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Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey Here!
Cornbread Sausage Stuffing with Apples, straight from the Silver Palate
NYC - Manhattan's Best Chocolalte Chip Cookie?
Personally, I'm not a fan of City Bakery's chocolate chip cookies. They taste of pure granulated sugar, though their croissants and other goods are fantastic. I think it really depends on what kind of cookie you like.
If you want a thick, hearty, chunker, the Bread Alone cookies sold at the Union Square Market are pretty darn delicious.
For chewy, meltiness go for Levain.
But for the best of the best, Jacques Torres is just divine. And if you can't make it to NYC, you can make the cookies at home. Make sure to use some high-quality bittersweet chocolate!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/091crex.html?ref=dining
Bakeries in Manhattan without all the hype!
Patisserie Claude in the West Village has the best croissants in the city and is completely unassuming. Birdbath Bakery in the East Village is a branch of City Bakery, but is very quiet and little. Most of the baking for city bakery is actually done at this little place.
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Artichokes: Canned, frozen and jarred
Posted by lesliepariseau, December 15, 2008 at 1:04 PM
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NYT Whoopie Pies
Made them and added espresso powder to the batter and made a traditional French buttercream for the filling. They were delish, but generally whoopie cookies don't taste that great on their own. The sum of parts is most definitely better.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey Here!
Cornbread Sausage Stuffing with Apples, straight from the Silver Palate
NYC - Manhattan's Best Chocolalte Chip Cookie?
Personally, I'm not a fan of City Bakery's chocolate chip cookies. They taste of pure granulated sugar, though their croissants and other goods are fantastic. I think it really depends on what kind of cookie you like.
If you want a thick, hearty, chunker, the Bread Alone cookies sold at the Union Square Market are pretty darn delicious.
For chewy, meltiness go for Levain.
But for the best of the best, Jacques Torres is just divine. And if you can't make it to NYC, you can make the cookies at home. Make sure to use some high-quality bittersweet chocolate!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/091crex.html?ref=dining
Bakeries in Manhattan without all the hype!
Patisserie Claude in the West Village has the best croissants in the city and is completely unassuming. Birdbath Bakery in the East Village is a branch of City Bakery, but is very quiet and little. Most of the baking for city bakery is actually done at this little place.
Eating out in Fort Greene / Williamsburg
Thanks! Anywhere...something delicious and affordable, maybe lowly lit and off the beaten path. Character is always appreciated.
Sampling the Goods at the Newly Opened Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System
I was stuffed after one sausage. It's half a baguette and whole sausage! $5 for well-produced and local meat (a couple are made in-house too), homemade sauce, and quality baguette is a deal.
Patisserie Claude Is Not Going Anywhere
Good lord, if he closes, I will be eternally heartbroken. I need those croissants to exist within a one mile radius of my hungry belly.
No Knead Bread Not Rise So Good?!
I had the same, exact problem. Flat as a pancake. No need, no Knead Photo-mess here:
http://readkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/03/no-need-no-knead.html
Sweet Ticket Giveaway, Week 3: Pichet Ong's Guilty Pleasure Sweet
Bamboo or avacado honey (super dark and intense) on chunks of parmigiano reggiano.
Detroit Dining
Slows Barbecue. Must go.
Great microbrew list, killer mac & cheese and deliciously dirty barbecue.
Weekend Book Giveaway: '101 Wines' by Gary Vaynerchuk
Afternoon drinking
Mouth drowsy and brimming with
Tart red legs stretched out
Hot Weather Meals?
watermelon, feta and mint salads, cold peanut noodle dishes, grilled jerk chicken, spring rolls, pita and yogurt sauces, greek salads, goat cheese and grape salads, mojitos...
Need Great Austin Eats!
Thanks to all for the suggestions! Here's a little write-up on what I found:
http://readkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/04/now-serving-austin.html
I especially loved Bouldin Creek Cafe and Lamberts. I wasn't able to write about Longhouse or Club de Ville, but they were fabulous bars hidden away from all of the hubub. Wish I'd had more time to explore the nooks and crannies a bit more, but perhaps next time!
Forget Cupcakes: Whoopie Pies Are Gonna Be Big
Was so inspired by the whoopie pie hubub I made my own batch last weekend. Chocolate with chocolate chip cream cheese filling. Check the recipe out here:
http://readkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/04/makin-whoopie.html
Need to use up my stash of vanilla beans
What great excess! Here's a great post from The Traveler's Lunchbox on making your own vanilla extract.
http://www.travelerslunchbox.com/journal/2007/10/9/project-vanilla.html
I add vanilla beans to anything I bake, as well as unexpected things like butternut squash soup or cream sauces. Scrape a couple into your sugar jar and then throw in the beans for added oomph. Try a vanilla caramel souffle, or vanilla maple ice cream. Have fun!
Are Rising Food Prices Affecting What You Eat?
Rising prices will be one of the major turning points into today's consumer economy. We cannot appreciate the wealth we have until it becomes unavailable, due either to a shortage or inaccessibility. It may be tough to swallow in the short term, but as potroast said above, we will (out of necessity) become more responsible, aware and resourceful.
What is the Baking and Pastry Bible?
I love Dorie Greenspan in any form. Her recipes are extremely thorough and very insightful. Traditional as well as innovative. I constantly default to her 'Baking, From my Home to yours.' Julia Child is a go-to woman, obviously. If it's bread you're baking, I've heard wonderful things about 'Bread Alone' and 'The Bread Bible.'
London/Paris
There are obviously great spots in both cities, though I'm more familiar with Paris having lived there for a bit last year. Don't miss the falafel in the Marais, which is historically the Jewish quarter of the city. These winding and pedestrianized streets are chock full of great places, including Chez H'anna which is my favorite, but l'As du Fallafel is not far behind.
You must make it to Rose Bakery on rue de Martyrs which is in the 9th arrondissement. It's a fabulous breakfast spot run by an English woman (Rose) who has a lovely little book put out by Phaidon press called 'Breakfast, Lunch, Tea.'
Montmartre is full of little places, but I recommend Virage Lepic (the bend of Lepic) which is on the winding road up to Montmartre, and is a great taste of traditional peasant cuisine in a rickety place full of locals and two hilarious waiters. It's on the same street as Moulin de la Galette and Van Gogh's old digs. Check out le Coquelicot on rue des Abbesses, which has the most magical baguette you'll ever taste and some pretty good pastries too.
Pierre Herme cannot be missed, and don't you dare think about leaving without traversing one of the amazing markets. The president Wilson market near Alma/Iena is just beautiful. Stop in the Place de Tokyo while you're there.
Le canal St. Martin near Republique is a great area for little spots including la Verre Vole, a popular wine bar. My god, I will go on and on, but each of these spots is great for walking as well as eating (affordably I might add!).
If you're near Etienne Marcel there's a great pedestrian street with bakeries galore and spots for a beer. Try Dix Bar, an underground sangria joint on rue de l'Odeon or le Piano Vache and a hidden street in the Latin quarter.
Okay, I'm done! I promise! Oh, and crepes...the crepes are just divine. Get them at any busy crepe stand and you'll end up having 3. Have a wonderful time and beautiful meals. Eat lots of macarons for me!
Organic Brands and Who Owns What
It's definitely a great chart, but it requires an equally great analysis. What is the connection between these labels and the corporation? It's just so confusing! One must automatically assume that when a small organic brand is bought out, small business ethic and small company suppliers are swept to the wayside. Is this true? We don't know, but it's certainly telling of this industrial agriculture age. I wrote about my experience with Seeds of Change here:
http://readkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/03/duped-by-chocolate.html
Cook the Book: 'My Last Supper'
Fresh goat cheese, figs, and prosciutto di Parma with a baguette from Le Coquelicot in Montmartre with a Sancerre.
A bowl of fresh pappardelle with morels, aged Parmesan and sugar peas. A chunk of Zingerman's grainy country bread dipped in spicy Tuscan olive oil with pepper with a Ridge Zinfandel.
Duck breast with cognac and maple syrup and an Oregon pinot noir.
A bowl of wild strawberries and blueberries with fresh whipped cream, a chunk of dark chocolate and a kabinett riesling.
New Orleans restaurants
I was in New Orleans a few months ago, and tried Cochon (on Frank Bruni's top ten list of new restaurants for 2007), and it wasn't amazing. It may have been an off-day, so I won't judge, but I'd say skip lunch and go for dinner. The Feelings Cafe is a pretty local Marigny spot for a French-Cajun meal. You must go to Mimi's in the Marigny as well. It is super-hip two story bar/lounge with great tapas and some really great nawlins jazz. It's like having a stand-up bass and saxophone in your living room.
What's the Best Mac and Cheese Cheese?
Fontina and taleggio are excellent additions to the above, and yes to bacon! After a recent trip to Ireland, I will come away confidently report I had the best macaroni and cheese I've ever experienced at the Farmgate Restaurant above the English Market in Cork city. It was voluptuous, soft elbows with creamy Irish cheddar and thick-sliced Irish bacon. I'm going into waves of bliss as we speak.
If you could travel to any place in the world...
I have to say I'm rather enamored with 'roughing it' fare like JEP. The best foods are rustic, simple and rely entirely upon the ingredient itself. I would love to do an agritourism trip to Italy and get my hands in the dirt with the farmers, and then cook up some simple, but quintessentially rustic Italian meals.
Need Great Austin Eats!
Thanks so much for the great suggestions. I'll be reporting back on my blog www.readkitchen.blogspot.com in April with my finds!
Your recent favourites?
I was there last weekend just for a whirlwind day and went to Kitchenette for breakfast with a big group of friends. It's tiny, sunny and has delicious food. The baked goods look incredible and there's lots of adorable kids to watch toddling along with cupcakes. Tribeca.
The Long Search for Pizza in South Florida
no offense but I don't think you can get good NY pizza in florida or anywhere else for that matter. I grew up there and it is the first thing you miss when you leave..aside from bagels. my mom sent me a few pies from a web site that says the restaurant is in syosset. It was an very thin crust and coal fired. You can tell by the way the crust cooks. they were outstanding. here is the place http://www.buynypizza.com
NYT Whoopie Pies
I tried the cake part and it spread out way too flat. I did use the buttercream recipe which is delicious. I had another recipe from my Maine friend which was so much easier and puffed up just enough. I used less batter though because 1/4 cup makes a gigantic whoopie pie that is way too big for one person. Here's the recipe. Super easy and no buttermilk required. I was a bit worried that the cakes wouldn't rise because there is no acid in the batter but they were perfect.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
Filling: 1 can of vanilla frosting or your favorite recipe (I used the NY times buttercream recipe)
Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients. Separately, beat egg. Add vanilla and milk. Combine with dry ingredients. Add oil and mix. Drop by teaspoonful ( I used a 2 oz scoop) onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Once completely cooled, spread with a thick layer of filling and sandwich together.
NYT Whoopie Pies
Yup, I tried these - at least the cake part. The NYTimes buttercream recipe looked complicated, so I oped for a simple powdered sugar buttercream instead. My guests loved them and I loved them. I think they have a better frosting/cake ratio than cupcakes - too many bakeries pile waaay too much frosting onto their cupcakes. It's much harder to do that in a whoopie pie.
You can see my pics here: http://moderndomestic.wordpress.com/2009/04/06/the-whoopie-pie-revolution/
NYT Whoopie Pies
Oh yeah, those are sooo yummy! The caramel buttercream is addictive.
NYT Whoopie Pies
@suschef - I got to the recipe via a posting on SE. Here's the link to that story:
www.seriouseats.com/2009/02/blogwatch-whoopie-pies-with-salted-caramel-bu.html
As I am still a relative noob here, I'm not quite sure if I did that properly to activate the link. Sorry if you have to copy/paste!
NYT Whoopie Pies
I never had one till I visited Maine last fall where every quick mart sells them. Must be a Yankee invention but if so it's a darn good one!
They beat our Moon Pies by a country mile.
NYT Whoopie Pies
where is the recipe for the salted caramel cream pies? would love to try them.
NYT Whoopie Pies
@jenh718 - I have made two batches of the salted caramel cream pies, each time to rave reviews from both coworkers and family. I loved them myself, and I highly recommend them.
NYT Whoopie Pies
I have never had a Whoopie Pie. I'm kind of glad, given that as a kid I was the sort of child who would fantasize about eating frosting. They remind me of Hostess' Suzy Qs.
These things look like they should be called 'Freebasing Frosting.' I'm sort of afraid to make them, for fear I might like them....
NYT Whoopie Pies
I didn't make them but after reading the article, I was inspired to make salted caramel buttercream whoopie pies from another blog. Now they were yuuuumy.
Kale: The Leafy Green Monster
I just tried kale for the first time this weekend, in the form of the kale chips recipe that's making the rounds. It was good, though these also DO NOT SHRINK! I made a full baking pan of it, because I expected it to be like cauliflower when roasted - 1/2 a head shrinks down to 2 small servings. This didn't, so there was lots extra. Since I still have half a bunch left, I'll be trying it parboiled and sauteed with bacon.
Sampling the Goods at the Newly Opened Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System
truffle gruyere with the turkey sausage is super good!
Forget Cupcakes: Whoopie Pies Are Gonna Be Big
I used to eat one of these every sunday morning at 10:00!!
Now i'm cutting down. One every 1/2 year to 2 years.
(BACON BOY APPROVED)
Kale: The Leafy Green Monster
Another GOOD kale recipe is posted on: http://www.foodnetwork.com/
It's by Alton Brown. He calls it Christmas Soup. I made it yesterday and it is wonderful.
NYC - Manhattan's Best Chocolalte Chip Cookie?
OMG thanks guys I have a small trip to NYC planned in two weeks I think I will stop by a couple of the suggestions here
especially Jacques Torres Levians
NYC - Manhattan's Best Chocolalte Chip Cookie?
mongoose, I think it's a competition now! Soon, we'll see Fruit Loops, papaya shavings, flax seeds, cacao nibs... you name it!
NYC - Manhattan's Best Chocolalte Chip Cookie?
@Sweat Freak: ...and you consider Ruby et Violette's add-ins peculiar?! :D
NYC - Manhattan's Best Chocolalte Chip Cookie?
I have to add Momofuku's marshmallow cornflake chocolate chip cookie.
True, it's not for purists. But the marshmallow adds a sweet-stickiness, and the cornflakes add crunchiness and, as a result, this cookie is an amalgam of ridiculously delicious flavors and textures that should hit the spot for anyone in search of a satisfying chocolate chip cookie.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey Here!
And we have a winner! Congrats to wisekaren. We'll be contacting you by email shortly. Thanks to everyone who entered. There are more chances to enter throughout the week.
NYC - Manhattan's Best Chocolalte Chip Cookie?
Top three - Jacques Torres, Petrossian, and Levain. Another good newcomer is from AQ Kafe.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey Here!
The potato gratin!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey Here!
Wild Mushroom Bundles sounds really good. we always like to do at least one mushroom dish for the table. I looked at alternative to turkey, but was disappointed that there was only one veg idea and it sounded kind of gross. We have so many guests that we like to provide many different options to choose from.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey Here!
gosh>>my top yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm is the cornbread, pecans, and bacon dressing>> going to fix that even if i do not win "the organic d' artagnan turkey"!!!!!!!!
not that i don't want to win, i cannot imagine how much better it would be to have an organic turkey.
thank you ever so much for this wonderful contest
kisses from my family
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey Here!
I'm fairly traditional when it comes to Thanksgiving...turkey, mashed and sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie. However, Dorie's All-in-One Holiday Cake has me checking my list.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey Here!
The potato gratin with porcini mushrooms and mascarpone cheese sounds fantastic
Recent Posts
Artichokes: Canned, frozen and jarred
Posted by lesliepariseau, December 15, 2008 at 1:04 PM
Eating out in Fort Greene / Williamsburg
Posted by lesliepariseau, October 23, 2008 at 1:13 PM
What should I do with lemon verbena?
Posted by lesliepariseau, October 10, 2008 at 3:17 PM
International cooking classes hosted in-home?
Posted by lesliepariseau, October 6, 2008 at 3:37 PM
Market Trends: Duck Fat Ciabatta
Posted by lesliepariseau, September 30, 2008 at 11:45 AM
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About lesliepariseau
Website: http://www.readkitchen.blogspot.com
Location: New York, NY
About: Midwestern and will mix maple syrup with ketchup. Currently searching for the best croissant in the city, interning at Saveur, waiting tables at a burger shop and baking an absurd number of tarts. On a noodle binge if you need a date to Chinatown.
Favorite foods: fromage, noodles, bloody dark chocolate, crusty bread, poached eggs, mushrooms, truffles and potatoes in all forms
Last bite on earth: Baked macaroni and cheese and thick cut bacon with a glass of red zinfandel, followed by Julia Child's brownie.
Made them and added espresso powder to the batter and made a traditional French buttercream for the filling. They were delish, but generally whoopie cookies don't taste that great on their own. The sum of parts is most definitely better.