pan seared strawberry balsamic duck breasts and Buitoni quattro formaggi agnolotti ravioli

So I was browsing one of my favorite hair  boards the Moptop Maven and noticed she'd posted a recipe for chicken breasts, ravioli and spinach with pancetta.

Well that sounded like a good idea, but I didn't want to make chicken so I picked up some duck breasts from Ceriello in Grand Central Market.

I paired this with some Buitoni quattro formaggi ravioli that I had laying about in the freezer.

First I steamed broccoli and set it aside to cool.

I seared the duck breast skin side down in a cast iron pan then popped them into a 400 degree oven for 11 minutes.

While the breasts were cooking I plopped the ravioli in to boil and drained them.

I let them rest for a bit and then cut into the juicy flesh.

In the same pot I added butter, more balsamic and some spices. I let this bubble then tossed the ravioli to coat.

I used this blaze strawberry balsamic glaze. It's ok, I could've done better by reducing my own, but it does save time.

[source]

230 Fifth: Sometimes I take pictures of people too

So this summer, and pretty much for a year now, I take pictures for a friend who happens to be a clothing designer.

Csilla Somogyi has awesome events at different bars/clubs around the city to get her brand name out there.

The first event I went to was at Libation and I had just got my new toy (my rebel XSi so I wanted to bring it just to take pictures of something). The rest is history.

On Monday a little corner of the rooftop of 230 fifth was saved for an "intimate" gettogether of about 50 random people I mostly didn't know. This was sponsored by Grey Goose. They had a lot of different drinks made with vodka. My favorite was the iced tea one with lemon vodka in it. There was a lemonade with pear vodka one that the guys seemed to like and one with  cranberry in it that was a pseudo cosmo on the rocks. There was also one with cherries in it, but I didn't get to taste that.

I also managed to spot the wonderful bartender of Oz that works at Klimat. It really is a small world. Of course no one else with me remembered until I said "Australian bartender," so wamp wamp to that.

People ate and (mostly) drank, but free is free so there was plenty of both.

I handed out a few moo cards, but I'm shy with people I don't know so I suppose I should get better at that. Everyone who saw them said they were awesome. :D

So they have food at 230 Fifth. It was ok. I was kind of underwhelmed.

They had chicken strips (a little dry) with this yummy barbecue sauce that was the best thing of the night.

There were curry puffs that needed  sauce because they were 1) too dry and 2) not so flavorful without it. Both the chicken and the veggie ones were meh.

There were shrimp and pork wontons that were ok and served in the little soup bowls. It just made me go get real soup dumplings down in Chinatown yesterday, though.

There were sliders... these are NOT sliders.. these are big square wads of meat with thousand island and pickles and stuff on a too thick bun. You can't slide this anyway but into a napkin and onto the bus boy's tray.


Anway, getting people to stand together is like herding cats and nothing like taking pictures of food that will, at worst, melt on you.

fin.

breslin, I didn't mean to forget you

I went on a mission a few months back to try the sister restaurant to the Spotted Pig at the Ace Hotel named, simply, Breslin (we're ignoring Bar and Grill for creative floofy purposes).

I went by myself for a lovely brunch of the irish breakfast with a side of baked beans.

I also, at around 11 something in the morning, partook of a spiced agave nectar margarita that was delicious.


It's a shame I haven't been back since. I end up there and then people convince me to go elsewhere.

Anyway, I took these pictures so I figured I might as well post them. :P

I'll do you justice soon, my piggy proprietor.

The tomatoes, mushrooms and eggs were perfect. The beans were too hot for me to eat at first and then I got full. I took them home and enjoyed them later.

pumps and a bundt

Just the bundt, please.

This is the same cake as in my last post but I made this one in a Nordicware anniversary pan.

drunken cake attack

Ok, not really, but I do have 3 loaves (for people) and one bundt (for me) getting sloshed around the apartment. Here's hoping they taste good.

Short ingredient list besides the normal butter, flour, egg nonsense:

green and red glace cherries soaked in rum and Baileys for a week then blended to a thick paste
Callebaut bittersweet chocolate melted with butter
Guittard akoma extra semi sweet chocolate chips
Callebaut white chocolate callets
ron Zacapa centasomething rum
chopped walnuts and pecans
nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cinnamon from penzeys
pernigotti cocoa powder
half a bottle of tawny port
I'm not even going to add up how much that all was. I'm just sayin this better taste like angels singing to me.