Zombie Easter Bunny

Like any good geek, I enjoy perusing the ThinkGeek website. I could probably go to any page on that site and find something I want. (And any non-food website that has a category for bacon is fine by me.) Every April 1st, ThinkGeek comes up with a bunch of stuff that seems real enough, or at least, should be.

Enter this year's batch of April Fool's Day objects. I personally think the Star Wars lightsaber popsicle molds should be real. And when a friend mentioned wanting to buy one of these zombie Easter bunnies for another friend, I knew I could at least make that one happen.

I found a bunny mold that is, I think, even better than the original because he's holding a brain (ok, ok, an egg, but it works so well as a brain!). I colored white chocolate with gel food coloring to get that great zombie green tint and away we went! I had bought a bag of Nerds jelly beans to snack on and was pleasantly surprised to find that the pink ones looked a little bit like brains and would fit in the bunny's basket.

I don't make my own chocolates much, but when I do, I love putting a fun twist on it. Do you make your own chocolates?

Saus, Boston

I've been following the saga of Saus for months now, and when the little frites-shop-that-could opened about a month ago, I was ready and raring to try them out. Of course, I couldn't actually make it downtown for a bite until this past week, and I'm kinda kicking myself that I didn't get down there sooner. Simply put, I'm in love.

Saus, purveyor of Belgian-style fries and waffles, has been the talk of the Boston food blogger world all month, and I'm sure I'm just adding one more positive review to the bunch. From it's clean atmosphere, dusted with old-school European comics, to its alluring menu of dipping sauces (both savory, for the fries, and sweet, for the waffles), this place is very promising. Hopefully their location (near Faneuil Hall) and their late hours (2am on weekends) will lead to lots of success.

Now on to the actual meal. I went with a friend, and we shared a cone of fries and an order of poutine for dinner. We chose the Green Monster (habanero, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic) and the Bacon Parm (um, just what it sounds like) for dipping, and after listening to us vacillate over choices (and talking to him about my chicken tortilla soup), Chin (one of the owners) brought us some samples of the Cheddar Duval (cheddar and Belgian ale), Vampire Slayer (garlic, garlic, garlic), and You're My Boy, Bleu! (bleu cheese) to try as well. Each sauce was completely unique, and the ingredients used are clearly of the highest quality. The Green Monster was just spicy enough and really bright from the fresh ingredients (I used the leftovers the next day as salad dressing, and now I'm wishing I had a bottle of the stuff in my fridge). The Cheddar Duval was just like fondue, and the beer taste was pronounced but not overwhelming. I'm not a fan of bleu cheese, but they get points for the name on that one. Big points for the Vampire Slayer title as well, and the well-rounded flavor of roasted garlic made that one a winner (although you have to make sure that the people you're with eat it as well). And Bacon Parm? Magic. The shop also makes their own ketchup and mayo from scratch.

Our order of poutine was fantastic, too, and since I've never had it in Montreal, I can't comment on how faithful it is. My friend, however, commented that it was better than any she'd had in Canada, so I'm guessing Saus is holding their own on poutine. Chin suggested dipping the poutine in the Cheddar Duval sauce for another added level of deliciousness, and man was he right.

We waited a little while before ordering a waffle to share. The authentic Liege waffles are made with pearl sugar and are smallish but dense and more than enough, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. We chose the lemon cream (like a thick and creamy limoncello) and the salted caramel (which I, no joke, was scrapping out of the dipping cup with my fingers at the end of the meal). Saus also makes their own Nutella (!).

All I can say is that I'm glad that it's a hassle for me to get to Saus. If I lived or worked nearby, I would easily be another 100 pounds heavier, because I would eat there all the time. Chin, I'm only partially kidding about moving in...

(Also, could I have used more parenthesis in this post? (Probably.))

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.

Restaurant Week Lunch at the Melting Pot

Can I start by saying that it's really hard to take a picture of fondue? Maybe not as hard as soup, but pretty damn close.

Yesterday, my friend Ann and I acted like ladies who lunch and headed to the Melting Pot in downtown Boston to enjoy a leisurely meal, mostly because the Melting Pot was still running their $20 Restaurant Week promotion, and who can pass up that kind of deal? The RW lunch menu includes salad, entree, and dessert, and we added on a cheese course (how could you skip that?!) for only an additional $6 each. I know a lot of people bitch about how RW is a pretty bad deal at most places (I'm amongst that wall of sound), but this is one deal that is well worth it.



Like I said, we added a cheese course because it's sacrilegious (sacrilicious?) to go for fondue and not get cheese. We tried the special of the month, Fondue a la France, which included brie, fontina, gruyere, and raclette, plus bacon, onions, white tuffle butter, and a sprinkle of fresh chives. This was the best fondue I've had at the Melting Pot (and I've tried a number of them) hands down. Bacon! White truffle! Brie! This was serious not-messing-around fondue.

Our salads came just as we were finishing the last of the cheese. I had gone with the Caesar, and was greeted by a pleasant surprise of parmesan-encrusted pine nuts as a garnish. The pine nuts were on the sweet side and didn't quite work with the salad, but I would have liked a whole bowl of them for a snack.

For RW, the entree is cut down in size, but in reality, it's really all you need. We both chose the beef plate, which included six pieces of beef teriyaki and six artichoke and spinach ravioli, as well as a pile of fresh veggies. I probably ate my weight in broccoli, but I figured that was a good idea knowing there was more decadence to come. I love the leisurely pace that this course takes as you wait for your meat to cook in the boiling boullion.

Dessert was, of course, wonderful. What's not to love about dipping sweets in molten chocolate? We opted for dark chocolate with a shot of Bailey's (a favorite of both of us), and surprisingly, neither of us touched the cheesecake - we opted for more strawberries and rice krispy treats instead.

As I said, lunch at the Melting Pot is one of the rare occasions when Restaurant Week works well.

Friday I'm in Love... with Ben & Jerry's Late Night Snack

Like any good Boston girl, I love my ice cream. It's not uncommon around here to find people lined up for ice cream on a cold winter's night. I also love desserts that are both salty and sweet, so when I heard that Ben & Jerry's had come out with a flavor in honor of Jimmy Fallon's Late Night Show that involved potato chips and salted caramel, I searched high and low to find it.

(Truth be told, I'm more of a Craig Ferguson fan than Jimmy, but Craig doesn't have his own ice cream flavor...yet. This is my favorite clip from the Late Late Show.)

Supermarket after supermarket didn't have Late Night Snack on the shelves, but I eventually found some and dug right in. The ice cream base itself is a premium vanilla, flecked with Fair Trade vanilla beans, and is sweet and smooth. The caramel runs in ribbons throughout, and its saltiness is more pronounced when eaten with only a small amount of the ice cream. And the chocolate-covered potato chip clusters? Crispy and salty (although the caramel is saltier), but not all-together what I was expecting.

These clusters are more like rice crispies - airy and crackly - than like real potato chips. So after a slight disappointment in not finding real chips, I started to get into the texture of these clusters.

Final verdict? I'm hoping this flavor doesn't go away anytime soon. Much like its sibling, Chubby Hubby (vanilla malt ice cream with fudge and peanut butter and chocolate-covered peanut butter-filled pretzels), Late Night Snack appeals to those of us who like a little savory with the sweet. Unlike Chubby Hubby, where the pretzels are a bite in themselves, Late Night Snack's potato chip clusters are just the right size to enjoy in conjunction with the rest of the ingredients.

A Little King Cake for Mardi Gras

I have never been to New Orleans, nor have I ever had a real king cake, but that didn't stop me from making one when asked. My friend Ann, who has lived in New Orleans, was the one asking, and since I was using her flour and butter, I was happy to oblige.

I bought Joanne Chang's Flour cookbook before Christmas like everyone else in Boston, but I didn't get a chance to make anything from it until well into the new year. For some reason, I decided to skip any of the easier recipes and jumped right to brioche. The recipe came together with no problems and couldn't have been easier to follow. However, the recipe makes enough dough for two loaves, so half went to make a regular loaf and the other half went to the king cake.

Ann started listing things that would be tasty - I don't think this is actually based on a cake that she has eaten. She wanted chocolate and orange and, of course, something to use as the baby (the small token that brings good luck to whoever gets the piece with it). I ended up dividing the dough into three parts, rolling them into logs, adding a filling, then braiding them together. Ann tells me it was just like king cakes she had in New Orleans (only better, I would assume, because it had both chocolate and orange in it), so I'll just have to take her word for it.

I'm not going to give you the recipe for the brioche, since I used the one out of the Flour cookbook, so feel free to use your favorite brioche recipe. My recipe starts after the dough has had its first rise, but before it has been shaped and given its second rise. Seriously, though, check out Flour - it leaves me wanting to lick the pages every time I look at it.

Braided King Cake
1 brioche dough, after its first rise (half a recipe if using the Flour cookbook)
3 oz dark chocolate, chopped
zest of 1 orange
1-2 Tbsp white sugar
1 large nut (almond, walnut, or pecan are good)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
milk (about 1 Tbsp)
colored sugars (purple, green, and yellow)

Combine orange zest and white sugar in a bowl and set aside.

Divide dough into three equal parts and roll each into a long rope. Flatten the ropes - lay chocolate down the middle of one, orange sugar down the middle of another, and the nut somewhere in the third. Pinch sides together to seal the fillings in, then reroll if needed back into a rope shape. Braid the three ropes together, then bring the ends together to form a circle. Pinch the ends together to form a seamless circle. Place the loaf on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, then let rise in a warm spot for 3-4 hours, until it has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350°. Brush loaf with egg. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until completely golden brown. Let cool before icing.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and a splash of milk until smooth. Add a little bit of milk at a time until the glaze is just slightly runny (you don't want it too watery, so go slow!). Drizzle over the king cake, then sprinkle on colored sugars.

2nd Annual Lamb Jam

When I heard that last year's wonderful Lamb Jam event was going to be repeated, I started spreading the news. My parents haven't stopped talking about how much they enjoyed the event last year. Sponsored by the American Lamb Board and BostonChefs.com, the event pits some of the top restaurants in Boston against each other in a battle for lamb domination.

When I reached out to my press contact about getting a ticket, I was surprised and happy when she offered me a judging spot instead. I arrived early and joined my fellow judges for what ended up to be a rigorous tasting schedule. Each dish was presented to us without a hint of who created it, and we judged on presentation, creativity, and taste. There seemed to be a general consensus on things down at my end of the table, but I was surprised at some of the eventual winners. Restaurants had picked their cut of meat - leg, loin, shank, or shoulder - and we picked a winner for each category, as well as a "best in show."

Winners
People's Choice: Oleana
Leg: Citizen Public House
Loin: Gargoyles on the Square
Shank: The Fireplace
Shoulder: Garden at the Cellar
Best in Show: Gargoyles on the Square

All of the entries (in the order of our tasting):

• 606 Congress - Pulled Lamb Shank Agnolotti with Balsamic Brown Butter and Chocolate Gremolata (picture)
• Bondir - Chilled Braised Shank set in Clarified Broth with Parsley and Carrots, Pistachio Vinaigrette and Salad (picture)
• The Fireplace - Braised Lamb Shank with Sheep Milk Cream over Winter Squash Stew and Cheesy Cornmeal Porridge (picture)
• Henrietta's Table - BBQ Beer Braised Lamb Shank with Charlie Baer's Money Beans and Stone Ground Grits (picture)
• Tomasso Trattoria - Braised Lamb Shank Ravioli with Marscapone Cheese (picture)
• Garden at the Cellar - Lamb Sausage Ssam with Nuoc Cham, Kimchi Slaw, and Crispy Garlic (picture)
• Red Lion Inn - Porcini Braised Lamb Shoulder with Berkshire Blue Hominy and Equinox Farm Kale (picture)
• Rialto - Lamb Scotch Eggs with Winter Salad, Lamb Bacon Lardons, and Truffle Vinaigrette (picture)
  
• Oleana - Lamb Cammama - Spiced Lamb Shoulder with Onions, Moroccan Dates, Almond Bread, Carrot Salad, Blood Orange, and Cilantro (picture)
• Bistro du Midi - Cumin and Garlic Sous Vide Lamb Loin with Braised Lamb Neck Ravioli, Baby Carrot, Pine Nuts, and Lamb Jus (picture)
  
• Gourmet Caterers - Sumac Dusted Lamb Loin with Crispy Chickpea Cake and Preserved Orange Tomato Chutney (picture)
• Sel de la Terre - Shepherds Pie Napoleon - Maple Smoked Lamb Loin, Pea and Carrot Pastry, Pommes Dauphin, with Carrot Gelee and Pea Foam (picture)
• Gargoyles on the Square - Poached Lamb Loin with Black Truffle, Cauliflower Espuma, Bee Pollen, and Fried Garlic (picture above)
• Aura - Roasted Leg of Lamb with Merguez Sausage Cassoulet, Bruleed Eggplant, and Yogurt (picture)
• Citizen Public House - Jerky 3 Ways: Whiskey Smoked, Honey Ginger, Rosemary Sea Salt (picture)
• Pain D'Avignon - Lamb Leg Frankfurter cooked in Rapscallion Honey Beer with Lamb Bacon Sauerkraut and Rapscallion Honey Mustard on Lamb Fat Griddled Brioche Bun (picture)
• Russell House Tavern - House-made Merguez Sausage Slider with Warm Smoked Lamb Belly Vinaigrette, Minted Pickles, and Harissa Ginger Aioli (picture)

Full Disclosure note: My ticket to the event was given to me for free by the American Lamb Board.