THE CULT RECIPES
OF A NEW YORKER
My grandparents emigrated to New York from Russia. I went in the opposite direction and consequently have spent the last 13 years as a New Yorker in Paris. People are always asking me if I miss New York and seem shocked that I chose to leave. The truth is I like being a New Yorker in Paris more than being a New Yorker in New York, where, let’s face it, we’re a dime a dozen. It’s kind of like Superman. On earth, he’s a superhero — faster than a speeding bullet … able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. But back on Krypton (with its presumably higher gravitational pull), he’d just be one Kryptonian among others, a mere pedestrian going about his not-particularly heroic business. Not to suggest that New Yorkers are some sort of super race or that living there is a bore, but being an expat does have its perks. For starters, you get to actually miss and appreciate all those things you once took for granted. And if you’re like me, this phenomenon will manifest itself almost exclusively through food. What begins as a minor homesick craving — say, for a fresh bialy from Kossar’s or a piece of cheesecake from Junior’s — builds into a full-blown culinary obsession. The next thing you know you’ve spent two weeks trying to make the perfect fill-in-the-blank from your composite food memories, which pretty much explains this book. Basically, these are the recipes I crave most when I miss New York and, as such, they reflect my own idiosyncratic experience of New York food — a mix of Greek diners, Jewish delis, old-school Chinatown, American junk food, American health food and a bunch of other stuff tossed into the melting pot. Put it all together and you’ve got a one-way ticket to NYC. Enjoy the flight! M.G.
CONTENTS
COVER
TITLE
COFFEE TIME
BREAKFAST TIME
BRUNCH TIME
LUNCH TIME
SNACK TIME
ANY TIME
EXTRAS
FILTERED COFFEE
Unlimited refills of filtered coffee is a longstanding tradition in New York diners. We call it a bottomless cup, and this is surely one of the reasons why New York is called ‘the city that never sleeps’. In recent years, the once-humble cup of filtered coffee has been gaining in prestige as a new wave of coffee afficionados work on preparing it with scientific precision using freshly ground coffee beans. My friend Thomas Lehoux, one of the founders of the Parisian coffee club Frog Fight and co-owner of Café Réné, was one of the first to promote this style of coffee in Paris. Here are his instructions for making a perfect cup at home.
MAKES 1 CUP
Preparation time: 5 minutes
WHAT YOU NEED
a kettle
a dripper (preferably Hario®)
a coffee pot
a filter (preferably Kalita®)
freshly roasted whole coffee beans
a set of scales
a coffee grinder
Step 1. Boil some water in the kettle.
Step 2. Put the dripper on the coffee pot and the filter into the dripper. When the water boils, pour a little into the filter to rinse it out and remove the paper taste. Warm the coffee pot as well.
Step 3. Weigh out the coffee. The general rule is: 60 g (2¼ oz) coffee to 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) water. So for 400 ml (14 fl oz) water, I use 25 g (1 oz) coffee. Grind the coffee to filter coffee size — you should be able to feel the particles between your fingers. It looks like a powder to the eye.
Step 4. Put the coffee in the middle of the filter and add 80 ml (2½ fl oz/⅓ cup) water. Wait for 30 seconds (to de-gas the coffee), then slowly add the remaining 320 ml (11 fl oz) water.
It should take about 2½ minutes for all the water to filter through to your coffee pot (if this is not the case, grind the coffee more finely and increase the volume of water). Don’t stir the coffee grinds with a spoon, let the water flow through by itself.
Step 5. Enjoy your coffee.
ICED COFFEE
Use the same method, adding ice to the jug after rinsing the filter, and reduce the equivalent weight of the ice from the water.
CHALLAH
This braided loaf, traditionally eaten for Shabbat, is New York’s answer to the French brioche.
MAKES 1 LOAF
Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus cooling
Resting time: 2½ hours
Cooking time: 25 minutes
DRY INGREDIENTS
575 g (1 lb 4½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
1½ teaspoons dried yeast
55 g (2 oz/¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
2 teaspoons fine salt
WET INGREDIENTS
145 ml (4¾ fl oz) lukewarm water
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons olive oil
GLAZE
1 tablespoon egg white
1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar
THE DOUGH
Combine the dry ingredients, then beat together the wet ingredients. Carefully combine the two mixtures and knead until the dough is very elastic (5–10 minutes in a machine, 10–20 minutes by hand).
Form a smooth ball of dough, place it in an oiled container and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise at room temperature for about 1½ hours until it has doubled in volume.
SHAPING THE DOUGH
Divide the dough into six equal portions. Using the palms of your hands, shape each portion into evenly shaped sausages about 30 cm (12 inches) long. On a baking tray that’s floured or lined with baking paper, braid the sausages using the illustration as a guide. Sprinkle the braid lightly with flour, then cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let it rise at room temperature for at least 1 hour until it has doubled in volume.
COOKING
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Combine the egg white and sugar and brush it over the braid. Bake for about 25 minutes until the bread is golden brown. Allow to cool.
GREEN SMOOTHIE
In New York, Melvin’s Juice Box is the place to go for green smoothies. In Paris, it’s Bob’s Juice Bar and it’s J.-P., the manager, who makes them.
SERVES 2
Preparation time: 5 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 ripe banana, peeled and frozen
250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) mineral water
1 huge handful baby spinach
1 tablespoon fresh herbs (mint or parsley)
100 g (3½ oz) frozen mango flesh
Place everything in a blender, ending with the mango so you can adjust the quantity to make up 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups), and blend. If your blender isn’t powerful enough to handle rock-hard frozen fruit, let the mixture soften for a few minutes before blending.
DOUGHNUTS
There’s nothing like a fresh doughnut, like the ones you can get at Doughnut Plant on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Depending on where you live, you might have no choice but to make your own. You’ll be glad you did.
MAKES ABOUT 20 DOUGHNUTS
Preparation time: 25 minutes, plus cooling
Resting time: 5½ hours
Cooking time: 2 minutes per doughnut
DOUGH
70 g (2½ oz) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
350 ml (12 fl oz) milk
820 g (1 lb 13 oz/5⅔ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
3 teaspoons dried yeast
115 g (4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1½ teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons fine salt
FRYING
1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) oil for frying* (or more depending on the size of the pot)
*Check the label on the oil. It should specifically indicate that the oil is appropriate for frying.
THE DOUGH
Combine the coconut oil or butter with the milk. Combine the flour with the yeast and sugar. Mix the eggs with the yolk, vanilla and salt. Combine the three mixtures together. Knead until the dough is very elastic (5–10 minutes in a machine, 10 –20 minutes by hand). Form a smooth ball of dough, place it in a greased container and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise at room temperature for about 1½ hours until it has doubled in volume, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
SHAPING THE DOUGH
Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Use a cookie cutter to cut out perfectly circular or rectangular shapes. Using a large cookie cutter and a small one for the centre will produce the classic wheel shape of a doughnut. For filled doughnuts, the larger circle without a hole cut out is traditional.
The dough scraps can be gathered up into a new ball, rerolled and recut one time. To avoid a second lot of scraps, I like to make regular shapes using a pastry cutter, leaving little-to-no excess dough between cuts, or I use the pastry cutter from the get-go to avoid scraps all together. It depends how important the look of the doughnuts is to you. Place each shape on an individual piece of baking paper (otherwise it is difficult to pick up the doughnuts without damaging them when it comes time to fry). Sprinkle flour over to prevent the doughnuts from sticking together, cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow them to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour until they have doubled in volume again.
THE FRYING
Heat the oil in a pot until it reaches 180°C (350°F) or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 15 seconds. Using the pieces of baking paper to move the doughnuts, drop two or more at a time into the hot oil. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side until golden. Let the oil reheat for about 30 seconds between batches. Place the hot doughnuts on a wire rack or paper towels to drain excess oil. Allow to cool before glazing.
DOUGHNUTS: GLAZES
EACH GLAZE IS ENOUGH FOR ABOUT 6 DOUGHNUTS
HONEY
125 g (4½ oz/1 cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon acacia or other light honey
40 g (1½ oz) unsalted butter, melted
1½ tablespoons hot water
½ teaspoon natural vanilla extract
VANILLA (WHITE)
175 g (6 oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
1½ tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon natural vanilla extract
Add the milk gradually as you mix. Add more milk if it’s too thick to dip, but the idea is for the icing to be as thick as possible so that it will be opaque when it sets.
MAPLE SYRUP
165 g (5¾ oz/1⅓ cups) icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
45 ml (1½ fl oz) maple syrup
1 pinch salt
CHOCOLATE
25 g (1 oz) unsalted butter, melted
40 g (1½ oz) chocolate, melted
110 g (3¾ oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons hot water
The butter and chocolate can be melted together over low heat in a saucepan or double boiler.
THE GLAZING
For each glaze, simply mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl with a spoon or fork until combined. Then, holding the doughnuts in one hand, dip them in the glaze, turning them over the bowl to allow the excess to drip back into the bowl before placing the doughnuts on a wire rack to set. A little hot water can be added to any of the glazes if they have become too thick. If topping with chopped nuts, do so before the glaze sets to ensure they stick.
DOUGHNUTS: FILLINGS
Doughnuts are often filled with either jam or jelly and dusted with icing sugar — Jelly Doughnuts — or filled with custard and topped with a chocolate glaze — Boston Creams.
FOR 1 DOUGHNUT
1½ tablespoons filling
1 piping (icing) bag
THE TECHNIQUE FOR FILLING A DOUGHNUT
Place the filling (about 1½ tablespoons per doughnut) into a piping (icing) bag fitted with a plain narrow nozzle. Poke a hole in your doughnut using a chopstick or something similar. Insert the nozzle into the hole and gently squeeze the filling into the doughnut. The doughnut will puff up and, when full, the filling will start oozing back out of the hole. In addition to jelly or jam, vanilla custard (vanilla pudding if you eat it on its own) makes a great doughnut filling.
VANILLA CUSTARD
FOR 12 DOUGHNUTS
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
3 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)
40 g (1½ oz) sugar
1 pinch salt
210 ml (7½ fl oz) milk
2 egg yolks
25 g (1 oz) unsalted butter
½ vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped
THE MIXTURE
Make a slurry with the cornflour, sugar, salt and about 1 tablespoon of the milk. Mix the egg yolks with the rest of the milk. Combine the two mixtures in a saucepan.
COOKING
Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly. At the first sign of bubbles, remove from the heat but continue to whisk. When the custard starts to get smooth and thick, almost like a mayonnaise, stir in the butter and the scraped vanilla bean and seeds. If the custard needs more cooking to thicken, return the saucepan to a medium heat and stir constantly until thickened.
Tip the custard into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming.
LEMON POPPY SEED MUFFINS
Of all the muffins we make at Bob’s Juice Bar, this is my personal favourite. J.-P. has been tweaking the recipe for years and they are truly irresistible.
MAKES 12 MUFFINS
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus cooling
Cooking time: about 25 minutes
DRY INGREDIENTS
320 g (11¼ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
½ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
WET INGREDIENTS
zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
150 g (5½ oz/⅔ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
125 g (4½ oz/½ cup) unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
45 ml (1½ fl oz) lemon juice
210 ml (7½ fl oz) yoghurt
FRUIT
100 g (3½ oz) apple, grated
100 g (3½ oz) pear, seeded and diced
GLAZE
125 g (4½ oz/1 cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons hot water
THE BATTER
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/Gas 5). Combine all the dry ingredients together. Beat together the wet ingredients. Combine the two mixtures and fold in the fruit.
COOKING
Spoon the batter into a greased 12-hole muffin tin and bake for about 25 minutes until the muffins are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool.
THE GLAZING
Mix all of the glaze ingredients in a bowl until combined. Add more water if necessary or if you like a thinner glaze. For a thick white glaze like you see in the photo, don’t add too much water — you want to add just enough water for the glaze to be liquid enough to dip the muffins into it.
Plunge the head of each muffin into the mixture, allow the excess to drip back into the bowl, then place the muffins on a rack, top side up, and allow the glaze to set.
MANGO LASSI
See recipe Mango Lassi.
MANGO LASSI
MAKES 2 LASSIS
Preparation time: 5 minutes
INGREDIENTS
450 g (1 lb) mango flesh
300 g (10½ oz) yoghurt
100 g (3½ oz) ice cubes
1–2 tablespoons honey
seeds of 2 cardamom pods
Set aside 100 g (3½ oz) mango cut into pieces. Blend all the rest of the ingredients together. Pour into glasses and add the mango pieces.
BANANA BREAD
A classic cake in the form of a loaf. I like it moist with visible bits of banana and big chunks of chocolate.
MAKES 1 21 × 9 CM (8¼ × 3½ INCH) LOAF
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus cooling
Cooking time: 55 minutes
DRY INGREDIENTS
165 g (5¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
50 g (1¾ oz) buckwheat flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
WET INGREDIENTS
60 g (2¼ oz) light brown sugar
70 ml (2¼ fl oz) sunflower oil
2 eggs
175 g (6 oz) sour cream (30% dairy fat)
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
FILLINGS
165 g (5¾ oz) banana, finely diced or mashed with a fork
110 g (3¾ oz/¾ cup) dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
THE BATTER
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Butter and flour a 21 × 9 cm (8¼ × 3½ inch) loaf (bar) tin.
Combine the dry ingredients and beat together the wet ingredients. Stir the banana into the wet mixture and the chocolate into the dry mixture.
Combine the two mixtures without overworking the batter.
COOKING
Fill the tin three-quarters full with the batter. Bake for 45 minutes. Cover with foil and bake for a further 10 minutes.
Allow to cool before serving.
note: to make a muffin version of the banana bread, spoon the batter into muffin tins, place a round of banana on top and bake for about 25 minutes at 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). This quantity of mixture makes about 10 muffins.
If you would like to glaze the banana bread as we have done, simply use the glaze recipe.
BABKA
This breakfast cake, which looks like a marbled brioche, is a classic of New York’s Jewish bakeries.
MAKES 1 BABKA
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Resting time: 2½ hours
Cooking time: about 45 minutes
STREUSEL
50 g (1¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
55 g (2 oz) sugar
35 g (1¼ oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
25 g (1 oz) dark chocolate chips
DRY INGREDIENTS
300 g (10½ oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
¾ teaspoon dried yeast
2 pinches salt
50 g (1¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
WET INGREDIENTS
90 ml (3 fl oz) lukewarm buttermilk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
125 g (4½ oz) unsalted butter, melted
1 egg white, lightly whisked
FILLING
40 g (1¼ oz) cocoa powder
125 g (4½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
100 g (3½ oz) unsalted butter, softened
THE STREUSEL
Make the streusel by mixing all the ingredients together by hand until crumbly. Set aside in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
THE DOUGH
Combine the dry ingredients and beat together the wet ingredients, except the egg white. Combine the two mixtures together. Knead until the dough is very elastic (5–10 minutes in an electric mixer, 10 –20 minutes by hand).
Form a smooth ball of dough, place it in an oiled container and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise at room temperature for about 1½ hours until it has doubled in volume.
THE FILLING
Combine the cocoa powder and sugars and set aside.
SHAPING THE DOUGH
On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape approximately 40 cm (16 inches) long. Spread over the softened butter and sprinkle with the cocoa–sugar mixture. Roll the dough up along its length. Bring the two ends together and twist three times. Butter and flour a 21 × 9 cm (8¼ × 3½ inch) loaf (bar) tin and place the dough twist inside. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow it to rise at room temperature for 1 hour until the dough is well risen.
COOKING
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Brush the surface of the babka with the egg white and scatter over the streusel. Bake for about 45 minutes until golden brown.
COFFEE CAKES
MAKES 14 CAKES
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Refrigeration time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
STREUSEL
310 g (11 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
350 g (12 oz) raw (demerara) sugar
220 g (7¾ oz) unsalted butter, softened
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
WET INGREDIENTS
115 g (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
2 eggs
160 ml (5¼ fl oz) buttermilk
DRY INGREDIENTS
300 g (10½ oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 pinches salt
INGREDIENTS
220 g (7¾ oz) pear, seeded and thinly sliced
THE STREUSEL
Make the streusel by mixing all the ingredients together by hand until crumbly. Set aside in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
THE MIXTURE
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Beat the butter and sugar vigorously until light and creamy. Mix in the rest of the wet ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients and add to the wet mixture without overworking the batter.
ASSEMBLY AND COOKING
Pour the batter to a depth of 1 cm (½ inch) into 14 buttered and floured round 12 cm (4½ inch) cake tins. Add a few pear slices and top with the streusel just out of the refrigerator (so the streusel holds together better during cooking), without packing it down too much.
Bake for 30–35 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
CINNAMON ROLLS
To fully appreciate these cinnamon rolls, you should eat them just out of the oven, still dripping with cream cheese frosting.
MAKES 10 ROLLS
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Resting time: 2½ hours
Cooking time: about 12 or 25 minutes (depending on the tin)
DOUGH
400 g (14 oz/2⅔ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 teaspoon dried yeast
55 ml (1¾ fl oz) lukewarm water
100 ml (3½ fl oz) lukewarm milk
50 g (1¾ oz) unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
2 pinches salt
30 g (1 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
½ teaspoon natural vanilla extract
FILLING
100 g (3½ oz) unsalted butter, softened
60 g (2¼ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
4½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon milk
FROSTING
100 g (3½ oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar
100 g (3½ oz) plain cream cheese, softened
30 ml (1 fl oz) hot water
THE DOUGH
Combine the ingredients for the dough in a mixing bowl, then knead vigorously for 10 –15 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for about 1½ hours until the dough has doubled in size.
SHAPING THE DOUGH
On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle. Spread over the softened butter and sprinkle with the combined sugar and cinnamon. Roll the dough up along its length if you want to bake the rolls in a large tin, or widthways if you want to bake in individual tins. Cut 10 rolls and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper or in individual well-buttered tins. Brush with the milk. Cover them loosely with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel (dish towel) and let them rise for 1 hour at room temperature until the dough is well risen.
COOKING
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6) and bake the rolls until they’re golden brown (allow about 12 minutes for individual rolls and about 25 minutes for a large pan). When they come out of the oven, mix the frosting ingredients together and spread over the rolls while still hot with a spatula or brush. Serve hot if possible.
PECAN ROLLS
This is an upside-down variation of the cinnamon rolls. These rolls contain pecans and are baked with a caramel topping.
MAKES 10 ROLLS
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Resting time: 2½ hours
Cooking time: about 15 minutes + 10 minutes for the pecans
DOUGH
400 g (14 oz/2⅔ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 teaspoon dried yeast
55 ml (1¾ fl oz) lukewarm water
100 ml (3½ fl oz) lukewarm milk
50 g (1¾ oz) unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
2 pinches salt
30 g (1 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
½ teaspoon natural vanilla extract
TOPPING
200 g (7 oz/2 cups) pecans
150 g (5½ oz/¾ cup, lightly packed) light brown sugar (or 140 g/5 oz caster (superfine) sugar + 2 teaspoons molasses)
1½ tablespoons maple syrup
60 g (2¼ oz/¼ cup) unsalted butter, melted
FILLING
100 g (3½ oz) unsalted butter, softened
60 g (2¼ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
½ teaspoon natural vanilla extract
THE DOUGH
Combine the ingredients for the dough in a mixing bowl, then knead vigorously for 10 –15 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature about 1½ hours until the dough has doubled in size.
THE TOPPING
