Biscotti (Attempt #4)

After posting my "Biscotti (Attempt #3) entry", my friend e-mailed me to say her (directly-off-the-boat-Italian) mother had a fantastic quaresimali recipe that she could give to me if I wanted to try it out. Well, of course I did! How could I not! The recipe looked very promising, and I was super excited about it because it included CLOVES! Cloves are one of my favorite spices, they remind me of Christmas and German mulled wine. I can tell that Mike's Pastry biscotti have some cloves in them so this recipe looked like it could be the one that came closest to the ever elusive North End secret.

I followed the recipe ingredients exactly, adding not one, not two, not three, but four cups of chopped toasted almonds! Thank God Trader Joe's has good prices on nuts! I added the cloves (I ground them myself) and the dough already tasted delicious. I did veer from the recipe a bit when it came to forming the rolls of dough. Instead of 4 rolls, I made 2 rolls that were probably longer and wider than the recipe intended but I didn't think this would change the cook time since I kept the height of the rolls the same. I baked them and then cut them and then baked them again. We barely could wait for them to cool before we tried them out. They were delicious. I very much want to share the recipe with everyone but I want to get permission first since it's a family recipe.

These biscotti/quaresimali tasted and looked the most like Mike's that I've made so far. There are delicious and the recipe really needs no changes to it but since I am now officially obsessed with exactly replicating the Mike's biscotti I am going to try three changes.

One-I am going to substitute one regular cup of flour with a cup of almond meal.
Two-Instead of 4 cups of almonds I'm going to use 3.
Three- I'm going to add a bit of ginger.

I think these changes may bring me as close to Mike's as I can get. Once/if I get permission, I will post the recipe because, like I said, it's incredibly delicious and everyone who tried them (including my 90 yr old Polish grandmother) loved them. Rumor has it that Bob (the baker of the Reine de Saba cake) is attempting to make them for his office on Monday!

....And I got permission....
QUARESIMALE

4 CUPS ALMONDS (CUT IN HALF AND LIGHTLY TOASTED)
2 EGGS
1 CUP OF SUGAR
1 CUP OF BROWN SUGAR
1/2 CUP OF OIL
2 TSP CINNAMON
1 TSP CLOVES
2 TBSP WATER
3 CUPS OF FLOUR
2 TSP BAKING POWDER

Lightly toast the almonds. While they are toasting, mix the rest of the ingredients in mixing bowl. When ingredients are mixed well, add the almonds. It will seem like a lot of almonds, but the dough will rise and encompass the almonds. Shape the dough into 4 rolls. Flatten the rolls slightly (into about 3/4" high). Put them on a floured baking sheet. Brush the tops with egg yolk. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees. If you want more crunchy cookies, cut them into biscotti, lay them on their side and lightly toast them.

Bon Appétit! — Dinner with Julia

For a long time, we had wanted to host a dinner party where we served only Julia Child recipes. August 15th (Julia's birthday) was already booked up so we chose the next available date to throw our soirée and try to end the summer on an up-beat note after these past months of horrible weather.

We ended up hosting two separate events since Jeffrey was leaving us for a year in Europe, and we had to make certain he was there! For the first one, Bryan did the cooking and made hors d'œuvre :pâté de foie de volaille, entrée: potage Parmentier, plat principal: coq au vin, and dessert: mousseline de chocolat.

For the second, larger event, we thought it would be more fun to assign everyone attending his very own JC recipe. We would provide the main course, accoutrements, and the French wine—and our friends would get to learn a bit about French cooking, too. The invite went out (paperlesspost.com), and the replies came in. Including ourselves their would be seven people in attendance which, of course, would equal seven delicious French dishes.

You would think with over 500+ recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking finding seven recipes would be pretty easy. It was not. After deciding on the main course, Bœuf à la Bourguignonne, we had to pick out recipes that not only complemented the main dish but also didn't max out our friends' comfort-level too too much. After a few back-and-fourth phone calls and meetings, we decided on the following menu:
Everything was absolutely delicious. No joke.

Peter made the French bread (his second attempt) and this time he used Julia's hot brick method. The hot brick method replicates a baker's oven by creating a steam bath for the bread. We didn't have a brick so we used part of our panini press pan that we were able to heat up to a scorching hot temperature and then gingerly toss into the already prepped pan of cold water. A huge sizzle and burst of steam bellowed out of the oven and what followed was a perfectly browned and delicious loaf of French bread. The only problem Peter had was in the cutting of the top of the loaves. Julia says it takes a lot of practice and she's right. It does (and you can't use a normal knife!).


Mike D. made the stuffed mushrooms which at first, he thought would be a quick simple task. He later informed us that they weren't too difficult to make but the recipe was time consuming. We reminded everyone that, if anything, Julia was precise. She didn't like to leave any information out. That's why when cooking from her book, it's good to read every recipe at least twice before beginning. The champignons farcis really stole the show. Peter doesn't even like mushrooms and he was searching around for seconds. If you are looking for a great side dish for dinner or for a buffet, choose these, they will blow your guests away.



Mike W. made the Gratin Savoyard which are scalloped potatoes bathed in a beef broth. Mike was afraid he didn't cook them enough but when he arrived, they smelt and looked delicious and were thoroughly cooked. He adjusted the cook-time a bit since he claims his oven was off but I think it had more to do with not using the correct-sized container. But again, another delicious dish, worth making again.

When we assigned Adam his dish he was disappointed. It was a zucchini dish but it didn't light him up. He wanted a personal challenge he said. He had wanted to make hollandaise sauce. Hollandaise sauce is difficult to make by hand. It consists primarily of egg yolks, lemon juice and butter. Scratch that...I meant to say A LOT of butter. One must slowly (by the tablespoon) incorporate the butter into the yolks and lemon juice while whisking furiously so that the butter does not separate from the yolks and juice as it melts. Adam practiced three before he made the final product. The first time, he made it no problem (beginner's luck?). The second attempt, he failed, although I think it could have been saved. The third attempt, the butter separated and just when we thought all was lost, who do you think saved the day? Julia Child. In the recipe she states that by adding a bit more of the lemon juice and whisking the sauce a tablespoon at a time you will ALWAYS be able to bring it back to the proper form. What certainty! And you know what? She was right. We followed what she says ALWAYS works, and it did. The elusive hollandaise sauce was reborn. Adam said that when he made it for the dinner, the whole process went off without a hitch. Buttery, lemony, and warm, it tasted great on top of roasted asparagus and even sopped up with the bread. I guess you can't go wrong with hollandaise.

Unfortunately, one of our friends, had a last minute change of plans (or heart...did his fear of cooking get the better of him?!) and the haricots verts à la provençale were never made. I assume they would have been delicious.

The Bœuf Bourguignon was very good. It's actually quite an easy dish to prepare, but it does have a few steps and is, therefore, slightly time-consuming—BUT, Julia is there to lead you through it the whole way! She discusses exactly which cuts of beef are best to buy (you want it to be nicely fatty) and takes you step-by-step through cutting the beef into 2"x2" cubes and browning them in rendered bacon fat before creating a slight 'crust' by mixing in a few tablespoons of flour and popping it into at hot oven. Once you've gotten the beef cubes prefectly browned, it's so easy. Pour in your wine and beef stock, season, and simmer in a slow oven for a few hours. It comes out cut-with-a-spoon tender and full of flavor. The initial steps are so wonderfully worth it. We served extra-wide egg noodles alongside (or under!) the bœuf.

With this course, we were lucky to have a few delicious wines—among them, a 2003 Côtes-du-Rhône, a 2004 Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, and a 2003 St.-Emillion Grand Cru. MMMMM.

For the cheese course, we had Morbier, Camembert, Great Hills blue, a swiss-type cheese whose name escapes me, and a goat's cheese covered in herbs, peppercorns, and juniper berries called a pavé sauvage. These were served with croûtes of rustic bread. 

We had two desserts. Bob was in charge of making the Reine de Saba (the chocolate cake) and Matt was in charge of the Tart Tatin (apple tart).

Bob's cake came out delicious. We were excited that Bob was expanding his baking skills. He loves to bake but heavily relies on boxed mixes. He's precise with numbers though so I knew he would be a good baker if he just gave it a try. This was my third time tasting the Reine de Saba and each time I try it I am always pleasantly surprised that such a simple cake can taste so rich and so much better than most chocolate cakes you get at a restaurant (and ALL cakes that you make from a box). Bob was extra excited—despite having never seen Julia make the cake until we aired the episode at the dinner that night—that he ended up decorating the cake almost identically to how Julia did on The French Chef. It's the little things in life...


Matt was nervous about his tart Tatin (an upside down apple tart). He had assumed the tart Tatin was like one of those fancy french tarts where all the apples appear perfectly arranged and are perfectly glistening in the perfect Parisian moonlight.... What he didn't realize is that a tart Tatin is a much more organic, rustic looking tart and not nearly as neat. However, upon seeing his tart, Bryan exclaimed it was by far one of the best looking homemade tart Tatins he'd ever seen. To convince him that what he did was correct, we showed him the episode of The French Chef in which Julia attempts a tart Tatin. I say "attempts" because she never really executes it correctly in the episode. She flips the tart, and it flops all over the place undercooked and looking more like apple sauce than anything else.The other tart she has on reserve looks equally as appetizing with a grayish tint to the whole thing. Matt had beat out Julia with her own recipe! His trick? He cooked it for a lot longer than she suggested so when it was time to flip the tart it didn't go all over the place.

At the end of the meal, we all were stuffed and toasting to Julia, French cooking, and ourselves. Perhaps we'll make this an annual event and cook our way through the whole darn book? Or maybe even dive into volume two? Either way, it was a successful delicious meal and one we hope to do again!

Bon Appétit!

Biscotti (Attempt #3)

I. Found. It. (I think). Finally, I figured out why I couldn't replicate the same flavors as the biscotti from Mike's Pastry that my family loves. It's because it's a special biscotti with a special name. Two weeks ago, when I went to Mike's Pastry, I was smart enough to actually read the labels underneath the biscotti and saw that the type of biscotti I was trying to replicate was called: Quaresimali, AKA:Almond Lenten Biscotti.

With my new found knowledge, I looked up a few recipes online and found out they were all pretty much the same so I picked the one that had pictures and started to try it out. Now, stupidly, I didn't follow the recipe exactly. It calls for whole almonds that you toast and pulverize 1/4 of them and chop the rest. I didn't have a whole pound of almonds but I did have almond meal so I used that for the pulverized almonds but I forgot to toast them. For the chopped almonds, I used almond slices because that's all I had. I also altered the size in which you make the dough rectangles from three 15x4 logs to only two 15x4 logs, I thought three logs would stretch the dough too thin and make the biscotti too flat. Now, if you follow the original recipe, this may not be the case so I'll have to make another batch to check that out.

My Biscotti came out tasting wonderfully and extremely close to the Mike's Pastry ones. The color was finally that nice brown color and not the pasty yellow that the other recipes produced. B says that he still thinks they add some ginger so maybe I will try that. I plan to do a second batch, only this time I'll follow the recipe exactly that way I can see if all the baking times etc are correct. Once I do that I will post the recipe for everyone with any modifications needed. In the meantime, below are my first attempt at the recipe. Notice, the biscotti are a bit thin and almonds not very chunky. Can't wait to try this again and do it the right way! Ha!

Pain Poilâne

The other day, one of my coworkers asked if I had ever heard of a bread from France that when made, didn't need much yeast because the bakery was so old it had yeast in the air and walls to help with the rising. I had not, but the thought intrigued me so, of course, I went searching. I discovered my coworker was referring to bread made at the Poilâne Bakery in Paris. Started in 1932, the Poilâne bakery was made famous by (the son of founder Pierre) Lionel Poilâne. The bakery uses stone-ground flour, natural fermentation and a wood-fired oven. The bakery is most famous for it's sourdough country bread which is known simply as pain Poilâne.

After reading about the pain Poilâne I was dying to try some. I quickly went to their website and found out that you could have the bread shipped to you. Perfect! Except....while the bread itself ran a bit high in price, the shipping was ridiculous since the bakery flies each loaf overnight to make sure it's fresh. A loaf, bought by an individual would end up costing around 50 bucks. I wrote the bakery and asked if they had any retailers in Boston. As luck would have it, they do! A place in Wellesley and the Formmagio Kitchen in Cambridge. I called up my friend in Cambridge and made plans to pick up a loaf to try.

I was sent a text message on Thursday from my friend, telling me the bread had made its way through customs and some had been reserved for us! B and I headed over the Charles after work and were greeted warmly by our friends and shown into the kitchen were two quarter sourdough loafs of pain Poilâne were sitting patiently on the counter waiting to be devoured. Since the loafs are so big, the store cuts them up into quarter loaves (sufficient for 6 people) and sells them that way. The only disappointing thing about doing it this way was that we couldn't see the whole signature "P" carved into the bread.

To go with the pain Poilâne there was single-source acacia honey from France. As our friend explained to us, this means the bees used for this type of honey were kept in a specific area so the flavor of the honey would be distinctive of the acacia plant. The honey was delicious and had strong floral notes in it (I would later discover that honey + bread +butter + a dab of French sea salt make for a most remarkable combination).

As if the local French honey wasn't enough, our friend also purchased French butter. Now, I've had good butter and I've had good home-made butter, but this butter was just over-the-top delicious. Like, grab-me-a-spoon-cause-I'm-digging-in delicious. I finally understand Julia Child's life-long obsession with butter and wish to join her in that obsession. The butter (which you can buy at Formaggio) is called La Baratte des Gourmets (a demi-sel croquant de l'Ile de Re). Make sure to serve it at room temperature for optimum tasting. Onto the bread...

The pain Poilâne was delicious. Dense, moist, and full of flavor, it was excellent sourdough. The loaves themselves are just beautiful to look at and the taste matches its appearance. The bread alone is delicious, the bread with butter or honey is to-die-for. Since all sourdough is started off with a "mother sponge" (a piece of dough made from a previous loaf of uncooked sourdough) and each bakery starts off with their very own "mother sponge" each bakery produces a unique tasting sourdough. The pain we tasted was similar to San Francisco sourdoughs but at the same time, completely different. The sourdough's I've had in the past are usually filled with holes and not very dense. The pain Poilâne is more dense and darker in color but still has that tangy or sour taste that gives the dough it's name.

To accompany the food we had a delicious French wine called, "You are so nice". At first, our friend was a bit skeptical in buying a French wine with an English name but the recommendation from the Formaggio employee finally won out over his healthy New England skepticism. B discusses:

The wine was surprising and delicious. The nose was wonderful and bright, and I couldn't wait to taste it. To me, the attaque was fruity, the flavor full and somewhat peppery with a bit of a mineral finish. It was great. It was a French wine, but the label did not give us any hints as to where it was from or what the grapes were. Nevertheless, I'd definitely drink it again.

Overall, the evening was a success. The bread, honey, butter, wine, cheeses (I forgot to mention cheeses!) were all delicious. Bread over-nighted from Paris...what a wonderful treat!

Todd English's new burger joint

Our news sleuth found another bit of food news!

Todd English's new burger joint

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Pho Republique, Bombay Club relocating

Looks like some changes are coming to the South End...

Pho Republique, Bombay Club relocating

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Grumpy's of East Dennis

As I'm sure I've mentioned elsewhere, I've been coming to the Cape with my family for many years even though I'm originally from Illinois. Not surprisingly we very much plan our days around our favorite restaurants but also like to try new places that have popped up. For a hearty breakfast Grumpy's in East Dennis is most definitely a standard stop, sometimes more than once a trip ;-) On weekend mornings count on there being a line out the door, but the place is so fast-paced and quick-on-its-feet that even a large party of say 8 won't have to wait more than 20 minutes to get a seat. They have a fairly extensive breakfast and lunch menu, and eat day on the wall appears a huge list of all the daily specials from various stuffed French toasts to a lobster omelet. You can also get a number of their delicious muffins and other baked goods to-go.
Since I had already had a light breakfast a couple of hours before we all managed to get out of the house, I thought I'd have something light to eat (hah!) - the Corned Beef Hash Benedict - homemade corned-beef hash replacing the Canadian bacon and of course smothered in always-wonderful Hollandaise. Given the choice of hash browns or home fries, I was in the mood for Hash browns, which they actually serve in patty form a la McDonalds. In no time the dish was clean as a whistle.
The rest of my family all chose omelets - we're not ones for sweet (and typically unsatisfying) breakfasts. My father went with steak and cheese, my sister an interesting combination of chicken, feta, and pesto (at least interesting for an omelet), and the other two a sausage, pepper, and cheese combo. Per usual the meal left us very satisfied, both food and service-wise. Can't wait til the next time I'm on the Cape and fixin' for a good, hearty breakfast!

Montréal 2009

We love to go to Montréal during the summer, and we recently got back from our latest trip. As usual, there were fun festivals going on, and we had a wonderful time. But of course, we also sought out some good food and found some yummy treats.

Having arrived rather late due to traffic issues, we took a nice stroll down Ste. Catherine and found some late-night beers and poutine, which was just what we needed. (You know how much I love poutine.) Durimg the summers in the Village, they close down Ste. Catherine to vehicle traffic and the restaurants and bars create huge street-side terrasses; so, we popped into one of the places still serving food. Unfortunately, we didn't take photos, but we had a lovely time sitting out on the terrasse people-watching.

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The next morning, we got an early start and had breakfast at Eggspectation, a place we knew we enjoyed having been there a few times before. As you probably assumed from the name, they offer eggs, eggs, and more eggs. It's great.

I usually get the "Tout Américain," which is the basic American breakfast one might find at any good diner, but this time I got the "Eggquoi?" which was eggs with corned beef hash. It was good—although a bit salty. P got the "Cabane à sucre," which is also like a full American breakfast but with the fun addition of crêpes with local maple syrup and also a side of baked beans.

(The badge below says it is in Chinatown, but that is not really the case. It is at Place des Arts.)

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That evening, we got a tip that Le Bourlingueur in the Vieux Port was not to be missed, so we headed that way to check it out. They bill themselves as a "French-Alsatian" restaurant and their menu changes daily with meals served 'table d'hôte' style (similar to a prix fixe menu and very common in the area). The table d'hôte comes with soup or salad, your choice of main dish, and dessert and coffee. The prices are excellent as was our food. I got the salmon quenelles which came with rice and parsnips, and P got the roasted pork which came with potatoes and parsnips. We definitely recommend Le Bourlingueur.

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The next day for lunch, we decided to take a walk up to the plateau to Schwartz's to have one of those big sandwiches we've heard so much about (see Jeff's post). When we got there, though, the line stretched further than our stomachs were willing to wait, so we went elsewhere. Maybe we'll try again next time...

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Russian Plum & Almond Tart

This week marks another one of our (what seems to be monthly now) ethnic dinner parties. So far we've tackled everything from German, to Indian, to African food. This week is Slavic week. I was in charge of making dessert. I came across a simple recipe for a Russian Plum and Almond Tart. It's quick to make, looks pretty, and tastes good. How bad can that be?! Below is the recipe. Enjoy!

Plum and Almond Tart

Ingredients:

Crust
1 1/2 cups plain flour
3.5oz chilled butter
4 tbsp sour cream

Topping
2oz softened butter
1/4 cup sugar plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling on top
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup ground almonds
6 plums
1/2 cup plum jam
4 tbsp flaked almonds


To make the crust:
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and mush flour and butter together with your fingers until everything is fully incorporated and looks like breadcrumbs.

Add in the sour cream, one tablespoon at a time, and mix to form a soft dough. Wrap the dough in serane wrap and chill for 30 minutes. (The dough is a dryer pastry dough than normal.)

To make the topping:
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Alternate adding in the eggs and ground almonds

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Roll out the pastry dough so it fits in a 12" round tart dish. Pour the almond mixture into the tart dish. Cut down the pastry dough so there is just enough to fold down a bit to create an edge (about 2cm). Cut each plum into quarters (make sure to remove the pit) and arrange on top of the tart in a nice design, skin side up.

Bake the tart for 30-40 minutes or until browned.

Warm the plum jam (15-20 seconds in the microwave) and put through a sieve to remove any large chunks of fruit. Brush over the top of the tart. Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top and glaze again.

Serves about 8 people

French Bread

Last night at 6:30pm, I decided to try out Julia Child's French bread. Ignoring the fact that it would take me at least 8 hours from start to finish (there are three rising stages) I began making my way through her very long recipe. First I mixed, then slapped, kneaded, slapped, tossed (got everywhere) and kneaded the dough which took a lot longer than I thought it would. After all that dramatic flair, I let the dough rise, then deflate, then slapped, kneaded, slapped, tossed (this time it wasn't so messy) and kneaded the dough some more. Again, after some dramatics I let the dough rise again, then shapped it into baguettes (it's more than just rolling it out, lots of folding and creasing is involved). Finally, I let the dough rise again and then transferred to a baking sheet and tossed in the oven. Julia's true master recipe calls for placing a really really hot brick in the oven with a tray of water and tiles (this all simulates a true french baker's oven) but since I had none of that, I followed her more simple recipe which uses a water bottle to spritz the dough at 4 different times in the first 12 minutes. This water is supposed to help the dough rise more and create a brown crust on the bread.

I was finished with everything around 2:30am. The bread looked pretty but it was definitely more of a pain-rustique look than a french-baguette look. Julia says this is okay, it takes lots of practice to get the shape right. The top didn't brown much at all but again, to get that look, you need to use that darn brick/tile method. However, the inside of the bread was excellent for a beginner (at least I think so) and resembled most baguettes I have eaten so I was super excited about that. I think the next time I make the recipe I'll either make it more of a boule shape or go out and get bricks/tiles that are required for the baguette look. Overall, it was a fun experience and one I'd be happy to try again.

The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty

The House of Mondavi, written by Julia Flynn Siler, is an excellent book that retells the rise and fall of Napa Valley's most famous wine family. You might known Robert Mondavi Wines for their iconic label of a spanish adobe-style winery with grand arch but do you know the drama and scandals that unfolded behind this serene setting?

Beginning with Robert Mondavi's father Cesare and his dream to create a wine empire for his family, Siler recounts how Cesare Mondavi purchased the Charles Krug winery and turned it into a family business. After his death, his two boys Robert and Peter threaten to tear apart the family company with their constant fighting. Rosa, the mother of the boys is faced with a choice, let the business crumble or cast-off one of her sons. After a truly explosive fight, she sends Robert, the eldest son, packing. Faced with no other alternative and already in his 50's, Robert sets out to buy his own vineyard and create his own family run winery for his sons Michael and Timothy to inherit. With fierce determination and an unwillingness to compromise, Robert soon creates one of the most famous and iconic wineries in all of America. However, the family troubles of his past still haunt him and his family, from lawsuits and affairs to sibling rivalry and corporate take-overs, Robert Mondavi is plagued throughout his career with trouble that overshadows his fame.

Siler does a splendid job weaving multiple accounts of the events that transpired and gives a balanced point of view of the family squabbles that seemed all-too common for the Mondavi family. The House of Mondavi is not only an excellent history lesson about Mondavi wines, but also of the Napa Valley and it's rise to prominence. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in wine or the trials and tribulations of running a family business.

NYC 2009 or High Life on the High Line

This past weekend, P and I went to New York City for a wedding. It'd been a while since we were in the City, and we had an excellent time. Being busy with wedding activities, we did not go crazy and eat ourselves through the five boroughs; but, we did have a few culinary adventures.

The most exciting for me was my first visit to Zabar's, a gourmet delicatessen and food emporium in the Upper West Side (Broadway and 80th). I think P was very excited, too, since he has fond memories of going there as a child with his mother.

 

When you walk in, you are immediately struck by the wonderful scent and sight of olives and other briny things waiting to be plucked from their large buckets to become some lucky person's hors d'œuvre. 

  

But then, your attention is quickly drawn to WALLS of cheese. It made me cry a little. The prices seemed very reasonable and the selection unending. We tasted an excellent domestic smoked blue, but sadly, we did not take down its name in our hurry to see what was waiting for us around the next corner.

It was meat! And lots of it. Whether it's cold cuts, hot and cold entrees, and sides; salads; or fish, Zabar's has a lot to choose from. We decided to get some lunch from here and chose servings of chicken parm, chicken cacciatore, and pesto pasta. For me, the chicken parm was different than any I'd ever had in that the coating was quite eggy—as opposed to the crunchy breading I'm more used to. They also had a Chicken Milanese, which, I'm sure was crunchier.

Through to the next room, we found a small produce section and the bakery. Again, they had a large number of breads and baked goods to choose from (produce: not so much). They all looked very nice—the challah seemed to be going very quickly—but we were most excited to try their rye bread. Theirs is a nice seeded rye, and P & I were very happy to make a sandwich out of it. In fact, we snacked on the remainder of the loaf all weekend.

Zabar's also has a quite extensive array of fruit preserves, jellies, and jams. Some of my favorites—including ginger preserves and three citrus marmalade—were right there! (Coincidentally, we had gone to the Titanic exhibit the previous evening and seen actual Dundee preserves jars that had been on the Titanic and served to its guests during that fateful voyage. Zabar's preserves selection included today's Dundee preserves jars for contemporary New Yorkers to enjoy.)

As if that weren't enough, Zabar's also roasts their own coffee, and it smelled wonderful in the coffee section as customers' beans were freshly ground for them. Oh yeah, behind and around the coffee were spices, and we found there to be a nice selection there, too.

That's just the ground floor, folks! The 2nd floor at Zabar's is a large kitchen supply store. Their trendency to have a large selection of items (as I found myself repeating above) was certainly continued upstairs.

So, we purchased our items and headed to their café just next door to eat our lunch—opting out of a lovely lunch in Central Park due to P's extremely unfortunate abhorrance of picnics. (One can buy foods in the deli and take them next door to eat at a proper table or counter.) The café also offers panini and cold beverages—as well as tart frozen yoghurt they call ZA-Berry. I had to have some of the latter; so, of course, I did (my justification: "It's for the blog!").  It was actually fantastic. We've had this tart frozen yoghurt at other establishments (cf., Jeff's post) and have enjoyed it very much but could see why some people might disagree. ZA-Berry was just the right balance of sweetness and tartness that I believe should make it popular even with ice-cream-only folks. I got the Za-Berry Special ("It's for the blog!") and chose blueberries, pineapple, and strawberries as my toppings. Man, I want another...

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We went to a wedding later that evening at the NY Botanical Gardens. It was gorgeous, and the food was amazing. We have an unfortunate lack of photos (probably due to our overzealous enjoyment of the drinks and inspired hors d'œuvres); so, you'll have to take our word for it: the food really was very good. At cocktail hour, there were carving stations! There were also other hot and cold offerings at the stations as well as beautiful passed bites. Filet mignon for dinner was followed by a delicious dessert dubbed "Espressomisu" (pictured below). Some photos follow.

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One day, we took a stroll on the High Line, a new park in NYC which was built on an old elevated train track structure. Section one opened recently, and it is a must-see; it was beautifully conceptualized, designed, and excecuted. (Check out http://thehighline.org/ for info.) Many fun restaurants have sprung up in the vacinity—perhaps most notably in the meatpacking district in which the High Line ends (@ Gansevoort St.). You really should see this for yourself. Until then, here are some photos.

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On our way back from the High Line, I wanted pizza, so we stopped at Ray's—ahem—"Famous Original Ray's Pizza" in Chelsea. I love eggplant pizza, and I knew Ray's had it. Luckily, I got the last slice as well as a slice of Margherita. P got a slice of bacon and a slice of sausage & pepperoni. (We also splurged and got a few garlic knots: "It's for the blog!") My pizza was exactly what I wanted. They were nice and crusty, and the eggplant was tasty. It was not the best pizza I've ever had, but I was satiated and satisfied. Peter was less happy with his choices:

"I hardly thought Ray's was memorable pizza.  I felt it was too heavy on the cheese, not enough sauce, and the crust was just okay.  Maybe my expectations were too high but I've had much better at chains like Papa Gino's.  Growing up in the area, I know NY/NJ has much better to offer."

The Billionaire's Vinegar

I just finished reading Benjamin Wallace's in-depth look into the "Jefferson wine bottle scandal" back in the 1980's. His book, "The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine" dives into the mystery surrounding the Forbes family's purchase (from Christie's) of a bottle of 1787 Lafite claimed to have been owned by Thomas Jefferson. With thrilling detail, Wallace works as a detective to uncover the wealthy world of vintage-wine collecting and the famous, wealthy, and sometimes shady people who are involved in the business. It's a fascinating read, not only for the mystery of the Jefferson bottles (were they ever really owned by Jefferson? Are they as old as they claim to be?) but also for the amount of knowledge you gain from Wallace's research into old wines. If you're looking for a great story about wine and the wine culture of the rich and famous, this book is definitely for you.

Teranga - a taste of Senegal in the South End!

A month or so ago I was reading 'Stuff' magazine and came across an article about 'Teranga', Boston's new and only Senegalese restaurant. The word Teranga, itself, translates to something like 'hospitality' and having gone there yesterday I can certainly attest to the place's hospitable nature!

The restaurant itself is small and decorated with what I might call "modern African" decor. There are perhaps 7 tables for two along the window, another set of 7 or 8 along the side wall, and finally a bar that seats - you guessed it! - perhaps 7 or 8. On a Wednesday night around 7:30 I was pleased to see it was doing well, with two-thirds of the restaurant full. The menu itself is fairly simple, with half a dozen appetizers and a decent number of entrees. To drink they have a number of domestic and international beers, including options from Haiti and New Zealand, wines by both glass and bottle, and several wonderful-sounding fruit juice concoctions with ingredients like hibiscus and orange flower water.

We started with a round of beers - the 'Prestige' American-style lager from Haiti and New Zealand lager 'Steinlager'. Both were nice and light and went well with the Shrimp Brochette we chose as an appetizer. The shrimp came skewered with a number of vegetables including eggplant and onion and were drizzled with a delicious orange sauce. It was reminiscent of Thousand Island dressing looks-wise but less abrasive in its flavor - nice and creamy and not overpowering. The shrimp and vegetables were outstanding and had this incredible smokiness to them.

For my entree I chose the 'Thieboudienne', Senegal's national dish consisting of a white fish, rice, and a smattering of vegetables - carrot, cauliflower, cabbage, and cassava - all in a delicious tomato-based sauce. The fish was very meaty and had an almost salt-cured flavor to it which I enjoyed. I enjoyed the variety of textures and flavors with the vegetables, from the very starchy cassava (in the yucca family) to the soft cooked cabbage.

Chris chose the beef version of our shrimp appetizer - skewers of marinated beef and vegetables with a side of mixed greens and yucca fries. Again the skewers were drizzled with the tasty orange sauce. The beef was perfectly cooked - tender and flavorful with that outstanding smokey flavor. We both had a glass of wine to accompany our main dishes, but the names of them escape me.

We were a bit too full for dessert, instead asking who we presume to be the owner to recommend one of the fruit juices for us. She suggested her favorite, the Bouye juice, whose primary ingredient is I believe juice from the Baobab fruit. The juice was surprisingly white - very rich and creamy and surprisingly reminiscent of melted rainbow sherbet.

Having finished our meal we were thoroughly satisfied. For around $35 I had half an appetizer, a sizeable and delicious main dish, a glass of both beer and wine, plus a wonderful juice to end my experience there. I would highly recommend this new South End establishment to anyone looking for someplace fun and relatively inexpensive to have a meal!