A Real Chocolate Bar

Where can you get any kind of chocolate,from hot and whipped to heavenly cocoa filled croissants to to a river of molten dark liquid cacao? At Max Brenners ,across between a confectioner's and an updated chocolate house.Just walking into the dessert shop/ chocolatiers is pure heaven.The air is filled with the sweet, seductive smell of chocolate.Free samples abound and it's hard not to hate this place.It's hard not to leave too.There's a plethora of and dipped and handmade treats. The bonbons are in almost every flavor chocolate can marry.Hot Mexican peppers are added to bite size melt aways, a nod to chocolate's Mayan heritage. There are sea salt and lavender.Go and savor their crunchy sweet chocolate candy that's completely addictive.Max Brenner also sells home made marsh mallows ,macaroons along with croissants and cookies , all perfect with a steamy hot cocoa. speaking of which the hot cococa is truly one of the best tasted.I ordered mine with marshmallows ,but there is a plain one along with a spiced Mexican version and an Italian panna cotta influenced one.Mine camevwith a double head of mini marshmallows. Also get a shot of eresso with syrup, however that's more of an afternoon pick me up.They also have sweet waffles with a variety of toppings.For a real treat try, Max 's Brenner's chocolate fondue a fun way to spend an afternoon.Also every order is served with a carton of milk chocolate for drinking.How yummy os that? Max Brenner's is where chocoholics come to die.Every kind of chocolate or chocolate infused treat is there.Go visit one in your neighborhood for the ultimate cocoa famtasy.

Maryland Cuisine ,From Surf To Turf

Maryland is a state that offers all sorts of vatieties.There is the sleek cosmopolitan feel of Baltimore, the romantic, historic feel of the Chesapeake Bay area, the laid back, summer fun of Ocean City.The cuisine of the Old Line State is just as diverse.There are so many dishes from the land and sea,making for a rich ,exciting buffet of tasty dishes. It's no great wonder that Chesapeake mean bay of shellfish in Algonquin. The Chesapeake has always been known for it's delectable crab dishes.Blue crab abound in the many inlets.Of course the most famous dish involving the shredded crab along with the famed Old Bay seasoning, a mix of celery salt ,black and red peppers,cardamon, mustard and clove.It's actually an easy recipe ,with the addition of eggs and breadcrumbs..Blue crabs can be also served breaded and fried while still in their shells. The state is also known for soup and salad featuring the marine animal..However crabs aren't the only stars of Maryland cuisine.Oysters figure prominently as well.Many seafood restaurants pride themselves on their deep fried oyster fritters along with a savory oyster pie made with them as well as a variety of vegetables..Meats play an important part of the state culinary history.There is Maryland style pit beef which is a brisket cooked in a below ground pit or hole.Vinegar is added as the only flavoring .It's sliced thin and served on a roll with horseradish ,sliced raw onion and mayo.Since Maryland is really a Southern state there are also ham and biscuits.The ham is corned and stuffed with kale,cabbage and onions while the biscuits are made with a dough that's been mallet beaten for twenty to thirty minutes. The state is also known for some famous desserts.Many think of Lord and Lady Baltimore cakes,because of their names. Lady Baltimore actually originated in turn of the Twentieth, Century Baltimore and evolved from the lady cakes of the day.What is more reflective is the Smith Island Cake.This was brought from England when the state was a colony.It is a ten layer vanilla cake with chocolate icing.The size and richness suited the hearty appetites of the fishermen from the area.Peaches are in another popular state recipe,a peach pot pie,full of the ripe fruit,brown sugar and Madeira wine.A less decadent is the Dover cake a simple pound cake,flavored with nutmeg and rose brandy.Huckleberry pudding is also a nice end, which is a flour based pudding loaded with the sweet berries.Most of the desserts represent Maryland's rich English and Colonial heritage and many of the desserts could be straight out of a Jane Austen novel. Maryland is a state full of diversity.There's the sophisticated city of Baltimore for elegant dining and desserts and the bay and ocean front towns, with tasty seafood and hearty cakes.Each dish shows the many facets of this state ,ripe with history and nature.

Gourmet Foraging

Your local woodlands could become the next supermarket.There are many different kinds of edible, fungi, flowers and even weeds that can be made into both hot and cold dishes.What you may consider a pest or decoration could be an invaluable ingredient.Be on the lookout for these greens.They will definitely add to your table. Melissa Clark of The New York Times Dining section decided to try some of these wild gems,first using sorrel as a fresh alternative to garlic in a sauce for scallops.She grew them on her deck but you can find them in the wild as well.These are tart and pungent, sort of like scallions. However sorrel can be used both as an herb and a veggie.Try it to add color and bite.It works well in a salad too.Ms Clark suggests first trying it with bitter radicchio and arugula for an eye opening combo.It can also be the main ingredient in a salmon sauce.If you want something milder then try basswood leaves.These are actually leaves from the tree of the same name that grow surprisingly and abundantly in many urban areas.The basswood leaves are best eaten raw because they shrink so much during cooking.You can use them in salads but also in place of lettuce on sandwiches.The flavor is very sweet and would be good in a Waldorf or grilled chicken salad. Many people opt for dandelions this time of year.These can be made a variety of ways.The flowers can be dipped in batter and fried while the leaves can be made into salads or omelets.Remember that they make a good substitute for any dish calling for spinach.Wild mustard is another forager's dream.It can be used in place of any of the cabbages since it's part of the brassica family..The one problem is that they can be very buggy.Wash them carefully and then rinse extensively..Some home chefs soak them in soapy water for a good half hour to remove everything. Blanche them to remove the initial bitter taste and serve with butter You could also use them in a mushroom tart for color and flavor or fried with potatoes for a forager's version of the English classic bubble and squeak. Your woods are a veritable grocery store during this time of year.Go out into them and huntvdown some delicious greens.Try a salad or side dish with them and enjoy their fresh ,woodsy flavor.

Red Velvet Overload?

Like fashion and technology food has trends.Foodie's and even gourmets go mad for the latest tidbit.This is happening with red velvet cake.Has it peaked? Are we ready to move on to something new or fall back on good old chocolate and vanilla? It was the subject of an article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. Kim Severson questioned and researched this.Red velvet cake is a Southern specialty,originally made by adding vinegar to scratch chocolate cake.Even this theory is debatable.Velvet cakes came about in the 1800s.Almond flour, cocoa or cornstarch were added to soften the protein in flour and make finer crumbed cakes also known as velvets.This led to mahogany cake which is a blended batter of buttermilk, vinegar and cocoa.It also is the recipe for devils food cake.Adding the highly acidic and volatile vinegar could be the reason for the brownish red color.However it could also come from the added brown sugar once called red sugar.Another is that it also is just a chocolate cake with red food coloring added.Many believe that cake mix magnate John Adams and his wife ,Betty, created it for mass consumption in the Forties trying the cake at the famed Waldorf Astoria in New York City.After September 11th, people wanted comfort food and childhood favorites to deal with the sadness and fear .Red velvet cake filled that need and then it and it's, variations,from Pop Tarts to even fried chicken coating proliferated. Ms. Severson includes two recipes.One involves using red beets for the coloring.The other calls for two tablespoons of red food coloring.To be honest I would go with the more natural recipe.The beets are pureed and add more nutrients to a decadent recipe.If you want icing , go for a light fluffy one.The first one with the article is called ermine icing, a buttercream that has a white roux as a base.It requires some cooking, namely heating up the milk and flour together on a saucepan.It has to cool overnight and have a Saran wrap covering to prevent a skin from forming.You could make the ubiquitous cream cheese one that all red velvets had.This came about from the carrot cake craze of the 1970,s.One is also included and is easier to make than the ermine one.The cake can also be just dusted with plain confectioner's sugar.This is a nice way of letting the deep ,rich chocolate flavors shine through.You could also serve it plain with a homemade cream cheese ice cream( check the Web for the recipe). Red velvet cake is classic ,as well as being a trend.Hiptsers and foodie's may become tired of it but it will still be around.Enjoy it, not for that reason.Enjoy it because it is a delicious chocolate cake, perfect for dessert,even better for a snack.

Make The Perfect Steak

Every steak lover wants the steakhouse version of their favorite meat - even at home.They are usually disappointed however and wonder why their cut is does not have a oozy pink interior and seared brown crust.However that's about to change.Anyone can create the perfect steak.It simply takes a pan, some salt and the right cut of beef. Julia Moskin has solved this in her extensive article in Wednesday's Dining section in today's issue of The New York Times.Even she ,with her experience and know how, had trouble creating the perfect steak.Later with advice and experimentation ,she gave her family a dish worth of any Manhattan chop house.The first step is getting advice from a butcher and a second or third generation one at that too.They know meat and what cuts work .Suggestions are looking for a cut that is marbled, that is laced with creamy veins of fat.Try to buy the USDA Prime.The types to look for are a New York or Kansas City strip.You could also buy flat iron,chuck and boneless rib eye.You could also try skirt ,flank and hanger,They will be naturally chewier than the other cuts but tender when sliced with the meat's grain.Another component in creating the perfect steak is having the perfect pan.Always use a cast iron one.It has depth and is perfect for quick pan frying. The last component in creating a mouth watering steak is the preparation.Raw steaks should be patted dry with paper towels.Afterwards line a plate with more paper towels.Place meat on top of them to dry further.Now place a heavy skillet on a medium flame, lightly sprinkling table salt (not sea) on the pan's surface.Resist the urge to add butter or olive oil.Doing this won't add to the meat's flavor or improve the cooking.By now your skillet should be smoking hot .Cook steak till sizzling for one minute.Using tongs, flip it over , moving it around the pan so both sides are evenly salted.Keep cooking and flipping every thirty seconds.NOw is the time to add an extra pinch of salt along with pepper.Stop cooking when the meat has contracted in size and has developed a nice brown crust.The meat's texture should be springy not mushy.You can insert a meat thermometer if you want.Now transfer the steak to a cutting board and tent with aluminum foil for five extra minutes.You can serve the cuts in thickly sliced pieces or whole.Remember when slicing to cut away from you body.If you have a flank steak cut with the grain. Surprisigly it doesn't take much to create a perfect chop house steak. You just need only two or three ingredient,starting with right cut of meat.If you have that then you've on the path to creating a memorable steak dinner.

Chengdu China's Gastronomy Treasure

when you hear about the center of gastronomy you would normally think of Italy or France.Yet there's another capital, and it's Chengdu in the Szechuan region of central China.The best food in China, and perhaps Asia , is found there.The area famous for it's fiery peppercorns' is also known it's variety of gourmet dishes both hot and mild.Eating in Chengdu is like dining in Lyons or Milan.The food is amazing with interesting fillips and dashes. Chengdu is located smack in the center of China's most central Provence.Szechuan cooking hit the US almost forty years ago,adding zest to the Americanized versions of Mandarin and Cantonese cooking.Fire and heat came into fashion and Americans were now buying woks and cookbooks,imitating the spicy dishes .UNESCO declared it the city of gastronomy in 2011. Townspeople brag about it and rave about the dishes.Typical Szechuan cuisine can be most spicy and sweet.Tea smoked duck is a mild ,and addictively sweet dish made up the foul smoked over tea leaves and camphor twigs.It's an elaborate process that involves rubbing the body inside and out with camphor leaves,Sichuan peppers, Chinese rice wine.After this, it 's quickly blanched in hot water to tighten the skin and both towel and air dried..It's then smoked in a wok, with black tea leaves and deep fried to a mouth watering crispiness.Another drool worthy dish Kung pao chicken is also from there.It's a spicy stir fry that has chicken mixed with peanuts and chopped chili peppers.However the most important ingredient are the fiery Szechuan peppercorns that give it it's tongue numbing hotness. Chengdu also has garlicky dishes featuring all sorts of meats and veggies.Hot pot is a favorite and made by every family.It has meat ,along with leafy vegetables and dumplings.Fish and mushrooms are sometimes added as well.A dipping sauce is also served for the solid ingredients .Hot pot is more of a winter dish and the recipe varies from family to family.Twice cooked pork is another treat involving pork bellies.It involves a long cooking process where the pork bellies are first simmered with spices and jujubes.This last is not the famed movie candy but a Chinese date of the same name.It is then wok fried in a small amount of oil with napa or celery, cabbage, bell peppers or scallions.To add to this fieriness is water cooked meat and veggies.It's a kind of boiled dish and then fried with oil and peppers along with dried chilis. To some food snobs France and Italy are the gastronomic centers of the world. Yet there is also another famed area,Chengdu,China.It has given the world interesting and mouth watering dishes, worthy of any picky food critic.

Belgian Cuisine A True Variety

Belgian cuisine is often overlooked.It's not as suave and sophisticated as French or as internationally known as Italian or German.However it has provided the world with two favorite dishes as well as a cornucopia of land and sea dishes.It employs almost every ingredient from both bounties. What's the favorite standby that Beligans have given the world?There's actually two ,the French fry and the waffle.Fries have been made since the potato's introduction to Europe.They were first written about in 1680 and they originated around the area of the Meuse River in the central part of the country ( at this point Belgium didn't exist.It was a manufactured country thanks to the Napoleonic Wars).They are served in a cone ,with a side of mayo, or curry ketchup, or both.They're sometimes served with a frikandel ,a minced meat hot dog and recent addition to Belgian street fare.Waffles ,another world beloved treat,that comes from the Dutch or Fleming side of the country.Americans were first introduced to them at the Seattle World's Fair of 1962 and the New York World's Fair of 1964.They are a waffle served with whipped cream and strawberries but can also be served with ice cream and a bitter chocolate sauce.They're usually eaten as a dessert or snack.They are different from the American kind because they are made with egg whites or yeast to give them a lighter, crispier texture as well as a lighter taste. The Belgians love mussels or moules, as they're called figure prominently in their cuisine.They are usually steamed with onions and celery along with white wine and served with frites or fries.They are a wonderful fragrant dish ,briny with the taste of fresh caught mussels.Waterzooie is another hearty dish.This is a stew made with chicken or fish, eggs, cream and vegetables.It's associated with the historic city of Ghent.Another popular dish is carbonade flamande,a Belgian beef stew similar to the French Bouef Bourguinon, but made with a dark ,earthy beer instead of red wine.Served with bread or fries along with mustard.The French influence is also felt in boudin,a sausage made with a fine blend of meat, blood and breadcrumbs.It's usually eaten with potatoes and various vegetables. Dessert could be anything from rice pudding to lush Belgian chocolates to crisp cinnamon laced shortbread cookies and sugar drenched doughnuts. Belgian cuisine is varied and flavorful. It has the best of the sea and the land. It also has given the worlds it's favorite treats, waffles and fries.