Sriracha Vodka

I think flavored vodka has gone too far!  UV Vodka has introduced Sriracha vodka (they also have other crazy vodkas like salty watermelon, candy bar and sweet green tea).  On their website, they suggest using it in Bloody Mary's or drinking it on the rocks.  Here's the LA Times article if you want to read more.

Would you try it?  I'd taste it but would much rather use a good regular vodka and real sriracha sauce.

Recipe: Spiced-Ham-and-Cheese Toasts

We made these Spiced-Ham-and-Cheese Toasts from Food and Wine Magazine (Dec 2013, p. 140) along with the Cream of Leek and Potato Soup.  Nice soup and sandwich dinner on a cold winter day.

I tweaked this recipe a bit, and it still turned out delicious.  Here's what I did:

• Sauteed the onions in butter
• Mixed dried sage, cloves, cayenne, cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced scallions, Dijon mustard and apple cider together in a bowl.  = the spread
• Took sliced bread and put the spread on it.  Topped it with the sauteed onions.  And then broiled it until the spread was just bubbling.
• Topped it with smoked ham and served.

Perhaps next time I should try making it per the recipe -- as a pate.  I can see this as being a nice hors d'oeuvres for a party.

Recipe: Cream of Leek and Potato Soup

Cream of Leek and Potato Soup!  We'd been talking about making a leek & potato soup, and then I saw this recipe in Food and Wine Magazine (Dec 2013, p.142).  SO EASY to make especially with our new Vitamix!  And, I'd say that the soup is moderately healthy.  I mean, it's leeks, onions, potatoes, chives, water, salt & pepper -- and just a little butter, vermouth, white wine, creme fraiche or sour cream.

This recipe makes 10 cups (for a party), so you may want to adjust ingredient proportions and make half a batch.

2013 Paris Food Journal

This is a food journal to remind us of the wonderful meals we had in Paris.
I'm missing it a lot as I type this.

Day 0

• Just showing you what you get when you're on American Airlines from Dallas to Paris.

It's pasta

Day 1

• Lovely and sumptuous welcome macarons in our hotel room
• Snack:  crepe noix coco (coconut nutella crepe)
• Dinner at Cafe Vavin
• salad of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, red onions, mushrooms, diced potatoes, foie gras on toast (so delicious!!!)
• beef stew (it was a bit salty) and cornichons
• drinks:  petit chablis, Heineken

Day 2

• Breakfast at Julien Boulangerie:  2 cafe au laits, pain au chocolate, another chocolate pastry
• Lunch at Galeries Lafayette
• Caeser salad: chicken, green beans, tomato, boiled egg, parsley
• lasagna and salad
• Snack at Galeries Lafayette:  Starbucks latte
• Snack at Le Marquis de Lauderee:  3 macarons (dark chocolate, cassis, raspberry)
• Bought snack at the Champs-Elysees Christmas Market for later: chocolate covered marshmallows (one was blueberry flavored!)
• Dinner at Chez Clement:  
• bacon-wrapped pollock steak w/mashed potatoes
• sausage, steak and chicken w/mashed potatoes
• 2 chocolate profiteroles
• chocolate tart topped with pears
• 1/2 carafe of wine
• 2 cafe au laits

Day 3

• Breakfast in our room:  Starbucks lattes and bananas from the "bio" (organic) grocery store
• Lunch at the Pompidou museum cafe:  ham & cheese baguette, sweet & spicy crisps
• Snack:  $9 (each!) caramel eclairs at L'Eclair de Genie
• Dinner at Le Royal:  
• cassoulet
• steak au poivre with frites
• 1/2 carafe of Sancerre

Day 4 (Thanksgiving Day)

• Breakfast at cafe around the corner:  2 cafe au laits, long Nutella pastry, large apricot & cream pastry
• Snack:  2 macarons from Dalloyau (grapefruit w/sesame seeds; Cognac);  cheese crepes
• Coffee break at Fauchon
• Pre-dinner:  wine at Verjus a Vin
• Thanksgiving Dinner at Kunitoraya on 1 Rue Villedo 75001
• udon with duck
• udon with beef

Day 5

• Breakfast at Julien Boulangerie:  spinach & salmon quiche, 2 coffees
• Snack in the St. Michel district:  crepe with Nutella, banana and Grand Marnier
• Snack in Montmatre at Starbucks: espresso
• Lunch in Montmatre:  crepe with cheese, mushrooms and egg
• Dinner in our room:  baguette, organic ham, petit Brie, Italian grapes, red wine, macarons (chocolat, citron, framboise)

Day 6

• Breakfast at cafe around the corner:  grilled apple pastry, cafe au lait, espresso
• Lunch:  picked up a sandwich around the corner to take on the train to Poissy
• Snack/Dinner at Angelina:  Champagne, dark hot chocolate, white hot chocolate, a millefuille pastry, a pastry that they recommended since they ran out of the one I wanted

Day 7

• Breakfast at Starbucks (everything else was closed on Sunday):  espresso, latte, chocolate chip muffin, pancakes
• Lunch in St. Michel district:  ham & cheese crepe; egg, cheese and doner kebab chicken crepe
• Snack at Starbucks:  latte, orange juice
• Dinner at Chez Clement near our hotel:  beet root salad, steak & frites, duck breast & frites, profiteroles

Day 8

• Breakfast at cafe around the corner:  amazing pear almond tart; disappointing raisin roll; espresso

Airplane

• Airplane food
• My last macarons that I bought from the Fauchon boutique in the airport

Recipe: Three-Mushroom-and-Quinoa Salad

I've made farro before, but this was my first time making quinoa.  We made the Three-Mushroom-and-Quinoa Salad from Food and Wine Magazine (Dec 2013, p. 240).  I'm not a fan of this recipe.  It was just blah. . . not flavorful.  Perhaps, it was because we didn't include the pine nuts, but I highly doubt that.

One thing I did learn from making this recipe is that 3 cups of quinoa (which is what the recipe calls for) can feed an army.  For 2 people, we should have made 1/2 a cup, and I think we'd still have leftovers.

If anyone has a great quinoa recipe I should try, please comment below!

A 22-Course Meal in 22 Settings

Watch this 4-minute video on YouTube from The New York Times.  So wish I could experience this -- at Ultraviolet Restaurant in Shanghai.  Chef Paul Pairet has transformed the dining experience into an amazing theatrical production.

Recipe: Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta

Need a fun chocolate dessert to make for the holidays?  Try this Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta recipe that I found on Martha Stewart's website.  There's something about the texture of panna cotta that I LOVE.  The gelatin gives it a different consistency than mousse, but note that this recipe is still as rich and decadent as mousse.

I topped the panna cotta with homemade Kahlua whipped cream (beat up some heavy whipping cream with a little powdered sugar and Kahlua), chocolate shavings (used a vegetable peeler to create curls off of a regular chocolate bar) and raspberries.

Delish.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Sparkling: Maschio Prosecco Brut DOC Treviso

Note:  I'm not a supertaster nor a sommelier or wine connoisseur.  These are just simple tasting notes for myself and to remind me whether I liked the bottle.

• Grape:  100% Glera grape
• Official Tasting Notes:  Sparkling wine that is a light straw yellow in color with a lively froth; a bouquet of white peach 
• My Tasting Notes:  Light, citrusy, ever so slightly sweet, not very complex, would buy to use in cocktail recipes
• Price:  $10-13

Recipe: Father's Day Pork Chops

Why did it take us so long to make this recipe -- Father's Day Pork Chops (it's clearly not even close to Father's Day) from Bon Appetit magazine's June 2011 issue (p.59).  It's been in my recipe folder for, well, over 2 years!

After eating one pork chop (note: I didn't buy bone-in), I wanted another!  I literally can't wait till our next meal where I can eat leftovers.

The red wine vinegar really made the pork chops tender.  And the panko crust. . . delicious!  We've made panko-crusted dishes like this before, but this recipe was perfect and extremely easy.  Ingredients include:  pork chops, red wine vinegar, flour, eggs, panko, lemon, thyme, oregano, olive oil, pepper and Kosher salt.

Try this recipe!

Recipe: Farro Salad

I can't figure out where I got the Summer-Vegetable Farro Salad recipe that we made as a side to our Jenga Ribs.  It's going to be a staple for us -- so delicious and healthy and takes only about 15 minutes to make.

Here's the recipe. . .

• Make 1 1/2 cup farro per instructions on the package.  We use Trader Joe's 10 min farro and use broth instead of water to give the farro extra flavor.
• In a large bowl, toss the following:
• 2 Persian or small seedless cucumbers, thinly sliced (or remove the seeds from a regular cucumber and cut into chunks)
• 1 1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 3 green onions (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
• 5 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/5 cup finely chopped mixed fresh herbs (parsley, chives, basil and tarragon) -- we used chives and basil
• A splash of balsamic vinegar
• A tbsp or so of extra virgin olive oil
• Pepper and Kosher salt to taste
• When the farro is cool, add it to the bowl with vegetables and toss to combine.
• Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of crumbled feta or goat cheese.

Best Airport Eats

According to Urbanspoon, here are the Best U.S. Airport Eats.  Check them out while you're traveling this holiday season. . .

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) • One Flew South • Atlanta Braves Allstar Grill • Cafe Intermezzo • Sweetwater Brewing Company

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) • In-N-Out Burger • Pink's Hot Dogs • La Brea Bakery

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) • Brasserie La Vie • Shake Shack • Deep Blue Sushi • Uptown Brasserie

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) • Ebisu • PIQ • Cat Cora's Kitchen • Andale Mexican Restaurant

Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) • Vino Volo • Beecher's Handmade Cheese • Anthony's Restaurant & Fish Bar • Dish D'Lish

Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) • Tortas Frontera • Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi • Gaslight Club • Garrett Popcorn Shop

Recipe: Jenga Ribs

Jenga ribs = ribs that are stacked like when you play the game jenga.  As you can see from the photo, mine were just ribs.  I didn't stack them.

This recipe is from Bon Appetit magazine's February 2013 issue (p.18).  It's one of those where people write in and ask Bon Appetit to see if they can get the recipe of a menu item from the restaurant.  I'm still waiting to see if the magazine will obtain and publish the recipe that I requested -- Truluck's Carrot Cake (see my haiku in its honor).

Here was the request in the magazine:  "Dear Bon Appetit, on a trip to Wyoming, we had the best ribs at Nostalgia Bistro in the little down of Dubois.  Find me this recipe and I'm yours forever."

Funny.

The recipe is good and very easy -- the ribs were fall off the bone tender, but it smelled and tasted like Chinese 5 spice?!  Five-spice powder generally has the following mix of ingredients:  star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichaun pepper, fennel seeds . . . but this recipe called for paprika, chili powder, black pepper, cumin, onion powder, cinnamon and coriander.

I prefer other rib recipes that we've made in the past, so probably won't make this again.  But again, this is a great recipe if you think you'd like the flavor of  the ingredients I mentioned above.

2014 Food & Beverage Trends from Baum + Whiteman

I love reading about food & beverage trends.  Here is the 2014 forecast from Baum + Whiteman, an international food & restaurant consultancy.

Yogurtland's Holiday Flavors

12 flavors. 6 toppings.

Each week for the next six weeks, two new holiday flavors will be introduced. Also, for Yogurtland Real Rewards members, purchases made on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday through December 31 will earn double points toward free yogurt!

Week 1:

• Spiced Apple Cider Sorbet, a dairy-free sorbet made with apple juices, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove
• Salted Caramel Pecan, made with caramel, dulce de leche, Yogurtland’s exclusive pecan butter, and a hint of salt

Week 2:

• Chocolate Mocha, a no-sugar-added frozen yogurt with Sumatran coffee and a blend of cocoa
• Sticky Toffee Pudding, made with sweet sponge cake and chopped dates and covered with butter toffee

Week 3:

• Cranberry Orange Tart, made with New England cranberries and Florida orange juice

• Butterscotch

Week 4:

• Chocolate Mousse Pie

• Egg Nog

Week 5:

• Vanilla Custard

• Cinnamon Roll

Week 6:

• White Chocolate Peppermint

• Raspberry Pomegranate Tart

Holiday toppings include:

• Chocolate Espresso Beans

• Chocolate Nonpareils

• Chocolate Heath Bar

• Oreo Disks

• Cheesecake Chips

• Peppermint Bark

We will be stopping by our local Yogurtland soon.  Very soon.

Definition: Stuffing vs. Dressing

Turkey on your mind?  With Thanksgiving just around the corner, will you be making stuffing or dressing?

There is a difference!

Stuffing is cooked inside the bird.
Dressing is cooked separately.

Restaurant Menu Trends for 2014

I always enjoy reading Andrew Freeman & Company's restaurant menu trend report.

Biscuits, ice cream sandwiches, tea & tea cocktails are just a few of the trends we may be seeing soon. . .

Recipe: Salt-and-Pepper-Biscuits; Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Chanterelles

You know you've cooked a lot . . . 

Salt-and-Pepper Biscuits
Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Mushrooms

We literally cooked up a storm last night -- there were pots and pans everywhere!

• Thomas Keller's roast chicken recipe (without the bed of root vegetables) - always delicious
• Salt-and-Pepper Biscuits (Bon Appetit Magazine - Nov 2013, p.128 with photo on p.126)
• Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Chanterelles (Bon Appetit Magazine - Nov 2013, p.139 with photo on p.138)
• Homemade vanilla ice cream with mint chocolate chips

The biscuits and Brussels sprouts recipes were new for us, and they both get huge thumbs up.

The Salt-and-Pepper Biscuits were absolutely delicious.  It was my first time making biscuits from scratch, and it was so easy -- something I'll be able to whip up anytime (and in 30 min max) as long as I have sour cream and heavy cream in house.  There are only 9 ingredients in this recipe: sour cream, heavy cream, baking powder, kosher salt, sugar, black pepper, flour, butter, sea salt.

We modified the Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Chanterelles recipe, and it turned out great:

• Used baby bella mushrooms instead of chanterelles
• Roasted the Brussels sprouts with my roast chicken instead of grilling them
• Didn't use all of the bacon fat to cook the mushrooms, shallot and garlic (it would've been way too greasy)

I can't wait to eat the leftovers this week.  Tonight we're going to try the Thai Beef with Basil recipe (Bon Appetit - Nov 2013, p. 54).

Art-inspired Dinner 2 - Oct 2013

So fun. So delicious.

A Vietnamese style caprese with grape tomatoes,
fresh mozzarella, cucumber, basil, spicy meatballs over
a bed of rice noodles in tomato water
(inspired by John Chamberlain's auto metalsculpture)

A mixed greens salad with grapes, marcona almonds and
shaved manchego with a grape/sherry/balsamic vinaigrette in a
romaine lettuce leaf
(inspired by Dale Chihuly's glass art
 in boats)

Fresh squid pasta with meatballs
(inspired by Adolph Gottlieb's work
like Pink High)

Salted caramel ice cream with caramel shards
(inspired by Robert Smithson's work
like Mirror and Shelly Sand)

Steak Cuts - Hanger, Skirt and Flank

I was flipping through back issues of Bon Appetit Magazine pulling out recipes and had flagged p. 24 of their June 2013 issue.  I think they did a good job explaining the following 3 cuts of meat:

• HANGER STEAK:  Off-the-charts flavor.  Just add a marinade and a charcoal grill.
• SKIRT STEAK:  Traditionally used for fajitas; also great as a main-course steak.  Serve with a bracing, herbaceous sauce like chimichurri.
• FLANK STEAK:  Very lean, so the high heat of the grill is ideal for a hot, smoky sear.

Recipe: Strozzapreti with Spinach and Preserved Lemon

The Strozzapreti with Spinach and Preserved Lemon recipe in Bon Appetit Magazine (Sept 2013, p. 139 - photo is on p. 134) caught my eye.

Overall, we sort of followed the recipe.
Here's what we did differently:

• Added hot Italian sausage, sauteed onion and mushrooms
• Used dried Italian trottole pasta (fun curly pasta)
• Used an entire bag (10 oz) of spinach
• Didn't use preserved lemon peel

It was a GREAT hearty dish that we will definitely make again!

Recipe: Cider-Poached Apples with Candied Walnuts, Rum Cream, and Cider Syrup

We made this Cider-Poached Apples with Candied Walnuts, Rum Cream and Cider Syrup for friends we had over for dinner.

It was overall pretty good, but I would make the following changes next time:

• Rather than poaching the apples in apple cider, I prefer this recipe from Bon Appetit that poaches the apples in red wine, orange juice, cinnamon, etc.
• Insider of the cider syrup, make some homemade caramel to drizzle over the dessert.
• If you do want to use the cider syrup, make it yourself!  (Don't buy a bottle of boiled apple cider!)  Take about 1 cup of apple cider, boil it, and take it off the heat when it becomes syrupy -- that's it!  All it is = reduced apple cider.
• Add more sugar to the walnut mixture to sweeten it a tad bit.
• Double the amount of rum cream ingredients as noted below.

By the way, the rum cream is amazing.  I'm going to start making it to accompany other desserts.  

Rum Cream

Beat the following ingredients using an electric mixer until you get soft peaks:

• 1 cup chilled heavy cream
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

A 3-D Printed Dinner

3-D printed architecture models.  3-D printed art.  And now 3-D printed meals?  Is this the future of dining?  I rarely read the Points section in the Dallas Morning News, but this past Sunday, "Dinner is printed" caught my eye.  Check out the article to see what menu items the author and his wife tried for dinner (it's pretty entertaining).

Note:  If the link to the article forces you to sign up for a free trial of the paper, go to Google and search for "dallas morning news 3-d printed meal," and the article should come up in the first search results where you can read the entire article without signing up.

The future uses of this technology is fascinating:

"There’s talk of embedding medicines in meals. In his book Fabricated, Lipson dreams of digitally driven dinners, where the printer uses your body’s up-to-the-minute data to create the perfect lasagna for your nutritional needs, with, say, extra protein or vitamin A.

Junk-food makers hope 3-D printing will allow them to patent a new way to combine salt, sugar and fat. Animal-rights activists hope printers will squeeze out pork chops made from the lab-grown stem cells of pigs. And idealists believe that the technology will help solve world hunger. The hope? We can more efficiently ship powdered food to developing countries, where it can be printed into a variety of meals. A group of Dutch researchers is working on inexpensive bases made from algae and insect protein."

The Greyhound

I admit, I LOVE complex cocktails.  When we go out to restaurants, I often order the craziest drinks that are on the menu . . . drinks that have strange combinations of ingredients (ingredients like thyme, peppercorns, bacon, rhubarb, jalapeno, ginger -- not all of those together, of course, but hey that combination might be interesting).

But as the phrase goes, sometimes less is more and simple is best.  The Greyhound is that go-to drink when I want something simple yet refreshing.  It's grapefruit juice (must must must be freshly squeezed grapefruit) and vodka (Ketel One is my preferred choice).  That's it.

Plus, I get my vitamin C so it's healthy, right?

Starbucks Launches the Duffin

I just read that in the U.K., Starbucks is launching the duffin -- part muffin, part donut, yet another "Franken-pastry" like the cronut.

According to the Business Week article: 
The duffin uses a buttermilk base, and tastes like a moist, cakey muffin, not the coarse, bready type. It looks like a muffin, but it’s filled with raspberry jam and coated in sugar, like a jelly doughnut.

Wonder when it'll make it to the U.S. . . ?

I love blog contributor the grandcruman's creations (though, he hasn't contributed in a while, ahem).  I don't have a recipe to share for this unless he would like to comment on this post with more details!

It's a pan-seared sea bass that was marinated in miso, seasoned rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce (I think that's what he said) served on top of a bed of rice and topped with carrots, celery, cucumber, chives and cilantro.  Cremini mushrooms are in a miso glaze served on the side.

Paired it with a non-sweet riesling, and it was a phenomenal meal!

Recipe: Chocolate Espresso Mousse

Chocolate mousse lovers that also love coffee!  This recipe is for you.

Chocolate Espresso Mousse -- a recipe I happened upon while searching for the best gluten-free desserts for blog contributor FoodFiend's bridal shower.  It turned out quite lovely especially with the addition of the raspberries (raspberries can do the trick as I learned from this article "Wick Allison's Raspberry Secret Is Out").  A dollop of fresh whipped cream would be a nice touch too.

Mousse is quite easy to make.  I mean, the ingredients include just chocolate (make sure to use good quality chocolate), egg yolks, sugar, heavy cream, and in this recipe -- instant espresso powder.  Not a recipe to be scared of making.  And, it's a classy dessert to serve at a dinner party especially if presented in a martini glass or other glassware.

Recipe: Pizza (Using Tyler Florence's Pizza Dough Recipe)

After tonight, I may not be able to order pizza to go ever again.  We made pizza from scratch using Tyler Florence's pizza dough recipe, and OMG - it's so easy and tasty.  The only drawback is that you need to allocate about an hour and a half from start to finish, so it's not a quick weekday pizza.

• 15 min to make the dough
• 1 hr to let the dough rise
• 20 min+ to get your other ingredient toppings together and to bake the pizza

Our pizza this evening had tomato sauce we made from scratch, shredded Italian blend cheese, fresh mozzarella, Italian sausage, white onion, green bell pepper, baby bella mushrooms -- and then we topped it with fresh basil.

I didn't want to stop eating.

And then we had dessert.  (I made homemade ice cream with vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg and crushed gingersnap cookies.)

I.  Love.  Food.

Recipe: Avocado and Tangerine Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette

I think a lot of unnecessary work goes into the Avocado and Tangerine Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette recipe (Bon Appetit Magazine, July 2013, p. 88). 

Skip the first 2 parts of the recipe.  Instead of simmering the tangerine juice and cooking the jalapeno, it's fine to mix the non-reduced juice and raw, finely chopped jalapeno into the dressing.  I also don't think using vegetable oil is necessary at all.

So, basically, the recipe involves:

• Making the dressing:  whisk the shallot, vinegar, tangerine juice, jalapeno, salt, pepper, olive oil together
• Toss the avocados, tangerines (or oranges), arugula, mint, and feta together
• Dress the salad
• Enjoy!

2013 Big Tex Choice Awards

The 2013 Big Tex Choice Awards (the annual fried-food competition hosted by the State Fair of Texas) were announced today.  Fried Thanksgiving Dinner won for Most Creative while the Deep Fried Cuban Roll won for Best Taste.  Which item sounds good to you?

You can try them all this year during the fair which runs from Sept 27th - Oct 20th.

Awesome Deep Fried Nutella – Cream cheese and Nutella are whipped and spread over flaky phyllo dough sheets, rolled up and deep fried. Served with a drizzle of honey and shaved almonds.

Deep Fried Cuban Roll – A filling of slow-cooked pork shoulder, chopped ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and secret sauce is spread onto a slice of Swiss cheese, rolled up in pastry dough and deep fried. Roll is served with a side of mojo sauce for dipping.

Fernie's Deep Fried King Ranch Casserole – This stick-to-your-ribs, Texas-shaped creation is cheesy, salty, spicy goodness dipped in zesty Southwestern egg wash, coated in panko bread crumbs, and deep fried until golden brown. Served with a side of red, white and blue tortilla chips and your choice of our homemade “salsafied” sour cream or queso.

Fried Thanksgiving Dinner – Mama’s homemade stuffing and diced roasted turkey are rolled in a ball. Next it’s dipped in Southern cream corn, rolled in seasoned cornmeal and fried to a golden brown. Served with old-fashioned giblet brown gravy. The zesty orange cranberry sauce fills your dipping needs and results in a complete Thanksgiving dinner — fried.

Golden Fried Millionaire Pie – Sweetened, fluffy cream cheese filling is loaded with golden pineapple and Texas pecans then wrapped in a flaky pie crust and fried to a golden brown. Topped with whipped cream, toasted coconut and candied pecans.

Southern Style Chicken-Fried Meatloaf – Homemade meatloaf slices are coated in an authentic Texas chicken-fried breading and deep fried until golden brown. Served with garlic mashed potatoes, Texas cream gravy, and a ketchup-brown sugar glaze for dipping.

Spinach Dip Bites – Creamy and delicious spinach artichoke dip bites are coated with crispy tortilla chips and flash-fried until golden brown. Bites are served with salsa for an additional kick.

Texas Fried Fireball – Pimento cheese, pickles, cayenne pepper and bacon are rolled into a ball, dipped in buttermilk, covered with a jalapeño-infused batter and deep fried. Served with chipotle ranch for dipping.

Recipe: Caprese Burgers

We made the Caprese Burgers recipe from Food and Wine Magazine (Aug 2012, p.64).  It was fine but not amazing.  It just didn't wow our taste buds, but it helped us use up some of the basil we've been growing.

Basically, the recipe calls for making a pesto using basil, salted roasted almonds, garlic, olive oil, pecorino-Romano cheese and salt & pepper.  The pesto is mixed into the meat and is also used on top of the burger which has fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. 

Again, it was fine.

But still, no burger compares to the Triple Smoke Burger recipe, the best burger recipe we've come across.

Recipe: Chile-Cumin Spice Paste on Pork and Grilled Green Beans and Peaches

Unlike the Three-Pepper Pork Tenderloin with Peach and Cucumber Salad recipe that we made last week, the Chile-Cumin Spice Paste (Food And Wine Magazine, Dec 2011 issue, p. 146) that we used on pork and the Grilled Green Beans and Peaches recipe (Bon Appetit Magazine, Jun 2013, p.38) were just ok.  I wouldn't make them again.

I take that back. 

I'd make use the chile-cumin spice paste again but bump up the spice level by 100% (I'm a "spice girl" - ha ha) by using more chipotles in adobo, but I won't be keeping the green beans & peaches recipe.  It was just blah.  Really blah.  I think the peach and cucumber salad we made last week was tons better.  Perhaps we didn't carmelize the peaches enough, but the flavors themselves were just, well, eh.

Recipe: Raspberry and Aperol Floats

I am a huge fan of Aperol.  Aperol is like Campari and is actually produced by the Campari company.  It's hard to describe the taste -- it has a slightly bitter orange and herbal-y (I made up that word) flavor to it.

I made the Raspberry and Aperol Floats recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine (July 2013, p. 79) the other day, and it is delicious!!!!  If you like Aperol, try this drink.  It involves making a very easy thyme-infused simple syrup and then muddling it and the raspberries in a glass.  Add Aperol, ice cream, and club soda. . . Voila!

Recipe: Sambal Chicken Skewers

The cover photo of the July 2013 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine has Sriracha-Glazed Chicken Skewers (aka Sambal Chicken Skewers - recipe is on p. 69).  This recipe is hot, hot, hot!  It was really easy to make -- it just takes 7 ingredients that I've listed below -- but beware of the heat (note that I love spice and found these HOT).  We served these with rice and a refreshing salad.

• light brown sugar
• rice vinegar
• hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek which you can find in the international aisle of your grocery store)
• fish sauce
• sriracha (go easy on this -- a quarter cup is a lot)
• ginger
• chicken

What's food would you save from your fridge?

Last night, our power went out.  We were watching a movie, and all of sudden heard a boom and then everything in the house went dark.  It turns out the wire running electricity to our house went kaput, so we didn't have electricity for almost 9 hours. 

Great.

We had just gone to the grocery store and loaded up on groceries for the week.

Today, we cleaned out the fridge, and it made me think -- the next time the power goes out and there's a chance that it'll be out for more than 4 hours, we'll be heading to the grocery store to get ice so we can save some of the food and place them in coolers. 

What would YOU save from the fridge?  (For us, I think it'd be whatever costs the most to replace. . . plus all cheeses )

BTW, here's a link to the CDC's website regarding food safety when your power goes out.

Art-inspired Dinner

Rothko-inspired bramble jelly shot

Phase-Mother Earth inspired chocolate & vanilla cake

A few weeks ago, our friends threw an art-themed dinner party which was inspired by Caitlin Freeman's book Modern Art Desserts.  Everyone invited brought a dish, and we each had to guess what artist/artwork inspired the dish.  It was tons 'o fun, and I'm hoping we do it again soon.

We made 2 items:

1. A bramble cocktail jelly shot that was inspired by Marc Rothko's work.
2. A cake inspired by Nubuo Sekine's Phase-Mother Earth which is considered to be a pivotal work of the Mono-ha Japanese art movement of the late 60s and early 70s.  Phase-Mother Earth was a large cylindrical tower made of packed earth which was removed from a cylindrical hole with the same shape.

The jelly shots were a hit and fun to eat.  (From now on, I think I'm going to make a fun jelly shot for every dinner party we have.)

The cake turned out fine, we just had to do some minor repairs at the end.  Making the cake was an interesting undertaking as you probably imagine from looking at the photo.  I do need to find a great cake recipe that produces somewhat dense and moist cake AND that is meant for layering so if anyone has a tried-and-true recipe, please let me know and respond in the comments!

Recipe: Three-Pepper Pork Tenderloin with Peach-Cucumber Salad

We've been on a roll with testing new recipes -- another great dish!  This one is the Three-Pepper Pork Tenderloin with Peach-Cucumber Salad recipe from Food & Wine Magazine's September 2013 issue (p.90).

It's a quick and easy dish to make during the weekday after work.  It took about 30 minutes max.

Tips:

• The pork was very peppery, so just beware!  
• Cut the salt in half.
• Used white peaches (my favorite).
• Take a look at the recipe link above to see the photo from Food & Wine Magazine.  The magazine didn't picture a photo, so I didn't think to dice up the cucumbers and peaches (I sliced them instead).  The dice looks nice.
• We had rice leftover from another meal, so I had that instead of naan, though, we'll try yogurt and naan next time.

Recipe: Shrimp, Chorizo and Corn Salad

This Shrimp, Chorizo and Corn Salad recipe from Cooking Light (July 2013, p.134) is a keeper.  We don't receive the Cooking Light Magazine, and I'm usually not a huge fan because their recipes often don't have enough flavor, but this one is GREAT, and we'll definitely be making it again as a quick weeknight meal.  Instead of having this as a salad, we had this for dinner as our main entrée over rice.

Few tips:

• We love garlic and so added extra
• We doubled the amount of red and yellow tomatoes
• Instead of Spanish chorizo, we used Andouille sausage
• Next time, we're not going to add as much lemon juice -- didn't think it was needed
• Added the basil at the very end

Recipe: Hanger Steak with Mushrooms and Red Wine Sauce

I don't have a photo for this Hanger Steak with Mushrooms and Red Wine Sauce recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine (Oct 2011, p. 54), but oh my gosh, it was DELICIOUS and so easy.  We made this for dinner with a side of mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts and had a nice Cab to go along with it. . .  I think the meal turned out better than many fine dining restaurant meals we've had.

When I say that the recipe was easy to make -- it was easy.  The ingredients include just olive oil, assorted mushrooms, salt & pepper, hanger steak, garlic, rosemary, dry red wine, chicken stock (we used beef stock) and fresh tarragon.

Recipe: La Bete Noire

I forgot to take a photo of the entire torte,
and now there's only one piece left and I can't seem to
take a great photo of it.  So, here's a close-up.

Need a flourless chocolate torte recipe (that just so happens to be gluten-free since there's, well, no flour in it)? 

Look no farther than La Bete Noir (meaning "The Black Beast") from Bon Appetit Magazine (Sept 2006) that one of my interns recommended to me.  This dessert is for chocolate lovers.  Take a bite, and the chocolate literally melts in your mouth in an instant and yet the dessert isn't too sweet -- it has a perfect balance of richness and sweetness. 

I craved a piece this morning and had a sliver with my morning coffee (after yoga!). 

Recipe: Garlicky Rice

We don't subscribe to Cooking Light;  however, my mother-in-law gets the magazine and passed the July 2013 issue to us.  We made the Spiced Chicken Thighs with Garlicky Rice recipe (p.58), and while the chicken was a bit bland, the rice was quite good!  

I usually make rice in a rice cooker, but here's their recipe for making it on the stove.

• Melt 1 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat
• Add 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic; saute for 1 minute.
• Add 1 cup of uncooked basmati rice;  cook 30 seconds stirring constantly.
• Add 1 1/2 cups of water and 3/8 teaspoon of salt;  bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 12 minutes or until the rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
• Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Fluff rice.
• Stir in parsley and black pepper.

Creative Cupcakes for the Shoe Lover

Aren't these cupcakes so cute?  My co-worker is an amazing baker and made these for another colleague's birthday. 

The shoe is a cupcake and Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookie, and the heel is a Pepperidge Farm Pirouette.  For the bows, she rolled out some Starburst candy, cut them into thin strips and formed them into bows.  So creative!

Recipe: Thai Chicken Curry

I love Thai food and had been wanting to make Thai Chicken Curry ever since I saw the recipe in Bon Appetit's January 2013 issue (see the photo on p.29 or the link to the recipe above -- it looks mouthwatering; recipe is on p.30 in the magazine).

What a disappointment.  I should've known from reading the reviews on epicurious.com that it wouldn't taste as expected.  While it does have curry paste and coconut milk, there isn't any oomph to the dish, if you know what I mean.  The flavors weren't bold at all, and there was almost no hint of spice.  I'm not keeping this recipe around.  It just didn't fit my expectations of a Thai dish.

Champagne Cork: Mytik Diam

Last night, we opened a bottle of Champagne -- the cork had Mytik Diam on it as you can see in the photo.  I thought, "How cool.  Maybe it's a Latin phrase like carpe diem or something that represents what the brand is about."

Yeah, never mind.  I just looked it up, and it's the name of the cork brand.

Pop-Tarts Ice Cream

 

Why didn't anyone think of this before? 

Carl's Jr. is rolling out a new Hand-Scooped Strawberry Pop-Tarts Ice Cream Sandwich to all of its 1,391 restaurants as a limited time offer starting today.

For a limited time, the dessert will be FREE with the purchase of a Super Bacon Cheeseburger combination meal at participating restaurants. The ice cream sandwich will be sold for a recommended $1.49 if purchased separately.  (That sounds like a 3,000 calorie meal.)

I'm not a huge fan of Strawberry Pop-Tarts, but I can imagine Frosted Blueberry or S'mores being pretty good.

What would Gordon Ramsey say?

I was going through the photos on my phone and came across this one that I'd taken last month. 

An example of REALLY awful food photography and marketing at Twisted Root.  What would Gordon Ramsey say?

Recipe: Slice-and-Bake Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Want dessert but don't have anything in the house?  If you cook and bake pretty frequently, you probably have all of the ingredients below to make these Slice-and-Bake Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from Bon Appetit (April 2013 issue, p. 32). 

Ingredients needed:  flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, nutmeg, unsalted butter, sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, old-fashioned oats, raisins.

Things I did differently:

• Halved the amount of raisins -- substituted one cup for a cup of chocolate chips to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!
• Didn't have whole wheat flour on-hand, so I used all-purpose flour.
• Didn't want to wait to freeze the dough, so I baked them right away.
• It's probably obvious from the photo, but I made very LARGE cookies.

Recipe: Popovers with Gruyere

I made popovers for the first time this past weekend for a party we attended. 

Who knew they were so easy to make? 

This Popovers with Gruyere recipe from Bon Appetit (Sept 2004) requires just 5 ingredients:  flour, salt, milk, eggs and gruyere.  Impress your guests!

2 tips:

• Baking time was only 35 min (not the 40 min noted in the recipe) so watch them so they don't overbrown or burn.
• Make a slit in them as people have noted in the reviews so that they don't deflate completely.
• Think about adding dry mustard and/or mustard seeds like the XXL Gougeres.

What Your Favorite Ice Cream Flavor Says About You

First of all, did you know that this month is National Ice Cream Month? 
Also, National Ice Cream Day is Sunday, July 21st.

From Baskin-Robbins' press release:

Baskin-Robbins recently partnered with Dr. Alan Hirsch, a nationally recognized smell and taste expert and founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, to identify what some of the most popular ice cream flavors suggest about someone's personality.

If you favorite flavor is. . .

• Vanilla, you're more likely to be impulsive, easily suggestible and an idealist.
• Chocolate, you're more likely to be dramatic, lively, charming, flirtatious, seductive and gullible.
• Very Berry Strawberry, you're more likely to be a tolerant, devoted and an introvert.
• Mint Chocolate Chip, you're more likely to be argumentative, frugal and cautious.
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, you're more likely to be ambitious, competitive and a visionary.
• Pralines 'n Cream, you're more likely to be loving, supportive and prefer to avoid the spotlight.
• Jamoca (i.e. coffee), you're more likely to be scrupulous, conscientious and a moral perfectionist.
• Chocolate Chip, you're more likely to be generous, competent and a go getter.
• Rainbow Sherbet, you're more likely to be analytic, decisive and a pessimistic.
• Rocky Road, you're more likely to be aggressive, engaging and a good listener.

So, what's YOUR favorite flavor?

Definition: Jam, Jelly, Marmalade

Jams, jellies and marmalades are all different styles of fruit preserves.

Jam = a preparation of fruits, vegetables and sugar, often canned or sealed for long-term storage. The preparation of fruit preserves today often involves adding commercial or natural pectin as a gelling agent, although sugar or honey may be used as well.

Jelly = an American term for clear or translucent fruit spread made from sweetened fruit (or vegetable) juice and set using naturally occurring pectin.  Additional pectin may be added where the original fruit does not supply enough, for example with grapes. Jelly can be made from sweet, savory or hot ingredients. It is made by a process similar to that used for making jam, with the additional step of filtering out the fruit pulp after the initial heating. 

Marmalade = a type of fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. It can be produced from lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges, bergamots and other citrus fruits, or any combination.

Source:  Wikipedia.com

Friday Night Dinner

Beef Wellington
Mashed Potatoes
Mozzarella, tomato, basil salad
Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages

 

Life is good.

Definitions: Puree, Paste, Coulis, Compote, Chutney

Purée = a general term for cooked food, usually vegetables or legumes, that have been ground, pressed, blended, and/or sieved to the consistency of a soft creamy paste or thick liquid.

Paste = often used for purees intended to be used as an ingredient, rather than eaten.

Coulis =  most commonly used term for fruit purees.  A form of thick sauce made from puréed and strained vegetables or fruits. A vegetable coulis is commonly used on meat and vegetable dishes, and it can also be used as a base for soups or other sauces. Fruit coulis are most often used on desserts.

Compote = a dessert originating from 17th century France made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are cooked in water with sugar and spices. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemon or orange peel, cinnamon sticks or powder, cloves, ground almonds, grated coconut, candied fruit, or raisins. The compote is served either warm or cold.

Chutney = a  pungent relish of Indian origin made of fruit, spices and herbs.

Source:  Wikipedia.com

Cherry Bourbon Cocktail

I've been into bourbon for a little while now and was craving a bourbon-cherry type drink the other night.  I really wanted to use some of the all natural Chukar maraschino cherries (they're amazing) our friends gave us, so I searched for "bourbon cherry" online and scanned through some recipes.  Here's the concoction that I created that is my new go-to drink:

• 1.5 oz of bourbon (we use Bulleit brand)
• 4 or 5 Chukar maraschino cherries
• 2.5 tbsp. of Chukar maraschino cherry syrup/juice
• Splash of tonic
• Splash of club soda (so the drink isn't super sweet)
• Squeeze of lime

I've seen some other recipes that mix cherry/bourbon/lime/ginger and cherry/bourbon/triple sec/cream, so I'll be experimenting some new recipes tonight. 

Happy 4th!

Downton Abbey Wines to Be Released

For all Downton Abbey fans, it was announced this past week that a collection of Downton Abbey wines -- Bordeaux clarets and blancs will be introduced in time for season 4.

According to Fox News:  The range of Bordeaux clarets and whites are the type of clarets imported by the British aristocracy from France in the early 1900s. The recreated wines are from grapes grown on the same vines and from the same soil as the era depicted in Downton Abbey.

I wonder if Carson would approve of the wine.

Sources:  HuffingtonPost.com and FoxNews.com

Tableware affects how food tastes

I thought this was fascinating. . . see the full story (super short article). 

The size, weight, shape and color of your cutlery can affect how food tastes, a new study suggests. In the research, participants thought white yogurt tasted sweeter than pink-colored yogurt when eaten from a white spoon, but the reverse was true when a black spoon was used, reported usnews.com. Full Story

Drink Recipe: Strawberry Ginger Basil Cocktail

I needed a refreshing drink during pool time this afternoon and made this cocktail inspired by the recipe in this week's US Weekly.  It's simply:  muddled strawberries and basil, strawberry vodka, and topped with Fever Tree Ginger Beer.  It was a little sweet for my taste, so next time, I'll use less ginger beer and top it off with club soda.

The recipe in US Weekly is called Grey Goose Paradise Presse -- the cocktail was served at the L.A. Dance Project Gala held earlier this month and uses orange juice, strawberry juice, Grey Goose Le Citron vodka, sugar, club soda, strawberries and basil.  (No ginger beer.)  The headline touts that Rashida Jones and Natalie Portman "toss back this berry refreshing aperitif." 

Yes, berry refreshing!