This week’s obsession: 5 pounds

It was a heavyweight week. The kind that I’ll notice, and chide myself for, every time I pull my jeans on next week.

There was the ooey gooey Sugar Sweet Sunshine cupcake with Alex. I had to do chocolate chip cookie recon. I was treated to Michel Cluizel dark chocolate ganache truffles. Dried pineapple from Commodities. Four courses of dessert, baked with Pichet Ong. And a sugary sweet liege waffle.

Obsession of the week: little things that sparkle

Besides my growing obsession with Obama, I’m nursing an obsession with all the little things that make all the difference: the not-too-sweet honey in Poseidon’s baklava; the perfectly sweet apricot jam on Treat Truck’s jammy cookies; the authentic creaminess in Ronnybrook’s chocolate milk; the rich nuttiness in Van Leeuwen’s pistachio ice cream.

Holly Brubach wrote a piece in the September issue of Gourmet in which she reflects on appreciating small, daily pleasures. In addition to indulging our senses, it keeps us in the present moment.

We should all heed these calls, sometimes silent, sometimes sparkling, of life’s little pleasures.

Obsession of the week: sugar

Have you ever been in Jersey when a cover band does “Pour Some Sugar on Me”? It’s nuts. And borderline scary. But a great thing to be able to say you experienced.

It was a sugar-fueled weekend on the Jersey Shore — beyond the Def Leppard hysteria — so I wanted to pay my respects to the basic but beautiful ingredient that makes my world spin.

Of special note was the elephant ear we scored. Named for its enormous size, this regional specialty (alternately referred to as a pastry and cookie) is just a giant disk of pastry dough, sweetened and baked with cinnamon and white and brown sugar. It’s slightly chewy in texture (with some grit from the sugar), very flakey and messy to eat, and the perfect way to both pay tribute to and end an unhealthy weekend.

Obsession of the week: gelato

We started the week near 100 degrees and finished with 76% humidity.
Summer's here, which calls for fully indulging in ice cream.

And how lucky we are to live in a city that has tons of amazing gelato. Not as much stellar ice cream, but places like Sundaes & Cones can hold their own.

I can't wait to get my hands on a custardy shake from Shake Shack and an ice cream sandwich from Jacques Torres. But first, I need to sample some ice cream from Ronnybrook...