C is for colorful

One of the best things about summer here in NYC is the Greenmarket. Local family-owned farms transport their exquisitely organic, sweet, delicious and colorful fruits and veggies all the way down to the big apple for us city folk to partake of. (Amongst other goods such as: homemade pie, cage- free eggs, honeycomb, fresh fish and cheeses... the list goes on.)

There are two Greenmarkets near my apartment that come once a week. Today I found tomatoes, corn, onions, cucumbers, peaches, plums, yellow squash and some peppers for my spic-a-holic husband (who's taste buds are apparently rooted in his Mexican heritage).


Clearly, I got a little produce happy. (See photo) Come on though, what person in their right mind could resist, when the selection is this chromatically beautiful? No special lighting or anything of the like needed to make this beautiful loot look appetizing. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go make me some mean gazpacho.

B is for Beer Brownies

B is for brownies. Specifically, brownies that will rock your world. These little alchohol- infused kickers are so magnificently moist and gooey while simultaneously packing so much salty- sweet flavor that you think your eyes might pop out of your head. Though you can't find these chocolate treasures in any bakery here in the city, you can create them in your very own kitchen- which is part of their beauty. I found the recipe in a Bon Appetit magazine a while back, and have decided it a mortal sin to keep such a key to utter happiness to myself (as much as I'd like to take credit for being the genious that came up with these beauties). So, because I love you, dear reader, here is the link that will lead you into the realms of ultimate joy and pleasure (in the way of your tastebuds):

http://www.bonappetit.com/search/query?query=stout+brownies&qt=dismax&sort=score+desc&allRecipes=true

Readers be warned: this recipe is not for the faint of heart. You can't just go throwing all the ingredients into a bowl and turn on your Kitchenaide. Please respect the brownies. Do what the Bon Appetit gods instuct you to, with precision and care. Also, try not to defile the brownies with crappy ingedients. I like to use Ghirardelli chocolate and extra stout Guiness. Good luck and enjoy!

A is for Alice's Tea Cup

Ok readers. I have decided that over the next few months I will compile a list of some of my favorite eats in NYC, in the form of the ABCs. Naturally, we'll start with A.

A is for Alice's Tea Cup. I like this place for a few reasons.
First, it is a magical place for kids and adults alike. When you walk in you feel as though you have been transported to Wonderland itself. Everything from the tepid water in your glass, to the traditional English scones, to the five-year old girls dressed as princesses having a tea party at the next table tells you that you aren't in New York anymore. They also have the best eggs benedict I've ever had (aside from my husband's, of course).

Arden enjoying her pumpkin scone

Second, as previously mentioned, they have scones. Not just any scones, mind you, but go- back- three- and- four- times- for- more- on- the- same- day scones. In my opinion, it is their specialty (besides tea, that is). My favorite flavor is the pumpkin spice, any time of year. Coming in at a close second is the lemon blueberry. Be sure to get them with a side of clotted cream and preserves. They may not be the most inventive flavors in the world, but it certainly is curiouser and curiouser how they get those things to be so perfectly moist and flavorful. If I lived nearby to any of their locations, I would have one for every one of my unbirthdays.

Extensive tea selection

The third reason why I like this place so much is the quirky and eccentric gifts that you can find within. I once found some "fairy dust" for my four year old (at the time) niece. I also found a magnet for my mom that says "Make your own damn dinner". You can also find adorable children's books and costumes.
Alice has three locations. One on the Upper West Side at 73rd and Columbus, and two others on the Upper East Side, at 64th and Lexington and 81st and 3rd Ave.

Doughnut Plant

I first discovered this place on a food tour a few years ago. I remember that I wasn't really in the mood for a doughnut. I remember trying a bite of one anyways. I remember being delighted at how someone had finally made a doughnut that was inventive and interesting as well as being delicious. Don't get me wrong, a good old fashioned glazed doughnut is great and all, but sometimes it's good to mix things up a little, right?


Doughnut Plant boasts intriguing flavors such as Cashew Orange Blossom, Valrhona Chocolate and Rose Blossom. Other, slighly less complex flavors such as Coconut Creme, Tres Leches and Matcha Green Tea are equally delicious. My favorite is the Creme Brulee. It's a lot of other people's favorite too, apparently, as they usually run out of this flavor mid-day. I suggest making a trip early in the day, so you have the best pickins. There are two locations, one on Grand and Essex in the Lower East Side, and one 23rd between 7th and 8th, in Chelsea. Although the LES location is the original, I prefer the Chelsea location for it's ample space and disco-themed bathroom. These doughnuts really will make you want to do a little dance...

My little foodie with our doughnuts.

Washing her hands post-feast in the psychedelic bathroom.

Why I survive here

There are many reasons why I choose to live in NYC.
Fascinating, driven people. Breathtaking architecture. Diversity in religion, race and sexual orientation. Stellar education. Fabulous collections of mind blowing art. Fashion. Theatre. Music. Comedy. Drag bingo night. The list is endless.
Reason number one, without question, is GOOD FOOD.
My sister is in town right now, and so naturally we are eating our way through the city. We have sipped Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity, gobbled up Creme Brulee donuts at Doughnut Plant, sampled a variety of delicious fare at Chelsea Market, D.O.C. pizza at L'asso, burgers at The Burger Joint, and of course, Salty Pimps at Big Gay Ice Cream. And folks,we haven't even warmed up yet.
Call me crazy, but when I'm busy consuming a pizza that was made fresh, just for me, minutes before it was brought out, with fire-oven roasted crust, tomato sauce that is certified by the Italian government (I'm not joking), imported buffalo mozzerella cheese and organic, locally grown basil, I can't help but feel that it is worth all of the hardships that a middle- class citizen of this city must endure in order to survive here.
I pay an arm and a leg for rent. I carry my Cadillac of a stroller up and down the blasted subway stairs almost every day. I encounter crazy people left and right. There is often dog shit on the street that some inconsiderate person failed to clean up after their dog finished his/her business. When I go running I am regularly inhaling exaust and garbage- infused air. I usually fall asleep to the ever soothing beat of a merengue tune that someone is blasting from their car until two in the morning.
And friends- it is worth it. It is worth all of it just to have the world at my feet in the way of good food. The famous saying: "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere." rings true. It's not really all that hard to do though. You just have to have something that inspires you to survive. Mine is good food.
Amen.

The Black and White Cookie- a New York classic.

One of the major benefits to living in the Big Apple is that you have a plethora of choices when it comes to sustenance, and more specifically, dessert. I don't know about you, dear reader, but I personally have an entirely separate compartment in my stomach designated solely to dessert. So having this kind of variety (and not to mention quality) at my fingertips just about makes up for the fact that I'm going to have to sell my first born child pretty soon because rent is so exhorbiantly high.
New York boasts an incredibly vast array of bakeries, boulangeries, candy shops, chocolatiers and the like. You can sample a wide assortment of chocolates, cookies, beautifully crafted pastries, cakes, pies, candy–you name it. The sky is the limit, basically.
Having said all that, sometimes what you really need in your life is a good old-fashioned black and white cookie.
Simple? Yes. Is it the most exquisite or unique thing that you're ever going to put in your mouth? Probably not. It's a New York classic though, and with good reason. Often referred to as New York's version of an Oreo, this quintessential culinary gem is both graphically appealing and thought- provoking as well as being delicious.
Where did this cookie come from? My theory is that some brilliant baker a hundred years ago couldn't decide whether he/she wanted to make a cookie with chocolate or white icing. Or maybe he/she wanted to save money? People have many different theories about how and why the black and white was born but it remains a mystery.
There is also much debate about the right way to eat the black and white cookie. Do you break it in half and eat both sections separately? If so, which side do you eat first? Which side is your favorite? Do you fold it in half and eat both the black and white icing side simultaneously, a'la how a true New Yorker would gobble a slice of pizza?
Every good New Yorker knows the show Seinfeld, and will think back with fondness at the episode where Jerry reflects: "You see, Elaine, the key to eating a black and white cookie is that you wanna get some black and some white in each bite. Nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate. And yet still somehow racial harmony eludes us. If people would only look to the cookie, all our problems would be solved."  I'm with Jerry.

My sis, acting as Vanna.

I've had a harder time in recent years finding a black and white cookie as easily as I used to. I'm sure they'll continue to exist in this city for a long time, but just in case you can't conveniently grab one from around the corner (like me), I've included a recipe that I found from an archived New York Times article about the black and white cookie. Enjoy!


BLACK-AND-WHITE COOKIES
Time: 1 hour
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup boiling water
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate
1 teaspoon light corn syrup.
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter. Mix by machine or hand until fluffy. Add eggs, milk and vanilla and lemon extracts, and mix until smooth.
3. In medium bowl, combine cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until mixed. Add dry mixture to the wet in batches, stirring well after each addition. Using a soup spoon, place heaping spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until edges begin to brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
4. Place confectioners' sugar in large mixing bowl. Gradually stir in enough boiling water to the sugar to make a thick, spreadable mixture.
5. Put half the frosting in the top half of a double-boiler. Add the chocolate and corn syrup, and set over simmering water. Warm the mixture, stirring, until chocolate is melted and frosting is smooth. Turn off the heat, but leave chocolate frosting over hot water to keep it spreadable. With a brush, coat half of the top of each cookie with chocolate frosting, and the other half with white frosting. Let dry, and store in an airtight container.
Yield: 2 dozen large cookies.

Big Gay Ice Cream

The title of this post made you want to read more, didn't it? I can't say I blame you. I have a hard time thinking of many things that sound like more fun than Big Gay Ice Cream. If you can believe it, my mom was the one who introduced me to this magical place. (When I say magical, I mean magical. If you want proof, be sure to check out the sparkle-tastic unicorn on the wall, complete with Bea Arthur brooch.)
I thank and blame my mother often for my immense sugar addiciton. The cupcake doesn't fall far from the tree, really. (That's the saying, right? At least that's what my mom told me it was...) As a young child, I remember how she would base our dinner meal around whatever culinary masterpiece she had created for dessert. When it was time to eat, she would round all of us kids up by calling out: "Banana cream pie a la mode tonight!" or "I made five- layer chocolate dessert!", never bothering to tell us what the actual meal was that night. Although dinner was always delicious and healthy, she treated it mostly as a necessary annoyance- a pesky hoop that we had to jump through in order to make it to the REAL reason we were all sitting at the table to eat.
So it comes at no surprise to me when my mother often calls me with the latest scoop on what new confection she's found to satiate her craving of the month (or week or day or hour). Let me say also, that for a woman that lives in a small town in Utah, she is pretty darn saavy when it comes to good sweets. Some of the best things I've ever eaten in this city, I found because my mom called and told me about them. Her sources remain mysteriously unknown.
I'll never forget her calling me one afternoon, while I was on my way home from work, ordering me in an excited yet almost panic- infused voice to "find the gay ice cream truck!" Huh? You can imagine my confusion at such a command from my own mother, who lives a couple thousand miles away. I thought maybe my dear mom had mixed up the wrong cocktail of meds that morning, and perhaps wasn't thinking clearly. There was, actually, lucidity in her madness. This "gay ice cream" she spoke of really did exsist! After a moment of calming her down and figuring out what in Betty Crocker's name she was talking about, I came to understand that there was, in fact, a one Big Gay Ice Cream food truck roaming the city somewhere with really big, really gay, really awesomely delicious ice cream.
That truck still makes it's rounds around the city (for exact location, check their twitter feed) and in addition, now has a mother shop in the East Village (7th St. between First Ave. and Ave. A). It boasts humorous and playful flavors, such as (my personal favorite) the Bea Arthur. Bea is a vanilla ice cream cone with swirls of dulce de leche, dipped in crushed vanilla wafers. Another favorite of mine is the Mermaid, which is vanilla ice cream with key lime curd, graham cracker crumbs and whipped cream. See what I mean? How could you not like this ice cream? Big Gay Ice Cream is where it's at.

My mom, sadly, still has yet to taste this fabulous ice cream that she so graciously told me about years ago. Hopefully for her next visit...

Napoleons!

My sister- in- law texted me this last weekend asking me what the name was of " that delicious pastry you got for me at that Italian bakery?". I feel it my civic duty (as a citizen of New York, that is), to educate my loved ones in their knowledge of good eats that exist here in the city-escpecially the food that is inundated with copious amounts of sugar. I mean, how could you not share something so exquisite with the people that you hold so dear? It would just be morally wrong. I equate it to a parent depriving his/her child of a knowledge of God or something. Actually, not showing your peeps the best desserts in NYC is probably much worse. (Cue lighting from the sky to strike me on the spot.)
The pastry that my sister- in- law was asking about was a Napoleon, one of my favorite pastries. Traditionally, I'm actually not sure whether a Napoleon is in fact Italian or French. It's origins seem to be hard to pin down. The term Napoleon seems to be a corrupted form of the word Neapolitan which means something characteristic of Naples, which is of course in Italy. Then again, the dessert itself very closely resembles the French millefeuille pastry, which means a thousand sheets or leaves. Those of you who have ever eaten a Napoleon know that it does, in fact, include many layers of puff pastry sheets, in between which resides delicious vanilla pastry cream.
Bottom line: who cares? It's delicious! Let the French and the Italians fight over it. MY favorite Napolean resides at Ferrara, a very old (maybe the oldest- they've been around since 1892) Italian bakery in NYC. Take that for what you will. Ferrara is on Grand Street, between Mulberry and Mott, in (where else?) Little Italy.
One more thing- a Napolean can be a very frustrating and messy pastry to eat if you don't know how. So, for maximum enjoyment I will share with you how I feel it is best to eat them. You can thank me later.
I have found that the natural inclination is to use the side of your fork to cut into it for a bite. Don't do this! Besides being poor etiquette (tsk tsk), what will happen is you probably won't wind up puncturing the puff pastry layers, thus instead, inadvertently pressing them down and squeezing out all of that good pastry cream. (Blaspheme!) Instead, assertively use the prongs of your fork to press down and then pull away. A good, fresh Napolean will have layers that are still relatively flakey and not too moist from the cream in between, and will pull away fairly easily. Do not be afraid. As Napolean himself said: "He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat!"
Or you know, you could just pick it up and shove the whole thing in your mouth. That works too.

I scream for ice cream!

With the summer in full force here in NYC, I have been having this itch lately to make some extremely delicious ice cream. Also, after last week's hit-and-miss attempt at buying me some Milkmade ice cream at Story my cravings for this perfect summer treat have just been growing and growing to the point of combustion. (I still fully intend on making my way back to Story to grab me a pint later this weekend. I can make a good ice cream, but they have a supreme, celestial gift, those milkmaids. Plus, the ice cream that I've made will surely already be gobbled up by then, and I'll need more!)
I decided to make a raspberry- rose ice cream with white chocolate chunks. I wish I could take credit for this fabulous idea of marrying these flavors, but I got the recipe from the husband's Rosa Mexicano cookbook.
Tangent: If you've never been to Rosa Mexicano, you're missing out! Stephen introduced me to this place when we were dating. He has Mexican roots, and has always been bummed by the lack of authentic fare (aside from a small pocket of restaurants in Queens) here in NYC. Although not entirely what I would consider authentic, Rosa holds a fair core of traditional Mexican cooking but with a slightly more upscale and innovative take. Plus it's delicious and the ambience is colorful and romantic. End of tangent.
Back to my ice cream. I started by getting some good, wholesome ingredients. Off to the Greenmarket for some fresh, organic raspberries and cage-free eggs. (It took some serious self control not to eat all of the raspberries before even getting home. They were like candy they were so juicy and tart.) Then I went in search of some rose water. This can be hard to find, but it is commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine so you can usually find some at a spice market such as Kalustyan's. Or at a specialty foods store, such as Fairway- which is where I got mine. I've never been to Kalustyan's and was eager to check it out, but Fairway was closer and I had my little sous chef in tow (in the baby carrier) and wanted to make it snappy. The cream and chocolate I got from my local grocery store. I used Green and Black's white chocolate.
Below are pics of the official ice cream making and the finished product. You're allowed to be jealous.

Cooking the raspberries, sugar and lime juice.

Cream, milk, sugar and egg yolks.

Rose water

My trusty Evelyn (the name of my mixer) doing her job making the mixture into ice cream.

Finished product. This is about a 1/4 of what was made.  

This week's story...

On Friday I made the trek downtown with the fam in tow to check out Story, a marvelous little shop in West Chelsea that changes it's theme every 4-8 weeks or so, stocking only merchendise that has to do with that month's particular "story". As I mentioned in my last post, this month's theme was New York. Naturally I had to check it out.

Mostly just to see what other local artisans were doing with food, but also to grab a pint of some of my fav ice cream, made by Milkmade. Just to show you exactly how great this ice cream is, below is a picture of their display.

Note the lack of ice cream. They were COMPLETELY OUT! I almost started crying! It was such a New York summer day, complete with sticky, humid air and beating, swelteringly hot sun, and I was so ready for that heavenly Salted Caramel ice cream. They also are currently stocking a flavor called Grady's Manhattan, which is a cold-brew coffee infused Manhattan (like the drink) ice cream. I have never tasted it, but would have if they'd had any. I asked the peeps at Story what was up and they said that they were expecting the milkmaids later that evening to re-stock. Tough luck. I should have known that it would be gone soon after the shop opened. That ice cream is like crack or something. I will try again later in the month for sure!

No matter! Plenty of other delicious goodies were there to placate my sweet tooth. Arden (my curious and intrepid 2 yr old) found us some handmade dutch stroopwaffle cookies made by The Good Batch. We tried the Cocoa Caramel Stroopwafel, which was quite tasty. Not insanely sweet, but a nice texture and chocolate flavor.

All in all, a good excursion. It always is when there are husbands, two- year- old daughters and waffle cookies involved.

Two great loves

Hi. I'm Jenn. This is my blog. It is about two things that I love very much in life. Baking and New York City. I will use this blog as an account of all of my baking (and eating) ventures, whilst here in my favorite city in the world.
I moved to the big city at the tender age of 19. It was always my dream to survive here, to find myself here and to start a life here. I attended college here, met my husband here, and my daughter was born here. Needless to say, I have, and will always have a warm place in my heart for New York.
Aside from all that though, there are many other reasons why I love this city. I could go on forever- even start a whole other blog about it. I'll spare you that though, and cut to the one love that I'll be focusing on: food. Really. Good. Food. Particularly desserts, and the ingredients used to make them.
In my opinion, New York is mecca when it comes to food. You can find pretty much anything you want here in the way of dessert (or any other type of food for that matter). You want fresh, authentic Baklava made by someone's Yiayia? Just head on over to Astoria. Just- made cannoli strike your fancy? Take the train on down to Mulberry Street in Little Italy. You'll swear The Godfather made them himself. Someone related to him probably did. How about a chocolate criossant that even the French would swear by? We've got it all! Right here in this big, huge melting pot of delicious, sweet, creamy, sugary, delectible dessert heaven.
If any of that sounds good to you, keep reading! This week I'll be hopping downtown to Chelsea to check out Story, a shop that changes it's theme every 4-8 weeks, stocking only merchendise that has to do with that particular theme or "story". Cute huh? This month the theme is none other than our very own New York. Everything in the store has either been built or designed here in the city. One of my favorite indie food curators, Milkmade (specializing in artisnal ice cream flavors) will have some goodies there, amongst other artisans. I can't wait to find out who they are, and what delicious creations they have in store for my taste buds.
Until then!