Pistachio and chocolate chip blondies
April 19, 2011 § 1 Comment
When my parents visit, they never fail to bring Costco-sized bags of roasted and salted pistachios, rolled oats, dried mangoes, and Stacey’s pita chips. And while I love to eat all of these things, it’s now come to that point in the spring semester where I look around my kitchen and wonder how I’m ever going to empty the pantry before moving out.
Rosy, green pistachios
Yesterday, I was craving something sweet and remembered Mark Bittman’s minimalist approach to blondies. I doubled the original recipe, managed to use a good portion of that 4 lb bag of pistachios (and yes, I had to shell 1 1/2 cups’ worth), and finally finished that bag of chocolate chips leftover from a batch of chocolate chip cookies I’d made last month.
Pre-baking
For some reason, I imagined the mix to be similar to brownie batter and became worried when it turned out almost as thick as cookie dough. Don’t worry if you have to spread the dough when it’s in the pan. These turned out just right – chewy, nutty, and not too sweet – and I really do think that the almond extract imparted something special and subtle. And even though the blondies tasted great straight out of the oven, I think they taste even better the next day.
Pistachio and chocolate chip blondies
Pistachio and chocolate chip blondies (adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything)
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2 cups light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups roasted pistachios, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan. Mix melted butter with brown sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract, if using. Add flour and salt. Using a spatula, mix in pistachios and chocolate chips. Pour and spread mix into baking pan and bake for 40 minutes or until the center is set. Cool on rack before cutting.
Buttercup brie sandwich
April 6, 2011 § Leave a comment
Buttercup brie from Cherry Grove Farms
One of the three cheeses we picked up at Bedford Cheese Shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn was a rich and creamy Buttercup brie from Cherry Grove Farms in Lawrenceville, NJ. I usually like to keep things simple and bake Brie with honey and walnuts or caramelized onions, but this weekend I picked up a loaf of buttery brioche from Just Desserts at the farmer’s market and apples at Wegmans, so, with the addition of Honey Dijon I had in the pantry, I decided to make a grilled cheese sandwich instead. I’ve also seen other combinations, like pears instead of apples, maybe a bit of thinly sliced ham or even crisp bacon, etc but you want to make sure you don’t overpower the subtle richness of the cheese. Easy, quick, but still very special.
Assembly
Buttercup brie sandwich
2 oz creamy brie, at room temperature and thinly sliced
1/4 tart-sweet apple like a Gala or Empire, thinly sliced into wedges
honey Dijon mustard
sea salt and black pepper
2 1-inch slices buttery, eggy bread like brioche or challah
1 tablespoon butter
Assemble first five ingredients, adding or subtracting amounts depending on personal taste, on the brioche slices. Add butter to a non-stick skillet on medium heat. When the butter’s melted, grill the sandwich for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden-brown and the cheese has melted.
A Voce with Quans 2 and 3
April 3, 2011 § Leave a comment
Katie, Laura, and I capped off our spring break weekend with a splurge at A Voce at Columbus Circle. The view, the quiet ambiance, and the refined but delicious food were everything I needed to conclude a great week of relaxation before coming back to law school. We started off with the homemade foccacia and ricotta spread, which unlike the bread basket in other restaurants, was most definitely not an afterthought.
Menu at A Voce
focaccia with ricotta
As an appetizer, we got the cassoncini with prosciutto. The cassoncini were absolute heaven, essentially crispy fried Italian wontons filled with Swiss chard and creamy cheese and then dusted with Parmesan, and the fat on the accompanying prosciutto di Parma melted between your fingers as you tore it into bite-sized shreds. We could’ve ordered 3 servings as a meal and still be just as happy.
cassoncini and prosciutto
For our entrees, Katie got the fried egg, pecorino, and pickled fennel on grilled country bread, Laura ordered squid ink orecchiette with lobster, chickpeas and chilies, and I ordered the pappardelle with veal shank, fennel sofrito, and bone marrow. My pasta tasted just as good as the last dish I ordered at A Voce (loved the addition of bone marrow that richened the rest of the sauce), and Laura’s orecchiette, though very new to me, definitely had a unique taste imparted from the squid ink in the pasta that could only be described as “ocean-y.” Katie seemed to have a difficult time eating her dish just because of the crustiness of the grilled bread, but I noticed that there wasn’t a single crumb left on her plate at the end of the meal.
Laura's orecchiette
Katie's nduja
My pappardelle
The original plan was to order the famous bombolonis (Tuscan doughnuts) for dessert, but we were pressed for time and had to leave to catch our train back to Jersey, meaning we’d simply have to go back another time.
This weekend was probably the most fun I’ve had in a while, and it was so relaxing to just walk around in NYC, shopping and eating, with my two sisters. As it turns out, both of them will be in NYC next year (Katie will be a sophomore at Columbia and Laura will be attending Cooper Union), and though I’m a bit jealous that they will be hanging out sans yours truly, at least it means I have not one, but two, free places to stay when I visit!
A Voce Columbus
10 Columbus Circle, 3rd Floor
New York City, NY
212.823.2523
http://www.avocerestaurant.com/index.html
A stop at Bouchon Bakery
March 30, 2011 § 1 Comment
The Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle is home to some pretty big names in fine-dining. You’ve got Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin, Masa, and of course, Thomas Keller’s Per Se. What isn’t as well known is Bouchon Bakery, Keller’s small bakery and pastry shop on the third floor, decked out in all its pastries and baguettes. In truth, it’s more of a stand than anything else, where you order and wait for your food before sitting down in an open area in the mall, but I think there’s also a separate area where you can sit down for a longer period of time and order your food via waiter.
Although Laura and I just split the chocolate almond croissant this time (we had a reservation at A Voce soon after), some of my favorite items in the past have been the TKO – Thomas Keller Oreo, the Linzer cookie, and the sticky buns, but I would advise against getting any of the macarons, which can’t compare to those at La Maison du Chocolat.
Flaky, buttery, and not too sweet, the croissant (and coffee) was a perfect pick-me-up in the morning considering how tired Laura and I were still feeling from the previous day. Although I would’ve liked a little more chocolate spread throughout, the almond paste wasn’t artificial tasting and I would definitely get it again.
Bouchon Bakery
Time Warner Center (third floor)
10 Columbus Circle
New York City, NY 10119
212.823.9366
http://bouchonbakery.com/
Pies ‘n’ Thighs and Williamsburg
March 29, 2011 § 1 Comment
After our trip to the Brooklyn Museum and Red Hook, Laura and I met up with Quan #2, aka Katie, in Williamsburg for some shopping and southern food. As a sucker for quirky shops and gourmet food stores, Williamsburg was absolute heaven. There were thrift and vintage stores on every corner and cute restaurants in between.
One of my favorite new finds was a clothing store called Malin Lindaeus, which had a great collection of lace up boots and brogues and some very stylish felt fedoras. Plus, Malin, the owner, was so friendly that it felt like we were just looking through her closet for dresses to borrow!
Inside Malin Lindaeus
Another great store was the adorable Bedford Cheese Shop, with its vast jams and jellies and hipster cheese experts. The lovely stink of fermenting milk hit us as soon as we opened the door, and we were able to sample a number of bries, camemberts, blue cheeses, and gruyeres. In the end, we took home a Buttercup brie, some excellente Comte, and a truly amazing Bleu d’Auvergne, the first blue cheese that I’ve not only tolerated but loved.
Inside the Bedford Cheese Shop
Finally, at around 8 PM or so, we managed to find our way to Pies ‘n’ Thighs, a cute lil joint known for its amazing fried chicken. After a short wait, we each got our individual boxes, which came with either fried chicken, pulled pork sandwich, or brisket sandwich and a side, and drinks, including a classic sweet tea, a renegade made of honey, lemon and ginger, and a lemonade.
And although I hate to use hyperbole…best fried chicken I’ve had. My first bite sounded in a loud crunch, and the meat was unbelievably tender and juicy. I also appreciated that they hadn’t skimped on the seasoning, which tends to be a pet peeve of mine, especially for fried foods and meat. The biscuit and baked beans that came with the chicken were tasty as well, but I was all about the chicken. I had a couple bites of Laura’s and Katie’s food and while their dishes were certainly very good, I have to say that from a totally impartial perspective, mine was no doubt the best.
Menu
Pulled pork sandwich with mac and cheese
Fried chicken box with baked beans
And though we were pretty full from our entrees, we figured we couldn’t come to a place called Pies ‘n’ Thighs without sampling some dessert, so we split a slice of their Key Lime. Super tart and creamy without being cloyingly sweet (another pet peeve of mine), the pie wasn’t too heavy and a lovely way to end a great day in Brooklyn.
Key lime pie
Malin Lindaeus
155 North 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY
http://malinlandaeus.com/
Bedford Cheese Shop
229 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
718.599.7588
http://www.bedfordcheeseshop.com/
Pies ‘n’ Thighs (cash only)
166 South 4th Street
Brooklyn, NY
http://piesnthighs.com/
Red Hook Lobster Pound
March 27, 2011 § Leave a comment
Welcome to Red Hook
Brooklyn doesn’t really evoke images of Maine lobster, but the Red Hook Lobster Pound is a little jewel that delivers it in spades. The pound is a little hard to find (we took the subway to Smith and 9th and then the 61 bus) and you’re probably better off sampling their food at the Brooklyn Flea Market on Saturdays, but Laura and I were already headed to Van Brunt Street for some goodies at Baked and decided it wouldn’t hurt to just walk down the street for a very late lunch.
Psychedelic lobster
There wasn’t an official restaurant or anything at the Lobster Pound so we ordered our food at the counter and then migrated to the indoor seating area next door. Laura ordered the Maine roll, a classic with mayonnaise, celery and some spices, and I ordered the Connecticut roll, which came with butter instead of mayo. We also shared a mandarin orange soda and a gigantic homemade chocolate whoopie pie, another original Maine treat. Since we had the entire seating area to ourselves and we’d spent most of the morning running after subways and buses, to finally sit down somewhere nice and quiet and dig into a hunk of succulent lobster was such a great moment of relaxed bliss.
The Maine and the Connecticut
Connecticut close up
The lobster meat was lightly dressed, tender and unbelievably sweet, and I liked that they toasted the soft JJ Nissen buns to add a little bit of crunch. The rolls also came with chips and a pickle, but honestly, I was more than happy just eating the lobster and drinking the fizzy orange soda, which was surprisingly not as saccharine as I thought it’d be. Considering the fact that I’ve seen smaller lobster rolls in the city for almost $30, the $15 price tag made these sandwiches one of the best food deals I’ve seen and although I don’t know that I’d necessarily trek all the way to Red Hook again for a bite, I’m definitely keeping my eyes open for these babies when I go to Brooklyn Flea or the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.
Nomnomnom
Red Hook Lobster Pound
284 Van Brunt Street
Brooklyn, NY
646.326.7650
http://redhooklobsterpound.com/
Streamlining eggplant parmesan
March 8, 2011 § Leave a comment
A healthier and simplified version of the breaded and fried classic. I also like that the servings come in uniform parcels of eggplant stuffed with seasoned ricotta and herbs. Leftovers taste great in a sandwich the next day.
Eggplant Parmesan Rolls (adapted from Bon Appetit)
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices (I used three small ones because that’s all that was available in the produce section that day)
coarse salt
extra virgin olive oil
2 large eggs
1 15 oz container of whole-milk ricotta cheese (none of that low-fat crap)
1 1/4 cups of grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (supplied by my new hydroponic basil plant)
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
about 4 cups tomato sauce
8 oz mozzarella, sliced (preferably fresh but regular mozzarella will do)
Cover bottom and sides of large colander with 1 layer of eggplant slices; sprinkle generously with coarse salt. Continue layering eggplant slices, sprinkling each layer with coarse salt, until all the eggplant slices are used. Place the colander over a large bowl and let stand for 30-60 minutes. Rinse eggplant slices to remove excess salt and then dry thoroughly using paper towels.
Brush eggplant slices with olive oil and grill on grill pan, griddle, or even nonstick skillet, about 2-3 minutes on each side, until each side is browned and the eggplant is fairly tender. Put eggplant slices to the side to cool while preparing the filling.
Filling:
Whisk eggs and pinch of coarse salt in medium bowl. Add ricotta cheese, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, and black pepper.
Lightly oil 15x10x2 baking dish. Spread half of tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of the dish. Divide ricotta mixture filling among eggplant slices, placing about 1 tablespoon filling in the center of each. Starting at 1 short end of each, loosely roll up eggplant slices, enclosing filling. Arrange rolls, seam side down, atop sauce in baking dish. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over. Place mozzarella slices in a single layer over rolls. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake eggplant Parmesan rolls, covered with foil, until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until browned on top and bubbling, about 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped basil.
Three cheese mac and cheese
March 3, 2011 § Leave a comment
When we were younger, my sister Laura loved Stouffer’s microwaveable macaroni and cheese dinners. For the longest time, her after-school routine consisted of throwing her bookbag on the floor after getting home, walking to the fridge and pulling out a mac and cheese dinner, nuking it for two minutes, and then plopping herself in front of the television.
I, on the other hand, hated the stuff. I wasn’t a fan of dairy products in general, and everytime she’d pull out that tray of yellow gunk, I’d gag a little, which was a shame because mac and cheese seemed like such a quintessentially American food and I was all about the hamburgers, fried chicken, and mashed potatoes while growing up.
Then, when I got to college, something changed. Maybe it was because I started baking brie for wine and cheese gatherings and making grilled cheese sandwiches for quick dinners, but one day I went to Trader Joe’s and randomly picked up their four cheese macaroni, and since then, I’ve been hooked.
This past Thanksgiving, I decided it was high time to do a homemade version and went with Ina Garten’s classic, topped with sliced tomato and fresh breadcrumbs. It was a big hit among the guests, but when I made it again last night, I decided to do away with all the embellishments. Even when cut in half, the recipe has a high yield. But for someone who’s trying to get into the habit of cooking batches of food and then saving them for meals during the week, it totally works.
And in relation to a “flexitarian” lifestyle, this obviously falls under “unrestricted” meals due to the generous amounts of butter, milk, Gruyere, sharp cheddar, and parmesan. It’s well worth it though.
Ingredients
salt
vegetable oil
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 oz Gruyere, grated
4 oz extra-sharp cheddar (I like Cabot)
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling and salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan but don’t let it boil. In a deep skillet, melt the butter and then add the flour. Cook over low heat for about 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute until it thickens a little and reaches a smooth consistency. Off the heat, add the cheeses and the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and mix well. Pour into a 8 x 8 baking dish or whatever else fits. Top with grated parmesan. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the mac and cheese is bubbly.
Moosewood for Matt’s Birthday
February 3, 2011 § Leave a comment
Last Friday, a bunch of us finally got to try Ithaca’s famous Moosewood Restaurant for Matt’s 25th birthday. Normally vegetarian/vegan restaurants don’t really appeal to me but given the restaurant’s excellent reputation and the huge number of cookbooks it’s published over the years, I thought it’d be a shame not to go.
Moosewood is pretty unique in that it changes all of its dishes, both lunch and dinner, daily. Usually I like to scope out a restaurant’s menu items and decide what I’m going to eat beforehand, but in this case, I had to be a little more patient.
That night three of us ordered the hearty and cheesy grilled fennel and portobello lasagna. The portion was huge, but somehow I managed to shove it all down my throat. Youjin’s Morrocan dish was a beautiful array of winter vegetables over couscous, and Matt’s salmon en papillote, though somewhat lacking in color and excitement that usually comes with this kind of a dish (where you tear open the package to let out all the wine-and-herb-infused steam), was nevertheless well-seasoned and cooked perfectly.
We ended the dinner with a chocolate vegan birthday cake, which I had a hard time liking. The top layer, which I think was a sad attempt at frosting made without butter, tasted more like that chocolate freeze-dried ice cream that astronauts typically eat. The rest of the cake was extremely dry and crumbly. I only took a couple forkfuls before completely giving up.
So while I don’t think I’d ever get dessert at Moosewood ever again, they actually do a great job of cooking up satisfying and delicious vegetarian dishes without coming across as overly-hippie-ish. Plus they seem to have a lot of deals and promotions during the week which would make a visit even more worth it.
Moosewood Restaurant
215 N. Cayuga Street, Dewitt Building
Ithaca, NY 14850
607.273.9610
http://www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/
Stuff yer face and Clydz
January 11, 2011 § Leave a comment
I’ve been hanging out in the New Brunswick area a lot the past couple of days. First was a trip to Stuff Yer Face with Tonia, Cathy, Murphy (who got the fishbowl), and Jiawen, and even though I ended up not going one of their famous strombolis, I was perfectly happy with their chipotle pork sandwich which had a nice kick to it.
Then today, a group of us enjoyed happy hour at Clydz, a restaurant/bar hidden on a side just street off Route 27. The inside was very cozy, complete with an actual fireplace, and we all ordered “girly” drinks with names like “Girl Scout Cookie” and “Watermelon,” which tasted exactly like a Jolly Rancher. One of the major favorites was a concoction called “The Destroyer” and contrary to what its name might imply about its nature, it was one of the sweetest, smoothest drinks of the bunch, made with sweet tea vodka, elderflower, and lemonade.
We also ordered some appetizers: roasted garlic hummus, pierogies, and fried calamari, but I didn’t really think of any of our dishes as really impressive. I’m still in love with the pierogies at Veselka in New York, which have your choice of filling (including sweet potato, cheeses, etc) and then fried, compared to the Clydz’s boiled version. My fried calamari were all right, but the accompanying marinara sauce was watery and I would’ve preferred something with a little more heat.
All in all, I think Clydz is probably worth it only for happy hour. Drinks are half-off and come to around $5 or $6 each and select appetizers are $5 and most of them are decently-sized portions.
Stuff Yer Face
49 Easton Ave.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732.247.1727
http://www.stuffyerface.com/
Clydz
55 Paterson St.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732.846.6521
http://clydz.com/index.php
Notes on Food 