Touchscreens at China Red

My friend M is the anti-cool.  Years ago he buttoned all his shirts up to the neck until that became hip, when he defiantly unbuttoned them back down.  The mention of perhaps a little product in his hair prompts snorts of derision.  He refuses to drink lattes, insisting on more proletarian flat whites.  Looking for dumplings in the city one night, Hu Tong booked out, I suggested with some trepidation we try China Red.  "It's trendy though," I said warily.  "It's got touchscreens."

China Red certainly still has a buzz about it.  It's in the new centre in Little Bourke that also houses the fabulous Shanghai Dynasty, the mediocre Dragon Boat and Malaysian Jalan Alor that Bryan recently gave a gold star.

It seems a bit the poor man's Hu Tong with an open kitchen where you can watch dumplings being made plus a select range of said dumplings including xiao long bao, the soup-filled, floppy-bottomed little parcels Hu Tong has made Melbourne fall in love with.

It's deceptively large with a second, windowless lower level.  You are packed in tight but I quite like the aesthetic - simple, clean lines and bold colours.  Ordering is done via the touchscreens that hover above the tables.  There's a full spread of dumplings plus various mainland-Chinese dishes like fried Szechuan dishes covered in whole dried red chillies and various sesame oil-dressed salad-type dishes.

In the end, we didn't get to use the famous touchscreens at all!  We were in the middle of the restaurant and received regular menus.  The ironic thing is that this most modern of Chinese restaurants has gone back to the "number system" of suburban Chinese eateries.  Where once families called up on a Friday night to order "a 19, two 24s and a 63", at China Red the happy waitresses need the numbers not the names (I think because they must input via the same system as the touchscreens).

Stir-fried prawn with salted egg yolk, $22.80

I have always wanted to try a "salted egg yolk" dish.  I am sorry to say but yuck, yuck, YUCK.  The prawns were really good, juicy, fresh and butterflied, but I hated the sauce - kind of crumbly, sandy egg yolk bound somehow with light sauce.  I hate hardboiled eggs so I don't really know what I was thinking.  Not China Red's fault at all as I think this must have been well executed - I just hated it.  The steep price made it ache all the more.

Shanghai "shao-long-bao", $11.80

We watched the chef making these as we entered.  They do seem well made but they aren't as good as Hu Tong's, though.  The mince seemed really fatty and the broth that came out did too, while Hu Tong's is much clearer and cleaner in taste.

Pan-fried dumpling, $10.80

I liked these a lot, though.  The mince inside was tasty, not grainy or dry, and the skins were pleasantly thick but not doughy.  They had gorgeous fried bubbly bottoms.  With the provided dipping sauce of soy and vinegar - very good.  They are so much more expensive than the usual 15 dumplings for an insane $7 or $8, though.

We were in and out in 20 minutes, I kid you not, but this simple meal with two beers and rice cost us over $65.  OUCH!!  I think if you choose wisely, you could have a good meal here.  I am not that clued into mainland Chinese food to really pick well, though.  I must add that the service was great.

So where else in the city apart from Hu Tong is great for dumplings?  Hipness optional. 

China Red

Shop 6, 206 Bourke Street, Melbourne (map)

Phone:  9662 3688      
Hours:  Mon-Thu 11:30am-10:30pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-11pm

Does this Hollandaise-less Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict Make Me a Traitor?

I'm probably not the first person you think of when discussing adapting high-calorie recipes into lower fat ones. I know I've done a few, but generally I believe one should make something in its full fat glory, or not at all. I hate to break it to you, but shredded, steamed chicken with fat-free yogurt on quinoa chips isn’t really "nachos."

This hollandaise-less smoked salmon eggs Benedict, however, has me on the other side of that argument. As promised, here is a video recipe for the plate you saw in the How to Poach Eggs demo. You'll have to take my word for it when I say that despite the absence of the traditional hollandaise sauce, it was really, really good.

As I explain in the clip, the dill butter spread, and the yolks from the poached eggs combine to form a fine substitute for the world's highest calorie sauce. I think this idea can be adapted to feature any number of compound butters and meat combinations, and I'd love to hear about any such breakfast experiments. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for the Dill Butter:

1/2 stick butter

2 tablespoons dill

1 teaspoon lemon zest

salt, fresh ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste

View the complete recipe

Chicken, Bacon & Apple Wraps

Summer is the time for picnics. Or if not picnics, at least for eating outside. There are so many occasions when it's suitable to bring your own food, rather than resorting to often very meagre offerings - say, at the zoo, or the playground.

For those times, I want something portable, and something that doesn't require plates or cutlery. Sure, you can bring a salad, but that means you'll have to use disposable plates, or have to bring home dirty dishes. I rather not. So, this summer, I'm making wraps. These ones in particular - they are so delicious.

The combination of chicken, bacon and apple - with the addition of pine nuts - is just incredible. And you can definitely play with it - I'm thinking pears would be good rather than apples, and maybe exchange those pine nuts for walnuts... and maybe add some blue cheese instead of dijon mustard? Wouldn't that be good?

Wrap them in plastic or sandwich paper, and they'll keep for at least a day in the fridge. It's a good lunch to bring to work, too.

Chicken, Bacon & Apple Wraps
makes 8

8 wheat tortillas
200 g chicken, cooked
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp thick yogurt (Greek or Turkish style)
1 tsp sriracha sauce (or another spicy chilisauce)
1 tsp dijon mustard
30 g pine nuts
150 g bacon, diced
200 g apples, peeled and diced
70 g fresh spinach or arugula, well cleaned

Shred the chicken and mix with mayo, yogurt, sriraha and dijon mustard.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan, set aside.

Fry the bacon until crispy. Add the apples, and let them fry along for a few minutes, to soften a bit.

Divide the chicken salad in the middle of each tortilla. Top with bacon, apple, pine nuts and spinach, and roll into a tight wrap.

Recipe in Swedish:
Wraps med kyckling, bacon och äpple

Buffalo Chicken done Two Ways

Gosh, I've been a lousy blogger.

I would love to tell you that it's because I've been insanely busy saving the world, or throwing awesome crazy parties, but here's my lame excuse...

I've been reading.

A lot.

Can one have an unhealthy obsession with books? I suppose there are way worse obsessions, but seriously, when shopping, sunlight, and mealtimes start to become obstacles, rather then enjoyable, perhaps it's time to address some issues.

Luckily I have managed to squeeze in a meal here and there. Two of them were courtesy of Masterpiece's Buffalo Chicken marinade, a sample I received for free as a Foodbuzz member.


First let me say something about the marinade itself. It's delicious. I'm definitely not a Connoisseur of buffalo wings, by any means, but I did really like this sauce. It's very tangy, and hot, and proved itself to be versatile for several different uses.



The first thing I made was a Buffalo Chicken risotto that I could not stop thinking about. I was almost certain that if I made it, I was going to be the only one who liked it, but my husband and I both lapped this up like starved puppies. My husband even declared it the best risotto he had, but considering the fact that it was infused with classic "man-food" I wasn't too surprised. My mouth still waters every time I think of this dish.



Buffalo Chicken Risotto
Cuisine Magazine April 2011

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup hot sauce, or Masterpieces Buffalo Chicken Marinade
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup minced celery
1/2 cup onion
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup dry arborio rice
1/2 cup lager beer, or white wine (I used wine)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken

chopped celery
blue cheese crumbles
blue cheese dressing (I used homemade)

Directions

For the brodo, simmer broth, hot sauce, honey, and worcestershire in a saucepan over medium heat.

For the risotto, sweat minced celery and onion in butter in a large saute pan over medium heat until slightly softened, 3-5 minutes. Stir in rice and saute until each grain is coated in butter.

Deglaze the pan with beer or wine and stir until completely absorbed, 1-2 minutes. Add brodo to the pan in 1/2-cup increments; simmer and stir frequently until each addition is almost completely absorbed before adding the next, about 45 minutes total. Stir in chicken and heat through.

Garnish each serving of risotto with chopped celery, blue cheese crumbles, and blue cheese dressing (don't skip this part, it really makes the risotto!)



The second thing we made were these delicious buffalo chicken salads. Really no recipe needed for this one. Warm cooked, shredded chicken, coated with the buffalo chicken marinade, over the stovetop. On a large bed of lettuce (yes there really is lettuce under there), top with broccoli, celery, sliced cucumbers, chicken, blue cheese crumbles, and tortilla chips. Serve with a side of blue cheese dressing as well. This was very delicious, and rather healthy. The chicken and blue cheese make this a very flavorful salad.



I'll go ahead and dedicate these manly chicken dishes to all the fathers out there, Happy Father's Day! I sure am grateful for my dad, and the father of my kids.

And now to come full circle, are you a reader? If so, what kind of books do you like to read?

Cookbook Watch - June 2011

Laga mat tillsammans by Sara Begnér, (Norstedts) ("Cook together") is a book about cooking with kids. I think that's a great idea, and this book is perfect if you want to find new family favorites that are also somewhat h
ealthy and good for you. (Even though that's not the emphasis of this book, Sara has previously had a very strong health aspect in her writing.) Letting kids help in the kitchen is rewarding in so many ways - not only does it teach good habits and life skills, but it's often more fun to eat what you've helped make.

The book has nice photos - both of the food and of Sara and her family. A bit too many of the latter for my taste - it takes a lot of space, and the recipes themselves are kept brief. Some recipes use shortcuts like store-bought tortellini and meatballs, but there are also much more ambitious dishes like Osso Buco.



Camilla Läckberg is a famous author, and Christian Hellberg a successful chef - maybe not the most obvious pair to write a cookbook, but Fest, Mat & Kärlek (Party, Food & Love) is actually their second. (I reviewed their first book here.) This one is all about party food, what you're likely to eat with good friends. Most things look impressive but are actuallty quite simple. There's a lot of luxurious dishes including oysters, scallops, lobster and truffles, but also thai-spiced kebabs, and tomato salad with lime and tons of coriander, and a very yummy sweet potato dip served with fried flour tortillas. It's a beautiful book, with a nice layout and good photos, and definitely a good idea for those that like to entertain. It's a plus if you like seafood a lot, though.



Macarons are popping up everywhere these days - in bakeries (sadly, often pre-bought, frozen, industry shells with tons of additives), magazines, blogs and books. I don't have a lot of macaron books - up until recently, only the Japanese one called I Love Macarons, and frankly, that one isn't very good at all. So, I was excited, yet sceptical, when I recieved Macaron - Chic & Delicious French Treats by Annie Riggs, that just came out in Swedish at Bonnier Fakta.

I'm happy to report that it's great! The macarons are pretty and look just right (as opposed to the Japanese book, where they look lumpy and bumpy) and the recipes seem very promising. She uses pretty much the same basic recipe that I do, so I do trust that - she has a tad more sugar and less almonds, though. The book has about 20 flavor combinations, with detailed recipes. Some of them sound pretty exciting - I want to try blackcurrant chocolate ganache, and definitely banana toffée! If you like making macarons and want some new ideas - get this book!

A Food Woolf in New Orleans

I've been thinking about using my iPhone to do more quick movies for days in between the recipe videos. You may have seen my recent, How to Eat a Hamburger demo, which is the only type of thing I thought I should be using the überphone for. 

That was until I saw my friend Brooke's short film teasing a post she's doing on a recent press trip to New Orleans. When I finished watching it, two thoughts immediately percolated up. 

The first was why the hell wasn’t I invited on this trip? Hey, Louisiana Seafood Board, expect a call from my people Monday morning. Supplying us with delicious, sustainable fish doesn't get you off the hook (see what I did there? I think I've made my point).

Then I thought, instead of making one-note, me-eating-something-somewhere iPhone videos, why don't I actually try telling a story? So, thanks Brooke, for making me look at something in a different way. Every time I do, good things happen. 

Speaking of good things, after you watch the video, be sure to head over to her thoughtful and extremely well written blog, Food Woolf, to read the full post. Enjoy!

Bourbon for Father's Day

I'm just back from Bourbon Street, and I have bourbon on my mind. Of course, in New Orleans I drank Sazeracs, and the flavor of the city is really herbsaint as far as I'm concerned. But I'm thinking about bourbon and the young people I met in Louisville last Spring who told me that bourbon was what their granddaddies drank. It took them a while to come around to it, but they have now embraced it as their own.


Even though my father doesn't drink it, bourbon just seems like the quintessential spirit for dad. In my visit to bourbon country, I learned the distilleries were all pretty much family ventures, though now mostly owned by conglomerates. Even if you don't drink bourbon, a visit to this beautiful part of the country outside Louisville is a treat. I was a guest at the Maker's Mark distillery in Loretto which feels more like a national park than anything else. Historic wooden buildings with touches of their trademark red are set against a lush green backdrop. The tour of the distillery is very worthwhile. It's so old fashioned and small scale you might be surprised, I loved seeing the buckets of yeast and beautiful copper distillation pots.



Maker's Mark is made from corn, barley and local wheat. It is smooth and has featured prominently in my recipe development efforts. It has a sweetness and rich caramel and toffee notes with a hint of citrus. If you like Marker's Mark, try 46, which is also made from Maker's Mark, but is aged with more specially charred oak staves, it's a bit higher proof but still mellow and has more spice and vanilla to it.


There are lots of ways to enjoy bourbon, but if you are drinking it straight, by all means, check out the gorgeous American whisky glassware from Villeroy & Boch. The feel of these heavy glasses in your hands and the way the aroma builds and wafts up to my nose convinced me, these glasses are a must for bourbon purists. Villeroy & Boch make a whole line of whisky glasses for a range of whiskies and cocktails so you can get just the right glass to go with your drink. My thanks to Villeroy & Boch for sending me some samples to try out.


My favorite bartender in Louisville, Joy Perrine wrote the definitive book on bourbon cocktails, The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book. Her recipes are layered and balanced and introduced me to so many new ways to enjoy bourbon. She combines it with everything from amaretto to vermouth. The section on creating bourbon infusions explaining how to use herbs, spices and fruits to flavor bourbon is particularly intriguing.

Cookies!

I really, really recommend having frozen cookie dough at hand. That way, you're never more than 15 minutes away from these - Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies.

In Case of Emergency: How to Make a Tomato Rose

I like to have a few short, all-purpose how-to videos, like this tomato rose technique, already done and ready for a quick upload, in case something unexpected happens and I can't film a regular recipe.

You know, for emergencies like if my equipment fails, or I get injured saving a fireman stuck in a tree (he was up there trying to save a cat), or like in this case, I get called down to Los Angeles to produce a historically-based reality food show. Enjoy!

Cold-Rise Breakfast Bread

I'll be quick, because I need to get into the kitchen to whip up another batch of these for tomorrow's breakfast. And so do you.

Because these are great! Brilliant! Really, really good bread for almost no effort at all. All you have to do is mix a dough - by hand, no need for kneading - let it sit in the fridge overnight, do some mimimal shaping, and toss in a hot oven.

People, anyone can do this.

I use Swedish rågsikt which is a specific flour mixture containing about 60% wheat flour and 40% rye. You can most definitely mix your own, or just use wheat flour if you'd prefer that.

Cold-Rise Breakfast Bread

From the brilliant bread blogger Pain de Martin

10 g fresh yeast
400 ml cold water
540 g rågsikt or just all-purpose wheat flour
10 g salt
25 g honey

Mix everything - just mix, don't knead. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic. Place in the fridge over night.

In the morning, take your dough and tip onto a well-floured surface. Pull it into a long rectangle, and fold length-wise so that you have a long and skinny rectangle.

Brush with water and top with some seeds if you have them - I used sunflower and linseed. Press gently, so that the seeds don't fall off. Sprinkle with flour.

Heat the oven to 275°C, and pre-heat a baking sheet as well. When the oven, and the sheet, are hot, remove the sheet. Cut your dough into about ten pieces, and place on the hot baking sheet. Lower the heat to 225°C, and bake for about 10-15 minutes.

Please note: I use a fan-assisted oven, and your oven times might vary. Trust your instinct.

Recipe in Swedish:
Kalljäst frukostbröd på rågsikt

Wee Jeanie

As we sat at Wee Jeanie, Yarraville village's newest cafe, there was a feeling of deja vu.  On the next table, diners attacked sourdough bread topped with chubby avocado halves and a creamy rocket salad.  Bryan ordered baked eggs with eggplant kasundi.  "Hold on a minute..." I thought.  "These guys are ripping off Cornershop!"  My outrage was misplaced, however - Wee Jeanie is owned and run by the team behind Cornershop.  Does this satellite stack up to the mothership, however?

Wee Jeanie has taken over the premises of the old record shop in Yarraville village, opening up their back courtyard.  It's quite lovely to wander along the cobblestones alongside the quaint old station as the autumn leaves fall, before slipping into Wee Jeanie via the back door.

Inside it's classic Melbourne cafe chic - lightly-varnished wood, raw and whitewashed brickwork, creative light fittings (these ones made of preserving jars).  It's a small space that the minimalist chic makes feel much bigger, with the kitchen behind the counter, a bench seat along one wall and tables facing it.

Coffee, $3.70

It must be said, we waited a long time to order and eventually went to the counter.  (Bryan had been there for longer than me so it wasn't a case of my sneaking in the back made the staff not notice.)  Coffees took a very long time and only arrived just before our meal.  This is in contrast to the snappy service at Cornershop and indeed, most of Melbourne's better cafes, where immediately upon sitting and being given a menu one is asked, "A coffee first?"  Made with chocolatey Coffee Supreme beans, a latte here was quite mild in flavour, good but not outstanding.

Vanilla rice pudding, $9

This was just gorgeous.  I loved the duck egg blue bowl which made scooping spoonfuls of this lovely porridge feel like a little meditation.  The rice was soft, creamy and not at all mushy.  Sumac was an ingenious element which gave it citrus tang, while crushed pistachios created textural variation.  The strawberries were just heavenly, plump and juicy.

Baked eggs, $12

Bryan's eggs were pretty good.  The eggplant "kasundi" (a type of relish, apparently) was very heavily seasoned with cumin, perhaps too much so.  I thought the eggs were overdone - the yolks were not runny.  However, the feta was creamy and of good quality.

Wee Jeanie have just opened so they will undoubtedly take a while to find their groove.  I don't know why they are doing identical dishes as those at Cornershop.  Would it not be better to mix things up so that they are two unique places rather than just Cornershop Lite?  Nevertheless, Wee Jeanie seems a good option for locals unable to find a seat at Cornershop bound for Planet Brunch.



Wee Jeanie
48 Anderson Street, Yarraville (map)
Phone:  9687 7187
Hours:  Mon-Sat, 7.30am - 4.30pm

Not wheelchair accessible

Father's Day Garlic Steak with Garlic Confit - Oh, Daddy!

If your dad is a fan of garlic, this garlic steak with garlic confit will surely put a smile on his face. And not just any kind of smile; one of those, "maybe they really do love and appreciate me, and aren't just pretending so I continue to work like a dog so they can have food and shelter. One of those smiles.

I have nothing against mothers, in fact, if it wasn't for them, most of us wouldn't be here. But, when it comes to Mother's Day vs. Father's Day foods, I have to lean towards the dad. You know, less artsy, more fartsy. When I think Mother's Day, I think flowers, fancy brunches, and maybe a couple Mimosas. Father's Day is more like a bad tie, a sizzling steak on the grill, and a few cans of domestic beer.

Speaking of bad ties, do the old man a favor, and don't get him one this year, and instead use that money to go to a real butcher and get an expensive, nicely marbled piece of beef. As I mentioned in the video, I was forced to use a couple unremarkable supermarket steaks, which came out pretty well, but try and treat dad to something a little more special.

I will be post a longer more detailed recipe for the garlic confit, but it really is quite a simple matter – cover the cloves in olive oil, and cook on very low until soft and sweet – and do NOT discard the oil, keep it refrigerated and we'll use it on some upcoming stuff. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 NY Strip Steaks

8 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 1/2 tablespoon good aged balsamic

confit garlic cloves, as needed

View the complete recipe

Rhubarb & Pineapple Cobbler

Wednesday already? I know it's really time to share bookmarks but I haven't posted a recipe for several days and I really want to share this awesome rhubarb-pineapple cobbler with you. It's really yummy! A cobbler is somewhere in between a cake and a crumble, and in combination with tart fruit, it's really quite perfect. You can use all rhubarb or all pineapple, of course, but I liked the combination a lot. I bet some cherries would be nice in there as well, should you happen to have any!

Rhubarb & Pineapple Cobbler
Serves 6-8

300 g rhubarb
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar (preferrably raw demerara sugar)
1/2 pineapple, fresh
100 g butter, at room temperature
90 g sugar (preferrably raw demerara sugar)
1 egg
50 ml cream (full-fat)
60 g rolled oats
60 g all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 tsp baking powder



Peel the pineapple, and cut into small pieces. (I usually do this by halving it lengthwise, then cutting it again into thin long wedges, that I slice.

Slice the rhubarb into similar-sized pieces as the pineapple. Melt the butter (2 tbsp) in a frying pan, add the rhubarb and sprinkle over the sugar (2 tbsp). Fry for a minute or so until very lightly caramelized. Place in a pie dish along with the pineapple.

For the topping, beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the egg and the cream, and then stir in all the dry ingredients. Dollop the batter over the fruit.

Bake at 175°C for about 20 minutes, until the cobbler is golden brown. Serve slightly warm, with ice cream or vanilla sauce.

Recept på engelska:
Rhubarb & Pineapple Cobbler

Macaron Class

I'm by no means an expert on macarons, but they usually do turn out pretty good. So, after getting a lot of questions, I decided to invite some girls for an afternoon of macaron baking. It went very well, and we ended up with two yummy batches - Strawberry buttercream and Cocoa & Coffee. It took three hours, including a coffee break in the sun. Great way to spend a Sunday!

How to Poach Eggs - Better Late Than Whenever

I mentioned in the recent Roasted Asparagus with Fried Prosciutto and Poached Egg video post that I'd be doing a new and improved "how to poach eggs" technique demo. I said I'd be doing it "soon," which to me means sometime this year, but apparently to many viewers that meant in the next day or two.

So, it's safe to say, this video recipe was truly "by popular demand." And by "demand" I mean constant harassment, and good-natured threats, or at least I hope they were good-natured. The lesson here is to never promise anyone anything.

In related news: I'm not saying exactly when, only that it will be in the future, but the breakfast I used as a destination for my poached eggs will also be turned into its own video recipe for a sort of hollandaise-less eggs Benedict, so stay tuned for that.

Anyway, this is fairly straightforward stuff, except for the fact that the really, really fresh eggs I bought to show how amazingly well they hold together in the hot water, were anything but. As you'll see, they spread out faster that a group of food bloggers in a free grand tasting tent. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For 2 quarts of water

1 teaspoon vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh eggs!

View the complete recipe