Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Recipe

10 Sep 2009

Rosemary Apricot Bars

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For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with a suitable gift for my brother and his girlfriend to thank them for allowing The Astronomer and me to crash at their Lower East Side apartment. Cookbooks and restaurant certificates are usually my go-to gifts, but my brother’s the kind of guy who has everything, so this situation called for something more unique.

I decided to whip up a batch of Rosemary Apricot Squares because home baked goods have an awesome way of speaking louder than words. Plus, the clever combination of rosemary and apricot sounded intriguingly different and outrageously good. The recipe is from Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito of Baked, an innovative bakery in Red Hook, Brooklyn. I previously made their Root Beer Bundt Cake and Raspberry Crumb Breakfast Bars. This one is my favorite of the three.

2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
Salt
2 1/2 teaspoons minced rosemary
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature plus 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups dried California apricots
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brandy
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to hang over the edge.

In a small bowl, whisk 1 3/4 cups of the flour with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the rosemary. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the 1 1/2 sticks of butter with the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla at medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. At low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan; with lightly floured hands, press the dough evenly over the bottom. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.

Bake the crust for 30 minutes, until light golden. Transfer to rack and let cool, about 30 minutes.

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Now Closed

08 Sep 2009

Syrup Desserts – Los Angeles (Downtown)

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Remember that little statement I made in my Squid Ink profile about being the type of eater who waited for good reviews to roll in before slapping down my credit card to try a new restaurant? Well, there should have been an asterisk next to it. Positive buzz or not, I’ll be the first in line to test out a newly opened eatery if it specializes in Belgian waffles. While I’ve never had the pleasure of biting into a piping hot waffle on the streets of Belgium, I’ve tasted an adequate approximation stateside at Bonté in Philadelphia and have been enamored ever since.

When I received news that Syrup Desserts would be offering Belgian waffles in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, a huge smile swept across my face. It’s been years since I’ve experienced the crisp, chewy sweetness of a Belgian waffle and was giddy for another go.

My posse of late night revelers, including The Astronomer, Diana Takes a Bite, Eat, Sip, Chew, Naked Sushi, The Roaming Belly, and L.A. and O.C. Foodventures, arrived on the Syrup Desserts scene minutes before eleven. We’d just finished a night of celebrating and boozing at The Association and were ready for a sugary nightcap.

Syrup Desserts is a two-story temple of crepes, waffles, and sweet grilled cheese sandwiches. After placing our order at the counter—one waffle and one grilled cheese—we hoofed it to the second floor and settled into a table fit for six. The upstairs decor reminded me of a set from a Bunim/Murray production.

The Astronomer’s grilled Muenster cheese sandwich with blackberries and walnuts ($5.50) tasted much more impressive than it looked. The thin slices of white bread were smeared with butter and sprinkled with sugar, which created a toasty and caramelized exterior.

The innards spewed sweet berries and gooey cheese. The kitchen did not skimp on the fresh blackberries, which resulted in a sweet and savory amalgam of flavors. What a delight!

Syrup Desserts didn’t offer an unadorned Belgian waffle, so I went with a Blueberry Lemon Drop that was served with powdered sugar and whipped cream ($1.95). Upon receiving my waffle, I pushed the whipped cream aside in order to taste it in its simplest state. The bites where the cream hadn’t soaked in were crisp, but sadly not caramelized, and tasted doughy rather than chewy. The waffle had a certain appeal, but I was hoping for a Liège waffle with chunks of pearl sugar and caramelized ridges.

We’ll be back for the Honey Pot.

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Syrup Desserts
611 South Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Phone: 213-488-5136

Restaurant Review

06 Sep 2009

Polkatots – Pasadena

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Whereas most cupcakeries are located in hip neighborhoods with heavy foot traffic, Polkatots is tucked away in a deserted mini-mall across the way from a botánica. In spite of its unlikely location, Polkatots has found an audience and a great deal of success. Most notably, the cupcakery won two first-place prizes at the 2009 Cupcake Challenge—the Dolcissimo cupcake took Best Original and Best Overall at the competition.

For the longest time I thought the shop was named Polkadots. It wasn’t until I snapped the picture above that I realized it wasn’t the case at all. I’m quite used to establishments with nonsensical and awkward names in the San Gabriel Valley (See: Ducks, Mama’s Lu, JTYH, and Qing Dao Bread Food), but it’s a rare occurrence when it happens in Pasadena. What the heck is a “polkatot”?

Anyway, as is tradition with cupcakeries across the land, Polkatots is dolled up in pretty pink tones with colorful candy accents. There are fourteen standard flavors available each day and a featured flavor of the month. Regular-sized cupcakes, also known as “Biggies,” are priced at $3, while “Minis” go for $1.50.

With an extra pair of chompers in tow, I was able to sample four flavors, including (clockwise from top left) the Lucky Charm, Red Diva, Strawberry Shortcake, and Dolcissimo. Each cleverly named mini-cupcake was meticulously decorated and provided 3.7 bites of joy.

The Lucky Charm (pistachio cupcake with pistachio buttercream) successfully captured a pistachio ice cream experience, minus the chill factor. The Red Diva (red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing) was appealingly chocolaty, but the crunchy sprinkles detracted from the icing’s tang. The Strawberry Shortcake (strawberry cupcake with strawberry buttercream) was a favorite of mine because it tasted like real strawberries were employed in the cake and batter. However, I could have done without the coarse red sprinkles. The Dolcissimo (dulce de leche cake with dulce de leche buttercream) was sticky and sweet, just the way dulce de leche ought to be.

In regards to texture, Polkatot’s cake was moist and dense, with just a wee bit of gumminess. The frostings stayed true to their flavor and weren’t overwhelmed by sugary sweetness. Overall, Polkatot’s straddles the fine line between in-the-box and out-of-the-box cupcake experiences.

POWER RANKINGS

Sprinkles Cupcakes > Dots Cupcakes > Vanilla Bake Shop > Polkatots > Crumbs Bake Shop > Auntie Em’s Kitchen > Yummy Cupcakes > Violet’s Cakes.

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Polkatots
720 North Lake Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91104
Phone: 626-798-3932