With the U.S. Open around the corner, tennis fans and foodies can also look forward to Taste of Tennis Week, which will take place Aug. 20–23. The events, produced by AYS, include the 15th annual Taste of Tennis Gala, where guests can rub elbows with top tennis players including Serena Williams on Aug. 21, and sample dishes prepared by 25 New York chefs, including Masaharu Morimoto. ($275)
The Celebrity Chef Tennis Challenge on Aug. 20, hosted by chef Kerry Heffernan, will take chefs onto the court. Chefs, including Marc Murphy, Jonathan Waxman, and Floyd Cardoz will be competing in a round-robin style doubles tournament. ($150 to participate)
Finally, Party With the Pros will be held on Aug. 23 featuring cocktails, food, and athletes including Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens, and John Isner.
For more information, see www.TasteofTennis.com
RECIPE
Lemon Meringue Pie Shots with Disco Tennis Balls
(Courtesy of David Burke Group)
Lemon Curd:
Juice of 4 lemons
¾ cup sugar
3 whole eggs plus one yolk
2 sticks of butter
Heat oven to 350 F. Whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, eggs, yolk in a heatproof bowl over a hot water bath. Whisk continuously for about 10 minutes, or until it’s nice and custard-y looking. Slowly incorporate the two sticks of butter, cut into small pieces (you don’t want it to break, and it will if you dump in the butter all at once!). Transfer to another dish, cover with plastic wrap (which should touch the top of the custard), and refrigerate a couple of hours to set.
Graham Cracker Crumble:
¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 stick of butter
Pinch of salt
Combine graham cracker crumbs, all purpose flour, and granulated sugar. Then mix in the butter, melted, and smoosh together with your hands until nicely incorporated. Spread across a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. The end result should look like delicious sand.
Meringue: In a very clean bowl (use the bowl from your stand mixer if you have one), combine 4 egg whites (no yolks at all!), 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and half a vanilla bean. Place bowl over hot water bath and warm it up until the sugar dissolves, and then remove the mixture from the water bath and beat it on high until cool. The end result should be a thick, marshmallow-y looking fluff.
Assembly: Spoon some lemon curd into 8 small jars and top with graham crumble. Top with meringue and gently toast with a kitchen torch.
Recipe by executive pastry Chef Zac Young, David Burke Group/David Burke fabrick
