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Before the heavens opened up and the lightning and thunder began to take hold, I spied this lovely new arrival on Court Street: Sweet Melissa's Cremerie. The opening celebration was set to take place this afternoon at 4pm. Not sure if the rains prevented the crowds from lining up to try patisserie queen Melissa Murphy's newest Cobble Hill contribution, but if the menu is any indication...
...this new Brooklyn spot is sure to be a draw all summer long, and likely all year-round too.
According to my pal Max, it takes a lot of citrus to make a good punch. A lot of citrus...
Oh, and loads of Rum, Chartreuse, Maraschino, bitters, simple syrup and a grating of fresh nutmeg too. Yes, Max went mixology mad at my "Lost" season finale blow-out, hand-crafting a bowl of Dharma Punch for the occasion. He even prepared a special "island" ice cube infused with Fee Brother's West Indian Orange Bitters and sugar to give it that -- completely unnecessary, but I adore it -- extra tropical touch.
Needless to say, don't try this at home kids. Leave it to the professionals. Max on the making side. Myself and my party guests on the imbibing side.
Don't worry. We didn't just drink while we were hooting and hollering at the TV screen. Food was had. In fact, I like to think it more than lived up to the glory of the Dharma Punch. We're talkin' about a repeat performance from my "Lost" season premiere shindig of Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple and Avocado Salsa, along with Steamed Vegetable and Pork Dumplings, and Honey-Lacquered Duck with a Thai Cucumber-Mango Salad....
Personally, I couldn't think of a better dessert to top off the festivities than the vision of Sawyer emerging from the ocean and onto the beach shirtless, but for everyone else in the room, I did offer up three homemade sorbets: Coconut, Bittersweet Chocolate and Ricotta.
As for leftovers, I still have some of the sorbet. Same goes with the pork dish.
The punch? Not a drop remained.
The New York Times has declared ricotta the new "it" cheese:
Ricotta was long confined to traditional roles in New York’s restaurant kitchens, hidden inside fresh pasta as a mild, toothsome filling or baked into cheesecake with lemon and eggs.
But no more: ricotta has made a jump from the wings onto center stage.
Puh-leeze. I've NEVER denied the power and delight of ricotta. Hence, my delectable Ricotta Sorbet. I've already whipped up a batch for a dinner party tomorrow night.
Here's the recipe, if you'd like to whip up a batch yourself.
Ricotta Sorbet
1 quart milk (4 cups)
24 oz. ricotta
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
Combine and boil ingredients - except zest - over a medium flame. Strain. Add zest. Chill. Place in ice cream maker and follow maker's instructions.
Last night I had four amigas over for dinner. Thanksgiving was the theme. It was selected in honor of my pal Amelia, who was well met in Patagonia, hails from Boston, and most recently lived in Shanghai, where I understand that Roasted Turkeys are hard to come by.
I prepared a lot of food. A whole lot.
No surprise there.
But then why only one lone picture from the evening's menu? The appetizer of Scallops Crudo with Fennel was lovely, but why no snapshots of the Herb Roasted Turkey or the Sourdough Bread Salad or the Porcini Gravy or the Greenmarket Asparagus or the Spicy Sweet Potato and Pineapple Mash?
Well, that's because my guests gobbled it all up too fast for me to take a photo.
I'm not kidding.
14-pound turkey versus five women. No contest.
Heck, I hardly have enough turkey left over to create a sandwich!
Even the Pecan Pie was demolished in one fell swoop. Thankfully, however, a bit of Pumpkin Gelato survived the massacre -- barely.
It was an evening in which I handed out several "clean plate" awards. I can only hope that today my guests are wearing their gold stars and full stomachs with pride.
This has gone too far.
When a spike in flour prices can seriously impact Saturday morning breakfast at my local diner, there is a problem.
When the long-standing "substitution cost" for subbing out toast for a bialy aside my eggs skyrockets from 75 cents to $1.60, there is undeniably something very, very wrong.
I think it's time the government got involved. If the Fed can go and cut interest rates, they can do something about this new bialy pricing blow-up!
And, for the record, I understand that the bagels have seen a similar price increase.
Harumph!
Looks like "pip-pip" and "cheerio" gourmet purveyor Fortnum & Mason is finally crossing the pond -- at least online.
I've only made the occasional jaunt to Brooklyn's Chinatown, so when I heard that Slow Food was putting together a full-blown foodie tour of the area, I immediately bought a ticket.
And for a sunny Saturday morning, it was "just the ticket!"
Myself and nine other gourmands met up with culinary walking tour guide Liz Young at the corner of 8th Avenue and 61st Street to learn that Brooklyn's Chinatown began in 1985 due to three factors: low rents, easy subway access to Manhattan's Chinatown, and an ancient Chinese belief in the number "8" as being a powerful force of good luck and prosperity.
Who were we to quibble with time-honored Chinese teachings? Besides, we were feeling awfully lucky ourselves once we took a seat at local dim sum palace Pacificana, with its bright, spacious dining room and bevy of carts clanking by our table, emitting a series of heavenly aromas.
We hailed over several carts and soon our lazy susan was bursting at the seams with the requisite dim sum fare: delicate Steamed Shrimp Dumplings, Pan-Fried Turnip Cakes, gelatinous Chicken Feet, Spicy Peppers Stuffed with Shrimp Paste, glossy Baked Pork Buns (pictured above), Shui Mai Dumplings, Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf, and much, much more. But, it was a house specialty of crackling, crisp Roasted Suckling Pig (pictured below) that had us at "hello." Perhaps, next time, we'll simply bypass the carts and go straight for the swine!
Sated, we ventured up and down 8th Avenue, taking brief stops in a Chinese liquor store and...
...a bakery...
...then taking a sharp turn onto 7th Avenue and 56th Street to partake in light-as-air Scallion Pancakes, hand-rolled and flash-fried before our eyes at Family Dumpling (said hand-rolling pictured below).
Mind, you the shop's house-made dumplings looked every bit as tempting.
Nevertheless, I knew we still had stops for faux Shark's Fin Soup and Bubble Tea ahead, so I resigned myself to purchasing some frozen dumplings for reheating at a later date.
Other goods tantalized me as well as we marched back onto 8th. Fresh lychees still on the branch were irresistible. Exotic sauces at Hong Kong Supermarket beckoned. Whole honey-lacquered Roasted Ducks called out for me to bring them home. Seafood shops were brimming with treasures from the ocean, ranging from jumbo shrimp to geoduck.
But the real seafood surprise presented itself in a large garbage can outside one of the seafood stalls.
Pets or meat? You decide.
Meanwhile, when it comes to me and Brooklyn's Chinatown, no decision is necessary. I'll most definitely be going back.
Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha aren't real.
My posse of NYC girlfriends and I are more than real. We're real-ly fabulous.
Which is why last Saturday night at The French Culinary Institute's L'Ecole restaurant was such a damn good time.
The evening's festivities were planned in celebration of our pal Joy's birthday. Ultimately, however, it was more than that. It was a celebration of our long-standing foursome of friendship.
Let me say once again: It was an amazing night.
Then again, perhaps the food did have a little something to do with it too...
Hmmmm...I guess it could be considered a toss-up.
I've always thought this Upper West Side stalwart's murals were enough of a reason to take a seat at the bar.
Little did I know that the real reason to sidle up for a cocktail in the Café des Artistes lounge is to meet its 93-year old grande dame Claire Oesch.
Once in a while the New York Times does things right. Today's profile on Ms. Oesch is a testament to that.
Mama Vamp stopped by for the Mother's Day weekend holiday.
The highlight?
Delivery Chinese and introducing my mother to "The Devil Wears Prada" on-demand.
The next Mama Vamp plan?
Her June birthday. I've already secured a reservation at Philadelphia's Osteria, where we will likely indulge in many fine Italian goodies, including their much lauded pizza (pictured above).
We'll just have to wait to see if the 'za can match the glory of my local Chinese spot's Pan-Fried Seafood Dumplings and Moo Shu Pork.
Note: YES I fully realize that the title of this posting is "Mother's Day with Moo Shu" and the photo isn't of the Moo Shu, but of the pizza yet to come. Deal with it!
