I grew up in an area of Chicago that neighbored a predominantly Korean-occupied commercial district.  As I child, I remember browsing its grocery stores and marveling at all of its wonders.  It was in these stores that I was introduced to many snack foods that I grew to love—snack foods that most American kids would never dream of eating, like dried cuttle fish and lychee jelly candies.

Last week, while wandering the streets of NYC’s Chinatown neighborhood, I found myself thinking about those treats and realized that when I have a hankering for some of those things, they may be but a 15-minute subway ride away.  Or better yet, maybe I can try some new Chinese snacks foods (shrimp chips being number one on my list so far) to replace my older stand-bys…

I love all things celery.  Celery salt, celery seeds, celery stalks, even celery soda!  So when I saw a celery seed crusted oyster salad on the brunch menu I was holding yesterday morning, I did not have to look twice before ordering.

The salad was a lightly bacon vinaigrette dressed bed of baby spinach, upon which sat five plump pan-fried oysters.  The oysters were definitely gulf oysters, which were fried in a cornmeal crust that was nicely seasoned with salt, pepper and whole celery seeds.

Because I loved this salad so much, I figure one of two things are going to have to happen.  One, I will be eating brunch there every Sunday morning until they take the salad off the menu; or two, I could try and make it myself at home.  I’m not a seasoned oyster fryer (shucker, yes; fryer, no), so I found a recipe on our website to tweak.  Feel free to test it along with me.  Instead of seasoning the cornmeal dredge with Emeril’s Rustic Rub, I am going to replace the spice mix with a tablespoon of celery seeds, salt and pepper to taste, and maybe a pinch of cayenne.

This is the easiest recipe for apple pie you could ever try.  It makes four individual pies—perfect for a small dinner party or a quick dessert on a weeknight.  And because apples are now in season, consider visiting your local farmer’s market for your favorite variety!

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I was terribly sad to see the end of this year’s cherry crop.  However, I have found a way to curb my cherry craving until next year—homemade dried cherry puree.  It is one of the easiest recipes I have created to date, and makes a great addition to a bowl of plain yogurt, a dressed-up cheese plate or even a scoop of chocolate ice cream!

And if you really love the puree, try testing the recipe with other dried fruits such as apricots or figs!

Dried Cherry Puree

1 cup Dried Cherries
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Sugar
1 Orange – finely-zested
1/4 tsp. Salt

• Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and gently simmer until the cherries have plumped up and about a quarter of the water has reduced down.

• Transfer the hot cherries and remaining liquid into a food processor and blend until almost smooth.  If you wish, add a pinch of ground cinnamon, star anise or cardamom for a bit spice.

• Let the puree sit out at room temperature until cool.  Enjoy immediately or store in fridge in an airtight container until ready to use (up to one week).

A recent article in the New York Times mentioned a local chef opening a new restaurant that will serve brunch all morning, afternoon and evening.  But, what’s even better is that this chef intends on creating a bacon list!  It will offer up a variety of pork belly options for those who especially savor bacon for breakfast (or in this case, any time of the day).

I’ve yet to see a bacon list grace a restaurant tabletop, so you can definitely bet I’ll be one of the first customers lined up to check it out.  A bacon list!  How cool is that?!

Since fall has nearly arrived, I have begun my plan for consuming as much pumpkin as possible, which includes this recipe for Quick Pumpkin Pie that I just created!  When you don’t have the time to bake a pumpkin pie, try this recipe at home instead.   Served with a few broken graham cracker pieces and a dollop of crème fraiche, I find it does a fine job of substituting my favorite all-American pie.

Quick Pumpkin Mousse
Yield: 3 cups

1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1.5 cups Roasted Pumpkin Puree
Ground Cinnamon
Nutmeg—Freshly Grated
Dark Brown Sugar
Pinch Salt

• Whip the heavy cream to medium peaks.  Set aside.
• Place Roasted Pumpkin Puree in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
• Whisk in ground spices and dark brown sugar to taste—start with a small amount because you can always add more.
• Once the pumpkin puree is flavored to your liking, gently fold in the whipped cream.

Why it has taken me years to come up with this idea, I have no idea…

I have been enjoying (or at least trying very hard to) iced coffee in the morning on warm days for years.  And every time I do, I feel slightly disappointed because by the time I’m about halfway through with my beverage, I find it to be watered down and not nearly as good as it started out to be.  Thus, I have come up with coffee cubes—frozen cubes of coffee!

Here’s the how-to:

Simply brew a pot of coffee, and let cool to about room temperature.  Fill a couple of ice cubes trays full of the cooled liquid and freeze.  Next time you make iced coffee, use your coffee cubes to keep it cool and caffeinated at the same time!

Molecular gastronomy, defined in the Food Lover’s Companion as, “the application of chemistry and physics to the culinary world by using experimental lab techniques in the kitchen,” has become quite popular amongst many professional chefs and is probably the most innovative movement cooking has seen in some time.  I find the subject very intriguing, although a bit intimidating, as I am not the most seasoned chef in the way of this new form of cookery.

However, while surfing the internet, I stumbled upon this online manual—Texture:  A Guide to Hydrocolloids.  It’s a pretty cool guide to the understanding and use of ingredients like xanthan, carrangeenan, agar, etc., which are the darlings of molecular gastronomy.   And after browsing its many recipes, my intimidation of the subject has changed to inspiration!  I can’t wait to try some of them soon!

As I was riding the subway home from work this evening I got to thinking about quick desserts to make at home.  (One would think that a professional pastry chef would not be considering more baking at home.  I, on the other hand, have a terrible sweet tooth which means dessert follows every meal.)  So here’s my idea, which would be an awesome treat for kids, by the way:

Individual S’mores Bombe

Vanilla Meringue ~

3 oz. Egg Whites
2 tbl. Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 lb. Sugar
1/2 cup Water

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whip attachment, combine the egg whites and two tablespoons sugar.  Mix on medium speed until just frothy then reduce to low speed.

While the egg whites are mixing, combine the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan.  Give the ingredients a quick stir then cook over low heat until the mixture reaches 238 degrees.

Once the sugar solution is up to temperature, remove the pot from the heat.  Increase the speed of the stand mixer to med-low and slowly pour the hot sugar into the egg whites.  This step is crucial—you must work quickly, but you must make sure to pour the sugar into the egg whites in a slow, thin, steady stream.

Once the entire hot sugar mixture is poured into the mixer, turn the stand mixer speed to high.  Let whip until the sides of the bowl feel about room temperature.

At this point, you can pipe the meringue onto your s’mores, or you can store it in the freezer until you are ready to use.  It will keep for at least a few days in the freezer, if stored in an airtight container.

S’mores Bombe Assembly ~

Place a generous scoop of store-bought chocolate ice cream on top of a store-bought graham cracker.  Place in the freezer to let the ice cream set-up a bit—maybe 5 minutes or so.  Then remove from freezer, set in serving dish and pipe or spread vanilla meringue over ice cream, taking care to ensure the entire scoop of ice cream is covered.  Then burn the meringue with a small kitchen torch until as golden as you would a marshmallow over a campfire.  Mmmmm….

When does one know that they shouldn’t purchase a box of Coco Puffs again?  Is it when one realizes they have eaten three-quarters of the box within a 48-hour period?  Is it when one realizes they can’t stop thinking about the last few slurps of chocolaty milk left in the bowl after the last spoonful of crispy puffs have been eaten?  It is when one tries to explain to a friend about how they are benefiting from eating the cereal because of the anti-oxidants found in the chocolate?  Just asking…