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Monday, March 21, 2011
Priscilla Tsai Momofuku Crack Pie
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 8:00 AM
What's in this pie, you ask?
Everything bad for you. Butter, sugar, brown sugar, heavy cream, more butter, oatmeal cookies, and a lot of eggs. But no crack. I guess it's called "Crack Pie" because it's wicked addicting.
This pie recipe comes from Momofuku Milk Bar, the NYC bakery known for their interesting concoctions such as compost cookies.
It's all kinds of ridiculous. The toasted oatmeal cookie pie crust is topped with a gooey butter and sugar filling. The filling has a browned butter, caramel flavor. The consistency of it is gooey – similar to pecan pie, minus the pecans. It's a twist on a chess pie. It's so sweet, it might give you a cavity. It's decadent.
Making this pie was like two baking projects in one. First you have to bake a giant oatmeal cookie. Then you can proceed to make the pie (using the crumbled cookie to make the pie crusts).
The recipe makes two pies, so you need two pie pans. Having only one, I used a pie pan and a tart pan, which worked fine. (Just be sure to maybe line foil underneath the tart pan so the butter from the pie won't seep and out and burn onto your oven like mine did.)
If you are in a hurry to eat the pie after baking, throwing it in the freezer for a fast chill works well. Who has got time to patiently wait for the pies to chill for hours in the fridge? Let's get real.
Sweet enough as it is, I nixed the powdered sugar on top. Yes, the pie is ugly. Might as well embrace it in all it's ugliness.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Events Artist Series Wine Event at The Capital Grille
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 1:57 PM
The Capital Grille will be presenting their second annual Artist Series Wine Event which celebrates the worlds of fine art and wine making.
The event, which starts next Monday, March 21, will feature an exclusive, limited allocation Cabernet Sauvignon wine adorned with an original piece of artwork as its label. (The event will continue until the wine runs out.)
About the wine:
The Capital Grille Artist Series Cabernet was hand-crafted by Thomas Peffer, a world-class winemaker from Atalon Vineyards in Napa Valley, with the help of The Capital Grille’s George Miliotes, one of only 170 Master Sommeliers in the world. The grapes used were from specially selected vineyards in Napa Valley whose high elevation and unique microclimate result in the perfect conditions for creamy, boldly textured flavors. Blended solely for The Capital Grille, fewer than 1,000 cases of this unique wine will be produced.
About the label:
To match the work of art inside the bottle, The Capital Grille invited artists, label enthusiasts and wine lovers to create an original label for the wine during a competition held last autumn. The winning painting, Pairings, by Florida-based artist Patricia Timbrook, was chosen for the way the bold colors and fluid lines perfectly complement the robust flavors and subtle undertones of the wine, and will appear on every individually numbered bottle of The Capital Grille Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon.
For each bottle sold, the company will donate $25 to Share Our Strength® and its mission to end childhood hunger in America.
The Capital Grille
201 N. Tryon St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
704-348-1400
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Smorgasbord / free food Yoforia gift card winners
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 10:14 AM
Thanks for playing, everyone!
I received a bunch of tasty emails in which you shared with me your best recipes in response to the Yoforia gift card contest I ran last week.
After combing through all the recipes, my computer keyboard is now covered in drool. I have selected the four most mouth-watering sounding recipes and will be sending the winners a $20 gift card to Yoforia.
And the winners are (in no particular order) ...
Melissa Digiorgio, for a her health-conscious, yet delicious recipe for Baked Pasta with Spinach Lemon and Cheese from Cooking Light.
Julianne McCollum, for a sinfully rich Berry-Pecan French Toast.
Emily Rearick, for a Southern Peach Cobbler recipe that will be a perfect dessert to make this summer.
Tiffany Young, for a Angel Hair Tomato Basil Toss recipe of her own creation.
Congrats to the winners. Hope you enjoy your free frozen yogurt!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai / Breakfast / cake Ina Garten's Lemon Cake ... with a twist
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 8:00 AM
I love Ina Garten's Lemon Cake. It's so tart, tangy, and tasty. Ina's cake is a lemon loaf cake, soaked with lemon syrup, and then topped with lemon glaze.
Craving a slice, I was set on making it this past weekend. I ran into a little problem though – I had no lemons in the house.
When life gives you no lemons, what's a girl to do? I was forced to get creative and I made a grapefruit version of her loaf cake.
The grapefruit cake turned out surprisingly well. It was still tart and sweet, but not as tart as the lemon cake. The grapefruit flavor was a nice change. The original recipe calls for 1/3 cup lemon zest, but I cut the amount of grapefruit zest to just 2 tablespoons, as grapefruit peel is a bit bitter.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Food News / Mouthful River's Edge @ Whitewater Center
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 4:08 PM
When the weather is nice, people flock to the U.S. National Whitewater Center and especially to their restaurant, River's Edge.
With outdoor seating (along with indoor seating, too), it's the perfect place to refuel between adventures, enjoy the scenery, people watch, and drink beer, all while having your four-legged friends at your side. The Center is very dog-friendly.
The restaurant serves a variety of local beers, big salads, sandwiches, soups, and some great cobbler. I tried the Cuban Sandwich and chow chow during my last visit. See pics below. Prices aren't cheap, but it's not too expensive either.
If you stop by this Saturday, you'll witness bright florescent green water coursing through the whitewater loop for their St. Patrick's Day celebration Green River Revival.
Get to the restaurant early if you want to snag a table outside.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Mouthful / Beer Photos: Beer dinner at Vida
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 12:13 PM
Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina at the EpiCentre hosted their first beer dinner last night. Together with Crown Imports, they pulled off a delicious dinner of hors d'oeuvres, four courses, and an assortment of beers.
Executive Chef Chris Swinyard created special off-the-menu dishes to pair with the Mexican beers, and special guest Brewmaster Cesar Martinez Guzman flew in from Mexico to share his beers and educate the guests. The highlight beer of the night was Victoria, which is new to Charlotte. Victoria has been produced in Mexico since 1865 and is considered to be the country's most traditional beer brand. Because it's so popular, and hasn't been available in American markets, it's actually been traded on the black market before.
Here are a few photos of the dinner last night. (Check out the churros. I ate my plate, plus my neighbor's ... )
Events Restaurants offer 15% off with Cirque du Soleil tickets
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 9:39 AM
Good Eats & Meets has partnered with a few restaurants to bring you a special dining promotion that coincides with the Cirque du Soleil TOTEM show, which is in town at the Charlotte Motor Speedway from March 3 to March 27, 2011.
Just show your Cirque ticket at the following restaurants and receive 15% off your food, valid any day (not just the day of the show you attend).
Dressler's (both locations)
Libretto's (both locations)
TOTEM tickets can be bought here: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/totem/tickets/charlotte.aspx
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai / Dessert / Breakfast Zucchini and Sweet Potato Bread
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 8:00 AM
This bread is the marriage of two unlikely ingredients. Who would think to pair zucchini and sweet potatoes together?
Not me.
But when a friend requested that I find a good zucchini bread recipe for her, I found this Zucchini and Sweet Potato Bread recipe from Epicurious.com.
The recipe got rave reviews and received a four "fork" rating from fellow bakers. Convinced, I gave it a whirl.
The bread (really, cake) turned out delightfully dense, moist, and slightly spicy from cinnamon. It tastes similar to carrot carrot cake. Containing both zucchini and sweet potato, I'm eating it guilt-free as I'm counting each slice as two servings of daily veggies. (Dieters, don't quote me on this. I made it up.)
As suggested by many reviewers, I cut the sugar from 2 cups to 1.5 cups. Next time I'll cut the sugar even more because I found it still a tad too sweet. To amp up the health benefits, I subbed 1 cup of white flour with whole wheat flour. A few reviewers suggested using apple sauce in place of the oil – perhaps I'll try that next time, too.
I had way too much batter to fill one loaf pan (but not enough to make 2 loaves), so I made 8 muffins on the side.
Co-workers at CL demolished the bread in one afternoon, which goes to show it's a crowd-pleaser.
Find the recipe below, with my notes in parenthesis.
Have an item you want me to find and test a recipe for? Just leave a comment below.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Mouthful Happy Mardi Gras
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Tue, Mar 8, 2011 at 3:13 PM
I hope everyone gets some king cake, beignets, gumbo, or some Cajun fare for Fat Tuesday today.
Not sure where to find "Nawlins" food?
Try Suarez bakery for king cake – I hear they bake up the best in town.
For gumbo, etoufee, creole, and everything else, try Bite Your Tongue Take Out and Catering. It's a hidden gem in an unlikely location.
The little restaurant, located in a medical building on Randolph Road, is owned by Lucius and Martine Johnson, New Orleans couple. New Orleans people understand what good, real New Orleans food is, so you can be sure to find it here.
They've got rotating daily specials like jambalaya, red beans and rice, gumbo and etouffee, as well as pre-packaged Cajun specialties ready to go in the refrigerator case.
Desserts include red velevet cake, coconut cake, bread pudding, and of course, beignets – those delicious fried pillows of dough covered in powdered sugar.
I stopped by today for lunch...
Check out their entire menu here.
Events / Beer March 15: Beer dinner at Paco's Tacos and Tequila
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Tue, Mar 8, 2011 at 1:49 PM
Paco's Tacos in SouthPark will be hosting a three-course Tex-Mex and beer dinner featuring Shiner Beer at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, March 15, 2011. Special guest Jaime Jurado from Spoetzl Brewery will be in attendance. In addition to providing the beers for dinner, the brewery will be raffling off a gift basket with proceeds benefiting Pints for Prostates.
The cost for the dinner is $40 per person. Make reservations by calling (702) 716-8226.
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Dorie Greenspan's Tiramisu Cake
This layered cake is definitely a "pick-me-up" with a little booze and caffeine.
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Braised Chicken with Shallots 2
I don't think I'll be making this again, but hey, if you like shallots more than a fat kid likes cake, then go for it.
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Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake 9
It looks so sophisticated, this cake's got me feeling like Miss Fancy Pants baker girl.
