I'm baaaaack

It happens to every foodie at least once in his/her life: the rut.  There comes a time when an epicurean wonders, “Who cares?!” Does it really matter how “fresh” the ingredients are in this dish?  Why can’t I just eat some Reese’s Puffs and call it a day?

It’s hard being extremely passionate about food.  Other than the constant risk of diabetes, no ordinary dish is able to satisfy you.  A true epicurean will go around his or her kitchen tasting everything until they find something interesting, delicious, or new.  But at the same time, you’re hungry!  You don’t feel like marinating for hours, seasoning to perfection, or bringing out a beautiful caramel char, you just feel like eating.  Well, I went through this rut for most of the semester.

It was sad for me not to appreciate food as I used to, but after a delicious tour of the Boston area I can safely say that I am out of my rut and back into the game!  I’ve been watching Food Network, my favorite show is Masterchef again, and making food art.

Unfortunately, fashionista partner la Mode Mare will no longer be running this blog with me. But hey, more focus on food!  She won’t be dropping off of the blogging world luckily (check out her book review blog)!  So at least for now, I will be in full control of Baubles, Bangles, and Brie.

Keep munching!

~Foodie Fish~^

^ An example of my “food art” :P

Explanation for My Pledge to be Vegan

by

Foodie Fish

Many of you may be wondering, is the food buzz just a phase? You may have noticed in your childhood, your mother probably had phases where she would make the most amazing cuisine for dinner for a week, and then go back to “peas and mashed potatoes again?” For me, this is not a face. Food is my life. Some people eat to live, well I live to eat. When I eat, I always try to make it an event. I am like Remmy from Ratatouille, sometimes I get tired of taking and just want to make! Which is why it broke my heart when I have recently lost my ardor for cooking. I also started running out of time to cook, sophomore year and all.

Recently, I have not felt quite like myself. I have been finishing jars of peanut butter at a time instead of making something gourmet. I have also been to forcing myself to eat meat, just because I felt peer pressured. Actually, I have never been the BIGGEST fan of meat. I love lamb, in certain applications, but in general I just tell people I love meat. When I was little, I ate nothing but eggs and tofu every night as my protein. However, back then, I got made fun of for that and thought I did not even like tofu for a while. I needed a change. I have been craving soooo much chocolate, nuts, and seeds lately. I have not craved any non-plant sourced protein. Weird? I know.

I realized I needed a juristic change. I wanted dream about the next meal I would create. So for a variety of reasons, I was easily talked into taking Peta’s 30-day vegan pledge from a friend of my (he happens to be a blonde guy with dreadlocks).

Surprisingly, this change to veganism has made me incredibly happy. I am probably the fattest vegan in history, since I use it partially as an excuse to eat as many vegan desserts as possible. I have been stuffing my face with the most delicious vegan peanut butter cookie dough, matcha cupcakes, and a whole lot of other sweet vegan concoctions. My friends were surprised, but I have been vegan for a week and do not feel at all restricted and deprived. Conveniently, it is extremely easy to be vegan in Princeton with Whole Earth center and the underground Spice and Souk market.

My favorite part of the transition, I’m back baby! The constant need to cook and create is back. I love vegan cupcakes to death, and a friend of mine gave me the most awesome recipe for green tea cupcakes that are so moist and flavorful, I accidently ate the wrapper when licking it. Vegan cupcakes have to work twice as hard to be delicious. What I love most is how every ingredient contributes to the flavor. For an apple cake, you would use apple sauce rather than butter, which just gives it so much more tart, apple flavor.

I have tried a vegan burger, a vegan ‘meatball’ sub, and of course many pastries. I have really gotten into cooking vegan. You have to be so much more creative, and there is no meat or dairy to fall back on. Meat is an easy crowd pleaser, but I plan on challenging myself by making extremely desirable vegan dishes.

Wish me luck!

Kelsey's Banana Bread

by

Foodie Fish

Sorry it’s been so long since my last recipe! Who likes bananas? My close friend Kelsey is absolutely obsessed with them. She especially loves them adding both for flavor and moisture in banana bread! So I decided to invite her and some of my other friends over to make some. This banana bread recipe is the most moist you’ll ever get. The secret? Sour cream. Trust me on this one.

BANANA BREAD

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 stick of butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons sour cream

4-6 bananas, mashed

semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

· Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

· Sift the flour, baking soda and powder

· Cream the butter with the salt and sugar

· Add eggs, vanilla, and sour cream to the mixture

· Then add the dry, sifted ingredients

· After the mixture is a smooth consistency, stir in the desired amount of chocolate chips

· Place the mixture in a bread pan and bake for 1 hour

What really did it for me is adding semi-sweet chocolate chips. We use a delicious organic high-end chocolate chip from Princeton’s Whole Earth Center.

The Restaurant Week Series Part V: Le Perigord

The first impression La Perigord gives is that it is a truly authentic French restaurant. The captain is very friendly and seems happy to seat you. He asks you about your evening in a thick French accent while handing you the menu and demanding the rest of the wait staff to bring out freshly picked flowers he is sure to keep the place operating smoothly. The fresh bread brought to the table was obviously straight out of the oven. The smell of baguette filled the air, and the fine French baguette was so warm steam came out when tearing a piece off to devour it. No butter required for this bread. Le Perigord makes an excellent first impression.

Paté du chef is a good start at a French restaurant. This chef happens to have a very good selection of spices in his paté. It came with ratatouille, a French stew, but it was very light and was certainly fit for those above the level of a peasant. The vegetable tart seemed more like a frittata with all due respects to the French. It was, however, delicious and had a flaky, buttery crust. This delicious slice of tart came with a tangy butter sauce. Some good advice for those planning on visiting this restaurant: after finishing the tart, ask for more baguette and soak up the remainder of the butter sauce with the bread. It is truly an out-of-this-world experience.

Incredible sauces was evident in the food during the main course as well. A bed of tiny scallops was covered in a red sauce, which must have been roasted tomatoes or something. The mustard sauce served with veal kidney was also worthy of being slurped with a spoon.

The Restaurant Week Series Part IV: A Voce

This restaurant is a favorite amongst my entire family—with good reason. The atmosphere is modern and high class, but still has a laid back feel to it. The décor is very artistic, and they practically use their wine collection as a glass wall. The view of Columbus Circle is very relaxing while sitting comfortably in A Voce’s swivel chairs.

Although just being in A Voce feels like you’ve just stepped into the chicest lounge in New York City, it is the food that takes you out of this world. Insalata di peshche, or salad with peaches, is a very fresh-tasting seasonal dish. Thinly sliced peaches mingle with watercress and fresh whipped ricotta. The peaches were just ripe enough to be sweet, but still have a nice bite, with adds to the different textures of this salad. For those who have never had it before, squid ink pasta as an appetizer is an excellent way to experience something new. Although I will argue that the squid ink adds very little flavor, the pasta was still delicious. It was even able to make someone who cringed at the idea of eating squid ink lick her plate clean.

The lamb short ribs are the best option as a main dish. The lamb was incredibly tender and the flavor was strong, but not overwhelming. The dish was surprisingly sweet, but it still made a satisfying entrée.

The dessert was surprisingly salty. A semi-frozen lime mousse was unheard of to me. It was served over thinly sliced sweet watermelon that made sure the salty mousse still felt like dessert.

Chef Adam of A Voce is not only talented, but extremely considerate to his fans (in this case me!) When I asked for the Chef’s autograph, he came out to personally give it to me even though his restaurant was packed. A Voce is the best contemporary Italian place to go in New York.

The Restaurant Week Series Part III: Artisanal

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Foodie Fish

A simple atmosphere with nothing special really. However, service felt personalized. The wait staff was very friendly. Appetizers were good, but nothing out of this world. Salmon rillettes lacked in some smoky and dill flavor and it was a bit bland. The country pate was better, and the pickled vegetables it came with were nice and crisp—not over marinated.

The plats principaux were unique and a bit unexpected. Wild mushroom risotto was nice and creamy. There were corn and fava beans inside, which was very different from many other mushroom risottos. Black truffle butter enhanced the soft texture as well as the bite to the wild mushrooms. Poularde Albufera is not to be missed though. Tender poached chicken, stuffed with an excellent forcemeat of sorts. The tenderness of the chicken was nice in contrast to the spring vegetable fricassee with whole grains. The savory sauce that the dish was doused in really made it something that you cannot stop eating, even though the portions were generous.

Artisanal cheesecake was a surprisingly light finish to a rather filling meal. The cheesecake part spoke for itself: light, fluffy, rich in flavor without being too dense. The gram cracker base/crust had a nice hearty texture with a sweet cinnamon taste. Chocolate marquise is another sweet way to end. Hazelnut feuilletine gave the creamy chocolate part a nice subtle crunch. Vanilla salt sprinkled on top made the contrasting flavors of dark chocolate and salt very sophisticated.

This meal could please many diners from all backgrounds. You leave Artisanal with a satisfied smile, along with some fine cheese from their fromagerie.

The Restaurant Week Series Part II: Le Cirque

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Foodie Fish

Le Cirque is an elegant restaurant with a playful edge. The décor creates a high-class environment. Flowers on the table were fresh, bright orange orchids. To start, chilled melon and yogurt soup—very refreshing during the summer time. The curry oil poached shrimp gives the soup a little heat and an interesting taste that you just can’t stop eating.

Service was a bit slow, and not too polite, however it is understandable on a busy day. After sitting at the table for a while, our main courses arrived. The skate is a fresh dish, yet still complex for a seafood dish. The fish is served on top of a creamy cauliflower puree that was very rich in flavor. Mini cheeseburgers “Le Cirque” were a very popular choice, and with good reason. They were cooked to the perfect medium rare, and the melting cheese made the beef all the more succulent. My personal favorite was the chicken ballantine. Thigh and breast meat, rolled in crispy skin. It was an elegant presentation with chicken far from dry. It came over corn, arugula and maitake, which reminded me of a summer barbeque, only elevated.

Le Cirque continued to impress with their dessert. Although the ricotta mousse cake was nothing all to special, Le Cirque’s Rocky Road with caramel panna cotta, chocolate sorbet, marshmallows was amazing. The frozen chocolate was so rich and sophisticated; it was not a typical rocky road for children.