…One More Pink Post

Fresh Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

I know, I know. Raspberries are about as in-season as thong sandals right now, but my midwinter baking repertoire was in need of some uppers, and I wanted something that would sell fast. And that they did. One lonely cupcake made it to the weekend. Lesson learned: make happy food in January.

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners sugar (almost 1 whole box)
1 cup fresh raspberries, plus more for garnish
½ tsp lemon zest

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a wooden spoon and large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Lower the bowl and add confectioner’s sugar. Slowly raise the bowl back up with the mixer on lowest setting so the confectioner’s sugar does not spill out. The butter will look chunky and dry. Don’t worry, the liquid from the raspberries will smooth it back out. *

Add a handful of raspberries and the lemon zest, and mix briefly until raspberries are broken-up (but drupelets are still visible) and the frosting is thick, pink and creamy. Take care not to over mix (over-mixed frosting will be greasy and grainy). Add more raspberries, as necessary, to get smooth consistency. To be safe, stop the mixer a few seconds after adding raspberries and finish folding by hand.

Frost your cupcakes or cake, or refrigerate frosting in tightly sealed container until ready to use. Bring to room temperature before spreading.

*Don’t go crazy: too many raspberries = too much liquid = runny frosting + Pepto-Bismol color.

How Adorable is This Knife?

For cutting Hello Kitty shapes out of strawberries or chopping heads off tiny animals.

Seriously though, I have been on the market for a non-$5-Chinatown-knife (nothing against those…my kitchen is stocked with them). But I figured it was time to move on to the next level. Yesterday I saw a more serious cousin of the knife pictured above, a Shun Santoku, on sale at Macy’s…for $123.00. The pink one is only 20 bucks but doesn’t seem very practical for me…I am not really into coatings of any kind–be they resins, silicones, teflons, etc.

The best deal I’ve found yet is this 7″ Santoku knife on sale at Zabar’s for $36.00. Any thoughts?

Making Brown Butter: Step by Step

Step1: Melt the (unsalted) butter.

Step2: Lots of tiny bubbles will start to appear.

Step 3: The top will get foamy.

Step 4: The foam will change color.

Step 5: At about 300 degrees Ferenheit, the butter is brown.

Step 6: Strain it into a pourable cup and discard solids. Here, it looks like a beautiful, buttery Guinness beer, doesn’t it?

Step 7: Enjoy brown butter in your favorite recipes, like Brown Sugar Brown Butter Hazelnut Pound Cake.

As you can see, there is not much to making it. If you have ever burned something in the kitchen, you can make brown butter. Today was the first time I tried it (on purpose, anyway) and I liked the result.

The taste it gave to the above cake was toffee-like, which makes sense. I looked up toffee and it is essentially sugar and butter boiled together until hard candy forms.

The taste also reminded me of pancakes with syrup. My grandmother used to fry our pancakes in butter, and I did too, up until a few years ago. I guess we were using brown butter without knowing it had a title. Kinda like hearing your neighbor greet your mailman by name and you never even thought to ask or even get him a Christmas card. Embarassing.

So, maybe it’s just the 4:34 am in me talking, but I think butter is like a fern. A fern can fertilize itself (reproductively). Butter can caramelize itself.

Conclusion: Score 1 for Butter. (Sorry, Veganism).

Happy Ending Matcha Friday

My big news for the day: I finally mastered Brioche! And they were beautiful, buttery babies. The recipe was from a Jacques Pepin party cookbook, which I selected for authenticity and because the recipe included booze. (The stuff all good pastries are made of.) But I left work in such a hurry that pictures and recipe will have to wait for tomorrow.

Another recipe coming soon will be olive oil + rosemary brioche. Since the holidays, I have really fallen for my Veganomicon cookbook. Isa, the author, is really amazing and creative with replacing dairy. I have already tried her recipes for Cashew Ricotta, Walnut-Mushroom Pate, Cucumber Cashew Dip (like tzadziki), and Zuchhini Tomato Pancakes. All were amazing. SO today, while perusing my already splattered copy of the big book over a bowl of puffed wheat and soymilk, I dreamed up a dairy-free brioche made with really good extra virgin olive oil instead of butter. Then I thought about the rosemary-studded table bread I used to sneak from the stash in the kitchen at P*ong. I think the combination would make a sublime breakfast food. Stay tuned!

Tonight I took a break from my working weekend to see my friend Gary in a hilarious play called The Lesbian Vampires of Sodom. His costume changes, including gold lamé gladiator skirt, bicycle short with feather boa, and giant afro, were enough to have me rolling in the aisle, but the great acting helped, too. After the show, I was so proud of him, but for some reason, I did not have it in me to go out and celebrate with everyone. Instead, I headed over to this sweet little Japanese teahouse on East 9th Street that I kind of have a crush on right now, for some quiet time and nonalcoholic beverage therapy.

Kristen and I discovered Cha-An one chilly night while wandering around 3rd Avenue looking for a place to celebrate her last day of work with good beer (me) AND good tea (her). We checked out a few places but nothing worked for us. Then I noticed this little glowing sign by a doorway. It looked like you had to get buzzed in, but the door swung open when I pulled it, and we climbed up a flight of stairs and ducked through a curtain. It already had all the symptoms of an Anita favorite. The mood inside was warm and dark, and accented with wood and stone. The navy blue smocked waitresses smiled from behind a low bar, where you could look beyond to an all-girl staffed open kitchen. We were seated at a low table and I enjoyed a truly delicious buckwheat soba beer.

It was more lively inside this time, and I had to wait for a table. But there was a little stone pillar with a softly glowing window at the top for me to stare at while lounging in the waiting area. The waitress stirred me from my trance and led me to a small table. Jean was on the way, but I couldn’t wait for a bright green matcha latte, which was delivered in a big, beautifully painted earthenware bowl. I wrapped my hands around it, took in some steam, tipped it back, and became just as relaxed as could be. At the bottom of the bowl, there were some tiny red beans. That sent me back twenty years, to my first happy ending sundae from Friendly’s–with the Reese’s Pieces at the bottom. And I felt…HAPPY.

Jean arrived and we each ordered a “set,” which turned out to be a multi-course meal of extremely tiny but satisfying dishes. Mine was basically a bowl of multigrain rice porridge with different garnishes, like pickled ume plum (my favorite one) and marinated enoki mushrooms; and some delicate octopus and vegetable fritters. Jean’s included a smoked salmon salad and some soulful-tasting stewed kubocha squash.

We gobbled everything up in a very un-teatime-like way, and were rewarded with these two beautiful desserts, which we decided to savor more slowly. Mine was a square of caramel mousse on a dense and gooey chocolate cake base, and Jean’s was a tea flavored mochi stuffed with sweet red beans. We let each other sneak heavenly bites. The whole meal was less than $40, which is a lot for us, but a great value when you consider the quality of the food and the fact that you get amazing tea (with free refills for most brews), and dessert too.

Cha-An Tea House
230 E. 9th St, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
East Village

Mini Quiches and Truffle Cookies

Happy New Year

View from Williamsburg Bridge New Year's Day 2009