One of Sydney’s brightest young acts, RÜFÜS has just shared “Desert Night”, the second single from their highly anticipated debut album ‘ATLAS’ due out at the end of summer. “Desert Night” is the follow up to the critically acclaimed single “Take Me”, a truly infectious tune that has began to set RÜFÜS aside as one of Australia’s brightest live acts after heavy rotation on Australia’s leading radio station Triple J. Now, after a string of sold out shows across the country, the band has arrived with what is sure to be another success story in “Desert Night”. With an array of sounds built from days of field recordings while recording ‘ATLAS’, “Desert Night” is a emotional, moving number that sees RÜFÜS releasing their most mature work to date. Already receiving strong radio airplay within its first few days, look for “Desert Night” to be accompanied with a standout remix package forthcoming from Jessie Rose, Motez, James Curd, and Avon Stringer and Victor, along with a music video from acclaimed video director KATZKI, who previously worked on the video for “Take Me”.

Checkout “Desert Night” below and you can learn more about RÜFÜS here.

I am a baker at heart – as soon as the fall hits, and maybe just a few weeks before when the weather starts to get just a few degrees cooler, I start breaking out my cookbooks and planning my baking adventures. Right now I live in this sweet little two story duplex, made of cement and brick with NO air conditioning. You can imagine the horror I face each summer just trying to get things cool from an everyday stand point.  So, what’s a baker with no A/C to do when it’s 85+ degrees outside? Of course, “bake” an icebox cake! There are so many variations to this recipe. You can make them to fit your preferred fruit taste or caloric desire. Icebox cakes are basically layers of some type of cookie or cracker layered between delicious custard, chocolate, mousse, or whipped cream. When layered together, the cracker/cookie becomes soft but holds shape and adds this amazing cakey delicious-ness. The cake sets/ firms in the fridge and can be sliced and served at any brunch or dinner party. With this style of baking, you don’t have to worry about the house being cool enough when your guests arrive. The one I made below is layered with graham crackers, a vanilla ricotta custard, strawberries, and chocolate ganache.

Strawberry Chocolate Ganache Icebox Cake

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
2.5 cups light ricotta cheese
1 ½ cup milk divided in the ½ cup and 1 cup
20 graham cracker squares
2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 sliced strawberries

Tools:
Double boiler set up
Large bowl
Cutting board
Loaf pan
Parchment or foil
Bowls of various sizes
Sieve or cheese cloth

Directions:

1. Making the custard: In the top bowl/pot of a double boiler whisk the egg yolks until they are a light yellow color, add in the sugar and continue to stir.  Once the sugar is incorporated add 1 cup of milk and vanilla. Stir the mixture over the heat until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Set this to the side to cool slightly. This recipe is just a basic custard and is also the base for many homemade ice cream.

2. Put the ricotta in a large bowl. Strain the custard through a sieve or cheese cloth to ensure there are no lumps. Mix the two together until they are fully incorporated together. Set to the side.

3. Line your loaf pan with foil or parchment paper; this will enable you to remove your icebox cake from the pan, more easily after it has set.

4. Making the ganache: In a smaller bowl, heat the last ½ cup of milk in the microwave to just under scolding. Usually this takes about 1 minute or less. After the milk has been heated place the chocolate chips in the bowl and allow them to milk in the hot milk. After almost a minute begin to stir the chocolate chips and milk until they have become a beautiful thick chocolaty ganache consistency.

5. Layer your icebox cake. Line your loaf pan with graham crackers along the bottom. (you can see I lined all my sides, because I really enjoy the graham cracker crust it makes) and stack the layers the way you like. I did chocolate, then strawberries then ricotta custard until I reached the top.

6. Cover the cake with foil and allow it to set in the fridge, until firm. You can cut directly into the loaf pan to slice or you can remove it by pulling up the foil on both sides.

Like I said before, you can layer your icebox cake with just about anything, from whipped topping to just ricotta, vanilla wafers, Ritz crackers, black berries or peanut butter.

Enjoy!

Being the kind of hustler that never found a moneymaking opportunity he didn’t like Jay-Z has teamed up with Samsung to bring their Galaxy phone users (Normal data rates apply. Void where prohibited) his album on July 4th, 72 hours earlier then the release date. Announced in a wayyyy too long docu-commercial shown during the playoffs, it featured Jay in the studio working with the producers that gave him the biggest hits: Swizz Beatz, Pharrell, Timbaland and Rick Rubin.

At this stage in his career Jay-Z is a dinosaur. While his collaborative album with Kanye West, “Watch the Throne”, helped him recover from the mediocrity of Blueprint 3 his guest verses since then have reverted to the boring tone of an a uncle talking about how cool he used to be. So why should we care about another Jay-Z album in 2013?

We care because he’s the first rapper to hit his twilight years with his fan base mostly in tact: he proves that Hip-hop can age. His concerts are marathons with one hit song after another cramming fifteen years of hip-hop culture into two hours. He may be slower but like an aging boxer when he has moments that harken back to his golden era its AS good as his best work.

And frankly even at his worse he’s still a GOOD rapper. Give him a good beat and more likely not he will show that he still can be a great one. And in 2013 it’s nice to see him stick with the producers that gave him those moments as opposed to trading them in for Young Chop. In about two weeks lucky Samsung owners (and millions of online pirates) will experience the album while grilling hot dogs and downing beers during America’s Independence Day, a tradition in that country. And with Jay-Z’s fourteenth album approaching digesting a new Jay-Z release has become it’s own tradition for hip-hop fans, for better or for worse.

CINDY on the S53 on the way HOME

Scrubs: Staten Island Physicians Practice

Bag: Michael by Michael Kors

The Concrete Runway spots fashionable personalities and style in the street.

The adventures of this quintet from Bordeaux begin three years ago as one of the first bands of a new blossoming French pop scene that has perfectly integrated Anglo-Saxons music codes while singing in French. From the American beaches (Real Estate, The Drums, Chromatics…) to the cold waves of the United Kingdom (Kindness, Metronomy, Pulp…), Pendentif is a fresh take on the Atlantic French coast and its suburbs.

Checkout the video for their latest single “Embrasse Moi” below and you can learn more about Pendentif here.

Pendentif – “Embrasse Moi” [official video] from discograph on Vimeo.

After ten months in business, as of Wednesday, the 11^th of June, they have officially opened their second location in the U Street Corridor in Northwest DC.  I am excited to get there as well, because, if the quality in any way mimics that of the H Street location, or the fresh mozzarella that brought me to them in the first place, it will do well there.

The new U Street location is across the street from the U Street/African American Civil War Metro Station—so you don’t need to brave driving in DC to get some.  And I definitely suggest getting some.  Now you have to understand why:

When I walked in at about 1:15 pm—slightly after the lunch rush I would have thought—I still waited in a line six people deep to place my order.  The concept: individual pizzas where you can pick one of their pre-made pizza or create your own.  Think a sandwich shop only with way more awesome toppings available.  I was a little dumbstruck when I arrived at the counter and began to pick my cheese they said, “Just one?”

The beauty of the concept is that with the pizza+ which I got, you can pick as many of the toppings and finishers as you want.  For me: the classically I want to try it all personality, this is the perfect concept.  I chose the whole wheat crust and the mushroom truffle sauce—I probably could have been happy with just those.  I love mushrooms and the thin crispy crust was perfect.

However, I went on and got the fresh mozzarella only—although the next time I go back I will indulge in some of their other cheeses—every vegetable they had—I would say check the menu but there were a few things they had that are not on there, and the veal and pork meatballs.  I could have gotten every protein if I wanted to, but that seemed too hard for the dough to hold. To finish, I added arugula, fresh basil, garlic oil, and feta.  And this was all for just under $9.00.  The entire time I was there, the staff was making fresh dough.

The presentation was beautiful and my food was produced super quickly for a pizza place.  Not instantaneous like what you get behind the counter at a 7-11—but definitely no longer than any other fast food for lunch fare.  Actually, the team was much faster and more pleasant than any caught in the lunch rush hour I have ever seen.

Great work and a great product.  I will be frequenting them a lot.  I suggest you do the same.

This is one of the weirdest playlists I’ve ever come up with. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s a bit incongruous.

A little back story: my sister gave me a record player last Christmas and I’ve spent the last few months playing the same four records, so over Memorial Day weekend I decided to take a trip to The Record Grouch in Greenpoint and make some additions to my collection. The experience was immensely satisfying and allowed me a bit of a peek into a bygone era when discovering new music was much more a game of sheer luck and choosing which records to buy based on how interesting their album covers were. The following playlist is a mix of the records I luckily stumbled across, those I currently own, and the ones I’ve decided my collection is sorely lacking.

Without further ado, I present to you the latest edition of The Baker’s Dozen, (somewhat less than) hot and fresh out the kitchen:

1. Bruce Springsteen – “Born In The U.S.A.”

Because this screed against the Vietnam War somehow sounds so patriotic that Republican presidential candidates constantly misinterpret it and play it at campaign rallies. Plus, it was Memorial Day, I had to buy a record with an American flag on the cover.

2. Rolling Stones – “Street Fighting Man”

Because the Stones are one of the few bands whose sound actually gets better when subjected to the warm crackle and hiss of vinyl. This song just makes you wanna fight!

3. Michael Jackson – “Billie Jean”

Because Record Grouch had a copy of Thriller for $6. Are you serious? Of course, I bought it.

4. Nas – “N.Y. State of Mind”

Because this is the first record my sister ever bought me. She knows her shit.

5. Mumford & Sons – “Reminder”

Because it’s the shortest song with the sparsest arrangement on a Grammy winning record and yet it manages to somehow be the song that always calls me back to that album. Brevity is indeed the soul of wit.

6. The Lumineers – “Charlie Boy”

Because I played this to death last spring. This is the most depressing song off of a pretty dark album. Why is it that the most painful music makes us feel the most alive?

7. The Gaslight Anthem – “Great Expectations”

Because even though this record was released in 2008, it was recorded with the intention of being listened to with a side A and a side B. This is the beginning of side A.

8. Otis Redding – “Respect”

Because I’m still mad that Aretha stole this from Otis. And because no record collection would be complete without some classic ’60s soul.

9. The Roots (feat Big K.R.I.T. and Dice Raw) – “Make My”

Because I played this song for my mom and she loved it. Whenever a rap track can appeal to middle-aged women you know it’s either great or recorded by LL Cool J. But never both. Also, this served as my introduction to Big K.R.I.T. and for that, I thank ?uestlove immensely.

10. Kendrick Lamar – “The Art of Peer Pressure”

Because this was the best rap album last year and the production values really lend themselves to vinyl. The concept also works so much better listened to as a whole rather than in individual pieces.

11. Frank Ocean – “Bad Religion”

Because this whole album knocked me on my ass for a good week or two last summer. I need to add this to my collection, stat.

12. Miles Davis – “Blue In Green”

Because there is no point in even owning a record player if you don’t have this album.

13. Europe – “The Final Countdown”

Because I’ve spent the last two weeks watching the new season of Arrested Development and now I can’t get this fucking song out of my head. If you’ve come this far, please don’t actually listen to this song. Just go to Netflix and watch some Arrested.

Until next time, keep it hot and fresh.

-The Baker

Van Gogh is without a doubt one of modern art’s most celebrated painters. As such, it’s quite an experience when you see his works come to life and actually move. Check out filmmaker Luca Agnani and how he’s creatively brought motion to Van Gogh’s artwork.

Writer/director Simen Braathen and photographer Martin Johansen devoted two years to documenting the Norwegian rap scene and the different regions that make up the movement. Viking Rappers: from New York to the North Pole, opening June 14th follows indigenous Sami(Laplanders) rappers in the Arctic Highlands. As NOoshpere Gallery notes, the rappers ”use hip-hop as an instrument to revitalize their nearly extinct language.” The exhibit will present photographs, a documentary film, and a live performance by SLINCRAZE.

The documentary Máze Represent! tells the story of how SLINCRAZE, a rap group from Máze, Norway uses hip hop to fight negative stereotypes and bring back their dying language. During the opening SLINCRAZE will perform live for the first time in New York.

Whether or not you believe this is a clever promotional event for the artist SLINCRAZE (((PR reps take note))) it may in a slick way show how you can use art as a promotional tool. Regardless of what you may think the installation is about, photographer Martin Johansen has more than 10 years’ experience as a music and documentary photographer – including his work for Kingsize Magazine, Scandinavia’s largest hip hop magazine. We look forward to the flicks and what hip hop looks and sounds like way up there.

You can find out all about the exhibition in the gallery’s press release here.

You can find out more about NOosphere Gallery here.

You can find out more about Martin Johansen here.

The Despicable Me 2 Soundtrack drops 6/18. The soundtrack features the bubbly single “Happy” performed and composed by superstar artist Pharrell, as well as a slew of other tracks composed by Pharrell and Heitor Pereira. You can listen to “Happy” here:

 We have an awesome prize pack available which will include the following items:

This past Thursday, June 13, Brookfield Office Properties and Edible brought New Fish City to the Hudson Waterfront, a seafood feast featuring multiple vendors on the Hudson Waterfront.  A cute little setup in one of the lobbies of shiny Brookfield Place, there was a beer garden outside for dinner, while the rest of the festivities took place inside due to the impending rain.

There was a decent variety of vendors here.  Palo Santo’s line was hopping, and the line at Luke’s Lobster was crazy long, which was kind of expected since they were probably the more widely known vendor there.  I skipped on them this time, not just because of the line – but mainly because you can get Luke’s Lobster at practically any food festival in the city, and in New York, food festivals are like Fashion Week, because I swear it’s always Fashion Week, and there’s never not some kind of food festival here.  I opted to check out those who I’d never tried (or heard of) instead.

Brooklyn Oyster Party’s oysters

My three little guys pictured here were from Brooklyn Oyster Party, which was pretty ironic because the whole event was one big oyster party in my stomach.  It’s cool when you go somewhere and can get one or two oysters instead of getting a whole bunch you’re forced to down.  I know this is a super throwback, but does anyone remember that scene from Alice in Wonderland with the Walrus and the Carpenter?  And they get all these oysters to become their friends and coax them into their “restaurant” and then the Walrus eats all of them, and that was basically me, except I didn’t become friends with them first or anything because that’s weird.

I am the Walrus.

The halibut ceviche from Littleneck was on point and perfect with chips – ceviche is usually iffy with me because burping after eating ceviche is the absolute worst, but this was do-able.  Great, actually.  Maybe all the avocado in it balanced it out or something.  I also tried a lobster taco from Palo Santo which had more lobster than taco – which usually never happens with lobster for most places, but this was happily accepted (and gobbled) by me.

Littleneck’s halibut ceviche with homemade potato chips

Palo Santo’s lobster taco

Other vendors included Asiadog, L & W Oyster Co., and some non-seafood related vendors such as Ample Hills Creamery and Bruce Cost Ginger Ale.

Everything was reasonably priced, ranging between $2-$10 for pretty much everything – most dishes were fairly small, but no one should really be trusting cheap seafood anyway.  Check the whole menu here.  I’d love to see these vendors show up in more places – New Fish City round two, anyone?