Jessica's Dinner Party

Archive for September, 2009

Pumpkin Pie Cake

A few years ago I decided to bake a cake for each of my friends’ and family’s birthdays. I made everything from the basic white cake to red velvet to strawberry shortcake. For those who lived outside of New York, I mailed tins filled with brownies, snickerdoodles, and linzer cookies. I like giving baked goods as presents because it’s personal and different from a store bought gift. I have always greatly appreciated receiving homemade gifts because of the extra effort and thought that goes into it. It also showcases each person’s talent and unique relationship with you that makes it even more special and meaningful.

I used to think that it was cheap to bring cake as a present, but now I totally disagree! I think it’s such a sweet (no pun intended) gift, and one that can be enjoyed with so many other people too. Some of my most memorable birthdays came with homemade cakes. For my 7th birthday, my mom and my sister cut a yellow sheet cake in the silhouette of a little girl in a dress. They used candy to make a face and create the dress. My friends and I got to choose pieces with our favorite type of candy on it. On my 16th birthday a friend baked a rainbow cake for me which was so striking and festive. It was so reflective of that time and stage in my life. But don’t be intimidated! Not all birthday cakes have to be spectacular or memorable. Even though I’ve had a lot of mediocre slices of frosting slathered cardboard, I still only ask for cake on my birthday.

September 28 2009 | Cake and Recipe and Thoughts | 15 Comments »

The Chocolate Room

Valentine’s Day is not for another few months but thoughts of love and cupid filled my head when I went to the Chocolate Room in Park Slope. It’s a very cozy but not crammed spot in Brooklyn and feels like the perfect date spot. Too bad I didn’t go with a boyfriend, a lover, or a secret crush, because it would have been very romantic, a piece of dark, chocolate cake and spoons knocking together. But! I went with a very, very wonderful friend and had a fabulous time. So, I guess a boy wasn’t very necessary at all!

I like chocolate, but wouldn’t say I’m a chocoholic. However, for the Chocolate Room I might convert. Each dish had just the right amount of sweetness and cocoa intensity. There was sophistication but also homey, comfort as well. When we sat down we were welcomed with a little taster of a dark chocolate sorbet. I like to say that I like dark chocolate, but secretly I prefer milk. The sorbet was exceptional though, refreshing with just enough of cocoa aftertaste. It made you yearn for me.

September 25 2009 | Bakeries and Restaurants and Dining out and New York and Thoughts | 5 Comments »

Baked Soy Drumsticks

September is such a fresh and exciting month. It’s the start of fall, a new school year, and the beginning of a marathon of holidays. I find this month to be very festive in a non-holiday related sort of way, if that makes any sense. There’s a very pleasant golden glow to everything, which makes me feel very hopeful.

In preparation for the future parties/get togethers you may hold for Halloween, Monday night football, cold weather birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even New Year’s, I thought I’d share with you a great party food. Drumsticks! Not fried, but baked!

My mom makes really tasty soy glazed drumsticks but I didn’t have time to call her so I tried to come up with a marinade from memory. It didn’t turn out exactly the same, but it was good in its own way. The drumsticks were very tender and juicy, with a nice salty touch from the soy sauce. A lot of people don’t like to cook or eat chicken because it gets really tough and dry, but there’s a secret method to keeping it nice and moist: soaking in milk! It sounds odd, possibly even icky, but trust me it works. There is absolutely no dairy aftertaste, if that was what you were worrying about. My roommate let me in on the secret and I have never skipped this step since.

September 21 2009 | Asian and Poultry and Recipe and Thoughts | 4 Comments »

Asian Noodles With Shrimp

This dish takes me back to hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Korea where people are sitting elbow to elbow, slurping noodles, while escaping a gloomy day of rain. There’s a level of comfort that can’t be found in a gourmet, five-star restaurant. It’s a dish you can make for just one for a dinner in front of the TV, or for a group of people on a night spent in. The dish is familiar, comfortable, and very homey.

These noodles are a marriage between a stir fry and noodle soup. A broth is made by boiling the shrimp in water which is later added to stir fried aromatics and oyster sauce. The stir fried bean sprouts also let out a little bit of juice which really deepens the flavor and gives it a sophisticated lift that is desperately lost in instant noodles.

September 15 2009 | Asian and Noodles and Recipe and Seafood and Thoughts | 6 Comments »

Tangy Asian Dipping Sauce

Here in New York it already feels like the beginning of fall. The mornings are crisp and the evenings are cool. There were a couple days of rain, but overall I’ve really been enjoying the weather. However, despite the cooler temperatures, it is officially still summer. So to celebrate the last few weeks of bright sunny days, I thought I’d share with you a nice refreshing dipping sauce.

The recipe comes from a cookbook called Roast Chicken and Other Stories by Simon Hopkinson with Lindsey Bareham. Hopkinson is a well known British chef and food writer. In 2005 this book was given the title of “most useful cookbook of all time.” I bought Roast Chicken about a year ago and read it during commutes on the subway. The cookbook is resourceful but also exceptionally entertaining. Throughout the pages, Hopkinson shares little anecdotes and thoughts that allow a greater appreciation for food. The chapters are divided according to ingredient and the beginning of each section is adorned by witty illustrations by Flo Bayley. I have yet to read his follow up book Second Helpings of Roast Chicken but am sure it is just as delightful as the first.