A review of Kitchen Confidential: The Series
They only aired about 1/3 of the episodes they produced, so I have about 8 episodes that not even I have seen yet. But rest assured loyal fans, they will be viewed and commented on in full.
Also on the way from Ms Jones, full reporting live from the Eastlake Heights Rib Burn Off 2007. This time 'round, Missers B and Ms Jones are gunning for Sally, Ron, and all the other past first-place winners. Last year, we were 3rd in our first go-round...things will change this year for sure.
xx--
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Friday, June 8, 2007
Pampering for the Face
AND for the stomach!
Ms Jones recently attended a 'Body Shop at Home' party thrown by a lovely friend named Dawn. While I was making my final purchases, I chose a random prize box which held a small piece of paper saying I had won my own 'BSAH' party! So the date was set and that meant one thing in my mind...what the heck am I going to serve to my guests?! Menu planning started right away.
On the invitiations, I said that 'refreshments' would be served. Now in my mind, that means stuff to snack on. BUT, as its been show throughout the years, and most recently show on Memorial Day, I'm always overprepared. So I wanted to make sure that I stuck to my guns this time and only soent the time and money that was NECESSARY to provide 'refreshments.'
If you couldn't tell from earlier posts, I live for Mediterranean cuisine. Its light, heart healthy, and full of fresh ingredients and flavor! Therefore, it was only natural to choose to stick with that theme. My homemade hummus is in high demand at social gatherings (or at least in my mind it is) so that needed to be on the menu. Since we were going to be testing face cleansing and moisturizing products, I wanted the guests to be able to have things that easy to pick up and eat. One of the first things that came to mind was mini spanakopitas. But phyllo dough is very crisp and crumbly when baked and I wanted to avoid as much of a mess as I possibly could. It would save my guests AND myself from alot of heavy clean up. In searching for alternatives using the spanakopita filling, a light bulb went off in my brain. Wonton wrappers. I would be able to bundle the filling up neatly and keep it sealed, while providing a crisp wonton corner for the attendees to hang onto as they eat.
I used a filling recipe from a June 2001 issue of Cooking Light Magazine:
1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
To prepare filling, place spinach in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Place over medium heat; cook until spinach wilts. Place the spinach mixture in a colander, pressing until barely moist. Combine the spinach and cheeses in a bowl; set aside.
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green onions; sauté for 2 minutes or until soft. Stir the green onions and the next 5 ingredients (green onions through 2 egg whites) into spinach mixture.
It made a substantial amount of filling and the original recipe used phyllo to make 20 teeny bundles. Using the wontons and half of the regular filling amount, I was able to use all of the wrappers and ended up with 48 bundles.
Now, to save myself time, I bundled and stored them in an airtight container the night before. Next time, I will fill them and promptly bake them. The filling was very moist despite the fact that I squeezed the life out of the spinach. I think they would have crisped more while baking if I would have tossed them in the oven right away. They had more of a wet ravioli look to them after sitting, filled, in the fridge over night. They were also a bit stuck together, making placement on the baking sheet rather time consuming.
Every techinique I came across for baking filled wontons (instead of frying them) called for a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. When I was perusing my latest issue of Cooking Light, they suggested spraying the wontons with nonstick cooking spray and baking for 4-5 minutes. But that was unfilled and straight from package to oven. So the former suggestion was going to be my best bet.
I probably could have left them in the oven for the full 20, but they browned and crisped on the edges after 15 minutes. The moisuture in the filling caused a bit of puffing in the middle of the wonton from steam release as well.
As an accompaniment to the hummus, I made a small veggie tray of celery, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, sweet onions, and sliced cucumbers. One of the guests was also nice enought to swing by South Side 6 in BG before coming over to pick up a couple bags of the best pita chips in Wood and Lucas county.
For dessert, I wanted to keep it light and simple. I didn't really stick with the Mediterranean theme here, because, quite frankly, bakalava, burma, birds nests, and rice pudding are really hard to make. I was going to throw together some sugar free Angelfood Cake with a topping of crushed pineapple, Cool Whip Free, and SF vanilla pudding mix, but all the stores around me were out of the sugar free cake! So when I was pillaging my way through the shelves at my local Giant Eagle, I came across a tart shell shaped pre-made Bavarian Sponge Cake. 1/4 of the cake was only 164 calories, so do the math to serve 10 slices of the cake, and that comes to only 65.6 calories for the cake par per serving. Still a calorie conscious alternative! So I put together the topping I was going to use on the Angelfood cake and just flopped it in the middle of the sponge cake. It was garnished with a fanned whole strawberry.
I'm sorry I don't have any photographs of the 'refreshements' posted this time...I was a bit preoccupied with entertaining the 9 other people in my apartment, haha. But duty calls. Everyone raved about the taste and presentation. That made me feel like there's a ton of great supper clubs in my future.
Coming soon, cookies for a golf tournament!
Ms Jones recently attended a 'Body Shop at Home' party thrown by a lovely friend named Dawn. While I was making my final purchases, I chose a random prize box which held a small piece of paper saying I had won my own 'BSAH' party! So the date was set and that meant one thing in my mind...what the heck am I going to serve to my guests?! Menu planning started right away.
On the invitiations, I said that 'refreshments' would be served. Now in my mind, that means stuff to snack on. BUT, as its been show throughout the years, and most recently show on Memorial Day, I'm always overprepared. So I wanted to make sure that I stuck to my guns this time and only soent the time and money that was NECESSARY to provide 'refreshments.'
If you couldn't tell from earlier posts, I live for Mediterranean cuisine. Its light, heart healthy, and full of fresh ingredients and flavor! Therefore, it was only natural to choose to stick with that theme. My homemade hummus is in high demand at social gatherings (or at least in my mind it is) so that needed to be on the menu. Since we were going to be testing face cleansing and moisturizing products, I wanted the guests to be able to have things that easy to pick up and eat. One of the first things that came to mind was mini spanakopitas. But phyllo dough is very crisp and crumbly when baked and I wanted to avoid as much of a mess as I possibly could. It would save my guests AND myself from alot of heavy clean up. In searching for alternatives using the spanakopita filling, a light bulb went off in my brain. Wonton wrappers. I would be able to bundle the filling up neatly and keep it sealed, while providing a crisp wonton corner for the attendees to hang onto as they eat.
I used a filling recipe from a June 2001 issue of Cooking Light Magazine:
1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
To prepare filling, place spinach in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Place over medium heat; cook until spinach wilts. Place the spinach mixture in a colander, pressing until barely moist. Combine the spinach and cheeses in a bowl; set aside.
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green onions; sauté for 2 minutes or until soft. Stir the green onions and the next 5 ingredients (green onions through 2 egg whites) into spinach mixture.
It made a substantial amount of filling and the original recipe used phyllo to make 20 teeny bundles. Using the wontons and half of the regular filling amount, I was able to use all of the wrappers and ended up with 48 bundles.
Now, to save myself time, I bundled and stored them in an airtight container the night before. Next time, I will fill them and promptly bake them. The filling was very moist despite the fact that I squeezed the life out of the spinach. I think they would have crisped more while baking if I would have tossed them in the oven right away. They had more of a wet ravioli look to them after sitting, filled, in the fridge over night. They were also a bit stuck together, making placement on the baking sheet rather time consuming.
Every techinique I came across for baking filled wontons (instead of frying them) called for a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. When I was perusing my latest issue of Cooking Light, they suggested spraying the wontons with nonstick cooking spray and baking for 4-5 minutes. But that was unfilled and straight from package to oven. So the former suggestion was going to be my best bet.
I probably could have left them in the oven for the full 20, but they browned and crisped on the edges after 15 minutes. The moisuture in the filling caused a bit of puffing in the middle of the wonton from steam release as well.
As an accompaniment to the hummus, I made a small veggie tray of celery, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, sweet onions, and sliced cucumbers. One of the guests was also nice enought to swing by South Side 6 in BG before coming over to pick up a couple bags of the best pita chips in Wood and Lucas county.
For dessert, I wanted to keep it light and simple. I didn't really stick with the Mediterranean theme here, because, quite frankly, bakalava, burma, birds nests, and rice pudding are really hard to make. I was going to throw together some sugar free Angelfood Cake with a topping of crushed pineapple, Cool Whip Free, and SF vanilla pudding mix, but all the stores around me were out of the sugar free cake! So when I was pillaging my way through the shelves at my local Giant Eagle, I came across a tart shell shaped pre-made Bavarian Sponge Cake. 1/4 of the cake was only 164 calories, so do the math to serve 10 slices of the cake, and that comes to only 65.6 calories for the cake par per serving. Still a calorie conscious alternative! So I put together the topping I was going to use on the Angelfood cake and just flopped it in the middle of the sponge cake. It was garnished with a fanned whole strawberry.
I'm sorry I don't have any photographs of the 'refreshements' posted this time...I was a bit preoccupied with entertaining the 9 other people in my apartment, haha. But duty calls. Everyone raved about the taste and presentation. That made me feel like there's a ton of great supper clubs in my future.
Coming soon, cookies for a golf tournament!
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Memorial Day Feast!!
Lots of people choose to relax for their Memorial Day weekend. People like Anna & myself choose a different kind of relaxation. Like getting together a bunch of good friends and cooking for ALL OF THEM! You saw the menu in my last post, but here's the thoughts, reviews, and even recipes for our picnic.
Prep began the night before in the Goodwin's kitchen. I arrived @ 6:30 and I think we made it to the store a bit after 7:30. Because it was more cost effective, we decided to get just about all of the produce at Monnette's Market. This way, we could ensure freshness and save ourselves a few dollars in the process. For those of you who don't know about the more recently remodeled Bowling Green, OH Kroger store...its incredible. I lived in BG for 4 years and shopped at said Kroger for the same amount of time. When I walked in, it was a completetly different layout. I felt lost, but was really impressed with it overall. A good fresh salad bar, sushi, and 'Natural' food section. THe two complaints I have overall:
1) Starbucks. come on now. There's one in the student union on campus and directly off exit 64 on Wooster. We don't need one in the grocery store. I love my Italian Roast as much as the next extra bold fanatic, but seriously.
2)The aisles. They run in a way that hinders traffic slow in the store. Just positioned awkwardly.
I'm sure being the self professed foodies Anna and I are, we could have easily spent about 2-3 hours just poking around in the new layout. However, we were on a time schedule and thankfully, with a list. Therefore, we only spent about an hour gathering our menu ingredients. From there, it was decided to make a jaunt down Main Street to South Side Six; quite possibly the BG 'Diamond in the Rough.' Its a teeny party store that sells offbeat beer as well as the normal libation selection. However, the most fantastic thing about it lies behind the cash register. A small food prep area where they make (right when you order) Mediterranean food! Fresh made pita chips, using Soybean oil, oregano, garlic salt, and black pepper...Hummus that's to DIE for...and we think, one of the best falafels we've ever eaten. It was later in the evening though, so it was light salad time. They were gracious enough to make us Fatoush without dressing and lemony smelling Taboulleh. We also picked up three freezer bags full of pita chips and hummus for the picnic while we were at it. Reasonably priced too. I think we may have spent about $80-$90 on food total in BG.
Back to the kitchen in Perrsyburg to eat then get to really cooking for the party.
Pie crusts came first. Using the HG Recipe for Topless Cherry Pie, we processed the Fiber One in a minichopper. Next time, just to save minutes and to get a finer crumb, I think we'll use a larger processor. Mixed the crumbs with lite butter and egg substitute and made two crusts that went into the 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. While those were baking and cooling, we decided to get the Strawberry Short-Cup-Cakes out of the way. They involved the most amount of prep time and bake time. Being the health conscious folks we are, we decided to use tofu for this recipe instead of oil, water, and eggs. We also made two batches of cupcakes to accomodate the amount of people we were expecting.
I pressed the blocks of Silken Lite Tofu for about 10 minutes, then crumbled them into a large bowl. I then blended in two packages of white cake mix with a hand blender. The only other item added to the batter was about 1/2 cup of water (necessary for a smoother texture for mixing. By pressing, I drained some of the natural moisture out of the tofu). After I reached the consistency I wanted, Anna had finished dicing up 16 oz. of fresh strawberries. We had mulled over the ideas for these Short-Cup-Cakes considering baking full strawberries inside or even a puree center, but we really like the idea of looking at the cupcake itself and seeing little bits of berries all over. They went in at 350 in the oven for about 30 minutes and we had golden topped Strawberry Short-Cup-Cakes! That was the perfect time for them to go in at because it baked the cake all the way through and left warm strawberry pockets throughout. A slight browning on top also gave the cupcake the appearance of angelfood cake that had just come out of the oven.
My lovely sous, Anna, was hard at work making the filling for the two pies we were preparing. One Cherry and one Blueberry. Once the filling had set up properly, we left it to cool for @10 min before putting it in the cooled pie crusts that smelled amazing!
That night, all we wanted to get done was complete by about 12:30am.
The next morning, I went straight to the market about 9:30am to buy the rest of the produce we needed for salads, etc. Overall, I spent around $30 on a laundry basket full of fruit and vegetables that probably would have cost us twice as much if we would have purchased it at the regular grocery store. I'm sure the gang at Monnettes is going to miss me when I'm in NYC and not shopping there every Sunday morning. With my basketfull of produce, we got the big cooler packed with the other items we purchased, then headed to BG for the rest of the day.
After some necessary catching up with guests, it was time to get down to business.
We started in on chopping the ingredients for the Grilled Sweet Potato Salad.
Just to make things easier on ourselves, we modified the recipes for the salads, etc. slightly. As far as this recipe is concerned, we didn't use the peanuts or cilantro AND in the glaze, no cayenne or cumin, butthanks to a delightful measuring booboo, maximized the cinnamon to 2 tbsp. Overall though, it made for a GREAT smell and taste! We planned for more people than we had as well. We bought for a double recipe of everything, but only ended up using half that. We did notice that cooking this in the oven takes WAY longer than right on the heat of the grill. Roasting in the foil packet has a effect of the texture of the end result. Everything is tender, but still really moist and flavorful. No dry potatoes here! The sweetness of the onion, mango, potato, and red pepper meshed together so well!
Once that was all prepped and in the oven, it was time to dive headfirst into the Texas Cole Slaw.
Again, we bought enough for a double recipe, but this time, used 3/4 of what we had. So a 1.5 recipe yield. The salad part couldn't be easier to prep. Napa cabbage, Granny Smith apples (which is the reason we chose this recipe in the first place. Anna and I LOVE the tartness of the apple and thought it was a brilliant addition to the slaw) shredded carrots, toasted pecans, and red onion. We decided to leave out the mint...probably because we couldn't find any in the store, haha. The true modifications were made in the slaw dressing. No cumin or cayenne and Fat Free Sour Cream. It made a wonderfully light and creamy (didn't think that was possible...but probably because of the citrus) dressing which we were able to use sparingly to just lightly coat everything. A little went a long way, which was a good thing because normally, I avoid cole slaws because of the way the dressings weight down in your stomach. The slaw is bright in color and in flavors and its something I WILL be making again.
Rounding out the sides portion of the feast was the gloriously crispy and tangy South Side 6 pita chips and their house hummus. We also prepped a salad bar with mixed greens, stuffed olives, bean sprouts, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, and red onion. All these items could also multitask as burger toppings. We always think ahead like that. A giant seedless watermelon was sliced and plated alongside everything. Check the slideshow for photos and let me know if you want individual photos of things for a closer look.
You can also see photos of the dessert table in the above show. Aren't the Short-Cup-Cakes adorable? The frosting was made using a Dannon Light N Fit vanilla yogurt cup, 1 package of sugar-free Strawberry Jell-o mix, and 1 8 oz tub of Cool Whip Free. I found that this provides a super light texture and flavor to the 'frosting' while still having a more substantial consistency. We didn't want to do a buttercream or anything like that because Strawberry Shortcake generally uses a whipped cream frosting. Not to say that you can't go all out and use whipping cream and confectioners sugar, haha, this is just our calorie counter friendly recipe. This version held up marvelously in a little bit of heat and piped really well through the pastry tip.
The pies were a hit as well. The Fiber One crust was slighty sweet and chewy. Really like a granola bar-esque feel in your mouth. We only ended up cutting the blueberry pie, which left everyone with purple toothed smiles afterwards. The cherry pie was saved and brought back specifically for Anna's dad to eat.
The standard BBQ meats, i.e. hamburgers (or Anna's dad's special Donnie Burgers) and hotdogs, were unphotographed. For the ovo-lacto-pesca veg crowd, we tossed some portabello mushrooms on there as well. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my boca soy burgers...but there's nothing like the taste of a fire-grilled mushroom cap. With a little of the sweet potato salad on there...C'est Magnifique!
At the end of the night, everyone left with their bellies and hearts full. It never going to cease to amaze me how good food can bring friends together. Toss a bit of alcohol, dice, and a basketball game in there, and it makes for the perfect Memorial Day picnic.
I'd like to thank Anna for brainstorming this WHOLE thing, supplying the ingredients, and being in town for a lil bit. For that weekend, I was HER sous :)
If you want/need any of the recipes or further photographs, just ask. Ms Jones always aims to please.
Next up, the SPA munchies...
Prep began the night before in the Goodwin's kitchen. I arrived @ 6:30 and I think we made it to the store a bit after 7:30. Because it was more cost effective, we decided to get just about all of the produce at Monnette's Market. This way, we could ensure freshness and save ourselves a few dollars in the process. For those of you who don't know about the more recently remodeled Bowling Green, OH Kroger store...its incredible. I lived in BG for 4 years and shopped at said Kroger for the same amount of time. When I walked in, it was a completetly different layout. I felt lost, but was really impressed with it overall. A good fresh salad bar, sushi, and 'Natural' food section. THe two complaints I have overall:
1) Starbucks. come on now. There's one in the student union on campus and directly off exit 64 on Wooster. We don't need one in the grocery store. I love my Italian Roast as much as the next extra bold fanatic, but seriously.
2)The aisles. They run in a way that hinders traffic slow in the store. Just positioned awkwardly.
I'm sure being the self professed foodies Anna and I are, we could have easily spent about 2-3 hours just poking around in the new layout. However, we were on a time schedule and thankfully, with a list. Therefore, we only spent about an hour gathering our menu ingredients. From there, it was decided to make a jaunt down Main Street to South Side Six; quite possibly the BG 'Diamond in the Rough.' Its a teeny party store that sells offbeat beer as well as the normal libation selection. However, the most fantastic thing about it lies behind the cash register. A small food prep area where they make (right when you order) Mediterranean food! Fresh made pita chips, using Soybean oil, oregano, garlic salt, and black pepper...Hummus that's to DIE for...and we think, one of the best falafels we've ever eaten. It was later in the evening though, so it was light salad time. They were gracious enough to make us Fatoush without dressing and lemony smelling Taboulleh. We also picked up three freezer bags full of pita chips and hummus for the picnic while we were at it. Reasonably priced too. I think we may have spent about $80-$90 on food total in BG.
Back to the kitchen in Perrsyburg to eat then get to really cooking for the party.
Pie crusts came first. Using the HG Recipe for Topless Cherry Pie, we processed the Fiber One in a minichopper. Next time, just to save minutes and to get a finer crumb, I think we'll use a larger processor. Mixed the crumbs with lite butter and egg substitute and made two crusts that went into the 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. While those were baking and cooling, we decided to get the Strawberry Short-Cup-Cakes out of the way. They involved the most amount of prep time and bake time. Being the health conscious folks we are, we decided to use tofu for this recipe instead of oil, water, and eggs. We also made two batches of cupcakes to accomodate the amount of people we were expecting.
I pressed the blocks of Silken Lite Tofu for about 10 minutes, then crumbled them into a large bowl. I then blended in two packages of white cake mix with a hand blender. The only other item added to the batter was about 1/2 cup of water (necessary for a smoother texture for mixing. By pressing, I drained some of the natural moisture out of the tofu). After I reached the consistency I wanted, Anna had finished dicing up 16 oz. of fresh strawberries. We had mulled over the ideas for these Short-Cup-Cakes considering baking full strawberries inside or even a puree center, but we really like the idea of looking at the cupcake itself and seeing little bits of berries all over. They went in at 350 in the oven for about 30 minutes and we had golden topped Strawberry Short-Cup-Cakes! That was the perfect time for them to go in at because it baked the cake all the way through and left warm strawberry pockets throughout. A slight browning on top also gave the cupcake the appearance of angelfood cake that had just come out of the oven.
My lovely sous, Anna, was hard at work making the filling for the two pies we were preparing. One Cherry and one Blueberry. Once the filling had set up properly, we left it to cool for @10 min before putting it in the cooled pie crusts that smelled amazing!
That night, all we wanted to get done was complete by about 12:30am.
The next morning, I went straight to the market about 9:30am to buy the rest of the produce we needed for salads, etc. Overall, I spent around $30 on a laundry basket full of fruit and vegetables that probably would have cost us twice as much if we would have purchased it at the regular grocery store. I'm sure the gang at Monnettes is going to miss me when I'm in NYC and not shopping there every Sunday morning. With my basketfull of produce, we got the big cooler packed with the other items we purchased, then headed to BG for the rest of the day.
After some necessary catching up with guests, it was time to get down to business.
We started in on chopping the ingredients for the Grilled Sweet Potato Salad.
Just to make things easier on ourselves, we modified the recipes for the salads, etc. slightly. As far as this recipe is concerned, we didn't use the peanuts or cilantro AND in the glaze, no cayenne or cumin, butthanks to a delightful measuring booboo, maximized the cinnamon to 2 tbsp. Overall though, it made for a GREAT smell and taste! We planned for more people than we had as well. We bought for a double recipe of everything, but only ended up using half that. We did notice that cooking this in the oven takes WAY longer than right on the heat of the grill. Roasting in the foil packet has a effect of the texture of the end result. Everything is tender, but still really moist and flavorful. No dry potatoes here! The sweetness of the onion, mango, potato, and red pepper meshed together so well!
Once that was all prepped and in the oven, it was time to dive headfirst into the Texas Cole Slaw.
Again, we bought enough for a double recipe, but this time, used 3/4 of what we had. So a 1.5 recipe yield. The salad part couldn't be easier to prep. Napa cabbage, Granny Smith apples (which is the reason we chose this recipe in the first place. Anna and I LOVE the tartness of the apple and thought it was a brilliant addition to the slaw) shredded carrots, toasted pecans, and red onion. We decided to leave out the mint...probably because we couldn't find any in the store, haha. The true modifications were made in the slaw dressing. No cumin or cayenne and Fat Free Sour Cream. It made a wonderfully light and creamy (didn't think that was possible...but probably because of the citrus) dressing which we were able to use sparingly to just lightly coat everything. A little went a long way, which was a good thing because normally, I avoid cole slaws because of the way the dressings weight down in your stomach. The slaw is bright in color and in flavors and its something I WILL be making again.
Rounding out the sides portion of the feast was the gloriously crispy and tangy South Side 6 pita chips and their house hummus. We also prepped a salad bar with mixed greens, stuffed olives, bean sprouts, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, and red onion. All these items could also multitask as burger toppings. We always think ahead like that. A giant seedless watermelon was sliced and plated alongside everything. Check the slideshow for photos and let me know if you want individual photos of things for a closer look.
You can also see photos of the dessert table in the above show. Aren't the Short-Cup-Cakes adorable? The frosting was made using a Dannon Light N Fit vanilla yogurt cup, 1 package of sugar-free Strawberry Jell-o mix, and 1 8 oz tub of Cool Whip Free. I found that this provides a super light texture and flavor to the 'frosting' while still having a more substantial consistency. We didn't want to do a buttercream or anything like that because Strawberry Shortcake generally uses a whipped cream frosting. Not to say that you can't go all out and use whipping cream and confectioners sugar, haha, this is just our calorie counter friendly recipe. This version held up marvelously in a little bit of heat and piped really well through the pastry tip.
The pies were a hit as well. The Fiber One crust was slighty sweet and chewy. Really like a granola bar-esque feel in your mouth. We only ended up cutting the blueberry pie, which left everyone with purple toothed smiles afterwards. The cherry pie was saved and brought back specifically for Anna's dad to eat.
The standard BBQ meats, i.e. hamburgers (or Anna's dad's special Donnie Burgers) and hotdogs, were unphotographed. For the ovo-lacto-pesca veg crowd, we tossed some portabello mushrooms on there as well. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my boca soy burgers...but there's nothing like the taste of a fire-grilled mushroom cap. With a little of the sweet potato salad on there...C'est Magnifique!
At the end of the night, everyone left with their bellies and hearts full. It never going to cease to amaze me how good food can bring friends together. Toss a bit of alcohol, dice, and a basketball game in there, and it makes for the perfect Memorial Day picnic.
I'd like to thank Anna for brainstorming this WHOLE thing, supplying the ingredients, and being in town for a lil bit. For that weekend, I was HER sous :)
If you want/need any of the recipes or further photographs, just ask. Ms Jones always aims to please.
Next up, the SPA munchies...
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Review
So apparently the shortbread was QUITE the hit at the Olli house. I even got a cute lil note with it saying just how much they enjoyed it! This makes me feel confident that when i make it tomorrow, it will be just as good.
Anna and I have been talking a BUNCH about the upcoming Memorial Day feast and things are in pretty good shape. We plan on prepping most of the evening on Saturday, then doing the final prep between 2 and 6 on Sunday at the BBQ house. There's alot to be done and alot to be bought, but I think we're going to be able to pull it off without any major hiccups.
We've also been discussing the future of this blog when I move out to NYC. Its not only going to contain my rants, raves, and reviews, but also thanks to some sweet technological capabilities, instructional cooking videos! *A has so sweetly taken on the responsibility of being Ms Jones' Sous Chef. So its going to be quite the adventure watching a pastry chef in training paired with a sous in training. What it really boils down to is neither of us really have a grasp on what we're doing, so its going to be interesting documenting both of our progress right here in Ms Jones Kitchen.
Also under discussion is the eventual start of Sweet Cuppin Cakes. I think we're leaning towards our home base location in the Cleveland area. But the biz won't be officially started until 1) I've been able to pay off a good portion of my student loan, 2) I get enough experience post graduation under my belt to feel more confident in my own skills, and 3) we have enough capital to really do this on our own.
I have also been thinking about cupcake recipes...specifically ones using Marscarpone cheese. When I was fortunate enough to have cable TV access this past weekend, Giada DeLaurentis...as much as her pronounciations grate on my skin like a Microplane zester...had one that I really would like to try:
1 box white cake mix
2 egg whites
8oz softened Marscarpone cheese
scant 1/4 cup oil
1 cup water
So this, after the Memorial Day Feast and my spa party 'refreshments' are done, will be the first priority in Ms Jones Kitchen. Its time to be more creative.
Tonight, its recipe prep after making Tilapia.
I was also pleased to see that this blog is reaching people I never thought it would. I was contacted by a person who works for Fox Network, after she read my post talking about Anthony Bourdain's 'The Nasty Bits.' There was a short lived TV series on Fox not too long ago spun off his book 'Kitchen Confidential.' Apparently that series is now on DVD and this person wants me to review the set and post it on here! So that's something to look forward too :)
I have to email Lora Brody and tell her the shortbread was a supreme success!
ps - if you live in the Toledo area...EAT KATZ SISTERS CHEESECAKE!!!!!!
Anna and I have been talking a BUNCH about the upcoming Memorial Day feast and things are in pretty good shape. We plan on prepping most of the evening on Saturday, then doing the final prep between 2 and 6 on Sunday at the BBQ house. There's alot to be done and alot to be bought, but I think we're going to be able to pull it off without any major hiccups.
We've also been discussing the future of this blog when I move out to NYC. Its not only going to contain my rants, raves, and reviews, but also thanks to some sweet technological capabilities, instructional cooking videos! *A has so sweetly taken on the responsibility of being Ms Jones' Sous Chef. So its going to be quite the adventure watching a pastry chef in training paired with a sous in training. What it really boils down to is neither of us really have a grasp on what we're doing, so its going to be interesting documenting both of our progress right here in Ms Jones Kitchen.
Also under discussion is the eventual start of Sweet Cuppin Cakes. I think we're leaning towards our home base location in the Cleveland area. But the biz won't be officially started until 1) I've been able to pay off a good portion of my student loan, 2) I get enough experience post graduation under my belt to feel more confident in my own skills, and 3) we have enough capital to really do this on our own.
I have also been thinking about cupcake recipes...specifically ones using Marscarpone cheese. When I was fortunate enough to have cable TV access this past weekend, Giada DeLaurentis...as much as her pronounciations grate on my skin like a Microplane zester...had one that I really would like to try:
1 box white cake mix
2 egg whites
8oz softened Marscarpone cheese
scant 1/4 cup oil
1 cup water
So this, after the Memorial Day Feast and my spa party 'refreshments' are done, will be the first priority in Ms Jones Kitchen. Its time to be more creative.
Tonight, its recipe prep after making Tilapia.
I was also pleased to see that this blog is reaching people I never thought it would. I was contacted by a person who works for Fox Network, after she read my post talking about Anthony Bourdain's 'The Nasty Bits.' There was a short lived TV series on Fox not too long ago spun off his book 'Kitchen Confidential.' Apparently that series is now on DVD and this person wants me to review the set and post it on here! So that's something to look forward too :)
I have to email Lora Brody and tell her the shortbread was a supreme success!
ps - if you live in the Toledo area...EAT KATZ SISTERS CHEESECAKE!!!!!!
Friday, May 18, 2007
Puffs, the Birthday and the Raisining
Hello again faithful readers! Ms Jones back from another dry spell. It seems like I'm always apologizing for not updating you on the goings on in my kitchen. Regardless, its time (ie - slower day at work) for me to fill you all in.
The end result was a perfectly hollow, lighty, buttery, and smooth pastry shell. My only mistake was leaving them sit out for too long. This dough is also pretty tempermental. It WILL dry out if you leave them sit for too long. Once they are cooled, which doesen't take that long because they're hollow, I highly recommend storing them in ziploc freezer bags OR in an airtight container until you are ready to fill them. If not, they'll become hard as a rock. This is why I had to toss 90% of these small ones and make a whole other batch of puffs to fill with my pastry cream. I also recommend serving them within 2-3 days of making them, if you're not serving immediately.
Keep in mind too, there was also an oven full of them when I took these photos. Normally, I would have made them slightly larger, but I wanted to max the quantity, so I used my 1 tbsp. cookie dropper to made each one. I like the consistency of the ones that I had on the bottom rack more so than the top rack. Always a winner :)
BUY THIS BOOK! BUY THIS BOOK!
I gave this shortbread to a co-worker and am currently waiting to hear how it turned out. Looking at the actual result closely, you could see the teeny pockets of butter...so I'm thinking it worked out well. I'll let you all know whether it got the thumbs up or down as soon as I hear them. It wasn't tough to make either, all it consisted of is butter, flour, confectioners sugar. Couldn't be simpler. I just hope that it was pressed down well enough to hard together once its pulled out of the baking dish.
The last time I was posting, I had just been to a Pampered Chef party and finished baking my first ever Friendship Breads. Alot has happened since then...I've made my first sets of Cream Puffs, Pastry Cream, a second round of Cream Puffs, more Friendship Bread, an incredible birthday dinner, and most recently, Oatmeal Cranberry Dark Chocolate Chip cookies and my first Shortbread. So shall we get to talking and photos? I hope you're all snuggled up in blankets with hot cocoa or tea reading with your eyeballs wide open.
Cream Puffs. I found the recipe I used from a recent 'Today' show segment and figured, it sounds simple enough...why not give it a go. When I start school in August, I'll be making these, so I may as well get a head start. I began by going to Cake Arts Supply to get a sturdy pastry bag and the largest round piping tip they had in the place. For those of you who aren't aware...the pastry used in Cream Puffs (and eclairs and gougeres,etc.) is called a Pate A Choux. Its different than most pastry doughs because it is cooked, then baked. You add flour to boiling water or milk and butter, then add eggs until you get a paste-like consistency. From there, you can pipe it onto baking sheets in a variety of shapes and when its baked, the liquid in the dough creates steam, which causes your pastry to puff up and become hollow in the middle. Using the recipe, i made small army of dough balls to be baked. I found the dough was relatively simple to make, just keep in mind to add the eggs one at a time. This egg addition process can't be rushed because you want to add each egg to the same consistency of dough. Adding more eggs before the others are fully incorporated could leave you with watery dough. You want the dough soft, but still stable enough to hold whatever shape you may pipe into.
Anyway, this recipe made an ARMY of quarter sized puffs and a few eclairs as well:
The end result was a perfectly hollow, lighty, buttery, and smooth pastry shell. My only mistake was leaving them sit out for too long. This dough is also pretty tempermental. It WILL dry out if you leave them sit for too long. Once they are cooled, which doesen't take that long because they're hollow, I highly recommend storing them in ziploc freezer bags OR in an airtight container until you are ready to fill them. If not, they'll become hard as a rock. This is why I had to toss 90% of these small ones and make a whole other batch of puffs to fill with my pastry cream. I also recommend serving them within 2-3 days of making them, if you're not serving immediately. The pastry cream was also fairly simple to do. You just have to work quickly and really have your mis-en-place when you start to boil the whole milk and vanilla bean. Milk, when boiled gang, bubbles up QUITE fast. I almost had a crisis on my hands after turning my back for a split second. There was one ingredient that escaped me though. Coffee extract. I couldn't find it at any grocery or specialty store around here. So upon a tip from a WIlliams-Sonoma employee, I used instant coffee...1 tsp grounds per 1 tbsp boiling water. It actually turned the cream a coffee color, which was brilliant to match a slight coffee flavor. I also recommend using this within 3-4 days of making it.
I used the pastry cream to fill the new (and larger) cream puffs i made a few days later. As is the case with most projects in the Kitchen...it was easier to make said cream puffs 2nd time around. They didn't puff as much as I would have liked them too. I think they require a bit more baking time because of size increase...and the weather was really humid outside..so that played a factor too. But I snapped a couple pics before they were all eaten at work:
All feedback on them was positive. One got the top eaten off of it, and then there was a salesperson who asked if there was hummus inside of the puff. I laughed. Its not far fetched for a savory Pate A Choux to be filled with a hummus like substance...but not in this case. Wouldn't have gone well with the powdered sugar.
So the 12th of May was Ms Jones' big quarter century birthday celebration! For the big 2-5 a kind hearted woman at work, Anita, was nice enough to make a cake for me!!
Just how I like it. Plain white cake with a layer of strawberries inside and Vanilla BetterCream whipped frosting. And of course, more strawberries on top. Many of you don't know this, but Strawberry Shortcake is my ultimate favorite dessert. I LOVE anything simple with fresh ingredients...so this cake was perfect for my birthday! Murph, the morning show guy over at 106.5 and KC were nice enough to also get me a 4 inch personal Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake from Katz Sisters. Now the strawberry cake was cut up and made for sharing...but I took the selfish route on the cheesecake. A decent cheesecake is easy to find...cheesecake like Katz Sisters...you keep all to yourself.
The problem with my birthday is I like so many different types of foods, that I can never fully commit to picking a birthday menu. This year, it was a rough decision between sushi, fresh fish, and falafel. It must have been the day, but I was totally feeling the falafel. SO, I rallied up the Robers, picked out a complimentary salad recipe (thanks to Heidi's genius) and got the best falafel in town...Rumors. South Side Six is the only comparable place around here, but that's technically in BG. and the only thing i required was their homemade pita chips to compliment the hummus I picked up from Rumors as well. One dozen falafels there is only $6...so I spent about $10 for an amazing main course. The rest of our meal was a fresh zucchini, tomato, watercress, and sauteed mushroom salad. We seasoned the mushrooms with a bit of cumin and that perfectly played off the peppery taste of the watercress. It was served over field greens and then a touch of Heidi's signature 'House Dressing.' The dressing had mustard and a touch of sugar in it too. Things were prepared with my lovely birthday gift...a new 7-inch Santoku knife! Thank the culinary gods for friends who consider you stable enough to give you a giant knife for your birthday :) and despite the fact that we stuffed ourselves silly, we still managed room for cake. jRo put it best 'whether is fish or falafel...' we always end up with a great meal when we get together to cook.
Memorial Day weekend, my fellow foodie and partner in Sweet Cuppin Cakes crime will be back in town on vacation from NYC. Ah yes, NYC...that's another issue to be talked about soon enough. Apparently the kitchen in our new apartment is prime space for supper clubs...so those will be discussed as they get closer to happening. Our first SCC supper club though, will be held this Memorial Day weekend for Anna's visit in BG. We've been menu planning and this is what we've decided on:
APPETIZERS
Hummus - SS6 to save time
Salsa - homemade, of course
Pita Chips - SS6
Kale Chips - Homemade
Relish/Cheese Tray
SIDES
Sweet Potato Salad
Texas Cole Slaw w/Granny Smith Apples
Salad Bar
MEATS
Hot Dogs
Donnie Burgers
Black Bean Veggie Burgers
DESSERT
Strawberry Short-Cup-Cakes
Cherry Pie
Fruit Salad
Hummus - SS6 to save time
Salsa - homemade, of course
Pita Chips - SS6
Kale Chips - Homemade
Relish/Cheese Tray
SIDES
Sweet Potato Salad
Texas Cole Slaw w/Granny Smith Apples
Salad Bar
MEATS
Hot Dogs
Donnie Burgers
Black Bean Veggie Burgers
DESSERT
Strawberry Short-Cup-Cakes
Cherry Pie
Fruit Salad
Ice Cream
We love the idea of keeping simple, but also healthy. So alot of these things will not only be good, but super great for your body! For example, the cole slaw isn't made with mayo, the Cherry Pie is an HG recipe...SCC is going to be all about simple, FRESH, ingredients and taste. More on the Mem Day feast as it draws closer! Also more on the plans for SCC...we've got a number of brillant ideas already brainstormed, I can't wait to finally get them all down on paper. HINT: our signature giant cookie will look like THIS
Thursday night, I felt the itch to bake. It was time to whip out the cookie recipes. Something again, simple that 99.9% of people like....Oatmeal Raisin. This is a recipe I can do in my sleep and it turns out wonderful every time. I love the minimal amount of flour (1 1/2 cups) to the 3 cups of oats! Plus, the variety of add-ins is tremendous. This time around, I ended up with Oatmeal Cranberry Dark Chocolate Chip cookies:
Keep in mind too, there was also an oven full of them when I took these photos. Normally, I would have made them slightly larger, but I wanted to max the quantity, so I used my 1 tbsp. cookie dropper to made each one. I like the consistency of the ones that I had on the bottom rack more so than the top rack. Always a winner :) I also decided to use a recipe out of Lora Brody's 'Basic Baking' for shortbread. I've said it before...Lora is a genius. Buy this book for your cooking collection:
BUY THIS BOOK! BUY THIS BOOK!
I gave this shortbread to a co-worker and am currently waiting to hear how it turned out. Looking at the actual result closely, you could see the teeny pockets of butter...so I'm thinking it worked out well. I'll let you all know whether it got the thumbs up or down as soon as I hear them. It wasn't tough to make either, all it consisted of is butter, flour, confectioners sugar. Couldn't be simpler. I just hope that it was pressed down well enough to hard together once its pulled out of the baking dish. That's about all the updating I can give at this point my faithful few. I will be posting photos and final menus/reviews from the upcoming memorial day 2007 feast.
I'm making a list of cooking books that I want to have in my personal library:
Basic Baking - Lora Brody
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen - Harold McGee
The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen - Jacques Pepin
The King Arthur Flour Bakers Companion
The Produce Bible : Essential Ingredient Information and More
Mastering The Art of French Cooking - Julia Child
La Technique - Jacques Pepin
The Professional Chef - CIA
The French Laundry Cookbook - Thomas Keller
Larousse Gastronomique Recipe Collection
Les Halles Cookbook - Anthony Bourdain
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver
Nick Malgieri's Perfect Pastry
All of the America Test Kitchen Cookbooks
Anyone want to donate a cookbook to La Bibliotheque de Ms Jones? Let me know :)
more to come ...
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Ms Jones and the Pampered Chef
So this was the product for the Baby Shower at church the other week...it took me a while to post them just because I was trying to keep things together at work, etc. But nevertheless, baby shower cake. It was rough to finish this because it was really humid the particular day I decorated it...which means as I was warming up the frosting when I was holding the pastry bag. I even had to put it right in the fridge onece it was finally done. Not my best work...though everyone at the party loved it. Inside was cinnamon swirl. Once again, impressed with the look of the basketweave pattern. Still can't understand why more people don't like it. Its old school and I dig it.This week, I had a torrid affair with the Pampered Chef. It was actually the first PC party I had ever been to and thankfully walked out with most of my money still in my checking account. I did purchase a couple things for other people but I didn't over do it for my personal collection, which only consists of a springform pan set that's actually my mothers, haha. I'm considering hosting one even though my apartment is teeny and it would be a tight squeeze.
Anyway, at said party, the PC woman made a chicken and broccoli braid and a Banana Cream pie thingy. Pretty simple stuff. Here's my purchases:
1 can strainer
1 mini measuring cup set (ADORABLE for liquid measures up to 4 tbsp!)
1 pair of Bamboo Tongs
1 8 inch serrated Bread Knife (quite a steal for the price..and its lifetime guaranteed)
1 2-cup capacity stoneware oval baker
1 Citrus Peeler (it was like .75 cents and I was still using my fingers to do that crap!)
So overall, I was happy with my selections...could have bought WAY more...
Being who I am, I couldn't go to the party empty handed. So, I decided to bring the friendship bread I had finally gotten around to baking the night before. I made a loaf of Banana Walnut and also a loaf of Pumpkin Raisin.
If you've ever made Friendship Bread, you know its a 10 day process that you can basically add anything you want into it. Both loaves turned out great and my oven was quite accurate as far as baking time goes! I can't express how nice it is to have an oven that behaves!
The Banana Walnut was slightly drier than the Pumpkin Raisin, but that's a direct result of add-ins. I DID pull an America's Test Kitchen trick out and press the pumpkin before I put it in. I think the bread would have been way mushy if I didn't. Same principle that's used in the Pumpkin Cheesecake I love to make so much. And it turned the bread a warm orange color.
I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of both breads, because I used Splenda instead of sugar. In the whole recipe, there was about 1/4 cup of real sugar because I used 1/2 cup of the Splenda blend for baking. The rest of the additional sugar was substituted. I was concerned that it would be TOO sweet, an unfortunate side effect of sugar sub products...but it worked out well. Again, I partially attribute that to the mix ins I used.
I have one more batch of bread that I'm on day 4 of...I'm thinking about the Pumpkin Raisin again...maybe using chocolate as well for the 2nd loaf. Any suggestions you all have would be amazing.
I'm also looking for baking projects. So consider this a challenge to you all to give me one to work on. I haven't got ALOT of time on my hands...but the spare time I do have, I'd like to spend it making things for you all to read about :)
get to it! challenge me!!!
ms j
Friday, April 13, 2007
Ms Jones on vacation
Hello from New York City!! Well...Ohio right now...but think like I'm still in NYC. I'm trying to imagine that I'm still in Astoria typing while staring at the street and fire escapes because, quite frankly, typing while being enclosed in my office just makes this whole thing lose its zest. So imagine I'm still in New York...awash in a sea of culture, hustle, bustle, and FOOD!!! How could I go to a place like this and NOT share the amazing finds with all of you?!
First of all, I'd like to thank my NYC roomie for the week and partner in foodie crime and eventually the Sweet Cuppin' Cakes company, Anna. Having someone along for this culinary ride is always a joy. Plus she's wonderful company!
So the first day I arrived here, we decided to check out a place recommended by Rachael Ray on 'Tasty Travels.' Good Enough to Eat offers breakfast till 4pm, along with lunch, dinner, and 'inbetween' meals. Such a cute cottage-y interior and the whole place smelled like sugar and cinnamon. After taking a while to decide what we were going to order...I settled on the homemade granola with low fat yogurt and fresh fruit. Anna chose the smoked salmon sandwich on whole wheat toast with cucumbers, goat cheese, tomatoes, and watercress. The granola was sweet, but not too sweet...and toasty like it just came out of the oven topped with fresh strawberries and banana. The yogurt was unflavored, nicely chilled, and it perfectly complimented the belly-warming quality of the granola and the sweet tooth satisfying fruit. What I really loved about it is that it wasn't sugar laden. Often, you find granola and you can't really taste the actual components other than the sugar. You may even find clumps of it passed off as a real part of the cereal. But this had a beautiful oaty, nutty, and cinnamon flavor. My only complaint, haha, was that we didn't get some to take home with us! Of course, I had to try the smoked salmon too. A great crisp to the whole wheat bread and there was just the right amount of goat cheese for a creamy flavor. Paired with the cool watercress, cukes, and tomato...a brunch sandwich to eat anytime! The wait staff was casually attentive, refilling coffee when needed, but giving patrons a nice amount of space (in a small restaurant) for personal conversation. A+. Next time, I'm going the Irish Oatmeal route...perhaps pancakes...
Hopped on the N train from there to Canal Street to find the French Culinary Institute HQ so I wouldn't get lost going there for my tour on Friday. We stroleld along the Broadway/Grand Ave area popping into little shops every now and again. A small bi-level Asian foods store caught our eye right away. Virtually any product you could want/need for an Asian feast was inside, including reasonably priced fresh produce and pre-made sushi and even take home Omirice! A huge selection of yam noodles..and the elusive Shiritaki Noodles in both the spaghetti and fettucini shape! So, we picked up a couple packs of each, as well as some broiled tofu, and wakame salad in preparation to cook at 'home' Thursday night.
As the day went on, our hectic schedule only allowed for a couple Nature Valley PB granola bars until around 11pm, we were finally able to find a spot for dinner. In exploring the area surrounding the apartment, we were considering just heading into Key Foods to pick up some groceries for that night and for the rest of my visit, until we saw Pinocchio's Parlour on 30th Ave. Glanced and the menu outside and saw large sized Horatiki salad and we were sold. Cute atmosphere, LOTS of 'extended family' of the place in when we sat down. Flatbread straight out of the oven was brought to our table and we ordered a couple big salads to get our veggies in. Everything was fresh and filled us up properly. No artichokes on my Horatiki though...slightly disappointing...as was the fact that there was lettuce in it. Traditionally, there's none. BUT at that point in the night, it was satisfying and light enough to eat before heading to bed. Our waiter was eating on the job...but it didn't bother me like it normally would because of the time of night and nature of the patrons in the place. He did take his sweet time bringing us the check though...
After we paid, we stepped outside and were shocked to see a corner produce market open. Therefore, we browsed through and picked up some fruit...PEACHES!!! of all things...were plentiful, surprisingly. But these would be used for breakfast on Saturday.
Thursday morning, Anna went off to work and after my workout, I was left to scrounge up breakfast for myself. She suggested a place right up the street from her apartment, Euro Cafe, which serves a GIANT selection of sweet and savory crepes, omlets, and brunch-y type foods all day long. Plus, they have really great coffee. So I set out in that direction when I was ready for the day. Not really knowing when the next time I was going to eat was, I searched for a hearty breakfast crepe to set me up for the rest of the day. I passed by the spinach and southwestern ones, and my eyes stopped at the 'To Your Health' crepe. A whole wheat crepe (who knew?!) with plain yogurt, walnuts, honey, fresh bananas and strawberries. Now I'm not sure how 'healthy' it really was...but it was delicious! Thankfully, there was more of the fruit inside than the other components...but it was dinner plate sized and hit the spot. Service was slow, but maybe that's the vibe they were going for? Honestly, service doesn't really matter to me as much as the quality of the food I am consuming. So I'm willing to make that sacrifice of a couple lost coffee refills for good eats.
My crepe kick started my day of walking around the city, which included a stop my Macy's Kitchen Demo center downtown to catch a cookie decorating presentation by Eleni's NYC. Got to meet her after the demo, which was nice..because hopefully, I'll be working for her when I relocate out there at the end of the summer. But back to the food!
I had to meet Anna around 5:30 so we could go the gym and I was running on no fuel. Thankfully, the cheerleader to my Thompkins was packing a Luna Bar. She might not know this, BUT it was the first Luna I'd ever had. Thanks to that s'mores bar, I'm addicted.
We went back to that open market in Astoria after our workout and also went to Key Foods. I wasn't expecting to find the selection that Key Foods provided! Hard to find Fage greek style yogurt, Better N Eggs substitute, and a great boxed grocery items. We ended up spending about an hour or so in the store...thankfully, Anna has the same grocery store habits that I do. Haha. Back home for me to cook dinner and expose Anna to the glorious world of Shiratki!
I made stirfry with snow peas, onions, broccoli, tofu, and mushrooms. Just a baby step into the Shirataki realm, but it worked! We topped off our homemade Chinese with amazing decaf Chocolate Raspberry Coffee. I'm not sure where she said she acquired it from...but it was insane!
The only other thing breaking from the norm for me that night was Gerber graduates strawberry apple snacks in my yogurt that night. They're the consistency of Alphabits, come in a good variety of flavors...when I got back to Toledo, I snagged the Sweet Potato and the Strawberry Apple. Now I know what you must be thinking...toddler food?! Look, there's no rules against that. I draw the line at the pureed baby food...but everything else is fair game. Case in point: I LOVE Cream of Wheat and rice cereal...and if the baby aisle at the grocery store is the only place I can get it...Gerber me NOW!!!
Friday morning, I decided to take it easy on myself and make my standard yogurt, fruit, and cereal for breakfast. Plus, I wanted to conserve since Anna and I had a dinner reservation at L'Ecole that night. Went back to Macy's for a lesson tempering and decorating with chocolate by the Master Chocolatier Thierry Muret and we got samples of the new products they are launching in honor of the 80th year of Godiva. Midnight Bliss, White Chocolate filled with a white ganache, and Milk Chocolate filled with Almond Praline. Saved those for later, grabbed a Luna Bar (I told you, I'm officially addicted) and some baby carrots and went to the FCI for my tour and class audit.
The school was everything I dreamed it would be. Over 15 amazing kitchens...4+ floors...a beautiful Culinary Theater where demos and guest speakers are held...being there was surreal...and I got the same feeling that I did when I first visited Bowling Green. Its just the right place for me to be. More of the mushy school spirit to come in my other blog. This one is all about the FOOD! When the tour was over, I was given a chef's coat to wear and took my seat in the corner of the Pastry I kitchen to observe students in action. They were making Lemon Chiffon cakes, buttercream frosting, and lemon curd filling. Once they had all their mis-en-place...it was a whirlwind of activity from there on out. Only stopping a couple times to get instruction from Chef Rebecca and Chef Kir. When I was sitting and watching, Alain Sailhac (Master Chef and Dean Emeritus of the FCI) just walked in and started chatting with me. I think I had a heart attack. Before he left, he made sure that I knew they used alot of butter at the school. The class was fast paced, but the instructors were good about letting the students really do things on their own. If they needed help, they were more than willing...but very hands off for the most part. That's one of the many things I loved to hear when learning about the school. Chef's aren't there to dictate. They offer guidance and instruction and end up becoming more like mentors than simply teachers. They really seem to develop personal relationships with the students that can be continued outside the classroom. The class was very systematic. Finish one project to the right point, clean up...start the next assignment...clean up...tie up loose ends...clean up. Everyone helped each other, especially the students that seemed to be progressing at a faster rate than others.
Reluctantly, I left the classroom around 8 to make my way back up to L'Ecole, the student run restaurant of the FCI for our dinner reservations. Anna was a bit late, due to an incident involving throw up on the subway, so we got started on the 5-course Prix Fixe meal around 8:40ish...Our attentive waiter was kind enough to explain the options for us that evening, as well as give us the vegetarian options, considering neither of us eat poultry, pork, or red meat.
FYI, all these courses were generously portioned for a 5 phase meal. Extremely great value for the price the dinner normally costed.
For our appetizer, we both smartly selected the Salmon Tartare over Cauliflower Salad. It came plated as a perfect circle, Tartate on top of the salad, which had a bruschetta feel to it, just with the addition of marinated cauliflower. Quite savory(thanks to the capers), and thankfully, not oily at all. Sometimes I worry with a salad that it might be runny with dressings, but not this time. Fantastic way to start things off.
Second course was the fish course. Since we were going to be splitting everything from there on out, we chose the Poached Sole Fillet in a Lemongrass Broth and the Fillet of Cod in a Tomato Sauce. (I really should have been smarter and wrote down the real names) The first thing we both noticed was how tender the fish was. In our experiences, properly cooked fish should flake off...but every time I've cooked it, there seems to be a bit of dryness in the dish. Not this time. Poaching the fillets was the solution to dry fish. Both the cod and sole flaked tenderly and melted in your mouth! The sauces weren't overpowering either...not even the lemongrass broth. And it didn't taste like Sea World! (Those of you who shy away from fish because of the smell know what I'm talking about.) Each was served with a sprinkling of legumes and carrots. Anna's even had teeny potato balls! We were in HEAVEN!!!
Third course was typically the meat course, but we opted for the veggie options. A Puff Pastry filled with mushrooms, spinach, and feta and a Grilled Eggplant Roll, which was filled with rice and veggies. The eggplant had a spicy sauce drizzled over the top of it, and both courses were served with a baby greens mix. The pastry was flaky, rich, and buttery as it dissolved when chewed. Filling was again, savory, but didn't make you reach for your water to wash down the salt. The sauce on the Eggplant roll reminded me of a favorite of mine...Rooster Sauce...and heightened the natural spicy flavor of the eggplant itself. The sushi rice filling cooled things down properly though. I could see us eating a whole tray of those instead of regular sushi rolls anyday! Lets move on.
Just when we thought that the baby greens mix was the salad course, our waiter brough us another plate with mixed greens gently drizzled with oil and vinegar as our 'digestive salad.' By this time, we couldn't even make it through the whole salad, but we were bound and determined to get to dessert and finish it ALL!
Anna ordered Lutèce’s Warm Chocolate Tart with Caramel Ice Cream and I selected the Panna Cotta with Strawberry Rhubarb compote. We also could have chosen Snow Eggs (simple meringues) with Honey and Pistachios. But we went for the gold on this one.
The tart filling seemed flourless...and had a rich, velvety texture, and a hint of orange flavor. Candied orange peel shavings went on top and the creamy homemade caramel ice cream made our eyes pop open and roll with excitement. The Panna Cotta (which essentially means 'cooked cream' and is the only dessert in the custard family that doesn't contain eggs)was more of a neutral vanilla flavor that was heightened with the tart quality of the compote. It was also served with a couple of crisp cookie triangles drizzled with chocolate sauce.
I think when we were done, they should have gotten oompa loompas to roll us to the juicing room. A good strong cup of coffee ended our feast...which left us pleasantly full. An amazing gourmet meal like neither of us had ever experienced before. Normally, this meal is $40...an insane deal for the amount you get and for the quality! I'll be taking those that come to visit me there for sure. We didn't look for it, because we had to get going to the Mercury Lounge for the Enon show, but there's usually fresh baked baguettes in a basket for patrons taking on the way out. The staff was unnervingly attentive to whatever we needed and they cleared our tables and brought new silverware and place settings between every course. I will spend the last 200 hours of my program cooking for this place, and its going to be an honor. They are open for Lunch, 4-course dinner, and 5-course dinner after 8pm. Reservations are suggested.
Saturday, after a good hour of spin class, I made HG's patented Peach & Cottage Cheese Cinnamon Kugel and won my NYC host over again with the brilliance of the Shiratakis! The fresh slightly underripe peaches I used didn't hurt either. We decided to make the whole rest of the day about getting to see places that we noticed earlier in the week, but didn't get a chance to go to. First was Kee's Chocolates. Kee is a 2000 grad of the FCI Pastry program and her unique flavors of truffles were named one of the best in the world. My FCI advisor/tour guide was kind enough to give me a card for a free truffle. So I picked out a Honey-Saffron one, while Anna chose Green Tea. I didn't get a chance to eat it until the next day, but it was immaculate. The honey saffron really didn't hit you until you were just about done chewing. Very sneaky...but I can see why people rave about this tiny broom closet sized shop. Headed over to Jacques Torres' Chocolate Haven from there...to sample chocolate covered cranberries and raisins and purchase their new 'Sunflower Brittle.' Again, the sunflower seed flavor was very subtle until you really got to chewing it. But it was covered in rich dark chocolate...I even broke down and bought a Torres' Chocolate Fork for mixing and tempering. It was so nice outside, we walked down the streets, checking in with Dean and DeLuca, where we bought teeny cranberry walnut and 7 grain rolls to tide us over for the afternoon. We made our way to the Eleni's bakery in the Chelsea Market after that, where I got to see the backrooms, etc. Its actually right next to the Fat Witch Bakery, which is famous for their decandent brownies. Also in the Market, besides the Food Network Offices, is a wine shop, Sarabeth's Bakery, Amy's Breads, a kitchen supply store that had everything you could possibly want OR need, a small grocery store, Italian gourmet shop, a couple other eateries, and a fresh fish market. Everything was so cute! And all the walking made us famished...so we decided to head over to Union Square where we would meet up with Kyle for dinner.
After about an hour or so travel time, which included a couple gourmet food stops, *ahem WHOLE FOODS*, and arrived at Kyle's dinner suggestion: Red Bamboo. I think we were even hungrier after walking through the middle of the NYU campus' street fair, which was laden with Funnel Cake and corndog vendors. Even a Southern Dessert stand with tiny bread puddings and sweet potato pies!
Red Bamboo is a Vegetarian Soul Food restaurant. There's probably no more than 15 tables inside, but always a line out the door to get in. We got there at a perfect time, right before the dinner rush, and were seated about 20 minutes after putting our name in. The thing about this place, is that they serve things like BBQ Chicken and Beef Kabobs, but all the 'meat' is really soy protein that looks and tastes just like what its supposed to be! The selection is HUGE, as are the portions and value. We started with Collard Green rolls with vegan ham. It came with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce. Kyle ordered the Crabcakes with Pineapple Salsa, Anna requested the Mango Shrimp served in a mango shell, and I opted for Salmon Teryaki with steamed veggies on the side. I don't know how they really manage to pull it off, but this was the greatest faux meal I've ever had. The 'salmon' was steaming when they brought it to the table as if it had just been seared on the grill. Kyle got 3 GIGANTIC crabcakes covered in fruit salsa that had an amazing zesty flavor to it. Anna's 'shrimp' were tossed with mango, and tricolored pepper slices. It was clear to me now why people wait for this. THe nice thing about it was the food came fast, which allowed them to move people in and out quickly. There was plenty of Vegan options too and they also do carry out. I have a feeling this will be a regular stop for me when I move out to the city. What a phenomenal last supper of my vacation.
We stopped for a treat back at Whole Foods (Gelato and a parfait) before going to the movie theater, which was right across from Max Brenner's Chocolates. I was less than impressed with the staff there...possibly because it was crowded, but the atmosphere was really cozy.
Later on that night, Anna and I tried a Wasabi sugar cookie one of her co-workers had brought back from Japan. Take it from me, they would be better tea cake sized. Some things just take more getting used to...
Its taken me over a week and a half, but that's my abridged version of eating my way through New York over 4 days. The thing that impressed me the most, or excited me the most, was the price of things. Not exorbitant at all. Even if you go to the grocery store...everything is very similarly priced to what you would find here in Toledo. That makes me more comfortable about budgeting for my big move.
That's right kids...as of 5:30 this past Tuesday, I am officially a student at the French Culinary Institute. My Classic Pastry Arts Program runs from August 14, 2007 to May 28, 2008. I will be relocating to NYC where I can fill you guys in on EVERYTHING that goes on on an more regular basis.
The freshness of ingredients in the city is immaculate too. It has to be. Otherwise, no one will come into your restaurant or buy items from your store. Thanks Zagats.
If you have any questions or comments on what I've posted here...just ask. Chances are, I did forget something. And I did leave some of the fun fluff out of this entry, just to save some time. This was possibly the best eye opening vacation of my life and I look forward to sharing my trials and tribulation at Pastry School with you all very soon.
More to come later this week on the Baby shower cake I made when I got back to Toledo. Tonight El Zarape round two...maybe Mr Freeze.
my hands hurt. LOL
ms j
First of all, I'd like to thank my NYC roomie for the week and partner in foodie crime and eventually the Sweet Cuppin' Cakes company, Anna. Having someone along for this culinary ride is always a joy. Plus she's wonderful company!
So the first day I arrived here, we decided to check out a place recommended by Rachael Ray on 'Tasty Travels.' Good Enough to Eat offers breakfast till 4pm, along with lunch, dinner, and 'inbetween' meals. Such a cute cottage-y interior and the whole place smelled like sugar and cinnamon. After taking a while to decide what we were going to order...I settled on the homemade granola with low fat yogurt and fresh fruit. Anna chose the smoked salmon sandwich on whole wheat toast with cucumbers, goat cheese, tomatoes, and watercress. The granola was sweet, but not too sweet...and toasty like it just came out of the oven topped with fresh strawberries and banana. The yogurt was unflavored, nicely chilled, and it perfectly complimented the belly-warming quality of the granola and the sweet tooth satisfying fruit. What I really loved about it is that it wasn't sugar laden. Often, you find granola and you can't really taste the actual components other than the sugar. You may even find clumps of it passed off as a real part of the cereal. But this had a beautiful oaty, nutty, and cinnamon flavor. My only complaint, haha, was that we didn't get some to take home with us! Of course, I had to try the smoked salmon too. A great crisp to the whole wheat bread and there was just the right amount of goat cheese for a creamy flavor. Paired with the cool watercress, cukes, and tomato...a brunch sandwich to eat anytime! The wait staff was casually attentive, refilling coffee when needed, but giving patrons a nice amount of space (in a small restaurant) for personal conversation. A+. Next time, I'm going the Irish Oatmeal route...perhaps pancakes...
Hopped on the N train from there to Canal Street to find the French Culinary Institute HQ so I wouldn't get lost going there for my tour on Friday. We stroleld along the Broadway/Grand Ave area popping into little shops every now and again. A small bi-level Asian foods store caught our eye right away. Virtually any product you could want/need for an Asian feast was inside, including reasonably priced fresh produce and pre-made sushi and even take home Omirice! A huge selection of yam noodles..and the elusive Shiritaki Noodles in both the spaghetti and fettucini shape! So, we picked up a couple packs of each, as well as some broiled tofu, and wakame salad in preparation to cook at 'home' Thursday night.
As the day went on, our hectic schedule only allowed for a couple Nature Valley PB granola bars until around 11pm, we were finally able to find a spot for dinner. In exploring the area surrounding the apartment, we were considering just heading into Key Foods to pick up some groceries for that night and for the rest of my visit, until we saw Pinocchio's Parlour on 30th Ave. Glanced and the menu outside and saw large sized Horatiki salad and we were sold. Cute atmosphere, LOTS of 'extended family' of the place in when we sat down. Flatbread straight out of the oven was brought to our table and we ordered a couple big salads to get our veggies in. Everything was fresh and filled us up properly. No artichokes on my Horatiki though...slightly disappointing...as was the fact that there was lettuce in it. Traditionally, there's none. BUT at that point in the night, it was satisfying and light enough to eat before heading to bed. Our waiter was eating on the job...but it didn't bother me like it normally would because of the time of night and nature of the patrons in the place. He did take his sweet time bringing us the check though...
After we paid, we stepped outside and were shocked to see a corner produce market open. Therefore, we browsed through and picked up some fruit...PEACHES!!! of all things...were plentiful, surprisingly. But these would be used for breakfast on Saturday.
Thursday morning, Anna went off to work and after my workout, I was left to scrounge up breakfast for myself. She suggested a place right up the street from her apartment, Euro Cafe, which serves a GIANT selection of sweet and savory crepes, omlets, and brunch-y type foods all day long. Plus, they have really great coffee. So I set out in that direction when I was ready for the day. Not really knowing when the next time I was going to eat was, I searched for a hearty breakfast crepe to set me up for the rest of the day. I passed by the spinach and southwestern ones, and my eyes stopped at the 'To Your Health' crepe. A whole wheat crepe (who knew?!) with plain yogurt, walnuts, honey, fresh bananas and strawberries. Now I'm not sure how 'healthy' it really was...but it was delicious! Thankfully, there was more of the fruit inside than the other components...but it was dinner plate sized and hit the spot. Service was slow, but maybe that's the vibe they were going for? Honestly, service doesn't really matter to me as much as the quality of the food I am consuming. So I'm willing to make that sacrifice of a couple lost coffee refills for good eats.
My crepe kick started my day of walking around the city, which included a stop my Macy's Kitchen Demo center downtown to catch a cookie decorating presentation by Eleni's NYC. Got to meet her after the demo, which was nice..because hopefully, I'll be working for her when I relocate out there at the end of the summer. But back to the food!
I had to meet Anna around 5:30 so we could go the gym and I was running on no fuel. Thankfully, the cheerleader to my Thompkins was packing a Luna Bar. She might not know this, BUT it was the first Luna I'd ever had. Thanks to that s'mores bar, I'm addicted.
We went back to that open market in Astoria after our workout and also went to Key Foods. I wasn't expecting to find the selection that Key Foods provided! Hard to find Fage greek style yogurt, Better N Eggs substitute, and a great boxed grocery items. We ended up spending about an hour or so in the store...thankfully, Anna has the same grocery store habits that I do. Haha. Back home for me to cook dinner and expose Anna to the glorious world of Shiratki!
I made stirfry with snow peas, onions, broccoli, tofu, and mushrooms. Just a baby step into the Shirataki realm, but it worked! We topped off our homemade Chinese with amazing decaf Chocolate Raspberry Coffee. I'm not sure where she said she acquired it from...but it was insane!
The only other thing breaking from the norm for me that night was Gerber graduates strawberry apple snacks in my yogurt that night. They're the consistency of Alphabits, come in a good variety of flavors...when I got back to Toledo, I snagged the Sweet Potato and the Strawberry Apple. Now I know what you must be thinking...toddler food?! Look, there's no rules against that. I draw the line at the pureed baby food...but everything else is fair game. Case in point: I LOVE Cream of Wheat and rice cereal...and if the baby aisle at the grocery store is the only place I can get it...Gerber me NOW!!!
Friday morning, I decided to take it easy on myself and make my standard yogurt, fruit, and cereal for breakfast. Plus, I wanted to conserve since Anna and I had a dinner reservation at L'Ecole that night. Went back to Macy's for a lesson tempering and decorating with chocolate by the Master Chocolatier Thierry Muret and we got samples of the new products they are launching in honor of the 80th year of Godiva. Midnight Bliss, White Chocolate filled with a white ganache, and Milk Chocolate filled with Almond Praline. Saved those for later, grabbed a Luna Bar (I told you, I'm officially addicted) and some baby carrots and went to the FCI for my tour and class audit.
The school was everything I dreamed it would be. Over 15 amazing kitchens...4+ floors...a beautiful Culinary Theater where demos and guest speakers are held...being there was surreal...and I got the same feeling that I did when I first visited Bowling Green. Its just the right place for me to be. More of the mushy school spirit to come in my other blog. This one is all about the FOOD! When the tour was over, I was given a chef's coat to wear and took my seat in the corner of the Pastry I kitchen to observe students in action. They were making Lemon Chiffon cakes, buttercream frosting, and lemon curd filling. Once they had all their mis-en-place...it was a whirlwind of activity from there on out. Only stopping a couple times to get instruction from Chef Rebecca and Chef Kir. When I was sitting and watching, Alain Sailhac (Master Chef and Dean Emeritus of the FCI) just walked in and started chatting with me. I think I had a heart attack. Before he left, he made sure that I knew they used alot of butter at the school. The class was fast paced, but the instructors were good about letting the students really do things on their own. If they needed help, they were more than willing...but very hands off for the most part. That's one of the many things I loved to hear when learning about the school. Chef's aren't there to dictate. They offer guidance and instruction and end up becoming more like mentors than simply teachers. They really seem to develop personal relationships with the students that can be continued outside the classroom. The class was very systematic. Finish one project to the right point, clean up...start the next assignment...clean up...tie up loose ends...clean up. Everyone helped each other, especially the students that seemed to be progressing at a faster rate than others.
Reluctantly, I left the classroom around 8 to make my way back up to L'Ecole, the student run restaurant of the FCI for our dinner reservations. Anna was a bit late, due to an incident involving throw up on the subway, so we got started on the 5-course Prix Fixe meal around 8:40ish...Our attentive waiter was kind enough to explain the options for us that evening, as well as give us the vegetarian options, considering neither of us eat poultry, pork, or red meat.
FYI, all these courses were generously portioned for a 5 phase meal. Extremely great value for the price the dinner normally costed.
For our appetizer, we both smartly selected the Salmon Tartare over Cauliflower Salad. It came plated as a perfect circle, Tartate on top of the salad, which had a bruschetta feel to it, just with the addition of marinated cauliflower. Quite savory(thanks to the capers), and thankfully, not oily at all. Sometimes I worry with a salad that it might be runny with dressings, but not this time. Fantastic way to start things off.
Second course was the fish course. Since we were going to be splitting everything from there on out, we chose the Poached Sole Fillet in a Lemongrass Broth and the Fillet of Cod in a Tomato Sauce. (I really should have been smarter and wrote down the real names) The first thing we both noticed was how tender the fish was. In our experiences, properly cooked fish should flake off...but every time I've cooked it, there seems to be a bit of dryness in the dish. Not this time. Poaching the fillets was the solution to dry fish. Both the cod and sole flaked tenderly and melted in your mouth! The sauces weren't overpowering either...not even the lemongrass broth. And it didn't taste like Sea World! (Those of you who shy away from fish because of the smell know what I'm talking about.) Each was served with a sprinkling of legumes and carrots. Anna's even had teeny potato balls! We were in HEAVEN!!!
Third course was typically the meat course, but we opted for the veggie options. A Puff Pastry filled with mushrooms, spinach, and feta and a Grilled Eggplant Roll, which was filled with rice and veggies. The eggplant had a spicy sauce drizzled over the top of it, and both courses were served with a baby greens mix. The pastry was flaky, rich, and buttery as it dissolved when chewed. Filling was again, savory, but didn't make you reach for your water to wash down the salt. The sauce on the Eggplant roll reminded me of a favorite of mine...Rooster Sauce...and heightened the natural spicy flavor of the eggplant itself. The sushi rice filling cooled things down properly though. I could see us eating a whole tray of those instead of regular sushi rolls anyday! Lets move on.
Just when we thought that the baby greens mix was the salad course, our waiter brough us another plate with mixed greens gently drizzled with oil and vinegar as our 'digestive salad.' By this time, we couldn't even make it through the whole salad, but we were bound and determined to get to dessert and finish it ALL!
Anna ordered Lutèce’s Warm Chocolate Tart with Caramel Ice Cream and I selected the Panna Cotta with Strawberry Rhubarb compote. We also could have chosen Snow Eggs (simple meringues) with Honey and Pistachios. But we went for the gold on this one.
The tart filling seemed flourless...and had a rich, velvety texture, and a hint of orange flavor. Candied orange peel shavings went on top and the creamy homemade caramel ice cream made our eyes pop open and roll with excitement. The Panna Cotta (which essentially means 'cooked cream' and is the only dessert in the custard family that doesn't contain eggs)was more of a neutral vanilla flavor that was heightened with the tart quality of the compote. It was also served with a couple of crisp cookie triangles drizzled with chocolate sauce.
I think when we were done, they should have gotten oompa loompas to roll us to the juicing room. A good strong cup of coffee ended our feast...which left us pleasantly full. An amazing gourmet meal like neither of us had ever experienced before. Normally, this meal is $40...an insane deal for the amount you get and for the quality! I'll be taking those that come to visit me there for sure. We didn't look for it, because we had to get going to the Mercury Lounge for the Enon show, but there's usually fresh baked baguettes in a basket for patrons taking on the way out. The staff was unnervingly attentive to whatever we needed and they cleared our tables and brought new silverware and place settings between every course. I will spend the last 200 hours of my program cooking for this place, and its going to be an honor. They are open for Lunch, 4-course dinner, and 5-course dinner after 8pm. Reservations are suggested.
Saturday, after a good hour of spin class, I made HG's patented Peach & Cottage Cheese Cinnamon Kugel and won my NYC host over again with the brilliance of the Shiratakis! The fresh slightly underripe peaches I used didn't hurt either. We decided to make the whole rest of the day about getting to see places that we noticed earlier in the week, but didn't get a chance to go to. First was Kee's Chocolates. Kee is a 2000 grad of the FCI Pastry program and her unique flavors of truffles were named one of the best in the world. My FCI advisor/tour guide was kind enough to give me a card for a free truffle. So I picked out a Honey-Saffron one, while Anna chose Green Tea. I didn't get a chance to eat it until the next day, but it was immaculate. The honey saffron really didn't hit you until you were just about done chewing. Very sneaky...but I can see why people rave about this tiny broom closet sized shop. Headed over to Jacques Torres' Chocolate Haven from there...to sample chocolate covered cranberries and raisins and purchase their new 'Sunflower Brittle.' Again, the sunflower seed flavor was very subtle until you really got to chewing it. But it was covered in rich dark chocolate...I even broke down and bought a Torres' Chocolate Fork for mixing and tempering. It was so nice outside, we walked down the streets, checking in with Dean and DeLuca, where we bought teeny cranberry walnut and 7 grain rolls to tide us over for the afternoon. We made our way to the Eleni's bakery in the Chelsea Market after that, where I got to see the backrooms, etc. Its actually right next to the Fat Witch Bakery, which is famous for their decandent brownies. Also in the Market, besides the Food Network Offices, is a wine shop, Sarabeth's Bakery, Amy's Breads, a kitchen supply store that had everything you could possibly want OR need, a small grocery store, Italian gourmet shop, a couple other eateries, and a fresh fish market. Everything was so cute! And all the walking made us famished...so we decided to head over to Union Square where we would meet up with Kyle for dinner.
After about an hour or so travel time, which included a couple gourmet food stops, *ahem WHOLE FOODS*, and arrived at Kyle's dinner suggestion: Red Bamboo. I think we were even hungrier after walking through the middle of the NYU campus' street fair, which was laden with Funnel Cake and corndog vendors. Even a Southern Dessert stand with tiny bread puddings and sweet potato pies!
Red Bamboo is a Vegetarian Soul Food restaurant. There's probably no more than 15 tables inside, but always a line out the door to get in. We got there at a perfect time, right before the dinner rush, and were seated about 20 minutes after putting our name in. The thing about this place, is that they serve things like BBQ Chicken and Beef Kabobs, but all the 'meat' is really soy protein that looks and tastes just like what its supposed to be! The selection is HUGE, as are the portions and value. We started with Collard Green rolls with vegan ham. It came with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce. Kyle ordered the Crabcakes with Pineapple Salsa, Anna requested the Mango Shrimp served in a mango shell, and I opted for Salmon Teryaki with steamed veggies on the side. I don't know how they really manage to pull it off, but this was the greatest faux meal I've ever had. The 'salmon' was steaming when they brought it to the table as if it had just been seared on the grill. Kyle got 3 GIGANTIC crabcakes covered in fruit salsa that had an amazing zesty flavor to it. Anna's 'shrimp' were tossed with mango, and tricolored pepper slices. It was clear to me now why people wait for this. THe nice thing about it was the food came fast, which allowed them to move people in and out quickly. There was plenty of Vegan options too and they also do carry out. I have a feeling this will be a regular stop for me when I move out to the city. What a phenomenal last supper of my vacation.
We stopped for a treat back at Whole Foods (Gelato and a parfait) before going to the movie theater, which was right across from Max Brenner's Chocolates. I was less than impressed with the staff there...possibly because it was crowded, but the atmosphere was really cozy.
Later on that night, Anna and I tried a Wasabi sugar cookie one of her co-workers had brought back from Japan. Take it from me, they would be better tea cake sized. Some things just take more getting used to...
Its taken me over a week and a half, but that's my abridged version of eating my way through New York over 4 days. The thing that impressed me the most, or excited me the most, was the price of things. Not exorbitant at all. Even if you go to the grocery store...everything is very similarly priced to what you would find here in Toledo. That makes me more comfortable about budgeting for my big move.
That's right kids...as of 5:30 this past Tuesday, I am officially a student at the French Culinary Institute. My Classic Pastry Arts Program runs from August 14, 2007 to May 28, 2008. I will be relocating to NYC where I can fill you guys in on EVERYTHING that goes on on an more regular basis.
The freshness of ingredients in the city is immaculate too. It has to be. Otherwise, no one will come into your restaurant or buy items from your store. Thanks Zagats.
If you have any questions or comments on what I've posted here...just ask. Chances are, I did forget something. And I did leave some of the fun fluff out of this entry, just to save some time. This was possibly the best eye opening vacation of my life and I look forward to sharing my trials and tribulation at Pastry School with you all very soon.
More to come later this week on the Baby shower cake I made when I got back to Toledo. Tonight El Zarape round two...maybe Mr Freeze.
my hands hurt. LOL
ms j
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