confessions of a sugarholic

i am going to let you all in on one of my favorite little cafes that is tucked away on a quiet side street in the west village.  the cozy Bosie Tea Parlor has been open for around eight months now, and their 20 something seats are almost always taken up by daters, folks on macbooks, or intimate friends.  once you step inside, brace yourself to be transported, as you bite into a heavenly macaron or sip one of their interesting teas, such as pastry chef damien herrgott’s favorite long island strawberry.  herrgott is a third generation baker from france who has previously worked at laduree and bouley in nyc.  though a self-admitted coffee fan himself - just like me - herrgott partnered with tea sommelier kiley holliday at this shop.  he churns out everything from gourmet high tea (or champagne) services to hearty soups to french-style macarons that are my favorites in city.  while french desserts are his specialty, life in the states has begun to influence him.  he has come to discover the culinary mash-up trend in america and now incorporates savory ingredients into his pastries as well.  his macarons have gone from mainstays like lavender to symbols of his inherited culture with varieties such as bacon maple and peanut butter and jelly.  he has even expanded upon the country’s cupcake craze with a pumpkin pie that resembles that light-hearted dessert with its mountain of buttery, gourd-infused frosting. 

all of the pastries at bosie are lovely, but my new favorite is the lemon meringue tart - flakey crust filled with tart lemon curd and clouded with sweet, ethereal meringue.  i love the signature isphahan - from his pierre herme days - two big crackly raspberry macaron halves stuffed with lychee, rose buttercream, and fresh raspberries.  this cookie sandwich is moist, decadent, and sinfully delicious. 

as many of you know, i find myself between major pastry gigs at the moment, which occasionally gives me a sense of loss and confusion.  so, I love to spend a quiet evening surrounded by flavorful desserts, great music, and the camaraderie of a fellow pastry chef.  whether I am entertaining a friend over a tableful of pastries, or spending time in the kitchen with damien, I always feel at home here.  chef herrgott and i are currently working on a collaborative line of sweet and savory treats that will soon be available on Gilt Taste.  i will keep you posted on those details, but for now, join me for a delightful cup of tea and a fulfillment of your sweet tooth at Bosie Tea Parlor.

by the way, the picture i’m posting here is the canale, a specialty from bordeaux france.  except this one is flavored with whiskey.

growing up, my family’s seasoning tray consisted of three things – pepper, sugar, and salt.  like in most other chinese (or asian) pantry, these three elements formed the basis of each dish that came out of the kitchen.   there was a constant struggle to produce an equality of the sweet and the savory, as was evident from our substantial weekend breakfasts that included a spread as vast as sweetened pork floss to bean curd that had been fermented in hay.  though I grew up with this concept being very prevalent in the meal process, the thought of adding wine such as shao hsing wine or mirin, which possesses a high sugar content, into a braising sauce for sliced meat may seem unusual to others.  however, in actuality, every cuisine strives for a balance of these same components, just to varying degrees.  european chefs sweeten their stocks by pre-roasting vegetables to point of caramelized sweetness; when making sushi, one season rice with a pinch of sugar to compliment the flavor of fish; and bittersweet chocolate tends to add the finishing hint of flavor to a spicy mexican mole.  this juggling act has become my steadfast mission as chef.  one of my most enjoyable combinations comes from the marriage of meat and fruit, which instantly should bring to mind chicken with apricots or lamb with a dried cherries.  however, I have become addicted to taking this concept a step further with creations like my bacon and chocolate stuffed churros which i’m teaching at upcoming class at the institute of culinary education.  as with any union in life, love is blind, and sometimes the most unlikely duo of ingredients just may form the perfect pair.

when I look back upon my first culinary adventure, i realize that it all began with my many attempts at creating the perfect omelet.  though it may appear to be one of the most basic of ingredients, cooking eggs is a true art form.  in fact, a fried, sunny side-up version happens to be one of my most favorite version – whether it is holding its own on a plate or lying  on top of american fried rice (rice fried with ketchup, hot dog, and raisins!) or a steaming bowl of spicy, crisped rice bottomed korean bibimbop.  the eggs are gently dropped onto a hot skillet with ample oil - as i watch over them as the rough edges of the white crisped and lace up, like a chemical reaction just happened, being careful not to overcook the yolks.  forget picasso for a moment; slicing through that bright yolk and releasing the sweet golden ooze within is a pure thing of beauty. there are few food experiences as rewarding as dipping a piece of crisp toast into the richness of a yolk secretion.  

when someone asks me where i’m eating at the moment, i tell them 456 at 69 mott street in chinatown nyc.  it’s not just for when i crave chinese food or when i’m hungry. as everyone else in nyc are eating hamburgers, pizza, and pasta with tomato sauce, i get a certain sense of comfort from these tiny pork buns.  hand made, steamed and pan fried fresh.  they come 8 on a plate, studded with scallion slices and sesame seeds, and like a heartier and juicier version of shanghainese xiao lung bao.  those not familiar with them tend to get an unpleasant squirt of piping hot beef and pork soup that goes straight across the table, or up the nose.  the latter makes for a more entertaining experience.  but perhaps not for those who don’t understand it.  sometimes something this good i don’t want to share it with just anyone.  it’s a hard dichotomy.

a pie to swoon over - sweet, herbed, blistered, salted crust. airy with a chew. soft but not watery.  and certainly not limp.

a harder category to list - so why not a couple more than 10 - that make up my 2010 soundtrack.  

- leave house/ caribou - “the thing that makes us lonely will bring us back together.”

- cooler than me/ mike posner - “mrs. pre-madonna this is your reminder.  that i think you fine but i’m finer.

- pumped up kicks/ foster the people - “robert’s got a quick hand.”

- internet killed the video star/ the limousines - “rock n roll is dead?  yeah it’s like a zombie it will dig itself back up again.”

- heads will roll/ yeah yeah yeahs - “the glitters’ all wet.  you’re all chrome.”

- crystalised/ the xx - “you’ve applied the pressure to have me crystalised.” 

- not in love/ crystal castles featuring robert smith - “cause it’s hot inside, isn’t that enough?”

- ready for the world/ how to dress well - “all that really mattered is you were my boyfriend.  everyday.”

- one life stand/ hot chip - “a ballon with air escaping is nothing but a playthang.”

- solitude is bliss/ tame impala - “there’s a party in my head.  and no one is invited.”

- monster/ kanye west featuring bon iver, rick ross, justin vernon, jay-z, and nicki minaj - ” i put the pussy in a sarcophagus now she claiming i bruised her esophagus.”

- the reeling/ passion pit (pictured) - “everyday i lie awake and pray to god today’s the day.  somebody will come quickly and kidnap me.” 

here are 10 albums that predominate my iPod in 2010.  not listed in any particular order, but all encouraged a listen or two.

- high violet/ the national

- the age of adz/ sufjan stevens

- all we grow/ sean carey

- wild hunt/ the tallest man on earth

- swim/ caribou (pictured)

- the suburbs/ arcade fire

- congratulations/ mgmt

- business casual/ chromeo

- total life forever/ the foals

- volume 2/ she & him

there are things i love to do purely for nostalgic reasons - walking on former school grounds, listening to melancholic pop music from a decade or two ago, re-visiting restaurants i remember fondly from my childhood travels.  this time, tu hsiao yueh, from tainan to taipei - from being sold on a yoke carried over the shoulder to a bustling restaurant with power air conditioning.  fried oysters and dan tsi noodles, as perfect as they were 32 years ago.

I was born an adventurous eater.  While the lunchboxes of my elementary school mates were filled with aluminum wrapped peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese and egg salad sandwiches, mine often had well seasoned leftovers from our previous night’s family dinner – duck liver and minced quail stir fry, bitter melon soup, twice cooked pork belly, or potato vinaigrette with Sichuan peppercorns.  I remember the first time I had beets, my mother Ruby warned me – it’s not like eating a red plum, steak tartare, or raw tuna.  She also promised me, like with all red foods including watermelon, that it is good for the blood. 

My first taste of beets came in the form of a borscht – a traditional Eastern European soup that made its way into modern Chinese cuisine resulting from the  Chinese’s obsession with red colored food.  Inspired by the Hong Kong style borscht which is beef stocked based, with tomatoes, ketchup, and red vinegar (which has food dye) and last night’s leftover vegetables thrown in, my mother came up with an all natural version that incorporates beetroots in lieu of artificial color in the recipe.  More vibrant in fuchsia and red tones, and tastier than the ubiquitous version found in restaurants, despite my mother’s warning, I helped myself to seconds at dinner table, and even packed up some for my lunch the next day.  The next morning when I went to the boy’s room, I understood - explicitly - my mother’s warning.  I left for school queasy, confused, and mellow - sans borscht.

Even though I was traumatized, my mother continued to cook beets and serve borscht.  After all, if red food is fortuitious…

Working as a cook in the kosher dining hall at Brandeis re-introduced me again to beets, also in the form of borscht.  Here it was served in a more customary fashion, with cabbage, potatoes, and sour cream.  Despite minor reservations, I had small servings of it – just to taste as any cook does, and concluded that I might have enjoyed eating it one more if we didn’t use canned beets, which I found to be bland, metallic, miserable, and in desperate need of added sugar.

As I grew to become an adventurous cook, from beet curious to beet lover, I’ve learned many different ways to appreciate beets.  The complex flavor and the many available colors (red, orange, purple, pink, etc.) of beets allow me to use them in both sweet and savory preparations. One of my favorite methods to enhance their earthly, mineral like and sweet qualities is to slow roast them in foil.  When cooked they are soft, tender, buttery in texture, and ideal for a hearty salad composition.  Their candy like flavor profile also lends themselves nicely for a rich and moist cake, similar to a dye-free red velvet or one made with milk chocolate.  They are great simply pickled and served as a sweet and sour snack, or as an accompaniment to a fatty protein such as lamb or pork belly.  I also like them raw and crunchy, shaved thinly and incorporated in a salad, or julienned in ribbons as garnish alongside tuna sashimi or sesame crusted tataki, a classic presentation among many early pioneers of East meets West cuisine.  During especially carefree mornings, or after a particularly challenging night, I like to juice beets with apples, carrots, and celery into a nutritious super power drink, packed with folic acid, calcium, potassium, vitamins, and antioxidants.

Now that I’ve piqued your interest in beets, I encourage you to conduct some experiments and embark on some adventures of your own. I also challenge you to develop new faces and personalities for this versatile vegetable, and please share your ideas with me in this blog!  

oddly these signs make me feel like I just got home. not sure if it’s the surf shops, the better coffee, the road side taco stands, the traffic, or the way my skin smells in the sun. and I feel.