Nobody does it better than the Bridgehampton Florists, Michael and Jim
Nobody bakes better than Andrew
The Hampton Classic Horseshow brackets the summer season here. It’s the last big blast that signals the end of summer. We love to go for the horses, the hats, the spectacle and the scene. And we feel very fortunate that our friends Michael and Jim, who own the Bridgehampton Florist (2400 Main St. Bridgehampton NY (631 537 7766), have invited us to join them year after year. Since they’re responsible for so much of the décor on the magnificent tables that are set up for lunch, they have a table themselves which is inevitably one of the most beautiful there.
This year, they outdid themselves with a riot of roses and pink hydrangeas, orange glass plates complemented by hot pink and orange cutlery and a tablecloth called “Hampton’s Toile” which is covered with local scenery. Everything from Polo players to the East Hampton train station is pictured on this fun fabric. Michael joked that he wished he’d gotten shorts made out of it for all his guests: One of the requests that comes with their invitation is for us to dress to match the décor. And we all do, much to the amusement of everyone who parades up and down the tents before, during and after the Jumping.
The lunch itself came from Loaves and Fishes, whose wonderful owner, Anna Pump, is a cookbook author extraordinaire. Her eponymous cookbook is a must-have and her latest “Summer on a Plate” is every bit as popular. Our lunch of four salads, corn, beef, lobster and orzo was a delight in both color and taste. (Sorry, I am missing a shot of it!). Andrew, of course, provides the dessert course, usually in such quantity that not only our table but everyone who stops by gets to sample his incredible baking. And since Michael and Jim are so well-known, a lot of bold-faced names eat a lot of Andrew’s cookies. This year is was the Baked Team’s Brownies, David Leibowitz’s Salted Chocolate Chip cookies and, ripped from the pages of this month’s Bon Appetit magazine, Blueberry and Cream cookies. Today, we’ll share that recipe with you. And for the first time, you can vote in the comments section for the recipe you’d like to see next: Brownies or Salted Chocolate Chip, you decide!
Blueberry and Cream cookies are quite a production. They’re the invention of Christina Tosi, the pastry chef at the helm of Momofuku Milk Bar, David Chang’s ode to all things sweet. There’s one at the head of the stairs of his new midtown restaurant “Ma Peche” (15 West 56th Street in the Chambers Hotel). It’s well worth a visit. Just as this recipe is well worth a try.
The recipe says the prep time is 55 minutes. However, right after that is the total time involved. It is 27 hours. No joke. There’s a lot of chilling, baking and cooling time involved. However, if you want to wow anyone with a enormous 4 inch disc of a cookie, laden with dried blueberries and ‘Milk Crumbs’, you’ll find every minute worthwhile. Here’s the recipe:
Recipe for Blueberry and Cream Cookies
Special equipment: stand mixer with paddle attachment
Make the Milk Crumbs first.
Yield: Makes about 2 cups
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour (includes baking and cooling time)
3/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 275°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Combine milk powder, flour, sugar, cornstarch, and coarse salt in medium bowl; toss to mix evenly. Add butter; stir with fork until clusters form. Spread mixture evenly on prepared sheet. Bake until crumbs are dry and crumbly but still pale, about 10 minutes. Cool Milk Crumbs completely on sheet. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 275°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Combine milk powder, flour, sugar, cornstarch, and coarse salt in medium bowl; toss to mix evenly. Add butter; stir with fork until clusters form. Spread mixture evenly on prepared sheet. Bake until crumbs are dry and crumbly but still pale, about 10 minutes. Cool Milk Crumbs completely on sheet. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
For the cookies:
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 large eggs
5 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 cups Milk Crumbs
1 1/2 cups dried blueberries
Combine butter, both sugars, and corn syrup in large bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and pale, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Add eggs; beat on medium-high speed until mixture is very pale and sugar is completely dissolved, about 10 minutes. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; beat on low speed just until blended, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add Milk Crumbs; mix on low speed just until incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer. Stir in blueberries just until evenly distributed (dough will be very sticky).
Using 1/4-cup ice cream scoop for each cookie, drop dough onto 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 24 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled until baking time.
Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line 2 large (18×12-inch) rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Transfer 6 chilled dough scoops to each sheet, spacing at least 4 inches apart (cookies will spread). Bake cookies, 2 sheets at a time, until golden, reversing sheets halfway through baking, 20 to 22 minutes total. Repeat with remaining chilled dough, cooling and relining sheets between batches. Transfer cookies to racks; cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Store in airtight containers at room temperature.
I vote for the recipe for salted chocolate chips.
OMG the Blueberry and Cream cookies are great and we enjoyed all Andrews Sweets!! It was a great day with are family of good friends. We did miss Francine BIG TIME. Anna as always the food was fabulous
XXX
Jim and Michael
PS i vote for the Chocolate chip next too!!