penn appĂŠtit Spring 2015
The
Brunch Issue
on pg. 22!
penn appétit EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR EDITORIAL STAFF
CREATIVE DIRECTOR DESIGN STAFF
PHOTO EDITOR PHOTO STAFF
CULINARY DIRECTOR TREASURER BUSINESS MANAGERS BUSINESS STAFF
PUBLICITY & OUTREACH MANAGERS PUBLICITY & OUTREACH STAFF
BLOG EDITORS BLOG STAFF
Asher Sendyk Carissa Brones, Emily Hu, Sara Schuster, Manasvi Ramanujam, Parker Brown, Amanda Nart, Jenny Lu, Shira Hendler Garett Nelson Bella Wu, Elise Yang, Tiffany Wang, Becky Abramowitz, Emily Huber, Grace Pak Danielle Pi Garett Nelson, Carolyn Koh, Stephanie Loo, Sally Shin, Katie Zhao, Vera Kirillov, Nicolette Sun, Aaron Guo, Brenda Nguyen, Maura Reilly-Ulmanek, Gomian Konneh Vera Kirillov Devyani Gupta Lena Antin, Allison Millner Shannon Zhan, Vatsala Goyal, Katie Harlow, Jenny Sui, Isabelle Bral, Pranay Kapoor, Danny Onorato, Catherine Ding, Talia Delijani Maggie Molen, Parker Brown Shira Hendler, Amy Pinkus, Cory Johnson, Lydia Roberts, Sally Shin, Jessica Mark, Wendy Zhou, May Chan, Emily Goldman Chase Matecun, Elena Crouch Will Constan, Claudia Dally, Carissa Brones , Tina Kartika, Emily Kager, Erica Chu, Vatsala Goyal
I wholeheartedly embrace Sunday mornings. It’s certainly not because of the veisalgia—“from Norwegian kveis (uneasiness following debauchery) + the Greek algia (pain)”—gifted by the shenanigans of the night prior. Who needs the the nausea, the cotton mouth, the vertigo? I’m no masochist. In fact, I adore Sunday mornings for just the opposite reason. Somewhere between the bacon and pancakes (not to mention a stiff dose of hair of the dog), the headache subsides and the guilt recedes. Brunch is a socially-sanctioned excuse to drown your regrets in pork fat and prosecco. When else are you given carte blanche to cure your vices with more of the same? While this meal may or may not have its origins in this sort of decadence (p. 48), it has undoubtedly evolved beyond its beginnings. Today we see that an entire cuisine has cropped up to cater to those clamoring for the fusions it has spawned (p. 28). This edition features dishes distinct to this meal-inlimbo (p. 24), drinks to pair with them (p. 40), as well as where to find them around Philly (p. 34 & 44). Moreover, you’ll find helpful tutorials (p. 30 & 37) to guide you in the kitchen, provided you can somehow summon the strength to make your own brunch come Sunday. While we could have devoted an entire issue to runny yolks alone, our authors haven’t stopped there. Explore the international cuisines of Vietnam and Uganda (p. 10 & 20), as well as some more local fare (p. 9). Catch up on campus food happenings and the group Swipe Out Hunger (p. 17).
SOCIAL MEDIA CHAIR
Melanie Lowenstein
SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF
Allison Litt, Grace Jemison
Gawk at our grub, pine over our brunch, and savor our flavors. With that I declare, “Dig in!”
Morgan Pearlman
Hungrily,
EVENTS CHAIR WEBMASTER COOKING CLUB CHAIRS VIDEO EDITOR
spring 2015
Byrne Fahey
letter from the editor
Emily Chen Caroline Guenoun, Sam Cordero Léa Kichler
Asher Sendyk
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Feature
Menu
A Better Brunch 24
Rich recipes for next Sunday
Blurred Dichotomies 28
Sweet or savory? Fork or spoon? When it comes to brunch, who evens knows?
Bringing Home the Bagel 30 Boil, bake, repeat.
Out of Town
Street Food of Saigon 10 Forget phở
Fantasy Foods 18
Dining with Tolkein, Lewis, and R.R. Martin
More than Matoke 20
Explore the unsung cuisine of Uganda
Cookie Creation 32
In the City
Approval Matrix 34
Ceylon meets the city in this Cooking Club recipe
Alina, Rachel, and Roopa of NOMsense Bakery gift PA with its very own flavor Brunch spots, tailored to your preferences
Tea 36
How to match your matcha
Fruit Fixes 37
Poach, grill, and bake to salvage your supply
Drunch: An Excuse to Drink Before Noon 40 Move beyond your basic mimosa
A Most Glorious Brunch 42
Owner Carol Mickey discusses how Sam’s Morning Glory Diner serves it up
Getting There 44
No time to spare? No matter.
Eggs: A Brunch Must 45
Om-e-let ya up your egg game with these three recipes
Brunch: A Lesson in Folk Etymology and Late Capitalism 48 Feast or farce?
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High Tea in Philly 6
Staff Meals in the Restaurant Kitchen 9 The best meal is one you can’t pay for
Swipe Right 17
Jessie Abrams and Liza Lansing put your unused meal swipes to good use
Elements
Cooking in the Archives 12
Bringin’ back a bygone recipe. Should we? Up to you.
Opposites Attract 14
It’s all about that mouthfeel
Kitchen Rituals 16
Pre-service routines from your favorite local chefs
recipe on page 46!
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cornstarch, and sugar. Pour the milk through a sieve in order to remove the tea leaves, pour milk back into the saucepan, and return to a simmer. Stirring the milk constantly, pour the egg mixture very slowly into the saucepan. After all of the egg mixture is poured into the saucepan continue to stir constantly and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until the mixture has cooled to room temperature. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with the paddle attachment. Add the mascarpone and butter one tbsp. at a time and mix on medium low speed until the frosting is creamy and smooth. Add the salt and lemon juice and mix on low until incorporated.
Salted Caramel
Vanilla Bean Cake 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 1⁄4 cups sugar 4 egg whites, from large eggs 3⁄4 tsp. vanilla extract Seeds from 1 1⁄2 vanilla bean pods 2 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1⁄2 tsp. baking soda 1 1⁄2 cups buttermilk 1⁄2 tsp. salt Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with baking spray and line with parchment paper. Sift baking soda, baking powder, flour, and salt into a medium bowl and whisk gently to combine. Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds on medium speed for three minutes. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat until just incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add
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the dry ingredients and buttermilk in alternating steps, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the cake pans and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack until they reach room temperature.
Earl Grey Mascarpone Buttercream Adapted from www.localmilkblog.com
8 oz. whole milk 11⁄2 tbsp. earl grey tea leaves 3⁄4 cup sugar 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature 8 oz. mascarpone Juice from 1⁄3 of a lemon 1⁄4 tsp. salt 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature 2 tbsp. + 1 tsp. cornstarch Bring the milk to simmer in a medium saucepan. Add the earl grey tea leaves, cover and let steep for 5 minutes. While the tea is steeping, whisk together the egg, egg yolk,
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/3 cup water 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 3/4 tsp. salt Pour sugar into a medium saucepan and give it a gentle shake to level out the surface of the sugar. Pour water into the saucepan so that it saturates the sugar; do not stir. Turn the stove on to medium heat. The sugar and water mixture will begin to boil. Let it boil without stirring until the mixture turns a golden amber color, or when it reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer. Immediately whisk in heavy cream. The caramel will bubble furiously when the heavy cream is added; this is normal. Once the bubbles have subsided and the heavy cream is incorporated remove the caramel from the heat and stir in the salt. Let the caramel cool to room temperature before using.
Pretzel Crumble 1 bag of mini pretzels Process the mini pretzels in a food processor until pieces are about half a centimeter long.
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How the Other Half Eats: Staff Meals in the Restaurant Kitchen BY CHASE MATECUN
It’s 4 o’clock on a Sunday in the kitchen of Abe Fisher and the air is electric. Sous chefs are fluttering from station to station, chopping vegetables and readying their mise en place for the busy hours of the dinner service about to begin. The front-of-house staff is prepping the dining area for guests, folding napkins and polishing tables until every surface is spotlessly clean. But at the drop of a hat—or in this case, the drop of a bowl of piping hot roast chicken—everyone stops what they’re doing. Staff meal is served. Like any other tradition in the restaurant industry, the idea of a staff meal emerged out of necessity. With service starting at 5 p.m. and not ending until well after midnight, restaurant workers have no time to eat during normal dinner hours. Instead, the team sits down together to share a meal prepared by the kitchen staff just before beginning service. The 4 o’clock supper at Abe Fisher is a mixture of people of all jobs
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coming and going, grabbing a plate, piling it up, and snagging a seat at a table with their friends. It’s a meal prepared with an eye for cost—employing whatever leftover ingredients can be found in the kitchen—but it’s also a chance for the staff to show off their culinary creativity and express appreciation for their co-workers. While the meal changes every night, there are some clear favorites. Tacos are sure to please, and anything directly off the menu is an instant hit. Some of the more unique dinners? Full pints of Ben and Jerry’s on a waitress’s birthday and homemade chicken fingers both make the list. When I sat down with the staff at Abe Fisher, the meal appeared fairly standard: a vegetable, a protein, and a grain. Maybe it was the talented chefs that cooked it or the good company I had, but each of the simple dishes I ate were some of the best I had in my entire life. The roasted beets and carrots
PHOTO BY AARON GUO
were utterly sweet, the toasted sourdough perfectly crusty, and the roast chicken delightfully rich. And don’t get me started on the hummus. Abe Fisher—which shares a kitchen with Dizengoff, CooknSolo’s hummusiya next door—is the lucky recipient of massive, pillowy piles of leftover hummus at the end of each day. A generous dollop of the rich tahini paste was the perfect topping for an already memorable supper. Yet, no matter how delicious the staff meal may be, it isn’t only about the food. Instead, it’s a moment of peace before the storm, a final chance to recharge before diving into the stresses of taking care of guests’ every need. It’s a chance to build a sense of camaraderie between bites, the glue that holds any good restaurant together. On this occasion, as supper wound down and the chefs filed back into the kitchen, one waitress perhaps said it best: “It’s not a staff meal—it’s a family meal.”
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Street Food of Saigon ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY VERA KIRILLOV
Street food—a cheap, quick, and easy meal option beloved by many around the world, whether it be in the form of a food truck in the US, a fresh fruit juice cart in Thailand, or shacks selling hot blini on the streets of Moscow. Often, it can serve as a quick glimpse into a nation’s culture, but without knowledge of the local language, it can be intimidating to order as a traveler. Thankfully, on a recent trip to Vietnam, an extensive street food tour led by friendly, passionate young locals exposed me to some of Saigon’s best street offerings. My packed five-hour tour began when my guide, a 20-year old girl studying English at the city’s university, picked me up from my hotel on her motorbike. Carefully maneuvering around streets packed with thousands of motorbikes like our own, we arrived at our first destination: a street vendor selling gỏi đu đủ, Vietnamese papaya salad. As I savored the refreshing crunch of the green papaya dressed with fish sauce, dried shrimp, and herbs, my guide told the story of the vendor, who had occupied the same street corner for the past 20 years. Satisfied, we rode through several city districts to the next stop, where we found a man grilling thịt xiên nướng, or sweetly marinated pork skewers. We were served the skewers hot off the coals with extra sweetand-salty sauce on the side, as my guide explained the love of all things saccharine in Southern Vietnam. 10 penn appétit
At the next stop, I eagerly dug into a hearty bowl of bún riêu cua, a spicy tomato-crab soup complete with rice noodles, tofu, and a whole blue crab staring at me menacingly from inside the near overflowing bowl. At this point, I was about full and beginning to doubt whether I would be able to finish out the night’s feast, but my favorite dish of the entire trip awaited me at the next location. There, I discovered bánh xèo, a rice flour-coconut milk pancake filled with bean sprouts and shrimp, all fried to a satisfyingly crunchy crisp and served wrapped inside rice paper with fresh mint and basil. I even got to try my hand at frying a few pancakes, ladling batter into hot cast iron pans placed over coals, watching as the edges bubbled and crisped, then spooning in shrimp and bean sprouts, all as my tour guide carefully directed my movements. Stuffed after a night of indulgence, I managed only a few spoonfuls of dessert: chè, sweet sticky rice, and chuối chiên, coconut-battered, deep-fried banana. Months after coming back, I lament that much of the Vietnamese food I savored that night can rarely be found on restaurant menus in the US. Luckily, with the right ingredients, many of these dishes can be recreated at home. Enjoy my favorites, bánh xèo and thịt xiên nướng.
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moon. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining batter (mixing before adding to pan), bean sprouts, and shrimp to make 3 more pancakes, adding more oil to skillet as needed.
Whisk flour, turmeric, salt, water, and coconut milk in a large bowl until smooth. Cover and let sit at room temperature 1 hour.
bánh xèo Yields 4 Batter 1 cup rice flour ½ cup coconut milk 1 cup water ½ tsp. ground turmeric ½ tsp. salt Filling 4 oz. small shrimp, peeled and deveined Salt and pepper, to taste ¼ tsp. sugar 1 cup mung bean sprouts Assembly 5 tbsp. vegetable oil ½ cup water 4 8 ½ inch rice paper wrappers 1 cup Boston lettuce, torn into pieces ½ cup Thai basil ½ cup mint ½ cup cilantro Dipping Sauce 2 tbsp. sugar 2 tbsp. fish sauce 10 tbsp. water 1 tsp. garlic, mined 1 tsp. jalapeno, minced 1 tbsp. lime juice
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Meanwhile, prepare the dipping sauce and rice paper wrappers. Whisk sugar, fish sauce, and water until sugar dissolves. Mix in lime juice, then the garlic and jalapeño. Set aside. To hydrate the rice paper wrappers, pour ½ cup water into a shallow plate or bowl big enough to hold the wrapper. One at a time, submerge rice paper wrappers into water for 10 seconds, then remove and place on a paper towel until ready to use. Season the shrimp with salt, pepper, and sugar. In a medium non-stick skillet, heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook, tossing often, until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out skillet and return to medium-high heat. Add remaining 4 tbsp. oil. Mix batter to reincorporate rice flour, pour ½-cupful into skillet, and swirl pan to evenly spread out batter. Cook pancake until almost cooked and edges begin to curl, about 4 minutes. Top with one-fourth of bean sprouts and one-fourth of shrimp and cook until pancake is golden brown and crisp, about 1 minute. Using a spatula, fold pancake in half, forming a half-
To eat, assemble into rice paper rolls with the fresh herbs. Place one pancake on bottom half of rice paper wrapper. Top with as much lettuce, coriander, Thai basil, and mint as desired. Starting from the bottom, roll rice paper, with pancake and herbs inside, away from you, forming a loose roll. Serve with dipping sauce.
thit xiên buong Yields 12 Skewers 1 ½ lb. pork (can substitute chicken) 3 tbsp. shallots, minced 1 ½ tbsp. garlic, minced ¼ cup sugar 1 tbsp. fish sauce ½ tbsp. thick soy sauce ½ tbsp. pepper 3 tbsp. vegetable oil 12 skewers Place pork (or chicken, if using) in freezer for 20 minutes, to make it easier to slice thinly. Cut pork into ⅛-inch thick strips. To make marinade, whisk remaining ingredients in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Add in pork, and mix to coat. Marinate the meat for at least one hour, or overnight for best results. Thread 4-5 pieces of pork onto each skewer (if using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for an hour beforehand). Cook skewers on a heated grill (charcoal for a more authentic approach) for 8-10 minutes, flipping the skewers after 4 minutes.
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g n i k oion the s e v i h c r
C A T
he beauty of recipes is that they allow the preservation and recreation of three-dimensional experiences in a way that illustrations and prose never can. They are a window into the lives of the people who have prepared them in the past. That is, of course, if you can manage to understand what the original cook scribbled down in the first place, for historic recipes often feature strange spellings, stranger ingredients, and vague cooking methods (see recipe below!). Fortunately, two Penn scholars of paleography, the study of historical writing, are unearthing and updating 17th and 18th century British recipes so that you don’t have to. Alyssa Connell is a sixth-year PhD candidate at Penn, and her colleaguein-cooking is Marissa Nicosia, a recent graduate who now teaches at Scripps College in California. Using funds from Penn’s Fellowship for Interdisciplinary Innovation, they work together to dig through the digital archives of the Kislak Center. After uncovering dated dishes, they proceed to translate and then prepare them, using the process as a fun way to
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Carrot Pudding Original Recipe “Take six Carrots not to large boyl them well & as many pip[pins] with the juce of one lemon & four sugar rouls beat them very well in a Marble Mortor Mix with these a pint of cream & three Eggs Sweeten it to your tast Bake in a dish with pu[xxx] & put in Cittern & Candid Oringe”
Modern Recipe
Adapted from www.rarecooking.wordpress.com
Yields 8 servings ARTICLE AND PHOTO BY ELENA CROUCH learn more about the time period. In finding and modernizing these recipes, Alyssa and Marissa are helping to preserve a cuisine that would have otherwise been forgotten, giving scholars a better idea of the contemporary culture. The two have a blog (rarecooking. wordpress.com) where they write about the recipes they try, including both the original recipe and their modernized version of it. So far, they have published 14 recipes, ranging from the delightful “Shrewsbury Cakes” (which seem to be an ancestor of the snickerdoodle) to the frightening “fish custard.” When I asked Alyssa which dish she recommended, she enthusiastically told me about the Carrot Pudding, which she likened to pumpkin pie filling. I love pumpkin pie, so I decided to give it a go. Although the modernized recipe she posted is not exactly loyal to the original (she took the liberty of sprinkling in cinnamon and ginger), the pudding turned out delicious, fragrant from the added spices and with the soft, silky texture of pumpkin pie filling. I can see this being eaten for brunch or for afternoon tea.
3 carrots, peeled and chopped roughly 2 apples, peeled and chopped roughly ¼ to ⅓ cup sugar (start with ¼ and add more if necessary) ¼ tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. ground ginger 2 eggs ½ pint heavy cream Zest and juice of half of a lemon Zest of one orange Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a pie dish or other ovenproof dish. Boil carrots for about 8 minutes or until tender. Add in apples during the last 2 minutes. In food processor or blender, puree carrots, apples, sugar, zests, cinnamon, and ginger. Then add cream, eggs, and lemon juice; blend until smooth. Pour carrot mixture into dish and bake 30-40 minutes, until set. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
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Opposites Attract BY MADISON PEDROTTY ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY FITZPATRICK Hot and cold. Crunchy and creamy. Sweet and savory. Beautiful things happen when opposite tastes, textures, and temperatures meet on a plate. What originally seem like conflicting flavors actually serve to coax out qualities in each individual component. In these juxtapositions, we delight in the unique contributions of each ingredient as well as appreciate the symphony of combined flavors. I have experienced some of the best examples of unexpected flavor pairings in my mother’s kitchen. One of our family favorites is Italian sausage-stuffed mushrooms, a dish that blends earthy and succulent elements to produce an engaging and satisfying combination. Mushrooms are well loved for their velvety texture, distinct taste and slight crunch while Italian sausage boasts bold, salty and succulent flavors with comforting warmth. In this dish, the humble mushroom is enlivened by the burst of fattiness imparted by the sausage. Perhaps the most beloved pairing of contrasting yet cohesive flavors is the combination of sweet and savory. I recently experienced a delicious example of this classic pairing in a side dish composed of steamed asparagus tossed with homemade brown sugar-spiced bacon bits. The first morsel immediately awakened my taste buds with a zing of sweetness from the brown sugar, which was quickly tamed by the saltiness of the bacon and a pleasant burn from cayenne pepper.
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In addition to flavors, opposite textures are similarly enticing. What better to demonstrate this than an indulgent dessert? One of my favorite homemade confections is the chocolate coconut rum truffle. Biting into one, the expected creaminess is instead replaced with the surprising texture of a slight crunch. The bits of crumbled cookie rolled inside contrast the delicately flaky coconut coating the truffle’s exterior, only magnifying the silkiness of the chocolate. Why do we find these culinary experiences so memorable and gratifying? There are numerous academic disciplines devoted to studying how and why food brings us so much pleasure. Studies in fields from physiology to gastrophysics highlight a key understanding: taste and flavor are more complicated than you could ever imagine. These experiences are firmly rooted in a complex molecular medley that engages a number of senses, and in doing so, barrages our brains with stimuli. Combinations of opposite tastes are unexpectedly successful because they blend pleasurable, biologically based responses. Chefs exploit this phenomenon through “flavor layering,” the process of extracting the subtleties in ingredients through coordinated seasonings, cooking techniques, and food pairings. They often accomplish this by balancing contrasting tastes to enhance and magnify the flavor contributions of individual ingredients. The basis of flavor layering and the phenomenon by which opposites seem to attract is the uniqueness of the mouth. The mouth perceives varying sensations and tastes at different times on
both a macroscopic and molecular level, allowing us to experience the initial shocking sweetness and then subtle saltiness of a chocolate covered pretzel, for example. On a physical level, contrasting flavors, textures, and temperatures in a dish are pleasurable because they engage a number of senses; we enjoy foods that are exciting to eat. However, the dishes that truly stand out are those that are unexpected, that go beyond the physical pleasure and challenge us as diners, prompting us to open our minds to the infinite number of culinary possibilities.
Italian Stuffed Mushrooms Adapted from Byerly’s
Yields 16 16 fresh button mushrooms 1⁄4 cup green onions 1⁄4 tsp. dried oregano 1⁄2 lb. Italian sausage 1/8 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1⁄2 cup Pepper Jack cheese 1⁄2 cup minced garlic 1/8 tsp. dried rosemary 3 tbsp. olive oil 3 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese Clean mushrooms and pat them dry. Twist off stems and set caps aside. Finely chop stems and save them for later. Fry the sausage in a skillet until it starts to crumble and then drain off the excess fat. Add chopped mushroom stems, onions, garlic, herbs and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet and cook until liquid evaporates. Remove the sausage mixture from heat; stir in Pepper Jack cheese. Place the mushroom caps in a glass jelly roll pan and generously brush each cap with olive oil. Spoon the sausage filling into each cap, packing slightly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees until heated through (about 10 minutes) and serve immediately.
More Recipes on the next page!
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From "Opposites Attract" Bacon Bits for Veggies Yields 6 servings 1 lb. bacon 1 cup brown sugar 1⁄2 tsp. cinnamon 1⁄4 tsp. cayenne pepper 2 tbsp. dry mustard 1⁄2 tsp. nutmeg 2 bunches of aspargus Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking vessel with tin foil and lay the strips of bacon on the foil. Use a fork to mix together all the spices and the brown sugar in a small bowl and then thoroughly coat both sides of the bacon with the mixture. Bake the bacon until crispy but do not burn. While the bacon is baking, drop asparagus into a pot of boiling water. Allow to simmer only until the veggies are slightly tender. Remove from water and drain. Crumble the bacon into bits and pour over the warm veggies with a bit of the grease left on the foil if desired. Serve immediately.
Chocolate Coconut Rum Truffles Adapted from Elaine Smith on allrecipes.com
Yields 30 1 cup dark chocolate chips 1⁄2 cup white sugar 3 tbsp. corn syrup 1⁄2 cup and 2 tbsp. coconut flavored rum 2 1⁄2 cups crushed vanilla wafers Coconut flakes In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips—keep stirring often to prevent the chocolate from burning. Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the sugar and corn syrup. Blend in the coconut rum and add crushed vanilla wafers. Mix until evenly distributed. Cover and refrigerate until firm. Roll the chilled chocolate mixture into bite-sized balls and roll in coconut flakes. 16 penn appétit
Kitchen Rituals BY CHASE MATECUN
If there’s one thing in life that’s certain, it’s that people are creatures of habit—and chefs are no exception. To get to know the men and women behind the food at some of our favorite restaurants in Philly, we asked them what they do before and after stepping into the kitchen. Something we found pretty consistent across the board? Nothing treats a stressful night cooking quite like Asian comfort food. Check out the chefs’ picks below.
Yehuda Sichel Chef at Abe Fisher
Before Service? “Every night the staff and I listen to either Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All, cover to cover, or blast Rush’s Exit Stage Left to get the kitchen fired up before service.” After Service? “After clocking out for the night, I head to Chinatown. Either Tai Lake or Ken’s Seafood.”
Elaine Gardner Sous Chef at Dizengoff
Before Service? “My ritual in the kitchen? Getting coffee from Federal Donuts every single morning.” After Service? “The place I frequent most is Pho 75. The guys who work there are super nice, plus the noodles are cheap and delicious.”
Kevin Sbraga
Chef at Sbraga, The Fat Ham, and Juniper Commons Before Service? “Each Saturday night before dinner service starts, my staff and I get together in a big football-style huddle. We talk about what we’re gonna do for the night and get everyone pumped up for service.” After Service? “I don’t have any go-to restaurants right now, but I used to order in Han Dynasty to the restaurant at the end of the night all the time.” pennappetit.com PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE LOO AND MICHAEL SMITH
SWIPE RIGHT A large latte from HubBub Coffee: $4.86. A cup of oatmeal from Williams Cafe: $3. A chicken burrito with guacamole from Chipotle: $8.05. The minimum amount that an American on SNAP funding, formerly known as food stamps, receives to spend on food per day: $4.
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n Philadelphia, where one in four people are at risk for hunger, four dollars won’t buy you much, let alone three nutritious meals. Over 475,000 residents of Philly use SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to buy groceries—that’s 31% of the city. Nearly 180,000 more qualify for SNAP, but do not receive it. Meanwhile, back at Penn, many students are shielded from the poverty and food insecurity in Philly. Sophomores Jessie Abrams and Liza Lansing are among the first to admit it. Last semester, the roommates took an Academically Based Community Service class taught by Dr. Ira Harkavy, the Associate Vice President and Founding Director of the Netter Center. They examined the current state of food insecurity in Philadelphia, among other issues, and wrote up an 80-page paper suggesting a solution for their final project. Their idea: Swipe Out Hunger. “From the beginning, we knew this was a project we really wanted to implement,” said Abrams. Though other students in the class simply proposed theoretical plans to solve problems in Philly, Abrams and Lansing had been thinking about their idea since the previous spring. Ending their freshman year at college, the pair noticed that they and their friends all had numerous $15-value meal swipes left over. Through family, Lansing found out about Swipes for the Homeless, a national organization that works with universities to donate unused, prepaid meal swipes to people suffering from food insecurity. Together, they vowed to start a chapter at Penn. The national organization began under the table at UCLA, where students would leave dining halls with to-go containers filled with perishable food and then pass the food off to the homeless. Today, Swipes for the Homeless is an international 501(c)3 non-profit organization, with chapters at sixty different schools. Though the mentorship and resources of Dr. Ira Harkavy were extremely helpful to the girls, they still struggled to work their way through regulations. “This was such an uphill battle,” said Lansing. “A lot of people told us we weren’t going to be able to do it,” add-
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BY BYRNE FAHEY PHOTO BY AMANDA SUAREZ
ed Abrams. But in the end, “It took all of those ‘No’s for us to realize that what was most important was to get a working relationship and have both sides acknowledge the issue,” said Lansing. Abrams and Lansing persisted, beyond their final paper and into the next semester until they finally were able to strike a deal that didn’t interfere excessively with Bon Appétit and Penn Dining’s budget. On March 25, they hosted their first meal-swipe drive in Gourmet Grocer under 1920 Commons. From 10 AM - 4 PM, students could donate up to two meal swipes to Philabundance, a Phillybased hunger relief organization. Their goal for the first drive was 500 swipes, but they nearly doubled that, reaching 900 swipes. The team will host another drive on April 28. “It’s charity without the out-of-pocket expense. These meal plans are prepaid. It’s not a burden that is insurmountable,” said Abrams. Though they are targeting Penn students to donate to the cause, for some, food insecurity is an issue on campus, too. “There are students that have to stay up all night in the library like we do and have to go to class, and function as students, and they can’t afford food here. Sometimes I see it as the Penn bubble, but food insecurity is such a pervasive issue and it is most definitely here as well,” Lansing said. Between the drives, Swipe Out Hunger is organizing a $4 challenge campaign on social media. “We’re challenging everybody to spend [only] $4 a day on food. Take a picture of everything you eat, upload it, hashtag the four dollar challenge, and nominate someone else,” said Abrams. Abrams has been planning her $4 day for a while. “I think I’m gonna do a banana for breakfast, a yogurt with a cheap granola bar for lunch, and for dinner, a bagel. Just the bare minimum. I’ll probably wake up the next day hungry, and that’s the point,” she said. Lansing laughed, pointing out that a bagel alone might be $3.“The difference,” said Lansing, “is we’ll wake up the next day and be able to eat what we want, and that’s not the reality for everyone.”
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Fantasy Foods BY JUSTIN SHEEN AND MANASVI RAMANUJAM
ILLUSTRATION BY AMARIS KOBOLAK 18 penn appétit
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We tried to recreate some foods from your favorite fictional worlds. Here are our results:
Lembas Bread
adapted from www.veggietorials.com
Legolas from The Lord of the Rings says that a small bite of lembas bread “is more strengthening than any food by men,” which is probably because it’s full of nutrient–rich black chia seeds and healthy coconut oil. As humans making the sacred food of elves, we don’t do a bad job making our own lembas. The chewy inside and sweet aftertaste (attributable to the maple syrup and sugar) make lembas the ideal meal for long journeys when food is scarce. Frodo and Sam rely on it to get them to Mordor, and that journey can’t be too different from the one between the high–rise wind tunnels and DRL. Yields 6 Servings 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 ripe banana, mashed ¼ cup coconut oil ½ cup maple syrup 2 tbsp. white chia seeds 6 tbsp. water Pinch of sea salt Mix chia seeds and water in a large bowl and set aside for 5 minutes until mixture forms a gel. Add mashed banana, coconut oil, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt to the chia gel, and mix until smooth. Gently mix in flour until just combined. Do not overmix or your Lembas will be tough. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Flour your rolling pin and work surface. Remove dough from the refrigerator and place on work surface. Roll dough ¼ thick and cut into 2-inch squares. Use the blunt edge of a knife or spatula to make an “X” impression on the top of each square. Place squares on an oiled baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
spring 2015
Turkish Delights
adapted from www.food.com
Turkish delights are the main reason Edmund from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe decides to abandon his siblings in the middle of Narnia and join the White Witch. It’s probable that real-world Turkish delights could make you do the same (so be wary of those dessert-peddling evil ice queens!). The confection is essentially a firmer, denser version of Jell-O, wrapped in sugar. This coating results in a distinct texture, an adventurous change from the average Jell-O treat. Yields 24 4 cups sugar 4 ½ cups water 2 tsp. lemon juice 1 ¼ cups cornstarch 1 tsp. cream of tartar 1 ½ tbsp. rose water 1-10 drops red food coloring (optional) 1 cup confectioners’ sugar Oil a 9-inch square pan. Line with plastic wrap and oil the plastic wrap. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, 1 ½ cups of the water, and the lemon juice. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, without stirring, until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage (240 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove the pan from the heat. In a second large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together 1 cup cornstarch and the cream of tartar. Gradually stir in the remaining 3 cups of water until no lumps remain. Stir constantly, until the mixture boils and is a thick, gluey paste. Slowly pour the hot sugar, water, and lemon juice syrup into the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often to prevent sticking, for about 1 hour, or until the mixture has become a pale golden color. Stir in the rosewater and tint as desired with food coloring. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Cool to room temperature and let stand, uncov ered, overnight to set.
Sift the confectioners sugar and the remaining ¼ cup cornstarch onto a large cutting board. Turn the Turkish delight out and cut into 1-inch squares with an oiled knife. Roll pieces in the sugar mixture to coat well. Store in an airtight container with sheets of waxed paper, dusted with the sugar mixture, separating every layer.
Dornish Egg Platter
This dish is briefly mentioned in George R.R. Martin’s A Storm of Swords as being served to the royal family right before the wedding of King Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell. This recipe hails from Dorne, the southernmost of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and consists of “onions, cheese, and chopped eggs cooked up with fiery peppers.” Fiery, indeed—the strong flavors of the peppers and onions together create a robust balance, while the eggs give the recipe a certain heartiness. The richness of the cheese on top rounds out the dish nicely. Pair it with a nice wine (Dornish, if you can!) for your own royal brunch. Yields 2 Servings 1 medium white onion, diced 1 red pepper, sliced lengthwise 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 eggs 1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes 1 tsp. cumin seeds 1 tsp. smoked paprika 4 oz. queso fresco 2 tbsp. olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drain the can of tomatoes and cut each one into quarters. Toast cumin seeds in a pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Set toasted cumin seeds aside. Heat olive oil in a medium oven-safe pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and cumin seeds to onion/pepper mixture. Cook two minutes, stirring occasionally. Add quartered tomatoes and bring to simmer. Stir in queso fresco. Crack eggs over mixture and transfer to oven. Bake for 8 minutes and serve immediately.
penn appétit 19
BY INDIA SCRIBNER It’s lunchtime, according to the stomach growls you’re trying to ignore. Although you arrived shortly before noon, it is now one and nothing more than a soda has arrived. You ordered a goat curry, and you’re starting to wonder if someone is out slaughtering the goat to order—no, must be first buying the goat, then slaughtering... Restaurants here run on leisure time. Despite the wait, in the capital city of Kampala, amidst the honking boda bodas and through the cloud of Ugandan red dust, there resides a cuisine that has yet to make its debut on the world stage. Indeed, “Ugandan” and “cuisine” are two words not often found together. It is difficult to look at Uganda and see food, rather than the mounting gay rights issues, the history of dictators, or the child soldiers used in civil war. According to the UNDP, 70% of Ugandans live on under $2 a day—while hunger is not widespread, many suffer from malnutrition. This can be particularly devastating for children, 33% of whom suffer from stunting. Even so, this small, landlocked country has much of its own cultural tastes to offer up. For example: Uganda is the second largest banana producer in the world, with over 50 different varieties including
20 penn appétit
PHOTOS BY KATIE ZHAO matoke, fingerling bananas, red bananas, black bananas, and sweet bananas. Probably unfamiliar in the US, matoke, pale and starchy, is a staple at any meal alongside tropical fruit (Uganda straddles the Equator and produces sweet mangoes, pineapples, and avocados year-round). The shriveled little brownish purplish fruits? Passion fruits. Cut one in half to scoop out the pulp and seeds, and enjoy the burst of sweet-tart flavor. Whether you choose to chew the seeds or swallow them whole is a decision left to you. The cuisine has had outside influences, too—a large Indian population moved to Uganda when both were British colonies and profoundly impacted the food. African tea is made from (Ugandan) black tea, warm spices and milk, and is nearly identical to (Indian) chai. Further, Ugandans have also adopted the chapatti: a round, fried, whole wheat bread. Chapattis can serve as a starch in place of matoke or posho (cornmeal mush) and are found in the “rolex,” a popular street food made from a chapatti wrapped around fried eggs and vegetables. A rolex tastes like an Indian/East African egg sandwich: the chapatti is oily and chewy, but still flaky, while the fried eggs and vegetables
are a greasier version of a simple omelet you might make at home. The recipe below takes the rolex to the next level, featuring seasonal vegetables and a spicy peanut sauce. While the rolex can be grabbed anytime on the street, the bulk of Ugandan food is home-cooked. An average family meal often consists of matoke or posho and stewed sinewy meats and vegetables (for eating the savory matoke alone can leave a chalk-like feeling in your mouth), and is central to the eating experience. As restaurants go, the majority are Chinese or Indian and aimed at visitors. If you’re there, small Ugandan restaurants, frequented by locals, exist in the nooks and crannies on every other street. Stop by, take a seat on a plastic blue stool and enjoy a hot, comforting meal— posho, matoke, and stew served simply in a blue plastic bowl. If not, fry up a rolex, and you’ll experience similar flavors and partake in the home-cooked culture. It may not be haute cuisine, but this fusion of fresh fruit and Indian spices is bold and lively. Back at the restaurant, it’s been almost two hours and your friend has just joined you. So enjoy your afternoon, sit back, and sip your African tea. You won’t taste this often.
pennappetit.com
Chapatti
Rolex
Yields 12
Yields 1
2 cups whole wheat flour, plus extra for rolling 1 cup warm water 2 tbsp. + ¼ cup olive oil 1 tsp. salt
1 chapatti 1 tsp. olive oil 2 eggs, beaten ¼ zucchini, sliced ¼ onion, diced 1 oz. sliced mushrooms ½ bell pepper, sliced Salt and pepper to taste Spicy Peanut Sauce
Combine 1 tbsp. olive oil with the warm water. Slowly mix the liquid into the flour until the mixture forms a ball but is not too sticky to work with (you may not need the whole cup of water). Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes, until the dough is soft and elastic. Place the dough in an oil-coated bowl, and rub the top with additional oil to prevent cracking. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and pepper and cook until the peppers are soft and the onions are translucent, about 4-5
minutes. Add zucchini and mushrooms and cook until browned and soft, an additional 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from pan. Using the same pan (add additional oil if it is dry), add eggs and cook without stirring until they begin to set. Add the cooked vegetables and flip the omelet to cook the underside. When the eggs are cooked through, place the omelet on a hot chapatti (reheat in hot dry skillet if necessary). Drizzle with 1-2 tbsp. spicy peanut sauce and roll up. Enjoy for breakfast, lunch or as an afternoon snack.
Dust work surface with flour. Roll the dough into a thick log and cut into 12 pieces. Role 1 piece into a ball and cover the remaining pieces with a damp towel. Flatten the ball and roll it into a 6’’ circle, adding flour if the dough begins to stick. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. To test that the pan is hot enough, drop a little flour into the pan, and if it browns almost immediately, it is ready. Dust off any excess flour and place the chapatti in the pan. Add ¼ tsp. oil to the top and flip after approximately 30 seconds. Again add oil to the top. The chapatti should begin to puff up— push down on the edges to prevent air from escaping. This will create a flakey chapatti. After 30 seconds, remove from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the excess oil. Repeat with remaining 11 dough balls. Serve with curry, stew or make a Rolex with the recipe that follows.
spring 2015
Spicy Peanut Sauce ½ cup chunky peanut butter 1 large garlic clove, minced 2 tbsp. soy sauce 2 tbsp. lemon juice ¼ cup water 1 tbsp. brown sugar ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste) Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the peanut butter dissolves and combine the remaining ingredients. penn appétit 21
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PHOTOS BY DANIELLE PI
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BY EMILY HU
Yields 1 Flatbread Premade pizza dough (Trader Joe’s is excellent) ½ cup sliced fresh mozzarella cheese 4-5 fresh cherry tomatoes, halved 2 eggs 4 strips bacon 1 tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped ¼ cup fresh basil, ripped in large pieces ½ tsp. olive oil Cornmeal, to dust on pizza
Partially cook the bacon in a pan (don’t let it get crisp), remove and set aside on paper towels. Crack eggs into separate cups (this makes it easy to add them to the pizza when it’s in the oven).
Slide onto pizza stone and bake for about 5 minutes. Carefully add the eggs, one at a time, to the center of the pizza and bake for about another 5 minutes, until egg is at desired doneness and the dough is nicely browned on the edges. Remove and garnish with the fresh parsley.
Banana Bread French Toast
BY CARISSA BRONES Yields 1 serving 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar ½ tsp. salt ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus 2-3 tbsp. 3 very ripe bananas, mashed 2 tsp. vanilla 6 eggs, beaten ¾ cup whole milk 2 tsp. cinnamon Maple syrup (optional) Sliced bananas (optional) Preheat oven to 350
degrees. Mix dry ingredients with ½ cup butter. Add banana puree, 2 eggs, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Combine, but do not overmix. Spoon mixture into greased loaf pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until dry in center. Let cool completely, then cut into half-inch slices. In a medium dish, whisk together the remaining 4 eggs with the whole milk and cinnamon. Melt remaining 2-3 tbsp. of butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Dip a banana bread slice into the egg mixture, coating it on both sides. Pan-fry the bread for about 3 minutes per side, then repeat the coating and frying process with the remaining slices. Serve warm with maple syrup and sliced bananas.
The Brunch Issue
Preheat oven (with pizza stone if you have one) to 500 degrees. Place rack in center of oven.
Stretch out your dough to desired shape and size. Dust parchment paper with a little cornmeal and lay your dough on top, reshaping and leaving a little more thickness on the edges. Evenly arrange cheese and tomatoes on dough. Lay the bacon on top, then sprinkle with basil. Lightly rub olive oil on the edge of the pizza.
penn appétit
Breakfast Flatbread
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Avocado Egg Baskets BY SARA SCHUSTER Yields 8 Ingredients: 4 avocados, halved and pitted 8 eggs 2 limes, halved, then cut into quarters Salt and pepper, to taste Optional: chopped cilantro, sliced chilies or scallions, fresh salsa, fresh feta, shaved Parmesan, EVOO, chopped walnuts Preheat oven to 450 degrees. While the oven heats, scrape out a bit of the center of each avocado, using a spoon, so that it can hold an egg without overflow. Using one
of the 8 lime wedges, squeeze juice over the avocado half, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat for remaining 7 avocado halves. Place the avocado baskets face up on a baking sheet. It may be necessary to slice a bit of flesh off of the back of the avocado half so that it stands solidly on the baking sheet. Crack one egg into the center of each avocado, and don’t
worry too much if some spills out so long as the yolk stays whole! Place baking sheet in oven and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes so that the whites are solid and the yolk is runny to taste. Remove, garnish as you see fit, and serve. Optional: add fresh corn tortilla chips to eat the avocado basket with, rather than a spoon.
BY SARA SCHUSTER Yields 8 Servings
In a separate skillet, brown the sausage over high heat for about 10 minutes until crispy, and drain away excess fat in the pan. On the side, put the sweet potato cubes in a bowl with the garlic and any other herbs of your choice, and toss with olive oil. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread the potatoes in it, topping evenly with the sausage and onions.
The Brunch Issue
2 large onions, peeled and cut in thin half moons 3 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into half-inch cubes 1 tbsp. unsalted butter 2 large red bell peppers, coarsely chopped 6 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 lb. chorizo or Italian sausage, chopped into crumbles 2 tbsp. EVOO Salt and pepper, to taste Optional: fresh rosemary or thyme, parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. While oven preheats, melt your butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the onions, pepper, and salt once it begins to bubble. Leave onion-pepper mixture on for about 30 minutes while you go through the other steps, allowing it to caramelize and turn dark brown, stirring occasionally and lowering the heat.
penn appĂŠtit
Sweet Potato and Spicy Sausage Hash
Place baking sheet in oven and roast for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the sweet potato chunks, until all are soft and brown. Remove, garnish to taste, and serve. Optional: add fresh parmesan, rosemary, and top with a poached egg!
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penn appétit
BY MANASVI RAMANUJAM ILLUSTRATION BY MAX WANG
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spicy potatoes with cheese. However, all of these foods do share one major difference from the foods of the weekday: they are more substantial. They require more preparation and naturally lend themselves to a slower, more focused meal—the type of meal shared with others. Consider: You can’t just break out a fork and knife in the middle of your 9 a.m. lecture to scarf down a short stack and still expect to take good notes. Brunch commands your full attention. When enjoying it, your focus is strictly on savoring the food in front of you and those you’re sharing it with. With the explosion of brunch culture, a whole new set of food options has arisen to fit the needs of those of us who don’t want to feel confined to either sweet or savory, quick or substantial, breakfast or lunch. We can put cheese and bacon or Nutella and bananas in crepes, spread vegetable or strawberry cream cheese on bagels, and
fill a plate with either colorful fruit and buttery potatoes or hot sausage and sugary waffles. And it’s all perfectly acceptable. Brunch bridges a gap by giving us an excuse to shake up our routine and eat different types and flavors of food at strange times. Inevitably, this has led to people finding ways to mix breakfast and lunch foods into combinations that really only belong to the “brunch” category, and that we have no reason or way of eating during our hectic weekday lives. During this meal we can enjoy omelettes with a donut on the side, brown sugar oatmeal with a helping of spinach quiche, even frittatas with a bowl of Froot Loops (if that does it for you). Sharing these new food combinations with friends and family is what makes brunch both hard to define and wonderful to taste.
The Brunch Issue
Weekday meals, especially for college students, are minimal or nonexistent. They consist of coffee, a pastry—whatever we can get before our first class. Most of these “grab-and-go” foods are sweet and easy to eat. Lunch is slightly heavier, but not by much—a quick stop at a food truck, some pasta, a sandwich. In most cases, these foods tend to be more savory in nature. The overlap between these two spheres is minimal at best: you don’t tend to buy a blueberry muffin for lunch or a tomato mozzarella for breakfast. Then, over the weekend, when we stumble out of bed and need food to recover from whatever we were doing the night before, we resort to brunch. Brunch, on the surface, does seem like a mix of breakfast and lunch, just as its name would suggest. You can get pancakes drenched with syrup or omelettes bursting with vegetables, French toast with cinnamon or
Try these wine & cereal pairings!
Courtesy of Gary Vaynerchuk of The Wine Library
While brunch has long been responsible for zany food and drink combos, we have yet to see these particular pairings grace a menu. For their sheer novelty alone, we hope to see them sometime soon.
1.
Riesling Spätlese & Cap'n Crunch
2.
Demi-Sec Champagne & Lucky Charms
3.
Sonoma Chardonnay & Cinnamon Toast Crunch
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BY CARISSA BRONES
PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE LOO AND KATIE ZHAO
2 ¼ tsp. dry active yeast 2 tsp. granulated sugar 1 ⅓ cups lukewarm water 3 ½ cups bread flour, plus extra 1 ¾ tsp. kosher salt Toppings of choice
penn appétit
An ideal bagel should have a browned, chewy crust and soft interior, perfectly tender with every bite. Its simple ingredients and effortless process make this Polish treat one to try. Here’s your foolproof guide to making bagels, boiled down to seven steps. The basic recipe yields eight large bagels, flavors of your choice.
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In a bowl of a standard mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine dry ingredients.Slowly add water and knead on low for 3-4 minutes.
Knead by hand for 10 more minutes. Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour in a warm place.
Flour work surface. Set the dough ball on the surface and let rest for 10 minutes.
The Brunch Issue
4
Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Flatten each piece and then roll into balls.
Press your finger through the middle of each dough ball to form a ring. Place bagels onto a lined baking sheet, cover with the kitchen towel, and let rest for 10 minutes.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and continue to simmer. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Gently place two bagels at a time into the simmering water and boil for 1 minute. Flip over and boil for another minute. Remove from the water, return to the baking sheet, and sprinkle with desired topping. Repeat with remaining bagels. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake bagels for 20 minutes or until golden.
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Cookie Creation
BY PARKER BROWN PHOTOS BY SALLY SHIN
In preparation for the spring issue, Penn AppĂŠtit asked NOMsense Bakery to create a brunch-themed cookie sandwich. I sat down with the NOMsense team to see exactly how they form their innovative recipes and to find out a little bit more about their plans for their next flavor.
penn appétit
The 3 Step NOMsense Process Step 1: Brainstorm
Step 2: Bake, Taste, Bake, Taste, and Bake Again When asked exactly how they test their recipes, all three bakers agreed that perfecting a new cookie sandwich requires a series of trials. Alina added, “But once all three of us agree that there are no more changes to be made, we know that the recipe is ready.”
Step 3: Make It Pretty They next focus on making the cookie sandwich as visually appealing as it is delectable. The NOMsense trio surely does not understate the importance of this final step. Roopa noted, “Recently we made a Fruity Pebbles cookie that tasted great but we ended up cutting the recipe because the look of the cookie sandwich did not measure up.”
Get to know the NOMsense Trio Culinary experience? Rachel: Worked at Chipotle. She knows particularly well that guac is extra. Alina: Worked at a wedding cake bakery during her summer before coming to Penn. Roopa: Has her own food blog (roopawithaneggontop.wordpress.com). Check it out! Has there been anything less than ideal about your experience with NOMsense?
All three founders were pretty confident that their affinity for sweets has grown exponentially since starting NOMsense. Favorite ingredient? Rachel: Lemon Alina: Nuts Roopa: Chocolate Which part of the NOMsense cookie sandwich are you? Rachel: Bottom cookie The bottom cookie is the part of the sandwich that cannot
always be seen but is absolutely necessary to its foundation. She plays a similar role in the company. Roopa says, “Rachel is a little more shy than Alina and me but always approaches situations with a very unique perspective.” Roopa: Filling The filling holds the two cookies together. Roopa similarly pulls multiple aspects of NOMsense together. Alina says of her, “She always takes both the culinary and entrepreneurial aspects of the company into consideration.”
Alina: Topping The topping, although subtle in presence, is arguably the quirkiest part of the cookie, a word that Rachel and Roopa confidently used in describing Alina. With respect to the placement of the topping, Roopa reveals of Alina, “She is definitely the upward-looking, optimistic member of the team.”
The Brunch Issue
In approaching Penn Appétit’s theme of brunch, the NOMsense founders began with a string of potential ingredients and flavors. Among those mentioned were French toast, maple syrup, cinnamon, pudding, lemon, vanilla, and strawberry. Alina immediately posed to the group, “How about a French toast cookie as a base?” to which Rachel and Roopa instantly agreed. But, distinguished by their unconventional flavor combinations, the NOMsense founders soon began to think about how they could put a NOMsensical twist on this brunch classic. Roopa suggested, “What about a lemon French toast?” While the lemon variation did not garner the support of the whole team, they advanced to discuss other fruity and nutty flavor combinations. Ultimately, a strawberry jam vanilla custard filling generated approving nods across the board. A maple drizzle and nut topping were unanimous, but the exact type of nut proved to be a source of contention. Finally, pecans triumphed. With the flavors decided upon, they progressed to a discussion of feasibility. One question that pressed the trio was how to adapt a maple syrup drizzle that was not excessively sticky. Rachel was quick to offer a solution, “We’ll use maple extract.” The three student bakers next shifted gears to discuss the visual appeal of the NOMsense French toast cookie sandwich. Ra-
chel quickly piped up, “How about we make square cookies?” Eyes widening and beginning to smile, Alina and Roopa were instantly sold on the idea. And that is how the brunch cookie sandwich came to be.
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Alla Spina (1410 Mt Vernon St) Supper (926 South St)
This Vetri gastropub serves up a mean brunch with inventive options such as testina poutine (pigs head, fries, mozzarella curd; $14) and a carbonara burger ($14) with fried egg and guanciale. Their bellinis ($11) and bloody marys ($9) are also a must. Elena Crouch
For a taste of upscale Southern comfort, Supper’s biscuits and grits will not lead you wrong. Feeling indulgent? Order their red velvet waffles ($15), served with generous dollops of cream cheese mousse and toasted pecans.
These names may sound familiar for their stellar food, but I bet you didn’t know they served brunch as well. Let’s fix that. High Street on Market (308 Market St)
Hidden Gems
Amis (412 S. 13th St)
Vetri Family
If you’ve ever craved pasta for brunch, this Vetri trattoria is the place for you. They also serve their famous Belgian waffles ($12) for brunch, topped with hazelnuts and salted butter semifreddo.
Two words: breakfast sandwiches ($10-$11). Give me four more? On really tasty bread. This acclaimed Old City newcomer will not disappoint you.
Yelp User Chris D.
Brunch Ever
Vegan Commissary (1703 S. 11th St)
For the vegans—or anyone that has wanted to try “veggs”—this South Philly outpost offers a spread of traditional brunch options for very decent prices. As a plus, many of their dishes are gluten-free as well. Ian Shiver
For all the diversity of brunch places around Philadelphia, these are some hidden gems with unique brunch dishes that are also wallet-friendly. Cafe Lift Ida Mae’s Bruncherie
(428 N. 13th St)
This Fishtown outpost serves up traditional Irish and American breakfast dishes for very reasonable prices. Try the soda farl ($5), which consists of an egg, “rashers” (bacon), and “bangers” (sausage) on their housemade soda bread. (Also: “bruncherie” is in the name!)
Brunch is offered at this Spring Garden establishment all week. Go decadent with the cannoli French toast ($10) or savory with the Italian sausage frittata ($10), among many other options.
(2302 E. Norris St)
Cafe Lift
Wa l l e t -
penn appétit
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Parc (227 South 18th Street)
Lacroix
Get transported straight to a Paris brasserie for brunch despite being on the edge of Rittenhouse Square. Their extensive menu covers it all from a half dozen oysters ($17) to eggs Norwegian (essentially eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, $17) to steak frites (for brunch? Oh yes. $27.50). Linger over coffee and the goodies in the breakfast pastry basket ($10) to feel très chic.
(210 W. Rittenhouse Square, 2nd Floor) Dine in the ultimate highclass establishment at Lacroix in the Rittenhouse Hotel. Their Sunday brunch buffet, at around $60 per head, is an opulent feast with offerings including foie gras, lobster, and caviar.
Parc Yelp
For those seeking to kick off their weekend with fine dining, look to these establishments for a lavish brunch that you won’t regret.
XIX (200 S. Broad St, 19th Floor)
Talula’s Garden
Indulge in a $35 three-course prix fixe menu for brunch. The first course is a spread of pastries, bagels, fruit, cheese, and more, followed by a main course (think crab cake eggs Benedict), all finished off with a selection from their dessert table. Paired with the view from XIX’s location on the 19th floor of the Hyatt at the Bellevue, this meal is well worth its hefty price tag.
Take pleasure in traditional American brunch dishes reimagined with locally sourced produce and other ingredients. No matter the time of day, the cheese plate at Talula’s is always a winner; their “Sunday Best” platter certainly does not disappoint. Snag a coveted outdoor table to dine al fresco in the private garden terrace.
(210 W. Washington Square)
(435 Spring Garden St) Featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Silk City offers traditional diner fare with modern flair. Chow down on filling plates such as a cider-braised pork belly hash ($12) or classic chicken & waffles ($13). And don’t forget to order a cocktail or two from their extensive brunch list.
BY JENNY LU
Honey’s Sit N’ Eat (2101 South St)
This traditional American breakfast spot (with some Jewish influences) serves breakfast all day, every day. You can’t go wrong with a classic here, such as “eggs your favorite way” with potatoes and toast ($6) or a stack of pancakes ($7).
The Brunch Issue
y Which Way
Silk City Diner
We l l - k n o w n
Talula’s Garden Yelp
Sabrina’s Cafe is a city staple—but you’ve probably heard of these places as well. These are crowd favorites with classic brunch items that won’t break the bank. Gold Standard Cafe (4800 Baltimore Ave)
This West Philly stalwart serves weekend brunch until 2 p.m., offering up a variety of omelets ($9) as well as sweet dishes like their stuffed French toast ($10) filled with chocolate mascarpone mousse and raspberry syrup. University City
(2212 South St)
With a menu drawing inspiration from the Land Down Under (aka, Australia), Ants Pants Cafe offers traditional breakfast foods with a twist. Be sure to try their iced coffee ($4.50)—served with ice cream, milk, and whipped cream, it certainly is not your traditional cup of cold brew.
Goodday Photo
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Ants Pants Cafe
BY CARISSA BRONES PHOTOS BY DANIELLE PI Tea can be divided into two categories: “true tea” and herbal tea. True tea—white, green, oolong, and black—is derived from the Camellia sinensis plant, while herbal tea includes any tea sourced from other leaves, herbs, or flowers. Their distinct tastes build unique flavor profiles, and much like wine pairing in years past, tea pairing is emerging as the newest trend among gourmands.
White
Oolong
Green
Black
Little processing contributes to white tea’s pale appearance and gentle quality of smooth floral and woody notes. Although its subtly sweet undertones pair well with honey, white tea should be served solo to fully savor its delicate hues. Experts generally drink the tea alone to avoid overpowering tastes, but appropriately mild foods like fruit and salad can enhance the tea’s dulcet hints.
Each locale produces very specific green tea types because of different plant locations and cultivation processes. In including both the buds and leaves of the plant, Chinese green tea identifies most with traditional strong, grassy tastes, while Japanese green tea’s lighter nature caters to a softer palate. They complement most foods except for heavy dishes, and can be enjoyed with sweetener or lemon, but are best served alone. However, matcha green tea, stone-ground Japanese green tea, beautifully enhances desserts, especially when prepared with milk.
Connoisseurs praise oolong tea for its complexity and diversity because it can express characteristics of both green tea and black tea. Light oolongs, more similar to green tea, are floral and gentle, pairing best with a small meal. Dark oolongs balance meats and desserts because their bolder qualities can neutralize heavier foods. Both types are best on their own, but can be accompanied bysweetener or lemon.
Black tea possesses the strongest flavors with its deep colors and rich notes of dates, fruit, and dark chocolate. Different flavor categories—fruity, earthy, and smoky— comprise the tea, depending on its area of origin. This tea’s intense flavor and greater acidity can balance heavier meals without it being overpowered, and adding milk and sugar accentuate the tea’s sweet undertones while cutting the effect of its caffeine.
Herbal
Herbal teas, fully decaffeinated, often aid in homeopathic remedies and are therefore often consumed alone. Red tea falls under this category because of its origin from the African Red Bush. Also known as rooibos, this tea is sweet and nutty without the bitterness of “true tea” forms. Other popular herbal blends include chamomile and mint, both fragrant with their honeyed freshness.
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Fruit Fixes BY EMILY HU PHOTOS BY NICOLETTE SUN AND MAURA REILLY-ULMANEK
Because you definitely didn’t want a hamburger for brunch, fruit is the perfect alternative for the grill. All you need is sliced fruit, water, and cooking oil for the simplest grilled fruit. Since all varieties are basically water and sugar, grilling will caramelize the natural sugars and introduce a smoky flavor to your usual one-dimensional cantaloupe or watermelon slices. The ideal grilled fruits include apples, pears, and pineapples for their sturdy shape and texture. While softer fruits like peaches and mangos can be grilled, you risk them becoming mushy with overcooking. Regardless of whichever fruit you choose, remember to keep it on the grill for as short
The Brunch Issue
Grilled
of a time as possible. Prolonged exposure to heat breaks down the fruit’s cell walls and dehydrates it, causing it to lose its shape. To combat this, soak your fruit in water to maximize juiciness before grilling and leave the peel on to hold it together. Here’s a pro tip: soaking your fruit in lemon water will allow it to keep its color. Before placing your fruit on a very clean grill, coat it lightly with a non-flavorful oil to prevent it from sticking. Once you have the basics down, branch out into other flavors to add to your fruit combinations. Rum, brown sugar, and pineapple? Or cinnamon, peaches, and cream? Yes please!
Grilled Cantalope with Proscuitto and Mozzerella Yields 8 servings Extra-virgin olive oil One 2-lb. cantaloupe, halved, seeded, cut into 1-inch wedges and peeled 4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto ¾ lb. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced Finely chopped parsley, for garnish Salt and pepper, to taste
Light a (very clean) grill. Brush the melon wedges with oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the melon over high heat, turning once, until lightly charred, about 5 minutes. Transfer the wedges to a platter and top with the prosciutto and mozzarella. Garnish with parsley, a large pinch of pepper and a drizzle of oil and serve.
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Baked
Spring is fruit limbo. Fall apples and winter pears seem out of place, and it’s not quite time to go berry picking in the summer. What do you do with your crunchless fruit in the middle of spring? Bake it. Though most people associate baking fruit with tarts or pastries, baking fruit alone is an oft-forgotten option. It is the simplest and quickest way to revive an apple that has been sitting in your fridge too long, and transform slack textures into buttery ones. Like grilling, fleshy fruits like peaches and apples work well for baking. As a best practice, you should pit, core, and remove all hard textures from your fruit before putting it into a dry oven. Again, be mindful of how long you expose your fruit to
the heat. There’s a tradeoff between intensifying sweetness and dehydration. Another nifty use for baked fruit is as a substitute for some of the processed fats you use when baking those muffins and scones. Fruit (and vegetables) also add fibers, proteins, and other nutrients that butter or margarine do not contain. Apple, papaya, and banana purees are popular choices, but the most important thing to consider is if the flavor of the fruit matches the dish. While this may not be as tasty as the full-fat option, it certainly is healthier! For those of you who may not be willing to give up on their sweet tooth just yet, try this recipe for baked apples at your next Sunday brunch:
Baked Apple Parfait Yields 4 servings 2 apples ½ cup oats ⅛ cup olive oil ⅛ cup sweetener, such as maple syrup or honey A few pinches of cinnamon Chopped pecans, to taste Vanilla yogurt, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the oats, oil, sweetener, cinnamon and pecans. Core apples and split in half. Fill pit cavity with oat filling and bake for 15-18 minutes, until softened and the skin begins to pull away from the fruit. Garnish with a dollop of vanilla yogurt.
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Poached
poaching is the act of simmering a food in a small amount of liquid. Spirits such as rum, whiskey, and fruit brandies make for tasty poaching liquids. With riper fruit, it is not strictly necessary to add sugar, but it will help your fruit retain its shape. Underripe fruit is also a good choice because it becomes tender and absorbs the flavor of the liquid as it poaches. You know you are finished when the flesh can be pierced with a knife, and give without being mushy. For flavor to fully be infused, allow the fruit to rest in the liquid for twenty minutes after cooking. Before you find yourself with a refrigerator full of uneaten fruit, test out your skills with this simple recipe:
The Brunch Issue
It’s a familiar scene. You buy a pound of apples, or pears, or apricots even. You try one and realize the entire batch is underripe and the flavor is bland. You don’t want them to go bad, but you definitely don’t want to finish them. What’s a foodie to do? Eggs may be the go-to food for poaching, but poached fruits can add a fresh twist to your brunch menu this spring. You can use this classic technique to intensify flavors and soften textures in your favorite fruit recipes, including compotes, sauces, and standalone dishes. For their fleshy textures, apples, peaches, nectarines, pears, plums and apricots are best suited. In its simplest definition,
Ginger Poached Apricot and Raspberry Compote Yields 8 servings ⅓ cup sugar ⅓ cup water 1 ½ tbsp. fresh lemon juice 2 tsp. fine julienne strips of peeled ginger 3 fresh apricots, quartered ½ cup raspberries 1 tbsp. sliced almonds
In a small saucepan stir together the sugar, water, lemon juice, and ginger. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the apricots, baste them with the syrup, and cook them, covered, over medium-low heat until they are just tender. Stir in the raspberries gently, and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the compote with the almonds, and serve atop your favorite pancakes, waffles, or toast!
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Drunch: An Excuse t o BY AMANDA NART PHOTOS BY VERA KIRILLOV
Daiquiri Cubano
½ oz. lemon verbena simple syrup* 8 ice cubes
When most people think of daiquiris, they think of saccharine sweetness and unnatural coloring. But sometimes, simple is just better. Make this tart classic to bring the fiesta to your Sunday brunch.
Add ice cubes to a shaker. Add all ingredients. Shake and strain into glass.
Yields 1 2 oz. white rum 1 oz. lime juice
Flushe
d
*Chop ¼ cup lemon verbena leaves. Add ½ cup sugar to a saucepan filled with ½ cup water and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and add the lemon verbena. Let sit for ten to twenty minutes. Allow to cool before adding to cocktail.
Buzzed
Blood Orange Mimosa
Is it actually brunch if there isn’t a pitcher of mimosas? Add blood orange juice instead of plain ol’ OJ for a twist on this classic brunch accompaniment.
Yields 1 pitcher 1 bottle chilled Cava 12 oz. blood orange juice 4 oz. triple sec Squeeze blood oranges. Add chilled cava to a pitcher, followed by the triple sec, and then the blood orange juice. Garnish with blood orange slices.
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窶覚 Drink Before Noon Sloppy Gimme Some Gimlet With this Rosemary-Lemon Gimlet, brunch just became drunch. Yields 4 4 tbsp. rosemary infused simple syrup* 10 oz. gin 8 ice cubes 1 lemon
Juice the lemon. Add half of the lemon juice, gin, simple syrup and ice to a shaker. Shake and strain into two glasses. Repeat the process with the rest of the ingredients. *Stir together 1 cup sugar, 8 oz. water, and 4 sprigs of rosemary in a saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about one minute. Take off heat and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Strain and chill the syrup.
The Brunch Issue
Tipsy Grapefruit Fizz This refreshing drink will revitalize you for another round of steak and eggs or help relax you for that blissful after-brunch nap. Yields 1 1 ﾂｽ oz. white tequila 3 oz. fresh grapefruit juice ﾂｽ oz. fresh lime juice 1 oz. lemon-lime soda Add tequila, grapefruit juice, and lime juice into a tall glass with ice. Finish with the soda.
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penn appétit
by léa kichler kets. We deal with the top purveyors. We go to Anastasio’s for fresh produce and we source a lot of things from the Amish like our juice and scrapple.” With its success in the past—counting a feature on Discovery’s Top 10 American Diners program and a raving endorsement from Craig LaBan among past accolades—the restaurant is unwilling to change tack anytime soon. In fact, SMG’s success is so enviable that other diners have been quick to adopt its ways. “When we started in ‘97, there was no Honey’s. There was no Sabrina’s. In fact, the people that started Sabrina’s trained here. Green Eggs even borrowed our menu.” Only after seeing the response SMG had garnered did their peers enter the burgeoning brunch scene. Ms. Mickey proudly notes, “We’re their mother.” The owner humbly admits, however, that she alone cannot take credit for this. Sit in on a Sunday brunch serving, with waiters whizzing by and cooks sweating over the range, and you’ll instantly appreciate the dedication of her staff. “One of the guys, Tom, hasn’t worked any place else. Him and his buddy started here when they were 12 years old. He’s now 31 and still here.” A testament to the rapport between the two, at the most inconsequential of his blunders, she’ll jibe, “Today’s the day I finally fire your ass.”
However, an even larger debt is owed to her daughter Samantha, the diner’s namesake, founder, and original owner. Although she passed away in 2008, echoes of her presence stubbornly persist. Ms. Mickey and her crew do not deviate from the vision Samantha pioneered. “She had her own concept of food. Strictly homemade. As you can see all of the batters are her recipe. Everything is made from scratch. Her idea of the diner was that everything is made on site.” It takes but a singular bite of SMG’s “glory cakes” to understand that the restaurant remains tirelessly loyal to her conception of the diner. Yet, Sam’s influence even transcends the dishes served, permeating the culture of the place. Reflecting on what defined her daughter, Ms. Mickey remarks, “She picked up all these lost souls and made them a family,” bringing people from all walks of life together to help facilitate her ideal diner experience. At the same time, though, she demanded much of her staff. “She was very rigid. In her eyes, what was right was right. If you didn’t act correctly, she would send ya packing.” An ode to the candidness that characterized Samantha’s take on food, family, and friends, the servers’ t-shirts continue to bellow her creed: “Be nice or LEAVE!”
The Brunch Issue
Swap champagne flutes for tin mugs and cloth serviettes for good ol’ paper napkins. There are no frills during Sunday brunch at Sam’s Morning Glory (10th and Fitzwater), only quality eats. But that’s exactly how owner Carol Mickey would like it to be. Every dish at SMG smacks of simplicity. “The concepts and the menu are basic. They’re very homey. No fancy crap. Architecture on a plate, I hate that!” exclaims Ms. Mickey in reference to the overly ornate platings at other establishments. The brunch menu reads as a tribute to staples like the short stack of pancakes and the pecan waffle. It is this sort of genuineness that leaves patrons sated. Sitting down for brunch one Sunday this winter, I opted for the steak and eggs, a conventional dish that is typically palatable, yet rarely remarkable. However, on this occasion, the meal hit all the right notes. The expertly seasoned rib eye was tempered by the restaurant’s from-scratch ketchup and a pleasantly thick serving of grits. Even better was the buttermilk biscuit layered with their house-made jam, a not-too-sweet amalgam of peach, mango, and apricot. This level of quality is achieved by letting the ingredients speak for themselves. Says Ms. Mickey, “We get food from either the Reading Terminal or 9th Street mar-
BY ASHER SENDYK PHOTO BY GARETT NELSON
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18th
MARKET CHESTN UT WALNUT
BROAD
Getting There SPRUCE
BROAD
18th
MARKET CHESTN UT WALNUT
SOUTH
BY SARA SCHUSTER ILLUSTRATION BY GARETT NELSON It’s Sunday, around 11 a.m. You’re just waking up, and the only reason is because you’ve begun to notice the emptiness of your stomach. God invented frozen waffles for the desperate, but it’s not a rushed Wednesday, and you need something a little more, but what? Give us at least 15 minutes, and we can get you to brunch. Have an hour of travel time? All the better. Follow our guide, and we’ll give you the best options in your timeframe to make sure Sunday sees the glory of runny yolks and maple syrup. We’ve got you covered.
Got fifteen minutes?
Avoiding the option of a cab, you’re somewhat bound to University City. No problem: shuffle to Rx The Farmacy and bury your face in a in a custom eggs benedict. (Miss Cafe Renata? We’re anxiously waiting for their re-opening too.) Don’t want to go west? Head east on Chestnut and stop at Zavino. Go savory and get a bacon and egg pizza, or a breakfast calzone, and thank us later. Craving more of a lunch? Just minutes east of Hill on Walnut is The Fat Ham; few things could pick you up like a burger dripping in pimento cheese and fries, or baked mac and cheese with ham and a potato chip crust (right?).
Got half an hour?
Garces Trading Co. has an entire wall of olive oils and vinegars for you to try while you wait for a table: on absolutely no condition should this be ignored. Whatever dish you end up choosing, you’ve made a huge mistake if you didn’t get the maple mascarpone polenta on the side. Alternative? Get a little dressed up and head to Washington Square to snag a seat at Juniper Commons. They’ve got a complimentary glass of champagne and a live jazz band awaiting you between noon and 2 p.m., alongside all the American brunch classics you could dream of. Too American? Go British (and extremely full) by enjoying a sizable English breakfast at The Dandelion, with classic bubble and squeak, and of course the scones, for everyone to taste. Pour on the tea.
Got all the time in the world?
Make your way to Cafe Ynez and eat an entire plate of breakfast nachos. BYO liquor or champagne and you can order cocktail mixer by the carafe, or go decadent and sip a Mexican hot chocolate—there are no wrong choices here. If sorbet in your Sunday cocktail is calling your name, go to Capofitto, the newest member of the Capogiro family, and sip your sgroppino (prosecco over sorbet—the favored cousin of the mimosa) while you nibble on a selection of their mini Italian doughnuts or bread pudding straight out of the oven. Still not satisfied? Head to Passyunk and enjoy the delightful tap list at South Philadelphia Tap Room, where vegans and carnivores alike have fabulous menu options to work with. It’s Sunday, go wild. Monday’s coming fast.
penn appétit The Brunch Issue
s : g Eg
A Brunch Must
BY PARKER BROWN PHOTOS BY BRENDA NGUYEN AND CAROLYN KOH
Brunch and eggs, partners in crime, compadres. Whether scrambled, fried, soft-boiled, or poached, eggs can be transformed into many a satisfying dish. The versatility with which they can be used in cooking and baking has no doubt earned them their place as a staple of kitchens everywhere. With whites perfect for leavening and yolks ideal for thickening, this single ingredient can be used to effectively achieve starkly opposite results. And if that weren’t enough to convince you of how awesome eggs are, they pack a pretty hefty punch of protein to make you feel human again even after your most draining of Saturday nights. What’s that? You’re still not on #teameggs? I’m sure the recipes below will make you reconsider. 45
Blackberry and Almond Puffed Omelet with Goat Cheese Whipped Cream Yields 1 4 eggs, yolks and whites separated Pinch of kosher salt 1 ½ tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. whole milk yogurt or coconut milk 1 tbsp. butter ⅓ cup blackberries, halved ¼ cup raw slivered almonds Extra berries for serving Goat Cheese Whipped Cream 4 oz. goat cheese 1 cup heavy whipping cream 2 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar ½ tsp. vanilla
Beat the goat cheese and whipping cream using an electric mixer until the mixture begins to thicken. With the mixer still on, gradually add the sugar and vanilla, beating until it becomes relatively stiff. Chill until ready to serve Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat the whites by hand until fluffy. Add salt, honey, and yogurt to egg yolks and beat until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Whisk a third of the
egg whites into the yolk mixture. Fold in the rest of the egg white mixture, taking particular care not to deflate the whites. Heat the butter in an 8-inch oven safe skillet over medium-low heat. Pour the mixture into the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes, until set on the bottom. Sprinkle the blackberry segments and raw slivered almonds across the top and place the skillet in the heated oven. Bake for 15 minutes until gently browned. Let the skillet cool. Top with goat cheese whipped cream and extra berries.
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Brunch Burger Yields 2 Burger ⅔ lb. ground beef (⅓ lb. per patty) 2 medium eggs 2 slices sharp cheddar cheese Salt and pepper Hash Brown “Buns” 1 Yukon gold potato ⅓ shallot 2 tbsp. shredded cheddar 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. chopped parsley ½ medium egg, lightly beaten Salt and pepper Peanut oil
Hash Brown “Buns” Using a food processor, shred the potatoes and shallot. Remove from the food processor and squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. Combine the potatoes and shallots in a bowl with the cheese, flour, parsley, egg, salt, and pepper. Heat ¼ cup of oil in a skillet over medium
Assembly To assemble each burger, place one beef patty on a hash brown, top with as much ketchup, sriracha mayo, etc. as desired, and top with another hash brown.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Meringues Yields 6 dozen 1 cup roasted peanuts ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips ¼ tsp. kosher salt 4 large egg whites Pinch of cream of tartar ½ cup granulated sugar ¾ cup powdered sugar
The Brunch Issue
Burger Shape the ground beef into 2 patties and generously season both sides. Using a small glass, cut a hole out of the middle of each burger. Crack an egg into a small bowl and set aside. Preheat a skillet over medium heat and cook one side of the patty until browned, about 1-3 minutes. Flip, carefully pour the egg into the hole, and cook on medium-low, covered, until the egg is set. Repeat with the second patty. Place a slice of sharp cheddar on top and allow it to melt.
high heat. Place ¼ cup of the potato mixture into the skillet and flatten with a spatula. Cook until crisp, 2-3 minutes on each side. Place cooked cakes on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and allow them to drain.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and toast peanuts for 10 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. Remove the nuts and reduce the temperature of the oven to 200 degrees. Blend the roasted peanuts, semisweet chocolate chips, and salt in a food processor until smooth. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar using an electric mixer for 1 minute. With the mixer still on, gradually add granulated sugar, beating
on medium speed until firm and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Continue to beat for 10 more minutes while gradually adding the powdered sugar. Gently fold in half of the prepared chocolate peanut butter until no white streaks remain. Add in the remaining chocolate peanut butter and fold once. Scoop spoonfuls of meringue, 1 inch apart, onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until dry, 2-2.5 hours. Let meringues cool in the oven.
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B r u nch
:
gy
A Lesson and La in Folk te Ca Ety pital mo ism lo
ILLUSTRATION BY TOBIAS JENSEN
Who I will affectionately call “Guy”—scare quotes and all. 3 Cf. the following blogs, websites, and texts for references to this quote: DailyTexanOnline, MentalFloss, WillWork4Brunch, SmithsonianMag, Mckinney Online, etc., etc. Also see the stodgy Studies in Etymology and Etiology by David L. Gold, which states that this article by Guy is “well-known” and then does not cite any source for it. Fishy. 4 Because—I dare you—try to find any other reference to a late 19th-century magazine or newspaper titled so. 5 I’m sorry to be pedantic but seriously I looked everywhere. Google supplied nothing. Neither did JStor, Ebesco, Lexisnexis (© for all of those or whatever), or the goddamn Archive of British Newspapers. I really want to meet the mastermind who hoodwinked an entire army of brunch-commentators and even some clearly hapless academics. 2
6 And trust me—I could go on. The blog posts referenced supra are evidence that, indeed, most writing is trash. 7 Which we, as all good colonial heirs must, perfect.
sometimes embellished with whatever the fancy, ecosystem-destroying, poverty-exacerbating10 ingredient du jour is, all in the service of continuing each brunch-goer’s Saturday night bender. It smacks of the psychopathology of a country so wealthy it doesn’t even know what to do with itself. The consumption side is no better. Under the weight of how many terabytes of
“Under the weight of how many terabytes of brunch photos does Instagram groan?” brunch photos does Instagram groan? Why must brunch-goers insist on documenting the continuation of their journey through the parodic wealth of the late capitalist ecosystem? Is it to prove that there must be some reason they’re spending $45 each on a Sunday morning on food that ultimately is a pile of processed fats and sugars? Is it to find some solace in the support that comes in the form of effortless clicks of a mouse from their “friends”? However fun it is to participate, everybody involved knows the bacchanal cannot last. “Guy’s” piece, when we see its essential irony, shows us what we already know—brunch is bloated. Brunch is decadent. Brunch is the consequence of a deeply unfair economic system. In spite of all this, I begrudgingly admit that brunch remains my—and probably your—favorite meal. See you this Sunday.
The Brunch Issue
The term “brunch” sits so solidly in our lexicon that it is almost impossible to imagine an English language without it. How could one not be tempted to combine the jarring “breakfast” and “lunch” into the mellifluous monosyllabic “brunch”? Traditionally, we say that Englishman named Guy Beringer2 coined the term in an 1865 (or in other accounts 1895) edition of Hunter’s Weekly. The most oft-quoted portion of this alleged article, titled “Brunch: A Plea,” goes like this: “Instead of England's early Sunday dinner, a post church ordeal of heavy meats and savory pies, why not a new meal, served around noon that starts with tea or coffee, marmalade and other breakfast fixtures before moving along to the heavier fare? By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers3.” Hilarious, right? Not only does this speak volumes to the contemporary brunch experience (read: done while sporting a killer hangover), it also activates our nostalgia for last-century prose. Or… does it? Let me point out three mistakes made by every modern-day interpreter of this citation. First of all, it’s unclear that Hunter’s Weekly even existed. If it truly did, then I admire the brave researcher who delved into some godforsaken archive in rainy England to excise this gem4. She or he accomplished the dubious feat of finding this one citation and literally zero other information about the magazine, or article, or author5. Bravo.
Secondly, holding out on the possibility of this text being authentic in any capacity, modern-day brunch-bloggers apparently could not detect sarcasm even if Henry James himself told them that he was, in fact, a lizard-alien from the Andromeda Galaxy. “Guy,” or whatever charlatan composed this text, clearly meant to dig at the affluent who had the socioeconomic standing to laze about on Sunday consuming two meals at once, after having spent the previous night frivoling away the fruits of other people’s labor. We might also detect an ironic, moralizing tone in the “postchurch ordeal,” suggesting that atheism, or let’s say cultural atheism, leads inevitably to decadent Sunday-morning culinary ordeals. Sure, we don’t have to believe “Guy,” but there it stands. And thirdly—who honestly thinks this is Victorian prose? At best, it’s a hackneyed pastiche of things that resemble such prose. But to me (and you may disagree), this citation looks like something cooked up by someone with a half-assed liberal arts degree and a raging case of Anglophilia. But I digress. While it’s fun to lampoon the ridiculous shit the Internet propagates6, you are probably more interested in what this little farce says about brunch today. Perhaps I can venture several things. It is, first of all, another example of the particularly American quirk of desiring a British origin of our traditions7. To these bloggers, this gives brunch the sheen of an anciently accepted, even aristocratic practice. Moving forward, we might want to interrogate if we really want to participate in a practice so… culturally stilted. More generally, this story reveals the essential nature of brunch—it is, more than anything else, a farce. Farces use preposterous actions and speech to dismantle an ideology from within. In this case, brunch and the culture surrounding it are so decadent, so oozing with privilege and wealth, and so starkly demonstrating global inequality, that it calls directly to mind everything wrong with late capitalism. Think—we have, on the preparation end, the emptiest form of innovation. Smash together a traditionally savory dish with a sweet dressing, or vice versa, and voila8. All this unexpressive food is frequently tied together by the same tired alcoholic beverages9,
penn appétit
BY EMMETT WYNN
8 Eggs benedict with maple ham! Pancakes topped with maple pancetta! Maple Bacon with maple syrup and washed down with mapled hot chocolate. Truffled omelet with apple compote! Vaguely Mexican sandwich with jicama coleslaw! Apple-blackberry compote on French toast stuffed with smoked sausage crème fraiche! “Guy” might have been onto something, but I ask you—is this really hard creative work? 9 I question the necessity of this footnote. Of course, these drinks would be the Bloody Mary, the Bloody Maria, and the Mimosa. But wait—imagine if they put elderflowers in with your Mimosa? Yeah, that would be great, if I want to gargle a limp strip of barely sweetened cellulose. 10 If it helps to remind the reader, the increase in quinoa sales in the West raised prices so much in Bolivia that many people starved to death.
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