Korean-Style Buttercream Cake

Devil's Food Cake * Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache Filling

Italian Swiss Meringue for the icing and flowers

February 14, 2016 

But as the storm intensified, the visibility from my perch became worse and worse -- initially obscuring the children playing in Tear Drop Park and then, nearly whiting out the view of the court yard, 8 floors below. The Freedom Tower, normally visible from this window (to the southeast) was completely obscured for the entire day.

On Broadway, Jonas was the only show in town that wasn't cancelled and Times Square was the perfect venue to experience it.  Did you see all the tourists milling around, in awe of the snow and flashing billboards? But as one moved west, away from the sky scrapers and glitz in Midtown, the storm showed a more ferocious side. 

I slipped outside around 3 PM, just as the storm was intensifying, to quelch my curiosity. Enough Weather Channel already! But as I left my apartment building, I realized my outing was going to be very short-lived. The easterly wind and pelting snow, made walking west nearly impossible. (Let's not even talk about holding onto one's hat; it became a fools folly to say the least.)

I crossed River Terrace, at the northern edge of Battery Park, hoping to catch a view of the river. But as you can see above, both the Nelson Rockefeller Park and the river were obscured by the blinding, swirling snow.

Turing north, the river was eerily visible, but Pier 25 was completely lost behind the snow.  If you look closely, you can barely make out the silhouetteof a sail boat docked at the pier.  On more hospitable days, the view looks like this.

This walkway leads down to the park.  I thought for a split-second that the NYC Parks Department had somehow miraculously cleared the way. Silly me, the wind whipped the powdery snow off this section of the path. But as I walked around the corner, the snow drift came up to my chest. If I had continued down the path, this is where I would have ended up.

For the record, this is what snow looks like when it is being blown horizontally by the wind.

This is a picture of River Terrace, looking south.  At this point, there was about 10 inches of snow on the ground and the road looked like it had not been plowed in a while. By the end of the storm (around 11 PM), an additional 16 inches of snow had fallen -- missing the all-time highest accumulation in NYC by approximately 1.5 inches.

Unlike Hurricane Sandy, this storm evoked more awe than fear in most New Yorkers. After all, it is very unusual to have this much snow fall, over a 24 hour period. But for me, I guess I was the most taken back by the ferocity and sheer beauty of it all. It is not easy to shut down one of the most populated cities in the US. But somehow, Jonas made it look easy.  

Spring Vegetable Arancini, Lenz 2013 Blanc de Noir, and the gorgeous place setting on the terrace (replete with peonies from Latham's Farm stand in Orient!) 

Jerold (Tasting Room Manager), Chef Noah and Dee Dee (Event Coordinator extraordinaire) above.  First 2 courses below. I didn't snap a picture of the beef -- let's just blame it on the wine and the compelling conversation. A really lovely and intimate wine dinner at The Lenz Winery!

Dave, Sophie and Charlie preparing for Memorial Day

The epitomy of Spring: Peonies, gorgeous and fleeting

Tribeca Farmer's Market

Channing Daughter's Rosato, South Fork of Long Island

First strawberries of the season

My stephanotis coming to life

My "backyard" on Eastern Long Island

It seems so funny to give a snow storm a name. I intuitively want to type "hurricane", but no, this was a snow storm for some and a blizzard for others.

NYC missed the brunt of the storm, when it migrated farther east than initially expected. Not taking any chances, the city took the extraordinary step of shutting down mass transit, as well as closing several tunnels and the George Washington Bridge on Monday night.  Cars were also banned on the streets after 11 PM, so clean-up crews and emergency personal would be unencumbered by traffic.

My "backyard" in Manhattan

Many New Yorkers screamed "over-kill" on Tuesday morning. But after being evacuated from my home during Hurricane Sandy, I for one was thankful how seriously the city took this storm.

Tear Drop Park, Battery Park City

Kids in lower Manhattan also stood behind their mayor and took full advantage of both the snow and the very rare "snow-day". Even as night fell, they continued to play in Tear Drop Park with their sleds and inner tubes.

It was really wonderful to see how 8 inches of snow could spawn such exuberance. 

Elsewhere in the US, The Seattle Sea Hawks and The New England Patriots are gearing up for for the Super Bowl this evening, in Glendale Arizona.  By the time the game kicks off, the weather is expected to be a balmy 67 degrees, with no blizzards in sight. What a relief this must be for The Patriots and Tom Brady, as there will be no cold weather to spontaneously deflate the footballs. #deflategate.  

This is also great news for anyone who coughed up $6000 for a ticket. Parkas, scarves and mittens will definitely not be necessary.

But for those of us who will be watching the game from the comfort of your living room.....here are 2 chicken recipes which have "game day" written all over them. 

{Sweet and Sticky} Honey Soy Sauce Chicken Fingers

These chicken fingers are an irresistible combination of crunchy, sweet, spicy and sticky. And despite appearances, they are very easy to make.

The original recipe notes that the breaded chicken fingers can be baked or fried.  I tried both methods, and found that the baked chicken fingers did not properly brown or crisp up in the oven, despite baking them at 425F. On the other hand, frying the chicken in very hot oil produced a light and crispy chicken finger.

To serve, you can either quickly tossed the chicken fingers in the sauce or serve the sauce on the side. Either way, be sure to garnish the chicken fingers with plenty of chopped cilantro and lime wedges and serve with ice cold michelades.

Sticky Honey Soy Sauce Chicken Wings

If sweet and sticky chicken wings are more your thing, than this recipe is for you. 

Unlike the chicken fingers, these wings require some lead time to prepare -- as they need to marinate for a few hours in a combination of soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic, lemon juice and cilantro. To finish, the wings are sauteed in a honey - butter sauce until they turn a deep amber color and are cooked through. Sesame seeds and flaky seas salt are the only garnish that you need.

When I first tasted one of these wings, it occurred to me that this is what sesame chicken is suppose to taste like. Sweet and sticky, but not oily or cloying in any way.

A platter of these won't last long. Just be sure to have plenty of extra napkins on hand. 

***

The printable recipe for the Honey Soy Sauce Chicken Fingers can be found here and for the Honey-Soy Chicken Wings here.   

With that said, my favorite recipe does have its' idiosyncrasies -- including a batter that is so thin that one initially thinks that the recipe is flawed (or that one did something wrong). But believe me, this chocolate orange cake makes my devil's food cake look quite ordinary.

This recipe was initially published by Nigella Lawson in 2004 and has surprisingly garnered very little attention on the blogosphere.  The cake is actually a riff on a popular Separdic Passover cake, which uses boiled oranges and ground almonds, but does not contain fat or flour.

Most flourless chocolate cakes get their lift and structure from beaten eggs whites, which are incorporated into the batter at the very end. This step sounds easy enough on paper, but can be tricky to pull off properly -- as over mixing will quickly deflate the batter. Thankfully, this flourless recipe does not require any advanced baking skills. Rather, all one needs to do is boil, puree and mix.

The base of the cake is 2 boiled oranges, which are pureed in a food processor -- skin, pith and all. To this, one adds eggs, almond meal, cocoa and leavening. And that is it.

At this point, I am sure that you must shaking your head in disbelief -- especially over the peel and pith business. I certainly was. But somehow this hot mess pulls itself together and you end up with a dense and moist chocolate cake, which has lovely citrus and almond undertones.  

I served the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar. But it would also be delicious with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. And of course, if you don't like chocolate, just leave the cocoa out of the batter and make the more traditional orange almond cake.   

Whatever you do, I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

The printable recipe is here.

1. Cauliflower Panna Cotta with Caviar  2. Lyonaisse Salad  3. Leeks Vinaigrette

4. Parisienne Gnocchi with Spinach, Onions and Poached Eggs  5. Making Autumn Themed Marzipan Fruit and Vegetables  6. Vanilla and Chocolate Icebox Cookies

7. Bourbon Poached Pears  8. Dying Easter Eggs Naturally  9. Roasted Salmon Rosettes with Pistachio-Mint Pesto

One of my goals for the website in 2014 was to improve the quality and composition of my photography. It has definitely been a slow learning curve. But with the help of my Canon EOS Rebel Camera SL1, my new Canon Speedlite 430EX II flash, and a lot of practice, things are heading in the right direction.

Below are some of my favorite floral shots from 2014. Most of the flowers were purchased at the Tribeca Green Market from March through November and were locally raised.

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope that you will check back often, as the 2015 content evolves. You are always welcome.

The holiday season went quickly to be sure. But along the way, there were lots of fun baking/craft projects, holiday celebrations with family and friends and (of course) good cheer. Here are a few highlights from the season. I hope that you enjoy the pictures.

All the best for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!!  Michelle

Morris County Farms: Black Friday 2014

Eggnog and Chocolate Cupcakes, with Vanilla and Raspberry Buttercream and Gingerbread Toppers

Cookies wrapped for gifting

Gingerbread House

Gingerbread Garland

Dillon's birthday cake, with "dirt" and marzipan/almond pinecones

Barbara, Dillon, and Garrison: Christmas morning

Roxy Cat

Matzo Ball Soup 

Despite the fact that I have lived in NYC for over 25 years, I have never had (nor made) a matzo ball. But after making schmaltz, I was determined to change that. 

For the uninitiated, matzo balls are dumplings which are traditionally served in chicken soup. As the name implies, they are made with matzo meal (as opposed to flour) which makes them an ideal choice for Passover -- when the eating of chametz is strictly forbidden under Jewish law.

Matzo balls typically fall into 2 categories: "floaters" or "sinkers". Floaters are matzo balls which are typically made with some kind of chemical leavening, to produce a light dumpling. Sinkers typically are made without levening and tend to be more dense.  This recipe recipe definitely falls into the former camp.

It is astounishing how much the dumplings expand when cooked. The matzo balls above started out the size of golf balls, and expanded as they were simmered in stock.  After the dumplings are cooked, they can be used immediately or stored for later use. (Just cool them and individually wrap each one in a piece of plastic wrap.) I have also read that they freeze well, but I can't vouch for it! 

Potato Pancakes {Latkes}

Growing up with a Polish grandmother, I am no stranger to delicious potato pancakes. But I have to confess, potato pancakes cooked in schmaltz are in a league of their own. 

I am not sure why, but potatoes cooked in poultry fat crisp up beautifully. They also do not have the unpleasant heavy, after-taste that foods fried in shortening often have.

This recipe differs from my grandmothers, in so far as it uses matzo meal and an egg to bind the pancake batter. Matzo meal? Yes, Matzo meal. Although I was initially skeptical, the batter does not get pasty with the matzo (which can sometimes happen with flour) and it makes the pancakes exceptionally crispy.  And in case you are wondering, the taste of the matzo is indiscernible.

Parisienne Gnocchi with Spinach, Onion and Poached Eggs

Dear readers, you have just stumbled upon the perfect brunch dish.

This recipe is riff on Thomas Keller's herbed gnocchi, which is served at Bouchon Bakery. Not to be confused with Italian gnocchi (which have a potato base), these gnocchi are made from pâte à choux -- the same dough used to make gourgeres, cream puffs and eclairs!

As advertised, the gnocchi are made with schmaltz . But by all means, feel free to substitute butter. Either way, the gnocchi will be amazing.

This recipe makes a lot of gnocchi, which can be made ahead and frozen. They also stay well in the refrigerator for a few days; just be sure to put some schmaltz, butter or oil on them, so that they don't stick together.