Lunch at The Breslin: A must when in the Flatiron District

For months I had been asking my parents when are we going to The Breslin? I finally got my wish today, and it was without a doubt worth the wait.

We started off with house made sausage; very gamey and

salty. Right away we knew what we were in for; a delicious, fat laded meal that would leave us satisfied and bloated. Exactly what I wanted and had hoped for.

Next we had the special for the day, a brioche french toast which our waitress basically begged us to get. She was totally right, I wish we got more, the sweet, light brioche was like air holding up buttery cinnamon sugar. It was quite possibly the best french toast I've ever had.

Now the main event, the heralded Lamb Burger that my uncle has been raving about for what seems like months. It came medium-rare on a fresh sourdough roll topped with feta and red onion. Well seasoned and juicy, this gamey burger ranks up with there with head chef April Bloomfield's other restaurant, The Spotted Pig and their fantastic burger.

The "trice cooked" fried that come with the burger are unbelievable. Crisp, perfectly seasoned, fluffy interior, great golden brown crust, it does not get better then that.

How did we have any room for dessert? It's because Stumptown coffee was on the dessert menu. I could eat an entire pig and still make room for Stumptown, it's that good. Of course we needed something to go with the coffee, so we ordered the focaccia doughnuts with vanilla-cognac glaze and strawberry sorbet. The doughnuts were the epitome of a perfect doughnut; thick, crispy, chewy, sticky shell that gives way to airy, fluffy focaccia. It was textural perfection. The Breslin is a a warm, crowded and vaguely British gastropub in the lobby of the Ace Hotel. As Sam Sifton of the New York Times calls it, "It’s Hogwarts for hipsters."

Poached egg over sauteed asparagus topped with Hollandaise sauce

I'd been meaning to make this dish for a while after a friend got me thinking about poached eggs. I just hadn't had the time to make it because of work. I really love the versatility of eggs, especially poached eggs. They aren't difficult to make and can go with a lot of other foods. Plus, that luscious, creamy yolk is sooooo delicious.

Poached egg, Asparagus, Hollandaise sauce

1 egg

4-6 asparagus's

salt and pepper

3 Tbsp vinegar

1 Tbsp Olive oil

2 egg yolks

3 Tbsp boiling water

3 Tbsp butter, melted

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp cayenne

Directions

1. Over medium heat, cook asparagus with oil, salt and pepper for around 10 minutes until tender. Set aside.
2. To make the sauce, over a double boiler whisk in egg yolks. Gradually whisk in boiling water until thick. Slowly whisk in melted butter and lemon juice. Add cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.
3. To make poached egg. Heat water just until boiling, add vinegar. Crack egg into a bowl and pour into the water, poach for 3-4 minutes until whites are set. You don't want the yolk to set.

Dulce De Leche Cake

My friend Lauren and I volunteered to bake a cake for a club at school that was having a BBQ and a cake walk. The club is students for Senegal, its designed to help kids in my chemistry teachers hometown in Senegal. I wanted to make something really special because of the occasion. Lauren really wanted to help, so I let her do most of the cake oriented baking while I did more of the whipped cream/decoration part of it. The cake will be available at the cake walk tomorrow at the high school starting at 6pm.

Dulce de Leche Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces) 


1 cup whole milk, at room temperature 


6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature 


1 teaspoon vanilla extract 


1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 ounces) 


4 teaspoons baking powder 


1 teaspoon table salt 


12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)

1 pint heavy cream

2 cans dulce de leche

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

• Directions

1. Set oven rack in middle position. (If oven is too small to cook both layers on a single rack, set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle positions.) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Pour milk, egg whites, and extract into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.
3. Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.
4. Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.
5. Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans; using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart. Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.
6. Let cakes rest in pans for 3 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Reinvert onto additional wire racks. Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
7. To make whipped cream. Beat heavy cream, sugar, ducle de leche, and cinnamon until stiff peaks form, refrigerate.
8. To make caramel spirals, combine 2 cups sugar and ¼ cup of water in a small saucepan. Heat until golden brown (300 degrees). Let cool down until 200 degrees.
9. Using a spoon and the back of a big whisk, make spirals by turning caramel around the back of the whisk. Pour extra caramel onto a silpat and after it cools break it up into medium sized pieces.
10. To assemble the cake, smooth about ½ cup of dulce de leche onto the first layer of cake. Top with second layer of cake. Pour on whipped cream and smooth on.
11. Using a squeeze bottle, make a criss-cross pattern with dulce de leche. Alternately place spirals and broken caramel pieces around the cake. Enjoy!

Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Despite the warm weather this weekend, I wanted to make chicken soup. Looking through my Ad Hoc at Home cookbook by Thomas Keller, I stumbled upon a great recipe for Chicken and Dumpling soup. As with every Keller recipe, it's very labor intensive, and takes hours to prep and cook. And of course, a lot of straining.

The soup came out great. I had some friends over to have a mini birthday celebration, very Ad Hoc style. Everyone loved the soup, even my brother Alex tried it. So it's a great soup to make during the cold winter months, very hearty and delicious!

Chicken and Dumpling Soup

1 qt. chicken stock

2 cups water

5 chicken thighs

3 carrot sticks, roughly diced

3 celery stalks, roughly diced

4 scallions, roughly diced

1 Tbsp butter

1/3 -1/2 cup amber roux

1 carrot, sliced

1 celery stalk, sliced

1/2 cup water

4 tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

2 large egg

1/2 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a large stock pot. Add carrot, celery and scallions. Put chicken thighs skin side down in pot. Cook for 30 minutes.
2. Add stock and water, simmer for 35 minutes.
3. Take chicken out, shred, set aside.
4. Strain veggies out of soup base, set aside.
5. To make dumplings, melt butter and water together in a medium saucepan. Add flour, stir vigorously and dump into a stand mixer.
6. Add mustard and parsley, beat to release some heat. Add one egg at a time to combine.
7. Using a ice cream scoop, make about 2-3 Tbsp dumplings into a pot of simmering salted water. Cook for around 7-9 minutes, then set aside.
8. Add Roux to soup base until desired thickness, add shredded chicken, carrots and celery to it. Finally add dumplings and parsley, let flavors meld for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Recreating the famous Spotted Pig Burger

April Bloomfield's The Spotted Pig has been know for years at "the" place for a superior burger. It is unlike any burger I've had for sure. It's a brioche bun, which is grilled on both sides. The burger is Pat Lafrieda of course, specially made just for them. The kicker on their burger is they top it with Roquefort blue cheese which adds a great nutty punch to the burger.

If you are going to make this burger, don't make the same mistake I did and misread the recipe. The recipe makes 8 buns, I only made 4, which turned out to be HUGE. Not a big deal, but bothersome nonetheless.

Spotted Pig Burgers

1/2 cup warm whole milk
3/4 cup warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

8 Pat Lafrieda burgers, which can be ordered from Fresh Direct

Enough Roquefort cheese for your liking

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Combine milk, water, yeast, and sugar in small bowl or 2-cup glass measure. Let stand 5 minutes until foamy.

2. Combine flour and salt in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook attachment (or whisk together in large bowl if mixing by hand). Add water/milk mixture and mix on medium-low speed until combined. With mixer running, add two eggs, one at a time, waiting for eggs to become fully incorporated between additions. Add butter one tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated.

3. Continue to mix on medium-low speed for 2-3 minutes. If dough appears too sticky, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it pulls away from sides of mixer (it will still stick to bottom). Continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic, 5-6 minutes longer.

4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume (about 2 hours at room temperature, or 8 hours in the refrigerator). Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, and using bench scraper or sharp knife, cut into 8 equal pieces approximately 4 ounces each.

5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Form each dough chunk into a ball and place on baking sheets, four per sheet, about 3 inches apart. Spray with non-stick cooking spray (or brush with oil), cover loosely with plastic wrap, and allow to rise at room temperature until approximately doubled in volume (about two hours).

6. Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions and preheat oven to 400°F. Gently press dough balls down until approximately 4 inches wide and 2 inches high. Beat remaining egg with one tablespoon water and brush entire exposed surface of bun. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove buns from oven, brush with remaining egg wash, and bake until deep, shiny, golden brown, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back half way through baking, 10-15 minutes longer. Transfer buns to rack and allow to cool completely.

7. Heat a grill over high heat until grates are extremely hot. Season burgers heavily with salt and pepper. Grill on one side for 2 minutes, flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Flip again for 90 seconds, and then flip again for another 90 seconds. Move burgers to the cool side of the grill, and top with cheese.

8. Cut buns in half and toast cut side down for 2 minutes. Grill the top of the top half of the buns to create hash marks, about 2 minutes.

9. Assemble burgers, enjoy!

Rhubarb Bread Pudding with Olive Oil-Pine Nut Semifreddo and Creme Anglaise

It's Mother's Day today, so I wanted to make something special for my mom. Rhubarb season just started, and our family is big fans of the tart vegetable. Bread pudding is always a big hit whenever I make it. I made it for Peter's Eats Night 2, and everyone raved about it, so it's been my go-to dessert since. I wanted it to be a little fancy because it's such a special day, so an olive oil-pine nut semifreddo seemed like a great "out there" combo. The creme anglaise was a last minute decision because I needed egg whites for the semifreddo, so I needed something to do with the egg yolks.

Rhubarb Bread Pudding with Olive Oil-Pine Nute Semifreddo and Creme Anglaise

4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Loave Challah bread, cubed
1 pound fresh rhubarb (about 6 hefty stalks), cut into 1/2-inch slices, or 4 cups frozen rhubarb
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/3 cup heavy cream

3 egg whites

1/2 cup olive oil, preferably a fruity variety

1 cup heavy cream

3 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

Directions

1. To make the Bread Pudding:In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, half-and-half, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the vanilla, and salt. Stir the bread into the egg mixture, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours, pushing the bread down into the liquid from time to time.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan. In a medium bowl, combine the rhubarb, the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and the cinnamon. Gently stir the rhubarb mixture into the bread mixture. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake until golden brown and slightly puffed, 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for about 30 minutes.
3. Beat the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form, set aside. Beat egg whites with olive oil.
4. Fold egg/olive oil into whipped cream, freeze for a minimum of 2 hours.
5. Combine egg yolks and sugar. Heat cream until small bubbles form.
6. Temper cream into the egg mixture, then pour it back into the pan and thicken until desired consistency.
7. Cut the Bread Pudding into a medium sized square. Spoon on Creme Anglaise. Top with Semifreddo.
   
   

Rhubarb Soda

Rhubarb season is just starting, and I wanted to start it off with something different. Usually I'd make a tart or pie, but I have all summer to make those. This soda is sweet and refreshing, it complements any meal. I'll be posting a rhubarb bread pudding recipe soon, its delicious!

Rhubarb Simple Syrup
Makes 1 ½ cups of syrup and 1 cup of compote

2 cups chopped rhubarb, rinsed and dried

1 cup sugar

1 ½ cups water

2 wedges lime

Directions

1. Combine everything in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the rhubarb is softened, about 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Mash and strain the rhubarb over a large bowl, mashing as much liquid out as you can. Keep the mashed rhubarb to put over ice cream or make individual tarts topped with streusel (butter, oats, brown sugar), baked at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. Use the simple syrup in rhubarb and lime soda and for bellinis (both recipes below).
3. Mix 1 part rhubarb simple syrup with 2 parts of club soda in a glass with ice, add a lime wedge.

Lemon Muffins with sweet Lime glaze

My friends and I were having a movie night of sorts to watch The Departed the night before the SAT's to take our minds off it. We would quote lines from the movie all day everyday, and most people had no idea what we were talking about. So now every time I hang out with people, I'm kinda obligated to make food haha. These muffins are great snacks to have during a movie, they don't make a lot of noise while eating and taste great!

Lemon Muffins

Makes around 16

3 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tbsp lime juice for glaze
1 cup powdered sugar for glaze

Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position a rack in the center. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.

2.In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt then set it aside.

3.In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until it's light a fluffy. Add lemon zest and lemon/lime juice then mix that in. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until each is just incorporated. Alternate the addition of milk and the dry ingredients by thirds, making sure not to over mix each addition.

4.Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin and fill each nearly to the brim of the liner. Bake them for 15 – 20 minutes until the tops are a nice golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer them to a cooling rack.

5.While the muffins cool mix together the reserved lime juice and powdered sugar until there are no lumps. Add more lemon juice or powdered sugar depending on your desired consistency. When the muffins have cooled about 5 – 10 minutes drizzle about a tbsp of glaze over top of each. Enjoy!