Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Hello hello hello friends. How was your weekend?

It sure was cold here in Los Angeles and despite it being sunny in West LA, it was hailing and snowing in the Valley just 10 minutes from me. Freaky weather I tell you!

 
Like I mentioned on Friday, I spent Saturday with my Brosky and Co. in Pasadena at the Norton Simon Museum.

How Picasso gets this from....

this, I'll never know!

After getting our culture on, we headed back over the hill (and snow/slush) to my apartment where I cooked a semi-successful dinner of chicken rice. For dessert, Sarah brought over some very delicious Almond cookies dipped in dark chocolate and I had some leftover Sour Cream Coffee Cake that I had baked for a brunch last week.

After rebuffing the Almond Cookies for being too Almond-y, my nephew had a piece of the Coffee Cake and, in between mouthfuls of it, declared that I needed to give him the recipe for it!

As a wanna-be chef, there is nothing that makes me happier! So, my dear dear sweet Luca, here is the recipe for that Coffee Cake.

Ingredients
Streusel
1/2 cup pecan pieces
6 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Cake
2 cups sour cream
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons minced fresh orange zest
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 lb (or 2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10 inch Bundt pan.

2. Scatter the pecan pieces evenly around the bottom of the Bundt pan. Combine the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and the nutmeg into a small bowl. Sprinkle half the streusel mixture evenly over the pecans, reserve the rest.

3. Whisk sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract, and orange zest in a bowl. In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and remaining cinnamon.

4. With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Pour in the sour cream mixture about 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the flour mixture, about a third at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl after each addition and beating until well combined. The batter will be THICK. Spoon about 1/3 of the batter into the Bundt pan. Leave the surface rather uneven and sprinkle in the remaining streusel mixture. Now spoon in the remaining batter and smooth the surface.

5. Bake on the oven's middle rack for 55 to 60 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake for 10 mins in the pan. Then run a knife around the edges and remove from pan by inverting it. Finish cooling top side up on a baking rack. Cool for at least 10 mins before slicing.

Cake keeps well for several days when tightly covered.

Recipe from The Real American Breakfast by Cheryl Alters Jamison & Bill Jamison.

Friday Pics: Scanwiches

Hey ho friends! I'm so sorry for the blog silence this week (well I guess I did post on Monday, so at least it was not complete silence), but work this week has been kicking my flat Asian hinny. TGIF is all I can say.

Tonight, I am having dinner with my friend at Animal, a restaurant that I've been dying to try for some time now, so stay tuned for that post. Tomorrow, I'm spending the day exploring Old Town Pasadena with the Bro & Co. and I cannot wait to see my favorite munchkins.

But for now, before the week is up, let me share with you some sandwich food porn for this week's edition of Friday pics, courtesy of Scanwiches - a blog chronicling the deli delights all around New York City.

Enjoy and oh... you're drooling a little there, or at least I am. 

Monday Obsession

I'm so in love with the sweet yet sophisticated street-style of Olivia Palermo. There is just something about this chic New York trendsetter that captures my attention and evokes a little fashion envy within me. I would raid her closet in a heartbeat.

So when Tibi decided to team up Olivia for their latest collection, I couldn't have been more excited. With Tibi's clothes, Bobbi Brown makeup and stunning accessories, Olivia pulled together the perfect ensemble to inspire me and my closet! I'm obsessed.

Friday Pics: Colors, Textures & Shadows

Bobo

It seems inevitable that whenever I am in New York for the weekend, I just have to hit up a dining establishment for brunch. I fancy myself Carrie from SATC, weekend brunching with her ladies, all in fabulous outfits.

But reality is I'm not Carrie. NYC or not, I most likely do not have a fancy outfit on (it was freezing in New York this particular trip and the LA/Singapore girl in me chose warmth over fashion. Although I will say I did love my over the knee boots I had on) and I definitely am not having any of that Sex In The City. But fancy outfits and sex aside, I was having brunch! Brunch with my friends Shu and Keith, brunch at bobo restaurant and brunch in the City.

Source

Located in a beautiful old brownstone in Greenwich Village, we discovered bobo through some "interwebs" researching and made reservations to brunch there Saturday morning.

Upon entering the restaurant via the conspicuously unmarked basement entrance (Faux Speakeasy anyone,) we walked right into bobo's subterranean bar area. The brunch vibe there was cool and young, very New York.

As I glanced around the room checking out the scene, I found myself feeling pretty pleased to be "weekend brunching" with the cool kids. However, instead of seating us with the young-uns, our hostess lead us right up a flight of rickety stairs to the main dining room, where we were surrounded by two groups of older patrons. WHAT?? Did we just get seated in the "adults" only boring room? Did we not make the cut? Could they tell I was not a New Yorker??

So there we were, with the oldies in the upstairs intimate (and intimate it was, as I found myself sitting way too close to the next table) dining room, surrounded by tastefully rummaged knickknacks (glass-bead chandeliers, old black and white "family" photos and a pastiche of mismatched “antiques.”) and a large scale hexagonal bookshelf stocked with random volumes and hardcovers.

Despite the chic décor that is meant to evoke a bourgeois bohemian’s dinner party, I didn't care too much for the dark antiquated effect the room had. It made me feel like I was eating in a rundown dirty house. I guess I just don't get the boho bourgeois look and feel.   

That, or I am still sore that we didn't get seated downstairs with all the popular kids. 

Food wise, bobo is a self-proclaimed farm-to-table eatery, which I am always for. After glancing through the brunch menu, I ordered the soft scrambled eggs with tomatoes, potatoes and spicy pepita toasts.

The eggs were cooked to American perfection, and by that I mean that they were nice and dried out, the way Americans expect their scrambled eggs to be. I, on the other hand, have a more European take on scrambled eggs and like mine a little wetter.

That being said, I did appreciate the sweet and tangy tomatoes that were so juicy that it almost made no sense for it not to be summer outside. Additionally, the potatoes had such a lovely crisp and seasoning to them I couldn't help but chow down greedily.

However, my favorite thing from my plate were the pepita toasts. Served atop freshly baked bread from Balthazar (we asked), the pepita spread had a mouth-watering sweet/spicy combo that was refined yet hearty. The masterful combination of the nutty pepita spread and crusty yet chewy bread was relentlessly addictive.

I also have to give a small shout out to the side order of bacon that we ordered (because fat kids are harder to kidnap.) Thick cut, smokey and laden with bacon-tastiness, the bacon was cooked exactly the way I like it- crispy but not burned and most importantly not dripping with oil.

Details:
bobo
181 West 10th Street
New York, NY 10014
212- 488-2626

On This Day...

Good Monday and good Valentine's Day to you all!

While couples in love celebrate and marinate in the festivities that is Valentine's Day, let me inform you of something else that happened on this day back in 1895.

On Feb 14, 1895, Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest opened at St. James's Theatre in London. He wrote the first draft in just 21 days, the fastest he'd ever written anything.

The play tells the story of a man named Jack Worthing who, as a pillar in his community, is laden with social responsibilities. In an attempt to escape tiresome social obligations, Jack pretends to have a younger brother named Earnest, who leads a scandalous life in pursuit of pleasure and is always getting into trouble of a sort that requires Jack to rush grimly off to his assistance. Jack even pretends to be Earnest when that suits his purposes. 

At the same time, Jack's friend Algernon Moncrieff also begins impersonating the imaginary Earnest. When two women fall in love with Jack and Algernon, they both think they are in love with a man named Earnest. It comes out in the end that Jack and Algernon are themselves actually long-lost brothers.

Wilde said that The Importance of Being Earnest expressed his philosophy that "we should treat all the trivial things of life very seriously, and all the serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality." To a friend he wrote that The Importance of Being Earnest was "a trivial play ... written by a butterfly for butterflies." 

But it was his greatest success.With witty dialogue and high farce, The Importance of Being Earnest is one of Wilde's most popular and endearing plays.

Wilde showed up at a rehearsal for the play a few days before the opening, wearing his trademark green carnation pinned onto a three-piece maroon suit. After watching the actors for a few minutes he said, "Yes, it is quite a good play. I remember I wrote one very like it myself, but it was even more brilliant than this."

Source

Gift Guide: Valentine's Day Gifts

1. Ruby Red Cuff Links
2. For that old fashion kind of Shave
3. So he'll always be on time for your dates
4. Who doesn't love a man in a pink shirt
5. A manly sketch book/journal
6. A gorgeous tie for a gorgeous man

Gift Guide: Valentine's Day Gifts

1. Perfect for the Espresso Lover
2. Heart Punchout skinny belt to add a little love to your jeans
3. Draw your sweetheart a relaxing bath using Jo Malone's Red Roses Bath Oil
4. Lovely flats in a sweet pink color
5. A simple and sweet handmade knot ring to express your love
6. I adore the red of these
7. Keep things personal with a diamond initial necklace

Valentine's Day Ecards

Good Tuesday fair folks! How was your weekend? I had a fairly eventful one, spending Friday evening killing and cooking 6 live crabs (I was so proud of myself for not getting too squeamish about it and for cooking a pretty bomb chili crab) and then spending the weekend itself chilling and celebrating the New Year with my favorite munchkins of all time- aka the niece and nephew.

Now that CNY has come and gone, I am already looking toward the next Hallmark holiday that we can celebrate... Valentine's Day!

Despite getting my heart broken before and despite being completely single, I am still a deep romantic at heart. However, even the romantic in me has to practice my gag reflex at the over usage of traditional sticky- sweet holiday romantic expression. "I wurve you"... "Be Mine"... "Let's grow old together"...

Enter Valentine's Day Ecards from someecards. Acerbic, true and so very hilarious, who wouldn't want to receive the sweet-ish sentiment of " I want to grow old and disgusting with you."

  

 And there's plenty more to choose from! Enjoy!

Friday Pics: The Way I Travel- New York

The Winter Whites of New York City.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

I would never consider myself an expert on Chinese New Year and all the traditions and rituals that come along with it. (Christmas expert yes, but not Chinese New Year.)

However, I hope your homes have been cleaned, CNY decorations as well as fresh chrysanthemums are abundant around the home, new clothes have been bought and that you're all ready and excited to eat and be reunited with friends and family! 

It's been about 9 years since I last spent CNY at home with my parents and it pains me to think about all the good times I've missed or about all the ang pows that never came my way. Oh well...

This year, I am doing a second night dinner with my cousins and then heading down to OC to spend the rest of the Chinese New Year weekend with my bro and Co. It's not quite the same as spending the New Year in Singapore. Nevertheless, I am thankful for having family close by. 

Xin Nian Kuai Le folks!

Photo Credit: Beth Liebetrau 

Clinton St. Baking Company & Restaurant

I love breakfast. Well no, I love brunch, because brunch combines two of my great loves: breakfast and sleeping in without missing breakfast. 

Waaa-it... didn't I already mention this? Right... deja vu huh? 

But worry not, I got that negative "press" thing out of my system on Monday. Instead, since I'm in New York this week for a work/play combo weekend, I thought I would talk about this lovely brunch place that I dined at the last time I was in New York- Clinton St. Baking Company & Restaurant.

The one thing about brunch that really gets to me, is that everyone else seems to love it too! Therefore, there is, inevitably, always a wait for a table at any brunch spot (least it be McDonalds. Which, btw, I had for breakfast in Singapore on Xmas eve- don't judge!). 

This was exactly the case when I dined at Clinton St Baking Co & Restaurant. My friend and I braved the hour long wait because I just had to have their pancakes. What a foodie brat I've become ;)

But let me tell you, these wild Maine blueberry pancakes that we had was truly worth the long wait. Served with warm maple butter, these pancakes were not too thick and not too thin. They would have surely satisfied Goldilocks herself!  

The pancakes had just the right amount of crisp to dough ratio and were delectable with the warm blueberry compote and sinful with the maple butter. I really can't explain why the pancakes were so good, but if you trust my taste buds, you too would wait for over an hour for them. 

The second dish we shared was poached eggs in heirloom tomato and summer squash stew topped with grated Parmesan cheese and served with sour dough toast. The combination of the warm poached eggs, stewed squash and tomatoes made for a very homey and comforting dish. The tomatoes were so vibrant and sweet, while the eggs were beyond fresh. I love it when simple ingredients come together like this to make a tasty and stellar dish.

Speaking of simple ingredients and simple life, I kept picturing myself on a quaint little farm, eating this dish with farm fresh eggs from the coup, and freshly grown tomatoes and squash from the garden patch out back. Apparently I watch too many farm movies because if you really lived on a farm, you would be too pooped from farm chores to fix yourself such a breakfast. At least I would.

 

Finally, we also ordered a side of their fried green tomatoes. These were truly a perfect combination of fried sinful crunch, with salty and sweet goodness. Furthermore, the fried green tomatoes were not the least bit too greasy and were so amazingly good that I've been craving a good fried green tomato since then.

Anyway, that was what I was up to the last time I was in New York. Stayed tuned to find out what other shinnanigans I get myself into on this trip. Happy February and almost Chinese New Year! 

Details:

Clinton St. Baking Company & Restaurant

4 Clinton Street

New York, NY 10002

646-602-6263