Apple Banana Marmalade Phyllo Tart

After a glorious meal of my housemate Adam's beef brisket I was in the mood for something sweet and delicious. I remembered that I still had some phyllo left from making baklava earlier and also noticed some apples in the fridge. My thoughts instantly was to make Apple Strudel! But then some bananas also caught my eye and then I thought that it would be even more delicious to make it a mixed fruit strudel. The reason it turned into a tart instead of a strudel (which would be rolled up), was because I neglected to allow the frozen phyllo to warm up a little and therefore it was all cracked to pieces and I had to layer then instead of roll them. The final result was delicious though and I will definitely make it again! This was a great example of using what you have in the kitchen and spontaneously thinking up more ideas to improve a dish.

Ingredients: 

- 1 Banana
- 2 Apples
- Crunchy Oats bar or any other granola bar would work too
- Almonds
- Marmalade
- Sugar
- 1 stick of butter
- Cinnamon
- 1 packet of phyllo

Directions 
1) Slice the apple into thin sliced and put in the pain with a knob of butter over medium low heat. Also, take out the phyllo and place a damp towel over it.

2) Slice the bananas and toss in with the apples in the pan

3) Sprinkle in 1 tsp of cinnamon, or more if you like :)

4) Add in 1 tablespoon of marmalade and stir well 

5) Give the mixture a  taste and add sugar accordingly. I used about 1-2 tsp.

6) Smash up the almonds and the granola bar

7) Take out the phyllo dough and add 4 layers to the bottom of a buttered pan. Melt a stick of butter in a bowl and brush each phyllo sheet with butter.

This is what happens when you don't leave the phyllo out long enough and its too dry. Therefore make sure you take it out and leave a damp towel on top. 

8) Pour the fruit mixture over the bottom phyllo layer and add on another phyllo and butter layer. 

9) Sprinkle on the granola and nut mixture and add on another phyllo and butter layer on top. 

10) Bake in an oven at 350 F for 25-30 or until the top is crispy and golden brown.

11) Cut into squares and enjoy! I personally felt that it tasted even better overnight after putting the tart in the fridge. We didn't have any whipped cream or ice cream in the house but I felt that that would have made the dish! 

College Style Nikujaga

Nikujaga is a classic Japanese comfort food and a prime example of "mother's cooking". It is a food that is cooked commonly at home and reminds one of childhood and the coziness and warmth of home. I have always loved Japanese food and can definitely relate to how a dish can stir up the memories of family and home (my personal favorite is my mom's chinese beef brisket). The weather was pretty disgusting today with lots of thunder and rain and I wanted to make something delicious and warm. Nikujaga is a dish composing mostly of potatoes and meat simmered in a sweet soy based broth. I called this my college version of Nikujaga because I did not have many of the ingredients to make the sweet soy based broth yet I improvised with what I had in my pantry and it turned out amazing!

Serving: 2 people

Ingredients

- Stewing beef
- 1 onion
- 1 tsp of garlic
- Olive oil

For the broth 
- Soba dipping sauce
- Packet of udon soup seasoning (mine was seaweed and vegetable flavor)
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
Note: In traditional recipes dashi and mirin is used, I did not have these so I had to make do with what I found and thought fit the flavor profile of the dish.

Directions 
1) Dice up the onions and chop potatoes into small irregular pieces

2) Cut the pieces of stewing beef into small pieces, around 1 inch all around. Hint on buying good stewing beef: look for pieces of meat that have a even marbling of fat distribution amongst the meat. This will ensure that the beef is tender and not tough.

3) Brown the onions in the pan with some olive oil over medium heat. When onions are slightly translucent add the garlic and continue sautéing.

4) Season the beef slightly with some salt and then add into the pot. Turn up the heat slightly when the meat is added in order to achieve a nice browning of the meat.

5) Continue browning meat until the pieces are seared on the outside.

6) Add in the potatoes and stir around

7) Mix the udon soup mixture with a bowl of hot water (approx. 1 and a half cup of water, I eyeballed this sorry!), and pour into pot with beef and potatoes. Make sure there is enough water that all the meat and potatoes are covered. Stir.

8) Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce (depending on how salty you like your food) and 1 tablespoon of soba noodle dipping sauce.

9) Stir everything until well mixed then turn the fire on low heat and put the lid on. Stew for around 2 hours or until the meat is tender and the broth has thickened slightly and has a rich flavor.

10) Check on it after 30-45 minutes to ensure that the broth is not boiling too quickly and that there is still a sufficient about of liquid left.

Yum.

11) Nikujaga is usually served with rice but I decided to serve it over soba noodles. It was absolutely delicious and I would definitely make it again!

The Butcher Shop

After a raging good time in Miami for Ultra, I am back in Boston and pretty miserable about the weather and normal life overall. The weather has been utterly terrible but fortunately today it started to look a little better with some sunlight. I decided that I had to keep myself occupied in order to avoid descending into a post Ultra depression therefore I went to try out The Butcher Shop which was a restaurant that I have been looking forward to. I love the concept of having a refined butcher shop inside the restaurant. The weather was lovely and the restaurant had large windows to allow the sunlight in and for diners to engage in some street/people watching.

The large bar table that dominated the majority of the restaurant's space 

Great idea with the large windows to let the beautiful sunlight in 

Steak Tartare with Pickled Onions and Toasted Brioche
The steak tartare came premixed in a generous portion. The pickled onions added a nice kick to it and the brioche was toasted to golden perfection. I liked how the brioche was used for it was thicker and heartier as compared to normal toast and more suitable for something so strong in flavor such as steak tartare. The tartare was seasoned very well and full of bold flavors. Very delicious but I must say still not as good as the tartare I had at Sportello! 

Ricotta Gnudi with Bolognese and Parmesan
The gnudi had a nice bite to it, not too soft but still maintained that light delicate feeling. The bolognese had a rich meaty taste and one could tell that it was made with care. I felt that it was lacking a tad bit of salt yet overall was a very satisfying dish. 

Merguez
Failed to note down the full name of the dish. Felt that the presentation was a little bit off on this one, the dish looked scattered and disorganized. The arugula and nuts along with the sausage made for a very interesting and enjoyable texture and flavor combination. Although delicious, felt that the sausage was rather large and one would get tired of eating a entire dish of this as a main course. 

The butcher shop at the end of the restaurant. The chopping board area also served as a waiting area or a place where people could grab a casual drink. I thought this entire concept and set up was very innovative and charming. 

Overall the meal was enjoyable yet there weren't any specific dishes that blew me away. I think it is worth it to come here for the experience and perhaps it was lunch time therefore we were unable to taste the true strength of this restaurant which is its meats. The dinner menu consists of items that uses meat as its main component such as steaks and lamb chops therefore I will try and come back for dinner to taste whether the quality of the meat is truly of high standing. The store had honey, chicken stock, truffle oil, pâté, and of course, many cuts of meat. Will definitely buy some to enjoy at home if I return again to The Butcher Shop. 

Classic BLT

Was watching "The Best Thing I Ever Ate - With Bacon" last night when I was having trouble sleeping and had the urge to make a BLT all day. As many of you know bacon is one of my all time favorite things and I love making anything with bacon as an ingredient. Recipe is painfully straight forward and simple, I tried to make it a little more healthy though!


Ingredients
-Bacon
-Light Mayonnaise
-Lettuce
-Tomatoes
-Whole grain German dark wheat bread

Instructions
1) Put the bacon in the pan first because while the bacon is cooking you can slice up the tomatoes and wash the lettuce and when you are done with that the bacon should be perfect! I used 3 pieces.

2) Break the lettuce into manageable pieces and give them a quick rinse before drying them off on paper towels. I tried to put a lot of lettuce to make this healthier, approx. 3-4 large leaves

3) Slice the tomatoes into very thin slices. This will help with layering the tomatoes later, when they are too thick they tend to slip out when you take a big bite.

4) Spread one slice of bread with the Light Mayo. I looove mayonnaise.

5) Layer the tomato slices over the mayo.

little slices of sunshine 

6) Add the lettuce and the bacon. Add top layer piece of bread. Voila!

Enjoy!

Nom.

Il Capriccio

Although located in Waltham, Il Capriccio has long been known to be one of the top italian restaurants in Boston, topping the lists of various websites for "Best Italian Food", beating out even some restaurants in the North End. I took advantage of the fact that it was Restaurant Week and made a dinner reservation on Friday. The restaurant had a classic and simple decor and was rather maze like with many hallways. The Restaurant Week set menu had a lot of decent choices and my housemate and I decided to order all different things and share everything so we could try out as many things as possible.

Tuna Tartare with Avocado and House Chips
The tuna tartare was very fresh and the hint of onions gave the dish the perfect amount of kick. The avocado was creamy and wrapped the entire dish together. The crispiness of the chips balanced out the soft creamy texture of the tartare.

Seared Foie Gras, Balsamic Onions, Reduced Apple Cider and Pear
Foie Gras is one of my all time favorite foods. This was actually quite a disappointment. The foie gras was overcooked and did not have that silky melt in your mouth fattiness that I am so fond of. The flavor was also lacking, it almost tasted like chicken liver. The balsamic onions and pear was done well but the star of the dish was not impressive. 

Vermont Quail with Sweetbread Stuffing, Marsala, Roast Potatoes and Trumpet Mushrooms
This dish was very flavorful and was enjoyable. The quail was tender and the sweet bread stuffing was complemented the quail very nicely with its rich taste. A decent but not mind blowing dish.

Pan Roasted Giannone Chicken "Schnitzel", Fried Egg, White Wine, Cipolline, and Potato Tart
Chicken was well done and the skin was very crispy. Once again, decent taste but not amazing. I also felt that the side dishes on both the first Secondi and this one was the same: carrots, cauliflower, and some other greens. This could be because of restaurant therefore the restaurants are not as detailed as usual but I believe that a truly good restaurant should ensure their dishes are exquisite and top notch regardless of what promotional period it is. 

Lemon Creme Brulee
The dessert was expertly prepared. The touch of lemon flavor was genius and made the already creamy and luscious creme brulee even more delicious. 

Warm Chocolate Budino with Whipped Cream
Delicious chocolate cake that ended the meal perfectly. Cake was smooth and rich with a bold chocolate flavor.  

Overall food was fine but it was not something that blew me away. Service was excellent and very attentive. Wine list was also very comprehensive and impressive. The food was prepared well yet there wasn't any particular dish that made me think "I must return here again for this". In terms of Italian food in the area I definitely thought La Campania was better. Still a enjoyable evening though for I am always happy to try new restaurants.