Author Archives: robertaklapper

This recipe recently appeared in the New York Times, and the idea of making my own almond paste intrigued me. Not only do you make the almond paste in your food processor but then continue to finish the recipe in the same work bowl. Easy cleanup! But that’s not the best part. The cake was amazing. According to Melissa Clark, it “walks the line between dense and light, with a fine, moist crumb and deep marzipan flavor that comes from a combination of homemade almond paste and a touch of almond extract.”

In the Times, if you wish, the cake is topped with peaches and cream, but I prefer to serve it plain with just a dusting of powered sugar. It will keep for up to two days well wrapped at room temperature or five days in the fridge. (Take out and serve at room temperature.)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ¼ cups/280 grams softened unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
• 1 cup/128 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
• 1 packed cup/125 grams almond flour or sliced, blanched almonds ( I used sliced, blanched almonds.)
• 1 cup/125 grams confectioners’ sugar, plus more for serving
• 6 large eggs plus 1 egg white, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon almond extract (might need 1 teaspoon)
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 ¼ cups/250 grams granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
•  Sliced peaches, for serving
•  Whipped crème fraîche or whipped cream, for serving

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and lightly flour a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.
2. Place almond flour and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add egg white, almond extract and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and process until it all forms a paste.
3. Add granulated sugar to the food processor and pulse until everything is well combined and crumbly. Add butter and vanilla, and continue processing until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With the machine running, add eggs one at a time, processing until smooth between eggs.
4. Stop the machine, scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, and add flour, baking powder and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pulse a few times, until the dry ingredients are just integrated. (Be careful not to over process.)
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60 to 70 minutes for a 10-inch pan and 70 to 80 minutes for a 9-inch pan. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cake cool completely before unmolding and serving.
6. Put the peach slices in a bowl and taste a slice. If they seem tart, sprinkle peaches with a little confectioners’ sugar.
7. Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with confectioners’ sugar. You can serve slices of the cake with the peaches and cream on the side or dollop some whipped cream on top of the cake and top with the peaches before cutting.

Enjoy!

Potato Pancakes

By Lidey Heuck, NYT

Updated Dec. 14, 2023

Yield:16 to 18 pancakes

• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more for serving
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 medium russet potatoes (about 2½ pounds), peeled (or yukon gold)
• 1 medium yellow onion, trimmed and peeled
• ⅓ cup canola or other neutral oil, plus more as needed, for frying
• Applesauce, for serving (optional)
• Sour cream, for serving (optional)
• Fresh chopped chives, for serving (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Line a sheet pan with paper towels and set it near the stove. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, flour, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth.
2. Using the largest holes of a box grater, grate the potatoes and onion, discarding any tough, outer pieces of the remaining onion, onto a clean dish towel or large piece of cheesecloth. Wring over the sink to drain as much liquid as you can.
3. Immediately add the potatoes and onion to the bowl with the egg mixture and mix gently but thoroughly with your hands or a wooden spoon.
4. In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat ⅓ cup canola oil over medium-high until shimmering. Using a ¼ cup measure, scoop mounds of the potato mixture onto the skillet, using the bottom of the measuring cup to flatten the pancakes slightly. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding. Fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. (If the pancakes are browning too quickly or the oil begins smoking, lower the heat.) Transfer the pancakes to the prepared sheet pan and sprinkle lightly with salt.
5. Repeat with the remaining mixture, adding more oil and adjusting the heat as necessary, scooping out any small pieces of batter left in the pan, and draining any excess liquid that collects in the bowl. Serve hot with sour cream and chives, if desired.

From The Wall Street Journal

Grate 3 large Idaho potatoes* and a large onion, place them in a colander and squeeze vigorously to drain liquid.

Mix with 2 eggs, 2 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper to taste.

Mix, form into patties, and fry until browned on both sides.

Chefs choice: Canola oil (My choice: peanut oil)

* I use 3 large Yukon Gold potatoes, instead of the Idaho, and lately have been adding some grated sweet potato to the mix. Adds color and just a little sweet taste.

Serve with applesauce or sour cream and chives.

After reading a 2012 NYT review of Royal Seafood, on Mott Street in Chinatown, by Pete Wells, Adam and I decided to try it. It was just after Hurricane Sandy, and once Chinatown reopened, we were so happy to get out. We followed the suggestions in the article and ordered the lobster, although it didn’t appear anywhere on the menu. It was chopped up and “wok-fried with a sticky, Cantonese sauce of scallions and slivers of ginger (NYT).” We also ordered the crispy fried bean curd (now served with mushrooms), and a sauteed green with garlic. I can’t remember anything else we might have eaten, but we have been back many times since, for lunch and dinner, with family and friends. It never disappoints. Recently, my grandson loved the steak cubes with chives and the house special fried rice. Dinner is usually quiet, but lunch, especially on weekends, draws crowds for its dim sum. Wells suggest that you “sit on an aisle….sitting too far from the trolleys puts you at risk of missing a favorite dumpling.”

Menu items I haven’t tried yet (that were recommended in the article) are crispy fried chicken, a fried whole flounder, springy e-fu noodles with fat mushrooms, house special lamb chops in a black pepper sauce, and the West Lake beef soup with bright green cilantro leaves. I will try these and hopefully they will still be as delicious as the reviewer found them.

 In an article published in 2019, Where Should You Eat in New York? Go to These Favorite Spots, several of the Times contributors suggested Nom Wah Tea Parlor on Doyers Street. It has long been a favorite of ours for chicken and pork shumai, steamed shrimp and snow pea leaf dumplings, original “OG” egg rolls, stuffed eggplant, rice rolls, and Chinese greens in oyster sauce.

I am constantly on the lookout for new restaurants in Chinatown and will write about those that are worth a visit.

“OG” egg rolls

New addition: Hakka Cuisine reviewed by Pete Wells, October, 2023, is a beautiful and very clean restaurant in Chinatown. We only ordered one of the dishes suggested by Mr. Wells, the Hakka stuffed tofu: little pork sausage patties resting in thumbprints scooped out of bean-curd cubes in a light, savory sauce. Most of the dishes were delicious, but some were not. The spring rolls, and scallops served on clam shells over cellophane noodles were a disappoint, however the Hakka Mei Fun, a seafood noodle dish was wonderful. My grandson loved a chicken and peanut dish along with shrimp fried rice. The Hakka people are nomadic tribes who originated in China and whose cooking focuses on the texture of food. Their menu also features items found in traditional Chinese restaurants.(Sorry, closed!)

This is a new take on an old recipe. The use of rice, instead of bread crumbs or matzoh meal, and the flour coating make for a delicious and attractive dish.

Ingredients:

•  (2) 15 1/2-ounce cans of salmon *
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup cooked rice
•  Salt and black pepper to taste
•  Flour for coating
• 2 cups vegetable oil for pan frying

*I use (4) 7.5 oz. cans of Trader Joe’s, Sockeye Salmon

Preparation:

1. Drain the salmon and reserve juice from cans. Place salmon in a bowl and add onion, eggs, rice, salt and black pepper to taste. Stir well and mash salmon with a hand masher (or by hand). Add a little juice so that the mixture is moist but not soupy.   
2. Make oblong patties with an ice- cream scoop (or again by hand). Roll patties in flour and pan-fry in 350-degree oil. Brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. 
3. Serve warm with slices of fresh lemon, cold with mayonnaise.     

How to cook fresh salmon

It’s the same preparation for any amount of salmon or any salmon-like fish, such as steelhead trout. Purchase fish with or without skin on. It’s easy to remove skin once fully cooked.

1. Set oven to 325F.
2. Chose a cast iron skillet or heavy enamel baking dish. (I was given a Le Creuset baking dish years ago, and it makes the most perfect baked fish.)
3. Brush olive oil over the surface. Season with salt and pepper. You can add some minced garlic and fresh herbs if you like.
4. Arrange lemon slices over the top or squeeze fresh lemon juice over the cooked fish.
5. Bake 13-16 minutes until salmon just feels firm to the touch, or use a food thermometer. In the thickest part of the fish, the internal temperature should reach 125-130F for medium cooked salmon.

Yesterday I returned from my monthly food shopping trip to New Jersey and decided to share all the places I love to visit. Shoprite in Englewood is near the top of the list. Prices are so much better than in Brooklyn, and if you spend $100, just show your NY driver’s license and you’ll get back $6.00 towards the toll.

Balthazar’s Bakery is also located in Englewood. It is an outlet to purchase their products at the source. What breads and pastries! Baguettes, Brioche, Sourdough Rye, Pullmans, Croissants, cookies, cakes, tarts and pies are just a sampling. I always leave with a bagful. Most everything freezes well. 

Mitsuwa Market Place, in Edgewater, is an expansive Japanese grocery store which also includes a food court, a bookstore, Japanese ceramics, a Daiso “100-yen shop” (similar to our dollar stores, but better) plus much more. If you want to shop for “a wide variety of unique Japanese products that are fresh, safe, and reliable”( from their website), definitely visit.

No trip is complete without first stopping for a bacon and egg sandwich on an everything bagel (with or without cheese or on a buttered bagel, my favorite) at Celebrity Bagels in Tenafly. The bagels are fluffy, chewy, and crunchy, and then I’m fueled to shop! Best of all, if you need to fill ‘er up, New Jersey gas station attendants pump your gas! It’s the law!

• NEW POST: BIANCO NERO GELATERIA in Englewood, NJ.

This is an experience not to be missed!! Not only is the gelato delicious, but there are over 100 flavors of this authentic Italian gelato and sorbet to choose from!

 

. 

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…..