GASTRONORMOUS

Ooh! Just in time for springtime brunches on the veranda (you have one of those, right?): Asparagus-Parmesan Pain Perdu (that’s french toast) with Tomato Jam! Sounds très bon, don’t it? The technique seems a bit tricky–I am not sure how well dipping bread topped with multiple aspargus slices into egg batter would work out–but I think I’ll have to make this some time very soon! Hopefully I will get asparagus from my CSA starting next month! [via Serious Eats]

Note to the Hubs: I am not expecting anything for Mother’s Day on account of the fact that I am not yet a mother, but if you wanted to get something for me (twisting toe into ground), I wouldn’t be upset at all if it were one of these Bouchon Bakery Strawberry Patties. Just sayin’. The Kitchn features a recipe, but why make these complicated confections when you can run over to Bouchon Bakery and buy one?

Clotilde‘s homemade date-nut bars seem like a great (and healthy!) way to use the cacao nibs that the Predicate kindly brought back from Panama for me (directly from the plantation where the cacao was grown!). But who am I kidding, those suckers are going into some cookies at some point, too.

I have never made tortillas, though I have often heard that they are quite easy to make. But Half-Assed Kitchen actually writing out the recipe makes me see how east it really is. I don’t have a tortilla press, and I possess a serious aversion to rolling out dough, but still, if someone who admits to being half-assed can make them, I guess I should give it a try too. They do look much better in their imperfectness than the store-bought variety.

Technically not about food, this NYP article features the word “wiener” and mentions this pooch’s diet (chicken and whole wheat pasta), so I’ll give it a pass. At 21 years old, Chanel is the Guinness-certified World’s Oldest Dog. How could you not love a dog who wears sunglasses (to protect her catarachts) and one bootie? So mid-career-M.J.-enigmatic! [photo via NY Post, Dennis Clark]

For Christmas (yes, Christmas–over four months ago!), the Hubs and I received as a gift from my cousin and cousin-in-law, a crisp $100 bill. After reading a long ago post recounting a search for brunch, they had looked at the website for Buttermilk Channel, which I lamented not being able to go to for brunch on account of the fact that they were not open for brunch at the time (they are now, by the way, but only on Sundays), and so impressed were they by their menu that they indicated that the c-note was to be redeemed at Buttermilk Channel. Of course they would have been happy with me spending it at another restaurant, or, I imagine, on a crate of crazy straws. But, wanting to remain true to the spirit of the gift, I tucked the bill away into a drawer for safekeeping until we had a chance to go to the Carroll Gardens restaurant. Here is a picture of the Benjamin in question.

That chance arrived weekend before last, when we were finally able to commit a group of five people (this is a key number when it comes to Buttermilk Channel–with fewer people it is not possible to make a reservation, and the waits are more or less interminable without one). The restaurant is so popular that we had to make a reservation for 6:00pm, which might count as a late repast in Boca, but in a town where dinner at 10:00pm isn’t unusual, it seemed almost embarrassingly early. But, never mind, the light was great for my photos, so I didn’t complain.

We were seated promptly upon arriving. Our waitress was polite and attentive. In addition, there was a guy that seemed to be a manager of sorts, stopping at people’s tables occasionally. At least one of us must have looked perplexed for some reason, as he stopped by our table to ask if he could clear up anything for us. We asked a few questions about the menu, which he gamely answered. The waitress poured water and took our drink orders promptly, helping some of us with wine recommendations. Being pregnant, I softly whimpered into my water while others enjoyed vino from a great list of wines by the glass (their list by the bottle is more extensive).

After drinks came some complimentary popovers, which were light and popover-y, and drizzled with honey. Next came some house-made pickles (both sour and bread-and-butter style) and some sweet potato and goat cheese croquettes (photo above). The pickles were great, and the croquettes were addictively good–perfectly crisp on the outside, creamy and delicious on the inside. they were well seasoned, and lacked added sugar, something that ruins many sweet potato dishes in my opinion. I wish we had asked for two orders, so we each would have had one for ourselves. It seemed a shame to cut them in half. But there many other good things to come…

Next we had spring dandelion greens salad with red onion, chopped egg and buttermilk dressing, which was delicious, if a little over-oniony. I think there was something about the seriously pungent bitterness of the greens that would have been better paired with something less sharp than raw red onions, like maybe some marinated shallots. But, the creamy dressing helped mellow out the flavors a bit. A better starter was the butternut squash tart. Made with house-made buttermilk(!) ricotta, brown butter, and served with organic greens, it was huge winner. It was a perfectly balanced dish of sweet butternut squash (sliced and roasted squash, not mashed as you might expect in a tart), creamy ricotta, and flaky puff pastry crust. The Hubs raved that it was both “out-of-this-world” and “amazing.” The app was full of flavor that was much more than the sum of its parts.

As to entrees, let’s just get this out of the way, everything was good to great–there were no complaints. The duck meat loaf (left) was served atop a bed of creamed spinach and a pool of duck jus. That enormous bun-looking thing on top of it is in fact a single, perfectly fried onion ring. The plate was the smallest portion of all of the dishes, but was so exquisitely rich that it was perfectly filling. The buttermilk fried chicken was the most generously sized entree, with two enormous pieces of chicken served with cheddar waffles and coleslaw. It wasn’t the healthiest dish on the menu, but was really very tasty home cookin’. The chicken was tender, crispy, and flavorful to the bone. The coleslaw was made with savoy cabbage and carrots, and was delicious–not your standard throwaway side of slaw. The waffle was a yummy alternative to biscuits, and an unexpected southern touch in a place run by true Yankees. A vegetarian entree (no longer on the menu) featured the same waffle as the main attraction on the plate, along with some incredible mustard greens with mustard sauce (it possessed layers of delicious flavors you wouldn’t expect from that redundant-sounding description), roasted mushrooms (earthy and yummy), and the savoy slaw.

The bacon-wrapped trout, served with mustard greens and fingerling potatoes, was also good. How they managed to get the bacon crispy without overcooking the trout is a mystery to me, but one I wont question. The dish was deemed delicious, and every bite was finished. The Nantucket tilefish was served with black mussels, zucchini “noodles,” and basil broth. This was yet another great dish. The fish was perfectly cooked: flaky on the inside and well browned on the outside. Considering the mussels were a supporting player, they were top quality and very fresh. Also fresh were the herbs with which the dish was redolent. The portion was generous without being excessive.

After dinner, we were not so full that we weren’t tempted by the dessert menu. But, we had dessert from Veniero’s and some rum fresh from Panama (though for me, again, water!) waiting for us back at the Predicate’s apartment, so we departed without sampling the delicious-sounding sweets. I will be back, if only to sit at the bar and eat the pecan pie sundae (or perhaps the chocolate chip bread pudding with butterscotch sauce).

I would wholeheartedly recommend Buttermilk Channel. (Just try to get a group to go, and make reservations in advance!) The fact that they have a separate vegetarian and kid’s menu available, makes it a friendly place for a large demographic. No matter the menu you choose, the atmosphere, food, drinks, and service are all exceptional–I see multiple visits there in my future. And thank you, cousins, for giving us the one-hundred-dollar impetus to go!

Buttermilk Channel
524 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY
718-852-8490

Artichoke Heart reports that the pizza at Anselmo’s is both saucy and spicy, which happens to be just how I love pizza (I prefer a goodly amount of red on my pie). AH also mentions that the brick-oven-produced pie was not too charred, which is a problem I have encountered at other ballyhooed pizza places in Brooklyn, notably Lucali. Saucy+not charred=Gastronormous must try!

Cook, Eat, Fret actually made the Bittman broccoli rabe pasta dish I mentioned two weeks ago, and declares it “perfect.” Ok, I really must try it already.

It never occurred to me that some might view juicy tomatoes to be an insurmountable obstacle in the creation of a good sandwich–in fact, I would think that a juicy tomato would be preferred. Silly me. Genetic mutators in Holland have developed something they call a “non-leaking” tomato, which will leach only 2% of its juices onto the bread of a sandwich (as opposed to 12% with regular, leaky, tomatoes). Really? We have a disastrous worldwide recession going on, and this is what some see fit to spend money on developing? Egad. [via The Food Section]

I am glad Eat It: Brooklyn had a good experience at Paninotecca 275. for years, it was one of my favorite places in the Carroll Gardens, but the last couples times I went the food was lackluster. The menu looked different, the stafff was different, and the whole place just seemed off. I hope they have returned to their former glory. I still think about the last brunch I had there involving soft baked eggs with gorgonzola; two things I can’t have while pregnant. I think a trip to brunch at Paninotecca might be due shortly after I am!

According to Eater, the next season of Top Chef will take place in Las Vegas. Can’t you just see a $4-all-you-can-eat-casino-buffet challenge?

Apricot Beignets with White Chocolate Apricot Sauce. No other words are needed, are they? [from Food Mayhem]

Is it possible the Manhattan ramps season is earlier than the Brooklyn one? I posted about my experience cooking with ramps in late May last year, but ramps’ short season as apparently already begun at the Union Square farmers market (and in a good looking pasta at Franny’s), as reported by the Amateur Gourmet.

The Food Section features an article about another Spring alum: green garlic. Yum!

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo: Grilled Tomatillo Salsa [over at Serious Eats]. Grilling the NOT-tomatoes is an intriguing twist on a classic Mexican condiment. I might just have to break out the (stove-top) grill to try it!

On our second day up in the Hudson River Valley, we spent the day up in Hyde Park, where the homes of Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt are located. After that culturally-enriching day (and a predictably forgettable quick lunch from the visitors center cafe), we headed over to nearby Poughkeepsie for dinner.

Guided by Internet recommendations, we ended up at The Artist’s Palate, located on an area of Main Street that is clearly going through a renewal process.  The restaurant serves “seasonal” food that transcends regionalism. I usually don’t like menus on which one can find ravioli and stir-fry, but if it is done well, then why quibble with that? The space itself is simple and stylish, with soaring ceilings, white-tableclothed tables, an old wooden bar at the front, and contemporary art (all for sale) on the walls.  We were seated almost immediately, which was a good thing as we were starving.

After ordering we were served a basket of various breads and a homemade “pesto” spread made with tomato rather than basil as a base ingredient. It was garlicky and delicious. We shared the deep-fried tofu as an appetizer. It was unlike any other incarnation of this dish I have had, the tofu being lightly battered and deep-fried, a technique that caused the outside to be crispy, but the tofu itself to be greaseless. I wish more asian restaurants would serve deep-fried tofu this way–it was really tasty.

For entrees, we had the penne pomodoro, which was good, but not great. There is really nothing more to report on the basic pasta. The tortilla-crusted scallops, on the other hand were a standout. The scallops were rolled in flaked tortilla and fried until perfectly cooked (this preparation sounds like a white-trashification of scallops, but I swear, it was elegant) and served with a truly delicious, perfectly seasoned and dressed, black bean and avocado salad. The only complaint was that three small (diver-, not sea-) scallops was a bit ungenerous for the price (~$20). We also had a very seasonal side of sauteed ramps, served with a half of lemon, which was unusual. They were simply prepared, as ramps should be, so their oniony-garlicky-earthy flavor shined through.

This was a good meal, though perhaps a tiny bit over-priced. Also, it would be nice to have some vegetarian choices that equal the inventiveness of some of their meaty options. Still, it was nice to see creative cuisine in such a sleepy corner of New York. It was no Beso, not even close, but if ever you are searching for better-than-average food in the Poughkeepsie area, then I would definitely recommend The Artist’s Palate.

The Artist’s Palate
307 Main St
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
845-483-8074

Hello people. You might have been wondering why I haven’t been posting much of late. I do apologize. There are many reasons: I lost momentum being away for the holidays, got really busy with work, and lost the thingy that downloads pictures from my camera’s mini-disc to the computer. But the number one reason is: I am pregnant! The Hubs and I are very excited about it (can’t speak for the pooch, who currently enjoys being the center of our worlds). The downside as far as this blog is concerned is, or shall I say, was, that for a good three months I had absolutely no interest in eating food, let alone writing about it. Just thinking about most food made me want to collapse on the divan like a good Gothic romance heroine. But I am feeling much better these days. I must say that the trip to the Ethiopian restaurant was a real test of my fortitude (gustatorial as well as mental), one that I passed with flying colors. So, now, no excuses!

Ruhlman sure does make it look easy. One really simple-looking vanilla sauce that can be made into pastry cream, ice cream, or creme brulee! I might just pour the sauce into a shot glass and drink it straight up. (Unfortunately, he gives directions for the sauce only, not the other preparations–though the how to turn this into ice cream is pretty straightforward, assuming you have an ice-cream maker.)

Speaking of Ruhlman, Serious Eats pointed me to his new cookbook called Ratio, which gives the proper ratios for proper doughs, sauces, etc. (including sausages?). This looks like the perfect book for someone like me, who has a hard time resisting the urge to tweak recipes. Said tweaking sometimes results in recipe implosion, but having a book like this just might help me from fouling things up to the point of inedibility.

Speaking of buns in the oven, Smitten Kitchen has both literal and figural buns in her oven. She is preganant too. Plus, she made some awesome-looking cinnamon buns. The recipe calls for a stand mixer, which I don’t have (would that I had the room for one!). I know people made cinnamon buns before the invention of the Kitchen Aid. Any advice on a more rustic method?

I love broccoli rabe. We usually blanch it, then sautee it in a little olive oil, add a splash of balsamic, a few dashes of red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. It is a really simple, healthy, and delicious side dish. Mark Bittman’s Minimalist column this week features my favored greens, in a pasta dish with crispy garlic and bread crumbs. Looks like a must-try week night meal to me.

No, “upstate” is not a euphemism for crazy; I actually traveled upstate, to the beautiful Hudson River Valley over the weekend. I had asked Mother Nature to give us warm weather and spring flowers, but she declined my request, giving us barren trees and cold rain instead. Still, we had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed our long drives through this pretty country.

After arriving at our B&B in Cornwall, NY on Friday evening, we ignored our host’s local suggestions for dinner (old-school with uninteresting menus, all) and instead opted for a 15-minute drive to the charming-sounding hamlet of Newburgh, to a newly opened restaurant called The Wherehouse [sic], which we had seen advertised in a local magazine. Actually, Newburgh is neither a hamlet nor charming. It is a sort of shabby little town that seems a bit down on it luck. But there has been a concerted effort at reviving the historic downtown area there, and part of that revival is the opening of the Wherehouse. We were surprised to find the restaurant was almost directly across the street from George Washington’s headquarters during the Revolutionary War! (Ok, GW had a lot of HQs, but this was the main one.) We hesitated when we saw only one couple eating there, but, well, there weren’t many other options nearby, so we just went for it.

The interior is beautiful: a large room with wood-paneled walls and a gorgeous old wood bar lining one wall look as if they must have been restored original amenities. The restaurant has no liquor license, I assume because it just opened two months ago. The restaurant advertises their cuisine as “cosmic comfort food,” and indeed, the menu was sort of all over the place, which worried me. Fried stuff, BBQ, salads (all variation on the Ceasar), and Indian (!?) food.  The waiter was gregarious, but not in an over-the-top, annoying way. He boasted that the BBQ was really good, the meat smoked right here in their basement. Gulp. Basement-smoked meats, huh? How could we resist? The hubs ordered a Caesar salad to start and BBQ pork sandwich, and I ordered samosas (yep!) and an Indian-ish chick pea dish.

The salad was huge. The flavor was good, but the greens were a but heavily dressed, and the croutons were not fresh. The samosas were surprisingly tasty! Perfectly seasoned and perfectly fried. The thick tamarind sauce they were served with was yummy, too. The waiter came by and offered to wrap up our starters to go, which I thought was funny. When we said no, he gave us a theatrically dejected, hound-dog face. We began to wonder if he was an amateur actor (or perhaps a Revolutionary War reenactor?).

The chick pea stew was less of a success than the samosas, unfortunately. A sour/tart flavor predominated, without any savory/salty or sweet to balance it out. I added a couple spoonfuls of the tamarind sauce, which helped a bit. The chick peas were served over brown rice with a side of ciabatta with a pesto schmear. Weird, yes, but I wasn’t complaining. The bread was good. Also quite good was the pulled pork sandwich. It was juicy enough to drip sauce all over the place, but not so juicy as to soggify the bread. It was very flavorful, though perhaps lacking a bit in strong BBQ sauce flavor. But overall, tender and tasty. I guess shouldn’t have knocked basement smoking. It came with a side of coleslaw, which at most places was is a throwaway, but here really fresh and delicious.

I was prepared to refuse dessert, but the Hubs couldn’t resist the cheesecake kebabs. Yes, kebabs. I wasn’t as enthusiastic. I am not a huge fan of cheesecake in general, and I didn’t see how putting it on a stick would make it any more pleasurable for me.  Well, what appeared before us was a shock and surprise. The dish consisted of two skewers of deep-fried cheesecake cubes resting in a bed of caramel-drizzled whipped cream. They were like cheesecake doughnuts! Crazy! If you like cheesecake and love doughnuts, this is the dessert for you. I happen not to be a huge fan of either (I don’t dislike either, but I’d rather spend the calories on a scoop of good ice cream), so the dessert was just ok for me. But the Hubs was very pleased. As an aside, the waiter seemed just as surprised by what the kebabs consisted of as we were. It was pretty funny. He said nobody had ordered them before so he didn’t know what they were (that isn’t an excuse is it? I think he must’ve been new to waiting, the first commandment of which is “know thy menu.”)

Overall the restaurant was pretty good. I would give them the benefit of the doubt as they are new. I think their menu could use more non-meat options, the waitstaff needs a bit more training, and a liquor license would help, too. But if you love meat and don’t demand a Jim Beam on the rocks with your BBQ, then the Wherehouse is a good place to stop when you are in the area.

P.S. Sorry for the blurry picture. It was taken with the Hub’s cell phone; my camera died moments after arriving upstate, so there will be no pictures for any of the trip.

Next: A delightful meal in Poughkeepsie (seriously).

The Wherehouse
119 Liberty Street
Newburgh, NY 12550
(845) 561-7240

We had been meaning to try Bati for some time. In fact, we actually went there one evening a month ago, but our growling stomachs couldn’t handle the hour long wait for a table. We were actually heartened by that experience, because we assumed that meant the place was good, plus we are happy to locally owned businesses do well. We went again last week, on the earlyish side to increase our chances of getting a table, and we were happy to see precisely one table for two ready and waiting for us.

The dining room is sparely, but tastefully, decorated. The space is warm and homey–all dark wood and candlelight. I couldn’t help but notice the great windows that are hinged so that they can be completely opened–this will be great when the weather turns nice.

We decided to order a combination plate, as this, as at most Ethiopian restaurants, is the best deal. For $15 you can sample four dishes that cost $11-12 as an entree on its own. When the waitress came around I ordered a combination plate for two. We deferred to the kitchen as to which of the dishes to give us. I thought it was strange she didn’t offer beverages, but then I realized that, as of now anyway, Bati is B.Y.O.B. So, water it was for us!

The large plate came out quickly, with Butischa (chick peas), Missir Wett (lentils), Gomen (collard greens), and Fasolia (a green bean-carrot dish), all atop a large disc of spongy/tangy injera (with another piece of injera folded on the side). Both the chick peas and lentils were mashed and flavored with berbere, but also with enough distinct spices so that they didn’t taste identical. The chick peas tasted a bit burnt, but I don’t know if that is just how the dish supposed to taste, or if the bottom of the pot actually scorched. That was my least favorite dish. Everything else was great. The lentils were richly spiced and a little bit spicy. The collard greens were perfectly cooked–not at all bitter. The carrots and green beans were also well cooked–not mushy as they often are in a dish like this. All were well seasoned, bright, and flavorful. I did take a photo of our plate, but it was so dark it didn’t turn out well. But, anyone who has eaten Ethiopian knows, delicious as it is, it just isn’t the most photogenic of foods (picture piles of mush on a purpley-tan flatbread. See?), so I hope you will forgive me.

My only complaint (besides the burnt-tasting chick peas) at the time was that it really didn’t seem like a lot of food. I kept remarking, that, gee, this really didn’t seem like much for two people. Of course, by the time we scarfed down all the filling injera we were sated well enough, but still, I thought there should have been more of the good stuff on top of it.

When we got the bill, the Hubs opened up the leatherette envelope, his eyes widened, and he chuckled. “What?” I asked. No words being necessary, he flipped the bill around. The total bill was $15!! It seemed like too little food because it was a serving for one! Casting my mind back to the ordering process, I realized my semantic error. I should have ordered “two combination plates” rather than “a combination plate for two!” Of course! The waitress was incredibly pleasant to us, considering how miserly she must have thought we were!! I imagine also that if I had ordered two combination plates, we would have recieved eight dishes, which would have been welcome.

I will definitely go back to Bati again, though I may script my order before hand to make sure I get it right!

Bati
747 Fulton Street
Brooklyn 11217

[photo via A Fork in the Road]

I guess I have heard of cooking pasta like a risotto before, but never thought too hard about it. Over at Bitten, Edward Schneider writes about using dried mushroom soaking liquid combined with chicken stock to cook ziti in this manner. The resultant dish looks ridiculously toothsome. I have never been able to make a brothy sauce for pasta totally satisfying, but cooking the pasta in the sauce itself seems to add enough starch to give it some body. I think a splash of red wine might work well to start the process off using a rissoto-ish technique, rather than the stock the recipe calls for.

This recipe for asian slaw over at the Kitchn, sounds suspiciously like the delicious slaw at Rice (I don’t love this restaurant, but the slaw is really good). The salad looks great, though I might experiement with lowering the oil-to-vinegar ratio in their recipe.  I love oil and vinegar coleslaws, and this looks like a great alternative to the mexican-style one I often make.

Eat It: Brooklyn recently ate at two restaurants where I also happened to enjoy a meal: General Greene for dinner and Buttermilk Channel for brunch (yes! they are now open for brunch, but only on Sundays). I forgot to take pictures at both of my meals, so please take a gander at EIB’s posts. While the dishes she (he?) ordered are completely different than mine, the tenor of the review is similar (although I think I might have more thoroughly enjoyed my brunch at BC). And yes, despite my treacherous brunch experience at General Greene, I trepidatiously returned and the dinner wasn’t bad!

Even though I am generally not the hugest fan of recipes calling for canned dough, I admit that this baked gouda recipe over at Half-Assed Kitchen has sort of rocked my world (and no, I haven’t even made it. Just thinking about it is doing the rockin’).

Intriguing post title, no? Whatever could it mean?

The answer is much less obtuse than you might think: These are the names of two cookbooks; one that I gave to the Predicate for Christmas and one that she gave to me. I have blogged previously about Eat Me, which was a thoroughly enjoyable read.  Now I am writing specifically about the recipe from the book I made, and also about the dishes that the Predicate made from Turquoise: A Chef’s Travels in Turkey by Lucy and Greg Malouf. Turquoise is a really gorgeous book, filled with not just recipes but also with spectacular photographs and personal essays. If you are at all interested in Turkish culture and cuisine, I would recommend this book.

Since she gave me a cookbook, and I gave her one, we of course had no choice but to have dinner party featuring dishes cooked from each. The fact that Eat Me is heavy on egg and other breakfasty recipes made it a bit of a challenge for us to coordinate what would go together, but we persevered.  She decided to make some zucchini and feta fritters and cacik (the same thing as tzatziki–but don’t tell the Turks that!), which I thought might go well with soup, especially on this chilly evening, so I went with the African green curry soup (recall be damned! I love those legumes!).

The soup recipe, unusually, calls for Thai green curry, which Shopsin explains seems to have the same flavors as African spice mixes. Lemongrass? Thai basil? These ingredients don’t leap to mind when one thinks of cuisine from any part of the African continent. I admit that I was skeptical, but also intrigued.  I followed Shopsin’s recipe faithfully, with the exception of adding some more colorful vegetables than the all-green mix called for by the recipe. (My mother also mandated that her meals be “colorful,” and I guess that rubbed off on me!)

When the soup was nearly finished, I gave it a taste, and wasn’t happy with it–it just didn’t have a lot of flavor, and the flavors it did have didn’t work well together. I added more peanut butter. Still no good. More curry? That definitely didn’t help. Still more peanut butter. No dice. Hey, maybe some siracha would give it a kick? No. There was just no way this was going to be a good soup, I realized. It could have been a matter of the type of curry used. I bought the only type available at Whole Foods, which was Thai Kitchen brand, and as the cookbook happens to illustrate the tub of curry that Shopsin uses in his soup, i know that it is a different brand. In the end, I don’t think the Predicate minded the soup as much as I did (or she was just being polite!), but it definitely wasn’t a make-again winner in either of our books. I am tempted to go to the restaurant to see if I like his version of it, but that will have to wait until my bad memory of this concoction is long gone.

The Predicate’s fritters and cacik, on the other hand, were fantastic. She showed up armed with the fritter batter already made, and of course the cacik was prepared in advance too (anybody who has made tzatziki knows that it is better after sitting a while). I fired up the frying pan for her, and looked a little warily at the batter–it looked awfully thin. But the fritters really held together well while being pan-fried, and boy were they delicious! The perfect balance of veggies and fats, and a subtle melange of spices. They went perfectly with the cacik she had made using Greek yogurt (tzatziki tip: if you can’t find Greek yogurt in your area, then you can strain regular yogurt–but do look for the Greek type!), garlic, cucumbers, and lots of fresh dill. She left out the mint that the recipe called for, but it was still so delicious. Winners, both! I can’t wait to try other dishes from the book.

It is hard to compare the two cook books. One is about Turkish food and the other about American sort-of-but-not-really diner food, but they are both part personal essay, part recipe book.  In short, if you want to read a thoroughly entertaining, food-centric biography featuring kooky New York personalities, make a grab for Eat Me, but if you are interested in some totally dreamy recipes, accompanied by beautiful photography, then Turquoise might be the book for you.