NYE in NYC

4 of my 14 days in the States were spent in Queens / NYC. Under fear of penalty of death by 1 or 2 Manhattan friends I’ve clearly noted that there is a distinction between the two. It’s true that NYC is famous for its food and restaurants; unbeatable by any other major city it’s even been suggested. My 4 days and nights did bring me some outstanding nosh, both in the city and in Queens – however, for the most part, spare one or two exceptions noted below – the highlights were of the more random variety (e.g. homemade pickles and beer at the Blind Tiger Ale House, Vietnamese beef roll-ups in Jackson Heights, and homemade nachos in LB’s apartment).

Hands down and thumbs up to The Spotted Pig. On my first night in NY, LB and I hopped the E train from Jackson Heights into the city. We were armed with a list of fall-back joints because the popular too cool for school gastropub is reservation-free, and the wait for a table might have exceeded our hunger limits.

Not surprisingly, we were told (at the ridiculously early hour of 6:45 pm on a Saturday night) that it was already a 2 hour wait. Instead of turning our heads around in despair we decided to get a drink and see if perhaps we could finagle our way to a couple seats at the bar. Considering that even “standing room only” was scarce and the bar was at least 2 people deep trying to order, we were both shocked and decidedly thrilled when the bar stool fairies came down and sprinkled some magic on us. Two folks stood up to leave and the pair in front of us, who’d seemed to be hovering closely turned to us and said – "these are all yours if you want them". “Hip hip hooray! I love you!” is what I wanted to say in response, but fearing I’d be spotted as a non-New Yorker I simply dropped my Marc Jacobs bag on the stool and gave a quick, “thanks so much.” LB and I were in – and only after 15 minutes of people watching.

The highlights of our tasty and shared bar fare were without a doubt the side dish of brussel sprouts and a chargrilled burger with Roquefort and shoestring fries.

No, that was not a typo. The Spotted Pig served up the tastiest dang brussel sprouts LB or I had ever tasted. It’s no secret that brussel sprouts are not typically the prince of all veggies. Often delegated to the Christmas dinner they are often boiled, overcooked, and the tasteless wallflowers of the party. What we were served were the exotic celebrity cousins of these wallflowers, in for a brief visit of dancing and drinking champagne until 4 am. These were the brussel sprouts of my dreams. Now, I can often figure out (more or less) how dishes have been prepared. LB asked me and I couldn’t get beyond commenting on the butter to brussel sprout ratio and that it was pretty much a 1 to 1 measure. Most likely blanched and then roasted with butter, balsamic vinegar and some sugar, the brussel sprouts were perfectly cooked - crispy on the outside and soft little pillows of heaven on the inside.

The chargrilled burger with Roquefort and shoestring fries was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. As someone who eats a burger about once every 3-5 months I like to make sure it’s going to be a good one. The meat was bouncy and moist in the mouth and combining it with the Roquefort cheese and nothing else, was brilliant. The shoestring fries had been made with fresh potatoes that day and mixed amongst them were little slices of fried garlic pieces. If any complaint could be made it was that the shoestring fries had been so thinly sliced that it was hard to eat them with either your fingers or a fork. Brilliantly, I realized that by creating an adhesive of ketchup one could pack a lot of those puppies onto a fork or my fingers at once. Fine if I looked like a little piggie eating them, let's call a spade a spade here. I don't mind.

LB asked a couple of times if I’d spotted any celebs yet. LB’s first visit to The Spotted Pig had resulted in her food not being the only hot item in the restaurant that night, Tom Brady was there with a friend. And apparently the Olsen twins had been there the week before that.

Anyway, no celebs that night – unless you count the brussel sprouts. I’ll take a plate of those sprouts over the Olsen twins any day of the year.

Side note: Can someone please tell me why those two are famous? I mean seriously, Full House?

Sugar, Spice, and a whole lot of butter

It’s nearly Christmas when:

1. I’m obsessing about every little gift I plan on giving.

2. I’m annoyingly humming Christmas Carols during 75% of my waking hours.

3. JT may have brought sexy back, but I'm bringing Rudolph back with a bloody cold that's 2 Legit 2 Quit.

4. I’ve a penchant for all things sparkly, and am magnetically drawn to clothes in red, green and gold. If it’s combined all in one gorgeous frock, cheers to that.

AND

5. I start breaking out sticks of butter with wanton abandon, far too many cups of sugar, and excessive amounts of chocolate that would even make Mr. Hershey blush. Then, I bake.

Dark Chocolate-Chunk Shortbread: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2007/12/12/chocolate_chunk_shortbread/
I followed the recipe I found in this week’s Boston Globe. I had some lovely Lindt 85% cocoa chocolate so used that in lieu of their recommendation. My taste buds are only at about 75% due to the cold, but danggit - it smells unbelievable in my kitchen at the moment. It's all about the butter.

Cranberry Coffee Cake - based on: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/107775

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt1 stick

(1/2 cup - 113 g) unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup whole milk

I also added 1/2 cup pecan pieces and 1 tsp cinnamon.

- Pulse cranberries with 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a food processor until finely chopped (do not purée). Transfer to a sieve and let drain while making batter.

- Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

- Beat together butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy, about 5-8 minutes.

- Add eggs, then vanilla.

- Add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing until just incorporated. Add pecans.

- Spread one third of batter in well-buttered loaf pan, then spoon half of drained cranberries evenly over batter. Top with another third of batter and remaining cranberries.

- Bake in middle of oven until golden brown and a tester inserted in center comes out without crumbs, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

- Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes.

- Serve warm or at room temperature.

Wild about Wild Honey

Last night I died and went to…the USA. Don’t get me wrong, I love the UK for a number of different reasons, some of which include how wonderful the people can be. However, living in London, one thing I miss the most is the good, old-fashioned customer service I get at home.

Of course I’ve had State-side restaurant service debacles that have left me frustrated, angry, and hungry. The norm however, is of the “customer is always right” variety. Last night, after a happy ho-ho-ho-lidays Christmas concert at Grosvener Chapel where our friend AW was singing, and a glass of wine at a nearby Mayfair pub called the Audley, KC and I meandered to a new restaurant I’d recently read about called Wild Honey. We arrived a few minutes before our scheduled booking, and as the table wasn’t ready, we popped up to a couple seats at the bar.

Immediately the bartender was over to us, smiling at us like old friends who’d just called in for a quick visit. How could he help he wanted to know? After a bit of idle chitchat, and letting him know we were waiting to eat in the dining area, he was off – he’d just spotted some other friends who’d come in to visit. Over strolled a waiter who wanted to chat with us about the food while we waited. Not only did he answer our questions about the menu but gave us some in-depth details on how some dishes were prepared. I didn’t have the heart to stop him when he was explaining what Mushroom Duxelle was. He was so jolly in his teaching mode, so what if I already knew what they were, KC most likely didn't. The best bit about talking through the menu? He insisted we do it with a cocktail – on the house. Now as anyone who’s lived in London before knows, this NEVER happens – Ever, Ever, Ever! We were a bit shell-shocked by the offer but I recovered quickly enough to say, “yes, that would be lovely thank you.”

The cocktail? A mixture of Prosecco and Braeburn apple juice. So amazing, I’ve decided to smuggle some quality Braeburn juice from Borough Market in my suitcase next week when I head home.

The food was excellent, simple and straightforward, and the décor followed suit with high ceilings and lots of wood panelling and leather banquets. It felt somewhat reminiscent of what an Ivy boys club might look like – subtle, sleek and sophisticated.

Both KC and I had a salad of warm roasted winter vegetables. There were onions, squash, celeriac, pumpkin, and red and yellow beets all sprinkled with a light milk based sauce prepared with garlic and herbs. The starter was satisfying, delicious, and in its own way healthy (the sauce was lightly drizzled and very light).

As a main I had the Icelandic Cod with braised radicchio and roast onion squash. The cod was prepared roulade style and was served looking like a mini tower of pisa. The braised radiccho and roast onion squash were somewhat reminiscent of my starter, which actually suited me just fine.

Throughout the meal the service remained outstanding. There was only one questionable moment. KC and I had decided to skip dessert and sat chatting and finishing our wine. A waiter came over to us, looked us both squarely in the eyes, smiled and said – “what can I do for you ladies, is there anything you need?” After a brief awkward silence KC coyly smiling back and said “no, we’re fine thank you, just finishing our wine. ” As he strolled off I looked at KC a bit confused and told her she shouldn’t have said no so quickly, I’d been about to ask him to juggle and half expected he would have done so.

With most of their wines sold by the 250 ml carafes, prices that are very reasonable, a menu that changes daily with the seasonal produce available, a cosy interior, and service that tops all charts for the UK, it’s no wonder I’m wild about Wild Honey.

Apple Pie

There were some residual effects this week of not having hosted/attended a proper Thanksgiving meal and they manifested themselves in the form of an apple pie.

The reality was that I was looking for any excuse to make one, but with FM away and my weekend plans including nights and days out instead of in, I wasn’t exactly sure who I’d be making this pie for. All well in good to make it just for me, but we’re now in December - a month of way too much holiday cheer wrapped around martinis, night’s out, bottles of wine, Christmas cookies, and Pret a Manger’s Christmas Lunch seasonal sandwiches. I certainly didn't need a personal apple pie sitting in my flat. Luckily, I was able to get the apple pie out of my system (and flat) by heading over to RL’s parents for dinner Friday night.

To tell the truth, I'd not actually made an apple pie before. Shocking I know, but similar to the strawberry rhubarb pie I made a few months back, the apple pie was always something that I might help make, but never owned. I was always delegated the somewhat more random desserts like chocolate caramelised pecan pie or the double key lime coconut pie. Like many of my desserts I made a bit of it up as I went along, and I’ve noted them as optional in the recipe below:

Pie crust: See August’s Strawberry Rhubarb Pie recipe

Filling:
10 Granny smith apples, peeled and cut into small pieces
¾ Cup brown sugar
¾ Cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
¼ Cup lemon juice
½ Jar fruit preserves (I used orange, but apricot would work well)
½ Cup chopped dried apricots (optional)
¼ Cup dried cranberries (optional)

1. Mix all ingredients together and let sit for 10 minutes. Taste, and add more sugar/cinnamon until it’s not too sweet or not too tart (unless of course, you prefer it more one way than the other). I err on the tart side so always start out using a bit less sugar.
2. Role out half of dough and place fruit inside
3. Cover with remaining dough and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar
4. Bake for 1 hour at 175 C or 350 F.
5. Let cool for at least 30 minutes

At RL's parent's house they served the pie with cream. Personally I opted to go without. The pie wasn't the most beautiful dessert I'd ever created, partly due to schlepping it on the tube and through the pouring rain for 45 minutes, but it was really delicious. The apple filling on it's own was amazing, and in an attempt to make this a bit healthier you could skip out on the crust and just cook the apples in a baking dish with a bit of granola on top for texture.

A British Thanksgiving (of sorts)

I made an effort, albeit a small one – to celebrate my favourite state-side holiday here in London. On the official Turkey Day I didn’t actually get home from work until 9 p.m. so my plan was to do something small over the weekend instead.

After a raucous weekend in Horsham, Sunday night found me stuffing a chicken (a turkey seemed a bit excessive for 3-4 people) mashing potatoes (a “lighter” recipe than my typical garlic cream and cheddar cheese ones), steaming broccoli and serving up a fresh batch of my world-famous brownies (yes they were once shipped to my brother in Finland where it was claimed that they were the “best brownies ever”).

Herein was a simple meal (perhaps one of my favourites) that I was making for some dear friends which yes, I am very thankful for. Like the brownies as well, the stuffing is an old family recipe. On paper it looks and sounds a bit strange. However, for one reason or another the stuffing is quite simply ridiculously good. It could arguably be the most revered and loved family recipe my clan posesses. I’ve even been jokingly accused of putting illegal substances in it which makes it addictive. While I can promise that I don’t – I do have to admit that technically I “smuggled” the main ingredient over from the States.

It’s important here to repeat – the recipe looks and sounds strange. You will wonder if I’ve left out half a dozen ingredients. You will think of jello molds, and dishes made in the 70s called tuna pea wiggle. I promise, if you approach with an open mind – you will love it. Everyone does (recent guests from Sunday night included).

C-B Family Stuffing
(This was enough for about 6 servings).

1 box of Ritz crackers (4 sachets)
1 large carrot
3 garlic cloves, chopped
½ large onion
2 Tbsp butter

Put the crackers through a food processor until fine meal forms. Or in the instance that you don’t have a proper food processor, but like me have a "mini chopper" that looks like it should be sitting in my niece's doll-house, put the crackers in the mini chopper in 8 (Yes, EIGHT!) rotations to get them all ground up. Remove and place in a large bowl.

Add onion, garlic, and carrot and finely grind. Add to crackers.

Melt butter and add to crackers/onion mixture. Stir and add a little water, a tbsp at a time, if it is still dry. Note: sometimes I grind a bit more carrots and onions and add to the mix if it seems too “crackery”.

If you are making a whole chicken or turkey, stuff inside the bird and underneath the skin of the breasts. An easier, week-night variation would be to buy boneless chicken breasts, with the skin on -and place the stuffing under the skin on the meat.

Note: Here in London they sell boneless chicken breast with the skin on. In the States you’ll have to ask for it special. If you take a package of chicken breasts with the bone/skin to the butcher’s counter they’ll typically take the bones out for you.

The brownies that I made that night are also a family recipe. Whenever people who don’t know me ask if I eat store bought baked goods, I always tell them no – I much prefer homemade and why buy the pre-packaged store bought stuff when it’s just so insanely easy to make simple things from scratch? The recipe, more than any other in my permanent repertoire, exemplifies this.

A funny thing about these brownies though...at present there is a bit of a family debate over who whips these brownies up in the best and tastiest fashion. Originally a race between my mother and myself, my brother recently followed the straight-up easy to follow recipe and declared that his batch was the “best batch ever”.

Note to brother: Highly unlikely, and may I remind you that you once rang me (from another country) and asked me how to make a baked potato. I won’t even get into the story of when you also called me for instructions on how to make mashed potatoes. An individual who makes these types of calls can not be the current family brownie-making champion.

Now, every good girl needs a few secrets...and as such will hold on to this brownie recipe for the time being...it might yet be an idea to still bring it to the mass market. :-)

Getting my fix

Like a ten year old who’s had his sweets taken away or the world champion food-eating winner Joey Chestnut being told he can’t have any more hot dogs, it’s been a painful few weeks of having one of my favourite treats taken away. The plain and simple truth was that while I’d been having a fabulous time travelling around and entertaining overseas friends, I was also starting to slowly go through a somewhat painful withdrawal of not being in my kitchen. I needed a fix and I needed it bad. With my creative juices flowing, my cupboards no longer empty; last Sunday I scheduled an evening of Dana cooking time. Like any junkie, I knew it wouldn’t necessarily take much, and by the end of the evening I was most definitely back on track.

Definitely not to be eaten together - I ended up making two things that night. The first was a homemade granola and the second the most random lasagne. I'd like to say the most random one over, but there was that one time I made one with polenta instead of pasta...not something I'd recommend!

The first item was in an attempt to have a healthy and somewhat sweet snack hanging around my flat and the second was to try and make something that I could both enjoy for a few days and then freeze for later consumption on those “school” nights when I get home too late to cook much more than a bowl of Kellogg's Special K.

Maple Pecan Granola with Dried Cranberries:

- Nonstick oil spray
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 165°C (325°F).
Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
Stir 1/2 cup sugar and maple syrup in small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves.
Pour into large bowl; cool to lukewarm.
Whisk in egg whites, vanilla, and spices.
Add oats, pcans, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
Spread mixture in even layer on prepared sheet.
Bake 35 minutes.
Turn granola over (bottom will be brown). Bake 10 more minutes.
Sprinkle cranberries over; bake until dry, about 15 minutes more.
Cool granola completely in pan.

Granola stores well in tupperware (it's been over a week so far and it's still D-lish)!

Butternut Squash, Mushroom, and Spinach Lasagne:

1 onion, diced
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
3 cups butternut squash, diced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 bag washed spinach
4 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk (I used semi-skimmed-2% and you could not tell the difference)
10-14 non-cook lasagne pieces
1/2 cup mascarpone
parmesan

Filling:
Cook chopped onion in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and butternut squash, 3 cloves garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is just tender, about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

In a separate pan, sauté spinach with a bit of olive oil until cooked down. Set aside.

Béchamel:
Note: This might be a bit tastier made with whole milk and butter (instead of olive oil) and I'd recommend it if you don't have a love/hate relationship with dairy, like me. I was trying to be a bit healthier (for a change) and opted for the olive oil and semi-skim milk.

Cook remaining garlic in olive oil in a medium saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 1 minute.
Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes.
Add milk in a stream, whisking.
Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes.
Whisk in salt and white pepper and remove from heat.

Assembly required:
Preheat oven to 220C (425 F)
Spread 1/2 cup sauce in an olive oil greased baking dish, cover with 2-4 pasta sheets, leaving spaces between sheets.
Spread with 2/3 cup sauce and one third of filling, then sprinkle with a 1/3 of the mascarpone and a bit of parmesan.
Repeat layering 2 more times, beginning with pasta sheets and ending with cheese.
Top with remaining 3 pasta sheets, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake for about 25-35 minutes.
Remove foil and bake until golden-brown and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more (I always take it out after the corners are crispy....my favourite bit)!
Let lasagne stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

Having my cake, and eating it too

This past weekend marked the last few days of an insane, non-stop, go-go gadget month. Starting with a visitor from the States, Venice, my actual birthday, 2 weeks in South East Asia, and 369 actionable emails in my inbox upon my return - this Saturday also marked my 30th birthday party extravaganza. It was the last twirl on this month's Mad Tea Party ride (Note: without the motion sickness but a big massive grin across my face kinda way).

The party was held at a venue near Old Street called Sosho. Besides moments here and there ensuring friends who’d turned up on their own were mixing and mingling like peanuts and cashews in a jar of Planter’s Premium Nuts, it was a wicked night with my wonderful friends in London and a few surprise visitors from afar.

In between my hectic and insane week, SG arriving from LAX, and a 4 hour appt at Taylor Taylor that Saturday, I had managed to whip up a wee birthday cake for the night.

If you asked FM however, I’d not shut up all week (mentioning it at least twice a day) about how I needed to find time to make this cake. Getting up early or staying up late was fine, but I HAD to make it myself. There was no alternative. No, “just buy a cake” or “just skip a cake”. The venue wasn’t even letting me bring it with me because it would "make a mess" so it was going to be eaten at home anyway. So, it HAD to be home-made and it HAD to be made by me. It was quintessential OCD baking. I think I’ve patented the disorder. Strike that, my mother has patented the disorder. It’s simply genetic.

While the party started at 8:30, I had a few friends to Buckler Court for champagne and cake first. So what if it ended up being my dinner? Cake is as good a stomach coater as pasta, it’s scientifically proven. JO, SG, AW, TS, FM and I proceeded to cheers and eat, cheers and nibble some more. The combination of cake and champagne and being a generation of SITC watchers, made for some pretty lively pre-party banter. So much so that I’m fairly certain that TS, the one guy of the bunch was grinning and blushing from ear to ear listening to our chat. Always good fun.

It was a great way to start out the night and even though I ended up having 2/3 of the cake left over- I found a bunch of friends at work this week who were happy to gobble it up. Not one word of “constructive criticism” – unless you count – “Don’t bring anymore in, I’ll end up eating it all!”

Dana’s 30th Birthday Cake
The cake is from the following recipe (Note: I did not make it 4 layers but kept it as two):

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/104539

The frosting was made from a recipe in my head - I stopped when it tasted "just right". Note: SG played an equal part in being a frosting taste-tester as well. Tough job, but someone had to help.

1. Beat about 80g of butter with a bit of vanilla and confectionery sugar (about 3/4 cup)

2. Melt dark/milk/or semi-sweet chocolate (I started with 50g, then 100g - ended up using about 150g in total)

3. Add chocolate and 2 cups sour cream and then add this to the sugar and butter combo

4. Keep adding chocolate/sour cream/sugar in small doses until you get the consistency and taste that you like

Because anyone who knows me, knows I'm big on texture - I also toasted coconut and put it in the middle layer and on top of the cake. You could easily do something similar with toasted almonds or pecans.

Frosting Note: As stated above I started with 50 g of chocolate mixed with 2 cups of sour cream. If you use that much sour cream, definitely use more chocolate. Alternatively you can use less sour cream and more butter. In the case of this frosting recipe, it's the balance between the chocolate/sugar/sour cream/butter. Sort of like life. The finding balance bit, not the sugar/dairy product bit.