raspberry bars, etc.

we've been so busy these past few weeks - eating, working, eating some more, entertaining & enjoying spring in this amazing city. we had a good friend & fellow foodie here for a long visit and hit up many great places for food, drinks, coffee, etc. it's tough to pick any favorites from the past few weeks but several food related highlights include a great cheese & beer dinner here, small tasty plates and wonderful atmosphere here, an icy treat before brooklyn flea, best deviled eggs ever here, and awesome sangria here!

got a few great cookbooks recently that i'm sure we'll posting recipes from soon - Molto Gusto and The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook. both are filled with beautiful images of amazing food! also excited for new music from one of our favorite voices and these guys too.

not much time for cooking or baking lately but we're excited to get to the green market this week to see what's in season and inspiring. in the meantime, these raspberry crumb breakfast bars from Baked are a perfect treat with a cup of coffee any time of day as we anxiously await the release of their next cookbook. enjoy!

Raspberry Crumb Breakfast Bars

for the crust & crumb:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 1/4 cups rolled oats

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces

for the filling:

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 tbs lemon zest

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs all purpose flour

1 lb fresh or frozen raspberries

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tbs unsalted butter, melted & cooled

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside. combine flour brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until just combined. add butter and pulse until loose crumbs form. reserve 1 cup of the mixture and set aside. pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and use your hands to push the crust into an even layer in the bottom of the pan. bake until golden, 12-15 minutes. transfer pan to a wire rack and cool.

in a medium bowl, whisk sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and flour together. add the raspberries, lemon juice and butter and toss gently until the raspberries are evenly coated. spread the raspberry filling evenly on top of the cooled crust. top with reserved cup of crumble mixture and bake 35-40 minutes or until top is golden brown. let cool completely before cutting into squares.

northern spy

we've probably mentioned Northern Spy Food Co. a few times since moving to new york - it's a cozy spot in the east village focusing on sustainable, local, snout-to-tail cuisine, putting out creative dishes in a beautiful space and we love it! this kale salad is a favorite of ours and has gotten a lot of attention from food websites such as tasting table, who published the recipe a few months ago. just in case you haven't tasted it or seen it yet, we wanted to share this simple tasty recipe. getting ready for urban family Easter this weekend - the menu planning has begun and we'll be sure to take lots of pictures and share recipes. what will you be cooking?

Kale Salad

serves 2

2 1/2 cups shredded kale, preferably Tuscan

1/4 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup crumbled aged cheddar

1/2 cup cubed roasted kabocha or butternut squash

juice of 1 lemon

extra virgin olive oil

pecorino, optional garnish

in a large mixing bowl, toss the kale with almonds, cheddar and squash. season to taste with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. divide salad between two serving plates and garnish with shaved pecorino cheese if desired. enjoy!

spring fever

it was too nice out today and for the past several days to cook much at home. we had a fun afternoon & evening today wandering around the city on foot - enjoying the bright sun, warm breeze and fifty degree weather! had a fantastic lunch here and can't wait to go back very very soon, nice ginger cookie & iced coffee break here and another sweet treat here. we are trying to spend a few moments every tuesday to go out and try something new in the city - we'll keep you posted on what's new & exciting to us as we explore. any suggestions for spots we just shouldn't miss?

around town

well, its been a busy week in our household, shooting, shooting, shooting and styling, styling, styling. but as we have learned to do very well, with all work will come play. living in nyc has been nothing short of amazing, and it gets better and better each day. there seems to be this never ending pulse of the art and food world that makes it exciting to get up each day and explore more. even these californians have fallen in love with the snow! today, instead of our food, here is a little of our recent fav's around the city.

- our obsession with mast brothers chocolate, above, might get us in pocketbook trouble, but it is worth ever penny. they were also wonderfully featured in the selby, check it out.

-we ate at northern spy the other day and had a great meal at a great price. from their drive to help local farmers and food purveyors to the fun decor, this is a must eat.

-recently our friends at big leo productions pointed us in the direction of new wonderful work produced by mason adams of blp, called voracity. an awesome ongoing essay exploring hunger, consumption, and beauty. the great team that put this together did a fantastic job, make sure to take a peek.

-also check out blp's blog, the den.

-we are looking forward to eating here soon. ohhhhhh meatballs...

-april bloomfield's the breslin really has lived up to all the hype for us. and i have to say the lamb burger might just be the best burger on the planet. i did say might.

-looking for a cheap drinking night in the city? hop under the brooklyn bridge to cowgirl seahorse for a $2 canned genessee cream or carling black label.

-and as usual, you should be checking out these amazing girls...jen, jen, molly and jen.

hope everyone had a great valentines day!

the big apple

we're back!! it's been so long we almost forgot how to post, sorry. just to update, if you care, our move went pretty well for the most part and we are thrilled to be living in manhattan. it's amazing and every day we have to pinch ourselves to make sure this is all really happening. love our apartment, love our neighborhood, love the greenmarket, love our butcher, love exploring the city and getting used to a new way of life. we've had LOTS of fun foodie adventures so far - visit to murray's, pinot gris, warm olives and hard boiled eggs here, great sandwiches from Defontes, shacks (BLT & shake), and a great waffles from these guys. new york is amazing!! have seen lots of gorgeous plums at a few local greenmarkets and had to make something that reminded me of home - my mom's plum kuchen. it's also great with apples - perfect for fall! changed the recipe a bit to use whole wheat pastry flour and muscavado sugar (cause we had it) but they both add a nice bit of depth to the treat. enjoy & we're glad to be back!

Plum Kuchen

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/8 cup muscavado or brown sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbs unsalted butter, cold & cut into chunks & 2 tbs melted

1 egg, beaten

1/8 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups sliced plums (or tart apples)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 cup sugar

preheat oven to 400 degrees F. in a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. cut in butter with a fork or fingers until coarse. add egg, milk and vanilla and stir with a fork until combined. spread batter evenly and very thin in bottom of a lightly greased 8-inch square baking pan - wet fingers or spatula to help spread evenly. arrange sliced plums (or apples) in rows over batter. drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. bake for 25-30 minutes or until edges are brown and crispy. let cool before slicing.

changes

apologies again for the lack of posting in the past weeks. it's kind of difficult to cook and create recipes when our kitchen is wrapped tightly and packed in boxes - sheet pans, knives, props, camera gear, computers, everything! lots of changes ahead - we're moving from the beautiful beaches of santa barbara to the urban city of manhattan and we couldn't be more excited! moving is definitely stressful and it was very strange to see all our belongings pull away without us in a big moving truck. as soon as we get settled in our new digs, one trip to the union square greenmarket will surely inspire us and we'll be right back on track. see you soon!

the big apple

back from a busy but great week in nyc! we had a little rain, a little sun and a lot of great meals. we had a fabulous lunch at momofuku ssam bar which included steamed pork buns (of course!) and amazing pork scrapple with thick cut bacon, a perfectly poached egg and a little salad of frisee and mizuna on top - unreal!! another great lunch was had sitting at the bar of gramercy tavern for a late afternoon cocktail and delicious pulled pork sandwich. we had an amazing dinner at locanda verde in the greenwich hotel - the garlicky fava bean crostini and homemade ravioli were great but the best part of the meal was dessert - a scoop each of malted milk chocolate and rice custard gelato. another highlight of the meal was meeting jeffrey steingarten, food critic and author, and his lovely wife at the bar after dinner. can't wait to go back again for more foodie adventures!