Strawberry Jam

OR we could call it Strawberry Sauce too...

I had never made jam before, and after looking at a bunch of recipes online I settled on Ina's recipe, because Ina is a superhero.  It was very simple, although I got slightly tired of hulling and halving pounds of strawberries.  But it was worth it!  Her recipe didn't call for smashing the berries at all, but I like my jam less chunky, so I used my handheld mixer to blend them a bit.  It's definitely on the thinner side of jams (maybe I could have thickened it by simmering longer?) but that doesn't bother me, because you can drizzle it on top of vanilla ice cream and that is a good thing.  

 sterilizing the jars...

berries and citrus...

sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice...

simmering jam...

 

Heading Home!

Michele and I are heading back to San Francisco after a fantastic 2012 Passport to Dry Creek Valley! I forgot to bring that wire that lets me download the photos I took, but hopefully tomorrow I can show you what we served. 

Pictured here is a iPhone shot of our "Tonno del Dry Creek," which was some incredible pork confit from Dehesa (you'll be hearing a lot more about them soon), topped with picked onions, and "hearts on fire" greens. 

By the way, I will be posting a brand new video later this evening featuring an odd, but very delicious ham, asparagus, and ricotta pizza, so stay tuned!

Learning about Tabasco

Tabasco sauce isn't just for dousing on eggs or doctoring your bloody mary. In fact it takes on a completely different character when used in cooking rather than as a finishing sauce. It's a surprisingly versatile condiment that can be used in a wide variety of dishes and drinks. There are seven different varieties of Tabasco sauce (actually there are a couple more as well that are not widely available). I learned all of this and more on a recent visit to Avery Island, home and birthplace of Tabasco sauce. The trip to Louisiana was with the inaugural group of Tabasco tastemakers. As one of the "tastemakers," I will be creating several recipes using Tabasco (for which I am being compensated).

During my visit I saw the pepper fields, the barrel room (where I tasted chili pepper mash), the factory (where I breathed in vinegar fumes), the lab, the bottling rooms and learned just how Tabasco is made. While almost 99% of the Tabasco chile peppers come from places like Latin America and Africa, all varieties of Tabasco sauce are made on Avery Island. The peppers are processed, made into a mash with salt, aged and fermented in bourbon barrels, then transformed into sauces.

At a dinner for the Tabasco tastemakers I was blown away by how chef Alon Shaya of Domenica restaurant in New Orleans used Tabasco in his cooking. Twice nominated for a regional James Beard award, Shaya cooks his unique version of Italian food using the best local ingredients he can find, and a good deal of restraint in a town where excess is generally taken to an extreme. He used Tabasco in everything from a simple yet intensely flavored handmade pasta with shrimp to a chocolate dessert.

Finally bartender Neal Bodenheimer of Cure used Tabasco in cocktails with spirits like Pimm's and rum and creme de banane. One of the drinks he made was a "cobbler" which traditionally is a drink made with wine or sherry, sugar and fresh fruit. His cocktails were both unexpected and amazing. Stay tuned for my first recipe...

Read more blog posts about the Tastemaker trip:

Comic strip of Camper English tasting pepper mash from Alcademics

Of Mash, Marsh and Memorable Meals from Food Orleans

Avery Island, part deux: boils, bottles, bloodies & boudin from Food Orleans

Tabasco taste test from Fritos and Foie Gras

Chef Alon Shaya goes Tabasco crazy from Fritos and Foie Gras

A Visit to Avery Island Louisiana Home of Tabasco Sauce from Recipe Girl

A Trip to Avery Island Louisiana from Eat, Live, Run

Top 10 Avery Island Louisiana from What's Gaby Cooking

Disclaimer: I visited Avery Island as a guest of Tabasco

Spring!

Spring is finally really here, and my rhubarb is growing!

Lin Heung Tea House 蓮香樓 ... Old School Dim Sum, Central, Hong Kong

The million dollar question when one foodie visits Hong Kong would be "Where can I get good dim sum?" This will be a difficult question to answer in the land of dim sum. Between HY and I, we were divided when faced this same question. It's the same for roast goose where my cousin who's residing in Hong Kong would swear by 深井裕記 Yue Kee in Sham Tseng but we prefer 鏞記 Yung Kee as we find it more refined. As for dim sum, HY prefer sitting in the comforts of Maxim Palace @ City Hall whereas I prefer the local traditional Lin Heung Tea House.

As you walk up the stairs of the tea house, you'll be welcome by the crowd and the chatter. For all the 3 times that I visited the tea house, all tables were occupied. You'll always be one of the many people standing between the space between tables to wait for any vacant seats. On one occasion, I was there with HY and my parents, suddenly an old man from one table ask us to share the table with them. There were 3 different families on that table for 10. HY and I had to sit sideways to be packed into that table. As we were pretty late, the waiter told us there no har gao and siew mai anymore. However, the same old man who was obviously a regular cajoled the waiter to get the kitchen to prepare some for us. We finally got our har gao and siew mai. Although they may be speaking in a manner that may seem unfriendly but the old man was absolutely helpful.

Like in Singapore's Redstar Restaurant, you have to be unfazed by the need to waylay a dim sum cart in order to get what you want.

On the table there was steamed rice flour rolls 肠粉 and I 'm grabbing at some water chestnut cakes 马蹄糕. The water chestnut cakes were chewy and interspersed with crunchy water chestnut.

This was my favorite, the steamed curry cuttle fish. Just love the mild curry flavor with the steamed cuttle fish.

The tasty juicy sweet Chinese Sausage bun. Good fluffy bun and delicious sausage.

Even though, Lin Heung Tea House is an old school traditional dim sum place, I suspect they have some "R&D" activities going on behind the scene to create new dim sum dishes. This is a fish cake wrapped in cabbage that I've never eaten else where. There was also rare dim sum dishes like steamed pig's stomach that mum regretted that she didn't order as we had already ordered too much food. 

I've only shared the highlights of the dim sum items that is more interesting. The rest are familiar stuff that we dim sum lovers can order with our eyes closed. Even though I like the dim dum in Maxim Palace, I still prefer the idea of "fighting" for food and seats and eating with the local crowd. I love feeling the real Hong Kong, it's heart beat and the passionate Hong Kongers in places like Lin Heung Tea House.

I had no intention of sharing Lin Heung Tea House since it's already famous. So famousr that I can even meet my high school classmate during one visit to Hong Kong. However, I am please that there are people who actually follow this food diary and use my food recommendations in Hong Kong and love it. Because of that, I decided to create this entry so as to add on to my favorite HK food haunts despite Lin Heung Tea House being so "over" recommended in the food bloggers world. By doing so, those who just follow my favorite HK haunts will not miss out on this one. Glad that this food diary is actually being used the way we want it to be. For the Love of Food. Any one who loves food is welcome. 

VinTam's Bakery

Poor old Docklands.  Remember the burning luxury yacht last month?  This tweet pretty much sums up the mood about our waterfront precinct.

The problem with these manufactured areas (think Southbank and Fed Square) is they don't really develop naturally.  In food terms, they open ready-populated with cafes and restaurants that have been installed to hit certain price points and not much else.  I was at Fed Square recently and asked the usher at ACMI, "Where's the best coffee place here?"  She looked at me helplessly and we both smiled.  "Degraves Street?" she finally offered.

That's why VinTam's Bakery, tucked away in Docklands, is really exciting.  Walk past endless cookie-cutter panini bars and you'll come across this bakery and Vietnamese cafe, so popular it has reversed the trend and actually taken over an empty shop next door.

They do good banh mi, from mixed ham to nem nuong (a springy, hot pink pork kebab) plus a menu of home-style Vietnamese dishes like ca ri ga (chicken curry), Vietnamese coleslaw and pho.

Beef pho, $10

This sliced beef pho was delish and could hold its head up anywhere along Hopkins Street.  The beef, tender brisket and rare wafer-thin slices, was tasty and the broth well seasoned and rich with hints of star anise.  There was only one measly sprig of Thai basil, but perhaps the punters around here don't add it and so they're understandably cutting their losses.  

BBQ chicken banh mi, $6.50

This banh mi was literally heavy in its paper bag.  It was light on salad but so generous with yummy chopped chicken thighs luxuriating in a hoi sin glaze.  The bread was proper and the chilli was plentiful.  It's not Nhu Lan but a good effort all the same.  Other banh mi varieties are slightly cheaper at $5.50.

Com tam, $10

This classic com tam had a sweet and tender pork chop, generous broken rice and lovely sunny egg.  It didn't quite match up to Footscray but in the local stakes it's good.  "Broken rice" is literally broken rice.  It's long grain rice like jasmine, broken into pieces.  It used to be a cheap by-product of the milling process but now it's produced on its own merits.  It's stickier than normal rice and soaks up the dressing better.

The staff are lovely and it gets really busy around office worker feeding time.  There are multiple friendly people serving so it doesn't take long.  If you score a sunny day, it's gorgeous to sit outside and there's a big area where the kids can run around.

Aww, Docklands isn't that bad after all.  As for coffee in Fed Square...well...  Make a run for it down Flinders Street to the Banana Alley Vaults, where you'll find the delightful T-Roy Browns.  This little coffee cave is well worth the walk.  (Check 'em out at Milk Bar Mag too.)



VinTam's Bakery
Shop 109, 111 Merchant Street, Docklands
Hours:  Mon-Fri day time, closed weekends


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One Twenty Six ... Beach ... Green ... Breeze ... Booze

Dining habits in Singapore has evolved. Weekend brunch is the next "in" thing in Singapore and I don't think it's a fad that will die off anytime soon. Spurred on by this evolution, there appears to be more cafes and restaurants more than willing to serve weekend brunch which leads to further nurturing of more sleepy heads who will wake up after 9am, still want breakfast and kill lunch with the same stone. This is one trend that I'll gladly ride along. Since there are so many brunch options out there why not one that has abundance of fresh air, plenty of greens, proximity to the beach and plenty of booze? I was referring to One Twenty Six, the dining, garden and gastrobar located at Playground@Big Splash.

We chose the outdoor option amidst their "garden", under the shelter of the pavilions and having industrial fans blowing to enhance the effects of  the sea breeze. You get to people watch from behind your cool sun glass, in your comfortable bermudas, while seeping ice cold cocktails that One Twenty Six has plenty to offer. During the day, the place is "disguised" as a restaurant. When the sun starts to disappear into the horizon, the gastrobar will probably see more action churning out their cocktails and slushing out malted froth out of beer taps more often than during the day. Meanwhile, during the day, "The Crew", service staff with the same name printed onto their polo Ts, will have to keep themselves busy with serving mostly brunch food to a primarily family crowd. 

The most obvious breakfast on the menu is The Big Breakfast with a preference of scrambled/fried/poach/boiled eggs, German Sausage, Bacon, Hash Brown, bake beans, roasted tomatoes and toasted country bread. All these served with a glass of fresh orange juice. With McDonald's taking out their pioneer outlet, One Twenty Six's Big Breakfast will be the only Big Breakfast in the vicinity of East Coast Parkway. At $24, the portion was adequate but I thought they can do better with their choice hash brown and bread.

The Big Breakfast was HY's choice, mine was the Shellfish Carbonara with Scallop and Prawn, spaghettini with edamame and creamy pancetta sauce (S$32). The spaghetti was al dente but I was close to getting it soggy by eating it too slowly as I was helping HY cut her sausages and hash browns, then forking it to her while she's feeding little Julien (and he had to wake up and feed at the same time. Babies will be babies.). The creamy pancetta sauce was balanced but at the same time viscous enough to get me full that I skipped dessert. The scallops was well caramelized and the sweetness was accentuated by a sprinkle of coarse black pepper. The prawns was also sweet and crunchy too. I didn't think the edamame made a difference to this dish though. Placed on top of the spaghetti was what seemed and taste like crispy pan fried parma ham that added a smokey flavor to the dish. This pasta was delicious and the kitchen was generous with the portion. It is unusual that I skip dessert. Maybe it's the Katong Curry Puff I had for breakfast before the brunch. Sssh don't tell anyone that I'm an old man who'll naturally wake up early for breakfast and trying to make myself young by appearing for brunch. Brunch to me is simply .... early lunch :). One Twenty Six has a mix of American, European and Asian cuisine. You'll be able to get Nasi Lemak here too!

The weather was warm at noon time, so there's no stopping any one asking for good old fresh strawberries ice cream. Ice cream's alway good with little Vic in the house.

The Daddies on the table get their fill of booze too. William got the Mojito while I got myself this Agave Agul (S$16) - Sauza Tequila, Grand Marnier, Blue Curacao, honey and lime. This cocktail was sweet and sour blend and ice cold, intoxicating and totally liberating.

Since One Twenty Six is part of the One Rochester Group that has its winning concept circling around dining at Gastrobars, "The Crew" should be taught better not spill my Agave Agul on me even after I shifted my seat to make way for him. While it may be cool to mingle in casual profanities while conversing with a fellow colleague, nobody's stopping you but please be sensitive to do it away from a earshot?  Your brunch clientele profile is definitely different from that after the sun goes down. Last but not least, don't just stand around and just look good. Please help fill up our ice water, it's basic service for keeping customers cool while dining outdoors in this tropical weather. If one can see pass all these, One Twenty Six would definitely be a choiced venue for brunch. For some reason when One Rochester Group decided to spiff up service standards, we should be seeing more tables being filled during brunch because their food was above average. Else, they should be contented with making money from booze from their bars.


902 East Coast Parkway
Playground@Big Splash
Singapore
Tel : +65 6348 2126
One Twenty Six Website

Spicy Lentils, from Ottolenghi

First of all, a big thank you for all your well-wishes and messages these past few days! We're doing great, and it's (mostly) lovely to be a family of four. Some adjustments for all of us, but on the whole, lovely. Titus is a great big brother, and Dante is a great baby - he mostly sleeps, to be honest. 

I have a huge backlog of recipes I need to post, since I've been so lax about posting these past few months. I'll get around to it eventually, and of course I'll still be cooking quite a bit so I'm sure the blog will be back to (somewhat) normal soon. Maybe not daily posts, though. 

Here's a simple and tasty lentil dish. I don't really eat much lentils, but I'm not sure why, I tend to like them once I get around to it.  These ones were really tasty - no surprise since I found the recipe in a column by Yotam Ottolenghi. I simplified it a bit, since some ingredients aren't that easy to find, but it's still very aromatic and complex in flavor. 

It can be a soup or a stew, served on its own or over rice, depending on how much water you add and your preferences. We ate it on its own, as a stew. It was a good amount for the three of us as a light dinner. 

Spicy Lentils, from Ottolenghi

200 g red lentils

1 bunch fresh coriander

1 small yellow onion

about 40 g fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp sambal oelek (or other chili paste) 

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

3 tbsp neutral oil

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2  tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp paprika

400 g fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped

2 tsp sugar

salt

50 g butter

1-2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime

Topping:

150 g greek yogurt

100 g cucumber, finely diced

1 tbsp olive oil

Wash the lentils, and soak them in 350 ml of water for 30 minutes. Coarsely chop the leaves of the coriander and set aside for now. 

Add the fresh coriander stalks along with the onion, garlic, ginger and sambal oelek to a food processor, and mix until everything is finely chopped but not mushy. 

Put the mustard seeds in a heavy pot on medium heat. When they begin to pop, add the oil and the mixed aromatics. Fry on low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the spices and fry for five more minutes. Add the lentils along with their soaking water, and the tomatoes, sugar and a small pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover with a lid. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are completely softened. 

Add the butter, lime and coriander leaves just before serving, and season with salt. 

For the topping, just whisk the yogurt with the cucumber dice, olive oil and salt. 

Recipe in Swedish

Kryddiga linser från Ottolenghi

Chorizo Tortilla Egg Bake ...with a little less guilt

hi folks...it's almost Cinco de Mayo...

so dust off your sombrero and shake out that dusty old poncho...

Chorizo Tortilla Egg Bake is a perfect way to start the day...AND if you're watching your carbs and calories due to the swimsuit season fast approaching...not to worry.

believe it or not...this version is low carb, high protein and not as much fat as you might think. 

 chorizo can be quite fatty, but cooked down and given a little tender care it can be a big flavor punch without all the grease and fat.  

tortillas ARE really full of carbs, but if you just use a couple you'll be surprised at how much delicious corn masa flavor will carry through the whole dish.

eggs...full of good stuff, but cut the real eggs with some egg beaters and you'll never know the difference in an egg bake...i guarantee.

give this a try for a fun Mexican brunch.  the dish keeps very well and reheats in the microwave for a perfect on the go spicy breakfast or snack.  oh...and it freezes well too.

approximate NUTRITION

for 9 servings

cals...170

carbs...7

fat...8

protein 16

CHORIZO TORTILLA EGG BAKE

basic concept from Kalyn's Kitchen Egg Casserole

1/2 white onion, diced

1 1/2 jalapeno, diced , seeded and de-veined

(you can substitute jalapeno with canned diced green chiles)

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

2 large egg whites

1 cup egg beaters or substitute

4 oz fat free sharp cheddar cheese, grated

8 oz chorizo

1 cup cottage cheese, rinsed in a strainer and patted dry

2 1/2 corn tortillas, cut in to 1/2 inch long strips

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

a good pinch of cayenne if you can handle the heat

salt and pepper

a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

NOTE...seasonings depend on how flavorful your chorizo is.

use more or less to your liking.

preheat oven to 375F degrees

spray a 2 quart, 8 x 8 or 7 x 11 baking dish with non stick spray or olive oil.

saute the onion and jalapeno, in as little oil as possible.

add chorizo and cook 'til done.

transfer to a paper towel lined bowl or dish and let the fats absorb in the towels.  change paper towel if necessary.

layer the bottom of your chosen cooking dish with 1/2 of the tortilla strips...evenly spread out.

now start layering 1/2 the chorizo onion mixture, 1/2 cheese and 1/2 cottage cheese curds, a little cilantro.

sprinkle 1/2 of your ground spices...and a little salt and pepper.... and then start again with the rest of the tortilla strips, chorizo, cheese, cottage cheese and cilantro.

sprinkle other half of ground spices...and a little salt and pepper

NOTE...watch your salt additions due to the chorizo, grated cheese and cottage cheese all have salt in them.

ANOTHER NOTE...not exact instructions, but you get the idea...you want a little of everything in each and every bite.  the remaining tortilla strips should be evenly distributed for maximum masa flavor.

in a bowl mix all the eggs and beaters until combined (not frothy).

pour eggs over layered ingredients.

gently use a fork to make sure egg mixture is well incorporated.

grate a little extra cheese over the top.

NOTE...if it doesn't look like the egg mixture is enough,  just beat up another and add it in.  i get carried away with my additions and often need to add another egg and an egg white.

bake until eggs are firmly set and top is lightly browned

20 - 25 minutes for an 8 x 8 dish

NOTE...mine might have taken a bit longer so keep an eye after 20 minutes.

the middle should rise a little and you will know it is cooked trough.

AND sometimes i need to tent with foil if getting too brown.

serve with some fresh pico de gallo, sliced avocado and a dollop of low fat sour cream

OR...just eat as is...reheat a square for a good breakfast though the week.

LAST NOTE...pretty darn good at room temperature while driving the car in a mad dash to work.

(i tested the freezing and thawing...it came out great.)

肥仔排骨蝦麵 Fei Zhai Pork Rib Prawn Noodles @ Pepys Road ... last bowl and without the prawns at 12 noon.

At Pepys Road, an off shoot of Pasir Panjang Road, there's a popular coffee shop that serves the folks working in the nearby offices and warehouses. There's limited parking spaces along Pepys Road and many who park here don't like to display parking coupons. So while you are having your food, you can hear the stall owners shouting "Parking Lai Liao", in Hokkien meaning to say that the parking wardens are here to issue parking tickets. That was exactly what I heard when owner of 肥仔排骨蝦麵 Fei Zhai Pork Ribs and Prawn Noodles blasted the exact lingo while I was queuing for the last bowl of noodles at exactly 12 noon. 

Here's a peek at 永樂居 Eng Lock Koo coffee shop where tables and plastic chairs are strewn around spilling out of the shop and onto the "five foot way" (A colloquial to mean a five foot wide corridor connecting several adjoining rows of dwellings or retail spaces). Apart from Fei Zhai's Pork Ribs Prawn Noodles, the kway chup and the wan ton noodle stalls are equally popular to the regulars who crowd the coffee shop as early as 7.30am

I not sure if I'm lucky or unfortunate to order the last bowl of soup noodles from Fei Zhai. At 12 noon, their prawns ran out, there wasn't enough pork ribs and I was offered a top up of pig's tail. It's a shame that this was the first time I had pig's tail. There wasn't much meat actually, just very well braised pig's skin and some collagen. The pork ribs was phenomenally tender, Fall-off-the-bone category. The soup was tasty but just wasn't as sweet as the Beach Road or the Joo Chiat that I frequent. Maybe that was the reason why I need not order Coke to curb the effects of MSG. I get this tingling annoying ache like fine needle pricks all over my back when I have too much MSG. Coke was a quick fix for me during those occasions. I'll have to visit Fei Zhai again, early in the morning, to check if their pork ribs is actually this tender. It could be due the 'last bowl' effect when everything is stewed till perfect tenderness and sweetness juiced out of the ingredients.

Don't know if it's because this is the last bowl that I got to find out that Fei Zhai actually uses dried scallops to sweetened the soup apart from prawn shells and pork ribs. If Fei Zhai is adding this premium ingredient, there's probably minimal or no MSG in the soup like the 'sensors' on my back suggested.

114 Pasir Panjang Road (Pepys Road)
Eng Lock Koo Coffee Shop
Singapore

Hello From Healdsburg!

Michele and I are in Sonoma for the 2012 “Passport to Dry Creek Valley.” If you've been following this blog for awhile, I'm sure you've read about this event before, but if not, here's a little taste from last year.

We'll be doing the food at the gorgeous Frick Winery for the 16th consecutive year! Despite all the hard work, it's a lot of fun and we look forward to this every spring. I'll be back Monday with a new video, and hopefully some decent photos of this year's offerings. Stay tuned!

Instagram Friday

Earlier this week I FINALLY ate at Pizzeria Mozza.  It's only been a five-year-or-so dream of mine.  It was worth every last ounce of bread, oil and cheese.  We ate a lot... meatballs, fried squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta (my favorite), tuna stuffed in marinated peppers, fried risotto balls, a burrata caprese salad with garlic bread (oh my), a bianca pizza with truffle oil and fennel sausage (another favorite) and another pizza with slow cooked broccoli.  Did you not want to know all of that?  Sorry.  

I made another birthday cake in a soup can.  This time I made my own cream cheese frosting with a couple tablespoons of softened butter, a couple tablespoons of softened cream cheese, a half cup or so of powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla.  Dyed pink for my niece who just turned 3!  

And finally, if you live in the LA area, have you ever been to M Street Kitchen in Santa Monica?  Run there.  The food at the restaurant is really good but the bakery, THE BAKERY.  Ridiculous cookies (the size of your head) and they sell their famous Homemade English Muffins by the 6 pack.  I just ate one and I'm trying really hard not to go back for a second.  Only wish I had jam.  

Speaking of that - I want to make some strawberry jam this weekend but I've never done it before - anyone have a recipe they love or any pointers?  Sterilizing the jars seems like a whole thing...

Happy Weekend!  

Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodles

These are good.  Like, really good.  In fact, I just rewarded myself with one even though I was trying to start out my day with just a grapefruit.  Doh.  Dough!  (See what I did there.)

I researched a lot of basic Snickerdoodle recipes before coming up with my own.  Most called for only granulated sugar, but because I'm such a brown sugar fan I opted for more of that.  I also increased the salt a bit because I'm a big advocate of salty cookies.  I kept the 2 tsp of cream of tartar - even though I have no idea why Snickerdoodles call for that ingredient.  Anyone?  Care to learn me?  And then, of course, I added chocolate chips, because I'm mad wild like that.

These are really good.  

Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodles

(Makes approx. 3 dozen)
Printable Recipe

2 sticks good butter (European style if you can find it), softened
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
For dusting:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp organic cinnamon
Chocolate chips (1 bag)

Preheat oven to 325.  With an electric mixer, cream together butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.  In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking powder and salt.  Add to butter/sugar combo and mix until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon for dusting.

Take an ice cream scoop sized ball of dough and roll in cinnamon sugar until fully coated.  Place on parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating baking pan halfway through.  Let cool.