Ode to the Polar Bear

Or more accurately; my thoughts on a velvety, sweet, slightly clotted cream like white chocolate concoction on 18th street in Manhattan. The whole month of February is hot chocolate festival at The City Bakery. Yay! The City Bakery website has a handy calendar displaying the flavor of the day (http://hotchocolatefestival.com/) and today when I happened to be in the neighbourhood the flavor du jour was Ode to the Polar Bear Hot Chocolate.

After a brief but intense internal debate about whether or not I could with a clear conscience have both hot chocolate and one of their addictive pretzel croissants, I somehow managed to order just the chocolate with a homemade marshmallow on top.

It came in a small white bowl. Very simple and pretty. It reminded me of Danish design but that must be my current furniture obsession talking. Anyway this picture will attest that the off white of the chocolate combined with the chalky white of the marshmallow really stood out against the sleek shiny ceramicness of the bowl.

Taste? mmwaa I have to conclude. It looked prettier than it tasted I am sad to report. The first sip was surprising in a good way but with each additional sip it started to taste more and more like a (not so good quality) melted white chocolate bar. It was just too rich and sweet. Maybe I should have had it without the marshmallow which added to the sweetness. I like the way marshmallows slowly melt when bobbing around in chocolate so trooper that I am, I drank about 1/3 of the bowl and ate some of the marshmallow but I don't think I would try it again. That said, I am a big fan of City Bakery and pretty much any festival that involves hot chocolate so I will go back before the end of the month and try another flavor.

You can find The City Bakery at 3 West 18th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. My hot chocolate was $5.50.

When in Sicily...

Make your way to Noto, ignore all the baroque architecture when you get there (for now) and direct your sunglass wearing self to Caffe Sicilia on Corso Vittorio Emanuele.

Order a latte di mandorla and several of the pastries on display inside (my vote would be for at least three) and find a spot on the shady terrace. As you contemplate which palazzo you are going to visit first, a shiny silver tray will be put before you and the feast can begin. Savoring delicate pastry infused with local flavors such as citrus and almond while watching the afternoon sun reflect of the light pink walls of the surrounding buildings is one of my favorite Sicily memories.

Caffe Sicilia also makes amazing marmelades, jams and "creme di frutta secca" (which loosely translates as cream of dried fruit). One particularly tasty one is marmellata di bergamotto; not too sweet with a very refreshing light taste which reminded me a bit of cucumber. I also liked the marmellata di pompelmi rosa; light pink with a slight citrussy flavor but without any hint of bitterness or the presence of thick peel marmelade sometimes has. My favorite however was crema di mandorle brustolite; a thick spread of finely crushed almonds with a burnt caramel flavor. I took some home and I am not even ashamed to say that I never bothered putting it on toast. I just ate it by the spoonful straight from the jar.

Due to the entirely immodest number of pastries consumed I never got to try their famous gelato. Next time.

The Noordermarkt in Amsterdam

If you find yourself in Amsterdam on a Saturday morning in need of a break from the musea and canal boats or if the mere sight of the queue for the Anne Frank house made you realize that you will need some sustenance before joining it, make your way to the Noordermarkt organic market in the middle of the popular Jordaan neighborhood.

Start with “koffie verkeerd” (warm frothy milk with a little coffee) or peppermint leaf tea and freshly baked “appeltaart met slagroom” (apple tart with whipped cream) at Café De Winkel located on the corner of the Westerstraat at Noordermarkt 43. Many say this is the best apple tart in Amsterdam and the terrace is perfect for people watching.

When you are all sugared and caffeined up, head over to the market and make your way through the alleys with delicious Dutch and foreign cheeses, fruits and vegetables, savory mushrooms, fresh seafood, crusty bread and pastries, just baked quiches, thin crepes, olive oils, various kinds of pesto, herbs, spices and nuts. Try the "Leidsche kaas" (cheese with cumin seeds) and if it is in season, toward the middle of May, “gras kaas”, which is a hard cheese made from the first milk obtained after the cows reenter the pastures following a long winter indoors. Organic red currants, goose berries, medium sized disks of sheeps cheese with thyme and rosemary, pear juice and soft raisin rolls called “krentebollen” are perfect for an afternoon snack along the canals or, if you are going a bit further into town, a picnic in the Vondelpark.

The market is open every Saturday from 9 am until about 3 pm and is approximately 10 minutes by foot from the Westerkerk and the Anne Frank House and approximately 15 minutes by foot from Centraal Station. Alternatively, you can take trams 3 or 10 and get off at Marnixbad from where it is approximately a 10 minute walk to the market.