Waffling Leftovers: Zuni Cafe Inspired Bread Salad

San Francisco has many classic restaurants considered "institutions", one of which, no doubt, is Zuni Cafe.  Zuni opened in 1979 (!), and has quite the history (the original kitchen literally was just a toaster oven, espresso machine, and grill in a back alley!).  The menu has changed a lot of the years, including many years as mostly a Mexican restaurant, but in 1987 when chef Judy Rodgers took over, things evolved, and she introduced a wood-fired brick oven.  The accolades rolled in, including multiple James Beard awards (Outstanding Chef, Outstanding Restaurant, Cookbook of the Year).

That brick oven led to one of Zuni's most famous dishes: roasted chicken with warm bread salad.  It sounds simple, but, I assure you, this is no simple chicken and no simple salad.  It remains a fixture on the menu, but one that takes a commitment - it serves two, and has a warning that it will take an hour to prepare.  It will set you back $58.  Yes, for chicken and a salad made of bread.

I've been to Zuni, and I've had that dish.  I also have friends who have painstakingly made it themselves, and can attest to how much work it.  The recipe is easily available online, just Google search for "Zuni bread salad", and you can learn more than you want to about it (protip: if you want to make it yourself, Smitten Kitchen has a streamlined version ...).

Bread Salad Transformation.

Where am I going with this story?  Well, I had lots of bread salad leftover one day, and, I decided to do what I do with many leftovers: waffle it.  If this concept is confusing, please back up, and go read my master post.

To answer the big question: Leftover Bread Salad, Will It Waffle? The answer is ... not really.  But it still works as a reheating technique.

The Original: Bread Salad with Currants and Pine Nuts.

So let me back up, to the original dish, the bread salad.

My version did not come from Zuni, but, rather, it was prepared by the chefs who cater my dinners at work.  They have made this, along with roast chicken, several times for us, and it is always amazing.

What is it?  Well, a salad with bread as the main component, yes.  It sorta looks like a bowl of croutons with arugula thrown on top.  Or perhaps like some too crunchy stuffing strangely topped with salad?

It is chunks of focaccia, toasted first with olive oil, then drizzled with a very tangy vinaigrette with champagne vinegar, zinfandel vinegar, and mustard.  Toasted pine nuts, plumped up currants, onions, and some bitter greens round out the recipe.  It is served warm.  I believe it normally has chicken drippings as well, but, this was a vegetarian friendly version.

And, that is it.  This is not just a salad with some flavorful croutons.  The bread is the key component, not the greens.  The arugula is just tossed on top at the end, it is the bread that makes up the body of the "salad".  And those chunks of bread ... swoon.  Seriously, the most flavorful crispy bits of bread ever.  The flavor infused in them is just insane.  They are chewy, crispy, and somewhere between a crouton and stuffing, if that makes any sense.

Although I don't generally care for pine nuts nor currants, they are essential.  The pine nuts provide a nutty nature and soft crunch that I can't think of suitable substitution for.  I appreciate the sweetness from the currants, although I kinda wonder if perhaps cherries could work?  Any bitter greens will do, we usually have arugula, currently Zuni uses frilly mustard greens.  Something bitter is key though, to offset the acid from the vinaigrette.

And that is the bread salad.  It is served warm, and something you need to consume pretty much immediately.

We always have a lot left over, as my co-workers haven't quite caught on to the fact that this isn't a bowl of croutons (but once they do try it, you can bet that they rave!).  I've tried several times to save it, and it kinda holds up for a day (the arugula get very wilted obviously), but, the bread quickly gets mushy, and warming it up in the oven only goes so far.  By the second day, there isn't much hope for it.

Into the Waffle Iron.

Rather than throw it out, I decided to give it one last valiant effort, and threw it into the waffle iron.

At this point, the bread was mushy yet also chewy, a bit stale tasting, and just not holding up at all.  I didn't expect much, so I just threw a pile into the waffle iron, set the dial to my default 350 degrees, laughed at myself, and walked away for a few minutes.

Midway Through Grilling.

I checked in on it to find basically what you'd expect: grilled, toasted bread with waffle iron marks on it.

It obviously wasn't holding together as a waffle, as I didn't provide any binding element.

The Result: A Jumble of Bread Salad.

After sufficient time, I wanted to remove it from the waffle iron, and realized how ridiculous this experiment was.  What did I expect to happen exactly?  That it would magically turn into a waffle?  I know better than this.

After some careful work with chopsticks (I needed something nonstick!) I was able to remove it, and dump it onto a plate.  It was just a pile of toasted flavorful bread cubes.  Tasty bread cubes for sure, and I liked how crispy they were, but, clearly not a waffle, and I don't think this was much different than just warming it up in the oven.

So, I still ate it, it was enjoyable, but not really worth repeating.

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Rise: Element Boston Seaport

Another day, another hotel breakfast buffet.  That is what it feels like to me sometimes these days.  I've been doing a lot of travel.

My recent adventures took me back to the Boston area, which of course you have read about many times as my family lives in the northeast and I visit several times a year.  This time I was headed to New Hampshire, but not to see my family (well, not entirely).  I was headed to a recruiting event, and needed to get to New Hampshire, without my family coming to pick me up as usual.  The only real option (besides taking a really early flight, or driving late at night myself) was for me to fly into Boston, spend the night near the airport/bus station, and then take a bus up to New Hampshire the next day.  Not exactly ideal, but it gave me a chance to check out a new SPG hotel: The Element Boston Seaport.

This was my first time staying at an Element hotel, one of Starwood's more economical options (like Aloft, where I stayed in Buffalo once), intended for longer term stays (most rooms have kitchenettes at a minimum).  It is branded by Westin though, so it still has the Westin Heavenly bed and shower, just none of the extra frills.  The brand is also about being ecologically friendly, with recycled materials and energy savings built in.  They also have a happy hour most nights and all stays include breakfast (I'm pretty sure breakfast is not included at any other Starwood property?)

Since this is Julie's Dining Club, not Julie's Hotel Review Club, you can guess where this review is going: breakfast.

Rise: Breakfast Bar.

"Wake up to our complimentary signature healthy breakfast. Start the morning with hot sandwiches, refreshing smoothies, wholesome granola, fresh fruit, whole grain breads & cereals, and coffee service."

I didn't really know what to expect.  Sure, reviews I read of the breakfast are all enthusiastic, but, honestly, I assumed this is mostly because people are excited about *any* free breakfast buffet.  I didn't think it would compare to some of the ridiculous breakfast buffets I've had at other Starwood properties, where I've had it included as part of a package, or as a Platinum benefit, like my current top three: Le Potager, Le Meridien, Munich, Le First, Westin, Paris, and Tres, SLS Hotel, Beverley Hills.

And, it didn't compare to those.  But, for an included, mostly continental breakfast buffet, it was far above average.

The area was self-serve, buffet style, return as many times as you want, seat yourself, and bus your own table.  It was quite busy, with a line forming for the espresso machine all morning.  The selection was good, and I do think that most people would be pretty satisfied with the offerings, even though there were no made-to-order items, no charcuterie or cheese, and very limited hot items.

Element's buffet is known for 3 signature things that do set it apart for standard continental buffets: a fresh daily smoothie, good gourmet coffee, and, breakfast sandwiches, all of which I had to try.

Drinks

The first thing I wanted was coffee.  8am in Boston did indeed feel like 5am in my world, and I wanted, no, needed, caffeine, ASAP.  Plus, I had read reviews of how good the coffee was.

Espresso Machine.

The first thing I encountered was a robot espresso machine.  It had regular and decaf, which it would grind to order, plus regular milk to make a cappuccino.  There was also a mocha option with powered chocolate.  I was surprised there wasn't a big pot of brewed regular coffee available, but I didn't mind waiting a minute for some fresh ground and brewed espresso, in the form of an Americano.

There were no coffee mugs nearby, only takeaway cups, which I found surprising for somewhere that is so focused on conservation.  Multiple types of sweetener were available, along with several types of sugar, creamer packets, and milk (both regular and soy), which did double duty with the cereal.

The coffee was indeed decent.  I had a regular to start, and it was strong and exactly what I needed.  I stopped by later in the day and made a decaf, and it too was really quite good, not stale tasting, no decaf funk.  Neither were outstanding, but both very solid.  Fresh grinding does make a difference.

Self-Serve Coffee & Tea.

Only once I had gathered all my food did I see the self-serve coffee area over on the other side of the room.  This area had ceramic mugs, two large dispensers of regular coffee, one decaf coffee, hot water, and assorted tea bags (Bigalow brand, including herbal, mint, and several black teas), plus the same sweeteners as the espresso area, with the addition of honey.

Non-caffeinated beverage offerings included orange, apple, and cranberry juice, plus plain water and a bowl of ice.  There were strangely no glasses available when I visited, and I awkwardly looked around trying to figure out what to put my water in besides a paper coffee cup.  I asked a staff member if there were glasses, and he opened a cabinet and gave me one, but didn't put any others out.  A few hours later, when I walked back by, there were glasses laid out.  I wonder why they weren't there earlier?  Maybe there should have been coffee mugs near the robot machine too?

The final beverage was a smoothie, the other item I had read much about.  I'm not one for smoothies, but, if everyone raved about it, it was worth trying, right?  It was in a pitcher in the well with cold foods, so I was able to take just a tiny bit and not waste.  I didn't like it, but, well, it was a smoothie.  Thick, yogurty, meh.

Hot Foods

Element prides themselves on the fact that the breakfast offerings are not just continental.  They always feature breakfast sandwiches, which you can tell are crowd pleasers (likely more out of novelty than anything else?)  I can't tell you how many reviews that I saw mentioned the breakfast sandwiches.  These change regularly, and I believe always include one vegetarian option.

They also had two chafing dishes with hot foods that I failed to get a photo of.  One was scrambled eggs that looked very dried out, and the other was bacon (actually crispy looking).  I don't really like eggs so those were easy to skip, but I did almost take a slice of bacon.  I'm not sure if these items rotate with other things like sausage or pancakes, as I was only a guest for one night.

Beside the hot foods were condiments, adorable packages of ketchup (far bigger than standard McDonald's packets, so you might actually only need one!) and hot sauce, plus salt and pepper grinders.  These little touches do set the Element apart.

South Western Breakfast Sandwich: Onions, Peppers, Egg, & Cheese (Vegetarian).

I know I don't like eggs, and why would I want a pre-made breakfast sandwich that was just sitting on a hot plate?  Yeah, yeah, I should know better.  But, these sandwiches used biscuits as the base, and biscuits weren't available plain.  I figured that worst case I'd salvage the biscuit and spread it with butter (or honey + butter = honey butter), or perhaps some jam.

This was about as you'd expect, a pre-made, but well made, breakfast sandwich.  The cheese on top was congealed, but quite tasty, some kind of white cheese.  The egg patty was actually really fluffy and nicely done, and I liked the spicy peppers on top.  I didn't see any onions.

The biscuit itself was the weakest part though, just kinda soggy, no real crumble to it, no tang.  I didn't feel the urge to try to save it, and instead actually ate more of the filling.

Overall, not great, but, better than I'd expect.

Steak, Egg, & Cheese.

I didn't try the other option, steak, egg, and cheese on english muffin, but, the two people I saw take these didn't finish them, if that indicates anything.

Continental

The majority of the buffet is continental offerings.

Yogurts, Milk, Toast.

The continental section started with a cold well with hardboiled eggs and individual packages of Dannon Lite & Fit flavored yogurts, a small pitcher of soy milk, butter, and cream cheese (Philadelphia, vegetable only, no plain). Next was bread (white and wheat), english muffins, and bagels (plain), with a toaster on the side. Besides the cream cheese, there was also smooth peanut butter (Kraft?) and Smucker's brand jams (strawberry, orange marmalade, and grape).

I didn't try any of this, and thought the bread selection was fairly disappointing - no variety in bagels, no cinnamon raisin bread ...

Cereal & Milk (backside), Sugar and Sweetener (front).

Opposite that area was a cereal dispenser with 3 types of cereal: Honey Bunches of Oats, Honey Nut Cheerrios, and Fruit Loops, along with milk.  These weren't anything extraordinary, but, I found my bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats with soy milk strangely satisfying, and of course finished off with a little Fruit Loops (mostly so I could make some tasty tasty cereal milk!)

Fruit, Granola, Nuts.

Finally, there was fruit (whole apples, orange, and bananas), a fruit salad, and dried raisins and cranberries, plus two types of granola.

I tried both granolas with soy milk, and enjoyed those too.  I'm not sure what brand or kind they were, as they were unlabelled.

Pastry

Over on the other side of the area, next to the self-serve coffee, was a plastic case with baked goods.  It seemed far less popular than the other areas, and I'll admit, buffet pastries are rarely good.  Of course the yogurt, cereal, and bagels are safer choices.  Or more likely, people just didn't see it, as I only found it because I was seeking out baked goods.

They all missed out.  The baked goods were shockingly good, particularly for a buffet, and particularly for this level of buffet.

Danishes, Muffins.

The pastry case contained filled danishes of assorted varieties (custard, berry, apple, pecan), cinnamon rolls, and muffins.  Only the muffins had a label, and none looked that great, based on visuals alone.

Still, you know me, I love baked goods.  I obviously was going to try at least one.

I took a cinnamon roll, as it looked most promising.  It was soft, sweet, and had a great amount of cinnamon between the layers.  Only a little icing on top, but just the right amount to not make it too sweet.  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, and would gladly have another.

Cranberry Lemon Muffin.

"Our Lemon Cranberry muffin is made with lemon puree, real cranberries, buttermilk and eggs.  It's filled with a creamy lemon curd and topped with butter lemon streusel."

Next, I moved on to muffins.  The sign said that they had Chocolate, Apple Cinnamon, Green Tea, and Cranberry Lemon.

There were two chocolate muffins when I arrived, but, the person before me, somewhat apologetically, took both.  Clearly the appealing item, chocolate base with huge chocolate chunks.  I didn't see any that seemed like they could possibly be described as green tea.

I did my research, and learned that the muffins came from US Foods Chef's Line.

First, I went for the streusel topped muffin, which turned out to be cranberry with ... some kind of custard in the top center?  Certainly a strange combination, but I really quite enjoyed it.  

The muffin was moist, the cranberries provided a nice tang, and I did like the creamy custard, as strange as it was.  The crumbly streusel on top, which is what drew me in, was fine, but, the least exciting part of the muffin, as there just wasn't much of it.

Next to me, another women had an egg sandwich, and discarded it after a bite or two.  Then she had some scrambled eggs, and again, pushed them away.  She told her dining companion that nothing was good, but she was hungry.  He suggested a muffin, and she rather begrudgingly got one.  One bite in, she admitted that it was really good.  I wasn't the only muffin fan.

According to the sign, the one I took was Cranberry Lemon, or Lemon Cranberry per the manufacturer, but I dub it the "Cranberry Custard Streusel Muffin".

Apple Cinnamon Gourmet Muffin with Apple Filling.

"Our apple cinnamon muffin is filled with delicious Michigan Rome apples topped with a crumbly streusel."

After the success of the first muffin, I went for another, for the road (aka ... an hour later), totally unsure of what kind it was.  It had a few scattered oats on top, and a pocket of something that looked like it might be caramel (it wasn't).

Apple Cinnamon Gourmet Muffin with Apple Filling: Inside.

It turned out to be the apple cinnamon.

Inside the muffin was brown core, I guess "cinnamon", but not particularly cinnamon-y.  This part was a bit dry. 

Down the top center, much like the custard from the cranberry muffin, was a filling, this time, apple cinnamon.  It was half goo, half little chunks of apple.  The apple was nicely cooked, the spicing was good, but I don't really care for apple.

The rest of the muffin seemed to be the same base as the cranberry, moist, and pretty good.

The topping here was oats, just a tiny scattering, even fewer than the streusel from the previous muffin.

I didn't really like this one, but that is just due to the flavor.  It was still moist, and I still loved the top part that wasn't touching the apple filling.

Pecan Pie Danish.

And ... when I went back downstairs later, the pastries were still out even though breakfast had ended.  I couldn't stop myself, I helped myself to another.  It was the best of the bunch.

This turned out to be ... pecan pie-in-a-danish.  The filling was the sweet goo that makes pecan pie oh-so-delectable.  The pastry was flaky and crispy.  It was drizzled with sweet white icing and topped with little bits of pecan.  I loved it, and it reminded me of the one I had at the Hyatt Regency in Buffalo.  Very sweet though, but, really, if you love pecan pie like I do, and you love pastry, this is a thing of wonder.

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Pizza from Buca Di Beppo

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Buca di Beppo. Large format, family style, chain restaurant, Americanized Italian, yadda, yadda, yadda, but, really, it isn't *that* bad.

Signage.

Ok, their signs are bad.  As is the cheesy "Italian" music blasting out onto the side.  And, granted, I've only been to Buca di Beppo a couple times.

The first time was a rehearsal dinner for a wedding in Seattle, and the only thing I really remember is that Ojan loved the baked ziti. Or was it the ravioli? I don't recall anything noteworthy myself, besides, well, the massive scale of everything. A few years later, Ojan threw me a surprise birthday party at the Buca in San Francisco. I can't confirm it, but, I kinda think this was a case of rather late planning, and, where else can easily handle a large group? Again, I don't recall much about the food, but, I did think it made a decent enough venue for our large and rowdy group, and, I recall liking the garlic bread.

I've also had Buca di Beppo catering a few times, and again, recall thinking the caesar salad and fettuccine alfredo weren't bad.  Ojan likes the chocolate chip cookies.

My general impression has always been that the place is decent enough, for what it is, except of course, the brownie sundae, which I've just never liked.

April 2017

Fast forward to 2017, and now that I have a blog, I decided to pay attention when my apartment building hosted a party and had pizza from Buca di Beppo.  It was delivery, and, certainly suffered in transit.  To call it lukewarm would be generous.  I wanted to rush a slice up to my apartment to warm it up in the toaster oven, but, I felt a bit guilty running out of the party, just to provide myself tastier food.  So I stayed, and ate lukewarm pizza.

Pizza con Formaggio, Large. $29.99.

"Mozzarella, garlic-infused olive oil and our authentic pizza sauce."

I laughed when I looked up the cheese pizza online: "pizza con formaggio", it read.  Really, Buca?  Nothing else on the menu sounds pretentious, why the simple cheese pizza?  I laughed further as I copied over the description: "our authentic pizza sauce".  Oh, really?  Authentic what exactly?

It was decent pizza though.  Not fancy artisanal pizza cooked in a 900 degree oven.  Not made with flour imported from Italy, the finest tomatoes, or house made mozzarella.  But, for simple pizza?  It was good.  

The crust was thin crust, and nicely crispy.  The sauce was fine, not too sweet, not too tangy, nothing strange going on there.  Cheese well distributed and melted.  Did I taste the garlic infused olive oil?  Well, no.  Did the sauce taste "authentic"?  I have no idea what that even means, really.  But the pizza was fine, just, not special.

We had large size pizzas, oblong, with 18 slices, designed to feed 5 people according to the web site.

Pepperoni, Large. $30.99.

"Large slices of pepperoni, mozzarella, provolone and our authentic pizza sauce."

We also had pepperoni.  I didn't try the pizza itself, assuming the base was the same as the cheese pizza (but, it wasn't?  According to the description, no garlic infused olive oil on this one, and, provolone cheese too?), but I did steal a giant pepperoni off of one of Ojan's slices.  Because, really, how do you resist those insanely large slices?  #theBucaWay.  

The pepperoni too was, well, fine.  Sorry this review is so boring, but, there just isn't much more to say.  Ojan did like the pizza, and commented on how it was better than he expected.

Buca di Beppo is solid, reliable, and won't leave anyone unhappy, they just probably also won't remember it either.

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Waffling Leftovers: Noodle Kugel

I did not grow up with noodle kugel.  I didn't even know it existed.  A major downside of growing up in a small rural town with zero diversity.  This makes me sad, as, it turns out, I really enjoy it.

The first noodle kugel I ever had was from Wise Sons, a cold sweet version, served with seasonal jam.  I ordered it because I was fascinated by the idea, and I knew it sounded like something I would like: I love casseroles, puddings, bread puddings, and things with crispy tops.  Since then, I've had several savory versions too, such as spinach noodle kugel, and parmesan sour cream potato kugel topped with tomato sauce.

I still find all variations fascinating, and I never quite know what to make of them.  Savory versions seem like they could be side dishes or mains.  Sweet ones seem equally suited for breakfast or dessert.  Should I eat it warm, or cold, or either?  What about extra toppings?  I always want to drizzle some maple syrup on sweet versions at breakfast.  Am I really eating sweet mac and cheese?  I wish I had more exposure to these items growing up!

Breakfast Noodle Kugel Transformation.

This recent adventure was with a sweet breakfast kugel.  I had extra, and you know me, if there is any chance of crispy bits enhancing something, my mind immediately jumps to waffling it (if you don't know what I'm talking about, go start with my master post).

So, Leftover Noodle Kugel: Will it Waffle?  Sure.

The Original: Blueberry Cream Cheese Kugel.

The original was absolutely delicious sweet noodle kugel, served at my office for breakfast.

It was creamy inside, with sour cream, cream cheese, and cottage cheese mixed together to create pockets of slightly tart cheesiness.  It was perfectly moist and custardy inside, but had crispy bits on top from sliced almonds and noodles themselves.  Studded throughout with juicy blueberries.  Accented with lemon zest and vanilla for a bit of extra complexity in the flavor.  Dusted with powdered sugar and topped off with fresh blueberries.

It was very, very good, and served in giant slices.  I polished one off in an instant, alongside a few other breakfast items.  I realized that one slice was bigger than I needed even, but I wanted more.  I took a second slice.  I started in on it.  And then my stomach caught up with me.

But, I certainly did not throw it out.

Cold Leftovers.

Into the fridge my leftovers went.

I tried a few bites cold, and it was perfectly tasty.  I'm sure it would have been fine simply reheated in the toaster oven too.  But I saw an opportunity to experiment, and I couldn't resist.

Inspired by the crispy bits on top that I liked, I schemed to get more crispy bits, by waffling it, of course.

Mid-Way Cooking.

So into the waffle iron a chunk went.

Simple setup, 350 degrees.  No extra crusting or work done, although I think this would have lent itself nicely to crusting with some cornflakes, or a sugar coating to caramelize on the outside.

It cooked easily, no drama.  I held form well, extracted easily, made no mess, didn't burnt.

Waffled Blueberry Cream Cheese Kugel.

The result was basically what you'd expect.  Crispy noodle edges, all around.  Still fairly custardy inside.

I topped it with a dollop of whipped cream because I couldn't resist, and then returned to add some powdered sugar and cinnamon too, but what I really wanted was a drizzle of maple syrup.  Next time ...

I don't see it as a radical improvement on traditional reheating, or even eating cold, but overall, it was absolutely fine, and if you like crispy bits on your kugel, you'll like this.

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Overnight Oats: Will if Waffle?

I waffle all my leftovers.  Ok, not quite all, but, most.  As you can see from my master post.  I'm skipping all the waffling background here, since I've covered it many times by now.  But if this idea is novel to you, go start with my earlier posts.

A crazy experiment.

This may be one of the more ridiculous attempts at waffling that I have made.  The base was overnight oats (aka, mushy cold oatmeal), with, uh, rainbow sprinkles added.  More on that soon.  I was experimenting, and I knew it.

It worked better than I expected, although, I wouldn't do this again.

The Original: Overnight Oats.

The original was overnight oats, made with almond milk, strawberry, and lemon zest.  I liked the oats the first day I had them, but by day two, they were a bit too soggy, and, honestly, boring.

So I added rainbow sprinkles for fun, sweetness, and texture.  But, the result still just wasn't great.  I ate most of the bowl, but, I reached a point of just not wanting any more.

I was about to simply throw them out, but the anti-food-waster in me got the better of me.  When in doubt ... waffle it?

My expectation was that any of three things could happen: 1) it wouldn't bind together, it would be a horrible mess, and I'd just throw it out, 2) it would make a hearty, oatmeal-y waffle, and that might be different at least, 3) it would turn more into an oatmeal cookie, which is something I had been wanting to try for a while anyway.  I had no idea which it would be.

Cooking Up Nicely!

So, into the waffle iron the "batter" went.  It actually was more waffle-batter like than most things I waffle, thick, and spread in easily.  I set the waffle iron to 350°, walked away to make more coffee, and laughed at myself.

When I returned to check on it, I was a bit surprised.  It was holding together perfectly.  It, uh, looked like a waffle?  Huh.

Waffled Oats!

It crisped up perfectly on the outside.  It extracted from the waffle iron with no problems.  Huh.  This was going better than I expected.

The inside however was still basically mush.  So, warm oatmeal mush inside a crispy exterior.  Kinda interesting, but, not particularly good.  I added butter and syrup, and ate it like a traditional waffle, and if it was certainly better than just the cold soggy leftover oats, but I didn't exactly like it.

I left a tiny chunk to cool, thinking of it more like a "cookie".  When I returned to it later, I was pleasantly surprised.  It wasn't a cookie exactly, but, it was much better cold, as the oatmeal inside got more solid, and formed more of a soft cookie than warm mushy oatmeal.  Again, not great, but better than expected.

So did it waffle?  Yes, but, I see no reason to actually do this.

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Macarons from Tout Sweet Pâtisserie

Update Review April 2017

I've reviewed Tout Sweet, a local patisserie, many times before.  I've found some good desserts, and a really good cookie, but was never impressed with the baked goods or the macarons.  Not that I like macarons in general, but, I really never liked these ones.

So, why the update review?  I was at an event, they had macarons from Tout Sweet, so, I gave them another try.  And discovered one that wasn't so bad ...

Tahitian Vanilla Bean.

"We make this popular macaron by using six different vanilla beans to create the perfect chewy filling. "

The first one I grabbed was the plain white vanilla.  Vanilla filling, vanilla cookie.

I didn't like it at all.  The cookie was too chewy, not light and airy.  The filling was a thick ganache, kinda waxy, and although vanilla flavored, it sorta tasted like white chocolate, if you know what I mean.  Did not like.

Peanut Butter & Jelly.

"We had some die hard fans of this macaron who rioted when we took it out of rotation so we have now made it a staple at Tout Sweet! We roast our own Valencia Peanut Butter and fold it into a sweet Italian butter cream with a hint of sea salt. In the center is a surprise of sweet raspberry confit. Crunchy on the outside, it’s a favorite for sure!"

On my way out, I grabbed another, just to try ...

It fared much better.  I also had no idea what kind it was until I bit in, but once I did, it was very clear. PB & J.  Oh yes.  

The filling was peanuty.  So clearly peanuty.  I'm a sucker for peanut butter, so, I was sold, instantly.  The cookie had a bit of berry flavor, although that element wasn't nearly as strong.  The cookie was kinda crispy, not what I'd expect from a macaron, but, I liked it more than the chewy cookie in the vanilla one.  Still a macaron, but, for a macaron, it was one I liked.

Original Reviews, September 2012

The local food media has been abuzz lately, leading up to the opening of Tout Sweet.  It is the Pâtisserie by Yigit Pura, located inside of Macy's near Union Square.  He was the winner of Top Chef Just Desserts, and even though I didn't watch the show, I'm a dessert lover, and everyone seemed so excited about this, that I had to check it out.

I went to the grand opening, and Yigit was there to greet everyone.  He took the time to meet every single person, ask their name, and if they wanted, have their photo taken with him.  He was clearly on the top of the world, as he's been working on this project for a while.  As I wasn't familiar with him,  I wasn't swooning over him like most of the other people at the event, but he was pretty adorable, and his enthusiasm and excitement were infectious.

The shop had tons of amazing looking pastries and cakes, along with pantry items like flavored marshmallows (the next cupcake, I'm telling you!) and sauces.  The space is beautiful, sleek and modern, overlooking Union Square, with what seemed like not nearly enough seating.

I only tried the macarons, and ... I really wasn't impressed.  They weren't bad, but certainly were not better than average.  I hope to go back sometime and try some of the other treats, as I assume they must be good!

Frankie (?), Chloe, Melissa, Rebecca (clockwise, from back). $1.85 each.

• Frankie: Bing cherry and bourbon buttercream: I didn't really taste any cherry, nor bourbon.  The buttercream was very ... buttercreamy, and there was a lot of it.  I've never have so much buttercream inside a macaron before, making it seem like a strange cross between a cupcake and a macaron.  I love buttercream frosting, but it really just overtook the delicate balance of the macaron.  The cookie part was a good consistency.  But overall, I was not a big fan, as I still couldn't tell what flavor it was.  Least favorite.
• Chloe: Pasila chili infused dark chocolate ganache:  I didn't really get much spice in this, but I did like the chocolate ganache inside, it was very smooth and had a nice deep chocolate flavor.  It worked much better than the overwhelming buttercream.  Second favorite.
• Melissa: French lavender buttercream: Unlike the first purplish macaron, there was no problem determining what this one was!  Intensely lavender flavored, beautifully floral, yet somehow, it did not seem like I was eating soap.  Very sweet, and would have gone great with a cup of tea.  There was again a lot more of the buttercream filling than I'd expect, but since that is where the amazing flavor was, it worked better in this one.  The buttercream was very fluffy and light.  Really a nice macaron, my favorite of the bunch.
• Rebecca: Salted Caramel: And then ... back to another one with a fairly indistinguishable flavor.  I was excited for this one, since salted caramel, although such a fad, can be so good.  The cookie was just sweet, and the filling had a slight caramel flavor, but I didn't get any salt, and the caramel certainly wasn't very pronounced.  Second to last pick.

Jack-O-Lantern Macaron.  $1.85.

On another visit, I decided to try out the seasonal special, the Jack-O-Lantern, filled with caramel apple buttercream.  Like the others, the cookie part didn't really impress me.  The filling indeed tasted like a caramel apple, it was very sweet.

Plain Macaron.  $1.85.

Plain Macaron.  $1.85.

Both of these macarons had a beautiful shimmer to them.  It is hard to see in the photos however, but they were really shiny, I have no idea how they created that effect!

The macarons didn't really live up to their gorgeous exteriors.  The filling was plain, very sweet, buttercream, and like their other macarons I have tried with this filling, it just seemed out of place, and more belonging on a cupcake.  There was again seemingly too much of it as well.  It was really fluffy and good buttercream though!

The cookie part of each was again a disappointment.  They just didn't have the distinctive awesome texture that a macaron should have.  And no real flavor.  Meh, meh, meh.

El Unicorn Macarons!

For pride weekend, Tout Sweet gave out free macaroons, a special new flavor, the "El Unicorn" :)  It had a pearl jasmine white chocolate ganache filling.  Like all of their macarons, I just didn't like it.  The cookie was too dense, and the filling didn't taste like white chocolate at all.  It did have a really lovely subtle jasmine flavor however.  But, I give up on the macaroons.

Assorted Macarons: Salted Caramel, Tahitian Vanilla Bean, Sicilian Pisachio, Chocolate, Lemon-Yuz, Sour Cherry & Bourbon.

At an event I recently attended, they had a tray of Tout Sweet macarons.  Even though I haven't been a huge fan of the macarons from Tout Sweet, or really, of macarons in general, I still had to give a few a try.  I selected the green and pink ones, not knowing the flavors.

I assumed the green was pistachio, but it didn't taste pistachio at all to me.  It seemed to have sesame seeds on the outside?  Ojan thought it tasted floral.  Still, looking online at the guide, it seems it must have been pistachio, I'm really not sure why neither of us could figure it out.

The pink one surprised me.  Since I wasn't expecting sour cherry, the tartness of the filling was a real shock.  I thought it would be something light like rose!  The filling was quite intensely flavored, and it wasn't a cream filling, rather, it was more like a gel or jam.  I didn't care for the flavor, but I think that if you like sour cherry, this was really a unique one.  I'm sure Ojan's dad would love this.  I did however really like the cookie part!  It was crispy and light, and sprinkled with sugar which added an extra crunch.  I probably liked this cookie part more than any other Tout Sweet macaron!

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Butterscotch Pudding: Will it Waffle?

In my quest to waffle anything and everything, sometimes I make some ... interesting choices.  Like trying to waffle one of my favorite desserts: butterscotch pudding.

As you can guess, the answer to Butterscotch Pudding: Will it Waffle? is a resounding no, but that doesn't mean I didn't still get something tasty to eat out of it!

The Original: Butterscotch Pudding.

The original was classic butterscotch pudding.  Real butterscotch pudding.  Not the kind made with "butterscotch morsels".  The real stuff.  The kind that is the labor of love.  The kind that takes serious minding on the stove.  Egg yolks, cream, butter, brown sugar, cornstarch, uh, whiskey ...

I know real butterscotch pudding when I taste it.  My grandmother is "famous" for her butterscotch pie, thick, legit butterscotch pudding, topped with lightly toasted meringue.  I grew up with that as my reference point for butterscotch pudding, and I never understand how others can eat plastic-y, fake, "butterscotch", and think it is butterscotch.

But, as I don't like meringue, I always thought the pie was overkill.  I mean, I like a good pie crust, but, really, I just wanted a big bowl of the filling, topped with some whipped cream.  I learned to make it several years ago, and now, every holiday season, I help my mom make the butterscotch, following my grandmother's recipe.  Ours might not be quite as good as hers, but, I think we have it down.  One time though, I discovered something.  I've always had the butterscotch pudding chilled and set, in the pie.  When making it myself, I had the pleasure of licking the bowl and spoons as I  cleaned up.  The pudding was still warm.  And it was wonderful.  Warm butterscotch pudding is absolutely amazing, I don't know why we normally have it chilled.

Anyway.  I had a bunch of fantastic butterscotch pudding.  It was delicious, deep real butterscotch flavor, thick set.  I had a couple little cups like a normal person, but couldn't help but ponder ... will it waffle?

Uh, cooking?

So, into the waffle iron I put several spoonfuls.  It instantly splattered and started bubbling away.  It was thick, but thinned instantly as it warmed.  Uh-oh.

It ... did not waffle.  I didn't crust it, and I heated up something that turns more runny when it is warmed up.  I'm not sure what I was thinking, really.

I had a mess on my hands, and it was clear that it wasn't ever going to take shape, nor be easy to remove.  Doh.

So I grabbed chopsticks, and just started extracting little bits.  It might have been a mess, but, the warm pudding was still delicious.  As it slowly cooled, it thickened back up again, and became easier to extract.

So, a waffle I did not have, but I still managed to eat every last bit, warm and delicious, uh, direct from my waffle iron.

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