October 28, 2010 12:47 pm
Mac & Cheese: We've baked it, we've melted it in a pot and cooked it from a box. We eat it the next day, cold, we crave it hot, we even desire it on pizza!
But if you're a connoisseur of macaroni, you'll need to try it at Wall & Water at the Andaz Wall Street Hotel. Chef Maximo Lopez May, the nicest man in the world, has created a take on the traditional cheesy pasta that is completely out of this world. It comes straight to your table in the same cast-iron pot it was baked in to insure ultimate, blisteringly hot cheesiness in every delectable bite.
You can make this at home simply by following Chef Maximo's recipe. Tip: He insists that the mushrooms must be really, really good in order for this dish to soar, so make sure they're cleaned with a damp cloth and sliced thinly before adding. Chef Maximo also suggests using chanterelle or trumpet mushrooms, but only if they are in season! Vary your recipe based on the types of mushrooms available at your local market.
Make this during the fall for your dinner guests or just in a singular pot for yourself! It's almost too good to share...
Photo credit: Syndicate PR
— Written by Kaitlin A. Lipe
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Tags : cheese, mac, pot, cook, fall, dinner, chef maximo lopez may, andaz hotel, wall and water
October 21, 2010 1:09 pm
After a long morning of filming kitchen and cocktail demos at the newly opened Andaz 5th Avenue yesterday morning, the Behind the Burner team was tired...not to mention hungry. Lucky for us, we had been shooting in the gorgeous open kitchen of the Andaz's Shop Restaurant, where the smells of freshly baking breads and pastries had been tempting us all morning. Enter the Fig and Pecorino Romano Cheese Tart, the perfect mid-morning snack.
Combining the words "cheese" and "tart" in the same sentence is generally enough to make me want to devour whatever is being offered, and this treat was certainly no exception. A fragrant tart shell flavored with vanilla and almond held a layer of juicy, caramelized figs which were topped off with a shaving of sharp and salty Pecorino Romano cheese. This combination of fruit, nuts and cheese is simultaneously light and rich, while the contrasting sweet and salty flavors made the fruit taste even more intense. With freshly baked pastries like these only blocks away from our new offices, mind-morning hunger will no longer be a problem for the BTB team.
The Shop Restaurant
485 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10017
212.601.1234
Photo credit: Behind the Burner
— Written by Lisa Curry
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Tags : Fig, Pecorino Romano, Cheese, Tart, The Shop, Andaz 5th Avenue, Lisa Curry
October 12, 2010 10:35 am
I've always liked my cheese the way I like my wit: sharp. In fact, the sharper the better; I want to pucker my lips with each bite. Seriously Sharp Cheddar from Cabot satisfies all my needs and keeps me guessing as the flavors are never the same brick to brick. This cheese is what happens when sharp goes south and extra sharp takes a turn for the worst, a real kick-in-the-face flavor with each bite. My favorite part? The wrapper bedecked in plaid. The cheese was originally made for truckers and hunters heading out of town...so it makes sense.
Tip: Top a cracker with Seriously Sharp and a little mango chutney for a flavor war where everyone wins.
Photo credit: Cabot.com
— Written by Kaitlin A. Lipe
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Tags : cheese, seriously, sharp, cabot, cracker
August 31, 2010 8:25 am
It's not just the clever name that has me hooked to Wrath Rosé Saignée, but a sweet world of flavor. Created and bottled by Wrath Wines in Soledad, CA, this sustainably farmed varietal is composed of 100% Pinot Noir grapes. Aged for six months in French oak barrels, Wrath Pinot Noir has a profound nose of red berry flavors including strawberries with hints of rhubarb.
The best part about Wrath? Its incredibly odd, slightly dark label which brings about memories of In Cold Blood scenes. The Edward Gorey like sketch of a house in the middle of nowhere makes the Rosé both beautiful and intriguing at the same time.
Tip: Enjoy this Rosé chilled with a delicious chèvre goat cheese, whole grain crackers and a dimming sunset view from your porch. Don't have a porch? Head to Bryant Park (or any drive-in) to take in a film during the summer months and enjoy a smooth glass of Wrath. No pun intended.
Photo credit: wrathwines.com
— Written by Kaitlin A. Lipe
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Tags : oak, barrels, rose, saignee, nose, berry, strawberries, rhubarb, chevre, goat, cheese, crackers, porch, bryant, park, drive-in, glass, Wrath
June 9, 2010 8:15 am
It didn't take long for me to spot sausage vendors on every street corner in Vienna during my travels abroad. So when I finally decided it was time to try this meaty wonder, I prayed the one selling the sausage spoke a tiny bit of English. And that he did. We discussed my options, as I wanted my first Bavarian sausage to be just right (who knew sausages came in such varieties?). He then pointed out that if I like cheese, I should go with the K__. Or at least that's the only part I understood from this enigma of a language. Luckily, he still picked a winner.
The Käsekrainer is a variation of Slovenian sausage that has now become popular in Austrian and German sausage stands. It can be boiled, baked or grilled and is served with either a big piece of dark bread, or on a hot dog. By hot dog, the Germans mean bun (go figure!). The bun is a bit shorter than a French baguette and is poked through the center to make a hole. The hole is then filled with sweet or spicy mustard and ketchup.
Tip: This sausage is served best with curry on top. If you're me, you'll enjoy the flavor crazed trio of curry, ketchup and mustard atop your juicy sausage.
About two months later, I found myself in Munich, Germany. This was even more of a sausage heaven. We made a stop immediately after arriving, and there was little thought involved. First stop, sausage stand. Excited and starved, we approached the first vendor. My friend got a curry wurst, but I was sticking to my new sausage love. I still didn't know how to pronounce the darn thing, but I sure could eat it. “Can I help you?” the vendor asked in broken English. I responded, “I'll have the one that starts with the K.”
Photo credit: Joanna Weinstein
— Written by Joanna Weinstein
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Tags : german sausage, austrian sausage, behind the burner, Joanna Weinstein, cheese, meat
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