Freezing and Cutting Bagels (H&H Bagels in New York City)

H&H Bagels is one of the most famous bagel shops in New York City, if not the world. This bagel shop was founded in 1972 and now churns out over 80,000 bagels a day (all in New York City!). The original location is on the corner of 80th Street and Broadway in the Upper West Side. It's definitely one of our favorites, and we pick some up bagels from New York City every time we go.

A nice way to preserve these bagels for easy access later is to pre-cut the bagels (preferably with a bagel slicer because it's safer!) and then freeze them in freezer bags. You can then take individual bagel slices out from the freezer and toast them in the toaster.

The toasted (previously frozen) bagel is surprisingly good; much better than any supermarket frozen bagel, and arguably better than most bagels you find in Boston. We find that the frozen bagels will last several months in the freezer.

Our favorites are the sesame bagel and the everything bagel. YUM . . .

Freezing and Cutting Bagels (H&H Bagels in New York City)

H&H Bagels is one of the most famous bagel shops in New York City, if not the world. This bagel shop was founded in 1972 and now churns out over 80,000 bagels a day (all in New York City!). The original location is on the corner of 80th Street and Broadway in the Upper West Side. It's definitely one of our favorites, and we pick some up bagels from New York City every time we go.

A nice way to preserve these bagels for easy access later is to pre-cut the bagels (preferably with a bagel slicer because it's safer!) and then freeze them in freezer bags. You can then take individual bagel slices out from the freezer and toast them in the toaster.

The toasted (previously frozen) bagel is surprisingly good; much better than any supermarket frozen bagel, and arguably better than most bagels you find in Boston. We find that the frozen bagels will last several months in the freezer.

Our favorites are the sesame bagel and the everything bagel. YUM . . .

Bouchon Macarons

I received a present from Bryan from his trip in New York! What could be inside that box?

I know Bouchon is a famous bakery cafe opened by Thomas Keller, one of the most famous chefs in America.I excitedly opened the box.Could it be???

Are they French macarons? (not to be confused with the unrelated coconut cookie, the macaroons). I love French macarons! (uhh . . just look at my profile pic) There were three different flavors - vanilla creme, blueberry cheesecake, and caramel. The person who worked at the bakery said they would last 2 days in the refrigerator. Up to this point, they had only sat on an airplane for about an hour. I quickly tasted each one. Mmmmm . . .

Man, were they good. My favorite was the vanilla creme, with the caramel a close second. I had to stop myself from eating all three in one sitting (well, except for the blueberry cheesecake one, which I actually thought was too sweet).

If only I didn't have to go all the way to New York to get these . . . .

Just to let you know - I've made plans with a friend to try making French macarons pretty soon. I'll post the results of that experiment, probably sometime in the next two weeks. Meanwhile, you can enjoy this post from the Cooking of Joy.

Update!  I've made the french macarons!

Bouchon Macarons

I received a present from Bryan from his trip in New York! What could be inside that box?

I know Bouchon is a famous bakery cafe opened by Thomas Keller, one of the most famous chefs in America.I excitedly opened the box.Could it be???

Are they French macarons? (not to be confused with the unrelated coconut cookie, the macaroons). I love French macarons! (uhh . . just look at my profile pic) There were three different flavors - vanilla creme, blueberry cheesecake, and caramel. The person who worked at the bakery said they would last 2 days in the refrigerator. Up to this point, they had only sat on an airplane for about an hour. I quickly tasted each one. Mmmmm . . .

Man, were they good. My favorite was the vanilla creme, with the caramel a close second. I had to stop myself from eating all three in one sitting (well, except for the blueberry cheesecake one, which I actually thought was too sweet).

If only I didn't have to go all the way to New York to get these . . . .

Just to let you know - I've made plans with a friend to try making French macarons pretty soon. I'll post the results of that experiment, probably sometime in the next two weeks. Meanwhile, you can enjoy this post from the Cooking of Joy.

Update!  I've made the french macarons!

Sugar Snap Peas

Another thing I picked up at the Farmer's Market this past week were sugar snap peas. I really think that sugar snap peas have so much inherent flavor, there's not much that needs to be done for them to taste really good.

In this case, I put the sugar snap peas in a microwave safe container and cooked the snap peas for 1 minute. This was just enough for the snap peas to be lightly steamed yet retain their beautiful bright green color. I also love microwave cooking since it only cooks the food for a little bit, thus preserving nutrients.

I then just sprinkled some sea salt on top. That's it! No oil. Absolutely fat free. It was so simple, yet so delicious. Sometimes, less is more, especially when it comes to fresh farmer's market bounties.

Sugar Snap Peas

Another thing I picked up at the Farmer's Market this past week were sugar snap peas. I really think that sugar snap peas have so much inherent flavor, there's not much that needs to be done for them to taste really good.

In this case, I put the sugar snap peas in a microwave safe container and cooked the snap peas for 1 minute. This was just enough for the snap peas to be lightly steamed yet retain their beautiful bright green color. I also love microwave cooking since it only cooks the food for a little bit, thus preserving nutrients.

I then just sprinkled some sea salt on top. That's it! No oil. Absolutely fat free. It was so simple, yet so delicious. Sometimes, less is more, especially when it comes to fresh farmer's market bounties.

Sel de La Terre - Natick Collection

Sel de La Terre is the more casual sister to L'Espalier, one of the best known French restaurants in Boston. Both restaurants recently moved to Back Bay inside the new Mandarin Hotel. There is also an outspost at Natick Collection, where there is plenty of free parking and lots of good shopping as well!

We enjoyed a graduation dinner at Sel de La Terre in Natick a few weeks ago.

I first heard of Sel de La Terre years ago in a Boston Globe article about the best fries in Boston. The article raved about the rosemary fries at Sel de La Terre, and I have wanted to try them ever since.

These rosemary fries are quite good, although I still think the hands down best fries in Boston are from Garden at the Cellar - perhaps it's because theirs are rosemary truffle fries. YUM.

Pictured above: Roasted rack of lamb with artichoke puree, red pepper and a pea risotto cake; black olive caponata (truffle mac & cheese in the background).

Pan roasted Norwegian salmon with fresh spring bean ragout, pea shoots, sun chokes and pancetta; beurre rouge.

Over all, the food was solid, although nothing really wow'ed me. I guess if you are out in the suburbs, this is not a bad choice. In Boston, however, there are so many other choices that I think this place could get lost in the noise.

Sel de La Terre - Natick Collection

Sel de La Terre is the more casual sister to L'Espalier, one of the best known French restaurants in Boston. Both restaurants recently moved to Back Bay inside the new Mandarin Hotel. There is also an outspost at Natick Collection, where there is plenty of free parking and lots of good shopping as well!

We enjoyed a graduation dinner at Sel de La Terre in Natick a few weeks ago.

I first heard of Sel de La Terre years ago in a Boston Globe article about the best fries in Boston. The article raved about the rosemary fries at Sel de La Terre, and I have wanted to try them ever since.

These rosemary fries are quite good, although I still think the hands down best fries in Boston are from Garden at the Cellar - perhaps it's because theirs are rosemary truffle fries. YUM.

Pictured above: Roasted rack of lamb with artichoke puree, red pepper and a pea risotto cake; black olive caponata (truffle mac & cheese in the background).

Pan roasted Norwegian salmon with fresh spring bean ragout, pea shoots, sun chokes and pancetta; beurre rouge.

Over all, the food was solid, although nothing really wow'ed me. I guess if you are out in the suburbs, this is not a bad choice. In Boston, however, there are so many other choices that I think this place could get lost in the noise.

Taiwanese Meat Sauce over Rice (lo bah png)

"Lo bah bng," a meat sauce made of ground pork cooked in soy sauce with shallots and spices, is very classic Taiwanese home cooking. Whenever I have this, I am reminded of the food my mom used to make.

It's surprisingly easy to make - just takes time on the stove.

This recipe is adapted from Homestyle Cooking of Taiwan by members of NATWA

Ingredients
2 dried black mushrooms
5 shallots, minced
1/2 lb ground pork
1 t rice wine
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cups water
1 t sugar
1/2 t 5-spice powder
6 cups rice (cooked)

Soak the mushrooms in hot water until soft. Meanwhile, mince the shallots. I used a food processor, which made it a lot easier. When mushrooms are soft, slice them into thin pieces.

Add 1 T of vegetable oil to a wok and put on medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add shallots and stir fry for about 1-2 minutes, until they start to brown a lot.

Add mushrooms and ground pork. Stir fry until the pork is cooked. Add rice wine, soy sauce, water, sugar, and 5-spice powder.

Let it simmer for 1 hour.

Ladle out the meat mixture and pour over rice.

There will be a lot of excess liquid. Leave that in the pot. You can optionally mix the meat sauce together with rice as well and garnish with some scallions and red pepper flakes.

Taiwanese Meat Sauce over Rice (lo bah png)

"Lo bah bng," a meat sauce made of ground pork cooked in soy sauce with shallots and spices, is very classic Taiwanese home cooking. Whenever I have this, I am reminded of the food my mom used to make.

It's surprisingly easy to make - just takes time on the stove.

This recipe is adapted from Homestyle Cooking of Taiwan by members of NATWA

Ingredients
2 dried black mushrooms
5 shallots, minced
1/2 lb ground pork
1 t rice wine
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cups water
1 t sugar
1/2 t 5-spice powder
6 cups rice (cooked)

Soak the mushrooms in hot water until soft. Meanwhile, mince the shallots. I used a food processor, which made it a lot easier. When mushrooms are soft, slice them into thin pieces.

Add 1 T of vegetable oil to a wok and put on medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add shallots and stir fry for about 1-2 minutes, until they start to brown a lot.

Add mushrooms and ground pork. Stir fry until the pork is cooked. Add rice wine, soy sauce, water, sugar, and 5-spice powder.

Let it simmer for 1 hour.

Ladle out the meat mixture and pour over rice.

There will be a lot of excess liquid. Leave that in the pot. You can optionally mix the meat sauce together with rice as well and garnish with some scallions and red pepper flakes.

Simple Lemon Ice Cream

I received this book for Christmas in December and this is the first time I am using it to actually make something! The author, David Lebovitz, actually has a great blog about food in general. He is currently living in Paris and conducts food tours, book signings, etc. I would love to go on one of these food tours, but they cost over $3500 per person, double occupancy!

Since I had a lot of lemons left (after making the lemon ice cream sandwiches), I decided to make some lemon ice cream from David's book. This ice cream is refreshingly lemony, light, and perfect for a hot summer day. Plus, it's easy to make since it does not involve any eggs or any cooking.



Ingredients:
1/2 cup lemon juice (I squeezed 3 lemons)
2 cups half & half
1/2 cup sugar

Step 1: zest 1 whole lemon directly into a food processor (or blender).

Step 2: Add sugar and process until the lemon zest is really fine.

Step 3: Add lemon juice and mix until the sugar is dissolved.

Step 4: Add a pinch of salt.

Step 5: Add half & half and mix together.

Step 6: Chill for about an hour

Step 7: Freeze in ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. I personally use a Lello Gelato Pro, which I love since it has its own condenser. That just means you can make ice cream any time you want on a whim since you don't have to worry about freezing a big canister the night before. It is a bit expensive though. If you want, you can consider the Lello Gelato Junior, which still has its own condenser but just can't make as much ice cream at once.

Now you can serve it in a lemon shell for fun!

Or a martini glass. :)