Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Pizza Stoned.
Staying in for pizza can be romantic and fun on Valentines Day...so long as you’re equipped to make a good pie. On a tip from a culinary-oriented friend, my mother purchased a pizza stone. Both mother and friend discussed how the idea of a pizza stone just seems like one extra gadget in a kitchen. However, the friend had bought one with a gift certificate and was reveling in its use and results. Even if you get dough from your favorite pizzeria (a trick that everyone should try), it’s the pizza stone that will have all of your friends salivating for your pies. This flat piece of light stone provides evenly distributed heat from your oven and easily absorbs moisture, ensuring a crispy crust. Seriously, it’s like magic. (Pizza stones are available at most cookware stores.)
Last Minute Valentines Day Remedy
It’s too late to book a table and too late to call a bakery and order your favorite cake; it’s even too late to call on your Culinista™ to help you whip up a Valentines Day treat. In this emergency, it’s never too late to call on the Cake (mix) Doctor.
On Valentines Day, people always struggle over what an ordeal the whole thing becomes—from making reservations, to doing something romantic, to buying the right chocolates, flowers, and heart-shaped memorabilia.
Well, if you haven’t done any of this, don’t sweat it! All you have to do is use a recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor. In this cookbook—and website (www.cakemixdoctor.com)—one ambitious baker shows how to improve cake mixes into just about any type of cake. From the base of a yellow cake mix, making recipes like Peanut Butter Surprise Cake, Strawberry Cake, and Banana Pudding Cake are a snap with only a few extra ingredients. Chocolate cake mix manifests itself into molten chocolate hot pots, rich raspberry brownies, and Fudge Bites.
The recipes are great in a pinch because the ingredients can be purchased almost anywhere—your corner deli or even at a Duane Reade. So long as you’ve got a cake mix, butter, and perhaps a hand full of chocolate chips on hand, all you’ll need to present an elaborate cake to your love will be the showcase ingredients in the recipes you choose—peanut butter? Strawberries? Lemon meringue?
Take a moment to peruse the recipes, evaluate your kitchen, and then run to the store to get your odd ingredients. While you are there, get some of those heart-shaped tins that are everywhere right now.
To make your chosen specialty cake into the Special Valentines Day Cake, just pour the batter into a big heart shaped tin. When it’s cooled, scatter some heart-shaped candies or chocolates or some sliced strawberries on or around the heart.
And, just as your companion was beginning to think that you hadn’t planned a thing, the cake doc can heal a broken heart.
On Valentines Day, people always struggle over what an ordeal the whole thing becomes—from making reservations, to doing something romantic, to buying the right chocolates, flowers, and heart-shaped memorabilia.
Well, if you haven’t done any of this, don’t sweat it! All you have to do is use a recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor. In this cookbook—and website (www.cakemixdoctor.com)—one ambitious baker shows how to improve cake mixes into just about any type of cake. From the base of a yellow cake mix, making recipes like Peanut Butter Surprise Cake, Strawberry Cake, and Banana Pudding Cake are a snap with only a few extra ingredients. Chocolate cake mix manifests itself into molten chocolate hot pots, rich raspberry brownies, and Fudge Bites.
The recipes are great in a pinch because the ingredients can be purchased almost anywhere—your corner deli or even at a Duane Reade. So long as you’ve got a cake mix, butter, and perhaps a hand full of chocolate chips on hand, all you’ll need to present an elaborate cake to your love will be the showcase ingredients in the recipes you choose—peanut butter? Strawberries? Lemon meringue?
Take a moment to peruse the recipes, evaluate your kitchen, and then run to the store to get your odd ingredients. While you are there, get some of those heart-shaped tins that are everywhere right now.
To make your chosen specialty cake into the Special Valentines Day Cake, just pour the batter into a big heart shaped tin. When it’s cooled, scatter some heart-shaped candies or chocolates or some sliced strawberries on or around the heart.
And, just as your companion was beginning to think that you hadn’t planned a thing, the cake doc can heal a broken heart.
Union Square Scores with Singles
Romance and a glass of wine have gone hand in hand for a long time.
Each year, Union Square Wines & Spirits hosts a sultry Valentines Day tasting. The Salon is stocked with spirits that will get anyone in the mood. This year, however, the tasting is unabashedly targeted towards singles looking to score…great deals on Champagne, Banyuls, and other enticing elixirs.
The wine line-up will be paired with chocolates from Scharffen Berger and the USQ team will be luring in lonely aficionados with a drawing for a Tocqueville Gift Certificate, Champagne, and free tasting points for the wine shops Enomatic machines, which dole out 50+ unique bottles daily.
The tasting is set from 6—8pm and the admission is free. So, whether you really are a single, serious about wine or just a cheap date, the USQ Valentines Tasting will inevitably add a little spark, or at least something sparkling, to your evening.
Each year, Union Square Wines & Spirits hosts a sultry Valentines Day tasting. The Salon is stocked with spirits that will get anyone in the mood. This year, however, the tasting is unabashedly targeted towards singles looking to score…great deals on Champagne, Banyuls, and other enticing elixirs.
The wine line-up will be paired with chocolates from Scharffen Berger and the USQ team will be luring in lonely aficionados with a drawing for a Tocqueville Gift Certificate, Champagne, and free tasting points for the wine shops Enomatic machines, which dole out 50+ unique bottles daily.
The tasting is set from 6—8pm and the admission is free. So, whether you really are a single, serious about wine or just a cheap date, the USQ Valentines Tasting will inevitably add a little spark, or at least something sparkling, to your evening.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Roasted Garlic
Roasting garlic is a user-friendly method of enjoying it without the abrasiveness of the raw version. It’s a very simple method in itself. Cut a garlic head in half, width-wise and preheat your oven to 350°. Drizzle the garlic with olive oil and wrap it in foil. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes. You roasted garlic! …and the apartment smells amazing!
Roasted garlic is easy to incorporate into spreads, dips, oils, sauces and dressings. Mix roasted garlic with butter and spread it on baguette. Eat it alone or add other roasted veggies to make a delicious sandwich.
If there are garlic skeptics at home, head to Blue Ribbon Bakery where $6.50 gets you a whole roasted garlic without having to do the work yourself and unlimited bread from their delicious
Roasted garlic is easy to incorporate into spreads, dips, oils, sauces and dressings. Mix roasted garlic with butter and spread it on baguette. Eat it alone or add other roasted veggies to make a delicious sandwich.
If there are garlic skeptics at home, head to Blue Ribbon Bakery where $6.50 gets you a whole roasted garlic without having to do the work yourself and unlimited bread from their delicious
Blue Ribbon Empire Expands Again
As the Blue Ribbon Empire opens up its seventh outpost in total—Blue Ribbon Bar—the Dish recollects favorites from each existing restaurant. (And, they are all wonderful places to go with your sweetie on Valentines Day.)
Since 1992, the Bromberg brothers, Bruce and Eric, have launched Blue Ribbon (1992), Blue Ribbon Sushi (1995), Blue Ribbon Bakery (1997), Blue Ribbon Brooklyn (2001), Blue Ribbon Sushi Brooklyn (2003), and Blue Ribbon Bakery Market (2005). Each spot has a character of its own while remaining unmistakably under the Blue Ribbon guise.
At the original Blue Ribbon, going late, late, late at night is the thing to do. And, sitting at the bar to eat oysters and sip champagne is consistently my favorite. There are always at least four varieties of oysters from which to choose and, even at 3 a.m., the staff will gladly explain the different tastes and textures.
One block away at Blue Ribbon Sushi—and, one bridge away in Park Slope—the sake ikura roll is a wining combo of salmon and salmon roe. Sweet salmon paired with salty roe is one reason why the Brombergs deserve a blue ribbon ::wink wink::
Blue Ribbon Bakery is by far my favorite of their restaurants so it’s difficult to choose just one dish. Luckily, I have already referenced the delicious roasted garlic, which leaves only a tie between the market salad piled with beets, artichoke hearts, asparagus, and grilled onions and the chocolate chip bread pudding, which has been a longstanding favorite of mine and was, in fact, one of the first dishes about which I wrote.
The Blue Ribbon in Brooklyn has an almost identical menu to the Manhattan location but something about going to Brooklyn always gets me in the mood for the Jewish stuff on the menu like the smoked salmon sandwich on rye.
Blue Ribbon Bakery Market carries an incredible selection of gourmet foods to take home as well as the signature breads. The best move here is to order toast with Mexican honey, for a sweet treat…or to tide you over as you wait for a table at the new Blue Ribbon Bar located conveniently around the corner. (34 Downing Street. 212.691.0404)
Since 1992, the Bromberg brothers, Bruce and Eric, have launched Blue Ribbon (1992), Blue Ribbon Sushi (1995), Blue Ribbon Bakery (1997), Blue Ribbon Brooklyn (2001), Blue Ribbon Sushi Brooklyn (2003), and Blue Ribbon Bakery Market (2005). Each spot has a character of its own while remaining unmistakably under the Blue Ribbon guise.
At the original Blue Ribbon, going late, late, late at night is the thing to do. And, sitting at the bar to eat oysters and sip champagne is consistently my favorite. There are always at least four varieties of oysters from which to choose and, even at 3 a.m., the staff will gladly explain the different tastes and textures.
One block away at Blue Ribbon Sushi—and, one bridge away in Park Slope—the sake ikura roll is a wining combo of salmon and salmon roe. Sweet salmon paired with salty roe is one reason why the Brombergs deserve a blue ribbon ::wink wink::
Blue Ribbon Bakery is by far my favorite of their restaurants so it’s difficult to choose just one dish. Luckily, I have already referenced the delicious roasted garlic, which leaves only a tie between the market salad piled with beets, artichoke hearts, asparagus, and grilled onions and the chocolate chip bread pudding, which has been a longstanding favorite of mine and was, in fact, one of the first dishes about which I wrote.
The Blue Ribbon in Brooklyn has an almost identical menu to the Manhattan location but something about going to Brooklyn always gets me in the mood for the Jewish stuff on the menu like the smoked salmon sandwich on rye.
Blue Ribbon Bakery Market carries an incredible selection of gourmet foods to take home as well as the signature breads. The best move here is to order toast with Mexican honey, for a sweet treat…or to tide you over as you wait for a table at the new Blue Ribbon Bar located conveniently around the corner. (34 Downing Street. 212.691.0404)
Falai’s Confit Soup
The new Caffe Falai on Lafayette Street just south of Prince is serving up a delicious onion confit soup. I’ve never had anything like it, and yet I always think about making some sort of rendition of it on my own. The soup is a very simple, yet brilliant, combination of caramelized onions and poached eggs in a vegetable broth hinted with a thin sheet of Parmesan.
It would be the vegetarian’s answer to a thick French onion soup; except Falai’s is hearty without being heavy at all. The sweet onions and crumbled bits of poached egg take on a comforting taste that is balanced by the sharp cheese. For $6 a bowl, it’s a wonderful afternoon lunch that will take the chill from frost bitten New Yorkers.
Served warm along side it, and with everything else, is the famed bread from which Iacopo Falai rose to chef celebrity status. The venerable bread, dunked in thick onion confit is a full-on masterpiece.
It would be the vegetarian’s answer to a thick French onion soup; except Falai’s is hearty without being heavy at all. The sweet onions and crumbled bits of poached egg take on a comforting taste that is balanced by the sharp cheese. For $6 a bowl, it’s a wonderful afternoon lunch that will take the chill from frost bitten New Yorkers.
Served warm along side it, and with everything else, is the famed bread from which Iacopo Falai rose to chef celebrity status. The venerable bread, dunked in thick onion confit is a full-on masterpiece.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Tiger’s Eye for and Eye
Ninth Street Espresso isn’t only serious about its caffeinated beverage program; someone behind the espresso bar is also consciously seeking out some tasty pastries to accompany your perfect cappuccino. Selections finely complement, but do not overshadow, the main event.
All selections are from Tisserie, the new-ish Union Square French bakery designed by The Rockwell Group and frequented by Manhattan food celeb Danny Meyer.
Muffins and Mille-feuille’s are available for those who need a substantial sweetness for breakfast. But the item not to be missed is the Tiger’s Eye petit four. The demure almond cake dolloped with chocolate ganache is an unassuming bite to cloud nine.
All selections are from Tisserie, the new-ish Union Square French bakery designed by The Rockwell Group and frequented by Manhattan food celeb Danny Meyer.
Muffins and Mille-feuille’s are available for those who need a substantial sweetness for breakfast. But the item not to be missed is the Tiger’s Eye petit four. The demure almond cake dolloped with chocolate ganache is an unassuming bite to cloud nine.
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