Shelf gleaning - Black Russian tomatoes

Found these Black Russian tomatoes at Masters Fresh Fruit at the Footscray Market.  $3.99 a kg!  Farmers markets, eat your heart out.  They are an heirloom variety which are dark olive in colour.

To make Black Russian bruschetta, take some crusty bread, toast and rub with a cut garlic clove.  Slice tomatoes and place on top.  Season with plenty of good salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Scatter torn basil over the top, and drizzle with extra virgin.  Oh yeah!!

Tomato heaven!  These little babies are really sweet, almost no acid.  If only it were tomato season all year round, as I could eat this for breakfast every day.

Masters Fresh Fruit is where I shop every week for my fruit & veg.  It is family-run and the ladies at the checkout are always up for a natter.  The F&V is super fresh.  Masters is in the centre part of the fruit & veg section, opposite the chicken shop - they are straight ahead, to your left if you are coming out of the meat aisle.  You can see their name if you look above the stall.

Madhumoti

It was a perfect night for a walk, so B and I strolled leisurely through the back streets to dinner at Madhumoti. The decor is basic but sweet - little bunches of plastic flowers on the tables, and Nanna-style plates with water lilies on them. We started with the haleem, which was almost Indian chilli con carne - a slow-cooked, soupy stew of rice, wheat and lentils with chunks of meat. The grains had melded into absolute lusciousness, which was followed up by a massive kick of heat from lots of green chilli. One of my favourite things is slow-cooked cheap cuts, which maintain all the flavour that expensive cuts like fillet lack, but through a long-cooking process become tender you can shred them with a fork. The meat in the haleem was just that. This is definitely on the slow cooker to-do list for me this winter.


The menu is really exciting, and I am glad Madhumoti relishes in its Bangladeshi heritage, and hasn't given in to the typical, predictable Indian suburban menu of samosas, butter chicken and rogan josh. We had Beef Do-Piaja, which was a lightly-cooked dish of tender beef pieces, thinly sliced capsicum and spring onion, almost like a stir-fry. We also enjoyed Tok-Mishti Begun (sweet & sour eggplant) which was eggplant in a tomato-based sauce, seasoned with kalonji, sugar and tamarind. This was accompanied by what shall henceforth be known as the bread of pure evil - Moghlai Porota, which was bread stuffed with cheese and egg, dipped in batter and deep-fried. Eek!

The thing with Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi food is, there is actually no such thing in these cuisines as "curry", in terms of a catch-all phrase for a thick, sauce-based dish. The British popularised the term when they brought Indian food back to Britain, and they in turn had learned it from the Portuguese, who had colonised parts of India in the 16th century. The Portuguese at the time described 'caril' or 'carree' as 'Indian broths' made from butter, spices, nuts and other ingredients. This in term was derived from the south Indian words 'karil' or 'kari', which described spices for seasoning, as well as dishes of sautéed vegetables or meat. Basically, Indians do not lump their dishes together as 'curries', but rather speak of them in terms of the cooking methods used, or the main ingredients. For instance, a true Korma means a braised dish (not necessarily rich & creamy), Bhuna dishes are dry-fried, and Baghar or Tadka dishes feature a flavoured oil, in which garlic and whole spices have been quickly cooked, that is then stirred into the finished dish. (If you are interested in the history of curry, I recommend Lizzie Collingham's Curry: A Biography).

Bringing this back to Madhumoti, each dish had its own unique texture and flavour. This is unlike many Indian restaurants where, although the meats and sauces are different, there is a certain sameness in the textures and flavours, almost as if the same ginger/garlic/spice mix is used as the base for every dish, which then has cream, tomato or spinach added to create the required sauce. We were the last to leave and the chef and waitress were genuinely delighted that we enjoyed the food. I can't say I am hanging for the deep-fried cheesy bread again - not because it wasn't gooood, but because I can't trust myself with the doggy bag. I had eaten the rest of it before breakfast the next day! As I said, pure evil!

Madhumoti, corner Irving and Albert Sts, Footscray

See most recent post here

Al Borgo Italian Restaurant ...... a cosy homey Italian restaurant

Last lazy Sunday afternoon. HY was asleep on our comfy sofa, with her green tea half drunk and the Hong Kong serial playing on the TV screen. I was just beside enjoying my Vietnamese drip coffee and bread with my home-made peanut butter. I had my Macbook on my lap, slouching on the sofa. My left hand sending bread with peanut butter to my mouth and my right hand, with one finger typing my food diary. Beeping from my cellphone pierce through the idllic quietness of the Sunday afternoon. It was W who suggested meeting up for Italian dinner. I googled up some venues and I suggested Al Borgo that has an address that seem to match my mood.

Al Borgo is located opposite the Singapore Chinese Girls' School and, on the ground floor of an old apartment. The restaurant has a simple decor and a cosy, homely atmosphere.

Even though we claimed that we would like a light dinner, we ended up with quite a bit of food too. Here's what we had.

Deep Fried Calamari

Even though I would prefer my calamari to be crispier and more golden brown, Al Borgo's calamari was quite good. The squid was tender inside. No trace of squid was left on the plate after we were done with it.

Porto Bello Ripieno

Portobello mushroom with mixed vegetable. The Portobello was quite good but not quite as good as Bella Pizza's version of the Portobello Ripieno.

Zuppa di Mare

Seafood with rich tomato soup. This soup was tasty but was too rich to be classified as soup. It was so rich that it can be used as tomato base pasta sauce.

Bistecca alla Florentina

750 gms of Prime cut T-bone steak. Al Borgo recommends the steak to be best eaten medium rare. W and I decided to share this dish as this was early dinner and half a loaf of bread and half my container of peanut butter still lined my stomach. I couldn't appreciate the Florentina steak. My poorly maintained set of teeth didn't allow me to enjoy the the meat as I would like to. Poor old man. HY thought it was good. W who had travelled to Florence to have Steak Florentina thought it was as good as what he had before. The two real beef eaters' comments count in this case.

Nodino di Maiale alla brace

Pork chop. I liked HY's pork chop more than my steak Florentina. It was the first time we were ask how we would like our pork chop done. I always thought pork chop must be well done (You can call me 'swa gu' or ignorant). This medium well pork chop was tender, lightly salted and well scented from the use of Rosemary. The sliced potatoes that were served as sides were quite good.

Tiramisu

We always love discovering good tiramisu and Al Borgo certainly served good ones. It was well soaked with liquor, not overly done. What I liked most was the fine cookie crumbs that was sprinkled on top of the soft tiramisu.

Service was prompt, friendly and attentive. When we were done with the mains and attacking the dessert, Chef Domenico Truglia came out to check on us to make sure that the dishes were up to our standards. Of course I didn't tell him that I prefer Bella Pizza's Portobello Ripieno but the rest of the food were truly marvelous.

383 Bukit Timah Road

#01-02 Alocassia Service Apartments

(65) 6737 3546

Location on Google Map

WALNUT Brown Sugar Chewy Bars

ooooh the mighty WALNUT...

thank goodness i finally woke up and found the beauty of walnuts. they're buttery, rich, soft, but crunchy and, of course, full of those good omegas. #1 nut on the omega scale i do believe.

if you're like i was and have a slight aversion to these wonderful nuggets, i suggest you give this little bar a try. this quick easy recipe could change your perspective and you might find yourself seeking more ways to get walnuts into your life.

these little treats are nearly guilt free as well. i know they DO have a good amount of sugar, but there's NO BUTTER!...doesn't that count for something? the only fats are from the omega man...the mighty walnut...my new friend.



i came across this recipe from Sprinkle bakes. Heather has some great photos and tasty treats that i can't wait to try and you should check out. She found this recipe in The American Woman's Cookbook and i'm so so happy she passed it on. i can't wait to try using this as a base and using Trader Joe's sweet and spicy pecans, or throw in some miny chocolate chips, or get some coconut in there somewhere?....and you know i always love to throw in a bit of heat...cayenne and salted peanuts perhaps?...hmmm. i'll think about it. these are so easy to whip up there's really no excuse not to try them at least once. you won't regret it. maybe you'll even fall in love with walnuts...it could happen.

CHEWY WALNUT BARS
The American Woman's Cookbook

1 1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour sifted
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, well beaten
1 tsp vanilla

preheat oven to 375. grease 9 x 12 jellyroll pan and set aside.
mix brown sugar, flour and salt...set aside.
combine eggs and vanilla and beat well.
add egg mixture to flour mixture and blend well. mix until smooth.
fold in walnuts.
pour onto prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
cut into bars while still a bit warm.
store in airtight container.

my notes...i added about 1/2 plus more walnuts in the dough and i pressed some on top.
i also added approx 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
my pan was a 9 x 13 metal cake pan.

皇冠小館 Huang Guan Restaurant for Crab Porridge and Shrimp Roe Noodle - Macau

Armed with simple topology knowledge with a simple map (without the many side streets), we managed to walk to our hotel from Senado Square. Along the way, we pass by Rua da Campo and spotted 皇冠小館 Huang Guan Restaurant. The shop front was decorated with photos of celebrities that visited the restaurant. The photos showing their crab porridge attracted me. We returned the next morning for brunch before our onslaught in the casinos.

There are two main highlight dishes in Huang Guan restaurant; the crab porridge and the shrimp roe noodle.

Shrimp Roe 'Wanton' Noodles

The 2 main ingredients worth mentioning are the hand made "bamboo pressed" noodles and the shrimp roe. The noodles from the restaurant are traditionally made using the "bamboo press" method, resulting in a tangy texture. Shrimp roe were generously sprinkled over the noodles. This gave the noodle it's highlight taste.A friend ask me where can I find good wanton noodle in Singapore. Having tasted, quite a few good ones in Hong Kong and Macau, the supposedly good ones in Singapore pales in comparison.

A Close-up of the 'wantons'

Crab Congee

The crab that Huang Guan cook with the congee are local sea crabs that is not as meaty as the Sri Lankan crabs but the flesh of these crawlies are definitely sweet and tender. The congee was infused with the sweetness of the crabs. HY would definitely like this one. Too bad she wasn't here with me.

There were about 5~6 crabs in this medium sized bowl of congee that was good enough for 2

Inside Huang Guan Restaurant, photos of celebrities line the wall. It must be popular!

澳門水坑尾街 308-310 號A地下

Tel : 28372248

Location on Google Map

Shelf Gleaning - Yummie

So I had the idea for Shelf Gleaning a while back - a new section in which I "demystify" ingredients I bought in Footscray (but that you too could buy from your local multicultural grocer) and show you what to do with them. Twice I cooked the same chana dal with fenugreek leaves, and twice I was thwarted in taking a pic of the finished dish by arsenic hour. Man - kids and elegant, food-bloggy photography just do not meld. So I present to you, the harried parent's guide to dinner, gleaned from the freezer of Yummie dumpling shop.


Yummie is lined with freezers stuffed with all manner of house-made dumplings and bao (steamed buns). There are also frozen sticky rice in lotus leaf. It's like your own personal take-home yum cha trolley. Behind the counter, the staff are deftly filling and pleating their wares. I was overwhelmed with choices, so I picked a mixed pack, which was $8 for 10 little treasure chests.


The assistant was very friendly and advised me to steam the dumplings from frozen for 15 minutes. They also sell a small selection of dumplings fresh (i.e. not frozen).


May I say, these dumplings are AWESOME. They all taste very distinct, and it is obvious that the ingredients are quality and that they are prepared with care. I wish I was more knowledgeable about the different names, but I did recognise har gow and the fat white Beijing style ones. We had them with a little dipping sauce of half light soy, half malt vinegar, and a simple bowl of egg noodles and vegies.

If I had my way, I would go to yum cha every Sunday. As we suffer from arsenic morning as much as arsenic hour, that is just not possible, so Yummie is going to be my ticket to dumpling dreaming.

Yummie, Leeds St, Footscray (between Golden Harvest and Pho Tam, on your right heading up from Hopkins)

CEiMB and HBi5

Normally I'm supposed to post Craving Ellie in My Belly on Thursdays, but yesterday my brain was only functioning at 50%. The night before I thought I'd act like a college student and stay out half the night with some girlfriends, great times, but I'm left braindead the next day! So, it wasn't until noon today that it hit me "I never posted CEiMB!" My apologies to the folks in the group, but hopefully my "two-in-one" post will make up for it.


This week for CEiMB we made Emerald Stir Fry with Beef, hosted by Alyssa's Two Bites. Now, I enjoy a good stir fry, but I do have to be careful not to make them too often because my husband tends to think that they all taste the same, and he's just not that crazy about them.

I made quite a few changes with this stir fry. I used green beans and a frozen veggie mix in place of the sugar snap peas and asparagus. I also added a little sugar to the sauce to sweeten it a bit. It was good, everyone was pleased, but I do think I have to side with Glenn and agree that it did taste about the same as every other stir fry I make. A delicious dish, just not that exciting. Maybe we'll do shrimp or scallops next time? That might mix it up a bit. You can find the recipe here.

And now for HBi5. The starter this week was a bit different, calling for more things like honey and eggs and I liked it! I made the loaf of bread, which got eaten very fast. It was sweet, soft and great with sandwiches, especially my all time favorite one.



And I made the hamburger buns. The tops were brushed with a bit of butter and sprinkled with a bit of garlic salt, my favorite condiment! To fill them we made our favorite burgers ever. The recipe comes from one of my Weight Watcher cookbooks and they are fantastic. Ground beef mixed with a whole variety of veggies and seasonings, then we just grill them on our Foreman. They have a ton of flavor and would satisfy anyone, whether they're dieting or not!



Mushroom BurgersWeight Watchers New Complete Cookbook

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced carrot
2 tablespoons minced celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups finely chopped mushrooms
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon steak sauce
salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute the bell pepper, onion, carrot, celery and garlic until the onion is translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add the mushrooms; saute until the mushrooms brown and the liquid evaporates, about 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

2. Spray the broiler racl with nonstick cooking spray; preheat the broiler. In a medium bowl, combine the mushroom mixture, beef, steak sauce, salt and pepper. Form into 4 hamburgers. Broil the burgers 3-4 inches from heat, 5-7 minutes each side, or grill in Foreman Grill.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 153 cal, 8g fat, 3g sat fat, 44mg sod, 1g fiber

Points per Serving: 4

Unfortunately I waited too long to do my apple strudel bread, and the starter wasn't good anymore, drat! I will definitely try it another time though! I'm excited to see how the rest of you clubbers did and have a fantastic weekend ya'll!

金馬輪豬扒包 Kammalon Pork Bun - Macau

An hour later, after having glutinous rice, we were still loitering around, waiting for the almond biscuit stalls to open for business and we chanced upon 金馬輪 Kammalon that specialized in 豬扒包 pork bun. Finally, only in my third trip to Macau did I find the pork bun that can rival Lan Fong Yuen in Hong Kong.

The highlight of the pork bun from Kammalon is their freshly baked buns. The pork chops were pan fried. Although, a bit oily, the pork chop was tender and tasty. I prefer the bun here than the one in Lan Fong Yuen. Even though the pork chop has its merits, I would prefer the softer and better marinated pork from Lan Fong Yuen. How good is Kammalon's pork bun? So good that you'll see every table ordering it and most of the customers are locals.

Here's where the freshly baked buns were sliced to prepare for the consistent orders of the pork bun.

There is one pork bun stall that is located along the touristy street that leads to St. Paul Ruins from Senado Square. I ate from this stall on my first Macau trip. Nothing special. This time, I saw people lining up. However, I understand that this stall was being used for filming in a popular Korean drama and the customers are all tourist from tour groups. I would walk a bit to Kam Ma Lun if I were you.

*Address in Chinese as it's difficult getting the English Address.

澳門營地大街50號地下

(853)28572385

營業時間： 早上7:00 至下午6:30

Location on Google Map

Kammalon Website

Shelf Gleaning

Phil at The Last Appetite, fresh from a wholly unsatisfying dining experience at “old Footscray” stalwart Poon’s, has published a fantastic post bemoaning the blinkered view many Australians have of Asian food. He refers to an article by Necia Wilden in the Australian, in which she sniffs and snorts her way through a shopping trip through the “minefield” of an Asian supermarket. The ensuing discussion over at Progressive Dinner Party is brilliant, and I urge you to savour Zoe’s initial post and the comments that follow.

Wilden embarks on her Asian shopping excursion without a sense of wonder or adventure, but rather with her guard up and her hackles raised. She assumes she is going to be duped by the inscrutable shopkeepers, rather than having an open mind and giving the benefit of the doubt. She is like a rich tourist on a package holiday, perhaps a food & wine tour of Tuscany – she wants all the variables taken out of the equation by an “expert”. This, I am sure, would result in a nice holiday, with lots of nice food, but it would be just that – nice. Perhaps you, like me, would prefer the massive highs and lows of a self-propelled trip, eating at street stalls, risking a bad tummy, for the elation when you discover, hidden down some alley, the stonking good food at some friendly, dirt-cheap, mom & pop shop.

Crunchy pork rolls and glistening curries are only half the magic of the food of Footscray. The suburb’s different multicultural grocers, its butchers and markets are full of food finds to create wonderful meals at home. I would like to introduce a new section, in which I’ll share with you what I have gleaned from all the shelves of Footscray, crammed with dusty packets, and what I have made with them. This way too, if you don’t live in Footscray, you don’t need to see this blog as just a reference for the few times a year you may find yourself here. I’m sure you can find most of these interesting ingredients at your local Asian or Indian grocer.

Please note: I am very conscious that this section will belie my ethnicity (Anglo-Australian). These things are only new for me because of my cultural background. I am trying to avoid using terms like “discover”, as they are loaded with cultural baggage – think Columbus or Cook “discovering” Australia or North America. I also find the term “ethnic shops” (i.e. those that are Asian, Indian etc) really difficult, as it rests on the assumption that white-ness or, more specifically, Anglo-Saxon-ness is not an ethnicity but rather the norm. I am sensitive to this but still I hear myself talking about “a butcher” (where I mean an Anglo, schnitzel & sausages butcher) VS “a Vietnamese butcher”. Also, bear with this round-eyes if I get wide-eyed over the Asian equivalent of, say, tomato sauce or Weet-Bix.

Stay tuned for the first post in “Shelf Gleaning”.

Take Away Café at Rotunda, Williamstown Beach

Welcome to the first guest contribution on Footscray Food Blog! Christie of OH-MY-LA (a local Western suburbs blog) has kindly provided the review below. Glad to hear from a fellow chicken-salt addict, Christie! If you too would like to send in a review to Footscray Food Blog, please do, via footscrayfoodblog at gmail dot com. Picture/s optional but encouraged. Let's keep it restricted to the city and Western suburbs. Thanks and enjoy!


No trip to Willy beach is really complete without fish’n’chips and last Sunday was no exception. We cruised along the Esplanade on our bikes and stopped at Rotunda (next to Sirens) to see what the kiosk had to offer for lunch. From an exhaustive list of meal deals we selected small chips, 2 dim sims, 2 calamari and 2 potato cakes. Our lunch was served in a cardboard tray and was ready in less than 10 minutes, we didn’t mind the wait as we enjoyed strains of an acoustic performer entertaining a function upstairs. We ripped open the paper bag to see a delicious selection of golden goodies. Everything was so crispy and fresh (yes even the potato cakes) and every bite was a pleasure. Their only downfall was the lack of chicken salt, but for a measly $8.90, we very much enjoyed our fish’n’chips at the beach and I’ll happily bring my own next time.

Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Pepper

I think I speak for all Cooking Light subscribers when I say that this month's edition is awesome! So awesome in fact that my mom called me last night just so we could discuss this month's magazine, I'm not kiddin' when I say that we love our food. One of the first questions she asked me when she called was "have you tried the roasted chicken with balsamic peppers?" my answer, "heck yes I did!" This dish, while maybe not the most photogenic dish, far exceeded my expectations of how I thought it was going to turn out. The chicken is juicy from being roasted, the peppers are so tangy and bright from the balsamic vinegar, and the potatoes are smooth and mild and bring this whole dish together. I just made regular mashed potatoes, but CL suggests making mashed potatoes with Mascarpone cheese, which is what my mom did. She said that it really added to the potatoes and made them fantastic. I also really liked pouring the tangy balsamic sauce over the potatoes, an unlikely combination, but very addicting and hard to stop eating! I think you'll love this dish!

Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers
Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2010

Ingredients

3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 fennel seeds, crushed (I just did this in my mini food processor)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 (6 oz) boneless, skinless, chicken breast
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cups, thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 cup, thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder and oregano. Brush chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil sprinkle spice rub over chicken. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes, or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, or until done.

3. Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; loosen brown bits. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.

Serves 4: 1 breast half and 1/2 cup bell pepper mixture, potatoes not included

Per Serving: 282cal, 11g fat, 35.9g prot, 8.8g carb, 1.9g fiber, 94mg chol

Points per Serving: 6

Finally, Fondue!

Occasionally I get a brain flower and announce these bold statements to anyone who will listen. “I’m going to get a gym membership and work out 3-5 times a week!” or “This is the year I learn how to use jumper cables and change tires!” or “I’m going to watch Werner Herzog’s entire catalogue this month!” or “I’m going to bring back fondue!”

More often than not these things are never realized.

About 5 or 6 years ago I assertively declared (more than once) that I was, in fact, going to bring back fondue. Now, I don’t know where I thought fondue went.  Perhaps it was hiding in someone’s attic, along with their old tunics and issues of Good Housekeeping. Regardless, I was bringinnit back. Reinventing it. Modernizing it. Making it cool. Or so I said (more than once).

One Christmas, much to my surprise, my friend Heather gave me an All-Clad fondue set as a gift. Admittedly, I was shocked that anyone actually listened to me and my fondue braggery. Or any of my crackpot ideas for that matter. In any case, I was really excited and became even more audacious about a Fondue Night that I was to orchestrate for all my friends and, of course, Heather.

I guess you can guess what came of that. Zip.

So a few weeks ago, while having dinner at Heather’s new house, she decided to get something off her chest: “You know Elliott, I have to admit that I was pretty upset and insulted that you never used the fondue set I gave you all those years ago.”

Well, crap. I felt horrible. And it’s true – that fondue set has been parked in my cupboard for half a decade, along with a fondue cookbook and a vintage fondue set from another friend who also made the mistake of falling for one of my fondue-blathery moments.

But at least I have always, and continue to, make good use of the martini glasses Heather gave me the next year?

Anyway, you guessed it – 6 years in the making, with far less fanfare than one would have thought – Fondue Night was realized. Heather came over in the afternoon and helped me find an appropriate recipe. She is not a bells-and-whistles-with-her-food kind of girl. She eats hot dogs with NOTHING on them, salad consisting of only lettuce and a dressing of oil and salt  (just a little bit and sometimes none). You get the idea. So my grandiose plans of a rosé fondue or to incorporate shallots were shot down immediately. This was probably smart as it was my maiden fondue voyage. Best to keep it simple, learn the rules before you break them and whatnot.

Interestingly, Heather has only a few taste memories from her childhood from what I can tell. Popovers and fondue seem to be the biggies. And it’s true. My recollection from our high school days include those items plus homemade popcorn and experimental salad dressings (maybe that’s why she doesn’t like fun dressings now?). So it was important to her to keep the recipe as classic as possible. And after all these years I didn’t want to rock the fondue boat, so to speak. I will say I sneaked a smidge of truffle oil in at the end.

It was great fun. Heather grated the cheese and chopped the bread while I rubbed garlic in the interior of the pot and mixed the cornstarch with kirsch. We listened to the Pharcyde’s second album, sipped wine and enjoyed the preparations in my little kitchen. I occasionally consulted with her as to the consistency of the fondue since she had such a strong memory of it. It was good kitchen give and go.

An aside: I think I have actually only ever had fondue once in my life. It was at a Melting Pot in Jacksonville, Florida. I’ll leave it at that. Perhaps that’s why I have assumed fondue was in dire need of being brought back.

We set up our dining operations in the living room around my coffee table as it felt more communal, noshy and less formal. Even though I violated Heather’s fondue taste memory by including the truffle oil, I think we pretty much achieved what she remembered as fondue. Hell, I guess that means I did it. It may have taken slightly longer than I may have implied – but I brought back fondue! Take that, world!

____

Although I quite enjoyed this recipe, I am eager to experiment with more and different ingredients in the future. A champagne fondue, perhaps? Maybe even a brie and wild mushroom fondue! So look forward to more fondue stories to come…

P.S. Photo styling credit goes to Heather.

Swiss Fondue with Truffle Essence

Serves 4


Ingredients: 

1 loaf of country bread 
½ lb. blanched broccoli florets 
1 garlic clove, peeled 
1 1⁄4 cups dry white wine  
1 lb. (about 3 cups) gruyère cheese, grated 
Pinch of nutmeg 
1 tbsp. cornstarch 
2 tbsp. kirsch 
2 tsp. truffle oil 
Salt and freshly ground pepper


Directions:

1. Tear country bread into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

2. Rub interior of a medium stainless-steel pot with garlic clove, then chop garlic. Add garlic and white wine and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add gruyère cheese and nutmeg. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until cheese melts (cheese and wine will not yet be blended).

3. Combine cornstarch with kirsch in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly and stir into cheese mixture. Continue to stir and simmer until cheese mixture becomes smooth, about 5 minutes, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, adding up to 1/4 cup more wine if fondue is too thick. Drizzle with truffle oil.

4. To serve, transfer to a fondue pot set over a flame. To eat, spear bread pieces and broccoli florets with fondue forks and dip in cheese, continuing to stir with forks as you dip.

5. Have fun!

Gruyere Cheese

CARNE ADOVADA-Pork in Mex. Red Chili Sauce

Carne Adovada..hmmmm, yummm....yup, still on with my Mexican savories. well, this one is a New Mexico specialty. i just like anything hot and spicy, add in some good ol'pork butt and i'm good to go.

rich deep red sauce made from scratch. not only is it easy it's incredibly satisfying to create something authentic tasting from start to finish. it's just a little time consuming, but well worth it. the worst part is waiting for the 24-48 hours while it marinates in the fridge. it's hard to look at everytime you open the door and wish it was for dinner that night. i was good and waited 48 hours. on a side note...there are plenty of other recipes out there using chili powder, but i like to start with the real dried chilies...this way you really know what going in...some of those chili powders are a bit "iffy" and no where near as strong. also, i'm sure you could mix in a few dried Poblano, Guaillo and/or Arbols if you wanted. well, as a matter of fact, i have for something similar and they work just as well. the heat you get from the New Mexico chilies it subtle, yet big and lingers on your taste buds. hard to explain. it's hot, but not scary hot. with so few ingredients you can really taste each one. i really like the bit of oregano it calls for and the smokiness from the cumin. give it a try. it's fab with the pork chunks or shredded, some buttery avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime. serve with fresh tortillas, crunchy chips, as a tostada, in a burrito or anyway you'd like. i really enjoyed it with a salad...the crisp cool lettuce with the rich spicy tender pork was over the top good.

CARNE ADOVADA

found at TLC. howstuffworks.com

Ingredients:
8 to 10 dried red New Mexico or California chilies
2 cups water
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1-1/2 pounds lean boneless pork butt or 2 pounds pork chops, cut 1/2 inch thick

(i highly suggest the pork butt, chops tend to be a bit dry and stiff IMO)

Preparation:
1.
Wash chilies; remove stems and seeds. Place in 3-quart pan with water. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until chilies are very soft. Pour chilies and liquid into blender or food processor container fitted with metal blade; process until puréed. Push purée through wire strainer; discard pulp. Add onion, garlic, oregano, salt and cumin to chili mixture.
2.
If using pork butt, trim excess fat. Cut meat into 1/2-inch slices, then cut into strips about 1 inch wide and 3 inches long. If using pork chops, trim fat.
3.
Place meat in heavy self-sealing plastic bag. Pour chili mixture over meat; seal bag. Refrigerate 1 to 2 days. Preheat oven to 325°F. Transfer meat and chili mixture to 2-1/2-quart casserole; cover. Bake 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until meat is very tender. Skim and discard fat before serving.

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy

Happy Monday my friends. You know, usually I don't care for Mondays, but so far I'm having a great day. I just got a wonderful workout, and despite the rain, I'm in a great mood. How was everyone's weekend? Ours was very nice, and we finally made it out to Whole Foods. Oh my goodness, talk about a foodie's playland! We weren't there for very long on account of my boy not being as excited about roaming up and down every aisle of a grocery store as me, but I got a good idea of what they had, and we'll definitely be going back!

I remember making this dish on a particularly hectic night, and it turned out to be the perfect remedy for all the chaos. It's quick and easy to make and its so rich and warm with a lot of great flavor. It's also a way for someone who is watching their calories (me) to get in a nice fix of steak! And of course those meaty baby bellas don't hurt either!

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy
Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2010

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 lb top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
8 oz baby bellas, sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (I used all dried thyme)

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to directions with no salt or fat.

2. While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; saute 5 minutes, browning on each side. Remove from pan; cover.

3. Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; saute 4 minutes. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil; book 2 minutes, or until thickened. Return beef to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

Serves 4: 3/4cup beef mixture and 2/3 cup noodles

Per Serving: 344cal, 12.5g fat, 27.3g prot, 28.7g carb, 1.7g fiber

Points per Serving: 8

Fancy Food Show Winter 2010 Cool Stuff

There were a number of things I saw at the Winter Fancy Food Show that really intrigued me this year. But tasting something is not the same as cooking with, or trying something in my own home kitchen, so I decided I would put some of the most provocative products into a separate post from my favorites. Hopefully this makes sense. Next up will be the trends from the show and beyond...


If you love cheese, how can you not fall head over heels for this wedding cake? It's made entirely of Cypress Grove chevre and lovely fresh flowers. For someone who prefers cheese over sweets, it would be a fantastic way to celebrate in style. In fact, master cheesemaker and Cypress Grove founder Mary Keehn served one at her own wedding.


I've been hearing about black garlic for quite some time, but I'm not sure I'd ever tried it before the show. It was offered up in various forms from whole heads, to cloves to liquid. It is fermented and all the natural sugars come out creating a very sweet molasses like flavor and a texture somewhat chewier than a raisin. It has no bite and is actually used in various desserts, believe it or not. I think it would be great with caramelized onions, on pizza, or even in bread. I snagged a sample and look forward to experimenting with it. Hopefully it will be more widely available soon.


Let me tell you, the show floor was simply buzzing about smoked olive oil. Everyone I met asked if I had tried it. Yes, I did. And I liked it, but will need to see how it works on various dishes. It seems like it would have good potential on soups and drizzled over vegetables or to boost flavor on grilled foods. It's supposedly a top seller in Tyler Florence's kitchen shop in Mill Valley.


When I was in Japan I discovered yuzukosho, a paste made from the yuzu citrus and kosho, a Japanese green chili pepper. It's got loads of tangy citrus flavor not just pure heat. I was so crazy about it I bought tubes to bring home, afraid that I might not find it here (fortunately it is available in my local Japanese grocery store). This new product is yuzusco, like Tabasco, and it is yuzu and kosho but in a thin vinegar sauce. It has all the complexity and mild heat of yuzukosho but is much easier to use. I would use it in place of Tabasco, which I find to be fairly simple and one note. I hope the company producing it is able to get distribution soon.


I only tried a packaged mole sauce once, and it was dreadful (actually Trader Joe's discontinued it not long after I bought it)l. I tried both the black and red mole sauces from award-winning San Angel as well as the red cascabel sauce and was very impressed. The red was a bit spicier, the black a bit sweet but each tasted homemade and contains high quality natural ingredients. They were layered with flavors and I could see keeping them on hand to use with leftover chicken and turkey. I'd use the cascabel to make enchiladas.


My friend Vanessa of Italy in SF introduced me to these fantastic Etruria Gourmet vinegars from Italy and their producer, Giuseppe Cagnoni. I had never had honey vinegar before and fell for it, hard. I plan to pick up a bottle and see how many ways I can use it. I bet it would be great on fruit salad as well as bitter green salads. Vanessa suggested using the mild honey vinegar with sparkling water for an aperitif, which sounds great. The raspberry vinegar was also amazingly fragrant and floral. Giuseppe explained how the ancient honey vinegar was probably first invented by accident. All his vinegars are living, contain "mother" and are not filtered.


Another vinegar I liked was this Sparrow Lane pear vinegar. Again, I tried it plain, so I don't have a good idea how it will perform in recipes, but I did like it very much.


One of the oddest things I tried, also all the buzz at the show, were savory filled macaroons from Fabrique Delices. Supposedly these are popular in France. I liked the goat cheese one, but the other flavors such as porcini and sun-dried tomato were problematic for me, as the cookies were too sweet. Since they are made from egg whites and sugar, I'm not sure how the baker will get the balance of sweet and savory right, but I think it's an interesting idea and look forward to trying them again, perhaps with a glass of wine?


The Fancy Food Show has very few gadgets and gizmos, but there was an interesting invention, Bread Armor a special plastic zip top bag designed specifically to keep artisanal bread fresh. It wasn't an ordinary plastic bag, but one made of 7 layers and supposedly it keeps baguettes fresh for up to 20 days. Obviously I need to put this to the test! But as someone who routinely makes bread crumbs or tosses out petrified baguette remnants, I am very excited at the prospect of this product. It can also be reused many times.