We have been having some behind the scenes technical woes so please bear with us if there are any duplicate posts. Everything should be fine as we move forward.
Thanks for your understanding
Now onto today's post:
Simply put, I am smitten with Smitten Ice Cream in San Francisco. Be ready to welcome the new trend in the ice cream shop – nitrogen processed ice cream while you wait. Or as they say at Smitten, New, Old Fashioned Ice Cream.
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The ice cream is exceptionally creamy and the flavors are perfect. I loved everything about my experience. They team behind this concept thought it all out very well. The branding is really nice and they offer loads of information around their space -which is a used empty shipping container.
Each day new flavors are offered along with unique toppings like pear caramel. Housemade waffle cones that resembled pizzelle, are available too. While we were waiting to order we noticed these whimsical magnets that they use to call out the ingredients.
Once you order you can stand by this sign and learn all about liquid nitrogen:
As I learned at the Harold McGee Lecture Series at the French Culinary Institute a few years ago, one can make ice cream with liquid nitrogen in kitchen aid mixer but you still need access to the nitrogen. At Smitten they have pipes of liquid nitrogen that adminster the nitrogen automatically and efficiently directly into the mixer. This allows them to make it to order a few batches at a time which takes about 1 minute for it to process – well worth the wait. The results are dreamy, creamy and full of flavor.
With the advent of commercial, custom and home machines being made available, this flavorista predicts the era of nitrogen ice cream about to begin. Case in point, Smitten is not the only place you can try this delightful frozen concotion. For you mid-western readers there is icream in Chicago and on the east coast, Nitro -which looks like it has grand plans for expansion.
You’ve got to love a store that greets you with this message:
Isn’t it the truth? But that is not all there is to love at Eataly, brainchild of Oscar Farinetti. With the help of celebrity chefs Mario Batali and Lidia and her son Joe Bastianich New Yorkers are lucky to have this gem. You will get frustrated by the crowds but it is still so worth going.
The food is beautiful, there are many different places to dine and sections to shop. I could easily spend a day there, starting with breakfast, burning a few calories around the block across the street, then returning for lunch and food shopping for all the wonderful things I’d make the next day. And then an early dinner.
I love how they sell their beans and grains in these lovely jars. I think I will steal this idea for my home pantry. There are gorgeous cheeses and Italian meats and many beautiful Italian drinks and condimenti.
I could see moving into the Flat Iron district or Chelsea just so this could be my neighborhood jaunt.I am actually kicking myself that I didn’t try and stuff this ginormous chocolate hazelnut trunk into my suitcase. My waistline begged me to resist.
I’ve never seen one so big. Well there is always next time…
A recent trip to Mexico preceded by Natural Products Expo inspired this post. Coconut water is a natural isotonic. Next to water it is the best way to rehydrate if you are dehydrated which is the main reason why athletes and weekend warriors alike are buying the retail brands Zico and O.N.E.
I’ve tasted most of the retail coconut waters and can safely say that aside from having fresh coconut water right out of the coconut, the two brands mentioned are the best -bar none.
This is because the water is extracted from young coconuts, or rather coconuts that are about 7 months into their maturing process. The meat of the coconut has not yet developed. Zico and O.N.E. are manufactured in their country of origin which is Brazil.
Coconut water takes a little getting used to which is why these brands are adding natural flavor. Believe it or not but coconut waters do vary in flavor, not only from country to country but from tree to tree,
The Mexican coconuts above were very different in taste. The one on the right, known as Naranja because of its orange color, was sweeter than the greener ones on the left.
On Cozumel, I saw many coconut water cocktails. There was one called Mexican Gatorade which was made with rum that claimed you wouldn’t get a hangover from it. Indeed because of its rich potassium content, it does make a great refresher if you over imbibe. I like to make agua frescas using coconut water. With all this hot summer weather, this recipe is worth a try.
Using fresh is great but then you are left with having to deal with getting the meat out. The coconut pictured above is actually a mature coconut that I used in Shanghai while developing drinks for a client.
The recipes below use O.N.E. brand in the quart size package. I chose watermelon as the Chinese believe watermelon to be very cooling. You can try using strawberries and mangoes. If you use frozen fruit, you can omit the ice.
Depending on the sweetness of the fruit, you might not need any simple syrup. Simple syrup is made easily by boiling 1 cup water with 1 cup of sugar until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool before using. During the summer I store simple syrup in the refrigerator so that I can make homemade lemonade and agua frescas anytime.
Coconut Agua Fresca
2 cups coconut water
1 cup fresh watermelon or cantelope, no rind
a few cubes of ice
simple syrup, to taste (Kim’s mint syrup would be a great choice)
In a blender place the ice, coconut water and cut up melon. Process until all the ice is broken up.
Add simple syrup, 3 Tbsp. at a time, until you get it to your desired sweetness. Pour into glasses and enjoy!
Devon Ave near Evanston, Ill is a great way to travel to far away lands. Flavorista Tracey escapes there whenever she needs travel without really going anywhere as it’s 10 minutes from her house.
Once the "Jewish" neighborhood, it is now home to Indians, Croatians, Syrians, Pakistanis, to name a few. There is certainly no shortage of new food and flavors to explore and discover here.
Check out this wall of chutneys!
I found ingredients here I had never heard of including this jar of hibiscus chutney.
Then of course there is the fresh chutney/pickle bar to choose from.
Tracey took me to one store that had amazing Indian treats from the Guajarat region of India where this lovely treat called khandvi made from besan (or chick pea flour) originates from. Tracey’s favorite snack, dhokla, a fermented bread also made of besan, looks a lot like cornbread.
Click on the video below to see how it is made.
And then there are the breads at the Syrian bakery.
They had the best baklava here I’ve ever had. Not soaked in sugar syrup but light and flaky with the wonderful scent of cardomom instead of cinnamon. I’m trying to recreate a version for a future post.
We didn’t have time to visit the hookah joint or eat at one of the many restaurants, guess I’ll have to go back soon. Twist my arm.
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Check out this wall of chutneys!
I found ingredients here I had never heard of including this jar of hibiscus chutney.
Then of course there is the fresh chutney/pickle bar to choose from.
