epicurious.eateries

To honor my new life...

2011-11-19T22:07:00.005-05:00

as a graduate student in Ithaca and to celebrate the number of food fans in our class, we started a little supper club. It gives us any excuse to feast and drink with friends.

For our first supper club event, we featured foie gras as the central theme of the evening, definitely a ridiculously gluttonous dinner. Too many calories? Who's counting?

The last time I worked with foie gras was at Jean Georges back in 2009, so I was happy to get my hands on those buttery lobes again. Keith, Luke, and I planned a menu of five dishes and ordered our fatty partner from D'artagnan. My personal favorite of the evening--flash fried tempura foie gras with grated daikon, lime zest and togarashi pepper. Full menu follows.

Duck bacon, caramelized yams, duck fat caramel, thyme, shallots

Tempura foie gras, grated daikon, lime zest, togarashi pepper

Fresh foie gras ravioli, brandy duck jus, lovage, carrots

Pan-roasted chicken, parsley-kale puree, fried mushrooms, chicken consomme farro

Tempura Foie Gras

4 oz foie gras, 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup panko crumbs

1 T cornstarch

water

oil for frying

S+P

1/2 cup daikon, grated

1/2 lime, juice + zest

1/2 t togarashi pepper

Freeze cubed foie gras overnight. Mix panko crumbs with cornstarch and water slurry. Heat a small saucepan with oil to cover a cube foie gras. Dip foie gras in panko slurry and fry immediately until crispy but not brown. Strain oil from tempura on a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Combine daikon, lime juice and togarashi pepper and form a bite-sized ball. Serve tempura foie gras with daikon.

Green apple tarte tatin, seared foie gras, arugula pesto

Me + Luke

JJ, Kay, Will, Drew, Jinhan, Keiko, Ling, Luke

When my friend said...

2011-04-03T15:37:00.012-04:00

his favorite dish is Hainan Chicken Rice (海南雞飯), Singapore’s national dish, I started craving the flavorful, ginger-poached chicken I tasted on Orchard Road back in Singapore. I began my research and found very similar recipes of cooking a whole chicken and using chicken fat for the rice. I love traditional cooking methods, but this time I wanted to experiment on my own. Instead of boiling the whole bird, I decided to use just the breast. Although chicken breast tends to be less tender, I wanted to showcase how delicate it could taste when poached carefully.

I love adding texture to my dishes, so I quickly sauteed sesame-cilantro crumbs to use as a dip along with sweet garlic chili sauce, ginger-scallion oil, and some homemade pickled cucumbers. I’m not quite sure if my recipe reminds people of a classic Hainan Chicken Rice, but it’s still tasty (hopefully).

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
5 inch ginger, sliced
3 stalks scallions, 1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¼ cup sesame seeds

CHICKEN RICE
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
2 cups rice
2 cups reserved chicken poaching broth
1 1/3 cup water
1/2 t sesame oil
1 t salt

CHILI SAUCE
1 T rice vinegar
2 T reserved chicken poaching broth
2 t sugar
4 T Sriracha
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 t ginger, minced
a generous pinch of salt, to taste

GINGER SCALLION OIL
¼ vegetable oil
1 t ginger, minced
1 t scallions, minced
1 t salt

SESAME-CILANTRO CRUMBS
1 T sesame seeds
1 T cilantro, minced
¼ cup panko crumbs
salt

PICKLED CUCUMBER
3 cucumbers, julienned
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 t white peppercorn
2 T sugar
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup water
1 t salt

Directions:
Season generously with salt. Place the chicken in a large stockpot and fill with cold water to cover by 1 inch. Add ginger and scallion. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then immediately turn the heat to low to keep a simmer. Cook for about 15-20 minutes more.

When the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Immediately lift and transfer the chicken into a bath of ice water to cool. Reserve the poaching broth for your rice and chili sauce. Remove the chicken from the ice bath.

In a sauce pan, fry ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add rice and stir to coat, cook for 2 minutes. Add the sesame oil, mix well. Add 2 cups of your reserved poaching broth, add salt and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes more.

Blend chili sauce ingredients. Blend ginger scallion oil ingredients. Sautee panko crumbs in vegetable oil until golden. Add salt, sesame and cilantro and quickly combine. Reserve for chicken topping. Combine pickle ingredients and let sit while chicken is cooking until serving time.

Serve chicken with chicken rice, sauces, cilantro crumbs and pickled cucumber.

True dedication...

2011-03-07T18:01:00.006-05:00

is waking up at 5AM to turn off the stove after 8 hours of stewing and tenderizing 2 pounds of pork belly for a buta kakuni meal. It's my own fault for not starting earlier, but some sleep deprivation is perfectly fine when pork belly ends up as good as this!

I always feared touching any fatty meats as a child, and by touching I mean ingesting. Mostly because my mother loves her family and only wants us to eat for our health. But, when you're exposed to a world of food the way I am, there's just no turning back.

Back to the cooking, the process was actually adopted from Morimoto's recipe. I love the simpleness and purity of this recipe. That's generally how I like to cook--no fussy ingredients, just tasting and using your cooking intuition. Paired with buta kakuni, CC & I prepared some soy sauce eggs and quick pickled cucumbers. I love my egg yolks a little runny, so I do a medium boil and steep my eggs in a soy sauce mixture. Here goes!

Searing pork belly skin.

Plating with some scallions and pickled cucumber.

Buta Kakuni, Soy Sauce Eggs, Pickled Cucumber
Serves 4 KAKUNI

1 tbs vegetable oil
2 lbs boneless pork belly
1 1/2 cups rice
1 nob ginger
5 cloves garlic 1
3/4 cups mirin
1/4 Japanese soy sauce
4 T sugar

Heat the oil in a large casserole dish over high heat. Sear the pork belly, skin side down, until golden brown and crispy. Turn over and sear the other side. Remove and pour away the fat in the casserole. Return the pork belly to the casserole. Sprinkle the rice around the meat. Add ginger, garlic and enough water to cover the pork by an inch and bring to a simmer over high heat. Braise gently until the pork is tender about 6 hours. Discard the rice and cooking liquid. Cover and refrigerate the pork belly for at least 8 hours. Cut the pork crosswise into 1 inch cubes. In a heavy medium saucepan, mix the mirin soy sauce, and sugar with 4 cups of water and bring the the mixture to a boil over high heat. Add the pieces of pork belly and reduce the heat. Partially cover the pan and simmer until the pork is very tender. Carefully transfer the pieces of pork onto a plate. Strain the cooking liquid and reduce it down to 1 cup.

SOY SAUCE EGGS
2 eggs
½ cup soy sauce
1 T rice vinegar
1 t chili sesame oil
2 t sugar

Let eggs come to room temperature. Cook eggs in boiling water for exactly 7 minutes. Remove eggs and place in ice bath. Peels eggs and steep in soy sauce mixture for 15-20 minutes. Slice eggs and serve with sesame or scallion garnish.

Flipping through...

2011-01-02T17:47:00.007-05:00

a photo journal full of 2010's most gratifying noshes & nibbles helps me relive the taste of those moments and all the wonderful company. It's been a delicious year munching a small dent in New York City's epic food scene. It's true that you can really satisfy every cultural food craving in a city full of culinary talent, but New York City isn't the only place full of savories and sweets. I admit my travels haven't been prolific this year; however, the short time I spent in Texas, Hong Kong, and regions of Taiwan, meant a lot of tummy-fulfilling adventures.

For now, I'll toast to a Happy New Year and even more epicurious journeys in 2011. And without further ado, the food porn.

Casa Mono (NY, NY)
Baby chopitos, ramps, caramelized onions, squid ink

Casa Mono ranks top 3 restaurants in my heart now and hopefully forever. A tapas lover just can't resist all the bright flavors at this little Spanish joint. It's even perfect midday with a close of bubbly rose.

SHO Shaun Hergatt (NY, NY)
Poached white asparagus, asparagus ice cream

Americans just don't eat enough fresh foods, but lucky me, these tender white asparagus were flown fresh that day from Provence, France. Tack on the delicately savory asparagus ice cream--it's a dish that's hard to forget.

Imperial Palace (Hong Kong)
Chinese BBQ: char siu, honey glazed pork skin, roasted goose

This private club in Hong Kong serves probably the best tasting Chinese bbq I've ever had. It's a bold statement, but never has pork skin been so richly golden-red, velvety and perfectly crispy.

Prune (NY, NY)
Ricotta ice cream, salted caramel croutons

One of my favorite East Village joints, Prune always serves simple yet super fun food. All I can say is that I love ricotta. I love ice cream. I love salted caramel, and I love that this ricotta ice cream and it's salty croutons are drenched in a salted caramel soup.

Eleven Madison Park (NY, NY)
Celery gelee on black pepper sablee, foie gras granny smith macaron

These beautiful little treats aren't actually on the menu; but I hope even with Eleven Madison Park's menu redo, they are still serving perfect canapes. You can't refuse a foie-filled apple flavored macaron.

Rudy's BBQ (Dallas, TX)
Moist brisket

Do I always get moist brisket? No, but after having Rudy's moist brisket, you bet. As a native Texan, I just can't get away from these smoky, fatty bits of beef. It's the one time I'll really gorge on heavy meat.

wd~50 (NY, NY)
Aerated foie, pickled beet, mashad plum, brioche

Yes, Wylie Dufresne is a genius behind playing/molding/shaping his food. His mother must've let him go to town as a kid. But, how does it really taste? I still think about the texture of this buttery foie gras holding such intense flavor but feeling incredibly delicate on my tongue.

Union Square Cafe (NY, NY)
Ricotta Gnocchi, tomato-basil passatina and pecorino romano

People I know literally have dreams about this dish. I really can't explain how they make gnocchi so ethereal, so tender, but skip everything else at Union Square Cafe and just load up on the gnocchi.

Street food (Sheng Keng, Taiwan)
Grilled spicy tofu, spicy pickled cabbage

Sheng Keng, a region in Taipei, is famous for it's innovative use of tofu. Tofu puddings, tofu cheesecakes, braised tofu are all just the beginning. I'm a tofu fiend, so I did a whole tasting that afternoon. My favorite--a seemingly simple grilled tofu on a stick. That tofu just sucked up all the flavor and became this sweet, spicy, salty little mess.

Riverpark (NY, NY)
Beet-pickled eggs, smoked white fish, horseradish

These little nuggets are so pretty; how could you not love them? Aside from the color, the pickled taste of the eggs are so fun. And the creamy, smoky fish filling? Fishy, but awesome with the tang.

Eleven Madison Park (NY, NY)
Roasted organic chicken with lemon and rosemary, spring vegetables

I am not a chicken lover. In fact, I stray away from chicken dishes most places. However, I always, ALWAYS order Eleven Madison Park's roast chicken without fail. I'm telling you it doesn't get better than this. Chicken rubbed with truffle stuffing under the skin?!?!

Wing Lai Yuen (NY, NY)
Spicy garlic sliced pork

Admittedly, the dan dan noodles at Wing Lai Yuen are incomparable. The sliced pork, though, is phenomenal. The sheets of pork are almost translucent and dressed in this spicy, salty, sweet, and tart sauce and covered in boatloads of minced garlic.

Per Se (NY, NY)
Pistachio "Bavarois," Bitter Chocolate "Marquise" and "Pain de Gênes" with Mast Brothers’ Chocolate Ice Cream

Chocolate just satisfies all kinds of sweet tooths and pistachio is only the most awesome nut ever. Not only is this dish so well put together, it's bitter sweetness and richness is perfectly balanced. The end to a lovely meal and an even lovelier year.

Braising...

2010-07-25T23:06:00.011-04:00

is almost an IDIOT proof technique for deliciously tender meat. But the catch? Braising correctly. The ratio of liquid versus meat versus seasoning/spice and the timing is crucial to the success of the final product (as is all cooking). However, when you make the investment of spending hours to sweat out a pot of meat, you're hoping your end product profits and your belly is rewarded.

Our braise of choice was short ribs beginning with grocery shopping at the local Whole Foods. The short ribs recipe I had in mind is very reminiscent of one of my favorite dishes at Jean-Georges. At JG, we served a lusciously glazed short rib with rich, beef jus and apple-jalapeno puree. Instead of replicating the dish, I asked CC what compliments he'd enjoy with a heavy, soy sauce-based beef. I said "acid." He said "pickled" and "daikon." That's what we went with.

The pickled daikon and thyme crumbs have no recipes. Most cooking is done by intuition and taste, so we utilized his current pantry and tinkered till we were satisfied. But, here's how our short ribs turned out. :D

Soy-glazed Short Ribs

2 1/4 pounds boneless short ribs
salt and pepper to season
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large vidalia onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 inch slice of ginger
1 jalapeno
1 cup red wine
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup diced pickled daikon
White rice
Thyme
Panko crumbs

Cut short ribs into thirds. Season ribs lightly with salt and pepper on all sides. Sear ribs on high heat until browned on all sides and remove from pot. In the same pot, add a little canola oil and sauté diced onion, crushed garlic, ginger and jalapeno until soft. Add red wine and let reduce by half. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, and water and bring to boil. Adjust seasoning to taste. Add seared ribs. Liquid should cover most of the ribs. Reduce to slow, low simmer for 2 1/2 to 4 hours, covered. Check after 2 hours to see if ribs are tender. Adjust the amount of braising liquid if it becomes dry and reduce the heat. Strain sauce and skim off fat. Serve ribs with rice, pickled daikon and reduced sauce. Top with thyme panko crumbs.

This summer...

2010-07-11T22:28:00.005-04:00

has been a home-cooking adventure. Aside from Barbeques in the East Village, Greenmarket Dinners, Coffee Cupcakes, Hand-pulled Margherita Pizza, Fresh Hand-cut Pasta, and a July 4th loaded with Bacon-wrapped Hot Dogs and Potato Salad, CC and I have been testing out fun things in the kitchen.

Working in an Italian restaurant, my brain is naturally wired to tinker with Italian food at home. Still, I'm shocked that I haven't gotten sick of the food yet. At Maialino, we have a dish called Raviolo con Uovo which is a single, saucer size raviolo stuffed with potato-spinach ricotta and a whole egg yolk in the center. It's cooked in a brown butter sauce and topped with sage. What happens when you break into the raviolo? A golden yolk oozes out onto the plate. It's perfect with the rest of the raviolo.

A full egg yolk in each of my ravioli at home is a bit much, so CC and I tried a portobello-ricotta-parmesan combo finished in a sage brown butter. We used fresh sheets of lasagna dough found and Whole Foods and sauteed chopped mushrooms with some scallions and sea salt. Here's how it turned out...

Mushroom Ravioli

12 oz portobella, chopped
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
s+p
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup parmesan
1 package of fresh lasagna sheets
4 oz unsalted butter
5 sage leaves

Sautee chopped mushrooms with scallions in olive oil over high heat until liquid starts coming out of the mushrooms. Season the mushroom and continue to cook until liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Mix ricotta, parmesan and cooled mushroom mixture. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Lay one sheet of lasagna on a clean surface. Fill a tablespoon with ravioli mixture and drop onto center of half of the pasta sheet. Repeat on the other half of the pasta sheet. Carefully circle the filling with oil to hold the pasta sheets together. (Note: oil can be replaced with beaten egg). Take a new pasta sheet and gently lay over the filling. Press around the filling until the two sheets of pasta a firmly attached. Use a ring mold (larger than the filling) to cut out ravioli. Store in refrigerator or cook immediately.

Cook ravioli in boiling water for about two minutes until the pasta is a bit translucent. Remove the pasta with a slotted spoon into a clean bowl. Over medium heat, melt butter and cook sage leaves till crispy. Let butter brown over low heat. Place cooked ravioli in brown butter and quickly coat them. Remove ravioli and sage brown butter into a clean bowl. Buon apetito!

Mushroom Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter!

Another post...

2010-03-29T22:30:00.008-04:00

[Del Posto -- seared lamb tenderloin with sea cucumber]

in less than a month--that's a record! This one is inevitable. I'm breaking my rule and posting about a meal I ate and not a meal I made.

My meal at Del Posto was undeniably the best lunch deal I've had in Manhattan. You could really spend a small fortune at Del Posto for dinner, but a $29 3-course lunch prix fixe during the week will give you a pretty awesome taste of the restaurant's full menu. Trekking to Del Posto in Chelsea was quite a huff, but really, a plate of amuse bouche, the tastiest bread basket with whipped lardo and sweet butter, 2-courses, beautifully plated dessert, and a box full of sweet goodies? Why the **** not?!!

Kathy and I have talked about getting together for this meal forever and thank goodness we finally did. Here's the photo low down...

Amuse bouche: Stracciatella (Italian egg drop soup), Saffron veal-cheek suppli, Mortadella in pastella

I like the gold dust touch on the suppli or mini risotto croquettes with stringy cheese.

Mortadella in pastella tasted like a whipped mortadella mousse in puff pastry.

A basket of warm breads: Focaccia, Olive Bread, Baguettes, and Salted Grissini

First course: roasted autumn vegetables with robiola sformato and truffled hazelnuts

Secound course: Garganelli al Ragu Bolognese

Second course: Orecchiette with Lamb Neck Sausage, Cherry Peppers and Broccoli Rapini

Dessert: Chestnut Cake Warm Plum Macedonia, Crushed Chestnuts, Yogurt Gelato

Dessert: Chocolate Ricotta Tortino, Toasted Sicilian Pistachios, Extra Virgin Olive Oil Gelato

The Freebie (Thanks!): Fennel Ricotta Cheesecake, Rhubarb in Orange-Vanilla Syrup

Box of mignardises: Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Gelato with Toasted Breadcrumbs, Warm Bomboloni with Lemon-Vanilla Crema, Candied Pineapples, Roasted Dates with Blue Cheese, Rice Paper Wrapped Caramels, Dehydrated Grapefruit with Caramel and Amaretti Crumbs, Chocolate Dipped Honeycomb with Pistachio, Lemon-Polenta Crostata with Dried Cherries

Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Gelato with Toasted Breadcrumbs, Warm Bomboloni with Lemon-Vanilla Crema

Mignardises: Rice Paper Wrapped Caramels, Dehydrated Grapefruit with Caramel and Amaretti Crumbs, Chocolate Dipped Honeycomb with Pistachio, Lemon-Polenta Crostata with Dried Cherries

So yes, if that made you hungry, call for reservations now! For more photos, please click here.

Long overdue...

2010-03-07T22:31:00.007-05:00

but Happy (belated) Birthday to Mom! Trips back to Texas usually mean an increase in hours of sleep. My trip at the end up January was meant no such thing, but seeing my family and catering mom's birthday was worth it. We ended up doing a filet mignon demonstration with individual plates of h'orderves and a homemade black sesame cake. Because family was also visiting from Taiwan, we had many sets of extra hands to help in the kitchen!

On the menu
...
Curried corn wontons, chives, coconut broth
Smoked salmon, shallot cream cheese, sunflower cracker
Lump crab toast, red pepper, chives, sesame, challah
...
Filet mignon, rosemary butter, rosemary crumbs
...
Black sesame cake, red bean paste, black sesame cream cheese

Curried Corn Wontons

1 bag frozen sweet corn
1/2 cup light mayo
1 tsp curry powder
1/3 cup panko crumbs
1 package thin wonton skins
4 fl oz coconut milk
3 fl oz water
1 tsp lime juice
2 T sugar
pinch of salt
canola oil for frying

Make sure corn is defrosted. In a big bowl, combine corn, mayo, curry powder, and panko for the filling. Prepare a small bowl with water. Place a small teaspoon size dollop of curried corn filling in the center of a wonton skin. Lightly wet the outer edge of the wonton skin. Delicately squeeze the wonton skin together forming a little pouch with filling. Place wontons on a flat sheet tray and cover with dampened towel to prevent over-drying. In a small sauce pan, heat coconut milk, water, lime juice until just boiling. Add sugar and a pinch of salt to taste. Remove from heat and keep lukewarm. Heat a deep pot with canola oil for frying. Place wontons into hot oil and let them fry until perfectly golden. Remove from oil and drain grease on paper towels. For presentation, tie long strands of chives around the wontons. Place some coconut broth in a shallow dish and top with one fried wonton.

Our snackable h'orderves.

Filet mignon demonstration, sliced, medium rare.

The party-goers!

And for dessert...

Mom, pop, me. :]

Thanks to Angela, Vicky, Uncle and Auntie! Other recipes available upon request. Also, look who's in the New York Times!

Snow day in...

2010-02-10T11:55:00.005-05:00

means I can finally make myself a relaxing breakfast and sip my shot of espresso. At 9am I get a call from our maitre'd telling me that the city's little blizzard was giving me a day off. Immediately, I thought pancakes and eggs! I've been craving a fluffy pile of pancakes since my last visit to Clinton St. Baking Co. but haven't had time to make my own toppling version. As usual, I had a side of scrambled eggs with shaved grano padano with my hot cake treat. This version of pancakes is a keeper--the cakes turnout light, airy with a perfect golden crip at the edges. I kept the sugar to a minimum here because the whipped honey is pretty sweet. But, if not using syrup, another spoonful of sugar wouldn't hurt.

Pancakes with Whipped Honey

1 1/2 cups flour
3 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 T sugar
1 egg, beaten
3 T melted butter
10 fl oz milk
1 t vanilla extract
1 t coconut extract
1 t whipped honey

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Add egg and butter, stir lightly. Add milk, vanilla and coconut extract and fold gently. Let sit for 30 minutes. Heat butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Scoop a laddle of batter onto the pan and gently spread to form a round shape. Brown on both sides, flipping once. Top with nice quality butter and whipped honey.

Happy early Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-01-01T11:52:00.002-05:00

To 2010--Happiness, Health, Prosperity and...Longevity! On New Year's eve, toshikoshi soba (buckwheat noodles) are served to symbolize longevity. SOBA MAKING

I can finally...

2009-12-07T21:07:00.003-05:00

BREATHE again. Yes, this means I've published the book (a month early too)! Please feel free to take a look a the preview. You never know; it could make a fun holiday gift!

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-epicures-top-10/6099795

For real is it...

2009-12-04T00:34:00.003-05:00

December already?! I swear I've been cooking (and snoozing) but haven't had time to write. It's the end of the year again, which means I'm scrambling to get my annual Epicurious restaurant review book written, edited, designed and published. This year I'm highlighting my top 10 favorite restaurants with an honorable mention category, best category, and some of my best food photography. Here is a quick preview! Click on the image to read number 10 on my list.

Cover Preview

Sake Bar Hagi

Stay tuned. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Sunday night dinner parties...

2009-09-14T21:56:00.006-04:00

Have become scant with Cole’s culinary departure to France, but luckily, Chad still enjoys homecooking adventures after a long week of cooking at JG.

After our pizza brunch at Motorino, we took a trek through Bushwick, Brooklyn sight-seeing some of Chad’s favorite treasures. It’s quite a different experience to walk through Brooklyn leisurely. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve always been wary of venturing outside of Manhattan. I love knowing exactly what direction to head when I exit the subway just by looking at the street and avenue numbers. Brooklyn is different—streets have real names and blocks aren’t always rectangular shapes. However, walking through the borough with my smiling friend really made a difference. The sunshine definitely helped, but Bushwick streets suddenly seemed cheerier and friendlier.

Over the week, Chad had salted some cod for a salt cod brandade (a puree of salt cod, milk and oil) he used to cook at Hugo’s Restaurant back in his hometown Portland, Maine. I was fortunate enough to pop in at the right time. There's an indescribable joy of preparing your own meal and consuming it afterward. There was nothing fancy about it just simple ingredients, simple cooking, and some good chatter while eating over the cutting table. I love this recipe because it's something you can save in a jar and eat over the week as a meal or as a snack with some crackers or bread.

Salt Cod Brandade
Adapted from Hugo's in Portland, Maine

12 oz cod
12 oz potatoes
6 oz extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch thyme
2-3 bay leaves
2 heads garlic, peeled
milk to cover cod
pinch of crushed red peppers

Cover cod in salt for 6-8 hours. Remove salt and dry cod overnight. Roast potatoes in a preheated oven. Combine cod, evoo, thyme, bay leaves, garlic cloves, milk and red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan. Bring cod mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Gently poach until garlic is soft. Strain cod into collander reserving the milk mixture. Slice potatoes length-wise and scoop potatoes into a large bowl tossing the skins. Remove thyme and bay leaves from cod mixture. Add cod mixture to potatoes and mash with hands or a spoon until potato chunks disappear and cod shreds apart. Add milk mixture to adjust consistency. Season to taste. Serve brandade over toasted bread with lemon wedges, red onions, chopped parsley.

Garlic, thyme, olive oil in the pot.

Cod and crushed red peppers for some color!

The cooked product.

Our version of brandade isn't a true puree. Instead, it was mashed with a spoon courtesy of my hands.

Chad and his handy, carpenter roommates literally built a cutting-board-island-table-thing in the middle of their kitchen. It's great because they prepare food right on top and eat over it like a communal table too. Multipurpose, yes!

P.S. This entry is dedicated to Jo-Wei Ann Lin who insisted that I post more often for her office hour entertainment. <3>

The closest person...

2009-08-19T00:33:00.006-04:00

I have to a sister is Anita. In some ways, she is my soul mate. In every other way, she is my best friend--honest, loyal and caring. Living across the country hasn't put a damper in our friendship. There are times when it's difficult to stay connected and integrated, but bottom line, I know she's always got my back.

I've been bugging her for years to visit me up in New York, so as a belated birthday present (and probably the best birthday present ever), she finally showed face this past week. I am grateful for the time we spent together. There was a lot of glorious eating including: Chennai Garden, Kefi, Yakitori Torys, Dell'anima, and the Redhead. But, the most special meal was preparing a dinner for her.

We see each other maybe a few days out of the year, so I haven't had much chance to cook for her. Fortunately, we hit the green market this past weekend, and I made a meal reminiscent of Texas. To be honest, I haven't tried much Southern food in New York after my disappointing experiences at the infamously terrible Dallas BBQ and Miss Mammie's Spoonbread Too. I didn't grow up cooking Tex-Mex, but I've certainly eaten enough of it to know the flavors. For Anita's dinner, we prepared carne guisada, a hearty beef stew; roasted summer squash; pico de gallo; Mexican corn on the cob, loaded with mayo, butter, cayenne, lime and cotija; and a refreshing buttermilk peach ice cream.

Summer squash from the farmers' market with some herb goat cheese.

Roasted corn...

Carne Guisada

6 pounds chuck, 1 inch cubes
1 onion, diced
10 cloves garlic, minced
2 serrano peppers, minced
4 tomatoes, diced
1 T curry powder
2 t cayenne pepper
1 T paprika
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 cups water
18 oz Brooklyn Brown Ale

Season beef. Brown beef in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Reserve. Sweat onion, garlic and pepper. Add tomatoes, curry powder, cayenne, paprika, cilantro, bay leaf, water and beer. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 6-7 hours until liquid has reduced and beef falls apart. Serve with tortilla, pico de gallo and sour cream.

Flavoring the stew!

Carne guisada in the process...

Carne guisada about to become a tortilla roll.

Giant cookies from Levain bakery!

Buttermilk peach ice cream with honey and almonds

A few of my diners!

Anita, I wish I could remember one of those lovely quotes from Shantaram, but I'll leave the quoting to you. Thank you for visiting. I love you. Six years and counting!

I love my mom...

2009-07-13T16:47:00.007-04:00

and I love Sunday night dinners with my new friends from Jean Georges. I am thankful to be included in our weekly gatherings at one of our homes for delicious, home cooked meals and nights of wonderful company. This Sunday was finally my turn, and let me just say, I was so nervous (almost dreading) cooking for people who are some pretty spectacular cooks. Long story short, the food was gone by the end of the night, bellies were successfully fed, and I could finally breathe again.

I think all of us have a soft spot for our mothers' cooking--it's always unbeatable. Lately, I've been really missing mom. She went through minor surgery and is recovering, but please pray for her.

I miss the comfort of eating a bowl of her noodles and seeing her smiling face. So Sunday's home cooked meal at my apartment was a tribute to my mother. Although I normally leave the Chinese cooking to her, I attempted to make her tasty bean paste noodles and three cups chicken.

On the menu for the night: bean paste noodles, three cups chicken, pickled vegetable, tofu with 1000 year old egg, kimchee, egg tarts, red bean soup with sticky sesame balls, rainer cherries and lychees.

A simple cold dish often served as a side in my home--soft tofu with 1000 year old egg, soy paste and some scallions.

Bean Paste Noodle

24 oz fresh knife cut noodless
8 oz bean paste
8 oz can hoisin
sesame oil
2 teaspoons ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz lean ground pork
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 japanese cucumber, julienned
16 oz bean sprouts

Cook noodles in a medium pot of boiling water until al dente. Mix together bean paste and hoisin. In a hot pan, swirl in oil. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add pork stir-fry breaking the meat into small chunks with a spatula. Scrape in bean paste mixture and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Drain noodles and toss with sesame oil. Serve with a nice portion of noodles, a laddle of sauce and top with strips of cucumber and bean sprouts.

Three Cup Chicken

1 cup sesame oil, divided in half
4.5 pound chicken, chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
10 pieces sliced ginger, julienned
1 cup light soy sauce
1 cup white rice wine
1/4 cup white sugar
2 springs fresh Thai basil

Heat 1/2 cup of the sesame oil in a large pot. Stir-fry chicken pieces until lightly brown and crisp on the outside, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for another minute. Pour in remaining sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in white sugar and continue reducing until chicken is tender. Stir in Thai basil and simmer.

I had an obsession with rainer cherries as I was growing up. They're not only pretty but also delicious.

Lychees from Chinatown, $4 for 2lbs!

Homemade red bean soup with sticky sesame balls from Chinatown.

I'll have to agree with Chad that Egg Custard King still makes the best egg tarts, but Tai Pan Bakery makes some pretty tasty ones too.

Some of my guests: Danny, Beka, Kathy, Marcos, Brian and Chad.

Thank you to everyone who came for dinner. I loved seeing your faces. And mom-dad, I wish y'all were here too!

A right of passage to...

2009-06-08T00:19:00.002-04:00

turning 23 means a night of courageous eating. In this country, raw chicken is a big no-no, so when G peer pressured me into participating in chicken sashimi night, I reluctantly accepted his challenge. I almost chickened out. I would love to say that I'm an adventurous eater, but there are plenty of foods I've never touched; chicken sashimi being one of them. Thankfully, I came out alive from the experience and tasted something most Americans can't find in restaurants.

Chicken sashimi is apparently a relatively commonplace food in Japan, so if they've survived eating it, so can I. Up until the moment a sliver of that peachy cluck slid down my throat, I was half holding my breath and half praying to be standing the next day--my birthday. But honestly speaking, the experience was a pleasant surprise. The texture of chicken sashimi is similar to the texture of raw fish but with a bit more chew. In general, chicken is a pretty tasteless meat, so those who aren't fans of fishiness would be elated to find a clean taste to the palate.

Plate 1

Of course, preparing raw chicken requires more than a little precaution. G bought high-quality, organic chicken breasts from Whole Foods and kept a sanitary work space the entire time. Unlike fish sashimi, the chicken requires a little bit of cooking to seal the deal. A gentle 30 second poach in bubbling water and a longer shock period gives the chicken a pristine white exterior. Upon slicing across the grain, the interior is still a fleshy, nude breast of chicken. Interesting.

Plate 2

To complete chicken sashimi night, a variety of complements were prepared. The sauces included: peanut satay and sesame scallion. The condiments included: fried spinach dusted with spices and salt, roasted eel and spicy fried gluten (tofu skin). And of course, who can forget a Japanese staple--rice. We had tamago gohan, which is traditionally a bowl of rice topped with a raw egg. For our dinner, we did a take on the "egg-in-a-hole" by hollowing out a small round of our dome-shaped rice.

Aerial shot.

Tamago gohan, scallions, wakame seasoning, spice powder & Bunnie.

Chicken sashimi, fried spinach, scallions, Peanut satay sauce; Sesame scallion sauce, Grilled eel, Fried gluten & Tamago gohan

Every dinner should end in dessert. Using a pancake mix from Hawaii, we made chocolate coconut macadamia pancakes and paired the mini pancakes with coconut ice cream, lilikoi (passion fruit) jelly, maple syrup and kumquat.

So there you have it! And, I'm alive.

A night of cooking, chowing...

2009-05-11T22:12:00.006-04:00

and mischievous photography is all it takes for a perfect post-work Friday night. Greg and I combined forces and busted out a playful little dinner using fresh herbs from his mini farm. For once someone happily lended his hands (instead of watching) and perfected his first aioli. Yay!

I need a moment to rave about fresh herbs. I know it's so easy to purchase a giant bottle of pre-chopped/minced herbs for cheap, but seriously, don't skimp; the difference is significant. As I walked to trim a few leaves of Greg's young rosemary and spicy thai basil, I could smell the aromas from about a foot away. It is THAT amazing. Think of it like fresh whipped cream versus spray-can whipped cream. It's so easy to quickly aerate that heavy cream into fresh fluffy substance that just isn't attainable through a can. Anyway, back on topic.

Dinner started with a light grape tomato and spicy basil caprese salad with balsamic dressing. I enjoyed the ramp risotto a lot, especially the heat that came from a sprinkle of the red pepper flakes. However, the cod was not so enjoyable. Lesson learned: never use frozen fish unless you want cod that "has the texture of steak." Mmmmmm, I'll pass. Plus, the cod with the meaty white wine--cringe. The lemon aioli was a nice way to mask the fish, but still, not salvageable. But regardless of the failed fish, the night was excellent.

Rosemary Panko

Caprese Salad

Tofu! Just kidding. More caprese salad.

Ramp Risotto, Rosemary Crusted Cod, Lemon Aioli

Scott Conant’s Ramp Risotto
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ramps
1 small shallot, ﬁnely chopped
Pinch of red-pepper ﬂakes
1 cup Vialone nano rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese
Kosher salt to taste

In a wide, heavy-bottom saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat.

(1) Finely chop ramp greens and stalks, reserving greens for later. Add shallot, ramp stalks, and pepper ﬂakes, and stir until the shallot is translucent, about two minutes. Add rice to pot and cook over medium heat for two minutes, stirring to coat rice with oil.
(2) Pour in 1/4 cup of the wine and boil untilalmost absorbed; a little liquid should remain on top of the rice. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of hot broth at a time, stirring the rice constantly until almost all of the liquid is absorbed. Add another1/4 cup of stock, the remaining wine, and a tablespoon of olive oil, continuing to stir.
(3) Add the ramp greens and more stock as needed and continue cooking and stirring until the risotto looks creamy but is still al dente, about 18 to 22 minutes. Remove from heat and let the risotto stand for about 30 seconds. Add a drizzle of olive oil, butter, and cheese; stir until well combined. Season with salt.

I'm in love with his herbs.

We took a few polaroids, and he filmed the development of the second one. IS AWESOME!

That's me saying peace.

It's finally over...

2009-04-08T14:49:00.005-04:00

but now it's time to get down to business. Thank you to everyone that came to my graduation. I hope y'all enjoyed the food. My parents were thrilled and time spent with them is always precious. Starting with the amuse bouche, I made a Curried Corn Fried Dumpling with Coconut Broth, Chives and Paprika. For my entree, I made a Thai-style pulled pork with Bibb Lettuce, Pickled Carrots Daikon & Cucumber, Sesame Cilantro Panko Crumbs and Spicy Mayonnaise. There were two selections for dessert. The first, Mango "Cheesecake" Parfait with Hazelnut Cookie Crumbs, Vanilla Whipped Cream and Toasted Coconut. And finally, Mango Pannacotta with Caramel Fleur de Sel Brown Rice Krispies. Below are some of my recipes.

Braised Pork Butt
Adapted from David Chang

12 pounds Boston pork butt
16 oz white sugar
16 oz salt
36 fl oz water
12 fl oz rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt

Day Before Place 16 oz each sugar and salt in a bowl or saucepan large enough to hold the butt, add water and rice wine vinegar, and stir until dissolved. Place the pork butt in the brine solution. Make sure it’s submerged (weight if necessary), and refrigerate overnight.

Day Of

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pork in a large hotel pan, and cook uncovered in the oven for about 6 1/2 hours, basting the pork with the pan drippings every hour. When the meat is fork-tender and pulls away from the bone, sprinkle the exterior with a mixture of 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 tablespoon salt. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees, and continue roasting until the outside is well caramelized. Remove from oven.

Pickled Vegetables

3 Carrots, Sliced
1 Daikon, Sliced
2 Japanese Cucumber, Sliced
8 oz Sugar
1 tsp salt
8 fl oz Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Thai Chili, Sliced

In a quart container, spread sliced carrots, daikon, and cucumber into a layer. Sprinkle with sugar and salt. Combine vinegar and sambal. Pour acid solution into a container and add vegetables to container. Chill until ready to use.

Spicy Mayonnaise

1 Egg Yolk
1 Tsp Yellow Mustard
1 Tsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 Tsp Water
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Cup Canola Oil
1 Tsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Sambal

Whisk yolk, mustard, vinegar, water and salt together in a stainless steel bowl. Combine both oils in one container. Slowly whisk in oil mixture into yolk mixture until emulsified. Mix in sambal sauce.

Sesame Cilantro Breadcrumbs

4 oz Sesame Seeds, Toasted, Grounded
2 oz Cilantro, Minced
6 oz Panko
Salt

Heat a pan with oil. Quickly crisp panko in pan and season with salt. Remove panko and toss with sesame powder and cilantro. Serve on the side.

My cute parents!

Graduation this Sunday...

2009-04-03T20:51:00.002-04:00

and parents flying in today! I am excited. Stay tuned.

Foie Gras Mushroom Duxelles Palmier

Scallop Pork Egg Rolls

Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce and Spicy Caramelized Peanuts

Sweet Tofu with Caramel Sauce

Occasionally, but only occasionally...

2009-02-17T21:12:00.005-05:00

I am in the mood for hearty grub like Texan barbecue, and tonight, I needed every excuse to use my new spicy barbecue sauce from Salt Lick. I definitely overextended myself thinking my stomach could hold more than it should, but nonetheless, I am happily stuffed and finally inspired to blog again. Double win? For dinner, Simon, Jen and I munched on cheddar cheese stuffed biscuits, turkey sausages, biscuit sirloin burgers, brownie bites, and chocolate covered Texas pecans.

Was not in the mood to make homemade biscuits, so I pulled a Sandra Lee.

Couldn't find porky sausage links at Gristedes, but turkey sausage tastes surprisingly delicious with barbecue sauce.

Waiting for the cheese to melt. Sirloin patties are rubbed with homemade Cajun spice rub and sea salt and grilled.

The center is not pink. :[

Sirloin patty, cheddar cheese, buttery biscuits, and sauceeeeeee!

Lady at Gristedes decided to give me a free box of V-day brownie bites.

Pecans + Salt Water Taffy = <3!

I miss Texas, but luckily, this tastes like Texas to me.

BBQ!

How do you celebrate Chinese New Year

2009-01-26T20:36:00.005-05:00

without your family? The four years spent at Cornell I still felt surrounded by family because my friends are just a homely bunch. Living and working in the city, you get much less opportunity to play and enjoy the festivities. But, you make do with what you got. So, how exactly did I celebrate?

On Chinese New Year's Eve, Apartment 17B merged with Apartment 13F for a tasting of my tarts. No Chinese food yet.

Hazelnut Pistachio Frangipane with Peaches and Blueberry

Fresh Fruit Tart

Chinese New Year, I was conveniently sent to the Southern District court down on Pearl Street and managed to take a "lunch" break exploring Chinatown at its prime. Oh yes, Mott Street was a shit show of confetti, red firecrackers, and gangster teeny-boppers crowding Fay Da Bakery and Ten Ren. My bad for interrupting their daily hang out. Never been a fan of crowds, but they couldn't deter me today. I scored myself a nice package of roasted duck and bbq pork for dinner tonight. Win.

Oh Mott Street!

I spotted the cutest girl.

She was shy when I stuck my camera in her face.

Red everywhere.

Flaky egg custard from Tai Pan Bakery that I inhaled on the subway. Crumbs covered all corners of my mouth. I looked plain silly.

This is why I love New York subways.

A plate of bbq pork, roasted duck, and turnip cake devoured by roommate and I.

Happy Chinese New Year.

Not often do I get a chance...

2009-01-05T03:06:00.005-05:00

to cook a meal for my family. Thankfully, this trip to Taiwan has been a generous dose of quality family time. Each time I spend 24 hours traveling to the motherland, I moan about the plane ride and the child crying next to me. But each time my family embraces me, I remember exactly why they're so important to me. With each visit, I begin to appreciate my grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and most of all my parents even more. Yes, there are rough times, but the smoothed out kinks make the happy times much warmer and more endearing. There's truly nothing like family.

Like I said before, I am not much of a Chinese cook. I'm ranked lowest of the low compared to my family, so I prepared a simple Italian lunch.

Antipasti: Roasted Bell Pepper Bruschetta
Primi: Heart of Celery Salad
Secondi: Perciatelli a la Carbonara
Dolci: Affogato

Roasted Bell Peppers

4 bell peppers
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp parsley, minced
1 stem scallions, sliced
EVOO
Salt & Pepper

Roast peppers on an open flame until blackened and blistered. Place peppers in a plastic bag and seal to steam for 20 minutes. Remove exterior skin of peppers and clean out seeds. Mix peppers with garlic, parsley, scallions, olive oil, salt and pepper in a jar or air tight container. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Heart of Celery Salad

2 hearts of celery
4 oz onions, sliced
4 oranges, supreme

Remove celery greens until only the yellow stems are left. Chop into bite sized pieces. Toss with sliced onions and orange supremes. Squeeze orange juice over salad and toss with vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Pasta Mise en Place.

Perciatelli a la Carbonara
Adapted from Mario Batali

http://www.mariobatali.com/recipes_carbonara.cfm

Affogato

1/2 shot espresso
1 scoop ice cream

Ice cream recipe: http://epicuriouseateries.blogspot.com/2008/09/ive-cooked-number.html

Now I'm heading back to the states.

Belated Thanksgiving Part II

2008-12-03T21:20:00.004-05:00

I'm following up on my pumpkin fetish and the promised bread pudding recipe. Served this for Thanksgiving dinner with a side of homemade cinnamon ice cream and some hazelnut chai cream bark from Wholefoods.

Batter made of pumpkin puree, half n half, and eggnog.

Toasted cubes of cinnamon raisin swirl bread.

Fresh out of the oven!

My cute daddy was ready to taste test the scrapings.

Like a piece of pie.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding With Cinnamon Ice Cream
Adapted from Bon Appétit

Serves 6 to 8, depending on how big you slice it.

Bread Pudding
1.5 cups half an half

.5 cup soy egg nog
15 oz pumpkin puree
.5 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
10 oz 1.3cm cinnamon swirl bread

Cinnamon Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream

14 oz condensed milk

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsps pure vanilla extract

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice bread into squares and toast on a sheet pan till golden and crunchy. Whisk the half and half, egg nog, pumpkin, sugar, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla extract in a large bowl to blend. Fold in the bread cubes and let soak for 10 minutes. Transfer mixture a greased baking dish. Bake the pumpkin bread pudding until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Flip bread pudding out onto decorative plate. Serve as sliced wedges with ice cream and hazelnut chai cream bark.

Thanksgiving Part I

2008-11-27T22:01:00.010-05:00

I've pretty much given up on an All-American Thanksgiving dinner with slow roasted turkey, ladles of grubby sides, and warm pumpkin pie. When mother called me a week before my trip home to Texas, she asked if I wanted to do an American or a Chinese Thanksgiving. It was a no brainer--home cooked, Mama Lin's Chinese, of course. My mom doesn't tread the unfamiliar waters of "Western" style cooking, but she's a natural at whipping up my tummy's favorite Chinese dishes. And as always, I took charge of the dessert. My dad's only job of the night was to taste test, and that's exactly what he did.

I love my mom's cooking because she's health conscious using only the best quality items and the leanest cuts of meat. I'm still not sure how she does it, but her fist-sized meatballs are greaseless yet are packed with flavor and super moist and tender. For the lucky ones in New York, I already claimed dibs on left-overs to bring to the city! You just might get a taste. It's like packing my mom to go, hehe.

Mama Lin's Thanksgiving Dinner
Chilled Pickled Vegetables
Dried Tofu Cold Noodles
Vietnamese Egg Rolls
Roasted Chinese BBQ Platter: Pork, Duck, Sausage
Soy Garlic Marinated Cuttlefish
Stewed Beef with Carrots
Ja Chiang Noodles
Lion Head Meatballs with Braised Napa Cabbage
Spare-rib Meatball Turnip Soup
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Ice Cream
Polka Dot Riesling (2007)

Cold Platter.

Chinese BBQ Pork.

Simple sea scallops.

Vietnamese style egg rolls.

Mother's famous meatballs with Shiitake and Braised Napa Cabbage.

Slow-simmered beef and carrots.

One of my all-time favorite noodle dishes: ja chiang noodles.

Classic Chinese bone soup.

My plate!

I chose this bottle because of the packaging, not gonna lie, but it was crisp, sweet and delightful.

Totally not Chinese, but my Pumpkin Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Ice Cream and Hazelnut Chai Cream Bark.

Mama Lin's Thanksgiving Feast

Part II of the Thanksgiving blog with feature my pumpkin bread pudding recipe. Stay tuned and Happy Turkey Day!

Pumpkin or anything related...

2008-10-28T20:38:00.002-04:00

has won over my heart the past month as I desperately search for all sweets related to the Fall gourd. I've tasted multiple jars of pumpkin butters, obsessively hoarded Hershey's pumpkin spice kisses, and attempted my own ghoulish sweet treat.

Now I'm not sure what to call this, but it was goooood--messy, comforting, and ultimately satisfying. Perfect for a rainy, glum night alone. Think roasted marshmallows: crisp and burnt on the outside but gooey on the inside. Think spices: cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Think melted chocolate, dark chocolate peanut butter, and chewy slices of baguette. Think about a hybrid between peanut butter sandwiches and s'mores. Think pumpkin peanut butter s'morwiches. Yum.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter S'morwiches

2 slices baguette
1 Tbsp pecan pumpkin butter
1 Tbsp dark chocolate peanut butter
1 large marshmallow
1 pumpkin spice kiss

Slather one side of baguette slices with pumpkin butter and peanut butter. Place the kiss in the middle of one baguette slice. Toast marshmallow over a candle until crisp and browned. Sandwich melted marshmallow over chocolate. Eat!

I've given the same...

2008-10-16T10:34:00.013-04:00

lame excuse--work and school--but it's true. Moving past sauteing, pan-frying, deep-frying, and roasting, class is now focusing on braising. I loved roasting; the smell of lemony, herbed whole chickens and natural pan au jus for the gravy isn't just for Thanksgiving dinners. And seriously, who knew roasting sweet potatoes could be so simple? It requires time, but a little patience never hurt.

Think about Fall and the glory of all these autumn vegetables like pumpkin, patty squash, and cauliflower popping up at the Farmer's Market. I've never been a fan of overindulging on meat, but the black truffle, oyster mushroom cream sauce made every bite of our roasted veal loin worthy. I've also never been an advocate of lamb, especially when it's cooked improperly, but an afternoon of braising lamb shanks in a wonderful, homemade chicken stock took away all the gamey flavor.

I want to give recipes for my favorites though. For a dinner with girl friends, I prepared French Onion Soup, Crab Cakes in a Trio of Sauces (Salsa Verde, Roasted Red Pepper, Avocado Cream), Potato Galette, Pumpkin Ice Cream, and Roasted Banana Ice Cream.

French Onion Soup
From ICE

8 oz unsalted butter
4 quarts onions, sliced
Salt and Pepper
8 oz sherry
5 quarts veal stock
Sachet d'epices (Thyme, Bay Leaf, Peppercorns, Parsley)
Croutons, Pramesan Reggiano, Gruyere

Melt unsalted butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add in onions and stir to cover in butter. Reduce the heat to low and begin seasoning the onions. Let the onions sweat and caramelize over low heat until a nice golden brown appears. Pour in the sherry and let the alcohol reduce completely. Add in veal stock and tie the sachet to the side of the pot. Let the soup simmer over low heat for a few hours stirring occassionaly and seasoning with salt and pepper. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Slice a few pieces of baguette about 1/4 inch in thickness. Coat in olive oil and season. Place sliced baguette into the oven for about 5 minutes or until they begin to brown. Fill ramekins with onion soup, top with homemade croutons, and cover with slices of Parmesan Reggiano and Gruyere cheese. Place filled ramekins into the oven and let the cheese brown and crisp before serving.

Potato Galette

Clarified butter
2 medium potatoes
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp Basil Oil
1 Tbsp Mayonaisse

Peel potatoes and julienne them with a French Mandolin. Toss them into a bowl with salt and pepper. Heat a sautoir over medium high heat and melt clarified butter into the pan. Place julienned potatoes into the pan forming a circle around the pan. Let the bottom cook over medium heat until it begins to brown and firm. Flip the galette to the other side and let it brown. Combine the basil oil and mayonnaise for a dipping sauce. Remove and potato galette from the heat and serve with the basil mayonnaise.

Pumpkin Ice Cream
(A variation of my condensed milk ice cream).

1.5 cups heavy cream
1 can condensed milk
1/2 can of pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp honey

Beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on high until a stiff whipped cream forms. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the condensed milk until thoroughly combined. Combine pumpkin puree with spices, extract, and honey in a separate bowl. Gently fold in pumpkin mixture into ice cream base. Freeze in a plastic container for at least four hours. Enjoy with some crushed graham crackers!

Roasted Banana Ice Cream
(A variation of my condensed milk ice cream).

1 very ripe banana, mashed
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 can condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp banana extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mash the banana in a bowl and mix in sugar. Spread banana over a lined baking sheet and roast in the over for about 15 minutes or until fragrant and caramelized. Remove banana and set aside to cool. Beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on high until a stiff whipped cream forms. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the condensed milk and extracts until thoroughly combined. Fold in mashed bananas lightly. If you don't want the banana chunks, strain the entire mixture through a sieve. Freeze the ice cream in a plastic container for at least four hours before serving.

Trio of sauces for the crab cakes.

Crab Cake with a touch of homemade mayonnaise over salsa verde.

To the people who copy recipes without acknowledging the source: you can't rearrange sentences with a few new punctuation marks, change a ratio, and then dub the recipes as your own. That's just cheating.

Seems like a trend…

2008-10-01T20:22:00.007-04:00

each blog update takes longer; my apologies. Anyway, after countless trashed medium diced potatoes, the chefs finally gave us a use for them. I’m happy to announce: pomme persillades, similar to pomme frites or french fries with its crispy exterior and tender interior. A faux deep-frying in the sautoir and a generous coating of butter, garlic, parsley, and sea salt makes these snackables an addicting treat as you plow through the kitchen.

Pomme Persillades

I've been bad about keeping track of all the recipes and goodies made, but some of it include: Roasted Corn Red Pepper Salsa, Mango Chutney, Duck Consomme, Cream of Broccoli, French Onion, Gazpacho, Lobster Bisque, Pan Fried Rabbit Chops, NY Strip Steak, Beef Steaks in Red Wine Sauce, Chicken in White Wine Sauce, Seared Scallops with Onion Sauce, Seared Pork Loin in Red Pepper Sauce, and a bunch of other different mother sauces.

Duck Consomme

Rabbit Chop in Tomato Coulis

Rabbit Chop in Tomato Coulis

Chops

6 rabbit chops
3 Tbsp herbed butter

Heat a small skillet to medium high heat and add butter to the pan. Quickly sear rabbit chops in pan for about 30 seconds and remove.

Tomato Coulis

1 cup Plum Tomatoes, seeded and quartered
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
Thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Drizzle olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme over tomatoes in a baking pan. Roast tomatoes for about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the tomatoes and let them cool. Place roasted tomatoes in blender with garlic and start puree. Slowly pour in infused olive oil. Reserve and serve with rabbit chop.

Cream of Broccoli with Shaved Parmesan

Cream of Broccoli

My chef instructor's recipe used for our practical exam. It's delicious.

3 oz onions, sliced
1.75 oz butter, weighed
1.25 oz flour, weighed
2.5 cups chicken stock
3 oz heavy cream
10 oz broccoli florets
Sachet d'epices (thyme, bay leaf, parsley, peppercorn)
Salt and pepper

Melt butter, add onions, and season with salt and pepper. Cook onions until translucent with no color. Add flour to make a roux and cook for a few minutes. Add a cup of stock at a time and mix until roux is thoroughly incorporated. Tie sachet d'epices to the side of th pot and add cream to stock mixture. Let cream base come to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes until thickened. Cook broccoli in boiling water for a few minutes until the florets turn an intense green. Remove from hot water and shock in an ice bath. Drain water and have it ready for the soup base. Remove sachet d'epices when the soup has thickened. Puree the cream stock in a blender until a smooth puree forms. Combine 2 cups of cream base and cooked broccoli and puree until no chunks remain. Serve in a warmed bowl with bite-sized pieces of cooked broccoli.

Pappardelle with Classic Tomato Sauce

Mac n Cheese

Pan Seared Chicken Breast in White Wine Sauce

Might I add that I love this idea of “sharing” at ICE—it means the pastry and baking ladies pass on over the pretty treats for dessert. Win.

I've cooked a number...

2008-09-14T09:32:00.011-04:00

of delicious meals this past week (if I may say so myself). Thanks to culinary school, I'm bringing back expensive pounds of fresh cut meats and produce that we prepare in class. Two weeks ago was a fantastic seven days of fish. This week is all sorts of hearty meats.

On the menu as of late: Pan-Seared Duck with Curried Peach Glaze, Shrimp Bisque, Rosemary Butter Filet Mignon, Sesame Encrusted Curry Scallops, Cajun Shrimp, NY Strip Steak in Tomato Sauce, Affogato, Veggie Chip Encrusted Chicken, Roasted Pepper Linguine, Skirt Steak Fajitas with Spicy Sour Cream, Avocado-Corn Salsa, and Roasted Peppers, and Homemade Sesame Ice Cream.

By far the best of this week's running was the NY Strip and Affogato, but the Fajita Dinner came in close. So, two sets of dinner recipes this time! You can debate with me that fat tastes great on meat, but I stick to a lean diet especially when cooking at home.

Because I butchered my own meats, I spent sweat soaking hours patiently trimming off every last piece of fat I could find on this slab of beef. Season it, grill it, and pan sear it, and there's no reason you won't get a juicy medium-rare steak.

Think Vietnamese drip coffee for my affogato. I didn't slow drip the coffee grinds, but my little stove top espresso maker brews some mean coffee. Pour half a shot of it over my condensed milk ice cream, and you'll be fighting for the last drop. I've somehow stumbled upon a super simple ice cream because I'm too lazy to make real ice cream slash don't own an ice cream machine. But thank goodness I did. I am tempted to toy around with many flavors using condensed milk as my base in the future. It somehow becomes the creamiest thing ever. It's so BAD but so, so GOOD.

NY Strip in Tomato Sauce

2 NY Strip Steaks
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 clove shallots, minced
¼ cup onion, diced
2 small tomatoes, diced
½ cup tomato paste
½ cup water
½ tsp oregano

Season the steaks with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Heat grill and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Grill steaks for 5 minutes until nice grill marks form on both sides. In a skillet, heat olive oil on medium high heat and add garlic, shallots and onions. Once fragrant, reduce heat and let onions caramelize. Add in tomatoes, tomato paste, and oregano. Stir to combine and slowly add in water a bit at a time. Let sauce simmer on low until everything is well combined. Move steaks into tomato sauce and let cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer sauce and steak into a plate. Garnish with parsley.

Condensed Milk Ice Cream

1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 14 ounce can condensed milk

Beat heavy cream with an electric mixer until it begins to thicken. Add in vanilla and continue beating until a light whipped cream forms. Gradually pour in condensed milk and keep beating until mixture thickens to a nice cream. Put in the freezer for at least four hours. Serve with half a shot of hot espresso.

Steak...medium rare.

Skirt Steak Fajitas

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp cajun seasoning

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin

1 pound flank steak, trimmed

1 package tortillas

In a resealable plastic bag, combine lemon juice, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, seasoning, spices, and steak. Seal and toss the bag around to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Warm oven to 150 degrees F and place tortillas inside. Preheat grill and spray with non-stick spray. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Grill the steak for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the steak to a cutting surface and allow steak to stand for 5 minutes. Cut steak across the grain into thin slices or chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Serve immediately with warm tortillas, roasted red peppers, avocado-corn salsa, green onions, and sour cream.

Avocado-Corn Salsa

1 Hass avocado, diced

2 Tbsp lime juice

1/2 cup tomato, diced

1/2 cup corn

1/4 cup onion, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and Pepper

In a bowl, toss the avocado, tomato, and corn with lemon juice. Mix in onion, jalapeno, and cilantro before serving. Season with salt and pepper.

Ice Cream unadorned.

Beignets > Donuts

My adorable taste testers/guests!

I promise...

2008-09-02T20:07:00.005-04:00

I have been cooking, but my time between work, class, and culinary school is limited for the gym and sleep. However, I've made many a meal since the start of culinary training. At the end of class, it's like a pirate loot session where we rummage through the piles of fresh produce to bring home. I am the ultimate trash collector taking back anything my double brown bag could possibly carry. In fact, I want anything and everything, so my chef instructor is constantly asking me to pack goodies to go. WIN.

In the past few weeks, the menu consisted of: Black Glutinous Rice Porridge, Curried Cream of Carrot, Sea Bass en Papillote, Seared Sesame Tuna Steak, Vegetable Baked Flounder, Coconut Mochi, Broiled Mackerel with Fennel Mayo, Rosemary Foccacia, and Lemon Cheesecake Ice Cream. Who knew bread bakeries didn't open on Labor Day. I should've known, but it gave me an excuse to make my own foccacia and use up my fresh rosemary! I prepared a few dipping sauces to go with the foccacia and a farewell to summer ice cream with sweet peach topping.

Four dips: Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Sautee; Roasted Red Peppers with Parsley, Shallots, and Garlic; Fennel Mayo with Chili Powder; Stewed Tomatoes with Shallots and Oregano

A slice of foccacia decorated in olive oil, coarse sea salt, and fresh rosemary.

Up close and personal.

Mmm...

Lemon Cheesecake Ice Cream with Peach Jam Topping

Rosemary Foccacia

1 1/2 cups warm water
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
3 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp instant yeast
Dried Rosemary
Olive Oil
Coarse Sea Salt

Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan. Combine all of the ingredients, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for until dough forms. Scoop the batter into the greased pan. Cover the pan and let the dough rise at room temperature for an hour. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Press the dough outwards and poke the dough all over with your fingers. Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle salt and rosemary. Bake the bread till for about 30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and wait 5 minutes before serving. (Adapted from King Arthur Flour).

Lemon Cheesecake Ice Cream

1 cup half and half
8 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest

Let cream cheese come to room temperature. Combine all ingredients and beat with an electric mixer making sure there are no clumps. Let mixture whip until airy. Freeze for at least four hours.

Cooking for one...

2008-08-09T11:56:00.004-04:00

on a drowsy Tuesday night can still be simple, creative, and delicious. I've always been quite an advocate of baked anything (usually something sugary that satisfies my sweet tooth), but for once, I used to oven for something savory--an Asian style baked egg. This particular baked egg is much healthier because it cuts out the fattening cheeses (sorry) and relies on bonito fish stock and soy sauce to give it nice flavor.

Fresh from the oven, ya?

An aerial shot.

I love gooey yolks.

Japanese Baked Egg

1/2 teaspoon Japanese Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Bonito Fish Stock
1 minced garlic clove
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1/3 cup chopped mushrooms
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Salmon fukikake
1 Tbsp panko crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix spice, stock, garlic, and soy sauce with spinach and mushrooms. Grease a small baking dish with non-stick spray. Evenly fill bottom of the dish with vegetable mixture. Crack eggs over top of vegetables and sprinkle with panko crumbs. Place dish on a baking sheet in the middle of the rack and bake for about 12 minutes. Top with fukikake and serve.

And it's devoured...

Up until this summer...

2008-07-29T00:18:00.005-04:00

I've always mistakenly written-off Japanese food as mediocre and mundane (I was so wrong). However, my recent trip to Japan has shed a wonderfully positive light on Japanese culture, food, and society. It's intricacies and delicacies are so unique down to the details. Not only have I gone out of my way to search for authentic Japanese treats (Cafe Zest, Kyotofu, Minamoto Kitchoan) in New York City, but I've trekked a new path in the kitchen aiming to make some sweet treats of my own.

Given the amount of time I have after work, class, and yoga, it's become difficult finding time to experiment in my little, stainless steel laboratory. But, sweating buckets in bikram yoga amplifies my growing hunger for Japanese tea sweets. I like to keep things simple, so these recipes for Milk Chocolate Tofu Pudding and Adzuki Bean Mochi are easy, quick, and perfect for the working person.

Chocolate Tofu Pudding

1 container of soft silken tofu
1 cup of milk chocolate chips
2 tsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the chocolate in a double boiler till completely melted. Stir in the honey and vanilla extract till smooth. Beat the silken tofu with an electric mixer to a smooth paste and stir it into the chocolate mixture. Chill and top with sesame seeds before serving.

*I like using honey because it gives it a nice, fragrant note and sweet aftertaste.

Okay, so I didn't have time to make my own red bean paste. But, this canned one is my favorite kind. It's in a sweet paste form but not completely mashed giving it some texture and chew.

The wrapping of my filling.

The skin of my mochi is stretched way thin, so you can see the filling tucked just inside.

An innard shot of a sliced mochi.

And, one last look!

Adzuki Bean Mochi

1 cup mochiko rice flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 can adzuki paste for filling
Sesame seeds

In a glass bowl, combine flour and sugar. Stir to mix well. Then add in the water and stir until a paste forms. Cover with a plastic wrap and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove and stir well. Flour the working surface with rice flour very generously making sure your hands are well floured too. Use a wooden spoon to drop the ball of rice flour dough on the surface and quickly cover it with starch. Divide into 8 or 10 pieces. Wrap the adzuki paste inside and cover with more flour. Shape into balls and sprinkle sesame seeds over the top. Place in refrigerator before serving.

How great would this be with a cup of hot tea and the city's night scape?

Packing for a picnic...

2008-07-15T23:55:00.009-04:00

and a "classy" NY Philharmonic concert in Central Park. Imagine sardines in a can; it was super packed with, well, the rest of New York. I must've spent most of the night twirling my head this way and that scanning the crowds. Let's not forget how I could barely hear Tchaikovsky in the background. But, it's always fun to spend time with friends on a breezy July night sitting in "nature" chomping down on homemade goods. Ann, Rommel, and I traveled down to Chelsea Market for a light lunch and a stroll around the shops to grab fresh ingredients from Buon Italia and Amy's Bread for our picnicking adventures. On the menu for tonight: Muffuletta, Scallion Pajeon, Fuji Apples and Pan di Stelle! For those who have never heard of a muffuletta, the olive, meats, cheese, sourdough sandwich originated in New Orleans. It is a large 10" round of bread hollowed in the middle and packed with ingredients. Please take a look at my version!

Country Sourdough from Amy's Bread.

Our innards: Sopressata Salami, Serrano Jamon aged for 20 months, Genoa Salami, & Provolone Cheese.

For the olive spread, I diced up tomato stuffed olives and roasted peppers and tossed it with sesame seeds.

Ann hollowing out the bread.

And now begins our first layer.

A showing of each meat.

Pulling apart a slice of the Muffuletta.

My version of the Korean snackable.

Packed and ready to go.

The cooks for tonight!

We have set-up camp in our spot by the row of porter potties.

We are ready.

Muffuletta chow down.

Look at that hearty sandwich.

Almost like Cornell!

Muffuletta

1 10" sourdough
1/2 cup chopped, jarred olives
1/2 cup chopped, roasted red peppers
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
6 ounces provolone cheese
4 ounces Genoa salami
4 ounces Sopressata salami
4 ounces Serrano Jamon

Cut top off the round of bread reserving on the side. Hollow out the interior until most of the bread is gone and only a shell remains. Chop up the olives and red peppers and toss together in olive oil. Add sesame seeds for extra taste. Spread the olive salad on the bottom and top of the bread allowing excess olive oil to soak into the bread. Layer cheese and meats until it reaches the top. Cover with the top of the bread and slice into eight wedges. Wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator allowing all the flavors to marinate before serving.

Scallion Pajeon

1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup water
Salt & Pepper
Grape seed oil

Toss scallions and basil in a medium bowl. Add in flour and baking powder and mix with hands. Beat in egg and water until fully mixed and slightly runny. Season scallion pajeon batter with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil in skillet at medium heat and pour in batter. Let pajeon brown and crisp before flipping to the other side and repeat.

Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 tsp sesame oil

Mix ingredients together.

Real life begins in less than a week. Countdown...

The Dallas Farmers Market...

2008-07-06T01:16:00.005-04:00

and cooking fresh produce with the Shen sisters make any day relaxing and enjoyable. Though it is not my first time at a Farmers Market, 22 years of living in Dallas, Texas has not increased my visits to this produce palace. My first trip to the Dallas Farmers Market was a pleasant surprise--I ate a full meal of fruits. Yum.

Shed 3 filled with stands of farmers' picks!

Taste testing fruits and vegetables.

Seeing brim filled baskets of fruits puts a smile on my face.

We chose eight-ball squash for dinner!

And fresh peaches for dessert.

Hollowing out the squash before stuffing.

Making peach cobbler.

Stuffed Eight-Ball Squash with Chipotle Pesto and Pan Seared Lime Pepper Scallops

Fresh and healthy.

Very guilt-free summer eating.

Peach Cobbler with a drop of whipped cream.

Pan Seared Lime Pepper Scallops

1 clove minced garlic
4 Tbsp lime pepper seasoning
8 large sea scallops

Defrost scallops at room temperature in a water bath. Dry the exterior of the scallops with paper towels. Season both sides of the scallops with lime pepper seasoning. Heat a skillet on medium high heat coating the bottom with olive oil. Flavor the oil with minced garlic before adding the scallops into the pan. Let the scallops sear on both sides for about a minute and a half until crisp on the outside.

Stuffed Eight Ball Squash

5 eight ball squash
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup canned corn
3 tsp oregano
1/2 cup bread crumbs
5 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper

Fill a big pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Trim off the end of stem end and reserve the top. Scoop out the pulp to create a 1/4 inch shell. Reserve the pulp. Boil the shells in salted water for 2 minutes. Remove and drain. Preheat oven to 350 F. Finely chop the reserved pulp. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped pulp, onion, corn and oregano and sauté until tender. Remove from heat and combine with bread crumbs, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Spoon filling into hollowed squash shells. Place stuffed eight-ball halves in the prepared pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Peach Cobbler

Streusel

3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Filling

2 cups sliced peaches
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375 F. Lightly butter a baking pan. Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture readily clumps together when pressed. Toss in the nuts. Coat the fruit with a few tablespoons of sugar and strain out any excess liquids. Spread the fruit into the prepared baking pan. Cover nut topping over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling in the center and the topping is crisp and well browned. Cool slightly and serve warm with fresh-made whipped cream.

Alas...

2008-06-29T09:20:00.008-04:00

I am back from traveling Asia, well, more like Taiwan and Japan. Here are some of my favorite fooding events of the summer. My belly is temporarily satisfied with all the Asian flavors. Warning: there are a ton of pictures.

Eating White Bean Sweet Bun in the middle of Ginza, Japan.

Layers of Praline Mousse, Crunchy Chocolate Wafers, and Chocolate Ganache from Sadaharu Aoki.

Who knew the Japanese were so fond of French Pastries especially Macarons? There were endless shops selling Macarons of all flavors, shapes, and sizes. Brought tears to my eyes. I finally got a taste of the famous Pierre Herme Macarons.

Matcha Soup with Rice Balls and Adzuki Beans in Damaru.

I love Takoyaki, and this unadulterated version is lightly salted just for taste.

Fried Chicken Skin Dumplings at a Yakitori Restaurant in Shinjuku, Japan. I normally dislike eating any animal skin (with the exception of roasted duck), but this proves that anything fried tastes amazing.

Petite, perfectly round grapes fresh from the farmer's stand near Mt. Fuji. This is just an example of how cute, miniature, and flawless all fruit in Japan seem to be. They earned my approval.

Look at that deep purple color from that plate of sauteed garlic eggplant.

Steamed Spare-ribs with Sweet Yams from Yong Kang.

I love ending my hot summer days in Taiwan with a plate of shaved ice, and Ice Monster always serves the sweetest mangoes in Taipei.

But, my unfaltering favorite shaved ice spot is still Tai Yi Milk King.

Sauteed Water Spinach in Fermented Bean Curd Sauce from 1010 Hunan Pop.

Pan-fried Turnip Cakes are traditional to Dim Sum. What a great way to try all sorts of goodies.

A new Taiwanese trend is re-vamping traditional "bao zi" into these eye-catching, special flavored buns.

One of the most interesting flavors of this summer, Tea Smoked Enoki Mushrooms tossed with Red Chili and Cilantro.

My cousins and I went on a Tofu Expedition in Sheng Ken, Taiwan. We ate everything including: Steamed Tofu, Sauteed Tofu, Fried Tofu, Grilled Tofu, Tofu Ice cream, Tofu Pudding, Tofu Pannacotta, Tofu Cheesecake. This Tofu on a stick was fried and glazed in a sweet soy sauce, grilled, and topped with pickled cabbage.

Classic Stinky Fried Tofu with Pickled Cabbage.

So peppery! So tasty! Mushroom-Vegetable Savory Pastry. I could eat this day and night.

Like Steamed Soup Dumplings? Try eating Steamed Loofah Melon and Crab Meat Dumplings. Different, but so yummm.

Taiwanese Shaved Ice >>> Japanese Shaved Ice. All agreed. G'bye. Tastespotting!

What better way is there...

2008-06-07T01:27:00.004-04:00

to celebrate a birthday for a foodie than eating a scrumptious dinner? On this occasion, parents and I went for a quiet, relaxed restaurant tucked away behind a sprinkling pond known as Mignon. It was a lovely evening with excellent service filled with a rare tete-a-tete with the parents.

Sauvignon Blanc as the choice of poison.

Seared Diver Scallops were my favorite of the night, tender with a balance of sweet acidity.

Watermelon and Pear Tomato Salad

French Onion Soup with beautifully melted cheese.

Seared Monkfish and Braised Short Ribs with a Creme Fraiche-like sauce over whipped potatoes.

Roasted Chilean Sea Bass with Mussels and Fingerling Potatoes in a Green Curry Sauce.

Rack of Lamb with Caramelized Fennel came with this tasty tomato and olive salsa.

Of course, I always end the night with cake. Yay.

Overall, I come back a few times per year when I'm in town because the seasonal menu is always innovative with fresh flavors and the service is constantly superb. The rest of my review will be in the 2008 book!

Summer parties are always...

2008-06-02T18:41:00.004-04:00

enjoyable, especially the kind when you pile a bunch of people in your home and catch up on all the happenings. It's been a long time since I've seen some people, but it was nice update. My mother single-handedly catered dish after dish to feed 20 people. How she does it? I still don't know. And, she always manages an energetic smile. :] She put me in charge of the sweets, so I gladly took charge of the cocktail and cake! I wanted to photograph all the dishes she made, but I was too busy making mango mojitos for everyone and scrambling around to entertain. Oops. Mother made some of my favorites including: Chinese Meatballs with Napa Cabbage, Vietnamese Style Eggrolls, Cold Sesame Noodles, Steamed Spareribs with Japanese Yams, and much more.

Lined up and ready.

Mango Mojito.

Almost done deal.

Done deal.

I re-made a bigger version of my Chocolate Cake with Red Bean Paste and Green Tea Cream Cheese Frosting. Here goes...

Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup best-quality cocoa
3 sticks margarine
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups fat free sour cream
.25 cup vegetable oil
36 oz red bean paste

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, cocoa together. Combine softened butter, eggs, vanilla, sour cream, and oil until smooth. Add dry mix to wet mix until fully combined, but do not over mixed. Don’t be alarmed if the batter looks sticky instead of runny. Spoon the batter into 2 9-inch cake pans and bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before inverting. Slice the top layer of cake off to make the cake rounds even. Using a serrated knife, spread canned, mashed red bean paste on the top of one cake as if it were thick icing glue. Top the red bean paste with the second layer of chocolate cake. Spoon additional red bean paste into the sides to fill the gaps. When the cake is completely cooled, ice all sides of the cake with matcha cream cheese frosting. Use icing to stick chocolate wafers on the sides.

Frosting

1 stick butter
4 oz cream cheese
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1.5 Tbsp matcha powder

Let butter come to room temperature. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add powdered sugar and matcha powder and beat on medium speed until fully combined.

CAKE!

We fed a lot of people.

First day back to Texas...

2008-05-27T20:53:00.004-04:00

and the weather has not been generous. But, it's quite alright when fresh summer fruits sit ripe in your pantry. On a humid, rainy day, why not bake something tart like Lemon Yogurt Blueberry Loaf Cakes? It's been too long since my last kitchen adventure, and today seemed perfect for catching up on those good old times with some good old friends, Lily and Kevin.

Loaf in the raw.

Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf Cake

Adapted from Ina Garten

3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups Fage whole-milk yogurt
2 cups plus 1/2 cup sugar
6 eggs
3 tsps grated lemon zest
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups fresh blueberries
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch loaf pans. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and top with pumpkin seeds. Bake for about 50 minutes until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cook the lemon juice and sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside. When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

*The original recipe called for 1 Tbsp of sugar to 1/3 cup of lemon juice, but it was way too tart.

A slice anyone? Tastespotting!

Where has all...

2008-05-14T20:32:00.006-04:00

the time gone? It seems like real life is all bundling into one explosive mass before dropping the bomb. But, needless to say, I am elated about recent outcomes though some days I am over-anxious and stressed. Staying optimistic! My food experiments have been limited recently, but here are a few things I played around with in the past week or so.

Close up of the shrimp.

Salt & Pepper Shrimp Noodles

2 teaspoons of cornstarch
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/4 cup shrimp
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp chili paste

Toss together the cornstarch, salt, pepper and sugar and add the shrimp. Heat a wok or cast-iron pan on medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of sesame oil. Spread the shrimp on the pan in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan. Stir fry gently for another 2-3 minutes and remove the shrimp from the pan. Lower the heat to and add garlic, and chili paste.

I put my salt and pepper shrimp over a serving of rice stick noodles.

Looks similar to Tarallucci e Vino's Polenta Breakfast.

Garlic Herb Polenta

2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place the chicken stock in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Gradually pour in the cornmeal, whisking all the while. When the mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until the cornmeal begins to thicken, about 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the remaining ingredients. Continue cooking until the polenta just begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with poached egg and tomato sauce immediately.

For the poached egg, boil water and pour in a drop of vinegar. Gently slide in the raw egg and lower the heat. Allow the egg to boil for a few minutes before serving. I let mine boil for about 2 minutes so the center is still runny-gooey. (Adapted from Todd English).

It's been a long time...

2008-05-04T12:39:00.007-04:00

since the last time I posted (or cooked), but anyhow, this Spring has been all about nostalgia. I usually try saving face by not attempting Chinese food because who can cook better than my mother? Rhetorical. I miss home; I miss Chinese food; I miss my mother, so Chinese food it was. (Plus, Chinese restaurants in Ithaca always fail to please my palate and never fail to upset my stomach--what a lose-lose situation). On this particular night, Mickey and I noshed on Corn Soup and Cold Sesame Noodles--two of my favorite, homestyle Chinese dishes.

Part 1

Part 2

Cream Corn Soup

1 can cream corn
1 cup chicken broth
1 large beaten egg
1 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp sesame oil
Salt & Pepper
Green onions for garnish

Pour cream of corn and chicken broth into a soup pot and heat until boiling. Turn down the heat to a simmer and stir in beaten egg. Continue simmering for a few minutes. Mix cornstarch and water to form a viscous liquid. Stir liquid into the soup and let soup simmer for a few more minutes. Add sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Garnish with slices of green onions.

Peanut Sesame Noodle

1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp red chili flakes
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic water
1/2 pound dried spaghetti
1 small sliced cucumber
1 bundle sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Heat the peanut butter in a microwave so that it is warm and pliable. Mix in soy sauce, sugar, red chili flakes, vinegar and sesame oil. Mince two cloves of garlic and mix with a few tablespoons of water. Let it sit while cooking the spaghetti. In a medium pot, cook thin spaghetti for about 6-7 minutes until al dente. After draining the spaghetti, drizzle a bit of sesame oil over the top and toss noodles together. Mix in garlic water without the garlic pieces into the peanut sauce. Toss vegetables together with noodles and let chill before serving. Top noodles with peanut sauce, chopped peanuts, and sesame seeds when serving. (Adapted from Everyday Food).

I must cease delaying my paper writing.

Tastespotting!

The glorification of Sriracha...

2008-04-26T12:09:00.004-04:00

comes in many forms—drenching every meal in my beloved hot sauce, keeping a precious bottle in my room allowing easy access with the swipe of a hand, and incorporating it into my recipes. I particularly love spicy foods in the upcoming warm weather; there’s just something so seductive and passionate about playing with fire. For a dinner with Mickey, I fed the fire with fire and made Spicy Shrimp and Corn Fritters, Chili Bean Paste Toast, and Lychee Mango Mascarpone Cream (to put out the fire).

Fritter mix in the raw.

Spicy Shrimp and Corn Fritters

1/2 cup canned corn
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Sriracha
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup chopped shrimp
Salt
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp water
Vegetable oil

Place corn, green onions, chili powder, shrimp, sriracha, garlic, white pepper, salt and egg in a bowl. Add flour, baking powder, and water and mix until just combined. Heat a large pot with 1/8^th inch of oil in the bottom. When the oil is hot, put a large spoonful of batter in the pot. Use a spoon to form little balls. Cook over medium heat just until the bottoms are well colored (4-5minutes). Turn and cook the other side until golden. Serve with Sweet and Spicy Sauce.

Holes filled with egg yolk.

Chili Bean Paste Toast

4 minced garlic cloves
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp minced ginger
1 Tbsp Sriracha
1 Tbsp bean paste
1/4 cup chopped portobello
4 sliced potato bread
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Heat skillet on high and quickly cook Portobello in oil. Stir in 1/2 of the chili bean paste. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly spray baking pan. Cut potato bread into a circular shape. Stack two slices of bread together. Hollow out an indentation in each bread slice large enough to hold an egg yolk. Leave a sufficient cushion of bread surrounding the indentation to avoid leakage. Place the bread on prepared baking sheet. Place two egg yolks in each bread indentation. Place the shredded cheddar and spread chili bean paste over the entire slice of bread. Place the bread in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and, using a spatula, place each bread slice on an individual serving plate. Sprinkle the top with scallion garnish.

Lychee Mango Mascarpone Cream

8 ounces mascarpone
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup lychee syrup
1 can lychee
1 cubed mango

Beat mascarpone, sugar, and cream until a nice whipped cream forms. Add in syrup and continue beating until thick. Spoon lychee cream into dishes and top with lychee slivers and cubed mango. Place in refrigerator for about an hour before serving.

This jokester did not enjoy my mascarpone.

Good thing he brought a present. Thanks.

Triumph can...

2008-04-25T21:57:00.004-04:00

come from failures as demonstrated by a cranberry fudge turned cranberry-coconut chocolate bread pudding. Surprised much? I was. After I completely bombed a simple fudge recipe, I felt annoyed, no, more like furious. So to compensate, I had to out do myself by making something comforting. And seriously, what is a better comfort food than bread pudding? I guess mother's Chinese food, but still, Southern comfort trumps all.

Soakin' up the sun...

Chocolate Cranberry Bread Pudding

1/2 loaf cubed potato bread
1 cup chocolate fudge sauce
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 beaten eggs
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Messed up Fudge Sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cups sugar
12 ounces evaporated milk
12 oz semisweet chocolate
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup strong coffee

Tear bread into bite-sized chunks and place in a casserole dish. Combine the chocolate cream and buttermilk in a medium saucepan and heat until the mixture bubbles at the edges and remove from heat to cool. Mix cream mixture with eggs and cranberries until combined. Pour the liquid mixture into the dish with the potato bread. Toss to combine and top with more cranberries and shredded coconut. Place the baking pan into the oven and let bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F. The mixture will puff a bit and the edges will brown when the pudding is done.

Just one more bite.

This Texan has got to eat…

2008-04-22T23:42:00.004-04:00

cornbread once in awhile. The Northeast just never produces quality cornbread and passes off stale, crusty, yellow heaps of who knows what as this Southern dinner table nibbler. All I know is that I love corn especially creamed corn. Corn soup with a touch of egg was always my soup of choice when mother cooked. There is no barbeque today, but the dry heat and sunshine reminded me of home. As a welcoming of warm weather, I shall munch on my cornbread as a snack. Yum.

Tossing all the dry ingredients together.

Cheddar and fresh jalapeños.

Sliced but beautiful nonetheless.

Can't wait to dig in.

Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Bread

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup canned creamed corn
1 egg
1 cup extra-sharp cheddar
Sliced jalapeños

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the creamed corn and egg into the buttermilk. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients, combining well. Mix in cheddar and top with jalapeños before pouring batter into pan. Pour the batter into the butter, smooth out the top if necessary, and place in the oven. Bake about 30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown and the sides have pulled away from the pan; a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean. Serve hot! (Adapted from Homesick Texan)

Nothing beats classy...

2008-04-20T23:14:00.006-04:00

lady fingers for a traditional Italian dinner of Pine Nut Shrimp Scampi and a Tiramisu Sandwich.

Layer of coffee dipped lady fingers with fresh mascarpone cream.

Tiramisu Sandwich

1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1 package lady fingers
1 cups strong coffee
1/2 cup cocoa powder
Blueberries

Beat sugar and egg yolks together until mixture is pale yellow. Add in mascarpone cheese until mixture is smooth and combined. Beat egg whites until thick and stiff and mix into mascarpone mixture. Dip lady fingers into coffee and arrange them inside a flat dish. Cover cookies layer with cream mixture and continue layering. Dust cocoa powder on top of cream. Refrigerate for at least four hours.

Shrimp Scampi

8 ounces shrimp
1 tsp minced shallots
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 lemon (juice and zest)
1/4 cup white wine
2 Tbsp parsley
2 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tsp red pepper flakes
8 oz. linguini

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and cook the shrimp until they turn opaque and just pink, about 30 seconds to a minute or so each side. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Return the pan to the stove and add 1 tbsp of butter and the shallots. Cook over medium heat until the shallots are fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the white wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits from the pan, then add the lemon juice, bring it to a boil then take off heat. Off heat, whisk in the remaining tbsp of butter, lemon zest, parsley, pine nuts and red pepper. Add the shrimp and pasta, toss to combine and serve immediately. (Adapted from Food Network).

Tastespotting!

What makes a delicious...

2008-04-16T22:41:00.004-04:00

chocolate cake? Try red velvet with cocoa powder and vinegar! In celebration of Kathy's birthday, her requested cake was topped with signs of spring (Gerber Daisies)!

Kathy: I hope you enjoyed your birthday despite the 45 minute apartment oven melt-down (almost). OOPS. We shall continue eating old-fashioned cakes.

Raspberry center, fresh and ready to please.

The finished product surrounded in lady fingers.

Moist, chocolatey, and packed with blueberries.

We lit her a ceremony!

I <3 you.

Time to get down...

2008-04-15T23:18:00.006-04:00

and dirty, using your hands as the weapon of choice, to make a traditional Texan treat known as the Hello Dolly Bar.

Imagine how excited I was when I found cajeta at Wegmans!

Crumbled graham cracker layer.

Chocolate chip layer.

Shredded coconut, yummm.

Chopped pecans with a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Emptied cans of cajeta and condensed milk!

Melted cajeta milk mixture over layers of sweetness.

Hello Dolly Bars

1/2 cup of butter
2 cups crushed graham crackers
2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
2 tsp cinnamon
1 13.4 ounce can Mexican cajeta
1 14 ounce can condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Pour melted butter into a flat pan. Crush graham crackers with fingers until they resemble a coarse corn meal. Toss graham cracker crumbs into pan, and mix well with melted butter to form a crust. Layer the chocolate chips, coconut, pecans, and cinnamon over graham cracker crust. Melt cajeta and condensed milk over medium heat until fully incorporated and smooth. Pour cajeta-milk mixture over the top of prepared bar. Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes, top should be light brown. Let cool in pan for at least half an hour, cut into bars and serve. (Adapted from Homesick Texan).

The calories of these home baked goodies are over and beyond the cap, but once in awhile, we must all indulge. And you wonder why everything is bigger in Texas...

Tastespotting

My recent realization...

2008-04-13T23:26:00.005-04:00

that I derive happiness from seeing the corners of lips turn up into a smile when tasting my recipes means that I shall continue inviting friends over for home cooked creations. On this occasion, Adam & Beka came for a long, overdue meal. I used them as my guinea pigs for Thai Tamarind Salmon, Vegetable Curry Wontons, and Condensed Milk Pound Cake with Green Tea Cream.

Thai Tamarind Salmon

Tamarind Sauce

1/4 cup tamarind paste
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp chili powder

Melt all ingredients in a sauce pan and let simmer on low heat.

Salmon Fillets

2 cups bean sprouts
1 tsp seafood broth base
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to broil. Wrap a broiler pan with foil. Make Tamarind Sauce and Thai Chili Lime Sauce. Place salmon in dish with Tamarind Sauce and turn to coat on both sides. Place salmon in the broiler pan skin side down. Bake salmon at 425 degrees F for about 12 minutes. Pour Thai Chili Lime Sauce over salmon before serving. Sautee bean sprouts in seafood broth until slightly soft. Place salmon on top of bean sprouts and add crushed peanuts and sesame seeds to the top of salmon.

Vegetable Curry Wontons

1 can sliced carrots
1 cup cut potatoes
1 cup water
2 blocks Japanese Curry Mix
1 package wonton wrappers

Boil potatoes in water until soft enough to mash. Heat oil in a skillet and toss in carrots and potatoes. Add water and let pan come to a boil. Allow carrots and potatoes to cook through before adding curry mix. While vegetables cook, use fork to mash into small pieces. Remove mashed curry from heat and allow it to cool before making wontons. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Fry wontons a few at a time turning them in pan until golden and lightly browned. Place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb extra oil.

Thai Chili Lime Sauce

2 tsp red chili flakes
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp Sriracha
1 tsp sweet and spicy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp fish sauce

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Condensed Milk Pound Cake with Green Tea Cream

Thanks to Ian, I have my very own autographed copy of Pichet Ong's The Sweet Spot. I am thrilled/grateful and promise to memorize every inch of this dessert book. Quiz me later?

Tastespotting!

I may be unable...

2008-04-07T23:15:00.005-04:00

to stomach more food after the continual shoving food down my throat, but I promised a recipe. So, recipe I shall!

The unadulterated cupcake topped with shreds of coconut.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Cupcake

1 cup cake flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
8 ounces cream cheese
1 stick butter
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line muffin pan with paper cups. Sift cake flour, baking soda and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Cream butter and cream cheese until mixture is light and creamy. Add sugar and continue to mix until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and stir in lemon juice. Fold in dry mixture into wet mixture. Divide batter evenly into paper cups. Bake for 10-15 minutes and let cupcakes cool before icing. (Adapted from Amanda Lee).

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

1 stick butter
2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp heavy cream
Food coloring

Cream butter until smooth and add lemon juice. Slowly mix in powdered sugar and heavy cream until frosting forms. Mix in food coloring until well blended.

Perfect for Spring, ready to soak up the sun.

Where do I...

2008-04-06T23:18:00.006-04:00

even begin detailing the massive montage of food and munchies this weekend? I love senior reunions that rekindle friendships; we are so ridiculously awesome/cute.

Assorted French Macarons from Au Pain Dore have chewy almond exteriors with a center of ganache spread to the edges of the cookie. I could seriously eat these mini treats non-stop. What a shame...

Kathy and I fear admitting New York City's defeat in crafting the best cupcakes in the world, but I must commend Le Glaceurs for these moist, perfectly sweetened, cupcakes.

Before digging into my Banana Walnut cupcake, I just want to point out the tiny marzipan banana decoration and the gorgeous swirls of banana cream cheese frosting.

Looks can be deceiving. Upon first glance, the Shoulder of Lamb from Alexandre looks like a pile of who knows what, but the slow-braised, tender hunk of meat sits on a potato mush soaking up apple glaze.

After those cupcakes, I am too ashamed to post the recipe and pictures of my humble little lemon cream cheese cupcakes. It shall be saved for a later post.

You would think...

2008-04-01T22:10:00.010-04:00

stir-frying a bunch of noodles seems easy enough, but it has been my biggest cooking challenge yet. The thought of so many exotic ingredients in Asian cooking somehow prevents me from exploring these dishes, but I'm happy to finally dip my toe in the water. A dinner with Ann, Cathy, Kathy, & Jen meant Pad Thai with Thai Chili Lime Sauce, Sweet Potato Cobbler & Coconut Ice Cream.

Pad Thai with Thai Chili Lime Sauce

Rice Stick Noodles
4 ounces sliced firm tofu
1 tsp minced garlic
1 egg
1 bundle green onion
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup crushed peanuts

Soak a bag of rice stick noodles until pliable and not soft. Heat a pan on high heat and add a generous amount of oil. Add tofu, garlic, and some tamarind sauce into the pan and let tofu brown. Stir in noodles and add in more sauce. Sprinkle noodles with water to prevent sticking. Crack an egg to the side of pan and mix with the noodles. Toss in slice green onions and bean sprouts. Top with crushed roasted peanuts and sesame seeds. (Adapted from Chez Pim).

Tamarind Sauce

1/4 cup tamarind paste
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp chili powder

Melt all ingredients in a sauce pan and let simmer on low heat.

Thai Chili Lime Sauce

2 tsp red chili flakes
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp Sriracha
1 tsp sweet and spicy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp fish sauce

Coconut Ice Cream

1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Combine coconut milk with powdered sugar and whisk to dissolve. Whisk in the cream and keep whisking until soft peaks form a whipped cream. Spoon and smooth the ice cream into a large plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Sweet Potato Cobbler

Filling

1 can sweet potato
1/4 cup brown sugar

Topping

1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp cold margarine
1 egg
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Toss mashed sweet potato and brown sugar together. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add sliced margarine and mix until a crumble forms. Combine the egg and cream and add the egg mixture to the flour mixture until combined. Spoon peach mixture into a cake pan and drop topping mixture by over the peaches. Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with shredded coconut and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve warm with coconut ice cream.

I also went on a spontaneous baking spree.

Walnut Chocolate Brownies

1 stick margarine
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 egg beater’s egg whites
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the margarine and sugar in a double boiler until fully melted. Stir in unsweetened cocoa power, salt, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Remove the bowl and set aside briefly until the mixture cools. Add the egg whites stirring to combine until batter is runny. Slowly mix in flour a little at a time until batter is shiny, thick, and fully incorporated. Mix in 1/2 cup of the walnuts and chocolate chips. Top with the rest of the walnuts. Spread evenly in the foil lined pan. Bake for 25 minutes until center is moist but not runny.

Mint Chocolate Truffles

6 ouches semisweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp mint extract
decorations

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and heavy cream on medium heat until a smooth ganache forms. Add in mint extract and stir to combine. Remove mixture from heat and let cool before rolling into balls. Roll chocolate into balls with palms and dip into sprinkles. Place truffles on parchment paper and refrigerate until cooled.

Veggies!

Vegetable Frittata

1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 cup roasted red pepper
1/2 cup diced broccoli
1 Tbsp pine nuts
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
Salt & Pepper
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine all egg and vegetable ingredients in a mixing bowl. Heat skillet on medium high heat and cook garlic until fragrant. Pour egg mixture into pan and top with shredded cheeses. Fry frittata for a minute before placing skillet in oven for 5 minutes. Remove frittata from oven when the top turns brown and sprinkle with some herbs before serving.

Satisfied. All in a week. http://www.tastespotting.com/post/11217/

Chicks need...

2008-03-30T01:13:00.004-04:00

Chocolate and cheesecake, so a crave-all, solve-all equals cheesecake brownies! To add a touch of Asian, we threw in some matcha action. A moist, decadent, chocolate concoction prepared by the lovely Wong sisters, Aliyah & Stephanie, and me fed many lucky ladies.

Look! A shiny, chocolatey batter.

Whipping up some matcha cream cheese.

Still hot and bubbling.

Matcha Cheesecake Brownies

Brownie batter:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Matcha cream cheese batter:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
3/4 tsp matcha powder

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a double boiler. Stir until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl and set aside briefly until the mixture cools. Stir in the vanilla and add the eggs one at a time stirring to combine after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour. Spread evenly in the lined pan. Beat cream cheese with granulated sugar until light and creamy. Add in the egg yolk and matcha powder and beat until combined. Transfer cream cheese batter into a plastic bag and pipe over brownie dough. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack. Lift up the ends of the foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board.

Adapted from Alice Medrich

A sliver of the behind for your eyes to savor.

I can taste...

2008-03-28T19:15:00.008-04:00

with my eyes--no, it is not a super power, but aesthetics rank supreme in delicious cooking. It somehow triggers salivation, and then, I can't stop my fork from plundering in. Tonight's dinner with Wilson is something simple I pulled from my cabinets. Mexican Crab Cakes and Peach Parfaits.

Mexican Crab Cakes

1 egg
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
5 crushed saltines
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp Remoulade
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 6 oz canned crab meat
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup Mexican shredded cheese

Peach Salsa

1/4 cup diced peach
1/3 cup chunky salsa
1 tsp lime juice

Guacamole

1/2 mashed avocado
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salsa
1/4 tsp salt

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg and parsley. Add crushed saltines, Remoulade, pepper and chili powder until combined. Fold in drained crab. Roll crab mixture into cakes and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Flip crab cake onto other side and top with cheese. Bake for another 2 minutes.

Ready to eat!

Melted cheddar cheeseee...

Macro innards shot.

Peach Parfait

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup diced peaches
1 Tbsp peach syrup
1 cup nilla wafers

Whip cream, sugar, vanilla extract. Sliced peaches to small chunks. Place nilla wafers at bottom of glass and cover with peach syrup. Add a layer of whipped cream and top with diced peaches. Continue layering and top with crushed nilla wafers. Chill before serving.

Peaches taste like Spring. I'm ready, are you?

Am I in support...

2008-03-24T19:41:00.003-04:00

of the cupcake craze? Yes, guilty as charged. After promising to save room in my stomach for dinner, I immediately splurged on a cute, red velvet cupcake from Tart Pastry (that fluffy, white icing...I'm just too weak). How else do I satisfy my sweet tooth? You don't even want to know...

Simple yet perfect.

Raspberry Cheesecake, Pistachio, Chocolate Hazelnut, Banana Cream Pie: I delude myself into thinking gelato is healthy.

Jasmine Creme Brulee from Asian Mint.

Can we say glutton much?