Tasty Bites

Happy Friday! Here are some links to posts and a sneak peek at next week.

Have you been reading my posts over at GlamDish? You really should. I'm posting four days a week and in addition to recipes and hot tips, there are also contests! Visit today for a chance to win a special Haagen-Dazs delivery. Next week, you might win a copy of The Shameless Carnivore.

I am now on Twitter. Feel free to follow me.

On Wednesday over at Bay Area Bites I reviewed two new books, The New Steak and Recipe of the Week: Burgers. Which is my favorite? Suffice it to say my other half has already bookmarked Lamb Burgers with Hoisin and Scallions, Caramelized Onion and Chickpea Burgers and Dijon Tuna Burgers.

Next week I will share the dish I am obsessed with at the moment and two favorite places to order it.

I'll also tell you about a couple of local spots that serve fabulous and well-priced small plates, until 1 am!

Thanks again to all my readers for your patience as I get back up to speed. Your kind wishes and prayers have meant a lot to me. The good news is that everyone in my family is doing well and life is getting back to normal.

Williams-Sonoma Tools & Techniques

The sense of joy and satisfaction that I get from cooking something wonderful and sharing it or eating it is almost indescribable. Not only do I feel pride, but it inspires me to take on more and more recipes and techniques. I learned to cook from watching my parents, reading cookbooks and watching television cooking shows. But it took years and years and there is still more for me to learn.

Over the years I have upgraded and accumulated various tools. Whether it's the pleasure of using a favorite chef's knife, or finding the ultimate digital remote probe thermometer I think if you enjoy cooking, you can't help but be a bit of a kitchen gadget geek.

When I was first learning to cook I loved the Jacques Pepin La Technique book. There were plenty of techniques I wouldn't try for years and even more I still haven't tackled, but in that book with all of those photos I gained immeasurable confidence. Truth be told, most of those very French techniques are not ones I use day-to-day. For a book that combines the meticulous instructions you find in La Technique, but more basic everyday techniques and great color photos every step of the way, the new Williams-Sonoma Tools & Techniques book is truly masterful and a terrific resource. It's a book I wish I had owned way back when I was just learning to cook.

The upfront section, after a forward by Thomas Keller and introduction by Chuck Williams, goes into great detail about the essential kitchen tools. These are not Williams-Sonoma branded items, but the basics and beyond such as Pyrex measuring cups, earthenware tagines, silicone spatulas--oh don't get me started! I'll turn into a kitchen nerd before your very eyes.

The techniques section shows everything from separating eggs to cleaning a whole fish and carving a turkey to embellishing pies and how to make meringue, something one day, I hope to conquer. There are plenty of recipes in this book for things like fish fumet, braised vegetables, pasta dough and buttermilk fried chicken, but it's really all in the service of learning how to cook. I can't think of a better book for a newlywed or a singleton, anyone really who wants to learn the basics the right way. Kudos to the team who spent 3 years creating this amazing volume and especially to Jen Newens the executive editor.

Wasabi Deviled Eggs: Recipe & Eggceptional Links

I love eggs. I love them scrambled, fried, poached, coddled, soft boiled and hard boiled. Though I admit a slight prejudice against egg salad due to an unfortunate traumatic childhood incident. Word to the wise, don't ever serve a 5-year old an egg salad sandwich laced with black olives.

Since the day after Easter you are bound to have plenty of eggs in the house, especially hard boiled ones, here is a link to a recipe I posted some time ago; it's for something I call Onion Smothered Eggs. In it, hard boiled eggs and rings of sauteed onions luxuriate in a Bechamel sauce laced with parmesan on a bed of toast. It's my version of Oeufs a la Tripe(don't worry, even the original has no tripe in it!)

And here is a recipe that didn't quite make it into my upcoming book, so I'm very happy to share it with you now. It's my new favorite deviled egg recipe. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Wasabi Deviled Eggs
Makes 12 deviled eggs

Ingredients

6 hard boiled eggs (see below for instructions)
3 tablespoons mayonnaise, preferably homemade
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
1 green onion, minced
1/4 cup minced watercress, plus extra for garnish
Kosher salt, a pinch

Instructions

Hard boiled eggs:
Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and fill the pan with water rising to at least an inch above the eggs. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over medium heat. When the water comes to a full boil, remove the pot from heat and let eggs sit for 18–20 minutes. Cool and peel the eggs under cold running water.

Cut eggs in half and remove yolks. Mash the yolks until very fine and smooth, use a food processor or fork. Combine the yolks with the mayonnaise, wasabi, green onions and watercress and mix very well. Taste for seasoning and add salt to your liking.
Pipe filling decoratively into the egg whites using a pastry bag fitted with a large fluted tip. Cut thin ribbons of watercress leaves to be used on top of the eggs as a garnish, just before serving. Place on a serving plate and serve right away or cover and refrigerate up to one day.

Enjoy!

More favorite egg recipes from the archives:

Curry Deviled Eggs

Creamy Scrambled Eggs

Dutch Baby

Breakfast Souffle

Huevos alla Amy

Million Dollar Scramble

Frittata

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Irving Street Eats--UCSF Med Center Dining Guide

This time last week I was spending pretty much all of my time over at UCSF Medical Center waiting, waiting, waiting. It's amazing how exhausting it can be just waiting. Being under stress is disorienting as well. We all seemed to lose track of time and the normal rhythms of life. I took on the daily responsibility of leading the troops out of the hospital and for walks down bustling Irving street for fresh air and well, lunch.

This is no reflection on the hospital cafeteria which my uncle was quite fond of, I just felt a little change of scenery was in order. While we never seemed to feel hungry, it was amazing how much food we managed to eat nonetheless! Irving street in the Inner Sunset is packed with a ridiculous number of inexpensive restaurants. Here are three of my favorite places and dishes:

1. Original Dry Fried Chicken Wings at San Tung

I reviewed this Korean influenced Chinese restaurant some time ago. The dumplings are great comfort food and the wet black bean sauce hand-pulled noodles are pure deliciousness but the Original Dry Fried Chicken Wings ($8.00) really are the must-order dish. They are crispy and sweet with garlic and just a bit of red pepper bite. Irresistible! There isn't a table in the restaurant that doesn't seem to order them.

2. Koobideh at Lavash

I discovered this place on Yelp where reviewers are justifiably enthusiastic about the inexpensive and huge portions of Persian kebabs and salads. Except for some of the combination plates, all the kebab plates are under $10 each and come with a pile of fresh herbs, rice, grilled tomato, and lavash bread, of course. I particularly like the Koobideh ($7.99) which is a combination of ground lamb and beef but the lime and spice chicken and vegetable kebabs were equally satisfying.

3. Beef Rendang at Lime Tree Southeast Asian Kitchen

This funny little basement restaurant is an Asian fusion spot that serves food from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Dishes are best shared and you won't likely spend more than about $10-12 per person. We were talked into ordering the Singaporean Curry Noodle which was glass noodles with shredded chicken and mushrooms in a curry sauce. It was terrific, but my favorite dish was the exotic and rich Beef Rendang ($6.99) an Indonesian braised beef dish served with Jasmine rice and garnish of fried coconut. It was meltingly tender with hints of nutmeg, cloves, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and coconut milk.

Happily we are all home now, each recuperating in our own ways. But I would go back to any of these restaurants in a heartbeat.

San Tung
1031 Irving St
(between 11th Ave & 12th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 242-0828

Lavash
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
507 Irving St
(between 6th Ave & 7th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 664-5555

Lime Tree Southeast Asian Kitchen
450A Irving St
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 665-1415

Looking Up

I'm not really back to blogging quite yet, but I wanted to take this opportunity to say how much it has meant to me to know that you are thinking of me and my family.

Thanks to everyone who posted a comment, sent me an email or called. The last few days have been tough but I think the worst may be over. Spending day after day in the hospital lobby and waiting rooms, it's been a comfort reading all your kind words of support.

If you have any favorite restaurants around UCSF Medical Center on Parnassus, feel free to share your recommendations. So far I've eaten at San Tung, at Sandy's for pho, and am hoping to try a Persian restaurant called Lavash next.

Do me a favor?

You might have noticed I have not been posting very frequently here. In part it is because I am very busy with work. But I am also going through some very challenging times. And I could use your help.

I don't have ads on my blog and I don't blog here for dollars. I do it because I love doing it and I don't want that to ever change. I want you to enjoy coming here, to learn something, to be entertained. I don't want you to be distracted by ads or think you owe me something. You don't. Perhaps I'm an idiot, but it's just my little corner of the internet and I want to make it a nice and welcoming place. I wouldn't put ads in my home, and this is my home online.

But this week I'd like to ask you to do me a favor and not one penny is required. If you are reading this post, could you think a positive thought for me and for my family? It doesn't have to be a prayer or anything more than "I wish her well" but it would mean a lot to me right now. I promise I'll be back to blogging soon, I just need to take a little break right now.

Wednesday Linkage

* Over at Epicurious you'll find links to my posts about culinary conquests, my favorite foodie newsletters and specialized recipe search engines.

* If you enjoyed my Fennel Shrimp recipe, you might want to check out the Tasty Pernod Recipes post on Glam Dish.

* Also on Glam Dish is my interview with Hari Nayak, chef and author of Modern Indian Cooking. Hari provided some great ideas for using this season's citrus fruit in new ways.

* Curious about absinthe? I was, and Steve Hoffman the beverage manager at the St Regis filled me in and answered all my pesky questions in this all about absinthe post. He also provided an absinthe cocktail recipe you might want to try.

* Over at KQED is my review of Bake Until Bubbly and reprint of a classic macaroni and cheese recipe. Gotta love that title!

* Last but not least, I was interviewed on a new blog, called "I'm Going to Be..." It was fun and I got to reveal a little known fact or two. Don't miss the other interviews, including one with local pastry chef Marisa Churchill (you might remember her as a contestant on Top Chef). There are also interviews with a skydiver, a webmaster and a painter.

World in a Teacup Symposium & Tasting

At the fascinating and caffeinated World in a Teacup program this weekend I heard professors and tea buyers speak about tea, saw a special tea exhibition at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology on the UC Berkeley campus and tasted a number of different very high quality teas. Though the program is now over, admission to the museum is free, so if you are in the area, stop by and see the set of display cases with tea accoutrement. It will be on display until next year.

Some of the teas I tried and enjoyed the most were:

Purple Oolong from Art of Tea
Complex and robust brew with spicy notes

Tribute Pu-erh from L'Amyx
Dark and bold this is a tea that would pair well with food, it's often served with dim sum

Assam Extra Fancy from Peet's Coffee & Tea
Smooth with malty and toasty flavors

Here are some interesting facts you might not know about tea:

• The oldest living tea tree is 2700 years old



• The Japanese tea ceremony dates back to the 16th century



• All tea comes from the same plant, camellia sinensis



• Tea was first sold in England in 1657



• Most tea leaves are picked by women, in part because of the manual dexterity required



• It took 40 years for the Indian tea production to become truly high quality



• 1/4 of the world's tea comes from China



• 1/4 of the world's tea comes from India



• 95% of tea produced in India, is consumed in India and not exported



• There are 3,000 tea estates in India



• Tea is more likely to be hand rolled in China than processed by machine



• Pu-erh tea supposedly can lower cholesterol and is gaining in popularity in France



• Green tea is very popular in Germany



• Like chocolate and wine, tea is produced rather than just grown



• The most modern tea production methods are found in Japan



• Some pu-erh tea can be brewed as dark as coffee

If you are interested in tea, one of the best books available on the subject is The Story of Tea A Cultural History and Drinking Guide. It's a beautiful tea encyclopedia, filled with gorgeous photos, information about tea production, varieties and brewing instructions. There is even a section on cooking with tea and details on the cultural significance and experiences associated with tea. A must for any tea lover.