La Sirene

La Sirene, the tiny 25 seat bistro on Broome St., just east of Varick, is easily missed. But, be aware: you don't want to.

I'd only been once, a year ago, with my pal Cristina. We were there for the BYOB factor (no corking fee!!!), and I think I ordered a crabcake, which wasn't memorable, although I'm sure I enjoyed it.

What I remembered most about La Sirene was the atmosphere and seeming anonymity. The only other diners were a gang of young, ricidulously attractive Parisian-types sitting around the only long table (that's one of about 5 others, catch my drift), drifting in and out for a smoke, sharing bottles of wine, and, of course, having conversations in FRENCH. SWEET!

As it is, I went back last night on a "date", you could say :), and settled in for their Prix Fixe, 26.50 for three courses, served between 5-7. It's on the low side as far as these places go, but still, as is well known, what you get makes the money either worth it/not.

Our waitress was tres adorable! She had triangular bangs. Enough said.

Bread Basket: Tangy, chewy bread served with strangely cold (albeit GOOD) butter. Butter should be room temp! But, that's me nitpicking.

First course: We both ordered the traditional onion soup which was pretty great. The broth was lovely, lovely, and plenty of cheese on top. No complaints.

Main Course: Brian got the Sea Shepherds pie, pretty much exactly what it sounds like, which seemed good, but was a small portion (as expected in a prix fixe). I spied around and I noticed that pretty much ALL the portions being served were quite small, indeed.

That is, until my massive, heaping bowl of Mussels in Curry Cream came out. Holy God. There were SO MANY. AND delcious. Yum. With thyme sprigs poking out of the thick curry cream sauce coating every mussel-y morsel! Not to mention at the end you are left with basically a bowl of glorious dipping sauce for the rest of your bread.

Dessert: Your choice of a baby scoop of ice cream or sorbet. No chocolate :(, for shame, but they offered vanilla ice cream and lemon, coconut, raspberry, eh and something else for the sorbet. Scratch the lemon - Brian ordered it and they were out!

So, he got vanilla and I chose coconut. Both homemade. I was VERY fond of my coconut. I think it was the curry sauce I had just consumed, but I found it to be one of the best frozen dessert experiences, and I think the flavor profile of my previous dish only added to it.

SUMMARY: DO IT! FOR THESE REASONS!:

1. BYOB: Gather friends, bring a ten dollar bottle of decent wine, and have the waitress open it for you for free. Boo yah.

2. Prix Fixe: 100% worth it, especially if you order the...

3. MUSSELS!: Brilliant. I can recommend personally the curry, but there were a traditional white wine/herb, dijon, and one more to choose from. I'm sure they are all delicious as well.

4. You will feel very cool knowing about a very under the radar bistro serving some serious grub.


http://events.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/dining/reviews/19rest.html
http://www.lasirenenyc.com/

-R

Tarte à l'oignon

On this grey, chilly morning, I will make a French-style onion tart. It has the potential of being a disaster since I am using a cast iron skillet rather than a tart pan. It also has the potential of being a disaster because I have never made a tart before. Really, it has all the makings of a disaster.
Here is my own recipe, modified from many a recipe as usual.


Tarte a l’oignon

Shell (modified from David Lebovitz's most recent entry on a tart shell):


90 g (3 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used canola)

3 tablespoons water

1/8 teaspoon salt150 g (5oz, or 1 slightly-rounded cup) flour

Preheat the oven to 410º F (220º C).

In a medium-sized ovenproof bowl, such as a Pyrex bowl, combine the butter, oil, water, and salt. Place the bowl in the oven for 15 minutes, until the butter is bubbling and starts to brown just around the edges. When done, remove the bowl from oven (and be careful, since the bowl will be hot and the mixture might sputter a bit), dump in the flour and stir it in quickly, until it comes together and forms a ball which pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a 10 inch cast iron skillet and form a pie/tart shape. Don't worry about it being perfect, it's a rustic tart. Once the dough is cool enough to handle, pat it into the cast iron skillet with the heel of your and, and use your fingers to press it up the sides of the skillet. It doesn’t have to go up all the way. In fact, there's no way for it too, so shoot for a bit under halfway up. Prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork about ten times, then bake the tart shell in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the dough is very light golden brown. Let the shell cool before filling.


Filling (modified from a few recipes I've glazed over)


2 tablespoons butter
4-5 yellow onions, peeled, shredded
5 pieces smoky bacon, cut crosswise into 3 millimeter wide strips
1-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 oz - 8oz whole milk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
Goat’s cheese
Herbs (I’m using parsley and tarragon, you can use thyme or MAYBE sage, but I would avoid others)
Salt & Pepper


In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions. Cook until they soften and take on a little color. In the meantime, cook the bacon in the microwave, or anywhere easiest. Blot well and set aside. Preheat the oven to 410 °F. When the onions are cooked, sprinkle the flour over them and mix. Slowly add the milk and stir to further dissolve the flour. Add the cream, season with salt and pepper, and cook until thickened. Mix in the bacon and herbs, salt and papper. Be sure to taste this mixture for perfect seasoning. Pour the mixture into the prepared tart shell and level the top.Add the goat’s cheese. Bake the tart for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 355 °F and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the top starts to brown. Set the tart aside to cool for 10 or 15 minutes after removing from the oven.Cut into slices and serve warm.

What drew me most to my filling choice was the lack of eggs. From what I've seen, there are many different styles of tarte a l'oignon, and one is of the quiche-y variety. Not what I was interested in. I wanted a silky, savory tart! (UPDATE: and I got it)

-R

ONE & SUPP / tarte à l'oignon

SO guy yedwab kindly pointed me in the direction of ONE & SUPP, a food blog coming from Brooklyn. I can't even say enough for what is being cooked there. in essence: if I could eat/cook exactly how I wanted to every day, it would look EXACTLY like that. the end.

on another note... after reading David Lebovitz's amazing entry on an easy tart shell, I WILL be making a french-style onion tart... hopeuflly tomorrow.... with bacon (of course), and goat cheese. YAY!!! stay posted!!

-R