Fare a la Femme

Blogger Hurts My Soul

2010-06-19T23:33:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed that I've all but stopped posting here these days. The reason is twofold. I'm finding it difficult to keep up with a blog what with a full-time job, roommates, and a whole host of summertime activities that have somehow become my life. More importantly though, I've become unhappy with the changes Blogger has made to its format and the way you can share content with readers. They've made it all but impossible for me to upload photos directly from my computer, and that's not kosher with me. I can't support a system that restricts me to photos from the internet or an online photo-sharing account. For this reason, next month, I'll be making the move to Wordpress. They have a superior format and are far more user friendly than Blogger. Don't worry about finding me though! The domain farealafemme.com is mine to keep and independent of Blogger, so you'll still be able to search for me that way. Thanks for reading, and stick with me during the transition. I promise to reward you with tasty recipes and restaurant recs again in no time.

Pamela's Products

2010-05-27T08:42:00.000-04:00

If you're like me and you love Pamela's Products, then you should check out the interview by Amy over at I Am a Celiac. Who knew there really is a Pamela? The interview makes for a great little Thursday morning read, so I hope you enjoy it!

New Kitchen/ Old Kitchen

2010-05-25T11:36:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are still unaware of the change, I relocated (again). This time to beautiful downtown Charleston to live with the boyfriend. I'm excited and nervous to have my own household. Well, ok, so I share it with four people, but there is one room that's mine to do with as I will: the kitchen. For the first time, I have my own kitchen to arrange and decorate and stock to make it just so. I have ample storage space for my dishes, cookware, and appliances, plus extra for the odd pieces that my roommates have brought with them. And I have two huge windows that allow the sunshine to burst in and the breeze to float through when I throw them open. For all its quirks- the oven that takes at least an hour to preheat and the strange layout that makes functionality a challenge I'm determined to win- I love my kitchen because it's so full of possibility. The white walls are absolutely begging me to paint them over with hues of yellow and the cupboards groan happily under the weight of dishes, spices, and cookbooks. The fridge, which is now stocked with delicious food patiently waits in the corner for me to peer inside and gather the ingredients for the meals I have planned. And since we decided to cut back on our restaurant visits, I see many nights of home-cooked dinners for my boyfriend and me. It's a vision that makes me giddy with anticipation.

Keep checking back as I post photos of the transformation!

Generosity Lessons

2010-04-22T15:30:00.000-04:00

Some of the ladies from the church my mum and I attend brought us dinner this week. They did it as a way to give me a break from the household duties I've been shouldering while my mum heals from her surgery. The gesture of dinner alone would have been enough, but these women don't do anything casually. They brought a main dish, three sides, dessert, fruit, a salad, and a loaf of freshly baked bread. Oh, and did I mention that the macaroni and cheese, chocolate cake, and bread were all gluten free? These ladies not only provided my mum and I with a hot meal, but they went even further to make it one that I could enjoy fully.

I've said it before, but often, celiac is a diet of exclusion. Particularly when control of the menu isn't in my hands. More often than not, when someone else cooks for me, they omit the things I can't eat. That in and of itself is perfectly acceptable. I'd rather someone not serve me something they are unsure is safe for me to eat as it saves us both the awkwardness of trying to find out or the embarrassment of guessing wrong. But these kind women didn't omit side dishes or desserts, and instead went to the extra effort of tracking down and preparing items that were both safe and delicious. To say I was touched doesn't being to express my gratitude.

Since my diagnosis, I've learned more about appreciating such simple gestures. It brings a smile to my face to know that there's a six pack of Redbridge waiting for me at my boyfriend's apartment, or that someone made the extra trip to the grocery store to buy gluten free bread mix so I could have fresh bread with my meal. Or when my aunt makes two versions of her baked ziti so I can share a meal with the family. There is no reason for anyone to do any of these things except love. They care for me and want me to be healthy and happy, and so they ask questions, read labels, clip magazine articles, and share recipes.

So many people ask me, "How can you live with that?" when I tell them of my disease. Simply put, I live with it because of people like those women from church and my family and friends. I live with it because the people in my life make it feel less like a burden and more like an opportunity. My diagnosis teaches me everyday the depths of human generosity and compassion. Compared to those things, a slice of bread means very little. When I said that celiac is more than just a diet, that it was a lifestyle change, I meant it. I just didn't know my life would be the first of several to change because of it.

My Mum

2010-04-19T13:35:00.000-04:00

Hi guys. I figured everyone was beginning to wonder where I was lately. Truth is, the past two weeks have been so insane that I've had very few opportunities to bake, let alone write about baking. The good news is, though, that things appear to be settling down and I can pick up my measuring cups again.

My mum had her surgery two weeks ago. She was scheduled for a Tuesday morning surgery, but a minor complication (nothing life threatening!) postponed her surgery date until Thursday. She came through beautifully and was released from the hospital Saturday. The surgeon removed her right breast and lymph nodes from under her right arm, so she wasn't allowed to use that arm last week at all. I spent the week playing nurse and checking in on her, but I'm happy to say, she's recovering very very nicely.

Last Monday, we got the best news possible. The surgeon biopsied the tissue from the surgery and my mum is officially cancer free! Though she still has to do her radiation treatments, it finally feels like the nightmare is over. Our conversations about the future no longer contain the words "if I'm feeling up to it" and we can both relax a little. Her oncologist is extremely pleased and very optimistic and that makes me hopeful. Cancer's a big scary word, and although medicine has come a long way, the uncertainty distracted us both from a lot of things. But seeing my mum fight, and win, with an unshakable grace has taught me a few things. It's given me the courage to jump into my projects without fear and without regret for things that don't go according to plan. And the best part is knowing that she'll be there to watch it all unfold for a very, very long time.

Cucumber Sangria

2010-03-24T10:49:00.000-04:00

While I was in New York, a new acquaintance took me out for drinks. We ended up at a small spanish place so forgettable that I can't even recall the name or the neighborhood. The only thing I remember about the place was the cucumber sangria, which was brilliant. Well, at the time I thought it was brilliant. Cool glasses of bone dry white wine featuring crisp rounds of cucumber seemed like perfection.
And it really was, until a few weeks ago when I stumbled on an episode of Cooking for Real with Sunny Anderson. I'm not a huge Food Network fan, but she was making cucumber juice, so I stopped to watch. Intrigued, my mind reeled back to the cucumber sangria. "This would make the sangria so much better," I thought to myself. I had to try it.
That's exactly what I did this weekend. After a quick jaunt to Whole Foods, I settled into my boyfriend's kitchen and started my experiment. The result was slightly murky (because I haven't mastered the art of filtering with cheesecloth) but beautifully green, sweet sangria. The juice couldn't be easier to make and it paired perfectly with the sauvignon blanc I chose to use for the wine base. And the best part is, the juice makes a great mixing liquid. Next time, I plan to use it with sake instead of wine. But for now, here's my recipe for sangria.

Emerald Sangria (cucumber juice courtesy of Sunny Anderson):

2 english cucumbers
3/4 sugar
1 cup water
750ml dry white wine of your choice, like sauvignon blanc

Peel the cucumbers and reserve the skins. In a medium pot, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Grate the cucumbers and add them to the boiling syrup. Reduce the heat and simmer until the cucumbers are tender, about 10 minutes. Allow mixture to cool slightly then add to a blender with cucumber skins. Blend until smooth and bright green. Line a bowl with cheesecloth and pour the mixture into it. Wrap the cloth tightly around the dregs and squeeze out the juice. Allow the juice to cool, covered in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Add about half of the juice to a pitcher and pour the white wine over it. Stir and rechill for another 20 minutes.

Low Country Contentment

2010-03-14T20:38:00.000-04:00

Charleston, South Carolina might be one of my new favorite southern treasurers. I spent the weekend there repaying my friend for visiting Florence last weekend. And I must say, the city exudes charm. The weekend was interrupted by a death in my family, but my friend made sure I still had an enjoyable weekend in the downtown area. If you've never been, there are a few places you absolutely must check out. First on my list is a little place called Five Loaves Cafe. There are two locations, and I only made it to the one on Cannon St, but oh my goodness am I in like with it.

For one thing, they place huge emphasis on fresh, homemade ingredients. This place makes their own mozzarella. For another, they are extremely gluten-free friendly. When I told my waitress that I was gluten intolerant she didn't even flinch and instead pointed out to me that all of their salad dressings and soups were free of gluten. And when I asked if I could, on future visits, bring my own bread for sandwiches, she described one regular who did just that. And most importantly of all, I loved this place because, quite simply, the food is delicious. I had a salad of mixed greens, tomato, asparagus, roasted red peppers, and mozzarella with a walnut and shallot dressing and I also had a bowl of their carrot and ginger soup. The soup was so thick and comforting that I spent the first few mouthfuls with my eyes closed, just taking in the flavors. My friend ordered the tomato, basil, and goat cheese soup, and that too was creamy and comforting. Combine the excellent food and friendly staff with reasonable prices and bright and lively, local artwork, and you get Five Loaves. I plan on spending a great many meals there with new friends.

Another recommendation is the Old City Market. There are a bunch of quaint little shops and restaurants. My friend took me into one of the candy shops where they made pulled taffy and homemade pralines. This is also the section of town that offers horse-drawn tours of the downtown area. Horses make me sneeze and I was with a local, so I can't comment on the quality of the tour, but I imagine it's a fun way to see the city. I much preferred meandering in and out of the little shops and admiring the colonial architecture.

We also stumbled on a lovely little chocolate shop, run by Christophe and Carly Paume. Christophe is in charge of crafting the equally beautiful and tasty chocolates and treats and Carly runs the shop. I didn't get to meet Christophe, but Carly was a delight. She explained to me how Christophe gets his chocolate bunnies and shoes to look velveteen. And she excitedly told me that they are looking to expand into a larger kitchen space soon, so I expect bigger and even more gorgeous things to come from this couple. If you stop in, I highly recommend the lavender caramels.

I plan to spend a good many weekends in Charleston in the future, and I'll keep everyone up to date on my new discoveries, but I think that I did well for my first weekend in town. Check back with me soon for more!

Perfect Weekends

2010-03-07T18:38:00.000-05:00

When I was younger, my parents would pack me into the car and we'd go exploring around town. Sometimes there was a specific goal in mind, but more often than not, it was just a matter of driving until something looked interesting. And most of the time, interesting happened downtown at the antique stores. I love antique, vintage, and retro items for one reason: the history. Even if I don't what an item's story is, I know that the story exists and that I become the guardian of that story when I bring it home with me. Those weekends are the ones I remember most fondly and those stories are the ones I cherish most.

This weekend, I had a wonderful opportunity to experience such an idyllic weekend again, this time as an adult. A friend of mine from Charleston came to town to see me. While pulling up directions to my house, he found that there are quite a few pawn shops in the area. He's an amateur historian specializing in WWII firearms, and pawn shops present some good opportunities to find hidden treasures. And because the weather was absolutely perfect (my favorite thing about spring in the south), I decided that we should have an adventure of our own.

He arrived mid-afternoon on Friday and we set out to gather supplies for our adventure and also stuff for dinner. Mum requested that I make my great aunt's pot roast recipe, which is easily the simplest, yet most comforting meal I know how to make. All you need is a nice marbled cut of beef, preferably sirloin or brisket, but any piece of roast will do, and some root vegetables. I like to use carrots, celery, and potatoes. Cut the veggies into big chunks, sear the beef, add everything to a roasting pan with a little oil, diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper to taste. Pop everything into a 400 degree oven and let it cook until the meat is just starting to fall apart. As good as that is the first day, it's even better the next. And nothing says "welcome" better in my opinion.

The next morning, bright and early(ish) our adventure began. First a breakfast of tea and orange-chocolate chip scones (the basic recipe for which is posted in my archives), then out into the sunny, bright day. Most of the pawn shops ended up being a disappointment, but the fun wasn't in finding interesting guns for his collection so much as riding around, getting a little lost, and laughing until our sides hurt at trying to get unlost. During one such instance, we passed a cake supply shop sitting attached to an antique market. If I were a puppy, my ears would have perked up and my tail would have wagged furiously. As it was, I squealed with unrestrained delight at the find and we promptly stopped to explore. The cake shop was fairly nondescript, although the owner is running cake lessons for a reasonable rate.The antique shop, though, was utterly lovely. I made several happy discoveries, including two complete sake sets, one complete tea set, and my favorite find of the day- an enamel tea kettle for a mere $10. It was filthy, but I love enamel kettles, especially ones that don't whistle, so I scooped it up and brought it home. After a good, hard scrub, it looks just like new again and I can't wait to use it. And I'm going back soon to pick up one of the sake sets and possibly the tea set as well.

After the antique shop, we headed across town for lunch. I discovered the existence of a Vietnamese Pho restaurant right here in Florence. It turned out to be pretty much what I expected inside. No real atmosphere, but pleasant enough food at a reasonable price, so I'm certainly going back as much as possible. The barbeque pork over rice noodles was delicious.

When lunch was over, we stopped back at the house to throw a few pieces of fruit and some chai cookies into a bag and headed back out to check out a few trails I knew of in town. The trails run throughout town for about nine miles or so, and consist of a lot of new growth and man made swamps. They're charming enough, but I want to see them ten years from now when the wilderness takes over a bit. The sun was bright, but the weather was a gorgeous low to mid 50 degrees and there was a light breeze to tug at our clothes as we walked. Nibbling on a cookie and walking hand in hand with my friend as we chatted, I thought to myself of the weekends like this that I spent as a child and how wonderful it felt to have one again, just when I needed it most.

Chai Tea Cookies (adapted from kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com)

1 cup butter, room temp

3/4 cup instant chai mix

1 1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temp

3 1/2 cup flour (I used Pamela's of course)

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling (optional)

Cream together butter, sugar, and chai mix until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the eggs to the butter mixture, then add the flour slowly ( I did it in thirds). Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drop tsp sized balls onto a greased cookie sheet (and roll in sugar if you're doing that step. I didn't) and bake for 10 minutes. Cool in pan for another 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cookies will come out soft, and a little chewy, with just a hint of chai flavor. The original recipe calls for a full cup of instant chai, so if you want more flavor use that, but I only had 3/4 of a cup and I think they came out fine.

Should Bad Tips Earn You the Boot?

2010-03-05T10:04:00.000-05:00

I read an article today about Kanpai Japanese Steak and Seafood House in Winston-Salem, NC banning a woman from the restaurant for not tipping well. There's been a lot of division in the food community around here about whether this is acceptable behavior or not. The establishment claims that since none of the staff was willing to serve her, they were forced to refuse service to her. The woman, who is black, claims discrimination.

I'm of two minds on this. On one hand, restaurants pay their servers below the minimum wage and expect them to make up the difference in their tips. Which means that if this woman truly didn't tip, or tipped below the socially accepted 20-25% all the time, the staff has a right to be upset about it. In that sense, the management team was looking out for their staff's well being and congratulations to them for it.

However, there are two problems I see with this philosophy. Firstly, the business the establishment drove away by banning a patron over tips is likely to affect their bottom line. I would certainly think twice before dining somewhere if I thought my tip was subject to inspection and approval. The article doesn't state whether the woman habitually didn't leave a tip or if she just grossly under tips, but the point is irrelevant. Tipping is NOT required. I understand all of the arguments servers want to make for condoning her banishment from the restaurant, but at the crux of the argument, she was banned for not performing what is still technically a voluntary action.

Which brings me to the biggest problem I have with the entire argument. Tipping is voluntary, yet servers depend on tips for their livelihood because of the way the system is set up. They are under-paid because the system expects customers to make up the difference by tipping the server. Most patrons feel a sense of entitlement though. As if good service deserves a good tip, while what they perceive as poor service deserves a poor tip. Which means that, basically, you are left with a system in which payment rendered is based solely upon the customer's perception of how well the job was performed. Why do we accept this as a valid system?

Think on it some and tell me what you think? Keep the tipping system, ban the patron, or fix the system?

Take that Teddy Grahams

2010-02-18T18:18:00.000-05:00

Store bought graham crackers are out. Homemade ones are in.

Ok, so I'll admit that's partly because I've had one hell of a time finding gluten free graham crackers in any store. All that searching got me so frustrated though, that I decided to make my own. I used Elissa from 17 and Baking's recipe. That girl is way talented and I've been dying to try one of her recipes. I was absolutely not disappointed with this one. I followed it exactly, only switching the 2 1/2 cups of gluten free flour base (Pamela's as always in my kitchen) for regular flour. Because of how sticky the dough was, I probably picked up another 1/4-1/3 cup of flour for dusting the table, the pin, and the dough.

These cookies came out sweet, light, and just like graham crackers should be. I intended to use them for a rose cream cheesecake, but not having access to a spring-form pan put a damper on that plan. Instead, I've been snacking on them as is. They bring back wonderful childhood nostalgia. I think they might be my favorite thing to make so far. Check back with me when I make that cheesecake, though. I have good feelings about it.

Maybe I Am a Southern Girl

2010-02-14T23:40:00.000-05:00

Upon a safe arrival in South Carolina, I set about on a mission. It was a big one too. I set out to find readily available gluten free beer in my local grocery stores and/or to find a craft beer shop that would carry it. No dice. And what's a good southern girl without a cold beer in her hand? A thirsty one, that's what. So I ran through my options:

1) Drive to the nearest specialty beer store. And who knows if they even carry gluten free beer. Or where the nearest one may be.

2) Order online. I'm fairly certain SC blue laws prohibit this, but it's worth looking into.

3) Brew my own. Yeah, this sounds like way more fun.

That's right kids. I'm dipping my dainty, polished toe into the world of homebrewing. I took a look at a how-to guide, and oh boy is this going to be an adventure. I get to play chemist again. Stay tuned for my updates on successes and failures and cries for help. I need all the advice on this one I can get.

Farewell New York

2010-01-23T19:26:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, my mom is currently battling breast cancer. We've finally reached that point in her treatment where I'm needed at home. It's a difficult decision, but I made it with love in my heart.

To everyone I've met along the way, thank you for your support and encouragement. My time here has been more enjoyable than I can begin to say. New York City, you are the most vibrant and welcoming place I have ever been. I will miss sharing my joy and my sadness with you. And I know that, when I'm ready, you will be here to welcome me back. I'll be sorry to leave my kitchen and the kind people of Grand Central Neighborhood and the wonderful staff of Giorgio's. I'll miss late nights in Brooklyn. I'll even miss the subway.

I'll keep baking, and writing regardless, but I wanted to say my goodbyes to the city and the people that have made the past four months so amazing.

Lost Horizons and Night Markets

2010-01-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, I had the great privilege of participating in the second Lost Horizon Night Market in Brooklyn. My friend, Laura roped me into the idea of offering decorate your own erotic baked goods. Let the giggling ensue. Have you ever tried to bake dirty cookies with a straight face? Not possible.

A little background on the market: People come together, rent box trucks, decorate the interior, and offer some form of entertainment, services, or goods. Donations are accepted, or people can barter. The location is kept crazy secret to enhance the sense of adventure. Fun abounds.

So late Saturday afternoon, I pack a box of gluten free cookies and cupcakes, a tea pot, and other sundry supplies and head into Manhattan to pick up the box truck with Laura. From there we went on a scavenger hunt in Manhattan for other things we needed, like a grill, and fabric. From there we hit Brooklyn, finish loading the truck, and getting dressed. Finally, it's Market time.

And what fun it was! Lili, another friend of mine, made a range of vegan treats and decorating icings for everyone to use and enjoy. Krista and Laura covered the baked treats for the non-picky eaters, and I supplied the gluten free goods. The market was scheduled to end at 3AM, but we ran out of food around 1AM. That didn't stop anyone from coming by to drink tea and hang out with us. It was gratifying, successful, and enormously entertaining.

As popular as our truck was, there were so many other talented trucks. The smallest circus ever had two great shows that they ran every ten minutes. There was a silent movie truck, decked out with a heavy red curtain and handing out kuzoos and candy cigarettes. Another truck did an Alice in Wonderland tea ceremony. There was a group doing screen printing who were incredibly talented and very nice. With so much devotion and creativity, it was hard to focus.

Finally, the end of the night rolled around and we four packed up our truck and exhaustedly went home. I can't wait to do it again.

Celiac Dreams

2010-01-04T16:25:00.000-05:00

The Savvy Celiac ran a survey about changes made to the celiac community that we wish were made in the last decade. Things like better awareness about the disease, in the medical community and the food community as well, and better labeling for foods and medications. All of these issues are of the utmost importance for those of us living with celiac.

I have a few more things I'd like to bring up, though. One of the major grievances I have with the celiac community is the price and portions of gluten free products. Gluten free products cost so much more than similar products made with gluten based ingredients, and often, there's less of it. For instance, my loaf of Dr. Schar's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread cost me about $5.50. The loaf is smaller than a regular loaf of bread in two ways: the number of slices, and the actual size of the slice. My sandwiches look like tea sandwiches. So in essence, I pay more money for less bread. I realize the ingredients for the bread are more costly, so I understand the need for higher price, but can I please have a big-girl slice of bread? I like food, and I get hungry, and tea sandwich doesn't fill me up. Almost all of the gluten free products are like this. If you must charge more, make the portion size worth my money. Those of us with celiac don't have the option of buying other products, and companies are taking advantage of that necessity to overcharge for their goods. It needs to be changed.

Another grievance I have is the availability of gluten free products at major supermarket chains. Not everyone has access to specialty grocery stores. The Giants and Food Lions of the world need to take more initiative in providing a wider range of brands and products. Some improvement on this front was made, but not enough. I've seen many grocery stores carry Amy's organic products, but not carry the gluten-free varieties. It's unacceptable. While we're on this line of thinking, I also want to see grocery stores separate the gluten free from the organic foods. Just because it is oraganic does not make a product gluten free and vice versa. It makes for a tedious trip to the grocery store. Some brands, like Amy's, make both organic products with gluten and ones that are gluten free. I know the tendency is to itemize products by brand, but it's made for difficult shopping. There's a great little health food store in Denville, NJ that has an aisle just for the gluten free products it carries. It also has a separate freezer for frozen goods that are gluten free. Shopping there was one of the most pleasurable experiences I've had. I could go to the aisle, pick a product, and know that it was safe for me to eat. Because of that, I was willing to make the trip to Denville to shop there.

One final note, and this one's minor, but it would be lovely. I'd love to see restaurants doing gluten free desserts. More often than not, when I dine out, I can find an entrée and side dish that are gluten free and delicious, but for dessert I'm stuck with vanilla ice cream. I love vanilla ice cream, but I also love cookies and cake. Even a crustless cheesecake would be a better option. So often this diet is about exclusion. Order this dish without that sauce. Don't eat that. I'd love to see the restaurant world embrace the challenge of making it a diet of inclusion. Even if they have to contract out to companies making pre made gluten free desserts. I don't know...just get creative.

It's all about education and involvement. And I hope the changes won't take another ten years to come.

Pear Pies and Apricot Poodles

2010-01-04T12:04:00.001-05:00

Family holidays are some of my favorite activities. Mum's family is huge and, when we all gather, the noise and laughter fills the room. It's uplifting. It also makes dinner interesting. With about forty people to feed, the choices available are overwhelming. Family holidays are the ultimate potluck dinner. And like with any potluck, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Ever since my diagnosis, I've taken to building a little insurance into the dinners by making my own desserts and at least one side dish. The family's excellent about making sure the main dishes are free of all gluten for me, but the details sometimes get lost. Not because they don't love me and want me to eat, but because it can be too difficult for them to cater to one person's dietary needs or tastes with so many of us eating. I try to take some of that worry away by providing something that I know is gluten free, but also delicious and easy to share. Especially when it comes to dessert, since finding available, pre-made, gluten free options is expensive and not always easy. It's much easier for me to just make something. On the menu this year: pear pie.

I looked over a bunch of crust recipes and filling recipes for weeks. Having never made a pie, gluten free or otherwise, from scratch, I was a bit overwhelmed at first. Thankfully, I found a straightforward crust recipe in my Williams Sonoma Pies and Tarts cookbook. I was only concerned because, as with most recipes without egg, I knew my flour base would turn out crumbly, not tender, if I followed it exactly. The recipe called for the dough to be worked as little as possible so as not to melt the butter and toughen the crust. I ignored this advice. The reason the crust gets tough in regular recipes is because working the dough forms networks of gluten. Not a problem I encounter with my flours. In fact, I actually need the butter pieces to melt through the dough a bit more than usual to counter act the tendency of my dough to crumble rather than flake. I also added two egg yolks to the dough I made for the top of the pie to help hold it together and to assist with browning.

For the filling, I looked to the apple pie filling recipe listed in the cookbook, but I made a few modifications. My pears were sweeter than cooking apples, so I reduced the sugar by half. I added a little orange juice and zest for acid and flavor and a touch of ginger to spice it up. Here's the final recipe:

7 Bosc pears, peeled, cored and sliced thick
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp gluten free flour (like Pamela's Pancake and Baking mix, or your own)
the zest and juice of one orange
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

The final pie was actually kind of pretty, for a first attempt. I forgot to shield it with foil when I saw the edges getting darker, and the crust needs some work and practice, but I was happy just to have something pie-shaped that smelled good to serve.

Ever the obsessive and proud parent of such a creation, I charged mum with the heavy responsibility of wrapping the pie in aluminum foil and putting it in an insulated food bag. I also insisted that the pie ride shotgun in my lap for the entire trip to avoid overturning it or jarring it. In theory, it was a sensible idea. In practice, what actually happened went a little differently. My treasured pie rode happily in my lap for about an hour and a half. Then we stopped for breakfast. I placed to pie on the backseat of the car where, I assumed, it would remain safe until my return. My aunt placed her apricot poodle on the front seat where, I assumed, she would remain until we finished eating. We arrived at the car after breakfast to find my aunt's apricot poodle standing on my pear pie wagging her happy tail. I stood numbly staring at the bag while my aunt scolded the dog and mum opened the bag to check the pie. My face fell to see the hole in the aluminum foil and the crater of mushy crust and pear the dog made in my masterpiece. Right about then, I burst into tears. Weeks of planning, and days of execution literally got stomped on. Later, when I calmed down a bit of course, the situation seemed much funnier. And the pie was still every bit as delicious as I hoped. From now on, the pie rides shotgun on my lap and then gets placed in the trunk during pit stops if I want it to look as fantastic as it tastes.

Even though the pie wasn't pretty, it was gluten free, and very good, so I'll call this attempt a draw. One failure, one success, but at least I had dessert. And it went perfectly with the laughter and noise of the holidays.

Cake Calamities

2009-12-23T22:44:00.001-05:00

My guy's birthday is coming up soon. So of course, I have to make him a cake. Which means I need to start testing recipes now. I mean, I'm great with cookies, but cakes...not so much. He deserves the best, and that's what I'm going to give him. With that said, I started this very day. Basic vanilla seemed, well, basic enough. Except it wasn't.

I started by following the recipe I found exactly. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add butter, then sugar. Then the eggs, one by one, and the vanilla and the milk. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Only, about 15 minutes in, I noticed the center was brown and bubbling while the outer edge was a creamy beige, and the top was rising like a soufflé. I moved the cake to a lower rack and left it to bake some more. Ten minutes later the center of the cake was a crater and the whole thing was so dark I was afraid it might burn. Out of the oven with it. As it cooled, the whole thing shrank and cracked, and finally fell apart as I tried to turn it out. Ok, so it didn't work, but I had plenty of flour left, and a few ideas. I'd just had to make some adjustments.

Round two, I separated the eggs and whipped the whites until fluffy. Followed the rest of recipe as closely as before, but this time, I folded in the egg whites at the end. The hope was the whites would make the cake less dense, a common problem with gluten free flours. Into the oven with the new cake. I checked on it at the 20 minute mark and it looked great, if a little liquid, but the recipe did call for a 30 minute cooking time. Five minutes later, the whole thing collapsed on itself and I had an even uglier cake than before. Except now I was out of butter and patience for the day.

Not the kind of cake I want to serve Michael, now or ever. Good thing I started practicing early. Baking cakes is not a piece of cake for this cookie queen.

Culinary Confessions

2009-12-12T20:23:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite bloggers, Alejandra Ramos of Always Order Dessert wrote a post inspired by David Lebovitz's culinary confessions. Her's is whimiscal and, frankly, endearing. So endearing, that I'm going to brave the topic myself and give you my run down of culinary secrets.

I nibble to leftover dough of every cookie recipe I make. So much so that I often forget to eat a real meal.

I get cravings for foods I don't actually like.

Like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Which I find repulsive.

I think most swordfish preparations are akin to eating a grilled shoe. Not that I've tasted grilled shoe.

I once tried to become a vegetarian, but gave up when I realized I could no longer eat NC style barbeque.

Pork in almost every preparation makes me giddy.

I find food trends even more baffling than clothing trends. How can a fruit be trendy? Delicious is delicous, the end.

Speaking of which, due to my senior research project, I can barely stand the sight of pomegranates. Which sadly, became trendy right around the same time.

As long as something doesn't have gluten in it, I'll try it at least once. I'd just prefer it if you told me what I was eating after I've decided whether I enjoy it or not.

I don't buy into the idea that food is better because it's imported or expensive.

I recently bought a bag of pecans for $9 for half a pound. Remembering the pecan tree in my grandparents' backyard made this a painful experience.

On an average day, I consume 4-6 cups of tea. Coffee is for very rare and special occasions, or if there is no tea and I need a hot drink.

I miss matzo ball soup. And matzo in general for that matter.

I love licorice and the black-tongue effect I get from eating it.

I'm hopelessly messy when I'm cooking, but I always clean up after myself.

I love sushi, but hate how I'm always hungry an hour after eating it.

Brussel sprouts are my favorite vegetable, hands down. Even as a kid.

I want to learn to butcher my own cuts of meat, but I'm also a little intimidated by it.

Everything I cook is associated in my mind with someone or some event from my life. It's a completely autobiographic experience and I love sharing it.

Those are my confessions. Feel free to share yours!

Sweet Dreams

2009-12-10T17:21:00.000-05:00

I'm always on the lookout for new recipes or ways to pep up old ones. This week, I found a little of both. In Taste of Home magazine, I found a lovely recipe for anise cookies iced with lemon buttercream. It sounded so warm and inviting that I just had to try it, and it happens that I had the perfect excuse to do so. I wanted to repay the staff at Giorgio's for their kindness to me by dropping of a few homemade treats for Christmas. Alex, in particular needed thanking. He was the perfect recipient for the anise cookies.

The cookies puffed more than I expected, but I decided I liked the pillowy texture. And they smell perfectly of licorice, but only hint at it when you bite into them. The original buttercream recipe didn't have quite enough lemon flavor, and I worried it would be lost on the cookies, so I dosed them with even more extract. I'd have liked to add lemon peel or better yet, candied peel pieces, but didn't have any on hand. Next time, though. For a first time recipe, I was incredibly pleased with this one. I happily delivered several to Alex, marveling at his look of gratitude and surprise. The way I see it, he goes out of his way several times a month for me, so for Christmas, it was my turn.

Not wanting to leave out the rest of the staff, who are also incredibly gracious, I sent along a sampler of candies. Homemade fudge, caramels, and coconut drops made their way into the tin, along with some peppermint meringues. The meringues were a stroke of inspiration. I recently had the idea to crush candy canes and use the bits in an biscotti recipe flavored with eggnog. Then I thought, "Oh...this would make a great topping for meringues and cookies too." So I tried it, and frankly, I think these meringues are my best yet.

The staff was so excited to receive their gift, but also a little blown away by it. I left smiling, knowing I made people feel special who routinely do the same for me. It was worth braving the cold just for the looks on their faces.

Better Labeling, Better Health?

2009-12-08T09:22:00.000-05:00

The New York Times ran an article about the changes consumer groups want made to food labels, called A Makeover for Food Labels. The theory is that if food labels were easier to read, and contained more accurate information, then consumers would make healthier food choices. Personally, I'm a bit skeptical of that, but we'll leave it alone for now. I took a look at the new label, which you can view here.

I like it for two reasons. First, the print is a little larger and they've eliminated all caps, which makes the label easier to read quickly. And secondly, the ingredient information is organized in a way that makes sense to me. It separates major ingredients, minor ingredients (defined as 2% or less), and allergen information.

As someone who spends her life reading ingredient labels for allergen information, that last one is a big deal. The FDA has required for some time that major allergens be listed separately, but often they get crammed at the bottom of the ingredient list, where they sort of blend in. It can be hard to spot, which makes labels such as that potentially harmful. This new one makes it larger, highlights the information in red, and does what it's intended to do: draw the eye to it. While gluten is still not an allergen that is always listed, the layout of the ingredient list makes it easier for me to identify gluten containing components.

I don't care so much about the daily amount percentages, mostly because I'm one of those people that eats what I want in moderation. For people watching their sugar, sodium, fat, or caloric intake, though, there are some changes to that section as well. The most notable is the addition of the word HIGH in red lettering to daily amounts over 20%.

Whether this leads to consumers making healthier choices or not, I'm in favor of the new label, simply because it makes it easier to find information. I'm probably still going to put the sugary, fattening, calorie-filled snack in my shopping cart, but it will be nice to be able to see just how sugary, fattening, and calorie-filled it is before I do.

Tis the Season

2009-12-05T21:42:00.000-05:00

Every Christmas, I make homemade candies and treats as gifts. I've found that often my sweets are better appreciated than any store-bought gift I could find. There's something about giving your time and effort to someone that can't be replicated.

This year, I'm being especially ambitious. For the first time, I'm making candy without my mum's assistance in the kitchen. She's always been there to hand me the jar of marshmallow fluff, or take over stirring. Now she's 12 hours away, so I'm on my own. Let the adventures begin.

Today, I made the fudge. Tomorrow, caramels and maybe Martha Washingtons, which are coconut and pecans dipped in melted chocolate. Then, the licorice and lemon soft mints. Finally, the baked goods. Chocolate mint cookies, biscuits with sausage and cheese. And depending on how much crushed candy cane I have left, peppermint meringues. And that's just what I'm making before I go home for Christmas. When I get home, I'm probably going to make more biscuits, and some sort of pie. Lots to do, but I feel relaxed, driven, and completely content. Nothing makes me happier than when I'm in the kicthen making treats for other people.

That's my favorite part of this season. It gives me an excuse to lavish my loved ones with homemade sweets. As I've said before, food and the sharing of meals is an incredibly intimate thing, meant to show love, friendship, and hospitality. And that's what Christmas is for too. It's the perfect marriage. And it's where I feel most in my element. Bring it on Santa. I've got this Christmas covered. In chocolate that is.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-04T11:07:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving was a two part trip this year. First stop: DC to see my best friend for her birthday. And when Cheryl and I get together it can only mean one thing. Museums. So, we went to the museums we've been visiting since children. We hit up the Smithsonian museums. American history was up first. Not my favorite, but the Julia Child kitchen makes the trip worth it for me. I grew up watching Julia Child with my dad, and when I start missing him, turning to her recipes or reruns always brings me back. The exhibit was crazy crowded this trip, so I didn't have time to snap a lot of photos, but I did get this one:

After the American history visit, we went to the butterfly exhibit at the natural history building. I loved this so much. There were 300 live butterflies flitting back and forth. For a few dollars you could go in, spend as much time as you wanted, and take all the pictures you wanted. I got some amazing shots, but this one was my favorite, mostly because the composition was totally accidental.

After the amazing weekend with Cheryl, I felt relaxed, happy, and ready to face a long train ride to South Carolina. I missed my mum terribly. And, despite her reassurances that she's felt fine during her chemo, I was worried for her. She's tired a lot, but I was relieved to find her upbeat, and bubbly as always. And she was thrilled to have me home.

We had dinner at my cousins' house. Tim fried a turkey and a chicken. Even though I'm not on Team Turkey, he did a great job. The chicken, though, was killer. He injected it with barbecue sauce before deep frying it, so it came out smokey, sweet, and moist. Delicious. I was a little let down when I saw the sides available for me to eat. They always forgo mashed potatoes in favor of a wheat-laden sweet potato casserole and mac and cheese. That left the lima beans and the corn for me to eat and of course the gluten-free biscuits and cookies I made. I decided that if I don't do Thanksgiving myself next year, I'm bringing a ton of side dishes that are safe for me. And a few desserts too. But the company was good, and the food I could eat was tasty, so no complaints.

Great trip, overall. And I get to do it all over again in a few weeks when I go home for Christmas.

Too Fat to Graduate

2009-12-03T17:52:00.001-05:00

Too Fat For a B.A.? is an article run by Lemondrop. I encountered it via Twitter and I have to say, I'm a little disgusted.

This is a dangerous line for the university to tread. Why? Because it borders on hazing. Actually, in my opinion, it absolutely is hazing, but we'll get to that in a moment. College is a stressful time for most kids. A lot of them are leaving the house for the first time and being exposed to an unending stream of new experiences. By forcing students who are overweight to take an additional course will only add to the already enormous amount of pressure placed on them. I'm all for requiring students to take a fitness class to learn about healthier lifestyle choices, but if you're going to make it mandatory, make it mandatory for everyone.

Which is why I say this is hazing. If a sorority or fraternity did this to its new members, they'd get in major legal trouble with the university, their national headquarters, and the Panhellenic or Interfraternal Councils. And indeed, many have gotten into trouble this way. If this kind of behavior is sanctioned by the university under the guise of concern for the students' health, what example does it send our young people? It tells them that singling out a group of others based on how they look is an acceptable reason to hold them to different standards. It's not. Students go to college to get an education, and yes, that education should include a course on healthy habits, but not simply because a student falls outside a set of arbitrary parameters. It's a dangerous precedent to set. It says that if research proved that men had a higher tendency towards violence, that they could be required to take a class on anger management. Or if women were more prone to depression, they could be forced to seek mandatory counseling. Whenever you target one group for different treatment, you open the door for other groups to fall victim.

In addition, this ignores the needs of a different set of students. Those who are considered underweight are just as unhealthy as those who are overweight. Anorexia, bulimia, and other body dismorphic disorders are serious conditions and equally life threatening, but in this society are often overlooked. This is because we glamorize "thin" and "skinny" in favor of healthy. And college is the perfect breeding ground for these conditions to develop. Yet, the university is making no such sanctions for those whose BMI is below the normal range to take a similar course. It is sending the message that too thin is better than too fat.

I can't really give the school much credit for their efforts to make their students more healthy because they've chosen to do it in such a misguided fashion. My college required all of us to take a health course as part of our general education core. At the time I found it tedious, but now I respect them for choosing that path over the one that Lincoln University has chosen. I hope the school officials see arguments and posts such as this one and take a long, hard look at the message they want to send versus the implications they seem to be making.

Turkey Trash Talk

2009-11-19T08:51:00.000-05:00

Ok, Thanksgiving traditionalists will probably burn me at the stake for this, but here it goes anyway. I think turkey is overrated. There, I said it.

No, I'm not suffering from head trauma. No, I didn't have a case of turkey-related food poisoning. I just don't think much of the stuff. And, yeah, I've eaten some amazingly delicious turkeys, so it's not a case of bad turkey blues. We'll forget for a moment that dry movies are referred to as turkeys.

It's just that I'd rather have some other meat at my Thanksgiving meal. Fortunately for me, my family usually makes a ham in addition to a turkey. My devotion to pork aside, I think it's a great alternative to turkey on the big day. The best ones are the perfect trifecta of smoky, salty, and sweet. And pork just seems to love other food. Everyone says everything's better with bacon, right? Maybe bacon's not the only part of the pig that makes food magical.

Maybe I'm not such a Thanksgiving heathen, after all. You tell me, what's your meat, or meat substitute, of choice for Thanksgiving?

A Beer Girl's Request

2009-11-16T10:41:00.000-05:00

I love beer. Well, I loved beer before I had to give it up for my health. See here's the thing, sure there are gluten free beers on the market, and sure they're delicious, but I want more. The thing I loved about beer was the variety. I loved walking into a specialty beer shop and picking out a few to try. There's a beer to go with any meal just like there's a wine for any food. But now, I'm limited to a handful of choices, most of which are hard to find. This makes me a very sad girl, indeed.

So I have a challenge for those of you who brew beer. Play around with the gluten free grains, please? Sorghum's a good place to start, but there's a bunch of them out there. Experiment. I will happily try anything you make, and I'm sure I'm not alone. I'd love to see a bigger selection out there. Yes, there are meads and ciders, but it's just not the same. There's something about a cold beer that just can't be replicated from fruit and honey. Grain is the way to go. Please make a beer girl happy. Please

Volunteer

2009-11-14T12:22:00.000-05:00

Ok guys, I've been super slack on my Food Bank for NYC duties this month, but with the holidays coming up, it's time for me to step it up.

Thanksgiving is a huge food holiday. It's also a huge time for volunteers. Most soup kitchens get an over abundace of help on Thanksgiving, but struggle the rest of the year to fill their shifts. If you can volunteer on Thanksgiving, by all means, please do, just don't forget the other 364 days a year that need attention too. It's easy to remember to help out on a day dedicated to counting your blessings and being grateful for what you have. It's easy to remember people less fortunate than you when you're feeling so filled up on love and luck. It's much harder to remember that the same people who have nothing on Thanksgiving also have nothing the day after and the one after that. Hunger doesn't know holidays and it doesn't take a vacation. If you have an extra can of food, or an hour or two to spare, give that to someone who needs it. If you have an extra few dollars, give that. I don't care what you do, as long as you remember to give of yourself. Trust me, it goes a long way.

The clients I work with at GCN are some of the most gracious people I've met. They come in looking tired and sometimes grumpy, but most of them cheer up after a plate of food. While I get the occasional client who's bitter and unhappy, more often than not, they thank me for my time. They thank me for smiling and for making them feel taken care of. I go because I get a natural high from being there and knowing that for a few hours, I made someone feel less weary. That's what giving is about, and that's what we should all be doing at every chance we get.

This year, please support Food Bank for NYC, City Harvest, Feeding America, or any of the countless other organizations dedicated to ending hunger. Not just on Turkey Day, but on any day.

Curry, Ice Cream, and Tuna

2009-11-12T11:42:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not pregnant. That was my culinary day, yesterday. And it was delicious. I started the day in Chinatown with my friend, Angus. We went to Great N.Y. Noodletown at 28 Bowery. Apparently they have killer ginger scallion noodles. Since I can't have noodles, I'll take Angus' word for it. But I did have the beef curry over rice. The beef was incredibly tender when I managed to find pieces not still in the skin, but even with the skin on, it was pretty tasty. I'm not particularly accustomed to the texture of beef prepared that way, but I can't say I hated it. Not that I loved it either. Give me a few more plates and I'll get back to you on it. But I will say, the curry sauce was delightful. Just the right amount of heat to warm me up on a chilly day, but not a sear-the-roof-of-your-mouth-off kind of heat. Another bonus, the dish was more meat than vegetables. Often when I order curry, I get a pile of onions and peppers, and maybe four pieces of meat. Not at Noodletown. I got four pieces of vegetables and a pile of beef. This place has their priorities straightened out. I won't say that it was the best Chinese food I've ever had, but I would go back again. And really, that's good enough for me.

After the curry, we walked around the corner to The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory at 65 Bayard St. Yes, it was cold outside, and yes, we're a little crazy that way. Despite the cold weather, the place was packed. And for good reason. The Seid family has been making ice cream at that location for almost 30 years. With flavors like avocado, green tea, and red bean cozying up along side the more familiar coffee, strawberry, and chocolate, this place offers something for everyone. The place offers 33 flavors of ice cream and 9 varieties of sorbet. I spotted the black sesame ice cream and, to use puppy speak, my ears perked up. I have a love, bordering on obsession, for sesame. So there was no question about what I was going to order. Angus went with the ginger ice cream. My black sesame was amazingly good. Sweet with the underpinnings of toasted sesame. And the ginger ice cream? Luscious and full of chunks of candied ginger. It managed to be spicy the way ginger should be, but delicately so. Check them out at their website, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory.

After lunch, I hung out a bit until it was time to meet Michael for dinner and a movie. We had drinks at Giorgio's before seeing Boondock Saints II: All Saints' Day. While not as good as the first, I wasn't disappointed by Troy Duffy's new installment of the McManus brothers. It made for a good way to spend two hours. After, we went back to Giorgio's thinking we might get something light to eat. Light turned out to be Alex pulling out all of the stops for me. Michael ordered swordfish over saffron risotto. I loved the risotto, and while swordfish isn’t my thing, Alex does a great job with it. He livens it up a bit with roasted plum tomatoes. Pretty delicious. But where he outdid himself was my plate. Rare tuna skewers with wilted spinach greens over an orange half and served with beets, brussels sprouts, and baby carrots. All finished with a balsamic glaze. And it was probably the most beautiful plate I’ve been served. I wish I’d thought to bring my camera to take a picture. Everything was vibrant and fresh. It goes without saying that the food was delicious, but it was gorgeously plated as well. And to make me feel extra special, he brought our plates out himself. Top that with a glass of apple cinnamon bourbon made by Brian, and I had a fantastic meal. I told you this place felt like home. Michael may have spoiled me a little here, since Giorgio’s has now become my standard for hospitality.

I came home, full and happy. And by my standards, that’s an excellent night.

Thank You

2009-11-10T14:28:00.000-05:00

I have to extend a few thank yous to some people. These are friends, virtual and real life, who have supported and encouraged me in this crazy endeavor to become a chef. Especially in light of how chaotic life became recently.

A HUGE thank you to my mom, my uncle, and my cousins Dawn and Howie for not thinking I'm crazy, and for making sure I have a roof over my head and a kitchen to practice in. Uncle Matt, Dawn, and Howie's hospitality made it possible for me to be up here in the first place. And Russell for giving up his room to me this summer. I still owe you dinner.

Cheryl, Rho, Casey, Liz, and Lanae for all the positive words and input on my recipes. You girls never cease to express your faith in me, or fail to let me know how proud you are. Extra thanks to Cheryl for buying my products and playing guinea pig.

Michael for being Michael. For introducing me to Sean and Alex. For Giorgio's. For taking me to dinners at restaurants I've dreamt of eating at for a long time and introducing me to new ones. And for loving my cookies and other baked goods. My recipes get scrapped if they don't pass your filter.

Sean, Alex, Meg, and Ginger for making Giorgio's the place I can count on for a good meal, and a home away from home. Alex especially. The extra effort you put in to make sure I have meals that are safe and elegant is the most gracious gift you could provide for me. And Sean for all of your kind words and help.

Eric for reminding me that I'm chasing a dream and not failing at it either.

To my Twitter pals, Nandita, FoodBank4NYC, TheUnknownChef, GFTiff, and Estheribrown. You guys share recipes for inspiration, information, encouragement, and enthusiasm. And, Nandita excepting, I've never met you in person. It's easy to be gracious and supportive of people you know well, but it's much harder to do the same for a stranger. Thanks for that.

You are just a handful of people that have made me feel less like I'm chasing a crazy idea and more like I'm doing something incredible. You're the people that have made New York feel more like home and less like a crazy idea. There have been so many others that it would take days and days to express my appreciation.

I may not be in culinary school yet, and I may not have a job. But somehow I feel like the luckiest, most successful girl alove because of you.

What Should Waiters Do? Pt. 2

2009-11-07T13:29:00.001-05:00

NY Times released the second half of 100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do. Again, Waiter Rant commented on the article. And again, it's my turn. The Waiter's comments are in italics, and mine in bold.

100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do (Part 2) WTF?
November 6th, 2009 by Waiter

Here we go again!

100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do (Part 2)
By BRUCE BUSCHEL

This is the second half of the 100 do’s and don’ts from last week’s post. Again, this list is for one particular restaurant, mine, which is under construction in Bridgehampton, N.Y., and will, with any luck, open this spring. I realize that every deli needs a wisecracking waiter, most pizza joints can handle heavy metal, and burgers always taste better when delivered by a server with tattoos and tongue piercing(s).

Not even a hundred suggestions can cover all the bases, so one is grateful for the many comments following the 50, including striking “you guys” from the restaurant lexicon and making sure the alcohol order is taken lickety-split. Thanks for all of the help.

51. If there is a service charge, alert your guests when you present the bill. It’s not a secret or a trick. I agree. But if your customer’s been a hard drinking obnoxious fool go for the double tip! That’s when a waiter writes the total (Including the automatic gratuity) on the back of the check and circles it - often scrawling smiley faces and effusive “Thank yous!” as a distraction. Then when the inebriated customer stupidly adds a tip on top of it you shout “Ka-Ching!” Dishonest, I know, but occasionally satisfying. The lesson here? Always examine your bill! Please follow this one, but please ignore the Waiter. He's bitter today.

52. Know your menu inside and out. If you serve Balsam Farm candy-striped beets, know something about Balsam Farm and candy-striped beets. And know all those brand name adjectives are usually marketing bullshit. And if you don't know, at least be willing to inquire about the subject.

53. Do not let guests double-order unintentionally; remind the guest who orders ratatouille that zucchini comes with the entree. Am I wrong or is a simple side of zucchini different than ratatouille? Besides, I like ratatouille. Got a problem with that? Fucking food police. I agree with both points here. This suggestion, if handled delicately, is reasonable, but there's a tactless and wrong way to do it, and not everyone can pull it off. Be careful and use judiciously.

54. If there is a prix fixe, let guests know about it. Do not force anyone to ask for the “special” menu. Agreed. If you don’t tell little old people about that prix fixe they’ll beat you to death with their walkers. Agreed. Common sense, guys.

55. Do not serve an amuse-bouche without detailing the ingredients. Allergies are a serious matter; peanut oil can kill. (This would also be a good time to ask if anyone has any allergies.) Waiters are neither physicians or psychics. It’s a customer’s responsibility to tell the waiter if they’re suffering from a food allergy. Should we start offering Benadryl as an amuse-bouche? Next thing you know we’ll be running pre-dining blood tests on the patrons. Both the Waiter and Mr. Bushel have valid points. It is my responsibilty to inform my waiter of my gluten intolerance, but it is also his responsibility to tell me what's in the amuse-bouche. You'd be amazed at how many times I've told my server that I couldn't have wheat, only to be brought something thickened with flour. Assume nothing.

56. Do not ignore a table because it is not your table. Stop, look, listen, lend a hand. (Whether tips are pooled or not.) But what happens if the restaurant owner chronically understaffs his or her restaurant to save on overhead? Take care of your own tables! When the shit hits the fan it’s every waiter for himself. In theory, this is a good idea, but like the Waiter says, there are plenty of unscrupulous restaurant owners out there. Take care of your tables first, then, if you can help out.

57. Bring the pepper mill with the appetizer. Do not make people wait or beg for a condiment. Ah yes, the infamous pepper mill. Comes in handy as a club. Just think of the customers as baby seals. Maybe it's me, but I actually find being asked if I want fresh pepper on my meal annoying. You're reseasoning food that I haven't even tasted yet. How do I know if it needs pepper until I put it in my mouth? Besides which, black pepper doesn't always pair well with the food I ordered. This trend is one I could live without.

58. Do not bring judgment with the ketchup. Or mustard. Or hot sauce. Or whatever condiment is requested. Do all your snickering in the back. “That guy wanted ketchup on his duck! What a tool!” Common. Sense.

59. Do not leave place settings that are not being used. Unless the customer thinks their imaginary date’s eating with them. See above.

60. Bring all the appetizers at the same time, or do not bring the appetizers. Same with entrees and desserts. This only works when the kitchen’s got their act together. If an app’s getting cold while I’m waiting for the chef to whip up the other dishes I’m bringing it out while it’s still hot. I agree with the Waiter here. If the kitchen does what it's supposed to, apply this rule. If not, serve me warm food as it comes. You'll get more grief from cold food than staggered orders. Especially with appetizers which most people share anyway.

61. Do not stand behind someone who is ordering. Make eye contact. Thank him or her. But occasionally you’ll run into a schizoid patron who’ll never makes eye contact with you. Freaky. I feel like I'm being clubbed with the common sense bat. Or the common decency bat. You choose.

62. Do not fill the water glass every two minutes, or after each sip. You’ll make people nervous. True. With all these rules a waiter in Buschel’s restaurant will probably be nervous enough as it is. See above.

62(a). Do not let a glass sit empty for too long. Use this as opportunity to up-sell more overpriced bottled water! And again.

63. Never blame the chef or the busboy or the hostess or the weather for anything that goes wrong. That’s because chefs will always find a way to make it the waiter’s fault. Bastards. And again.

64. Specials, spoken and printed, should always have prices. If you have to ask you can’t afford it. Specials are almost always more expensive than printed entrees. Use your head. They should be printed so I know how to double check my bill, but I'm not terribly fussed if they're not.

65. Always remove used silverware and replace it with new. Especially when that kid jeeped up on Ritalin’s been throwing his forks on the floor every ten seconds. Did I mention that the common sense train has left the station? I wonder how many more times I can put it in print.

66. Do not return to the guest anything that falls on the floor — be it napkin, spoon, menu or soy sauce. But if a guy lets a condom slip out of his pocket be sure to return it wearing thick Hazmat gloves. Drugs on the floor? You just got your tip in advance!
I think Mr. Buschel is referring, here, to tableware, silverware, and foodstuffs. Please notify me if I drop something though. I'm capable of retrieving it myself.

67. Never stack the plates on the table. They make a racket. Shhhhhh. I prefer to deal them out like playing cards. This is what those big trays are for. Or your forearms.

68. Do not reach across one guest to serve another. I used to work with a waiter who liked to “accidentally” clip obstreperous customers in the head with a tray. He was my hero. I'd like to introduce you to my friend courtesy.

69. If a guest is having trouble making a decision, help out. If someone wants to know your life story, keep it short. If someone wants to meet the chef, make an effort. Here’s a a restaurant axiom I’ve always lived by – a waiter controls the table. Time is money. If a customer’s dithering use your Jedi skills to plunge into their mind and make them order something. If someone wants to meet the chef? Make sure he’s not drunk, banging the hostess and has wiped the cocaine residue from underneath his nose. And if a a customer wants to know my life story? My book is available at fine retailers for about ten bucks. Autographs are extra. Mr. Buschel's second set of guidelines is far more agreeable than the first. This time around he seems to be focusing on efficiency and courtesy.

70. Never deliver a hot plate without warning the guest. And never ask a guest to pass along that hot plate. But if that Ritalin brat wants to touch the plate? Consider it a teachable moment. Lawsuits are expensive.

71. Do not race around the dining room as if there is a fire in the kitchen or a medical emergency. (Unless there is a fire in the kitchen or a medical emergency.) I worked in a place where the owner always blocked the fire exits with equipment and extra tables. If the restaurant caught fire we all knew we we’re gonna burn. Why run? A moderate pace is acceptable. Especially if the restaurant is busy.

72. Do not serve salad on a freezing cold plate; it usually advertises the fact that it has not been freshly prepared. I had the reverse problem at a restaurant I once worked at. Because the owner was so cheap we never had enough salad plates. When it got crazy the salad guy would arrange the salad on plates red hot from the dishwasher. You better believe I threw those greens into the blast chiller. The same rule applies for desserts that aren't served on the dish in which they were cooked.

73. Do not bring soup without a spoon. Few things are more frustrating than a bowl of hot soup with no spoon. How about a straw? I like the taste of plastic! Dear Common Sense, It's been a while. How are you? Love, Me.

74. Let the guests know the restaurant is out of something before the guests read the menu and order the missing dish. And take away the satisfaction of getting a guest all hyped up about a dish and then saying “Oh, so sorry. We’re out of that?” Life is about small pleasures. If you're aware that something has run out, this is fine, but on a busy night, sometimes it's not possible. If it happens that you're not aware of being out of something until after an order has been placed, please recommend something.

75. Do not ask if someone is finished when others are still eating that course. Use that moment to sell more booze! Here, I find Mr. Buschel a bit redundant. Remember last week when he talked about not removing plates until all the guests have finished. And how I said it was my responsibility to tell you if I wanted my plate removed. This goes with that.

76. Do not ask if a guest is finished the very second the guest is finished. Let guests digest, savor, reflect. How much reflection does a customer need? In 24 hours we all know where that food’s going. Don't rush me, but do remove the plates in a reasonable amount of time.

77. Do not disappear. Unless you’re getting that handjob from the three martini cougar. Disappearing with impact your tip inversely. The longer I have to look for you, the lower it will be.

78. Do not ask, “Are you still working on that?” Dining is not work — until questions like this are asked. What you should say is “Are you still enjoying your entree?” That’s waiterspeak for “You done yet?” There's a signal for that that most diners and restaurant staff have since forgotten. Leave your fork and knife at the 4 and 8 positions on the plate if youre still eating, or move them both to the 4 if you're through. Learn it. Love it. But if you don't know it, ask.

79. When someone orders a drink “straight up,” determine if he wants it “neat” — right out of the bottle — or chilled. Up is up, but “straight up” is debatable. Sad but true. I once ordered a dirty martini “up” got warm vodka and olive juice “neat” in a rocks glass. Disgusting. Patrons, know your bar lingo better. Staffers, ask if you're unsure.

80. Never insist that a guest settle up at the bar before sitting down; transfer the tab. A restaurant should have a policy to transfer bar tabs to checks in place before they open their doors for the first time. Agreed.

81. Know what the bar has in stock before each meal. Waiters should know. They dip into the bar’s “stock” all the time. So true.

82. If you drip or spill something, clean it up, replace it, offer to pay for whatever damage you may have caused. Refrain from touching the wet spots on the guest. Just tell that three-martini cougar the “wet spot” will come out with salt and club soda. This is actually a wonderful policy. I've had servers drip food on the table and then toss me extra napkins. Not a pleasant experience to be treated like a maid by someone who is supposed to be serving you.

83. Ask if your guest wants his coffee with dessert or after. Same with an after-dinner drink. If they’re Americans they’ll want coffee with dessert. If they’re Europeans? They’ll want coffee afterwards and you’ll know your tip’s gonna suck. Ask away.

84. Do not refill a coffee cup compulsively. Ask if the guest desires a refill. Control the customers’ caffeine intake. They’re usually uptight enough as it is. This is another great common sense gem that gets ignored. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, so when I do have a cup, I usually stop at one or two. And it feels wasteful to leave an almost full cup sitting on the table because the server kept pouring without asking. Don't assume we're all caffiene addicts.

84(a). Do not let an empty coffee cup sit too long before asking if a refill is desired. And if you do refill it, give them decaf. Ah, sarcasm. The Waiter has such a taste for it. It's another common sense rule.

85. Never bring a check until someone asks for it. Then give it to the person who asked for it. But if the table’s camping out and the restaurant manger is breathing down your neck because he’s got a line of hungry customers spilling out onto the sidewalk - drop that check! Turn and burn baby! I'd prefer it if you waited until I asked, but if you must leave it before then, please do so as innocuously as possible.

86. If a few people signal for the check, find a neutral place on the table to leave it. Drop it like a hockey puck and run! The center of the table is a good place.

87. Do not stop your excellent service after the check is presented or paid. True. Rapid personality changes are usually indicative of a borderline personality disorder. Many hostesses suffer from this. Another hit from the common sense bat.

88. Do not ask if a guest needs change. Just bring the change. And if they’ve been a pain the ass give them a wad of singles reeking of stripper crotch. I know you work for tips. I also know that asking for change is your way of trying to ask about it, without asking. Please don't insult my intelligence this way.

89. Never patronize a guest who has a complaint or suggestion; listen, take it seriously, address it. Yeah, I’ll admit I had a problem with this. Really Waiter, you seem so open and friendly. In all seriousness, this one is HUGE. How you handle a complaint, no matter how small it may be, will have an impact on the patron's decision to return to a restaurant. You want return business. Grace under pressure will, at the end of the day, make you more money.

90. If someone is getting agitated or effusive on a cellphone, politely suggest he keep it down or move away from other guests. Buy one of those cell phone jamming devices. It’ll also stop the waiters from compulsively texting and watching porn on their iPhones. This is a tricky line to toe. I agree that the noise level should be addressed, but I think this is management's job, not the server's.

91. If someone complains about the music, do something about it, without upsetting the ambiance. But how about when waiters complain about the music? I was forced to listen to Nessun Dorma so many times that it induces seizures when I hear it now! The music shouldn't be loud enough for that to begin with.

92. Never play a radio station with commercials or news or talking of any kind. Call me blue collar, but I always thought a TV above a restaurant’s bar added a touch of class to the joint. Commercials and news are best left outside the restaurant. Unless it's a sportsbar.

93. Do not play brass — no brassy Broadway songs, brass bands, marching bands, or big bands that feature brass, except a muted flugelhorn. I think Bruce had a traumatic incident while at band camp. What if the ambiance calls for such bands? Sure, it's out of place in a French bistro, but at a jazz club? it would be weird not to hear brass instruments.

94. Do not play an entire CD of any artist. If someone doesn’t like Frightened Rabbit or Michael Bublé, you have just ruined a meal. If they don’t like the Bob Dylan CD I’ve got playing, screw ‘em. The man is a god. Mr. Buschel seems to be very music focused. I agree with him, but I'm concerned that the focus has shifted from the food to music.

95. Never hover long enough to make people feel they are being watched or hurried, especially when they are figuring out the tip or signing for the check. I agree with this. But when you’ve got to turn that table, hovering with a homicidal gleam in your eye can be a valuable weapon. If you've managed not to hurry me throughout the course of the meal, then waiting another five minutes for me to sign the check and collect my possesions won't kill you.

96. Do not say anything after a tip — be it good, bad, indifferent — except, “Thank you very much.” But when you get home input all your cheap tippers into the “Shitty Tipper Database.” Oh damn! Bitterwaitress took it down. Coward! Discussing your tip is a good way to earn less.

97. If a guest goes gaga over a particular dish, get the recipe for him or her. That’ll go over real well with the chef on a busy night Bruce. Have all the recipes for the items on your restaurant’s menu pre-printed so your customers can make it at home. I disagree with Mr. Buschel here. Chefs spend years training to bring you unbelievable food. It should be at his or her discretion to share recipes with patrons. You wouldn't ask an artist to make a paint-by-number recreation of a masterpeice, so why pilfer a recipe from a restaurant?

98. Do not wear too much makeup or jewelry. You know you have too much jewelry when it jingles and/or draws comments. You are a soulless automation without a personality. Don’t forget that. I frequently go to restaurants jingling. I don't mind, but I guess some people do. Err on the side of caution here.

99. Do not show frustration. Your only mission is to serve. Be patient. It is not easy. That’s why waiters drink while working! It’s for your protection folks! Do your best.

100. Guests, like servers, come in all packages. Show a “good table” your appreciation with a free glass of port, a plate of biscotti or something else management approves. Trust me, it’s more fun to give the customer something management doesn’t approve of! Just don’t get caught. Free scotch always upped my tips. Now Mr. Buschel has contradicted himself. I thought we weren't supposed to treat guests differently, but rather, treat them all as equals. I happen to agree with him here, but I thought I should point out the inconsistency in his rules.

Bonus Track: As Bill Gates has said, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” (Of course, Microsoft is one of the most litigious companies in history, so one can take Mr. Gates’s counsel with a grain of salt. Gray sea salt is a nice addition to any table.) Microsoft listens to their unhappy customers? Window’s Vista. Enough said. The Waiter has a point here. Bill Gates might be right, but Microsoft's customer service is not to be admired.

I know I ragged on you Bruce but believe me when I say I never want to see a restaurant go under. Not even yours! Waiters need all the jobs the can get. And who knows? Maybe I’ll visit your restaurant and review it on my blog! My best wishes for your success.

Good luck, Mr. Buschel. Although I disagree with you about some things, I appreciate your focus on customer satisfaction, and have no doubt that you will do well.

Calorie Wars

2009-11-05T10:25:00.000-05:00

NY Times ran a column studying how posted calories affect food orders in fast food restaurants. Two studies were commented on, to conflicting conclusions. One study said there was no effect, and the other study saw some change in the way people ordered.

What does this all mean? To me, it says that calorie information alone is a poor way to determine a healthy diet. Not because monitoring calories is, in and of itself a bad thing, but because I still think that the average person doesn't understand the complex nature of caloric intake and output. Numerous studies have shown that people overeat when presented with lower calorie snacks. The idea is that they believe the food is healthier for them, so they can afford to indulge more than normal, and then end up over indulging.

The fact is, dieting is a complex process. Any one factor isn't enough to determine good health. You need to balance what you eat. A healthy diet is one in which you get enough vitamins, minerals, proteins, fiber, and fat. Counting calories is an oversimplification. It doesn't account for the other benefits you might receive from a particular food.

I find it especially unhelpful to do so in fast food restaurants. Fast food evolved from an occasional indulgance to a staple meal in the American household for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it's a full meal for very little money. The cost of healthy ingredients is rising, but people's paychecks are not. Worrying about the calorie count of a given item is a luxury that many in this country can't afford.

I've seen this with soup kitchens as well. As much as we try to give our clients at GCN access to fruit and vegetables, most of the time, the meals are starch based. Why? Because grains and tubers are cheap. Rice costs less than vegetables. And it's more filling. It's a high calorie, starchy meal, to make you feel fuller for longer, provided in the least expensive manner.

Until healthy food is made affordable and accessible, and until people see the benefit in cooking for themselves, placing calorie listings on fast food is like trying to take a bath with your clothes one. It might seem like a good idea, but it doesn't really accomplish much in the long run.

Apple Scones

2009-11-04T12:04:00.002-05:00

My uncle came home with 4 pounds of apples the other day. Apparently, they were on sale. So I was left with the task of figuring out what to do with them.

Normally, I'm not much of a breakfast person. A bowl of cereal or a danish here or there was all I usually wanted. After my diagnosis, finding gluten free pastries, danishes, and other breakfast-y type foods got sort of difficult. So I started making my own, but you already know that story.

I especially love gluten-free scones. Scones are by nature more dense and crumbly than other types of pastry, more of a biscuit really. So the lack of gluten isn't as noticable in them. It's a marriage made in heaven. And it's that marriage that lead to my breakfast today. That and 4 pounds of apples.

Apple Scones:

2 1/3 cups gluten free flour mix

1/3 cup of granulated sugar, plus 1 tbsp

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup apple, grated or finely diced

1/4 cup un salted butter, room temperature

1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
a dash of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, the dry ingredients and the sugar. Cut in the butter until flour just begins to stick to itself and get crumbly. Squeeze excess liquid from apple pieces and add to the flour along with the egg. Slowly add milk to the flour mixture until moist. Do not add too much liquid. Drop batter onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown on top.

2009-11-02T11:21:00.001-05:00

The New York Times ran an article called Tater Tots for Two: It's a Date! last week. It's all about the trend towards eating casual and drinking cheap while dating in New York. Apparently, the dinner date is reserved for later in the game, when you've decided you actually like someone.

The article has a logic to it that I can certainly uderstand. I met my guy in a bar my first week in the city. I was out with friends celebrating my birthday. He complimented my emerald green patent leather ballet flats and bought me a glass of bar wine. We left with each others' numbers and an agreement to meet for drinks.

Meeting for drinks is safer. You go somewhere quiet-ish, talk a little, build up your confidence over a gin and tonic (or a Jack and ginger), and see how the night progresses. Our first date progressed past the drink stage to dinner at Giorgio's where he's a regular, and where I now am too. Clearly, it didn't take us as long to figure out that we liked each other and that sharing a nice meal was something we wanted to do. But I understand the hesitation.

Later that week, I went out with another guy I met at the same bar as Michael. Remember, it was my first week living here, so I figured making friends was high on the priority list. We also met for drinks. He took me to a tapas bar in midtown that served cucumber sangria, which is the only thing I remember about the place. Then he took me to a hookah bar. I don't smoke. We didn't see each other again. It was an awkward, exhausting evening, and I'm glad it wasn't dinner. The addition of food to the evening would have made it even harder to muddle through.

These bar dates have some truth to them. There's a ton of pressure at dinner to behave a certain way, talk about certain things, and even be dressed accordingly. But when you meet at a dive, or a cart selling falafel, that pressure sort of goes away. And there's that element of adventure. My friends and I used to joke about getting dressed for prom and going to McDonald's for dinner, but that's exactly what you're doing on a dive date. You're getting dressed to go somewhere unexpected. If it goes well, then you can progress to the next step. Whatever that step is.

Like Michael and me. We do things out of sequence. We follow our food whims to Crif Dogs, or Whole Foods, or take out at his apartment. Or Brandy Library and Ayza for some self indulgence. I like that I never know what neighborhood I'm going to end up in when we go out together. I like the idea of starting somewhere and then meandering to somewhere else. It's planned spontaneity and it suits me. And that's the most important part of dating. Not the food, not the restaurant, the dive, or the bar, but meeting someone that fits your flow. Mine is erratic, even capricious, but then again, he thinks its charming. So far.

What Should Waiters Do?

2009-11-01T22:14:00.002-05:00

Waiter Rant responded to an NY Times article from the perspective as a waiter. I'm responding as someone who both understands the staff perspective AND as a patron. My responses are bolded.

One Hundred Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do! WTF?
October 29th, 2009 by Waiter

There was an entry in today’s “You’re the Boss” blog on the New York Times website entitled “One Hundred Things Restaurant Staffers should never do. (Part 1).” Oh man, I just had this rip a new one. My responses are in italics.

ONE HUNDRED THINGS RESTAURANT STAFFERS SHOULD NEVER DO
By BRUCE BUSCHEL

Herewith is a modest list of dos and don’ts for servers at the seafood restaurant I am building. Veteran waiters, moonlighting actresses, libertarians and baristas will no doubt protest some or most of what follows. They will claim it homogenizes them or stifles their true nature. And yet, if 100 different actors play Hamlet, hitting all the same marks, reciting all the same lines, cannot each one bring something unique to that role?

1. Do not let anyone enter the restaurant without a warm greeting. Translation - “I’ll be happy to make you feel warm, cuddly and take you for everything you’re worth.” A simple hello will suffice.

2. Do not make a singleton feel bad. Do not say, “Are you waiting for someone?” Ask for a reservation. Ask if he or she would like to sit at the bar. Yeah, but we waiters know you’re on a blind date and are already laying bets if you’re gonna bolt when you discover your internet love is 300 pounds of unwashed manic-depressive goodness. If you feel bad being asked if you're dining alone, then you need to spend more time with your therapist. There is nothing shameful about taking yourself out for a meal.

3. Never refuse to seat three guests because a fourth has not yet arrived. This is complete bullshit and a money loser for the restaurant. What happens when you seat those three people but their friend doesn’t show up for an hour? I’ll tell you what – they’ll eat bread and water while waiting for their friend to get his or her chronically passive-aggressive late ass in gear. The result being that the restaurant can’t turn the table and no one, including the waiter, makes money. If 3/4 of my party is available and on time, then you are wasting my time by not seating me and I'm more likely to leave. As a rule, I will wait at the bar for no more than 20 minutes and then I will start without the tardy member of my party. This is a courtesy to both the restaurant and to them.

4. If a table is not ready within a reasonable length of time, offer a free drink and/or amuse-bouche. The guests may be tired and hungry and thirsty, and they did everything right. Okay, that might work if your restaurant has a bar or some other space for people to enjoy their “amuse-bouche.” But have you seen how tightly packed restaurants are in Manhattan? Enjoy your free cocktail in that coat closet! If I have reservations at a restaurant, and have waited patiently, and you are holding up my meal for more than 30 minutes without offering some concession, I will leave. Overbooking is not a proper excuse for treating loyal clientele poorly. Expecting me to wait for a reasonable amount of time is acceptable. Expecting me to wait for longer than that without offering something to make up for it is not. Period. Sorry, Waiter, tiny restaurants and large crowds don't excuse rudeness.

5. Tables should be level without anyone asking. Fix it before guests are seated. Yeah, we had little rubber wedges called “Shuv-Its” to level the table. Whenever I had a customer who whined about their table (After they knocked it askew with their goddamn baby carriage) I’d tell them it’d help them “Shove it.” Got some priceless looks with that line. They *should* be level, but the reality is, a lot of places have turnover that's too high for this. If the table wobbles a little, it's not offensive to let someone know. In a perfect world all tables would be level. In this one, shit happens. Deal with the problem, then move on.

6. Do not lead the witness with, “Bottled water or just tap?” Both are fine. Remain neutral. Since when did customers become witnesses? Maybe when the waiter goes postal and indulges in some blunt force trauma fun with a bottle of Perrier. This is a restaurant's way of making money and the waiters are trying to upcharge you for it. I would find it refreshing to meet one that wasn't trying to poach more money from my wallet.

7. Do not announce your name. No jokes, no flirting, no cuteness. I agree with this one. Telling a customer your name just gives them permission to shout it across the dining room when they run out of bread. But no cuteness? How can I not be me? I agree as well. Be professional. Unless I'm a regular and have established a friendship with you. Obviously that changes the rules.

8. Do not interrupt a conversation. For any reason. Especially not to recite specials. Wait for the right moment. But if they’re rude and talking on a cell phone for ten minutes – interrupt away. Half the time they’re talking to their therapist anyway. Smashing the phone to bits is a nice touch too. If you must interrupt me, be polite about it and acknowledge the fact with an "excuse me." You need to turn your table over as quickly as possible and that's fine, but advertising that fact is rude and will not net you a good tip.

9. Do not recite the specials too fast or robotically or dramatically. It is not a soliloquy. This is not an audition. So how are the actors waiting tables ever going to get any practice in? How can they bring “something unique to their role?” Recite the specials in a normal conversational tone. It's common sense and we both should be using it.

10. Do not inject your personal favorites when explaining the specials. So what do you do when a customers asks, “Well, what do you like?” Tell them it’s all good? Something sucks. Customers aren’t that stupid. You *should* tell me what you prefer. Just because something is a special, doesn't make it worth eating. If the seasonal vegetables are particularly nice, or the fish is especially delicious, I want to know. Conversely, if the meat is dry or the sauce is a bit salty, I want to know that too. I'm paying money for this and if it sucks, I'm not going to be pleased.

11. Do not hustle the lobsters. That is, do not say, “We only have two lobsters left.” Even if there are only two lobsters left. But if you hear a waiter say “the lobster’s been very popular tonight” that means we’re running low. I agree with the Waiter here. If done tactfully, there's a right way to move certain items on the menu. Being a good waiter is being a good salesman.

12. Do not touch the rim of a water glass. Or any other glass. Agreed. You can really never know if your waiter washed his hands after taking a dump. Sadly, I agree as well. Waiters, wash your damn hands. Patrons too.

13. Handle wine glasses by their stems and silverware by the handles. See above. Ditto.

14. When you ask, “How’s everything?” or “How was the meal?” listen to the answer and fix whatever is not right. Wrong. A good waiter should never ask “How’s everything?” That entertains the possibility that the kitchen produced crap. Perish the thought! Customers need to grow a set and tell the waiter they don’t like their food. We’re not mind readers. Wrong. You should ask me if I'm enjoying my meal. I agree that it is my responsibility to inform you of a problem, but you work in the "hospitality industry" and that involves being hospitable which includes an inquiry to my level of satisfaction during a meal. Sorry.

15. Never say “I don’t know” to any question without following with, “I’ll find out.” Aw man, just Google the answer on your iPhone table side. Get with the 21st century. If you don't know, I'd rather you tell me than make something up, but I agree that the follow up should be to find out.

16. If someone requests more sauce or gravy or cheese, bring a side dish of same. No pouring. Let them help themselves. Yes, the restaurant doesn’t want to be named in a lawsuit when the customer finally has that heart attack. Lawsuits aside, if I'm helping myself, I'm doing your job as a server. If that's the case, then why am I tipping you again?

17. Do not take an empty plate from one guest while others are still eating the same course. Wait, wait, wait. Yeah, but some customers hate having an empty plate in front of them whether or not someone else is eating. What do you do in that circumstance? Tell them they’re being rude? Maybe smashing the plate on the floor’s the answer. Wait. If I want you to remove the dish from the table before my companion is finished, I will inform you. Etiquette wins on this one. If you're the one to deviate from that, then it's your responsibilty to say something to your server about it.

18. Know before approaching a table who has ordered what. Do not ask, “Who’s having the shrimp?” I agree with this. That’s why waiters note the position of the diner on their dupe pad. But what do you do when the customers pay musical chairs? It’s auction off the food time! I agree. Especially in a time when so many people have (real, imagined, or en vogue) food allergies, you simply cannot afford to put the wrong plate in front of the wrong person. Know your stuff.

19. Offer guests butter and/or olive oil with their bread. Wait a minute. I though Bloomberg banned all fats from New York City! Why isn't the butter or olive oil coming out at the same time as the bread?

20. Never refuse to substitute one vegetable for another. So when you run out of that organically farmed heirloom asparagus grown by environmental pot smoking hippies give them nothing. That's not your call as a waiter anyway.

21. Never serve anything that looks creepy or runny or wrong. Sound like some of the blind dates I’ve seen my customers reel in. Throw it back! So don't serve sauce because it's runny. Or eggs with underdone yolks. I think you mean, don't serve crappy food. Again, common sense people.

22. If someone is unsure about a wine choice, help him. That might mean sending someone else to the table or offering a taste or two. But if the customer wants to try every wine in the place they’re trying to get drunk on your dime. Happens. There's a fine line here. Know it, and obey it.

23. If someone likes a wine, steam the label off the bottle and give it to the guest with the bill. It has the year, the vintner, the importer, etc. I guess Mr. Buschel has never worked in place that was kick ass crazy busy. I’d write the info down on a piece of paper. Busy waiters don’t have time for arts and crafts projects. Just write it down for me. I'm not looking for a pretty picture, I just want the information.

24. Never use the same glass for a second drink. When the dishwasher’s on his marijuana break and there are no clean glasses to be found, you better believe we reuse that glass. Or somebody else’s! A quick rinse in the slop sink and you’re good to go. Don't be *obvious* about reusing the glass, unless you're refilling it tableside.

25. Make sure the glasses are clean. Inspect them before placing them on the table. That’s because the lipstick some chicks smear on their mouths has the staying power of grout sealant. Agreed.

26. Never assume people want their white wine in an ice bucket. Inquire. And make sure not to laugh when they want ice cubes in their Brunello! Snicker, snicker……. Wrong. White wine is best served slightly chilled. Put the damn bottle in a bucket. If they don't want it cold, it's their responsibility to say so.

27. For red wine, ask if the guests want to pour their own or prefer the waiter to pour. So just how are we supposed to hustle wine and increase everyone’s profits? I give Buschel’s restaurant less than a year. Again, customers need to grow a set here. If you want to control your intake tell the waiter you’ll do all the pouring. If I want to pour it myself, I will inform you. Asking me if I want you to do part of your job for you is inappropriate.

28. Do not put your hands all over the spout of a wine bottle while removing the cork. Don’t want to give anyone a dose of that H1N1 you’ve been fighting but can’t take time off to recuperate from because your boss is a soulless, mercenary asshole. See the note about washing your hands.

29. Do not pop a champagne cork. Remove it quietly, gracefully. The less noise the better. Agreed. But if the customer’s a real pain in the ass aim for their eye. Agreed. It's a waste of precious bubbles, and it's loud and obnoxious.

30. Never let the wine bottle touch the glass into which you are pouring. No one wants to drink the dust or dirt from the bottle. Does that’s that hold true for serving beer too? I don't want the dust or the germs from you having your mitts all over it when you took out the cork and didn't wash your hands.

31. Never remove a plate full of food without asking what went wrong. Obviously, something went wrong. Have you seen the Brobdingnagian portions some restaurants serve? If you ate if all you’d explode like Mr. Creosote! Something didn't necessarily go wrong, but please inquire anyway.

32. Never touch a customer. No excuses. Do not do it. Do not brush them, move them, wipe them or dust them. So what do you do if that three martini cougar offers you a handjob? Waiter's snark aside, this is a good rule. The exception is if I'm a regular and have established that level of familiarity with you. I hug the staff at Giorgio's all the time and would be upset if they didn't reciprocate.

33. Do not bang into chairs or tables when passing by. I’d agree with this if greedy NYC restauranteurs didn’t pack their guests cheek to jowl like chickens on a poultry farm. Because heaven forbid that you accidentally brush against something when you move around. Get real kids.

34. Do not have a personal conversation with another server within earshot of customers. But if its the end of the night and you have a romantic couple that just won’t get out, a high volume discussion about genital warts is in order. Idle chatter with your coworker is one thing, but a complete rudown of your drama is another. Save it for after your shift. In return, I'll keep my drama away from the dinner table as well. Let's breed some mutual respect, ok?

35. Do not eat or drink in plain view of guests. I’d agree with this if restaurants weren’t so cheap and actually fed their employees! I worked at one place where they deducted $2 per shift for staff meals and didn’t give us any! “Madam, if your done with your osso bucco may I have it?” Honestly, I don't care if you eat in front of me. You deserve a meal as much as I do.

36. Never reek from perfume or cigarettes. People want to smell the food and beverage. Man, I had to deal with waiters who never took showers! You prayed they covered up the stank with a good toke of B.C. Bud. Lather, rinse, repeat. Nevermind wanting to smell the food and beverage, some people are allergic to that nonsense.

37. Do not drink alcohol on the job, even if invited by the guests. “Not when I’m on duty” will suffice. Oh give me a fucking break. Without alcohol waiters would be killing restaurant managers and hostesses every day. Don't get sloppy drunk on the job. But if a customer invites you to share a drink and it isn't against your restaurant's policy, then why not?

38. Do not call a guy a “dude.” Unless he’s a surfer. Common sense.

39. Do not call a woman “lady.” I prefer the terms “Madam” and “Broad.” If you're being derrogatory, then don't do it. As in, "What do you want to eat, Lady?" but if you're referring to me as a lady, then I don't mind. As in, "And what would the lady like to drink, this evening?"

40. Never say, “Good choice,” implying that other choices are bad. Yeah, but some of the options on the menu really do suck. Some choices are better than others, it's a simple statement of fact. This one doesn't bother me at all.

41. Saying, “No problem” is a problem. It has a tone of insincerity or sarcasm. “My pleasure” or “You’re welcome” will do. Bullshit. People who use these pleasantries are just as likely to be turds like anyone else. “..one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.” You’re not the only one who can whip out Shakespeare Mr. Buschel! Sorry Waiter, I'm with Mr. Buschel on this one. Saying "No problem" implies that what I requested was problematic. It's not. It's your job.

42. Do not compliment a guest’s attire or hairdo or makeup. You are insulting someone else. But can you tell a guy when his fly’s open? There are some things I just don’t want to see. Explain to me how it's insulting to anyone to express admiration for someone. I think the world could do with more compliments.

43. Never mention what your favorite dessert is. It’s irrelevant. Translation? You’re only a waiter. You’re nobody. You’re irrelevant. Something tells me Mr. Buschel’s a bit of an elitist. Good luck with the restaurant buddy! You’re gonna have a hard time finding waiters when they read this tripe. Mention away. I want to know what's decadent and delicious. You're not holding a gun to my head and forcing the baked alaska on me by saying you think it's the best.

44. Do not discuss your own eating habits, be you vegan or lactose intolerant or diabetic. Yeah, no one wants to know you’re a sickly nuts and twigger anyway. This is probably because I suffer from a food sensitivity, but I find it reassuring when I know you do too. It means you'll treat my special request with the seriousness I require because you know how it feels.

45. Do not curse, no matter how young or hip the guests. That’s an example of ageism right there! What makes you think old people don’t appreciate salty language? “Happy Fucking Eightieth Birthday Grandma!” It is an example of ageism. But please don't swear at me or anyone else. I'll try not to do the same to you.

46. Never acknowledge any one guest over and above any other. All guests are equal. Oh please……just kiss up to the person paying the bill. No. They're not. Your regulars are your family. All guests should be treated with respect and dignity, but some people are special. Not because they pay more, but because they are better behaved, more caring, and treat your staff above and beyond the kindess and respect they deserve. You want to foster relatioships with those people by making them feel as special as they are.

47. Do not gossip about co-workers or guests within earshot of guests. But if the guests are the parents or significant other of a waiter you hate, let that story about their linen closet/cucumber dildo episode slip out. Ooops. Did I say that? Yeah, don't do it.

48. Do not ask what someone is eating or drinking when they ask for more; remember or consult the order. But waiters lose the order slip half the time anyway. I’d much rather ask the customer than deliver them the wrong dish. You know why? Because the restaurant will make you pay for it if it is! I'd rather you ask than get my order wrong.

49. Never mention the tip, unless asked. But if they do ask feel free to inquire if they’re related to Ebeneezer Scrooge. How tacky.

50. Do not turn on the charm when it’s tip time. Be consistent throughout. I’ve found a consistent, “Don’t even think of fucking with me” attitude is usually more appropriate. I'm not an idiot. If you've been a jackass all night and then suddenly get all charming when the bill comes, I will tip you less for insulting my intelligence. Again, it's that whole mutual respect things.

Man, I can't wait to see "Part 2."

Neither can I.

Chocolate Cookies

2009-11-01T13:44:00.000-05:00

I've been using a chocolate cookie recipe from Delish.com for a few months now. But it's always bothered me how much to cookies spread out. Lace cookies are awesome, don't get me wrong, but that's not what I'm after here. I modified the recipe a little, enough to get me a triple batch of good chocolate orange cookies for an order placed this week. But I still wanted a better dough. Something I could rely on to come out consitently well and something that wasn't overpoweringly chocolate. The first question I had to address was why the dough spreads so much in the oven.

The answer's a simple one and I can't believe it took me this long to get there. Gluten free flour contains little to no protein. Protein is what binds things together. Normally, I don't have this problem because my cookie recipes have eggs in them, so spreading isn't an issue because the egg protein compensates for the lack of gluten (which is, as you may or may not have guessed, a protein). The recipe I've been using didn't have egg in it, so there was nothing holding the batter together as it cooked. Thus the spreading and frustration. So I took the recipe, deconstructed it, and rebuilt it to suit my needs. Here it is:

1 1/4 cup gluten free flour such as Pamela's baking mix or your own recipe
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 large egg
1 tsp orange zest (optional)

Cream together butter and both sugars until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand. Add the flour, cocoa, salt, egg, and extract (and zest) and beat until a dough forms. Round into a ball and wrap with plastic. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Drop 1 tsp sized balls of dough onto a greased cookie sheet and bake 6-8 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Remove from oven and cool on pan for an additional three minutes, then transfer to wire rack.

The result is a moist, chewy cookie that's fudgy but not too much. I like them slightly warm from the pan, but adding raspberry preserves of whipped cream wouldn't hurt. Enjoy!

Brandy Library

2009-10-29T22:27:00.000-04:00

After Ayza, Michael took me down to TriBeCa to Brandy Library located at 25 N. Moore St. It's a great, upscale lounge whose menu could pass for a book. There are pages and pages of liquors from whiskey, brandy, rum, tequila, wine, beer, and cocktails.

This is where I let Michael do all of the ordering, since I generally stick to gin when I'm drinking anything harder than wine. He started us with two whiskeys, the Suntory Single Malt Whiskey 18 and the St. George Single Malt California 86 proof. The Suntory is a Japanese whiskey for those of you who share my limited knowledge of fine liquor. It's dark amber colored, very smooth, complex, and absolutely divine. The St. George is a young whiskey and in my opinion out of balance. The first thing I noticed was the taste of ethanol. Being a scientist and associating the smell of pure alcohol with clinical uses made drinking that one a little less than pleasant for me. I like certain young wines, but this young whiskey has some growing up to do before I return to it.

At this point the waiter came over with a plate of treats for us, on the house. The treats were candied orange peel, tiny meringues flavored in orange and lime, and shortbread cookies that I happily relinquished to Michael. The easiest was to my happy little heart is sweets, so Brandy Library immediately endeared itself to me. And it only got better from there.

After the whiskey, we moved on to brandy. The two we tried were the Gonzales Bypass Lepanto, Solera Gran Reserva Oloroso Viejo and the Martell XO Extra Fine. The Oloroso was definitely my favorite of the two, but the Martell was perfectly pleasant. These drinks lead me to the conclusion that I prefer brandy to whiskey.

After the brandy, the waiter brought us another complimentary dessert. This time they were miniature creme brulees with raspberries. The first plate of sweets was enough to make me like the place, but now I was in heaven. Anywhere that fuels my sugar high gets a gold star in my book. Brandy Library gets two.

Finally we finished the night with rum selected by our waiter. One was Jamaican and the other Venezualan, and although I read the label, I cannot for the life of me remember what they were called. I had reached the end of my ability to continue tasting at this point. I'm not a big woman and I know when one more drink will be one too many and I was there. But I do remember that both rums were delicious, although, again, I reached the conclusion that I prefered the brandy.

I think the nicest thing about Brandy Library, besides their attempts at putting me into a sugar coma, is the ambience. It's dimly lit, with bookshelves lining the walls. Only the shelves hold bottles rather than books. And they're backlit so the room glows a bit. The chairs are big and comfortable and they have couches that can be shared. We were lucky enough to be seated at a couch. Jazz music plays softly in the background and conversation is always hushed, so the room feels intimate and decadent. And the staff is knowledgable, and attentive without being pushy.

If you like good sipping liquor and are in the mood to feel a little hedonistic, head over to Brandy Library. Reservations are recommended, according to the website, although, if you're like us and go on a random week night, the chances of being able to walk in are much better. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

(photo courtesy of Brandy Library website).

Ayza

2009-10-29T16:34:00.000-04:00

Last night, Michael took me out for an evening on the town. Earlier in the week, I mentioned wanting to check out Ayza Wine Bar on W.31st between Broadway and 5th Ave so we started there. For those of you unfamiliar with Ayza, it's described as French Mediterranean food with a feature on over 90 wine varieties. We didn't get dinner, so I wouldn't know about the food, but we did order a cheese plate and a chocolate plate. I ordered the 2007 Laurent Miquel Viognier from the Languedoc region in France to start the evening and Michael had the 2007 Fleur du Cap Sauvignon Blanc from Stellenbosch in South Africa. I'm a picky girl when it comes to white wines. Mostly because I've had more exposure to big California Chardonnay style whites, of which I'm not much of a fan. My Viognier was delightful. Delicate, crisp, and tasting of honey. Although I preferred my glass to Michael's, the Fleur du Cap is something I would order if I saw it on a menu.

To nibble on we ordered a cheese plate laden with a manchego (cow's milk, spanish), a tete de moine (cow's milk, swiss), a morbier yellow (cow's milk, french), a french brie (cow's milk), and an herbed goat cheese (french), starwberries, guava paste, and some sort of exotic fruit that we both somehow ignored. For me, they also brought out cucumber slices instead of bread. My personal favorite was the herbed goat cheese. It was tangy and full of spicy flavors from the herbs, but the addition of lemon brightened it up. It was especially delicious when Michael suggested I pair it with a bit of guava paste.

Our second glass of the evening was the 2007 Terras Guada Albarino from the Rias Biaxas region of Spain. If poured, I would certainly drink this wine, but it was my least favorite of the night. It's clearly a wine of quality, just not particularly memorable for me.

Then we moved on the reason to go to Ayza in the first place: the chocolates. They make some homemade chocolates, such as the chocolate covered cherry and the milk chocolate paino with butterscotch filling that Michael ordered. But the stars are really the truffles made by the incredible Jacques Torres. We ordered the Bin 27, a dark chocolate truffle made with Taylor Fonseca Bin 27 port, the melon truffle made with melon puree and port in milk chocolate, the hazelnut truffle in milk chocolate, the Alize Hearts of Passion, made with passion fruit and Alize liquor in milk chocolate, and the Got Milk Chocolate, made with cognac and milk chocolate. The hazelnut truffle was our least favorite, mostly because the taste of roasted hazelnuts completely overwhelmed the flavor of the chocolate and left a bitter aftertaste. I found the butterscotch truffle a bit overpowering as well. The Alize Hearts of Passion and the melon truffle were my favorite, and had the clearest, most balanced flavors in my opinion. Michael seemed to enjoy the Got Milk Chocolate the most.

We also ordered two flights of sweet wines, two reds and two whites. The white wines were a 2006 Muscat Beaumes de Venise Domaine Durbain from the Cotes du Rhone in France and a 2006 Juracon Uruolat Charles Hours from South West, France. The reds were both non vintage 10 year ports, a Maury Mas Amiel Cuvee from Midi, France and a Churchill Tawny Port from Porto, Potrugal. I preferred the Muscat BdV and the Maury Mas Amiel Cuvee, while Michael seemed to enjoy the other two.

I'd say that Ayza's well worth the hype. I'd like to go back for food at some point so I can make a more informed decision, but in terms of wine, chocolate, and cheese, this was a great place. They also do events such as Jazz nights and Couples' Night . Check out http://www.ayzanyc.com/ for menus, pricing, and other information. (photo courtesy of Ayza's website)

Biotech Food and Political Stability

2009-10-27T18:01:00.000-04:00

The NY Times Room for Debate section ran this article: Can Biotech Food Cure World Hunger? It's an incredibly thought provoking article on the sustainability and necessity for biotech food in developing countries. Some of the commentors are for the use of genetically engineered and modified food sources to help eliminate food incesurity and a few are against it. The arguments on both sides are sound. The trouble I'm having though is that everyone seems to have overlooked a major factor in the food security argument. Politics plays an immensely huge role in the success or failure of an agricultural effort, technologically enhanced or not.

Developing countries are particularly susceptible to the flux of government and its impact on charitble efforts. In countries where food instability a worst, often there is political turmoil as well. Corrupt leaders, political unrest, scare tactics, and common hucksters can all hinder efforts for change. Simply put, whether or not genetically modified foods are introduced to new climates or whether the agricultural systems are overhauled is not what will determine the success or failure of the program. Its whether or not the program can be sustained over time by the people of that particular country. Access to healthy and affordable food won't come from the type of food being used, but the system of distribution. If biologically engineered food is being introduced, but the people of that nation are prevented from gaining access to it, or if the government of that nation blocks the growth of a program, then food instability will continue to be an issue. If the farms are being abandoned due to the political climate, then the food source no longer matters.

Frankly, I think that genetically modifying food to be more tolerant to a range of climates is a wonderful idea. The wine industry has had incredible success with this. The vines of Europe would have long ago been destroyed thanks to aphids imported from America if it weren't for the ingenuity of scientists who grafted the vines to rootstock tolerant to the aphids. The same idea applies to the question of biotech food and food stability. But first we need to fix the system causing the source of the instability. Food can be made more healthy in a variety of ways, of which science is only one, but first it must be made available to the people.

I know that isn't really the purpose of the debate featured, but I felt that the issue needed to be addressed in conjunction with it. Food stability is an issue that is ecological, political, and economic in its nature. Simply focusing on one facet of the dilemna is short-sighted at best. The problem is too complex to resolve without considering the complexities of a multi-dimensional system.

What are your thought? Biotech or organic? And how would you address the political or economic climates to strengthen the program?

Think Pink

2009-10-27T15:51:00.000-04:00

So as it turns out, I won't be attending culinary school in January as I planned. The deal I had worked out proved to be more trouble than it was worth and I walked away from it. There's enough in my life to worry about without inventing things. So I'm back to the plan of getting a restaurant job and busting my butt to work my way up the food chain so to speak. I'm bummed but comfortable with the decision. Life's too short to make yourself crazy when you don't have to. Now more than ever I need to focus on what matters to me: my mom.

I know I always ask you guys to go support Food Bank for NYC or a local soup kitchen, and I still hope you do, but I'm asking you to also show some support for breast cancer awareness. This month is/was breast cancer awareness month, but as I am now painfully aware, there are 11 other months that men and women with this disease need your support. I don't care if you donate money. Just take a moment to call someone you know with the disease and give them your love, or check out http://www.komen.org/, and please please please, take a moment to pay attention to your own health. My mom is so lucky she developed the lump since most people with inflammatory breast cancer never do. We might not have caught it at all if she hadn't. So take care of yourselves and be passionately pink for a cure. Not just this month, but all year. Thanks guys.

Noah's Ark and Monks

2009-10-25T20:55:00.000-04:00

Last night I had plans to meet a friend in Brooklyn. It was a simple plan. LIRR into Manhattan, two blocks to Herald Square to catch the F train to Park Slope. Just one hitch. The F wasn't running that far. So I hopped out at 14th St to call my friend and let him know he needed to meet me in Manhattan. Cue the pouring rain and the most ill conceived idea born. He agreed to meet me in Manhattan, but requested we go to a bar on St. Mark's and 3rd Ave. For those of you not familiar with the city, that's somewhere between 10 and 15 blocks. Factor in the torrential rain and my inability to find a cab and you have an equation for me being very cranky and very wet.

Despite the draw backs of the plan, I arrived at St. Mark's Ale House looking a bit like a drowned rat and wanting nothing more than an Irish coffee. So we headed into the bar and found a seat. The waitress came by and we ordered our drinks. Did I get my Irish coffee? Nope, because bars in New York City have an inability to make coffee. By inability, I mean they just don't serve the stuff. Now call me crazy, but if you're going to stock a bar, and serve tavern food, then coffee is something you might want to have around. To be sure I'm not the only person to every order coffe and whiskey in the same drink. But no, somehow that's asking too much. Fine. I settled for a scotch and soda and a bowl of chilli. The food was mediocre at best, the drink watered down, and the bar was so loud that I had to scream to be heard. I won't be returning. It's an uninspired place with bad service. There's a wealth of fantastic bars in the city, so why waste the money on one like this place?

From there we went around the corner to a place called Burp Castle. I know what you're thinking, "This sounds so much worse than St. Mark's Ale House." Oh no, my friends. Burp Castle is a monestary themed beer bar. "Beer bar?" you ask, "Don't you have celiac? Isn't beer a no-no?" Yes, yes, and yes. However, they also serve wine, hard cider, and on occassion, mead. Now, the interesting thing about Burp Castle though, is not its impressive, rotating tap list, but it's gimmick. Loud talking is not permitted there. If the noise level gets too high, the barmonk (or barmaid in our case) shushes you. Annoying? It can be. Pretentious? A bit. But, you can have a conversation, enjoy a variety of interesting beer, and just relax a bit. I mentioned that I couldn't sample the beer and the barmaid immediately poured a glass of cider for me. It was a cider called Blackthorn and was a dry, crisp cider with not too much fruit flavor. Just enough. And while I was sipping that, she pulled out a bottle of juniper mead that was reserved only for the staff and allowed me to sample it. I'm a huge mead fan to begin with, but this was heaven. When I'm not sipping something fermented, I'm normally a gin kind of girl, so this was a marriage made in heaven. The mead was light and a bit sweet, but the sweetness was balanced really nicely by the woody quality of the juniper. For those of you who are interested, it's by a company called Redstone Meadery based in Colorado and can be purchased online. While Burp Castle doesn't compare to Death and Company, it's cute and fun, and worth going back to.

So the night was of mixed success. I managed to get a cab back to Penn Station, although the rain had let up by then. And I came home to a space heater to dry me off and warm me up. For parts of the night, I had a great time, so I'm calling this a win. Just remind me to bring my umbrella next time.

Pate a Choux

2009-10-23T23:36:00.000-04:00

I had the great pleasure of auditing a pastry arts course at the French Culinary Institute Wednesday night. The group I was watching have been in school only a few weeks, almost a month maybe. Still, despite their newness I was awed by the way they bustled around and seemed to work as a unit. The recipe of the night was pate a choux, a pastry from butter, water, flour and eggs. They were making the dough into Pate a Paris-Brest, a ringed pastry with almonds and praline mousseline (german butter cream), swans, and profiteroles. It was just such an incredible sight to witness.

Everyone was incredibly friendly, especially the chef instructors. Both welcomed me to the class, invited me to ask questions, and wished me well when I left. Both expressed their desire to see me back in their class, this time as a student. And a few of the students said much the same. One looked at me and said, "This is the coolest thing you'll ever do." I couldn't disagree.

And of course, the highlight of the evening was Jacques Torres dropping by to say goodnight. We were all watching a piping demo by one of the chef instructors when a French voice came from the back. Everyone turned, froze, and then dropped their jaws. That prompted Chef Torres to laugh at us and comment on how maybe we didn't recognize him. A few of us (like me) recovered enough to say hello (well, ok, I just waved). He stayed for a few minutes longer and then left. But I get the sense that he's pretty visible at the school, so I imagine I'll get used to the fly by sightings. Still it was like something from a dream for me. I grew up watching him make chocolates on TV. My first impressions of what a pastry chef is or does are of him.

The more I interact with the school, the more I am convinced that it's where I am supposed to be. Everyone talks about how much ego there is in the culinary world, but so far, all I have seen is a group of people who love food and love sharing that with others. And luckily for me, I will become a part of that world in January when I begin classes for Pastry Arts and Restaurat Management. I'm unbelieveably excited and feel incredibly blessed.

Orange Cookie Update

2009-10-20T22:11:00.000-04:00

So I went back to that recipe for the orange cookies and this is what I came up with:

1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp orange juice
1/2 tsp orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine ingredients ina bowl and stir until smooth. On a greased cookie sheet drop about a tablespoon of batter. Allow about 3 inches between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until outer edges are brown and rotate pan about halfway through to ensure even baking. Cool a minute more then transfer to wire cooling rack.

I'm still playing with it, but this batch turned out a lot better than the first batch. They're a bit thicker and bake more evenly, although they're a little more chewy than I hoped. The vanilla is also less powerful since I reduced that as well to allow the orange flavor to come through more. I hope you like them.

Orange Cookies

2009-10-19T13:11:00.000-04:00

Since I missed last week, I wanted to make an NYC Goes Orange recipe. Delish had one for orange wafers to serve with fruit salads and such. The idea was to have a fortune cookie style wafer. So I tried the recipe.

I'm not sure why, but these cookies did not turn out the way I wanted them to. It seems there's too much butter and not enough flour for them to stand up to the oven. I'll post the recipe for you to try at home, but I plan on altering it a bit until I get the right texture. The flavor was delightful though, so at least that turned out well.

Original Recipe featured on Delish.com
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted, unsalted butter
1/2 tsp orange zest
2 tbsp orange juice (half an orange)
2 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Combine the ingredients in a bowl until smooth. On a lightly greased cookie sheet, drop batter into 2 1/2 inch rounds. Make sure cookies are about 4 inches apart on sheet. Bake until edges brown, 16-18 minutes. Halfway through, rotate the cookie sheet and move to a lower rack.

I'm thinking of cutting the butter down even further and increasing the flour a little bit so the cookies hold together. I might also reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees. I'll keep everyone updated on the changes I make, but for now, enjoy the cookies. Maybe you'll have more luck than I did. And please remember to support hunger action. Go Orange, even if you're not in New York City. Maybe one day we can have USA Goes Orange for hunger.

Happenings

2009-10-17T20:56:00.000-04:00

I took a small break from blogging for a while, but it was slightly unintentional. Lots of exciting things have unfolded. Some good, some bad.

First the pleasant. My sister got married this week. The ceremony was gorgeous. My sister and my brother-in-law, being the amazing people that they are, made sure that there was plenty of food for me at the rehearsal dinner and the ceremony. I got my own little potato sundae to replace the mac and cheese they served and my own gluten free cake. And of course, my sister was a gorgeous bride. My camera died before the ceremony started, so I'm waiting for photos from my mom. They'll be up shortly.

Now for the not so pleasant. My mom was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer two days before the wedding. It's very aggressive and fast moving. So fast that she starts her chemo next week. I'm just thankful that it's breast cancer and not something less treatable. But, with that being said, I'm incredibly worried for her. Keep her in your thoughts for me.

With all of the excitment, I realized I forgot to post an NYC Goes Orange recipe of the week. My apologies. I've got a few ideas in mind and hopefully, I will have some time to play around this week. If I can, I'll post two recipes this week.

I've also lined up another meeting with FCI. This time to talk Pastry Arts and how studying it with my celiac will work. I'm supposed to sit in on a class and speak to an instructor about the situation. Hopefully it won't prevent me from studying, but if it does, I'll go with culinary arts instead. Such a sacrifice right? That's what I thought too.

So that's what's new in my universe. Look for more recipes this week.

Sans

2009-10-11T14:32:00.000-04:00

Ok guys, I promised I'd update with details about this new mail order idea I had. Here it goes.

For the time being, this is how I'm going to work it. You email me at sansbakery@gmail.com and tell me what you want and the type of shipping you want. I'll email back with a cost estimate and then you can send cash or a check to me. After that, I bake your order, mail it to you, and then hopefully, you enjoy delicious treats.

Once I get a bit more established, I'll develop a proper menu and set up a PayPal system.

It would mean so much to me to have your support with this. It's a great way for me to practice my craft and get my name out there. Hopefully I'll hear from you soon! Thanks everyone.

Caracas Arepa Bar

2009-10-05T11:52:00.000-04:00

For the past few months, I have been trying to make my way to Caracas Arepa Bar at 93 1/2 E.7th St off of 1st Ave. Yesterday, I finally made it.

For those of you unfamiliar with arepas, they're cornmeal patties that are grilled and then split open and stuffed with all manner of delicious things. And Caracas is one of the best places to get them. So I had been told. They were featured on Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay, so I figured they'd be worth a try.

Caracas has some strong points and some not so strong points. The food is ridiculously good. They offer 20 varieties of arepas and a few combination plates so you can try more than one type. And the arepas are fairly cheap, so it's not a bank wrecker. My first arepa was stuffed with pork shoulder, tomato, and spicy mango sauce. the pork was tender and full of flavor, and the sauce had a kick, but wasn't painful. On every table is a squeeze bottle of sauce made from tamarind and limes. This arepa didn't need it, although adding it didn't hurt either. In bewtween arepas, my fellow soup kitchen colleague and I ordered fried plantains covered in salty white cheese and herbed mayo. For those of you gluten free readers, fear not. The plantains are pan fried without a coating and the arepas are made from pure cornmeal. The plantains were amazingly good, not too sweet and balanced by the cheese and the mayo. Then I moved on to my second arepa, the more tradtitional variety, made with shredded beef cooked in a tomato based sauce, with black beans, white cheese, and more plantains. The beef was a bit sweet for my taste, but delicious anyway. The food here lives up to the expectations.

But the place is tiny. And crowded. It's crowded because the food is so wonderful, but the place is so small that we were almost on top of our neighbors. This is not a place to go with a large crowd of people, or a bunch of bags. And the service could have been a bit better. The staff was very friendly, but not particularly attentive. I had to ask for more water three times before it was brought to me. And being a non-Spanish speaker, I felt a bit out of place when my colleague and my waiter began conversing in Spanish.

The silver lining, if you're like me and don't like mediocre service or being spoken to in a language you don't understand, is that Caracas also has a to go storefront. The same menu, without the crowd and without the lackluster service. I'd be more than happy to grab arepas from Caracas To Go, and might even be willing to sit down at the restaurant again, if it happened to be less crowded.

Overall, I'd say A+ for food, but C for service and atmosphere.

Savory Orange Sauce

2009-10-03T11:06:00.000-04:00

I've posted this recipe before, but I made some changes to it since the first trial. So here for NYC GOES Orange, I give you Savory Orange Sauce:

1 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed)
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp mustard (I prefer whole grain mustard for the texture, but Dijon also works)
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 medium onion
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl whisk together juice, cornstarch, mustard and herbs. Caramelize the onions in a hot skillet. Transfer juice mixture to skillet. Bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens up. Season with salt and pepper to taste. It's best to do this after searing your meat in the pan so the sauce picks up the flavors.
For this sauce, my favorite way of serving it is over cubes of chicken in gluten free pasta or rice, but it works nicely over pork too. I even tried it in a pasta salad with mushrooms. Use fresh squeezed juice if you can since the cartoon juice contains extra sugar and can overpower the other flavors. Enjoy. Don't forget to Go Orange for hunger.

Giorgio's of Gramercy

2009-10-01T16:44:00.002-04:00

Sometimes you walk into a restaurant and immediately feel at home. That's how I feel about Giorgio’s of Gramercy at 27 E.21st between Park Ave. and Broadway.

I was first introduced to Giorgio's about a month ago by my friend, Michael. He's a regular at the place, so naturally, we were treated like family. He pretty much is. Of course, I let the maitre d', Sean, know about my gluten troubles. "No problem, I can point out what's safe, but Chef would be happy to make something just for you." Right then, I was smitten. A specially crafted meal catering to my needs is something I don't come by often. The result was a gorgeous piece of swordfish served with brussel sprouts sautéed in butter. I went from smitten to downright charmed. This was a place with some serious potential.

And I wasn't disappointed. Last night, I was supposed to meet Michael there again for dinner. I showed up first and settled myself somewhat shyly at the bar. I needn't have been shy. After calling Sean over to ask about the menu, he responded with, "Sure, I can show you what's gluten-free, but Chef would be happy to make you something again." Done. This time is was red snapper on heirloom tomato and steamed vegetables in fish broth. The food was, of course, delicious. I was even able to steal a taste (ok, I ended up eating a better part of it) of Michael's curried cauliflower. And when I told Sean to let Alex (Chef) know how much I appreciated the food, I mentioned the brussel sprouts from my first visit. He came back with a bowl of them for me. Did I mention I'm smitten?

Not only that, but Michael, Brian (the bartender), and I had some fun inventing drinks with a variety of bitters and spirits. Between the business of managing the restaurant, Sean came over to chat from time to time. He even offered to circulate my resume and keep an ear out for any restaurants that were hiring after I mentioned that I was looking for work. And before leaving for the evening, Alex stopped by to say goodnight. Of course I had to thank him again for the food.

Last week, I ran a piece about rudeness in restaurants, and Giorgio's is the antithesis of those places. They have a steady stream of regulars to attest to their hospitality. It's a place where you can walk in and instantly feel like you've come home. And I think I might have found a love that will last. With Giorgio’s of Gramercy.

(Photo courtesy of Shane Strassberg and Giorgio's of Gramercy's Facebook Page)

The Rumor Mill

2009-09-26T23:40:00.000-04:00

Tiffany Jakubowski is fast becoming one of my favorite food bloggers. She's a member of the gluten free community just like me, and her articles are concise and insightful. Especially the latest one, The Gluten Free Rumor Mill . It's full of great advice on how to stay safe, despite the wealth of bad information about celiac and gluten free living available online. The best advice? Do your research and know your sources. There's a whole global community of people online who are gluten free. The standards for what can and can't be called gluten free and for testing such things are different from country to country, so information is different for those living in England versus say, Thailand. Not to mention that just because someone doesn't eat gluten, or says that they don't, does not make them an expert on the subject. Talk to your doctor, look for articles from trusted sources, like researchers or celiac advocate groups. It's those people's job to know the facts and to pass them along. Go check out Tiffany's article for more information. She's a lady that knows her stuff. but don't take my word for it. After all, I'm just a person. Celiac.com published her though, and their word is worth more than mine. Enjoy and be safe.

Orange Cake

2009-09-26T17:21:00.000-04:00

It's that time again. NYC Goes Orange Recipe of the Week. This week's recipe is orange cake. It was supposed to come out like birthday cake, but I think it's more like a pound cake. Still very delicious.

Recipe:
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (Pamela's baking mix for me as per the usual)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (one stick, unsalted, softened)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature, separated)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 whole milk + 1/4 cup half and half
1 tsp orange zest
the juice of half an orange

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8" round cake pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light in color. Add the egg yolks one at a time, then the vanilla. Slowly add the flour until the mixture resembles wet sand. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Add milk to flour mixture along with orange juice and zest. Fold in egg whites gently. Pour mixture into greased pan and bake until tooth pick comes out clean (30-35 minutes). Allow to cool slightly before turning out onto a plate.

I didn't ice this one. Just dolloped a little raspberry preserve on a plate and ate it with that, but feel free to ice with butter cream or chocolate ganache. Your choice. Enjoy and remember to Go Orange.

Is Rudeness Worth the Food?

2009-09-23T19:17:00.000-04:00

MSN ran an article on The World's Rudest Restaurants and why we love them anyway.

Maybe it's because I'm still something of a southern girl, but I cannot abide by rudeness. If I'm going to an establishment, whether a restaurant or a boutique, I expect a certain level of service. And I'm not interested in whether the rudeness is a gimmick or ego. It's simply an unacceptable attribute. Food is about hospitality. It's about making people feel taken care of by fulfilling a basic need of satiating hunger, but doing it with elegance or fun. You don't have to be my best friend to serve me, but you do have to treat me like a human being.

Pretentiousness and attitude run rampant in the food industry. It's one of the things about it that makes me the most nervous. I'll acknowledge that not everyone can produce inspired meals and that the men and women of the industry are some of the most hardworking people around. So, on some level, I certainly understand the snobbery and the ego. I just don't agree with it.

And it doesn't matter how delicious the food is. A great meal doesn't make up for belittling your guest. My favorite restaurants have been ones where I can walk in and instantly feel valued. The food could be mediocre, but if the service is impeccable, I'll go back again and again. And if a restaurant happens to combine a welcoming staff with exemplary food, well then they own real estate on my heart. For me, it's about the staff appreciating my patronage as much as I appreciate their dedication and hard work.

So thanks anyway, but I'll skip the verbal abuse, even for the best meal of my life. I'll settle for a decent meal served with a side of dignity.

Cookies Anyone?

2009-09-23T11:31:00.002-04:00

And not just cookies. Brownies and biscotti and poundcake, oh my.

Silliness aside, I keep getting requests, half joking and half serious for mail order food. I've decided to fulfill that request. Here's how it works. I'll be establishing a menu of baked goods that can be easily shipped and a price list to match. You email me with an order and mail me a check. I bake and ship your order to you. You devour delicious homemade baked goods. Simple right? I thought you might agree.

I'll update you when I finish the menu and pricing. Tell your friends.

Dear Sandra Lee

2009-09-21T14:04:00.003-04:00

I have a dirty little secret. I have a love-hate relationship with Sandra Lee. Before you run screaming from my blog, never to return, hear my case.

Why I love her: She makes cooking a lot more approachable for amateur cooks who are tired of the same ol' same ol'. Rachel Ray does it too, but I like Sandra better. She incorporates premade food in her recipes. Something I used to do in college, when money was a little tight. And I still sometimes do it. Her trick of adding vanilla extract to CoolWhip to cut the packaged sweet taste works, and I use it all the time. Her new show, Money Saving Meals is pretty interesting too. She shows you how to save money by making small changes in your grocery purchase. And I have to admit, there are places to save money that I never would have thought to look. And she does it all with a smile and a flourish. You have to love a woman who penny-pinches and manages to be elegant all at once.

She does cocktails with everything. She's no mixologist, but there's something to be said about having a drink prepared that works with the meal you're serving. The cocktails are easily the best part of her show. Everytime I watch, I wait to see what she's going to pour this time.

Why I hate her: She clearly has no concept of flavor profiles. For instance, on more than one occasion, she's used orange marmalade in a recipe but told viewers to use whatever they have on hand. "If you have strawberry jam, use that, and just change the name of the recipe." Sorry, Sandy, but just because I HAVE strawberry jam in the house, doesn't mean it's going to taste good with what I'm making. Strawberry jam and orange marmalade are distinctly different flavors, and they don't always pair with the same ingredients. She does this kind of thing all the time. It doesn't mean the recipe will be bad, but it's a gamble to change the flavor profile of something, especially if you're inexperienced at it.

Her tablescapes make me crazy. The table is always so crammed with things, I'm often left wondering where the food is supposed to go. Maybe I'm old fashioned, or maybe I'm more of a food snob than I thought, but to me, the food is supposed to set the table. If your food is as beautiful and delicious as you say, then showcase it without all the bells and whistles. Good food should speak for itself. Not to mention that the centerpieces are usually so high that cross-table conversation is impossible. A good table is one where you can see everyone seated and aren't resigned to only conversing with the people next to you.

So Sandra, I love you, doll, but you also make me insane. You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep shaking my head in a mix of awe and irritation.

Death and Company

2009-09-17T15:35:00.004-04:00

Last night, I had the privilege of drinking at one of the best bars in the country, Death and Company. Located on E.6th Street, just off of 1st Ave, the bar is done up in the style of a 1920s speakeasy. Before you even enter, the sight from the street alludes to the atmosphere inside. The name of the bar is advertised in concrete on the stoop and not in a billboard style sign. If you weren't looking for it, you could walk right past Death & Co. and never know what it was. The staff dresses in relaxed, but elegant outfits. The man checking IDs last night was outfitted complete with a pocket watch and Fedora. And that's just from the outside. Inside the walls are dark, the room is dim and lit with candelabras and flickering tea lights. Old style blues and jazz a la Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald play in the background, but it's not loud or overbearing.

Then there are the drinks. Sure there's an amazing menu broken down by spirit. My first drink was the Gin Hound. Gin, honey, and celery juice blended into a light, and lightly sweet drink. But that's not where Death & Co. shines. Alex, my bartender for the evening, was kind enough to make some off-menu drinks for me and my friend. He also brought me a sample of the honey that was in the first drink I ordered when I inquired after it's origins. Alex is pretty incredible, having worked with the likes of Dave Arnold, but the other bartender that night, Bryan is equally talented. Watching the two of them mix up drinks is nothing short of watching craftsmen. You will not find a bad drink at Death & Co.

Simply put, the experience was one of the best I've had. The atmosphere reminded me of a more upscale version of a piano lounge in Maryland that my parents used to frequent. Even without the nostalgia though, the bar is relaxed, classy, and comfortable. If you want a great drink, without pretension, Death & Co. can deliver. But don't take my word for it, see for yourself. Check out www.deathandcompany.com or stop by for a drink.

Orange and Apricot Biscotti

2009-09-16T14:07:00.007-04:00

As promised, a weekly recipe to support NYC Goes Orange and Food Bank for NYC. This week is Orange and Apricot Biscotti.

The recipe:

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp fresh orange juice

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

1 extra large egg and 1 egg white

1 3/4 cup GF flour (I prefer Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix, but use what you have on hand)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup dried diced apricots

Cream together the sugar and butter. Add the extract, juice, cinnamon, and eggs. Fold in the flour. Turn out dough onto floured plastic wrap. Wrap and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Form dough into large log, leaving two inches from sides of baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, lower heat to 300 degrees F. When the roll is cooled, cut into slices and lay on their sides on the pan. Replace in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes more.

A few things to note:

When I made this dough, it was incredibly sticky. If yours comes out this way, flour it and your counter heavily. I probably used an additional 1/4-1/2 cup of flour just for that. Mine came out dark because I was using a new oven for the first time and a new recipe, so I haven't quite figured out the nuances yet. Keep in mind that oven temperatures vary, so the baking time might be more or less when you try it. Finally, if you prefer, you can use any flavor extract, dried fruit, or nuts you like for this recipe. Have fun and enjoy. And remember to show your support for hunger action by going orange now through December.

GCN

2009-09-14T12:18:00.002-04:00

As you guys know, I volunteer at the Grand Central Neighborhood soup kitchen on E. 32nd. Friday was no different. That it happened to be Sept. 11th and that it happened to be the National Day of Service was purely coincidental, although I thought it was fitting. It was a nasty, cold, rainy day and I expected the kitchen to be full of people in need of a dry place and a hot meal. I wasn't wrong. And for the first time, I encountered a reality that soup kitchens everywhere are faced with. Supplies were woefully low. So low, in fact, that we'd run out of juice to serve with dinner. One of the guys running security ran out and picked up a few packets of Kool-Aid to get us through the shift, but that wasn't going to cover the weekend.

Now, running out of juice isn't as bad as, say, running out of food. But it's bad enough. Not having enough supplies for everything is a reality for charitable programs. GCN gets supplies from City Harvest and private donors, but they always need more. It was the first time, since I've been helping out that we didn't have enough of something, but I'm sure it won't be the last. And if I can help it, it will happen much less often. A healthy meal shouldn't be a privilege.

With that being said, check back at the end of the week for my orange recipe of the week to support NYC Goes Orange and Hunger Action Month.

Seeing Orange

2009-09-10T14:29:00.005-04:00

Food Bank for NYC is gearing up for the annual NYC Goes Orange to raise awareness for hunger in the city. To coincide with this, Feeding America is leading September's Hunger Action Month. In the spirit of both, this blog will be going orange all month. In addition, I'll be posting orange themed recipes through December to show my support for NYC Goes Orange. If you'd like to get more involved yourself, check out www.foodbanknyc.com or http://hungeractionmonth.org. You can also send me recipes you'd like to see posted. Please help these organizations in their efforts to end hunger in America. Donate your money or your time. And please spread the word.

Thanks!

Lucky Find

2009-09-07T14:52:00.003-04:00

The best part about having a best friend who lives out of town is the excuse to explore the city with someone. I get to show her around my new home and familiarize myself with it in the process. Sometimes this leads me to new and delicious discoveries, like it did on Saturday.

After some wandering around Madison Square Park, I saw a large sign that read, "Gluten Free" below what appeared to be an Italian eatery. Mozzarelli's Catering Company, located at 38 E. 23rd St. served gluten free pizza, pasta, and desserts alongside regular artisan pizzas. They use dedicated equipment and pans for the gluten free, but there is some risk of cross contamination. I'm really sensitive to such things, and had no trouble, though, so I'm certain the risk is a small one. The artichoke and alfredo gluten free slice I had was both delicious and reasonably priced. At $4.95 a slice for the specialty gf pies, you can't really go wrong. And there was a nice selection of toppings. They also serve whole pies, and 5 varieties of gf pasta. When you first enter there's a wall of cookies, all of which are gluten free. And on the other wall is a refrigerator with more gf desserts, including the largest and most tempting strawberry shortcake roll I've ever seen. They offer samples of the cookies, so you can try without committing. I recommend the banana sandwich cookies. When it was all said and done, Cheryl and I both ate for around $17. Definitely a lucky find.

Life and Blogging

2009-09-03T21:21:00.003-04:00

Sometimes life interferes with my blog schedule. The past two weeks have been examples of just that. I headed to Maryland for the weekend to attend my sister's wedding shower and ended up staying a week to help her get packed and moved into her new apartment. Then, I came back just in time to pack my things and move to Queens, where I promptly became incredibly ill. I was finally back to normal by yesterday, which worked out beautifully since it was my birthday. There wasn't much fine dining, or even interesting dining to be done in the past two weeks, with the exception of this fabulous little Greek place that my sister introduced me to.

It's called Vasili's (www.vasilis.com). If you're in the Gaithersburg area, I recommend checking them out. While you're there order the Pikilia/Three For All. It's a trio of hummus, tsatziki, melitsanosalata, or taramosalata served with pita (for you bread eaters) and cucumbers. When we explained to the waitress that I couldn't have the pita, she brought extra cucumber out for me. The tsatziki is incredibly garlicky, but very good, and of course, the hummus was delicious, but my personal favorite was the melitsanosalata. I liked it so much, I've been eyeing the eggplants at the grocery store with the intent of trying to replicate it. The website hasn't been updated in a while, so the menu has changed a bit, but the food is so good, it's well worth the trip.

That's it for now. Happy eating, everyone!

Mermaids and Sangria

2009-08-20T14:52:00.004-04:00

Last night was girls' night out. The ladies and I headed into NYC for some dinner and a show. Being the only one with dietary restrictions, I was given the job of finding a restaurant near the theater. I happened on a place called Sangria 46 (www.sangria46.com). It's on W.46th between 8th and 9th Aves. The have menus for tapas, lunch, dinner, and a pre-theater, 3 course prix fixe menu. And a separate menu for, you guessed it, sangria. We all went with the prix fixe menu. I elected to have the shrimp in garlic sauce as my appetizer and the skirt steak for my main course. Fabulous food. The shrimp was slightly spicy, but not overwhelming, and cooked perfectly. The steak was tender, juicy, and gorgeous. I also tried the grilled shrimp Ana ordered, which gave my steak a rare run for its money and Alana's mussels in tomato sauce as an appetizer. I'm not normally a fan of mussels, but these were delicious. We also ordered several pitchers of sangria. The traditional was wonderful, but the show stealer was the limoncello sangria. It's limoncello, red wine, and brandy served with bluberries, currants, blackberries, and lemon slices.

As delicious as the food was though, what made the night so wonderful was the wait staff. Especially, Jose, our waiter for the night. He was charming, funny, and generous, bringing us shots and extra pitchers of sangria on the house. He even kept our leftover boxes in the kitchen for us until after the show. Now that's service. And when I extended my compliments to the man cooking our food, Jose brought him to our table for me to thank him in person. If you get the chance to try Sangria 46, you'll see what I mean about these gracious and entertaining servers.

After dinner, we went to our show. Saw The Little Mermaid. Carol snagged us orchestra seats, center aisle, 20 rows back. Fantastic. The set was absolutely gorgeous and the cast was incredibly talented. The show stealer, though, was the young boy playing Flounder for the evening. Great show and I was glad I had the chance to see it. It was the perfect follow up to dinner. What can I say, I love girls' night out.

Let's Do...

2009-08-16T22:24:00.004-04:00

...Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones. I did today. Picked them up at Whole Foods when I made my run. I'm a bit of an ice cream junkie, but I missed the joy of an ice cream cone. So for the first time in over a year I had two scoops of ice cream in a cone. Bliss. The brand is actually called Let's Do...Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones, catchy right? They're a cake style cone and to my mind there was no difference in texture or taste to the regular cake cones from my childhood. Cake cones bring back all the nostalgia of being a kid again. The race to finish the ice cream before it melted and got sticky on my hands and wrists. I'll be enjoying another several scoops thanks to Let's Do brand. Next on the agenda, finding or making gluten free waffle cones. Anyone got any recommendations?

Against the Grain

2009-08-15T11:06:00.003-04:00

Went to Whole Foods in Madison, NJ today. Picked up a selection of gluten free products to try. Typically, I believe making my own breads and cookies yields better results, but sometimes I miss the convenience of prepared foods. That drives me to experimenting with the gluten free products on the market, like bagels. I miss bagels, but really dislike most of the brands I've tried. Today though, on a whim, I picked up Against the Grain's Sesame Bagels.

I was pretty skeptical at first. I defrosted one in the microwave for 15 seconds, sliced it open, and popped it in the toaster. Smelled awful. Thinking I was in for a terrible letdown, I spread the cream cheese and took my first bite. Delicious. Crunchy on the outside and chewy in the center just like a real bagel should be. Not too dense, unlike most of its counterparts. My only complaint (aside from the terrible smell while it was toasting) was that there weren't enough sesame seeds. Only three or four on each side of the bagel. Otherwise it was a satisfying experience to a craving I've had for months. If you haven't tried Against the Grain, I would highly recommend it.

Kind Kitchen

2009-08-12T15:19:00.002-04:00

I had my second shift in the kitchen at Grand Central Neighbors, yesterday. This time, I was the only volunteer there. Handed out napkins and forks, served food, passed out drinks, and cleaned the kitchen afterward. Also got a chance to chat with the cook, Leo. He's been a line cook his whole career and wants to finish culinary school. I was impressed because he told me that whenever possible he tries to give the people at the kitchen food made from scratch and not the pre-made stuff that gets donated by City Harvest and the other food banks. He's an interesting fellow and had some great advice for me.

I also noticed something about the recipients of the food. Some of them came through with a smile and were truly appreciative of the chance for a hot meal. I liked them. One woman came up after she finished eating and thanked Leo for taking the time to make a delicious meal. I loved her gratitude. Not everyone has it. A few people came through and refused the food because they didn't like how it looked or didn't want what was served. Some took what was offered and threw it away after a few bites or begged for something else to eat. Can't please everyone. One person struck me completely though. Came in with Ralph Lauren sunglasses, an expensive phone and clothes, pricey watch and jewelry, but took the food and, despite not liking it, ate it anyway. What contradictions of life lead someone to be unable to afford a meal but able to afford keeping up appearances? It makes me wonder what this person has gone through that have lead them to this path. And how many people in the city are like him, that on the outside appear to be doing really well, living the good life, but who go home to empty refrigerators in bad apartments, if they're even lucky enough to have apartments of their own. And why have we, as a community decided it's ok to let people live without basic necessities?

I'm going back to the kitchen Friday for another dinner shift. Looking forward to it. Being there makes me appreciate what I have.

Business as Usual

2009-08-10T16:54:00.002-04:00

Apologies for the lapse in posting folks. Lots going on these days. I had a few interesting days last week that bear some repeating.

First, I played personal chef to my friends, Rob and Karen. Made Italian style burgers, which were delightful. Super easy to do. I just added some onion, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to the hamburger meat before pan-searing them. We built the burgers on grilled eggplant brushed with olive oil instead of buns and topped them with tomato and basil mayonnaise. I have no idea where I got the idea, but I'm glad I did. For dessert, I went with peaches and cherries in a balsamic sauce. Delicious, but I want to do some playing with it. I'm thinking a cherry balsamic cobbler with peach ice cream for next time. Play around with the textures a bit. Going to be doing more personal cheffing this week I believe. If I have time between my volunteer shifts at Grand Central Neighborhood.

This weekend was positively interesting. Was supposed to go with some friends to Caracas Arepa Bar in Brooklyn and then a dance party in some warehouse in Williamsburg, but through some confluence of events ended up not doing either. We arrived in Brooklyn after Caracas had closed for the night and wandered over to Flatbush to fins something with an open kitchen. Found some, what I think was meant to be an Irish pub that was still serving food. At 11:30PM, you take what you find. I ordered the salad and the curry fries as those were the only menu items not fried or soaked in beer. The four of us split a pitcher of sangria served in the smallest pitcher I have ever encountered. I've seen beer steins larger than this thing. Well, we all had a good laugh about it. After food, we decided against hopping the train up to Williamsburg at that hour. Instead we wandered over to Lanae's watering hole of choice, Patio Lounge. There was some sort of junior high reunion so the place was packed, but the music was good, and the drinks were plentiful. While outside on the patio that gives the lounge it's name, we were accosted by a thrown bag of birdseed. Inside we went. Funny, but not worth a repeat performance. Drinks and laugh were had, then back to Jersey at 6AM. Good night.

As for the coming week, I have two shifts at GCN's kitchen scheduled, so I've decided to check out Caracas' Manhattan location for lunch on one of those days.

That brings us up to date. I'll be making the switch from NJ to Queens in a few weeks time, then the restaurant reviews and cooking can begin in earnest. Oh yeah.

Gnocchi FAIL

2009-08-04T19:13:00.003-04:00

I attempted to make gluten-free gnocchi today. Attempted being the key word. The just didn't hold up the way regular gonocchi does. It's one of the few times I actually did need a chemical stabilizer like xantham gum. I usually don't need it, so I don't keep it in the house, but it looks as though I found a use for it. The up side is that the flavors were delicious. Used some parmasean cheese and nutmeg to round out the taste of the gnocchi and made a quick and dirty homemade marinara sauce using leftover roasted chicken. Simple and tasty. And when I get a hold of xantham gum, gnocchi round 2 will commence.

Is the gluten-free diet a fad?

2009-08-02T22:51:00.002-04:00

Slate recently ran an article questioning whether following the gluten free diet has become a fad. Tiffany Jakubowski, Denver's Gluten Free Food Examiner, wrote a wonderful response: Is the gluten-free diet a fad?

As for me, I have to agree with Tiffany's point about Elisabeth Hasselbeck's book The G-Free Diet. While I can appreciate Ms. Hasselbeck's desire to share her experiences with others, she is creating a great deal of misinformation about the diet that is detrimental to the newly diagnosed and annoying to those of us who know better. A gluten free diet is not about losing weight, and in fact I hate referring to it as a diet at all. The fact is, gluten free is a lifestyle and not one to be undertaken lightly. If you must remove gluten from your diet, be prepared to commit fully and for life. For those of us living it, it is a commitment to our health.

I also think that what seems to be a fad to Slate is really what we in the science industry call critical mass. The number of people living the lifestyle is finally reaching large enough numbers for food companies to pay attention to us. Gluten intolerance or sensitivity, and celiac disease are receiving more attention from doctors, researchers, and the media. It's not that gluten free is becoming a fad, it's that the information about gluten free living is more readily available than it used to be which is in turn driving the sales for gluten free products. That's good news for those of us who consume those products. We're driving the market, not the other way around.

And on a final note, if gluten free is a fad, it's an expensive one. Most people I know still assume that gluten free products are inferior in taste and texture to "normal" food (I'm trying to change this). I can't think of anyone who would pay twice as much for what they perceive to be lower quality food unless they believed it was medically necessary.

Whether you believe it's a fad or not, the gluten free lifestyle is here and that's good news for this girl.

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The Sweetness

2009-07-29T16:54:00.006-04:00

I have a sweet tooth. A hollow sweet tooth. Mostly for cookies. So when I found Food2's recipe for homemade Oreo cookies, my sweet tooth started singin'. You better believe this was something I was going to try to adapt for gluten-free eating. The recipe below is super easy to follow and worked beautifully with my Pamela's Pancake and Baking mix as a flour substitute. Delicious, sweet success.

Recipe (courtesy of food2.com):
1 1/4 cup flour (all purpose or gluten-free)
1/2 cup unsweetened dutch process cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup room temperature unsalted butter plus additional 2 tbsp
1 large egg

In a large bowl or food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa. Add butter and egg and continue to combine until mixture comes together in a mass.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Drop rounded teaspoon sized portions onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 9 minutes. Allow to cool and make sandwiches with filling (recipe below), whipped cream, or your favorite fruit jelly.

Filling recipe (also courtesy of food2.com):

1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1/4 vegetable shortening

2 cups confectioners sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine butter and shortening. Beat in sugar and vanilla at low-medium speed until light and fluffy.

I baked a few cookies the day I made the dough and refrigerated the rest for later. The refrigerated dough seemed to bake up better, so if you're making a gluten-free variety, I recommend doing so for at least an hour. If you have a hollow sweet tooth like me, I promise this will fill it up.

Family Affair

2009-07-27T11:28:00.008-04:00

Summertime in my family means lots of picnics and barbeques because there are so many of us and because we all love to eat and be together. Saturday, it was my cousin Saul's turn to host the festivities. His annual barbeque goes something like this: he supplies homemade barbeque chicken, beef, and pork and the rest of us supply side dishes and drinks to share. This year, I made a side and a dessert. Cucumber salad at Dawn's request and fruit pizza:

Recipe for cucumber salad:
3 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced in half moon shapes
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 vidalia onion, also sliced in half moons
8 0z. ciligiene mozzarella
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp dill
coarse salt (sea or kosher is fine) and pepper to taste

Finely chop the garlic and sprinkle with salt. Using flat edge of knife blade, grind into a paste. Add to a bowl with lemon juice, pepper, and dill. Whisk in olive oil to emulsify. Pour over mixture of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and mozzarella. Toss to coat evenly. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving (I made it the day before and left it overnight).

Recipe for fruit pizza*:
1 package of gluten-free sugar cookie mix (I used Namaste's cookie mix, but choose what you like best)
2- 8 oz packages of mascarpone cheese
1- 8 oz package of extra creamy CoolWhip
1 pint each of blueberries, raspberries, and black berries
12 oz. canned peaches packed in juice
16 oz. cherry preserves
1/4 cup sugar

Make cookie mix according to package directions and press into a standard sized cake pan. Bake until light brown on top (with Namaste mix that was about 28 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to cool fully. In the meantime mix the mascarpone cheese, CoolWhip, and sugar and wash and prep berries. Warm preserves until slightly runny ( 2- 30 rounds in the microwave on med-high heat worked for me). Once the cookie base is completely cool to the touch, spread the cheese mixture over it. Assemble the fruit on top. Drizzle preserves over the top. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving (again, I made it the night before and let it set overnight).

*This recipe can also be used with a variety of fruit, preserves, using cream cheese, or with any cookie base you'd like to try, so have fun and improvise.

The rest of the food there was amazing. Even better was the chance to catch up with family members I only get to see once in a while. That's what I call success.

Kind Kitchen

2009-07-25T11:52:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I had the most rewarding experience of my life. I worked the kitchen for the people at Grand Central Neighbors on E. 32nd in Manhattan. I didn't do much, just wrapped plastic forks in napkins and handed them to people, but it felt amazing to be a part of something larger and better than me. It was something to smile at people and serve them a hot meal. There's nothing that describes the gratitude or humility the experience left me with. I enjoyed myself tremendously and I'm going back as soon as possible.

In Defense of Foodies

2009-07-23T15:41:00.002-04:00

I was reading a blog from last year condemning the term foodie, saying, "I don't know of any chefs who refer to themselves by this title. For me, the word is a warning that says, "Hey, I'm not any fun to have a meal with." I'm all for people enjoying the hell out of food, but not if it means they have to give themselves a title to lord over "non-foodies." Passion for food should be shown through actions, not titles. I like the olden days when people who enjoyed food the most were simply called overweight." I think this is probably the image the poor blogger had in mind:

But cut us some self-proclaimed foodies some slack! While I have met my share of snobbish foodies, I stand by my title. Why? Because I love food. And I love having fun with my food. For me, a true foodie is adventurous, gracious, and hungry. We're not chefs. We're people who love to eat yummy things. And for me, a meal is always better served up with friends and laughter. I'm a foodie, and I'm damn proud of it!

Summertime and the Livin' is Easy

2009-07-21T14:35:00.004-04:00

I'm not a huge fan of summer weather, but I am a huge fan of summer food. I love the simplicity of fresh produce and easy dishes. Yesterday, the family and I had a delicious meal of pork chops dressed only with salt, pepper, and a little sage, fresh New Jersey corn, vidalia onion drizzled with a little olive oil, and potatoes all cooked on the grill. Super simple, but oh so yummy. That's what I love so much about summer. Clean flavors, uncomplicated cooking, and the freshest ingredients you can find. To me that says summer even more than the heat and the beach, both of which I could do without. But fresh fruit and vegetables, that I could never say no to. What's everyone's favorite summer food?

Wonka Vision

2009-07-20T01:03:00.003-04:00

I love making candy. Which is odd, since I'm not a patient person by nature and candy-making requires a great deal of patience. But honestly, nothing give me more pleasure than my annual ritual of making homemade candies to give to friends and relatives at Christmas. Standing over a boiling pot of sugar testing and retesting and stirring until my arm is sore and I can't stand the heat of the kitchen is...calming to me. Maybe it's the satisfaction that comes from finishing the candy and knowing it will be devoured. Maybe it's cutting into the pan and eating the first piece which is always mine and mine alone. But what I think it really comes down to is knowing that if I don't take my time and do it just right, then I won't have anything worth giving to those I love. I muster the patience for candy-making out of love. The feeling I get when I hand out tins of my hard work to people who know what went into it and who appreciate the effort I've made. And to people who don't know what went into it, but can imagine anyway and still love me for thinking of them.

And so I've been thinking, maybe it's time for me to try my candy-making state of mind. To remember that it's a lot of hard work, a lot of stirring as it were. To take the extra time to make sure the conditions are just right before I move on to the next step. Let things unfold in their own time and let them set up. When I cook, I do that. When I make candy, I find it relaxing. But in my own life, I sometimes forget. And candy's hard work. The payoff is incredible if you take the time and make the effort and exercise the patience, but is often disastrous when you don't. And I'm slowly beginning to understand that so is life. If I took the time to do things right and to slow down, I'd probably be happier and more successful than I am now.

So I think it's time to put on my Wonka glasses, muster some holiday cheer (yes, in July), and cook up a steaming vat of patience. Maybe served with a side of homemade caramels.

Picnic Food

2009-07-16T20:13:00.004-04:00

My friends, Rob and Karen are having a big cookout this weekend. In the spirit of the event, I made some gluten-free pasta salad. It's my first attempt at the recipe, but I think it turned out well:

24 oz. gluten free pasta (I used two 12 oz bags of my favorite brand. You do the same)
4 oz. canned mushrooms

1/2 onion chopped

1 qt. frozen broccoli

1 1/2 cups orange juice

3 tsp Dijon mustard

3 tsp cornstarch

3 tsp dried sage

3 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

extra virgin olive oil

Cook pasta according to package directions or until al dente, drain and set aside, covered to keep warm. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice, cornstarch, sage, thyme, mustard, and salt and pepper . Heat a medium saute pan and add enough oil to coat the bottom thoroughly. Saute the onions until soft and translucent. Add the broccoli and mushrooms and heat through. Salt and pepper the vegetables to taste. Add the orange juice mixture and allow to simmer for 2-4 minutes. Mix together with the pasta and refrigerate. Serve cold.

Culinary School

2009-07-16T16:01:00.005-04:00

So it's no secret that I want to attend the French Culinary Institute. It's also no secret that having already graduated from college, I have no money to speak of and few scholarship and loan opportunities available to me. I need someone to cosign for a loan (which is a HUGE favor to ask and a LOT of money to take out in a loan) or I need to find a creative way of gathering the money. Here's what I'm asking from you guys. I would love suggestions, links to scholarships, etc. Any help you can give is appreciated. Please help me make this a reality.

Jewish Penicillin

2009-07-15T12:14:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the lapse in posting folks, but I managed to catch some sort of cold. It's prevented me from entering the kitchen for anything more complicated than the microwave. Germy mess of a girl + raw food = nothing delicious, so I decided to spare everyone and stay in bed. My cousin has been providing me with various forms of soup and other invalid foods this week. The best of which I have to say was the mushroom soup from Thai Kitchens. It's one of those cup-of-soup style bowls where you add the seasoning and the boiling water and let the noodles get soft. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of processed foods because they never taste as good as homemade, but the mushroom soup was a welcome change from chicken broth and rice. Something about a steaming bowl of broth when you're sneezy and achy and miserable just comforts you. I am looking forward to healthy-people food again though. Hopefully in time for Rob and Karen's big bash. Until then, back to soup, ice cream, and OJ.

Being Hungry

2009-07-10T14:42:00.003-04:00

Ok guys, today's post is about hunger awareness. It's a really important issue to me and I want to share it with you guys.

The fact is that there are people in this country going hungry. People unable to afford nutritious food for themselves and their families. These are hard-working citizens, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, and saddest of all, children. 11.1% of households in America are food insecure according to Share Our Strength's website (http://www.strength.org/). That's about 13 million households nationwide. Half of them are white families. One third of them live below the poverty line, which is currently just over $21,000 a year.

According to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (http://www.fns.usda.gov/) the average monthly SNAP benefit is $101.53 per person, or $1.12 per meal. Can you imagine a meal that only costs $1.12? A healthy meal, I mean. Not from the dollar menu at McDonald's. It's incredibly difficult to achieve a healthy, varied, and balanced meal on such a budget.

So what can you do? A lot of things. You can donate a few dollars each month to a local food pantry or soup kitchen, or you can donate your time. Share Our Strength has a ton of programs such as the Great American Bakesale, A Tasteful Pursuit, the Great American Dine Out, and Operation Frontline. Feeding America has an advocacy program called the Hunger Action Program and a network for volunteers. Or you can check in your community to find out which soup kitchens and food banks need volunteers. And, if you're in the NYC area, Food Bank for NYC has a TON of programs to join. You can also check which pantries need food donations. Canned goods and dry goods are almost always welcomed, but some pantries also accept fresh goods. If you work in the food industry, see what your business is able and willing to do to get involved.

I support the efforts of a few organizations:

Feeding America (http://www.feedingamerica.org/)
Share Our Strength (link listed above)
Food Bank for NYC (http://www.foodbanknyc.org/)
Grand Central Neighborhood (http://www.gcncommunity.org/)
Single Stop USA (http://www.singlestopusa.org/)

Thanks for taking the time to listen, do your homework, and get involved.

Breakfast of Champions

2009-07-08T20:19:00.004-04:00

Who doesn't love a good waffle? I certainly do. And I woke up craving some fluffy, gluten-free, yumminess in the form of my favorite breakfast treat. So I set to work. I assembled the ingredients listed on the back of Pamela's Pancake and Baking Product plus a few extras. And I cranked up the sandwich-maker. Yes, the sandwich maker. It makes small triangle waffles that I think are way cuter than regular big ones. This is what I played with:

1 and 1/2 cups of Pamela's mix
3/4 cup water
2 eggs separated
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp all spice
3 tbsp apricot preserves
a handful of pine nuts, toasted

Add the baking mix, water, oil, and egg yokes and stir. In a separate bowl, beat the whites to stiff peaks. Gently incorporate the whites into the rest of the mixture and add the allspice. Ladle into a hot waffle iron (or sandwich maker). Any waffle iron worth it's salt will have an indicator light to let you know when the waffles are done. Meanwhile in a small pot, heat the preserves with a small amount of water until slightly runny. Pour over waffles and add the toasted pine nuts. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

I thought it was delicious, if a little lacking in allspice flavor. I want to play around with it a bit and see what I can do.

The South Will Rise Again

2009-07-08T13:42:00.003-04:00

It won't really. But if it did, it would be because there's a lack of barbeque in the North. That's right kids, I'm talking about my gastronomically triumphant 4th of July.

Ma and I road tripped it up to North Carolina on Friday. After dropped off our luggage we hit the grocery store to find gluten-free beer for yours truly, and the ingredients for gluten-free fruit pizza (yes it IS as delicious as it sounds), and sodas for the family barbeque. The gluten-free beer was a major fail. Three grocery stores later and not a sorghum based beer to be found. Instead I picked up a few 22oz. bottles of J.K. Scrumpy's Hard Cider. It's an organic hard apple cider that drinks like apple juice. Check it out at :http://organicscrumpy.com/ Delicious stuff. And thanks to a little research done by one Franklin Williams, it can be found at several restaurants in the Big Apple itself. So the beer fail turned out to be a cider victory.

Gluten-free fruit pizza ingredients was far more successful. One box of gluten-free sugar cookie mix, two packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, two tubs of Extra Creamy Cool-Whip, two fresh kiwis, one package of strawberries, two cans of pineapple rings, two cans of peaches, and one jar of apricot preserves later we were in business. The recipe's simple:

Follow the baking directions on the box of cookie mix, but spread in baking pans like pie crust. Combine the cream cheese and Cool-Whip. When the cookies are cooled, spread the cream cheese mixture over them. Arrange the fruit (sliced, washed, drained, etc.) over the mixtures. Warm the apricot preserves until slightly runny and pour over the fruit and cream cheese mixture. Chill and serve cold. You could use any cookie base, fruit, and preserve mix you'd like. I'm contemplating an almond cookie base with mascarpone cheese filling, cherries, and currant jelly variant.

At the barbeque, I was treated to my favorite Southern food of all time. North Carolina style pork barbeque straight from the pit. My cousin, Tony, has his own rig and he got the pig started at around 9AM. By 4PM the ribs were ready to be devoured. They're easily my favorite part of the pig, and this year was no exception. The skin was crackling and the meat was perfectly cooked. Slightly sweet, fall off the bone tender. By 5:30 the whole pig was ready to be served. Tony saved me some of the meat from the loin. Super tender and delicious, it hardly needed the vinegar based sauce he made to pour over it, but I used a little just for some extra flavor. To go with the perfection sitting on my plate, I also helped myself to some deviled eggs, potato salad, potatoes stewed in tomato, and a mixed bean salad with corn and cilantro.

When dinner was over and I thought I couldn't possibly eat anything else, I started on dessert. A slice of fruit pizza and homemade peach ice cream made fresh that morning with fresh picked peaches. My mother and uncle spent the better part of the morning blanching, peeling, and chopping the peaches. The ice cream came out exactly how I like it. Full of peaches and very soft, even a little runny.

Perfect. This is what I look forward to each year. Pork barbeque and homemade ice cream. Then a nap in the living room after too much food and too much sun. Even without the fireworks, which we skipped this year, this is what makes my summer. I even made off with two quart-sized bags of leftover barbeque the next day. Yankees be jealous.

Airport Food

2009-07-03T10:21:00.003-04:00

I think I'm a bad flier. Not because I get nervous and freak out on the plane, not because I get drunk before I fly, and not because I obnoxiously insist on chatting up the person sitting next to me. Because I get motion sick from takeoff, the turbulence, and landing. I turn a delicate shade of green every time I fly, and while Kermit might find that charming, I do not.

This condition has led me to seek out airport food that is gentle on my rioting stomach. No easy feat when you also account for the celiac. Fast food is automatically out because 99.9% of it is fried and the rest so greasy that my delicate shade of green would deepen into an even less pleasant shade. That usually leaves some sort of cafe.

My trip from Newark to Atlanta passed without incident. Smooth take off, little turbulence, and an even smoother landing meant I was in good shape when I arrived to wait out a two hour layover from Atlanta to Florence. Time to find some food. My stomach had minimal complaints, so I took a gamble on a place I hadn't tried before. The Sojourn Cafe. Do. Not. Eat. There. Ever. I sat down and ordered a Riesling while I studied the menu for food options. Caribbean chicken salad caught my eye. The description said it was served on a bed of lettuce with bright, juicy tomatoes. Sounds lovely right? In the meantime, the waitress returns to inform me that they are out of Riesling. It's 1PM on a Wednesday, but ok. I opt to try the pinot grigio instead. Some minutes later, the waitress comes back again to tell me that they are also out of pinot grigio and would I like chardonnay. No, I would not. I'll have a Coke. Is Pepsi ok? Absolutely not, I'll settle for Sierra Mist. In the midst of trying to order my drink for the 4th time, my chicken salad arrives delivered by the surliest line cook ever. After interrupting my waitress and me to confirm she was at the correct table, she thumped down a basket containing a bright yellow mass of goo sitting on three tomato slices and wilted lettuce. This did not bode well for taste. I eyed the mass suspiciously and took my first bite. Disaster! Caribbean chicken salad apparently means southern style chicken salad complete with sweet pickles and pimentos, but with the unpleasant addition of pineapple to the mix. On the whole it was cloyingly sweet, soggy, and thoroughly disgusting. I finished it mostly out of hunger, but doing so caused my poor travel-shocked stomach to begin complaining again. Like I said, do not eat there.

Then it was time to board for my flight to Florence. This is always my least favorite leg of the trip. I'm usually stuck at the back of a small aircraft and the flight is always bumpy. This time was no exception, only worse. This time around I was in the last row of seats and the flight was exceptionally turbulent. I spent the better part of it with my eyes closed, trying to follow my yogic breathing techniques, and white-knuckling the armrest. You never saw such a lovely chartreuse before. At least the flight is short. Once I landed, Mom and I headed out in search of real food and this time, I could enjoy it without the promise of another bumpy flight ruining it for me.

Museum and Risotteria

2009-06-29T14:08:00.008-04:00

Friday, Cheryl and I travelled into the city again. This time to spend the afternoon at the Museum of Natural History and to have dinner at Risotteria, a risotto place that also specializes in gluten-free pizzas and paninis.

After getting lost on the way to the Denville train station, we made it into the city around 4PM. Took the subway uptown and headed to the museum. Immediately upon entering, Cheryl geeked out (which is why we're best friends, because I did it the first time I went too). She's the only person alive who could convince me to pose next to exhibits. So I did, but not without exacting my revenge (see-->). We wandered through a ton of exhibits, took an obscene amount of pictures of gemstones, and a few photos of other cool things, and then got kicked out because the museum was closing.

From there it was downtown to Risotteria. I was in celiac heaven. The menu was risotto and salad on one side and pizza and paninis on the other, separated into gluten-free and regular. Ordering at a restaurant has never been so easy for me. In addition, the bread sticks were gluten-free, there were four gluten-free beers on the menu, and all of the desserts were gluten-free. I had trouble ordering because I was too delighted by my choices to focus on anything for a good 10 minutes. Finally I settled on pizza with mozzarella, sausage, peppers, and olives and Green's gluten-free Dubbel Dark Ale, Endeavour, for dinner and lemon cheesecake for dessert. Cheryl went with risotto with shitake mushrooms, green beans, and corn (the leftovers of which ended up as my lunch, so I can promise it was as delicious as it sounds).

And after dinner, it was time for us to head back to NJ. Cheryl headed out early the next morning for VA. Quick trip, but lots of adventure. There's always fun to be had when my Best is in town and I'm so glad she was able to make the trip.

L'Ecole

2009-06-27T14:02:00.006-04:00

Cheryl came up to NJ to see me this week. Yay! To celebrate, I took advantage of my dinner for two on the house at L'Ecole. It's a perk they offer to prospective students for touring the school. The food was, quite simply, some of the most delicious I've had the pleasure of eating. The concept's pretty simple. L'Ecole is the restaurant affiliated with FCI and run by the students. They work in every station of the kitchen, from chopping vegetables, to making sauces, to planning the menu. This is how FCI students become industry-ready, rather than doing an externship at a local restaurant. Pretty cool.

So, Cheryl and I arrive at the restaurant around 8:15 for our reservation. We're shown to our table, which is right in the center of the dining room, which means we get a full view of everything that's happening. Our waiter, the charming Matthew, brings us our menus and asks whether we'd like tap water or bottled. When in NYC, get the tap water. It's some of the best tasting in the country. At this point, I also inform him of my celiac and ask him to direct me to the items on the menu that are safe for my consumption. He disappears to the kitchen and comes back with good news, there's little on the menu that I can't have. That means I require a few extra minutes to make my choices for my appetizer and fish course (I already knew which meat course I wanted). In the meantime we order our wine. A lovely, minerally trebbiano (Masciarelli, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy, 2006) for me and a pinot noir (the variety of which, I don't remember since I didn't order it) for Cheryl.

Matthew returns and we order. I go with what they're calling a mojito salmon as my appetizer. It's the special for the night. Salmon cured in curaçao (or rum, Matthew's unsure) and laid over a tomato topped with herbed cream cheese and onions. Cheryl opts for the tomato tart with goat cheese, olive tapenade, and arugula. My favorite part of the mojito salmon was biting into the herbed cheese and getting chunks of sweet onion. Cheryl's tomato tart was a gorgeous display of yellow and red tomato. So far so good.

The fish course is next. Cheryl opts for braised marlin served with chorizo, clams, kale, and saffron potatoes. I decide on seared black bass, basil risotto, confetti tomatoes, and anchovy dressing. To my surprise, when our fish course comes out, it's is also accompanied by a plate of salmon with fennel confit, pickled ramps, and mussel sauce, compliments of Matthew. "This is the other gluten-free fish course on the menu tonight, and I wanted you to have it on me," he explains. The bass was pretty good, and the risotto was, of course, lovely, but I have to admit, Matthew knew what he was doing. I fell head-over-heels-in-love with that salmon. The flavors were layered and clear and comforting. When he came by to see how I liked it, I told him simply, "If I died right now, that salmon would be enough." He left our table looking decidedly pleased with himself, and rightfully so. I was still thinking about the salmon the next day.

After the fish, which I'm convinced was the highlight of the meal, came the meat course. I went with pan roasted lamb loin served with lamb jus, figs and asparagus and a side of goat cheese polenta. Cheryl opted for veal paillard, haricot verts, wild mushrooms, and spinach parmesan puree. My lamb was cooked perfectly to my taste, and there was just the right amount to satisfy me, but not overfill me considering the previous two courses, and the polenta was creamy and tangy from the goat cheese. Cheryl's veal was a little less perfect. While the veal itself was delicious, the dish came covered in some sort of greens that reminded me of an edible jungle on a plate. And she only unearthed two haricot verts. Taste got the dish an A, but execution landed it in a C.

After the meat course, we were given a digestive salad composed of mixed greens and manchego cheese. This course was intended to aid in the digestion of the other three courses and cleanse the palate a bit before dessert, so it was what you'd expect from something like that and nothing more.

Dessert for me was mascarpone parfait with strawberries and a sauce made from aged balsamic vinegar. The original dish included ginger snaps, which the kitchen was kind enough to omit for me. Cheryl went with a warm chocolate tart and caramel ice cream. I was having a hard time deciding between the parfait and the passion fruit baked alaska, but considering how much food I'd already eaten, I went with what I deemed to be the lighter of the two dishes. To go with dessert, I order a glass of tawny Port for both Cheryl and myself (Dow's 10 year tawny). I like that it's both fruity and almost creamy. It has the same mouth feel, to me anyway, as melting chocolate. It sort of coats your mouth and leaves a sweetness that's balanced by the alcohol.

After dinner we headed back to Jersey, very full, a little tipsy, and extremely pleased with our experience. I over-tipped the generous Matthew, left a rave review of the restaurant and the staff (obviously), and promised to return before I became a student myself. Good night, amazing company, and delicious food. What could be better?

EEEE!!

2009-06-22T17:25:00.003-04:00

I was just informed by my lovely best friend that she will be travelling north to visit me this week. Celebration and mischief will ensue.

As a kick-off to the festivities, I made reservations for us at L'Ecole, the French Culinary Institute's student-run restaurant. I'm thrilled to be showing her where I'll be learning and working in just a few short months. After that we'll probably head back to the house and relax, but then I plan to show her the city a bit on Friday. As in, get hopelessly lost and not give a damn, because, well, my best friend is in town and that's what we do.

More updates to follow.

Finding comfort

2009-06-19T20:31:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again. Father's day rolls around and I find myself needing to seek comfort in others. This year is particularly difficult. Probably because I'm away from home for the first year ever and won't be spending it with my mom. Maybe because for the first time, I'm going to be observing it. Howie's been so wonderful to me, and for that reason alone will I sit through any dinner or brunch and observe with him. Maybe it has to do with the knowledge that for the first year since he died, I will sit at my father's grave on a day when I should be making him breakfast and buying him the requisite tie or world's best dad coffee mug. All I know is that I'm in need of hugs and comfort foods.

Drinks Anyone (NYC adventures pt.2)

2009-06-16T18:01:00.004-04:00

After High Tech Cocktails, I hopped a cab over to Union Square for dinner with a girl I met a the event, Grace, and her friends from Amsterdam. Dinner was at a place called Shanghai Square and the thai basil curry is awesome. Well, the gluten-free version of it is anyway. Grace's friends were super sweet and very interesting. Elisa is a 6'2" basketball playing law student who looks like a super model, but is so open and kind that you just can't be jealous of the girl. Jaffar, her boyfriend, is also a law student, and funny as hell. They were in NYC on vacation and it was their last night so we tried to make it special.

After dinner, we headed over to La Quinta for drinks at my suggestion. We met Elisa's undergrad roommate and her friend. I wasn't as impressed with them as I was with Elisa and Jaffar, but they were nice enough. La Quinta was PACKED this time, so after one drink we decided to try and find somewhere else to hang out.

Next stop, Empire Hotel to check out their rooftop bar. The line was stupid long, but Elisa's roommate knew a bouncer, so we got right in. It had potential to be awesome because the rooftop is HUGE, but the outdoor bar was closed and it was so crowded and loud inside that I wasn't feeling it. Much more posh than the places I like to drink at. I think it's a place I'll reserve for special occasions when I know the outdoor bar is open and when I don't have to wait in line to get in.

Said goodbye to Elisa and Jaffar. Elisa kindly offered me a place to stay should I ever be in Amsterdam. Awesome. Now I know where I'll be travelling to for my first trip out of the country.

Grace and I then headed back to Soho for one last drink (coffee for me) and then to her apartment, which she was kind enough to let me stay at for the night. In the morning we trekked down the length of Broome St. in search of Babycakes Bakery so I could have a gluten-free breakfast. Red velvet cupcakes and coffee make an excellent breakfast by the way. I bought a chocolate one to take back to Jersey with me for dessert. Also delicious.

From there, I said goodbye to Grace and headed uptown to Madison Ave to see my uncle at work. Spent a few minutes catching up and making plans, then back to Jersey and the end of my adventures. It was probably one of the most interesting trips into the city I've taken, and I'm looking forward to more that are just as entertaining.

Techie Tart (NYC adventures pt. 1)

2009-06-14T12:07:00.009-04:00

Went into the city Friday for an FCI Recreational course. High Tech Cocktails with Dave Arnold, Director of Culinary Technology, and Nils Noren, VP of Culinary Arts. and all I can say is I. Am. In. Love.

The evening started with learning do-it-yourself carbonation with a pretty sweet dual rig. FCI's house seltzer is a blend of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. The carbon dioxide gives it huge frothy bubbles, and the nitrous mellows out the intensity and gives it a sweet finish. Delicious. I'm going to be investing in a rig of my own and playing with my own blend. No really.

After that we got down to business with the cocktails. Gin and juice, cold buttered rum, long island bubble tea, and Swedish Explosion. Nils favors STRONG drinks. So much so that Dave calls him a "boozy" man. It's a fair description, but not a bad one, since he favors strong drinks that taste delicious. To go with the cocktails, we were treated to pork rind cracker jacks made by Dave (he makes the pork rinds from scratch, talk about hardcore),vinegar infused french fries, and rum infused pineapple. Oh yeah, and they passed around samples of their infused liquors. My favorite was the dill vodka, but the habanero vodka was a close second.

Oh yeah, and in between laughing at the banter and drinking like fishes, we learned a lot too. For instance, I can now make lime acid. That's to say, how to replicate the flavor and acidity of lime juice, without limes. We also covered how to vacuum infuse fruit with booze from home, how to clarify grapefruit juice, and how to make a butter syrup that doesn't separate.

When the course was finished, those of us brave enough to try it, headed up to Dave's office to skål. Check out the description of the ritual at their blog http://cookingissues.wordpress.com/skoal/. I did it twice :)

Chatted with Nils, Dave, Angela (another instructor), and Christina (Director of Education) for a bit. When I told Angela that I hoped to work with Dave and Nils she exclaimed, "Oh! You want to be a Techie Tart! That's awesome." Best job title ever. They're incredible people, with even better ideas, and talking to all of them was one of the highlights in my life. Did I mention I. Am. In. Love?

The pros had to get back to work, so I headed out for Part II of the adventures in the city. I can only describe my night as, well, surreal.

Associations

2009-06-11T20:12:00.003-04:00

For me food is entwined so tightly with memories and associations with people that there are certain foods that just call to mind specific loved ones and specific events from my life. For instance, I will forever associate pork barbeque and peach ice cream with summers in North Carolina. Pig roasts are an annual 4th of July tradition in my family, and it is always followed by homemade peach ice cream, courtesy of my very talented uncle.

In much the same way, bowls of dried fruit and nuts set out for guests calls to mind my grandmother's house. Her coffee table was laden with fresh fruit, candies, dried fruit, and nuts of every variety, always welcoming guests to be at home.

Homemade candies and holiday treats hint of my mother and Christmas time. And how every year the house is turned into Wonka's sweetshop as we make caramels and chocolates and cookies for loved ones. Always wrapped in pretty tins and always made with infinite love, and with great patience (a trait I only seem to have much of while in the kitchen).

And there are too many foods to list that call to mind my father. Black coffee so strong that it could stand on it's own without a mug, chocolate, plum tomatoes, and apples straight from the tree are a few that come to mind most easily. It was with him that I spent hours in the kitchen, learning to hold a knife safely, and throwing things from the pantry in one big pot to see how it came out.

There are other people, other memories. Peanut butter reminds me of my sister and the glue-your-mouth-shut sandwiches she used to make as afternoon snacks for us. And I inexplicably think of my best friend when I eat strawberries. Homemade soups wrap around me like a hug from my guy, warm and comforting and feeling like home. Indian speaks of sophomore year, spring semester and mischief; Mexican of outtings with my sisters and a lot of laughter.

Some people keep photos of their adventures to remind them. For every memory, every person to touch my life, there is food to remind me. Should I write a cookbook, I think it will read more like a scrapbook. Pictures of people and places tucked alongside ingredients and cooking times. And I wonder whether certain foods bring others images and memories of me. In their recipe scrapbooks, what foods would have my picture next to them?

Trying New Things

2009-06-09T16:50:00.003-04:00

I'm thinking about playing around with savory waffles. I love breakfast for dinner as much as the next person, but I'm wondering how to dress it up for special occasions. I was thinking about making waffles with thyme and topping them with a mushroom cream sauce. Maybe serve them with a side of proscieutto wrapped asparagus.

I want to serve cocktails with that as well, but that's sort of where I get stuck. I want something sort of crisp and a little acidic to balance the cream sauce, but nothing too light.

Thoughts?

Snacks! I made yummy snacks!

2009-06-05T20:04:00.003-04:00

Dinner today was a culinary triumph if I do say so myself. Pan seared chicken with garlic and thyme. And Melt-fries. Roasted potatoes, green and yellow squash, and red peppers served in an onion, garlic tomato sauce. So simple, so delicious. I'm a happy girl. The colors were beautiful and everything was perfectly seasoned. Recipe is as follows:

Quarter new red potatoes and spread on a baking sheet.
Slice squash and red peppers and spread on a second baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Drizzle vegetables and potatoes with olive oil and coat with coarse salt and cracked black pepper. Roast potatoes for 30 minutes and vegetables for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, dice half and onion and finely chop one clove of garlic. In a medium sauce pan heat a little oil over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until onions are translucent and soft. Add one can of diced tomatoes. Season with salt a nd pepper to taste.

Mix in roasted potatoes and vegetables and allow them to soak up tomato mixture. Serve hot.

For bar night, I made two hors d'oevres. Cherry tomatoes stuffed with pesto and lemon and basil aioli served with garlic parmesean toast. Use your favorite pesto recipe. Cut the tops of the the tomatoes and remove seeds with melon baller or small spoon. Fill with pesto.

For the ailoi:
2/3 cups olive oil
2/3 cups vegetable oil or sunflower oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 egg yolks
salt and pepper
1 tbsp fresh basil leaves

In food processor, combine egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Slowly drizzle oil into mixture. Process until fully emulsified. Transfer to small bowl and add basil. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Serve with your favorite store bought toast or crackers or with potato wedges/fried vegetables.

Yum!

2009-06-04T13:05:00.002-04:00

Not a whole lot going on at the moment. Waiting to find out if I have someone to cosign for my culinary school loan. Also heard from CUNY (sort of) about a job I applied for. Made it past the first cut, so I just have to wait and see what happens next. Both potentially positive developments.

On the cooking side of things, I was alone for a week, and I hate cooking for one, so I didn't do all that much. And of course, Dawn and Howie are transitioning from vacation mode to real world mode, so meals have been fairly simple.

I did however, pick up the ingredients for home fries a la Melt. As in, I'm going to attempt to make my own version of those fries. Think I'm going to make some fried chicken with it. I haven't attempted to fry chicken using a gluten-free batter, so I'm not sure how it will turn out, but I'm craving country food. I'll let everyone know how it turns out.

That's it for now. I'll try to get back into the kitchen so I can update more.

Thoughts On Food

2009-06-02T13:44:00.002-04:00

Found a few quotes that I liked well enough to share.

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food." -George Bernard Shaw

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." -J.R.R. Tolkien

"Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly." -M.F.K Fisher

"Food is the most primitive form of comfort." -Sheila Graham

Anyone have any they'd like to share?

MAGIC!

2009-05-30T15:05:00.003-04:00

So this is pretty amazing. Made-in-Transit + Gro Pak have a packaging prototype designed by Agata Jaworska to deliver super fresh mushrooms to grocery stores. The idea is to package mushroom sprouts that mature to oyster mushrooms en route to the consumer. It's a brilliant idea and one which, I at least, could totally get behind. Most produce is harvested at peak ripeness, or readiness, and is packaged up and shipped out to stores, where it begins its decay cycle. By delivering produce that is, technically, still growing, the consumer gains a little time, and a lot of fresh flavor. Check out Agata's cartoon explaining the concept at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aVSMA1rylY

I tried to embed it here, but either I'm inept (very likely) or something is glitchy (slightly probable), so you'll just have to follow the link.

You can also head over to www.food2.com and check out their blog post on the subject. It's basically the same info, but you know, they're not technilogically disabled like I am, so their video works.

Down to Earth

2009-05-28T22:00:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the lapse in posts folks. It's been a trying couple of days. My guy's been offered a promotion at work, which is fantastic, save for one minor (ok major) detail. The promotion's in California. I've been spending the past few days trying to figure out how to feel about it and what I want to do about it. I'm alternating between being fine with it and being crazy unhappy. So I did what any food-loving girl would do when she's stressed. I baked cookies.

I'm trying a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis. Chocolate cornmeal cookies with orange cream filling. You can find the recipe here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/italian-chocolate-sandwich-cookie-recipe/index.html

I didn't want a ton of cookies lying around, since I'm playing house solo this week, so I cut the recipe in half. The kitchen smells like chocolate, so I have high hopes. Oh yeah, and as should be obvious by now, I used Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix as a flour sub.

Speaking of which. Karen made margarita cupcakes for the Memorial Day cookout at Bill and Carol's. She made me a batch of GF cupcakes using Namaste Cake Mix. Delicious. She said the GF ones actually turned out better than the regular ones. Yay for converts!

So the cookies are coming out of the oven as we speak, and I seem to have hit a glitch...they're still way too soft and sort of, well, melting. I think I need to leave the dough in the refrigerator longer. I only left it in for 30 minutes. Next time I try I think I'll make the dough a day in advance and see how that turns out. I wish it was as easy to solve the conundrum of transcontinental romance...

Update: Cookies= FAIL. I tasted them and they are le gross. I don't know if it's that they're GF and that changed them at all or what happened. I'd love for someone else to try the recipe so we can compare notes.

NYC

2009-05-24T12:51:00.005-04:00

Friday night I went into the city for dinner and drinks with Lanaé, a friend of mine from high school. Starving, we headed downtown for Japanese food. Found this tiny little place that was absolutely packed, which seemed like a good sign. Once inside, I was in for my first pleasant surprise of the evening. They served a gluten-free buckwheat beer. For the first time in a year, I was able to order a beer with dinner. Naturally, I was thrilled. Delicious food, delicious beer, and good conversation. Phase one of NYC Night was a success.

After dinner, we were going to check out 230 Fifth Rooftop Garden (http://www.230-fifth.com/), but the line was excessively long. Pass on waiting on line when we could be enjoying cocktails. Instead we headed over to La Quinta on 32nd Street. They also have a rooftop bar, Mé, and this one was exactly the place we were hoping for (http://nymag.com/listings/bar/me_bar/ check out the photo slide show). Small, chill, and not crowded. The night was beautiful. Perfect weather for sitting outside with a drink. Then back to Brooklyn to crash for the night.

In the morning, well ok, the afternoon, we headed over to 5th Avenue in Brooklyn to Melt Restaurant for brunch (http://www.meltrestaurant.com/). Lanaé got this GORGEOUS plate of french toast coated with granola and served over fresh fruit with a side of Nutella mousse. Rarely am I tempted to cheat on my diet and eat something I shouldn't, but that plate of toast looked so pretty and smelled so good, I was dying for a piece. I contented myself with a mushroom omelet stuffed with Gruyere and tomatoes and served with home fries and a mixed green salad. I have to say...the omelet was lack-luster. The home fries, though, were something else. The potatoes were cooked with tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and (I think) zucchini. My last meal on earth will include those fries.

I came home Saturday evening and played chef for Rob since the lovely Karen was upstate for the night. Then hanging out with Julia for a bit and enjoying an adult Dreamsicle, then bed.

Something More

2009-05-20T14:14:00.006-04:00

I sort of feel like I'm drowning today.

It started with the insomnia tha prevented me from sleeping all night. Passing out around 6AM and waking up again at 9AM doesn't do much for a person.

Now let's add in the stress. The stress of being more than 3 hours from home for the first time in my life, the stress of being unemployed and in debt, of trying to better my life by furthering my education, but not knowing how to pay for it.

I came up here for opportunities that SC couldn't give me. For a better job, a better education, and for love. All three of those things. Not one by itself could have made me move. And now that I'm here and nothing has changed, I'm left wondering what more can I do?

I don't want to be the rich, famous chef of a five star restaurant. I just want to earn enough money to find a decent apartment in a safe neighborhood and to pay my bills. And I want to spend time with the person I love. In all, I don't think that's asking much. Isn't that what everyone wants on some level? And I'm questioning whether or not I've made the right decisions to make that happen.

I suppose the stress causes the insomnia, which in turn adds to the stress. And in all honesty, I'm far happier here than I was in SC. I just don't want to screw it up.

Playing Around

2009-05-18T16:03:00.004-04:00

I had a craving for egg salad today. Not wanting to go to the trouble of making a huge batch, I decided to experiment with a recipe for one. I settled on the following:

4 large eggs
3 tsp mayonnaise
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp dill
salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic salt to taste

Place eggs in a pot of water, cover, and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, then remove from heat, uncover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Crack the shells of the eggs and peel under cold, running water.

In a bowl mix the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, and spices. Chop the eggs into small pieces and add to bowl. Mix thoroughly. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Over all, I thought it wasn't bad for operating on the fly. There's a tad too much lemon juice for my taste, so I think I may bring that down to 1/4 tsp or a dash of it. But otherwise, I think it's a success. And the best part? I don't have a pound of leftovers hanging around. Because you know, using a dozen eggs leaves you drowning in egg salad. I just wanted enough for a few sandwiches. Not bad for a first attempt.

BREAD!

2009-05-16T18:40:00.003-04:00

I tried a new bread mix today. Pamela's has a bread/pizza mix and since I have such good luck with the Pamela's products, I gave it a try. The result: a soft, chewy, rye-like bread that won't kill me. I celebrated by having a tuna sandwich. And by tuna sandwich, I mean tuna with lemon juice and olive oil mixed with celery and olives. Although, that was Howie's doing, not mine. He made roasted red pepper rolls stuffed with same said tuna for tonight's shindig. I shanghaied some of the leftovers for my sandwich. Even Howie loved the bread, and that's saying something since he doesn't have to eat gluten-free. Next time...I'm making bagels.

Improv Night

2009-05-14T14:43:00.004-04:00

I think I'm on retainer as live-in chef at my cousins' place now. It was my turn to cook last night. I decided to challenge myself and try not to follow a specific recipe. Here were the rules I set for myself:
1. A recipe can only be used for inspiration (i.e. cooking tips, suggested seasonings) but can't be followed exactly.
2. Don't use a flavor combination that's already been tried this week.
3. Make a dessert to follow the meal.

The result was pork chops on a bed of caramelized onions and mushrooms. I needed a little help figuring out how to cook the chops so they didn't dry out. I turned to foodnetwork.com for ideas and went with the following technique: sear the chops on each side for two minutes or until brown on both sides and finish in a 475 degree oven for 8-12 minutes ( my chops were smaller than most so they cooked in about 8 minutes).

For the onions, I used my imagination and did some shopping in the pantry. I found sherry, rosemary, garlic, and canned mushrooms and decided to see what I could do with those. The result was vidalia onion and mushrooms sauteed in sherry with garlic and rosemary. Yum.

For dessert, I didn't want to bake, I just wanted to dress up something simple a little bit. The result, chocolate raspberry pudding with toasted, slivered almonds. Instant pudding plus raspberry extract equals the easiest special dessert you'll ever make.

In the end, I think it turned out pretty well. Dawn and Howie seemed to share that opinion. Dawn keeps making jokes about "keeping" me. I think I'm ok with that...for now anyway.

Forrest Gump's Got Nothing

2009-05-13T10:22:00.002-04:00

Today in the Denville Rockaway This Week, I read an article by the editor entitled "Life's Lessons Over Dinner." In it, the following question was posed: If our choices were food , what would we like our life to resemble- and why? For instance, what kind of life would a mushroom pizza describe? Or chicken pizza? Or a "giant, fudge-laden, whipped cream-topped, banana split?" The article, while thoughtful enough, seemed geared more toward cheap laughs.

But I was thinking, I don't think our lives are described by one particular food or another. I think it's more like trying a new recipe. It's a matter of having the right ingredients plus a little inspiration. Every good cook knows a recipe is a guideline to be followed, but that the best dishes have deviated from the recipe a little in this way or that, until they've been perfected. It's why two people can follow the same recipe and end up with two different results. It's also a matter of not being afraid to improvise when you don't have the right stuff.

And then there's the outcome. Sometimes a recipe works so well that it gets kept and reused. My most recent encounter with this was the orange dijon sauce with sage and thyme I made to go over chicken last week. Sure, it was great on the chicken, but where I thought it really worked was over the rice I served on the side. Now I have plans to use it as a dressing for a gluten-free pasta salad.

And sometimes a recipe goes so horribly wrong, it's unpalatable. Like the matzo balls I tried to make for my mom's class one day. Tasteless, heavy, and accompanied by a funky smell, even the dog refused to sample them. I followed the recipe I was given, and had no idea where I went wrong. I've since accepted that when it comes to matzo ball soup, I don't have the touch. I've learned to leave that to the people who do.

So I say life isn't like a box of chocolates, mushroom pizza, OR a banana split. It's a recipe. Some turn out better than others and sometimes you don't have the right ingredients, but when it all comes together, it's beautiful meal.

Starving Student

2009-05-12T15:28:00.002-04:00

I've been applying for culinary school scholarships, loans, etc. I'm getting a little overwhelmed just because the cost is so high. It would be easier if I'd done this instead of going to college, but because I already have a degree, I'm slightly limited. I'm determined to stay positive and find what I need though. And I've found a few resources that I could use next year if all else fails. Money is important, but I don't want to let it be the determining factor in my education. I refuse to let it.

On a similar note, the one complaint I really have about FCI is this: the woman in financial services wasn't particularly helpful. I met with her to inquire about possible loans or scholarships. Five minutes later all I had learned was what I already knew from reading the website which was that I needed to apply for the James Beard Foundation Scholarship and that I didn't qualify for federal education grants anymore. All of the other scholarship information that I have found was on my own. After all of the effort admissions put into showing me the school and telling me about the great opportunities, she sort of dropped the ball. Obviously the school is wonderful and the opportunities are "priceless", but the thing is...I can only benefit from it if I can pay for it. That's where financial services comes in. Now maybe she just didn't know about a lot of the opportunities that I found, maybe she was busy and didn't have time to go into detail, I'm not sure. I just wish she'd taken more time to address my concerns.

At any rate, I'm doing my best to do the research, stay focused, and hope for the best. Oh yeah, and I'm currently accepting donations...anyone want to pay me to cook for them?

One more post and I swear I'm done for today

2009-05-11T13:06:00.002-04:00

I had to share this:

http://www.lynchburg.edu/x18196.xml

It's an article about one of my sorority sisters and her fiance. The article doesn't even halfway cover how incredible these two are. I doubt that I've ever met a kinder couple, or one more devoted to one another. Best of luck, Cassie and Stephan. You deserve all the happiness in the world.

Egg Donation

2009-05-11T12:39:00.003-04:00

Ok so this isn't strictly food related, but it came up this week and I want to talk about it.

Ma called me a few days ago giggling about her "brilliant" idea for me to make money for culinary school. She heard on the radio about a woman who sold her eggs to make money for school. Of course my mom was joking about the whole thing, but it got me thinking. I mentioned it to Tracy, Bill and Carol's daughter, who said she was going through the donation process right now. So I did some research.

I think it's a wonderful gift to give to a couple who wants a child of their own. The money isn't a bad incentive either. The thing that prevents me from doing it is my celiac disease. It's a genetic disorder, and while not life-threatening, can be difficult to live with. A gluten-free diet is more than a diet, it's a lifestyle. I have to read every label on processed food and medication to look for hidden sources of gluten, I have to keep separate utensils for gluten-free ingredients, and for non gluten-free ingredients. The ingredients themselves have to be separated out to avoid cross-contamination. Celiac is truly about the details.

Being an adult, and it being my body that's concerned, I'm fine with my lifestyle, and even a little proud of it. I've learned not to look at it as a medical condition, but rather a biological quirk. And should I have children of my own who suffer, then I'll raise them to see it as such as well. However, giving my biological quirk to someone who is neither prepared for it, nor desiring of it, is completely different. It would be unfair to both child and parent. As I said, it's a lifestyle and I couldn't feel good about forcing the potential of that lifestyle on someone else. I think that the only way I could donate was if the couple in question was already living with celiac or for some other reason, living gluten-free. Celiac can affect fertility afterall, and I'm sure there are couples living with it who are unable to have children, and who want one.

Like I said, I know this wan't really about food, or my misadventures, but it's something that got me thinking outside of my usual box.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T12:22:00.005-04:00

So yesterday was lovely. Woke up, called Ma to wish her a Happy Mother's Day. I feel a little guilty that I left before then so I wasn't there to celebrate with her. Although, I suppose it isn't the first Mother's Day that I'll miss. Anyway, I also made breakfast for my cousins. Dawn's boys don't do much for her, so I thought she deserved it. Nothing fancy, just some creamy scrambled eggs with dill and fresh chives. It goes like this:

8 large eggs
1/2 cup half and half or whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried dill
chopped fresh chives for garnish

Whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt, pepper, and dill. Melt 1 tbsp butter in large skillet over medium heat and add egg mixture. Stir frequently to allow curds to form. Cook to desired doneness. Serve hot. Garnish with fresh chives. (Serves 4)

They turned out nicely, and it was a super easy way to dress up basic scrambled eggs. Serving over toasted english muffins with crispy bacon is my recommendation, or for you gluten free kids, with a couple of slices of beefsteak tomato.

Howie planned a dinner party with their friends for the evening. Spiral cut ham with apple-maple-walnut glaze, grilled asparagus with balsamic vinegar dressing, mashed potatoes, and honey glazed carrots. It was the three of us, their oldest son and his girlfriend, their friends, Bill and Carol, and their daughter, Tracy, and their friend, Ana. Afterwards we had drinks in the new game room/bar. Ana's son, Chris, showed up to chill with us and he, Tracy, and I congregated in the corner to chat. The neighbors showed up with their son for a bit as well. Spirits (both the liquid variety and the mood variety) flowed freely and fun was had by all.