3 Scoops, Brighton

Like I've said, I'm a true Boston girl, which includes loving ice cream year-round. So when I heard about an ice cream shop right in Brighton that was seasonal (all the other seasonal shops I know are way out in the 'burbs), I was surprised. Surely Brighton center could sustain a year-round need for ice cream, right? Also, the fact that 3 Scoops escaped my attention during the years when I lived just up the street astounds me.

Of course, when I was invited to try 3 Scoops, which has just opened for their season, I was happy to oblige. When I walked in, there was just one customer and Raul, the scooper, and as I sampled a variety of flavors, the three of us got into a deep and meaningful conversation about graduate school and, basically, how to do something you love with your life. I'm not sure I got any answers out of the conversation, but I'm pretty sure Raul and I managed to help out the customer a bit. This sort of conversation continued throughout the hour or so that I hung out in the shop, and the environment seems very welcoming to sitting and chatting, much like a coffee shop.

Raul happily plied me with tastes of lots of flavors, including a black raspberry swirl that was sweet and tart and pretty near perfect. Coconut tasted like the real thing, and the mud pie was filled with tasty chunks of chocolate and cookies. My favorite was the mint chip (I'm a sucker for mint ice cream of any ilk), which tasted more like a peppermint patty than other mint chips I've had in the past. Most of the ice cream comes from Coop's, which many people may recognize as Herrell's. Other flavors, especially the special diet flavors - vegan, allergen-free - are made by Raul, who learned to make ice cream while living in Paris.

Raul asked if he could make me a sundae or a frappe, and then he said the magic words: ice cream sandwich with fresh chocolate chip cookies. He started packing more mint chip (my choice) onto a cookie that was about the size of my hand (fingers spread!), then he pushed another cookie on top. This thing was seriously huge, and it would have taken two hungry people to finish it off. The ice cream sandwich is not technically on the menu, but here's hoping that they'll put it on there soon (in two sizes - one cookie or two - preferably).

Of course, 3 Scoops is new to me, although I've spent plenty of time wandering around Brighton Center in the past. I am unclear whether there is new ownership or a change in direction for the store, because none of the Yelp (etc) reviews I read online of the place seem to jive with what I saw. While chatting with Raul, he mentioned that they are discussing whether to do away with the seasonal thing all together, which indicates that the store is trying new things.

As I was driving away, I noticed a new ice cream shop (actually new, as opposed to new for the year), Abbott's, with a big misleading sign that read "Since 1902". I would have stopped in if I had not been full of the previously mention ice cream sandwich. I haven't tried Abbott's custard before, but as far as Brighton Center goes, I'm rooting for 3 Scoops, which serves locally-made ice cream, as opposed to a chain from New York.

Full Disclosure note: The ice cream was provided to me for free by 3 Scoops.

Farm to Fork Dinner at Wilson Farm

Growing up in Lexington meant frequent trips to Wilson Farm for fresh veggies (and somehow, I'd always manage to get a honey stick too). No autumn was complete without a trip through their haunted house and a big, fat caramel apple with peanuts. Wilson Farm has been operating in Lexington since 1884 as a family-run farm, and they work 33 acres in Lexington (probably some of the most expensive farm land around, considering the price of houses in town) and 500 more acres in Litchfield, New Hampshire. So when I heard through Twitter that the farm would be hosting a farm-to-fork dinner in the fields, complete with over 50 items grown on the farm, I jumped at the chance to attend.

My friend Melody came with me, and we arrived to quite a crowd gathered next to the store. Turns out this was only about half the night's crowd - there were 100 people at the dinner! Farmer Jim Wilson walked us through the field, explaining their state-of-the-art greenhouse and their Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques in abbreviated form (every two weeks in the summer, Jim leads a much longer tour that is worth attending). Right smack in the middle of the field, three looooong tables were set up along the rows, and we headed for seats at the end of the table nestled in amongst the tomato plants. While the attendees were a good mix of ages, our table was skewed a little older - we just happened to take the seats across from a sweet and funny couple our age, though, so I didn't have to spend too much time talking about why I was taking pictures or what the purpose of my blog was. The tables were decorated with beautiful arrangements of not just flowers, but also radishes, beans, kale, basil, and dill.

Fresh bread was passed around (the farmstand has a pretty fantastic bakery), as were herb olive oil and a tremendous roasted eggplant dip (recipe here). There was also red and white wines, and carafes of water with sprigs of salad burnet, an unusual herb that tastes a bit like cucumber, a bit like melon. Chef Todd Heberlein introduced each course as it came out, but since we were at the end of our table, it was a bit hard to hear.

The first course, "Prosciutto and Melon," was brought out in shot glasses - always an interesting way to start a meal. The amuse bouche turned the typical salty-and-sweet combination of melon and proscuitto on its head - it was served as a chilled honeydew melon soup with crispy proscuitto bits on top. I'm not usually a chilled soup fan, but the saltiness of the bacon (as well as the crispy texture) added a lot to the dish.

As the second course was passed out, the chef joked that a lot of people thought it was risky of him to serve not one, but three types of beets to the crowd. He insisted that he would convert some people into beet fans with this dish, and he won over quite a few with his mixture of Chioggia beets tossed in creme fraiche on a bed of beet greens, served with purees of red and golden beets. Walking around the table to say hello, though, he did jokingly scold me for not finishing my plate - what can I say, I can only eat so many beets at one time, which is about a million times more beets than I would have eaten even a few years ago.

Course three featured a little patty of corn and chorizo pudding, as well as an heirloom tomato gazpacho salad and a grilled Athena melon salad. The pudding (recipe here), featuring sweet corn and spicy chorizo, was a great match for the lighter salads alongside it. The tomato salad was amazing, filled with more kinds of tomatoes than I could count, cucumbers, and peppers - it's easy to forget what a tomato really tastes like over the long winter, which is why late summer should be filled with big bowls of tomatoes just like this. Heavenly. The grilled Athena melon (similar to a cantaloupe) was served on a bed of salad greens tossed with a roasted tomatillo vinaigrette. I loved this dressing - light and tangy - and it paired beautifully with the supersweet melon. I'd love to make a dressing like this with all the tomatillos that are coming in in my own garden.

By the time the main course came out, everyone was pretty full, but of course we had to try it all. The protein was striped bass from Martha's Vineyard, served over an amazing crunchy vegetable slaw with Thai basil pesto. I wanted to eat more of that slaw, I just couldn't fit it in! There was ricotta and swiss chard stuffed pasta, topped with a ratatouille sauce, that was hearty without being heavy, and the ratatouille, which can often turn out mushy or even slimy, still had a bit of firm texture to it, and the flavors of each of the vegetables was pronounced. The sides were Beans, Beans, and More Beans (a crispy green and yellow bean salad, tossed with roasted tomatoes, feta, and olives) and Cranberry Bean and Corn Stew (sweet corn, creamy and perfectly cooked cranberry beans, a little tomato, and some kale and collard greens). Both of these sides would be perfect as a light lunch.

Of course, we were all really stuffed by then, but dessert was yet to come. It was the only course that Chef Heberlein didn't have a hand in, as the bakery department had made it. When the menu said "Stone Fruit Tart with Our Own Berries," I figured we each get a little slice of tart with a handful of berries - more than enough dessert after such a big meal. But no, the plate we were served could have been a meal on its own, with a delicate puff pastry topped with a variety of stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums), ginger whipped cream, deliciously ripe berries, sesame tuile cookies in big fat curls, and underneath it all, a whole almond macaroon. Four of us could have shared one plate and been happy - instead, I put the dessert shelf in my stomach* to good use, eating more than my fair share.

It was dark by the end of the meal, and we walked back through the fields, lit by small candles, full and happy after such a wonderful meal. This is the second time Wilson Farm has hosted a Farm to Fork dinner, and hopefully they will continue this tradition next summer. Keep an eye on their Happenings page for other great events, like their upcoming tomato festival.

*Melody and I had a teacher in elementary school that taught us about the dessert shelf. Think about it - even when you're full, you still have room for something sweet. It can only be because there is a shelf in your stomach that ONLY dessert can fit onto.

Lamb Takedown!

If you've ever been to a concert at the Middle East, you're familiar with the process: line up in the restaurant, hand over your cash or ticket, get a wrist band (or not), then head down the stairs into the basement. What you're probably not used to, though, is the smell of lamb and spices hanging in the air.

At the Lamb Takedown, however, the smell of cooking meat was exactly what was to be expected. The evening featured 18 local amateur chefs who all proved that they had more-than-amateur skills with a huge variety of recipes. The plate above represents only about a quarter of the offerings, so clearly, only small bites of all the dishes was enough to fill me up.

For me, there were a few stand-out hits, a couple of misses, and some that were just not my style. I put my vote towards the lamb meatball, stuffed with a piece of feta cheese, cooked in a North African tomato sauce, and topped with tumeric yogurt, candied orange peel, and parsley. That meatball was all kinds of wonderful (and I'm not usually a big fan of meatballs), and the candied orange peel really made the dish stand out. I also loved the Moroccan braised shoulder with apricot couscous, the five-spice pulled lamb with pickled fennel and carrots (I could have eaten those pickles all night), the smoked leg served in a pita with summer fruit compote, and the perfectly-seasoned pulled lamb taco.

At the end of the night, there were awards to hand out. All the chefs gathered on stage, and Matt Timms, the evening's host, asked them to introduce themselves to the crowd, and then the prizes (including some much-coveted Le Creuset cookware) were awarded.

One of the judges, Adam Ragusea of WBUR, made a fun video - definitely worth a watch if you couldn't be there last night.

The winners of the evening (stolen from the Takedown's site):

People’s Choice

• 1st - Aleks Strub: Lamb Bolognese with Rosemary Gnocchi
• 2nd - Justin Manjourides: 5-Spice Pulled Lamb with Pickled Fennel and Carrots
• 3rd - Matt O’Shea : Hammered Shanks- Cajun Spiced Lamb Shanks braised in Abita Turbodog with jambalaya.

Judge’s Selections

• 1st - Justin Manjourides: 5-Spice Pulled Lamb with Pickled Fennel and Carrots
• 2nd - Aleks Strub: Lammb Bolognese with Rosemary Gnocchi
• 3rd - Jamie Saltsman: Smoked Leg with hand-picked fruit compote

Judge’s Honorable Mentions:

• Aaron Foster: Lamb Ruben
• Alex Rosenzweig: Georgian Style Barbecue

Friday I'm In Love... with Best Friends Cocoa

I'm not usually a big fan of cocoa - it gives me a stomach ache like nothing else - but there are times during the long, cold winter when you want something hot that isn't coffee or tea, or you just HAVE to have chocolate and there isn't a bar in sight. For years, I put up with the crappy box of packets from the supermarket when I needed a fix, but more often than not, I just went without.

A few weeks ago, though, I got an email from the folks at Best Friends Cocoa, and my thoughts changed drastically with one taste. By "folks," I mean Linda and Uri Guttman, who bought the company from its founder about 6 years ago when it was about to close. Since then, they've run the company from a small factory space in Arlington with just a few employees.

Like I said, Best Friends Cocoa changed my thoughts on cocoa as a whole. This stuff is smooth and sweet and comforting, while the supermarket stuff just tastes like dirty water in comparison. (It also doesn't give me a stomach ache - must be the all the chemicals in the mass-produced stuff.) It takes a little more effort to stir into your hot water (like I said, no chemicals means you have to do a little more work), but it's well worth it. If stirring is too much trouble for you, Best Friends Cocoa can also sell you a little battery-powered milk frother to mix up your cup of cocoa.

And did I mention flavors? Besides the traditional, which is fun to dress up with your favorite liqueur as a treat (I've enjoyed it with mint Bailey's as well as PAMA), they also offer Marshmallow Cloud (Linda's description is best: "a marshmallow toasting over a campfire, melting into your cup of cocoa"), Cinnamon Twist (a warm flavor with just a bit of kick), and Raspberry Truffle (Oh. My. God.).

Best Friends Cocoa is available to order through their website (including a sampler pack so you can decide which is your favorite), at Whole Foods Markets in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and through various markets and gift shops. Linda and Uri also have a table at Dedham's Indoor Farmers Market, held Sundays from 10am to 2pm in the Odd Fellows building at 626 High Street in Dedham. Above is Linda, Queen of Cocoa, holding court over her booth.

Ginger Explosion!

I'm a big fan of ginger in all its spicy, cold-curing glory. I love both ginger ale and ginger beer (what a surprise that was, the first time I ordered a ginger beer...), and I always keep a bag or two of candied ginger around (Trader Joe's makes it without the sugary coating, too, which is so much tastier). But ginger has never seemed like an overly popular flavor past ginger ale when you're sick and gingerbread at Christmas (don't even get started about ginger hair).

Imagine my surprise, then, at an entire event organized around this zesty tuber. eatBoston, who helped organize this past summer's Ice Cream Showdown, put this together, hosted at Grand in Union Square and benefiting the Somerville Arts Council. Little tables were set up all around the store, and five local restaurants served up their best ginger dish.

Ronnarong Thai Tapas, Tupelo, and Petit Robert Bistro all presented hearty savory dishes. Ronnarong's ginger chicken stir-fry (I don't know if it had a real name) was the ideal Thai dish, with perfectly cooked veggies and amazing flavor coming from the huge slivers of ginger. Tupelo's ginger-infused gumbo got it's spice from the ginger in a nice sinus-clearing way, and it was a good spin on the traditional dish (now if only Tupelo would put it on the menu). Petit Robert's ginger veal stew was less gingery after the other two, but the meat was perfectly cooked.

I love how versatile a spice ginger is. It works wonderfully in savory dishes, but it almost works better in sweet desserts. Petit Robert offered up a second dish of ginger macarons (I had my very first macaron at Petit Robert, but I favor their floral flavors over this ginger one). Bambara made classic gingersnap cookies, which had a nice chew and plenty of ginger flavor (although I was hoping for something that more directly represented their menu). Picco served little bites of their amazing soft gingerbread, which is more of a cake than anything. At Picco, the gingerbread is served hot with ice cream and caramel sauce, but it was just as good on its own here.

Of course, eating all this good food got me thirsty. Thankfully, Bambara had gingerbread martinis (with crushed gingersnaps on the rim), and Ronnarong had a hot Thai Toddy, with black tea, sake, ginger syrup, ginger, and lemongrass. I'm pretty sure that toddy would cure any cold, and the next time I'm feeling under the weather, I think I'll have to make a stop at Ronnarong. (They also have a housemade ginger soda on their menu, if sake isn't your thing).

Now, of course, I'm craving ginger and want it in everything I eat. I especially have a hankering for Grasmere Gingerbread, this crazy delicious stuff that's only made in one shop in the small town of Grasmere in England. At least Picco was handing out the recipe for their gingerbread - may have to give it a try this week ;)

I'm definitely looking forward to eatBoston's next delicious event.

Pistachio Orange Peel Cacao Nib (Kitchen Sink?) Biscotti

Early in December, my father and I dropped my mother off at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education (for a class on gold leafing, which she has wanted to learn for ages), then headed off to tour the Taza Chocolate factory (along with roughly the entire chocolate-loving population of the greater Boston area). In pure Augustus Gloop fashion, we tasted everything they had to offer, including their cacao nibs (both plain and panned in chocolate). I could have bought one of everything in the store, but keeping my budget in mind, I grabbed a tin of nibs, intending to do some baking with them, and headed on my way.

Cacao nibs are chocolate that has been roasted and hulled but not yet ground into a paste, mixed with sugar and other ingredients, and formed into chocolate as we know it. They're not sweet, and they're not particularly chocolatey either. Instead, they're crunchy and nutty, and I usually taste an overtone of banana as well. I like Taza's a lot. They roast their chocolate carefully and in small batches - they know what they're doing.

Onto the baking. My father had been pestering me for a while about making biscotti, something I'd never done before, but he had seen on America's Test Kitchen and wanted to do. I quickly became hell-bent on including cacao nibs and pistachios (my father's favorite nut) in some way. I did a quick search and found these fabulous biscotti from Brownie Points.

These cookies came out perfectly, crispy and packed with flavor. I really like the combination of salty pistachios, crunchy cacao nibs, and sweet and chewy orange peel. I especially enjoyed eating them after they had sat on top of my coffee for a while, like in the picture above - the steam softened them up a bit without needing to dip them into the coffee. Feel free to play with the ratio of pistachios, cacao nibs, and orange peel - include as much or as little as you like. I prefer lots of little bits in my biscotti, so I added probably a little more than is called for in the recipe below. The base of the recipe is great, too, so you can use it with whatever mix-ins you feel like.

Pistachio Orange Peel Cacao Nib Biscotti adapted from Brownie Points
2 eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup chopped pistachios
3/4 cup chopped candied orange peel
1/2 cup chopped cacao nibs

Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix together the eggs, butter, and vanilla until well combined. Add in the baking powder, salt, sugar, and flour, and mix thoroughly. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. Add in the pistachios, orange peel, and cacao nibs and mix until distributed evenly.

Divide the dough into two halves and form them into two logs (kind of like the shape of a ciabatta loaf). Place logs on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, until the top is slightly golden brown. Remove the logs from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Lower oven temperature to 325°. Cut logs into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place the slices back on the baking sheet, cut sides up (you may need a second baking sheet for this). Bake biscotti for 10-15 minutes on each side, then cool before eating.

Friday I'm in Love... with Cocoa Metro Milk

If you can ever find a time to wander around a place like Russo's when it isn't busy (is Russo's ever not busy?!), you'll be rewarded with little gems of products sitting on the shelves. Ann and I took a trip to Russo's last weekend, and the sleek packaging of Cocoa Metro stood out against the other milk options - crisp white lettering on a glass bottle, filled with silky-looking, deep brown chocolate milk.

Surprisingly, when I got home, there was an email in my inbox from the founder of Cocoa Metro, telling me about the product. I told him I already loved the packaging and their tagline (Carpe Cocoa - what, you think I like Latin or something?), and he offered to bring a bottle over for me to try.

I broke the milk out the next morning and gave it a small sip. It's thick and velvety and just sweet enough to balance out the dark chocolate. I'm usually a skim milk girl, so this 2% mix is a little thick for my taste, but it is utterly heavenly. It actually tastes like chocolate, not some weird amalgam of chemicals, with a touch of vanilla to balance it out. Plus, Cocoa Metro uses Callebaut chocolate, some of the best stuff around.

Back to that 2% thing. I knew I could easily have balanced it out with a measure of skim milk to water it down, but I had other things in mind. I poured some milk into a coffee mug, about halfway, then microwaved it until hot. I used my cheapo milk frother to whip it up, but if you don't have one, you can just use a small whisk stuck into the mug and twirled between the palms of your hands. Topped off with regular drip coffee, the Cocoa Metro made a better mocha than what you can get at a coffee shop. And for slightly more than the cost of one mocha at Starbucks, you can get a whole bottle of Cocoa Metro to make mochas at home for a week.

Cocoa Metro is only available in the Boston area: Bread & Chocolate in Newton, Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, Russo's in Watertown, and a number of Whole Foods.

Cooking with Harbor Sweets

Twitter has led me to some of the coolest events as of late. A while ago, I saw a tweet from Harbor Sweets, an amazing local candy company, announcing a cooking class that they would be hosting in their factory. Cooking with Sweet Sloops, my favorite of their chocolates, made with almond toffee crunch, white and dark chocolate, and pecans? Sure - imagine the amazing cookies you could make with them! But no, the class was going to focus on a full menu of recipes, not just desserts. When I saw the words "Sweet Sloops Pad Thai," I knew I had to go.

So last Saturday, after getting more than a little lost, we arrived at Harbor Sweets' factory in Salem only a few minutes late. The small room was packed with tables and people, and we squeezed into our seats as the chef starting talking. The afternoon was led by Chef Bill, a local personal chef, and he taught us a lot about cooking with humor and verve.

We started with dates stuffed with goat and gorgonzola cheeses, bacon, and Sweet Sloop Crunch. I thought I wouldn't like these, but surprisingly, this was my favorite dish of the day. The saltiness of the cheese and bacon were married perfectly with the sweetness of the candy and the dates, and the bacon and the Sweet Sloops added plenty of texture to an otherwise soft dish. These would be perfect for a holiday appetizer, as you can make them ahead and just pop them in the oven to warm through. Since this was my favorite, the recipe is below.

We then moved onto Pad Thai. A lot of people seemed skeptical about pairing candy with pad thai, but I thought it would be a great match - there's already sugar and peanuts in pad thai, so why not? In fact, Chef Bill took out both the sugar and the peanuts and used the Sweet Sloops to provide those flavors - it worked perfectly, although I can't see making this routinely. It's definitely a conversation piece, though, and would be great to wow your friends and family with.

For dessert, we actually tried two different dishes. Chef Bill passed around Toll House cookies that were made with Sweet Sloops Crunch instead of chocolate chips. They were delicious, as I expected them to be, and is probably the recipe that most of the attendees are going to try at home. We also had Bananas Foster, with Sweet Sloops Crunch used as a garnish. (Above, Chef Bill gets ready for some flambe.) I'm not crazy about cooked bananas, but I loved the Sweet Sloops over ice cream.

So, as if I didn't already love Sweet Sloops, I now have even more excuses to buy them.

Can you see the chocolate all melty and delicious in that picture?

Dates with Goat and Gorgonzola Cheese, Bacon, and Sweet Sloops Crunch
4 oz goat cheese, room temperature
3 oz gorgonzola cheese, room temperature
3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup Sweet Sloops Crunch
15 Medjool dates

Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix together the two cheeses, then mix in cooked bacon and Sweet Sloops Crunch. Make a slit in the top of each date, keeping the bottom intact, and remove the pit. Put one teaspoon of the cheese mixture into each date. Place dates on a sheet pan and bake for less than 5 minutes, until cheese are heated through.

Ye Olde Boston Food Toure

Last night, the wonderful Lily von Schtoop from Calamity Shazaam in the Kitchen and I embarked on a tour of our shared Yankee heritage, which we quickly dubbed the Ye Olde Boston Food Toure. (See Lily's report here.) It was like playing tourist in our own city (especially since most of our stops were pretty touristy). And despite having lived in Boston my whole life, I had only visited one of these restaurants before. For fun, we had Phyllis Meras' The Historic Shops & Restaurants of Boston along for reference, which we used to amuse ourselves (and our waitstaff).

Our first stop was Durgin Park in Quincy Market. A mainstay of Yankee cooking, Durgin Park is known for surly waitresses and huge meals catered to tourists. Since this was just our first stop, we didn't go for a whole meal (although I have heard good things about the Prime Rib). Instead, we started with clam chowder, baked beans, and cornbread. The chowder was a lot like what I grew up with, with a thinner broth and extremely tender clams. The beans were surprisingly tasty (especially since I don't even like baked beans) - I doubt I could eat a whole bowl of them, but it was still good. The cornbread was a definite no - bland and uninteresting.

For dessert, we went for the Indian pudding and the coffee jello. The pudding was served piping hot with melty vanilla ice cream on top, and it was delicious. With all that molasses, it tasted like New England in the fall. And the coffee jello - we ordered this pretty much because it sounded so odd, and the serving we received definitely didn't disappoint. I dubbed it "astronaut coffee" because it was like a good ol' cup of coffee, only in solid form. The gelatin was very stiff with a strong, unsweetened coffee flavor, and it was topped with overly sweet, overly whipped cream. It was very odd, and yet, I couldn't stop myself from eating it. Gross and delicious at the same time.

Overall, Durgin Park offers better food than I thought it would, especially with the desserts. I doubt I'll be eating there regularly, but I wouldn't hesitate to take visitors there.

Next up was the Union Oyster House, where we sat at the semi-circular oyster bar for oysters and more chowder. My companion enjoyed her bivalves quite a bit (I'm not a fan, so I passed), but the chowder was delicious. It was quite different than that of Durgin Park - thicker and creamier, with more chunks of clams and potatoes. But while the chowder was very good, the atmosphere, with flies buzzing around, piles of oysters sitting around in slushy ice, and a bar that's not quite level, was... unique, to say the least. It was a little slice of Boston, with locals and tourists crammed in side-by-side, and we even caught a glimpse of Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi on his way in for dinner.

After all that chowder, we were ready for a little break. We wandered over to Cafe Marliave, the only restaurant of the bunch that I had been to before. The Marliave closed a few years ago after over 100 years of business, and it was just reopened about a month and a half ago by new owner, Scott Herrit (of Grotto, which I love). We sat at the bar and enjoyed a few cocktails. Keeping with our Ye Olde Theme, I opted for the Molasses Flood 1919 (Sailor Jerry's Rum, molasses, lime, and bitters) and the Boston Tea Party (tequila, Earl Grey tea, house-made ginger beer, and lemon). They were both very well mixed by Robbie, our great bartender, although I liked the Molasses Flood more (the Tea Party was sweeter than I was in the mood for). We also had a little sample of pumpkin apple soup, a delicious blend of fall in a cup. I'm eager to head back to try more of their food, which smelled amazing.

Our final stop for the night was at the Omni Parker House for their famous Parker House rolls and Boston Cream Pie (recipes for both can be found on the hotel's website). And while sitting in the bar, overlooking the old city hall across the street, on a cold evening was enjoyable, the food was less than spectacular. The rolls seemed like an imitation of what they should be - buttery with a hint of sweet, and soft with a slightly crispy crust. These specimens were, however, oily and dense and just not right. The Boston Cream Pie was another disappointment - the sponge cake and the pastry cream were both very good, but it was all ruined with a coating of limp, slivered almonds, an almost solid chocolate topping, and fake whipped cream. I know, I know, both of these items were invented at the Parker House, but they are so beloved in our fair city (especially the Boston Cream Pie, which is the official dessert of Massachusetts) that they pale in comparison to what can be had at other spots.

Our Ye Olde Boston Food Toure ended up being a fun adventure through (mostly) tourist-land. Durgin Park, the Union Oyster House, and the Parker House all have their places among the culinary history of Boston, and while they are often overlooked by us locals, they are sometimes the only places visitors stop to get a taste of local food. The Marliave only hints at its past, especially since it has been refigured for a more contemporary crowd, with gourmet comfort foods and terrific cocktails.

Any thoughts on where Lily and I should visit for our next Ye Olde Toure?

Durgin Park
Union Oyster House
Cafe Marliave
Omni Parker House

Tons of great products at Expo East

Last week, I had the great opportunity to attend Expo East, a natural products showcase at the Boston Convention Center. The convention center is a truly huge space, and for this show, it was packed with thousands of booths offering natural health and beauty products, vitamin supplements, and natural foods. Guess what area I focused on?

I loved getting the chance to talk to producers and hear why they were passionate about their products. There was a strong showing of vendors from New England, and I especially enjoyed talking with them - many of them were clearly very excited to be presenting to the more than 26,000 attendees.

Some of my favorites:

White Mountain Kettle Corn makes quite possibly the best Kettle Corn I've ever had. It was very well balanced between sweet and salty. I find that kettle corn is often too sweet, but this product had plenty of salt too. Plus, it's local (not too far from Manchester, NH) and a terribly addictive snack. I loved talking to White Mountain's president, the charming Priscilla Dube, who told me how the company began as a retirement project for her and her husband. What a delicious retirement!

Putney Pasta's booth was much like it's packaging - bright, vibrant, and inviting. When I think of frozen ravioli, I think of the rather bland ones I ate as a kid, but these have changed my perception of frozen ravioli. The pasta was not too dense, and the fillings were bursting with flavor. They were also sampling their new skillet meals (complete with meat and sauce), and while I've ragged on some frozen meals before, these were delicious and tasted homemade. Considering how hectic my life can be sometimes, I think these would be great to keep on hand. Plus, it's another (fairly) local company, from Brattleboro, VT.

Baji's offers Indian-inspired convenience food. Their papadums come in four flavors (cilantro, mango chutney, yogurt dill, and tandoori). Flavors like these are hard to find in snack foods, and these crispy little snacks really fill a void in the market. Their microwaveable rice meals offer a quick, filling, and healthy meal (with real veggies!) in no time - I'll definitely be giving these a try on my days when I have about 10 minutes for lunch. Plus, Baji's was the most local of my favs - they're in Sudbury, MA!

Sunbutter is a terrific alternative to peanut butter (for those who can't have pb or want something a little different). The texture is great, not at all grainy like some pb-alternatives can be. If you're paying enough attention, the flavor is definitely sunflower seeds, but not so much that it's distracting. I enjoyed this product a lot, and while it's not going to replace peanut butter for me, it would be a great option for changing things up every once in a while.

Harvard Common Press was on hand showing off some of their cookbook selection (their other focus is on parenting books). They have tons of beautiful and creative cookbooks for kitchen inspiration. I was actually in the bookstore just a couple of days ago and saw their Baker's Field Guide to Christmas Cookies - it's a great concept and is well-executed, and knowing my passion for cookies (especially at Christmas time), I'm sure this one will end up on my shelf sometime soon.

There were also quite a few companies offering a different kind of dried fruit - crispy! I really enjoyed Bare Fruit, Danielle Snacks, Crispy Green, and Just Tomatoes. Sometimes I crave something crunchy and the only things on hand are not the most healthy choices. But crispy fruit (and veggies, in the case of Danielle and Just Tomatoes) are a fantastic alternative that sates the urge for crispiness while providing good-for-you food. (Plus, Danielle is also another local company!)

Difficult but Tasty

I've admitted before, but I'll say it again: I'm a big nerd. So much, in fact, that I enjoy nerdy media from other disciplines than my own. XKCD is "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language," but more often than not, I get lost in the math/programming speak. But a food comic? I'm there.

If you've read anything on this site before, though, you'll know that pomegranates are my favorite fruit, and that I'm not a fan of peaches. Obviously, I have some quibbles with this chart, and I'd move things around if it were my own design. And, although this comic is titled "Fuck Grapefruit," I'm still a big fan. Not saying pomegranates aren't difficult to clean, but they're still tasty.

Where does your favorite fruit fall? Difficult but tasty?

A New Year of Coffee

I've talked about my magic mug from Bruegger's before. For one flat fee, you get all the coffee, tea, and soda you can drink for a year. I must say, my 2007 mug paid for itself in no time. Oh, and the coffee is Green Mountain... good stuff!

This year, included in the $119 price, you also get a dozen bagels every month. I figured that there are at least 4 of us in my office with mugs... that means bagels every Friday for all of 2008!

So if you live or work near a Bruegger's, be sure to buy your mug soon. They sell out quickly, and they're well worth the large upfront price.

On Religion and Cupcakes

I'm not a religious person in the conventional sense. I don't believe in a specific god, but I'm all for a higher power. And yet, growing up in Boston, I knew the meaning of faith.

Baseball is an out and out religion in this town. Out-of-towners or people who "just don't care for sports" don't understand it, but that's fine by us - just let us watch our games in peace. And it's not about how many home runs one guy can hit (although it's nice to count those up too). It's about believing.

So why have I bothered with three Red Sox-related food posts in 2 weeks? Well, most traditional holidays have foods that symbolize them and are meaningful - pomegranates at Christmas, eggs (and Peeps - wait a minute...) at Easter, apples and honey at Rosh Hashanah, etc. And so, a Red Sox holiday should have some celebratory foods as well... cake, rally cookies, and cupcakes!


My boys, the Boston Red Sox, are World Champs for the second time in 4 years.... 82 years earlier than some people cynically believed. As Sunday rolled into Monday and my heart thumped away with each pitch, I was already dreaming of what I could make and share with my friends in celebration.


True, they're not the prettiest cupcakes ever, but I was working on short notice with few ingredients. I mean, I didn't want to jinx anything by buying the ingredients ahead of time!


The cake is vanilla, tinted an insane red shade. A coworker asked what I used to get them that color. My response? "Ground-up Cleveland Indians. My next batch will use purple Rockies dust."


And how did those cupcakes taste? So good!! So good!! So good!!

Rosewater Rally Cookies

I don't think much has to be said. One more night, boys.


Rosewater Rally Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. rosewater
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder

Mix butter, sugar, eggs, and rosewater. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Form dough into a ball and wrap in wax paper. Chill at least 1 hour.

Heat over to 400 degrees. Roll dough to 1/4 inch tick on lightly floured board. Cut with cookie cutters and bake 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.

Let's Go, Red Sox!

My brother turns 40 this month, and his wife threw him a fantastic surprise party this weekend. Any guess what the theme was? And yes, there was plenty of peanuts and Cracker Jacks, as well as a popcorn machine and a hot dog steamer.

The cake (fantastic, by the way) was from Rise Bakery in Ashland. I hope to be able to try more of their cakes in the future :)

As a side note, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that I'm so busy, I can't watch the games. I want to know what's going on, but I like having fingernails. But I feel clueless wandering from work to my internship or class and not knowing the score...

What am I, Flypaper for Freaks?

Riding public transportation can be enlightening. It can also be maddening, but that's a whole different story...

It was late, and I needed to take the bus back from my internship. I was chowing on a freshly-picked apple as I climbed on board, the only passenger. The driver had either had too much coffee or was a little manic, or maybe both: he was stopping the bus in the middle of the street without pulling over, often cruising half a block past a requested stop. About halfway through the ride, as we were stopped at a light, he spun around in his chair and looked at me.

"Young people sure know how to eat right," he said.

"I guess that's true," I responded. I mean, what do you say to something like that?

"Always eating apples and other good things. It's really healthy."

"Well, it's apple season," I told him. "I just went apple picking this weekend. They're really good when they're fresh."

We had started moving again, but he continued to talk to me over his shoulder, turning around again at lights.

"Yeah, young people eat so healthy. I mean, they know to eat pizza instead of Chinese food. My generation, we'd always choose Chinese food."

Um...

"And when young people eat at Mexican restaurants, they know beans are healthy; they eat the beans."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." What?!?!

At this point, it seemed our conversation was over. He started chatting with two BU students who climbed aboard.

As I was getting off, I wished him a good night and told him to get an apple. His reaction was of clearly not remembering we had even talked.

Makes you feel good to be taking the T, doesn't it?

Fresh from the Farm

Behold the bounty of my weekend apple-picking trip to Parlee Farms. Wait, those aren't apples...



Apple picking at Parlee has become a tradition with my friends - this is the 4th or 5th year we've gone. It's enough of a tradition that we've developed a pattern as to how the day should go: raspberry picking, hayride out to the apples, apple picking, walk back to the farmstand, eat ice cream and apple crisp, shake off dirt on the way back to the car, nearly fall asleep on the drive home.

Out entire schedule was thrown off, though, when we were told that they were still picking strawberries. In October? Sure, considering we've had such mild weather all September.

Now, the only fresh-from-the-plant strawberries I've ever had were from a sad plant that my father and I tried to coax into blooming one year. These berries, however, were amazing. When I ate my first one, right off the vine, I stopped in my tracks and said "Woah, that's good." My friends laughed... then they tried the berries and couldn't help but have the same reaction. It was like a little epiphany of how good fruit can be. I don't think I can ever buy supermarket strawberries again...


The raspberries were, as ever, fantastic - tart and sweet. The plants were all new (the patch was moved this year from another location on the farm), so they were small and weren't producing an abundance of fruit. And it seemed as if these raspberry plants were housing all of the disappearing bee population.


And the apples? No pictures of the apples? To tell the truth, that was the least exciting part of the day - they weren't picking what they said they were picking, but after we had filled our bags, they had reopened the previously-closed rows. And the trees were picked pretty clean, so there wasn't much to take pictures of, even. But now, our fridge is filled with apples and berries, enough to last us a while.

Thai ice cream - Sounds good, right?

As I've said before, when I'm issued a glove-across-the-face challenge, I like to meet it head on. So when I heard that JP Licks had 4 new Thai-inspired flavors in their October rotation, I heard the trumpet blare and saw the flag wave - off to JP Licks!

The flavors are Sweet & Sour sorbet, Pad Thai ice cream, Thai Iced Tea ice cream, and Coconut Curry ice cream.

I think the scoopers thought I was crazy when I ordered 4 kiddie cups - one of each flavor. In fact, when they were ringing me up, they told me they wouldn't charge me for the Pad Thai if I actually liked it.



Sweet & Sour sorbet - The first bite was the worst. After a few more, it began to grow on me, much to the horror of my friends. One friend, after taking a taste, declared that she was "mad at it" and that it "packs a punch - in the gut." Basically, if you're a huge fan of soy sauce, this might be up your alley. It was just way too salty. The only redeeming quality were the flecks of chili pepper, which added a more pleasing depth of flavor every few bites.



Pad Thai - Yes, this is just like the real thing. The ice cream is filled with short noodles, slices of green onion, chunks of peanut, and specks of cilantro. Is that a hint of garlic as well? This ended up being my favorite of the bunch because of how well it pulled off the unique combination of ingredients. I would never order this as a dessert, but for a savory snack, it was pretty tasty. After a while, though, the hint of lime got a little strange - I definitely couldn't eat more than a kiddie-size.



Thai Iced Tea - This tasted just like the real thing also. The most innocuous of the flavors, it's thick and creamy, with just a hint of spice. I wasn't crazy about this one, as it was a tad too thick to be thoroughly enjoyable.



Coconut Curry - Surprisingly tasty, but not my thing. The part I didn't like was that there was way too much coconut, and thus, too much chewing involved. The curry was very even and smooth, not spicy or overpowering at all. With less actual coconut and more coconut flavor, I think this one could be really good.

Has anyone else tried these? I'm dying to hear the opinion of others...

Chowderfest 2007

Harborfest is a week of events leading up to the 4th of July, and Chowderfest is one of the biggest draws. This year, nine local chowder purveyors competed for the title of Best Chowder.

When we stepped out of the T, City Hall Plaza was abuzz with activity. There were tons of vendors handing out free samples - Fruit2O, Pepperidge Farms, some chip company, Crystal Light, Dunkin' Donuts. After a little wandering, we bought our tickets and headed inside the gates.

Nine booths lay in front of us in a line. Some had long lines, while others had no wait at all. My favorite of the group was The Skipper, followed closely by Christopher's. I had a hard time deciding which I liked better, but Skipper ended up with my vote.

My thoughts on all the different competitors:

1) Christopher's - Very good. The potatoes were buttery and smooth, and the large chunks of clam were tender and not tough at all.



2) USS Wasp - The only non-restaurant competitor, the crew of this Navy ship produced a very different chowder. This chowder had a lovely presentation, with a whole shrimp in each sample-size cup, but the flavor was not great. I think the base was lobster, which is fine, but not what I was expecting. It also had a lot of kick to it, and way too much bacon.

3) Great Bay - This was probably the most gourmet of all the offerings. They were cooking up the clams and other solids in pans in the booth, then serving a small scoop of this with broth poured over it. This left the chowder too watery, and there was very little integration between the solids and the broth. There was also on overpowering celery taste.

4) La Morra - This was also very watery with lots of celery. It did, however, include whole (small) clams with bellies, bringing in a more authentic clam flavor.

5) Ned Devine's - The broth on this had a nice, thick consistancy, but it wasn't overpoweringly heavy. The potatoes, however, were undercooked and the clam pieces were big and rubbery.

6) Daily Catch - Oily and watery, this tasted more like chicken soup than clam chowder. Not a good showing for a seafood restaurant.

7) The Fireplace - Bacon. All I could taste was bacon. The potatoes were also undercooked. They did include clam bellies for the fresh-from-the-sea flavor, but it didn't pair well with that much bacon.

8) Skipper's - My roommate's words after taking his first bite were "This is what I think of when I think of clam chowder." It had a thick broth, very soft potatoes, and clams that were chewy but not rubbery. Leave it to a restaurant from Cape Cod to show everyone else how it's done.

9) Grille at Hobbs Brook - This chowder was way too thick, almost gluey. There was no clam flavor; all I could taste was potatoes. Very institutional, but not surprising for hotel food.

Note: Why were there so many Redcoats around? Do we get to ceremoniously kick them out of town on Wednesday?

Fiddle Me This

Fiddlehead ferns are one of the signs of spring here in the Northeast. When I was a kid, the forest behind our house was filled with a sea of green come spring, but I never imagined those plants were a delicacy. I always see them in the market, but I've never cooked them until now. The warnings have always scared me off - MAY CAUSE INTESTINAL DISTRESS is not a way I'd like to start -- or end -- a meal.

So once again, I was in the market and the little green creatures were smiling up at me from their bin -- "Bring us home! Cook us! Eat us!" I'm a sucker for good-looking produce, and into my basket they went. Back home, I followed the instructions I found online - soak in water to separate the brown outer leaves from the fern, parboil to remove toxins, then stirfry with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

And the results? Meh. It tasted just like asparagus, with a little softer texture. And frankly, that was too much work for almost-asparagus. I am glad I've tried them, but I think I'll be able to resist their siren song next time.