Snappy Sushi

Snappy Sushi is a relative newcomer to the Boston scene. It has several locations in the greater metro area and an outpost in Davis Square opened a few months ago. Today, I sampled its fare for the first time.Snappy has an unusual spin: all of its dishes are made with high-quality Koshihikari brown rice. This partially-milled whole grain brown rice is rich in vitamins and minerals and serves as a natural digestive aid. I love sushi (and I've even made it myself), but I had never before encountered brown rice sushi. I was hesitant: would its nutty flavor and somewhat crunchy texture overpower the other ingredients? Would it render an unpalatable flax seed granola aftertaste?

True to its name, the Spicy Salmon-Avo Roll was an inside-out roll with salmon and avocado. The brown rice differs in mouth-feel and taste from white rice, but it didn't discernibly clash with rest of the ingredients. However, it lacked the heat of most spicy sushi sauces:The "fancy" Crispy Eel Roll consisted of eel, avocado, cucumber, and flying fish roe rolled together and topped with crunchy tempura bits and eel sauce. I would've appreciated more eel and less eel mayonnaise and weird cereal-esque topping, but, on the whole, it was still tasty:I had heard mixed opinions about Snappy Sushi. To its credit, it's decidedly cheaper than most other sushi bars and restaurants in the area. My grade? It's somewhere between a B and a B+. In no way is this as tasty as "regular" sushi. However, it's a little easier on your wallet and a little better for your body, so I welcome its attempt to broaden the spectrum of sushi options.

Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie

According to The New York Times, Levain Bakery on the Upper West Side is home to "the largest, most divisive chocolate chip cookies in Manhattan."

Levain's cookies were featured on a Food Network episode of "Throwdown with Bobby Flay;" true to form, the chocolate chip walnut bested Flay's offering. My friend Emily and my sister have raved about them for quite some time, so I figured it was my turn to sample the massive, ooey-gooey treat.

Recently, I swung by the basement bakery and picked up 8 of their famed cookies:

This year's Zagat Survey ranked Levain as the #1 destination for cookies. Bakers weigh the dough on a scale before hand-forming each cookie. Each cookie clocks in at a massive 6 ounces--that's nearly half a pound apiece!I was not disappointed. These cookies are crunchy on the outside with a molten chocolate center. Hail the nearest cab and head to Levain to join in on the cookie craze!

Boston Organics

I'll soon be moving out of the area, but there are many things I'll miss about Boston. Case in point: the amazing Boston Organics independent organic produce delivery service that I used. For two years, I had 100% USDA certifed organic local and fair trade fruits and veggies dropped off at my doorstep every week.

The friendly Boston Organic staff assemble the weekly boxes for you and select the freshest produce available. Although you can't control everything that goes into your box, you can log in online and check off which items you prefer to receive. Each week, you can opt to add on seasonal items, like soy nut butters, pickles, eggs, chocolate, onions, jams, and breads. I usually added a preservative-free Nashoba Brook Whole Wheat Half Deli loaf to my order:Boston Organics provides both a weekly e-mail newsletter and a paper copy to its customers. It is full of reader-submitted recipes and information about the origins of the produce. The writers also provide helpful tips on how to best store and prepare your goods:I had a $29 box--half vegetable, half fruit--delivered every other week. In the summer, I increased delivery to a weekly basis. The boxes are $29, $39, and $57, respectively. You can decide whether you'd prefer to receive all fruit, all veggies, or a fixed ratio of both. Recently, they created a $45 "office box" and a $57 "family box" for individuals with specific needs. This is a delivery I received a few weeks ago:To give you an idea, this is the approximate content of this week's $29 1/2 fruit 1/2 vegetable box:

1.5 lbs Bananas
1 Grapefruit
0.5 lbs Kiwis
2 Nectarines
3 Paula Red Apples (locally grown)
2 Valencia Oranges
2 Yellow Peaches
1 Avocado
1 Cucumbers (locally grown)
1 Green Bell Pepper (from PA)
1 bunch Red Kale (locally grown)
1 head Romaine/Leaf Lettuce (locally grown)
0.75 lbs yellow/green Summer Squash (locally grown)
2 ears of Supersweet Corn (locally grown)

Having a constant supply of fresh produce helped me to stay healthy and nutritionally-balanced during college. Boston Organics does not charge a delivery, start-up, or cancellation fee, so it truly is a risk-free venture. It has prompt and excellent customer service, and I would highly recommend it to anyone living in the greater Boston area!

Dave's Fresh Pasta

Today, I had lunch with Chloe, one of my friends from college. We met up at Dave's Fresh Pasta in Davis Square, a beloved off-campus wine bar/specialty food store/lunch counter. In addition to churning out multiple types of fresh pasta and sauce every day, Dave's offers a wide variety of interntationally-sourced cheeses, wines, olives, dips, appetizers, breads, sauces, and chocolates for the discerning gourmand. The store provides catering services and occasional wine and culinary classes. We love their sandwiches and salads!

I ordered one of the paninis of the day, The Bresaola. According to Wikipedia (that pantheon of accurate information!), "Bresaola is air-dried salted beef that has been aged about 2-3 months until it becomes hard and a dark red, almost purple colour. It is made from eye of round and is lean and tender with a sweet, musty smell. It originated in Valtellina, a valley in the Alps of northern Italy's Lombardy region."To combat the saltiness of the beef, the panini was outfitted with green apple slices, Fontina cheese, extra virgin olive oil, greens, and a balsamic vinegar reduction. I washed it down with a Sparkling Blackberry Izze. Perfection!

Summer Fruit Crostata

Lately, my mom has taken to making variations on this crostata several times per month. It's a simple recipe, and it's a great way to use up leftover ripe fruit. You can substitute whatever fruit you prefer; I made a crostata with black plums, pluots, and peaches. This recipe comes from Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa At Home."

One of crostata's many charms is its rustic appearance. My mom prefers to pinch the pastry edges, tart-style, while I prefer to roughly overlap the pastry dough to help seal in the bubbling fruit juices. Just as with the filling, feel free to experiment with the presentation. This is delicious served hot with vanilla ice cream.

SUMMER FRUIT CROSTATA

For the pastry (makes 2 crostatas):

2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c granulated or superfine sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 lb (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
6 tbs (3 oz) ice water

For the filling (makes 1 crostata):

1 lb firm, ripe peaches, peeled
1/2 lb firm, ripe black plums, unpeeled
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
1 tbs plus 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tbs plus 1/4 c granulated sugar
1/4 tsp grated orange zest
2 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4 tbs (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the buter and toss quickly (and carefully!) with your fingers to coat each cube of butter with the flour. Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, roll it into a ball, cut in half, and form into 2 flat disks. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour. If you only need one dough, freeze the second disk.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the pastry into an 11" circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to the sheet pan.

For the filling, cut the peaches and plums in wedges and place them in a bowl with the blueberries. Toss them with 1 tbs of the flour, 1 tbs of the sugar, the orange zest, and the orange juice. Place the mixed fruit on the dough circle, leavin a 1 1/2" border.

Combine the 1/4 c flour, the 1/4 c sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts to hold together. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Gently fold the border of the pastry over the fruit, pleating it to make an edge.

Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. Let the crostata cool for 5 minutes then use 2 large spatulas to transfer it to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Challah French Toast

I picked up a loaf of challah at my farmers' market and have been using it to make Challah French Toast. I even eat it for dinner!

The following is an Ina Garten "Barefoot Contessa" recipe; however, I scale it down to make fewer servings. You can use regular large eggs and adjust the recipe according to your taste. When the challah is soaked in the egg mixture it becomes very delicate, so be careful transferring it to the pan or else the slice may tear.

CHALLAH FRENCH TOAST

makes 8 large slices

6 extra-large eggs
1 1/2 c half-and-half or milk
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbs good honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 large loaf challah or brioche bread
Unsalted butter
Vegetable oil

To serve:
Pure maple syrup
Good raspberry preserves (optional)
Sifted confectioners' sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, orange zest, vanilla, honey, and salt. Slice the challah in 3/4" thick slices. Soak as many slices in the egg mixture as possible for 5 minutes, turning once.Heat 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Place the cooked French toast on a sheet pan and keep it warm in the oven. Fry the remaining soaked bread slices, adding butter and oil as needed, until it's all cooked. Serve hot with maple syrup, raspberry preserves, and/or confectioners' sugar.

Farmers' Market Salad

As I discussed in a previous entry, I think it's important to support local farmers and sustainable agricultural practices. Every week, I frequent the local farmers' market to purchase organic produce and freshly-baked goods.

Today, my purchases included romaine lettuce, Brandywine and Rome heirloom tomatoes, and a log of goat cheese. The cheese was produced on a pristine farm with 70 Alpine and Saanen goats. Happily, it's free of antibiotic residue and synthetic hormones, and it's super rich and creamy.

I like to do variations on a Caprese salad, so I whipped up a Farmers' Market salad with the lettuce, tomatoes, goat cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Climate Change Chocolate

I helped my housemate Ty prepare for his Human Nutrition final. In return, he gifted me with this adorably packaged, eco-friendly candy bar: Climate Change Chocolate.Now, I'm never one to feel guilty when I eat chocolate. After all, I'm from Hershey, PA! Yet Climate Change Chocolate is more than just a sugary snack: it reduces your carbon footprint, thereby compensating for your daily carbon consumption. According to Bloomsberry, the distributor, "America's current average per-capita share of global warming emissions is 133 lbs of CO2 per day. For every chocolate bar purchased TerraPass will purchase 133 lbs of verified carbon offsets."The chocolate bar itself is wrapped in a whimsical, recyclable paper. As you can see, the wrapping features friendly tips on how to live an eco-friendly lifestyle and reduce energy consumption. What a clever idea!This superhero of a milk chocolate bar combats environmental degradation, encourages conscious consumers, and, most importantly, tastes great!

Hot Crab Dip

I'm not a fan of Paula Deen, but, when it comes to fat-laden, butter-oozing recipes, few can compete with her Southern-fried expertise. My sister recently requested a warm crab dip and found this recipe from "Paula's Home Cooking." Truth be told: this dip will clog your arteries, induce coronary disease, take years off your life...and be totally worth it, it's that darn good.

I prefer a milder dip, so I left out the hot pepper sauce and substituted Monterey Jack cheese for the recommended pepper jack. I served this with plain Stacy's Pita Chips and sliced French bread.

HOT CRAB DIP

makes 4 cups

1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat, free of shells
1 c grated pepper jack cheese
3/4 c mayonnaise
1/4 c grated Parmesan
1/4 c green onions, minced, optional
5 to 6 roasted garlic cloves or 2 cloves minced
3 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs fresh lemon or lime juice
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all of the ingredients in a casserole and gently stir until thoroughly mixed. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve hot with crackers or toast points.

U-GRO Cookbook

I attended U-GRO preschool for three years, and one of my prized relics from that era is a Mother's Day cookbook that my classmates and I compiled. We dictated our favorite recipes and our teachers transcribed the hilarious results. Granted, we were all about 4 years old at the time, so you might not want to use these measurements in your home kitchen.

This is the outside of the heart-shaped cookbook (adorned with my artistic scribbles):I now present "Hamburgers" by Katie Winter:1 circle-shaped hamburger roll from Fox's Market
1 tomato
1 lettuce--the whole thing
1 cheddar cheese--you need it in a square. It comes already sliced.

Put the whole tomato on the roll, then the whole lettuce, then the cheese. You bake it for a few minutes in a hot oven--one million degrees. You put the circle kind of meat in the oven on the rack. Cook it two minutes. Take it out of the oven. Put the hamburger on the roll. Put it on a plate and let it wait for a few minutes. I eat it with french fries.

The following are some of my favorite entries. "Peas" by a classmate:"Meatballs" as envisioned by another peer:And "Oatmeal" described in exacting detail:

Chocohotopots

Nigella Lawson's children helped her to come up with the name for this ooey-gooey hot dessert, a form of pots de chocolat.

CHOCOHOTOPOTS

makes 4 servings (2/3-1 c ramekins)

1 stick plus 1 tbs unsalted butter
4 oz semisweet chocolate with 60% cocoa solids
2 eggs
3/4 c superfine sugar
3 tbs all-purpose flour

Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat it to 400 degrees. Butter the ramekins with 1 tbs butter. In a microwave, melt the dark chocolate and 1 stick butter, then set aside to cool. In another bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar and flour with a hand whisk and beat in the cooled butter and chocolate mixture.Divide the mixture among the 4 buttered ramekins.Bake for about 20 minutes, by which time the tops will be cooled and cracked and the chocolate gooey underneath.

Place each ramekin on a small plate with a teaspoon and serve. These desserts will be HOT!

Susan and Gracie's Amazing Butter Cookies

Since I was in middle school, I've been a huge fan of The Talent Family--i.e., Amy and David Sedaris. Amy, the star of Comedy Central's short-lived "Strangers with Candy," penned a hysterical cookbook/hospitality guide/coffee table book/humor anthology entitled "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence." The following is a melt-in-your-mouth recipe for butter cookies. You can add food coloring and/or sprinkles to the frosting.

SUSAN AND GRACIE'S AMAZING BUTTER COOKIES

1 1/3 c unsalted butter
1 1/3 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
8 tsp milk
4 c flour
3 tsp baking powder

For the frosting:

1 box confectioners' sugar
1/4 c half and half
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate overnight.

Roll dough out (I use 2 pieces of wax paper and a rolling pin, floured if needed) and use cookie cutter to make your shapes. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes at 375 degrees.

Get your cookies to room temperature and refrigerate overnight. Frost cookies next day and place the cookies back in refrigerator for another night until the frosting hardens on cookie. You cannot eat enough of these.