A Pizza Masterpiece

Salty, sweet, crunchy, chewy, these are all great adjectives for the most recent pizza creation to come out of my oven. Delicious, fantastic, outstanding, these would aptly apply as well. I can’t take credit for the flavor combinations though; my sis-in-law Cori procured all the ingredients for this masterpiece and therefore deserves all the credit. This apple, pear, caramelized onion, goat brie, honey and walnut pizza was her idea.

What I did do was stretch the dough until thin and laid it out on my cornmeal dusted pizza peel. I then lightly brushed the dough with olive oil and seasoned it with salt, cracked black pepper, oregano and crushed red pepper. Then came a layer of caramelized onions and thinly sliced bartlett pear and crisp granny smith apple. Add to that thin slices of ripe goat brie, walnut halves and a healthy drizzle of honey. I found that it was easiest to stick the walnut halves onto the slices of brie to hold them in place as the pizza cooks.

I slid the fully assembled pizza onto a pizza stone in a 500 degree oven and  baked for 9 minutes. Sliced and then eaten, this pizza was outstanding. It deserves a place on my stone with the caramelized onion, baby arugula, black mission fig and goat cheese pizza that I love so much. If some day I own a restaurant, this pizza will certainly be on the menu.

French Street Food

France is known for a lot of things including great wine, cheese, bakeries and culture. And Paris is known for a lot of those things including the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa, the Notre Dame, and amazing pâtisseries. When I told my friend Alex that I was headed to Paris for work I didn't even get a chance to ask her what I should do before she said "you absolutely have to get a banana and nutella crêpe from one of the street vendors." It was a common theme among friends when they learned of my trip so I made that my mission once I arrived. I took a few detours on my way to crêpe heaven, first to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo

and then to the top of the Eiffel Tower,

but it wasn't until I made my way down the river to the Notre Dame

that I finally saw what I could only dream of previously, the famous street vendors that create the Parisian street food known as the crêpe. I saw lots of amazing and inspiring artwork, sculptures, and architectural wonders, but at that moment it was all about the banana nutella crêpe so I stepped right up and ordered one.

I think the young woman making my crêpe was a but uncomfortable with me taking pictures, should I have asked first? I was giddy like a little kid in a candy store; I was hungry and could not wait to try this crêpe I had heard so much about. Smeared with nutella and stuffed with ripe, sliced bananas, it was a challenge to eat with a broken arm in a cast, but I managed, a couple times. The crêpe pancake was hot, sweet and perfect and the nutella and banana filling almost brought me to my knees. Wow, so good. Seriously amazing. I want to go back to Paris for a lot of things and one of them is another banana nutella crêpe. Bon appétit!

The BEST beef short ribs from Blue Ribbon BBQ

I have been a big Blue Ribbon fan for a long time, and I'm not talking about the restaurant in New York City. I'm talking about Blue Ribbon Bar-B-Q in West Newton, Massachusetts, a real, local, barbecue institution "inspired by the roadside barbecue joints that dot the American south." I have been a big supporter of Blue Ribbon ever since I moved down the street from the restaurant several years ago. They have something for everyone including Big Green Salads if you're a health conscious barbecue lover - add some of their pulled chicken or amazing spicy chicken salad on top - or giant stuffed burritos if you like your barbecue with a little Mexican flair. They stuff gigantic, flour tortillas with rice and beans, cabbage, salsa, cilantro and sour cream along with your choice of pulled pork, chicken, or burnt ends. I used to eat one of these nearly every week.

*image of West Newton's exterior "borrowed" from Blue Ribbon's Flickr feed

I could go on and on about everything on their menu because honestly, in my opinion, nearly everything is great. I don't particularly like their cornbread, it's not consistent and usually dry, but seriously, everything else is superb. I love their pulled chicken, it's always super tender and delicious and their burnt ends are heavenly. Even their pulled pork is something every hog on the farm probably dreams of - tender and perfectly seasoned. They also have great ribs and great sides too. Their baked beans are some of the best around and I could live on a diet of their coleslaw alone. Seriously, good stuff.

What really sets Blue Ribbon apart, though, is their specials. Every day they have new specials up on the board; sides, platters, sandwiches, and desserts. One of my favorite sides that occasionally makes the specials board is their beets vinaigrette. Tender, sliced red beets with red onions, parsley and a delicious oil and vinegar dressing. They are sweet and tart and simply amazing. They even have a great meatloaf that appears on the board from time to time.

If I haven't already set Blue Ribbon up to be a great barbecue joint, it gets better. On Monday night I stopped in to pick up dinner for J and I. J asked me to pick her up a half jerk chicken, which is awesome, but I was still undecided when I walked in to the restaurant. Looking up at the specials for the evening, the beets vinaigrette was absent, but their mac & cheese was up, which I ordered. And there was also a line up on the board for some smoked beef short ribs. Unfortunately I forget what the glaze on them was, but wow, delicious. These beef short ribs might have been the BEST barbecue I have ever had from Blue Ribbon. I'm not kidding, I love everything on their regular menu and have never had anything bad from them, but these beef short ribs were just amazing. Two big, thick, meaty short ribs with a BEAUTIFUL smoke ring. They were tender, flavorful and just absolutely perfect examples of great barbecue. I hope they become regular visitors to the specials board, or better yet, regular menu itesm, because I will order them every single time I stop in.

Amazing beef short ribs with coleslaw and mac & cheese

Look how thick and meaty these ribs are!!

Look at this amazing smoke ring!

If you live in the greater Boston area and are looking for great barbecue, I highly recommend you stop into Blue Ribbon for some 'cue. They have two locations, the one I visit often in West Newton and a second in Arlington. Eat there, you won't be disappointed.

Blue Ribbon Bar-B-Q
1375 Washington St
Newton, MA 02465
Phone: 617.332.2583

or

908 Massachusetts Avenue
Arlington, MA 02476
Phone: 781.648.7427

Save the taste buds!

Imagine life without your favorite foods. Imagine everything began to taste too salty, very bitter, or even metallic. For all the people that will be diagnosed with cancer this year, the chemotherapy treatments they will undergo will take their appetites and change the way their favorite food tastes. Imagine if chocolate no longer tasted like chocolate!

Please make a small donation and join my campaign to save the taste buds - join the fight against cancer: http://www.pmc.org/egifts/SD0131


Each year nearly 1.4 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the United States, a figure that does not include the 900,000 new cases of skin cancer diagnosed annually. Cancer is the second leading cause of death (after heart disease) in the United States, accounting for 560,000 deaths every year. While more than 3 million people are diagnosed with cancer around the globe each year, the figure most likely represents just a percentage of people who have the disease but remain undiagnosed due to decreased access to health care in different parts of the world.

The treatments that cancer patients must endure are painful. Chemotherapy makes their hair fall out. It alters the way their food tastes. It destroys their appetite. As if receiving the news that "it's cancer" isn't bad enough, the treatments needed to kill the cancer are so toxic that sometimes they kill the patient too.

This summer on August 1st and 2nd I will be riding 192 miles (309 kilometers) across the state of Massachusetts in my third Pan-Mass Challenge. Over the last two years I raised over $10,000 in memory of my family and friends that have been taken away by cancer. I expect that this year, due to the economy, my fund raising is going to be an even bigger challenge. I have set a modest goal of $5,000 this year with 100% of every dollar going directly to the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

My family has seen it's share of cancer over the years. My grandmother, one of my great aunts, and lots of cousins; only one survivor. Friends from high school and summer camp who never saw their 30th birthday. Cancer does not discriminate. Cancer doesn't care how old you are or if you have children. Cancer never takes the day off, and neither should we.

So readers, I'm asking you to think about your life, your family, your friends. The probability is very high that you know someone who has had cancer. Please consider that this ride, the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, gives 100% of the rider-raised donations directly to The Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for the treatments and research that save lives. It helps fund early detection programs that often times mean the difference between life and death. Every dollar raised brings us all one step closer to a cure.

I am asking you to please make a 100% tax-deductible donation to help in the continuing fight against cancer; each donation brings us all closer to a cure.

To donate online, go to http://www.pmc.org/egifts/SD0131

PS: I’d like to ask one more favor. It would be so great if you would share this post with one of your friends or family members and ask them to make a a donation too. Just think how much more money we could raise in our effort to rid our lives of this horrible disease.

New York Tour de Barbecue

On a recent trip to Manhattan I decide to embark on a mini tour de barbecue so I consulted with my friend Gary over at Pigtrip.net - he is a barbecue genius. I asked Gary where I should go for the best ribs in New York and as I expected he gave me some choices; Wildwood for saucy ribs or RUB (Gary's personal favorite) for smoky au natural, also known as dry rubbed. If it's beef ribs or brisket I'm looking for, Hill Country is where it's at, which happens to be just 4 blocks from RUB. So after considering my options and looking at a map, I decided I would start at RUB for some of their smoky ribs and then make my way over to Hill Country for those famous beef ribs.

RUB, which stands for Righteous Urban Barbeque, is a small place with a takeout counter on the right, seating with wait service on the left, and a bar in the back. With several rib cut options on their menu I needed some assistance. First was the choice between St. Louis ribs or baby back ribs. I was leaning towards the St. Louis because they are usually meatier. But then I had to choose between the short end or the bony end. The short end is the last seven ribs off the slab and is also known as the tender end; the bony end is first six bones off the slab and is usually much meatier. Meat was what I was after so I went with the bony end with a side of their vinegar based cole slaw. The ribs were very smoky, almost too much, but they were very tender with a nice smoke ring and crispy bark. The slaw was outstanding, I like creamy coleslaw as much as the next person, but this vinegar slaw was excellent and perfect alongside the ribs.

Next stop, Hill Country Barbecue Market. I stopped in around 3:30pm so the restaurant was pretty empty. I was greated by a nice young woman at the front door who asked if I had ever been there before. I said no, and quickly got a lesson in the barbecue market. Upon entering the market, I'm given a meal ticket. Meal ticket rules can be seen in the second image below, but basically you take your ticket to the butcher counter where you order your meat, I ordered one big beef rib, and the butcher will weigh and price your meat. He'll affix a deli counter style sticker to your meal ticket and direct you towards the sides and trimmings station. With hot and cold sides to choose from I settled on Cool as Cucumber cucumber salad and Confetti Cole Slaw.

The beef rib was big, tender and very delicious, and the cucumber salad was sweet and sour vinegary perfection; if I was a cucumber I would want to be made into this delicious salad. Finally the confetti cole slaw, lightly dressed this cole slaw was a little creamy and a lot good. If I hadn't come from RUB I would have ordered more than one beef rib and may have tried some of the other great sounding sides. I don't know about you, but beer braised cowboy pinto beans and campfire baked beans with burnt ends sound pretty awesome to me. In hindsight, I wish I had at least tried their skillet cornbread. I'll have to wait until next time, and trust me, there will be a next time.

The next time you're in New York City and craving some barbecue, you should definitely check these places out. I'd suggest you start at Hill Country first, with live music everyday and fantastic Texas barbecue, it's a real treat.

Hill Country Barbecue Market
30 West 26th Street (Between 6th and Broadway)
New York, NY 10010
Phone: 212.255.4544

RUB BBQ
208 West 23rd Street (Between 7th and 8th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
Phone: 212.524.4300

I don't feel any smarter after eating this

Alternate title: Fear Factor - Indian Style

My food philosophy is that if something is on the menu, then someone likes it and someone thinks it is okay to eat. So when I found myself with my friend and colleague Nmuthu at Karaikudi Restaurant in Mylapore, India, I knew I had to be true to myself when I was asked if I'd ever had brains and do I want to try it. So I said yes.

When the dish was placed on our table, some of the pieces still resembled the brain so I immediately knew I was in for a challenge. I stared at the plate for a minute and with some hesitation picked up a small piece. The texture in my hand was soft and delicate and no I wasn't just playing with my food; in India people eat with their hands, their right hand actually. After thinking for a minute about what I was about to eat, I popped the piece of brain in my mouth and chewed. The texture in my mouth is something I've had a hard time describing since I told the first person about my eating adventure. It was homogeneous and creamy in texture on the inside with a very delicate skin on the outside. The flavor was very mild having not been well sauced. The flavor of brain, I'm told, is usually dominated by whichever sauce they are prepared with. Nmuthu also tried a piece and told me that even though he doesn't love brains he has had them before and the ones we were eating that day lacked in any significant flavor; they were not prepared that well. Fortunately the rest of our meal was fantastic! In addition to the brains, we also ate vegetable biryani, chettiyar chicken masala, gobi 65, and two types of south Indian bread - parotta and chapathi.

Clockwise from the top: Parotta, Chettiyar Special Chicken Masala,
Vegetable Biryani, Mutton Brains

Biryani is a rice based dish that is popular throughout the Middle East and India. Some say that the biryani from Hyderabad put that city on the culinary map; we ate some vegetable biryani and it was delicious. The chicken masala we ate must be from a local recipe, although I didn't ask, since Chettiyar, or more commonly Chettiar, is a title used by people in south India to identify themselves or others with a specific group of people. The Indian breads we ate, parotta and chapathi, are two common south Indian breads served with most meals. Finally, gobi 65, which is one of my favorite snacks/appetizers in India - my favorite is still pani puri, and I ate some of that this trip too. Gobi is cauliflower and it is very popular in Indian cuisine. Gobi 65 is fried cauliflower dredged in chili powders and other spices, here is one recipe from Coimbatore, another great city in south India. If you ever find yourself in Mylapore, check out this restaurant, it was very good.

Here is my receipt, see the third item?

Pancake Breakthrough!

Back in January I wrote about these incredible pancakes that I made from a recipe I saw on Zestycook.com; The pancakes are and continue to be some of the best pancakes I've ever had. They are so good, in fact, that I make them almost every weekend mixing in different fruit to prevent pancake boredom. As good as these pancakes are, I always felt they could be better, lighter, fluffier.

Fast forward to last week - I was trying to free up some space on my DVR and decided to watch an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay that I recorded about a month or so ago; Chef Flay challenged the owners of Clinton Street Baking Company in NY, Neil Kleinberg and DeDe Lahman, to a Blueberry Pancakes throwdown. Both Flay and Neil Kleinberg whipped their egg whites to soft peaks before incorporating them into their batters; they said this would give the pancakes the light fluffy texture and a light went off in my head.

I made my own blueberry pancakes this morning but this time I modified my/Zesty's recipe. I separated the eggs in the recipe and whipped the egg whites to stiff peaks before incorporating them into the batter. Wow, what a difference this small modification made. I'm talking seriously good, light, fluffy, delicious, good for you blueberry pancakes. I say good for you because unlike many pancake recipes there is absolutely NO sugar; the recipe also uses whole wheat flour and whole oats. I have also been adding in ground cinnamon and sometimes pumpkin pie spice just to mix things up a little. For your convenience and eating pleasure I am including the modified recipe below along with some tasty pancake pics from my breakfast this morning. Bon apetit!

Oatmeal Pancakes
Serves 4 (makes approximately 12 pancakes)
Ingredients

• 1 Cup Oats (Quaker Old Fashioned Oats)
  
• 1 Cup Whole-Wheat flour
• 1 Cup All Purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. Baking powder
• 1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2 Tsp. Pumpkin Pie spice (optional)
  
• 1 1/2 Cup Milk or Milk Alternative like Hemp Milk
  
• 1/4 Cup Vegetable oil
• 2 Eggs (separated)
  
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla
• Tbsp. Honey

Directions

1. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat
2. Whisk together the oats, flours, baking powder, nutmeg and salt
3. Using the same whisk in a second bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, egg yolks, vanilla, and honey
4. In a third bowl, preferably of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites to soft peaks
   
5. Pour the wet into the dry mixture and stir until just combined
6. Mix in blueberries, sliced bananas, or any other fruit you like
7. Gently fold in the egg whites until incorporated and let the batter rest a few minutes
   
8. Pour batter into skillet using about 1/3 cup of batter per pancake, the batter will be thick
   
9. Once bubbles form on the outside of the pancake and do not fill in again - it is time to flip them over
   
10. Flip once, finish cooking, then serve with butter and pure Vermont maple syrup
    

Just look how much fluffier these beautiful pancakes are!

Top Chef Masters!

How many of you know about the new Bravo show Top Chef Masters? With the first episode airing on June 10, Bravo brings us 24 of the best chefs in the country competing Top Chef style for the title Top Chef Master and $100,000 for a charity of their choice! I have listed the contestants below. I don't know about you but I am super excited to see these master chefs in action! Check out Bravo TV for more information.

Rick Bayless, Frontera Grill, Chicago
Wilo Benet, Pikayo, San Juan, Puerto Rico
John Besh, Restaurant August, New Orleans
Graham Elliot Bowles, Graham Elliott, Chicago
Michael Chiarello, Bottega Restaurant, Yountville, CA
Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
Wylie Dufresne, wd-50, New York City
Elizabeth Falkner, Orson, San Francisco
Hubert Keller, Fleur de Lys, San Francisco
Christopher Lee, Aureole, New York City
Ludo Lefebvre, Ludo Bites, Los Angeles
Anita Lo, Anissa, New York City
Tim Love, The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Fort Worth, TX
Rick Moonen, Rick Moonen’s RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
Nils Noren, French Culinary Institute, New York City
Lachlan McKinnon Patterson, Frasca Foood & Wine, Boulder, CO
Cindy Pawlcyn, Mustards Grill, Napa Valley, CA
Mark Peel, Campanile, Los Angeles
Douglas Rodriguez, Alma de Cuba, Philadelphia
Michael Schlow, Radius Restaurant, Boston
Art Smith, Table Fifty-Two, Chicago
Suzanne Tracht, Jar, Los Angeles
Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto, New York City
Roy Yamaguchi, Roy’s Restaurants, San Diego

The Best Sushi in...Switzerland?!

I'm talking about Kaiten Sushi Bar in the new city neighborhood of Lucerne. To be fair the only city in Switzerland I have spent any significant amount of time in is Lucerne, and, this is the only place I have eaten sushi. But, this sushi is seriously good and it's fun. The sushi is served on small, color-coded plates that you help yourself to from small sailboats cruising around the sushi bar. Enjoy these pictures and the next time you are in Lucerne, eat at Kaiten. They also have a take away location a few blocks away. In three trips to Lucerne I have eaten here five times, it's good!

Kaiten Sushi Bar
Kauffmannweg 16
6003 Luzern, Switzerland
Ph. 041 210 42 40

The Sushi Boats Sail Around the Bar

Crab and Seaweed Salad

Yellowtail, Salmon and Tuna Sashimi

Rainbow Roll

Spicy Tuna Roll

On the disabled list

Due to an unfortunate accident at my house over the weekend, my left arm is in a cast for at least the next 8 weeks - I broke my wrist. Typing is slow and difficult with one hand so I'm going to try and catch up on my "writing" with a little photo journalism. Follow me through pictures as I eat my way through Switzerland and India.