stilton's Profile
Early March Trip report
I went to Manhattan with a slight detour to Madison, NJ for a play.
Day 1:
Amy's Bread (Hell's Kitchen location)
My first meal after touching down in the evening. I've known about Amy's Bread from a baking book I got a long time ago from a booksale. Alas, for a first meal, it wasn't so good. I got chicken veg soup, french roll, and lemon mousseline cake. Maybe the baked goods weren't at their peak at 8pm? Anyway, the soup was bland, the roll was stale and cold, and the cake? Oy, sad cake makes me sad. It was very sweet and the crumb was dense and pasty. The slight acidity from the lemon curd (there was but a film of it between the layers) did not stand a chance against the cloying sweetness. Guy I was chatting with in front of me was apparently a regular, and he was there for a usual slice of carrot cake and coffee. He said the carrot cake was great and has never tried anything else. Maybe I should've gotten that. I had a meeting to get to right after, so I didn't (and did not want to) sample anything else. The staff was very nice.
Day 2:
I attended a group luncheon at Brother Jimmy's BBQ near Union Square. We were served itty bitty and very dry cheeseburgers, BBQ wings, fried shrimp, congealed nachos and a selection of salsas. The food was terrible. Luckily, the food was not the point of the luncheon.
I stopped by the Union Square Greenmarket since it was right across the street. I was searching for NY State wines in general, and Finger Lakes ice wine in particular, to bring back home since it's nearly impossible to find anything like that in California (go figure) and from past experience, it's bloody difficult even in NY wine shops. Alas, no producer there had ice wines but I did try a lovely Riesling Trockenbeeren, Vignoles, and Cab Franc from Anthony Road Winery. Lugging three bottles of wine in a backpack across city was rather painful.
In the evening, my friends and I decided to see Rent in a rather last-minute decision, thus dinner plans went askew. We wandered around the theatre area for a bit looking for any place to sit down and out of the cold. I forget the name now, but there's an organic smoothie and yogurt place that was staffed by a very helpful and polite young lady. We all liked the drinks we got. I picked a create-your-own smoothie of coconut, peanut butter and agave with soy milk. Cold beverage for a cold night but it tided me over.
Dinner.. better left unsaid. 24-hour diner in Times Square. Not my choice. I lament the wasted calories.
Day 3: Carb-loading
Doughnut Plant
Got PB&J, chocolate blackout, glazed, and blueberry. The raised ones were chewier than I thought, but the blackout cake donut went over very well with the person I shared it with.
Dominique Ansel Bakery
Croque Monsieur was excellent. Also tried a yuzu tart, cannele, and kouign amann . My favorite of the bunch was the kouign amann. I haven't tried any other KAs before so I can't compare. The tart and cannele were good but I kept thinking I should've picked the prettier pastries.
GROM near Carmine
The trek from Dominique Ansel was punctuated by suprisingly warm weather and I was aiming for a pizza place when there GROM was, right around the corner! I wanted to cool down first so gelato it was. I got a hazelnut and a special flavor of the day (chocolate-orange). Hazelnut was fine. I wasn't so crazy about the special flavor.
Joe's Pizza
Got a slice of pepperoni. It was good, thin, fold-in-halfable. I'm not very picky about pizza so if there were better places, I'd nod and go about my business.
Jacques Torres Chocolates
The big ol' chocolate chip cookie was very good. I liked the crunchier edges and my friend preferred the squishy middles. The wee bit of salt on top made it extra omnomnom. I bought a bunch of small chocolate bars and choco-covered candied ginger as gifts. Giftees said they were great. I've not tried any myself.
Porchetta
I got the porchetta plate with greens and beans. My friend got the sandwich and spuds with burnt ends. All but the spuds were a let down. The porchetta was dry and very salty. Beans were grainy and greens were tough. Friend did not like her sandwich. We fought over the burnt ends.
Day 4:
Gramercy Tavern
Friend and I both got the lunch tasting menu option. Huh, I should've taken notes. Oh, the menu is still up on their website! There may have been a savory amuse bouche somewhere along the way but I can't remember. Running down the list... scallops were very well-prepared. Smooth as buttah. Cardoon dish, I thought there'd be a hint of bitterness but no. Other than that, I don't remember much of it. Monkfish was good. If I remember correctly, suckling pig consisted of pork prepared three ways; ham, braised and seared belly, chicharron. We both loved the chicharron (can't go wrong with delicately crispy pig) but speaking of, I wished the pork belly was crisped more, but all in all, a nice meat course. The greens were done right! *evil eyeballs Porchetta* There was an amuse bouche of tiny pineapple upside down cake with pineapple salad. Dessert was a choice of chocolatey or tropical fruity, or a cheese course (with a extra supplement). Friend got the choco, I got the tropical. Extra spoons? Yes please! My choice consisted of passion fruit sorbet, coconut meringues, coconut sauce, passion fruit puree. Friend loved the sorbet. I snagged some chocolate mousse and cacoa nib ice cream from her dish. I was very pleased they offered a good selection of non-alcoholic mixed drinks. I got a cranberry something.
And off to New Jersey!
After seeing a play in Madison and juuuust barely missing the train back to NY, we were a bit leery of being the only pedestrians still out and about at 10pm and everything was closed. We wandered forlornly until we happened upon a couple walking their dog and they said there was a diner that-a-way. The waitress was so very awesome (she out-awesomed the service at GT!) and made sure we got our food quickly and anticipating us doggybagging the majority of our dinner, got us boxes and bags without asking. Maybe it was stress-heightened, but that was a good pastrami on rye with a pickle. She even packed a cup of ice water with lemon for my friend since she didn't have a water bottle with her and I did. She made sure we got to the train station on time and told us about a shortcut. I think we tipped her 75%. Got on the last train back with minutes to spare! Googly says the name of the place is Nautilus Diner.
Day 5
I had a few hours to kill until my flight. I scoped out the nearest Momofuku Milkbar (a very tiny place in the lobby of some building) and got crack pie, candybar pie, and one each of every cookie. I wanted to bring back cake balls too but the clerk said they (and the pies, really) should be kept refrigerated. I didn't see anything that could go bad with the pies, but I reluctantly put back the cake balls.
i took a leisurely stroll to Sullivan Street Bakery afterwards for my last mad bakery dash. Had a potato pizza and custard-filled bombolono on the spot (both omnomnom), got a slice of mushroom pizza for the plane ride, and a green olive loaf. The pizza was still good a few hours later and handily beat a wee packet of airplane pretzels.
At home, the olive bread refreshed just dandily in the oven. Good stuff but I'm still partial to Acme sourdough. Candybar Pie was a veritable salt lick. The corn cookie was very good, like a condensed northern-style cornbread. The rest of the edible souvenirs are in deep freeze.
What to take for friends in San Francisco
Wines from the Finger Lakes region, especially the natural (not cryo-extracted) ice wines. I live in SF and have almost never seen any NY State wines here.
Pasteles
I'll be visiting in early March from San Francisco, which seems to have no Puerto Rican places and I'm hankering for pasteles. Any recs or is this a holiday-only item? The search engine seems to think I want pastel-colored decor. :/ TIA!
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay Thread - 4th quarter 2011 [OLD]
The pfefferneusse are not good. The unexpectedly thick and durable carapace of powdered sugar is unpleasant to bite through and the sweetness overpowers any flavor from the cookie. The cookie itself is mushy with an odd numbing quality. I've never returned a product to TJ's before but I will with this item.
Where to buy Boxed Wine in SF or online?
K&L has a boxed wine. I don't remember the specifics of it, just spotted it today while looking for bubbly.
Costco food finds - 4th quarter 2011 [old]
How much was the oxtail? I'm trying to justify joining Costco just for me and pop, and pop loves oxtails.
Man V. Food - I don't get it.....
I don't care for the challenges, but I do like the segments where he highlights local places.
What are you baking these days? May 2011 [old]
In April, I baked:
BBBBC, moist and deeelish http://tinyurl.com/3zca87x
Hot Cross Buns (I soaked the raisins in kirsch, and added chopped candied ginger) http://tinyurl.com/4xctk9g
Deep dish pizzas
Devil's food cake with swiss meringue buttercream. I think I prefer whipped cream as a frosting more than BC.
Acquired madeleine pan, first couple of batches were failcake. Must practice more!
In March, I acquired new cake pans and thus went a little nuts:
Streusel blueberry coffeecake from one of the Martha Stewart baking books... fail. Too dry.
Black Forest Cherry Cake, parts cobbled together from various sources, namely America's Test Kitchen's Baking Illustrated for the cherry prep, RLB's Cake Bible for the choco genoise.
Guinness chocolate cupcakes with whisky ganache
King Cake
Boston Cream Pie from America's Test Kitchen's Baking Illustrated
Cake made of green tea genoise, filled with lemon curd and poached pears leftover from the tartlets, and frosted with whipped cream.
Pear frangipane tartlets
Coming up: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Chip Cookies http://tinyurl.com/43f85cb
Kindle and Cookbooks
Can you put the Kindle into a large ziploc bag or wrap it in plastic wrap?
Gluten-Free Breads: Yeast or Baking Powder?
I've not baked these GF recipes, but I'm inclined to trust King Arthur Flour.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/category/gluten-free/
Swiss meringue buttercream came out thick and matte?
Perhaps the butter was too cold, or the ambient room temperature was too cold, so the frosting curdled. You can beat it again with a warm towel wrapped around the bowl until it warms up slightly and smooths out.
I just got a juice machine! What should I do with it?
I use the carrot pulp in carrot cakes. It makes the cake smooth and velvety-dense.
Bay Area Food Festivals - 2011
Not a festival per se, but a fundraiser. April 2, Bakesale for Japan. There's events for all over the US, but a lot of them are concentrated in the Bay Area.
http://bakesaleforjapan.com/
Irish vs Canadian whisky
Is Canadian whisky that much different in flavor from Irish whiskey? I don't drink, so I normally don't keep much alcohol on hand, but want to make a batch of whiskey-laced frosting for some Guinness cupcakes. I have an unopened bottle of Canadian Club from who knows how long ago sitting in the cupboard, so will that do or should I get a mini bottle of proper Irish?
What weeds are you eating?
I've gathered and used the seeds from the wild fennel growing around here.
TC Just Desserts: Finale [spoiler]
A recent article on Yigit Pura in a local paper:
http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=5454
Finger food desserts for 50 -- what's better than brownies?
Line a mini muffin pan with your choice of crust and either blindbake that and fill with, for example, lemon curd or ganache, or bake mini-cheesecakes.
Food Grade Sodium Hydroxide in the Bay area
Yep, find a big Asian grocery. I got a bottle of "lye water" at Pacific supermarket on Alemany in SF last weekend. There's different formulations of lye amongst the different brands; some have potassium hydroxide, or a blend of bases. The brand I got, "Tropics," has USP-grade sodium hydroxide and water only.
Costco Pumpkin Pie Why?
I've never tried a Costco pumpkin pie, so I can't comment on its flavor, but could the taste difference stem from aging as the pie sits from the time it was baked until when it gets bought and served? A homemade pie more often than not gets baked and served within a day. I've found that a pumpkin pie tastes better and better the more it ages and the spices mellow out (though at the expense of the crust's texture). Of course, if a Costco pie is also baked and served the same day, ignore all this and move along. :)
Has anyone made pumpkin whoopie pies?
I've made these on occasion, with a simple cream cheese and candied ginger filling. I ignore the cake enhancer bit.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pumpkin-whoopie-pies-recipe
ISO xanthan gum in tiny quantities in SF (not Rainbow Grocery)
Puff pastry from here: http://tinyurl.com/ylp58ed
For tarte tatin and veggie turnovers. I'm willing to go with a gf pie crust, but I'd like a little more zing since it's the holidays.
ISO xanthan gum in tiny quantities in SF (not Rainbow Grocery)
I am in need of about 2 tablespoons' worth of xanthan gum to make something for a celiac-affected guest for Thanksgiving. I went to Rainbow yesterday but they are out of stock and couldn't tell me when they'll have more coming in. I called around the more well-known health food stores in the city but they either don't have any or sell it only in those 8oz Bob's Redmill packages. Does anyone have a lead?
i need some help with mint ice cream...
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/05/mint-chip-ice-cream-recipe-chocolate/
How can I save my fried rice?
Shred some lettuce (iceberg works) and mix with hot fried rice. It's oddly refreshing and might help with diluting the garlic flavor.
What are you baking these days? Part X [old]
Just baked a 5-strand braided challah from The Bread Baker's Apprentice, with 1/3 white whole wheat flour. I've been using the whole wheat challah recipe from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book, so I'm trying to see if one is tastier than the other.
Finishing up Crystal Diamonds, aka Arnhemse meisjes. It's basically sugar barely held together with butter and flour. Omnomnom! Recipe here:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/crystal-diamonds-recipe?recipe_id=1177942935926
What are you baking these days? Part X [old]
I've made it about four times over the years, always baked in individual scoops (#70 disher, 350F for ~12-14 minutes) and chocolate-coated. I add a 1/4 tsp of table salt to counteract all the sweetness. Sometimes I throw in a 1/2 teaspoon of peppercorns, ground in a spice grinder.
I'm not familiar with authentic German lebkuchen, but I like this recipe a lot, and the people I've given it to liked it too. It's gently spicy and has a good chew, though in the first couple of the days the edges retain a nice crunch.
What are you baking these days? Part X [old]
This past week:
Toodiejane's English toffee (really delicious!)
Banana-walnut muffins
Challah with a coolbeans way of braiding it: http://www.jewishpress.com/pageroute.do/45186
I got some young ginger, candied it, and turned part of it into:
Ginger Crunch (an antipodean biscuit)
http://www.winosandfoodies.com/2010/06/ginger-crunch-recipe.html
Ginger buns (make cinnamon buns but swap the cinn for ginger, and threw chopped candied ginger in too. Drizzle with ginger syrup leftover from candying.
Lebkuchen baked into individual rounds instead of a big slab. Instead of a sugar coating, I coated them in tempered chocolate.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/lebkuchen-recipe
ISO Caramel Apple Recipe
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/004081caramel_apples.php
Halloween themed chocolate cake
http://bakingdom.blogspot.com/2010/10/fun-festive-halloween-chocolate-orange.html
Preparing an "American" Dinner Party
Do you have access to a grill? Beercan chicken would be unusual and tasty.
Chicken-fried steak with cream gravy. http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/03/independence-and-chicken-fried-steak.html
Sauteed green beans and caramelized onions.
Cornbread. No cornmeal? Maybe the shops have polenta. With careful monitoring and perhaps shielding the top with foil partway, you can bake this in a toaster oven.
Creamy pumpkin or butternut squash soup. Kabocha may work. Puree by passing the soup through a sieve if you have one.
I know Japan has sweet potatoes, but am not sure if they're suitable for the usual Thanksgiving treatment. I myself am grossed out by the canned stuff with marshmallows on top.
