Monthly Archive for June, 2006

Hectic

Published
by
Jenna
on June 27, 2006
in Experiments and Rants in my Pants
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Sorry it has been a little while since I updated. I’ve been busy moving & packing — I actually leave for the farm on Sunday!! Today I had a chance to bake and experiment a little. I did a test on the snickerdoodles to test different butter brands. I used Land-O-Lakes, Plugra & Breakstone’s since they are available at all grocery stores in PA & NYC. So far I like Plugra best, but not by much. My step mom is taking some into work to ask her friends which they prefer.

I also tested AP vs. Cake Flour in a cake recipe that calls for AP flour. I used King Arthur’s AP & Pillsbury’s Softasilk (cake), since both are widely available and the King is my favorite AP Flour. I tested using my favorite vanilla cake recipe. Without question the cake flour cupcake tasted much better, had a softer texture and a whiter crumb. I’d like to try again with a different cake recipe to see if the results are the same — next time with chocolate cake.

10 Best?

Published
by
Jenna
on June 20, 2006
in Rants in my Pants
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Let me preface this entry by saying that I am particularly surly these days due to the heat and lack of air conditioning in my office. Only 2 more days left of this job, so I can sweat it out. That said, I went to the 2006 “10 Best Pastry Chefs in America” at the Institute for Culinary Education last night. I typically like going to these events to see who is in the audience and snack on some tasty bites. I arrived late (I work late-ish) and made my way to the room they were doing the award presentation. It was a standing room, everyone had a glass of wine and no one was paying any attention to the ceremony. The audience was constantly being shushed by the presenter, which worked for all of 3 seconds then the party would begin again. It was a pathetic forum for such an event and I felt bad for those people getting and giving the awards.

Now onto my favorite part: the food and booze. They had free Mumm, which is meh, but I’ll happily drink it. There were piles of Godiva chocolates around the venue, which I didn’t indulge in because I think Godiva is crap. Each of the 10 best chefs had a dessert or two out for us freeloaders to try. I have to say, I was disappointed for the most part. Jean Francois Bonnet was a standout as was whoever had mini sliders (yes mini sliders… even smaller than a slider & served open faced). I can’t remember who made the sliders… Nicole Kaplan? Sherry Yard? I guess they actually weren’t a standout since I can’t recall who was responsible for the yum-gasm. The dish by Room 4 Dessert was inedible… I barely got through one bite and the rest got tossed… yes, tossed I would insult a hobo if I gave it to him. (I warned you that I was surly)

At least I got to catch up with the lovely PastryScoop ladies, Judiaann & Raina… always good to see them. Also in attendance were Rose Levy Beranbaum, Martin Howard, Richard Bies, and the folks from Pastry Art & Design.

Public Service

Published
by
Jenna
on June 16, 2006
in Rants in my Pants and Recipes
. 0 Comments

Last night I ran into the second worst make out of my life. (I’m a lady, so I won’t reveal any names here) Listen up, fellas (and ladies): no one likes to have a tongue jammed down their throat or have someone else’s tongue just sitting in your mouth like a lazy hobo. It’s gross and a little rude. Tongues are like house guests: you’re just a visitor on someone else’s turf and you shouldn’t overstay your welcome.

Here is a recipe appropriate for last night’s run-in from the good people at Epicurious:

TONGUE WITH MUSTARD-HORSERADISH SAUCE
Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 3 1/2 hr

For tongue
1 (3�-lb) fresh beef tongue
1 large onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf
1 whole star anise
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 tablespoons salt
For sauce
1/4 cup chopped shallot (1 large)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon bottled horseradish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Cook tongue: Rinse tongue well with cold water and place in a deep 6- to 8-quart pot. Add cold water to cover by 3 inches, then add remaining tongue ingredients. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered, until tongue is fork-tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Transfer tongue to a cutting board (reserve 1� cups cooking liquid) and, when cool enough to handle, peel off skin and trim any fat or gristle. Skim off fat from cooking liquid and pour liquid through a paper-towel lined sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Keep tongue warm, covered.
Make sauce: Cook shallot in butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until softened. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in reserved cooking liquid and cream, then bring to a boil, whisking.
Simmer sauce, whisking, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in mustard, horseradish, herbs, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
Slice tongue and serve with sauce.

Serves 6.
Gourmet
Sugar and Spice
May 2000

I’m going organic

Published
by
Jenna
on June 16, 2006
in Rants in my Pants
. 0 Comments

I just bought my first organic apple today after reading about pesticides on The Fantic Cook. Since I have always bought “normal” apples, the organic ones looked so sad and beat up, but they tasted good and that’s all that counts, well that and not eating a pile of insect-killing chemicals with my apple.

Good Ship Lollipop

Published
by
Jenna
on June 14, 2006
in Rants in my Pants
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I’ve been trying to eat healthier these days and if I don’t count the hotdog eating on Monday and the past weekend of tomato-pie gorging, then I really have been. My main weakness lately is Dum Dum Pops. I love them and eat about 20 in a day (I’ve been cutting back recently). They have so many new flavors like cherry cola and pink lemonade on top of old classics like root beer and cream soda (these are my favorites with blu raspberry, watermelon and sour apple at the bottom of the list).

Check out the Dum Dum flavor history here. Dum Dums have been around since 1924, but lollipops have been around since the 1800s. Charles Dickens wrote of sweets on the end of sticks and in Civil War times, children used to put candies on the end of their pencils (that sort of counts). Lollipops have been mass produced since at least 1908 when Racine Confectioners Machinery Co invented a machine that made 40 suckers a minute. Samuel Born, a Russian immigrant is credited with inventing a lollipop machine that automatically inserted the stick in 1916 (I’ve also read 1912).

The name “lollipop” is usually credited as coming from George Smith from Bradley Smith Confection Co, who named them after his favorite racing horse, Lolly Pop. Smith had the name trademarked in 1931, though wikipedia.com tells me, “The term ‘lollipop’ was first recorded in England in 1769.”

Further reading: Candy Favs, Candy USA, Bulk Candy, Gavel Store.

Hotdog Eating Contest

Published
by
Jenna
on June 13, 2006
in Rants in my Pants
. 2 Comments

It all started with a simple question: How many hotdogs (with bun) do you think you can eat in 5 minutes? The answer was 10, easily. My response: Prove it.

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Last night 2 brave soldiers tried their hardest to eat 10 crif dog hotdogs in 5 minutes. The contenders were Bies (in black) and Pete (in white). Bies was the person who set the bar at 10 dogs & Pete was the one who declared a “no water dipping” rule.

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They tried their hardest and furiously shoved dog in their faces, but alas, they only got through 4 1/2 hotdogs each. It came down to a decision from the judges….
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The winner by 1/2 a bite was Bies. Disappointing results, but they gave it their all. Thanks, guys for being part of the first Jennarator hotdog eating contest. And a happy birthday to Miss Raina. Did someone say rematch?

Hotdog with Avocado Relish

Published
by
Jenna
on June 12, 2006
in Recipes
. 0 Comments

Another tasty recipe I’ve been working on & hope to get it picked up by the ol’ AP. Photo courtesy of J. Davis Gaul. Get your grills fired up….
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Ingredients
1 Ripe Hass Avocado, finely diced

Taste of Central Park

Published
by
Jenna
on June 9, 2006
in Reviews
. 0 Comments

IMG_0670%20copy.jpgWednesday night I went to Taste of Summer in Central Park. Did I pay the $350 for the tickets? Hell to the No, I got in with one of the restaurants my company represents. Practically everyone did crab and shrimp and not well at that. There were 3 restaurants that had crab cakes and none were what I would call “good”. There was a lot of use of coconut, which is nice for the summer. Some of the stand-outs there were the Smoked Sea Bass Rolls from zocalo, Filet Mignon from Quality Meats and Lever House’s Strawberry Almond Shortcake with lemon cream (pictured).

IMG_0669.JPGThe winner of the night was definitely San Domenico’s Soft Egg Yolk filled Raviolo in truffled butter. The yolk oozed out as you cut into it and the truffle butter was just the perfect touch to make it over-the-top decadent. I could only eat one, though I wanted to cram more into stomach.

Some notes:
I was wearing jeans and a button down shirt (fancied up for me) and a majority of the other ladies in the place were dressed in the tackiest prom dresses circa 1995. I have never seen such amazing fashion (amazing in a bad way). Also, where does Serendipity 3 get off making a drink called Frrrozen Hot Chocolate? Where I come from, that’s called chocolate milk or a milkshake. Maybe it’s just me.

Burgers & Cupcakes

Published
by
Jenna
on June 7, 2006
in Reviews
. 0 Comments

Last night I met up with a friend of mine to check out Mitchel London’s Burgers and Cupcakes (9th Ave between 35th & 36th). I love this idea; what’s better than those two items?

We ordered a burger (medium) with blue cheese and double thick bacon (the only other bacon choice was turkey — no f*cking way). The burger itself was good – juicy and tasty. The blue cheese was very salty and the bacon was way too thick and the texture was more like jerky than bacon. The bun was soggy, which is to be expected with all the juicy goodness, but I didn’t love the flavor of it.

The cupcake was chocolate with vanilla icing that was dyed blue. This is just a personal thing, but I don’t like vanilla icing to be dyed any funky colors unless it is a special occasion because it give the impression that the icing is flavored. Yes, I realize I’m a stickler and a little crazy. It tasted like a homemade cupcake – the cake was fairly standard, nothing unusual or particularly fabulous and the icing was fine.

The verdict? Go, but maybe just stick to cheddar cheese and skip the bacon. Enjoy a cupcake, but don’t expect to be blown away. I would go back for the burgers.

Golden Scoop 2006

Published
by
Jenna
on June 6, 2006
in Rants in my Pants
. 0 Comments

IMG_0640%20copy.jpgLast night was the 2006 PastryScoop.com Golden Scoop Awards. I used to intern for them and they are just a killer resource & are building a community for us pastry-types. First there was a panel with Jacques Torres, Jean-Francois Bonnet (Tumbador Chocolate), Yvan D. Lemoine (iFood Studios), Sam Mason (WD-50, soon to open his own place). Moderating the panel was none other than Michael Batterberry, editor & publisher of Food Arts. The panelists gave their perspectives on their craft & discussed menu choices, it was interesting.

Then, the award ceremony began, which were presented by the lovely Judiaann Woo. Awards were given out in five categories:

IMG_0646%20copy.jpgBest Bakery Recipe– Winners are Blair Van Sant (Head Baker) and Kristine Moberg (Head Finisher) at Baked in Brooklyn for their Sweet-N-Salty cake. I’ve been to Baked (Red Hook), and it is uber stylish and their baked goods are dynamite.

Best Confection– Winner is Time Brown at Wheatleigh Hotel in Lenox, MA for his Passion Fruit Bonbon.

Best Dessert Revival– Winner is Adam Becker at Tumbador Chocolate in Brooklyn for his “Le Vacherin”, My Way!

Most Innovative Dessert– Winner is Deborah Racicot at Gotham Bar & Grill in Manhattan for her Carrot Hazelnut Cake.

Best Dessert Menu– Winner is Martin Howard at Brasserie 8 in Manhattan for his Spring Menu.

There was a lovely Mionetto Prosecco reception afterwards where everyone mingled and chatted. I ran into a couple of old pals and got a chance to catch up. Present at this shin-dig were Johnny Iuzinni (Jean Georges), Richard Bies (David Burke & Donatella), Daniel Skurnick (Buddakan), Matthew Stevens (Pastry Art & Design), Ron Ben-Israel (Ron Ben-Israel Cakes), and others.

After the event ended, a few of us went to Room 4 Dessert and then another place, I forget, I had thrown a few back. I got a little messy. Somehow, a hotdog eating challenge transpired and hopefully a contest will happen soon – get ready for that.

Sorry about the crappy pictures, it happens.