Grilled Chicken Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

I have recently come back from NYC and being a huge fan of Bergdorf Goodman's grilled chicken salad was deeply disappointed by its absence on the restaurant's menu due to seasonal changes. I guess I cannot expect things to stay the same after, oh dear, almost two years now. Since I could not satisfy my salad craving the lazy restaurant way, I am recreating it at home. I even so modestly believe that it tastes just as good and costs less - counting in a flight to JFK ; )

Grilled Chicken Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients:

·      Iceberg lettuce

·      Green apple

·      Grilled chicken

·      Blue cheese

·      Caramelized pecans

·      Unsweetened dry cranberries

·      Poppy seed dressing

Directions: 

Cut the iceberg lettuce into smaller sections and combine with medium pieces of grilled chicken. On the side, peel and cut the green apple into small square pieces and add to the salad. Mix in pecans, cranberries and blue cheese crumbles and drizzle with poppy seed dressing. Since the poppy seed dressing has salt and spices in it and the taste of blue cheese is rather intense, do not season additionally. Serve and enjoy for lunch with a chilled glass of chardonnay!  

Tatler Club

So here is the long promised post on the presentation and variety of Russian food menus set in the example of a few dishes I tried at the Tatler Club restaurant in the newly revived and dazzling Hotel Ukraina: 

 Spring salad with calf liver, chanterelle mushrooms 

and Parmesan shavings

 Lobster salad

 A whole stuffed carp with beets jelly 

and horseradish sauce

 Brick-oven-baked goat prepared in Tuscan style

 A biscuit souffle cake that melts in your mouth

called "Bird's Milk"  

 Varenniki, or cherry-stuffed dumplings 

with delicious cherry syrup on top 

Tatler Club: 2/1 Kutuzovskiy Prospekt, Moscow, Russia

Village Kebabs

Here is a twist on the kebabs recipe that is inseparable from my favorite summer past time of picnicking in the countryside. The preparation is quick and requires only a few easy to find ingredients. Even though the recipe could not be simpler, the end result is juicy and full of flavor. I usually make a big batch the night before the picnic and let it sit in the fridge to marinate. With a side of fresh farmers market veggies and a glass of red, your friends and family will sure enjoy this sunny weather feast.

Village Kebabs:

Ingredients:

·      Pork shoulder

·      Mayo

·      Mustard

·      Yellow onions

·      Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut the pork into medium-sized square pieces and set aside. Cut the onions into chunky rings and combine in a bowl with pork. Mix a cup of mayo with a half-cup of mustard and pour over the pork. Mix everything together for even coverage and season with salt and pepper. The kebabs now are ready to be marinated over night in the fridge. I usually prefer to let them sit for at least a 12-hour period. The next day when the mangal grill is ready and the coals are done burning creating an even heat, put the pieces of pork on the skewers and cook until the meat is ready. Enjoy! 

Mmmm...bakery!

Besides the grand dames of restaurants, Moscow is full of charming bakeries and cafes. That is what I love so much about European towns and miss in the United States. What is better than to catch up with some old friends at a dimly lit cozy corner while sipping on a cup of cappuccino and munching on a buttery almond croissant!?

Coffeemania (2 Trubnaya Square):

Incredible cake made by Coffeemania patissier : )

 Wolkonsky (2/46 Bolshaya Sadovaya Uliza):

The smell of bread and pastries makes your head spin!

Moscow Feast

Long time, no post and there is reasoning behind it. I have been away on an extended vacation running around tasting the impeccable deliciousness of anything and everything Russia’s capital has to offer. And before you jump to conclusions that what you eat in Moscow is “borsch” or “pirogi,” I have to say that most of the restaurants that opened their doors to my second deadly sin, otherwise know as gluttony, deserve a Michelin star for their culinary virtuosity. Moscow has everything NYC, London or Paris do – French, Japanese, Spanish – you name it! But Russian cuisine has to have a pedestal of its own. If you ever looked at the world map you must have noticed that Russian Federation is one big country. Being a big country gives it a lot of ethnic and climate variety spicing Russian cuisine up with so much national flavor that the choices to indulge are infinite. And so are the menus in most of the venues I have been in, leafing through 2-3 pages of desserts alone. Three choices of deserts consisting of chocolate fudge cake, apple pie and crème brulee, anyone?! Not here! At least 10 varieties of cakes from Strawberry Mille Feuille to Honey Cake, a delicious mouth-watering combo of tender biscuit layers of caramelized condensed milk and butter. And I am not even mentioning 15 other desserts not pertaining to the baked goods category! The food itself, another 6 pages or so, goes from multiple varieties of salads, hot and cold, delicious soups, many kinds of fish and meat in types alone as well as preparation. I truly wish I had taken my camera with me every time I dined somewhere…and embarrassingly I admit that I did yet forgot about it the moment a lavish dish was placed in front of me. I promise I will take some pictures the last few days I have left here. But for now, let me introduce you to the restaurants I found noteworthy during my stay in golden-domed Moscow. Since the food was great in all of them, I will give you pointers on what makes them stand out set-up-vise or whether they specialize in some peculiar regional flavor:

Bolshoy (Traditional/Contemporary Russian)

LOVE: for its lavish ambiance and breathtaking live piano music by Sergey Belov

ADDRESS: 7 Staropetrovsky Proezd, Moscow

Beloe Solnze Pustini (Kavkaz Cuisine) 

LOVE: for its mouth-watering cuisine of the Kavkaz Region – chebureki and plov – as well as the decorations and wax figures from the film bearing the same name

ADDRESS: 29 Neglinnaya Uliza, Moscow

Aist (Contemporary Russian) 

LOVE: for its rooftop veranda and cool summer vibe with hookah tableside if requested

ADDRESS: 8/1 Malaya Bronnaya Uliza, Moscow

 Mr. Lee (Chinese Cuisine)

LOVE: for Dim Sum, traditional Chinese fare and cool ambiance with Cherdak nightclub and lounge upstairs if the night gets long

ADDRESS: 7 Uliza Kuznetsky Most, Moscow

Pushkin (Traditional Russian) 

LOVE: for ambiance of the old Russian mansion with books dating back to 1500’s and a collection of clocks (worth 600, 000 Euro) that used to be put on royal horse-drawn carriages

ADDRESS: 26A Tverskoy Bulvar, Moscow

 Vanil (Contemporary Russian)

LOVE: for the breathtaking view of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior which is literally across the street

ADDRESS: 1/9 Ostojenka, Moscow

Summer Sangria

The summer is in full swing even in the usually cold San Francisco. With the temperatures climbing up to 85 degrees and sun touching the pale features of the fog-city inhabitants lounging outside, I am in the mood to celebrate! Luckily for me, as I was browsing online looking for my usual updates on fashion, art and culture, I came across a cocktail recipe book published in 2009 but since then gaining wide recognition for its straight forward directions for NYC brightest concoctions. Mix Shake Stir: Recipes from Danny Meyer's Acclaimed New York City Restaurants is a wonderful book exploring everything from the timeless classics like  “Bloody Mary” to inspiring new twists on the refreshing “Pomegranate Gimlet.” With no further delay, I present to you my favorite drink for the warm sunny days – Sangria!

  

Summer Sangria:

Ingredients:

·      6 cups full-bodied dry wine (merlot or chardonnay)

·      2 cups simple syrup

·      1 cup fresh orange juice

·      1 cup fresh or unsweetened canned pineapple juice

·      3 oz white rum, preferably Bacardi

·      3 ounces gin

·      1 oz triple sec or other orange liqueur

·      1 oz brandy

·      ice

·      3 cups (or more, as needed) chopped fresh seasonal fruit

Directions:

Combine wine, simple syrup, orange and pineapple juices, rum, gin, triple sec, and brandy in a large glass pitcher. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours. Fill wine glasses with ice and arrange a half cup of the chopped fruit in each. Pour the sangria into the glasses and serve. Makes 12 - 14 drinks.

Pair berries and plums with red or peaches and melons with white. Citrus fruits add balance to both.

P.S. For fruit I used 5-6 cups of plums, strawberries, blackberries, oranges and apples. My friends and family loved the Sangria as it was but I think I will cancel the simple syrup as it was a tad too sweet for my taste – orange and pineapple juices provide enough sweetness naturally. As you can see Sangria is a work in progress open to different interpretations – experiment and indulge!  

And here is the book:

Filet Mignon with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Filet Mignon with Creamy Mushroom Sauce:

Ingredients:

·      Filet mignon

·      Bell or Porcini Mushrooms

·      Sour Cream

·      Yellow Onion

·      White flour

·      Salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

Meat: Season each piece of filet mignon with paprika, black pepper and salt. Cover each side with a bit of olive oil, wrap with saran wrap and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes. After the time is up, bake the meat in the oven on 350 degrees for 15-30 minutes depending on the meat preparation style (rare, medium rare, medium etc)

Sauce: Cut bell mushrooms into circles and boil in water until soft. Remove the mushrooms from the broth. Set the mushroom broth aside. Chop the onions and cook them in olive oil on the stove. Add mushrooms when onions become soft. Cook together until mushrooms become golden. Add some broth to cover the mushrooms. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Add flour for thicker texture. Add sour cream and cook for another 5 minutes to create the final sauce. Set aside.

After the meat is ready pour the sauce on top of each filet mignon and serve.

Crab Salad Canapé

Crab Salad Canape:

Ingredients:

·      Cucumbers

·      Crab meat (fresh/sold by weight)

·      Celery

·      Chives

·      Mayo

·      Salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine crab meat, finely chopped celery and chives together. Add mayo for creamy consistent texture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cut cucumbers into circles. Add crab salad on top of each cucumber circle and, voilà, a healthy and flavorful canapé for a light summer fête.

Turkey/Avocado Sandwich

A great dish that I enjoy for a quick lunch is Turkey/Avocado Sandwich. It literally takes five minutes to make and powers me through the day no matter how energy consuming and hectic it is. For the longest time I thought that using Guacamole as a sandwich spread was pretty unappetizing but when I made this sandwich for the first time I was instantly in love. So in love was I that I repeatedly made it for breakfast everyday for the next week...talking about crazy signs... If you love sandwiches, this guacamole wonder just might become your favorite too:

Turkey/Avocado Sandwich:

Ingredients:

·      2 slices of bread

·      2-4 slices of oven roasted turkey

·      1-2 slices of cheese

·      1 table spoon of guacamole

·      Spring mix greens

Directions:

Take two slices of your favorite bread and toast them both to a slightly crusty texture. On the first slice of bread spread the guacamole and add greens on top. Follow by putting 2-4 pieces of turkey. I love my sandwiches to be heavy on the meat so I usually add 4 pieces minimum but, then again, my turkey slices are rather thin. When you finish the layering, set aside. On the second slice of bread add 1-2 slices of cheese only. Once again, I use two slices of my favorite Havarti cheese since that way the sandwich has a nice savory saltiness to it.  Put the piece of bread with the cheese on it on the pan and heat until the cheese has gotten soft and started to melt. Watch it carefully while cooking since, quite often, the bottom of the bread starts to burn before the cheese has melted, especially if you are using more cheese. Once the cheese half of the sandwich is ready put it on top of the other half and devour…it is so tasty in my mind that “devour” is the only verb I can use!

Fresca Fillmore

Today I had the pleasure of dining at a wonderful Peruvian restaurant for the second time. Usually I am hesitant to return to a place again and again, given how many new restaurants open in San Francisco every day and equally (“sigh”) how many places tend to be a one time wonder that you are enchanted by simply because you were a bit too hungry that day – but this restaurant is a rare and great exception. I present to you – Fresca – a restaurant located on a charming Fillmore Street in the Pacific Heights. I hear they have two more locations in Noe Valley and West Portal but the Pac Heights restaurant is the one I am giving my praise to. The selection of ceviche is outstanding in its variety, freshness and just enough flavor without the “too acidic” quality that many ceviche dishes often possess. The first time I came to Fresca, I ordered paella for the main course and had to take it boxed to go because there was no way I was living it behind – simply delicious! Today, however, I went for their special halibut-like Peruvian fish roasted whole in a signature mixture of tomato paste with mussels, clams and calamari.  It did not disappoint and I am sure to go there again when my bestest friend from NYC comes here for a visit! Counting the days! 

Chicken/Mushroom Salad

The spring is officially here even though the seemingly warm Californian sun is rather misleading in the windy San Francisco. But the fact is a fact, given it is April 24, and that means the preparation for bikini season is in full swing. With that thought in mind I give you one of my favorite variations on a good old boring spring mix with chicken salad:

Chicken/Mushroom Salad:

Ingredients:

·      Chicken breast

·      Portobello mushrooms

·      Spring greens mix

·      Olive oil

·      Balsamic vinegar

·      Caramelized walnuts

·      Bucheron cheese

Directions:

Cook chicken breast on a medium pan in olive oil until thoroughly cooked and golden in color. Once the chicken cools off to handle comfortably, cut it into small square pieces and set aside. In slices of similar size, cook the Portobello mushrooms until soft. Cool off. Toss the chicken and mushrooms into a salad bowl with the spring greens mix or any other type of salad you enjoy. Add a touch of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add caramelized walnuts and Bucheron cheese and serve!