Fatties in Manhatty....Part 2

Okay so the donuts were a little disappointing so we made our way back to Soho to eat something familiar, Ruben's Empanadas. You can't mess with those. Of course we weren't really that hungry even though we took our time getting to Ruben's. So we got those to go. They have all the same varieties I remember but I got my two favs, Beef and Spicy Chicken. I had one of the two beefs heated up in case I was tempted soon for a little snack. It wasn't until later on our trek that I ate most of it and shared some with Felice, after which we had to go back so she could get another to take home. So that should say it all. The beef empanada is a perfect combination of sweet and savory, incorporating onions and raisins and I'm sure a few secret ingredients. The crusty pocket that encases the meat is baked and really makes the portion very filling. They heat up very well in the oven so the next day for lunch I enjoyed the spicy chicken for lunch. (I know the pic is not very appealing but I promise you, the empanada was) I could eat these empanadas everyday if I didn't have to run for 1 hour on the treadmill to make room for them.

Fatties in Manhatty....Part 1

So Felice (my foodie buddy) and I are always talking about food; eating it, making it, the best place to get it. What better place to get the best and most diverse collection than NYC. And since I'm always reminiscing about the food I used to eat while working there, why not take a trip down to Soho to revisit all those great lunch places.
We took the Hudson line down to Grand Central and headed downtown on the N/R to Prince Street. From there we walked a short distance (basically across the street) to Balthazar's for Felice's belated birthday brunch. She'll be writing about that experience so we'll move on to our next location: Doughnut Plant. Located on what seems like a forever walk through little Italy and Chinatown, we made our way to Doughnut Plant to feast on deliciously gourmet fried dough. Donuts are my go to dessert; fried, covered in glaze or sugar, filled with cream or jelly, you can't go wrong. We were really looking forward to our sweet snack, even after our pretty filling brunch. There's still room for donuts.
So we bought several, some to take home, some to taste now. We tasted the chocolate glazed and Creme Brulee. I got a blueberry cake donut for Riley and Felice snagged another Creme Brulee for her mom. The Creme Brulee was small so we dogged that one right in the shop. Covered in caramel and filled with vanilla bean cream, it was really delicious. Not overly sweet, the cream really balanced the caramel. That was gone in two bites. Very satisfying. So as we walked down the street off to our next destination we split the chocolate glazed and were somewhat disappointed. I think we had built up some great expectations for the most perfect donut and were hoping for soft, chewy and gourmet chocolaty. Instead it was a bit stale and the chocolate tasted like, well, like Dunkin Donuts chocolate glaze. Nothing special. So overall, I wouldn't make that long walk to 379 Grand Street again, maybe if you drove me there.

Coming soon.......

Fatties in Manhatty. Our trip thru Soho (or what's left of it) and my obsession with foods from 5 years ago. Balthazar's, grilled corn, donuts, empanadas, fish and chips; need I go on?

Grandma Adnams's Butter Tarts

So I hope its okay to post this recipe. It's really quite delicious and very simple to make. I had these last year when we visited Derek's grandparents up in Canada. His grandmother loved filling me up with her desserts and I happily ate them, and Derek's too since he doesn't really like sweets. She gave me her recipe and I made them for Derek's dad for Father's Day. I hope they reminded him of home. They're like little sticky, buttery pecan pies.

• 1 egg (lightly beaten)
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
  
• 1/4 c. light corn syrup
• 1/4 T. vinegar
• 1/2 t. vanilla
  
• 1/4 c. melted butter
  
• 1/4 c. dried fruit (I used raisins)
• 1/4 c. chopped nuts (I used pecans)
• defrosted pie dough sheets OR pastry shells
  

Preheat oven to 425. Whisk egg thru nuts in bowl till combined. If you have pastry shells, place in small muffin tin and pour egg mixture to top. If you are using pie dough, unroll sheets on floured surface. Using 2-1/2" circle cookie cutter, cut circles and press into greased small muffin tin being sure to leave a little dough above surface in case it bakes over. Pour egg mixture into dough lined tins to top. Makes about 15. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes till crust is golden. Let cool and carefully scoop out. Eat.