vickyb’s Profile
Recent Comments
Author Margaret Maron's Fig Preserves
For NC Gourment: I passed your question to Margaret Maron, who says the pickling spice gives it "oomph" -- otherwise it's just another fruit jam of no particular distinction.
Cape Cod Calamari
I think these are wonderful. Good food photography is hard to do.
Upper West Side drinks on Valentine's
Thanks so much. We were thinking of cocktails. Someone else suggested the new West Branch on Broadway and 77th.
See more comments by vickyb »
Recent Posts
See more posts by vickyb »
Recent Favorites
Photo of the Day: The Peep Liberation Front
Posted by Erin Zimmer, April 8, 2009 at 6:00 PM
See more favorites by vickyb »
Recent Polls
vickyb hasn't answered any polls yet.
Recent Quizzes
vickyb hasn't taken any quizzes yet.
Recent Comments | Response to Comments
In Season: Pomegranate
Any suggestions on where to get farro for the Farro Pomegranate salad? Fairway on the upper west side of Manhattan doesn't carry it--not even in its organic section.
Author Margaret Maron's Fig Preserves
For NC Gourment: I passed your question to Margaret Maron, who says the pickling spice gives it "oomph" -- otherwise it's just another fruit jam of no particular distinction.
Cape Cod Calamari
I think these are wonderful. Good food photography is hard to do.
Upper West Side drinks on Valentine's
Thanks so much. We were thinking of cocktails. Someone else suggested the new West Branch on Broadway and 77th.
Dobos torte
Thank you so much. I have just ordered one. They need two days notice and sell the Dobos Torte in three different sizes, starting at 7 inches.
Rehearsal dinner restaurant, UWS, NYC
I can now answer my own question. Tom Valenti is opening The West Branch on Broadway and 77th Street, and there is a beautiful private room there that will do perfectly.
sticky meringues
Do you think rice would work as a desiccant? Some people put rice in salt shakers in humid climates.
Photo of the Day: Brass the Beagle Digs Through Serious Eats Trash
Fleet Eater--yes, you did meet Brass at the San Domenico truffle hunt in Central Park. In fact, his appearance there was written up in the NY Times account of the event. Brass has also appeared on Good Morning, America, in a segment on dogs watching the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. He has definitely had more media exposure than the average beagle.
The Cartoon Kitchen: Shrimp Salad
does anyone have a good recipe for a lemony dressing that would go with this dish?
The Cartoon Kitchen: Prunes and Sausage
I make this last Sunday, and it's not only incredibly good but also incredibly easy. One of the easiest dishes I've ever made. I used Italian sweet sausage and cooked it with the prunes until it was cooked through.
Baking with Dorie: A Seriously Chocolaty Cake
Dorie, thanks so much for your response. I will try this again soon, as it is so divine, and see if I have the same problem. I may try using a deeper baking dish next time so it has more room to rise.
Baking with Dorie: A Seriously Chocolaty Cake
I made this cake for a dinner party, and it was a huge hit. However, I baked it a full hour because at 30 minutes it was still molten. I used a 9 inch pan, but it is barely 1 1/2 inches deep. If I had used a deeper cake pan, would the cake have risen higher and therefore baked more quickly? We skipped the white chocolate cream by the way, and no one missed it.
Who's Afraid of Bluefin Tuna?
What about the prepared tuna salad that one buys at Zabar's, for example? Do we have to worry about mercury levels in that as well, or is cooked tuna less dangerous?
If you had a candy bar made for yourself, what would it be?
Dark chocolate filled with wintergreen cream. As far as I know, wintergreen chocolates are available only in the Boston area. If anyone knows where else to get them, I would love to know.
Serious Eats Gift Guide: Kitchen Essentials
The magnetic meat thermometer is a brilliant idea. There is enormous tension in my house every time the husband cooks turkey or beef and can't find the thermometer.
But what about a nutmeg grater? Any ideas?
Dinner Tonight: Linguine With Squash, Bacon, and Goat Cheese
I made this last night, and it was a huge success. It looked kind of watery until I put in the goat cheese (I put in all four ounces inside of reserving half for crumbling on top), and then it coalesced beautifully.
Welcome to the New Serious Eats
Gorgeous. It is a pleasure to look at.
What's In Your Food Sur-Thrival Kit?
In no particular order: Cinnamon raisin bagels, Romaine lettuce, a chunk of parmesan, slivered almonds or pecans for the salad, cranberry juice, celery and cream cheese, a baguette or sliced peasant bread, a jar of Taromosalata and a box of Stoned Wheat Thins, a box of fusilli and Citarella's Vodka sauce, Nutella for emergencies.
Question of the Day: What kitchen gadget needs to be invented?
My grandmother wanted someone to invent a clove gun, which would shoot cloves into a ham. Is anyone out there working on this?
Have site feedback? We want to hear it!
Congratulations on an extravaganza of a website. It is gorgeous.
Vicky B
Author Margaret Maron's Fig Preserves
I absolutely LOVE Margaret Maron's Deborah Knott Series... I wish I could find some of her earlier novels, with the main character based in NYC. But to those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting Judge Deborah Knott, I encourage you to do so.
Also, various family members' fig bushes make appearances in many of the books, which makes me smile at this recipe. Figs are obviously close to Ms. Maron's heart!
Photo of the Day: Brass the Beagle Digs Through Serious Eats Trash
Just like my lab... two stomachs and half a brain, we say.
Serious Eats Gift Guide: Kitchen Essentials
These are great suggestions! I recently got a KitchenAid mixer for a friend's wedding and they love it! Since it's summer, if you're looking for some new grilling gear, check out: http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/06/elizabeth-karmels-grilling-tips.html
AmericanHunter.org has some great suggestions!
Baking with Dorie: A Seriously Chocolaty Cake
Just wanted to second some of the folks who had problems. I'm an experienced baker. I've made a fallen chocolate souffle cake for years, but thought I'd try something new as my party pleaser.
Had the same problem as most. Baked for 30 minutes, and the middle was 'molten'. Poured back into the pan with relatively little damage, baked for at least another 30 minutes then unmolded. It's sitting in a fudgy puddle on my counter. It certainly tastes fabulous, but I can't serve it to the judging masses.
What went wrong?!
Possibilities:
1) Mistakenly boiled the whole 1 1/3 c sugar with the bourbon to start. So I only added a few tbsp of sugar to the eggs.
2) I noticed that the chocolate had nearly completely cooled half way through the first stick of butter. It took at least 10 minutes to incorporate all of the butter.
Could these be the culprit(s)?
Thanks all!
Serious Eats Gift Guide: Kitchen Essentials
@Tactful, I've never had problems with the pasta attachments, either.
And I've got it all except the pepper mill (but I have others that I like, each filled with a different pepper), the fish spatula (looking for one I like -- that one looks good, though), and the book. I've got lotsa books. Wonder if I need that one in particular. Sigh. Time to look at the wishlist again before I email it to santa.
Dobos torte
Andre's Cafe on 2nd Ave, between 84th and 85th. It's an Hungarian Bakery and for the most part uses the old Mrs. Herbst's recipes.
Dobos torte
Vicky- if you find yourself craving more Dobos, I'd also try Nita European Bakery in Sunnyside, Queens. My parents are Transylvanian/Romanian, and I was pretty much raised on their desserts. To me, their Dobos is the only Dobos. :)
Dobos torte
Let us know how it was. I thought of Cafe Sabarsky but that place is Austrian, which is not the same as Hungarian. Are the pastries the same? They do make something similar.
sticky meringues
I'm not sure. The rice helps break up the salt lumps, but I'm not too sure about absorbing the moisture. Perhaps corn starch? Not sure , but it does help cake icings stiffen and hold a form.
Baking with Dorie: A Seriously Chocolaty Cake
I made this for a family function and it was superb. So good with strawberries on top.
Baking with Dorie: A Seriously Chocolaty Cake
I made this cake over the weekend for a family party and it came out perfect! My husband loved it!
Baking with Dorie: A Seriously Chocolaty Cake
A 9-inch square pan has a lot more surface area than a round 9-inch pan. If the water bath was still one-inch high, my gut instinct is that you won't get the crust on top. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. You can make brownies and use the white chocolate cream on those.
Baking with Dorie: A Seriously Chocolaty Cake
this did not work for me at all. i took the cake out after 30 minutes exactly and it was still shiny in the middle. in my gut, i thought that it wasn't done, but i second guessed that feeling and took it out. it seemed mushy and was falling apart. it wasn't done. i didn't know what to do, so i crammed it back in the pan and put it back in the oven for a bit. needless to say, it wasn't pretty, and i won't be serving it for my dinner party tomorrow, which is disappointing because i had already made the white chocolate sauce. i really don't know what i did wrong...well, except for the fact that i didn't have a round pan, so i used a square 9 inch pan. my oven temperature is pretty right on--although it is an old oven. any thoughts. i'm so disappointed.
anyway, your chocolate pot de creme has worked for me. so i made that (it was just sort of exhausting making two desserts after working on my main course for all day.) also, any ideas on what to do with the white chocolate cream?
Baking with Dorie: A Seriously Chocolaty Cake
Oh yeah, and it was heavenly, I got a very nice crust on top of mine, loved it.
Baking with Dorie: A Seriously Chocolaty Cake
vickyb, i also made the cake in a 9-inch pan that's less than 1.5 inches deep. i don't think the cake is really supposed to rise, maybe just a little bit.
30 minutes was exactly enough for me. I baked 32 mins exactly and felt like i may have overbaked it slightly. I was even using a foil roasting pan for the water bath that was barely 1.5 inches itself and it was still fine. I would recommend not skipping the white chocolate cream, it adds a very nice contrast to the cake. I hope you figure out what the reason was for your longer baking time and post back here.
Also, I had a very hard time transfering to my serving platter. The weight of the platter (before I could flip it) distorted one small edge of the cake. Next time I think I will use a lighter platter. However, is there any trick to flipping it onto the platter?
Baking with Dorie: A Seriously Chocolaty Cake
Vicky, I don't have a clue why your cake was still molten after 30 minutes. the fact that it was molten and that you were still able to unmold it is a miracle. I'd say that your oven temperature was off, but my bet is that you've checked that and have a thermometer, right? (It would have been too simple.) I can't come up with the answer, but I am surprised, since this is a recipe that's been around for over 10 years and has been made by sooooooooooo many people. Is it possible that you might have mismeasured an ingredient? I'm reaching here because I'm puzzled. Sorry.
bmorecupcake, you can use the "baking" chocolates, but you won't get a fabulous cake because the chocolates themselves aren't fabulous. It's true that Hershey's and Nestles have baking chocolates, but they have also come out with better quality chocolates and you might want to try them -- they'd be the ones that list the cacao/cocoa percentages on the packages (look for a bar that's over 50% cacao). You might also look for Lindt chocolate (it's often in supermarkets). When you're ready to break open the piggy bank, go for Valrhona, ScharffenBerger or Guittard. And, yes, of course you can use coffee in the cream (the color will be dark, but you know that).
Gorzd -- many thanks! I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipes.
Baking with Dorie: A Seriously Chocolaty Cake
another wonderful recipe from Dorie Greenspan - yay!
Baking with Dorie: A Seriously Chocolaty Cake
So, just to be sure, don't use the "baking" chocolates, but just the regular chocolates? Hershey's and Nestle also have baking chocolates which is why I'm asking.
If using coffee, is it ok to put cofee in the white chocolate cream, too?
Who's Afraid of Bluefin Tuna?
vickyb: From what I understand, cooking does not change the mercury level of fish.
Jikuu: Sounds like a good rule of thumb.
Who's Afraid of Bluefin Tuna?
The effect of mercury on fish may be approachable in the same respect as pesticide residue in fruits and vegetables. It's best to eat items that have not been tainted, but it's better to eat it with residue than to not eat it at all. There is still a lot of nutritional value that cannot be denied.
If you had a candy bar made for yourself, what would it be?
Torrone was a favorite candy of mine growing up and I'd love to fashion a confection out of it to represent myself! Only, I'd dip it in chocolate... Heh, heh, heh.
If you had a candy bar made for yourself, what would it be?
Sneers
Kind of like a Snickers, but with bitter chocolate!
If you had a candy bar made for yourself, what would it be?
a bar of scharfenberger's milk chocolate that magically reproduces itself.
If you had a candy bar made for yourself, what would it be?
JEP, I love how you've thought of all the specifics for yours, including packaging! My candy bar would probably be like a really high-class dark-chocolate Almond Joy, but with a higher proportion of almonds and chocolate to the coconut. I love this question.
Recent Posts
good food near St. Luke's Hospital on West 114th Street, NYC
Posted by vickyb, April 7, 2008 at 10:01 AM
Bartender at Louie's Restaurant on Amsterdam Ave, NYC
Posted by vickyb, April 6, 2008 at 11:33 AM
Restaurants in Murray Hill section of New York
Posted by vickyb, October 23, 2007 at 7:18 PM
restaurants near the National Theatre in London
Posted by vickyb, July 22, 2007 at 5:58 PM
What happened to yellow cake with chocolate icing?
Posted by vickyb, February 7, 2007 at 3:16 PM
Sweet potato recipe from Daisy Mae's Barbecue on 11th Avenue?
Posted by vickyb, January 29, 2007 at 12:14 PM
Cuban Chinese restaurants: only on the upper west side of Manhattan? If so, why?
Posted by vickyb, January 2, 2007 at 12:07 PM
Recent Favorites
Photo of the Day: The Peep Liberation Front
Posted by Erin Zimmer, April 8, 2009 at 6:00 PM
Polls
vickyb hasn't answered any polls yet.
Quizzes
vickyb hasn't taken any quizzes yet.
Any suggestions on where to get farro for the Farro Pomegranate salad? Fairway on the upper west side of Manhattan doesn't carry it--not even in its organic section.