touristy tour!

Earlier in the summer, Jake and I (along with some friends) decided that it would be a fun idea to go on one of the Philly ghost tours. It seemed like the perfect weekday evening activity, or perhaps even a great way to get the weekend started. The very next day, Groupon offered a frighteningly felicitous deal: 50% off tickets for the Spirits of '76 Ghost Tour. We knew that this bargain was sent to us from another realm to allow us an evening of spooky, yet thrifty, storytelling.

Fast-forward two months. Our tickets were set to expire in less than a week! A hurricane annoying rain storm was headed our way! We needed to act! Lucky for us, Irene kept the tourists away, and we were able to land two spots on the Friday evening tour. After finding ourselves unable to resist buying something from Cosi, we set off for a 75-minute walking tour of historic Philadelphia led by an enthusiastic and informative Shakespeareanesque tour guide.

Over the course of our 1.5 mile walk, we heard about a dozen and a half stories - some creepy, some funny, some... completely lame. It's been a long time since I really looked around as I walked through that part of Philadelphia (I normally avoid it in an effort to stay far away from tourists, horse droppings, duck tours, and, worst of all: tea party "activists"), but I'm really happy to have done the tour. Not only was it entertaining, but it reminded me just how much American history lives in this city. I don't think any other place in the country has as many important landmarks, or as many beautiful historic places.

All in all it was a great night: wonderful history, hair-raising stories, free samples of gelato, and the best company on a beautiful evening.

I hated Blade Runner.

And I will not waste anymore time on it.

The end.

Key Lime Meringue Tart

Seeing as it's summer (although sadly not much longer), I wanted to make something this month appropriate for the season. Hewhowishesnottobenamed suggested that I make a Key Lime Pie and I knew that would fit the bill perfectly. Now as far too many of my friends know, when I do something, I can never just have it be easy. When presented with options A and B, where B is exactly like option A save for an added 52,347 steps, I can't help but pick B.

Thus the reason why this post isn't entitled "Key Lime Pie," but rather "Key Lime Meringue Tart." After much searching, I found this wonderful recipe among the stacks of Bon Appétit and Food & Wine magazines that litter our kitchen. (I won't lie to you: half the appeal of this recipe is that it calls for the use of a kitchen torch. Best day ever!!!)

I don't think there's much I would change about this recipe, except maybe the amount of meringue. It calls for 4 egg whites, when really 3 would probably do. I think that would really balance the curd to meringue ratio. It was my first time ever making a curd, and I probably could have let it thicken up a bit more over the make-shift double broiler. Otherwise, this tart is pretty much delicious as is. If you make the curd and crust ahead of time, I would suggest not spreading the curd onto the crust until just before making the meringue. No one likes a soggy crust!

Here's the recipe, courtesy of Bon Appétit.

Ingredients

Key lime curd

• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup Key lime juice
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Crust

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter @ room temp.
• 3 oz. chilled cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt 

Meringue

• 4 large egg whites @ room temp. (very important!)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Directions

Key lime curd

Whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, lime juice, lemon juice, and coarse salt in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over medium saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until curd thickens slightly and instant-read thermometer inserted into curd registers 140°F for 3 minutes, 5 to 6 minutes total. Remove from water and whisk butter into curd a few cubes at a time until smooth. Strain curd through fine sieve into a small bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd and chill overnight.

Crust

Using electric mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar in medium bowl until smooth. Add flour and salt and beat just until blended. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to 11- to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of pan, being sure to have double-thick sides extending a bit above the sides of the pan. Freeze crust 20 minutes. Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust is set, 25 minutes or so. Remove foil and beans. Continue to bake until crust is golden and cooked through, about 20 minutes longer. Cool crust completely in pan on rack. Spread curd evenly in baked crust. Chill while making meringue.

Meringue

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and powdered sugar and beat until meringue is very thick and glossy, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and coarse kosher salt. Spoon meringue in dollops atop curd, then spread and swirl decoratively with table knife. Using kitchen torch, brown meringue in spots, creating white and golden peaks and valleys. Chill uncovered at least 1 hour before serving.

The Classic Manhattan

2oz blended or straight whiskey
1oz Italian sweet vermouth
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Cherry, for garnish

Pour all ingredients over ice in a mixing glass and stir as you would a Martini. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or into a rocks glass. Garnish with the cherry.


Now I know what you're thinking: A Manhattan is easy! It's basic with just a few ingredients, and I'm sure you've made one before, especially since you were raised by a father whose paramount drink is the Wild Turkey Manhattan. So, why are you including this on your list of 25 new cocktails, and why is it the first one?!?!

Well, because I can, and because I should. Because up until tonight, I actually had no idea what the proportions were supposed to be. I've never made a Manhattan with bitters, though I have made them with a few drops of that borderline sickeningly sweet maraschino cherry liquid. And although I can make my dad's delicious version blindfolded, it was high time I learned how to do it in the classic style. (As it turns out, my dad's version is a lot closer than most of what they're serving you out and about).

For the past 7 years (well, maybe a bit longer...), I've considered myself a vodka drinker, and although I'm not quite ready to answer the "What's your drink of choice?" question with anything but a quick "Vodka Gimlet," I will say that I am becoming a huge fan of all things whiskey. I'll warn you now that you can expect to see a disproportionately large number of whiskey drinks included on this 25 new cocktails list.

But don't worry mom, I promise to include at least one or two for you...

The recipe for this drink (and all future ones unless otherwise noted) was taken from The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff, a wonderfully informative book which finally taught me the difference between Irish Whiskey and Scotch, as well as a host of other bartending tidbits.

the silence of the lambs

Just a quick update about my recent movie viewing... I was in the mood for something scary, so I decided to go with The Silence of the Lambs. I'm a little ashamed to say that I had never seen this before. When it first came out, I was only 8 years old and my parents would not let me see it. Now I understand why! Such a great movie though, and both Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins give impeccable performances.

My rating: 4 out of 5 Rileys.

 

in re #12: 20 new books

Well, I finally finished my first book. I had originally planned on completing Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential while on vacation with my family, but when my so cute it should be illegal three year old niece wants to be in the ocean the whole time, I want to be too.

In general, I really enjoyed the read. I was never "shocked" by any of the revelations Bourdain makes about the restaurant industry, perhaps because I spent two summers working at the venerable Aragosta Rossa...... but nevertheless, it was a great insight into the high-paced environment of big city kitchens. If you're a person that loves food, restaurants, and foul language, I definitely recommend giving this one a glance.

Up next: Naked by David Sedaris.
       

And remember, you can always check out the books I've read and any books I plan to read here.