once bitten, twice fried

Pinknest: "I think we eat too much fried food."

Matt: "What do you mean? No we don't."

Pinknest: "Yes we do. We always order fried appetizers."

Matt: "But we never make fried food. Although didn't we make fried chicken the other night?"

Pinknest: "It was breaded, but not fried. It was BAKED! But we do eat too much. We ALWAYS order French fries."

Matt: "No we don't. YOU eat too much fried food."

Pinknest: "Me? No. What did we eat the last time we went out? You had scallops..."

Matt: "Yes."

Pinknest: "Oh. And I had that fried chicken."

Oh yeah. THAT fried chicken. Do over. We were at Hundred Acres (which used to be Provence), a very lovely space on MacDougal street, where the windows were thrown open and some rose was poured.


Matt left to go wash his hands, and I saw that as my opportunity...


...to pilfer the breadbasket in greedy, all-to-myself peace. Ooh, and what is this? Sweet, herb butter. So sweet. So good. So mine, so...

"What are you doing?!" My reverie was rudely interrupted by Matt's return.

"I'm eating bread. I'm starving, leave me alone," I replied.

"You already ate TWO pieces?" was the condescending reply.

"Bah!"


We made up by sharing...some more bread. A trio of toast with smoked fish salad, pickled beets and tongue. A wonderful little pre-dinner tea party.


Matt had the spiced Maine sea scallop kabob with charred spring onions, turnips and yoghurt sauce. Ooh this was smoky, grilled deliciousness! I loved it.


I, on the other hand, had some honey with a salad with buttermilk dressing. So light, so refreshing, so summery!


And...um...oh yes. It came with some mouth-boggling fried chicken.


To finish it all off, we chose the simply ridiculous chocolate layer cake. Now this is my kind of cake. Nothing dense, nothing too rich, and nothing fancy. Just a really moist and almost diner-like chocolate cake. I. Loved. It. Move along, move along. All for me.

cool down

It was a ridiculously steamy afternoon. And that could only mean one thing. Icy, delicious drinks. Lauren and I got together at El Rey del Sol to have a margarita. But you know what they say. You can never have just one. (Okay, I know they don't say that, so let's just pretend they were potato chips.)


Speaking of chips...we got some. And the gooey, yummy goodness came with what had to be half a container of sour cream. Oh my. We ate it. Don't tell.


After heaps of sour cream, came heaps of margarita. This time a pitcher of pineapple margarita.


Ahh...the sun, the heat, the outdoor garden...the brick walls...it's a wonderful thing.


Next up, some steak quesadillas.


After our light meal, we sauntered over to the crazy Maracas...


...where we spent the rest of the evening with frozen margaritas and a Puerto Rican gay Joe Pesci who told us his life story in epic and quite revealing detail. Hello.

dinner for two

Hello, and who might you be? I think I like you...


Dinner at Dell'Anima began with a trio of bruschetta: avocado with sea salt; lily confit (shallot, onion and garlic) and a salt cod bruschetta. Ooh so excellent! And a perfect light meal if you go for a sampler of five. As much as I'm into samplers, especially ones involving bread, I held back.


Oh, do tell.


Buried under all that luscious cheese, Matt had the housemade farfalline with fava beans, mushrooms and ricotta salata. It was quite good, but I did notice Matt scooping aside most of the ricotta salata because of its saltiness.


And I had a lusciously delicious and meaty tagliatelle alla bolognese. I can never resist a bolognese! What is it about saucy meat and cheese? Oh dear. A perfect little meal at a perfect little restaurant in the Village.

quick cook

My run on cherries has gone well beyond sour cherry pie and clafouti, and well into...meat. I saw a deliciously easy recipe for lamb chops with cherry balsamic sauce and mint from Gourmet magazine, and it became a quick-cook dinner.

Lamb Chops with Cherry Balsamic Sauce and Mint
(Serves 4)

1 1/2 cups fresh pitted sour cherries
1 tablespoon sugar
8 (3/4-inch-thick) rib lamb chops
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced shallot
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

Stir fresh cherries together with sugar and macerate while browning chops. Pat lamb dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté 4 chops, turning over once, about 6 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil. Cook and transfer remaining 4 chops in same manner.

Pour off fat from skillet and add remaining tablespoon oil. Heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté shallot, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add cherries with juices, broth, and vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally and scraping up brown bits, then reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add butter and 2 tablespoons mint, stirring just until butter is melted.

Spoon sauce over chops and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons mint.

sour part deux

Sour cherry pie. Yes, please! The last of the sour cherries were made into a bubbling, juicy filling that I dripped here, there and everywhere. It was a saucy, delicious day.

Sour Cherry Pie
(makes one nine-inch pie)

6 tablespoons flour
homemade all butter pie crust
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
7 cups sour cherries, pitted
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small pieces

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the discs of dough very thinly, about 1/8-inch thick, and about 13 inches in diameter. Drape over a 9-inch pie pan and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the beaten egg and milk together and set aside. In another large bowl, combine the cherries, lemon juice, sugar, flour, salt, vanilla and cinnamon, and pour into the chilled bottom crust. Dot all over with pieces of the butter.

Roll out the remaining dough to the same size and thickness. With the eggwash, brush the rim of the bottom crust, place the top crust on top, trim the excess overhang, and crimp the two crusts together into a decorative pattern with a fork or your fingers. Or make a fun lattice crust if you desire! Chill the whole pie in the fridge for another 20 minutes or until firm. Brush the top with egg wash, sprinkle with some sanding sugar and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake another 30 to 40 minutes. Some juice may leak out the top. Let cool before serving. Mmmm. Delicious!

summer sours

What marks the full-force of summer? The long, sweaty waits on the subway platform. PC Richards selling out of air conditioners. And your bare legs sticking to the gross leather in the backseat of a cab. But so do pie baking frenzies, ice-cold rose, and of course, the sour cherry. Oh, sour cherry, stay awhile, why don't you? But she doesn't, quickly whisking her sourpuss pucker away. So in a short time, you must quickly make your fill of sour cherry desserts. And mine began with a sour cherry clafouti. I was graced with the presence with pounds of handpicked sour cherries the other day, and the handpickers were none other than Matt's parents. What a treat! I was immensely grateful to be presented with a wonderful, edible gift.

Sour Cherry Clafouti
1 tablespoon of butter for greasing
4 cups pitted, fresh sour cherries (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1/2 cup of sugar
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
3 tablespoons kirsch
optional: 1/4 cup sliced almonds for sprinkling
confectioner's sugar for dusting

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 10 x 1 1/2 inch round porcelain baking dish or other shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

Pour the cherries into the dish.

In a food processor, whirl the flour and salt together. Add the sugar. Gradually add the whole eggs, egg yolks, milk and cream and whirl to combine. Add the vanilla bean scrapings and kirsch, continue to mix.

Using a sieve, strain the batter over the cherries. Bake, uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the center is set. If it's browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil. Let cool until warm. Dust with confectioner's sugar and sprinkle with almonds before serving. Serve slightly warm or chilled.

a weekend in chicago

It was fourth of July and Matt and I were in Chicago. I've been here a couple of times before, but not in a long time, so was excited for a new adventure. It was the perfect weekend and perfect weather. Pan pizza, Chicago dogs, and bossman Daley, here I come! But slow down, horsie. We were actually here for fun of a different sort and didn't have much time to wile away the afternoons stuffing ourselves Chicago-style. We were here for the wedding of our good friends Rupal and Amar. And there definitely would be no hot dogs...


...at this Hindu wedding. But oh, the color!


We got to our hotel in the early afternoon. Look! Partial lake view! This THRILLED me. Much better than my full view of nothing back in New York.


We met up with Jeanne and I corralled her to join our search for...FOOD. In the short time we had, I demanded pizza and hot dog. So we headed over...


...to the Taste of Chicago.


But we were so overwhelmed by the masses of people that we aborted mission and decided to try it the following day.


So we wandered around aimlessly...starving. Oh you Macy's! Bring back Marshall Fields! Okay, I was cranky.


Hello, El.


Finally, after more aimless walking and more crankiness in the Magnificent Mile, Matt and I wolfed down a cup of chili at a random cafe. And it was delicious! Although the triangles of cheese frightened Matt. Eat your triangles! They're good for you.


But soon enough, it was time to head back, get ready, and meet up with everyone for drinks before the sangeet.


Jeanne showcased her very modest henna tattoo.


Hello, ladies. Wine much?


But it was time to take off.


We headed to Cafe Brauer in Lincoln Park Zoo. I see no monkeys! Where are the monkeys!?


Okay, I'll settle for Matt's festive pink shirt.


As well as fried lentil balls. Yes, please.


Jeanne savored some quality alone-time.


Before we attempted several photos that just did not work.


Hello, lovers.


And you, too.


Jenny conducted some serious discussions.


And we finally spied Rupal the bride, who showcased her tattoos.


Hello, soon-to-be wifey!


Matt displays his affection for the wifey hands.


And Emily documents for posterity.


Dinner! Yes! One of my favorite things ever are idlis...basically fermented black lentils and rice. Ooooh so good! We used to eat these for brunch on Sundays.


Of course, more rounds of wine.


And some measurements are taken.


Mom and bride need a parade float!


Or...just a group photo.


Meanwhile, a nervous Emily practiced her maid-of-honor speech. Make it pretty!


Payal in a gorgeous blue sari.


Turquoise was quite popular.


I advised Emily on mise-en-scene.


Ro looked over some pertinent documents.


And Lauren approved of the situation.


The speech is given.


A quilt we all contributed to is displayed.


And the audience is quite studious.


Speeches gave way to dancing...


...more enthralled audiences...


...some singing...


...some drinking...


...and dancing with singing.


Amar the groom gave a speech. Who knew of his Backstreet Boy metrosexual dreams?


And Rupal does some wooing. No need for that anymore!


The audience loves it all.


And I love some cardomom ball sweets with mango kulfi.


The mothers do a dance.


And soon the performance gets bigger and bigger.


Should we join in?


We do!


And the rest of the night was spent doing the above nonsense.


Morning arrives and it was time for breakfast at the hotel. Matt had some poached eggs and corned beef hash. Delicious!


Eggs benedict and sausage hash for me. Yum.


We headed back out into the wild blue yonder, and walked through Grant Park.


Hello, Buckingham Fountain! How cool and refreshing you look on this hot day. May I?


We headed over to Lake Michigan to get some cooling breezes.


Matt stooped down and I feared for my flip flops.


Still life with water.


We headed back into Taste of Chicago...


...where I got a pan pizza.


Eating hot pizza in the heat is no fun.


Especially when it's not that great. Ech. Pizza Hut pizza at an airport cafeteria is better than this.


All of a sudden, Matt is obssessed with getting some ice cream. So a Rainbow Cone was purchased, and I watched as he scraped off the orange sherbet section.


I decided I wanted some ice cream as well, and got the strawberry shortcake frozen yogurt. I enjoyed the yogurt, but dumped out most of the strawberries and shortcake. It was soon to make me ill. Honestly, walking around in the heat and eating less than yummy food made us full of complaints.


But oh...what is this happening outside the hotel?


It was the Baraat...the part of the ceremony where the bridegroom traditionally travels by horse to the bride's house. Well...hotel driveway will just have to do this time.


We all gathered outside to celebrate.


It was a lively procession and all the groomsmen were pretty in pink.


The drums were quite infectious.


And I really thought Amar was going to ride the horse into the hotel room and up the stairs to the ballroom. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.


Time to get married.


The aisle leading up to the Mandap was gorgeously strewn with rose petals.


Lauren and Jeanne arrived to cause some trouble.


We sat in our nook and waited for the ceremony to begin.


When's this thing gonna start? Don't people know we have places to be, things to drink?


The long Hindu ceremony began...


Go, Emily! Watch your step!


Finally, Rupal was escorted by her parents to the Mandap...


...where she and Amar exchanged garlands signifying their acceptance of one another in marriage. Finally? Only now you accept?


While Rupal and Amar were in a costume change (yes...there is a change of outfits), the rest of us caused a ruckus by taking various group photos.


Amar returns!


And the rest of the ceremony continued.


Guess what time it is? Time for the buffet of FRIED. The line for hors d'œuvres was ridiculous.


Matt and I headed straight for it. No time to waste!


My 100 percent love of fried goodness comes from my 50 percent Indian self.


Jeanne and I enjoyed our friend the bar.


A big group photo was successfully completed.


And Lauren did some forbidden veiled dances.


Roman did not enjoy the bhelpuri snack.


Lauren and I made our Prozac faces.


She then showcased her dress cyst to me, and Matt of course encouraged her to pop it.


Time for the reception.


Oh dear. I have made a new best friend.


Rupal put all 11 of us at the same table. Excellent!


The first dance.


But that quickly ended.


Back at the table...Ro asked for her own giant butter pat. Seriously, it was the biggest pat o' butter I've ever seen. Tsunami butter.


Meanwhile, Lauren apparently comforted her imaginary friend.


It's okay, Lauren, you can feed and comfort me!


The newly married couple looked on during the round of speeches.


And then...the crazy dancing began.


Matt liked to secretly accost Rupal.


And Lauren showed her appreciation of the bride.


Much merriment, much movement.


And the next morning: scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. A wonderful Chicago weekend.

happy fourth

Happy Fourth of July! Off to Chicago for a bit o' fun.

one fish two fish red fish blue fish

I always get worried when I eat sushi that I'm not going to order enough. Or that I'll be hungry shortly afterwards. So I desperately hang on to the menu for later and I feel like it's my life saver. As long as it's there next to me for more ordering, I'll be okay. Are those piggish worries and actions? Well, I certainly felt like a bottomless pit the other evening when Matt and I had dinner at Bozu, a very nontraditional Japanese "tapas" lounge in Williamsburg.


We started with Inari sushi: bean curd, huiki and red ginger pickle, all in a pouch of fried tofu. Delicious! Don't you just love pouches?


But then I started to feel silly when ordering because the names of the sushi were ridiculous. Pieces of sushi where the rice was in the form of a ball were called bombs. They had the Pink Bomb, the McLow Bomb, the Mexican Bomb, etc. Who knew rounded rice could be so...fun? The sushi was actually pretty delicious, and we started out with a platter of some eel, scallop and tuna. And I was still hungry!


So we had a Dragon Roll: eel and cucumber wrapped in sliced avocado. And I was still hungry!


More sushi! More bomb! Hello, sweet, sweet fish. Finally, I gave up trying to gorge myself and we took off.


We headed to Northeast Kingdom to see Erik dj for his birthday. Nothing like a cozy fake fireplace in the summer!


Erik behind the booth. Will you play some Funky Cold Medina?


Still hungry, I insisted upon dessert. So we headed upstairs and sat at the bar eating a nice cold slice of banana cream pie. Look at the monstrosity of cream! Delicious.

ode to the muffin

In my nonsensical pie haste,
I couldn't make waste,
With the pints of blueberries I had bought.

So I pulled out my pan,
Said, I'll make you a man!
And folded my berries into a sweet lot.

You bursting, purple berry,
You make me so merry,
Especially when in the form of a muffin.

Such a sweet and crunchy top,
You're my breakfast bumper crop,
And now I am never a sufferin'.

Blueberry Muffins
(Makes a dozen)

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of fresh blueberries
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk at room temperature
regular sugar or demerara sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter or spray a 12-cup muffin pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Lightly dust the blueberries with a small spoonful of the flour mixture and set aside separately.

In another bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix. Stir in the vanilla.

Without the mixer and using just a spatula, add the reserved flour mixture and stir just until combined. It's important not to overmix...the batter should be lumpy. Gently fold in the blueberries and divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with sugar.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the muffins still in their pan, with the pans placed on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Then turn out the muffins and cool them on the wire rack for about 10 minutes. Enjoy slathered with butter...or later, toasted!

pie possession

To be possessed by pie is a fine feeling. It comes hard, it comes fast, and sometimes it comes impractically. It was a hot, hot day, and for some reason all I wanted to do was preheat my oven and make it even hotter. This could only mean I was possessed by pie. An all-butter crust was quickly made and chilled, a deep-dish plate was at the ready, and my first pie of the summer turned out to be blueberry. Hello, lover. Going my way? Of course you are.

I tried out a recipe from Gourmet for a deep-dish wild blueberry pie, using my own pie crust and a few tweaks. Delicious!


Blueberry Pie
(makes one 9 1/2 deep-dish pie)

1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
5 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca (or cornstarch)
6 cups fresh wild blueberries or 3 10-ounce packages of frozen, not thawed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
pie crust dough
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water for the eggwash

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Whisk together brown sugar and tapioca and toss with blueberries and lemon juice in a large bowl. Roll out a disc of dough on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch round. Fit into pie plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out dough for top crust.

Roll out the remaining disc of dough into an 11-inch round.

Spoon filling with any accumulated juices into shell, dot with butter, and cover with top crust. Trim top crust with kitchen shears, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang of top crust under bottom pastry and press against the rim of the pie plate to reinforce edge, then crimp decoratively and brush with egg wash. Cut a few vents into the top of the pie.

Bake the pie in the oven for about 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes more.

Cool pie completely on a rack before serving.

beer toasting

Why is that sausages always taste better outside? At the ballpark, at a picnic, at a barbecue, at the sidewalk streetcart or, here...at a biergarten. Eating a sausage at your kitchen table or at a movie theater just isn't as delicious as the great and weinerful outdoors. We gathered at Radegast Hall and Biergarten in Williamsburg to say farewell to our friend Ben, who was heading back to Canada. So we toasted him with beer and sausage...Polish sausages served with sauerkraut and bread.


Lauren and I stuck to our Erdinger Hefe-Weizen.


Matt liked to gleefully point out that we were drinking liters of beer. Ugh.


Ben preferred his liters in one take.


I insisted on somebody fetching some French fries, and Matt was successful.


Are you going to Saskatchewan, Ben? This seems to amuse everyone.


The festivities continued.


And Ben started drawing a map of the Secret Island he would be heading to. Ubi?


So many glasses! I'd hate to be a dishwasher here.


I'm glad we are sausage eaters...we all have little sausage stumps left. Ew.


The waiter offers more meat, but Nicole stands firm.


It can only be secret discussions of Saskatchewan's secret meat! I know it!


Goodbye, Ben! We'll miss you!


And the evening comes to a close.


The next night, Lauren invited me over for a tête-à-tête with nibbles. We shared two delicious bottles of sparkling rosé, and enjoyed some cheese and bread.


She made a deliciously citrusy fennel salad.


And, of course, some fried nibbles made me very excited. *Applause!* "Some eggplant, and some chicken," she said. "Tell me if the chicken is good...if it's good chicken or bad chicken."

My fork cut through the misshapen balls and it was white...and totally nonchickeny. I took a bite.

"Um...Lauren...it's not chicken. It's cauliflower."