What else did I eat in Seattle???

I love doughnuts...I'm not sure why. Well, I mean, I guess it makes sense...I am absolutely nuts about dough. When I was checking out bakeries in Seattle before my trip, I found that there was a fabulous looking doughnut spot conveniently located on our walk from the hotel to the space needle. As if we needed more motivation to go get a donut!

We each ordered two (hey we were on vacation). My choices were raspberry glazed old fashioned and frosted cake with sprinkles. Jackie had the apple fritter and blueberry cake with cinnamon sugar. I think the raspberry one was my favorite. The sweet, crunchy raspberry glaze reminded me that I don't treat myself to donuts enough! The frosted cake was good but just sat in the shadows of the other three. I really liked the blueberry cake one. It had the same flavor of the blueberry cake donut at krispy kreme but the cinnamon sugar coating elevated it far behind the competition. The apple fritter was also very good and the glaze was lovely. But trust me...have one of the glazed old fashioned. It'll make the view from the space needle ten times sweeter.

Your favorite dough-nut

I'm Crushed that this Restaurant isn't in NYC...Review of Crush Seattle

I went to Seattle this past weekend for the first time ever. I'm sure it'll come as no surprise that one of the first things I do when planning a vacation is plan where and what to eat. If I'm not familiar with the city's food scene, I check out the James Beard winners, Food & Wine recommendations, and the Best Thing I Ever Ate episode guide (which I have converted to a handy spreadsheet by location! Oh yeah and that had me at Serious Pie for lunch while I was in Seattle...a great place to stop in for lunch).

The Seattle trip was partly a celebration of a good friend from college's 30th birthday. She put her full confidence in me for our dinner out, so I wanted to make it great...you only turn 30 once despite pretending to be 30 for at least 10 years. As a result, I opted for the 2010 James Beard award winner for Best Chef in the Northwest, none other than Chef Jason Wilson of Crush.

Not knowing how jet-lagged we'd be, we decided to err on the safe side and make an earlier reservation for 6:30. Umm...I don't like being the first at a restaurant...It's just a rather awkward all the servers are staring at you feeling. But oh well, someone's got to do it right?!

Crush is in an old tudor style home and the dining room is juxtaposed in white with a modern design feel that is apparently meant to be a blank slate so the food is the main feature. It's not very cozy with no one else in it (it didn't help that the night we dined they were trying out a new playlist that sounded like a cirque de soliel soundtrack mixed in with drum & bass). But, as it filled in and the food began arriving, it became quite comfortable and inviting.

My dear friend had never done a tasting menu before (I know...basically a cardinal sin to me), and having heard me speak so lovingly about them, she was easily convinced that this was 100% the way to go. Thank goodness! We ordered and settled in for the 6 course meal with wine pairing.

It began with the arrival of a glass of Veuve Cliquot (not too shabby a start...cheers to 30!) and shortly thereafter the paired amuse bouche - A parsnip flan topped with maple syrup reduction and bacon infused creme fraiche. It was a delightful little mix of thanksgiving and breakfast that had me beyond thankful that I chose this spot. The sweet, earthy parsnip flavor and the maple were the strongest components. I loved this dish!

Some chive and cheese gougeres arrived next. I was pretty underwhelmed by these but sometimes I'm not a huge gougere fan, because I find them a bit eggy. Shortly after, the bread arrived, but I paid zero attention because our next wine, a Rose, also appeared. This is another problem with being the first...it often results in the food coming incredibly quickly. For the first three courses at Crush, it felt like a race between us and our servers to see if we could finish our food and wine before they came by with the next. Thank goodness this slowed down after three courses. The rose was paired with a small piece of fresh salmon with morels and radishes and mustard horseradish-like sauce. A good, fresh dish, but nothing that will stand out in my mind compared to the rest of the courses.

Next up was a lovely white burgundy that was just shy of being memorable, because the dish paired with it was revelatory. Hand-rolled potato gnocchi that had a semolina crunch to it with peas and corn in a wonderful light buttery sauce with fresh herbs that let the corn and peas speak for themselves. What did they say? That they were straight from the garden just picked mere minutes earlier. I would work tirelessly on a garden if it meant having this pasta dish even once a week!

I'm not entirely sure I have the words to describe what came next. It was BY FAR my favorite dish of the night and it even ranks with some of my favorite plates ever. Largely it stands out because I'm shocked at how well all the flavors worked so together. But more than anything, I'll remember it simply because it was amazing. Beautifully seared scallops atop a cauliflower puree with brown-butter currants and curry sauce topped with thin slices of fried cauliflower that added a nice texture. I took one bite of the dish and knew I was in love. The tender scallops with a nice crisp exterior, the puree of cauliflower with a very mild curry hint, and the sweet buttery-rich currants had me reminding myself to slow down and enjoy every last morsel of food on the plate. When they came to clear our plates, we had been so meticulous about savoring it that it looked like no food had ever touched either plate. Oh and it was paired with this fabulous red wine that I liked so much that I had them write the name down for me (Dobbes Griffins 2007 pinot noir).

Full, so full. Thank goodness our waiter took pity on us and gave us a nice long break before the next dish. After our break, we began with a plum and magnolia sorbet atop a sprinkling of this magical sweet green dust. I begged the waiter to tell me what it was...basil dust (fresh basil ground up with sugar). Brilliant. And I would like to take this moment to say how much I like the mid meal sorbet thing. I am a firm believer that more places should start doing it again.

Our final savory dish was a braised short rib in a red wine sauce with pureed potatoes and buttered baby carrots with a parsley pistou. I swear that there was truffle oil somewhere on this dish but I couldn't pinpoint where exactly. Regardless, this was very good but a tad too generic and wintery for me after some of the other plates. This was also paired with a red wine that was very nice and bold with the short rib.

After another very much needed reprieve from eating, we were brought our final wines - a sparkling dessert wine and a sherry. You know what that means?! Instead of us getting two of the same desserts they brought us each a different dessert! As if I didn't love this place already. The one they placed in front of me was PB&J - a creamy rectangle of peanut butter with crunchy brittle and a thin layer of chocolate with strawberry jam sauce and a housemade strawberry soda with a white chocolate straw. Beautiful plating and really nice flavors. The other dessert was a blueberry torte with a pastry cream. The blueberries tasted as if they had just been picked that day, the crust was light, and the cream was light and airy.

All in all, this was a fabulous meal and an excellent introduction into the tasting menu world. You can't dine here without leaving with a huge crush on chef wilson.

Chocolate Pop Tart Pie...

I am totally embracing this new pie trend that is growing at an exponential rate. I mean how can you not? Now I realize that given the time of year I should be embracing fruit pies, but how can I resist a chocolate pie. HOW? And in all fairness, I did make that strawberry pie not too long ago. But I blame this chocolate thing 100% on the slice of Mississippi Mud Pie from the Little Pie Company (I also had the Sour Cream Apple pie - both were amazing and I would totally recommend them if you're in that neighborhood). In my absolute need to make things that I've had and loved, I made the Mississippi Mud Pie from Cooking Light. I knew there wasn't a chance that this would be as indulgent as the little pie co, but I knew it would make a nice lighter substitute.

It's a pretty easy pie to make. The crust comes together in the food processor in a few minutes and then rests for about 30 minutes. It's also really easy to work with/roll out.

Once you get that in the pie plate, the filling is also a piece of cake (okay pie). The hardest part about the filling is beating the egg whites to soft peaks and well your trusty kitchenaid can handle that task!

So how was it? Well the first bite reminded me of something very familar. Finally, by bite 3, I knew...this pie tasted exactly like a chocolate frosted pop tart. How could I not love it? In homage to my beloved pop tarts, I've stuck this in the toaster oven before having it as my lunch dessert. What absolute bliss - I get a pie and a pop-tart in one!



I hope this pops up on your table sometime soon.

From the ashes did rise - Review of Annisa

Since Anita Lo reopened Annisa in the West Village after a fire closed it for quite a while, I've been dying to go try it out. Mostly because I'm a huge admirer of the cooking style that combines classic french techniques with asian cuisine. I finally had the opportunity to dine at Annisa this past week. The decor of the restaurant is very clean, earth-toned walls with a more modern design feel. I personally really loved the vibe, as did my dining companion. The only problem that we had was that the majority of two tops were side by side seats (we were very thankful we got there early enough to select an across the table two top). I'm not and don't think I ever will be a fan of sitting next to the person I'm eating with...it's just very awkward feeling for me. But, otherwise, the dining room has a very nice layout. It strikes that lovely balance of feeling fancy without making you feel like you're not fancy enough. The service was present when necessary without being overbearing.

Now for the important stuff - food & drink. Annisa's wine list features wines by wineries that are owned by women (Annisa means woman in arabic). I deferred the wine selection to my friend, who has been very into roses this summer and as such opted for the Mas da la dame, a rose from provence. It was a very excellent, crisp/refreshing choice.

The amuse bouche was a little tart shell filled with duck liver mousse and topped with a currant. As a huge fan of duck liver, I couldn't resist this rich little bite to start things off. The mousse was so smooth and the sweetness of the currant contrasted nicely. I love how delightful amuse bouches do two things simultaneously for me - they immediately put me at ease that I selected a good restaurant while making my heart race with excitement that there is so much good food to still come! The roll that was brought to the table was nothing special, but the butter was beautifully molded into the shape of a flower. But, take my advice and leave the butter looking pretty and untouched and save your room for the rest of the meal. Seriously, leave the carbs...I promise there will be plenty of far more delicious food - it'll be okay.

In a rare change for me, I didn't order the tasting menu. To start, I had the Tuna hot & cold and my friend had the duo of lobster and corn. The tuna cold was a little too much like your general run of the mill tuna tartare. Not that it wasn't delicious, but rather it's just that I've been there done that. The tuna hot on the other hand was magnificent. I have no idea what Chef Lo cooked this tuna in, but the flavor was beyond compare and the tuna was perfectly cooked. My friend exclaimed that she so rarely has properly cooked tuna that this piece was a pleasant reminder of how good tuna can be when it's made right. That said, I think that the duo of lobster and corn was the better choice. On one side of the plate there was a little bowl that tasted like a corn custard crossed with cream of corn that was topped with lobster. On the other side, there was a corn pastry with caramelized onions and lobster. Both were phenominal, but I far preferred the lobster claw on the corn pastry. The claw was tender and just delightful paired with the corn-tinged biscuit and caramelized onions.

The entree options are predominantly fish, but neither of us were in the mood for fish. I ordered the pan roasted farm chicken with sherry, white truffle, pig feet and asparagus and my friend opted for the duck with mousse and a consumme sauce. The duck was very good but I wasn't blown away by the flavor combinations. The chicken on the other hand was outrageously good. It was cooked perfectly with a nice crispy skin and moist inside. The sauce with the pig trotters and white truffle was sinfully rich and the asparagus lightened this nicely. I couldn't have been happier.

Well, okay you know I could be happier...I can end this nice meal with a good sweet. I admire Chef Lo for a number of reasons. But, the most important to me is that she is also in charge of her dessert menu at Annisa. As a lover of all things sweet and a die-hard multi-tasker, this is just really bad a** in the best of ways to me! So, of course I had to see how her desserts stacked up. I would have certainly gone with the beignets, but my friend thought that was a bit heavy sounding. To settle the debate, we asked the waitress's opinion and she said the Millefeuille of strawberries, ricotta, and balsamic was the way to go (by another name this is a napoleon...I agree millefeuille sounds so much better!). The strawberries are marinated in whiskey and lime and have a wonderful sweet pop. I loved this dessert, and the waitress was 100% right this was the best option for a summer dessert! Hooray for multi-taskers.

After our dessert was done, a trio of petit fours were placed on our table. Love petit fours! The first was a strawberry pineapple pop that was the very definition of refreshing. The next was a nice sliver of candied ginger. And the final was a mint chocolate - the perfect way to end a fabulous meal.

All in all, I loved Annisa in that way that you just know despite the never ending list of places to try in Manhattan you'll still end up back here.

An answer to my Salty Friends

I love my friends. But sometimes, just sometimes, I wish I could change them a little bit. The thing that bothers me the most about a lot of my friends is that they don't have the same love (okay obsession) as I do with all things sugar. I try my best to sway them over to the sweet side...sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail. But no matter what, I keep trying to beat out the more salty snacks. So when I was debating what I should make to bring for my first weekend at my Newport summer house, I knew I hit gold when I came across a recipe for caramel popcorn in the style of cracker jacks. A lot of recipes I saw for caramel corn used corn syrup, which I wanted to avoid. I really liked that this recipe used a real caramel with sugar, water, and butter.

I tweaked the recipe a little bit, because I wanted a sweeter rather than spicy caramel corn. My tweaking involved adding just a bit over 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and decreasing the cayenne to a little pinch with the baking soda. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. A half cup of popcorn pops up to a good volume, so make sure the pot you make it in is large enough to accomodate it (mine was just barely big enough and the lid was lifted up by the popped corn!). I mixed in the peanuts to the popcorn and began the caramel.

So exciting that it popped right over the sides of the pot!

Once the caramel was an amber color, I mixed in the baking soda and spices, poured it over the corn and peanuts, and then gave it a good mix before spreading it on silpats that I had set up in two sheet pans. I like using my silpat for this type of work, because its a good non-stick surface.

The caramel popcorn cooling on the silpat

Let's hope that this combo salty-sweet snack has my friends leaning towards the sweet side! Well that is if the popcorn makes it up to the house. Since it popped, I haven't been able to stop popping bites!

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks!

Maybe my friends aren't so bad after all!

My New Science Project

The last time I went with my parents to Costco I was browsing the aisles and came across the most amazing deal. Two huge test tubes of vanilla beans with 6 beans in each (yes, I'm such a huge nerd that vanilla beans make me pause and think everything is right in the world). Right there, in the middle of Costco I had an epiphany...it was a sign from the baking gods. I had to start making my own homemade vanilla extract. I had heard about it from various chefs that I've met who never use any commercially made extract and have always meant to give it a whirl myself. Since that fateful Costco trip, I've been dragging my feet and for no reason didn't immediately make my precious extract. So when I noted that the amount of vanilla extract I had left in my pantry was only enough for a few more baked goods, I decided it was far past time to get this vanilla flavor extracting.

You're not going to believe how easy it is when I tell you how to make your own vanilla. Here's what you need:

-2 cups rum, brandy, or vodka (I used dark rum because I always have dark rum on hand and I like Mexican vanilla extract, which is rum-based)

-6 vanilla beans

-a mason jar with a tight fitting lid (I used a ball mason jar that I picked up at my local hardware store)

All you have to do is put the clean mason jar in boiling water for about 10 minutes to sterilize it. Then completely dry the jar. Split each vanilla bean open and leave the seeds inside. Place the alcohol of your choice in your mason jar, place your vanilla beans inside making sure they're completely submerged, and seal the jar. Shake up the jar and store in a dark place. Shake a couple times a week or whenever it occurs to you. The extract will be ready to use in 8 weeks time. I'm counting down the days. I have to say though...It definitely looks like one of those creepy filled jars you see at a haunted house.

I wasn't kidding - It really does look like some crazy science experiment!

It's a very easy project and I can't help but imagine that it'll be more than worth the effort. Don't worry...in 8 weeks time I'll tell you all about the maiden voyage of my homemade vanilla. I'll also try and remember to post pictures of the process.

I know, I know...vanilla and rum! I can't believe that I didn't make this sooner. I believe allfofood just got a bit more flavorful!

Strawberry Almond Cream Pie

I'm 100% convinced that pies are the next big thing. Seriously, I am sure they're going to be the new cupcake. That coupled with the fantastic looking strawberries at my grocery store this weekend led me to make this recipe for Strawberry Almond Cream pie for the baked good of the week.

This pie was easy to make and came together pretty quickly. I substituted cinnamon graham crackers in the crust...do I even have to explain why?! While I baked the crust, I made the strawberry puree (I made the puree before the cream cheese mixture so it would have more time to cool down before I put the pie together). The recipe makes more puree then needed for the pie. So, I've been eating it with my yogurt this week.

Strawberry puree sauce

The almond cream cheese mixture was a piece of cake (okay a slice of pie) to mix together. I loved the combination of the cinnamon graham crackers, strawberries, and almond cream cheese. This pie made for a really nice summery dessert. The only thing I will say is that the crust gets a little soggy after a few days. So, its best to eat the pie within a few days. I know, I know...that's so tough.

Yum...Summer

See for yourself if I'm right...I promise you you'll be proclaiming pie the new cupcake after trying this Strawberry Almond Cream Pie.