[image from Cannelle et Vanille]

Check out this delicious recipe from Cannelle et Vanille. Matcha Almond Sponge Cake. I think I want to try this. Or some form of this. Using this baking pan. Yes indeed. I can cut one layer in the middle and add the ganache and the lemon buttercream. It seems rather complicated. I am a bit doubtful that I will go through with this. Well, at least a girl can dream...

Matcha Almond Sponge Cake

Makes 3 1/4-sheetpan sheets

160 grams almond flour
110 grams sugar
40 grams flour
15 grams matcha green tea powder
4 eggs
4 egg whites
55 grams sugar
30 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled


In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the first five ingredients. Whip in high speed for about 5 minutes until it becomes thick and the batter forms a ribbon. Transfer this batter to a large bowl and clean the mixer bowl.

In the electric mixer, whip the egg whites until it starts to form a meringue. Slowly sprinkle the 55 grams of sugar. Continue whipping until a stiff meringue forms.

Fold a third of the meringue into the almond batter. Add the rest of the meringue and fold carefully not to deflate it too much. Add the melted and cooled butter and fold until it is well incorporated.

Divide the batter equally into the 3 quarter sheetpans that we have previously lined with parchment paper and sprayed with pan spray.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes until it starts to turn a little brown. We don't want a brown cake. We want to keep the green color so remove the pans from the oven when the cake is baked and before it starts to change color. Let the cakes cool until we are ready to assemble the opera.

[image from marthastewart.com]

This is the time of the year where my thoughts turn to cookies. I am not going to lie to you. I am thinking about cookies a lot. So what better place to turn than Martha's Cookie of the Day Website. I love pouring over all the recipes. I could definitely be convinced to make these Pinched Orange Macaroons.

I think they are more macaron than macaroon, don't you?

This time I vow not to deviate from the oven temperature, baking time and ingredient proportions. Well, maybe "vow" is too strong of a word. I will get back to you on that.

Ingredients

Makes 5 dozen

• 2 large egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus more for rolling and coating
• 1 pound almond paste
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with nonstick baking mats; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1 egg white and almond extract. Add confectioners' sugar and almond paste; beat until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add orange zest and orange liqueur; beat to combine, about 1 minute.
2. Lightly dust work surface with confectioners' sugar. Turn dough out onto work surface; roll into two 3/4-inch-thick logs, about 18 inches long. Cut each log crosswise into 30 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
3. Lightly beat remaining egg white. Coat each ball with egg white and roll in sugar, tapping to remove excess; transfer to prepared baking sheets. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Pinch each piece of dough with three fingers to form an irregular pyramid shape. Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Oh this looks delicious. I just came back from ice skating at Bryant Park, and so I am totally in the mood for hot chocolate. Check out the recipe in The Nest. Via Hostess with the Mostess.

A plain honest donut. This is one donut I can get behind.


Rainy Saturday apple cider. Wow, was it good! I had it hot.
It was like a Vitamin B shot! (energizing)

Last Saturday, I had a hankering for a farmers market donut and a hot apple cider. I think it was because I saw the same kind of plain, basic, unfrosted, unfettered donut in a Bugs Bunny cartoon or a Marx Brothers movie, I can't remember which.

And now all I can think is what happened? Why is today's donut so gooey, crumbed, sprinkled, glazed and encrusted? Why have we as a people have become so indulgent? I think we can use today's donut as a metaphor for something.

Exhibit A: corner of 6th Avenue and 40th Street, right near Bryant Park

The battle for advertising space continues in every marketable square foot of the Big Apple. See Exhibit A, above. Do you think it is right for the Subway sandwich board to encroach on Mister Softee's retail frontage like this? I think not. Mister Softee should learn to assert himself a bit. Don't you think?

The Sugar Cafe is a long narrow sunlit space on Allen Street. Excuse the
faraway shot, but I was already subway-bound when I noticed it.

I always like the looks of this place and never remember quite where it is. Note to self:

• Take the F/V to 2nd Avenue
• Exit at 1st Avenue & Houston Street
• Cross Allen Street
• Try an iced cappuccino and a sugary treat

Meet me for coffee! The place is open 24/7, so we can go anytime.


Sugar Cafe
200 Allen Street (at Houston Street)
Lower East Side
New York
212.260.1122

[image: yourdivineinspirations.com]

When you think about it, eating a muffin is like eating a hunk of cake. Or a cupcake without the frosting. How is a muffin a breakfast item? What was I saying a few weeks ago? Correction: a muffin equals calories.

These macarons are too mouth-watering for words.

People go crazy for French macarons, the kind that are made with almond paste, sugar and egg whites (pictured above), and not to be confused with coconut macaroons which are another pastry entirely. I first visited (yes only visited) the French variety of macaron at Fauchon three years ago. I saw a piece on Fauchon's New York store on Martha, but when I got there, I could not go through with purchasing for some reason. I think I had pastry sticker shock.

I finally tried a French macaron at Payard (a great place to do it) this past January. The macarons were indescribably light, crispy, chewy and delicate. I had to grip them lightly or they would crumble. They are mysterious and delicious. They are $1.75 per piece in store, and they are totally worth it. Last week, at my local Greenpoint bakery, Cafe Riviera, I noticed they sell the French style macarons. I brought home four for my husband and me to sample. They were delicious. Mocha flavored. And the four only cost $2.80 ($13 a pound, or approximately 70 cents per piece). I still can't believe the price. There are so many hidden gems in Greenpoint. Now I want a macaron.


Fauchon
Once at 442 Park Ave, now closed.
Their products are available
at select Food Emporiums

Payard Patisserie
1032 Lexington Ave (73rd & 74th)
Upper East Side
212.717.5252

Riviera Cafe
830 Manhattan Ave
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
718.383.8450

Yes you read that title correctly. A muffin equals freedom. Well it does. I don't think I have ever felt more free than when I eat a muffin for breakfast instead of something fortifying and healthy. I feel free from counting calories. Free from making proper choices. Free from taking the road less traveled by. All Americans eat muffins for breakfast. I feel American. It is hard to take the road less traveled by all the time, even if it does make all the difference.

For lunch I'll go back to healthy prudent choices. I'll eat a salad and feel oppressed.

Now doesn't this look yoguriffic!

Yolato's presentation is so enticing.
The creamy smooth undulating waves. The toppings. The flavors.
I can't contain myself any longer.
I must have birthday Yolato now!

Mint chocolate chip - my favorite.
I will probably combine it with hazelnut, my other favorite.
Or maybe I will keep my options open and explore what
other other favorites I discover when I get there.

I don't think I have to say much about Yolato to entice you, beyond the mouthwatering photos I took at the Park Avenue store. I could tell you that Yolato is a low-calorie healthy gelato that is offered in over 100 different flavors. I could tell you that there are four locations in New York, and one in New Jersey. I could tell you to bring $3.99 with you if you want a 'regular' or $4.99 if you want a 'grande.' But I don't need to tell you much more than the address. I have a feeling you will be paying Yolato a visit soon. I have a feeling I will too. Maybe tonight. They close at 9. The West Village location closes at 10.


Yolato
Grand Central
125 Park Ave (42nd Street)
New York, NY 10017
212.922.1169

The Yolato Store on Park Avenue is just below Grand Central.
This location opened in November 2007.


Dine in: choose from a stool at the counter
or small lovely table in the window. Or take it To Go so you
can burn the calories as you eat. And then come back for more.
Often.

Shamrock cookies in the lobby, courtesy of the W Hotel

All is festive inside the W Hotel for St. Patrick's Day. The place is filled with young families from Ireland who seem to be making New York's St. Patrick's Day their destination vacation.

At a certain point during the afternoon you can partake in a three-tiered spread of shamrock cookies in the lobby. My free sample radar caught it immediately. Enjoy.

The sign lured me in. How could a resist a cappuccino
with heart-shaped foam saying hi to me? I couldn't.
And I'm glad I didn't.

New cafe on the block: El Beit opened earlier this month
on 158 Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg

I was dazzled by the decor as soon as I walked in, particularly
the striped chairs. There is such fine attention to detail here.

Does that say 'cutting table'?? You've got my attention.

After my bag-purchasing trip to Brooklyn Industries, I passed an appealing sandwich board in front of the newest cafe on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg: El Beit. I've been eager to check out the decor of this place. And a cappuccino with heart-shaped foam was just what I was in the mood for. It will sound trite to say that as soon as I walked in, I was dazzled. But I was. The striped chairs, the minimalist space, the textures. Wow. Williamsburg is rapidly changing.

Coffee master, Dan Griffin who manages El Beit and (I don't want to say curates but) curates the coffee offerings, was kind enough to talk with me about the underlying details of the place. We discussed everything from decor to design to materials to coffee nuances. El Beit which means 'home' in Arabic and Hebrew, is owned by three brothers, one of whom, Bassam Ali currently works as a designer for Coach. The cafe tables that are stamped 'cutting table' are indeed cut from actual butcher block fabric cutting tables. Aha.

Bassam was largely responsible for the design and build-out of the space. Its centerpiece is a striking shingled coffee bar which was constructed from the facade of a barn. The shingles are oak. The surface is steel. The walls and ceiling of the cafe have been re-plastered and re-bricked to incorporate soothing curves. In fact, the flow of the entire space is pleasing. And yes, that was on purpose, Dan pointed out. The front door was relocated to be in line with the back door (also taken from the old barn), thus creating a better flow of traffic to an outdoor patio space that will be completed in the coming months.

The coffee menu is for the serious connoisseur. No super-sized 20 ounce cups dripping with peppermint syrup here. Thank goodness. On my next trip to El Beit, I will opt for a brewed-to-order cup from The Clover, a machine made in Seattle. As Dan explains, the dose, grind and brew time must be adjusted to bring out the particular flavors of each varietal. The resulting cup has a similar body to that of French press coffee. But you really have to try it. And so I will. Is it gauche to add milk? I'm not sure. Meet me for coffee!


El Beit Coffee
158 Bedford Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718.302.1810
Wi-Fi: yes
(no Website)

El Beit to go.

The classic tulip-bulb-shaped espresso and cappuccino cups, offers Dan,
are best for experiencing the full aroma and flavor of the espresso.
Like the wine glass does for wine. Dan is the sommelier of coffee.

The curves of the exposed ductwork mirror the curves of the ceiling.
You will enjoy examining every design detail of El Beit, each
thoughtfully considered. Very architectonic indeed.

The space is used so economically. And I love the choice of seating.
B-Pop Striped Chairs and Onda Counter Stools, both from DWR.

Attention coffee connoisseurs: have you ever heard of The Clover?
(The machine is made in Seattle!)
The dose, grind, and brew time must be adjusted for each varietal.
You must try an individually brewed-to-order cup on your next trip
to El Beit. I will join you.

It seems that every time I turn around lately, I see another article about horchata, a traditional Mexican beverage made with milk, rice, and a hint of cinnamon. And so I have become obsessed. And the only way to get over my obsession is to blog about it.

Doesn't horchata sound delicious? I have only tried it once, where it was called chicha, a Venezuelan version described as a "delicious sweet and thick drink made out of rice with cinnamon on top." It was very rich, like a milkshake-meets-rice pudding. You can try one at Caracas Arepa Bar on 7th Street in the East Village. While you are there, you should also try an arepa, and the Venezuelan style chips and guacamole. Bring a friend and dine in. It is a great little place. You will not believe how small the tables are. But then again, if you have dined anywhere in the East Village before, you will be used to it.

I was so excited to find a packaged version of horchata, and Coffee Horchata no less, on the Kern's Website. But then sad to find that Kern's horchata is only available in California, Arizona and Nevada. If you live in these western states, try it and tell me how you like it!

[image from the Sprinkles Website]

I was watching Martha while on the elliptical machine at the Y on Tuesday and saw a segment on these upscale minimalist cupcakes from Beverly Hills. Candace Nelson, the Executive Pastry Chef and owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes is a slender and attractive young woman, and the ideal spokesperson for her company. Watching her speak about her product, you somehow think that eating a Sprinkles Cupcake in one of the beautifully designed and minimalist Sprinkles Cafe locations won't make you fat.

Go to the Website and look at every one of the beautiful photos. They will make your mouth water, but in a restrained, smart, prudent sort of way. The cupcakes are served on a plate with an ecologically friendly fork. How elegant. Immediately, the cupcake which one would normally eat with one's hands, is transformed into something else. Into 'pastry' perhaps. As the advertising copy reads on the Website, "Let's be clear, they're not just pint-sized cupcakes. Cupcakes are something else entirely."

There is something intellectual and haute about these cupcakes. Read the Design statement. And the Community & Environment commitment. And notice the way the no-nonsense but beautiful and delicate font works on you as you read the text. Now mouse over the Flavors descriptions. Sheer genius! The Sprinkles experience is about so much more than cupcakes, or indulgence. Indulgence is wrong. Indulgence will make you fat. But design, architecture, the art of 'pastry' is a treat for the mind. Now that you have rationalized all of this, you are ready to spend the $46 for a dozen.

The Cupcake Courier on Amazon

I corresponded with Cupcake Courier creator, Jennifer Gunn today! She let me know that all colors will be back in stock in three weeks, so that is good news. In the meantime, the Cupcake Courier is available on Amazon and the Home Shopping Network Website where there is a nifty product demo to watch.

But wait, there is more exciting news: the Cupcake Courier will be available at Target beginning this weekend! Target will test the product at 1000 of their stores nationwide. I am certainly glad I wrote about this great product before it breaks big. Congratulations Jennifer!

The Cupcake Courier in four delicious flavors:
Petal Pink, Lemon Grass, Saffron Yellow and the original Soft Blue Sky

All three luscious layers of The Cupcake Courier, pictured in situ.
[images from cupcakecourier.com]

For the utterly cupcake-obsessed, you now can get help.

Help in transporting your cupcake booty, that is!*

You no longer have to limit yourself to just one dainty treat. With the pleasingly plastic Cupcake Courier, you can finally buy the three dozen cupcakes you always dream about, but feel too un-stylish doing so. And with The Cupcake Courier in hand, how could you not fill each and every cupcake placeholder?** You can always tell them that you are a mom purchasing for your child's class party.

Or you could actually be a mom doing just that. The Cupcake Courier was created, designed and developed by mom, Jennifer Gunn who was "in need of a product to safely transport the gazillions of cupcakes" she took to her children's various functions. Gunn is a clever Momtrepreneur indeed.

The Cupcake Courier comes in four fab colors, as pictured above, and measures a tote-friendly 12.5"x16"x14". My favorite modular feature: each cupcake tray is removable, so you can transport a cake too. It seems subway-friendly, the way each cupcake is nestled safely in its own 3"x1.1" cup. Gunn's product is doing so well, three of the four colors are currently sold out on her Web site. Pink is available now for $32.95. That would be my color choice anyway.

My fashion prediction: The Cupcake Courier will become the new pooch purse. Can't you see it now? I can.


*How quickly I change my tune from Ayurveda to cupcakes. Hmm.
**Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is. I am just one subway ride away from Crumbs as I write this.

[logo from Domenick's Bakery]

I ask you. Who wouldn't love a cannoligram? Here is one available option from Domenick's, based in NYC: Small Vanilla Cannoli Gram, $39.99. Valentine's Day is coming... Keep it in mind.

I repeat, what a great city.

[image from thedinges.blogspot.com]

I was pleased to find out that the Wafels and Dinges truck has a regular schedule. I thought it was just one of those great and magical coincidences that one could happen upon this fabulous Belgian dessert truck operated by Chef Thomas Degeest. But no, there is method to the magic. For your future reference:

• Mon: day off
• Tues-Fri (8am- 5pm): Park Avenue and 21st Street, in front of the Sovereign Bank
• Tues-Fri (6pm - 8pm): 14th Street in front of Trader Joe's at 3rd Avenue
• Sat-Sun: Broadway and 74th Street (at Fairway Supermarket)

New York is a great city. Where else can you happen upon a Belgian Wafel truck, a Dosa Man, a Mud Truck, a Dessert Truck, a Treats Truck, and countless other brilliantly concise business ventures, on wheels or not, that bring joy to the masses? I ask you.

The week before Christmas, I had a rare desire to bake: Christmas tree-shaped cookies, decorated with various tasty colorful toppings like rainbow sprinkles, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, crushed candy canes, crushed cinnamon candy, you get the idea. And so I went right to marthastewart.com to investigate cookie recipes. Did you know that the site features a different cookie each day during the holiday season? I think Martha should continue Cookie of the Day for the whole year. I personally would return everyday, or at least every week, to see what's new in the world of cookies.

We chose the Spicy Chocolate Sandwich Cookie, unsandwiched and unfilled, for our colorful cookie-cutter Christmas tree cookies. I became inspired to bake after I saw Martha create some overly-elaborate but quite wonderful gingerbread cookies with Isaac Mizrahi on the show. Poor Isaac could barely get a word in edgewise, but the cookies turned out fantastically. On our own baking day, I wanted to deviate from the recipe in all sorts of ways, because that is just my way, but my husband wouldn't let me. I did, however, add extra espresso powder and cinnamon when he wasn't looking.

The cookie project, which included gathering supplies and ingredients in mid-town Manhattan and two neighborhoods in Brooklyn, cookie-cuttering the trees, decorating and baking them (in our Brooklyn oven) took two rather full days. We walked many miles to buy a rolling pin, Christmas tree cookie cutters and parchment paper, burning off calories in advance of the tasting fun which was to follow. But after the baking was done, we were left a little cookied-out, with many more cookies than anyone could imagine. A little overwhelmed, we ate one each and decided they were a total failure. But after some distance from our mega-batch, we now think they are delicious, a bit quirky, but tasty. My husband thinks that Martha would not approve. I probably agree.

days later, the Christmas tree cookies, now accepted as valid,
proudly pose for a picture

Galaktoboureko. Now that is a great name for a dessert. 'The best dessert in the whole Galaxy' is how I like to think of this Greek dessert which combines a semolina custard, flaky phyllo dough and honey drizzle. Yum! Here is a recipe. Not that I am suggesting you make one. I am suggesting that you take yourself to Astoria and share a galaktoboureko and a frappe at an outdoor cafe with the one you love. I did!