I've had a sugar-filled day today. I haven't had anything salty except pretzels. This can't be good. Why I did this I do not know.
But I started off my morning with Le Pain Quotidien's Limited Edition Pumpkin Muffin. I normally get their Belgium Brownie or Pain Au Chocolat, but today my eyes fell upon something labeled "Pumpkin" and not even reading fully what it was, I ordered it. This muffin, as they call it, really hit the spot because it was dense but perfectly moist, making it much more like a pumpkin pound cake. This is not the airy, fluffy muffins you get at the store or at Dunkin Donuts (though I do like those very much too!) laden with conspicuous remnants of butter/fat/oil/something-bad-for-your-body. In fact, it was almost on the brink of chewy. Toasted pumpkin seeds studded the top, adding a nice roasted flavor to the muffin as well as a light crunchy texture to the softness of the cake. Its got a spot-on pumpkin-ness to it: There's no overly fake tasting pumpkin flavor but it's not so bland as if it were just a plain muffin dyed orange. I will definitely be going back for another one soon! I am officially pumpkin crazy seeing as it is THAT time of the month where pumpkin sprouts up on all the menus.
It didn't take me long to eat it of course and while I cannot remember what I did after I finished the muffin, I do remember that my next pumpkin encounter was the Pumpkin Bisque from Hale & Hearty Soup. It's actually quite good, though I think that if I ever step into the place for soup, I have to get my usual: Chicken & Sweet Corn Bisque. The Pumpkin Bisque was slightly sweet as if there were nutmeg, cardamom or cinnamon flung in but it was followed by a kick of spiciness. In essence, the first taste is sweet pumpkin flavor, but it ends in a semi-fiery savory note. It can be quite addicting, but I think more often than not I like my pumpkin for dessert rather than a meal (though pumpkin ravioli can be greatly appreciated).
Anyhow, done with that. Moving on: I went to 3 Tarts, a Chelsea gift boutique/bakery, today to shoot some photos for an article I'm writing about the place and their pastry chefs. It can be a wonderland in there for people who live for bite-sized desserts and love giving gifts. When the article gets published, I'll be sure to post the link to the article here so there's more info and descriptions of wh
at they have and why it's good. However, I'd like to highlight the Pumpkin Parfait here because it stood out from the wide selection there. For one, it came in a very simple, mini plastic "flute" and two, because ... it was pumpkin. See ugly photo at left. To be as brief as possible, I'd say that the most enjoyable part was the multiplicity of textures. You start off with a firm crunchiness from the pumpkin seed toffee-brittle, going on to the dissolve-in-your-mouth-like-air molasses whipped cream, coming to the soft, chunky pumpkin pieces with bits of dried apricot, followed by the creamy sweet pumpkin pastry cream, then ending with crushed chocolate cookies. Or, if you're lucky, you're able to get all of the wonderful textures in one bite and enjoy the inspiring flavor combinations. I love pumpkin pie, but if given the choice between having a big slice of this layered loveliness, I'd have to say farewell to the classic Thanksgiving dessert. If you can't quite imagine the flavors, here's what it made me feel like I was eating: A pie made of a crust of crumbled chocolate cookies filled with elegant mashed candied yams (not too sweet or consumed by the sugar syrup) topped with generous dollops of maple syrup whipped cream. What a treat I tell you.
Anyhow, got to keep going since there's more.
Yeah, I know lots of food already but I didn't go to Chelsea unprepared. Knowing I rarely ever hit up the neighborhood I had two more places to swing by. I first went to Chelsea Market to get some coffee from Ninth Street Espresso. I've been to the lower east side location, but have never gotten coffee there. The cafe is cozy, inviting and smells of a coffee that non-coffee drinkers would fall in love with. So I was a tad surprised to find that the Ninth Street Espresso at Chelsea Market had no seats. It had a stone counter top where people could stand and chat while drinking from big ceramic mugs.
I was debating whether or not to order decaf or to be strong and go with caffeinated (do I really want to be talking at warp-speed and feeling my heart race as if it was ready to jump out of my body?). "Excuse me, I know this may be a stupid question, or sacrilegious for that matter at such a place for real coffee drinkers, but do you serve decaf?" I ask the barista. "Yes, we do!" he says with a big smile. Whew. Relief. And he didn't even roll his eyes. So I order a decaf cappuccino and stand back to observe the s
cene. Each cup is made-to-order so it meant that the guy had taken a generous scoop of decaf coffee and was using some sort of gadget to hand-press the coffee into the espresso machine just for my cup of coffee. My favorite part? I'm guessing they do this as the last touch of charm for each cup of joe: The steamed milk was poured into the coffee at an angle to form a beaming heart as you can see at the right. Love it! Originally, I attempted to take a photo of my drink at the counter but much to my dismay, I was much too short to get a proper shot. What did I do? I found a spot near the floor with a concrete lining that was about 5 inches off the ground and shot a few quick photos. And what embarrassing thing did I do next? I went in search for sugar. When I did find the milk and sugar corner (the sugar practically hidden from sight and I guess for good reason), and reached over for a few packets of sugar, I was waiting for people to stop talking in awe of what I was about to do to my coffee. I was practically committing a crime I thought. Well that's too bad. I dumped 3 packets in. I was bold, wasn't I? Thankfully, not a word was uttered. I was home-free with coffee that survived a photo shoot on the ground and it was decaf with sugar too! So how'd it taste? I'm not a real coffee-drinker but if there was one word to describe it, I'd say it was "masculine." It was rich, deep, dark and almost mysterious...on the brink of bitterness but pulls you back to a slight sweetness when you think it's going to turn you away. I'd say there were even hints of a toffee flavor but perhaps it was the sugar doing its magic. In any case, it was one good cup of sweetened cappuccino!
And what better food to accompany my coffee than beignets? I walked to F&B gudtfood, a German street food joint, and bought 3 huge nuggets of fried dough. Dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with a sticky raspberry sauce (photo below and left), these have got to be my favorite kinds of donuts. It's probably why I LOVE the donuts from Donut Planet because they have a nice chew to them and the glazes are customarily true to their flavor profiles (a raspberry donut tastes like fresh raspberries are studded
on the donut) without killing your taste buds with sugar or leaving an oily residue in your mouth.
The breaded part of the beignet from F&B was not sweet. In fact, it probably can be dipped into a cheese sauce for a different kind of snack. Whether or not the lack of oiliness or sugar overload makes these donuts more "healthy" than donuts from Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts, it is a mystery that I'd rather not solve. I am DEFINITELY going back for more of these lovely golden pieces of goodness. They have chocolate or caramel versions as well. Perhaps I'll try them all. Oh and maybe get a bratwurst or two. I hear those are delish.
Ah, another day means...well, 3 or more meals to come.
Lesson of the day: Eat dessert first and last!
at they have and why it's good. However, I'd like to highlight the Pumpkin Parfait here because it stood out from the wide selection there. For one, it came in a very simple, mini plastic "flute" and two, because ... it was pumpkin. See ugly photo at left. To be as brief as possible, I'd say that the most enjoyable part was the multiplicity of textures. You start off with a firm crunchiness from the pumpkin seed toffee-brittle, going on to the dissolve-in-your-mouth-like-air molasses whipped cream, coming to the soft, chunky pumpkin pieces with bits of dried apricot, followed by the creamy sweet pumpkin pastry cream, then ending with crushed chocolate cookies. Or, if you're lucky, you're able to get all of the wonderful textures in one bite and enjoy the inspiring flavor combinations. I love pumpkin pie, but if given the choice between having a big slice of this layered loveliness, I'd have to say farewell to the classic Thanksgiving dessert. If you can't quite imagine the flavors, here's what it made me feel like I was eating: A pie made of a crust of crumbled chocolate cookies filled with elegant mashed candied yams (not too sweet or consumed by the sugar syrup) topped with generous dollops of maple syrup whipped cream. What a treat I tell you.Anyhow, got to keep going since there's more.
Yeah, I know lots of food already but I didn't go to Chelsea unprepared. Knowing I rarely ever hit up the neighborhood I had two more places to swing by. I first went to Chelsea Market to get some coffee from Ninth Street Espresso. I've been to the lower east side location, but have never gotten coffee there. The cafe is cozy, inviting and smells of a coffee that non-coffee drinkers would fall in love with. So I was a tad surprised to find that the Ninth Street Espresso at Chelsea Market had no seats. It had a stone counter top where people could stand and chat while drinking from big ceramic mugs.
I was debating whether or not to order decaf or to be strong and go with caffeinated (do I really want to be talking at warp-speed and feeling my heart race as if it was ready to jump out of my body?). "Excuse me, I know this may be a stupid question, or sacrilegious for that matter at such a place for real coffee drinkers, but do you serve decaf?" I ask the barista. "Yes, we do!" he says with a big smile. Whew. Relief. And he didn't even roll his eyes. So I order a decaf cappuccino and stand back to observe the s
cene. Each cup is made-to-order so it meant that the guy had taken a generous scoop of decaf coffee and was using some sort of gadget to hand-press the coffee into the espresso machine just for my cup of coffee. My favorite part? I'm guessing they do this as the last touch of charm for each cup of joe: The steamed milk was poured into the coffee at an angle to form a beaming heart as you can see at the right. Love it! Originally, I attempted to take a photo of my drink at the counter but much to my dismay, I was much too short to get a proper shot. What did I do? I found a spot near the floor with a concrete lining that was about 5 inches off the ground and shot a few quick photos. And what embarrassing thing did I do next? I went in search for sugar. When I did find the milk and sugar corner (the sugar practically hidden from sight and I guess for good reason), and reached over for a few packets of sugar, I was waiting for people to stop talking in awe of what I was about to do to my coffee. I was practically committing a crime I thought. Well that's too bad. I dumped 3 packets in. I was bold, wasn't I? Thankfully, not a word was uttered. I was home-free with coffee that survived a photo shoot on the ground and it was decaf with sugar too! So how'd it taste? I'm not a real coffee-drinker but if there was one word to describe it, I'd say it was "masculine." It was rich, deep, dark and almost mysterious...on the brink of bitterness but pulls you back to a slight sweetness when you think it's going to turn you away. I'd say there were even hints of a toffee flavor but perhaps it was the sugar doing its magic. In any case, it was one good cup of sweetened cappuccino!And what better food to accompany my coffee than beignets? I walked to F&B gudtfood, a German street food joint, and bought 3 huge nuggets of fried dough. Dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with a sticky raspberry sauce (photo below and left), these have got to be my favorite kinds of donuts. It's probably why I LOVE the donuts from Donut Planet because they have a nice chew to them and the glazes are customarily true to their flavor profiles (a raspberry donut tastes like fresh raspberries are studded
on the donut) without killing your taste buds with sugar or leaving an oily residue in your mouth.The breaded part of the beignet from F&B was not sweet. In fact, it probably can be dipped into a cheese sauce for a different kind of snack. Whether or not the lack of oiliness or sugar overload makes these donuts more "healthy" than donuts from Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts, it is a mystery that I'd rather not solve. I am DEFINITELY going back for more of these lovely golden pieces of goodness. They have chocolate or caramel versions as well. Perhaps I'll try them all. Oh and maybe get a bratwurst or two. I hear those are delish.
Ah, another day means...well, 3 or more meals to come.
Lesson of the day: Eat dessert first and last!
No comments:
Post a Comment