Saffron Baby!

Announcing our very own Saffron Baby!
One of our client loves Saffron59 so much they named their baby Saffron.
Congrats to the newest member of the family.

Asian Tapas

Asian Tapas

With the weather turning chilly and the leaves changing to beautiful fall colors, we at Saffron59 were inspired to create cozy, delicious tasting dishes featuring Asian Tapas for our friends and clients. Because of their small size, tapas are a great way to provide your guests with a multitude of different flavors & textures - all in one sitting! You can adjust the ingredients to suit everyone’s taste or preferences.

Let the fall foliage inspire your table setting using any small plates (even dessert plates) you may have or mix and match for a more eclectic vibe. It’s also a great time to break out those antiques or flea market finds you never use & show them off.

Compliment your dishes by pairing them with a selection of hearty wines like a full-bodied Cote Du Rhone or a spicy Shiraz for a perfect ending to your night.

Here are some examples of our signature dishes. Enjoy!

Asian Tapas Dishes

Soup Dumpling with crabmeat and minced meat with Asian Chives
(served individually with ceramic spoons)

Macanese Chicken with winter melon and black mushroom
(with Portuguese and Chinese flavor influences)

Seared Kobe Steak with Orange Peel and braised mustard greens in lettuce wrap

Roast Berkshire Pork with Star Anise with Hoisin glaze
(bedded with Roasted Leeks and Korean Potato Noodle)

Seared Black Cod Marinated with Sake and Mirin with Soba and Dashi

Braised Halibut with Scallion Ginger with Asian Broccoli Rabe

Paris continues...

Being in Paris, you can’t miss the exciting colorful neighborhood of “The Marais”; reminded me of the east village, New York with talented artists and one of a kind shops.   In the vincinity, you must stop lunch at my all time favorite classic place like Mariages frères (www.mariagefreres.com) which suggest more than 400 different tea from Cameron Highland, Malaysia to Darjeerling Mountains of India. 

                                                                                                            Mariage Frères at Marais

In between the visits of incredible museums,  a few afternoon delights that one should not missed.   The well-known  pastry shop“ le Nôtre”(www.lenotre.fr)  where you can find succulent kougloff. Or stop by your local “fromagerie” and have a picnic with a slice of “ Poilâne” (www.poilane.fr) , a famous bread  manufacturer who bake his bread like an old tradition.  During my visits, I enjoyed the lively restaurant; if you like morrocan food, restaurant “ Chez Omar” makes succulent Lamb shanks, great tagine and couscous. 

If you have a sweet tooth like mine, Berthillon (www.berthillon.fr) at “ l`île saint Louis” is one of the must place in Paris for great  gelato. It allows you to stroll  on this charming island… 

If you want discover beyond Paris, there are many excursions within a day’s trip: 

- Versailles – glass palace (www.chateauversailles.fr)  and his beautiful gardens, where Marie Antoinette resided.

                                                                                                           Marie-antoinette at Versailles

- “La Normandie” where you walk on the beaches of Deauville (www.deauville.fr) and lunch at the restaurant “ Les vapeurs” in Trouville ( www.lesvapeurs.fr).

- Other well known places such as the house of Jean Monet in Giverny (www.intermonet.com/). You can visit the sweet garden which inspired him for his famous paintings.

- If you like wine, do visit the beautiful wine road with region like “Val de Loire” and the castle of Tourraine (www.vinsdeloire.fr) only at 1 hour from Paris by train- with enormous Chateaus.   One can also take a break in Bourgogne to taste Macon wine (www.vins-bourgogne-tourisme.fr). One of the famous road is Champagne near Reims which is only at 45 min by train  (www.champagne.fr).

- This is only just a few of the many great places that can be visited if you have 48 hours in Paris.

September in Paris

This blog is not for those who is watching their waist line!

Since I have been to Paris several times, I skipped all the major tourist sites except the Louvre (www.louvre.fr) of course.   This time my fascination is to visit and taste different boulangeries and new patisseries since I was here four years ago.  I can feel my heart beats faster as I walked into these beatifully arranged  shops...

I was over whelmed at  “La Grande Epicerie de Paris”(www.lagrandeepicerie.fr), a part of “Le Bon Marché” department store, entire floor stocking with shelves  from black sea salt from North Africa, to pink fresh shrimp from Deauville, France. There I picked up a few bags of my favorite “galette de beurre“ and  lavender soaps from Marseille, then head out for lunch at “La durée”(www.laduree.fr) for its legendary macarons and others pastries. One afternoon, I was invited for lunch at Madame Depuis at 16th arrondissement and I wanted to buy these delicious easy pop in your mouth macarons as gift.

A friend of mine suggests to go to “La Carette” at Trocadero  (www.carette-paris.com), an old classic. But then my film maker friend Joanne disagreed  that I  must go to the new hip “Pierre Herme“ (www.pierreherme.com).  The eponymous shop from the former pastry chef at Fauchon. One of his famous pastries is  “ le deux mille feuilles” (a vanilla slice with peanuts ) and for his tiny macarons; "his is the best". 

              

            La Carette, Trocadero, Paris                                          Pierre Herme, Saint-Germain, Paris 

At last I opt for “ Eric Kayser” patisserie (www.maison-kayser.com), since my hotel is near this rustic, artisan.   i picked up a few rows of delicious caramel to hazelnut chocolate macrons. and  indoulged a few chocolate madelines on site . It`s one of oldest bakery  in Paris recognized for its seasonal  flavorful fruit tarts and recently opened a chain of shops in most traffic neighborhoods.

You simply can't go wrong where you fetch them.  All delicious little morsels realizing that a week in Paris is just not enough!

 

Abundance with Summer Peaches

While at my godmother's beach house this past week for a few days, in the afternoon we stayed in preserving summer peaches from the farmer's market. "we will appreciate these peaches during the winter" says my 86 year old godmother Sonja.

Such a good friend of mine, Eugenia Bone, a brilliant writer, wrote a book on preserving. "Gena" is such a food afficianado like most of us. We share the same gym; whenever we are in the locker room, we will be chatting about wild mushrooms in Pennsylvania to best gadgets to make spatzels .

From the recent New York times article,her simple recipes on preserving pears. The light simmering in syrup does little to prepare the fruit for a long hibernation in the pantry. To make them safe, you need to process them— place the closed jars in a pot, cover with water and boil them for 20 minutes.

Gina has her way of using fruit and alcohol.
“With water-bath canning, you’re really just poaching,” she said.
“So I thought, the canning can be the cooking.”

She used firm Bartlett pears, which she said are best for canning because
they maintain their shape, and warmed them through in a thyme
syrup. (Heating the pears before canning pulls some air out of the fruit.)

After transferring the pears to jars, she covered
them with the syrup, adding bay leaves, peppercorns
and lemon zest.

Eugenia Bone, author of “Well Preserved.”
You will need two pint-size wide-mouth Ball or Kerr jars
with bands and new lids.

gastronomical weekend trip on the Hudson Valley

frank gehry design at Annadale,NY
photographs by Zsolt Talloczy
we started our trip before 11am after rush hour one friday morning, from the westside, NY onto Stone Barn. It takes about a good 50 minutes with a pleasant drive on Taconic Parkway. We stop by and had lunch at Blue Hill, it's a working farm for the restaurant as well as for those who wants to volunteer in the farm. On saturday, the market is opened for public from 2-4 pm. They serve organic meals such as duck panini, roasted beet salad, and the fluffiest egg salad you've ever tasted.
Continue onto route 9 toward the town Hudson, we decided to stay in
Rhinebeck, NY (another 1 and 1/2 hours away) there are a few choices to stay:

Olana at Hudson, NY

• Madalin Hotel in Tivoli, NY. A perfect stay in a gorgeous restored historic landmark, located in the heart of Tivoli, NY.
• Rhine Cliff Hotel in Hudson Valley is also a nice and serene. It's a boutique country hotel that's tucked away near the Rhinecliff amtrak station.5 minutes into the heart of Rhinebeck by taxi for shops and restaurants.
  
• Belvedere Mansion in Staatsburg, NY is where we stayed. However, the rooms are very small. But, it had an outdoor pool and great tennis courts , since we're both avid tennis players.
  
• Maple Stone Inn is another hotel located in New Paltz that is good for a cosy intimate feel and provide great breakfast by the innkeepers.
• Journey Inn is a contemporary style, with a good location near tourist sites such as the Culinary of America college.

There are many talent chefs opened restaurants over the years here in the Hudson Valley, from the town Hudson to Garrison. some of places that we went recently:

• Terrapin Restaurant in Rhineback, NY. Josh Kroner is the chef and owner. He uses local vegetables from farms and provides excellent service every time we go. I particularly enjoyed their small dish menu by the sidewalk...
• Arielle is a new restaurant in Rhineback, NY that is run by the Belvedere Mansion's owner. It had very good french and mediterranean cuisine. The outdoors were also very nice and beautiful as well.
• Culinary of America at Hyde Park, NY. you can view next best chef on site while classes are in sessions. Amazing selections of desserts and small dishes to sample at cafe' or if you feel like white table cloth service, you have choices from French to Fusion inspired restaurants...It's the world's premier culinary college!

Things to do and Places to see:
white peaches at meads farm.

• Wings Castle in Millbrook is also a delightful place to visit and view the famous tourist site of castles and such.
• Fisher Museum is another place to take a look at for performing arts and incredible picnic ground located in Annadale at Bard College.
• Storm King Art Center
• Dia Art Foundation is another museum that is "internationally renowned for initiating, supporting, presenting, and preserving art projects, mostly collections from the 1960's."
  
• Dutchess Tourism provides many options of tourist sites that you may visit during your stay.
• Opus 40 is "about one hundred miles from New York City, tucked into a pocket of the Catskills near Saugerties, lies one of the most extraordinary pieces of sculpture ever created by a single man."
• Meads farm is also a perfect farm for family outing to pick succulent white peaches, cherries and berries this time of the year.
  
• Olana Estate Historic Site is my favorite where I took a great nap after 45 minute tour of the mansion over looking incredible view of the Hudson Valley and prestine Catskill. It's 250 acre, historic estate of Federick Church who made his fortune with Hudson Valley paintings and built the mansion based on his travels in the late 1800's, also 20 minutes from our hotel. There are many great trails for hiking with incredible views; so pack some water and great walking shoes, you are ready to explore New York in the country side.
  
  

Too Many Chiefs in the Kitchen Part II

Since we have fourteen to twenty-two of us every day for dinner, one evening we brine a whole pork tenderloin that yields about 8 lbs. We marinate it with apple cider, honey, crushed light pepper corn, rosemary thyme, lots of garlic and sea salt. Of course, we immerse the ingredients with water overnight in the refrigerator. Occasionally turning the porkloin overtime. Since our hosts have 11 acres of garden, fresh flowers and herbs, I use a mixture of rosemary silver thyme processed with six cloves of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper (for basting).

To grill:

• prepare to raise the heat on very high
  
• take the meat out from the refrigerator half an hour before grilling.
• When the temperature of the grill reaches its' peak, place the porkloin on the rack till it gets charred on both sides and turn down the temperature to 'low.'
• Afterward, put the cover down. Occasionally turn the meat and brush with the olive oil mixture mentioned previously. (for about 30-45 minutes)
• It is perfectly fine for the meat to be a touch pink. Let it cool and then slice. It's deliciously moist and juicy.
• serve with grill summer peaches and swiss chard on the side to add to a perfect meal.