NYE 2023 Nails

Dashing Diva: Galaxy Unknown

Ralph's Coffee

While I know this tends to be a top tourist destination in NYC, Ralph's Coffee was a must-try for me this holiday season and it did not disappoint! Ralph Lauren's first-ever coffee shop opened in 2014 in New York City, overlooking Fifth Avenue in a historical building on the corner of 55th Street. Today they have locations all over the world including cafes, coffee trucks, kiosks and trikes. 

We treated ourselves to some pre-holiday shopping in Flatiron and ended our afternoon with a nice hot cup of Ralph's Roast which was bold yet perfectly balanced with flavours of deep chocolate tones and moderate acidity. This roast was created entirely from organic coffees from South and Central American coffee farms that emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water. 

I loved the charming and vintage feel inside the Flatiron location but it was pretty small and we barely managed to get a seat outside. Despite the long line outside, this was totally worth it for me! I hope to visit another iconic location in the future and might treat myself to a little souvenir from their shop next time too! 

Carrot-Ginger-Almond Bisque

I have found my new favourite (not to mention easy and healthy) soup for this season thanks to Stephanie Pedersen's book American Cozy.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp of butter
• 3 cups of chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup of chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of chopped celery
• 2 tsp of minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 4 cups of chicken or veggie broth
• 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 rsp of salt
• 1/4 cup of almond butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce
• Optional: black pepper, squeeze of lemon juice
• For Garnish: chopped almonds, thyme, parsley, cinnamon

Recipe:

1. Warm the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, fresh ginger, and garlic. Saute until the vegetables are just softened and the onions begin to get translucent.
2. Add the broth and simmer, about 20 minutes, until the carrots are tender. 
3. Cool to room temperature.
4. In a blender, puree the soup with the pumpkin pie spice, salt, almond butter, soy sauce, black pepper, and lemon juice, if using. Continue blending until the soup is silky smooth.
5. Garnish the finished soup with chopped almonds and/or chopped parsley/thyme etc and a dusting of cinnamon if desired.

Hope you have a hygge filled winter! 

Gumption Coffee

I stumbled upon Gumption Coffee in midtown while doing some Christmas errands this weekend and had an incredible chocolate hazelnut latte! Gumption was started by two women who started importing specialty coffee beans to Australia. They started in their kitchen and ultimately expanded to their own roastery - Coffee Alchemy.  

Gumption first opened a cafe in Australia, expanded to Singapore, then opened a roastery in Brooklyn in 2018, and has now grown with 3 locations in New York (Flatiron, Midtown and Brooklyn). 

Check out their website here to order coffee blends, accessories or to sign up for their coffee subscription!