Sunday, January 30, 2011

Sunday Bloody Sunday


































































































Today Bonne-Maman, Arlette and Mom came over to our place for brunch. Since it was Bonne-Maman and Arlette's first time visiting we prepared a special menu for the occasion, starting up spicy and ending on a sweet note.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Pasta-Making Machines




































For our mom's 60th birthday Rachel and I treated her (and ourselves) to a Homemade Pasta workshop at the Viking Cooking School in Peapack-Gladstone, NJ. I know, I know, this blog is where Ronak and I write only about our joint culinary experiences, but on this occasion we're making an exception because 1) this workshop was far too amazing not to record and 2) I recreated two of the dishes for Ronak so he has already benefited from the recipes learned. Here's what we made that day:

Lobster Bolognese Sauce with Fettucine
Pansotti with Tomato, Onion, Basil Sauce
Lasagna with Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Bechamel Sauce
Fennel Salad with Red Peppers and Cerignola Olives
Lemon Walnut Biscotti































































We had our hands in preparing all the dishes on the menu, though some more than others. For instance, we were more than happy to pass off the job of shelling the lobsters to the Fish Monger on staff. The class was 3 hours long and because we were making our own lunch (and were very hungry), we felt motivated to produce quickly and boost the quantities wherever possible- especially when it came to the pansotti. Once the dishes were plated and served, we ate every last bit but still yearned for a just a small hunk of bread to wipe our plates clean. The lack of bread however did not prevent us from resorting to use our fingers to get those last drops of sauce.

Friday, January 21, 2011

New Devotees























Bhakti, the Sanskrit word for "devotion", is a fitting word to describe our experience this night.

Friendship is all about devotion. And our friend Kristen pretty much sums it all up. A devoted runner, spiritualist, yogi, and all around amazing friend...

Her invitation to dessert at Bhakti Cafe was our entrance back to India. Full of colorful Hindu portraits and a warm vibe, Bhakti was a solace from the frigid temperatures outside.

The cupcakes we had were outstanding. Orange infused with a smooth & creamy icing... so good we had a hard time believing they were vegan.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Kem Cho, Kimchi?

Reva and Samir introduced us to Kunjip, a Korean restaurant in the heart of K-Town, on 32nd between Broadway and Fifth.

Crowded. Warm. Chopsticks. Real authentic.

Tons of little plates arrived at the table instantly - spicy pickled vegetables. Followed by the seafood scallion cake. Then, we got the highlight.... Korean BBQ. A NYC classic and a new favorite for us.