NY eats: Peanut Butter & Co

How many times have I longingly gazed at the PB & Co jars on the shelves of Whole Foods, never buying any because I didn't know which flavor to choose?
I decided to wait to buy the peanut butter until after I had visited their cafe in the Village. It also just happened to be the perfect place to meet my friend Sam from my Paris program. We used to spend hours talking about chocolate and peanut butter alone... she's a chocolate and Nutella fiend.
I'll admit that while the concept behind the cafe is cute, the food is ridiculously overpriced? If they charge 7 dollars for a sandwich, it better be good, right? The theme of the cafe is pure nostalgia, only slightly more glamorous: enjoy a gourmet peanut butter (or not) sandwich on wheat or white, with the crust cut off, if you like, carrot sticks, potato chips, and if you want milk, they have skim, whole, Lactaid, or soy, with your choice of syrup.
I was tempted by all the sandwiches, but they either seemed too dessert-like (I know, lame reason), or I felt like I could make them at home. I decided on the peanut butter sampler, which includes all their peanut butters with carrots, celery, apple slices, and crackers.

I also ordered a chocolate egg cream, simply because I had never tried one before. If you don't know, an authentic egg cream should be chocolate syrup on the bottom, followed by milk, and finally seltzer-- it's the "poor man's milk shake." The verdict? I personally loved it... It was so refreshing and a good way to satisfy a milkshake craving without drinking an entire liquified pint of ice cream.

As for my sampler plate, I was astounded at how much peanut butter I got-- basically those little plastic containers normally used for ketchup.
And how fresh was the peanut butter? The jars were still warm, and the peanuts had evidently just been ground.
BUT... I would have preferred some cut up pieces of bread or something, since the "Melba toast" was pretty unsatisfying. I didn't end up eating that much, because how much peanut butter can you really eat? I ended up taking all the peanut butters home, and now I can say I've tried all the flavors. I'll review them briefly here--

Smooth Operator and Crunch Time were great quality peanut butters. Just the right texture-- slightly liquid and also perfectly salty.
Dark Chocolate Dreams-- the chocolate overpowered the peanut butter, but this was ridiculously indulgent, like Reeses. I preferred it to Nutella, which has an unnaturally slick and shiny texture.
White Chocolate Wonderful-- I couldn't really taste the white chocolate, which doesn't have much flavor anyway. It was more like sweetened peanut butter. I wonder if there would be a way to bring out the white chocolate taste more.
The Heat is On-- this was definitely one of the best! Savory peanut butter is wonderful. They weren't shy with the spices, either. This was actually hot, and would be great as a dressing for Asian noodles.
Cinnamon Raisin Swirl-- As I love cinnamon in all forms, this was one of my favorites. Studded with raisins, this is definitely fun to eat on its own.
The Bee's Knees-- convenient to eat with banana peanut butter sandwiches because you don't have to add additional honey, but like the white chocolate, the honey added more sweetness than taste. That's the problem with peanuts... their taste is so overpowering.
Mighty Maple-- I don't know if it was just the sample I got, but it was pretty gritty, as though it had maple sugar instead of syrup in it. The flavor was subtle, but also more obvious than the honey. I can see why Erica likes it so much.

Sam, chocolate lover, ordered the Peanut Butter Cup sandwich, which had peanut butter and Nutella (I wonder why they didn't just use Dark Chocolate Dreams). I pointed out that she could have just made it at home, but she told me that the quality was definitely superior to homemade, which is a relief to hear.

They were a little stingy on the carrot sticks, if you ask me.

On the other hand, I loved the decor of the place! Very old school, with a corner of their products (cookbook, lunchboxes, t-shirts, in addition to peanut butter). I would consider coming back and ordering a milkshake or something instead. I consider it more as a source of ideas for sandwich combinations-- the weekly special was Pina Colada: peanut butter, cream cheese, pineapple jam, and coconut.

Monday and Tuesday in a Nutshell

SORRY I HAVEN'T BEEN POSTING! Now I can post to my heart's content because all my final papers, tests, projects, etc, are OVER! This calls for a celebration... anyways, last night and the day before I was working on my English project, which was actually a research paper on the history of the whale as food-- it included lots of weird recipes, as well as some politics and social history. I really liked the way it came out, so I might even post it on the blog, if people don't find it too boring. Anyways, I'll do Monday and Tuesday before I blog today.
Monday
Breakfast-- gingerbread, blackberries, a tangerine, and Greek yogurt with a sprinkle of grapenuts.

Lunch-- A Caprese sandwich with spinach and hummus to get the spinach to stick... unfortunately, I also added some balsamic, and since this wasn't sturdy bread, when I unwrapped it it kind of fell a part. Guess it's a good thing I take my lunch photos in the morning.

Snack-- A sliced apple, some Greek and Black's, another tangerine, some graham cracker sticks, and a spoonful of peanut butter, with some chai and soy milk. This was incredibly satisfying, but actually pretty light.

Dinner-- Good old comfort Chinese food:
Bok choy and mushrooms
Spicy eggplant, green peppers, and smoked tofu
With nutty brown rice.
Dessert-- grapes


Tuesday


Breakfast: can't get enough gingerbread! This time with this new "skyr" that I bought at Whole Foods-- it's basically Icelandic yogurt... I think the only difference in ingredients is some vegetable rennet. It tasted a bit more substantial, even though it was fat free... a bit like fromage blanc. It's too expensive to have all the time, but every once and a while would be nice. Also had blackberries and a banana with peanut butter.





Snack: Tuesdays I always need a snack because I have all my classes and thinking is tiring. I had a Kashi bar (Trying to use these up).
Lunch: Leftovers! And an apple
I got a pretty good workout yesterday. In yoga we did a Power Yoga video, and then I went home and ran a mile on the treadmill, then did 40 minutes on the elliptical. Sweating feels so good!
My snack was, of course, cottage cheese and grapenuts with blackberries, strawberries, and almonds.
Dinner: My dad made pineapple fried rice, but the problem with fried rice is every bowl I have, I get hungrier! I don't understand why that is... I always feel like I need to have different components to a meal, because I eat more slowly that way. Either way, this rice was packed with vegetables and protein, but it didn't really fill me up. I tried to have some kimchi on the side, but the flavors totally clashed.
The rice had: a combination of all our leftover rices: white, short-grain brown, and brown basmati
eggs
A tiny bit of shrimp
Green peppers
Fresh pineapple
Red onions
carrots
Flavorings: fish sauce, a kind of Thai seasoning (not curry)

Dessert: 2 tangerines (only 1 shown) and some hot chocolate

Holy Mole

Dinner tonight was, as my dad called it, "an experiment." I actually disagree with him there- it was a complicated recipe that turned out exactly how it was supposed to, and I enjoyed it. I just don't think I tested it on the right audience.
I'm getting ahead of myself:

Breakfast-- A piece of peanut butter and banana toast
Yogurt and cottage cheese with blueberries and grapenuts, and a drizzle more peanut butter (that was what I wanted this morning!)
And biology.
Tuesdays are the hardest days because I have no free periods and ALL my classes. Psychologically I always feel I need a snack, but I knew I had eaten a lot at breakfast, so I didn't have anything.
Lunch was leftover gumbo, Kashi crackers, an apple, and a Zensoy pudding.

The weather was awful: rainy, gray, and freezing, but I knew I had to run outside. If I did another damn elliptical workout I would kill myself... so I went with my friend Josey. It was a good pace for me, but also let me push myself. Instead of running on the lakefront, where it would be too windy, we ran south. While we were running, it started hailing... it stung a lot. I also jumped in a really deep puddle and got soaked. We didn't stop at all to stretch, so while the run wasn't THAT long, it felt longer because it was continuous. I felt GREAT when it was over: I was actually sweating (I don't sweat that much usually), and I could feel it in my legs. I'd say it was only 4 or 5 miles, but I definitely burned a fair amount of calories because I was starving when I got home.
I think my snack probably spoiled my dinner... in fact, I don't know if I should have had this for my snack anyway, since I had it for breakfast. I had more cottage cheese and cereal... but I figure I'll eventually get sick of it, so it won't really be an overload. I had it with some cinnamon Puffins, slivered almonds, and a tangerine on the side. But I waited after finishing and I was still hungry, so I had some more... I felt perfectly satisfied, but even when we ate at around 8:00, I wasn't THAT hungry. The recipe I made was COMPLICATED.

It was kind of Mexican-Indonesian-Vegan fusion: I made the mole from the Flexitarian Table with the tempeh. The mole itself had so much in it: dried poblanos, chiles packed in adobo, onions, almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, raisins, pumpkin seeds, cumin, cinnamon, and MEXICAN CHOCOLATE, which I so very conveniently had on hand.
This was complicated because everything had to be added in stages, soaked in water, and then blended. I also had to panfry the tempeh, simmer it, simmer the mole, add the mole to the tempeh, and simmer some more. I garnished it with lime wedges and cilantro.
I also made some brown basmati rice and my dad stir-fried some kale, which pretty much disintegrated, he cooked it so long. It was also way too salty, but he couldn't taste it at all! Should I be worried about this?

As for the mole, it was SO RICH... I guess I shouldn't be surprised... this was one of the more protein-packed meals ever. Plus, there were all those nuts in it, not to mention the CHOCOLATE. The flavors were so complicated: the chocolate came through, but all the different spices and nuts were also apparent. As my dad also put it, "it looks like mud." But what can I say... he's never really had Mexican food... I haven't either, really. I think my mom might have appreciated it more. But I couldn't even finish what was on my plate... so incredibly filling.

Dessert: a pear to cleanse the palate

Running and chocolate

Today, chocolate seemed to play a theme in what I ate. I woke up craving it! I also woke up with a bizarre soreness in my quads and inner thighs. I hope I'm not getting sick...
Breakfast: oats with 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 1 banana, trail mix, peanut butter, yogurt, and a pear on the side.
Snack: Kashi dark chocolate cherry bar (chocolate makes its second appearance).
Lunch: Leftover jambalaya, cottage cheese with berries, an apple, and some Kashi crackers and nuts.
After school I decided to go running with the Xcountry team! It made me so happy, especially since they're running on their off-season, so everybody did whatever they wanted. My friend Mollie and I decided to go for an easy run by the lake-- It was awesome because it was a slow pace, even for me, I didn't want to overdo it when I haven't even run 2 miles for months! I was afraid I would have to stop, but no, we ran 5 or 6 miles without stopping and I didn't break a sweat (granted, it was freezing outside, but still)! I actually don't even feel that tired! I guess it just says what swimming did for my cardio ability.
For some extra activity I also biked to and from school, but my seat was having problems and kept sliding down while I was on the bike. That was frustrating.
I got home and basically wasted time, but first had dessert before dinner! I had more hot chocolate (with 2% because my mom bought it by mistake and hot chocolate is an instance where you can really taste the difference), some raspberries, and a chocolate from the chocolate box our family friends brought us from Paris. The company is called Cacao and Chocolat, and the ganache I had was dark chocolate with ginger :)


I procrastinated for a while, then ate dinner and then played piano.
Dinner was one of our staple Chinese staples that I love. For some reason, my dad always makes these two dishes together: ji dan geng (steamed egg custard) and stir fried greens with silken tofu.
The custard is simple, although I've never made it myself: just eggs and water that you steam, then drizzle with soy sauce, sesame oil and chopped scallions. When you first dip your spoon in and cut through the smooth surface, you reveal a pool of scorching hot, salty soup underneath, which is just as fun to sip.
The tofu was great because the texture mirrored that of the eggs exactly.
I had some pre-cooked brown rice that I mixed with the white rice my dad had made because it was too dry.
After dinner I had a pear. And now I have to study for a Moby-Dick quote quiz.
By the way, my mom leaves Thursday for a month in China! It'll be strange with her gone... I think I'll probably be more independent and DEFINITELY cook more. I guess my dad and I will cook together or alternate, depending on how stressed out we are. We might also eat out more. I'd better start compiling a list of recipes...

Nutella Oats

This is seriously decadent:
-1/2 cup oats
-1/2 a banana
-1 tsp of hot chocolate mix
-toasted hazelnuts
-spoonful of nutella
-handful chocolate chips

Dinner at la Maison Boulud

Before I write about Singapore, I wanted to note down last night's dinner before I forget.
We were invited to La Maison Boulud by Handel Lee, a lawyer and entrepeneur who has opened a number of art gallery and restaurants, especially the Courtyard here in Beijing. About La Maison Boulud-- If you're familiar with the restaurant Daniel in New York (who isn't?!), it's another one of his restaurants.
The food was wonderful, but at the same time, it wasn't anything spectacular-- none of the combinations challenged your tastebuds or mind. Of course, everything was prepared perfectly and it was still wonderful to eat there.
I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE FOR THE PHOTOS. Usually I find that using flash makes everything look unnaturally white, but I think in this case it would have been wiser to use it.
The people sitting next to me had lived in Paris for 15 years, although they had already moved back to Beijing. They spoke French like natives, and were really nice to me, letting me practice my French with them. It was great, because since the restaurant was at one of the old embassies and the chef was actually French, some of the waiters were also french. The exchange when I asked for the bathroom was too cute:
me: les toilettes, s'il vous plait?
waiter: je peux vous les montrer?
me: oui, bien sur!
waiter: vous etes francaise?
me: non, americaine.
waiter: vous habitez ou?
me: a chicago, mais je viens de passer un mois a paris.
waiter: PAS VRAI.
Anyways, I want this post to be relatively short and sweet.
Appetizers:
Before our appetizers came, we were served foie gras, which of course I didn't eat.
When it came to ordering, I was extremely indecisive. I wanted to try the chilled tomato soup with babaganoush and get the scallops as my main course, but realized that wouldn't be enough food. At the same time, I was tempted by the roasted beet salad with walnuts, goat cheese, and greens, but realized also that I have that same salad at home all the time. I decided on the soup, and my mom got the scallops.
The soup itself was exactly what it sounded like... good, worth eating-- a classic gazpacho, but I could also puree some tomatoes and top them with a scoop of babaganoush. I'm being cynical again... it was served with an olive sesame cracker that was also fine.
As for the scallops, they were the juiciest, sweetest, most tender scallops I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. They were served in a stack atop a bed of roasted cauliflower with capers (were they? tasted more like raisins to me, and those two aren't similar in the slightest), croutons, and an orange glaze. Because the scallops themselves had such a sweet flavor, the tastes of the other components didn't quite come through. That was fine: this was more of an explosion of textures than taste-- the scallops were chewy, the croutons crunchy, and the cauliflower somewhere in between. I would have gladly ordered this as my main if the portion had been bigger. I would not have gotten sick of it.
Other people ordered Alaskan king crab salad with mango, cucumber, lime, and a mint coriander dressing, and the tortellini of broccoli, fried artichokes, pancetta, and parmesan emulsion.
Our host, Handel Lee, let me have a bite of his tortellini (the pancetta was off to the side)-- it was wonderful, and made me remember my frozen three-cheese tortellinidays, but in a good way. The crispy artichokes were also fantastic-- like apple chips, but artichoke.
Everybody else ordered the scallops, except for my dad, who ordered foie gras.
With our appetizers, we drank a white burgundy and a rosé champagne, and the wine just kept coming! These glasses were the bowl-sized ones, and we were served what I think was a red bordeaux with the mains-- but don't quote me on that! I know nothing about wine. The French-Chinese guy across from me kept encouraging me to drink it, like I thought wine was a sin. I enjoy wine, but a few sips is just fine for me.
On to main courses: like most fancy restaurants, the appetizers were better, but my tuna was fabulous! I ordered it rare (it felt so strange being asked how I wanted something done), and it came in two beautiful blood-red rectangles topped with sweet peas, radish slices, soybeans, quail egg, and was drizzled with a touch of aioli. I was skeptical about the sauce, since anything with mayo in it makes me want to throw up, but it was so subtle that I didn't even notice it. The tuna itself was the best part-- it probably is the closest thing in the world to steak. It was crusted with spices: I tasted cumin, coriander, fennel, and maybe some hot pepper. The spices were great in contrast to the light elements of the dish. As for the quail egg, it was just a mini-hardboiled egg that probably added a few extra yuan.
Lots of other people ordered the seabass in a clam-saffron broth with shrimp, stirfried arugula, shrimp, and olives. I wasn't sure what the appeal was, but I had some of my mom's-- a perfectly cooked piece of white fish with some fragrant Asian-style greens that I mainly ate just to get some veggies in. Personally, I didn't think it was anything special.
Somebody also ordered the salmon, which was just a classic oven-baked salmon with carrots, leeks and a cream sauce. The awesome guy across from me ordered the cumin roasted loin of lamb with sweet pepper stew, persian dried figs and summer squash.
Our host ordered squab with a cherry compote, creamy spinach, glazed turnips, and "foie gras stuffed legs..." (I'm quoting the menu, in case you can't tell).
My dad ordered crispy suckling pick with daikon sauerkraut, apple coleslaw, and dijon mustard jus. I suppose he has to take advantage of all these carnivorous oppportunities.
The kitchen also sent out braised short ribs with garlic potatoes.

The moment I found out where we were eating, I made up my mind that I was ordering dessert, and no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I think you guys have to understand that
1) I haven't had McDonalds for four years, and haven't had a french fry for three
2) It's also been two years since I ordered my own dessert (not counting occasions where people order it for you)
I used to be so stringent about eating-- wouldn't eat any refined grains, butter, etc. etc. Now I realize that while I still eat really healthily on the whole, I don't need to punish myself forever. So an occasional dessert is fine! That being said... I still felt obligated to push myself today in swimming, and because of it, I got a GREAT workout. Maybe I even got a swimmer's high, the equivalent of a runner's high, because after an hour of high intensity swimming without stopping for more than 5 seconds, I felt like I could still keep going. So I felt the dessert was justified.
The problem was, I couldn't decide once again! The verbena parfait and some of the other fruity desserts appealed, since I've always been more of a fruit person, but I felt like I needed something sinful. No beating around the bush. I wanted chocolate and I wanted it BADLY, so I ordered the mocha with a chocolate-coffee ganache, caramel sauce, and whiskey ice cream.
The funny thing is that even when I ate steak and french fries every night and took McDonalds apple pies to school for lunch, I never even liked chocolate. Maybe abstaining for so long has just unleashed the chocolate monster in me.
Anyways, my mom ordered the verbena parfait, which came with peach compote and peach cassis sorbet.
My dad got the Napoleon with "raspberry chiboust" (come again?), puff pastry (duh...), and lychee sorbet.
Somebody also just got sorbet: peach cassis, lychee, and cherry.
I was glad I ordered what I did, but it turned out to be huge, just like a tart you could get at a bakery... not so much something you would order at a restaurant (wow, I'm being critical today, aren't I...). Either way, it reminded me a lot of the chocolate tart at Fox and Obel, which is an insanely rich, fudgy chocolate ganache within a dark chocolate crust. I couldn't detect an ounce of coffee flavor within the tart itself, but what I enjoyed immensely was the crumbles of what seemed like coffee brittle scattered underneath. There was just a drizzle of caramel, and while the ice cream just tasted like vanilla to me, it was delicious. My dad ate about a third of this tart, and my mom had some, so I think I probably only had about half.
The rest of the desserts were all deconstructed, meaning that the napoleon wasn't actually stacked puff pastry, but rather the puff pastry, ice cream, and fruit were all separated. In some cases this makes the dessert original, while in others it just makes it seem disorganized. In the case of the parfait, instead of a trifle in a dainty glass, it was a thin wafer-like rectangle of almond cake with some kind of green cream in between. It came with sorbet and a long gingery cookie.
Still, maybe I'm being too mean. According to our host, the "black forest cake," also deconstructed, is a deliciously summery take on the overbearing classic, complete with a chocolate sponge, cherry sorbet and diplomat cream.
The kitchen also sent out the most perfect, spongy miniature madeleines, as well as a plate of petits fours: macaroons (which I have definitely had enough of), chocolates, financiers, and candied fruit.
All in all, it was a delicious but not especially spectacular experience. Still, it was hard to believe this restaurant was in Beijing.