February 9th, 2012
Along with my macaron tasting, I was able to fit in some cookies without having a sugar overload. My latest find, the cookies at Levain Bakery, were so good, I had to make a second trip for more so everyone at home could experience them. Okay and because I wanted another for myself. Here are some snapshots of Levain and my other favorites in the city.
It’s hard to miss this Upper West Side bakery as there is always a crowd spilling out onto the sidewalk. To get to the shop, you walk down a set of stairs as if entering a basement and are welcomed with the sweet smell of cookies. If it weren’t such tight quarters inside, only a few bar seats by a window, I would stay in there just to inhale more of the aroma.
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February 8th, 2012
On my latest trip to New York I decided to make it a macaron trip, the idea mainly inspired by the opening last year of Ladurée, the famous Parisian tea salon that finally has come to the states. I hope Pierre Hermé will follow suit but for now I will settle for a little piece of Paris in Ladurée, literally, as the macarons are flown over every week.
And before I get into the little details of each macaron, here is my blurb, macaron tasting 101, because I take it that seriously. It’s like wine tasting.
Ladurée’s pastel green is as recognizable to sweet lovers as Tiffany’s blue is to shopaholics. In the midst of the rainy weather, the window display on Madison Avenue was a welcoming spring combination of green and lavender. This is the only photo I have of the shop, as true to the Paris locations, photography is not allowed inside. I figured the window was acceptable since it is viewable from the outside.
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February 8th, 2012
I thought I’d write an entry on what I look for when I try macarons. For me, the ultimate macaron comes from Pierre Herme in Paris so I like to use that as a basis, but just that because if I were to compare everything to that, I’d probably be disappointed 95% of the time. Here are my criteria for great macarons:
1. Macaron to filling ratio- Pierre Herme uses a generous amount of filling (some like it and some don’t) that is as thick as one of the macarons that forms the sandwich. It is sad when I come across macarons where I can barely see what is inside. That is usually my first clue not to buy it.
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November 13th, 2011
With creative concoctions such as crack pie, cereal milk and compost cookies, (just noticing my unintentional alliteration) pastry chef, Christina Tosi has developed quite a following at Momofuku Milk Bar in New York. With the release of her new cookbook, Christina embarked on a nationwide book tour and brought her east coast treats to the Bay Area.
Her stop at Williams-Sonoma Union Square, San Francisco included a demo and samples of her famous cookies. No thanks to city rush hour traffic, I only caught the last bit of her demo, but the cookies did make up for it. FYI, I did not eat all of these on my own. I spread the love for Milk Bar to a few friends Here are my notes on each one.
Taste Test:
Compost Cookie- chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, graham crumbs, pretzels, potato chips, coffee grounds and oats. Sounds like something you’d make when you have too many expired things in your pantry, but every one of these ingredients are essential to the incredible flavor of the cookie. The most immediate flavors I tasted were the graham/brown sugar and coffee. It was comforting. My favorite cookie of the bunch.
Corn Cookie- like a sugar cookie but with the sweetness from corn. It is easily recognizable but in no way overpowering. It makes for a very interesting cookie.
Chocolate-Chocolate Cookie- so intensely chocolatey, the name needs to repeat the word twice. It is actually not too sweet. There is much more focus on the cocoa. Must be eaten with a cold glass of milk.
Cornflake, Chocolate Chip, Marshmallow Cookie- this one reminds me of a rice krispie treat. Christina first bakes a sugared cornflake mixture that gets folded into the cookie dough. Its gives a crispy, chewy texture like in a krispy treat.
Blueberry & Cream Cookie- had a bit of cookie overload so I didn’t get one, but I did get it from the actual Momofuku Bakery in NY. Its like a blueberry muffin in cookie form. A bit too sweet for me.
Christina Tosi’s tips for great cookies:
- 10 minute creaming process! I have never heard of creaming that long but if that’s what it takes to create her delicious cookies I won’t argue.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour before baking so the butter in the cookies can firm up again after the creaming process. The cookies will then bake before spreading. From experience, unless you like a sheet pan of one cookie, this is an important step.
- Pat down cookies slightly before putting in the oven. This will help the cookies have an even spread.
If you can’t make it to NY, luckily Momofuku cookies can ship!
Momofuku Milk Bar
251 e 13th st
new york, ny 10003
Order online
May 30th, 2011
I’m constantly on the look out for a place that is creative and bold with macarons and I am pleased to have found Dessert Truck Works on my recent trip to New York. Its popularity was boosted by an appearance on Bobby Flay’s Throwdown, where the owners made their signature bread pudding with bacon anglaise. Yes bacon. On a late evening in middle of January I made the trek out to the truck parked in East Village and tasted for myself. It was very good.
In January 2010, Dessert Truck set up shop on Clinton Street, conveniently located next to a favorite food spot of mine, Clinton St Baking Company. I was tempted to go in for the amazing blueberry pancakes but I was on a mission for macarons.
Front of the shop with a menu of some of individual desserts sold at the shop and on the mobile truck.
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August 18th, 2009
I can’t stop raving about Wicked the musical right now (seen 3 times in 3 different cities, in 1 year) and to get in the spirit of the show here are a few of my favorite foodie finds.
The Wicked Brownie
From Fat Witch Bakery, in Chelsea Market, NYC. The original fat witch brownie with mint chips and for the real Elphaba effect, green sprinkles. This one is not on the list of options on their site so I think it comes and goes at the store. I happened to see it in July.
Photo courtesy of mrchocolate.com
Wicked Hot Chocolate
Another favorite NYC sweet stop, Jacques Torres, carries Wicked Hot Chocolate. It’s not specially for the movie but how perfect would it be with the brownie? Double dose of chocolate. I have yet to try it but its supposed to be really good. If you’re not a fan of the liquid version, it is also sold as a chocolate bar.
Photo courtesy of broadwaycares.org
Wicked Good Cook! Apron
Perform a good deed by purchasing the Wicked Good Cook! Apron. All the proceeds go towards Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
July 28th, 2009
I’m so glad I was in NY the right week to see this. Ina Garten’s barn, where she now films her show Barefoot Contessa, is House Beautiful’s Kitchen of the Year, so they created a replica at Rockefeller Plaza. The whole plaza was actually pretty lively with all that was going on.
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July 26th, 2009
Sunday lunch at Jean Georges’ Nougatine
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