Author Archives: robertaklapper

Sugar Topping

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest from 1 lemon

Stir until combined. Set aside.

          Or

Streusel Topping

3T white sugar

3T brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

5 T melted butter

Note: Add the butter gradually if decide to do the streusel topping. More or less may be needed to create a nice, crumbly consistency.

Muffins:

2 cups fresh blueberries

1 1/8 cups sugar, plus 1 tsp sugar

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 large eggs

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I use melted butter instead.)

1 cup buttermilk (I usually keep Saco Pantry dried buttermilk on hand, in the fridge, in case I don’t have fresh. To reconstitute: 4 Tablespoons powder to 1 cup of water. Shake well.

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 425F (make sure the oven rack is in the upper-middle position). Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside (I use Reynolds Foil Baking Cups, 3 1/2″ size.)

2.  In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup blueberries with 1 tsp sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook, mashing berries, until they have popped, and the mixture has thickened (approximately 6 minutes). Transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature (10-15 minutes).

3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk 1 1/8 cup sugar with the eggs until thick. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Add buttermilk and vanilla, mixing until combined.

4. Fold egg mixture into dry ingredients along with remaining blueberries. Stir just until moistened (batter will still be lumpy with a few spots of dry flour. Do not over mix).

5. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter will come to the top of each muffin cup). Spoon 1/2 tsp blueberry mixture into the center of each muffin. Using a toothpick or skewer, gently swirl the filling into the batter. Sprinkle topping evenly over the muffins.

6. Bake for 17-19 minutes, until muffin tops are golden and just firm (Rotate muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time). Cool muffins in tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool for an additional 5 minutes.

Today I again scanned the recommended brunch list from the Times and came up with several choices in Brooklyn. The one that appealed to me was in Park Slope, Le Succulent. I called to find out if they were open and got the answering machine. A gentleman kindly called back to let me know they were, only an hour later than posted. Arriving in Park Slope, we were pleasantly surprised to find that 5^th Avenue was an “Open Boulevard,” closed off to vehicles on weekends. Luckily, we found a parking spot and enjoyed a leisurely five block walk to the restaurant.

From the review of 12/12/2019, “Each meal at Le Succulent, a modest bistro…unites West Africa and France…The food here is steeped in comfort, but there is a meticulousness to the cooking, an elegance in its contours…” 

Here, however, brunch is more French. Sweet and savory crepes are served on Saturday and Sunday along with a limited menu. Adam chose a savory crepe while I chose Eggs Benedict, with salmon and spinach, served with hand cut fries. The fries stole the show – best I have ever eaten, and it was thumbs up on Adam’s meal. I then decided to try a sweet crepe dusted with sugar as desert. OMG! It was amazing! I would like to return for dinner. Their menu looks wonderful and is constantly upgraded to offer fresh and seasonal ingredients. It also includes two traditional Senegalese dishes, Yassa Fish and Chebu Jen. Curious yet? I am! Definitely a yes to a repeat! 

A repeat 🙂

Adam and I took two of my daughters back to Le Succulent, yesterday. They said it felt like they were back in Paris, their most favorite destination. This time I ordered an omelette with fresh spinach and goat cheese. It was delicious! Juicy, not dry! Everyone else ordered savory crepes, once again the hand cut fries, and powered sugar crepes for desert. All the dishes were outstanding and also sparked my daughters’ interest to return for a dinner.

Recipe from the New York Times, Original Plum Torte, by Marian Burrows

This is a favorite to make for guests. The results are always wonderful as well as the raves.

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ to 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup unbleached flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
•  Pinch of salt (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 24 halves of pitted Italian purple prune plums (available end of summer, early fall)
•  Sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon, for topping

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well.
3. Spoon the batter into a springform pan of 8, 9 or 10 inches. ( I spread parchment paper onto the bottom of a buttered springform pan which can be peeled off later.) *Note: I recently made this torte in a Pyrex Square Glass Baking Dish (8in x 8in x 2.5in). After I buttered the dish, I sprinkled sugar on the sides and bottom. This made it easy to cut and serve squares straight from the baking dish. Eight plums should be enough.
4.  Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon. 
5. Bake 1 hour, approximately. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired. Or cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream. (To serve a torte that was frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.)

You can replace the plums with sliced apples. Arrange 2-3 thinly sliced apples in closely fitted concentric circles on top of the dough. I have not been successful with other fruits.

Vietnamese food is another favorite, so I was anxious to try Em Vietnamese Bistro on Front Street, in Dumbo. What a delightful surprise. This is Chef Ly’s second restaurant in Brooklyn (the first, Em Vietnamese Kitchen on 86^th St.). From their website, “the menu includes comfort food drawing from the flavors of her childhood and dinner tapas inspired by nights on the town in bustling Saigon.” Her food does not disappoint; it is elegant and delicious! We tried several different dishes, and the ones that stood out for us were: Ca Tim Nuong (grilled eggplant), Com Chien Hai San (Vietnamese seafood fried rice), Bun Thit Nuong (grilled pork over rice vermicelli noodles with vegetables) and Pho Ga (Vietnamese chicken noodle soup). Yes to Em on Front Street!

Pho Ga

Today, I suggested Okonomi //Yuji Ramen on Ainslie Street, Brooklyn. I love Japanese food (Sushi Seki in Chelsea, a yes, as well as Kazu Nori, the original hand roll bar on W 28^th St. NYC), and the idea of ramen for brunch sounded perfect. From their website, “We are a neighborhood Japanese kitchen with a focus on regional seafood and Mottainai cuisine” (an ancient Buddhist term which encourages sharing instead of waste). Don’t worry –  no recycled food!! Adam chose Bacon and Egg Mazemen (ramen) while I ordered the Spicy Tuna, easy on the spice. The homemade noodles were thick and chewy, and the ingredients were fresh and of excellent quality. For Adam, it was a repeat, even though the portion left him not quite satisfied. For me, this was unlike any ramen I have ever eaten, by taste and texture. I will give it another try – perhaps the Oko Donburi (rice dishes) served with 7-grain rice.  Will let you know…..

Hi!  My son, Adam, suggested that I write a blog that critiques the restaurants where we have dined in our home borough of Brooklyn. On weekends, I usually search the New York Times restaurant reviews to get our pick, usually for lunch, but occasionally for dinner (when Adam has no other plans). After a meal, he asks, “Is this a repeat?” to which I usually say, no. Rarely is it a yes. So, who am I to be so picky? I have lived for more than three quarters of a century and eaten my fair share of meals. I have gone from a strict kosher macrobiotic diet to enjoying the flavors and tastes of the whole world (as much as are available to me). I love to cook and bake, and most of the time the food is delicious, although to be honest, sometimes not. So, on this blog, I want to share only the restaurants where you will feel that your meal was worth every penny, since eating out can be costly. Also, following the NYT’s reviews, or just being pleasantly surprised by a friend’s recommendation, there will be positive critiques of restaurants in other boroughs. And as a bonus, I would like to share my most favorite no-fail recipes.