My Not-So-Secret Obsession with French Macarons

Most of the people who know me naturally associate me with cupcakes, because of my role with Cupcakes Take the Cake. But I have a little secret: cupcakes are not my personal favorite dessert. French macarons are*. I'm talking specifically about the French ones, not the mounds of coconut shreds that are so-called American macaroons. Precious, delicate, and frustratingly hard to bake without precision, they are worth the steep price tag in my opinion. To me, French macarons should be a 2-1 ratio of cake to buttercream filling, with a crispy but not crunchy exterior that maintains a little chewiness. I've tried so many in New York and still have yet to find a favorite, though I'm always on the lookout. Heck, I have a Yelp list about them!

So imagine my utter glee when a new macaron online bakery, Panna Dolce, offered to send me samples. They claimed to have perfected the French macaron, right down to the shipping of such a fragile item. I was intrigued, especially by anyone who boasts a comparison to France, which is where I remember tasting my very first macaron with no prior concept of what it was. The company began after a similar gastronomic experience 5 years ago at the infamous Parisian macaron altar, Laduree, sparked a passion that spiraled into a business and grew from there. Inspiring, no?

Words cannot describe the excitement of waiting for a special snail mail delivery, especially one that's food-related. I feel the same anticipation of a little kid looking forward to Christmas, for that joyous moment of tearing open the packaging to reach the prized center, although nowadays the risk of an "Ugly Christmas Sweater (UCS)" is much lower. Unless you're into that kind of thing, which by that measure you've come across the wrong blog.



When the moment of arrival came, I instantly dove through neat layers of pink tissue paper to discover a tube of button-cute French Macarons, and a row of cookies and brownies. There was even a helpful legend with pictures to help decipher each product's flavor. I nibbled at the first macaron. Again, to be sure. Then I pondered.

Now, I don't know if it was due to my taste buds having been spoiled by a box of French macarons my boss gave me after his recent trip to Paris, or maybe that the goods had taken some damage from the shipping period, or perhaps my judgment was impaired when I sampled them at 1A.M. in the morning, but honestly these macarons didn't quite do it for me.


 

Vanilla Rose French Macaron. There's a nice ratio of filling to cookie shell, but it was a tad sweet and I prefer a softer, almost chewy cake inside the crunchy exteriors. There was a myriad of fruity and creamy French macarons, from conventional flavors like Chocolate Buttercream to more adventurous ones such as Almond Butter and Strawberry Jelly. The flavor of each macaron was pronounced, though the texture was where it fell a bit short for me. But for those who prefer crunchier cookies and a strong sugary taste, I suppose there is something to be said about individual differences.



But there were still other products. The different types of "Overloaded Cookies" are Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, White Chocolate Macadamia Cranberry, and Toffee Pretzel Peanut Butter Crunch. The cookie dough part of each cookie was on the dry side, but the mix-ins really stood out. The Toffee Pretzel Peanut Butter Crunch reminded me of the Momofuku Compost Cookie and other "Trash cookies" that have been part of the recent crazily overloaded cookies trend.



Then there was the brownie, or what they call "The Brownie to End All Brownies". With a name like that, anyone would be curious to put it in the boxing ring. According to the website, they "combine the richness of flourless chocolate cake with the flavor of toasted chocolate to get (what we humbly call) THE Brownie..." It was the only product that stayed moist inside the plastic wrapper, which made the center seem even almost raw and gooey, with an intense salty chocolate flavor. Was the brownie of my dreams? Perhaps not, but I had no trouble polishing this one off.

So I guess what matters is that, whether I got a faulty batch or faulty taste buds, Panna Dolce still has a passionate story and team behind them that will keep churning out the products they believe in. There is always room to grow, as long as there is the capacity and spirit to keep doing what you love. And as for me, well, I am still on my quest to find my perfect French macaron.

*Actually, it's a toss up with Tiramisu, another dessert that I haven't found a favorite version of yet.

Time for NYC Winter Restaurant Week

I still remember the day I found out about Restaurant Week in New York. I think at the time, I could sum up my nativity with the words "Where's Union Square Cafe?"...why a Google search was beyond my abilities still baffles me.

NYC Winter Restaurant Week fell neatly into the beginning of 2009 last year, just in time for my reluctant return to NYC and American dining. Anyone who's gone abroad for a significant amount of time and had a taste of ethnic dining knows that there are certain things that can't be replicated. In my case, I missed the leisurely, multi-course, quality ingredients found in Italian cuisine. I wasn't sure I could get an equivalent experience in the States, but Restaurant Week seemed like the closest I was going to get.

It really is a great deal: $24.07 (yes, arbitrary numbers!) for a 3-course lunch and $35 for dinner at restaurants where that price tag normally wouldn't even cover the entree. Sometimes the downside is that some joints don't exactly bring their A-game, whether that's due to the kitchen or the service. Quite a shame, because I thought the goal was to garner repeat customers.

So I stumbled my way through reservations, blindly picking whatever I could still get. Thinking back now, the surprise factor was pretty exciting. I ended up going to North Square, One if By Land, Two if by Sea, and Scarpetta. A few months later during Summer Restaurant Week, with more research under my belt, I visited Gotham Bar & Grill, Tabla, Park Ave Summer, and Barbetta. Of course, there were hits and misses, most of which I've documented on my list here.

And now, after a year of wandering, biding my time, and yes, pure Googling, we come again to NYC Winter Restaurant Week. On my list, I have Telepan, Petrossian, Convivio, The Modern, and Park Ave Winter. My work schedule no longer allows for leisurely lunches, so these are all dinners. Now after sharing my lineup, I hope to run into friends and strangers alike there. I'd be glad to chat Restaurant Week picks with anyone, so don't be shy. After all, it's our bi-annual time to whip out the nice dresses and indulge a little. Or a lot, if you have my appetite.

Here's to a Sweet New Year!

When I found out that the New Year's Eve party I was going to was BYO-Whatever, I knew I wanted to bake something to end 2009 on a sweet note. A quick look at my pantry revealed that I had somehow accumulated three tubs of cocoa powder, so brownies were the way to go. Not to mention my friend Emily had given me her homemade butterscotch sauce the day before, and I was itching to use it.

I used a hodgepodge of cocoa powder recipes, since my natural instinct when recipes are all over the place is to believe that by combining all of them, I'll reach some sort of master recipe. Unless someone is around to reign me in, I have a tendency to play Mad Scientist in the kitchen. Measuring cups and flavor palates, p'shaw! Unfortunately, baking is a science, and let's just say my Chemistry grades are not the reason why I'm in college now.

I think that'll be a New Year's resolution, if I even believed in them. I never really made any, not because I set myself up for failure, but because frankly...I'm just too much of a lazy bum to make a list. Thus, my new New Year's resolution: Start making New Year's Resolutions. I CAN'T FAIL THIS.

My list so far:

• Make New Year's Resolutions [complete]
• Balance savory with sweet [95% chance of failure]
• Be a more active blogger
• Polish up on my digital art skills 
• Explore more of NYC's culinary scene
  
• Graduate from NYU
• Not end up on the streets after the previous resolution [???]
  

News Flash: Home Cooked Food Tastes Good

A typical meal in my household means 8 dishes for 3 people.

I've never been particularly picky in my ethnic dining choices, especially since I love variety. But whenever someone asks if I have preferences, I usually say "no Chinese or Mexican". Mexican, because I'm from Texas and I embrace Tex-Mex, in spite of all the naysayers who crave "authentic" Mexican food. I've been unfazed by most of the Mexican renditions in NYC which for some reason boast either fully Mexican or SF/Northern Cali-Mex food. Chinese, because I have an amazing cook of a mother whose skills I never fully appreciated until I left the nest and started craving dishes that I'm not sure had names in any language.


Egg-topped Ramen for breakfast with Pork Belly and Asparagus dishes. Gotta love my parents.

"Real" Chinese food, AKA: Stuff-Chinese-People-Actually-Eat-at-Home, really isn't the cesspools of grease that most Chinese-American cuisine presents. Therein lies the difference between Chinese food and Chinese-American food: Who the audience is. Some restaurants have menus that have been translated into English for the most part, but will either offer a Chinese only menu to select clientele or at least have a little untranslated box housing the simultaneously more exotic and more traditional dishes. Yesss, special boxes! Except I can't read Chinese anymore. D'oh.

My parents recently visited me this Christmas weekend since it was the first time I didn't return home for the holidays. I'm sure it won't be the last time work starts to take on a bigger role in my life, and plus it was a good lure to get them to come up and re-stock my frid- I mean, spend time with me. Happily. Eating.

Let me take you on a food journey:


On Christmas Day, we went down to Chinatown and got ingredients to make Pork, Chive, and Shrimp dumplings. We didn't always make them this way, but my mom started adding shrimp in because she claims it adds moisture, and who am I to argue with more meat?

It's tradition to make the dough from scratch, and plus the sweat [and tears] are natural seasoning. I kid, I kid. Chinese food is safe!


We even had this as a sort of Chinese Buche de Noel. Granted, this wasn't homemade, but I couldn't resist showing off the prettiness of this cake roll. Even though I'm not a huge fan of the single flavor ones, my inner five-year old couldn't resist this one's nutty exterior and fun colors.


Shrimp sauteed with onions in a mystery tomato sauce. I was too busy watching Food Network to see what she put in it. Hello, irony. We meet again.

In the background are pig trotters and pig snout. Did I mention we like meat, especially pork? I don't think I've ever craved chicken, but I'm always up for some piggy goodness. It's the Chinese White Meat.


Brussels Sprouts with Pork Belly in a brown sauce reduction. I wasn't sure where she was going with this, but my skepticism melted as soon as I tasted it. After all, there always has to be some sort of greenery in a meal, even if it is mixed in with meat. That's why pure vegetarianism, besides in the monasteries, is relatively novel in Chinese cuisine.

So, okay. I eat Real Stuff. Good for me, right?

Except no, not really. I stave off any hankering for the food until I can eat my mom's cooking, which happens,oh, about twice a year. I admit to cheating with the occasional Xiao Long Bao Zi or my favorite buns from Mei Li Wah, but for the most part, I've had a solid few decades of Chinese food versus not nearly enough of every other food in this world.

So I'll continue to eat hummus, sushi, pasta, and mountains of cupcake for the next few months until we meet again. After all, I've been in an unusual sugar low after all this healthy Chinese food. Gotta make up for it!*

*Already well on my way with the slice of cake next to my laptop.

Happy National Cupcake Day!

I'm honing down my ESP skills by having made these little mini Chocolate Marshmallow Candy Cane cupcakes yesterday, just in time for the U.S. National Cupcake Day today (Dec 15)!

They were for my last final of the semester, as part of a little holiday party for my Drawing II studio class. I wanted to do something festive, and also honor my unofficial status as Cupcake Girl. Not to mention, after turning in three 15-pg papers, I was ready to relax and bake a bit. I hadn't baked in 2 months, which in my cupcake/sugar-crazed life is incomprehensible.














(Left: Professor J. Torreano, sitting in front of my trio of Crayola crayon portraits; Right: My mini cupcakes)

Cupcakes, crackers, cheese, and plenty of wine, all in fine company. Not a bad way to bid the semester farewell.

So, Happy National Cupcake Day!

*salutes with a mini cupcake*