Cupcakes (and a Berliner Weisse) Take the Cake

This post tells of truly fabulous cupcakes - cupcakes that live up to their name, or have thoroughly earned the hype surrounding them.

I remember when Kickass Cupcakes opened a few years ago. How great for Davis Square to get a cupcakery, I thought - and how fun for a bakery of any sort to project a hip, in-your-face identity in place of the usual saccharine, frilly one! Unfortunately, Kickass' first few weeks of cupcakes did not kick ass. I dismissed them outright after having too many dry, flavorless cakes with stiffened, flavorless frostings. Years passed. I saw no reason to revisit - or retaste? - my opinion.

And then there was Brewberry Fest.

Night Shift Brewing brews an amazing range of Berliner Weisse-style beers. I love that style's refreshing, mouth-puckering tartness, and I love Night Shift's ability to adapt and evolve it in various fruity and spicy directions. Last week's Brewberry Fest commemorated their release of Mainer Weisse, the standard Berliner base brewed with Maine blueberries and cinnamon. Here are two pours of the purple concoction.

Forget about the overdone sweetness one usually finds (and fears) in fruity beers. Mainer Weisse has a subtle, tangy blueberry flavor, and its cinnamon works well with the inherent Berliner flavors. I would go back to this sour over and over again if I could; unfortunately, it was a limited release that sold out in the days following the Fest.

Good beers at good Fests are even better with good food! We enjoyed Mei Mei Street Kitchen's indulgent mac and cheese, made with Vermont Cheddar and Night Shift's Fallen Apple ale, for dinner. Kickass Cupcakes had a table at the other end of the hall, where they were offering four total flavors of miniature and full-sized cupcakes. The mini cupcakes were free. I thought of Kickass' past fails as mentioned above, but I couldn't say no to free dessert. I'm so glad I took that chance, because WOW - they have improved so dramatically that their current cupcakes totally kick ass and then some! The flavors were:

• Spicy Chocolate - this flavor was made especially for Night Shift! (All subsequent flavors are from Kickass' usual repertoire.) A dense, flavorful chocolate cake was injected with peppery chocolate ganache; that ganache had been doctored with Night Shift's Viva Habanera ale! Rich chocolate frosting topped the cake, which itself was drizzled with sweet chili sauce and sprinkled with red pepper flakes. A delightful combination of heat and sweet, I kept on coming back for more of these mini confections.
• Berry Crumbly - sturdy vanilla cake was dotted with mixed berries and topped with Kickass' interpretation of crumble. Imagine oats that were lightly tossed with melted butter and brown sugar, and then toasted; the effect was pleasant, but not nearly as satisfying as a chunky, flour-based crumble. The frosting was a light, refreshing blend of creme fraiche and marscapone cheese, and a random berry crowned each cake's frosting dollop.
• Caramel Mochiatto - the same hearty chocolate cake was filled with an oozy nugget of sweet, translucent caramel. Rich mocha frosting was swirled on top, and chocolate-covered espresso nibs garnished that frosting and added explosive coffee bitterness to the dessert.
• Cookie Dough - the standard vanilla cake had a gooey scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough at its center. There was probably more cookie dough than cake! The cake and cookie doughs' formulations must have been similar, since simultaneously eating both demonstrated a surprising continuity of flavor. The frosting was a simple but solid vanilla buttercream that was drizzled with chocolate sauce for an engaging visual effect.

You can see the Cookie Dough cupcake, and yet another pour of Mainer Weisse, here!

I was so impressed with the moistness and heft of both cakes and frostings, as well as their rich, lingering flavors; I surprised myself by snacking on the free mini cupcakes throughout the night. There were more than enough to go around. Even with all that snacking, there were many cupcakes left when the festival started winding down. So, the Kickass folks let us take boxes of cupcakes to go! The offer even included the full-sized cupcakes we would have had to pay for earlier in the night. Behold my enviable to-go box; you will count 4 Spicy Chocolates and one Caramel Mochiatto, with a dramatic backdrop of the remaining Spicy Chocolates.

These treats kept for days following the event, so the dessert wealth was indeed spread! I must thank Kickass Cupcakes for leaning from their past and churning out incredibly delicious new products, and to Night Shift for being a ray of (sour) light in a world of lagers, IPAs, and stouts. 

Now, let's fast-forward a few days post-Fest. The to-go box had been emptied. What was I going to do for dessert?

Georgetown Cupcake - the DC cupcakery that rose to fame on the Food Network - opened a Newbury Street store this past summer! I walked by during its opening weekend, and was mollified by a line that extended down and around the block; I decided to come back another time. The perfect opportunity arose last weekend. The warm, bright store was a beacon on a sleety, gray afternoon, and I decided a cupcake could commemorate just having finished my Christmas shopping.

As my eyes adjusted to the store's blinding pink and white decor, I noticed the wall of cupcakes.

Countless cupcakes are arranged on tiered display stands, with two or three varieties sharing each stand. Since Georgetown's available flavors change daily, each day's display is unique. I could barely take it all in. Each pert cake is coiffed with a perfect swirl of frosting, which in turn is topped with a decorative garnish or fondant form. Crushed peppermint candies and fondant snowflakes were two particularly festive toppers.

(If you, like me, are curious about the Chocolate Squared, it refers to chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream. The Chocolate Cubed [not pictured] is chocolate cake with chocolate ganache.)

The cupcakes weren't the only cute things I ogled at. Look at this adorable reindeer design on my cup of hot chocolate! The same design was also on stickers that decorated each bakery bag or box to go.

Speaking of the hot chocolate - it was good, but not mind-blowing. The cocoa was nice and sweet, with a hint of mint and a slightly oily texture. That last characteristic reminded me of British chocolate. (I wonder which cocoa Georgetown uses...) I think I'd try a mocha next.

I also got a chocolate peppermint cupcake. Here it is in Instagrammed glory...

...while this cleaner, minimalist image shows it one step from being eaten.

The cake had a great texture! It was super chewy for a non-fudgy baked good. It was also rather sturdy, not sinking under the weight of the dense chocolate mint frosting. Georgetown uses Valrhona chocolate in their baked goods, and the cake had Valrhona's signature bold flavor. It wasn't overwhelming, though, thanks to the cake's relative dryness. The frosting's consistency lay somewhere between buttercream and ganache. Its bold Valrhona flavor was spiked with a hint of mint. The peppermint candy dusting on top added crunch and a shiver of chilliness. Georgetown has a lot of tempting flavors to choose from, but this one would be worth choosing again.

Also, Georgetown's a great deal. My cupcake was only $2.75! (Compare that to any [smaller and less tasty] cupcake from Sweet, a local chain of 4 stores, which costs $3.25.) The hot cocoa was a steal, too, at $1.85. I think Boston has a new place to go for good, affordable treats.

~~~

I hope you have a chance to try some of these excellent cupcakes in the near future! I, too, want to go back for more. What are some good flavors to try?

Smitten with Blondies

I AM SO BEHIND IN BLOGGING, AND IT IS MILDLY STRESSING ME OUT. Let's pretend that you've read all about:

• Sportello's fantastic whoopie pies,
• a pie-making extravaganza at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts,
• the pumpkin-y treats at CBC's Great Pumpkin Festival, and
• desserts for Thanksgiving and tree-decorating.

Now that those are done, let's talk about rainy-day baking! Yep, today's weather provided the perfect excuse to stay indoors and make something cozy and delicious. I searched a favorite source for something easy, quick, and filling; needless to say, I found something I wanted to bake in less than a minute. Friends, meet the Smitten Kitchen's blondies.

Blondies are, in some ways, more challenging than brownies. The dough is so basic that it could easily turn out bland, and the quality of your chocolate - if you're like me, you always cram your blondies full of chocolate chips - is significantly more exposed in that dough. I expected to save some experimentation toward the perfect blondie by going with Deb's selection. As you'll see, that expectation wasn't really met. Here is the recipe, with my commentary in italics.

• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 C brown sugar. Once you've used Whole Foods' light brown sugar, you can't go back to Domino's. I was pretty certain that this strong, molasses-y sugar was the key to a flavorful blondie dough.
• 1 large egg
• 1 t vanilla
• a pinch of salt
• 1 C flour
• 1 C chocolate chips. I used Whole Foods' organic semisweet chips, due to their past versatility in my (mom's) brownies.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8x8-inch pan. The buttering wasn't enough; the finished product still stuck formidably to the pan. Use buttered parchment next time!
2. Mix the melted butter with the brown sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in the egg, and then add the vanilla and pinch of salt.
4. Stir in the flour and the chocolate chips.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, keeping in mind that under-baking the dessert will yield more of a cookie-dough-like result. I took the blondies out after 23 minutes, and they took hours to solidify. I wonder if the 25-30 minutes you usually see on brownie recipes would be a better timeframe here.

I admired the blondies' smooth, porous surface as I waited for them to cool. They really reflect my kitchen's garish light.

Now, behold them all cut up and ready to eat!

Don't they look appetizing?
 

Looks aren't everything. These look much better than they taste or feel. Let's start with the texture. Even after hours of cooling, they were more gelatinous than cakelike, as if cookie dough had been slightly melted, (UPDATE: The next morning, after sitting overnight at room temperature, they're as dense and hard as a cold stick of butter.) Odd. Also, they're very oily, thanks to an actual stick of butter that's mixed into relatively little batter. Neither of those characteristics are bad per se, but they weren't what I wanted when I set out to make blondies. Also, they could be tastier. The brown sugar's robust flavor came through, thankfully, but it would have been much more enjoyable in a properly chewy, cake-like substance than it was in mush. The chocolate chips' flavor also came through, which, I realized, was not as good as I had anticipated. I've used Whole Foods chips before, but I always melted them - and never dealt with them intact, apart from the token handful enjoyed while mixing batter. They're rather waxy, and the cocoa seems really flat. These blondies really brought those qualities - or lack thereof, ha - to the forefront. I guess there's a reason I've increasingly used Ghirardelli, Guittard, and Valrhona chocolates when I need chips to stay chips. I'll know to use such brands in my next blondie foray. Forgetting quality for a moment, I managed to get the quantity of chocolate right. One cup of chips guarantees this batter is nearly bursting with the stuff!

It's going to take a while to get through these.

I hope I have better luck the next time I make blondies - and whenever I next turn to Smitten Kitchen. Speaking of which, did you know there's a Smitten Kitchen cookbook? I haven't bought it yet, since I haven't come anywhere close to exhausting Deb's online repertoire. Also, I've never been able to perch bound cookbooks near work surfaces in a way that they stay open. Still, if any of you would like to gift me with said cookbook, I wouldn't say no. 'Tis the season, after all... ;-)

Lastly, I have a new social media obsession. I just started using Instagram! I've edited and posted many more photos than I would usually add to Facebook in the equivalent timeframe. You can probably tell that the above photo is from Instagram; follow @somuchdessert for more drool-worthy pics, as well as visual insights into your blogger's "real" life. Happy snapping!

Frozen Vegan Delights

I am an omnivore who enjoys the wide variety of food options before her. I'm thankful I don't have any allergies, etc, that prevent my enjoyment of the world's edibles - though if I were allergic to, say, dairy, I just learned that I could still enjoy ice cream!

Boston's Allston neighborhood has a wealth of eclectic foods, covering every possible ethnic and dietary niche. Several vegan establishments have popped up along the northern edge of Union Square, the most recent being FoMu Alternative Ice Cream. I was initially apprehensive of vegan ice cream; after all, what non-cream substance could approximate...cream...in a way that was authentic to texture and taste? Fear not, fellow skeptics. You can tell there's something different about FoMu, but it's not a bad difference.  The texture is similar to a thick ice cream, though a tad more crystalline. Also, some frozen desserts made from non-dairy milks are even better than traditional  ice cream, depending on the flavors involved. To illustrate that point, check out this Spiced Carrot Cake ice cream:

FoMu uses almond and cashew butter as the foundation of this "cream". Add a wealth of spices; large crumbs from incredibly moist, veg-filled vegan carrot cake, and voila - you have a rich treat that is just bursting with flavor. The almond and cashew butters don't impart too much nuttiness, but they create an earthier, heartier-tasting base than dairy cream. Carrot cake is an inherently nutty dessert, so the filling complements the base well. The vegan cake is also exceptionally moist, since wetter oils or fruit/veg purees replace eggs as the usual wet cake ingredients - and more moisture always means more flavor in baking. As for the spices? Well, spices and nuts have gone together, better, and more consistently, than spices and dairy ever have. This treat is one of the best combination desserts I've seen.

The Mocha Bean smoothie (shown here with Maple Walnut ice cream and a vegan cinnamon bun) is another example of nuts adding to the dessert experience.

This smoothie uses FoMu's espresso and chocolate ice creams, both of which have a soy base, and a milk of your choice - soy, rice, or almond. I've only had it with almond milk, since I find almonds' sweet nuttiness a good complement to coffee. Also, why be redundant by adding soy milk to soy ice cream? The resulting smoothie is a cool, creamy, and undeniably fresh concoction with milky chocolate, gentle espresso, and mild almond flavors. I'd say that freshness is a distinguishing characteristic of soy, which I love. I only tried a spoonful of the Maple Walnut ice cream, but I was struck by its strong, authentic maple flavor and its use of raw - as in, NOT toasted - walnuts. The cinnamon bun, on the other hand, was a waste. The pastry itself was stiff and airy, like a dried sponge. The glaze had an off-putting orange flavor, as if the zest flavoring it incorporated too much rind. FoMu should stick to their mock-dairy treats, and vegan cakes, instead of attempting other pastries. 

I highly recommend FoMu whenever you're feeling adventurous about ice cream. Also, it's the perfect thing to cap off a night whiled away at Deep Ellum or Lone Star!

Smitten with Brownies

I've sworn by my mom's Double Chocolate Brownie recipe for years. If we've ever been at a party together where guests bring food, you've probably had them. They have won renown, both in her circles and mine, for their bold chocolate flavor and dense, chewy texture. They're so good that I sometimes call them my Epic Brownies - if there has ever been a food that could anchor a great sweeping saga, it is these brownies. I never thought I would want to bake a different brownie recipe...

...until a few weeks ago.

I love the Smitten Kitchen food blog, and use it for specific recipes and general foodie inspiration. I ended up clicking through her "Bar Cookies or Blondies and Brownies" category one afternoon, which led me to this simply- yet effectively-titled post. It looked easy enough to make, and if Deb has a favorite, well, I'm more likely to consider her's than a lot of people's. I did my best to ignore any qualms I had about cheating on my mom's recipe, and baked them that evening. The recipe as published on SK makes an 8x8-inch pan's worth of brownies; I prepared that amount for the initial test round, but I've doubled it since to accommodate a 13x9-inch pan. Yes. I've baked this recipe three times and counting. It's that good - and my friends and colleagues would agree.

Here's the Favorite Brownies recipe with slight rewordings, and doubled ingredients to enable double the brownies. My commentary is in italics.

• 6 oz unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped or broken. I used a combination of Ghirardelli chocolate and Baker's squares, since that's what was in my kitchen at the moment.
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
• 2 2/3 C granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t table salt
• 1 1/3 C all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with parchment, extending it up two sides. Butter the parchment, or spray it with a nonstick cooking spray. The buttering is key - otherwise, the brownies will stick to the paper and you'll have a difficult time peeling them off.
2. In a medium heatproof bowl over gently simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter together. The elevated bowl is unnecessary. Melt your butter and chocolate in a pot on the stovetop, stirring frequently so that the chocolate doesn't burn. Not only will this save you dishes, but it gives you enough room to mix in all following ingredients. My double boiler is NOT large enough for all the batter!
3. Whisk in the sugar, then the eggs, and then the vanilla and salt. Stir in the flour.
4. Scrape the batter into the pan, and spread until it's even. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out batter-free. 27 minutes worked best for me.
5. Let the brownies cool before cutting into your desired size. These take a LONG time to cool, most likely because they're so dense. Give yourself plenty of time if you're baking them to bring somewhere!

Let's take a quick look at the gorgeous, deep, dark batter...

...followed by the shiny, textured surface of the fresh-out-of-the-oven treats! I love when the top layer of a brownie or bar cookie peels slightly away from the batter; this does that in abundance.

Lastly, behold the finished product! (Of course I put them in a Fortnum & Mason tin...but I wish I had chosen a better beer to join them.)

These brownies are easily the densest, fudgiest brownies I've ever had. If there weren't the cup or so of flour, they probably would be fudge. You should treat them like fudge, too - they get a little soft when eaten warm or at room temperature, so keep them chilled until you're ready to dive in. Also, a small piece goes a long way! I was initially concerned about all that unsweetened chocolate resulting in a bitter brownie, but the ample amount of sugar takes care of that. They're surprisingly sweet! The chocolate really shines in this setting, with the sugar to temper the bitterness and the butter to warm it up. (If I were ever to try making these with a lesser-percent-cacao chocolate, I'd have to cut back on the sugar.) In a word, phenomenal.

I'll still bake my mom's brownies. After all, the recipe's imprinted in my brain - I could go and make it in your kitchen, right now, if you wanted. And her brownies are beyond delicious! But if you're looking to be truly blown away by a baked good, or (dare I say it) smitten, I'd also want you to try Smitten Kitchen's.

Of Baked Goods and Beer

Some of you know that I have a little obsession with craft beer. Fortunately for that, the past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind of beer enjoyment and experimentation, with some baked goods on the side!

First up was my favorite BeerAdvocate event, the Belgian Beer Fest's Night of the Funk ! This event showcases extreme Belgian beers, with plenty of sour, funky, creatively flavored, and higher-ABV brews to try. Two-ounce pours ensure you can try a huge variety, and you walk away with improved knowledge of the various styles as well as a significantly longer cellar wish list! I won't go into my favorites here - let's just say that my in-media-Fest tasting notes are not as coherent as this blog - but I will share a stellar food item that helped us power through the night. Meet the Waffle Cabin's Belgian waffle.

Blurriness aside, you can get a sense of the waffle's heft, as well as a glimmer of the sweet glaze that coated it. The waffle itself is a dense, chewy masterpiece, with a pleasant vanilla taste. It's coated in a sticky, sugary glaze that must be freshly made - there's a graininess to it, as if all the sugar used to make it hasn't fully dissolved. (That occasional sweet crunch is so good!) You can really sink your teeth into this treat, and, strictly speaking, it doesn't need tinkering to be satisfying. But I'm me, and Taza Chocolate was also on hand - so, Chocolate had to meet Waffle. It was a happy coincidence that Taza's Fest samples were cut to fit perfectly in the waffle's grooves. The chocolate softened from the waffle's warmth and melted into each little reservoir. The samples were from Taza's aggressive Mexicano line; imagine high percents cacao, sans sweeteners, with a pronounced grainy texture owing to their stone-ground process. Flavors included cinnamon, chipotle, ginger, orange, and salted almond. I grabbed a square of each flavor for the waffle above. Let's hope I have an opportunity to do a more thorough review of Taza at some point; until then, suffice it to say that these items, combined, made for the best possible Fest food! Oh, along with Corey's pretzel necklaces, gummy worms, and...pepperoni.

The fun did not end that night. You may recall a blurb on post-ACBF fun at the Bocoup Loft; we all met up there again for a bit of post-BBF/NotF fun the next week. Corey and Greg brought the beers, I brought the cookies. I've blogged about my Valrhona triple-chocolate cookies previously, so I won't repeat what I've already said. Just know that this third batch of them was the best yet, in terms of both personal satisfaction with the outcome and their rate of disappearance. (The entire batch lasted maybe an hour, max?) However, let's go over a few of the cookie/beer pairings. First up, we have the Alchemist Brewery's famous Heady Topper! It's been vying with Russian River's Plinys (both Elder and Younger) for the best beer on BeerAdvocate's ratings, and that clout has made it difficult to procure. We got lucky with a Vermonter in our midst. This double IPA has multilayered grassy notes and a long-lingering aftertaste. It's surprisingly light on the tongue for a double.

Next is a collaboration between Sierra Nevada and Russian River, the beloved Santa Rosa (CA) brewery whose groundbreaking IPAs and sours are sadly not distributed on the East Coast. I guess it took Sierra Nevada's partnership to get Brux, a wild ale, out to us. This ale smells rather fresh and is vibrantly carbonated, with only a hint of sourness. I would have expected more from a brewery with an impeccable track record in sours, but that's not to say I wouldn't drink it again. Also, it looks like someone has nibbled a cookie...

Later brews included Jolly Pumpkin's Bam Biere and Hill Farmstead Brewery's Arthur (both saisons), plus nightcaps of New England Brewing's 668 (a Belgian strong pale ale) and Elm City Pilsner. All in all, a great night!

But wait - there's more. Non-cookie foods were obtained outside the Loft. After a series of appetizers at Lucky's (and my first Pumpkinhead of the season - I guess it really is fall!), we stopped by Sportello's bakery counter. Sportello makes incredibly good, unique cupcakes. Here are our strawberry cheesecake cupcakes, readied for travel in upside-down cups. That travel config was fortunate, since I took my cupcake home and ate it the following day.

Sportello "translates" cheesecake to cupcake in an interesting way. We have a graham cracker cake in place of crust, cream cheese frosting in place of actual cheesecake, and strawberry filling plus freeze-dried strawberry garnish in place of fruit topping. Here is the partially-consumed treat; look at that filling and the texture of the cake and frosting!

The graham cracker base was really unique. Store-bought graham crackers are more like sawdust than cake, and their taste is forgettable. This cake, full of brown sugar and cinnamon and butter, was moist and dense and flavorful. The strawberry filling, with fruit pieces and jam, added additional moisture and flavor. The cream cheese frosting was simply perfect! It was sweet and slightly tangy, with a dense, smooth, and even texture. If real cheesecake were anything like this frosting, I would be eating it all the time.

Alas, after the beerdulgence (that's beer indulgence) the night before, I did not wash this cupcake down with yet another brew. Even I have my limits!

So, which beer / baked good combination will be next? I'll take requests.

Summer Restaurant Week 2012

This busy August only left time for two Restaurant Week meals. I wasn't hugely impressed with this summer's restaurants, though my own "adventurous" ordering and a few RW-specific menu trends were probably to blame.

Greg and I went to the locavore landmark Henrietta's Table, in Harvard Square's Charles Hotel, on Restaurant Week's first night. It was an easy decision once we saw they were offering their full menu; plus, for all the time I've spent in that hotel at either company parties or the minimalist bar Noir, I had yet to eat a full meal in one of its restaurants. They started the night off on a high note, with a full basket of artisan breads and plenty of butter. The bread lasted well into the first course, which was corn chowder with crab and bacon. I'm not a fan of corn chowder, but since I love the two meats within it I thought it was worth a try. I made a good decision - here, you can get a sense of the soup's heartiness, packed as full as possible with tender, shredded crabmeat and crispy, crumbled bacon. The corn was fully processed and melded seamlessly with the broth, so there were no unique kernels of the undesirable vegetable.

(Also, in case you're curious - the bread at left is a raisin almond loaf, and the drink incorporated house-infused grapefruit vodka, grapefruit juice, simple syrup, my beloved St. Germain, and sparkling wine. Fantastic!) I then had salmon with peach salsa and mashed potatoes for dinner. The salmon was tasty, but typical. The peach salsa was notably unpleasant, made of unripe fruit and far too many onions. The mashed potatoes were great, though - imagine fluffy, well-spiced mounds of Yukon Golds. I paired a bite of them with each forkful of salmon, leaving most of the salsa alone.

Henrietta's dessert menu offers all sorts of tempting delights, from pies of the day to seasonal fruit cobblers, plus locally-made ice cream and fresh cakes. It was the s'mores skillet that caught my eye, though, for its haute presentation of a campfire treat. Look at this gorgeous dessert!

The base layer was a very dense chocolate mousse, made from Somerville's own Taza Chocolate! It had that deep, intense taste and grainy texture I've come to associate with Taza, and let me tell you, those characteristics are even more remarkable and enjoyable when the chocolate is warm. Next was a fluffy layer of homemade marshmellow, burned slightly at the top for effect. Then, we had a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a sprig of mint, and two homemade graham crackers. The crackers nearly stole the show - soft and chewy, bursting with spices and brown sugar, they've made me think twice of eating a store-bought version. How did I eat this all, you ask?

By mixing it all together, of course! The mix achieved something I absolutely love about multi-part desserts - namely, that fusion of multiple tastes, textures, and temperatures, in a way that all characteristics remain distinct but help the others become even more remarkable. The whole was more than the sum of its parts. Well done, Henrietta! I would definitely go back to this restaurant, since there's so much of the menu that remains to be explored AND I just might need another skillet. 

Katie and I then closed out the Week with dinner at The Butcher Shop. But first, we stopped at the Beehive for the obligatory pre-dinner drink!

That is a vodka gimlet made as I like them, with fresh lime juice and a hint of simple syrup in place of the less-desirable Rose's. Delicious! Unfortunately, the following meal did not meet the gimlet's threshold of excellence.

Corn chowder appetizers were everywhere this Restaurant Week! So, I avoided the Butcher Shop's offering in favor of a beet salad with pumpernickel crostini and quail's eggs. The salad disappointed in that it was mainly unadorned, cold beets; the two crostini were maybe a square inch apiece, and there was only one quail's egg. All my past experiences with beets were tastier than this. How boring. The meat in my entree, pork belly with corn and beans, was enjoyable when I was eating it, with its smooth, tender texture and robust bacon flavor. I believe the term "porkgasm" was employed at the restaurant...but I regretted the indulgence by the middle of the night. And here I rarely get sick from food! Then, I had coffee creme caramel for dessert. I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered it, and if I had known that a panna cotta-like substance would appear, I would have gone with the much more ordinary, but much more reliable, chocolate mousse. The creme had sweet honey notes up front, and finished with a strong taste of coffee that lingered for a while in the back of my throat. Still, all those unique flavors could not help the fact that I just. don't. like. panna. cotta. Its texture, somewhere between gelatin and cream, is a challenge to my senses.

I've heard the Butcher Shop's regular menu is worth experiencing, so I'd go back if the opportunity presents itself. Considering Barbara Lynch's track record in this city, I'm not going to write this place off just yet - but I'll definitely steer clear of that pork belly!

Tips, Taps, Desserts

I've heard a lot about Brian Poe's cooking, thanks to friends who know him and his food. So, Jeff suggested we check out Poe's newest venture, The Tip Tap Room. What's in a name like that, you ask? Basically, meat (offered as tips from animals both everyday and exotic) and beer (flowing from the taps). As if meat and beer weren't enough, I was told they had good desserts. Never one to shirk dessert duty, we went. And an epic meal happened!

(Disclaimer: This is going to sound like a lot of food, but even the main portions were all appetizer-size or slightly smaller. So, we got little tastes of lots of things!)

The appetizers kicked things off right. Here is rock shrimp fried in kataifi and nori noodles, served with cucumber salad in a sweet chili ginger sauce.

Rock shrimp are small, sweet, and crisp. Their sweetness was a nice complement to the umami of the noodles wrapped around them. Those noodles were also crisp, but the sauce had softened them in places; so, there were a variety of textures in play. The sweet chili ginger sauce, with its fiery, tangy, and sugary notes, also played into the depth of the dish. I must confess, I forgot about the cucumber salad when I saw our next appetizer. Poe's take on grilled figs, stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in pancetta, was another burst of varied but complementary flavors.

Sweet figs, tangy cheese, and salty pancetta were all soft delights. Burnt balsamic butter gave extra flavor to those pieces of pancetta that fell onto the plate! I liked having the balsamic flavor, often too vinegary for my taste, incorporated into something creamier. I could enjoy its unique taste without being overwhelmed.

The main course (meat course?) came next. The item at left is a yak burger with beer cheese and bacon. The little bit of beer cheese I had - most of it ran off the burger - was tasty, and the bacon was distinctive thanks to Poe's "Beacon Hill" curing process. I'm glad I tried yak, but I don't think I'll get it again. Yak is really lean, and it had none of the moisture that I usually enjoy in medium-rare meat. It was still tender, though, and the burger nearly fell apart as I ate it. The flavor was earthier, grassier, and more natural than beef.

The burgundy (!!!) meat at right is an ostrich tip. I hope its extraordinary appearance suggests how extraordinary it was to eat. The tip had marinated for a day prior, and was therefore succulent and tender. Ostrich is tougher than other birds, but the marinating softened it considerably. Some enjoyable chewiness remained, though! The flavor is unlike any other meat's. It's deep, and gamey, and doesn't need any salt or spices. Wow! I'd eat this again, and again, and...again.

An epic meal, right? Just wait. Things were about to get crazy, which apparently happens when your friend knows the chef and you advertise your love of desserts to said chef. We had planned to share the bread pudding. That apparently wasn't enough for Chef Poe. He surprised us with...

3 DESSERTS.

My eyes grew wide as the staff brought them all out at once. Let's go through them in as much detail as I can muster; please excuse my spotty recall from this taste-bud overload!

I don't normally like this type of dessert, but the bread pudding was to die for! It was made of brioche pieces that had been mixed with blackberries and white chocolate.

The bread was soft and chewy, but not too dry or soggy. (Most bread puddings I've had are one extreme or the other.) The brioche's pleasant vanilla flavor wasn't overwhelmed by the pudding's other parts. There were only a few berries throughout, which makes me think that berry juice or jam contributed most of the fruit flavor and color. The white chocolate worked well with the vanilla notes in the bread, and added a creamy consistency to the dessert that would have been missing otherwise. A dollop of whipped cream and a mint leaf served as garnishes. Then, the whole thing was drizzled in whiskey caramel. I love caramel, but dislike whiskey; fortunately, this sauce had much more of the former. It was a great sugary topper to a surprisingly complex dessert.

Next up was a lemon souffle with raspberry sauce!

I loved the pure fruit flavors in this dessert. Nothing was unnecessarily sweetened, so every bite was full of vibrant tang. The souffle was light as air, with so much flavor relative to its density. The raspberry sauce was a substantive anchor to the dish. A glaze reminiscent of thinned lemon curd was drizzled over it all, and a mint leaf plus streusel-like crumb topping were the finishing touches.

I've saved the best for last. This dessert wasn't on the menu, but I hope it gets there someday so everyone can try it! Behold a unique take on the brownie sundae, with brownies in port sauce in the foreground and a chocolate pudding cup in the background.

The brownies were your average dense, chocolatey baked goods, cut into small squares and positioned beautifully around the plate. They sat on small pools of a really strong port sauce, with aggressive raisin and alcohol notes, and were covered in stripes of chocolate frosting. Some strawberries added a fruity twist. I liked how many flavors there were in that small space, but the piece de resistance was hiding in the pudding cup. Here's a closeup of the treats within.

First of all, what do we see here? Deliciously creamy Valrhona milk chocolate feves and white chocolate batons, whose virtues I have previously extolled in these pages. Smaller chocolate shavings across the percent-cacao spectrum. Light-as-air whipped cream. Crunchy caramelized sugar. So many different kinds of sweet! And secondly, what's hiding beneath? The chocolate pudding, mixed with some creamy alcohol - Kahlua, or Baileys. This is how I like my desserts turned "adult", with something that itself is a liquid dessert. I absolutely loved this "desserts within desserts WITHIN DESSERTS" approach.

I think I've hit on something the Tip Tap Room does well, in both the sweet and savory realms - multifaceted gastronomic delights that give you as much as possible in every bite.

Jeff and I got through most of what was before us. I felt guilty leaving some delicious bites behind, but I know I'll be back for more. Thanks, Chef Poe and the Tip Tap Room, for a really unique dining experience!

Dessert Dump, Summer 2012 Edition

Dessert Dumps are going to become a fixture of summer blogging. It takes much less time to photograph and eat a dessert than it does to write a post, so that I'm overflowing with bloggable desserts in no time but am less full of words for them. So, here's some "blogging lite" on select delicacies from June and July!

Drunken Dutch Delicacies

Have you ever had stroopwafels? I hadn't heard of them until a happily hopped group of us stumbled up to the Bocoup Loft after the American Craft Beer Festival, where a stroopwafel manufacturer had dropped by and left a boxful of product. This pizzelle-like Dutch treat, made of two incredibly thin cookie-sized waffles with caramel pressed between, is intended for enjoyment with a warm beverage - if you set the stroopwafel on a mug of steaming something, that warmth will soften the stroopwafel and melt the caramel, turning it into a gooey, chewy treat. Here is an image of stroopwafels in their ideal use case.

Alas, I was not so careful in my consumption. I snarfed mine rather quickly like it were any old cookie, as befits post-Fest fun and hunger, only pausing to say "yeah, this is good". However, I'd gladly give them a "proper" try. (Bocoupers, are there any left?!)

Italian Finger Desserts

Another summer, another patio party at Dante! This summery fete was a blast due to the company of fellow foodies, literal splashy decor (beach balls and kiddie pools filled with water), local media coverage (yours truly was "Spotted in Boston"!), and, of course, plenty of delicious eats.

I was impressed with the dessert pictured at left. It probably has an official Italian name, but I'm going to call it a genoise cake ball. The two vanilla cake pieces were stuck together with amaretto cream, and the entire ball was then coated in amaretto chocolate and crushed almonds. Delicious and heady, the amaretto-chocolate combination was really winning. Genoise cake is usually so accommodating of creams, ganaches, and liqueurs. At right is an eclair filled with light peach custard and covered in an even lighter peach glaze. The chocolate dipping was sturdy and flavorful.

A Pre-Retreat Repast

It takes four hours to drive from my company's headquarters to our retreat center in Maine. Our caravan of 10 turned it into a day-long excursion, enabling the purchasing of, er, "retreat supplies", a waterfront seafood lunch, and gluten-free desserts along the way! The dessert in question came from Portland, Maine's Bam Bam Bakery. I never would have guessed that my peanut butter bar was gluten-free, it was so full of the usual baked goodies and then some:

The bar had a crumbly shortbread base that was then layered with fudge and marshmallow Fluff. Crisped rice that had been mixed into peanut butter came next, and chocolate chips topped it all off. Ooey, gooey goodness, and just as much of a treat as anything made with standard flour. I only wish I had more water on hand to wash it all down; that peanut butter / Fluff / fudge combination really sticks to your mouth!

Sunday Sugar...and Seafood

What do you do when you go to the North End for a meal at The Daily Catch, only to find that they're closed for the next half-hour? Why, cross Hanover Street to Mike's Pastry, of course, and enjoy an appetizer of dessert! I was glad to revisit this favorite college haunt to try their newer cannoli flavors. When I was in school, the chocolate mousse cannoli was a big deal; now, though, you get an ice cream shop's worth of varieties! Here is my Oreo cannoli, minus a bite or two.

Mike's now crushes Oreo cookies and mixes them with standard ricotta cream cannoli filling. I'm not the hugest fan of ricotta cream - hence that mousse cannoli back in the day - but I absolutely loved it with the Oreos added. (I guess I need my cookies with cream, eh?) The Oreo filling was in a standard cannoli shell dusted with powdered sugar; the fun touch was that both ends were dipped in cookie crumbles! Yum. I didn't sample this espresso cannoli - darn! - but I am told it was delicious.

Also, for the record - The Daily Catch has the. best. scallops. I have ever had!

Thanks for putting up with this blog's on-schedule Dump! Next up will be a full post on an unusual and interesting dinner, with desserts to match...

A Whirlwind of NYC Food

I still owe you the details on London's Afternoon Tea, but let's momentarily divert our attention to a closer metropolis and its plentiful food offerings!

Several of my college friends converged upon New York City this past weekend! Carr and I came from Boston; Linda traveled up from Philadelphia, and Mary and Steph already lived as close as you can get in Hoboken. This happy mini-reunion involved catching up, urban exploration, and - surprise, surprise - delicious food. Let's go through the many and varied eats of Saturday, July 14!

Stop 1: Sugar Sweet Sunshine

We had 30 minutes to kill before our lunch table would be ready. We were near a renowned cupcakery. We all like cupcakes. What did we do? Stop by Sugar Sweet Sunshine, of course, and get cupcakes to go! Ok, those reasons may not qualify for SSS' top ten, but we felt they were more than valid.

I really enjoyed my last visit to SSS, so I was glad to return and introduce others to their delights. I left with the Goodie Goodie (dark chocolate cake with whipped peanut butter buttercream) and carried it back to lunch, then to the High Line, down the length of said park, and around Chelsea Market, until (a) it was a warm mess of a dessert with frosting smeared and melted all over the wax paper bag, and (b) I thought I might have room for it. Talk about a well-traveled dessert! Fortunately, it tasted much better than it looked at that point. The frosting was extremely light, like a whisper of what frosting usually is, with a very subtle and sweet peanut flavor. The chocolate cake had a stronger cocoa flavor, though it was a bit dry. I blame the heat!

Stop 2: The Meatball Shop

Lunch at The Meatball Shop was one of the best meals I've had year-to-date. The shop's premise is simple enough: take meatballs, drench them in sauce, and serve them with or over a side. What's astounding is how impressively good each component is, and how much you get! Take it all in with your eyes, and then imagine me taking it all in with my eyes and stomach..

I ordered the classic beef meatballs with parmesan cream sauce over freshly-milled polenta. The meatballs were hearty and flavorful, consisting of all-natural beef mixed with prosciutto, ricotta cheese, and oregano. The sauce was thick and fragrant with tangy Parmesan cheese, much better than the average alfredo or cheese sauce. The polenta, a true food of the gods with its mashed-potato-meets-cornbread quality, was an ideal consistency - smooth and creamy, with occasional distinct cornmeal grains that gave it texture. As if that weren't enough, shaved cheese was sprinkled over the top of it all. Each bite was the very height of savory decadence.

The deliciousness didn't end there! The presence of the aforementioned cupcakes-to-go did not prevent us from ordering the Shop's signature dessert. They offered customizable ice cream sandwiches, made from store-made ice cream and cookies. They even let you choose two different cookies for the "bread" of the sandwich! So, here is my espresso ice cream with chocolate chip and brownie walnut cookies.

The ice cream was light, more like frozen milk than cream. I appreciated that after the heavy lunch, and it also let the bright espresso flavor assert itself rather than be overwhelmed by the cream. The brownie walnut cookie was moist, chewy, and chocolatey, with (fortunately) fewer nuts than expected; the chocolate chip cookie, though, was dry and forgettable. Now that I've tried the ice cream sandwich, I don't feel the need to repeat it; however, I would gladly re-indulge in a meatball lunch/dinner at the earliest opportunity!

Stop 3: Blue Bottle Coffee

We were quite thirsty after walking the length of The High Line, so we found refreshment at Blue Bottle Coffee. Their cold-brew single origin iced coffee was positively bursting with flavor! I detected the usual cocoa and caramel notes, as well as something fruitier and tangier that I couldn't quite place. Could it have something to do with bean terroir and roasting protocol? (Why didn't I ask the former barista among us?!)

Stop 4: Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market is in a vast building under The High Line, right across the street from Blue Bottle. We naturally moved toward it. It's an indoor labyrinth filled with miniature shops (in store form, not stalls or carts) selling everything from pastries to lobster. Look at the pretty main hall, with its colorful lanterns!

We were still full from the Lower East Side's ballstravaganza; otherwise, I'm sure we would have indulged in a Market treat while there. Instead, I got a brownie to go from the Fat Witch Bakery!

Yes, I bought a brownie advertising an overrated musical. But it was the mint chocolate brownie! And it proved its worth when I snacked on it two days later. As you can see, it's sprinkled with green sugar crystals. They added a nice, sweet crunch. Less visible are the equally green mint chips mixed throughout the brownie, but clustered more toward its bottom.They were soft and creamy, and their mint flavor thoroughly imbued the surrounding batter. The brownie reminded me of a cake bite, having the same fudgy texture as those little treats, but its chocolate wasn't as strong or mouth-coating as fudge. Even though my preferred chocolate threshold was unmet, I'd recommend this Witch for its texture and assertive, sweet mintiness.

At this point, we washed our cupcakes down with whatever coffee was left, and headed back to the East Village.

Stop 5: Maharlika

Believe it or not, it was nearly dinnertime! We chilled at Yuca, sipping on sangria for an hour or so...

...before moving on to Maharlika, a modern Filipino restaurant. I was SO excited to try Flilipino cuisine after learning about the culture in college. We split appetizers of chicharron and lechon kawali, flavorful pork rinds and belly, respectively. (To quote one thread of conversation: "You gotta love a culture that knows what to do with pork!") We also sipped on calamansi juice, a refreshing beverage made from a citrus fruit native to the Philippines. Imagine a delicate juice subtly tasting of lime, lemon, and orange, with just a hint of tartness and sweetness, and none of the usual citrus bitterness. It was the perfect summer drink! Then, I had the tender and flavorful chicken adobo for dinner.

Plump pieces of chicken marinate in soy-based abodo sauce before being simmered in the same sauce and browned afterward. The chicken is served in more sauce, with steamed rice on the side. I enjoyed the soft, moist meat; the peppery, garlicky adobo flavor; and the fragrant white rice's soaking up the sauce. I got busog rather quickly, to use the restaurant's Tagalog word of the day. If only I could have taken leftovers home for the following night!

Stop 6: Momofuku Milk Bar

Our walk toward nighttime birthday festivities took us past the East Village outpost of Momofuku Milk Bar. I've been kind of obsessed with this bakery since I browsed their cookbook in a bookstore a while back, and wanted to bake or try most things from it. How did I satisfy a dessert dream while being too full for dessert? By getting something for later, of course. I enjoyed their birthday cake truffles the following day during the trip back to Boston. The truffles got smushed in transit, losing all photographic potential - so, here's a bakery shot from their press kit.

The truffles were really cute. Imagine small, round cake bites, made from yellowy-brown cake and crushed rainbow sprinkles. Their exterior was coated in drier crumbs of the same cake, plus some intact sprinkles. Adorable! All other characteristics matched their cheerful appearance, bringing any number of childhood treats and moods to mind. The cake was moist and chewy, much denser than, say, a Funfetti cake. The sprinkles added another kind of chewy texture to the mix. Then, they were flavored to the max with vanilla - and sugar. They were almost too sweet, which I could not have handled in a larger amount of truffles or an actual cake slice. Still, I loved that Milk Bar was able to pack so much dessert into a tiny package. It gave me enough of a taste of their wares that I wanted more! Maybe a Cereal Milk latte and candy bar pie from their Brooklyn flagship bakery...or, something I make when I finally buy that cookbook?

*cue unprecedented food coma here*

I hope you enjoyed that New York day in the life of a Boston foodie. Here's to my next trip - and whatever I sample next at any of the above establishments!