Flambe!

Today we got to flambe apples! I was pretty excited, I've never done it, and always wanted to! The recipe called for very little brandy, so we quadrupled it. The flame at its height was about twice as high as the one bellow. Now I want to flambe everything. Though my kitchen doesn't have the same sprinkler system built in, so perhaps with a bit more caution. But, whoa it was hot! I could feel the heat go up the side of my body (you turn away as you start it). My forearm even hurt a bit (for a minute). hope we can flambe again soon!




With those apples we made Tarte Alsacienne-a very "old school" tarte, from the Alsace region of France (which is in general known for food-especially charcuterie)


We also made Baked Moroccan Peach Tart (A custard)



And, NOT A TART! Gingersnaps, which are amazing...a girl who already took the class suggested rolling it in white pepper along with the sugar...intriguing. Will have to try.



I'm continuing to absolutely love living in New York. The first time I visited (2007) I had a great time, but didn't fall in love with the city, it felt too dirty, too crowded, too loud. The humid feeling of summer, mixed with dirt, and the smells of food and humans ripe in the air. The dingy, lived in streets and apartments. Throngs of people pushing through the narrow streets, everyone, heads down, herded. Now I feel that New York is particularly wonderful for those reasons. With 1.7 million people in 23 sq. miles in Manhattan there can be little delusion of life (real, unabashed life). Unlike most cities you can't "escape" or avoid seeing what you may prefer not to, it is completely unsheltered. Yes there is absurd wealth, but there is also terrible poverty, and everything in between. With my current unrelenting desire to travel, New York serves as a middle ground. Being constantly surrounded by such a great variety of people, I am less often reminded I'm "in America," Unless I go to Times Square, which I now avoid at all costs. And not to mention...the FOOD. From Michelin star fine dining to hole in the wall pork bun shops, and everything in between. Today I went to the farmers market with Danny to pick up a few things for the upcoming week. I have an increasing fondness for farmers markets as well as a need to know specifically where my food is coming from. And New York is brimming with local, farm to table inspired purveyors. I got a variety of things such as a habanero jelly, granola, and bread. We also found lard pie crust at flying pig. Of course, now I want to make a savory tart and use duck fat in my crust. I think this is pretty brilliant. Perhaps I can incorporate it into my final project... But with all this culinary input I feel a bit overwhelmed at times. daily bombardments of restaurant openings and new places I MUST try. Today I went up to Marketa on advisement of a Tasting Table email. They're known for their housemade greek yogurt. Unfortunately, it costs $1/oz...so a 12oz container (not that much!) is $12. BUT they do give you toppings, such as sour cherries. And you don't need all that much..It is so thick, I don't even know if you could use it with granola effectively, it may end up resembling nougat! I'll trudge through the rain to avoid taking a cab on principal of not paying absurd fares. But $12 house made greek yogurt? Of course! It all balances out. Plus, the taste of such freshly made food, prepared with passion tastes so incredible, it's easily worth it. And FCI is no help. We only use the best ingredients, they want us to have discerning taste. From the brandy we flambe with to the local strawberries picked the day before in New Jersey. Today we made peach tarts, but instead of having them sent in from California, they ordered canned fruit...Strange? These Moroccan peaches were fantastic. "If the best peaches are in Morocco, thats where we get them." Not to mention the two hundred or so vanilla beans we've gone through this week. I may be "ruined" by this, but oh, is it worth it!