What's your favorite dinner when you're on your own? My sweetie is going to the Yankee game tonight, so I'll be dining solo. Normally I have eggs on toast when I'm home unsupervised, but I would love to get some of that signature SE inspiration.
While we're on the subject of food blogs, it's been a while since we had a blog roll call. Please tell us:
Blog name
URL
Subject matter/theme
Do you have a signature dish, something friends and family are always asking you to make? What is it? And will you share the recipe? (No "lessipes" now!)
This weekend I made cheese souffle (success!) and green tea cheesecake (needs work), inspired by threads right here on Serious Eats. Check it out:
http://cookiepiebklyn.blogspot.com/
How about you -- have you made anything recently inspired by our favorite food community?
The sandwich question started me thinking about this -- there are a few foods that everyone seems to love that I can't stand (egg salad!!). What about you? Are there any foods that make everyone else go, "Mmmmmm," that make you say, "Ick!"
JEP's question about whipped cream got me thinking about strawberry shortcake (I know it's winter, but a girl can dream...). There are so many different versions -- sponge cake, angel food, biscuits. I like it best with pound cake, very lightly sweetened whipped cream and the juiciest strawberries I can find. What about you? What's your ideal strawberry shortcake?
I have a recipe for White Chocolate-Strawberry Cupcakes - enjoy!
White Chocolate-Strawberry Cupcakes
Makes 12
Cupcakes:
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
12 small to medium strawberries, washed and patted dry with paper towels
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup half and half
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
12 small whole strawberries, for garnish (optional)
1. On a cutting board, using a chef’s knife, chop the chocolate chips into smaller pieces. Transfer to a bowl. Wipe off the cutting board. On the same board, with a paring knife, remove the hulls from the strawberries and cut each berry into quarters.
2. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 12 cups in a muffin tin with paper liners. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir with a fork to mix well.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add half of the flour mixer and stir with the flexible spatula until almost combined. Stir in the half and half and vanilla extract. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and stir until almost combined, then add the white chocolate and strawberries and carefully stir everything together.
4. Use an ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup dry measure to divide the batter among the paper liners in the muffin pan – fill each about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove the pan to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then take the cupcakes out of the pan and place them on the rack to cool completely.
5. Make glaze: Stir together the sugar and juice with a fork until completely moxed and free of lumps. If the glaze is too runny, add more sugar, a few teaspoons at a time and stir in with the fork. If it’s too thick, add more juice, 1 teaspoon at a time. Spoon the glaze over the cooled cupcakes and spread with a butter knife. Top each with a strawberry, if desired.
1. what food resources/supermarkets are you near?
Chain stores Key Food and Met Foods, which are both really gross but ok for flour, butter and the like. I never buy produce at either. We have 2 little mom and pop produce markets within 3 blocks, and a fabulous Middle Eastern market, so that's where I shop mostly. Farmer's markets too. We used to belong to a CSA, but it was way too much food for the 2 of us. And we're getting Trader Joe's 3 blocks from us in a few months - I can't wait!!
2. do you purchase organic or inorganic food because of your supermarket?
I seek it out, but I don't buy everything organic. As many others have said, it's mostly by how things look and the prices.
3. if you do not purchase organic, would you if a, for example, whole foods was nearby?
N/A - I do often buy some things that are organic. We have Whole Foods but it's not convenient.
4. how has the increase in food affected your purchases?
I live in NYC, so it's always a food frenzy here. My husband and I are very healthy eaters, and we were before organic was trendy, so I don't think any increase in food has made a difference to us.
5. are you in nyc, and if so, what neighborhood? for example, UES, UWS, etc [because i would like to group the different neighborhoods and see the link in food choices people make]
Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, baby! :)
6. if you do not live in nyc, just type in what state you live in
I make one that's similar to the one from Nellie & Joe's, but I add a big pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of rum. It gives it just a little bit of a boozy kick. Enjoy!
LOVE! Water packed. Especially with the teeniest bit of mayo (like 1 tsp. per large can), mustard, relish and a ton of shredded carrots.
Also, if you like sushi - I think Sushi Yasuda has some of the best in the city. If you sit at the sushi bar when chef Yasuda is there, he will make the sushi the right size so you can eat it comfortably in one bite. And he makes his own wasabi! Yum.
Definitely dim sum -- we love Nice Restaurant (yup, that's what it's called) on East Broadway in Chinatown.
Chelsea Market -- love it all, but make sure you get a loaf of semolina bread with golden raisins from Amy's Bread... it will change your life...
Visit Jacques Torres and have a spicy hot chocolate. The best way to do it is to go to the one in Dumbo and walk with it to Brooklyn Bridge Park to enjoy the spectacular view of Manhattan.
Karen - great idea! You can get them at the Lexington Candy Shop (lexington around 82nd or 83rd). They used to have them at Katz's deli, not sure if they still do. They're delicious! Milk, Fox-s U-Bet chocolate syrup and seltzer... served with a pretzel rod.... yum!
Perky - I never knew you could be so cruel!! I'll pick strawberry, but can I have the occasional orange marmalade for good behavior??
Friends of mine who visit from Ireland always go back with vats and vats of Welch's grape jelly -- they LOVE it and can't get it there. So funny.
But I would give it all up for sour cherry preserves! It's perfect because it has the sweet and tart, like marmalade, but it goes really well on PB or almond butter sandwiches, and you can food-process it and spread it between cake layers too.
Hey all - just want to thank everyone who's contributing to this thread. I'm in the middle of my first cookbook (due out in fall '09 - and there will be lots of pictures!) and it helps tremendously to read what people are looking for. Thank you!!
You've already got fantastic advice here - the only thing I would add is, Come to Brooklyn and visit Sahadi's! Fantastic Middle Eastern market (but they sell EVERYTHING) on Atlantic Ave., close to every subway (at Borough Hall), an all-around fantastic experience. And I may be biased, but I don't think a trip to NYC is complete without a visit to the Better Borough! While you're there check out some of the great restaurants, like The Grocery, Saul, Chestnut or Lunetta. Stop at Stinky Brooklyn on Smith Street, the friendliest cheese shop ever, have a cocktail at JakeWalk, sample some treats at Sweet Melissa Patisserie. There's a ton to see and do if you love food!
Enjoy!
Not to interrupt this very good post but, what and where is Whole Foods? Also, just out of curiosity blankplate, please share with me how you feed 3 people for a week for $60, I live in Philadelphia, not too far from you, and I must be doing something wrong.
Hmmm spectacular drops in my past include a tortiere that was baked in one of the infamous dollar store foil pans mentioned above. Ex hubby took it out of the oven, the pan folded and efficiently dumped the entire thing on the oven door, which of course, was hot so the contents COOKED onto the door. Then there were the hamburger condiments that were sprayed onto the living room wall when I tripped on my boyfriend at the time's cast. My mom once dropped an entire roast chicken on the floor with company sitting in the next room. I once flung a plate of spaghetti with meat sauce clear across the kitchen (I kept a hold of the plate but the contents went flying) when someone scared me as I was serving myself from the stove. Peppercorns are a nemesis. Oh and then the time I had raw cookies sitting on top of the stove waiting to go into the oven. Opened the door above the stove - my mom had not wrapped up the bag of rice correctly and it poured directly onto my cookies.
As a general rule, we salvage all we can! The cookies were, however, a tad crunchy!
Drop stuff on the floor on a regular basis. I reckon eating it gives me fantastic immunity from almost everything. Obviously not fond of basset hound hairs on stuff, so they get washed off if I can get to the dropped goods before the basset. Meat is definitely washed. We worry a little too much about bacteria. Food safety is necessary. But too much sanitizing leaves you open to food sickness when you travel to other countries. Why does the US think it can't eat raw milk cheeses under 60 days' old? Are the French and Italians dying like flies? Why do cured meats from Europe have to be pasteurized? Do you think if an Asian, a Latino or an African in their own countries tosses food when they've dropped it? It's a privilege of the wealthy.
Sriracha is a fun, fun thing to use.
I discovered it last year in the dorm, and love that it adds the spice without the overwhelming of vinegar in most hot sauces. Considering, I was in northern Louisiana, the land of Tabasco, so I grew far more accustomed to it than I really wanted.
If you add a kick, you can make a dish more interesting. But if you add an assaulting kick, you'll kill your dish.
Cast iron are too heavy for the common home user. It takes longer to heat, it's difficult to maneuver, their is a danger of rust etc. I can recommend the German brand Woll Cookware. Since I bought one in Germany 2 years ago, I was very happy with my titanium coated frying pan that performs with first rate cooking results, and it's also PFOA free. I can say that this is one of the best frying pans available. Heavy duty titanium based coating, practically can be used without oil, easy handling and cleaning. I couldn't find them in the US, maybe someone knows were they can be found? more information can be found at http://www.woll-cookware.com/mediathek/defaultScripts/PHP/index.php?lang=4&sn=noNav&sel=1&c=/export/English/doc/90.html or http://www.woll-cookware.co.il
What JerzeeTomato said. Ina Garten's Strawberry Country Cake is a marvel.
Find it here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_21017,00.html
The cake is so buttery and velvety, and the berries and cream are light ad fresh. What a combo!
There is so much drool on my keyboard, I am surprised it works. I want all of the above.
@CookiePie: That recipe sounds divine. Have you ever made that with Cream Cheese Frosting? Oh wow-I don't think I could stay away then.
I was going to suggest making a layered cake (vanilla is good) and making your strawberries the filling between the layers. You could put the strawberries by themselves or make a jam. I always like to cut up fresh strawberries, lie them flat on a plate or long container, sprinkle sugar on top and wait a day or two, and deliciousness is what's left. You probably wouldn't want to use all the juices in the layers-make the cake too soggy too quick, but you could always serve on the side-or with something else. Pancakes are good with that.:)
Also, you may want to check out www.allrecipes.com
Hope you find what you are looking for!
1. Trader Joes, Henry's Farmer's Market (aka WIld Oats), Ralph's, Von's, Albertson's, many Latino markets.
2. I will buy organic if it is comparable in price and quality to conventional. I will pay slightly more if the produce is local.
3. N/A
4. Not really, there's only 2 of us.
5. N/A
6. CA
1. what food resources/supermarkets are you near?
Bruno's supermarket, Publix, Wal-mart, Fresh Market, World Market, a few small specialty shops
2. do you purchase organic or inorganic food because of your supermarket?
I try to buy more organic stuff, and am simply fortunate that grocery stores near me happen to have good organic selections.
3. if you do not purchase organic, would you if a, for example, whole foods was nearby?
QED.
4. how has the increase in food affected your purchases?
The number of "nice" meals i make versus "plain food" meals is going down; i cannot often afford specialty ingredients.
5. are you in nyc, and if so, what neighborhood? for example, UES, UWS, etc [because i would like to group the different neighborhoods and see the link in food choices people make]
6. if you do not live in nyc, just type in what state you live in
Alabama.
Cook's Illustrated has a good recipe. I make it a couple times a year for some family functions. The key is fresh lime juice (forget the bottle) and use the zest! As much As I like Ina Garten's recipes, and have had great success with them, I would not add sugar to a Key Lime Pie, unless you like it really sweet. My fam prefers it on the tart side.
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