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2007-03-02T10:46:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! immaeatchu has been moved to HERE along with a few of the last posts. Hope you will follow me there!

Yoony Eats Paris: Bastille Open Market

2007-01-31T18:08:00.001-08:00

I woke up early Sunday morning in Paris to check out the Bastille open market, which is actually considered the best one in Paris. And lucky me, it was only a stone's throw away on the other side of the block. The huge open market was bustling, filled with so much fresh food, and exactly the Parisian experience I was looking for. From produce to cured meats, prepared foods, olives, pate, kitchen knick knacks (I bought a nice oyster knife there), cheeses, freshly baked bread... it was so awesome. I felt at home in Paris right about then. I can definitely live there, even with the cold weather. Riding the metro would do my health good, I would fall in love with so many restaurants, have perfectly crusty baguettes everyday with a nice piece of cheese that would only cost me a few euros. I dream. But then there is no Mexican food there.... hrmph.

Anyhow, here are some pictures I took. Enjoy~!

Delicious saucisson that nourished me for a few days. Yes the sparkling wine was nourishment too.

Yoony Eats Paris: L'Ourcine

2007-01-28T09:03:00.001-08:00

Dining at L'Ourcine was one the Paris highlights for me. This cozy gastro-bistro is run by Sylvain Daniere, one of Yves Camdeborde's proteges. L'Ourcine serves a three course meal, which one can put together from a selection of four to five dishes for each course. For only 30 euros!! How crazy is that?!

A few of us started off the evening with absinthe, me no included since I abhor licorice. The presentation was quite elaborate and beautiful, with the tall spouted vase, beautifully designed spoon, and the impatient *drip drip drip* of water over the sugar cube. I however started with my choice aperitif, champagne.

We were served an amuse bouche of pea puree with crispy croutons and chives while we sipped booze and waited for our first course.

My first course was the Raviole d'Araignee de Mer, Emulsion Cremeuse de Citron - crab ravioli with citrus cream. Such beautiful presentation. And taste? So delicious! Writing about it is making my mouth water. Amidst the blurred consciousness of mind that only be caused by something very delicious in my mouth, I forgot to take a picture of my second course - Noix de Saint Jacques Poties dans sa Coquille, Beurre Persille, Endives Braise - scallops in the shell with parsley butter and braised endives. This one was such a pretty one. I can't believe I forgot to take a picture!

However, I did not forget to take pictures of other people's food. The above is Boy's Veloute de Topinabours, Creme Legere d'Oeufs, Harengs Fumes - creamy jerusalem artichoke soup with light egg cream and smoked caviar. The texture was so velvety and the smoked caviar added such a nice meatiness to the dish. The above picture is the soup before the creamy veloute is poured over at the table.

Boy's second course was Parmentier de Boudin Noir. He was being quite adventurous getting the blood sausage gratin considering he doesn't really eat blood sausage. It's definitely an acquired taste.

cod dish

Sigh, I also forgot to take a picture of my dessert, which was a delicious Traditionelle Pot de Creme Vanille, Langue de Chat. The custard was so creamy and the cat's tongue (this is a cookie by the way) so crisp. Perfect for scooping up the creme. Yum~.

Clafoutis Maison aux Amandes, Pruneaux a l'Armagnac

Boy got the generous almond clafoutis with armagnac prunes. This clafoutis was more cakey than the ones I have made in the past but I think it makes a better presentation to serve like the above.

Marcilles, Mesclun Breton

N ended her meal with a cheese course of this huge piece of stinky cheese and a spicy mesclun salad.

The dinner at L'Ourcine was quite memorable and definitely one of my favorite meals ever. From presentation to detail, I was very impressed by the food that was put out. And serving it for such a low price too. I miss L'Ourcine!

Yoony Eats Paris: Fast Food in Paris

2007-01-23T13:50:00.000-08:00

Fast food for us one night in Paris was a seafood stand that operated as an extenstion of a restaurant. The stand had loads of shellfish which they would shuck for customers. We were on our way to dinner at some Moroccan place and thought why not some oysters for appetizer. We were not allowed to eat it there on the stand. This operation was meant for more of a take away purpose.

We stepped a few feet back and ate the oysters out of the box though. Hehe. It was good. My fingers were freezing. After tossing the cold empty oyster shells in to the trash bin we were eating next to, we gave the little wooden box back. And off for couscous~!

here is yoonyang with crazy oyster man~!

Yoony Eats Paris: Le Comptoir

2007-01-22T07:57:00.000-08:00

Right before I left for Paris I was flipping through Food & Wine magazine which had an article on Yves Camdeborde and his restaurant Le Comptoir at Hotel Relais Saint-Germain, which he owns and operates with his wife. Perfect timing! I thought. At this point getting a dinner reservation for our whole group would be impossible but luckily for us Le Comptoir also opens for a more casual dining for breakfast and lunch. Plus dinner is one set menu, meaning no choices and that wouldn't have fared well for the vegetarians in our group.

look at the great crust on the baguette... makes me swoon

After a short wait we were seated in twos at three separate tables (the place is really small and most people were in pairs), and we started off with a bottle of beujolais. After perusing through the menu for a bit and trying to translate any hazy words, which were many, Boy and I each settled on a starter and then a main course.

We started off with the Creme de Lentilles Vertes du Pay, Perle du Japon, Foie gras de Canard. Ok, that was a really long title, hope I got it right. It was a lentil soup with duck foie gras and tapioca. It was so beatiful when it was brought out in these adorable soup bowls with I've placed on my must-get-a-set-of-immediately list. At first sight the soup seemed creamy and frothy, but once you got past the cloudy delicate top the deep darkly hued soup came into view. And boy was it flavorful! There were bits of lentil floatin about as I swirled the soup, and the bits of foie gras melted into my mouth, all brought together in the deep flavorful broth. Boy and I finished this lickity clean, all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

Our other starter was a beautiful plate of Foie Gras et Poire Confit Presse. Such a beautiful dish. I think this was my first real taste, besides the bits in the soup, of foie gras. I loved the combination of the pear conift and foie gras and the extra bit of pear with toasted pinenuts on the side. Besides the few bits of cartilage that we bit into, which I assume is normal and from the hammy outer layer that held the presse together, this dish was delicious and what a great intro to foie gras.

I got the Joue de Boeuf Braise au Vin Coquillette - braised beef cheeks with wine and small tubular pasta, in this case which we would call macaroni. The beef cheeks were so tender and the brasing liquid, like the soup, so deep and flavorful. You can just tell by looking at the pic how flavorful this dish was.

Boy ordered the Parmentier de Queue de Boeuf - rustic gratin of shredded oxtail meat topped with a crusted potato puree. Mmm delicious! His came with a side of salad though. :/ You know I love my veges so I fully participated in the comsumption of those perfect looking romaine hearts.

Lightly dressed, super crisp, and topped with fried garlic I devoured the refreshing salad. It was so simple but so satifying. Definitely a salad I need more of in my life.

As you can see the meat courses were plenty generous so we didn't have much room for dessert. France does not to do "take-away", a concept so ingrained in the convenient, get your money's worth American culture. I loved the long delicious meals in Paris but it made me sad to see unfinished food being taken away to the trash. Supposedly the concept of taking away leftovers is rude. I guess alls I'm saying is I would have gladly taken the leftover braised beef cheek dish home for a snack later.

Anyhow, I loved our lunch meal at the super cute Le Comptoir. Although busy and bustling from the lunch rush, the staff of only a few people did a great job managing the room and seemed to really enjoy serving the food. I really look forward to staying in the Hotel Relais Saint-Germain and enjoying dinner next time I'm in Paris. Hopefully soon!

Yoony Eats Paris: Falafel, then Falafel Again

2007-01-18T14:41:00.000-08:00

place next to L'As du Falafel

Having read about L'As du Falafel all over the blogosphere and also in our cute guidebook, I was quite excited about having this some time during the trip. I made my move one night when I decided I must try the falafel even though I was not that hungry. The guidebook stated that the place closes at 11 so we headed out around 1030.

But we were wrong. And wronged by the book. The place was closed when we got there. But guess what was right next door? Another falafel place. I got the falafel normal and we merrily headed back to our flat. The falafel itself was moist and delicious and the pita nicely toasted, but overall it was kind of dry and didn't have as much condiments and pickles as I would have liked. Boy was I thirsty when we got back.

L'As du Falafel

But the L'As du Falafel set back didn't stop us from trying again. This time we actually went at the proper dinner hour. It started pouring outside and by the time we got there we were pretty soaked. The place is pretty small and there was nowhere to hang our drippy coats except our chairs. But we sat down eagerly waiting for some falafeling.

I once again ordered a falafel normal. Then we noticed something really weird as we waited for our food. The employees were bringing the food from outside, and not from the kitchen. Hrmm? They were bringing the falafels in little trays from next door. Now the other falafel place is next door from the direction they were coming from. But was it right next door? I don't remember. Perhaps the kitchen was located next door? Very very weird though watching the food pass by in the window we were sitting next to. I was expecting any second now for our server to bring the exact falafels I had the other day.

But no, these were more moist and soft. Nicely sauced with tzatziki and topped with veges, this falafel made a satisfying delicious dinner. It's the best falafel I've had lately. But not the best that I've ever had. That spot alone goes to the ones from Maoz which I had in Amsterdam years ago. They have a fixins bar where you can load up on veges, pickled roots, and sauces to your heart's content. I find out now there is a Maoz in Paris. Damn! :P

Yoony Eats Paris: Le Petit Machon

2007-01-18T08:16:00.000-08:00

After being thwarted one day by the Catacomb tour and our inaccurate guidebook, we puttered around Montparnasse a lil bit, sitting down for a nice cafe at Le Select while trying to dodge the spotty rain. Once the rain settled down we headed out and hit up a photography exhibition. Then when hunger kicked in we headed to the Lyonnais restaruant Le Petit Machon, which was nearby where we were strolling around. We almost got rejected since we came without reservations but thank goodness they let us in because my tummy was a grumblin.

I went for their two course prefixe menu which went for around 35 euros. The Saucisson Lyonnais au Vin Rouge starter was delicious and nicely presented. Boy thought it reminded him of sausage and beans. The red wine sauce was velvety and flavorful and studded with a few raisans. I of course loved the sausage. And I spooned up every last bit of the delicious sauce.

For my second course I chose the Andouillette Lyonniase Rotie Moutarde Fine. Two sausage dishes in a row? Yep! I hope I got that name right. I knew it was a sausage dish because andouillette sounds like andouille and that is a sausage fosho. But this French andouillette sausage is actually made from pig chitterlings and stomach. If it tasted really good I would be fine with this but it was kind of rubbery and gamey. I kept trying to like it but gave up in the middle of it. I kind of wish our server told us what it was then I would have order the pot au feu which would have been perfect for the cold evening. The potatoes that came with it were delicious though, all saucy from the creamy mustard sauce.

Boy got this chicken dish which came with the same sort of creamy mustard sauce that seasoned my potatoes. The chicken was super moist but overall the dish was kind of boring, like my dish. Although maybe if the sausage was something delicious I would have exclaimed excellent! After all potatoes and sausage make an excellent team. Overall the place was cute but I think everyone agreed the food was kind of plain and nothin special.

Yoony Eats Paris: Charcuterie, Cheese & Dining at Georges

2007-01-17T12:23:00.000-08:00

Waking up pretty late from clubbing the night before and having had a lot to drink, we needed some nosh and more libation to get our evening going. A quick look into N's guidebook led us to Cafe de L'Industrie, which conveniently was just around the block. It was still pretty early and the place was empty and calm. Which was good because the seven of us were able to comfortably settle into a few tables in the back.

One bit of French dining that I love is starting off the meal with an aperitif. I do often start my dinners out with a glass of sparkling wine or Champagne but being presented with an aperitif menu upon arrival was nice. A drink to keep me company while I make food and wine choices. For my aperitif I ordered a glass of lillet, which I actually had once at Chez Panisse.

While sipping on the lillet I perused over the menus on the wall. I saw a "assiette de charcuterie" and I knew that was exactly what I needed. A nice plate of thinly sliced jambon, saucisson, pate and onion jam. My favorite was the saucisson, a dried-cured sausage ever so perfectly sliced into very thin pieces. The ham and pate were also delicious and I gobbled these up with the endless baskets of crusty baguette slices.

We also ordered the cheese plate which featured a blue, a fresh goat cheese, a creamy brie, and a semi-hard cow's milk cheese like gruyere. Maybe it was gruyere but I didn't ask! The likelihood of me asking a question leading to mass confusion was very high. All the cheese were delicious and each piece so fresh and in such generous proportions. The blue cheese was so creamy and had the perfect amount of pungency. It was choice pairing for my charcuterie and glass of red wine.

After our casual noshing and chatting at Cafe de L'Industrie, we headed back to our flat for a short rest for we had a dinner reseravation at Georges at the Centre Pompidou. The restaurant which sits atop the top of the museum was supposed to have a great view of Paris. Because we were not early birds we didn't get a chance to take a look at the Centre's exhibitions and instead went straight to our dinner.

The restaurant was super modern, diners were posh, and people who worked there all looked like models. It kind of felt like being back in LA. The view was great though from the top with the city being all lit up and stuff. However, we were seated right next to the entrance which didn't a view. :/ Instead, there were two sets of industrial heating vents that was blasting some hot ass air making the space really hot and stuffy. We ordered their supposedly famous mojito (although I don't know why a French restaurant would be good a making a proper mojito), and it was pretty bad. And we were shocked to find out it cost 15 euros!

And then it was time to wrestle the menu which had all sorts of cryptic names on it, like Crying Tiger which one would think was a spicy shrimp dish. But noo, it was steak marinated in cognac. We were all quite confused and bombarded N, the only one in our group fluent in French, with so many questions. Their menu was pretty international, covering French and also Southeast Asian flavors.

After much debate Boy and I ordered the King Crab in a Thai curry sauce for 39 euros. I was pretty skeptical of how the dish may turn out especially after having the very bad mojito but the dish was really good and the amount of crab was generous. I just wish I was having it at a restaurant in Thai Town for half the price. Anyhow, back to the delicious part - the crab meat was so tender and juicy and the curry sauce perfect for sopping up with a bowl of jasmine rice. And I got a few bites of E's steak dish, also an Asian twist, which came with nuoc cham for dipping. The steak was cooked so perfectly tender and juicy. The thought of it is making my mouth water now.

T ordered Escargot only to find that two of the shells were empty. After many unsuccessful attempts to pry out the elusive snails, T turned to demolition determined to get those snails out. There he is up there fighting with the escargots. This was the highlight of the dinner for me, the *smash*smash* part that is. When cracked open the shells were indeed empty and the kitchen graciously sent out four more for him.

Whew, we finally got through the very long dinner of menu translating, menu explaining, escaped escargots, and non-mojitos, we walked out into the refreshingly brisk air and got a the quick view again of beautiful Paris from atop Centre Pompidou. Then we quickly made our exit and started our night of club hopping.

Here is me tired at about 2 in the morning. The crepe cart parked right outside the club we were in line for was selling beer. How awesome is that! It was awesome until I really had to goto the bathroom. But here I am enjoying a crepe au fromage and a cold heine.

Yoony Eats Paris: Falstaff Bastille

2007-01-16T10:19:00.000-08:00

Bastille

Boy and I arrived in Charles de Gaulle airport all bundled up and ready for the cold weather. After lugging our luggage around the busy place, busing it to the metro, then transferring, then transferring again, we finally arrived at our last stop - Bastille. As fast and effectively as we could, we rolled our fat luggage over the small sidewalk, making sure not to run over any pedestrians, to our flat which was only a block away.

When we got to the door there was a piece of paper addressed to us taped to the door - a quiz for the passcode to open the gate door. The first clue: "The San Francisco __ers". 49! Whoa, I got that one right. Impressive. Second clue: "First and second letter of A's last name". My mind was well onto a Jeopardy fantasy when Boy pulled out a piece of paper and said "I think we got the code right here". Trivia dreams shattered, I stepped inside the gate to a quaint courtyard with a cute lil shining Christmas tree and a cute lil orange kitty walkin around. Tres adorable! Je t'aime beaucoup!

We walked through the courtyard excited to finally arive, making loud unintentional noises caused by our luggage rolling over the stony ground. Suddenly a window on the second floor flung open and N greeted us with a "bonjour!" [Possibly that was a "hi guys" but we'll go with "bonjour" to keep it frenchy].

The flat was charming with warm tones, painting of all sorts, and kids bedrooms. Maybe a little dusty and dingy but nevertheless charming. I believe the building itself was made in the 16th century or so. It was lovely how the residential area was kept to itself inside the secret courtyard, separated from the street by only a metal door to unassuming passersby. It reminded me of a travel show episode on Lyon, which has all sorts of secret passageways and streets that also house residences. Simply, it's just so cool! I like the sense of mystery and romance to it.

Anyhow, after quickly nourishing ourselves with a biere blanche and British crisps we picked up at Heathrow airport where we connected from, we headed out for dinner. Wow was Boy excited when he found out that the highly beeradvocate-rated bar Falstaff Bastille was right down the street. After a short minutes walk we arrived at the bar. Quickly looking over their menu that was displayed outside I saw croque monsieur on it. Croque monsieur by the way is a French ham and cheese sandwich made with ham, gruyere and bechamel. A croque madame is just that but topped prettily with a fried egg.

I've made it two times now. The monsieur back in November '05 for a dinner party I threw for my brother. And a madame for Boy's recent birthday dinner. But I've never had it anywhere else so this first chance to try it in Paris, where the dish first popped up on a menu back in 1910 (answers.com), was quite exciting.

When we walked in it was crazy smoky in there. Then the beer menu came and basically blew our mittens off when we saw their prices. I ordered the Hoegaarden Grand Cru which was 9 euros which came out to about $13!!! The witbier was delicious though with flavors of coriander and warm spices. Its ABV is 8.70%, much higher than its originial Hoegaarden White Ale whose ABV sits at a modest 4.9%. The flavor of Grand Cru reminds me a lot of Unibroue's La Fin du Monde, except that it is less coriander-y. Delicious! Boy ordered the Grain D'Orge Biere de Garde for a whoppin 13 euros.

(sorry for the horrible picture. not only was the place smoky but we were put in a really dark corner)

Sadly the croque madame I ordered was just okay. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't the delicious mouth-watering croque madame I was looking forward to. Ok maybe I set my goals too high for a place that is supposed to be a good beer bar, not a good cafe or bistro. But it did its job to fill up my hungry and well-travelled tummy. I was more partial to the delicious Hoegaarden Grand Cru though.

Here's Boy's review of Falstaff: click here.

Paris

2007-01-12T15:54:00.000-08:00

Nite view of Paris near Louvre.

Some fancy street near a club we went to.

Cute kid waiting in line for the catacombs. We both got shafted as the placed closed after we were waiting in the rain for like 10 minutes.

Alleyway in a Jewish region of Paris.

Happy Birthday Boy~!

2007-01-12T07:32:00.000-08:00

Back in the middle of December Boy turned added another ring to his tree trunk. We usually take each out for birthdays but I wanted to do something a little bit more special, something a bit more tailored to what he loves.

To put it simply, the Boy loves beer.

Hmmm, at first I thought about getting him a case of Westvleteren Trappist ale which is not available in the states but I decided against that when the mailing seemed a bit dodgy. What if it never showed up? (Which has happened to Boy before with international purchases). So instead I got him a case of delicious domestic beer. Now this is not just any domestic beer, but Stone Brewery's 10th Anniversary IPA. Only a limited batch was released and lucky me, I picked up the last full case of these at Beverage Warehouse.

But the real gift was a dinner - a five-course beer and food pairing dinner plus the addition of a special pre-dinner nibbly. Here's the menu:

Pre-dinner: Zonin Prosecco & Iberico Bellota Lomo
I got the lomo from the first batch of em (after FDA approval) that was sent over to the U.S. back last summer. It is seriously stupendous. I love pork. Especially the cured kind.

Marshmallow-Stuffed Sweet Potato Croquettes with Cranberry Chutney
*Kiuchi Brewery Hitachino Nest White Ale*

Croque Madame with Southern Peppered Bacon, White Truffle Oil & Quail Egg
*Ommegang Witte*

Roquefort & Roasted Garlic on Charcoal Cracker
*Moylan's Old Blarney Barleywine Style Ale*

Skirt Steak with Arugula, Harissa & Ricotta Salata
*Alesmith YuleSmith*
Sorry, I forgot to take pics for this one!

Ricotta Fritters with Prosecco Berry Compote
*Girardin 1882 Gueuze Black Label*

Overall the dinner went really well and Boy proclaimed "This is the best meal I've ever had!" Of course we know what really won him over is the overflowing of all sorts of delicious beers. And the croque madame.

An About...

2007-01-11T13:30:00.001-08:00

After a reader recently asked me about my profession and how I started cooking, I thought it would be a good idea to tell you a little bit more about myself since the profile on the side doesn't do much. I was almost done writing the long post yesterday, then POOF. All gone in one fatal click. Doh!

So here it is again...

I had a few cookbooks in college but didn't cook much back then except for some easy Korean recipes, turkey sandwiches, and pasta with jarred tomato sauce. Otherwise college was filled with much junk food, take-out, burritos, burgers, beer. However I watched FoodTV obsessively though.

After moving back home I finally started to cook more. Having a job, a nice kitchen to cook in, and Boy the willing taster was motivating. I think the first dish I ever cooked for Boy was Seared Beef Carpacccio with Arugula, Balsamic & Parmesan. Cooking became a hobby for me.

Then early 2005 I discovered the food blogging community! This was pretty much food-life-changing. I didn't even know what blogging was before then and I had no idea there was an actual community of people so passionate about food and madly driven to cook and eat delicious dishes. Food blogging and loving to cook is probably one of the best things that's happened to me.

But I didn't know if I myself could have a blog, being technology-averse and a cooking-newbie. Also writing never being my forte in school. Who the hell would read it anyways? Well I started one anyways I am so glad I did because I've discovered so many great blogs.

Thank you readers for keeping my blog alive and motivating me to cook and write! :D

Red, Hot Bubbling Cauldron of Mandu Jungol - Gonjiam

2006-12-12T15:36:00.000-08:00

Spicy, red and hot? I am so there. And that is exactly what I'll get when I order mandu jungol at a hole in the wall called Gonjiam. The waitress brings out a vessel filled to the brim with generous dumplings, zucchini, mushroom, scallion, and udon noodle. Then it is placed atop one of those mini gas range thing and kept bubbling and hot. It is so damn good. It makes my mouth water just to look at that picture.

First two times I had mandu jungol there it was pretty spicy. I rememebr Boy and I finishing a whole pitcher of water while trying to finish our own little pot. But the third time I only drank a glass of water. Hmmm, I hope it's spicier next time I go back. It is quite refreshing in a sweating, runny nose sort of way, sending hot spicy broth down one's throat.

Before we started on that cauldron of red, we appetized ourselves with the modeum-jun, meaning literally everything pancake. Those cute little juns are a lot fluffier than ones you get at most Korean restaurants. More eggy than battery, imo. We saw other tables that had a huge plate of noodles and such but I find it hard to sway from my spicy mandu jungol.

One spectacular thing about Gonjiam is their pa (scallion) kimchi. Definitely one of the top two pa kimchi I have ever tasted. I don't make kimchi but I tell ya I definitely know a quality kimchi from a supermarket overseasoned crap kimchi. This was fresh, pungent, oniony. I was in kimchi heaven.

Ohh, wish I was there right now! Me getting hungry. :/

Gonjiam
Beverly & Western

What I Eat

2006-12-12T11:08:00.000-08:00

Hmmm don't think anyone is posting anymore what they've eaten. I guess the busy holiday season and all. Well here is mine, with a few pics to be posted later.

Monday
*taco bell hexagon thing - i don't even know what it's called. my mom had it leftover and told me to take one for lunch. and i obliged.
*4 jalapeno poppers & few bites cheese burger from jack-in-the-box; diet coke - boy went to jack and then tempted me with the smell of fast food.
*kimchi fried rice w/pepper jack cheese
*lindeman's framboise; freixenet cava; too many cute miette bakes
*1/2 tj olympiad pizza; 1/2 grilled cheese w/deli turkey, brie & onion

Tuesday
*toasted pain de mie (bread bar) w/santa barbara seafood spread
*jasmine tea
*3 mini corn tortilla quesadilla w/deli turkey, chipotle salsa & jalapeno
*taco bell hexagon thing - doh! why did i eat another one. it was in the fridge. i was hungry after work. sigh, bad eating habits continue to profliterate.
*white rice; spicy napa cabbage soup; radish & chive kimchi

Wednesday
*toasted pain de mie w/tj organic strawberry jam and peanut butter (yummy!)
*lemon water
*spicy napa cabbage soup; tj organic dark chocolate 73%
*lemon water; deli turkey
*2 LA galbi; radish kimchi; spicy gochujang soup (vege, pork, red pepper paste)

Thursday
*toasted pain de mie w/fried egg, cheese, deli turkey and sriracha
*2 pocket coffee - sadly defective so without the espresso gush
*2 LA galbi; tj soba noodle bowl
*satsuma; 3 pieces dduk (rice cakes)
*mixed grain rice; dakdoritang-spicy chicken w/gochujang, potatoes, mushroom
*geundae soup - haven't figured out what the name of this vege is in english but it looks like a leafy green.

Friday
*deli turkey; satsuma
*pocket coffee
*mixed grain rice; dakdoritang
*satsuma
*salchichon iberico; rogue creamery smokey blue cheese; the cheese co rosemary crackers; port brewing wipeout ipa; afflingem noel; prosecco; one bite sprinkles chocolate cupcake

Saturday
*geundae soup; mixed grain rice; chive kimchi
*bibim nyengmyun-cold buckwheat noodle w/spicy marinade from ktown galleria food court
*waldorf salad sandwich from cake house

Sunday
*geundae soup; mixed grain rice; dakdoritang
*fuller's esb
*rocco's pizza w/cheese, green peppers & meatballs
*gatorade
*more rocco's pizza; hansen's 0 calorie soda

Holiday in Paris

2006-12-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

I will be spending holiday this year in Paris with Boy and five of my close friends. Woohoo~!

We're heading out there after Christmas and celebrating the new year there. And eating, sleeping, drinking, exploring, and probably putting on some pounds. This will be my second trip to Paris, the first visit being back in summer of 2003. My god, was I a different eater then. I barely knew anything about food, was oblivious to the food blogging world, and was so clueless in general. Having blogged now for a mere year and a half, I've visited so many good blogs introducing me to so much good food. I'm ready to go back to Paris and do some serious eating. Not to mention, not being broke like I was backpacking years ago, this trip should prove to be tres bon and filled with deliciousness.

I've been checking out David's blog and of course the famous foodie jetsetter Chez Pim's reviews and recommendations but if you've been out there recently I would love some advice!

Ome-rice!

2006-12-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

When I was a little kid I used to make a lot of kimchi fried rice. But when I wanted to make it a little bit more special I would envelop the kimchi fried rice in a thin egg crepe to make ome-rice. Like an omelet but filled with fried rice of your choice. It's awesome!

This particular one that I made used up some leftover omelet filling which consisted of bacon, corn, peas & onion. After frying up some sliced up napa cabbage kimchi in butter I added the omelet filling and some gochujang. Then the rice, some nori powder and sesame oil. Then in a separate pan I cooked an whisked egg into a thin crepe. Then you know the rest. Wrap up that kimchi goodness in the golden egg and you got yourself some fine comfort food.

You can get ome-rice at "boon-shik" Korean restaurants, which are casual eateries that sell both snacky stuffs and other Korean dishes. They provide an extensive menu covering dishes like steamed dumplings, soups, noodles and of course kimchi fried rice and ome-rice.

I like a generous squeeze of ketchup and sriracha on mine. I was a complete ketchup whore when I was wee. But now that I've become a sophisticated adult I now add sriracha. ;)

Skirt Steak with Romesco, Dandelion Greens & Toasted Israeli Couscous

2006-12-06T20:21:00.001-08:00

Do the ingredients sound familiar? Yes, the little bits of leftovers of this and that from the catering gig. I can't believe it but I actually managed to finish all the leftover israeli couscous without wanting to choke myself. For this meal I switched it up by sauteeing the remaining couscous until it got nicely browned and toasted. Then placed it in an oven-safe dish with a light grating of parmigiano reggiano and kept it warm in the oven while I got the steak ready.

I got some skirt steak to use up romesco. :) Now that may seem counter-intuitive considering I was buying more groceries, steak at that, to use up leftovers. But this is not just a thrifty endeavour but also a creative one. One that takes opportunity and turns it into a pleasant dinner. And the skirt steak would be the perfect complement to the toasty and spicy romesco sauce which together would make one very pleasant weekday dinner for Boy and I.

For the steak marinade, I smashed up some garlic, chile de arbol and rosemary with my humongous Thai mortar and pestle. After trimming the steak of some of its excess fat I rubbed the marinade in and kept it in the chiller while I got the broccolini ready.

I blanched the broccollini in salted water for a few minutes then drained it. I gently heated up some olive oil in a saute pan and cooked the leftover garlic-rosemary marinade until the aroma filled my eager nose. I like sticking my head above garlic cooking oil. It's a very comforting smell. To this comforting pan I tossed the broccollini and seasoned it with black pepper and salt.

I believe an IPA accompanied this comfy weekday meal. And perhaps a warm electric blanket.

Beef Meatballs with Cumin, Coriander & Mint; Israeli Couscous; Dandelion Greens with Bacon Lardon, Ricotta Salata & Sherry Vinaigrette

2006-12-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

Remember that gig I did a few posts back? The birthday party? If you've been keeping up with What I Eat you should remember israeli couscous with this, israeli couscous with that. Jesus christ, so much israeli couscous leftover! Ok, I miscalculated but you know how them pasta can be. Blowin up and all.

So I wanted to make something to go along with the israeli couscous studded with dried currants, pinenuts and chopped basil. I also had greek yogurt leftover in the fridge and I thought ooh, why not some meatballs and cucumber yogurt sauce? Except I didn't make the cucumber yogurt sauce because I didn't want to buy a whole container of persian cucumbers at Trader Joe's when I really only needed one. So I seasoned the greek yogurt simply with lemon juice, liberal amounts of garic and black pepper.

Now for the meatballs, I wanted to make lamb meatballs but Trader Joe's does not sell ground lamb. Nor ground pork, fyi. So I went with what they had, some really good looking ground angus beef. I seasoned it with a coriander-cumin spice mix I had made ages ago (maybe half an age) from making roasted cauliflower. I also added to the seasoning a small handful of withering mint which I was determined to use up. Perhaps some parsley went in there too. Then I added some milk-soaked dinner rolls leftover from the sliders from the same gig.

I formed them into nicely sized patties (instead of completely round spheres for quicker cooking) and cooked them up in a jiffy. Paired with the cool touch of the greek yogurt and light and still textural israeli couscous, these meatballs made a satisfying meal.

But alas there was another challenge. Using up the leftover dandelion greens. I made a similar salad to the one I served at the birthday party sans roasted kabocha squash. But the bacon, ricotta salta, shallots, and sherry vinaigrette was still there so it's all good!

What I Eat

2006-12-05T09:09:00.000-08:00

Here is what I ate last week. I thought now that I'm airing all my dirty food laundry maybe I would eat better but on the contrary I've been eating "too well", if you know what I mean. I did a few lunges though...

Monday
*lemon water
*chicken yuekgyejang (spicy Korean soup w/chicken, scallion, fern braken, eggs); mixed grain rice w/beans; pickled onion
*lemon water; tj 73% organic dark chocolate (just a small piece - i've had the same chocolate bar for forever)
*dongchimi (white winter daikon kimchi); few bites rice & fried anchovy - a little snack desperately needed when I got home from work
*skirt steak w/romesco; toasted israeli couscous w/light grating of parmigiano reggiano; broccolini w/mashed up garlic, rosemary & chile de arbol (leftover marinade from skirt steak)

Tuesday
*tj non-fat english muffin w/peanut butter & tj organic strawberry jam
*lemon water
*skirt steak w/romesco; toasted israeli couscous
*lemon water; greek yogurt w/wildflower honey & toasted almonds
*happy hour@Tom Bergin's w/Boy - 5 excellent chicken wings with liberal dips into the thick blue cheese sauce; pilsner urquell
*daikon soup; mixed grain rice w/beans; banchan - dongchimi, chive kimchi, radish kimchi, fried anchovies - i love kimchi as you can tell
*1 tiny bite vanilla tofutti dipped in leftover almond praline which I gave to Mom (I studded the exposed sides with the praline crumbles I saved from way before - my motto is reduce waste!)

Wednesday
*lemon water; santa barbara seafood spread (yes the one with the huge list of ingredients i can't pronounce. this is one of my few guilty pleasures)
*edamame; tuna pasta salad; pepperjack cheese (work brunch)
*steak caesar salad made w/leftover skirt steak
*lemon water; few bites omelet filling (bacon, corn, peas, onion) as quick snack after work
*kimchi mandu (dumpling) stew w/korean squash, button mushroom, tofu, scallion, potato

Thursday
*omelet w/mixed grain rice on side, like a deconstructed ome-rice; marinated dried daikon
*kimchi mandu stew
*lemon water; 1/2 wheat bagel w/santa barbara seafood spread
*spicy vege soup w/little bits of pork; mixed grain rice; many kimchis
*i indulged - ate 3/4 twisty donut from a korean bakery
*brown rice tea

Friday
*petit croissant from Bread Bar w/tj organic strawberry jam
*lemon water
*spicy vege soup w/little bits of pork; white rice; brown rice tea
*lemon water
*baechu gook (spicy napa cabbage & daikon soup); mixed rice; kimchis
*Miette bakes Boy brought back for me from SF - lavender shortbread, mini scones, thumbprint cookies, coffe & hazelnut macaron
*hmmm beers... i'm thinking... trader joe's dark lager, new belgium 2 below, watermelon ale from some sf brewery

Saturday
*ome-rice w/kimchi fried rice
*lemon water
*Abbot's Pizza - bianca, diet coke
*a refresing pint of racer 5 ipa (left glass) from father's office
*korean bbq - LA galbi to be exact. that the crosscut shortribs with three little bones; kimchi fried rice; more kimchi!; ipa of some sort

Sunday
*baechu gook (spicy napa cabbage & daikon soup); mixed grain rice; kimchi
*diet coke
*2 pints heinekin, 4 glasses champagne

Happy Holiday!

2006-12-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

Maggie's Farm Wild Arugula with Buffalo Mozzarella, Bresaola & Pomegranate

Miso Scallops with Sauteed Spinach & Crosne

2006-11-30T15:34:00.000-08:00

I spotted a bag of frozen Japanese scallops at Trader Joe's that I might find useful. At about $10 for the bag I thought it would do myself just fine to make some home meals with the frozen scallops.

I marinated them with white wine, white miso, soy sauce, and mirin. Broiled them. Tapped my fingers waiting for them to brown on the edges. Waited more - maybe I should have moved the oven rack to the highest level. The scallops were a little bit overcooked but they sure look pretty in brown.

To complement I cooked up those curly looking crazy tubers called crosnes, which is actually a village in France where it was introduced to the country in 1882. Also known as Chinese artichoke, Japanese artichoke, knotroot, and chorogi, these little tubers are said to taste similar to Jeruselem artichoke.I got them from the Weiser Farm stand. I can't explain why I was immediately attracted to them considering they look like larvas. But I was. They tasted mild to me and the texture was crunchy and the shape so much fun! Until I'm reminded they look like larvas.

After trying to somewhat unsuccessfully rub off the brown color off the crosne, I cooked them in a pan with a little bit of water. When the water almost evaporated I put in olive oil and garlic. Then the spinach along with a drizzle of soy sauce and sesame oil. Then plated and topped with the miso scallops for a nice weeknight dinner.

In Search of a Food Mill

2006-11-30T10:06:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

I'm looking to get a food mill but don't know which brand to get. The highly rated ones on Amazon are Cuisipro and MIU. But I'm not sure those will be sturdy for a long time. Otherwise I'm willing to fork over more dollars for something like All Clad or Matfer.

Is there a hardware store in LA I can goto for a good food mill or one that you would recommend?

Thanks!

Happy 1st Birthday Lunch in the Palisades

2006-11-28T21:19:00.000-08:00

I was hired few weekends ago to cater a lunch party celebrating the client's 1-year old baby daughter. Sure why not? I didn't have any plans that weekend and 20-25 people sounded like something I could handle. The guests were to be mostly adults but a few children in tote also, so I had to make sure there was something kid-friendly in the menu.

That Saturday was a beautiful and clear day here in LA. Driving down PCH was nice. It had been a long time since I've gone that way, which I frequented daily commuting to high school the last two years of attendance. I got to the house early and started setting up but had to be quiet for the baby was peacefully asleep upstairs. The house and kitchen was beautiful though which made it such a pleasure to work there.

A sizeable island with a viking range took up camp in the middle of the kitchen while the two ovens were off to the side and I was blessed with so much counter space. Not only that, the house and the kitchen was flooded with daylight. It was refreshing and of course I started daydreaming about my own dream kitchen. It was impeccably clean, organized and peaceful.

Then the guests started to roll in. With the kids. This is the point you drown out the noise and concentrate. I was pretty relaxed the whole time but I could feel the hectic raise the tension of the host and the helpers as they tried to get everything in order.

I started off the guests with two appetizers...

Goat Cheese Mousse with Roasted Grape

Cannellini Bean Crostini with Salsa Verde

Then....

Roasted Kabocha Squash with Dandelion Greens, Bacon, Pecans & Ricotta Salata

Israeli Couscous with Currants, Pinenuts & Basil

Organic Beef Sliders with Romesco & Smoked Cheddar

The client and guests were really pleased with the food which made me happy. see? ----> :D I even got to use their outdoor viking grill for the little itty slider patties, which acquired that great smokey grilled taste. While I had a short break I stuffed my mouth with one of em, one that was cooked a little more pink. Yumyum! I like cheese, I like burgers, and I like romesco. Taste of success.

What I Eat

2006-11-27T07:43:00.000-08:00

Here is what I ate last week.

Monday
*tj non-fat english muffin w/1 slice bacon, wild arugula, buffalo mozzarella; izze pom
*jasmine tea
*israeli couscous w/basil, currants & pinenuts; lemon water
*1/2 fuyu persimmon
*pollack dumpling soup w/egg; nooroongbap

Tuesday
*vege omelet w/bacon; mixed grain rice; grandma's pickled onion; fingernail size dark chocolate (my mom had accidently used with a liberal hand dave's insanity hot sauce thinking it was a regular hot sauce and i needed something to coat my dying tongue)
*izze pomegranate
*lemon water; 3/4 fuyu persimmon; roasted almonds
*lemon water
*dandelion greens w/bacon, shallots & ricotta salata; israeli couscous w/basil, currants & pinenuts; beef meatballs w/herbed greek yogurt

Wednesday
*mixed grain rice w/beans; sauteed anchovy; chive kimchi; dried daikon
*izze pomegranate; dark chocolate
*israeli couscous w/basil, currants & pinenuts; beef meatballs w/herbed greek yogurt
*sweet rice w/red beans; chive kimchi
*wild arugula w/buffalo mozzarella, bresaola & pomegrantate; mac n cheese w/bacon lardons

Thursday
*tj udon
*thanksgiving dinner - turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, pumpkin tart, fudge brownie, 1 glass red wine, 1 glass yuelsmith
*sweet rice w/red beans; chive kimchi & dried daikon

Friday
*2 peanut butter & jelly dinner rolls; izze blackberry
*mac n cheese w/bacon lardons
*lemon water
*samgyetang - korean chicken soup; mixed grain rice; kimchi
*2 tacos from Armando's; tj potato chip & sea salt caramel

Saturday
*samgyetang w/mixed rice, kimchi
*2 carne asada tacos from El Parian; izze blackberry
*spicy dumpling soup w/cabbage, red pepper & potato
*tj potato chips

Sunday
*spicy dumpling soup w/cabbage, red pepper & potato
*Boy's delicious brunch he cooked for me: scrambled eggs w/jack cheese; rosemary potatoes; 1/2 bagel; 1/2 bottle sparkling wine made into mimosas; 2 slices thin bacon
*brinata & rogue creamery smokey blue cheese; few slices prosciutto; 1/2 bagel; 3 glasses red wine; 1/2 glass yuelsmith
*1/3 tj sea salt caramel
*Seoul Garden - beef jingheeskahn (korean shabu shabu); 1 glass sapporo

Check out Sam's great post on what she ate last week. She took pictures of everything! That sounds like a huge challenge for me which is why I haven't done it. I am running out my door every morning, breakfast in hand if there is one. Also no cameras allowed at work so I wouldn't be able to take pictures of snacks. And I eat lunch around 1130-12 everyday which would warrant not so great pictures. Okay, you've all heard my excuses. :) I'll try to add some pictures next week though.

Mini Poppyseed Lemon Bundt Cake

2006-11-21T11:48:00.000-08:00

What to do when you have a huge container of poppy seeds...

Buy a $30 bundt pan and make adorable mini poppyseed lemon bundt cakes.

I need to make many many more cakes if I'm going to use up those poppyseeds. I hear that they're highly perishable! And I've had them since that spring dinner I made for my parents... when I only needed a pinch actually.

If you have a delicious poppyseed cake recipe that I can make in my new bundt pan, please share!

What I Eat

2006-11-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

In keeping with my plans to continue sharing my record of everything that I've consumed here is last week's eatings and drinkings:

(days approximately divided into 5 intervals of breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, mid-afternoon, dinner which denotes the time of day more than the succession of meals... then additional nighttime stuffs if applicable)

Monday
b: tabouli; babaganoush; tzatziki; pita
mm: (should have been drinking water but too lazy to leave my cube)
l: tabouli; babaganoush; tzatziki; pita
ma: lemon water (1 mugful water, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp maple syrup, pinch cayenne a la master cleanse - always gulped down); few bites of kimchi jjigae when I got home
d: lavash, babaganoush, kebabs (chicken, lamb, beef), few sips beer

**Boy and I had lots of leftovers from last weekend from Marouch. The food there is so delicious and fresh. I brought the tabouli, etc for lunch but as you can see I split it up between 2 meals. Then leftovers again at dinner. But I never get sick of Marouch! It's that good and satisfying.

Tuesday
b: lemon water
mm:
l: pineapple variety heirloom tomato, arugula & avocado salad; 1/2 large apple
ma: small piece dark chocolate; 1/2 large apple
d: scallop pajeon (scallion pancakes w/japanese scallops); kimchi jjigae

Wednesday
b: tj non-fat english muffin w/fried egg & buffalo mozzarella
mm:
l: blt w/niman ranch applewood smoked bacon, focaccia rolls, red leaf lettuce from weiser farms, pineapple variety heirloom tomato; small red leaf salad
ma:
d: mixed grain rice w/kimchi, spicy eundae (type of fish which i don't know the english name of) & daikon, scallop pajeon; kimchi jjigae
n: 1 very small bite of each hot dog and pizza (Boy's dinner at the movies); 1 isabella's cookies in peanut butter bomb; few sips diet coke

**My Korean dinners may sounds like a whole lot of food but it's really just a few bites of each banchan (side dishes that accompany every meal) and the main dish if there is one.

Thursday
b: lemon water
mm: big piece red velvet cake :/ (work people birthday celebration)
l: blt w/avocado (everything else same as yesterday); small red leaf salad
ma: almonds
d: mixed grain rice w/kimchi, soybean sprouts, pickled sesame leaves, sauteed spicy baby potato
n: red wine & too many hor d'oeuvres (pizzetta, salami, cheese - none of which were just ok which makes me want to kick myself for eating so many anyways! and to top that the wine was merlot, not my fav.)

**The red wine and hor d'oeuvres were at the Coalition for Clean Air annual fashion show which was held by Ebell Theater, which I live across the street from. Boy works at the Coalition and told me to stop by. Andre from Project Runway was there! He designed, created and donated a wedding dress that was made from all cotton, so that it would be enviromentally friendly and biodegradeable. Andre's mantra for the dress was, "you don't want the wedding dress to outlast your marriage!". :)

Friday
b: 5 vege ghimbap from Yanusa inside the Hanam Chain Market
mm: lemon water
l: tj punjab eggplant; pillsbury paneer naan; 1 isabella's cookies in peanut butter bomb
ma: lemon water; 1 isabella's cookies in peanut butter bomb
d: mixed grain rice w/kimchi, miso scallops, sauteed crosne & spinach, soybean sprouts

Saturday
b: walnut raisan bread from galleria bakery; izze blackberry; 1 isabella's cookies in peanut butter bomb
mm: 2 bites ham & cheese croissant fromt the breadman
l: slider w/romesco, smoked cheddar
ma: mixed grain rice w/kimchi, bulgogi vege soup; white wine (4pm - so I guess a really early dinner)
d: (still full from late lunch/early dinner)
n: beer - i believe double ipa of some sort; pizza w/eggplant - I vaguely remember eating this very late in the night

**Saturday and Sunday were wacky eating days because I was catering/cooking on both days. Saturday I catered a 25 people birthday lunch over in Pacific Palisades. I was working there from 10-230 so all I ate was a slider, which was part of the menu. Breakfast was whatever I could grab on the way out, so bread, cookie and izze. I stopped by the Santa Monica Farmer's Market to grab some greens and picked up a croissant in case I might get hungry at the gig. And when I got home I fixed myself a small Korean meal and relaxed with a glass on wine watching The Celebration. The house I catered at was so beautiful! More on that later...

Sunday
b: (sleeping)
mm: vege & bacon omelet; mixed rice; cucumber kimchi (10am)
l: (i was prepping, cooking, packing)
ma: pancetta lardons
d: few bites mashed fingerling potatoes w/creme fraiche; few pieces comte; 1 hoegaarden & 4 glasses sauvignon blanc

**Sunday my friend Ellen ("yoonyang") and I cooked a birthday gift dinner for two of our close friends, one being E's boy, along with a few special guest family members. We wanted this to be very special and not just another casual dinner which seems to be as close to civilized we get with our big group of friends. We made a six course dinner + hor d'oeuvres for six people total. More on this later too. I just ate a few bites of this and that while cooking which is what usually happens at caterings. Grabbing hot pancetta lardons from the pan, tasting and retasting delicious mashed potatoes. A cook's gotta taste, right? But I damn well treated myself to some alcohol though.

I still need to make an effort to drink more water though. Sadly I only drink water when it's on a schedule. Lemon water, here I come.

I gotta say, I am really really tired right now. But with a delicious breakfast involving bacon, romesco, buffalo mozzarella & wild arugula, and a glass of hot and soothing jasmine tea I feel a tiny bit revived. Thanksgiving thoughts will have to wait til tomorrow.

Pecan Praline Shorbread Bars

2006-11-17T09:45:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, I tried to make pecan praline. I followed the instructions carefully making sure I brought up the caramel mixture to the correct temperature.

I poured the praline mixture onto a silpat lined sheet pan. But misery. It never hardened. Caramel definitely hates me. However, I could not get myself to to throw this sugary mix out. I thought. Then figured, why not pecan praline shortbread bars?

I made a typical shortbread dough of butter, flour, sugar. Lined a square baking pan with the dough making sure there is a little edge. Reheated the praline mixture in the microwave then poured it on top of the shortbread base. Baked it off which made my kitchen smell sooo good. Yum. Then the pecan praline was saved. The end.

Endive, Roquefort & Walnut Salad; Pork au Poivre with Red Wine-Shallot Sauce

2006-11-15T13:14:00.000-08:00

The combination of endive, roquefort and toasted walnuts never fails to bring happiness to my buds. Pleasantly bitter, crunchy and juicy leaves paired with nutty crunchy nuts, and pungent creamy blue cheese. It's so elegant but so simple to make.

Then came pork au poivre. I followed Ellie K's suggestion of using pork tenderloin by cutting it open, ending up with a flat piece of meat. I cut this into portions and slathered it with dijon and pressed in my poorly cracked black pepper onto the surface. I cooked the pork in olive oil until it was brown and yummy. When it was done cooking I made the sauce in the same pan which consisted of shallots, red wine, demi-glace (the little package ones you thin out in hot water), and a dab of butter. And on the side simple green beans with sliced almonds.

It was a simple and delicious weeknight dinner. Mmm... the pictures are bringing back memories! I'm hungry.

Pork Cutlets with Apple Riesling Sauce

2006-11-14T13:39:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't know, I love pork. I mean, really. I love bacon, cured meats, pork rillette, baby back ribs, don katsu, pork bulgogi, pork bossam, and on and on. Bacon rules my world but I also need to incorporate leaner protein into my diet sometimes. So I decided to try out the small thin pork cutlets from Trader Joe's.

The pork cutlets were marinated with thyme, rosemary, chile de arbol, black pepper, and smashed garlic. I let that marinate for a little bit in the fridge. When ready to cook I browned the cutlets on both sides and let them rest on a plate while I got the sauce ready. Sliced red onion went into the pork cutlet pan and sizzled and cooked. I deglazed the pan with some riesling picking up all the goody brown bits stuck to the pan. Then went in apple sauce, a dab of demi-glace that was dissolved in a little bit of hot water, and a few glugs of chicken stock. Let a simmer and come together for a few minutes then the pork cutlets were placed back in the pan until it was time to eat.

The pork came out a little bit chewy but not really dry (hooray!). I reckon this recipe would probably work better with a thicker cut like a bone-in pork chop and letting it simmer. It was still delicious though with its savory sauce of red onion, riesling, apple sauce, and demi-glace. And oh, just a small tab of butter at the end.

I crowned the cutlet with a small piece of roquefort when plating it for my tv dinner.

What I Eat

2006-11-13T10:12:00.000-08:00

Sam over at Beck & Posh just wrote a post on everything she ate last week. I thought brilliant! Like her, I keep a record of everything I eat and have been doing it for some time now. I started doing that as a way to keep track of how much healthy or naughty food I eat throughout the week, although sometimes keeping record doesn't necessarily hold me back from having very naughty weeks.

I gotta admit my eating habits for the last few weeks have been a bit kooky though. But here is everything I ate last week divided by breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, mid-afternoon, dinner:

Monday
B: izze pomegranate, mixed grain rice w/squash, fish jun (egg dipped & fried), bean sprouts, roasted seaweed (startin my day all Korean here)
MM:
L: 2 japanese crackers
MA: almonds
D: white rice w/kimchi, squash, daikon saute, fish jun

Tuesday
B: turkey sandwich w/arugula
MM:
L: raspberries, almonds
MA: master cleanse lemon drink
D: white rice w/kimchi, ugoji gook (dried cabbage soup), Seoul Hwaegwan - jungol (Korean version of shabu shabu), hwae naengmyun (cold buckwheat noodle w/sashimi & red pepper sauce)

Wednesday
B: master cleanse lemon drink
MM: master cleanse lemon drink
L: izze clemetine, almonds
MA: master cleanse lemon drink, hwae naengmyun
D: Novecento - spaghetti vongole (shared), tagliata mostarda (shared), bruschetta, few glasses of wine
*Bottle Rock - big bottle of hitachino nest white ale

Thursday
B: master cleanse lemon drink
MM:
L: chickpea spinach salad w/feta
MA: master cleanse lemon drink
D: Taqueria Sanchez - 1/2 al pastor burrito, chips & salsa, asada taco, Angel Maid - cream puff

Friday
B: izze clementine
MM: master cleanse lemon drink
L: 1/2 pastor burrito, spinach salad
MA: master cleanse lemon drink
D: turkey sandwich w/arugula, 1 bite mac n cheese
*beer, beer, beer

Saturday
B:
MM: Chabelita - carne asada taco, al pastor taco, diet coke
L: India Spices - pakoras
MA: 1/2 bottle red wine
D: yakisoba w/scallion
*Anchor Brewing Winter Ale, few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc

Sunday
B:
MM:
L: yakisoba w/scallion, 1/2 grilled cheese w/marinara sauce
MA:
D: Marouch - tabouli, babaganoush, kebab combo

Kooky indeed. The weekends always tend to get a lil bit messed up because I goto sleep really late. And drinking usually entails not the healthiest foods the next day. But you can see on Sunday I ate healthy middle eastern food! Yay, victory. Although I did eat tons of food Tuesday-Thursday evening though. Probably because I was being way too healthy during the day. :P Sigh. Ok, I'll try to eat healthier this week, trying to follow the original guidelines of 5 smaller meals a day. I'll try!

Mini Swiss Chard & Feta Turnovers

2006-11-10T08:16:00.000-08:00

Little things are so cute, aren't they? When I saw Sam's little philly cheesesteak turnovers over at Becks & Posh I thought how cute! and how delicious! But Sam made her own dough. Yikes. Now I'm not a good dough person nor do I like making dough as the flour gets everywhere and when fat is required it sets a thin film over everything I touch. But, the recipe seemed easy enough and I am so glad I used it because it was easy and delicious!

Dough Recipe:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 stick (4 oz) butter cut into cubes
8oz cream cheese or fromage blanc
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Combine all of the ingredients together in a food processor or Kitchen Aid until a dough forms. Wrap in waxed paper and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling.

I used cream cheese because it's easier to find. A quick whirl of the food processor and I became dough woman. For the day at least.

For the filling...
I blanced a few bunches of swiss chard and cooled them in an ice bath. Drained and squeezed most of the water out. Slice into thin bits. Sweated finely chopped onion in olive oil. Added red pepper flakes, garlic & swiss chard. Crumbled feta in when mixture had cooled a little bit.

Filling the little cutouts of the dough was kind of fussy. And since I made two batches of the dough, the rolling, cutting, filling and cooking took some time out of my day. But I can't wait to try out some other fillings. Pork bulgogi with king oyster mushrooms & scallion? Yumm. My mouth waters now.

Roasted Farmer's Market Carrots & Potatoes

2006-11-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

When I was young carrots were high on my hate list. Even until a few years ago the only carrots I would eat were those shaved down baby carrots that came in a bag. Preferably dunked in a thick bowl of ranch dressing, I guess to cover up that carrot taste. Even that I probably only ate once a year. Raw carrots still aren't my best friend. I just read recently somewhere that those baby carrots are shaved into shape from big carrots! Liars.

I've been faced with crappy carrots all my life and I laid down the judgement on all of carrot-dom.

However, my first memorable experience with carrots was at AOC. They used to get these tiny baby carrots from the farmer's market and roast them for a salad. The skin of these colorful carrots would get carmelized and shriveled and the texture took on a little bit of that roasted root vege bite.

Epiphany. As I've started to cook the last few years there have been many of those moments when I think holy crap, I had no idea ___ could taste like this. Those epiphanies have really made me appreciate good quality produce and makes scouring the farmer's market really exciting. I guess it's kind of comparable to eating tomatoes from the big supermarkets all my life then having that first actually ripe and super juicy tomato from the farmer's market. Cheers to the hard working farmers who bring such beautiful healthy produce to the market!

Here is my Roasted Farmer's Market Carrots & Potatoes:

Simply delicious.

Hello colorful potatoes.

And still delicious as part of my tv dinner with shavings of parmigiano reggiano.

Corn & Snap Pea Salad

2006-11-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

Remember back in September when I couldn't find any snap peas to make a salad for my friend's birthday lunch? Well look at this! Snap peas from the farmer's market (well a few weeks ago). But still. Completely unexpected and pleasantly surprising as it allowed for my one and only purchase of snap peas for this season.

Grant, over at Well Fed, makes some serious good eats. Back in the middle of summer I saw his post on his Corn & Snap Pea Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette. It looked so refreshing and vibrant that I knew I must try it out. Until I completely forgot about that is and let summer pass me by.

But these late late snap peas will redeem me sort of, won't it? I made a simpler version leaving out the blue cheese vinaigrette and with roasted corn and blanched snap peas. Add a sqeeze of lemon, drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of parlsey and a few grinds of black pepper and this salad was dressed and ready to go.

I added a tiny bit of feta to the salad when it got promoted to my tv dinner plate.

Heirloom Tomatoes

2006-11-07T08:05:00.000-08:00

I heart tomatoes. These beauties are from the Santa Monica Farmer's Market - the big tomato stand. So juicy and perfect with a sprinkling of fleur de sel, torn basil & a drizzle of fruity olive oil. The orange one in the front is the Pineapple variety and the greenish-red one is Brandywine Black. There is even a Persimmon variety hanging out on the top left.

A simple heirloom tomato salad makes for a beautiful and delicious dish, even as part of a tv dinner.

King Oyster Mushroom with Soy Sauce & Sesame Oil

2006-11-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

I can eat a whole bowl of this accompanied only by freshly steamed rice and kimchi. Some time ago my mom started adding king oyster mushrooms to her bulgogi mix. While the beef would marinated with garlic, onion, soy sauce, scallions, sugar and sesame oil, the mushrooms would also soak up this marinade. This resulted in delicious mushrooms that were fried up with the bulgogi. I thought I'd try it out with just the mushrooms. Instead of marinating the mushroom slices I brushed on the soy sauce sesame oil mixture for an even seasoning. I sprayed a non-stick pan with canola oil and cooked the mushroom slices, one side at a time, until it got carmelized and deliciously brown. Then devoured it.

Roasted Sweet Potato with Romesco, Baby Romaine & Feta

2006-11-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

The color contrast in this dish is beautiful - the deep warm orange of the sweet potato, the squeaky clean white of the feta, and the variations of green and purple in the baby romaine leaves. A virtuous dish if you will, easier to make than is visually pleasing. Chunks of sweet potato tossed in brown sugar, brown butter, thyme and sage. Then roasted until tender and carmelized onion. At this point you can pretty much assemble the salad as you see fit. Maybe some arugula and parmesan. Or spinach and blue cheese. Or just a big bowl of the roasted sweet potato itself.

**I completely forgot to mention the romesco pulling this dish together. I always defer to Suzanne Goin's recipe which calls for ancho chilies. It nutty and smoky with a healthy dose of deep chili flavor rounded out by roma tomatoes, lemon juice and olive oil. Truly delicious and a must-add for any dish! Thanks Grant for noticing those brown dollops!

Macerated Berries with Lavender Mascarpone Mousse

2006-11-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

For me, there is no such thing as too much berries. There above was my hurrah before fall really became fall here in LA. Well I suppose I was a lil bit late anyhow. Raspberries and blackberries alike were not faring well a few weeks ago when I needed a simple dessert. So strawberries took up most of the room for plate of macerated berries. I took the best of the lot at the market and added a few rescued blackberries in there. A spoonful of sugar and a few drops of balsamic vinegar did the strawberries good and formed a light sheen of syrup over their exposed surfas. The blackberries got added to the mix before serving and dolloped with a mascarpone mousse flavored with orangeblossom honey and lavender, the macerated berries got the extra touch it needed.

Saturday Lunch at Lucques

2006-10-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

I had a craving for Lucques's Steak Frites with Arugula Salad, Bernaise & Herbed French Fries, which I tried way back in the day (ok 1 year ago) for USA Dine Out. I didn't participate in the charity event this year but looking back now I should have gone to Lucques again 'cause their three course lunch menu was only $20!

But back to the lunch at hand, it was a beautiful day. Warm, relaxed, hanging out with the girls. I started out with a glass of Craftsman Triple White Sage which Lucques had on tap along with a few of their other beers. Pretty impressive. I never suspected the White Sage to be a triple. A beautiful foggy yellow hue with a subtle sage flavor. Followed by a few mimosas, I was a happy camper.

My friend got their Sangria Blanca which was strong as hell. I think there was too much brandy or something. I like my sangria refreshing and fruity with only a hint of liquor, or even none at all, which results in high drinkability. But I think my friend liked it fine though - she drank up in a quicky.

For the appetizer course I ordered the Fatoosh Salad with Persian Cucumber, Tomato, Feta, Parsley & Fried Pita which was delicious!

But a lot of people were partial to the also delicious Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata, Torn Crouton & Opal Basil. I liked both a lot but since I make that heirloom tomato-burrata salad at home a lot I wanted to try something else. I mean I probably buy the same farm tomatoes as Lucques from the SM Farmer's Market. And I bet they also use Gioia's burrata, which is amazing (and available at Bay Cities.

So then it was steak time. I'm not sure what cut of meat this was. I looked up a bunch of steak frites recipes but they all use different cuts of meat. I guess I could have asked but I was too busy enjoying the tender steak dunked in warm bernaise sauce. And completely distracted by the lovely wilted arugula which I gobbled up and the thin light french fries which I also dunked into the bernaise. There is just something so satisfying about a good piece of steak with a starch like awesome herb fries.

Other main courses that graced our table included the Heirloom Tomato "BLT" with Avocado, Smoked Bacon & Basil...

and Grilled Pork Burgers with Romesco, Ricotta Salata and Aioli on Brioche Bun. I don't know why they clarified "Smoked Bacon". Wouldn't one usually expect an American style bacon on a blt? Of course if the bacon was substituted with let's say English bacon (which would not be a good blt at all) then a clarifications seems in order.

I better go back for the blt before all the heirlooms disappear. The sandwich just looks so juicy. My friend also testified that the bacon just melted away in her mouth. Then why didn't you give me a bite! Actually I was quite full from my steak plate. And I knew the pork burger was also delicious having tried out the recipe from the Lucques cookbook. But why is the bun so big?? I wonder where they got their brioche buns...

For dessert we shared Ricotta Semifreddo with Strawberries, Huckleberries & Hibiscus Syrup and Chocolate and Hazelnut Dacquoise with Apricot Sorbet & Creme Fraiche. I was partial to the semifreddo which was light and lovely and sooo good with them berries. Berries with dairy is definitely one of my favorite forms of dessert. I dig the freshness of it all.

So much delicious food and booze for a warm Saturday afternoon. I followed this up with a long, very long nap. Then when I woke up my parent's had come home and ordered delicious Korean-Chinese food. What a delicious weekend. Food & Drink + Nap is a great formula to learn and appreciate.

When Your Fridge Gives You Leftovers...

2006-10-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

...make a savory pancake.

I had some chicken filling leftover from a catering event. Previously it had been a flavorful filling for Thai chicken cigars with ground chicken, cabbage, bean sprouts, Thai basil, fresh chilies, scallion, fish sauce, red curry paste, lime, and cilantro.

Then it sat in a bowl begging to be used. I turned it into a jun (Korean for savory pancake) by adding more scallions and tossing it in a simple batter of flour, water and egg. Add sambal and you got delicious.

Mediterranean Picnic

2006-10-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

For my last visit to the Hollywood Bowl this season to see Massive Attack I was in company with two vegequarians and Boy. I thought a simple meal of healthy Mediterranean flavors would suit this event perfectly. I'm pretty sure there were picnic-friendly plates of hummus all over the theater. It's quite ubiquitous, isn't it?

It is quite delicious after all, easy to make, easy on the wallet, and very healthy too. So do make it at home instead of buying a premade one for wonderfully fresh flavors. In my hummus I added garlic, lemon juice, a pinch of cayenne, and a spoon of tahini. I drizzled in some olive oil while it was pureeing but also cut it with a bit of water for a smooth consistency without tons of oil. Then on top I drizzled a bit of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled a pinch of parsley and served this delicious bean puree with whole wheat pita. (The one in the above pic is Matiz Olive Oil Flatbread).

Then a refreshing Mediterranean salad to complement. It flaunted its juicy tomatoes, tangy feta, red onion, and spicy peppers. I found this salad quite addicting and reminded myself I should make it more often in place of the boring romaine and dressing salad I've been eating lately. I think I'm culinarily depressed or something. Or maybe just regularly depressed and projecting onto the culinary sector of my life. Hmm.. either way, I definitely need to make the Mediterranean salad again and slap myself back to consciousness.

All in all, I'm not a dessert person. I will never refuse a fresh strawberry with freshly whipped cream, or a bite of raspberry-showered pavlova, or a French macaron but a pastry-chef I'm not. I really gotta be in the mood to make the sweets. And on few occasions spontaneity has been my downfall. So when my friend C was in town for the Massive Attack concert she requested a dessert. I straight up said no. Then, 'bacon or dessert'. I almost forgot, I made a batch of pig candy for this concert. Those are like happy smile makers ---> :D :D :D!

C is vegequarian but makes an exception for bacon. Smart girl if ya ask me.

But then my dessert-neglecting heart softened up. It seemed like forever since I've seen C. So I made these chocolate dipped lady fingers with roasted pistachio and fleur de sel in her honor. Yip that's it, just dip, sprinkle and sprinkle. Well besides the chop chop and [silent roast] for the pistachios.

Ice Cream & Puff Pastry Epiphane

2006-10-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

I've just had an ice cream & puff pastry epiphane!

Holy crap. I got some blueberry ice cream from Trader Joe's the other day. Had some puff pastry shells sitting in my freezer. Decided that maybe stuffing a warm puff pastry shell with the creamy blueberry ice cream might be a good idea.

It was a brilliant idea! Well, I didn't eat a whole shell but I did make a mini ice cream sandwich with the warm puff pastry shell tops that I cut out. (Trying to watch my waistline). However, I stuffed and distributed the six blueberry ice cream stuffed warm puff pastry shells to my co-workers and they were mightily well received.

Do try it. You might even yell oh my god like in your small work corner kitchen like I did.

Soba Noodle with Cucumber & Tamari

2006-10-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

While testing recipes for the wedding I made this delicious noodle. I adapted and combined a soba noodle salad recipe with some Japanese cucumber salad. The noodle was so easy to make and surprisingly delicious. I couldn't help but keep slurping down "test noodles" while making it. The dressing added so much flavor and the cilantro and scallion added the right herby oniony touch to balance it out. For the dressing I used tamari, fish sauce, chili oil, garlic, ginger, lime juice, peanut oil, and sesame seeds.

Then on the side I made the Japanese cucumber salad (sunomono). I cut some Korean cucumbers into thin batons, tossed it with kosher salt then let it drain for 30 minutes. Meanwhile I made the simple dressing of soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar. When the cucumbers were ready I gently squeezed out the water and dressed it.

Then the noodle and cucumbers were combined and voila, delicious noodle!

Chicken Enchiladas with Corn & Poblano

2006-10-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

Having failed last time at making enchiladas, it being my actual first time, I was ready to try once again. It's not that the failed enchiladas tasted awful. In fact, they were delicious. But they were not exactly enchiladas - soft little pillows filled with oozy veges, chicken, and whatever pleases you. Mine were more like a rolled up baked tacos. Not beautifully moist and not a amalgamated by way of cheese piece of savoriness as enchiladas should be. I know what I did wrong though. I didn't dip my tortilla into the enchilada sauce before rolling em up. Ok ok, so I was being lazy. I thought I would skip a step. But I got screwed.

So this time around I promised not to skip that step and even vowed to make a more moist filling. After looking up a bunch of recipes, all of which pretty much said the same thing, I decided to make Chicken Enchiladas using Tyler Florence's recipe as the basis:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
5 whole green chilies, canned
4 chipotle chilies, canned
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 cup Cheddar and Jack Cheeses, shredded
16 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
Garnish: chopped cilantro, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

I seasoned the chicken breasts with a mixture of cumin, chili powder, cayenne, s&p, and cooked it in a pan then let them cool. Sauteed the onion, garlic, poblano in the chicken drippings then added the corn, chopped canned jalapenos and stewed tomato. Shredded the chicken then added to the tomato vege mix.

That's pretty much it! I popped open the can of enchilada sauce then it was time for assembly. I dipped each tortilla (I used flour) into the heated enchilada sauce to make them pliable and moistened up, filled it the chicken mixture then laid them into a baking dish. I poured the remaining enchilada sauce all over the tortilla rolls then topped it with a shredded cheese mixture and baked it off.

Ohh, my kitchen smelled so good! I served the chicken enchiladas with spanish rice, refried beans, fresh guacamole, a sprinkling of chopped onion and cilantro leaves. My mexican food cooking skills may need cauldrons of practice but these enchiladas will keep me happy for now.

Pork Rules

2006-10-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

One last relaxed lounge style bbq is exactly what we needed before the weather suddenly turned so chill. Too chill too quickly, imo. However, the bbq was all deliciousness with happy imbibing of beer, margaritas, and wine. Thanks to Allison for hosting the brilliant get together.

I thought it as my chance to actually grill something this season besides that Lucques pork burger I had made in the heat of the summer. One of my favorite foods ever being bbq pork ribs, I decided that would be perfect. But you can't have ribs without no sides! Dur.

The Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook is seriously glorious. I don't think I've ever made anything from there I didn't like. Which is why I would also trust it with its cornbread recipe. I did have a taste of this cornbread at Lucques before so I knew it would be perfect. The recipes calls for some honey and brown butter - delicious!

I wrapped my cornbread with bacon with plans to grill them. Instead, with the delay of the delivery of the grill from A's generous neighbor, I roasted it for a bit in the oven so that the bacon would melt over the cornbread. The bacon didn't melt as perfectly as I envisioned in my bacon-crazed mind but it was delicious, and oh so beautiful, served with a dollop of mustard-creme fraiche.

I also made a batch of no recipe coleslaw. A good dollop of mayo, sour cream, thinly sliced red onion, fresh lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne, and it was deeemed "the best coleslaw" ever by a few advocates. Creamy, crunchy, refreshing - it's what your mouth needs in between bites of bbq pork ribs.

Now for the ribs... this being my real true first rib ever, I was very proud of how it turned out. I brined two racks of pork ribs (Trader Joe's) overnight. Then dry rubbed it and let it marinated for a lil bit. Preferably couple hours but I didn't have a lot of time. Then wrapped up in foil I baked them in the oven for an hour or so. Then onto the grill they went.

I don't recall exactly how long they were on the grill but enough to get some of the fat to melt and the spices to crust up a bit on the surface. In the last ten minutes I basted it lightly with a spicy bbq sauce I got from Huntington Meats. Oh man, it was so juicy and flavorful. Of course if I had smoked it would be a more delicious and authentic. But one step at a time. :) Needless to say, it was ravaged. And my mouth is watering right now writing about it.

Pork rules.

My dessert offering was a simple arranged one with Trader Joe's lemon pound cake, mascarpone, and roasted figs with saba.

Stone Brewery 10th Anniversary

2006-09-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

Gargoyle - A fearsome figure carved from stone that has powers to ward off evil spirits. The Stone Brewing Co. gargoyle wards off modern day evil spirit such as chemical preservatives, additives, & adjuncts. One taste, and you can tell he does his job very well.

Boy and I like Stone and beer. So off we headed to their 10th anniversary celebration which boasted 40 guest breweries. The proceeds were to be donated as charity to different groups including Boys and Girls Club of San Marcos and YMCA of Escondido. According to the current calculations, they already passed the $62K they raised last year. At $25 a person for 10 tasters, it was good money spent and good money raised.

Here are some of the ones I drank:
Alpine Brewing Co (Alpine, CA) - Duet, Pure Hoppiness
Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY) - Hennepin
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, DE) - Punkin Ale, Dogfish 90 Min
Russian River Brewing Co (Santa Rosa, CA) - Depravation, Blind Pig, Pliny the Elder
Avery Brewing Co (Boulder, CO) - Maharaja
Marin Brewing Co (Larkspur, CA) - Hopsicle
Port Brewing (Carlsbad & Solana Beach, CA) - Avalanche
Victory Brewing Co (Dowington, PA) - Prima Pils

The beer that stole the show for both Boy and I was the Russian River's Depuration, a just-bottled unreleased beer that the brewmaster (Viinie Cilurzo) poured for us on the side. It was one of the best drink I've ever tasted. Aged in white wine barrels, it had a fruity complexity and smoothness I never knew could exist in a beer.
Blonde Ale aged in French oak Chardonnay barrels with white wine grapes for one year with three strains of Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, & Pediococcus
Depravation is truly amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on some.

My other favorites were Alpine's Duet and Pure Hoppiness. Boy and I had previously gotten a taste of Alpine at the Strong Ale Festival at the Carlsbad outlet of Pizza Port. It was our favorite brewery there so it's no surprise that they would please us again. Lots of delicious hops came from these two beer which are both categorized as San Diego Pale Ales on their site.

And the always delicious Prima Pils from Victoria Brewing. The best pils I've ever had. Light, refreshing with a good malt background, I always get happy when I see this one in Boy's fridge.

Wait, I love Avery's Maharaja too! So many good beers at this festival. I'm already looking forward to next year's celebration.

If I could fill up my fridge with the above beers, lambics and saisons I'd be a very happy girl. Of course, food is a whole 'nother list. Definitely some Korean bbq, babyback ribs and sausages up in there.

I didn't have this beer because it's wee heavy for me. But you gotta love the name.

After the celebration o' beer and a much needed nap we heaed out to Liar's Club for more beer. With a side of delicious jalapeno hush puppies I sipped on my Russian River Pliny the Elder for some more hops. Damn, why is Russian River so good! We ended the night by retreating back into our hotel room and chillin with a nightcap of Fat Tire to lull us into sleep. It was a beautiful weekend in San Diego filled with delicious beverages. What all weekends should be like, minus the slight sunburn.

Sometimes All You Need Is a...

2006-09-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

a warm, soft, big chorizo egg burrito to dull the Monday working pangs.

Romero's Mexican Food
516 S Western Ave
213.480.8438

Road Trip to Paso Robles & San Luis Obispo

2006-09-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

Recently a group of us headed up to Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo for a short sweet weekend getaway. Well I stayed for one night due to impending duties for the wedding thing. Once the trip plans got into gear, there was only one other thing I had to think about, the eats. Afterall, isn't it important to be well sustained and healthy on such a long drive up?

My fridge is in deperate need of an Izze refill. It's such a great drink - cold, refreshing, lightly carbonated. And the only two ingredients are natural fruit juice and carbonated water. Izze filled mornings are definitely better ones. Truly addicting and hydrating without all that excess sugar (orange juice), fat (milk) or caffeine (coffee).

Before meeting up at the rendez-vouz point, I made a pit stop at Wien bakery in Koreatown. I could have been the first customer there but there were at least three huge Korean tour buses outside. Meaning, the bakery was rampant with Koreans all getting between me and my baked goods. I prevailed though and left with some freshly baked and fried goods.

All of the bakery edibles were delicious but having a freshly fried croquette filled with potato, vegetabled and minced meat is special. You're probably thinking, fried?! But perfectly fried, not greasy at all but crunchy from the panko covering over a thin dough. Truly a swoon-worthy piece of food. I wish there was a Korean bakery on the way to work for a delicious on-the-go brekkie.

This scary looking thing is their pizza bread. It's only scary 'cause Boy and I ravaged one side of them and the rising sun reflecting off the cheese is blinding you. And me. This too was way too delicious. Light crust, warm savory topping with melted cheese everywhere. Yumm.

But we can't forget one of our favorite items there, the Peanut Cream Soboro Bread. A flat, round light bread with crumble topping, sliced horizontally then stuffed with fresh peanut whipped cream. Fresh peanut cream! First time I tasted that I thought genius. Why didn't I think of that?

Then we were off on a beautiful drive up the 101...

We stopped by some weird villagey town and ate at a pizza shop. The scary dude in the pic described exactly what the inside of the restaurant was. Dark, full of very serious-faced people not talking to each other at all, and scary. The only good thing was CCR on their radio. But no fear, we sat outside where the sun warmed us up and kept the scaries inside.

I got this crazy looking hamburger with salsa and jalapeno. I believe its name was the Artic Grill?? Weird, yes. Messy, yes. A good lunch to fill my tummy before pouring wine in meself? Yes.

Then we finally got up to wine country with only 2 hours left to wine taste due to holiday traffic on the way up. Among the few wineries we visited which included Turley, Denner, Adelaide, and Tobin James. But the wine that stood the most for me was the Denner Vineyards 2005 Viognier. Oh my god it was amazing. I didn't even know viogniers could taste like that. The ones I've had before didn't have the same complexity or lush fruit as this one.

Here is their description of the Viognier: Exhibits aromas of candied leechee, pineapple and mango fruits, vanilla beans, and perfumey jasmine notes. These elements all tie together in the wines rich, fruity, buttery mouthfeel. The intense tropical fruit flavors persist in the finish with a subtle shadow of creme brulée peaking in during the lingering aftertaste.

After a short break back at our inn we headed out for dinner at Kolberl at Blue in downtown San Luis Obispo. We started with some fried calamari, fresh oysters and a half-bottle of Cristalino.

For the main course I ordered the duck breast with duck spring roll, snap peas, and pea shoots. The duck was delicious but the dish itself could have been composed better. The rice that came with the dish was prett bad first of all. Bland, dry, absolutely no flavor. The spring roll, although delicious, should have been on the appetizer menu or something. I love veges so the pea shoots and the snap peas were a treat but they didn't come together on the plate. The dish felt like 5 different things on a plate (spring roll, duck breast, dry rice, snap peas, pea shoots), not a dish composed of 5 different ingredients. You can see that the snap peas were cooked separately and placed on one side while the pea shoots were probably stuck in the middle after the rest of the food was plated. The duck was succulent though. I just wish it was complemented better. Perhaps a saffron risotto with the snap peas and sauted pea shoots placed on top and the sliced duck breast placed on one side. Then the delicious sauce drizzled over. Overall it was good.

But looking at Boy's UFO looking carpaccio dish... it's so unneccesarily complicated. What's up with the vertical baguette slices? It's like an elementary school project. The beef slices were way too thin and could not hold up to the strong horseradish sauce. Plus it kept ripping into shreds when picking it up off the plate. Not cool.

I had some pinot noir with my duck, I forget the name, but I do remember it being delicious.

Now breakfast the next morning at old-timey Apple Farm, that was great.

I find it hard to pass on a big plate of corned beef. Damn it was good. Corned beef hash is definitely on my list of favorite foods. And I've mostly just eaten those crazy canned ones. Hopefully eventually I'll corn my own beef.

Boy had the pancakes with eggs, sausage, and hash. It's his usual deal. I don't like pancakes nor waffles too much. That's because I haven't had one like this. This one was amazing. I've never been swooned by a pancake before but this was so fluffy, not doughy but kind of sweet. A pancake I never knew existed.

The trip was a nice relaxing and delicious time to hang out with great friends, delicious food and wine. I vote yes to more road trips!

Crab Cakes & Cucumbers with Gochujang

2006-09-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

While testing recipes for the wedding menu, there were some crab casualties. My visions of crab and cucumber canape were not working out so well and I was left with a batch of crab tossed with creme fraiche, curry and lime. Well there is only one thing left to do in this case. Make crab cakes of course.

These beautiful green peppers are from the Japanese stand at the Santa Monica farmer's market. I chopped and sauteed the peppers with some onion then added it to the failed crab mixture along with some egg, panko, cilantro, and scallion. Formed them into little discs, dipped both sides into a plate of panko, then chilled them in the fridge for a lil bit.

Meanwhile, I had sliced up some korean cucumbers, lightly salted it then had it draining in the sink. I love cucumbers! Especially when it's paired up with some fiery gochujang (Korean red chili paste). For the seasoning I mixed the gochujang with some minced garlic, sesame oil, water to thin, sesame seed, and scallion. I rinsed the cucumbers, drained and blotted them dry, then tossed them in the gochujang sauce and let it soak up all the goodness.

The crab cakes cooked up beautifully with a crispy crust and a light fluffy texture. Topped with chives and a dab of sriracha and paired with the refreshing cucumbers and pillowy white rice, it made for an excellent dinner. And excellent lunch too!

Three Salads, a Cake and a Cheers for a Birthday Girl

2006-09-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

A poolside self-serve bar, a table full of delicious munchies, a dessert table, a dj set up on the deck... what more can you ask for at a birthday party? The weather was still warm and going strong at the end of August. Perfect for Champagne sipping, toe wading, snack nibbling, celebrating A's birthday. She was having some delicious bbq catered and so I was commissioned for three salads to complement the meats.

Potato and Green Bean Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts & Mustard Dressing

What a mess this salad looks! :/ It was delicious however with its roasted potatoes, crisp-tender blached green beans, crumbled Danish blue cheese, toasted walnuts, and a dijon-herb dressing. Something nice and hearty to stand up to the bbq. I should have added the crumbled blue cheese after I got to A's house though. Doh!

Corn Salad with Green Pepper, Lime & Pea Shoots

I really wanted to make Grant's Corn and Snap Pea salad so much. I went to three different markets hoping to find some fresh snap peas. Even went to the Santa Monica farmer's market on Saturday for one last desperate search but the season had ended and snap peas had gone. Boo~ sadly I did not once buy any snap peas this whole summer. What's wrong with me?!

So I decided to just make a simple corn salad. I stopped by the Japanese farm stand and got some beautiful green bell peppers and the sprouts table for some refreshing pea shoots. I took off all the husk and silk from the corn, lightly rubbed on some olive, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and roasted them in the oven. Meanwhile I diced up the green bell peppers and some red onion. Once the corn had cooled a bit, I cut off all the kernels and combined it with the onion and pepper along with lime juice, pea shoots, a pinch of cayenne, and olive oil. Surprisingly, my makeshift corn salad was people's favorite.

Cherry Tomato & Arugula with Pickled Onion & Buttermilk Dressing

This was my favorite salad though. I had also picked up some Arugula at the Japanese farm stand. It was so tender and fresh. So much better than the bagged baby arugula at the markets which I do turn to often. The leaves were so beautiful and springy green. Paired with juicy cherry tomatoes, pickled red onion, herbs & a light buttermilk dressing, this salad was necessary item for my bbq plate. I had pickled the red onion the night before to add some zing to the salad but raw red onion would have worked nicely too.

Dessert Table

The desserts got their own table! Going clockwise from the top-right, cupcakes from Sprinkles, treats from Phoenix bakery in downtown, Ellen's fab chocolate cookies, "White Trash Hostess Plate", and the last one is from me! Yes this savory girl made some dessert. Hey, it's a special occasion. I can break out the dessert diva once in a while.

Chocolate Custard Cake with Ganache, Roasted Pistachios & Fleur de Sel

Upon reading Tokyoastrogirl's post on Boca Negra and seeing how easy the recipe was, I knew this had to immediately go on my shortlist of Desserts I Can (and Willing) Make. I added my own touch though by pouring some ganache over the top, sprinkling with roasted chopped pistachios and fleur de sel. The chocolate custard cake was so smooth and rich while the ganache added some extra richness, gleam and glam on top along with the crunchy pistachios and delicious salt crystals.

Asian Bits for a Polynesian Wedding

2006-09-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend was the setting for a chic intimate wedding. One of little paper lanterns, polynesian music, Kahlua pork, and bride's maids dressed in Hawaiian gear.

The bride requested of me Asian inspired hor d'oeuvres. The exact suggestion was "Polynesian, Indonesian". Of course I freaked. Polynesian, Indonesian! The only Asian food I can cook with confidence is Korean. Well, being Korean and having had Korean food almost every single day for the last 25 years.

I was pulling my hair doing research for the menu and also from fear that I was going to completely ruin the wedding with my subpar hor d'oeuvres. Through taste tests, adaptation, editing, and lots of brain-hurty thinking I came up with this menu which also includes the bride's requested mini hamburgers.

Japanese Cucumber Salad with Soba & Crab

I cut out the base from a wonton skin with a fluted cutter then baked them off in a greased baking sheet for a few minutes. It's good to keep checking their toasting process since one side of the sheet may cook faster than the other, or worse, burn! Originally I planned to make the sweet and sour Indonesian cucumber salad but the recipe test deterred me. I think the type of cucumber (English) and the shape of the pieces (diced) put me off. But I moved on anyways and decided on the Japanese cucumber salad which uses vinegar, sugar and soy sauce.

To this I added some soba noodles with tamari dressing, for a 50-50 cucumber to noodle proportion. The crabmeat got a quick splash of seasoning from the leftover cucumber salad dressing along with cilantro and green onion. And for garnish, chives and black sesame seeds.

Ahi Poke with Mango Salsa

Marinated lightly with sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, scallion, sweet onion, sriracha, red chili oil, and Korean red pepper powder, the super fresh ahi tasted delicious. After filling little wonton flowers with the ahi poke, I topped it off with a simple mango salsa made with mango, lime, cilantro, red onion and jalapeno.

Maui Sliders with Sweet Onion-Scallion Soy Relish

I seasoned the ground beef simply with soy sauce, sugar and black pepper. Now the onion scallion relish is where I brought in a little bit of my Korean. The scallion soy relish condiment is one that my mom and I makes a lot and it is so simple and delicious. It is sliced scallion, soy sauce, Korean red pepper powder, garlic, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. This is good on practically EVERYTHING. Until now I never even thought about it, but yes, even on these sliders.

I added chopped sweet onions to the relish which added an extra crunch to the sliders, refreshing but not sharp like regular onions. The mini patties were custom fit for the soft sweet Hawaiian rolls [which were less than perfect shaped. :P], and topped with the sweet onion scallion relish and few sprigs of watercress, it was the most popular item at the wedding.

I did try to see if custom ordering the sweet rolls from King's Hawaiian was possible. Preferably ones that weren't cooked side by side but individually which would have made the presenation so much prettier. But they never got back to me and plus it would have probably put me out of my budget considering the cost of the ahi and crab. But flavor-wise these sliders won people over, including me.

A tiring day but a successful one thanks to Dylan who came out to help me work the event. Although we did almost die from breathing smoke from the grill in a very poorly ventilated kitchen. We survived though. Then we drank.

Fresh Pasta with Basil & Tomato

2006-08-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

Beautiful tomatoes from the farmer's market, torn basil, minced garlic over warm pasta. Simple, rustic, delicious. My favorite sort of meal.

My Pantry

2006-08-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to take an inventory of my whole pantry but kept putting it off thinking it would take forever. But finally did it yesterday due to the fact that my cable was broken temporarily and I was bored consequentially. But it didn't take long at all and I feel like a weights been lifted off my shoulders due to the organization and cleaning out of my pantry. Here is what I gots. And what I better use now that I am aware of their existence!

GRAINS, BEANS, FLOUR, PASTA
rolled oats
bulgar wheat
brown jasmine rice
brown basmati rice
garbanzo flour
farro
arborio
panko
spanish rice
kalgooksoo
nokdoo (mungbeans)
chickpeas
carnaroli
polenta
all purpose flour
spaghetti
fusili
large penne
egg noodle
soba noodle
spanish white beans
couscous

OIL, VINEGAR, HONEY, SAUCE STUFF
grapeseed oil
roasted almond oil
organic raspberry honey
orange blossom honey
wildflower honey
mirin
italian olive oil
spanish olive oil
canola oil
soy sauce
apple cider vinegar
white distilled vinegar
fish sauce
red vine vinegar
sherry vinegar
canola oil spray
walnut oil
ginger dressing
pomegranate mollasses
white wine vinegar
balsamic vinegar
marsala
rice vinegar
sesame oil
sesame soy oil
bacon bouillon
chicken bouillon
demi-glace

DRIED FRUIT, NUTS, SEEDS
currants
mission figs
california apricots
raw pistachio
sliced almonds
raw almonds
roasted peanuts
poppy seed
rosemary crackers
walnuts (f)
pinenuts (f)
raw blanched almonds (f)

SPICES
steak seasoning
fennel seeds 2 (duplicity is a good reason to keep track of your pantry. 1 bottle will probably go stale. boo.)
cayenne
seaweed powder
star anise
curry powder
ground ginger
oregano 2
allspice
vanilla extract
chili powder
juniper berries
nutmeg
saffron
coriander seeds
cumin
herbs de provence
spicy paprika
cream of tartar
togarashi
baking powder
bay leaves
cinnamon
whole red chilies
pasta seasoning
cinnamon sticks
crushed red pepper
bittersweet paprika
cumin/coriander mix
bonito furikake
pulao rice spice mix 2
indian grilled vege spice mix 2
nasi goreng spice mix
madras curry paste

OTHER PANTRY
tj pav bhaji
sardine
baked beans
menudo
beef chili
corn
tuna in water
canned chicken (my mom bought this!)
coconut milk
enchilada sauce
tonic water
tomato paste
soba noodle soup
portugese soup
roasted seaweed for rolls
dried wild mushroom
grape leaves
tj ketchup (the best ketchup ever)
spicy bbq sauce
hot chili peppers
giardinara
san marzano tomatoes
spring roll wrappers

FREEZER
fresh bread crumbs
edamame
turkey meatloaf
puff pastry shells
puff pastry sheets
phyllo
corn
baguette
fish sticks
chicken sausage
buffalo popcorn shrimp
pork belly
samgyupsal (thinly sliced pork belly)
chadolbaeggi (sliced deckle)
nengmyun
vege lasagne
brown vege curry
kimchi gook
dumplings

FRIDGE
duck fat
parmesan rinds
rosemary pecorino
grana padano
smoked provolone
grated gruyere
carmelized onion
roasted garlic

I haven't gone food shopping in a while so that's why the only things left in my fridge is cheese!

Summer Pudding

2006-08-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

Less than perfect according to what I saw on Barefoot Contessa, but I'm sure no less delicious. With blueberries, raspberries and strawberries that are cooked down in a bit of sugar and water, and buttery brioche to soak it all up into a little pretty cake, the only thing that can make this summer pudding better is freshly whipped cream. And mimosas. :)

Summer Pudding (Barefoot Contessa)

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 half-pints fresh raspberries, divided
2 half-pints fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons framboise (raspberry brandy)
1 loaf brioche or egg bread (1 to 1 1/2 pounds)

Combine the strawberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup of water in a large saucepan and cook uncovered over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of the raspberries and all the blueberries and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a simmer, and simmer for a minute. Off the heat, stir in the remaining raspberries and the framboise.

Slice the bread in 1/2-inch-thick slices and remove the crusts. In the bottom of a 7 1/2-inch round by 3-inch high souffle or baking dish, ladle about 1/2 cup of the cooked berry mixture. Arrange slices of bread in a pattern (this will become the top when it's unmolded) and then add more berry mixture to saturate. Continue adding bread, cutting it to fit the mold, and berries. Finish with bread and cooked berries, using all of the fruit and syrup.

Place a sheet of plastic wrap loosely over the pudding. Find a plate approximately the same diameter as the inside of the mold and place it on top. Weight the mold with a heavy can and refrigerate. Remove the weight after 6 to 8 hours. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Just before serving, run a knife around the outside of the pudding and unmold it upside down onto a serving plate. Serve in wedges with rum whipped cream.

Rosemary Parmesan Polenta Bites

2006-08-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

Can you guess where the above polenta "stars" came from? Well its an easy peasy question considering the little polenta circles that left behind the spread of stars is featured on the prior post.

Try to use up scraps whenever you make food. You never know, it might just be super delicious. I broiled off the little polenta stars and here is what came out:

The star edges are essential to this being delicious because they brown and crisp up so nicely. Crispy and cheesy with a teeny bit of heat from red pepper flakes. I think it would make a perfect anju (side dishes that accompany alcohol) to a nice chilled glass of beer. So next time you make polenta cakes, save the leftover bits and transform into something delicious like these polenta poppers!

Opening Party + Summer + Hor d'oeuvres

2006-08-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

My blog stamina has been lacking these days. I seriously don't know what I do at work. Every morning I used to go down my blog bookmarks (back then there was about 30). Each and every single one I would peek into as soon as I got to work while eating breakfast of some sort. Now days, I neither blog like a loony nor blog surf with speed and agility as I used to. But I don't work either. So what the hell am I doing?!

Hmm, not blogging on time is one of em. Recently I catered my biggest production to date. It was a hair salon opening party and the gig fell into my lap via a few friends who recruited me for help. But somehow I took charge and became the ringleader of this challenge.

Although I was nervous at first at the number of people, once I ran a few logistics through my head, I knew we would have it under control. The client was expecting around 70 people and wanted hor d'oeuvres. I churned my head and thought of these to serve...

Gruyere Gougere

Let's just call these Gruyere Cheese Puffs. Trust me, people will keep saying "what?!" if you say gougere. Basically it's a pate a choux dough piped out into little balls, sprinkled with grated gruyere and baked off til puffed like this:

So much nicer straight out of the oven and before the toll of the unusual LA humidity we were having for a few weeks. However it was delicious and a few guests were hooked on it. Served up in little berry baskets that I saved and accented with complementarily hued flowers, the cheese puffs looked so pretty and unique.

Caponata Canape with Pecorino

Caponata crostinis were wildly successful for one of my Writing Pad menus so I thought why not. Except this time I bought little cocktail cups at Surfas. There is no way I'm baking 120 gougeres and toasting 120 crostinis. In one electric oven. No frickin way. Anyways, these little cups did not disappoint and even one guest mentioned that this was her favorite. Yay!

Caponata, by the way, is a Sicilian dish made up of eggplant, tomato, raisan, capers and red pepper. Of course I had to add cheese to it. I swear I was going to serve it og style but it was missing something. Teeny small diced tangy Pecorino Romano can't hurt right? In fact, it did not hurt and it was even better. Love that pecorino.

Rosemary Polenta with Currant-Pinenut Relish

Polenta is my ever resourceful dish in the kitchen. I made this one in the style of Barefoot Contessa but I think I added more Parmigiano Reggiano. This polenta was wreaking parmesan. That's not a complaint by the way.

I believe the currant pinenut pairing is Italian. I've seen that combo in a few recipes. It's a dynamic combination and this relish is one that will make a veal scallopine special, or maybe a cheese stuffed chicken thigh, or in this case a little polenta cake infused with piney floral rosemary, butter, red pepper flakes, and parmesan.

What a looker too. I really liked the varieties of colors that each dish brought to the table. Cute little edible round stuff in all sorts of colors but organized prettily to bring a smile to my face, the guests face, and most importantly the client's face.

And oh yes, dessert. Dessert isn't my thing but it is everyone else's according to personal experience. My accomplices took charge of baking and with a little help from an unnamed source of immense help, these were easily made and easily consumed. I iced them with Santo's Mascarpone Icing although I failed to make the beautiful spikes. Instead I made little flowers which actually looked cute. Just not as cool as the spikes. I thought hair salon? Spikes? Would have gone funkily cool together but oh wells. I should stay away from desserts. How can I make something good that I don't even like to have that often?

The most people I've catered for so far is about 12. Then jumped to 70! More like 60 but who's counting. It was a success, I was tired, and I was ready to drink at the end.

Where Would I Be

2006-08-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

Where would I be if deprived from Asian packaged foods? I would certaintly be at hungry. Today's breakfast - instant miso, Japanese microwave rice, Korean seafood flavor rice seasoning. Simple comfort, all in cute small packages.

Flatbread Pizza; Pig Candy; Roasted Almonds with Fleur de Sel

2006-08-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

Flatbread pizzas are so easy to make and so delicious, like any pizza with a good base and good topping. I made two varieties which both started off with a base of ricotta and carmelized onion. Then they split off - one was crowned with roasted red pepper, anchovy and goat cheese.

While the other one got sauteed creminis with pancetta and pecorino. If I had a one of those wooden pizza spatulas I could have put them on the oven rack directly and the base would have been crisp throughout. I'll add that to my "To Buy" list, although the pizza stone I currently have has used been only once. I swear I'm going to get around to making a real pizza dough again sometime. Hmm, sometime soon?

I also made some delicious and wholly addicting pig candy. I was alerted to its existence not too long ago when LOU came up in LA Weekly. I made mine with Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Cured Bacon. Sprinkle of brown sugar and cayenne then it went into the oven to bake and make my house smell like the most delicious edible thing ever. It was hard not to open the oven door just to inhale the aroma. I love bacon!!!

I baked the smoky bacon twice to adjust for the flavoring and made sure it had a nice heat to it, mellowed by the brown sugar, and just the right amount of crisp. I also roasted some almonds tossed in olive oil, then tossed the toasty nuts with fleur de sel. Let's just say my kitchen was smellin pretty good after all the pizza, bacon, and almond business.

A catered menu for www.writingpad.com

Ricotta Pea Crostini with Pecorino; Greek Salad

2006-08-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

Over the last six months I've made some crazy number of crostinis. And here is another one - Ricotta Pea Crostini with Pecorino. I got idea from Seven Spoons but I made mine a bit different. I cooked down some small diced shallots with itty bitty bit of thyme, then added the peas and warmed it up. I was planning to just smash it up with a fork and mix in the ricotta but the smashing wasn't goin so successfully. I threw everything into the food processor with a squeeze of half a lemon and then came out the pretty green puree. Oh yea, I added a small mint leaf and someone actually detected it! Impressive only because I remember how small the mint leaf was and how subtle it tasted in the puree.

Oh yes, back to the crostini. Shave some pecorino with a vegetable peeler and top the crostini. That's it. I don't think it can get simpler than that.

Then a pretty little Greek Salad. I know, you're thinking greek salad?! But look how pretty it looks? It's not the big bowl of tomato, onion, romaine, crumbled feta family style greek salad you recall. Not that there is anything wrong with that and I love me a big bowl of salad. But this is for guests so it needs to be a tad bit more presentable.

So this above salad shows off pretty pear-shaped tomatoes from Trader Joe's sliced in half, a block of feta cut into chunks instead of using the messy looking pre-crumbled stuff, peppery frisee, nice juicy olives, and very very thinly sliced, cold water-bathed onion slices.

I just love the combination of juicy tomatoes, crunchy fresh veges, salty briny olives, and tangy feta all together. Delicious!

A catered menu for www.writingpad.com

Endive with Spiced Chickpea Puree & Salsa Verde; Manchego, Quince Paste, Rosemary Crackers & Spanish Soria Sausages

2006-08-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

Endives, although on the pricey side used as an appetizer or hor d'oeuvre base, seem to add an elegant aesthetic touch to the presentation. With its pale, perfectly boat-shaped leaves with just a tiny tinge of yellow-green to the feathery thin edges, it cannot help but look cute lined up on a plate. This time carrying a dollop of warm spiced chickpea puree brightened by a spoonful of herby salsa verde.

The chickpea puree is quite easy to make. I sweated some onion and garlic with thyme for a few minutes then added drained chickpeas to the pan. Then add your choice of spices. Mine were paprika and cayenne. Then add a bit of chicken stock. A few minutes of whirl in the processor and you got chickpea puree. Taste and adjust liquid, salt, pepper, and olive oil to your taste.

Although I did buy the hugest Thai mortar and pestle that's been sitting on my counter, I decided to chop up the herbs for the salsa verde. So parsley, mint, garlic, anchovy, capers, lemon juice, and olive oil all mixed up together for a vibrant sauce.

I also served a cheese plate of Manchego, quince paste and The Fine Cheese Co's rosemary crackers. I haven't had Manchego in a while but that first bite reminded me of its delicious flavor. Semi-soft, a slight tang and nuttiness. It's quite easy to keep popping in your mouth. Maybe too easy.

A plate of Soria sausage accompanied the cheese plate.
Soria or Spanish Girl sausage: This variety originated in Old Castille around Soria and Logroño. Although actually a sausage, it resembles a gently seasoned, lean pork loin with a concentrated meaty taste. The meat is diced by hand, seasoned, and cured overnight to reduce its moisture. The mixture is then tightly packed into natural, Portuguese net-like casings and air-dried for three months. Simply eat it sliced and in sandwiches. [www.laespanolameats]

Cured sausage, what would I do without cured sausage? I would wither away.

A catered menu for www.writingpad.com

When the Temperature Goes Down...

2006-07-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

After being debilitated last weekend and melting away in the crazy humid heat, I am so happy to announce that I cooked this week! And thank god I did, because I had leftovers in my fridge that were getting impatient with me. Some stuff did go bad but some stuff survived. Here is what I made this week trying to use up all the leftovers...

Monday

It's still hot on Monday. Bugger. I picked up a few slices of prosciutto, marinated some leftover roasted pepper with sherry vinegar, capers, golden raisans, and olive oil, toasted leftover baguette that had been sitting in my fridge drawer, sliced up some manchego. And a simple dinner it became as Manchego Prosciutto Crostini with Roasted Pepper Relish. The crostinis could have been thinner but I was in a hurry to stop being hot!

Tuesday

No cooking! Ate spicy tuna roll and hwaedupbap (sashimi rice) takeout from Yanusa.

Wednesday
My mom told me to eat the rest of the turnip beef soup for dinner that she had made a few days before. But little did she know that I've been eating this for breakfast. It makes a perfect breakfast though with a little mound of rice. Soupy, soothing, something nice to gently wake me up in the morning.

But there were only dregs left in the pot by Wednesday. I had eaten the last good bit in the morning and was planning to clean the pot when I got home from work. But then when I got home, I suddenly got an idea to use up the scraps. Donburi! Now I've never made donburi before but had been checking out oyako donburi recipes when I crave comfort food.

I took the meat, flank I believe, out of the pot and shredded by hand. Marinated it in equal portions of mirin and soy sauce. I wisked up a few eggs with scallion, mirin and soy sauce. I brought the tidbit of broth up to a boil, added the meat, then added the egg. Although the eggs didn't coddle wholesomely as I would have liked, the dish was delicious. I ended up mashing the beef and egg into the rice anyways, so who needs perfect coddling? (Next time I will try better though). My mom was surprised at how good it was and also impressed with my use of trash-destined scraps.

I also had leftover carmelized onion and sauteed cremini mushrooms begging to be used. Sorry but it's just been way to hot to cook. Until Wednesday that is. I defrosted a sheet of puff pastry, rolled it out, laid some carmelized onion and cremini on top, sprinkled some thyme leaves, grated a bit of pecorino, and baked it off. Puff pastry is never bad is it? The Carmelized Onion & Cremini Tart made for a delicious and satisfying lunch the next day.

I had made plans to make Apple Coffee Cake last week. Instead the heat got me lazy the apple I had bought for this recipe were sitting in my fridge. Poor things, they were a little bit dried up and bruised lightly in some spots. I used Emeril's recipe and they came out perfect. I reduced the amount of sugar by a third though, which is perfect for my taste.

Oh yeah, the reason I searched out this recipe was because I had leftover sour cream and had nothing to use it in. Although the sour cream expiration date was 7/15, it stayed good until the 26th. It stayed good for 11 more days than it said it would! Miracle I tell ya. The container stamped with 7/14 went bad. Good thing I finally used the sour cream up. I think it was waiting for me to make the coffee cake.

Thursday

By now you're probably thinking damn this girl's got so much leftovers! Yes, yes I do. I had some leftover chocolate sauce from making profiterols two weeks ago. I searched and searched for a recipe to use this up in. And Chocolate Mousse was the winner.
I had stored the chocolate sauce in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. I popped that in the microwave with a few tablespoons of butter. Whisked in 3 yolks into the chocolate mixture. Then whipped up 3 egg whites in the mixer with cream of tartar and sugar. Whipped up some cream by hand and added vanilla extract. Folded the egg white into the chocolate. Then folded the whipped cream into the chocolate egg mixture. Then finally spooned into little ramekins and chilled. Topped it off with some whipped cream and grated chocolate.

It was so airy and light! It almost give you the impression you're not eating that much chocolate, but more like chocolate air. A happy success for my first chocolate mousse.

*pic to be inserted here*

More leftovers or stored food... Long time ago I made chicken stock from scratch. It's been sitting in my freezer for a while now. Not so long that I couldn't use it but long enough that I better find something good to put it in. With plans to make brown curry I defrosted the two containers full of my first homemade chicken stock ever. I also had turkey meatloaf sitting in my freezer too. It's more like emergency food, if I don't have time to make lunch or get lazy or something. I defrosted two balls of those.

I threw in some potato, onion, carrots, zucchini, summer squash, and button mushroom into the broth. Added the cubed up tender pieces of turkey meatloaf. Added the curry mix. And the deed was done - delicious Brown Curry with Veges and Turkey Meatloaf.

Friday
Ahh, I feel clean and purged of my leftovers and freezer-stored foods. I still have bits of leftovers here and there but mostly I've cleaned out my fridge. And my conscience at that. I crown myself Master of Leftovers. :)

And here is today. Well I happened to get hooked up to a catering gig tomorrow for 70 people so I'll be cooking it up tonight with a few friends. Hopefully I won't have too much leftover ingredients from the gig or else I will have to rack my brain for more recipes!

Lavash with Roasted Veges and Lemon-Cumin Yogurt; Tabouli

2006-07-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

Roasting is one of my favorite ways to cook vegetables. They develop a deeper flavor as they roast, becoming sweet, nutty, and carmelized in all the right places. For this simple wrap, I roasted an eggplant, farmer's market carrots, red pepper, zucchini, and onion. I added a basil leaf or two after the vegetables cooled a little bit.

Now top that lavash with the beautiful roasted veges, a sprinkle of tabouli and a dollop of thick, creamy whole yogurt tinged with lemon zest and cumin. So simple and so good! Lavash has become a good friend to me. How can one so versatile be a bad friend in the kitchen?

Marilyn's dessert: Pistachio Truffles with Ice Cream

A catered menu for www.writingpad.com

Hot Weekend Things

2006-07-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

I had grand plans for squash blossoms and tapas with roasted pepper relish livened up with raisan, capers and parsley. For a simple tomato salad with fleur de sel and peppery olive oil and pasta bianco with shavings of pecorino and black pepper.

But I did none of that. Zero. In fact, I could barely move this whole weekend. When is this heat and humidity going to stop? Earth please have mercy on us cooks!

After late escapading til 5 on Friday, I woke up Saturday mid-morning contemplating whether to head over to the Santa Monica farmer's market. But it was already hot and I thought about my previously made plans to deep fry some squash blossoms. Hmmm... stay home and watch tv and nap. Or goto the farmer's market so I can deep fry on one of the hottest days of this season.

I stayed home. Ate a bowl of my mom's turnip soup made with a light beef broth, mixed grain rice, and kimchi. This is my ideal breakfast anytime - Korean soup that is. So then I napped, watched TV. Rolled around my living room as the day got hotter and hotter. I watched 4 episodes of a Korean drama called Dae Jang Geum. It's about a royal cook way back in the days. It's frickin awesome and there is a lot of food shots in there. I believe there is a dvd version of it with subtitles. Really educational and so intriguing. Anyhow, that is what I did until Boy came over around lunch time.

Then we ate spicy chicken and potatoes with mushroom and red peppers. Rice, scallion salad, and a bowl of the turnip soup. Ahh, life is good when the fridge is stocked with previously made food. Then we watched Miller's Crossing on IFC as we tried to cool down unsuccessfully. Oh did I mention that the AC is broken? Yip.

Instead we sat in front of a plug in air conditioner named Narita. Narita really did try her best but dammit, we were melting and melting. It was horrible.

Then it was time to eat again. We ordered Korean-Chinese food from Mandarin House. Some Chinese meatballs, yaki dumplings, and jiajangmyun. I got full. It was still hot. I could not move. Bleh.

Then Sunday came about. Boy and I headed over to Cactus Tacqueria for lunch. Ate on one of their benches. It was hard to breathe but the tacos were so good I survived. Then off to see Strangers with Candy at the Sunset Laemmle. Hallelujah! The theater was so well air-conditioned that I almost even got goosebumps at one point. The movie was funny, I was nicely chilled and happy. Until we left that is. I told Boy maybe we should go back inside for another movie since neither of our places are air conditioned and at $10/2 hr it's probably the cheapest thing we could do.

Instead we headed over to Santa Monica to get a drink at Father's Office. It was hot, but a tiny bit better on the oceanside of town. There was a short wait but we got in and got ourselves bar seats. Chilled glasses of Russian River's Pliny the Elder brought back a bit of happiness to our lives. We sipped and ate their soft-shell crab with corn relish, which was excellent by the way. Then a basket of the sweet potatoes fries with roasted garlic cabrales aioli came our way. It was excellent as usual. Unfortunately, with the heat and the exhaustion that comes with it, the glass of double IPA did not sit well with my head. Pounding ensued. Sigh.

So we headed to Boy's place to watch Deadwood. It was 89 degrees in his place. Ai yai yai. I am really looking forward to this week of cooling down. The food this weekend was excellent and delicious but I want to cook for a change without melting away!

How was everyone else's weekend?

Yay for Yai

2006-07-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

After reading Santos's delicious post of a few Thai restaurants I straight headed over to Yai, her favorite of the group, to try some of the wonderful sounding dishes. My mouth is getting watery just thinking about the food now. Here is what we tried...

Gai sapp nok...
This was a nice and spicy dish of ground chicken and curry. Perfect over fluffy jasmine rice to soak up some of the juices and also provide a little relief from the chiles.

The sole was also nice and spicy. Although at the time I didn't think that it was that spicy, when I had it for lunch the next day my tongue was kind of starting to burn up. I enjoy that though. :)

Delicious chicken satay with the ubiquitous plate accessory - white bread. Who started this? I thought it funny the first time I saw white bread come out with an appetizer at Sanamluang.

Black egg pow...
This was my first taste of preserved egg. Although it looks kind of scary it was delicious. I didn't expect such a soft silky texture. I loved the heap of fried basil on top of this dish. I wouldn't mind having a bowl of rice with just the fried basil leaves and some soy sauce. Truly delicious.

We also tried the dry bbq duck noodles which I loved! Okay, I loved everything. I really enjoyed the brothy sauce and the bean sprouts at the bottom. The duck meat was tender and delicious and plenty to go around.

All of us enjoyed our lunch and we stuffed ourselves. And who would have thought that the little Thai restaurant in the tiny strip mall could serve it up so good? I never even noticed the place before. But thank god for food bloggers or else I would have never known!

5757 Hollywood Blvd
323.466.0153

Squash Blossoms

2006-07-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

Here is my first attempt at deep frying and squash blossoms. I can't say it was completely a success since I adore the ones at AOC and Hungry Cat, but the first few were delicious. You can see the beautiful color of the squash blossoms through the thin batter. Although this is quite visually enjoyable I want to achieve a more crunchy tempura like batter next time. I must be crazy to want to fry in this weather but the thought of waiting until next summer to have squash blossoms again makes me panic.

I stuffed these with ricotta and goat cheese. The ricotta was full of moisture and I didn't have the forethought to drain it a little bit. Duh! So by the last frying squash blossom these cheese was leaking out of the flower. And of course I was freaking out from a few feet away. I thought the oil was going to explode or something at this point. See? No deep frying experience over here.

I'm not so into frying at home although I love fried foods. The hot weather right now, the hot oil splattering over my hands and stove, cleaning and disposing of the oil - not my ideal way to enjoy food. But squash blossoms are worth it. I'm going to give another go this weekend.

Now that I'm no longer a frying virgin (hehe that sounds weird) I guess I can move onto all those wonderful foods I've been avoiding making at home. Fried chicken, tempura, fried shrimp and oysters, and fries. Mmmm~!

Raspberry Pavlova

2006-07-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

I'm not too into sweets and would almost always prefer ending a meal with a cheese plate with the last sips of my wine than get a dessert. What can I say? I am a savory gal.

But pavlovas, that's another story. Now here's a dessert I can definitely have lots of in one sitting. Pavlova is basically a meringue base with whipped cream topped with fresh fruit. In this case, beautiful apricot-hued raspberries tumbled upon a pile of freshly whipped cream upon a light meringue base that just melts in your mouth. There is no frickin way that can't be good.

I like the cool milkiness of the freshly whipped cream sans sugar, the sweet juiciness of the berries and the crunchy light meringue. I've tried strawberries but I am partial to raspberries for this dessert. Everyone I've made pavlova for absolutely loves it. Including me. :)

Roasted Cauliflower with Curry & Paprika; Israeli Couscous with Currants, Golden Raisans & Pinenuts

2006-07-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

Roasted cauliflower with spices is so easy to make and so affordable. You get a great bang for your buck with this flavorful dish. First you cut off the florets, toss it with olive oil, cumin, coriander, curry, paprika, and a teeny bit of black pepper. The roasted it with wedges of onion and little knobs of butter. I like it when the floret edges get really and carmelized and charred. The above picture does not show such carmelized edges - waahh. Broiling for a few minutes could have worked that out though.

To go with the roasted cauliflower I made Israeli couscous. I sauteed some shallots and then added water to this. Brought it up to a boil, added the couscous, and cooked it covered until the water had been absorbed. Alternatively, you can cook the couscous in more water then drain it. To the cooked couscous I added dried currants, raisans, parsley, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. The sweetness from the currants and raisans in the couscous paired up well with the spiced cauliflower. I really enjoyed the texture of the Israeli couscous, so much more than Moroccan couscous which is the only couscous I knew until I made this one.

Marilyn's dessert: Papaya Lime Soup Shooter

A catered menu for www.writingpad.com

Burrata & Tomato Salad; Fresh Shell Pasta with Pancetta, Corn & Brown Butter Salsa Verde; Profiterol with Vanilla Ice Cream & Chocolate Sauce

2006-07-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

The yellow one is Lemon Boy, the darker one is Purple Cherokee, and the green one is Green Zebra. Aren't they just darling?! I hit up the Saturday farmer's market over in Santa Monica this weekend, in preparation for a lunch I was preparing for my friend H for her birthday. Then I hit up Bay Cities and went crazy. I do that sometimes. Go crazy buying all sorts of stuff I need and may need. Did that last week at Mitsuwa too. What's wrong with me?! I've gone food shopping crazy!

I got some wonderful wonderful burrata at Bay Cities. The skin on this creamy mozzarella was super thin and the flesh creamy and milky. What better way to enjoy it then a simple salad with beautiful tomatoes and fragrant basil straight from the market? I drizzled the salad with a Spanish olive oil, sprinkled some fleur de sel, and ground black pepper. Nothing else, and it was truly delicious.

I also picked up some corn and chanterelle mushrooms at the farmer's market and fresh shell pasta at Bay Cities. I sauteed some pancetta, onion and garlic. Then added thyme, chanterelles, and a pinch of saffron. Deglazed with a bit of white wine then added the cut corn. Meanwhile I cooked the pasta in a pot of well salted water. Then tossed all together along with brown butter salsa verde, and shaved over some Pecorino Romano.

The dish I originally had in mind was fresh pasta with pancetta, pea, saffron and pecorino. And the leftover salsa verde was to be employed in the burrata tomato salad. But instead I kept the salad simple with a drizzle of the olive oil and decided to make brown butter salsa verde (a la Lucques) to finish the pasta. Brown butter is, well, browned butter. The salsa verde is made of parsley, mint, anchovies and capers. Now add those two together and you got yourself some herb infused nutty brown butter.

But in my little spontaneous turn of the recipe I believed I faltered a bit. The pasta definitely could do without the saffron since there was a lot of herb flavor going on. I would have used less butter or oil in order to control the total amount of fat in the dish. When I added the brown butter salsa verde, it was a bit too buttery. Perhaps more chanterelles would have been nice but those things are expensive and also I was out of money. Okay, enough analysis!

However, this is not to say that it wasn't delicious. H happily filled herself up with the pasta as did the rest of us. The corn was sweet, fresh, and cooked just enough to keep intact some of the pleasant crunch. And the Bay Cities' fresh pasta is so delicious. Do try it. It'll do well even with just a grind of black pepper, a shave of pecorino, and a drizzle of good olive oil.

I even decided to make the dessert. You guys know I only make dessert once in a while but since this menu was pretty simple I decided to put in some time in the dessert department. So profiterols with Ben & Jerry's Vanilla Ice Cream and chocolate sauce. I followed the Barefoot Contessa recipe for the profiterols and they came out delicious. The dough is sticky and messy to clean from the food processor but the recipe is super easy. I was happy with the results. I think we all were!

*Happy birthday H! Glad you enjoyed your lunch. :)

Quickeasy Meal - Flatbread Pizza

2006-07-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

As I demonstrated to myself before that flatbread is indeed an easy meal waiting to be fixed, I thought the last piece of lavash would well received (in my mouth that is) as a quickie dinner. A flatbread pizza sounded like something that was easy, fast & not too messy of a recipe for a weeknight tv dinner.

I topped the lavash with some semi-carmelized brown onion, thyme, anchovy pieces, goat cheese and s&p. Baked it off. Easy as that!

The results were delicious - the crispy lavash with the sweet onion, salty anchovy, and tangy goat cheese. I did sprinkle an one too many sprinkle of the salt and it was a bit salty especially with the anchovy. Next time more chops to the anchovy and less sprinkles of the salt. Am I forgiven? I may even add a smear of ricotta to the base. Mmmm.

La Chouffe's Dobbelen IPA Tripel accompanied this easy meal. It's Belgian, it's a tripel, but not too much of them hops as the name might suggest. However, it was still a delicious beverage to imbibe, well-balanced and not as heavy as the "Tripel" made me think.

I think flatbread pizzas may become a recurring dish on this blog. It's a perfect entertaining dish. Hmm, time for a party?

Back Up

2006-07-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

My computer is back up! Yay! At least for the time being. I have no idea how it goes from not recognizing the hard drive one day to turning back on another day. Anyhow, until it breaks again I will be posting. A delicious lunch at Yai, Writing Pad menu, birthday lunch... to be posted soon!

Technological Difficulties

2006-07-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

My computer crashed the other day so postings may be delayed. The previous post was the last bit of the uploaded pics. Maybe I'll post without pics until the comp gets fixed/replaced. I feel self-conscious writing without the photos though! Because then I'll really have to pay attention to what I'm writing instead of cheating with the pics. :) I hope you understand and I hope I make sense sans pics.

Sanamluang

2006-07-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

My brother alerted me to the delicious pad kee mow at Sanamluang a few years ago. At first bite I was addicted. The food here is fast, cheap and delicious. Perfect for a drop-by dinner before an activity, such as watching The Pirates of the Carribean.

So we drove down Hollywood Blvd. Of course when we got there the parking situation was ridiculous, the parking lot being extremely small and this being LA. But no biggie, we parked a block down. I figured I could count the short walk as exercise. My friend H said no. But how about round trip? That could equal out a quarter-mile I said. She laughed, I think in agreement.

We started with their eggrolls, which I find to be delicious minus the celery slices. These eggrolls are a good size, so pleasingly crunchy and steaming hot inside. Good thing H and I are good friends, because double dipping is essential to finishing each eggroll. I guess you could dip the ends, avoiding double dipping, but it doesn't soak up much of the sauce the exposed side does.

The we got the shrimp salad. This came piled high with cilantro and I could see all the marinating juice at the bottom of the plate ready to be slopped up by shrimp, leaves and all. The shrimp were a bit small but moist and cooked perfectly. The marinade was pungent, not too spicy, fragrant with lemongrass, fish sauce and cilantro. This one was tad sweeter than the one I used to have a Palms Thai. I haven't been to Palms Thai in years. Maybe it's time for comparison dining!

Then finally we waited for the pad kee mow, the dish I was raving about. Then came pad prik king. Question marks floated over my head. A communication flop had deprived me of my pad kee mow!! Nooooo! The waitress looked a little peeved about the mistake although the mistake is certainly in her ears. This problem was quickly rectified within less than 10 minutes and a hot plate of pad kee mow came to our table. Ground beef, aromatic basil, ground chili, and soft pillowy rice noodles - what more can I ask for? It's awfully delicious. Period.

Full of so much good food, I nearly got food coma. I hung on by a thread and we headed off to the theater after my exercise walk back to the car. Unfortunately it was a box breaking weekend for the PoTC and we couldn't get tickets. Instead I went to Boy's to watch tv and so sweetly gave him the leftover pad kee mow. Then I ate all of it. Hehe.

Sadly, I think Sanamluang and Palms Thai are the only two Thai restaurants I've been to in Thai Town. Fortunately Santos from The Scent of Green Bananas reviewed a few delicious options on her LA Blog. I warn you, the photos on her blog will make you drool!

5170 Hollywood Blvd
323.660.8006

Roast Lamb & Chorizo Wrap with Feta & Lemon-Cumin Yogurt

2006-07-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Boy and I have been proscrastinating this season so far about getting concert tickets and all. But last minute we decided to goto the Belle & Sebastian show at the Hollywood Bowl. We had been wishy washy about going, so ticket buying had been pushed all around last month until we pretty much forgot about the concert. But then spontanaeity hit and lucky us, the Hollywood Bowl site still showed many areas with available seats.

Then the next obvious question for me is: what do we eat?? I mulled over the ingredients in my fridge... what did I have? lavash, mixed spring greens, feta, yogurt. And lucky me, I had frozen leftover roasted lamb with chorizo stuffing from a dinner few weeks ago. I defrosted a slice in the microwave and sliced it very thin. Piled up the sliced lamb along with the chorizo stuffing on the lavash. Scattered sliced scallion and greek feta on top of that. Sprinkled on a handful of lettuce and beautiful wrap it became. And in the process used up all the bits and scraps in my fridge. I liiike.

I packed a bottle of pinot noir, Boy grabbed a few bottles of Franzikaner Hefe Weisse and off we went heading towards the Hollywood hills. We were even lucky enough to find a parking spot a few blocks away.

Finally we got to the box office. Tickets were sold out!!! Arg! Their website totally lied. I hate lying websites. The only seats available now were obstructed for over $40. Are you kidding me? Forget that bullshit. Good thing I had something delicious with me or else a bowl employee would have had to taken a fall for the lying website.

Instead I concentrated on the wrap. Boy looked around a little bit for tickets but I had already decided that I wanted to sit down and eat at that point. Actually I was pretty excited about the wrap - the lamb was so moist and flavorful, and the thought of creamy whole milk yogurt tinged with cumin and lemon juice over the moist lamb made me park the ticket situation far back in my mind.

So we sat, while concert goers continued to pass us. Bastards! No, it's not their fault the site lied... Bastards! We got a few glances at our wraps from passerbys (I would like to think jealous ones). The wrap was indeed delicious and numerous people carrying in CPK should have been jealous. And then traded their tickets for the lamb wraps!

This wrap should be sold in a shack. A drive by shack perhaps. Of course one that serves cold beer. Duh.

Gluttony on the 4th of July

2006-07-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

My blog (and I) got a one-liner in LA Weekly's article about Writing Pad which I cater for. I guess this means I better update my blog!

I did cook over the 4th of July weekend although I don't have the photos to prove it... Suzanne Goin's Pork Burgers to be exact. And when I say pork, I mean pork. Diced bacon and mexican chorizo mixed with ground pork. The chorizo gives a kick of spice and deep flavor to the mixture while the bits of bacon run through the patty waiting for heat to hit and melt into blissful pork fat in the patty. Heavenly, I tell ya.

It's important to avoid overmixing the meat mixture or else the patty will come out tough. Toughness=very very bad, whether in burgers, meatloaf, or anything. So I usually do the minimum mixing possible, except this time my minimal methods could have used an extra toss or two. A few delicious bits of the burger fell through the grill. Read delicious as the charred grilled bits on the edge where the crunch of the thinner edge will make harmony with the juicy interior. I think a few teardrops from my face also fell through the grill.

I also made Rob's Famous Coleslaw from the same Sunday Suppers at Lucques menu with the pork burgers. Being optimistic about people's usual bbq appetite I chose the biggest red cabbage at the market bin. There is more than 1/2 of the batch still left in Boy's fridge. Poor Boy. He is doomed to eat this as he knows I hate waste. I did provide some useful recipes though - how about grilled shrimp po'boy topped with the delicious cole slaw?

For dessert I made Rebecca Charles' Blackberry Nectarine Crisp posted by The Wednesday Chef. Well I didn't make this exact recipe because I lost the printed recipe. So I had to wing it. I forgot a lot of stuff, including proportions of dry ingredients and butter for the crisp part and cinnamon. I was frigteningly off now that I check the recipe. But it was delicious layered with Ben & Jerry's vanilla ice cream in between spoonfuls of the fruity rustic dessert according to my tasters.

It was hot and humid this 4th but I was full of delicious food and beer and in good company - exactly what a summer weekend should be.

Duck Confit with Black Rice, Mizuna & Savory Cherry Compote

2006-06-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

My last spring Lucques menu! Yes I know it's summer now but I just had to get one more in there. Duck confit has been on my list of dishes to make for a very long time now. It sounds hard though, doesn't it? Confit. Yip, sounds very hard. The Lucques recipe pairs duck confit with a savory cherry compote. How could I resist?

Upon reading the recipe and trying to get a mental to-do, I realized duck confit is so easy to make! Why had I put it off for so long? Never having tasted it was one but just fear of messing up this southwest France meat preservation method was the other. But this recipe is definitely a keeper, especially with the savory fruit compote.

A meat confit (usually geese, duck or pork) is when a meat is salted and cooked in its own fat in low heat. When the meat has finished cooking it can be stored up to a few months covered it its own fat which acts as a seal. Stuff like tomato confit and tuna confit will require the use of olive oil instead of animal fat.

In the same Lucques menu there is also a starter of white asparagus, ramps and morels with polenta. The use of cherries for the duck confit is a spring highlight but the starter would really emphasize the seasonality of this menu. So check!, added that to grocery list also.

The duck and cherries were easy to find but white asparagus, ramps and morels were nowhere to be seen. In fact, most of the farmer's market vendors I asked about ramps didn't even know what they were. Wish I rememebered that it was also called "wild leeks" so they could at least tell me where I might be able to find it or if it was already gone for the season.

Even before I went shopping I was pretty sure white asparagus would be out of my reach. But morels? I was optimistic since they are still being served at AOC. But nope, the mushroom vendor said morels were already out. Spring 2006 has been pretty much non-existent so I guess my expectations were a little bit too high, especially a few days into an already pretty hot summer.

Arg. So what's a girl to do? I mean, this is supposed to be a spring menu right?Well, I had to suck it up and just do my best. Here is what I served...

I started the meal with an impromptu salad with romaine hearts, crispy Neuske's bacon, goat cheese, and pea shoots with a simple dijon vinaigrette. For a salad that was put together last minute with stuff in the fridge it was pretty good, refreshing and pretty at the same time. I think a little more bacon wouldn't have hurt. But when does having more bacon ever hurt? God, I love bacon.

Next up was the revised polenta dish. I made a super soft polenta but rebelling against the instructions in the cookbook. I swear the total amount of time in the recipe was over 2 hours or something! I'm not that crazy. I made mine in 20 minutes and and it was completely delicious. Topped it with a more humble grouping of vegetables and mushroom with green asparagus, spring onion and cremini mushrooms. Still springy I believe. If I had a readily useable grill I would have added grilled leeks. The polenta was super fluffy, light and perfect with the vegetables and mushroom.

Then finally, duck confit. My goodness, my whole house smelled like deliciousness! Especially with some black rice and savory cherry compote simmering away on the stove. The recipe instructs to take the duck legs out of the oil when it's done and fire it away for 10 minutes or so in a very hot oven to make the skin crispy. Brilliant!

The duck leg meat was so tender, falling off with just a gentle pressure of the fork. I was gnawing on the bone to get every little bit of carmelized skin off. The briny black rice was a nice complement to the rich flavor of the duck and the sweet and savory cherry compote brought everything together. Just imagine that - briny, , nutty, sweet, savory, earthy. Crispy, tender, creamy. Brilliant!

Yumm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

But now I must say goodbye to spring and jump in head-in into the summer menus. So many different dishes caught my eye already while I was browsing through the book. I'll be more on top of things this time though. No slacking off and procrastinating until the last month of summer! Lest I wish to face the doom of unavailable produce again.

Croissant Bread Pudding

2006-06-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

A while back I saw a recipe for almond croissants on Chocolate & Zucchini. Up to this point I had never even imagined that almond croissant was something that was done at home or that could be. It looked so delicious and just the thought of the warm aroma of almond croissants wafting through the kitchen got me all excited.

Armed with 6 croissants from Maison du Pain I finally gave the recipe a go. I dipped the croissants in a light sugar syrup, sliced it in half, and filled it with the almond cream made with almonds, butter, egg & sugar. Placed the top back on, spread a little bit on top and sprinkled sliced almonds over it. Popped it into the oven.

Out came out smelling delicious. But looking a little bit flat. Uh oh, I peeked under on of the croissant halves - the almond cream didn't set! Yikes, I don't know what the hell happenened but inside the croissant was watery and soggy. :/

I still ate one though. Well ate around the sogginess at least. (Maison du Pain croissants are delicious by the way). The almond croissants were supposed to be part of a gift for a friend but no way these were leaving my house. Instead I turned them into bread pudding and they got all puffy and pretty. The day was saved.

Chilled Cucumber Soup; Smoked Trout on Pumpernickel with Creme Fraiche & Herbs

2006-06-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

I love cucumbers! I like it simple, cut into spears and dipped into spicy gochujang as a snack or a refreshing side. Marinated in gochujang, sesame oil, scallions and garlic for a spicy zingy crunch. Or tossed in creme fraiche with herbs, preserved lemon and spices.

This time I took a more smoother route, making Chilled Cucumber Soup (Emeril) to be served in little glasses for sipping in between nibbles of Smoked Trout on Pumpernickel. The chilled soup was refreshingly herby with green onion, cilantro, mint, dill. And it had a nice kick of heat from the jalapeno which was nicely balanced by yogurt and sour cream.

I based this smoked trout composition on a similar dish I had at AOC not too long ago. I just took the main ingredients, smoked trout and pumpernickel, and added my own grouping of herbs. So cilantro, parsley, chives, dill, and then slivers of red onion soaked in lemon juice to break it down a little bit. Then dollops of creme fraiche. A simple and delicious complement to the chilled cucumber soup.

A catered menu for www.writingpad.com

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Chorizo Stuffing & Romesco Potatoes; Vanilla Semifreddo with Rhubarb Compote

2006-06-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

Oh my god it's summer! Yesterday, June 21, was the summer solstice and also my deadline to cook as many of the spring Lucques menus as I possibly can. Unrealistically, I wanted to make an entire menu every week. Well I lagged, panicked when I was running out of time, then completely ignored my other cookbooks and started cooking finally about a month ago.

Let's see... so far I've made the watercress soup with gentlemen's relish toast (delicious!), endive salad with cured olives & meyer lemon cream (delicious!), an adapted saffron risotto with peas & pea shoots (delicious!), grilled skirt steak with black olive aioli and artichoke-potato hash (delicious!), fava bean puree with oil-cured olives & feta (delicious!), hawaiian snapper with green rice & cucumbers in creme fraiche (delicious!). And for my last official spring menu of spring, Roasted Leg of Lamb with Chorizo Stuffing & Romesco Potatoes (delicious!). Okay, so that doesn't add up to twelve fabulous menus but they were all delicious! I think I'll tack on another spring menu this week just to go out with a bang. And so I don't feel bad but being a bad goal executor.

But let's discuss the meal at hand. I marinated a butterflied leg of lamb with rosemary, garlic and parsley for about 4 hours, instead of overnight 'cause I midread the instructions and also because I was lazy. Meanwhile I got making the chorizo stuffing and romesco potatoes.

The chorizo stuffing uses mexican chorizo, the crumbly soft kind rather than the harder cured Spanish variety. I don't know why but Whole Foods does not carry mexican chorizo. What's up with that. So I went over the Hungtington Meats in the Farmer's Market (yay!) they had some really great looking ones. I processed some ciabatta to make the required fresh breadcrumbs and toasted it before tossing with some sauteed onion mix and cooked chorizo. The stuffing had such a great punch of spice to it from the well seasoned chorizo, I loved it!

For the romesco potatoes, 1.5lbs of yukon golds were covered and roasted in the oven with some garlic and thyme. And then crumbled by hand when cooled, crisped up in a saute pan with more thyme, the roasted garlic cloves, then tossed gently with generous amounts of the delicious Catalan sauce of tomato, pepper, bread and nuts. Just thinking about this meal is making my mouth water at 9:30 in the morning.

The leg of lamb roasted in the oven for about 1.25 hours and delicious aroma filled the kitchen. The instructions stated the internal temperature to be about 120 degrees when the meat was done. I poked my brand new thermometer into the middle of the meat but its arrow was pointing to way over 120 degrees! Maybe it was all the residual heat, I don't know, but it retardedly made me all paranoid that I overcooked the lamb even though I followed the instructions like a good little girl.

But the lamb was perfect! Moist and pink on the inside and filled in the middle with the spicy chorizo stuffing. Then whie the meat was resting I heated up the remaining chorizo stuffing in the oven. As time consuming as these Lucques recipes are the results have been phenomenal. The chorizo stuffing is definitely one of my favorites bits in the book.

An herb salad parsley, mint and cured olives dressed with a drizzle of olive oil and a sqeeze of lemon accompanied the above hearty dishes for a nice salty and herby bite.

I also made vanilla semifreddo with rhubarb compote, also from the same menu. Semifreddo is an Italian dessert which means semi-frozen. It was pretty simple, which was a yay for my tired feet. I beat some cream to stiff peaks. Then beat egg yolks with sugar and vanilla. Then beat egg whites to stiff peaks. (In thoroughly cleaned bowl of course). Then folded those things together and froze it in a plastic wrap lined pan. The rhubarb compote was as simple too. Just make syrup, add half of rhubard and cook until "jammy", then add the other half and cook until tender. Strain and reduce the liquid until glossy. Then chill.

If I had just made the endive salad again I would have finished an entire menu!! :D But my tired feet and dry hands may have objected. It was a lot of work but when I took that first bite, I knew it was all worth it. Yes, it was that good.

Asparagus & Romesco Crostini; Warm Arugula Salad with Balsamic, Parmesan & Pinenuts

2006-06-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

I am like a crostini peddler, aren't I? But it's a perfect form of appetizer! I had to switch it up and make something new though for this particular class because LA Weekly's La Vida writer, Linda Immediato, was coming to check out the class. Yikes!

I made an crostini with roasted asparagus topped with romesco and gruyere then broiled for just a moment to achieve that browned cheese melty ooey goodness. There is something that just makes me so giddy and happy when I see cheese bubbling, getting crispy and brown in just the few right spots.

I also made a warm arugula salad with bacon, red onion and balsamic vinegar. This recipe was adapted from Jamie Oliver's in one of his cookbooks. Dude there is bacon in it and then it's topped with parmigiano reggiano and toasted pinenuts. How can it not be good? I have some pancetta lying around in my fridge. I think a warm salad is in order.

Marilyn's dessert: Mini Mile High Strawberry Pies

A catered menu for www.writingpad.com

Mac & Cheese... Pepper Jack, Pecorino & Parmesan

2006-06-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Aren't these a beauty? I got them at Surfas, my favorite place in the whole wide world. I go there all the time anyways but it's especially a treat if I'm having a bad day. It cheers me up to go down every aisle and check meticulously for any new products they have in stock or if something jumps out at me that I previously overlooked. Hey, buying a pack of Nueske's bacon to look pretty in my fridge is better than looking down an empty pint of Ben & Jerry's right?

Anyhow, I thought mac & cheese for Boy and I for a Friday evening would be perfectly comforting and relaxing, which is definitely in order at the end of a work week. Plus I got to use up all the cheese that had been sitting around my fridge which included pepper jack, pecorino and parmesan. The pepper jack actually got kind of moldy but I just cut those parts off and still used it. I have never made a proper mac & cheese before and my version definitely wasn't proper at all. First off the base, the white sauce, was too watery. Too little roux (flour and butter cooked together over heat) and too much milk! But it's mac & cheese, how can you make it wrong unless you overcook the pasta?

I didn't overcook the pasta but Boy didn't have any salt at his apartment except for a measly teaspoon of sea salt I left there way back in the day! It was bland but still yummy. I took the leftovers home and reseasoned it, thank god. Lots more salt, black pepper and a gentle sprinkle of cayenne. Then froze it for another day since I'm supposed to be eating extra healthy.

Well except today since I brought it for lunch!

Grilled Skirt Steak with Artichoke-Potato Hash and Black Olive Aioli

2006-06-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

While referring back to the Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook I noticed a few pleasant details that previously escaped me - the title of each recipe is in lower case and color-organized by seasons. I liiiike! This particular dish's name was dressed in a springy green. :) Enough of my random musings... this grilled skirt steak dish was delicious!

Delicious with some artichoke-potato hash, black olive aioli, and a sprinkling of arugula. Delicious under the cool LA sky at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. In fact it was the perfect meal paired with Maharaja IPA to fill our tummies before watching The Philadelphia Story presented by Cinespia at, yes, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It was a lovely time indeed and Boy loved the dish. Oh yes, this was a little outing I planned and kept a surprise for Boy. I thought it would be fun to take turns each month planning a little outing or a little surprise for each other. So I made some food, packed up a blanket, told Boy to pack a beer and picked him up and drove over to this lovely summer event. :)

The dish itself was not hard to make although I could think of a thousand things better to do than prep artichokes. I got through it ok though - there were only 12 baby artichokes and also The History Channel's UFO show kept me entertained. Although there were only 12 baby artichokes, it felt like it took forever! And it also looked like it took forever too because a lot of the artichokes got brown spots even in the lemon water. I think less water, smaller bowl, and more lemon would be a good idea next time. Oh and faster work by my hands definitely.

The skirt steak, browned baby artichokes, crispy on the edges crumbled Yukon Gold potatoes, the aioli with smashed up oil-cured olives (I took the easy road and used mayo), and the peppery arugula leaves all came together deliciously in each bite. How can one not like hash?! Especially when it comes with all the fixins! The layering of flavors in many of Suzanne Goin's recipes prove to be just way delicious! And deliciousness makes me happy. And it makes Boy happy too.

Saffron Risotto with Peas & Pea Shoots

2006-06-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

I had some saffron butter leftover from way back when early spring when I was cooking some English peas. It's been sitting in my fridge since then getting pretty bored. So I finally decided on a job and made Saffron Risotto. I adapted the recipe from the Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook using whatever amount of saffron butter I had and a mixture of leftover onion and shallots but preserving the proportion of rice to liquids.

In the book, the saffron risotto is paired with osso bucco with peas and pea shoots. In trying to keep intact my affinity for cooking ease as of late I skipped the osso bucco part and crowned the risotto itself with peas and pea shoots. You can probably tell from the color of the risotto that I could have used more saffron/saffron butter. But it was still good!

I enjoyed this rather delicious dish with a glass of Familie Bauer Gruner Veltliner which I purchased at Silverlake Wine Co a few weeks ago.

In terms of my experience with risotto, I've only had it once at a restaurant and that was merely 6 months ago back when I had an amazing meal at Chez Panisse. I've cooked it a few times prior to having it out but having a proper risotto really blew me away. The Chez Panisse risotto had such a perfect coating of starch on each grain of rice and tender but with a pleasant bite in the middle. of course mine wasn't up to that standard but it was still good eating.

I'm scared to go out and start trying other risottos now to avoid disappointment. But then again this would make for a very delicious project! :] Meanwhile I will keep practicing.

Hawaiian Snapper with Green Rice & Cucumbers in Creme Fraiche

2006-06-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

This recipe was one of the first ones I was eyeing from the spring menus in the Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook. More specifically, the main attraction for me was the cucumbers in creme fraiche. The combination of ingredients mentally tasted so delicious. The refreshing - preserved lemon, shallots, mint and creme fraiche. And the savory and deep - cumin and fennel seeds.

Just as I suspected - awesome! I couldn't help but keep spooning over more cucumbers over the flaky moist snapper. Plus I needed a cucumber with every bite of fish and green rice, for the refreshing crunch and the tangy creme fraiche. Mmmm.

The cucumbers slices were spooned on and below the warm snapper, causing some of the creme fraiche to melt onto the fish and rice. The sprinkling of arugula under the warm fish provided a nice bite of pepperiness, even wilting a tiny bit to my pleasure.

And the green rice, made with a herby broth with chives, cilantro, mint, and parsley, was the perfect base for the snapper and the cucumbers. No one herb took over the broth and even the fennel seeds didn't hijack the dish with its strong licorice flavors, although this may be because I didn't use fennel bulb as the recipe required. I just wanted to be safe since too much licorice would definitely ruin my dinner.

The flavors of each component of the dish balanced so well and came together to make happiness in my mouth. Yay! Warm snapper, marinated simply with parsley, black pepper and lemon zest. Crunchy, refreshing Persian cucumbers in tangy creme fraiche with refreshing mint and preserved lemon. Nutty basmati rice flavored with a medley of herbs.

The next day I took a generous portion of the leftover cucumbers in creme fraiche and made a sandwich at work with a small sprinkling of arugula. It was one of the best lunches I've had lately.

*Check out Grant's blog Well Fed for his post of this recipe. A Suzanne Goin fan too! Grant's way more diligent with his posts though with the step by step pictures and instruction. :) I am kind of lazy.

El Gran's Tacos Doblado

2006-06-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

Drool. Doesn't that look frickin delicious?! I usually get asada tacos at El Gran but a few weeks ago I changed it up and got tacos doblado, hard-shelled taco. Would make an awesome breakfast right about now.

Linguini with Bacon, Peas & Piave; Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus; Berry Crumble

2006-06-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

Isn't he adorable?! That my friends E&T's dog Nicky. I house/dog-sat over the memorial day weekend and what an easy and awesome job that was. E&T stocked up their fridge with holy amounts of beer and also edible goodies including cheese, which they know I love! Seriously, how awesome is that? And Nicky is such an angel too. Can't you see the bright halo lighting his head in the photo above?

Saturday morning I woke up and I had some of the artisan flatbread and huge chunks of Saint Andre triple creme cheese for breakfast. Ahh, life is good. It was a relaxing weekend of hanging out with the dog and watching marathon-high numbers of Sex and the City dvds, much to Boy's misery.

I perused through a few of E's cookbooks including Nigella's, whose cookbooks are always a pleasure to read, being uber casual and non-fussy about food. But I spent the weekend being super lazy, eating Mexican food, Jack in the Box and more cheese. But the last day I decided to cook a little bit and leave something yummy for E&T when they got back from their trip Monday evening.

So here's what I made with a few stuff that was at their place and a few stuff I brought with me:

Linguini with Bacon, Peas and Piave...
I think I meant to make a carbonara variety but now that I look back I don't recall using an egg! This also needed more cheese but I got sick of using the vegetable peeler and couldn't find the cheese grater which was in fact right in front of my face. It was hanging right next to my head on the pan hanging rack. I think I added too much cream too. I kept adding more to the egg and cheese mixture thinking maybe a little bit more. Then it was too much. :/ But the pasta still tasted good though, but it wasn't a carbonara.

Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus
roasted off in the oven with a few drizzles of olive oil. E&T had some asparagus lying around their crisper so I thought it would be yummy to simply roast them wrapped in some prosciutto I brought over.

And for dessert, Berry Crumble...
topped with using the fresh strawberries stocked by E&T and a little bit of their TJ frozen berry mix. I eyeballed a crumble recipe in one of Nigella's book and crossed my fingers that it would come out ok. Then I added roasted peanuts and a crumbled coconut-cashew cookie. Boy tasted the pasta and the berry crumble and he gave thumbs up.

Then Boy and I left and got gluttonous amounts of Mexican food with mountains of crema from El Gran Burrito. Leisure + Mexican food + beer=great weekend.

Happy Birthday immaeatchu

2006-05-31T12:02:00.000-07:00

Almost forgot immeatchu turns one this month!

From home-cooked Korean food, McDonalds and Pizza Hut of my younger days, to FoodTV obsession throughout my college years while chomping on college-sized fast food, discovering food blogging last year, cooking more since moving back home to a useable kitchen and some income and inspired by awesome food blogs, getting a peek into the restaurant industry, and now part-time catering... my food life (I actually have one now!) has come down an unexpected interesting route. I was obsessed about FoodTV back then but I now I'm actually crazy about food. Who woulda thunk?

Happy 1 year to immeatchu and thanks for reading my humble blog!

McGrath Farms' Watercress Soup with Gentleman's Relish Toast

2006-05-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

Yay another spring recipe from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. I usually don't like to make soups. The only (non-Korean) soups I've ever had growing up was canned, usually cream of something or clam chowder. I was never into chicken noodles. Yuck, well to the canned ones at least.

So my soup history's been pretty bland. Until I had my first two really great soups last summer: Lucques's Soupe au Pistou with Amaranth & Grana Breadcrumbs and Campanile's Summer Tomato Soup. Both soups were so great, full of flavor and extremely fresh. Since then my view on soups has changed a little bit. I still tread lightly on making soups but once in a while I feel give it a try and I definitely do give it an ogle when I read a menu. Results at home are okay and sometimes good (according to others) but my homemade soups never really satisfy me that much.

But when I started spending the few hours a week in the AOC kitchen, tasting seasonal flavors, and marching my culinary brain through the Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook, I realized how an ingredient can be appreciated and crafted into a simple unpretentious delicious dish. So I thought for my second Lucques dish for spring I would try out McGrath Farms' Watercress Soup with Gentleman's Relish Toast.

But unfortunately...

The recipe called for 5 cups or 2 bunches of watercress, which I got from Marina Farms market (and not McGrath Farms). The soup needs to be made right before serving, wilting the watercress and herbs with hot vegetable stock then blending it to a smooth consistency. The recipe states that "at this point, the soup's consistency should be that of heavy cream". Maybe I was mistaken but the first half of the blended soup was not as thick at heavy cream! :/ Yikes. So I blended the second watercress bunch with less than half amount of liquid that was required then mixed the two batches together. Still not thick enough.

So then I went guerilla style. I cut up some baguette pieces, soaked it in the watery soup, added a bit more salt, then blended it up. It got thicker but I still wasn't sure. But at this point I just wanted to eat it. Maybe an extra bunch next time would help the consistency. But flavor-wise this is the best homemade soup I've made to date! Seriously, if I can fuck up a soup recipe and it still tastes better than any other soups I've made in my life, it must be a great recipe.

And it was quite well enjoyed with a crisp baguette toast with "gentleman's relish". Hehe, a great name for a spread.
This Irish condiment sold in jars under the name Patun Peperium, was created in 1828 and is still being made by only one company, from a secret blend of anchovy, butter, herbs, and spices. The story goes that the man who created it presume that ladies' taste buds were too delicate for this hearty anchovy spread. As my version demonstrates, I disgree. [Sunday Suppers at Lucques]

All I gotta say is, you go grrl! Butter smashed with minced anchovy, chives, shallots, parsley, cayenne, lemon juice and zest... this is making my mouth water. Mmmm.

Pocket Coffee

2006-05-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

After getting a tip on these Pocket Coffee treats at David's blog I ordered a "case" of em for about $100. And then I yelled at myself: "100 bucks?!". Then Boy yelled at me: "100 bucks!". I don't even drink coffee but these espresso filled chocolate bites were so appealing to me that I just had to get it. Capri Flavors was offering free shipping on these until the end of May so I jumped on that. The case even came with a free box of 32, totalling my little Pocket Coffee inventory at 182 pieces. Well now 181.

I got the box of goodies today and when I opened it I thought "100 bucks for these?!" They just looked so small but I was still excited. Especially since the case listed the price in euros which made it even cooler. :) Hehe.

Then I opened one up, popped it in my mouth. A slow bite down through the middle of the chocolate, then gush! The espresso was so delicious. Ahhh, a new form of happiness. And a new edible addiction. My only fear is that after I give Boy one to try this evening he will go bonkers. Boy drinks a lot of coffee so who knows what kind of addictions this will leash on him... and my stash!

look how fast you can go when you eat Pocket Coffee!

Endive Salad with Oil-Cured Olives

2006-05-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

My original goal back in March was to cook a spring menu from the Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook every week. Hmmm, hasn't happened yet. I checked my calendar the other day and June 21st is stamped "Summer Solstice". Summer's around the corner and I haven't even cooked any of the spring menus! I think that goal was set a bit high.

I mean it's not a crime if I make a spring menu in the summer but still. The whole point was to follow the seasonal menus. Sigh, so I won't be able to make ALL the dishes and menus but how about I chip away at it little bit at a time? That works.

So my first spring Lucques dish is Endive Salad with Oil-Cured Olives. Isn't it a beauty? Beautiful pale endive leaves with meyer lemon cream, salty oil-cured olives, creamy vibrantly-hued favas, and shallots slivers to liven it up. Trust me, it tastes as good as it looks.

The meyer lemon cream recipe really surprised me. I guess because I've never used dairy in my dressings before. After whisking meyer lemon juice, minced shallots, and olive oil, a little bit of cream is gently stirred in. The cream and the citrus balance each other out, so the dressing neither seems overly acidic and at the same time the cream doesn't feel heavy. It was really delicious and I used it for the rest of the week on different lettuces. It would even be great over grilled fish, chicken or vegetables.

All of Suzanne Goin's salads that I've tried out so far are amazing. I really feel that trying out a few of her recipes has been eye-opening for my salad department which definitely lacks some experience. Each ingredient plays an important role in making the salad whole. I love how salty, bitter, creamy and acidic all complement and work with each other to create a pleasing balance.

Weekend Eats & Sips

2006-05-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

bar at lucques

This past weekend was full of pleasant bites and sips. It was nice to splurge after such a long long time of un-splurging. I'm pretty good with keeping my spending in check but also a spurty type (you can probably tell from my kitchenware purchases). But once in a while it's ok to to actually go out and eat something delicious. Or even many things.

Saturday...

Aftering catering in the early afternoon and kickin back for a few hours, I headed over to AOC for a late dinner to meet a friend who was back in town. A friend who was also 40 minutes late! But I fared pretty well for those 40 minutes, nibbling on the complementary baguette, harissa and cured olives, and staring at the 50 bottles or so of wine in front of me.

I started with a glass of Domaine des Vieux Pruniers Sancerre, produced by Christian Thirot-Fournier. I didn't get a look at the bottle but I did drink it with immense satisfaction. Sancerre is an AOC designated white wine from the Loire Valley and named after the town Sancerre. It is produced in 15 villages and typically made with Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir grapes [answers.com]. I'm not really wine-adept so I'll go with an easy scale: Swoon, Good, Bad & Ugly. This was Good.

{still waiting for friend}

At my rate of drinking and waiting I could have gotten drunk by the time she got to the restaurant. So I moved on to a red, Domaine La Bouissiere Gigondas (Rhone) to go with my order of Chicken Liver Crostini. The chicken liver is processed to a spreadable texture then topped with crispy pancetta and frisee. This was really delicious and perfect with the red. Good to both!

{waiting... finally she made it!}

Then we ordered Panko-d Favas with Bottarga Aioli, Steamed Fingerlings with Creme Fraiche, and Squash Blossoms. The favas were perfect for nibbling although I couldn't really taste the bottarga and didn't know what it was supposed to taste like either. Bottarga, an Italian delicacy, is basically dried salted fish roe, usually tuna. Maybe Surfas carries this.

You can't go wrong with steamed fingerling potatoes. Especially with creme fraiche and chives all over it. Yum, I've made this dish at home and it is serious good eating. So the squash blossoms were my first! These blossoms are really beautiful and even when they are deep-fried. The golden, crunchy light batter still shows the flattering silhouette of the flowers.

A slice of aged goat cheese entertained our buds before delving into dessert. We shared a Bittersweet Chocolate Tart while I sipped on my last drink of the night, a sparkling wine from the Loire valley. This tinted bubbly was a bit too sweet for my taste. I shoulda asked, durr.

It was a pleasant night of light grazing and sipping but I'm sad I missed out on some of the Winter dishes however. See that's what happens when I keep putting off restaurant dining. The menu changes! Poo.

Sunday...

a bubbly to tease palate... prosecco

A small group converged for my friend E's birthday to be celebrated at Silverlake Wine Co's Sunday wine tasting. The tasting focused on wines of the Piedmont region in Italy.

1. Fantinel Prosecco NV
2. Renzo Castella Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba 2004
Chicken Liver Crostini w/English Pea Puree
3. M. Marengo "Valmaggiore" Nebbiolo D'Alba 2003
Lentil Cake with Cured Boar & Red Wine Aioli
4. Silvio Giamello "Vicenziana" Barbaresco 2001
Black Rice w/Roasted Flank
5. Braida Moscato d'Asti 2005
Strawberry Mousse

moscato w/many letters on its sleeve

I really enjoyed the Prosecco, which isn't a Piedmont wine but just a starter for the night, in addition to the reds. The accompanying bites were good and the chef (didn't get his name) worked well in that little tiny space behind the bar. But the chicken liver crostini of course was up for comparison since I had AOC's the night before. AOC won. I enjoyed the black rice and the cured boar.

Boy and I separated from the group after the tasting for a previously scheduled Sunday Supper at Lucques. We got there a bit early and so started on a bottle of Joseph Swan Pinot Noir. A definite Swoon with delicious aroma, flavor and color. I didn't realize the bottle was totally turned the wrong direction when taking the picture though! Oops.

The menu for 2006.05.21 read as such:
*james birch's wild asparagus with jamón serrano, cornbread and whole grain mustard
*sautéed petrale sole with first-of-the-season corn, fava beans, squash blossoms and crushed morel butter
*grilled niman ranch culotte steak with potato salad, grilled spring onions and rouquefort
*warm banana cakes with caramel sauce and buttermilk ice cream

The starter was great! Crusty on the corners cornbread, salty strips of serrano ham, delicious spring asparagus, and whole grain mustard mixed with tangy creme fraiche. So frickin good. I got the sole which was also good but not better than the culotte steak which Boy got. I resisted getting the beef dish since I had been loading up on the meats and fats lately. But the abundance of vegetables in the sole dish pleased me much though.

I left Lucques very full and imbibed from the whole day and fell straight asleep as soon as I hit the couch. I probably won't drink so much wine next time because I felt a headache coming on. A generous half bottle and under please. But I was good and drank lots and lots of water before going to sleep. All in all, a nice weekend.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

2006-05-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

It was two of my friend's birthdays this past Tuesday so I decided to make them some cupcakes. This peanut butter one topped with chocolate icing and chopped peanuts sounded delicious. The one above looks like it needs a good spoonful more of the chocolate icing.

The cupcake pan liners I bought from Surfas are kinda weird though. They don't fit in perfectly into the pan and the accordian-like walls squish in although the bottom circle fits perfectly. So some of the cupcakes came out funny shaped and some of them more regular. But still delicious!

Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Gourmet Magazine

Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup whole milk
Icing:
2/3 cup heavy cream
8 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup chopped peanuts
Special equipment: a muffin tin with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups and paper liners

To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
Beat together peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, then mix until just combined.
Divide batter among lined muffin cups (about two-thirds full) and bake in middle of oven until pale golden and a tester inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto a rack and cool completely.

To make the Icing while cupcakes cool: Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over chocolate in a small bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then whisk until smooth.
To thicken icing to spreading consistency quickly, spread it on a metal baking sheet and chill until thick and glossy, about 5 minutes. Scrape icing back into bowl and stir until smooth. Spread icing on cupcakes and sprinkle with peanuts.

Cooks' notes:
• If you aren't pressed for time, chill icing in bowl, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes before spreading on cupcakes.
• Iced cupcakes keep, chilled in an airtight container, 3 days.

Zucchini Couscous w/Chicken, Preserved Meyer Lemon & Harissa

2006-05-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

After making some small bites for a small cocktail hour preceding a late-nite excursion, I had some leftover harissa. Harissa is a North African/Tunisian condiment made with peppers and tomato. I made Suzanne Goin's California Harissa which uses ancho chilis. Add cayenne, cumin, garlic, paprika, and you got a spicy condiment to top many things.

Harissa is often served with couscous as I recently found out. [insert simple thought processes] So that's what I made!

I seasoned some chicken thighs pieces and then cooked them in a bit of olive oil until browned and then moved them to a plate. I sliced up a few zucchinis into rounds, some onion, garlic, green onion, and preserved meyer lemon. In the same pan used to cook the chicken, I sauteed the onion and garlic for a few minutes then added the zucchini. Season. Once the zucchinis looked cooked through I added some chicken stock, scraped up some of the dripping stuck to the pan, and turned up the heat until it was hot. Took the pan off the heat, added the couscous and scallion, covered the pan and let it steam.

Then fluffed up the couscous with a fork, topped it with chicken thigh pieces, minced preserved lemon, and a dollop of the harissa. It was yummy although I could have used less preserved lemon. Those things are kinda strong.

Writing Pad Erotic - Watermelon Gazpacho with Prosciutto Chip; Zucchini Tartine w/Mint, Ricotta & Pecorino; Mini Cocoa Cake w/Mascarpone & Raspberry

2006-05-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

Food duties of Writing Pad's Erotic Free Writing part deux were assigned to moi. I set the menu a while back keeping in mind spring, and more spring. So something refreshing and full of flavor. Something pretty and visually pleasurable to get the erotic mental juices flowing.

I thought watermelon gazpacho would be perfect, adorned with a crispy salty prosciutto chip for nibbling. Watermelon, at least the ones I've tasted at Marina Farms, are so ripe and sweet right now. I blended the watermelon down but the rest of the ingredients I left in a bit of texture. Plus blending everything down would make the color of the gazpacho murky. I topped the gazpacho off with roasted corn kernels.

This tartine is inspired from Jamie Oliver's zucchini salad with mint, chili and lemon. I sliced the zucchinis thinly with a mandolin then charred them on a grill pan. Unfortunately my grill pan is a small one with a handle, cast iron but enamel coated, so basically this took a long time, made me sweat, and also the pan is now uncleanable. But since I have an electric stove top I can't get a regular cast-iron grill pan that sits over two burners. Arg~!

Anyhow, I cooled the zucchini slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper without overlapping any to avoid steaming. Then marinated them with a lemon vinaigrette with shallots, mint, and black pepper. On a toasted piece of baguette I smeared some ricotta flavored with thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. Artfully aranged two to three of the charred marinated zucchini and popped it in the oven for a few minutes just to warm things up together slightly. Then topped with a nice tangy slice of pecorino, it was ready for consumption.

Back when I was discussing the menu with Marilyn, I had a idea that maybe I could make a boob dessert to go with the whole theme and all. There were many emails exchanged just on this subject about whether the frosting should match with the "nipple", what to use, if it was the appropriate size, shape (i.e. TJ's yogurt covered blueberries). I even tried to use some tapioca balls but those didn't work out too well.

I didn't want to make something so obviously like a boob. That would be too silly. At some point I was starting to regret that I even had the idea at all. But I'm happy with the end result. A cute little mini chocolate cake with a rich mascarpone frosting and a plump juicy raspberry to top it. A beautiful little dessert... and a boob if you want it to be. :)

A catered menu for www.writingpad.com

Eating LA Eats immaeatchu

2006-05-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I catered Writing Pad's Erotic Writing Class and Pat from Eating LA attended! Wow she is fast with the blogging. Read her review here and get a preview to what I made. I'll be blogging it. Soon.

Goat Cheese Tart with Pinenuts; Apple, Mango & Arugula with Pomegranate Dressing

2006-05-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

Way back I made a scrumptious goat cheese tart for a casual afternoon bite with a friend. This time I wanted to change it up a little bit and used pinenuts as part of the recipe. I used Giada de Laurentiis's recipe for a pinenut crust which was super easy since it required no rolling of dough. Just process and press into pan.

Ooh, once I blind baked the shell the kitchen filled with the warm nutty aroma. Yum. The filling (Barefoot Contessa) used garlic-herb goat cheese, basil and cream. To finish I sprinkled toasted pinenuts on top ten minutes prior to its exit from the oven.

For the salad I sliced up some apple and into batons and carefully arranged it with arugula leaves. Then drizzled some pomegranate dressing made with pomegranate mollasses, lemon juice, shallots and olive oil.

Marilyn's dessert: Berry Fool

A catered menu for www.writingpad.com

Strawberries, Strawberries... Strawberry Clafoutis

2006-05-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

Pretty strawberry clafoutis a la Chez Panisse Cafe. I like it all golden brown, puffy, and prettily patterned.

Pretty clafoutis on a prettily patterned plate. I'm almost done using all my plates at least once! [I made a promise a lil bit back that I wouldn't buy any new plates until I used the ones I had already at least once].

Dependable Barefoot Contessa: Turkey Meatloaf & "Outrageous Brownies"

2006-05-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

Birthday gifts are often a challenging question. Some people have everything, some people don't want anything, and some people are just too busy to enjoy things given to them. And of course, you can always be completely off and buy a gift that will be trapped deep inside a dark closet only to see daylight for a Goodwill donation.

But everyone eats. No one dislikes having something delicious to eat, especially when it's cooked by someone else. Whether inviting someone over for a meal made specially for their special date, or baking a beautiful batch of goodies to be packed up in quaint little ribbon draped parcels, it's good to know that the gift is being enjoyed and will be enjoyed for days to come.

It is more time consuming and messy but definitely worth it, I think for the giftee and the gifter both.

It was recently my brother's birthday. He is finishing up grad school and quite busy as his thesis is due this fall amongst other scholarly obligations. At first I spotted a cool artsy book that I wanted to get him but does he really need another book right now? Well, it was a picture book but still. Plus I think the Marcella Hazan cookbook I gave him some time ago is collecting dust at his place.

So I went for something more practical and convenient for his schedule and made him a batch of food. I made Barefoot Contessa's Turkey Meatloaf but baked it in little individual balls. Each one was wrapped separately in foil, and half were frozen. The frozen ones should last a few months which is great when you get busy because you can just pop one out of the freezer, defrost it overnight, and heat it up. Perfect for on the go. He only took half the batch which means I have on the go meals too. Yay! I had the turkey meatloaf slathered with HP sauce and Louisiana hot sauce with rice and it made an awesome lunch.

My brother also really likes brownies. I discovered this not only when he requested brownies for his South Pole departure party, but when he dropped off bags of food from his pantry before he left for the Pole, which included a box of brownie mix. So with another Barefoot Contessa recipe, I baked a batch of "Outrageous Brownies". Oh my god, this was so delicious. I cut back on the sugar by more than half and I liked the not-too-sweet results. Nicely dense but also pleasantly cakey, it was perfectly chocolately without giving a sugar attack.

I haven't spoken to my brother since his birthday but I'll assume he enjoyed the food. 'Cause I certainly did! :D

Okonomiyaki Flipping at Gaja

2006-05-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

Oh no, not me. I don't have any okonomiyaki skills. But I loved watching M, one of the more okonomiyaki-experienced one amongst us, flip them expertly. After strategically sliding in a spatula on the upper and lower halves of this savory pancake, one must gracefully and speedily flip the whole pancake with a short but determined flick of the wrist.

But before any of that excitement, do start off with a cold cold glass of beer. It may even help you become a suave flipper. As for me, I avoided any flipping accidents and allowed the cold beer to just wet my appetite. Afterall, we were waiting outside for 30 minutes or so.

Okonomiyaki, which means "grilled the way you like", is a batter cake with savory ingredients and grilled like a pancake. There are two style in Japan, the Osaka and the Hiroshima. Gaja states that their okonomiyakis are similar to the Osaka style (ingredients grilled together instead of separately like Hiroshima style) but with different ingredients.

We had a plate of the yaki-udon to start off with while waiting for a bowl of okonomi-yaki goodies to be delivered. Ohhh, this was so good. I especially like the generous spoonful of the roe at the top. I never even knew udon was eaten stir-fried. Gotta make this one at home sometime.

The following series of pictures are for the modern mix okonomi-yaki, one of the popular dishes at Gaja:

*cook the meat and the noodles separately in a little bit of oil.

*whoa, a few steps skipped here. i think i was getting busy with the beer. mix well the batter with vegetable. once batter is placed on griddled in a pretty circle, top it with the cooked meat and noodles.

*now flip! then slather it with okonomiyaki sauce.

*then decorate with fish flakes, mayo and nori. eat!

But my favorite was the kimchi pork combination. Tangy spicy kimchi with pork is always a winning combination. However I wish the kimchi and pork were cut into smaller pieces so big pieces of it didn't fall away from the wedge as I ate through it. However, the flavor was perfect.

And even after all that, we got a dessert to share...

Gluttony isn't a crime as long as the food is awesome!

2383 Lomita Blvd. #102
310.534.0153
www.gajaokonomiyaki.com

Tuna Confit and Roasted Asparagus with Aioli, Pinenuts & Preserved Meyer Lemons

2006-05-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

I love love love my Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook. It's a beautiful book to start off with, and filled with so many great recipes. Simple, appreciative of seasonal produce and well-produced livestock, like Sunday Suppers at Lucques, it is very inspiring to me.

While flipping through its pages, I saw "Tuna Confit" and was immediately attracted to it. The tuna confit is a 2 day process but not a hard one. The first day required salting and marinating the fish in olive oil with chili, garlic, and spices. The second day the tuna was cooked gently over low heat until almost cooked through and flakeable.

I served the tuna over roasted asparagus, topped with aioli, preserved meyer lemon, and toasted pinenuts. Looking back now I think the preserved lemon minced even finer or processed and mixed in with the aioli itself would have been nice. And more of everything (thyme, chili de arbol, peppercorns, fennel seeds) in the marinade. I didn't act fast enough in the following days and the oil went to the bin the next week without ever getting a good chance to flavor any delicious dishes. I've been moving slow these days.

Marilyn's dessert: Chocolate Mousse with Orange Infused Cream

A catered menu for www.writingpad.com

Penne with Cambozola & Pecorino; Cress with Apple & Radish; Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta

2006-05-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

Recently my friend C emailed me regarding my long absence from blogging and suggested that perhaps I should cook for her so I can blog. So I did. :)

I made penne with cambozola and pecorino. So good! I took it easy and didn't make any white sauce or nothin. Just saute some shallots with thyme in butter and olive oil and deglaze with a little bit of white wine. Add milk to that once most of the liquid has evaporated. Then added chunks of cambozola and a wedge of pecorino grated up. Reduced this a little bit until it thickens a little bit and gets all oozy creamy dreamy. Taste and season. I added some black pepper and red pepper flakes and if I had some Trader Joe's Pasta Mix spice seasoning I would have added a good shake of that too. Then add cooked penne and stir til everything get pretty together. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

This was truly delicious. I love cheeese. Did you know that already?

On the side I served a watercress, apple and radish salad with a basic dressing of dijon, red wine vinegar and olive oil. I like refreshing and I also like crunchy.

For dessert... cool, creamy, tangy creme fraiche panna cotta a la Chef Suzanne Goin. This is so easy to make and so delicious. Just a matter of heating up the dairy and getting the gelatin to set it in the fridge. Simple as that. Just throw a few berries on top and you can become a dessert diva in a snap. *snap!*

And if the snapping doesn't work, I say drink. For instance, something like the late-afternoon-izze-wine concoction. :)

St. Agur; Roasted Shallot Tart; Strawberry Clafoutis

2006-04-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

roasted shallot tart with balsamic, thyme & parmesan

My friends sometimes ask how I have time to cater and do all the cooking during the week. I have to make time to cook. In between my day job, Korean language class, a few hours work at the restaurant, meals for myself and of course blogging. I just try to be somewhat organized and efficient in this city of traffic. I write a new schedule of things to do for the week almost everyday. What can I say, I've always been a list maker!

my smothered strawberry clafoutis

I shop in the earlier part of the week splitting the shopping up two days if necessary and armed with a grocery list organized by stores. I prep on Wednesday and Thursday I get down to business. Getting down to business with only an hour and a half window from the moment I get home to delivery requires a detailed list of things to do in order.

For this week I only had an hour window and the Thursday things-to-do list was:
-get home by 5
-preheat oven
-roll out puff pastry then chill on baking sheet in fridge
-make clafoutis batter, sans egg whites
-line the bottom of a lightly greased baking pan with strawberries
-mix sliced roasted shallots with parmesan, cream, thyme, salt and pepper
-take puff pastry out of fridge and fill the center with shallot mixture, top with parmesan, egg wash, then into the oven for 30 minutes
-beat egg white then carefully mix into batter, pour over strawberries, then bake clafoutis for 20 minutes
-leave house by 6pm
-stop by Silverlake Cheese Store then deliver

Then finished! The tart smelled wonderful with the sweet shallots, buttery crust, and the warmth of the balsamic vinegar. Ready made puff pastry is really a godsend.

If I could wake up to the smell of freshly baking clafoutis every morning I don't think I'll have any trouble getting up. I used the Chez Panisse Cafe recipe for the clafoutis batter (I love this book!). I noticed that this differed from other recipes because it instructed to separate the eggs then beat the whites to soft peaks. This gave volume to the batter and an air of softness to the top. Genius! The clafoutis looked so much prettier than the one I made earlier in the week.

And St. Agur (triple-creme blue, cow, Auvergne, France), one of my favorite cheeses, is divine. There are so many good cheese I haven't discovered yet but I am always excited to share one that I am ecstatic. I am always in awe of the people who really care to make a great cheese. I can't live without cheese!

A catered menu for www.writingpad.com

Added note: I forgot to mention what a clafoutis was. Larousse Gastronomique states that it is "dessert from the Limousin region of France, consisting of black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a fairly thick batter". So basically a fruit with a custardy batter poured over it then baked. This definition says "thick batter" but the Chez Panisse batter was light due to the beating of the whites. "The word [clafoutis] comes from the provincial dialect word clafir", which means to fill.