Saturday, March 28, 2009

Manhattan #6


The main reason we went to McCormick & Schmick's in Fanueil Hall was because of the happy hour prices for food in the bar. The place is crowded and noisy but it's a Friday night. We get a table instead of sitting at the bar. This is our first mistake. I ask the waitress what they have for a manhattan. Maker's Mark is all I hear because she turns her head away from me. So I get this drink with Basil Hayden (finally heard that name on the third time I asked her to tell me what was available because she insisted on turning away from me when she spoke). My friend got a bloody mary with Bombay (not Sapphire).









He gets a pizza and I get the cheeseburger pictured here; both for $1.95. And yes, that comes with fries. We get no silverware so I ask the person who brings the food for some. She catches the eye of the waitress who eventually brings napkins and silverware. I thank her in my sweetest voice (yes, I do have one). "Yeah." That's her reply. Yeah? Are you familiar with the term you're welcome?

She ever comes back to the table to ask if everything is OK and my friend's drink is emptied and the glass just sits there. As she passes the next table, she knocks the woman's coat off the chair. Just walks right past it. The woman has to pick it up herself. My friend is getting more annoyed with her (and with me because I'm ready to explode). The waitress comes to the table, picks up his empty drink and plate and picks up my plate which still had food on it. Doesn't ask if we are done, doesn't ask if she can get us anything else. She drops the check on the table. My drink gets left half full because we have decided to go down to Kingfish Hall (guess it's my week for Todd English). I say I'm going to complain. My friend says he's going to wait outside. Fine. So I ask for the manager and explain the situation. He gives me our money back and apologizes profusely.

This time my manhattan is with Woodford Reserve. Foamy again like the one above. My friend's friend who works there explains that it's because of vigorous shaking. Not really sure I buy that explanation but I will experiment at home. And he advises me to ask for non-blended ryes is I don't want to hear the list of Canadian whiskeys.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Is it red or is it Russo's?

Here's a red-skinned bosc pear I bought at Russo's. I just got around to eating it (6 days after purchase); probably too long to have waited under normal circumstances. Pears can get too soft and a little mealy/gritty tasting if you leave them too long. But this one maintained its texture, was sweet and very juicy (not dribbling down your chin juicy which I hate). So the question is, is that because of the red skin (type) or Russo's (point of purchase)?

Lemon curd and scones


Right up there with Dalmatia Fig Spead, lemon curd has to be one of the most perfect foods in the the universe and it is very easy to make. Eat it by the spoonful right out of the container (sometimes I just skip the spoon altogether; no one's coming over for tea and scones this week so this batch is all mine and I can stick my finger in it if I want to), eat it with a scone or an english muffin, use it in any of the recipes you can find on epicurious.com (Petite Lemon Curd Cookies, Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Curd and Marscapone both sound wonderful).



Perfect Lemon Curd

Ingredients
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

Preparation

Whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart saucepan.

Cut butter into bits and add to mixture.

Cook mixture, stirring constantly, over moderately low heat until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes. (You can make the curd 1 week ahead and chill it, covering its surface with plastic wrap.)

Yields 1 2/3 cup curd.

Tender Raisin Scones

Ingredients

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark raisins
1 1/4 cups whole milk




Preparation



Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Cut butter into bits and, with your fingertips or a pastry blender, blend into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

Using a fork, stir raisins and milk until just combined.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and, with floured hands, knead until it forms a dough.

Roll out dough into a 9-inch round (about 1/2 inch thick) and cut out scones with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter.

Arrange scones 1 inch apart on a buttered large baking sheet and gently reroll and cut out scraps.

Bake scones in middle of a 425°F oven until pale golden, about 15 minutes, and transfer to a rack to cool.

Yields 10 scones.

Source for both recipes is Bon Appetit.

Blueberry muffins


These were made from the blueberries I bought at Russo's. Recipe not being posted because I think everyone knows how to make them but if you really want it, I'll post it. The only ingredient from the recipe that I used this time that I don't remember from other recipes Ive tried was some grated lemon peel. That really added a nice little bit of zing to the muffin. I sprinkled some cinnamon on top. Delicious.

Soup, mmm (part 8)

The decision is still out on this one. But I finally go to make the potato sorrel soup from James McNair's Soup book. The most interesting thing about this is the photo - notice the heart-shaped item - don't even know how I got this effect but it looks pretty cool. I'm assuming it's the reflection from the light and slant of the camera.

Not knowing what sorrel tasted like before I made the soup, I have to assume that the somewhat tart/bitter flavor I got was correct and just not so much to my liking. This flavor was not overwhelming. The swirl on the side is the tomato paste/creme fraiche blend. It was interesting and I would like to find something else to try it on.



Here's the recipe, if anyone wants to try it. If you click on it, it will get bigger and readable.

Manhattan #5


This manhattan was procured at on of the ubiquitous Todd English restaurants: Bonfire is in the Park Plaza Hotel. We went there last night after a lecture about the still unsolved robbery almost 20 years ago at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The bar was constructed very oddly with big red pillars (you can see one behind the drink) placed about every 3 or 4 stools. So for about 1/3 of the patrons, the bartender has to reach around the pillar to serve them.

The manhattan was made with Basil Hayden and was "perfect" which it probably wasn't. Do you notice the whitish bit of foam around the edge of the liquid? I've experienced this before (even at home) and not sure if it is a result of the water or ice quality or of the shaking vs. stirring. I don't return drinks that come to me this way figuring that the alcohol will kill anything that needs to be killed. When this happens at home, I just figure it's time to replace the filter on the water/ice dispenser on the frig. My problem with the service was that the female bartender let my drink sit in the cocktail shaker while she was discussing wine selection with my friend. Just poor the drink please. And please, in the future, put the cherry in the glass before you poor instead of pouring the drink and then running back to the end of the bar, carrying the cherry over and plopping it in the drink. Total turn off.

Still working on technique for taking pictures in the dark - as you can see, I'm not quite there yet. Bar stools were full, tables in the bar were completely empty. Restaurant was full - it's Restaurant Week after all.

Monday, March 16, 2009

What the heck is that (or my trip to Russo's and the strange and wonderful things I found there)

Buddha's Hand was, by far, the most unusual item I saw. I'll get back to you (and Russo's to purchase) as soon as I find out how to use them for something other than a centerpiece.


Bitter melons from both China and India are not shaped like melons that I am familiar with. But then again, melons I'm familiar with are not bitter.

Another item I wasn't familiar with was lemon plums. Any one have any ideas?


Nothing unusual here. Just the beauty of a bakery counter.


And a shot of the plants.

Prices at Russo's overall seemed reasonable. I was a bit surprised that they didn't have more local produce but it's probably still early for New England grown produce. Russo's is a bit of a drive for me so it won't be a weekly trip but will definitely be back. We went at 11 am on Saturday which added to the overwhelmed feeling I had. Shoppers, as crowded as it was, were polite. Staff was very helpful. They had to go to the back to get me some sorrel. More on that after I make the potato sorrel soup that I have been dying to try for several years but for the fact that I could never find sorrel.

Eggplant Parmasan

All the ingredients were purchased at Russo's except the parmasan cheese which I bought at Sessa's in Davis Square, Somerville, breadcrumbs and eggs. I have to say I was very proud of my sauce (and froze the leftovers) - it was made with tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine (and water to get to desired consistency), onion, garlic, red pepper, zucchini, carrot, bay leaf and oregano.

To fry the eggplant, I usually use my grandmothers method and coat with flour, eggs and then breadcrumbs but this time I just used eggs and breadcrumbs (an alternative I picked up from Sessa's on one of the rare occasions when the owner was in a talkative mood) and it was fine.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Soup, mmm (part 7)

This cream of mushroom soup is second only to Butternut Squash Soup (found here: http://lifeonplanetpatricia.blogspot.com/2008/11/soup-mmm.html).

And guess what? Here's the recipe. OK, it's not crystal clear (focus wise) but it's my first successful scan on the new printer (all the others were cutting off below the ingredient list). I used a combination of white and portabello mushrooms. Next time I make this, I might decrease the wine a little and add a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream before serving)


I rant, I rave

Does it bug anyone besides me that people who haven't even seen your resume think they can give you career advice?

No, I'm not interested in a call center job. No, I'm not interested in a 401K account (yup, got one and it's lost about 50% of its value in the last year (or less) so why would I want to put more money in one?).

So please, just shut up unless I ask you for your opinion. Or until you know me for more than 3 seconds.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Lemon Loaf

Nice lemon flavor and very good with a cup of earl grey tea.



Here's the batter in the silicon baking pan. If you don't have one of these, you should.



And here it is on the rack. It came out a little burned but still good.


If you want the recipe, just post a comment and I'll see what I can do. No more typing after that chocolate chip peanut butter cookie debacle.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Most Beautiful Woman in the World

And lucky me, she lives in my hometown museum, the MFA. This is Renoir's Le Bal a Bougival.





You can get some info on this painting at http://blogs.princeton.edu/wri152-3/s06/mgawrys/dance_at_bougival_2.html although I strongly disagree with their interpretation that the female figure, Marie Clementine, is unhappy because she is not smiling or making eye contact with her partner. For me, this woman, has always had a look of almost pure joy (although it is not necessarily dependent on her partner). She is completely caught up in the moment and freedom of the dance.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Black Pepper Martini


I've been wanting to try this recipe from chowhound.com for a while. I first saw it before all the comments were made and, to be honest, had I read those first, I probably wouldn't have made it. I don't like sweet drinks but I liked this enough to make another one tonight (what else am I supposed o do with all the sweet syrup?). It's not as sweet and it has a little more bit.

Here's the recipe

http://www.chow.com/recipes/13430

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

What else do you need to know besides those two ingredients to know these are delicious?




RECIPE
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup chunky peanut butter
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
1/2 cup peanut butter chips (optional)

In bowl beat butter until light and creamy. Beat in brown and granulated sugars. Beat in eggs one at a time until blended. Beat in peanut butter. Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir into peanut butter mix. Stir in chocolate and peanut butter chips. Spoon onto lightly greased baking sheet with some space between cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes. Let stand on sheet for a few minutes before removing to rack to cool completely.


Monday, March 2, 2009

Manhattan #4 (sort of)

This lovely cocktail was procured at Highland Kitchen in Somerville. My friend and I got there around 6 pm on Friday night and the place was already getting crowded. The bar stools don't have backs so we opted for the dining room. Our server was and older guy (OK, not old. Maybe about 40 but that was old in comparison to the other servers). He was very knowledgeable about the drinks being offered and this one was on the special board. It's called the Beehive and was made with Jameson's, Lemon Juice and Bahren Jaeger (a honey flavored liquor). I didn't ask about the proportions but I found it a bit too lemony.

The appetizer I got was the gnocchi with braised beef. Better in concept than execution. The gnocchi were over cooked and half of them were burned. Yes, burned. After boiling, they must have been put in a pan but had been left on one side for way too long. The meat, on the other hand, was fantastic. The bread, although not a generous portion (1 smallish piece per person), was used to soak up the broth.

Food from the Mothership

No, Ann Taylor Loft didn't start selling food. These are from the other mothership, Trader Joe's. I try to buy something I've never bought before every time I go to TJ's. First item, White Chicken Sesame Noodle Bowl was pretty good. The sauce had a nice, mild gingery flavor. The noodles were not mushy, the vegetables bordered on being too soft for me. The amount of chicken was decent but not generous.


The Vegetable Shu Mai were pretty tasteless until doused with the soy sauce concoction that came in the box.