Lychee Martini

I was shopping for groceries at Trader Joe's this past weekend and started getting a bit hungry. So I made my way to their demo area and sampled a rice dish that they were offering. But what truly caught my eye was a platter of red, ripe lychee fruit. Jackpot!

What's a lychee (aka litchi) you ask? Well, it's a fruit that I was first introduced when I was a little kid visiting my relatives in Thailand. It's red, ovular, and about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. It's covered by a thin, leathery skin which you peel to reveal a white, fleshy fruit with a hard nut in the middle. And the taste - soooooo sweet. It's hard to describe the flavor of a fresh lychee, but I guess it's similar to a very sweet grape with tropical undertones.

I think that lychees are my favorite fruit. I don't see them fresh very often in San Francisco, so I usually have to satisfy my lychee cravings in other ways. At Marco Polo, their lychee gelato is too die for! And I can usually find canned lychees in syrup in Asian supermarkets which are great over crushed ice with a little bit of syrup from the can. Which leads me to my recipe for lychee martinis (by the way, 3660 on the Rise in Honolulu makes GREAT lychee martinis).

LYCHEE MARTINI

1 shotglass of syrup from a can of lychees
3 oz premium vodka
ice
1 or 2 lychees

1) In a shaker, pour in the lychee syrup and vodka.

2) Add ice.

3) Shake and strain into a martini glass.

4) Garnish with lychee fruit.

Ed's 1st Note: I like to refrigerate the can of lychees so they are really cold for this recipe.

Ed's 2nd Note: Premium vodka makes a difference. I prefer Grey Goose or Ketel One.

The New Kitchen

Dean, Zoe, and I are finally settled in the new place. (Well, not quite. We are still unpacking.) And I actually cooked for the first time in almost a month last night. It was the first meal I've made in the new kitchen... Italian sausage and pasta. I'm going to love cooking in this kitchen. It's twice the size of my old kitchen. And our new landlord renovated the kitchen about 4 years ago so it's not only the largest but also the most modern kitchen I've ever had.

Just to give you an idea of why I'm so excited, here are the "before and after" pictures.


































The picture on the top is what the kitchen in my old apartment looked like. The picture on the bottom is my current kitchen (especially for Vickie from The Moveable Feast who asked me a while back to share pics). No comparison, right?

I'm so excited to have cabinets and drawers that actually open and close smoothly. Granite countertops. And DOUBLE the counterspace. In the picture of my new kitchen, you can't see it but there is a little office nook to the right of the dishwasher. And there's also an island between the kitchen and dining room with additional counter space and storage. Did I mention how much I love this new kitchen?

The only thing I haven't quite figured out is where to put my cookbook collection. And I must admit that I'm going to miss my old spice cabinet.

The Hot Dish Singles and Cooking Survey

Back in college, I was in a co-ed a-capella group called the Mosaic Whispers. For those of you unfamiliar with a-capella, there are no instruments! We use only our voices to replicate percussion and musical instruments. But no, it's not muzak. We do sing words. That is unless you are a bass. Then you get to pound out a stream of monosyllabic phrases like "bah," "bum," "doo," and "djin." Our repertoire at the time ranged from Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor to "Kiss the Girl" from the Little Mermaid to the theme song from the TV show "The Greatest American Hero." I know, quite mosaic.

*Cough* *mumble* years later, the group has developed into a recognized force on the national college a-cappella scene, winning several awards and being featured on a few compilation albums. You can find out more about the current group at www.mosaicwhispers.com

There's a food connection to all of this. I promise. I recently received an email from a fellow alumnus of the group, Liz, who is conducting an online survey in preparation for an upcoming cookbook she is writing.

In exchange for the 15 minutes it takes for you to complete their Internet survey, you will be entered into a raffle for your choice of cooking consultations:

1. Recipe Rescue: Diane, a professional food writer/recipe developer, will interview you about your favorite foods, time constraints, and other lifestyle factors, then will compile/develop a week's worth of dinner recipes JUST FOR YOU.

2. Dinner for Two Makeover: Diane will interview you about your favorite foods and lifestyle, then provide all the info you need to create a personalized, delicious, enticing meal: recipes for soup, salad, appetizer, main course, dessert; plus, if you want it, advice on wine choice, music, easy decor.

One in 100 entries will win a prize. That's entries, not individuals. This means if you get single friends to complete the survey and name you as a reference, your name gets entered again (and again).

If you're single, just go to this link and get cookin'! Whether you're single or not, pass it along.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=39712001321

IsItEDible Move Update: Sorry for the lack of recipes over the past few weeks. Dean and I have been in the process of moving (we're almost done! Hurrah!) so I have not been doing a heckuvalotta cooking. And it's showing in the withdrawals from my bank account and the deposits around my waistline. But, rest assured, in my new, enormous kitchen (well, enormous relative to any kitchen I've ever had), I hope to make up for it over the next couple of months.

Food For Thought - Epilogue

Last night, was the Food For Thought fundraiser for APIAHF. Amazing, amazing food! The purpose of this evening was to celebrate 20 years of advocacy for Asian & Pacific Islander health issues.

Over 17 different Asian & Pacific Islander chefs contributed their time and talents to make this evening unforgettable. Take a look at this menu:

Helene An of Thanh Long / Crustacea
Buddha rolls
Thanh long garlic noodles

Brenda Buenviaje of DeLessio
Crawfish and Andouille Pot Pie
Wild Rice and Granny Smith Apple Salad
Jicama & Grapefruit Salad

Kevin Gin of Bridges
Seafood Ceviche Seared Asian-Marinaded Kobe Beef

Michelle Mah of Ponzu
Tiger Prawn Salad with Mango and Chili Lime Vinagrette

Alexander Ong of Betelnut
Tombo Tuna Poke Mini Cream Puff with Caramel, Sea Salt & Kettle Popcorn

Phatama Parikanont of Thep Phanom
Thai Chicken Curry Satay
BBQ Pork

Sean Pattanasuvoranun of Tangerine
Filet Mignon in Shitake Sauce on Baked Polenta
Ahi Tuna Tacos

Oudi Utedpornratankul of Malacca
Crab Cakes on Creamy Polenta

Dennis Wong of Le Soleil
Vegetarian Rolls
Stir-Fry Garlic Noodles

Arren Caccamo of Levende
Mini Scallop Cakes w/Fennel Chive Sour Cream
Mini Chocolate Tarts w/Sundried Cherry Whipped Cream

Daisy Li of Moonstar
Assorted Sushi
Chocolate Fountain

And....

Ahi tuna poke from Hukilau
Spring rolls from Tommy Toy's
Imperials rolls from Ana Mandara
Assorted dimsum from Yank Sing

The following folks also provide libatations for attendees:
Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards & Winery
Rosenblum Cellars
Gallo Family Vineyards
Eden Canyon Vineyards
Sierra Nevada
Kirin Beer
Sapporo Beer
Gekkeikan Horin Sake
Red Blossom Tea <-- their Dragon Oolong Jasmine tea was sooo nice!

Everything was amazing, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Sean Pattanasuvoranun of Tangerine's Filet Mignon. It was so flavorful and melted in your mouth. And he served it on top of a wonton crisp which added a nice crunch.

A close second place was Oudi Utedpornratankul of Malacca's Crab Cakes with Creamy Polenta. Even though I'm allergic to crabs, I had to try just a bit of this dish. And it was worth every bite!

Thanks to all the chefs and to the over 350 folks who came together to help support a great cause. And a special thanks to Berkeley's Alpha Phi Omega chapter to provided the crucial volunteer power to help make this event possible!

IsItEDible in DC

From Chicago, I traveled to DC for another business meeting. I usually travel to DC at least 3 or 4 times a year for work so I've developed a list of places that I like. On my short list are Jaleo and Bistrot Du Coin. As of last night, I will be adding Corduroy to this list.

I was trying to figure out where to go for dinner. A friend of mine recommended Oyamel (by José Andrés, the same chef who started Jaleo), but I was feeling a little too lazy to leave the neighborhood I was in. On my way back to my room after my meeting, I decided to check out the fitness center on the second floor of my hotel. In doing so, I passed by Corduroy and thought to myself "Gee, a hotel restaurant. How good can it be?" But, nevertheless, I thought I would give it a try since it was so convenient.

Let me tell you... DO NOT be put off my Corduroy's location. I was wonderfully surprised by how amazingly good their food was. Although the main dining room was closed, I was seated in the bar area and ordered off the bar menu, which offered several choices off their regular dinner menu. I was in a "small plates" mood so I ordered several appetizers instead of a full entree. (I like my variety!)

First up, the Buffalo Mozzarella Porcupine for $7. No, it does not have any porcupine in it. Essentialy, this is a gussied up version of mozzarella sticks. At Corduroy, they take a ball of fresh buffalo mozzarella and wrap it up in shredded filo dough. Then they deep-fry the whole shebang. It's served a nice tomato coulis and basil oil. Very creative. I'm going to have to try this one out at home.

Next, I had a salad of beets, baby carrots, and goat cheese. This was a gorgeous dish. First, they schmeared goat cheese on a salad plate. Next came the red beets, golden beets. and baby carrots. Finally, this was all topped off with baby arugula dressed in a light vinagrette. So pretty. So tasty.

I think I had lumpia on the brain from reading Vickie's post about her lumpia parties. Thus, I ordered the Filipino style spring rolls with sweet/sour dipping sauce. For $6, you get three lengthy (at least 8 inches) spring rolls (not that size matters). Corduroy's version featured pork, onions, and shredded carrots wrapped up in a lumpia wrapper.

I was going to try to be good and skip dessert. But, when my server offered to show me the dessert menu, I gave in to temptation. Thank goodness I did. I indulged in their vanilla bean creme brulee. Nice crust (I love tapping it with the back of a spoon). Great flavor. And a heckuvalotta vanilla bean went into this because I could see the tell-tale black specks at the bottom of the dish.

After my meal, I promptly made my way to the fitness center and spent 45 minutes on the elliptical machine. I am SOOOO going back on my diet when I get back to San Francisco.