Monday, May 31, 2010

Bagels & Doughnuts

I know breakfast should be nutritionally balanced, but every now and then bagels and doughnuts call my name! I love making homemade donuts and I've never even attempted a bagel. But thank God for Murray's Bagels and Doughnut Plant in NYC:

Murray's hand rolled bagels are softer than any bagels I have ever had, thanks to New York City water, or so say the regulars. Traditional toppings of capers and lox, and a few new ones such as scallion tofu and vegetable tofu "cream cheese," are bound to put any bagel lover over the moon! Now onto the doughnuts...

Opening in 2000, Doughnut Plant dares to be different by serving cake and yeast doughnuts with exotic flavors like rose petal and ducle de leche. My favorite flavor is their signature square jelly doughnuts, yes square! Not only is it fun eating a square doughnut, but the jelly is so tasty and balanced (see smiling faces below).


As with any good thing, the lines at Doughnut Plant and Murray's Bagels can wrap out the door! However, the lines move quickly and believe me...the food is worth the wait!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

My afternoon with Marcus Samuelsson





Crab cakes, fried chicken, and gravlax?!...oh my! I love to try new foods and cuisines; an experience made even better when I get to try it from world-renowned master chef Marcus Samuelsson. Macy's recently created a culinary council to provide expert advice and recipes from people who love to cook and excel doing it. When it comes to what defines authentic American cuisine, this discussion becomes complicated. One of the best things about America is it is a melting pot of all cultures, ethnicities, races and luckily for us, food.

Recently, I had the opportunity to try some New American cuisine over at Macy's Metro D.C. location when I attended a cooking demo and book signing with Chef Marcus Samuelsson, as a part of Macy's culinary council events. 

Quick facts on Marcus Samuelsson:
  • Was born in Ethopia, but was adopted and raised in Sweden.
  • Owner of Acquavit in NYC and new project Red Rooster.
  • Guest Chef for first state dinner of Barack Obama's presidency. (Go here for the menu.)
  • Youngest chef to receive a three star review from the New York Times
  • Named "Best Chef: New York City" by the James Beard Foundation in 2003.
  • 3 ingredients that he could not live without...here's his list: 
    • Berbere (A popular Ethiopian seasoning prepared from Ethiopian red chilli peppers, garlic, and other spices. It is sun-dried and then mixed with more spices and finally ground.)
    • Salt
    • Water

The event started with a tasting of Ethiopian fares served at the outset to celebrate Chef Samuelsson's Ethiopian heritage. If you have not tried Ethiopian foods and love a little kick in your meal, you have been missing out! Even if that was the only thing I ate during the event, I would have been satisfied, but the eats didn't stop there. Chef Samuelsson prepared gravlax, panfried crabcakes, and deep fried chicken. American cuisine in the past has been largely influenced by European preparations and flavors, just like most things, it has become global. I wish I could convey the complexity of flavors in the foods served, but there is no possible way to do it justice. Don't fret! Here is his recipe for gravlax! Trust me...you'll love it!

Chef Samuelsson says:"If you want to try something Scandinavian," Marcus says, "gravlax is the most traditional dish of all, and it's a lot easier than you might think." You can also use tuna or sea bass instead of salmon. And don't stop at fish. "I'd make this with beef tenderloin in a heartbeat," says Marcus. "You just cure it whole and then slice it thin like carpaccio."

Without further ado, here is his recipe:

Gravlax with Mustard Sauce
Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients
Gravlax
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons cracked white peppercorns
  • 2 1/2 to 3 pounds skin-on salmon fillet, in one piece, pin bones removed
  • 2 to 3 large bunches fresh dill, coarsely chopped, including stems

Mustard Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon cold strong brewed coffee
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup grapeseed or canola oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

Directions
  1. Thin slices potato-mustard bread or whole-grain bread, for serving.
  2. To prepare the gravlax, combine the sugar, salt, and peppercorns in a small bowl and mix well. Place the salmon skin side down in a shallow dish and rub a handful of the sugar mixture into both sides of the fish. 
  3. Sprinkle the salmon with the remaining mixture and cover with the dill. Cover the dish and let stand for 6 hours in a cool spot. Transfer the salmon to the refrigerator and let cure for 36 hours.
  4. To prepare the sauce, combine the two mustards, the sugar, vinegar, coffee, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow, steady stream, blending until the sauce is thick and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the dill. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, to allow the flavors to marry.
  5. Scrape the seasonings off the gravlax. Slice the gravlax on the diagonal into thin slices, or leave whole so your guests can slice it themselves. Serve with the mustard sauce and bread.


Marcus Samuelsson introduced us to his world of the "New American Table" where he combines his Ethiopian heritage, Swedish upbringing, European techniques, and American influences. The result was gravlax, crab cakes, and fried chicken. Gravlax is made by taking raw salmon (sushi-grade) and curing it with salt, sugar, and dill for  from 1 to 3 days. Chef Samuelsson added non-traditional spices giving it his own American spin. The day ended with me meeting the man himself and getting my book signed! 

Here are takeaways and chef's secrets:
  • When traveling to a new place, sample all levels of eating: street food, a home of someone who lives there, and fine dining.
  • If you want to make crispy fried chicken:
    •  use a day old oil and consider marinating in coconut oil that is been simmered previously
    • Try marinating chicken with simmered coconut milk
  • When buying fish, you want it to be odorless! Always ask for sushi grade from your fishmonger (it won't cost you more than other cuts)


Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Cinco De Mayo

Cinco De Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day, which is actually on September 16. It is actually a celebration to commemorate victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla. In Mexico, this holiday is primarily celebrated in Puebla, but as a California native deeply influenced by Mexican-American culture, I celebrate every year! The food, music, dancing...did I mention the food?

Street tacos are my favorite Mexican fare and in case you cannot get to this authentic, tasty experience the recipe below will make up for it ten fold!

Carne Asada Tacos
Courtesy of Aaron Sanchez for Food Network Magazine

Ingredients
  • 1 12-ounce jar sliced pickled jalapenos, drained
  • 1 1 3/4-pound flank steak,trimmed
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped white onion
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
  • Lime wedges, for serving
  • 2-4 tablespoons salsa (homemade or store-bought)
  • Corn tortillas (homemade or store-bought)
(Homemade in my current transient state has meant Whole Foods made it...that's the same thing right?)

Directions

  1. Make tortillas, if you're using Homemade Tortillas
  2. Marinate the steak: Spread the jalapenos in a baking dish and press the steak on top. Cover and set aside at room temperature, about 1 hour.
  3. Preheat a grill or grill pan to high. Brush the jalapenos off the steak, pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Grill the steak for 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest 10 minutes, then slice.
  4. Assemble the tacos: For each taco, stack 2 tortillas and lay a few pieces of steak in the middle. Top with onion, salsa and cilantro. Top with lime wedges.

*To make your own salsa, use Aaron's recipe for Salsa de Arbol (or store-bought salsa).
Photograph by Tina Rupp

Here are several mouth-watering Cinco De Mayo recipes and I hope you will add them to your table this year! And in case you cannot be bothered to cook, or you are a quasi-transient like me, below are a few places to get stuffed that we've tried:


Sunday, May 2, 2010

Long Tasty Road Ahead

Whenever I think I have had the best meal at the best restaurant, a list comes along to remind me how much I have yet to eat. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining... I'm so excited about 50 more places to discover across the world. Last week, San Peligrino released it's list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants for 2010. That's right...THE WORLD!

Here is the great news: eight of the restaurants on the list are in the United States with New York City snagging six spots. The highest ranked U.S. restaurant on the list is Alinea in Chicago moving up three spots from #10 in 2009 to #7 (go here to see photos of its award winning food). American chef Wylie Dufresne debuts on the list at #45 with New York City's wd~50 and its New American cuisine. Congratulations to everyone on the list! It looks like we have some reservations to make and traveling to do!

Now that you're salivating, here is list:

  1. Noma Denmark The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in the World, The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Europe
  2. El Bulli Spain Restaurant Magazine Chef of the Decade
  3. The Fat Duck UK The Chef's Choice sponsored by Electrolux
  4. El Celler de Can Roca Spain
  5. Mugaritz Spain
  6. Osteria Francescana Italy
  7. Alinea USA (Chicago) The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In N.America
  8. Daniel USA (NYC) The Highest Climber sponsored by Cocoa Barry
  9. Arzak Spain
  10. Per Se USA (NYC)
  11. Le Chateaubriand France
  12. La Colombe South Africa The Acqua Panna Best Restautant in South Africa
  13. Pierre Gagnaire France
  14. L'Hotel de Ville - Philippe Rochat Switzerland
  15. Le Bernardin USA (NYC)
  16. L'Astrance France
  17. Hof Van Cleve Belgium
  18. D.O.M. Brazil The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in South America
  19. Oud Sluis Holland
  20. Le Calendre Italy
  21. Steirereck Austria
  22. Vendome Germany
  23. Chef Dominique Finland
  24. Les Creations de Narisawa Japan The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Asia
  25. Mathias Dahlgren Sweden
  26. Momofuku Ssam Bar USA (NYC)
  27. Quay Australia The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Australasia
  28. Iggy's Singapore
  29. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon France
  30. Schloss Schauenstein Switzerland
  31. Le Quartier Francais South Africa
  32. The French Laundry USA (Yountville, CA)
  33. Martin Berasategui Spain
  34. Aqua UK
  35. Combal Zero Italy
  36. Dal Pescatore Italy
  37. De Librije Netherlands
  38. Tetsuya's Australia
  39. Jaan Par Andre Singapore
  40. Il Canto Italy
  41. Alain Ducasse Au Plaza Athenee France
  42. Oaxen Krog Sweden
  43. St John UK
  44. La Maison Troisgros France
  45. wd~50 USA (NYC)
  46. Biko Mexico
  47. Die Schwarzwaldstub; Germany
  48. Nihonryori RyuGin Japan
  49. Hibiscus UK
  50. Eleven Madison Park USA (NYC)
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