wimbledon specials: tea and sympathy

i loved the textures in this so much–pert greens, intensely vinegared beets (the choking kind), creamy stilton, fat woodsy walnuts– i’m going to recreate it for my friend T the next time she comes over. seems an easy variation on our wine and cheese fest.

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bangers and mash. do i insist on ordering just to say the name out loud? this probably wasn’t any lighter than the sampras sussex chicken. but it hit the spot.

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this is what my sister and i really came for…

the eton mess is not on the regular menu as the meringue is a little challenging to make, especially in the humidity of the ny summer. i’m not sure if this wasn’t made properly, or if it wasn’t stored properly, but parts of the meringue were chewy (one could mistake it for stale, even).

paris postcard: marché des enfants rouges

one of my favorite places to visit in the marais is the marché des enfants rouges, but if i hadn’t been in the company of my friend matt, who’d been living there for the last 6 months, i might not have found it. (the marais is a maze, or at least it seems that way to me…perhaps  it’s because matt had the map and i was content to follow him…) but the marché also hides behind a plain cement facade, 2 iron-gated entrances, and a couple of unflashy signs.

all part of the charm, i’d say.

the oldest covered market in paris  –  its name an homage to the site’s previous existence as orphanage before its conversion in 1615– marché des enfants rouges is said to be as vital to local life there now as it was when it first opened, though to congregate there these days  is an invitation to do more than shop for local produce and meats and flowers. you can linger over cafe and crepes, or you can enjoy italian, afro-caribbean, lebanese, japanese…

everything was tempting, but i couldn’t sway from the moroccan. surprising since i never was big on couscous–certainly not any time it came out of my own kitchen–but it was wonderful here. a deeply flavored, but light accompaniment to the lamb tagines (i had it both times. maybe i should have tried the chicken, but even now when i look at the pile of olives from one stew, and then the festive fruits and nuts that adorned the other, i understand why i made my choices.) i should note that the lamb in the stew is “rustic,” so expect big hocks of meat and bone and fat. a warning to those who like a neat chop or a clean, lean kebob.

and another warning–or maybe its just advice. i was disheartened for a moment by the long queues at the different counters, but once it was time to dine, it wasn’t a problem to find a table. so whichever “traiteur” you fall hard for, stick around. it will be worth it.

at the traiteur libanais: he’s making homemade falafel

lamb tagine, with preserved lemons and olives…

tagine d’agneau (lamb) with prunes, raisins, almonds, cashews…

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marché des enfants rouges: 39 rue de bretagne, paris, 75003 (enter on rue charlot)

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all photos © anita aguilar

recipe: new york style crumb cake

it’s hard to find a better way to start the day than a fresh piece of crumb cake and a mug of coffee. my fantasy? someone wakes me up from a blissful slumber on a saturday around 10:00 with a nice little plate of two small pieces of crumb cakes, a cup of strong coffee with a little cream and sugar, and a big glass of water. i decided to take matters into my own hands and create a situation like this on a recent saturday. (ok, a few things were different. a) i woke up at 8 am because they are drilling outside of my apartment), and b) i made the crumb cake and by the time it was done, my coffee was gone. but still! this crumb cake was so delicious.

the recipe comes from the baked explorations cookbook, by matt lewis and renato poliafito, owners of baked bakery in red hook, brooklyn and charleston, south carolina. their version stays true to the iconic new york recipe, and it is perfectly graced with what i consider just the right amount of cinnamon.

the batter, before the crumb topping is put on it (it was a thick batter, and quite tasty)

the cinnamon sugar crumbs atop the batter, ready to go in the oven

the final product: moist cake with an extra crumbly, cinnamony topping

recipe courtesy of baked: explorations

makes and 8×8 sheet of crumb cake

*note – i halved this recipe and condensed the instructions

paris postcard: “window-licking” at thevenin

these bright delights inspired a detour during my morning stroll

thevenin looks fancy on the outside but i observed the interactions inside (while i plotted my indulgence). this isn’t merely a shop for elegant, special occasion macaron cakes,  it’s a breakfast/lunch stop for the well-heeled workers of montparnasse: you can pick up your ”regular” croissant, your daily baguette, or  sit at one of the few tables and have a café … or get something to go.

what kind of every day life lets you look at these to the left, and pick a cellophane-wrapped sandwich, a prepared green salad, or a yogurt from the right?

i think i’d like to find out.

all photos © anita aguilar

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ps. i picked up macarons and a delicious “chocolat religieuse”

paris postcard: rituals, recollections and a first day’s meals

champagne with the first meal, of course. at cafe le select, on boulevard du montparnasse.

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i hadn’t expected paris’ luxurious and long spring days–it was wonderful, but a little disorienting when it came to making and keeping dinner plans (the sky said 7, the clock said 9:30). by the time each day’s great writing was done,  and steve and i could meet at “home base” in montparnasse, we were already pushing the very strict dinner service hours (10, 10:30) at most restaurants in the area. we hit the late-night cafe circuit, but on a couple of occasions, dinner was a “picnic” at the hotel: sancerre, camembert, salami, a few nefles from spain (my first taste of japanese quince), all of which i’d picked up at the fine epicerie up the block.

this was, for a new yorker, the equivalent of shopping for dinner at a bodega on west 4th street. i was skeptical of the wine and the locally baked bread that owner sold to me–he’d offered me his last loaf of that saturday night. but he made good on his promise: the wine was nice and the bread was probably the best i’d had all trip–more “ciabatta” than baguette or french loaf, it was easy to pull into pieces, the dough more dense, slightly chewy and a touch sweet.

those “picnics” were among my favorite memories of the trip.

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first meal this time ’round, a simple plate at cafe le select…

favorite “neighborhood” wine shop: mi-fugue, mi-raisin

36/38 rue delambre, montparnasse

the epicerie was our backup plan–and a “fine” one to be sure–but if i could make it to mi fugue, mi-raisin in time, i was always happy to see serge, who in his warm and easy way would guide me toward a nice, reasonably-priced sancerre or cotes de bourg for us to enjoy during “hotel happy hour” (one of the best nightly rituals of this trip). he even uncorked the first few bottles he sold to me, before i decided to save him the trouble and buy a corkscrew.

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this guy is not my boyfriend, btw…but i wanted to sneak in a shot of the interior at le 20 de bellechasse. i love this tiny spot, with its red banquettes and the walls adorned with caricatures of celebrities and local clients. we sat at a table for two outside. folks next to us ordered some very fine-looking, rare steak and fries. but by that point in the evening, the-overnight-flight-straight-into-the-afternoon-at-the-orsay was catching up to us and we each only had enough room for something sweet. he had coffee ice cream; i ordered ananas, a wonderful chestnut cream, topped with creme fraiche, and coffee (which, as strong as it was, wasn’t quite enough)…

pretty pineapple at le 20 de bellechasse

lunch for 2: no. 7 sub at the ace hotel

fridays are great enough, without added bonus of an exciting lunch. but a recent sunny summer friday allowed me to take a break from my normal boring lunches and head down to no. 7 sub in the ace hotel.

the menu sounded spectacular. these subs were way more exciting than their sub-family peers. no turkey, lettuce and tomato here. how about general tso’s tofu? or what about the fried clams with pickled strawberries, roasted leek mayo and frisee. i really wanted to try every single on the menu, but since my stomach and wallet wouldn’t allow that, we settled on two: the zucchini parmesan and the short rib with coconut mayo.

the zucchini parmesan was my favorite (but only by a hair). the crusty, warm bread was packed with fried zucchini, melted fontina cheese and topped with pickled jalepenos (that gave the sandwich a great kick) and bbq chips.

next up was the short rib with coconut mayo. this sub wasn’t hot, and i have to say, if it was it may have won the winner award for the best sub. braised short rib sat upon a fresh roll with a daikon salad and an ample amount of delicious coconut mayo. 

you can probably tell by this photo, but these subs did not sit around for long, nor did we leave any crumbs behind. they were devoured in about 5 minutes, and as i sit here writing this, i am already planning my next visit. move over subway, no.7 sub is here.

no.7 sub is located in the ace hotel on broadway and 29th st.

pappa al pomodoro

i love soup. i could eat it all of the time, except, sometimes i find that i am hungry about an hour after i eat it. i’m always looking for more filling soup recipes. something hearty and relatively healthy,  something comforting and something that will hold me over until my next meal. enter: pappa pomodoro.

ina garten’s recipe is really simple to make, and it makes about 8 servings, so it’s perfect for a crowd (or in my case, for lunch for the next week). it’s also a great use for a somewhat stale loaf of bread! note: i omitted the pancetta in the topping, and the soup was still very flavorful.

pappa al pomodoro

serves 6 to 8

recipe courtesy ina garten’s back to basics

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
• 1 cup medium-diced carrots, unpeeled (3 carrots)
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and medium-diced (1 1/2 cups)
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
• 3 cups (1-inch) diced ciabatta cubes, crusts removed
• 2 (28-ounce) cans good italian plum tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

for the topping:

• 3 cups (1-inch) diced ciabatta cubes
• 2 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, chopped
• 24 to 30 whole fresh basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil, plus more for serving
• Salt and pepper

heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. add the onions,

carrots, fennel, and garlic and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until tender. add the ciabatta cubes and cook for 5 more minutes. place the tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process just until coarsely chopped. add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, basil, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and allow to simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.

meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

for the topping, place the ciabatta cubes, pancetta, and basil on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss well. cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, until all the ingredients are crisp. the basil leaves will turn dark and crisp, which is perfectly fine. reheat the soup, if necessary, beat with a wire whisk until the bread is broken up. stir in the parmesan and taste for seasoning. serve hot sprinkled with the topping and drizzled with additional olive oil.