Monday Baking: The Holidays are Here!

This year, I totally missed out on the best cooking opportunity of the year: Thanksgiving. I was in Indiana with just my parents and me, so we didn't put together a big feast. I paged through Bon Appetit's Thanksgiving issue, drooling over all the things I want to make some day, and it just hardened my resolve to do Christmas baking in a big way this year.

First project up was my traditional holiday favorite: Buckeyes. I'm not sure if these are truly a holiday treat, but for me, they have always carried that association. My next-door neighbor used to make them and bring over tins full at Christmastime, and then my mom taught me how to make my own. I deviated a little this year and tried Smitten Kitchen's recipe, which cuts the sweetness a tad with cream cheese and less sugar - but let's be honest, still totally decadent.

Clearly, mine are not as pretty as Smitten Kitchen's. But that's okay, because my next recipe delivered on the adorable factor...

I mean, just look at that little guy! Isn't he just good enough....to eat! :)

This was actually incredibly simple. I made some basic yellow butter cupcakes, using Christina Marsigliese's recipe. 

I also used her chocolate ganache frosting recipe, figuring that the ganache would hold heavy toppings in place better than traditional buttercream.

With a few carefully placed toppings (ie, candy eyeballs, Nilla Wafers and red M&Ms)....voila! Rudolph, Donner and Blitzen! Well, actually just Rudolph, since they all have red noses.

Instant holiday cheer! 

Best Food Week Ever: World Street Kitchen and The Kenwood

The Minneapolis food scene continues to get more and more awesome. I have my standby favorite restaurants (Bar La Grassa, Broder's Pasta Bar, Brasa), but I'm always up for trying something new. So it's been fantastic recently to have a huge flurry of new openings.

Luckily for me, I have a fabulous set of dining buddies who are always up for the new and the exciting with me. My regular monthly dining dates, Dish and Tell and LM, have a long list (and growing!), but decided to make our December date at World Street Kitchen. Chef Sameh is a long-time favorite of mine - I adore Saffron (lamb bacon BLT is one of my fave dishes in the Twin Cities) and he is a fabulous supporter of Share Our Strength Minneapolis. I embarrassingly never made it to the WSK food truck, so was thrilled to check out the brick-and-mortar....especially since it's in my 'hood.

And with good reason.

That, my friends, is the MFC (Moroccan Fried Chicken) biscuit. It is every bit as decadent and lovely as it looks. Feather-light poofy batter with a great amount of spice, juicy chicken, a tangy feta spread, and a lemon/carrot salad to provide some crunch....not to mention the buttery biscuit. I felt a bit guilty inhaling it, but it didn't stop me from eating pretty much the entire thing. Hey - at least it didn't come with fries!

My buddies also made short work of their Yum Yum Bowls - one with short rib, one with tofu - and we all agreed that the crunchy, cumin-y chickpeas were a great starter. 

But wait - it got even better from there. When Dish & Tell and I were waiting in line, we couldn't stop eyeing the salted caramel ice cream sundae, with marshmallows and smoked chocolate-covered almonds. So we made that happen too.

I loved that it was legitimately salty, not just caramelly sweet. It reminded me a bit of my beloved soft serve with olive oil and sea salt at Pizzeria Lola. The marshmallows added a great textural contrast. The only thing I didn't unabashedly love was the almonds, which were just a bit too smoke-heavy for me for a dessert.

Overall verdict: Awesome. This will definitely be my takeout place of choice moving forward. Next on my list is the red curry chicken burrito.

And then two days later, with lovely friends SD and AM, it was off to The Kenwood. We have long had a monthly happy hour, but have recently stepped it up to actual dinner - in large part because we all wanted to try this place. 

As soon as I stepped inside, I felt relaxed and cozy. It is a perfect little jewel box of a place, incredibly neighborhood-feeling and comfy. 

We started out with the sweet potato gnocchi with apple and arugula, which was fan-freaking-tastic but which I think is now off the menu, much to my sadness. Also had some hummus - not really worth mentioning. And then, SD was responsible and went for the skate, which she loved. But AM and I went straight for the Kenwood Burger, and were so glad that we did.

Quite simply, this may be my new favorite burger in the Twin Cities. Not an everyday splurge, certainly, but....holy wow. Fried egg, gruyere, Patisserie 46 bun....this was TO DIE FOR. It was a rich, perfectly cooked stunner.

Just to finish off the decadence, we followed it up with the chocolate ginger pots-de-creme - a rich but not too rich mousse with just enough sparkle and spice from the crystallized ginger.

Can't wait to go back there again, and again. It may be joining the list of favorites up at the top.

Monday Baking: Biscoff-Glazed Oatmeal Cookies

For most people, fall desserts are either pumpkin or apple. But last night when I was trying to think of what to make this weekend, neither appealed. I feel like pumpkin and apple treats are good....but not supremely eatable.

What do I mean by that? I'm not sure. I think there is a difference, though, between simple flavors you can just chow down on, and ones that are tasty and good but you only want a little. Sometimes it's a question of richness, but not always. I mean, I could eat a lot of those dulce de leche brownies I made last week. Sometimes it's complexity - but pumpkin and apple aren't that complex. I guess it's just a little bit of craving, a little bit of simplicity, and some kind of magic secret sauce that makes things suitable for an everyday (read: all the time) occasion.

With that in mind, I turned to my other favorite fall flavor: Cinnamon. I love cinnamon anything and everything...even not-real-cinnamon stuff like Hot Tamales and Fire Jolly Ranchers (do they still make those anymore?) Blend that cinnamon with some wholesome-seeming oats and a good dose of salt, slap on my other current favorite flavor, Biscoff (yes, as in the cookies on Delta!), and you've got a winning combination.

And yes - very eatable. I've had two already today.

Recipe courtesy of Bake at 350, with some minor modifications
Biscoff-Glazed Soft Oatmeal Cookies
{makes 18}

for the cookies:
2 cups quick-cook (1-minute) oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 (1 stick) cup salted butter
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
6 TBSP plain Greek yogurt (2% or full-fat)
2 tsp. vanilla extract

for the glaze:
1/4 cup Biscoff Spread or Trader Joe's Cookie Butter - I used the cookie butter - which is my current addiction
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Whisk together the oats, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and flour. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, oil and sugar.  Add the egg, beating until fluffy.  Beat in the yogurt and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Add in the flour mixture in three additions; beat on low just until incorporated.  Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Use a two tablespoon cookie scoop to place the dough onto the prepared sheets. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until set and light brown.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

While the cookies are cooling, make the glaze.  Whisk together all of the glaze ingredients until smooth.  If the glaze looks a little too thin, add more powdered sugar.  If it looks too thick, stir in a little more milk. 

Put the cookies close together on a wire rack and place the rack over a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Pour the glaze over the cookies.  The glaze will spread and smooth; and after about 30 minutes, will set. Mmmm. Glaze.

(Sorry about the photos this week; my camera was busy downloading shots from a photo shoot, so I had to improvise with my iPhone!)

Monday Baking: Dulce de Leche Brownies

In the past year or two, I've developed a habit of baking almost every weekend. I've found that it's a really relaxing way to finish off my Sunday and also feel like I've accomplished something. Plus, it is MUCH appreciated by my coworkers when I show up with goodies on Monday - and of course, every Monday is better with a treat.

So this will be a fairly regular feature on the blog, reporting on what I made each weekend!

First up... David Lebovitz's Dulce de Leche Brownies. I've had this on my list ever since I first read The Sweet Life in Paris, but now seemed an especially appropriate time. While in Paris, my friend (who had also read the book) and I made frequent references: "What would David do?" We followed his recos to a couple of great bakeries, used his tips on how to order coffee, and I was super thrilled that he even responded to one of my tweets while we were traveling!

So in honor of our official trip spirit-leader, here are the brownies. I love the way these turned out - thick, rich, just gooey enough, and with big pockets of creamy dulce de leche (much milkier and more complex than regular caramel.) Merci, David, for the tip trips and the recipe!

Dulce de Leche Brownies
16 brownies
Adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway Books) - plus a couple of my tweaks

8 tablespoons (115g) salted or unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 ounces (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (140g) flour
1 cup dulce de leche

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (175 C).

Line a 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with a long sheet of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and reaches up the sides. If it doesn’t reach all the way up and over all four sides, cross another sheet of foil over it, making a large cross with edges that overhang the sides. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil with a bit of butter or non-stick spray.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate pieces and stir constantly over very low heat until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sugar, vanilla, then the flour.

Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan. Drop one-third of the Dulce de Leche, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter, then drag a knife through to swirl it slightly. Spread the remaining brownie batter over, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining Dulce de Leche in dollops over the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl the Dulce de Leche slightly.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The brownies are done when the center feels just-slightly firm. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Spring

(Photo courtesy of Spring's Facebook page)

As promised, here are my thoughts on my meal at Spring restaurant in Paris.

I should note the fun background to this before I start.... I had been reading about Spring all over the place for months - Bon Appetit, New York Times, you name it. When I told my foodie buddy Dish and Tell that I was going to Paris, her first reaction was "book a table at Spring!" However, what I did not know at the time....was that I know Chef Daniel Rose from high school! He was close friends with my high school bestie's older brother. Such a small world.

Anyway, with that connection made, the decision was clear - obviously I HAD to go. And go we did. And thank goodness we did....

The space is charming, with a completely open kitchen. Chef Daniel and his team are right there, and it's super fun watching them work - like having your friends make dinner for you, except way more awesome. It was nice to see him - I think he vaguely remembered me at least! The entire very small restaurant was packed with Americans when we arrived, which I attribute to the amount of U.S. media coverage it has gotten, but seemed to fill up with French people later in the evening. I had forgotten that no one in Paris except the tourists go out to eat before 9....but I get so hungry before then!

Anyway, let's cut to the chase. Here's what we ate. (I had to write it all down because there was so much to remember!) I should note that I am terrible about taking photos in restaurants and always feel mega-self-conscious doing it, but for the sake of the blog, I should start - that said, no food-porn photos from Spring, sadly.

Amuse-bouche: Cured trout with iberico ham and roasted figs. This was just a quick little array of tastes - perfect on their own or together. (Who knew that trout and ham were such good complements?) I should note that for this course and the appetizer, my shellfish allergy came into play - my trout was a sub for the crab salad that my friend had. Both seemed delightful.

First course: Cubed raw tuna in a tomato broth, with crushed peppercorns. Again, a substitute here - my friend had a mix of the tuna with fried oysters drizzled in compound butter, and I got a couple extra cubes of tuna. However, this was one case where I was thrilled about my allergy.... because I could have eaten a whole plate of that tuna! Throughout the meal, the depth of flavor evoked in the broths and sauces was remarkable, and this was no exception - the tomato broth shone with a bright, acidic bite that enhanced the rich tuna perfectly, and the peppercorns provided the finishing spark to round out the flavors.

Second course: Duck pot au feu with foie gras, duck ravioli and root vegetables. Ohmygoodness. Wow. It's going to be hard to come up with the words to describe this one adequately....it was one of the most flavorful, umami-packed, satisfying dishes I've ever had. The dish arrived in a wide bowl filled with a few coils of earthy veggies, a delicate but good-sized duck ravioli (sort of looking like a dumpling), and a big hunk of foie gras. I immediately knew I was going to like it, and that instinct was confirmed when our (wonderful) server poured a steaming, aromatic broth over the contents of the bowl from an adorable teapot. As the broth swirled in, the veggies softened and the foie gras melted, and I fell in love. Everything blended together into a deep, full flavor. I wanted every last drop of that broth. This is the one dish I will be remembering for years to come.

Main entree: Roasted lamb with pomegranate seeds, a watercress salad and a mushroom puree. I can't remember the two cuts of lamb on the plate, but they were both delicious. The combo of ingredients was definitely unusual, but worked well. My favorite accent was the pomegranate seeds - they popped with bright color and flavor that really woke up the dish. The mushroom puree was an interesting add - not the most visually appealing item, but I liked the way it paired with the lamb. If I had any tiny complaint with the entire meal, it would be that I would have liked the lamb to be just a TAD more tender - but really, that is nitpicking, as the flavor was amazing and I cleaned my plate.

I didn't realize until just now that the main course didn't really have a side dish with it....normally I would have been sad about the lack of lovely carby goodness like potatoes, but I didn't miss it at all.

Cheese course: Here, I will be essentially useless. There was a LOT of cheese. Like, three entire plates of cheese. Six or seven hunks of cheese. And I have no idea what any of them were, other than a very delicious Comte. We did our best to plow through, but were defeated by the sheer volume of cheese - a good problem to have, I might say. This was an add-on to the tasting menu and we were nervous about the cost, but it ended up being a shockingly reasonable 18 euros for the abundance of cheesy goodness. Mmm. Cheese.

Palate cleanser: One of the most unusual combos of the evening - roasted yellow plums with a sprinkle of softly frozen thyme granita. I adored this granita and am somewhat inspired to try replicating it at home. Wonder what I could pair it with....

And then, much to my sadness, the dessert course was here. (Sadness because I didn't want the meal to end - not sadness about having dessert!) The presentation was charming, with the different elements laid out in a triangular progression. First was a tiny, bite-sized lemon tartlet, which I could have eaten about 30 of. Not too tart, not too sweet, nice and buttery. We then moved on to a simple presentation of blackberries topped with white chocolate cream and olive oil - I enjoyed the sweet/salty pairing, but the flavors paled in comparison to what was next up....the chocolate mousse. A classic French sweet, yes, but I can't imagine a better rendition than this. It was rich, and I was full, but I ate every last drop of it.

And as the perfect Parisian dessert - we were able to stroll over to the Louvre afterward. What a perfect end to an unbelievable meal - art on the horizon and art in my belly.

Spring Restaurant
6 rue Bailleul, Paris 75001 (1st Arrondissement)

Eating my way through Paris

Upon popular demand, I am finally starting a food blog. And what better time than after a trip to Paris? There are two cities in the world where I become a legitimate food tourist: Paris and New York. Sure, there are other things to see and do in both of them, but my schedule revolves entirely around filling the time between meals. I outline my food itinerary for the day, and then see what I can manage to cram in between. And man, does it pay off.

With that in mind, I submit to you my top five food items from my recent week in the City of Lights. Believe me when I say narrowing it down to only five was a struggle.... very different from a normal week when I'm lucky to get one or two memorable bites in between my pathetic cafeteria lunches and sad microwaved weeknight dinners when I'm too tired to cook.

In no particular order (except for #1), here's the countdown:

5. Paris-Brest pastry, Le Patisserie des Reves. This stunning jewel box of a pastry shop, nestled into a great shopping street on the 6th arrondissement, delivers a very different experience from the classic French patisserie. However, their rendition of a Paris classic was one of the best treats I had. Balls of flaky choux pastry, filled with a silky hazelnut cream and strung together like a necklace, had me licking my fingers. The packaging was so cute I almost didn't want to open it.... but I'm glad I did.

4. Apple tamarind "cappuccino" with ginger ice cream, Ze Kitchen Galerie. The restaurant was a reco from one of my chef buddies, so I went in with high hopes. Overall, I found the Asian-French fusion extremely impressive - the sauces and flavorings were unique and powerful. However, I wasn't wowed by the way my duck was cooked, and that ruined the entree experience for me a bit. The dessert, though, which was basically a custard, is where the bold flavor profiles came together into a truly amazing eating experience - spicy, rich, caramelly and smooth. I was thinking about this dish for hours after I finished it.

3. A simple sandwich with ham and cheese, Arnaud Delmontel. Before I left for Paris, I spent a lot of time talking about baguettes. As soon as I arrived at my hotel, I pulled out David Lebowitz's Paris Pastry app and figured out the nearest bakery he recommended - and it just happened to have won the Best Baguette in Paris award a couple of years ago. Perfect. We ended up eating there several times over the course of the week, and while Monsieur Delmontel's croissants and macarons were fabulous, his baguettes were worth the hype. We grabbed sandwiches for lunch and they were truly transcendent. A perfectly crusty baguette, salty ham (why can't we get something like this here, in between deli ham and prosciutto?), healthy slabs of Gruyere and a swipe of creamy French butter.... mmmmmm. Up there with anything else I ate all trip, and for 4 euros.

2. White bean soup with lardons, Le Contre Allee. I followed a coworker's reco to get to this delightful bistro, which, if I lived in Paris, would totally be my everyday go-to spot of choice. The prix-fixe menu was packed with goodies, and everything I ate was fabulous, but this soup was a standout. Rather than the broth with beans I expected, it came as a smooth, frothy pure white puree, topped with crispy salty bits of bacon and croutons. I wanted to lick the bowl.

1. Duck pot au feu, Spring Restaurant. Not only is this #1 for the trip, it is one of the single best dishes I've ever had in my life - right up there with the tuna ribbons from Jean Georges, the corn and truffle custard at Bacchanalia in Atlanta, and a select few others. More to come in a separate post focused entirely on Spring (how's that for suspense?)