Announcing Underground Kitchen No. 4: October 25, 2008!

The Saturday before Halloween is your next opportunity to get in on Charleston’s sort-of clandestine dining scene!  You know the drill.  To get an invite, sign up on our website.  Wait for the invite to pop up in your email inbox.  Then request a reservation, up to two seats per person.  We’ve only got 30 seats available, first-come, first-served.  Since we emailed the invites out to the list this morning we’ve already had six seats spoken for!

As always, see our FAQ for more information.  If you’ve been to two (consecutive) dinners, we ask that you sit this one out.  Email us if you have any questions.  Be kind to strangers.  Don’t take any wooden nickels.  And don’t forget to register to vote.

Gorgonzola Potato Gratin

Susan, of Fork You fame, shares her Gorgonzola Potato Gratin recipe from UK3 on the Fork You blog:

I wanted a creamy gratin that would not compete with the other flavors on the plate.  An important component of chimichurri is garlic, so I did not want to overdo it by adding garlic to the gratin as well.  I opted to keep it simple and classic.

Serves 15

5 pounds Russet potatoes
2 cups heavy cream
7 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper
butter, for dish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Butter a 9×13 baking dish.  (I used glass.)

Slice potatoes very thinly using a mandoline.  Place a layer of potatoes in the dish, overlapping them.  Season with salt and pepper.  Repeat layers, seasoning each one, until all potatoes are used.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream to boiling.  When the cream boils, reduce heat slightly and add Gorgonzola, stirring until smooth.

Pour the cream/cheese mixture over the potatoes, cover with foil and bake for about 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender and they have browned around the edges.

Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing into squares.

This dish can be baked in advance and refrigerated.  Reheat, covered with foil, in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until warmed through.  Let the gratin cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

Note- If you do not own a mandoline, you should really consider getting one.  It is importatnt the potatoes are thin so they will achieve the proper doneness and texture.  You can pick one up at Wal Mart for about $10.

Underground Kitchen No. 3: Fork You @ Tabor-Lindsay

Underground Kitchen No. 3 hit it out of the park.  We had food reviewers turned chefs.  A lavishly restored Victorian home on the East End.  Thirty more-or-less strangers.  An incredible tapas menu, Appalachian-style.

In case you missed out on the event, you owe it to yourself to do three things.  First, go check out the pictures– in this case, you don’t need much imagination to be blown away by the food and the beautiful location.  Next, head over to the Fork You blog to read a culinary play-by-play by the Chefs themselves, Susan and Daniel.  Last but oh my, definitely not least, go sign up on our email invite list so you won’t miss out on the next UK dinner (coming soon…watch this space!)

A few of the UK3 dishes:

Gorgonzola potato gratin, tenderloin with chimichurri and breaded asparagus

Crenshaw melon, country ham & arugula with white balsamic vinegar reduction

Espresso Brownie with White Chocolate-Hazlenut Sauce

Seat’s (Almost) Taken For Sept. 6

Ladies & Gents, we’re a week away from Underground Kitchen #3, and just a few seats remain at the table.  And we can’t write any more than this, because then we’d be tempted to tell you about the insanely elegant venue we’ve got lined up.   Okay.  Sign up, we’re signing off.

Elizabeth’s Sangria

Best surprise of the 7/19 Underground Kitchen: Elizabeth’s amazing sangria.  As you can see from the photo, it didn’t last long.  By popular demand, she sent us the recipe:

To make the sangria (very imprecise recipe):
Bottle of white wine or cabernet
Lime/lemon concentrate
Frozen Fruit bag (peaches, strawberries, grapes cut into smaller pieces)
Cut up fresh limes, apples, oranges, blueberries, whatever
Lemon lime soda (I used diet)
Vodka (if you want kick)
Fresh mint (optional)

I used about a 50/50 mix of wine to soda, about a cup of vodka, and a heavy splash of the concentrate.

(P.S. we predict that invites for the next Underground Kitchen will go out this week… so sign up now to make sure you get the invite!)

Ug.Kit. 7/19: Because Eating Dinner With 30 Strangers Is Not As Scary As Eating Dinner With 3 Strangers

We’ve eaten the leftovers, washed the tablecloths, returned the rental salt & pepper shakers, and written up the recipes, so the only thing left to do is, uh, say thanks to everyone who turned out for the Second Underground Kitchen Ever! We had a GREAT time at the Habitat ReStore on Saturday night. A million thanks to Amy and Shawn for saying “yes, and we can even install a sink for you” when we said, “can we bring 30 complete strangers over to your store for dinner after hours?” They are really wonderful folks, and are doing great things for the Charleston community.

You have to wonder– would an Underground Kitchen be possible without the internet? We put up a website, sent anonymous emails to people, posted an open signup, and set up a PayPal account. Next thing we knew, people were blogging about the Ug. Kit. on twitter. Or finding us by chance through a local blog directory. And signing up. And now, after the event, you can read people’s impressions of the dinner online, see photos and videos, and more photos. If only there was a way to transmit flavors through the “internets” . . .

We’re not sure yet when or if the next Underground Kitchen will be, but the best way to find out is to sign up for our email list if you haven’t already. We’ll email invitations to everyone who signs up.

And while you’re waiting for that invitation . . . go check out the Habitat ReStore! It’s a building materials re-sale store, where you can donate used fixtures and tools, or buy items that you need. You can see a list of the materials they resell here. 815 Young Street, near Fazio’s and Green’s Feed & Seed. They’re open 9-6 on weekdays, and 9-4 on Saturdays.

Thanks to Dan for the pictures!