I had the special privilege to make this dish along with a fellow classmate in my International Cuisine course instructed by Professor Stewart. It was a fairly easy recipe to follow with a few ingredients. I never had duck prepared like this so it was an exciting experience. For the recipe, we used duck legs since they are the juiciest and most tender which is also great for presentation. The legs had a nice sear but was not crispy since they were cooked in the sauce. As I took a bite of the leg, I was a bit disappointed because it did not have a strong taste. It was subtle with a hint of saltiness, sweetness and tartness. I much prefer the delicious lamb dish that was made that night. Also, I did not like how the pomegranate juice was used in the dish because I wanted a richer pomegranate taste and as the pomegranate cooked in the oven, it had created an inky ,dark grey color. However, the basmati rice did soak up the juices which enhanced the bland taste of the rice.The best part was that there were leftover pomegranate seeds to snack on.

Cabbage Pirozhki (Russian puffy pastry, fried)

Who knew I would find myself on the beach in 25 degree weather? Taking the Q train to Brighton Beach on a cold November day I spotted a brave street vendor selling an assortment of Russian treats. One of these items were Pirozhki, a Russian puff pastry stuffed with sweet or savory filings, served either baked or fried. Continue reading →

I’ve only had Greek Feta Salad and Gyros from Greek Cuisine and I decided to try something  new. I bought these canned stuffed grape vine leaves from the authentic Greek supermarket from our class tour. Of course, I did not expect canned food to be exceptionally better than fresh food but I somewhat thought I’d get something similar. The canned leaves were slimy and had a strong smell of dill and preservatives. There was a lot of leaves in the can and they rot quickly meaning they must eaten immediately after opening. They were soaked in oil and had a tin taste to them. The texture was slimy and soft and not very pleasant. It did not taste awful just like a cold concentration of dill and oily rice. I tried the fresh stuffed vine leaves at Premier 57 Spa in the city. I was surprised and excited to know that my hummus plate came with stuffed vine leaves. These were firm,not slimy or soaked in oil. I was able to taste the seasoned rice although its mildly seasoned. I tasted dill but it was not overpowering. I enjoyed the taste of the fresh stuffed leaves rather than the canned version. I recommend these to anyone looking to try something new! 

Our last stop on our Jackson Heights field was at this indian Sweet shop, where i tried something called Gulab Jamun. When I look this up it told me Gulab jamun are a milk-solid-based sweet from the Indian subcontinent, originating in northern India.

My first impression was they look like small potatoes with a shiny glaze on them did not know what to expect. The smell was settle but sweet so i thought to myself it could not be that bad. When i finally try it, it taste like the bunelo i had earlier on the trip. But there was more sweet and a little sour taste to it.

During our field trip to Jackson Heights, I arrived in the Patel Brothers Supermarket which grocery retail chain that focuses on flavors and foods found in in the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East.  Upon my arrival Professor Krondi greeted me and handed me this circular brown object, he said it is called Bunuelo, its basically a donut.

My first impression was thought it as a avocado because i had to cut it open with a pocket knife in a circular motion. But far as taste it was dry at it first just like a plain donut but it definitely had a sweet taste  to it, i can taste syrup, cinnamon and other spices.

I kept hearing all this buzz about vegan avocado ice cream and how great it was. Although I am not vegan, I wanted to try it out to see if I shared the same sentiments as everyone else. Well, ironically I had the opportunity to do just that. During a tour of Little Italy and Chinatown, I came across a gelateria called Polosud which offers coffee, pastries and gelato. It was not a listed stop on the tour but I popped in really quickly to view the options. Once the tour ended, I returned to Polosud to buy the dessert. Faced with many selections, I sampled the mango and strawberry  flavors which were buttery soft and sweet. However I decided to go with the Chef and owner Giamcomo d’Alessandro’s recommendation of nocciola. He also suggested to sample the avocado and nocciolo separately, then combine both flavors. Nocciola is supposed to offer the dessert a balanced taste.

D’Alessandro briefly explained that he created the avocado base gelato using a blend of fresh avocados, sugar, water, lemon and cinnamon which is then scooped on a avocado shell. His many palatable flavors is topped with a pit made from gelato. The avocado had an unusual hint of sweetness with a natural fruit flavor and a soft velvety texture. The nocciola was sweet but just right and tasted like Nutella with a buttery texture. When the two were paired together: it was rich, savory and absolutely tasty.

I felt that the after taste of the nocciola slightly overpowered the taste of the avocado or maybe because the nocciola included nuts that I digested may have given it a stronger taste. In my opinion, the vegan avocado gelato is much lighter and it is a dessert I will definitely have again.

Artichoke Pizza: Artichoke Hearts, Spinach, Cream Sauce, Mozzarella and Pecorino Romano Cheese.

WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE. This was the best slice of pizza I’ve ever had in my life (and me having had 8 beers while making this comment is irrelevant). Taken by friends after a night of hangout, Artichoke Pizza offers other pizza slices, but their star is the Artichoke pizza slice. The slice is rich with cheese and creamy with the hints of spinach refreshing the taste buds.  As a New York, we commonly believe New York pizza is plain cheese or pepperoni, but this artichoke slice, ladies and gentleman, deserves a spot to be titled “Official New York Pizza”

“Croston con Morcilla”. Blood sausage spread, toast, organic poached egg, arugula salad

Having Saturday brunch at a Uruguayan restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I decided I wanted something hearty to help cure the hang-over from Friday night. I ordered the Croston con Morcilla, which is a Blood sausage spread on toast with a poached egg on top. While brunch enthusiast might enjoy the breaking of the yolk pouring over their toast, for me it left a yellow mess with my sandwich swimming in a pool of breakfast items. Biting into the blood sausage spread was at first strong and pack with flavor, something only my grandmother would like.

The plating, presentation and colors were certainly there in the dish. Unfortunately, my American palate couldn’t handle the heartiness of the egg and blood sausage at 11:30 in the morning. Next time I see blood sausage on a menu, I’ll ask for the pancakes instead.