quince & cream

I must appalogize for my quietude again. Things at work are in a shake-up due to the current economic situation. One of my favorite co-workers has decided that it's in her best interest to return to Columbia. A young woman who used to work with us is returning and it remains to see just how the office dynamic will evolve. I'm nervous and apprehensive about these changes, but we'll see how this plays out. In addition to these staffing changes all of us have been cut back to four days a week, with accompanying salary adjustments.

This week was my first four day week. I used my day off to have breakfast with the Trainer and then visit my storage unit and get some winter clothes, along with my ice skates. I packed myself all the way to the West Side and skated for the first time in almost a year.

I thought I'd have lots of time to cook and work on the site, and I plan too, but I just needed to get out on the ice. It felt so good. It'll take a lot of work to get all my skills back, but there's really nothing like figure skating, and being healthy enough to take the ice.

So this morning, having coffee with the Trainer I put together this little breakfast that just hit the spot. Poached quince with yogurt and nuts. A little bit of everything

Quince & Cream

1/4 (2pc) poached quince
2 Tbsp yogurt
1 Tbsp roasted nuts

Poached Quince:

4-5 quince, peeled, cored and cut in eighths
1 lemon washed and cut in half
1 vanilla bean, halvedd legnthwise
1/2 cup honey
water

In a medium size suace pan, place the quince, lemon, vanilla bean, honey and enough water to cover. Bring water to a boil and stir to make sure that honey is dissolved. Cover and simmer until quince are tender. Remove from heat and store in syrup. You can continue to cook down the syrup if you want it thicker.

Roasted Salted Nuts

6-8 oz mixed nuts, chopped if desired
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking pan with parchment paper. Toss nuts, water and salt ina bowl and mix so that all the salt dissolves and nuts are all moist. Spread nut mixture evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

spiced plum preserves

Thursday is fruit day. Well, really it's pay day. Every Thursday after work I deposit my check and get some cash and head to 46th street to get a money order. On my way back to 5th avenue I always visit my friend with the fruit cart.

His fruit is generally better than the other local fruit guys, and he always gives me a good deal. Whatever he has that looks like a good deal, that's what I get and prepare on the weekend.

And so, with fresh-minted money burning a hole in my pocket, I found myself with toting home a half dozen plums to make into preserves to have with my yogurt.

Spiced Plum Preserves

2 Lbs plums
2tsp cinnamon
2tsp orange zest
1/2tsp cardamom
1/8tsp cloves
1tsp vanilla extract
Water
Honey

Wash and dice plums. Place plums in a small saucepan with enough water to cover the bottom. Cook on low heat, stirring frequently, until plums are warmed through. Add spices and continue to simmer until plums break down to desired consistency. Taste mixture and add honey if it is needed. Cool and place in a glass jar or airtight plastic container. Store in the refrigerator.

Pinkberry

Pinkberry yogurt joint is the new celebrity craze. We see stars toting their Pinkberry cups all over the tabloids. And now we see regular New Yorkers with them as well. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

The store on 32nd Street in Manhattan is a cute little japanismo affair with little chairs, tables and do-dads for sale. There are three flavor choices, regular, coffee and green tea. You order your size, flavor and number of toppings. Toppings include the usual sprinkles and chocolate chips as well as non-gluten free granola, cocoa and fruity pebbles and Cap’n Crunch. They also have an admirable selection of fresh fruit: berries, banana, kiwi, etc.

The list of ingredients, posted conspicuously along with the nutrition information lists natural flavoring as one of the ingredients. I inquired about this and this was the response I got:

Dear Vittoria,

Thank you for choosing pinkberry, correct our product is gluten free please visit our website www.pinkberry.com and go to FAQ and you’ll see that our product does not contain gluten.

Thanks!

I tried the green tea without any toppings, my wallet isn’t quite robust enough to support that. It’s no wonder that all the celebs are eating it, it’s low cal, low fat, low sugar and it tastes really good. Mine actually tasted like green tea and yogurt, rather than iced sugar. I definite hot day treat. Or a long day at work treat. Or an any day of the week treat for that matter.