Le Macaron!

I am the daughter of a francophile. That is as plain and simple as it sounds. When I was 16 pop was going to London to perform a show. In the mind of a francophile a trip over the pond to the motherland actually means a weekend in Paris. This time, he was taking me and my older sister. When I left school early to get my passport picture taken I realized how much phile there was in this francophile.

Our trip was all the usual Parisian spots littered with stops at the haunts of the ex-pats. (He's a franchophile and a Hemingwayphile. One and the same?) We walked all over the place. Which means we kept passing bakeries. Almost every window of every patisserie was filled with little macarons. One shoppe stays in my mind so vividly. We unexpectedly turned a corner and a large expanse of windows revealed stacks and piles of pastel macarons. The delicate abundance of it all was beautiful! We were instantly in love. I always requested that we take the long way back to the hotel just to see them all lined up.

Macarons are little round almond, egg white cookies sandwiched together with ganache, buttercream or jam. They are a crisp substantive bite the melts away on your tongue.

These little treats have been a special bond for pop and me. We are constantly on the lookout for them anywhere we go.

Here is what I have found around this town of mine.

LA Burdick in Cambridge was the first stateside place I discovered them. We went for hot chocolate and chocolate mice with satin tales, and if that wasn't enough, I spotted the Macarons! What heavenly afternoons I have spent there! I have only been during the snow laiden winter months and don't know what the experience offers during warm, warmer and hot months. The handful of times I have been there mark memories from many different stages in life with different friends and family. all Only cozy feelings are conjured up when I think of being here (recently remodeled to feel even more french...which if I think about makes it feel a touch inauthentic... Luckily, I am forgetful!)

I had recently heard of Formaggio Kitchen, the sister to South End Formaggio (I mention it here.) This spot deserves so much more said about it. About 3 stores strung together, Formaggio Kitchen has so many decadent, unusual, interesting, fresh, and high end gastronomical delights. There is a reason it is in Huron Village of Cambridge. In the center, among ceiling high shelves of chocolates and sweets is a pastry case. In it are those beautiful macarons that take me to another place.

Finally, after an indulgent dinner at Aujour d'hui (to be discussed later) there was a macaron. This mignardise with the heavy check was light as air. (As confirmed with KK mignardise is the name of the sweet bite sent out at the end of a meal. The old french word means small child in noun form and something delicate, pretty and graceful as an adjective. A new favorite word? check that. )

I long to be good at making them. I have tried a few times and Martha's recipe really came through the best. The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts occasionally offers a whole class devoted to this delicate sandwich of a treat.

In conclusion, I can't say pop has rubbed off on me totally. Sometimes I need more than A Farewell to Arms can offer. But, at least I can say that I am a macaronphile. I think I can add that to his list too.

Picnics!

I think about them all winter: hang on to little jars that would be handy; tag recipes hoping I won't forget about them; write lists of good spots. In a den of daydreams these thoughts hibernate till the trees are light bright green and the weather pleasant.

Of course, the only things I could be talking about are PICNICS.

The winter jumped to summer for a week and I, well, I jumped at the chance. In the little heatwave with a funny day off, I packed a picnic. I chopped up some blackberries and strawberries, macerated them in a couple tablespoons of sugar and mint and put them in a jar.

Meanwhile, I made my favorite chocolate chip cookies, except, I didn't have chocolate chips. I chopped up an amalgamation of chocolate bars I had and tossing them in really improved the usual situation.

I had made a rhubarb ginger concentrate a couple weeks ago to help extend the rhubarb season in my life. In little bottles that I had drank the contents of months before and stowed away, I poured in some of the concentrate, seltzer, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Next, I cautiously gave them a shake for a quick refreshing soda.

Finally, I wrapped up a chunk of aged gouda (all-time favorite cheese) and put all the food in a basket along with utensils, a cheese cutter, napkins and a tablecloth. I picked up a baguette, goat cheese and pesto on my way over the river to meet SEM (also known to dream in picnics) over her lunch break. On a bench across from a cherry tree with this little spread between us, we talked of many things while watching people enjoy the scurry of their day in this unexpected weather.

I hope this is the first of many picnic menus posted here. Back to cloudy and slightly chilly days, I had to cancel a picnic last week (GA and I still had a fine lunch indoors) and am left waiting again.

New York City! (part 3)

When it comes to places to try, I always trust KK. So when I decided to head to the Big Apple I asked for her suggestions of where to stop. She equipped me with an index card scribbled with bakeries and cafes. It gave me the structure I lacked for a day in the city.

I showed my card to LM after brunch and she conveniently knew which stops were in walking distance. She marched us right over to soho, making a recommendation or two of her own along the way. In all my trips to NYC I have never spent much time in this neighborhood.

LM's addition was Ceci-Cela, a tiny hallway of a bakery that had a little room off the back for sitting. Stuffed in this narrow rectangle was a case brimming with rows and rows and columns and rows of colorful, cheerful macrons (stay tuned for more on this subject). In baskets and on trays were many other very French pastries and out of drawers poked serve yourself take-away savory pastries. Oh, I just adore macrons and these were true to their form!

We then went to Balthazar, a grand looking restaurant with a tiny and elegant bakery next door. LM swears by their chocolate bread. I ordered an almond croissant, a petit fore, a madeleine, and an éclair. Later in the afternoon I discovered the croissant was flaky; the petit fore with a marzipan bottom had a moist, perfectly square cake and dare I say it, supple fondant; the madeline was not too sweet and not too soft, the éclair disappointed me, but that is mostly because I had expected vanilla pastry cream pouring out but instead it was a wilting chocolate cream.

With two bags of treats in my hands, LM pointed us towards Once Upon A Tart, and said good-bye. Hot and tired, IAM and I decided to sit down at this next stop. A nice shoppe, with nice food, but something was missing. We refreshed ourselves but were not as taken by the atmosphere or the food. We nibbled, drank our iced beverages and went back into the stuffed streets of the city. Discovering the edge of a park, we stepped over a fence, reclined on the grass and laid out our spread of sugar, flour and butter from the bakery crawl.

Sunshine and treats…need I say more…

Perfectly content, we hopped on the subway. We had a live radio broadcast to see, after all!

New York City! Part 2

Somehow I didn’t realize that Saturday was going to be such a beautiful day and consequently, I didn’t pack accordingly. I threw together an outfit that consisted partly of what I planned, some athletic wear, and something from the night before. But then again, I was in a town where everyone looked like they were wearing something new with some sort of athletic gear and something from the night before, whether it be mousse, a dress, or person on their arm.

We went into Manhattan to meet IAM’s friend for brunch (IAM and LM are pictured as the meal is winding down...you can see all of our juice!). Luckily we beat the brunch crowd by arriving at 1pm. IAM suggested going to a Brazilian place called Café Colonial because she remembered them having delicious pao de queijos (cheesy little popover things). Eh, they were good, but my favorite part was the drink selection! They had fresh squeezed juice, strawberry shakes, açai shakes, and Ipanema juice (beet, carrot and apple juices). Whenever my body is slightly deprived it always tells me that I should drink my way back to a balance. I must have been really deprived because I almost only ordered drinks.



We stuck to breakfast fare, though I couldn’t resist a side of corn (corn and desire of it are pictured). We rethought our order with every dish that walked by (everything looked so good!) but were completely satisfied with our choices. The atmosphere was fresh and rustic, with white walls, white tile floor, sun shining through huge windows, wooden and tin accents and sturdy mix-matched furniture (you can get a feel for it in this solo shot of IAM). Their dinner menu looks promising too!

A good way to start our day (if I weren't on a whilrlwind trip it could have been the main event of a lazy Saturday).

New York City! (part 1)

Nothing says, "Welcome to New York," like arriving in Penn Station at 5:30 on a Friday evening. I was bombarded with emotions flying everywhere in between panic and Mary Tyler Moore. Finally, I met my sister, IAM, at her office at the New York City Opera. After she had her friend give me a tour of the theatre at Lincoln Center we walked around the upper west side.


Such a beautiful evening in the city and we went right to Shake Shack (it seemed like everyone else did too). We ordered two hamburgers, french fries, and a shake to go. A little old-fashioned but very contemporary joint with a drive-in feeling on foot and modern twists. The price of the classic hamburger seemed great, but our drink cost more than the burger. After going through the well oiled machine they have to get people in, out and fed, we took our paper bag and headed to the park. Everyone we walked by had just come from the Shake Shack and plopped down where they could to enjoy their spoils. The scene was probably the same in the surrounding blocks of the two other Shake Shack locations. We joined everyone once we found a bench in a little nook of the park that seemed right for us; a tasty way to partake in the warm(ish) night and catch up.

Even though we were full we walked to Magnolia Bakery for a treat to take with us back to Brooklyn: a Chocolate cupcake with white vanilla frosting and pink sprinkles. The self serve style of the cupcakes and cookies was off putting but it felt so right. When you order cupcakes don't you always have your eye on the perfect one? Sweet and satisfying, yes, but, part of the charm of the cupcake was going into that pretty shop with high ceilings and lace curtains. Luckily, IAM knew to order a serving of banana pudding, which was actually vanilla pudding, banana peices and vanilla wafers. It was so American, creamy and fluffily rich. I would go back for this pudding more than those famous cupcakes, lace curtains or not (don't get me wrong, I'm not about to refuse a cupcake either).

IAM and I fell asleep on the pullout couch that she made up for me in her little apartment, resting up for the indulgent day ahead.

Diving In.

I didn't know what to do with myself on a late August night after too much wine with an ex love and unsatisfying responses (though tender) from a new romance to my persistent calls and all of a sudden GP rang my doorbell with a gaggle of people I had never seen before asking to go out for an ice cream. I straightened my summer dress, threw on my sandals and headed out for a scoop.

Last night I saw GP's friends again in a very different way. As it turns out they were part of, involved with, or friends with a musical group called Lake Street Dive. GP got me out with her to the Lizard Lounge over in Cambridge to see their show. I had been to Cambridge Common many times but never downstairs.



Lake Street Dive is a charming band with a trumpet, stand-up base, drums, and powerful, jazzy, full vocals. Most of the songs were break up songs, but they still made you feel good. It was wonderful to be reminded how people can just make music and tell stories and share it. They were all a part of something and it was twangy, pop-y, sensual, folk-y and exuberant. The singer had beautiful stage presence with hips that very slowly shook. The bassist played so hard she almost took herself out. The trumpet player would also pick up the guitar and sit down at the piano, whatever seemed to be needed. The drummer kept everyone together while pulling off a very appropriate mustache.

With lines like (slightly botched but to the best of my memory...) "It feels good to be over you, it felt good to be under you, maybe you just feel good, " and, "most of what I love about Elijah is on the outside..." or, "my neighbors making love upstairs would crush me...I am on the ground floor," you are bound to have a good time.

The Lizard Lounge had a great casual atmosphere with oriental rugs. I know people who are regulars to shows here but I just had never taken that chance and gone. The audience really shares the space with the performer, so that the give and take of show is all very fluid. Of course, if it isn't a good show, that could make for an awkward time. Go early and have a burger, sweet potato fries, tater tots, or fried pickle before!

I recommend two things. 1) Listen to Lake Street Dive and find a show to go to! 2) Check something out at the Lizard Lounge! I will be doing both!

Olé! Olé! (cheese) Olé!

KH and I rarely get much time to hang out because we generally have opposite schedules. We both had a free Monday afternoon and I had an all too exciting and generous gift certificate to the South End Formaggio!

We went right to the cheese case and the man working there had us sample many many different kinds of cheeses; he told us what he thought of the cheese, good or bad; he listened to our tastes and made suggestions. We bought 4 kinds of cheese and then wandered the little shop and picked up a grape syrup, salted caramels, lomo, and Terroir coffee. So many delightful things! I'll be honest though, if it weren't for the gift certificate, I would find it hard to justify buying what I did. If you need to buy a present for a friend who loves food, or are preparing for a special occasion, or know how to exercise restraint, than I absolutely recommend a trip.

We wanted to visit a few more places in the south end but didn't have much direction. We got some coffee and treats at Flour bakery and Cafe and decided to walk around and look at all of the menus of restaurant nearby and pick one. KH had invited SM to meet us after the lecture she was giving but we didn't realize there would be such a lapse in time. We looked up the address for Toro and decided to check it out first because it had been recommended by Ana Sortun of Oleana.

We didn't get to any other places. We went in and sat at the bar soon after the restaurant opened for service and realized we wouldn't see SM for a couple hours. We saw that they had Tinto de Verano, ordered two and then settled in with the menu and planned what we would order...in two hours.

This Ken Oringer restaurant features the chef, Jamie Bissonette, and so many Spanish tapas. We ordered the charcuterie plate after our first Tinto de Verano, just to tide us over while we waited. After another Tinto de Verano we ordered two more pinchos, beef heart with romesco, and dates stuffed with almonds and blue cheese wrapped in jamon. Oh, these dates were such heavenly salty, sweet bites.

From the start the bartender was less than warm but not neglectful.

Finally, SM made it and we got her a Tinto de Verano and finally ordered everything we wanted, or at least as much of it that we thought we could eat in one night. We eventually had monk fish with mint and yogurt, foi gras with pear and bacon chutney, the juiciest ribs, delicate, salty, bone marrow, some of the tastiest brusselsprouts and best of all, grilled corn on the cob dripping with a lime-pepper-cheese aioli.

We wished a few flavors were stronger on a dish or two, but nothing I would say not to try.

We effortlessly spent 5 hours in the warm restaurant with a roaring fire, long banquet tables and delicious food while a late wintry mix iced the streets. My only regret is not trying the churros at the end. I long for when this restaurant will be the answer to a hot summer night.

Myers and Chang!

If you do the math, one trip to Rialto is worth more than a week with a car, so to even things out I took SM out to Myers and Chang in the South End. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I didn't know that my dining partner was skeptical of "nice Chinese food" until after the meal and she confessed how wrong she was.

This restaurant is the product of Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery and Cafe and her husband, Chris Myers. The atmosphere is very funky, fresh, kitschy and contemporary. With pink bar stools overlooking the open kitchen, Chinese newspaper place mats and folded paper menus tucked in the tops of the disposable and reusable chopsticks stuffed in a canister on the table this restaurant welcomes the diner in to its fold. They take reservations but leave half of the dining room open for walk ins.

We started with fizzy cocktails. For some reason we didn't take the plunge right away into the scorpion bowl about which we were so curious. I've never had one, but this seemed like the best place to try my first version of this tacky, exorbitant and delicious cocktail for two!

Everything is family style, so we tried several things. The pork pot stickers were so scrumptious and probably my favorite thing. I adore fresh spring rolls and the ones here were very satisfyingly crisp and refreshing. We also had Lion's Head Meat balls that were tasty. We order a few things that said spicy, and if we liked spice they would have been so delicious, the darn thing of it is, we were just too sensitive. The Dan Dan noodles is one of these dishes. On a previous trip, I remember loving the basic tofu steak with soba noodles. In fact, after that trip, SS and I found it the perfect thing to have in a leftover bag being toted at our sides as we made the long, joyous walk home after a long night.

Desserts were recently added to the menu and we had simple, sweet banana creme caramel that we found room for in our very full bellies and did our best with a delicate and tall spice cake with ginger buttercream.

Myers and Chang just changed chefs actually. The night SM and I were there was the original chef's second to last night. Alison Hearn just moved to the brand new Ten Tables in Cambridge that I can't wait to try out! However, the word is that the Myers part of the equation is a bit heavy handed. So, even with a new chef, the food will probably be the same.

While, I haven't had one yet, I hear wonderful things about their homemade sodas. This is another reason it might be high on the list for pop's birthday this year! (He knows how good the food is, but he doesn't even know yet about the sodas. It might put him over the edge. We haven't yet talked over all the options though).

The thing about this food is that it satisfies the part of you that craves Chinese/Asian food without compromise but also without that gross, tired feeling. The customer gets to be in complete control of how expensive or not the dinner is. Myers and Chang is fresh, delicious, satisfying, comforting and stylish.

Cakes! Cakes! Cakes!

I had never read any MFK Fisher and on my most recent trip to the Boston Public Library I decided it was time. Two Saturday mornings ago I woke up late (for me) and without a plan for the day. After lounging in my bed and red lit room for awhile I moved down to the chaise lounge and began reading The Gastronomical Me, this first major book of Fisher's.

I was taken in by her descriptive language and honest approach to her gastronomical experiences pieced together from an early age. She so clearly illustrates the way that food weaves through our memories, relationships, and experiences. The following passage resigned me to thinking about only one thing for the rest of the day, cakes.


After taking care of a few things and spending time with my roommates, I set to work on a simple vanilla cake with pastry cream and fillings of pureed fruits.

Here is the thing about cakes, they are actually easy and fast to make from scratch. There are so many different kinds to try and different ways to decorate and put them together, without being the daunting endeavor I fear you may think them to be. Start small and embellish!


Two weeks later I used part of another Saturday dedicated to the glorious business of cakes.

I had never made an "Emergency Cake" or "Blackout Cake" before and this one in the most recent Cook's Illustrated magazine. This cake gets the name from the WWII era when eggs and butter were scarce and before those cake mixes took over. Mayonnaise was the cheap and available substitute, it is eggs and oil after all. I topped this one with a quick whipped cream to which I added caramel.

I actually love a nice moist chocolate cake with just a cold glass of milk. I thoroughly enjoyed it with the whipped cream but this cake had the perfect consistency to be effortlessly enjoyed in its purest, unadorned form.



I received a mini pan of 6 bundt forms and then another pan of miniature-mini bundt forms over this past Christmas. On this cakely Saturday I also came across a vanilla cardamom pound cake recipe and knew I had to put the pans to use. Of course, the flavors come through just as beautifully in a regular bundt, loaf or square pan.





Here is a wild cake that GP made for her birthday in February. This one takes a little more time, but the technique is easy and the wow factor is huge, huge, huge.


In summary, if you have a little time one Saturday, try making a cake, enjoy the fruits of your labors and before the memory becomes bilious, bask in the glow of sharing your cake with a
friend.

If you want to know every little thing about making any kind of cake there is no one better to turn to than Rose Levy Beranbaum and The Cake Bible. She also has her own website:

www.realbakingwithrose.com

Starving Maternal Figure!

SM and I arrived at our 9:30 Hungry Mother reservation with fierce appetites and the grand anticipation of something already known to be wonderful.

We passed the charming bar with its handsome bartender on our way up the stairs to the main dining room. For most of the night we opted for the #99 cocktail, a bartender's choice based off a few parameters that you give - sweet, sour, fruity, spirits. I, of course, struggle with parameters but managed through the evening rather nicely. FYI, They make their own grenadine.

Right away we ordered the side of grits with ham and cheese to eat while we made most of the decisions for the night.

We settled on the following:

A peanut soup topped with fried pancetta and served with a lime for squeezing. Salty and smooth, this soup slid right down, slow spoonful after slow spoonful. They boil Virginia peanuts and offer them in the "To tide you over..." portion of the menu, but they are also used in this soup. Having had it before, I am pretty sure there was an understanding we'd be ordering the soup this time around too.

Catfish cakes with a sweet potato play on aioli and frisee were a tasty, not too heavy, fried plate . The fact that I enjoyed this stronger fish speaks volumes (I generally don't care for catfish).

We had a quietly titled mixed greens plate accented with golden beets and roasted, lightly spiced pecans. A Meyer lemon buttermilk dressing topped the salad, standing tall and refreshing.

Our main course was steak, medium rare, delicious, full of iron, confidently simple. Truth be told though, main courses are never my favorite thing. This was the only dish that let us get distracted by other things: conversations, tattoos, meyer lemon- buttermilk dressing, and decor.

As for dessert, 3 plates ended up on our table. I'll be honest, I thought SM and I would have seen more changes on dinner menu from the last time we went. However, the dessert menu had satisfyingly rotated.

We had another #99 cocktail that the bartender said would compliment the coconut cake and oh, how it did, delightfully! The cake was substantial with a light crumb. Topped with long coconut chips, the coconut flavor was unmissable but nothing overpowering or sickeningly sweet as it slowly took over your mouth.

The banana pudding tasted perfectly simple (I was accused of eating more than my share of this.). The flavor was fresh, which is all there is to hope for in anything titled, banana. Topped with as much whip cream as there was pudding and accentuated with graham crackers this dessert was full of a bliss.

The moonpies were exquisite examples of their little species and served with a tiny bowl of creme anglaise. If you have a sentimental attachment to these little guys absolutely order them. Otherwise, they won't necessarily change your mind about moonpies, whatever your opinion.

I wish that I could remember what my last #99 was. SM just said, something for dessert and over the top to sip will we finished the sweets and reflected on the meal. It truly delivered and was the perfect ending.

When describing everything at this Appalachian-french restaurant I wanted to end every sentence with "...and comforting." Yet, I shy away from saying this is a restaurant of comfort food. The term connotes a heavy feeling, a sedation. This was comfort food, new and invigorating.