ALL PHOTOS BY BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES
D1 January 8–14, 2016
Driving Hungry
Grassy and fragrant, matcha is loaded with antioxidants.
on
D8
Make sure to pour to the last drop— that’s where the essence of gyokuro is.
Hojicha is made from steamed, dried, and roasted tea leaves.
Smoky hojicha.
Sweet, astringent sencha.
Rich-bodied, savory gyokuro.
Thin matcha, or usucha.
Green
Splendor By Channaly Philipp | Epoch Times Staff
A
fter a night of steak-andpotato-fueled indulgence, I paid a morning visit to Ippodo to make amends. Not Ippudo of ramen fame, but Ippodo, a Japanese teahouse with a venerable history of nearly 300 years. See Splendor on D2
Ippodo
125 E. 39th St. (at Lexington Avenue) 212-370-0609 ippodo-tea.co.jp/en/ shop/ny.html Hours Tuesday–Sunday 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
GOOP!
The thick matcha, or koicha, will make you feel like a million bucks.
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January 8–14, 2016 www.EpochTaste.com BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES
Riichiro Kato, sales manager and tea consultant at Ippodo.
Green
Splendor Splendor continued from D1
Spicy Northeast
at
ESANATION Authentic Thai cuisine sure to delight your adventurous senses!
BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES
• 14 types of unbelievable Som Tum (papaya salad). • Gang Om soup that pulls a straight punch to the throat. • Whole Cornish hen, fried to a golden crispiness, with the most addictive dipping sauce. • Yentafo Noodle soup, an authentic standout.
on green tea drinks around town
vibrant dark green, and intense in flavor, with an umami, seaweed-like quality and, on the finish, bittersweet notes reminiscent of cacao. Within seconds of eating it—it’s so thick you need a spoon—I felt as though a current of energy coursed through my body. All day, I’d felt my head had been in the clouds, and that finally, it had been reattached to my body. That alertness lasted for hours, without any of the jitteriness nor the eventual crash from drinking coffee. If it seems like there’s a Zen-like quality to this state, there’s certainly a historical connection between matcha and Zen. It was a Zen priest, Esai, who brought tea seeds to Japan back from China in 1191 and encouraged tea culture. KOA (Flatiron) Kenichi Kano, president of Ippodo Tea makes a mojito USA, tells of a client of his, a neurosurgeon with a green in Geneva, Switzerland, who drinks matcha tea twist. before heading into hours of surgery. It’s certainly a comforting thought to know a surgeon won’t be getting the coffee jitters during surgery. Besides matcha, Ippodo also serves and carries other Japanese green teas. A revelation is the luxurious—and luxuriously expensive— ”gyokuro,” which, like matcha, comes from shade-grown tea leaves. Is it right to call gyokuro a tea? It is more a like a sumptuous liquor to be savored slowly. Also at KOA: The tea is full-bodied but elegantly smooth and A boozy Green surprisingly intense with umami. Tea Soy Milk Shot With an amber liquor, “hojicha” may not with coconut seem like a green tea, but it is. Low in caffeine, rum, soy milk, hojicha is made from leaves of tea grown in and green tea open fields, then steamed, dried, and roasted, powder. giving it a sultry smokiness. Ippodo carries a variety of high-quality, refreshing “senchas,” very popular in Japan, that range from lighter to richer, and yet balanced in their qualities of astringency and sweetness. The tea prices aren’t inexpensive, though there is a range of grades and prices offered (for matcha, prices range from $11 to $73 for a The hot tin of 40 grams or 1.41 ounces, or 20 servings, chocolate at for example). But for a tea-to-go, $4.25 will get Chalait (West you an usucha or a gyokuro, a fair price for the Village): matcha luxury of fine green tea in a cup. latte with In addition to different teas, Ippodo also carchocolate sauce. ries a range of tea accessories. COURTESY OF KOA
Venture Into Thailand’s
A New York outpost opened in 2013, steps away from Grand Central Station, but Ippodo has been operating in Kyoto near the Imperial Palace since 1717, garnering imperial patrons such as Prince Yamashina, who gave it its name. The only giveaway as to the treasures of fine green teas inside the teahouse is a tiny flier outside that states, without any fanfare, “matcha to go.” Despite the humble little sign, the stream of visitors is almost constant—many in business suits. Strong is the call of antioxidants, surely. But so is the quality. If Ippodo is good enough for nobility you can be sure its teas are exceptional. Tea has always been mythic in health benefits, of course. In China, Emperor Shennong, who documented the effects of hundreds of plants by testing them on himself, was said to eat tea leaves when he encountered a toxic one. Ippodo offers fine Japanese green teas, which are made from steamed and dried tea leaves. The steaming inactivates the enzyme that causes oxidization and retains nutrition and fragrance. “Matcha” is one of the most popular offerings—and the quality is exceptional. You could spring for one of those ubiquitous drinks like matcha almond latte, but if you want to experience the purity of matcha, I’d recommend trying the traditional matcha drinks. There’s a thin matcha (“usucha”) and a thick matcha (“koicha”) made with twice as much powder and half as much water. The usucha is light, fragrant, frothy, with a springlike green grassy quality. The koicha, on the other hand, is thick (like ganache), a
Creative riffs
BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES
Chef Wanlapha Techama was the sous chef responsible for Esan specialties at Queens restaurant Zabb Elee when it received a Michelin star last year.
ESANATION 750 9th Avenue # New York, NY 10019 (btw. 50th & 51st streets) 212-315-0555 # esanation.com
Sifting the matcha powder removes any clumps.
The thin matcha (or usucha) is fragrant, with a springlike, grassy quality.
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January 8–14, 2016 www.EpochTaste.com ALL PHOTOS BY SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
Peri Peri Wings.
Streets BK captures the aromatic and intensely flavorful essence of street food.
Deconstructed tres leches cake.
Street Food From Around the World Gets the Restaurant Treatment By Annie Wu | Epoch Times Staff
The Open Face Humitas, a sweet yet fiery masa dip served with yuca chips for dipping.
Across the river, along Broadway in south Williamsburg, the dining scene is flourishing. There’s the storied Peter Luger’s Steakhouse, the popular Andrew Tarlow spot Marlow and Sons, and the Michelin-starred Meadowsweet by chef Polo Dobkin. A newer addition, Streets BK, adds a little oomph to the scene. The spacious, airy restaurant serves street food dishes from around the world, allowing diners to sample Caribbean, Latin American, Asian, Mediterranean, and African cuisine, all in one go. And true to the spirit of street food, the dishes here are aromatic, flavorful, and pungent. Executive chef Ronald Stevinson crafted the menu based on his travels to different countries, recreating dishes that impressed him. “I would often visit the villages and places where the natives eat to get a real sense and taste of the flavor profiles,” Stevinson said via email. But he also noticed that tourists around him were reluctant to try these foods because of their perception that street food is not sanitary. Stevinson thus came up with the idea to feature international street foods in a sit-down setting. He works with consulting chef Roblé Ali, who has cooked for President Barack Obama and Hollywood A-listers, to test recipes and add new menu items. The Caribbean dishes are particularly stellar, perhaps because Streets BK’s owners are of Caribbean ancestry. The Doubles ($7) is a popular sandwich served by street vendors in Trinidad and Tobago, consisting of cur-
Streets BK
53 Broadway Brooklyn 718-384-2899 streetsbk.com Hours Tuesday–Thursday Noon–11 p.m. Friday & Saturday Noon–midnight Sunday Noon–11 p.m.
Bake n Shark sandwich.
Consulting chef Roblé Ali has cooked for President Obama and Hollywood A-listers.
ried chickpeas smushed between two pieces of fried flatbread. The bread is the perfect vehicle for soaking up the saucy mash, with its fragrant but punchy mix of spices. You’ll get your hands dirty, but that’s part of the street food charm. Luckily, the restaurant provides plenty of handwipes. If you want an extra kick, the sandwich comes with a trio of sauces: tamarind, mango chutney, and a sauce made from shadon bennie, a Caribbean cilantro-like herb. The Bake n Shark sandwich ($14) is another must-try. The dogfish shark is fried into crispythin discs and lightly seasoned with black pepper. With some coleslaw, lettuce, and tomatoes, there is a delightful crunch to each bite. As for the foods from Latin America, the Open Face Humitas ($15) surprises with its layered flavors and inventive presentation. Stevinson revamps the South American dish, which is typically made of ground masa and corn wrapped in corn husk. He opens up the corn husk wrap, so that the masa mash becomes a dip for a batch of paper-thin, crackly yuca chips. He uses coconut milk, in place of the traditional heavy cream, to cook the mash inside, giving it an intense viscosity similar to cheese fondue. The corn’s natural sweetness permeates, but seconds later, a hint of heat rises from the back of your mouth—the taste of smoked ancho chilies. If you fancy even more spiciness, the humitas come with a coconut-black bean dip that might bring a few tears to your eye. Chilies figure into many of the dishes here. The Peri Peri Wings ($14), for example, showcase African chili peppers of the same name. Stevinson marinates the wings with the chilies overnight, cooks them on the grill and then in the oven, then tosses them in a mango-peri peri glaze. The chilies’ heat comes through gradually, first tingling your tongue, then your lips. Together with the smoky char and the
touch of sweetness from the glaze, the wings will have you licking your fingers. In the Da Nang/Hong Kong Prawns ($17), chilies flavor the sauce that sits below the enormous crustaceans—each about 6 inches long. The order comes with two pairs of prawns, one in a chili sauce with herb oil and shallots, the other in sautéed tomatoes, garlic, and chopped chilies. I was fonder of the former; the spicy sauce complemented well the intensely funky, salty taste of the head-on shrimp. The latter is sweeter and has a slight tangy note. These large-sized prawns are a street food in Hong Kong and the Da Nang region of Vietnam, according to Stevinson. He said the dish was inspired by one of the owners’ mother-inlaw, who is from Da Nang. In cooler weather, the Turkish Mashup ($15) will bring comforting warmth to your stomach. Red lentils are cooked into a toasty, garlicky stew, strewn with sweet, grilled cauliflower and soft, roasted eggplants. You can feel the warmth of each hearty spoonful as it goes down, bringing you further and further away from the cold. Dessert varies daily according to the chef’s liking and is not written on any menu—the servers explain the options for each night. On one visit, Stevinson and his team served their take on the classic Latin American layered cake tres leche. Here, it was deconstructed, transformed into a pool of cream, made of condensed milk and guanabana, a fruit native to Central and South America with a flavor like bananas and coconut melded into one. The cream, whipped into peaks and lightly toasted, covered pieces of moist cake that soaked up all the sweetness. Though the dessert is fruity, it is less cloying than your typical tres leches cake— a welcome change. If you’re looking to try something different the next time you dine out, Streets BK will wholly satisfy your curiosity.
ENJOY A SEASONAL FEAST FOR THE EYES AND THE PALATE, TAILORED TO YOUR INDIVIDUAL TASTE TOSHIO SUZUKI, SUSHI ZEN
108 West 44th Street, New York | (212) 302-0707
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January 8–14, 2016 www.EpochTaste.com COURTESY OF KOA
KOA RAMEN TASTING MENU Chinese-Japanese fusion restaurant KOA is offering a new tasting menu to let diners sample multiple bowls of their most popular ramen. Choose among three ($24), four ($30), or five ($35) two-ounce noodle servings of Soy Milk Dan Dan Ramen with ground beef and iceberg lettuce in soy milk broth; Black Sesame Ramen with spicy ground beef, Chinese radish pickles, black sesame paste, and dry shrimp in broth; Classic Chashu Ramen with sliced pork belly, scallions, and soy-pickled bamboo shoots in soy sauce broth; Spicy Dan Dan Ramen with ground beef in soy sauce broth; and Ginger Ramen with crab-and-pork meatballs and scallions in ginger broth. KOA 12 W. 21st St. koanyc.com
KOA’s Soy Milk Dan Dan Ramen.
COURTESY OF ELAN
HISTORY OF THE JEWISH DELI WITH TED MERWIN Ted Merwin, religion professor and author of “Pastrami on Rye: An Overstuffed History of the Jewish Deli,” will be at the 92Y to chart the rise and fall of the Jewish deli in New York City, from its beginnings on the Lower East Side, to contemporary Jewish-Americans who are reinventing the tradition. Pastrami, corned beef, and other goods from the 2nd Avenue Deli will be served. $25 per person. Thursday, Jan. 21 Noon 92Y 1395 Lexington Ave. 92y.org/event/pastrami-on-rye
ELAN BRUNCH SALON New American restaurant élan is hosting renowned pianist Craig Rutenberg for a music-filled brunch. Rutenberg will be performing music from early 20th century American composer Virgil Thomson, as diners enjoy a two-course brunch. Dishes include Fluffy Pancakes with crème fraîche and spiced bourbon maple syrup, Smoked Salmon Croque Monsieur, and Duck Confit Hash with sunny side-up egg and duck fat béarnaise. Unlimited cocktails are included, for $38 per person. Reserve by calling (646) 682-7105. Sunday, Jan. 17 11:30 a.m. élan 43 E. 20th St. elannyc.com
The Duck Confit Hash.
COURTESY OF CULINARY HISTORIANS OF NEW YORK
VERMOUTH: THE SPIRIT THAT STARTED IT ALL
JAPANESE WINTER FEAST AT THE BROOKLYN BOTANICAL GARDEN
Join book author and producer of Atsby Vermouth, Adam Ford, for a discussion on the history of vermouth and cocktail culture in New York City. Ford recently published a book on vermouth production in America, “Vermouth: The Revival of the Spirit That Created America’s Cocktail Culture.” Snacks and cocktails will be served. $40.
A multicourse dinner by Chef Yuhi Fujinaga (from The Sea Grill at Rockefeller Center) will be served in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden’s Japanese garden. During cocktail hour, enjoy hors d’oeuvres like Boneless Chicken Wing Yakitori with spicy garlic soy sauce and Monkfish Terrine with tosazu gelée. Three courses, themed The Land and The Sea, Snowy Marriage, and Savory Winter, will include Wagyu Steak with maitake mushrooms, shishito pepper, wasabi, and smoked soy; and Mirugai Clams, Amaebi Sweet Shrimp, Uni, Nantucket Bay Scallops, Peekytoe Crabs with seasonal vegetables, tosazu gelée, and trout roe dressing. $150 per person.
Thursday, Jan. 21 6:30 p.m. Park Avenue Methodist Church 106 E. 86th St. culinaryhistoriansny.org
Thursday, Jan. 21 6 p.m. Lillian and Amy Goldman Atrium Brooklyn Botanical Garden 990 Washington Ave., Brooklyn store.patinagroup.com/events
Cover of Adam Ford’s book, “Vermouth: The Revival of the Spirit That Created America’s Cocktail Culture.”
Laut is Malaysian, Singaporean, Thai food, located at 15 E. 17th St.
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January 8–14, 2016 www.EpochTaste.com COURTESY OF TRESTLE ON TENTH
Celebrating Fifth Anniversary of missKOREA Tea Ceremony(after 6pm) and Free Gifts(whole day)
June 25 South Korea’s top chef, Sunkyu Lee, cooks authentic Korean Royal Court Cuisine
Sausages served at the Metzgete dinner.
Experience Firsthand the Romantic Life of Korean Dynasty
METZGETE AT TRESTLE ON TENTH Swiss restaurant Trestle on Tenth is serving its annual traditional pork dinner, “Metzgete,” which translates as butcher’s affair. The nose-to-tail feast includes Pork Belly, Pork Terrine, Housemade Bratwurst, Liver Sausage, Head Cheese, and Charcuterie, served alongside housemade sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, mustard, and applesauce. You can pair the meal with Chasselas, a Swiss white wine, or artisanal Swiss beer.
Thursday, Jan. 14–Saturday, Jan. 23 Trestle on Tenth 242 10th Ave. trestleontenth.com
Totally different and distinctive cuisines and interior designs on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors.
COURTESY OF BREW FOR AUTISM
Free Gifts
212-594-4963 10 W. 32 St., New York, NY 10001 www.misskoreabbq.com Open 24 Hours
Attendees at the previous Brew for Autism event. COURTESY OF BREW FOR AUTISM
BREW FOR AUTISM Enjoy good food and beer to support Autism Speaks, an organization that conducts research on autism spectrum disorders. Attendees will get to sample craft beers, as well as beers, ciders, and meads from local home brewers. There will also be a raffle drawing for prizes. $55 per person. Saturday, Jan. 30 1 p.m.–5 p.m. Snug Harbor Great Hall 1000 Richmond Terrace brewforautism.com
HOBOKEN MUTZ FEST The best mozzarella makers in Hoboken, New Jersey, will face off in the annual Mutz Fest. Contenders include M&P Biancamano, Vito’s Italian Deli, and Losurdo Bros Deli, which will vie for the titles of People’s Choice, Critics’ Choice, and Kid’s Choice for Best Mutz. Sunday, Jan. 31 2 p.m.–6 p.m. Hoboken Elks Club 1005 Washington St., Hoboken, N.J. mutzfest.com
BLUE RIBBON FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH OF THE MONTH Fried chicken eatery Blue Ribbon is starting 2016 with a special, more health-conscious sandwich, The Resolution, with grilled chicken, shredded kale, pickled cucumbers, green bell peppers, avocado, and house vinaigrette. Each month, Blue Ribbon will add a special sandwich of the month to its menu. $8.50 for one. Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken 28 E. First St. blueribbonfriedchicken.com
GREAT BEER EXPO More than 80 breweries from around the world will convene at the Great Beer Expo right across the river in Secaucus, New Jersey. Attendees will get to sample from any exhibiting brewery, with food available for purchase throughout the day. There will also be beer seminars for attendees to learn more about brewing. $45 per person.
Saturday, Feb. 6 Session 1: 12:30 p.m.–4 p.m. Session 2: 5:30 p.m.–9 p.m. Meadowlands Exposition Center 355 Plaza Drive, Secaucus, N.J. greatbeerexpo.com/meadowlands
Compiled by Annie Wu/Epoch Times Staff
We, at Hatsuhana, realize that it is rare to find a “no gimmicks, no frills” approach to sushi. Sushi is a conceptually simple cuisine. Ironically, its simplicity also makes it complicated. Hatsuhana salutes the centuries-old methods used by prominent sushi restaurants and chefs in Japan. P H O T O S : E DWA R D D A I
Obsessive Attention to Detail T
he single inspiration that lead to the establishment of Hatsuhana was nothing more than the desire to introduce unsurpassed sushi and sashimi to New Yorkers. Since the first day we opened our doors in 1976, we have been a sushi specialty restaurant. This has helped us maintain our focus exclusively on sushi cuisine.
212.355.3345 www.hatsuhana.com 17 East 48th St, New York (btwn. Madison & Fifth Ave.)
Nearly four decades later, our mission remains unchanged. Obsessive attention to detail should be the norm for sushi restaurants, not something to strive for. The complexity associated with creating the ideal sushi rice. The fragrance of freshly ground wasabi. The freshest fish from around the globe. Please come by for lunch or dinner and let us show you what real sushi is like!
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January 8–14, 2016 www.EpochTaste.com COURTESY OF COPPER KETTLE KITCHEN
Openings around town
The Pennsy The Penn Station area is about to get a boost in culinary cred. The Pennsy, an 8,000-squarefoot space, will open on Jan. 11, featuring five convenient, chef-driven concepts. They include: • Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors. It’s a first brick-and-mortar location for renowned butcher Pat La Frieda, who will be serving sandwiches like his Original Filet Mignon Sandwich, Meatball Subs, and Grilled Chicken Breast with broccoli rabe, mozzarella, and Calabrian chili oil. The famous burger blends and cuts of meats will be available to consumers as well. • The Cinnamon Snail. On the other end of the spectrum, the beloved vegan food truck has also found a fixed home and will be serving specialties such as Thai BBQ Tempeh with pickled red onions and Thai Basil, Arugula, Smoked Chili Roasted Peanuts and Sriracha Mayonnaise on grilled spelt bread, its Beastmode Burger Deluxe, and Ancho Chili Seitan Burger grilled in maple bourbon barbecue sauce with jalapeùo mac & cheese, arugula smoked chili coconut bacon, and chipotle mayo. • Mario by Mary. The new Italian fast-casual is helmed by Mario Batali and caterer
Mary Giuliani. On the menu: soups and sandwiches, such as the Fontina and Black True Honey Grilled Cheese, and L’Angelo e il Diavolo, made with grilled lard, gorgonzola, and mortadella. • Lobster Press. Chef Marc Forgione is partnering with lobster purveyor Homarus for a fast casual concept focused on lobster on the go. Oerings include the Lobster Press, a panini with fresh lobster paired with chili lobster dipping sauce and a gluten-free lobster salad. • The Little Beet. Chef Franklin Becker brings fare from his vegetable-focused restaurant, with dishes such as The Little Beet Bowl with beets, quinoa, arugula, and goat cheese. A bar will oer cocktails, wines, and beers. The space also features a central indoor lounge with communal tables and sofas, and an outdoor patio space in warmer months. Open daily from 11 a.m. (until 11 p.m. Monday–Saturday and until 8 p.m. on Sunday)
2 Penn Plaza (corner of 33rd Street & Seventh Avenue) 917-475-1830 thepennsy.nyc facebook.com/ThePennsy
Handmade pierogies.
Copper Kettle Kitchen COURTESY OF COPPER KETTLE KITCHEN
Newcomer to the Upper East Side dining scene Copper Kettle Kitchen is an American farm-totable from the team behind Spigolo and The Gilroy. Chef and owner Joseph D’Angelo’s menu is full of comfort classics like potato pierogies, meatless eggplant “meatballs,â€? and double-cut pork chops. The cocktail program, designed by mixologist Josh Mazza, oers libations like In a Nutshell, a twist on an Old-Fashioned, with corn whisky, cane bitter, and bitters infused with peanut flavor; and Gotham is Burning, a Manhattan with a smokey touch from distilled charcoal vinegar, bourbon, and sweet vermouth. Open daily for dinner, Saturday and Sunday for brunch.
1471 Second Ave. 212-744-1100 copperkettlekitchen.com
Taste Test: Next Generation of Fake Meats, Eggless Mayo AP PHOTO/JEFF CHIU
By Candice Choi
The bacon was given a thumbsdown, with Champlin likening it to a ‘leather chew.’
AP PHOTO/JEFF CHIU
How far have vegan alternatives come to tasting like the real thing? Not far enough, according to a panel that tasted some options for The Associated Press. “Noxiousâ€? and “kind of not naturalâ€? were among the reactions to some of the meatless alternatives being pushed by a new generation of vegan food makers that want to revolutionize the way Americans eat. “If I were to eat this thinking it is a regular hamburger, I might think it’s spoiled,â€? said Byron Champlin, a city councilor in Concord, New Hampshire, after taking a bit of a “beeflessâ€? burger patty made by Gardein. Gardein, Beyond Meat, and Hampton Creek are among the companies trying to bring energy to a category that has long been defined by brands like Morningstar Foods (founded in 1970), Nasoya (1978), and Quorn (1985). The thinking is that more Americans will embrace plant-based alternatives to beef, chicken, and mayonnaise if there are bettertasting options. The idea is attracting millions of dollars in investments and media fanfare, with the newer companies saying their products also are healthier and gentler on the environment. But the recipes they’re cooking up might not be ready for prime time just yet. A panel of taste testers at The Associated Press test kitchen in Concord, New Hampshire had mixed reactions to the oerings, and in some cases preferred the more established vegetarian options. The three panelists were meat eaters, but said they’d go for vegetarian foods, as long as they taste good. Dan St. Jean, executive chef for The Common Man restaurants in New Hampshire, thought the Gardein patty had a strange smell. “It almost tastes like someone tried to make a meatball into a hamburger, but did something wrong,â€? agreed Sarah Kinney, a community news editor for The Concord Monitor.
Just Mayo by Hampton Creek.
The reaction was worse for Beyond Meat’s Beast Burger, which was introduced this year. Unlike Gardein, Beyond Meat said it wants to replicate the taste of real meat, rather than just oer vegetarian alternatives. But Champlin spit out the Beast Burger after one bite and called it “noxiousâ€? and “nonrecognizable.â€? All three taste testers found the “original grillerâ€? made by Morningstar Foods the least oensive. It wasn’t exactly a hit either, though; Champlin said he would eat it if there was nothing else around. The fake chicken didn’t fare much better. “It’s just kind of rubbery. It didn’t really taste like chicken,â€? said Kinney of Beyond Meat’s Southwestern-flavored strips of chicken, which has been on shelves since 2013. Champlin thought there was a bad aftertaste, but couldn’t place what it was. He also thought the Gardein “chick’n scallopiniâ€? was tasteless. But that’s why St. Jean liked it—he thought his children wouldn’t notice if he covered it in cheese and marinara sauce. Champlin and Kinney preferred the chicken breast look-alike made by Quorn, although they agreed with St. Jean that it looked like “a grilled baguette.â€? The panelists also noted the lack of aromas in the kitchen, where a chef was preparing the products on a stovetop. Meat, by contrast, would have filled the space with mouthwatering smells. “If your back was to the stove, you couldn’t tell what she was cooking,â€? said St. Jean. The panel was also given a meatless breakfast sausage patty made by Morningstar, and vegetarian bacon by Lightife, another company that has been around since the 1970s. The sausage was the winner of the day, with everyone praising its texture for closely resembling the grind-like consistency of real sausage. The bacon, by contrast, was given a thumbsdown, with Champlin likening it to a “leather chew.â€? St. Jean agreed, and said they reminded
Josh Tetrick, CEO and founder of Hampton Creek (R), said he has a simple rule: never use the word vegan. him of Beggin’ Strips, the pet treats made by Purina. The taste fell short, too. “The saltiness isn’t there, the crunch isn’t there,� St. Jean said. Although the fake meats didn’t go over well, the panel generally liked Just Mayo, the eggless mayonnaise introduced by Hampton Creek in late 2012. The spread now sells at major retailers, including Target and Wal-Mart. Everyone was able to identify it as vegan in a lineup of mayonnaises, but thought it came close to tasting like Hellmann’s. “I wouldn’t have a problem with this,� Champlin said. St. Jean and Kinney agreed. On the other hand, Nasoya’s mayonnaise was described as having a taste that is “funky� and “kind of pasty.� Ultimately, the panel said they would buy Just Mayo and the Morningstar breakfast sausages. But they agreed there was no “wow� factor in any of the products they sampled. “Nothing stood out as being better than the real thing,� Kinney said. From The Associated Press
Authentic Cajun Flavor
DON’T MISS OUR BOTTOMLESS WEEKEND CAJUN BRUNCH!
We specialize in authentic New Orleans food—seafood gumbo, jambalaya, and Cajun seafood boil. We serve incredible Northeast steamed lobster & seafood and have an amazing selection of raw items—oysters, clams, shrimps and chilled lobster, king & snow crab legs.
Wide selection of draft beer
Find us on FaceBook, Instagram, and Twitter
Steamed King Crab Corn + Potato
$1Oyster Happy Hour 5pm - 8pm, everyday
Cajun Bake Special
$19.95 Whole Steamed Lobster Corn + Potato
All Day, Everyday 32 W 33rd St (between 5th Avenue & Broadway) near Empire State Building
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January 8–14, 2016 www.EpochTaste.com
Take a Deep Dive Into the Culinary Side of Now-Hot Queens By J.M Hirsch When eating in New York City, breaking out of the Manhattan mindset is tough, at least for visitors. Because when you mostly are here on business—no matter how frequently—the glut of great eats in Manhattan makes it easy to ignore the wealth of awesome restaurants and bars in what locals call “the outer boroughs.” Shortsighted, I know. But when you are on the ground for just a few days, places like Brooklyn and Queens can feel forever away. Which is why a native New Yorker friend recently helped me push my boundaries—and my appetite. It was painless, fun, and easy, mostly thanks to the No. 7 subway line. The 7 line—and its beautiful, spanking-new Hudson Yards station at 34th Street and 11th Avenue—is an easy way for visitors to explore funky and authentic Queens neighborhoods on the rise. Brooklyn is better-known as the city’s hipster destination, but Queens is catching up. It already has multiple Michelin-starred restaurants, including Casa Enrique, M. Wells Steakhouse, and Zabb Elee. So on a Tuesday afternoon, for $2.75, we caught a 7 express train and in 35 minutes we were in Flushing, Queens. It felt nothing like Manhattan, but it was the start of what would feel like a culinary United Nations. Emerging on Flushing’s Main Street, we found ourselves in a swirl of Chinatown: a woman making fresh tofu on the street here, a window of barbecue-bronzed poultry and ribs there. You could spend a day on Main Street alone, poking through the warrens of shops and eateries. But we headed across the street to the New World Mall, a place with enough hardcore foodie cred to have once earned Anthony Bourdain’s attention. The mall basement is where you’ll find a food court like nothing you’ve seen in the suburbs. A couple dozen stalls offer everything from freshly pulled ramen to delicate filled dumplings to—and here’s the money shot—freshly filled rice rolls (balls). Start at Lan Zhou Hand Made Noodle for ramen that will be pulled and shaped and tossed as you watch. You can get the noodles with nearly anything; we went with lamb. Just don’t eat too much. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Now head across the hall to Tao Rice Rolls, where you select your fillings, then watch as the chef masterfully encases them in a ball of lightly seasoned sticky rice. We chose mushrooms, sausage, nori seaweed, and dried pork. The result—for a mere $3.50—was crunchy, sweet, warm, and meaty. For a delicious visual overload, head upstairs to the JMart, a sprawling Asian supermarket that transports you to lands where duck feet and live turtles are common fare. There are tamer options too, but resist the urge to load up: You have multiple bites and subway stops
You could spend a day on Main Street alone, poking through the warrens of shops and eateries.
Don’t eat too much. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
to go as you eat your way back to Manhattan. Jump back on a Manhattan-bound 7, and get off at 69th Street. At 71-28 Roosevelt Ave., in the working-class, multi-ethnic Jackson Heights neighborhood, you’ll find one of the Michelin stars—Zabb Elee, which specializes in northern Thai cuisine and also has a Manhattan outpost. The decor is simple, the food is not. Get the beef larb, minced meat salad potent with scallions, chilies and lime. This is what they are known for. But you might also get som tum, a green papaya, and crab salad that gets oomph from fermented fish sauce. Wash it down with a lychee martini. It’s a few blocks to Papa’s Kitchen, 65-40 Woodside Ave., considered one of New York’s best Filipino restaurants. It’s small, intimate and you will be asked—repeatedly—to partake in karaoke. We passed. But we didn’t pass on the Shanghai dynamite (crisply fried spring rolls stuffed with pork and vegetables), nor the pork loin slowly simmered in coconut milk and serrano chilies. Hop back on the 7 train at the Woodside-61st Street station. Head to the Vernon BoulevardJackson Avenue stop for another star-worthy meal, this time at Casa Enrique, 5-48 49th Ave. Up to now, everything has been deliciously down market. Casa Enrique, in the gentrifying Hunters Point-Long Island City area, scales up. Beautifully rustic, it has a relaxed but happening vibe. In good weather, sit on the back covered patio. It feels like another, better, world. My friend got a mango caipirinha, I went with a chili-spiked margarita. Both were delicious and a great complement to our ceviche and skirt steak tacos. We wanted to order more, but we were stuffed. Stuffed, that is, until I foolishly Googled other eateries and noticed Burnside Biscuits, a new-ish place specializing in biscuits and fried chicken at 32-07 30th Ave. in Astoria. We couldn’t resist. To get there, we could have taken the 7 from Vernon Boulevard to Queensboro Plaza, then changed for the N to Astoria-Ditmars. Forgive us for succumbing instead to a passing taxi. We were feeling a bit bloated. Burnside Biscuits shone like a beacon from its spot on a bustling commercial strip. This is no hole in the wall. This is a place to linger with friends. The decor—gleaming open kitchen, deco tiles, brick oven—is classy and casual all at once. And the biscuits? Killer. By now it was dark. Our stomachs ached. We’d sampled a world of food in six hours. Total cost for two people (with several drinks along the way): $170.23. Alas, the 7 train was not nearby, but the elevated N train platform was, so we took that into Manhattan (where you can switch from the N to the 7 at Times Square). It was enough to make me think maybe there is a food world beyond Manhattan, and it really does deserve a visit. Or 10.
CLASSICS with FLAIR
Fine French cuisine in a romantic and elegant setting, be sure to visit Madison Bistro in Murray Hill, and enjoy Master Chef Claude Godard’s updated traditional bistro fare.
MADISON BISTRO
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The New Umami Experience Bara is an attempt to find common ground in tavern culture through the east and west by combining the wine bar tradition of Paris with the Japanese izakaya. The word bara has many meanings, as the restaurant Bara has many faces. Our sensibilities are wild, with a passion for unsulphered wines, spontaneously fermented beers, sour doughs and kimchi, but are also restrained with clean presentations and an attempt to always make clarity of flavor our number one priority.
From The Associated Press ALL PHOTOS BY J.M. HIRSCH/AP
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Pure Peruvian Cuisine Ceviche, Our signature dish
Lan Zhou Hand Made Noodle in Flushing, Queens.
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The eatery Tao Rice Rolls in the New World Mall in Flushing, Queens.
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Fabulous conversations with fabulous people
Driving Hungry With: Layne Mosler
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In 2007, food lover and avid traveler Layne Mosler thought of an ingenious way to explore the best eats in her city: hop into a taxi and ask the cabbie to take her to his or her favorite place to eat. Mosler started the Taxi Gourmet blog to document her adventures, which have taken her through Buenos Aires, Argentina; Berlin, Germany; and New York City. Mosler even did a brief stint as a New York City cabbie herself in 2010. Though she’s currently based in Berlin, Mosler is always looking for the next city to take her project to. Epoch Times: Tell us more about that transformative food experience that set you on this journey. Layne Mosler: It all happened by chance. I was coming off a terrible afternoon at a tango club [in Buenos Aires, Argentina]. I was starving, it was raining. I wanted to find something special to eat, just to take me out of my doldrums. I had been having conversations with taxi drivers in Buenos Aires, I had been living there for two years already. One day, everything converged, and I just decided to get into a random taxi cab and ask the driver to take me to his favorite place to eat, which turned out to be this wonderful neighborhood steakhouse on this side street that I ordinarily wouldn’t have wandered down. There were people who helped me go through the menu and pick out the best steak for me. It was a really beautiful meal that took me back to why I came to Buenos Aires in the first place and the magic, if you will, of the city. After this first taxi adventure, I decided that I wanted to keep trying this and see what might happen—not only from a food perspective, but also the perspective of meeting people I wouldn’t otherwise meet in my day-today life and having conversations with these taxi drivers. I had many interesting rides, one with a taxi driver who moonlighted as a priest, but he is a Protestant priest, so he didn’t work much in Argentina, so he drove a taxi to support himself. He drove me to this place called La Americana because I’m American, for empanadas. I thought that was really hilarious. Epoch Times: How did you decide to move to New York? Ms. Mosler: Toward the end of my time in Buenos Aires, 90 percent of the recommendations I was getting from taxi drivers there were for steakhouses. I do love steak, but I was running out of adjectives for beef, and I wanted to see what would happen if I transplanted the project to a great food city, like New York City, because it is a city with a really well-developed taxi culture. Epoch Times: How are cabbies in New York? Were they willing to help you with your request? Ms. Mosler: Initially, I had some difficulty. In Buenos Aires, if I asked a taxi driver to
I had many interesting rides, one with a taxi driver who moonlighted as a priest. Layne Mosler, food writer
Mosler’s taxi adventures have taken her to three different cities.
BUENOS AIRES NEW YORK CITY BERLIN
take me to his favorite place to eat, maybe he would be disoriented for 30 seconds or so, and then he would say, oh, I know just the place. In New York, to get into a taxicab without a destination is not a good idea. It’s not that people were unfriendly, I think it’s just that people were disoriented. To ask a person where his favorite place to eat is in a city like New York, it’s like an infinite question. So I had to come up with a new strategy, a new approach to the taxi adventures in New York. What I started to do, after a series of failed attempts, was, I would get into a taxi, say at 59th and Lex, and I would ask him to take me to Union Square, straight shot, down to 14th Street, more or less. The idea was, I wanted to give them a destination, didn’t want them to think too much about where they were going, and I hoped in the span of those 40 blocks, we could enter into a conversation, and at some point, once we were relatively comfortable with each other, I would slip into the question of food. Eventually, it started to work and I started to get some really wonderful recommendations. Epoch Times: What kinds of recommendations did you get? Ms. Mosler: Where a cab driver eats on duty is usually where he or she can park, say like, the Famous Halal Guys. But I would also get recommendations for places taxi drivers would go off-duty, and in some sense, those were the more interesting recommendations. Most of the time, those were places that were pretty far-flung and far out in the outer boroughs, places like The Door in Jamaica, or Papaye in the Bronx, or Cherry Hill Gourmet Market in Sheepshead Bay, all of which are worth a long trip on the subway, with excellent, excellent food, which I probably wouldn’t have found on my own. Epoch Times: Do you have a favorite borough? Ms. Mosler: Queens is absolutely my favorite food borough. You can pick almost any neighborhood, like Astoria or Elmhurst, and there’s all this diversity. And it’s not just the diversity, but the quality of what you’ll find. It’s really an extraordinary place to eat, not just in New York, but in terms of the whole world. Epoch Times: What are some recommendations that you suggest people definitely try? Ms. Mosler: Balkh Shish Kabab [in Astoria, Queens] has really excellent lamb. There’s a particular dish called qaw lamb meat, which they slow-cook in their oven. It is really spectacular. I would say curried goat at The Door is well worth the trip to Jamaica. The dosas at Ganapati Temple canteen in Flushing are some of the best dosas in the city. My favorite baklava in New York is from this place called Gulluoglu. They have a store on 52nd and Second. My favorite place to stop when I was on duty for a caffeine pick-me-up was Cafe Grumpy on 20th Street, because there was a taxi stand right around the corner, and really wonderful cappuccino. ANNIE WANG
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“Jojeh kabab” and “zereshk polo” at Kabul Kabab House in Flushing, Queens, one of the cabbierecommended restaurants.
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Redefining Traditional Spanish Cuisine
Epoch Times: Did anyone ask you for a recommendation when you were driving a cab? Ms. Mosler: Yeah, it was one of my first shifts. I had this couple, I picked them up at the Waldorf Astoria and they were on their way to brunch on the Upper East Side. They said, do you know of a good bakery where we can pick up some pastries on the way to bring to our hostess? And I had no idea. I was so embarrassed and ashamed. It was really a lesson because I realized I had been asking a really diďŹƒcult question for the past three years. It was a nice irony, a nice poetic lesson. Epoch Times: What are some interesting stories from driving a cab in New York? Ms. Mosler: I happened to get into a cab with a man from Ghana. He told me he had spent the past five years driving 18 to 20 hours a shift to save enough money to get his own taxi medallion, and he had done it. He got it a couple months before I got into his taxi and we were driving in his taxi, which is a really rare thing to happen. If you get in a yellow cab in New York city, the person driving is usually leasing the cab for the day, week, or month. And he was so proud that this was his taxi. And he told me the only times the value of a taxi medallion went down were during the Korean War and after 9/11. And he was so excited about what he thought at the time was a foolproof investment. It was a remarkable conversation. One of the things he pointed out was, you know, in America, if you work hard, anything is possible, but you have to work hard. I was very moved. Epoch Times: How does the cabbie and food culture in Berlin compare to New York? Ms. Mosler: Neither the food culture nor the mix of people driving cabs is as diverse as it is in New York. We had in Berlin a big wave of Turkish immigrants, that was part of a guest worker movement that started in the ‘60s, so there is a pretty large Turkish population in the city, and a lot of Turkish people driving taxis, and a lot of wonderful Turkish food. But the food scene in Berlin is changing quite a bit, because we have more and more people coming from dierent parts of the world, and more and more people having high expectations and wanting to have Vietnamese food and sushi and Scandinavian food. So the food scene is really in a moment of flux. But it still doesn’t approach the diversity of New York. In New York, people are so sophisticated and knowledgeable about food. Food is more front and center in New York than it is in Berlin. In Germany—I think it’s something left over from World War II—oftentimes people are not eating for pleasure, but for satisfaction. That goes
back to after World War II, when the city was for the most part destroyed, and people were starving and ate whatever they could get their hands on. Some of that is still ingrained.
Mosler had a short stint as a cabbie herself in New York City in 2010.
Epoch Times: Why did you move to Berlin? Ms. Mosler: I had been driving a cab for about six months in New York, and I knew I had to take a step back, and take a pause, take stock. I was not a very good cab driver, and I was taking a break at the New York Public Library, which is one of my favorite places to go just to relax and regroup. I found this old Lonely Planet from 2006 for Berlin. I flipped to the section on taxis and it said that the taxi drivers know as much about Nietzsche as they do about sausage. I thought that sounded so interesting, and I thought, I would like to see if this is true. I started a Kickstarter campaign for a series of taxi adventures in Berlin. I came to Berlin hoping to find taxi drivers who knew about sausage and philosophy, and I found that and more. I felt a sense of possibility in Berlin that I hadn’t felt anywhere else. Even though the food might not be as impressive as New York, I felt this was home. So six months later, I moved here. Epoch Times: What made Berlin feel like home for you? Ms. Mosler: There’s this word in German, “LebenskĂźnstler.â€? There’s no quick translation in English, you could translate it as life artist, but it doesn’t go far enough. It basically means a person who wants freedom above all else, and does a series of things in order to get by and be free to do what they want to do. There are a lot of people driving taxis in Berlin whom you could call LebenskĂźnstlers. For example, I met a taxi driver who comes to Berlin in the spring and summer to drive a cab, and the other six months of the year, he goes to Brazil and paints. The first taxi driver I met in Berlin was this taxi driver who works half-time as a taxi driver and half-time as a homeopath. To this day, she’s still doing the two things. There’s just people who are living creatively, artistically. I found that really fascinating and nurturing as a writer. Epoch Times: What kind of food do you miss the most from New York City? Ms. Mosler: A slice from Patsy’s in Spanish Harlem. You cannot find anything like that in Berlin. I desperately miss that. And I miss Indian Chinese food. There’s this place in Elmhurst called Tangra Masala that makes Indian Chinese food, and those really in-your-face, aggressive, intensive flavors are something you have to look long and hard to find in Berlin. It seems like you can walk 10 steps in New York and find something outstanding if you’re paying attention.
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Epoch Times: Why did you decide to eventually drive taxi in New York and how’d you manage the traďŹƒc here? Ms. Mosler: I didn’t know when I moved to New York that I was going to drive a cab. It was January 2010 when I first drove a cab. It was not something I had planned or ever imagined. And then I met these two women who were drivers. As you know, it’s not common to meet a woman driving a cab in New York. I found these ladies particularly inspiring, and also, there was the fact that I studied cultural anthropology. There’s this idea in anthropology that there are limits to your understanding if you’re only observing something, a culture, a people, a city. At some point, you need to step up, step in, and participate. I was seeing that I was reaching the limits of my understanding of cab drivers and cab driving. And I also needed another job, quite frankly. I thought that driving a taxi was the next logical step. I had never driven a car in New York City. I grew up in L.A., so I have some sense of driving in traďŹƒc. But the traďŹƒc in New York is something I compare to driving in a video game. It’s almost surreal how dense, how compact, how aggressive, how many dierent things are going on at once when you’re driving a taxi. But the interesting thing was, it all somehow flows together. You need to figure out what the rhythm is, how things are moving, and you begin to know how to anticipate, even though it’s so chaotic and stressful to drive in New York.
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Epoch Times: Any plans for future taxi adventures? Ms. Mosler: I would really like to try some taxi adventures in Athens, Naples, and someday hopefully in Tokyo, because everything I’ve read about food culture in Japan is fascinating to me. I’m working on getting my taxi license in Berlin. But it’s quite an involved bureaucratic process, I think I might have to wait two years before I get my taxi license here. To read more about Layne Mosler’s adventures and misadventures, check out her book, “Driving Hungry� (Pantheon, 2015).
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Than Bagels Tucuman-style empanadas in Buenos Aires. COURTESY OF LAYNE MOSLER
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Tomatillo Salsa Offers a Fresh Approach to Poaching Salmon By Sara Moulton
Classic Margherita Pizza
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The French love to cook fish by poaching it in a flavored liquid, usually a combination of white wine and water, leeks or onions, and some herbs. It’s a notably lean way to roll because there’s no fat involved. And the finished product is reliably tender because it has been cooked at a low temperature. So, it’s lean, tender and ... quite boring. I crave more flavor and texture. So here’s a recipe for poached salmon that adds the missing elements. Typically, poaching calls for a lot of liquid. The fish is supposed to be submerged as it cooks, after which the liquid is usually tossed. I wanted a way to poach the fish in a small amount of liquid, which then could do double duty as a sauce. Given that fish generally requires a spritz of acid to brighten it up, the ideal liquid needed to be acidic and intensely flavored. Green salsa—that is, tomatillo salsa with chilies and lime juice— struck me as a likely candidate. The salmon wouldn’t have to swim in a vat of the salsa. I made a modest batch and cooked the salmon in a smallish skillet with the salsa rising halfway up the sides of the fillets. I covered the pan tightly to trap the heat and flipped over the salmon half way through its cooking time to make sure it cooked evenly. How do you know when the salmon is finished cooking? If you slide a knife into it and the blade sails through the fillet with no resistance, it’s done. And be sure to pull it off the heat when there’s still a tiny bit of resistance left, which will allow for carry-over cooking time. For crunch, I sprinkled tortilla chips on top; they are salsa’s classic partner. But these were my own healthy baked tortilla chips, which take only 15 minutes to prepare. On the whole, this recipe is pretty quick and easy to make, but you can streamline it even further by picking up green salsa and baked tortilla chips at the supermarket. By the way, there were leftovers the second time we tested this winner. When we polished them off the next day, we discovered that this dish is just as delicious cold as hot. From The Associated Press
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For a finishing touch, sprinkle some tortilla chips on top.
RECIPE SALMON POACHED IN GREEN SALSA AND TOPPED WITH BAKED CHIPS Prep & Cooking Time: 40 minutes Serves: 4 For the Tortilla Strips • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil • 1 teaspoon chili powder • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin • Four 6-inch corn tortillas • Kosher salt For the Salmon • 8 ounces fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped scallions (white and light green parts) • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro • 1 tablespoon lime juice • 1/2 jalapeno or serrano chili, seeds removed if desired • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil • 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion • Kosher salt and ground black pepper • 1 1/2 pounds center-cut salmon fillet, cut into 4 equal portions
DIRECTIONS To make the tortilla strips, heat the oven to 400 F. In a small bowl, stir together the oil, chili powder, and cumin. Brush the oil mixture over both sides of each tortilla. Using a knife or pizza wheel, cut the tortillas into thin strips. Arrange the strips in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the strips on the oven’s middle shelf for 6 to 8 minutes, or until crispy. Sprinkle with salt, let cool completely, then break them up slightly. Set aside. To prepare the salsa, in a food processor, combine the tomatillos, scallions, cilantro, lime juice, chili, and garlic. Pulse until the ingredients are almost smooth with a few small chunks. In a medium skillet over medium, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatillo mixture and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. If the mixture gets too dry, add 1/2 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper. Add the salmon to the skillet, skin sides down, then cover the skillet tightly and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Turn the salmon over, cover tightly and simmer gently until the salmon is almost cooked through, about another 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the salmon stand for 3 minutes, covered, before serving. To serve, transfer a portion of salmon to each of 4 plates, then top each with sauce and tortilla strips.
Lighten Up With a Taste of Thai By Katie Workman I love every bite of the holidays. I loved the mashed potatoes and the pies and the cornbread stuffing and everything else. And I’m not going to look back with regret. I am, however, not going to continue eating this way indefinitely. And this salad is why I’m not so sad about that. Lots of us are crazy about Thai food, what with all those bright, vibrant flavors, exciting textures, and the play of sweet and sour and salty happening in so many ways. And classic Thai ingredients like lemon grass, chilies, and coconut milk are now popping up at grocers all over the country. You’ll find it’s fun and easy to
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RECIPE
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THAI CUCUMBER SALAD
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work them into your home cooking. This simple salad features crunchy cucumbers enhanced with just a bit of citrus, soy sauce, and a few other Thai ingredients. Cilantro is an herb people usually love or hate; few people feel “meh” about it. So if it’s not your thing, or someone at the table doesn’t like it, serve it on the side and let people add it to their own salads as they wish. You also could substitute Thai basil. If you want to bump up the flavor even more, substitute fish sauce for half of the soy sauce. It will add a layer of delicious pungency to the dish. From The Associated Press
Prep & Cooking Time: 15 minutes Serves: 4 • • • • •
2 large English cucumbers 1 jalapeño pepper 2 teaspoons minced shallots 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons lime juice (freshly squeezed is best in a recipe such as this) • 1 teaspoon sugar • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves • 1/4 cup salted cocktail peanuts, lightly crushed
DIRECTIONS
remove the seeds before mincing.
Peel the cumbers, then slice them in half lengthwise. Using a teaspoon, scrape down the center of each half to remove any seeds. Slice the cumber halves crosswise into thin slices. A mandoline is best, but a knife is fine. Trim the jalapeno, slice in half lengthwise, then
In a large bowl, combine the jalapeño, shallots, soy sauce, lime juice, and sugar, then stir to combine. Add the cucumbers and toss to combine. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl or platter, then top with the cilantro and the peanuts.
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How to Make French Cassoulet
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By Manos Angelakis In southern France, cassoulet is a distinctive, beloved regional specialty that is now enjoyed throughout the country. It is a rich, hearty stew of various meats, white beans, fats, and aromatic vegetables and herbs, all simmered in layers, then topped with a fine golden crust. The city of Castelnaudary is considered one of the three cities that originated cassoulet; the other two are Toulouse and Carcassonne. The Castelnaudary version is thought to be the oldest, dating from the Hundred Years’ War. During my trip through southern France, we stopped for lunch at Castelnaudary so that we could taste an authentic cassoulet. The cassoulet was rich and flavorful, made with fatty ribbons of pork skin, chunks of pork shoulder, pork sausage in natural casing and saucisson Ă l’ail (garlic sausage), confit of duck, roast duck breast, white lingot beans, vegetables, and spices. I would have liked to try the Carcassonne version, where red partridge is used instead of the duck, but unfortunately it was not partridge season. The ingredients are precooked in stages, separately, and then baked in layers in an earthenware “cassole.â€? The list of ingredients can easily include over 20 items. The result, of course, is a phenomenally flavorful meal, well worth the eort when made properly. If you don’t have a cassole, don’t worry. A large cast iron Dutch oven or other similar cooking vessel is a perfectly acceptable substitute—though the oven temperature for cast iron cooking should be a little lower (300 F). The following recipe came courtesy of the “conciergeâ€? of the building in Paris where I used to live; she was from a small village near Carcassonne and made cassoulet at least five times every winter.
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A butcher shop specializing in cassoulet. Manos Angelakis is a wine and food writer in New York City. As the gastronomy critic for luxuryweb.com, he has spent many years traveling the world in search of culinary excellence.
INSPIRED ASIAN FUSION CUISINE
RECIPE Soak beans in water overnight. Throw out that water.
CASSOULET • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
1 pound dried white lingot beans 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon walnut oil 2 pounds pork shoulder, cut in pieces 3 pieces duck leg confit (leg and thigh, cut at the joint) 1 pound pork sausage in natural casing, cut into 1/2-inch rounds 1 pound saucisson à l’ail, cut into 1/2-inch rounds 4 onions, sliced 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch wide chunks 5 cloves garlic 2 bay leaves 1/2 teaspoon tomato puree 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 cup dry red wine 2 cups chicken stock Toasted bread crumbs
For the Stock • 1 pound pork rinds with layer of fat • 1/2 pound mix of yellow onion and carrot trimmings plus green part of 2 leeks washed well to remove any sand particles • 2 1/2 pound pork bones • 1 head garlic cut in half • 2 whole cloves • 1/2 pound strips of salty bacon • Salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS Day 1 Make stock from the stock ingredients listed above. Retain the pork rinds and bacon strips, and throw the rest away. Filter the stock. You must have enough stock, equivalent to twice the volume of the blanched beans. It is better to have too much stock than not enough.
Serious Hot Pot
Day 2 In a pot, boil water, put in the beans, and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain beans and put aside; then throw water away. Cook beans in the pork stock for 1 1/2 hours at a very low boil. Beans should start to soften but should remain intact. Halfway during the cooking add the tomato purĂŠe to the cooking beans. Drain and remove the beans but keep the stock warm. Add to the pork stock, the chicken stock, and red wine. Remove the fat from the duck confit. In a large frying pan add oils, plus the fat from the duck and sautĂŠ the pork pieces and sausages. The pieces must be well browned. Remove the meats and sautĂŠ the vegetables in the fat and oils. Add the garlic to the pan toward the end, sautĂŠ just long enough to cook through without browning. Line the bottom of the cassole with the reserved pork rinds and bacon strips. Add about a third of the beans. Add the meats, vegetables on top of the meats, and sprinkle the herbs, spices, salt, and pepper. Top with the remaining beans. Pour enough hot stock to leave the very top of the beans uncovered.
As far as wines are concerned, a full-bodied red from the Minervois, which is one of the best wine regions in the south of France, is the perfect pairing. In the United States, I purchased the duck leg confit and saucisson à l’ail from Fabrique DÊlices.
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Day 3 Reheat the oven to 300 F, sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the cassoulet, and continue cooking for 1 1/2 more hours.
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After it is cooked, turn the oven off but keep the cassole covered in the oven till it cools off.
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If using a cassole, heat oven to 325 F and simmer the cassoulet for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. During cooking a brown crust will form on top; the crust has to be sunk-in several times without crushing the beans. Make sure the beans do not dry out. If they seem dry, pour in more of the stock but without covering the top of the beans.
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For True—and Still Healthy— Decadence, Try a Maple Budino By Melissa d’Arabian Years ago, a friend took me to one of his favorite restaurants in New York City. Dinner was fantastic, the company riveting, but what stayed with me most was dessert: maple budino. One bite and I was smitten. The pudding was luxuriously fatty and creamy, and the flavor was incredibly clean: maple and maybe a little floral vanilla. Budino is simply Italian for pudding, but this was unlike any pudding I’d ever eaten. For the record, I am a pudding fan. I grew up having “pudding parties� with my sister, the two of us making pudding out of the box, lightly scorching every saucepan in the house over the years. Chocolate pudding and the “Love Boat/Fantasy Island� lineup pretty much punctuate my entire childhood experience. Later, I learned how easy it is to make a quick stovetop pudding from scratch. Simply follow this formula (which is easily scaled up): 1 cup
milk plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch plus 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar plus flavorings (vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon, or another favorite). The trick to a smooth stovetop pudding is to whisk the cornstarch and sugar first in the cold saucepan to break up lumps, then whisk in the milk. Heat over medium and allow to boil gently for 2 to 3 minutes, constantly whisking. Pour into ramekins and chill. Or eat warm while watching Julie McCoy. Making your own puddings means you control the ingredients. Since milk is already a little sweet, you don’t need a ton of extra sugar. And you can slowly reduce the amount of sugar over time, so your family grows accustomed to a healthier dessert. Fat, too, is under your control. You can use whole milk for restaurantcreamy results or skim milk if you don’t mind a less-lush texture in exchange for a skinny calorie count. From The Associated Press AP PHOTO/MATTHEW MEAD
FREE DELIVERY
RECIPE
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MAPLE BUDINO Prep & Cooking Time: 1 hour (15 minutes active), plus cooling Serves: 6 • • • • • • • •
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1 cup 2 percent milk 3/4 cup whole milk 1/2 vanilla bean pod, scraped 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar 1/4 cup maple syrup, plus extra 1/4 teaspoon table salt 2 eggs Flaked sea salt
DIRECTIONS Heat the oven to 325 F. In a medium saucepan over medium, combine both milks. Heat until they just come to a simmer. Add the vanilla bean, brown sugar, maple syrup, and salt, whisking until uniform. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until smooth and pale yellow. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking all the time. Once mixed, add another 1/4 cup of milk, again whisking. Add the remaining
milk mixture, and mix gently just until well combined. Remove and discard the vanilla bean. Pour into six 4-ounce ramekins. Carefully set the ramekins into a large baking dish with sides higher than the ramekins. Pour boiling water gently into the baking dish, adding enough to fill halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Be careful not to splash water into the ramekins. Carefully place the baking dish in the oven and bake until the budinos are set (the centers will still be jiggly), 30 to 40 minutes. Once the budinos are cooked, immediately remove the ramekins from the hot water bath. Let them cool a few minutes, then refrigerate to finish setting, at least 1 hour. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup and a few flecks of salt, if desired.
ASIAN RESTAURANT LISTINGS UPPER WEST SIDE Raku—It’s Japanese II Japanese Featured Dishes: Sushi; Sashimi; Brussels Sprouts
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MIDTOWN EAST Shochu and Tapas - AYA Japanese 247 E. 50th St. (btw. 2nd & 3rd avenues) 212-715-0770 aya-nyc.com
Sachi Asian Bistro Thai Featured Dish: Oink Oink Oink Fried Rice 713 2nd Ave. (btw. 38th & 39th streets) 929-256-5167 | sachinyc.com Ruay Thai Restaurant Thai Featured Dishes: Pad Thai; Pad See Yew 625 2nd Ave. (btw. 34th & 35th streets) 212-545-7829 | ruaythai.com
KOREATOWN Soju Haus Korean 315 5th Ave., 2nd Fl. (btw. 31st & 32nd streets) 212-213-2177 | sojuhaus.com
GRAMERCY/FLATIRON/ UNION SQUARE Junoon Indian Featured Dishes: Mirchi Pakora; Hara Paneer Kofta; Meen Manga Curry 27 W. 24th St. (btw. 5th & 6th avenues) 212-490-2100 | junoonnyc.com Laut Southeast Asian 15 E. 17th St. (btw. W. Union Sq. & Broadway) 212-206-8989 | lautnyc.com
KIPS BAY Momokawa Japanese Featured Dishes: Kaiseki menu; Beef Sukiyaki; Fried Chicken 157 E. 28th St. (btw. Lexington & 3rd avenues) 212-684-7830 momokawanyc.com
WEST VILLAGE Spice Market Asian Fusion Featured Special: $27 for a 3-course lunch prix-fixe menu.
15 Greenwich Ave. (btw. 10th & Christopher streets) 212-488-9888 | niunoodleny.com
GREENWICH VILLAGE Uncle Ted’s Chinese Featured Dish: Uncle Ted’s fried rice with Chinese sausages; braised duck dumpling; crispy duck with chow fun in hoisin sauce
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EAST VILLAGE SenYa Japanese Featured Dishes: Smoked Hamachi / Hamachi Kama; Uni Scrambled Egg with Sturgeon Caviar; Smoked Katsuo Tataki
109 1st Ave. (btw. 7th & 6th streets) 212-995-5278 | senyanyc.com Sigiri Sri Lankan 91 1st Ave. (btw. E. 5th & E. 6th streets) 212-614-9333 | sigirinyc.com
BATTERY PARK Malaysian Kitchen USA Malaysian Featured Dish: Hainanese Chicken 21 South End Ave. (btw. W. Thames St. and the Esplanade) | 212-786-1888 malaysiakitchenusa.com
BROOKLYN Pasar Malam Southeast Asian Featured specials: Malaysian food and roti station 208 Grand St. (btw. Bedford & Driggs avenues)
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QUEENS
403 W. 13th St. (btw. Washington St. & 9th Ave.) 212-675-2322 | spicemarketnewyork.com
Leng Thai Thai 33-09 Broadway | Astoria 718-956-7117 | lengthai.com
Niu Noodle House Chinese Featured Dish: Pork Soup Dumplings
Spicy Lanka Sri Lankan 159-23 Hillside Ave. Jamaica 718-487-4499