johnder

Ok, the food. Amuse -- egg salad in wonton wrapper with spicy tobiko First -- hamachi sashimi with fried lily bulb stamens and pink salt Second -- soup dumpling with seared fois with balsamic / black vinegar reduction Third -- Skate 2 ways. Skate sashimi with kochuchang and seared skate with daikon kimchi and kimche vinagrette and avacado puree Fourth -- Smoke Berkshire Pork Loin with Millet, Chard and Fried Gruyere cubes Desert 1 -- Panna cotta with Rubarb, Rubarb/Hibiscus soup and rock sugar Desert 2 -- Chocolate Biscut with Banana Chip and Banana mousse. Desert 3 -- Apple tart with Vanilla ice cream and caramel soup Petit Fours -- Blackberry ice pops, chocolate mints. This is the first time we were at Annisa. I was originally slightly worried as the reviews I have seen said the place was small and loud. While the place was small, when when entered the restaurant was completely full, but the noise level was totally acceptable. We were a table of 3, and opted for the 5 course tasting menu. All the dishes were the same, with the exception of the desert. We didn't want to drink to much tonight, so we just asked for 2 glasses of wine per person that would match up with the courses as best they could. We had a Deidesheimer Riesling Pfalz 2006 and Cape Mantell Shiraz 2003 from Western Austraila I am too tired to go course by course through the wines, especially since I need to dry rub the pork tonight before bed -- not to mention that I haven't roasted any coffee yet, which will be a huge problem soon when we run out. The highlights of the dishes were the hamachi. It was really awesome. I never had fried lily bulb before, and the pink salt really kicked the dish up. The fois dumpling was ok. It was presented as a soup dumpling, but there was very little broth in the dumpling, which made is have less of a wow factor. The seared fois on top was pretty good though and made up for the lack of soup. The skate was, I have to say slightly disconcerning when they put it down. When they described the dish as seared skate with daikon kimchee, kimchee vinagrette and a skate sashimi with kochuchang I was very worried. Skate being pretty delicate, I was predicting it would be overpowered, but this dish really worked. I never had skate raw before, aside from the texture being slightly chewy, it was very tasty. I suspect the chili cured the skate slightly which made it work. The pork dish was aweome. While the pork itself was slightly overcooked for my taste, the millet and the fried cheese cubes were enough to make up for it. The millet was slow cooked in chicken stock and surrounded by a pork reduction. Very tasty. As far a the deserts, after the ecliar incident earlier today, this was the last thing I wanted. I took a bite of each, and the only thing I actually finished was the blackberry popsicle. Everyone else at the table raved about the rhubarb soup and the caramel soup though. It was a great meal overall. Service was spot on, the decor was sleek and nice and the food first rate and for the price a good deal. Time to rub the pork belly though. (for Saturday... not a metaphor)

I didn't actually see much in the way of Mexican chiles. Then again I am pretty spoiled, most of the Korean markets around my house carry a wicked supply of Mexican products, so I get most of them locally. Next time I am at Kalustyans I will check though.

Maybe a garnish for the Pickletini? I'm a booze nerd, and gotta find a better teacher than S. Lee. I slink away. ← These things are pretty small, so I was actually thinking along the lines of a garnish for a drink as well. They are probably a little bigger then an olive. Hopefully tomorrow I will have some time to play with them.

From what I recall, they're not the same thing at all. In fact, I seem to remember reading somewhere that, in England, they peel back the husk and dip the "cherry" into fondant so that it looks like a little winged bon bon. Ah, here is some info, with a reference to the fondant-dipping. ETA: they ARE related, but the ground cherry is sweeter. ← So I didn't actually buy any of these and the farmer was pretty busy so I didn't get to ask. I actually was under the impression they were gooseberrys. Growing up in a scandinavian house, that is what I assumed they were. Here is a picture of the cape gooseberry --or what they call a ground cherry

They carry whole bags of candied violets? I've been to NY twice in the last three months, each time promising myself I'd get to Kalustyans, and never made it there. Your pictures have convinced me that it's a must-do next time! They sure do. Not the cheapest things in the world. But given my current obsession with finding Creme de Violet, I figured I was going to try my hand at making a batch. Stay tuned in the cocktail forum for that after I recover from this blog. Thanks! I really wanted tiles behind the stove to allow for easy cleanup after cooking. It makes cleanup a snap.

I had the pleasure of having Jim mix me up one of these last week when I was visiting. Truly one of the most delicious cocktails I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. If someone could get Jim to post his recipe for that fabulous libation I'd be eternally grateful. That was one seriously tasty drink! ← I will talk to Jim and see if I can get the recipe. Sunday may be a visit to Gramercy if I recover from Saturday dinner party in time.

ok, stand by for a dinner update. As a tease, here is the menu from tonight. We had the 5 course tasting menu. The menu was so big, I had to take pictures in two parts per page.

Now for the takehome goods: Spices -- some for the dinner, and the others I am going to use for making some bitters. Tomatoes, for the gazpacho amuse for Saturday. The cucumelons, which I have never seen before. They are olive sized cucumbers. Not sure what I am going to do with these, I just needed to buy them. Baby Sekel pears, going to be poached for the fois gras. And finally... Sorry it isn't the best picture. The shiny label makes it hard. It is a 1.45lb piece of grade A La Belle farms fois. Whoa nelly. So I need to get ready for dinner at Annisa. Given it's close proximity to Pegu, I just may have to stop by for a cocktail. I need to try to stay somewhat sober tonight as I need to start the torchon, which requires deveining the fois. Not something to do while impaired. Not sure how many pictures I will take during that process, as it will be messy. (not to mention graphic!) I also need to do the rub for the belly tonight. It is going to be a long night of work and taking pictures.

After the market I headed over to Kalustyans to pick up some spices. For those that don't know, it is the mecca of spices. It is really overwhelming going there as there is just so much stuff cramed into every available spot. I don't have time before dinner to comment on every photo, but I will do so when I get back home tonight. The things of interest are: Moth Whole? They also have a good selection of bitters.

This dinner party is going to be the death of me. So after my meeting I stopped by the greenmarket to pick up some stuff. I only ended up getting some tomatoes, cucumelons, and some little pears. I did snap a whole bunch of pictures though.

Seriously. My eyes are having a hard time focusing. I think my weight went from 190 to 200 from eating that. Must... lie.... down.

I am definately learning the in's and out's of my camera with every passing photo. The eclair one is pretty obscene.

Actually I am having a hard time trying to work after eating that. I do have a sweet tooth, but it usually involves a cookie or two before bed with a glass of milk. This definately was too much for me.

Ok lunch update. I ended up going back to Almondine mainly because I promised I would get the eclair. They had a salami, brie, tomato and butter on a baguette -- looked good to me. Next... wait for it.... wait for it... Double... chocolate..... eclair. I am full.

One thing I have been meaning to post, but unfortunately deleted the pictures by accident is the "Korean market lime index" Given I make so many cocktails I keep an eye on the prices of limes and lemons. I pass by two Korean markets every morning on the way to work and in the bins outside they always have limes and lemons. I notice that given there are two stores apart from each other it leads to some interesting competition. The prices change daily and I have seen them be anywhere from 3 for $1 for limes up to 10 for $1. For lemons it is anywhere from 2 for $1 up to 5 for $1. It is really bizarre how the prices change daily. It isn't even as simple as size of the actual citrus changes. From my understanding Persian limes, which are the ones at the store are pretty much always in season. So what is actually causing the wild price swings is amazing. This week I had pictures starting sunday through this morning and it went: Sunday: limes 4 for $1 at one store, 5 for $1 at the other Monday: limes 7 for $1 at one store, 5 for $1 at the other Tuesday: limes 6 for $1 at one store, 7 for $1 at the other Today: limes 8 for $1 at one store, 7 for $1 at the other. It seems they may be competing off each other, which is great for me. I usually buy a few dozen when I seem them around 7 or 8 for a buck.

The glasses were given to me as a xmas present. They also make great beer glasses, as it keeps the drink cold and the warmth of your hand doesn't transfer to the beer. They are the Bodum canteen. When I designed the kitchen I wanted a lot of drawers. We actually have 17 drawers in the kitchen, 2 of which are dedicated to spices. I find that having them in the drawers allows me to quickly find the spice I want. The problem I had with spice racks and cabinets is when I am in a rush, I would always inadvertantly knock down 2 or 3 other spices while trying to get the one I wanted. This solution prevents that.

Oh on the subject of spices, here is a picture of my spice drawer. I actually have a second drawer that serves to store the lesser used ones. This is my workhorse drawer. I got all these little paint jars from an art supply store and they have worked really well for me. The have a rubber seal under the screwtop lid, and they store anywhere from 1-4 oz of spices. I usually just buy a scoop or two of spices from the bulk bin at a time so I can ensure they stay somewhat fresh. Given they are stored in the drawer where it is dark helps as well.

Another morning... another cup of coffee. This week has been filled with early morning meetings that are damping my style. Today is a busy day in the morning, so not many updates until later. I will be around answering any questions, as well as doing some photos of the infamous double chocolate eclair. Around 3pm I am leaving to have a meeting in the city by Union Square, which on Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday host the greenmarket. As you have seen from other NYC bloggers it is an awesome resource to score some killer produce. I will probably see what is available there, and then walk over to Kalustyans to pick up some spices. I am running low on a few things, and completely our of coriander and fennel that I need for the pork belly rub. After the meeting I am going to head back over to Brooklyn to pick up the fois and head home to do the spice rub before heading back into the city for a drink and dinner.

Oh, forgot to add. Tomorrow's highlights will include -- spice shopping, dry rub of the pork belly, picking up of the fois gras, Jaques Torres eclair excursion, dinner at Annisa.

Ok, probably my last post tonight. After all that photo editing and writing I needed a drink. Looking over the bar I decided to make a Violet Femme. This drink is one Brian from Pegu invented on his spare time and gave to me. It is one of the few drinks I memorized the recipe for that make use of Parfait Amore. Parfait, Lemon juice, simple, plymouth, muddled grapefruit peel. Pefect. Sour, sweet, herbal. And yes... I still have some of the old Plymouth bottles before they did their crazy rebranding. I really dislike the new bottles.

Funny you should say that, I have heard that a few times in the past weeks, I think I must add this to my reading list. Terrace bagels is my favourite bagel store in Brooklyn. I will try to stop by there Thursday morning to pick one up on the way to work. Their everthing bagels are the #&(@$!. Thanks again for your and everyone else's kind remarks. It was definately a labor of love. You will get to see it in full swing on Saturday at the dinner party.

Dinner at Applewood: First, a disclaimer: this is one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants. We go here often enough that we know the owners, Chef David Shea and his fabulous wife, Laura Shea the bartender Lawrence and most of the staff. It is entirely possible that we do not have the same experience as the average Joe that walks in, but considering how friendly and helpful everyone is, I doubt that anyone else’s experience will be significantly different from ours. We really like house cocktails which change often and always seasonal, which pretty much also describes the cooking style: interesting, seasonal, organic & locally produced. Of the cocktails on the menu, the onion martini is my wife’s personal favorite. In her words, a bloody Mary minus the blood. Tonight though, she chose the honeydew margarita. Interesting, because one would (reasonably) conclude that this would be an oversweet, cloying “girly” drink (my wife’s words – no accusations of gender-stereotyping, please). As it stands, the drink has the flavor of honeydew without being cloying (and this is from a woman who does not suffer girly-drinks gladly). I had the calvados cocktail. Again, one would assume, based on the ingredients, that this would be a somewhat sweet drink. Wrong again. The drink, created by the bartender Lawrence, is the perfect expression of early fall: crisp, slightly smoky, with the hint of apples and pears. Moving onto the food, one of us got the tasting and the other ordered different dishes off the menu, so we could taste as many dishes as possible. I ordered the tasting, which was luckily matched up with my perfect sequence of dishes: scallop, pork belly, lamb, cheese & dessert. The diver scallop, perfectly cooked, heirloom tomatoes and a pear soup The wine pairing was a Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier ’04. It worked very well with the different components of the dish. The next dish: Pork Belly. From the magical animal…. Mmmm pork. The surprising part was the wine pairing: Louis Sipp Gewuerztraminer from Alsace 2003. Really? Shouldn’t this by all rights be far too sweet for pork belly? Unless you happen to have pepper jelly to cut through the fat of the pork belly that matched up to sweetness of the Gewuertztraminer. Can you go wrong with Duck Fat Poached Lamb Tenderloin? No really, can you? I suppose it is possible in the way that it is possible, though not probable, that bacon can be inappropriate on a Sunday morning. As I expected, anything poached in duck fat is a good thing, and lamb poached in duck fat is something everyone should try before departing. We were lucky to be there on a night when the restaurant had ’99 Castillo Labastida Reserve Rioja. Wonderful with the dish, and a very good wine for drinking now, although I have to say, it would be fascinating to see what this wine turns into in about 5-6 years. It’s big right now, but with enough structure to develop into something rather larger and fuller in a few. My wife had (from the a la carte menu) the Oil Poached Cobia. This is purportedly a very “fishy” fish. If that is the case, we wouldn’t know from the preparation. Something in the oil-poaching process removes any “fishiness” and still keeps the fish very fresh-tasting. Add it to the watermelon rinds & pea shoots, and you have a very interesting and tasty dish that pairs well with an ’04 Alsatian Riesling from Domaine Auther The main course was a milk-fed goat loin. If you’ve never had goat before, this is nice way to be introduced. The meat was mild, vaguely lamb-like, without being lamb, and entirely enjoyable. The only drawback to this dish was the underseasoned White-bean pepper ragout, but otherwise it was well executed. Dessert for me was the almond financier with poached seckle pear. As you can see from the picture, the dish looked and smelled so good that I proceeded to tear in before taking a photo. Whoops. Really a tremendous dessert. And the Macalan Moscato from Veneto was a perfect pairing. My wife had the cheese plate, which had a wonderful selection of cheeses from New York & California, in addition to their incomparable Blue Cheesecake. Overall it was another great meal. I am really lucky to have a place like this so close by. Whew, that was a lot of writing. I think I need a cocktail.

The rye based one is an Oriental. The second one is a tequilla, yellow chartreuse, cucumber, mint, simple, lime and a pinch of salt. I call it the "Silver Monk" Stand by for the food photos....

Ok, we are going to head out to dinner soon (camera in hand), but before we left, a quick cocktail. Any guesses as to what this is? (that is lime juice in the glass) The other drink is a new one that Phil and I have been playing with (I need to pick up some new tequilla, luckily I found this bottle in the back of the cabinet. Of course I didn't realize I needed any until now. ) The simple and the cucumber along with some simple syrup was lightly assulted with a piece of wood -- a pinch of salt added. Pre shake, chilled glasses ready! Ahh now to enjoy...

I've never had a PBR in my life - but I think I need to rectify that, or move. Are they still selling those chickens in the Grand Army Plaza greenmarket? If so, I know where I'll be going this weekend. You have to get a double chocolate eclair at Torres, and document the experience. You simply cannot taunt us by mentioning them and not eat one. ← Yes, they did have the chickens this past weekend. Go early if you want to get one. Tell Mike I said hello! Ok, fine. If I must. I will somehow force myself to eat a double chocolate eclair for the sake of fine journalism.