Breakfast in Klosters

Yesterday I decided to take a train ride across Switzerland, from Gstaad to Klosters, to visit my dear friend Marie and her husband Johan, brother Sam and parents Monika and Bruno.

While Switzerland is a rather small country the mountains really don't allow for direct travel. But the scenic route isn't too shabby and certainly is nothing to complain about.

Marie's whole family is talented and artistic each in different ways. This morning at my request, Marie's father took a picture of our breakfast which represents a typical Swiss breakfast. Soon after he snapped the above picture he disappeared. About five minutes later he reappeared with a freshly printed photograph that was signed and framed. I know I haven't really given you enough of a back story here but this was a special gift and a very sweet gesture. Also, I can't wait to hang this in my Kitchen so I can think of this visit everyday!

On their breakfast table was a selection of homemade jams made by Monika including plum, raspberry and quince, all of which were amazing! Though I think the plum was really my absolute favorite. There was also coffee (of course!), teas, a couple of different loaves of bread, croissants, ham, cheeses, fruits, yogurts, etc... it was quite a delectible spread with oh so many choices! Naturally, I had a little of everything convincing myself that I must have a hearty breakfast to prepare for the upcoming sledding activities on one of the near by mountains. In reality I really didn't think sledding would actually take any energy whatsoever since you just let gravity do all the work. However, strange as this may sound, it was sort of like doing 45 minutes of really super fun pilates ab work. By the time we finished we were three towns away from where we started!
On my train ride back to Gstaad I found out that Howard, my boyfriends brother, was in the middle of preparing a Thai dinner for us. I love curry's and Thai food in general. Also Howard is an amazing chef and can make just about anything ridiculously delicious. Actually he is the saucier at the Gramercy Tavern which just happens to be one of the best restaurants in New York City. Pretty impressive right?!?! So needless to say this news was the cherry on top of one of the best days ever!

Gimme some shuga baby

So I am Switzerland for Christmas....
In preparation for this trip I took a two week break from caffeine, dairy and alcohol and a one week break from all grains and sugar. This was actually an important hiatus since I knew that once here I would go hog wild with the wine, cheese, bread and chocolate. I have to say sugar is really the hardest of all of these to give up. I mean how can you avoid something that looks so very sweet and innocent? These cute sugar cubes are from Co Op which is one of the major grocery stores here in Switzerland.

All I want for Christmas

is this amazing machine! Automatically steams and adds just the right about of milk to your espresso. And you can set that ratio to your specific taste! Grossed out about the idea of milk going rancid in the pipes that deliver that steamy milk to your coffee? Well worry not they have thought of that too. It's self-cleaning, steaming hot water cleans out all the equipment afterward. SO freakin' genius. Too bad it's so expensive. Maybe next year Santa? I'll be good.

Forgot to mention this little beauty is called the Lattissima and is the child of DeLonghi & Nespresso.

GET YOURS

Big Daddy-O!

These are the ultimate grown-up Reeses peanut butter cups. It goes something like this...
Under the layer of milk or dark chocolate is peanut butter praline, caramel, and a hand-made graham cracker crust, topped with a little sprinkle of roasted peanuts. Definitely not sugar free but totally heavenly!
The company is also the only organic, fair trade bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the U.S.
They can be bought from their website or exclusively at whole foods.
GET YOURS

GORAW!

Occasionally when I leave the gym I want something sweet to snack on. There are a number of very temping options in the area but I do my best to steer myself in the direction of the health food store instead. Integral Yoga Natural Foods carries a variety of bars from GORAW. To me these bars are truly a guilt-free snack and I find them to be completely satisfying. This is a winning combination that is hard to come by.
My personal favorite is banana "bread" flax. The flax gives it a nice nutty flavor. I love banana bread and this is not so bad considering it has no sugar, no flour and no oil. In fact its ingredients are 100% organic and consist of sprouted flax seeds, banana, coconut and date. I want to try the "granola" bar too now since I just read that it has become their most popular bar.
GET YOURS

Keri's choice

My job usually takes me to new and interesting places. They don't always have to be far and away or wildly exotic locations. Sometimes it's right here in my very own borough. Did you know if Brooklyn (Kings County) was it's own city it would be the fourth largest cities in the U.S. Crazy right? That said there are many parts of Brooklyn I have never explored.

Recently I was asked to style Keri Russell for Instyle magazine. The story is in the January issue, which is on stands this week, check it out! Did you know Keri lives in Brooklyn? The story follows Keri around to her favorite neighborhood spots, places she likes to visit on a typical weekend here in Brooklyn. I would like to take this moment to also mention she was an absolute dream to work with! Our first location was the corner of Grand Ave. and Lafayette Ave better know as Clinton Hill/Fort Greene. It was there that I discovered two great places right across the street from each other.



Choice Market (318 Lafayette Ave.) was Keri's pick for her favorite bakery/coffee joint. It's an unassuming neighborhood gem and I am thrilled to add it to my list. Everything is proudly on display behind glass cases. The croissants and pastries are picture perfect and look close to those you would find at a true French patisserie. I am sucker for a good buttery croissant and would definitely have a daily habit if this place were in my neighborhood. The very thought of them is making me drool. They also serve "real food" like slow roasted meats and vegetables, cold salads, warm sandwiches and soups. The half chicken on the bone is pretty tasty stuff. From what I have been reading it seems they are opening a new location in Dumbo. Lucky you Lombardo family!



I stumbled upon Grand Dakar (285 Grand Ave.) while in search of a bathroom, one of the many joys of being on location. The restaurant was not open yet since it was still pretty early but the owner Pierre Thiam was gracious enough to let me in. I had some time to kill since Keri was getting her hair and make up so Pierre and I got to talk. He told me about his new book which also happens to be his first book. Wanting to support my new friend I recently ordered myself a copy, which is available on Amazon.

The book it's self is really quite special. Native New Yorker and master of photography Adam Bartos tells us the story of Pierre's family and friends who are all pictured in the book along with photos of the actual dishes. It is very colorful, unpretentious and captures the essence of an everyday lifestyle. Senegalese food is known to have an unmistakable French influence however this book also boasts influences such as Creole, Portuguese and Vietnamese. The recipes are interesting and yet also seem to be very straightforward and uncomplicated. I am looking forward to making any one of these dishes I just can't decide which one to start with! And a little FYI...The majority of Senegalese are Muslim so pork is not really on the menu.

Root down and warm up

I think it's kind of funny that just as finished writing my last post expressing my dislike of root vegetables I picked up the latest issue of Eating Well and there is a 7-page article called "rediscovering roots". Now I should be specific, I am not prejudice against all root vegetables just some. I love sweet potatoes, carrots and beets. To me celeriac is really best when cooked a la Francaise like a remoulade, gratin, puree' or just simply braised. I have never personally tried to cook celeriac, parsnip, rutabaga, turnips, salsify, burdock or dikon. Pretty much anything you can do with a potato you can do with these vegetables as well.

We know it's important to eat local and to eat in season. According to Chinese medicine cold and raw foods cool down the digestive fire while warm foods heat up the digestive fire. Nature gives us root vegetables in abundance during the winter because they are warming foods and well not much else can grow in the cold. So let's not work against nature this winter and let's try to embrace a root. This means not eating salads for lunch and dinner like you do during the summer months. Let's face it salad's aren't the first thing to come to mind when you think of cozy and warm foods. Also cozy foods don't necessarily have to be things like mac n' cheese you could make a root vegetable gratin instead. Chances are you be equally satiated and won't miss the pasta.

In conclusion, I am thankful that Eating Well has written this article. I am going to do a little kitchen therapy. It certainly helps that all the recipes look very appealing. I suggest you too give an unfamiliar root a try. I am working my way toward total recovery one root at a time.

Mmmmm food

Firstly, Silkstone slow food now has their website up and running with their weekly menus.
SILKSTONE SLOWFOOD




Secondly, did you know the Essex Street Market is no longer ghetto? When I lived down there I would occasionally be forced to pick up a couple of produce items from there and would literally have to run in and run out with my nose plugged because the place was so foul with the smell of dried fish! I mean the fact that they have a web site blows my mind. I have to go see this with my own two eyes to believe it.
ESSEX STREET MARKET



Thirdly, I want to go visit Saxelby cheese in the "new and improved" Essex Street Market.
I don't mind the stench of cheese. You will find no European cheeses here but the owner seems confidant that she has found the same if not better cheeses here in our very own country!
SAXELBY CHEESE



Fourthly, my good friend, Laura, sent me a link to a Brooklyn based company called Sweet Deliverance NYC and it looks pretty sweet to me. They do ready made food deliveries to Manhattan and Brooklyn.
You pay $150 joining fee for the season to participate in a CSA (community supported agriculture) share program. Then of course there is the cost of the meals themselves which vary depending on your needs and wants. Every week they email you a menu of dishes made from local organic ingredients and you choose what you want from it. Voila, delicious food arrives at your door every Monday (or every other Monday). It is not a three meal a day kind of thing it is more a bunch of individual dishes you choose from, including dessert!
SWEET DELIVERANCE

My two cents? Oh, thanks for asking. This is not like the Co-Op because you don't have volunteer. And who has time for that anyways? It's also not like an organic produce delivery services because the food is completely ready made. And it's also not like most meal deliveries services which delivery three to five meals every single morning.

My only issue with organic produce delivery services during the winter months is that they send you a box of mostly root type vegetables. Now that really doesn't interest me. Most of the time you never end up cooking everything before your next delivery arrives. This is because some of the produce in your box might be foreign to you. For instance have you ever once bought a parsnip? What the hell do you do with it? Don't ask me, I don't like parsnips. I am sort of not really into root vegetables or tubers. Maybe one day. Personally, I think organic produce delivery is more genius in the summer and in the fall when there are so many heavenly fruits.

Clean living

This week I rediscovered something. Just because olive oil is good for you doesn't mean you can or should go crazy with it. SO, I am offering up an alternative for you to add to your cooking repertoire. Use this when you want something "light" or if you are bored with your food being greasy and/or always starting every dish with olive oil.

Get ready, here it comes... BROTH! I know you probably are already aware of this simple cooking method but it's easily forgotten so I just wanted to remind you and myself.

Chicken, vegetable or beef, organic, low sodium or however you like, there are many options for you to choose from when it comes to broth. While making your own broth is probably wonderful, who the hell has time for that? Cooks Illustrated magazine (aka the bible) tested a bunch of the most popular broths out there and named good ole school Swanson organic broth as their winner.

So instead of breading or frying try poaching in broth, water or wine and don't forget to add fresh herbs and peppercorns. People mostly poach fish and chicken but today for lunch I poached some thin strips of beef sort of like a Mongolian hot pot. Sorry, I didn't take a picture I left my camera at home but was a georgous looking and tasting lunch with bok choy, kale, bean sprouts, mushrooms, ginger and garlic.

If you are unfamiliar with poaching you basically bring the poaching liquid of your choice to a boil, drop your protein into the liquid and reduce to a simmer. Cooking time will vary depending on what you are cooking. I like to cut my red meat into skinny long strips and only cook it for about a minute or two so that it doesn't become rubbery. For more specific instructions click here for HOW TO POACH.

Coconut macaroons

Adapted from my fave baker Mani Niall of Mani's bakery in LA.

I pretty much follow his recipe except I use Let's Do Organic reduced fat unsweetened organic coconut and add 1/2 a vanilla bean. Oh, and I have used both regular white whole wheat flour from King Arthur and whole wheat pastry flour. Either will do really.

They are in the oven right now and smell so sweet!

Makes 12 macaroons

Parchment paper for baking sheet
1 3/4 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple sugar
3 large egg whites
2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 vanilla bean (cut down the middle and scrape the tiny seeds, discard bean/shell)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the top part of a double boiler or a medium heatproof bowl, combine the coconut, all the maple sugar, the egg whites, vanilla bean, flour, and salt. Place the bowl over medium saucepan of boiling water over low heat. Do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Cook, stirring often, until the maple sugar is almost completely melted and the mixture is stiff enough to hold its shape when a small amount is formed into a mound, about 8 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 portions and place on the baking sheet. Using a moistened finger, press each portion of dough into a kiss-shaped mound about 1 3/4 inches wide at the base.

Bake until the macaroons are golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire cake rack. Store the macaroons in an airtight container at room temperature.

I am soooo full!

Stuffing with whole wheat bread, chestnuts, mushrooms, etc.... Roasted chicken, gratin dauphinois, and green beans. 

Apple-cranberry oatmeal crisp served a la mode, of course.

This was our thanksgiving. The below photo belongs to Johan and is from one of his past thanksgivings. I just thought it would be fun to pretend that we had a dining table and table cloths and champagne flutes. Maybe next year. 

give thanks people

A friend of Battali

Meet sweetiepie.... imagine your 9 years old and piecing together your dream restaurant then add a dash wacky, touch of chic and pinch of over the top.
A giant gold bird cage in the window, pink quilted banquettes, marble floors and bar, mirrored walls and ceilings, soda fountains, ice cream parlor chairs and charming older gentleman with fresh white shirts and little black bow ties.
I can really only liken the expience to having room service at your favorite five star hotel in LA, NY, London or any other cosmopolitan destination of your choice meets Serendipity. Tablewares consist of silver, crystal, linens, and candelabras. The fare is classic American.
I had chicken noodle soup and a grilled cheese. The chicken noodle soup was light and not full of sodium with nice sized pieces of shredded chicken, long stands of thin spaghetti and tiny cubed carrots and celery. The grilled cheese was kraft American cheese slices melted on white bread with the crusts cut off. The bread was more toast like in texture and was dry and not greasy like most grilled cheese sandwiches.

So far they have been written up in Vogue and they'll be in the NY times tomorrow so check it out!

Sweetiepie- 19 Greenwich Ave btw 10th and Christopher

A not so random selection of Laura's everyday favorites

Hemp Milk

Laura actually likes Hemp Dream but I can't find an image of it anywhere so instead I put an image of the brand I like called Living Harvest. It seems they just came out with a new version, which is unsweetened and vanilla flavored. I think it looks better than Living Harvests original vanilla hemp milk because it has virtually no sugar, no carbs and fewer calories. It's good and creamy maybe even a little nutty tasting too.

Unsweetened carob chips by Sunspire

These are a long standing favorite of Laura's. I also kinda like the Vegan carob chips by Sunspire too. I think these might be an acquired taste but they are kinda great for snacking on.

Artisana Raw organic Cashew Butter

Just plain delicious! Laura likes to eat this frozen, straight out of the jar and chip away at it. I am not sure how, but she manages to eat a jar of this in a day or two.


Here is her favorite make at home sweet snackie treat originally found on foodandwine.com.
She says they are "RAWSOME"!

Coconut-Almond Balls with Dried Fruit
1 cup raw almonds (5 ounces)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1 cup dried pineapple (4 ounces), coarsely chopped
1 cup soft Medjool dates, pitted (4 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

In a food processor, pulse the almonds with the salt and vanilla seeds until very finely ground. Add the pineapple and dates and process until the mixture holds together. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the cranberries. Roll into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the coconut until coated. The coconut-almond balls can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.


These next ones aren't salty nor has Laura ever tried these so they probably shouldn't be included in this post about Laura's favorite foods. But this variation was inspired by her recipe. They are also pretty good, because they have that magical ingredient, Chocolate.

Chocolate Salty Balls makes 10 aprox 20g each
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
4 dates (50g)
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbs agave
2 tbs water
1 scoop protein powder (NOW, unflavored)
Almond extract- about a half of a cap full

Put in food processor, make into balls, and dip into melted chocolate... if you’re into that sort of thing. Refrigerate for about 20 mins or until chocolate hardens. Eat balls!!!


Genji Ginger Miso dressing

Though she usually makes her own salad dressings she has recently come across a ready made one that suits her standards. Genji Ginger Miso dressing is sold in the front aisle of sushi bars @ Whole Foods. I couldn't seem to find am image of this either but after looking around on the Internet this product seems to have a big following. I haven't tried it yet but am going to look for it next time I am at whole foods, or what Laura fondly refers to as "whole paycheck".

Vegetables

As for vegetables... it's all about sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, both treated rather simply. Cut into chunky pieces, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted in the oven till cooked and slightly crispy.

Maybe one day she will send me the poem she wrote about sweet potatoes. And might there be a poem about Brussels sprouts in works?

a new fave

(If you click on the menu it will be legible)

Newly opened this week on Hudson and Gansevoort. This is not a store front but instead is a catering company that delivers their menu from 11-5 each day. It's all local and organic and the menu changes weekly.
Unfortunately their delivery is limited from Houston to 23rd st from the west side highway to 5th ave. So if you are in the hood and you read this give it a try. You won't regret it.

Uh, Puerto Rico - Ohhh!

Welcoming another new coffee shop to the hood. 636 Grand Street btw Manhattan & Leonard

Brown rice for breakfast

This concoction came about the other night when I had extra brown rice left over from dinner.
After most meals I am searching for a little something sweet. There was nothing obvious or ready made in the house so I had to be crafty to satisfy my sweet tooth.
I kind of just started looking around kitchen and adding things to the brown rice. Then I started to think about middle eastern deserts like baklava and halva, so I went for sweet, spice and nutty. I have since decided that this can be for breakfast too.

If you have extra time then you can gently toast the sesame seeds and slivered almonds.
Other add-ins could be raisins, currents, dried cranberries, grated apple, walnuts, etc...


Sweet brown rice
1/2 cup of brown rice, cooked
1 tbs agave
1/4 tsp cinnamon, ground
pinch of cardamom, ground
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tbs coconut, dry shredded
1 tbs flax seeds
1 1/2 tsp tahini
2 tbs slivered almonds

Stir together and enjoy.


Vanilla tofu cream
1/2 cup of firm silken tofu
1 tbs wax orchard fruit sweet
couple of drops of vanilla
zest of half a lemon

Blend and serve. I usually eat with fruit.
If you don't have fruit sweet you can use honey, agave or whatever else.

Eggscellent sunday souffle

Here I was again ready for another meal and still with the same barren kitchen I had earlier this afternoon. I was having a craving for cheese souffle so I started looking on the internet for a recipe. I decided on an Alton Brown recipe. He is just so precise about everything that I thought it just had to be a good one. Lucky me I had almost every ingredient needed.

I didn't have cream of tartar so I substituted 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. I also used King Arthur white whole wheat flour instead of regular all purpose flour and I only used 2 ounces of cheddar instead of the 6 ounces the recipe called for. I would have preferred to use gruyere cheese but we didn't have any unfortunately, there's always next time and I'll definitely be making this one again. Lastly, I took the souffle out about 7 minutes early. Things usually continue to cook even after the come out of the oven or off the stove top. In my house we like the middle to be a little on the wet side. You can tell how far along the souffle is by shaking the dish from side to side. The more it jiggles the wetter it is and the less it jiggles the more cooked it is.

Butter, room temperature, for greasing the souffle
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/3 cups milk, hot
4 large egg yolks (2 1/2 ounces by weight)
6 ounces sharp Cheddar
5 egg whites plus 1 tablespoon water (5 1/2 ounces by weight plus 1/2 ounce water)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Use room temperature butter to grease an 8-inch souffle mold. Add the grated Parmesan and roll around the mold to cover the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the freezer for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, heat the butter. Allow all of the water to cook out.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, dry mustard, garlic powder, and kosher salt. Whisk this mixture into the melted butter. Cook for 2 minutes.

Whisk in the hot milk and turn the heat to high. Once the mixture reaches a boil, remove from the heat.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks to a creamy consistency. Temper the yolks into the milk mixture, constantly whisking. Remove from the heat and add the cheese. Whisk until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until glossy and firm. Add 1/4 of the mixture to the base. Continue to add the whites by thirds, folding very gently.

Pour the mixture into the souffle. Fill the souffle to 1/2-inch from the top. Place on an aluminum pie pan. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.

Happy Birthday Jules!

Oh such schweetness...

Doing my best Robert Smith impression.

Living for my shirt in case you didn't notice!

The brothers participate in their favorite past time

Marie desperate for a drink attempts to sample Chateau Topolski '78

Keepin' us groovin' all night long

I have no idea what Vaughan was so exited about, probably his beer.

How are you two feeling today?

Chris gets clever!

4 out of "5 a day" ain't bad

Quinoa, isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you have a hangover. The hangover comes courtesy of Jules rockin' birthday party last night. As you can see in the photos above there was a little bit of drinking going on.
But when you wake up at noon and look in your cupboard to find a whole lot of nothing you quickly accept your reality and make the best of it. I rooted through my fridge and grabbed whatever vegetables I had, which were some cherry tomatoes, an eggplant a stalk of celery and a carrot. In my opinion roasting is by far the best tasting way to cook vegetables. This dish tastes quite rich. The eggplant becomes almost buttery and the quinoa adds a creamy nutty flavor.

Serves 2

olive oil
1 eggplant cut into 3/4" cubes
1/2 a pint of cherry tomatoes
3 tbs chopped shallots
2 pieces crushed garlic
1/2 cup of chopped carrots
1/2 cup of chopped celery
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup of water

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl toss tomatoes and eggplant in a liberal amount of olive and season with salt (at your discretion). Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes.

Add some olive oil to a pot and sauté the shallots for a couple of minutes, then add garlic, carrots, celery, 1 tsp of salt and a couple grinds of pepper. Cook for about three minutes. Stir in quinoa and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes before adding water. Add water, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook until all water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. When done, the quinoa appears translucent and the germ ring will be visible.

Quinoa is rich in Amino acids (protein), and the protein it supplies is a complete protein. Most grains need to be paired with beans in order to form a complete protein. Although quinoa is technically not a grain, it's a seed, it can be used a substitute in pretty much any recipe that calls for grains. It's also a good source of magnesium, calcium and iron.

Thanks Igor

At my Gaultier appointment Igor recommended Zibetto's on 6th Ave Btw 56 & 57. It's a tiny very Euro style coffee bar, it actually made me feel like I was in Italy in between shows ducking into any randon coffee bar to get a quick fix. I wish I hadn't been in such a rush or I would have taken it at the bar rather than to go. My latte was pretty perfect. I will definitely go back and even a few blocks out of my way if need be.

Snackimals

Here's another one I am living for lately. Not to dis on your childhood but these are a million times better than those crappy tasting one that came in the cage box with the the string handle.
THANKS LISA!!!! Will you pay for my gastric bypass after I eat one to many of these?

Cookies and sort of milk

I love eating babies cookies. For a long time I ate the Nabisco ones that come in the blue box. These are my new faves. They are organic, wheat free, dairy free, soy free and made with whole grains. I like to dip/soak them in Almond milk. So simple yet so good.

All the coffee in New York

Yesterday morning I was heading down to my Paul Smith appointment in Soho when I realized that I no longer know where to get the most delicious latte in the neighborhood.
It has been years since I worked down there and I couldn't really remember where I got coffee back in the day. I would assume it was Starbucks, I used to have a habit. I swore off coffee this past Monday and by Tuesday had a big hot latte in my little hands. A whole 24 hours of coffee abstinence. YAY ME! Can you feel the will power?

Anyways, I was thinking there must a blog about the best coffee joints in various NYC neighborhoods. Right? But how would I go about finding that blog? And it's subjective anyways. So I have decided I will blog about my favorite one off coffee shops.

At my Paul Smith appointment I thought I would asked the locals for their suggestions, specifically asking about the trendy looking place on Houston (at the corner of Greene) called Aroma. They weren't feeling Aroma so much and instead recommended Alessi, that kooky Italian kitchen store. It seems that in the front of their store they have a cafe. Who knew? They serve Joe's coffee and use my favorite espresso machines, FAEMA.

Although it was good I am not quite ready to settle and say it's the best coffee in Soho. What was excited to find was that they sold Amedei chocolate. I don't believe I have seen seen it sold anywhere in NYC since I first heard about last spring. I bought two bars for a total of $19. I know $8 is pretty steap for a chocolate bar but I think it just might be the best chocolate ever. I got the 70% cocoa.
I usually end up eating half of a normal sized chocolate bar in one sitting but with this chocolate two to three squares seems to be all it takes. It is perfectly satisfying, the way a great piece of chocolate should be. Oh, and the packaging is ridiculously chic.

GET YOURS HERE

Yamalama dingdong!

1 Yam
large, peeled,
cut into thick rounds

1 Tbs olive oil

1 Clove garlic
medium sized, chopped

1/2 Shallot
medium sized, chopped

2 Scallions
cut into 1" pieces

Ginger
cut into matchsticks,
dime sized bundle

Chicken broth, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp honey, pinch of salt and a dash of pepper


Boil yam slices in salted water for 8 minutes or until tender, then drain and transfer to plate.

Heat olive oil in the pot, add garlic, shallots, ginger and scallions. While these are cooking I like to add a splash of chicken broth to the pan every now and again to keep the ingredients from burning or sticking to the pan, you can can also use water. Just enough to help the cooking process and it evaporates so that it doesn't become soupy consistency. This allows you to use less oil in your cooking. Cook this over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until ginger sticks are tender. Remove from heat add salt and pepper to taste, stir in sesame oil and honey and spoon mixture over the yams.

I think I might be over figuring out what the nutritional information is for everything as it's sort of a pain. All I will say is this is healthy it's just vegetables with a little bit of healthy fat.

The search is over

I have been looking for a decent set of measuring spoons and have finally found some worth buying. Whenever I find something that I think is just what I have been searching for I buy two. I am kinda picky about the shape and size and depth of my measuring spoons. Oh and just in general I'm little anal retentive too.
Since I sometimes serve myself tablespoons of sticky stuff like the wax orchard fudge or almond butter and I want to be able to get every last drop easily be it with my finger or my maybe my tongue. These seem to be just right shape and size for both spoon licking and finger dipping alike. I like to eat with my hands, luckily I can use growing up in India as my excuse. Although, some don't seem to think this is a good enough reason to continue to eat that way at the ripe old age of 32. To them I say I DON'T CARE!

Another neat thing about these is that they have a couple extra spoons that an average set.
Most don't come with the following extra measuring spoons... a pinch, 1/8 tsp, 2/3 tsp. 1.5 tsp and 2 tsp.
Life is good people, life is good!

It's a problem

These are dangerous! If only these would come pre-packaged in single serving portions then maybe I wouldn't eat the whole bag in a day! They are heaven and worth standing in the beyond ridiculous lines for.

Gotta love the Frank's

I think I just spent the whole day drinking again! This morning at around 11am I met my friend Laura at her apartment in the L.E.S. for brunch. She lives at her apartment part time so the kitchen isn't exactly stocked. Laura, Justin (her boyfriend), Rory and Amanda all slept there last night and appeared to be just about as useless as I was looking and feeling this morning. Sadly, I can't even say my exhaustion was the repercussion of all night Halloween partying. Actually I spent last night organizing my mail and bills from the past nine years. I feel like this should be the opening line to a joke, something along the lines of... you know you're over thirty when.... but sadly it is not.

In an effort to get the us to rally Laura brewed us some coffee. Once the coffee was ready it was served sans sugar with rice milk and a side of unsweetened carob chips (which we regularly snack on by the handfuls). What I can say about this experience is that we would probably survive just fine in the wilderness. This is yet another great example of us being able to make the best of a situation with what was readily available. At one point there were about six random mugs and tea cups sprawled out across the kitchen counter and I thought I was reaching into tea cup of carob chips and instead found my hand resting in a tepid cup of coffee which belonged to Amanda.

After a little stroll around the neighborhood we settled in at Frankies Spuntino on Clinton St for a dining extravaganza. Brunch was heaven, especially my french toast which practically floated off my plate it was so light and airy. We totally pigged out and collectively drank a least twenty four Bellini's. I would like to mention that the olive oil from Frankies is really quite good, it has a clean and light but deep grassy flavor to it. You can find it at Whole Foods. It's not exactly what I would call budget but I have no trouble justifying it. I suggest that you do not use it sparingly because it will go bad if it's not used quickly enough. I enjoy the flavor of this olive oil so much that I don't really use it for cooking as much as I do to top finished dishes.

Once we were finished stuffing our faces we stopped by De Vino and picked up four bottles of champagne and two bottles of rosé for a post lunch session on Laura's roof. I mean, that's just how warm the first of November was today in NYC, it was rosé weather! I am back home now with a full stomach and have to say today was a beautiful day and we really took full advantage, thanks for lunch Laura!

Nothing bleak about Bleeker

I love to stroll down Bleeker Street in search of delicious things to fill my fridge, pantry and ultimately my belly. Bleeker between 7th Ave south and Carmine Street has pretty much everything I could ask for, well except for fresh produce. Ottomanelli's Meat Market, Faicco's Pork Store (which sells so much more than just pork), Murray's Cheese Shop, The Lobster Place and Amy's Bread are all within a few steps of each other. If only every neighborhood had these five shops!

For lunch today I thought I would try something new. I know what you’re thinking...Pasta with meat sauce, Kusum you're a freaking genius! How in the world did I come up with that one!?!? Right? But this isn't any regular meat. It's bison also known as buffalo!

It was actually really good and definitely worth trying. It's not gamey tasting and is leaner than pretty much any other meat out there. So next time you're really going for it with all other ingredients in your dish you can at least cut back a little on the calories and fat by using buffalo meat.
I shared today's lunch with two growing young men so I didn't bother trying to make it figure friendly or make any effort to figure what the nutritional info might be.
To make this pasta I used tagliatelle pasta and fresh tomato sauce from Faicco's, part-skim fontina cheese from Murray's cheese shop, ground buffalo meat from Ottomanelli's, a splash of heavy cream and a little bit of fresh ground pepper. If there was a produce shop on this little strip of Bleeker then I probably would have also picked up some fresh parsley to add to this. Should you prefer a bolder cheese statement then use fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano instead of the part-skim fontina.

From start to finish this dish took less than 15 mins to make. Start by boiling salted water for the pasta in a pot. In another pan add the room temperature ground buffalo meat and gently brown the meat over medium heat, better that the meat is undercooked than overcooked. Next add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for about 7-8 mins. Now add the tomato sauce, a splash of cream and some fresh ground pepper to the ground meat, stir together and heat through for about a minute or two. Remove the meat sauce from stove top and stir in grated cheese. Drain the pasta and stir the pasta together with the sauce. Mangia!

PS Forgot to mention... if you are trying to avoid refined flour, as found in the pasta, then serve over polenta instead.

Hi my name is Kusum

and I am recovering cheese addict. If you have not yet tried this particular goat's cheese, I highly recommend it. As of this past March my cheese intake has greatly diminished since I finally started eating meat! For 32 years cheese was pretty much my one and only source of protein and FAT too! This goat's cheese is great because it makes pretty much anything creamy and delicious. I find that a tablespoon of Chavrie adds the same creaminess to dishes as a serving of sour cream or heavy cream but has 1/2 the calories and 3/4 less fat. I am not a huge fan of reduced fat products because I just think they is something kind of weird about them so instead I use this cheese wherever I would normally use regular cheese, sour cream or heavy cream (except in your coffee because that would just be gross). Some of my favorite ways to eat Chavrie are with black beans in place of sour cream, on a cracker with some jam, stirred it into tomato soup and with fresh chopped herbs on an omelette.

Nutritional info per serving, 2 tablespoons
Calories 50
Fat 3.5
Cholesterol 20
Sodium 120
Carbohydrate 1
Fiber 0
Protein 3

Never did I ever....

...think I would have a blog or that I would use it as a political platform! These cupcakes and cookies are from Eleni's. I think they made McCain green on purpose.

Oh and yes, they were yummy! You really can't make a cupcake taste quite the same without those two key ingredients, all-purpose flour and sugar. But you know what? I am sure going to try one of these days.

Coverflex lids

This is totally not my photo, in fact it was pirated off the website where these are sold.
I kind of figured they wouldn't mind since I am try to help bring them some business.
Laura, my very eco-aware friend, introduced me to these. She doesn't have a shred of plastic wrap, Ziploc bags or aluminum foil in her house. She does compost, has a vegetable garden, drives a Prius and uses her Sigg water bottle. I must admit it's pretty impressive to see this lifestyle actually put into practice on a daily basis. I have a hard time living with out my Ziploc bags, plastic wrap and aluminum foil but I am making an effort to not use as liberally.

These little covers are great because they stretch over just about anything. They are made of silicone, they create a complete leak proof seal and can be used in the fridge, freezer, oven, microwave and dishwasher. I find the small and medium sizes to be the most useful. So rinse and re-use!

GET YOURS HERE