September 19, 2012

The Bored Vegetarian & The Drink present…

GALA GALA HEY!

An Apple Festival Featuring Pie Stand Sunday, October 7th, 2012
2:00pm – 10:00pm
The Drink
228 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, NY 

Apples! Fall! We love them, so we’re throwing a big ol’ party to celebrate all things apple: apples pies, apple cider, apple brandy, bobbing for apples, songs about apples(?). We’ll be offering free classes about apples and making apple pies, as well as lots of apple treats for you to eat and drink. More details to come.

About Pie Stand

Pie Stand is a semi-regular, semi-secret pie social hosted by Kate Lebo, an award-winning baker and poet from Seattle, Washington. The premise is simple: Kate makes a seasonal selection of the best pie you’ve ever had. You stop by for a slice, a drink, and a chat—or you can order a whole pie ahead of time by e-mailing kate@pie-school.com. Kate’s the author of A Commonplace Book of Pie (forthcoming in fall 2013), and she runs Pie School, a cliche-busting pastry academy whose mission is to make pie as easy as it’s supposed to be. More info at Pie School.

Pie Stand will be baking up five varieties for Gala Gala Hey! Keep in mind that you can PRE-ORDER WHOLE PIES, just email Kate: kate@pie-school.com

– Cheddar-Crusted Apple Pie
– Whiskey Crumble Apple Pie
– Honey-Ginger Apple Pie
– Brandied Apple Cardamom Pie
– Good Old Fashioned Perfectly Plain Apple Pie

We have lots more brewing (ripening?) for October 7th. I’ll be posting more info here, or you can check out the invite (and invite your friends!)


July 15, 2012

(serves 6-7)
In the midst of wedding season, it’s good to have a few ideas on hand for any bridal shower brunches you’ll be attending. I made this for my friend Emma’s party. It’s all bagels, salads and Brooklyn-inspired cocktails today.

1 dozen Eggs, boiled, peeled and chopped 2/3 cup of Mayonnaise 4 teaspoons Whole Grain Mustard 2 Radishes, chopped small2/3 cup of Mayonnaise 1 Tbsp Capers1 1/2 Tbsp Lemon Juice1 Tbsp Scallions, sliced thin (whites and light green) 1 Tbsp fresh Tarragon, chopped Fresh Pepper to taste
Sliced Bread or Bagels (I managed to have neither of these at my house, so my picture is sans bread)In a bowl, toss all ingredients together. Spread on bread and serve.

Last week I was back in my home state of Washington for the 4th of July. It was a crazy week but I managed to get in family time, friend time and time in the woods. Though I consider myself a East Coast lady at the core, once I was back in the dirt in the fresh air, I was like a fish to water. Speaking of water, my mom and I took a day hike along the Skokomish River at Staircase. I remember camping there as a kid and spending lots of time in the river moving rocks around to create mini rapids. I probably would have done the same again if I’d had the time.

I also saw my little lady niece, who is so cute it’s frightening. She said my name for the first time! Well she said something like “Bee-ee-ny” but close enough.


March 11, 2012


Dessert calzone from the soon to be opened Via Tribunali in NYC. Stuffed with nutella. Save me from myself.


October 2, 2011

September, 2011 


September 28, 2011


Pho Cyclo Seattle, WA
Someone, anyone – Do you know where to find the best pho in New York?


September 22, 2011


Tofu Lettuce Wraps
1 head of Boston Bibb or butter lettuce, leaves removed, washed and dried1 container firm tofu, crumbled1 Tblsp cooking oil1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped 3 Tblsp low sodium soy sauce (or to taste)1/3 cup hoisin Sauce (or to taste)2 Tblsp sesame oil 2 tsp freshly grated ginger3 Tblsp rice wine vinegar1/4 cup green onion, choppedCilantro, washed, patted dry and chopped (optional)Salt to taste 
In a large saute pan, saute chopped onion in cooking oil until almost tender. Add in garlic and tofu, season with salt. Continue to cook – tofu will lose some of its liquid. Add in soy sauce, rice vinegar and hoisin, tasting as you go. Add water chestnuts. Continue to stir and cook down liquid. Add grated ginger and stir in. Once the tofu has firmed up a bit and the mixture is well combined (taste!), add in green onions. Spoon portion of mixture into a lettuce leaf and served warm, topped with cilantro.  
Last night I arrived in Seattle for my friends Heather & Michael’s wedding on Friday (!!!) After a single malt and two episodes of The Wonder Years, I promptly passed out on my brother’s couch. Vacation!I spent the day rolling around on the living room floor with my niece Marion, and made the tofu lettuce wraps for my brother and sister-in-law for lunch. Marion just passed the 1 year mark and hates all food – except the tofu I made for this recipe! She was crazy about it. I’ve never been so flattered.
And just to brag about how cute the little lady is: 
 


December 31, 2010

While I was in Bremerton a few weeks ago, my mom and I did some Christmas shopping and stopped into World Market. Though they mostly sell home goods and various other trinkets, World Market also have a decent section of fairly priced specialty food items, including spices. For about $15, I got two packets of lavender, juniper berries (what to use them for? We’ll find out…), a huge packet of curry powder, turmeric, smoked paprika and Madagascar vanilla beans.
When we got home, I went to work on making some Lavender Shortbread cookies. They’re a bit more fitting for high tea than Christmas, but since I had access to a stocked kitchen, I figured I might as well go for it. There were a few motifications I made, but mostly went by Gale Gand’s recipe.


Lavender-Lemon Shortbread Cookies (Modified from Gale Gand)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cool unsalted butter, cut into pieces1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar1 cup all-purpose flour1/4 cup cornstarch1/4 teaspoon salt2 tablespoons dried or fresh lavender flowers2 tablespoons lemon zest (optional)
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream the butter until soft in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add 1/4 cup sugar and mix until incorporated. Stir together the flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix at low speed just until the ingredients are almost incorporated, then add the lavender, and mix until the dough starts to come together. Flour a work surface, turn the dough onto it, and knead it 5 to 10 times, to bring the dough together and smooth it out.
Reflour the work surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a little less than 1/4-inch thick to fit an 8 by 8-inch square baking pan lined with parchment. To transfer to the pan, roll the dough up onto the rolling pin, lift it up, and unroll into the pan. (Or, press the dough thoroughly into the pan with your fingers.) Prick the shortbread all over with a fork, or use a pique-vite (dough docker) if you’ve got one, to prevent any buckling or shrinking. Sprinkle the surface evenly with 1 tablespoon of the remaining sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, deflate the dough by knocking the pan once against the oven rack then rotate the pan to ensure even cooking and a flat surface. Bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until golden all over and very lightly browned. As soon as it comes out of the oven, sprinkle the surface evenly with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Let cool about 5 minutes. Using a very sharp knife, cut into 3 rows by 5 rows making about 1 1/2-inch by 3-inch bars. Let cool completely in the pan. Remove from the pan and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
A few notes: I was struggling with getting the dough to stay together as I was rolling it until Mom came to the rescue. If you’re having the same problem, you just need to be more patient than I and work with the dough until it warms up and holds. Also, I didn’t have a square pan, so I opted to use a round one and make wedges instead of square cookies
The Northwest lived up to its reputation for being gloomy during most of my trip, but on one sunny day, some deer friends decided to tromp through my mom’s backyard while I was working. They were not as excited about me as I was them.

But yeah, like I said, gray, clouds, rain.




As you may have gathered, I’m back in Greenpoint after a lengthy three week visit to Washington. I have more pictures and recipes to share from my time there, but in the meantime, I’m happy to be back in my apartment, listening to music, cooking up some dinner and getting ready to celebrate the end of 2010/beginning of 2011 tonight. Happy New Year!


August 3, 2010

And we’re back! On the East Coast that is.  Between work, the flight to Atlanta, pool lounging, seeing Tiffany and Clarence get hitched, attending a fish fry (I resisted a taste test,) and eating a vegetarian soul food brunch at Soul Vegetarian, I haven’t had a chance to sit down and rehash a meal I made way back in Washington. 
I hadn’t cooked for my mom before, so I was definitely a bit intimidated.  My dear mother used to spend days digging through old Bon Apetit magazines for the right cookie recipe and routinely throws epic parties at her house for friends and family.  She has always had a flair for food and entertaining, and is one of the reasons I love it too. Luckily, I had a few ideas of how to win her over.  1. Blueberries – I often tell friends about how mom would drag along my brother and I to the blueberry field in town to help her pick pounds of berries to freeze for future use.  At the time I felt enslaved (don’t get me started on having to pick blackberries from the sticker bushes on our street,) but perhaps those hours in the hot sun had a positive effect on me!  I nearly fainted when I saw a recipe for Blueberry Avocado Salsa and I knew she’d feel the same. 


Blueberry Avocado Salsa (via Manifest Vegan)
1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, quartered2 cups fresh blueberries2 tbsp lime juice + extra for drizzling onto avocados1/4 cup green onions, chopped1/2 cup fresh cilantro1 tsp sea salt1 tbsp chopped jalepeno pepper1 ripe avocado, cut into small chunks (I recommend two)1/2 cup chopped red onion (I wished the salsa had a bit more bite to it, so I would add this in for next time)
Directions:
Pulse all ingredients (except for avocado) a few times in a food processor. Cut up your avocado and drizzle with lime juice. Stir in chopped avocado with the rest of your salsa ingredients. Add a touch more salt if desired. Serve immediately. (no joke with the serve immediately part.  It was beautiful the day I made it, but lost some of its glorious color by the next day.)
2. Brie – My family loves cheese.  My brother and I would often always snack on slices of Tillamoock when we got home from school.  We were not a fruit snacks family, we were a cheese family.  Our tastes have since evolved (though I still find Tillamoock at both my brother and mom’s houses whenever I am in town) and now I always find a round of brie when I visit.  This time I used it in a grilled flatbread sandwich.


Brie & Apple Flatbread Sandwich for one sandwich
1 piece of flatbread (you could make this with a variety of breads, but this is what was in the cupbaord at the time)4 slices of good brie1/4 of an apple, sliced thin (green apple is best for its tartness)1/2 red onion, chopped1/4 cup chopped walnuts2 tbls olive oilsalt & pepper to tasteOther things that might be good that I didn’t have:Handful of arugula  (for its pepper flavor)Whole grain mustard Honey (for a bit of sweetness)Candy the walnuts with a bit of brown sugarHeat oven to 350 degrees and toast walnuts in a pan until brown.  In a small sauce pan saute red onion, olive oil and salt over medium heat until onions caramelize, stirring frequently.  Layer brie and apple one half of the bread and pile with onion and walnuts (you can add in optional ingredients at this time.)  Fold in half.Heat up pan on medium heat (or panini maker if you’re fancy) and toast each side of the sandwich until cheese begins to melt.  Serve immediately. 
While I love the taste of apple and brie together, next time I make this sandwich, I will likely tweak a few things (namely the items listed under “other.)  I love creating combinations as I go, but sometimes they require some adjustments.  If you make this and have new ideas, please share!  I’m looking forward to this week of downtime before things take off again.  Montreal is in the air until my passport arrives, but Philly is on for next weekend and I’ll be going up to Boston for work at the end of the month.  Perhaps it’s time to start looking at some fall recipes.


July 13, 2010

Cooking is at a slow crawl at the moment, just like everything else in this city.  I postponed my Things You Can Eat with Your Hands dinner party, but I hope that the next few weeks will inspire some new recipes – I’m taking The Bored Vegetarian on the road! 
I leave next Thursday for Washington State, and then on to Atlanta.  A few weeks later, I’ll be in Philly, and if my new passport arrives by the end of next month, hopefully to Montreal. 
Speaking of Canada, I’m currently waiting for my newest houseguests to arrive.  Can I use them as an excuse to make poutine? 
Apologies for a scatterbrained post.  Here is a picture of me eating cotton candy outside Kenka on Saturday.