Forward Motion

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are ready to hop right into Christmas!  I know I am.  As soon as midnight strikes on the day after T-day, now known as the evil Black Friday, I’m ready to smell evergreen and gaze at twinkling lights (not in a mid 90’s acid-y sort of way).  It’s my favorite holiday of the year and it makes me feel like an excited little kid again.  

Though my enjoyment level revolving around Christmas is high, I do have a few rules pertaining to this sacred holiday.  Mainly, I don’t want to hear Christmas music or see any decorations before Thanksgiving, or Halloween for that matter…yes Home Depot I am talking to you.  I like the focused, concentrated, joyful Christmas feeling that begins as soon as the pumpkin or pecan pie is finished and stops with the Champaign hangover from New Years.

Now that that’s off my chest and I can move forward, we come to the task at hand.  This week, my challenge (among many) was to make a steamed pudding.  I had never attempted this, and had been intrigued/nervous about it for some time.  Last year, around the holidays, I discovered a recipe in our family archives for a Steamed Christmas Pudding.  When I hear the name “steamed pudding” I automatically think of A Christmas Carol or any number of holiday songs that sing it’s praises, but I never had tasted or been in the same room with one before.

As I read through the recipe, my jaw sort of fell to the floor because it says “place (pudding) mold on a rock in a covered kettle”.  Having never seen a recipe requiring rocks or kettles, I immediately called my mother to investigate. The recipe comes from one of my uncle’s mother, Mrs. Henson.  Now, with that being said, I’m not really sure how far back this recipe goes.  It could be hers, or possibly her mothers…I would need to ask my Aunt Helen for clarification, but regardless, I’m guessing this recipe is fairly old.  I imagined only being able to achieve such a baking feat if I had a large hearth in my home to create a fire worthy of a kettle, or maybe trying it out back in the fire pit.  You may laugh, but I do have a wild imagination.  Here is a copy of the recipe should you be interested in trying it out for yourself:

Steamed Christmas Pudding (Mrs. Henson)

1/2 C. soft butter

1 1/2 C. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 C. peeled, grated carrots

1 C. peeled, grated apples

1/2 C. raisins

1 C. coarsely chopped pecans

1 C. sifted flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 C. fine dry white bread crumbs

“Combine butter and sugar; beat in eggs and vanilla.

Stir in carrots, fruits and nuts.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt.  Stir this into creamed mixture.

Add breadcrumbs and mix well. 

Spoon into well oiled 1 1/2 qts. mold.

Cover mold securely with foil or wax paper tied with a string.  Place mold on a rock in covered kettle of boiling water, with water half way up on the mold.  Steam for 3 hours.  Unmold on serving plate.”

Being someone so happily smothered in ideas of tradition, I became excited to try (with a modern approach) the recipe…but I won’t make it until closer to Christmas day.  In A Christmas Carol the kids are always so excited about Mrs. Cratchit’s steamed pudding on Christmas morning, and I think I would like to have a similar experience provided I can get my cats to dress in Victorian, tattered clothing and make exclamations other than “meow”.  Instead, I found a recipe in the November Bon Appetit for a Steamed Persimmon Pudding to use as a “trial run” recipe.  I figured if I could make this recipe, calling for somewhat more modern techniques, then I could eventually adapt the process to the Christmas pudding.  http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2009/11/steamed_persimmon_pudding_with_cinnamon_creme_anglaise

What intrigues me so much about this is the fact that it’s steamed in a giant pot of boiling water on the stovetop as opposed to baking it in the oven.  Also, I had never used a persimmon in any dish in my life.  I wasn’t sure what they tasted like, or sure what people usually do with them, so again I called my mother to quiz her.  She said as a kid she remembered having a persimmon tree in their field, and that people sliced them open and looked at the shape of the seed to predict the severity of the upcoming winter.  Of course I had to look into this seemingly Ozarkian bit of history and found many references to it online.  Apparently the seed is supposed to look like a fork, knife, or spoon…the spoon denoting the need for a shovel because of the intense winter coming.  I didn’t find any particular utensil inside of my persimmons, but maybe you need to let them dry a bit or something.  All the pictures I saw with clearly defined silverware seeds were on brown looking persimmons and mine were still a ripe and luscious orange.  http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/a/persimmon-seeds-widen-the-lead-cold-winter-predicted-to-win

They are a funny fruit, and have a bit of a gummy, chalky taste if eaten raw.  It sort of reminded me of a papaya I suppose, but with a bit more grain.  Mom thought you could switch out persimmons with apricots or plums if you can’t find any at your local store, but they are in season right now and I found them at my regular old Stop and Shop. 

Making the batter was as easy as mixing up any other sort of cake-like recipe, but the trick to this is buttering your mold.  You really need to coat it heavily with butter, then flour, and then add a good amount of vegetable spray just to be safe.  The mold has lots of detail, and the pudding doesn’t like to come out easily.  My attempt was pretty successful, but still stuck a bit even after all of that.  I also think I could have cooked it a bit longer.  This recipe says 2 hours, but my aunt’s recipe said 3. 

I left the pudding in the pot of water for just over 2 hours, steaming away happily, and I did have to add some additional boiling water at one point to keep the level high enough.  The water should remain about halfway up the side of the mold (inside the pot) for best results.  If you get much more than that, the mold begins to float and tips over a bit, which is a nuisance…yes, I did that.  You can also use a regular old vegetable steamer in the bottom of your pot if you don’t have the round rack the recipe calls for (or a rock I suppose).  The pot I used was an 8-quart stockpot with a tight fitting lid.

I really recommend trying this.  It’s a bit intimidating, but really is pretty straight forward.  The taste was spicy (ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon), with a bit of brightness coming from the cooked persimmon.  It cuts like a cake, but is very, very moist…this must be why it’s technically a pudding, and maybe also because it’s steamed.  The cinnamon cream sauce that accompanies it is also quite tasty.

Now that I’m getting geared up for the holiday bake-a-thon, I thought it best to get the house ready too.  The neighbors were all out putting lights and greenery on their homes today.  It was a beautiful, sunny day in the upper 50’s, and it seemed like the right thing to do.  We all decided we should have baked cookies and made eggnog if we knew everyone was going to be out.  I like living on a street like this.  It’s a place where everyone gets into the holiday spirit and enjoys making a magical place for people to come home to during the month of December.  It has the throwback air of an earlier time without as many worries and cares, a time when Ralphie Parker might still get his BB gun for Christmas. 

This evening I will happily eat my persimmon pudding and think of holly and cookie laced days to come.  I will not be afraid of the Christmas pudding recipe any longer, and maybe it’s a tradition I’ll want to add into my ever-evolving catalogue.  It’s just who I am.

Pre-Thanksgiving Jitters

To say that the last week has been “crazy” would be a sore use of the word, an gross understatement to the fullest extent I can imagine.  With the usual hubbub of pre-Thanksgiving underway, shopping to do, menus to figure out, sorting out dishes and glassware I was unprepared for the reality life chose to express.  My good friend Kathryn always says, “Life happens while you are planning it” and she couldn’t have been more right.

The past 10 days, really since my last blog posting, have been a ride of ups and downs much more extreme than any roller coaster, and a lot longer too.  Things went from holiday planning to triage in such a short amount of time…medical emergencies, fantastic projects seemingly won and lost at work, Brian having to rush off to Florida to be with and take care of his family…insanity.   Wasn’t I just deciding what version of turkey to make for Thanksgiving dinner, wasn’t the plan to stagger out the days before the holiday with piecrusts and cranberry sauce and large sugar cookies to be used as place cards?  The answer is yes, but at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter.

I know I often prattle on about memory making, beautiful parties and entertaining friends, but those are things for when times are steady and flowing along nicely, a break from the norm if you will.  Sometimes life just grabs you and takes you on a different journey as if to say, “wake up, and stop day-dreaming”, there is something more to be learned, discovered and felt.   I like to bake as an expression of love, but sometimes you have to step out of the kitchen (for a bit), put on your game-face, slip into some wading boots and dive in, show up for people, and try to make the best of dark situations.  It isn’t important to go into the specifics of the week, but what is important is responding the best you can to life’s challenges. 



This week has been one of difficulty, but also one of strength.  Friends offering to help out in any way, family members calling to check on things and just a general spirit of good will that one hopes to find in times of duress.  I feel a bit like a character out of A Christmas Carol declaring that we should carry Christmas in our hearts everyday, but maybe we do and it’s not until the challenging times snap us out of our reverie do we really see it.

Now, I must admit after all of that I’m still a person who doesn’t quite know what to do with nervous energy.  With Brian being down in Florida and me just waiting for updates I turned into Joan Crawford, cleaning the house and ousting the wire hangers from room to room.  I trimmed the garden perennials in the backyard to within an inch of their lives, and I baked a Pear Cranberry cake which I took to our friends Izabella and Jonathan’s as they propped me up over a beautiful meal of duck breast and roasted potatoes.  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pear-Cranberry-Cake-356040  The meal was fantastic and much appreciated.  As I waited for the cake to come out of the oven late on Friday night I just sat on the couch with Stanley (one of our cats) gently dozing, smelling fruit, cinnamon and all-spice, listening to jazz and being appreciative for a moment of relative peace.  Sometimes that’s all it takes to come back to yourself.  Some people have Calgon, I have cake.

On Sunday, the day I was possessed by Joan, I decided to make Clementine Bread from the November issue of Martha Stewart Living.  http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/clementine-vanilla-bean-quick-bread  I love clementines.  They look so pretty in a bowl, but make intensely flavored and lovely bread.  You combine the juice and sugar in a saucepan, cooking it down to make a beautiful glaze/soaking liquid for the bread.  Happily, it went over quite well at work.

The bottom line is you can’t always fix things when they go wrong, sometimes it’s a waiting game, and you have to do something with your time.  For me, baking helps me retain some of the normalcy of everyday life that I tend to complain about when things are going just fine.  These two recipes would be great to have on your Thanksgiving buffet, but for me now mean something very different.  They are a reminder of hard-won victory of our bodies and the spirit of love and friendship.  

Our Thanksgiving plans have now changed and I’m going to Florida to be with Brian and his family, our family, to share in a celebration of life, and the thankfulness that a situation fraught with danger is potentially simmering down to something that can be managed over time.  Who knows, maybe I’ll bronze myself in the sunshine to match the turkey on the table?  I can think of worse things.

Whatever your Thanksgiving plans, just remember to be thankful for the people you are with.  Who knows how long they might be around?  If memories are all we have when we go, I think it’s best to make as many good ones as possible.  It’s just who I am.

Warm Tarts, Warm Minds

I’m sitting in my kitchen having coffee on a cool, but bright Sunday morning.  It’s 10:30, jazz is playing in the background, the birds are hungrily eating seed out in the back yard and I have a tart crust in the oven.  Perfection.

If this scene I just described is a cozy and a homely one to you, welcome to my life (or at least the one that lives in my mind).  I’ve come to understand that I’m obsessed with the idea of a cozy and relaxing space…my friends might say this is an understatement.  I’m constantly trying to create a home environment that makes you want to put your feet up and have a slice of pie…not that I specifically bake pie all that often, but the idea certainly is nice.  

(Cook fresh cranberries with water and sugar, set aside to cool)

Last night I was reading in an Ina Garten book, Barefoot Contessa At Home, http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Contessa-Home-Everyday-Recipes/dp/1400054346/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258307686&sr=8-1

her notion of what makes a comfortable home and I really connected with it.  She describes a house full of flowers, comfortable furniture, her husband and friends, and isn’t that the point?  We try to make a space where we can recuperate and visit with long-time pals, much of this visiting just happens to be done while we eat.  Sharing food, particularly baked goods, is a good excuse to get together.  Unless there is a casual celebration out at a bar somewhere, most friendly gatherings I attend revolve around going to a restaurant or to a friend’s house for wine and a really great meal.  It’s just something we enjoy.

(Time to brush the tart crust with egg white, bake for 25 minutes more at 350 degrees.)

In the spirit of friendly get togethers, I have spent the past week scouring over my November food magazines for the perfect dishes to serve at Thanksgiving, particularly the desserts.  This can be a daunting task, but only because there are just so many things I would like to make.  Every recipe is tantalizing.  I want to make it, discover its secrets and share the outcome with everyone I know.  It’s my way to say, “Hey, I like you, so eat this thing I made”.  It’s really the most direct connection I have to offer.  It can be hard opening yourself up to other people, even your closest friends at times, but when you are all eating the same dish, partaking in the experience of eating it, a connection is made.  Thanksgiving is the height of this connection.  It’s the most popular food holiday in the United States, and as someone who likes to eat as much as I do, it makes sense.

(Pull the crust out and let it rest for 10 minutes)

My research has taken me through the aforementioned Barefoot Contessa, my faithful Martha, Bon Appetit, Everyday Food and what I believe to be the last copy of Gourmet…you know I’m making some goodies out of there.  In my mind, November equals things such as pecans, pears, cranberries and pomegranates.  Also pumpkins, technically, but I get so caught up with pumpkins in October that by the time November rolls around I’m a bit over them.  All of these items sound great in some combination or other and I found plenty of options.  The problem becomes about choice…so many options and not enough days or hours to make them all.  What I ended up doing was choosing some of my favorites and I’m going to spread them out.  Why shouldn’t each weekend in November be something of a Thanksgiving celebration, at least in the dessert department?

What I decided to do this week is called a Cranberry, Almond and Cinnamon tart.  It’s a Martha Stewart Living recipe from November of 2007. http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/cranberry-almond-and-cinnamon-tart

I remember seeing this recipe back then and wanting to make it, but for whatever reason that didn’t happen.  At that time, we had only been in our house for about four months and the “home-making” process was fully in swing but certainly not in an advanced state.  I think we may have painted the living room by then and we were waiting on the delivery of our dining table, one we had been searching for for nearly two years.  I’m sure I was busy with some home project or other, but I digress.

The photo of this tart really did it for me, and I knew I wanted to make it.  Cranberries are an undervalued fruit in my opinion.  Many people eat them once a year, out of a can, and call it good.  But a cranberry is so much more than that jellied substance people put on their Thanksgiving table. http://www.oceanspray.com/about/cranberry_history.aspx

I often make a quick bread, which is super easy and delicious, http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/cranberry-bread

and I think they cook down to make a fantastic sauce with which to accompany pork and game meats.  In today's scenario, they appear in the tart in the form of a tasty jam and as a topping.  The jam is from the Hudson Valley, and I’m always happy to use locally sourced ingredients.  One day I will make jam of my own, but as it stands Beth’s will do a fantastic job. http://www.bethsfarmkitchen.com/

(Place cranberry jam inside the bottom of the tart shell)

I happen to have dough left over from last week’s savory tart.  It’s pate brisee as opposed to the pate sucree this recipe calls for, but I think it will do just fine.  The pate sucree makes sweeter and more crumbly dough because of its higher sugar content, but because I have the pate brisee on hand, and I like a good flaky tart dough, I’m using it.  

There are varying reports on how long you can keep tart dough in the refrigerator or freezer, but I like to use a 3-day rule for the fridge…sort of like you would use with fish, or visiting houseguests.  3 days is a good amount of time, but anything over that becomes a bit dicey.  When freezing dough, my personal limit is usually around a month, but you can keep it frozen for up to 3 months if it’s really well sealed.  Wrap it in a couple layers of plastic wrap and then put it inside a Ziploc freezer bag for the best preservation.  I defrost it in the refrigerator for at least a day to get it back to a workable consistency. 

As a dough-making tip, I offer two suggestions.  A) Never over-mix your dough.  Whenever you think it’s not quite ready and that it will never stick together, it’s done.  B) Whenever you get the crust rolled out and are ready to transfer it to your pan, gently roll it up over the rolling pin and use a pastry brush to dust off any excess flour.  This will make the transfer to the pan easy and remove extra flour that you don’t want to taste on your crust.

(Make almond filling and layer on top of jam.  Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees)

This is such a beautiful tart when it’s all completed.  It would be perfect for your sideboard at Thanksgiving, or even as a lovely Christmas dessert because of the jeweled red tones of the berries.  I think this tart is ultimately easy to do, but does require several steps and you should plan accordingly.  This is not a busy weeknight undertaking.  Having the dough already made is a big time saver, and when it comes to planning holiday parties I think it’s great to have all of your doughs made in advance where applicable.

(Top with sugar and cooked cranberries)

Well, it’s 12:30pm and now everything is done.  The coffee is gone, the birds seem to have finished their breakfast and the sun is in full swing.  It’s time to take care of more practical items like raking leaves, cleaning out gutters and sealing up windows for the coming winter.  None of these things sound nearly as much fun as my casual jazz and tart laden morning, but you can’t live the fantasy all the time.  Sometimes you have to take care of business and that’s just fine.  The security found in having a well maintained home makes enjoying and appreciating the baking and gathering times that much sweeter.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  It’s just who I am.

What Would Betty Make?

Sunday night is the season finale of “Mad Men”.  


http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/

Brian and I are huge fans of this show, not only for it’s brilliant writing and acting, but also because it's set in Ossining, NY, where we happen to live.  Every time Donald Draper gets on the train to go to the city I think to myself, "I take that train too"!  He goes to his advertising job where he is the Creative Director, and I go to my advertising job where I am not the Creative Director…you can’t have it all I suppose.

Brian and I were talking earlier this week about the show, and he suggested because of my love of Westchester and where we live I should do a “Mad Men” inspired post.  This seemed like a fun idea, so yesterday I decided to do a little 1960’s research to see what I could come up with.

I started by calling my mom to see if any particular dessert of the time stood out to her.  She told me of a strange cake called Watergate, which apparently contains both pistachios and 7-Up.  I was frightened, and happily this cake comes a little further down the timeline than where the show is currently.  In the show JFK was just assassinated, so I was looking for something early ‘60s.  Mom informed me German Chocolate cake (but I made chocolate cake last week), banana splits, and all manner of layered items were popular. Desserts made exclusively of cream and drizzled with toppings seemed to be quite common. I confirmed this with a little research this morning.  Pictured here is a crème caramel I made a while back which certainly meets ‘60’s criteria.

Jell-O was definitely in.  Anything that could be layered and supported by Jell-O, Cool Whip and variations on that theme seemed to be in Vogue.  Every image I found of food from this time has a washed out or day glow appearance to it.  Beautiful, alien and shocking are just a few words I would use to describe it. 

I began to look into Betty Crocker, because Betty is the name of Don’s wife in the show, and because she seemed like the harried housewife’s go to solution to the everyday meal.  Granted, Betty in the show has a cook/maid that takes care of everything for her, but that is beside the point.  I discovered that Betty Crocker, the person, never existed and is a made-up figure created by the now General Mills Corporation as an identity to answer customer questions with a personal touch.  Interesting…Betty Crocker is a lie; a sham and I feel deceived by corporate America and advertising once more…how fitting. http://chnm.gmu.edu/features/sidelights/crocker.html

I turned to Julia Child and Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  It was published in 1961, but is intended for someone with a little more time on his or her hands.  I did find a fitting recipe for an orange mousse served inside the scooped out halves of oranges (which I thought would make an interesting photo), but I’m just not a big enough orange fan to eat orange mousse.  She did lead me down the road to quiche and savory tarts, which are very of the time. I also found reference to several molded desserts such as the Charlotte.  I have made a Charlotte once before.  In this case it was a wonderful raspberry mouse filled dessert with lots of whipped cream, berries and a piped ladyfinger crust. 

The other bit of research I did led me to Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who became the President of the United States after the assassination of JFK.  She had a recipe for lemon squares that was apparently among her favorites. http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/faqs/Recipes/lemon_squares.asp

I too am a fan of lemon bars, and happen to have my grandmother’s recipe for them.  As I went through Grandma Tiede’s recipes I discovered something much more in keeping with my earlier research…an entity known as Pretzel Salad. 

What the heck is that you might ask?  Well, it has pretzels, Cool Whip, Jell-O and it all gets layered together as a dessert.  Perfect!!!  So, that’s just what I decided to make along with a savory leek and Swiss chard tart. 

The tart recipe (not available on the web yet) is from the November 2009 Martha Stewart Living (tip:  thoroughly wash your leeks and Swiss chard to remove the grit), but the Pretzel Salad comes from my family…well, I’m sure they got it from somewhere.  It was certainly fun and scary to make at the same time.  


The recipe is as follows:

2 1/2 Cups of crushed pretzels

1 1/2 Sticks of butter (melted)

3 Tbsp. Brown sugar

Mix all these things together and press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and then let the crust cool.

1 Cup of sugar

8 oz. Cream cheese

1 tub of Cool Whip

Mix these things together and spread over the cooled crust.

2 small packages of Strawberry Jell-O (not sugar free)

2 Cups of boiling water

16 oz. Frozen strawberries

Mix the Jell-O and boiling water together, and then stir in the strawberries.  Let it begin to set up in the refrigerator, then spread on top of the cream cheese/Cool Whip layer.

Chill for a couple of hours and take to your next family gathering.

That’s it!  How simple can it be…and it’s really yummy, though I have no idea why it’s called a “salad”?  It took me about a half an hour to make it, and it leaves you time for doing whatever else the harried housewife needs to do before her husband gets home.  Maybe you even have time to pour yourself a drink and have an affair before the kids get home from school?   Sounds good to me.  It’s just who I am.

A Cinderella Story, Per Se

Going to Per Se http://perseny.com/ feels like being Cinderella at the ball.  For one night (or day if you happen to go for lunch) you get to put your cares on hold and be pampered, dress in your finest fairy inspired ball gown and slip into drink upon drink from beautiful glass vessels.  It’s a dream come true for anyone fortunate enough to experience Thomas Keller’s reinterpretation of a glamorous New York evening, and is made so much more fun by the company you keep.

Brian and I went with our friends Randy and Edgar to celebrate.  We were celebrating not only the recent success of Axis Theatre’s show, East 10^th Street, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but also the release of the new film Gentlemen Broncos, where Edgar plays an evil scientist. 


http://www.axiscompany.org/index2.php
http://content.foxsearchlight.com/videos/node/4035

If you happen to know Edgar, this role would seem a stretch from his gentle, sensitive nature, but there is a dark streak flowing through him…as in all of us.  Recently he has played roles such as an evil genius, an evil scientist and an evil Christmas elf for an upcoming Target commercial.  I’m not really sure if the elf is evil or not, but sometimes they can be a tad creepy.  I can’t wait to see that!  Edgar is an excellent storyteller and not malicious at all.  We heard tales ranging from a recent trip to Italy to see his sister, Helen, to Greek inspired myths of Poseidon, Athena and the creation of the olive tree, http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/athena.html 

Unfortunately, because of recent acting roles, he has to play the part of the dastardly stepmother in our Cinderella fable.

Randy, on the other hand, would be our Fairy Godmother.  She is always so generous and kind, arriving just when you need her most.  Having spent the day at the Yankees parade, she regaled us with slightly horrific stories of how the crowd behaved.  I was so happy the Yankees won the World Series, but when the fans start drinking at 10:00am and are unleashed on the streets of New York, all bets are off.  The Yankee win was another great reason to celebrate.

Brian and I were just happy to be along for the ride.  I suppose we are both Cinderella in this story, though sometimes I have the attitude of a wicked stepsister.  We were toasting nothing in particular, other than the success of the theatre and our friends.  Sometimes that’ s the best kind of celebration.  And, when you are asked to come to dinner at Per Se, that’s reason enough to cheer. 

We donned our suits, slicked back our hair and arrived at Columbus Circle promptly at 5:45pm.  It was a cool November evening, which beckoned for a warming meal around a lit candle in the presence of friends.  A modern take on the old Western campfire, the candle expects you to be forthcoming for a few hours, sharing food, laughter and friendship, which is exactly what we did.

I think for some, fine dining can be intimidating.  The classic adage about not knowing what fork to use really doesn’t apply in this instance.  They always bring you the right utensil with each course.  What I love about Per Se, and have loved the few times I’ve been, is the unpretentiousness of it all.  I’m sure some of that has to do with the attitude you bring to the table.  The wait-staff are formal, but more than happy to smile at a joke or give you a knowing glance about something or other, indicating they are “real” people too.  When we go out for an elaborate meal such as this, our hope is for a fun time with great food, and that is exactly what we got.

The meal lasted about 4 hours, featuring 9 courses plus a couple of extras thrown in here and there.  The portions are just perfect, spread out with casual precision and paired with wines or sparkling ciders as a suitable accompaniment.  I opted for the vegetarian offering this particular evening, though the non-vegetarian is also wonderful.  If you are going to eat meat, this is definitely a good place to do it.  The presentation is really what makes the meal.  Each dish is carefully composed, meticulously considered and distilled onto a plate that could be framed and hung in MOMA.  It seems criminal at times to eat the food, but that’s when the true magic happens.  The flavor combinations exploding on the tongue are unlike any other.  Thomas Keller is a genius and is deserved of his fame.  The concept behind each dish, the components chosen, shows a true artist’s thinking with an analytical mind to back it up.  I know I’m no restaurant critic, but this @#$@#$ is good!!!

I won’t take the time to go through the whole meal, but offer a selection of highlights I really enjoyed and manage to fall somewhat into the dessert pastry realm.  Capturing these images by the light of one candle was not easy, but certainly sets the mood.

Greenmarket Carrot "Pudding":  Sweet Carrot Salad, Young Onions, Candied Walnuts and Pea Tendrils with madras Curry Vinaigrette

Kabocha Squash Beignets:  Asian Pear, Watercress Leaves and Whipped Forest Honey with Cardamom-Scented Yogurt

Mascarpone-Enriched Garnet Yam "Agnolotti":  Chestnut Confit, Granny Smith Apples, Crispy Sage and Toasted Oats with Apple Cider-Brown Butter Emulsion  (amazing!)

"Stilton":  Compressed Belgian Endive, Northstar Sour Cherries, Pecans, "Balsamico al Ciliegio" and Field Mizuna with Tellicherry Pepper "Aigre-Doux" (yes, I know it's cheese, but sometimes cheese is the best dessert of all.)

Caramel Banana Sorbet:  Banana Bread, Plumped Raisins and Sweetened Salty Macadamia Nuts with Verjus "Sabayon"

Pineapple Quince Tart:  Cider Poached Quince, Almond "Frangipane", Quince Jam and Cider Jelly with Diane St. Clair's Buttermilk-Thyme Sherbet  (It's starting at me!!!)

"Mignardises" and Cappuccino 

In this fairy tale, the conclusion is one of great joy at being alive to experience such a feast.  Maybe I am Cinderella after all, we lose the wicked stepsisters all together, Brian gets to the be Prince Charming and Randy and Edgar hang onto their previously assigned roles (but maybe Edgar gets to be the nice Stepmother).  We walked away into the New York City night, invigorated, and happy to have had such a glorious evening together.  In the morning I wake.   Looking around, I’m not sure if it was all just a dream, but there, lying on the kitchen counter are the carefully wrapped take home pastries.  No, it wasn’t a dream.

I think I’m pretty lucky.  It’s just who I am.

Addendum:  I feel like I should contribute in some way to this posting.  I mean, Thomas Keller and his staff can’t do all the work, right?  Going through some of my previous pastry excursions I came upon this photo.  It is an image of petifores we made in pastry class.  The small bites represented here loosely fit in with the idea of the small bites presented at Per Se.  After last night, I realize I need to work on my plating skills a bit more.  There is always more to learn.

Pretty In Pink (Eye)

Today was our friend Lisa’s birthday.  You may remember the coconut cake I made for her last year (from a previous posting), but this time around I wanted to give her exactly what she wanted…rhubarb, and since it’s just as hard to find this November as it was last November, I went for the second best thing I could think of….chocolate.  Oh so sweet, delicious and decadent chocolate.

While I was looking through the “Baked” cookbook (where I found the Whoopie Pie recipe) I came across a little gem called the Sweet and Salty Cake.  Immediately I was intrigued and read through the recipe.  Almost everyone I know loves the pairing of sweet and savory items together in one bite…like peanut butter and jelly, bacon wrapped dates or a good aged Parmesan cheese with honey.  Why not do it with cake?  According to the book, it’s one of their most popular cakes, and now having baked and eaten it, I can see why.  Martha Stewart has the recipe posted to her site:  http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/sweet-and-salty-cake 

The fleur de sel is what makes the whole thing.  Our friend Jonathan, who happens to be a pilot, flew back from Nice with some of the expensive delicacy in tow…of course in France it’s only a couple of bucks, whereas in the States it’s more like twenty.  The thing about this salt is it elevates everything it touches to a whole new level.  Fried eggs with fleur de sel, pepper and catsup are heavenly (I’m sure some dead person is France is rolling over in their grave right now).  


Anyway, this cake is three layers tall, made of a dense, dark chocolate cake held together with a salted caramel filling topped with the magical French salt and chocolate caramel ganache frosting.  The richness nearly makes your eyes roll back in your head.  Perfect. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit to burning one batch of caramel before getting it right. If your instant read thermometer isn't working properly, cook until the liquid is golden/bordering on amber color...another 30 seconds and it will be mahogany/burnt.

Lisa loves France, Paris to be exact.  The cute little cobble-lined streets, the food, the shopping…really all the things everyone loves about Paris.  It’s just so darned French.  I still stand by a Nutella crepe I had in Montmarte as being a near perfect food, but I just have to say I don’t find that Nutella contributes to a healthy part of any meal, breakfast or otherwise (if you have seen the commercial then you know exactly what I’m talking about).  The fleur de sel in the cake seemed a perfect tie-in to this romantic locale, and the chocolate I chose originated from Costa Rica where we vacationed several years back.  All in all the ingredients made for a cake of international proportions.

The day turned out to be a beauty.  The rains last night brought down many of the golden, orange, and crispy brown leaves to the ground, covering yards and lining the sides of the road.  We had a wonderful brunch at a place called Xaviar’s on the Hudson http://www.xaviars.com/yonkers/index.html



The views were gorgeous and we could see stands of fall colored trees winding up the hills on the opposite side of the river.  The sun began to peek out around 3:30pm on the drive home. The old Victorians and brick structures along the road were bathed in golden light.  It was all just as magical a birthday as the fleur de sel promised it would be, except for one thing…Lisa’s eye.

Poor Lisa.  Unfortunately she had scratched her cornea and it was making her miserable.  It was a tad pink and watery which is never any fun.  Certainly it’s not the most pleasant way to spend your birthday, but you have to make the most of it when these sorts of things happen.  You can try very hard to plan a perfect day for your friends, but life has a way of changing things up.  She wasn’t able to stay long at the party, long enough for presents and cake, but we could tell she really needed to go home and rest her eye(s). 

In a previous conversation Lisa told us she likes to give baskets of chocolate to people who aren’t feeling well or have had something go wrong in their personal life.  My birthday gift to her and her eye was the healing properties of a chocolate cake.  It’s just who I am.