The Crimson Crave

The 2014 Boston Local Food Festival

Published on September 15, 2014September 15, 2014 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

By Orlea Miller ‘16

As I step off the T, I’m not sure which way to turn. I’m no native Bostonian and using the Subway is still quite the challenge for me. Luckily, someone else has predicted my dilemma and pointed me in the right direction, a mere 20 feet from South Station:

As a self-proclaimed foodie, I’ve planned on attending Boston’s Local Food Festival for the last two years, but didn’t make it until this fall. Let’s just say I don’t think it’ll be my last time taking advantage of the incredible free food experience I had today.

This year’s 5^th annual festival was themed “Healthy Local Food for All,” advertising a celebration of “the virtues of eating locally grown and produced food from Massachusetts and New England.” Translation: tons of free samples of produce, charcuterie, cookies, ice cream and beverages from local farmers and chefs, accompanied by performances by local musicians, and demos and exhibits about cooking, nutrition, health and exercise.

As I approach the beginning of the festival, which takes up about four blocks of Atlantic Avenue (close to Boston’s Aquarium), my face lights up in anticipation of this culinary adventure.

We immediately encounter Cupcake City’s food truck, offering a traditional cookies and cream cupcake, in addition to unique fall flavors including salted caramel, vanilla chai, and pumpkin. Just to the right Bart’s Homemade is parked, an ice cream stand selling its own twist on flavors, such as Deep Purple Cow Yogurt (black raspberry yogurt with white and dark chocolate chunks), Three Geeks and a Red Head (coconut ice cream with coconut flakes, chocolate chunks, fudge brownies, and a raspberry swirl), and Dutch Chocolate with Orange (chocolate ice cream with orange and vanilla extracts).

And in case the sweet, creamy treat didn’t appeal to the taste pallets of locals on Sunday afternoon, Flatbread Company was serving up pizza straight out of their brick oven just a few feet over.

As my stomach tries to fathom the tastes I’m experiencing, my friend and I make a tough call: we’ll walk the entire festival before deciding what we’ll have for lunch.

Luckily for us, we didn’t have to stay hungry. With free samples from just about every booth, we were full before we made it too much further.

First up is Michele’s—a New Hampshire based popcorn company offering samples of their chocolate, buffalo supreme, sweet and salty, and extra cheddar flavors.

Maple Nut Kitchen is serving up its gluten free and vegan granola just to the right, encouraging samplers to try each of its twelve flavors. The mocha chip was perfect, and the fruity flavors, such as Northern Berry Harvest and Southern Cherry Almond, allow you to experience a crunchy sweet and savory blend all together.

As if the 60 degree weather isn’t doing fall justice, each booth’s display reminds me of the approaching season as well. Decorated with pumpkins and leaves, the offerings of fall fruits and vegetables and vegan/vegetarian chili dishes allow me to spend the day taking in all of the delicious flavors that fall traditionally brings to the East Coast.

In between the rows of local food vendors were exhibits and do-it-yourself stages, including a cooking demonstration by Red Lentil’s Pankaj Pradhan. After watching the chef display his expertise on Indian-style plant-based foods, I was convinced my lunch would include something from the Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurant’s booth.

I chose the tofu kabob and rice, a delicious choice that provided the traditional Indian feel, topped off with a cilantro-based sauce which gave it a unique twist.

My friend started off sweet, enjoying a cantaloupe filled treat. The fruit just provided the container, and was filled with something that resembled a strawberry smoothie that attracted all sorts of attention throughout the remainder of our stroll.

Afterward, she switched to savory and selected a honey butter biscuit filled with fried chicken, and topped with maple syrup.

By this point, the two of us were happily stuffed, yet managed to squeeze in seconds at our favorite local food vendors’ booths. We went back for cookies, popcorn, Q’s Nuts’s offerings (a family-owned and operated nut company), and even a pasta dish being prepared by a chef right before our eyes.

We couldn’t leave the food festival without our ice cream, and ended our afternoon with treats from SoCo Creamery, which unfortunately we consumed before either of us had a chance to snap a photo. My friend went for the Coconut and Brownie flavor, and I had a cone of Espresso Cookie, savoring every last bite while we walked back to South Station to return to Harvard Square.

Boston’s Local Food Festival surpassed any expectations I had for the event. The food samples were endless and delicious, the music added just the right surrounding mood, and the gorgeous weather was the perfect way to experience all that Boston has to offer its residents.

Broadway Market: A Go-To for Gluten-Free Foods

Published on September 15, 2014September 19, 2014 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

By Danielle Leavitt ’17

Move over Whole Foods and Trader Joes! There is a new marketplace in town. Broadway Market, located at 468 Broadway Street in Cambridge, is rapidly gaining the support of new foodies every day. Broadway Market originated in 1995 as a full range market. From organically grown produce to hot, ready-to-eat specials, Broadway Market continues to delight customers by offering high quality, fresh products. George Hickey, the manager of Broadway Market, explains, “Broadway tries to cater to everyone because it is a small neighborhood grocery store.” Although each customer enjoys something special at the market, for me, it’s the vast array of gluten-free items that catches my eye.

So what does gluten-free even mean? Gluten-free food does not contain the protein gluten; this protein is found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye and triticale. Some research suggests that gluten-free foods can potentially help decrease symptoms of a variety of conditions, such as migraines, allergies, immune diseases, and other chronic diseases like Diabetes, Crohn’s Disease, and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

In 2004 at age 13, my brother was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, an autoimmune disorder in which the consumption of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. Since my home pantry was always full of gluten-free goodies, I started to eat a gluten-free diet with my brother and have personally felt healthier ever since. At first, there wasn’t really a variety of gluten-free food items available, but over the years the gluten-free diet has become somewhat of a fad, and gluten-free food has become extremely popular in restaurants and grocery stores worldwide.

When I first came to Harvard, I was worried that I would not be able to find a market that sells all of my favorite gluten-free foods, but then while exploring campus, I luckily stumbled upon Broadway Market. In the back of the market, there is a whole aisle solely dedicated to gluten-free items, indicated by a black “GLUTEN-FREE” sign on the aisle. According to the manager, George Hickey, Broadway Market completed the addition of gluten-free aisle about 18 months ago. With gluten-free crackers, bars, noodles, cereal, to cakes and cookies, this marketplace has become my new favorite spot. If you think gluten-free items are bland and tasteless, just try a few of the items at Broadway Market, and you will see that gluten-free food can be quite delicious and flavorful. Sometimes gluten-free items tend to be more expensive than their counterparts, but for some, the benefits outweigh the price. My two favorite gluten-free go-to foods sold in Broadway Market are the Glutino chocolate wafers and salted pretzels. The perfect combination of sugary and salty, these two snacks taste amazing!

In addition to selling delicious food, Broadway Market is much closer to most locations on Harvard’s campus than Whole Foods or Trader Joes. The market is conveniently located on Broadway Street near Annenberg, making it an easy stop between classes. And don’t forget about the full service made to order deli, soup bar, homemade sushi, and a hot entrée station, which offers many gluten-free items daily. Furthermore, the customer service is spectacular, and the staff always make great recommendations on new gluten-free items to try. The manager is not only helpful in guiding his customers to the items they desire, but will also order items for any special diet a customer may have. So if you are ever in the mood to experiment and try gluten-free food, or are already on this type of diet, check out Broadway Market. It is not just a corner grocery store, it’s a gluten-free lover’s heaven.

Red Lentil: Eclectic Vegan Cuisine

Published on September 8, 2014 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

By Katja Lierhaus ’16

I walk into Red Lentil and the garish green walls immediately overwhelm me. I don’t know where to look. My eyes jump from the white square ceiling tiles to the oddly fancy linens. The haphazardly placed tables add to my initial confusion. As the hostess leads my sister and I to a table next to the window, I wish that we just went to Life Alive in Central Square. At the first glance of the menu, however, I know that this place will be good. The menu offers eclectic cuisine options – edamame to a hummus platter, Belgian sweet potato fries to chips and guacamole, Chimichurri Seitan and Jamaican Jerk Tempeh to Pistachio & Coconut Herb-Encrusted Tofu. I now begin to understand the seemingly random décor of the restaurant.

As my sister and I peruse the menu, we share a nonalcoholic ginger brew. Reed’s Original is light and does not have an overwhelming amount of fizz. As my sister put it, it has the “perfect amount of ginger punch.” If you’re sensitive to ginger’s tanginess and sharpness, this drink is the perfect introduction to the exotic spice.

We finally decide to start with Gobi Manchurian – cauliflower tossed with Indian seasonings, breaded with chickpea flour, fried, and finished with sweet and spicy tomato sauce and fresh cilantro – and the Hummus Platter – pita slices served with chipotle hummus and accompanied by baba ganoush (flame-broiled eggplant), red pepper dip, and olives. These two dishes pair perfectly with each other. The cauliflower isn’t overly breaded or oily. Although I wouldn’t say it is light, the seasonings awaken my palette leaving me satisfied with just a few pieces. This dish alone could be easily split between 2-4 people as a starter. The hummus platter is also a delight to the senses. The pita bread was soft with an ever-so-light crunch and the three dips—hummus, a spicy red pepper dip, and baba ganoush— pair perfectly together.

The next round is a healthy serving of the Kale Carnivale Salad – kale with sweet roasted corn kernels, apple, jicama, red cabbage and tamari almonds, tossed in creamy tahini maple dressing – and Moussaka Pizza –  grilled eggplant, grilled onion, roasted red pepper, goat cheese, and mozzarella cheese topped with fresh basil. My sister and I are a little disappointed with the kale salad. The maple doesn’t shine through the dressing and the apples, jicama, and corn aren’t discernable enough for our taste. Although it isn’t bad, I wouldn’t order it again.

Kale Carnival salad — Kale Carnivale salad

The pizza is also a little lackluster. We chose the gluten free crust, which was thin, crunchy, and a little sweet – everything I could ask for in a thin crust pizza. However, the melted mozzarella cheese dominates the pizza. It unfortunately masks the earthiness of the eggplant, the sweetness of the onions, and the deep flavor of the red peppers. The goat cheese, however, enhances the pizza by offering surprise bites of creamy tang.

Shamelessly a little stuffed for the night, I begin to plan another trip, particularly for brunch where they offer eggs, omelets, tofu scramble, vegan waffles, French toast, and pancakes, and even vegan gluten-free pancakes. The latter I will try the next visit as anything vegan and/or gluten free intrigues me. What then are they made out of?! Made with sweet potatoes and dates and served with a fresh fruit compote and maple blueberry sauce, these pancakes are a must-try for my next visit.

Found at 600 Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown, Red Lentil is located two miles east of Harvard Square and is a must-try for those who enjoy eclectic cuisine. Simply follow Mt Auburn Street toward Watertown by bike, zipcar, or by foot if you want to go for a little bit of a walk until 600. Alternatively, you could take the 71 busline right from Harvard Square toward Watertown Square via Mt. Auburn St. Get off at Mt Auburn St @ Kimball Rd, and then by foot, head southwest on Mt Auburn St toward Kimball Rd. Red Lentil will be on the right. This trip takes about 15 minutes by car.

Note: The chef of Red Lentil worked closely with HUDS to develop new vegetarian and vegan options this year as well as the kale and beet burger, and sweet potato and black bean burger. Also, if Red Lentil is too far from campus, they offer delivery service through the app Diningin.

S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Published on August 14, 2014 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

By Caroline Gentile ’17

When I think of s’mores, I think of summer, of sitting around a campfire with friends and family, stuffing my face with toasted marshmallows and Hershey’s chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers. Even though summer is drawing to a close, and there probably won’t be many bonfires once school rolls around, that doesn’t mean that the delicious combination of marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers cannot still be enjoyed (read: stuffed into one’s face). This s’mores cookie cake recipe allows us have our s’mores— and eat a chocolate chip cookie, too!

You’ll need…

– A hand mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment)

– A 9-inch pie or cake pan

Makes 1 9-inch cake

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (9 graham crackers)
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 heaping cup marshmallow crème (Fluff)
¾ cup chocolate chips (either semi-sweet or milk chocolate, or both!)
¾ cup mini marshmallows, or 6 large marshmallows ripped into small pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9-inch pie or cake pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl using handheld or stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed. Beat for about 2 minutes until smooth and combined. Add the vanilla extract and egg, beating until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl down as needed. Set aside.

Toss the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt together until combined.

With the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined.

Press 2/3 of the graham cookie dough into prepared pan.

Spread the marshmallow creme on top. This will be tricky since the marshmallow creme is so sticky, but do the best you can to get an even layer. Sometimes I spray the bottom of a spatula with nonstick spray to spread it around. Sprinkle the marshmallow creme with chocolate chips and marshmallows.

Mold the remaining cookie dough into flat pieces and layer on top of the chocolate chips. You won’t have enough dough to make one single layer, so some chocolate chips and marshmallow creme will be exposed. That is ok! You want to see the marshmallow on top. Sprinkle the top of the cookie cake with a few more chocolate chips on top, if you prefer.

Bake the cookie cake for 25 minutes, or until the top is very lightly golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before digging in. The cookie cake looks and tastes best on the same day, as the marshmallow becomes too hard overtime.

(Recipe from sallysbakingaddiction.com)

Violette: A Gluten-Free Bakery for Everyone

Published on August 14, 2014 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

By Caroline Gentile ’17

Hidden away underneath O2 Yoga on Mass Ave is Violette, a gluten-free bakery that even gluten-lovers need to try. Violette offers a smorgasbord of cookies, cakes, pies, cupcakes, bread pudding, empanadas, sandwiches, and both sweet and savory breads—all hand-made from scratch, using gluten-free, organic, and locally-sourced ingredients. Though Violette’s treats are a little more expensive than typical bakery goods, they are worth the extra cash given the high quality of their ingredients and the great effort put forth to make each and every treat by hand. Violette’s main goal is to offer gluten-free baked goods that aren’t “good for gluten-free”, but just plain good. I would venture to say that they definitely achieve this goal, and in fact, surpass “just plain good”.

I had the pleasure of going to Violette on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. On a nice day like that, sunlight streams in through the windows, reflecting off of the glass cake-stands containing their delicious offerings. Strings of white Christmas lights line the walls and the display area, giving the whole place an angelic glow.

After I got over how adorable and inviting the décor was, I focused on why I was really there: the baked goods. Everything looked amazing. There was peanut-butter glazed apple bread pudding, chocolate chip walnut cookies, nutella macarons, cranberry oatmeal cookies, salted caramel cake with chocolate ganache, orange almond cake…the list goes on and on. I probably spent a solid 10 minutes trying to decide what I wanted to try, until I finally gave up and asked the server what their most popular treats were. “Our breads,” he said. “ I really like our bread pudding, but most people come here for our breads because they find it hard to believe that gluten-free bread is any good. Also, our cookies are pretty good.”

So my friend and I grabbed a loaf of chocolate chip banana nut bread, an assortment of cookies (peanut butter, peanut butter chip, chocolate chip walnut, cranberry oatmeal, and both raspberry and nutella macarons) and two cupcakes, one chocolate with dark chocolate buttercream and the other vanilla with apricot rose buttercream. Call us gluttons, but we hadn’t eaten lunch and simply had to try it all.

The highlights of our feast were the cupcakes and the banana bread. Usually, I am not a fan of chocolate cupcakes because the cake itself tends to be dry. The chocolate cupcake I had at Violette, however, was moist, intensely chocolate-y, and almost melted in my mouth—definitely the best chocolate cupcake I had ever had. As for the banana bread, I had to eventually hide it from myself so that I wouldn’t eat the whole loaf in one sitting. Fragrant, and also very moist, it was bursting with banana flavor, with the occasional hint of dark chocolate and crunch of candied walnut. The cookies that we tried were also pretty good, but they did not stand out nearly as much as the bread and the cupcakes.

A peanut butter chocolate chip cookie, a cranberry oatmeal cookie, and a plain peanut butter cookie

With a great ambiance and delicious food, Violette is a must-try. Unfortunately, however, their landlord has tripled their rent, and on August 24^th, they will temporarily close until they can find a new space. On their website, violettegf.com, is a link to an Indiegogo campaign to which anyone can contribute money to help them open a new bakery. With a loyal following of gluten-free dessert-lovers, which now includes me, I am sure that Violette will be back in business soon. We will keep you posted as to when exactly that is, but until then, try to get over there before August 24^th and stock up on their banana bread and cupcakes!

A Chocolate Chip Cookie Upgrade: Neiman-Marcus Cookies

Published on August 6, 2014August 14, 2014 by The Crimson Crave1 Comment

By Dana Ferrante ’17

Who doesn’t like a cookie and a little controversy? The Neiman-Marcus cookie recipe has been circulating on forwarded emails since the invention of email itself. Long story short, a woman resorted to paying $250 for a recipe she thought was going to cost her $2.50, and as her sweet revenge, she decided to send the recipe to everyone she knew. Whether you bake them to “stick it to the man” or because two types of chocolate in one cookie seems revolutionary, these cookies will without a doubt disappear if left unattended.

Yield: 112 Cookies

Note: Yes, 112 cookies. If for some reason you don’t want that many cookies at once, the cookie dough keeps very well in the freezer. While you could just simply halve the recipe, it may be worth your while to bake just a few batches and store the rest in a sealed container in the freezer for a rainy day. Trust me, it’s great to make cookies and only have to wash half as many dishes. With that being said, make sure you take the dough out of the freezer before you want to start baking; I suggest 1-2 hours depending on the size of the container.

Equipment:

A food processor (or blender)
Cookie sheets
Hand mixer optional

Ingredients:

2 cups butter (softened)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4 cups flour
5 cups oats (blended to a fine powder in a food processor or blender)
24 oz. chocolate chips
1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated or blended in food processor)
Optional: 3 cups chopped nuts (we suggest walnut)

Directions:

First, use food processor to blend the oats into a fine powder; set aside in a bowl. Next, grate the Hershey bar using either a standard hand-grater, or by breaking the Hershey bar into quarters and blend with food processor until broken into small bits about the consistency of brown sugar; set aside. Be careful not to blend the bar too long, or pieces will begin to melt and crumble together.

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter and both sugars. Once well-combined, add the eggs and vanilla. Next, mix in the flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Finally, add the chocolate chips, Hershey bar bits, and nuts if you are using them.

Using a cookie scoop, spoon, or your hands, form the cookies into about 1-inch balls. Leave about 1 ½ inches to 2 inches between cookies when placing them on the cookies sheet; they will spread out! I personally am a fan of the 3-2-3-2 cookie formation, but any arrangement will do the trick.

Bake each sheet pan for about 10 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Since this is a butter cookie, make sure to keep them in a sealed container (if they even last that long before being eaten!).

[Where can you find a blender on campus? Try the Women’s Center kitchen in Canaday B Entryway or the Freshmen Dean’s Office.]

Neiman Marcus cookies and milk — They go great with a glass of milk!