The Bridgehampton Florist's Personal Table
under the tent at the Classic
Edible Centerpiece!
The Heirloom Tomato Soup from the Centerpiece
Even Horses show up for the Grand PrixThe
Hampton Classic is the season capper to what has been an extraordinary summer
out here. The weather has been nothing
short of spectacular. The sunny days
far outnumbered any other kind and if anything we could use some rain. And the nights have been blissfully cool
saving everyone a fortune on air-conditioning.
The Classic seemed to come early this year. It’s always the last week of August leading
into Labor Day but this year, Labor Day is the earliest it can be. Summer ending out here is a love it and hate
it experience. We love it because it is now possible to drive the 6 miles to
either Southampton to the west or Easthampton to the east in under an hour. The
hate it part is, of course, back to the grindstone after quaffing the last
bottle of Rosé. So the Classic and its
Grand Prix Day marks the end of a wonderful season.
At the Grand Prix, it’s possible to
view absolutely everything and almost everyone you could possibly see in the
Hamptons in one afternoon. What likely
shocks first timers is the mix of people who come out for this show. You can oogle all the celebrities in one fell
swoop. There’s J-Lo in Gucci. Matt Lauer and Katie Couric chatting with
Gayle King. Mayors Giuiliani and
Bloomberg, whose daughter Georgiana came close to taking the $250,000 Grand
Prix prize money. And then there is
everybody else—dressed in every imaginable thing to wear from the hideous to
high fashion. But oh what
people-watching! I have my favorites,
pictured here.
The Incomparable Barbara "B" Smith, a beauty if there ever was one Horticulturalist Paige Patterson in an enormous hat One of my perennial favorites is Joy Marks, seen here with her husband Alan.
Ms. Marks changes outfits at the Classic. This year she showed off
three looks...I love to catch Ms. Marks both coming and going.Another work of art. Another table from
The Bridgehampton Florist
Then
there are the tables set up just for this luncheon. The décor is simply glorious—especially the
work of our dear friends at The Bridgehampton Florist. Michael and Jim must be completely exhausted
having started the day readying the jumps, all of which are decorated by their
sponsors. They then move on to the
tabletop for which they win annual prizes.
These lavish table settings are reason alone to make your way through
the tents meeting and greeting. But I
have to say ours was extraordinary in every way. Go to www.thebridgehamptonflorist.com
and read Michael’s blog about how he pulled together this amazing display of heirloom
tomatoes, grape leaves, farm stand flowers and Sorry to make you wait for this year's
Hampton Classic Cookie recipe!
stunning tableware. The food—lobster salad, beef salad, pea and
potato salads was prepared by Loaves and Fishes, the outstanding gourmet
take-out shop in Sagaponack. Dessert was provided by the one and only
Andrew. Now every year we’ve highlighted
his “Classic Cookies”. This year he
introduced a new almond cookie to the mix.
I promise the recipe soon. But I
had to give over this post to what the table was all about: Heirloom Tomatoes.
Once the event was over, I was
allowed to take home all the heirlooms I could carry. Luckily, we had an empty cooking carrying
case that fit the bill. I got the whole
lot home and brought out my Home Preservation Bible: “Ball Complete Book of
Home Preserving” (2006 Robert Rose Inc.). I could write a whole treatise on the
seven variations of canned tomatoes I produced the next day. But I’d suggest buying the book since it’s an
invaluable reference guide on ‘putting up’ everything from fruits to salsas to
strawberry jam. You can find it here and tell them I sent you. http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Complete-Book-Home-Preserving/dp/0778801314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409774932&sr=8-1&keywords=Complete+Book+of+Home+Preserving. Meanwhile I want to share the recipe for
Heirloom Tomato soup. I did ‘preserve’
mine but you can make up a big batch to serve your guests this weekend and
knock their socks off with flavor.
The
recipe is relatively easy. It makes a lot of soup but I would go with this
large quantity because I can guarantee it not remain in your fridge for too
long. As you can see, I did not use all yellow
Heirlooms for this recipe. It requires 8
lbs. of tomatoes and I used a mélange yet the finished soup was a bright
pumpkin color. The soup gets more flavor
from onion, carrots, basil and corn all cooked together in chicken stock. It is then puréed so that it is smooth as
silk. However, I started out using the
Cuisinart but quickly switched over to our Oster Blender which was far superior
and much easier to work with. Finally, I
think salt in soup is a personal matter so the initial quantity will not prove
to be enough if you like salt at all. Finally, since I was ‘canning’ the soup,
I only added heavy cream when I heated a batch.
I highly recommend this addition.
It brings the whole dreamy soup to life.
Here is the recipe which I’ve named after our spectacular afternoon at
the Horse Show.
Recipe for Hampton Classic Heirloom Tomato Soup.
Makes 20 servings. Prep Time 30
minutes. Cooking Time: 20 minutes
1 large
1. Prepare the tomatoes. With a paring knife, make a small X on the bottom of each tomato. Put the tomatoes individually into a pot of boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds. Remove and plunge into ice water. Remove the skins, core the tomatoes and quarte them.
2. In a
stockpot, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1
minute
longer. Add the tomatoes, carrot, corn, basil and salt.
Stir in
broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for
15-20 minutes
or until tomatoes are softened, stirring occasionally.
3. In a blender,
process soup in batches until smooth. Return all
to pan and
heat through. Ladle into bowls; drizzle each with 3/4
teaspoon
cream. Yield: 20 servings (5 quarts).
