Open to Grace

Leg Warmers

2011-02-04T22:29:00.000-05:00

I'm going to come out and say it right now - I hate the 80's. I can't think of a single redeeming aspect of the 80's. Wait.... still thinking.... no, definitely nothing. Having said that, I've recently rediscovered the leg warmer. This winter has been especially hard on my feet and legs which tend to get cold easily. For those of us who live in the Northeast, it started snowing the day after Christmas and it's still snowing. The cold weather that has accompanied the snow has not been a picnic either. That's why when I was looking for a new knitting project, leg warmers seemed the appropriate choice.

{knitting}

I used a pattern from Joelle Hoverson's Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. Unlike the leg warmers we recall from the decade that will remain unnamed, these are not hot pink and they are not worn over shiny spandex leggings. I love that they are soft, and the mohair yarn that I added in creates a nice marbled, fuzzy effect. Just looking at them makes me want to make want to put them on and curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and a good book.

{leg warmers}

I'd also like to thank my friend C who lent me her double pointed needles for this project, taught me how to use said double pointed needles, taught me how to knit in a circle and also gave me helpful tips on how to knit properly. I still consider myself a novice knitter so I feel like I could always use some extra help. She and I were just discussing today what our next projects should be. Candidates include an infinity scarf, a blanket and a hat. We'll see what I come up with next!

Bulgogi

2011-02-03T01:46:00.000-05:00

Everyone loves Korean barbecue. Whenever I introduce any of my picky-eater friends to Korean food, I start with barbecue. It's a little sweet, a little salty, not covered in a flaming red sauce, and it's beef. What's not to love? Also, it's surprisingly very easy to make at home. I always keep at least a couple portions of marinated meat in the freezer.

A few years ago, I started seeing jarred Korean barbecue marinade in Asian grocery stores. That stuck me as odd because the marinade is really that easy to do from scratch. Then I started seeing jarred barbecue marinade in regular supermarkets. Although it's gratifying to know that Korean barbecue has become mainstream enough to make an appearance at the average grocer, I'm still perplexed by the concept. All that is needed to make a marinade is soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, sugar and garlic.

{ingredients}

The two most common types of Korean barbecue are bulgogi and kalbi. The marinade for each is essentially the same. The only difference is the cut of beef. Bulgogi is made with thinly sliced pieces of sirloin or any other cut of prime beef. Kalbi is made with beef short ribs thinly cut across the bone. Some kalbi recipes call for extra ingredients to tenderize the meat. For bulgogi, that is not necessary because the beef is so thinly sliced to begin with.

{bulgogi}

Bulgogi can be cooked in a pan on the stove, in the oven, on a grill - the method doesn't matter because it cooks very quickly. Obviously, grilling gives it a nice flavor but most of us city folk don't have outdoor grills. If not used immediately, marinated meat can be frozen for a month or two.

{ready for the freezer}

Bulgogi (serves 3-4)

about 1 1/2 lbs of thinly sliced sirloin, rib-eye or other cut of prime beef
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup sugar
3 medium cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tablespoon pepper

*Mix marinade ingredients.

*Add beef.

*Allow beef to marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator.

*If not using within 24 hours, freeze.

Macaron Workshop at DessertTruck Works

2011-02-02T01:04:00.000-05:00

My birthday was a few weeks ago, and my sister got me one of the best birthday gifts ever - she signed both of us up for a macaron making workshop! I have been wanting to learn to make macarons for a while, and this was the perfect opportunity to learn from some well-trained pastry chefs whose experience includes working at Le Cirque. The class was lead by Susana and Vincent at the DessertTruck Works shop in the Lower East Side. I thought they were very good teachers. They offered lots of hints to help all of us make sure that our macarons came out well.

{susana}

There were twelve of us, and we were split into groups of three. The class started out with each group making a meringue. The DessertTruck recipe uses a Swiss meringue. I didn't even realize there was more than one type of meringue. The one that I have always made and until recently thought was the only type out there is the French meringue (egg whites + sugar + KitchenAid, no heat). Apparently, this is also the least stable of the three types of meringues. The Swiss meringue involves whisking the egg whites and sugar over a double boiler until the sugar is dissolved. This creates a meringue that is less likely to collapse than a French meringue. The Italian meringue involves all sorts of crazy stuff - simple syrup, a candy thermometer, simultaneously whisking eggs and pouring hot simple syrup in a thin stream. If you want go to all that trouble, you will be rewarded with the most stable of all the meringues.

{making a swiss meringue}

Vincent and Susana wanted to show us that it is possible to make macarons at home without the help of a KitchenAid mixer or even a hand held electric mixer. It is definitely doable, but not without a lot of effort. After giving our arms a good workout, we ended up with a pretty good meringue. And as advertised, it held up very well after adding the almond flour and powdered sugar to complete the batter.

{batter}

I'd like to think that I know my limitations when it comes to cooking and baking. For instance, I knew that making the macarons taste good would not be an issue for me. However, making them look good would probably be a completely different story. It turns out I was exactly right. I was horrible at making macarons look pretty.

{sad tray of macarons}

My sister and I both tried piping macarons onto the sheet. The misshapen lumps at the bottom of the tray were my first attempts. The good news is that I got better as I kept doing it. There is definitely some element of muscle memory to this. Watching Susana and Vincent show us their methods of piping batter was interesting. Susana likes to keep the tip perpendicular to the sheet and then finishes off with a little twist that makes the batter fall back on itself instead of forming a little peak. Vincent likes to pipe at a 45 degree angle to the sheet. Somehow, despite having completely different methods, both end up making identically beautiful macarons.

{vincent}

At the end of the class, we couldn't take home our macarons, because they needed to air-dry for two hours before baking. But we were encouraged to come back the next day to pick up our finished products. Once I got home, I studied my notes again (I'm such a nerd) and wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything because I was so excited to try making macarons at home on my own. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to do it in the next few weeks and be able to tell you all about it!

{macaron shells}

DessertTruck Works
6 Clinton Street (between East Houston & Stanton)
New York, NY 10002
212-228-0701

Kalbi Jjim

2011-01-24T00:54:00.002-05:00

My mother's style of cooking is very traditional when it comes to Korean food. She relies on recipes that have been passed down over hundreds of years. This means she has never used Spam in her stews, and she has never used Sprite to tenderize her meat. (I didn't even know Koreans had a mild obsession with Spam until I went to college and was somewhat horrified to find out that it is a widely accepted ingredient for jjigaes and kimchi fried rice. Yes, it tastes fine but it's Spam.)

Despite having learned everything I know about Korean cooking from my mother, I have to tip my hat to modern marvels when appropriate. The use of Sprite as a meat tenderizer is genius. Carbonation helps to break down the muscle proteins and tenderizes the meat. The sugar helps give it a little sweetness too which is appropriate for a dish like kalbi jjim - braised short ribs. When my mother gave me her recipe for kalbi jjim, I decided to modify it by adding one extra step which includes a can of Sprite.

I picked up a couple pounds of bone-in short ribs at my Whole Foods and asked the guy at the meat counter to cut them into 3 inch sections. He was also nice enough to make sure that he gave me the pieces with the least amount of fat. I'm always disappointed when I come home and end up trimming away what feels like a quarter of the weight's worth in fat.

{short rib}

After trimming away the excess fat, I soaked the ribs in water for a few hours to draw out as much blood as possible. Then, going against what my mother taught me, I submerged them overnight in a mixture of Sprite and Asian pear puree.

{braising}

The following day was NFL playoff day so M had no plans to go anywhere further than viewing distance from the TV. Also, it was 15 degrees outside which made it a perfect day to stay in and braising some short ribs.

My favorite part of kalbi jjim is actually the vegetables, not the beef. I got a little overly ambitious and decided to use all of my daikon radish and some extra potatoes. Unfortunately, I cut far too many vegetables and had to spend a lot of time figuring out how to make the lid fit on my pot. The good news is that I was able to make it work. I got my extra vegetables, and the beef came out perfectly.

{kalbi jjim}

Kalbi Jjim (serves 4)

3-4 pounds beef short ribs cut into 3-inch sections
1 Asian pear, pureed
1 can sprite

¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sesame oil
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch chunk of ginger, grated
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs red wine

2 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium potato, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 medium daikon radish, chopped
1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
10 chestnuts, peeled

*Score short ribs by making 2-3 slits across the top of the ribs.

*Submerge ribs in cold water for 2 hours to drain out blood.

*Drain water from short ribs and add Sprite and pear. Add additional water or seltzer until ribs are completely submerged. Refrigerate overnight.

*The next day, soak shiitake mushrooms in warm water for at least 30 minutes.

*Remove ribs from mixture and place into a pot. Fill with water until ribs are just barely covered. Boil for 20 minutes.

*Remove ribs from pot. Reserve about 6 cups of water or more. Clean pot if using again.

*Place ribs and soy sauce marinade into pot. Add reserved water until braising liquid comes no more than halfway up the ribs. Bring to boil.

*Reduce heat and simmer for 90 minutes. Do not open the lid often. Check every 30 minutes to make sure there is still liquid left in the pot. If braising liquid gets too low, add a cup of reserved water or regular water.

*Squeeze excess water from the mushrooms. Add vegetables and more reserved water if needed. Cook for an additional 20 minutes or until sauce is thick and syrupy.

Miami

2011-01-21T00:01:00.005-05:00

M and I traveled down to Miami this past weekend to get away from the frigid weather in New York and to spend time with friends. We saw lots of clear blue water.

{clear blue water}

We saw lots of palm trees.

{palm trees}

We went to Key Biscayne and saw a lighthouse.

{lighthouse}

We saw people moving very slowly and not getting very far in a buggy-type thing on a beach.

{buggy-type thing}

We ate and drank really well at places like Sugarcane, gigi, and Naoe.

{bento box at naoe}

We saw Chef Kevin Cory work his magic right in front of us at Naoe.

{chef kevin cory}

It was so nice to be able to wear open-toed shoes and summery dresses again. I would have been happy to stay in Miami until springtime or at least until temperatures in New York crept back above freezing.

French Onion Soup

2011-01-20T00:41:00.000-05:00

For a very long time, one of my goals was to learn how to make a good French onion soup. If I were to have a culinary bucket list, this would have been number one. The only thing stopping me from taking the plunge was the fact that I had not found a recipe that inspired me. That all changed when one of my very good friends got me Thomas Keller's Bouchon cookbook for Christmas. His recipe for French onion soup looked so simple and authentic and most importantly, so delicious.

{bouchon cookbook}

I was surprised at how amazingly simple the recipe is. It is essentially onions, butter, and beef stock topped with cheese and bread. Granted there are some herbs involved and if you decide to make his beef stock recipe as I did, that introduces a whole new list of ingredients, but on the surface, this is not a fussy recipe. It really speaks to what chefs are talking about when they say that the best foods come from the simplest recipes. On the flip side of that, they also say that the simplest recipes are the hardest to pull off. Yes. After my experience with this soup, I cannot disagree.

Before I was even halfway through making this recipe, I was already commenting to anyone who would listen that this soup had better cure cancer because anything that took 18 hours to make from start to finish had to have mystical powers associated with it. Chef Keller states very explicitly that if you are not planning on using a homemade beef stock for the soup, you are better off using water rather than the boxed/canned stuff. He says the caramelized onions have so much sweetness and a subtle natural flavor that processed beef stock would overpower it. Taking his advice to heart, I decided to make his beef stock which required roasting bones and vegetables and simmering it all for several hours.

{roasted vegetables}

More than six hours later, I had a very fragrant stock. Chef Keller stresses that the stock needs to be strained twice which turned out to be completely necessary. I was surprised to see how much sediment had found it's way into the stock after the first strain.

{second straining}

After letting the stock refrigerate overnight so I could take off the resulting layer of fat, I had three and a half quarts of some of the best beef stock I have ever made. I was also barely halfway to the finish line.

{fat}

On day 2, I tackled the onions. I cut 8 pounds of yellow onions. Eight pounds! At some point I lost count but I am quite sure I was well over 20 onions. As I was cutting, I started to get nervous that I had far too many onions because I had filled my two largest mixing bowls with onions and still had more to go. Thank goodness M had a pair of laboratory goggles left from his mad scientist Halloween costume because there was no way my eyes would have been able to handle cutting all those onions. Amazingly, I had the right amount of onions. What started out as this.....

{onions}

ended up as this.

{onions}

The first picture is a little misleading. There were so many onions that I had to add them in batches. I literally set up a stool in front of my stove and babysat the onions for seven straight hours because I was so afraid of scorching them. Also, I felt so invested in this soup at this point with a 6+ hour beef stock and more onions than I had ever seen in one place at one time. I wanted to make sure that I did not ruin it all by burning the key component.

Once I had the caramelized onions and the stock, I was essentially done. I combined the two and prepared my lion's head tureens for the final presentation.

{finishing touches}

The recipe calls for aged comté and/or aged emmentaler cheese. I used sliced comté to cover the top of the tureens and shredded emmentaler to try to fill the gaps. My biggest problem in the end turned out to have nothing to do with the soup itself. It turns out my tureens are enormous. Although they are personal sized, they hold what seemed like an infinite amount of soup, and the bowl was so wide that I didn't have enough cheese to cover the top which meant that I was not able to get a nice bubbly crust. Of course, no one cared but it still bothered me. Regardless, I was ecstatic over my final product. It was everything I wanted in a french onion soup - not too salty, a little sweet with a rich beefy flavor.

{french onion soup}

French Onion Soup (serves 6, as found in Thomas Keller's Bouchon)

Sachet:
2 bay leaves
12 black peppercorns
6 large thyme sprigs

Soup:
8 lbs yellow onions
8 tbs (4 ounces) unsalted butter
kosher salt
1½ teaspoons all-purpose flour
3½ quarts beef stock (recipe below)
freshly ground black pepper
sherry wine vinegar

Croutons:
1 baguette (about 2 ½ inches in diameter)
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
6 to 12 slices (1/8 inch thick) aged Comte or Emmentaler cheese**
1 ½ cups grated aged Comte or Emmentaler cheese, or a combination
**cheese must be aged or it will not form a crust when broiled

*For the sachet – Cut a piece of cheesecloth about 7 inches square. Place the bay leaves, peppercorns, and thyme in the center, bring up the edges and tie with kitchen twine to for a sachet.

*For the soup – Cut off the tops and bottoms of the onions, then cut the onions lengthwise in half. Remove the peels and tough outer layers. Cut a V wedge in each one to remove the core and pull out any solid, flat pieces of onion running up from the core.

*Lay an onion half cut side down on a cutting board with the root end toward you. Note that there are lines on the outside of the onion. Cutting on the lines (with the grain) rather than against them will help the onions soften. Holding the knife on an angle, almost parallel to the board, cut the onion lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick slices. Once you’ve cut past the center of the onion, the knife angle will become awkward: Flip the onion onto its side, toward the knife, and finish slicing it, again along the grain. Separate the slices of onion, trimming away any root sections that are still attached and holding the slices together. Repeat with the remaining onions. You should have about 7 quarts of onions.

*Melt the butter in a large heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and 1 tablespoon salt. If possible, place a diffuser under the pot, and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes and regulating the heat to keep the mixture bubbling gently, for about 1 hour, or until the onions have wilted and released a lot of liquid. At this point, you can turn up the heat slightly to reduce the liquid, but it is important to continue to cook the onions slowly to develop the maximum flavor and keep them from scorching. Continue to stir the onions every 15 minutes, being sure to scrape the bottom and get into the corners of the pot, for about 4 hours more, or until the onions are caramelized throughout and a rich deep brown. Keep a closer eye on the onions toward the end of the cooking when the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat. (You will need 1 ½ cups of onions for the soup; reserve any extra for another use. The onions can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.)

*Transfer the caramelized onions to a 5-quart pot (if they’ve been refrigerated, reheat until hot). Sift in the flour and cook over medium-heat stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Add the beef stock and sachet, bring to a simmer, and simmer for about 1 hour, or until the liquid is reduced to 2 ½ quarts. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a few drops of vinegar. Remove from heat.

*For the croutons – Preheat the broiler. Cut 12 3/8-inch-thick slices from the baguette and place on a baking sheet. Brush the bread lightly on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place under the broiler and toast the first side until golden brown, then turn and brown the second side. Set aside and leave the broiler on.

*To complete – Return soup to a simmer. Place six flameproof soup tureens, with about 1½ cup capacity on a baking sheet to catch any spills (the soup will bubble up and over the tureens). Add the hot soup to the tureens, filling them to within ½ inch of the tops. Top each serving with 2 croutons: Lay them on the surface – do not push them into the soup. Lay the slices of cheese over the croutons so that the cheese overlaps the edge of the tureens by about ½ inch. Scatter the grated cheese over the sliced cheese, filling in areas where the sliced cheese is thinner, or it may melt into the soup rather than forming a crust.

*Place the tureens under the broiler for a few minutes, until the cheese bubbles, browns, and forms a thick crust. Serve immediately.

Beef Stock (yields approx. 3½ quarts, as found in Thomas Keller's Bouchon)

About 2 tbs canola oil
5 pounds meaty beef bones (neck, shank or shin, tail or short ribs – cut into 2-3 inch sections)
2 small Spanish onions, peeled (about 8 ounces)
½ tsp kosher salt
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 4 pieces (about 3 ounces)
1 large leek, roots trimmed, split lengthwise, rinsed well, and cut into 2-inch pieces, or leek tops (about 3 ounces)
3 bay leaf
1 thyme sprig
1 large sprig fresh Italian parsley
¼ tsp black peppercorns
1 head garlic, cut horizontally in half

*Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place a large roasting pan in the oven to preheat for about 10 minutes.

*Add 1 tbs of the oil to the hot roasting pan and distribute the beef bones in a single layer. Roast the bones for about 45 minutes, or until richly browned, turning each piece only after it is well browned on the bottom side.

*Meanwhile, cut the 1 onion crosswise in half. Heat a small heavy skillet over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes. Place 1 onion half cut side down to one side of the skillet so that it is not over direct heat and let it brown and char black, about 30 minutes. This will add color to the stock. Set aside.

*Remove the roasting pan of bones from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Transfer the bones to a large colander set over a baking sheet to drain.

*Drain the fat from the roasting pan and discard. Add about 1 cup water to the pan, place over medium heat, and use a metal spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan and release the pan juices. Let them simmer until reduced by half. Add the resulting fond to a large deep stockpot.

*Transfer the bones to the stockpot and add about 5 quarts cold water – just enough to cover the bones. Any fat present in the juices will rise to the top when cold water is added; use a skimmer to remove and discard the fat. Add the charred onion half and the salt. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, skimming as impurities rise to the top of the stockpot. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, skim often for 5 hours. If the level of liquid falls below the top of the bones, add additional water.

*Meanwhile, cut the remaining whole onion into quarters and cut the remaining onion half in half again. Place the onions, carrots and leeks in a roasting pan that will hold them in a single layer, toss with the remaining 1 tbs canola oil, and place in the oven to roast for 20 minutes.

*Remove from the oven and stir, then roast again for an additional 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are richly caramelized. Set aside.

*After the stock has simmered for 5 hours, add the caramelized vegetables, herbs, peppercorns, garlic and simmer for 1 hour longer. Turn off the heat and allow the stock to rest for 10 minutes.

*Prepare an ice bath. Place a strainer over a large bowl. Removing the bones or pouring out the liquid through the bones will cloud the stock. Instead, carefully ladle the stock out of the pot and pass it through the strainer, tilting the pot as necessary to get all the stock. Strain a second time through a chinois or fine-mesh strainer lined with dampened cheesecloth.

*Measure the stock: if you have more than 3½ quarts, pour it into a sauce pan and reduce to 3½ quarts. Strain the stock into a container and cool in the ice bath stirring occasionally.

Holidays 2010

2011-01-10T00:56:00.001-05:00

The holidays were a hectic time for us this year. Here is a quick look at some of the things that kept us so busy.

We welcomed the cold weather by having a big Chinese hot pot dinner. This is easily enough food for four but it was only for me and M. Sometimes I have difficulty with gauging portion sizes.

{chinese hot pot ingredients}

At my parents' house, my sister made a fantastic pecan cake with a lemon cream cheese frosting to go with Christmas dinner. She made a careful recipe selection based on the whims of all our family members - she doesn't like overly sweet desserts; M and my dad don't like chocolate; I don't believe in warm fruit. This fit the bill perfectly. Even more impressive is that fact that she says she does not consider herself a baker. I think she could give any New York bakery a run for its money with this cake.

{pecan cake}

Pasha was a constant presence in the kitchen. Note my parents' shiny new refrigerator in the background. It only took three delivery attempts, four burly men and a bag of rock salt to get it into their house.

{pasha}

M and I decorated a small tree in our apartment. We always opt for a potted tree for the holidays. Then we give it to the Central Park Conservancy so that it can be planted and live a long, happy life.

{small christmas tree}

My sister and I took it upon ourselves to set up a tree in my parents' house shortly after Thanksgiving. We chose a shorter tree than usual because we thought it would be easier to take down after the holidays. Maybe it's because she and I are used to having a taller tree when we were growing up, but the shortness of the tree became a running joke between us. It really looks like it should be a at least a foot taller to me. Also, we accidentally broke my mom's beautiful tree topper last year and have yet to find a suitable replacement. At least we have 12 months to find one.

{another small christmas tree}

And finally M and I rang in the New Year with a bottle of bubbly. Happy New Year everyone!

{champagne}

Seafood Boil

2010-09-15T00:01:00.000-04:00

M and I rented a house in Maine with some friends this summer to enjoy all that Maine had to offer. The house was on a lake so they fished everyday while I sat by the water with my book. We reveled in the peace and serenity of being in the woods and away from the city. We also made sure we had plenty of lobster.

M had found a few articles online about how to make a southern seafood boil using crawfish. There's no reason why the same couldn't be done with lobster so we decided to give it a try. The results were fantastic!

{seafood boil}

I have never made lobster at home because the thought of putting live lobster into a boiling pot of water has always made me queasy. Thankfully, M and our friends took care of that part for me. They even made sure I was safely outside so that I didn't have to see or hear the process. The beauty of seafood boils is that you can really add anything you want. We used potatoes, corn, kielbasa, clams and lobster. I think ingredients such as chorizo, mussels, and shrimp would work great too.

{lobster}

Seafood Boil (serves 4)

1/3 cup Old Bay Seasoning
1 bottle beer
1 pound new potatoes, scrubbed
4 ears fresh corn, broken in half, husks and silks removed
3 lemons, 1 cut in half and 2 sliced
1 medium onion, cut in half
small handful of garlic cloves
16 ounces cooked kielbasa sausage, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
4 lobsters
1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 dozen steamer clams
any other seafood on hand – mussels, crabs, etc

*Bring a lobster pot filled with water and Old Bay over an outdoor cooker or medium-high heat indoors to a boil.

*Add the onions, lemons, garlic, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

*Add the potatoes and kielbasa, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

*Add the corn cook for another 5 minutes.

*Add the lobster/shrimp/clams, bring back to a boil and cook for 5 minutes

*If using mussels, add last when everything else is almost done and cook for another 3 minutes or until opened. Turn off the heat and let it sit for a 5 minutes.

*Scoop everything out with a large paddle type ladle.

Composers in Prague and Vienna

2010-09-14T00:05:00.000-04:00

Confession: I am a huge classical music nerd. I played the violin for years, and music has a very special place in my heart. Needless to say, I was beyond excited for our trip to Prague and especially Vienna because both cities are steeped in musical history. For hundreds of years, central Europe was the epicenter of classical music. Many famous composers were Austrian, and those who weren't often came to live in Vienna and Prague for extended periods of time. I took the opportunity of being in Prague and Vienna to pay my respects to as many composers as I could.

We stopped by the Vysehrad Cemetery in Prague so I could pay my respects to the great Czech composers Antonin Dvorak and Bedrich Smetana.

{dvorak}

{smetana}

In Vienna, we made a trip to the Zentralfriedhof where some of music's greatest composers are buried. The official monument to Mozart is here as well but not his remains since he was buried in a mass grave after his death.

{beethoven}

{schubert}

{strauss the younger}

{brahms}

{strauss the elder}

{mozart's monument}

{clockwise from top left: schönberg, ligeti, gluck, von suppé}

Throughout both cities, there were countless plaques and inscriptions indicating sites where famous composers had once lived.

{beethoven in prague}

{schumann in vienna}

{chopin in vienna}

{vivaldi in vienna}

We also visited sites such as the Estates Theater in Prague where Mozart conducted the world premiere of Don Giovanni and the Alte Aula in Vienna where Beethoven first conducted his 7th Symphony. Like I said, I'm a big nerd for stuff like this. I could make an entire picture album of all the references to famous composers and musicians across both cities.

Garlic Scape Pesto

2010-09-13T00:01:00.001-04:00

I am a little behind on my posts since this one is about garlic scapes, and garlic scape season was months ago. I didn't even know what a garlic scape was until this past spring. I was walking through the Union Square farmers market when I saw them. They were long and curly and honestly, a bit odd looking. I didn't buy any just then, but I did go home and research what they were and how to use them so I could be prepared when I next encountered them. I ultimately bought a handful and used them on nearly everything for a week - eggs, salads, pastas. The best use of them, I found, is in pesto. They have all the flavor of garlic but I find it doesn't have the bitter aftertaste that you can sometimes get with garlic.

{ingredients}

Just like any other pesto, garlic scape pesto freezes beautifully so it's possible to enjoy garlic scapes even when they're out of season. I've used my pesto as a spread for bruschetta, on burgers and of course, with pasta.

{garlic scape pesto}

Garlic Scape Pesto

About 8 coarsely chopped garlic scapes

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup almonds

1 lemon, juiced and zested

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

black pepper

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese

*Toast the pine nuts and almonds in a dry pan over very low heat until they just start to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

*Combine the scapes, nuts, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until fairly well combined.

*Pour in the olive oil slowly while the motor is running. When emulsified, remove and stir in the grated cheese.

Vienna

2010-09-12T00:01:00.002-04:00

After five great days in Prague, we took a four hour train ride to Vienna - the city of Mozart, Sachertorte, Wienerschnitzel. I was excited to see the art and architecture and the remnants of the Hapsburg empire. Evidence of the Baroque era is in many of the buildings including the Kunsthistoriches Museum and Schönbrunn Palace.

{academy of sciences building}

{hofburg palace}

{schönbrunn palace}

As beautiful as the exteriors are, the interiors of these buildings are even more impressive. Many of them took my breath away. M was especially impressed with the insanely ornate interior of the Jesuitenkirche.

{interior of the jesuitenkirche}

{interior of the kunsthistorisches museum}

{interior of the austrian national library}

Vienna is famous for its cafes and dessert shops. I tried to make a resolution to eat a Viennese dessert every meal, but it turns out that was too much sugar even for me. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy tasty desserts whenever my stomach could handle it. On the top of my list was the famous Sachertorte from Café Sacher. It's made with two layers of chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam.

{sachertorte}

There are so many things to see in Vienna. Some of my favorites include seeing the Lipizzaner horses at the Spanish Riding School and exploring the Naschmarkt. I was afraid we didn't have enough time to see it all. In the end, we still had a couple things on our list that we weren't able to get to but that's just another reason to go back soon!

{schönbrunn palace}

{flea market at naschmarkt}

{gold centerpiece}

{opening night at the vienna opera house}

Prague

2010-09-11T00:35:00.000-04:00

M and I just got back from a 10 day trip to Prague and Vienna where we got our fill of music, culture and really good food. In Prague, we walked along the Vltava River, explored Prague Castle, drank Czech beer, and learned all about Prague's colorful history. We even did a segway tour! Prague struck me as a very beautiful old city. The abundance of Gothic architecture speaks to the fact that Prague saw its heyday come and go much sooner than most major European cities.

{st. vitus cathedral}

Czech food seems like a mix of southern German and eastern European cuisine - lots of meats, especially wurst, and heavy soups like goulash. We found the best schweinhaxe (pork knuckle which honestly looked more like a pork leg) near our hotel. I was so hungry and ready to dig in when it came that I forgot to take a picture of it at first. It was very tender and juicy. After a few days though, I did find myself craving some fresh vegetables. The good thing is that we had lots of Czech beer to wash down the copious amounts of meat.

{schweinhaxe}

{czech beer}

We also found that Czech modern art veers towards the unconventional.

{czech modern art}

Prague is definitely a picturesque city. There was no shortage of things to photograph.

{devil's stream and kampa island}

{powder tower}

{view of prague}

{astronomical clock}

{charles bridge at night}

{streets of prague}

After 5 great days in Prague, we took the train to Vienna for our fill of music and desserts!

MegaBus Adventure

2010-08-09T23:18:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, M and I boarded a MegaBus to go to Boston. Nine hours later, we got out of my friend's car having finally made it to our destination.

A brief synopsis of what happened in between:
- Traffic.
- Bus slows to a crawl in the breakdown lane covering 2 miles in 30 minutes.
- Driver stops the bus and reports the engine is overheating. Uses words like "explode" and "fire."
- All the passengers are standing on the side of I-84 in the middle of nowhere CT. (Having grown up in CT, I know for a fact that we were nowhere.)
- Someone decides to hitchhike and starts walking down the highway sticking his thumb out. Amazingly, someone picks him up.
- Mechanic tells us the engine belt is broken and goes back to his shop to see if he has a spare.
- A CT state trooper stops to tell the college-aged Asian tourists to stop taking pictures in the middle of the breakdown lane and stay up in the grass where it's safe.
- A good samaritan pulls over and passes out gallon jugs of water and Solo cups. Several of us jaded New Yorkers silently wonder if he's done something to the water.
- Mechanic says he has no spare parts. Driver finally decides to call for another bus (3 hours after we first stopped).
- Our friend drives 90 minutes down from Boston to come rescue me and M.

The good news is that after I made a big fuss over our ordeal, MegaBus refunded our tickets. Nevertheless, in the future, we may stick with renting a car for trips such as this.

{megabus}

Frontera Grill

2010-08-08T02:25:00.006-04:00

Ever since I watched the first season of Top Chef Masters, it has been my dream to go to Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill in Chicago. First of all, Chef Bayless seems like such a genuinely nice man, and I'm all for supporting the good guy. Most importantly, however, his food always looked so good, and the critics always had such positive things to say about his food. So when M and I found ourselves in Chicago recently for a friend's wedding, I made sure we had time set aside for Frontera Grill.

{frontera grill}

I'm not much of a drinker, but I had heard that the margaritas were excellent so M ordered the gold margarita. According to Rick Bayless' website, it's a mix of Sauza gold and Cazadores blanco tequilas with a bit of orange liqueur and lime juice shaken together and poured into a glass rimmed with salt. You won't see many of those big glasses of slushy margaritas here. I didn't dare take a sip of it (I could smell the tequila from across the table), but M said it was excellent.

{gold margarita}

We ordered a ceviche trio as an appetizer. The first was a squid ceviche with a touch of orange. The second, my favorite, was a delicious white fish (the name of which I have woefully forgotten already) with a touch of lime and cilantro. The third, M's favorite, was a tuna ceviche with mango. All of them were perfectly seasoned and refreshing, and I definitely would have asked for more had I not had catfish tacos coming!

{ceviche trio}

Catfish tacos! M ordered the pork tacos which he loved. Both were amazingly flavorful. It was a fabulous meal which completely lived up to my expectations. I can't wait to go back!

{catfish tacos}

{pork tacos}

Meyer Lemonade

2010-06-07T21:31:00.000-04:00

Meyer lemon season has long past us, but while at its peak, I took advantage by buying as many Meyer lemons as I could get my hands on. Meyer lemons look and taste like a cross between a lemon and a tangerine which makes them a perfect candidate for a refreshing drink.

{meyer lemons}

This was my first time juicing a Meyer lemon, and I was surprised to find that the skin is much more thin and pliable than a regular lemon. Since I don't own a fancy juicer, this made juicing an easier process for me.

{juicing}

I made Meyer lemonade by adapting my standard lemonade recipe. I use 6 lemons per 1 cup of simple syrup which usually turns out to be about a 1.5 to 1 ratio of juice to syrup. I don't stress too much about the math because if it turns out to be too sweet, I can always add more water.

{meyer lemonade}

It's a shame the season for Meyer lemons is so short because Meyer lemonade would be the perfect accompaniment to a summer barbecue.

{meyer lemons}

Meyer Lemonade

6 Meyer lemons
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

*Make simple syrup by boiling sugar and water. Set aside to cool completely.

*Juice lemons.

*Combine lemon juice and simple syrup to make a concentrate.

*Make a glass of lemonade by combining 1/3 cup concentrate with 2/3 cups water over ice.

Bouquet of Flowers

2010-05-26T02:04:00.000-04:00

I love having flowers around the apartment. They bring life and color into our living space. I also know a few basics about flower care like snipping the stems at an angle, a little bit of flower food or sugar always helps open them up, and if possible, a teeny tiny drop of diluted bleach helps prevent the water from getting cloudy. Sadly, despite knowing this, my flowers rarely last beyond a few days under my care.

We had guests come over for dinner last week, and they were kind enough to bring me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Unfortunately, I am very unsophisticated when it comes to flower arranging so the best I could do was throw them into a vase. Then a few days later, a friend came over and saw my sad bouquet. She pointed to the flowers and asked me what was wrong with them. I said nothing but the honest answer would have been, "I touched them. That's what's wrong." She happens to be a bit of an expert on flower arranging so she offered to help me with my flowers. After a few minutes snipping and arranging, my flowers were happy and beautiful!

{flower bouquet}

Whoopie Pie

2010-05-20T00:01:00.109-04:00

Sometimes I have a problem where I see a recipe online, in a magazine, or on TV and I feel an overwhelming compulsion to make that particular dish immediately. I feel very restless and antsy until I've fulfilled my desire to create that dish. The closest thing I can describe it to is a food craving where my stomach won't leave me alone until it gets what it wants. Most recently, I fell victim to the whoopie pie. I think I saw a handful of blog posts talking about resurgence of whoopie pies and suddenly I knew I had to make them.

{cakes}

I was surprised at how easy they are to make. The cakes require no special pans or molds which was a relief since I am trying limit my kitchen-related purchases. Just in the past week, I've had to restrain myself from buying a popover pan, a mortar and pestle, a stand mixer, and the entire collection of Le Creuset products in cassis.

{cakes}

My favorite part of the whoopie pie is without a doubt the marshmallow filling. I still remember the first time I was introduced to marshmallow fluff. A girl at the lunch table in second grade offered to trade her peanut butter and fluff sandwich with my ham sandwich. I loved it because it was like eating candy for lunch. When I told my mother about it, she (rightfully) refused to have marshmallow fluff in her kitchen because it is "weird and has no nutritional value." I am grateful to my mother for loving me enough to care about what I ate as a child but at the time, I'm pretty sure I stamped my foot and screamed something about life being unfair.

{filling}

This recipe makes 8 very large whoopie pies which I shared with a few excited and grateful friends. The only thing better than baking something really tasty is sharing it with friends who appreciate it.

{whoopie pies}

Whoopie Pies (makes 8 pies, adapted from Gourmet)

For cakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg

For filling:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup Marshmallow Fluff
1 teaspoon vanilla

*Preheat oven to 350ºF.

*Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until combined. Stir buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

*Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.

*Spoon 16 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered or non-stick large baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely.

*To make the filling, beat together butter, confectioners sugar, marshmallow, and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

*Assemble the pies by spreading a rounded tablespoon of filling on flat sides of half of cakes and top with remaining cakes.

Di Fara Pizza

2010-05-19T00:01:00.082-04:00

There are a handful of topics that never fail to engage New Yorkers in a healthy and often vociferous debate - Mets vs Yankees?; best way to get somewhere via the subway?; best pizza in the city? This last question could get you thrown into an argument lasting weeks. I've always steadfastly believed that without a doubt New York has the best pizza in the world. Period. But if you asked me where the best pizza in New York is, I couldn't give an answer with conviction. Lombardi's is very good. Totonno's is also very good (at least it was pre-fire). I finally braved the line at Grimaldi's, and that didn't disappoint me either. My favorite place to go for a quick slice is an unassuming little place called Fascati's in Brooklyn Heights. But none of these pizzas were so amazingly good that I felt an obligation to single it out. That was until I went to Di Fara Pizza.

{di fara pizza}

Going in, I wondered how good it could really be. Sure there's good pizza and bad pizza, but in the end, there isn't that much room for improvement if you stick to the basics. Or so I thought.

{inside}

First of all, let me just say it. This pizza is mind-blowingly good. This is not a term I use lightly. After the first bite, a little voice inside my head actually said, "Wow. Do it again." Di Fara has made almost every list of top pizza joints in the city. Of course there are people who do not think it lives up to the hype, but I really can't see how anyone can think that. It just tastes so... fresh. Fresh is definitely not a word you'd normally use to describe a pizza, but that's the most accurate description I can come up with. The basil is sweet and fragrant unlike any fresh basil I've ever had. The crust is so flavorful that even the burnt parts tasted good. Everything else, the cheese and the tomato and whatever else goes into it, is perfect.

{pizza}

Dominick, the adorable proprietor, still makes every single pizza by hand. He cuts fresh basil onto each pie and grates the cheese by hand. The rest of his family are very kind and do their best to not make you antsy or angry about the inevitably long wait. Apparently his sons help make the dough and his daughters help with taking orders, but Dominick still insists on being the only one to create the final product.

{dominick}

People say Dominick has gotten a little slower in his old age (which is why his family has insisted he take Mondays and Tuesdays off), but he certainly knows what he's doing. The scariest part for me was watching him routinely stick his bare hand in the hot oven to move the pizzas around.

{bare-handing pizzas}

There are a few drawbacks to Di Fara. Probably the biggest one is location. It's in Midwood. Where? Yes, I had no idea where Midwood was either until I looked it up. It's a charming neighborhood south of Park Slope and north of Coney Island. Depending on where you're coming from, it will likely take upwards of an hour to get there by subway (Avenue J stop on the Q train in Brooklyn). The other drawback is price. At $25 for a regular pie, the pizza is not cheap, but the owners have explained that it's due to the high cost of ingredients. I say if you've committed to making the trek all the way out to Midwood for pizza, you might as well pay a little extra for something that you can't get everyday.

{menu}

So now I can definitely say that I have tasted a pizza that stands out as the best I have ever had. I'm definitely a little jealous of the people who live close enough to Di Fara to call it their local pizza joint because it would be great to be able to have this on a regular basis. I'm going to look on the bright side and be thankful that I live in New York and am one of the lucky ones who has been able to eat at Di Fara. Also, I am already thinking up thinly veiled excuses to go out to Midwood for more pizza.

{pizza}

Di Fara Pizza
1424 Avenue J
Brooklyn, NY 11230
718-528-1367

Eggplant Parmesan

2010-05-18T01:24:00.001-04:00

Our friend who currently lives in the UK visited us recently. Not only was she excited about eating out in New York, she definitely wanted to make dinner with me one evening. I let her pick the dish, and she chose eggplant parmesan. I had never made eggplant parm before so we had to search for a recipe. We wanted to find a recipe that didn't require too much breading and frying but was still authentic. In the end, we knew we couldn't go wrong with Mario Batali's recipe.

{eggplant}

I haven't had too much experience cooking eggplant, especially the large variety that is often found at the supermarket. I've only used long, skinny Japanese eggplants and only in Asian dishes. I only recently discovered that there are a lot of different types of eggplants out there including bicolored eggplant and Thai eggplant (I always thought the eggplant in my Thai curry was some mystery vegetable that I hadn't yet discovered. Turns out it's Thai eggplant.) We saw a couple beautiful white eggplants at the store but decided to go with the traditional purple eggplant because neither of us were entirely sure that white eggplants behave the same as the purple ones. Does anyone know if it makes a difference?

{frying eggplant}

The recipe itself was simple despite requiring a lot of steps. The breading wasn't too heavy because there was no "wet" component to the process. Although some people think the breading is the best part, I preferred it this way because once you bake everything, the breading never stays nice and crisp anyways.

{assembling parm}

Since we were already being ambitious by making a big homemade dinner, we also followed Mario Batali's suggestion to make our own tomato sauce instead of using sauce from a jar. It's a little extra work but I think it's definitely worth the effort. As an added bonus, the leftover sauce is easily frozen and can be saved for the next time we get an eggplant parm craving.

{sauce}

{baked eggplant parmesan}

Served with a side of pasta, our eggplant parm was a huge success. The best part is that we found a recipe my friend can use back at home since all these ingredients are readily available to her there.

{eggplant parmesan}

Eggplant Parmesan (serves 4 very hungry people, adapted from Mario Batali's recipe)

2 pounds (about 2 medium-sized) eggplant
Salt
1/4 cup + 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh bread crumbs, seasoned with 1/4 chopped fresh basil leaves and 1/4 cup pecorino
1 pound ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 Spanish onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes
Salt

*Preheat the oven to 350° F.

*Wash and towel dry the eggplant. Slice the eggplant horizontally about 1/4-inch thick. Place the slices in a large colander, sprinkle with salt and set aside to rest about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse the eggplant and dry on towels.

*While eggplant is resting, in a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal.

*In a saute pan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil until just smoking. Press the drained eggplant pieces into the seasoned bread crumb mixture and saute until light golden brown on both sides. Repeat with all of the pieces.

*On a cookie sheet lay out the 4 largest pieces of eggplant. Place a heaping spoonful of tomato sauce over each piece and place a thin slice of mozzarella on top of each. Sprinkle with Parmigiano and top each with the next smallest piece of eggplant, then sauce then mozzarella. Repeat the layering process until all the ingredients have been used, finishing again with the Parmigiano. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the top of each little stack is golden brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes.

*Serve with a side of pasta and sauce.

*Freeze leftover sauce for up to 6 months.

Tribeca Film Festival

2010-05-11T00:00:00.004-04:00

The Tribeca Film Festival wrapped up here in New York a few weeks ago. M and I were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go see a few of the films. My favorite was a French film called "Heartbreaker." The film stars Romain Duris as Alex who breaks up unhappy couples for a living but his latest gig has him reconsidering his career choice. The movie also stars Vanessa Paradis (Mrs. Johnny Depp) as Juliette, the woman whose relationship Alex must break up and Julie Ferrier as Mélanie, Alex's sister and co-conspirator. After the movie, the filmmakers took questions from the audience. Julie Ferrier is second from the left in the picture. Jeremy Doner, the screenwriter is in the middle and the director, Pascal Chaumeil, is next to him.

{tribeca film festival}

M thought the movie was a little too much of a chick flick, but he did admit that was funny. He probably preferred the Vietnamese action film we saw the following week. I'm going to keep an eye out for a US release for Heartbreaker. At the very least, it's a great movie for a girl's night out.

Soondubu Jjigae

2010-05-10T16:43:00.000-04:00

Everyone has a favorite cold-weather food to warm their stomachs on a blustery day. Mine is soondubu jjigae*. It's a spicy stew with extra-silken tofu. The tofu used here is so soft that it is practically custard-like. In fact, the brand that I use sells it in squeeze tube packaging.

{soondubu}

The great thing about soondubu jjigae, or any jjigae for that matter, is that you can use any ingredients you want. Usually I like to use beef as my protein, but this time, I went for small littleneck clams (bajirak). Some people like to use zucchini, daikon radish, bok choy or other vegetables in their jjigae. I like to use enoki mushrooms, napa cabbage, and onions as my staples.

{mise en place}

Making the jjigae itself is simple. If I were using beef instead of clams, I would quickly sear the meat at the bottom of my pot first and then remove it and set it aside. Because I was using clams this time, I sautéed the clams with garlic, oil and gochugaru.

{clams}

After a few minutes, add water or broth, tofu and the vegetables. Once the vegetables are cooked and everything is boiling vigorously, the jjigae is ready to serve. At this point, a lot of people crack a raw egg right into the pot. Personally, I'm not a fan of eggs in my stews and soups. The creamy texture it adds to the dish doesn't do it for me. But many people won't have it any other way.

{soondubu jjigae}

Soondubu Jjigae (serves 2)

10oz extra-silken tofu
6oz littleneck clams with shells (bajirak)
1 pack of enoki mushrooms
1 handful of oyster mushrooms
3 leaves Napa cabbage, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 scallion, sliced
1 piece of dashima
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp gochugaru
1 tbsp oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

*Soak the clams in cold water for about 30 minutes.

*Soak the dashima in 1 and 1/2 cups of simmering water for 30 minutes.

*Heat gochugaru, oil, and the garlic in a small pot.

*Add drained clams and cook for several minutes.

*Add dashima broth (don't forget to discard the dashima) and tofu. Bring to a boil for about 1 minute.

*Add vegetables, pepper, salt, and soy sauce. Boil until vegetables are cooked through.

*Garnish with scallions on top. Serve the jjigae in the pot.

*I really don't know who is in charge of the proper anglicized spelling of Korean words but this one had me stumped for a few hours. I think "soondooboo chigae" will probably get a non-native speaker to pronounce the name of the dish better, but Google has told me that "soondubu jjigae" is the correct version. Google hasn't failed me yet so I'm going to go with what it says.

Chicken Stock

2010-04-25T02:14:00.000-04:00

For a long time, I've dreamed of having supply of homemade stocks in my freezer. Something has always gotten in my way including no time, no freezer space, lack of proper stockpot, etc. But this week, the stars aligned for me, and I finally have a supply chicken stock in my freezer.

{ingredients}

I really wanted to use organic chicken bones for my stock, but even in New York, that did not turn out to be as simple as I had hoped. I had a few organic chicken bones and parts leftover from cooking that I had thrown in the freezer but not nearly enough to make 4 pounds. In the end, I went to Chinatown and picked up 2 bags of chicken raw chicken bones for $1 each. It may not be organic but you can't beat the price. You can use the carcasses of cooked or roasted chicken for stock as well but that will make a dark broth instead of a light broth. Either is perfectly fine. It's mostly personal preference.

{chicken stock}

I did a lot of research to find the best way to measure out and freeze stock. Originally, I had planned on pouring 1 cup of stock into ziploc bags and laying them flat on a freezer so they would form a neat stack of ice packs. Unfortunately, my bags had tiny holes at the seams which would have leaked precious stock all over my freezer. So I opted for muffin tins which seem to be a popular choice with most people.

{muffin tins}

Each muffin tin holds about a quarter cup of stock. Once the stock is fully frozen, I briefly placed the bottom of the tins in a pan of warm water to loosen the frozen stock. They popped right out and soon I had a pile of perfectly measured quarter cup pucks of chicken stock.

{pucks}

I was able to make about 22 cups of stock which should last me a couple months. Now that I have a good system for making broth, I want to make beef and seafood broth too!

Chicken Stock (makes approx. 20 cups)

4 pounds chicken bones
1 large onion
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2
3-4 ribs celery
several sprigs fresh thyme
several sprigs fresh parsley with stems
2 bay leaves
10 peppercorns
2 cloves garlic
28 cups water

*Place all ingredients in a 12-quart stockpot. Pour water into pot.

*Cook on high heat to bring to a boil and then turn heat down to medium-low to maintains a low, gentle simmer.

*Skim the foam from the stock every 10 to 15 minutes for the first hour of cooking and twice each hour for the next 2 hours. Add hot water as needed to keep bones and vegetables submerged.

*Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 hours.

*Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer discarding the vegetables and bones and place in refrigerator overnight.

*Remove solidified fat from surface of liquid and freeze using preferred method.

Dukboki

2010-04-22T01:21:00.001-04:00

A lot of my Korean friends will laugh at me for this but for years, I didn't know how to make dukboki. It sounds silly to me now because I know exactly how simple it is - make a spicy sauce, add sugar, add rice cakes, boil, eat. However, because my mother, from whom I've learned everything I know about food, dismisses dukboki as street food (which it is), she created her own version and I was left to teach myself the "real" version. My mom's version is great. But let me explain it this way - imagine you grew up eating grilled cheeses made only with black truffle butter and Gruyère cheese on crusty French baguettes. Now imagine someone hands you Wonder bread, Kraft singles and a stick of butter. How will you know that you need to butter the bread, not the pan? How will you know that the secret is to shred the cheese? THIS is what I was up against.

Fast forward 10 years (yes, it took me that long) and I believe I've perfected it. M and I stopped at a restaurant that specializes in dukboki while we were in Korea last year.

{dukboki, Korea}

Truth be told, they've simplified the recipe even more than I have. They just throw everything into the pot and walk away. A few minutes later, it looked like this.

{dukboki}

A few more minutes after that, it looked like this.

{clean pot}

The crazy thing is that we weren't actually hungry when we went in. We just wanted to have a taste because it smelled so good, and the place was packed. An unexpected benefit from this experience was that I picked up on the last few pieces of information I needed to perfect my own dukboki.

{mise en place}

The sauce itself took me the longest to figure out. It requires a combination of Korean hot sauce (gochujang) and hot pepper flakes (gochugaru). My mother could give me a semester-long course on which brands and types of gochujang and gochugaru are best to use and why. For now, I prefer to use what is available at the Korean store.

{gochugaru, gochujang}

Another trick I learned that I really need to credit David Chang of Momofuku fame for is briefly pan-frying the rice cakes, or duk. I saw him doing this when I was at Momofuku Noodle Bar a long time ago, and I thought it was brilliant. If they're fried, they won't stick to the pot as much, and they won't get too mushy.

{duk}

Also, I learned through trial and error that using fresh duk makes a world of difference. The only disadvantage is that unlike with frozen duk which you can take out of the freezer whenever you're ready to use it, fresh duk needs to be used immediately.

{fresh duk}

Once it's all in the pot, it's all a matter of making sure the vegetables are cooked and the sauce is the right thickness.

{dukboki}

My favorite part of dukboki is actually the ramen noodles. I secretly want to use half the duk and add another packet of ramen noodles instead, but I think M will judge me if I did that.

{dukboki}

Ten years later, I've finally perfected the Korean equivalent of a grilled cheese. It's a small victory, but a yummy one.

Dukboki (serves 2)

12oz duk (presoaked in water if frozen)
1 pack of ramen noodles
4 sheets of fish cake, cut into pieces
1/2 onion
1 stalk scallions
2 leaves of Napa cabbage
1½ cups water
3 tbsp gochujang
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp gochugaru
2 tsp crushed garlic
sesame oil

*Mix gochujang, sugar, gochugaru, soy sauce and garlic into a sauce

*Fry rice cakes in a pan with sesame oil and set aside

*Pour water into pot and start to boil it

*Add sauce and bring to boil

*Add all ingredients and reduce heat to medium. Cook until sauce thickens.

*Add the scallion and stir

*Once all the vegetables are cooked, serve

Clinton Street Baking Co.'s Wild Blueberry Pancakes

2010-04-21T00:02:00.001-04:00

If anyone ever asked me where the best place to get pancakes in New York is, I would say Clinton Street Baking Co. in a heartbeat. Their pancakes are so light and fluffy, like a cloud. I've tried to make similar pancakes at home, but it never comes out as well. I met a friend there for brunch recently and although I was starving and briefly debated ordering something a little more savory, I knew I couldn't deny myself the wild blueberry pancakes.

{wild blueberry pancakes}

April isn't wild blueberry season, especially in Maine where they say the blueberries come from, so a part of me suspects that until summer rolls around, they're using the regular grocery store variety. They were still very tasty, but the blueberries seemed a little too big and a little to plump to be real wild blueberries. I'm sure as we get closer to late summer, these pancakes are only going to get better.

{the aftermath}

The pancakes come with a little pot of maple syrup butter. I only use it sparingly because the pancakes themselves are so good to begin with. Yes, I know. I didn't even finish them despite the fact that I was starving! I'm weak. I admit it.

Clinton Street Baking Co.
4 Clinton Street (between East Houston & Stanton)
New York, NY 10002
646-602-6263

Cherry Blossoms

2010-04-20T01:34:00.001-04:00

Spring always feels like the shortest season in New York. Winter seems to drag on too long, and summer makes its hot and humid appearance too soon. That's why I try to savor every day of spring that I can by loading up on Zyrtec and strapping on my walking shoes. I came across this pretty cherry blossom tree while lost in Carroll Gardens.

{cherry blossoms}

Turkey Sausage Chili

2010-04-19T00:22:00.000-04:00

M came home one day not too long ago and told me had tasted a great chili recipe that involved andouille sausage. He tried to tell me as much as he could remember from it so I could try to reconstruct it. In essence, it was a chili recipe that used andouille sausage and black-eyed peas served over rice.

{mise en place}

I was admittedly confused by this particular chili. Having grown-up and lived in the Northeast my whole life, I am definitely no expert on chili. However, I've watched enough Food Network to know that there are people out there who are truly passionate about chili and what makes it authentic. I'm quite sure people on both sides of the argument (I'm actually not even sure what the two sides are) would agree that chili is not served over rice. In fact, I remember from my research due to a sudden obsession to make an authentic gumbo that gumbo is supposed to be served over rice. But this recipe definitely isn't gumbo. No okra. No roux.

{dutch oven}

After mulling over whether I should rename this recipe or not, I decided in the end to keep the chili moniker. I am going to chalk it up to ignorance of the real issues (really, can someone please tell me what the two sides of the great chili debate are?). Also, I will take the stance of a true New Yorker and say that I'll eat it if it tastes good regardless of what you call it.

{turkey sausage chili}

Turkey Sausage Chili (serves 6)

vegetable oil
1 pound turkey andouille sausage, cut into cubes
3 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
salt
cornstarch
6 cups hot cooked rice

*Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add onions and pepper and cook until onions are golden brown.

*Add bay leaf, beef broth, black-eyed peas, chili powder, cumin, and thyme. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes.

*Add parsley and salt. Add cornstarch or flour to thicken if needed. Serve hot over cooked rice.

Momofuku Milk Bar's Crack Pie

2010-04-18T01:16:00.004-04:00

When Momofuku Milk Bar first opened, my friends and I made a beeline there to try all the wonderful delicacies offered. On my first trip, I tried the compost cookie and a slice of the crack pie. As expected, they were both excellent and hold spots on my Top 10 Favorite Desserts list. Several weeks ago, I picked up on some very strong rumblings in the food blog world that the recipes for both the compost cookie and the crack pie had been given out. Even before I had tracked down the recipes, I knew that my slightly neurotic mind would not rest until both desserts had been produced in my own oven.

{cookie crust}

The crack pie recipe was far simpler than I had imagined it would be, and perhaps that's part of its charm. Sometimes the tastiest foods are the simplest ones. However, I couldn't avoid the nagging thought that this recipe didn't have a single meaningful ingredient from any of the four major food groups. Granted, most cookie recipes don't either - flour, butter, sugar, chocolate chips - but I felt this recipe was rubbing it in my face.

{pies, pre-baking}

The good thing is that I got past my initial guilt over the nutritional profile of the crack pie. It is called crack pie after all. I don't think they meant for it to be good for you.

{pies, post-baking}

I kept trying to garnish the pie with pieces of fruit to add a few vitamins and minerals to my plate in an attempt to ward away the guilt. Now that we've eaten the whole pie, I think we should have just admitted defeat from the start. I am not usually someone who feels guilty eating desserts, but this was just that good.

{crack pie}

The Momofuku Milk Bar Crack Pie (makes 2 pies, 6-8 servings each)

Cookie for crust:
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup softened butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 cup rolled oats

*Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

*In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

*In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk the egg into the butter mixture until fully incorporated.

*With the mixer running, beat in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until fully combined. Stir in the oats until incorporated.

*Spread the mixture onto a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking sheet and bake until golden brown and set, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to the touch on a rack. Crumble the cooled cookie to use in the crust.

Crust:
Crumbled cookie for crust
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

*Combine the crumbled cookie, butter, brown sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until evenly combined and blended (a little of the mixture clumped between your fingers should hold together). Divide the crust between 2 (10-inch) pie tins. Press the crust into each shell to form a thin, even layer along the bottom and sides of the tins. Set aside.

Filling:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus a scant 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon milk powder
1 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup plus a 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 egg yolks
2 prepared crusts
Powdered sugar for garnish

*Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

*In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder. Whisk in the melted butter, then whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla.

*Gently whisk in the egg yolks, being careful not to add too much air.

*Divide the filling evenly between the 2 prepared pie shells.

*Bake the pies, one at a time, for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake until the filling is slightly jiggly and golden brown (similar to a pecan pie), about 10 minutes. Remove the pies and cool on a rack.

*Refrigerate the cooled pies until well chilled. The pies are meant to be served cold, and the filling will be gooey. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Note: This pie calls for 2 (10-inch) pie tins. You can substitute 9-inch pie tins, but note that the pies will require additional baking time, about 5 minutes, due to the increased thickness of the filling.

Lobster Pot Pie

2010-04-17T20:20:00.005-04:00

My mother had a particularly busy week coming up, so I wanted to help her by preparing a dinner that she could heat up later in the week for herself and dad. I knew that the Barefoot Contessa's lobster pot pie would melt my mother's heart because it's rich, luxurious and it's an Ina Garten recipe.

{mise en place}

I always say that I have never come across a dish that has shallots and/or fennel in it that didn't taste good, and this dish helps keep the streak alive. Come to think of it, next time, I might substitute the onions for shallots and see what happens.

{filling}

Now, I have a confession to make. Every cook has a vulnerable spot. For some, it's bread making or poaching an egg. For me, it's pastry dough. Or more specifically, handling pastry dough. I avoided making pies for years because the thought of manipulating the dough into the pie pans practically brought me to tears. I even tried using pre-made pie crusts but that wasn't any better. Although having the bottom crust already set into the pie tin made life infinitely easier for me, I still had to somehow cover the pie and I couldn't keep making crumb toppings forever. Very slowly and eventually, I have begun to make my peace with pastry dough which is not to say using it doesn't still strike me with anxiety. Thankfully, my sister knows this about me and was on hand to rescue me.

{sister, dreaded pastry dough}

I cheated and used the Pillbury pre-made pastry dough this time. (Yes, even that stuff drives me insane.) My sister artfully lined each of my lion's head soup bowls with the dough and cut out a perfectly sized piece to use as a lid.

{filling bowls}

Later, she would tell me that the reason why I have such trouble with pastry dough is because I am a perfectionist and insist on it being perfect. I'm not sure I buy that. What about all those people who make beautiful pies for those national pie contests? They even have little cutouts in the shapes of leaves on their crusts! Their pies look stunning and symmetrical. Definitely the work of perfectionists. What am I missing?

{lobster pot pies, nearly finished}

Back to the lobster pot pies. I couldn't have finished this without my sister who was extremely helpful in dealing with the dough. They were finished and ready to be put into the refrigerator until my mom needed them for dinner later in the week.

{lobster pot pies}

Because they were eaten after I left, I don't have a shot of the fully cooked product, but my parents reported to me later that they were very tasty and filling. My mom thanked me and Ina Garten for helping her get through a busy week.

Lobster Pot Pie (serves 4, adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

1 large onion
1 fennel bulb
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups fish stock or clam juice
1 tablespoon Pernod or Sambuca
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3/4 pound cooked fresh lobster meat
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
2 boxes of Pillsbury pre-made pastry dough
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water or heavy cream, for egg wash

*Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

*Saute onions, fennel and butter on medium heat until the onions are translucent or about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour and cook on low heat for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, Pernod, salt, and pepper and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add the heavy cream. Remove from heat.

*Cut the lobster meat into medium-sized cubes. Place the lobster, frozen peas, frozen onions, and parsley in a bowl. Don't bother defrosting the vegetables. Pour the sauce over the mixture.

*Line pot pie bowls with pastry. Use one crust per bowl. Measure out the pastry for the lid by placing it upside down on the pastry. Cut pastry with an extra ½ inch edge. Place 1 crust in the dish, fill with the lobster mixture, and top with the second crust. Crimp the crusts together and brush with the egg wash. Make 4 or 5 slashes in the top crust and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Penguin Classics

2010-04-13T23:00:00.000-04:00

I am in love with the Penguin Classics clothbound series. They are completely eye-catching on any bookshelf. I just finished reading Pride and Prejudice which I am embarrassed to say I might have enjoyed more than any of my previous readings of it because of the pretty cover. Next, I am moving on to Sense and Sensibility and after that, to round out the Jane Austen trio, Emma. You can take a look at the entire clothbound series here.

{books}

Cioppino

2010-04-11T20:40:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite resources for recipes is EatingWell, and my current favorite cookbook is EatingWell Serves Two. The recipes are all delicious, healthy, easy to prepare and specifically designed to make 2 portions. While visiting my family, I made a cioppino for dinner. I used the opportunity to clear out my mother's freezer of random leftover seafood. This time I found tilapia, squid and scallops.

{seafood}

I always thought the cioppino was an Italian dish because of it's abundant use of tomatoes and parsley. But it turns out it's actually as American as apple pie. It started in San Francisco as a fish stew using the catch of the day. As far as cioppino recipes go, this one probably takes a lot of shortcuts. I'm usually the type of person who likes to try to keep dishes as authentic as possible, I don't mind with this cioppino because it's so simple to make.

{plum tomatoes}

I had to double the recipe from my cookbook which was originally written to make 2 servings to serve my family. The portion size was still perfect though. No leftovers which is a relief because my mother's well-stocked refrigerator couldn't handle any extra food. And the cioppino itself was a hit. My mother loved the fragrance that the wine added to the dish. My father loved the spiciness of the broth.

{cioppino}

Cioppino (serves 2, adapted from EatingWell Serves Two)

4 small red potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tilapia fillet, diced
4 ounces bay scallops
1 sweet onion, sliced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend
2 teaspoons hot paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup water
3 plum tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

*Boil potatoes in saucepan with salted water. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

*While potatoes are boiling, heat half of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tilapia, scallops and any other seafood. Cook until just opaque, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

*Add the remaining oil and onion to the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook about 5 to 7 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add Italian seasoning, paprika to taste, salt and pepper. Cook and stir about 30 seconds.

*Add wine, water and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Simmer 6 to 8 minutes until the onion is tender. Add seafood, potatoes and capers and return to a simmer. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley.

Brooklyn Botanical Garden

2010-04-10T00:13:00.000-04:00

The weather in New York this week has been fantastic. My sister and I decided it was a perfect time to visit the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. The cherry blossoms by the pond were in full bloom already. The rest of the cherry blossoms along the Cherry Esplanade are still in pre-bloom, but it looks like everything will be pink and fragrant in another 2 weeks.

{cherry blossoms}

{cherry blossoms, sister}

{cherry blossom}

There were many magnolia trees which reminded me so much of the large magnolia tree that was in the backyard of my childhood home.

{magnolia tree}

We took time to explore the conservatory which housed many tropical plants. This is the first time I truly understood why they call it a bird of paradise. It really does look like a bird!

{bird of paradise}

I've discovered a new favorite flower. I've seen many pictures of the camelia growing up but never knew its name. It's indigenous to Korea and other East Asian countries. I love that it's simple, delicate and feminine.

{camelia}

Banana Bread

2010-04-08T00:11:00.001-04:00

Too many frozen bananas in the freezer. Time to make banana bread. I'm actually not a huge fan of warm/baked fruit desserts. I've made my peace with various pies and cobblers, but if given a choice, I will still go for the chocolate cake. I think fruit is best consumed in its natural, raw state. Bananas are no exception, but I admit that a slice of moist banana bread makes a perfect afternoon snack.

{banana bread batter}

I had been using the same recipe for years, but recently, I decided that the result was not moist enough. I've been experimenting with various ingredients - yogurt, sour cream, oil, heavy cream. I'll need to try it a few more times to be sure, but I think this time I hit the right balance. M is a huge fan of walnuts, so I always make sure I have a bag on hand just in case.

{banana bread}

Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 2-3 bananas)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2/3 cup walnuts

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*Mix the butter, sugar and egg together.

*In separate bowl combine flour and baking soda.

*In another bowl mix banana and yogurt.

*Alternatively add the dry ingredients and the banana mixture to the butter mixture.

*Add walnuts to batter.

*Pour into a greased bread pan and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Plant Box

2010-04-07T00:20:00.002-04:00

M has a green thumb, and I encourage him to keep as many plants around the apartment as possible. In order to give the plants lots of sunlight I needed to find a stand or a shelf to set on top of our HVAC unit which would allow them to clear the base of the window. After scouring the internet and various stores for the perfect item, I found the Apa at Ikea which is actually a children's toy chest.

{apa}

Although the dimensions were perfect, the box itself was a little too plain for my taste. Inspired by Sherry and John's creative way to accent dresser drawers at Young House Love, I headed to Kate's Paperie to find some fun, colorful wrapping paper. I also stopped by the art supply store to pick up Mod Podge and a sponge brush. Twenty-four hours and two coats of Mod Podge later, my plain white plant box is colorful and vibrant.

{plant box}

I added a clear piece of laminate on top of the box to make it easier to wipe down when it gets dirty. The best part is that we now have inconspicuous storage for potting related items such as shovels and soil. Fun, colorful, personalized AND practical.

Sirsasana

2010-04-06T00:02:00.000-04:00

Today, I was able to pull myself into sirsasana or headstand for the first time.

{sirsasana}

For an explanation of the benefits of sirsasana (and also to see where I borrowed this image), click here.

AQ Kafé's Swedish Cinnamon Rolls

2010-04-05T00:56:00.006-04:00

One of my favorite parts of sleepover parties during middle school was the Cinnabons that the birthday girl's mother would always get for breakfast. It was not the kind of food that any of our mothers would allow us to buy on a regular trip to the shopping mall, but for some reason, it was condoned and almost required for sleepovers.

{cinnabon}

I had my last Cinnabon when I was 14, and ever since then, the words "cinnamon roll" conjured up memories of the large, messy, gooey, sticky, overly sweet, greasy bread-like substances from my adolescence. I fully admit that even today the intoxicating smell of a Cinnabon can stop me dead in my tracks. Thankfully, I have will power and my discovery of the Swedish cinnamon roll to help me control myself.

The Swedish cinnamon roll is nothing like your average cinnamon roll. It is not messy, sticky, nor gooey. It is also not overly sweet. I discovered these treats while in Stockholm with my sister. She, being the more pro-active tourist than I, dragged me to nearly every cafe and bakery she could find in search of her favorite cinnamon roll. (It turns out all of them were her favorites.) Luckily for both of us, we don't need to go back to Stockholm every time a cinnamon roll craving hits. Marcus Samuelsson, the chef at Aquavit, oversees a casual cafe and bakery in Columbus Circle called AQ Kafé.

{cinnamon roll, AQ Kafé }

Aside from many European pastries and Swedish classics like pickled herring, they have cinnamon rolls. To me, they taste just as good and authentic as any cinnamon roll I had in Stockholm with the signature hint of cardamom and sprinkling of pearl sugar on top.

AQ Kafé
1800 Broadway
(between 58th & 59th)
New York, NY 10019
212-462-0005

Pommes Purée

2010-04-04T17:25:00.001-04:00

Several years ago, on Christmas Eve, M proposed to me in the heart of New York City. Afterward, we had a memorable celebratory dinner at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon. They even gave us a personalized plate of extra macarons.

{macaroons, candle}

That was among the many highlights of the meal. But the one dish that has always stuck out on my mind was the pommes purée.

{pommes purée, authentic}

They were velvety, smooth, rich and all in all, perfect. M and I marveled at how a potato could taste as smooth as a milkshake. I assumed this was something I could never achieve in my own kitchen until I started to see references to other people trying (and succeeding!) in making the pommes purée on their own. That's when I knew I had to try as well.

This recipe is certainly not for the faint of heart or for anyone with coronary artery disease. It calls for 8 ounces of butter for 2 pounds of potatoes (i.e. 2 sticks of butter for every 3 potatoes)! For the sake of authenticity, I decided to stay true to the recipe as much as I could just to see if I could recreate the original. I passed the boiled potatoes through a ricer into a pot and stirred the pot over very low heat for about 5 minutes in order to let excess steam escape.

{potatoes}

Then, while whisking vigorously (I cheated and used an electric mixer), the butter went in. Once the butter was mixed in, I added scalded milk. After a few passes with the mixer, the potatoes did look very smooth.

{potatoes, butter, milk}

The secret to this recipe, as claimed by many, is the second straining of the potatoes. Joël Robuchon recommends using a tamis which looks like a round cake pan with a very fine sieve bottom. I improvised by using a sieve instead.

{potatoes, sieve}

The result? They were definitely delicious and more creamy than any mashed potatoes I've ever made before. But they weren't quite what I remembered them to be. Not using a tamis, which has a much finer mesh than my sieve, probably makes a difference. Also, a small part of me suspects the published recipe for pommes purée understates the amount of butter that is actually used in the restaurants. I wouldn't be surprised if the potato to butter ratio is much closer to 2:1.

{pommes purée}

However, I used this as an excuse to use one of my new favorite seasonings - black truffle salt. It was a perfect side to the standing rib roast I made for Easter weekend.

Pommes Purée (adapted from Joël Robuchon)

2 lbs russet potatoes
8 oz butter
8 oz cups scalded milk
sea salt to taste

*Starting with cold water, boil unpeeled potatoes until a fork inserted meets barely any resistance.

*Peel potatoes while still hot.

*Push the potatoes through a ricer into a pot and stir over very low heat until steam no longer escapes (about 5 minutes).

*Add butter by vigorously stirring potatoes until incorporated.

*Add milk in a slow stream while vigorously whipping potatoes to incorporate air into the mixture.

*Add sea salt to taste.

*Pass through a tamis. Serve immediately.

Daisy Poms

2010-04-03T18:16:00.004-04:00

Happy Easter weekend! This year, Easter looks exactly like what we were told it should look like as children - bright blue skies, warm sunshine, blossoming flowers. To celebrate the advent of spring, I picked up a bunch of lavender daisy poms. They look lovely in the bedroom.

{daisy poms}

Korean Steamed Egg

2010-04-02T01:12:00.012-04:00

I have a very dear friend whose favorite part of going to her local Korean restaurant is the steamed egg dish that comes complementary with the meal. It is indeed very tasty, but it is also surprisingly simple to make. I especially like making this on those days when I open the refrigerator and realize that I have nothing except eggs and scallions.

{mise en place}

The 2 secrets to a successful steamed egg dish are dashima and the salted shrimps (or saewoo jut in Korean). Dashima can be found in most Asian markets. It's a very dry piece of seaweed that is used to make soup bases and broths. Just a little piece of dashima can make all the difference in a simple dish like this.

{saewoo jut}

The salted shrimp is also found in Korean supermarkets. Even a little spoonful packs a very salty punch so I try to use it sparingly.

{steamed eggs, before}

Traditionally, the egg was steamed in a stone bowl that was placed inside a pot of cooking rice. My rice cooker is far too small for that method, so I improvise by steaming the eggs in a ceramic bowl placed in a pot with about an inch of boiling water. If that's too much effort, you can even just microwave the eggs for about 2 minutes. It doesn't come out quite as light and fluffy, but it gets the job done.

{steamed egg}

Korean Steamed Egg (serves 2)

4 large eggs
1 small piece dashima (dried seaweed)
1 cup of warm water
1 tbsp salted shrimp sauce
1 stalk of finely chopped scallion

* Soak the dashima in simmering water for 15 minutes. Throw out the dashima.

* Beat the eggs and sieve them two times. Add dashima water, salted shrimp and scallions.

* Mix well and pour the egg mixture into bowls

* Boil water in a steamer and when the water starts to boil, add the bowls. Lower the heat to medium to low, steam the bowls for about 15-20 minutes.

Pride and Prejudice

2010-03-31T13:16:00.023-04:00

Confession: I have read Pride and Prejudice about 200 times... I get lost in the language; words like "thither," "mischance," "felicity." I'm always in agony over whether Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are really going to get together... Ah! Read it! I know you'll love it!

- Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kelly in You've Got Mail

{pride and prejudice}

Pasta Puttanesca

2010-03-31T03:12:00.012-04:00

A very long time ago, I was watching Martha Stewart, and she made a dish that caught my attention. What piqued my interest wasn't what she was making but that the fact that she was talking about "women of ill repute." While being amused at the idea of the paragon of domestic etiquette going on about the brothels of Naples in the 19th century, I realized that the recipe itself was very simple.

Fast forward to many years later and pasta puttanesca is one of my go-to dinners after a long and busy day.

{mise en place}

If you're worried the sauce might be too salty, do a quick rinse of the olives and the capers before using them. Delicious.

{sauce}

Pasta Puttanesca (serves 4, adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe)

1 pound pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
10 anchovies
1 28oz. can Italian plum tomatoes
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

*Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pasta, and cook until pasta is al dente. Drain.

*While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, red-pepper flakes, and anchovies. Cook, stirring, until aromatic and anchovies have disintegrated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, capers, and olives. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

*Stir pasta into sauce. Cook, stirring, until sauce clings to pasta, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley. Serve immediately.

Food Index

2010-03-31T02:30:00.021-04:00

Recipes

Savories
Chicken stock
Cioppino
Eggplant parmesan
French onion soup
Garlic scape pesto
Lobster pot pie
Pasta puttanesca
Pommes purée
Seafood boil
Turkey sausage chili

Sweets
Banana bread
Meyer lemonade
Momofuku Milk Bar's Crack pie
Whoopie pie

Korean Foods
Bulgogi
Dukboki
Kalbi jjim
Soondubu jjigae
Steamed egg

Foods I Eat

Savories
Di Fara Pizza
Frontera Grill

Sweets
AQ Kafé's Swedish cinnamon rolls
Clinton Street Baking Co.'s Wild blueberry pancakes
DessertTruck Works' macaron workshop

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah

2010-03-31T02:12:00.002-04:00

I am taking the plunge and have decided to join the World of the Blog. Recently, I've started to think about the concept of being Open to Grace. It was introduced to me by my yoga instructor who began her practice in the Anusara tradition. By being Open to Grace, you are opening your heart to infinite possibilities and understanding that you can be more than you realize. So World of the Blog, I am Opening to Grace. And for good measure, I'll offer a mantra to Ganesha - the much adored elephant God from India, the remover of obstacles, who is invoked at new beginnings.

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah.