2015 Kitchen Experiment #2 - Coconut Bread Pudding

      I'm tired of throwing away stale bread. I don't want to make croutons with it because I don't use them that much, but I've heard in many circles that bread pudding is the way to go. What stopped me in the past is that it seemed hard to make, so this time I did my due diligence and researched an easy way to recycle the loaf of Cuban bread that laid abandoned on my kitchen counter.
     A quart and a half of milk, a bag of flaked coconut, a cup and a half of sugar and a little almond extract later, I had an enormous bread pudding with a mild but comforting flavor, an airy dough and a lot of warm coconut. I extended the experiment by producing two toppings- a Limoncello whipped cream and a caramel rum sauce. The whipped cream was good enough to eat by itself, but it married beautifully with the coconut in the pudding. What I couldn't predict was how that caramel rum sauce would turn the bread pudding into an A-list star.
     I fought for my cause and accomplished my task: I saved the bread!

 

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BLT Prime

On Christmas day, John and I usually get all decked out and have our traditional brunch in Miami Beach. This year, we had to modify our plans. After a Christmas Eve dinner party and a candlelight church service, sleeping in was just a given, and by the time we were done unwrapping presents and playing with our new toys, the brunch window at our favorite place had closed. Nothing left to do but venture into uncharted territory.
     Upscale restaurants are adopting the practice of offering a prix fixe menu for those of us without upscale paychecks who enjoy the pleasures of fine dining. BLT is such a place and, spoiler alert, this meal was a very nice cap to an already blessed Christmas. They start you off with a small plate of amuse-bouche-sized crustinis with chicken liver paté. If you're mildly hungry when you arrive, this delicate prologue will rev up your appetite.

     But they don't stop the teasing there. The paté is followed by their signature Gruyere cheese popovers served with whipped unsalted butter and a shaker of sea salt. These are crispy balloons that exude fragrant steam when you puncture them. Inside, the dough is mixed with the cheese in such a way that you can't tell where one ends and the other begins. Apparently BLT is so proud of these, they come to the table with the recipe printed on a signature card.
     For our first course, we both had the butternut squash bisque with spiced cream and pumpkin seeds. Spicy is usually a deal-breaker for me, but this time I caved. It was thick, luxurious, velvety and addictive. It was hard to make the expected polite pauses between spoonfuls.
     For the main course, John ordered the Tomahawk ribeye cooked medium with a fun sweet potato allumette  (shoestring cut). The steak was a show-stopper. It actually does look like a weapon... or a dinosaur limb.

     It was cooked slightly under medium but it was tender and caressed by a salty, cherry-infused 'jus' that enhanced the natural meat flavor. Coupled with a Victory Prima Pilsner brew, it was what some would call 'a man's meal'.
     I had the roasted Delmonico with bone marrow chimichurri and roasted rainbow carrots. My steak
was not as tender as the Tomahawk and also slightly under medium but well-flavored. The mixed-in bone marrow made the chimichurri earthy and robust, a fine companion to such a respectable cut of beef.
     We tried both dessert options, the Buche de Noel with eggnog ice cream, and the caramel pecan tart with brown butter ice cream and Bourbon sauce. The Buche was notably second rate and the eggnog ice cream a blunt disappointment. The flavors couldn't have been further from the expected. It was a beauty though, bedazzled with gold-covered pecans.

   The caramel tart was much more satisfying, and the brown butter ice cream kept the promise in its name. All elements combined into a lovely package, and the Bourbon was the perfect ribbon to tie it all together.
     Generally speaking, I enjoyed discovering this restaurant which is located in a splendid setting, Miami's Trump National golf resort. I strolled down the sweeping marble hallways, gazed upon the rolling greens from the classic colonnade-lined porticos, breathed in the rarefied air of affluence in the wrap-around terraces evocative of those on Mediterranean villas.
     The only cloud over the radiant landscape of this evening was a misunderstanding in the reading of the prix fixe menu. It lists the Tomahawk ribeye as one of the three main course options. However, when our bill came, there was a substantial surcharge for the choice. Nowhere on that menu is this surcharge clarified, at least not that we could see. We're big fans of the prix fixe menu whenever it's offered, but in the future we will be more careful and ask more questions.  Lesson learned.

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2015 Kitchen Experiment #1 - Pane Tostato Italiano

     Do people still get fruitcakes for Christmas? I haven't received one in a long time, but I remain hopeful. Where others look at them as doorstops or sandbags for severe rain events, I see an opportunity for brunch greatness. I gave this experiment an Italian name because fruitcakes remind me of panettoni, and 'Italian French toast' sounds geographically confusing.
    
     Other than the fruitcake, the ingredients and preparation are the same as for any other form of French toast, but when placed in the griddle, the heat releases the fragrance and sugar of the raisins and other miscellaneous fruit, and the result is a tender, tangy yet sweet slab of bread. Butter is optional but not necessary, believe me. I chose to serve it with roasted pecan syrup. I'm still smacking my lips as I write!

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Red Robin

Yes, I must be the last person in the free world that had never tried Red Robin, but burger snobs like me often overlook the obvious, plus until recently, there wasn't one conveniently located. John said it would be like Fuddruckers, and that was a good enough endorsement for me.

     The mood is that of a happy '50s diner with a bar- lots of kiddie birthday parties going on, cheerful servers, neon signs, cooks hustling in the open kitchen.
Hubby ordered the Smoke & Pepper, which   they call their finest. The black pepper bacon was cooked the way he likes it- not too limp, not too crispy. This burger promised a smoky flavor but failed to deliver. "I ordered the best, but I wasn't impressed." From the poet laureate of the meat world.
     I ordered the Guacamole Burger but switched the Swiss cheese for blue cheese. This burger really tried hard to be good and it had potential, but it was missing the pink interior of a medium-cooked patty, and even more noticeably, the guacamole.  There was a schmear of it on one side of the bun, but I looked through the burger several times to make sure I hadn't somehow misplaced it. I shouldn't have to do that, right?  If the name includes the word 'guacamole', then the avocado flavor and texture should rise to meet me. We both ordered the steak fries and found them stale and disappointing.
     I won't say it was the worst burger I ever had, but this snob needs more.

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Ankarr Restaurant & Pastry Shop

    Since its inception seven years ago, I've been driving by Ankarr curious to try it after many recommendations. The visit did not live up to my high expectations.

     To begin with, they call themselves a "European deli". Hmm... I'm not sure I totally got that vibe. Some menu items gave a hint of European influence, but the majority of what I saw was more on the Cuban side. There were some omelettes, Spanish dishes and a significant presence of Spanish chorizo as well as a couple of quiches and one or two Italian and French pastries, but nothing you wouldn't find in any fine bakery.

     Somehow it all lacked a true Mediterranean flavor. I did appreciate the fresh-squeezed orange juice. That was worth some points.
     We ordered the chorizo omelette, the chorizo empanada and a Napoleon to share for dessert. The omelette was very generous and flavorful even if on the dry side. The empanada was ordinary and the Napoleon just fetched a 'so what?' John called it a rectangular cream pie.
      Now for the service. Two omelettes were delivered to our table, and when I politely pointed out that I had ordered an empanada, the server proceeded to blame me for not indicating properly at the display case when ordering. I guess here the customer is NOT always right. In her defense, if there is any, there doesn't seem to be a clear division of labor among the staff. The same people that take your order, serve it and clean empty tables, all at the same time, which translates into inordinately long wait times to order, to be served and to pay.
     I can sum up the experience in one word: pedestrian.

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Grand Lux Cafe

'Tis the season for shopping, and this bright Saturday in December was dedicated to just that. We headed toward Sawgrass Mills outlets in Florida's Broward County expecting to come out with treasures aplenty. That was not to be for several reasons: First, the overwhelming crowds made it difficult to shop for what we wanted. Then, we didn't feel the "sale prices" were such great deals, and finally, I'm just plain cheap. No way to sugar-coat that.
     We did enjoy our stroll around the Colonnade area, an ersatz Rodeo Drive with all the usual suspects: Prada, Coach, Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci... places where my mortgage payment only gets me a pair of sandals. Within this retail stratosphere sits the Grand Lux Cafe, "the younger and sexier sister of the Cheesecake Factory", as our server Jason characterized it. Created by the same minds, it is indeed an upscale version of the popular Factory.
     The vast space contains luxurious booths, an opulent backlit onyx wall and dramatic light fixtures suspended from an Art Deco-inspired high ceiling. We learned that their international dishes are prepared on demand with fresh ingredients, nothing pre-packaged or shipped in bulk. In fact, certain desserts have to be ordered with dinner to allow time for preparation 'from scratch'.

     I chose the Chicken Madeira with mashed potatoes and John ordered the ginger beef. We found both entrees generous, savory and well executed.
    I was intrigued by the presence of beignets on the menu, an item generally found in eateries with New Orleans-themed cuisine, so I had to try them. This is where their actions spoke as loudly as their words. A basket of hot-off-the-fryer, sublime little ovals of dough came to our table in the company of three rich sauces- chocolate, raspberry and Jack Daniel's cream. But can I tell you? As inviting as the sauces were, those little pillows from heaven didn't need any embellishment. Every sugary bite just melted in your mouth leaving you eager for the next nibble.
     Except for the tiny issue of the table bread, cold slices of French baguette and some type of wheat bread that we found uninspired, we left wishing we had one of these franchises closer to our neighborhood. Divine desserts, elegant and inviting space and solidly good food!

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The Green Turtle Inn

 

The multitude swarms around every corner of retail space in the city in a mad pursuit of perceived savings on this Black Friday, but a small group of us decided to escape into a bubble of cool sea breezes, sixty-degree temperature under Tiffany-blue skies. To complete the color palate, the narrow road to Long Key is flanked by the emerald bay on one side and the teal blue Atlantic on the other.

     Following a lively after-Thanksgiving celebration, our Saturday morning was begging for a hearty breakfast and this establishment, just a short drive into Islamorada from our hideout in Long Key, came highly recommended.
     We entered the cozy yet elegant dining room and immediately my friend DJ did a double-take when she spotted the monumental sticky buns that were being distributed to every populated table. But we'll talk about those later. Fortunately for me, our party of five picked a good sampling of menu items.

Frances ordered the shrimp and grits, one of her usuals, with a side of collard greens; DJ chose the Eggs Benedict with a side of hash brown casserole; Mario and I went for The Sid, a mushroom, peppers and cheddar omelette, except I replaced the cheddar with Boursin cheese and skipped the peppers. He also opted for the hash brown casserole and I decided on the grits. And my hubby was feeling their Bimini Waffle which can be infused with your choice of fruit or chocolate chips. The Purist had it plain, or 'classic' as he calls it, with a side of bacon.

     I tasted the collard greens and found them tangy and refreshing. I also sampled the hash brown casserole and loved the 'mac and cheese' texture. Great alternative to the ordinary dry shaved version so ubiquitous in breakfast dishes. My cup o' grits was warm and satisfying, as expected.
     By most people's standards, the omelette was very good. It had plenty of mushrooms, it was fluffy but substantial at the same time. That said, why is it so hard for me to find flavor in restaurant omelettes and scrambled eggs? They always seem on the edge of bland. I feel as if one forgotten pinch of salt or a teaspoon more of butter in the pan could make the difference, but instead I must rely on add-ons to capture the flavor. And speaking of add-ons, if I may pat myself on the back for a second, the Boursin cheese decision was a stroke of genius. I positively recommend it. The silken cream got along famously with my omelette and made up for any flavor shortcomings I may have detected.
   

     Now for the sticky buns: They were massive, doughy, wallowing in cascades of viscous syrup and crowned with chewy pecans. We ordered one for the table and everyone was more than satisfied with their portion, not to mention it served us well as DJ's improvised birthday cake. The syrup was so thick, it was a bit hard to navigate. I still think the sticky buns at Knaus Berry Farm are the ones to beat, but this was a gratifying way to end a pleasant and comforting brunch.
     The Green Turtle Inn is definitely not a one-bite stand!

 

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