Tag Archives: gourmet

Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Macarons

So yesterday my dining room was set up as a photo studio/DIY macaron assembly station. I made the sea salt buttercream first, using this recipe with the modification of extra salt (because it should be really really salty!). For the macarons, I made some variations as I wanted the cookies to be more than just colored brown. I wanted to them to taste like chocolate.

So when you are looking at a macaron recipe, you’re all like “What, this is so simple! Why I am I dropping 2 dollars a miniature cookie on these things?”

You won’t understand until you’re making the cookies, unfortunately. The process needs to be slow and it needs to be done delicately. Neither of those things are my style…I tried really hard and while they taste great and look beautiful, they are not as light and flaky as they should be. They should be more brittle to the touch and they shouldn’t weigh a ton – which means that I should have been able to make a lot more cookies. However, I did get the “foot” that macaron makers always talk about. The “foot” should be thicker, I think. Regardless, unless you are a professional french baker, you aren’t going to scoff at these things.

Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Macarons

For the Sea Salt Caramel Buttercream (adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

½ cups Sugar
½ cup Unsalted Butter, chilled
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, room temp
¼ cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 cup Powdered Sugar

The caramel (steps 1-3) can be made up to two weeks ahead of time. Complete the buttercream by following step 4 on the same day that you make the macaron shells!
1. Heat sugar on medium high heat. Stir constantly with a whisk as the sugar begins to melt. Once the sugar begins to boil, stop stirring, just swirl the pot a few times. Keep the pot above the heat to prevent burning the caramel.
2. As soon as all the sugar has melted and becomes a dark amber color, add in the 3 tablespoons of butter and stir until melted. Take the pan off the heat and wait for 3 seconds before pouring in the cream slowly and whisk until smooth.
3. Stir in sea salt. Let it come to room temperature before using it to make the buttercream. You now have salted caramel! The caramel can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Let it come back to room temperature before using it with the buttercream.
4. When ready to make the buttercream, mix the salted caramel in a mixer for about 3-5 minutes — you will notice it becomes lighter in color. Mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of butter. Then add in powdered sugar and mix until fluffy, scraping the sides occasionally.

For the Macaron Shells:
3-⅝ ounces, weight Egg Whites, From About 3 Eggs, Aged 1 Day At Room Temperature
1-⅞ ounces, weight Granulated Sugar
4 ounces, weight Almond Meal
7 ounces, weight Minus 5 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
5 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder For Color
1 teaspoon Sea Salt For Garnish

For the Macaron Shells:
1. In the bowl of a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs on medium high speed until foamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, but do not over beat.
2. Sift almond meal, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder into a bowl. The cocoa powder is optional for color — if you don’t want to use it, add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar to replace it. Add this mixture into the meringue. Fold together using a spatula just until incorporated. Try not to use more than 50 strokes/folds.
3, Transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe small rounds onto baking sheets prepared with silicone mats or parchment paper. Sprinkle some sea salt on top of each shell for decoration. Let the shells sit for 30-45 minutes for the surfaces to dry out a bit. Bake at 300°F for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pans for a moment. Transfer shells to cooling rack once they are cool enough to touch.
4. Match shells up in size. Once cooled completely, pipe the buttercream onto the bottom of one cookie, and sandwich another on to of it, pushing the filling to the edges. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Le Paddock – Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

Rather than further whining about how horrible my neighborhood is/used to be, in terms of restaurant offerings, I think I’d rather talk about the good things. Le Paddock is the newest offering to Windsor Terrace featuring rustic french cuisine and really amazing pizza. The owners, Sylvie Bertrand and Gregory Tetaud worked together at Robin Des Bois in Carroll Gardens. I fell in love with the food here on the first visit having sampled the Coq au Vin and The Forrestiere Pizza

Le Paddock
1235 PROSPECT AVENUE @ Reeve
Brooklyn, NY 11218
718-435-0921

Tuna & Pizza

Tuna Steak with wasabi mashed potatoes, asparagus, grapefruit vinaigrette

Forrestiere: wild mushrooms, fromage blanc, pancetta and truffle oil

The owners, Sylvie Bertrand and Gregory Tetaud

Mr. B’s Bistro – New Orleans, Louisana

Welcome to the first of many blog posts on New Orleans. The French Quarter is littered with all sorts of restaurants. One thing is for certain, most of the places on Bourbon St. should be avoided, if not simply because most of them are overcrowded bars, but moreso that they are overrated creole/cajun knockoffs. Mr. B’s is located a few blocks from Bourbon on Royal, which on most days is a much quieter part of the district that is very popular among locals and tourists alike. It was quite busy the night I dined, so I sat at the bar, which gave me the opportunity to try a few cocktails, including Brandy Milk Punch. It should be known that the cocktail was invented in New Orleans so I made sure to try a lot of different cocktails…you know, for the blog! It was rough, but hey, I do it all for you people! Brandy Milk Punch is a favorite for brunch. Mr. B’s is made with soft serve ice cream (they have a soft serve machine under the bar). See the recipe below for my take on the Brandy Milk-Espresso Punch.

Mr. B’s Bistro
201 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 523-2078

GUMBO YA YA – A rich country style gumbo made with chicken and andouille sausage

SHRIMP AND GRITS – A sauté of applewood smoked bacon wrapped jumbo Gulf shrimp served with creamy stone ground yellow grits and red-eye gravy

HOT BUTTERED PECAN PIE – Topped with vanilla bean ice cream

Brandy Milk Punch – Brandy, Ice Cream, Nutmeg

Brandy Milk-Espresso Punch
4 oz. of Brandy
2 oz. of fresh brewed espresso
3 scoops of vanilla ice cream
3 oz. milk
a handful of crushed ice
dash of nutmeg

In a blender combine brandy, espresso, milk and ice and blend until well mixed. Poor into a glass and garnish with nutmeg. Enjoy!

Bear Restaurant: Long Island City, Queens

Last week I headed to Long Island City – a place I rarely frequent, but should more often. Located close to the Astoria border, Bear is American and European cuisine meticulously styled into beautiful pieces of modern art by Chef Natasha Pogrebinsky. Her brother Alex has just as much ingenuity behind the bar, pairing the drinks to go with the food as well as providing some amazing spring cocktails. They share with us a recipe for The Mermaid which goes quite well with the Oyster Pond (pictured to the right).

Bear NYC
12-14 31st Ave
Long Island City, NY 11106
917-396-4939

Bear Restaurant - Long Island City, Queens

Chef Natasha Pogrebinsky putting the finishing touches on the Oyster Pond

Oyster Pond – Shucked oyster, clam, scallop crudo, roe, infused with fresh citrus and herbs. Served with a cod liver crostini, gin-cucumber shooter

Lobster and Prawns – Poached in tarragon butter, served with purple Russian potato, spring peas, rice cloud

Slow Roasted Long Island Duck with Apples – Roasted whole then pulled off the bone, plated with stewed apples and a potato confit,
red currants, and carrot puree

Scallops – Large sea scallops seared and then stewed in a creamy coconut-sesame sauce served over spring potatoes and asparagus (pictured drink is The Mermaid – recipe below)

Demon Cocktail – vodka – gin – whiskey – dry vermouth – soy sauce – milk – coffee – caramelized burning brown sugar -

The Mermaid

To get that fresh cucumber and sage flavor, blend a large green cucumber with water and fresh sage. It will result in a delicious green juice. This juice should be stored in the refrigerator for at least an hour so that it becomes cold. You also want to chill your martini glass for at least an hour.

Drink preparation:

1) Put ice into shaker

2) Pour 1 oz of gin (preferably Hendrick’s) into shaker

3) Pour 1 oz of seltzer water

4) Pour 1 ½ oz of cucumber-sage juice

5) Shake well

6) Strain into chilled martini glass

7) Garnish with fresh organic pea shoots.

8) Serve.

Cooking Like Heston: Lemon Tart

Heston Blumenthal’s How to Cook Like Heston covers a different main ingredient each week. Just as in my last post, I’ve made another egg dish – the Lemon Tart from the show. This one is a bit tricky in that you have to cook it just perfect to ensure that the egg are cooked enough, but don’t become “eggy”. This recipe calls for a little vanilla and lemon in the crust, which is pre-baked before you add the custard. Then using precise and periodic internal temperature readings will get you the perfectly set custard for your tart. This one was a fun one. I used Heston’s method of evening out the crust cooking – using coins instead of beans as weights which finally gave purpose to my little collection of foreign coins. I didn’t roll out the dough thin enough and as a result, I had leftover custard, which I just went ahead and cooked in a stove pan anyways.

Heston’s recipe is here, but I’ve reprinted it for you below, with conversions from metric, however, keep in mind that metric is much more precise!

[edit] couple of notes, thanks to my good friend, Susanna, who pointed out that Americans might not understand a few terms: caster sugar is superfine sugar and icing sugar is confectioners sugar in The States. Double cream may be hard to find – it is 48% butterfat, but you can just use heavy whipping cream as a substitute.

LEMON TART

INGREDIENTS

For the pastry

300g plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
150g unsalted butter (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp OR 10 tbsp or 1 stick + 2 tbsp)
½ tsp salt
120g icing sugar (1 cup + 3 tbsp)
3 large egg yolks
Seeds from ½ vanilla pod
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
1 egg for the egg wash

For the filling

Finely grated zest and juice of 5 lemons
300ml double cream (1 1/4 cups)
390g white caster sugar (1 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp)
9 large eggs
1 large egg yolk

Method

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, butter and salt on low speed until it becomes a sand like texture (approximately 2-3 minutes).

In the meantime, in a tall container blitz together the icing sugar and egg yolks with a hand blender.

Add the vanilla seeds and lemon zest to the egg yolk mixture and then add to the bowl in the mixer and continue to mix on low speed until fully combined and a very soft dough has formed (approximately 3-5 minutes).

Mould the dough into a flat rectangle and wrap it in clingfilm before placing in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Roll the pastry between two sheets of baking paper to a thickness of 2mm, using two stacked 2 pence coins as guides, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC/gas mark 5. Line a 26cm tart tin (2.5cm deep) with the pastry making sure to press it into the edges and leaving the pastry hanging over the edge.

Take a sheet of baking paper and scrunch it up several times to eliminate any sharp edges. Prick the dough with a fork all over the surface. Place the baking paper on top and add enough coins (or baking beans) to fill the casing ¼ of the way up. Place in the preheated oven to bake for approximately 20 minutes or until fully cooked.

In the meantime, mix some of the leftover dough with an egg using a hand blender.

After 20 minutes, remove the baking paper and coins and, using a pastry brush, brush the entire surface of the tart with the dough and egg mixture. This ‘liquid pastry’ will ensure that any holes will be sealed. Return the tart to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool completely.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 120ºC/gas mark ½. Place the baked pastry case in the oven to warm up.

Put all the filling ingredients into a bowl and mix together using a spatula. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to warm up until the temperature reaches 60ºC. At this point, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug. With a spoon, remove the bubbles from the surface of the liquid.

Slide the oven rack out a bit, then pour the mixture into the warm pastry case inside the oven. Fill the case to the top, slide the rack carefully back in, and bake the tart for approximately 25 minutes or until the temperature of the filling reaches 70ºC. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.

Just before serving, trim the overhanging pastry by running a sharp knife round the top of the tart tin and discard.

The People’s Gastropub: Senate – Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, OH

I got on a plane in NYC and landed in Cincinnati about an hour and a half later. Checked into my hotel, and ran out the door, making a beeline for Over-The-Rhine.

Sandwiched in between Cincinnati’s Downtown and its seedy underbelly is a gentrified little area, complete with beautiful architecture and SOHO-style artist lofts, that made me homesick for the cobblestone streets of NYC. About a year ago, Dan and Lana Wright moved out of Chicago and into this neighborhood opening a restaurant called Senate, dubbing their fare “Gourmet Street Food” and serving some really amazing beer including a Kentucky bourbon beer which had me spinning after two. The food is impeccable, the space is modern, but the locals call it small, which i find laughable.

I would love to give a recommendation of what was my favorite at this place, but honestly…and this is a first, I couldn’t decide. It was all so wonderful. The place also has killer special hot dogs.

Senate
1212 Vine St
Cincinnati, Ohio

Duck Fat fries

“Marrow Bones” are rubbed w toasted cumin & curry served w a red onion- cranberry jam & grilled toast.

“pork belly grilled cheese” braised pork belly, fontina, avocado & caramelized onions

“Croque Madame” all beef dog topped with black forest ham, bechamel & a poached egg. WOW!

Eat Raw, Live Long: Pure Food & Wine- NY, NY

Every once in a while I get the urge to try something different. Raw food is typically considered food that is cooked no higher than 40 °C (104 °F) to 46 °C (115 °F) and is usually equated with veganism. I’ve never eaten at a raw restaurant before so when my cousin asked me to lunch at Pure Food & Wine, I was more than excited. It was a very hot day in NYC and no one wanted to sit in on the back patio, except for me. I love the heat and miss it so much in the winter. On this particular sunny day We tried a wide range of entree’s and desserts, ice creams made of raw almond milk, which would make you wonder how it is possible almond milk ice cream would taste damn good. So after a long lunch I came back stuffed and dripping in sweat with the following images:

Pure Food & Wine
54 Irving Place
New York, NY 10003
(212) 477-1010

Interior dining area of Pure Food & Wine

Outside Patio of Pure Food & Wine

Guacamole and Chips – made with dehydrated hempseed, sun-dried tomatoes and a few other things, the guacamole has corn in it.

Chips and Guac

Tortilla Wraps

Falafel Salad

Nori Tuna Salad

Classic Sundae

Tiramisu

Mint Chocolate Chip Sundae

Restaurant North in Armonk, NY

I’ve stepped out of the city a few times to get up north. Westchester County and beyond is a haven for people who have decided on a life outside of the city, to raise families, have comfort of more than 600 square feet – and quite a few of them still commute to the city. With all of that talent moving out of the city, it is no wonder that there are some treasures up there. Last week I was invited up to Restaurant North in Armonk, NY – a new farm-to-table new american restaurant started by Stephen Mancini, former wine director/sommelier of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Cafe and more recently, Maialino. Shortly thereafter, he left to create North in Armonk, a small town devoid of a restaurant of this caliber.

The chef, Eric Gabrynowicz, formerly of Tavern, left his post to join Mancini and the dishes that he comes up with range between stellar and profound. Gabrynowicz is also a Danny Meyer alum. In fact, many of his staff has worked at USC at some point which explains why, after opening just 2 weeks ago, everything is running swimmingly. Now on to the pictures.

North
386 Main Street
Armonk, NY 10504

Wild Mushrooms & Lardo Flatbread

Peanut Butter & Jelly Foie Gras

Pan Seared L.I Dry Scallops

Soft Shell Crab with Bread Service (Bread service consists of a Biscuit and Ricotta and Oil Dipping sauce…it was different, in a very good way)

Soft Shell Crab with Peas

Orchiette with Lamb

Chocolate Chip Cake Skillet with Ice Cream

Stephen Mancini, Eric Gabrynowicz & Monique Berarducci – the founders of North, Armonk.

What does it mean to be sustainable? – Raising food that is healthy for consumers & animals, does not harm the environment, is humane for workers, respects animals, provides fare wage to the farmer and supports & enhances rural communities- North hearts sustainability.

Stephen P. Mancini – Restauranteur of North Armonk.

Captain Lawrence from Pleasantville on tap at North

Monique Berarducci pouring a pint of Captain Lawrence Brown Ale for me at North

Zinc Brasserie: Sandusky, OH

brasserie |ˌbrasəˈrē|
noun ( pl. -ries)
an informal restaurant, esp. one in France or modeled on a French one and with a large selection of drinks.
ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: French, originally ‘brewery,’ from brasser ‘to brew.’

Welcome to suburbia. We’ve got Applebee’s, Chili’s, McDonalds, Steak & Shake, Bob Evans, Cracker Barrel, Red Lobster, Max and Erma’s, and a whole slew of other mediocre restaurants lacking inspiring dishes and originality. We even got my personal favorite, the newest addition to the strip of bush league cuisine, Sonic ( I am actually nuts for Sonic and I will tell you why in a later post)

Then there is Zinc Brasserie. Situated in a the downtown area of Sandusky, it sits across from a new wine bar called Crush and has some pretty interesting dishes inspired by the french cuisine, although not as rich as you would find at most french restaurants. The food was inspiring and beautiful and lacked the comme ci, comme ça that you find in this neck of the woods. So for all of you in the area, and those visiting, please try this place!

Zinc Brasserie
142 Columbus Avenue
Sandusky, OH 44870-2502
(419) 502-9462

Front of the Zinc Brasserie

Oysters

Lobster Bisque

Proscuitto Wrapped Halibut

Perch on a Baguette – it has bacon on it!!!!

Creme Brulee

Ubuntu – Napa, Ca

In the restaurant world, the fact that you are noticed by Michelin is quite an honor. A 1 star Michelin restaurant is a pretty big deal considering that they awarded sparingly. Ubuntu was awarded a 1 star rating for 2010 and I can see why after having an amazing, experimental and absolutely delicious meal emphasizing vegetables as the main ingredient. This place should not be recognized as a vegetarian restaurant – it is a celebration of vegetables and focuses on a beautiful range of fresh vegetables. It is suggested that when you dine there that you eat family style, ordering 2-3 items per person. Like most of Napa Valley restaurants, there is a corking fee, which is waived if ordering an additional bottle of their own impressive, moderately-priced wine list.

Ubuntu
1140 Main Street
Napa, CA 94559-2639
(707) 251-5656