Managed to get my tree up yesterday! Too much?
Haha- That is to say: I'm back in New York!
Lately, I've loved exploring Baltimore. It's got a rich culture and history of its own. From its yummy Berger cookies to its incomparable crab cakes, Bawlmer fills a unique niche in American culture- the niche from which its name "Charm City" affectionately derives.
The Thanksgiving break has brought me back up the rugged East Coast trail (read: Amtrak) to New York, never having stopped embracing the signature stereotypes of my home state of which I am so proud.
New York Pride- It can take so many forms. Skyscrapers, fashion, sports, finance, art (The new wing on the Guggenheim?), parks, history (George Washington totally drank here once) - the list of NY's prestige in these areas goes on.
There is even a certain way of speaking that tourists, even those who speak English, should be made translationally aware.
You might hear:
- Not for nothin', but you don't even know what a real bagel is.
- I axeya jeetjet? (*I asked you, "Did you eat yet?"*)
- He don't know from nothin' what good food is; I get skeeved out at what he calls a knish.
- Go see where ya gotta go and stop scootchin' me.
- Everytime I think of Papa John's as a type of pizza, I get agita.
- The Red Sox? Fugghedaboutit!
*Also FYI: Watch out for the term 'lemon ice'. A cherry lemon ice is just a cherry ice
Ok, so maybe this is mostly Italian American New Yorker speak, but that is not to undermine NY's position as the melting pot center of the Western Hemisphere.
Its celebrated melange of cultures from around the world has had a great effect on New Yorkers' pride in their cuisine. Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Indian, German, Vietnamese- you name it, New York's got it (and they all probably exist on the same block) (you can probably smell them all too).
The pride in these different cuisines is accompanied by a pride in NY based food as well. NY cheesecake, bagels, pizza, hot dogs, knishes are all deemed to be some form of the best.
*Did you know? NY is the birthplace of Haagen Dazs ice cream, the brand name of which is a made up German-like word that has no effect on its delicious, creamy taste, so people don't really mind!*
One of my favorite of these examples is the Black-and-White Cookie. A lemon-y buttermilk cookie topped with half vanilla and half chocolate ganache, this cookie holds a special place in New Yorkers' hearts. Perhaps, even the black and white frosting represent the peaceful clash of cultures that occurs within the state. What? Jerry Seinfeld thinks so...
"Look to the cookie" The key to racial harmony.
It is with the black-and-white cookie that I use my literative license as a food blogger to symbolize my return to the state I love.
So, of course, I had to share my favorite recipe for it!
Next time you encounter any terseness, get a brash response, or have a dismissive hand waved at you (accompanied by an eye-roll), think twice about its perceived haughtiness, "LOOK TO THE COOKIE", and consider the possibility that that it is just an expression of their immense pride.
Make 'em yourself and you may know just what they're talking about.
E squisito!
New York Black-and-White Cookies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
For icing
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2.Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.
3. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
4. Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes.
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2.Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.
3. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
4. Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes.
5. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes.
6. Make icing while cookies chill: Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer half of icing to another bowl and stir in cocoa, adding more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to thin to same consistency as white icing.
7. Ice cookies. Turn cookies flat sides up, then spread white icing over half of each and chocolate over other half.
6. Make icing while cookies chill: Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer half of icing to another bowl and stir in cocoa, adding more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to thin to same consistency as white icing.
7. Ice cookies. Turn cookies flat sides up, then spread white icing over half of each and chocolate over other half.
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