the rest of what i ate last week

Posted in city eating guide by

Dim sum from Ping’s Seafood:

Bubble tea from Teariffic:

Other things I ate but neglected to photograph:

Bibimbap, scallion seafood pancake, and bbq pork at Kangsuh Restaurant.

Kosher pickle, matzoh ball soup, and potato latke at Ben’s Delicatessen.

Half a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of creamy parsnip soup at The Green Table in Chelsea Market.  While in the market I saw a judge from Iron Chef.  I was super excited and remembered what it’s like to pass a celebrity in daily life which is not uncommon in NYC.  When I saw an actor at a sample sale twenty minutes later I wasn’t even fazed.

There was so much more I wanted to consume while back in New York but just didn’t have the time or space in my stomach for it.  Next time!

This weekend I am hosting a little Christmas party so will be preparing some serious drinks and appetizers for the occasion.  Will share those recipes with you next week, so please check back for that.

 

what i’ve been eating this week

Posted in city eating guide by

Cappuccino from Ninth Street Espresso:

The best cookies in the whole world from Levain Bakery:

City Bakery hot chocolate with their most excellent homemade marshmallows:

Shake Shack burger:

Off to grab dim sum in my old neighborhood now.  Exciting!

a gluttonous feast

Posted in Uncategorized by

Now that leftovers are all gone I thought I would post some images of my Thanksgiving dishes.  Am already feeling a slight nostalgia for the day that was…

There were cheddar herb biscuits:

Cornbread and sausage stuffing:

 Corn pudding:

Sweet potato casserole:

Brussels sprouts and carmelized shallot hash:

Cranberry-apple chutney:

The star of the day, salted herb roast turkey:

Pecan pie with cream cheese crust:

Pumpkin cream pie with (homemade) gingersnap crust:

And cranberry brie pie:

 There was also gingersnap ice cream but I somehow managed to miss taking a photo of it… but I can assure you it was quite good.

It dawned on me when I opened a can of chiles for the corn pudding that it was the first and only can I opened in the entire preparation the meal– everything else was made from scratch from the chicken stock to the pumpkin puree to the pie crusts.  A very homemade Thanksgiving, indeed.

Hope everyone had a great holiday!

This week I will be traveling to New York for work so my posts will likely be images of what I am eating while there.  Will return with regular programming (aka recipes) next week.

last minute side dish

Posted in vegetable, vegetarian by

A last minute idea for your Thanksgiving table: roasted acorn squash.  It is so simple to make and it’s delicious.  The hardest part is cracking open the squash but I have found that a sharp knife does the trick– just be sure to keep your fingers out of the way of the blade!  You don’t want to spend Thanksgiving in the emergency room…

After the squash is cut in two (cut into fourths if the squash is particularly large) and has been seeded, fill it with a combination of butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and fresh sage leaves.  In the past I have also used a similar Tyler Florence recipe that also includes Amaretto and crushed up vanilla wafers that is also quite good.  Take your pick.

Roast in the oven until tender and enjoy.

Roasted Acorn Squash

  • 2 acorn squash
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • Fresh sage leaves (about 8)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Split squash in half through the equator and scrape out seeds with a spoon.  Set the squash halves (cut sides up) on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Stir melted butter, brown sugar, and nutmeg in a bowl.  Brush mixture onto cut squash halves.  Sprinkle coated squash halves with sage leaves.

Bake for about an hour or until squash halves are tender.

chess pie, take 3

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I liked the first two chess pies I made for this here blog so much that when I saw a recipe for a lemon-buttermilk version I decided to try it a third time.

Before you get to the filling part of this pie you first have to make the crust.  The recipe recommended using pie weights or dried beans over parchment paper to keep the crust from bubbling up and since I don’t have pie weights I used some dried pinto beans I had in my cabinet.

It worked like a charm, though please note: I highly recommend making the crust edges taller than you think they ought to be because it shrunk up pretty good when I baked it.  I actually couldn’t fit all of the filling in so had to throw a little out and I never like to throw food out, particularly when involves things like butter and sugar, so take my word for it and make the edges nice and tall!

The filling consists of eggs, butter, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, buttermilk, and cornmeal amongst a few other necessary ingredients like vanilla and flour.  In other words, heaven.

It baked up into a lovely golden brown and was very tasty.  This would be a nice addition to your Thanksgiving pie menu as it’s quite light and the hint of lemon is refreshing.  Don’t get me wrong, I love some of the heavier pies of the season (pumpkin, pecan, sweet potato, etc.) but it’s always good to have another option, too.

I plan to get a few more recipes posted before the big day so be sure to check back for more ideas!

Buttermilk-Lemon Chess Pie (from recipe found at www.epicurious.com)

Crust:

  •   2 cups all-purpose flour plus more
  •   1 teaspoon kosher salt
  •   1 teaspoon sugar
  •   3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter cut into 1/2″ cubes
  •   1/2 cup (or more) cold buttermilk

Filling:

  •   1 1/2 cups sugar
  •   1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
  •   1 1/2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
  •   1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  •   5 large eggs, beaten to blend
  •   2/3 cup buttermilk
  •   1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  •   1 3/4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  •   1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
  •   2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  •   Pinch of kosher salt

For   crust:

Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add butter; pulse until pea-size pieces of butter form. Add 1/2 cup buttermilk; pulse until moist clumps form, adding more buttermilk by tablespoonfuls if too dry. Form into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 14″ round. Transfer to pie pan; gently press onto bottom and up sides of pan.   Trim dough, leaving a 1″ overhang; tuck overhang under. Crimp edges decoratively. Line with parchment paper or foil; fill with pie weights or dried beans.

Bake crust until edges begin to brown, 30-35 minutes. Remove paper and weights; bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes longer. Let cool completely.
For filling:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Whisk eggs and remaining 6 ingredients in a large bowl (mixture may look curdled). Slowly whisk in dry ingredients. Pour filling into cooled crust and bake until custard is set around edges but jiggles slightly in center, 1 hour—1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.