Tagged

Thank you Alicat of Something So Clever for tagging moi for this fun meme. And fun idea Beau of Basic Juice :)

'Tis the season for me to get my creative gift-giving ideas flowing and might as well start with a virtual wine gift.

The Gift of Wine Meme started at Basic Juice and asks:

If you were to give a wine out of your own cellar/collection/shelf/fridge as a gift this year, which wine would it be, who would receive it, and why?

Let me write myself through my options. I already got Mom a great big bottle of bubbly Veuve Clicquot for her birthday, which we enjoyed before our Thanksgiving feast. The coolest thing about it was the bright orange ice jacket it came in. And Dad gladly admits, he's more of a beer guy. Give him a 6-pack of a microbrew or Stella Artois and he's good to go. I'd consider my brother but he's not really a wine drinker either. And if you're giving the gift of wine from your "cellar", it has to go to someone who truly appreciates good wine...

Winette! My coworker and partner in sangria and wine bars around the city. I can't believe it didn't occur to me sooner. "How do I appreciate thee? Let me count the ways..." and give you some wine! She motivates me at work on a daily basis, inspiring me to take my writing to the next level. She not only brought me back a bottle of white wine from her trip to Russia for my birthday, but she bought me a bottle of Veuve on top of that. And the next day at work I had two enormous bags sitting on my chair and inside I found boxes and boxes of cupcakes from Buttercup Bakery. (When we have birthdays at work we normally chip in for an ice cream cake so she went above and beyond that and nobody chipped in to help her!) On top of all this, Winette is constantly treating me (and not without me putting up a fight to pay her back) to lunches and sweet "hungover" potato fries from our favorite delivery place Eatery. She knows I'm a poor kid in TV and never wants (or accepts) my money. She is a true and generous friend and I can't think of anyone else who deserves this wine more (or who'd enjoy it more) than her.

And what bottle am I giving her?


I'm going to go with the Siduri Pinot Noir. I know Jen has a soft spot for the spicy pinots (part of the reason we get along so well) and thought this would be a perfect treat for her and her husband. She recently had a friend pass away from cancer and I think she could use some TLC.

On top of that, she introduced me to Morrell Wine Bar, where I first tried Siduri.

In addition to this bottle for Winette, if I was a dreamer (which I am) and could ideally buy Swimster a really special (and pricey) gift for his birthday coming up on Tuesday, it would be a bottle of 1979 Petrus, for the year he was born. Happy sipping friends!

And I almost forgot. I tag Chef Paz.

p.s. I just watched The Polar Express and was crying. Help! I must be a real sucker for Christmas and the memories of Santa and just believing...

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Thanksgiving Dinner

I hope you're all having a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend with friends and family. I decided to post a few pictures and some traditional family recipes from our early Thanksgiving feast Wednesday night. I'll start with the table. Whenever Dad mentions "Someone should set the table," I always seem to get this suggestive nod saying "Get to it Mona." I usually enjoy it because it means I get to organize/decorate to some extent. Here are some pix of the final product.

This Thanksgiving we welcomed Swimster and my Uncle Brian (of Quatorze Bis fame) to early Thanksgiving. We had a great time and per usual, ate way too much. This year I was too busy playing with my new toy (my parents bought me a Powerbook G4 as an early Christmas present-Thanks Mom and Dad!!) so Dad ended up doing most of the cooking, minus a few exceptions: Mom always does the potatoes. And even when Dad has nothing to do and thinks he should get started on the potatoes, he better not. Mom also made the delicious cookie cake, stuffing and asparagus. And though she usually hands off the gravy to me to watch over, Uncle Brian busted in this year and will now be official gravy-master. See below:
Recipes:

Squash Soup, made from Squash Puree courtesy of William Sonoma

Light & Silky Mashed Potatoes -keepin' it simple and tasty, courtesy of Gourmet Magazine

2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, preferably large
1 ½ tsp salt
2/3 cup whole milk
½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
¼ tsp white pepper

*Peel potatoes and cut into 1-in cubes. Transfer to a 3-quart heavy saucepan and add 5 cups cold water and 1 tsp salt, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered, until potatoes are tender.
*Drain potatoes in a colander, then return to pan and cook over moderate heat. Transfer potatoes to a bowl and keep hot and covered. Heat milk, butter, and white pepper and remaining ½ tsp of salt in saucepan over moderate heat until butter is melted.
*Force potatoes through food mill into hot milk mixture in pan and gently stir with a large heat-proof rubber spatula just until combined.

Sally Lunn Bread -a gargantuan favorite this year and courtesy of The Williamsburg Cookbook

1 cup milk
1/2 cup shortening
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour, divided
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 pkgs active dry yeast
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 10 minutes before you're ready to put the dough in the oven.

Grease 10- inch tube cake pan or bundt pan. Heat the milk shortening and 1/4 cup water until very warm-about 120 degrees. Shortening does not need to melt.
Blend 1 1/3 cups flour, the sugar, salt, and dry yeast in a large mixing bowl.
Blend warm liquids into flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed about 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Gradually add 2/3 cup of the remaining flour and the eggs and beat at high speed for 2 minutes.

Add the remaining flour and mix well. Batter will be thick, but not stiff.
Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until double in bulk-about an hour and 15 minutes.
Beat dough down with a spatula or at lowest speed on an electric mixer and turn into prepared pan.
Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until increased in bulk 1/3 to 1/2 about 30 minutes.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees.
Run knife around the center and outer edges of the bread and turn onto plate to cool.

Asparagus with Swiss Cheese -the best ever. The secret is not to overcook the asparagus.

2 lbs cooked asparagus
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbl mayo
2 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup parmesan
1/2 cup Swiss cheese
1/4 cup butter

Arrange cooked asparagus in oven-friendly dish with salt and pepper. Spread mayo over asparagus and sprinkle 1tsp of lemon juice on top. Add parmesan and Swiss cheese together over asparagus. Pour melted butter and 1 tsp of lemon juice together over top.

Heat oven to 350 degrees until cheese is melted. Broil in oven for an additional 1-2 minutes until cheese is browned.

Cookie Cake-the biggest we've ever seen

Stuffing- Pepperidge Farm style. Last year I tried to be adventurous in the stuffing department and it was a big disappointment. So this year we're back to the basic and family favorite-bag o' stuffing. Mom learned this year to never stuff the turkey with warm stuffing. It should go in cold, and wow was it good!

Secret's in the Sauce-We always make the gravy in the pan we take the turkey out of. First we empty most of the drippings into a container. Mom then adds a couple tablespoons of flour and mixes with small amount of drippings in pan until bubbles and thickens. We then alternate water (or turkey stock) and more drippings VERY VERY slowly until each new batch bubbles and thickens, thickens and bubbles, like a witch's brew. Inevitably someone always loses patience doing this and we end up doing it in shifts. As I mentioned earlier, Uncle Brian took the helm this year and he'll now be stuck doing it every year.

Turkey-courtesy of Milillo Farms in Ridgefield, CT. We discovered this place last year and decided to get our turkey from there every year. In addition to their apple pie. Produce and poultry come from their organic farm.

Enjoy! As you can see I had plenty of good reasons to be thankful this year :)

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Arthur Avenue

Casa della Mozzarella, 604 E 187th St, Bronx NY

Thanksgiving is a few short hours away, but my family's Thanksgiving dinner has come to an end.
See, I work tomorrow and in order to get the Christmas holiday, I had to sacrifice my Thanksgiving.
Luckily, my family was more than happy to celebrate Turkey Day early.
Thanksgiving Eve dinner is to be posted at a later date.
But for Thanksgiving Eve Eve we decided to make Italian and I'll share a few pictures with you.
Menu:
antipasto
caprese
focaccia
cavatelli ( pronounced gava-DEEL)
Italian pastries and cookies for dessert
To prepare for the meal my Dad and I drove to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx to stock up on all "Little Italy in the Bronx" had to offer.
The following are pictures of our trip. Sadly it rained all afternoon so we were not inclined to take our time and explore. We were in stores, out of stores for a few seconds, and into the next. Thank goodness everything was conveniently in a row. The pasta shop, the pastry shop, the cheese/antipasto shop, the wine shop, the butcher and finally the baker.

Egidio Pastry Shop, 622 E 187st St., Bronx, NY

Casa della Mozzarella

Vincent's Meat Market, 2374 Arthur Avenue, Bronx, NY

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Morrell Wine Bar

Saturday night one of Swimster's classmates threw a party at his apartment. We had some down time to kill between my getting out of work and heading to the party (Mona always tries to be fashionably late) so we weaved our way in and out of midtown.

First stop: McDonalds for french fries. Mmm, nothing beats McDonalds fries.
Second stop: Harvard Club for, we were hoping, a cocktail. Sadly, there were no cocktails to be had. The place was completely empty. I guess the Harvard alumni got all the partying out of their systems earlier on in the day watching the Harvard/Yale football game. The partying spirit was ripped right out of me earlier as I watched (and eventually had to turn off) the Hokies obliterate UVA -and in Charlottesville to boot!! Malibu, Carebear, and Kfo were there experiencing it first hand. And I told them it was one game I was happy to have missed.
Third stop (and go): Top of the Rock. We were thinking of checking out the new observation deck on the 70th floor of Rockefeller Center. But when we walked in the entrance and found out it was $14 a piece, we thought otherwise. I asked Swimster, "View or wine?" He quickly chose wine and I second-ed that notion.

Morrell Wine Bar is right across from the ice skating rink and borders Dean & Deluca. And as its name gives away, the bar is the dominant part of the restaurant. Behind the long bar is the dining room, though almost too small to be called a dining room. I didn't go upstairs but I read they have few additional tables. I don't think I would choose to eat dinner at Morrell but if you're hoping to, make reservations. There were no free tables the whole time we were there.

One of the servers handed us the menu as soon as we took our seats at the bar. It was big and metal and reminded me of the heavy hospital binders in my favorite TV show Grey's Anatomy. Interesting about the bartenders. I'll call them Blondie and Brownie for storytelling purposes. Blondie was the gentle one who delivered the menu and thank goodness by the end of the night he was the one helping us.

So we looked at the menu. Decided on two glasses. And waited. Looked at the menu. Talked about the two glasses. And waited. Looked at the menu. Looked at the bartenders. And waited. A busboy who clearly wasn't tending bar brought us waters, but I didn't feel right asking him for the wine. Brownie was schmoozing with a group of women next to us, and by the sound of their voices, they were "bridge and tunnel." He was yapping and they were laughing, they were yapping and he was laughing. And Blondie was at the other end of the bar helping somebody else. Now I have nothing against a friendly bartender but when 2 couples have sat down and are waiting for service....prioritize. Brownie finally came over after what felt like an eternity and asked us what we'd like. Next thing we know, he's off yapping some more. To make the story better and matters worse, two blondies walked in and sat down in the far corner of the bar and guess where brownie headed? Straight to the blondies. And we were left with no wine! Unbelievable. It was almost laughable. This guy was a total flake and flirt. Luckily, the bartender Blondie came to our rescue. I told him, well I thought we had ordered from Brownie but apparently the ball was dropped and no wine was poured. It's like that lightbulb joke. How many bartenders does it take to pour a glass of wine?! So, readers, please note: if you go to Morrell to drink wine, order from Blondie NOT Brownie.

There were so many Wines by the glass to choose from. After we ordered and tried one, we were already on to which varietal we would try next.

Here are my tasting notes: Overall, I think we were most impressed with the Clos Robert Cab and the Siduri Pinot. Funny how my wine taste has matured over the past few years. In college and for a couple years after I chose a wine based on its fruitiness. How's that for a kitchen confession? Today I can't stand the fruitier sweeter wines. I once loved Pinot Grigio and now I am not a fan. I once loved Malbec and was disappointed to find it rather bland at Morrell.

After the debacle getting service in the beginning, Blondie took very good care of us the rest of the night. We ordered a cheese plate (Menu) that we really enjoyed. Unfortunately, after 3 very generous glasses of wine my handwriting started to slur and I can't make out what types of cheese we sampled. Though I know they were all very good.

Before I leave you, I must mention my glimpse of greatness. When you walk into Morrell there is a "library" of wines to your left that takes up the entire 2-story wall. Swimster spotted 2 wines he thought I should take a look at and I did. My nose came 2 inches away from a bottle of Chateau Petrus and I found a bottle of 1979 Opus One (the year I was born) that I have added to a "wish list", or should I call it "dream list"....


One Rockefeller Plaza
212-262-7700

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Trattoria dell' Arte

Mom and Dad were on a mission last weekend to see the Van Gogh exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After several hours of strolling around the city, they ended up at the other Met instead. They saw La Boheme and decided to stay in the city for dinner. When I got the phone call at work asking if I wanted to meet them at Trattoria dell' Arte I didn't think twice about it. Did I mention they took Swimster and I to the Brooklyn Diner (it's my 3rd time and it only gets better) that same morning? Two meals in one day on Mom and Dad was certainly a generous and unexpected treat. To top it off, my coworker treated the staff to a grand ole' pizza lunch. It should come as no surprise that I solidified my decision to train for next year's NYC Marathon that night.

Mom admits she's a country bumpkin and every time she comes into New York is awed and impressed that I can live in the rush of buses and taxis and honks and people. Dad is the opposite. He comes in whenever he can, whether it's for business or pleasure, and one of his favorite areas (out of convenience or preference I'm not so sure) seems to be midtown. Hence a few of the family hotspots: Baldoria, Trattoria dell'Arte, Ralphs, Brooklyn Diner, and Norma's. When in doubt, Dad goes midtown.

This was not my first time at Trattoria. We had eaten here once after a Yankee game and it was as bustling and crowded as it was then. Only, during the summertime it was nice enough to sit outside. You walk in to Trattoria to find a boisterous front section with tables and booths off the large front windows and a larger dining room towards the back. The two sections are separated by a large antipasta (ahnt-eee-PAHST) bar, filled with seafood and vegetables on ice of all shapes and sizes. Crustaceans looked at me when I walked by screaming "Eat me! Eat me!" Downstairs was loud and chaotic, with barely enough room to stand and wait for a table with all the huge platters swinging off the limbs of servers and busboys. Trattoria has a loud atmosphere, great for big parties, but not so great for conversation or the softspoken. Note they have some beautiful looking private rooms for parties that are worth checking out.

The hostess brought us to our 4-top on the second level and I felt I had just walked into the mini-house Geico commercial. The ceilings were very low in this annex of the restaurant. If you make reservations, make sure to ask for downstairs.

Our server was very friendly and brought water to the table right away. Had we known that was the only glass we'd see for the next half hour we might not have guzzled it down so quickly. Our waitress was not very attentive that evening, and not for lack of caring, but because she was "in the weeds" (restaurant talk for being overly swamped with tables). And she repeatedly came to the table apologizing for her absence, which we all appreciated and understood. Thanks to some years on her side of the table, I have patience for restaurant service gone awry and it rubbed off on my parents.

Menu memorables: Dad went right for the gusto and started us all with a margherita pizza with sliced prosciutto. It came out the size of a mini football field. The crust was crispy and well-done and the cheese was light enough that it didn't make the pizza soggy. The prosciutto was cut razor thin and added a nice chewy texture to the pie. Dad ordered the pasta pomodoro (you can choose from a small/large portion). I didn't get a taste but Mom tried it and said it was the best dish on the table-simple, thick, and flavorful. Mom went with the pesce scada calabrese, or swordfish with capers, olives and tomatoes. I liked the saltiness of the vegetables with the swordfish. The steak itself, however, was a little on the flat side. I prefer the thicker cuts and I think Mom agreed too. I chose the filetto di tono, served with an artichoke lentil salad. They were very generous with the tuna steak. It was thick and bulky and cooked rare as I requested. The tuna rested on a sweet mixture of artichokes and lentils. To my disappointment the artichokes were slightly undercooked and I caught a few sharp leaf edges. And normally I'd have to say I'm not a huge lentil person but they worked well with the tuna. Swimster chose the strozzapreti carbonara con aragosta, or hand rolled ribbon pasta with lobster, asparagus, and pancetta. Besides my tuna and the pizza, this was my favorite dish on the table. The pasta tasted homemade and was cooked al dente. The pasta oozed in a light cream sauce that wrapped up the lobster-asparagus-pasta into one great bite.

I think the moral of the story here is stick with the pizza and pasta dishes at Trattoria. That's what they do best. And if you're a stickler for punctual service, try going on a weeknight, when crowds might not be so heavy. I think it'd be better named Zoo dell'Arte.

900 7th Avenue, b/t 56th and 57th Streets
212-245-9800

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Landmarc

Carebear, my dear friend from the good old days of UVA, has had a busy couple of months. Despite her countless travels each weekend, she has been diligently trying to schedule a belated birthday dinner for me. And this past Thursday we made it happen. She had mentioned something about going to a place in Tribeca called Landmarc and after catching a glimpse of it from the bustling sports bar Buster’s Garage across the street, it seemed it would be a promising spot for a dinner date.

I walked in to Landmarc and zigzagged through the crowded dining room to meet Carebear and CottonCandy at the bar in the back. The bar was small and ¾ of a circle in circumference. I overheard one woman asking, "Is this the only bar?" And the bartender quickly responded "Yes!" There was a small mantel to its left where the girls were sipping their half-bottle of wine. I shared a small glass with them and the hostess whisked us away to our table a short 5 minutes later. The dining room, though crowded felt large and airy with its high ceilings. The I-beams and exposed brick warmed up the space and the lighting was just right-on the darker side with candles placed on each table. Note there is also an upstairs dining room.

When we sat down, CottonCandy blurted out in laughter. To her sudden shock, she looked closer at her wine receipt from the bar and noticed the tab was a whopping $58! She had misread the wine list and ordered what she thought was an $18 dollar half bottle. And no, it sadly was not Montrachet or Chateau Petrus. God bless her. Cotton Candy took it gracefully with a smile and a laugh, which I know I would NOT have been able to do.

When we sat at the table, the server immediately brought us the wine list and asked “Bottled or tap water?” At the risk of unknowingly ordering a pricey bottle of water a la Kona Nigari ($33.50/2 ounces), we stuck with tap. The first thing I noticed I liked about the place (besides the meat cooking on a barbecue pit behind the bar-vegetarians beware) was the menu. It came in the form of a small fold-out city map which we had to open to glance at its offerings.

The executive chef of Landmarc Marc Murphy is well traveled, being the son of a diplomat, and his international experience is apparent in the French/Italian fare chez Landmarc. This also explains my hardship in describing what sort of food it offers. A sort of smorgasbord of a little bit of pasta and a little bit of steak tartare, along with various other items on the menu. Despite some delicious sounding Italian dishes, the theme of our dinner was French.

Menu Memorables: For an appetizer we chose the warm goat cheese profiteroles with a roasted red pepper salad. This was a perfect size dish for the three of us. We each got our hands on a mini- profiterole. It was a sort of profiterole sandwich, and in between was a thin layer of goat cheese. The goat cheese was on the mild side, almost bordering a Boursin spread. I wished the goat cheese was more on the stronger side. In the middle of the profiteroles were the soft and delicate roasted red peppers. For the entrees, Carebear went with a large (you can choose small/large portions of both pastas and salads) endive salad with blue cheese and walnuts in a sherry vinaigrette. And when it came to the table immediately asked myself "Why hadn't I thought of that?" I had never seen and endive salad quite like this. It was a pretty white pile of chopped endives mixed in with walnuts. The cheese and walnuts were evenly dispersed throughout and the vinaigrette meshed all the flavors into one sweet crunchy success. CottonCandy chose the steak tartare with grilled country bread and field greens. The tartare was neatly packed into a small round patty and sat resting on 6 slices of thick bread. I snagged some of the steak/bread combo and enjoyed the bitter and salty tartare mixture. I went with my French cuisine crutch: a hangar steak in a green peppercorn sauce, served with fries and field greens. What I liked about the steak selection is you could build your own steak entrée: hangar, strip, skirt, filet mignon, rib eye, or grilled portobello. Then you pick a sauce: green peppercorn, shallot bordelaise, dijonnaise, chimichurri, butter maitre d'hotel, or béarnaise sauces. Landmarc was very generous with the steak- it took up half of my plate. It was cooked to a little on the rare side of medium rare, but oozed with flavor and tenderness. The peppercorn sauce added a spicy kick to it. And calling what came with it french fries did not do it justice. I will have to call them frites here because that’s what they were. Excellent frites a la Belgique! They were a little bit on the thicker side and cooked crispy. Some of the best frites I’ve had in the city. They were tossed with freshly chopped herbs and were oh so tasty.

When the server came to ask if we wanted dessert Carebear and I were stuffed. CottonCandy had seen spools of cotton candy being fed to eager patrons and decided to try one of her own (hence her new name on Mona’s Apple). It was just like what you see at the carnivals-a big pink sparkling cloud. I’m not a huge cotton candy person but had to try a taste and it was like walking into the land of Little Miss Strawberry.

Dinner at Landmarc was a treat. And I have Carebear and CottonCandy to thank for bringing me there. Thanks ladies! Landmarc serves up some classics with grace and style in an atmosphere that cries, "Come back! Come back soon!" There is a lot more at this restaurant I hope to try and next time I will order my own serving of the endive salad.

(no reservations taken except with parties of 6 or more)
179 West Broadway, b/t Leonard and Worth Streets
212-343-3883

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Fulton Fish Market

A New York City landmark closes permanently Friday. Of course I understand the new regulations on keeping the fishies in a cooled environment, but just bummed I never experienced the craziness of the Fulton Fish Market in the wee small hours of the morning:

"Big guys ain't supposed to cry, but a part of old New York is dying here today," said Joey Centrone, one of the workers at the market. "I recognize this place is antiquated, but it's a part of us."

Click here to read full USA Today article.

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Coconut Layer Cake

If you haven't gone out to get your Magnolia cupcake cookbook yet, GO NOW while supplies (and your waistline) last.
After making a few things out of my mom's copy, I highly recommend it.
My mom was in Carmel for a wedding and celebrated her birthday Sunday. Since I wasn't there, being in NYC and all, I decided to throw her a little bash when she got home Wednesday night.
I think it went over pretty well. I figured doing dinner would be a little crazy and impractical since she was getting home so late, so instead I opted for my first ever homemade birthday cake.
All modesty and humility aside, WOW!
I chose the coconut cream cake, that being her favorite dessert, and was extremely happy with the results.
One confession: I had to improvise as I did not a) know what cream of tartar was b) couldn't identify it if we had it in the house and c) it was pouring and miserable out so once I was home decided better and safer to stay home.

Recipe :

Cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 seven-ounce package sweetened, shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:
3 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 plus
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and lightly flour three 9 x 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper. Make the cake in a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flours and add in four parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition. Divide the batter among the cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

Make the filling in a medium-size saucepan, whisk the milk with the sugar and the flour until thoroughly combined. Cook and stir constantly over medium-high heat (about 5 minutes) until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the coconut. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cover and cool to room temperature.

When cake has cooled, spread half the filling between the first two layers of cake, then the other half between the second and third layers. The cake should be assembled so it can be iced as soon as the frosting is completed.

Make the frosting in an electric mixer bowl, combine the egg whites and the vanilla extract and set aside. In a medium-size saucepan over high heat, combine the water with the sugar and the cream of tartar. As mixture begins to bubble at edges, stir once to make sure the sugar is dissolved completely, then let come to a rolling boll (about 2 to 3 minutes) and remove immediately from heat.

Now, in a medium-size bowl, on the medium-high speed of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and the vanilla extract with the whisk attachment until foamy, about 1 minute.Without turning off mixer, pour the sugar syrup into the beaten egg whites in a thin, steady stream. Continue beating constantly, on medium-high speed, for about 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form but frosting is still creamy. Frost top and sides of cake immediately. Generously sprinkle top with shredded coconut.

Mona's personal note: Since I didn't have cream of tartar I used generic cupcake frosting. And for aesthetic purposes, I did not frost the circumference of the cake. I liked being able to see its three layers. And besides that, too much frosting kills the cake sometimes. I liked it with less and I think Mom did too. I frosted the top and wrote "Happy Birthday Mom" of course, and with firecracker candles it looked great! When my Dad sends me the pix I'll add to this post :)

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La Petite Abeille

Swimster and I grabbed breakfast before I had to run to work Saturday morning.
There wasn't much thought put into the place we chose besides convenience of location. We were feeling pretty tired with a twinge of hungover-ness and chose La Petite Abeille right next to Swimster's apartment.
The restaurant's blue and white color scheme and some subtle table touches were the highlight of brunch. Each table had a large sea salt shaker and when we asked for water, it came in a tall glass bottle complete with snap off cork top. Swimster and I enjoyed this a great deal. If I opened a restaurant I think I'd choose to serve water the same way. The walls were covered in chalkboards with wine listings and the banquette was clean and white. Abeille sits on the corner and they have great window views of 20th Street and 1st Avenue.

There seemed to be a good variety of choices for brunch on the Menu. Swimster chose the carbonnades flamandes, a Flemish-style beef stew cooked in beer with prunes and fries.
I chose an omelette the waitress mentioned as a special with asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella. For some reason those ingredients sounded appealing to my ear but were not appealing to my tastebuds...when I got the omelette the mozzarella was barely melted and tasted leathery. And the vegetables inside were not blended into the eggy batter. I prefer omelettes where the insides are a part of the eggs, not separated. Had the mozzarella fully melted this may not have been an issue. Swimster's beef was a gooey glob of beef and prunes and a dark reddish brownish sauce. Once I brushed off a thick layer of the sauce off the beef (that was drowning the beef), it tasted tender and salty. Perhaps this is the definition of a stew but it was too heavy for me. The fries were ok, but not as good as I expected of a Belgian restaurant (not anything like the ones I had in Bruges). They had a slight double layer crispy coating (for lack of a better way to describe it) which I really don't like. The best thing about breakfast was the baguette we ordered as a starter with a fig jam. It was sweet and bitter and delicious lathered on the fresh bread.
The waitress was extremely friendly, and Abeille filled up with customers by the time we were heading out. I noticed they had a counter of pastries and coffee that I would try if I returned a next time. But for a good-tasting experience (beyond its good taste in decor) there are better options in the city.







(Introducing the new rating system. One apple = blah, two apples = ok, three apples = great, four apples=died and gone to food heaven. This rating system is inspired by a blog I came across recently Seize the 'Que. The girls there use some glasses of what looks to be ice tea, though not certain.)

401 E. 20th St (and 1st)
212-727-1505
check out the website for other locations

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A la Vodka!

Swimster had a surprise for me last weekend. He scrambled to finish up his studies so he could take the day off Tuesday and spend it with me in New Canaan. This came as happy news, though there was one slight problem. I had promised my Tuesday night to the other man in my life, Dad. Dad called me hoping to take me out to dinner in the city Tuesday night. When it rains, it sprinkles. Boyfriend or Dad, Dad or boyfriend? Instead of choosing, I picked both.

Swimster and I took the train home to CT and promised my Dad a fabulous dinner. Most of it would be leftovers (my parents welcomed my Aunts and Uncles to our house a couple nights before) but I figured it would still be special to have dinner set and ready to go when Dad got home from a busy day at the office. Poor Mom is in California for the week;) Dad joins her in Carmel today as they’re going to a friend’s daughter’s wedding tomorrow.

I could not believe the amount of food that was lying around in our 2 fridges/freezers (one upstairs and one in the basement). My Dad went a little Arthur Avenue crazy and I couldn’t count the olive, artichoke, pepper, mozzarella, salami, prosciutto, more salami, and veal parmesan containers stuffed into our refrigerators. Guess we didn’t have to go out for lunch.

In deciding what to do with our day we turned to the Food Network and found the petite Giada De Laurentiis hosting one of her “Everyday Italian” shows. When we saw the Light Pasta Classics episode begin, we were hooked. We knew we were going to be reheating some yummy veal parmesan and what better to accompany it than with a new sauce recipe. Good thing we decided to go with this because regular store-bought sauce would not have done these sleek fresh noodles justice. With the help of Giada and her “simple tomato sauce” recipe that serves as the base for the vodka sauce, I am no longer a homemade tomato sauce virgin. And I know vodka sauce is traditionally served with penne, but mixing and matching sauces and pastas is part of the fun of Italian cooking!

Recipe Part One:

Simple Tomato Sauce:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
1 carrot chopped
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
4 to 6 basil leaves
2 dried bay leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.

Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

Recipe Part Two:

1 quart Simple Tomato Sauce (see above) or your sauce of choice
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 pound penne (or pasta of choice)

Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.

**This sauce was a hit. When I first tasted it the vodka seemed a bit on the strong side. Swimster added some garlic sault and a bit more parmesan and the problem went away. Of course, not a problem when you're at a bar drinking, but a problem when serving with pasta.**

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To the Stars

What are we to do?
Vini, vidi, vici.
The Michelin reviewers came, they saw (and ate) and conquered and their ratings are now official. Thanks to the New York Times Dining Out article today I found myself a trusty chart that I can cut out and use as my own little reference. Now don't get me wrong, a restaurant does not need 4 stars (a la Times methodology), 28 points (a la Zagats) or 3 stars (merci a Michelin) to draw me to its tables. It is still fun, however, to compare and contrast the feelings of these very different guides to figure out the best of what's around us in this great city of epicurean delights.
But how to make sense of all the varying opinions and rating systems out there?
Among the Gold Medalists of food ratings, getting their Michelin 3 stars:
***Jean Georges
***Essex House of Alain Ducasse
***Le Bernardin, exec chef Eric Ripert
***Per Se, exec chef Thomas Keller (of French Laundry fame)
A few notables were left off the new A-list, and while certain it would be a blow to any who consider themselves competition to the aforementioned restaurants, I am confident that while New Yorkers (like myself) will enjoy perusing the ratings in their entirety, business will stay steady at the creme de la creme restaurants, 3 stars or 2 stars, loved by Zagats, or unnoticed by Michelin.

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