Author Archives: robertaklapper

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.