Candy Wars 2008

So I tend to make a bi-monthly (at least!) pilgrimage to Economy Candy to stock up on dried fruits, nuts - a general stocking of the cabinet if you will. I will get tempted by their home-made S'mores, chocolate covered Oreos, amazing selection of Ritter Sport, awesome real Turkish delight or an occasional Jelly Belly fix...however, once a year, during this magical time, I create some serious damage in this store. And I mean SERIOUS. It's so much fun! Wish I had an excuse to buy this much candy all the time. Alas, I will not be eating all of it, it was mostly for gifts (for real! ) But it got me thinking...wtih all of my recent candy consumption as of late, how do I feel about the old fashioned candy - the Walnettos, the Bottle Caps, the Mallo Cups...

Old

vs. New
vs Pig Candy! New at Essex Street Market (great butcher shop to boot!), this is simply bacon smothered with chocolate. YUM. Nothing super exotic or free range about the Jimmy Dean bacon (did you see their crazy Thanksgiving Day float?), but the novelty has given this small chocolate company a cult following. It's more expensive than cocaine, but how does it fare? After some rave reviews by friends, some 'eh' remarks from others, and omg from Serious Eats I have to say this is truly a unique piece of candy. But addictive? I'd have to say 'eh'. The bacon has a super sharp bite against the chocolate, almost an acidic flavor. You really need to eat the milk chocolate version over the dark...the sugar plays well against the bacon and the addition of milk calms it down. We'll see what super bacon fanatics have to say (my test audience is not complete yet!)

vs. the French!!

Believe it or not, I do still have (a smidgen!) of candy left from France! A true dedication to quality - this passion fruit chocolate bar from Pierre Herme gave me goosebumps! (and also my wallet's), while the caramels have such a lovely butter taste and velvety texture, it's hard to go wrong when something is done just right.

I need to start a poll, I don't think I can make this decision by myself. How does everyone else feel?

Pork and Cupcakes anyone?

Yeeah... so this is the problem when I work late, get to the gym, then am staaarving coming home! You know how many good places I pass by the time I get back to my apartment? This is the East Village, we get ramen next to cupcakes next to a pork bar next to a dessert bar! I mean really, why live here if you can't have it all?

I was going to just go home and make myself a simple meal of...oh I don't know...when I got inspired to hit the new Milk Bar. I'd already hit it up a few weeks ago and had a piece of her candy bar pie and was inspired to try the peanut butter cake. But I get there and to my horror, I see people outside..outside???
They must be smoking.
No they're waiting..um, to go in.

Screw this, I'm hungry! Besides, I pass it on my way to work and coming back home, ha! So then I think - hm a cupcake might be nice. And wait, I pass the good ramen place! No not the one here, or the one next to it..but the good one! Then I remember they don't do takeout. damn! Deflated. And ramen sounded so good - especially after being on the treadmill watching the Muppet Christmas movie (very funny when the Swedish chef brought out the whitefish on the pizza to the guys from the Sopranos..) The girl next to me gave me funny looks for watching the Muppets. Whatevs. She looked bored ;-)

(cupcake timer courtesy of gizmodo)

Anyway, so my curiosity is killing me and I've been wanting to try this new cupcake place on 7th. So I get there (passing another dessert bar on the way of course) and I see Porchetta is across the street. Hello! Another little wonder on my list, I hear mad raves about their pork sandwich! So my feet kind of draw me in, really, I don't walk myself in. And it so happens to be across from my original destination. Geez I planned this perfectly. So I start eating the sandwich, after all, it could get cold going home! That would be tragic. So I eat it whilst standing outside Butter Lane, debating whether to go in. Really. I'm still eating my sandwich. But, but...do I dare?
I do.
Did they notice the pork grease on my face as I ordered the "American Buttercream Vanilla"?
I did walking out.
She definitely noticed me opening my wallet and paying with one hand as the other was too covered in pork to function! oops. moderately embarrassing...

Yeah, put some buttaonme! Delish. I walk out with my pork in one hand (which is divine, a hint of anise and pork cracklings to make it crunchy!) and my smooth move divine little butter cake. Which was good, but not great. Maybe it was because it was 9 pm...but the cake needed more salt and the frosting, I think more vanilla. Damn I'm picky.

But at least I exercised.

But that's why I love the East Village.

(As a recent addendum to this post, Eater.com just posted the recent surge in dessert activity in my hood: East Village Dessert Destinations)

Holiday Lights in the City

It's that time of year again..if you haven't done the 5th Avenue tour of windows yet, you simply must get there - it's tradition! I seem to have radar for the most delectable pastry-themed windows, including these gorgeous white ones at Bergdorf's! Everything is white, including the one window full of cakes and pastries! And frogs! and hat boxes full of cookies!



Lord & Taylor had charming, more traditional window displays. Little moving figurines swaying this way and that...very bedtime story esque...


Macy's was a little whackadoo...but kooky and rather creative. This large, loud booming voice reads the story to you, you don't really follow the plot...and frankly some kids looked frightened. But the originality and strangeness of it is quite engaging...especially when a purple-haired Twinklebelle Kadie sitting on an ornament named Dickory is staring back at you. Love the hoops and wings!

Pandolce

Bread for the holidays....a delicious pandolce! This bread really transports you...if you've lived in Germany, you'd think it was stollen. Italy - is it like biscotti? The US - fruitcake...but I think I like it... It's not quite any of the above, and this was a new recipe I tried after discovering the recipe in Saveur...this makes four beautiful loaves with only a 1/4 tsp of yeast in the entire thing! How does that work? Magic! The bread did need some salt however, but what a great use of Maldon on top here...