I. Am. Sick.

So, why the hell am I cooking? Well…if you read my dieting blog: Love My Fries, Hate My Thighs, you’ll know that I went to Bread Top and I bought a bag of taro fill buns, a bag of butter coconut buns and a taro gateaux and ate them and got horribly sick.  I decided to make Panna Cotta for a number of reasons:

1. I had all the ingredients in my ‘Baking Box’.

2. I’ve been wating to try out the gelatin leaves and the dariole molds I bought.

3. I need to have something to eat to stop myself from eating the rest of those breads!!

I’ve never made Panna Cotta before, and after make this within 10 minutes, I think they’re rather easy, I still manage to stuff mine up because I caramelised the sugar too long and they burned so my panna cotta, though absolutely perfect in texture – it wobbled like a woman’s breast (though, I must admit, a lot more firmer than my breast, so let’s assume a 20 year old’s perky breast) and had the smoothest texture ever.  If it weren’t burnt, it would’ve been truly delicious.

My dariole molds were aluminium (I figured I could use it to make chocolate fondants or sticky date puddings etc etc) but it made it a bit hard to pop the panna cotta out of the molds.  I ended up heating the sides of the molds with my blow torch and inserting a thin knife and tapping it so it plopped out onto the plate.  Plopped. Yes, that’s exactly what it did.  I also didn’t have any nutmeg, so I just omited it.

Adriano Zumbo’s Panna Cotta (this was a pressure test on Masterchef) – This is what I did:

1/4 cup of caster sugar

1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

250 ml of pure cream

1 gelatin leaf

I put the cream in a sauce pan heated it on medium high heat.  I put the sugar and the vanilla bean and seeds in a dry pan and cooked it until it caramelised.  This is where I overdid it and burnt the caramel, but the goal is to not burn it.  Add the warm cream to the caramel and stir.  WARNING: It was sputter, so don’t pour all the cream in at once.

Soak the gelatin in water until soft.  Squeeze out excess water and add it to the cream mixture.  I’d never used gelatin before, so didn’t know what to expect, for me, it was like picking up slimy jelly, so don’t worry, not much water will ’squeeze’ from it.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and cool the bowl in iced water.  I didn’t have this so I just cooled it in a bowl with some cold water, I didn’t do this step long enough though because when I poured the mixture in the dariole molds, it was still quite hot.

Leave it in the fridge til set – took way longer than an hour for me.

This is a small recipe, it only filled two molds, I’m going to double the recipe to make 4 tomorrow.

It absolutely sux being sick.  Yeah, sure, I get a ‘day-off’ from work, but I feel absolutely miserable – that coupled with the fact that I feel this huge sense of guilt for missing work.  What’s worse is that I’ve been sick since last week, and this week, my illness has just taken a different turn.  Instead of attacking my bowels, it’s now going for my head and throat.  Hello husky voice, hacking cough and phlegm. If that grossed you out, think about how I must feel.  It came out of my mouth and I had to taste it.  Too far? My medication must be getting to me.

When I’m sick, I also have an overwhelming desire to eat comforting food.  Usually it’s spaghetti and meatballs…but today, it’s anything wheat.  I woke up and had a breakfast (or some may consider it worthy of three) of 2 packets of instant noodles, three pork balls, a boiled egg (boiled for exactly 6 minutes), 4 gyozas (and yes, I do have stocks of this sort of stuff in my freezer).

I was absolutely stuffed…but it didn’t stop there.

I had to go to the chemist to buy anti-biotics and I saw Bread Top – I’ve written about Bread top in my food blog, like the first time, it called out to me like a siren.  I bought a bag of 6 taro buns ($4.20) and a bag of 6 butter coconut buns – my favourite ($4.20) and a single slice of taro gateaux ($4.20).  I won’t go into it on here…this is a dieting blog for godsakes but suffice to say, it was great…not a fan of the fake cream on the gateaux but the REAL taro filling was to die for.

I felt like dying an hour later when I felt like my stomach was twisting on itself from all that wheat – I’m wheat intolerant, can’t digest the stuff, does terrible things to me internally and externally.  Actually, my neck, and the inside of my elbows are developing a rash as I speak.  Disgusting.

Breads were followed by Mylanta which made me feel marginally better.

Then it was a phone call to my pilates studio to tell them I couldn’t make today’s session…they told me I had to pay $10 for given them less than 12 hours notice of the class.  A brief exchange ensued whereby I basically told them that I’m not psychic and I can’t predict when I’m going to be sick – to – when is a 7:45PM class ever full anyways? – to – I’m going to cancel my membership!  We ended up with a compromise of me putting a hold on my membership until I’m well again, and them charging me $5 for missing my session.  What a crock.  Still not pleased…but if I quit pilates, I can see my ass wobbling on a plate like the panna cotta I just ate.

Yes.  I won’t lie, I made some panna cotta and I ate it.

It was good but my stomach kinda hurts again.

Es gibt viele, die bei ihren Rezepten Geschichten erzählen, warum und wieso es so kam. Die letzte Erinnerungen an Panna cotta auskramen, als sie das Auto in Sizilien mitsamt der Schwiegermutter gestohlen haben. Das Glück hatte ich nicht und daher gibt es leider nichts zu erzählen, ich hatte einfach Lust auf die Nachspeise und alle Zutaten waren zu Hause – und das war es.
Ach ja, ich habe mehr Kokosmilch als Schlagobers genommen, weil ich sonst nicht wüsste, was ich mit der angebrochenen Dose Kokosmilch anfangen soll. Und wenn ich es wüsste, mag ich nicht zwei Tage aufeinander ein Gericht mit Kokosmilch essen. Auch habe ich die Anzahl der Gelatineblätter erhöht. Im Rezept nur 2 Blätter für 500 ml, das erscheint mir zu wenig. Und diese beiden Entscheidungen waren gar nicht einmal so falsch.

Gekochtes Schlagobers einmal anders.
Bei Tanja Grandits “Aroma pur” gefunden, nur etwas abgewandelt.

Panna Cotta
400 ml (1 Dose) Kokosmilch
125 ml Schlagobers
Mark einer ausgekratzten Vanilleschote
6 dag Kristallzucker
2 1/2 Stangen frisches Zitronengras in 1 cm große Stücke geschnitten
5 Blätter Gelatine

Maracuja-Salsa
4 Maracuja
2 EL Honig
abgeriebene Schale einer Limette

Die Gelatineblätter in kaltem Wasser einweichen.
Die restlichen Zutaten in einen Topf geben (auch die ausgekratzte Schote), aufkochen lassen und die Gelatine einrühren bis sie sich auflöst. Anschließend ca. 10 Minuten ziehen lassen. Die Kokos-Zitronengrasmilch durch ein feines Sieb in die Gläser schütten, kühlen.
In der Zwischenzeit das Fruchtfleisch der Maracuja aus der Frucht nehmen, mit Honig und Zitronenschale kurz aufkochen.
Auf die erkaltete Creme den Fruchspiegel setzen.

Sehr, sehr feines Zitronengrasaroma, das von der säuerlichen Frucht der Maracuja noch unterstrichen wird.

Chocolate fondant

Almonds panna cotta served with baked prune

Yogurt mouse with red fruit and tulee

Glass of dark & white chocolate mouse

Cream caramel serves with fresh orange, pistachio & dry cranberries.

Litchi & ginger sorbet served in a lime brandy snap

Pineapple Carpaccio topping with cardamom & lime sweet dressing.

Coconut, lime & ginger tart

Coconut crepe serves with banana ice cream & dark chocolate sauce.

Mango a coconut macchiato with a selection of amaretti.

Rice pudding in pistachio sauce and vanilla tulee.

Trio of chocolate serves with cherries sauce

Il Croccante di Massimo

Il Croccante è un’ottimo ristorante siciliano…parola di palermitano.

Situato nella via piú lunga di Parigi, la rue Vaugirard, il locale saprà affascinarvi per la bontà e l’originalità dei piatti e per la simpatia e il calore dell’équipe.
Massimo Rizzo, palermitano DOC, intrattiene i clienti in sala grazie alla frizzante parlantina e alla sue battute sempre pronte mentre sua moglie Deborah, in cucina, prepara squisite pietanze che vi proietteranno nell’universo culinario siculo.

Sfiziosi antipasti, caponate, pizze per tutti i gusti, paste dai gusti originali (come quella ai fiori di zucca, quella alla bottarga o ai gamberoni e pistacchi), cannoli, cassate, tiramisu, pannacotta…e tante altre sfiziose delizie da gustare insieme a un buon vino del Sud Italia.

Croccante
138, r. de Vaugirard 75015
Tel: 01 47 83 37 28
Metro: Falguière

Amatrices de desserts parfumés et de douceurs au miel, voilà une petite idée prête à réaliser en un clin d’œil. Temps de préparation : 10 minutes !

J’ai pensé à cette recette pour un dîner entre copains : parfait pour épater la galerie…

Les ingrédients :
- 50 cl de crème liquide
- 15 gouttes d’huile essentielle d’orange douce
- 3 cuill. à soupe de miel
- 2 cuill. à soupe de sucre en poudre
- 4 g de feuilles de gélétine
- 1 cuill. à soupe de rhum arrangé (facultatif !)

La recette
Mettez tout d’abord les feuilles de gélatine à tremper dans un verre d’eau pendant une dizaine de minutes. Pendant ce temps là, mettez la crème à chauffer doucement et ajoutez l’huile essentielle, le miel, le sucre et le rhum. Faites bouillir légèrement et ajoutez la gélatine égoutée. Remuez bien pour  la faire fondre et voilà !

Vous n’avez plus qu’à verser dans des petites ramequins et à laisser prendre au frais pendant au moins deux heures. Pour décorer j’ai mis quelques zestes d’orange (bio ou non traitée !) et une petite feuille de menthe. Pensez-y sinon le présentation est un peu tristoune !

Arturo’s Osteria & Pizzeria
188 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood NJ
(973)378-5800

Web Site: http://www.arturosnj.com

Dan Richer, Chef/Owner of Arturo’s Osteria in Maplewood.

After meeting the young and food passionate Dan Richer at the recent New Jersey Les Marmitons beer dinner, I knew that this was a guy who’s restaurant I needed to go eat at.

Richer, who has no formal culinary training but who has a passion for cooking Italian cuisine, purchased Arturo’s from the original owners (which opened in 1991 as a wood fired pizzeria) in 2006. Richer has staged at many restaurants in Italy, frequently travels to Europe and has taken what he has learned and brought it back to his small Maplewood restaurant, which has a focus on pasta, pizza, and locally sourced ingredients. While Arturo’s retains a basic menu of pasta dishes, salads, small plates and artisan pizzas, Richer has gained quite a following from his regulars and has introduced tasting menus where everything is completely off-menu and seasonal.

Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

The specials menu for the evening.

Crostini with freshly made ricotta cheese and thin slices of Prosciutto Affumicato (Speck)

Much of the action in the restaurant centers around the hearth, a 20-year old wood burning pizza oven.

The restaurant kitchen is tight and prep area is minimal, but Richer manages to make the most of what he has.

The salad course, a pumpkin “Crudo”.

A view of the main dining room.

The special soup for the evening, a vegetarian Farro and Mushroom/Tomato Minestre.

Fresh pasta being tossed in the hearth.

One of the restaurant’s regulars showing off a Chicken of the Woods mushroom which he had Richer prepare for a special meal for a group of friends that evening.

A Piedmontese-style fresh pasta with meat ragu, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Pizza Margherita, the classic, made with fresh mozzarella.

Braised Pork Shoulder over Polenta with truffle oil

Panna Cotta for dessert.

Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert  made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin. It is an Italian expression which literally means “cooked cream”.

It’s one of the most versatile dessert that you can  make. You can go ahead and pair it with your favorite fruits.  See photo below!

For mango sauce:

• 1 ripe mango
• 1 tablespoon Splenda

For the base:

• 1 1/2 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/4 cups cream
• 1 piece vanilla pod, slit
• 3/4 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• slices of ripe mango and berry to garnish, or any various fruits of your choice.

What to do:

1. Puree the flesh of the mango . Dilute with water if necessary. Add Splenda . Chill until ready to use.
2. Soften gelatin in milk for a few minutes.
3. Using a paring knife, scrape off the vanilla beans from the split vanilla pod.
4. Place the cream, vanilla bean, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat  and simmer then add gelatin mixture. Turn off heat. Allow to cool a little.
5. Put in molds . Top with mango sauce, slices of mangoes and berry on the side. Chill for 4 hours or overnight.

Makes 4 to 5 . Prep Time 5 minutes. Cooking Time: 10 minutes.

Truly inspired by yummy in their June and Novermber 2008 issue. Visit their website: www.yummy.ph

I just got back from an amazing 7-day cruise vacation with my family onboard the Royal Caribbean’s “Freedom of the Seas” (currently, the world’s largest cruise ship until they sail the Oasis of the Seas in November)! 

We visited Royal Caribbean’s private island, Labadee, Haiti where I soared on a zip line 500 feet above the water for 2,600 feet (the longest zip line in the world over water), climbed a waterfall in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, sampled and made Mexican cuisine in Cozumel, Mexico and even jumped on a boogie board on Royal Caribbean’s “Flowrider” on the ship – amazing!  

Of course, my vacation wouldn’t have been complete without capturing my gastronomic adventure on and off the ship.  Below is an assortment of some of my favorite culinary delights:

Favorite dinner: Fresh lobster tail and shrimp combo with melted butter

Most well-prepared dish: Braised lamb shank (perfectly complemented with mint jelly)

Best breakfast: Puff pastry with salmon, egg and avocado

Best classical invention: Prime rib (medium) over hollandaise sauce

Best app: Scallop risotto (’nuff said)

Tastiest dessert: Raspberry panna cotta

Best drink: Margarita at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville (believe it or not!)

Best pasta: Gnocchi in cream sauce with ham and peas

Favorite repeat dish: Shrimp cocktail

Proud culinary moment: My plate at cooking class in Cozumel with mini “huaraches” (Spanish sausage, cube potatoes, corn dough, shredded lettuce, crumbled cheese, refried beans)

Biggest indulgence: My birthday cake (I only ate one piece folks):

Shameless (non paid) plug: If you want to try out some of these recipes, you can pick up a copy of Royal Caribbean International’s “Savor” Cookbook Volume 2 – or better yet, take a cruise and let everyone do the cooking and clean up for you.

I love my birthday. I love it so much.

Everyone seems to jump at the chance to feed me food I couldn’t otherwise afford, and for this I am thankful.

And I’m thankful when restaurants make it more affordable for my friends to treat me to quality eats.

Chaya Brasserie celebrates its 25th anniversary this month with a $25 prix-fixe menu.

Chaya Brasserie is French-Japanese fusion — when I first heard that, I thought it could either be really bad or really good. When I walked in and saw the cool contemporary decor, I decided that it would probably be very good.

Chaya is offering a special $25 prix fixe menu for their 25th anniversary. You get to choose from three options for appetizers, entrées, and desserts.

We got a Halibut Crudo appetizer, which was served in a yuzu green onion sauce and was melt-in-your-mouth tender. (not on the prix fixe menu) to share and a bottle of red wine. Everything else, we got for the prix fixe price.

My friends both had the Shrimp Tempura Roll appetizer. I tried a piece — it was tasty; not the best I’ve ever had, but certainly solid.

I had the Jalapeño Focaccia. It was served with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, olive tapenade, and a nice slice of Fontina cheese. It was tasty, but I wish there had been more tapenade and I secretly felt that I could have made the focaccia at home.

On to the entrées. One of my friends had the Braised Short Ribs. It was served with a wild mushroom macaroni and green beans. I think they were the most tender ribs I’ve ever put in my mouth — they were that good. And the mushroom mac was delicious, too — it had some crunchy bits that lent a nice crunch to the dish. The beans were okay; a little overdone.

I liked my entrée much better. I got the Tai Snapper and Scallops. The fish is wrapped around the scallop and then seared. My scallops were done to buttery perfection. It was served over a lobster curry with basmati rice and julienned veggies, which was also quite tasty. I totally cleaned my plate.

And, finally, desserts. One of my friends got the Flourless Brownie. It was served with vanilla ice cream, which was necessary to bring balance to the ooey-gooey richness of the brownie. If you love chocolate, then I would highly recommend this.

And my other friend and I both got the Panna Cotta with Figs. Boy, howdy. There was a tangy balsamic reduction on the panna cotta, and it was just right. They cut the fig in half and brûléed the tops, which gave a nice crunchy component to the dish. And the panna cotta was just perfect — the creamiest I ever had.

Add to that the excellent service and that they let us stay for an hour after our meal and didn’t stand around clearing their throats and looking pointedly at their watches, and I think you’ve got a pretty solid dining experience.

Happy birthday to me!!

Chaya Brasserie
8741 Alden Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 859-8833
www.thechaya.com

This past Sunday my dear friend Sarah and I decided we should indulge our sweet teeth, which I sometimes think are the only kind of teeth we have. Sarah is a longtime friend, ex-schoolmate, ex-coworker, and all around good time. We’ve often come together in the kitchen to create masterpieces and messes, and Sunday was no exception.

We each had two recipes to make. I decided on Apple Rhubarb Crisp and Pumpkin Cupcakes with Ginger Mousse filling and Cream Cheese Frosting, and Sarah chose Oreo Truffles and Vanilla Panna Cotta with Strawberries and Basil Syrup. Impressive-sounding aren’t they?

Oreo Truffles (more affectionately referred to as “poo balls”) are something that Sarah’s family has been making for a long time, and no one can remember exactly where the recipe came from. They’re shockingly easy, especially when your hands move as fast as Sarah’s. Look at ‘em go!

When Sarah and I were both single and bitter, we had a lovely anti-Valentine’s day party that we catered ourselves. Sarah made these truffles, but about five sizes bigger than normal. She put them in a tin with a label that read “Love is Bullshit”. I’m sure you’ve got a good visual. On Sunday we used this handy cooling rack after dipping so the excess chocolate fell through, but it was a bit of a challenge to get them off once they chilled.

The most time consuming part of this recipe is all the chilling. They get very soft, very fast. So keep them in the fridge until right before you serve them. They won’t last long, though. They’re so rich, and so damn good.

Sarah showed off a little and made a heart-shaped one, which she then hoarded and took home with her. I can only suspect that it went to her boyfriend, Jim, who she clearly loves more than me. 

Next up are the Pumpkin Cupcakes with Ginger Mousse Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting. These are based on a couple different recipes I found in Bon Appetit (Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes and Ginger Mousse). I decided they belonged together. And so they do. You have to make the ginger mousse the night before, but the muffins are extremely easy. I didn’t have self rising flour, so I made my own by adding 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt to all purpose flour.

 I think it worked out well. They looked like pumpkin muffins.

Till I hollowed them, filled them and turned them into cupcakes.

And good lord were they good. I topped them with chopped crystallized ginger, which added a nice crunchy, chewy texture. And the mousse was rich and spicy. These are definitely ginger lovers’ cupcakes.

I’m sure they’re fine without the ginger mousse… y’know if you’re into that kind of thing.

Sarah’s big endeavor for the day was a recipe she’d found in the R.S.V.P. section of Bon Appetit (we subscribe). It sort of echos one of our favorite drinks: the strawberry basil martini. Vanilla Panna Cotta with Strawberries and Basil Syrup. Ooh, fancy. Once you combine the panna cotta ingredients you have to let it sit for six hours so it can set, like a very chic and high maintenance Jello. 

In the meantime, we made the basil syrup, which I’m pretty sure was invented by the gods. It’s that good. For reals. All you have to do is put simple syrup and blanched, dried basil in the blend-o and whirl away. Pretty, isn’t it?

Then strain out the little bits (which we saved and tried spreading on strawberries. meh.) so that it looks like something out of Ghostbusters. 

Don’t be fooled by its appearance, it is absolutely out of this world good. Basil syrup is something I’d never even contemplated, but it’s opened up a whole world of possibilities for desserts and cocktails alike. After almost six hours our panna cotta was firm enough to handle (read: eat). And the complete dish was outstanding.

The strawberries provided the perfect tartness to cut through the richness of the panna cotta, and the basil syrup just brought it all together. I admit, I licked my plate. Sarah wanted to get a photo, but I thought that would make me seem less dainty, so I declined.

Last, but not least is the delicious Apple Rhubarb Crisp. I love rhubarb with strawberries, and I thought it paired really nicely with the apples as well. My usual complaint with crisps is that they never have enough topping, but this one had a huge amount, which made me very happy. Mmm, raw topping landscape.

Cook time is about 45 minutes, but after 30 the top was as brown as I wanted it, so I covered it with foil and let it go another 10 or 15 minutes. It came out gorgeous.

We drizzled a good amount of caramel on top and it was perfect. The topping was nice and crunchy and the apples and rhubarb were soft and delicious. 

It was a fantastic way to spend a chilly Sunday, although I’m not sure how soon we’ll do it again. It’ll be weeks before my blood sugar levels drop back down to normal. Many thanks to Sarah’s family and Michael for taking a bunch of the leftovers off my hands and out of my house.

You should probably go brush your teeth now.

Cheers!

Grabbed coffee with Dy, dear buddy from college, last Sunday at Lamill Coffee, where he claims is the number one coffee place in Los Angeles. Coming from Dy, that means a lot, and it did meet the high expectations. Pictured below is our amazing expresso chocolate panna cotta… sadly, one was all the photos that I could remember to take.

I drool just thinking about it still, definitely ▲▲▲▲▲. The white sac of coconut juice popped and we all went, “aww!”

The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes “Awww!”
–Jack Kerouac, On the Road

As for Lamill Coffee overall, I would rate it ▲▲▲▲ , four and a half noche triangles, just because I don’t really know coffee… I’m lame I know. 

✌ Noche

Ingrediënten
Panna Cotta
3 gelatine blaadjes
250ml melk
250ml slagroom
1 vanille stok, door de helft gesneden met de zaadjes eruit
25g suiker
Voor de saus
175g suiker
175ml water
kersenliqeur
350g frambozen
Pepermunt blaadjes en poedersuiker

Bereiding

1.    Voor de Panna Cotta, week de gelatine blaadjes in koud water totdat ze zacht worden.
2.    Meng de melk, slagroom, vanille stok met zaadjes en suiker in een pannetje en laat het zachtjes koken. Als het aan de kook is, haal dan de vanille stokjes eruit en gooi ze weg.
3.    Knijp de gelatine blaadjes uit, voeg deze toe aan het pannetje en haal het van het vuur af. Roer de gelatine totdat die gesmolten is.
4.    Giet het mengsel in vier schaaltjes en laat die afkoelen. Zet de panna cotta in de koelkast voor minstens een uur totdat die stevig is geworden.
5.    Voor de saus, meng de suiker, water en kersenliqueur in een pan en breng het tot aan de kook. Zet het vuur wat lager en laat het mengsel zachtjes koken totdat de suiker opgelost is.
6.    Haal de pan van het vuur en voeg de frambozen toe. Gebruik een hand mixer en meng de saus tot die glad is.
7.    Giet het mengsel door een vergiet en roer in de restant frambozen.
8.    Om te serveren,  zet de panna cotta op een bordje en giet de saus er over heen.

While chatting with the students from Sheffield about the pathetic excuse for kitchen facilities in the dormitories (four of the cheapest electric hobs available, one microwave, a broken toaster oven and an 11pm curfew do not a kitchen make), I decided to invite them over for dinner. I was excited about our previously blogged about market tomatoes and eager to try the eggplant parmesan again with all fresh, quality ingredients. No Carrefour brand mystery shredded cheese this time.

So Friday morning as I set off to meet Fiona I grabbed not one, but TWO bags to take with me. I’ve learned my lesson and it is definitely best, when buying nearly 4.5lbs of tomatoes to split your load to both shoulders before walking back home.

I love cooking for a group which, as a 23 year old student used to a small income and smaller living spaces, I don’t often have the opportunity to do. I spent hours thinking about what was at the market and what appetizers/desserts I could make to accompany my main course. I googled many a food blog (an addiction I can not control) and came up with prosciutto wrapped grilled figs. I had figs once before at my friend Jasmine’s- she used dried figs and put feta and parmesan on them and baked them. It was a 30 Rock night and I honestly decided I loved those figs more than Tina Fey and if you know me at all then those figs need no further description. If you don’t know me, use some imagination here and read between the lines, will you?

I’d never eaten fresh figs but I spotted some lovley looking purple ones imported from Turkey and picked out six in case I screwed one up. The blog said to peel them first. After twenty minutes of scraping and stabbing I had a dirty knife, a dirty vegetable peeler, and shards of purple under my nails with nothing but one somewhat peeled and slightly mutilated fig to show for it. I gave up and asked Fi for advice. She wisely told me not to bother – the skin is edible. Plus, I think the purple looks better.

Fresh Figs

So we sliced them in half, wrapped them in prosciutto and then grilled them in a lightly oiled pan for a couple of minutes on each side. The combination of the sweet, soft flesh of the fig and the crispy fatty prosciutto was both heavenly and simple. Sweet and savory, crunchy and supple. It was the perfect combination of tastes and textures. I may eat these for breakfast for as long as figs are available here. I can’t imagine a better start to my day, short of waking up next to Brandi Carlile. Wait, sorry… skipped tracks.

My guests also loved them and continued to nibble on the Morbier and Fleur d’Aunnis, a soft cheese with rich nutty flavors from the west of France that a nice vendor at the market recommended.

For the main course I picked out 2.4 kilos of tomatoes from the stand with the tomatoes that looked the least like a photoshop class assignment. I then bought six or seven small eggplants from a man who showed me to make sure my plastic bag was over a vegetable crate as I loaded it in case it broke. I had to go to Marché Plus for packaged basil and mint but they still had a great strong scent. A cheese store near Place de la République supplied mozzarella and parmesan. The kind of parmesan you can smell from across the room. Real parmesan.

I peeled the tomatoes and let them simmer down to a rich sauce while I fried my legions of eggplant with just a bit of seasoned flour. I layered both with the cheeses and baked it all for about an hour. Peeling the tomatoes was about as sensual as food gets. Boiling them brought out the scent of the tomatoes while the juices ran down my hands. Though, I think my favorite kitchen activity is still chopping. We all have to release our aggression somewhere, right? The result was spectacular. A blend of fresh flavors with no component out-shining the whole.

Then came dessert. Again, I spent more time thinking about what to prepare than I should admit (but then again no one reading a food blog themself should judge) contemplating everything I’d seen at the market and what would be most likely to please eight different sets of taste buds. I was nearly set on strawberries with balsamic vinegar, simple and classic. But I remembered that Fi wasn’t really in love with strawberries. I considered mixed berries and cream but had only really seen strawberries and raspberries at the market and knew I’d be wishing I had blueberries if I tried that.

Then the magic began. I asked myself “What could I put raspberries on?” and remembered the ease and deliciousness of panna cotta. During my semester in Rome I ate tiramisu, panna cotta, or gelato every single day. Admittedly, sometimes twice a day. Thank goodness I walked about 6 hours a day while there or I would have needed to buy all new clothes.

The English Students Enjoying Dessert

Panna cotta simply means cooked cream. You heat cream with sugar and vanilla, add gelatin and let it set. The simplicity allows for infinite variety in toppings and flavorings. I found a recipe for the panna cotta in which the author briefly mused about infusing it with mint or verbena. This is when I realized that the magic combination would be mint, chocolate, and raspberry.

I made the panna cotta according to the recipe and added maybe 12 mint leaves while the cream heated. I strained them out before putting the cream into cups to chill in the fridge (leaving Fi to enjoy the cream soaked mint leaves). Then, after dinner I melted chocolate baking chips from Béline, my favorite chocolatier in Le Mans who have a shop just by Fi’s with extremely friendly staff, and put a thin layer on top. I topped it off with a mint leaf in the center of each cup circled with raspberries.

Mint Panna Cotta with Chocolate and Raspberries

Divine, orgasmic, heavenly… these words do not begin to describe it. It is definitely the best idea I have ever had. Ever. The mint was strong enough to cut through the chocolate without being overwhelming and the raspberries were amazing with no bitterness at all.

Blurry but Delicious Panna Cotta

The evening was that stellar combination of great food and better company. Further, I learned that English students have very little concept of alcohol volume to person ratios which means I still have a bottle of rose and several beers for another night.

David, Fi and Rachel - Post Meal Happiness

There are two ways to take your Fridays. The one, the common-sensical way, is to experience relief at the fact that the working week is over. Metaphysically, this corresponds to a kind of optimistic, forward-looking presentism: A.N. Prior’s “thank goodness that’s over!” combined with Richard Pryor’s “I just like the the way coke smells.” The other way to take your Friday is the four-dimensionalist way: the bad week doesn’t go away and the next week doesn’t look any different from the last. The sane person spends her Friday afternoon thinking about the upcoming weekend, or just thinking about nothing at all. At that same time, I’m brooding over how annoyed I was all week.

I didn’t get past that feeling until around 8pm yesterday, working through a series of pints with Robert Howell at WXOU Radio (Hudson Street south of 11th Street), having downed some stinking glasses at Barrow’s Pub, and myself having turned to the drink in my office earlier in the afternoon, just after the seminar on Aristotle’s Ethics (no connection). The music was perfect, the light was perfect, that glowing yellow sign looked so warm and clean. Around 9:30, having developed an appetite, we ate at Aki, on West 4th, a sushi bar with a good reputation and the claim to fame of incorporating a Carribean influence. It’s a tiny room, irregular shape, with a bar that could seat 6 and perhaps space for 10 more at the tables.

It was a fantastic meal. First, a minute seaweed salad with dried cranberries. Second, a bowl of fantastic miso soup, much darker and more substantial, in terms of taste, than the usual broth. Third, a roll of fried oysters with basil, delicious oyster meat and a fine match with the sweetness of the basil. Fourth, an “Eel Napoleon,” which was a three-layered stack consisting of a mash of eel, pumpkin, and ginger sandwiched between a foundational slab of fried soft tofu and a roof of fried eel, all splashed with eel sauce and served with some chips. This was the unification and transformation of flavors into something new: this eel-pumpkin thing, sweet and salty, and now a taste that I can vividly recall and bring to mind: a new Lockean simple idea, and a goddamn pleasant one, at that. Fifth, a roll of hamachi, avocado, and mango, which I found excellent: the fruit was sweet and bright, the whole roll had a crispness, the kind of lightness that Calvino talked about (to be reprised for dessert, see below), though it made me realize that summer was ending.

For the main course, as we had ordered the fixed price sushi-sashimi combination dinner, we got a plate of fish: tuna, hamachi, and salmon sashimi, of which the salmon and hamachi were best, and in particular the salmon tasted (as Robert remarked) like a kind of orange, fleshy butter. As well there were nigiri of tuna, shrimp, an outstandingly fresh red snapper, and a great piece of hamachi nigiri with sauce. The fish quality was notable, everything quite fresh, and even more notable was its perfect temperature: nothing a degree below the temperature of the room. Finally, there was a spicy tuna roll, I think one of the best I’ve ever had: there was a complexity to it that you don’t normally see. Inside was some fine, soft tuna, but also tobiko, some small bits of greens, and the taste was of very real and various chilis, perhaps some fresh hot pepper, but in any event it was perfectly absorbing, biting into this thing: the level of heat was exactly where it should be, there were two or three layers of flavor there, and it was an impressive way to finish the plate.

And then also a fine dessert: a tofu panna cotta (made from soymilk), with green tea syrup splashed over it. This was delicious: sweet and with a palpable flavor of tofu (yes, you philistines, it has a flavor!), but almost unbelievably light. This was topped with diverse food objects, which made for an outstanding experiment in texture: spheres of tapioca, pink, slippery, and creamy, a spoonful of red beans, firm and rich, and a longan fruit, very sweet and crispy. (Robert ate a green tea tiramisu and reported it excellent.)

So we walked out of the restaurant quite satisfied, and headed our separate ways. I walked across town to the Lexington line, and passed through Washington Square Park, illuminated by bright lights, the Arch looming to the North. Kids were sitting in the mostly-empty fountain, or walking by holding hands, or riding piggy-back, laughing at something or probably nothing at all, and I found myself embarrassed by the thought: why do they get to be so happy, and myself vaguely unhappy, or at least not anywhere close to as happy as these smiling early-Fall Washington Square kids seem to be? And then I was less embarrassed by the following thought: that to ask that question exactly as to ask why barium gets to be atomic number 56, but not sodium. Sodium can wish it were barium, but forget asking why it’s not barium; they’re just two different things.

And at least there’s fucking sushi.

Come promesso, ecco la ricetta per preparare la panna cotta in casa.

RICETTA

Ingredienti :

1000 ml di panna non zuccherata (anche vegetale)

¼  di latte

4 fogli di colla di pesce

2 bustine di vanillina

180 gr. di zucchero

Mettere in una pentola sul fuoco la panna con lo zucchero.

A parte, mettere in ammollo i fogli di colla di pesce in acqua fredda e una volta ammollati, sollevare dall’acqua la colla di pesce e scioglierla nel latte caldo.

Versare il composto di latte nella panna zuccherata e aggiungere le bustine di vanillina.

Togliere dal fuoco e versare la crema in uno o più stampi. Lasciare raffreddare e mettere in frigo. Preparare preferibilmente il giorno prima. 

Purtroppo non ho la foto, ma garantisco che il risultato è ottimo. Si possono usare gli stampini singoli in alluminio, che però rendono difficile l’operazione di capovolgimento. Meglio quelli in silicone, o uno stampo unico come quello per il plum cake,  per poi servire la panna cotta a fette.

La farcitura si può realizzare con i topping da gelato oppure con della marmellata. Specifico che utilizzando la panna vegetale si avrà una panna cotta decisamente più densa, forse troppo. A mio gusto, il risultato migliore si ottiene con la panna di origine animale.

A me è riuscita subito al primo tentativo e vista la semplicità degli ingredienti da utilizzare e la facilità della preparazione,  posso dire che è addirittura più comoda della panna cotta in busta.

Provate!

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be treated to a very belated birthday dinner at a local restaurant that I’d been dying to try: Mulvaney’s B&L. Having heard that the restaurant has a great patio dining area, we requested an outdoor table when we made our reservation. Since it was also Second Saturday, we were able to enjoy the buzz of people walking by and the smell of Mulvaney’s homemade sausages on the grill out in front of the restaurant.  Right away, our server came out with an amuse bouche for us to try: fresh fig, goat cheese and balsamic glaze on top of a homemade (I think!) cracker. Yum!

Clearly it put us in the mood to eat because we went ahead and ordered two appetizers: a caprese salad with housemade mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, balsamic glaze and local olive oil AND housemade tortellini with artichoke, corn and parmesan. The mozzarella came out warm and pulled apart easily – hands down one of the best caprese salads I’ve had! The tortellini was delicious as well – there’s just nothing like homemade pasta. I was tempted to order another of both but decided to focus on the entrees instead.

For my entree, I had the grilled halibut which was served with a frisee salad and polenta cake. My dining companion went with the pork chop which was served atop a corn spetzel with heircot vert on the side. I have to say, the polenta and the spetzel were amazing. Not that the halibut and pork weren’t great too, but I could have gone home happy with just a plate of polenta and spetzel!

For round three, it was on to dessert. As soon as we read the funny dessert menu, we knew we had to order the dish called “The Dude Abides” (an ode to the movie The Big Lebowski). The Dude Abides consists of panna cotta in the shape of a bowling pin and a chocolate covered macaroon bowling ball. Even I, someone who does not love coconut by any means, loved this dessert.

Great service and fresh, homemade menu items make Mulvaney’s a place that I’d love to return to again….and again.…it really is too bad that birthdays only come once a year!

Mulvaney’s B&L
1215 19th St
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 441-6022

By Liz Conant

On one of my recent work lunches, I had panna cotta and rhubarb for dessert. It was gorgeous! I decided to make my own at the weekend.  I found this lovely recipe by Gennaro Contaldo, Limoncello flovoured panna cotta with strawberry sauce, which for once, I didn’t need to modify: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/limoncelloflavouredp_11694.shtml

I’ve typed out the ingredients and method here for ease of reference.

Ingredients

(a) Panna cotta:

• 250ml milk
• 284 ml double cream
• 3 gelatine leaves
• 25g sugar
• 50ml limoncello liquor

(b) Strawberry sauce

• 150g strawberries, chopped
• 50g sugar
• 1 knob of butter
• juice from 1/2 lemon

Method

1. Soak gelatine leaves in a bowl of water
2. Mix cream, milk, sugar and limoncello in a pot, and stir
3. Once the above mix comes to a simmer, take it off the heat and add in the gelatine leaves (remove the water they were soaked in)
4. Stir well until the leaves dissolve
5. Pour the mix into little bowls or suitable moulds
6. Chill overnight to set
7. For the sauce, add the butter and sugar in a pan
8. Add in the strawberries and lemon juice once the butter has melted and sugar dissolved
9. Once the strawberries have softened, take the sauce off the heat, and put it through a sieve
10. Chill the sauce and serve with the panna cotta

Note: I should have let the panna cotta set for a full day – the temperature in my fridge wasn’t right, so the panna cotta hadn’t fully set when I dished out the first serving, as above.

Panna cotta (or “cooked milk”) must be the world’s simplest dessert; yet it impresses guests and tastes wonderful. It’s really a blank canvass to add other flavors, in this case, lemon and raspberries. It’s best to make it the day before serving and refrigerate overnight.

The cream is thickened by adding gelatin.  There are two types of gelatin products available. 1) powdered gelatin and 2) gelatin sheets.

When using the powder, the cream in the Panna cotta combines with the gelatin to soften it. When using the sheets, you soak them in cold water to soften and remove and drain them and place in the panna cotta mixture. The attached recipe uses the gelatin sheets. If using the powder, add it to the cream and sugar at the beginning and let is soften for about 5 minutes before you begin cooking. One (1) packet of powdered gelatin equals 4 sheets.

For this recipe, the raspberry sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated.

Serves 6 to 8 people.

Ingredients and Directions:

• 4 gelatin sheets
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar
• Grated zest from 1 lemon
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Raspberry sauce

• 2 10-ounce containers of fresh raspberries
• 1/4 cup of powdered sugar
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

In a bowl of cool water, place the gelatin sheets to soften.

In a saucepan gently heat the cream. Add the sugar. Drain the gelatin sheets with your hands and add to the cream. Whisk well. Add the grated lemon and lemon juice. Bring the cream to a simmer infusing the flavors for about 10 minutes. Continue to whisk. Once it thickens pour mixture into 6 dessert cups. Place cups onto a tray and then put in the refrigerator to chill and set about 6 hours or overnight. Serve with raspberry sauce and top with a few fresh raspberries and a lemon shaving if you like.

For the raspberry sauce

In a blender, combine one container of raspberries, powdered sugar and lemon juice. Reserve the second container of raspberries for topping your dessert. Puree the mixture. Over a bowl strain puree into a sieve using a rubber spatula to separate the seeds. Place the sauce in a measuring cup (or something you can easily pour from), cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Alex bemerkte ganz zu Recht, das ich zwar viel über mein Restaurant, aber fast garnix über mein Essen geschrieben habe.  Stimmt. Denn wir sind ohne eine feste Karte gestartet und haben im Moment jede Woche eine Andere Karte um uns auszuprobieren und den Geschmack unserer Gäste kennenzulernen.

Aber es gab natürlich viele kleine Happen auf der Eröffnung, insgesamt 11 verschiedene Proben unserer Küche, die uns von den Gästen förmlich vom Tablett gerissen wurden. Auf dem folgenden Bild zu sehen (wir beginnen mit dem weißen Bällchen auf der kurz-vor-12-Stellung):

- Lavendel Panna Cotta
- Chocolate Brownie-Cake mit marinierten Feigen
- Voulevant mit Apfelchutney und Ziegenbrie
- Rind mit Sesamöl und gezuckertem Ingwer
- Wassermelone und Fetakäse mit schwarzem Sesam
- Voulevants mit Maskarpone-Miesmuschel Füllung
- Ente auf Petersilienknollenpüree

Und dann gab es noch (ohne Abbildung) :

- Schwarz gepfefferter Tunfisch
- Jacobsmuscheln mit Chorizo-Chips
- Babyflammkuchen
- Limettensuppe

Also übrig geblieben is nix, und das war warscheinlich das erste Buffet in Polen, das völlig ohne Gelantineglasur ausgekommen ist

One of the things I love about New York City is the plethora of restaurants. There’s always someplace new to try and so many different areas of the city to explore to find whatever you’re in the mood for. During the week, Andy and I like to go out at least once for dinner and generally we like to stay in our neighborhood (as opposed to the weekends when we’re more likely to venture downtown), so we’re always looking for someplace new to try.

A couple of weeks ago we went to West Branch, a local bistro owned by chef Tom Valenti. While some of the items on the menu fall under the “comfort food” category (read: burgers, fries, fish and chips), there is also a seasonal element that of course I love.

I started my meal with a Panzanella Salad, an Italian salad that is generally made with day old, crusty bread, fresh tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese.

Panzanella Salad

West Branch’s version had tomatoes, arugula, red onion, and whole wheat croutons. Overall it was delicious — the tomatoes were so fresh, juicy, and flavorful. My only complaint was that they dressed it with way too much oil (you can see a layer in the bottom of the bowl). They actually gave me a spoon for the salad, but I used my fork instead to let some of the oil drip off.

For my main course, I had a terrific grilled sea bass served over a sweet corn succotash, with a side of corn panna cotta.

grilled sea bass with corn succotash and corn panna cotta

I generally don’t like panna cotta becuase of the custard-like texture, so I was debating whether to get this dish. Boy am I glad I did! The fish was beautifully grilled and the perfect portion size — looks about the size of a deck of cards, just what I recommend. The corn succotash was mouth-watering — I couldn’t get enough of it! I even enjoyed a few bites of the corn panna cotta, which had actual pieces of corn inside.

Overall, I’d say my meal was fabulous. By choosing an appetizer that was full of vegetables, I didn’t have to worry that my main course sides were heavier on the starch (corn is considered a starchy vegetable), and I had a good amount of protein as well. Can’t wait to see what they have come winter!