Happy NY B-day to me

It's officially a year since I moved into my own apartment in NYC (After three months of house sitting and sleeping on the floors and air mattresses of dear friends - thank you!), so to celebrate, I'm sharing a delicious recipe for Hokey Pokey (aka honeycomb, aka, the stuff in a Cadbury's Crunchie bar)

Nigella Lawson's Hokey Pokey

100g Caster sugar (approx 1/2 cup)
4 Tablespoons Golden Syrup
1 & 1/2 Tablespoons Bicarb

Mix sugar and syrup. Heat, shake pan do not stir. add bicarb and whisk. Pour onto baking sheet and leave to cool. Smash with a hammer and eat all the honeycomb yourself.

Together forever

I love the Scottish Cowgirl.

Flickrolled

Gordon Ramsey: The Menu

Seven Course Menu Prestige

smoked whitefish cakes, mushroom puff
(pre-amuse bouche)

sunchoke soup with lemon foam
(amuse bouche)

confit foie gras with slow cooked free range chicken,
truffled quail's egg, pear chutney

sautéed Maine diver scallops with mixed spices,
cauliflower purée and sherry caramel
or
roasted Scottish langoustines with cured salmon,
preserved buddha's hand, fennel cream and togarashi

pan seared black cod with pigs tails, Caraquet oysters,
celeriac and Périgord truffle
(and bacon au jus!)

loin of venison with cocoa butter, brained red cabbage, quark dumplings
(The Scot looooved the dumplings)
or
filet of Brandt beef with braised Kobe short rib, cipollini onions, baby beets

selection of cheeses from the trolley
(Dan, the fromagier, chose five, one each of goat's, stinky, soft, cow's (a divine Gaperon from Augergne) and blue (actually two blues, because he challenged me to determine which Stilton was American and which was English))

apple tarte Tatin for two
(the best tarte Tatin I have ever, ever, ever tasted, and I've made it myself)

espresso and bon bons from the trolley
(nougats and candied honeycomb)

*I'll get you the wines when The Scot gets them to me.

L'Oscar, nous vous salutons

At your service, Tabula Rasa ...

The FG liked Katherine Heigl, Heidi Klum, Amy Adams, and Calista Flockhart's choices. She isn't quite as worked up over the predominance of black and red /everyone/'s talking about, and was a little disturbed by the feathers (Jessica, Penelope).

She did not enjoy Anne Hathaway (choose flowers or a draped asymmetrical sleeve, not both), Marion (who puts scales on anyone's posterior?), Cate (no need for the necklace), Saoirse (awful dress, awful hair, childhood tragedy), Renee (clearly unhappy with her hair),
Cameron (although it did give her curves), Kelly Preston (aka Mango), Jennifer Hudson (awful top for her figure), or Rebecca Miller (she of DDL fame, in Lacroix).



She is tired of the mermaid - Jennifer G., Penelope (again) - and thought Vanessa, Ellen, and Tilda's dresses were boring. She loooved Nicole's necklace, and (according to the assembly) didn't get Hilary Swank's dress at all.

And that's it.

Shuesday: How do I love thee, Manolo?

Let me count the ways, starting with every little polka dot on these new shoes. Black & white & crisp for spring. And with a fun orange lining! I don't care what the runways are showing, this is the most orange you'll see this FG wearing this season.

And while you are clearly the pre-eminent shoe designer of your time, what on earth were you thinking with these?

Wait for it: Smith's

I know you know there's a foodie post coming about my trip with The Scot to Gordon Ramsey at The London, but I've been putting Smith's off long enough, especially as I've been twice and am likely to go back.

On the first visit, we were seated close to the door, but the thick velvet curtains kept me well protected from the wintry draft. East Coast Guy thought I'd have a better view looking down the dining hall - it's been accurately described as a rail car - but as it turned out, all the cool people were standing by the door, waiting (they do take reservations), including Ali Larter from Heroes, with her mom (or someone pretending to be her mom). We began with Arugula with Gala Apples, Parmigiano Reggiano and Hazelnut Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Steamed Fall Beans with Lemon Olive Oil and Garlic. We proceeded to Pan Seared Chatham Cod with Black Pepper Tagliatelli and Gremolata*, Boneless Pork Chop with Celery Root and Apple Purèe and Braised Pork Cheeks, and concluded with Warm Apple Pie with Caramel and Ginger Ice Cream. The food was fantastic, especially the cod and the pie, and the service was warm and attentive, but never annoying.

On the second visit, I arrived early and headed to the bar in the back to enjoy a cocktail. I'm not a big fan of bourbon, but as I'm sure you know, I love maple. So I ordered The Smith, a combination of bourbon, maple syrup and lemon on the rocks (now that would be much tastier than the master cleanse). I asked the bartender to almost double the maple, and it was just fine. When the table was ready, I was seated by Ms. Cindy Smith herself, who asked me how I liked the cocktail - apparently they named it after her as she hails from the Bluegrass State, but she doesn't actually enjoy bourbon, so she'd never had one. I told her I preferred rye (unblended), but that it was fine.

This time, we started with the Charred Cape Cod Baby Squid with Lemon Confit, Olives and Pancetta, added the Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Almonds (which were absolutely the best best best ever, hands down), and the Roasted Eggplant with Piquillo Peppers, Raisins and Sherry Vinegar, and then had the Line Caught Wild Striped Bass with Flageolet Beans and Guanciale** Stew. The Brussels sprouts were shredded, instead of served whole, and were just insanely beautifully flavoured and seasoned. Ms. Smith stopped by again, to see how things were, and we raved. And then East Coast Guy asked permission to comment on a dish we hadn't enjoyed quite so much, the eggplant. He politely and candidly said that it seemed overly vinegared, that otherwise it was fine, but was just a little piquant for our liking. Instead of snooting up, Ms. Smith was perfectly gracious. She thanked us for letting her know, said that she'd read that in a review or two, but that those aren't always balanced, as it were, and promised to let the kitchen know and make a change right away. And she bought us a round of drinks! That's a restauranteur.

We concluded with the Warm Chocolate Brownie with peanut butter mousse and candied sautéed peanuts. The peanuts were to die for. And we went home happy.

*Gremolata
**Guanciale

Colour your world

We all have a favourite colour, but this is a little much.

Shuesday: Don't step on my

pink suede shoes.

Because the weather was ridiculously warm yesterday, and because I need something sweet and pretty to get those images of Ms. Lohan recreating Ms. Monroe's photo shoot out of my head.

No Wrong Bad

Who is in charge of the Style section anyway?

Perfume has long been an aphrodisiac decanted sparingly from an iconic glass bottle. But for Leslie Ware, a fashion editor at a quarterly magazine in Huntsville, Ala., fragrance has worked its magic in the opposite direction, as a romantic deal breaker.

Several years ago, Ms. Ware was engaged to a gentleman who did not like Trish McEvoy 9, the fruity vanilla blend she had been wearing for seven years.

“He thought I smelled like a traveling carnival, the kind where they sell corn dogs, because I guess the smell was reminiscent of cotton candy,” Ms. Ware, 28, said. “This was the demise of Trish No. 9.”

It was a bad omen. Soon after, Ms. Ware said she broke up with the perfume-averse boyfriend. She has not worn fragrance since.

Like Ms. Ware, more women are forgoing scent altogether. Last year, about 15 percent of women said they did not wear fragrance, up from 13 percent in 2003, according to a survey of 9,800 women conducted by NPD.

Ahem. Not sure that's an arena in which I'd care to compromise. Particularly on a subway platform in The City in August. Also, don't understand why she wouldn't go back to her fav fragrance, or something new, post-break-up.

The Sweet Smell of ...

She's got legs

"I thought Amber scared you guys."

"She does, but she also has legs that go up all the way to Canada."

"So do Canadians, that doesn't mean I want to date one."


Ahem.

House

Shuesday: Scarlet ribbons

Not for her hair, in this case, but for her toes and ankles. Lovely!

V-Day: the perfect gift

Just a moment to note that this is post 900. Damn! And I wasn't sure I'd have anything to say, back in the day.

I've done multi-part Valentine's Day postings before (and I'll be sure to keep you posted in the unlikely event that any of the lads -in-waiting muster up a blog-worthy gift/event), but I couldn't resist posting this from NY Mag's Sex Diaries.*

11:17 a.m.: Momentarily panic when I realize I’m two hours late starting new pack of birth control. Rummage through purse to find crumpled prescription bag from week before. Inside: pill pack, a $20 bill, and a note, “This month’s on me. Love, [Potential BF].” Holy shit. The man just paid for my birth control. Let me repeat that: Holy shit. The man just paid for my birth control.

She's not wrong. This is, in fact, a sweet and thoughtful gesture on the part of the male of the species. If we have to remember, in the middle of our hectic and fabulous lives, to take the damn thing at roughly the same time, and preferably with food, every day, you can at least split it with us. Although - wait, was he going through her purse? Hmmm.

*Let's be clear that this was brought to my attention by a fellow FG. Of course I don't read this column regularly.

Too twee or not too twee?

I bought this jacket, and now I can't decide. It's undeniably cute, but I think it verges on twee. The bottom seems a little big - although perhaps it's meant to /swing/ - but I think if I go down a size, the shoulders will be too small, and I haven't been able to find it in the actual shops to try on the smaller size (yet). Also, I already have a navy cardigan.

Thoughts?

Must haves: Bibliochaise

This is the first edition of a new tag - not sure what else will end up here, so be patient with me.


This is fantastic, and not just for those of us with small apartments who have begun to stack books on the floor. Also, I like saying /bibliochaise/. There's also this (matching?) table, but a) I think I would accidentally kick the books as I walked around or sat at the table, and b) I definitely don't have room for it in my apartment.

Bibliochaise

And furthermore

Time helped them get past their acrimony, Ms. DeMarzo said, as did her realization that the problem with their relationship was, she said: “I was just too smart for him. He’s shallow and needs his women dumb.”

This is from an article on working with people you dislike, but I couldn't resist.





Previously: Boxing Day, I mean ..., I guess I'll see you

Icons we mourn: Ernesto Illy

Let's be quite clear that I don't know a lot about Mr. Illy, but anyone who spends his life perfecting coffee will surely be missed.

“Our coffee is twice as expensive as the run-of-the-mill stuff, at least,” Mr. Illy told The New York Times in 2001. “Our goal is perfect beans, zero defects, and we think we get close to that.”

“Fine espresso paints the tongue,” he said of his favorite drink, which he made a product of precision.

NYTimes
Illy

I guess I'll see you next lifetime

no hard feelings, baby.


Erykah Badu

Exorcise your right

Couldn't put it better than WendyB (again!)

There's no excuse not to vote because Buffy the Vampire Slayer is off the air. Some years ago, a woman I worked with went to her disorganized voting place, waited and waited and then left before getting to vote because the new episode of Buffy was on. I thought that was a reasonable decision. If you've seen how they organize the voting in New York, you'd pick Buffy too. It's easier to fight vampires than stupidity.

Plus, they're so much prettier than the people in your neighbourhood you'll be forced to interact with at your polling station ...

Shuesday: Primary Colours

Vote already! And yes, I'm happy to make suggestions.

In the meantime, do attend the ticker-tape parade honouring the NY Giants today - I know, your team didn't win, but everyone loves a parade! And in three and a half inch heels like these, you'll be able to see everything.

Yes, I bought them, and the grey boots from last week too. If it's going to be 55 degrees all winter, I need more shoes!

Oh, and yesterday the BBC reported that wearing high heels may improve your sex life.* So, if you're not already wearing them ...

* (Not that yours needs help, I'm just saying, it couldn't hurt, right?)