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….

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)

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

i had been tossing around the idea of trying to make pavlova for months, but  i then stumbled upon donna hay’s recipe–doesn’t it look divine?–and  i looked at it every day, a few times a day, for a couple of weeks. i read the recipe over and over and over. there could be no more waiting. would it be possible for me and my sunbeam mixmaster 2485 hand mixer to turn out sky high meringue? i had to try.

and, as if i need one final “sign” to go for it: pavlova is a traditional australian dessert. this recipe find was made during one of my favorite tennis occasions, the first grand slam of the season – the australian open.

game on.

***

here’s the recipe, and the results of my grand slam experiment:

PAVLOVA – recipe and notes via donna hay at donnahay.com.au

• 150ml eggwhite (approximately 4 eggs)
• 1 cup (220g) caster (superfine) sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch), sifted
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 cup (250ml) single (pouring) cream
• ½ cup passionfruit pulp (approximately 4 passionfruit)
• 250g strawberries, hulled and halved

Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F). Place the eggwhite in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, whisking well, until the mixture is stiff and glossy.

Add the cornflour and vinegar and whisk until just combined. Shape the mixture into an 18cm round on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Reduce oven to 120°C (250°F) and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the pavlova to cool completely in the oven. Whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Spread over the pavlova, top with passionfruit and strawberries and serve immediately. Serves 8–10.

* You’ll know when the meringue is stiff and glossy because the mixture will have tripled in volume and stands up when the beaters are lifted.

* The low heat puffs up the meringue while the long cooking time dries it out to give you a lovely crisp shell.

* Store your pavlova, undressed, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

***

some notes from me : i “settled” for the regular granulated sugar that i had in my cupboard, rather than the super fine stuff. it worked just fine.

i couldn’t find single pouring cream. i researched the equivalent: light cream. but i couldn’t manage to thicken it (now i have a cup of  very well-aerated light cream for the morning coffee). i ended up using regular heavy cream. it didn’t weigh down or overpower the meringue as i feared it might–after all, it’s only 1 cup– so don’t worry about trying to find “single pouring” stuff. (but if you have tips on how to make the light cream into a thick cream, i’d love to know…)

the vinegar: i was a little alarmed that the smell of a mere 2 teaspoons of vinegar would linger after i put the meringue in the oven. i consulted other recipes, including the joy of cooking, and their measurements for both the vinegar and cornstarch were all different, but none had as many as 2 teaspoons. was it a misprint? but no reason to fear: ms. hay’s measurements worked perfectly.

ah, the advantage of using a hand mixer: you can feel the consistency of the egg whites change.

i have the same problem with holding the mixer that i used to have with a tennis racquet: the death grip. it makes sense, really. in tennis and baking–especially if you’re relatively new to it– feel is important. the tighter your grip, the less feel you have. i never quite mastered it in tennis (woe is my serve), but it’s easy with baking — i feel the tension right away and  just remind myself not to “muscle it.”  and just as i imagine it would be so in tennis,  it’s much easier on my arm. i can feel the egg whites build and start to pull away.

this is the fun part: loosen your grip enough, your mixer will make crazy whorls and striations. meringue art.

i made the meringue twice. both times the mixture felt great — thick, yet spreadable and easy to shape. both of my 10 inch wide circles looked flat in comparison to ms. hay’s, so i worried that  they would turn out not quite right.

(they rose a bit in the oven…)

one thing that makes pavlova a perfect winter dessert: it needs to bake for about an hour and 20 minutes.

you’ll also need to leave it in the oven for as long as it take for your oven to cool down.

i kept the precise baking temperature and time that was recommended.

(based on my experience this weekend: after you’ve turned off the timer at 1 hour, 20 minutes, don’t let yourself be so distracted by the pretty thing that you forget to turn off the oven.)

with both attempts–the over-baked and the proper-baked –the meringue was no longer pure white when it came out of the oven–i wondered if that meant it was overdone? (there’s lots of wondering with a first try at a recipe, isn’t there?)

***

here’s mine, fully-dressed: maybe not sky-high, but pretty heavenly to taste…

my worrying had been for naught. the meringue that i overbaked was pretty good, the one that i baked properly was exactly as i’d remember it should taste (possibly better): a crisp, crumbly, sugary shell, and a marshmallow-y middle. the cream mellows the intensity of the sugar. the tart strawberries are the necessary foil.

the origin of pavlova is disputed: both new zealand and australia developed recipes at around the same time in the late 1920s, and each recipe is said to have been inspired by the ballerina anna pavlova, who toured the region at the time. the russian ballerina — known perhaps most famously for her role as “the dying swan” — endeared herself to audiences with her “frail, etheral look” — and whether you trust wikipedia or not, based on how this dessert turns out, the name makes some sense.

it’s easy to get carried away in the eating. four of us ate half of one in a sitting and probably could have finished the whole thing had we not chosen the route of restraint.

we finished the rest of the batch the next day.

it cheered us a bit (ok, me especially) after watching our favorite player give a full-hearted, all-the-strength-he-could-muster performance during a historic 5-hour and 53 minute battle for the men’s championship, and fall short of a victory.

but i was cheered even more by his words and other wise musings on the match.

he’ll be back next year — and i’ll make the pavlova again, for sure. it’s going to be my australian open tradition. i’m pretty confident both will be better in 2013, but in any case, we will “enjoy.”

(if you try making this, i hope you will enjoy, too.)

***

all photos (except donna hay’s perfect pavlova) © anita aguilar

***

photo © anita aguilar

a bouquet, at a clean well-tended bar

a bloody mary, with bite

simple charm

crisp, de-”light”-ful ricotta fritters

goat cheese bread pudding.

savory bread puddings seem to have eluded me to this point, but now there’s no turning back.

the goat cheese seems perfect here:  it allows the “custard” to keep its lightness, but its flavor is assured.

***

photos © anita aguilar

i like lunching at the brindle room. i like it so much that after my first visit with my cousins, during that sleepy week between christmas and the start of the new year, i made a date for the very next day. special times.

i can report a few things: that the green salad with shaved beets (with stilton and lemon vinaigrette) was more vibrant and zesty than the roasted beets (too soft from overcooking, too wet with vinaigrette). that the marinated steak, had wonderful flavors but the cuts on my sandwich were too big and too gristly to digest (forcing an inelegant, but sly “napkin trick.” hopefully i pulled it off?). the three-herb chicken was tender–though even better reheated later in the evening (the servings are generous there).

the only thing “wrong” with the chicken, is that it’s not…a burger. the brindle serves a mean burger. buttery meat, melted cheese and caramelized onions. if you have any inclination toward beef, you must order it.

another must-have, if they are available at the time of your visit: the donuts.

a double comfort food, they are made with mashed potatoes…the cake is crisp on the outside, soft and sweet inside. are “donuts are the new cupcake”? i don’t know. one thing is sure: these will endure, beyond any trend.

***

the brindle has given me a new winter obsession: mulled wine.

why do my winter nights not have more of this stuff?

the donuts (they’re like a dream)

chocolate-hazelnut w/ almonds donut

powdered sugar donut

caramel donut

***
the brindle room is at 277 east 10th street, between first and avenue a.

wonder city — their breakfast “alter ego” opens mon-friday at 9am; sat & sun at 11am.

reservations through their site /open table.

(let’s meet for dinner…)

***

all photos © anita aguilar

lunch at pinches tacos:

i started out at pinche’s tacos, a local (and almost fast-food like) taco joint, with multiple locations in the city. i ordered the carnitas and the al pastor, and both were incredible. tons of flavor and some spice, with just light toppings on the wonderfully flavored meats. and who doesn’t love a squeeze of lime to top it off?

breakfast at huckleberry’s: a must

one of the highlights of my trip was the breakfast at huckleberry’s in santa monica. one bite of their breakfast burrito and maple bacon biscuit and i was in heaven. that biscuit is savory, sweet, crunchy, salty and doughy all at once. yes, please.

lunch at umami burger:

this is the classic umami burger: beef patty,  shiitake mushroom, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, parmesan crisp, umami ketchup. super juicy and an absolutely excellent burger. so what if i made a mess of myself (stain still on shirt) after one bite?

pizza mozza: snack

i heard from more people about pizza mozza than i did any other place in L.A. – the mario batali/nancy silverton pizza joint really has a cult following, and we soon learned why. that dough is so puffy and crispy, and you can actually taste how simple and fresh each topping and ingredients is. if i weren’t so stuffed, i might have even ordered a second pie. if i did, i think it would have been a tie between the squash blossoms, tomato & burrata pie and the funghi pie with taleggio and fontina. i wish they delivered to new york…

jen and sheena

garlicky grilled portobellos

beets, baby

greens, too

jason

pork!

real swedish (ikea) meatballs, with (homemade) mushroom gravy

“the prime”

big plating

prime perfection

tita celia

the catch

mini carrot cakes

sweet tray

now it’s traditional: tita celia’s coconut cream pie

***

photos © anita aguilar

(wait, does momofuku milk bar count? i love the cookies long time.)

ok, then: i’ve had my first dinner, at the midtown má pêche. it was an ideal circumstance: a big family who likes to share– and treat. (thank you, family)

our waitress forgot to bring us the crispy pig’s head but believe it or not we were so taken with the brussels sprouts (a game-changer) and the broccoli salad that we didn’t notice until the whole meal was done and dusted. everyone was pleased and impressed by the dishes, with all the funky flourishes (especially the seaweed), except for one of the desserts (we’d have done better to stop by the milk bar upstairs).

here are some photos and a few notes:

calamansi juice

johnny’s margarita: tequila blanco, lime, agave, absinthe. delicious, but is this why i woke up every 2 hours and had 8 crazy dreams?

broccoli salad (satur farms, ny) – smoked raisin, mayo, seaweed. call it the missionary salad: this will convert the greens-and-broccoli-non-believers.

lamb corn dog

piedmontese sirloin (fossil farms, mt) –  with eggs.

brussels sprouts

lamb (niman ranch) – cauliflower, plum, curry

steak frites (creekstone farm, ks) – 12 oz ‘juliet’ cut, rice fries. the table was split over the rice fries. but i thought they were wonderful. now that i’ve had them, i can’t believe i haven’t had them before. it’s really the same idea as cassava fries (only much lighter) or a rice ball, without the rich cheese to bind it.

pork chop (bev eggleston, va) – apple-choucroute, potato, ramp

striped bass (montauk, ny) – mushrooms, miso, bone marrow

done…

and done.

until:

chocolate ganache

and a sadly overripe, over-roasted banana. (perhaps the only unlucky turn of the evening.)