Well Done is a Deal Breaker

XXXIX

2011-11-09T19:17:00.000-08:00

After a relatively warm December, January has shown that winter is indeed here. Nothing brings on warmth and comfort like the aroma of gingerbread. More importantly, its spicy scent covers the smell of roasted chicken, which is especially good when you live in a super tiny apartment that is wreaking of smoke (if you have ever used Zuni's recipe then you know exactly what I'm talking about).

As the frosty weather continues on and my comfort food cooking cravings intensify, more homey and comforting goods will be baked. Thank you, gingerbread, for making the cold nights more bearable and thank you for being the perfect thing to make one's apartment smell less poultry-like!

Gingerbread Apple Upside-Down Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen via Karen Bates at the Philo Apple Farm via the New York Times

Serves 12

Topping
4 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing pan
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
4 apples (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch wedges

Batter
1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup dark molasses
1/3 cup honey
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Very softly whipped cream

Make the topping: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 10-inch cake pan. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, four minutes, then swirl in salt. Remove from heat and pour into the bottom of your cake pan. Make circles of overlapping apple slices on top of the caramel. Chop any remaining slices and place them in the gaps.

Make the batter: Using a mixer, blend 1/2 cup butter and the sugar on medium-low speed. Increase the speed to high and cream until light and fluffy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, molasses, honey and buttermilk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Alternate mixing the flour and molasses mixtures into the butter mixture, adding the next once the last has been incorporated.

Pour the batter into the pan. Bake at least 45 to 50 minutes (thanks to commenter klp for reminding me this took a bit longer) or until a wooden tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a platter (one that will catch spills, unlike what you see in the pictures above).

Serve warm or cool with very softly whipped cream.

XXXVIII

2011-11-07T16:55:00.001-08:00

During the week, my meals are usually healthy. I keep carbs to a minimum, rarely eat dessert, watch my portions, limit the number of times I go out to eat, and make healthy vegetable omelets in the morning. For the most part, I'm successful at eating this way but there are times that I need to partake in birthday celebrations during the week and then these dietary habits go out the window. This is how I like to think of it:

"Calories don’t count if they’re connected to a celebration. Everyone knows this." -Janet Evanovich, Hard Eight

My coworker, Emily, requested coffee cake for her birthday and though I have not made it in years, it once was my go to cake in middle school. I was obsessed with making coffee cake because the only other option in my repertoire was a yellow cake from the box. Baking with boxed cake mix is never fun regardless of your age.

Coffee cakes can end up dry. dense and bland but Ina Garten's recipe produced a moist, fluffy, cinnamony, comforting cake. She isn't Paula Deen but she sure does love her butter. After taking a bite, Emily asked how many sticks of butter were in the cake and that was the first thing my mom commented on as well when I made Ina's Blueberry Crumb Cake for her. I know there can never really be too much butter but I would have liked the coffee cake to have had less of a pound cake flavor. It was delicious nonetheless and Ina never steers me wrong. The coffee cake is perfect with a morning coffee or as an afternoon snack but I had it for both since it's a celebratory cake and obviously, the calories don't count!

Close up of my favorite part - the streusel!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties, Serves: 8 to 10 servings

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

• 3 extra-large eggs at room temperature

• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 cups sour cream

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel: (I doubled the streusel)

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

For the glaze: (I used 1 tbps. melted butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and 2 tbps. whole milk)

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

• 2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

XXXVII

2011-10-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

I have only been at work for one week in the past three and a half weeks. To be fair, I was in London on holiday for one week, went to work the following week and then came down with the flu, pink eye in both eyes and a corneal infection. To thank my coworkers for taking care of the things I normally do (and to ensure that they wouldn't hate me for being absent during two of the busiest weeks of the month), I made them banana bread.

Banana bread is on my top five favorite baked goods list. When it's done properly, it yields a loaf that is moist and not too dense. I haven't found a recipe that I can use as my go to. Like everything else I bake, I am always on the search for the perfect recipe. When something falls in my "favorites" category, such as red velvet cake, pancakes, and biscuits, I grade recipes and make many notes. How else am I going to know if the recipe is the ultimate? I also do this when I become addicted to something that I have to buy to eat like banh mi sandwiches (Hanco's in Brooklyn tops the list), chocolate chip cookies and macarons. The notebook comes out and a detailed grading system gets established. Very nerdy of me, I'm aware.

I know that a recipe can have no less than three bananas because I want the full banana flavor and the higher number of bananas lends to a moister loaf. The recipe I settled on called for six bananas so I had high hopes that the bread would be the be all and end all of banana bread recipes but alas, that was not the case. The banana bread lacked depth and I should have known that would be the case given the short list of ingredients. I'm not going to include the recipe because I don't think it's worth making. The search for the perfect banana bread continues on... though, let's hope that it is under better circumstances the next time I bake banana bread!

XXXVI

2011-02-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

Salted

Caramel

I would love to say that my first foray into making caramel was successful but alas, that was not the case. It is fairly simple to make as long as you follow the one cardinal rule: never, under any circumstance, take your eye off of it. I underestimated how long it would take for the sugar to caramelize and I grew impatient as it seemed like it was taking forever for the sugar mixture to change color. Cardinal rules are there for a reason and my need to multitask got the best of me. I turned around to look for a glass jar and shortly after, I smelled something burning. Just like that, my caramel quickly went from not being ready to being slightly burnt. However, I was determined to not put it to waste. After all, it wasn't horribly burned... it was just slightly bitter with a deeper caramel flavor that what I had originally desired.

I salvaged the caramel by pouring it into a gelato base where the milk and heavy cream worked beautifully together to lessen the burnt notes. The Kitchn had a post with recommendations from Mario Batali for making homemade gelato. I used two of the three which were to use whole milk and to underchurn the base since gelato is more dense than ice cream. Churning it for too long would result in airy gelato, which is not what it should be.

Of course, if there is a way to add decadence to a dessert, I am the all about it. Salted caramel poured over burnt caramel gelato? Yes, please!

Gelato
Adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream 4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, mix milk and cream. Warm until foam forms around the edges. Remove from heat.

2. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until frothy. Gradually pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture gels slightly and coats the back of the spoon. If small egg lumps begin to show, remove from heat immediately.

3. Pour the mixture through a sieve or fine strainer into a bowl. Cover, and chill for several hours or overnight.

4. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a sealed container, and freeze until firm. If the gelato is too firm, place it in the refrigerator until it reaches the desired consistency

Caramel Sauce
Adapted from Ina Garten

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean or 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Mix the water and sugar in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a medium brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Watch it carefully at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly.

2. Stand back to avoid splattering, and gradually add the cream and the seeds scraped from the vanilla bean (or vanilla extract). Simmer until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth and thick, about 2 minutes.

3. Serve warm, or add another 1/4 cup of heavy cream and serve room temperature.

Yield: 1 3/4 cups

XXXV

2011-02-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

This post is long overdue. I went to Hong Kong and China in July and anyone who has been to Asia knows that you mainly do one thing while you're there - you eat!

Cha siu bao - I ate one every single day...literally. If I didn't have a fresh bao when I went out for breakfast at dim sum, I surely had a defrosted and steamed one for lunch, which was surprisingly just as good.

I'm not too cool to pretend that I'm a martian.

My aunt and uncle in Hong Kong have a standing table for breakfast at the Panda Hotel. They eat there every single day. The food is quite good but I don't know if it is good enough to warrant a daily viewing of the demonic pandas. The one on the left particularly frightens me.

The black squares in the latte are grass jelly, a gelatinous dessert that's popular in China. I was surprised by how busy the Starbucks were given that I barely frequent them myself in order to lower my "latte factor." I thought I'd see fewer people due to the significantly lower cost of living especially since the prices were the same as the U.S.' Please note that those are not my fingernails.

The Chinese love their potatoes...with mayo and corn. I don't get it either.

Oh, Hong Kong....I love you. You, too, China. I will see you both again in a few months!

XXXIV

2011-02-08T14:28:00.000-08:00

A haiku for my afternoon snack, courtesy of Macaron Cafe.

Passionfruit maccie

Flaky and chewy goodness

Another one, please!

XXXIII

2011-02-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

When I’m bored at work I stuff my face with food. Sheer, utter boredom drives me to eat bowl after bowl of Special K with strawberries. Yes, I am aware that the freeze-dried strawberries resemble astronaut food, that they have a fuzzy, foamy, unnatural texture and an almost acrid, sour flavoring. Every once in awhile though, I get a strawberry that looks like a heart and that just confirms the loving relationship I share with the cereal. Insanity? Perhaps. You try dealing with boredom.

I digress. I am unabashedly addicted to Special K. Portion control? That means limiting myself to just one bowl at a time…until I need to go back for another bowl. I typically eat half a box of Special K per day. This can’t be good for me. I think it's time to put an end to my cereal addiction.

On my quest for a new afternoon snack I tried 'Wichcraft's granola and yogurt. Their granola is delicious but clearly too decadent for an everyday snack and the yogurt is full fat Greek yogurt, which does not bode well with my stomach. My research for granola lead me to New York Time's granola recipe and it was raved upon by many bloggers. I love anything with ginger so when I came across Bitchin' Camero's gingery olive oil granola while looking for different variations on the NYT's recipe, I knew it was the one I needed to make. By using Fage's 0% fat yogurt and this less decadent granola, I ended up with a perfectly sweet, healthy snack.

My body is already thanking me for keeping it void of thousands of calories from cereal. But, from time to time, I do long for my beloved Special K and that brief, joyous moment when I find a heart shaped freeze-dried strawberry.

Gingery Olive Oil Granola
From Bitchin' Camero, adapted from the New York Times

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds
1 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 cup Grade B Maple Syrup
1/2 cup ginger sugar, or 1/2 cup organic cane sugar and 1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1 cup dried, unsulfured apricots, diced

Preheat the oven to 300°. Mix all the ingredients, except for the apricots, in a large bowl.

Spread the oats onto a rimmed cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Remove from oven when the oats are crisp and golden.

Toss with the apricots and let cool.

Makes about 8 cups.

XXXII

2011-01-28T20:46:00.000-08:00

I've been glued to the TV watching the Australian Open for the last week. I was hoping for a Federer/Nadal showdown because I don't ever get tired of seeing them battle it out on the courts. However, like my friend Dimitris said, it was becoming kind of a status quo so it'll be exciting to see the Murray/Djokovic match. I won't be up to watch the men's or women's final (GO CHINA!) at 3am but I'll be able to catch it when I wake up thanks to the wonderful existence of DVR.

In the meantime, I'm making pavlova to celebrate the finals weekend. Pavlova originated in Australia (or New Zealand depending on who you ask) and I've never actually eaten it before even though I studied abroad in Sydney for half a year. I've had my fair share of Tim Tams and meat pies but I never heard nor seen this popular dessert.

Pavlova is essentially a meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit. It is an easy and fast dessert to make and it requires only a few ingredients. The only time factor is the hour it takes to bake in the oven and the hour it needs to cool down. Pavlovas are the perfect vessel to showcase seasonal fruit. However, we've had heaps and heaps of snow lately so I wanted something more comforting. I'll save the berries for the summer when I should be eating lighter desserts and indulge a bit now!

I was inspired to by one of my favorite blogs, Une-Deux Senses, to top my pavlova with bananas foster. I combined it with homemade whipped cream, which helped cut the sweetness of the bananas and meringue. As you can see from the picture above, the crispy exterior and marshmallowy center make for wonderfully textured filled bites. I now I'll be torn from wanting to devour the whole pavlova with trying to focus on the final but I have a feeling that the pavlova will easily win this match.

Pavlova

For the pavlova:
adapted from Une-Deux Senses
3 egg whites
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 250 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. In a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar, 1 tbsn. at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until the mixture is smooth to the touch and their is no graininess. Fold in the cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla. Pour mixture onto your prepared baking sheet and form into a round (of four mini ones, if you want), creating a shallow depression in the center of each. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the pavlova is cream colored and the surface is dry and crisp. Turn off the oven and leave the oven door ajar. Allow the pavlovas to cool in the oven until they can be handled.

For the whipped cream: adapted from All Recipes

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp sugar

In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.

For the bananas foster:

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tbsp rum

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 bananas, sliced

Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Once it starts bubbling, add the brown sugar, rum, vanilla and cinnamon. When the mixture is combined well and the brown sugar has dissolved, place the bananas in the skillet. Cook for 2-4 minutes.

XXXI

2010-12-29T16:35:00.001-08:00

There was no better time than this week to indulge in some comfort food given the massive snowstorm NYC had just experienced. After stepping in one too many puddles, heartwarming food was in order.

The laid-back atmosphere, unpretentious staff and friendly service make The Meatball Shop my go to place. The concept is great and the owners really honed in on what makes a good meatball. They're perfectly sized and the balls aren't simple little things of meat; you can taste the complexity within each one.

The Meatball Shop is a build your own meal kind of place. You are given a laminated menu and a marker and you can mix and match to your heart's content. First, you decide on how you want your balls served: with sauce in a bowl, on sliders or as a sandwich. Then you choose your meatball (beef, chicken, pork, vegetable) and the sauce (spicy meat sauce, classic tomato, mushroom gravy, pesto, parmesan cream). There are filling sides like polenta and risotto as well as light ones, like spinach and a salad. Be sure to check the daily specials on the chalkboard next to the kitchen as they usually have interesting options. The variety here is just another reason why I love this place.

I went with my usual of classic beef meatballs with a spicy meat sauce. The meatballs are so tender, well seasoned and the sauce has just the right amount of spiciness. This combination is my favorite because the flavors of the beef and sauce come together so perfectly in my mouth.

When you're done eating the meatballs, you really want to lick the bowl clean. The sauce is that good. You can't really do that in public though (but I wouldn't judge you if you did) so that is where the strip of focaccia bread comes in handy. It's perfect for wiping every bit of the sauce off the bowl.

Allison ordered the chicken meatballs with basil pesto, the special sauce of the day. She loved the lightness and moistness of the meatballs, its nice even consistency (chewy or chunky meatballs is not something both of us enjoy) and the delicious bread.

The mix and match ice cream sandwiches are not to be missed! The cookies and ice creams are all made in-house so you won't end up with stale cookies. I didn't get it this time (what was I thinking?!) but their caramel ice cream with gingersnap cookies is the ultimate combination. I should know, I've tried them all.

The Meatball Shop has since become my late night eating spot because it doesn't close until 4am on the weekends. On a recent night, I needed sustenance after hours of dancing and found myself craving meatballs. I couldn't finish all of them so I had the rest for breakfast the next morning. You know a place is worth coming back to when you can have their food cold AND a day old and still marvel at how damn good it tastes.

XXX

2010-10-31T11:32:00.001-07:00

There are a few recipes that I've been wanting to try but haven't for a variety of reasons. Osso buco? It's expensive to make. Pasta? I don't have a pasta machine or a rolling pin. Red velvet cake? I'd eat the whole thing in one sitting. Bread? It's complicated: making sure that the yeast is activated, the double rising, the kneading... However, after seeing the no-knead bread make its round on the food blogs and reading how easy it was, I decided to give it a go.

The first time I made this recipe, I planned on making it as part of an elaborate meal. There's a general rule that most people follow and that is to never attempt a recipe for the first time when entertaining guests. However, I was determined to make the rosemary bread because it paired so well with the short ribs and rosemary white bean puree that I was making for dinner. The relief I felt when I lifted up the lid and saw a perfect loaf of bread turned into excitement when I heard it sing. There were many comments from the blogs that said the bread sings to you as the crackly crust cools. At that moment, I fell in love with bread baking.

There really is a need to wax poetic about bread. It's one of those things that is perfect alone but does equally well when served as a companion. The well-roundedness of bread cannot be appreciated enough. It's fabulous drowned in good, fruity, olive oil or eaten with ricotta, honey and a bit of sea salt. It is a wonderful accompaniment for dishes that have leftover sauce as the bread can sop it up; short ribs and meatballs work especially well. When a simple dinner is called for, bread, cheese, sliced meat and of course, a glass of wine is the way to go. For something that is this versatile, what's not to love?

No-Knead Bread

Adapted from New York Times, via Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt (I used 1 tbsp)
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

3 tablespoons rosemary

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt (optional: this is the step where I added rosemary). Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.

Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.

Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal.

4. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

XXIX

2010-10-27T10:18:00.001-07:00

After eating vegetable omelets or Fiber One cereal Monday through Friday for breakfast, the weekends are a time for me to indulge. I like to start off my mornings on the weekends with either something sweet:

Saturday brunch at Belcourt: Vanilla and bourbon French toast with house made ricotta and New York State maple syrup

or savory:

Sunday breakfast of sausage, egg and cheese on a croissant from the deli

Gorgeous innards!

After a week of healthy eating, it's nice to treat yourself to a delicious, carb-y breakfast... or two ;o)

XXVIII

2010-10-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

I'm a nerd. I love calc, I went to orchestra camp for six years, I play chess and one of my favorite places to be is in a bookstore.

This pretty much sums me up: "It's pathetic how much significance I attach to the Times puzzle, which is easy on Monday and gets progressively harder as the week advances. I'll spend fourteen hours finishing the Friday, and then I'll wave it in someone's face and demand that he acknowledge my superior intelligence. I think it means that I'm smarter than the next guy, but all it really means is that I don't have a life." David Sedaris. "Solution to Saturday's Puzzle."When You Are Engulfed in Flames.

Why the discussion of being a nerd? Because it follows me into the kitchen. Prior to baking or cooking for someone, I have to research whatever it is that I plan on making. I look at recipe after recipe and it must include pictures to justify making that recipe. Then I read food blogs and chowhound.com to find the best techniques and methods. This won't satisfy me though and I will repeat the process one more time to ensure that I have a foolproof recipe that will be mastered based on my acquired knowledge. With that said, meatballs: I will conquer you.

After reading many recipes and tips, here is what I learned:

The beef-veal-pork trifecta is key. I feel bad for the baby cows, too...but not bad enough because including their goodness in the recipe helps ensure that the meatballs are tender
Overhandling the balls when you're forming them will make them tough so use a light hand
Using a panade (bread soaked in whole milk) will keep the meatballs moist
Just use the egg yolk to help bind the mixture. The egg white makes the meatballs gummier
Add parsley and pecorino romano to the meat mixture for flavor

After reading many blog posts on meatballs, I went with the recipe on Use Real Butter, who got it from Lorna Yee, the author of The Newlywed Kitchen cookbook and the blog, The Cookbook Chronicles. I found that recipe to be the closest to recipe that my friend Rob uses. Rob's recipe comes from the best source, his Italian grandmother, and he recently made some for me. After eating them, I knew that I had to add Italian meatballs to my list of go to comfort foods. I've made Asian style meatballs but never Italian so I wanted to use a recipe instead of using Rob's "a little here, a little there" method for my first go around.

I love to eat comfort food. Give me heavy, warm food over something light any day of the week. Now that the nights are getting colder, there is something to be said about the joys of comfort food. When you combine it with a glass of wine and a friend, you get nothing less than a perfect fall evening.

XXVII

2010-10-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

Someone once tried to help me diet by giving me this tip: Treat cookies and desserts as if they’re the devil’s cocaine and you’ll drop the pounds! Obviously this friend had never tried Dorie Greenspan's World Peace Cookies because if she had, she’d know that no will can fight the deliciousness that is the World Peace Cookie.

Here’s a little background on the origins of such a divine treat: Pierre Hermes developed the recipe and called his creation the Korova Cookie. After a neighbor tried Dorie’s attempt at the Korova the neighbor exclaimed, "a daily dose of Pierre's cookies is all that is needed to ensure planetary peace and happiness." Hence, Dorie renamed the Korova the World Peace Cookies in her latest book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Diet be damned because world peace takes priority over thin thighs.

When I saw a floor mate at work hobbling down the hallway on crutches, the baker in me screamed, "make him some cookies!!" Nick is recovering from hip surgery so I had to bake something above and beyond the typical “get-well-soon” cookie. I pulled out my two binders of recipes and searched for those that I had put a sticky on. I only have a few recipes that are worthy of a sticky. Given that Dorie's cookies had one, I knew this would be a real treat for Nick.

I didn't have much success the first time I made these. The cookies were crumbly and wouldn't hold their shape. These structure issues are the main reasons why I don't like to make "slice and bake" cookies. However, the cookies were so amazingly tasty that I couldn't help but give the recipe another attempt.

My second try produced cookies that turned out exactly the way I wanted them to. Given that there are no eggs to bind the ingredients together, allowing the butter to completely come to room temperature is the key to producing cookie dough that will hold its shape when baked.

The World Peace Cookie throws everything at you; all at once it's salty, sweet, buttery, sandy, rich, and delicate. My favorite treats are those that are both sweet and salty. When done well, there is nothing more satisfying to eat than something that hits both taste buds.

In true beauty pageant style, I hope that the devil’s cocaine (….I mean these cookies) will miraculously nurse Nick back to health at breakneck speed and bring the world peace.

World Peace/Korova Cookies
Smitten Kitchen via Paris Sweets, Dorie Greenspan

Makes about 36 cookies

1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons or 150 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (120 grams) (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces (150 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Getting ready to bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about one inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

Serving: The cookies can be eaten when they are warm or at room temperature — I prefer them at room temperature, when the textural difference between the crumbly cookie and the chocolate bits is greatest — and are best suited to cold milk or hot coffee.

Do ahead: Packed airtight, cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days (Deb note: not a chance); they can be frozen for up to 2 months. They can also be frozen in log form for months, and can be sliced and baked directly from the freezer, adding a coupld minutes to the baking time.

XXVI

2010-10-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

"The 30-Second Rule, A Decision Tree" by Audrey Fukuman and Andy Wright

I think it's more like the 3 second rule because eating something that has been on the floor for 30 seconds is rather frightening... but I'm not judging.

The flow chart was in an article titled, "You Dropped Food on the Floor. Do You Eat It?" Do I eat it?! I don't need to consult a decision tree because the answer is so simple: always eat it - ALWAYS! (this rule especially applies to medium rare cheeseburgers and all things containing chocolate).

XXV

2010-09-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

Crack pie. Two simple words that cause many brows to furrow when I mention what I had baked and consumed. I can see how people who aren't New Yorkers, don't read food blogs or aren't David Chang fans would be confused by it. Crack pie? As in pie made of...crack? Its name comes from its supposed highly addictive nature. I've had this recipe printed out for awhile and hadn't had the chance to make it or even try it at its place of inception, the Momofuku Milk Bar. When I searched for something to bake for my friend Allison's birthday, I thought this would be perfect - especially after hearing her rave about the pie.

It's a simple pie with only a few ingredients in the filling.

butter
sugar
heavy cream
egg yolks

The crust is made of ground oatmeal cookies mixed with even more butter and sugar.

This is a perfect example of how even when things don't work out in the process, the end result can still turn out quite well. Where do I even begin? My food processor was broken so I had to use a blender to pulverize the sheet of oatmeal cookie that is used for the crust. However, the blender had no interest in helping me out so I ended up with a very chunky crust. The rack in my oven was, unbeknownst to me, on an angle so the filling overflowed. This left me with a very uneven pie: 1/4 of it was just the crust! Thankfully, I put the tart pan onto a baking sheet prior to putting it in the oven so it caught the filling. In the end, I covered the naked part of the pie with the spilled but cooked filling. At the end of the pie's baking time, it wasn't even close to being at the "jiggly stage" that it was supposed to have been at. I planned to turn off the oven and leave the pie in there. The residual heat would bake the pie a bit more without overdoing it. Well, I forgot to turn off the oven and only realized it when I went back to check on the pie ten minutes later.

The verdict? Surprisingly, crack ain't wack! Despite all my mistakes, the pie was still good. Not great but good enough.

Maybe my "modified" version created my bias but I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Perhaps I gave into the hype and expected the world. I liked it but thought it was too sweet. The sweetness was overpowering to the point that there weren't any other discernible flavors in the filling. I'm all for simple but there needs to be some complexity to a dish that is so dense. It desperately needed another flavor to balance out the intensity of the sugar. However, I did like the oatmeal crust and I would use the it again for something else, like oatmeal ice cream.

This is such an intense pie that you won't want more than one slice. The birthday girl ate a slice along with her breakfast, lunch and dinner. Clearly, the pie earned its name for some. I'm glad I made the pie but it is definitely a one-timer for me...or until someone else requests it for their birthday.

Happy birthday, Allison!

Crack Pie Mini Recipe

adapted from momofuku LA, from The Los Angeles Times

Crust:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup oats
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Bake on a quarter sheet pan at 350F for 25 min. Cool to touch. Crumble and blend together with items below in food processor.

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Divide evenly amongst 8-10 5" pie platters. Prepare filling.

Filling:

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons milk powder
1 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 egg yolks (from large eggs)

Measure all dry ingredients in bowl. Whisk to incorporate all and break up any light brown sugar lumps. Whisk in melted butter. Whisk in heavy cream/vanilla mixture. Whisk in yolks, being careful not to incorporate too much air. Divide evenly over 8-10 5"pies. Bake at 325°F for 15 min, turn down the heat to 315°F and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until filling has just set, it should still jiggle a bit. Sift powdered sugar on top.

Cool on rack and refrigerate. Serve COLD!

XXIV

2010-09-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

French toast with bananas foster and maple butter at The Smith: one of the best brunch dishes that I've ever had.

"It's so fluffy I'm gonna to die!"

I really need to go see this movie:

Cafe Falai: I'm a sucker for the bread basket but unfortunately, the entree wasn't even good enough to warrant a picture.

Waffle topped with strawberries and whipped cream at The Smith. I know, I live at this place.

Pillowy, stuffed brioche doughnuts at The Dessert Truck

Can I have everything stuffed with nutella?

Weekend review: It's evident that I consume a ton of carbohydrates. Now, I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing to have carbs compose 90% of your diet but perhaps I should at the very least throw in something green.... Actually, let's just save those veggies for the weekdays. The weekends are the times when I get to catch up with friends and eat whatever I want because I'm going to enjoy life by eating with abandon.

XXIII

2010-08-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

I could live on a diet of frozen treats. Preferably this meal plan would consist of Ben & Jerry’s Oatmeal Cookie Chunk, Phileo taro flavored frozen yogurt topped with red bean followed by cake batter flavored frozen yogurt topped with graham cracker crumbs, Ryan’s Homemade Ice Cream praline and cream ice cream, and Il Laboratorio pistachio gelato. In college, I gained the Freshman 15 by eating a pint of Ben & Jerry’s every other day. I don’t regret a single pound of it-- most of the time.

I grew up eating Breyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream and what I loved about Breyer’s is that their ice cream had actual vanilla beans in it. I thought I was so much cooler for having ice cream with black little specks in it than my other friends who, I was sure, had pedestrian vanilla ice cream in their freezers. Now that summer is winding down, I don’t see that as a reason to start segueing into fall foods. Let’s celebrate the end of summer with more ice cream!

I hadn't had vanilla ice cream in awhile so I decided to try David Lebovitz's recipe since his recipes are so popular with the food blogging crowd. This one called for a vanilla bean, which was perfect given that I wanted black specks in my ice cream. There are few things better than fresh churned homemade ice cream. The texture is creamier than the store bought version, and it's richer. The addition of vanilla bean adds a robust flavor and I will add another one the next time I make this to give it an even more pronounced vanilla flavor.

This was my first time making a custard base ice cream and here are some things that I learned:

Temper the eggs slowly. In my excitement to have homemade ice cream as soon as possible, I poured too much of the hot cream into the eggs. I highly recommend starting off with a tablespoon or two in order to avoid scrambled eggs.

Alcohol is essential to achieve a soft consistency so I added a tablespoon of vodka. Without the alcohol, the ice cream will be rock hard.

If you don't have an ice cream maker (or if you break it like I did), you can simply pour the chilled custard into a shallow baking pan (I used an 8x8 and put mine in the freezer overnight) and stir every half hour. The key here is to break apart the frozen pieces which will give you a smoother consistency. Otherwise, your ice cream will be icy so be sure to mix thoroughly. For this recipe, it took about an hour for the ice cream to freeze.

Now that I've finally tried David's recipe, I'm certain that I will give the rest in his book, The Perfect Scoop, a try. Here’s to the “Quarter Life 15” I’m sure to gain; I’m going to revel in every pound.

Vanilla Ice Cream

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Yields one quart

1 c. whole milk

A pinch of salt

3/4 c. sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

2 c. heavy cream

5 large egg yolks

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk with a paring knife, then add the bean pod to the milk. Cover, remove from heat, and infuse for one hour.

2. To make the ice cream, set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart (2l) bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl and pour the cream into the bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.

5. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice until cool, add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.

6. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

XXII

2010-08-13T06:13:00.000-07:00

I'm a restaurant groupie. If I hear that the owner of a favorite eatery is opening a new restaurant, I stalk that spot like a fat kid stalks the cake at a birthday party. I will read up on any leaked details, follow the planning process and mark my calendar so I can go during the first week it goes public. Eddie Huang's latest endeavor, Xiao Ye, opened while I was away in China. Luckily, my friend Diana suggested we go there for dinner the week after I returned to the States. I was thrilled at the prospect of trying Xiao Ye’s take on late night food found at Taiwanese markets.

I always read reviews on Yelp prior to going to a restaurant. I like to know what people did and didn't like and I like to get an idea of what to expect in terms of food, service and atmosphere. Unfortunately, the reviews weren't too stellar. At all. I must admit, after reading them, I was a bit apprehensive about going to Xiao Ye. A few discontent eaters would be understandable, but if the overall consensus is more “ehhh” than “yay!” ? I looked at Eddie's blog and read this, "I won't put out food that isn't 100 and when we do open, I guarantee it'll be perfect." Then reviewers be damned because as a frequent diner at Baohaus, I know that Eddie can produce delicious food.

Diana and I went on a Thursday night and the restaurant was packed. The place is tiny and hip hop is the music of choice. Personal photos adorn one side of the wall and I laughed when I saw a few FOB-y childhood photos because I could totally relate. There's nothing quite like growing up being first generation and having Asian parents. I'm sure Eddie could relate to my childhood: my parents left the plastic on lampshades, we had a vinyl tablecloth on the kitchen table, the stove was covered with tinfoil, and our Tupperware consisted of old margerine tubs and jam jars. I grew up eating chicken feet and fighting with my brother over who got to eat the fish's eyeball. There wasn't any fish on the menu so I wouldn't have to fight with Diana over the eyeball but... she probably would be more than happy to let me have it.

Forget Yelp. Let’s review my choices here:

First, the Brick Sit on Wall Tofu: The deep-fried tofu's crunchy exterior, its silky innards and the combination of sweet chili sauce and peanut powder made me wish that Diana and I weren't sharing everything. Note to self: order this as my appetizer next time (emphasis on my).

Next? Help U Poo Poo Greens: Snow pea leaves with garlic. At first I thought, $9 for veggies? These better be dericious (chinglish speak, according to Eddie, for delicious), I better get more than just a few leaves and it best help me poo. I won't comment on the last criterion but the first two were definitely met.

Then, Big Trouble in Hainan Chicken: When Diana suggested ordering this dish, I wasn't too enthused. I've had horribly dry chicken at restaurants way too many times to order it anymore. Furthermore, I thought back to my experience in China three years ago. My aunt has a maid whose daily market run involved buying groceries and a chicken that I would, imaginatively, name Chicken Little. I'd say hi to the it as I passed by during the day and, come dinner time, what do I see? Chicken Little dead and completely naked on the kitchen counter! I gagged when I saw her gorgeous feathers in the trashcan and could not eat chicken that night or for the rest of my month that I was there. I made a mental note to never name and acknowledge any living creature that I would possibly eat.

The method used to cook Chicken Little is essentially the same used to cook Hainan Chicken. I'm not one to pass up trying any kind of food so I put that horrible memory behind me and tried a small bite. I then proceeded to eat most of it even though Diana and I were supposed to be sharing it. The chicken was incredibly moist without a dry piece in sight and the dipping sauces were so good that I wanted to drink the house made red chili sauce. And the rice! Oh, the rice! I normally don't care for rice. I never order it. I never make it at home or eat it when I'm at Chinese restaurants. I know; I'm Asian so I'm supposed to eat rice like it's crack. It just does nothing for me. That all changed when I had the chicken rice that is served with the Hainan Chicken. The large bowl of rice is so ridiculously flavorful that I want to eat it at every meal from now on like what a good Chinese person should do.

Diana, ready to dive into the shaved ice.

For dessert? Taiwanse Shaved Ice. We were pleasantly surprised when we were presented with dessert on the house. It must have been obvious that I was a restaurant groupie and the obvious way to my heart is via food, specifically dessert. The mountain of fluffy shaved ice served as the perfect complement to the strawberries, tapioca balls, and mango flan. The condensed milk that is drizzled on the top of this concoction adds the necessary element that really makes this dish a dessert. The shaved ice isn't your typical tiny two scoops of ice cream; it's huge. Given the humidity that evening, it was a refreshing and light way to end the meal.

Due to the Yelp reviews I left my high expectations at the door and hoped to leave Xiao Ye satisfied and content. Instead, I left in bliss from experiencing food that exceeded my expectations and I left dreaming about my next visit, knowing that I'd have to come back to eat Chicken Little's brother sooner rather than later.

XXI

2010-08-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

I love olive oil so much that I often use bread as a vessel (read: excuse) to eat it in large amounts. But olive oil in sweets? I tried the famous olive oil ice cream at Babbo and wasn't a fan; the flavor was just too overwhelming. I felt as though I was straight up eating olive oil. It wasn't until I tried the olive oil cake at Abraço Coffee Shop that I discovered the true decadence of olive oil in a dessert. Its cake is brilliant; it has a subtle hint of nuttiness, a bit of sweetness and it's moist. If you've ever had the pleasure of trying Abraço's olive oil cake, you'll find that this recipe isn't as dense as the one served at the coffee shop. Theirs is more like a pound cake while this one is a a lot lighter with a looser crumb.

I recently made the olive oil cake for my relatives and Asians tend to find traditional American desserts too sweet for their palate but this cake was perfect for my family. I'll always be a carboholic but I just might start using cake as my olive oil vessel instead of bread.

Olive Oil Cake
Adapted from September 2009 Bon Appétit, from Abraço Coffee Shop

8 to 10 servings

1 1/2 c. organic unbleached white flour
1 c. organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
2 large organic eggs
3/4 cup organic whole milk
1/2 cup mild-flavored organic olive oil
2 teaspoon finely grated orange peel

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Oil and flour a 9×5×3-inch metal loaf pan.
2. Combine eggs, milk, olive oil, and orange peel in medium bowl and whisk to blend. Gradually whisk egg mixture into dry ingredients. Transfer to prepared pan.
3. Bake Cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 60-65 minutes.
4. Cool in pan on rack 20 minutes. Invert pan to remove cake. Cool completely, top side up.

XX

2010-07-02T20:07:00.001-07:00

As much as I like to try the occasional high end, expensive restaurants, I usually prefer to go to the hole-in-the-wall places. If you looked up "hole-in-the-wall" in the dictionary, I'm pretty sure you'd find a picture of La Nueva Conquista. LNC, as I affectionately refer to it, has no decorations, no air conditioning, and only a few stools to sit on. The review outside calls it "gritty," which is an extremely kind euphemism for dirty. But I'm definitely not complaining; what LNC may lack in ambiance and cleanliness it more than makes up for in the food department. For $8, you can get a plate of food large enough to split between lunch and dinner. Each plate consists of a choice of meat (chicken, pork or beef), rice (yellow or brown), beans (black or red) and fried plantains. I went with the roasted pork, brown rice, and black beans.

I've never really understood the appeal of beans and rice. On the one hand, they're just beans and rice. You cant really mess them up. On the other hand, they're such staple foods that its hard to make them special. However, La Nueva Conquista proved me wrong. Their rice and beans are so full of complex flavors that I couldn't stop eating the dish! The roast pork, on the other hand, was hit or miss. On the whole the meat was a bit dry but the pieces that were moist were quite tasty. I like how they are not stingy with their food. You get a heaping plate in exchange for pocket change and the wait in line. I now I understand why the lines out their door exist- and why they usually run out of food before 6pm!

Lists are on the top of my non-food "things I love" items (among English bulldogs, YSL, the tv show House, soy chai lattes and the UNC basketball team- Go Heels!) I have Time Out New York's 2007-2009 "100 Best Things to Eat" taped to my refrigerator door. La Nueva Conquista's arroz con habichuelas (rice and beans for you non-Spanish speaking folks) was on the 2007 list. As soon as I finished my LNC lunch, I wobbled home and crossed off the restaurant with a deliriously happy sense of accomplishment. Then I laid back on my couch with a Latin American food baby in my stomach and enjoyed my food coma. All in a days work.

XIX

2010-06-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

Although I love living in this concrete jungle that is New York, sometimes a weekend away from the city is just what the doctor ordered. I almost forget what fresh air smells like and how nice it is to have space to myself. Even if only for 2 days, Connecticut was my portal through a coat closet and the Jones Family Farm my Narnia.

I was still rocking Oshkosh overalls (circa 8 years old) the last time I went strawberry picking. I have a long list of things I'm determined to to do this summer and this was one box I couldn't wait to check off. The great thing about fruit picking is that it is an all-weather, all-seasons activity. Despite the slight drizzle on our picking day of choice, we were determined to come away with a bushel of strawberries. I suppose our determination may have had something to do with the fact that we had already talked about how we would use our pickings: strawberry shortcakes for dessert and biscuits slathered with the homemade raspberry jam, that I picked up at the market, with fresh strawberries on the side for breakfast. We were on a mission. At this point our taste buds wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

One of the farm's rules was that you couldn't eat the strawberries until you had paid for them. Definitely understandable; but that clearly didn't stop Alex from eating one...or one-hundred throughout our hour on the farm. Who could blame her?

Once you start picking, you felt like you're on a treasure hunt. We ended up with not one but two of these! Oh fresh berries, how I've missed you. I'm used to the massive, homogeneous and fairly tasteless ones that my mom picks up from Costco. Those can't even begin to compare to the ripe, juicy, small jewels of delicious red love we found on the Jones Family Farm.

I don't have any photos of the strawberry shortcakes because they were devoured before a picture could be taken. I was able to get pictures of breakfast. Here are the biscuits waiting to be slathered with some delicious jam. I don't do small when I make biscuits. I like mine to be massive because, well, that's how biscuits should be: large in size and filled with buttery goodness.

Why, hello there, amazing red raspberry jam. My office supplies us with Smucker's jelly and I like Bonne Maman jam in a pinch, but, like anything else homemade and from a farm, it is just not the same as the raspberry jam we had. There is a lightness and a lack of chemical aftertaste when you eat fresh jam. It was the perfect complement to the buttery biscuits and succulent strawberries.

It's so rejuvenating to take the time to make and share a meal with friends over a great conversation instead of going to the usual loud bar spending money you don't have. It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind that is New York City that I forget how enjoyable it can be to travel a mere train ride away and spend time with friends.

XVIII

2010-06-28T01:19:00.001-07:00

Baking an upside down cake is akin to cliff diving into an ocean because the same type of questions go through your head:

Cake: will the cake flip over properly? Leap: did I jump/dive correctly?

Cake: should I have spent time baking this if it ends up looking deformed? Leap: damn, I broke my arm/face planted in the water/am paralyzed. Was it worth the few seconds of adrenaline?

Okay, perhaps cliff diving is not quite as dramatic but to me, it's all the same! I made the upside down chocolate banana cake for a family BBQ and all I wanted was for the cake to look fabulous. I wasn't concerned with the taste. I knew the rich, chocolaty cake would pair well with the banana and that the caramel top would soak through the cake to make it super moist. However, I didn't know if the caramel would stick to the pan, which would cause the banana slices to not come out with the cake. When your whole family knows of your obsession with baking, you want whatever you present to them to be completely evident of your skill with said obsession. After all, you spend all this time talking about it so the least you could do is serve up something that is delicious.

When the cake was ready, I ignored my inner baker who said to wait a few more minutes for the cake to cool and conceded to the 12 year old in me who kept on shouting, FLIP IT, FLIP IT, LET'S SEE IF IT STICKS! With my breath held, I flipped the cake over, tapped it a few times and prayed to the upside down cake gods as I lifted up the cake pan. Success! I could now confidently present the cake looking like its gorgeous self to my family members. Taste wise, it was especially lovely when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Given how well this cake worked out, I now won't feel guilty when I ask every member of my immediate and extended family who know how to use a computer if she/he has been keeping up with my blog. I'm sure I'll still get a slight eye roll since I end up asking every single time so I'll just ask, do you remember the amazing cake that I made at the family BBQ? Just imagine how many more you will be eating. In my head though I'll be thinking, that's right, SIT DOWN.

Chocolate Caramel Banana Upside Down Cake

adapted from The Food Librarian

TOPPING

1 stick butter

3/4 c light brown sugar

3 ripe bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices

CAKE

3/4 c plus 2 T unbleached all-purpose flour

6 T (1/4 c plus 2T) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

3/4 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 c granulated sugar

2 large eggs (room temp)

2 t vanilla

2/3 c buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9″ x 2″ cake pan.
2. Topping: Heat butter over medium heat until melted and foamy. Whisk in brown sugar, turn heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, for two minutes or until the mixture is thick. Spread on the bottom of the 9″ cake pan.
3. Arrange the bananas in a circle on top of the sugar mixture. Set aside.
4. Sift together flour, cocoa, soda and salt.
5. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Stir in vanilla.
6. On low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk (3 flour and 2 milk additions).
7. Scrape down the sides and then beat batter on high for 30 seconds.
8. Pour batter over the bananas and smooth out.
9. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let sit on wire rack for 5 minutes. Then carefully invert onto your serving tray. Let sit at least 20 minutes before diving in.

XVII

2010-06-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of summer is being able to eat fresh berries. Blackberries and raspberries are my favorite to consume and I like blueberries but they are rarely on my shopping list. However, after walking by them week after week at the Union Square Greenmarket, it was time to incorporate them into my daily diet. My usual standby is to eat berries with yogurt for breakfast but after I saw a buttermilk cake recipe make its round through the food blogs, I knew that was what I wanted to use the blueberries for. The recipe is from Gourmet Magazine and it originally called for raspberries but like any great recipe, it's versatile in that any berry can be substituted. It's so simple to make and the lightness of the cake makes it perfect for dessert for the summer. I've also eaten it for breakfast because well, who doesn't like cake for breakfast?

The cake is relatively thin so next time, I'm going to double the recipe in order to yield a cake that provides more substantial slices. I know it's summer but that's not a valid excuse to slack on portion sizes. I should know. After all, I made this last year and I finished it in two days...on my own. I wish I was kidding.

Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen via Gourmet

Serves 6

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, optional**
1 large egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment; butter parchment.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. With a standing or hand mixer, beat butter with the 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and egg, beating thoroughly. Turn speed to low and alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, mixing until just combined. Spread batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top. Scatter the raspberries evenly over the top (no need to push them down) and sprinkle with the 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake at 400º for about 20-25 minutes or until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

*I forgot to sprinkle the cake with sugar and it wasn't missed

**I used 1 teaspoon of lemon as I like the lemon flavor to be more pronounced when combined with blueberries

XVI

2010-06-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

Does good, inexpensive, Mexican food actually exist in Manhattan? I want tacos that don't cost $9.50 for two because frankly, that should be illegal. I'm eating tacos, not fois gras. Granted, those two tacos from Mercadito Cantina were the best that I've eaten in the city but I can't justify paying that much when I can hike to Sunset Park in Brooklyn and get amazing tacos for $3.50. I keep on trying taco and after taco from various places and I have not had any success. I've tried Pinche Taqueria, La Esquina, Cafe Habana (I know it's not Mexican but they serve tacos), Baja Fresh, La Lucha, Downtown Bakery, and San Loco, and they all just don't do it for me.

Last summer, I had amazing shrimp mango tacos from Surf Taco in NJ but they were something like $7, and I wasn't about to a)trek to NJ, of all places, for tacos and b)spend $14 for two servings because that is how much I would need to fill me up. So, what is a taco starved person to do? Make my own, of course!

I took the corn tortillas recipe from the back of Maseca's masa bag and goodness gracious, they were hard and flavorless. I found a few recipes online that contained lard but I didn't realize that it was necessary. Then again, it's like saying that butter can be substituted in biscuits, which is absolutely absurd. Next time, I will add a nice helping of fat to my tortillas and that should do the trick. I made a mango avocado salsa and baked my coconut shrimp instead of frying them to make it healthier and thankfully, the filling made the taco edible. This whole endeavor took a bit of time so I still need to find a place to get my quick fix. Perhaps one of the taco trucks will do? The search continues on…

XV

2010-06-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

A perfect weekend day:

Froyo for breakfast with Alex, Diane and Chris. I have finally found my favorite frozen yogurt place! Not only does Phileo have the lychee flavor but also taro and more importantly, it is the only place that has red bean as a topping. I am obsessed with red bean. Red bean ice cream, red bean soup, pineapple bun filled with red bean... just put red bean on anything and I am there! It's like nutella for Asians.

Tamale from the street fair for Diane.

Gazpacho for lunch from Bottino with Molly. My gazpacho lacked flavor and was a bit too watery for my liking. I like my gazpacho to have substance and not taste like tomato water with chunky bits of vegetables. Molly fared better with her cucumber soup, which was refreshing and had a nice tang but all in all, our soups weren't up to par.

Motorino pizza for dinner with Alex, Diane and Chris. We all shared the margherita and brussell sprouts pizza but Chris and I, obviously the true team fatties, forged ahead and ordered the cremini and sweet sausage pizza for "dessert."

The margherita tasted of bland tomato sauce and it was missing the key flavors that I associate with that type of pizza...so much so that I can say it's the most flavorless slice of margherita that I've ever had. I'll just give them the benefit of doubt and say that they most have forgotten to add something...

The brussels sprouts pizza was my favorite and Chris's as well. The smoked pancetta gave it a nice salty flavor and the brussels sprouts were crispy so it was all sorts of deliciousness in your mouth. I'm a huge fan of garlic so I do wish that the garlic flavor was more pronounced.

The cremini and sweet sausage pizza had more than ample drizzles of olive oil and that is exactly how I like it. A slice isn't a slice if there isn't oil dripping down your hand while you chomp away at it.

Red velvet cupcake from Pinisi for dessert. I'm a red velvet fanatic and I've tried them all. Pinisi will always be number one with it's incredibly moist innards and perfect cream cheese frosting.

Can I eat like this every weekend? Come to think of it, why wait for the weekend? Eating is one of life's greatest pleasures so I'll just indulge like this on a daily basis.

XIV

2010-05-19T06:02:00.001-07:00

When I’m cooking or baking for myself, I do it for stress relief and the sheer joy of the process. But really, there is nothing that makes me happier than when I’m in the kitchen preparing treats for someone else. Regardless if it's for a friend or a significant other, the best way I can show my love is through the gift of food. My fondest memories are the times I spent hosting and preparing dinner parties for friends and loved ones.

A few months ago I attended the “Doing What You Love” panel at the 92nd Street YMCA. Panelist Tom Colicchio said, "There's nothing better than being able to serve someone a plate and seeing them smile." Amen to that. I haven’t baked for someone other than myself in such a long time that I almost forgot how nice it is to hear someone blissfully exclaim, “Who made this? It’s so good!”

I forgot, that is, until I made pumpkin mini muffins for Chris’s surprise birthday brunch. The kiddie-themed rooftop party included pin-the-head-on-the-dinosaur, spider man themed skeet ball, and bubbles. As the sun beat down on the partygoers and melted the ice cream and cupcake icing, my decision to make muffins proved a wise choice. Some might think pumpkin should be relegated to the fall season but I’m of the opinion that anything pumpkin related is always enticing!

Like most cooks, sometimes I have to bake things I don’t really care for. The birthday boy loves pie more than a fat kid loves cake. I’m not much for fruit pies so I compromised with an avocado pie. I had never made avocado pie before but I figured now was as good a time as any to give it a shot. Surprisingly avocado pie tastes like an extremely rich key lime pie. The richness of the pie is mostly due to the use of evaporated milk. Three easy ingredients to make a sinfully delicious pie? It never ceases to amaze me when simple recipes result in such scrumptious fare.

My omelet was being guarded by ninjas while I prepared pancakes for the group

Avocado pie on a sophisticated dinosaur plate

Omelet bar options

Brunch is not complete without bacon...lots of it.

Happy birthday, Chris!

XIII

2010-05-16T16:50:00.001-07:00

There are over 18,000 restaurants in NYC but I go to the same restaurant for my birthday. For the third year in a row, I went to Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar, one of Jack Lamb's trifecta, a quaint 16 seater that serves Spanish inspired tapas. Its 10 course tasting menu never disappoints me and the courses are spaced out perfectly so you leave in state of gluttonous bliss and not feeling like an overstuffed moo moo.

I mentioned to Jack the weekend prior while I was at Jewel Bako, his Japanese restaurant, that I'd be coming for my birthday at Degustation the following weekend. He remembered when I saw him and so graciously sent over a piece of otoro sushi (which was incredible, by the way. I've had toro before but I've never had the pleasure of having otoro, which is far superior) and a cheese plate for dessert.

This is exactly why I continue to choose the same restaurant for my birthday. Do I want to try the hottest restaurant of the moment? Sure but at the end of the day I know that Degustation's service will always spot on and it's a guarantee that you'll mutter, oh my god, many times throughout the night after having bite after bite of heavenly goodness.

Food porn will now commence:

XII

2010-05-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

Gmail is down and I've hit refresh no less than 300 times in the past 20 minutes.

More importantly, I just fell in love with a sixth grader.

XI

2010-05-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

During the week, I start my mornings off with a spinach omelette. Weekend mornings, however, are reserved for more indulgent starts, such as pancakes, biscuits, and scones. I've had a blueberry muffin in my recipe queue for quite some time and it just so happened that I had buttermilk in the fridge and blueberries in the freezer. A blueberry muffin is not worthy of eating unless it's topped with streusel...a lot of it. I typically like the ratio of streusel to muffin to be about 2 to 1 but then it'd be more of a crumb cake than muffin.

For this muffin, I used the Cook's Illustrated Best Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping recipe. The muffins were good but not amazing. I found it lacking in flavor and it wasn't as moist as I'd like it to be. I'm still on the search for the end all, be all of blueberry muffins so if anyone has one, please do tell.

Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins
recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated (May/June 2009) via Joelen's Culinary Adventures

Streusel Topping:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

pinch table salt

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons warm, melted unsalted butter

Muffin Batter:

2 cups frozen blueberries

1 1/8 cups plus 1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon table salt

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING: Combine all the dry streusel ingredients in small bowl. Drizzle with the warm, melted unsalted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened and mixture forms large chunks with some pea-sized pieces throughout.

FOR THE MUFFINS: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Bring 1 cup frozen blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.Rinse the remaining cup of berries under cold water and dry well. Toss dried berries in 1 tablespoon of flour and set aside.

Whisk the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl and set aside.In another bowl, whisk remaining 11/8 cups sugar and eggs together until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened.

Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle prepared streusel evenly over muffins.

Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

X

2010-05-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to try the food at the Red Hook Ballfields ever since I first read about it two years ago. Then I saw it on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservation and made a note to go the first weekend it opened. Warm ceviche?! I'm there! Randy and I hit up the vendors on Saturday with his dog, Bernie, aka the love of my life.

As you can see, she's quite popular, especially with the kiddies. Bernie isn't the best companion when you're trying to eat. She just stares at you and sits about an inch away, hoping for a morsel to fall and well...it's rather distracting so off she went back to the car.

When faced with the decision of where to begin, we chose the longest line. You can't go wrong with the crowd favorite and this time, it was the Salvadorian pupusa truck. The cheese and pork stuffed pupusas had the perfect combination of cheese, meat and bread. Plus, they were greasy and oh do I enjoy grease! They were a bit heavy so the side of cabbage slaw helped make it less so.

Elote. Yum... Anything on a stick deserves a yum after it. Corn dog? Yakitori? Kebab? Yum, yum and yum. Actually, I've had fried scorpions on a stick so perhaps blankonastick doesn't always warrant a yum.

Pork skin and pork tacos. Ehhh....

The pork tamale was way too mushy but if you ignored 90% of it and just ate the top, it was deeelicious.

It's not easy getting to the vendors at the Red Hook Ballfields. The pupusas were good but given that nothing else really wowed me, I can't say that I'm too eager to make the trip again. I'm not going to write this place off until I try a few more things and can definitively say that it's not worth the hike. Perhaps the warm ceviche would have swayed me... I'll save that for next time!

IX

2010-04-26T12:19:00.000-07:00

Brunch is my favorite meal. It's the first meal eaten after a great night out and it's the perfect meal to catch up with friends. I know, it's not really a legit meal but I'd go with brunch food any time of the day and I couldn't say that about any other meal.

Brunch on a gorgeous Saturday was at Bar Boulud and having never been to any of Daniel Boulud's restaurants, this was excellent start to working my way through his kingdom. The dishes were quite delicious despite having to hear an incredibly loud jackhammer right outside the door the whole time. I went with my go-to, the eggs benedict, and you'd think that it wouldn't be too hard to produce a poached egg (as in, the yolk should spill out when the egg is cut open) and a nice hollandaise sauce but I've had plenty of bad ones in my lifetime. Luckily, Bar Boulud did not disappoint me. I'm going to attempt to make homemade eggs benedict just to see if it's that difficult to produce eggs that aren't overdone and a hollandaise sauce that isn't bland.

Oeufs Florentine: poached eggs with ham, spinach hollandaise sauce, whole wheat toast

gauffre belge: belgian waffle, pear-quince marmalade and almond butter a la mode

Paté Grand-Mère: fine country pâté, chicken liver, pork and cognac

saumon fume: smoked salmon club with avocado, tomato, lettuce and chive créme fraîche

tarte du jour

ile flottante: floating island, praline rouge, vanilla creme anglaise

I don't smoke cigarettes but there is something so relaxing and enjoyable with smoking cigars. I've smoked cigars once before and that was at a wedding in Charleston so it was a different experience doing it at a cigar lounge in the upper east side. I went with a mini at Club Macanudo and it's tough maximizing a mini.... ;o) Next time, I'll definitely go with a regular sized one.

VIII

2010-04-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Short Ribs:

I love you more than any other cut of beef. Yes, you are a three day process but clearly, some things are worth the wait. Paired with a rosemary white bean puree and a homemade loaf of rosemary bread, you are the ultimate dinner. Thank you for being your luscious, fatty self. I wouldn't want you any other way. Well...perhaps in a grilled cheese, caramelized onion sandwich but that'll be for another day.

Love,
Me

Balthazar's Braised Short Ribs Recipe

Makes 4 servings

2-1/2 lbs. (about 1 kg) beef shortribs – about 2 to 3 large meaty ribs
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons neutral oil
1 stalk celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 onion, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup port
2 cups red wine
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cups beef stock

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut each long rib in half and season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
In an enameled cast iron pot, heat oil on medium heat. Add the ribs to the pot and brown on all sides. Once browned, remove from pot and set aside.
Add carrots, onion, shallot, celery and garlic to the pot and sauté until softened and golden brown, about 7 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning.
Stir tomato paste into vegetable mix. Add flour and stir to combine. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Add wine, port and herbs. Turn heat to medium-high and simmer for about 10 minutes, until mixture begins to reduce. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning.
Add stock and return ribs to pot. Cover tightly and put in the oven. Cook for 3 hours, checking on them each hour to ensure nothing is burning at the bottom of the pot. The meat should be very tender.
Once the ribs are done, use tongs to remove the ribs from the sauce. Place meat in a bowl and set aside. With a mesh strainer or cheesecloth-lined colander, strain sauce into a saucepan, pressing on solids to extract all liquid. Discard solids.
Bring strained sauce to a boil and reduce for about 10 minutes. Pour sauce over ribs and serve.

VII

2010-04-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Graffiti of the Month

the ideal

embodies the truth

void of any pretension

loves with abandon

VI

2010-04-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

What to do on a gorgeous Friday when I don't have work and it's the first nice day of the year? Lunch with Katya in the Meatpacking District. Everyone else clearly had the same idea in mind so the wait at our first dining option, Pastis, was out of the question. I love their food but was entirely too hungry to wait an hour. The Collective was just as good, the wait was only half an hour and the people watching was just as enjoyable.

Apple, walnut, dried cranberries, blue cheese, endive salad

Yummy carby goodness.

Loved the bathroom lobby

Cheesecake and an eclair from Sweet Heart Bakery for dessert

Ended the day in Union Square

V

2010-03-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

I'm a burger snob. I want my burger medium rare, more rare than medium. I want a thick patty and not a thin one a la The Shake Shack. I want it with cheese and caramelized onions. Actually, I can forgo those extras but I really can't forgo the way it's cooked. When I bite into it, I want it to be dripping with its delicious red juiciness. Essentially, I want it to be mooing. With that said, sliders aren't usually my cup of tea and I never thought that my favorite sliders would come from a ping pong club... but hot damn, they were amazing at SPiN.

Guacamole and queso fresco sliders

Vanilla with butterscotch pecan cookies

Korean tacos: beef short rib, soybean aioli, oyster kimchi, bean sprouts, cilantro & lime

Grilled onions and cheddar sliders

Popcorn duo:
jalapeno + cheddar
parmesan, parsley + maldon salt

honey coffee ice cream with chocolate chip cookies

Mango and coconut rum ice pop alongside one of many sliders I had that evening

IV

2010-03-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

Graffiti Haiku of the Month

Duff beer and TV
Homer's solution to all
Though doughnuts help too

III

2010-03-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

The fig and olive salad at Fig & Olive is incredible. For those who know me, I only reserve the word incredible for things like short ribs, red velvet cake and pork belly. It is rarely, if ever, used to describe things as pedestrian as salads. However, when you throw figs, olives, tomatoes, manchego, gorgonzola dolce, goat cheese, walnuts, chives, scallion, green apple and an 18 year fig and balsamic dressing onto greens, a salad like that can't be anything but... incredible.

II

2010-03-27T16:14:00.001-07:00

Dear Nutella,

How many ways can I love you? I have you on crepes, on toast, in a chocolate molten cake, with strawberries and now in pound cake. When I'm eating anything sweet, I long for your presence. I long for your silky, creamy, hazelnut goodness. I don't know what I'd do without you.

However, it's over. My body refuses to stretch anymore for your sake and I always finish you in one sitting. With my finger. Straight out of the jar. We're officially done.

Love,
Me

Nutella Swirl Poundcake
Food & Wine Magazine

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more dusting
4 large eggs, at room temp
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 – 13 ounce jar of Nutella

Preheat the oven to 325. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x inch loaf pan, tapping out any excess flour. In a glass measuring cup, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 ½ cups of flour with the baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer at medium-low speed gradually beat in the egg mixture until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating at low speed between additions until just incorporated. Continue to beat for 30 seconds longer. Continue to beat for 30 seconds longer.

Spread 1/3 of the batter in the prepared pan, and then spread half of the Nutella on top. Repeat with another 1/3 of the batter and the remaining Nutella. Top with the remaining batter. Lightly swirl the Nutella into the batter with a butter knife. Do not overmix.

Bake the cake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, and then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut into slices and serve.

Can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

I

2010-03-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

the journey begins...

the exhalation
defining who I am by
inhaling the now