Instructables & Sweet Soy-Grilled Ribs

Instructables is featuring my recipe for Sweet Soy Grilled Short Ribs as part of its Top 10 BBQ Instructables round-up. Click here for the instructable or here for the recipe on this blog.

Red Meat, White Rolls, & Blue Cheese: Blue Cheese Burgers for the 4th of July

Mmmm ... grilled beef, stuffed with melted blue cheese, nestled on a toasted bun loaded with tomato, lettuce, red onion, ketchup and a squirt of Dijon mustard.

It's the most flavorful, satisfying burger I've had in a long, long time. Enjoy and happy Independence Day!

Grilled Blue Cheese Burgers (from Cooking Light)

2 (1-ounce) slices white bread
2 Tbsp. fat-free milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 pounds lean ground beef (90-percent lean)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese

Grease grill with oil; preheat grill.

Grind bread in a food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Place breadcrumbs in a large bowl, add milk and toss mixture with a fork to moisten. Add salt, pepper, and beef to breadcrumb mixture, stirring just until combined. Divide meat mixture into 16 equal portions, shaping each into a patty. Spoon a tablespoon of blue cheese into the center one patty and top with another patty, pinching edges to seal. Repeat until you have 8 blue cheese stuffed patties.

Place patties on grill and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve patties on toasted rolls with desired toppings.

Yields 8 burgers.

Eating Around NY, Part 4: Saving The Best For Last

Last Friday was a good eating-in-NY day.

For lunch, my mom and I checked out the delicious Mingala Burmese. We started out with Golden Triangles: curried potatoes in a crispy shell served with a tangy sauce.

The triangles themselves were a bit bland but sauce was terrific!

I ordered the Classic Myanmar Phe-Htoke: dumplings (these were pork and shrimp) sauteed with basil leaves and lots of veggies in a basil sauce.

The Myanmar Phe-Htoke had a bright, fresh flavor; I couldn't believe how good it was.

My mom ordered the Chili Chicken with Broccoli. It wasn't as firey as we thought it would be -- more of a moderately spicy kick -- but it was also fantastic.

The Chili Chicken was especially good served over coconut rice -- the heat played off the rice's sweetness nicely.

But the good eating didn’t stop there. That night, I met Mary from The Sour Dough for dinner. (Let me repeat: I finally got to *meet* Mary – in the flesh– yay! ) If Mary will let you – and she’s a busy, successful woman so there’s a waiting list -- you should take the opportunity to spend an evening with her; it’s fabulous.

We started out with cocktails and appetizers at Tom Coliccho’s Craftbar. I ordered a Craftbar cocktail, which was delicious but, sadly, I can’t remember what was in it – prosecco and strawberry puree? Mary had a“Q,” a refreshing conconction of Lillet, Hendrick’s Gin, Lime, Cucumber, Prosecco.

We also ordered a White Bean and Garlic Crostini, topped with Capers and Anchovies (pictured above) and an amazing Pecorino Fondue, studded with pieces of pepperoncini and topped with Acacia Honey and Hazelnuts (pictured below).

The crostini was good but the Fondue -- a tantalizing combination of salty, sweet, spicy and nutty --was heavenly. If you go to Craftbar, do not miss the opportunity to order the fondue.

From there, we cabbed it over to Bar Q for dinner. Of course, that didn't stop me from ordering another appetizer.

Pictured above is Bar Q's Spit Roasted Pork Belly with Kimchee, Takuan and Steamed Buns. It was a damn fine appetizer, although I would have liked the pork belly to be a touch more moist. (The skin, however, was a crackly perfection.)

For dinner, I had the Grilled Eggplant with a Sweet Miso Glaze. It was slightly sweet and, somehow, creamy -- delicious.


Our final stop was dessert at Chikalicious ... details to come!

Daring Bakers & The Danish Braid

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: what I love most about the Daring Bakers is that each month's challenge pushes me beyond my comfort zone and forces me to question my notions of baking and what I can do.

Preconceived notions about this challenge?
1) Making a laminated dough is difficult.
2) I don't like danish.

Realities realized after completing the challenge?

1) Making a laminated dough -- at least from this recipe -- is well within my ability! Sure, the instructions are lengthy, but the steps are fairly easy. The most important skill is patience: waiting for the dough to come together, waiting for the dough to rest or rise, waiting to roll and re-roll between turns and -- the most difficult to wait for -- waiting for the danish to cool so it can be eaten without burning my mouth!

2) I hadn't eaten real danish before. I love to eat real danish! The baked dough has the perfect chew, run through with flavor -- butter, vanilla, cardamom, orange -- so scrumptious! And the apple filling is to die for. Make sure you use Fuji apples; their taste and texture hold up well through the sauteeing and baking for a final result that is amazing.

So thank you Kelly and Ben for hosting this month's Daring Bakers challenge and, once again, pushing me to learn more about baking (and a little more about myself, too).

Check out the loooooooong list of Daring Bakers at the Daring Bakers Blog Roll!

Note: watching the danish braid video on this page (featuring Julia Child and Beatrice Ojakangas) really helped me visualize how to construct the braid. I highly recommend taking a look!

Danish Braid

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough, enough for two braids

For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH
Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.


2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.


3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.


4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

APPLE FILLING
Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients
4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.

DANISH BRAID
Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients
1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)
2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see below)

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.



2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.


3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash
Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.


2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.


3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

Eating Around NY, Part 3: A Nosh Here, A Nosh There

My production class is at DCTV (pictured above) so I've been checking out a few things in the Chinatown area, with detours to Astor Place and 14th St. It's an easy trip from my parents' apartment on the Upper East Side to DCTV riding the 6 line, and just as easy to hop on and off the train to explore different neighborhoods.

One of the first places I visited was Nha Trang Centre, a Vietnamese restaurant just around the corner from DCTV. The food wasn't anything special, but I did order a durian fruit milkshake. The durian is reknown for its stench -- it even it made Andrew Zimmern retch -- so I was pretty interested in seeing how they were going to serve this thing.

There it is. And, boy was it bland -- icy with a vaguely tropical flavor -- which made me think there wasn't much durian in this durian milkshake. But after drinking half, the waitress came over and asked, "You like it?"

"Yes," I said. "I've never had durian before, so I thought I'd try this. Do you like durian?"

"Oh yes!" she exclaimed. "But Americans usually can't stand the smell." And she flitted off.

The milkshake had only a vague green banana scent. I think I'm going to have to eat an actual durian to know exactly what she's talking about.

***

Before going to class the following night, I grabbed a quick drink and snack at the Egg Custard King Cafe.

Pictured is a banana egg custard and a Taro bubble tea with chewy black tapioca pearls. The custard was very rich, and I think I'd get a plain egg custard next time as the banana flavoring tasted artificial. The crust was very flaky and mild in flavor; I'm guessing it uses plenty of shortening, not butter. The tea had a watery flavor -- a bigger taro punch would have been nice -- but the pearls were fantastic: sweet and vaguely almondy.

After class, I strolled around St. Marks Place and Astor Place. There was a huge crowd at St. Marks around the Dessert Truck.

I wasn't hungry so I didn't get anything, but there were many, many people happily scarfing down milk chocolate mousse, coconut tapioca, lemongrass soup with fresh strawberries, and other tantalizing goodies.

I did stop at Beard Papa, which wound up being a bit of a trip down sad-sack lane (and looking back, why did I get a stupid cream puff instead of a gourmet dessert at the Dessert Truck?). Beard Papa was nearing closing time and its employees were camped out at the door, selling hawking the day's pastries to passers-by.

"Cream puffs! One dollar! One dollar cream puffs!" they called out, plaintively.

I almost didn't buy one. There is something sad and desperate about selling -- and buying -- discount pastry. But then I rationalized that it was still the *same* puff I'd come to check out (after reading so much about them), and I'd just gotten lucky that they were on sale.

So I stopped being a food snob and got a vanilla. I liked the choux better than the, but again, I wasn't hungry and that may have thrown my perception off. (That, and I'm not the biggest cream puff fan. So, again -- WHY did I eschew the Dessert Truck for Beard Papa?)

***

Last night, I picked up another pre-class snack at the Canal Cafe Bakery; taro bubble tea with black pearls again, plus mini black bean moon cakes.

The taro tea was fantastic: sweet with perfectly chewy pearls. I wish I could describe the flavor of taro for you, but I'm at a loss. Just go have a taro bubble tea and taste for yourself.

The moon cakes were also very good, reminiscent of a fig newton. The filling is mildly sweet with a slightly sesame flavor. And look a the pretty design on the top of each cake! Again, go to Chinatown and taste it for yourself.

***

At some point, I stopped at Papaya King to eat their kick-ass hot dogs.

Ohhh, Papaya King. How I love your snappy dogs and banana daiquiris! (I know everyone goes crazy for their eponymous papaya drink, but I've always preferred the banana.)

Alas, they'd run out of banana, so I opted for pina colada instead -- delicious. And the dog, loaded with kraut and spicy mustard, did not disappoint, either; it fabulous as usual.

***

I have no pics of this but after stopping at the Morgan Library & Museum to look at not one, not two, but THREE Gutenberg Bibles (here's the signifcance) and an advertising exhibition at the NYPL ,I stopped at Tiffin Wallah for their lunch buffet. The food is terrific. Nothing was labelled, however, so I'm trying to remember exactly what was available: Palak Paneer, I think, a lentil curry, and a delicious hot entree featuring beats, plus two types of breads, two types of rices, various condiments, salad, and gulab jamun.

And here's the kicker -- access to this buffet is only SIX DOLLARS. The downside is that the space is small and, at lunch time, the restaurant is busy, so it's not the place for a leisurely meal.

But, six bucks! For lunch! In Manhattan!

It's weird, but that was the same day that a giant bumblebee found its way into the packed subway car I was riding in, plus a man actually moved over so that I could sit down, so maybe it's miracle time in NYC.

***

Next up: dining in high fashion with the Goddess of Bread.

Eating Around NY, Part 2: Yogurt Wars

After reading tons of stuff about Pinkberry and Red Mango -- people are crazy for it -- I made a point to check them out. The NY Times describes the new wave of frozen yogurt shops as "a simple formula of fresh fruit toppings on a consciously tart, decidedly yogurt-flavor creamy swirl that drives certain people to distraction."

Pinkberry was the first to land in NYC, with Red Mango quickly following suit (although it appears Red Mango was actually around before Pinkberry, but the latter made it to the US first).

I tasted both the original and green tea flavors at each shop (Pinkberry also has a coffee flavor I didn't sample).

Pinkberry's Green tea with coconut.

Pinkberry's plain flavor (called "pinkberry") is tart, very similar in taste to plain yogurt with just a bit of sugar. I preferred their green tea; the macha, a delicate flavor, mellowed the yogurt's tang a bit. It paired nicely with the coconut.

The texture on both flavors was icy; not in a granular way, but it's very clear that there's no fat to add a silky mouthfeel.

Red Mango's original with blueberries.

I really liked Pinkberry -- different, light, refreshing -- until I tasted Red Mango's yogurt. Their original is tangy, but not as sharp as Pinkberry's, slightly sweeter and has a light vanilla flavor; it's a winner. Their green tea packs a bigger macha wallop, too -- while Pinkberry's green tea was very light, Red Mango's macha is much more present . Additionally, both Red Mango flavors had a creamy, silky texture; it's hard to believe there's no fat in it. If you look at the pictures, you can even see that the Red Mango yogurt is more lush than Pinkberry's.

The verdict? Red Mango, all the way. (It's cheaper than Pinkberry, too.)

Eating around NY, part 1

I flew into JFK late Saturday afternoon, met my Dad who was picking me up at the airport, and we drove into Manhattan where he works & lives. Since 1994, he's been the building manager of an upper-east side 5th avenue apartment building that overlooks Central Park. A huge perk -- and, at the same time, problem -- of the job is that he and my mom live in the building; so while they live rent free in one of the nicest building in NY, my dad is always on call for any big (or ridiculously small) problem.

There are stories. Many, many stories -- which I will not divulge here.

In any event, we had pizza from Little Vincent's on Saturday night. Little Vincent's will never be a pizza mecca but LV's is the type of pizza I ate growing up on Long Island, and it's still pretty good. We ordered half-regular, half-meatball and the meatball was just as I like it: round, thin slices about 2-inches in diameter polka-dotting the surface of the pie.

On Sunday, I headed to Brooklyn to visit my cousin Matt, his wife Catherine, and their 18 month old daughter, Fiona, who were such gracious hosts and completely indulged my foodie wants! We hung out at their apartment a bit, sipping bloody marys and noshing on prosciutto, figs, and local strawberries (tough life, huh?) before venturing out into the Smith Street Fest.

It was pleasantly crowded, with lots of local eateries setting up shop on the street and selling their wares.

This meringue was too pretty not to buy, but I can’t say they packed with flavor.

Matt was much smarter and bought grilled lamb sausage with a thin smear of mustard, all on a good hunk of baguette. It was fabulous: the lamb’s flavor shone through, enhanced by char from the grill. It was a bit oily --but in a good way -- and the juices trickled into the bread.

We wandered past the fair and around the corner to check out several other places. The first stop was F. Monteleone & Cammareri Bros. bakery. The shop was packed with Italian pastries (and smelled like the Italian (-American) bakery by which I judge all others, La Guli) but Matt recommended the chocolate chip. I can see the appeal, but their not my favorite. They’re dry and sandy (made with shortening? And definitely only white sugar) but are studded with discs of dark chocolate.

We also stopped in next door at D’amico Coffee Roasters , rated the number one coffee roasters in NY by the Zagat Survey (watch WNBC story here ). Not surprisingly, D’amico smells divine. Matt bought me a pound of the Jamaican Blue Mountain and I’m looking forward to trying it when I get back home.


Next stop was Sweet Melissa’s Patisserie . My goal was to get their butterscotch pudding, of which Ed Levine says is “the best butterscotch pudding [he's] ever had in New York City."

Butterscotch pudding always strikes me as sickly sweet, but if Levine was raving about it, it had to be good.

The verdict: it tastes nothing like butterscotch but like caramel, one with burnt sugar notes. And it’s creamier yet firmer than a pudding. I’m not saying it’s bad – I had no trouble polishing it off – but I don’t think it’s a must taste.

Our final stop was One Girl Cookies . It’s a very pretty space, and the cookies are daintily displayed behind a glass case in a fashion similar to the way fine chocolates might be shown off. By this point, however, I was too full for cookies.



I did have a few spoonfuls of the gelato Matt purchased there: a scoop of chocolate and a scoop of banana which I think came Il Laboratorio de Gelato. If so, the every good thing said about Il Laboratorio de Gelato is completely justified. The chocolate gelato tasted like a rich, decadent chocolate truffle and the banana (a greatly underused flavor in ice creams and gelatos, if you ask me!) was fresh yet lush.


Catherine, Matt, Fiona and I strolled back towards the street festival, and ambled through a little bit, stopping to look at a confectionery oddity Catherine spotted: gummy bacon. I should have checked to see if it tasted like bacon, or was just shaped like it.

I headed back into the city around 3:30pm (Matt and Catherine decided to take Fiona to the park and, maybe the heat – or the vodka-spiked bloody mary I’d drank earlier on an empty stomach, the one which I’d suggested needed *more* vodka -- was getting to me, but I wasn’t feeling so hot). I hopped on the F train and enjoyed the coolness of the air condition. A few stops later, I was at the Delancey St. station and, though I was still feeling kind of ill, the insistent foodie in me made me get up off the train and walk a couple of blocks to (wait for it) the Doughnut Plant.
A low slung building with a small public space on Grand St., the Doughnut Plant was bustling with customers. Still, I only had a short wait to place my order, and I took home a sampling of what was in stock. At Matt’s earlier recommendation (“get whatever they’re brewing in the jug”), I also grabbed a strawberry lemonade, handed over $22 (it’s $1.75 to $2.00 per donut; the guys next to me bought three boxes, and paid the cashier a crisp $100 bill but, yes, they got change back) and made my way back to the subway station.

At this point, I was pretty hot, tired and sore (why I thought wearing cork wedge sandals around town would be a good idea is beyond me, though, they’re the only shoes I brought that matched my dress).
I'm pretty cranky at this point. But the strawberry lemonade – oh, delicious strawberry lemonade – was the perfect refresher.

It took me a while to get back to the apartment and I crashed for a long while before even thinking about the doughnuts. And then I descended upon them.

Unfortunately, these were not the doughnut nirvana I was hoping they’d be. The flavors -- tres leches (cake), blackout (cake), raspberry glazed (cake), key lime glazed (cake), coconut glazed, coconut cream (yeast), peanut butter glazed, strawberry jelly (yeast), vanilla bean glazed, strawberry jelly, and Valhrona chocolate – are by all means inventive, use quality ingredients, and taste really great.

But the doughnuts themselves – the cake and yeast doughnut bases – are meh. With the exception of the blackout doughnut (definitely the best cake doughnut) each basic doughnut appears repurposed for different flavors; i.e., the difference between a raspberry and key lime doughnut is only the glaze you top it with. These could have been *so much better* if the fruit flavors were incorporated into the batter.

As for the yeast doughnuts, they’re chewier and more hearty than a traditional version. Are they made with whole wheat flour? It doesn’t work for me as a dessert (though it was kind of effective in the peanut butter and jelly version as the doughnut recalls bread).

I do really like the coconut doughnut’s glaze, but thought the coconut cream filling could have been, well, more coconutty – and then there’s that issue again with the texture.



My mom basically thought they were evil (“I hope you debunk the myth on these”) but my dad was quietly kinder: a few doughnuts that were in the box last night had disappeared by this morning.

Verdict on the Doughnut Plant: like Matt said, grab a glass of whatever they’re brewing in the glass jug, pick up a doughnut if you must, but don’t blow any significant cash on their stuff.

Next up: Pinkberry vs. Red Mango.

NYC "Must Taste" List?

Donuts from The Donut Plant: they will be mine. Oh yes, they will be mine.

Tomorrow, I'm headed to New York for a DV production course. I'm looking forward seeing my family, visiting a few old friends and just rambling around the city.

Not suprisingly, I'm going to hit up several restaurants, gourmet shops and goodie vendors on my "must taste" list while I'm in town, but the list could be waaaaaay longer. Any suggestions?