Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Recipe

15 Feb 2007

Oven-Baked Cinnamon Pumpkin Dumplings

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1 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
16 packaged wonton wrappers
Cinnamon and sugar

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix pumpkin, maple syrup, brown sugar and pumpkin pie space in medium bowl. Place a wonton wrapper on flat surface. Spoon 1 teaspoon of filling into center. Moisten edges of wonton with water & fold in half to form a triangle. Press edges to seal. Repeat with remaining wontons.

Arrange prepared wontons on an ungreased baking sheet. Lightly coat dumplings with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle them with sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Turn over and bake another 2 minutes.

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Substitutions: I used granulated sugar instead of brown sugar and cinnamon in place of pumpkin pie spice. I did not lightly coat the dumplings with non-stick spray. I also did not dust the dumplings with cinnamon and sugar because they were served as an appetizer.

Restaurant Review

14 Feb 2007

Naked Chocolate Cafe – Philadelphia

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1 Comment

February 10, 2007
Cuisine: Desserts & Bakeries, Coffeehouses

1317 Walnut St, Philadelphia 19107
At S 13th St

Phone: 215-735-7310
Webiste: www.nakedchocolatecafe.com

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Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Frosting ($2)

Sipping Chocolate – The Ultimate Naked Chocolate Experience. Our Chocolatier’s selection of single origin varietal chocolates ($4.50)

Classic Hot Chocolate – Our blend of milk and dark chocolates ($5)

Bittersweet Hot Chocolate – A deep chocolate experience ($5)

Vanilla Cupcake with Chocolate Frosting ($2)

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After our savory meal at Penang, my friends and I headed over to Naked Chocolate Café to indulge our sweet tooth. The café was at maximum capacity when we arrived, but some clever hovering yielded a mighty fine table. Nice job, Tara and Molly.

I ordered a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting because I had eaten chocolate cake the previous evening and was experiencing palate fatigue. The frosting was excellent, but the cake was a smidge dry. I suspect that my cupcake was baked early in the day and thus lost its moistness by evening. What a shame.

Tara also ordered a cupcake. Hers was vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. The cake was moister than mine, but still not ideal. The frosting was above-average and the sprinkles were plain adorable. Additionally, Tara ordered the classic hot chocolate in the “indulgent” size. The one sip I had was awesome; the hot chocolate was rich, sweet, and of course, ultra-chocolaty.

Molly and Melina both ordered hot chocolates as well. Molly had the bittersweet hot chocolate in the indulgent size. The bittersweet was far thicker than the classic hot chocolate; the texture was almost pudding-like. The flavor was intense and I liked it a great deal.

Melina ordered the sipping chocolate at the recommendation of her history professor. Melina speculated that her “drink” was actually a melted down chocolate bar; she is probably correct. Regardless, she enjoyed her liquefied chocolate bar very much.

Restaurant Review

14 Feb 2007

Penang – Philadelphia

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4 Comments

February 10, 2007
Cuisine: Malaysian

117 N 10th St, Philadelphia 19107
Btwn Arch St & Cherry St

Phone: 215-413-2531
Website: http://www.penangusa.com/

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Malaysian Ice Tea ($1.95)

Appetizer I: Roti Canai – crispy style pancake & curry chicken potato dipping sauce ($3.25)

Appetizer II: Penang Satay Chicken – prepared on skewers, charcoal grilled to perfection and served with peanut sauce ($6.50)

Entree I: Curry Mee with Young Tau Foo Noodles – served in a spicy lemon grass coconut curry with vegetables and tofu stuffed with minced shrimp and fish meat ($6.95)

Entree II: Wonton Mee Special – egg noodles served with wonton in homemade sauce and chicken broth ($5.50)

Entree III: Penang Kari Ayam – White boneless chicken cooked over low-heat with lemon grass and chili paste simmered in thick rich coconut curry ($11.95)

Entree IV: Masak Chicken – Carrot, green & red pepper, ginger & scallion with house special sauce ($13.95)

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Malaysian food is literally all over the map. The flavors and ingredients of Thai, Indian, and Chinese cooking influence the cuisine at every turn.

I visited Penang with three former cross country teammates on a brutally windy evening. The restaurant was loud and bustling, but luckily we were seated quickly. Tara ordered a Malaysian Iced Tea to start. It was more or less a Thai iced tea, but lighter in color and slightly less sugary. Tara appreciated the subtle sweetness.

Tara and I both chose the Roti Canai for appetizers, while Molly had the Chicken Satay. Melina did not receive the memo that appetizers were in order so she helped us with ours, which was good because the portions were hefty. Tara and I thought the Roti Canai was flavorful and delicious. The “pancake” tasted like a paper-thin naan and served as a great, although messy, vehicle for the curry. Both the pancake and curry were a bit on the oily side, but nevertheless very tasty. The Chicken Satay was also good; the peanut sauce enhanced the dish’s overall flavor.

For my entrée I ordered the Curry Mee because nothing warms me up quite like a noodle soup can. The portion was very generous and the flavors were familiar, yet foreign. The lemongrass and coconut curry broth was spicy as curry was the dominant flavor. The rice noodles were hearty and fun to slurp. The tofu was fried and thus absorbed the broth beautifully. The minced shrimp and fish meat were tasteless and wrapped in some bitter greens. The soup was topped off with fresh bean sprouts. Overall, I thought the dish was decent, but lacked a strong central flavor.

I had a small piece of Tara’s Penang Kari Ayam. It was good, but not exceptional. Tara wished the dish was spicier. Molly thought her Wonton Mee was very similar to Chinese wonton noodles, but with a saltier broth. Melina found her Masak Chicken too spicy.

Penang was my first introduction to Malaysian food. While I have yet to develop a great affinity for the cuisine (Vietnamese is still tops), I enjoyed the dishes at Penang very much despite their generous employment of oil.

Molly, Melina, Tara