I have found a new food mecca. The Chelsea Market on 9th Avenue, which is housed inside an old Nabisco factory. In fact, it is the very Nabisco factory where the Oreo cookie was invented in 1912. This alone is reason to visit.
I wonder where they keep the milk and cookies...
In the 1990's, the building (which spans an entire city block!), was converted into an indoor food court. There are 33 storefronts in the place, and amazing smells come pouring out of every one. At least most of them, there is a bookstore and a flower shop inside too. Seafood, bread, cheese, and chocolate are just a handful of the sensory overloading aromas.
While there, I got my first taste of one of NYC's best bakeries: Amy's Bread. The focus is on artisinal, handmade breads with desserts and sandwiches thrown in to make the place irresistable. The store at Chelsea Market has several large glass window so you can see the entire baking operation.
All the bread was out for the day by the time I got there for lunch.
It was here that I had the best grilled cheese sandwich I have ever eaten. Cheddar cheese, red onion, tomato, cilantro, and spicy chipotle pepper puree. While I will forever be a fan of tomato and fresh mozzarella grilled cheese as well, this one wins.
Come on, how could this not win?
And since I was already there, I tried the Wicked Hot Chocolate at Jacques Torres Chocolate. It's wicked hot not because it comes from Boston, but because it has both ground ancho and chipotle chili peppers. Yum.
I plan on making the market a fairly regular part of the tour. I mean, I need time to try everything there. It's just research. Lovely, food coma-inducing research.
So in honor of Nabisco and the amazing new wonders housed in its old factory, here is the recipe for the Fig Newton cookies I made last week. It's a longer process, but the end result is worth it.
Fig Newtons
The Dough
250 grams butter (about 1 cup)
150 grams granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
Pinch of salt
440 grams all-purpose flour (3 1/4 cups)
The Filling 450 grams dried figs (2 1/4 cups)
100 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
200 mL water (about 4/5 cup)
Juice of 1 lemon
In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the egg and the egg yolk slowly and mix thoroughly, making sure to scrap down the sides of the bowl often. Add the salt and the flour and mix just until combined. Wrap the dough in parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator. ** I would let it chill for about 2 hours so the dough can rest enough. **
While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling. Remove the woody stems from the figs and coarsely chop. Put the figs, sugar, water, and lemon juice into a saucepan, over a low heat, and cook until the figs are tender. Set aside to cool.
When everything has cooled, dived the chilled dough in half. Between two sheets of parchment paper, roll each half into a rectangle roughly 6" x 24". Brush the edges with an egg wash. Place half the filling along the center of each piece of dough. Fold the edges up to cover the filling, using the parchment paper to help lift and roll the dough. Move the seam of the cookie to the bottom, then brush the top of the logs with the egg wash. Chill the logs for 20-30 minutes before baking.
Bake the logs at 375 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes, or until nicely browned. Remove from the oven and, while still warm, slice the log into 1 1/2" pieces. ** Make sure to clean your knife every so often as you cut the cookies. The dough is fragile and the cookies can break if there is build-up on the knife. **
Makes 20-24 cookies.
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