Sydney in the City

Right, well, to say that I had the time of my life in NYC would be putting it pretty lightly, I'd say. I HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFE. Even when it was down pouring, even when it was so hot that we felt like we were walking in slow motion. I wouldn't change a second of it. And it sure is true what they say: that city certainly never sleeps. Maybe I would've changed that actually; Maybe we could've slept a smidgen more.

I got there pretty much on time Thursday afternoon, and that evening my best friend Tori whisked me to dinner at Alice's Tea Cup, which was just like a dream, really. If you're even remotely a fan of Alice in Wonderland, then you'll love this cafe's nod to a classic. Everything is very kitschy and weird in the best way, with waitresses in vintage dress, and tables with doll heads in them. I loved it, I loved the huge tea selection, and the FOOD. The food was TOPS. It was the perfect kick-off to my big summer adventure...until it started to rain.

And not just any rain, my friend. Oh no. Hurricane rain. And as a woman of color I must tell you: water and hair are mortal enemies when it isn't bath time. And because my little umbrella refused to be our big protector from the elements, Tori and I ran to the closest Duane Reade for both shelter, and emergency ponchos. And I'll tell ya, those glorified saran-wrap sacks with hoods actually served us well. Sure, we got horrified stares from the pretty fashionistas on the F train, but we were relatively dry. And we just couldn't stop laughing all the way home.

We were fortunate enough to stay at a little B & B in Brooklyn, so we got to do some exploring. On Saturday we decided to grab a quick breakfast at a nice cafe called Ted and Honey where we got breakfast sandwiches that were positively divine. I never would've thought to eat a leafy green salad for breakfast, but in New York, I'm up for anything. Afterwards we decided to semi-surpise my other best friend at work, then take a very wet stroll around the East Village. Tori was dying to catch at least a bit of the Germany/France game, so we ducked into a nearby bar with plenty of open tables.

We spent the Fourth of July on top of my friend Devin's rooftop mainly saying "excuse me" to the millions of hipsters joining us, and commenting on how terrible we thought the band playing was. We saw the Fireworks from the Brooklyn Bridge though, and that made it much better.

Saturday was spent the exact way it should be: with your best friends, having a makeshift picnic in Central Park with items you find from Trader Joe's, and laughing until you cried. We were supposed to meet up with our other friends that afternoon, but got there a bit early. To kill the time, Tori took me to one of her favorite cookie shops, which she's been excited to take me to for months. If you've never been to Levain Bakery, then you haven't tasted the decadence that is a gourmet cookie. This place has it made, let me tell you. It's this tiny hole-in-the-wall that you might probably pass right by, but you wouldn't, because the line is constantly out the door. There are only a few selections of cookies, and only cookies, and it's WORTH IT. Must try.

Later that afternoon I corralled the group into coming with me to The High Line, an old train track that has been repurposed into a totally excellent park. It's got trees and vine tunnels, and plenty of benches, and amazing views. It doesn't take you long to get from end to end, but there's so much to see and do. And if you get peckish, there's a nice little indoor gourmet food court for you to enjoy along the way.

After we left the High Line, everyone was up for drinks, so they took me to the Art Bar, which is the type of place that you would expect in New York if you've ever watched Friends. It's cozy and intimate, and there are sofas and throw pillows everywhere. The drinks are delicious, and the music was constantly on point. 

We spent the rest of the night wandering around the West Village, admiring all the designer storefronts, and even making it to Katz's Deli! I didn't get a chance to order a sandwich (I'd stopped earlier at Bleecker Street Pizza for a quick slice), but that didn't stop me from taking a billion pictures and making the patrons by the window super uncomfortable. Hey, par for the course if you want to sit near the entrance and people-watch.

Sunday's breakfast was by far the dreamiest. We ventured to Provence en Boîte in Carroll Gardens' Restaurant Row, and as soon as we stepped inside, it felt like we'd just left New York and entered a little French cafe. It's rustic and chic, and French casual, always with a hint of sophistication. And when one is in a sophisticated French cafe, one must always order French press coffee. One simply must. Our waiter was also outstandingly hilarious and friendly, so that was a plus. As the swift breeze flowed in and out of the windows, blowing the flags up and down with the warm breeze, Tori and I felt compelled to give in to the magic, and order dishes as sophisticated as the atmosphere: For Tori, Eggs Florentine, and Eggs Benedict for me. Both OUT OF THIS WORLD. And perhaps I say that a lot, but I MEAN IT. My eggs were so good, and the brioche so fluffy, that I was slightly disappointed that it had ended so soon.

We got to see an old High School best chum of mine for thirty minutes later that afternoon which was lovely. It was sad that the time was so short, but after five years, we'll take it! I promised I'd be back and we'd do something spectacular then anyway. After, we went to a pet store called Puppies where I got Oscar an ADORABLE "I Heart NY" hooded sweatshirt that I know he (re: my mother and myself) will love.

That night Tori took me on my first trip to Williamsburg where the mustaches and beards are plenty, and there is always the threat of a sculpting-wax shortage. I loved it. It reminded me of Allston, honestly. But far, far more expensive.

We had dinner at this totally awesome restaurant and biergarten called Radegast, where the authentic German beer flows freely and the waiters speak with faint German accents. Tori had beet latkes with the best goat cheese aioli that I've ever tasted (I hadn't had any prior, so my opinion is high), and I had Swiss Chard and Beet Pieorgies. Devin ordered lamb bratwurst with Sauerkraut, and since I'm from the Midwest, I couldn't stop myself from trying a giant bite. The prices are great, the food is good, and it really feels like there's a little bit of Germany residing in Brooklyn.

We ended up staying out WELLL into Monday morning, which made parting a little groggy and way too quick. But we all got dressed and ready in record time, let me tell you. I grabbed a great fried egg breakfast sandwich from a kiosk in Bryant Park, and I was on my way back to Beantown.

I've just now finished my last B'Day truffle from Momofuku Milk Bar, and now it really feels like my dream adventure is officially over. But all is well. If I didn't leave, I wouldn't appreciate just how special these moments truly are. Miss you already, but I'll be back.

Count on it.

Adventures in Recipe Testing: The Beginning of a New Baking Chapter

There comes a time in every young baker's life when he or she has watched enough food-related shows on television and Netflix and decides that maybe it's time to start creating recipes of their very own...

...That time for me came nine months ago, but for the sake of this post, we'll say that it didn't officially start until this weekend.

We've got brand new neighbors upstairs that just moved in about a week and a half ago. In our building, there aren't a ton of units, so for me, it's important that I get to know everyone. The last time I made an introduction with new neighbors, I made doughnuts. Those seemed to be a crowd-pleaser then, so I decided, "You know what? Why break what isn't broken? Doughnuts again it is!" But I didn't want to just make the same doughnuts that I made last time because that makes it a little less special. Instead, I tried to think of things that would compliment the vanilla base, yet still allow it to be unique and creative. I also wanted to dye the glaze a different color, but I'm not always so keen on using food coloring. Then it hit me: what about a strawberry glaze? You get the strawberry flavor, and when mixed with the white glaze, a great color! So I set to work.

It's always such a breeze putting these babies together. I love that I didn't even have to use my mixer. Clean-up is never fun, so the less I use, the better it is.

Twelve of these round rings of deliciousness later, it was time to start working on a glaze from scratch. No help from other recipes, just pure experimentation.

Initially, I tried to think of a way to get the strawberry juice, but none of the pulp. (I suppose you could call it pulp, right?) So I thought about putting the frozen strawberries into a colander, then mashing them up with something to get the juice, and nothing but the juice. But that didn't work out so well at all. The colander's holes were a little too big for such an experiment, and I ended up just straining through mashed strawberry. Then I decided to strain it through a paper towel to at least TRY to get some of the juice, but that was worse. Finally, I decided that the glaze was the exact color that I wanted, so, so what? It's a glaze infused with fruit, and I should just own it.

And "own it" I did! I dipped each doughnut into the glaze, then let it sit for about thirty minutes in the refrigerator. 

And I have to say it: It was a pretty great success!

Looking back, there just a few things I would change. For starters, in the doughnut recipe, I was afraid that if I added nutmeg, it might compete with the strawberry flavor. But as I bit into it, I realized that it needed something. So next time, maybe just a little nutmeg. Secondly, I needed WAY more strawberries. The flavor was more subtle that I would've liked. In my opinion, if you're going to say it's a strawberry glaze, it better deliver that strawberry with a punch. And third, maybe add some decoration. I added red sprinkles afterwards which seemed like a good idea at the time, until I realized that when red sprinkles get a little moist, they start to bleed. It messed up my colors!

But my neighbors loved the gesture, and brought us "Thank You" brownies the very next day, special-delivered by THE CUTEST DOG EVER, Piper!

This is the start of a beautiful friendship.

And a beautiful adventure, making my own recipes.

Happy Tuesday, guys!

P.S. It's snowing and sleeting today. What's going on in your neck of the woods?

So, Let's Talk About Cheesecake.

Two words for you: Pumpkin. Cheesecake. My roommates and I were throwing a little "At the Coffeehouse" themed shindig, and since it was my idea, I wanted to make something appropriate for fall, and fancy! So, pumpkin cheesecake was a no-brainer.  And let me tell you: it was actually (relatively) easy!

So here was my day:

Making the DELICIOUS FILLING was pretty interesting. Tons of sour cream, and lots of pureed pumpkin. I would also like to add that I did all of this before I had my baby (my KitchenAid Hand Mixer). The mixing probably took a good 20 minutes. Now that my hand mixer is around, making this in the future will be a quick breeze! (And my wrist won't feel like it's about to fall off.)

A few things I learned about crusts:

1. When the directions say to use a specific size pan, do what you're told. This crust is meant for a 9 x 13 size pan, but all we had was 7 X 10. We had one very thick crust.

2, Make sure your rolling space is NICE AND FLOURED. If not, it WILL stick:

Et voila, the final product:

Since this was the beginning of my Baking Adventures, I cheated and bought cream cheese frosting to spread on the top.

A Few Things I Learned About Frosting Cheesecake:

1. You have to wait until the cake filling is frozen.

2. If you don't wait until the filling is frozen, spreading the frosting is like spreading frosting onto very creamy soup. Also, you will misjudge how much frosting you need, and you'll put too much.

3. Just wait until it's frozen.

I topped off the top with Pumpkin Pie Spice (who even knew there was such a thing? Everyone else, apparently).

It was delicious. DELICIOUS. And I was so proud of myself for making my first dessert with lasting power!

And oh yeah, here's the recipe from Serious Eats!

Ingredients

Makes 24 bars, active time 1 hour, total time 4 hours, including cooling

• For the Sweet Pastry Dough
• 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
• 1 large egg
• For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 3⁄4 cup pumpkin puree (see page 100)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 large eggs
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup pecans, toasted (page 19), coarsely chopped (optional)

Procedures

1.  For the Sweet Pastry Dough

   Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan. Line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper and butter the parchment.

2.  Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the butter and pulse until sandy (6 to 10 quick pulses). In a small bowl, whisk the egg and add it to the food processor. Pulse just until the dough begins to hold together (if the dough seems exceedingly dry and crumbly, add a teaspoon of water and pulse again). Form the dough into a disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
3.  Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle slightly larger than 9 by 13 inches (the size of the pan) and about 1⁄4 inch thick. The dough might be sticky, so turn it with a bench knife or spatula as needed and keep the work surface floured. Some people find it easier to roll the dough between two layers of parchment paper—this can make it less messy and easier to transfer to the pan.
4.  Ever so gently, guide the dough into the pan and lightly press it—without pulling—into the bottom; it is not necessary to bring the dough up the sides of the pan, only to completely cover the bottom of the pan. Trim off any excess. Place the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.
5.  Preheat the oven to 375°F.
6.  Remove the pan from the freezer, line it with aluminum foil, and fill it three-quarters full with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and bake for another 10 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

7.  For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

   In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed just until it is lump free and smooth. Do not overbeat or the tops of the bars may crack. Add the sugar and beat again until well combined, about 2 minutes.

8.  In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vanilla bean paste, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. Add this mixture to the cream cheese mixture and beat on medium-low speed until completely combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat until the mixture is smooth. Note: This batter is slightly looser than the average cheesecake batter.
9.  Pour the mixture over the crust and bake for 23 to 30 minutes, or until the bars are set and slightly puffy (if the tops start to crack, the bars are overbaked). Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and allow the bars to come to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it is completely smooth. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until smooth (be careful not to overbeat the frosting or it will lose its structure). The frosting can be made a day ahead: after mixing, cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate; let it soften to room temperature before using.
2.  Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting evenly across the top of the filling layer. If you like, sprinkle the pecans evenly over the top of the frosting. Place the bars in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set before cutting and serving.

The bars can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.

Happy Baking!