Pumpkin Roll

Last year I tried this recipe for the first time. My mother always made it and I have always loved it. The funny thing about this recipe is that it is printed on the inside of the Libby's pure pumpkin. I have always thought that it was a recpie that was passed down through the family. I guess some of the best kept secrets are the ones that are not really too secret. As for for pumpkin I have tired many canned varieties and even tried to make it myself by scratch but the Libby's 100% pure pumpkin is one of the best. It has the most pumpkin flavor that I have ever had, and what is even nicer is that when you look at the list of ingredients there is only one ingredient. That makes me very happy. I have a big issue about things that are in storage that have additives to it. I know that they are there to preserve the ingredients but not a big fan of putting too many un-natural chemicals into my body that i really don't know what they are. The recipe is is pretty simple and can be made in a little more than an hour with cooling time.



Cake:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp of ground cloves
1/2 tsp of ground ginger (not in recipe but a nice additive)
1/4 tsp of salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cups of Libby's Pure Pumpkin
1 cup chopped walnuts (not something I use)



Filling
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese softened
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
6 Tbsp butter (unsalted is what i use)
1 tsp vanilla extract (I use a vanilla paste from Williams and Sanoma- really good)



For cake:
Preheat the oven to 375*F. Grease 15x10-inch jelly roll pan, line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper.


Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a Small bowl. Beat the eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. It will get creamy. Beat in the pumpkin, stir in flour mixture. spread evenly in jelly roll pan and sprinkle with nuts if you like.


Bake for 13-15 min. the edges will start to brown and the cake will spring back when touched. The cake should be about 1/4" to 1/2" thick. You want to feel like it is a very think cake. When you take it out of the oven sift powdered sugar on the top and drape a thin cotton kitchen towel over the top. You want to flip it out of the jelly roll pan right away. By putting the towel on the pan I can then use a cookie pan on top and flip it over onto the cookie pan. Roll up cake and towel together. You can roll it either way, I roll it so that i have a longer roll so it is a nice personal slice in the end. Let cool rolled up on rack.


For the filling:
Beat cream cheese butter and vanilla extract until creamy, add sifted powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Carefully unroll cake, remove towel. spread cream cheese filling over cake. Re-roll cake, gently squeeze cake to make sure there is a smooth and no major air pockets. Refrigerate to firm up filling. Before serving cut off edges and sprinkle with powdered sugar.


Its really a pretty easy recipe.

Woe that is Filene's take 3

My concerns of downtown are starting to manifest again. I read this article about the financing of the One Franklin project and how that there is trouble with it (see link below). With the market the way that it is now, has probably put quite a bit of stress on projects throughout the city. Keeping an optimistic outlook towards this is one of the best things that i can do, even though it is a little sad to walk by the project and see no work going on. I understand that it is hard to finance such a huge project. Can you imagine someone coming up to you and says, by the way I'm trying to build a skyscraper and do you have a couple mil handy for me to do so. It does make me wonder how solid of a budget plan the city requires a project in an economy like this. The bigger question is, what is the city going to do about this? Well this reader is going to be waiting to hear from the city that's for sure. Is it their place to bail out this project? We will have to wait and see. All I can hope for is that whatever happens the design stays strong. If we compromise design then we are settling for second best and this city should not settle.

http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2008/11/03/daily45.html

Simple but elegant cheesecake

Cheesecake has always been an intimidating dessert for me. Every year we would always make small cheesecake tarts but the larger cakes are a whole different ball game. so when my father was on the east coast and we were taking care of some family I took advantage of his knowledge of cheesecakes. Everyone is always talking about all the different cheesecakes that he makes, peanut butter, chocolate etc. Though I do love a unique cheesecake that has a mix of flavors in it, the one that I always prefer is the simple one, just a plain cheesecake with fresh fruit topping. So my father and I set out to make a simple elegant cheesecake.

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 TBL unsalted butter
1-1/2 TBL granulated sugar

Variants:Lorna dune shortbread cookies, Ginger snaps (use 2-1/2 TBL granulated sugar), Oreo Cookies (1 TBL granulated sugar)

Filling:
2-1/2 lbs cream cheese (room temp)
1-1/2 cups of sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
3 TBL flour (not fully necessary but does help if you want to make it gluten free)
5 eggs (room temp)
2 egg yolks (room temp)
½ cup of sour cream (room temp)
1 TBL lemon Zest

please note that if you are making gluten free you will have to use something else other than graham crackers, something i will defiantly look into for my gluten free friends.

Get cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350*
Put 1 pkg. Graham crackers (about 12) into food processor and process to a fine consistency. Pour into small mixing bowl. Add 4 tbl. Melted butter and 1 ½ tbl. of sugar. Mix well and then pour mixture into 9” spring form pan. Press crumb mixture evenly over bottom and about 1” up side of pan. Place in oven and bake for about 9 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Turn oven up to 425*.

Place cream cheese in large mixing bowl with the sugar. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the sour cream and flour and continue to mix. Make sure you scrape the sides of bowl often so that all the cream cheese gets incorporated into mixture or you will have a lumpy cheesecake. You now add the eggs into the mixture one at a time and mix at low setting. Next fold in the vanilla and the lemon zest.

Pour mixture into cooled crust and place in oven. Bake at 425* for 15 minutes and then turn heat down to 225* and bake for an additional 65 minutes. Cake will be set on the outer edges and will shake slightly in the center when done. Turn heat off in oven, open oven door, and let cake remain in the oven for about 30 minutes. Remove cake from oven and cool for 15 minutes on cooling rack. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake to free it from the sides and then cool completely. Remove side of spring form pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.

Woe that was Filene's take 2

So I have started to become the paparazzi of the building community. Being an architect and interested in the Government Center debates I have started to become interested in the documentation of the building process that is going on around me. Documenting what is going on in our environment lets people know the history and life that happened in a place that is ever changing. The other day I was in my print shop picking up a set of drawings and on their walls was a before, during construction, and after shot of Government Center in Boston. It was amazing to see the changes that happened, and how the space was recreated and redeveloped. The old Filene's building is also a very integral and important landmark in the Boston area. The good news is that there was still work happening at the site. I heard through the grapevine that there may be some money issues for this project. I really hope that this is not true, it can be devastating to the economy and the life around Downtown Crossing. Its bad enough that my favorite burrito place was a casualty of the building war. If this building does not get built or gets put on hold its going to send a message to all that see that gaping hole every day they walk by it. But I don't want to go to far off course, so I bring you some photos that I took today as I walked by. The excavator is actually being used to transport a cementitious material in this photo. It extends its long neck so that its bucket can be filled up by the cement truck. It would then rotate around and fill the hole that it is lying next to. Pretty interesting, and the big question is what is that large hole for, the cement that is being poured looks a little darker than what i have seen in the past, but that may not mean much. Only time will tell, enjoy the photos.

French Onion soup?

I have not eaten red meat or pork in a long time. I am always looking for ways to enjoy the dishes that I love while staying away from those 4 legged animals. Traditional French Onion soup uses beef broth but i have found that you can use chicken broth as well. I have even done this recipe with vegetable broth also and it comes out really well.










general cooking time: 3-4 hours



Ingredients:
3 large red Onions
1 tbs of butter
48 oz low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 cup of port wine
salt and pepper to taste

Loaf of french baguette
Gruyere Cheese

So I am the type of person who likes to tweak and change recipes as much as possible. I do a lot of cooking by looks and feeling. This recipe does take a long time but you can prep a lot ahead of time and do this on the fly.



First thing that you need to do is caramelize the onions. This will take quite a while but if you do this while at home one day the onions will keep for a while. Slice the onions and add to pot with the pad of butter. i add butter so that it starts the sweating process of the onions. Set stove to low heat and let reduce. I use a cast iron pot and have found that his works amazing well for caramelizing onions. I would not recommend trying to cut time by raising the heat because then the onions start to scorch. You want the onions to sweat and cook in their own sugars. I would cook the first hour or so with the lid on so help the onions release the moisture and then toward the end uncover to help brown. This took me about 3 hours to complete. The photo has bout 5-6 large onions because i wanted to keep caramelized onions on hand. The onions will turn a light brown color. you will be able to take a taste of the onions and they will be sweet without any bitterness.
after you have caramelized the onions add the stock, wine and vinegar. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Keep uncovered and reduce to about half the size, add salt and pepper to taste. I use a reduced sodium stock because I am not a salt lover. Just remember that you will be adding cheese and a toasted baguette so you will probably be better off not to over salt the stock.

After you are content with the strength of the flavors you can either pack it up for later or move on to the next steps.







Toast some breads. I used a baguette, but I have also used rye bread and sourdough. It is a person taste but i have been happy with all. The key is to make sure that it is dry so that it can soak up the loveliness that is the soup. I sometimes toast ahead of time and make sure that they are fully dry before using with the soup. Cover with they cheese that you selected. and then broil until the cheese is gooey and slightly browned. I find that by making this in larger ramekins the portions are perfect.

This is also a dish where you can store the soup toast the bread ahead of time and whip together at the last second for french onion soup.

Chrysler building

I went to New York for the first time ever with my sister for my birthday. Its a little shameful that it took me 31 years to make it to the city but I finally did. I was amazed by the shear size of the city. All those years studying architecture and seeing the city in pictures does not come close to the amazing feeling of the city. We rode in on the bus early ( a little too early) on sat morning and spent the day in Manhattan. The city overwhelmed me so much that it did not even bother me that the first two days we spent most of our time shopping. If you knew me you would understand that shopping is not high on my list of priorities. Typically I would rather bamboo shoots up the nails than spend the day shopping, let alone two. Needless to say that I was so enamored by the city and its details that while my sister explored the racks for sales and merchandise I became aloof and focused on the built environment. If shopping was like that all the time, I could probably be a convert. Of course i would not buy much, but I would be more apt to be going around with people who would. Needless to say that my shins were not really happy with me because I kept hitting things because my focus was up in the sky and not where i was walking. The third day I dragged my sister to do touristy things, one of which just went beyond any expectation that I could of put with it. The Chrysler building. We walked down 5Th ave and as we turned the corner to head to Grand Central Station there it was, poking its majestic metallic crown out through the void that was made by the street. I was floored by its grace and style. I have always read about the Chrysler building and have always admired it, but being up close and personal its skyrocketed up in my top ten list, very close to the top. The Chrysler building is considered Art Deco style. It is a great interpretation of the machine age of the 20's. This building not only celebrates the automobile but the worker that built it. The Building is dressed with designs of the Chrysler products through out the exterior. The corners of the 61st floor have replicas of the 1929 Chrysler eagle hood ornaments and on the 31st floor are replicas of the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps. The craft is not only celebrated on the exterior but in its interior by a wonderful mural depicting the worker who builds the American car. Each person that is placed in the mural is a wonderful characterization of the strength and the determination of the American car builder. Coming from a steelworkers family this building just moved me beyond thought. I kind of felt bad as I got lost in my thoughts loosing track of time while my sister enjoyed the space but I could tell that she was ready to move on. I will defiantly be going back. The building warrants more time and respect.

A new addition to the chicago skyline take 2

The other weekend I went to go and visit the folks. They are in Indiana and the last day of my quick weekend my parents had tickets to see the Cubs. Looking back I wish I had the foresight to make it to the game myself. I sure do miss Wrigley field. So I went to Chicago with my parents and we parted ways at Wrigley field. Man was that hard, being at the field and not going in to see the game. I had about 5 hours before my flight so I had some time to waste. I went down town and walked around for a while. This gave me a chance to take a closer look at Aqua. It is an interesting building. Its simple shape is fits well into the landscape of the Mies influenced Chicago building type. It plays with the simple rectangular shape with the undulating balconies which are extensions of the floor assembly. I am still interested in this building and will be following it continued construction. I am still very interested on how the balconies will be detailed and finished. With no railings on it now you can see the connection of the glass structure to the modern architecture of Chicago. The building has even made it into the Wendell boat tour commentary. Its making waves in the Chicago skyline, check it out for yourself.

Woe that was Filenes

I currently work in downtown Boston and all i have to say is that there is alot of building going on in this town. Boston is taking on the republican party's ideals when it comes to the dreaded "R" word. I am talking about the other dreaded "R" word not Replublican. (Can't wait to get the flack from my republican friends) You know that horrible word that scares people into thinking that there is going to be an apocalypse and that we are all going to be on the streets begging for money. Don't want to say it because i don't want to jinx it. While the country has felt the ill effects of the presidential spending policies, Boston has just kept on building. I think that it is great. The type of building that is going on in down town is alot of residential high rises. It is trying to get people to move back into the cities and depend less on their cars on a daily basis. Unfortunately for Boston it is going to be so expensive it is going to be difficult for someone who makes a reasonable living to afford them, but we will have to come to that when they are done. I am going to start following the project at Downtown Crossing. For many of us who have been in Boston for a while the existing Filenes block is a mix of different designs and continuity was not the main focus. That's downtown Boston though. Build where you can, because there is not much space. Well the Filenes block is going to be a new glimmering high rise of commercial, office and residential spaces when finally complete. They are hacking out the non historically significant areas and filling in with glass and steel. It should be interesting. To be honest with you, Downtown Crossing needed a face lift and to reinvigorate the surroundings. If I would be able to afford it I would live in this area in a hart beat. Take a look at the demolition process in action. I have to say that seeing the large excavator with the pincher attachment makes me revert to 10. All I can think is Crush, Boom, Cool!!!!!!!!!

Morning stroll through down town Boston

I realized that I have not posted anything in a while. Work is keeping me pretty busy. Whoever thinks that architects don't work for their money, they are insane. I say that if you are an architect and have been practicing for a while you must really love what you do. You don't find many architects out there that say that they are in it for the money. Its a hard occupation. I'm not looking for pity, I signed up for it. I was just realizing that the picture that I took the other day was a shot that I took on my way into the office at 7 am and that day I did not leave work until a little after 7 pm. Where does the time go? There are a few perks to working long hours, one of which is to experience spaces at times most people don't even think about being around. I have to say that being down town early in the morning on a crisp spring day is a great experiecne. This mornining there was a cool breeze and a hint of salt air dancing around my nose. With not many people out, I truly felt how behemoth the city really is. As I walked down Boylston I came upon a sight that just made me feel so insignificant and small. I turned the corner near the library and there was the Hancock tower doing just that, towering over the landscape, wonderfully back lit by the morning sun. With the sun at the angle that it was it created this strong profile of the skyline and the tower just erupted out of the city. I am not normally a morning person but i have to say that when your out and about in a city if you want to feel like the whole town is meant only for you, take a stroll at dawn, you will see a side of the city you would never expect.

Chicken Souvlaki Gyro Style

The other night I was planning on going out for a movie with my friends and made a meal at their house ahead of time. I have always like Chicken Souvlaki but it has always been too messy for me whenever I eat it out. The nice thing about making it at home is that you control the portion thus controlling how sloppy the sandwich is. We did not have to much time before the movie so I grilled up something quick. I love the grill, it is one of the easiest thing to do and the cleanup is pretty simple. I started out grilling the bread, it was a pizza dough that I picked up at the supermarket. I have to say that dough is one of those things that I really don't mind cheating on because of the time it takes to properly make it. It is a great way to get something really fresh with little effort. padding out the dough as if I was going to make a pizza but smaller pieces allowed for great sandwich bread.

We marinated the chicken in a lemon and Orange juice mix with a little olive oil,salt, and pepper. It also went on the grill (as if that was not going to happen). If i could cook everything on a grill I think that my life would be complete. Hmmmm someday ill have to try cookies.. (thoughts of messy disaster running through my mind). Topped the chicken with fresh spinach and some home made Tzatziki sauce (see below). Damn it was a good sandwich and combined with Jalapeno corn chips from "food that should taste good" the meal was perfect for great grilling day.

The Tzatziki Sauce was the only thing that I prepared ahead of time, it tastes better if it has some time to sit. For those of you who may not know Tzatziki Sauce is a cucumber yogurt sauce. It is what ties the whole sandwich together.

Tzatziki Sauce:

1 cup of cucumber puree without skins (seeds are fine) and keep it a little chunky.
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 a lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced (OK you may not want to put that much in but I love Garlic)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the cucumber puree and the salt and let it sit for 5-10 min.

Then just whack the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and put in the refrigerator for later. The flavor really started to get better after an hour in the fridge. Its pretty darn good right away but letting it sit is like letting chili sit for a while, it just makes it better.

IVY

We went to go see Eddie Izzard the other day and man it was a great show. They man is an epileptic seizure of comedic prowess. He was all over the place which kind of fit for the entire night. Before the show we ate at the IVY restaurant in downtown Boston. The meals were hit or miss for the entire group. The wine on the other hand was pretty good. They do have a good selection of wines by the glass only costing $9. I ordered the scallops for myself and shared a basket of herb fries. The scallops were grilled, the unfortunate thing about them was that they were not really cleaned well, about 1/2 the bites contained grains of sand in them. They sat on a bed of what they called potato risotto but was nothing more than a finely cubed potatoes in a cream sauce. It was tasty, I just did not understand the word "risotto" The fries were tasty although there was not much herb in the herb fries and they were extremely salty. After brushing off a little of the salt they were good.

The ambiance of the restaurant was pleasant overall. The contemporary style mixed with wrought iron made it feel like you were dining in an outdoor terrace in a modern villa. As you look around the space you can see that they took extra care to pick out some great accessories and materials for the space. From the wrought iron fence mounted on the exposed brick to the dark stained wood tiled wall at the entrance. Then you look up, the first chandelier was a nice drum contemporary piece and then next is "the want a be wrought iron" (but not really, it was a poor fake) and then a crystal chandler. Coming from a design profession I understand how hard it is to make sure that the people that you are designing for select nice fixtures that go with the scheme of the space. I am hoping that this was the case because the light fixtures just baffled me. The vinyl high back benches with integrated planters at the top, planted with a semi realistic fake ivy, were pretty comfortable. Not really sure that you needed to literally smack the people over the head with the use of ivy in the restaurant named IVY.

So here is my review.
Food: better than decent but needs to be refined.
Portions: nice but priced a little on the high size for what you get.
Wine selection: good and pretty diverse.
Atmosphere: pleasant and only people who care about consistency in design will have a problem with it.
Service: has a long way to come (actually it was pretty poor) but that is a rant of another day.

You may ask would you go back? Well I would go back if a friend who liked wine wanted to grab a drink after work but to go and sit down and eat, probably not.

Boston Cream Pie

After 7 years in Boston and not having a Boston Cream Pie I thought it time to make one. I used a recipe from the Joy of Baking and all in all it came out pretty darn good. There is even a really great back story of the Boston Cream Pie on the site. This recipe is defiantly a success in my book. The only drawback to this recipe was the pastry cream, it was a little too stiff for my taste. Don't get me wrong it was very tasty and pretty easy to make. I would use it again, well at least until I figure out one that I like more. Below is the recipe from Joy of Baking with a couple of my own notes.

Pastry Cream:

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large egg yolks

1/8 cup (20 grams) all-purpose flour

Scant 3 tablespoons (20 grams) cornstarch

1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sponge Cake:

5 large eggs

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (60 grams) plain cake flour (not self-rising)

1/4 cup (35 grams) all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Chocolate Glaze:

4 ounces (120 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

(If you are planning on doing this recipe in one day and make your time as efficient as possible do the first step of separating the eggs for the cake first then do the pastry cream and then move back to the cake. This will save you a lot of time just waiting around)

Pastry Cream: In a medium-sized stainless steel bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks. (Do not let this mixture sit too long or you will get pieces of egg forming.) Sift the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil over medium heat. (Watch carefully and remove from heat just as the milk starts to foam up.) Pour the milk slowly into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (If you get a few pieces of egg (curdling) in the mixture, pour through a strainer.)

Place the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, continue to whisk constantly for another 30 - 60 seconds until it becomes thick.

(The first try on this part I kept it on the heat and it did not come out too well, the second time i removed it from the heat the second i noticed it thickening and whisked for 30-60 seconds. The thickening seemed to be the only indication of boiling.)

Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Let the cream cool in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Sponge Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter and line the bottoms of two - 8 inch (23 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper.

While the eggs are still cold separate three of the eggs, placing the yolks in one large mixing bowl and the whites in another bowl. To the yolks, add the two remaining eggs. Cover the two bowls with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature before using (about 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Place the milk and butter in a small saucepan, over low heat, and warm until the butter melts. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.

In your electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, (or with a hand mixer) beat the whole eggs and yolks and 6 tablespoons (75 grams) of the sugar on high speed for about five minutes, or until they are thick, fluffy and light colored (when you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in a slow ribbon). Beat in the vanilla extract.

In another clean mixing bowl, with the whisk attachment, (or with a hand mixer) beat the egg whites and cream of tartar, at low speed, until foamy. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the remaining sugar, beating until soft, moist peaks form. Gently fold a little of the whites into the batter to lighten it, and then add the rest of the whites folding just until incorporated. Sift half of the flour mixture over the top of the batter and gently fold through with a rubber spatula or whisk. Sift the remaining flour over the batter and fold in. Do not over mix.

Make a well on one side of the batter and pour the melted butter/milk mixture into the bowl. Gently but thoroughly fold the butter mixture into the batter. Do not over mix.

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans, smoothing the tops, and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until light brown and springy to the touch. (A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Immediately run a spatula or sharp knife around the inside of the pans and then invert the cakes onto a wire rack. Remove parchment paper and re-invert. Cool completely.

When the cakes have cooled and you are ready to assemble the Boston Cream Pie, make the Chocolate Glaze

Glaze: Place the chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Bring the cream and butter just to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a 3-5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Set aside for a few minutes until it has thickened to pouring consistency.

(using a good chocolate is key to this, it really does make a difference)

To Assemble: Place one cake layer on your serving plate bottom side facing up. Spoon the pastry cream onto the cake, spreading to make an even layer. Place the second cake layer (bottom side up) onto the filling. Pour the glaze onto the center of the cake and carefully spread the glaze, with an offset spatula to the edges of the cake, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides. Let the cake sit until the glaze sets, about one hour. Serve. This cake is best eaten the same day it is made. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Serves 8-10

Chips!! Chips!! Chips!!

After a long wait my favorite bar in Brookline has opened a specialty food and beer shop. Although it is still in the process of getting all of its stock on the shelves due to some town politics they have introduced me to "FoodShouldTasteGood" chips. These chips are not only an all natural chip but also a locally (to eastern Massachusetts) produced chip. I picked up a bag of the jalapeno chips and they are sinfully delectable. These chips have a great robust flavor with a mellow heat. The white corn chip is a sturdy chip that can hold up to any dip that you put in front of it. They even offer up a few suggestions on what will pair up with their chips. Even though they offer up possible accompaniments to the chips they are totally stand alone. I opened the bag and found myself hiding the bag because I could of eaten the whole bag if I didn't think about it. The company also makes an olive, multi grain, and chocolate. I haven't tried them yet but after having the jalapeno they are defiantly high on my list of things to try.

Boston Commons Trees?

So what is up with the Boston commons Trees? My desk looks out to the commons and more importantly to me the wonderful greenery of the Boston Commons. OK so not all of it looks that great. A few months back there was a guy who did his own black ops mission and planted a tree in the commons. At that time I really did not think about it to much but he may have had a really good point. He may have gone about it the wrong way but the the vision of Fredrick law Olmsted is in jeopardy. If you walk through the Commons there are numerous trees that are chopped up and look like a sad ghost of the the grandeur of the previous trees that were there. At what point do we start to look at the vision that was designed and rehabilitate it. I understand that people are trying to preserve the vision on Olmsted but the design that was set forth was a living sculpture. When Olmsted designed the space he was aware that he was working with living entities. He knew that some day the trees of the Commons would die. The city needs to start revitalizing the park, remove the blighted trees and replant. If we keep on waiting and hope for the best then there will be no rotation of youthful trees in the commons. I would personally like to see some new growth throughout the park at different times then all at one time. Maybe I am over reacting but when you walk in front of the State House and peer upon the wonderful gold dome all that I keep on seeing is massacred trees. It just makes me a little sad.

The Modern

This past weekend I was in New York City for the first time. Yea I know, how can I go through most of my life in the field of architecture and not make it to NY. Well, it only took 31 years but I finally did it. On the final day we went to the Bar Room at the Modern. It was amazing, but one thing to remember is not to forget your pocketbook. The menu is pricey but it is well worth it. The overall style of the space is very clean and simple as the name suggests. The architecture firm of Bentel and Bentel brought a touch of the Bauhaus to the states. We totally lucked out with this one because the main dining room is by reservation only but the bar room welcomes walk-ins. One day I will have to go back to experience the dining room that overlooks the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden.

We started our evening sitting down in the lounge space off to the side of the bar room. The Cor bu inspired lounge seating was an interesting choice for the space. It was definitely not a place you would stay a long time in but great for mingling and interacting with others in the room. The materials were simple large swatches of whites and blacks except for the enlarged photograph of a forest that brought in a sense of color and intrigue. The photograph is easily 10 feet high by 30 feet wide, suspended behind a layer of glass to give a sleek art installation feel. Fitting due to it being connected with MOMA.

We ordered our first drinks of the evening. My sisters came with a full rose blossom suspended mid glass in a bubbling efflorescence of rose smell (hence the name "coming up roses"). I ordered a play off of a dark and Stormy. This led us into the meal. Wow it was amazing. The Bar Room only serves appetizers and sized down entrees but in the long run I was completely satisfied with one appetizer and the sized down entree.

My first course was a chickpea and feta soup. The soup was so creamy and delectable that I will have to start playing around with the recipe. With the soup came a bun. The bun was also very tasty but it there was a disconnect between the bun and the soup. They were two great entities but they did not work too well together. The bun was buttery and flaky exterior but the heaviness of the bun did not compliment the soup at all. I don't take that as a failed dish but the opportunity to have two separate flavors on one dish. I would have the soup again in a heartbeat.

The second plate that i had was the Loup de Mer. This dish was perfectly cooked and served in a cast iron skillet. As i tried the vegetable that was cooked in the juices of the fish and cockles i was pleasantly surprised by a spice that I was not able to identify. After a little investigation from the serer I found out that the carrots had been pickled. The result was the sweetness of the carrot and the bite almost like a radish. It was great, the flavors crept into the fish and gave a balanced taste to the whole. The only thing that I was a little surprised about was the skin on the fish was left on, assuming to preserve the moistness of the fish which it did perfectly well. The unfortunate thing was that it was very fatty and seasoned very heavily. I was very surprised that it was left on or at least browned. This dish was defiantly not a failure either but if I decide to make it at home I will probably remove the skin or make it into a crispy treat. With the fish I had a bourbon drink that contained fresh basil that complimented the meal so well. We finished up the meal with an American style cappuccino which was a perfect ending to the wonderful meal that we had.

All in all it was defiantly one of the best meals that I had in a long time. I compliment you Gabriel Kreuther for putting together a meal that was simply amazing. I walked in expecting something good but soon found out that your skill as a chef is top notch. I would come back in a heartbeat, well as long as I didn't mind dropping a C note on a late lunch. It is one place that gives you the complete dining experience and if you are in NY I would highly recommend it.

New addition to the Chicago Skyline

Growing up outside Chicago in the "Region", I was downtown often. Although not as often as I would of liked. Now that I am away from Chicago in the far off land of Boston I go back to the Windy City on my way back to visit the Region. I find myself making up excuses to spend some time in Chicago. The city has been one of the major driving forces for why I do what I do. Chicago has pushed the boundaries of the design world and has brought forth many of the great designers of the world. Well it looks like there is going to be another structure that will make ripples in the architecture world.

The new addition to the Chicago skyline is called Aqua and it is due to be completed in the year 2010. Aqua is a cast in place concrete structure that will be clad in Glass. The structure starts to escape the confines of the space creating a rippling affect along the facade. It is said that these curvilinear shapes are to become the balconies for the 82 story high-rise. It will be interesting how she plans to enclose those balconies. Seeing the pictures where there are not railings is very tantalizing.

I am glad to see that the curve is starting to show its face once again in the city. From Millennium Park to Marina city and Lake Point towers. Chicago has one of the most versatile and diverse skyline. It has always welcomed the new brush strokes that becomes the icons of Chicago.

Two Bite Orange and Rasberry Tart.

Orange and Rasberry tartlette? I am not really sure the classification for this dessert, but it sure is tasty. I guess you really cant go wrong with Fresh fruit, shortbread and whipped topping. For Easter I made a Lemon Curd Tart with fresh blueberries and strawberries. The tart was a success. It made the mad scientist in me come back out. I thought that if the lemon curd came out so well then what other flavors can I make. For this first adventure I did not stray to far from the mainland and tried Orange. OK, so orange is not so daring but the mad scientist did make a brief appearance when I tried one batch of chocolate. All it did was made a tasty frosting but that will have to be addressed at a later date, a lot of the kinks need to be worked out of that one. Back to the tastiness that was Orange. First thing that you do is make the orange curd, this can easily be made a day or so ahead this way it can fully set or you can just make them as you crave one. But if you decide to make it the day that you want to serve it make sure you give it enough time to chill.
Orange Curd:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh Orange juice
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh Orange zest**
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tsp of corn starch
  

***I put in one well packed tablespoon of orange zest. you really can not go wrong with more zest because most of it will not make it past the strainer.

Put all the ingredients in a double boiler and cook on med. You will want to be stirring it very frequently. Once it thickens whisk very frequently (almost constantly, you dont want it to burn) until a curd forms appox 10 min. (It is one of those things that you need to see to believe, and don't worry, if you are stirring it then you will not miss it). Take off heat and strain through a fine strainer. This will remove most of the zest and any larger chunks. Then cool completely. I pulled it out of the fridge a couple of times while it was cooling and stirred it with a whisk. This seemed to help it say together and keep creamy, or maybe it was curiosity that would not let me leave it alone. I defiantly need to work on that.

After it was fully cooled then I spooned it on top of a shortbread cookie, added some fresh raspberries and topped with a whip topping. This two bite tart is great weather you are serving it for a party or if you just need that little bit of sweetness in the middle of the night.

Is there truly Architecture in Guatemala?

A couple of years ago there was a point in my career that I started to get really fed up with where my life was and not sure if I was going in the right direction. I was burned out and needed to get away. I looked for the most remote place I could find and through my searching I found lake Atitlan. It was the perfect place for a retreat from the city and I thought Architecture. But as I lost myself in the culture of the Guatemalan countryside a suprise I really was not expecting popped up.

To get to the lake I had to spend some time in Antigua. I will be posting at a later date about some of the other locations that I visited but right now I would like to focus on Antigua. This Spanish colonial city paved in cobbleston charged the paddles and recessitated my intrest in design. I spent a couple of hours just sketching in the Plaza de Armas. At the time i was not aware the the fountain that I was admiring, La Fuente de las sirenas (the Fountain of the Sirens) was designed by the city's renowned colonial archtiects, Miguel Porres, in 1739. The space is an utter success. People would spend hours around the fountains to stay off the heat of the day. If it was not for the fact that I had a shuttle to catch I could of spent days just in this area. I was lucky that I had to come through town once again on my way out of the country. Quick note to those traveling in Guatemala, private shuttles are great. I would not want to drive in this country and after seeing the public tranportation I was very happy that I spend the miniscule amount of money to have a private shuttle. Back to Antigua...

One of the other places that really caught my eye was the church of La Merced. This 1767 church has been kept up amazingly well. This intricatly patterned facade of yellow and white stucco patterns was the third church that the Mercediarian order had built. The first two had been destroyed by earthquakes. This church is a good example of the style of architecture that came about due to the earquakes in the area. The bell towers became shorter and more squat compared to the taller thinner towers in other areas of less earthquake prone areas of Mexico. La Merced is the starting and finishing point for the famos Good friday procession of antigua. This procession would take up to 8 hours of walking through the streets of antigua during Semana Santa (Holy week).

So there are two of the many things that I found in Guatemala, I ll be bringing you more because there is so much more. If you get the chance to go I would totally recommend it.

Brownies!!! Brownies!!!!

So Brownies, I never really thought of myself as an accomplished cook. Don't get me wrong, I have some skills, but I don't categorize myself as a great cook. I like to experiment, I would put myself in more of the "mad scientist in the kitchen" category. But lately I have had the best luck with cooking even more specifically baking. All the brownies that I made, weather they were a mix or from scratch they would come out too runny or too cakey. I got fed up with them all and decided that I would make up my own recipe. I have to say that I hit the jackpot with this one. Try it out, it is not only easy but it is a good mix of cakey and fudgie.

• 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 12 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9x2 baking pan. Line bottom and two sides with a strip of parchment paper. Leave approx 2" of overhang on each side so that you can easily remove the brownies after they are done. I tried changing the size of the pan and they did not come out. The proportions work great for a 9x9 pan, just an FYI.

In a large heat proof bowl cut up butter into tablespoon chunks and add semi sweet chocolate chips. Set over (not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water. Heat, stirring gently until smooth.

I typically start this process first and while the water is heating up I then mix the dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl mix four, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, sugar. Yep all goes in at once. Make sure that there are no chunks and the salt and baking powder is fully incorporated. It is important that everything is mixed well.

Once chocolate and butter is fully melted take off simmering water. Fold in half of the dry ingredients. Then add the eggs, make sure that the eggs are fully Incorporated into the mixture, then fold in the remaining dry ingredients. By adding half of the dry ingredients first it cools down the mixture enough not to cook the eggs.

Pour into pan and bake for 30-40 min. My oven is really bad so check after 30min to be safe. You can tell when the brownies are done when you put in a toothpick and larger baked pieces com out. A fully clean toothpick will not come out with these brownies. They will also look evenly puffy throughout. Let cool in pan for about 20 min ten take out and set parchment and all on a drying rack. Try your hardest not to eat them right away so you don't burn your mouth. I speak from experience.

If you cant wait they are pretty good warm but they are even better the day after.

Eating about Architecture

So your probably thinking what the hell is Eating about Architecture. I am an architect that loves to cook, design, and solve puzzles. So I decided to start to write about all the above. The more I thought about it the more I realized that each has its place and each really influence the other. I will be posting my own crazy opinions about food, recipes that I make, and my own warped mentality towards the wonderful world of architecture.

A little more background on why I am writing this blog.

My roommate is seasoned blogger and she is the one that got me interested in the world of the blog. She would always be writing about the restaurants that we go to and the food that we ate.
We were out at a restaurant this past week and we were really early to our reservation. We sat down in the bar, had a couple of drinks and started to talk about the restaurants decor. It made realize that I not only have strong opinions about food but how spaces are designed. The more I thought about it, the more I started thinking about all the times I go out with my friends and there I am staring off in space thinking about how a light fixture is attached the ceiling or how the pattern in the wallpaper is really designed by someone who was high in the 60's. Needless to say I have a lot of opinions and the gravitate towards architecture and food.

So it always comes back to food and the built environment. Hopefully with a little kookieness mixed in.

I leave you now with the immortal words of Ford Prefect

"DON'T PANIC"