Anticipations

Even though my last post was titled "Transitions" there have been even more since then. All summer long I have been in anticipation of changes to come. The new job, the new apartment, the new roommates, the new kitchen, and above all a new attitude and a new outlook on life. Each and every change has come about with careful consideration and weighed options, and fortunately each has been a cause for celebration. 

The not-so-new job is still going very well, still not related to food but so far plenty to learn, plenty to contribute and even lots of fun to be had. The real star at this point is my new home life. I've gotten lucky, especially for New York, and have consistently lived with relative strangers who have turned out to be fun companions and some even good friends. Even if you live in the most beautiful place in the world it can be soured by poor quality of company. Thankfully, once again, I seem to have found myself among roommates-cum-friends to be. With good relationships in place I'm free to enjoy my new home at ease. And this is where all the celebration really comes in... 

Before I was in a decent sized bedroom... without windows. Before I had a nice wide kitchen with a full-size fridge and a working gas oven... that occupied half of the room considered to be the living room. As I said, I had wonderful roommates and a Manhattan-low rent so I was in that apartment for over two years. When it was time to find a new place, these factors created my primary requirements: windows/light/air and as real a kitchen I could find within my rent budget. I'm pleased and proud to say my needs have been met in abundance.

The new bedroom is bigger than the last (more room for my books!) and features two high and wide windows, full of light, air and city sounds. The kitchen, conveniently located right next to my bedroom, is galley-style with room for an eat-in table and chairs, lots of cabinets and up-above storage, a full-size gas stove, full size fridge and yet another window (expect better daylight food photos). In addition to these key features, the new place also has a spacious living room-cum-dining room, wide hallways, big closets and a black and white tiled bathroom. Seriously, there are wins left and right in this place! Oh there's laundry in the basement, too! And even with all of this my rent hardly changed (even when you divide the broker's fees across 12 months its not a big jump). I feel so fortunate. 

But back to anticipations. The job and apartment changes had been anticipated for years and months. Now that they have both happened, I'm finally picking up my new rhythm. This is the very first night I have come right home from work with no where to go, no one to see and no feeling of "should" in terms of unpacking, doing laundry, sorting apartment things, etc. Empowerment and liberation flow over me. 

Transitions / Obsessions

You may be wondering why I haven't written in over a month, why I haven't been Tweeting as incessantly as normal or why you haven't seen what I've been eating for dinner on Facebook. The reason is I've been going through a series of transitions that still aren't completed, but should be soon. New job, new schedule, less free time (in a good way, but an adjustment), almost a new home and hopefully once I am in a new rhythm after all the new changes have settled in, a new outlook on life. 

The new job is surprisingly not related to food (nor was the old one) but I think I made a good decision and think I will find a lot of satisfaction while I am at work and it most days it won't feel much like work at all - in the best way. The new home will hopefully be warm, welcoming and see delicious dinners, jump-starting breakfasts and gracefully prepared take-to-work lunches - this is all to be seen at this point. Change is hard, and I'd be lying to you if I said the past few weeks have been a breeze. But is it the challenges that teach us about ourselves, that strengthen us for the future and that make us who we are. 

My point with this post is to check in, to show you I'm still here and that I've been thinking of you, my readers (however few there may be), and that I still love food and food writing just as much as ever. I've just had a lot on my plate (pun intended). One of the things I've always thought of doing here on the blog is a periodical favorites list. There are a number of blogs that do these, but I am 100% a gusher so having a bit of an outlet for the things I'm obsessed on a regular basis would be helpful for me and would hopefully introduce you to things you had yet to hear about but may also love. The list below is not all food related and it wouldn't be if I start doing this once in a while- which is another thing I like since I do try to keep The CL as food-centric as possible, but I love so, so, many things. 

So how about we test the waters and I'll do a list of just five things I can't get enough of right now and you let me know what you think. Okay? Good, here we go: 

Current Obsessions

1. The TRI Studios "Move Me Brightly" concert. 

The 70th Birthday Tribute Concert to Jerry Garcia took place a few days after his would-have-been 70th birthday at Bobby Weir's awesome studio/venue in San Rafael, California. There is this awesome mix of musicians and fantastic energy to the whole performance. Luckily I found out about the live stream in the nick of time and happened to be home to sit around and watch it. The quality was great and the concert went on for about 5 hours - true to genuine Dead show form. I love love love it! The favorites of this favorite: the two songs Cass McCombs performs (he's on the verge of becoming a next Current Obsession). You can watch most of the show through this Yahoo link. Check out Mr. McCombs on "Dupree's Diamond Blues" at around 16:50 and then a truly awesome version of "Terrapin Station" at 53:20. "Terrapin" had some added weight that night because of the wonderful rendition but also because "move me brightly" is a line from the song. Enjoy! 

FIAF’s Bastille Day Celebration and 9 Steps to Perfection!

For the third year in a row I honored French National Day by celebrating on 60th Street with FIAF and friends. It wasn’t until last week that I realized I had yet to write a true post about the festival. So this year I’m going to tell you a bit more about a great event, how I celebrate, and hopefully entice you to mark your calendar’s and plan to get to Manhattan for next year’s fête (which according to my estimations should fall exactly on July 14th!).

My friends and I start the day with breakfast and bubbly. Since the festival starts at noon it’s a good idea to have a relaxing morning complete with a filling French-inspired meal and some proper champagne. Egg and cheese crêpes are always a favorite. Though I’ve yet to make them for Bastille day oeufs en cocotte served with a crusty baguette for dipping would be another great choice. If you’re not feeling up to cooking or if you apartment is too sweltering to bear in the city summer (often me) head to any of the city’s pastry shop/cafés- one of the many Le Pain Quotidien will do or get more authentic at MacarOn Café, Dominique Ansel Bakery or La Maison du Macaron. After you’ve had your fill and are feeling a bit light and giggly from the champagne make your way to East 60th Street between Fifth and Lexington Avenues.

There are a number of things you should make sure to do during your time at the Bastille Day Fête:

First: Stop to smell the roses at Ode à la Rose.

You might pick up a small bouquet to bring home, too.

 

Second: Eat as many macarons as necessary.

Don’t miss MacarOn Café’s special Bastille Day macaron.

Consider picking up a box from Fiancier, Francois Payard and MadMac. You will be craving these once your wine buzz and initial sugar high die down.

MacarOn Café hits Midtown with more than Macs

Yesterday morning my alarm clock went off an hour earlier than normal for a very good reason. I was invited to celebrate the grand opening of MacarOn Café's new location on Third  Avenue. As you may well know by now, MacarOn Café is one of my favorite spots in the city for getting my macaron fix. I can always count on a variety of flavors, something new to try, and above all consistently perfect shells and fillings. My favorite location has been the 59th and Madison shop; it is on my way home from work, right by FIAF and has cozy seating in the back. The new shop, located at 750 Third Avenue (between 46th and 47th) may very well become my preferred location in the coming weeks thanks to an evening menu and another favorite of mine: wine. The pink-and-white shop is officially open now but the evening menu and wine will begin in the coming weeks. I can't wait to try it out and will be sure to report back when I do.

The Third Avenue location is in a great spot, right by Grand Central, and easily accessible from the north, east, south or west. Yesterday white and pink balloons encouraged  guests to come in for a free macaron and maybe a perfectly made espresso beverage or a cup of Mariage Frères tea. I was glad to start my day with a balanced cappuccino complete with decorative foam on top.

Fortunately I was able to spend a bit of time chatting with Cecile and Arnaud Cannone, the chef and owners of MacarOn Café. Cecile and I spoke about the process of making macarons and, as always, ways of troubleshooting problems when baking the shells. She advised me how key controlling the humidity of the oven is and suggested not baking them in the summer when it is as humid as it has been in New York. We discussed some flavors- Cecile, like me, is a chocolate lover. I mentioned to her how I like that there are always new flavors to choose from when I come by. Most recently I tried the new Earl Grey, which I had bought for my friend Kyle. I don’t normally enjoy Earl Grey teas or bergamot in general so I didn’t try it until he told me it tasted like… Trix cereal! (They really do!) I told Cecile this but she hadn’t hear of our sugared-up American Trix. I suggest trying one out when you stop in.

When You Can’t Stand the Heat but Want to be in The Kitchen…

If you’re anything like me when it comes to feeding yourself, you feel off balance if its been a while since you made a full blown meal, baked a batch of cookies for loved ones, or simply tried making something new. With this heat wave that’s been riding through Manhattan I’ve had a hard time mustering up energy to cook much of anything. Today I resolved to spend sometime at the counter making some recipes I’ve had on my mind for a while- neither of which required heat. I also noticed that many of my favorite cookbooks have a blurb from Ms. Alice Waters on their covers today while cooking from my library. First I made a trip to Fairway to gather supplies. I stocked up on things for making lunch during the week, lots of green things, ice cream, and a whole pound of coffee with the hope that I’ll find the nerve to let the beans cold-brew for 15 hours according to the recipe in this month’s Bon Appetit.

A few weeks ago I purchased watercress for the first time with the very good intention of trying out Cheryl Sternman Rule’s recipe from Ripe for watercress butter. Time passed, the greens wilted, tired and dried and no butter was made. The super green compound didn’t leave my mind when the first bunch went in the trash, though. I decided this would be a perfect hot-weather recipe to make and have on hand. Corn keeps showing up on my dinner plate demanding something more enticing than regular butter and salt so it seemed excellent timing to try Rule’s butter.

I softened my butter, cleaned then plucked away the thick stems of the watercress, peeled and roughly chopped some garlic, delicately measured out just enough honey, zested a lemon and whizzed it all together in my dear food processor. Some salt and pepper and a little tasting and recipe number one was done. I am happy to report the butter is as good as I imagined. I had a few done as the recipe calls for—on crackers, using Carr’s water crackers. These do indeed make for elegant appetizers I will gladly serve at parties in the future. I also tried it out on some toasted mini bagels I picked up at Fairway- so very delicious. If I swap this in for my regular salty French butter in the morning, will I be starting out my day healthier? I hope so! Cheryl also recommends tossing the leftover butter with hot pasta, potatoes or on bread. I’m thinking of combining it with my other recent love—soft-centered boiled eggs. So many possibilities! Just a note: when used with something hot the butter in the spread melts and heats up the watercress and turns the mixture dark green. The recipe can be found on page 226 of Ripe.