dueling cookie recipes

well, i guess you can’t really compare them to one another, but who doesn’t like a duel? i recently made (for the first time) the neiman marcus chocolate chip cookie recipe, and kathleen king’s double chocolate almond cookies featured on the barefoot contessa tv show.

i must say, after all of these years, i thought i would be blown away by the neiman marcus chocolate chip cookies (the whole myth about someone paying thousands of dollars for the recipe, etc.), but they were only slightly better than average chocolate chip cookie. the espresso powder used in the recipe seemed to take over the other flavors in the cookie. however, if you like espresso, this is certainly a cookie worth making! the recipe was extremely easy, and i baked each round of cookies for about 6 minutes less than instructed. perfect for coffee dipping! recipe below.

neiman marcus’ chocolate chip cookie recipe

ingredients

directions

Now, for the STAR! when kathleen king (of tate’s bake shop fame) made these with ina garten on the barefoot contessa, i think i was actually drooling. gooey chocolate and white chocolate chunks, crisp almonds and indulgent cocoa-flavored dough. sign me up! they were incredibly easy, and you can definitely play around with the type of nuts/variety of chocolate. a surefire make again! (and the winner of my “cookie duel”.) the recipe can be found below, or in the tate’s bake shop cookbook.

kathleen king’s double chocolate almond cookies

ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) salted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup almonds, chopped

directions

city cakes

as my friend and i were strolling along 18th st., we couldn’t help but wonder what the amazing smell was that was wafting our way. (i swear i can smell a bakery from miles away and can never resist going in.) at first, we couldn’t see anything, but on second glance, we saw some stairs leading down to a small little bakery, city cakes, with mile-high, stunning cakes in the window. the cozy space, surrounded with with gorgeous fondant-covered cakes, breathed the aroma of freshly baked goods as we walked in, and there was no way we were saying no to the buy-three-get-one-free deal.

we tried four varieties (from left: fleur de sel, red velvet, chocolate with vanilla frosting and vanilla with chocolate frosting) and had pretty much the same opinon on all of them. terrific, creamy, flavorful and smooth frosting, but slightly dry cake. we’ll start with the fleur de sel, which i thought was going to be my favorite. the creamy vanilla/caramel icing with sea salt on top was excellent, but the mound of dry cake underneath was a poor compliment. next, the red velvet cake was also a little too dry, but was paired with a nice cream cheese vanilla frosting. my two favorites were actually the two most basic cupcakes (chocolate/vanilla frosting and vanilla/chocolate frosting), as the actual cakes were slighly less weighty and dry. had the cakes been moist, city cakes would be a sure repeat cupcake destination of mine, due to the perfect frosting and lovely little atmosphere, but next time i think i might just wander in to take a peek at the cakes. also, they offer fondant, sugar paste and advanced shape cake design classes, which i would love to try.

city cakes is located at 251 west 18th st., new york, ny

the best chocolate cake in the world

if you name your restaurant “the best chocolate cake in the world,” your cake better be pretty fantastic. in fact, it should be the best! with locations already in portugal and brazil, the first US outpost of this venue was eagerly awaited.

tasty as it was, my $6.50 slice of this self-proclaimed winner in a category packed with tons of great competition, was not the best i’ve ever had. the flourless slice was definitely moist (i have to say, a dry slice of cake is one of the saddest disappointments) and definitely uber-chocolatey (valrhona, perhaps? the chocolate they used was divine). however, the moussey moistness seemed to come mostly from gallons of egg whites. the texture was almost meringue-like, with lots of air, a little foaminess, and no real “cakey” feel. the egg white consistency did yield a nice thin crunchy layer on top, coated in dark chocolate ganache. i did enjoy the absolutely pure and dark flavor of the cake, and the slice really satisfied my chocolate cake craving, but i cannot say it was, well….the best chocolate cake in the world.

the best chocolate cake in the world: 55A spring st., soho, nyc, p: 212-343-2253

toloache

last week, when i saw that sam sifton had reviewed toloache, i couldn’t help but wonder how many foodies were griping about the choice. it’s not in a hot ‘hood like the LES or anywhere, brooklyn. it’s not a spot where curious or hungry eyes would get much of a work out. it’s not dress-up-date-fancy, and it’s not a cheap eat. it’s pretty buzz-free, or least it was until now. but toloache was a smart call by him: a happy pre-/post-theater dining experience can be elusive and frustrating; his review is, then, service journalism. and toloache is surprisingly good .

he’s a step ahead of me, since he’s been there for dinner. toloache has been my destination of choice for a celebratory midtown lunch: my friend meg took me there for the first time last year after she hired me for a freelance job. ever since then, when we feel like we deserve a break (i.e. a margarita and guac), we deliver ourselves to their door.

they welcome us with pretty, juicy toloache margaritas:

the toloache margarita is made with frida kahlo tequila blanco, hibiscus, blueberry and lime. margaritas are bold, vivacious drinks –that pert lime and salt. so good when bracingly cold. a margarita is the party.

but this is subdued–the hibiscus makes it almost soothing. this drink is coy. she smiles…

we always order the trio of guacamoles: mild (traditional tomato, onion, cilantro, serrano chile), medium (with fruit) and hot (self-explanatory, but the heat comes from chipotle, which they balance with queso fresco). but i think from now on the way to go is straight-up medium.

it’s so easy to get married to ideas about food–like pizza (thick or thin crust)…chocolate (milk or dark. not white!)…brownies (nuts? no?).

i found this to be true with avocado. when i was growing up, i remember ads, presumably by the avocado board/council, that suggested the many ways you could enjoy an avocado. there was a curvy gal enjoying curvy slices in a perfectly composed salad. and then, same girl smiling with an avocado shake in hand. i couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of an avocado back then, much less a green milkshake.

but with adulthood came a world full of avocado opps: guacamole and chips; dragon rolls, with thinly sliced avocado meticulously draped over a thick rice roll stuffed with lacquered eel; avocado on a turkey club or  a blt. i couldn’t get enough. at family dinner at rosa mexicano, i found out that my mom wouldn’t even consider trying guacamole, for she had only ever tasted avocado as a shake or an ice cream–and disliked it. but  more than that, she couldn’t conceive of it as a “savory.” so strange to me! and there i was, still not having experienced it as a “sweet.”

but this frutas guacamole brings those tastes together nicely. the rich avocado is lightened with ripe mango and the burst of juicy pom seeds. and you get a bit of extra salt from the homemade chips. it’s worth trying at least once, just to break out of the usual.

speaking of usual, the next time i go to toloache, i will strive not to order the lobster tacos. i am usually powerless to resist them.

this doesn’t look like a lot of food–at least that is what i think each time they set it down in front of me. but lobster is rich, and the smokiness of the morita salsa adds fullness. three of these is just enough.

there is one miss on the dessert front, for me, and that is the crepas con cajeta.

cajeta, a sauce made of caramelized goat’s milk, is a special treat. but it’s lost here, between the soggy crepes. this is a wan affair, compared to the airy churros. you can get your cajeta fix better satisfied with these…

this dessert–the tres leches de limon–was a surprisingly delightful and sweet end note. i love tres leches cake–i’ve mentioned it before–but the idea of meyer lemon  cake soaked with three milks seemed if not quite sacrilegious, then just weird. but it was another good inventive lesson from the kitchen.

the website for the restaurant defines toloache as a flowering plant, native to mexico, that is used in love potions. it’s a charming idea for a restaurant, and toloache restaurant –if not a sexy choice–seems to have all the qualities for building a good dining relationship: an easy vibe, a bright staff and a fun, capable kitchen. they will make you want them, more than once…

***

toloache is at 251 west 50th street, between 8th ave and broadway…

reservations are recommended, as mr. sifton notes, especially in the evening hours: 212.581.1818.

colicchio and sons

my budget had prohibited me from visiting colicchio & sons since its opening this past winter, but when i heard the news of the $25 tap room lunch special, i heard my name being called! tom colicchio’s newest restaurant has replaced his old steakhouse, craftsteak, in a gargantuan space on 10th avenue, with a more friendly, cozy (logs are stacked high on shelves, there is a quilted rug on the floor) and rustic (exposed steel beams, etc.) restaurant that serves up seasonal, yet comforting dishes.

to start, we ordered the romaine with anchovy vinaigrette and parmesan and fried egg, and the chilled corn soup with smoked bacon and creme fraiche. neither mike nor i are huge fans of bold anchovy flavor, but the salad showcased anchovies at their best! the egg was crisply fried, the dressing was lightly tossed, and the croutons were radiating garlicky goodness. it was an excellent salad. however, once we tried the chilled corn soup, we couldn’t think of anything else! we both declared the simple, creamy, refreshing soup the winner of the lunch. the smoked bacon was ever-so-slightly flavoring the soup, along with a creamy, cool creme fraiche, and the texture of the soup wasn’t too grainy or too smooth – it was the perfect balance of summer corn kernals and an ultra-creamy broth smoothed out with olive oil.

i would definitely return to colicchio & sons for a tap room dinner or even another lunch! my dream lunch would probably be the chilled corn soup, braised rabbit, and peach tatin, although i would love to try the lamb sandwich – i saw someone else get it and wanted to grab it off of their table…

christopher norman chocolates

first, let me start by saying how much i love chocolate. I LOVE CHOCOLATE! i seriously could eat about 20 chocolates in a row without feeling the least bit sick of them. and that’s exactly what i got to do (it was for my birthday, but i wish i could do this all the time).

my two friends took me here on a surprise chocolate tasting at christopher norman for my birthday,and i was blown away. the wonderful owners of the store (which is also part art studio) and the store’s pr contact orchestrated a full-on multi-course chocolate tasting in their kitchen that began with the basics (dark chocolate, milk chocolate), traveled through the exotic (coconut curry, pink peppercorn) and ended with the sublime (hazelnut, white chocolate lemon).

after i left christopher norman, i couldn’t stop dreaming of it, and i knew it would be the perfect birthday gift for two other chocolate-loving friends! the second visit did not disappoint! i cannot even recall all of the flavors (i wrote most down), but here is a list of some highlights: blood orange, pomegranate, hot chili pepper, basil olive oil sea salt, walnut rosemary and margarita.

above: their pure white, milk and dark chocolate pieces

below (from left): hazelnut, margarita, key lime (with a hand-pained tile top), apricot and chile, and dark chocolate

it’s difficult to name a favorite of the evening, but i think i have to say it’s a tie between the key lime and hazelnut. and the apricot chile was a definite runner-up! 

above: hand-crafted yellow diamond creations for a client

below: sea-salt, pecan and chile caramel and green tea truffle

both of my experiences at christopher norman were beyond incredible. the staff is more friendly, fun and casual than i could have ever dreamed of, and the chocolates are life-changing. don’t get me wrong, i still love a nice cadbury bar or kit kat, but after my experiences at christopher norman, no other chocolate will ever compare.

christopher norman chocolates:

60 New Street
New York, NY 10004
Telephone 212.402.1243
Fax 212.402.1249

caracas arepa bar (revisited) and ob-la-di, ob-le-a

last night marked, if not a fully triumphant then a certainly satisfying, return to caracas arepa bar.

by the time i met up with my friend, zovig, at around 6:30, it wasn’t searingly hot, but the humidity had not abated. i almost declined a cocktail because i couldn’t bear anything heavy. but at the last minute i opted for the the “michelada,” a beer cocktail (which is apparently a new trend).

caracas makes a spicy panela–essentially sugar cane juice that is boiled, evaporated and made into a hard disc or “cake.” they break off and crush about a tablespoon or two into a beer glass that’s lined with coarse salt. they give you a lemon slice and a bottle of beer. you pour. you enjoy. it’s a less aggressive tequila shot and  sort of perfect for summer (especially a summer monday) when the clime mandates something cold, fizzy. i had thought it should be sweeter, but the salt and spice keep it lively. it’s a good accompaniment for the weighty fare.

for our appetizer: yoyos. this might be the only truly wrong thing about the evening, from my perspective.
on the menu, yoyos are described as “fried sweet plantain balls, stuffed with white cheese.”
seems pretty straightforward, yes?

but yoyos are really fried plantain sliders: sweet brown bread, split, served with thin slices of sweet plantain and a bit of white cheese. and a sweet syrup on the side. it’s gooey, but disappointingly one-dimensional. actually, make that two-dimensional: sweet and heavy. no-no on the yoyos.

as to the arepa: i ordered la sureña – grilled chicken and chorizo, with avocado slices and “the classic and always enigmatic spicy chimi-churri sauce.” (i LOVE caracas and their menu, but they crack me up. i think “enigmatic” is not the word they’re looking for here, because there is nothing mysterious about the sauce. theirs is GARLIC GARLIC GARLIC.)

essentially, la sureña is a chicken club with avocado–to me, an irresistible combination of “good” and “bad” meats and fats. but part of what makes a good sandwich is the architecture– isn’t just the ingredients, it’s in the building and the balance of them. in this case, an excellent arepa is overstuffed (not a bad quality!) but the layers are lined up so you encounter the components singly: a bite of chorizo, another bite of (dry) chicken, chimi-churri on the left, avocado on the bottom. and maybe it was just the case last night, but my arepa needed liberal dousings of salt and/or mango sauce.

but then there is dessert.

there is a filipino treat called “turrones de casoy” — a wonderful cashew nougat that is wrapped in white rice paper. when i was a kid, we referred to it as “the stuff in the communion wrapper.” it seems most people still refer to it that way. the wrapper is bland vehicle for the sweet candy, but it keeps them from sticking together. (and it’s a fun novelty when you’re young.)  but the white rice paper that is used for turrones de casoy, and other spanish and italian sweets or nougats, has nothing on the obleas wafer. it really has a very similar texture and stiffness to the communion wafer.

i did a little research last night. the white rice paper is made from potato starch, water, vegetable oil; an oblea recipe will call for flour, water, milk and sugar. sounds like it should have some flavor,  but it’s less sweet and cookie-like than say, a pizzelle. it’s not unlike those thin wafer cookies, layered with creme (i actually like those–why can’t i rememeber any brand names?).

caracas’ oblea is as big and round as my face. that, my friends, is big and round. when our server handed it over (not on a plate, but in plain white paper),  it really did feel like…sunday morning. except that it was a sandwich. the thin layer of  delicious dulce de leche filling is actually too modest to be “sinfully” good, but it is a nice, proper way to end the meal.

and: thank you to zovig for the hand modeling.

all photos © anita aguilar

ad hoc at home: thomas keller

from french laundry to bouchon, thomas keller has been one of the most acclaimed french chefs for years. (one day, i vow i will use my life savings to go to french laundry.) but who can really cook anything that complex at home? that’s where his latest book, ad hoc at home, on sale 11/6/2009, comes into play.

ad hoc at home shows the average kitchen cook how to create some of thomas keller’s most spectacular and impressive dishes at home, without any of the fuss. packed with illustrations and step-by-step photo instructions, this book is a perfect companion to any cook, beginner or advanced. keller teaches us to how master the basics (piece cutting a whole chicken, frying chicken, roasting ribs, making homeade chicken stock) in an easy, friendly and fun way. my friends and i gathered last night to test out some of the recipes from the book (while watching the finale of an undisclosed and embarassingly bad reality show). here’s what we tried:

summer vegetable gratin:

this baked medley of eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, onions and tomatoes was easily the healthiest dish of the evening. bread crumbs and parmesan on top added bite and additional flavor, but the terrific essence of fresh summer vegetables certainly emerged in this dish. and it was so easy!

scallion potato pancakes:

http://eatingla.blogspot.com/2009/11/win-thomas-kellers-ad-hoc-at-home.html

as a huge fan of scallions, i knew i was going to love this dish, and i did. the long strands of crispy potatoes and green scallions fried into perfection were the ideal brunch dish, lunchtime snack, or dinner compliment. in fact, i could go for one right now…

leek bread pudding:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/dining/282krex.html?ref=dining

i think if i had to name one, this might be my winning recipe of the evening. we toasted the challah bread first, before baking the crisped bread, sauteed leeks, eggs and cream for almost an hour and a half. decadent, filling, and so satisfying, this was the ultimate comfort dish.

cream of cauliflower soup with red beet chips:

http://www.akitcheninbrooklyn.com/2010/04/sashas-kitchen-ad-hocs-cream-of.html

this soup, was bar-none, one of the best soups i have ever tasted. the perfect mouthful, with the salty, sweet and crispy red beet chips, garlic croutons, and creamy, flavorful soup was absoulutely dream-like.

chocolate chip cookies:

http://www.foodgal.com/2009/06/tantalizing-preview-ad-hoc-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe-by-thomas-keller/

i had read a cookie-off blog post that named keller’s chocolate chip cookies the best in existence. while that might not be so, these were pretty freaking good. they had two types of dark chocolate in them, along with a decent amount of salt and brown sugar. crispy on the outside, chewy all the way through, just the way i like them.

photos  © anita aguilar

bis.co.latte

while the history of biscotti – in latin, “twice baked” –can be traced to ancient rome, the modern recipe that’s the foundation of the biscuit that we enjoy today is attributed to prato, in the tuscan region of italy. the biscotti trend took hold in the states right around the early 90s, coinciding with the explosion of coffeehouse culture (hooray) and the “low fat” frenzy (which I fell victim to).

and now they’re pretty easy to find, from starbucks to costco. that’s not a knock– i go to starbucks and when i do, i’m happy to have the option for something light and gently sweet (i sweeten my red-eyes and lattes quite enough). but i wouldn’t say it’s a great biscotti.

for that, new yorkers have bis.co.latte, a tiny but abundantly stocked bakery-cafe in hell’s kitchen.

by all accounts this spot is real neighborly—you’ll want to linger…bring a book (or read one of theirs. they have some from my wish list…)

i chatted briefly with one of the owners, holly desantis, and confessed that many years ago i received a biscotti cookbook as a gift, but the recipes seemed like a big production.  i was a little intimidated, never made an earnest attempt. she said, “that’s what i’m here for.”

cheers to that.

bis.co.latte’s varieties are inventive (mango cashew milk chocolate),  trendy (multigrain antioxidant blend)  and thoughtful ( all-natural carob chip—“puppy-friendly”). I opted for the 5-variety sampler (a very reasonable $4.95):

hazelnut daprato–traditional–is barely sweet, but the hazelnut pieces are big, the flavor is good and bold.

chocolate mint, black and tan—both have bites of rich, real chocolate, not the sad, plastic-y stuff that you find drizzled on most commercially baked biscotti. the chocolate mint is a bit more moist and dense, faintly minty. the black and tan has a nice bittersweetness, owing to the guinness in the recipe.

new orleans praline – oh, this one is nice. toasty and nutty and the most cake-like out of all of them. when I was a kid, i used to watch stella d’oro breakfast treat commercials and dream about my adult life…in slow motion…enjoying those for breakfast. i totally just dated myself, right? i’d want new orleans praline biscotti –3 pieces, please, with a large latte–instead.

fennel almond—i didn’t love the first bite of this one–i couldn’t actually remember which variety it was–but it was aromatic, with the most upfront sweetness.  with the second bite i settled into it and discovered the fennel seed. ah, licorice. i warmed toward it—i think it might be a favorite for its distinctiveness.

with a long and evolving menu of flavors, you may find it difficult to choose. i did. but the biscotti has such a generous shelf life–you could swing by, pick up a full pound sampler  ($17.95) and enjoy biscotti with your coffee or vin santo for …however long you can keep your mitts off them.

***

bis.co.latte is located at 667 tenth avenue, near 47th street.

they serve sweets beyond biscotti (scones, cupcakes) and the lunch options, especially the risotto, are raved about.

hours: m-f, 8am-7pm; sat, 9am-7pm; and sunday, 9-6pm

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all photos © anita aguilar