Filed under French, Union Square + Murray Hill · Print This Post
12 East 22nd Street
212/228.7557
$90 for two, with 2 glasses of wine, with tip
♥ ♥ ♥
We’ve driven by Almoncello on Montauk Highway only to stop at Townline BBQ for lunch instead. This summer I told myself, okay, I’ll definitely eat there next year. But now that their Manhattan branch has opened, I don’t have to keep empty promises anymore. Closer to me is homey French bistro food good enough for a no-hassle night out with friends.
After a stiff and stress-relieving dirty martini at the bar, my friend and I sat down and ravaged the appetizers list. We couldn’t get enough of the fruits de mer with curried mussels, octopus and a delicious scallop and fennel ceviche. For $15 it was a steal, though I would gladly give the rest up for more of the ceviche.
Almond excels at the duck confit. It was my favorite dish among the few that we ordered. The polenta ravioli and the mac and cheese were too rich for my taste, but that was probably because I was already at my limit after the frogs’ legs with the puff pastry. My friend, whom I convinced to eat frogs’ legs for the first time, loved them and went on raving about them to her husband when she got home.
For a last-minute decision to eat out in the Murray Hill area, I think Almond is an economical and good choice. I doubt that it will be as empty in the weeks to come.
Post to be updated as soon as my friend sends me the photos.
Related post/s:
Townline BBQ in Long Island
Another economical choice in the area? Pamplona
Filed under Baked Goods + Desserts + Drinks · Print This Post
It’s probably not the right time to be posting recipes about ice cream, but I’m going to do it anyway because it’s so easy if you have an ice cream maker. Now, to me an ice cream maker is one of those things you register for when you get married. I’m not on that path so I had to borrow one from someone who recently tied the knot. I must say that it will be my next purchase as soon as I have my own kitchen space. (Of course that’s what I said before I got the three Le Creusets, the tagine and the bamboo steamer.)
Sage came up as a possible pairing for our pumpkin-squash Supper theme last month. The herb itself is so fragrant that in ice cream form, it overpowered the cake and chips I wanted to match it with. In the end, we served a more subtle pumpkin ice cream to complete a last course we called Trio of Pumpkin, and now I have a whole tub of sage ice cream sitting in the freezer reserved for those quiet nights indoors.
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half
1/3 cup fresh sage, coarsely chopped
4 large strips of lemon zest, peeled using a peeler
9 egg yolks
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1. In a heavy saucepan, bring cream, half-and-half, sage and zest to a boil over moderate heat. Remove from heat and cover the pot for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together yolks, granulated sugar and salt in a large bowl. Pour in half of the hot cream and whisk to combine. Transfer to the saucepan to combine with the remaining hot cream. This is your custard.
3. Cook custard over moderate heat while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Do not let it boil. After about 5 minutes, the custard should be thick enough to cover the back of your spoon.
4. Pour custard through a fine sieve into a bowl and let cool in room temperature, stirring occasionally. Cover with Saran wrap and store in the refrigerator until cold, at least 1 hour.
5. Using an ice cream maker, pour in chilled custard and churn, following manufacturer’s instructions. Mine took about 20 minutes. Scoop out of ice cream maker and transfer to a resealable plastic container and put in freezer to harden.
Related post/s:
October Supper with Strangers photos on Flickr
Use up your leftover sage with chicken
