Late Night Done Right

In this world, there is a small group of food that is considered to be holy. One of these foods is none other than Cinnamelts. Not to be confused with cinnamon rolls (or buns, mind you), Cinnamelts are delicious puffs of goodness all connected to one another in a cluster of diety proportions. See for yourself:

These gods of late night snackery have proved themselves to be a contender in the ring of “craving foods”.

I’m a believer.

-Johnny

Ps. These may or may not be found at McDonald’s - sshhh.

Out and About: Pierpont’s

A couple of weeks ago, my dad and I took a brief trip to Kansas City. We were only there for one evening, and as someone who used to frequent Kansas City, he wanted to make sure he took me out to a proper Kansas City dinner. I didn’t complain, and I’m very glad I didn’t.

After hearing some rave reviews, we decided to make a reservation at Pierpont’s, which has been dubbed the “culinary jewel” of Kansas City. Pierpont’s is located in Kansas City’s historic, and somewhat recently renovated, Union Station. On Sunday evenings, they have a 4 or 5 course “tasting menu”, and we were lucky enough to have stumbled in on such a night. I elected to get the four course tasting.

For the first course, I selected Prince Edward Island Mussels, steamed in a white wine sauce with tomatoes and garlic, and with crusty bread for dipping. My dad ordered the shrimp cocktail, but he was too embarrassed to let me take pictures of his meal.

The second course was roasted red pepper and tomato soup (my dad-t the classic caesar salad) with Parmigiano-Reggiano croutons. I was slightly disappointed by the soup. I’m not really sure why, it just wasn’t what I expected. It was thick, and very smooth though. My dad loved it. Unfortunately, the croutons got very soggy, very quickly.

Next up was my entree, which did not disappoint in the slightest. I ordered the pecan-crusted striped bass which sat on a bed of sauteed spinach and an herbed risotto cake, with a puree of butternut squash and apple cider. Flavor wise, this dish ranks with the greats from Abacus. The pecan crusted bass and risotto cake were both perfectly executed, but the real star was the butternut squash and apple cider puree. If you know how to make it, tell me; I scraped the plate clean. My dad got the roasted chicken lyonnaise, which was also great.

The desserts were incredible, to say the least. I managed to convince my dad to let me take a picture of his, mostly because he knew all to well I would probably end up eating a good deal of it, which I did.

I ordered the milk chocolate and caramel mousse tart, which was indescribably rich, decadent, and wonderful. I think I said the phrase “slice of heaven” multiple times; my father concurred.

He ordered the white chocolate brioche bread pudding with white chocolate ganache and peach coulis, which was flambeed tableside with rum. To be honest, I’d never had bread pudding before, and this is joining the ranks of flourless chocolate cake in my book.

In conclusion, if you’re in Kansas City, go to Pierpont’s. Even if you’re not near Kansas City, take a trip to Pierpont’s. Please? I promise you won’t regret it.

-Mel

P.S. Sorry for the two week hiatus!
P.S.S. Top Chef Chicago started on Wednesday

Cookie Cake Recipe

I promised this recipe many days ago, but the second time I made the recipe it was a little..off? So I’ve been doing some experimenting and tweaking, and this is the best I’ve come up with so far!

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

1/2 c butter

1/2c granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar (tightly packed)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/4tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter, which I wouldn’t recommend)

3/4 c semi-sweet mini chips (use 1/2 c if you’re not chocolate obsessed)

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat cookie cake pan (9×13)* with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars, then add the egg and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Gradually add to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing until just combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread dough into prepared pan with spatula. (or, more likely, your hand. It speeds the process up)

Bake 15-18mins, or until lightly golden brown. (My oven runs hot, if yours doesn’t I could see it taking u to 20 minutes if you like a harder cookie)

Cool on rack for at least 10 minutes, then remove from pan.

*My cookie cake pan is heart shaped, but said it holds any recipe that would fit a 9×13 inch baking pan.

Let cool completely, then decorate as you please.

Enjoy! If anyone makes the recipe, get back to me with results! I’m still playing around with it.

-Mel