Alexander McQueen’s Bird Nest Headdress
May 11, 2011 § Leave a comment
The McQueen obsession continues, this time with a short film about Philip Treacy (Irish milliner who also created 36 hats worn to the recent royal wedding) and Swarovski’s work on the Bird’s Nest headdress for the Fall 2006 Collection.
Alexander McQueen and the romantic mind
April 30, 2011 § Leave a comment
One of the highlights of each summer is visiting the Metropolitan for the annual Costume Institute and rooftop displays, and this year promises to be the best yet. Even before Kate Middleton wore a perfectly executed Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen wedding dress for her marriage to Prince William, I was extremely excited about the “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” exhibition, which opens May 4 and continues to July 31 and looks back on the career of a highly mercurial and memorable designer who died much too young.
From "The Girl who Lived in the Tree"
Oyster Dress from "Irere"
Curators Hamish Bowles and Andrew Bolton promised that it would be unlike any other exhibition before it and tried to stay as true to McQueen’s flair for the romantic and dramatic as possible. And from the looks of the renderings on the Metmuseum blog, “Savage Beauty” is going to be absolutely breathtaking. There are pieces ranging from the controversial “Highland Rape” show, the Sarabande dress that was adorned with fresh flowers, the Jellyfish dress that Lady Gaga rocked in her “Bad Romance” music video, and gorgeously romantic ensembles from “The Girl who Lived in the Tree.”
From "Sarabande"
From "Plato's Atlantis"
If you are in NYC any time this summer and even remotely interested in fashion, I highly, highly recommend making your way to the Met for this truly special exhibit. Not all of us can afford couture in our closets, it doesn’t mean we should miss out on a chance to see some pieces up close and in person.
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
Metropolitan Museum of Art
May 4 – July 31, 2011
Butter and blueberries: a sign of spring?
April 25, 2011 § 2 Comments
I saw this on Smitten Kitchen a while back and decided that I had to try it for the name alone. Plus, the sun finally came out this weekend, blessing us with 60 degree weather, and I thought a blueberry dessert would be perfect. And since my parents came to visit this weekend, they were able to bring some home for my sisters, meaning I wouldn’t end up eating the entire pan by myself (though I would have no difficulty in doing so, trust me).
Folding blueberries into the batter
Cooling in the pan
I was surprised by the lightness of the cake. For some reason, I imagined it would be a really heavy, dense dessert but this would be a perfect, crumbly, buttery accompaniment with Earl Grey tea for an indulgent afternoon snack, which is exactly what I’m having as I type this in the law school carrels.
Perfect with Earl Grey
Blueberry Boy Bait (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Serves 16, generously
For the cake:
2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (Don’t defrost if they’re frozen, otherwise they’ll get mushy)
For the topping:
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (don’t defrost)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the cake:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking pan.
Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract and then the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated and scrape down the sides. Beat in half of the flour mixture, then add half of the buttermilk. Then beat in the remaining half of the flour mixture and the remaining half of the buttermilk. Toss the blueberries in the leftover tablespoon of flour until they are fully coated and then fold gently into the batter with a rubber spatula. Spread batter into the baking pan.
For the topping:
Scatter the blueberries on top of the batter. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the batter.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Cool in pan for another 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Do-it-yourself granola
April 22, 2011 § Leave a comment
Another unloading-the-pantry recipe. Yogurt and granola always sounds like such a healthy combination, but in undergrad, yogurt for me meant sugary, strawberry goop from the dining hall and granola meant even sweeter crushed Nature Valley bars. No doubt having giant bowls of that for breakfast contributed to the poundage I gained during freshman year. If only I had known how easy it is to make granola at home.
This recipe is simple and versatile; you could probably substitute the honey for maple syrup, walnuts for pecans or almonds, dark raisins for dried cranberries, the possibilities are endless. And I like getting little pops of the coarse sea salt with the overall sweetness so I tend to add a little more, but to each his own. I’ve gotten into the very good habit of making a batch every Sunday morning, which makes the whole apartment smell spicy and toasty, and having a little bit each day for breakfast with some tart Greek yogurt.
Homemade granola
Everyday Granola
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon neutral oil (I used canola)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dark raisins
Preheat the oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, toss the oats with cinnamon and salt. In a medium bowl, stir together oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla until completely combined (I found that microwaving the mixture for about 30 seconds made mixing a lot easier). Pour honey mixture over the oats and mix, using your hands. If you like clumpy granola, gather some of the mixture in your hand and make a fist. Repeat until all oats are evenly coated.
Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet, spreading it out evenly. Bake for 10-12 minutes and then remove from the oven. Flip the granola with a large spatula, add the walnuts and stick the granola back in the oven. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the granola is golden brown. Let cool completely and then sprinkle with raisins. Store in an airtight container.
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.
Turning a new leaf
April 14, 2011 § Leave a comment
I’m not a big fan of salads or raw vegetables. I think it partly has to do with growing up in a Chinese-American family, where all vegetables were stir-fried, steamed, or cooked in some other way. However, I’ve always been a sucker for the ubiquitous carrot-miso-ginger dressing you see at Japanese restaurants, where they toss some grated carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and romaine together and present it as a throwaway appetizer with the miso soup before your bento box.
Last week, the Ithaca Farmers’ Market opened for the spring season, and aside from the usual baked goods (chocolate brioche oh mah gah), the produce was still pretty sad looking – just some leeks, spinach, greens, and root vegetables here and there. But I remembered the salad dressing from Goop and Smitten Kitchen and I knew that I already had the other Asian ingredients in my pantry, so I figured I’d grab some shallots and carrots, break out the blender, and give this a whirl.
It comes surprisingly close to those restaurant dressings. I threw in a pinch of sugar to balance the bite of ginger and tossed it with some organic mixed greens that I also picked up at the market. And even though I paired this with yet another grilled Brie sandwich, the salad still made it one of the most virtuous meals I’ve had in a while.
Carrot-ginger dressing
Carrot-ginger dressing (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small shallot, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons freshly chopped ginger
2 tablespoons sweet white miso
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dark toasted sesame oil
pinch of sugar (optional)
1/4 cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed
2 tablespoons water
Blend the carrots, shallot, and ginger until finely chopped. Then add the miso, vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar (if using). While blending, add the neutral oil and water until you reach the desired consistency (I tend to like a smoother consistency for this particular dressing). Serve and toss with your favorite greens and vegetables.
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/
Notes on Food 