Eat First

Bittersweet Wine and Dessert Bar: Compliments to the pastry chef

    Bittersweet's popular Death By Chocolate Cake. Photo courtesy of Bittersweet Wine and Dessert Bar.

What a nice surprise to arrive at Bittersweet on a Tuesday night and find a line snaking out the door.

Was everyone, like us, taking advantage of their soon-to-expire dollars-off-dessert deal (from LivingSocial)? Was everyone suddenly in a mindset of “Life is short… Eat dessert first?’’

A full house on a Tuesday night – a slower night in the restaurant business -- speaks volumes about the place. Bittersweet, with its menu of mainly desserts, wine and coffees, plus a short list of savory fare, clearly fills a void in downtown Syracuse.

THE VIBE: Warm, compact and inviting, with cream- and chocolate-colored walls and pink accents. The place is small – maybe six tables for two and four along one wall, and a couple tables for larger parties near the door and toward the back. The bar has tall, comfortable padded stools and room for about a dozen more people looking to satisfy their sweet tooth.

The place was full of women, including a couple tables with groups that looked to be celebrating a birthday and upcoming wedding with sparkling wine, shared platters of cheese and fruit and plenty of chocolate, including fondue and slabs of Death by Chocolate Cake that looked big enough for three people to sink forks into.

LIQUID ASSETS: A few beers by the bottle plus a list of about 40 wines, available by the bottle or glass (two pour sizes, 2 ounce and 4 ounce). Coffee is also available, and the espresso machine was getting a good workout.

THE MENU: More than a dozen desserts, all made by pastry chef Lucia Barbieri, sister of owner Patrizia Barbieri, are available. The temptations include cakes, cream puffs, tiramisu, Belgian waffles dressed with ice cream and chocolate sauce, and classics like sundaes and strawberry shortcake.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS: After much mulling of the wine and dessert menus, we settled on a glass of Montevina white Zinfandel (California) for me (my first choice, a French rose, was not available) and a glass of Acrobat by King Estate Pinot Noir (Oregon) for Robert. I ordered the Whipped and Cream Puffs (something I’m not likely to bake at home) but soon learned they were not available that evening.

Back to the drawing board: Make that Carrot Cake and Creme Brulee.

Bittersweet's Carrot Cake (top) and Creme Brulee.

The carrot cake ($6.50), an over-sized, multi-layer slice topped with cream cheese icing, was moist with a wonderful texture, hinting of cinnamon and nutmeg and flecked with a few nuts. The crème brulee ($7.75) had a nicely browned and crackly sugar top, hiding smooth, rich custard underneath. In case you’ve never had crème brulee, this is a good place to try it. The combination of crackly burnt sugar and creamy custard is one of life’s pleasures.

WHAT’S SOMEONE WHO DOESN’T WANT DESSERT GOING TO FIND? Soups, salads, and sandwiches, plus cheese platters for sharing – not just desserts.

THE DAMAGES: $35 plus change, for two desserts, one beer, three glasses of wine, tax and tip.

WOULD WE GO BACK: Absolutely. We’ll return for the Whipped and Creamed Puffs that weren’t available, or maybe for a shared slice of Strawberry Love, Bittersweet’s version of strawberry shortcake. Fresh local berries will be in season in a few short weeks, after all (hint, hint!).

VITALS: Bittersweet is at 121 W. Fayette St., in downtown Syracuse.  The restaurant is open 11:30 a.m. to midnight Monday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday (closed Sunday). Information: 315-474-9463.

 

Jamesville's Pastry Palace suits kings, queens and mere mortals

Walking into the Pastry Palace in Jamesville is like coming home -- coming home to the former Snowflake Pastry Shoppe, a legendary Syracuse bakery and fixture for years on East Fayette Street.

Pastry Palace owner Francis Yemma spent almost 20 years at the former Snowflake (RIP), and he makes cakes that take you back there: strawberry whipped cream cake, banana whipped cream cake, chocolate cake with bananas, coffee cakes and more. His cheese Danish (Danishes?) look fabulous, and he also bakes all kinds of cookies: Half Moons, chocolate chip cookies, Italian cookies, rugelach (above), fruit flips, mocha drops, etc. 

Not sure what you want? Not a problem. Yemma supplies samples and patiently answers questions.

The mocha drops (above, right)? "You have to like maple,'' he says. They're actually a combination of maple, mocha and chocolate -- which means they're a whole lot of flavor.

I was after something more subtle, something to nibble with coffee, and came home with a selection of rugelach ("little twists'' in Yiddish; and the best rugelach in Central New York, in my humble opinion), delicate almond bars with shortbread bottoms, raspberry jam filling and lots of nuts and fruit flips -- a folded-over shortbread cookie, with apricot or raspberry filling.

Top row, rugelach; middle row, almond bars; bottom row, fruit flips.

My box of 16 treats cost $6.65, a bargain in the world of artisan baking. And not a crumb was left.

Pastry Palace is at 6499 E. Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville, behind a convenience store/gas station in a plaza that's also home to the village post office. Call 492-1905.

In an ironic twist, it's across the street from Sweet Endings Bakeshop, a business whose specialty is custom-order cupcakes, cakes and cookies.

Tiny Jamesville might be a speck on the map, but it's a major Central New York dessert destination.

  

Caramel apples -- hold the stick

Got some of these (Honeycrisp, my current favorite apple variety)?

Make some of this: Caramel sauce!

I don't know how and when it happened, but someone, somewhere figured out that "melted" sugar, combined with butter, heavy cream or half-and-half and a little vanilla extract, makes a delicious, decadent sauce for dunking apple slices, drizzling on ice cream and sticking a spoon in when no one is looking.

This version of caramel sauce, adapted from a recipe in Cook's Illustrated magazine, tastes like a Heath bar minus the chocolate. It's simple to make, but you have to be very careful when making it, so the sugar doesn't burn and so hot, bubbling liquid doesn't burn you.

Here's what you do:

Measure one cup sugar into a heavy-bottomed pan. Cut six tablespoons butter into chunks and have one-half cup heavy cream or half-and-half standing by. Get out your vanilla extract.

Heat the sugar over medium-high heat, stirring, until it melts (starts to liquefy) and turns a golden amber color. Turn off the heat and whisk the butter in quickly. Wait a few seconds then add the heavy cream. Be careful -- the mixture will bubble up in the pan. Stir mixture briskly until combined. Add one-half teaspoon vanilla extract.

Let the caramel cool for about 15 minutes then pour into a glass jar. Cool to room temperature. If you're not going to use the sauce right away, refrigerate it. It will keep for about two weeks and thickens in the fridge, so reheat it gently before serving.

The recipe makes about a cup. Enjoy as desired -- on apples or not.

 

For Bob's birthday: Nutella Cupcakes

I've come across recipes for cupcakes filled with Nutella, cupcakes swirled with Nutella and cupcakes frosted with Nutella.

The recipe that finally got me uses Nutella as the basis for the cupcake batter itself -- along with eggs, butter, milk and a little bit of flour. The cupcakes are dense, rich and brownie-like. They don't really need it, but they're frosted with chocolate ganache and sprinkled with toasted chopped hazelnuts.

The recipe and inspiration to make these over-the-top chocolate bombs comes from Food 52, an online celebration of home cooks and cooking at home, hosted by food writers Amanda Hesser and Merill Stubbs.

For those who have never had it,  Nutella is a spread made from skim milk, roasted hazelnuts and cocoa. A two-tablespoon serving contains 200 calories (and 11 grams fat). It's not something I usually have in the pantry, for obvious reasons. A sandwich made with Nutella or Nutella spread on toast or a spoonful of Nutella, straight from the jar, is about the last thing I need.

I was going to make my old-standby chocolate cupcake recipe (with a touch of brewed coffee) for our friend Bob's 50th birthday party last month, but decided to make these instead for the chocolate-loving birthday boy celebrant. When desserts were put out, they disappeared fast.

Bob's reaction: "Those were like the best cupcakes ever."

But don't take Bob's word for it. Give the recipe a try and see for yourself!

And leave a comment. What do you like to do with Nutella?

Nutella Cupcakes

Created by Pieceofcake, a member of the Food 52 community

For the cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 8 ounces Nutella
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk

For the ganache:

• 3 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur), optional
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts, for garnish

Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together the flour and salt and set aside.

With an electric mixer in a medium bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat until well-blended. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy and pale in color. Beat in the Nutella until well-incorporated, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl while beating. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. On low speed, beat in half the flour mixture just until it beings to disappear into the batter. Beat in the milk. Fold in the remainder of the flour mixture by hand until the batter is smooth.

Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling them no more than half  full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs -- if in doubt, pull them from the oven a bit early -- do not over bake. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

Ganache: Place the chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 second intervals, stopping to stir after each interval, until the mixture is shiny and smooth. Stir in the vanilla (and Frangelico, if using).

When the cupcakes are completely cool, using a spoon, top each one with about two teaspoons of the ganache, and with the back of the spoon coax it as close to the edges as possible without letting it drip down the sides (or go on and let it drip...drippy chocolate is rarely a bad thing). Sprinkle on a bit of the chopped hazelnuts. Let the ganache set before storing in an airtight container at room temperature overnight -- these cupcakes truly taste better the next day.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Comfort me with Kuchen (a k a crumb cake)

The first thing I remember learning how to make/bake is the recipe for hot fudge pudding in "Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls."

The second thing I remember learning how to bake is Kuchen, also known as crumb cake.

The faded recipe in my file is in "Mother's'' handwriting ("Mother" is what we called my Grandmother Heenan), though my mother says the recipe actually came from her good friend Marian Hayes (an excellent baker, now departed). I came across it recently, and it seemed like just the thing to make for Mother's Day brunch.

It seemed like we had this dessert a lot growing up, probably because it doesn't call for fancy ingredients, it's a snap to make and feeds a crowd. The texture -- moist yellow cake on the bottom and buttery, crumbly top -- is wonderful. Leftovers, if there are any, are excellent with coffee for breakfast.

The original recipe calls for a pound of margarine. I use two sticks of butter and two sticks of margarine, and some freshly grated nutmeg as well as cinnamon in the topping.

Kuchen (Crumb Cake)

Crumb topping:

2 sticks butter and 2 sticks margarine for baking (like Imperial), melted and cooled

4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste

Blend sugar, salt and cinnamon with melted margarine and butter. Add flour and mix well. Let stand for an hour or so, stirring to re-blend on occasion.

The topping is very dense and buttery. 

Cake:

1 and a half cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon margarine, melted

1 large egg, beaten

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine flour, sugar and baking powder then blend in melted margarine, egg, milk and vanilla. Stir well.

Spread cake batter in a well greased half-sheet pan or other rimmed baking sheet (13 by 18 inches). Put crumb mixture on top, using your hands and crumbling into small pieces.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until topping looks set and edges are brown and pulled slightly away from pan.

I cut the Kuchen with a silicone pastry scraper to protect the pan.

Cool cake completely then cut into squares.

The recipe makes about 36 servings. So don't feel so guilty about all that butter!

And the award for Outstanding Performance by a Kitchen Appliance goes to: My KitchenAid Classic stand mixer

I couldn't get by each day without our hard-working refrigerator-freezer and basic but reliable coffeemaker. But the award for Outstanding Performance by a Kitchen Appliance in a Leading Role goes to: my trusty KitchenAid Classic Plus stand mixer.
I've had her for going on 20 years now and she occupies a choice corner of our limited, old-house counter space -- unlike lesser-used and lesser-loved appliances that are relegated to the basement shelves for storage.

She's made countless cakes and loaves of bread, hundreds of batches of cookie dough and turns out a bowl fluffy whipped cream in a snap. My "other" isn't as much into baking as I am, but he, too, has come to appreciate the stand mixer's speed, efficiency and ease of operation.
I saw a lot of KitchenAid mixer attachments leave the store during my holiday stint at Williams-Sonoma, including the meat grinder and various pasta attachments, but I've never used anything other than the tools that come with it: the flat/paddle beater, wire whip and dough hook.

I did buy an attachment called a Side Swipe blade, which is not made by KitchenAid.  The gizmo, which cost about $25, has little silicone "fins'' that act like a spatula, scraping the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl -- no need to stop and do that by hand.

The tool comes in handy when making, say, chocolate chip cookie dough: The bowl gets "scraped'' and the chocolate chips and nuts don't get crushed.

 

Several years ago, my other got me a second stainless steel bowl for my mixer, which is very useful during marathon baking sessions -- no need to stop and wash the bowl between cookie batches.

And with the sun out and spring and summer on the way, I'm daydreaming about the $99 ice cream bowl attachment I spotted at the KitchenAid Web site. I'd use it just to make fat-free fruit sorbets, right?!? The KitchenAid stand mixer comes in several models now (Artisan series, Pro, etc.) and lots of cool colors, like kiwi green, candy apple red and carnation pink, but the Classic Plus, in basic white, meets my needs and aesthetics just fine. I think I paid $159 for it way back when and it paid for itself in use and enjoyment a long time ago.
The thing has been with me through thick (cheesecake and lemon extract cake batters; mashed potatoes) and thin (devil's food cake batter) and has never once failed to start or get the job done. Even when I've doubled a recipe and pushed the bowl and the machine to its limits, and even at Christmastime, when it's in use almost daily.

They call it KitchenAid, but I call it KitchenWarrior. And KitchenFriend.

Gettin' jiggle with it!

Maybe it's because it comes in colors that don't exist in nature, or because I heard (and believed) as a kid that gelatin comes from horse hooves.

Whatever the reason, I have never much liked Jell-O, and especially Jell-O molds --colored gelatin rings and jiggly orbs floating with fruit and sometimes vegetables and nuts, which tend to make a special appearance on the Thanksgiving table. Call me contradictory, but for years I have wanted to visit the Jell-O Gallery in LeRoy, Genesee County, birthplace in 1897 of "America's favorite dessert.'' And thanks to my sisters, who went out of their way to get me there as part of a surprise birthday outing last month, the Jell-O Gallery is now officially crossed off my local food-related "bucket list.'' If If you like Jell-O -- or even if you don't like Jell-O but appreciate small towns and the quirky little museums often found in them -- there is no reason not to visit the Jell-O Gallery.

Just as there's always room for Jell-O, there's always time for an interesting diversion. If you're cruising down the Thruway on auto pilot to Rochester or Buffalo, poke 23 E. Main St., LeRoy, into your navigation device and give yourself an hour to stroll around the place and take in its charms.

You'll find product and promotional displays and hear entertainers like Jack Benny and Lucille Ball plug Jell-O.

 

An entire section of the gallery is dedicated to longtime Jell-O pitchperson Bill Cosby.

Long before America's current coffee craze, there was coffee-flavored Jell-O. The first flavors were orange, lemon, strawberry and raspberry. The ever-popular lime flavor debuted in 1930.

Things that float well in Jell-O: fresh fruits, like apples, bananas, orange and grapefruit sections, sliced peaches and pears, strawberries and fruit packed in light syrup. And marshmallows, of course.

Make sure to visit the gift shop, which has Jell-O pens, pencils, cookbooklets, clothing and more. And don't forget to have someone snap a souvenir photo for you.

Make-Your-Own Jell-O 1-2-3

Remember Jell-O 1-2-3? Abra-cadabra: Mix the package of Jell-O and watch it separate into three layers as it chills in the fridge! It was introduced in 1969, disappeared from store shelves in the 1980s, reappeared in the 1990s and disappeared again. You can make your own version of Jell-O 1-2-3 at home, thanks to this recipe from the Jell-O Gallery. You will need: 3/4 cup boiling water

1/2 cup cold water plus enough ice cubes added to equal 1 1/4 cups

1/2 cup whipped cream 1 3-ounce package Jell-O, any flavor In a blender, mix together the gelatin and boiling water. Add the ice/water mixture and mix until the ice cubes are melted. Mix in the whipped cream for 30 seconds. Pour into four dessert glasses. Refrigerate 30 minutes or more and serve. The Jell-O Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 31. From Jan. 2 to March 31, the museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Admission is $4 for adults. For more information, call (585) 768-7433.

Staycations 2009: A Purr-fect place to meet for lunch

I can't resist a place with the word "cafe" or "bakery" as part of its name. If it has both of those words, all the better. So, where do three sisters -- two from Syracuse and vicinity and one from near Albany -- meet mid-way for a leisurely lunch on a summer Friday? At the Black Cat Cafe and Bakery, in Sharon Springs, of course.

Sharon Springs, in Schoharie County, about 25 miles from Cooperstown, takes its name from the sulfur, magnesium and chalybeate mineral springs found throughout it.

One of several former bath houses in Sharon Springs.

The village, south of the Thruway and just north of Route 20, was a crowd-pleasing spa community during the 19th century. Its grand hotels and healing waters attracted the Vanderbilts and other wealthy Americans, before they moved on to another famous springs, Saratoga.

When it fell out of favor, Sharon Springs fell into a long, gradual decline. But drive through the village today and you'll see signs of a rebirth.  Exterior of the American Hotel.

The most shining example is the American Hotel, on Main Street, plus a handful of shops, art galleries and restaurants.

The Black Cat is across the street from the American Hotel, in a building that, according to restaurant co-owner Tony Daou, was a residence and later a sanitarium before eventually becoming "a wreck.''

Daou and his wife, who makes the restaurant's breads, donuts, cookies, cakes and other baked goods, opened for business several years ago, and are in the process of expanding to the second floor, according to their Web site. The menu offers soups, salads, sandwiches and all the requisite coffee and espresso drinks that go well with fresh baked goods, like cinnamon sugar donuts.

Our table of three each enjoyed variations of the half-sandwich and house salad lunch special, choosing curried chicken salad on cinnamon raisin bread, housemade corned beef on rye bread and Tuscan chicken on ciabatta bread.

The waiter-owner knew we were sisters, he told us, because we managed to order the same house salad three different ways: One with balsamic dressing on the side, one dressed but with no tomatoes and one tumbled with dressing, no special requests.

The restaurant is simple and homey, with mismatched tables, chairs and china, plenty of reading material scattered about to enjoy over coffee, cases holding cookies and other sweet treats and an assortment of whimsical black cat decor.

For dessert, two Raspberry Jam Bars (with a shortbread bottom and crumble topping) and an Angel's Wing (layers of light, crispy puff pastry, with a light, sweet glaze) plus mugs of coffee, fueled us for a walk around town and the return trip home, via scenic Route 20.

Raspberry Jam Bars (above) and Angel's Wings (below).

In an era when spa vacations are once again in vogue, smelling Sharon Springs' sulfur-y waters and seeing the shells of those once-grand hotels that housed so many visitors, drawn to the waters on holiday, drawn to the waters, is haunting today.

But not so haunting that we wouldn't come back for a nice lunch, followed by a walk and some local history on the side.

The Black Cat Cafe is at 195 Main St., Sharon Springs. The restaurant is open daily, except Wednesdays, for breakfast and lunch.