dine in brooklyn, part 2

Friday night we visited our second Dine In Brooklyn restaurant, Alma. We've heard good things about Alma again and again from friends, so it was high on my list when we were choosing restaurants. One of the reasons it's taken us so long to go is it's location in Red Hook; it's a bit of a hike from the subway station. But we did it and we're glad we did. I can't seem to find the menu from our dinner, so I may be a little off on a few things, but I'll do my best. To start I had a tortilla with black beans, shredded chicken, Mexican crema and iceberg lettuce. It was pretty tasty and probably the first time I've appreciated iceberg lettuce. Aaron had some kind of tortilla with chipotle mayo, steak and pickled onions that was really fresh tasting. For my entree I ordered a safe option, chicken and cheese enchiladas with a New Mexican chile sauce. The order was huge, way more that I could eat (especially with dessert coming) but I must say it was very tasty. Sometimes I find that chicken enchiladas tend to be a little on the dry side, but these practically melted in your mouth. I do wish there was a little more pizazz in the sauce, but oh well. Aaron ordered this crazy Mexican Lasagna dish with lots of cheese, truffles and some other vegetables. It was really cheesy and rich, but unlike anything I've ever had, in a good way. My favorite part of the meal, unsurprisingly, was dessert. I had chili chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream... so, so delicious. It was baked in a little ramekin and came out nice and warm. Mmmmm. Aaron ordered another one of my favorites, flan. It was really tasty too, but honestly, the chocolate cake was so good I found it hard to think about anything else. I'll certainly make another trip out to Alma. Next time I think I'll go in warmer weather so we can enjoy the rooftop dining and watch the sun set. Margaritas and good views... I don't think it gets much better.
Filed under eat and events by Kelly. March 31st, 2008 . 0 Comments

turkey burgers with a little kick

03_turkeyburger.jpg I was never a big fan of turkey burgers until I tried one that had peppers and onions mixed into it and it changed my outlook on the beef alternative. I've since come to respect turkey as a perfect platform to experiment with spicing things up. Last weekend I whipped up my best version yet, a spicy burger with aged cheddar and garlic toasted bread as a bun. Mmmm, it was the perfect melding of flavors and it was pretty dang easy. Spicy Turkey Burgers: 1 lb ground turkey 1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons dried chili flakes 1 clove of garlic, minced aged cheddar sourdough bread 1 In a mixing bowl, combine turkey, worcestershire sauce, chili flakes and garlic. Mix well. 2 Form into four patties. I like to make mine wide and flat. 3 In a frying pan, heat a little bit of olive oil. Place the patties in the pan and let cook, flipping after a few minutes. 4 About 3 minutes before you think the burgers will be done, place the sliced cheese on each burger while it cooks. Also, toast the sourdough bread. Once it's done, rub a little garlic on the toast or sprinkle some garlic powder on it. 5 Assemble the burger and eat up... so delicious!
Filed under dinner and eat and make by Kelly. March 31st, 2008 . 0 Comments

signs of spring

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Filed under read by Kelly. March 29th, 2008 . 0 Comments

more vintage cookbook inspiration

vintagecookbooks.jpg images via bluelines
Speaking of vintage cookbooks, I came across this post on Bluelines and couldn't resist sharing with you. I love Lena Corwin's work and it sounds like she loves vintage cookbooks too.  She talks about how she gets a lot of her inspiration for her work from the illustrations in old cooking booklets. I think that's my favorite part about cookbooks from that era, they just have so much character. I hope you have a lovely weekend!
Filed under read by Kelly. March 28th, 2008 . 0 Comments

bonnie slotnick cookbooks

03_bonnieslotnick.jpg Image from nymag
I've been meaning to take a trip over to Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks for awhile now, but now I have extra umph after seeing this great post about it on the Kitchn. Just seeing the covers of vintage cookbooks gets me excited, they just look so much cooler than today's cookbooks. Hmmm, maybe I'll check it out this weekend.
Filed under read and restaurants/shops by Kelly. March 28th, 2008 . 1 Comments

dine in brooklyn, part 1

For the first time since we've lived in Brooklyn, we participated in Dine In Brooklyn. For those of you not familiar with it, you can go to participating restaurants and enjoy a three course meal for $23. A few weeks ago, I did a little research and settled on two restaurants that we've been wanting to try but just haven't made it for one reason or another. The first restaurant we visited was Rosewater, a place we've walked by a million times but just never stepped inside. The dining room is fairly small but has a nice intimate feeling. We were given a choice of three appetizers, three main courses and three desserts to choose from. I decided to be a little daring and started off with fried ispwich clams, which I've never had before. They arrived golden and piled high over a ravigote sauce. I bit into it and got a nice crunch followed by a soothing smooth texture of the meat. Aaron ordered the cauliflower soup which was velvety smooth and delicious as well. We both chose the roast chicken under a brick accompanied by turnips, hazelnut farro and pickled onions. The chicken was very moist with a nice crispy skin and hints of the hazelnut farro in each bite. Unfortunately I learned that I don't like turnips, but hey at least I tried it! Dessert is always my favorite course, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint at Rosewater. I ordered the caramelized brioche with ice cream. How could you go wrong, really? It was almost like eating a soft, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth donut with little bits of caramelized crust. If you go, don't pass it up! Aaron chose cornmeal apricot cookies which were also really tasty. The flavor of the apricots burst in your mouth while cookie gives a nice crunchy, buttery contrast. Both desserts were top notch. Rosewater is a delightful spot to dine on fresh, local ingredients in a casual, comfortable atmosphere. It's definitely worth a try and a second trip. We have one other Dine In Brooklyn reservation for tomorrow evening. I'm not going to tell you where it is, but let's just say margaritas are involved. I can't wait!
Filed under eat and events by Kelly. March 27th, 2008 . 0 Comments

jalepeño lemonade

03_jalepenolemonade.jpg I bought a box of jalepeño lemonade mix from Crate and Barrel this weekend, I just couldn't resist it! I feel a little embarassed about it, but I'm admitting it because it's really good. To jazz it up a bit, I sliced up a lemon and put a few slices in each cup before I poured the mixture in. First taste... delicious! It's got the classic sweet and sour flavor as regular lemonade, but with a little zing that prickles your tongue.
Filed under happy hour and make by Kelly. March 27th, 2008 . 0 Comments

pistachio pudding

03_pistachio.jpg Yesterday I was sitting at work thinking about what to make for dinner and my mind wandered a bit to dessert instead. I started thinking about pudding of all things, pistachio pudding to be exact. I know to most people pistachio pudding seems like a pretty tame food, but when I was young it was one of the only things outside of the very comfortable chocolate or vanilla realm that I would eat. So I decided instead of picking up a box of Jello, I'd whip up a homemade version of my childhood favorite. I found a basic pudding recipe I could use to loosely follow, picked up some pistachios and got to work. I started by shelling the pistachios, they are really lovely little nuts. Then I chopped those puppies up, mixed up my ingredients and tossed the pistachios in the pan so they could steep in the milk while it formed into a thick pudding. I was hoping this would help deepen the flavor. The result is a creamy, sweet pudding contrasted by the little crunchy bits of pistachio. The recipe was really quite simple to make and definitely satisfied my craving for a childhood comfort food. Ingredients: 2/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 cups milk 4 large egg yolks 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 vanilla bean (optional) 1 cup pistachios, chopped 1 Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time) whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks. 2 Add pistachios and vanilla bean. 3 Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low; still whisking, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; immediately pour through sieve into bowl. 4 Scoop pistachios back into pudding and thoroughly incorporate. Split vanilla bean and scrape insides into pudding. Stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding. 5 Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding (to prevent skin from forming); chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Before serving, whisk pudding until smooth; divide among four serving dishes
Filed under eat and make and sweets by Kelly. March 26th, 2008 . 1 Comments

butter

03_butter.jpg Butter, butter everywhere! I feel like dairy is all the rage these days, or maybe I'm just listening a little more intently. First there was this article in the Times that piqued my interest, then Saveur had a whole issue about butter. I guess butter is an ingredient that I always knew mattered, but I didn't realize there were so many variations. Intrigued by all this butter madness, I stood in front of the butter selection at Murray's and decided I was going to try something new. I chose butter from the Vermont Butter & Cheese Company mainly because I liked their paper wrapped package; but it also looked like they were a smaller butter maker and I thought that was probably good. When I brought it home, I unwrapped it and spread some on a piece of fresh bread. It really tasted like either a lightly flavored soft cheese or a very flavorful butter. There was a nice density of flavor that stood up to the bread without overpowering it. Delicious!
Filed under eat by Kelly. March 25th, 2008 . 0 Comments

almondine

03_almondine.jpg Aaron came home a while back ago and told me about an amazing sandwich he had at a little shop across the street from Jacques Torres. So of course, when I had a free afternoon, that's where we went. Almondine is a small bakery that makes a ton of delicious treats. Everything in the cases was drool-worthy, but luckily I had read an article in Edible about the cheese-filled pretzel rolls. I certainly couldn't pass that up. Aaron and I also shared a chicken pesto sandwich served on focaccia bread. That may have been one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. The bread combined with the fresh chicken and then the pesto plus the cheese.. man, it just worked so well. Oh, and the pretzel roll was spectacular.
Filed under read and restaurants/shops by Kelly. March 25th, 2008 . 0 Comments