The Magic School Bus "Gets Ready, Sets, Dough"

You've Been Cupcaked

I've got to say that it's a pretty wonderful experience to be settling down for an episode of Mad Men after a tasty home-made pizza dinner, only to have the doorbell ring. And when you open the door? Nothing but a lone cupcake in the glow of the front-porch light. 

This situation is precisely what happened to me the other night. I stared at the cupcake--amused and a little baffled, but certainly with a smile on my face. I picked up the cupcake  and underneath was a bit of loose-leaf paper with "youve been cupcaked" scrawled in green hi-liter. I did my best not to bust out my own green hi-liter and add the missing apostrophe--instead I carried the cupcake inside where I could more closely examine it. 

The cupcake appeared to be chocolate, and it was slathered in a light pink frosting. On top of the cupcake was a haphazard red sour straw candy and half a marshmallow. It tempted me with its sugary loveliness and mysterious appearance on my doorstep. 

I sat with my cupcake. Do I dare eat it? Where did it come from? Who knows, it could have been made in a magical kitchen by the likes of the White Queen in Alice in Wonderland. Should I notify someone before embarking on this fulfillment of culinary curiosity?

I sent out my question out to the digital world, but before I'd head any responses I was already half-way though the cupcake. I started by tasting the red sour straw--it seemed harmless enough. I broke off a piece and touched it to my tongue. OK, tastes like candy. That was soon gone. Next I popped the marshmallow in my mouth. Again, all systems clear. Seems safe. Then there was the frosting. Now, if I were going to poison someone, I'd probably hide it in the frosting. The cloying sweetness of frosting would no doubt cover up any attempt at altered ingredients. I trepidly licked the pink frosting... Mmmm, delicious. Next thing you know the whole thing was gone.

At that moment I got a text advising me not to eat mysterious cupcakes on unknown origins. Too late.

It tasted like birthday. Sweet, delicious, surprise birthday. Like the kind of birthday you had in third grade and the whole class got to take a break and enjoy a special treat all in your honor. When cupcakes or cookies or brownies emerged from their careful placement in tupperware containers and were set before you on a festive napkin. And you all sang "Happy Birthday" together anticipating the first bite of processed sugar joy. I could almost hear those voices singing with every taste of my perplexing cupcake. It was pretty wonderful. I even forgot all about the fact that I had no idea where this cupcake originated from.

I'd been cupcaked. And I liked it. 

Song of the Week: Cooking by the Book

Mary Queen of Scots

When the Rooks recently converged in NYC we decided to try out brunch at the restaurant where our amazing pastry-chef cousin, Heather, has been working. So on a Sunday afternoon we headed to Mary Queen of Scots on the Lower East Side for a tasty meal and delicious desserts.

First we delved into a tray of various baked goods—scones and muffins galore. And they were served with clotted cream. Oh, clotted cream! How I love thee. It was perfect to spread on the lovely scones and muffins. These treats were gone within minutes, and we were primed for the rest of the meal.

We also indulged in some cocktails and coffee throughout the meal. We ordered bloody mary’s, which were off the hook with just the right blend of tomato juice, spices, and fresh grated horseradish. What a great way to start off a lazy, winter's Sunday.

 

I opted for the Black Pudding Benedict with Meyer lemon hollandaise and arugula salad. I had never tried black pudding before, and I was intrigued. Basically the black pudding (also called blood pudding) is a type of sausage made from cooking blood, spices, and oats. The flavor was reminiscent of regular sausage but had a different kick to it, and the texture was more crumbly. There was also something in the flavor that just popped in a way I’ve never experienced before. The initial taste is great on it's own, but then after a moment it builds in complexity and there’s just a Pow! on your taste buds. I don’t know if it’s the blood or some kind of spice, but either way it is awesome. And the eggs were perfectly poached, oozing luscious yellow yolk over the black pudding and accompanying bread.

All the other plates were scrumptious as well. My mom opted for the House Smoked Scottish Salmon with a potato bap bun, horseradish crème fraiche, and caper berries. Sonya ordered the Corn Crumpets with Peekytoe crab, apple piccalilli, and shaved radish. And my dad opted for the French Toast au Fromage Blanc with chipolata sausage, maple syrup, and fruit.

Patrick (our resident Scotsman...well, kind of. I mean, he likes scotch but he's not actually from Scotland) of course ordered the Full Scotch Breakfast with Ayrshire bacon, chipolata sausage, grilled tomato, great northern beans, free range eggs, and a potato scone. Lucky for us Pat likes to share, so we all got to try the phenomenal Scottish bacon that came with his breakfast. It was amazing, and every mouth got to savor a little bit of the thick, hearty meat.

After our fabulous meal it was time for dessert. Heather’s desserts were seriously out of this world. I mean, I always knew that I had an awesome cousin, but I had no idea that she could kill it like that in the kitchen. We tried four amazingly scrumdiddlyumptious desserts, and even though were already stuffed from brunch we still devoured every bite. These desserts were not only visually stunning (as you can see) but also decadent, delicious, and perfectly executed. You’ll need to hit up Mary Queen of Scots if you want to experience these exceptional treats yourself.

Chocolate Stout Tres Leches Cake 

with stout foam, chocolate pretzels, dulce de leche, and malt ice cream

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

served with sweet potato curd, poached cranberries, and topped with orange sherbet

Acorn Squash Cheese Cake 

with a maple emulsion, walnut brittle crumble, acorn squash seed tuile, walnut sorbet, and toasted acorn squash seeds

Peanut Butter Sandwiches

These peanut butter sandwiches were probably my favorite of the desserts. The soft chocolate cookies are filled with milk-chocolate-and-peanut-butter cream and served with caramelized bananas that are flambéed with Wild Turkey American Honey Bourbon, caramelized honey ice cream, and chocolate cookie crumble. What? Can you say "amazing"? I was very impressed with all the desserts, but this one definitely stands out for me as I recollect our fabulous meal.

Mary Queen of Scots was a great place to grab brunch and devour some delicious desserts. I can't wait to go back and check out their dinner menu sometime. It's definitely worth a visit to the Lower East Side, so enjoy and don't forget dessert!

White Inn

In celebration of my sister Tara’s 21st birthday I recently made the long drive out to Fredonia in western New York to visit her and drink copious amounts of alcohol. Ah, the joys of reaching legal drinking age! She had been saying for a while that she wanted to have a martini at the White Inn, a nice hotel and restaurant in town, so one night we headed there for delicious food and a perfectly crafted martini.

We decided to sit at the bar, which had a nice rustic feel to it. A fire roared nearby, diners sat and ate at their tables, and the soft sounds of a young man and woman singing and playing guitar filled the room. We started off with martinis—Bombay Sapphire gin, on the dry side, straight up, with olives. To me this is the perfect martini and apparently I’ve schooled my sister well because she ordered the same thing. The bartender made our martinis perfectly. It was just the right combination of gin and vermouth—crisp, clean, cool, and refreshing.

For food we started off with two appetizers, opting for a shrimp and goat cheese crostini and bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin. The crostini was nice and lightly toasted with a smooth, delicate spread of goat cheese, herbs, and minced shrimp layered on top. The cool creaminess of the cheese and crispiness of the crostini balanced well with the other appetizer. The bacon-wrapped tenderloin came with a sweet and spicy hoisin sauce. The bacon was fantastic, of course, and while the tenderloin could have been, well, a little more tender, overall it was a very satisfying and tasty start to the meal.

 

Next we moved on to entrees. I ordered the rack of lamb. The lamb was lightly breaded and cooked medium rare. It was accompanied with wild rice pilaf, carrots, and broccoli. Lamb is one of my favorite meats but I rarely have a chance to eat it, so although other items on the menu, such as duck and scallops, tempted me, I was happy I went for the nice, tender lamb. Tara ordered grilled salmon with a honey Dijon sauce, rice, and vegetables. She adored it. 

 

After we finished our entrees we switched from martinis to White Russians, which are made of vodka, kahula, and cream. Again the bartender crafted the drinks perfectly—they were lusciously creamy and a perfect way to anticipate dessert. 

Even though we were incredibly full from dinner we felt it was appropriate to order dessert since we were celebrating Tara’s birthday. We ordered a decadent cake with layers of coffee and chocolate deliciousness. Mmm, chocolate. How can you go wrong? We sat at the bar, taking bites of cake, sipping on our White Russians, and enjoying each others company.

A nice dinner with superb drinks was the perfect way to elegantly celebrate Tara’s birthday. We were very impressed with the White Inn, and even though it was on the fancy side the prices were very reasonable. If you ever find yourself in the quaint college town of Fredonia and want to indulge a little you should definitely stop by the lovely White Inn.

Quote of the Week: Birthday Cake

"All the world is a birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much.”

—George Harrison