Is It EDible?

Coca-Cola Baked Ham

2011-04-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

If it's Easter, then it must be time for chocolate bunnies, peeps, and baked ham. I'm not usually a big fan of baked ham as I find it a bit too "hammy." I think it dates back to an unfortunate baked ham incident I had on an international flight when I was a kid. I was already a bit nauseous from motion-sickness and when they served the in-flight meal of baked ham, the smell and taste nearly sent me over the top (and not in a good way). Thus, in all my years, I've never endeavored to bake a ham.

However, as my friends know, I'm a bit of a Coke addict. Well, Diet Coke to be exact. So when I found this recipe for Coca Cola Baked Ham in my Classic Cooking with Coca Cola Cookbook, I thought it might be time to break my baked ham virginity.

Boy, am I glad I did! This was by far the best baked ham I've ever made (ok...I recognize that isn't saying much, but it was quite good!) The Coca-Cola imparts a nice sweetness and helps to keep the ham quite moist.

There are quite a few recipes that can be found online. While some recipes call for braising the ham on the stovetop, a quick phone consult with Dean's mother resulted in the oven-baked method. The recipe below is mashed together from a number of them, including Nigella Lawson's and Paula Dean's. Enjoy!

COCA-COLA BAKED HAM

9 lb ham
1 liter Coca-Cola*
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ cup bread crumbs
1 ½ cup brown sugar

1) In a large pot, pour the Coca-Cola over the ham, cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight (or for at least 4 hours).

2) Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking.

3) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

4) Place ham and Coca-Cola in a roasting pan. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for 3 hours (about 20 min per lb). Baste the ham every 30 minutes.

5) When the ham is done, remove from the oven. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.

6) Carefully remove ham to a large plate.

7) Carefully pour 2 cups of the Coca-Cola from the roasting pan into a small saucepan.

8) Bring the Coca-Cola to a boil and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the Coca-Cola forms a thick syrup.

9) Brush the syrup all over the ham.

10) In a mixing bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard, brown sugar, and bread crumbs. Carefully rub the mixture over the ham. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.

11) Bake at 350 degrees for an additional 30 minutes.

12) Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 15-20 servings.

* Ed's Note: Do NOT use Diet Coca-Cola. You need the real sugar in regular Coca-Cola for this recipe.

IsItEDible in Honolulu 2010

2011-02-07T23:58:00.000-08:00

I've been so fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Honolulu almost every year. It's definitely one of my favorite food cities. My list of "must-go-to" restaurants seems to keep growing with each trip and so it's impossible to hit all of them. On this trip to Honolulu, I did have the opportunity to go back to Yummy's and Tokkuri Tei. Oh soooo good.

Here are some of the new (to me) places I found on this trip....

Ramen Nakamura
2141 Kakakaua Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
Mini combo $11.80

This little hole-in-the-wall was right by the hotel I stayed at. Most of the folks I saw in this place were ordering in Japanese, which to me is always a good thing. For just $11.80, I had the mini-combo which included a bowl of hakana ramen (a mix of their "shoyu" and "salt" flavors), fried rice, and three pieces of gyoza.

Yama's Fish Market
2332 Young St.
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 941-9994

I didn't realize it until this trip, but I've eaten food from here many times. For many of my work meetings, our local host organization orders the lunches from here. Their Hawaiian plates range in price from $5.35 (for lau lau and macaroni salad) to $9.50 (for kalua pig, beef stew, and mac salad) and are oh so delicious. On this trip, I was craving haupia (kind of like a coconut jello) and Yama's definitely satisfied my craving. Try their sweet potato haupia. A small square will only set you back $1.45.

Sweet Home Cafe
2334 S. King St.
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 947-3707

I'm not typically a fan of hot pot, but this Taiwanese style hot pot restaurant has ingrained itself in my gastronomic memory. This place is so popular that you'll most likely need to wait a bit before you are seated. Be sure to add our name to the waiting list hanging on the door. Here's how it works: you pick your broth from a list of 14 options. If you can't decide, then you can actually order two broths that come in a split bowl. The steaming bowls of broth are placed on a portable induction heater on your table (I SOOO want one of these). We really enjoyed the lemongrass ($5.95) and spicy with sour cabbage ($8.95). You can also place an order for different thinly sliced meats. Try the beef tendon ($3.75)! Or if you are not so adventerous, the sliced beef, pork and chicken are also all $3.75 each. There are two sets of refrigerators in the back where you can pick out additional items such as fried bean curd, vegetables, and a bunch of different type of balls (beef, fish, shrimp, etc.) There's also a dipping sauce station where you can mix up your own dipping sauce. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE. Did I mention the free dessert? My friend and I received a huge bowl of shaved ice with tapioca pearls, a coffee flavored flan, and sweet almond tofu. Who gives you FREE dessert anymore? Thank you Sweet Home Cafe. I will definitely be back as soon as I can.

Duke's Waikiki
2335 Kalakaua Ave, Suite 116
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 922-2268

The lunch buffet ($13.95) here was decent for the price and, but what I really appreciated was the amazing, beachside view. I took this picture right from my table.

Pan-Fried Pork Chops

2010-09-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite restaurants in Honolulu is Side Street Inn. Each time I go there, their pan-fried pork chops is always one of the dishes that ends up on the table. I saw their recipe in Bon Appetit magazine a LONG time ago, and FINALLY got around to trying this dish at home.

Sometimes when you order fried pork chops in a restaurant, they are really crispy but the meat ends up dried out. Not so with this recipe. I'm not exactly sure why, but give it a try and see for yourself. You might end up booking yourself a ticket to Hawaii to try the real thing.

PAN-FRIED PORK CHOPS

1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
8 pork chops (3/4 inch thick)
canola oil

1) Mix flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, and salt in plate.

2) Fill a large cast iron skillt with oil until about 1/4 inch deep. Heat on medium heat.

3) Dredge 4 pork chops in flour mixture. Shake off excess.

4) Pan-fry pork chops for 5 minutes. Then flip and fry for an additional 5 minutes.

5) Remove to a paper-towel lined plate.

6) Repeat with remaining pork chops.

Makes 4 servings.

Broiled Brussel Sprout Chips

2010-08-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

In my adulthood, I've developed a true appreciation for brussel sprouts. Especially the crispy, caramelized part of roasted brussel sprouts. So, I thought to myself, "Self, somone should come up with a recipe that celebrates that crispy, caramelized goodness." Little did I know that I had already been beaten to the punch as I found several recipes online.

My recipe is adapted from a version that was originally posted by Sandy Smith of Eat Real.

BROILED BRUSSEL SPROUT CHIPS

16 large (golf-ball sized)brussel sprouts, washed and dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

1) Set your oven rack so that the top shelf is about 4 inches from the broiler. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2) Trim about a centimeter from the bottom of a brussel sprout. Carefully separate the leaves. You may need to continue to trim the bottom as you go to make it easier to pull off the leaves. When you can't pull off anymore, then cut the remaining brussel sprout in half. Repeat with remaining sprouts.

3) Place the leaves on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Stir until the leaves are well-coated. Carefully flatten the leaves out to a single layer.

4) Bake the leaves for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with garlic powder. Use a spatula to turn the leaves. Return to the oven. Switch your oven to broil.

5) Broil for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on them so that the leaves don't get too burnt.

6) Remove from oven. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

Fried Chicken Sandwich

2010-08-10T23:52:00.000-07:00

If you've never been to Bakesale Betty, then you are seriously missing out. Many folks from across the Bay Area line up to get a taste of her fried chicken sandwiches ($7.75). And they are so worth the wait. Crunchy chicken and spicy slaw served in an Acme Bakery torpedo roll. De-friggin-licious! While there aren't any tables to sit at inside, there are stools and ironing boards (yes, that's right, I said "ironing boards") that are set up outside on the sidewalk. Bakesale Betty 5098 Telegraph Oakland, CA 94609 (510) 985-1213 My office recently had a potluck picnic, and while I was perusing fried chicken recipes that would stay crisp for a picnic, I came across a SF Gate article where Betty shared her recipe for her famous fried chicken sandwich. I LOVE Betty's version, but I wanted to do a bit of an Asian twist. Below is my adaptation of her recipe. Don't get overwhelmed by the recipe below. It may look like a lot of ingredients and steps, but essentially you are making the fried chicken, the coleslaw, and the vinaigrette. But if it still feels too daunting, you can always just head over to Bakesale Betty and order up one of theirs.

FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH
FOR THE CHICKEN
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced

FOR THE COLESLAW
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup red wine vinegar
4 jalapenos, halved, seeded, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup lime-infused olive oil

FOR THE BATTER
1 cup water
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

FOR THE COATING
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

oil for frying
8 torpedo rolls (or other large sandwich roll)

1) In a large ziploc bag, combine the grated ginger, grated garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, and cilantro. Mix well and place chicken thighs in bag. Marinate for 1/2 hour.

2) Place 1 cup of red wine vinegar in a medium bowl. Marinate the sliced red onions for 1/2 hour to quickly pickle them. After 1/2 hour, remove the red onions to a large salad bowl, but don't dump out the red wine vinegar. You'll need to reserve 6 tablespoons to make the vinaigrette.

3) To make the vinaigrette, whisk 6 tablespoons of the reserved red wine vinegar, mustard, salt, and olive oil.

4) To make the coleslaw, combine the pickled red onions, jalapenos, parsley, and cabbage together in a large bowl. Toss with the vinaigrette.

5) Fill a cast-iron skillet with enough oil so that it is just under half-filled. Turn heat to medium.

6) Mix all the ingredients for the batter together in a large bowl.

7) Mix all the ingredients for the coating together in a large plate.

8) When the oil is hot, dip 4 of the chicken thighs in the batter. Lift out and dredge in the coating and shake off excess. Carefully place in the hot oil and fry for 5-7 minutes per side. Remove to a wire rack (with cookie sheet underneath to catch the oil).

9) Repeat with the remaining for chicken thighs.

10) To serve, place coleslaw on bottom of roll and top with two chicken thighs. Slice in half, if desired.

Makes 4 large sandwiches or 8 smaller sandwiches.

Ed's Note: I like the tartness that the lime gives to the vinaigrette. If you can't find lime-infused olive oil, then just use regular olive oil. You could also try adding the zest from one lime.

Oven-Broiled Barbecue Ribs

2010-07-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

With the fourth of July holiday behind us, we are definitely in the thick of barbecue season. Although if you ask me, I believe that the season for barbecue lasts all year. If you have a craving for barbecue, but don't feel like firing up the grill (or if you don't have a grill to fire up), here is a super easy recipe that will leave you very satisfied.

OVEN BROILED BARBECUED RIBS

4 lbs pork spare ribs
1/2 medium sized onion, sliced
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

1) Fill a large pot about 1/3 full with water. Bring the water to a boil.

2) Cut the spare ribs into portions of 2 to 3 ribs. Place rib portions in the pot along with the onion slices.

3) Cover the pot and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 1 hour.

4) Adjust your oven rack so that it is about 4-5 inches from your broiler). Preheat broiler.

5) Place the ribs in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the ribs with 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce. Broil for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and brush the tops of the ribs with another 1/4 of barbecue sauce. Broil for 5 minutes.

6) Remove from oven. Turn the ribs over and brush with additional 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce. Broil for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and brush the tops with the remaining 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

IsItEDible in Los Angeles

2010-06-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

Last month, I spent a few days in Los Angeles for a training. While I was there, I revisited one of my favorite restaurants, Daikokuya (see the past posting here) and was introduced to some new (to me) places by my LA based colleagues and friends.

Daikokuya
327 E. 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-1680

This place is every bit as popular as it was when I first visited it in December 2008. There isn't a host/hostess so be sure to sign in on the clipboard when you walk in. Although their gyoza is quite delicious, I opted to start off with fried spicy tuna ($5.95), a plate of 5 dumpling-esque bundles of spicy tuna wrapped in a shiso leaf which is then dipped in tempura batter and deep fried. This comes with a little bowl of dipping salt (perhaps MSG) and a lemon wedge. Place a little of both on each "dumpling"and you are in for a treat! Note that the deep-frying does cook the tuna so don't expect the same consistency of a raw spicy tuna roll.

Their signature dish, the Daikokuya Ramen, is still delicious and still only $8.50. This time, I asked for the "kotteri" flavor which uses added soup extracted from the back fat. It was a huge bowl of savory deliciousness!

Lazy Ox Canteen
241 South San Pedro St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-5299

Two of my LA colleagues recommended this canteen that focuses on fresh, seasonal ingredients. If you go, do so with a group of friends so you can order a bunch of small plates. And if you go between 5 pm - 7pm on Monday through Friday, they have a special five for $5 happy hour menu. I really enjoyed their pigs ear chicharon ($9) even though it was not quite what I expected. Instead of they typical pork rinds type chicaron, these were cut into strips that were chewy yet still crispy. I also really enjoyed the dashi marinated yellowtail with avocadao, hash brown, and creme fraiche.

Salad Farm
3675 Wilshire Blvd (at Hobart)
Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 249-9835

This small chain of restaurants had a location near the training I attended. I liked it so much I actually ate here twice. The ingredients are quite fresh and the salads are made to order (or as they say on their website, "We even toss your salad right in front of you!"). Definitely try the fajita steak salad ($7.75) which comes with mixed greens, tomatoes, sweet corn, grilled peppers, grilled onion, steak, avocado, and homemade salsa and served in a fried tortilla bowl. The Philly salad ($8.95) was also good. It comes with romaine, tomatoes, mushrooms, grilled onions, grilled peppers, steak, and cheese.

Brazil Express
3500 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 382-5659

Tucked inside the Normandie Plaza food court, this little Brazilian BBQ counter offers quite a deal. For $8.49, you can have partake of their lunch buffet which included barbecue chicken and steak (Brazilian style) and various side dishes included fried yucca and black beans and rice.

El Cholo
1121 S. Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(323) 734-2773

This place has been around since 1922! On their menu, they claim to have invented nachos and the margerita. A large group of us went here for happy hour and dinner. The wait-staff couldn't have been any more accomodating or nice considering the size of our group. I tried their award winning (see the Rachel Ray Taco-Off) filet mignon tacos with cilantro rice and refried beans.

Hugo's Restaurant
12851 Riverside Drive
Studio City, CA 91607
(818) 761-8985

Ok, so this is technically in Studio City, but they also have a location in West Hollywood. For my last meal in LA, I had a chance to finally catch up with my long time friend Josh who I sang in a co-ed acapella group with in college. In all honesty, I was a bit overwhelmed at first by the extensive menu. And typically my gut reaction is that if a restaurant has too large of a menu, then the chefs/cooks don't really have a chance to perfect their dishes. But, we both quite enjoyed the Hugo burger ($12.85) featuring hormone and antibiotic free ground beef and the Cuban sandwich ($12.85) with grilled chicken breast, honey-chipotle sauce, fried plantains, goat cheese, organic mixed greens, tomatoes, and grilled red onions. Try it as a wrap! Hugo's burgers and sandwiches come with your choice of crispy fries or organic mixed greens. Beware, the fries are quite addictive.

IsItEDible at the Oakland Greek Festival

2010-05-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

Above are pics of just some of the great food (spanakopita, saganaki, and loukoumades) that we had last night at the 39th annual Oakland Greek Festival. We met up with our good friend Lex who had told us about this fun and delicious event that is happening this entire weekend. If you are reading this post and are in the Bay Area, then you have until 9 pm tomorrow (Sunday, May 16th) to get your behind down to:

Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension
4700 Lincoln Ave
Oakland, CA 94602
(510) 531-3400
http://www.oaklandgreekfestival.com/

Over the course of 3 hours last night, Dean and I managed to inhale more than our share of delicious Greek food which left me wanting to book the next available flight out to Greece. It's $6 to get in (but only $5 if you print out the online coupon available on the website), and then you purchase tokens for $1 each. While the prices may seem a bit steep, I'm betting that the proceeds help go to support the church and the local Greek community.

Below are some of our favorites that we tried last night (please note that the prices given are my best recollection of what we paid):

avgolemono (a Greek lemon chicken soup). This apparently is new to the festival, and the warm, lemony flavors were perfect given the slightly chilly evening temperature. ($3 in tokens)
haloumi (a grilled cheese). This had to be one of my favorite dishes of the evening. Haloumi is a hard cheese that they grilled and served on pita bread with tomato slices, capers, and a tangy dressing. ($3 in tokens for a 1/2 order of 3 wedges).
spanakopita ( a spinach pie layered in filo dough). This nearly filled me up. The combination of spinach, cheese, and filo makes for a very hearty appetizer. Be sure to share this with someone else so you have room to sample all the other offerings. ($4 in token for 1 large piece)
saganaki. I always order this when I see it on the menu. At the festival, it's made to order at the festival. A huge square of cheese is placed on hot grill until it starts to get oozy. Then it's drizzled with brandy and lit on fire (Be sure to shout "Opa!" when this happens) and squirted with lemon juice. As the flames die down, they scrape up the cheese and serve it over a piece of nicely crusted bread. ($6 in tokens)
lamb sandwich. I was so full from all the cheese I'd already eaten, but did manage to sneak a few bites of Dean's lamb sandwich. The slices of lamb were perfectly seasoned and melted in your mouth. The sandwich bread was drizzled with olive oil which just put the whole experience over the top. (Either $10 or $12 in tokens. Sorry, I just can't remember).
loukoumades (Greek donuts). After an hour-long break, we were finally ready to take in some of the Greek desserts. You must try these things! Little puffs of pastry are lightly fried, coated in a honey syrup, and topped with crushed nuts (optional). ($4 in tokens)

Oven Barbecued Chicken

2010-02-27T13:34:00.000-08:00

What are the options when you don't have a BBQ pit or grill that is readily available but you have a certain hankering for that yummy, BBQ flavor? Do it in your oven! Although nothing beats the smoky, char-grilled flavor you get from the outdoors, this method still tastes pretty good and will satisy your cravings.

For this recipe, I used the Hawaiian Chip Company's new Kilauea Fire Hawaiian Style BBQ Sauce that I discovered at this year's Winter Fancy Food Show. It's the perfect combination of tangy and sweet with just the right amount of heat.

See how simple this recipe is? Just two ingredients. It's so simple I was going to call it easy oven barbecued chicken, but I didn't want y'all to think that you'd be cooking this in one of those little easy ovens with the light bulb heat source.

OVEN BARBECUED CHICKEN

4 chicken leg quarters (thigh and drumstick together)

1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Place the leg quarters on a foil-lined rimmed cookie sheet. Brush the tops of the leg quarters with about 1/3 cup of the barbecue sauce.

3) Bake for 25 minutes. Flip over and brush with another 1/3 cup of the barbecue sauce.

4) Bake for an additional 20 minutes.

5) Flip over once more and brush with the remaining 1/3 cup of barbecue sauce.

6) Broil the chicken for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until it is charred to your liking.

Makes 4 servings.

Ed's Note: A great side dish for this is my garlic potato salad.

IsItEDible at A Cote Restaurant

2010-02-14T22:08:00.000-08:00

I typically do not enjoy dining out on Valentine's Day. The overpriced prix-fixe menus. The overly affectionate couples engaging in public displays that should be reserved for the bedroom. The 30 minute waits even with a reservation.

That's why I was very pleasantly surprised by my dinner at À Côté restaurant tonight. First of all, we were immediately seated once our party of five arrived. Second, the restaurant was offering it's regular menu (which changes weekly). Third, the food was REALLY good and came out promptly. And finally, the group of single ladies I was with was beautiful inside and out!

À Côté
5478 College Ave
Oakland, CA 94618
(510) 655-6469

If you are in the mood for Mediterranean small plates, then you must try À Côté. Here's a rundown of some the great dishes we enjoyed tonight.

The first two dishes that hit the table were the baby arugula salad with crispy polenta, pine nuts, and Great Hill blue-cheese dressing ($10) and the Tuscan chicken liver crostini with pickled shallots and frisee ($10). The arugula salad was nice and peppery with a wonderful crunch added by the two triangles of polenta. If you like chicken livers, then definitely try the crostini. With these two dishes starting us off, we all knew we were in for a delicious evening.

Almost every single dish we ordered was spot-on. In comparing all the dishes that we sampled this evening, the following emerged as our favorite.

Chicken Tortelloni with chanterelles and Swiss chard ($15). The tortelloni were essentially dumpling size tortellini and very good, but the rich creamy sauce and chanterelle mushrooms are what made this dish.
Coriander & Meyer Lemon Cured Salmon with buckwheat blini, dill creme fraiche and watermelon radishes ($12). When this dish hit the table, we almost didn't want to tear into it; the slices of vodka-cured salmon were so artfully mounded on top of the blini .
Mussels with Pernod from the wood over ($15). How can you go wrong with mussels with crusty slices of bread to soak up the cream sauce.
Sardinian Sausage & Clams ($17). I've never had grilled wild boar sausage, and if you haven't either, then you should try it, too. The fregola (a pasta similar to Israeli couscous) added a nice al dente texture to this dish.
Seared Sturgeon with roasted celery root, sun chokes, and fingerling potatoes with brown butter vinaigrette ($18) just melted in your mouth. And the vegetables were all cut in to similar mini bite-size chunks so you never quite knew what you were going to taste until you put it in your mouth. Very delicious.

The aboves were the favorites, but the following two dishes were also quite notable:

Comice Pear & Walnut Flatbread with Mountain Gorgonzola ($13) arrive hot and crispy to the table. The sweetness of the pear was a perfect balance to the cheese.
Pommes Frites with aioli ($6). This is exactly how I like my fries. There was a heaping plateful of crispy fries and a nice, lemony aioli to dip it in. The fries were also delicious dipped in the cream sauce from the mussels and the tortelloni.

Unfortunately, the only misses for the evening were the desserts: the "love bombe" arrived with out the red velvet cake that all of us at the table were looking forward to (our adorable waiter explained to us that this was a mistake on the menu) and the fennel pollen ice cream (tasted more like a honey-ish vanilla ice cream).

But, all of the other dishes more than made up for the desserts. So, I definitely hope to be returing to À Côté in the very near future.

Winter Fancy Food Show 2010, Last Post

2010-01-18T22:21:00.001-08:00

Following up on my two previous posts about the Winter Fancy Food Show 2010, here's the last few items that grabbed my attention this year...

First up, ALEXIAN's "duck with cognac" spreadable mousse. As per its name, this creamy mousse is made with duck liver and cognac. Served on little toasts, this would make a delicious hors d'ouvre at any party. For a European style breakfast, the folks at ALEXIAN also suggest spreading this mousse over a warm bagel or English muffin.

Another luxurious flavor I sampled was ice cream made with La Tourangelle's roasted pistachio oil. There was something deliciously familiar about the taste, and it all clicked for me when they told me that Bi-Rite Creamery uses it in their pistachio ice cream.

Last year, my taste buds were tickled by Yancey's Fancy wasabi cheddar cheese. This year, I fell in love with their buffalo wing flavored cheddar cheese. The bite of the buffalo wing hot sauce was nicely balanced by the flavor of the cheese.

Justin and Dave, the folks who introduced me to bacon-flavored salt and mayonnaise at last year's show are coming out with a new bacon-flavored product... Bacon pop (a bacon-flavored microwave popcorn). And click here to find out about another of their inspired bacon-flavored product (hint: it's especially made for those of you who love the taste of bacon but don't like the taste of envelopes).

I do love my popcorn. And I'm also a truffle-lover. Two great tastes that taste great together...truffled popcorn. Brought to you by Susan Rice Truffle Products, these were one of my favorite finds at the show. I had to go back for seconds!

There were LOTS of beverage makes showcasing their drinks at the show. I really enjoyed the two below. Icio Water, based out of Los Angeles, had some very refreshing flavored waters. I'm typically not a fan of flavored water, but the flask shaped packaging initially caught my eye. And the cucumber lemongrass flavor was quite refreshing.

Another product with beautiful packaing was Sence Rare European Rose Nectar. You can either drink Sence straight up, or you can use your imagination and create rose-flavored cocktails with it (or just try one of the recipes on their website).

Finally, these last pictures showcase some of the great names that people come up with for their companies.

Check out what other bloggers who attended the show found:

What's Cooking Blog
Wine and Food

Winter Fancy Food Show 2010, Part Two

2010-01-18T18:27:00.000-08:00

With over 80,000 products on display, there is no way that one person can see (let alone taste) everything that the Winter Fancy Food Show has to offer. Since today's rainshowers dashed my plans of running a 13-miler (not really), I headed back for the 2nd day of exploration. Below are some of the things I enjoyed most.

First off, savory macarons from Montchevre. Don't look for these on the shelf just yet as they are still in research and development. The ones on the right were filled with sun dried and tomato basil flavored goat cheese. I'm crossing my fingers that they get released later this year because they are delicious.

The folks at Hawaiian Chip Company were offering delicious Hawaiian style appetizers featuring their latest product Kilauea Fire Hawaiian Style BBQ Sauce. This was one of their most popular flavors of sweet potato and taro chips. And now, with mahalo to owner Jimmy Chan and the folks at Hawaiian Chip Company, it's now also a spicy sauce/marinade/dip.

The folks over at Daddy Cakes are pairing up with.... Paul Frank! This is the first time that Paul Frank will be offering a food product in their stores. But, be patient. You'll have to wait till March before these monkey faces appear on shelves.

One of the best things about the Winter Fancy Food Show is getting to interact directly with the business owners, founders, and staff of the various companies. Yes, there are definitely the "big boys" that you find in EVERY market and specialty store. But then there are also smaller businesses like the folks below who have great ideas, delicious products, and the passsion to carry them to reality (and hopefully to stores near you). First up, Jim Barbour, Co-Founder of FunniBonz Barbeque Sauce. Jim has held a variety of careers, and they have all culminated in his latest venture. I tried their original barbeque sauce, and it was a nice balance of tangy and sweet. Keep an eye out for their two newest flavors: Fiery Chipotle and Sweet & Tangy Mustard.

Below is Mr. Toru Takahashi, the inventor of Yuzusco, a new Yuzu flavored hot sauce. I tried just a few tiny drops of this stuff. It definitely packs a fiery, citrus wollop. Mr. Takahashi is still looking for a US distributor for his product. I hope he finds one soon because my little sample packet is not going to last very long.

Below left is Justin Gold, Founder and CEO of Justin's. At this year's show, he debuted three new flavors: all-natural Chocolate Hazelnut, all-natural Chocolate Almond, and organic Chocolate Peanut.

Each year, the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade gives out its sofi awards (perhaps the specialty food world's equivalent of an Academy Award). "Sofi" stands for specialty outstanding food innovation. Kitchen Table Bakers won a 2009 sofi for their Aged Parmesan Mini Crisps (and very deservedly so!) in the Diet and Lifestyle Category. In speaking with President and Founder Barry Novick, their crisps are made entirely of cheese and are wheat, gluten, trans-fat, and sugar free. But they certainly ARE NOT flavor-free! In addition to the award-winning mini crisps, they also carry 8 larger crisps, including: Aged Parmesan, Everything, Flax Seed, Garlic, Italian Herb, Jalapeno, Rosemary, and Sesame. My favorites that I tried today were the Jalapeno and Everything flavors.

In 2009, Cypress Grove Chevre's Truffle Tremor (a lightly aged goat cheese containing a good amount of black truffle) won a gold for Outstanding Cheese or Dairy Product. Today, I had the opportunity to sample Truffle Tremor, and I completely understand why the sofi judges awarded it this honor. I also particularly enjoyed their Purple Haze which contains lavender and fennel pollen.

And, this beautiful wedding cake below also caught my eye today. It's Cypress Grove Chevre's signature "cheese cake." This is literally a cake made of stacks of their goat cheese. Isn't it gorgeous?

I wish I had the opportunity to taste the following two items, but alas, they were only for display. Below, the guys at the booth at Sabatino Tartufi showed me what $10,000 of black truffles looks and smells like.

And finally, I found this enormous basket of mushrooms at P.A.Q. Gubbio's booth.

Stay tuned for my final highlights from this year's Winter Fancy Food Show. Until then, you might check out what other bloggers have posted about it:

Winter Fancy Food Show 2010

2010-01-17T17:55:00.000-08:00

Today was the opening of the 35th Annual Winter Fancy Food Show here in San Francisco. This food industry-only event takes up the entire North and South Hall of the Moscone Center. Imagine rows upon rows of food exhibitors offering samples of their products in their attempts to raise awareness about their items, get retailers to order them, and press members to write about them. There is more cheese, olive oil, crackers, cookies, sodas, chocolates, and other specialty products than you could ever ingest in an 8 hour period. In other words, foodie heaven!

For those of us who attend this show, coming home is reminiscent of how a kids feel as they dump out the contents of their trick-or-treat bags onto the kitchen table. Below are just a few of things that I was excited to bring home with me:

Donsuemor French Almond Cakes. Last year, this Alameda-based company introduced its chocolate madeleines. This year, they featured their French almond cakes, otherwise known as financiers.

Annie Chun's Go-Chu-Jang. At the show, Annie Chun's offered up potstickers dipped in their delicious new Korean sweet and spicy red chili paste sauce. Landrin's 2010 Waferatto Collection, comprised of 3 flavors: Rich & Famous (light creme and whole almond filling, enrobed in dark chocolate and crushed bitter cocoa nib-coated wafer), Creme (sweet creamy center with a whole almond, in crisp wafer covered in a silky white glaze and topped with freshly crushed hazelnuts), and Gold (chocolate hazelnut filling with a whole almond, encased in delicate wafer and crushed hazelnuts).

Ghirardelli's Luxe Milk Hazelnut Square. A not so new release, but one of my favorites.

And for your Jelly Belly fans, here is their newest flavor: Honey Bean. Keep an eye out for it in your local stores in February.

Check back later for more pics and discoveries from this year's show.

Orange-Ginger Chicken with Cashews

2010-01-06T20:23:00.001-08:00

I couldn't decide if I wanted ginger chicken or cashew chicken for dinner tonight. So, instead of choosing, I combined the ginger and cashew into one dish. For an extra layer of flavor, I added in some orange zest as well as the juice and pulp from 2 Cuties oranges.

Ever had Cuties? (That's CUTIES, not COOTIES.) They are one of my favorite types of oranges because they are small, super-sweet, and seedless. If you can't find Cuties where you live, then you could probably substitute a small orange, but make sure it is sweet and not tart.

ORANGE-GINGER CHICKEN WITH CASHEWS

oil for stir-frying
1 onion, thinly sliced
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs - cut into 3/4 inch chunks
1 1/2 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
4 garlic cloves, grated
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
zest from 2 Cuties oranges
juice from 2 Cuties oranges
1/2 cup roasted whole cashews

1) Place 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add in the onions and stir-fry until they are lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Remove onions to a plate

2) In the same skillet, add 1 more tablespoon of oil. Add in the chicken chunks, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, orange zest, and orange juice. Stir0fry the chicken until it's cooked through but still tender, about 5 minutes.

3) During the last minute of cooking, add in the cashews and previously stir-fried onions.

Makes 4 servings.

Ed's 1st Note: This is great over steamed rice.

Ed's 2nd Note: I squeezed the oranges in my hands over the pan. Instead of throwing away the remaing pulp, I tossed that into the pan for some extra orange goodness.

Fried Turkey Wings

2010-01-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010 everyone! Here's a recipe for those of you who still haven't overdosed on turkey.

I love the idea of a fried turkey, but have never been able to bring myself to actually deep fry a whole turkey (especially since I don't really have an outdoor area where I could do this safely.) So, instead, I've played around with deep frying pieces of turkey. The problem is that turkey breasts and thighs are so big that they take FOREVER to deep fry.

So when I saw turkey wings on sale at my local market, I thought I would give them a try. I separated the wing into the drummette and the wing sections. Voila! Turns out that a turkey drummette is just about the same size as a chicken drumstick. I used the same batter recipe that I usually use for my crispy fried chicken which gives it an extra crunch over most fried turkey recipes. Enjoy!

FRIED TURKEY WINGS

4 Turkey Wings
canola oil for frying

For the batter:
1 1/2 cups room temperature water
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For the coating:
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour

1) Divide the turkey wings into drummette and wing sections.

2) Place enough oil to fill your deep fryer (or cast iron pan) halfway. Heat oil on medium to 325 degrees.

3) In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the batter.

4) In a shallow rimmed dish, mix all the ingredients for the coating.

5) Dip the wing sections in the batter. Lift out and dredge in the flour until well-coated. Shake off excess flour and carefully place a few pieces in the hot oil. Do not overcrowd.

6) Fry for 8 minutes. Flip over and fry for an additional 8 minutes.

7) Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining pieces as necessary.

Ed's 1st Note: I discarded the wing tips. But I guess you could fry these up as well.

Ed's 2nd Note: For a variation, try this with a 1/2 teaspoon of ground sage powder mixed into the batter.

Char Siew Lamb Chops

2009-11-01T22:33:00.001-08:00

I'm slowly trying to get back into my cooking (and blogging) rhythm. Thus, I found myself leafing through my past issues of Bon Appetit magazine this afternoon. One particular recipe for char siew (or Chinese barbecue) lamb chops caught my eye. I love char siew, and I love lamb chops. But instead of using the Bon Appetit recipe, I decided to try adapting this recipe for some tasty New Zealand lamb chops I picked up from Trader Joe's today. SUCCESS! The smoky flavor of the Chinese 5 spice powder adds a nice dimension to the lamb. I like my lamb chops medium rare, but if you prefer yours medium, then up the cooking time to 4 minutes per side.

CHAR SIEW LAMB CHOPS

4 lamb chops (about 1 lb)

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon rice wine

1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder

1) Place all the ingredients in a ziploc bag and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.

2) When ready to cook, lightly oil a cast iron skillet and warm over medium heat.

3) Remove chops from marinade and place in the skillet and pan-fry for 3 1/2 minutes.

4) Turn the chops over and pan-fry for an additional 3 1/2 minutes.

Makes 2 servings.

Salisbury Steak

2009-10-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

I've always had a fondness for salisbury steak. Back when I was in elementary school, I remember this being one of my favorite school cafeteria foods (right behind the sliced turkey with dressing and the cheese "pizza").

Since then, I've satisfied my salisbury steak cravings by partaking of Budget Gourmet and Boston Market's frozen versions. Till now...

Skimming through an old copy of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, I found an uber-simple recipe and jazzed it up with my rendition of a mushroom gravy. I may never go back to the frozen version again.

SALISBURY STEAK WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY

For the steaks:
2 slices white bread, crusts removed

1/4 cup milk

2 lbs ground beef

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup bread crumbs

For the gravy:

8 oz mushroom, cleaned and sliced

1 cup beef broth

1/2 cup cool water

2 tablespoons Wondra flour

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1) Preheat the broiler.

2) In a medium mixing bowl, soak the bread in milk.

3) Add beef and remaining seasonings. Mix thoroughly.

4) Divide meat into 6 equal portions. Shaped into oval-shaped patties about 1 inch thick. Place patties on a cookie sheet.

5) Cook 3 inches from the broiler for 5 minutes. Turn and broil for another 5 minutes. Check for doneness. Serve with gravy, if desired.

6) For the gravy, saute the mushrooms in a lightly oiled sauce pan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove mushrooms to a plate.

7) In the same pan, heat beef broth in a small saucepan over medium heat.

8) In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons Wondra flour with 1/2 cup water. Slowly pour this mixture into the beef broth, stirring constantly.

9) Add the remaining seasonings as well as the mushroom. Cook for 2 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Scallion and Shallot Pancakes

2009-08-03T20:59:00.001-07:00

I remember my very first scallion pancake. It was a dark, stormy night during my freshman year of college. Ok, maybe not so dark and not so stormy. My friends and I were ordering delivery from a local Chinese restaurant (none of us had cars), and I saw the words "scallion pancake" on the menu.

I remembered reading about them in one of my Frugal Gourmet cookbooks. And I thought to myself...I like scallions. I like pancakes. Let's give it a try. Ooo...famous last words. how can one not love the taste of greasy, crispy, scallionny (is that a word?) goodness. Many of the recipes I've seen call for lard. Now, I love the stuff, but my waistline and arteries can't handle it anymore. I found the original recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine,and I've added shallots (because I thought they would go well with the green onions).

SCALLION AND SHALLOT PANCAKES

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 teaspoons sesame oil
5 scallions, thinly sliced
2 medium-sized shallots, thinly sliced
additional salt, to taste

1) In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, boiling water, and a tablespoon of vegetable oil.

2) Remove dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes or until soft and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

3) Roll the dough into a 16-inch long log. Cut into 24 equal pieces. Cover with plastic wrap.

4) On lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough into a 4-inch circle. Brush with sesame oil.

5) Combine scallions and shallots in a small bowl. Spinkle 1 teaspoon of scallion-shallot mixture on the rolled-out dough.

6) Roll up the dough circle into a tight cylinder. Pinch the ends close. Then wrap the cylinder into a tight spiral. Cover with plastic wrap and repeat with remaining dough pieces. Let rest for 20 minutes.

7) On a lightly floured surface, stand up one of the spirals vertically (like a snail shell). Flatten gently then roll out into a 4 inch circle. (The point here is to create as many layers as possible so you get a flaky pancake).

8) Repeat with remaining spirals, stacking the rolled-out circles between waxed paper.

9) Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook 2 or 3 of the pancakes at the same time for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate. Sprinkle with additional salt, if desired.

10) Repeat with the remaining pancakes, adding more oil as needed. If you like, you can keep the pancakes warm in the oven at 200 degrees. Serve with dipping sauce (see recipe below).

Makes about 24 pancakes.

DIPPING SAUCE

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sugar

1) Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Ed's Note: If you don't like shallots, then omit them. Up the number of scallions to 7 scallions.

Whoppers Ice Cream Pie

2009-07-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

Wow. Has it really been 3 months since my last post? It's amazing how time flies amidst work-related projects, timelines, and deadlines. But, my hope is to get back into the rhythm of blogging (and cooking) again.

So, my first foray back into cooking and entertaining included this recipe which was not hard to find. It was right on the back of a box of Whoppers. The malted chocolate candy Whoppers not the Burger King hamburger Whopper just in case anyone was confused.

The only change I made was instead of using vanilla ice cream, I substituted cookies n' cream. This made the perfect finale to the 4th of July get together that Dean and I hosted. And it was so easy to make!

WHOPPERS ICE CREAM PIE

1 pint cookies n' cream ice cream, softened
8 oz whipped topping
2 cups of Whoppers, crushed
1 graham cracker pie crust

1) Mix together the ice cream and whipped topping until well-blended.

2) Stir in 1 cup of the crushed Whoppers.

3) Spoon mixture into the graham cracker pie crust.

4) Sprinkle top with the remaining crushed Whoppers.

5) Place in freezer for at least 4 hours.

Makes 6 -8 servings.

IsItEDible at OB Town

2009-03-07T21:24:00.001-08:00

A few years ago, the New York Times had a great article on Korean Fried Chicken. During my trip to to NYC last year, I had the opportunity to try BonChon's version. Luckily for those of us in the Bay Area, New York City isn't the only city that has access to great KFC. Oakland's got it, too, thanks to OB Town(formerly Oriental BBQ Chicken Town).

OB Town
6101 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 595-5338

For those of you who want to give Korean Fried Chicken a try, order the Gan Jang Chicken ($14.50), which is coated with a delicious sauce with garlic and soy. Or if you like it spicy, then try the Yang Nyeom Chicken (also $14.50).

There's also several "bar dishes" on the menu. The garlic fries ($5.90) go great with the fried chicken.

If you are in the mood for seafood, then give the Shrimp Ganpengji (12.99) a try. At OB Town, the fry up the shrimp in a nice batter and coat it with a spicy sauce. Also, good are the spicy rice cakes and seafood ($12.90).

Split Pea Soup

2009-02-08T20:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a dish I literally turned my nose up at when I was a kid. But like many other foods, I've developed a fondness for this as an adult. It all started with the annual pilgrimmage that Dean and I make down to Palm Springs. We usually try to stop at Andersen's Pea Soup for a bowl of the restaurant's signature dish.

With the cold, wet weather we've been having lately, I've been in the mood for the smoky goodness of this comfort food. I scouted around on the internet and found some interesting variations over at 101 Cookbooks, the Food Network, and A Year of Crockpotting.

Here's my take on this comfort food classic.

SPLIT PEA SOUP

1 lb dried split peas
4 strips bacon
1 onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic
6 cups water
2 tablespoons "Better than Bouillion" chicken base
1 tablespoon garam masala
salt and pepper to taste

1) Pick through the split peas for foreign particles. Rinse.

2) In a large pot, fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove and place on paper-towel lined plate. Crumble the bacon.

3) Add onions and garlic to the bacon grease. Cook for 3 minutes.

4) Add 1 cup of water and quickly scrape off the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the remaining water.

5) Add the dry split peas, chicken base, and garam masala. Bring the water to a boil.

6) Cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes.

7) Remove from heat. Place half of the soup in a blender and puree. Pour pureed soup back into the pot and stir.

8) Salt and pepper to taste.

9) To serve, ladle soup into bowl and top with crumbled bacon.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Ed's 1st Note: Thanks to my honey for helping me to stage this shot. All my previous attempts looked like green gloop in a white bowl.

Ed's 2nd Note: The garam masala gives this recipe a nice "smokiness." For extra smoky flavor, I used some of the Saltworks smoked sea salt I picked up at the Fancy Food Show.

IsItEDible at Citron

2009-01-25T22:58:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about moving to a new city is getting to explore all the new restaurants. Granted, Oakland is just a hop, skip, and jump away from San Francisco, but Dean and I have truly enjoying scouting out new dining spots.

One of our discoveries is Citron. Located in the Rockridge area of Oakland, this restaurant has not let us down over several visits during the last 6 months. Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle describes it as a "charming neighborhood restuarant with a destination attitude." We always appreciate the chef's amuse-bouche, the warm bread (try the orange-hued one made with pepper), and the delicious French/Mediterranean cuisine served by an attentive and friendly staff.

Citron
5484 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618
(510) 653-5484

Note the menu here does change regularly. On each of our visits, the Maine lobster bisque ($10) with creme fraiche gougere has always been on the menu. This is hands-down one of the best bisques I've had. It's svaory richness of the lobster is nicely accentuated by the gougere. This is a "must-order" if you see it on the menu. On our most recent visit, we brought Dean's mom who was visiting from out of town. She thoroughly enjoyed her butternut squash soup ($9) with orange scented shrimp and crispy leeks. For salads, try the baby spinach salad ($10). It's served with a warm balsamic dressing and accented by spiced pecans. A few slivers of sweet Medjool dates add an extra layer of sweet flavor that sets it apart from your typical spinach salad. Usually there is a choice of about 5 different entrees on the menu. We particularly liked the rosemary-scented rack of lamb ($26) which was served with a straw potato cake, romano beans. and a black olive-red wine sauce. For desserts, try the ginger ice cream ($9) served with whole wheat graham crackers and dulce de leche. A sprinkle of pomegranate seeds added a sweet and tart crunch.

Winter Fancy Food Show

2009-01-20T21:42:00.000-08:00

The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade brought the Winter Fancy Food Show back to San Francisco this year. I took the opportunity to join over 16,000 other attendees who walked up and down the aisles of the Moscone Center to check out over 1,250 booths in search of the latest and greatest in specialty food and drink. I even ran into fellow food blogger Amy from Cooking with Amy, and we both waxed nostalgic about our love of the whole spectrum of Hawaiian food... from plate lunches to fine dining.

This was my first year to attend. To say that I experienced sensory overload is an understatement. Amidst the pungent smell of the cheeses, the "oohs, ahs, and mmm's" of attendees, the celebrity chef sightings (I saw Ina Garten and Paul Prudhomme), and the delicious tastes of all the different things I tried, I definitely had a hard time narrowing down my #1 favorite food find from the Show.

So, instead I offer a glimpse at the following things which caught my attention (and may soon be found on the shelves of Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, William Sonoma, or your local market).

Saltwork's Yakima Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt and their new line of Fusion Naturally-Flavored Sea Salts. The fragrant, smoky aroma of the the Alderwood brought back memories of meals around the campfire.

For those of you who like "boba" (also known as "bubble tea"...it's essentially tea with tapioca balls, keep an eye out for Sogo's popping boba. What's different about this boba is it literally pops in your mouth releasing a burst of liquid flavor.

I also was introduced to Landrin, a first time exhibitor at the show. This Russian confectionery gave out samples of their waferatto. I especially enjoyed their waferatto classic, a whole almond surrounded in white chocolate and crispy wafer with a coconut coating.

The folks at Stubb's Bar-B-Q celebrated their founder by commissioning artist Jason Baalman to create paintings using their sauces. I sampled some of their brisket with their hickory bourbon bar-b-q sauce. It was de-finger-lickin-licious.

Here's an unexpected combination: Wasabi Horseradish cheddar cheese! And it was pretty good!

Um, yeah. This company's name speaks for itself. (Or perhaps silence is golden?)

I thought that these SushiParty soy wrappers from Yamamotoyama would make a colorful addition to any Sushi party. And, yes, those wrappers are completely edible.

Did you know you could make bouquets out of lavash? The folks at California Lavash did.

I grew up on jasmine tea, but the white jasmine sparkling tea from Golden Star Tea Co was a nice twist on a classic.

You may have had madeleines, but think how much tastier they are when they are chocolate madeleines OR chocolate madeleines dipped in chocolate. These are the newest offerings from Donsuemor, based out of Alameda.

Finally, in the past year, I've developed a taste for mojitos, so I really enjoyed samplings of an iced mojito tea from Caffe D'Amore and a mojito ice sorbet from Silver Moon. Both products made their debut at the show so it may take a while before they are available in stores or served at your local restaurant.

So those are some of the things I particularly enjoyed from this year's Winter Fancy Food Show. Did you attend this year? What were some of the things you particularly liked? Were there any trends you noticed compared to previous years?

Check out what other food bloggers discovered at the Show...

Cooking with Amy and her post at Bay Area Bites

Joy the Baker

Lick My Spoon

Eat Cheap, Eat Well, Eat Up

IsItEDible in Tokyo

2009-01-15T20:46:00.000-08:00

Last month, I had the chance to spend about 40 hours in Tokyo on my way to a meeting in Palau. I didn't have much time to explore the city, but luckily I was able to maximize my short trip thanks to some helpful pointers from our good friend John who used to live there. After arriving at Narita airport at about 5 pm, I took an hour-long train ride into Tokyo. That night, I ventured out into the Shinjuku district(see photo below) where I had a late dinner at Tsunahachi, a restaurant known for its tempura.

I woke up early the next morning (thank you so much, jet-lag) and made my way to the Tsukiji Fish Market, the world's largest wholesale fish and seafood market. I wasn't quiet enough of an early bird to take in the tuna auctions, but I was able to still get a feel for the frenetic pace of this place. Like many other tourists, I indulged in a sushi breakfast featuring some extremely fresh sushi at Sushikan.

Around 10 am, I caught a ferry up to the Asakusa district to check out the Senso-ji Temple. Next, I walked over to Ueno in search of a restaurant that is famous for it's tonkatsu. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find the restaurant so I ended up walking down to Akihabara, Tokyo's discount electronics district. By then I still hadn't had lunch, and my stomach was rumbling! So, I took my friend John up on his recommendation of Sugino-ko, on the Omotesando.

Afterwards, I walked over to Harajuku station in an unfruitful search for harajuku girls (apparently Sundays are when most of them come out). A quick subway ride brought me to Shibuya station where I got completely lost while looking for the next item on my "must-see" list... the statue of Hachiko (see photo below). It's a good thing I wasn't on the Amazing Race because I would definitely have been the last team to reach the checkpoint.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the story of Hachiko...it's a heart-wrencher (especially if you are a dog-lover). There was this Japanese professor who walked to the train station every morning accompanied by his dog. The man would get on the train, and his dog would return home. Every evening, the man would come back from work to be greeted by his dog at the train station. One day, the professor passed away while at work. For nine more years, his dog walked to the train station every evening, faithfully waiting for his master to return. The locals were so touched by his devotion that they cast a statue of him, and to this day, the statue of Hachiko is a famous meeting spot.

After finally finding Hachiko, I spent the evening wandering about Shibuya and Ebisu, and I even took in an amazing (and free) view of the city from the Ebisu Tower. And so ended my short layover in Tokyo which definitely left me with the desire to hopefully return one day to more fully experience all that Tokyo has to offer.

Below is additional information about the restaurants I dined at.

Tsunahachi
3-31-8 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
Phone: 03-3352-1012

This is their flagship location. I lucked out and got a seat right in front of the deep-fry station. For me, this was a great spot, because 1) I got to watch the chefs in action 2) I was served my meal straight from the deep fryer and 3) I love eau de deep-fry. You might ask for a table upstairs if the previous things do not appeal to you. My server handed me a menu in Japanese, and he astutely observed me whipping out my English-Japanese dictionary. Luckily for me, he immediately handed me an English version. For 1995 yen (about $22), I ordered the tempura meal (about 6 pieces of tempura: including shrimp, eel, whitefish, and vegetables) which also came with a bowl of miso soup, rice, and Japanese pickles.

Umai Sushikan
5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Phone: 03-3541-2458

This restaurant is located in the "outer markets" at the Tsukiji Fish Market.If you're back is to the Tsukiji "inner markets" where all the wholesalers are, this restaurant is in the 2nd-from-the-right row of "outer market" shops. This place has more seating than some of the other sushi restaurants in Tsukiji so you may not have to wait as long to get seated. A couple of things I've learned about sushi etiquette over th years include: 1) if you are handed a wet towel, use it to wash your hands and NOT your face and be sure to fold it as neatly as possible when you are done, 2) it can be considered an insult to add wasabi to your nigiri as the sushi chef as already placed the amount that he considers appropriate underneath the fish, 3) that said, if you want to use additional wasabi then sneak some of it on your nigiri as opposed to putting the wasabi in your soy sauce, and 4) position your nigiri so that you dip the fish and not the rice into the soy sauce. Trying to mind all of my sushi manners, I had a very fresh sushi set (about 1500 yen) which included 9 pieces of nigiri and a few pieces of sushi. Check out the menu of sets here (I had the set on the bottom of the page).

Sugino-Ko
5-1-3 Jingumae, Shibuya
Phone: 03-3486-0160

I am so glad my friend John told me about this place. Walking down the stairs into the basement level restaurant, I was famished. The waiter placed a Japanese menu on my table, and I whipped out my Japanese-English dictionary. Luckily for me, he spoke English and helped me to navigate the menu. A lunch set only set me back 1000 yen (about $11.17), and look at all the delicious food I feasted on. Starting in the bottom right hand corner, that's miso soup with a few extras...bits of onion, carrots, and pork. Moving clockwise, in the small pink bowl are a few picked vegetable whose tartness perfectly complemente the pork. Next, a small cold dish of tofu topped with grated ginger and green onions. I'm not sure if this was the intent, but the tofu and ginger together served as a delicious palate cleanser. In the bottom left corner, a bowl of rice topped with furukake (dried seaweed flakes). Continuing clockwise, in the small square bowl is an egg...just slightly poached so the yolk was barely set and then chilled. In the large square plate, the main entree of char-grilled pork (or for the same set price you can choose fish or udon noodles). The pork was melt-in-the-mouth tender and lightly covered with a teriyaki-esque sauce. Also on the plate is a small salad of matchstick cut vegetables, including celery, daikon, and carrot. And finally in the upper right corner is a essert of almond jello and a citrus jello (not sure if this was lemon or yuzu).

Hopefully, if you ever visit Tokyo, then you will have much more time to expore than I did. I hope to return someday, and perhaps then, I might be able to explore all the placed recommended in this article by Food and Wine magazine.

Pan-Fried Tandoori Salmon

2009-01-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

In one of the neighborhoods we used to live in , there was a deli owned by a South Asian family. One of the hot meals they offered was a grilled salmon seasoned with tandoori spice mix (which often includes coriander, cumin, paprika, garlic, ginger, and a few other spices.)

That was my inspiration for this dish. The tandoori spices are mixed with flour to give the salmon a golden-hued crust and an added layer of flavor. Hope you enjoy it.

PAN-FRIED TANDOORI SALMON

1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon tandoori spice mix
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 six ounce pieces of salmon fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil

1) In a shallow bowl, mix together the flour, tandoori spices, salt, and pepper.

2) Dredge the salmon in the flour mixture until fully covered.

3) Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.

4) Place each piece of salmon in the hot oil. Cook for 4 minutes.

5) Carefully turn the salmon over and cook for an additional 4 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

IsItEDible in Atlanta

2009-01-04T22:48:00.000-08:00

Happy 2009 everyone! I'm still trying to catch up on a few posts that I've been wanting to get up. Well as the saying goes... one day at a time (or should I say one post at a time).

So, last month, I took a brief trip to Atlanta. I landed just in time to make my way to my hotel and catch the tail end of lunch at Spice Market. Chef Jean-Georges Vongcrichten (say that ten times fast) opened up a branch of his famed NYC restaurant in the W-Atlanta Midtown in March 2008. The first thing you'll notice when you walk into the restaurant is the soaring ceiling with plenty of natural light. The wooden decor is highlighted by gold and green-hued pillows. If you get the chance, definitely take a trip to Spice Market to experience the Southeast Asian street-food inspired cuisine. It's considerably less expensive than buying a plane ticket to Asia.

SPICE MARKET
188 14th Street, NE
Atlanta, GA 30361
(404) 549 5450

My meal started off with a complimentary serving of pappadum (crispy lentil wafers) with spicy tomato chutney. I took advantage of their Bento Box special ($15) which is only offered from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. This is a great way to sample a variety of smaller versions of Spice Market's most popular dishes. The bento box includes a soup, salad, appetizer choice, entree, rice, and dessert (everything except the dessert arrives at once in a bento box which perhaps could be described as an adult version of a cafeteria tray). The soup that came in my bento box was a tom kha gai, or in other words, a Thai chicken and coconut soup that was warm, slightly spicy, and punctuated by the delicious flavor of lemongrass. The salad consisted of mixed greens topped with watermelon radish slices and a sesame-ginger dressing. For the appetizer, you have a choice of beef satay, chicken skewers, or pork satay. I opted for the pork which is served with a shot of a Thai basil emulsion for dipping. The entree is a crisp, battered medallion of cod about the size of an English muffin. It's served with a sweet and tangy sambal (chili pepper) sauce. And, for dessert, you get a huge serving of sorbet or ice cream in a small Chinese takeout container. I opted for the coconut sorbet, which was ultra rich and creamy.

Click HERE for a few other options if you ever find yourself in Atlanta.

IsItEDible in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo

2008-12-29T23:03:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to spend some time in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo neighborhood a few weeks ago. It was a great primer for my whirlwind tour of the original Tokyo (more on that in a later post). Although I only had a short time there, I was able to squeeze in a few memorable meals.

Sushi Restaurant Oomasa
100 Japanese Village Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 623-9048

I was looking for a place for dinner within walking distance of my hotel when I passed by Oomasa. There were a lot of Asians inside (which to me is always a good sign) so I decided to give it a whirl. Oomasa has your typical Japanese menu with lots of options to choose from: sushi, nigiri, tempura, and more. I opted for dinner special #7 ($17.50) which is very reasonably priced considering that you get shrimp and vegetable tempura, beef teriyako, 4 pieces of sushi (tuna, shrimp, and 2 pieces of california roll), salad, rice, sunomono (japanese pickled salad), miso soup, and a scoop of green tea ice cream. The spider roll ($11), made with deep fried soft shell crab, was also quite tasty.

Mikawaya Ice Cream
118 Japanese Village Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 624-1681

Just a few steps down from Oomasa is Mikawaya. According to their website, they are the creators of mochi ice cream. You've probable seen them in the freezer section at Trader Joe's. Well, if you ever get a chance to stop into one of their stores, do it! The mochi ice cream is perhaps fresher than what you might find in your grocer's freezer section. At least it seemed to me that the mochi was softer (in a good way) that what I am used to. They also have more flavors than what you find in the freezer section. I tried the toasted almond, plum wine, cookies n cream, and pistachio ($1 each). The toasted almond and pistachio were my favorites.

Daikokuya
327 E. 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-1680

According to my LA friends, this is the place "to see and be seen." They are known for their Daikoku ramen ($8.50) which consists of noodles, a boiled egg, seasoned bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, and green onions in a pork based broth (see pic here). According to their website, the broth is made from soy sauce and from boiling the pork bones all night long. They only use kurobata pork and soak the eggs all night in a special sauce. All those all night long processes result in a broth that is absolutely savory. The noodles were perfectly al dente for my tastes, but they will alter the firmness to your liking. For an appetizer, I really liked their gyoza ($5.95) or pan-fried pork and vegetable dumplings. They are made in the store, and you'll notice they are of a slightly different shape then most gyoza you find in Japanese restaurants (see pic here).

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

2008-12-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

Is it really almost 2009? Wow. Well a belated happy holidays to all of you, and I hope that you all have a happy new year. Over the next few days while I'm on vacation, I hope to post some entries that I've been working on from my travels to Atlanta, Japan, and Palau over the past 6 weeks.

Until then, here's a recipe that I adapted from The New Best Recipe for a pumpkin cheesecake pie. The key to this recipe is cooking the canned pumpkin to evaporate some of the moisture. This helps to give the pie a more solid texture. In lieu of a graham cracker crust, I use a pastry crust. That's why I call this a pumpkin cheesecake pie instead of a pumpkin pie cheesecake.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE PIE

1 can of pumpkin (15 oz)
2 packages cream cheese, softened (8 oz each)
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
5 eggs, room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
1 refrigerated pie crust

1) Cook the pumpkin over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside and let cool for a few minutes.

2) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

3) In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed for 1 minute. Add in the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ground ginger, salt, allspice, and nutmeg. Beat on medium-low for 2 minutes.

4) Add the pumpkin and beat on medium-low for 1 minute.

5) Add the eggs and beat on medium-low for 1 minute.

6) Pour in the cream and beat on medium-low for 1 minute.

7) Pour the mixture into the pie crust.

8) Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until set.

9) Let cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

10) Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to serving.

Serves 12.

Cookbook: The Joy of Cooking, 75th Anniversary Edition

2008-11-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

The Joy of Cooking was one of the first cookbooks I ever bought for myself. Over the years, my copy has survived a few spills, a few stains, a few torn pages, etc. In other words, its seen better days. Thus, I was excited to recently receive a copy of the Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition

The original Joy of Cooking was written and self-published by a St. Louis widow (Irma Rombauer) and her daughter (Marion Rombauer Becker). This version has been updated by Marion's son Ethan.

Compared to my first Joy of Cooking, there are a few things I noticed that were different about the 75th Anniversary Version:

The inclusion of a "Nutrition" section at the beginning of the cookbook
A "Know Your Ingredients" section towards the end of the cookbook
There are more Asian recipes included. Check out the index where listings can be found under various cuisines (e.g. "Chinese cuisine," "Indian cuisine," "Thai Cuisine," and several others)
A new section on cooking and freezing tips

Although many of the recipes have been updated, I'm glad to see that the authors have kept many of recipes from previous editions (e.g. "Hamburger Pie" and "Molded Salads" and an entire section on casseroles) which highlight the road that American cuisine has traveled. And I especially appreciate that these recipes are juxtaposed to new recipes that reflect the increasing diversity in who Americans are and what we eat.

These are a few of the recipes that caught my eye:

Charleston Crab or She-Crab Soup
Turkey in Red Mole
Grilled Duck Breasts with Hoisin Ginger Sauce
Saag Paneer
White Chocolate Mousse with Toasted Almonds

You can get your own copy by clicking below:

Hushpuppies

2008-11-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

So most of you know by now that I love deep fried stuff. And that Long John Silver's was one of my favorite restaurants. Well, those of you have been to Long John Silver's also know that they serve up little balls of goodness called "hushpuppies." Don't worry, no puppies are involved in the making of hushpuppies. It's essentially just deep fried cornbread. I believe the folklore is that they got the name hushpuppies because folks use to throw these out to howling dogs to get them to hush.

We had dinner with some of our neighbors tonight, and I thought these would be the perfect side for a platter of fried chicken I made. They are a cinch to make, but taste just as delicious as you think deep-fried cornbread should taste. This is a variation on two recipes I found: one from the 75th Anniversary Edition of the Joy of Cooking and one from Southern Cooking from Mary Mac's Tea Room.

HUSHPUPPIES

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 a medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk

1) Pour canola oil into a pot to about 3/4 inch deep. Heat over medium heat.

2) In a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, onion, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder together.

3) In a small bowl, beat the egg, milk, and buttermilk together.

4) Add to the cornmeal mixture and mix well to form a batter.

5) Scoop a tablespoon of the batter and carefully lower into oil. Use a second spoon to help release the batter.

6) Repeat with more tablespoons of batter, but do not overcrowd.

7) Fry for about 1 minute, or until golden brown. Flip over and fry for 1 more minute.

8) Remove and drain on a paper towel. Serve immediately.

Ed's Note: You'll notice that my hushpuppies aren't as round as the ones at Long-John Silvers. That's becauze I was frying them in about 3/4 inch of oil. Use a deeper pot if you want rounder hushpuppies. You might not have to flip them if they are immersed completely in the oil.

Jalapeno Chedder Cornbread Muffins

2008-10-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

As a kid, I had minimal tolerance for spicy stuff. But, I distinctly remember a particular sleepover at a friend's house when I progressed from boyhood to manhood. It was during this weekend that my friends introduced me to a bag of Bob's Texas Style Jalapeno potato chips. (In various parts of the country, these might be know at Tim's potato chips). My life would be forever changed. I couldn't stop eating the stuff despite the fact that I could no longer feel my tastebuds.

Down in Texas, you'll find jalapenos crop up all over the place. For example... in our cornbread. The thought of a nice chili with a chunk of jalapeno cornbread on a brisk autumn evening. Wow.

I found the original recipe from Taste of Texas Steakhouse in a magazine that my former boss brought back for me from Houston. My subtle variation is below. The amount of jalapeno doesn't hit you like a brick wall. Instead, there's a nice, subtle "after-burn."

JALAPENO CHEDDAR CORNBREAD MUFFINS

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canned corn
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2) Lightly grease a muffin tin.

3) In large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, cheese, milk, sugar, jalapeno, baking powder, and salt. Mix together for two minutes.

4) Add in the corn, butter, and egg. Stir for another two minutes, or just until you have a well-incorporated, soft batter.

5) Spoon the batter into the muffin tins.

6) Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Makes 8-12 muffins, depending on the size of your tins.

Ed's 1st Note: If you want to up the ante, then add more jalapeno.

Ed's 2nd Note: If you like a crisper cornbread, then you can increase the baking time.

Bisquick Sausage & Cheese Balls

2008-10-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

The first time I had these guys back when I was in middle school. One of the student groups was hosting a holiday party for all the teachers. Mrs. Richter, the faculty sponsor for the group, was baking up huge batches of these balls. She made so many that there were mounds of leftovers. I remember thinking that these were the best thing since sliced bread!

Years late, I tried making these for a dance that I was helping to cater for my fraternity. But, I mistakenly cooked the sausage first before forming the balls. After baking them, I was left with Sausage and Cheese Puddles instead of balls I so fondly remembered.

So for my 35th birthday party, as part of the 70s Food and Drink theme, I decided to give these balls another shot. This isn't Mrs. Richter's recipe, but is a variation on one that I found on the Betty Crocker website.

BISQUICK SAUSAGE & CHEESE BALLS

1 lb ground breakfast sausage
3 cups Bisquick
4 cups cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/8 tablespoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) In large bowl, mix together all the ingredients.

3) Form into 1 inch balls. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart.

4) When baking sheet is full, place in oven. Bake for 9 minutes.

5) Remove baking sheet from oven. Carefully flip balls over. Bake for additional 9 minutes.

6) Repeat steps 3-5 with remaining mixture.

Ed's Note: I like to use spicy sausage for extra flavor.

Ed's 2nd Note: These are great with a dip. Try them with bbq sauce, cream gravy, or a mixture of 1 cup mayo with 1 tablespoon dijon mustard.

Ed's 3rd Note: If you prefer, you can make the balls a bit smaller. Just reduce the baking time so they don't dry out.

IsItEDible in Honolulu

2008-10-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

I was in Honolulu for a few days earlier this week. During this short trip, I had the opportunity to revisit some old favorites, and I also discovered some new favorites that I definitely hope to revisit if I’m ever back in Honolulu. My culinary guide on some of these adventures was Xuan-Lan, who was also one of my partners in crime on the NYC trail of gluttony.

Tokkuri-tei
611 Kapahulu Avenue #102
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 739-2800

Tokkuri-tei is one of my new favorites! This unassuming little restaurant doesn’t look like much from the outside, but appearances can definitely be deceiving. This is an izakaya dining establishment, which means that the focus is on beer, sake, and a diverse menu full of small plates which one might describe as Japanese tapas.

If you like poke and you like spider rolls, then be sure to order the “there’s a spider in da poke” ($16). These are definitely two great tastes that taste great together, and it deservedly won the 2000 Sam Choy Poke Contest. If you like the crispy rice that you might find in the bottom of a dol sot bi bim bap, then order the yaki onigiri ($2.50), which is essentially a scoop of white rice formed around a wooden skewer and then lightly grilled. Also delicious is the tarako onigiri ($4), a triangle shaped rice surrounding cod roe and wapped with a strip of nori. The age dashi tofu ($3.50) consists of 3 blocks of lightly fried tofu in a light broth and covered with bento flakes. For ($4.50), you can also get 5 pieces of age-gyoza, also known as mandoo or dumplings. But my favorite dish of the night was the nori tempura ($4.50), strips of seaweed that are lightly coated in batter and deep-fried.

Yogurtland
1810 University Ave
Honolulu, HI 96822
(808) 951-4444

All you can eat frozen yogurt? Not quite, but pretty close. At Yogurtland, you take a bowl and essentially walk down their wall of 8 self-serve frozen yogurt dispensers. Each dispenser gives you the choice of 2 flavors or you can create a swirl if you like. At the end, your bowl is weighed and you pay the low price of 39 cents an ounce. If I was pushed to pick 3 favorite flavors, then I would have to say the taro, pistachio, and cafe con leche. Also delicious were the peanut butter, chocolate, New York cheesecake, and strawberry.

Ono Hawaiian Foods
726 Kapahulu Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 737-2275

This is one of my old favorites. Dean and I found out about this place a few years ago after asking a local person where they went for Hawaiian food. This small restaurant is the kind of place that my Hawaiian aunties would open (if I had Hawaiian aunties thas is). I usually order the kalua pig plate ($13.25). No, it doesn't have kahlua in it. But the pork is wrapped in ti leaves and slowly grilled which gives it a nice smoky flavor and a pull-apart texture that literally melts in your mouth. The kahlua plate also comes with a two piece of pipikaula (a Hawaiian beef jerky), a small scoop of lomi salmon (diced salmon with tomato, raw onion, and green onion), haupia (a coconut dessert), and your choice of rice or poi. If you don't like kalua pig, then you could also order the laulau plate or chicken long rice plate (both also $13.25). Ed's Note: They take cash only.

Waiola Bakery and Shaved Ice
525 Kapahulu Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 735-8886

Just down the street from Ono Hawaiian Food is my fave place to get shaved ice. If you haven't had shaved ice, it is similar to a snow cone, but the ice is much, much finer giving it a smoother texture. I'm not sure why it's called Waiol Bakery and Shaved Ice as I noticed they took out their bakery counter since I last visited a few years ago. But the shaved ice is still reason enough to come here. So if you ever make it there, here's how you order. First, tell them how many. Second, tell them the sizes ($1.92 for small cup, $2.15 for large cup, $2.40 for x-large bowl). Third, tell them if you want anything inside (vanilla ice cream, mochi, azuki beans, li hing mui seeds - all 50 cents each). Finally, wait for them to ask you what flavors you want. This could potentially be a hard question as they have over 30 flavors to choose from. On this trip I had half lychee and half watermelon. Quite refreshing on hot afternoon. But I was also tempted by the coke, haupia, pina colada, and root beer. Ed's Note: They take cash only.

Leonard's
933 Kapahulu Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 737-5591

Just down the street from Waiola is this jewel of a bakery. They are famous for their malasadas, or Portuguese donuts. These delicious donuts are unlike any you have had before, and yes I quite prefer them over Krispy Kremes. They are served warm and crisp on the outside, yet flaky on the inside. Leonard's has even been featured on the Food Networks Top 5 program. You can get a plain malasada (70 cents each) covered in your choice of white sugar or cinnamon sugar. But I prefer the malasada puffs (90 cents each) which have a creamy filling. On this visit, I had the haupia malasada puff, but you can also choose chocolate or their filling of the month. Ed's Note: Grab a handful of napkins and the malasada puffs tend to ooze filling when you bite into them.

Side Street Inn
1225 Hopaka Street
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 591-0253

According to Xuan-Lan, this is where many of Honolulu's top chefs go to eat after their shifts are over. The menu is full of bar and comfort food, and we definitely partook of the opportunity to indulge in some deep fried goodness. Hands down, the dish of the evening is their Side Street pork chops ($21). The pork chops are cut into strips, lightly covered with cornstarch, and deep fried. Try making these at home! We also enjoyed the spicy chicken strips ($12), a plate full of fried chicken strips that are coated in spicy garlic sauce. The flavors kind of reminded me of Popeye's, which made me very happy. Round out your meal with a heaping basket of crispy fries ($8).

The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong
Macy's, Third Floor, Ala Moana Shopping Center
1450 Ala Moana Boulevard
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 945-6573

My final stop on this trip was a quick dinner I grabbed on my way to my red-eye flight. For those of you who would pass over a restaurant just because it is located inside a shopping store in a mall... your loss! The service here is very attentive and polite, yet in that congenial aloha kind of way. To start things off, my waiter Jamil brought me a small basket of their garlic onion foccacia with a chili aioli. I wasn't too hungry so I ended up ordering two appetizers. First up was the ahi poke ($13.50). Raw, diced ahi tuna is mixed with chili and sesame oil. At the Pineapple Room, it arrives beautifully plated on a bed of 4 shiso leaves and a row of cucumber slices, with a wasabi-based sauce. I also ordered the Maui onion soup with kalua pig and gruyere cheese ($8.50). This was an interesting Hawaiian twist on a French classic. Here, the kalua pig added a subtle smokiness to the sweetness of the Maui onions.

Ed's Note: This post is dedicated to my late friend Keith, who recently passed away. On one of his trips to San Francisco, Keith shared with my colleagues and I that he always ordered French onion soup at restaurants. So over the course of his travels across the US, he became quite the connoisseur of French onion soups. Keith, wherever you are, I hope you are enjoying endless bowls of your favorite French onion soups. I think you would have quite liked the version at the Pineapple Room.

Miniature Quiches

2008-09-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my birthday this year with a "Food and Drink of the 70s" party earlier this month (yes, that makes me a Virgo). It was such a hoot seeing what my friends came up with. There were lots of balls... Swedish meatballs; sausage and cheese Bisquick balls; melon balls; cheese balls covered with nuts; and perhaps a disco ball or two. Here's the first of the flashback recipes.

MINIATURE QUICHES

2 frozen pie crusts, thawed
3 large eggs
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1/3 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
8 oz shredded cheese (cheddar, jack, mozzarella)
4 1/2 oz frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

1) Preheat oven to 350.

2) Slightly roll out one pie crust to about 1/8 inch thickness on a floured surface. Use a 2.5-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out 24 circles. Reroll pastry scraps as needed.

3) Brush the first miniature muffin tin with olive oil. Place the pie crust rounds in the muffin tins and push down slightly.

4) Repeat the above two steps with the second pie crust.

5) In a medium-size mixing bowl, add eggs, miracle whip, cornstarch, milk, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Whisk briefly until blended.

6) Add in shredded cheese and spinach. Mix well. Spoon 1 teaspoon of mixture into each miniature pie crust.

7) Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.

8) Carefully remove the miniature quiches from the muffin tins.

Makes 48 servings.

IsItEDible at Restaurante Dona Tomas

2008-09-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

My friend Nickie of Nickie's Fab Toffee fame has been sharing with me a bunch of her favorite spots now that Dean and I are in the East Bay. She's been raving about this restaurant and so we decided to head out there last Wednesday night. And she was absolutely right on! It was so good that we went back with our neighbors K and N to celebrate my birthday.

Restaurante Dona Tomas
5004 Telegraph Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 450-0522

This Mexican restaurant serves up delicious dishes featuring organic, local produce (when available), sustainable meat and poultry, and authentic ingredients. I don't drink very often, but the mojitos ($8.75) are sinfully delicious. The menu changes seasonally, but when we were there we thoroughly enjoyed the tomato watermelon salad ($8.25) with hints of mint. The Mexican caesar salad ($7.50) was also yummy and was topped with some wonderfully crunchy croutons. For entrees, order the carnitas ($17.75) and the carne asada ($18.75) , the latter of which comes with a tangy chile grilled corn (which you can order as a side if your entree doesn't come with it). Do not miss out on the corn and zucchini pudding ($4.50) with all of it's eggy, buttery, creamy, corny goodness. And to round out your meal, try the sweet yet tart lime pie ($7.50) or the subtle yet refreshing sweetness of the corn ice cream ($7.50).

Ed's Note: We also had a few folks over for a last minute 70's food and drink party. I'm currently rounding up the recipes that my friends made and will be posting them in the near future. Keep on the lookout for pickled pigs in a blanket, swedish meatballs, mini quiches, and a kickin sangria recipe!

IsItEDible in NYC

2008-08-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

Whoah. Has it really been this long since my last post? Egads. Well, better late than never, right? I spent last week in NYC for work and although I was pulling 12-hour workdays due to dinner meetings following day-long meetings, I must say that I had quite a gluttonous time. Here are a few of the culinary highlights.

Fresco (by Scotto)
34 East 52nd Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 935-3434

My week-long dive into gluttony kicked off with a meal at this restaurant. My friends Ling and James suggested this more than a decade-old restaurant that is apparently popular with NBC studios and other celebrities (in fact, we had a Giuliani sighting while we were there). I thoroughly enjoyed the pappardelle with duck and wild mushroom ragu ($27). The fresh homemade flat ribbons were perfectly al dente. And the duck and mushrooms tasted quite savory after being braised in barolo wine, tomato, rosemary, and thyme. This dish truly reminded me of some of the pasta dishes I had last year in Italy, but with duck substituting for wild boar. The key lime cheese cake ($10) is made with ricotta, and the key lime flavor is quite subtle and possibly overpowered by the accompanying strawberry sauce.

Nyonya
194 Grand St.
New York, NY 10013
(212) 334-3669

This Malaysian and Chinese restaurant is located in Chinatown, and it was a nice meeting spot for our group of six after a long day full of meetings. For appetizers, definitely try the homemade roti canai ($2.95), a crisp, warm, flaky pancake that is made to order. You dip it in a mild yellow curry dipping sauce. We also enjoyed the spicy, crispy squid ($8.50) which were true to their name. For entrees, I enjoyed the Hainanese chicken with rice ($8.00 for a half chicken) was quite tender and came with a delicious chili sauce. The shrimp with ladies fingers ($9.95) was a hit at our table. Just in case you were curious, the ladies fingers were sauteed okra.

Rice to Riches
37 Spring Street (between Mott and Mulberry Street)
New York, NY 10012
(212) 274-0008

This little jewel was the final stop on the Tuesday Night Dessert Crawl (proceded by 3 seperate pints of lychee, ginger, and sugar-free grean tea ice cream from Chinatown Ice Cream Factory and a stop at Pinkberry). If you like rice pudding as much as Dean does, then this place is your heaven on earth because it's all they have on the menu. But it's quite an extensive menu with over 20 different flavors of rice pudding on any given day. You get a choice of sizes including the 8 oz solo ($5), 14 oz epic ($7.50), 40 oz sumo ($20), and 80 oz moby ($35). On this visit we tried the "perfectly legal pecan pie" and the "sex drugs and rocky road."

Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 First Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 777-7773

I saw Charlie Rose's interview with Chef David Chang a few weeks ago, and instantly Momofuku joined my list of "must try" restaurants while I was in the Big Apple. (While we are on the topic of fruit, the name Momofuku means sweet peach. ) Be prepared to stand in line as this place does not take reservations. We showed up about 9:15 pm and only had about 4 parties in front of us on a Wednesday night. The menu changes daily, but the evening my friend Xuan-Lan and I dined there, we enjoyed an appetizer of smoked chicken wings with pickled chili, garlic, and scallions. We ended up splitting a delicious bowl of the Momofuku ramen which comes with pork and a perfectly poached egg, and it was more than enough for the two of us. We rounded out our meal with a glass of toasted sesame horchata ($4), a Mexican rice drink given an interesting Asian twist by the subtle flavor of the sesame. We also enjoyed a small serving of Cousin Leroy & Arlo's soft serve ice cream ($4), topped with bits of pretzels which added complementary bursts of saltiness and crunch.

Artichoke Basille's Pizza and Brewery
328 E. 14th St.
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-2004

Earlier this month, New York magazine published an article entitled Eat Cheap 2008 which offerred a multitude of inexpensive dining options by category. On the list was this neighborhood pizza counter known for....their artichoke pizza. As we walked by the first time on our way to dinner at Momofuku's there was a line probably about 20 people deep which shows how popular this place is. After our dinner, we walked past again on our way back to the subway. The line was now only 7 people deep. Xuan-Lan and I joked to each other that we should grab a slice for dessert and kept on walking. We made it about 10 ft and then both simultaneously looked at each other. The infamous last words were "The line is so short. Do you want to just try a slice?" which was followed by a 180 degree turnaround as we headed back to take our place in the cue. If you like white-sauce pizzas, then you'll like the richness of their artichoke pizza ($4), which technically has both artichoke and spinach atop a cream sauce. So good! If tomato sauce is your preference, the square Sicilian slice also looked delicious ($3.50). And if you are feeling adventurous as we were, then you might try a slice of their crab pizza. It was different, yet still appealing given the combination of crab meat, cheese, and creamy sauce.

BonChon
314 5th Ave, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10001
(212) 221-2222

KFC (Korean Fried Chicken that is) has been having a rise in popularity over the years. There's some special, secret method of frying the chicken that results in an extremely crisp crunch (according to my friend Edd, the crunch remains even after a night in the fridge) without tasting too oily. Nestled in Koreatown, this gem of place is easily missed at street level because of the minimum signage. But after taking the stairs (or elevator if you are so inclined) up to the second level, then you are transported into a hip albeit dark restaurant/bar. You have a couple of choice to make when ordering your KFC. First, the size: a medium order ($14.95) or a large order ($20.95). Second, you must decided between drumsticks, wings, or a combo. Finally, type of sauce decision: soy garlic, hot-spicy, or half of each. For our group of 5, we initially ordered one large combo with half soy garlic and half hot-spicy. After that disappeared off the table in record time, we realized we needed (er...perhaps wanted is more appropriate) another large order. The chicken is really that good. Be forewarned that the hot-spicy carries a bit of a kick. Tastewise, I liked the hot-spicy sauce, but I preferred the savory flavor of the soy garlic. We rounded out our menu with an appetizer of the Chef's Special Mozzarella Sticks with Basil ($8.95) which was give an Asian twist via the accompanying sweet chili sauce. We also enjoyed the furikake masago fried rice ($12.95) which consisted of three large scoops of fried rice topped off with seawish and flying fish eggs. A warning, this place gets PACKED early, so I would suggest showing up by 6 pm for dinner as they do not take reservations.

Grom
233 Bleecker
New York, NY 10014
(212) 206-1738

Oh, how I was looking forward to this one! After first experiencing Grom on our trip to Italy last year, I was so excited to hear that they had opened up a few outlets stateside. And it was oh so fitting that I was able to meet up with our friend Brett, who was our travel buddy on that trip, to re-experience Grom. According to their website, only high quality ingredients make it into their gelato, including full-fat fresh milk and eggs from organic chickens. And it shows! The small scoop ($4.75) I had was magically delicious. The two flavors I picked were caramel (with Cervia salt) and Torroncino nougat.

Vanessa's Dumpling House
118A Eldridge Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 625-8008

Another restaurant listed in the New York magazine article was this Chinatown establishment. I had passed by another "Vanessa's" dumpling place on E. 14th, but do not confuse the two! They are not part of the same chain. I had the opportunity to stop in here for a quick bite to eat my last day in NYC. The dumplings at this location were DELICIOUS served fresh and hot from the pan. The wrapper was not too thick and pan-fried to a crisp (y'all know how I like my things crispy) and their was a decent amount of filling inside. But you cannot beat the price. One order of four chive and pork fried dumplings is yours for the low, low price of a single dollar. Other things on the menu that caught my eye but I will have to save for another visit to NYC to try include the pork fried bun ($1), the chive and egg pancake ($1.50), and the sesame pancake with peking duck ($2.25). I would have ordered much more, but I didn't want to spoil my lunch plans... See below.

wd-50
50 Clinton Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 447-2900

Those of you who watch Top Chef will recognize Wiley Dufresne as the long haired, bespectactled guest judge known for his forays in molecular gastronomy. I had been looking forward to this meal all week and was not disappointed. In fact, I was blown away. Throwing all sense of caution and frugality to the wind, I spontaneously decided to splurge on the nine course tasting menu ($75). Here's a play by play of each course:

First Course: Squid cous cous, peanuts, honeydew, red onion
Chef Dufresne wows you from the start by turning the squid meat into cous cous-sized bits that are beautifully presented in the divot of a small round plate that has been brushed with a purple-hued sauce. The dish is accented with Thai flavors via of kaffir lime leaf and a perfect balance between salty and sweet.

Second Course: Knot foie
I had no idea what to expect, but check out the pic of how gorgeously and simply this dish is presented. Essentially, this is a narrow strip of foie gras terrine that is twisted into a knot. The knot is then covered with tiny "rice pebbles" and presented with dots of kimchee puree and raisin puree. I can honestly say I have never had foie gras like this before. It was delicious.

Third Course: Eggs benedict
Don't expect to get served the typical two eggs, two slices of canadian bacon, and two English muffins smothered in hollaindaise sauce. Here, Chef Dufresne reinvents this classic breakfast dish and concentrates all the usual flavors into bite size portions. The eggs here take the form of two eggs yolks poached into a cylinder shape. The canadian bacon is replaced by wafer thin slices of crisp Serrano ham. And most ingeniously, the hollandaise sauce and English muffins are represented by two dice-sized cubes of sauce that have been breaded and deep fried. Mere words can not convey the refined beauty of this dish. Check out the pic here.

Fourth Course: Crab tail, soybean noodles, cinnamon dashi
Crab tail is a succulent portion of meat that comes from where else... the tail of a crab. In this dish, it gets covered by a pale green square noodle sheet made from edamame. The dashi broth is nice and earthy in flavor with just a light kiss of cinnamon. Strips of thai basil and fresh edamame help to round out the flavors.

Fifth Course: Chicken liver spaetzle, pine needle, radish, cocoa nib
I was a little hesitant about this dish when I first read it on the tasting menu as I am not a huge fan of chicken livers (Dean is though). But after scraping up every last bit of goodness, color me a convert. At first glance, the first thought that came to mind was "Christmas in August" because of the green emulsion of pine needles painted onto the side of the bowl and the overlapping slices of red radish that top things off. The spaetzle, as the name playfully evokes, is made from chicken liver and is definitely complemented by the sage-like flavor of the pine needle.

Sixth Course: Beef tongue, cherry-miso, fried quinoa, palm seeds
I've never had beef tongue before. I may never again. But that's simply because I doubt I will find another version of beef tongue that I like as much as Chef Dufresne's. Smoky strips of beeftongue, about the size of thick-cut bacon, are wrapped around marinated palm seeds. Strips of fried quinoa provide a crisp counterpoint to the slight chewiness of the tongue. And the cherry-miso sauce offers an added sweet yet tangy dimension to this dish.

Seventh Course: "Waldorf salad"
I was a little surprised to see a salad course appear so late in the tasting menu. I thought it might be similar to how Dean's Italian-American family ate their salad after the main course. But, I should have been tipped off by the quotation marks. Chef Dufresne's version of Waldorf salad is actually a dessrt consisting of an apple sorbet, a walnut twist (think of a crisp linguine noodle, walnut crumbles, slivers of fresh celeriac and green apple, raisins, and a walnut "mayonnaise." Such an innovative reinvention of a classic dish.

Eighth Course: Toasted coconut cake, carob, smoked cashew, brown butter sorbet
I like my desserts (remember the previously mentioned Tuesday Night Dessert Crawl?) and this one was delicious. See the pic here. Beautiful, yes? The coconut flavor was augmented by a coconut foam and finely diced fresh coconut.

Ninth Course: Yuzu ice cream-marcona almond
This final dish is a bite-size scoop of ice cream in a crunchy coating. The almond bits are encased in a separate edible packet made of chocolate.

All in all, I was completely impressed by the flavors, presentation, and innovation at wd-50. It was a wonderful way to cap off my culinary adventures in the Big Apple. My only regret is that Dean wasn't in NYC to share in the experience with me.

Banana Pudding

2008-07-13T23:54:00.000-07:00

We had our neighbors over for breakfast this morning (and please keep them in your thoughts and prayers... they just had to put down one of their dogs today). Also joining us was a friend Dean had not seen in 6 years and a friend whom I had not seen in 18 years.

I find that sweet desserts help me feel better sometimes, so I wanted to make a homemade dessert that would hopefully give our neighbors something to smile about, if even just for a few moments. Last night, I found a recipe for banana pudding in Southern Cooking with Mary Mac's Tea Room cookbook, and thought it would be perfect.

Typically, when I've made banana pudding before, I just used a boxed vanilla pudding. While this is delicious in and of itself, I was intrigued by Ms. Mary Mac's version in that she uses a boiled custard. If you've never had boiled custard, the best way I can describe it is that it's similar in texture and flavor to a very thick eggnog. In following her recipe, I had trouble getting my boiled custard to thicken so I added in some Mochiko sweet rice flour. Below is my variation...

BANANA PUDDING

4 cups milk

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons Mochiko sweet rice flour

1 tablepoon vanilla

56 nilla wafers

3 or 4 ripe bananas, cut in 1/4 inch slices

1) In a double boiler on medium high, heat the milk until hot.

2) In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together. Add in one cup of hot milk to temper the eggs. Slowly pour this mixture back into the heated milk while stirring.

3) Add the Mochiko sweet rice flour. Stir constantly for 10-15 minutes until thickened. Do not let the mixture boil.

4) Remove from heat. Pour through wire mesh strainer into a glass mixing bowl. Cover loosely and let cool to room temperature. When cool, stir in the vanilla. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

5) In a casserole dish, layer 1/2 of the nilla wafers. Follow by layering 1/2 of the bananas. Spoon 1/2 of the custard and spread to cover.

6) Repeat with similar layers of the remaining nilla wafers, bananas, and custard.

7) Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Serves 8-10.

Ed's 1st Note: If you want to make this ultra-decadent, use half-and-half instead of milk.

Ed's 2nd Note: If you can't find Mochiko, then you could substitute cornstarch. I would suggest adding the cornstarch when you are first heating the milk.

Ed's 3rd Note: You can also serve the banana pudding topped with whipped cream and chopped walnuts.

IsItEDible in Detroit Again (sort of)

2008-07-10T20:54:00.000-07:00

OK. So technically I am currently in Dearborn (which is located just outside of Detroit) for an Alliance for Nonprofit Management Conference. Being carless (that's CARless not CAREless), I didn't have much of an opportunity to explore the good eats in Dearborn.

Until tonight that is. Luckily, I met up with my colleague Naomi whom I've had the pleasure of speaking and emailing with for the past 2 years but had never met face-to-face. She mentioned that one of the things she likes to when she travels is to ask the locals where they like to eat (a la Rachel Ray). One of the local conference participants explained to her that chili cheese fries are one of the "can't miss" dishes when tourists come to Detroit.

So while other conference participants were gathering for fancy dinners in trendy restaurants (not that there's anything wrong with that), Naomi, her friend/colleague Gordon, and I headed out in Naomi's rental car in search of a certain "El George's" restaurant for a sampling of Detroit-style chili cheese fries. I secretly thought to myself why would a Mexican restaurant have chili cheese fries on the menu. I also secretly thought to myself why is the name of said Mexican restaurant "El George's" instead of "El Jorge's." Things that make you go hmmm....

Nevertheless, we embarked upon our quest with Naomi's trust GPS in hand. Unfortunately, "El George's" didn't come up on the GPS, but we had also been told to head to the intersection of Evergreen and Joy. Upon arriving at said intersection, we discovered that "El George's" was in fact "L. George's" and only the drive through was open.

Luckily, Gordon is a brazen man and walked up to a nice local in the drive through lane. She pointed us to another L. George's location a few miles away and suggested that we try their Coney Island hot dog. According to her the hot dog is so good because "it has a certain snap." Thank you random, nice, local lady. You were so right!

L. George's Coney Island Restaurant
7335 Middlebelt
Westland, MI 48185
(734) 421-7500

The special snap in L. George's Coney Island hot dogs is due to the fact that they "serve only Michigan's finest natural casing hot dogs." You have several choices for hot dogs including: the plain hot dog ($1.25); the Coney Island Hot Dog ($1.70) with hearty chili, mustard, and onions; and the Coney Special ($2.65) which is a hot dog topped with ground beef, chili, mustard, and onions. Feeling like delving into the sin of gluttony, I ordered the Special with cheese (an extra 30 cents), Naomi had the Coney Island Hot Dog, and Gordon had the Coney Island Hot Dog with cheese. We all agreed that the hot dogs indeed did have a "certain snap."

Sinking further into our gluttony, we also ordered the fried mushrooms ($3.65), the onion rings ($2.40), and the holy grail of our quest...the chili cheese fries ($2.95). The fried mushrooms were round-shaped, almost like hushpuppies and were quite satisfying with a side of ranch dressing. And the chili cheese fries were quite good; a nice balance of crispy french fries topped with ooey-gooey chili cheese mess. My suggestion is that one eats the chili cheese fries first as the fries will get soggy if you wait too long and the chili cheese doesn't look quite as appetizing after it cools and congeals.

Rounding out our menu for the evening was a small Greek salad ($4.75) and a chocolate shake ($3.05) which was so thick you could stand a spoon in it.

After our meal, we headed across to street to partake of another suggested local favorite beverage, Red Faygo ($.49 cents plus CRV for a 20 oz bottle). Red Faygo tasted a lot like the Red Fanta I used to drink as a kid on my trips to Thailand. And what a bargain!

All in all it was a wonderful way to round out my conference experience. Good greasy food + good company = GOOD TIMES!

Ed's Note: I hope to have the opportunity to come back to Detroit/Dearborn soon. For those of you who live in Detroit/Dearborn or have visited, what are some of your favorite places to eat?

IsItEDible in Detroit

2008-06-25T00:08:00.000-07:00

I recently traveled to Detroit for work. Unfortunately, things were so crazy that I didn't get a chance to see much of the city. But I did have an opportunity to have a few good meals, and I even made it out to Greektown on the people-mover (think... Disney monorail but without the mouse ears).

Andiamo
400 Renaissance Center, Suite A-403
Detroit, MI 48243
(313) 567-6700

A friend of mine works at this Italian restaurant that is right on the waterfront. Needless to say we had good service, but I got the impression that anyone who dines here receives attentive service. For $33.95, I enjoyed the costolette di agnello (4 spring lamb chops broiled to order) comes with soup or salad, fresh vegetable, potato, pasta, and bread. But I liked the risotto con funghi alla andiamo (mushroom risotto) my co-worker ordered for $21.95 even better.

Pegasus Taverna
558 Monroe St.
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 964-6800

Be forewarned, this place is a bit kitschy Greek - but I like it like that. Definitely get an order or two of the saganaki ($5.50). It's listed under the hot appetizers, but they should have listed it under FLAMING. The server arrives tableside with a large square of Greek Kasseri cheese that has been lightly battered and fried. It's topped off with brandy and is lit tableside with a shout of "opa!" so watch your eyebrows. The combination platter ($14.95) is a LOT of food and feeds one very hungry person, or in my case...two gay boys who are trying to watch their girlish figures. My co-worker and I split this, and we weren't able to finish it! (Of course, we had loaded up on bread and saganaki in our quest to quench our hunger). The combination platter comes with generous servings of lamb, beef, or chicken as well as spanakoteropeta (spinach cheese pie), moussaka (eggplant layered with meat, cheese, and bechamel sauce), dolmathes (grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat), and rice with peas.

Cyprus Taverna
579 Monroe Street
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 961-1550

We happened to stumble across this gem of a restaurant because it was next door to the restaurant we originally wanted to goto which turned out to be closed. And I'm glad that place was closed because Cyprus Taverna was a food-lover's find (granted I'm sure many a food-lover had already found it). According to Frommers, it's widely considered Greektown's best Greek restaurant. I can understand why. Both nights I went there, the food and the service exceeded my expectations. For starters, again, definitely get the saganaki opa ($5.95). And the Greek Combination Platter ($14.95) with moussaka, spanikotyropitta, dolmathes, rice pilaf, vegetable, and choice of lamb, beef or chicken (sound familiar?) is also very good. My favorite was the moussaka. Your server may suggest to you to order the "house special lamb" ($17.95). If he or she does, then I suggest you try it, too!

Astoria Pastry Shop
541 Monroe
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 963-9603

SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT! Because just down the street from Pegasus and Cypress Taverna is one of the most amazing pastry shops I've ever stepped into. With glass cases full of European style desserts, I had the hardest time choosing how to cap off my meal. Did I want a chocolate cannoli ($2.95), a baklava ($1.50), a chocolate-pistachio baklava ($2.75), or a honey curl ($3.25). Truth is my stomach wanted them all, but waistline couldn't afford it. In the end, I settled on a napoleon ($3.95). Biting into the flaky dough layers interspersed with creamy filling, I could taste the quality and freshness of the ingredients. It was hands down the best napoleon I've ever had.

Watermelon-Lime Granita

2008-06-02T23:25:00.000-07:00

I picked up a Dulcinea watermelon at Berkeley Bowl the other day (doesn't that sound sordid?). Given that this time last year I was indulging in daily doses of Italian gelato, I thought I would turn my Dulcinea into a nice, refreshing watermelon sorbet (OK! I know that gelato and sorbet are not the same thing, but keep reading...) for our neighbor C's birthday brunch.

So I pureed the watermelon. Added some lime and honey for depth of flavor. And plopped it all into my Hamilton Beach ice cream maker. And just look at how my sorbet turned out...

In my attempt to make sorbet, I had made a granita! Well, at least granita is Italian.

Reminiscent of an upscale Slurpee from 7-11, my watermelon-lime granita was a hit nonetheless. And no one knew that I had originally intended to make sorbet until after I told them. In doing some web research, I learned that adding more sugar helps to affect the chemistry of the sorbet so that the ice crystals are finer. Perhaps one day I will attempt to make watermelon sorbet again, but until then... this watermelon-lime granita really hits the spot!

WATERMELON-LIME GRANITA

4 cups pureed watermelon, chilled
zest from 1 lime
1 tablespoon honey

1) Combine all the ingredients and pour into your ice cream maker. Follow manufacturer's instructions.

2) After the granita is done, place in a small airtight container and freeze for 2 hours.

3) After 2 hours, remove from freezer and use a fork to flake into fine crystals.

Makes about 6-8 servings.

Ed's 1st Note: If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour the ingredients into a metal pan and freeze for 4 hours. Remove from freezer and let stand for 10 minutes. Then using a butter knife, break into large chunks. Place in blender and pulse until desired consistency.

Ed's 2nd Note: For a nice presentation, you can serve the granita in watermelon shells.

And check out these other tasty granita recipes from other bloggers: Stawberry-Basil Granita at Coconut & Lime, Meyer Lemon Granita at Wandering Chopsticks, Pineapple-Basil Granita at Things We Ate For Dinner, Cantaloupe Granita at Cafe LynnyLu, and Granita Di Caffe Con Panna at Torte al Cioccolato (in Italian).

Spain and the World Table

2008-05-30T23:42:00.000-07:00

So I am still in the process of trying to catch up on my blogging. I received a copy of Spain and the World Table last month. This cookbook is based on The Culinary Institute of America's 2006 "Worlds of Flavor" event which brought together over 700 culinary industry experts and stakeholders including leading chefs of Spanish cuisine from Spain and the US. The cookbook has over 125 recipes varying from traditional Spanish to Spanish-Japanese fusion (sushi paella, anyone?).

The full-page color photos for each recipe make the food seem to jump off the pages. Some of the dishes that caught my eye include the Crispy Cabrales and Phyllo Sandwiches, Tortilla Espanola, Spider Crab Gratin, Basque Lamb Sausage, and the aforementioned Sushi Paella. Dean pointed out that he wanted to try the Cold Almond and Garlic Soup.

I don't know that much about the food of Spain, but Spain and the World Table definitely has made me want to learn more.

Peanut Panang Sauce

2008-05-26T23:10:00.000-07:00

Oh my heck. It has been forever and a day since I've done any serious cooking and blogging. But for a good reason...

Last month, Dean and I relocated into a new kitchen (well... technically more than just a kitchen) and so the past few weeks have been filled with packing, garage sales, moving, and unpacking. I don't know what we would do if it were not for frozen pizza, Subway, and Taco Bell. This was probably one of the most horrendous moves I've ever been through. It started with a fall from a ladder (me) and ended with a broken nose (Dean). And no, I didn't punch him! But very luckily, my back and Dean's nose are more or less in one piece. And Zoe and Rocco seem to finally be adjusting to life in the new place

But back to the kitchen. We've got cabinets galore and yet they still don't seem to fit all my kitchen crap.. er I mean stuff. As you can see, the kitchen is one of the straightshot variety which is going to take some getting used to. And this is the first time I've ever had stainless appliances so if any of y'all have any recommendations for keeping them smudge free (aside from not touching them) then please let me know. I'm very much looking forward to settling in and taking advantage of all the great counter space.

Dean and I hosted our very first slightly impromptu dinner party recently. We were joined by our old neighbors Dennis and Jean (and Rocco's best friend Mina who has recovered very nicely from her mysterious illness) as well as our new neighbor family E, C, P, and S as well as our new neighbor C (not sure if they want their names mentioned so just initials for now). One of my favorite dishes from the evening was this peanut panang sauce based on a recipe I found in Thailand: The Beautiful Cookbook.

This is a very versatile sauce that went well with some of the other dishes I served, including the pan-roasted cauliflower with cumin seeds (shown in the picture) as well as the fried tofu, fried wontons, and Thai BBQ Chicken. It would also make for a nice sauce for a satay. For those with weak tolerance for spice, be careful as this dish does pack a bit of heat. This sauce is so easy to make yet tastes deliciously complicated.

PEANUT PANANG SAUCE

2 tablespoons panang curry paste
1 can (14 oz) of lite coconut milk
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup fish sauce

1) Add all the ingredients into a sauce pan over medium heat.

2) Simmer on medium low heat for 10 minutes.

Makes about 2 cups of sauce.

Ed's 1st Note: To make things simple, I used a canned curry paste. You can also use red curry paste if you can't find the panang.

Ed's 2nd Note: I like to use extra crunchy peanut butter.

Food For Thought 2008

2008-04-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

For those of you who live in the Bay Area, please consider joining me at the Westin St. Francis at 6 pm on May 9th at Food For Thought 2008. It's a great event for a good cause that brings together over 30 Asian chefs and chefs from Asian-themed restaurants. Proceeds support the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, a national organization that works to address health issues (such as HIV, cancer, and domestic violence) impacting Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.

I helped to volunteer at last year's event and had the pleasure of assisting Chef Khai Duong from Ana Mandara in serving his black rice crepes with housemade Vietnamese ham with wasabi mayonnaise and pickled vegetables. Other participanting chefs/restaurants joining Chef Duong for this year's event include Tim Lyum (SF Chronicle Rising Star Chef 2007) of Poleng Lounge (SF Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurants); Chef Alexander Ong of Betelnut (SF Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurants), and many more!

I've had the pleasure of attending this event for the past 3 years. It's like a big, fancy all-you-can-eat buffet. All of the chefs and restaurants try to out do one another, resulting in a fun and tasty event! Click here for more info or to purchase tickets.

Dining Out for Life 2008

2008-04-20T23:21:00.001-07:00

For those of you that live in the Bay Area, here's a really easy way to have a great meal and support a good cause AT THE SAME TIME.

On Thursday, April 24, just have a lunch or dinner (check the website because participation varies) at one of the 95 listed restaurants. Each restaurant has committed to donating 25% of their food sales to the Stop AIDS Project.

Find our more by clicking HERE.

IsItEDible at Oola's

2008-04-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, Dean's stylist Fritz had recommended that we check out Oola. Well, we finally got a chance to do just that tonight in celebration of a couple of Aries birthdays (including Dean's....Happy Birthday, Baby!). Oola bills itself as an "American bistro specializing in San Franciscan cuisine." And that's exactly what it does well.

Oola
860 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 995-2061

To start off, we shared a full order of the All Natural Baby Back Ribs ($24) with a cilantro, ginger and soy glaze. They were succulent and slightly sweet but without being too saucy. Be sure to try to red-cabbage apple slaw that comes with them. Dean RAVED on and on about the Caesar Salad with Boquerones ($11). And when I stole a taste, I understood why. The lemon anchovy dressing combined with the fresh basil and parmesan cheese was absolutely delectable. Another great salad option is the Roasted Beets and Watermelon Salad ($12).

Dean thought that the Roasted Organic Maple Glazed Chicken Breast "Under a Brick" ($19) was good, but was slightly undersalted. I enjoyed my half order of the Seared Day Boat Scallops ($14) which came with two perfectly seared scallops on a bed of lemon scented TD willey farms baby artichokes and fava bean pistou.

But to me, the stars of the night were the side dishes. Definitely don't miss out on the sauteed swiss chard with crisp bacon ($6) and the fried potatoes with parmesan and truffle oil ($8). For an interesting twist on a classic, try the goat cheddar mac and cheese ($7).

For desserts, we enjoyed the Peppermint-Chocolate Pudding Cake ($8) with a white chocolate and peppermint ganache center, dark chocolate sauce, and mint chip gelato. Also, for an upscale take on a diner classic, try the root beer float ($7) with root beer schnapps, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-04-02T20:57:00.001-07:00

Whoa! March 30 marked the 3 year anniversary of IsItEDible!!! I must admit that it's been challenging to find the time to post on a more regular schedule, but I thank all of you for continuing to check in on me, Dean, and the little sous-chefs.

Speaking of little sous-chefs, please say a few prayers for our Rocco's and Zoe's best friend. She is a tiny little one year-old mini-dachshund who is usually full of spunk and go-get-em puppy power, but she has been suffering for the past few days from some mysterious illness that has completely zonked her out. Here's a picture of her in better times with Zoe and Rocco (and note who DOESN'T look tired.)

As for what the future has in store for IsItEDible, keep an eye out for some exciting announcements (well...at least they are exciting to me) and the return of FOBLOKI! Thanks for all of your support, comments, and suggestions over the past 3 years.

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

2008-03-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

Usually when I think of lasagna, I tend to picture layers of pasta, cheese, and tomato sauce. A few years ago, I began experimenting with a lasagna that incorporated both a bolognese sauce as well as a bechamel sauce. I love the extra creamy goodness that the bechamel adds to the lasagna so when I came across a recipe for wild mushroom and spinach lasagna in the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, I knew I wanted to try it. This is a "white" lasagna as there is no tomato sauce in it. Not your typical lasagna, but delicious nonetheless.

Be forewarned, this recipe requires a lot of pans. But it's worth it.

SPINACH AND MUSHROOM LASAGNA

For the Spinach layers:
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 lbs spinach leaves, chopped
8 oz ricotta cheese

For the Mushroom layer:
1 tablespoon butter
8 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes and thinly sliced
1/4 cup sherry
1 tablespoon dried parsley

For the sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
sprinkle of nutmeg

Also:
12 lasagna noodles, cooked
8 oz shredded mozzarella

1) Add one tablespoon butter to a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes or until it turns lightly golden.

2) Add in the spinach and cook for 5 minutes, or until wilted. Drain well. Mix in the ricotta cheese, salt, and pepper.

3) Meanwhile, in a separate pan, add another tablespooon of butter. Add in the mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes. Pour in the sherry and cook for 5 more minutes. Add in the parsley.

4) In a medium saucepan, melt 1/2 stick of butter over medium low heat. Slowly add in the flour, whisking continuously to form a roux or light paste. Continue to cook for 1 minute, whisking continuously.

5) Gradually add in the milk and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, nutmeg, and 1/4 cup grated cheese.

6) Preheat the oven to 350.

7) Assemble the lasagna by lighlty oiling a 3 qt oblong casserole pan. Lay down 3 of the noodles and top with 1/2 of the spinach-ricotta. Ladle 1/4 of the sauce. Lay down 3 more noodles and spread all of the mushroom mixture. Ladle 1/4 of the sauce. Lay down 3 more noodles and top with the remaining spinach-ricotta. Ladle 1/4 of the sauce. Lay down the last 3 noodles and ladle the remaining sauce. Top with the shredded mozzarella.

8) Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until cheese forms a golden crust.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Ed's 1st Note: Take a look at these other interesting takes on lasagna... lasagna soup at Culinary in the Country, lasagna casserole at Mele Cotte, eggplant lasagna at Cooking with Amy, polenta lasagna at Gluten-Free Bay, and chicken lasagna at Kalyn's Kitchen.

Ed's 2nd Note: I received a free copy of He Said Beer, She Said Wine which I think is a great resource for those of us who are wondering what type of alcohol to serve with a meal. The authors are a sommelier (Marnie Old) and a brewer (Sam Calagione) who offer their competing suggestions on the best pairings for different kinds of food. For this lasagna dish, you might try an Anselmi San Vincenzoor or a Paulaner Hefe-Weizen.

Crispy Fried Chicken

2008-03-16T19:27:00.000-07:00

So it was inevitable. Despite years of resisting, I finally had to do it. A post about fried chicken. All my friends know that one of my favorite restaurants is Popeye's Fried Chicken. Ok, so it's not really a restaurant... more of a one-stop shop for deep-fried goodness. "Yes, I'll have a spicy two-piece leg and thigh combo meal with cajun rice as a side." I can't tell you how many times I have utterred those exact words in my lifetime. And I am definitely convinced that the level of "spicy" at a Popeye's down South is much spicier than those here in the Bay Area.

Now, I've had some good fried chicken over the years. There was Hodak's and Sweetie Pie's in St. Louis. Shin Toe Bul Yi here in San Francisco (where I do believe they marinate the chicken in kim chee). Home of Chicken and Waffles and Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland. Agnes & Muriel's and Mary Mac's Tea Room in Atlanta. This recipe is an adaptation from one I found in "Southern Cooking from Mary Mac's Tea Room."

There's different schools of thought when it comes to fried chicken. Some insist on brining. Others insist on marinating in buttermilk. Both techniques do add that extra something-something to your fried chicken. But, usually, making fried chicken is a spur of the moment thing for me so I can't be bothered with either.

And now let's talk about the crunch factor. Some folks prefer to batter. Some prefer to coat. What I like about this recipe is the combination of batter and coating results in a fried chicken that is truly crispy. For extra crunch, you might toss in some cornmeal into the coating like they do at Brown Sugar Kitchen.

CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN

3 lbs chicken thighs
enough canola oil to fill your deep-fryer half-way full

For the batter:
1 1/2 cups room temperature water
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 drops yellow food coloring

For the coating:
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour

1) Heat oil in a deep fryer to 325 degrees.

2) In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the batter.

3) In a shallow rimmed dish, mix all the ingredients for the coating.

4) Dip a few chicken thighs in the batter. Lift out and dredge in the flour until well-coated. Shake off excess flour and carefully place in the hot oil.

5) Fry for 8 minutes on each side.

6) Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining chicken thighs.

Ed's 1st Note: I use all chicken thighs because I love dark meat.

Ed's 2st Note: Be sure not to overcrowd the chicken or the temperature of your oil will drop.

Ed's 3nd Note: If you don't have a deep fryer, you can also just use a large skillet.

I'm not the only one who loves homemade fried chicken. Check out these other great recipes for fried chicken at the Atlanta Constitution-Journal, Homesick Texan, Culinary in the Country, Let's Get Wokking, Anne's Food, and my own variation on fried chicken with Indian undertones.

Pasta Carbonara

2008-02-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

Back in college, fancy eating meant a night out at either Olive Garden. My friends and I would load up on the free breadsticks and salad, and then we would take our entrees home. One of my favorites back then was the fettucine carbonara. Just thinking about it brings back memories of creamy, salty goodness.

I'm not sure if it's still on the menu (it's been a while since I've been to an Olive Garden), but I found a version of the recipe in the Silver Spoon. It surprised me that the creaminess of the dish comes not from a cream sauce but from a simple combination of beaten eggs and cheese.

PASTA CARBONARA

12 oz pasta (spaghetti, fettucine)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup pancetta, diced
2 cloves garlic, whole
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1) Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain.

2) In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the garlic.

3) Add drained pasta to the warm pancetta.

4) Pour in the eggs and cheese. Mix until pasta is well coated. Cook for 1-2 minutes on medium heat.

5) Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Ed's 1st Note: The original recipe calls for only 1 clove of garlic, but I like a garlicky pasta so I upped the ante.

Ed's 2nd Note: The original recipe calls for 1/2 Parmesean and 1/2 Romano cheese.

BlueBerry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

2008-01-27T21:31:00.000-08:00

Back in high school, my choir had a bake sale to help raise funds for a trip to New York City. My choir director contributed a sour cream pie, and I remember thinking who in their right mind would eat anything with sour cream in it for dessert. This was, of course, before I developed my taste for sour cream, and learning that sour cream can create very moist cake.

I had some blueberries to use up, and so I adapted this recipe from the side of a box of Trader Joe's Multigrain Baking Mix. The original recipe calls for buttermilk (which I don't usually have on hand) so I substituted sour cream...with DELICIOUS results.

oil and flour for the pan
1 egg
1 cup light sour cream
3 tablespoons lemon infused olive oil
2 1/2 cups Trader Joe's Multigrain Baking Mix
1/2 cup Splenda
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Lightly oil and flour a 9x13 pan. Tap out the excess flour.

3) In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, and olive oil until smooth.

4) Slowly whisk in the baking mix and Splenda to form a very sticky batter.

5) Mix in the blueberries.

6) Pour batter into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Ed's Note: You can make a quick glaze by combining a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons hot milk, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl. Drizzle the glaze over the warm cake.

IsItEDible in Atlanta

2008-01-19T23:52:00.000-08:00

I'm still playing catchup on posts for some trips I took the end of 2007. For all the trips I have taken to Atlanta over the past couple of years, I realized that I have never written a post about my favorite restaurants in Atlanta. I'm glad that I don't live there because I think I would be the size of a brickhouse with all the great food. Here are some of the places I visited on this most recent trip:

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Agnes & Muriels
1514 Monroe Dr.
Atlanta, GA 30324
(404) 885-1000

This has been one of "must go" places that I visit on almost every single trip. The restaurant itself is set in a kitschy house filled with vintage curios and chachkis (e.g. knitted toilet paper covers shaped like poodles). I would describe the food as Southern with a few modern twists. The fried green tomatoes ($8.95) here are my favorite in Atlanta. Served on a skillet, they are breaded and fried crispy. Ok, so that describes most fried green tomatoes, but here they are taken to the next level with crumbled feta and a tangy sauce. Another great appetizer is a plate of the munchy macaroni and cheese fritters ($7.95). That's right, how do you say DEEP FRIED mac n cheese! As for entrees (served with 2 vegetables), some sure winners include the Coca-Cola bbq baby back ribs ($20.95) which fall right of the bone, the boneless buttermilk fried chicken $14.50) which for fried boneless chicken breasts are surprisingly juicy, and the Louisiana bbq shrimp and grits ($14.95). You have 18 vegetables to choose from; my favorites include the silver queen corn custard, sweet potato fries, griddled sour cream corn bread, and the cajun fried okra. And after all that food if you've saved room for dessert, try a piece of the red velvet cake ($4.95) or the butterscotch caramel cream pie $4.95.

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Gladys and Ron's Chicken and Waffles
529 Peachtree Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30308
(404) 874-9393

Another of my favorite restaurants. It's owned by Gladys Knight (yes, that one!) and her uncle Ron. Many of my meetings take place downtown so this is a convenient restaurant to sneak away to. I'd been craving some crunchy fried catfish and the catfish basket appetizer ($7.25) satisfied my craving. If you like fried chicken wings, get the "Midnight Train" ($12.75) which comes with 4 jumbo size wings and a waffle. If you've got an appetite, then order the "Uncle Ron's" with 3 pieces of dark meat southern fried chicken, two side dishes, and a cornbread muffin. Again, there's a huge choice of side items, but I like the collard greens and squash casserole. Be sure to save room for dessert because the sweet potato cheescake ($4.95) with it's graham cracker crust and drizzling of warm caramel, chopped pecans, and whipped cream is absolutely sinful.

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Watershed
406 West Ponce De Leon Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 378-4900

Just outside of the Atlanta city limits, this restaurant is co-owned by one of the Indigo Girls and serves up Southern favorites. This place is known for their Southern Fried Chicken (check out the recipe here, but it's only served on Tuesday nights and once they run out, you are outta luck. Unfortunately, I went on a Wednesday night so I missed out on the fried chicken, but I did get to try some of the other dishes. The saute of wild mushrooms with cheese and country ham on toast ($8.00) was deliciously savory, but I would love to have had more of it. The fried catfish platter with hush puppies and French fries ($18.00) is huge, and the catfish is fried whole!

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Mary Mac's Tea Room
224 Ponce De Leon Ave, NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
(404) 876-1800

This place is delicious. My friend Ed (yes...that would make two Eds and that's a good thing because two Eds are better than one) brought me here and it has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants. As soon as you sit down, they bring out a basket of assorted breads. Definitely not South Beach or Atkins friendly, but oh so good. You get cornbread, yeast rolls, and cinnamon rolls. Mmm-mmm good! Also, let them know it's your first visit, and they will give you a sample of there pot likker soup (normally $2.25 for a cup or $3.00 for a bowl). Pot likker soup is basically the rich soup that's left in the bottom of the pot after they've made their greens. I know...doesn't sound that appetizing, but trust me...it's delicious. For appetizers, the fried green tomatoes ($4.95) come with a parmesan horseradish dipping sauce. So do the fried okra ($3.95). For entrees, try the fried chicken (a breast, wing, leg, AND thigh for $11.50). Ed (the other one) really enjoyed his roast turkey with cornbread dressing, gravy, and cranberry sauce. On a separate visit, I went with a group of friend and had the seafood sampler (a HUGE plate of fried shrimp, fried oysters, fried catfish, and fried crawfish for $17.95...truly enough for two people). I'd never had fried crawfish before, and it was the first thing that disappeared off my plate. Each entree comes with two sides... my favorites are the collard greens with cracklin cornbread, sweet potato souffle, macaroni and cheese, and the fried okra. They also have country fried steak ($9.95). And if you have room for dessert, the peanut butter pie and pecan pie ($3.95 each) are decadently sweet.

FOBLOKI - François-Xavier of FXcuisine

2008-01-06T13:14:00.000-08:00

Happy 2008! I hope that this year brings each of you lots of laughter and delicious meals. After a short holiday hiatus, we are kicking off a new year’s worth of FOBLOKI with François-Xavier of FXcuisine.

IsItEDible: Bonjour François-Xavier. On your blog you mention that you have been reading cookbooks and trying to cook since childhood. Tell us, what is your earliest cooking-related memory?
François-Xavier: My grandmother cooking polenta in an open-air hearth in a large black cauldron. The polenta would then be poured on large wooden slabs made from a century-old tree trunk slices and served with a variety of garnishes including cream and jam for the dessert. My family is from Valais, a Swiss valley on the Italian border.

IsItEDible: That sounds delicious. And how did you come to start a food blog?
François-Xavier: I just had to share the so many magical and poetic moments I experience when preparing food. Most of it is lost even to the guests who eat the meal.There is so much beauty in the ingredients; the peeling, chopping, sauteing. I try to let people share this with my pictures.

IsItEDible: Your pictures are beautiful! Now where did the name for your food blog come from?

François-Xavier: My name is FX and FXkitchen was taken, so FXcuisine was my choice. I wanted something short and snappy. And FX means "special effects"in the American move industry.

IsItEDible: Yes, it’s very special how your pictures detail each step of the cooking process. It must take a lot of work to create a blog entry.
François-Xavier: I shoot about 200 pictures of a recipe. Then I sort them and select 10 to 50 pictures that are nice to look at and meaningful. I rename them in a chronological numbered sequence, then make a high-res and low-res version for each. Then I use an Excel spreadsheet to prepare the HTML code for each picture. This done I drink some tea and print the first draft. I eliminate some redundant picture and resize others to reduce the file size. Finally, I write the text and publish it.

IsItEDible: Do you have any tips for other food bloggers on how to take great pictures?
François-Xavier: The most important is proper light. What you see on a photograph is reflected light. Lousy lights or built-in flash invariably results in poor pictures. A hard fact of life. I use 1000W photographic light with a shoot-through umbrella that hangs from a rail on my kitchen's ceiling. You need large lights. Small lights will cast hard shadows. If this is too much for you to do, at least get rid of the flash and just increase the ISO.

IsItEDible: What have been some of your favorite blog posts to write?
François-Xavier: I have three kinds of posts. First are slow-food articles with a traditional recipe made from scratch, mostly from local ingredients from the farmer's market. Among my favorites are the Beef Carrot Daube or the Spelt Pappardelle in Grouse Sauce or the Italian Pesto Soup. The ingredients are so beautiful.

Second, I report on memorable food experiences outside my kitchen like the Duck Tour d'Argent or the Ducasse reverse-engineering.

Finally, I write tongue-in-cheek articles about deep-fried atrocities, such as the deep-fried cheeseburger. They are good fun to write.

IsItEDible: I bet they are all very fun to write. What has been one of the most difficult blog posts to write?
François-Xavier: Definitely the Moldavian Pig Slaughter

IsItEDible: What is one thing we wouldn't know about you just from reading your blog?

François-Xavier: I guess nobody really suspects my professional lighting equipment. I don't have really fancy cameras or lenses, but the lights I use are not plain-vanilla.

And now for the QUICKFIRES…

IsItEDible: What foods warm your heart?
François-Xavier: Long-simmered meats and soups.

IsItEDible: What foods strike fear in it?
François-Xavier: None.

IsItEDible: What turns you on in the kitchen?
François-Xavier: I love functional, solid, time-tested professional equipment.

IsItEDible: What turns you off?
François-Xavier: Flimsy expensive designer gadget that will break after a couple users. I am not rich enough to be able to afford cheep equipment.

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or smell do you love?
François-Xavier: I love to listen to the quiet hiss of vegetables losing their vegetation water in the frying pan.

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or smell do you hate?
François-Xavier: Smoke in a pot strikes fear in my heart.

IsItEDible: What word or phrase is heard most often in your kitchen?
François-Xavier: Oh my God, look at this texture!

IsItEDible: What's your favorite kitchen appliance/gadget?
François-Xavier: My chinois, this is a conical sieve used by French cooks (originally) to filter sauces. It is age-old, very resistant and functional and to me it is an incarnation of fine cooking, where you filter out the bits and pieces you used to flavor a sauce, leaving only the essence of it. I also love my tandoori, and I want to be buried with my black cast-iron Le Creuset pots.

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish are you known for?
François-Xavier: Well, every year is a new one, but recently my Roasted Vanilla Pineapples (Like Pierre Hermé) have been much discussed by my regular guests.

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish would you like to attempt?
François-Xavier: I have hundreds of recipes marked down for future experiment. One of them is pasta served in a whole Parmesan head.

IsItEDible: François-Xavier, thank you so much for helping us start 2008 off with a bang. I look forward to salivating at all the delicious pictures you will be posting this year.

IsItEDible in Saint Louis

2008-01-02T22:16:00.000-08:00

I recently had a chance to spend a weekend in St. Louis, the city where I spent almost a decade of my life. The time flew by so fast that I didn't have the chance to see everyone who I wanted to catch up with. I did have the opportunity to have some good food while I was there (including Monique's mom's most amazing Louisiana-style stuffed peppers).

Nordstrom Cafe Bistro
47 West County Center
Saint Louis, MO 63131
(415) 243-8500

My gracious hosts for the weekend were my friends Monique and Franklin. We were all so hungry by the time I got in that we opted for this place because it was nearby. Don't be put off just because this bistro happens to be in the middle of a department store in the middle of a mall. The food here was surpisingly decent. Try the Black Forest Ham & Peppered Apricot Panini ($9.25). Or if you are feeling decadent, then order what I had...the Bistro Steak Pommes Frites ($16.95). It's a new york strip steak with herb butter and arugula salad. The pommes frites are perfectly crispy that you can dip in a delicious kalamata olive aioli that is the most lovely shade of purple.

Sweetie Pie's
4270 Manchester Ave
Saint Louis, Mo 63110
(314) 371-0304

My friend Laurie and I had an amazing lunch here. Knowing that I really enjoy my food, she wanted to pick a place that would impress me. And impress me she did! Owned by Robbie Montgomery (a former back up singer for Ike and Tina), Sweetie Pie's serves up soul food for your soul. For about $8, you can get 4 HUGE pieces of fried chicken wings. Crunchy on the outside with that succulent wing meat you love on the inside. It comes with two sides (or 3 sides for just $1.25 more). I had the sweetest sweet potatoes and the most amazing mac n cheese West of the Mississippi. I love my mac n cheese with a cheesy crust on top, and that's exactly how they make it at Sweeties (check out their recipe here.) Or you might also try the fried catfish for $10.50. Note that the fried chicken wings are available daily, but catfish and other menu items change depending on the day of the week.

Crazy Bowls & Wraps
12704 Olive Street
St. Louis, MO 63141
(314) 786-9727

This is a local chain of "healthy fast food" restaurants with 10 locations. When I lived in Saint Louis, I ate here weekly because it was right by my gym. The wraps are pretty good, especially the Thai chicken wrap with jasmine rice, ginger slaw, onion, and peanut sauce in a spinach wrap ($5.95) and the grilled spicy buffalo chicken wrap with ranch dressing and lettuce ($5.95). On this visit, however, I opted for the high protein bowl: your choice of two meats (chicken, steak or salmon) with steamed vegetables and teriyaki sauce ($6.95).

And finally, I could not visit Saint Louis without partaking of some decidely unhealthy fast food...

White Castle does NOT have the best burgers in the country, but there is something that is so satisfyingly good about them (in that greasy, fast food, munchies kind of way). And where else can you get a cheeseburger, onion rings, and a diet coke for $3.23.

Alas, I didn't have time to revisit all of my favorite St. Louis food memoreis (the Welsh potato chips with rarebit at Llewellyn's Pub, amaretto ice cream with Nestle Crunch mix-in at Maggie Moo's, frozen custard at Ted Drewes). But maybe I'll have a chance to go back to St. Louis again soon.

Creme Caramel

2007-12-26T21:36:00.001-08:00

Oh my goodness. I am so behind on my blogging. My apologies to those of you who have been anxiously awaiting some new posts. The past two months have been absolutely crazy at work and at home. Have done a bit of traveling and so I'll be sharing some posts about my trips to Palm Springs, St. Louis, and Atlanta very shortly. With all the hecticness (is that a word?), the holidays snuck up on me. I hope y'all all had a very wonderful holidays, and I hope to get back into the swing of things soon.

Here's a dessert I made earlier this week. I found the recipe in the Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook and decided to give it a try since I had helluva lotta eggs in the fridge (18 count eggs were buy one get one free at Safeway last week). Creme caramel has a custardy texture similar to creme brulee but without the hard top. When you are making it, you pour a caramel syrup into the bottom of the ramekin and cover it with the custard. After it's cooked and chilled, you invert the ramekin onto a plate and the caramel syrup ends up on top.

CREME CARAMEL

For the caramel
1/2 cup sugar

For the custard
butter
5 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1) Butter the inside of eight ramekins.

2) In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt a 1/2 cup of sugar. Stir constantly until it becomes a light brown syrup.

3) Pour the caramel syrup into the ramekins. Place the ramekins into a baking pan.

4) Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

5) In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, salt, and sugar until blended. Slowly beat in the milk and vanilla.

6) Pour the custard mixture into the ramekings.

7) Pour hot water into the baking pan until it comes within an inch of the tops of the ramekins.

8) Bake for one hour or until a knife inserted into the middle of the custard comes out clean.

9) Cool on wire racks and then refrigerate.

10) When ready to serve, run a knife around the edge of the custard and then invert onto a plate.

Makes 8 servings.

FOBLOKI - Anne of Papilles et Pupilles

2007-12-09T22:53:00.000-08:00

This week’s FOBLOKI interview takes us across the Atlantic Ocean to visit with Anne of Papilles et Pupilles. She and I had a nice conversation over some virtual pommes fritte!

IsItEDible: Anne, merci! You are the first overseas blogger to be interviewed for FOBLOKI. Let's start with this question. What is your earliest cooking-related memory?
Anne: I remember when I was a very young child (4 or 5 years olds), the flavor of the "civet de lapin" cooked by my grandmother. I think that the translation of "civet de lapin" is “jugged rabbit” . My grandmother, when she was younger, was cook in a little restaurant, and everything she prepared was great!

IsItEDible: Si doux (so sweet). Why did you initially decide to start Papilles et Pupilles?
Anne: When I've stopped working to take care of my children, I had a passion for cooking, had free time, and needed social life, so I started foodblogging!

IsItEDible: Where did the name Papilles et Pupilles come from?
Anne: It was a friend who gave me the idea. And I loved the idea of associating "Papilles" (Papillae which contain your taste buds) and Pupilles (pupils). I think that food has to be delicious of course, but also should look good.

IsItEDible: That is very true. Good food really does appeal to multiple senses. And good foodblogging does, too! Please tell us more about how you create your blog entries?
Anne: Sometimes it's because I've seen interesting products at the market. Sometimes it’s because I've heard of new stuff I want to taste like “thé matcha” (matcha bean) or “fève tonka” (tonka bean) or because I've seen a very yummy recipe in a cook book or foodblog.Then, I madke the recipe, take a picture (the most difficult for me), and write on my blog. I try to tell readers about why I like the recipe or the product.

IsItEDible: It seems that you and I have similar inspirations in creating our blog entries. Is there a blog post that you have particularly enjoyed writing?
Anne: Indeed, there was a post about when I participated on a French TV program to do a report with one of the most famous French chefs, Thierry Marx. And I got to tell minute by minute what happened! Click HERE to read the original post in FRENCH. Click HERE to use the Babelfish translator.

IsItEDible: That must have been so exciting! What has been one of the most difficult blog posts to write?
Anne: In this post, I've asked the readers of my blog to send me pictures of what they saw through their window. And I've received about 300 photos coming from France but also from all over the world. I didn't think I would receive so much, and it has been difficult for me to create the slideshow because I'm not a techie (wink).

IsItEDible: Well, maybe there is a kind and generous techie reader out there who might read this interview and be able to help you out! Finally, what is one thing we wouldn't know about you just from reading your blog?
Anne: You wouldn't know anything about my family. It's private life!

And now the QUICKFIRES

IsItEDible: What foods warm your heart?
Anne: A pot-au-feu (boiled beef with vegetables). It’s a childhood memory!

IsItEDible: What foods strike fear in it?
Anne: Blue cheese

IsItEDible: What turns you on in the kitchen?
Anne: Flavours, spices, herbs

IsItEDible: What turns you off?
Anne: Bad stuff

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or smell do you love?
Anne: The smell of freshly baked breads

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or smell do you hate?
Anne: the sound of food processor

IsItEDible: What word or phrase is heard most often in your kitchen?
Anne: Bof. It's difficult to translate. My little son has food allergies, and it's very difficult to make him taste new things. And when I give him something new, I ask him. “Do you like it?” and he answers, "bof." That means "not really, no".

IsItEDible: What's your favorite kitchen appliance/gadget?
Anne: My microplane grater/zester!

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish are you known for?
Anne: Any kind of breads (Check out this page.)

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish would you like to attempt?
Anne: A cassoulet ! I've never tried to cook one. It's a recipe from south west of France, where I live.

IsItEDible: Anne, il a été un plaisir parlant avec vous. Bon appetit!

FOBLOKI - Ed of IsItEDible

2007-12-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

Our Inside the FOod BLOgger's KItchen guest for this week is .... drum roll please... yours truly! Ed of IsItEDible! Over the past few weeks, as I've been interviewing all of these esteemed food bloggers who have graciously participated in the FOBLOKI, I've also been thinking about what my own responses to some of these questions would be. So, here's a sneak peak into my food blogger kitchen. Please excuse the multiple personalities.

IsItEDible: Welcome to FOBLOKI, Ed. Please give us a glimpse into your culinary past. What is your earliest cooking-related memory?
Ed: Thanks, Ed. It's my pleasure to be here talking to you. Um, I mean talking to me. Um, nevermind. SOOO the very first thing I can remember making was a recipe from a kid's cookbook. I think it was called Buddy's First Cookbook, but unfortunately it's long lost now. It was a fairly simple recipe; 1) Use your hands to roll a teaspoon of peanut butter into a ball. 2) Roll the peanut butter ball in crushed corn flakes. 3) Repeat as often as you like. Gourmet stuff, huh?

IsItEDible: Absolutely. Hey! Didn't you make that for breakfast this morning? Anyways, moving on. Why did you initially decide to start a food blog?
Ed: I never ever thought I would be a blogger. I didn't quite understand the concept and thought it was a bit egotistical. Of course, I have since comes to my senses. The catalyst was an article about food bloggers that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle featuring several Bay Area bloggers such as Amy from Cooking with Amy. I had never heard of a food blog before (I know! GASP!), but after some web surfing, I felt like I was Dorothy in the land of Oz. I already had started a food/entertainment journal so the blog became an online extension of that. And I soon realized that it was a great way to keep my friends updated about my life while connecting in to this virtual community of wonderful people who like to cook and eat.

IsItEDible: Hmm. So are you a friend of Dorothy? And how long have you been blogging?
Ed: A friend of Dorothy? Absolutely! And I 've been blogging for about two and a half years.

IsItEDible: How did you come up with the name for your food blog?
Ed: I wanted to play off my name. And "Driver's Ed", "Special Ed", and "Sex Ed" just didn't seem appropriate for a food blog.

IsItEdible: I already know the answer to this question (actually I know the answers to ALL these questions), but please describe for everyone else the process you use to create a blog entry:
Ed: I like to go through my cookbook collection, magazines, and suggestions from friends to find recipes to try. While I am cooking, I keep notes on scrap paper about the ingredients, cooking times, etc. While the food is in it's final stages, I set up my tripod and clear the worktable where I usually take pictures. I've started consulting more with Dean (who was feeling left out of the food blog fun) on food styling and plating. Then, it's a mad dash to plate the food, take about 15-30 pictures, and then sit down to eat before the food gets cold. I often start typing up the notes into a draft later that night, but sometimes it takes me a day or two to get around to finalizing and editing the text. I use PICASA to "fix" up the pictures, again consulting with Dean to select the best shot. Unfortunately, due to my work and travel schedule, I haven't been doing as much cooking lately, but hopefully that will change by the end of this month.

IsItEDible: And how does all thisfood blogging relate to your job?
Ed: It doesn't really. I work for a nonprofit organization that works with other nonprofit organizations on how to strengthen their strategic planning, fundraising, board development etc. But my job does require me to do a bit of writing, and the FOBLOKI idea actually evolved out of a series of interviews with nonprofit advocates that I started writing for our newsletter.

IsItEDible: Do you have a favorite blog post that you have written?
Ed: The Chinese chive cakes. These were my favorite food growing up, and I had never tried making them from scratch by myself before. Writing the post brought back fond memories of sitting and the kitchen table helping my mom and dad to make them.

IsItEDible: What a coincidence. That's one of my favorites, too! What has been one of the most difficult blog posts to write?
Ed: My 2005 birthday post.

IsItEDible: What is one thing we wouldn't know about you just from reading your blog?
Ed: At the age of 4, I was adopted by a roving band of circus acrobats. To this day, I can't get on a bike without it bringing back painful memories. Just kidding. There's lots of thing folks may not know. 1) I am a coke addict. Actually a diet coke addict. I MUST have at least one can a day. It's a bad addiction. 2) In college, I sang in a coed acapella group. 3) Also in college, I was part of a winning team that crammed 20 people into a Volkwagon Jetta in 8.7 seconds.

And now the QUICKFIRES...

IsItEDible: What foods warm your heart?
Ed: Chinese chive cakes & carrot cake

IsItEDible: What foods strike fear in it?
Ed: The ever popular sweetbread

IsItEDible: What turns you on in the kitchen?
Ed: [censored]

IsItEDible: What turns you off?
Ed: Cooking in a messy kitchen

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or smell do you love?
Ed: Pan-fried ribeye steaks in a cast iron skillet

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or smell do you hate?
Ed: Breaking glass or plates

IsItEDible:What word or phrase is heard most often in your kitchen?
Ed: "Do you like it?" and "Zoe, no begging!"

IsItEDible: What's your favorite kitchen appliance/gadget?
Ed: Deep-fat fryer (even though I have never used it)

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish are you known for?
Ed: My quiche. It's uncoventional because of the Miracle Whip, but all my friends who have ever tasted it always ask for the recipe (before they know it has Miracle Whip in it).

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish would you like to attempt?
Ed: Deep fried macaroni & cheese

IsItEDible: Ed, thanks so much for the interview. It was a pleasure speaking with you, and I hope we have a chance to do it again very soon!

FOBLOKI - Mari of My Silly Little Thoughts

2007-11-25T14:42:00.000-08:00

This week's post-Thanksgiving FOBLOKI interviewee is Mari of My Silly Little Thoughts. If you've never visited her blog, then you are missing out on some of the most artfully designed and decorated cookies to be found on the web. Our interview took place over a virtual plate of cookies (and milk, of course!)

IsItEDible: Mari, welcome to FOBLOKI. Let's get it started in here. What is your earliest cooking-related memory?
Mari: Helping my father make one of his infamous Sunday stews. He would take leftovers and make a stew or soup with them. My mother, who is a fabulous cook, would cringe at the idea of him being in the kitchen. My older brother was nowhere to be found on Sundays, and so my father would lure me into the kitchen, lock the door, hide the key, and make me his assistant. It was actually fun and gave us the better part of an afternoon together.

IsItEDible: Sounds like good times. Why did you initially decide to start a food blog?
Mari: Well, I don't really consider my blog a food blog. It's more a combination of design, or the creative process of decorating cookies, and baking. I started it because friends asked me where I get the inspiration for my designs and how I execute those ideas. I thought the blog would be a perfect way to share this process with others.

IsItEDible: Maybe we should rename FOBLOKI to DEBLOKI (DEsign BLOgger's KItchen) for this week. Where do you get the inspiration for your cookies?
Mari: It really depends. Sometimes I see a color that I think is unusual, like an electric green and think, "I should use that color." Or someone mentions an idea I haven't thought of and it become the basis for my next design. Often my ideas come to me as I start cutting the cookies; I wonder how I'm going to fill the space on them and go from there.

IsItEDible: Let's move on to the name of your blog. I love it. How did you come up with it?
Mari: On a whim, really. It's not a very good name - my silly little thoughts - but I think the blog is full of my silly thoughts. I've actually almost completed an overhaul of my main website and with that will be a new blog with a different name. That will be, I guess, I somewhat more 'serious' blog .

IsItEDible: In a nutshell, can you tell us more about the process you use to create a blog entry?
Mari: I've realized that I tend to write anecdotes a lot. I remember something funny or interesting and somehow connect it with my latest design.

IsItEDible: What has been one of your favorite blog posts to write?
Mari: For my friend's birthday I wrote a post about her and our friendship: "A Rose is a Rose, is a Rose..."

IsItEDible: What has been one of the most difficult blog posts to write?
Mari: This one was hard because it was very personal. My doctor found a small lump in my right breast and though I was eventually declared cancer-free, the experience of not knowing what was going to happen frightened me. And I was still pretty new to blogging, so I wasn't sure how personal and open I should be. I'm glad I wrote it.

IsItEDible: Mari, I know that must have been a hard one to write. Finally, what is one thing we wouldn't know about you just from reading your blog?
Mari: That I almost never eat cookies, cakes or ice cream. I rarely eat desserts, and I stay away from sugar if I can.

IsItEDible: I would have never guessed that! And now the QUICKFIRES...

IsItEDible: What foods warm your heart?
Mari: A really good bowl of chili con carne.

IsItEDible: What foods strike fear in it?
Mari: Squid.

IsItEDible: What turns you on in the kitchen?
Mari: Garlic.

IsItEDible: What turns you off?
Mari: Any kind of liver.

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or smell do you love?
Mari: Garlic and onions sauteeing in olive oil.

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or smell do you hate?
Mari: Garbage.

IsItEDible: What word or phrase is heard most often in your kitchen?
Mari: Shoot. I forgot to take that out of freezer.

IsItEDible: What's your favorite kitchen appliance/gadget?
Mari: My professional grade and size KitchenAid mixer. It's massive. If my house were on fire, I'd go back in for it.

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish are you known for?
Mari: I'm known best for making an Asian style marinated seabass that I cook en papillotte (in parchment paper). I don't have a recipe; I just watched a Vietnamese friend make it once, and improvised on her rendition. It's very straightforward: butterfly the seabass, then marinate it in a mixture of soy sauce, lime juice, chopped cilantro, scallions, and freshly grated ginger. A little fish sauce and chopped serano pepper to taste. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes en papillotte. Serve with brown rice. Take one bite and fuggeddaboudit.

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish would you like to attempt?
Mari: Kransekake. I think this is originally a Norwegian cake (though it's prevalent throughout Scandinavia); it's a ring cake made of almond paste. You make large, medium and small rings and then make a tower of them to form a kind of tree. The cake itself isn't very tasty but it's the architectural aspect of the cake that intrigues me. I think I'll try it someday and then maybe make it out of different (more tasty) flavors. My grandmother-in-law gave us one on our wedding day; she said that no one can get married without a Kransekake at their wedding. Ours was covered with tiny flags from the U.S., Norway and Japan. Here's a link to one recipe.

IsItEDible: Mari, thanks so much for FOBLOKI-ing with us! I'm looking forward to seeing more of your future design creations.

Pea and Basil Soup

2007-11-20T15:06:00.000-08:00

I have several cooking shows scheduled on Tivo. Everyday Italian is one of them. A few weeks ago, Giada did an episode on Friday Night Dinners. All of the recipes were fairly simple ones that could be easily whipped together, especially helpful after a rough week. As I was watching, this particular recipe intrigued me, and luckily I had everything on hand to be able to try it out.

I typically don't like split pea soup but this is much lighter, and the basil adds a nice, sublte umph to the sweetness of the peas. You can find the original recipe here. I've kept the recipe essentially the same, but I decreased the amount of heavy cream and replaces some of it with milk.

PEA AND BASIL SOUP

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, coarsely diced
1 clove garlic, coarsely diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 1/2 cups frozen peas
3/4 cup chopped, fresh basil leaves
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
additional fresh basil leaves for garnish

1) In a medium pot, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat.

2) Add onions, garlic, salt, and butter. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until onions are softened.

3) Add the frozen peas and basil. Cook for 5 minutes.

4) Place pea mixture in blender. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and puree.

5) Empty pureed peas back into the medium pot. Add cream, milk, and remaining broth. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, or until heated through. Do not let boil.

6) Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Makes 4 servings.

Ed's Note: Giada garnishes her version by floating a slice of fresh mozzarella in it and topping off with diced, roasted red bell peppers.

FOBLOKI - Jaden of Steamy Kitchen

2007-11-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

Jaden of Steamy Kitchen is our guest for this week's Inside the FOod BLOgger's KItchen. She's a profesional cooking instructor/food columnist/food photographer/mother who still finds time to blog regularly. She's only been blogging for 10 months, but she's already developed quite a following. We had a nice chat over a virtual cup of steamy rice.

IsItEDible: Jaden, thanks for sitting down with us today. I hear that you got started quite early in the cooking industry. Please tell us more because enquiring minds want to know.
Jaden: My first very first kitchen job was snapping the little tails off a pile of beansprouts. Do you know how many beansprouts it takes to feed a family of four?! To a 2 year old it was like Mt. Everest of beansprouts!

IsItEDible: You were working at 2 years old? Isn't that against child labor laws? Eeks! Maybe that's where your strong work ethic came from. So tell us, with all the different things you are involved in, why did you initially decide to start a food blog?
Jaden: I have been teaching Modern Asian cooking classes for the past few years and needed a way to document all the recipes that I was writing. Soon after starting the blog I began to meet people online and within a couple ofmonths, food websites, TV, newspapers and magazines started knocking on mydoor. Now, the blog is an integral part of my career as it is the best way for me to communicate with other people around the world.

IsItEDible: You are one of the rare food bloggers who also cooks professionally. How do you keep from burning out on cooking?
Jaden: I simply love my job. Since I don't work at a restaurant and my job ispurely creative, I get to cook different dishes every single day. I am a cooking instructor at a local cooking school - and only teach a few times amonth. But most of my days are filled with writing my newspaper food column, recipe writing, recipe testing and of course food blogging and food photography. Every single day is a different adventure.

IsItEDible: I bet it is! How did you come up with the name"Steamy Kitchen" for your food blog?
Jaden: Well, I didn't think "Amish Kitchen" would quite fit my personality.

IsItEDible: Hmm...so true. Ok, Jaden, what's the typical strategy you use use to create a blog entry.
Jaden: Well, I start off with a recipe or an ingredient that I want to build a recipe upon. Usually, I test a recipe 3-5 times before publishing it on the blog. The most difficult part of recipe development is remembering to write down my measurements! Being a very creative, on-the-fly cook, I add a littleof this, a little of that, then taste and adjust. So I really had to learnto cook with a pen and pad of paper duct taped to my hip. Once I have the recipe just right, I tuck it away until the next time I cook the dish for supper. Seconds after cooking the dish, it gets whisked away to get photographed in my family room. Kids and husband are sitting at the dinner table, patiently waiting for their meal. I get just a few shots before one of the kiddies start yelling that he is hungry. Usually, I get really lucky and capture a wonderful shot. Sometimes, the kids are too impatient and you'll see a little hand trying to swipe a piece of food in the shot.

IsItEDible: Oh my. Those sneaky little hands! You obviously enjoy blogging. What has been one of your favorite blog posts to write?
Jaden: When I was in China and realizing that I needed to first respect the basics of Chinese food before I could ever master the exotic dishes. (Check out Jaden's link here.)

IsItEDible: What has been one of the most difficult blog posts to write?
Jaden: Ugh. The one where I bitch about not being invited over to friends' houses! (You can check out that link here.)

IsItEDible: What is one thing we wouldn't know about you just from reading your blog?
Jaden: Hmm...that's a tough one. I pretty much bare it all...good and bad...on the blog!

And now for the QUICKFIRES...

IsItEDible: What foods warm your heart?
Jaden: Mom's jook (rice porridge)

IsItEDible: What foods strike fear in it?
Jaden: Balut - boiled duck egg with fetal ducky

IsItEDible: What turns you on in the kitchen?
Jaden: Husband doing dishes

IsItEDible: What turns you off?
Jaden: Dirty dishes piled high

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or smell do you love?
Jaden: Freshly toasted coconut

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or smell do you hate?
Jaden: "CRASH!" and then my kid, "uh oh....MOMMEEEEEE!"

IsItEDible: What's your favorite kitchen appliance/gadget?
Jaden: My Shun 8" Chef's knife

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish are you known for?
Jaden: My Mom's Famous Chinese Egg Rolls

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish would you like to attempt?
Jaden: Peking Duck.

IsItEDible: Oooh. I love Peking Duck. Jaden, thanks for joining us this week for FOBLOKI. I can't wait to see what you blog about next.

FOBLOKI - Chef Paz of The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz

2007-11-11T21:54:00.000-08:00

Chef Paz of The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz is our guest for Inside the FOod BLOgger's KItchen this week. She currently lives in New York City and describes herself as a "novice amateur cook." Together, we shared a virtual subway ride across the Big Apple.

IsItEDible: To start us off, please tell us about your earliest cooking-related memory?
Chef Paz: When I was a little girl living in Africa, I used to play-cook with my sister. We had this children's stove that could be lit with real fire. We boiled water and put leaves and plants from garden in the pot. We never did eat it, though, and I never did cook in real life after that.

IsItEDible: Real fire? That's so much more hardcore than the lightbulb in an Easy Bake Oven. Eventually your cooking adventures brought you from Africa to New York City. But obviously not everyone who cooks has a food blog. What made you decide to start yours?
Chef Paz: I was excited about the fact that I was actually cooking and making EDible food… sorry I couldn't help myself, heh heh heh. I didn't really have anyone to talk about my cooking experiences. My family was mildly amused but didn't care to really listen to my cooking adventures in the kitchen. Same with my friends. Then, a friend of mine had a non-food blog, and I thought to myself that it would be really cool to start a food blog where I could blog about my experiences and document my progress -- like a food journal for myself. I thought my food blog would be the first in food blog history. I did some research and you can imagine my surprise to find a LOT of food blogs. Haha! So much for being the first. The very first food blog I found was Traveler's Lunchbox. I still visit it, and it's inspiring as are many of the other food blogs I've since discovered. I've amassed a runaway list of food blog links. You can find them in the 'Links' section of my blog. They're all worth visiting.

IsItEDible: Wow, it sounds like you’ve truly had some fun COOKING ADVENTURES... sorry, I couldn’t help myself either. How did you come up with the name for your food blog?
Chef Paz: Well, the name of my food blog -- The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz -- exactly describes what my blog is all about -- my experience with learning to cook. When I started cooking and made some decent meals, my family was pleasantly surprised and started calling me "Chef Paz." They would yell out, "Hey, Chef Paz! What's for dinner?"Of course, they were teasing me by calling me "Chef." It was just a big joke but the moniker stuck on me after that. The other part of my food blog title -- "The Cooking Adventures" is an accurate description of what happens to me when I step into the kitchen. I never know what will happen as I try to follow recipe instructions. It's definitely a cooking adventure.

IsItEDible: And how long have you been blogging about “The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz”?
Chef Paz: This past August 2007 makes it two years. Unbelievable for me. I wasn't sure I'd have anything to keep blogging about after the first couple of weeks. I do. Now my problem is that due to my work schedule, I haven't had time to devote to my food blog (and reading other food blogs) as I'd like but I'm still blogging.

IsItEDible: Can you walk us through the process you use to create a blog entry?
Chef Paz: Umm... I don't think I have a real process. I just cook, bake.... take my photos, post them, and the write about my experience. That's it. Oops! Was I supposed to tell you that? I probably should have thought of something elaborate and impressive to tell you. I guess it's too late now, huh?

IsItEDible: And all this time I thought that you had a team of little elves who lived in a tree helping you with your blog. What a let down. What has been one of your favorite non-elf authored blog posts to write?
Chef Paz: Umm... I'm not sure I have a favorite blog post. Nothing really comes to mind at the moment. Perhaps someone can tell me their favorite blog post they enjoyed reading?

IsItEDible: Readers, feel free to share your favorite Chef Paz blog posts in the comments section. Lastly, what is one thing we wouldn't know about you just from reading your blog?
Chef Paz: Hmmm... I don't know... I think I may have answered that question indirectly in one of my meme posts here. If you take a look and find something you didn't know about me, let me know what you found.

And now the QUICKFIRES…

IsItEDible: What foods warm your heart?
Chef Paz: Plantains -- Childhood food.

IsItEDible: What foods strike fear in it?
Chef Paz: Can't think of any.

IsItEDible: What turns you on in the kitchen?
Chef Paz: Cooking smells. Ingredients in pot. Herbs being chopped.

IsItEDible: What turns you off?
Chef Paz: Can't think of anything.

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or noise do you love?
Chef Paz: Radio, CD playing, pots, chopping,-- any cooking activity.

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or noise do you hate?
Chef Paz: None I can think of.

IsItEDible: What word or phrase is heard most often in your kitchen?
Chef Paz: "Oh, Lord! Help me!" Just joking. No word or phrase that I can think about but I often do a Happy Dance in the kitchen -- it's like the 'Snoopy Dance' -- when the smells or sounds of what I'm cooking excite me. Like chopping cilantro, basil, etc.... I love the smell. Sorry couldn't answer this in 5 words or less. Just couldn't.

IsItEDible: What's your favorite kitchen appliance/gadget?
Chef Paz: My zester for lemons, oranges....

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish are you known for?
Chef Paz: None. I try everything. Different things.

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish would you like to attempt?
Chef Paz: Everything and anything that catches my eye.

IsItEDible: Chef Paz, thank you for joining us this week. As bring this interview to a close, could you indulge us in a demonstration of our infamous "Snoopy Dance?" (Peanuts music playing in the background. Fade to black...)

Breakfast Strata

2007-11-10T23:58:00.000-08:00

Back when I lived in St. Louis, one of my friends used to host a day-after Thanksgiving breakfast. After a day (or more) cooking for the big T-day meal, she would make a simple, yet hearty breakfast casserole that could easily be made in advance and popped into the oven before guests atarted arriving. I saw the original recipe for this breakfast strata on a PBS cooking show and it brought back some warm memories.

BREAKFAST STRATA

1 tablespoon butter, softened

5 whole wheat English muffins, split in half

10 slices Canadian bacon

1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

8 eggs

3 cups 2% milk

1 1/2 tablespoons Grey Poupon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

black pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

1) Rub the softened butter inside a shallow baking dish.

2) Lay English muffin halves and Canadian bacon slices in an alternating pattern in the dish.

Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese.

3) In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Pour over the muffn halves and Canadian bacon. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

4) When ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake fore 90 minutes. (If needed, cover with foil if the top starts to get too brown).

5) Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

FOBLOKI - Nicole of Baking Bites

2007-11-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

Nicole of Baking Bites is our guest for this week's Inside the FOod the BLOgger's KItchen. If you have visited Baking Bites, then you know that Nicole is a skilled baker, photographer, writer, and rider. So for our interview, we shared some delightful conversation over some virtual "baking bites."

IsItEDible: Nicole, welcome to FOBLOKI. How did your interest in cooking start?
Nicole: My earliest cooking related memory involves trying to stir rolled oats and chocolate chips into a batch of oatmeal cookie dough. The dough was always really thick and stand mixers were not an option for me at that point, so I always had to use a wooden spoon. I know it doesn't sound that challenging now, but trying to stir that kind of mix when the bowl alone looks bigger than you is tough! I also have some early memories of eating undercooked cake batter from various Easy-Bake Oven baking attempts.

IsItEDible: I am so jealous that you had an Easy-Bake Oven. I wanted one when I was a kid, but it was deemed "too girly." Anyways, please tell us more about how you upgraded from the Easy-Bake Oven to food blogging?
Nicole: I started blogging to motivate myself to cook more. I always loved to bake and I thought that a blog would be a good way to encourage myself to try a wider range of foods. Plus, it let me share some of my recipes with friends conveniently.

IsItEDible: And where did the name for your food blog come from?
Nicole: It was pretty spontaneous. The name of my first blog was "bakingsheet" and I came up with that just by looking around my kitchen. I decided to stick with it when I was able to come up with a logo that I liked that incorporated it. My current blog is obviously "Baking Bites." I settled on the name for two reasons. First, I love the alliteration. Second, I think that the name fits my site's content pretty well.

IsItEDible: The name is PERFECT! On Baking Bites, you share all types of information from baking tips and advice to reviews. And of course there are all the recipes. Can you tell us more about your blogging process?
Nicole: My main blog entries are recipes, so the entire process begins when I come up with a new cookie/cake/bread - whatever - that I want to make. I always write the recipe first, then go back and try to describe all that went into it. And I always make sure to describe the taste of the dish since - unfortunately - not everyone can be here to taste it with me. I would need a much larger kitchen if that were going to be the case.

IsItEDible: Let me know if you ever supersize your kitchen. I want to be one of the first ones in line to taste-test your recipes. Of all the different recipes you've shared over the past 3 years, what has been one of your favorite blog posts to write?
Nicole: Truthfully, I like all of them. When the recipes I work on come out well - and they usually do - I love to write about them. From my recent posts, my two current favorite baking experiences are probably my Vampire cupcakes and my Car-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies.

IsItEDible: Have you ever had a blog post that was especially difficult to write?
Nicole: The only thing that I find difficult to write is the process of kneading and shaping a yeast bread. It's not because the writing is difficult, but because it's one of those skills that you can only master through practice. I try to make my instructions as simple and explicit as I possibly can.

IsItEDible: I can see how that would be difficult to describe. Kneading strikes me as one of those things that one best learns from actually getting your fingers in the dough. Lastly, are there any sordid secrets that your readers may not know about you?
Nicole: Ok, I have to confess that sometimes I practice my salsa steps while I'm working in the kitchen. I never do it with a hot pan around, though. Some of those spins are hard enough without the risk of burning myself, too!

IsItEDible: Wow. As Paris would say, "that's hot."

And now the QUICKFIRES...

IsItEDIble: What foods warm your heart?
Nicole: Coffee, bread and chili. Not necessarily together.

IsItEDible: What foods strike fear in it?
Nicole: Shellfish and organ meats.

IsItEDible: What turns you on in the kitchen?
Nicole: Everything.

IsItEDible: What turns you off?
Nicole: Doing the dishes.

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or noise do you love?
Nicole: The oven timer going off.

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or noise do you hate?
Nicole: My extremely loud fan.

IsItEDible: What word or phrase is heard most often in your kitchen?
Nicole: "The."

IsItEDible: What's your favorite kitchen appliance/gadget?
Nicole: My oven. And my espresso machine. And my stand mixer.

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish are you known for?
Nicole: I don't think I'm known for any one thing. I like variety.

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish would you like to attempt?
Nicole: The list is long. You'll have to wait and see!

IsItEDible: All right then. Nicole, thanks for FOBLOKI-ing with us, and keep on salsa-ing in the kitchen. Perhaps my next post will be "Dancing with the Food Bloggers."

Chicken Kelaguen

2007-11-03T22:47:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to travel to Guam a few years ago. Guam is an island in the Pacific Ocean that became a US territory after World War II. The indigenous population are known as Chamorros.

While I was in Guam, my friends took me to the weekly night market. There, I had the opportunity to taste one of the local dishes, kelaguen (rhymes with pelican). Authentic kelaguen uses the acidity of lemon juice to "cook" the meat. Wanting to recreate this dish at home, I made a variation using pre-cooked rotiserrie chicken (a tip I learned from my friend Josie in Guam).

This recipe is essentially a "lemon chicken" recipe where the chicken is shredded up. The addition of soy sauce and green onions helps to balance out the lemoniness. The kelaguen I had in Guam was served with corn tortillas, but I think it goes equally well with steamed rice or served as a lettuce wrap (as pictured above). This is a "flexible" recipe, so taste as you go and add more lemon juice, soy sauce, and/or chile peppers if you feel like it.

And for you Text Twist fans out there, how many 3 or more letter words can you make from "KELAGUEN." I've found 31 so far...

CHICKEN KELAGUEN

1 rotiserrie chicken, warmed
1/4 cup finely sliced green onion
juice from 4 lemons
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup grated fresh coconut (Optional)
1 or 2 Thai chile peppers (Optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1) Skin the chicken, and peel the meat off the bones. Use your fingers to coarsely shred the meat. Place shredded chicken in a medium-sized glass or plastic bowl.

2) Add in the green onions, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Add shredded coconut and chile peppers if desired.

3) Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings.

Ed's Note: If you don't feel like going through the work of grating fresh coconut, then just omit it. I've also tried this recipe using a 1/2 cup of unsweetened, dried, shredded coconut which I found at my local farmer's market. But don't use the sweetened coconut flakes that you find in the baking aisle of the supermarket.

Broccoli alla Romana

2007-11-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

Strangely, broccoli was one of the few vegetables that I liked to eat as a kid. Perhaps that's because my mom told me that broccoli was a baby tree and if I ate enough I would grow up to be really tall. Obviously, she lied. But not before I ate my share of broccoli, usually smothered in cheese or stir-fried with fresh rice noodles.

Vertically challenged issues aside, I still love my broccoli as an adult. I found the original version of this recipe in Contorni: Autherntic Italian Side Dishes For All Seaons. It truly is an easy way to prepare broccoli. And I really like how the olive oil and the garlic in this recipe permeate their way into the broccoli florets.

Dean and I both love broccoli, but we don't agree on how we love it. He likes his mushy while I like mine on the crisp side. So, whenever I make broccoli for the two of us, I just add my broccoli to the pan a few minutes after I add his.

BROCCOLI ALLA ROMANA

2 pounds broccoli
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt

1) Cut the broccoli in to large florets, keeping the stems about 2 inches long.

2) In a large pan (one that has a tight-fitting cover), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes.

3) Add the broccoli florets and stir to coat. Add the water and salt. Cover with the lid.

4) Cook for 10-15 minutes, depending on how crisp you prefer your broccoli.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

FOBLOKI - Lis of La Mia Cucina

2007-10-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

This week's guest for Inside the FOod BLOgger's Kitchen is Lis of La Mia Cucina. You may know Lis as one of the hosts of La Festa al Fresco and proud mama to Nigel and Chloe (pictured to the left) For our FOBLOKI interview, Lis and I left our pooches behind in order to enjoy a virtual al fresco dinner/interview.

IsItEDible: Lis, can you start off by telling us about your earliest cooking-related memory?
Lis: Helping my mom and dad roll meatballs for the family Italian restaurant when I was probably around 6 or 7. Mine always turned out looking more like lil footballs, and my dad would always say that he would keep those for himself because they were the best ones.

IsItEDible: Awww! I bet they WERE the best ones. How did your talent for making lil footballs evolve into starting a food blog?
Lis: I initially decided I was going to do it back in January of 2006, because I was addicted to reading so many of them.. but I didn't get the nerve up until March of 2006.

IsItEDible: And where did the name La Mia Cucina come from?
Lis: I want to get back in the food biz (as we all do) so I'd been dreaming of my own restaurant for a few years now. I wanted the name to describe the food I'd cook, but I didn't want it to be too complicated. So I decided on simply, "My Kitchen" but I put the Italian spin on it, so customers would know it was an Italian restaurant - therefore, La Mia Cucina.

IsItEDible: Tropo bello! Lis, one of the things I love about your blog is your willingness to share your culinary successes and your um... attempts that are not quite so successful. Tell us more about the process you use to create a blog entry.
Lis: When I find a new recipe I want to try, or when I try to recreate and idea I've had, I write it (type it actually - my handwriting is horrid) out and then bring my trusty notepad to the kitchen, along with my camera. Depending on how confident I am of the recipe/idea, I'll start snapping photos from mise en place all the way through the steps of the recipe ending with the final dish. If it ends up being a good recipe that I think others would like, I'll sleep on it and then usually write it up in the wee hours of the next morning as I get up at the crack of dawn every day. Ugh. So I usually post before 8 a.m. most times.

IsItEDible: Wow. That's early. What has been one of your favorite pre-8 a.m. blog posts?
Lis: My kitchen disasters are my most favorite to write - I have so much fun, at my own expense. I LOVE making fun of myself - and I truly do believe that I am the Queen of Dorks. So I guess my most favorite disaster was the "Far From Disaster Cake" also fondly known as "The Mothership"

IsItEDible: What has been one of the most difficult blog posts to write?
Lis: Okay well.. I wrote it in a comical way - it's how I deal with the bad stuff.. my mom and my auntie taught me that - if you can't laugh, you'll go insane. But the post about my mom's fall and her breaking her neck in two places was the most difficult to write. Like I said, I didn't want it to be a huge bummer and I needed to work through my fears. So laughter it was. Course as I was writing it, I was laughing AND crying.

IsItEDible: Lis, that is such a personal experience to share with the world. I truly hope that your mom has made a full recovery. Given that you already share so much about yourself on your blog, is there anything else your readers might not know about you?
Lis: I guess.. hmm.. jeez, I don't know - I think I've been pretty open regarding myself. I suppose they most might not know how psycho I am about my dogs, Nigel and Chloe. I've always been psycho regarding my pets all through my life - but with these 2, especially Nigel, I plan my life around them. Kinda pathetic, eh? I refuse to take over night trips without them. I won't stay away from my house (other than work - and I still go home at lunch to be with them) for more than a few hours and I pretty much am thinking about them the whole time I'm gone. Told ya, I'm completely crazy when it comes to my dogs. Hmm.. maybe you shouldn't publish this? *grin*

IsItEDible: Maybe. But it really doesn't sound that psycho to me. (Hmm. I wonder what Zoe and Rocco are doing right now...)

And now the QUICKFIRES...

IsItEDible: What foods warm your heart?
Lis: My family's marinara.

IsItEDible: What foods strike fear in it?
Lis: Head cheese.

IsItEDible: What turns you on in the kitchen?
Lis: Cooking in an organized manner.

IsItEDible: What turns you off?
Lis: Smoke billowing from my oven.

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or noise do you love?
Lis: The timer on my oven.

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or noise do you hate?
Lis: Motor slowing on the Kitchenaid

IsItEDible: What word or phrase is heard most often in your kitchen?
Lis: Chloe! MOVE!!!

IsItEDible: What's your favorite kitchen appliance/gadget?
Lis: Kitchenaid Mixer

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish are you known for?
Lis: Linguine & Clam Sauce and London Broil

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish would you like to attempt?
Lis: Beef Bourguignon

IsItEDible: Thanks so much for being this week's FOBLOKI guest. I guess we should let you get home to Nigel and Chloe and your next pre-8 a.m. blog post.

IsItEDible at Poleng Lounge

2007-10-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

Poleng Lounge
1751 Fulton Ave
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 441-1710

Recently, Dean and I belatedly celebrated our neighbor Jean’s birthday by taking her and her husband Dennis out to dinner at Poleng Lounge. I first heard about Poleng Lounge when executive chef Tim Luym participated in the Food for Thought fundraiser. Then, I saw that they were listed in the San Francisco Chronicle’s Top 100 Bay Area restaurants, and I had a gut feeling it would be the perfect place to celebrate Jean's birthday. It was!

After checking out their website, I found out that Poleng Lounge is a bit of a “transformer.” What’s that mean? Well, during the day, it’s a tea lounge. In the evening, it morphs into a restaurant and finally transforms into a hip nightclub after 10 pm. Be forewarned that if you have a later seating, you might want to avoid the tables near the DJ station and speakers.

The menu at Poleng Lounge consists of Asian small plates to be shared by the table. I think our group of four was the perfect size as it was fairly easy to divvy up the items on the small plates. If you are as hungry as we were, consider starting off with one of the side dishes as they tend to cook quickly and were served not too long after we ordered them. They also were among our favorite dishes during the meal. From the side dish menu, we tried several items: a bowl of crispy sweet potato fries ($4.00) that came with banana ketchup – I know it sounds weird but it’s actually pretty good – think of it as a sweeter version of American ketchup. We also were bowled over by a large bowl of roasted edamame ($3.00), which due to it’s tasty, smoky flavor was unlike any edamame I’d ever had before. The agedashi tofu ($4.00) came with 4 deep fried triangles of tofu and a heaping file of benito flakes. Our favorite side were the chicken oysters ($8.00), a slightly deceptive name. There were no oysters in this dish, but it did feature 8 small nuggets of succulently tender chicken meat that were breaded and deep-fried.

The small plates range in price from $5.00 to $15.00. The lumpia shanhai ($6.00) and salt and pepper calamari ($9/50) were good, but I preferred the versions at Ongpin. However, we particularly enjoyed the garlic noodles ($15.00). The first thing you taste is a garlicky goodness followed by a slow, spicy burn. Another favorite was the roti prata ($5.00), 2 pieces of Indian flatbread served with a small bowl of yellow curry. The curry corn fritters ($7.00) were an interesting variation to the corn fritters that many of us are familiar with. Shrimp papaya salad ($9.00) came with 4 pieces of shrimp on a mound of green papaya. Be sure to mix this dish so that you can taste the fresh pieces of mint in every bite. Finally, the spicy lettuce cups ($9.00) reminded me (in a very good way) of a Thai minced chicken dish, a nice blend of savory and spicy that is tamed a bit by the cool crispness of the lettuce. I think this has to be one of their most popular dishes because I think I saw this on almost every table.

While the food is quite good at Poleng Lounge, what made our experience even more enjoyable was the service. We had to wait a bit to be seated because our reserved table had not been vacated by the prior party. Several of the staff continually checked in on us to offer play-by-play updates (“they are finishing their desserts”, “they just paid their bill”, etc.). In appreciation of our patience, one of the staff sent us a complimentary “special” shredded pork dish once we were finally seated. Our server Natalie had a constant, genuine smile on her face that proved infectious and made our dining experience that much more enjoyable.

FOBLOKI - Vickie of The Movable Feast

2007-10-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Our guest for this week's FOBLOKI is Vickie of The Moveable Feast. Vickie is an accomplished personal chef who has a special knack for cooking meals for people with special dietary restrictions. But her culinary expertise extends to folks without these restrictions as well.

On a separate note, she and I first bonded two years ago over our mutual affinity for dachshunds; she's got FOUR of them! So for this interview, we took a virtual walk with our 6 dogs (Vickie's Moose, Eddie, Sadie, & Charlie along with resident IsItEDible sous-chefs Zoe & Rocco.)

IsItEDible: Welcome, Vickie! You are one of food bloggers who actually cooks professionally for a living. How did it all start?
Vickie: I think my earliest memory was snapping beans on my grandmother's front porch while secretly listening to the adults talking in the house

IsItEDible: Oh I bet you overheard all kinds of juicy gossip. So why did you decide to start a food blog instead of a gossip blog?
Vickie: I think it would be my friend Mark Tafoya from The ReMARKable Palate.

IsItEDible: And how long (PAUSE: Rocco! Stop eating dirt! Zoe, leave the poor little moles alone!) Sorry about that, Vickie. Where were we? Oh yeah, how long have you been food blogging?
Vickie: Since Sept of 2005 - which reminds me, I need an anniversary post!

IsItEDible: You sure do! Happy belated two year anniversary! Tell us, where did the name The Moveable Feast come from?
Vickie: It's not very inventive, but I used my Personal Chef business name.

IsItEDible: Can you tell us more about the process you use to create a blog entry?
Vickie: Some I plan, some I am challenged by fellow bloggers to do, and some just happen because of some place I travel. Or I think of things that I need to learn that I would never do ordinarily.

IsItEDible: (Hmmm. I need to learn and would never ordinarily make deep fried twinkies. Note to self: research this for future blog post). What has been one of your favorite blog posts to write?
Vickie: I think the one that I enjoyed doing the most because it gave out useful information was how to make and store Pesto.

IsItEDible: Have there ever been any posts that were difficult to write?
Vickie: That is a very easy one to talk about. Even though I am a culinary trained chef, I have days where food just doesn't go right for what ever reason!

IsItEDible: Lastly, what is one thing we wouldn't know about you just from reading The Moveable Feast?
Vickie: I have performance anxiety. I am not great at cooking for people and watching them eat at a dinner party. I am always so nervous, and when I leave I am usually sick to my stomach, so I steered my business away from those kinds of bookings. It has turned out well but I do still take a dinner party once-in-awhile to remind myself that I did make the right choice to not do dinner parties.

IsItEDible: I guess the anxiety just illustrates how much you want to please your clients.

And now the QUICKFIRES...

IsItEDible: What foods warm your heart?
Vickie: Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy

IsItEDible: What foods strike fear in it?
Vickie: Clams, oysters, scallops

IsItEDible: What turns you on in the kitchen?
Vickie: Gas Stoves

IsItEDible: What turns you off?
Vickie: A really filthy kitchen

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or noise do you love?
Vickie: The sound of my husband making coffee so I don't have to.

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or noise do you hate?
Vickie: The sound of a dog about to get into the trash can.

IsItEDible: What word or phrase is heard most often in your kitchen?
Vickie: Close the refrigerator door!

IsItEDible: What's your favorite kitchen appliance/gadget?
Vickie: The rack where all my kitchen gadgets hang. I love kitchens where you see the pots and pans hanging up and see the utensils in old fashioned butter crocks. I think you can imagine a lot of things about the chef when you look at their tools. Are they a collector? Or do the really use those tools?

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish are you known for? (If you like, attach a URL)
Vickie: I don't think I am known for anything special. I know what my family likes and I know what memories they bring back for me. So I think if I were to be known for anything, it would be good 'ole fashioned Southern comfort food.

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish would you like to attempt?
Vickie: I am working on something now and if I tell you that would ruin a blog entry for the future. It's for a client who loves a certain kind of food. Another chef told me about it, and I am going to try it here at home and see what happens before I present the idea to the client. My family is great at being culinary guinea pigs!

IsItEDible: Oh I am so hoping it's going to be a post on how to make reduced-fat-deep-fried twinkies. Vickie, thank you so much and one of these days we'll have a real meeting of the doggies.

Gratineed Leeks

2007-10-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever found yourself truly missing a place that you went to on vacation? I guess it can't be called home-sickness because it's not really home. Vacation-sickness, perhaps? (Although that sounds like some bad gastrointestinal bug one picks up from drinking the local water. )

Well, whatever it's called, I've really been missing Italy lately. It was such a wonderful (hopefully more than) once in a lifetime opportunity to experience a culture. history, and cuisine that I've always found intriguing. Given that the dollar is so weak against the Euro right now, it may be awhile until we have the opportunity to go back.

Until then, I'll be trying to recreate a little bit of Italy at home. I've found some great recipes in The Silver Spoon, and I recently discovered this great little book called Contorni: Authentic Italian Side Dishes for all Seasons at the library. This recipe for porri gratinati instantly appealed to me, even though we didn't have it on our trip. The bread crumbs and cheese are a nice addition to the flavor of the leeks.

GRATINEED LEEKS

6 leeks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs, plain
1/4 pound Emmentaler cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt

1) Trim the green leafy part off the leaks. Slice a thin sliver off the bottoms of the leeks, enough to remove the roots but still keep the leak intact.

2) Cut each leek in half lengthwise, and rinse out any dirt.

3) In a large pot of simmering water, cook the leeks for 5 minutes. Remove them from the water using tongs, making sure to keep the leeks intact. Drain on paper towels.

4) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

5) Use 1 tablespoon of butter to grease a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the bread crumbs. Transfer the leeks to the baking dish, arranging them cut-sides up.

6) Mix the shredded cheese with the remaining bread crumbs and salt. Sprinkle over the leeks. Melt the remaining butter and drizzle over the bread crumbs.

7) Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the bread crumbs are toasted and brown. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 side servings.

IsItEDible In Houston For the Weekend

2007-10-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I was in Houston to attend the wedding of my good friends Frank and Karen. Congratulations you two! It was an absolutely beautiful ceremony and a helluva reception (complete with a wedding party entrance to T.I.'s "Bring Em Out"). And an added bonus: I got to meet Frank's sister when she came up to me and asked if I was "San Francisco Ed." I wasn't sure which of my reputations preceded me, but she quickly explained that she's a regular reader of IsItEDible! Lalaine, so nice to meet you and Mike (who is apparently an avid baker who I hope will be sharing a recipe here soon!).

I also had a chance to spend some time with my family. My parents always feed me so well on my visits home. On this trip, we had some of my childhood favorites: basil pork and Chinese chive cakes. My dad also made some amazingly tender bbq spareribs, and I introduced my family to roasted garlic potato salad (a variation on garlic potato salad where I substitute the raw garlic for half a bulb of roasted garlic).

I discovered two new restaurants on this trip. Well, I didn't really discover them because ALOT of other folks already new about them. But they were new to me.

Hobbit Cafe
2243 Richmond Ave
Houston, TX 77098
(713) 526-5460

My brother and I belatedly celebrated a birthday brunch here. This is a cute restaurant where many of the menu items are named after... you guessed it, characters from Lord of the Rings. My brother had salmon benedict ($9.29) which he thoroughly enjoyed. Hobbit Cafe's version uses grilled slamon which is cooked to tender, flaky perfection. I had my first-ever taste of migas ($7.59), a Tex-Mex breakfast made with scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and corn tortillas served with potatoes and two thick slices of whole wheat bread. Feeling the need for more protein, I added a side of bacon ($1.69) which added a nice bit of salty crunch to the migas. Apparently, this is how they serve migas in parts of Spain.

59 Diner
3801 Farnham
Houston, TX 77098
(713) 523-2333

Following a night out, I had a late (or really early) breakfast with my friends Janel and Joel. Joel and I tend to have similar tastes and both opted for the chicken fried steak and eggs ($8.29), served with cream gravy, hash browns, and a thick slice of Texas toast. Janel partook of the breakfast special ($5.99) - a create your own feast for a steal of a deal. For this low price, she had her pick of 2 eggs any style, 2 meats (bacon, link sausage, patty sausage), 1 side (hash browns, grits, refried beans), and 1 bread (white toast, wheat toast, rye toast, English muffin, bagel, biscuit). Whew! With all the food and laughs (mostly focused on our suggestions to help Joel decorate his new place from the bottom up), our abs got quite the workout.

FOBLOKI - Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen

2007-10-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

For this week's edition of "inside the FOod BLOgger's Kitchen," I shared a virtual cheese sandwich (on low-carb bread slices) with Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. You might recognize Kalyn as the founder of Weekend Herb Blogging, which just recently celebrated its two year anniversary.

IsItEDible: Kalyn, a hearty congratulations on the continued success of Weekend Herb Blogging. To begin the interview, tell us about your earliest cooking-related memory?
Kalyn: I remember making what we called "Weenies with Cheese in the Middle" when I was about ten. Take a hot dog, cut down the middle, put a stick of cheese, and bake until the cheese melts and the hot dog is cooked. Real gourmet cooking!

IsItEDible: (Hmm. I wonder if I could make a Halloween costume for Zoe just by strapping a box of Velveeta to her back… Weinerdog with Cheese in the Middle.) Flash forward a few years to April of 2005. What motivated you to create Kalyn's Kitchen and where did the name come from?
Kalyn: After I lost 40 pounds on the South Beach Diet, so many people were asking me for recipes that my brother Rand suggested I start recording them on a blog. I'd always been a good cook and also loved to write so it seemed like a natural fit. And as for the name, I must have thought the alliteration of Kalyn's Kitchen was catchy. It's an ok name, but everyone mis-pronounces Kalyn. (It's Kay Lynn.)

IsItEDible: I can totally empathize. EVERYONE mispronounces Ed. Kalyn, (carefully enunciating Kay Lynn), like our previous FOBLOKI guest, you have an uncanny ability to churn out posts on a daily basis. What is your secret to creating so many entries?
Kalyn: I always have a long list of recipes I want to make, so that part is ongoing! I do at least 80% of my cooking on the weekends, since I teach school all day. As I'm cooking the food, I have a notebook where I write down the recipe and take notes on time, etc. I actually started using a stopwatch to time things because I get distracted and I wanted to be more accurate. As the food is getting close to done, I'm picking plates and photo backgrounds. (I never can pick one and keep it; I use at least 3 plates every time I shoot photos!) I take at least 50 photos of everything I cook. As soon as I take the photos I usually EAT! Then I try to look at the photos, edit them, and put them into a post draft right away. Sometimes it can be weeks before I write the post, which is one reason I need good notes. I try to have a couple of draft posts written in advance when the week starts, but some weeks I'm writing them after school nearly every night. It takes me 1-2 hours to do the actual writing, depending on how complicated the recipe is, how many photos, and how inspired I get.

IsItEDible: Readers, that is such the testament to the amount of work it takes to write a post. Food bloggers often make the sacrifice of eating our food at room temperature (as opposed to piping hot) thanks to the 50 pictures we take on 3 different plates to get that 1 magical shot. Kalyn, so of all the different pictures on all the different plates you've gone through, what has been one of your favorite blog posts to write?
Kalyn: The Cheese Sandwich Chronicles is definitely one of the most fun things I've written, especially the final one where so many people posted about cheese sandwiches:

IsItEDible: Yes, yes! Your ode to cheese sandwiches created quite the stir in the food blog world. And what about one of the most difficult blog posts?
Kalyn: Nothing comes to mind particularly, but a lot of posts are difficult to write. Sometimes it just doesn't flow!

IsItEDible: Oh the money we could make from creating a Drano-like solution for stopped-up food blog writing. Lastly, what is one thing we wouldn't know about you just from reading your blog?
Kalyn: I'm actually pretty much of an introvert. My idea of a great weekend is coming home on Friday night and not leaving the house again until Monday morning. I spend waaaay too much time on the computer.

IsItEDible: An entire weekend at home sounds…REFRESHING!

And now the QUICKFIRES.

IsItEDible: What foods warm your heart?
Kalyn: sushi, Greek Food, Thai Food

IsItEDible: What foods strike fear in it?
Kalyn: sugar and white flour

IsItEDible: What turns you on in the kitchen?
Kalyn: savory dishes, complex flavors

IsItEDible: What turns you off?
Kalyn: overly complex, fussy recipes

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or smell do you love?
Kalyn: Kitchen timer ticking.

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or noise do you hate?
Kalyn: Dishes breaking on tile floor!

IsItEDible: What word or phrase is heard most often in your kitchen?
Kalyn: "This is really good."

IsItEDible: What's your favorite kitchen appliance/gadget?
Kalyn: Foodsaver, food processor, convection oven

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish are you known for?
Kalyn: Slow roasted tomatoes

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish would you like to attempt?
Kalyn: White Whole Wheat pizza crust!

IsItEDible: Kalyn, (dramatic pause) thank you again for joining us tonight. And thank you for constantly proving through all your efforts on Kalyn's Kitchen that healthy food CAN taste delicious.

Chicken Fried Steak & Chicken Fried Asparagus

2007-10-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Texas, I have a certain fondness for chicken fried steak. No, there's no chicken in it, but you batter and deep fry the steak much like you would to make fried chicken. Hence the name.This is a dish I ate fairly often as a kid when my parents would take us to one of the local cafeteria chains (either Wyatt's or Luby's).

Every now and again I develop a deep craving for some good chicken fried steak. But unfortunately, I have yet to find a restaurant in San Francisco that does it justice. So what's a Texan living in California supposed to do when he wants good chicken fried steak? That's right! Take a trip home to Texas. But in lieu of that, break out a cast iron skillet and make a big ol' Texas size mess in the kitchen.

This recipe is a combination of two recipes from The New Best Recipe and Good Housekeeping. The chicken fried asparagus was an idea I came up with on the spot when I realized I had a lot of batter left over and did not want it to go to waste. It pairs really well with the steaks. I hope you get a chance to enjoy both these recipes soon.

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK & CHICKEN FRIED ASPARAGUS

3 cups unbleached flour
5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
4 cube steaks (pounded to 1/2 in thickness)
4 cups of peanut oil
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed

1) Place a wire rack on a rimmed cookie sheet. Place on oven and heat to 200 degrees.

2) Mix the flour, salt, and pepper together in a shallow dish.

3) Beat the egg, baking powder, and baking soda together in a 2nd shallow dish. Stir in buttermilk.

4) Pat the pounded cube steaks with a paper towel until they are dry. Lightly sprinkle each side with additional salt and pepper. Dredge in the seasoned flour. Shake off the excess. Dip in egg mixture. Let excess drip off. Dredge again in the seasoned flour.

5) Repeat with the remaining cube steaks and the asparagus spears.

6) Line a plate with paper towels. Pour the oil into a large cast iron skillet and heat to 375 degrees.

7) Place 2 steaks in oil. Cover with a splatter screen and fry for about 5 minutes. Flip and fry for an additional five minutes. Remove the steaks from the oil, and place on the wire rack in the heated oven to keep warm.

8) Repeat with the remaining 2 steaks. When the steaks are done, place them on the wire rack in the heated oven to keep warm.

9) Place one third of the battered asparagus spears in the oil. Fry for 1-2 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of your asparagus). Remove to the wire rack and continue with the remaining batches of asparagus.

10) Serve with cream gravy, see recipe below.

Makes 4 servings.

CREAM GRAVY

1/4 cup oil drippings
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon dry sherry
a pinch of garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

1) Take 1/4 cup of the oil you used for frying the steaks and pour into a separate pot over medium heat.

2) Add flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

3) Slowly pour in the milk, using a whisk to incorporate it into the flour.

4) Add the sherry and garlic powder. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until desired constistency. Be sure to stir constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ed's 1st Note: When making the gravy, I pour the milk in a little at a time, whisking constantly. This helps to make the gravy less lumpy.

Ed's 2nd Note: If you like your cream gravy Southern style, then make sure you use freshly cracked black pepper, and lots of it.

Introducing FOBLOKI

2007-10-08T23:13:00.000-07:00

What's FOBLOKI? Well, it could be:
A) A tiny hamlet in Eastern Europe that is reknowned for their blue truffles
B) A new product from the makers of the original Flowbee
C) A new designer dog breed you get from mixing a FOx terrier, a BLOodhound, and a saluKI
D) A new weekly event here at IsItEDible where you'll get to learn more about your favorite food bloggers and find out what goes on inside the FOod BLOgger's KItchen.

Personally, I think option C would be really interesting, but the correct answer would be option D. Loosely based on a popular TV show on Bravo, FOBLOKI starts off with a conversation involving yours truly (a la James Lipton) and a guest food blogger. The interview concludes with the QUICKFIRES, a pseudo-Proustian questionnaire that our guest bloggers are asked to respond to in 5 words or less. I hope that you enjoy this weekly event as much as I already have.

For the virginal -- er, I mean inaugural-- edition of "inside the FOod BLOgger's Kitchen," I had the chance to to sit down and have a virtual cup of joe with Joe of Culinary in the Country.

IsItEDible: Hi, Joe. Thanks for being one of our first FOBLOKI guests. Let’s start at the very beginning. (It’s a very good place to start.) What is your earliest cooking-related memory?
Joe: My earliest memory was my first attempt at making a cake for my Mom when she came home from the hospital. She just had surgery related to cancer and I wanted to do something nice for her. It was a little lopsided and I tinted the frosting some unappetizing color, but it tasted pretty good!

IsItEDible: Awww! That is so sweet! I’ve seen some of your recent cake pictures. Your cakes definitely no longer look lopsided or unappetizing. You’ve been blogging for about 2 and a half years now. Tell us, why did you initially decide to start a food blog?
Joe: Good question - Jeff and I had just started to change our eating habits (our diet consisted of mainly chicken fingers, french fries and pizza a few years ago - we were really picky eaters!) and we wanted to prove to our families that we were actually eating decent food!

IsItEDible: How did you come up with the name for your food blog?
Joe: We were living in Phoenix and trying to come up with something related to the desert. We decided on Culinary in the Desert one night - but then not too long after we ended up moving to the other side of the continent! Since we were moving to a farm area, we opted to cross out the Desert and change it to Country!

IsItEDible: I remember when you moved and were asking for name suggestions, I think I offerred the name “The Food Blog Formerly Known as Culinary in the Desert.” I guess that doesn’t roll off the tongue so well. Now, enquiring minds want to know, what’s the process you use to create a blog entry?
Joe: I usually sit down and write out the recipe first - then after we make the recipe, I'll go back and make any edits if I decided to use another ingredient or technique. After we have eaten dinner, I'll go and write up the entire post to talk about our impression of the completed dish and what worked or didn't work for us. Depending on how many recipes I made that day, it could take us 30 minutes to an hour or so to get a finished copy on-line.

IsItEDible: And given your prolific posting, that’s a lot of time devoted to working on your blog. So, what has been one of your favorite blog posts to write?
Joe: Probably our first post where we talked about our "Christmas Baking Spree" that has become quite the tradition now. We were so overwhelmed trying to get all of the pictures done while getting the massive piles of goodies packaged and out to the post office. I still don't know how we managed to get it all done!

IsItEDible: And how about the most difficult?
Joe: My "about me" post - I'm never all that comfortable talking about myself.

IsItEdible: Well, we all really appreciate how you've taken the plunge and shared so much about yourself during this interview. Last question before the QUICKFIRES, what is one thing we wouldn't know about you just from reading your blog?
Joe: Probably my age - people sometimes don't even believe me when I tell them I am 28.

IsItEDible: I don’t believe you either. Just kidding. (Readers, take another gander at Joe's picture and judge for yourself.)

And now the QUICKFIRES...

IsItEDible: What foods warm your heart?
Joe: Freshly baked bread

IsItEDible: What foods strike fear in it?
Joe: Oysters

IsItEDible: What turns you on in the kitchen?
Joe: My spice supply!

IsItEDible: What turns you off?
Joe: Distractions

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or smell do you love?
Joe: Searing of meat

IsItEDible: In the kitchen, what sound or smell do you hate?
Joe: Boil-overs on the stove

IsItEDible: What word or phrase is heard most often in your kitchen?
Joe: "How does it taste?"

IsItEDible: What's your favorite kitchen appliance/gadget?
Joe: Kitchen-aid Mixer

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish are you known for?
Joe: Probably the Oreo Truffles

IsItEDible: What recipe or dish would you like to attempt?
Joe: A Croquembouche

IsItEDible: Joe, thanks again for participating in the very first FOBLOKI. I look forward to reading a "crunch in the mouth" post on Culinary in the Country soon!

Easy Pork Chile Verde

2007-10-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

There's a cafe by my office that serves pork chile verde soup. I like the spicy, vinegary flavors. I'm not the only one. Check out Rosa's Yummy Yums, Kirsten's Home Cooking , Kalyn's Kitchen, and Closet Cooking. So when I found this recipe (on the back of the jar of La Victoria salsa), I rounded up all the other ingredients so I could try it out.

Think of this recipe as "easy" pork chile verde for those nights when you're feeling lazy. All the ingredients are easily prepped, and you only have one pot to clean after dinner. I did make a few variations to the La Victoria's version: added an additional clove of garlic because I really like garlicky pork, added a bell pepper (just because I had one I needed to use), and added cilantro because I'm one of those cooks who LOVES cilantro.

Now if you can't stand the thought of making pork chile verde using a jarred salsa, I also found a more involved (yet still straight-forward) "from scratch" version in a Rick Bayless cookbook that a coworker of mine recently gave me. I hope to post my experiences attempting that version soon.

EASY PORK CHILE VERDE

1 1/2 lbs pork, boneless rib
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 16 oz jar salsa verde (La Victoria)
1/2 cup water
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
1 tbsp fresh cilantrio, minced

1) Cut the pork into 1 inch cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2) Heat a lightly oiled saute pan (with a tight fitting lid) over medium high heat. Add the the pork cubes and brown on all sides.

3) Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 additional minutes.

4) Add the salsa verde, water, and bell pepper. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour.

5) When ready to serve, sprinkle with fresh cilantro.

Ed's Note: You may have to brown the pork cubes in batches, depending on the size of your pan. If you overcrowd the pan, the pork will not brown properly.

inside the FOod BLOgger's KItchen (FOBLOKI)

2007-10-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

Loosely based on Inside the Actor's Studio, FOBLOKI is your opportunity to get up close and personal with your favorite food bloggers. Find out more about their childhood culinary memories, their process for creating a blog entry, and of course the QUICKFIRES, a pseudo-Proustian questionnaire.

Below is an index of past FOBLOKI interviews.

Joe of Culinary in the Country (10/8/07)
Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen (10/14/07)
Vickie of The Moveable Feast (10/21/07)
Lis of La Mia Cucina (10/28/07)
Nicole of Baking Bites (11/04/07)
Chef Paz of Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz (11/11/07)
Jaden of Steamy Kitchen (11/18/07)

Dirty Curry Couscous

2007-09-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

Back in June, Kevin over Acme Instant Food invited a bunch of food bloggers to participate in Acme Instant Ingredients, a food blogger event similar to an online Iron Chef but without the competitiveness. Two bloggers are paired up and send each other 1 ingredient. Each blogger must come up with a recipe using that ingredient. For this challenge, Becke at Columbus Foodie sent me a box of Israeli couscous in the mail. Being the consummate procrastinator, I FINALLY got around to completing this challenge.

I'd never had Israeli couscous before. It's larger and more pearl shaped than the couscous I am familiar with. The first thing that came to mind for me when I received Becke's package was to make a curried couscous similar to one I had tasted at Dean's mother's birthday party this past July. Scouting around online, I found the Barefoot Contessa's recipe which had many rave reviews. Wanting to vary things up a bit, I thought about how I could add my own twist. That's where Joe over at Culinary in the Country comes in. I regularly read his posts (he's SUPER prolific) and in looking through his archive of recipes, one for dirty rice caught my eye. Immediately, I thought "Curried couscous. Dirty rice. Curried rice. Dirty couscous. Dirty curry couscous!" (much like Melanie Griffith's epiphany in Working Girl when she explains her idea for Trask radio..)

I'm not quite sure what makes something dirty (perhaps I'll ask Christina Aguilera if I ever meet her), but I must say I do love dirty rice. Especially the greasy kind they serve at Popeye's, even though they now refer to it as "Cajun rice." So if you too like dirty rice and curried couscous, then give this recipe a try. And thanks to Kevin, Becke, Ina, and Joe for the inspiration.

DIRTY CURRY COUSCOUS

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 lb ground beef
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 green onions, finely sliced
additional salt and black pepper, to taste

1) In a medium size pot, bring the water and butter to a boil. Add in the couscous, cover with a tight fitting lid, reduct heat to low, and simmer for 8 minutes.

2) In a large skillet on medium heat, add the ground beef, Old Bay, and garlic powder. Cook the beef until it is well browned and cooked through. Drain off the fat.

3) In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, salt, curry powder, and turmeric until well-blended.

4) Add the couscous and curried yogurt mixture to the skillet containing the ground beef. Stir until well-mixed.

5) Add the red onion, bell pepper, and parsley. Stir until well-mixed.

6) Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 6 servings.

Ed's Note: You might add additional salt and/or black pepper to taste.

IsItEDible at Banana Island

2007-09-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

No, unfortunately, the Banana Island I went to doesn't require a trip on a plane or boat. It's in Daly City which is just a few minutes south of San Francisco.

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to reconnect with sevaral of my best friends from college. My friend Zandra visited from the tiny island of Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. And then the next week, my friend Dietra came to town for a conference. Another college friend Megie, who lives in San Francisco, joined Dietra and I for a delicious dinner at Banana Island.

Banana Island
416 Westlake Shopping Center
Daly City, CA 94015
(650) 756-6868

Banana Island is a great pan Asian restaurant tucked into a shopping center. They specialize in Singaporean, Malaysian, and Thai cuisine. And they actually do all three quite well. If you go, you MUST order their famous roti canai ($3.50). It's an Indian-style crispy pancake that is made fresh to order. You can actually watch them make your order in the roti canai station centrally located in the middle of the restaurant. It's served with a small bowl of yellow curry dipping sauce. The Singapore fried spring rolls ($5.95) also made for a nice appetizer.

If you're in the mood for deep fried pork, both the Malaysian pork chop ($8.95) and the Golden spareribs ($8.95) are very good. The pork chops are deep fried and smothered in a Malaysian style bbq sauce. The generous portion of spareribs are also deep fried, and we all know how much I like fried food. The surprise hit of the evening was the Sizzling Malaysia tofu platter -- a platter that literally sizzled when they brought it to the table. Soft tofu is combined with minced pork and shrimp, sauteed with Chinese mushrooms, and served with eggs. This dish is sooo good it even won over Dietra who is usually not a fan of tofu.

Lastly, definitely spend the extra 25 cents and get the coconut rice ($1.25) instead of regular white rice. The addition of coconut milk takes steamed rice to a whole new flavor dimension.

I've been discovering lots of great places to eat in Daly City (check out my previous posts on Todai and Ongpin).

Do and of you have any favorite restaurants in Daly City?

Morimoto's Daikon Fettucine (with Sage Pork Chops)

2007-09-22T20:12:00.001-07:00

I received a review copy of Masaharu Morimoto's new cookbook Morimotoa few weeks ago. I've been a fan of Morimoto from his days on the original Iron Chef and even more so after dining at his restaurant in Philadelphia.

This cookbook is food porn at it's finest. The stylized photos are gorgeously shot, and there are plenty of them throughout the book. Some of the recipes that caught my interest include this recipe for daikon fettucine, snapper chips (made from red snapper fillets), crispy duck with port wine reduction and red miso sauce, sushi rice risotto, and sweet potato cake with red bean foam.
The recipes range in complexity, varying from "that doesn't look too involved to make" to the "I can only hope to one day even just aspire to have the skills to think about attempting this one at home so until then I'll just drool over the photo."

Check out what these a couple of other bloggers had to say about Chef Morimoto's cookbook: Cooking With Amy, Monster Munching, Super Chef, Divine Domesticity. I think they enjoyed the cookbook as much as I did.

Daikon (for those of you who are wondering "what the heck is daikon?") is a large white Asian radish that I've often seen in Asian grocery stores but never knew how to cook. When I saw this recipe in the book, I knew that I wanted to give it a go. I never would have thought to use daikon in place of fettucine. Leave it to Chef Morimoto to create nontraditional uses for traditional ingredients. You can find his original recipe for the daikon fettucine here.

In all deference to Chef Morimoto, I had to vary it up his recipe a bit because I didn't have stewed tomatoes. I also had some garlic that I wanted to use up so I upped the amount to 3 cloves. Using fresh tomato and fresh basil in my variation reminded me of a caprese salad. I also found that cooking the daikon for just a tad longer and adding freshly grated Parmesan cheese helped to tame some of the radish aftertaste.

For dinner tonight, I paired the fettucine with a pork chops that I flavored with rubbed sage. This is a fun recipe to try but you have to keep an open mind... daikon doesn't have the same flavor and texture as fettucine noodles.

DAIKON FETTUCINE

1 lb of daikon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup fresh tomato, diced
1 packet of Splenda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
additional salt
black pepper
freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1) Peel the outer skin off the daikon. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off long ribbons of the daikon. Place the ribbons in a bowl of cold, salted water. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.

2) Pour the olive oil into a saucepan on medium high heat. Add in the garlic and onion. Saute for 3 minutes.

3) Add in the tomato, Splenda, salt, and basil. Drain the daikon ribbons and add to the saucepan. Add additional salt as well as black pepper to taste.

4) Cook for 3 minutes, using tongs to gently toss the ribbons in the sauce.

5) Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Makes 3-4 servings.

SAGE PORK CHOPS

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 pork chops, 1 inch thick
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
salt and pepper to taste

1) Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet on medium heat.

2) On each side of the chops, sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon of sage. Salt and pepper as desired.

3) When the oil is hot, place the chops in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes.

4) Flip the chops and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Eggplant Omelette

2007-09-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Sang recently reintroduced me to Ongpin, a Filipino restaurant in South San Francisco, to celebrate my birthday. Oh... this place is so dangerously delicious.

Ongpin
73 Camaritas Drive
South San Francisco, CA 94080
(650) 544-4408

We started off our meal with two appetizers: the fried calamari ($7.95) and lumpia Shanghai ($7.25). Both dishes definitely satiated our deep-fried food cravings. The calamari had a nice crisp batter and a slight tartness (I think due to a spash of vinegar) that took me by surprise at first bite, but which I pleasantly grew accustomed to. The lumpia Shanghai are the Filipino version of egg rolls, but they are much thinner (about the diameter of a pinky finger) than the egg rolls you might find at your typical Chinese restaurant.

For entrees, we split an order of pork adobo ($8.45), a stew of sorts with chunks of pork braised in a garlic and vinegar flavored sauce. Very delicious, but the highlight of the evening was the eggplant relleno ($7.95), a ground pork stuffed eggplant omelette. The flavors of the egg and pork reminded me of similar omelettes that my parents made for me as a child.

Inspired by the eggplant relleno at Ongpin, here is my recipe for eggplant omelette. The savory flavors of the maggi seasoning and fish sauce make this a dish that is suitable for dinner, perhaps with a side of steamed rice.

EGGPLANT OMELETTE

4 small Italian Eggplants (about 5-6 inches long)
1 small onion, diced
8 eggs
1/2 lb of lean ground pork (uncooked)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons maggi seasoning (or soy sauce)
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons oil

1) Fan slice the eggplants lengthwise. In other words, slice the eggplant so that you have 1/4 inch slices that are attached together at one end (see picture above).

2) Fill a small pot with water. Bring to a boil. Boil the eggplants for about 7 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

3) In a large frying pan (one that has a tight fitting lid), heat one tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add in the diced onion and cook until slightly browned.

4) Meanwhile, break the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Beat well. Add in the ground pork, fish sauce, maggi seasoning, and garlic powder. Mix until well incorporated.

5) When the onions are browned, dump them into the egg mixture in the bowl. Mix until well incorporated.

6) In the same frying pan used to cook the onions, add the remaining two tablespoons of oil. Spread the oil across the bottom and sides of the pan.

7) Carefully place down the eggplants with the attached sides in the center. After you fan out the eggplant slices, you should have a full circle of eggplant covering the bottom of the pan.

8) Pour the egg mixture over the eggplant. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Cook for 25 minutes or until the omelette is cooked through.

9) To serve, use a flexible spatula to loosen the omelette from the pan. Place a large plate on top of the pan and carefully flip over.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Ed's Note: Don't take the lid off the pan until after the 25 minutes is up or your omelette may not cook through. If you are the type that can't resist peaking, then use a pan with a glass lid.

Zoe and Rocco Videos

2007-09-16T23:27:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything about IsItEDible's two sous-chefs. Zoe, our miniature dachshund, remains full of attitude. She's developed quite a bit of grey on her back and in her face, but every now and then she lets out little bursts of energy. Zoe still knows what "T-R-E-A-T" spells, and as you can see from the video below, she's also managed to teach Rocco.

Rocco, our chihuhua, is over a year old now. When we got him, we were afraid that he would be so tiny that we would have shuffle-step our way around the house to avoid stepping on him. Well...at his last vet visit this past Saturday, Rocco officially weighed in at 11 pounds. He towers over all the other chihuahuas at the Chihuahua Cha Cha, a monthly gathering of the little Taco Bell dogs.

Zoe has adjusted quite well to her big-sister role, despite having been an only child for almost a decade. She does, however, get quite possessive of her toys as Rocco had developed a reputation of being a toy-killer. No matter what we get him... stuffed animals, hard rubber kongs, so-called "indestructible dog toys"... he manages to destroy them all, usually within 1 to 24 hours. And after he tears apart his toys, Rocco will go after Zoe's toys. Thus, Zoe tends to keep her distance from Rocco when she's playing with her stuffed animals. And she always knows exactly where Rocco is...

Chicken and Shitake Mushrooms

2007-09-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Dynamic duos. You know what I'm talking about. Two foods that taste great on their own, but taste even better when they come together. There are many examples that might come to mind: peanut butter and jelly / peanut butter and chocolate / peanut butter and nutella /heck... peanut butter and anything.

But, this post is not about peanut butter combos. It's about another delicious pairing. Chicken and shitake mushrooms. There's something magical about the woodsy earthiness of shitake mushrooms that complements the flavor of chicken. Perhaps you tried the Chicken with Sherry Mushroom Sauce that I posted a while back. If so, then you understand exactly what I am saying. This dish is similar but is a variation upon a recipe I found in The Silver Spoon. The Silver Spoon is an Italian cookbook (although it features a surprising number of non-Italian dishes).

The orginal recipe called for dried mushrooms and a whole chicken cut up. I've replaced the dried mushroom with fresh shitake mushrooms. And I use chicken thighs because I prefer the taste and higher fat content of dark meat. This makes a great entree accompanied by steamed rice or egg noodles.

CHICKEN AND SHITAKE MUSHROOMS

8 chicken thighs, skin removed
2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced
3 cups fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup mirin
3 sprigs fresh thyme (whole)
1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced

1) Dredge the chicken thighs in the flour until they are lightly coated.

2) In a large pan, heat the butter and oil over medium heat.

3) Add in the chicken thighs and cook until browned on all sides.

4) Add in the onion and fresh shitake mushroom and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

5) Pour in the mirin and water. Add in the whole thyme sprigs. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 45 minutes.

6) When ready to serve, remove the thyme sprigs. Sprinkle with fresh basil.

Makes 4 servings.

Tres Leches Cake

2007-09-05T23:33:00.000-07:00

Todai was my birthday! So, continuing a tradition that Dean and I started last year, we went to Todai, a buffet chain that offers a FREE meal on your birthday (with at least one paid adult meal). I remember when I could go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and have three whole plates full of food plus a dessert plate. Those were the days.

Last year, I made myself a delicious carrot cake with orange cream cheese frosting. Wanting to switch it up this year, I decided to go with another one of my favorite cakes: tres leches. In Spanish this means three milks because you literally pour three milks over the cake. Oh, this is definitely not a cake for those who do not like their desserts (or their mates) to be rich and sweet. In order to accomodate all the milks without getting too soggy, you'll notice that there is no oil or butter in the recipe. And that you beat the egg whites separately from the egg yolks.

Tres leches was quite the fad for a while. See the article from the Houston Chronicle here. Alton Brown shared a version on Good Eats. Several bloggers have shared their versions; check out You Gonna Eat All That?, Tico Food, Culinary Adventures, The Delicious Life.

The version I made is based on a recipe from Luby's Recipes & Memories. I wanted a hint of coconut flavor so I added the coconut milk. This recipe for tres leches uses cake mix as the base. One of the most common complaints of failed tres leches cake recipes is that the texture of the cake doesn't stand up against the milk sauce. I found the texture and the flavor of this version to be just right. Our neighbors D & J said that this version was better than the ones they got down the street at our local Safeway supermarket. Dean and I agree and hope you get a chance to try it out, too.

TRES LECHES CAKE

8 eggs, separated
2 boxes yellow cake mix
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup water
1 can (12 oz) fat free evaporated milk
1 can (14 oz) fat free sweetened, condensed milk
1 cup of 2% milk
1/2 cup of reduced fat coconut milk (available at Trader Joe's)
sweetened whipped cream/topping

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks.

3) In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks, cake mix, vanilla, and water together until smooth.

4) Gently fold in the egg whites into the cake batter until well incorporated.

5) Pour cake batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13 cake pan.

6) Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7) Let cool on a wire rack. When cake is completely cool, invert onto a serving tray that will hold in the milk sauce.

8) Mix together all of the milks. Gently pour the milk mixture across the entire cake. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

9) Cover entire cake with sweetened, whipped cream.

Ed's 1st Note: I used Pillsbury's Reduced Sugar Classic Yellow Cake mix and it worked fine!

Ed's 2nd Note: Before making the milk sauce, I left the baked cake uncovered in the fridge overnight. I covered it with saran wrap the next morning before pouring the milk sauce over it 3 hours before I served it. Prior to serving, I spooned the milk sauce that was still standing in the serving tray over the cake.

Ed's 3rd Note: I used a tub of Cool-Whip Lite and it tasted great!

I Love Longan

2007-09-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

That's Longan. Not Lohan. (Just wanted to be clear).

I remember falling in love with longans as a kid when my parents brought me back to Thailand on vacation. If you've been to Thailand, then you know that there is a whole spectrum of tropical fruits unlike anything you might typically find in a US supermarket.

Longans are a sweet fruit similar in taste to lychee, but I think they are a bit sweeter. If you've never had longans or lychees, the best way that I can describe the flavor is that of a sweet grape with floral undertones. Similar to lychees, longan have a thin leathery peel that you must remove prior to eating. And inside, you'll find a round seed similar to a buckeye (refer to lower right hand corner in the photo above).

Living in Texas and Missouri, I would have cravings for this sweet fruit that I could only satisfy by seeking out the canned stuff which is so drenched in syrup that I couldn't truly savor the flavor. On my trip to Bangkok earlier this year, I tried to explain to my cousins that I was dying to have fresh longan, but unfortunately I got lost in translation (although I got to have my first taste of fresh mangosteen. YUM!)

So lost and forlorn, thinking that I would never again experience the euphoria of fresh longan ever again in my lifetime (ok..maybe I'm being a bit over dramatic), I walked into one of my neighborhood Asian markets last week and found... fresh longan! SCORE! For only $1.99 a pound. DOUBLE SCORE! I was so excited I bought 4 pounds worth. Well, after I recovered from the initial stages of "eyes bigger than stomach" syndrome, I realized I had bought way more than I could finish. So I brought some into work and got to introduce the joy of longan to some of my coworkers. I hope you get a chance to try longan and that you savor it as much as my coworkers and I did.

Fried Fennel for La Festa al Fresco

2007-09-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

Every year (for the past year), Lis at La Mia Cucina and Ivonne from Cream Puffs in Venice host La Festa al Fresco otherwise known as "the blog world's largest patio party." They invite other bloggers to virtually share a dish made with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Last year, I made Chicken Penne with Creamy Pesto Sauce. This year, I decided to experiment with a vegetable that I've recently discovered a new appreciation for...fennel. (I'm not the only blogger who's hooked on fennel. Check out Vickie's post about fennel over at Moveable Feast.)

So how do you take a great tasting vegetable with hints of licorice flavor and make it better? Any good Southern cook knows the answer: fry it! Here's my variation on a recipe I found in The Silver Spoon which is quickly becoming one of my favorite cookbooks. I hope you enjoy the fried fennel and be sure to visit Lis and Ivonne's blogs after September 9 to check out all the other tasty dishes.

FRIED FENNEL

4 fennel bulbs, trimmed
1 egg
dash of garlic powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup butter

1) In a medium pot, boil the fennel bulbs in water for 45 minutes or until they are tender.

2) Thinly slice crosswise, using toothpicks to secure the slices together. Pat dry with paper towels.

3) Beat the egg with the garlic powder and salt in a shallow bowl.

4) Place the Parmesan cheese in a separate bowl.

5) Melt the butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat.

6) Dip the fennel slices in the beaten egg and then in the Parmesan cheese.

7) Add to the pan and fry until golden on both sides.

Makes 4 servings.

IsItEDible at the Berkeley Thai Temple

2007-08-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

My friend Nickie and I had the opportunity to reconnect over lunch at the Thai temple in Berkeley. She and I have been talking about doing this for almost a year now, and we finally got around to it.

Wat Mongkolratanaram
1911 Russell Street
Berkeley, CA 94703
(510) 849-3419

On Sundays, from 9 am to 2 pm, volunteers at the temple serve a fundraiser lunch to the masses. Get their early because it can get crowded and chaotic.

Once you enter the grounds, make your way back to the token line. You pay for all the food using tokens (1 token = $1). Now, the tricky part. Navigating the various lines. Essentially, there are several food stations: hot dessert, noodle soup, vegetarian entree, meat/fish entree, and cold dessert. All the stations have their own separate lines EXCEPT for the vegetarian and meat/fish which have a combined line that splits at the counter. It's not that daunting. Just refer to the handy dandy map I made below. Blue arrows indicate lines for the various stations.

Once you have your food, you're faced with the "finding a table" challenge. Because this place is often filled to the rim with folks, it can be very difficult to find seating. It helps to have a dining partner. One person can scout for seats and claim them while the other person scavenges for food. Another potential option (I'm not sure if they'll let you do this) is to bring a picnic blanket and settle down on the grassy area to the left of the back-most dining area.

The food here is delicious and well worth the multiple lines. Entrees are served by the plate with rice. They are priced as follows: 5 tokens for one item, 6 tokens for two items, and 7 tokens for 3 items. Nickie and I tried the yellow chicken curry, the green chicken curry, the pad Thai noodles, and cashew chicken. Hands down we enjoyed the two curries most of all.

That is, until we made our way to the desserts. In addition to the typical mango and sticky rice, dessert options also include dishes that are not often served in most Thai restaurants. For example, for 2 tokens, you can get roti in the cold dessert station. Roti is a Thai-style flour tortilla drenched in sweetened, condensed milk and dusted with granulated sugar.

But my absolute favorite was the kanom krog, made with sugar, flour, coconut, and green onion. This is found in the hot dessert section. A spoonful of batter is poured into a specially designed muffin pan-like cast iron griddle. The coconut flavored pudding is sprinkled with bits of green onion and grilled until it develops a soft, crunchy crust on the bottom. You get about 10-12 of these little bad boys for 3 tokens, fresh off the grill. This was one of my favorite desserts when I was in Bangkok, and it's great to know that Thailand is only a Bay Bridge away on any given Sunday.

Street Food - Char Siew Pork

2007-08-20T21:25:00.000-07:00

When I was in Bangkok earlier this summer, my cousins took me on a culinary tour of various street food vendors, such as beef satay, kanom krog (a coconut based pudding cake that is steam-fried in specially designed cast iron pans), foi tong (a golden dessert made from sugar and egg yolks), chive cakes, and so much more.

So I was really excited to have the opportunity to preview a copy of Street Food by Tom Kime. I knew I was going to like it just from the title. It features recipes for street foods from around the world. I'm especially looking forward to trying the croquetas de bacalao (salt cod croquettes), the pastizzi tar-rikotta (savory ricotta-filled pastries), and cha gio (Vietnamese spring rolls). Some of the recipes like the roti prata (chicken-stuffed flat bread) are a bit more involved. While other recipes like the char-siew pork are as simple as can be.

Char siew is essentially the Chinese version of barbecue pork. Often, it's made with tons of food coloring to give it a distinctive shade of red. You often find it as a stuffing in Chinese steamed buns or sliced and served with noodles. The original version of the recipe serves four to six and is made on an outdoor grill.

Since I unfortunately dont' have an outdoor grill, I adapted the recipe for an indoor grill. I also scaled down the recipe as I've been dining alone for the past 2 weeks while Dean has been in Palm Springs.

CHAR SIEW PORK

1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 tablespoon rice wine

1/4 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 lb pork tenderloin

1) Add all of the ingredients except the pork into a large ziplock bag. Seal tightly and shake until well mixed.

2) Add in the pork tenderloin, reseal the bag, and massage the marinade into the pork.

3) Place the bag in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, turning the bag over occasionally.

4) When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

5) Heat an oven-safe grill pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, place the pork tenderloin on the grill pan.

6) Sear the tenderloin on one side for 2 minutes. Rotate the tenderloin 90 degrees. Sear for 2 additional minutes.

7) Rotate the tenderloin 90 degrees again. Sear for 2 additional minutes. Rotate the tenderloin 90 degrees one final time. Sear for 2 additional minutes. You should now have a pork tenderloin that is seared and slightly charred all the way around.

8) Place the pan in your pre-heated oven and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the internal temperature hits 145 degrees.

9) Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes prior to slicing.

Makes 2 servings.

Ed's Note: If you like, you could also add 1/2 teaspoon garlic and/or 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce to the marinade.

IsItEDible at Chaat Cafe

2007-08-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

I've had some serious Indian food cravings lately. Recently, I had a chance to have dinner with my friends D, M, and A at the Chaat Cafe near the Moscone Center. We were looking for a quick yet satisfying bite to eat, and luckily Chaat Cafe provided. Although the place might lack a bit in ambience, the food here is definitely well-spiced and like that TV show...the price is right.

Chaat Cafe
320 3rd Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 979-9946

On the menu, you'll find your typical Indian restaurant standards as well as some dishes that are harder to find. For example, you can usually find vegetable pakoras (battered, deep-fried vegetables) in many Indian restaurants. But, rarely have I seen paneer pakora ($4.99), so I knew I had to order it when I saw in on the menu. At Chaat Cafe, they cut the paneer into thin squares, dip it in seasoned chickpea batter, deep fry it, and serve it with mint and tamarind chutney sauces. These things are quite addictive. Your mouth goes into sensory overload as you bite through the crunch of the batter into the creaminess of the paneer, all the while being tantalized by the Indian spices. I also had the chance to try some of the Papri Chaat ($3.50) that my friend A ordered. This is an appetizer of home made chips, lentil dumpling, garbanzo beans, potatoes, yogurt, chutnet, and spices. The best way to describe this dish (although it doesn't nearly do it justice) is that it is kind of like an Indian version of nachos. I also stole a bite of my friend M's pani puri ($3.50). This appetizer small rice puffs, with a potato and garbanzo bean sauce, and served with a hot spice water. So crunchy. So good.

For entrees, I had the chicken tikka masala ($6.99 a la carte, includes Basmati rice or plain naan). For $3 more, you can get the dinner plate which include rice, naan, vegetables and dal). Their version is pretty good, although I do like my chicken tikka masala a bit creamier. But that's a personal preference.

Keep your eyes peeled for more Indian restaurant postings in the very near future. In the meantime, please feel free to share how you satisfy your cravings for Indian food.