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Q & A with Heather Bertinetti

Posted on Nov 25, 2008 in Chef Q&A, Chef Q&A Recipes

Heather Bertinetti used to clean bathrooms in a patisserie.  Now — she’s the head pastry chef at Convivio.  Not bad at all.  Bertinetti studied at the Culinary Institute of America before landing jobs at Gramercy Tavern and per se. Nowadays, Bertinetti works alongside Michael White at both Alto and Convivio, juggling haute and rustic desserts.  At Alto, she layers a homemade torrone with nougat semifreddo, hazelnut cake, and chocolate sauce.  At Convivio, she takes a polished approach to Southern Italian with a pistachio tartaletta, garnished with blood orange sorbet and candied pistachios. Single/Married/Divorced?Single. What did you want to be when you grew up?I always wanted to be a pastry chef. What was your first job in food and what did you learn?This little pastry shop in New Jersey called La Petite Patisserie. I learned how to build, make and...

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Mr. Jones Yakitori

Posted on Nov 25, 2008 in Reviews

Mr. Jones: A little swank with your yakitori. 243 E. 14th St., (212) 253-7670. Sun.-Wed., 5:30 p.m.-midnight; Thur.-Sat., 5:30 p.m.-2 a.m.;  CUISINE: Traditional Japanese VIBE: Stealthy yakitori den; OCCASION: Night out, casual date; DON’T MISS DISH: Chicken wings, wagyu with wasabi, escolar with citrus sauce; PRICE: Appetizers $6; entrees $15; desserts, none; RESERVATIONS: Recommended Some people like to invent imaginary friends. Lesley Bernard likes to invent imaginary friends who design restaurants. He created Tillman’s, a Harlem soul lounge in Chelsea, named after its fictional proprietor, Mr. Tillman. Mr. Jones is the name of Bernard’s new restaurant on E. 14th St. The question is — who does Mr. Jones think he is? And more importantly, do you really want to eat in the mind of a fictional character? Especially a mind that resembles James Coburn’s in “In Like Flint”? But...

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Johnny Iuzzini's Thanksgiving Dessert

Posted on Nov 25, 2008 in Chef Q&A Recipes, Recipes

By Pastry Chef Johnny Iuzzini Ingredients: 65 g  Flour 1 tsp  Baking soda 1/2 tsp  Salt 3 Tbs Ginger, peeled, minced 2 Tbs  Candied ginger, minced 3 Tbs Hazelnut crunchies 1 tsp  Saigon cinnamon 1/2 tsp  Allspice 1/2 tsp Clove 1/2 tsp   Nutmeg 170 g  Butter, room temp 110 g  Sugar 100 g Brown sugar 2 ea  Eggs 250 g  Molasses 200 g  Milk  Ingredients for pumpkin mousse: 1200 g  Roasted pumpkin pure 4 tsp   Saigon cinnamon 1/2 tsp Nutmeg 1/4 tsp   Cloves 1/2 tsp Salt 1200   Pumpkin puree 500 g   Simple syrup 600 g Cream 12 ea Gelatin sheets  Ingredients for cranberry crisp: 520 g  Cranberry, fresh 250 g  Water                          1 %  Methocel A4M  Ingredients for salted pumpkin seeds:250 g  Pumpkin seeds24 g   Olive oil2 g  Salt50 g Butter Preparations for gingerbread sponge:Sift together the dry ingredients....

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Bobby Flay's Pepper-Pomegranate Molasses Glazed Turkey

Posted on Nov 24, 2008 in Chef Q&A Recipes, Recipes

(Serves: 6-8) Ingredients: 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 4 cloves roasted garlic 10 fresh sage leaves, chopped 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 cups pomegranate molasses ¼ cup prepared horseradish, drained 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 ½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper 1 fresh turkey, about 15 lbs 1 stick unsalted butter, softened Salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 cups homemade chicken stock or low sodium canned broth Preparation:1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 2.  Combine the butter, garlic, sage, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. 3. Whisk together pomegranate molasses, horseradish, mustard, salt and coarsely ground black pepper.  Set aside and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before using to allow the flavors to meld.4....

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An All-Star Thanksgiving

Posted on Nov 22, 2008 in Chef Q&A Recipes, Recipes

Wish you could cook like America’s top chefs on Thanksgiving?  You can come pretty close.   New York’s most talented chefs have graciously share their best holiday recipes with us.  From turkey to stuffing and dessert, we’ve Thanksgiving covered.  First up… Stuffed Pumpkin with Swiss ChardBy Chef Daniel Boulud – adapted from a recipe prepared by his mother,  Marie(Serves 10-12) Ingredients: 1 cheese pumpkin, approximately 10-12 pounds 1 kabocha squash (or butternut squash) 2 tbs. olive oil 1 small loaf sourdough bread 1 clove garlic, peeled 3/4 lb. apple wood smoked bacon, cut into match sticks 1/2  cup toasted and chopped pecans 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds 1 bunch chives, sliced 1 lb.  Gruyere cheese, grated 5 cups half and half 4 tsp. Daniel Boulud’s Thanksgiving Spice blend Salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 350˚F. Slice the...

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Alain Ducasse's Simmered Autumn Vegetables with Pork Belly

Posted on Nov 20, 2008 in Chef Q&A Recipes, Recipes

This is the very dish I learned to cook with the chef just a few weeks ago.   INGREDIENTS:(Serves 4)Vegetables 1 celery root 1/2 butternut squash 1/2 rutabaga 2 large sunchokes 2 carrots 4 fingerling potatoes 12 chestnuts 2 salsify 6 porcini mushrooms 1 lb trumpet mushrooms 12 pearl onions 8 breakfast radishes 1/2 Savoy cabbage 1 head of garlic  Fruits 2 Fuji apples 1 Bartlett pear 1 bunch seedless green grapes 1 quince Other Ingredients: 1 lb. pork belly Extra Virgin Olive Oil Xérès Sherry Vinegar 5 teaspoons unsalted butter 2 cups beef or chicken stock Fleur de sel Freshly ground black pepper Equipment Cast iron cocotte Mandolin Preparation for the vegetables & fruitsPeel the celery root, butternut squash, and rutabaga, cut into 8 pieces of the desired shape and reserve in cold lemon water.  Peel the sunchokes and...

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Pimped Out Turkey Baster

Posted on Nov 20, 2008 in Gizmo Girl

It’s that turkey time of the year.  Who doesn’t love Thanksgiving dinner?  Eating it anyway.  But someone’s gotta cook, so feast your eyes on the Cuisipro Dual Baster (pictured right.)  This ingenious gadget has a shower head side to evenly coat the bird.   Of course, there’s always those hard to reach spots on the bird, which is why you can switch it to the injector attachment to hit specific spots.  It leaves the turkey moist and flavorful.  Plus, it’s dishwasher safe which makes hectic holiday cleanup all the easier.  No need to throw the gadget in the back of your drawer once the holiday season ends.  It’s great for any meat, fish, or poultry too.  Did I mention it’s only $9.95? Cuisipro Dual Baster ...

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Q & A with Alain Ducasse

Posted on Nov 18, 2008 in Chef Q&A, Chef Q&A Recipes

There are very few drawbacks to being a restaurant critic.   My one complaint is a life confined to the dining room.  I can only speculate on what really happens behind kitchen doors where restaurants are concerned.   But a couple weeks ago, I had the chance to sit down with Alain Ducasse.  For me, that was a big deal.  Ducasse is the most Michelin-starred chef in the world.  He reigns over a kingdom of twenty-four restaurants, a batch of bakeries, inns and cooking schools.  My favorite is Le Louis XV in Monaco.  Of all the dishes I’ve eaten, I will never forget the summer vegetables en cocotte I ate there one summer.  Or that magnificent bread trolley for that matter.   But I wasn’t crazy about Benoit, his newest restaurant that opened in Manhattan five months ago.  I couldn’t help but...

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Cipolla Rossa

Posted on Nov 18, 2008 in Reviews

Recession-proof dining. 1762 First Ave., at 91st St. (212) 996-9426 Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun, noon-10 p.m. CUISINE: Tuscan Italian VIBE: Humble neighborhood spot OCCASION: Neighborhood dining, family dinner DON’T MISS DISH: Grilled calamari, venison ­pappardelle, wild boar meatloaf, tiramisu AVERAGE PRICE: Appetizers, $7; entrees, $14; dessert, $5 RESERVATIONS: Accepted Why aren’t more people talking about Cipolla Rossa? Maybe it’s the location — First Ave. near 91st St. Maybe it’s the narrow storefront. It has a bright yellow awning and it looks more like your average takeout joint than a real restaurant. The only reason I knew about it was the wild boar meatloaf. Someone had tipped me off, knowing I’m fond of game. So, I trekked up to Cipolla Rossa on a cold, rainy Saturday night and waited 30 minutes for a table. As it turned out, the...

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Thanksgiving Dining Out

Posted on Nov 13, 2008 in Best Of, Fall Foods, Holiday Eats

On Thanksgiving Day, you’re technically supposed to give thanks for the people in our lives and the food on our table.  In America, that translates to overeating, excessive drinking and lots of leftover turkey.  It also translates a lot of cooking.   If you can’t bare the thought of cooking this year, some of the city’s best restaurants are offering to take on the daunting task for you.  Thinking of dining out on Thanksgiving, there are lots of good options… Market Table54 Carmine Street (btwn. 7th Ave. & Bedford St.)(212) 255-2100www.markettablenyc.comIf you’re dining out this Thanksgiving, it doesn’t get much better than Market Table.  Or homier for that matter.  It’s hard to please everyone, but Mikey Price & Joey Campanaro have put together a menu that just might.  We took at a quick look at the menu to find...

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Q & A with Public's Ellen Mirsky

Posted on Nov 11, 2008 in Chef Q&A, Chef Q&A Recipes

Talk about a career change, Ellen Mirsky quit fashion for food.  She went from designing eye candy to designing dessert overnight.  Mirsky graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education with a degree in pastry and soon found herself at Charlie Palmer’s Aureole.   She’s worked with everyone from Todd English and Rick Moonen to Pichet Ong. Nowadays, you can sample her creations at Public, where she works alongside Brad Farmerie.  Her inspired creations reflect comfort sweets from all over the world.  On the menu for autumn — a concord grape panna cotta  with peanut butter ice cream and frosted concord grapes. From New Zealand comes the Hokey Pokey ice cream, topped with passionfruit sauce and a gingersnap.  And of course, lots of chocolates.  Mirsky even has her own chocolate company with truffles made from pumpkin, pomegranate, or port. Single/Married/Divorced?Single.What did...

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Secession

Posted on Nov 11, 2008 in Reviews

Dinner as improvisation at Bouley’s Secession 30 Hudson St., near Duane St., (212) 791-3771 Mon.-Thur., 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Cuisine: Franco-Italian Vibe: Gilded Tribeca affair Occasion: Downtown date, family dinner. Don’t-Miss Dish: Boudin blanc, Princess crab & avocado salad, chocolate banana with prune Armagnac ice cream. Average Price: Appetizers, $12; entrees, $23; dessert, $9. Reservations: Recommended Let’s start with the numbers. On the menu at Secession, there are eight charcuteries, a dozen salads, seven types of oysters and clams, four soups, three risottos and three kinds of fries. And that is only half the items. I haven’t mentioned the classics or the sides or, for that matter, what’s been roasted, fried, grilled or cooked a la plancha. You might be tempted to hand the menu back to your server and say simply, “Bring me food.” Order...

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The 11th Annual Chocolate Show

Posted on Nov 9, 2008 in Gourmet Gossip

What could be sexier than chocolate and fashion?  Thursday evening, the 11th Annual Chocolate Show kicked off with a rather racy, chocolate fashion show at Pier 94 in Manhattan.  The task at hand for designers and pastry chefs alike — “Chocolate Superheroes.”  Models worked the runway covered in everything from dark chocolate to edible candy couture.  It didn’t go off without a hitch, or two.  Troubles with the air conditioning caused a few costumes malfunctions.  That’s right, a few dresses literally “melted off.”   Spectators couldn’t resist eating runaway chocolate right off the runway.  And really, who could blame them? Superheroes strutted their stuff in chocolate-coated armor and capes.  There was a scantily clad, Bittersweet Black Widow (pictured right,)  designed and baked by Oceana’s Jansen Chan and designer Laurence Rassin.  The widow wore 100 percent Valrhona chocolate lingerie.  Buyer beware – she...

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Convivio's Fusili with Pork Shoulder Ragout

Posted on Nov 6, 2008 in Chef Q&A Recipes, Recipes

By Chef Michael White(Serves 4) Ingredients: 1/3 cup olive oil 2 pounds pork butt, diced salt, freshly ground black pepper pinch chili flakes 1 large onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, smashed 1 6 oz can tomato paste 1 cup dry red wine 1 28 oz can San Marzano peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes 4 cups chicken stock 1 pound dry or fresh fusili ¼ cup grated pecorino, plus extra for garnish Preparation:Heat a heavy bottom pot over medium- high heat.  Add olive oil and once hot, add diced pork butt.  Brown well, about 8-10 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper and chili flakes.  Add onions and garlic and cook until soft and caramelized, 8-10 minutes more.  Add tomato paste and cook 2 minutes.  Deglaze with red wine and reduce until alcohol has evaporated.  Add tomatoes and chicken stock and stir...

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Chop 2 Pot Folding Cutting Board

Posted on Nov 5, 2008 in Gizmo Girl

Some cooking gadgets sound too good to be true.  Not this one.  It’s even better than its humble billing.  I don’t know about you, but I lose half of my ingredients on the way from the cutting board to the pot.  (I’m a fan of the ten second rule.)   The Chop 2 Pot not only functions as a cutting board, but also a chute to transport your chopped goods to the stove top. Suppose you’re sauteeing mushrooms.  Slice them on the cutting board, then fold your Chop 2 Pot and carry the sliced mushrooms over to the saute pan.  Did I mention it’s also dishwasher safe?  It is. Chop 2 Pot Folding Cutting Board...

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Q & A with Missy Robbins

Posted on Nov 4, 2008 in Chef Q&A, Chef Q&A Recipes

Andrew Carmellini’s sudden departure from A Voce was front page news in the food world.  In March, news broke that A Voce would be taking over Cafe Gray in the Time Warner Center, followed by Carmellini’s controversial exit in June.  The million dollar question: who would replace him?  I wouldn’t want to try to fill those shoes.  Missy Robbins, on the other hand, isn’t too concerned.  She jumped at the opportunity to move to New York and oversee not one, but two A Voce kitchens.  Ironically,  Robbins jump started her career with no formal training whatsoever.  In fact, she didn’t even know how to hold a knife.   But she was determined, so determined that she stormed into the restaurant 1789 in Washington D.C., and pleaded for a job.   Later, Robbins honed her skills at Peter Kump’s New York...

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Bussaco

Posted on Nov 4, 2008 in Reviews

Starting a chowder trend in Park Slope 833 Union St., near Seventh Ave., (718) 857-8828. Mon.-Thur., 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; Fri & Sat., 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m. CUISINE: Contemporary American VIBE: Domesticated firehouse OCCASION: Casual date, group dinner DON’T-MISS DISH: Crab chowder, sweet potato tortellini, Greek yogurt cheesecake AVERAGE PRICE: Appetizers, $10; entrees, $21; dessert, $7 RESERVATIONS: Accepted   Eating the crab chowder at Bussaco makes me wonder why chowder isn’t more popular. Was there a chowder trend? Did I miss it? Why don’t we have one now? After all, it’s a good time for one. The economy sucks and the weather is starting to suck, too. Just imagine – a cold evening, a warm restaurant and a hot bowl of chowder, the white not the red. And what makes it even cozier is that you’re seated in a roomy banquette...

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Best of – Ten Buck Bites

Posted on Nov 2, 2008 in Best Of

To say the economy has seen better days would be optimistic.  Expense account dinners are but a sweet, sweet memory.  Luckily, you don’t have to settle for fast food for fabulously cheap eats.  Especially in New York, where good food doesn’t have to be expensive.  I’ve scoured the boroughs and compiled a top ten list of my favorite “Ten Buck Bites.” Obika (212)355-2217 590 Madison Ave., (at  56h Street) Average price: $4-$8 This midtown lunch newcomer is imported straight from Italy.  And so is the homemade mozzarella— made from buffalo milk and shaped by hand.  Though I’m not a big fan on eating the on-the-run, Obika’s take-out menu is far too tempting.  Did I mention everything’s under ten dollars?  Order anything with mozzarella, especially the salted croissant stuffed with prosciutto or the ciabatta sandwich with basil and tomato.  And...

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