Last year an Italian friend of mine, Kiara, who owns the tourism company New York City 4 All, said she was getting a serious demand from customers looking for an authentic New York City experience.
“They want to actually visit New Yorkers in their homes,” she said. “Mostly to eat with them.”
“I can do that,” I said and then freaked out a little. “Wait. I have to think about it." I would have strangers in my house, people I’ve never met before, people who ordered an experience with online. Yikes. But...I thought, how cool would it be to meet new people, cook for them, and have a cultural exchange over a meal? I would definitely need to have someone with me for safety. But, maybe it would be awesome? Hmmm...I mulled it over good. I can practice my Italian. Hmmmm…
My mind finally came to a halt. Which is good, because Kiara was still sitting there, waiting.
“Okay,” I told her. “I’ll do it.”
What Do Americans Have That Italians Don’t?
A week or so later, Kiara and I were in full planning mode. What would we call it? This authentic NYC experience with yours truly? We bounced around some ideas. After spitballing for a while, we realized the whole western world was the same. WHAT could we do that Italians wouldn't experience at home?
Finally, we had it. Brunch. There are literally two bakeries in all of Italy who have begun some American, brunch-like dishes, but as a cultural norm, brunch is pure Americana. They wouldn’t find that at home!
In NYC, in particular, brunch is supreme. It’s also such a common, must-do weekend activity, if you’re a mid-priced restaurant in Manhattan, and you don’t open for brunch on Saturday and Sunday, you very well may be an idiot. The demand for brunch is high, and if you do it right, then hello cash cow! (Bob’s Burgers did an awesome episode on how to do brunch as a restaurant...super funny and true true true.)
“How about Brunch with a New Yorker?” Kiara asked.
“That has a nice ring to it. But it will be more expensive if they have it with me,” I said. “I’m calculating up my costs in my head right now and realize it will be much more expensive than what they’d find out in the streets.”
“That’s okay,” she said. “They're paying for the experience of being invited into a real home and chat with someone on a more personal level, not just food."
“Okay. What do you need to make it official?” I asked. She thought for a minute.
“How about a video of you saying hello and a little bit about brunch?”
“Okay.”
“And then some pictures.”
"Okay."
"And then a menu."
“Yeah. It would be better if I knew what they wanted ahead of time. What about drinks? Should I serve drinks like mimosas?”
“We should at least offer it. Maybe a different price for that.”
“Okay,” I said. “When do you need this by?
“ASAP??”
“Alright. I said, terrified and excited at the same time.” I’ll get it all to you.
Meeting My Italian Guests
A few months later, my first Italians (plus my friend, Hannah) stepped through my door for brunch. They were amazing, intelligent, funny, and very tall. We talked about many things and got by okay with my limited Italian and their decent English.
Come to find out, they were one of the first gay couples to be officially married in Italy. Coming to New York City was their honeymoon. They wanted to eat brunch with me for their honeymoon?!?! I was incredibly honored. They were amazing, lovely people. We had great conversations and they loved the homemade compotes and pancakes.
After we ate, I showed the guys around the neighborhood and then passed them off to Kiara. I received a text from her a little later.
“They loved it!” she said. I was so glad. “You have another booking, but it’s after the holidays in March. You still in?”
“I’ll be in my new apartment then, way up town. Is that okay?” I asked, wondering if being near the 9/11 Memorial had been part of the draw.
“Absolutely. I’ll book it!”
Uptown and Ready for More
How the heck did I do it? My place was so tiny and with very little natural light. When I think about it, what I was able to cook in less than 100 square feet was mind-blowing. I cooked and blogged in that kitchen for over a year. I hosted a Christmas and Thanksgivings and dinners. I taught people to cook. I was filmed cooking in there and filmed other people cooking in there. And in the end, I hosted tourists from Italy. That was definitely unique. Yes. I cooked and cooked and cooked! I am very thankful for all of the meals made there.
I’m also thankful for where I am now. I have a table that I don’t have to pull out from a corner, because it would take up too much space otherwise. I have a nice open kitchen for folks to sit easily in. I’m in a little Manhattan enclave, away from the madness of tourist attractions where I can literally hear birds sing. My only frown is that I had to unhook one of my two fire alarms because it didn’t like me cooking so much. Who puts a fire alarm in a kitchen, anyway? Especially one that cooks bacon?
Anyway...I digress. I have new Italian guests coming this month, and more after that. I’m looking forward to having them. Brunch with a New Yorker is up and running again. I hope they choose the French toast. It’s my favorite. Full of orange zest and a hint of vanilla. You may like them too. Happy brunch, Steemians!
Toast Orangette (French Toast with Orange and Vanilla)
Recipe by Elise McMullen-Ciotti
Serves 4
Ingredients
8 slices of challah, pullman, or brioche style bread, cut into thick slices (at least ½ an inch)
9 large eggs
1 Cup heavy cream (or milk)
Zest of one orange
Juice of one orange
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cane sugar (unbleached)
Pinch of salt
Sunflower oil (or other oil with high smoke point)
Tools
Large mixing bowl
Assorted measuring cups and spoons
Whisk
Plate
Heavy bottomed skillet that is at least 2 inches deep
Kitchen thermometer
Tongs
Fork
Cooling rack
Paper towels
Sheet pan
Method
- First place your oil in your heavy-bottomed skillet and set on a low flame to begin heating your oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your eggs, cream (or milk), orange zest and juice, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Whisk well till it’s a little frothy.
- Place each bread slice into the bowl and allow it to soak up the mixture. Leave the slice in long enough to become saturated, but not too long so that the bread doesn’t begin to break apart. When you lift it out of the mixture, use your fingers to lightly remove any excess mixture. (If the mixture pools in places on the bread it will fry up like scrambled eggs and you don’t want that.) Place soaked slice onto a plate.
- Continue soaking your slices. Stack each new slice on top of one another. If you use all 8 pieces and still have some egg mixture left over, pull out more bread! You can always cook the pieces and freeze them for later.
- Place a few paper towels in the bottom of a sheet pan and place your cooling rack in the pan.
- Turn up the heat on your oil to medium high. You want to get the heat to about 425 degrees Fahrenheit before you begin cooking.Use your food thermometer to check your heat before you begin adding your slices.
- Use your tongs to place a few slices into your pan. Your heat will reduce dramatically once you’ve added your slices.That’s what you want! But you also want to keep the oil to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit, so keep an eye on it. When the bottom side has turned golden, flip your slice over.
- When each side is golden brown, remove it to your draining rack. Once all of your slices are cooked and placed on your rack, you are done cooking! Turn off the heat and move your hot pan of oil to the back of the stove to cool.
- Serve with whipped cream, powdered sugar, maple syrup, fruit compote, nuts...really anything your heart desires. Enjoy!