Friday, July 30, 2010

cooking: blueberry waffles


I was feeling pretty bold and decided to make a sweet breakfast...something I rarely do. It came out pretty well and I got to use some fresh Jersey blueberries!

Blueberry Waffles
Serves 5
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

-2 c ap flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 tbsp sugar
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-1 3/4 c buttermilk
-2 eggs, whites & yolks separated
-4 tbsp butter, melted & cooled
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-nonstick cooking spray
-powdered/confectioners sugar, to taste/preference
-blueberries, to taste/preference
-freshly made whipped cream, to taste/preference
-maple syrup, warmed

Whisk dry ingredients well in large bowl.

In another bowl, mix buttermilk and yolks. Add vanilla and butter.

Preheat and grease waffle iron.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix/fold a couple times, should still be fairly lumpy.

Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites gently into batter.

Ladle batter onto hot waffle iron. Based on your iron you may use a different amount of ladles than I did. I used two and then some.

It also might take a little bit longer for you to cook. It took me 5-7 minutes.

Once golden brown, remove and plate. Spread desired amount of whipped cream in center, place blueberries on top, and sprinkle powdered sugar across.

Serve with warm maple syrup.

Enjoy.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

crumbs


After lots of hype from NYC friends and other fellow foodies I had to give Crumbs a try. I swung by their Midtown location on Broadway and got 4 different varieties...


(listed clockwise from top)
Madison Avenue: vanilla cake, chocolate ganache, raspberry preserves, almonds

Cookie Dough: vanilla cake, cream cheese frosting w/ choco chip cookie pieces

Peanut Butter Cup: chocolate cake, pb cream cheese frosting, pb cup topping, crushed peanuts, chocolate chips

Red Velvet: red velvet cake, cream cheese frosting, red velvet crumbs, white sprinkles

Favorite was the red velvet...I'm a sucker for red velvet and cream cheese frosting.

Crumbs Bake Shop
(multiple locations)
1675 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
212.399.3100

Monday, July 26, 2010

shake shack


It was an absolutely beautiful summer day on Wednesday. I met up with two college friends in Madison Square Park to mark my second visit to Shake Shack.


shack burger

On my previous visit I ordered a Shack Burger, so this time around, I got a Shroom Burger (have I mentioned I love portobella mushroom burgers?). The Shack Burger consists of Black Angus beef with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and Shack Sauce. The Shroom Burger consists of a crisp fried portobella, filled with muenster and cheddar, and topped with lettuce, tomato, and Shack Sauce.


shroom Burger

To show you how good these burgers are, I attempted to take a photo of my friend making love to her burger (taking bites of it with such pleasure)...but she caught me and gave me a look of disgust. (Sorry Kathleen...)

It's a shame that I have never tried their shakes, custards, or concretes yet. I'm just never THAT hungry... Hopefully one day..

Shake Shack
Madison Square Park (Madison Ave & E 23rd St)
New York, NY
212.889.6600

Saturday, July 24, 2010

cooking: vegan paella


I FINALLY got around to making a dish from a vegan cookbook I bought a few months ago, The Conscious Cook, by Tal Ronnen. I'm not vegetarian or vegan by any means, but I respect the lifestyles and am intrigued by the recipes. Reason why I haven't made anything from this cookbook yet is the prep and ingredients. Most of the recipes I'd say require a reasonable amount of work which I unfortunately don't have too much of nowadays. Luckily, Meg from Runner's Kitchen was totes down for making this.

Vegan Paella
Adapted from Tal Ronnen's The Conscious Cook
Serves 7-8

ingredients for rice
-sea salt, ground
-4 tbsp, extra virgin olive oil
-1 red onion, diced
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-2 tbsp italian parsley, chopped
-2 tomatoes, diced
-1 red bell pepper, diced
-1 green bell pepper, diced
-1 1/2 c medium grain rice
-4 cups vegetable stock (we used Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth...LOVE this stuff)
-pinch of saffron
-1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

ingredients for topping
-sea salt, freshly ground
-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-3 Field Roast Italian Style seitan sausages, cut on bias into 1/4" thickness
-2 lbs, oyster mushrooms
-1 (14 oz.) can of artichoke hearts, quartered and drained
-1/2 c white wine
-juice of 1 lemon
-1/2 c thawed frozen peas
-1 lemon, cut into wedges
-1/2 fresh baked french baguette, sliced

Making the rice...

Start with a large (>12" or a paella pan, ideally) and place over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of the oil and heat for about 30 seconds.


sofrito

Saute onion, garlic, and parsley for 5 minutes. Stir frequently. Add diced tomatoes and a little water. Cook for about 10 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and the sofrito is thick. Transfer to a bowl and wipe pan clean.


all mixed in

Place pan back over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of oil and saute the peppers for about 5 minutes. Add the sofrito mixture that was set aside and the rice. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Add vegetable stock, saffron, 1 tsp salt, and pepper. Mix well and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook for 10 minutes. Turn heat down to simmer and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes.


meg preparing the mise en place

Making toppings...

Take another saute pan and place over medium heat. Heat 1 tbsp of oil and saute the sausage until browned and crisp on both sides. Transfer to bowl and wipe pan clean.

Place pan over medium heat again and place 1 tbsp of oil. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Saute the oyster mushrooms until the water has evaporated and slightly browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl and wipe pan clean.

Once more, place pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp of oil. Saute the artichoke hearts. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add wine and cook about 10 minutes until evaporated. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

Increase the heat of the rice pan to high and cook for 3 minutes to get the rice to crisp on the bottom. Remove from heat.

Scatter peas across the top of the rice and cover with foil. Leave for 5 minutes.

Remove foil and arrange the toppings over the rice: sausage, mushrooms, and artichokes.

Serve with lemon wedges and baguette slices.


beautiful, finished end result


oh, foodies...

Check out Runner's Kitchen for more pictures!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

vosges haut chocolat/brooklyn brewery tasting


Due to some (easy) convincing/pressuring from Meg at Runner's Kitchen, I gave in and got myself a ticket to go to the Vosges Haut Chocolat/Brooklyn Brewery tasting at the Vosges boutique in SoHo.


The night started with a couple hors d'oeuvres:


prosciutto, arugula, fig & butter on a baguette


dark chocolate w/ chorizo on a baguette


Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver was in attendance and spoke about the brewery as well as the featured beers in the tasting.


rosey caramel w/ brooklyn local 1

Brooklyn Local 1 - Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Rosey Caramel - dark chocolate caramel w/ rose water, pink peppercorns, and red rose petal


tarte caramel w/ brooklyn local 2

Brooklyn Local 2 - Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Tarte Caramel - dark chocolate caramel w/ blood orange, hibiscus, and campari


red fire tortilla chip w/ brooklyn ipa

Brooklyn IPA - East India Pale Ale
Red Fire Tortilla Chip - organic corn tortilla chip in milk chocolate w/ ancho chilis


blues truffle w/ brooklyn black ops

Brooklyn Black Ops - Russian Imperial Stout
Blues Truffle - milk chocolate with applewood smoked bacon

My favorite was the Local 2 & tarte caramel pairing, followed by the Black Ops and Blues truffle.

Huge thanks to Maggie Marion of Vosges and Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery. The event was a lot of fun and I'll definitely be checking the website for new events.

Check out Meg's recap of the tasting at Runner's Kitchen.

Vosges Haut Chocolat
132 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012
212.625.2929

Friday, July 16, 2010

miller's twist


Miller's Twist is located in the Reading Terminal Market in Philly. They make some pretty delicious pretzels. Soft. Salty. Buttery. Delicious.


They also have other varieties like sausage/hot dog pretzels and cheesesteak filled ones too. We got to try a sampling of the cheesesteak filled pretzels and they were pretty good...though I prefer a simple pretzel.


As with the other Amish merchants, they're not open Sunday - Tuesday, so make sure you come on a day they're open.

Miller's Twist at the Reading Terminal Market
12th & Arch Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

taim falafel & smoothie bar


Taim offers a choice between three different falafel flavors, the green (parsley, cilantro, mint), red (w/ roasted red pepper), and harissa (spicy).

I ordered a green falafel sandwich and it was mighty tasty. The falafel was cooked perfectly. The salad and hummus were in just the right amounts and complimented the falafel well.

Definitely making my way back here for more falafel!


Taim Falafel
222 Waverly Place
New York, NY 10014
212.691.6101