John Brennan lightly browned parboiled perogies on each side in butter, giving them a firm, lightly crisp texture, and an almost nutty flavor.
After hitting the perogies with some salt and pepper, Brennan — co-owner and executive chef of one of New Haven’s hottest new eateries, Elm City Social at 266 College St. — tossed in a generous amount of caramelized shallots into the hot pan. When the perogies were ready he added them to a plate with the crême fraiche.
Perogies are a deceptively simple, comfort food of Eastern European origin. Brennan is not.
What he is is someone who has cooked in kitchens in and around New Haven for about 10 years before he and Ryan Howard decided to open Elm City Social back in July.
The other day he was in the kitchen making his dumplings —with a twist.
Instead of a savory white potato and cheese filling for the perogies, he reached for that most ubiquitous gourd of the season — pumpkin.
Then he served them with a generous smear of cinnamon and nutmeg-spiced crême fraiche.
Some might see pumpkin as a risky variation. From mid-September until the New Year, people are inundated with all manner of pumpkin spice, in lattes, pies, even Oreos. Around this time of year, one would imagine that people have had just about enough pumpkin.
But Brennan was so confident in his cheddar and pumpkin take on perogies that he wagered that people would prefer them to that other classic American comfort food that is ever present on restaurant menus including Elm City Social’s: macaroni and cheese.
“It’s one of our interesting dishes because it’s made from local ingredients from Connecticut, and it’s something a little different that you probably wouldn’t find in most restaurants,” he said of the perogies.
With its speakeasy vibe, Elm City Social has been gaining notoriety fast, in New Haven and beyond. The cocktail menu features historically accurate drinks and a concoction known as Cereal Milk Punch — milk and cereal are involved.
The owners don’t do dull moments.
“My mantra has always been if you’re not having fun with it, I don’t see the point,” Brennan said. “So all our food is really fresh, it’s really fun, and interactive.”
Though he breaks with tradition when it comes to flavor, he kept to it when it came to preparing the perogies. The dumplings and their filling were made of locally sourced roasted sugar pumpkins and several kinds of cheddar cheese.
“I really love this dish a lot because its a sort of traditional Polish ethnic food,” he said. “Though I’m not Polish in heritage, I really appreciate a lot of different types of cuisines especially when it comes to comfort food.”
media_7}The roasted pumpkin on top of the perogies and the caramelized onions provided a bit of sweetness to the dish. The savory filling of pumpkin and cheese acted as a counterbalance, keeping the dumplings far out of pie territory.
The browning of the perogies prevented them from being too chewy, while the crême fraiche provided that seasonal comfort flavor with just enough sour to make you use your last perogie to scoop up what was left in the bowl.
Brennan’s crew didn’t stop at perogies when it came to spreading the pumpkin around. Hit play to watch Elm City Social bartender Conrad mix up a “Harvest Hooch,” called “Pump Up The Jam.”