Tea at the Taj

There are few things in Boston more regal and pampering than afternoon tea at the Taj Hotel. A harp plays, and sunlight streams through the tall windows as a perfect cup of tea is poured.

To begin, I chose the Shanghai Rose black tea to drink, a wonderful blend that had strong floral notes. Usually, black tea can get bitter if brewed for just a little too long, but this didn't have any bitter tones until my very last cup, an hour and half after it was first brewed.


The traditional (and untraditional) tea sandwiches were delicious and varied enough that there were many different flavors and combinations to try. My favorites were the lobster profiteroles, a mayo-less lobster salad with strong lemony flavor nestled in a small choux pastry, and the prosciutto and melon sandwich, with paper-thin melon slices that melted into the prosciutto.


And while I'm never a big fan of egg salad or smoked salmon, leaving the sandwiches as a mixed bag for me, I loved everything on the pastry tray. There were many choices, including the traditional scones (lemon and currant) with lemon curd and Devonshire cream. The pistachio macarons were tender and powerfully flavorful, as were the madeleines. The chocolate-dipped strawberries were juicy and perfect, making me forget that it's actually February.

For $28, this is far from the cheapest cup of tea in Boston, but the service and atmosphere (and, of course, the tea and food) made it well worth the price.

My Kind of Conversation Hearts

Being a Boston girl, I have a fond place in my heart for NECCO (the New England Cofectionary Company, based in Revere) and their Conversation Hearts (and NECCO wafers, which have the same consistency, but better flavors, like chocolate). I am not, however, a fan of the chalky texture of the candy - it reminds me too much of Tums, but with less acid-reduction.

But what would Valentine's Day be without Conversation Hearts?

So I made my own (more-palatable) version.


I have crappy penmanship, and I had a hard time getting the frosting to the right consistancy, but they turned out ok. I used many of the same sayings that are on the candies. My favorite that I added myself, though, is "I Dig You," because I'll be taking these into work, and my office is filled with archaeologists.

Get it? "Dig"?

The cookies themselves are orange shortbread, adapted from a recipe in Elinor Klivans "Big Fat Cookies". Best cookbook name ever, right? I added the zest of one blood orange (for Valentine's irony) and about 2 Tbsp of juice from the orange, but Klivans offers other examples of ways to change up that recipe and many others.

Cheap Eats: Silvertone Bar and Grill

Sometimes you want something nicer than a counter-service type of place but you don't want to spend a ton of money. Pub food is always a good choice in that situation. Many bars, though, have only standard (i.e. greasy) food to go with the drinks. Silvertone Bar & Grill, located on Bromfield Street near the Park Street T stop, serves up just what you need.

On first entry, the subterranean room feels like a noisy bar – because it is. The acoustics aren't great, so don't expect a quiet meal, but the drinks are strong and the food is filling, delicious, and cheap! It's a little calmer in the dining room section, away from the bar itself.


The calamari appetizer ($8) is huge, definitely for sharing. The squid rings are nicely fried and accompanied by thinly sliced fried leeks, a potent garlicky aioli, and a spicy dipping sauce. The restaurant is best known for its mac & cheese and steak tips – both fantastic. The mac & cheese ($8) is a more gourmet version of the childhood favorite, and its topping of buttered breadcrumbs adds a nice textural contrast to the gooey cheese. The steak tips ($12), flavored with a "Long Island marinade," are juicy and perfectly cooked. The accompanying mashed potatoes are smooth and well-seasoned. Both meals come with greens tossed in a light vinaigrette.


Entrees hover around the $10 mark and are hearty and filling meals. The restaurant also has an imaginative (and reasonably priced) cocktail list.

Originally posted at Bostonist.com

My Favorite Sniglet

Remember sniglets?

Sniglets are words "that should appear in the dictionary but don't." Even if you've never heard the term before, I'm sure you've created your own sniglets as inside jokes or shorthand. Typically, they are words or phrases that are quirky and sum up a whole idea in very little space.

Plus, they're fun. When I spent a summer abroad at an archaeological dig, we would sit in the trenches and come up with new sniglets all day (we were an exciting crowd). You can imagine how weird/crazy/dirty the words and definitions became after days on end in the hot sun...

However, there is one sniglet that I use all the time - and it's culinary! It's yorange - the white pithy strings that cling to an orange after you peel it. I hate those stringy things and will laboriously pick each one off as I eat my orange slices. The word just sounds perfect to describe those strings. As in, "I hate all the frickin' yorange that ruins the great taste of my snack!"

First runner-up: Cheetle - The orange residue left on fingers after eating Cheetos or some other cheesy snack. The word just sounds gross.

Favorite sniglets, anyone?

The Case of the Mysteriously Disappearing Cookies

There I was, browsing through my precariously stacked pantry, when a bag of dried cherries forceably ejected themselves from the shelf at me. Normally, I would just get mad and shove the offending item back in, willy-nilly, practically asking for it to fall out again. But inspiration struck (it helped that I was hungry), and I pulled out my block of Trader Joe's Pound Plus chocolate as well - time for cookies!

This recipe is based on an old Cooks Illustrated recipe, and it truly is the best chocolate chip cookie out there. There is no need for any other recipe. A few changes - there was originally an additional 1/8 cup of flour, but I'm lazy and didn't want to dirty another measuring spoon ;) Also, the recipe calls for 2 cups of semisweet chips, but I prefer chopping my own chocolate because you get an interesting mix of shapes and sizes - some large chunks, some shavings, and everything in between. By adding the cherries, I gave the cookies some depth so they weren't all chocolate, all the time (not bad in a brownie, but cookies need a little variety) without being overly fruity.

When I brought the cookies into work (because I would have eaten them all had they remained in my apartment), they vanished faster than I could say "Hey, there are cookies up at my desk." Glad to know my baking is appreciated ;)

The Only Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe You'll Ever Need

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 325°. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.

Mix the sugars and butter just until thoroughly mixed, then add egg, yolk and vanilla and mix until creamy. Add the sifted ingredients and mix until just blended.

Stir in the chocolate and cherries, then drop dough in heaping tablespoons on a cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart, and bake for 15-17 minutes until golden and puffed. Slide the sheet of parchment off the cookie sheets and let the cookies cool without disturbing them for a few minutes. Once they have cooled slightly, move the cookies to a cooling rack.

Cold-Killing Chicken Soup

I was wondering when I'd finally get a winter cold. I've been fighting something vague for a week, and I figured some good-ol' chicken soup would do the trick. But what's better for a cold than chicken soup? Chicken soup with ginger!

Ginger Chicken Soup
1 large bunch fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped peeled fresh ginger plus 1/2 cup very fine matchsticks
1 (3-lb) whole chicken
1 bunch scallions, roughly chopped
10-12 cups water (enough to cover chicken in pot)
3/4 cup medium-dry sherry
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup carrot, cut into fine matchsticks
1/2 lb dried thin egg noodles

Separate cilanto leave from stems. Reserve leaves and roughly chop the stems. Simmer cilantro stems, chopped ginger, chicken, scallions, water, sherry, and salt in a 6- to 8-quart pot, covered, skimming fat occasionally, 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer chicken to a bowl and cool to warm. While chicken cools, pour broth through a sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Rinse pot out, then return broth to the pot. Using your hands or two forks, shred chicken and add to broth. Add cilantro leaves and ginger and carrot matchsticks and bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Salt to taste.

Shrimp Bisque for a Cold Day

My parents' house is colder than my apartment, mainly because I don't have to pay for heat. I was visiting them for the day, and we were trying to figure out what to have for dinner. I remembered the shrimp bisque that JB from Urban Drivel had posted a few weeks ago on another particularly cold day.

Note, though, that my recipe is different than the original, due largely to my misreading the amount of clam juice needed. My bisque ended up being very thick (but still delicious), and the recipe below is what I ended up making. My father made his famous popover, which were the perfect accompaniment to the soup.

Shrimp Bisque

4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 lbs medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
2 onions, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 tbsp all purpose flour
6 tbsp tomato paste
2 (8-oz) bottles clam juice
2 cups white wine
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add reserved shrimp shells and cook until spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion, celery, and carrots and cook until beginning to soften, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add clam juice, wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.

Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer into a large saucepan, pressing on the solids to extract juices. Discard solids in the strainer.

Bring broth to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the shrimp and cream and milk and simmer until the shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

*Alternate title for any shrimp-related post: "Why do you always have to de-turd these things?"