you will be missed... delicious friend

blue marble has mastered the art of simple, delicious, high quality ice cream. sadly, the blue marble on atlantic avenue (just a short walk from my apartment) will be closing in less than a week. this blue marble is insanely popular and very loved. it seems ice cream doesn't make the rent. so no more last minute blue marble stops on my way home after a bad day. no more blue marble runs with my boyfriend at 10:30pm for a mini marble. sigh.

blue marble still exists at two lovely brooklyn locations- but the original on atlantic is what started it all!

i will miss you blue marble on atlantic avenue! your ginger ice cream lives on in my heart... and my belly.



if you live nearby, you should stop by 420 atlantic avenue and show your support before they close on 10/24. if you've never tried blue marble---- GET READY :)

over the moon for french macaroons

french macaroons. beautiful and delicious. the type of treat that has you channeling your inner french princess. i recently set out to make these for the first time. my sous chef for the day was mandark. although macaroons are a simple recipe, everything has to be precise, so i was a bit intimidated. i think they turned out pretty good for a first attempt! the colors we decided on were lavender and baby blue. we turned to martha for the recipe.

for the filling we melted down a bar of vosges creole bar. i felt like we had to go for some high class chocolate filler to make macaroons even marie antoinette would enjoy.

i want to make macaroons again soon... half the fun is deciding the color and flavor combos that are possible with this lovely little cookie :)

rhubarb + strawberry coffee cake

during a recent trip to the catskils, i discovered a new farmers market. it was full of amazing fruits, veg, cheese and baked goods... including one of the BEST coffee cakes i have ever had. full stop. it was baked in a basic tin, with an unassuming label in plain type: 'strawberry rhubarb'... but boy oh boy, when i bit into that moist coffee cake it had the perfect balance of sugar, cinnamon, fruit and crunch. i wanted to buy more to bring home, but there were none left the next day. so i decided when i got home i would attempt my own.

adapted from martha 'lady jesus' stewart

for the crumble topping:

4 tblspns unsalted melted butter- plus more for dish
3/4 cup cake flour- plus more for dish
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tspn salt
1/4 tspn cinnamon

for the cake:

1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tspn vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups of strawberries and rhubarb that have been diced

*oven to 350° F.
*butter a 9-inch round baking dish, dust with flour, tap out excess.
*stir together butter, flour, sugars, salt, and cinnamon. set topping aside.

*mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

*in another bowl cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. beat in eggs and vanilla.
*working in alternating batches, add flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. stir until just combined.
*fold in fruit. pour into dish. sprinkle with crumb topping.

bake about 1 hour. sprinkle with powdered sugar.





give half to your boyfriend and bring half into work. endless praise. enjoy with whipped cream or if you're feeling really glutenous- cinnamon ice cream.

souper trooper

every once is a while you need a break from sweets... right? or rather... something to eat in between desserts.

when i was in still in college, my good friend marge showed me this soup recipe she learned while living in italy. pappa al pomodoro! it's easy, cheap and delicious- the three most important meal factors to any poor college student. i had not made this soup in a while, but once i had the thought of it in my mind, i was on a mission.

everything you need is in this picture:



1. stock
2. onion
3. garlic
4. basil
5. can of whole peeled tomatoes
6. stale bread
also olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (my preference), parmesan cheese

this soup gets better over time. if it gets dried out just add a little more stock as you warm it up. i also LOVE this soup b/c it gives me something to do with my fancy baguettes from balthazar once they go stale.

this is what is should look like as it's all brewing:




even my little brother had three bowls in one sitting.

athletes like cupcakes

recently my good friend pete was visiting from london. pete is an amazing sound genius and he tours with lots of awesome bands. last year i met up with pete and his girlfriend (my good friend) gil in melbourne. pete was on tour with spiritualized and we saw them perform at mt. buller. it was beautiful. other than one scary encounter with a big spider, the weekend was magic.

so... pete was just recently in nyc with athlete. i have seen the athlete perform before, and it's always a good show. to top it off, the guys in the band are beyond lovely. we had only exchanged a few words last time i met them, but for this trip pete let me know they would all have some free time in BROOKLYN. athlete were performing at the bell house (great venue) and there was going to be time for dinner beforehand. i suggested we go to get fresh-- they have an amazing prix fix. dessert was not included in the prix fix, so i decided to make dessert myself. ALSO-- pete brought me lardy bread all the way from the UK, so i felt he really earned a cupcake :)

these cupcakes are always a hit!

'better than magnolia' (so says athlete) blueberry cupcakes with maple icing

cupcakes
3 1/4 cups cake flour sifted
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tblspn baking powder
1/2 tspn coarse kosher salt
1/4 tspn baking soda
6 tblspn (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup whole milk
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 tspn grated lemon peel
1 tblspn maple syrup
1 pinch cinnamon
1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries, frozen for 4 hours


*oven to 350°F.
*sift flour and next 4 ingredients into large bowl
*whisk melted butter and oil in medium bowl.
*add eggs; whisk to blend.
*whisk in buttermilk, milk, vanilla extract, and peel.
*add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; whisk just to blend.
*stir in frozen blueberries.

*bake cupcakes 20-25 minutes

frosting
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
10 tblspns (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
maple syrup (to taste) (14 - 1/2 cup)
1/2 tspn salt
1 1/4 tspns vanilla extract
4 tspns (or more) whole milk

cream sugar and butter. add salt. add vanilla, add syrup. still in milk slowly till you reach desired consistency. chill for 30 minutes.

1 cup chilled fresh blueberries covered in sugar (for decoration)





the boys really liked the cupcakes, and dinner was delicious. the band played well and the crowd was so joyous. to top it off they recorded a little video for my friend willa, who is a big athlete fan, and was out of town!

a brunch fit for a queen mother

mothers day! not your everyday brunch... it calls for something more special than your generic pancakes or eggs (as good as that is). brunches like this are an excuse to make something far more gluttonous than your typical sunday fare.

pain au chocolat bread pudding , fruit, healthy canapes and french press coffee were the items on my menu.

FIRST canapes: wasabi egg salad on cucumber

for the egg salad:
5 hard boiled eggs (chopped)
3 spoonfuls of wasabi mayo (trader joes brand)
red onion chopped
chives chopped
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper

serve on sliced cucumber. garnish with cayenne pepper and chive



SECOND pain au chocolat bread pudding and strawberries on the side

PAC pudding (get the le crusset ready):

5 stale pains au chocolat (cut in 1" slices)
2 cups whole milk
2 cups double cream
3 tblsp sugar
1 large egg
4 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 bar quality dark chocolate (my choice - vosages creole bar)

oven to 350.
butter your dish.
cut up the bread to 1" pieces and arrange in dish.
sprinkle roughly chopped chocolate bar over dish.
put milk and cream bring to near boiling point.
whisk egg, yolks and sugar into large bowl.
pour milk into egg mixture whisking continuously.
add vanilla.
pour over bread and leave to soak for ten minutes.
cook for about 45 minutes.

this brunch was a big hit. good quality coffee to accompany brunch is highly recommended.

taking you downtown to brownie town

my friend mellio likes nothing more than desserts with raspberries and chocolate. she started telling me months before her birthday that making her anything else was just not an option. also not an option--- trying to live to see 30 without baking for her birthday ;) she's a funny lady. she's a puerto rican chick who loves the film yentyl and insisted ricky martin was NOT gay, just hispanic ('danielle, you just don't know what hispanic men are like, ooohkay!') until one month ago.
melissa and i go way way back to the days of midwood high school. how could i say NO to mah gurl?

i looked over so many recipes before i decided something rich and simple would do the trick. raspberry chocolate brownies it is then!

raspberry chocolate brownies

* 4 eggs

* 1 1/2cup sugar
* 2 teaspoon vanilla

* 1 cup butter

* 1 ½ cup ghirardelli ground chocolate
* 1 1/3 cup flour

* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 4 teaspoons of milk
* semi sweet chocolate chips
* raspberry jam

*confectioners sugar, with milk and cocoa for icing glaze.

1. oven at 350 degrees F.

2. cream butter with sugar and vanilla; add eggs. beat till well mixed.
3. mix ground chocolate with flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. stir into egg mixture; milk, and chocolate chips last, stir in raspberry jam.
5. 8 x 8 well greased pan
6. Bake 40-45 minutes
7. let cool
8. put in 'cups'
9. drizzle glaze and raspberries
10. one chocolate truffle for the birthday girls portion



enjoy. digest. enjoy again.