Packing for a picnic...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.