{"id":335,"date":"2008-12-24T14:40:13","date_gmt":"2008-12-24T18:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.summerofjim.com\/2008\/12\/24\/mommie-soph-orders-from-dean-deluca\/"},"modified":"2008-12-24T14:45:03","modified_gmt":"2008-12-24T18:45:03","slug":"mommie-soph-orders-from-dean-deluca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/?p=335","title":{"rendered":"Mommie Soph Orders From Dean & Deluca"},"content":{"rendered":"

I happened by Jewel St.\u00a0in New Haven for a visit with Mommie Soph.\u00a0 My Dad would have referred to this as her permanent <\/em>address.\u00a0 No matter.\u00a0 When are you leaving?<\/em> This would have been the first question she would have asked of me.\u00a0 And upon taking my leave, she would have asked, when are you coming back, and what do you want to eat?<\/em> <\/p>\n

For my Grandmother these were the key reference points.\u00a0 How long you were staying, when are you returning and what do you want to eat.\u00a0 Everything else would follow in due course.<\/p>\n

On this most recent visit I came armed with a copy of Dean & Deluca’s Holiday Catalogue.\u00a0 I had it my mind that it might be fun to gather everyone for a holiday feast.\u00a0 I wasn’t sure of the best location for the festivities… that could be decided later.\u00a0 But I thought that\u00a0Mommie Soph and I\u00a0could organize the food side of things, and rather than belaboring her\u00a0with running around for everything, why not pick up all the fixin’s from Dean\u00a0& Deluca?\u00a0 One look thru the pages of their catalogue\u00a0is enough to set your mouth to watering.\u00a0 Excellent photography, marvelous descriptions… very fancy shmancy <\/em>as Mommie Soph would say.\u00a0 Time to reach for the ring, grab the gusto and take out the wallet.<\/p>\n

I opened the catalogue… page 2. “This is a good place to start.\u00a0 The central piece of the dinner has to a standing rib roast.\u00a0 And look at this yummy picture!\u00a0 Five ribs!\u00a0 And this is what they say: Now this is a roast. Grass-fed, dry-aged, perfectly marbled, prime beef that is melt-in-the-mouth tender, unbelievably flavorful and the star of any meal.”<\/p>\n

“OK.\u00a0 You are probably right.\u00a0 Dad will probably want a second rib. We better order three.\u00a0No, I don’t know why they trimmed the juicy, fatty parts from the rib… it’s just a photograph.\u00a0 A\u00a0serving suggestion<\/em>.\u00a0 OK, if that’s the way it comes, I will ask them to send the\u00a0fatty parts on the\u00a0side… and yes it’s something that you could make into a stew for the dogs.”<\/p>\n

“Next, these double baked potatoes look sensational:\u00a0\u00a0ONLY AT DEAN & DELUCA. The chefs at The Perfect Bite Co. think potatoes taste better with bacon, so they scooped out the insides of baked Russet potatoes and filled them with a mixture of Yukon Golden Mashed, bacon, sour cream and horseradish and baked them again.”<\/p>\n

“Yes, I know that there some bacon in it.\u00a0 But\u00a0there is also horseradish in it which neutralizes the bacon.\u00a0 And besides,\u00a0everyone loves bacon and you wouldn’t want a table full of disappointed people!\u00a0 There are four potatoes in the package, so four orders should be plenty.\u00a0 OK, we’ll order six.”<\/p>\n

“Hey, this looks good.\u00a0 Shallots, this might be fun. ONLY AT DEAN & DELUCA. Smaller and milder than onions, shallots get even sweeter when roasted with a glaze of balsamic vinegar. An order is sixteen ounces.\u00a0 On principle we’ll get two orders.”<\/p>\n

“These biscuits look good, too. How delicious! Our rich, buttery and flaky Cream Cheese Biscuits and 72-layer Herb Parmesan biscuits are mouth-watering and ready to pop into an oven. There are twelve in an order.\u00a0 What do you think? Two or three?\u00a0 Two?\u00a0 Good call, we don’t want the biscuits taking up valuable stomach room away from the roast beef!”<\/p>\n

“I think we have the key stuff taken care of for dinner.\u00a0 But we are going to need plenty of appetizers.\u00a0 And nobody beats Dean & Deluca on apps! We can skip the tapas on page 10.\u00a0 Bingo! Page 15! “Comfort Appetizers”!\u00a0 That’s the ticket: Think of these as gourmet comfort starters. Mashed Potato Toast, Mini Shrimp Newburg Pot Pie, Monte Cristo Sandwich and Welsh Rarebit Tomato Tart. Watch as everyone comes back for seconds. You’re not kidding.\u00a0 We’ll go flying thru these.\u00a0 48 pieces?\u00a0 We’ll get two orders.\u00a0 And yes these others look good, too: Entertaining made simple. We’ve put together this selection of roasted Eggplant and roasted Tomato Crisps, Blue Cheese and Pear Phyllo Stars, Fig and Goat Cheese Flatbreads and Seafood Thermidor Puff Pastries. An elegant array of classic flavors for your next cocktail party.\u00a0 No, we’re taking a pass on these.\u00a0 I don’t like eggplant and the smell of goat cheese makes me want to puke.”<\/p>\n

“All is not lost!\u00a0 Here on page 20, mini franks and mini burgers: Premium ingredients can make even the most down-home appetizers downright elegant. Take, for example, our handmade mini franks. Made from luxurious Wagyu beef, and hand rolled with rich cream cheese dough, they’re ready for you to bake at home. And our sliders, petite in size, are packed with big flavor bursting with beefiness.\u00a0 Elegant?\u00a0 Well, that’s a stretch.\u00a0 But everyone loves pigs-in-a-blanket<\/em>!\u00a0 An order is twelve franks and twelve sliders.\u00a0 Yeah, that is nothing… we better get three.”<\/p>\n

“Oh, wait on page 25 there is smoked fish and caviar!\u00a0 We got have some sturgeon: ONLY AT DEAN & DELUCA. One melt-in-your-mouth bite and you’ll understand why sturgeon is called the “queen of all smoked fish.” Delicate and firm, succulent and sweet, with a moist, lean, velvety texture, ours was smoked over Maple, Hickory and Cherry woods to give it a mild and distinctive flavor. Five to seven slices per 8-oz. pack. Two packs?\u00a0 Good… we’ll pass on the caviar, although that would have been a treat, it’s priced to Mars.\u00a0 Even for Dean & Deluca!”<\/p>\n

“We’ll need some desserts.\u00a0 We’ll give Mom a break and order a couple on page 31:Vanilla Bean Raspberry cake… ONLY AT DEAN & DELUCA. Four buttery layers of fluffy white cake are flavored with Tahitian vanilla beans and spread with thick layers of homemade raspberry preserves and white chocolate buttercream. The same buttercream wraps the entire cake in richness before being covered in Callebaut white chocolate shavings. From P\u00e2tisserie Angelica. And we have to get something chocolate! ONLY AT DEAN & DELUCA. The best chocolate cakes manage to combine fluffy texture with ultra-rich flavor. Case in point? This light-as-air chocolate cake from P\u00e2tisserie Angelica is layered with silky smooth Callebaut chocolate fudge, topped with the same and embellished with Callebaut chocolate curls. I like the curls; but I’ll probably have the vanilla bean cake.”<\/p>\n

“No, there are no pies.\u00a0 Yes, Paul loves lemon meringue.\u00a0 We’ll let him bring one.\u00a0 OK, two.”<\/p>\n

“Hey!\u00a0Here’s something on page 56 that will be great to have for breakfast the next day! Our fantastic brunch includes Wild Sockeye Salmon from the Pacific Northwest, lightly smoked to perfection; Bellwether Farms rich Creme Fraiche; plump Capers from Spain, Pumpernickel and Rye Bread and a DEAN & DELUCA Cutting Board.\u00a0 The cutting board is a plus!\u00a0 Creme fraiche?\u00a0 It’s a change of pace from cream cheese.\u00a0 I think that it’s\u00a0a big thing with\u00a0the fancy shmancy Jews from Westchester.”<\/p>\n

“No bagels?\u00a0 No, look… at the top of the page. We’d argue that the best bagels in the world come from New York. And of those, we love H&H Bagels\u00ae the most. Frozen and ready to be popped into the oven. Four each of Plain, Sesame, Cinnamon Raisin, Onion, Wheat and Everything. Kosher. See? Kosher! That makes up for the bacon bits in the double baked potatoes!\u00a0 Alright, one order of bagels and we’ll double the order on the salmon!”<\/p>\n

“Well, that should round things out nicely.\u00a0 We’ll just have all this stuff delivered.\u00a0 You won’t have to worry about a thing!\u00a0 Yes, I know that you will want to pick up a few things… why would I think otherwise?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 It won’t belong before I return.\u00a0 And yes, it will be a great dinner!”<\/p>\n

The bottom line:<\/p>\n

3 Rib Roasts @ $290… $870.<\/p>\n

6 Twice Baked Potatoes @ $42… $252.<\/p>\n

2 Roasted Shallots @ $35… $70.<\/p>\n

2 Biscuits @ $25… $50.<\/p>\n

2 Comfort appetizers @ $70… $140.<\/p>\n

3 Franks & sliders @ $95… $285.<\/p>\n

2 Sturgeon @ $68… $136<\/p>\n

2 Cakes @ $65… $130.<\/p>\n

2 Brunch Salmon @ $44… $88<\/p>\n

1 Bagels @ $40… $40.<\/p>\n

Total: $2061.<\/p>\n

Good thing we didn’t order the caviar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I happened by Jewel St.\u00a0in New Haven for a visit with Mommie Soph.\u00a0 My Dad would have referred to this as her permanent address.\u00a0 No matter.\u00a0 When are you leaving? This would have been the first question she would have … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=335"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}