April Bloomfield Made Us an All-Vegetable Dinner, and We Didn't Miss a Bit of Meat
Chef April Bloomfield loves her vegetables, as anyone who reads her new cookbook A Girl and Her Greens will know (it's out April 21). So for her intimate Night Kitchen dinner at our 1 World Trade Center digs, veg and herbs appropriately starred the whole way, including the mint-tarragon chocolate chip ice cream for dessert. Meat, we hardly missed you—no hard feelings.
Alex Lau1/16The Chef at Work
True to the title of her new book, Bloomfield (left) prepared a meal starring all kinds of vegetables. Okay, there was some whipped lardo involved—she did write A Girl and Her Pig, after all.
2/16Crudités in Bloom
Guests snacked on ramp toasts to start, as well as the prettiest crudités we've ever seen.
Alex Lau3/16Cocktails and Conversation
The New Yorker creative director Wyatt Mitchell enjoys pre-dinner drinks and small bites before dinner.
Alex Lau4/16All Hands on Deck
Christina Lecki, head chef at Bloomfield's restaurant The Breslin, helped helm the evening's meal.
Alex Lau5/16A Toast to Friendship
Entrepreneur Roo Rogers (standing, and one of Vanity Fair's best dressed men), met Bloomfield more than 20 years ago while both were working at London's iconic River Café, which his mother Ruth Rogers cofounded.
Alex Lau6/16Ramps!
Here's where that whipped lardo made an appearance: smeared onto toasts topped with olive oil-sautéed ramps, salt, and pepper. Bloomfield likes Jacobsen Salt, which she says is "nice and clean."
Alex Lau7/16Beautiful Blooms
Flowers by One Kings Lane brought signs of spring to the space, in keeping with the night's theme.
Alex Lau8/16Artichoke Rising
Bloomfield cooked the pot-roasted artichokes from her new book. White wine and garlic, among other things, imbue them with deep flavor.
Alex Lau9/16A Salad for the Senses
Pot-roasted artichokes make a tasty side on their own, but Bloomfield featured them in a lovely salad with chickweed, grass-cut flowers, and aged Pecorino cheese.
Alex Lau11/16A Soup Fit for Spring
How to make a spring egg drop soup laden with tender veg like asparagus and carrots even better? Do like Bloomfield and add a hit of lemon juice.
Alex Lau12/16One Kings Lane's VP of creative Josh Liberson (left) and Ralph Lauren Home president William Li got deep over soup.
Alex Lau13/16Carrots on Carrots on Carrots
Leave it to Bloomfield to work magic on humble roasted carrots. Her version is dressed with carrot top pesto and a bright vinaigrette made from reduced carrot juice.
Alex Lau14/16Bloomfield's business partner Ken Friedman (left), Bon Appétit executive editor Christine Muhlke, and Gjelina's Travis Lett.
