What's in a Macaron?

BUILD-A-BOX of macarons from Dana's Bakery Photo: Katherine D. Lee

People who've had near-death experiences often describe visions of a bright white light, a phenomenon dismissed by scientists as a surge of chemicals in the dying brain. But maybe these visions aren't hallucinations. Maybe, at the threshold of death lies a sneak peek of heaven, and the gateway to heaven is composed of steep cliffs and billowy clouds of fluffy white meringue. A glimpse of a world that pristine and magnificent would certainly be blinding to mere mortals.

To that point, there's something about a macaron that really is a piece of heaven. Meringue is a key component of the macaron—mixed with almond flour to create a light and airy confection with a cream filling.

A top-tier macaron is a dance of blessed spirits. I can't tell you how many times a large macaron from Bouchon Bakery on my lunch break has transformed a stern cup of coffee into an MGM musical. Just one bite and you are Singin' In the Rain!

Strangely enough, NYC is teeming with macaron shops. A condition that I like to refer to as a Marie Antoinette economy. Goodbye delis, fishmongers, pizza places and all those other basic food stores and bread shops pushed out by surging rents. Let us eat $4 cupcakes! Let us eat gelato! Imported loose candy! And Macarons, puh-lenty of macarons! For some reason, they're the only stores that can afford to be here!


Now there are macarons and there are macarons. Dana's Bakery macarons are definitely the latter. These are fun, informal macarons, with entertaining flavors inspired by childhood favorites: Orange Creamsicle, Pink Lemonade, Candy Cane, Red Velvet and Gingerbread. The list goes on. I don't know how Dana does it, but the Orange Creamsicle macaron tastes like orange creamsicles; the Fruity Pebbles macaron tastes like Fruity Pebbles; and the Birthday Cake macaron tastes so much like birthday cake, you can almost taste the stray drops of candle wax. The Red Velvet macaron deftly mimics Red Velvet cake, I only wish the filling tasted more like cream cheese. (File that under First World Problems for sure.)

Dana's Bakery is mainly available online but fresh Dana's Bakery macarons can also be found around the city at various locations of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Freshness is key. Ain't nothin' good about a stale macaron.

Even when I'm not actually buying anything, I like visiting the DB Website just to browse through all the clever and amazing new flavors available. There's always something specially made for the season. This month's highlight is... well... let's put it this way, if I know who's playing the Super Bowl this year, it is not because I know anything about football:

Denver Chocolate Peanut Butter vs Seattle Seasalt Caramel
Photo from Dana's Bakery website.

Popcorn Love

Click here for "Popcorn Love" by New Edition.

Growing up, one of my favorite objects in the kitchen was a big yellow bowl that my mother used mainly for one of two things: mixing cake batter or serving popcorn. So whenever that bowl came down from the cabinet it was as if a party switch were turned on in my head. No microwave popcorn, nor Jiffy Pop, could compare to the taste of fresh popcorn and melted butter that filled that bowl.

Now, I don't know how old you think popcorn is but it goes back way before the Pilgrims and Indians. The earliest evidence of popcorn, according to History.com, has recently been traced to more than 6,000 years ago in Peru. (It's remarkable how researchers are capable of tracking this, I can't help picturing trails of extremely stale popcorn leading to ancient concession stands carved in stone.)

Of course, popcorn is intimately connected to American history. The first commercial popcorn machine was invented in the late 1800s, in Chicago, by Charles Cretors. Colonial families sometimes ate popcorn with sugar and cream for breakfast (I've tried this, it tastes a lot like Kellogg's Corn Pops but with a high-risk of choking to death.) And the popcorn business thrived during The Great Depression.


A Street Cart Named Delicious: Lithograph of a 1907 peanut & popcorn wagon, invented by C. Cretors & Company. Photo from Wikipedia.

It's comforting to know that even though the world is constantly changing, our love for popcorn endures. I'm seeing a lot of new brands and flavors of popcorn in food stores and I myself am eating a lot more popcorn these days. Who knows why. It's fun. It's filling. And it's also a natural source of fiber. (It's also gluten free!)



Good To The Last Kernel: American Farmer Kettle Popped Corn

It's becoming more and more evident that the choices we make as consumers define the world in which we live. American Farmer popcorn is one of those brands that isn't just selling you popcorn but a vision of the future. One percent of popcorn profits goes to its mission, supporting American Farmland Trust. But can you judge the taste of popcorn on the goodness of a mission and creative packaging? No, which is why food blogs come in handy. Having tried American Farmer Kettle Popped Corn firsthand, I can tell you that this is primo kettle corn. It has an eloquent veneer of sweetness and a hearty crunch. I'm also a fan of the short list of natural ingredients: Popcorn, Cane Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Salt.



In Popcorn We Trust: American Farmer Popcorn


If you like the intensely buttery taste of movie theater popcorn, you'll love All Natural Old School Movie Theater Popped Corn, also by American Farmer. The name says it all, as does the image of Abe Lincoln wearing 3D glasses. This popcorn does a pretty good job of conjuring up the essence of what you buy at the movies. But unlike those billowing buckets of brilliant yellow, which have the caloric stuff of Big Macs, this popcorn is all natural: no GMOs and MSG, just kernels, sunflower oil, salt and natural flavor. As for the term "natural flavor," I don't know exactly what ingredients constitute "natural flavor" but I do know that every time I eat a handful of this popcorn I feel the impulse to scan a dimly lit room for empty seats.

On a side note, I don't always get popcorn at the movies but once in a while you have to give in to your inner 9-year-old. If you like popcorn and candy, try mixing them together. Per a friend's suggestion the other week at The Great Gatsby, I mixed popcorn and Mike & Ike's and I luh-hoved it!


The Great Mixby: Movie popcorn sprinkled with candy


And now for the grand finale. Let me preface this by reiterating, nothing beats freshly popped corn you make yourself at home. It's so easy to do, too. I usually use olive oil or canola oil. (Just be careful not to turn the heat up too high when using olive oil, which burns at a lower temperature than canola oil.) Post-popping I've tried sprinkling Parmesan cheese on top but I'm not crazy about it. I've also tried adding rosemary and thyme to the heated oil. The goal is to simulate the taste of baked chicken. Or at least that's my goal but I've never come close to achieving it. Perhaps someone like Jean Arnold could.

Jean Arnold, as I have discovered from reading the back of this small, stay-fresh pouch (think cat treats for humans), is founder of 479° Popcorn. Arnold is more than a founder, she's a culinary colonel of kernels. Case in point, the name she came up with for her popcorn, 479°, comes from what she has discovered to be the precise temperature for perfect popping. That's pretty impressive. Overall, I'd say that Arnold has done for popcorn what Yves Saint Laurent did for the trouser suit. She's transformed it into something dramatically sophisticated and refined. Good luck being refined while eating it, however, especially if you like truffles. 479° Black Truffle + White Cheddar popcorn is incredibly savory and delicious. Seriously, what popcorn have you tried lately that has a beginning taste, mid-palate taste and finish? This popcorn is charged with aromatic truffle oil and aged white-cheddar flavor. It's outstanding. I only wish there was a cream soup version.

Next, I tried 479° Sea Salt Caramel. Caramel popcorn this good doesn't need a prize, it is the prize. Think salted caramel on the verge of rich toffee. Of course, it's made with natural, organic ingredients, so it's a healthy indulgence—an oxymoron if I ever heard one.


479° Popcorn: Sea Salt Caramel, Black Truffle + White Cheddar*


*Goes well with martinis.

Mini Crystal Head Vodka

Canadian skulduggery: 50ml Crystal Head vodka


As I walked past Manley's Wines & Spirits in the West Village, this little guy pictured above stopped me dead in my tracks. Seized by its beauty, I darted into the shop, exuberant and loving the day, eternally grateful for the West Village and its small shops, and giddy with the excitement of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, and symbol of art, music and poetry—for surely, this shrunken crystal head was nothing short of a work of art.

Me: "Do you sell mini bottles of Crystal Head?"

Attractive Wine Guy: "We do."

Me: "How much are they?"

Attractive Wine Guy: "11.99, but wait 'til you see how it's constructed..."

He then showed me an elegant box full of crystal-clear skull heads, beautifully sculpted and detailed, each neatly nestled in its own private little compartment.

Other Cute Wine Guy: "What makes it great is 1) It's a skull; 2) It's a skull, and 3)—"

Attractive Wine Guy: "It's vodka. How many would you like?"

Me: "Just one, for now, I guess."

Asked if I wanted a bag, I declined, choosing instead to put my diminutive skull, my crystal Yorick, directly into my purse.


Manley's Wines & Spirits, 35 Eight Avenue, NYC


As for what Crystal Head vodka tastes like, I have no idea; I've never tried it. I do know that the company is owned by Dan Aykroyd and that the vodka is Canadian (as is Dan Aykroyd). I also know that Canada is cold, like Finland, Russia, Poland and Holland, sort of, and France... That is to say, Canada, has a lot of arctic regions where vodka can potentially be tapped directly from pristine magic icebergs as they do in Finland, or so I imagine. Honestly, I'm not sure what I'm saying, or why I sound like I've already drunk the entire bottle, but I can't make any assumptions about the taste and quality of this lovely idea come to life, nor do I want to open it to find out. So I'll just have to wait until I find myself at a bar that carries Crystal Head.

Stay tuned...

A New Dawn for Desserts: Chia Seed Parfait @ Victory Garden

Victory Garden's Chia Seed Parfait

My first reaction to learning that chia seeds are the new superfood was definitely shock. I mean really, what next, Sea Monkeys?

The first chia seed dessert I tried was an epic failure. A thick, translucent goo with hundreds of tiny brown seeds trapped in it. The menu called it a pudding. This was no pudding. As the waitress explained, when chia seeds are added to liquid, they absorb the liquid, expand, and form a gel. Sampling a small spoonful, I couldn't help imagining that I was in the Amazon jungle being offered a gourd of bug-mash by a tribal chief. Lost in my imagination, I cautiously swallowed several spoonfuls so as not to offend the natives. But in reality, the only offended native at the table was yours truly. So I wasn't surprised to discover a month or so later on a return visit to the same restaurant that the hostile dessert had been taken off the menu. "It wasn't very popular," said the waiter.

With the chia switch turned on, I was now on the hunt to find a chia dessert that tasted good. And find one I did at Victory Garden on Carmine Street. This creamy white parfait has all the flounce and frills of a traditional parfait yet is extremely healthy: It's made with chia seeds, cashew milk and agave syrup. The result is delicate and mild with a soft, creamy texture much like a thin tapioca. I should also emphasize that this is not the kind of flamboyant dessert that lunges at you like, say, a nutella crepe. It's a mild and gentle dessert for when you're in the mood for something uber-healthy and also satisfying. The latter part relies heavily on which toppings you choose. I haven't gone through all the possible combinations but my favorite combo is granola and blueberry. The parfait pictured above is topped with shredded coconut and strawberry--kind of an unusual combination but surprisingly the textures and flavors work well together.

Honestly, everything about this little food shop impresses me. It's mostly known for its soft-serve goat's milk ice cream--very fancy and very delicious--but also has an extraordinary turkey sandwich (yes, I used 'extraordinary' to describe a turkey sandwich) called The Dutchess that combines turkey with sweet potato--sweet potato! I had to wonder, Who in the world is dreaming up all these beautifully exotic flavor combinations? It all seems so far-fetched at first--goat's milk ice cream? Chia seed parfaits? Thin slices of sweet potato and turkey? But after a taste you realize there is method in all the madness. This is truly harmonious food for those who appreciate fine flavors and subtlety. I knew that whoever was responsible for all this goat-loving gorgeosity clearly has a profound appreciation for natural, nutritious foods, possesses an impressive repertoire of food knowledge, has a very non-parochial idea of which foods belong where, and an elegant yet wildly earthy sensibility.

That someone, I learned, is Sophia Brittan, the founder and chef of Victory Garden and President of Kitchen Caravan. Visit her Website and you'll see what I mean, it's one of the most incredible food/travel blogs I've ever seen!

The Seed: Vegan Food Event in Soho

After spending close to an hour in a giant loft space in Soho where a boutique trade show called "The Seed" was being held to promote veganism, I found the general appearance of the event to be a lot more disheveled and untidy than its advertising suggested. That said, veganism has reached a new level of sophistication and some vendors at the show did represent that side of it. Here are some notable standouts at this event:

1) Café Blossom on Carmine
It's a shame that this upscale vegan restaurant brought its chef Jeremy Scullin but no food samples. I think a lot of people would have been surprised to taste how exciting vegan meals can be. The only reason I can actually vouch for this place is that I've eaten there several times. The food is rather pricey but if you think of it as a spa treatment for your digestive system then the prices are easier to swallow. I recommend the slow-roasted rutabaga and the sauteed fiddlehead ferns side dish if it's available.

2) Viridis Aurum, homemade sicilian olives



"Viridis aurum" means green gold. These olives, cured with love by a Long Islander are packed with flavor. They're also packed in their own oil, something I've never seen before. The result is potent and very tasty.


3) The Regal Vegan



Like the vendor above, The Regal Vegan brought samples. I tried the Faux Gras which is a nice alternative to hummus and is absolutely something that can enhance your party spread.

4) One Lucky Duck



Now this is the kind of vegan fare I was hoping to find at this event, good products even a carnivore would love. With these healthy and tasty macaroons, One Lucky Duck transforms raw ingredients into raw amazement. I sampled a chocolate macaroon and a blondie macaroon and they were both delicious. I'm now looking forward to sampling more from this company, starting with the Rawtella, which is their raw vegan version of Nutella.


5) PlantFusion



I don't use protein supplements, but if I did, I would consider trying this product. Each 30g scoop contains 21g of complete protein from plant sources that include amaranth and quinoa.

Big Disappointment of the Week: Puddin' by Clio

You see a cute little store called Puddin' in the East Village and your inner child does a cartwheel. You casually walk inside to find that true to its name, this store is indeed dedicated entirely to pudding. Greatly excited, I wasted no time in ordering a chocolate pudding and a butterscotch pudding.

First red flag--no pudding skin. Lo and behold, the texture and flavor tasted like instant pudding--the arch nemesis of my pudding-loving heart. The chocolate pudding was pretentiously dark and had a kind of alcoholic taste that didn't appeal to me at all. The butterscotch was a bland rendition that made me sad; it was nothing like the buttery, caramelly flavor extravaganza of classic butterscotch pudding. The overall experience was like watching a parade with no band.

I like my pudding smooth, with a slightly gelatinous firmness to it. Most importantly, it must have a slow-cooked flavor to it. And not just slow cooked, but slow cooked with a wooden spoon. Jell-O and My-T-Fine were the pudding brands I grew up with and they are the reason why for me the very word "pudding" is synonymous with abounding joy and happiness and goodwill to all mankind. Pudding is the Nutcracker Suite of desserts to my stomach, and I'm always seeking natural homemade pudding that tastes as good as the artificially flavored puddings from childhood.

You would think that a store devoted to pudding would most likely have good, if not excellent, pudding. I mean, why else would anyone think of opening a pudding place unless they were some kind of pudding aficionado or could at least produce something a little better than what can be purchased by the goopy pound at a Korean deli? This little shop may look cute from the outside, but it does not deliver what it advertises. The proof is in the puddin' which, I'm sorry to say, is very disappointin'.

A Nice Spot for Tea

The first time I went to Bosie Tea Parlor, located on 10 Morton Street, it was a Tuesday evening, just me and my Kindle. I loved it right away because here I found a real pocket of solace in this manic city overrun by herds and herds of people. The tea list is extensive, the ambience is genteel and the service is laid-back and friendly. Tea arrives at the table perfectly steeped in a small white ceramic pot without any tea bags or leaves to worry about. I had an Orange-Pekoe tea and a madeleine and read my Kindle for a little over an hour. It was heavenly.

The second time I went to Bosie, I learned that all the pastries, cakes and macaroons are made in-house by French pastry chef Damien Herrgot, who not only boasts a fancy name, that to my ear smacks of powdered sugar, but was a former head pastry magician at some very fine French food establishments in Manhattan. So I had to ask, "Does he make the croissants, too?" Yes, said the waitress, adding that the dough is imported from Paris. Not sure how that works or who actually makes the dough but it still sounded wonderful (although not wonderful at all in terms of what an extremely large carbon footprint that leaves for every batch of croissants). But I wasn't thinking of environmental consequences at the time, all I heard was dough from Paris and so I ordered a pain chocolat and Americano. The pain chocolat was OK, although the dough was a bit dry. Maybe it was jet-lagged from the flight?

On yet another subsequent visit to Bosie, I devoured a deliciously bright lemon tart (pictured below):

This is a real winner. Let's be honest: Lemon meringue is exciting. Lemon meringue, lemon meringue, who made thee? Another great thing about lemon tarts is that they go equally well with coffee or tea.

But wait, there's more! True to its tea-time persona, Bosie Tea Parlor offers cucumber sandwiches and other tidy savory-food options as well, such as panini, quiches and salads. The quinoa salad is pretty good.

If you really want to go crazy, there's a Champagne Tea Service for two that includes one pastry, sandwiches, macaroons, scones, tea, and a glass of champagne. For the less wild and crazy, there's The Standard Tea Service which is the same minus pastry and champagne.

Bosie Tea Parlor is a better cafe than most in NYC because it is refined yet welcoming. It has also managed to achieve a bohemian, parlor atmosphere without becoming a filthy gas stop for mangy city nomads. Also, the lighting doesn't dim at night, it stays on bright enough for you to read. That's a rare find, even in the Village. The great and wonderful DOMA cafe used to be that way, but oh well, that's all history now. Nothing gold can stay.

Bottom line, there are three things I really like about Bosie Tea Parlor: the attention and know-how that's put into preparing a very good cup of tea, the character-rich menu and the contemporary parlor decor. It also makes for a very good hang zone: laptops are allowed until 6pm on weekdays and there's WiFi.

But don't go for the Wifi. Go for tea, the pastries, the tea, the croissants, the tea, the quinoa, and oh yes, the macaroons.