Mmmmmm, let them eat cake!!!

Just take a look at this gorgeous cake. Mmmmm so cakey. One of the best I have ever had, home made, moist and delicious.  The best combo ever?...Magic and Kareem you say? I don't know, probably, but a close 2nd is this combo of raspberry and chocolate devils food cake.

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to meeee!

oh, its not actually my bday today, just a flashback post.

-J

Homemade Apple Pie!

I'm not much of a baker, but with the help of a friend this pie turned out delicious. Baked in my very own oven in humble Brooklyn, NY. It was filled with 6 tart granny smith apples and a flaky french inspired crust. The contrast of the cold vanilla ice cream floating on top of the piping hot pie nearly made me jimp.


Baking is fun! Let it be known.

-J

Fun with Pita, Part 2

Oh, look who's back for round 2? Mr. Pita. What do you have for us this time? Breakfast? Oh, you are so versatile, how do you do it?

Well, this is how we do it (thanks Montell). Split and toasted, then smeared with a combination of philly cream cheese and goat cheese. Smoked salmon, red onion, fresh dill (gotta love that dill), cherry tomatoes, a little squeeze of lemon and freshly cracked pepper.

So who wins the pita challenge? Part 1 or 2? you decide.

-J

Fun with Pita, Part 1

I'm a big pita fan. It's a super versatile bread. Pita is the Scottie Pippen of the bread world, he isn't the best at any one position, but he can play them all very well. I like to test pita's versatility by stepping outside of the pita pizza box. After stroll through Brooklyn and a trip to Trader Joe's and Damascus Bakery I put together this gorgeous concoction.

This triangular shaped pita from Damascus is a little fluffier than the traditional frisbee shaped pita. I split them and smeared on a red pepper, pinenut, garlic, and spice spread (also from Damascus). On top of that I layered Persian cucumbers, fresh dill and green onion. Then I seared a fresh top sirloin steak to a perfect medium rare, check out that pink. I let it rest and then sliced it up. Bango! You know you want a bite.


Marci o' beautiful pita, ready for round deuce?

-J

Brunch of Champions

In keeping with my recent Miami theme, I was lucky enough to get a home cooked meal in the city of fun and sun. I'm not a big breakfast dude, especially during the middle of the week, but come Sunday I can brunch it up with the best of them. This meal was made with love and cooked in appreciation of my gracious hosts in Miami. We started with breakfast burritos made with the traditional fusion of Persian and Mexican style cuisines ;) The eggs were slow cooked to perfection with tomatoes, onions and spices.


Nestled on top of a freshly toasted tortilla, we added roasted potatoes, avocado, and bright cilantro.

We continued the brunch with strawberry pancakes and an insanely delicious concoction of fresh strawberries reduced in a syrup of sugar, orange juice and zest.


The result was this masterpiece you see below; yummy for my tummy.


The end of a great meal usually ends in a nice hot mug of chai for me. Please pay no attention to the chocolate glazed Krispy Creme donuts in the background, those are of no concern to you.


You don't always have to go to a 5-star restaurant for a great meal, and in most cases, the satisfaction of cooking the meal yourself or with friends makes it that much more rewarding.

-J

Chef Boyar-J

Special thanks to Trader Joe's for the fresh ingredients. I do like to cook on occasional and after the recent opening of TJ's a few blocks away from my apt, I've found myself indulging in the culinary arts more often. This meal consisted of a spinach salad, sauteed mushrooms with dill and a fatty rib-eye done to perfection (well, as good as I can get it without a grill....damn you NYC winters). It was all washed down with a Vienna Lager, a nice crisp brew that only sets you back a buck.


While it wasn't super fancy, this meal turned out pretty good....so I'm content with my skills for now.

-J

Home Cooking

What can I say? I'm a sucker for home cooking. And when you have a mom that cooks like mine, there is no better place in the world to grub than my mom's house. Home made borscht with big chunks of stewed beef....



Cutletka, meat patties made from ground beef, turkey or chicken (turkey in this case), oh so good. The bright purple salad in the background is just red cabbage, mayo and green onion, sounds weird I know, but its just great.




Thanks mom.

-J