Bites of the Apple
The low dollar makes it very tempting to indulge in a little retail therapy. New York has endless temptation for everyone, from art lovers and theatre buffs to museum aficionados and of course gourmands.
Many of the hottest restaurants of the moment are owned by Mario Batali and Jo Bastianich. I couldn't believe my luck this year when I made a chance phone call from the taxi on my way in from the airport and managed to get a table at Babbo. The Zagat Guide gives it a cool 27 out of 30 for "pushing the culinary envelope" with their robust adventurous Italian food. They go on to remark that getting a table is akin to winning the "powerball lottery".
It's almost as difficult to swing a table at its sister restaurant, Lupa. Here, Jason Denton joins the other two and, again, the full-bodied Italian food draws throngs of people. Jason has also opened Inoteca on 98 Rivington Street, a wine bar with 300 wines and great panini, salads, and Dolce on the east side.
Tom Colicchio, another hotshot chef is still doing brilliantly at Craft, a restaurant which serves the food family-style, down the centre of the table. I ate there on my last trip but couldn't get a table for love nor money this time. So I ate in the new venture next door, Witchcraft, a soup and sandwich bar where I had a memorable corned beef, sauerkraut and Gruyere toasted panini.
Balthazar, Keith McNally's buzzy SoHo brasserie, remains an energising spot to have breakfast, lunch, dinner or a post-midnight bite. Book a table at Calle Ocho for Latino cuisine, and Nobu for exquisite Japanese food and almost guaranteed celebrity sighting.
Food shops to check out include Dean & Deluca, Zabars, Balduccis, Citarella, Wholefoods Supermarket, EAT and Eli's Vinegar Factory. Don't miss the Carnegie Deli for skyscraper-sized sandwiches and crusty service. For cheese lovers, the Artisanal Cheese Centre, 500W 37th Street, is where 200-250 cheeses are aged and matured to the peak of perfection. Murray's cheese shop in the Village is another gem.
My latest discovery is The Spotted Pig, at 314 West 11th Street. Here, April Bloomfield, late of the River Café, cooked the best meal of my visit. They don't take bookings so try to make by it 6pm to avoid queuing.
Cookbook lovers shouldn't miss Kitchen Arts and Letters, 1435 Lexington, where Nat Waxman has over 13,000 food and wine books. Kitchen shops are many and varied, the most legendary is Bridge, or seek out Broadway Panhandlers.
Finally the Farmers Market down in Union Square is a must, particularly on Saturday.
Serves 12
3 cups all purpose flour, plus
additional for kneading and rolling
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup granulated sugar
1½ cups (3 sticks 1 stick = 3½ oz)
cold unsalted butter, diced
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1½ cups good raspberry jam
1½ pints fresh raspberries
sifted confectioners' (icing) sugar
whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream, optional
Place the flour, salt and granulated sugar in a food processor. Pulse briefly to mix. Add the butter and pulse just until the mixture is crumbly. Lightly beat 2 of the egg yolks and the whole egg together.
Add them to the food processor, then pulse until a dough starts to form.
If the mixture is too dry to gather into a ball, sprinkle with a little cold water and pulse again. Briefly knead the dough, flatten it into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate it at least an hour. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 inch on a floured surface. Cut as many 5-inch diameter circles as you can. The first roll should yield about 9 circles. Re-roll your scraps and you'll be able to cut out 3 more. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment. Spread 2 tablespoons of the jam in the centre of each pastry circle, leaving a ½ inch border. Fold the border over, pleating it as you go, so each crostada has a pastry border and a jam centre. Beat the remaining egg yolk with a tablespoon of water and brush this wash on the pastry edges. With a wide, flat spatula, arrange the crostadas on the baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400F (200C/mark6). Place the crostadas in the oven and bake until they're golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer the pastries from the pan to a rack to cool.
Arrange fresh raspberries over the jam, standing them closely at attention. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve. Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream alongside? Why not!
