The Petit Gourmand

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2009-07-09T17:22:00.002-04:00

Healthy Sage & Honey Cornbread

2009-04-21T14:07:00.007-04:00

I want to make this next. I was always under the impression that cornbread was chock full 'o butter. But I found this recipe that looks delicious, easy to make and healthy. I've started using King Arthur Flour's White Whole Wheat Flour for backing, which I love, and is lighter than normal whole wheat flour - so I will use that instead of all purpose flour.

Healthy Cornbread
Adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2007

butter for greasing pan
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup honey
3 tbsp butter, melted & cooled
1/2 cup yogurt or sour cream + milk to make 1 cup total
1 egg, beaten lightly

Preheat oven to 425°. Butter a 8″ square pan. Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl, making sure baking powder is evenly distributed. In a large measuring cup, add yogurt or sour cream and milk to make 1 cup total. Add egg, honey and butter, mix wet ingredients together. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just moistened, do not overmix. Pour into prepared pan, even the top slightly, and bake for about 20 minutes.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese & Ricotta Cheesecake

2009-04-14T15:58:00.010-04:00

I think I had my most successful home baking endeavor ever this past week. Inspired by childhood memories of deliciously light Japanese cheesecake, a yummy ricotta cheesecake from Pepolino and a bad but beautiful cheesecake from Jean-Paul Hevin - I ventured to make my own version of the perfect cheesecake. And not only did I make the cheesecake from scratch, I made my very own homemade ricotta cheese too.

So, making your own ricotta cheese is actually ridiculously easy. But, to make a long story short - DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MAKE CHEESE WITHOUT CHEESECLOTH. Ever. And more importantly - t-shirts can not substitute for cotton muslin, which can not substitute for cheesecloth. Enough said.

But with cheesecloth - your own ricotta can be just as beautiful as mine - without the t-shirt buckets, and baby-barf looking milk curds all over your kitchen.

After my cheesemaking debacle - the cheesecake itself was actually quite easy to make and assemble as well. It takes some time - to let the crust cool, and let the cake cool etc - but all very simple and easy to follow.

I found that the key to making this cheesecake as beautiful to eat as it was to see as the cheesecake of my dreams was two things:

1) Whir homemade ricotta into perfectly creamy cheese with hand blender (a food processor would work fine here, but a pain to clean. Pushing the cheese through a sieve as the recipe called for would just have not been enough.

2) Separate eggs. Soft-peaked egg whites gives this cake a souffle like lightness you won't get any other way.

I also substituted half the flour of the crust with almond flour, which was yummy and nutty. I thought about making a graham cracker crust since I don't have a food processor to make a real crust, but I read that graham cracker crusts can be quite grainy and tend to fall apart after baking. My mini-food processor (normally used for chopping and or sauces) actually worked perfectly to make the thin crust.

Lots of citrus zest is key to giving the cake flavor - and I think next time maybe I'll even add some liquor or cognac or something to give it a bit more kick.

But overall - the cake was delicious. It sinks a bit from the gorgeous puffy thing that comes out of the oven, but it's fine. It has a wonderfully rustic look after it's settled, but still tastes light as can be. I had friends over who didn't even like cheesecake and they loved it. This cheesecake is easy to make, absolutely worth the time and effort, and so so yummy to eat. I will definitely make it again.

Fresh Homemade Ricotta
Adapted from Epicurious.com
Double recipe for enough ricotta for an entire cheesecake

2 quarts whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Line a large sieve with a layer of heavy-duty (fine-mesh) cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl.

Slowly bring milk, cream, and salt to a rolling boil in a 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add lemon juice, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture curdles, about 2 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let it drain 1 hour. After discarding the liquid, chill the ricotta, covered; it will keep in the refrigerator 2 days.

Makes about 2 cups of ricotta, which = around 1lbs of cheese.
----------------------

Ricotta Cheesecake
Adapted from Gourmet, November 1999

For crust
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup almond meal/flour (if you don't have almond meal, just use normal flour)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

For filling
2 lb fresh homemade whole-milk ricotta
5 extra-large/jumbo eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Make crust:
Pulse flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolk, vanilla, and lemon juice and pulse just until mixture begins to form a dough. Spread dough with a small offset spatula or back of a spoon over buttered bottom of a 9-in springform pan and prick all over with a fork. Chill 30 minutes.

Bake crust in a shallow baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes, and cool on a rack.

Increase temperature to 375°F.

Make filling and bake cake:
Puree ricotta with a handblender until completely smooth. Beat yolks and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and pale, then beat in ricotta, flour, and zests. Beat whites with salt in another bowl until they hold soft peaks, and fold into ricotta mixture.

Butter side of springform pan and pour filling over crust (pan will be completely full). Bake in baking pan in middle of oven until cake is puffed and golden and a tester inserted 1 inch from center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen and cool completely in springform pan on rack. Chill, loosely covered, at least 4 hours. Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

An even better birthday cake

2009-04-09T12:28:00.007-04:00

I know this picture is awful, and I promise to get better at taking pictures with my iPhone. But this is how you know a cake is good - when it's completely demolished within 15 minutes. :) I do have to say that this was my most successful crumb cake so far - I loved it - and everyone else did too.

I won't say too much about it, except:
1) salted caramel + dark chocolate together are divine, and
2) I have no future as a frosting piper.

Step One: Chocolate cake layers being spread and drizzled with homemade salted caramel and fleur de sel

Step Two: Chocolate & Salted Caramel Ganache being spread on salted caramel soaked chocolate cake layers

Repeat, build, and frost entire cake. Doesn't it look gorgeous?

Turn beautiful cake into kindergarden-looking art project.

But boy, was it yummy. I would make it again in a heartbeat. I halved the original recipe from the 'Baked' cookbook, as in Baked bakery in Brooklyn - because personally, three layers of cake is just too much for me - and it wouldn't fit in the cake box I bought... but it's your call. Martha Stewart has the non-halved recipe on her site. This cake is a lot of work (I started a little past 10pm and was up until 2am finishing it!) - but TOTALLY worth it. Highly recommended.

Sweet and Salty Cake – Halved Recipe
Adapted From Baked: New Frontiers In Baking

Makes one 8-inch 2-layer cake

3/8 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/3 cups cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/8 cup (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 medium eggs
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla
1/4 cup Caramel with Salt
Whipped Caramel Ganache Icing
Fleur de sel, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans. Line each pan with a parchment paper round, butter parchment paper and flour; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, a little over a half a cup of hot water, and sour cream; set aside to cool, about 10 minutes.

3. In another large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening together until smooth and it appears to create strings inside the bowl, about 7 minutes. Add both sugars and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until well incorporated. Add vanilla, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and mix again for 30 seconds. Add flour mixture alternating with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

5. Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans. Bake until cake is just firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 18 to 24 minutes. Let cool completely. I would actually chill the cakes, before frosting, in the freezer for about an hour - so that your frosting job/assembly job is easier. Believe me, the crumb layer is less fussy that way. In fact, you may not need to do a crumb layer and just assemble/frost the cake in one step.

6. Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the first layer on the cake plate. Using about 1/4 cup of the caramel, spread a thin layer on the cake, allowing some of the caramel to soak into the cake. Follow the caramel layer with a layer of about 1 cup of the ganache icing. Place the second layer on top and repeat process with another layer of caramel followed by a layer of ganache icing. Place the remaining layer on top of the second layer bottom side up. Spread entire cake with remaining ganache icing. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Caramel With Salt – Halved Recipe

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel
1/8 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Combine 1/8 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the mixture reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in another small saucepan, mix together cream and salt. Bring cream to a boil and cook until salt has dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. When the caramel mixture has reached 350 degrees, remove from heat and allow to cool for 1 minute. Carefully add the hot cream to the caramel; stir to combine. Whisk in sour cream. Cool, and store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Whipped Caramel Ganache Icing – Halved Recipe
Makes enough for one 8-inch 2-layer cake

1/2 pound dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces, softened but still cool

Directions

1. Combine 1/8 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the mixture reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

2. In another small saucepan add cream and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. When the caramel mixture has reached 350 degrees, remove from heat and allow to rest for 1 minute. Add the hot cream to the caramel; stir to combine. Let cool 5 minutes. Place chocolate in the bowl of an electric mixer and pour caramel sauce over chocolate. Let sit 1 minute before stirring from the center until chocolate is melted.

4. Attach bowl to electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low until the bowl feels cool to the touch. Add butter and increase speed to medium-high until mixture is well combined, thickened, and slightly whipped, about 2 minutes.

5. Cool the ganache for 20 minutes or so before frosting the cake for easier frosting.

Chinese Sausage Foccacia

2009-03-24T14:16:00.005-04:00

I've had these pictures on my iPhone forever and never posted. And finally today, I'm going to do it! As some of you know, I live across the street from Momofuku Ssam Bar and Milk Bar - which is fortunate for my tastebuds, and very unfortunate for my waistline.

They are constantly changing things around there. On Wednesday they'll be changing out their cereal soft serve for... donut flavored soft serve! Can't wait to get more samples. But on a separate note, one night I was on my way back from JFK, and starving. So I stopped by across the street - and lo and behold, they had Chinese Sausage Foccacia. How could I resist?

The familiar taste of childhood, though normally relegated to dim sum and cantonese fried rice, transported into pillows of carb-goodness. David Chang has spun your typical lapcheong into an Italian-esque foccacia. So bizarre, but oh-so-good. Oh, but just like all Milk Bar items - oh so greasy. The oil seeped through my paper towel in no time! Yum yum.

On The Lighter Side

2009-03-11T10:59:00.002-04:00

From the Times - so I don't forget:
ANTHILL FARMS Sonoma/Mendocino; lovely, fresh and floral.
ARCADIAN South Central Coast; lively, pure and age-worthy.
AU BON CLIMAT Santa Barbara; well-balanced and complex.
CALERA WINE COMPANY Mount Harlan; intense single-vineyard wines.
COPAIN Mendocino; delicate and nuanced.
FAILLA Sonoma Coast; elegant and focused.
INMAN FAMILY WINES Russian River Valley; bright and pretty.
JOSEPH SWAN VINEYARDS Russian River Valley; restrained and delicate.
LANE TANNER Santa Barbara; light-bodied and fragrant.
LITTORAI Mendocino/Sonoma Coast; structured and energetic.
LONGORIA Santa Barbara; earthy and intense.
THE OJAI VINEYARD Santa Barbara; light and savory.
PEAY VINEYARDS Sonoma Coast; spicy and polished.
PORTER CREEK VINEYARDS Russian River Valley; fresh and elegant.
RHYS VINEYARDS Santa Cruz Mountains; graceful and complex.
RIVERS-MARIE Sonoma Coast; intense, lively and balanced.
TALLEY VINEYARDS Arroyo Grande; earthy yet fresh.

Chinese New Year - Happy "Niu" Year

2009-02-03T16:56:00.004-05:00

I had Chinese New Year's at my apartment all-by-my-lonesome this year. But for those of you know me, you know it doesn't really bother me. I enjoy cooking for myself and eating on my own every once in a while, it calms me. But the problem with New Years food is that it is very hard to prepare for just one person. Whole fish, dumplings, new years cake, turnip cake, rice cakes, noodles, hot pot - they really only work for large-family style dinners.

So, off I went to Chelsea Market - I have discovered the joys of the Crosstown Bus! - to work out a lucky menu of my own. And what did I settle on?

Fresh oysters (nope, no lucky component there, just yummy factor)
Two whole red mullets - for two times the plenty
Lan Zhou Homemade Dumplings
Some Veggies

The dumplings were surprisingly good for having been sitting in my freezer for so many months that I don't even want to think about it. The red mullet had a lot of bones. But the oysters were delicious. I had four Malpeque Oysters and four of another kind that they had at the market that I'd never seen before. Those were really yummy. Sadly enough, I don't remember the name of them.

I also found this adorable picture of Chinese New Year macaroons. It's hilarious. Asian people really know how to outdo themselves.

I Heart Pork

2009-01-30T11:51:00.005-05:00

I finally went to Porchetta last week. It opened several months ago, less than a mile away from my apartment - but for some reason I'd never ventured all the way there. I think once I'd passed by and there were too many ppl, and other times, I guess I just thought $9 for a pork sandwich was a bit pricey.

It was worth it. Still a bit expensive, but the little juicy bits of pork cracklings, fatty goodness and herb mixture - yumyumyum. The sandwich is not too large, which is perfect when you're trying not to overeat in the new year. But frankly, I think the $15 plate is a better deal. You get cooking greens, beans, and a hefty portion of porky pig.

Sara Jenkins is almost always there herself, and has wonderful delicious special sides and soups as well. Cauliflower w/ crispy prosciutto and winter lentil when I went. Perfect for a cold winter day. Tiny space though, and be prepared to be crammed inside with a ton of other pork lovers.

Alton's Amazing Granola

2009-01-29T11:43:00.010-05:00

My new discovery? Homemade granola is SO much better than storebought granola.

I've had $11/package granola called "The World's Best Homemade Granola" from Spoon by my office, Penelope's homemade granola with dried fruit overkill, Whole Food's granola, you name it I've tried to find the best kind. I had settled on BreadAlone's $5/bag of organic granola as the best mix of value and taste, but a few weeks ago I tried to make some of my own at home.

I searched for the recipe with the best reviews and the mix of ingredients that I liked the most, and found that Alton Brown's recipe had 161 reviews, almost all five stars. With that in tow, I went home and concocted my own version of his granola. And let me tell you, it is DELICIOUS. Better than any granola you will ever buy at the store, cheaper, and super easy to make. I'm serious. Try it. Or if you're really nice to me maybe I'll make you some. :)

Granola
Adapted from Alton Brown's Granola recipe
With a lot of liberties taken by me

4 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup whole almonds
1/3 cup pecans
1/3 pumpkin seeds
1/3 sunflower seeds
2/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup flax seeds, to be healthy
1/3 cup wheatgerm, to be extra healthy!
1/3 cup + a bit dark brown sugar
1/3 cup + a bit honey (or maple syrup)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried fruit

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, flax seed, wheat germ and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine honey or maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. To get clumps (which I researched myself!) press granola mixture down in to pans lightly, so as to form a thin sheet of the wet granola.

Bake for 30 minutes. Switch sheet pans from top to bottom. Increase oven heat to 275 degrees F, continue baking for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven, cool for 10-15 minutes, and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly
distributed.

Yum! I promise you, you won't ever buy storebought granola again.

Birthday Part II

2009-01-29T11:31:00.005-05:00

I forgot to mention - Alli sent me these delicious cupcakes for my birthday from Sugar Sweet Sunshine! They are the best.

There was:
- yellow cake with chocolate almond buttercream
- red velvet cake with chocolate almond buttercream
- red velvet cake with satin buttercream
- pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing

Oh, and yes - I gained five pounds the week of my birthday. It was awesome.

Birthday Cake & Birthday Lobster

2009-01-13T11:16:00.010-05:00

So most food blogs have amazing photos. I, on the other hand, can barely take a non-blurry image on my iPhone. But I figure it's better to have blurry pics than no pics, right?

We made a birthday cake for me on Friday. It was delicious. I also completely made up my own sour cream chocolate frosting recipe - combining two epicurious frosting recipes into one to create a "healthy" dessert, as I called it. We also had a field day at Chelsea Market. I wanted to go on a tour of the Food Network kitchens, but unfortunately they only have those during the week. Instead, we got fresh oysters and live lobster to take home. I love Chelsea market.

Double Chocolate Layer Cake
Adapted from Gourmet, March 1999
Recipe halved to make perfect 8" round layer cake

For cake layers
1 1/2 ounces Callebaut semisweet chocolate
3/4 cups hot brewed coffee
1 cup sugar + a tad
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
3/8 teaspoon baking powder
5/8 teaspoons salt
2 medium eggs
3/8 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk (or yogurt)
3/8 teaspoon vanilla

For sour cream chocolate/ganache frosting
1/2 pound Callebaut semisweet chocolate
2/3 cup low-fat sour cream
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Make cake layers:
Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Make frosting:
Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan melt chocolate and butter over moderately low heat, whisking until combined. Whisk in corn syrup. Remove pan from heat and add 1/3 cup of sour cream and 1/2 powdered sugar. Add remaining sour cream and powdered sugar until smooth. Add sugar to taste.

Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency).

Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.

Apple Pie & Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

2008-11-06T13:27:00.007-05:00

Goodness, how did I get so behind? It's a full week after Halloween and I'm still posting about what we ate last Friday! Almost done though - maybe because we just ate so much.

Janice had gone apple picking the week before, so we were planning on making apple pie from scratch. I also found a delicious looking whole wheat apple muffin recipe, so we figured, hey, why not??

To be honest, the apple pie wasn't as good as it looked. I think it was something about the pie crust recipe, the type of flour, the way we did it? Who knows - but it looks good in pictures doesn't it?

But the muffins were delicious. Healthy tasting with the whole wheat, light, fluffy, warm - perfect. We made full size ones and mini-muffins. Mini muffins take about 5 minutes less time. It was actually better than the whole wheat apple bread I made before. I think I will try the muffin recipe as bread and see how it is. And even though the pie was a bit of a disappointment, anything w/ Ciao Bella Vanilla Bean Gelato is delicious.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk or yogurt
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour an 18 cup muffin tin and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400Â°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Famous NYTimes No-Knead Bread

2008-11-04T15:22:00.007-05:00

Excellent bread is just far too easy to come by in New York City to warrant baking your own bread. Even though this was super easy, I was hoping it would be enlightening, hoping it would fill my home with the smell of freshly baked bread, hoping it would bring that extra magic touch to dinner.

Don't get me wrong, it was fun, cool to watch and decently good, but the house smelled like short ribs w/ a whiff of baking bread here and there, I spilled yeast and wheat bran everywhere, and the only one who really LOVED the bread was Jon, aka Linus for the evening. Cool to do it once, but next time I'm hitting up GrandDaisy and getting my favorite olive loaf. Yum.

"Shaggy" dough

After 18 hours of resting

Baking w/ lid on

Baking w/ lid off

Done!

No-Knead Bread
NYTimes November 8, 2006
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Daniel Boulud's Braised Short Ribs

2008-11-04T14:59:00.012-05:00

So this is what we actually ate for Halloween. I did all the prepwork the day before, so it made the day of much less stressful, and much more fun. Everything made from scratch - from the bread to the apple pie. And all of it delish.

Our Halloween Menu:
NYTimes No-Knead Bread
Daniel Boulud's Braised Short Ribs
Roasted Delicata Squash & Brussel Sprouts
Sauteed Mushrooms
Homemade Apple Pie
Whole Wheat Apple Muffins
Ciao Bella Gelato (okay, that was storebought)

The best part was watching the short ribs transform into the melt-in-your-mouth-falling-off-the-bone deliciousness. I burned off alcohol from three bottles of good wine for the first time, which definitely satisfied the pyro- in me, I beautifully browned the short ribs in my Le Creuset the size a small baby (9quart size!), and I watched the whole thing simmer simmer simmer in the oven. I've decided that oven-braising is much more effective than stovetop braising. Much better heat distribution.

Watch the transformation:
First, you flour and brown the short ribs...

While simultaneously heating and burning off the alcohol. Do you see the blue flames?!

Put the meat aside.

Prepare veggie goodness.

Veggie goodness needs to brown a bit + some tomato paste. Tomato paste lasts forever by the way. The tube I used was from over 6 months ago. Amazing.

Add the wine (and 3 quarts of beef broth)! Bring to a boil.

Simmer in oven for 2-2.5 hours, skimming for fat every 30 minutes.

Refrigerate overnight to separate fat and get best flavor. Simmer down sauce the next day - and voila, there you have it!

Daniel Boulud's Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine

3 bottles dry red wine
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 short ribs, trimmed of excess fat
Salt and crushed black peppercorns
Flour, for dredging
8 large shallots, peeled, trimmed, split, rinsed and dried
2 medium-sized carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 ribs of celery, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
1 medium-sized leek (white and light-green parts), coarsely chopped, washed and dried
10 cloves of garlic, peeled
6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
2 bay leaves and 2 thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 quarts unsalted beef broth
Freshly ground white pepper

1. Pour the wine into a large saucepan set over medium heat. When the wine is hot, carefully set it aflame. Let the flames die out, then increase the heat so that the wine boils; allow it to boil until it cooks down by half. Remove from the heat.

2. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°F.

3. Warm the oil in a large, heavy, ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Season the ribs all over with salt and the crushed pepper. Dust half of the ribs with about 1 tablespoon flour. Then, when the oil is hot, slip the ribs into the pot and sear 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until well-browned. Transfer the ribs to a plate. Repeat with remaining ribs. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot, lower the heat under the pot to medium and toss in the vegetables and herbs. Brown the vegetables lightly, 5 to 7 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

4. Add the wine, ribs and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover tightly and place in the oven to braise for 2 1/2 hours or until the ribs are very tender. Every 30 minutes, skim and discard fat from the surface. (It's best to make the recipe to this point, cool and chill the ribs and broth in the pan overnight; scrape off the fat the next day. Rewarm before continuing.)

5. Carefully transfer the meat to a platter; keep warm. Boil the pan liquid until it has reduced to 1 quart. Season with salt and white pepper and pass through a fine strainer; discard the solids. (The ribs and sauce can be combined and kept covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Reheat gently, basting frequently, on top of the stove or in a 350°F oven.)

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T13:00:00.010-04:00

So this is not dinner for tonight, but it did seem like a fitting post for today. We got back from Maine and I was lobster-ed out and sugar-ed out and craving home-cooked Chinese food. It was decided that the afternoon activity was to walk to Chinatown and buy groceries for a quiet evening in and watching 'Brothers & Sisters.' Bizarrely enough, when we got back to NYC around 4pm, I was hungry again! We happened to run into Jon on the street, which was perfect, bc I wanted a Vietnamese sandwich, and Jon knew exactly where to get them. We all went to Nicky's in the East Village and shared a pork chop banh mi. Yum yum.

After our little snack detour, we finally made it down to Chinatown. I knew I wanted to make soup, and I knew I wanted copious amounts of vegetables. But as we were walking down Grand, live lobsters caught our eye bc we'd been discussing all weekend long how cheap they were by the lb in Maine, if you bought them at markets vs eating them at restaurants. Lo and behold, they were only about $4.99/lb in NYC too. But more importantly, we saw these little guys.

It put the perfect touch on my menu for the evening.

Boiled live crustacean guys
Chicken Feet Soup
Xian Gan Rou Si - Bean Curd and Shredded Pork(?)
Lots of Chinese Veggies

It was cathartic to cook and soothing to have the house smell of warm chinese cooking. The live crayfish (or whatever they were) were squirming all the way home and almost dead, but still moving, when finally dropped into the boiling water - and looked lovely when cooked.

They were a pain to eat, and I probably won't get them again, but a fun experiment nonetheless.

I also had extra chicken feet from the soup, so I decided to throw together some chicken feet stew. It turned out pretty well, but both Stan and I were afraid of the fat content so only ate a few each. The rest remained as decoration. And the rest of our meal was actually pretty simple - nothing scary about it, just basic, home-cooked yumminess.

Stewed Chicken Feet

12 chicken feet
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
3 slices ginger
2 cups water
2 fresh red chili peppers, chopped
spoonful of brown sugar

Combine all ingredients and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Easy, huh?

Maine Day 3: Breakfast - Kingsleigh Inn B&B

2008-10-30T15:54:00.006-04:00

Doesn't this look like dessert??

Breakfast on the last day was two courses again - all sweet this time. The inn alternates between sweet & savory breakfasts every other day - I'd have to say that when it's all sweet, it is serious sugar overload. And for those of you that know me, you know how much I love sweets. I love all things sweet: dessert, ice cream, cake, chocolate you name it. So if I'm sugared out, you know there was a lot going on.

To start, there was homemade granola and freshly baked muffins again. Sunday's muffins were Pumpkin and Blueberry. Pumpkin is Stan's favorite and there were only three left when we got downstairs so I quickly snatched two - one for him at the table, one for him to take on the road. Aren't I thoughtful?

Pears poached in red wine was the first course, banana stuffed french toast course two. I hate to be critical, but I've had better stuffed french toast. For example, the banana stuffed french toast at Public is significantly better than what we had. Rather than using one giant slice of brioche toast, dipping, frying and then stuffing in a little brioche pocket - I think here Dana made a little sandwich: two slices of brioche, cream cheese, chocolate & bananas in-between, and then pan-fries the whole thing. As a result, the toast is not really french toast through and through - the insides of the pieces of toast were not very french - and the cream cheese just makes it a bit heavy. But enough whining on my part, it was still beautiful to look at and pretty darn good.

I could not eat anymore sugar for a good 24 hours after that. We left for the airport shortly thereafter, only to arrive in NYC 1hr delayed, but met w/ gorgeous weather and sunshine. And in need of immediate detox and seriously craving some homemade chinese food.

Maine Day 2: Dinner - Red Sky Restaurant

2008-10-29T16:09:00.010-04:00

This may not look like much, but it is the yummiest crusty bread I've had for a really long time. And I use superlatives sparingly. Served super warm and freshly baked, with salted butter you could just eat and eat and eat it. Which is basically what I did.

After lunch we decided to go back to the National Park and explore some more. We walked on a "Nature Trail" around a pretty pond/lake - I think it was Jordan Pond. It was so nice to be outdoors - quiet, still, turning leaves - I wish we could go back. There were apple trees right around the pond and I picked one. At first Stanley wouldn't let me eat it bc he thought it would be poisonous. It was delicious.

For dinner we wanted to go to Town Hill Bistro, a small local restaurant in the neighboring West Eden Common in the Village of Town Hill (doesn't that sound convoluted?), but they were fully booked. Can you believe that? So instead we went to Red Sky, a restaurant right around the corner from our B&B that our innkeepers recommended and that we'd heard good things about in a "New Yorker's Guide To Bar Harbor." It was so yum. We had delicious wines to match, and the service was great.

Wine:
White - Honig Sauvignon Blanc - Napa Valley, CA
Red - Chateau Montelena Zinfandel - Calistoga, CA

Stan and I shared Maine Peekytoe Crabcakes, and the 1 ½ lb. Lobster, shucked and sautéed with zucchini and served over mushroom risotto or something like that. They bake their bread in house, serve local fare, and have a phenomenal (and phenomenally priced) wine list. We also had Roasted Quail with quinoa crust and cranberry sauce to start, but my pictures were so abysmal I deleted them.

Oh, and of course I had dessert. We ordered "James’ Gingerbread" (which bizarrely looks like meat in the picture below) served toasted with caramel sauce and cream cheese whipped cream spiked with apple brandy. I don't know who James is, but it was delicious, huge, and perfectly toasted and spiced. And of course I had to try Mt. Desert Island ice cream.

See our friendly, yet slightly bizarre, waiter.

Maine Day 2: Lunch - Thirsty Whale Tavern

2008-10-28T12:21:00.005-04:00

My first lobster roll ever. After a filling breakfast, we wandered the small town of Soutwest Harbor, Maine, where we were staying. Since it took us a whole 25 minutes to cover the three blocks that housed the general store, a few restaurants, the post office, and a few tourist shops, we then ventured the 14 miles to Bar Harbor, the main town on the island. It was a quiet Saturday morning, and little did we know, almost half the shops and restaurants had already closed for the season. But more importantly, most of the lobster pounds were closed for the season too. What to do?!

There were a few shops still open, and the shopkeepers were kind enough to point us in the direction of exactly what we were looking for: good and reasonably priced lobster rolls. The other benefit of being there the last weekend of the season was that everything in any store that was open was on sale - I got a nice little Patagonia guy for 30% off, but I digress.

We ended up at the Thirsty Whale Tavern, a cute local pub serving all the Maine basics. My first lobster roll experience was all I expected - delicious. But to be honest, the bread was so buttered I was almost afraid. But I guess that's what makes it good. The lobster wasn't drenched in mayo, and served w/ a creamy corn chowder with lobster chunks, yum. Local beer to match was the perfect touch.

Maine Day 2: Breakfast - Kingleigh Inn B&B

2008-10-28T12:19:00.003-04:00

I forgot my camera, so waiting on Kai and Gina to get back and will post then. Don't click on the "More" link, it's just retarded code that I don't know/have the time to fix.

Maine Day 1: Dinner - Cafe Dry Dock & Inn

2008-10-27T17:11:00.007-04:00

After hiking Precipice Trail, apparently the most "well-known" and "most challenging" hiking trail in Acadia National Park, we were exhausted. I was absolutely not mentally prepared to scale a 1,000 foot vertical climb "recommended for physically fit and experienced hikers who have no fear of heights." Let's just say at some point, I was really tired, didn't think I could make climb up any more rocks, but was too scared of looking down to go anywhere else but up. But it was quite an accomplishment. See the picture below to see how high up we went, and how far down had to come again.

And so our reward? Lobsters!!

We checked into our B&B, in the super-cute small town of Southwest Harbor, and ventured to dinner a whole two doors down. We had dinner at Cafe Dry Dock, a small & simple casual restaurant serving fresh seafood. I was famished, and we quickly got down to business. Mussels to share (smothered w/ garlic and carrots, and I think some cream and white wine) went fast, and lobsters for each of us. Simple and delicious.

The only bizarre moment was when the waitress told us that Stella Artois was a local Bar Harbor beer. Huh?

Here is Stan making kissy face with his lobster.

Here is the mountain we climbed. Serious.

Maine Day 1: Lunch - Crazy Dave's Pit BBQ

2008-10-27T12:24:00.010-04:00

We spent the weekend in Mt. Desert Island, Maine. We saw fall foliage, ate a ton of food, and hiked through Acadia National Park. There are lots of things to write about, lots of food to go through. So I'll simply start with Day 1 and make it through our trip meal by meal.

We landed in Bangor, Maine right on time. I was psyched to get out of the city. As much as I love NYC, the constant barrage of smells, sounds, and ppl can really get to you sometimes. I was really looking forward to leaving the homeless compound in front of my building, the non-stop ambulances blaring down 3rd Ave, and the rabid dogs meant to guard the construction next door.

We had an hour drive ahead of us, and it was about 1pm. I was (unsurprisingly) hungry, but everyone else wanted to wait until we got to town, bc getting a hike in the afternoon seemed more important to the rest of my group than filling our tummies. Then, as we were driving from Bangor, through Ellsworth, and towards Bar Harbor, a food truck caught our eye. Crazy Dave's Pit BBQ! It was definitely worth a stop.

Stan and I shared the pulled pork sandwich, beef brisket sandwich, and the corn chowder. Kai and Gina did the same. The pulled pork was yummy, beef brisket a little dry, even though it was so fatty(!), and the corn chowder was delicious. The chowder had little bacon fat surprises all throughout, it was awesome. Overall, I'm sure it the BBQ would pale in comparison to something you could get in the South, but delicious nonetheless. The meat could have used a little more flavor and a bit more kick, but hey, this guy smoked all his meat in this crazy smoker right outside the truck (see smoker picture below). It's amazing what ppl can do on the side of the road.

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

2008-10-23T12:22:00.013-04:00

Janice and I had our own little tour of Chinatown last night. We had beef noodle soup at Super Taste, got beef, pork & squid congee for Jon (who had his nose broken yesterday for his deviated septum) at Big Wong's, pearl tea at Tearrific, and then ice cream at Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. Aren't Chinese ppl so creative with their store names? Super Taste, for super tasting noodles! Tearrific, bc it's terrrrific!

Also, Chinese ppl have no shame. We were walking down the street and some funny man was singing Chinese opera at the top of his lungs. Can you imagine if some normal looking dude in his mid-40s was walking down Bleecker busting out non-sensical foreign tunes? But what I love most about Chinese is their raw appreciation for cheap, no-nonsense, yummy food.

I had never been to Chinatown Ice Cream Factory before, but they have some pretty neat flavors. They had a seasonal pumpkin pie flavor, which really did taste exactly like pumpkin pie, but the color was a tad bit too artificial for me to feel comfortable with it. Stan has said his favorite was Almond Cookie, so I got a pint of that to take home for him. And it's also Janice's favorite, so it was two for one. But other ones to try next time?

Pandan - a Malaysian leaf used to flavor savoury and sweet dishes
Chocolate Pandan - chocolate + the leaf?
Dan Ta - chinese egg tart
Durian - stinky fruit
Taro, Black Sesame, Avocado, Wasabi... and the list goes on.

Almond cookie was delicious. Stanley had three mini-cups at home. :) Is this not the funniest logo you've ever seen for ice cream??

Lasagna With Chard, Tomato Sauce and Ricotta

2008-10-22T11:56:00.027-04:00

Ingredient of the week to get rid of: Swiss Chard.

The Times has this new segment to the Food Section called Recipes For Health. It's organized by ingredient, which I love, but there are no user comments on the recipes, so it's a toss up how things will turn out. Last night we tried the Lasagna w/ Chard - Stan cooked it all up on his own, and we added turkey sausage, bc without meat we're unhappy.

View the construction of our healthy adventure:

It actually turned out quite yummy. Though we've decided that lasagna is best if the last layer is sauce, not pasta. Pasta dries up and just starts tasting (and looking) like pasta jerky.

I need to do something about my photos. They look like they were taken in the 1970s. It's the lighting in my apartment, but I really don't like bright lights...

Lasagna With Chard, Tomato Sauce and Ricotta
Adapted from The New York Times

1 generous bunch Swiss chard (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Salt
1/2 pound regular or no-boil lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 large turkey sausages
2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 chopped shallot
2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced, or 1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, with juice
Pinch of sugar
1 large basil sprig
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1/3 to 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil while you prepare the chard. Fill a bowl with ice water. Tear the leaves from the stems and wash thoroughly in two changes of water. Discard the stems or set aside for another purpose.

2. When the water comes to a boil, add the Swiss chard leaves. Boil 1 minute (from the time the water comes back to a boil), until tender but still bright green, then remove from the water with a slotted spoon or skimmer and transfer to the ice water. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely and set aside. Cook the lasagna noodles in the same pot of water if not using no-boil lasagna noodles. Remove the pasta from the pot and toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil in a bowl.

3. In a wide, nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic and shallots. Cook, stirring, just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the meat and saute until browned. Add the tomatoes, sugar, basil sprig, and salt (begin with 1/2 teaspoon and add more later), and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring often, until thick, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the amount of juice in the pan. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove the basil sprig. Stir in the Swiss chard and remove from the heat.

4. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Oil a square or rectangular baking dish (no bigger than 2-quart) and line the bottom with a layer of lasagna noodles. Spread half the ricotta over the noodles and half the tomato-chard sauce over the ricotta. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the tomato-chard sauce. Add another layer of noodles and top with the remaining ricotta and tomato-chard sauce, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Finish with a layer of noodles and the remaining Parmesan. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the top. Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake 30 minutes, or until bubbling and the pasta is tender. Uncover, allow to sit for 5 minutes, and serve.

Stanley's Lowfat Banana Bread

2008-10-21T14:00:00.005-04:00

Stanley makes better banana bread than I do. He liked it better in the throwdown, and now, I think it's established that he can make a better one too. We've been making this super healthy banana bread with the bunch of bananas I've been getting every week in my product box - and experimenting with how little oil, what type of flour/sugar to put into it and how it tastes each time. He forgot to put the walnuts in (hence their appearance on the top of the loaf), but his bread was definitely lighter and more airy.

There's only 1-2 tablespoons of oil, and we're trying to figure out the perfect balance of yogurt, applesauce, oil and/or all of the above. I'm not totally sure what the verdict is, but they're all pretty good.

Low-fat Banana Bread Recipe Of The Moment

2 large eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup smashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1/3 cup nonfat yogurt (or applesauce)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (my hunch is that this is too much, I'm going to reduce it next time...)
1 cup white flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2-inch pan; dust with flour. Using electric mixer; beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until thick and light, about 5 minutes. Mix in smashed bananas, applesauce and/or yogurt, oil and vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt over mixture; beat until just blended. Mix in chopped walnuts or raisins or chocolate chips or whatever you like. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake bread until golden brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Turn bread out onto rack and cool.

Better Butternut Squash Soup

2008-10-20T17:49:00.011-04:00

The last time I made butternut squash soup it was not a soup. It was butternut squash mash. Or better known as butternut squash baby food. The taste was good, but you could eat it with a fork. I wish I had taken pictures so that we can compare with yesterday's.

But last night, I was fully redeemed. By being much more generous with the chicken broth, adding 2 stalks of celery and a rutabaga aka swede aka turnip, we had success!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 (1 1/2 pound) butternut squash, peeled seeded and rough chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small diced onion
2 medium carrots, diced
2 med celery stalks, diced
1 med parsnip, chopped
1 med turnip/rutabaga/swede, chopped
1 med leek, chopped
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
Salt & Pepper to taste
Ground coriander to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

1 Place the chopped squash in a medium-size mixing bowl. Drizzle the squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and place the squash on top of the sheet pan. Set the sheet pan into the oven and roast for 30 minutes, or until the squash is lightly caramelized and tender.

2. Remove the squash from the oven and set aside. Place a 1-gallon saucepan over medium high heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add all veggies into the pan and sweat, stirring often for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and sweat for 1 minute stirring continuously. Add the chicken stock and squash to pan.

3. Bring the pan to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Continue to cook the soup for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are all tender. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to a smooth consistency and velvety texture. Alternately, you can puree the soup in batches using a blender. Season with salt, pepper and ground coriander to taste.

(Photos from this post taken w/ my blackberry curve, not ideal, but I was impressed!)

Shepherd's Pie

2008-10-20T10:37:00.019-04:00

What is this? Enchiladas? Refried beans? Cauliflower gratin? The picture may not be obvious, but it's Shepherd's Pie! Had friends for dinner over to try the English classic, and it was delicious - a tad salty, but a success overall.

We also had breaded calamari on a bed of corn, and creamed spinach on the side. And also copious amounts of alcohol. To the tune of a bottle and a half per person.

Shepherd's Pie
Adapted from Cookie Magazine

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 med carrots, peeled and chopped
1 box mushrooms, quartered
1/2 lb ground lamb
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestchire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
few sprigs of thyme
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
1 cup frozen peas (which I accidentally left out!)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup grated cheddar
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. In a large sauté pan brown meat, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove. Over medium-high heat, heat the oil, and sauté vegetables (minus peas) until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.

3. Drain the fat from meat and add back into vegetable saute. Add the broth, Worchestshire sauce, tomato paste, and herbs. Simmer until the juices thicken, about 10 minutes, then add the peas.

4. Pour the mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish; set aside.

5. Meanwhile, bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes; drain.

6. Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk, and salt.

7. Spread them over the meat mixture, then crosshatch the top with a fork. Sprinkle grated cheddar on top.

8. Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

It's a good thing Kai *loves* mashed potatoes. We had no leftovers at all. Here's me taking a picture of the food before it all disappeared, when I realized "sh*t, I didn't take any pictures of the inside of the food!" One day I will start taking pictures of the prep too, but right now I just can't coordinate it all.

My Own Throwdown: Apple vs Banana Bread

2008-10-17T14:34:00.009-04:00

So I recently signed up for Urban Organic, which is basically produce in a box once a week. It's super fresh, local when it can be, and saves me the hassle of having to buy fruits and veggies every week. Yes, it's a bit hippie dippie too. But the greatest thing about it? You get all sorts of produce that you would never buy in the first place which pushes you to experiment with cooking.

But long story short. Pros of the produce box: new food, new recipes. Cons: race to finish the produce before it goes bad.

Given that it's fall, apples have been a staple of the box these past few weeks, and with the abundance of apples (and bananas) that I've gotten I decided to make apple bread on Wednesday and compare it to the lowfat banana bread I made on Monday. The outcome?

A much denser cake than my lowfat banana bread, but I think I liked it better. Stan likes the banana better. And in my throwdown picture, they both look pretty unappetizing. I should take a food photography class or something.

Apple Bread
(recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

3-4 apples
2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp honey

3/4 cups white flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce (or yogurt)
1/2 cups sugar
1/8 cups orange juice
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

Momofuku Bo Ssam

2008-10-16T16:34:00.011-04:00

So, I have yet to decide whether or not I will keep this a pure food blog, write about cooking only, cooking + restaurants, restaurants only, include my friends, or write about something totally different altogether, oh, say, shoes. But since I haven't decided yet, I'll write about whatever I feel like for now.

My girls came to visit from SF this past weekend, it was a blast. Of course, we ate pretty much everywhere south of Union Square that anyone would want to eat. We also had the infamous bo ssam at Momofuku Ssam Bar.

It was a glorious piece of pig butt and a phenomenal group eating experience. You use baby tongs and wrap up pieces of pulled pork together w/ raw oysters and a melange of special sauces in perfect pieces of bibb lettuce. Okay, not perfect pieces, for some reason, they all had little holes in them.

You would never expect raw oysters and pork butt to go together, but boy was it yummy. I was delightfully surprised at the party in my mouth. Our only regret was that we didn't order more oysters. As you can see from the photos, the massive amounts of pig butt generated very excitable dinner guests.

Hirsch Bohan-Dillon

2008-10-16T11:49:00.006-04:00

This is my next purchase. One case of my favorite pinot of the moment - I just need to figure out what goal to set for myself so I can reward myself when I achieve it. Making shepherd's pie? Sounds good. I'm going to buy a case of wine when I make an acceptable shepherd's pie.