Take one very busy mom, add a writing career plus a passion for food and you get The Busy Hedonist, a hectic writer-mom-food lover who is never too busy to cook a mouthwatering dish, seek out the best ingredients or dine at an amazing restaurant—all in this magical city of New York. You just might find a fresh culinary gem as you follow The Busy Hedonist on her food adventures.
Need a great recipe, menu consultation, the perfect ingredient or advice on where to eat in NYC ? Email The Busy Hedonist.
|
Mention the name of Joe Baum (1920-1998), and the restaurants that come to mind—Windows On The World, the Four Seasons, la Fonda Del Sol—tell you he was a man of big dreams. It took a huge personality and force of will to execute some of the most extravagant restaurant projects ever seen. Joe Baum had a tenacious attention to detail and a flair for the spectacular, with the ability to pull people together to solve seemingly insurmountable obstacles. A true visionary in the spirit of those previously honored as Culinary Luminaries: James Beard, Julia Child, M.F.K. Fisher, and Craig Claiborne. Meet the people that knew and worked with Joseph Baum and learn how he changed the industry.
Participants include William Grimes, author of Appetite City, former New York Times restaurant critic; Milton Glaser, Graphic and Interior Designer on many projects for Joseph Baum; Hugh Hardy, Principal and Founder of “H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture, LLC., and Michael Whiteman, president of Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Company. Moderated by Michael Batterberry, editor-in–chief and publisher of Food Arts Magazine.
What: Culinary Luminaries: Joseph Baum, Restaurant Impresario
When: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 6:00 p.m.
Where: The New School, Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, 55 West 13th Street, 2nd Floor, NYC
Admission: $5
Tickets: 212.229-5488 or boxoffice@newschool.edu
Sponsored by the Food Studies program.
I recently discovered annatto seeds (I love cooking with unusual ingredients) and made a spice rub for grilling shrimp. They were so delicious I made them twice in one week!
Find my recipe on The Gourmet Food Blog at Dean & DeLuca.
 The charcuterie plate at Recette I’m always game for a charcuterie place, one of the many shareable plates at Recette, which opened in the West Village in January. But I also recommend the hamachi with blood orange and jalapeno, which is also happens to be one of the chef’s favorite dishes.
You can find out more about Recette and Chef Jesse Schenker in my Q & A on Hauteliving.com
 You can find olives and other goodies here. Tapenade is one of those items I love having in my refrigerator for snack time. Because I work at home, it just makes sense to have dips and things around for quick lunches. And it’s so incredibly easy to make. What’s funny is that years ago I detested olives. That is until I tasted tapenade. So I guess my love of olives happened backwards.
I add some red pepper flakes to my version because I love a bit of spice.
Ingredients
20 pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp rinsed, drained, and chopped capers
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp anchovy paste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Freshly-ground black pepper
Make tapenade
In a small bowl, mix olives, capers, lemon juice, olive oil, anchovy paste, and pepper. Mix well. Refrigerate and eat within a week or so. Serve with crackers, bread or as a spread on sandwiches.
One of my favorite New York stores for olives (and cheese and pistachios, and lots of other goodies):
Sahadi Importing Company/187 Atlantic Ave/Brooklyn/718-624-4550
 photo by Robert Caplin For over 20 years, San Domenico was one of the “it” places to go for classic Italian cuisine. Run by father/daughter team, Tony and Marisa May, the restaurant closed its doors on Central Park South and reopened in a new, updated incarnation, SD26, near Madison Park in the fall of 2009.
Find out more about SD26 and some of Marisa’s favorite places in NYC in my Q & A with her in Haute Living.
For over a week I was surrounded by dragons. My neighborhood, on the edges of NYC’s Chinatown, was in the midst of Chinese New Year celebrations. Festivities have since ceased, but for a while dancing dragons passed by my building, manned by members of karate schools and cultural associations, clanking cymbals and banging on drums.
So it was only natural that for the virtual cocktail party I was invited to (by cocktail goddess Kara Newman, author of Spice & Ice), I’d make the Dragonfire Cocktail. And it didn’t hurt that I recently received the main ingredient as a gift: a bottle of Tequila straight from Mexico.
 His & Hers Dragonfire Cocktails My cocktail party was an intimate one: my husband and me. We waited until our toddler went to sleep. Normally the second she goes to bed, I become burnt toast, but I was excited to sip this spice-infused cocktail, even if it knocked me out. Which it did. (Not that that’s what will happen to you.)
I’d already infused the tequila with jalapenos for several hours, so I gathered up the additional ingredients and made two Dragonfire Cocktails.
The verdict: Hot stuff, but not overly so. This is a potent drink, yet it was smooth to drink.
Indeed I did go to sleep shortly after drinking the Dragonfire, but this night was different, for I enjoyed the lingering taste of jalapeno, lime and orange. The copious amounts (for me) of tequila acted as a potent sleeping elixir. Even if a real dragon had passed by my window that night, I’m certain I wouldn’t have heard it.
Dragonfire Cocktail
From Spice & Ice by Kara Newman
Ingredients
2 oz. jalapeno-infused tequila, or vodka
1 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. orange juice
1 oz. lime juice
1 lime wedge, for garnish
Make the Dragonfire
In a cocktail shaker, combine jalapeno-infused tequila*, triple sec, orange juice, and lime juice, plus ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a tall glass with fresh ice.
*To make jalapeno-infused tequila: add 1 jalapeno to 2 cups tequila. Infuse for at least 2 hours, then remove jalapeno.
If you’d like to discover additional spicy cocktail recipes, such as the Wasabi-tini or the Watermelon Hot, check out Kara Newman’s book: Spice & Ice: 70 Tongue-Tingling Cocktails
 The girl who likes spice
How to feed a toddler? She will not eat carrots, mashed potatoes or apples, typical toddler food. She does not like plain, unseasoned food…even her oatmeal must have cinnamon sprinkled on top. Her chickpeas must be swimming in some sort of curry. No wonder: she is my daughter, all of 2 (almost), and she most certainly takes after me, because I like spices, boldness, flavor. And she is following suit.
We were eating Indian food one night in the East Village. The papadum was quite spicy, but not for her. She munched on it like it was some ordinary biscuit made for a toddler, washing it down with a mango lassi. So I decided to make papadum at home. Goodbye dry, tasteless organic wheat crackers. Hello, papadum!
Ingredients
8 cups of lentil flour
1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
Vegetable oil for frying
Make the pappadum
Mix flour, pepper, cumin and salt. Add water and knead the dough until smooth. Add some water, depending on the flour. Split the dough into 10-15 balls and roll out one ball at a time to a very thin round layer on a slightly oiled surface. Dry the papadums in the oven on a cookie sheet for an hour at 225 degrees. Remove from oven then fry in a pan until crispy, but not browned.
Pichet Ong is on every food lover’s radar at the moment, with his East Village dessert bar Spot and Village Tart, where he’s the consulting pastry chef.
What dessert is Pichet Ong craving right now?
Where does he eat every week?
What are his five favorite ingredients?
Find out in my Q & A with him on Hauteliving.com
 Homemade flatbread with nigella seeds and two dips: tzatziki and sweet potato/chickpea What a joy to have warm, homemade flatbread (dusted with with nigella seeds, an unusual spice) to enjoy with two of my favorite dips: tzatziki and sweet potato/chickpea (both pictured above). Although it takes some time for the dough to rise, flatbread is otherwise very simple to make. Also great plain (or with a dab of butter), just off the grill, with soup or stew.
Read more about my recipe for flatbread with nigella seeds on The Gourmet Food Blog at Dean & DeLuca.
If you’re a latte enthusiast like me, someone who craves a daily caffeine buzz, you may want to check out this Latte Art Throwdown at the Dean & DeLuca in Midtown, in the New York Times Building. The baristas from Dean & DeLuca stores around the country will be turning milk foam into works of art in hopes of winning prizes. It’s next week. Hope to see you there!
|
Be a Busy Hedonist Purchase t-shirts, aprons, coffee mugs and more at Cafe Press Tipping Interested in helping out The Busy Hedonist with her food adventures? Your tip (donation) is greatly appreciated, and 10% of all proceeds from the site will be donated to City Harvest in NYC.
|
