Three Berries Walk into a Bar of Cream Cheese

I made strawberry cheesecake cupcakes for a friend's housewarming and they were a hit. I decided to walk on the wild side and turn the recipe into a cake. To be honest, it was less for the sake of innovation and more just old fashioned laziness that drove me to tinker with the recipe. This is also the first time that I've decorated a cake. Altogether, I must say that it was a rather ambitious project. The cake consists of 4 components: the graham cracker crust, the cake, the whirled-in cream cheese and the frosting. The process is a bit intricate, but I assure you that the results are well worth the effort.

Recipe
For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups blackberries
pinch of salt


For the cheesecake filling:
8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon strawberry jam


For the raspberry butter cream frosting:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup raspberry syrup
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar


For crust and decoration:
1/3 box graham crackers (11 sheets, crumbed)
3 sheets of graham cracker broken up into 4 pieces each


Special equipment:
12 inch spring form cake pan

Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton

I would rank my dinner at the Dining Room at the Ritz as the best dining experience of my life. We came here for the boyfriend's big 3-0 and everything, from the food, to the service and ambiance, were pretty close to perfection. Such a memorable experience!!

We arrived a bit early for our 7:30 reservation but the maître d' seated us right away. It's so rare to see white table clothes these days and it definitely lends a touch of elegance. The table was round so we got to sit next to each other, which I preferred. 

The waiter brought us an amuse-bouche of chicken stuffed empanada. The pastry was light and buttery without being oily; definitely wetted our appetite. A few minutes later, the kitchen presented us with the first of two hors d'oeuvres, a fried crab ball topping a mango and jalapeno sauce. They could have used less breading for because the crab was so delicate, but the flavors were en pointe. The second canapé was a boneless chicken wing with a light coriander and peach broth. The chicken skin was so crispy yet moist. It turned out to be Orin's favorite of the night. 

Crab Puff

Chicken Wing

We decided on the tasting menu and share a wine pairing. The boy got himself a Makers on the rocks and our meal awaits. Even the butter was richer and creamier than the run of the mills stuff at grocery stores. The only draw back was that the bread was not freshly baked and a bit stale. It was probably for the best or else I would fill up on starch.

Come Here Little Wabbit, I Have Something to Show You

Recently, I've been remiss on my bi-weekly muffin runs due to a camping trip that I had to organize. Well, it's that time again and this go around, I've decided to make carrot cake muffins. For my millions upon millions of faithful readers in the inter-webs that follow this blog with slavish devotion, you know the drill. I perfected the bran muffin base and it's simply the gift that keeps on giving, except this largesse can't be controlled by Valtrex (not that I would know, obviously). 

Recipe
2 cups raisins
1 20 oz can crushed pineapples
4 medium carrots
2 cups of walnut halves
3 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups oat bran
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup milled flaxseed
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

How East Asians Do Curry

There's nothing more homey and stick to your ribs than chicken curry over a big bowl of rice. I've been making this Asian favorite since I could see over the stove (happened just a few weeks ago, in fact; still waiting for my voice to change). This isn't the traditional Indian nor Thai curries that we're used to, but a prepared, Japanese-fied thick paste of "curry flavoring". Even though it's not authentic, it's a great one-stop-shop for a quick curry. You can find it in the Asian island in most supermarkets these days. If not, hit up a Chinese grocer.

Recipe
8 bone-on chicken thighs (around 3 pounds)
1 packet S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix
1 can coconut cream
1 can sweet peas
1 can low sodium chicken broth
1 large potato
2 large carrots
3 stalks of celery
1/2 large head of cauliflower
1 large onion
1 jalapeño
1 bunch cilantro
1 turn of the pan of canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

The Devil Meets Mr. Kahlua

For my dear friend Aleks' house warming, I decided to whip up a few cupcakes. Tired of my traditional red velvet creations, I decided to mix it up a bit. It being a Russian party, I determined there must be alcohol involved. After much contemplation, I came up with chocolate cake base topped with Kahlua butter cream frosting cupcakes. The recipe makes around 30 cupcakes.

Recipe
For the cupcakes:
1 cup butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 dutch processed cocoa powder
4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups hot strong coffee


For the butter cream:
1 cup milk
7 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup Kahlua
1 1/2 cups butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Dolphin Fish Bake

I love to eat fish, but they're such fickle customers to season and prepare properly. They require the right combination and strength of spices so they don't taste too ocean-y, but maintain enough of their natural flavors so you can distinguish what you're actually putting in your mouth. One of my biggest pet peeves is overcooked seafood. When I order fish at restaurants, even the good ones, my experiences have been more misses than hits. I've had some success with Chilean sea bass at home because they're so fatty and almost impossible to bungle. In an effort to broaden my range, I decided to experiment with dolphin... erg, I meant salmon.


Recipe
1 1/2 pound salmon filet
2 lemons
2 tablespoons fresh dill
2 tablespoons EVOO
2 tablespoons marsala wine
2 shallots
1/2 head of garlic
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

I Ate His Liver with Some Fava Beans

Lately, I've noticed that many restaurants like to pair the meat of entrees with artisanal, heirloom beans. The beans soak up the flavor of the stock they're cooked in and have a creamy texture similar to potatoes. They're the perfect accompaniment to lighter proteins, such as seafood, chicken and veal. Since I'm making salmon, I decided to give fava beans a swirl. 


Recipe
1 pound large fava beans
1 medium onion
2 medium carrots
4 celery stalks
4 cups chicken stock
4 bay leaves
1 cup Marsala wine
5 slices of bacon
salt and pepper for taste

My Muffin Top is Peachy and Brings All the Boys to the Yard

Apparently, my uncanny ability to be the Grim Reaper to every photosynetic organism is not a family curse. My mom is the horse whisperer with plants, it's pretty incredible. The peach tree in our backyard is having a prolific year and yielded buckets of fruit. I merrily carted off 10 pounds of the luscious jewels back to my apartment. Faced with the dilemma of what to do with so many ripe peaches, I decided there's only one thing to do -- make muffins!


Recipe
8 large ripe peaches
3 inch segment of ginger
2 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups oat bran
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup milled flaxseed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup honey
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Absinthe Brasserie & Bar

Wow, I was completely blown away by this place!! I would rank Absinthe as one of my top three food experiences in the city. The service wasn't great -- the hostess had a worst case of the bitch-face that I've witnessed in a while, our waitress was friendly but absentee and the busboys were ill trained, but the food, wow, the food was fantastic!!


To start things off, Absinthe lived up to its name with an expansive list of creative cocktails. I had the Galapagos, which consisted of kaffir-lime leaf muddled in pepper syrup, Barsol Pisco, lemon-lime and grapefruit juices. I was expecting a bit more lime leaf, which has an extremely distinctive flavor, but the drink was very yummy nevertheless. The boyfriend had a Manhattan and thoroughly enjoyed his beverage. The night was off to a racing start.


The restaurant has a seasonal menu with large plates, small shared plates and eclectic cheeses and raw bar. We decided to play it safe and share the beef tartare, the sous vide pork loin and the burger with gruyere.


The beef tartare, we both agreed, was bar none, the best that we've had the pleasure to enjoy. If you're a fan of steak tartare, this is a must order. Heck, even if you're a bit freaked out by the idea of raw beef topped off by a raw quail egg, this will make you into a believer. The preparation was simple -- violet mustard, green apple, red onion, cornichons and the quail egg yoke, and the flavors welded together in the most wondrous fashion. The beef, I'm guessing, did not go through a meat grinder and was painstakingly chopped by hand. The result was truly worth the effort because it simply melted in your mouth. It was super fresh and didn't have any raw taste to it at all. I can wax poetic about this dish for paragraphs and paragraphs, but you get the idea. Order it!!

The steak tartare

Chicken Salad al Fresco

I'm always on the lookout for healthy and quick meals during the week. Ever since I got my first Costco card, I've been adding their rotisserie chicken to my green salads. After watching Ina Garten make her version of the Wardolf salad on the FoodNetwork a few years back, I began to experiment with different variations of the iconic chicken salad. Always make it fun, make it colorful, and use whatever leftover produces you have in the crisper.

Recipe
3 bone in, skin on chicken breasts
1 lemon
1/2 red onion
1 pear
1 avocado
3 celery stalks
1 carrot
1 tablespoon EVOO
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
4 sprigs tarragon
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 cup toasted hazelnut pieces
1 head of butter lettuce
2 hard boiled eggs
salt and pepper to taste