Blueberry Crumb Bars

I am not a baker. Sure, I've pulled out a few decent items, but I have this problem. I like to change recipes to fit my current mood/ingredients on hand/healthy kick/laziness. This works great when you're throwing together a meal; not so much when you're baking. Even some of the items I've blogged about aren't anything to be proud of- my blackberry cobbler was plain, rhubarb should probably never be added to muffins, and my pear tartlets were certainly "rustic."

Case in point.

Usually, I'm just baking for fun- to use up some pantry ingredients, or to satisfy a sweet tooth. But sometimes, a special occasion calls for a special recipe- and that's when I know to put down my random creativity to follow a recipe. To a tee. Enter: Smitten Kitchen's Blueberry Crumb Bars. When a blog recipe creates 464 comments (to date), you follow it.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
Zest + juice of one lemon
4 c. fresh blueberries (I used 2.5 pints)
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch



Alright, so I kind of lied. I DID follow this recipe, almost exactly. But my shock over those TWO sticks of butter somehow had me using 1/3 whole wheat flour and 1/3 rolled oats, and substituting a flax egg for the real thing. Did it make these bars healthy? No way. I think it appeased my inner healthy baker for .04 seconds though.

First things first. Preheat oven to 375. As with many recipes, combine your dry ingredients- 1 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest (consider it dry for these purposes).



I zested my lemon right into the bowl. Choose a largish lemon and get all the zest you can- the lemon in this recipe takes it up that extra notch, so the lemon-ier the better.



Next, add your (flax) egg and cold cubes of butter (I precut the butter as much as possible to make incorporating it into the flour easiest). The incorporation can be done any way you prefer- I like to use my hands to rub the butter into the flour, but on a hot summer night in my steamy kitchen, this probably wasn't the best idea. You're going for a grainy texture, and hot butter can lead to a greasy one.

Oh well.

Divide the dough in half and scoop half of it into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Pat it down until you create an even layer that covers the entire bottom of the pan. My dough was extra sticky because of the heat, making this process very difficult. Be patient, and eventually it will all even out. I stuck the pan into the fridge as I prepared the filling, in order to prevent further meltage.



To make the filling, combine the second serving of sugar, the lemon juice and the cornstarch in a medium bowl. Whisk until the mixture is free of any lumps. Nobody wants to bite into a starch ball.



Next, add your blueberries (rinsed, and any large stems removed). Carefully mix until each berry is coated in the cornstarch mixture. Then add the berries to the pan, on top of the prepared layer of dough.



Finally, crumble the second half of dough mixture over the top- try to create a somewhat uniform sprinkle, avoiding large clumps or empty spaces.





Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. I started checking mine around 40 minutes- every oven is different. The berries should be bubbling and the top layer of dough should spread and become slightly toasted (light brown). Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing.



Or, if you wanted to serve this warm as a cobbler-type dessert over ice cream, simply scoop out a portion.



Personally, I prefer the soft bite of the buttery dough in conjunction with a more jelly-like berry substance, so I let them cool completely and then refrigerated overnight before cutting into them.



I sliced them into 24 large squares (8 x 3), but the original recipe suggests 36 smaller rectangles (8 x 4 bars). It's up to you, but honestly, if you cut them small you're just going to eat two. Don't fool yourself.



While the bars weren't as pretty as the pictures on the original blog, they were still one of the most beautiful baked items I've ever made. I actually enjoyed the slight nutty flavor and chew that the whole wheat flour and oats gave the crust, but don't feel obligated to toss in those 2 tablespoons of health. When you've got two whole sticks of butter on your side, you can't go wrong. Take advantage of blueberry season and make these for your next special event- and yes, a Friday night at home is always a special event.

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Miss Rachel's Lunch Club

It's summertime, which means life is a little crazy. The weather is great, we're doing lots of traveling, many weekend trips out of town, and hey, no complaints here. However, this cuts down on weekend social events, so we've had quite a few midweek get-togethers over dinner. It's great to catch up with friends and they involve some fancier meals than we typically make. However, the only downside is we don't end up with any extras- which is what we always eat for lunch the following day. This week, in lieu of our standard leftovers, we decided to try out Miss Rachel's Lunch Club- a vegan lunch delivery service made by Rachel Klein, a local vegan chef and caterer.

Instead of buying unhealthy Chinese from a cart or a subpar salad from Au Bon Pain, Miss Rachel's Lunch Club offers a healthy vegan lunch brought right to your workplace. Deliveries are made to University City every Wednesday, and to Center City locations on Wednesday and Friday. A & I both chose a meal (three options each week) and I placed the order online on Tuesday evening. Lunches are $10 plus tax, which includes delivery- maybe a dollar or two more than the average lunch, but it's homemade. With real ingredients. And delivered to your office. Rachel herself gave me a call around 11:15 and I met her in the lobby of my building to collect our lunches- neatly packed in individual paper bags. Her bubbly personality was quite evident even in our brief exchange.



A chose "The Crabbie"- a "crab cake" made from hearts of palm, served on a big, fluffy round roll with a smear of Old Bay-tinted mayo, a slice of tomato, and a leaf of romaine. Though the actual crab cake was a little on the small side, it was full of flavor. The Old Bay gave it that general seafoody-ness, and bits of red pepper and a bit of lemon juice rounded out the typical crab cake profile. Even the texture of heart of palm seems a little like crab- overall a great vegan rendition. The roll was pillowy and helped bulk up the sandwich.




My sandwich choice was "The Wingman"- advertised as hot-wing style seitan with cool slaw and lettuce. The cool slaw and lettuce were accurate, but the "meat" of the sandwich was more like BBQ chicken- more sweet than spicy with a good dose of smokiness. No complaints though, the sandwich was demolished. The slaw was creamy and full of crunch, the vinegar giving a good contrast to the sweet seitan- which by the way, surprisingly looked and felt exactly like shredded chicken. I had the same chewy roll as A, which is perfectly sized for the portions of sandwich components packed within.



During the summer, each of the lunches comes with a fruit salad (I believe winter lunches include a cup of soup as a side), which was chock full of seasonal fruit- watermelon, cantaloupe, and blueberries, as well as some super sweet pineapple and a few green grapes. Refreshing and light- perfect for a summertime lunch.



We also each received an oatmeal raisin cookie which was a sweet and cinnamon-y end to our meal. Quite thin but a good four or five inches in diameter, the cookie was chewy and definitely on the softer side of crispy, just how we like them. A doesn't love raisins in her baked goods, so she picked them out as we slowly ate our way through the cookies- making mine twice as good! The cookies had that shiny caramelized look, reflecting the sweet goodness holding the oats together.



Overall the lunch was great- not too much food but enough to satisfy any mid-day hunger- and the mid-day sweet tooth! There is also a gluten-free option each week if you have dietary restrictions. It's great to know that such a service exists when we're in need of an easy, healthy, delicious lunch.

Miss Rachel's Pantry

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Audrey Claire

Long ago I was given a mission: start at my house and making concentric circles, visit all the restaurants around me, in order of distance between house and food. It wasn't really a serious mission (sorry, Dad!), but I still sometimes think about it when I'm eating in Northern Liberties or South Philly, as there are a solid handful of restaurants within stones throw of me that I have yet to visit. Audrey Claire belongs on that list. A tiny BYO on 20th and Spruce that spills out onto the sidewalk- I walk between the semi-awkwardly placed tables almost every day. The chalkboard listing of daily specials calls my name every time I steal a glance. Being given free rein to choose a restaurant for a post-graduation celebration of a friend, I finally chose Audrey Claire.

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One thing that has been holding me back is their annoying No Reservations policy, which unfortunately/thankfully is only policed on Friday and Saturday. Difficult for me, since I'm usually dining on the weekend, but good for our dinner date since we wanted a mid-week meal. No problem scoring a reserv, but that place was busy the entire three hours we were there- filled to capacity on a Wednesday night. I'm impressed, especially for a restaurant that has been open 15 years- it's clear it is a solid neighborhood staple. Also of note, both Audrey Claire and Twenty Manning- just a half block down- are co-owned by Philadelphia restaurant queen, Audrey Taichman.

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Our hostess gave us a choice of indoor/outdoor but as a semi-annoyed pedestrian, I chose the indoor spot. The small corner space maintains a spacious feel with the large windows and the open kitchen- very much appreciated. As a group, we decided to split the flatbread special of the day: Mission Fig with Gorgonzola, Toasted Sunflower Seeds and Honey ($10). With all of those quality ingredients, it was impossible to pass up. That flatbread doesn't stray from its implied definition- a very thin, almost tortilla like base was flimsy and folded easily, yet still held up the hefty slices of fresh figs and dollops of melted cheese. Gorgonzola is always a good match for something a little sweet, and the seeds gave it a bit of crunch.



The flatbread was served alongside the usual bread service, which I really loved (but didn't photograph). Super thick slices of French bread, almost a sandwich type loaf, are lightly toasted and served with an olive oil-fresh herb mix. Not bread you should pass up.

The menu is fairly small with a focus on fresh ingredients- most of the dishes have a protein focus, but with an addition of a good assortment of fruits and vegetables (which the website advertises as mostly local and organic). The menu changes frequently (mostly based on seasonality), but some of the crowd favorites are consistently offered-- mussels, seared haloumi, and the Mediterranean spread trio, for example. When it comes to main dishes, one of these crowd favorites is the pork chop, which is maple brined before cooking, and served with a wild boar bacon, candied dates, and sauteed apple topping ($22). Both of the men at our table chose this as their main course- apparently "wild boar bacon" is to men as chocolate is to ladies.



The bone-in chop is double thick, which is an impressive and "plentiful" amount of meat (words straight from the man who ate it). I sampled the sides- a hefty serving of incredibly smooth mashed potatoes- I think they use at least part Yukon Golds- and a small portion of steamed asparagus. For the price tag, this might be one of the best and most affordable chops in town.

I went with a dish I felt was more appropriate for the warm summer night- the grilled tiger shrimp ($21). Two rosemary skewers (I'm still not sure how they made them) of large shrimp are grilled tail-on, and served under a corn and jicama "salsa." I consider salsa to be slightly more wet than this light corn salad, but I can't complain since I really loved the fresh flavors-- and textures, seeing as the veggies were raw. Peeling the shrimp from the skewer and removing the tail separated the shrimp and the salsa though, preventing any real marriage of the two.



My real complaint comes with the meagerness of the dish as a whole-- there were plenty of shrimp but I felt that was all I was eating. They are served with roasted sweet potato: four small rounds of it. Considering the price of the dish and the inexpensive nature of sweet potatoes, I would have liked a bit more. However, along with the flatbread and the bread service, I left satisfied, so perhaps the small portion was appropriate.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience, although I think the company and the indulgence of a midweek meal out played a major role in my happiness. I'd recommend Audrey Claire for a casual, small group dinner, but I don't think it is worth a long wait on the weekends (sans reservations). I also realize that while the convenience of this little spot is appreciated, I'd rather travel farther for food I really love.

Audrey Claire
20th and Spruce
BYO/Cash Only

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Jose Garces Progressive Dinner

I, like many others I can only assume, am inundated every day with a million emails from Groupon, LivingSocial, etc, etc. I usually just delete the offer (I don't want a massage in Conshohocken or art lessons in South Philly), but if it's food related it usually gets a second glance. However, I'm still fairly picky-- I won't buy a Groupon for a restaurant I don't love or one that I haven't said "Ooh! Let's go THERE!". I was pretty sure my dreams came true when I received an offer through LivingSocial for a "Progressive Dinner" food tour, visiting three Jose Garces restaurants; first one for appetizers, second for a main course, and third for dessert and coffee. I'm somewhat wary of "food tours"- they usually don't seem worth the hefty price (in my opinion), but I'm fascinated by the idea of progressive dinners (I kind of want to do them on a regular basis but I don't know many restaurants that are OK with me just popping in for an appetizer) and of course, with Jose himself.



I bought the deal ($35; normally priced at $65) and coerced my fiance and two friends to buy it as well so we could make it a group outing. We decided on a date (the tour is offered most Sundays-Thursdays), and met our tour guide at the designated time in front of Amada. Our tour guide, Jeff, is one of the owners of the company (called Ready To Nosh, possibly my least favorite aspect of the "culinary tasting adventure" business), and an incredibly friendly guy-- very easy to just sit down to dinner with him. There were also two other members of our party, and lucky for us, three no-shows (more food for us!). Amada was empty at 5PM on a Sunday, so we got two choice tables by the window, with food served right as we sat down. The tapas menu at Amada was perfect to start the meal.

Our choice table spot! Source

If you had to order a couple dishes to share amongst a group and still get a solid taste of Garces' flavors and style, the cheese, charcuterie, and olive plates would be a perfect choice. First up: the cheese board (regularly $15 for the plate of three with accompaniments). That evening's choices were manchego, cana de cabra (a soft goat's milk cheese), and aragones (a hard cow's milk cheese with a washed rind). Generous portions of each cheese are served with sliced baguette and one "sauce" per cheese-- truffled lavender honey, cherry and fig compote, and white sangria honey + golden raisins, respectively (although mixing and matching isn't frowned upon).

L to R: Manchego, Cana de Cabra, Aragones

I'm obsessed with hard, salty cheese dipped in honey so I was basically in cheese heaven. The cherry + fig marmalade was also spoonable on its own, although in combination with the creamy, slightly goaty cana de cabra, spread on a thin sliver of sharp green apple, it was worth the entire food tour in and of itself.

We also received the mixed charcuterie plate--overall, it was one plate of cheese/meat/olives per couple. It was a LOT of food, but we loved it. The charcuterie of the night included (I believe) two types of chorizo, lomo embuchado (made from pork tenderloin), serrano ham, and salchichon (pork sausage). Seeing as serrano ham can retail for over $40/lb, I once again felt I was getting my money's worth (the plate regularly goes for $16 at Amada). More baguette, an amazing spicy dijon mustard, and a couple small pickles completed the deal. You could make a few little open faced sandwiches, but for the most part I ended up eating the meat rolled up with a little mustard smeared inside.



With the fun combinations of bread, apple, cheese, meat, and condiments, these two plates kept us busy-- it was entertaining to mix and match and taste a million different wonderful flavors. However, I didn't abandon our third (and final) plate of the our first stop- the olives. Oh, the olives. I think I ate at least ten, and could have kept going if it wasn't for the high salt content. A mixed batch, I couldn't leave the huge, meaty green olives alone (but of course sampled the entire variety). The plate came with a fun olive fork- much like a fondue fork, it made spearing the olives easy without greasing up your fingers. Too bad you still have to rid yourself of the pits somehow...



The dinner was arranged so that we would spend 45 minutes at each spot, with a leisurely 15 minutes to walk from one spot to the next. Perfect weather allowed this time between eats to be quite enjoyable, giving us a few minutes to digest, take in the sites, and discuss what was next on our menu. Our second stop was Chifa, Garces' Peruvian-Cantonese fusion restaurant that I have been wanting to eat at pretty much forever. Once again the restaurant was dead on a Sunday evening, but it was still fun to see the amazing decor- Chifa is pretty unassuming from the outside, but as soon as you walk in, you can tell it has a lot of attitude. It's one of those places that has a mix of spaces and tables, all of which I wanted to sit at.

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Our "tour guide" had pre-selected two dishes for us to sample here, but first we started with what may be one of my favorite foods in the world- the bread. A classic Brazilian (and apparently Peruvian) bread, called Pao de Queijo (in Portuguese), it's made primarily with cheese and yucca flour, which gives it a super chewy texture. Warm, dense, chewy and ever-so-slightly flaky around the edges, these buns alone are worth the trip to Chifa (as well as worth the entire food tour alone.. sound familiar?). They're served with what is probably a delightful guava sauce, but don't touch it- enjoy the cheesiness all by itself.



The first dish almost made me forget about the cheese bread- perhaps because they were similar in texture and shape. The somewhat infamous pork belly bao bun (also found at Tyson Bee's, Suzy Wong's, Ocean Harbor, and Ocean City) has found its way into my dreams since this meal. The most perfect steamed buns imaginable- fluffy yet dense, light but not dry, slightly sweet yet without too much flavor to overwhelm the perfectly cooked thick cut pork belly and its intense Korean-barbecue-like sauce.



These suckers usually run you $9 (for two?) and they'd be worth every penny. Every part of this little sandwich was a total delight, and I did what I could to snag one of the extra buns, even though I was getting quite full by this point (must have been all those olives).



Our final dish at Chifa was slightly more upscale, but by no means more flavorful- the "pulpo" or rock octopus, served as large, lightly fried legs atop a sauteed ginger-onion mix and a spicy ginger sauce, as well as a few token pieces of purple potato- pretty, but random. Ringing in at $17 normally, this dish was great-- octopus is one of my favorite sea animals to eat, and the thick, well cooked pieces were a total indulgence, but I wouldn't order this again if I went sans food tour group.



Moving along to our final stop, we took a little detour to walk through Washington Square. The tour is mostly focused on food, but our tour guide pointed out the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier- a landmark I've somehow never seen (or noticed?) even after seven years as a Philadelphian. I'm slightly ashamed. Our tour guide told us that it was one of only two Eternal Flames in the United States, but Wikipedia refutes that. Learn something new everyday.



The walk to Garces Trading Company was slightly longer, but we needed it. However, having been to GTC several times in the past, I knew we were in for a real treat. Or five.

We started with the trademark GTC French pressed coffee, and I happily sipped my cup of decaf while we waited for our desserts to emerge from the kitchen. First out was an enormous plate of assorted macarons- the fluffy, soft French cookie with a sticky filling. We sampled a range of flavors from peanut butter & jelly to strawberry to blueberry to salted caramel to lemon-coconut and more. I must confess I tried them all, but most of them by nibbling off a corner before passing it to one of my dining mates. These things are amazing- I don't know how you pack so much flavor into such a little cookie. The coconut-lemon and PB&J were my favorite: the coconut on the outside of the former gave it a fun texture, while the combination of flavors in the latter are always a winner in my book. Usually priced at around $2 a pop, I once again found myself internally thanking myself for purchasing the LivingSocial deal.



The cookies and coffee weren't even close to the end of the meal. The waitress began delivering large pieces of cake, but was interrupted by our tour guide who insisted we get a choice between the cherry-chocolate and the lemon. The waitress seemed unphased and continued serving, casually asking if we'd just like to have both. Two slices of cake. Each. We were both amazed and horrified- we were already stuffed from the first 2/3rds of the meal, and there was no way these two large pieces of cake were going down the hatch as well. I sampled a few bites from both pieces and managed to take another 1.5 slices home for future consumption.

The Cherry Torte starts with a dense flourless chocolate cake, and is topped with a fluffy cherry mousse and a final layer of meringue, lightly toasted. Extremely rich, the sweet mousse was a nice match for the intense chocolate flavor of the torte. Garces is smart to play on a flavor combination that is practically no-fail, and dress it up a bit with the complex torte and mousse.



Our tour guide raved about the Lemon Gateau, but I'm not sure I agree that this was the better of the two, though I do have a soft spot for lemon desserts. Another layered cake, this piece included cool lemon cheesecake, nutty hazelnut cake, and a lemon mousse, topped with a sliver of colored white chocolate. The lemon flavor was intense, but somewhat masked by the overall high sugar content. The completely different textures of the alternating cake layers left me wanting to scrape each off and enjoy it on its own- especially the curd-like lemon topping. An excellent end to one of the more memorable meals I've had recently.



Overall, the experience was perfect- a sampling of foods from THREE amazing restaurants, playing up the talents of each spot and providing a decadent meal that would be impossible to find at a single place. Our tour guide was open and friendly, entertaining us with stories from past food tours and guiding us through each dish (while enjoying it himself as well!). For $35, I honestly feel like I stole from the Ready to Nosh company (especially considering group buying sites take half of the price of each deal purchased). This meal was an incredible deal, but I also think it would be worth it to pay full price. Jeff told us that they're planning another round of LivingSocial at some point, and I will be sure to snatch up a ticket to one of the other tours at that point. Keep an eye out for it, and enjoy the Garces Trifecta for yourself!

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Mettbroechen, Croissants, and Pizza

As A alluded to, I've been quite busy the last ten days traveling around Europe- primarily in Switzerland for a week-long conference, with a short visit to Florence to visit our cousin as well as some brief jaunts in German airports. The trip was an absolutely wonderful experience, a perfect mix of fun and learning. Of course I always love experiencing a new location through it's food, so here are a few things I ate while I was away.

I had a few minutes in the Frankfurt airport (which, by the way, is the most enormous airport) between flights and wanted to snag an "authentic" snack. The only thing close to my gate was a little place called MoschMosch which was actually a "Japanische Nudelbar" but also had a few German items in a small case near the register. I inquired about something interesting looking called Mettbroechen and was informed that it was a pork tartare. Served as an open faced sandwich topped with bits of raw onion, it was reminiscent of a meatball or hamburger mixture.. before cooking, of course. Slightly peppery, silky smooth ground pork with the crunch of pungent raw onions. Where can I find this in the States??




The conference was held in a small town called Les Diablerets, about 90 miles from Geneva.



All meals were included, served at the Eurotel Victoria. Lunch and dinner were always formal seated three course affairs, with a wide range of menu influences. On the other hand, breakfast was always a buffet- and it was always my favorite meal of the day. A huge spread of pastries, breads, juices, meats, cheeses, yogurts, fruit, veggies and cereals as well as the standard bacon and eggs satisfied absolutely any breakfast desire.





I always ate the same thing: chocolate granola with plain yogurt and a dollop of jam, a piece of fruit, and a buttery croissant with honey. The honey is served as a giant cake-sized solidified mass that you just knife a hunk off of- small glass bowls provided. Even though the breads and cheese called my name loudly, I could eat this plate of food every day for the rest of my life and be completely happy.



After an 11 hour train ride to Florence, Italy for a quick weekend visit, the first thing on my mind was a snack. Fortunately there are "self-service" restaurants on every corner offering pizza and sandwiches. I opted for an interesting combination of blue cheese, capicola, tomatoes, spinach, and a few shreds of mozzarella. The crust was thin and crunchy and the salty combination of flavors quite satisfying.



Lunch the next day was an equally simple affair- a small sandwich consisting of thick slices of brie and a thin spread of pesto on a flat white roll. Bread and cheese is one of the world's most delicious combinations.



We also popped into Grom, the famous gelateria that also has an outpost in NYC. While Florence has a plethora of places to get gelato, most of them sell a processed form of the treat recognizable in the form of tall, piled heaps of the stuff. Grom keeps theirs in closed metal containers. I opted for a mix of Caffe (coffee) and Crema di Grom (an egg cream with bits of dark chocolate and crumbled cookie). Perfect for savoring on a hot and gorgeous day, coffee and chocolate are the perfect complements. I'm happy to know Capogiro is always nearby when my gelato needs kick in.




After a very American dinner at the new Hard Rock Cafe, I tried out an Italian dessert- puffs of pastry encasing a custard filling, topped with a generous coating of fudgy dark chocolate, fresh whipped cream, and a crunchy cookie. Incredibly rich chocolate was offset by the airy lightness of the pastry buried beneath.



Breakfast on my last day consisted of a pastry and cappuccino- the latter being the highlight. A thick, almost caramelized foam hugged a sweet shot of espresso. The pastry was crispy on the outside and airy within, also slightly sweet with a hint of lemon.



The food highlight of the trip (OK, Swiss breakfast gives this a run for its money..) was a pizza from Gusta Pizza, across the Arno river on the quieter side of Florence. The place offers a short and sweet list of 6 or 7 different pizzas. I went with the recommendation of the Calabrese, a simple combination of mozzarella and thick curls of spicy sausage. You better believe I ate every bite of this pizza- the crust was thin while still maintaining a good chew, not too crispy which is just how I like it. The spice of the sausage was mild until you got a good bite of it- the little kick in the throat was addicting.




Another pizza with mozzarella, grape tomatoes, generous shaves of parmesan, and peppery arugula was also a hit. The arugula was some of the best I've had- thick and a little more "mature" than I'm used to, giving it a more developed earthy flavor to balance the spice. I made a little side salad of cast-off leaves- the pizza had a huge pile of the stuff.



Recounting the highlights of the trip in food reminds me just how lucky I am to have opportunities to travel. I can barely keep up with what Philly has to offer- the rest of the world is so overwhelming and yet so inviting.

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