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Jumat, 31 Juli 2009

S'mores Cakeballs, and Going on Vacation!

Sorry about the picture, I was too busy shoving them in my mouth to take a good photo!

Hello my friends! Can you believe it's almost August, where does the time go? We are getting packed and ready to take a three week vacation with my family, one week in San Diego, and two weeks in Idaho. After that, we're coming home to be greeted by Glenn's parents up until school starts back up. Whew, what a month! I'm very excited, I just hope our kids survive all the traveling and the nonstop schedule. So, because of our month ahead, I decided that it would probably be easier on everyone if I just took a month off the blog as well. I'm not even sure if I'll have access to the computer during that time, and I'd really like to devote every second I get to my family. I'll definitely be back in September, and hopefully with a lot of fun recipes cooked up by me and my mom during our trip! I'm going to miss you guys and I'll definitely look forward to catching up when I get back!

So, I figured since I'm the cakeball crazy, I may as well take off with my last cakeball creation. A while ago my friend suggested that I try s'mores cakeballs, and it didn't take long at all for them to materialize. They were so yummy and had all the delicious flavor of s'mores, sans the campfire. The one thing I would not do again is roll them in graham crackers. It tastes good the day they are made, but they soften over time and add an undesirable texture. Enjoy!

S'more's Cakeballs

Ingredients

1 devil's food cake mix, prepared according to directions
1 large container marshmallow fluff
1 cellophane package graham crackers, ground into crumbs
1 bag milk chocolate chips
1 scoop Crisco, if desired

Directions

Crumble the cake into a large bowl. Add entire jar of marshmallow fluff, as well as graham cracker crumbs, and mix until completely combined. Roll into small balls, just a little bigger then marbles, place on plate. Freeze for 1-2 hours. Melt chocolate chips and Crisco, either in microwave, or over a double boiler. Put cakeball into chocolate and spoon chocolate over cakeballs. Use spoon to scoop up cakeball and tap off excess chocolate. Place on wax paper to dry and cool. Store in the fridge.

Have a wonderful month everyone and I'll see you in the fall!!

新景記 Xin Jing Ji for Fish Ball Noodle in Hong Kong Central


There was these couple of trips to 吉結街 Gage Street in Central, Hong Kong in search of Pork Bun (in Lan Fong Yuen) that we chance upon Xin Jing Ji. The fishball noodle stall was not too crowded but never vacant. This humble looking establishment is already more than 60 years old and the owner have been making fish balls the way his father made it when their business first started. Even the chilli oil to go with their food are home made. This stall is selling sincere self-made food.


Fish Ball Noodles 鱼蛋粉
The owners admit that their fish balls were never as springy
as others because they insist on using the freshest 100% fish meat.
Others out there add flour to make the fish ball springy.
I liked the clear soup, lightly salted and infused with the
taste of fresh fish ball and fish cakes.

 

Fish Cake Soup
My BIL and I ordered an extra fish cake soup to 
go with our fish ball kway teow. The fish cakes were
made with 100% fish meat like their fish balls.


Some local newspaper coverage of the food stall.


Apart from the fish ball noodles, they also serve beef brisket noodles.

Address : 7 Gage Street, Central, Hong Kong (along the SoHo elevator)

Opening Hours : Daily 9am ~ 1pm

Country : Hong Kong

Kamis, 30 Juli 2009

Vichyssoise is NOT pronounced "Veeshy-Swah"



For my 18th birthday – which fell during the summer in between high school graduation and moving off to college – my dad took me to a fancy dinner at a fancy French restaurant in Richmond, Va.; I believe it was called La Petite France. I had wanted to go there for some time. I will never forget that dinner. My dad, a man of few spoken (and even fewer written (sadly, a trait that I in no way inherited )) words, gave me a watch. He knew that I valued any evidence, trinkets, tchotckes, what have you, of his and my mom’s marriage (they divorced when I was 3, but have remained close friends to this day). The watch, he explained, was given to him by my mom before I was born. He had worn it for decades. The back of the watch was inscribed with his initials and the year 1972. He also went on to explain his interest in the concept of time – how our perception of it changes. I didn’t really understand what he meant at the time. But then I remember thinking a year was such a long time, and Summer vacations were always forever away. Now, a year is like a second, a blip. 

And that that meal seems like yesterday.

Still waters run deep, eh dad?

That night, among other food firsts, I tasted vichyssoise. I was absolutely blown away. This creamy and rich, yet delicate and subtle chilled soup was like nothing I had ever experienced. I could have had 4 bowls and not been sated. I am not sure if I have ordered vichyssoise out too many times since but I have endeavored to make it numerous times. Each time I do, I share it with whomever is close by and everyone seems to react the way I did when I first tasted it, and how I feel about it to this day. Except I have now learned that this is not a soup to have 4 bowls of. Considering it’s primarily potatoes, milk, heavy cream and butter, it’s best to show a little restraint (learned that the hard way with my last batch).

The culinary origins of vichyssoise, namely whether it is a genuinely French dish or an American innovation, is a subject of debate among culinary historians. Credit for the dish usually goes to Louis Diat, in 1917. Diat was the chef at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City for most of the first half of the 20th century. His inspiration for the soup was his mother’s much heartier potato-leek soup. He found it too hot to eat and poured cold milk into it to make it more palatable. The name is from Vichy, a city near where Diat grew up.

Interestingly, this culinary delight, which seems to have such complexity, is the most simple creation one can imagine. Call it the Cinderella of soups: its humble home cooking transformed into polished restaurant fare. Yes, you can gussy it up but why toy with perfection? I have found no variations that surpass the original but do often play with the garnish. A sprinkling of finely chopped chives tops a true vichyssoise, but I have experimented with fried leeks, a rosette of smoked salmon and torn croutons.

Since 1917 this recipe has remained almost entirely unchanged. If you order it out, you will see almost no chefs trying to put their bells and whistles on it. It is still as cool and soft as it was eight decades ago. And for the record, the aforementioned watch – I cherish it more than almost anything and wear it to this day. And every time I taste a vichyssoise I think of that watch, my dad, my 18th birthday dinner, and how while time does fly, it too stands still.
Loius Diat once prepared 8 portions of his famous soup to be delivered to the Manhattan town house of Sara Delano Roosevelt, Franklin D.’s mother, at her request – and enclosed this recipe (with one or two of my own alterations in parenthesis).
VICHYSSOISE

Serves 8
4tbsp. butter
4 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
5 medium white boiling potatoes (about 2 ¼ pounds), peeled and thinly sliced
Salt
2 cups whole milk
2 cups light cream
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. finely chopped chives
1. Heat butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add leeks and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, about 20 minutes. Add potatoes, 4 cups water (I use chicken stock), and salt to taste and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft, 50-60 minutes.
2. Strain soup through a mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing and scraping the solids with a spoon. Clean pot and return soup to it. Whisk in milk and light cream, bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from heat and let cool. Strain soup through a fine mesh sieve (finer than the first), pressing and scraping it into a bowl with the spoon, leaving behind a thick paste of solids. Discard solids. Stir heavy cream into soup, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled. Season soup with salt to taste.
3. Divide soup between 8 soup bowls and garnish with chives (or fried leeks, torn croutons, or a rosette of smoked salmon). Serve cold.


Printable Recipe


Rabu, 29 Juli 2009

Green Garlic Bread


I totally thought of Sophia from Burp and Slurp when I made this bread. I read a while ago that she has a love for green food, which is a great and healthy color for your food to be!

Of course in this case, I can't necessarily guarantee it to be healthy, but it is dang delicious! I got the idea from Ina Garten who makes an herbed butter, which is really similar. It's very easy to throw together and open to all sorts of variations.

Green Garlic Bread

Ingredients

1 stick of butter
1 handful chopped parsley
1 handful chopped basil
2-3 scallions, roughly chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
Kosher salt
pepper
Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
1 loaf french or Italian bread, cut lengthwise

Directions

Blend butter, herbs, garlic and salt and pepper in a food processor until evenly combined.

Spread over garlic bread and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes, or until cheese gets brown and bubbly and the edges of the bread are crispy.

Selasa, 28 Juli 2009

Extravagant Eggs

Eggs are basic and yet one of the harder things to cook well. My two favorite ways to eat eggs are poached or softly scrambled. I like creamy scrambled eggs, cooked low and slow, and so soft that no curds form. When it comes to poached eggs, the yolk should be runny and the white should be firm, but not rubbery. It's crucial to dry the eggs after poaching, so they aren't waterlogged. Both recipes take patience to master, but once you do, you will have so many options.

The great thing about eggs, scrambled or poached, is that they pair well with so many other flavors and can be eaten any time of the day. I particularly like them for dinner. You can serve eggs with anything from the simplest fresh herbs to the most luxurious ingredients such as lobster, gravlax, caviar or truffles.

Caviar Gravlax Benedict
Earlier this month instead of going out for our anniversary, Lee and I stayed in for an over-the-top breakfast for dinner celebration for two. I supplemented some homemade gravlax (thanks dad!) with some Tsar Nicoulai caviar I bought. I folded the caviar into the hollandaise sauce and served it on top of the gravlax, poached eggs and English muffins, eggs benedict style. Mixing the caviar into the hollandaise sauce helps extend it and makes a dramatic presentation. You need about an ounce for two servings. Any kind of caviar would work, from less expensive paddlefish to high end osetra.

Truffled Scrambled Eggs
A few weeks later when the folks at Mirepoix offered me a couple of Summer truffles, I again thought of eggs. This time I scrambled six large eggs gently in butter with a knob of fontina and served them on top of sliced toasted brioche with a healthy shaving of fresh truffles. The earthy nuttiness of Summer truffles is easily overpowered with other ingredients but a delicate and mild preparation of eggs makes the perfect foil. I used one large truffle, about one ounce for two servings. Because they are so subtly flavored, it's wise to use Summer truffles as a topping, rather than cooking them. For a less expensive version of this dish using truffle salt or truffle oil instead of fresh truffles, check out my recipe for Creamy Scrambled Eggs.

With both of these dishes I would recommend drinking cava or Champagne. Something sparkling with a bit of sweetness. The bubbles help cut through the richness but don't overwhelm the subtle savory flavors.

What's the most extravagant egg dish you've cooked or eaten?

Cova Caffe and Restaurant Set Dinner



I have known Cafe Cova to be popular for its posh looking cakes, pastries and Italian coffee. If not for the 1-for-1 birthday set meal deal from a credit card, HY and I wouldn't have popped by for dinner. The set dinner was usually S$69++ per person, so its S$69++ for both of us. Good deal right? I find that the food was not bad for the price we paid. The following are the dishes that we liked off the set menu, although we've ordered all the dishes between both of us.

"Before Meal" Bread
The "before meal" breads and pastry sticks were always a delight. How sincere these were made, presented and served usually gives a hint of the quality of food that is to follow.


Antipasto
Tuna and Salmon marinated with balsamic vinegar, on bed of wild rocket and fresh orange dressing
We liked the mix of the fresh sweet orange that offers a contrasting taste to the savory tuna and salmon.


Pasta
Home made "stracci" pasta with venison ragout,
black berry sauce and shaved parmesan
Both of us thought that the fettucine was good. The sauce was not too heavy and
the olive oil was just enough to coat the fettucine to give it a light gloss. There isn't
venison so they replaced it with chicken which we don't really mind.


Mains
Lamb loins with warm Italian beans salad,
roasted potato and tomato veal sauce
The lamb loin was tender but I find tha sauce mediocre. It's not good enough to
accentuate the muskiness of the lamb. However, I still I thought that
it was better than the pan seared cod fish that HY ordered.


Desserts
Instead of the cakes, I've chosen 4 mini pastries and cakes. Lemon tart,
Chocolate mousse tart, a pistachio choclate mousse tart and a sacher.


A Choice of Coffee or Tea
Italy isn't famous for tea right? So how can
I not choose their coffee.


Overall, food was good for the discounted price that we paid. I don't think I would pay the full price to have dinner here, but I definitely wouldn't mind having the cakes, pastries and coffee over here. (Link to food diary write up on tea time experience) Apart from that, we find the service at Cova real good. The waiter that served us was very attentive to our needs. He even led me over to the pastries counter to identify the cakes and pastries.

Address : 290 Orchard Road, #01-20A Paragon Shopping Centre

Tel : +65 6733 0777

Cova Singapore Website

Country : Singapore

Senin, 27 Juli 2009

Dorie G's Tartest Lemon Tart

ahhh..yesssss..dorie's tartest lemon tart...

and it is tart, but so so right.








this was not the actual crust recipe given, but this crust was, might i say, perfect... and i can say that because i didn't make it...the crust master of the house, MOM, made it. it was fun...we both got our hands dirty on this one.










there was just the right amount of dough AND filling to throw together this little guy. almost too cute to cut.....almost.











visually, the whole tart turned out beautiful yet simple. taste-wise, this baby has nothing simple about it. it's tart with just the right sweetness.



i must admit...this is not the first try with this tart. my first try was from the lovely pages of smitten kitchen (love her stuff!) recipe found here. i followed it to a T or so i thought, and mine looked like hers...oh i was so excited about it. but i gotta tell ya...i was disappointed. it kinda reminded me of a cooked lemon marmalade. like a blended up lemon with a bunch of sugar and greasy butter...wait...that's what it is!...but hold on...all is not lost. i gave a few slices away and to my surprise i was told it was one of THE BEST things i have ever made !!! a good friend of mine, alice, who has traveled france quite a bit and pretty much knows her authentic tarts is the one that flipped over this one. so i thought i must be crazy..i had to try it again. i googled dorie's tartest lemon tart and low and behold found out that most all the other examples (from a TWD found at the host babette's blog) had a 1/2 c. of heavy cream.

well, back to the drawing board...and just in time for my pal alices 29th birthday. luckily my pastry chef had whipped up a few discs of that fabulous dough for another try. for this one i emplored her help through the whole process due to the fact there was no room for error. the tart had to be delivered on that saturday in time for alices birthday weekend. needless to say tart #2 came out much better in my opinion...but now i'm questioning my opinion..hmmm....anyway, i was told yummy and fabulous by the birthday girl and the mini tart we saved for ourselves was devoured down to the knuckle.

so, the point of this story is...that this is a damn good tart no matter what i think!!! if your looking to WOW your guests with something you'd only expect from a fabulous dinner out...try this one on for size...

Pan Seared Shrimp




Happy Monday to you all! I hope the summer is treating you very kindly!

I don't cook shrimp that often for two reasons. The first is because I'm the only one in my family who likes it, gosh! And the second is because for the longest time it has been intimidating to me. But in the last few months I've come to realize that it's really easy to make, especially when you use this recipe. The one thing I've learned about cooking shrimp is to be careful not to overcook it so that it doesn't come out rubbery. If you have any other shrimp-cooking tips, do share! I can't get enough, and my family will learn to like it by golly!

Pan Seared Shrimp
Slightly Adapted from Taste of Home, Healthy Cooking June/July 2009 ed.

Ingredients

1 lb uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup white wine, chicken broth or seafood stock
1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning (I used McCormick, delish!)
2 tablespoons minced parsley

Directions

In a large skillet, saute shrimp and garlic in oil for 3 minutes. Add wine or stock and seasoning; cook and stir 3-5 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink. Sprinkle with parsley.

Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express

Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express

Mark Bittman is a genius when it comes to combining a few ingredients to create a great dish. In his Minimalist column in the New York Times, he simplifies recipes down to the bare bones and yet they retain all the appeal of more complicated dishes. I have several of his cookbooks, including the dog-eared How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and have given several of his books as gifts. I eagerly look forward to his columns in the New York Times, his Bitten blog posts, and especially his popular "101 lists."

Here they are in case you missed any:

* Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less

* 101 20-Minute Dishes for Inspired Picnics

* 101 Simple Appetizers in 20 Minutes or Less

* 101 Simple Salads for the Season

The loose format of these recipes works. Sometimes you don't need the typical list of ingredients and measurements, you just need good ideas and Bittman delivers plenty of them. So I was excited to check out Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express which consists of, 404 seasonal recipes that you can make in 20 minutes or less. Similar to the New York Times lists, they are written in paragraph form, though with a bit more detail. The flexibility of the measurements assumes a certain level of knowledge, but makes for a free and easy style of cooking I particularly like. The recipes themselves are intriguing though some more than others. Melon soup with pancetta, simplified sesame shrimp toasts, deconstructed raspberry souffles, and broiled eggplant with miso walnut vinaigrette are all flagged in my book. Other ideas feel too simple and obvious such as steak with gorgonzola or miso soup with tofu.

Unfortunately what works online, on Twitter and in a newspaper article is not the same as what works in a book. I find that hundreds of recipes in paragraph format organized primarily by season, make the book difficult to actually use. The recipes follow a progression from breakfast-oriented dishes to soups, salads, main dishes and desserts, but it's still unwieldy and frankly, many ingredients are not really all that seasonal. Recipes featuring ingredients such as boy choy, bacon, frozen peas, canned beans, eggplant, shrimp, raisins and olives could easily fit in more than one season.

The "More Ways to Navigate" section provides lists of recipes under headings such as Brown Bag Lunches, Desserts You Can Eat Any Time of the Year and Recipes to Toss with Pasta. I would have preferred if the book had been organized using those categories instead of just the seasons or the more typical headings--breakfast, soups, salads, desserts, etc. You can find what you are looking for fairly easily in the index if push comes to shove. Bottom line, if you are a seasoned cook looking for inspiration, this may be a good book for you, but a much more accessible book, in my opinion, is Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times.

Note: Still curious about Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express? You can browse inside the book here.

Minggu, 26 Juli 2009

Lobster Porridge @ Orchid Live Seafood


It was my dad who called to my attention, the restaurant that he visited with his colleagues along Jalan Kelulut (one of the tributary road of Yio Chu Kang Road). The next chance we had, we got our family there for a tasting. Not knowing what to order, we decided to go for the S$168 set dinner which has the popular lobster porridge as one of the dishes. After visiting the restaurant, all of us thought that the only dish worth a mention was the lobster porridge.

Orchid Live Seafood's Lobster Porridge
HY's a porridge lover and even she thought that this lobster
porridge was good, even though there was a little too much MSG.
One pot of the porridge was able to feed all 6 of us.



This is one of the bigger sized lobster that was fished out of the pot.



Steven's Chicken
This is another one of the restaurant's signature
dish. But I don't really thought much of this dish.


At S$168 for 6 people, food is considered economical at the place. However, don't expect good service at the restaurant. We waved our "invisible" hands at many busy waitresses until my dad decided to walk over to the cashier to get their attention. I noticed that there were quite a lot of people patronizing the restaurant at such a 'rural' address even though I thought that their service and food were nothing worth a lion's roar, except for the pot of lobster porridge.

Address : 16 Jalan Kelulut

Tel : 9636 1909

Country : Singapore

Sabtu, 25 Juli 2009

Cooking up a Southern Italian Cuisine @ Palate Sensations with Chef Lino Sauro


It was Ade's suggestion for Jane's birthday treat that led us to Palate Sensations. Instead of a prim and proper sit down dinner, why not do the adult "masak masak", don the apron, and cook our own dinner!

Palate Sensations is a cooking school located among the lush greenery of Portsdown Road. The school provides state-of-the-art equipment and quality utensils that enhances the joy of cooking. We chose the menu that we liked off the school's website and decided to cook our own Sicilian Seafood Cuisine with the help of Chef Lino Sauro from Garibaldi. At the end of it, we get to savor the food that we cooked in a cosy, private dining room that was enough for about 10 people.

When we felt tired during the 2 hours of fussing over lobsters, prawns, vegetables, herbs, there was a slick looking Nespreso coffee machine readily available for that cuppa to accompany our journey towards culinary excellence.

The Mess Over Our Designated Kitchen Top
There's much more than wooden spatulas in Palate Sensations.


Sicilian Seafood Cuisine Menu
Chef Lino explained ....... The bottarga is tuna roe from
the Mediteranean region near to Southern Italy. Couscous is a granulated
source of carbo made from semolina. It is commonly eaten by people
in South Italian and North African regions


Some of the ingredients .....
The ingredients that was going to be
transformed into culinary artforms


The rest of the class .....
Chef Lino busy making sure that our creations were
edible and still resemble the forms that his recipes were suppose to take.


Stir frying the lobster shells and vegetables to
create the broth for the lobster bisque



Simmering the broth for the lobster bisque



Lobster in its broth with citrus
The end result of taking a lobster apart, cracking
up its shells, and a lot of simmering


Chef Lino plating our capellini for tasting


Capellini with Sea Urchin and Bottarga
Ade was flabbergasted when she knew that this marvelous
dish was so easy to make and yet she paid a bomb for it before



Stir frying the seafood couscous



Vegetables and Seafood Couscous
Ade helped plate our couscous
into nice cylindrical shape


Although it took us 2 hours to cook our dinner, it was a fun filled culinary experience. I cannot share the recipes but my take away from the cooking class for good Italian food is;

Make a good stock and add lots of extra virgin olive oil

We left the school glad that all of us can actually cook some mean Sicilian seafood cuisine (with a lot of help from Chef Lino of course). Happy Birthday Jane!

Cost : S$130 per person (depending on the courses)

Address : 1 Westbourne Road, #03-05 (entrance via Whitchurch Road, off Portsdown Road)

Tel : +65 6479 9025

E-mail : info@palatesensations.com

Palate Sensations Website

Palate Sensations Blogsite

Country : Singapore

Jumat, 24 Juli 2009

Love, Marriage and Oysters

Love, marriage and oysters

A couple of years ago during the screenwriter's strike Amy Ephron contacted me about writing for her site, One for the Table. I was honored and what a treat to finally meet her in person on my recent jaunt down to Hollywood! She gave me a very personal tour of the farmer's market at Third and Fairfax and afterwards we enjoyed breakfast and an order of pancakes, for the table. It was like hanging out with a long lost friend.

Mostly my pieces on One for the Table are reprints from this blog, but from time to time I write something new. The current posts are all about seafood and mine is about love, marriage and oysters. It's a bit of a departure from what I usually write on Cooking with Amy, I hope you enjoy it.

Kamis, 23 Juli 2009

Absolutely Fabulous Baked Beans




Hello friends! I've missed you and your delicious creations, it's amazing how a few short days puts you so behind!

We had a lovely time at the Falls, which are gorgeous. The kids did amazingly well, especially on the boat ride, which was WET! Camping is a lot of fun, but it's also nice to be home.

On to the food! I haven't always been a big fan of baked beans, I used to think that they were too soupy with a bland flavor. But when I saw Paula Deen make these, I knew I was about to become a believer.

I could seriously eat these for dessert, and I would be completely satisfied. They are sweet, tangy, crispy and smoky. They come out of the oven so thick and gooey, my mouth is watering just thinking of them! You will fill up an entire 9x13 pan, so it's great for a crowd, or half it for a family side dish.

Sue and Gloria's Baked Beans
Found from Paula Deen on Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

4 (16-ounce) cans baked beans
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup molasses
1 cup BBQ sauce
2 tablespoon yellow or brown mustard
5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 (6-ounce) can french-fried onions, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large bowl, mix together beans, pineapple, molasses, BBQ sauce, mustard, bacon, and a third of the onions. Add some salt and pepper, to taste. Pour beans in 9 by 13-inch casserole dish and sprinkle remaining crushed onions and bacon on top. Cook in oven for 1 hour or until beans brown and bubble. Serve warm

Rabu, 22 Juli 2009

Soda Stream Sparkling Water

Soda Stream


When the waiter asks what kind of water I say "tap," but my other half says "sparkling." Until recently we had been drinking plain filtered tap water at home, but not anymore, now our water sparkles there too. My dad used to buy seltzer water in cans by the case and then by the liter until he got a carbonating machine. He's been raving about it for ages, so when Soda Stream offered me a unit to review I said sure.

Soda Stream sells an entry level soda machine for under $100 and frankly, I can't imagine why you'd buy any other model. It's easy to use, takes up barely any counter space and doesn't even require an electrical outlet. You do have to buy carbonator cartridges, but the cost per liter comes out to only about 20 cents. I'm particularly impressed that the water bottles you get with the machine keep the water very fizzy even after they have been repeatedly opened and closed.

I'm fine with a glass of sparkling water garnished only with a slice of lemon or lime, but if you want to make soda, they also sell various syrups to mix with the water. The soda mixes I tried were too sweet for my taste, but then again, I'm not a soda drinker. If I was going to make soda, I'd use the lovely syrups from Sonoma Syrup.

Having switched to drinking carbonated water I can really see the appeal. Little bubbles just make water even more refreshing somehow. Last year I wrote about cocktails and spirits over at Glam and this year I've been writing on the same subject for Project Foodie. I don't have much experience as a bartender but I think I may start experimenting now that I have soda water on hand...

Selasa, 21 Juli 2009

Pimiento Cheese – Good for the Soul Foodie

Back in Virginia pimiento cheese was standard fare, especially at my house. More often than not occupying a spot on the shelf in the fridge between Mrs. Marshall’s potato salad, Dad’s egg salad and, well, the mayonnaise. I don’t actually remember Mom or Dad making it, although one or the other did. While this was a place and time where pimiento cheese roamed freely in the dairy section at most markets, I had none of that. Why, you ask? Lucky me, I had only to open the refrigerator and voila! there was pure pimiento ambrosia to be enjoyed most often on soft, white sandwich bread sometimes garnished with a few slices of Hanover tomatoes. But also very tasty on crackers or perhaps smushed into a celery stalk (very Southern). Me, I go for the sandwich, crusts and all.

The recipe for most pimiento cheese consists of mixing just six or so ingredients. Typically, it includes sharp cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pimientos (not pimentos, mind you) and some simple seasoning such as salt & pepper. Common variations on the recipe include the addition of onion (or a shallot), cream cheese, garlic, bacon, jalapeños, or a variation of cheese types. Some use blenders (bad) and others use hand graters and forks (good). The recipe I will share with you here is my Mom’s. It is not to be altered or trifled with. Don’t get fancy. Don’t you dare. Don’t even consider it.


Ah, my Moms. About a year ago when she visited, there also happened to be a pile of other folks crashing at my house. To my mom’s delight she had a whole new world of people to feed. “But Kathy, what is this PIMIENTO CHEESE you speak of?", they asked. “It sounds kind of gross.” I guess compared to the Scottish eggs, lavender cupcakes and homemade loaves of bread (good for said sandwiches, fyi) mom had prepared, the gooey, orangey “cheese” with red things in it may have seemed less appealing. Well, let me just say that the pimiento cheese lasted about 10 minutes, with requests for the recipe (read - make more, please, Kathy).


About 6 months ago my dear mother moved here to the city of angels and among other fun food adventures, we recently returned to the ole pimiento cheese. I have to say, nary a soul tasting this magnificent, Southern concoction has been disappointed. Rather, I dare say, overwhelmingly surprised and titillated by the experience. It’s a perfect snackulation on a hot, summer afternoon (now).


And here we go…


Mom’s Pimiento Cheese


Let’s start with the rules:

NOT ALLOWED: food processors, pre-packaged grated cheese, grating cheese too finely or grating too coarsely


ABSOLUTES: Duke's mayonnaise, stirring mixture with a fork, the right consistency

Ingredients: 1 block of sharp & medium cheddar (yellow)

1 small jar of pimientos & pimiento juice

1/8 medium onion (Vidalia preferred if available) minced very, very finely

a couple of generous dashes of Worcestershire sauce

about 6 tablespoons (don't be afraid) of Duke's mayonnaise


In a mixing bowl: Grate the cheese on the smaller grates (not the tinies, though) and add the mayo and onion. Mix together vigorously with a fork until everything is “married”. Add the pimientos and continue to mix. Add pimiento juice and Worcestershire sauce to taste.

Now spread it on a cracker, a stalk of celery or make a bad ass sandwich to enjoy!
Don't you forget to share with your friends and/or neighbors like a good Southerner would...

“You think I don’t have culture just because I’m from down in Georgia. Believe me, we’ve got culture there. We’ve always had sushi. We just called it bait.” -- Ben "Cooter" Jones

Palate Food & Wine

Well, well, well… To my absolute delight Dixon treated me to dinner on my birthday! Not surprising as it has become our tradition; I take Dixon to dinner on his birthday as well. Included in the tradition is that it must be a new (or, at least, new for us) and exciting spot. We had both been curious about Palate since its opening about a year ago.

Located on the motor mile of Brand Avenue in Glendale, it occupies the former Bekins warehouse built in 1928. There's a curved bar at the front of a long narrow room, illuminated primarily by pink neon and candles with handblown glass grapes spilling over the sides of a pair of giant urns. While I found it to be an intimate and comfortable environment, I couldn’t help but feel a bit like part of a Patrick Nagel painting.


Palate is the breakout restaurant for Octavio Becerra, who put in years with Patina Restaurant Group and was the original chef at Pinot Bistro in Studio City. But his cooking at Palate is nothing like the saucy Joachim Splichal style. This is more of a California-Mediterranean bistro and wine bar.


We were seated immediately (at arguably the best table in the house). Just as timely was our server requesting our drink order (rosé for Dixon and a glass of champagne for me) and presenting us with fresh bread and a house made butter, topped with fresh herbs and sea salt. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned my predilection, no – my LOVE of butter? No? Well, let me tell you, this was some of the most fantastic stuff to hit my taste buds in memory. Wine. Bread. Butter. Done.

Palate’s menu, which changes every Thursday, is divided into four sections and is really a tasting menu of sorts. One is meant to try a number of different items, share, and pair them with one or many of the wines on their extensive list. Dixon and I skipped over the Porkfolio (a charcuterie plate with: prosciutto di parma / speck la quercia / salumi: nostrano / toscano / peperone /salame cotto ($12)) and went straight for the Potted Berkshire Pork ($6) from the Mason Jar section (rillettes and confits served in small clear glass canning jars). This was a lush mixture of shredded long-cooked heirloom pork, which was flaky and fork tender with a slightly smoky flavor. With this, we tried the Cherries ($3) from the Pickled section. I am generally dubious of cooked fruit, fruit touching other fruit, jellied fruit and fruit in my savory dishes. But this was something very special (and made me truly wonder how much I’m missing out with this fear of mine). They were fresh (and very much in season), simple and wonderful.
We then moved onto the roasted heirloom tomato soup, garnished with a fried ball of Serrano ham. Simplicity is the hallmark of genius and this soup was testimony. This was followed by Dixon’s Fried Pork Belly with apricots over stone ground grits and my Roasted Salmon over braised fennel and wild rice. Both dishes I found to be impressive, but the pork belly was divine. The apricot added a scrumptious accent and the grits were creamy perfection. The portions were, in the words of Goldilocks, "just right," not overly generous but enough to share tastes and experience every nuance.











We went with our server’s suggestions with the wine pairings and had a different glass with each dish. The plus was that he really knew his wines and did a stellar job with all of the pairings. The minus is that I had no idea what we were drinking and can’t share his suggestions with you. I suppose I would recommend that, should you go, trust your server. They all really know their beeswax and Palate has a wine cellar that would be any wine geek’s dream.

I look forward to more evenings at Palate, different seasons and new tastes.
Good plan: Have enough people at the table to order practically the entire menu so you can revel in share-y, noshy, nibbly times!


Palate Food & Wine
www.palatefoodwine.com

933 S Brand Blvd
Glendale, CA 91204-2107
(818) 662-9463
Palate Food + Wine
Palate Food + Wine in Los Angeles