A Chefs' Picnic by the Bay

Enticed by Long Island wine country, chef Gerry Hayden and his wife, pastry whiz Claudia Fleming, recently opened a restaurant and inn there—an ideal spot for dreamy picnics.

The Hosts

Husband-and-wife team Gerry Hayden and Claudia Fleming. Manhattan transplants, he's the former chef at Amuse and she was the superstar pastry chef at Gramercy Tavern.

The Place

Hayden and Fleming's brand-new North Fork Table & Inn in Southold, New York, in Long Island's wine country (57225 Main Rd.; 631-765-0177). The couple lives nearby, in a pretty cottage on the bay, where they frequently entertain.

Three Brilliant Recipe Strategies

1. Hayden flavors his succulent main-course pork roast with a ridiculously simple pomegranate-molasses glaze.
2. For her outstanding crostada, Fleming cleverly sautés sliced apples in maple syrup so they're super-caramelized.
3. Fleming uses brown butter to pump up the rich, nutty flavor of the crostada's crunchy streusel topping.

Published September 2006