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I swear I'm on a health kick
By lindsaycrudele on Thu, Sep 13, 2007 3:34 pm
del.ico.us
reddit!but seriously, make THESE. The snack in question is a macaroni and cheese cupcake. Crispy, buttery bread crumbs on the outside, gooey baked macaroni and cheese inside. I doubled this recipe, and resisted the urge to usurp cornstarch and go the usual roux route, thinking the starch might aid, you know, structurally. This is the right instinct here - after baking, the mixture, which at first seems gluey, relaxes a bit but is still enough to hold up to individual servings. No chives - I used scallions, and didn't bother adding other cheeses; this one only calls for cheddar. I increased the mustard, and found the cupcakes baked toward the longer end of the recommended time crumbled less, with a toastier flavor. You could add pretty much whatever to this like any macaroni and cheese but I am probably going to pretend I never saw this recipe after last weekend for fear of never turning back. The theme of the occasion was "America: #$5@ Yeah" for a friend returning from a year in Japan, and this recipe hits that nail on the head.
http://photos-413.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v133/9/104/162100413/n1...
Peaches and Cream
By lindsaycrudele on Thu, Aug 16, 2007 2:56 pm
You really have done a bang-up job of missing the point when you walk away from a Restaurant Week tab $250 lighter in the pocket.
However, a good, flushed while later, we did at least appreciate the point of the festival, which brings people into a place they might not ordinarily frequent, and gives them a glimpse of what's to come should they return. In that case, we'll be revisiting Pigalle after a marvelous and bloody steak tartare with toast points and a fried hard boiled egg, and deep, savory crisp duck with cherries and caramelized onion. If one were to be more conservative with the cocktails, one might be able to enjoy a painless $30.07 prix fixe. A friend in the kitchen told us to order anything frozen for dessert, and her directions were spot on - the banana ice cream was a bold, delicious finish.
Also slipped in to Dante in Cambridge for a breezy lunch yesterday afternoon ($20.07). A classic start with prosciutto, fresh figs, mascarpone, greens and black rice melded the sweet and savory nicely (this will come up again later, so to speak). Skipping ahead (bear with me - there was a second course) to the blueberry crostata, there are few better ways to end a meal. Blueberries at their height, bawdy little sweet-tart bombs nestled in a flaky crust with a dollop of lemon gelato on top, really were so beautiful, and I'm not one to claim a sweet tooth.
The problem with what came between might have merely been the power of suggestion - my dining companion mentioned "baby food" upon trying my potato gnocchi with "roasted peaches, gorgonzola dolce and pistachio pesto." The gnocchi itself were light but paired strangely with a gooey, too-sweet sauce. Too much peach confused the gorgonzola, and the pesto clashed as an afterthought. Our conclusion: weird.
Hopping on a plane to DC tonight for a weekend of sightseeing and food tourism. Looks like they've just wrapped up their RW, but as in Boston, some restaurants are apt to continue their menus for weeks after the official end.
