p & h sodas: the incredible, indelible egg cream

i enjoyed my first ever egg cream on saturday at the valentine’s gift shop and soda fountain, courtesy of anton and p & h soda co.

i owe a debt (a drink?) to patrick and tyler of the bent spoon who noticed how disarrayed i was by all the tempting choices and patiently talked me through the merits of the different egg creams and shakes.  i came close to a rendezvous with an orange egg shake (it’s like a creamsicle, they said. and i’m guessing it would far exceed my childhood memory. hard to resist). but in the end, i went with the toasted almond, with candy cap mushroom egg cream. the chance of finding that flavor on a menu elsewhere seemed slim.

despite their talking me through it, i was having trouble picturing the egg cream. my mind saw a fizzy shake, made with toasted almond ice cream, with bits of chocolate “mushroom” candies–something like the guylian chocolate sea shells –floating about.

but what anton created was lighter and more subtle than i’d imagined it would be. the soda cut the richness of the milk, and the flavors seemed to come in waves:  first, a bit of nuttiness, then sweetness, but then a bass line that i couldn’t quite get.

until anton reminded me: mushroom.

right: candy cap mushrooms aren’t candy, after all.

i marveled at the inventiveness of the drink. anton revealed that the idea of incorporating the mushroom was inspired by a dessert he enjoyed during a recent trip to california. his technique: steam the mushrooms with the milk so it picks up just a hint of their natural sweetness and earthiness. he amplifies the flavors with the toasted almond syrup.

i’m not actually sure how much i love egg creams–i’d like to try a good chocolate one–but i was fascinated and impressed by the exotic one that was my first.

p & h sodas and syrups are handcrafted in in brooklyn. if you visit their blog, you’ll see the list of retail shops where bottled syrups and sodas can be purchased and restaurants who serve them. bottled sodas can also be ordered online.

not candy caps–just pretty candies….

lovin spoonfuls: the valentine’s gift shop and…the bent spoon

it was a miscalculation to visit the valentine’s gift shop & soda fountain early in the day (and on a relatively full stomach). but this is new york — when it comes to any worthwhile event, unless you’re endowed with or pay for VIP access, you’ve got to get in on the action early. maybe this is true for metro dwellers, worldwide? anyway, this seems especially true for food events. there’s pushing and waiting and waiting and waiting and, worst of all, the “sorry, we’re all out of that” retort. even when they break the news nicely, it’s a bummer.

i wasn’t familiar with the event or the space itself, so it seemed best to get there shortly after the 11am open.

the venue was small, with room enough for 13 or so vendors and their wares. there were a few countertops where you could set down a coffee and a snack. but it was tight quarters, especially with everyone so puffed up and swaddled in winter layers. so, “early” was smart. but i should have skipped the morning bagel (and probably the aloo paratha and samosas the night before). i would have liked to load up on the savories and sweets from pie corps. i deeply regret missing their smores pie. i’ll have to hope they return to the seaport when the new amsterdam market is in full swing this summer, or otherwise stalk them in bk.

i did have a little room for a few other treats–one can always make room for a few tastes of artisan ice cream, no? and perhaps a fresh egg cream?

so, this will be the first of a few posts to celebrate what i sampled at the valentine’s gift shop and soda fountain — and am happy to highly recommend, starting with:

meet patrick and tyler, who were there representing the bent spoon.

they didn’t really need to twist my arm to sample their artisan ice creams–”ri-cuddle me” ricotta ice cream? (yes!) oh, it was beautifully balanced: a delicate cheese and cream blend (jersey dairy, all the way) and with a surprise of bright citrus notes.

the “strawberry mascarpone”: a thicker, heavier weight, if memory serves. i’ve had ice creams, commercial and homemade, that strive for a cheesecake flavor. but i didn’t realize how imperfect the others were, until i tried the bent spoon’s version.

the “i’m-slightly-bitter chocolate” : apropos to the valentine’s holiday? pshaw! this gently chocolately, creamy goodness could make even the most lovelorn and the deepest cynics feel a little “warmer” on the inside…

how cute are the cones?

but i opted for a few take home pints, the better to share lovin’ spoonfuls:

figs! if you love them (as i do) tyler says this will blow us away…

(you knew there was more ri-cuddling to be done…)

this one sounds exotic, no? patrick said that this is best, drizzled with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. in fact, he said, that if i wasn’t going to try it that way, then i probably shouldn’t bother…

i believe that was a throwdown.

i accepted.

i am looking forward to sharing these soon. and will definitely report back…

i love the small touches they add to these pints–who says penmanship is a lost art?

the folks at bent spoon work closely with local dairies and farms in nj for all their ice creams and desserts. if you live in or will be near the princeton area, you should treat yourself with a few scoops (or pints).

***

the bent spoon is at

35 palmer square w
princeton, nj 08542

(and hopefully this summer, they’ll be back at the new amsterdam market? to stay in-the-know, follow them on twitter /fb)

kitchen adventure: daniel holzman’s sloppy lamb

the cannibal's "sloppy lamb"

when the new york weather was cool, but mild enough to enjoy lunch outside (not this recent glorious tuesday. i mean, back in october) allison and i convened at mad square eats where we met casey, of  the cannibal. he prepared for us a memorably delicious and hearty sloppy lamb sandwich.

casey!

how cute is he, in his "stackhouse" jersey?

the sloppy stuff and i go way back.

in elementary school, one of my classmates –let’s call her miss b– would bring manwiches for lunch.

i want to say she had them every day –that’s what it seemed like to me, anyway. but surely any and every time she sat across from me it was the most terrible torture. not that her actual sandwich inspired envy — a modest amount of manwich, spread between two slices of untoasted white bread (never a bun, so that the sauce would soak through. the whole thing transformed into a mottled orange mess as she cuddled it.) she ate with a creepy, finger-licking gusto– the scene was an appetite suppressant, really. but i could separate the experience of watching her with my understanding of the thing itself: a saucy ground meat fest. i wanted my own.

a short time later, i started cooking on my own, using the “i can cookbook” by sophie kay (which i still have). sloppy joes (or, in ms. kay’s volume “the texas dean”) were what i made best and most often. i overstuffed mine (that is, when i bothered to eat it properly, with bread).

i hadn’t made a single one since…the 80s? but casey and the cannibal’s “grown-up” lamb version got me thinking…

i found a recipe online. this source has meat-cred: daniel holzman, of the the meatball shop .

here’s how it turned out:

I ate it (with gusto) every day for a week.

hope you’ll try it and like it, too:

Lamb Sloppy Joes

Recipe by Daniel Holzman, chef of The Meatball Shop via men’s health

What You’ll Need:
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb shoulder
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 bell peppers (green, yellow, and red), seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbsp paprika
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
pinch of cayenne
3 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup white wine
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp brown sugar
8 brioche or kaiser buns, toasted
How to Make It:
1. In a large pot, sauté the lamb in the olive oil over high heat, stirring frequently until browned and beginning to crisp, about 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the lamb from the pan and reserve , being careful to leave any oil and rendered fat in the pot.
2. Lower the heat to medium, add the vegetables and spices to the pan and continue to cook, stirring frequently until soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine, vinegar, sugar, 1/2 cup water, salt, and reserved lamb. Bring the stew to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook until thickened, about 30 minutes. Serve on buns.

***

ps. i chose to make this without the red, green, and yellow peppers — i made a side salad with good greens instead.

***

photos © anita aguilar