Lately, my favorite snack has been a toasted baguette with butter and jam; how serendipitous, then, that this Daily Candy email should show up in my inbox.  I am now obsessed with Lemon Bird jams, and incredibly frustrated that their stock appears to be sold out.  Made in California with local fruits, these jams come in a range of thoughtful and delicious flavor combinations, housed in small jars tied with a delicate ribbon (an assortment, or their jam-of-the-month club, would make a lovely gift).

I ordered three flavors ($6 each):  plum and vanilla bean and rose water, strawberry with mint and black pepper, and cherry with star anise.  Plum is my hands-down favorite:  it’s filled with pieces of fruit that retain their shape, rather than devolving into mush, and the whole vanilla beans add an aromatic quality without extra sweetness.  Perfection on toast or as an accessory to plain Greek yogurt.  The strawberry is very good too, though has a thinner consistency and bigger chunks of fruit, so would be better, in my opinion, as a topping for ice cream or cheesecake.  Finally, cherry has a more savory undertone, due to the star anise, and so would be a better companion to meat or cheese–check out the website for pairing suggestions.

Although Lemon Bird is not taking orders through the website at present, you can sign up for their newsletter to be notified of new stock (Kumquat & Tangerine with Vanilla!).

Few things are more evocative of childhood summer nights than an ice cream truck. Fidgeting anxiously on the sidewalk as the truck wends its way down the block, grimy fists clutching coins and dollar bills, seriously deliberating the choice at hand: maybe these memories are why everyone has such visceral feelings toward ice cream. It doesn’t just taste good, it reminds us of innocent, happy times.

And speaking of happy: I was borderline ecstatic when I heard about the Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream truck parked downtown. As outlined more extensively in this Gourmet.com post, the business is run with extreme attention to detail and quality, from the absence of corn syrup to the use of environmentally-friendly cups and utensils. Besides that, the product is delicious! I loved Pistachio, made using a particular type of pistachio from Sicily; the taste is not overly sweet, and the scoops are a beautiful, muted green. The Red Currant flavor is subtly-flavored, creamy vanilla ice cream studded with brilliant red, fresh currants, sourced from upstate New York. Other flavors include coffee, gianduja, and ginger.

The Van Leeuwen truck can be found in SoHo, at the corner of Prince and Greene Streets, every day from 12 to 7 pm, at which point it meanders up to the NYU area, parking at University Place and 10th Street until 10 pm (dangerously close to the Dessert Truck).

Venerable British institution Fortnum & Mason, long known for their teas, biscuits, and “hampers” (essentially chic gift/picnic baskets), has finally made its goods available for order in the U.S. In perusing their new website, I found so many special, poetically-named condiments and foodstuffs (Strawberry Preserve with Champagne! Welsh Heather Honey!) it was difficult to avoid ordering every last piece. In the end, I decided on Scottish Golden Raspberry and Banana Preserves; I’m dying for the Clotted Cream Biscuits, but when I placed my order they were out of stock. Try the banana preserves spooned over a high-quality vanilla or dark chocolate ice cream; the golden raspberry tastes almost like honey, and is perfect on toast.

Of course, all of these treats would be amazing gifts, but it’s hard not to get greedy in the face of such temptation. If you find something amazing for yourself, be sure to let me know about it!

I’ve all but given up American-style yogurt; I now favor the thick, tangy Greek variety that is finally available in most supermarkets. It’s largely, but not solely, a taste issue: plain Greek yogurt not only has a more assertive flavor that melds well with fruit, granola, honey, and any number of other accessories, but it lacks the high sugar content, gelatin, and other additives commonly found in typical grocery store brands. Its bewitching texture comes from straining excess water from the mass, leaving a more intense flavor and a consistency similar to cream cheese.

While lovely eaten on its own, what really excites me is using the yogurt in baking, substituting it for cream cheese, sour cream, milk, and buttermilk (it also makes a creamy sauce that is an amazing accompaniment to a variety of meats). For these cupcakes, I began with a basic yellow cake recipe from my old standby, the Gourmet cookbook. I substituted Greek yogurt, in this case, full-fat Fage, for the stipulated sour cream in the cake batter. Although Fage is quite heavy, the resulting cakes were insanely light and fluffy, as if i had folded in beaten egg whites, as in this white cake recipe. For the frosting, I used Fage as if it were cream cheese, and added a bit of lemon juice to heighten the tartness. Together, these produce compulsively edible little cakes, sweet with just a hint of tart.

Fluffy Yogurt Cake (adapted from Gourmet’s Golden Cake)

• 3 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 tb baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 sticks (16 tb) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups Greek yogurt, such as Fage

Yogurt Frosting

• 1 stick (8 tb) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 muffin tins.

Make cake: sift together first four ingredients into a medium-sized bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in half of the flour mixture just until combined, then the yogurt, and end with the rest of the flour mixture. Do not overmix. Pour batter into cupcake tins and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden and inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in tins for 10 minutes, then remove to baking rack to cool completely.

Make frosting: in the bowl of a standing mixer, beat yogurt and butter on medium speed until well-combined, 1 to 2 minutes; add lemon juice. Mix in confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup or so at a time, beating between additions to ensure smoothness.

When cakes are completely cool, spread each with 2 to 3 tablespoons’ worth of frosting.

Makes about 30 cupcakes, or 2 9-inch layers.

I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Paris with some girlfriends, and realized that whenever I go, I mentally compile a list of must-dos. Here are a few that always make the cut:

• Have a chocolat chaud at Cafe de Flore (outside if it’s warm, or in a cozy nook by the window)
• Pick out macaroons at Laduree and eat them while window-shopping
• Buy at least one dress at Vanessa Bruno
• Stockpile jams, chestnut puree, and hazelnut spread at Monoprix
• Hang out in the Saint-Germain, peeking into boutiques, flower shops, and boulangeries
• Grab honey bread and an apple tart at Poilane (buy the bread on your last day in Paris and bring it home to make outstanding French toast; eat the tart out of hand while strolling up the rue du Cherche-Midi)
• Eat a minimum of two pastries per day
• Hike up rue des Martyrs for the baguette at Coquelicot bakery; tear off and devour pieces of it while admiring the view from Sacre Coeur
• Hoard French skin and hair products from nearby pharmacies
• Choose at least one exquisite camisole or slip at Sabbia Rosa

Chocolate comes in many forms, and the more you investigate, the crazier things get. The taste you love that started, in all likelihood, with a Hersey’s Kiss can now be sated with much fancier–and much more expensive–options.

As connoisseurs well know, the fun of wines and coffees is often in exploring complex aromas and flavors. In many cases, as prices rise, manufacturers get creative with the preparation, and methods of consumption change. Whether this is decanting your wine or preparing coffee in an $11,000 machine, the way we appreciate these high-end food stuffs can become relatively unorthodox.

A few days ago I was able to take a close look at some of Vosges’s exotic chocolate offerings. I liked them so much that I bought another, the Barcelona bar, at my local Whole Foods. On the back, I had expected to see an ingredients list, and possibly health information, but I was surprised when I found instructions. Yes, how to eat chocolate!

Even to a chocolate lover, this will initially seem a bit strange, and possibly pretentious. But is it really that unreasonable? When tasting complex flavors, like a precise mixture of milk and dark chocolate, hickory smoked almonds, and grey sea salt, the chocolate and its accessories should be considered and savored, not just gobbled down. Think of it as an experience, rather than a snack.

So what do you think? Silly? Or is that how you should eat $42/lb chocolate?

New way to feed a macaroon addiction: pay a visit to MacarOn, a little French bakery and sandwich shop tucked into the Garment District.

The namesake macaroons, while perhaps not as ethereal as those at Laduree in Paris or at Maison du Chocolat in Manhattan, are an appealing mid-afternoon treat, provided you choose your flavor(s) carefully. I am fond of the violet and the dark chocolate; sadly, the salted butter caramel cannot stand up to similarly-flavored sweets elsewhere. I found the exteriors to have the requisite crispness, and the insides to be chewy, if a bit heavy. In some cases, the fillings were slightly too soft; instead of cementing the two layers together, it caused them to slide around when I bit into the cookie.

I noticed some crepes under glass, presumably prepared-to-order with the nearby Nutella. This is a major selling point for me, as I’m not aware of any other source for crepes in midtown. The sandwiches, none of which I have tried, looked quite good as well. As such, while not a destination, MacarOn seems to have secured a foothold in the neighborhood, serving those who work in the area or frequent Penn Station: this place is infinitely more appealing that most of the fast-food options in that area.

MacarOn
161 West 36th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Broadway
646.573.5048

Economy Candy, a Lower East Side classic, is a kind of oasis in the middle of a rather dingy area otherwise populated with bars, bodegas, and vintage-clothing stores. Filled to the brim with nostalgic favorites as well as more refined choices from Scharffenberger and Perugina, there is truly something (lots of somethings, actually) for anyone with a sweet tooth. If you are a sour-gummy fiend like me, grab half-pound bags of twin cherries, grapefruit wedges, and worms for around $2 each. Economy also carries those treats you loved when you were little, like Charleston Chews, Laffy Taffy, Sugar Babies, and Chuckles, and kitchy bottles of “pills” and chocolate cigars. Come here to make valentines; they stock M&Ms and jelly beans by color. This is also a good source for stocking up on bulk nuts and dried fruits for baking; the prices are unbeatable.

108 Rivington Street, near Essex Street

212.254.1531

http://www.economycandy.com/

Comfort food being served in fine-dining establishments in the city is so prevalent, it has surpassed “trend” status; it is no surprise, then, that we are seeing similar ideas expressed in prepared foods and gourmet boutiques.  

At Vosges, the upscale chocolatier in SoHo, traditional truffles and bonbons are displayed alongside that pillowy childhood favorite, the marshmallow–in this case taken over the top with a layer of gooey caramel, a coating of dark chocolate, and a sprinkle of toffee.  Despite all of the embellishment, these are not at all cloying; sadly, it is quite possible to eat about half of the box in one sitting.  French sea salt in the caramel nicely balances the overt sweetness of the marshmallow, and the dark chocolate shell is a crisp contrast to the gooey interior.  Bonus:  these come in a pretty lavender box fit for jewelry.

Also familiar yet exciting is Vosges’s Mo’s Bacon Bar, a richly-flavored milk chocolate that envelopes bits of salty bacon.  This is an impressive study in sweet versus savory that is interesting but still accessible and–most importantly–edible.  However, my favorite characteristic of this bar is the figure of a chicly-dressed girl etched into the surface; I’m a total sucker for aesthetics!

Vosges Boutique in New York:

132 Spring Street, between Green and Wooster)

212.625.2929

Online:

http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/

Caramel Marshmallows, $27 for box of 9

Mo’s Bacon Bar, $7.50 for 3 ounces

Yogurt is a major part of my diet (perhaps my inner French girl asserting herself). As such, I’m always shopping with one eye on the dairy case, looking out for something Greek and/or new. Not typically a fan of sweet or flavored varieties, my perennial favorite has been Kesso Greek yogurt.

Now, however, there is a new kid on the block: Siggi’s, an Icelandic-style strained yogurt called skyr. In fun and not-too-sweet flavors like Blueberry, Pear and Mint, Orange and Ginger, Pomegranate and Passion Fruit, as well as the requisite Plain, it is destined to become my current favorite. The flavored yogurts are kissed with agave nectar, not artificial sweeteners or refined sugar. The milk (skim) comes from grass-fed, rBGH-free cows, and is not thickened with gelatin. So far, I have only found it at Dean & Deluca, but, according to New York magazine, it should be arriving on Whole Foods’s shelves shortly. The antithesis of the average non-fat, watery mass-produced brands, Siggi’s is taking its rightful place at the front of my refrigerator.