Food Tourism

I've just returned from four days in New York, and while I've been slacking on the cooking front lately for a million reasons, I hope some of these treats will tide you over.

First stop was the Chelsea Market, packed with bakeries, butchers, fishmongers, chocolatiers and seemingly every other tasty thing imaginable.

Usually I am not so enthused about seafood-I get a lot of the good stuff at home, but some of these preparations were truly special and inspiring.


I've kvetched about the inferiority of New York bagels, but this spread I would happily eat on anything, from bagels to saltines.

Picked up some chocolates from Jacques Torres as a small Valentine's Day treat.

Giant jar of Nutella-a treat too large for my suitcase and my budget (ringing in at $70 USD).

Now this is just silly.

Don't worry, "Eternal Flame" is our song.

Carrot cupcake at Billy's. I like baked goods plenty, probably more than most people, but am not totally on board with the cupcake craze. Cupcakes are fine, they just aren't anything special (read: hovering around $5) in my books. I guess with all the hype I was expecting something elevating that would dispel my cupcake doubt, and while this was very good, it was overly sweet and not quite everything I think a cupcake could be. I also stopped by Magnolia for an absurdly rich cheesecake/chocolate cookie cupcake hybrid, which again was good but not great.

Cheeseburger, medium-rare, with the works at the Parker Meridien's Burger Joint. It was everything they (friends, guidebooks) told me it would be. Tucked behind a dark curtain in a decidedly upscale hotel, this burger (and excellent fries) was well worth the wait (about 20 minutes on a holiday Monday afternoon). Made to order, juicy but not soggy, tasting strongly of delicious delicious beef above all the prime condiments, it is a serious contender. Atmosphere behind the curtain is like a casual, lively bar-orders are placed at the counter and yelled out when grilled to near carnivorous perfection. $14 USD for cheeseburger, fries and a Coke. I meant to make it to Shake Shack as well but ran out of time. Next trip.

I've just finished Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires, an account of her adventures as New York Times food critic, and in another life where I am not a student living below the poverty line I would love nothing more than to retrace some of her mouth-watering steps in the city. Really fantastic; highly recommended.

Yogurt Cheesecake

I'm a bit behind-this is our usual Christmas dinner dessert, but it is good enough that I have requested it for other festive occasions. When I say it is our usual, what I mean is that if my dad were to cease cheesecake production, or make any modifications to this recipe, there would be yuletide mutiny. Originally sourced from the now defunct Peninsula Farms Yogurt cookbook, the key delicious components of this non-traditional cheesecake are a tangy yogurt cheese filling and an Oreo-hazelnut crust. It is a bit of a production-at least one day's head start required to make the yogurt cheese. Dad says, "I use 2 layers of J-cloth in a colander for draining full-fat yogurt... drain on the counter till I've got half the starting weight of whey out of it, stirring from time to time. I'll usually start with 3,000 g." Once you've got your yogurt cheese, you can proceed.

Yogurt Cheese Cake with Hazelnut-Chocolate Crust

• 5 oz hazelnuts, grated (yield: about 1 cup /225 ml)
• 1 1/4 cups "Oreo" type chocolate cookie crumbs
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• Chocolate Lovers' option: ADD 1/4 cup cocoa (best possible) OR 1 square grated chocolate, (1 oz/30 g) unsweetened or semisweet baker's chocolate or other high-percentage cocoa dark chocolate
• 2/3 cup melted butter (unsalted preferred)
• pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
• 3 cups yogurt cheese
• 1 pkg cream cheese, softened (8 oz/225 g)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/3 cups sugar (fruit sugar, see note)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 2 packets unflavoured gelatin (so not vegetarian friendly)

The crust:
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.
2. Grind the hazelnuts. I use a small rotary hand grinder. The fresher the nuts the better - a half-pound or so of unshelled nuts will provide enough nutmeats.
3. Combine the nuts, Oreo crumbs, sugar, cinnamon (and extra chocolate if used) in a bowl, and mix well.
4. Add the melted butter and stir well until all is evenly moist.
5. Firmly press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch spring-form pan.


6. Bake for ten minutes. Chill thoroughly in fridge. Handle gently.

The filling:
1. Cream together the yogurt cheese, cream cheese, sugar, extracts, and salt. Mix until very smooth.
2. Place the cold water in a very small sauce pan. Sprinkle gelatin onto the surface, stirring well. Place over very low heat and stir constantly until the gelatin is dissolved - when the water reaches lukewarm.
3. Stir the gelatin into the yogurt mix by hand, blending very well.
4. Pour this into the cold crust, jiggle gently to level, and put the cake in the fridge overnight to set up.

Run a very thin knife around the sides before opening the spring-form pan.


Dad's notes:

This cheesecake is quite different in texture from the more familiar NY-style cheesecakes - more like a cream pie or lemon meringue pie than a baked cake.
I've been known to add a 1/2 tsp of ground cardamom to the dry crust ingredients, and I think pecans would be a nice alternative to the hazelnuts. Freshly grated lemon rind can replace the lemon extract.
Note on "fruit" sugar - This very finely ground sugar which dissolves much more quickly in unheated liquids, is sometimes available in supermarkets under various trade names. You can easily make it with a blender from regular granulated sugar. Simply blend it at high speed for a minute or so, using a spatula to help all the sugar get to the blades.

Pesto Scallops

This Mark Bittman recipe for sea scallops stuffed with pesto was a huge hit, and took less than 30 minutes (even quicker if you use a store bought pesto, a great option in the dead of winter). Try to buy the freshest scallops possible (they should NOT be packed in water) for best results.

Basil-Stuffed Scallops (this recipe serves 4 very hungry people, scale up or down as needed)

• Approximately 20 basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lbs large sea scallops (as uniform in size as possible, also I made this for 3 and it was much too much, though delicious. This will yield generous portions for 4)
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 4-6 cups mixed greens (optional, makes for nice presentation to serve the scallops on a bed of greens)

Start by preparing your pesto (or opening a jar), cut the scallops almost all the way through their midsection and spread on the pesto and close all the scallops back up.

Heat a large skillet over high heat, add approximately 2 tbsp oil and the scallops. Cook about 2 minutes per side, dependent on how thick your scallops are, until nicely browned. This goes by very quickly, careful not to overcook!

Place scallops on a bed of greens and create a quick pan sauce by adding the lemon sauce to the skillet over low heat for 10 seconds, pouring sauce over the scallops. I served the scallops with some plain pasta and asparagus broiled with lemon zest and salt.

Springerle

With our oven repaired, I've started on making traditional German Christmas cookies, which is basically the only German food we make. Springerle have a distinctive taste that can take some getting used to (I like them much more now than I did as a kid, and they aren't for anyone who hates black licorice). I love the taste, but they are a family favourite because they are beautiful, impressed with hand-carved molds featuring German folk art. The molds are very hard to find outside of Germany (although I'm sure they can be found online) and every year my dad and uncle take turns with them, and my dad mails some of the finished product to his sister and my brother, both living far away. It wouldn't be Christmas without them, and that's why I've taken the pains to make them starting December 27th (it is quite the process). This is my grandmother's recipe.

Springerle (makes about 30 cookies, depending on size of molds)
Notes: These anise flavoured cookies, Springerle, have been described by some misinformed cook-book writers as beautiful but "hard and tasteless". Follow this recipe, store carefully, and you will see how wrong they are. For very fine sugar, grind granulated sugar in a blender at high speed to convert to fine sugar-1 cup at a time about 1 minute works well, and costs less than buying it in the store, if they carry it at all. Springerle molds come in the form of carved rolling pins and as flat rectangles. Keep these out of water. Clean with a stiff brush, pick out dried dough with the sharp tip of a bamboo skewer. It seems to help sometimes if the molds are cold (put in freezer between uses). Anise oil can be obtained from health food stores and from some pharmacies. It gives a much clearer and nicer flavour than anise extract. Anise seeds can be sprinkled on the baking sheet before putting the cookies on for added texture and a bit of taste.

• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 cups/680g very fine sugar (aka fruit sugar, VeriFine™, NOT confectioners sugar)
• 3/8 tsp salt
• 3/8 tsp anise oil (3/4 tsp if using anise extract)
• 1 large lemon, grated rind of
• 6 cups/675g sifted flour, all purpose white (you can just whisk it for a while in a large bowl if you don't own a sifter or are not inclined to use one)
  
• 3 tsp baking powder

In a large bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together at medium speed for 1/2 hour (1 hour+ beating by hand with a whisk-I hope you have an electric mixer, it really does need to mix this long.) Mix in the salt, anise oil, and lemon rind slowly, just till blended.


Remeasure the sifted flour and and sift together with baking powder (or if you are whisking, not sifting, just whisk together). Fold/mix it into the egg/sugar mix with a wooden spoon (never electric mixer). This will make a very tender dough. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.


Roll out about half the recipe, 3/8" (10 mm) thick on a floured counter. Press or roll the traditional German carved wooden Springerle molds into the dough deeply enough to make a clear impression. The molds should be lightly dusted with flour. Cut around the impression with a sharp floured knife, and transfer the cookies to a buttered baking sheet. Leave an inch between cookies.



Set aside in a warm place for 8-12 hours (overnight) for the patterns to air-dry thoroughly, so the baking won't destroy them.



Bake at 300˚ (150˚ C) for 15-20 minutes (until very light yellow, NOT browned at all). Larger cookies may need slightly more time. Remove immediately from the cookie sheets to racks for cooling.

To keep them from drying out and becoming hard, store the cookies in an air-tight container or zip-lock plastic bag which should be kept closed except when taking cookies out to eat. An apple slice wrapped loosely in foil can be included to help maintain humidity. Store for at least one week.

Barbecued Citrus Pork Roast & Orzo with Brown Butter

Sunday at home means time for a roast, and this time it was to be pork. I found a great winter-y recipe for a citrus flavoured pork loin with accompanying gravy that makes use of the seasonally-ubiquitous boxes of clementines (Christmas oranges, if you will) sitting on everyone's counter. This great plan almost ended in disaster as our oven appeared to be getting no warmer. Turns out it was broken and thankfully has been repaired as of this morning (which could be seen as a Christmas miracle, but is to me a blow, as I had nearly convinced my parents of the merits of deep-frying our turkey). But for that night, with the roast ready to go, it was time to turn to the barbecue.


Pork Loin with Citrus (adapted from Cooking with Les Dames D'Escoffier serves 6 or 3 with leftovers)

• 3 lb centre-cut boneless pork loin
• 1 tbsp zest from clementines or tangerines
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 400 ml chicken broth
• 1/2 cup juice from clementines/tangerines (approx 4-use the ones you zested)
• 3 tbsp easy-blend flour (or all-purpose)
  

1. Set pork on wire rack inside baking pan. Mix zest, oil and all spices in a small bowl and rub mixture onto the pork. Let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350˚ (or heat barbecue to 400˚, and turn off one side) Pour broth into the baking pan and roast until the pork is cooked to 160˚, about 2 hours. If using barbecue, place pan on the side you've turned off. Add more broth or water as needed.
3. Transfer cooked pork to a cutting board and let stand while you prepare the gravy. Whisk juice with flour (easy blend is ideal but not necessary) in a small saucepan, add pan drippings and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir until thick and bubbly. Serve sliced pork with gravy.

Part Two

I can't believe I've gone this long without brown butter in my life. Brown butter is made by melting regular butter until the water evaporates and the milk solids begin to brown, creating a richer, nuttier flavour. I first used it in brown butter mashed potatoes that I will be recreating for Christmas dinner, but honestly I can't think of a food this wouldn't make elevate to the next level of decadence. Pasta is much less work-no peeling needed and a faster cook time get the brown butter in your mouth faster.

Brown Butter Orzo with Toasted Pine Nuts

• 1 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp pine nuts

1. Toast nuts lightly in a small skillet until browned, or in the oven.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet and continue heating until water evaporates and milk solids begin to brown, and remove from heat. Stainless steel is best so that you can see your butter change colour (cast-iron is a fail for this) and not have it stick. Careful not to let it go too far.
3. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil, add salt and orzo and cook until al dente (about 6 minutes). Drain pasta and add to skillet with nuts and butter over low heat, turning to coat.


We also had zucchini quickly and easily sautéed, lest you think we don't eat any vegetables.

Montreal vs. New York Bagel Showdown

This week I was presented by a unique opportunity to conduct a side by side taste-test of Montreal bagels and New York bagels. As I'm home for break we can get St. Viateur bagels at a local grocery store and my dad's intern went to Long Island for the weekend and brought us some New York bagels. Neither were day-of fresh, but both samples had traveled similar distances and lived comparable shelf-lives. What is the difference, you may be asking. A bagel is a bagel is a bagel, isn't it? Certainly not!

As you can see in the picture, Montreal style bagels are small and dense, in contrast with puffier New York style bagels. In many New York bagels the hole almost disappears due to the puffyness but Montreal bagels are decisively ring-shaped. Montreal bagels are boiled in honey-water before baking and contain sugar, lending them a sweeter flavour, while New York bagels tend to be saltier, boiled in plain water. Montreal bagels are baked in a wood-burning oven, and are attractively browned in places, while New York bagels are baked in a standard oven and have a more uniform look. Traditionally, Montreal bagels were either sesame or poppy-seed, though there are more varieties today (including the abomination that is the whole-wheat bagel). New York bagels come in a range of flavours, perhaps most deliciously pumpernickel and everything.

A word about other bagels: Some bagels do not deserve to be in either category. While I am a Canadian college student and so frequent Tim Horton's, their bagels are simply not in the same league, but by their sheer blandness make every bite of a true bagel, New York or Montreal, so much better. I had high hopes for a Bagel World that was to open near campus, but those high hopes led to grave disappointment when it finally opened (it has since closed). Montreal bagels can be ordered from St. Viateur and some excellent grocery stores (like Pete's Frootique in Halifax) stock them. My Market Bakery in Toronto's Kensington Market makes a good Montreal bagel. I have not found a great New York style bagel in Canada, but I haven't been looking too hard.

Sesame New York bagel toasted with butter and cream cheese:


Poppyseed Montreal bagel toasted with butter and cream cheese:


I will admit my bias, if it has not already become clear. Montreal bagels are one of my favourite foods, and as soon as I have my own freezer it will be forever stocked with mail-ordered St. Viateur's. They are dense, chewy and slightly sweet-to me they are what a bagel ought to be. New York bagels are chewy but in a very different way-they are breadgels. They can never achieve the crisp excellence of a toasted Montreal bagel due to their sheer bulk. This bulk can come in handy if you simply want a tasty vessel for whichever sandwich meats strike your fancy, but in pure, classical applications of the bagel (toasted, with cream cheese or butter), Montreal wins by a landslide. I realize that the bagel wars are divisive and I can appreciate that both have their strengths-it really depends on what you are looking for in your bagel, and in large part this is shaped by what you grew up with. Both are delicious topped with cream cheese and smoked salmon (but really what wouldn't be?), though in a simple preparation, there is no contest.

Mussel Mayhem

I am home in Halifax for break and that means savouring the seafood, beginning with mussels which are relatively cheap and quickly devoured. Due to an unfortunate fall that broke my dad's wrist, it also means I am in charge of dinner most nights, and this one was quick to get on the table and uses only one pan. It comes from the beerbistro cookbook, a Toronto restaurant I've actually never been to (but will be checking out soon). I got this exciting cookbook and several others at the library, which is a great way to test-drive books and especially great for me, on a student budget with no kitchen, and thus no means or practical reason to purchase cookbooks, though many are making the cut for my cookbook wishlist when I finally have a kitchen of my own.

All of the recipes in this book use beer, somehow-in salad dressings, as a marinade, even in desserts. They have pretty specific recommendations for the best beer to use in each recipe, but my dad is a longtime home brewer so I just substituted one of his IPA's for the helles lager called for-the beer flavour is subtle in the finished product as most of it steams off.

Mussels with Tomato and Beer (serves 2-4)

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 lbs mussels
• 6 tbsp beer-helles recommended, any IPA a good substitute
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 2 tsp chopped tarragon

1. Melt butter and sauté onion and garlic about 1 minute. Add your cleaned mussels (just a quick rinse will likely do for most store-bought mussels) and cook 30 seconds.
2. Add beer and tomato sauce to mussels, shake to distribute evenly, then cover and steam mussels for about 3 minutes.
3. Add tomato and tarragon, and let boil uncovered to reduce sauce for 1 minute. Discard any mussels that have not opened. Distribute into bowls and serve alongside crusty bread to soak up extra broth.