Spring Fever

by hungry rabbit

When I get Spring fever, it's not the daffodils, grape hyacinth, or snow caps that evoke the feeling. Flowers are beautiful, but it's the food that truly touches my heart. I long to stroll through the farmer's market and buy the produce of spring. There's the fragrant garlic scape, the abundance of asparagus, and the sweet smell of strawberries. But my true romantic notion of spring is being in Paris and eating those beautifully colorful macaroons in a café and sipping tea or espresso. The delicate nature of these sweet treats is seemingly simple, yet alluringly satisfying.

As the weather warms and daylight saving is upon us, I can't help but to make these French classics that may be the next sweet phenomenon after cupcakes. Since both M and I are lovers of all citrus, I naturally made Lemon Macarons for this occasion. The crunchy shells are sweet, yet the scent of lemon brings the perfect balance of freshness. The creamy curd is made not just for the textural contrast, but it provides a tangy sharpness to brighten the palette. When you bite into a Lemon Macaron, you'll be pleasantly surprised with the complexity.

(Recipe after the jump)

Welcome the Tiger

By Hungry Rabbit

To all people who trace their roots back to China, the most important date in the Lunar calendar is Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. As in all traditional Chinese gatherings, food plays an important role as this holiday’s dinners tend to be very elaborate involving tables laden with “auspicious” foods. The significance of food symbolism is sometimes based on appearance--other times, the sound of the Chinese name carries the added meaning. Tangerines and oranges, for example, are passed out freely during Chinese New Year as the words for tangerine and orange sound like luck and wealth, respectively. Steamed cakes are very popular during the Chinese New Year season, and sticky Rice Cake has symbolic value on many levels. Their sweetness symbolizes a rich, sweet life, while the layers express rising abundance for the coming year, and the round shape signifies family reunion.

During the week-long New Year celebrations, every household keeps its tables topped up with sweet and savory specialties so it can welcome family and friends with a choice of festive treats. Another prerequisite of Lunar New Year is the "tray of togetherness," a tray or special box filled with an assortment of auspicious treats. Among the more popular treats are sweetened lotus roots (embodying abundance), sweetened lotus seeds (suggesting fertility), dried melon seeds (stand for profuse earnings), and all kinds of candies, which are a source of long-term sweetness.

Walnuts are amongst the foods that have a special meaning--they represent happiness of the entire family. When friends visit, I’ll put out a bowl of walnut cookies to wish them and their families happiness in the Year of the Tiger. Interestingly, this recipe comes from another tradition. Springerle, which means ‘little jumper,’ is a type of German cookie or biscuit with an embossed design made by pressing dough into a mold. Molds are traditionally carved from wood. Their origin can be traced back to at least the 14th century in southeastern Germany and surrounding areas.


(More - and recipes - after the jump.)

My Funny Valentine

By Hungry Rabbit

Every year as Valentine’s Day approaches, everyone seems obsessed by chocolate and red roses. I love both of them—and like to receive them—but if half the country is giving them and the other half is receiving them, how special are they, really?

I preferred to do something different and unexpected. This approach is part me and part M’s influence. We like to celebrate V-day on a date close to but not on Feb 14th. Other than New Year’s Eve, it’s the worst night to dine out, according to M, who dislikes most pre-fixe menus that restaurants offer on those nights--not to mention the predictable desserts. I have to agree with M that there have only been a few restaurants we’ve experienced on V-day that were enjoyable. Another reason that he’s not a fan of a pre-fixe celebration is that he’s a pescatarian (he only eats fish and seafood and no meat) which limits his choices on a set menu.

M’s favorite dessert is any kind of apple pastry or pie, but since we’ve been having lots of apple desserts over the holidays, I thought I’d change it up to another equally tantalizing fruit group. Citrus is a refreshing in-season antidote to all the chocolate treats. I came to imagine a billowy, elegant dessert with a complex sweetness and tartness—and a white cloud-like topping that suggests decadence. It would be a dessert ready to be a Cupid’s bow.

The solution is Petite Lemon Layer Meringue Cake — a multi layer white cake that’s delicate, with a spreadable lemony filling in between each layer. This sophisticated dessert is the opposite of a rich butter cake with lemon-scented butter cream frosting. Who wants to end a fantastic meal with a heavish dessert that would make you sluggish rather than ready to dance?

(recipe and more, after the break)

Chocolate Cake: Impending Doom

Posted by Beau RN

Next Saturday, my husband and I will be hosting ten friends for a dinner.  As the dinner and cast of guests have developed, the meal has gone from distinctly Jewish (a beautiful brisket even though it's the first night of Hanukkah) to straight up Italian (Lasagna, lost family recipe).  Inadvertantly, we've assembled seven single friends and and eighth who's husband can't attend.  We assume to have put our Yenta in four-wheel drive.

So the quandry as these things go is what to serve for dessert.