Monkey Danish

Success! I have wanted this danish for almost four years. It was my favorite breakfast (along with the ham and cheese croissant) when I was in culinary school. Technically, I was supposed to eat breakfast in one of the school's kitchens, but I was never hungry at 6:30 (aka 30 minutes before my butt was supposed to be sitting in Food Safety). So in between class, my roommate and I would run to the Apple Pie Bakery and grab a danish and an Italian soda for consumption during Gastronomy. 

 

In the years since I left, I have often thought of this danish. I mentally planned many trips to New York just for the danish. And last summer when I was in NYC I was ready to hop on a train to get it when I discovered the school was closed for the month.

Inspiration and Always Wash Your Vegetables

Today, after a week of full of midterms and learning a new job (and finally getting over the failures of last week), I was finally inspired to cook. I had a pasta dish that in my head sounded good. I wanted to combine braised kale, sauteed mushrooms, parmesan anchovy bread crumbs, and a poached egg on top of spaghetti.  Sounded pretty good. In fact, I even got so far as to start the kale when I encountered a problem.

Fails (both epic and otherwise)

Sometimes, nothing wants to go your way. Either you're trying a new recipe or making one up and it just won't work. Hopefully it is confined to just a day. Sometimes though it lasts a week (Please please please let it be just a week).

In the last week I have made at least 3 things that in one way or another didn't work. Only 1 got photographed though so we will discuss that one first.

There is the old adage that "what grows together goes together". I seem to recall reading about a salad (that I can't find anywhere so it would seem I was wrong)of pea shoots, peas, and asparagus all tossed with a buttermilk dressing. Sounded tasty. Unfortunately, it tasted like grass with a really tasty dressing. I did not realize how much I dislike raw asparagus until I ate that salad. It was a stunning salad to look at, not so much on that palate.

Guinness Corned Beef: 2 days late and 2 dollars short

I have problem. Whenever anyone asks me what my favorite (well, one of my favorite) foods is I'm kind of embarrassed to answer. I have a reputation as a food snob (I am not though) though so perhaps if more people knew one of my top 5 favorite foods was corned beef, the reputation would diminish... slightly.

(Look at that! I bought a 6 pack for a recipe that requires 1 bottle. Not to worry, the other 5 found a good home)