Merry (Belated) Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday so far. Bryan and I have been blessed to have an entire week off from work. We've been visiting family - spending quality time with my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and 1-year old nephew.

Of course, that also means we've been eating way too much.

Christmas lunch: Hot Pot Noodles Soup

In accordance with our family tradition, we had a Chinese hot pot for dinner on Christmas Eve. It's something we've done on Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember.

One of the best "side effects" of a hot pot are the leftovers. During Christmas lunch the next day, my mom prepares bowls of hot, piping noodle soup made with the leftover hot pot broth. The broth itself is super flavorful, brimming with complex flavors from all the goodies cooked in the hot pot from the night before.  To that broth, my mom adds fresh noodles and lots of fresh vegetables, tofu, and meat. On a cold, snowy morning, there's nothing that's hits the spot like this satisfying soup.

For dinner on Christmas this year, our family made our own Taiwanese "lumpia", or fresh hand-rolled spring rolls.  I'm sure every culture makes these slightly differently. My mom's version includes pork, cabbage, carrots, eggs, pickled turnips, and (mostly importantly), crushed sugared peanuts. I absolutely love the complex mix of textures and flavors in this flavor-packed roll - it's absolutely addictive.

Yum.

Finally, the day after Christmas, we had simple stir-fried vermicelli, which was both comforting, healthy, and totally reminded me of home. My mom told me that the secret to making good vermicelli is to soak the dried vermicelli in cold water before cooking. Hot water degrades the noodles too much and causes them to break apart when you stir fry it.

Who knew?
Jen in Sydney, Australia, where Christmas decorations begin in early November

Though it's been super relaxing being pampered by my mom while she cooks every single meal for us, I'm also anxious to get back into the kitchen. I've been inspired recently to try out new recipes from The Modernist at Home (a gift I received from Bryan) as well as playing with my new pressure cooker (which apparently is needed for many of the recipes in that book). It's also been awhile since I'ved baked, and I'm in the mood to make some super cute cookies - maybe of Domokun or The Snowman.

The Snowman in Ohio

We'll soon resume the Tasting Tour of Tokyo series, as well as explore some great local Boston-area restaurants I've tried in the past month.

For now, however, relax, slow down, and savor this special time of year.

Merry Christmas!

Last Minute Gift Ideas

My husband's really good at giving gifts.

He's thoughtful, does tons of research on products, and always has a running list in his mind (yearlong!) of potential gifts he could give you.

In some ways, it's really, really nice to be married to someone like that. I've gotten some pretty incredible gifts in the past 11 years we've been married.

In other ways, however, it's really stressful! I don't think nearly as methodically as he does, and I'm a huge procrastinator on top of all that. As a result, I can't even come close to giving as good gifts as he does. He's lucky if he even gets a gift by Christmas. Sigh . .  yes, it's true. I'm really THAT bad sometimes . . .

So, I thought I'd share with you some of the gifts I've received over the years, maybe as inspiration for you as you go shopping on this last holiday weekend before Christmas. Some of these are a repeat from last year, but I've updated the list quite a bit. Not all of these gifts were from Bryan, but in many ways, he probably played some role most of these (he likes to buy me random things too, even when there's no special occasion).

Please enjoy the list, and I'm really sorry I didn't post this earlier!

ever the procastinator . . . some things just don't change.
 Fun with The Modernist

For my birthday this past year (just a little over a month ago), Bryan got me the coolest combination of things: Nathan Myhrvold's Modernist Cuisine at Home and a Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker.

You may have heard of the original Modernist Cuisine, a six volume, 2400 pages ($600!) set of books that explores modern cooking techniques. The book explores all sorts of different techniques, from water baths and homogenizers to centrifuges and liquid nitrogen.

This past year, they came out with a whittled down home version. Instead of requiring esoteric ingredients and strange lab equipment, you can pretty much execute most things in the Modernist Cuisine at Home if you have two major pieces: a sous vide machine and a pressure cooker. Since I already had the sous vide machine, Bryan got me a really nice pressure cooker with the book.

I've only tried the Kuhn Rikon a few times (posts coming soon!), but it works like a dream. I thought I was scared of pressure cookers, but this thing is so incredibly easy to use. I absolutely love this gift, and I can't wait to share with you some of the dishes I've been making from the Modernist Cuisine at Home. It's a great gift for any food enthusiast who loves experimenting.

An Insanely Good Basic Set of Pots & Pans

I've been using the same set of Ameriware pots and pans ever since 2001 when we first got married. Though they aren't bad, I've always been a little wary about heating non-stick cookware to really temperatures. Last Christmas Bryan got me this gorgeous set of All-Clad Copper Core pots & pans. This set is great because it has the durability and ease of cleaning that comes with stainless steel but the more sensitive heat conduction of copper. I've seen a tremendous difference in the quality of my cooking. Finally, I can carefully sear things, evenly heat things, and just have much better control over everything.

I've still kept my old set since it's still nice to have non-stick sometimes. By and large, however, I almost always reach for these first nowadays.

The Inner Kitchen Chemist

I got this present for my birthday last year from some good friends of mine. It's perfect for my inner chemist who likes to play around with powders, liquids, and vials!

This molecular gastronomy kit includes many of the basic ingredients needed to execute all kinds of  molecular gastronomy techniques. They also gave me the Alinea cookbook, written by none other than Grant Achatz, one of the leading masterminds of molecular gastronomy in the U.S.

As you can see from the picture above, I've had tons of fun this past year having all sorts of fun with this kit. Check out this post, which summarizes the entire crazy project, as well as the individual posts on spherification, use of agar, foam, and sous vide.


Playing with Sous Vide


If you want to experiment with a cooking technique used by many high-end restaurants around the world, try the art of sous vide cooking, which involves cooking foods at very precise temperatures (in a water bath). For the adventurous, try cooking out of Thomas Keller's food dedicated to sous vide cooking, Under Pressure. For a more basic book that's chock full of really useful information, try Douglas Baldwin's Sous Vide for the Home Cook.

If you're going to get a sous vide machine, you really need a vacuum sealer as well. I got this Foodsaver vacuum sealer from friends a couple years ago at it works fine. It doesn't take up too much room on the counter (compared to older, non-standing models) and it functions pretty well. I sort of wish it didn't use up so much plastic in the process (the outer wrapper requires a huge "buffer" on each side of the food in order to seal). Perhaps some of the newer models are able to seal without using so much plastic each time.

Savor Beautiful Food Photography + Recipes

Speaking of books by amazing 3-star Michelin chefs, another great gift idea might be the new, gorgeous book by Daniel Humm about dishes from his newly minted 3-star Michelin restaurant, Eleven Madison Park. I got to try many of these dishes at a special "cookbook tour" dinner cooked by Daniel Humm himself (at Boston at Menton, of all places!). I haven't tried cooking out of the book, but I can attest to the fact that it's gorgeous and the food we had on the cookbook tour tasted incredible.


Jura-Capresso Impressa F9 Fully Automatic Coffee and Espresso Center

We absolutely love our espressos and cappuccinos. We drink them every single day. This trooper of a machine has served us faithfully for the last two years. It is Swiss built and super reliable. We love that it's completely automatic (everything from grinding, tapping, removing the grounds) and you can choose whatever type of beans you want to put inside. No K-cups in landfills! 

This machine is quite expensive, but we've definitely gotten our money's worth and we absolutely love it. The espressos that it makes have excellent crema.  The cappuccinos are solid as well. I would highly recommend it or perhaps one of the newer models since we've had our for so long!

Blendtec or Vitamix ??

 The Blendtec 1560 watt blender is one of the newest toys I've gotten this past year (thanks Bryan!). Many people have a hard time deciding between the Vitamix and the Blendtec. Frankly, both are excellent machines and will perform beautifully. From the multiple reviews I've read, the difference comes down to height (Blendtec fits under a kitchen counter whereas Vitamix does not); controls (Vitamix is more manual while Blendtec is more computerized); and noise (Blendtec is louder than Vitamix). There are other differences that people debate about such as power, ease of cleaning, tamper, and how "smooth" the shake is.

We chose the Blendtec mostly for counterspace reasons and the fact that you could turn it on and walk away. So far, I've had tons of fun with it - everything from making my own soy milk at home to whipping up gorgeous, restaurant-quality velvety smooth blended soups. Although it is a loud, the blending is only for a short amount of time, and the results are so worth it!

Zojirushi Fuzzy Rice Cooker

I have an older model of this rice cooker and I love it! It makes perfect rice every time. I also like how it has settings for different kinds rice, and you can set different types of timer options. Seriously, after having tried one of these rice cookers, it's hard to go back to a normal one. :)

Lello 4090 Gelato Pro Quart Ice Cream Maker

Bryan got this for me as a birthday present one year and I absolutely love it. It has its own condenser so you don't have to bother with taking up precious freezer space for a huge dewar. Best yet, you can make ice cream on a whim just by turning it on. It makes luxuriously beautiful ice cream. You can check out some of the more unique ice creams I've made on this blog, such as avocado, olive oil, black sesame, simple lemon, and grape nut.

Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron French Oven

I can't believe it took me this long to appreciate how awesome cast-iron Dutch ovens are! I finally bought my first Le Creuset piece the summer of 2010 at an outlet store. I am still amazed at how evenly it heats everything and how well it retains heat. Seriously, it has made stir frying a breeze. I love the versatility of this pot. Yes, it's heavy and a pain to lift up, but it's totally worth it for the performance. It has become one of my default pots of choice whenever I want to stir-fry! Perhaps I'll look into a cast iron wok next!

Zester

New generation zesters (inspired by the original Microplane zester) are surprisingly useful for so many things! I love the Oxo zester (pictured at left) because it "cuts" in both directions.  Of course I love my original Microplane zester as well, which works like a charm. I use them to zest my lemons,   create gorgeously fluffy Parmesan cheese shavings over pasta, and make chocolate shavings! It's quite sharp, so be careful!

Shun Classic 7-Inch Santoku Hollow Ground Knife

For the longest time, this was my favorite knife. Bryan gave this to me one Christmas.  It far surpassed all the cheaper Tramontina knives I had in my starter set. I still swear by Japanese knives (I think they are among the best in the world), though I recently purchased some Masamoto Tsukiji knives (hard to get outside of Japan, though do check out Korin), which are nothing short of amazing. For a knife that is easily purchasable in the U.S., I still think this is a fantastic option. It's great for someone like me who has slightly smaller hands.

Bryan's Favorite Point & Shoot Camera

Bryan recently bought himself a pretty snazzy point & shoot camera. I have to say, I'm really, really impressed with this little Sony camera. It's small enough to fit inside his pocket, yet takes quite impressive food photos in pretty dark lighting. This is definitely Bryan's travel camera of choice for his business trips, and he takes it with him everywhere he travels. To see food pics taken by this camera, check out this post.

Panasonic Lumix GF1

A birthday gift from Bryan in 2009 (soon after Tiny Urban Kitchen was christened), this is my carry-with-me-everywhere camera. It is small enough to put inside my purse and it's really light. I love the f/1.7 aperture, which allows me to shoot really nice pictures in extremely low light conditions (typically inside restaurants). It is seriously the ultimate food blogger's camera.  Click here to read more detailed thoughts about it.

Also consider getting the new generation Lumix GX1, either just the body or with a 14-42mm lens.

(2012 - present) Canon 5D MKIII 

When I know I'm going to a special event, or if I know I'll be in a very challenging light situation, I will bring this camera along. I swear, it can almost take pictures in the dark. We bring it along with us on all of our trips, and it's really versatile. It's biggest (and only) drawback is that it's HUGE. It's still worth it, though, This is an amazing camera that really takes seriously good photographs. 

(2009-2012) Canon 5D MK II

The Mark II was the camera I used from 2009-2012. It is still an excellent camera and performs gorgeously in low light situations (as well as many other situations). Click here to read more detailed thoughts about it

24-105 mm f/4 lens

Another present from Bryan, this is my favorite all-time lens as its zoom range is versatile. Although this lens doesn't quite have as low light capabilities, it has a wonderfully versatile zoom range and can still handle reasonably low light due to the fact that it has stability control. It is my favorite travel camera.

Bryan's favorite travel lens is the Canon 24mm f/1.4 wide angle lens. It takes wonderful sweeping shots of landscapes and cityscapes, and performs beautifully in low light conditions.

After raw files leave my camera (yes, I don't advise shooting in jpg! Please shoot in raw if possible!), I use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 to catalog and work up my images. I absolutely love Lightroom because it makes photo processing so much easier! There are little sliders on the right side which allow you to fine tune parameters such as exposure, color, and clarity. Finally, there are all these plug-ins you can get that allow you to automatically upload to Flickr or post to your favorite blogging software all in one step. Definitely a time saver!

That's it, for now . . .
I could go on and on and on, but I'll stop here. Hope I gave you some inspiration for possible gifts, either for someone else or even for yourself!

If you'd like to support Tiny Urban Kitchen through your shopping, feel free to search for amazon.com items through the link on the left sidebar of the blog, or click here to get to Amazon.

Have a great final weekend of holiday shopping!

Puritan & Co

I cannot tell you how long I've been waiting for this.

Well, I guess I could, technically.

I still remember that fateful day back in May of 2011 when we stopped into our favorite local hangout, Garden at the Cellar, and found out that Chef Will Gilson had left, planning to do a pop-up in the Cape for the summer.

Noooooo! It can't be!

The Garden at the Cellar had quickly become our favorite place to visit, a mere one minute walk (maybe two minutes if we had to wait for traffic on Mass Ave) from our tiny urban condo. It was a place where we knew we could enjoy Will's ever changing seasonally-inspired menu as well as the fantastic truffle fries (which we got every single time).

I knew Will was talented, and I was itching to see what he would do next.

The following year flew by. Sure, I saw Will here and there, but he was pretty mum about his plans, though he did hint there was something in the works.


The waiting is finally over.

Will Gilson opened up his first restaurant, Puritan & Co, in Inman Square less than two weeks ago.

The name "Puritan & Co" is inspired by the "Puritan Cake Company", a company that occupied the Inman Square space back in the 1920's. Will wanted his new restaurant to reflect his roots (Will is a 13th generation New Englander). He grew up at the Herb Lyceum in Groton, Mass, a white country farmhouse surrounded by rows of greenhouses brimming with herbs and other seasonal plants.

The decor at Puritan & Co evokes this same sense of heritage and feeling of traditional New England country. The 1920's Glenwood stove at the host's stand is actually the first stove that Will ever cooked on as a child, brought over from the Herb Lyceum.

It's a comfortable, warm, and inviting space. I love the tall ceilings and relaxed feel.

The folio style menus remind me of a certain Thomas Keller restaurant I visited less than a year ago. The menu is divided up into six sections: Oyster & Charcuterie Bar ($10-$15), Snacks ($6-$7), Starters ($11-$18), Salads ($12-$15), Soups ($12-14), and Hearty ($24-$28).

The potato Parker House rolls are baked fresh throughout the day by pastry chef Mike Geldart. We find them to be super soft, slightly sweet, and really good with butter.

The meal begins with an amuse bouche of Cobia Crudo with Butternut Squash Gelato and Sea Beans. Cobia is a white fleshed fish that, according to Chef Gilson, is really flavorful and sustainable. He cites cobia as the "hardest dish that we've tried to get people to get behind . ."  I agree that the cobia crudo is delicious, although I am not sure if I like the pairing of the icy cold gelato with the crudo. It is a bit too cold for my tongue (and teeth!) so early in the meal.

The Snack Section: The gougeres ($6), which are sort of like cheese-filled pastry puffs, come highly recommended by our waiter. Chef Gilson makes his gourgeres with rosemary and Clothbound cheddar mornay.

What is "mornay"? It's a Béchamel sauce (traditional creamy white sauce) made with cheese. Chef Gilson's gougere oozes with this rich cheesy sauce when you bite into one. It's rich, it's flavorful, and very heavy. I am expecting the cheese to be hot, but it's actually cold, which sort of detracts from the enjoyment of the gougere. An order comes with two, which is more than plenty as an appetizer. In fact, I almost feel like it sort of filled up my stomach before my appetizer even comes.

Charcuterie Bar: Swordfish Belly Pastrami ($15), which comes with pickled Brussels sprouts and a savory ice cream, is one of the several "composed charcuteries" on the menu. We both really, really enjoy this starter. The swordfish is just perfectly seasoned (yes, it really does taste like traditional pastrami spices), and pairs well with the accompanying components (including the ice cream). It is one of our favorite dishes.

Soups: The presentation for the clam chowder is stunning. A row of clams perfectly dressed with goodies like bacon and herbs stand center stage while the soup is poured tableside. The clams are fresh and tasty, though the flavor of the chowder itself doesn't strike us as anything special. We've had better.

Salads: I had always enjoyed Chef Gilson's salads when he was at Garden at the Cellar, so it's no surprise that I love this simple Baby Kale and Mustards Salad ($12). My favorite part is the "fried cheddar", which are airy and crunchy croutons made of cheese. They are salty, deeply cheesy,  crispy, and absolutely delicious. The dill adds a lovely fresh herbaceous tone to the salad, and the grilled onions provide smoke and sweetness. In my two visits to Puritan & Co, I've ordered this both times.

Starters: The Baked Scallop ($15) looks like one huge baked scallop in its shell, although I think there are actually a few scallops inside the green, herb-based sauce. The scallops are very tender, and overall the dish is fine, though we aren't sure if we would order it again.

Starters: The grilled Cobia Collar is a special of the day and not on the regular menu. Grilled fish collarbone is pretty popular in Japanese restaurants, though I seldom see it in Western places. This collar is marinated (I think) in sake, mirin, and possibly soy. The flavors are good, though I wish it had just a hint of sweetness. I find the dish just a tad too salty.

Starters: One of the most popular dishes to date is the Lamb Belly ($14), which is served with eggplant, orange + moxie (an old school soft drink). In fact, on our way out of the restaurant after our first visit, Chef Gilson asks us, "did you guys try the lamb belly?" He is bummed that we did not, and tells us we have to try it.

Sure enough, Bryan orders it during our second visit. He loves the tender belly meat and the juicy layer of fat right on top of the meat. The orange + moxie sauce is a bit sweet for him, but he still thinks the lamb belly tastes perfectly fine on its own even without the orange sauce.

Sides: The Toasted Barley Risotto at $18 is by far the most expensive side dish on the menu. We soon realize that this "side dish" is really quite misplaced in this section of the menu. It's huge, and realy more a full-fledged entree than a side dish. Update: it appears that the section is now named "vegetables." 

Bryan absolutely loves the risotto. He can't get enough of the really nice, al dente texture of the barley. Furthermore, the flavor is excellent, full of deep, rich mushroom essence and that nutty, toasted barley flavor.

Hearty: One of Bryan's favorite dishes to date is the Wood Roasted Muscovy Duck ($28), which is served with quinoa, salsify (the big white root vegetable in the picture), and roasted mushrooms. Thyme is the predominant herb. Chef Gilson does a beautiful job on the meat - it's juicy, tender, and really flavorful.

Hearty: The Lamb Chop and Lamb Sausage ($27) is a fun play on a traditional lamb chop and is served with hay roasted carrots, ash oil, and lamb jus. Chef Gilson combines the two by wrapping the lamb sausage around the lamb chop.

I'm a huge fan of sausage in general, so I enjoy this dish more than I would a normal lamb dish. We still have visions of lamb in our heads from our recent trip to New Zealand (more on that coming soon!). Though Bryan still thinks the lamb in New Zealand is better, this is pretty darn good for what you can get in the US.
Desserts: Current autumn/winter offerings for dessert include a pumpkin ice cream, parsnip cake, toll house cookie dough sundae, and a quince galette. We opt to share the Quince Galette ($7), which comes with marcona almonds, apply jelly on the side, and is topped with a buttermilk glace.

We both enjoy this dessert a lot. The galette is not too big and thus it's a nice, not-too-heavy way to end a perfectly enjoyable meal.

Before we leave, complimentary Puritan Cakes accompany the bill. Chef Gilson's father found the original recipe for Puritan cakes in a newspaper clipping. They recreated the recipe, "improved it", and now serve it as a parting bite for all the guests.

It's a nice nod to the history behind the space. Frankly, the modified Puritan cake is still sort of dry and not that amazing (especially compared to everything else), but it's still a nice little parting "snack" and I still eat it every time.

I'm thrilled that Will's new restaurant seems to be getting off to a fantastic start. We were extremely impressed with the service there. Our server knew the ingredients in each dish, the characteristics of each wine, and even the tasting notes of the beers inside and out without missing a beat (yes, we peppered her with a lot of questions).

Overall the food is excellent at Puritan & Co. Sure, there were a few things I would skip, but there are plenty of dishes for which I would happily return. Our favorites thus far? The mushroom barley risotto, swordfish belly pastrami, anything made with lamb, and the muscovy duck. Yes, the man's an expert when it comes to meat. I personally loved the salads as well.

I expect Will plans on constantly changing the menu, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see all sorts of creative charcuterie showing up. It seems like the perfect place to sit at the bar and sample all sorts of little bites paired with their collection of interesting beers and wine.

Welcome back, Will. It's really, really nice to finally have you back.

And I'm glad your new place is still relatively close to my home, though it's hard to beat those days when you were literally across the street.

Puritan & Co.
1166 Cambridge St
Cambridge, MA