Recipe: Spiced Lamb Patties with Nutty Garlic Sauce

Spiced Lamb Patties with Nutty Garlic Sauce
Bon Appetit, November 2014, p. 48
5 stars

Freakin' delicious!
This is one of my favorite recipes we've made in the past few months.
Easy, complex flavors, pretty healthy, yum.

Modifications:

• Didn't make lamb patties -- just cooked the ground lamb in the pan like ground beef.
• Used naan instead of pita bread.

Next time:

• Use a LOT less oil (if any) when cooking the lamb.
• The garlic in the sauce isn't cooked so has a very strong flavor.  Add the garlic to the lamb instead.
• Make a yogurt sauce to go with this.

Recipe: Ultimate Mud Pie

I can't believe I forgot to take a photo of the pie!
Here's what is, well, left!

Who doesn't love pie, especially something called the "Ultimate Mud Pie?"

I tried out this recipe from epicurious.com that has a 4 fork (highest) rating.  It was pretty good, but not 'oh my gosh, this is the best thing I've ever tasted in my life" kind of amazing.  I've had some pretty good pies and would make this again.  It's a good, basic, chocolate pie.

Ultimate Mud Pie
epicurious.com
3.5 stars

Drink Recipe: Maple-Bourbon Cider Cocktail

It's fall and a great time for apple cider cocktails!
Here is one I made the other day -

In a mixer, shake up:

• 2.5 oz Bourbon
• 2 tsp pure maple syrup
• 3 oz apple cider
• Pinch of Cayenne pepper
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Ice

Enjoy!

Recipe: Buddy Valastro's Chocolate Fudge Frosting

This is the best chocolate frosting I've made.  Not too sweet, just the right consistency and doesn't taste buttery.  (Next up:  I need to try his Classic Fudge Frosting that uses espresso powder.)


Buddy Valastro's Chocolate Fudge Frosting
From the TLC Cake Boss site:

YIELD:  Makes about 4 cups, enough to fill and ice one 9-inch Italian sponge cake.

NOTE:  For a creamier frosting, use milk instead of water.  You must refrigerate this frosting, as well as any cakes filled or iced with it.  Let it come to room temperature before using, and whip briefly by hand to refresh it.

• 2 1/2 cups (5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 5 cups powered (10x) sugar
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 tablespoons lukewarm water

Put the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and paddle on low speed until smooth, with no lumps, approximately 3 minutes. With the motor running, add the sugar, one cup at a time, only adding the next cup after the first addition is absorbed.

Stop the machine and add the cocoa, vanilla and salt. Paddle on low-medium speed until completely smooth, approximately 2 minutes. Add the water and continue to paddle until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.

The frosting will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe: Lemon-Souffle Pudding Cake

Lemon-Souffle Pudding Cake
Bon Appetit, Sept 2014, p. 150
4 stars

I'm not a huge lemon dessert fan, but we had buttermilk in the house from another recipe, and this looked easy.  It WAS easy to make and a lovely dish.  It turned out exactly as the recipe description:  Cakey on top, pudding-y on the bottom, tart all the way through.

Ingredients:  butter, sugar, buttermilk, creme fraiche or sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, 3 large eggs, all-purpose flour, Kosher salt, powdered sugar, fresh blackberries (for serving; optional)

Notes:

• Batter was extremely loose as the recipe mentions.
• It was wonderful with homemade vanilla ice cream.  The cream helps cut through the tartness.
• The photo above doesn't show it with powdered sugar on top or the blackberries.  I think this could be a beautiful, elegant dessert to serve to guests and am wondering if this recipe would work in small individual ramekins.  Will report back.

Recipe: Laotian Bean-and-Tomato Salad

Laotian Bean-and-Tomato Salad
Food and Wine Magazine, Aug 2014, p.47
5 stars

This is a wonderful side dish for an Asian meal.  AMAZING flavor -- love, love, love the sauce.  It's spicy!

Ingredients:  green beans (recipe calls for green and yellow wax beans and haricots verts), canola oil, cherry tomatoes

Sauce Ingredients:  garlic, ginger, fish sauce, soy sauce, Thai chiles, light brown sugar, water, Kosher Salt

Notes:

• We sauteed the garlic and ginger instead of roasting them.
• I used just 1 lb of regular green beans (made basically half the recipe).  As a result, we had extra sauce which I used on top of my rice.
• We had this with white rice and an ad hoc dish of shrimp and tofu.

Recipe: Leek Soup with Shoestring Potatoes and Fried Herbs

Leek Soup with Shoestring Potatoes and Fried Herbs

Bon Appetit, Oct 2014, p. 65

5 stars

This is the best leek soup we've made.  Definitely making this again -- great flavor, and the shoestring potatoes on top are a nice touch.  

Simple ingredients for the soup:  leeks, onion, butter, garlic, whole milk, heavy cream, plain whole-milk yogurt, Kosher salt, black pepper.

Potatoes on top:  russet potato cut into thin matchsticks, vegetable oil, fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, rosemary, Kosher salt, Maldon sea salt

Notes:

• While not necessary, the Vitamix and mandolin came in quite handy.
• Might puree it a little longer next time so it's super smooth.
• The leftovers are great!

Recipe: Radicchio and Apple Salad with Parmesan Crisps

Radicchio and Apple Salad with Parmesan Crisps
Bon Appetit, Oct 2014, p. 69
5 stars

Freakin' delicious salad.  No need to say more.

Ingredients include: Parmesan, radicchio, arugula, Pink Lady apple, Maldon sea salt

For the dressing:  honey, shallot, olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt & pepper

Notes:

• Instead of radicchio, we used mixed greens and added arugula to the mix.
• I'm craving the Parmesan crisps right now.

Drink Recipe: Pear Ginger Martini

Pear Ginger Martini

My own creation

Basically. . . add the following to a martini shaker:

• Ice
• Half of a ripe Bartlett pear, diced
• 1 1/2 oz of vodka
• 1/2 oz of Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
• Pinch of cinnamon

Shake it up and strain into a martini glass.  Add pear chunks if you like.

Then top it with Fever Tree ginger beer.

Now, some people might not like the non-clear texture of this martini or the chunks of pear floating in it, but I love it!

Recipe: Quick Pork Pho

Quick Pork Pho
Bon Appetit, Oct 2014, not sure what page
2 stars

This was our second attempt at making pho.  It just doesn't taste like the pho you get at Vietnamese restaurants probably because we've been making 'quick' pho recipes. . . the broth is supposed to take hours to make/simmer so that's the primary issue.  The strong broth flavor just isn't there.

At least the recipe smelled like pho with the cinnamon, anise, fennel, garlic and onion that was in the broth.

I generally post my 'do not make again'/under 3 star recipes in my What Not to Make blog posting; however, I think this one has potential.  Just need to get the broth right, and we'll have a winner.  Also, next time, we're going to use thinly sliced beef instead of pork.

Does anyone out there have an amazing pho broth recipe that isn't super salty and doesn't use MSG?

Recipe: Marinated Tofu with Peanuts and Charred Bean Sprouts

Marinated Tofu with Peanuts and Charred Bean Sprouts
Bon Appetit, Sept 2014, p.74
3.5 stars

I like tofu, and this is a pretty good recipe that is a healthy side dish.  I'd make it again.

Ingredients include:  firm tofu, bean sprouts, scallions, roasted peanuts, mint, jalapeno, ginger, soy sauce, light brown sugar, vegetable oil, salt, lime wedges -- and rice

We ate this with rice and marinated steak.

A quick weekday meal!

Recipe: Ricotta Gnocchi in Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Ricotta Gnocchi in Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Us Weekly
3.5 stars

I found this "foolproof" ricotta gnocchi recipe from Masterchef winner Courtney Lapresi in Us Weekly of all places.  Foolproof?  Not exactly, but it was quite good and one that we will use (and base our own recipes off of) in the future.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 8 oz ricotta
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 to 4 fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 tbsp lemon zest

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour, ricotta, Parmesan, eggs and salt, using a spoon, until just incorporated into a soft dough. 

On a well-floured work surface, shape dough into two ropes, 1-inch in diameter and 18 inches long. Using the back of a floured butter knife, cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Indent each gnocchi using the tip of your index finger. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; working in small batches, cook gnocchi until they float to the top, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to a colander to drain. In a pan over medium-high heat, melt butter; add sage and continue cooking until butter begins to brown but not burn, 2 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to pan and cook until they brown on both sides, tossing often, 3 minutes. Stir in peas and zest and continue cooking until heated throughout. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serves 4 (makes about 36 gnocchi)

Few notes:

• The recipe above is not the recipe that was in Us Weekly -- for some reason, I can't find the recipe that I tore out of the magazine!  The modified recipe above is from Self Magazine which  calls for part skim ricotta and doesn't include pancetta.
• The dough was extremely sticky and not "formable" so we added almost a cup more of the flour.
• Cooked 3 oz pancetta with the butter.
• We couldn't taste the sage (and we added 8 leaves) -- needs more sage!

Recipe: Cocoa-Pepper Waffle Cookies

Cocoa-Pepper Waffle Cookies
Food and Wine Magazine, Feb 2012, p. 74
3.5 stars

Cookies these are not.  They're not sweet enough to be called cookies;  however, these would be a fun breakfast/brunch item -- I mean, they're chocolate waffles!

I was going through all of the dessert recipes I've torn out of magazines over the years, looking for an easy cookie or cake recipe to make on Sunday.  I came across this no bake recipe.  (You use a waffle iron!)  We had all the ingredients except for buttermilk which we procured.

Ingredients include:  stick of unsalted butter, light brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 egg white, vanilla extract, flour, unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, baking soda, ground pepper, buttermilk, Confectioners' sugar

Basically, you mix up a bunch of the ingredients and put them in the waffle iron for about 3 minutes and voila -- waffles (not cookies).

Note:  I didn't mix the pepper into the batter.  As you can see from the photo above, we created a sundae using the waffles.  We had black pepper ice cream in the fridge from the past week which imparted the pepper flavor.  So, in the end, we made the waffles dusted with powdered sugar, topped with black pepper ice cream and drizzled with chocolate ganache (which we made to increase the sweetness of the dish).

I'd make the waffles again . . . but for breakfast or brunch next time.

Recipe: Strozzapreti with Mushrooms and Ricotta

Strozzapreti with Mushrooms and Ricotta
Bon Appetit, Sept 2014, p. 29
4 stars

I really enjoyed this super-easy to make vegetarian pasta dish.  The recipe is from CBD Provisions, a popular restaurant in Dallas.

Soffritto ingredients:  carrot, celery, red onion, olive oil, smoked paprika
Other ingredients:  strozzapreti or gemelli pasta, mixed mushrooms, garlic, lemon juice, chives, Parmesan, ricotta, eggs, olive oil

You may be thinking, "What is soffritto?"  It's a mixture of seasonings and finely chopped vegetables such as onions, garlic and celery that is sauteed in olive oil and used as a base for many Italian ingredients.

Note:  We used pasta that we already had in our pantry (instead of buying strozzapreti pasta) and didn't add the hard-boiled eggs on top.  Instead, I think an overeasy egg on top would be delicious next time.

Dallas Restaurant: Chino Chinatown

Chino Chinatown
Trinity Groves in Dallas
3 stars

As with most restaurants in Dallas, Chino Chinatown's food was ok.  Average.  Not outstanding or so amazing that I need to go back.  (And note that I didn't go in with high expectations. . .)

• Duck Fat Fries:  Our favorite thing that we ordered.  Yucca can be stringy, but these fries were great -- I think it was pureed yucca that was formed and then fried.

• Steam Buns:  Fine, like the buns I've had everywhere else

• YellowTail Hamachi:  Fine, nothing amazing about it

• Duck Fat Fried Rice:  Fine, nothing to write home about

• Drunken Noodles:  Probably the most disappointing food item we ordered.  The noodles didn't seem to take on the flavor of everything else in the dish.  I've had similar dishes that were better at most hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurants.

• Vietnamese Iced Coffee:  The worst Vietnamese iced coffee we've had -- not strong enough; tasted like watered down coffee with a strange aftertaste.

• Evita Peron Cocktail (Broker's Gin, Genepy des Alpes, jalapeno oleo, lime):  Not too sweet and good balance of flavors, but not worth $11

• The Good, The Bad, The Weird Cocktail (Sauza 901 tequila, Pu Ehr tea, lime, aguardiente): Same as above

Recipe: Double Chocolate Tart with Black Pepper Ice Cream

Double Chocolate Tart with Black Pepper Ice Cream
Bon Appetit, Sept 2011, p.131
4.5 stars

This recipe is from Lauren Fortgang, the pastry chef at Le Pigeon in Portland, OR.

Now this dessert is one you should serve to your foodie friends.  Talk about interesting flavors. . .

Tips:

• The store was out of whole skinned hazelnuts so we substituted them for macadamia nuts.  Bummer since the hazelnuts would have imparted a Nutella-like flavor to the dessert.
• Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers are not readily available anymore.  I used Keebler fudge wafers instead.
• Bake time is about 12 min, not 15.
• Be sure to set aside a lot of time -- candying the nuts takes almost an hour active time.
• The ice cream was so peppery!  Next time, I'm going to reduce the amount of pepper in half and make regular vanilla ice cream base, instead of their ice cream recipe which calls for 9 large egg yolks.
• Take the dessert out of the freezer and put it in the fridge at least a few hours before you serve it.

Overall, a really nice dinner party worthy dessert!

Recipe: Nectarine and Blue Cheese Salad with Plum Vinaigrette

Nectarine and Blue Cheese Salad with Plum Vinaigrette
Bon Appetit, Aug 2012, p. 88
5 stars

Great salad -- a new favorite!!!
We need to make this a few more times before the peaches are gone from the grocery stores!

The plum comes through in the dressing; it's a nice subtle flavor.
Note: I used the rest of the plum solids in a cocktail.

Ingredients include just:  plums, mixed greens, nectarines or peaches, blue cheese, Marcona almonds, plum vinegar or red wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

A great salad to serve at a dinner party.

NYC Restaurant: the bar downstairs

old fashioned and
cellar door cocktails

rock shrimp ceviche
(they were out of striped bass ceviche)

octopus a la plancha

the bar downstairs
hip.  cool.  dark.  inconspicuous.  trendy.

I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, drinks, food and of course, company.  And it wasn't too loud like other bars.
(Note: I was so excited to eat the chicken and chorizo paella that I forgot to take a photo!)

The cellar door cocktail I had was really good, balanced.  I should try to make it, but it involves too many ingredients we don't have:
pimms no.1, lemon, bergamot syrup, sailor jerry spiced rum, st. elizabeth allspice dram

will go back. one day.

NYC Restaurant: Buddakan

Drinks to start off!

Edamame Dumplings

Roast Duck Noodles

King Crab Hot Pot

Lovely meal, ok, meal-that-exceeded-my-expectations at Buddkan in NYC near Chelsea Market.  Super cool vibe and lounge. Service was amazing.  Worth every penny.

Drinks
BENEVOLENCE - belvedere, watermelon, pavan, Thai basil
(pavan is a grape liqueur)

RIESLING


Food
EDAMAME DUMPLINGS - shallot-Sauternes broth
(rich, flavorful, perfect)

KING CRAB HOT POT - scallops, shrimp crackers
(2 huge scallops, 4 pieces of king crab, bok choy, Chinese root vegetables?; fried shrimp crackers, white rice, cilantro)

ROAST DUCK NOODLES - superior broth, duck wontons
(salty but flavorful broth, slices of duck cooked perfectly, duck shu mai, Thai red chiles, pickled ginger)

NYC Restaurant: Momofuku Ma Peche

the dessert cart

crack pie
and
candy bar pie (in the background)

Ever since I learned about David Chang and his Momofuku empire, I've wanted to dine at one of his restaurants, and I got the chance to do so on Saturday.  Momofuku Ma Peche is Chang's largest and newest restaurant -- and allows reservations via OpenTable.  (Note:  Ma Peche means "mother peach.")

Interestingly, the service is like dim sum -- carts come around with small plates and then you also have the ability to order larger plates to share.  With just two of us, we ordered 1 large shared plate, the fried chicken habanero-style.  It was the best, most tender (and fresh-tasting) fried chicken I've ever had.

My only 2 complaints of the evening:  we asked the server to box up our fried chicken which she didn't (must've forgotten), and the dim sum cart with cold plates never came to our table.  We ended up eating a lot of fried food from the hot small plates that evening.

Also, I'd heard MUCH fanfare about the crack pie which was just ok.

Here is what we ordered:

Cocktails

• seven spice sour - sake, lime, yuzu, togarashi
• mountainside - japanese whiskey, fennel, bitters

Dim Sum Cart

• pork bun
• trout bun
• cod fritters
• shrimp balls
• spicy rice cakes

Chef's Specials

• fried chicken - habanero

Dessert

• crack pie
• candy bar pie
• decaf coffee

All good food. However, I don't have a need to go back to ma peche; next time I would like to try Chang's noodle bar or ssam bar.

Recipe: Vietnamese Pork Chops

Vietnamese Pork Chops
Bon Appetit, June 2013, p. 46
5 stars

This is a great protein to add to an Asian-inspired meal.

I love the slight sweetness from the brown sugar along with the savory/salty flavors from the fish sauce.

Here's all you need:  thick cut bone-in pork chop, shallot, fish sauce, light brown sugar, unseasoned rice vinegar, vegetable oil, Kosher salt, black pepper, lime halves

Tips:

• We grilled the pork shop instead of cooking it in a large skillet on the stove
• Be careful not to overcook/over-reduce the marinade which is served with the pork chop

Recipe: Meyer Lemon Cream with Graham Crackers and Sea Salt

Meyer Lemon Cream with Graham Crackers and Sea Salt
Bon Appetit, February 2014, p. 41
4 stars

I wanted dessert but didn't want to try out a recipe that took more than 30 minutes to make.  I found this one, and while I'm not a huge fan of fruit desserts (I prefer chocolate!), I thought I'd give this a try since "active recipe time" was 20 min, and we already had graham crackers and heavy cream in the house.

This recipe turned out great.

(Photo above shows the dessert to be messy . . .  but note that we stopped a movie we were watching to quickly get dessert.  I didn't compose the dish at all.)

This recipe is SIMPLE!

Here is the ingredient list:  eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, unsalted butter, heavy cream, graham crackers, flaky sea salt

Tips:

• I cooked the mixture for 9 minutes
• We made whipped cream for the top

Recipe: Shrimp Cotija Cheese with Hatch Chiles

Shrimp and Cotija Cheese Stuffed Hatch Chiles
Central Market Recipe by Chef Dean Liesenfelt

As you can see from the photo, we didn't stuff the Hatch chiles.  (How the heck do people stuff them when this type of chile is so thin and delicate?  They're not like chile rellenos or poblanos that are larger.)

We took the recipe and modified it to create a casserole-like dish.  This had amazing flavor, is healthy(!) and would go very well with rice.

Ingredients include:  Hatch chiles, fresh spinach, shrimp, Cotija cheese, olive oil, garlic, ancho chile powder, lemon juice & zest, crushed red pepper, salt, Mexican crema

Few notes:

• In the pan, don't cook the shrimp until they're completely done.  Since the dish is baked, the shrimp will finish cooking in the oven.
• Added guajillo chile powder in addition to ancho chile
• Go light on the salt -- cotija is a salty cheese
• Bake it for 25 min (instead of 30)

Recipe: Rick Bayless' Mexican Flourless Chocolate Cake

Mexican Flourless Chocolate Cake
RickBayless.com
4 stars

I forgot to take a photo of this!  Sometimes I get carried away and forget . . .

This is a wonderful recipe that is quite easy to make and is a nice twist on the normal flourless chocolate cake.  I like how this one doesn't call for a springform pan -- it suggests 6 coffee cups (individual portions!).  In addition, I love the use of Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, ancho chile powder, Kahlua and Mexican crema.

I've basically just listed all of the ingredients above.  The other ingredients are butter, bittersweet chocolate, eggs and sugar.

Try it.  You'll like it!

Recipe: Honey-ginger Chicken with Lime

Honey-ginger Chicken with Lime
Food and Wine Magazine, July 2014, p. 113 (photo), 114 (recipe)
4 stars

Tired of the same old ho-hum chicken?  Feeling like chicken tonight, like chicken tonight?

This recipe has so much flavor!

Check out the ingredient list:  chicken, ginger, jalapeno, honey, balsamic vinegar, garam masala, coriander, cumin, cayenne, lime zest, lime juice, butter, canola oil, sugar, salt, pepper

An easy dish that we'll definitely make again.  As you can see from the photo above, we served this with green beans and brown rice.

Also, we used chicken breasts instead of drumsticks and thighs.
Note to self:  Need to brine the chicken next time.

Recipe: Decadent Chocolate-Espresso Pie

Decadent Chocolate-Espresso Pie

Country Living, September 2014, p. 101

4 stars

Don't these photos just make your mouth water?  Don't you want some pie now?

This is Anna Jones's winning pie at the 2013 State Fair of Texas!

Really easy and talk about decadent.  I can only eat half the size of a normal pie slice because it's so rich.

Great espresso flavor and pretty too!

I have to admit that I wasn't too sure of this recipe when I read it.  The use of 1/3 cup of cornstarch was a little odd, but it turned out great!

The filling ingredients include:  milk, cornstarch, sugar, salt, instant espresso powder, egg yolks, vanilla, semisweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate.

The espresso whipped cream can be used on other desserts and is solely whipping cream, powdered sugar and espresso powder.

I used an America's Test Kitchen all butter pie crust recipe for the piecrust (instead of the Perfect Piecrust recipe which uses shortening which I'm not in favor of).

Recipe: Fruit Tarts with Honey and Black Pepper

Plum Tarts with Honey and Black Pepper
Bon Appetit, July 2014, p.36
4 stars

A super easy and quick dessert!  As you can see, we made 2 different kinds -- and with PEACHES instead of plums.  This was a great way to use up leftover puff pastry.

We made this recipe which was just 6 ingredients:  puff pastry, peaches, sugar, honey, black pepper, Maldon sea salt.

And we made our own:  puff pastry, peaches, cinnamon, sugar.

Afraid to bake or mess up a dessert?  This recipe is for you!

Drink Recipe: Peach Bourbon Ginger Cocktail

I saw a recipe for something like this but came up with my own version:

• 1.5 oz of Bourbon (I used Knob Creek which has a smoky flavor)
• 1 oz of Dekuyper Peach Schnapps
• Squeeze of lemon 
• Top with Fever Tree Ginger Beer
• A few dashes of bitters

Refreshing for the summer but using a brown spirit!

Recipe: Bouchon Bakery's Shortbread

Bouchon Bakery, p. 44-45
Shortbread
4.5 stars

I'm not a shortbread kind of person unless it's dipped in chocolate!  If I'm going to eat dessert calories, I'm not going to waste them on a cookie that I personally think is boring and on the dry side.  Shortbread and pecan sandies just aren't my thing.

However, I made this recipe for my co-worker who loves shortbread.  Thought it was going to be super easy (the ingredients include just butter, sugar, salt vanilla paste, all-purpose flour), but I had issues after making the dough.

It says that the dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

The recipe then says:  "Unwrap the dough and place it between 2 pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap.  With a rolling pin, pound the top of the dough, working from left to right, to begin to flatten it, then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat.  (This will help prevent the dough from cracking as it is rolled.)  Roll out to a 9-inch square.  If the dough has softened, slide it (in the parchment) onto the back of a sheet pan and refrigerate it until it is firm enough to score."

Sounds easy enough.  But do you know how HARD the dough was?  It was like beating a freakin' rock with the rolling pin.  Perhaps he should've said to let it soften just a tad to where it's somewhat malleable.

Anyhow, I like regular sized cookies, so I made a dozen though the recipe says it produces 2 dozen.

My co-worked and people at work raved about the shortbread and asked for the recipe, so I'll take their word for it that it was good!

Recipe: Thai Beef with Basil

We added extra carrots

Thai Beef with Basil
Bon Appetit, November 2013, p.54
3 stars

I thought this would be super flavorful and delicious, but it felt like it was missing something.  It was.  HEAT!

I'm willing to make this recipe again but will definitely add sambal oelek or sriracha to the sauce.

Also, we'll use ground beef (what the recipe calls for) instead of ground pork.

Ingredients include:  rice, 1 lb ground beef, carrots, basil, scallions red chiles, chicken broth, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, vegetable oil, salt, pepper

Recipe: Silky Zucchini Soup

Silky Zucchini Soup
Food and Wine Magazine, July 2014, p. 120
5 stars

I have to admit that I doubted Chef Grant Achatz's* recipe. The recipe calls for just 8 ingredients (which includes salt and pepper):

1. Zucchini
2. Garlic
3. Onion
4. Vegetable stock
5. Butter
6. Olive oil
7. Salt
8. Pepper

It was absolutely delicious, is very healthy and was so simple to make.  Our Vitamix played a part in this, producing a super silky yet creamy soup consistency.  I wish we had made the full recipe instead of half; I wanted more!

*Grant Achatz is the chef of Alinea in Chicago which has 3 Michelin stars.  Check out all of their accolades.  This is a restaurant I would love to dine at in the next few years.

Recipe: Bouchon Bakery's Chocolate Chunk and Chip Cookies

Update!  Here is what 150g cookies look like.
Note the quarter in the middle so you can see
how huge these cookies are.

Bouchon Bakery, p.34-35
Chocolate Chunk and Chip Cookies
5 stars

This is THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE EVER!!!!
Soft, chewy, chocolatey.  Perfect.

Two super interesting things about this recipe:

• It uses dark brown sugar, granulated sugar and molasses (unsulfured blackstrap molasses which I found in our regular grocery store).
• These cookies are supposed to be HUGE.  150 grams of dough ball huge.  In fact, the recipe states, "The cookies are very large; bake only 3 on each pan."  I opted for the smaller cookie variant which is stated as 75 grams each.  They're still very large as you can see in the photo above.

Note/tip:

• Bake time of 17 min in a standard oven was perfect for the smaller version of the cookie.

Restaurant: Lark on the Park

Lark on the Park
2 stars

What a huge disappointment.  Great location, hip/contemporary interior, good drink menu, BUT . . .

• The worst service I've had in a long time.  
• The restaurant was more than half empty on a Tuesday night, and yet it took over an hour to get our entrees.  Note:  We were a 4-top, not a large party.  Our dining experience was 2 hours and 45 min.
• The server was unenthused;  he didn't acknowledge me when I was seated (while waiting for the rest of the party) and wasn't helpful giving recommendations.

• The food is average and overpriced for what it is.  Nothing was amazing.  Flavors are all one-dimensional, bland.  Plus:
• Two of us ordered scallops which had sand in them.
• One ordered the gnocchi which was underwhelming, and the peppercorn she bit into burned her throat.

• And don't fall for the Valhrona Dark Chocolate Frozen Souffle which we thought was going to be the highlight at the end of the meal.
• First of all, it should be spelled "macarons" -- I don't even remember seeing macarons on the dessert.
• We expected the dish to look or be presented like a souffle.  It was basically a chocolate semifreddo cut into 2 triangles -- "souffle" is a complete misnomer.

Usually, I'll a try a restaurant three times before I say I'll never go back.  Every restaurant can have a "bad" night;  however, I'm going to pass on  going back to this one.  Too many elements were off that night.

Here is what we ordered:

• Antipasto Board:  burrata, Prosciutto di Parma, roasted apricots, pistachios  13
• Curry Pillows:  potato, onion, cilantro-ginger, radish    10
• Johnson's Farms Lettuces:  fennel, radish, lemon, arbequina  8
• Seared Scallops:  corn sformato, heirloom cherry tomatoes, pistou, opal basil  29
• Gnocchi alla Norma:  roasted Japanese egglplant, heirloom tomatoes, garlic, ricotta salata 23
• Grilled Texas Hanger Steak:  Homestead Mills blue polenta, oven roasted tomatoes, peperonata, poached egg 29
• Butterscotch Blondie Coupe:  vanilla bean ice cream, blondies, butterscotch, chocolate sauce, toffee  9
• Valrhona Dark Chocolate Frozen Souffle:  graham cracker macaroons, toasted marshmallow fluff, hot fudge  9

What 3 restaurants would you like to dine at?

The question posed at dinner was, "If money were no object, what 3 restaurants would you love to dine at besides The French Laundry?"

Me: 

• Alinea
• Meadowood
• Per Se

If I could add on to this, I'd also say:  Momofuku and Tompolobampo.

Blog contributor the grandcruman's choices:

• Alinea
• Le Bernadin
• Joel Robuchon
• Sukiyabashi Jiro (the 10-seat sushi restaurant in a Tokyo subway station documented in Jiro Dreams of Sushi)

And you?  What would your choices be?

Recipe: Bouchon Bakery's Devil's Food Cake

Blog contributor the grandcruman surprised me one day and gave me Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery book.  So sweet!  (Maybe it was a hint that he wants me to bake more!)

Wanting cake, I made my first recipe out of the book -- the Devil's Food Cake on p.116.  As you can see, I used mini bundt pans (aren't they cute?!).

It was pretty good, but here are some thoughts:

• The recipe says that it should take about 10 minutes to bake.  It took more like 18 min.  At 10 min, it was nowhere near being done.  I checked on it every 2 min, so beware of the timing.
• I was shocked by how little batter it produced.  I was able to make 4 mini bundt cakes plus 1.5 cupcakes.
• Originally, I had planned to make the Palet d'Or which is the recipe right next to this one in the book and uses the Devil's Food Cake along with chocolate mousse and a chocolate glaze.  At some point, I'll make the cake -- I just didn't have time to run out and get silver sheet gelatin.  (I didn't even know silver sheet gelatin existed.)
• The cake itself is ok.  It's a good consistency and has pretty good chocolate flavor, but it NEEDS the chocolate ganache that I drizzled over it -- as well as ice cream which we added.  I think the Ina Garten chocolate cake recipe actually tastes better on its own.  Sorry TK!

More baking to come from this book!

Recipe: Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pasta

Urgh, I forgot to take a photo of this one!

Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pasta
Real Simple, Dec 2012, p.206
4 stars

A LONG while back, someone gave me their issue of Real Simple Magazine and I tore this recipe out of it.  It looked like a good, fast, weeknight meal.  It was!

Ingredients include:  a short pasta, chicken, baby spinach, frozen peas, garlic, butter, heavy cream, Kosher salt, black pepper and grated Parmesan

Super simple.  REAL simple.  And lots of leftovers.

Tips:

• We added red pepper
• Because we wanted to get more veggies in the dish, we also added broccoli

Recipe: Garden Salad Tacos

A close-up of the colorful
vegetable-and-herb salad

We used wheat tortillas and
added some fajita steak and avocado

Garden Salad Tacos

Food and Wine Magazine, June 2014, p. 129

5 stars!

I've not eaten at Chef Alice Waters' restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA, but from what I've heard and read about her, this dish is a great example of her philosophy -- fresh, healthy (and "clean") food that tastes amazing.

When I read the ingredient list and recipe, my thought was, "How good could this be?  Sounds too simple and a little blah.  Well, we need to eat healthy and need a quick recipe for a weekday dinner, so let's try this out."

My expectations were surpassed by tenfold.  This is a VERY flavorful dish with lots of texture/crunch -- plus, it's extremely healthy!

Main ingredients include:  tortillas, Monterey Jack cheese, mixed baby greens, fennel, carrot, radishes, cilantro

Ingredients for the dressing:  extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, ground cumin and Kosher salt

Perhaps I should invest in an Alice Waters cookbook. . .

Drink Recipe: Strawberry-Basil-Aperol-St-Germain-Champagne Cocktail

These days, our mentality is -- why go out and spend $10 on a cocktail when we can make it at home with our own booze?  2 people, 2 drinks each plus food is a minimum of $50.

Well, that thought turned into a fun trip to our favorite liquor store where we bought some provisions, one of which was a bottle of St-Germain elderflower liqueur.  The bottle is a beauty!

Interestingly, I wasn't a fan of St-Germain about 4 years ago, but the popularity of the liqueur in drinks (and perhaps a change in my taste buds) has changed my mind about its flowery taste and smell.  It smells a little bit like lychee to me.

I created a drink inspired by a cocktail I saw on the people's last stand bar + bistro's menu.  It was called la bonne fille meaning "The good girl" - Classy, bright and sweet but when it's finished, she leaves with just a touch of bitterness.

• Squeeze 1/4 of a grapefruit into a glass
• Add 2 sliced strawberries and 6 basil leaves and muddle them with the grapefruit juice
• Add 1 oz Aperol
• Add 1/2 oz of St-Germain
• Fill the glass with ice
• Top with sparkling wine
• Pour back and forth into a mixing tin and the glass a couple of times

Enjoy!