Pickled Red Onions

Photo taken the day of the Duck Rillette & Pickled Red Onion Tea Sandwich post. The one on the upper right is the one used in the recipe.

The bottom two were variations on boiling the onions with the vinegar and I missed the crunch and the bright colors. The upper left is using just room temperature water and vinegar and the onion flavor was too strong. The upper right was just perfect. I boiled just the water and vinegar mixture and poured it over the red onions.

Here's just the pickled red onion recipe. I have it as a side to my grilled cheese sandwiches, as a topping for salad, and whenever I'm looking for a little acid to a rich or fatty dish.

PICKLED RED ONIONS

INGREDIENTS
1 onion
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Thinly slice onion. (Use a mandoline slicer to get thin and even slices.)
2. Put vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. 
3. Pour hot vinegar mixture over the slice onion. Leave out at room temperature for 1 hour.

Store the pickled red onions in the refrigerator.

Eve Lom Facial at Space NK SoHo

So, let me you about my latest discovery. Actually, there are two discoveries. One, is Eve Lom. Two, is that you can get free hour-long facials at Space NK in SoHo with a purchase of three skincare products.

I recently tried out a sample of Eve Lom's cleanser and by the third day, when the sample ran out, I was desperate for more. My skin just LOVED it. It evened out my skin tone and even better, no need to slather on moisturizer after washing my face at night. It feels that good. 

The cleanser comes with a muslin cloth, but I got additional cloths, which comes in a three-pack so I can throw them in the wash after using each one just a couple of times. The cleanser comes with instructions on how to use the product. It's a multi-step process (it's fairly quick) and it feels like you're giving yourself a mini facial every night. It's so nice. 

For my third product purchase at Space NK, I got Eve Lom's moisturizer with SPF 15, which feels so great to put on after washing my face in the morning with a Mario Badescu cleanser. I only use the Eve Lom cleanser in the evening since I don't have the time to properly go through the steps in the morning.

On a stroll through Soho, I stopped in at the Space NK shop to get a couple of Eve Lom products after my samples ran out. That's when I was told about the facials they offer. I made an appointment on the spot and went back a couple of days later for my facial. You purchase your products at the end of your facial, not before. Since I was getting all Eve Lom products, I asked for an Eve Lom facial.

In the back of the store, there's a room all set up for facials. It's a nice space with plenty of room. (Much nicer than what you see in the grainy photo above!) One thing I wish they had was a chair where I could put my clothes. I was given a shopping bag to put my clothes into, which I thought was a bit odd.

When I got in the room, Gina, the facialist, had a bath wrap towel ready for me.

The facial lasted an hour and every product used was an Eve Lom product. 

Gina has a VERY soft and delicate touch, so the hand and arm massages were more like gentle caresses. I usually like a little bit of a firmer touch, but the whole experience was so relaxing, I didn't have too much time to linger on that thought.

Once my Eve Lom products run out, I'll definitely be back for more (for both the facial and the products)!

INFO: Space NK | 99 Greene Street btw. Prince St. & Spring St. | New York, NY 10012 | 212.941.4200

This Chanel Blush and Beauty is Life Brush are My Favorite

More purchases and favorites from a recent visit to see Jason Ascher at Barneys New York. I've been using the Chanel blush in Rose Ecrin with the Beauty is Life Diagonal Blusher Brush for a few days and I'm loving them both. I usually have a heavy hand, so I if I'm not careful, my makeup can look too intense. The brush is great for applying the perfect amount of blush and I love the subtle color of the blush which is great for spring and summer and gives a nice natural glow. This Chanel blush and Beauty is Life brush are my favorite.

Tea Sandwich: Duck Rillette & Pickled Red Onion

I recently discovered packaged duck rillette at WholeFoods and came up with this tea sandwich idea. To get the perfect pickled red onions, I worked on four different recipes and the fourth one used in the tea sandwich was definitely the best. They go great when you're looking for a little kick to your meal so make a couple of onions at a time and keep it in the fridge. 

Notes:
- Make the pickled red onions ahead of time since they get even better the longer they're in the vinegar mixture. Store in the fridge.
- I used a mandoline to get thin, even onion slices.

TEA SANDWICH: DUCK RILLETTE & PICKLED RED ONION

INGREDIENTS
1 onion 
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
duck rillette
mini brioche buns

DIRECTIONS
1. Thinly slice onion. Put vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Pour hot vinegar mixture over the slice onion. Leave out at room temperature for 1 hour.
3. Slice mini brioche bun in half and spread the duck rillette to the bottom half.
4. Top duck rillette with the pickled red onion. Enjoy! 

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See All Tea Sandwiches

Bien Cuit

Oh, Bien Cuit, I wanted to like you, I really did. I had read good things and the bakery looked adorable. But alas, even though I wanted to like it, I didn't. 

Love their logo and the look of the bakery.

Walk in and there's seating to the left and the baked good displayed to the right.

Harney & Sons tea is served here. I got an iced tea in Winter White Earl Grey, which was smooth and refreshing. Not at all bitter.

There isn't a huge selection but there's everything from savory sandwiches to sweet tarts.

How great does that bread look? I should go back to try the bread.

A total of three baked goods were ordered and I was disappointed in all three. Above is the pistachio roulade and the iced tea. I was hoping the roulade would be light and flaky, but it was heavy and dense. The almond croissant (also dense), and the savory strata both lacked a punch in flavor. 

INFO: Bien Cuit | 35 Christopher Street | New York, NY 10014 | 646.590.3341