Just desserts!

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/sweettalk

Total glee with F and B Gudtfood

Patrick, Jorge and I stopped by F&B, a semi-trendy, modern German food shop, after I mentioned that I had these incredible beignets early in October and was sad that I had no stomach space to try any of their bratwursts. So we trekked there from 33rd St. and 10th Ave. to 23rd St. and 8th Ave. It was a bit of a walk and I was sort of regretting it because it would take a bit of time to go back and I thought we'd be internally scolded by those who stayed at the office. But guilt aside, I was extremely happy that we did because not only are the beignets addicting and something that must be tried before anybody dies, the spruced- up hot dogs are extremely tasty AND antibiotic-free (according to a sign in the store).

Enter the tiny shop, which people have said used to be home to a Krispy Kreme (bad decision on their part considering there's a gym right next...talk about the wrong location), and you're greeted by a bubbly, bright and cheery ambiance with blue, white, silver decor. There is only counter-seating, but surprisingly, I didn't mind because essentially, it's really food that's much more fun to eat while standing.

The three of us agreed to order our own food and share an order of Swedish Meatballs and one tray of Caramel Beignets. Jorge got the Great Dane dog (at left): Pork, ketchup & mustard dressing, pickled cucumbers & roasted onions. Patrick ordered the Prairie Dog (below at right): Premium beef with fresh tomato salsa, guacamole & cheddar cheese. I didn't try theirs but given how much they enjoyed them, I bet they were delicious. After an agonizing internal debate over what to get, I opted for the Farm Dog because I can't resist anything with sweet corn relish on it and it was basically smoked chicken hot dog & sweet corn relish.

I have to tell you that it was one REALLY good chicken sausage that was well-complemented by the sweet and tart corn relish. I normally don't like chicken sausage, but the meat was so juicy and flavorful that I could have sworn it was pork instead. It was just simple and I just loved how you could taste the meat, which sort of popped when you bit into it, as well as what tasted like naturally sweet, pickled corn...nothing so dramatic that you'd end up tasting just a jumble of indecipherable ingredients.


Then came the beignets...we each had one and this time, when I bit into mine, I was euphoric. It was significantly better than the first time I had them with raspberry sauce. Why? Because these were just fried with just enough oozing caramel sauce lathering the chewy bread. While they may appear to be intensely sweet, they were...let's just say...an ideal donut. I suspect that the bread part itself is not sweetened. I can see it being just as good accompanied by a savory sauce like cheddar cheese or even sweet corn relish. These were really heavenly: absolutely warm, soft and springy in the center with a very substantial chew. These donuts were so good that after we finished our meal, we decided to buy 9 more pieces to share! Yes, NINE. Three come with one order. We ended up with 8 because those were all that was left for the day's batch...in other words, we bought the store out of their beignets that evening. Each tray had its own flavor...chocolate, strawberry and another one of caramel.

Neatly wrapped in a foil to-go bag, the three of us practically bounced out of F&B with joy over our satisfying and cheap meal. I remember the thought of returning to work made me forget about how happy I had been when we were eating. I reached over for one of the beignet bags that Patrick was holding and decided we had to savor the rest of the walk back to work as much as we could with the assistance of those glorious nuggets. But we barely moved because instead of walking and chewing, we stood for quite some time in front of what I think was a convenience store like CVS to split up the pieces and loudly enjoy them, exclaiming "oh my god, these are soooo good. I can't believe it" after practically every bite.

I have to say that my guilt of returning to work late was justified. What if I had lived another day without knowing those beignets could get that much better? Would have been a shame. Well, no regrets here!

Lesson of the day: Some food is sometimes worth being late to work for.

Chocolate Rugelach 2

Chocolate rugelach from a Brooklyn bakery that Christopher bought for me and Dan (it was soooooo good and way better than the one below!)

Chocolate Rugelach

Chocolate rugelach from Junior's (taken on lined paper at my office)

Super-soft sponge cake

I stopped by Chinatown last week and remembered to make a slight left onto Baxter St. in search for the hole-in-the-wall sponge cake shop. Hing Win Coffee Shop (got to double check on the name) the sign probably said in red letters above Chinese characters on a gaudy yellow plastic board.

When I stepped into the shop, it was tiny. There was just one glass display case with a few shelves that could have at one time featured eye-glasses or jade jewelry. Whatever it used to hold or could have held, now it encases Asian and American baked goods wrapped in clear plastic bags. If you were to wander into the store, none of these would really appear to be appetizing. There weren't beautifully decorated layer cakes, loaves of fluffy butter bread or even egg custard tarts when I went in. I think I was disappointed for the first 5 seconds of stepping into the shop. Dare I ask about a possibly non-existent spongecake? YES!

"Hi, do you guys sell spongecake?" I asked the man behind the extremely old-fashioned cash register. In fact, everything in that store looked like it had stayed the way it had been for over 50 years. While it was clearly an Asian bakery, there was no sign of any Asian workers. Was this the right place? I couldn't help asking myself this ever since I came in to survey the offerings.

"Yes, we do. How many?" he replies. "Oh, um 4. Wait, no. Two. Yes, two," I say with my usual indecisiveness when it comes to ordering food. An elderly Asian woman walks in through the entrance and she says "two dozen" to the man and he automatically hands her a white plastic bag full of what looks like the delicious sponge cakes I am about to tell you about.

I bought my two cakes, each only 60 cents, which is a bargain considering these days the major bakeries sell bland-tasting sponge cakes for 85 cents or more. But not only were they a great value, they were probably the best sponge cakes I have had to date. Now, it seems you can practically get them anywhere so how special could these be, but I ripped a piece off the golden, oval cake and immediately fell in love with its ultra-soft texture. It reminded me of a bath loofah, the kind that's gentle on your skin with very few holes. It was literally sponge-y, but equally fluffy (think a wad of cotton candy before it melts into sugary bits on your tongue) and light with a hint of egg-like sweetness. There was no sign of any oily residue, something I often find at chain bakeries or markets where the plastic bags themselves are smeared with grease from whatever they used to bake the cakes with.

Lately I've been trying to figure out why strawberry shortcakes are usually a disappointment, even at high-end restaurants and it dawned on me that it may be the lack of a euphoric cake base. But this was it! I could already see macerated strawberries sitting atop the ever-so-elegant, oval sponge cake topped with some lightly-sweetened, fresh whipped cream. The next time I go back to this shop, I'm going to do as that woman did and ask for two dozen.

Lesson of that day: When in doubt, just ask!

Fleur de Sel

A chocolate cake with cherries, blackberries and crushed pistachios. It was accompanied by...
...cherry sorbet that sat atop chocolate cookie crumbs, vanilla sauce and white pepper gelee from the French restaurant Fleur de Sel.

Birthday beauty

A gorgeous Almond Apricot Cake that Hy bought me from Black Hound New York for my birthday last year. It was one lovely sweet surprise.