Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Cafe 2 at Museum of Modern Art...
Lynn and I celebrated our tenth anniversary over the weekend with a trip to Manhattan over the weekend. As usual, Lynn wanted to do and see everything. At the top of our list was going to the Museum of Modern Art to take in the Tim Burton Retrospective. We had not been there together in nearly three years, but we remembered the nice array of restaurants there and figured that we could get a better than average lunch there.
The Burton exhibit was packed and by the time we had navigated through the ephemera and memorabilia packed exhibit we were ready to eat and have a glass of wine. We had eaten at the MoMA's Terrace 5 in years past but had never tried the more modest Cafe 2.
Cafe 2 was bustling on this Saturday, but with good servers and staff we were seated fairly quickly. The menu was definitely exceptional for a cafeteria style eatery. I was able to get air dried bresaola as well as dry cured wild boar cacciatorini. Lynn had shaved fennel salad and a cured tuna bruschetta. Lynn had a nice Italian white wine and I had an equally fine chianti. For more on MoMA's restaraunts click here; for more about the museum itself click here.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Mark and Lynn Take a look inside Elana's Pantry...
Lynn was looking for gluten free recipes for our grandson when she came upon the elana's pantry site.
Recipes and information on this site led Lynn to take a strong interest in Elana's cookbook The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook (Ten Speed Press). Elana (Amersterdam) was nice enough to do a short, email interview with Mark and Lynn...
M & L: Relatively speaking, how much flexibility is there in these kind of recipes?
E: "They're a great base and I encourage adventurous folks to experiment with them --there are wonderful examples of this all over the forums section of my website elanaspantry.com, as well as in the comment sections of various recipes."
M & L: Do you think that gluten has gone mainstream? (If not, what will it take for it to go mainstream?)
E: "I think gluten free is much more common than it was 10 years ago when I was diagnosed. People thought I was in some sort of cult back then and did not have any conception that this was a real health issue."
M & L: Do you have a favorite non-gluten meal?
E: "I love the smoked salmon leek tart from my book The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook, served alongside a huge salad."
Bonus #1 Elana Shares her (Gluten Free) Chocolate Chip Scones for Mark and Lynn readers...
From Elana Amersterdam's Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook (Ten Speed Press)
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Chocolate Chip Scones
Makes 16 scones
Sweetness: medium
In college, I used to pretend chocolate chip scones were a breakfast food instead of a dessert, devouring one nearly every morning. Using agave nectar to lower the glycemic index of this scone makes my unique categorization less of a stretch. Rich in antioxidants and low in sugar, organic dark chocolate makes these decadent-looking scones a healthy indulgence.
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 large eggs
1 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (73% cacao)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined, then fold in the chocolate. Drop the batter, in scant 1/4 cups 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 12 to 17 minutes, until golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean. Let the scones cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheets, then serve.
(Images and Text Courtesy of Ten Speed Press)
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Chocolate Chip Scones
Makes 16 scones
Sweetness: medium
In college, I used to pretend chocolate chip scones were a breakfast food instead of a dessert, devouring one nearly every morning. Using agave nectar to lower the glycemic index of this scone makes my unique categorization less of a stretch. Rich in antioxidants and low in sugar, organic dark chocolate makes these decadent-looking scones a healthy indulgence.
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 large eggs
1 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (73% cacao)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined, then fold in the chocolate. Drop the batter, in scant 1/4 cups 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 12 to 17 minutes, until golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean. Let the scones cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheets, then serve.
(Images and Text Courtesy of Ten Speed Press)
Bonus # 2 Elana's Pantry shares her Pear Crisp (Gluten Free) Recipe with readers of Mark and Lynn...
From the Gluten Free and Almond Flour Cookbook (Ten Speed Press)
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From Elana Amersterdam's The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook (Ten Speed Press)
Pear Crisp
Serves 8
Sweetness: medium
Looking for a healthy yet tasty dessert? Look no further. With nutrient-dense almond flour and pears, a fruit particularly high in vitamin C, this dish is a great choice. This refreshing crisp is simple, easy to make, and full of warmth and comfort on a chilly fall day. I like to make it with soft, fully ripened pears—Anjou, Bartlett, or Bosc work very well.
Filling
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
5 medium pears, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Topping
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
n
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set aside an 8-inch square baking dish.
To make the filling, whisk together the apple juice, lemon juice, arrowroot powder, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Place the pears in a bowl, toss with the apple juice mixture, then transfer to the baking dish.
To make the topping, combine the almond flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture, until coarsely blended and crumbly.
Sprinkle the topping over the fruit. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the top of the crisp is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Let the crisp cool for 30 minutes, then serve warm.
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From Elana Amersterdam's The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook (Ten Speed Press)
Pear Crisp
Serves 8
Sweetness: medium
Looking for a healthy yet tasty dessert? Look no further. With nutrient-dense almond flour and pears, a fruit particularly high in vitamin C, this dish is a great choice. This refreshing crisp is simple, easy to make, and full of warmth and comfort on a chilly fall day. I like to make it with soft, fully ripened pears—Anjou, Bartlett, or Bosc work very well.
Filling
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
5 medium pears, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Topping
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
n
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set aside an 8-inch square baking dish.
To make the filling, whisk together the apple juice, lemon juice, arrowroot powder, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Place the pears in a bowl, toss with the apple juice mixture, then transfer to the baking dish.
To make the topping, combine the almond flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture, until coarsely blended and crumbly.
Sprinkle the topping over the fruit. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the top of the crisp is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Let the crisp cool for 30 minutes, then serve warm.
Bonus # 3 Elana's Pantry shares her Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies (Gluten Free) Recipe with readers of Mark and Lynn...
From The Gluten Free and Almond Flour Cookbook (Ten Speed Press)
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Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies
MAKES 24 COOKIES SWEETNESS: HIGH
These chocolaty cookies are a favorite in my household and vanish from my countertop in no time flat. The double dose of dark antioxidant-rich chocolate along with almond flour (rich in cholesterol-lowering omega fatty acids) makes these cookies a heart-healthy treat.
2 3/4 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
3/4 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (73% cacao)
1 cup dried fruit-juice-sweetened cherries
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Fold the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Fold in the chocolate and cherries. Spoon the dough 1 heaping tablespoon at a time onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cookie.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tops of the cookies look dry and start to crack—be careful not to overcook. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then serve warm.
-1.jpg)
Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies
MAKES 24 COOKIES SWEETNESS: HIGH
These chocolaty cookies are a favorite in my household and vanish from my countertop in no time flat. The double dose of dark antioxidant-rich chocolate along with almond flour (rich in cholesterol-lowering omega fatty acids) makes these cookies a heart-healthy treat.
2 3/4 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
3/4 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (73% cacao)
1 cup dried fruit-juice-sweetened cherries
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Fold the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Fold in the chocolate and cherries. Spoon the dough 1 heaping tablespoon at a time onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cookie.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tops of the cookies look dry and start to crack—be careful not to overcook. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then serve warm.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
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