Who's the Cake Boss?

My son really wants to go to college at a school located in Hoboken. He's going to be a junior in high school, so we thought this was a perfect time to start visiting institutes of higher learning. And, what's really important when you're visiting a college in Hoboken? Noticing the splendid view of Manhattan and trying to sneak a visit to Carlo's Bakery in, while you're at it. Carlo's Bakery has been made famous by the television show, Cake Boss.

Truthfully, we rarely watch the show in my house because I cannot stand the staged drama. For example, who, in their right mind, would assign a brand-new, 18-yr.-old employee to transport a wedding cake by himself? Only someone who enjoys broadcasting the drama of the cake being dropped several stories down the service stairs. Makes me wanna breathe into a paper bag.

But, I couldn't resist the opportunity for adventure and a taste of the baked goods to see if the idea meets reality. As we approached, I felt pretty excited! The line was not long! Ohhh, but wait. That's just the roped-off line in front of the actual store. The "real" line, was located down the block, in front of the CVS. You had to get a ticket there (from the fabulous Mike--so helpful!) and wait until the line in front of the store moved INTO the store. Estimated time to get into store: 1 hour and 30 minutes. We figured we'd try it out, we could always jump out of line. As the Mister waited in line, I tried a different approach...
I really just wanted to look inside the store, so I tried without getting in line. When I climbed the stairs into the store, I was stopped by the "doorman" (read: bouncer) who was in his very early 20s. He wouldn't let me in, even after I explained that I was a professional and I just wanted to look. He told me that he would get in trouble for letting me in and they would know because "the cameras are watching." So, back to the line I went and I waited.

The girl in line in front of us was already holding a Carlo's box. "Why," I asked her, "are you standing in line, again?" She had just come from the factory (or kitchen), not the bakery. She explained that she had purposely made the trip to Hoboken, with family who were going to be in the area for another event. She tagged along and created her very own Cake Boss Adventure. That included a "cake decorating lesson". She's an experienced cake-decorating hobbyist and thought it would be fun. So, she went to the lesson, held at the factory in the Lackawanna Center (Grove St., Hoboken). Did she learn a lot? No. She received a pre-iced layer cake, to which she applied fondant (she did roll that) and fondant cut-outs (that she cut out). The 2-hour class was "taught" by an apprentice who had just won one of Buddy's spin-off shows. Cost: $125.

Mauro, making an appearance in the packed bakery.

But...back to the bakery... 

Once inside, the place is jam-packed like sardines in olive oil. Youngsters who are generally less-than-enthusiastic take your order and meet you at the register with it (Count on adding another 1/2 hour to your trip). You've either got to be really crafty at juggling the crowd to see into the cases or not afraid to take your time in the frenetic space that is Carlo's and ask a lot of questions, both difficult tasks. It's hard to hear the server, hard to see the goods and, by the way, NOTHING is labeled with prices. Kind of less-than-friendly. If you've grown up in NJ, you might not be as sensitive to this, but in my opinion, the Buddy Valastro of Cake Boss TV belies the personality of his actual place of business.

Our order and their reviews:
3 Lobster Tails @ $3.50 each...maybe a little pricey, for an everyday treat, but fine and tasty ($10.50)
6 Sprinkle Tarralli (a dry, "coffee cookie")...meh.                                                                       ($4.10)
Dark Mousse mini cake...melted (our fault), generally tasty but it was overpriced at                ($6.50)
1/4 lb. sesame cookies...again, not too sweet, tiny in size, really delicious because I love sesame!
                                                                                                                                                      (3.40)
2 pignoli meringues. These bad boys are about 2 1/2 inches around and were the hit of my day.
They almost felt like a bargain, respectively.                                                                                (2.40)
And a Vanilla Cupcake. I had to taste the cake. The cake itself was delicious and did not taste like it was from a mix. It had a fine, tight crumb and a good flavor. Priced fine at                                (2.25)

So, for about 30 bucks and a few hours, I'm glad we experienced the reality of Cake Boss. I won't clamber to get back in the store, but I don't feel like it was time wasted.

Our Chicago Dining Choices

Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, Chicago

I took the dining recommendations of my friends, did some internet searches on those choices and even blocked them out on a map, so I could see where they were located in relation to where I was staying. That was a good plan. It helped narrow the field a bit.
My big sister and my newly-turned-21-yr.-old niece met me (they live in Indiana) and I knew that while we might want to walk a little, this trip really was about relaxation.
 

We began with Saturday lunch at The Taste of Chicago, held at Grant Park (at Jackson and Columbus). Some big changes were made for Taste 2012. They cut the festival run time in half, from it's usual ten days to five (lots of debate on both sides about that choice), moved it from the raucous time block of July 4 to the more laid back mid-July (I vote yea on that.) and trimmed the vendor attendance by 20 (I didn't think that was a good idea.). I thought the food was reasonable in price. $8 got you a strip of 12 tickets. At many stands, you could purchase a full portion or a tasting portion. My $16 got me 1 order of potstickers and 1 Pad Thai from Arun's pop-up stand, 1 less-than-ripe-and-delicious bruschetta, 1/2 a Billy Goat Cheeseburger (shared with my niece, no Pepsi! Coke!- I had to!) and a bottle of water. I wasn't impressed with the vendors. I expected less street festival and more real taste of Chi-Town. There was a lot of pizza. A lot. Not regretful that I went, but won't clamber to get back.
 



Fresh fish on display at Santorini, Chicago

For Saturday dinner, my nephew and some friends joined us and we took the party to Greektown. It was a hopping neighborhood and we took a table at the noisy (OPA!) Santorini, where we had a family-style meal. The meat was just a bit overcooked to my rare tastes, but I loved the Spanikotiropita (spinach and feta in phyllo) and Saganaki (flaming cheese), which is tastier than any fried mozzarella could want to be. Best of all was our waiter, George. An older, fun-loving Greek guy. He was the perfect combination of professional and don't-give-me-crap-I'm-not-your-dad.

Sunday breakfast turned into Sunday brunch, not just because of the timing (it's okay to sleep in/gab a lot when you're on holiday with your sister!) but from the sheer amount of food we consumed at The Bongo Room. (We chose the Wicker Park location, there are three.) Nary a bad review in site, this was an ideal spot to enjoy some extraordinary food at affordable prices, albeit in a popular, noisy, slightly crowded place. The wait is long, just like the reviews say and there's little shade to be had while you're waiting, but the wait is worth it. I am a protein eater, so I knew that eggs would be involved somewhere. I chose the BLT Benedict. Two delicious sourdough English muffins were lightly toasted and topped with baby spinach, applewood smoked bacon bits (so much easier to eat than strips, thank you), perfectly poached eggs and tomato-basil pesto hollandaise sauce. That sauce is the real deal. You can watch the cooking line and I found myself fondly reminiscing as I watched a brother-in-arms ladle the sauce from it's warm place above the stove. Pathogens, be damned! A heaping of hash browns mashed themselves up against the entree, but they didn't receive much attention because I had to save room for my dessert...The pancake.

The pancakes come in orders of three. They are 10 inches, each and some incorporate ingredients or combinations of ingredients not normally found in griddle cakes. The trick is to know that orders of these fluffy flap jacks can be brought in a lesser (but not smaller) portion. I had read this AND our friendly server also mentioned it. When I asked the server to help me choose between the Red Velvet Pancake and the Caramel White Chocolate Pretzel Pancake, she gave me an important and very accurate answer. "So many people order Red Velvet because they just loooove Red Velvet, but I think the Pretzel Pancake is just so much more flavorful," she said.

And she was right. I like Red Velvet, but I am always disappointed in the lack of chocolate flavor and my CWCPP was a carnival ride of flavor. I do not like white chocolate, but including it on this pancake was genius. While I am a pretzel lover, I find myself having texture issues when they are included in some dishes (keep those pretzel M&Ms-they're like malted milk balls!) and almost had a problem here, but then I'd crunch into a salty bit and forget my sorrows. The Bongo Room is not to be missed.

My sister and my niece enjoyed a croissant sandwich and a breakfast burrito, respectively.

The TASTES of Chicago

Before embarking on my business trip to Chicago to review the new ServSafe exam items, I surveyed my professional culinary friends (and a few non-pros) for dining recommendations. Here are some of the responses I received:

View from the Signature Room at the 95th

For :
Gluten-Free Menu...Wildfire -(although part of a chain, my friend loves it!) probably because it has a  Loud, casual, great food, lots of fun.

Fine dining ...Naha....the bar has lebanese food that is awesome. Avec, Signature Room at the 95th (on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building).

Top notch food heavy pig menu...Publican (two mentions)

Interesting lunch... Xoco (at least 2 mentions) (owned by award-winning, American Chef-specializing-in-Mexican-cuisine, Rick Bayless) closed on Sundays and Mondays

Brunch... North Pond (2 mentions)....great burgers, Signature Room got another nod in this category.
Desserts..... Mindy Segal's Hot Chocolate (dessert bar)
Culture...Greek Town, especially Greek Islands Restaurant or Taxim (which is in Buckwood/Wicker Park).

Tapas, charcuterie ...etc...The Purple Pig on Miracle Mile (two mentions)..nice patio

Lunch and breakfast...The Bongo Room for amazing pancakes (and this friend doesn't like pancakes). Their food and atmosphere is fun, funky and delicious.
 
Mexican...Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill, Xoco, Topolabampo, Tortas in O'Hare Airport (no kidding-long line). OR Pilsen (residential district on the lower West side of Chicago).

Farm to Table... Nightwood Restaurant in Pilsen (three mentions!!) Matthew Rice is the pastry chef at Nightwood....AWESOME desserts! Mattie is so very talented. Wonderful quirky little place with delicious food.

Informal...DMK Burger Bar. Fish Bar (by the DMK boys).

GT Fish and Oyster Bar

Thai...Arun's

Taste of Chicago was also taking place while I was in town.

The Maxwell St Market on Sunday mornings is fun if you like Latino food and a flea market atmosphere.

Worth Noting:

A Food Guru I know points out that most of the new artsy restaurants need to be reserved three months ahead.

Next time: So many food choices...so little time. Where did I eat???

 

Subject Matter Expert!! Who? Me?

Yes, me. I was chosen by The National Restaurant Assoc. as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to review some of the 1175 ServSafe questions posed by the Item Writers.
The first task at hand was to review some online. Lots of back-and-forth ensued between writers and SMEs and after a quickly-moving period of about 4 weeks, all online reviewing ceased. Whatever was left would be reviewed in Chicago.
I took an extra day or two to visit with mid-western friends and enjoy some quiet in ChiTown. SMEs were put up at the J.W.Marriott in the Sloop (South Loop), the financial district, which is nice and quiet on the weekend. The NRA (not to be confused with gun-totin' activists) is only a few streets away.


The National Restaurant Association Offices

My experience as an SME was wonderful. As one of 15 SMEs, I had the opportunity to converse with brilliant people who also spoke the language of pathogens, rubrics and domains and I met some of the most influential individuals in food safety, both past and present.
The NRA certainly made our job easy to accomplish. They provided breakfast and lunch and breaks when we needed them and more experts to debate with. They made sure our needs were met as long as we kept pushing those questions around.
And the job we did is not to be taken lightly. This test affects millions of people, those that take it and those that benefit from food safety education and certification.
It will be interesting to see where this food safety education road leads.

Seeing what the cucumbers really look like...

When you are an entrepreneur or gambler (aren't they really the same thing??), when considering a new project, you form a vision and then dive in, head first, knowing that the whole deal is a crapshoot until YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT THE WHOLE THING LOOKS LIKE. The past six months of tremendous growth and adventure for AngelFood can be largely attributed to that philosophy and I've had a whole bunch of new adventures myself...

One evening, last summer, a friend shared with me the tastiest gherkins I have ever had. And I don't like gherkins, by the way. These tiny pickled cucumbers tasted of sweet goodness and spices, such as allspice with a touch of cinnamon. Even after we ravaged the whole jar, I wanted more.

As some of you know, last summer was The Summer of Frontier Woman and I was foraging and making lots of my own kitchen goodness, so, of course, I needed to make my own gherkins.

The first step was to get my hands on the cukes. Even I know that mini, baby, tiny cukes are NOT the same product as kirby cukes (that we pickle) or garden cukes (that get made into salad). I've never seen the raw cukes at a farmer's market or even a roadside stand. The best info on anything of vegetative nature, is always found by contacting my big sister, Carol, who lives on her own plot of goat-raising, garden-harvesting, solar-paneled, bio-fueled land, in the middle of a cornfield in Indiana.


The desperate (on my part) conversation went a bit like this,

J: "Where can I get the plants??!!" (like a contraband-seeking junkie)

C:  (Calmly, because she's so used to this)"[sigh] "You can't. Even if you could find those particular plants, it's too late in the season. You'll have to get your own seeds, next year, and grow your own."

NEXT YEAR??!!

I searched the internet this winter only to find that true gherkins are really round and spiny, and the size of an egg. Thinking a bit deeper, I changed my search to "cornichons", which are different (when prepared) than gherkins. Cornichons are very, very tart, tiny pickled cucumbers whose acidity is often used to cut the richness in pate'. I found exactly what I was looking for from an heirloom seed company. I bought 2 different types.

We planted the seeds in window boxes this spring. This was much better than the original plan, which was to warn The Mister that he might come home from work one day to find the driveway lined with baby pools filled with dirt and cornichon seeds.

The seeds germinated quickly and after 3 true leaves formed, I set to pinching off any leaves below blossoms. Fruits developed behind the flowers (if the flowers got pollinated-thank you bugs, they did!).




 When I realized that my yield was not anywhere near what the recipe called for, I planted more. It was a good lesson to teach my daughter about practice. The lesson was this: This was the first year we tried this and we might have to do it all differently next year when we really see what this looks like. I have to adapt my recipe to a much smaller, simpler recipe to adapt to pickling one jar at a time.

I'll have to pick the cucumbers earlier than I think, if they are to remain small and uber-delicious. Some of them are getting gigantic for gherkins. I have purchased cippolini onions to add to the jar and at times, may add green bean bits. Maybe one jar will have a Scotch Bonnet Pepper grown by my friend, the Gherkin Pusher, herself.


In order to keep the pickles crisp, they are not subjected to a heat-packing method. For sweet gherkins, the process takes at least 4 days and as long as 14. I have seen recipes for sour cornichons in which they are salted and drained (to remove excess fluid which will detract from their crispness) and then packed into a jar with seasoning and a good (6% acidity) white vinegar.
 

Here's the recipe Carol sent me with a note written on it:"Have fun! Maybe next year...Love, Carol"

Funny thing is, next week I am having dinner with Carol and her youngest, in Chicago. Guess what we're having for dessert? You guessed it. Gherkins. All four of them.



Sweet Gherkins

Yield 7 to 8 pints



About 7 pounds of cucumbers, 1 1/2 to 3 inches in length

1/2 cup, pure granulated salt

8 cups sugar

1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) vinegar (white is my choice)

3/4 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons celery seed

2 teaspoons whole mixed pickling spice

8 1-inch pieces of cinnamon stick

1/2 teaspoon fennel seed (optional--no thank you)

2 teaspoons vanilla (optional) I have good stuff from Mexico that might make it into a jar...



First day:

Morning, Wash cucumbers thoroughly and scrub with a veg. brush. Drain, place in a large container and cover with boiling water for 6 to 8 hours.

Afternoon: Drain, cover with fresh, boiling water.



Second day:

Morning: Drain, cover with fresh, boiling water.

Afternoon: Drain, add salt, cover with fresh boiling water.



Third day:

Morning: Drain, prick cukes in several places with a table fork. Make sirup (it's an old recipe) of 3 cups of the sugar and 3 cups of the vinegar. Add turmeric and spices. Heat to boiling and pour over cucumbers. Cucumbers will be partially covered at this point.

Afternoon: Drain sirup into pan; add 2 cups of the sugar and 2 cups of the vinegar to sirup. Heat to boiling and pour over pickles.



Fourth Day:

Morning: Drain sirup into pan; add 2 cups of the sugar and 1 cup of the vinegar to sirup. Heat to boiling and pour over pickles.

Afternoon: Drain sirup into pan; add remaining 1 cups sugar and the vanilla to sirup; heat to boiling. Pack pickles into clean, hot pint jars and cover with boiling sirup to 1/2-inch to top of jar. Adjust jar lids.



Process for 5 minutes in boiling water bath. Time starts when water returns to boiling. Remove jars and complete seals, if necessary. Set jars upright, several inches apart, on a wire rack to cool.



For tart Cornichons courtesy of Auberge of the Flowering Hearth...
Wash your cucumbers and put them into a crock. Soak overnight in heavily salted water. Next day, drain and dry them well. Pack them into a clean crock (or heat proof jar). Cover them with a good (at least 6% acid) vinegar. Pour off the vinegar into an enameled pan, add 1 half cup more vinegar and bring to a rolling boil. Pour the vinegar over the cucumbers and let this sit, covered, for 24 hours. Repeat three times.
After the third time, allow to sit for at least 6 weeks before eating.
Adding grape leaves to the crock is also recommended to aid in crispness.

I would like you to know that "real" cornichons usually contain onion, mustard seeds, tarragon, and perhaps some coriander seed. Some chefs have been known to sneak a hot pepper in there, also.

There's a whole lot of Food Safety Goin' On!

And there should be...In every kitchen. Especially kitchens that serve the public, whether that be for hobby/fundraising (as do churches and civic organizations) or for profit (as do restaurants, stores and caterers).
As a foodservice vocational student, I learned to fear trichinosis (a disease caused by eating a parasite from undercooked meat, mainly pork). That fear evolved into the fear of sitting on a toilet because Mr. Rich Vergili assigned the video-watching homework (CIA-Hyde Park has an entire library of films on all sorts of culinary topics) to include the movie of how long a rat can swim through a clear tube (so you can watch) filled with water.
Salmonella became the pathogen of the 80s with the increased consumption of chicken breasts. And then of course, comes E. Coli, which although has been around forever, just becomes the bacteria of the decade because of production methods and the publicizing of outbreaks.
And then I became a ServSafe Instructor/Proctor. ServSafe is a food safety training and certificate program administered by the National Restaurant Association. In most states, each foodservice establishment of certain risk levels have to have members of their staff trained and certified in food safety and sanitation and ServSafe is the national standard. I teach ServSafe at Warren County Community College and also privately. It takes a lot of work to not worry about eating after one know so much about pathogens and cross-contamination.
In March, the National Restaurant Assoc. did a resume search amongst their instructor/proctors for people to write new test questions for the exam. My resume was chosen. Flattering, as I was one of about 130. Item Writing, as the task is called, is difficult. The question and answers have to be correct, first of all (not as easy as you would think) and written in a certain format set forth for us. The answers need to be cited from the references set forth and the domain and knowledge set (what part of food safety does this cover?) need to be named. So, you can't pull a question out of a hat and have it fly.
Each Item Writer was requested to write at least 10 questions. After a while, we'll get any questions back, after they are reviewed, for editing. The reviewers will also be invited to Chicago to review the remaining questions with other Subject Matter Experts before the questions were approved for the exam.
Chicago sounds like an exciting option. I wonder if I'll be chosen as a reviewer...

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year!

If you're struggling to maintain your New Year's resolutions, this year's Chinese New Year arrives early enough to give rebirth to your good habits, if you so choose.

The tranquility and calm of  2011's The Year of the Rabbit is met head-on by 2012's Year of the Dragon, which promises intensity, excitement, exhilaration and unpredictability (How do they predict THAT?).

The 15-day celebration is designed around the gathering of friends and family who partake in 8 or 9 courses of meaning-laden foods. The New Year's Eve meal (called tuan neen) is the most important because it unites the family (and by custom it is just the immediate family at home on the Eve) for thanksgiving.

The dish Jai (often referred to as Buddha's Delight in English) is always eaten on New Year's Day to cleanse the body and increase longevity. No fish, chicken or livestock is killed for food on the first day of the year. Traditionally, there must be 18 ingredients since the number 18 signifies wealth and prosperity. Some households, however, eat a simplified version of Jai.

I've chosen a simplified recipe from Whole Foods to share with you since hunting for authentic ingredients may prove frustrating if you haven't a nearby Asian market. Serve over white or brown rice or cooked noodles. Remember to cook the noodles without breaking them so you don't "break their longevity". Tofu should always be stirfried and never served white during Chinese New Year because the color white symbolizes mourning in the Chinese culture.

Get your rice or noodles cooked and your Buddha's Delight mise en place set before stir fry begins and you'll have dinner on the table is a Dragon's Breath Flash! Yu yuen yee sheung. (May your wishes be fulfilled!)

Buddha's Delight
Makes 3 to 4 servings.

3 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon toasted dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 (14-ounce) package soft tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 cups small broccoli florets
1 cup diagonally sliced carrots, about 1/4 inch thick
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts
1 cup fresh or frozen and thawed cut green beans
1 cup sliced green onions
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine tamari, sesame oil, mirin, rice vinegar, tofu and red pepper flakes, tossing gently to coat. Cover and marinate for 1 to 2 hours. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving the marinade.

Heat the canola oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and stir-fry for 5 minutes, until lightly browned on all sides. Remove tofu and set aside. Add broccoli, carrots and water chestnuts and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until just crisp-tender. Add green beans and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes more, until aromatic. Return tofu to wok.

Combine vegetable broth with arrowroot powder and reserved marinade, stirring well to completely dissolve the arrowroot. Add this to the wok and stir until sauce thickens. Season to taste with black pepper and garnish with cilantro.