Pistachio Cake

The other day I was in the mood for baking (in case you didn't already realize, I do almost all of the cooking in my family). It was a cold, rainy day, and we couldn't really do much of anything outside. Since I was home-locked, I figured I'd make something. There's this cake in the Babbo Cookbook that I've wanted to make for a while. It's an Italian hazelnut cake. Unfortunately, I've been unable to find all of the ingredients. So, I made my own version using pistachios instead of hazelnuts and changing a few other things around to things that would go better with pistachios. Anyway, the results were really good. It's kind of like pistachio ice cream in cake form (that's what I think, anyway). In case you're interested, here's the recipe:

1 cup shelled pistachios roasted in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 pistachio paste
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 325. Spray 9 inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment or wax paper
Pulse the nuts in a food processor with 1/4 cup flour until it becomes finely ground (basically making a pistachio flour). Mix together this mixture with the rest of the flour and the baking powder (set aside).
In a mixer cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the pistachio paste, and then add 1 egg at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add vanilla and honey. Mix in the flour mixture, 1/3 at a time.
Spread evenly in the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes (make sure a toothpick or something like it comes out clean). Remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack.
When cool, dust with powdered sugar.

I think it's pretty good, and I haven't gotten a complaint yet. Many are skeptical, but once they have it, they agree it's a good cake.

Top Chef Dinner

Wow. Last night I took my wife out to dinner for her birthday. We went to Perilla, which is the restaurant opened by the winner of Top Chef - Season 1, Harold Dieterle. We suffered through the real-feel temperature hovering near zero and parked our car somewhat illegally in the West Village and made our way into the small, but very nice restaurant on Jones Street (between Bleecker and West 4th) - not a bad location. Although there was space at the bar where we could hang out and wait, we were lucky and didn't have to wait at all to be seated at our reserved table (this is one of those places that take reservations 1 month from the day you want to go - and they fill up fast).
To start, we split the Grilled Greek Sardines over a baby mesculin salad with golden beets. I paired this with a Treixadura blend from Spain (sorry, I can't remember the exact wine). We decided to go for something different with our appetizer. For main courses, my wife had the "Jerk" Style Black Grouper with plantains and purple yams over a black bean puree, while I had the Roasted Duckling with pomegranate, white grits and mustard greens. I was tossing between the pork loin wrapped in bacon (it IS pork on pork after all) and the duck, but the waiter said the duck was Chef Harold's favorite dish on the menu. Decision made. I paired this course with a glass of Foris Pinot Noir, Oregon 2005.
Dessert included fresh warm vanilla scented donuts with two dipping sauces (chocolate mousse and meyer lemon curd) and a vanilla creme fresh panna cotta with poached pears. Amazing desserts. The other great thing about this restaurant was the coffee. It was terrific, which is always a plus.
Overall, we had a great meal. I would definitely go back.

NP: Inch Worm, John Coltrane

Donut Headache

Most mornings when I am driving to work, I make my own coffee at home and take it in a travel mug. Every once in a while I can't be bothered (I'm usually too tired) and I figure I'll stop on the road on my way into the city. There's this Dunkin' Donuts on Route 17 that I've gone to once or twice before. Never have I gotten good service there. Also, their coffee isn't that good, which I don't really understand because I assumed all Dunkin' Donuts establishments made their coffee exactly the same way (isn't there a Dunkin' Donuts University out there for prospective franchise owners?). Anyway, my wife has had similar experiences as I have had at this place and we both came to the conclusion to avoid it from now on.
Well, I didn't listen to my own advice and the other morning I stopped in there to get a coffee and a muffin. I clearly asked for 1 large coffee with milk and sugar and a banana nut muffin. The following conversation followed:

Dunkin' Donuts Lady: "Anything else?"
Me: "No, just the coffee and the muffin."
DDL: "Okay. Anything else?"
Me: "Well... the muffin."
DDL: "Yes. Anything else?"
Me: "No. Just a large coffee with milk and sugar and a banana nut muffin."
DDL: "Anything else?"
Me: "No. The coffee and the muffin."
DDL: "Anything else?"
Me: "No."
(a few moments pass...)
DDL: "One large coffee. $2.02." (rings me up in the cash register.)
Me: "Are you f*&king kidding me?!?!?!"

I don't know why this exchange surprised me... this place sucks.

NP: nothing

Rocking Horse

A couple of nights ago, my wife and I met a couple of good friends out for a pre-Christmas dinner at the Rocking Horse Cafe in Chelsea. I think we first discovered this place by just searching for a place to eat in this neighborhood one evening years ago because we had to be over there for something else. We've been back multiple times since, always enjoying ourselves. I've ever had a bad or disappointing meal here.
This time, I had the Camarones con Papaya (shrimp, caramelized onions, papaya & poblano chiles in chipotle tomato purée with warm organic spelt tortillas) after starting off with some guacamole. It was all really good. A nice blend of sweet and spicy. For dessert we shared the Tarta de Limón (lime custard in ginger graham crust with Myers's rum cream, mango & raspberry purées), which was great, but I recommend the Buñuelos with Ibarra (homemade donuts with chocolate pot au creme & spiced piloncillo syrup) if you're going to be there and saving room for dessert.
I had a great time at this place, and I was really happy that everyone enjoyed their meal. I feel like whenever we take people to a place we really like the chef has an off-night and I feel badly that I dragged people out to this place to spend their hard-earned cash on a sub-par meal. Not this night (whew). The only thing I was a little disappointed in was my wine choice. I got a Rioja (of course I can't remember what it was and the wine list isn't online), and it wasn't as good as I had hoped. Hey, what can you do?

NP: The Backyardigans...

Early Merry Christmas

Today's a day where everything as been going wrong. I've tried to bake some gifts and they keep coming out badly. It really hasn't been my fault, but either way, they turned out like crap. My son has been really cranky (although in his defense he seems to be not feeling well today), and my wife has been really cranky (because of my son). I would like to go to bed and just have a do-over. Well, that can't happen, so...
I decided I would try to change my luck by wishing everyone a somewhat early Merry Christmas!!!

NP: Christmas Is Coming, John Denver & the Muppets

Not Such A Bastard

Last night we uncorked a bottle of Il Bastardo Sangiovese Rosso di Toscana 2001, Italy. I've had this wine before in a restaurant in Boston (I can't actually remember the name of that place, but it's on Newbury Street upstairs from Daisy Buchanan's). Anyway, I liked this wine then and I liked it now. It's a simple Italian red with some dark fruit (mainly cherries) and a little harshness to it, but it's good. Especially since it costs less than 10 bucks a bottle it's a great buy. Besides, everyone enjoys seeing the label...

NP: Limelight, Rush

More Proof He's Mine

Today my son woke up from his nap and was feeling a little cranky. We've got a few tricks to get him out of his post-nap funk. Today I decided to put on his favorite song (No One, by Alicia Keys) and let him sit on my lap on the couch for a bit. (It's really cute because he sings along with her, totally off-key. Of course he doesn't sing the words - he's only 14 months - but he does the melody and he does do a good job with the oh-oh-oh's at the end.)
Anyway, my iPod was on shuffle and after the Alicia Keys song finished, it went to Creeping Death by Metallica. Well, my son jumped off my lap and started bouncing up and down, clapping his hands and squealing with joy. It was awesome. Too bad my wife wasn't around to witness it (I doubt she'll believe me if I tell her). Maybe it's because he got the Metallica Lullaby CD for his birthday or maybe he's just into the metal... only time will tell.
Maybe I need to get him a tiny guitar and get the lessons started early.

Panettone Success!

Yesterday I decided to try my hand at baking a Panettone. For those who don't know, this is basically an Italian holiday bread. It's usually filled with candied fruit. Personally, I'm not crazy about fruit filled breads. I think I must've had some freak accident with a fruit cake as a child that I blocked out from my memory (my fruit cake hate is no where near the level of my M.A.S.H. hate, in case you were wondering). Whatever the reason, I'm just not into it. So, I made mine with chocolate chips instead (the 60% cacao ones from Ghirardelli). Amazingly, it turned out really well on only my first try (see the pics of it on this post).
Anyway, I got the recipe from the Gourmet Magazine website in case you're interested. I pretty much followed it except for the following changes.: Instead of 1 cup of raisins and 1 cup of candied citrus, I used 2 cups of the chips (it's a good idea to toss the chips in flour first so they don't sink). Instead of the lemon zest and juice I used 1 tbsp vanilla. As for the baking, I ditched the coffee can idea and actually used one of the paper things the Panettone will usually come in (I got mine at Chef Central). It was a large one, so I never divided the bread and only cooked one loaf. The instructions on the paper container says to lower to baking temperature with those, so I baked at 350 instead of 375 for 40 minutes. It worked out great.

NP: Beverly Hills, Weezer

Not Just For Breakfast Anymore

I love brunch. My wife loves brunch. While we were in NYC we would go all over the place to have brunch on the weekends (or during the week if we were lucky enough to be off from work). One place that we both really enjoy is the Popover Cafe on the Upper West Side. My favorite breakfast there is the Eggs Benedict on Popovers. Mmmm. The popovers at this place are as big as your head (well... I guess it depends on the size of your head) and are full of flaky goodness inside. They also come with home-made strawberry butter which is perfect.
Well, our son's pediatrician is on the Upper West Side, so after his appointment the other day we needed some lunch. I had never been there for lunch before, so we thought we'd give it a chance. We both (well, all three of us really) had the Chicken "Pop" Pie. It's basically a chicken pot pie served in a popover (in case you didn't get it already, basically everything either comes with or in a popover). This was terrific. It was the perfect lunch on a cold, rainy, winter day.

NP: Damage Is Done, Black Label Society

Fakes Are Good Too

This year I broke tradition and got myself an artificial Christmas Tree. Growing up, my family always had a fake tree and we hated it (well, my sister and I hated it). Sometime during high school we switched over to real trees. I decided at that time I would always get a real tree at Christmas time. Well, that decision, just like many others in my life has been turned over. This year we got a fake tree. This decision was influenced by many factors, but the most compelling were the potential fire and choking hazards a real tree presented to my 1 year old son who can't keep his hands off of anything (do you know how many times I've had to tell him that the oven is bad?). Also, the fact that real tree prices have climbed every year and we've been paying about $100 a year for a tree we thought was nice enough (not even the best tree, just good enough). Of course this was in NYC and not NJ, but the part of Jersey we moved to isn't really that much cheaper than NYC... in fact, in some ways, it's more expensive. Ah well...
To be honest, I wasn't ready for the amazingly inflated prices of artificial trees, but I guess it'll pay for itself over time. Now all trees come with lights already on them. I really do enjoy the ease of these trees, but I would have been happy to have scored a cheaper tree without lights. Unfortunately the only ones I could fine (I think I found 2) were like the tree from Charlie Brown's Christmas. Decorated, they remind me of an old lady trying to look good on a night out - too old and scrawny for a couple of baubles to fool anyone into thinking they are still pretty.
So... I shelled out the big bucks and got a nice tree with 800 lights and over 2100 branch tips. It looks really nice and I'm happy with it. I got it at K-Mart. Not my favorite store in the world - I always leave that place feeling dirty. Also, it's from the Martha Stewart line of trees, and I had to break some of my own moral codes to actually purchase a tree from that lady, but sometimes you've got to sell your soul to get what you want.
Happy Holidays!

NP: Love Like Winter, AFI

I Guess Rats Aren't All Bad

This weekend I rented the movie Ratatouille from Pixar Studios. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, it's a cartoon (well, computer generated cartoon) about a rat in France who decides he wants to be a chef. I had heard that this was another great movie from Pixar, and I wanted to check it out. It was really good. It's a cute movie with some little jokes that are obviously directed towards the adults in the audience. I also enjoyed the scenes of Paris, which made me want to go back and visit again. I would check this one out if you get a chance.

NP: Little Guitars, Van Halen

I Used To Hate Clowns

Since moving out of NYC I've actually started buying wine in my local grocery store. This wasn't something I would ever think of doing in the city, but here there's not too many better options. I haven't been too impressed with the wine selection and the quality of wines I've bought in the local wine stores. The grocery stores sell wine, and it's at least stuff I've heard of. It my not be the fanciest of selections, but it is pretty decent with the cheaper stuff.
One day I grabbed a bottle of Beauzeaux Red Wine California 2005 (pronounced Bo-Zo). It was $7.99 and had signs of "Wine of the Year (can't remember the exact organization that named it wine of the year)" around it. I was easily swayed and bought a bottle. It was actually very enjoyable. I've been through three bottles since and have liked every one. It's a red blend of 68% Zinfandel, 21% Syrah, 3% Petite Sirah, 3% Charbono, 2% Lagrein, 1% Valdiguie, 1% Grenache, 1% Tempranillo, so it pretty much goes with everything. It's a smooth wine with some blackberries and other dark fruits.
Another wine I picked up from the grocery store was Robert Mondavi Private Selection Chardonnay California 2005. This one I actually picked up because all Mondavi selections were on sale for $8.99 and usually we have pretty good success with them. I have to say I didn't love this wine. It was good, and I think most of my reservations are due to bad pairings with dinner, but overall it wasn't the best for me. It was a little too fruity and less buttery than I was hoping for in a chardonnay. Still, we bought 2 bottles and it was very consistent.

NP: Exit, Population 1

Let The Holiday Season Begin

So, it seems that each year Thanksgiving becomes more about when you can really start shopping for Christmas (and decorate your house without your neighbors thinking you are crazy) than what it's really about - giving thanks (and celebrating when some Pilgrims sat down with Native Americans and split a turkey and some corn).
Today I spent the day with my family (well, my wife's family to be exact) and we all had a very nice time. My son only had 1 or 2 short lived meltdowns and a day that for a while seemed like "A Thanksgiving Without A Turkey" turned out to be a very good day (the people bringing the turkey were late - a no no for future reference). Even the drive from New Jersey to Long Island wasn't that bad (the L.I.E. actually moved well for once).

I stuffed my face on turkey, potatoes, stuffing, pork, lasagna, carrots, rice and beans, ham, roasted vegetables, cheese cake, chocolate chip cookies, brownies and candy. Not a bad day.

Now it's time for shopping to begin.

Chuck

So, it seems that every year there's a new television show that I really get into. Last year it was Heroes (which, by the way, isn't as bad this year as everyone says it is - it's just not great). This year, it's Chuck. The television show by McG about a computer geek who gets sucked into the world of spies and such. It's a comedy, but it's also got some great story writing. Hopefully the writer's strike won't screw this one up. Check it out if you get the chance: Mondays at 8:00pm, NBC.

NP: Best of You, Foo Fighters

First Snow

This morning I am sick and my son woke us up at 6:00am. I couldn't go back to sleep because I'm coughing too much and the heating guy is supposed to come over between 8 and 12 to fix our heating system (it is only half working). So... already it hasn't been the best day. But when I was making myself a cup of tea, I looked out the kitchen window and saw snow. I'm really not sure if this is the first snow of the season, but it's my first snow of the year and that's what counts. The day's not all bad.

NP: No One, Alicia Keys

More Wine For The Week

Well, I've got some more wines to write about this week. Trying to catch up with the ones that we've had since the move. Unfortunately, many are lost to the winds. I try to keep the label and things like that, but my wife has a love of throwing things away. So, they went to the trash before I could keep tabs on them. Anyway, the first of the ones I do remember is Rocca Felice Nebbiolo d'Alba Italy. I got this one for somewhere between $6.99 and $8.99 and it was worth every penny. Honestly, this was a great little wine, which we both enjoyed a lot. It's a nice Italian red.
Another one I picked up recently was the Inama Vin Soave Soave Classico 2006, Italy. I've gotten this wine a couple of times before and I really enjoy it. I think I feel like it's a smoother wine that I previously gave it credit for, but overall it's been pretty consistent. Although this was the first bottle I've had of the 2006 vintage (previous bottles were from 2005). A good wine.
Then we've got the Tupun Reserve Chardonnay Argentina, 2006. This bottle I got from the Wine of the Month club I had been a member of. We didn't love this wine. I think we had it with some turkey, which probably wasn't the best pairing, but it said on the label it went with poultry. It was a little too fruity for my tastes. Especially for something that was supposed to go with dinner. The tasting notes say flavors of pineapple, peach and mango, but what we really tasted were apricots.
Finally, I was hoping to enjoy a bottle of Frog's Leap Chardonnay Napa Valley, 2005. Unfortunately it was heat damaged, so we didn't drink that one. By the way, this was the 3rd bottle of wine I've gotten at Total Wine in River Edge, NJ that was heat damaged... Take it for what you will.

It's A Crappy Day... I'm Feeling Winey

It's a crappy day out today, and I have to go to work in a little while. My son has finally settled down for an afternoon nap, and the work I want/have to do can't get done. For some reason my file is corrupted, so I have to wait until I get into my office to get my backup. So... I'm sitting here on my couch, with nothing better to watch on television but Grease 2, and I figure I should throw something up here.
Since moving into our new house, we've been through a whole lot of wine. Some good and some not-so-good. Luckily, I've been happy with most, but there have been the occasional stinkers.
One of my favorite wines is the Carpineto Dogajolo Tuscany Italy 2005. I used to get this wine a lot at Sherry-Lehman in the city and was excited to find it in my local Stop and Shop Wine Shop. It's not expensive and a great everyday Italian wine. It's a blend of Sangiovese and Carbenet Sauvignon grapes. I have this with pasta (marinara, bolognese or any variety of red sauces) and with meats. I think it's a fun, steady wine. I've had multiple bottles and never have been disappointed.
Another staple Italian red for us is the Ruffino Aziano Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy 2005. To be honest, I thought the 2003 was a much better wine, but I've been happy with the 2004 and 2005 as well (with the 2005 being a better choice over the two). We first had this wine (the 2003) in New Orleans, and we've stuck by it since. It's a great everyday chianti that goes with just about everything. It's got nice acidity, full body and a taste of dark red fruit.
A great white, which I will recommend to anyone is the Groth Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2005. This may be my favorite white wine. This is another wine that we first had while visiting New Orleans. We enjoyed this with dinner at August (which may be one of the best restaurants I've been to in the United States). I can't tell you how many bottles of this wine I've gone through. It's consistently excellent from bottle to bottle and vintage to vintage. It's great with seafood or light pasta dishes. It is crisp, light and has citrus flavors and melon.
Another wine we've had in the recent months was Graffigna Malbec Argentina 2004. I bought this one a very long time ago (while my wife was pregnant) at the recommendation of one of the guys at Murray's Wine Store and it's sat in my wine fridge ever since. My wife is a big fan of Malbec, so we waited until she wasn't pregnant or breast-feeding to enjoy this wine. I liked it. It wasn't terrific, but I've never been blown over by a Malbec. I like them, but they have never been a go-to wine for me. It's got lots of dark cherry and plums. A little spicy, but not too much. We paired it with grilled lamb chops and they went very well together (mmm.... those lamb chops turned out very good. I remember them well).

Oh... the baby's awake. Got to go.

So Much

Wow. It's been forever since I posted on here. A whole lot has happened since then. We moved out of NYC (I'm still suffering from that - don't know if I'll ever get used to it), we're fixing up our house and my son had his first birthday. We got a new (second) car, and now I must deal with commuting into Manhattan on an all too often basis to get to work. We've seen some decent movies and drank some really good wine. We've had the occasional great meal and some terrific gelato. Hopefully I'll write more about this all later. Right now I've got work to finish...

Oh yeah, HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

NP: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, HBO

Last Post? Happy Labor Day

Hmm... so Labor Day was actually started back in the 1800's by the Central Labor Union to give its workers a day off. Now it's a National Holiday. Nice. Happy Labor Day to everyone! It's the end of the summer (unofficially) and that's sad. There's cold weather ahead! Unless Al Gore is right and then there's rising sea levels ahead!
This is probably going to be my last post in a while. The Big Move is happening this week and we've been putting things away as best we can. The computer is going to go soon...
I may be on again over the next couple of days, but if not, it'll likely be a couple of weeks until the next post. See ya!
Go Yankees!

In The Club

I've been pretty absent once again. Work and the Big Move have taken up almost all of my time. At least the Yankees are in playoff contention again. Hopefully they won't continue to have such a see-saw in their playing ability.
The last 3 wines we've opened have all been from the Wine of the Month Club my wife had gotten for me last Christmas. Unfortunately, the club is over for me (it was a 6 month gift), but I've still got some wines.
My favorite of the recent group was a Zinfandel from Puglia, Italy. It was Ill Basso Zinfandel 2005, Puglia (IGT). This wine was terrific, but really very different than an American Zin'. I don't even remember what we ate with this wine, but I remember the wine. We were a little scared when we uncorked it, not knowing what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised. The wine wasn't really spicy like an American Zin'. My wife thought it tasted like cherries, but I could taste a little bit of tobacco and leather in there as well. Usually, this has been what I've disliked about wines from Puglia. This one, however, had just enough to make it really good and fun. The ones I've had before (Primitivo's, no Zinfandel's) were just too overpowering.
The next one was a white. It was Pasodoble Torrontes 2006, Argentina. I can't remember when this one showed up from the club, but it's been hanging in the 'fridge since then. On the papers from the club it states that it goes great with spicy Thai dishes. Usually, I like a Gewturztraminer or a Riesling with my Thai food, but we figured we'd give it a go. We got some great take-out from Land on the Upper East Side. Friends have told me that the one on Amsterdam is great too. Anyway, my first reaction was forgettable. Mainly because I felt like I was drinking water. It didn't stand up to the food. It was very easy to drink and definitely "went" with the meal (it actually did fair better against the spicier dishes), but it just kind of faded into the distance. My first sips (before the food) tasted of honey and peaches, and it was very smooth. Too bad it didn't hold its own.
Finally I've got a Merlot to speak of. To be honest, but biggest complaint about this Wine of the Month Club has been the predominance of Merlot's in its selections. Half of the reds were Merlot's. Anyway, this one was Tres Valles Merlot 2005, Curico Valley Chile. This was a pretty nice wine. It didn't have a lot of the "mossy-ness" I tend to associate with Merlot. It had some nice red fruits and was pretty easy to drink. However, we didn't finish the bottle, and I never went back to it again. So that has to tell you something.

NP: Some crazy a$$ $h!t by Bjork, Saturday Night Live