I lost that recipe, clipped from the New York Times. But the past Sunday, the New York Times Magazine printed yet another obituary of H. David Dalquist, inventor of the bundt pan, and included a link to the beloved tunnel of fudge cake recipe printed a year ago. Now I found myself with two options: save the recipe on my bloody computer, so I could easily access by keyword in the future ("fudge cake"), or to save it to my Times file. Huh? I knew that Times Select had a few cool features, including a monthly quota of articles I could pull from the archive (including this recipe). But I hadn't realized I could save articles (or in this case, a recipe) and store it for future reference with keywords. Hmmm....sounds like a nice way to ensure I keep subscribing, doesn't it.
But the real matter is: will I ever bake this cake? Probably not. I don't even own a bundt pan. But I really like these weird notes, like no other recipe:
Bake for 45 minutes. You cannot use the toothpick test because the cake contains so much sugar that the center will not set but will remain a tunnel-of-fudge. You are dependent on a correct oven temperature and the 45-minute cooking time. (Well, that likely rules out my oven, since it's the cheapest piece of crap that my slumlord could have installed.)
When removed from the oven, the cake will have a runny fudge core with an air pocket above the fudge. About 30 minutes after taking the cake out of the oven, press the inside and outside edge of the cake bottom down all the way around to minimize the air pocket. This is more fascinating than high-school thermodynamics lessons. Physics is phun!
Tags:
bundt pan, times select, tunnel of fudge cake
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Posted on 12/28/2005
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You know, I normally write about food here. But I just read three RSS headlines from Thursday's Newsday:
Decomposed body identified as local runaway
Body in trunk likely mobster's, officials say
Swiss businesswomen `eaten alive' by bedbugs in New York hotel, lawyer says
I began to realize: we use a lot of food metaphors when describing grisly crime scenes as well as horrible things that hapen to our living bodies. Imagine that—a visitor from Switzerland eaten alive by bedbugs. Perish the thought! Bedbugs (as we know from personal experience or that frightful article in last Sunday's paper) do chew at you, but eat you alive?
By the way, the two female businesswomen, Ksenija Knezevic, of Zurich, and Marlies Barisic, of Kreuzlingen, both appear to have names from the former Yugoslavia—the largest source of lawsuits in Switzerland, in case you were unaware. Perhaps they aren't dead just yet.
Tags:
bedbugs, eaten alive, lawsuits, newsday
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Posted on 12/1/2005
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It's worth asking: how come the tremendously successful brewpub concept, such a familiar fixture in the Pacific Northwest and California, never really took off in New York? Sure, we have a fair number of brewpubs in both Manhattan and Brooklyn, and certainly some exceptionally talented brewmasters. Garrett Oliver of the Brooklyn Brewery immediately comes to mind, as do the chaps in Park Slope. But Chomper is talking about the institution of the brewpub, the concept of drinking locally-brewed ales, lagers, pilseners, stouts, bocks and even barleywine. New York City has so many exceptional bars and pubs; but sadly, it seems that too few offer local brews on tap or even in the bottle. Perhaps the marketing forces of Miller and Anheuser-Busch may have something to do with that, but I doubt it. It is tough to succeed in this city, as the list of failed places (Highlander, SoHo Brewery, Zip City) underscores. Chomper's buddy, a brewmaster from California, had this to say about his recent visit: "In the places I went the lack of local beer was shocking." Just as quality tacos were very late coming to this city, just as great espresso and cappuccino came here late, methinks perhaps another tidal wave of fine suds is overdue. We just aren't filling enough hogsheads in NYC to make a real difference.
Tags:
ale, barleywine, beer, bock, brewpub, brooklyn brewery, garrett oliver, lager, pilsener, stout
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Posted on 10/21/2005
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Literally every job in the restaurant business is being performed by our friends from south of the border, from hosing down the sidewalks at 6 a.m. to cutting, paring, prepping and frying, and so on. Something we don't pause much to think about is that frankly, without this army of workers the restaurant industry would come to a crashing halt. Next time you're sipping your latte at Union Square, have a look at who is picking up those huge orders of fruits and vegetables from the Greenmarket. Then maybe pause to reflect that prices are low because their wages are low.
Tags:
latte, mexico, union square
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Posted on 9/16/2005
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Kids remember their favorite candy stores, and adults who had particularly memorable candy experiences don't tend to forget their childhood either. That's why Dylan's Candy Store is a great 21st-century version of the Penny Candy Store some of us remember from the 60's and 70's. The stairs leading to the lower level at Dylan's are stunning, full of gummy objects and various beloved sweets. The light emanates in a way that silhouettes the candy displays, and what kid doesn't stop and go nuts over this? If you haven't been to Dylan's, it is a wonderful experience, with clothing for sale in addition to every possible type of candy you can think of. Nice baby gifts too.
Tags:
candy, dylans, gummy, store
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Posted on 7/26/2005
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