Recipe: Shanghai Stir-Fried Pork with Cabbage

Napa cabbage and scallions in our fridge.  What to make, what to make to use up these ingredients?

I found this recipe Shanghai Stir-Fried Pork with Cabbage that I had torn out of Food and Wine Magazine back in Jan 2012 (p.69).  I had actually thought about tossing out the recipe a while back (the ingredient list doesn't make it sound like it would be very flavorful), but I'm glad I kept it.

It's a simple recipe from Cecilia Chang -- ingredients include boneless pork loin, dried shitake mushrooms, cornstarch, dry sherry, soy sauce, white pepper, peanut oil, napa cabbage, Chinese chile sauce and rice.  That's it!

It ended up being a simple and easy stir fry with pretty good flavor.
A few things we changed and would do differently next time:

• Actually use dried shitake mushrooms (we used fresh ones, and the shitake flavor didn't come through strong enough for us)
• Use sesame oil instead of peanut oil
• Cook the pork until it's done instead of using the cook times in the recipe
• Add minced ginger, garlic and scallions (we added ginger and scallions)
• Add remaining cabbage at the very very end so that it stays crisp

Quote: Elsa Schiaparelli

I love this -

"A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness."
- Elsa Schiaparelli (Italian fashion designer)

benjy's in Houston

We had dinner last night at benjy's in the Rice Village area in Houston.  It was GREAT!!!!  I haven't enjoyed a restaurant meal like that in while ( . . . because something always isn't right -- the food isn't flavorful or is over/undercooked or is too pricey for what it is, or the service isn't up to par)!

Last night was perfect.

The atmosphere was modern, hip and energetic -- not too loud so that we could hear ourselves.  

The service was excellent.  Great recos, and the friendly server even brought us potstickers (on the house!) that we considered for an appetizer but didn't order.  Pace was really good.

Food and drinks were TASTY!  benjy's has a very varied and eclectic menu, and the Asian dishes that I ordered had bold and complementary flavors (I was surprised how good it was).

I will definitely return and would highly recommend the restaurant.

--------

Here are some of the items we ordered that I tasted:

Lemon Basil Gimlet

Enchanted Rock vodka + basil and lemon juice + basil-ginger syrup

2011 Argyle Reserve Pinot Noir

Willamette Valley

BHR Pork Potstickers

lemograss-orange ponzu

Yangnyeom Crispy Chicken

korean red chili + kimchi

Hay Smoked Duck (duck was cooked perfectly!)

soba noodles + soy milk-ramen broth + shiitake mushrooms + bok choy

Dr Pepper Braised Short Rib 

heirloom grits + pipian + taqueria vegetables

Recipe: Pear & Walnut Salad

In an effort to eat more interesting salads than the typical lettuce, tomato, crouton and Parmesan cheese dinner salad, I created the following which was slightly inspired by the Eggplant, Pear and Pecorino Salad recipe I tore out of Food and Wine Magazine (Sept 2012, p.117).

Toss the following and serve:

• Romaine lettuce
• Asian pear slices or cubes
• Toasted walnuts
• Parmesan or thinly sliced Manchego (I use a peeler to shave the Manchego)
• Vinaigrette
• About a 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp honey
• Salt and pepper to taste

The Chefs Feeding the U.S. Ski Team

So interesting!!!!

A U.S. Team Chef Shows His Own Competitive Spirit in Sochi

By Bill Pennington

Feb 8, 2014

The New York Times

Allen Tran, the head chef for the United States ski teams, organizes the effort to keep the teams well-fed at the Olympics.

Recipe: Baked Shells with Cauliflower and Taleggio

Cauliflower with pasta.  You're probably thinking, "Really???" or "Weird!!!"

We made the Baked Shells with Cauliflower and Taleggio recipe from Food and Wine Magazine (April 2013, p. 108), and it was quite good!

The recipe is from Renato Sardo and Dario Barbone of Baia Pasta in Oakland, CA.

Honestly, I don't think the recipe would have been as good without the hot sausage that we added.  Me thinks it would be too one-dimensional and a little bland.

Here is what we changed and tips for making the dish:

• Add 3 hot spicy sausage links (cook them separately and add them to the pasta and cheese sauce)
• There is NO NEED for large shells.  In fact, penne would work nicely.
• The 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs was hardly enough.  I think I quadrupled the amount.
• When serving, sprinkle the top with fresh parsley.

Beaver Creek Food and Wine Weekend 2014: Grand Tasting

One of the primary reasons we went to Beaver Creek last week (besides to ski) was to attend the Beaver Creek Food & Wine Weekend, sponsored by Food & Wine Magazine.  We'd been to the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen which was an amazing experience and thought it'd be fun to attend one of their "satellite" events.  

The Beaver Creek event is structured completely differently where you buy a ticket for each event.  We bought tickets to the Grand Tasting on the final day, and to be honest, it was a little bit disappointing.  Perhaps it's because we've been to other Grand Tastings that were phenomenal AND cost less.

Our 2 big issues with this one:  

1. Much of the food was underseasoned, oversalted, overcooked, difficult to eat (no knife to cut a piece of lamb T-bone), or super boring (come on Tim Love - carrot home-fries???).
2. The wine and spirits vendors that participated were lacking -- the nicest wines there were Silver Oak and Twomey but that was about it . . .

To us, the standouts food-wise were:

• Naomi Pomeroy's Brussel Sprouts & Lamb Salad (My favorite!  I loved it so much that I e-mailed her at the restaurant to get the recipe, and she sent it to me!)
• Fabio Viviani's Potato Gnocchi
• David Burton Sanchez's Apple Ginger Smoked & Braised Pork Belly

I'm glad we went to the event, but we likely won't go back -- I mean, we'll go back to ski in Beaver Creek (it's awesome that they hand out chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon!) but not for the Food & Wine Weekend.  

Perhaps I can convince fellow blog contributor the grandcruman to go to the Cayman Cookout hosted by Chef Eric Ripert next January.  Everyone could use a beach vacation in Jan!

Fireworks!

Beano's Cabin

If you're in Beaver Creek and desire a unique mountain dining experience that includes a 15 min open-air sleigh ride (pulled by a snowcat) and a wonderful 5-course meal with almost impeccable service, head to Beano's Cabin. 

The 5-course meal currently runs $115 per person (not including alcohol or tip) and includes the sleigh ride and live entertainment -- the night we went, it was a one-man show, a guy who covered pop music from the 80s to songs popular today, singing and playing his acoustic guitar.

A few tips:

• Reservations are required so call or make a reservation using OpenTable.
• Request a table that's by a window or in the middle of the dining room.  Our table had a sight line to the door, so every time the door opened, we felt a slight cold draft.
• If you're going in the winter, wear your ski jacket & pants over your clothes, otherwise, you will be COLD during the sleigh ride.  There are open cubbies for you to hang/store your clothes once you get to the restaurant.  We even changed shoes so our feet wouldn't freeze in our dress shoes.  Note: The dress code is mountain casual; almost everyone was wearing jeans.
• On the sleigh, sit as close as you can to the front of the snowcat.  We sat at the very back (last row), and all the snow that the snowcat kicked up (as well as the smell of diesel) wafted our way.

The sleigh pulled by the snowcat
(you can't see the snowcat in this photo)

As a reminder to us of what we dined on (aka - our food journal):

Today’s Cabin Made Soup… 

Butternut Squash Soup

Salad

Baby Iceberg Wedge 

tender belly bacon, Maytag blue, cherry tomatoes, scallion vinaigrette 

Appetizers

Oysters 

finger limes, whiskey gelée, lemon 

Pork Belly

[don't have the description]

Entrees

Duo of Colorado Lamb 

lamb leg and loin, braised French beans, fig confit, olive lemon gremolata

Whiskey Glazed Berkshire Pork Porterhouse 

creamy Anson Mills grits, honey glazed carrots, apple preserves 

Desserts

Bourbon Roasted Pear 

crème Fraiche ice cream, chestnut lace cookie 

Caramel Apple Pie

with spruce ice cream

Recipe: Man-Whore Bars

Yes, you read that correctly.  Man-Whore Bars.  Fellow blog contributor the grandcruman (ok, he hasn't contributed in over a year!) posted this recipe on Facebook.  I saw it, and I made them to take with us on our ski trip last week (to avoid paying $4 for a mediocre cookie at the top of the mountain) -- but I tweaked the recipe.  Here's the recipe on Bakers Royale's site.

While these were good, they weren't as amazing as the Brownie-Reese's Peanut Butter Cup-Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars that I made before which were more decadent and satisfying for us chocoholics.

Next time, I may switch out the cookie layer for a brownie layer.

1st layer: chocolate chip cookie dough.
I used the Nestle Tollhouse recipe on the back
of the chocolate chip bag -- but without the nuts.

2nd layer:  16 Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups chopped up

3rd layer:  Oreo Cookies chopped up

4th layer:  chocolate ganache

5th layer:  Rice Krispies treats

The finished product!  Check out the layers!

Macarons Class at Sur la Table

When I have more time, I'll update this post with tips from my Basics of French Macarons class that I took at Sur La Table this past weekend.  The class was so fun; plus, taught good technique.  I was surprised that a silicon macarons mat isn't necessary.  Just need a piping bag!

Did you know that macarons at the very
basic consist of just egg whites, powdered sugar,
almond flour and cream of tartar?

This is how the egg white mixture should look - stiff,
firm, glossy peaks!

Waiting for the slight film to form on the macarons
before baking.

Out of the oven!

My very 1st macaron that I've made myself:
Mint Macarons with Chocolate Ganache

Recipe: Winter Salad with Avocado, Pomegranate and Almonds

We try to be healthy and generally eat a salad at dinner most days.  Our go-to salad is usually pretty boring -- lettuce, tomato, croutons and dressing.  This year, I want to amp it up!  I saw the Winter Salad with Avocado, Pomegranate and Almonds recipe in Food and Wine Magazine (Dec 2013, p.92).  It's great and is one of my new favorite salads we can make this year.

Here were a few modifications I made to the recipe:

• Made 1/2 of the amount of dressing (since the recipe makes 8 servings)
• Used white wine vinegar instead of Champagne vinegar (I need to get some Champagne vinegar at some point since it seems to be used in a lot of salad dressings)
• Added a little lemon zest instead of preserved lemon peel
• Left out the fennel bulb (it was probably key to the salad; will try adding it next time)

In case you've never de-seeded a pomegranate, here's how.
And if you want to know more about pomegranate power, read about the health benefits here at WebMD -- apparently, it's full of antioxidants!

Crepes!

We received a crepe pan from guest blog contributor FoodFiend (thank you!) for Christmas.  We made honey ham & gruyere crepes for dinner and "Blue Lagoon" (Nutella, blueberries, brown sugar, Bailey's Irish Cream) crepes for dessert.

Here's the basic crepe batter recipe we used from allrecipes.com
It's 1 cup of flour, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 tbsp of melted butter -- ingredients most people have at home.  (Note: A crepe pan isn't totally necessary; use a large, flat-bottomed non-stick saute pan)

An easy and quick meal!

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.