Kitchen Conundrum

Dorie Greenspan’s Cookbook ‘Around My French Table’ Arrived Today!

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How excited was I when I heard that I had won the very first cookbook giveaway of the year on Sis Boom Blog? I would have done a cartwheel if a) I wasn’t in bed in my pjs and b) it wasn’t the middle of the night. Ok, ok! I really just didn’t want to hurt myself again. But that doesn’t lesson my excitement in any way! I was doing cartwheels in my head.

I don’t know why, but for some reason, this book has eluded my shelves. Considering I am a huge Francophile with a pre-disposition to all things Paris (it is my most favorite place in the entire world-I did get to live there for a month last year!) and I have collected several hundred cookbooks there is no excuse as to why it’s been vacant from my repertoire. So I was beyond thrilled when Trevor (@sisboomtweet) from Sis Boom Blog sent me this gorgeous book.  How had I missed this one? (facepalm)

This book marks James Beard Award Winner, Dorie Greenspan’s tenth book and was the 2011 IACP’s Book of the Year. Filled with over 300 recipes, this substantial book isn’t just a cookbook. It also features wonderful snippets into Dorie’s French life with rich and lively stories and “Another Bonne Idee” for several of the recipes. It’s personal and personable and makes me long even more for France.

I know I am (embarrassingly) late to this party, but Dorie has a weekly French Cooking Club to go along with the book. Aptly called French Fridays with Dorie, this club chooses recipes from the book to complete and you link posts regarding how they turned out on Fridays. They have been cooking every week since the book came out in 2010. But there are three weeks left for their January schedule. So I am joining along with them!

Here’s the list:

January 11, 2013: long and slow apples (p.390)
January 18, 2013: chicken liver gateaux with pickled onions (p.190)
January 25, 2013: shrimp and cellophone noodles (p.322)

I am not sure if there are more after that- but in any case- I think I will continue on my own. At least for 2013.

A French cookbook and French Fridays. Now that is a great way to start off my year!

Merci Beaucoup to Trevor and Bon Appetit!

 

Buy the book:

greenspan

Kitchen Reviews-Niu Noodle House Opens in the West Village, NYC

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Last week we were invited to a tasting dinner at Niu Noodle House, a new Ramen noodle restaurant that opened about 4 months ago in Greenwich Village.

Do not be fooled by the interior- there are few Asian inspired design elements here. This restaurant’s vibe is modern, eclectic and feels very much like a pub with dark beams combined with funky wallpaper. At the front of the restaurant is a long, well stocked bar. There are a lot of interesting things to look at while you are waiting for your dinner to arrive but you aren’t there for the decor.

Niu Noodle House’s main focus is on creating freshly made soup noodles in a variety of  styles, broths and flavors. And this, they do very well!

The menu features appetizers of dim sum, satays and spring rolls. Of the many options, we choose the Flank Steak Spring Rolls, Vegetable Spring rolls and the Special Steam Char Siu Pork Buns to start.  Each of the appetizers were better than the last! The Vegetable Spring Rolls were  extra crispy and filled with flavorful vegetables. The beef version was packed solid with a well seasoned ground beef. It was almost like a meatball encased in a spring roll wrapper.  They were both accompanied by a dipping sauce that had just the right amount of heat to it and wasn’t too overpowering.

The pork buns though, were our favorite!  Light, fluffy and filled with tender, juicy slices of pork that melted in your mouth. It was served with the house special Hoisin sauce, pungent and perfectly sweet.

For our main course it was hard to choose from all the varieties of noodle soups on the menu. With the help of our highly skilled and attentive server, she recommended some great choices based on our likes/dislikes. In the end, we picked the Niu Beef Trifecta and the Sangi Chicken.

Soon, large black bowls  that were filled to the brim arrived  with an abundance of savory delights in them.  The Beef Trifecta was filled with homemade thin Ramen noodles, flank steak, short ribs, beef steak, scallions, and a spear of  asparagus. The chicken soup had heartier noodles than the beef’s more delicate kind and tasted like a very good chicken soup- one that would seriously kick a cold’s butt.  Mushrooms, thin slices of chicken breast, and vegetables were present in every bite.

A special delicacy – a wasabi, tempura battered piece of seaweed floated gracefully on the surface and a side bowl of sweet corn kernels accompanied  both of the soups. The broths were both very flavorful and  quite delicious. Ari preferred the beef and I loved the chicken, so we can safely say they both were excellent choices. We were hard pressed to leave some behind and not take a doggie bag to go- tempted as we were!

(A cute touch is the cow chopstick holder.)

After all the food we just enjoyed, we were hesitant to order dessert but we were so very glad we did!  We shared the Green Tea Shaved Ice Cream. What a treat!  A wonderful combination of Green Tea flavor and lightly sented Rose Water topped with Fruit Gels and tiny flavored Lychee balls that had been Spherified –  their liquid interior bursting in our mouths.  It was a delectable and refreshing way to end a delightful meal.

We are really looking forward to going back and tasting the soup dumplings that the manager strongly recommended we try.  And,  to have some more of that shaved ice cream! Yum!

Atmosphere:

Modern, Eclectic

Service:

Friendly and attentive

Price:

Moderate (approx.  $55 for 2 people-sharing a dessert)

Our Rating (Out of 5 Whisks):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Location:

15 Greenwich Ave
(between 10th St & Christopher St)
New York, NY 10014

(212) 488-9888

http://www.niunoodleny.com

 

 

Disclosure: We were invited to experience a meal at Niu Noodle House but as always, the opinions expressed here are our own.

 

Kitchen On the Road- Camino de Santiago- Burgos and an Oven Baked Lamb Recipe

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Mention Burgos and most Spaniard’s mouths begin to water at the thought of the infamous lamb made there.  Considered to be the best in Spain, the local lamb, known as Lechazo, are suckling lamb from the Churra, Castellana or Ojalada breeds. Because the Lechazo is such a special lamb product, they are actually protected by an Indication of Geographic Protection designation -Association of Assadores de Lechazo de Castilla y Leon.  The tradition and skill involved in perfectly roasting this suckling lamb is an esteemed ability that is shared by the members of the Roasters Association of Lechazo from Castile-Leon, who are located all over the country. So if you get to dine in one of their restaurants,  you know there will be some seriously good eating!

The method of cooking for these young lambs is slow roasting them in a wood fired oven. The low, slow heat yields an incredibly tender meat that is very succulent and exceedingly delicious. If you are passing through the region of Castilla y Leon for any reason, you must try some of this lamb. The best part?  It’s perfectly acceptable to eat it with your hands- the meat closest to the bone just begs to be sucked off.

While in Burgos, my Camino friends and I enjoyed a fabulously carnivorous meal at Restaurant Ricon de Espana just off the main square.  We also enjoyed a few bottles of  the Tempranillo seen here. Oh, and dessert? It got a thumbs up.

And while you are in Burgos, be sure to stop into the cathedral. Even if you are not religious, it’s a massive, magnificent Gothic-style building.  Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984, it is the only Spanish cathedral that has this distinction independently without being joined to the historic center of the city. You can spend hours just wandering around the inside looking at all the stone carvings and beautiful relics.

Now, I don’t have a wood fired oven…yet. (It’s on the list!)  But you can easily recreate the tenderness of this meat in your home oven or for that wood fired taste, you can use your grill.  The recipe here is for using your oven for the slow roasting. It takes some time so pop a cork and sit back and relax with a good book. Dinner will be served “soon”.

Kitchen Conundrum’s Slow Roasted Suckling Lamb Recipe
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Meat, Dinner, Lamb
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 11-15lb Suckling Lamb (Also called a Spring Lamb, no more than 4-6 months old. Bone-in. (Also can use a leg or shoulder))
  • 5-8 cloves Garlic (Peeled and smashed into a paste)
  • 3 large sprigs Thyme (Leaves chopped and combined with the garlic paste above)
  • Salt (To season)
  • Olive Oil (To drizzle)
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Rinse the lamb and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut into manageable pieces. Rub the garlic and thyme paste all over each piece of the lamb. Place in a large oven proof dish. In Spain, they use a clay dish- so if you have one in your cupboard, now is the perfect chance to use it! Season each piece with salt and drizzle with olive oil. In the bottom of the pan add a bit of water- no more than ½".
  3. Place the lamb in the hot oven. After 15-20 minutes, or once the lamb is a nice golden color, reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Roast for 1 hour.
  4. At this time, remove the lamb from the oven and turn each piece over. Add some more water (just a little!) if needed so as not to totally dry out the pan. You basically want to steam around the meat until the last few minutes of cooking. Return the lamb back into the oven to continue roasting.
  5. Once the lamb has reached a desired internal temperature, it is ready to serve. For medium rare meat the thermometer should read 120 degrees F. For medium well, 145 degrees F is the magic number. The meat should be tender and flake easily from the bone with a fork.
  6. Serve with a rich, velvety red wine like a Rioja, Priorat, Zinfandel, or Cabernet Sauvignon. (I'd go with one of the first two, keeping with the Spanish theme- but that's just my opinion!)
  7. Serve with a simple salad or roasted potatoes. This is truly a carnivore's delight.