- Personally, I think people make
too big a deal out of brunch.
Eggs Benedict, bottomless mimosas --
they've just never done anything for me.
But when I heard about this place just outside
of New York City offering indulgent brunch items
like bone marrow waffles.
Let's just say I'm ready to become a brunch believer.
Today, we're headed to The Cookery,
an Italian bistro in Dobbs Ferry, New York,
to get a taste of their one-of-a-kind brunch items.
When it comes to brunch, The Cookery's claim to fame
is their whole suckling pig.
A nod to Italian barbecue,
they serve it in a variety of ways,
even slicing it up a la carte style for brunch.
They prepare the pig by first soaking it
in a brine made of a mixture of
fennel, chili, salt, sugar, and, of course, water.
Once in the brine, they let it soak overnight,
which helps break down the muscle tissue.
The next morning, they roast the suckling pig
on a bed of vegetables for three-and-a-half hours.
Once it's finished, they coat it in a glaze
to add a hint of sweetness
to the crispy exterior of the roasted skin.
Cooking an animal whole may look disgusting,
but trust me, it's the best way to go about it.
When you roast an animal for that long,
the bones start to develop these flavors that then
penetrates into the meat, and the fat renders,
really creating these incredible bites.
The Cookery makes sure not to waste any of that meat,
and they're offering items like smoked pig's head on a donut.
Yes. Pig's head.
They start off by frying up a batch of fresh plain donuts.
Then, they cover each donut in a cinnamon-sugar mixture
and slice the donuts in half.
Next, they take the jowl of the pig,
which runs from the cheek to the jaw.
And it's really a staple in both
soul food and Italian cuisine;
I like to think of it almost as bacon's meatier cousin.
The jowl meat is sliced up and added to the donut sandwich.
Then, they finish it off with a drizzle of sweet hot honey,
barbecued onions from the suckling pig,
and a little fresh basil to help brighten up the dish.
This sandwich is a total flavor symphony.
It's rich, it's sweet, it's a little bit spicy,
it's the perfect way to treat yourself on the weekend,
and isn't that what brunch is all about?
Last but not least, I got to try out
their incredible bone marrow and waffles,
a pairing that's best explained
by The Cookery's chef and owner, David DiBari.
- What do you put on your waffles?
You put butter on it, right?
Bone marrow is like butter.
It's God's butter.
It's bone butter, and you put that
sexy, rich, salty bone marrow butter on the waffle,
and you've got breakfast.
My cooking is driven by, I want to say passion,
but at the end of the day, I cook the way I live my life.
I want to eat serious, and I want to have fun.
- They prep the bone marrow
by soaking the bones overnight in ice water.
This helps pull out any impurities from the marrow.
Then, they season it with salt, pepper, and thyme,
and roast the bones for 20 minutes.
While the bones roast, they prepare fresh, fluffy waffles,
which get topped with their house-made
sweet date and hazelnut compote.
The roasted bones are put on top of the waffles,
and it's finished with a drizzle of maple syrup
and a bit of fresh mint.
When you get the dish, you're gonna wanna grab
one of the bones and scrape out
all of that delicious marrow,
spreading it all over the waffle,
getting it into every nook and cranny.
Just like the donut, all the flavors
work together in this delicious harmony.
Just imagine it like fried chicken and waffles,
but on steroids.
Today, The Cookery made me realize:
I'm pretty down with brunch.
Let's call it a brunch epiphany.
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