News!

Well, just yesterday I was published. Yes, published. Not in a huge way, but it is a start, and quite exciting. Recently I have fallen in love with Biscoff products. For those of you who don't already know, Biscoff cookies are the small biscuits that you receive on airlines. In addition to these cookies though, Biscoff also makes a spread, among other products. The spread is my favorite guilty pleasure, and I sadly cannot get enough. In March, I came up with the brilliant idea of making caramel with the spread. Using a traditional caramel recipe, I stirred a large clump of the Biscoff spread into the caramel, and words could not describe this. The caramel was so unbelievably...unbelievable, that it could have just been devoured off of a spoon. Nonetheless, I had cheesecake to put it on, which was obviously a perfect companion. I wanted to share the link and recipe to this creation with you all though. Both are listed below:

http://biscoffblog.com/recipes/biscoff-caramel/

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/3 cup Biscoff Spread

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, stir the sugar, water, and corn syrup over a medium to medium-low flame until the sugar has dissolved completely. Raise the heat until the syrup boils. There is no need to stir the syrup until it turns a deep amber color, but swirling the saucepan prevents burns. Also, occasionally it helps to brush down the sides of pan with a wet pastry brush. Remember, the syrup must always be monitored. This will take anywhere from 5-10 minutes, depending on what kind of stove you are working on.
2. Remove the syrup from the heat and pour in the cream, being very careful not to get splattered when the mixture bubbles up. The sugar syrup will congeal and not absorb the cream right away, but turn the heat onto low and soon the mixture will become homogenous and turn into caramel.
3. Keeping the flame low, add the Biscoff Spread and stir to dissolve. Poor into a gravy boat or sauce dish, and prepare to fall in love.

Recipe courtesy of Sydney Wood

All that being said, I made my first lattice top this week. For the fourth, I thought no dessert to be more fitting, than cherry pie. I chose a Bon Appetit recipe titled, "Classic Sour Cherry Pie with Lattice Crust". The recipe had received all sorts of rave reviews and awards, so I figured that I couldn't go wrong. That being said, after two hours of fastidiously putting together the pie, it went into the oven, and came out golden brown and bubbly. The taste was great, and the crust was really something to take to the bank. I served the pie with goat cheese ice cream. I thought that goat cheese would be a perfect pairing, and it was. Tasting nothing like goat cheese, except for the slight tangy flavor, the ice cream resembled the taste of cheesecake. So good! The pie, and the ice cream for the majority, was well received. I also must say, I was very proud of my endeavors with the lattice. It was beautiful.

A French Icon

With its new found popularity, the French macaron is considered the new cupcake. In my opinion though, the two never could compare. Cupcakes are all good and well, but what do you get in a cupcake that you can't get in cake? The answer is nothing, except maybe portion control if your lucky. The macaron however, is something that compares to nothing else. The outside consists of a crispy, melt-in-your-mouth outer shell, while the middle contains the creamy filling, whatever it may be. Somehow, these two ingredients manage to become one, unlike cupcakes, which are clearly frosting plus cake. The macaron's outer meringue shell works together with the filling sandwiched within. I have made these cookies three times now, and feel pretty confident with my abilities, although I would prefer my outer shell to me firmer. For my recipe, I used a multitude of sources and did a lot of research prior. Essentially, all the methods are the same, but the techniques and quirks surrounding this petite cookie, vary just about as much as the flavors they can possess. I for one, am a huge advocate of aging my egg whites. I chose to age mine for forty-eight hours and leave them at room temperature for a good six hours before using them to bake. I also swear by weighing the ingredients. Some people insist on almond flour for the cookie, while others say to grind your own almonds. Although it is a lot more work, I have had better luck with grinding my own. Nonetheless, the process of making a macaron is not easy, and requires a lot of attention. This is not something that you can just pop in the oven and leave, you have to constantly plan for your next step, and prepare all of the ingredients before you even start. The put-together is time consuming, but worth it for the product. All the sifting of the powdered sugar and almond meal is a tedious job, and trying to decipher whether or not your sugar/almond mixture is folded enough, too little, or too much into the whipped egg whites can be difficult as well. It is truly all about studying and experience though, and I have certainly just begun my journey. Aside from this though, I absolutely adore making them, and I also love how much of a blank canvas they are for flavors. It also doesn't hurt that they are absolutely scrumptious!

I made macaron's for my mother's dear friend, and they came out lovely. Here are a couple of pictures and the flavor description of them...

Flavor #1: Pistachio Cookie with Pistachio Butter Cream

Flavor #2: Maple Cookie with Biscoff Spread Filling(The best flavor)

Flavor #3: Almond Cookie with Raspberry Butter Cream

Flavor #4: Chocolate Cookie with Chocolate Ganache

The macaron is so finicky, and takes a lot of practice. As you can see in my photo, some of the cookies appear cracked, while others are smooth and look fine. This is due to the cooking time. A matter of seconds, can take your macarons from undercooked, to perfectly cooked, to overcooked. You can even watch them overcook before your eyes, but it is often times, too late. I am proud of my progress so far, but rest assured, there will definitely be round 2, and 3, and 4. 

About time...

Well, after a long hiatus from the blogosphere, I am back with a whole slew of new desserts. I would like to begin by saying, that the past few weeks of not writing have aggravated me immensely, so this evening I have finally felt compelled enough to document one of the recipes that I have created during the absence.

A short time ago, my family and I hosted a birthday party for a dear friend. It was just a small crowd, but knowing my mother and I, the food was carefully thought out and in abundance to say the least. As usual, I was put in charge of desserts, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing being, is I absolutely love to bake. The bad thing, is that I am such an indecisive person, that all the magazines, websites, ideas, television shows, cookbooks, and menus make my decision making process a resolute nightmare. For this particular occasion, I thought that I would bypass this step, and the recipe choosing process would be a breeze. Although it started out that way, it certainly didn't end in the same fashion. Starting at the very beginning...

A week or so prior to the celebration, I was given a list of likes and dislikes by the birthday girl. Absolutely NO CHOCOLATE, and Carrot and Red Velvet weren't favorites either. With so little left to choose from, this was going to be a piece of cake right? Wrong. My initial plan, was to do Strawberry Cake with the lovely local strawberries we were getting, next I moved on to White Cake with Raspberry Filling and Vanilla Buttercream, following that it was an Almond Génoise with Raspberry Buttercream, moving onto complete and utter brain fry. Yes, my brain was shot. I had decided and re-decided so many times that I could honestly decide no more. My mother was sick of my endless debates regarding the pro's and con's of each cake, and I was in agony (epicurean agony, that is...totally self-inflicted). I decided to step away and devote my thoughts to other things.

4 Days Before the Party: I return to the cake matters with a much better attitude and an idea in my head. At the beginning of my search, I had fallen in love with a cake that required a copious amount of orange flower honey. Living in a not very food oriented town, I figured this find to be completely out of reach, so I abandoned the idea. Well, on a trip to the health food store a few days later, I stumbled upon orange flower honey with great excitement. Of course, I had to have it, but not at that time did I fully realize how I could utilize the honey. Once I arrived home, I was immediately brought back to this cake. Still cake-less, I took the discovery of the honey as a good omen, and forced myself into deciding right then and there, that I would make the cake that required the honey.

The cake was from Bon Appetit Desserts, and was titled "Apricot-Pistachio Torte with Honey Buttercream". Now, not exactly your typical birthday cake, but this was an adult party, so I figured that a grown-up birthday cake was appropriate. Also, this multiple step, challenge hadn't been documented in picture or reviews yet, so I was really taking my chances. I got the bee in my bonnet though, and begun the preparations. that began three days ahead of time.

On the first day, I made the Glazed Apricots. This required combining dried apricots, the honey, some sugar, and water in a small saucepan, and cooking them until they became syrupy and glossy. My first try was a failure, because I let them get too syrupy (way to syrupy, actually), so they caramelized and became adhered to my pan. On the second try, I came out with something much more like the recipe entailed; glossy, plump apricots still surrounding in the liquid they had cooked in. It technically didn't say to, but I opted to reserve this shimmery gold liquid, seeing that it tasted so wonderful, and possibly use it for who knows what.

Day two came, and it was time to make apricot preserves. The instruction for this step were essentially the same as making the glazed apricots, but instead of leaving them whole, I obviously pureed them with an immersion blender. The finished product was delicious, and the remains are still being used to glaze pork tenderloin.

Day three, or party day, was a hectic one. I had my SAT's on this day, and the weight of this cake was really pressing on my shoulders. With the uncertainty of the whole thing, I bought a boxed cake mix, just to be on the safe side.

After finishing my testing, I raced home to begin my preparation. I started with the cake. It was your classic génoise cake, and used ground pistachios in place of some of the flour. I folded egg whites into batters, melted butter into more batter, measured, calculated and made sure I followed the directions exactly. When finished preparing the parchment paper lined baking sheet, the complicated batter, and making sure everything else was in line, I poured the lovely green pistachio mixture into the prepared baking sheet and popped her into the oven. With that, I crossed my fingers and set the timer for five minutes less than advised. When the timer was up, I went to check the cake and to my surprise, it didn't need anymore time. Thank goodness, I didn't let it go longer!!!

While the cake cooled, I whipped together the most amazing buttercream that I had ever tasted it. Hinted with honey, this eighteen-tablespoons-of-butter-masterpiece, was enough to serve on its own. Next came the assemblage though, and my nerves resurfaced once again.

All in all, I was happy with the appearance of the naked cake, except for one side that seemed funny due to some crumpling in the parchment. It ended up being no bid deal, and was covered nicely with the frosting. The assembly process went,

Cake
Preserves
Buttercream

Cake
Preserves
Buttercream

and lastly...

Cake
Preserves
Buttercream

After frosting the entire cake, I sliced the glazed apricots in half and aligned them in rows on top of the rectangular shaped cake. Between the apricots, I piped more buttercream, and covered the sides in chopped pistachios. The cake was finished, and the most important part was still yet to come. All that work better taste good, I said to myself as I sat down to digest all that had happened that day.

Not too long after, the birthday girl arrived and we sat down to dinner. Before I knew it, the moment of truth had arrived, and I paraded the cake in for the traditional birthday song. Afterwards, I brought my baby back to the kitchen to cut. As I sliced into the cake, impressed with the look of the layers, I remembered the reserved apricot juice from the glazed apricots. If the cake was dry, this might just save it, I said optimistically. I plated the cake and brought it into the dining room. My mother, sitting next to me, had been very skeptical of this adventurous endeavor, and was not at all thrilled with my decision. She, would be the deal breaker. My mother took her first bite, and too my surprise responded with "Oh my gosh. This is actually really good." Yes! When my often-finicky father, asked for more, I knew I had triumphed.

The cake was a hit, and my mother casually forgot to send it home with the guests. She was all about it the next day.

P.S. The cake freezes like a dream. 

Restaurant Review and a Revelation

Just recently, I finally got to go to McCrady's in Charleston for dinner. For years now, I have yearned to visit this restaurant, even after all of the fabulous restaurants around the world that I have been to, and the great food that my mother and I cook at home. With a James Beard Award, executive chef that has appeared on Iron Chef, molecular gastronomy laced, and nods from folks like Giada De Laurentis, I figured what could go wrong. Well, it was more like what didn't go wrong. With reservations at 7:30, we arrived promptly at the reserved time, to a restaurant half full, with a sleepy atmosphere. This aspect, and being greeted by a positively snotty waitress (Most likely a college student with absolutely no right to have such an attitude), did not make the evening look promising, but we forged on, with the hopes that redemption was on the horizon of this supposed epicurean gem. With sitting down, both my mother and I felt as though our table could have been of better quality, due to the amount of diners in the large room, but we decided not to make a fuss. Next, we were approached by our waiter, who I have no better word to describe him except for bored and personality-less. I knew I wasn't a fan of his from the minute he said "Hello" (If he was even present enough to say "hello"), but my opinions of him and the restaurant plummeted even more so, when he rushed my mother into a wine choice, without even allowing a glimpse at the list or discussing her palette. After receiving our beverages, I felt as though I was rushed through choosing a dinner option by our "lovely waiter", and not even given a chance to warm my seat yet. My mother order a Cocoa Encrusted Magret Duck Breast, with Duck Sausage, Brussels Sprouts, Fois Gras, and some sort of sauce I cannot remember. I ordered a Duo of Beef, that consisted of Beef Belly (a surprising change from pork belly), and a Beef Tenderloin, with Broccoli and Farro. The waiter informed me that the broccoli and farro were a taken on the quintessential broccoli and rice Chinese takeout meal. Okay...

Between the meal and ordering, we were addressed by a very solemn-looking girl with a large bread basket. She mumbled to us the bread selection, which even after repeating herself twice, we still were not sure as to what type of bread were were receiving. My mother and I both ended up with a dry, day old slab of multi-grain, accompanied with ice cold butter (major restaurant pet peeve), and a pleasantly fruity olive oil. I was verging on bored and perhaps losing my appetite as well. I waited for my meal with bated breath.

Our meal finally arrived after sitting there for thirty minutes anticipating whether or not this was going to be a full 360 degree disaster. My Duo of Beef arrived beautifully presented, on a large white plate. My mother's duck, also arrived stunningly presented. Both dishes were awfully petite and at any other half sane restaurant, another course would have been advised. We completed the dishes in about ten or so minutes, and were still hungry. My mother's duck didn't have the slightest hint of cocoa in it, nor did she find any fois gras under the scattering of "decorative" and raw brussels sprout leaves. Mine on the other hand, was the better of the two but still nowhere near the quality it should have been. The Beef Belly, was undoubtedly amazing, but my steak which I clearly specified to be cooked medium-rare, was WAY overcooked, and clearly medium-well. The farro had amazing flavor, albeit part of it being a little TOO al dente even for my taste. When I asked our "charming" waiter what was in it, he informed me that all it was flavored with was some broccoli puree and fried. I sensed no trace of broccoli in the farro, but what do I know?

With this final bit of disappointment, my mother ordered for the check, and we blew the joint, making ourselves clear just by demeanor, that we would not be returning. To possibly try to liven up the abysmal evening, we walked to Slightly North of Broad (Always great) for dessert and cappucchino. There was a wait at 8:30, so we went across the street to High Cotton (Also great), where we squeezed in at the bar. As we sat sipping our cappucchinos, my mother and I both came to the realization that S.N.O.B. and High Cotton were both packed, while McCrady's was half empty, for a reason. This providing further reasoning to the saying "The proof is in the pudding."

After this disappointing evening, it really made both my mother and I realize how much we absolutely adore eating at home. This depressing experience only gave me more of an urge to bake, and create something fabulous, which I did. This is by far one of my best creations yet!

Vanilla Squared, Biscoff Cheesecake

Topping
2 cups ground Biscoff cookies*
6 tbs (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grind the Biscoff cookies in a food processor until they resemble sand. In a bowl, stir the crumbs into the melted butter. Press into a 8-inch spring form pan. Bake about 10 minutes, or until the crust is crisp looking and golden brown. Let cool. Keep oven temperature.

Filling

3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room tempy
1 cup sugar
2 vanilla beans
1 tsp good vanilla extract
4 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream

With a stand or handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla beans, and vanilla extract, and beat again until incorporated and smooth. Add your eggs one at a time, making sure they get fully immersed and not stuck on the side of the bowl. Then, once the eggs are fully incorporated, add the sour cream. Pour this mixture over the topping, and bake for about 1 hour. The cook time will most likely be a tad longer, but this is a good time to give the cake a gentle jiggle. You want to cook it until the edges are firm, and the center still moves a little when shaken. Listen to your judgement. Just make sure that you don't cook it too long, because it will dry out.

Take the cake out when ready, and let it cool for 30 minutes to an hour. Chill overnight, uncovered.

Biscoff Caramel Topping

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Biscoff spread**

Combine the first three ingredients in a metal saucepan. Stir (I use a metal spoon) over medium low heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Next, turn up the heat until the mixture simmers. Simmer for about 10 minutes, swirling occasionally. The  mixture resembles a dark amber and has that caramel-like smell. If necessary, brush the sides down with a brush throughout the process, to prevent the sugar from burning on the side of the pot. BE CAREFUL OF BURNING! It is always better to under cook rather than overcook it.

Take your caramel off the heat and add the cream. Be careful, because the mixture will bubble up viciously. Return to low heat and stir until the mass of sugar dissolves into the cream. Add the Biscoff spread, and stir until it is incorporated over low heat.

Release the side of the spring form pan. Cut, and serve with caramel topping. Fall in love!

* Biscoff cookies can be found in most supermarkets in the cookie aisle. They are the cookies that you receive on airlines.

** Biscoff spread is an international item, sometimes referred to as Speculaas Spread. This can be found in some grocery stores, international food stores, and online.

Believe me, this cheesecake is probably the most amazing dessert I have ever tasted, and I made it my own home! A good lesson I learned through this experience, but it all ended well.

The Newest New Beginning

So, after a few months worth of training for a ballet exam, I am now free from dance(and leotards, he he) for a while and I am geared to bake.

Friday night, as planned, was a celebration. To commemorate the work put toward a ballet exam, my mother, father and I had a little dinner get together, just the three of us. As always, when a hiatus from ballet begins, I make it a point to throw a small gathering devoted to extra naughty food. This time, the menu consisted of pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw, sweet potato fries, and lovely lemon pudding cakes. I just happened to be in charge of the dessert, which turned out lovely...to my surprise. Read, and see.

Chosen from my encyclopedia size "Bon Appetit: Desserts" book, these Lemon Pudding Cakes with Marbled Raspberry Cream were a divine contrast to the sloppy, dinner choice. I had chosen this dessert because I thought that I would contrast nicely with the pulled pork. Aside from that though, I wasn't terribly excited for these. I admit, I settled on the recipe, for convenience and theme, but I wasn't convinced until my spoon broke the cake.

The mise en place. Sorry for the bad i-phone quality...


For not having that many ingredients, these were not simple. They had quite a few steps, and required a good amount of mise en place. The mixture came together somewhat like a souffle, with me having to fold the egg whites into the lemon mixture, which consisted of lemon juice, rind, flour, butter, sugar, egg yolks, and my special addition of butter. Once assembled, the batter was just okay, which worried me more about these innocent little cakes, that I had yet to even try.

I poured the mixture into buttered ramekins, and pooped them in the oven for 25 minutes. While I waited for them to bake, I put together the raspberry cream. The cream, which incorporated pureed raspberry drizzled into a classic whipped cream, was undoubtedly fabulous. After whipping the cream, I simply poured the puree into the cream, and cut the cream with a knife. Hence, marbled cream.

Puffed and firm, my cakes came out of the oven approximately 25 minutes later. Seeing that this recipe was supposed to be the lemon version of the classic molten chocolate lava, I was a little unconvinced by the "firm" word. I placed the cakes, which looked as pretty as could be, on their plate and served them warm. The whipped cream was applied over top, of course.

Upon digging in, the first layer of cake was light and spongy, with a clear taste of sweet lemon. I was impressed, but it wasn't what I expected...or was it?

Discovering the next layer was like unearthing a treasure. The once spongy, yet soft, cake above, had transformed into creamy, pudding-like texture that had a slight whisper of cake still running through. As I got closer to the bottom, the mixture got increasingly wetter, and also surprisingly tarter as well. An enjoyment through and through. The raspberry cream was a fabulous accompaniment.

In the end, I was wrong. This dessert was delicious, and decadent. Also, it is really fantastic for those with short attention spans, seeing that it kept changing the closer you got to the bottom. I would surely make these again, and possibly even with different flavors. Best yet, they got A++ reviews. Not just because they are my parents, but I do feel as though they were genuinely enjoyed, seeing they were still being talked about long after their departure.

I was glad that I made them, not only because I was proved wrong, but also because they were delicious. A two-for!!!

A Dinner Party and Dessert

Last week, my parents and I had over two very good friends. So, when given any chance to make a fabulous dessert, I always jump. So after a few days of intense pondering, and some severe indecisiveness, I found the winner. The chosen dessert was a Cranberry-Lime Tart from a December 2003 issue of Bon Appetit. I recently purchased the "Bon Appetit Desserts" book, and I am slowly but surely trying to conquer a good portion of it. I decided to choose this tart because I often find that anything to do with curd, in any form is always good, and the addition of the tart cranberry compote wasn't a bad thing either.

So, my process began two days before the dinner party. I needed to make the lime curd first, so it could sit overnight. All I can say, is that the recipe called for the use of an 11-inch tart, and I was only using an 8-inch, so there was plenty left over...THANK GOD! After a few very naughty tastes of the curd, I controlled myself and popped it in the fridge for the night.

The next day, I made the crust. The crust was a combination of the usual ingredients-butter, sugar, flour-but the addition of toasted almonds made it into something very special. Like the curd, there were some leftovers, which made me seriously contemplate the outcome of a possible cookie made the same way. I chilled the crust as instructed before baking, and then popped it in the oven until golden brown.

Once the crust came out, I allowed it to cool. Whilst the crust cooled, I decided to put together the cranberry topping and the white chocolate cream. Both components needed to cool, so this was as good a time as ever. The cranberry topping had suggested an optional addition of Chinese Five Spice Powder, which I completely intended to do, but I didn't have any luck finding it in the local markets. I have since gotten some, and I will be certain to use it next time. It all worked out in the end though, because I wouldn't have changed a thing about the cranberries. To replace the omitted Five Spice Powder, I added some cinnamon, nutmeg, and lime zest which worked just perfectly. Moving onto the white chocolate, I had worries that this element would not be able to stand up to the severity of flavor in the lime curd and cranberries, but I would just have to wait and find out.

About and hour later, all of the components of the tart are cooled and it is ready to be assembled. First to go in, is the white chocolate cream. I used it all, and then chilled it until firm in the fridge. Next, I layered the lime curd over top of the white chocolate cream, followed by the cranberries. With that last touch to the pie, it was ready to be enclosed in foil and put in the fridge to chill overnight, before its big unveiling the next evening.

The time finally arrived. I couldn't contain myself, as I slid the pie cutter into the crisp crust.

As for taste, I was quite impressed. The crust was better than I thought, and the white chocolate did in fact stand up to everything and did not get lost. The lime curd but of course, sublime, and the cranberries were equally as delicious too. By the first bite, everyone at the table was extremely pleased with the dessert, and loved the taste, just as I did.

It didn't hurt either, that the tart was so very pretty.

I served it on Spring green plates with a few white chocolate shaving over top. 

Très délicieux! Plus tôt...

Chattin About Manhattan

Well, after a one week restaurant (with some shopping) jaunt through Manhattan for my birthday, I am feeling heavier in lbs, but lighter in spirit. The week was filled with fabulous food, and great experiences. Don't get me wrong, there were some DEFINITE misses, but nothing astronomical. Anyway, the first night was Felidia. Felidia is almost a home to my mother and I, and we always feel as if we a deeply welcomed when there. Therefore, Felidia is a permanent fixture on the list when going to Manhattan. This particular night, we had a fantastic experience. The hospitality, and warmth of Felidia is more than enough, but the food is also just as divine. My mother ordered Butternut Squash Soup (a special), and "Manzo", which was a Creekstone Farm braised beef flat iron “al barolo”, hanger steak tagliata, heirloom beans, farro and tuscan kale. The soup was hearty, and so full of flavor. It was filled with beans, panchetta, and or course, butternut, making it the perfect comfort food for the cold night that awaited outside. The "Manzo", was also delicious. To my mothers surprise, it consisted of steak done two way; one done as if it were a pot roast, and the other perfectly rare in the center, and more steak-like. The beans, farro, and kale surrounding the meat was an equally sumptuous accompaniment that stood up to the meat very well. I, on the other hand, opted to just order an entrée, seeing I had dessert on the brain. I had the veal tenderloin with parsnip puree, sautéed spinach, and cheese fonduta from the truffle suggested tasting menu. Over top, I specially ordered shavings of black truffle. I anticipated a very stingy offering of truffles, but no, shaved at the table, the precious shavings drowned my plate. The more the merrier!!! Aside from the truffles, the veal was unctuous, and the parsnip puree was absolutely indescribable. I couldn't have asked for more any more decadence, while still showcasing a stunning display of flavor and quality. In addition to these orders, we were given a two entrées on the house; "Barbabietole", satur farms baby beet salad with spaghetti squash, cranberry agrodolce, mustard seeds and local cheeses, and "Cardi Carciofi e Uova", cardoons,  artichoke and frisee salad with burrata and sunny side-up blue organic egg. Both were fabulous. I preffered the beats though, because there was a most fabulous array of cheeses, chunked over top. Delish! Also, for my birthday, we were surprised with an assortment of the desserts on the Felidia menu, and the Felidia palette cleansing biscotti, and cookies. The evening was flawless. Brava, Brava!   

The next night beheld my dream, Le Bernardin. I have been dying to go for quite sometime, and I would never have guessed that it would have been this sensational. We chose the Le Bernardin Tasting Menu, which is seven courses. The menu read like this:             

Tuna layers of thinly pounded yellowfin tuna; toasted baguette; shaved chives and extra virgin olive oil.            botani moscatel seco, sierras de malaga, spain 2008               

Octopus charred octopus; fermented black bean. pear sauce vierge; ink, miso vinaigrette; purple basil.           sauvignon blanc, paul cluver, elgin south, africa 2008             

Lobster warm lobster carpaccio; hearts of palm, orange vinaigrette.               
chardonnay, ramey, russian river, 2007               

Hiramasa seared yellowtail king fish; truffle risotto, baby vegetables, black truffle emulsion.               
rioja reserva, viña bosconia, lopez de heredia, spain 2002               

Black Bass crispy black bass; lup cheong and beansprout "risotto" mini steamed buns, hoisin-plum jus.           barbaresco, valeirano, ada nada, piedmont, italy 2005               

Parsnip parsnip crème brulée, roasted hazelnut, browned milk solids, vanilla salt               
chikurin, karoyaka junmai ginjo, okayama               

Milk Chocolate maralumi milk chocolate parfait, liquid pear, gingersnap               
château la rame, reserve, saint croix du mont 1999                                                                  

I could go on for a lifetime, on my thoughts and feelings about each and every one of these dishes but that would obviously take...a lifetime.  

My favorites, were the tuna, and the hiramasa. The tuna, with the foie gras, was enough, but the baguette, that was crisp, yet still enabled one to cut through it cleanly with a knife, was magnificent. The hiramasa, was equally as genius and like nothing I have ever tasted. The truffle emulsion, poured over this rare, white fish from Australia, was beyond. I have no words to describe this sultry sauce, but I actually asked the captain who served me, if I could just get a bowl the sauce. I wasn't thinking clearly. The sauce was engrossing, and the fish was beautiful as well.    

These aforementioned dishes were just the outrageously great highlights. All of the dishes shown as stars, and there were by far, no misses whatsoever. I do have one comment though. The octopus was perfectly cooked (of course, what did I expect), and all of the dishes components were again, like I never tasted. But! On completing the dish, I felt like it was a tad too rich, and heavy for a seven course menu. I got scared at only the second course, that I would be obscenely full because of this dish, but thankfully, this wasn't my conundrum.  

In addition to the seven courses, the amuse bouche, was a perfectly plump oyster, surrounded in a truffle froth, and we also requested the egg, which was more beautiful than I expected, and was terribly scrumptious. Last but not least, was the passion fruit mousse that was brought for my birthday. This was the most amazing dessert I have yet to have...ever, and I plan to replicate it shortly.   

Food aside, nothing can overshadow the amazing gift that was bestowed upon me at the restaurant. I was invited to visit the kitchen, to meet Chef Eric himself. He was just as handsome in person, and appeared in his pristine chef whites, welcoming us into his kitchen. I do not care to say more, because I will over think the experience, instead I will provide proof. I was starstruck, I must admit.

^^^Is there anything else to say??? Oh! The service was impeccable too. Can the place get any more perfect? The answer is, "no".

The next few nights consisted of Tamarind, which we were both really excited for some authentic Indian, but it was disappointing, and Felidia, which was yet again a very memorable, and lovely experience. BLT Steak was forgettable, and very bizarre all around, and Monday night was spent at the corner diner, with great food and giggles.

Our last night in the city was spent at Gotham Bar and Grill. From all of the great reviews we had heard, we expected nothing less than perfection. And that it was. The food was outstanding. We ordered the tasting menu, which was...


NANTUCKET BAY SCALLOPS
green apple gelee, celery hearts and lime
piment d'espelette

DUCK AND FOIE GRAS TORTELLINI
smoked onion soubise and shaved matsutake
matsutake consommé

ROASTED TURBOT
kennebec potato, leek fondue and burgundy truffle
ruby port bordelaise

 
RACK OF FALLOW VENISON
savoy cabbage, smoked bacon and sweet potato fingerlings
huckleberry genivere


SOUFFLE BELLE HELEN
bosc pear, poire william crème anglaise
dark chocolate cointreau ice cream

All of the dishes were robust in flavor, and savory. I adored the Turbot, and the Souffle was so ambrosial, that I was even inspired to make it at home a few nights ago.

For the souffle, I used a Bon Appetit "Pear Souffle" recipe, which I ad libbed, with the addition of a caramelized pear compote on the bottom of the souffles, and a Poire William Crème Anglaise, just like the one at Gotham. YUM YUM YUM! It achieved great reviews all around.

Unfortunately, in my hastes to get a picture before the soufflés fell, I got a blurry picture.

I had the utmost wonderful time in Manhattan, but it was made even more fabulous by the quality time I spent with my mother. We laughed and reminisced the whole way through, and it also didn't hurt that we got to do this whilst executing some of our favorite activities.