Sunday, July 30, 2006

Carberry's


Carberry's is one of our favorite places to spend a few hours. We'll stick Xan in the wrap and head to the promise of air conditioning and pastries. There is a dizzying selection: croissants with marzipan and powdered sugar, danishes with a pear half in the center, little cakes and cheesecakes, cookies, brownies, and several delicious Icelandic pastries, the best of which is the hekla, with the flaky layers of a croissant and the shape, spices, and icing of a cinnamon roll. Their sandwiches, hot and cold, and their mini pizzas are wonderful as well. Pictured are pain au chocolate, which has much more chocolate than most, and an intensely good blondie.

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Bean and Egg Tacos


Fresh tortillas and delicious salsa are really what make this perfect weekend breakfast meal spectacular. It's very simple: tortillas, refried beans, scrambled eggs, and salsa verde, piled on top of each other and eaten right away without waiting to make the next taco.

I used to think I hated corn tortillas, but it turns out I just hate the dry grainy nastiness of store-bought corn tortillas. The homemade version is heavenly and not as dificult to make as you might think. The only ingredients you need are an instant corn dough mix, like Goya Masarica, and water. You'll also need a neat little toy called a tortilla press. We have one from Huela, my Mexican grandmother. Bill prefers making corn tortillas to flour because he likes using the press more than rolling out the tortillas.

To make the tortillas, combine the mix and water acording to the package. We found the dough to be too gooey, maybe because of the humidity, so we added more mix. Mix it until it forms a ball, then let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Line the press with plastic wrap. Roll the dough into 1-2 inch balls and place balls one at a time in the press and squeeze. It sounds labor intensive, but it's really not that hard. Don't wait for all the tortillas to be cooked to eat. They're best super fresh, so have everyone hang out together in the kitchen and eat as you go.

For the salsa, we also like Goya. Their green salsa is tangy with just a little kick (or, depending on your tolerance a lot of kick, but we're not wusses). The eggs and beans are straightforward - I'll leave that to you to figure out.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Xantini

Bill made up a new cocktail, and it's almost the exact color of Xan's hair. Tasty, too. Unfortunately, no picture. Maybe I'll get one the next time we have these.

2 oz dark rum
1 oz vermouth
2-3 splashes bitters

Shake with ice and serve in cold martini glass. Garnish with a twist of orange peel.