I've been doing a lot of eating and not a lot of writing lately. I apologize, but I will get back to it soon. I had a meal the other night that took four hours to prepare. Four hours. I was whipped afterwards, but--thankfully--it was good. But I won't be making it again!
I'm very lucky--I don't have a long Christmas gift list and the few people that are on it are happy to get edible gifts. I'll be making (and posting) several of my favorites this year, including banana nut bread and oatmeal raisin cookies as well as hoping to add some new, possibly vegan treats to the bunch.
But I can't make everything and The Best Friend™ gets a few bonuses. First, a selection of chocolates from Jacques Torres (that's Mr. Chocolate) as well as a selection of goodies from Family Farm Defenders.
I don't get credit for buying local from FFD since I don't live in Wisconsin, but it's fair trade cheese (not from factory farms) and it's made with vegetarian rennet, so it's a cause I'm reasonably happy to support (since I've not yet been able to figure out a way to kick the cheese addiction). I think I'll skip the sausage, though and hope that The Best Friend™ is happy with a selection of cheeses, crackers, and other (vegetarian) Wisconsin goodies.
And, yeah, I'm going to order a few things for myself, too.
Showing posts with label jacques torres. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jacques torres. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Saturday in New York/Wilmington
Saturday morning in New York, we got up early and headed to Tom Colicchio's casual restaurant, craftbar, on Broadway in the Flatiron District (NoHo). The vegetarian selection was small, but thoughtful and I settled on the Brioche Pain Perdu with Vermont Maple Syrup (aka French Toast). Along with maple syrup was a dish of fresh lemon preserves which I happily spread on my toast with just a tiny bit of the syrup. It was delicious.
After brunch, we wandered our way over (way over) to the other side of Manhattan to browse the selection of chocolates at Jacques Torres on Hudson Street. I chose a custom box of chocolates from a large selection that included a key lime granache-filled white chocolate "Lovebug" and a passion fruit granache-filled dark chocolate heart. I also picked up a small bag of dark chocolate covered almonds dusted in cocoa powder for a special someone. It was hard to leave without buying out the store.
We were fairly tired from our trek across the island to the chocolate store, so we took a cab back to Washington Square Park, home of NY Dosas, another recommendation from my friend, Celine. I got lucky to be there on a Saturday when there was not a huge line. Yes, it's a food cart, but each dosa (a southern Indian crepe made of lentils and filled with various things such as potatoes, onions and peas, popularly known as a masala dosa) is prepared to order and takes about five minutes to cook. I ordered the Pondicherry Dosa, filled with the usual curried potatoes as well as some other vegetables (carrots, peppers and a few others). It came with a side of chutney and lentil soup. At just $5, it's a real bargain in comparison to many restaurants in the area, and just as tasty, though you'll have an audience of a cast of interesting characters and animals if you opt to stay in the park to eat.
Not long after lunch at the dosa cart, it was time to head back to Wilmington, Delaware for the evening, where my friend and her husband live. She's of Persian descent and knew that green rice was one of my favorite dishes, so she surprised me with a dinner that included Sabzi or Baghali Polo that evening. The recipe I linked to includes several other herbs, but as far as I know, she only uses fresh dill. A couple of other tweaks: use basmati rice for the base (I've used wild basmati instead of white and it's just as good and healthier), olive oil instead of vegetable oil, and in a pinch, lima beans can be substituted for fava beans. It's an excellent dish and very hearty, though she did prepare some chicken for the carnivores as well as a salad and roasted broccoli. I'd never had roasted broccoli before, but was convinced to try it when I told her that I eat broccoli, but don't like it and she assured me I would like it this way. Try this simple recipe if you have a hard time swallowing broccoli, too because it really does alter the flavor in a positive way. She roasted it long enough to have a few crunchy spots on it, which was a nice touch, texture-wise.
So now, it's back to Nashville and my regular food for a while. Though I did treat myself with a trip to McNeil's to get fresh tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cantaloupe, a seedless watermelon, and "Peaches and Cream" bi-color corn on the cob. It'll be a yummy week.
After brunch, we wandered our way over (way over) to the other side of Manhattan to browse the selection of chocolates at Jacques Torres on Hudson Street. I chose a custom box of chocolates from a large selection that included a key lime granache-filled white chocolate "Lovebug" and a passion fruit granache-filled dark chocolate heart. I also picked up a small bag of dark chocolate covered almonds dusted in cocoa powder for a special someone. It was hard to leave without buying out the store.
We were fairly tired from our trek across the island to the chocolate store, so we took a cab back to Washington Square Park, home of NY Dosas, another recommendation from my friend, Celine. I got lucky to be there on a Saturday when there was not a huge line. Yes, it's a food cart, but each dosa (a southern Indian crepe made of lentils and filled with various things such as potatoes, onions and peas, popularly known as a masala dosa) is prepared to order and takes about five minutes to cook. I ordered the Pondicherry Dosa, filled with the usual curried potatoes as well as some other vegetables (carrots, peppers and a few others). It came with a side of chutney and lentil soup. At just $5, it's a real bargain in comparison to many restaurants in the area, and just as tasty, though you'll have an audience of a cast of interesting characters and animals if you opt to stay in the park to eat.Not long after lunch at the dosa cart, it was time to head back to Wilmington, Delaware for the evening, where my friend and her husband live. She's of Persian descent and knew that green rice was one of my favorite dishes, so she surprised me with a dinner that included Sabzi or Baghali Polo that evening. The recipe I linked to includes several other herbs, but as far as I know, she only uses fresh dill. A couple of other tweaks: use basmati rice for the base (I've used wild basmati instead of white and it's just as good and healthier), olive oil instead of vegetable oil, and in a pinch, lima beans can be substituted for fava beans. It's an excellent dish and very hearty, though she did prepare some chicken for the carnivores as well as a salad and roasted broccoli. I'd never had roasted broccoli before, but was convinced to try it when I told her that I eat broccoli, but don't like it and she assured me I would like it this way. Try this simple recipe if you have a hard time swallowing broccoli, too because it really does alter the flavor in a positive way. She roasted it long enough to have a few crunchy spots on it, which was a nice touch, texture-wise.
So now, it's back to Nashville and my regular food for a while. Though I did treat myself with a trip to McNeil's to get fresh tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cantaloupe, a seedless watermelon, and "Peaches and Cream" bi-color corn on the cob. It'll be a yummy week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)