East Hampton Trip

We’re having a wonderful summer! So excited to tell you all about our latest East Hampton trip. As I’ve said many times before, I am so fortunate to have been raised there and have such a strong connection with East Hampton (and Ina Garten). East Hampton is beautiful and charming; with great food and nice beaches so I am not at all surprised that it’s grown into a super popular destination. But regardless of it’s popularity, it will always been home to me. There was such a great response to our East Hampton post last year, so we decided to do a few more this summer.

One of the first mornings we went to Dreesens Famous Donuts. These donuts are the BEST and they have quite the fan base. (George Stephanopoulos did a full segment on the Good Morning America!) Dreesens used to be a delicatessen but it closed a while ago and the ice cream shop Scoop De Jour took over the space. So the donuts are still made in the same space and they taste the same, which is really all that matters. They’re cake-style donuts, rolled in powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar – perfect for dunking in coffee. I tried to get there early to see them being made but my early wasn’t early enough, ha! If you go in the summer, expect a line.

We also visited Main Beach (an East Hampton landmark). A great place to sit and eat your Dreesen’s donuts! We used to go here all the time growing up. When we were seniors in high school we used to drive here, park and eat our lunch - ahh, the good old days.

 

I also went with my mom to pick up Ina Garten’s CSA box from Amber Waves Farm. The veggies are gorgeous and the way they were arranged in the box, it was out of a magazine! Amber Waves grows organic fruits, veggies, fruit, flowers and wheat and is run by Katie Baldwin and Amanda Merrow. They’ve recently purchased the Amagansett Farmers Market and the surrounding 9.3 acres of farmland. That is a big deal for East Hampton because it means that the land will remain a productive farm instead of high-priced real estate. Amber Waves Farm and the women behind it are really amazing. Hopefully down the road we can do something more in-depth with them.

Early one morning, my daughter Summer went with my mom, sister, brother-in-law and cousins out on the fishing boat Lazy Bones. I declined the trip because I’d likely get seasick. We decided to meet them in Montauk and have lunch at Gosman’s Dock. Gosman’s started as a chowder stand specializing in lobster rolls. Now, they have a restaurant, café, clam bar and fish market. There’s even an outdoor stage and summer concert series on Sunday nights. We were so busy eating the delicious food that I forgot to take any pictures!

That night my brother and sister-in-law invited everyone over for a Mexican fiesta. On the fishing boat they'd caught sea bass and fluke, so we grilled that up and added fish tacos to the awesome menu. They were so fresh and yummy. One of my other favorite parts of the meal was my sister-in-law's Mexican Street Corn – it was amazing. Messy, but so good. She doesn't use an exact recipe but I’ve added her ingredients and steps below. Her advice is to taste test as you go to find your favorite combination of ingredients.

I also went by the old Barefoot Contessa shop on Newtown Lane. In case you were wondering, it’s now a Theory boutique. I like Theory, but it’s just not the same.

But honestly, the highlight of my trip was playing volleyball. I grew up playing in East Hampton and went on to play in college. I sometimes play here in PA, but on this trip I played A LOT. It was the first time in a long time that I was able to play that much and it was just what I needed. Beach volleyball at Atlantic Beach in Amagansett is just the best! Needless to say, I was exhausted at night so we did lots of cooking at home – but with my mom Barbara in the kitchen, that’s a treat! I’ll post more on those dishes later. Promise.

--Cassandra

 

Mexican Street Corn

Ingredients

Corn on the cob
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt & pepper
Mayonnaise
Sriracha sauce
Line juice
Cotija cheese
Cilantro

Directions

Coat ears of corn with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt & pepper.

Place corn on hot grill. Rotate occasionally until some parts are charred - probably about 8 minutes.

Mix mayonnaise, Sriracha sauce, and lime juice. (No set portions, we usually just mix it to taste). Once corn is grilled, take it off and slather on the mayo mixture. Then top with cojita cheese and cilantro.

There is a similar, more detailed recipe for Grilled Mexican Street Corn here.