Please welcome guest writer Michelle who is a fellow foodie, phenomenal writer, and my one and only sister. She is JDP’s special correspondent to the New York food scene!
New York is a gastronomical hub of deliciousness mixed with obnoxiously trendy restaurants serving mediocre food. A challenge of mine this year is not to pigeon-hole myself by visiting the same familiar eateries I know, and instead, to seek out hidden, or in this case, not-so-hidden gems.
Doughnut Plant is somewhat of a celebrity with glowing reviews by self-proclaimed doughnut fanatics on Yelp. Plus, it was not only “challenged” by Bobby Flay on Throwdown, but Doughnut Plant won. So, this past weekend, I trekked down to the Lower East Side to check out this local favorite.
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Tags: Dessert, doughnut plant, new york city
March 04 2010 | Bakeries and Restaurants and New York and Thoughts | 2 Comments »
Finally, the last of the birthday pie desserts is this strawberry tart. It is probably my favorite amongst the three (pumpkin-pecan and peanut butter mousse). The flavors are simple, clean, and familiar but in a surprising and dazzling way. Contrary to what it seems, it’s a no fuss dessert. The tart shell and pastry cream can be made ahead of time, then assembled a few hours before eating. It’s great for dinner parties and casual family dinners. I’ve made this tart a few times since the birthday party and it’s been a hit with everyone.
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Tags: birthday, Dessert, dorie, strawberry, tart, tartlettes
February 23 2010 | Dessert and Fruit and Pies and Tarts and Recipe and Thoughts | 4 Comments »
The second dessert I made for the pie birthday party was Dorie’s peanut butter torte. I loved the simplicity of the flavors which took me back to the candy bars I’d sneak up to my room as a kid. I’ve always been a fan of peanuts and chocolate, so this dessert especially hit a note with me. Especially in the mini, these really feel like an upscale, softer version of a Reese’s Pieces.
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Tags: birthday, dorie, mousse, peanut butter, pie, torte
February 14 2010 | Dessert and Pies and Tarts and Recipe and Thoughts | 5 Comments »
It just so happened that one week after the Tiramisu Black Forest Cake, I got another birthday sweet request. This time instead of cake I was asked to make mini pies. The birthday boy was more of a pie person and the party was going to be held at a Wii game room, so it seemed smart to make everything easily accessible. To be honest, this was the first time that I made pie with a real crust. Not that graham cracker/oreo crumble crust business, but the real deal with pâte brisée. I’ve always been intimidated by pâte brisée that I think I avoided any and all recipes that called for a flaky pie crust. However, instead of feeling fright, I was surprisingly happy to stand up to the challenge. It was sort of refreshing not coming up with any more excuses. ”Easy as pie,” people say, there must be some truth to that!
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Tags: birthday, mini, pate brisee, pecan, pies, pumpkin
January 31 2010 | Dessert and Pies and Tarts and Recipe and Thoughts | 4 Comments »
Even since it has been made known that I love to bake I have been getting a few birthday cake requests. I am by no means a professional (yet!) and my skills quite limited that I was shocked that someone would ask me to perform such a task! However, I felt very flattered and was most of all excited to have the opportunity to play-ette the role of “baker” to a “client.” I had so much fun planning and researching recipes that I think I probably enjoyed making the cake more than everyone who ended up eating it.
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Tags: birthday, black forest, Cake, cherries, chocolate, genoise, rum, tiramisu
January 26 2010 | Cake and Dessert and Thoughts | 12 Comments »
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