Back to the Foodie

  I attended a two-hour cake decorating class today at the Sugar Flower Cake Shop in midtown Manhattan. The class was kid-friendly and drew in students ranging from young children to 20somethings, to seniors. The group size was around 22, and we learned how to create the illusion of a gift box by frosting a piece of sheet cake with Italian meringue buttercream using a spatula and scraper.  We then we made a decorative ribbon and bow using colored gum paste. Gum paste is primarily made of sugar and is similar to fondant, but the difference between the two is that gum paste uses gum tracaganth while fondant does not.  Gum paste is malleable and has a texture and color similar to white Play-Doh making it easy to color and shape into various designs. Gum paste can be found in stores like Broadway Panhandler, Michaels, or any shops where baking supplies are found. To make the ribbon, colored gum paste was kneaded and then pressed through a gadget called a “sheeter” which is very similar to a pasta roller and cut using a pizza cutter. Shorter strips of ribbon were folded into loops and placed on top of the longer strips of ribbon.

For making a cake like this at home, the cake would be iced with a “crumb layer,” which is the only layer where it is ok if a few specks of crumb get mixed in, then the cake would be placed in the refrigerator for twenty minutes to allow the icing to set, and the process would be repeated for a total of four to eight applications of frosting.  The smoothe appearance is the result of using a scraper to even out the frosting on all sides of the cake.  When working with gum paste unused portions should be kept covered so it won’t dry out, but if it does become dry kneading will soften it.  After being prepared and cut, the gum paste would be allowed to sit overnight so it hardens, making it easier to handle when assembling the bow.  In the picture above, the gum paste was still soft and began to crack as I started to assemble the bow.  Cracks or not, the cake was still good though!

Hello Foodies…more dining news..from March 19 through March 29 various Brooklyn restaurants are offering a three-course lunch for $20.12, a three-course dinner for $25.00 and in some cases, brunch, lunch, and dinner at a 2 for 1 rate. Check out the link below for participating restaurants. Favorites include the duck confit at Sue Perette, Bocca Lupo for some of the best panini NYC has to offer, and Blue Ribbon Brooklyn for some fantastic sushi. Enjoy! 

www.visitbrooklyn.org 

 I recently attended a fundraiser held in support of Housing Works’s mission to help those in NYC living with AIDS and the homeless. The event was organized by Sharifa Crawford, Founder and Creative Director of Disciples of Haute, a popular fashion blog.

This is Sharifa!

The fundraiser was held at the W XYZ Lounge in Harlem and sought to raise $1,500 for Housing Works’ cause. To show our support, some colleagues and I purchased tickets and took the A train to 125th Street for a night of cocktails and Southern cuisine.  The question every foodie inevitably asked: what kind of food is being served? We were promised some of the best food found in Harlem and were looking forward to experiencing what restaurants in the area had to offer.

Jacob’s Restaurant provided sweet potatoes, cornbread, and buttermilk fried chicken with a hint of garlic.

Attendees also had the opportunity to try Bad Horse Pizza, another popular spot in Harlem.

Andy Lai, an image consultant in the fashion industry and creator of TheFashion411 blog, is shown here moonlighting as a pizza critic. According to Andy, thumbs up for Bad Horse Pizza.

For dessert, fresh fruit cups were provided and Sydney’s Sweets, a cake design company, provided their specialty, Southern Red Velvet Cupcakes. I had the chance to speak to Sydney herself, who informed me that Sydney’s Sweets will deliver to any location in NYC.

Southern Red Velvet Cupcakes by Sydney’s Sweets.

Overall, the good food, good drinks and good company made for a great fundraiser and, as a result, Sharifa is very close to reaching her goal. If anyone is interested in making a donation, click on the link below:

http://www.housingworks.org/fundraising/701C0000000cvWmIAI.

To visit two very cool fashion blogs, click on the links below:

http://disciplesofhaute.tumblr.com/

http://thefashion411.tumblr.com/

Hello fellow foodies! If you have yet to find your favorite spot for authentic Chinese food in NYC now is a great time to explore what restaurants in Chinatown have to offer.  Chinatown’s first annual Restaurant Week begins tomorrow, March 9 and runs until March 18.  Check out the list of participating restaurants below:

 http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2012/03/chinatown_resta.php

I’ve eaten at the Golden Unicorn (it’s Zagat rated) before and would go back.  Happy Eating!

What’s your favorite cookie? Is it chocolate chip, is it peanut butter, or is it oatmeal? Do you like soft cookies or crispier cookies? A friend of mine asked me if I would make him some cookies today and, being the baking enthusiast I am, I glady obliged. His preferences were peanut butter and chocolate chip, and it just so happens I make a delicious peanut butter cookie. So I picked up some supplies on my way home from work and began preparing them. As I was baking them, I realized I had no idea if he wanted them on the cripsy side or on the softer side, if he would enjoy chunky peanut butter instead of creamy, or even what size to make them. Who doesn’t love bite-size cookies? That’s the funny thing about cookies, there are so many ways to prepare them that it’s like they have their own “cookie personalities” just like the individuals who will be consuming them do. At the core cookies are usually sugar, butter and flour, but after that it’s all about individual preference unless you are a foodie, in which case you appreciate all forms of cookie for their unique qualities!

I made the cookies according to how I thought he would enjoy them - with creamy peanut butter, just a little on the soft side and a little larger in size. My favorite part of the entire process was making the criss-cross pattern on the cookies because the tines of the fork I used were uneven, creating a deeper indentation in some places and lighter ones in other places. It gave the cookies their very own unique characteristics, something you don’t find in store-bought cookies. My apartment also smelled of peanut butter, vanilla and sugar and I, despite this intoxicating aroma, managed to avoid the lure of the freshly baked cookies. Yes to maintaining my discipline at least this time!

And the cookies…my friend liked them…so much so he included a “:D” in his message telling me they were delicious. A cookie’s unique qualities may make it a cookie, but a cookie is not just a cookie when it puts a smile on someone’s face…or in their text!

Chefs and restaurant operators navigate a gray zone, balancing fidelity to their training and culture with adherence to city health regulations.

Tucked away just off the intersection where Third Avenue and Bay Ridge Avenue meet in Brooklyn is a small storefront one can easily walk by without noticing. The storefront’s awning blends into the surrounding environment making it less noticeable, but stepping through its doorway reveals a small, cozy restaurant with low lighting and an understated decor. It’s the neighborhood’s French cafe, called the Petit Oven. Still unknown to many in the area, Petit Oven is where local foodies are found enjoying a meal, a glass of wine and the company of other fellow foodies. I met two friends for dinner on Wednesday night, which happened to be when Petit Oven offers a tasting menu that includes an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. My friends enjoy red wine, so we started our meal off with a bottle of Chateau Pascaud, 2007, a medium-bodied red bordeaux.

The regular menu offers an a la carte selection which includes its signature dish, smoked duck and signature dessert, bread pudding with salty caramel and walnuts. The menu is seasonal and changes every few months, but since the duck is guaranteed to be on the menu, I opted for the tasting menu so I could try a dish that might not be offered when I make it back. My dinner selection included a winter green salad with heritage beets and goat cheese (goat cheese makes anything taste good), free range chicken with polenta, and for dessert I’d expected to try the bread pudding (the salty caramel sounded too good to turn down).

Now, a little background on the neighborhood. Bay Ridge is very diverse offering almost any cuisine you can think of. Italian restaurants, pizzerias, Chinese dine-in and take-out spots, and diners dominate the neighborhood, and mixed into the landscape are restaurants that include Vietnamese, Latin, Halal Chinese, Greek, Mexican and Japanese cuisine to name a few. Oh, let’s not forget the Indian, Spanish, Lebanese and Turkish cuisine to be found in the area as well. So there are options in this small section of Brooklyn but, in my opinion, about half of them bomb when it comes to food quality or service. There is one diner I will never order eggs in because they are always served rubbery and the french fries are always undercooked. How an established diner can consistently ruin eggs and french fries still baffles me, but maybe people out there really don’t mind as much. Disappointing, but like any dedicated foodie, I’ve identified the restaurants worth frequenting, so all is not lost in this little culinary haven. Of the remaining restaurants, not one has embodied the concept of a seasonal menu the way Petit Oven has. Finally, a restaurant a true foodie can find herself comfortable in! I was excited about the tasting menu because I would finally know if the Petit Oven was worth adding to my list of worthy restaurants.

Here’s how dinner went down:

The winter greens were a perfect starter and, being a reformed beet-hater, I found myself enjoying the heritage beets the most. They were light and sweet and added a delicate flavor to the greens, and every so often the goat cheese would add a creamy texture to the salad. The chicken and polenta were surprisingly light. I had expected the polenta to be heavy, creamy, and extremely fattening. “Less fattening” is how I described the polenta to my friend with a smile on my face as I realized this was one meal I would not have to feel guilty about enjoying. We both ordered the same dish and were pleasantly surprised by the fact that the polenta was not extra rich. On to dessert!

Now the tragic part of this post: the bread pudding with salty caramel had sold out! Yes, it’s so popular that the Petit Oven ran out for the night and I missed out on it. So, instead we opted for the banana crepes and eggnog brulee. The crepe was light, thin and topped with banana and chocolate. A perfect end to the meal if the eggnog brulee had not made its way to the table. Eggnog flavor is very tricky to incorporate into food and there have been a few times where I’ve tried an eggnog flavored product only to regret it, so I had my reservations about the eggnog brulee. How did the eggnog brulee hold up? It was very good! Just the right amount of eggnog flavor balanced the richness of the cream making it my favorite dessert of the night. If I couldn’t have the bread pudding, the brulee made up for it.

The verdict on the Petit Oven: yea…but ask them to reserve some bread pudding for you!

I recently made Sesame Chicken for a family dinner that I try to host once a week. Sesame Chicken is a favorite Chinese dish and the recipe I used required no frying, making it a lower fat version than the kind found in a restaurant. With regard to adjustments to the recipe, if you prefer a sweeter dish try adding more sugar or honey. When making the sesame paste add some peanut butter and salt to taste, which will give the sauce a more complex flavor. The recipe calls for shredding chicken into strips that are 2.5 inches long by .5 thick, but I recommend shredding them to finer strands before adding the sesame sauce. If you can plan ahead, refrigerate the sesame chicken for up to 24 hours.  The recipe I used comes from the Joy of Cooking, is fairly simple and serves as a very good basic recipe to experiment with.

Ingredients:

3 bone-in chicken breast halves, skin on

1/4 cup toasted sesame paste (use white sesame seeds)

2-3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil (to liquify paste)

2.5 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar

hot chili oil to taste (1.5 tsp. to 1 tbsp.)

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (don’t forget to peel the ginger before mincing)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 finely chopped scallion

Bring water to boil over high heat in a large pot and add chicken breast. When water returns to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink, at which point you can remove to a plate and let cool.

While chicken cools, combine in a medium bowl the toasted sesame paste, peanut butter, and sesame oil. Add the soy sauce, white vinegar, chili oil, ginger and sugar, adjusting sugar to your preference.  Add the scallion to the mixture and salt if desired.

After the sauce is prepared, tear chicken breasts along the grain into 2.5 x .5 inch shreds and coat with sesame paste.  Enjoy!