Another year is finally coming to a close, and I say that with a huge amount of relief. It’s been a year of extreme highs and lows. Yes, I have discovered that I’m not as strong as I would like to be. And I hate that.

But it’s not so much a complaint as merely an observation about things I’m slowly learning to accept. Like many good things, life is so much about having a certain measure of both : the salty, to balance the sweet, and vice versa.

For Christmas this year, I made a few less-than-traditional gifts for friends, such as cowboy cookies and these caramels which are based on Dan Lepard’s treacle pecan caramel recipe, using pretzel pieces and crispy bacon bits instead of pecans. The treacle and molasses in Dan’s recipe add great depth of flavour to the caramel and elevate it from being merely sugary sweet to something rather special. I plan to make these again next year, maybe with a selection of different flavours.

In the meantime, there’s always these brownies, which are my idea of the perfectly balanced treat any day of the year.

Sweet and Salty Brownie :
(from Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito)

For the filling :
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1/4 cup sour cream

For the brownie :
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)
11 ounces (311g) quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the filling : In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and corn syrup with 1/4 cup water, stirring them together carefully so you don’t splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until an instant-read thermomter reads 350F (175’C), or until the mixture is dark amber in colour, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, and slowly add the cream (careful, it will bubble up) and then the fleur de sel. Whisk in the sour cream. Set aside to cool.

For the brownie : Preheat the oven to 350F (175’C).

Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light coloured metal 9 x 13 inch pan. Line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper, and butter the parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cocoa powder.

Place the chocolate and butter in the bowl of the double boiler set over a pan of simmering water, and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water of the double boiler, and add both sugars. Whisk until completely combined and remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be at room temperature.

Add three eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until just combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage, or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate. Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until there is a just a trace amount of the flour mixture visible.

To assemble the brownie : Pour half of the brownie mixture into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Drizzle about 3/4 cup of the caramel sauce over the brownie layer in a zigzag pattern, taking care to make sure the caramel does not come in contact with the edges of the pan or it will burn. Use your offset spatula to spread the caramel evenly across the brownie layer. In heaping spoonfuls, scoop the rest of the brownie batter over the caramel layer. Smooth the brownie batter gently to cover the caramel layer.

Bake the brownies for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, and check to make sure the brownies are completely done by sticking a toothpick into the center of the pan. The brownies are done when the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Remove the brownies from the oven and sprinkle with an extra 1 1/2 teaspoons fleur de sel and 1 teaspoon coarse sugar.

Cool the brownies completely before cutting and serving.

Ah, New York.

We came, we saw, we ate.

Then we ate some more.

Originally I had not intended to blog about our trip, hence the lack of relevant photos. This post is more of a personal reminder for me to revisit certain places I enjoyed so much during my two weeks there. Comments, suggestions (for future vacations) or opinions, most welcome.

Favourite Stores :

– Kalustyan’s – Home to every imaginable spice in existence, and more : Argan oil, pumpkin powder, candied fennel seeds, rhubarb bitters, molasses sugar, white honey.
– New York Cake – The ultimate baking supply store. I want to buy the entire store and call it my kitchen.
– Economy Candy – Sure, you can inhale a similar amount of sugar at Dylan’s Candy Bar but there’s something about Economy Candy’s sheer quantity of sweets and chocolates crammed into an impossibly small space that makes it feel extra special.
– Zabar’s – 20,000 square feet of yum.
– Strand Bookstore – If there’s any spare change left after the New York Cake purchase, I’d buy the Strand and call it my library.
(Special mention to Wholefoods)

Favourite Restaurants :

– Blue Hill at Stone Barns – Everyone seems to be jumping on the organic, sustainable and seasonal produce band wagon these days, but Dan Barber stands out amongst the crowd as someone who is truly putting these things into practice whilst delivering dishes with flavour and elegance.
– Le Benardin – Perfectly executed seafood dishes followed by balanced and thoughtful desserts by pastry chef Michael Laiskonis. Surprisingly not a restaurant that features on most of my friends’ eating radars.
– Momofuku Ssäm Bar – Pork buns, roasted rice cakes with spicy sausage, and afterwards, a quick visit to the Milk Bar next door for a sugar fix. Note to self : next time, must find 6 friends to have the bo ssäm with.
– Torrisi Italian Specialities – $50 for 4 courses showcasing amazing new Italian-American food. Don’t skip the devil’s chicken if it’s on the menu.
(Special mention to Chikalicious Dessert Bar, Caracas and Katz’s Deli)

Favourite Coffee :
(Note to self : going from 0 coffees a week to 7-8 cups is a very very bad idea).

– Zibetto
– La Colombe Torrefaction
– Stumptown at the Ace Hotel

Favourite Bakery :

– Shandaken Bake – If you happen to visit the New Amsterdam Market, look out for Craig Thompson’s gorgeous little stall selling the best ever apple pies and fruit tarts. According to season or whim, you may also be lucky enough to find other delicious treasures for sale, such as moist and nutty parsnip bread, made in the style of banana bread.
– Bouchon Bakery – For linzer cookies sprinkled with raspberry powder to temper their sweetness, chewy oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies, and TKO, their version of the Oreo consisting of chocolate sable pastry sandwiched with white chocolate ganache.
– Baked – Home to Brookies (a delicious brownie cookie hybrid), salt and pepper cookies, and the best brownies.
– Babycakes NYC – Vegan, gluten-free and mostly organic baked goods that are a far cry from most vegan sweets I’ve tasted in the past. A visit with Aran to this bakery inspired me to finally buy their cookbook. Their caramel crunch donuts are only marginally surpassed by San Francisco’s Pepples Donuts (also vegan).
(Special mention to Liddabit Sweets’ apple cider caramels and pecan pie chocolate bar.)

Favourite Markets :

– New Amsterdam Market – For hot cider, Luke’s Lobster rolls, Porchetta sandwiches, Liddabit Sweets, and the best apple pie you’ll ever eat.
– Union Square Greenmarket – For more hot cider (because some people can’t seem to get enough of the stuff) and an amazing array of fresh fruit and vegetables.