The Brooklyn, N.Y., cheesecake institution Junior's, founded in downtown Brooklyn in 1950, prides itself as "New York's Best Cheesecake," but it's now scrambling to clean up its reputation after photographs posted on the Internet over the weekend show some rodents enjoying a snack in the bakery's window display.
'The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook'
Recipes by Tarek Malouk and the Hummingbird Bakers
Photographs by Peter Cassidy
Rylan Peters & Small -- 2009 Buy it on Amazon
Once a journalist, London-based writer Tarek Malouk forsook his career to indulge his love of American desserts. As visions of cupcakes, pies and brownies pranced in his head, he enrolled in baking classes in New York and returned to London, eager to open a restaurant to showcase his cherished treats.
Though one might typically be hard-pressed to picture a hard-nosed journalist convert to cooking and create such a loving, warm cookbook, Malouk successfully conveys his love and appreciation for the range of American desserts in "The Hummingbird Cookbook."
See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
Luggage Wedding Cake made by Palermo Bakery. Photo: Kristyn Mednik
Pack your bags for the latest trend in killer wedding cakes.
Slashfood's sister site, Stylelist, reports on the growing trend of luggage-shaped cakes.
This fondant luggage cake was inspired by vintage luggage from Louis Vuitton and Goyard and created by New Jersey-based Palermo Bakery.
"It's becoming a big trend," bakery owner Joanne Bruno tells Stylelist. "We do two or three a month, for sure. It's popular for bridal showers, not just weddings. People are really into the luggage thing!"
What do you think? Are luggage cakes here to stay? Let us know in the comments below.
After going into bankruptcy and closing its doors last October, cookie company Archway has been resuscitated.
Lance Inc. (of snack food fame) purchased Archway in December of last year, getting the Archway factory in Ashland, Ohio, back up and running as quickly as possible, an Archway spokeswoman tells Slashfood. Lance has since rehired most of its former employees and is in the process of rejuvenating the iconic brand, while staying true to the original recipes.
Thankfully we have discovered that the folks at Brooklyn's renowned shop Baked have been serving these delicious brownie-cookie-cake hybrids to Muggles under the extremely suspicious name of "Black Forest Cookies" for years, but they are well-known to wizards by their real name: Cauldron Cakes.
Easily stackable for that train ride to Hogwarts, these Cakes are utterly worthy of defending via wand-wielding showdowns, sword battles with giant water snakes, etc. The surfaces of the decadent treats become cratered and volcanic after a whirl in the oven, and bubble as if they've emerged straight from a cauldron. Break them apart to reveal a moist, dark-as-night center the texture of a brownie. It must be magic.
Eating one feels slightly wicked. Eating two is downright evil. Ten points to Slytherin, indeed.
Cauldron Cakes recipe courtesy of the magicians at Baked, after the jump.
"Babycakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery"
By Erin McKenna
Photographs by Tara Donne Clarkson Potter -- 2009 Buy It at Amazon
Note: While testing the vanilla frosting recipe, we accidentally used soy flour instead of the the soy milk powder the recipe called for. The two are easily confused but not interchangeable, as our results demonstrated.
When Erin McKenna opened BabyCakes NYC in 2005, her gluten-free, vegan baked goods became a huge success, giving hope to the gluten-intolerant and converting legions of dairy-worshipping skeptics. Her new cookbook is both a how-to guide and winning, chatty account of McKenna's journey from junk food junkie to gluten-free goddess (she changed her Twinkie-loving ways in 2004, when she was diagnosed with wheat and dairy allergies). Pretty much everything in the baked good pantheon is here -- cupcakes, blueberry corn muffins, scones, cake and cobbler -- ensuring that while the gluten and dairy may be missing, absolutely nothing else is.
Takeaway Tips: McKenna writes in a clear, humorous and reassuring voice that makes you feel like you're baking in the company of, if not an old friend, then an endlessly understanding and forgiving teacher. She provides ingenious advice on making simple, natural food coloring (who knew that a pinch of turmeric made gorgeous yellow icing?), and her incredibly helpful ingredients glossary at the beginning of the book (from agave nectar to xantham gum) removes a lot of the considerable intimidation factor inherent in gluten-free, vegan baking.
See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
We can't swear to it, but we suspect that this Momofuku Milk Bar Volcano was sent here from Planet Chang either to teach us or to enslave us. We can't be certain of its purpose, but what we do know is that all the breakfast food bravado we've flaunted up to this point -- Brooklyn deli egg and cheese bombs, full-on Irish black and white pudding spreads, Meatnormous® BK sammies and half-sow Bellagio Buffet crepes laid waste to in short order -- meant diddly squat as we stood at the Volcano's lip and by God, were afraid.
Chef David Chang's co-conspiritor Christina Tosi works the sweet end of the Momofuku Ssam Bar's East Village space at Milk Bar, turning out scrumdiddilyumtious sun-dense cornflake-chocolate chip cookies, dentist-scoffing Crack Pie and soft-serve cereal milk ice creams by the bucketload. We thought we had her all figured out, and there she had to go tossing out double-dog-dare words like "savory" and "volcano." Dang.
Turns out the steaming, softball-sized item is essentially a knish stuffed to rumbling with potato gratin, Gruyere, Benton's bacon, caramelized onions and a good 20 or so minutes off the average human's lifespan. No worries -- contrary to today's New York Times' $25 and Under assessment, we found its hefty, tangy slather of Mornay sauce to be more than adequate compensation for the latter.
We're not ashamed to admit that we were bested and could not conquer the Volcano in one sitting, or even without assistance from concerned colleagues, but we learned and we grew as people (or perhaps that last part was just our thighs.)
No matter. What we'd like to know is this -- how much can you manage to chow down in the morning? Are you after daybreak fare that sticks to your ribs or does coffee alone keep you fueled until lunchtime? Take the poll, and as always, comment away.
Eating pork buns (cha siu baau) is an excellent way to get a taste of New York's Chinatown. These warm buns -- either steamed or baked -- are full of savory barbecue meats, sometimes with scallions.
Last weekend, a friend and I decided we would eat our way through Chinatown by trying pork buns at various bakeries. And, what started out as a "pork bun journey" turned into an exploration of both savory and sweet buns, ranging from pork to red bean.
Fay Da Bakery, at 83 Mott St., has a variety of buns that you can select yourself with tongs when you enter the shop. While being underwhelmed by their pork buns, we were blown away with their sweet topping red-bean bun. The outside of the red-bean bun is coated in a flaky layer of sugar that balances marvelously with the doughy bun and the creamy red-bean paste.
Head directly to the Golden Fung Wong Bakery, at 41 Mott St., to try some of the best pork buns in Manhattan's Chinatown. Chunks of pork are flavored with a delicious mix of soy and oyster sauce. This bakery also sells an assortment of rice cakes and melon cakes that are worth trying.
I have always been a huge fan of deliciously rich and creamy whoopie pies. So, when I read the recent New York Times article about its current popularity among New Yorkers, I was not too surprised.
The article traces the history of this delectable to pockets of New England, Pennsylvania and Ohio. And, it explains that due to their gaining popularity, supermarkets like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and (specialty deli) Zingerman's sell them. But, my favorite spot for whoopie pies is at One Girl Cookies in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.
As food historian Sandra Oliver states, the cake part that sandwiches the cream is not especially sweet and is often dry, because the frosting, the heart of the whoopie, is full of sugar and a gooey consistency. This characterizes One Girl Cookies' luscious whoopie pies. There is an amazing balances between the frosting in the center and the light fluffy dry cookie/cake.
Perhaps, one of the reasons why they're so special is that cream cheese frosting is sandwiched between pumpkin cake (see the photo above).
You can purchase a dozen whoopie pies from One Girl Cookies online for $27. The Times mentions another pastry shop in Brooklyn with whoopie fever called Trois Pommes Patisserie.
When the San Francisco "data wrangler" decided to leave his job, he gave his notice on a vanilla sheet cake filled with Bavarian cream and fresh strawberries. Mmm, it turns out that the taste of resignation can be delicious.
"Dear Mr. Bowers," the cake began. "During the past three years, my tenure at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard has been nothing short of pure excitement, joy and whim.
"However, I have decided to spend more time with my family and attend to health issues that have recently arisen. I am proud to have been part of such an outstanding team and I wish this organization only the finest in future endeavors.
"Please accept this cake as notification that I am leaving my position with NWT on March 27."
Berrett tells Slashfood the cake – made by local bakery The Cake Gallery -- was well received, though he also included his resignation on paper.
These days the European Union is being looked at as an inept "taste police" by many chefs and food enthusiasts. While working in the cheese industry, I spoke with many French cheese makers who felt threatened by the strict laws regarding cheese aging facilities and feared anti-raw milk legislation. This week, bakers in Germany were angered by a proposed regulation on the salt content in their products.
An article from the New York Times states that Androulla Vassiliou, the European commissioner for health, decided on Wednesday to postpone making a decision on new regulations due to the intense reaction from the German bakers, represented by a federal association and by regional lobbies. Commission spokeswoman, Nina Papadoulaki, defends the EU by claiming, "Our aim is to provide consumers with better information so that they can make informed choices. The commission has no intentions of prohibiting any bread. We have decided to continue our talks with the stakeholders."
It seems that one of the major issues that's not being addressed by the EU, thus far, is the preservation of cultural traditions in the various EU countries. Culinary cultures that date back hundreds of years are at stake. The negligence on their part to fight to maintain cultural diversity within the EU is astonishing when related to food concerns. Perhaps, there needs to be another organization to express these issues to the EU. What do you think?
As she did in the companion volume on candy, Lou Seibert Pappas tackles Christmas sweets with The Christmas Cookie Book. If the rattling of cookie sheets and the shaking of sanding sugar stir the soul (not to mention the batter) of your inner sugar-plum fairy, then you will appreciate this book. As with its companion, the recipe is to lead off with techniques and some delightful Christmas cookie history, along with discussing the fine arts of decorating cookies, packing them for shipping and (my favorite) arranging them on a platter.
Pappas arranges the recipes into four sections: traditional cookies, family favorites, gift cookies and party cookies. Though each section contains standbys, the highlight is Pappas' gift for presenting ideas and recipes not everyone will have heard of. Most of us know that gingerbread (page 28) is traditional at the holidays, but did you know about the traditions of springerle (page 22), peppernuts (page 31), or Viennese bells (page 36)? Sugar cookies (page 40) and spritz (page 42, if you can lay your hands on your cookie press) and are de rigeur for holiday baking, but why not incorporate lemon wafers (page 45) or pepparkakor (page 44)? And whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, the Solstice or just calories, don't forget to put together a tray of coconut-orange macaroons (page 89).
Years ago, when I was preparing to propose to my wife, I worked with a goldsmith to design a beautiful engagement ring. However, given that I was popping the question in Poland, I thought it best to also pick up a cheaper ring that, while unique, was a bit less expensive. After all, losing a $100 ring while backpacking through Eastern Europe is tough, but losing one that cost a few thousand dollars would be hard to deal with.
Anyway, I decided on a simple silver ring with an engraved lyric on the outside. Since one of my wife's favorite songsmiths is 50 Cent, I chose one of his more famous lines (and one of her favorites) for the inscription. Unfortunately, Wal-Mart found the quote somewhat obscene, and refused to do the engraving. In fact, when I suggested the inclusion of ampersands, asterisks, and "at" signs in lieu of certain key letters, they (somewhat aggressively) asked me to leave the jewelry area.
With this in mind, I feel a certain kinship with poor Adolf Hitler Campbell, of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. A ShopRite in nearby Easton, Pennsylvania apparently refused to write the young boy's name on top of a cake, stating that the store reserves the right to refuse any inscription that they deem inappropriate. This is, apparently, the Campbells' third unsuccessful attempt to get the ShopRite to make a cake for their son; one time, they also asked to have a swastika included in the design.
I have been on a wild sugar kick the past couple of months. It started with demerara sugar. I used this sugar instead of ordinary white sugar or brown sugar, and I was shocked at the difference. The flavor was extraordinarily sweet and syrupy in a way I had never been used to in past culinary endeavors. What makes different sugars unique is how they're processed. For instance, demerara sugar is unrefined sugar coming from pressed sugar cane that's steamed .
Now, I'm on to the next sugar: muscovado. Muscovado is also unrefined but, compared to demerara, it has a more pronounced molasses flavor. Unlike brown sugar which is refined white sugar with molasses added to it, muscovado's brown color and flavor come directly from sugarcane juice. Recently, I have been using muscovado as a replacement for brown sugar. Its exquisite long lingering flavor makes it perfect for other rich flavors when baking ginger bread cookies, chocolate cakes, fudges, and much more.
Below are 8 ways to add muscovado sugar to a recipe next time your baking:
Tate's Bake Shop is a Hamptons-based company who makes cookies, brownies, cakes, and squares.
That's right. Squares. That's how quaint they are.
Inside Kathleen King's adorable yellow and turquoise Victorian-style shop in Southampton, sweet smells, smiling faces, and flowers abound. King grew up on a farm near Southampton and sold cookies from the age of 11 at her family's farm stand.
Tate's Bake Shop has a loyal following across the country. Their secret is in their simplicity. Quality products, nicely packaged, and as my friend Lora says: "By rich people, for rich people."
You can order the delicious cookies and other baked goods online here, for a wonderfully classy host gift or party favor for the holiday season.
"Babycakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery"
As she did in the companion volume on candy, Lou Seibert Pappas tackles Christmas sweets with The Christmas Cookie Book. If the rattling of cookie sheets and the shaking of sanding sugar stir the soul (not to mention the batter) of your inner sugar-plum fairy, then you will appreciate this book. As with its companion, the recipe is to lead off with techniques and some delightful Christmas cookie history, along with discussing the fine arts of decorating cookies, packing them for shipping and (my favorite) arranging them on a platter.
Years ago, when I was preparing to propose to my wife, I worked with a goldsmith to design a beautiful engagement ring. However, given that I was popping the question in Poland, I thought it best to also pick up a cheaper ring that, while unique, was a bit less expensive. After all, losing a $100 ring while backpacking through Eastern Europe is tough, but losing one that cost a few thousand dollars would be hard to deal with. 
Tate's Bake Shop is a Hamptons-based company who makes cookies, brownies, cakes, and squares.
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