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!

pudding

when you look at these images you don't think pudding, do you? well, maybe you do if you're british or have a friend from across the pond or are for some reason familiar with steamed puddings. sticky toffee pudding, spotted dick and even bread pudding are molded desserts different in texture than regular old chocolate or tapioca pudding. i grew up with a family tradition of eating cranberry steamed pudding for dessert every christmas eve and have always loved it! we recently saw a recipe for marmalade pudding in jamie oliver's gorgeous magazine and decided to adapt it so you don't have to measure everything in grams. the slightly bitter orange flavor would be delicious with a cup of coffee in the morning, a cup of tea around 3pm or in a puddle of creme anglaise for dessert. you can find molds at garage sales, thrift stores and even brand new here. definitely worth having one in the cupboard but if you don't have one yet, you can always steam it in a coffee can.

Marmalade Pudding

serves 8-10

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup marmalade

3 eggs

in a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. in a small saucepan, heat butter and marmalade until butter is melted. pour over dry ingredients and whisk to mix well. whisk in the eggs and stir until combined. pour into a greased pudding mold and cover tightly with a piece of greased foil. place in a large pot, slightly raised from the bottom if possible, and fill pot with boiling water about halfway up the side of the mold, being careful not to spill into the mold. bring to a boil over medium heat, cover and steam for about 2 hours. the water will need to be refilled a bit as the pudding cooks. test the pudding with a cake tester and turn out onto a dish. slice and serve warm or at room temperature. enjoy!

zeppole

we were just watching a repeat of everyday italian on the food network and it happened to be an episode from the season i worked on. giada was making zeppole, which is essentially an italian doughnut hole, and it reminded me of how delicious little fried balls of dough tossed in cinnamon sugar and dipped in chocolate taste. so while it was snowing outside all day today, we stayed inside and made these! the recipe is adapted from this cookbook which has lots of great recipes. yes it's a little indulgent and no we don't fry things every day but today it was a special treat!

Zeppole

serves 4-6

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar plus 1/2 cup for coating

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup all purpose flour

4 eggs

1 tbs orange zest

vegetable oil for frying

1 tsp cinnamon

in a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar, salt and 1/2 cup water. bring to a boil over medium heat. take the pan off the heat and stir in the flour. return to low heat and cook, stirring vigorously until the mixture forms a ball. transfer the dough to a medium bowl and using an electric mixer, beat in eggs one at a time. add orange zest and set aside. in a small bowl, combine cinnamon with remaining 1/2 cup sugar and set aside.

pour enough oil into a frying pan to reach a depth of 2-inches. heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer.

using a small ice cream scoop, carefully drop small tablespoons of dough into the hot oil. fry several at a time but be careful not to crowd the pan. turn zeppole with a wooden skewer to evenly brown both sides and cook until golden and puffed, about 5 minutes. roll cooked zeppole in cinnamon sugar and serve immediately plain or with melted chocolate for dipping. enjoy!

morning muffins

well, it looks like baking has been a bit of an obsession lately in our house. i guess the warmth of the oven and the smell of fresh baked goods in the morning can be a little addictive. we love berries, and blueberries seemed a fit for these light tasty little treats. these muffins are filled with streusel for a melt in your mouth fluffiness. recently we have been taking the gourmet coffee tour of the city at home, trying to find a favorite, although i think they all taste so good i don't think we will ever pick just one. we have gone through bags of stumptown, counter culture, and now ninth street espresso. between the aromas coming from the oven and the coffee pot, our house smells like morning all through the day.

Blueberry Muffins

makes 1 dozen

for streusel:

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/8 cup oats

1/8 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tbs unsalted butter, melted

for muffins:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

4 tbs butter, melted

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

zest of 1 small lemon

1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 12 cup muffin tin. in a small bowl, combine streusel ingredients and set aside. in a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder salt and sugar. in a medium bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, milk, cooled butter, vanilla and lemon zest. pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. fold in blueberries until evenly distributed. fill each cup halfway full, then top with 1/2 tbs of streusel and cover with remaining batter filling each cup to the top. bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. enjoy!

my first cookbook

i was lucky enough to grow up in a home that loved food and had a mom and grandmas who were wonderful cooks and shared that love with me. apparently they were shaping my future, although i don't think any of them knew what food styling was at the time. one of the first recipes i remember making was from a kid's cookbook called My First Cookbook for cinnamon raisin bread. it was fun to see how yeast made the dough rise, i loved kneading with my little hands and then eating the beautifully swirled bread warm out of the oven with a little butter was a perfect end to the lesson. i'm sure there are much more interesting cinnamon swirl bread recipes out there but this one is such a wonderful memory and when i made it again recently, i realized that it's actually really good - the loaf didn't last long in our house!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

makes 2 loaves

2 cups milk

1 pkg active dry yeast

5-6 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

heat milk over medium heat until it steams and tiny bubbles come to the edge. cool 10 minutes. place yeast, 5 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and combine. add 2 tbs of butter and milk and stir until a stiff dough is formed. knead for 5 minutes or until smooth. place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise 1 hour. punch air out of dough, cover and let rise 30 minutes. grease 2 loaf tins and 1 tbs of butter. combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. roll out dough into a thin rectangle. spread 4 tbs butter over dough and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and raisins, if using. tightly roll the dough, starting from one long edge and cut the dough in half. place each half in a loaf tin, seam side down. cover and let rise for 30 minutes. preheat oven to 350 degrees F. spread remaining butter on the tops of the loaves and bake 35 minutes or until lightly golden and hollow sounding when tapped with your knuckle. cool on a wire rack & enjoy!

steak

sometimes there's nothing better than a simply marinated & grilled piece of beef - you can put it in a composed salad, make it into a sandwich or just serve it with a drizzle of good olive and some crisp vegetables. we're not grilling outdoors since we moved - maybe cause it's snowing and we don't have a patio anymore - but if you can stand the smoke for a bit, a cast iron grill pan is a great investment. pancakes for breakfast and steak for dinner! this is an easy marinade made special by the addition of two homemade condiments: worcestershire sauce and spicy mustard. by the way, it's our first restaurant week in nyc and although we waited too long to score a coveted reservation anywhere fancy, we did have a wonderful three course lunch here yesterday - we love mario.

Grilled Skirt Steak

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tbs worcestershire sauce

1 tbs chili garlic sauce

3 green onions, sliced

5 cloves garlic, smashed

2 tbs brown sugar

2 tbs spicy mustard

1 tbs chili flakes

1 lb skirt or flank steak

in a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir well. place steak in a large ziploc bag and cover with marinade. refrigerate for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight. grill over medium high heat for 8-12 minutes per side, depending on preferred doneness and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. enjoy!

noodles

noodles, noodles & more noodles - that's what our pantry looks like after styling a noodle story for Fine Cooking magazine a few weeks ago. can't wait to show you the spread that i had so much fun shooting with this very talented and sweet photographer. rice noodles immediately make me think pad thai and while this dish is peanuty with chunks of tender chicken and the crunchy coolness of bean sprouts, i wouldn't exactly call it pad thai in the traditional sense. let's say it's more like a noodles in peanut sauce dish that you can adapt to whatever kind of noodles (rice, soba, fresh), protein and vegetables you have in the refrigerator. plus it was the perfect meal to eat out of a new gorgeous grey dish we bought from this amazing designer.

Peanut Noodles

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 clove garlic

1 tbs grated ginger

3 tbs creamy peanut butter

1 tbs honey

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce

1/4 tsp sesame oil

8 oz rice noodles

1 tbs olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, julienned

2 carrots, peeled & julienned

1/2 cup bean sprouts

2 poached chicken breasts, shredded

garnish with green onion, cilantro & lime wedges

in a food processor, combine vinegar, garlic, ginger, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce and sesame oil and puree until smooth. set aside. cook noodles according to directions on package, drain and set aside. heat olive oil in a medium saute pan and cook onion, bell pepper and carrots for 4 minutes, or until translucent. add bean sprouts, chicken and peanut sauce and stir to coat. toss with cooked noodles and serve immediately with optional garnish.

winter white

how about a goat cheese & honey tart in beautiful shades of white to make up for the lack of winter white weather? this elegant dessert couldn't be easier to make and the simple flavors of tart goat cheese and yogurt are perfectly complimented by a drizzle of local honey. the recipe is inspired by a tart from an old issue of food & wine but i used the crust from this fall tart and think it turned out wonderfully - enjoy!

Goat Cheese & Honey Tart

serves 8

1/4 cup each almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts (toasted & cooled)

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 tbs flax seeds

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

6 tbs chilled unsalted butter, diced

1 egg yolk

11 oz goat cheese

2 cups greek yogurt

2 tbs lime juice

2 tsp lime zest

1/3 cup confectioner's sugar

1/3 cup honey

grease a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. in a food processor, grind nuts, flour, flax, sugar and salt into a fine meal. add butter and pulse until a coarse meal forms. add egg yolk and pulse until moist clumps form. press dough into bottom and sides of pan, about 1/4-inch thick, and pierce bottom with a fork several times. chill for 30 minutes. preheat oven to 400 degrees F. bake crust 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. cool completely.

in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat goat cheese, yogurt, lime juice and zest until combined. add sugar and beat until smooth. spread the filling evenly into the crust and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. just before serving, heat the honey in a small saucepan until it's a thinner consistency and drizzle over tart.

pretzel rolls

wow, does anyone else feel like 2010 is already flying by? can't believe it's this far into january and we've only posted once, oops. also can't believe how gorgeous the weather has been in nyc so far - we walked all over the city yesterday with our light coats on and stopped here for some excellent fish & chips! we've been busy, but not too busy to make homemade pretzel rolls. this recipe is dangerous because when the rolls are warm out of the oven and slathered with a little salted butter or some spicy mustard, you won't stop at just one or two! the dough is from a fall issue of martha stewart and would also be great adapted into sweet pretzels with cinnamon & sugar or dusted with fresh parmesan. experiment and enjoy!

soft pretzel rolls

makes 12

2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp sugar

1 cup warm water

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbs unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup baking soda

1 egg yolk plus 1 tbs water

1-2 tbs pretzel salt or Maldon salt

in a small bowl, mix yeast, salt, sugar and warm water and stir to dissolve sugar. let sit 5 minutes until foamy. in a large bowl, mix flour and cayenne. use your fingers to cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal. slowly pour yeast mixture into flour and stir with a fork to combine. use your hands to gather dough together and turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until no longer sticky and fairly smooth. return to bowl, cover with plastic and let rise 30 minutes. cut dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball between the palms of your hands. then roll ball on surface forming into a roll with slightly tapered ends. transfer to an oiled baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. let rise 20 minutes.

preheat oven to 475 degrees F. in a large pot, combine 10 cups of water with baking soda and bring to a boil. boil rolls in batches until puffy about 45 seconds per side. transfer to wire rack to drain. return to baking sheet, brush with egg yolk wash, sprinkle with salt and lightly score with a sharp knife about 1/8-inch deep. bake until golden to dark brown, 13-15 minutes. pretzels will keep uncovered, at room temperature for about 12 hours. rewarm in a 250 degree F oven and serve with salted butter and assorted mustard.

behind the bar

happy new year everyone!! We are happy to let you know that we are being featured by our friends over at design sponge today with a feature in their section behind the bar. we feel very lucky to be part of this great blog for our second time and love being part of a section close to our heart, the bar!! thank you to ryan and alissa, cheers!

we were sorry to be away for so long, but being back in the california sun for a few weeks was just a bit distracting. we did have a great time seeing old friends and familiar places, but we are overjoyed to be back in the big city. and a little snow this morning made it all the better. we also received some amazing gifts this year. we got some amazing work in the form of note cards and a calendar from the amazing photographer jen altman, we literally cant get over her whole package. another gift was from the multi talented jen gotch for a ban.do aristocrat collar that is truly beautiful. thanks to the jens, for capping off a truly great year!

"life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile." -unknown

again, happy new year!!