Tag Archives: birthday

Eataly’s Birreria: Oktoberfest and Birthdayfest

23 Feb

It’s Eataly Week!

In the last few months, we went to Eataly twice, for two different occasions.

The first was Oktoberfest, which we got exclusive tickets for from Gilt City.  The package included a meet and greet with Joe Bastianich, a tour of the  brewing facilities with brewmaster Brooks Carretta, a brief lesson on brewing, a reception with communal antipasti and beer, a seated family-style Oktoberfest supper with Italian Alpine fare and beer pairings, and a six-pack of beer for each guest to take home.

The brewery at Eataly is a small room where they put together some very different microbrews.  The brewmaster, Brooks, was very informative not only about the brewing process, but also about what makes the Eataly microbrews unique and talked about what new batches were coming up.

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We tried a few beers, and very much enjoyed them.  The Thyme beer was especially delicious.

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Then Joe Bastianich came in and welcomed us to Eataly/Birreria and basically told us to have a good time.

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We sat back down and started chowing down on some great Oktoberfest items.  We especially enjoyed the whole roasted maitake mushrooms, pecorino, sardo creme, and roasted brussels sprouts. Awesome.

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Then a few weeks later… we were back.  My sister has recently expanded her food horizons.  She was the kid that ate chicken nuggets and Kraft macaroni and cheese growing up.  The idea of a mushroom, sausage, or basically anything with unique flavor was repulsive to her.  So when I found out that she was opening up her food spectrum, I was quick to suggest Birreria as a great place to try some new things.

We started with the charcuterie and… gasp… Stacey ate meats.  CURED meats!  I was shocked.

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We ordered the maitake mushrooms again, because they were so good the last time.

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And we got the fried shiitake mushrooms with sage. I LOVE these mushrooms. They are incredibly delicious.

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We also ordered the the pork shoulder which is made with beer and apricot. It was tender and just plain delicious.

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We ended with the bisteca con salsa verde, which was a skirt steak with salsify, green onion, and salsa verde.  It had great char on it, which a touch of salt that just made it stand out.

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I love Eataly. And I really love Birreria.  I haven’t had a bad bite there, and everyone that has been there with me has really enjoyed it. Plus… it’s the first place I saw my picky little sister eat a mushroom.  A true game changer.

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

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Strawberry Shortcake

21 Sep

 

I was on a mission to make a great strawberry shortcake.  In my mind, the shortcake should always be more biscuit like. It has become fashion to make a strawberry shortcake with something that resembled angle food cake rather than the shortcake I know and love.  I went through AllRecipes.com and read a lot of reviews and comments and eventually decided on the one that had the most people complaining about how this didn’t taste like commercially bought shortcake.  Perfect!

I also picked up an awesome tip when reading the reviews.  It is always a difficult task to keep the butter cold (an important part of flaky crust) while also getting it small enough to blend into a crust.  So someone recommended to freeze it and then use a cheese grater to make little butter ribbons.  Wouldn’t you know? Worked like a charm!  I will be doing this for all future baking.

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I wanted to make smaller short cakes, so I opted to make the dough into smaller balls and then press them down to create smaller shortcakes (rather than 2 large ones that I would layer). I also tried another version where I put them in mini tart pans, and that worked well also.

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The dough was a bit sticky, but as long as you’re not too worried about getting your hands dirty, easy to work with. I also added in almond and vanilla extracts to add a bit of flavor.  It was a good move.

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You are supposed to layer it with sugar coated strawberries, but I am a fan of adding balsamic vinegar to the mixture to add a little punch to the flavor.  I then made some home made whipped cream, layered, and adorned with fresh strawberries.  It was delicious!!

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RECIPE
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Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake
(Original Credit to AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients

  • 1 quart strawberries, sliced
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (I wound up needing a bit more since it was a humid day and my dough was a bit sticky)
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 dash ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I added this)
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract (I added this too)
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 2 cups sweetened whipped cream
  • Balsamic Vinegar (enough to coat the sugared strawberries)

Directions

  1. In a bowl, gently stir strawberries and 1/2 cup sugar; coat with balsamic vinegar, chill.
  2. Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; cut in butter until crumbly. (refer to tip above about grating butter)
  3. Combine milk and egg yolks; mix well.
  4. Add vanilla and almond extracts.
  5. Add to crumb mixture, stirring just until moistened.
  6. Divide and pat into two greased 9-in. round cake pans. (Or into 8 4-5 inch tart pans, or divide into 8 balls and flatten onto a greased or Silpat cookie sheet)
  7. In a small mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; spread over dough.
  8. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
  9. Bake at 300 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until golden.
  10. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. (Layer may be thin.)
  11. Cool completely.
  12. Place one cake layer on a large serving plate; spread with half of the whipped cream.
  13. Spoon half of the strawberries over cream. Repeat layers. Garnish with mint if desired.

 

 

 

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Confetti Cupcakes with Bailey’s Frosting

12 Sep

I have a tradition in my office where I bake my coworker’s favorite desserts for them on their birthday.  One coworker said she loved confetti cake.  Hmmm… I was stuck.  That’s out of a box.  But… I said ok. I went to the store and looked for a box of confetti cake.  To my dismay, they had none.  I wasn’t sure if confetti cake could actually be made (weren’t those sprinkles inside magic so they got soft and didn’t bleed into the cake?) but a short google later, I found out that any regular sprinkles will do.  Good to know!

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So I whipped up a simple vanilla cake recipe (recipe here) and added in some sprinkles.  Worked like a charm!

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But I had to get a little more original with the frosting.  Lori had blogged about a Bailey’s frosting a few months back, and that seemed like a great idea to spice up these cupcakes. She originally got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

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I also bought a new cupcake piping set, and it made for some LOVELY looking cupcakes.

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So lovely in fact, that I couldn’t stop taking pictures.

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And this picture was definitely my favorite.

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If you want to make Bailey’s frosting at home, I recommend staying very close to the following recipe.  I added a bit of extra powdered sugar to make sure the peaks kept their shape after I piped them and brought this to the office.  It was perfect.

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RECIPE
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Bailey’s Frosting
(from Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients:
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)

Directions:

1. Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.  NOTE FROM SMITTTEN KITCHEN THAT REALLY HELPED: “This is a fantastic trick I picked up while working on the cupcakes article for Martha Stewart Living; the test kitchen chefs had found that when they added the sugar slowly, quick buttercream frostings got less grainy, and tended to require less sugar to thicken them up.”

2. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.

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Birthday Dinner 2011: Daniel

29 Aug

Mike and I have an awesome tradition where every year on our birthdays, the other brings the birthday child to one of the best restaurants in the city.  It’s always a surprise, and we don’t know where we are going until we get there.

On my birthday last week, I was thrilled when I stepped out of the taxi to see that we were at Daniel.  Daniel has been on the top of my list for a long time.  It has been a NYC staple of excellence for years and I have enjoyed dining at Daniel Boulud’s other restaurants, including Cafe Boulud and Bar Boulud. I’ve also had great meals at DB Bistro and can’t wait to try DBGB and the new Boulud Sud.  Daniel has 3 Michelin Stars, making it my second 3 Michelin Star Birthday in a row, with Le Bernardin last year.

Daniel offers a 3 course menu, where you can choose a la carte for $108 or do a full 6 course tasting menu for $195.  It’s definitely a special occasion meal! We went for the 6 course menu, which allowed us to choose 1 of 2 from each of 6 sections.  Since there were 2 of us… we just said to bring us one of everything.  (I always wanted to say that).  We didn’t go for the wine pairing (which was anotehr $105) because I had work the following day and didn’t want to have to weave out of there the way I did Blue Hill at Stone Barns.  We did a themed order of wine and got a bottle of Russian River Chardonnay followed by a Russian River Pinot Noir (big fan of those Russian River wines).

(They also have a 3 course meal with wine pairings as a theater prix fixe for $105 from 5:30-6pm Monday-Thursday.  Not a bad deal with wine!)

Here is a gallery of the menu, since it changes seasonally:

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The restaurant is impressively beautiful.  It FEELS like a special occasion place.  We were sat in a corner booth that was a bit private behind screens.  It was nice to be tucked away, however, I like to people watch and this actually made it a bit detached.  Our little round booth was insanely comfortable, however, and if I ever have the opportunity to design a corner sitting area, I will think of the perfect leaning pillow that was in our booth.

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We started with an amuse bouche, and I cannot recall much about it besides the fact that mine didn’t have peppers.

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I recall something about smoked salmon and melon.  I recall enjoying it.  I recall thinking it was all fresh and summary. That’s about it…

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There was a noticeable delay in service as we waited for our first course.  This happened a few times between courses, creating very strange pacing.  This was the only dark spot on an otherwise fantastic service.  Ok… well not entirely spotless… read on…

Our first course started with duck terrine with sauternes.  It was perfectly divided between the richness and sweet when combined with the apricot.  Delicious and full of flavor.

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For this same course, we received a pressed squab terrine with turnips, bok choy, and chamomile gelee.  This was a great balance, again, with  great richness, balance, and flavor.

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Our next course started with Snapper Ceviche with celery vinaigrette. I believe this one was supposed to be served with a pepper oil, but they kindly left that off.  This was delicious, fresh, and I even enjoyed it (I am a certified celery hater).

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With this course, we were served peekytoe crab in an heirloom tomato gelee with avocado, thai basil, lilliput capers, and olive bread tuile.  The crab was sensational.  Enhanced by the multitude of fresh (though mostly unidentifiable) pretty things on the plate.

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Course three was a Maine sea scallop rosette with lovage.  It was supposed to come with Hawaiian hearts of palm, avocado-tomato coulis, and pickled fresno peppers.  This was probably the best dish on the menu, EXCEPT, one bite in I know I was in trouble.  There were even tiny red flakes that were visible (I call it the “trouble color” because very few things except peppers are that burnt red color).  We asked the waitress and she INSISTED there were no peppers.  She went to the kitchen and came back to tell us that they were red celery.  Hmmm… I would hate to disparage a restaurant like Daniel… but my mouth was instantly swollen and itchy. And just on the side where I took the bite. It took me a good 4 ounces of milk to even take down the itching.   Hmmmm.

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Paired with this course was artichoke and squid ink ravioli.  This came with littleneck clams, ruby red shrimp, razor clams, sea beans, saffron cream and opal basil.  If that sounds like a lot of ingredients, it was. And they all blended beautifully.  It was as visually stunning as it was delicious.

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Our next course was Atlantic flaked cod with tarbais beans, wild lamb squarequarters, chorizo, purslane, and marcona almonds emulsion.  I couldd not have this one, so I will default to Mike for a review: “From what I remember, it was good, but oddly… starchy? pasty? But it was decent.”

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My dish was grilled Alaskan King Salmon with black musto oil.  I guess the sides listed wouldn’t work, so I was served some peas, zucchini spears, and broccoflower.  I am not a salmon fan. In fact, I thought for years that I hated fish, but turns out I just hated salmon.  This, however, was very tasty.  And those were some of the best peas I have ever had.

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Our last savory courses were listed as a “Duoof Beef” and a “Tasting of Veal.”   Neither dish came out the way it was intended, I assume due to the allergy.   The beef was supposed to be black angus short ribs with cauliflower mouselline, seared wagyu tenderloin, chanterelles, crispy potatoes, and poached bone marrow.  Reading back over that description, we definitely got shafted.  We only got the seared tenderloin.  The short ribs,  chanterelles, crispy potatoes, and poached bone marrow were all missing!  But at the time, we didn’t notice.  The tenderloin was perfection.

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The veal also wound up not being as described.  The 3 selections was supposed to be roasted tenderloin with eggplant puree, braised cheeks with glazed zucchini, and crispy sweetbreads with caper coponata.  It came out with 2 pieces of tenderloin and a crispy sweetbread, no sauces/toppings.  I was a bit bummed because I was looking forward to those cheeks, but this was still excellent.

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Daniel does a really lovely job of celebrating birthdays, with a lovely complimentary cake and candle (and thankfully no singing).  It was tasteful and delicious.

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Our desserts then came out from the menu, with a warm guanaja chocolate coulant with liquid caramel, fleur de sel, and milk sorbet.  This was insanely rich (without being overdone) and had AMAZING flavor.

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They even went the extra mile with the pretty gold flake on top.  This was perfection in chocolate.  I didn’t think the world could get any more divine than this cake… and then…

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…I tasted this. Lemongrass poached pineapple with coconut meringue, lime-rum gelee, and pina colada sorbet.  I never would have ordered this after reading it on the menu.  While I love coconut, I’m always worried it would taste like sunscreen.  Pina coladas are good, but they can taste really cheap as a flavor.  Meringue is one of my favorite things in the world, but it’s usually not done well.  But this… this was everything that is right with the world.  This was heaven.  This was vacation in my mouth.  This was probably one of the best desserts I have ever had in my life.  And you know I love desserts!

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Along with these desserts, we received a basket of fresh, still warm madelleines.  Mike had never tasted a madelleine before.  I have, but not anything like this.  These were fluffy and light and nearly melted in my mouth.  Sensational.

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Just when I was debating if I would manage to roll myself home, a number of dainty bite sized desserts came out.  Beautifully prepared.  I was getting ready to loudly profess my love to the pastry chef at this point.  Or perhaps write them a love letter to tuck into a check.

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And then came a tray of delicate mini chocolates.  And this is where I cracked our servers shell.  I asked her to please pause for just a moment to take a picture.  Normally I would never have asked, but it was my birthday and we were drinking… so I went for it.  She put on the face and smiled, but you could tell that she was not happy to be doing it.  Hence… my shot was blurry and I didn’t retake.  (I can’t say I blame her.)

And it was a delicious exclamation mark on the meal.

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Overall, our meal here was stunning and delicious.  It had some highlights (the scallops, even though there were peppers… the tenderloin… the DESSERTS!) and some so-so things.  I can’t say there was any one savory meal that was mind-blowing, but it was a fantastic meal.  The pacing was off, the peppers things were still questionable, but service was obviously a refined art form in this restaurant.  It’s funny to be in a point in our dining history where while this was an amazing meal, and it still ranked at about #7 on the overall list.  But it was still #6. And it will remain hard to beat.

And I really hope they serve just desserts.  Because I want to go back for just that.

Total Nom Points: 8.5 out of 10

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Pumpkin Cheesecake

15 Dec

When a coworker’s birthday arrives, I always try to bake for the office.  It gives me a great excuse to bake and not have to eat it all.  For one coworker, Sam, I gave him a blank slate to choose what he wanted.  His choice: Pumpkin Cheesecake.  Wise choice, Sam.  Wise Choice.

I didn’t have a recipe that I loved, and usually actually wind up making no-bake cheesecakes (I usually prefer their texture).  For his, however, I did some searching around online to see what I could come up with.  My typical method for coming up with recipes is to check out some highest rated ones around the internet (AllRecipes.com is great), go to some of my most trusted resources for recipes (Food Network, Pioneer Woman, and Smitten Kitchen to name a few), then combine my favorite parts of each and my past recipes to come up with something a bit more Sara.  When I saw this recipe from Paula Deen, however, I decided to try it as-is.  And boy am I glad I did!  This was the best graham cracker crust I have ever tried.

You combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon and then add melted butter.  This is pretty much the same set of ingredients as every graham cracker crust, however, the proportions and texture is just perfect.

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Then you press it into the bottom of a springform pan.

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And if you want to make a sample for yourself and your boyfriend to “make sure it tastes okay” before cutting into the big one the next day… fill the bottom of a non-stick baking cup.   

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Next for the filling, you need cream cheese at room temperature.  It’s amazing how long it takes cream cheese to get to room temp, so I used the kangaroo pouch in my apron to speed it along.  (TIP: Take your cream cheese out a few HOURS before you start) 

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Then you fill the springform with the combination of blended cream cheese, pumpkin puree, eggs (both full and yolks), sugar, spices, and sour cream (which I think really added a perfect flavor!)  The one edit I made is that I added more spices, since I love the flavors of fall.  I honestly could have probably added even more. 

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Then I put the same filling into the cups.

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 And set the whole thing to bake at 350 for 1 hour. (Or 30-35 minutes for the mini cups).

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Then let it cool for 15 minutes before slapping yourself in the forehead.  Why?  Cheesecakes are finicky little things.  They just LOVE to expose their fault lines as they cool.   Every other cheesecake I’ve ever baked I have put in a water bath (which regulates the temperature so it doesn’t crack as it cools), and I just plum forgot.  D’oh! 

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Honestly?  No one cared and it still tasted MARVELOUS!  I don’t think I would change a thing about this recipe with the exception of a bit more allspice and clove.

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And what would a Sara dessert be without a homemade schlag to go with it?  I thought a salted carmel schlag would compliment the pumpkin cheesecake… so I looked up a recipe and found out that it was basically just making caramel, adding salt, then adding in the heavy cream, letting it cool and then whipping it up.  Easy-peasy!

Unfortunately, however, my pot has a hot spot and it kept burning in one corner.  Damn.  It was still delish though!

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I added the cream once it browned…

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 And the cool cream instantly made it into cracked caramel sugar.  But a few spins over medium heat and it blended nicely into a delicious base for whipped cream.

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 And the minis?  Well… a bit overcooked.  I did it for 45 minutes, so probably more like 30-35 would be better (cheesecake shouldn’t brown, and should be a little loose in the middle).

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 But they popped out beautifully.

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 And made a perfect bite with the whipped cream.

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This is a fantastic recipe.  And a TRUE crowd pleaser.

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RECIPE
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Pumpkin Pie
(Borrowed with hardly any changes from Paula Deen via FoodNetwork.com)

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

  • 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
  • 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (I would make this 1/4 or 1/2 tsp. depending on your love of cloves and possibly also add 1/4 tsp. Allspice)
  • 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:

In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

For filling:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

  

  

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Chocolate Salty Balls

30 Aug

I had read about cake balls in just about every food blog I touched for a few months, so when a co-worker’s birthday came up, I had to try to make them. 

The idea is that you bake a regular cake, break it up and combine it with cake frosting so it becomes a fudgy texture, roll it into balls, then dip it in melted chocolate and let them harden.  What could be bad about that?  I actually chose to do brownies and combined it with cream cheese frosting.  Here are the rolled balls:

I had read that the dipping process could be hard as the balls are heavy and fall off a toothpick, so upon exploring candy dipping advice, I saw an ingenious idea.

It’s simply a plastic fork with the center two tines removed.  Easy peasy!  I made sure the balls were big enough to sit on the outer tines and then you just dip and scoop them out. 


One of my favorite things with chocolate recently is to add some sea salt.  (One of my favorite all-time recipes is chocolate covered toffee with salt). 

I know some people don’t love salt with chocolate, so I made some sweet versions.  The salted ones were GONE before the sweet ones were even halfway eaten. 

But they made for such a fun birthday treat!

Next time I really want to try red velvet cake + cream cheese or banana cake + vanilla frosting.

The recipe is really simple, but if you need some tips, here are two links:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/cake-balls/Detail.aspx

and

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/tips-techniques/how-to-make-cake-pops-078637 (they feature the cuter version of putting them on lollipop sticks!)

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