Vefa's Kitchen
by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
July 15, 2009
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This month’s winners are Meg Cohen and Catherine!
Below is the original Baking Friday post.
Q: WHO MAKES THE BEST LEMONADE?
Scroll down to enter a comment, and click “submit” after the preview appears on screen. Send us your answer by midnight tonight for the chance to win a copy of Vefa’s Kitchen. Winners will be contacted via email. This Baking Friday is open to participants living in all 50 states in the U.S. (Baking Fridays take place on Thursdays during the summer months.)
VEFA’S KITCHEN
By Vefa Alexiadou
Phaidon Press
$45
Phaidon’s latest cookbook, Vefa’s Kitchen, is yet another power house, this time in the Greek tradition. It’s the third of a growing series of international culinary bibles. The other two, the Italian cookbook The Silver Spoon, and the Spanish cookbook 1080 Recipes, also have a prominent place in my library.
Vefa’s Kitchen includes 650 recipes by Vefa Alexiadou, the leading authority on Greek cuisine. She’s the author of 13 cookbooks and has her own TV series in Greece.
I love the fact that the book starts out by introducing the different regions in Greece, so you get a feel for the land, culture and diet. The book is then divided into 20 chapters, covering recipes from mezedes to proteins and fish, as well as pastries. It also includes 230 color photographs that illustrate the delicious recipes. We’ve posted three recipes from the book in Musing this week to showcase the book’s variety: an appetizer, squid with nettles from Pontus; a meat dish, veal stifado; and a dessert, ruffled milk pie.
Leafing through Vefa’s Kitchen takes me back to my Greek summer two years ago. And I’m thankful that I can now try to recreate my culinary experience from Greece in my own kitchen.
Thank you, Phaidon, for this week’s Baking Friday contribution!
taylor
Jul 16, 07:21 AM
easy. taim in the west village (22 waverly). ginger mint lemonade.
Jul 16, 07:28 AM
My better half is a Lemonade addict. Every time we see it he needs to have one, large! So I referred to him on this one. His preference is as follows:
“I don’t know about the best lemonade. I love it, but haven’t found anyone that makes one better than anyone else’s. Though I do love the lemonades at the ball game, where they make it right there with the lemons and sugar. Mmmmmmm.”
Keep in mind this is The Nationals game so you will have to come to DC to get it!
Jul 16, 07:38 AM
The organic lemonade and green tea mix is best at City Girl Cafe on Thompson Street between Spring and Broome streets. The lemonade is not too sweet and the mix with green tea makes it a nice pick me up in replacement of coffee.
The drink has to be mixed for you. They are happy to do so.(John first made it for me)
Jul 16, 07:54 AM
i like the lemonade (think it’s the mint flavor, not the fruit flavored ones for sure) at pita joe on 14th st. it has the right consistency and balance. i don’t like overly watery or tart lemonades.
i often stop by city bakery to grab a lemonade, too!
catherine
Jul 16, 07:55 AM
Some things in life where made to be simple. In fact, it’s there very simplicity that makes them special. I believe that Lemonade is one of those things. In my opinion, the best lemonade is found in those wonderful “mall food courts” I use to frequent when I lived in CA. Please note that since the 1940s they expanded to 15 states. The place is “HotDogs on a Stick” and they had 2 items they sold, hot dogs on a stick (aka-corndog) and perfect Lemonade.
Jul 16, 07:59 AM
My favorite is the strawberry lemonade from Manhattan Fruit Exchange in Chelsea Market.
Lexi
Jul 16, 08:09 AM
I think I have to agree with NY Magazine on this one—Pyramida, on 78th near 1st Ave. To quote from their review: “The crowning touch is the house lemonade; made from both the zest and fruit of the lemon, it’s whipped to a foamy, frothy consistency that explodes with pure citrus flavor.”
Stephanie
Jul 16, 08:58 AM
Three Tarts in Chelsea – hands down best lemonade in the city.
D
Jul 16, 09:25 AM
Ditto on City Bakery — seasonal version includes flowers!
eugenia
Jul 16, 10:21 AM
STAND’s rosmaryade and lemon basil frappe.
Noah
Jul 16, 09:07 PM
I think this is a silly question. To my mind, lemonade is best when it is just three ingredients: fresh squeezed lemon juice, sugar, and water. Anything else and your playing jazz. And to that end, because its simple to make, no one can make it to my taste better than I can.
That said, I particularly liked the lemonade at cakeshop when they first opened, but who knows if the recipe is the same.
Limeade on the other hand is best at Boboni in St. Paul. It is(or was, as the case sadly may be) a Kurdish(!) restaurant and they serve a Kurdish recipe that is actually slightly fermented, something like a cross between an agua fresca and apple cider. Incredible. I only had it once but I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.
Eric
Jul 16, 10:40 PM
Franny’s on Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn… Fizzy Limeade!
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