Featured Dish: Gambas Com Acorda at Pão!
The Gluttoness — August 11, 2009
Gambas com Acorda at Pão!
Pão! co-owner, Frank Coelho, a native of Portugual, didn’t set out to reinvent the Portuguese culinary wheel, just recreate it on a quiet corner in SoHo. His regulars, many of whom are Portuguese and looking for a taste of home, rely on this quaint eatery at Spring and Greenwich for authentic Portuguese fare. Specialties at Pão! (restaurant page) include Caldo Verde, a kale-based soup with potato and linguica (mild Portuguese pork sausage) and Bacalhau and Braz, traditional sautéed cod with egg, onion and straw potatoes.
Pão means “bread” in Portuguese so it shouldn’t be a surprise that bread is a prominent ingredient in one of its signature dishes, Gambas com Acorda, Grilled Tiger Shrimp with Lemon Shellfish Bread Pudding. The beautiful, monochromatic dish features six juicy, butterflied tiger shrimp, which are practically bursting from their glistening orange shells to kiss the lemon-rosemary cream sauce dressing the plate. The shrimp tails are anchored in a mound of savory shellfish bread pudding that is riddled with bits of shrimp, scallop, clams and mussels. The pudding is made from the same broa de milho (wheat and corn bread) that adorns every table.
Gambas com Acorda is much like an Iberian shrimp and grits, with the warm bread pudding offering a smoother sensation than grits. The firm flesh of the shrimp complements the silky texture of the pudding, and the tangy lemon sauce balances its richness. The dish is perfectly paired with a crisp glass of vinho verde, a bright, clean, slightly carbonated ‘green wine’ made from unripe grapes.
FirstLook: Aamchi Pao
Arthur Bovino — June 17, 2009
“There’s always a right time to reinvent yourself,” Chef Surbhi Sahni, told us recently at Aamchi Pao.
No, Chef Sahni isn’t leaving her post as Devi’s pastry chef. But she has joined Nandini Mukherjee as co-owner at the reincarnation of Mukherjee’s West Village restaurant of almost six years, the Indian Bread Co. As previously reported, the Stuffed Parathas and Naanwhichs (grilled Indian “panini”) are gone. There are still Kathi Rolls, but the Naan sandwiches have been replaced by “Pao,” renditions of Pav Bhaji, a Mumbai street food that is essentially an Indian Slider. The word “Pav,” in Marathi (the language of southwestern India), is said to come from Pão, the Portuguese word for bread.
Click here to read more about Aamchi Pao's Mumbai Sliders >>
AlwaysQuestioning: Sazón’s Genaro Morales
The Gluttoness — June 04, 2009
We recently sat down with Genaro Morales in TriBeCa at Sazón, the second location of his Midtown, Puerto Rican restaurant, Sofrito, to find out how he plans on spicing up the neighborhood.
Click here for the full interview with Genaro Morales >>
AlwaysPartying: National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day
April 02, 2009
AlwaysHungryNY frequently orders ‘wichcraft’s Chunky Peanut Butter & Seasonal Jelly Sandwich on Triple Decked Pullman White Bread, but we decided to step it up a notch for National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day. Rather than eat this fabled combination on a sandwich, our sweet tooth much prefers these two tasty spreads in cupcake format. While you’re probably expecting us to name-drop a bakery, like say, Crumbs, it turns out Hill Country serves our favorite Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcake. Topped with peanut butter icing and sprinkled with Reese’s Pieces, the ample filling of grape jelly adds extra oomph to the already moist, vanilla cake. A half-dozen of these bad boys would be the perfect way to celebrate the holiday.
Recipe of the Week: Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread Pudding
The Gluttoness — April 02, 2009
Today is National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day. What better way to celebrate this classic favorite than to bring new life to such a compatible combination of flavors? This gourmet reincarnation comes in the form of Bread Pudding, which is completely fitting considering that PB&J is often served between two slices of white bread. The recipe itself is fairly easy, it’s the Banana Creme Anglaise that can get tricky. But if you’ve ever been one to put bananas on your sandwich, this is one creamy addition you do not want to miss (instructions after the jump).
Ingredients
500g White Bread (2 old loaves)
800g Sweetened Condensed Milk
400g Grape Juice
400g Heavy Cream
125g Peanuts, chopped
8 Single-serving pie pans
1 cup Grape jelly
Procedure
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove the crust from the bread and cut loaves into ¾-inch cubes.
- In a large bowl combine the bread, condensed milk, grape juice, heavy cream and peanuts. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Line the bottom of the pie pans with grape jelly and fill halfway with soaked bread mixture. Top with another thin layer of grape jelly and then fill to the top with the soft bread mixture.
- Sprinkle peanuts to cover the top and bake for 30 minutes.
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