More creamy than sweet, Junior’s has been making their signature cheesecakes since 1950. Now Junior’s is a third generation family-run business with grandsons Alan and Kevin Rosen at the helm. Thanks to Kraft’s invention of pasteurized Philadelphia Cream Cheese in 1912, it has been the main ingredient in American cheesecakes ever since. New York style cheesecake is defined by Junior’s and Lindy’s and is made with cream cheese, egg, heavy cream, vanilla, sugar, butter, cornstarch and a graham cracker or sponge cake crust. Junior’s sells thousands of cheesecakes each week.
While I’m partial to my own Italian-style cheesecake recipe with lemon zest and ricotta, I like Junior’s cheesecake and recently mail-ordered one of their “samplers.” This combo cake is divided into four quarters of (more…)
The Amish religion started as a reform group within the Mennonite movement but splintered off during the 17th century. In the early 18th century, many Amish settled in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Today, they still attempt to preserve elements of late 17th century European rural culture. Many similarities remain between Amish, Mennonite and Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. All farm-based communities, their cuisines are characterized by foods made from scratch that are simple, filling, and high in fat (a must for all the hard laboring). Their hearty recipes incorporate seasonal ingredients, whole grains and reflect (more…)
Inspired by our new, used copy of the Brooklyn Cookbook, we paid a visit to Margaret Palca’s bakery whose rugelach recipe was reproduced in it. Her rugelach is widely considered to be some of the best around. Palca wrote that she developed the recipe with her partner, combining recipes from their grandmothers.
Rugelach is a pastry-like cookie filled with chocolate, jam, nuts and spices. Palca’s is chewy, nutty, light and flaky, with the perfect balance of nuts and filling. I always thought one had either jam-filled or chocolate rugelach, but Palca’s signature version includes both (more…)
Bill Hornadge, author of the bestseller The Australian Slanguage wrote, “One should not
underestimate the importance of the meat pie in Australian culture.”
Opened in 2003, Down Under Bakery (DUB) is supposedly the first specialty bakery to bring handmade, authentic New Zealand-Australian meat pies to New York City. It’s also a cozy hang with free wireless serving traditional meat (and vegetable) pies, smoothies, coffee, tea, and sweets including the beloved dessert Lamingtons, a chocolate-covered cake named for a late 19th-century Baron of Queensland. (more…)
Lightness, contrast of flavors and textures, balance, freshness, and the perfect
combination of sweet, salt and heat are what to look for in a báhn mì sandwich, also known as the Vietnamese hoagie. This sounds like a lot to ask for in a $4.25 sandwich. But we
weren’t disappointed at Hanco’s, a cheery báhn mì shop in Carroll Gardens.
Deconstructing our sandwich (the Classic, “spicy”), we found Vietnamese ham, the deliciously off-putting, whitish, classic paté, ground pork, jalapeno, cucumber, cilantro, carrot, daikon, mayonnaise, and Sriracha hot sauce. The meats add varying degrees of sweetness and saltiness while the shredded carrot and daikon bring a pickle-y flair. A bit heavy on the mayo, we enjoyed our báhn mì with a coconut bubble tea. (more…)
So what is Brooklyn food? In her 1991 book, The Brooklyn Cookbook, Lyn Stallworth
writes that what defines Brooklyn food is ‘in short, attitude and memory. The Brooklyn
attitude is, “You respect me, I’ll respect you; but believe me – my neighborhood, and my food, is best.” Memory ensures that the stories of good times, and the food that made them so, are passed along to younger family members.” We were thrilled to come across a used copy of this “community cookbook” which profiles Brooklyn’s eateries and immigrant communities through family recipes. It’s full of reminiscences from old-time Brooklyn (more…)
We like our tacos simple and authentic, with a few fat chunks to keep it interesting. Our local favorite comes from Rico’s, just a block from the F train stop at Church Avenue. This small, friendly Mexican meat market and grocery store makes delicious, fresh beef and pork tacos to go.
The cubed pork filling is roasted with garlic, salt and pepper and screams with flavor. The beef is shredded and moist with eyebrow-raising heat. Tacos are served on a pair of soft warm corn tortillas with onion and cilantro. At $2 a piece, I usually order one of each. (more…)
Since 2003, Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero have hosted their own public access/podcast cooking show The Post Punk Kitchen from their Brooklyn apartment. In honor of Election Day, I wanted to make something optimistic and a bit political. So, I picked up their latest cookbook, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (2006). I know what you’re thinking. You and your butter-loving skepticism
think vegan desserts are gross. Well, I haven’t had much luck with them myself. But I keep both animals and vegans as friends. For their sake, as well my own curiousity, I bought myself a tub of margarine and started cooking. (more…)