BBQ?

Dear Mrs. Vicky,

what is the best way to prepare human?  
- AB

human? barbque of course!  

- CD

CD – that is the best idea ever! You should guest star on myblog.

AB – try it and keep me posted

- Vicky

vicky are you trying to barbque me ??? because ill do it only if the sauce is fat free im on a diet  

- CD

i would vicky, but i do not cook
- AB

excuses, excuses. ‘I’m on a diet’, ‘I dont cook human’…whatever.

- Vicky

Eating my Mantra

I’ve been to a lot of restaurants in Boston but the one that sticks out the most is Mantra. It has a French- Indian theme but likes to focus on New England ingredients. Confusing? Not really - its actually pretty delicious.

Positives: Out of all the food fusions in the world, French-Indian has to be one of my favorites. The cumin dusted Long Island duck breast is delightful; as is the goat cheese and potato tikki. I rather enjoy the atmosphere which is sexy without being too dark (unless I’m dining at Dans Le Noir I do NOT like eating in the dark). Its also conveniently located between the Theater District and the Downtown Crossing.

 Negatives: I dont know if its just me (and please correct me if you think otherwise) but I always get a ‘corporate’ feel when I walk into Mantra. Now, this probably has to do with the fact that I use to throw events here when I worked for Morgan Stanley…but I don’t know…maybe it has some validity. This place also tends to be a little too trendy for my liking and can be swarmed with college kids…but thats anywhere in Boston right? 

smooth and sexy

 
Mantra
52 Temple Pl
Boston, MA 02111-1332
(617) 542-8111
http://www.mantrarestaurant.com/

10 Pantry Staples

There are certain foods I always keep in my pantry because they always help  me whip up a delicious last minute meal

1 – Dried Mushrooms

These are fantastic for a last minute dish. They add depth to just about anything. Stew, pastas, gravy, a roast, – you name it. There are a bunch of varieties but I always get porcini’s and if I’m really getting crazy with myself: morels.

2 – Vanilla Beans

Yes, they are expensive but a little goes a long way with these gems. They are perfect to perk up any dessert or fruit salad. A must for any kitchen.

3 – Sea Salt

Thanks to the good ol’ iodized salt we all grew up with, cases of goiters and thyroid gland problems have significantly dropped over the years…and we are all thankful. However sea salt is much more flavorful and you tend to use less of it. I’m not saying get rid of the trusted salt you use. Just try this one as well

4 –  Curry

Curry powders can add so much zing to a boring chicken/beef stew – they are worth picking up at the store. Curries usually include  – but are not limited to – turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, and red pepper. If you are one of those 10 people in the world who hate curry (and my father is one of them) you may skip this but if you are just not familiar with curry – try it.

5 – Lemons

I always get lemons every time I go food shopping and I am STILL always out of them at the end of the week. Lemons and limes add freshness to so many things: meat, poultry, fruit, vegetables, beverages, etc. Fresh lemons are much better than those ‘lemon in a jar’ bottles. Call me crazy but those bottles always taste like chemicals to me.

6 – Herbes de Provence

I’ll admit – this one can be a little costly. But its worth it in my opinion and it should last you a long time. It consists of lavender, savory, fennel thyme, and rosemary. If you are big into roasted chickens this is a must. It’ll perk up your chicken salads, roasted chicken breasts, grilled fishes, veggie stews, etc.

7 – Mustard

I’m not talking French’s Yellow Mustard – although there is nothing wrong with that. I love classic yellow mustard on hot dogs and sandwiches. But a really nice mustard  — whether its dijon (my personal fav) honey, whole grain, french/english, horseradish, chinese, or polish — can do wonders for homemade vinaigrettes, marinades, barbecue sauces, salad dressings, and glazes. Open yourself up to the wonderful world of the mustard seed.

8 – Garlic Powder

Ok, this one is almost a given but it needs to be mentioned. I’m Italian and my husband is half Puerto Rican. We use garlic powder ALL the time. Its not a replacement for fresh garlic and you shouldn’t use it as such. I do use it as a substitute for salt in mariandes, stews, dressings, rubs, etc. Always a necessity.

9 – Vinegars

I love using a dash of vinegar in many of my dishes. Whether its Apple Cider, Malt, Rice, Balsamic, or Wine, you can use them to season veggies, for mariandes, salad dressings, sauces, deglazes for gravy, etc.

10 – Low Carb Pasta

There are many nights when I don’t feel like having a  heavy meal or its late and I don’t feel like going grocery shopping. Low Carb Pasta is great for nights like these , it takes minutes to whip up and can go with anything. You can make a pasta sauce from just about anything you have laying around your house .

My Love of Asian Buns

“Come along inside… We’ll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place.”

-Kenneth Grahame, ‘The Wind in the Willows‘

I was introduced to the wonderful world of Asian buns - both steamed and baked –  when a new coffeehouse named ‘Honey Cabin’ opened up a few blocks away from my house. I remembering walking in for the first time and being hit in the face with a waft of sweet/savory bread aromas. It smelled amazing. I was already enthralled before I got to the counter to see the array of delicious bready foods on display. It soon became my favorite place on the Island to eat both for its delicious food and insanely cheap prices.

My saliva is increasing just looking at it

I created a list of new favorite snacks. The coconut cream buns were one of their truly irresistible treats. Fluffy sweet dough, baked to perfection,  stuffed with a not-too-sweet coconut flaked cream, and then covered in coconut flakes. Sometimes the bun was stuffed with an eggy custard, or a sweet red bean paste, or even a chocolate/peanut butter combo. All for under $1.  For $5 I would stuff my bag with goodies and eat them all throughout the day during my classes – needless to say I fully blame Honey Cabin for my increase in mass during my college years.

Then there is the delicious roasted pork bun  – my ultimate downfall. Savory moist meat packed into a light and fluffy bun with just the hint of sweetness surrounding it. Never too heavy and always the right price. I could literally eat 5 of them in one sitting.  Ever so often I would go for the steamed buns – the best and fluffiest you could ever order.

Honey Cabin closed a few years ago and I have beeen lamenting the loss ever since. Now I have to travel to get my Asian bun fix. Here are a few places I go out of my way for:

Fay Da Bakery – you can also pick up a great bubble tea here

327 Canal Street

Golden Fung Wong Bakery

41 Mott Street

Canal Bakery

242 Canal Street

No Pudge Low Cal Whoopie Pie Dessert Recipe

Whoopie pies - Curse their delicious hides!

I love whoopie pies but they are always too fatty for me to consume. If I do eat one – I am mad at myself for the rest of the day. As a smart alternative, I made this whoopie pie dessert recipe during one of my couch potato moments and they are just delightful!

Ingredients:

1 box No Pudge

1 cup Fresh Ricotta (if you don’t have fresh in your area then Polly-O or Sargento will do…but try for fresh)

3 tsp whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean seeds (or a dash of vanilla extract if you don’t have beans)

1 ts. splenda

Make ‘No Pudge‘ recipe according to the box but lay them out in a big pan to mak them thin. While they are baking, whip rest of the ingredients together and put in the frig. After the brownies have cooled, cut into bars (or circles if you like) and sandwich together with ricotta filling.

Ok – so they don’t look exactly like Whoppie Pies but they are delicious. Let me know how you like it!

Fulton Stall Market Opens!

Of course I had to go to the opening day of the Fulton Stall Market at the South Street Seaport this year on May 22nd. It was a lovely 80-something degree day and I was parading around NYC with my sis-in-law Marianne. We decided to check out the market around lunch time  – figuring we’d get a bunch of stuff and eat lunch outside. We did the free taste test run throughout all the stands and then made our way backwards to purchase.

The Positives:

Sang Lee Farms had delicious veggies-to-go with ginger dipping sauces and garlic dipping sauces – note to all moms in the area: these are great snacks for young ones. The boys at the Valley Shepherd Creamery were more than generous with their samples (I’m almost positive one of them was hitting on Marianne ) and their cheese was delicious. Try the Manchego if they have it or the cheese with nettles. I had never tried nettle cheese before but it was actually pretty tasty! Bread Alone had excellent baguettes and also produced a yummy and smooth lemon/blueberry pie.

The Negatives:

Its just too small. It hardly feels like a market at all. With all the delicious food in the area, why such a small space? Plus its next to the seaport which I guess is a plus if you are a tourist but I always find it to be a bit of a drag. I’m not in LOVE with the seaport crowd and never have been. I was also a bit disappointed that Yummy Coffee only had beans to purchase. No samples. No drinks available. Its a hot Spring day in Manhattan and you can’t offer me iced coffee drink options? WHY? Maybe I’ll want to buy the beans after tasting how delicious your coffee is?! Heck – even local wineries give out taste samples…C’MON!

All in all it was a nice experience and if you are in the area – you should go….even if it’s just for the cheese boys.

http://www.fultonstallmarket.com/home.html

My Foodie Crush on Daniel Boulud

Daniel Boulud is quite possibly the classiest NYC celebrity chef ever. End of Story.  Now there is talk of a new Boulud restaurant and much like a 12 year old girl waiting for the Jonas Brothers show to come on - I am on the edge of my seat. There are few things we know. We know it will be located on the Bowery, we know it will have an intense beer menu, and we know he will focus on bistro/casual food.

My foodie crush with Daniel started when I was in high school. Around 1998/1999 I subscribed to all the culinary magazines I could afford –  Bon Appetit and Gourmet Magazine. Since I was still unemployed, I would save up my lunch money and spend it on both of these fine publications. Any chef/restaurant that was featured in the ‘Best Of’ section soon became my obsession. Daniel’s name was often brought up and was always followed with nothing but praise. His gem of a restaurant - appropriately named “Daniels” – was outrageously expensive compared to my high school budget of nada. I had to put my dreams of indulging in the luxury that was Daniels on the back-burner.

That is until 2002, my boyfriend (now husband) was turning 20 and I had saved $300 to take him to the classiest restaurant I could think of – I even bought myself a $125 Guess dress to wear to the occasion. This was already shaping up to be the most indulgent night of my life to date. I had never spent more than $75 on anything up until then. We arrived at 5:45 – the earliest time they had since we needed to catch the 10pm express bus back to Staten Island. The atmosphere was intense, lush reds and gold. I felt special automatically. Dave and I were terribly awkward ordering the food and trying to be as proper as we possibly could. The waitstaff was incredibly sweet considering how young and poor  we were – they treated us the same way they treated their other patrons – although I wouldn’t blame them if they snicked in the kitchen on these dining noobs. I don’t remember everything I ate. Only colors, scents, and flavors. Skate in brown butter, olive-rosemary bread, succulent sea scallops, and warm madelines straight from the oven. It was the best dinner I had the pleasure of savoring at age 19. After that night, I was hooked. I was hooked on his flare, his classiness, his flawless execution, and most importantly his ability to make my mouth water.

I returned to Daniels several times after that night, each time just as delicious as the first. Then I branched out to the other Daniel Boulud NYC restaurants: DB Bistro Moderne, Cafe Boulud, and Bar Boulud. Each restaurant having its own unique take on food and presentation – yet still managing to stay very ‘Boulud’ in execution. Now I hear he’s got a new restaurant opening this spring on Bowery: DBGB. I will be there opening week. Mark my words.I will eat and drink and be happy surrounded by all things Boulud.

Usually I steer clear of LES, finding very little – if any – charm in its neighborhood shenanigans. However for you Boulud I would walk from South Ferry to the door.

More to come on DBGB at a later date…

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