Larry Krone is an artist and entertainer extraordinaire. Last season, the “ART inc.” team spent a day (and evening) in New York City, documenting Krone’s behind-the-scenes preparations and his performance of “What a Difference” at Joe’s Pub. The sold-out show highlighted Krone’s creative musings, original music, meaningful collaborations, and flawless costume designs for all the performers, including his dear friend and muse, Bridgette Everett. (Everett’s third season of “Somebody Somewhere” premiered on HBO this Fall.)
If you’re a fan of “Somebody Somewhere”, you may recall a season two scene featuring a dish called “St. Louis Sushi” at a post-recital gathering. In the scene, Joel, played by actor Jeff Hiller, declares the canapé to be “kind of gross, but kind of good.” The connection? St. Louis Sushi is yet another Larry Krone original.
Listen to NPR’s interview with Bridget Everett here: ‘Somebody Somewhere’ is about finding your people: Here’s how Bridget Everett found hers
In this case, Krone was Everett’s muse. Known for his entertaining spirit, Krone’s dinner parties are always a hit, with the conversation-starting “St. Louis Sushi” making a regular appearance.
During our visit, Krone was too busy preparing for his performance to make his famous “St. Louis Sushi” for us. But he generously shared the history behind this simple yet surprisingly delicious dish and his (not-so-secret) recipe.
With the holidays approaching, you can prepare this iconic dish and shine like a star at any gathering.
St. Louis Sushi From the Kitchen of Larry Krone
This is the one that started it all: my signature canapé that guests expect to see at every party I throw. I claim it as my own and even had it published in TV guide as such, but the real story is that when I was a teenager in St. Louis, somebody from an older crowd of friends served it at a house party I attended, and I immediately fell in love - with the dish. After the party, I asked around, but nobody could tell me who brought them or what they were, so I conducted my own test kitchen laboratory and recreated them. Usually when I serve them, it is the first time any of my uninitiated guests have tasted this this particular slice of heaven, but every now and then, somebody is like “Oh yeah, this is a Polish Rose,” or “Big whoop, my grandmother used to make these.” Still, for most people in my circle, St. Louis Sushi is a Larry Krone Original, so I don’t argue. And to be fair, I have refined the technique of making it, and there is that TV guide evidence, so…
One note: you may be tempted to make a higher-tone version of this recipe using gourmet ingredients instead of square ham and block cream cheese. I have tried it, too: cornichons & chèvre wrapped in cured salmon, farmstand pickled radishes smothered in mascarpone, then wrapped in prosciutto. These combinations suck, and they don’t stay together when you slice them. Stick to the recipe, trust me. And always use Claussen pickles or the closest thing to them that you can find.
Ingredients
- 1 8oz package of block cream cheese (not whipped or in a tub)
- 1 package (8 slices) of square ham - This should be boiled or honey ham (not chopped or smoked). Must be the square kind--Oscar Meyer style--NOT hand-carved from your holiday ham.
- 8 dill pickles - Claussen brand pickles are key! If they are not available, another kind of dill or garlic pickle (not sweet or bread & butter) that you find in the refrigerated section can be substituted. When buying the pickles, look for jars with consistently straight, uniform, not-too-big pickles.
Instructions
- Leave cream cheese out for an hour or so to soften it.
- Spread out a sheet of paper towels. Lay four slices of ham on the paper towel then put another paper towel on top. Repeat. This step is to dry off the ham so the cream cheese will stick to it. Note: You can do what I do and use clean dish towels for this if you prefer to save the planet.
- Dry off the pickles thoroughly with paper towels (or a clean dish towel).
- Score or divide the softened block of cream cheese into eight even sections. Spread one section of cream cheese evenly on a slice of ham.
- Place a pickle alongside one end of the slice of cream cheese ham, and roll, wrapping the pickle with the ham and cream cheese side in. Be sure that the edges of the ham meet, completely enclosing the pickle. You can trim the excess ham for skinnier pickles and use those trimmed scraps to patch fatter pickles where the ham can’t make it all the way around. Repeat for each pickle.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour to set the cream cheese. When ready to serve, slice crossways in about 1/4-inch intervals to make little sushi-inspired discs! Discard (or eat) the rounded pickle ends. Each pickle should yield 6-8 pieces.
Yields about 60 pieces, enough for a party of 20.
