The New York Food Tour 2010-Day 5: Vanessa's Dumpling House

Day 5 was a cheap eats day, courtesy of Vanessa's Dumpling House. Today's lunch hunger was satiated by a sesame pancake sandwich stuffed with roasted pork, carrots, and cucumbers AND an order of five, fried pork and chive dumplings. Pork overload! Everything was great and was all under $5. The dumplings are made right in the store and taste fresh and are fried to perfection. The sandwich was equally tasty, but made tastier with the provided hot sauce. The sesame pancake is great, and the vegetables give way with a satisfying crunch.

The location doesn't offer a lot of seating, so try to avoid the lunch rush, or have a good alternative spot to go and enjoy your dumplings.

Reinventing Crispy Rice Treats

Everyone loves a fresh Rice Krispie treat. I decided to put a bit of a twist on it by using Marshmallow Fluff...Strawberry Marshmallow Fluff! The Fluff adds a bit more sweetness to the treats and the strawberry flavoring doesn't add much to the flavor, but it sure does look cool. If you can't find pink fluff, pink marshmallows could also do the trick. This is a very fun and cheap dessert that's designed to share with a group.

Check the ingredients below:

• 3 tablespoons of butter, with more for the serving dish
  
• 5 cups of crispy rice cereal
• 1 jar of Strawberry Marshmallow Fluff OR 1 package (10 oz) of regular sized, pink marshmallows

Prepare a dish with cooking spray or butter for the treats.

Melt the butter in a large pot, then add the fluff. Be warned though-fluff is tough to work with and is very, very sticky. A silicon spatula with a spoon for scraping works pretty well. Once the butter and fluff are mixed together, take the pot off the heat and add the crispy rice cereal, stir until the fluff and cereal are well mixed. When it's cool, cut into squares and enjoy!

The New York Food Tour-Days 3 and 4

Days 3 and 4 were definitely not light carb days. Day 3 took us to Brooklyn for some delicious Mexican food from Calexico. What started off as delicious food from a cart blossomed into a full fledged casual, brick and mortar restaurant. From the cart on Wooster and Prince, I knew to order the pulled pork quesadilla, but also shared their specialty, the carne asada taco. Both did not disappoint, and the side of crack sauce just enhanced the whole experience. Both the pork and the steak were cooked perfectly. Another notable menu item, only available at the restaurant, was the torta. The Mexican sandwich was full of pulled pork with pickled red onions, lettuce, and tomato. The restaurant is a casual affair with very reasonably priced items. You order at the counter and wait it out for a seat, but be warned that it's very popular so you may wait a bit for a seat.

Take a peak at the Calexico site: http://www.calexicocart.com/page/page/4364476.htm

Day 4 brought a great breakfast, courtesy of Murray's Bagels. Unlike other delis, Murray's does not toast the bagels. Instead, they allow the bagel to speak for itself. I went for the delicious whole wheat bagel with cream cheese, though they had a variety of whole wheat bagels, from whole wheat everything bagels to organic wheat. The bagel had a great texture and the whole wheat was very flavorful. However, we also had a delicious sandwich with salmon, capers, tomatoes, and cream cheese on a poppy seed bagel. Fantastic fresh salmon marinated in what tasted like dill was the center piece of the sandwich. Everything was well balanced and very fresh.


Check out the Murray's site: http://www.murraysbagels.com/index2.htm

The New York Food Tour: Day 2-Torrisi Italian Specialties

The food tour continued today with a lunchtime visit to Torrisi Italian Specialties. It's a fairly new addition to the SoHo restaurant scene, but it's made quite the impression. The dinner menu changes daily, and the management is fairly strict on the no substitution rule. The space is pretty tight, so be prepared for a wait at either lunch or dinner. I can't speak for the dinner fare, but lunch was delicious.

For lunch, you can just walk up to the counter and order your sandwich. Everything smelled great and they were making the eggplant parmesan sandwich, but I went for creating my own. They have a standard collection of meats, and I created a mozzarella, roasted red pepper, and soppressata sandwich on a hero with a little oil and vinegar. Everything tasted quite fresh, though I do wish the bread was a bit crustier. It was a pretty standard hero roll with sesame seeds. However, it was a really satisfying sandwich.

Check out the Torrisi website at: http://www.piginahat.com/

Can't wait for day 3!

The New York Food Tour 2010-Day 1 Baohaus

The Galley Kitchen is moving to San Francisco! But with New York being home to so many different types of food, from the very humble street cart to fancy, Michelin starred eateries, I couldn't leave without taking one last bite (trite, but you have to admit...a little funny) out of the Big Apple.

Today was day 1 of the New York Food Tour and the first stop was Baohaus, home to the Authentic Taiwanese Gua Bao-steamed bun sandwiches. These aren't sandwiches in the American sense-the bun is a more taco-shaped, soft, doughy bun. Baohaus has a great selection of fillings. I hungrily ate the Chairman Bao-a delightful sandwich with "all natural Berkshire Pork Belly," garnished with crushed peanut, cilantro, Haus relish, and Taiwanese red sugar. All the flavors blended quite well, though I do wish there was more relish. It was a good complement to the savory pork belly. One bun is a good snack, but I think two would satisfy the lunch hunger.

They also offer a vegetarian bao with fried organic tofu. Fun for all!

Check out the Baohaus website: http://www.baohausnyc.com/.

Reinventing: Strawberry Icebox Cake

The Kitchn recently posted a few no bake desserts and the recent heat wave definitely put me off turning the oven on. The strawberry icebox cake (original recipe here ) caught my eye. The recipe calls for regular graham crackers, but I used Trader Joe's Cinnamon Graham Crackers and it gave the dessert a really great flavor. I also used the homemade whipped cream recipe.

• 2 pounds of fresh strawberries
• 1 serving of whipped cream
• 1 16 oz container of Trader Joe's Cinnamon Graham Crackers

Slice the strawberries thinly and set aside. Make the whipped cream. In a 9x13 inch pan, lay down a layer of whipped cream. The next layer should be the graham crackers, with two at the top laid width wise, followed by 2 rows of three laid length wise, then the last two at the bottom width wise. Throw another layer of whipped cream on there, followed by strawberries. Keep layering, finishing with a layer of strawberries. You should have three layers. Cover the dish and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. The time in the fridge softens the graham crackers and blends everything together.

This is a great dessert to make in a small kitchen. You use a minimal amount of dishes and counter space. By my count, you only use the 9x13 dish, the bowl for the whipped cream, a knife and a chopping board. Minimal amount of stuff for a pretty summer dessert.

Just desserts: Whipped Cream

Whipped cream is surprisingly not a misnomer. It is literally whipped heavy cream. Fresh, homemade whipped cream adds a richness to a dessert that most store bought whipped cream is missing. It's super easy and takes about 10 minutes with a hand mixer.

• 3 cups of heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

With a hand mixer on low, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Beat the sugar and vanilla...and that's it.
Make sure you use a glass or metal bowl to keep the cream cool.

I find this is cheaper than buying the pre-made stuff and only requires a small bit of effort. And in a small kitchen, this is a very easy dish as it only uses one dish!

An Ode to Siracha

I'm usually not one for product placement, but in the past years I've come to appreciate certain items that have become pantry staples. Siracha slowly but surely worked its way to the top of the pantry pyramid. For those unfamiliar with it, Siracha is a devastatingly simple Thai hot sauce made with various chili peppers, vinegar, and garlic. The spice is a slow burn and adds a very distinctive heat to any dish. Its simplicity is the key to its versatility.

Now without further ado, a list of things that have been made better with Siracha:

• ketchup: mix the two together for a kicked up dipping sauce
• egg: a way to jump start the day
• stir-fry: mix it in as one of the last ingredients to give the dish some spice
• hummus: instead of (or in addition to, if you want to set your mouth on fire) red pepper sprinkled on the spread, mix in some of the sauce for a tangier version
• BLTs: mix it in with the mayo for a different take on the classic sandwich
• macaroni and cheese: adds a touch of zing to the creamy dish
• marinara sauce: again, a simple way to spice things up

These are just the things I did today-anyone else slightly obsessed with this hot sauce? This sauce is definitely worthy of your valuable cupboard real estate.

Look for the very distinctive green topped bottle in international markets, and in the international section of most grocery stores.

Summer time: Sweet Tea

Coming from the South, a glass of sweet tea is the way to welcome summer. Summer heat waves don't stand a chance against home brewed tea and fresh simple sugar.

To brew the tea:

• Black tea, such as Lipton
  
• 1 tea bag per 8 oz of water

Boil the water and steep the tea for no longer than 5 minutes, otherwise it's a bit strong (Thanks for the tip, Ben!). Cool in the fridge for about 5 hours.

For the simple sugar:

• 1 cup of water
• 2 cups of water

To make more, keep the sugar to water ratio 2:1. Make sure the water is at a full boil before adding the sugar. Stir constantly to make sure it dissolves. You'll know that the syrup is ready because it will feel thicker as you stir. Once all the sugar is dissolved, take off the heat and store in a sealed container. A word of warning, if you keep the sugar on the heat for longer, it will turn out too thick.

For a 6 cup pitcher of sweet tea, we added roughly 6 tablespoons of the simple sugar. Add more or less according to taste.

I used the same pot for brewing the tea and making the simple sugar thinking it would be tea infused. I couldn't really taste a difference, but it did make the syrup not as clear as it would normally appear.

Just Desserts: Dulche de Leche

Chemistry is a wonderful thing. 1 15 oz can of sweetened condensed milk + 1 pot of water + 3.5 hours = dulche de leche. Seriously.

Dulche de leche is similar to caramel, only in a more jelly form. It's a traditional Spanish dessert, but not to be confused with flan. A diverse dessert, it can be used as a garnish or eaten alone.

Take your standard can of sweetened condensed milk and take the label off. Make sure the can is submerged in water the whole time-THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT OR THE CAN WILL EXPLODE!

Cover the pot and keep at a steady boil for 3 hours. Then turn off the heat and keep covered for 30 minutes. Open the can and enjoy!

This is particularly tasty when paired with fried plantains.