Showing posts with label foodie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foodie. Show all posts

8.05.2009

{keeps the child in you forever}


In Philadelphia, there is a Chocolate Cafe' to die for...Chocolate by the Bald Man: Max Brenner. One of the delightful hidden gems at Max's is the Kangaroo Cup. A special cup designed for their coffee - honoring the close, long lasting relations between coffee and chocolate. It is a cup with a pocket for chocolate that enables the drinker to enjoy its double virtue: melting solid chocolate with the hot coffee in the mouth (in a decent way, don't forget you are an adult) while licking the melted leftovers hidden in the pocket with a special Mix/ Lick spoon (to keep the child in you forever). www.maxbrenner.com

8.02.2009

{sweet heaven on a spoon}



Oh, sweet heaven on a spoon. The gelato of Capogiro is a delectable way to spend a sunny afternoon cooling off. I particularly liked the sweet blood orange and the dark chocolate together. Visit them in Philadelphia or at www.capogirogelato.com

photo by M.Barnes copyright 2009

7.30.2009

{vanilla-caramel ice cream}


Tickle your taste buds with this cool, smooth frozen treat infused with black tea—ideal for a lazy summer afternoon outdoors.

Vanilla-Caramel Ice Cream

Makes about 2 quarts

4 cups half-and-half

1 cup sugar

5 bags vanilla-caramel black tea*

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, seeds reserved

2 (12.25-ounce) jars prepared caramel topping, divided

12 egg yolks

1 (4-ounce) box chocolate dessert shells**

Garnish: white and dark chocolate curls


1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the half-and-half, sugar, tea bags, seeds from scraped vanilla bean, and 1 jar prepared caramel topping. Heat until mixture just begins to boil; remove from heat. Let steep 5 minutes; remove tea bags.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Using a ladle, pour 1 cup of the hot half-and-half mixture in a slow, steady stream into the beaten yolks, whisking constantly. Slowly add a second cup of half-and-half mixture, whisking constantly.

3. Transfer the yolk half-and-half mixture back to saucepan; cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, or until mixture reaches 180° on an instant-read thermometer.

4. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a stainless-steel bowl set in an ice bath. Stir frequently.

5. Freeze the custard in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Before transferring the ice cream to the freezer to set, swirl in the remaining jar of caramel topping.

6. To serve, scoop ice cream into chocolate dessert shells. Garnish with dark and white chocolate curls, if desired.*For testing purposes, our kitchen used Lipton Vanilla Caramel Truffle Tea.**For testing purposes, our test kitchen used Bissinger’s Dessert Shells.
From Teatime Magazine

7.17.2009

{showcase of delicate lace}

I love cupcakes and what could be a better way to showcase these scrumptious cakes but with a filigree cuff. Find them at One Hundred Wishes.

7.08.2009

{pretty funky flavors}


MSN's Top 9 Ice Cream Places in the US: woo-hoo! the bent spoon is on MSN's top 9 ice cream places in the US! Andrea Pyenson writes, "The best ice cream in America is made by small outfits, often with local ingredients. With warmer weather on the way, here are nine parlors sure to please...The following ice cream shops represent a mix of old and new -- some are family businesses that have been passed down through generations; others are less than five years old, and some have pretty funky flavors... They all offer ice cream that is made with love, by professionals who care about delivering something truly special to the people who, more often than not, stand in line just to get a scoop." Of course, the ice cream really is delish, but I must take a moment to rave, RAVE, about their cupcakes! They are to die for... Pleave visit them in Princeton or at http://www.thebentspoon.net/index.html

6.30.2009

{spun sugar bowls}


Spun Sugar Bowls
Makes 12 bowls
Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water

1. Thoroughly spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray; set aside. 2. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook until the mixture registers between 310° and 320° on an instant-read candy thermometer. 3. Remove the pan from the heat; carefully pour the sugar mixture into a medium microwave-safe bowl. Dip the tines of a fork into the hot sugar; then carefully and quickly wave the fork inside the wells, allowing the sugar to drip off of the fork in long, thin strands. Be sure to distribute strands evenly on the sides and bottoms of the wells, and all the way to the top. (When complete, you should still be able to see the pan through the sugar.) 4. Using a sharp kitchen knife, trim the edges of the sugar bowls by scraping the blade along the rims of the wells. Set aside to cool, about 5 minutes. Carefully unmold, and store in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to use. Save broken sugar pieces to use as a garnish, if desired. Note: If the caramelized sugar thickens before you have finished all the bowls, microwave on HIGH for 3 to 5 minutes, until sugar is liquid enough to work with again. From Tea Time magazine.

6.24.2009

{intelligently priced products}

Fiddleheads, in Lambertville, NJ is passionate about locating unusual and delicious, intelligently priced products from small suppliers of extraordinary edibles to stock your pantry or to share as thoughtful gifts! To visit their store is a culinary treat to the senses--the air is perfumed by rich spices, and the store is organized to showcase a treasure trove of everything yummy. Visit them at: http://www.fiddleheadsonline.com/index.html

6.18.2009

{true indulgent favorite}

Madeleines, as defined by Larousse Gastronomique, are small cakes "whose ingredients are flour, butter, eggs and sugar". These little cake cookies are true indulgent favorites. Often I get them in a little package of three at Starbucks, but I do make them once in a blue moon. Friend Grace has a divine recipe on http://www.babettesnjfeast.com/ just look for the June 4 post.

6.13.2009

{exquisite taste}


While on a visit to Paris, a must see place to stop is Ladurée to try the famed macaroons. These exquisite little cookies are a scrumptious blend of sweetness with a cookie crispness. I visited the shop on the Champs Elysées. The shop was gorgeous, full of gilded fixtures and twinkling crystal.

If you can't visit there any time soon, an excellent feature of their website is an e-postcard that one can send to a friend. Please visit: http://www.laduree.fr/index_en.htm