Heads & Tales: Eating and Drinking My Way Through New York

I'm back home in Toronto after a thrilling week in New York City spent exploring this great city, meeting new friends and eating and drinking up all along the way. The opportunity to stay in New York City (affordably) is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I savoured each of my days in the Big Apple.

A few weeks ago while I was on Twitter and reading my friends' updates, did I perk up and read of an offer to stay in New York with the mere caveat of tending to someone's dog in their absence.

Personal Chef Mark Tafoya of the Remarkable Palate was the fellow who extended his generosity to me by offering up his home for the week and allowing me to explore New York in leisurely seven days.

The only "catch" was that I had to watch his doggy, Stiva during his absence. Mark was also the bearer of good fortune by receiving an invite to attend a food blogging forum in Indonesia. This arrangement proved to be a "win-win" for both Mark and myself.

I would like to thank Mark for his immense generosity and for giving me the week in New York that filled me with fond memories of the city, meeting new friends and enjoying some great food and drink during my stay.

Of the course of the next few days, I'm going to share with you my experiences and cooking inspiration triggered by my glorious trip to New York - enjoy!

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I arrived in New York City on an overcast afternoon that was unseasonally mild and rainy. After settling in to the apartment, I bought some groceries, plotted my week ahead in New York and set out immediately on Friday night to explore the city.

First stop? Times Square. This "crossroads of America" still thrills me with all the lights, the many people who come here from all around the world and the sheer energy of it all.

Although New York City and Times Square are safer than ever, I got this sense of "Disney New York", what with the big-name stores all around and the presence of families and children all around.

I felt a little like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and her famous line, "this don't look like Kansas, Toto"!

Traveling through New York is best done by subway...it's cheap, it's serviced well by a vast train and bus infrastructure and once is always entertained....take a look at the breakdancing!

Friday night was pretty mellow and it was more about getting my bearings straight, learning the subway system and resting up for a busy week ahead. I'll be writing about each of my days in New York in the coming days and more photos will be uploaded in my Facebook profile.

If you're a Facebook member, look for me and view all my photos of New York along the way (there's a Facebook link on the right column of my blog) and if you're not...what are you waiting for?

In the meantime, sit back and let me make you a Greek coffee. For those not in the know, a Greek coffee is brewed in a small briki which is filled with a demi-tasse measurement of water, finely ground roasted coffee and sugar to taste is added to the mix.

The coffee is then brewed on the stovetop (over a watchful eye) and as soon as the coffee is a bout to come to a boil, the briki is quickly removed and the coffee is poured into the demi-tasse cup.

One accompaniment with a Greek coffee is a paximadi and the other favourite of mine are Koulourakia.

Koulourakia are a twisted butter cookie which are easy to make, not expensive, last long in storage and yes...wonderful for dunking in coffee.

There are many small variances to the Koulourakia recipe but this is our family's and naturally, my favourite.

Get a pen and paper and jot down these easy instructions on how to make Greek Koulourakia...

Koulourakia (κουλουράκια)

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening (Crisco)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 shot of Ouzo
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups of flour
eggwash
sesame seeds

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Add the butter, shortening and sugar in a bowl and cream together with your hand mixer. Now slowly add the oil and continue to cream.
2. Add eggs one at a time and continue mixing. Now add the milk and Ouzo and again mix until incorporated.
3. Sift your dry ingredients and add the dry to wet ingredients (use your hands to incorporate the mixture). Your dough should be very soft.
4. Form the twists but pinching a piece of dough about the size of a walnut. Now roll out with your hand and then fold in half and twist into form. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat until all the dough has been formed into Koulourakia.
5. Whisk an egg with some milk and brush the cookies with eggwash and sprinkle each cookie with some sesame seeds.
6. Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven (middle rack) for about 10-15 minutes or until golden. Carefully remove the cookies from the baking trays and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks.

Greek Coffee (Ελληνικός καφές)

In my last entry, I told you have I've cut smoking but I still have plenty of other sins such as drinking alcohol, decadent foods (and other things your dad warned you about).

For about a month now I've been exclusively drinking Greek coffee. I've rediscovered Greek coffee and I've been enjoying making it:

the ritual watching over the coffee coming to a boil, of waiting for the coffee grounds to settle and then, sipping it until you taste the mud at the bottom.

Greek coffee is a strong brew, served with foam on top (Kai-maki) and the coffee grounds on the bottom. One is served a Greek coffee in a demi-tasse cup (like an espresso cup).

In Greece, the ritual of drinking Greek coffee occurs twice a day. The first Greek coffee is sipped in the morning as a jolt to wake up the the morning and the second jolt comes after waking up
from the afternoon siesta or "mesimerianos ipnos".

Greek coffee is always served with a tall glass of cold water and a small cookie lika a Koulouraki or sweet on the side, like a biscotti (Paximathi), Melomekarena or in this case, Amygdalota.

Greek coffee is easy to make. You'll need to buy Greek coffee, which is a fine grind and you'll find in small, vacuum packed bags at most stores that sell Greek food and drink items.

To make Greek coffee, you'll need a briki, cold water, sugar and of course, the coffee. Greek coffee can be made in four different ways. It can be sketos (without sugar, strong and bitter), metrios (medium, usually with one teaspoonful of sugar), glykys or vari glykos (almost honey-sweet) and glykys vrastos - sweet but boiled more then once so it loses most of its froth.

Depending on which kind of Greek Coffee you like, measure and add into the briki the coffee, a teaspoonful of coffee per cup, and the sugar. For a medium coffee the best balance is to add the same amount of sugar as coffee. For a medium coffee the best balance is to add the same amount of sugar as coffee.

Greek Coffee (Ελληνικός καφές)

• Greek coffee
• Sugar (if used)
• A briki (μπρίκι)
• Demitasse cups
• Cold water
• Water glasses

1. Using the demi-tasse cup, measure the amount of cold water will need to make your servings of coffee and add the appropriate amount of sugar (you can only make one kind per order).
2. Using a spoon, stir to dissolve the coffee and sugar in the water. Place the briki on your flame and watch over your coffee closely (do not leave it alone).
3. You want to serve Greek coffee with the foam (kai-maki) and as soon as you start to see the coffee rise and foam, quickly take the briki off the heat and pour into your guests' demi-tasses.
4. Serve with a glass of cold water and a cookie or a sweet.

Tiramisu

I know there are many Tiramisu recipes out there but I have to add mine to the roster of recipes. It has to be one of my favourite desserts to eat. It's easy to make, delicious and a crowd pleaser.

What I don't understand is how can so many people screw it up? Oh yes, I've tried Tiramisus with sponge cake, with too much alcohol or dry cookies in them.

Keep the Tiramisu simple. You can try different flavours with it but please, don't overdo it. With Tiramisu...less is more.

Before I go on with the recipe, I want to share a quote from the recipe card I have for the Tiramisu:

Rich and delicate at the same time, this Italian dessert is redolent of coffee and Marsala, and blessed with a light, creamy texture.

Tiramisu

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup strong black coffee, freshly made
6 Tbsp. Marsala or sweet sherry
Approx. 16 Savoiardi lady finger cookies
3 fresh eggs, separated
pinch of nutmeg
1 cup Mascarpone cheese
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
cocoa powder

1. Spoon half of the sugar to the coffee and stir until dissolved. Add the Marsala or Sherry.
2. Dip half the lady fingers in the coffee & Marsala mixture and arrange in the base of an 8" X 5" serving dish.
   
3. Beat the egg yolks and nutmeg with the remaining sugar until the mixture has thickened, then stir in the Mascarpone.
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the Mascarpone mixture into the egg whites. Spoon half over the lady fingers and smooth the top with a spatula.
5. Dip the remaining lady fingers in the reamining coffee & Marsala mixture and arrange in the dish. Yop with remanining Mascarpone mixture and smooth the top.
6. Let it chill overnight for the flavours to marry. Before serving, sprinkle with grated chocolate and a dusting of cocoa powder.