Cookie Craving
Posted: July 23, 2010 Filed under: Cookies Leave a commentA few weekends ago, I baked cookies to my heart’s content. Probably to make up for all of the times I’ve wanted to bake cookies during the school year but been too busy for. Thanks to my mom’s extensive collection of cookbooks, I had the privilege of scouring the Martha Stewart Cookie Cookbook, which is arranged based on cookie texture (genius). I’m looking for a really good chocolate cookie recipe, since I have yet to fall in love with chocolate cookies. I ended up baking her Ginger Chocolate, Chocolate Sugar, Sugar, and Chocolate Black Pepper recipes. Of course, I had to also bake my forever favorites- the Jacques-Torress chocolate chip cookies. For the sugar cookies, I used the recipe for vanilla bean cookies included within the recipe for raspberry cream sandwich cookies.
Chocolate Chip. This recipe incorporates a sprinkling of sea salt on top of each cookie prior to baking, and encourages refrigeration of dough for as long as possible. I love the texture- slightly firm on the outside and chewy and more soft towards the middle.
Sugar. The texture of these cookies was different from any sugar cookie I’ve had before. The edges were a little crispy while the middle was incredibly moist and chewy. I really liked them.
Chocolate Sugar. These are definitely not the right chocolate cookie for me, but they didn’t taste bad. I thought they were really beautiful looking!
Chocolate-Black Pepper. I left the pepper out of this recipe for fear that it would detract from the flavor for some of my cookie eaters. These were really delicious cookies anyway! I thought they were beautiful and they taste good straight out of the oven or after they have cooled and become slightly more crispy.
Chocolate Ginger Cookies. Thanks to the particular taste of another cookie eater, I had to leave the chocolate out of this batch of dough (unfortunate). I adapted the recipe a little bit by adding more butter and less flour, and these ended up being some of the tastiest ginger cookies I’ve eaten! I have made these before with chocolate and they are amazing- definitely try the recipe.
Fortunately, all of these recipes are conveniently posted online, so here are the links:
Chocolate-Black Pepper Cookies
Jacques Torres’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chewy Chocolate Ginger Cookies
Start baking! There is something incredibly warming and uplifting about cookies straight out of the oven, and then the next morning all over again for breakfast 🙂 The Martha Stewart website has an amazing collection of her cookie recipes.
New York State of Mind
Posted: July 10, 2010 Filed under: Restaurants, Uncategorized Leave a commentThe highlights of my first trip to New York City were definitely all food-related. In fact, I can’t wait to return to the city to eat at the restaurants on my list that I didn’t get a chance to visit. Here are the highlights and my recommendations (should you take a trip) 🙂
L’Ecole, the Restaurant of the French Culinary Institute
L’Ecole has one of the most delicious five course prix fixe menus in New York City (of course, I’ve never had another… but still…). Every bite is filled with rich flavor and best of all, we left feeling just perfectly full. I had my first experience with Arctic Char and am reluctant to eat salmon again- the char was similar to salmon, but ten times more tender and flavorful. I was surprised by the amazing flavor of the pork loin, complimented by the fresh mint-pea purée. Potatoes served with both meat courses were flavorful and delicate. My favorite part of the meal, strangely enough, was the lemon ricotta sorbet served with the digestive salad. Simultaneously creamy, sour, and cool, it was the perfect end to the meal pre-dessert.
Parisian Gnocchi with Asparagus and Prosciutto in a Lemon Chicken Velouté
Five-Spice Marinated Duck Breast with Pickled Cherries and Goat Cheese
Poached Arctic Char with White Asparagus and…
the best Paella!!
Fillet of Bass in a Spiced Crustacean Broth with Grilled Squid, Creamed Corn and Fava Beans
Hanger Steak with Pommes Boulangere
Roasted Hampshire Pork Loin with Mint-Pea Purée, Potato Terrine and Sherry Vinegar Pork Jus
Amazing Lemon Ricotta Sorbet with the Digestive Salad
Part of the trio of Chocolate desserts- German Chocolate Cake
Amazing Peach and Blackberry Tart with fresh Pistachio and Dried Fruit Ice Cream
Chimichurri Grill, Argentine Cuisine
We chose this restaurant due to its proximity to the theater district. I was surprised by the flavor in everything. The gazpacho was full of fresh tomatoes and unlike many gazpachos, had a refreshing crunch. While the watermelon sorbet complimented the gazpacho well, when eaten plain, I found it a bit too artificially sweet. The filet mignon was out of this world- tender, flavorful, yum. The only thing I would have added was a side dish. For dessert, I tried the lavender-infused flan and was delighted by an incredibly creamy and flavorful treat. I haven’t had good flan in a long time (the dining hall just doesn’t cut it), so it was nice to be reminded of how tasty it can be.
Gazpacho served with Watermelon Sorbet (presentation in this picture is lacking because I was too excited to start eating)
Chimichurri Filet Mignon
Flourless Chocolate Cake- not my favorite here, but still very good
Lavendar-Infused Flan
202
A craving for post-July 4th brunch led me to 202, a restaurant tucked into a designer store for attire, housewares, and antiques from Paris and the South of France. I was happy to find that it is indeed possible to combine two of my favorite things- food and shopping. While you wait for your food, you can look around at the selection of clothes, shoppers, and other diners. For brunch, we had the English Breakfast- a combination of poached eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, a mushroom, delicious potatoes, and tomatoes. 202 is also famous for its french toast, which we also ordered. It was easily some of the best french toast I’ve ever had and I would happily eat it every day if I could.
French Toast (with bacon on top)
English Breakfast (not a good picture- I apologize)
Let's Talk Food. 