner and not a potluck 🙂
1) TARTARE always tastes good provided you can get the best raw ingredient. Only thing to worry about is when you make a tartare, you should officially “mix” the acid and the olive oil on the location site, because the longer the acid sits on the meat or fish, it will start to make the meat grey or the fish (i.e. salmon tartare) grey.
2) Another option – VITELLO TONNATO. veal tartare essentially that has been seared on the outside. Marcella Hazan has a recipe for this I’m sure you can search for. It’s a veal with tuna sauce, and the tuna sauce covers the looks of the tartare which could address the problem of #1
3) SMOKED or CURED food – smoked mackerel & burrata and some heirloom tomatoes… cold smoked duck. Duck prosciutto from duck breasts (you can cure these easily in the refrigerator. Depending on how far out your event is…takes about 5-7 days to hang. Only one day to cure in salt, then you hang it in the fridge in a cheesecloth. You can also make your own bacon / other options….
4) RAW Food or fresh seafood lobster sashimi, oysters, other seafood. I imagine you’d have access to fresh seafood, how about steaming some and making a sick dipping sauce? crab handrolls. Steam the crabs, get two buddies to pick the meat (it’s a big BEACH to do it yourself), and make some fresh short grain rice. I like Tamaki Gold brand.
5)Awesome stew on awesome bread oxtail vaccinara on toasted brioche w/ parmesan? The vaccinara can be made a day or two ahead and day of you can relax, just toast some bread.
6) ACID COOKED SEAFOOD – fresh scallop or seafood ceviche? (this would actually hold really well) – along the same lines, think of Escabeche / Spain? Make your own chips out of tortillas, they’d be way better than stuff you buy.
My preference of a dish would probably be something freshly killed.