it is called a "wet market" cuz you might get wet - but it could be worse....

(WARNING:  This post contains graphic images.)

The morning of our second day, Chef Martin Yan takes our group to a local wet market in Shunde, China.  If you want to get a sense of local culture, and local food - the wet market is where you can get an up close and personal view.  In my case, my experience might have been a little TOO close, I emerged with stains on my clothes and smelling like fish - but happy, that all of my appendages (including head) are intact......

The market is located in a two-story building.  As we enter, it is crowded with customers.  We immediately see stalls and stalls of cut-up poultry, and people yelling.  They are yelling at customers, yelling at their co-workers, yelling at each other, yelling at ME. Yup, somehow, I had already doing something wrong, because there is a man waving a large cleaver and yelling in my direction.  What/Why???  Since the crazy yelling man is down the aisle from me, and too far to inflict harm to me, I shrug him off, and continue to browse the stalls displaying a variety of poultry, including black chickens, geese, and birds that were cut open with eggs still inside!!   

Second warning!! There may be pictures and descriptions of events posted here that might make the reader uncomfortable.  I wish there was a more delicate way to portray all of the sights, sounds and smells at the Wet Market.  But while I am here, I am simultaneously, feeling amazed, disgusted, horrified, scared and incredibly intrigued.  With a sense of morbid curiosity, I cannot tear my eyes away from all of the things happening around me.  In lieu of standing there looking dumbstruck with my mouth agape, I start taking pictures.

Behind poultry, is the livestock section - with rows of cages containing several species of live birds.  When a customer makes a purchase, the vendor will slit the throat, drain the blood, and de-feather the bird - all in a matter of minutes! 

Beyond the caged birds, there are baskets of live frogs, snakes and turtles.  Those vendors, are also gutting and cleaning, leaving the still-twitching frogs on the floor.  I carefully navigate my way around the flying cleavers, and piles of guts on the wet and slippery floor.  At the other end of the building, there is a set of stairs.  Needing to escape the slaughter all around me, I head upstairs.

Whereas the first floor was dark, wet and bloody, the second floor is brightly lit with windows on all four walls.  This floor is where they sell vegetables, flowers, eggs, fresh noodles and tofu products, dried seafood, and handmade dumplings.  The hazards of this floor come from the motorcycles, bikes and large carts that barrel down the narrow and crowded aisles.  I am almost run over by a scooter, then a cart carrying a load of freshly picked vegetables pushes past me and smears wet mud on the back of my legs, and then I almost trip over the legs of a customer sorting through heads of cabbage on the ground. Aack!!

Half the floor is occupied with butchers selling beef, pork, lamb, and other meat products.  If you are a fan of "nose to tail" eating, you should come here!! There are animal parts, I never knew animals had, being sold!  Truth be told, after spending so much time among all of these animal innards, I start thinking about becoming vegetarian......

I notice that it is almost time to meet the group back at the bus.  Reluctantly, I make my way back downstairs. 

On the other side of the first floor is the fresh fish section.   I am back in the wettest section of the Wet Market!  As I head towards my bus, I push my way through the many fish customers and vendors. I am getting splashed by water from tanks overflowing with large live fish, that angrily flip their tails as they attempt to find some personal space. I marvel at the speed that the vendors are able to catch, gut, scale, and filet a fish - all with one BIG knife.  Fish scales and guts are flying everywhere. 

I emerge from the entrance of the market, feeling exhilarated by what I have just experienced, but also so happy to be away from the crowds, the smell and the blood.  I am muddy, wet, and smell fishy, and there is still the strong smell of the market lingering in my nose. 

As the other members of the tour arrive at the bus, everyone had some crazy story to share about the wet market.  Martin has also bought several of the exotic local items to share with the group during lunch.

Back to the Shunde Sheraton for a special lunch!

 

 

people who eat together are....happy together!

After our garden visit, the group boards the bus and we go check in to our hotel, the Sheraton Shunde.  The first five star hotel in Shunde, is luxurious and modern.  We have about two hours before have to meet in the lobby to ..... eat again!

I'm finally able to shower, and wash away all the grime and exhaustion from travel.  I am soooooo happy!!!  Lucky for us, the Sheraton has spacious bathrooms with great water pressure.  I want to stay in the shower forever.  But I need to be considerate to my roommate, and we have more eating to do!

Dinner is at Happy Together Restaurant.  It is more like a small village dedicated to eating vs. "just a restaurant."  The entire Happy Together compound stretches over several acres - there are several restaurants, a few banquet halls, and private dining rooms.  There is so much area to cover, that the wait staff actually wears rollerblades to deliver meals from the kitchen to the various private dining rooms.

There is a large fountain and large tanks near the entry full of live seafood - several types of fish (big ones!), lobsters, crabs, snakes, shrimp.....  This is food at its freshest!!  When an order comes through, the chef would grab a live snake, or any type of fish, and proceed to kill and prep it - with the same knife.  For Chinese chefs - one knife fits all!

Dinner on our first day in China is VIP all the way.  In our private dining room, we have the executive chef and the restaurant manager demonstrating and preparing several of our courses right in front of us.  The Executive Chef is still on duty.  He is wearing an earpiece, and is giving instructions to the kitchen staff preparing food for a 2000-person banquet, as well as several other private parties.  Voices buzz over the intercom, and we can see him mumble orders.  (Check out video below!)

Dinner, has 16 courses: Shunde's Own Fish Chowder, Jiang Jiang Vinegar Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, Steamed Fish with Pomelo Peel, Fragrant Lemongrass Prawns, Wok-Sauteed Pumpkin, Bitter Melon and Wood Ear, Pan-Fried Lotus Cake

Salt and Pepper Fresh Water Fish, Shunde-Style Creamy Seafood Stir-fry, Golden Crispy Scallops, Braised Fisherman's Farm-Raised Fish, Steamed Beef Shank with Bitter Squash, Stir-Fried Chinese Greens of the Day, Baked White Mountain Almond Buns, Crispy Purple Sweet Potato Rolls, BBQ Pork Puffs

For dinner, a very famous Shunde specialty - Special Ginger Milk Custard.  This is made of a sweet syrup of old starchy ginger - ginger that has been harvested after many of the sugars have already turned to starch, with the milk of water buffalo that has been heated to about 95 C degrees.  The process startes with the ginger syrup in a bowl, then ladle in warm water buffalo milk by starting close to the bowl, and slowly elevating the ladle up above the bowl to agitate and combine the mixture.  Wait about 60 seconds, and the mixture will harden into custard that will float a ceramic soup spoon.  Martin explained what is happening is a similar process to adding cornstarch to thicken sauces.  I love this dessert -sweet, creamy and gingery spicy.  I was almost going to lick my bowl, when Martin offered me his portion -Lucky me!!  We also had plates of local fruits that Martin and his Staff had purchased from street vendors we saw during the day.

The evening ended with a fiery wok show in the kitchen for the VIP audience.

Our group left the restaurant, feeling very "Happy Together" - Happy to be eating such delicious, unique food together with wonderful new friends!!

 

 

 

i've a feeling we're not in kansas anymore......

After spending hours in the re-circulated air of a pressurized cabin, I love the moment you step out of the airplane, onto the jetway and breath in your first lung-full of air at your new destination.  

That first breath of air contains so many clues to what awaits you outside the airport. 

My first breath in Hong Kong (after the fuel smell) was warm and muggy.  I immediately felt too warm with my sweatshirt and boots.  I could smell the faint aroma of Asian food coming from the clothing of the ground crew.  As you enter the arrival gate, the airconditioned environment removes these clues, and you are back in a generic airport air.

As I dodged and passed through other travelers on my way to immigration I felt a rush of adrenaline.  After sitting for 15 hours, it felt so good to move my legs!  I was so excited to be starting my adventure in China, I almost start skipping!! 

At the immigration counter, the agent checks my documents and stamps my passport.  As he hands it back to me, I smile broadly and say, "this is the first stamp in my new passport!!!"  I doubt he understood, but smiled back at me.   (Yup, I'm such a dork!)

We collected our luggage and met the group in the arrivals lounge where Chef Martin Yan is waiting for us.  He welcomes us to Hong Kong, and also tells us some interesting facts about the airport, Hong Kong, and about the adventure that is ahead of us.  We all board a bus that will take us to the border where we will cross from Hong Kong, into Shen Zhen.  More lines, more stamps in my passport - Hong Kong "departure" and China "entry."  Since the handover in 1997, Hong Kong is technically China, but the "one country, two systems" is still a reality. HK residents have no issue going in and out of China, but residents of China have restrictions on entering Hong Kong. In fact, HK and the rest of China use different currency and censorship guidelines are also different. Facebook and my e-eats blog were available in HK, but blocked in China.

From Shen Zhen, we are on a bus for about 2 hours to Shunde. Alongside the highway, we see rows and rows of factories as well as large dormitory and luxury highrise complexes.  There is so much money is being spent on construction and revitalization! With all of the construction and manufacturing the sky around Shen Zhen has a yellow-ish grey haze of smog.  Martin points out that Mao's lasting influence is apparent in the beautifully landscaped areas along highways in newly developed areas. This only possible in China where the low labor costs of maintaining the landscaping is affordable (for now...) Among the factories, we also see evidence past industries. We pass duck farms, fish farms, fields of black sugar cane, and lychee trees. One of the "fun facts" that Martin gives us, is that the total annual US production of ducks is appox equal to the avg duck consumption in a top Peking duck restaurant in Beijing for one three week period. According to Martin, the Chinese love their duck!

Our bus pulls into Shunde, the streets are bustling.  There are large department stores and western retail and food chains.   There are scooters everywhere!  Entire "families" riding on one scooter! It is Sunday so the streets are less congested.   Shunde, located in the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, is what Martin calls a "fourth tier" city in China. It has a population of a little over 1 million people.  It is well know for its consumer electronics industry, as well as for being the source of some of the best Cantonese chefs in Southern China.

Our first meal is at ArYiLiangTong - which roughly translates to "second wife's soup."  Martin explained that in agricultural areas, it was common for men to have more than one wife (more wives = more children = more hands to work in the field.)  Often, the best way for a woman to catch the heart of a married man, was to be a better cook - in other words, "winning a man's heart through his stomach!"

This is our first meal, and the first thing we eat since our arrival in China - the anticipation!!  The ladies wheel out a cart of little ceramic crocks.  What tasty delights wait inside???

Inside the crocks was our first dish, Herbal Fish and Quail Soup.  Hmmmmm....... whole little birds in soup.
I made a promise to myself that on this trip I would try EVERYTHING.  This very first dish was already presenting a challenge.  I looked down at the little bird head looking at me, and sipped the soup around it.  Yum!  The warm broth warmed and comforted my tired body, and the broth was flavorful yet subtle, with many unfamiliar but delicious ingredients.  Soon, more dishes followed:

Happy Day Cold Platter - roasted duck, crispy chicken, and chicken rolls, Steamed Farm-raised freshwater fish from the Pearl River Delta, Red-cooked Pork with Long Beans, Fish Balls with Mustard Greens, Miniature Fish Dumplings in Broth, Salted Plum-flavored Pork,

Clay Pot Rice with Chinese Preserved Meat, Chen's Village Rice Noodles, Special Steamed Rice Cake, and Seasonal Fruit (watermelon).  Looking over my pictures, I think they added some of the dishes on the original menu.  We also had a very interesting dish that looked like a bird's next with the stir-fried milk of water buffalo.  A sweetened version of the water buffalo milk was also what was inside the "chicken roll" of the Happy Day Cold Platter.

Over lunch, we had a chance to meet some of the other members of the tour.  Martin gave us a tutorial on how to use a Chinese "squat toilet" - thank goodness, because we encountered many of those (maybe too many!), We laughed and ate til our bellies were full. 

After lunch Martin arranged for us to visit a nearby garden - formerly owned by a very wealthy man - beautifully landscaped with rocks, stained glass, and small ponds. We had an opportunity to walk off our lunch and take tons of pictures. 

Our first group pictures - which includes some random local girls who were fans of the Willis, our resident "handsome, tall, Caucasian man" in the back.

see, taste, discover - a journey to find inspiration!

November 11th, 2011 at 11:11pm.  At our gate at SFO, Rosemary Gong, her mom, Mary, her Auntie Peggy, Auntie Lynn, her cousin, Susan, and I closed our eyes for a moment and made a wish.  We were all about to embark on a culinary journey through Southern China with the one and only, Martin Yan!

Rewind to one month earlier.

A recent trip to LA, inspired me to do  a cleanse - to detox my body from my daily abuse of gourmet yummies, and to also lose a few pounds before I went to visit my sister in Hawaii.  About a week into this cleanse, I am invited to a dinner with VIP guest, Chef Martin Yan at the California Culinary Academy.  Do I interrupt my joyous vegan/gluten-free diet of only fruits, veggies, and juice to dine with one of the most famous and established chefs in the world?  Hell, YES!!

After a cooking demonstration and a tour of the school facilities, we sat down with Chef Martin Yan at the Technique Restaurant, for a dinner which was prepared and served by the students of the CCA.  During our meal, Chef Martin chatted with the bloggers about his experiences and many of the current activities on his plate - new restaurant, new shows, etc.  He mentioned that he was taking a group of people to China on a charity tour benefitting The Leukemia Lymphoma Society.  My ears perk up!  I reminded him that I had actually met him earlier this year at a Leukemia Lymphoma Society charity luncheon for my friend Rosemary Gong.  It turned out that this trip to China was part of Rosemary's fundraising campaign!

Chef Martin casually says, "You should come too!"  A seed is planted......

I start to ramble "It has been years since I have been to Asia, my parents are from Taiwan......"

Martin says, "You should add an excursion to Taiwan - I know some people there that I could introduce to you..."  Seed sprouting.....

Martin continues, "I'm leaving for Beijing in two days, but if you have time to come by the office tomorrow, my staff can give you the details." Leaf, leaf, roots......

The next day I drive down to the San Mateo offices of Yan Can Cook.  I walk into Martin's staff meeting complete with flowers, balloons and refreshments - the team is waiting for Martin's wife to get off the phone so they can give her a birthday surprise.  Martin introduces me, and everyone shifts so I can join them.  While we are waiting, I look around the office - every wall was covered with plaques, awards, honorary degrees, and pictures of Martin with everyone who is anyone in the culinary world.  I had pinch myself to make sure that this was really happening. 

Martin was leaving the next day to Beijing for business, but he spent the next two hours talking to me and showing me around the Yan Can Cook enterprise.  Wow!

After I left the offices, I immediately called my family to discuss.  This trip would be a huge financial outlay - as a freelancer, my stream of random projects barely covers monthly expenses, I would need to dip into my savings. I was leaving in 6 days to visit my sister for two weeks, getting major dental work ($$) while I was there, and would be leaving for this trip only a few days after I got back.  Should I go to Taiwan? Should I stop by anywhere else?  How long would I stay? Where would I stay?  Would my friends and family be available during this time?  Blah, blah, blah.....

Who was I kidding?  This was an opportunity of a lifetime!  And exactly what I needed.  While my life is full of amazing experiences, I had been desperately looking for inspiration for the next phase of my life.  What would be a better source of inspiration  - than an adventure to new places, with new friends - and with interesting and delicious new foods?

The next few weeks were a blur - finalizing dates and destinations, contacting friends and family, visas, travel insurance, major dental work, Halloween, nephew's birthday, last minute preparations.........

And so there we were - at 11/11/11 at 11:11 - all of us with our eyes closed at that magical moment - making a wish, and about to embark on an adventure.........

Details of our adventure to follow...... stay tuned!!!!!

 

 

Spam love

Not the unwanted kind you get in your email, but the gelatinous, take the shape of the can, combination of mystery pre-cooked meat. 

Yup, I must be in Hawaii, where residents consumer the most Spam per capita in the United States.  Here, you can find Spam on the menu of Burger King and McDonalds, and Spam musubis in every case of pre-made food.  Spam is everywhere!

For my nephew Trevor's 3rd birthday, my sister made her first attempt at making Spam Musubi.  We did an informal survey of Spam Musubi-making tips. Musubi, typically refers to a riceball wrapped in nori (seaweed).  Spam Musubi can be seen in various formats:  like a nigiri sushi - rice on bottom, Spam on tip secured with a strip of nori, or like a sushi roll, with the Spam nestled between layers of rice, and enclosed in a sheet of nori. To make roll-type of musubo, you will need a Spam Musubi maker - which is just a rectangular rice press.  They are sold in single and double size.  A single will accomodate one slice of Spam, a double will hold two slices of Spam laid end to end.

We discovered that all measurements, ingredients and instructions for Spam Musubi are not exact, it all depends on your taste preferences.

A popular Spam-cooking recipe seems to be frying the spam with shoyu (soy sauce) and mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine) - other variations include sugar vs mirin, or just using teriyaki or oyster sauce.  Other ingredients for Spam Musubi, may include furikake (japanese condiment - with flakes of nori - and can also include some sort of dried fish flakes, sesame seeds, and salt and sugar + MSG), eggs, and kimchee.  Oh the possibilities!

Since this would be served to a soccer team of boys 5 yrs and younger, we went plain and simple - just plain fried Spam and rice wrapped with nori sheets.

We cut the low sodium Spam into approx 1/4-1/2" slices and threw them into a non-stick pan with no oil and cooked on medium heat.  Since Spam is already pre-cooked, the length of time you cook depends on your preference of texture.  Some we lightly cooked, some had a nice crunchy char on the outside.

We centered the nori into the Musubi Maker.  Then add a layer of rice on the bottom, tap down with the Musubi Maker insert to even out.

Place fried pieces of Spam end to end, then follow up with another layer of rice.

Tap down with the insert, and push entire musubi out of the mold.  Fold the sides of nori over the top.  You can moisten the ends to "seal"  Give it a quick press around to make sure it all holds together.  Then slice.

After the soccer game, we sang Happy Birthday to Trevor and the boys devoured the Spam Musubi and other treats. 

I would say, our first attempt at Spam Musubi was a smashing success!

 

reunited with dill – and it tastes so good!!

Years ago, I accompanied my then boyfriend to a dinner at his new boss’s house.

The boss’s wife made a shrimp pasta with creamy dill sauce. Everyone was served a plate mounded with linguine and shrimp, smothered in a cream sauce that was practically green with dill. Each serving could have easily fed a family of 4. This dish was so heavy (and overwhelmingly “dill”), that after a few bites, I was done. I was faced with the dilemma - Do I leave a substantial amount of food on my plate, and risk offending our gracious hosts? OR, Do I attempt to clean my plate and risk a stomach-pumping session after dinner? Alas, I was brought up with the mantra to never waste food – so I took a deep breath, channeled the spirit of a competitive eater, and dug into my giant plate of pasta. Since that night, I have avoided anything that contained dill. Anything dill would give me flashbacks of the boss’s wife’s pasta – shudder!!

A few weeks ago, my dill-free life ended – unintentionally, unexpectedly, and undeniably- deliciously!

I enjoyed lunch at Kokkari Estiatorio. It was my first visit to this famous FiDi establishment and I was lucky to be in the company of “Kokkari insiders” Deborah Kwan and Michael Procopio!! I was in great hands - so I sat back and let them do all of the ordering! We started with a spread of appetizers –Tomato and Peach Salad (a surprisingly delightful combination), Grilled Peppers (delicious and simple), Taramosalata (ugh! So good, I could live on this!!), Favosalata (this is not made with fava beans and please, do NOT call it “hummus”), and my favorite, the Grilled Octopus (nuff said). Michael warned us not to fill up on the pita bread – which is just so fluffy, warm, and delicious!! We followed up with the amazing Grilled Lamb Chops with the famous Kokkari Potatoes and …… the Gigandes.

Gigandes are giant beans that are baked in tomato sauce. OMG! These Gigandes changed my life! They arrived still bubbling hot from the oven – giant tender beans in rich, flavorful tomato sauce, topped with feta cheese and a green sauce. Each fork full was immediately followed with another, til I had to stop and consider that my lunch mates might want to have some Gigandes as well. The flavors in this dish were very complex – there was an ingredient that took the dish to the next level, but I couldn’t identify it…….. hmmmmm what could that flavor be??

Our dessert was Galaktoboureko – which looked like flakey filo “egg rolls” filled with semolina custard, apricot spoon sweets, and pistachio ice cream. YUM!!! ("lick the plate" good!!)

My first visit to Kokkari was unforgettable – the warm and friendly people, the cozy yet upscale surroundings, delicious, delicious food, and of course, my amazing company! The best part is - I now am the proud owner of the new Kokkari cookbook!!! I scanned the recipe for Gigandes (pg. 64). What was that ingredient that gave this dish such amazing flavor? Yup, it was DILL!!!

Thanks to Deborah Kwan, David Hawk and Chronicle Books for allowing me to share the following recipe with you!

From Erik Cosselmon and Janet Fletcher, Kokkari: Contemporary Greek Flavors, Chronicle Books

Oven-Baked Giant Beans with Tomato, Dill & Feta

Gigandes Plaki

We cook these enormous white beans in an aromatic broth, then let them rest overnight in tomato sauce to soak up flavor. The following day, we reheat them to order with a topping of crumbled feta and dill. Even well-heeled Greeks have a soft spot for the humble gigandes. Serve these creamy beans as a meze, as a side dish with roast lamb or goat, or as a meatless main course.

1 pound dried gigantes (giant white beans) or other white beans

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 inner ribs celery, coarsely chopped

1 large leek, including pale green parts, coarsely chopped and rinsed

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano, crumbled

2 bay leaves

2 1/2 cups Kokkari Tomato Sauce (please see separate recipe)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons minced fresh dill

1/4 pound Greek feta cheese, crumbled

Cover the beans with 3 inches of cold water and let soak overnight. Drain and rinse. Put the soaked beans in a stockpot and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, skimming any surface foam. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Cover and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. After 45 minutes, add the onion, carrot, celery, leek, garlic, oregano, and bay leaves. Raise the heat to return to a simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a bare simmer and cook, uncovered, until the beans are tender, 45 minutes or more depending on their age. Test several, as they do not always cook evenly.

Drain the beans in a colander, reserving the tasty broth for another use, such as soup. Remove the bay leaves. Return the beans to the pot and stir in the tomato sauce, olive oil, and 3 tablespoons of the dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You can prepare the beans to this point 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate. Reheat gently before continuing.

Preheat the broiler. Transfer the beans to an 11-by-7-inch baking dish or a dish of comparable size, spreading them evenly. Combine the feta and the remaining 1 tablespoon dill and sprinkle evenly over the beans. Broil on the top rack until the beans are heated through and the surface is appetizingly browned. Serve hot.

Serves 6

Kokkari Tomato Sauce

The reputation of a Greek kitchen rests in part on its tomato sauce because so many key dishes rely on it. You can’t make a tasty pastitsio or a soul-stirring rendition of baked gigandes without it. Some cooks add sugar, cinnamon, or allspice, but we favor Mediterranean herbs: fresh basil and the dried Greek oregano that is our aromatic signature. The sauce keeps for 1 week in the refrigerator, or you can freeze it.

1 can (28-ounce) San Marzano tomatoes, with juice

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Italian tomato paste (optional)

1/2 teaspoon dried Greek oregano, crumbled

1 sprig fresh basil

Sea salt

In a food processor, puree the tomatoes with their juice. Set aside. Crush the garlic cloves with the heel of your palm against the side of a chef’s knife.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté just until it begins to brown, tipping the pan so the cloves remain covered in oil. Remove from the heat and discard the garlic cloves.

Add the pureed tomatoes to the hot oil—the mixture will sizzle and splatter—then return the pan to medium heat. Cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, until the sauce has thickened and lost its raw taste, about 15 minutes. If the flavor does not seem rich enough, stir in the tomato paste. Add the oregano and simmer 5 minutes more. Add the basil sprig and remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt. You can refrigerate any unused sauce for up to 3 days.

So my food moral of this tale is that ingredients – whether good, bad, expensive, cheap – should never be used in excess, and unless I’m allergic to something, I should never boycott an ingredient for the risk of missing out on true taste sensory bliss!!

Erik and Janet will be at Omnivore Books Saturday, Oct 15th, 2011 from 3-4pm to share tastes of dishes from the cookbook.

gigantes - before and after soaking - Go Giants!!

capturing the best of summer - peaches, nectarines, tomatoes, garlic, basil - with some soba noodles

During the summer months, the farmer's markets are filled with stands offering tasty, sweet samples of stone fruit.  I can't resist!  I come home from the market, delicately cradling my peaches, nectarines, pluots, apriums, plucots, and other unique stone fruit varieties. Of course they all tend to ripen at the same time, so my diet from mid week til the weekend, tends to be "fruit heavy".

The most memorable dish I have had featuring stone fruit, was actually at Basta Pasta, a Japanese/Italian restaurant in New York City.  It was Christmas Eve, I was having a bittersweet goodbye dinner with my boyfriend at our favorite restaurant.  He was leaving the next day to move back to Japan, and I was staying in New York to start grad school.  We were sharing dishes from the special Christmas Eve menu, seated at a table next to Wesley Snipes and his two (inappropriately -dressed) female companions.  

One of the appetizer options was a peach pasta - white Japanese peaches, basil tossed with angel hair pasta.  The flavors were so unique!  It might have been because I was feeling sad and emotional, or because my senses were heightened from all of the crying - but at that particular moment, that peach pasta dish was the most the most delicious thing I had ever tasted in my life!

Over the years, I have tried to replicate this, but have never been successful.  I don't think the restaurant ever had it on the menu again.  (sad, sad face!)

Recently, coming home  from the farmer's market with my stone fruit bounty, I was inspired to search for peach pasta recipes.  I found one on Better Homes and Gardens.

The following is my own riff on this recipe using Japanese soba noodles instead of pasta.   I prefer the flavor of soba noodles, and the texture of the soba holds up better in this dish than wheat pasta.  It is best to use ripe, sweet peaches or nectarines in season.

Summer Soba

• 1 pkg of Japanese Soba Noodles (8-15 oz)
• 6 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 Tbs Olive oil
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 2 lbs (approx 6) ripe  sweet yellow or white, peaches or nectarines (I used a mixture of all 4), pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped basil leaves + more for garnish
• 1/2 tsp crushed chili pepper flakes
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Prepare soba according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Drain soba and return to pot; keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet cook garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add tomatoes. Cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes til heated through. Add peaches/nectarines and chili flakes. Cook 4 to 5 minutes more or until peaches are just soft, stirring occasionally. 

Add cooked soba noodles and basil and toss well.  Add reserved soba cooking liquid as needed.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with fresh basil on top.

 

It is getting closer, but it is still not the pasta I remember from that night......

Enjoy!

ghetto delicious gourmet cupcakes - made from a box and topped with stuff from a tub

This past weekend, I met my cousins for dinner in Milpitas.  It was a long drive down the 880  - past 4 Walmarts.  

Admission - a guilty pleasure of mine, is to visit Walmarts late at night.   After the crowds of rowdy families are gone, I like to roam the aisles.   In addition to all of the basic necessities, they carry the most random stuff!   

I especially enjoy spending time in their food section. The assortment reflects the tastes of their clientele. My kitchen is filled with an assortment of Hispanic and Asian spices and ingredients I have found in the Walmart Food section!  

That night I was craving something sweet.  I actually picked up a box of strawberry Twinkies - but I put it back down.  Yup, the craving was pretty strong.  What I really wanted was a cupcake.  When I lived in New York, I would walk home from dinner in the West Village, and stop by Magnolia Bakery for a freshly frosted cupcake - YUM! In California, I was on my own. 

There's a place down the street from me that makes fancy cakes for weddings and special events. They have chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting that are so decadent - I can practically feel the inches grow on my hips as soon as they touch my lips.  The cake part is not typical - it is more dense - like a brownie.  So I wanted to make my own "ghetto delicious" version of this gourmet cupcake.

I picked up a box of brownie mix and a tub of cream cheese frosting and drove back home up the 880. 

The result?  It was pretty darn close to the original!  

Ghetto Delicious Gourmet Cupcake

• 1 box of brownie mix
• 1 tub of cream cheese frosting
• cupcake papers

Prepare brownie mix as directed on box.  Bake time will be shorter than the 13"x9" pan time - check with a toothpick for doneness.  

Remove from pan to cool.  When cool top with frosting.  

Don't judge.  Try them yourself.  They're really really good!  Just don't tell people you made them from a box and a tub!

Enjoy!!! 

i like to tinker in the kitchen

Often, when people introduce me, they will say, “This is e, she’s a ‘foodie’”.

Ugh!  I really dislike the word, “Foodie”.  I really don’t think this term is appropriate to describe me.  After an introduction like this, people have felt compelled to start name dropping – celebrity chefs, latest in trendy restaurants, food critic said….. blah, blah, blah.

Typically this is met with a blank look in my eyes.  You see - I don’t really keep up with all of that!

Then, our mutual friend will try to fill the awkwardness by saying,  “e is a great cook!” – this comment also makes me cringe, because - while I DO like to spend time in my kitchen, unlike people who deserve to be called “great cooks”, maybe 50% of the things that come out of my kitchen are fit for the general public. 

I can’t make buttercream frosting to save my life!  My attempts at French macarons were tasty, but have looked like little beige turds.   My finicky oven tends to over-cook and burn things. 

Based on what I’ve seen come out of my kitchen, I would definitely NOT describe me as a good cook.   What I would say, “I like to tinker in the kitchen.”

 

A classic example of my tinkering is – Sticky Toffee Date Cake

My friend J first made this cake for me for our Easter gathering.  He had started to watch the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network, and saw this Sticky Toffee Date Cake on one of the episodes.  Yes, this cake was like crack – it was so good!  

May I present, Exhibit 1: J's beautiful cake!

We couldn’t stop eating it!  The cake was moist, and the topping was sweet ooooey gooey bliss!

Recently I was invited to attend youfedababychili's Battle Beer Can Chicken 4. I figured it would be the perfect venue to try out the Sticky Toffee Date Cake!!

This is a really cool cake to make.  When cooking the chopped dates, you add in baking soda, and the entire mixture bubbles up - whoosh! Then, you add the date mixture into the batter.  The batter becomes very watery - but then, you add in baking powder - and then more bubbles start to form!  The end result is a moist fluffy cake that isn't too sweet.

The challenge is to get the toffee sauce right.  

May I present, Exhibit 2: my first attempt at Sticky Toffee Date Cake moments after I poured the warm toffee sauce over the warm cake:

Not too bad - right?  I left the cake in the pan because I knew I was going to transport it.   

The next day, I arrived chez babychili, and realized that I would need to invert the cake - luckily I brought extra sauce.  

May I present Exhibit 3: e's cake plated

Not the prettiest cake I ever seen....  Tasty, but not the oooey gooey delight it should have been. Once the sauce had cooled, it turned solid and grainy.  I was grateful to see that the group of very accomplished chefs and food bloggers at the event consumed it anyway. (Bless you guys!)  

 

I couldn't give up!  Practice makes perfect - right?  So a week later, I decided to make this cake again for my friend S's son B's second birthday party.

May I present, Exhibit 4 - STDC 2 aka CTDC (Crunchy Toffee Date Cake)

Thinking that I could solve the graininess issue, I cooked the sauce a little too long, and it had gone into the "Hard-Ball Stage".

The sauce formed a crunch coat on the top of the cake.

Exhibit 5: The extra sauce

You should NOT be able to mold sauce into shapes.........

Again, the cake was tasty, and the toffee pieces on top were absolutely delicious!  We had to refrain from just picking off the toffee pieces.

However, I did have a 'tinkering' success!  I  adapted the original recipe, and made an extra gluten-free version of this cake especially for S.  Since the extra sauce was too hard for the cake, she put some store bought frosting on top and had two servings!  She was thrilled to find a delicious gluten-free dessert.  I was thrilled that she enjoyed it so much!  Yay!!!

Below is my recipe for
Gluten Free Sticky Toffee Date Cake!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, prepare one 9 in round cake pan

Cake

• 1/2 pound dates, pitted and chopped
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1/4 cup flax meal (why not? everyone needs some extra fiber and omega-3s!)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs + 2 tsp baking powder

 Sauce

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place dates into large saucepan with 1 3/4 cups of cold water.  Bring to boil, stirring to break up the dates.  Simmer for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Sprinkle baking soda over the top.  Chemical reaction #1.  The mixture will bubble and expand - keep this in mind when selecting the pan.  You need about 2-3 inches extra space to accommodate this.  (note: if any reader has insight on why this happens, please comment - baking soda bubbles when it comes into contact with something acidic. From what I have read, dates are supposed to be alkaline.  So what's causing this?)
2. In separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together til pale and creamy/  Add the eggs one at a time.  Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the vanilla extract, then rice flour, flax meal and salt.  
3. Add the warm date mixture in two batches.  Mix on slow speed.  The batter is watery, so may spatter.  (I made the mistake of mixing at too high of speed, and am still finding dried sticky date batter in random places around my kitchen)  Scrape down sides of bowl and mixer to incorporate.
4. Sift in baking powder - when J and I have made it without sifting, you tend to get clumps of uncooked baking powder in the final product.  I find adding the baking powder through a sifter helps prevent this from happening. The batter will bubble up.  Mix til incorporated, but don't over mix.  This batter was VERY watery - much more than the traditional wheat flour version.  I had to adjust cooking time to accommodate.
5. Pour batter into pan.  Bake for about 40, then lower the temp to 300 degrees and cook for another 10-15 mins. Check periodically.  Cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean in the middle of the cake.  
6. While the cake is baking, make the sauce - again, this part has never come out successfully for me.  These are the directions as written in Ina's recipe.  Combine the butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract in a medium saucepan.  Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer gently for a minute or two until thickened and well blended.  You might want to use a candy thermometer so that you don't over cook like I did - "Thread" stage is between 235-240 degrees F.
7. When the cake is done, poke little holes all over the surface with a toothpick.  Pour the caramel sauce over cakes while both are still warm and leave to soak for about 10 mins.  (I typically will pour half of the sauce over the cakes, and then save half to serve on the side.  This cake can be too sweet.)  The original recipe says to serve the cakes upside down.  I prefer to use a spring-form cake pan and serve it top-side up.

There is very little difference in taste and texture between the original and the gluten-free version.  Both were moist and lightly sweet.

 

I will continue to tinker in the kitchen, and continue my attempts to master this tricky sauce.  

To my friends and family who continue to support my hobby and endure my wacky food creations - I am so grateful, and love you all dearly!  Just don't call me a 'foodie"!!

xoxo

e

 

 

 

birthday tuna

I spent my birthday this year with my LA "family".  

My best friend J's mom (aka "nana") makes the best tuna salad I have ever eaten.  It doesn't taste fishy or too mayonnaise-y.  I beg her to make it every time I'm in town.

For my birthday, nana made a batch of tuna salad - just for me!!!  This is the special kind of birthday gift that you can only get from someone who loves you and knows you so well!!  Nana made my birthday tuna with all the extras that I like (cuz J likes it plain).  It was delicious!!!!  She was kind enough to include a copy of the recipe in my birthday card - so I don't have to wait an entire year to enjoy it again!!  

Love you nana!!!

Nana's Tuna Recipe

• 4 small cans of solid albacore tuna in water, rinsed and drained well
• 8 hard boiled eggs (you may use the whole egg or just the egg whites)
• 4 stalks of celery diced
• 1 medium red onion diced
• sweet pickle relish including some juice to taste (approx one cup)
• Mayonanaise to just make moist

Mash tuna and eggs well.  Add remaining vegetables and mix with mayo.

Refrigerate and enjoy!

this season makes me "berry" happy!

There are many times a year that I say to myself, "I'm soooooooo lucky to be living in the Bay Area!!". 

We are currently in the middle of berry and cherry season!!!!  My friend C and I made the trek to Brentwood yesterday and came back with pounds and pounds seasonal loot!!

Pease Ranch had a large variety of berries and cherries.  We picked ripe juicy loganberries, olallieberries, and boysenberries (I think my favorite!).  My hands were fulfullingly stained with berry juice!  After the berries, we swapped our cardboard baskets for buckets to pick cherries.  C introduced me to the Utah Giants variety of cherries (which also tops my list!).  We also picked some Bings, Raniers and some brighter red variety (we didn't catch the name).

There are only two more weeks worth of berries, and probably more weeks worth of cherries.  Then come the apricots, other stone fruit, and then corn.....  (yes, I love living here!!!)

For more information about U-Pick farms, check out:  http://www.harvest4you.com/

Happy berry and cherry season!!!

bite-sizes pieces of happiness

Yesterday, I drove up to Marin, enduring record-breaking June rainfall, to take a petit four (French for "little oven") class at Dragonfly Cakes in Sausalito.

During the Fancy Food Show this year, I encountered Brooks Coulson Nguyen's at her Dragonfly Cakes booth.  There were trays and trays of delightful pastel colored petit fours.  Yes, we were allowed to sample, but all of them looked so delectable, it was so difficult to choose just one! (so I had two.)  When Groupon featured a class to learn how to make your own petit fours at Dragonfly Cakes, I could not pass up the opportunity!

Andrea was our instructor for the day.  The entire petit four process requires multiple steps, and multiple days - our class was only two hours, so we got a condensed overview of the process, and spent most of our time on the decorating step (IMHO - the "fun-est" step).

I took copious notes, and now fully appreciate all the work that goes into creating these cute, delicious, one-bite treats.

Phase 1: Making and Preparing the Cake

Dragonfly uses a chiffon cake base, that is light, airy and not too sweet.  Andrea mentioned that some past students have tried this at home using box cake mix, but beware, the texture of box mix cake might be more difficult to use.  

A very thin layer of batter is poured on a sheet pan, lined with parchment paper, and sprayed with non-stick spray (ie, PAM), do not use the Baker's Spray, which typically includes flour, and do not use the flavored non-stick spray, or olive oil versions.  The pan goes into a hot oven, and bakes for about 5 mins.

Once the cake has fully cooled (you can freeze), scrape off the "sugar bloom" off the top of the cake.  This will make sure that the cake layers will adhere to the fillings, otherwise they might "slip off". After scraping off the sugar bloom, flip over the cake and carefully peel it off the parchment.  Cut the cake into more manageable pieces for assembly - Andrea cut the sheet cake into quarters.  First she brushed each layer with sugar syrup (equal parts sugar and water) to rehydrate the cake, and make a moist petit four.  Then she applied a layer of buttercream, another layer of cake, brush with simple syrup, chocolate ganache (flavor layer), topped ganache with more butter cream, another layer of cake, brush with simple syrup, layer of buttercream.  Re-cap: 3 layers of cake (brushed with simple syrup), each topped with a layer of buttercream, and the second layer has a layer of flavor applied directly to the cake (in this example, ganache - but you can use any of your favorite jams (no seeds!) and curds).  On the very top of all of these cake and buttercream layers, is a layer of marzipan (vs a cake layer) for a smooth even finish.

To roll out marzipan, dust the rolling surface and rolling pin with corn starch - you can use powdered sugar too.  DO NOT use flour!!!!

Roll out thinly and evenly, and then loosen from surface with an off-set spatula.  Using a piece of parchment paper, cut the marzipan to match your cake layers.  Then using a dowel, slowly roll up the marzipan off the table, taking care to brush off excess corn starch along the way.  Lay the marzipan on top of the cake layers.

Freeze this overnight.

Phase 2: Cutting and Decorating the Cakes

Once the cake as frozen and set overnight, now it is time to cut and decorate!

Andrea taught that cutting and decorating the mini-cakes are best done when they are still frozen.  She also recommended that instead of attempting diagonal cuts (for diamond shapes) you can cut straight strips, then cut these strips diagonally. Different shapes were used to help differentiate the flavors - apricot was rectangle, diamond for hazelnut, and paralellagram for rasperry and chocolate.  Dragonfly has a cutting machine so that is how they get an entire sheet of perfect, even mini-cakes.

The cakes are then dipped in coating chocolate - which can be the same Candy Wafers we used when we made cakeballs.  Coating chocolate is chocolate that has some cocoa fat removed and replaced with oil to prevent blooming, unsightly streaks, and removes the need to temper (just put in microwave).  A flavorless oil, like vegetable, or soybean is added to the melted candy wafers to get a thin, runny consistancy (when warm - at room temp, it should still be able to solidify).  Dragonfly gets their coating chocolate from Italy.

To dip the frozen cake pieces into the coating chocolate - use a fork to submerge the cake under the chocolate a few times, to make sure all of the bubbles are out, and the cake is evenly coated.  Lift the cake with your fork, with the marzipan layer-side up, gently tap a few times on the side of the container to remove excess coating, then gently place on parchment so the coating can set and harden.  Now the fun begins!  Deco-a-palooza! 

The team at Dragonfly supplied us with a broad variety of fun things to decorate our chocolate coated cakes! 

• Edible glitter - sparkly, bright colored glitter, some in heart shapes.  The chocolate coating needs to be wet in order for this to stick, so apply before your coating sets fully, or cheat (like we did) by piping some liquid coating on top then sprinkle glitter on top.
• White chocolate coating was turned into brightly colorored chocolate using oil-based food coloring.  Andrea made piping bags using triangles of parchment paper - rolled and then stapled sealed on top, so the filling didn't ooze out the back side.  If using food coloring, make sure that the coloring is oil-based, or else it cause the chocolate to "seize up".
• Molded chocolate shapes - flowers, stars, moons, circles handmade by the staff of Dragonfly Cakes.

We sprinkled, piped, and applied to our heart's content.  When we left, we each had boxes of happy little cakes to bring home to eat (and maybe to share..) 

I highly recommend the Petit Four class at Dragonfly Cakes!  The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and the class is so much fun! (and you bring home many delicious memories!!)

Enjoy!

springtime bounty

"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."

Sorry to start this post with such a morbid quote from Hannibal Lecter.  But I must admit, I avoided fava beans until recently, because I couldn't get this quote out of my head.  

Now, the only thing that keeps me away from fava beans is Time - these delicious broad beans are incredibly labor-intensive!

Spring is the season for two of my favorite ingredients - fava beans and green garlic.

I encountered both of these ingredients during my Supper Club cooking classes at Paulding & Co.  Green garlic was used with cauliflower in a creamy soup.  And a huge pile of fava beans in their pods became a small handful of beans to sprinkle on a shaved fennel and asparagus salad.  

Both fava beans and green garlic are best eaten while they are young and tender (I think Hannibal Lecter would agree....)

Green garlic, available in the springtime is the same garlic you would buy in bulb form, but picked when the stalks are fresh green and before the bulb has formed into the sections.  The entire plant is used, like a leek - and tastes like a sweeter, milder version of the more mature bulb form!  

To prepare, remove the outer layers as necessary.  Trim the bottom, cutting off the roots.  You should be able to start slicing from the bottom of the bulb.  You can use all of the green garlic that is tender and mostly white.  The dark green parts tend to be too tough - discard this.

Yummy, buttery fava beans are delicious, but require a multi-step process before you can eat:

Step 1:  Shell the beans from their pods, using your thumbs to open up the pod, then pluck the beans off. You will be left with a big pile of empty pods (don't eat) and a tiny pile of beans (take to step 2)

Step 2:  Bring a pot of water to boil, then blanch the beans for about 30 seconds

Step 3: if the beans are very young, you might be able to skip this step, but typically, you will need to pop the beans from the skins.  Pinch the skins open, and you can pop out the green bean from the white-ish outer skin.  Discard skins, keep the bright green bean portion.

This year, I started seeing at the market, Fava Greens (or Fava Leaves).  These leaves are soft and slightly fuzzy, and taste like sugar snap peas.  You can eat them raw in a salad, stir fry them, or - a local vendor had the greens displayed with a recipe for Spring Pesto with Fava Leaves and Green Garlic - I know I had to try this!

The following recipe is my spin on a recipe I found on the Fairview Gardens CSA site.  A great way to celebrate Spring!!!

 

Springtime Pasta - with Fava Beans, Green Garlic and Fava Green Pesto.

(Serves 4 - but you might have extra pesto left over)

Pesto:

• 2-3 cups of fava greens washed
• 1/3 cup of pine nuts (other nuts can be used - like walnuts, sunflower seeds)
• 1 green garlic stem, washed and chopped
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 lemon - use the zest and juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until creamy and evenly incorporated. Set aside.

Pasta:

• 1 lb of dried pasta (I used whole wheat fusilli to capture all of the yummy pesto)

Set a pot of water to boil.  When boiling, add salt until water tastes like the sea, prepare pasta as instructed, drain, but reserve about 1 cup of pasta water.

 Fava beans and green garlic:

• 2 lbs of fava beans in pod
• 2 stalks of green garlic, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 Tbs of some sort of fat (olive oil, duck fat, butter)

Prepare fava beans as described above.  You should be left with about a cup of actual beans after blanching and removal of outer skin.  

Meanwhile Heat up "fat" in a medium skillet, add green garlic and cook until soft.  Add fava beans, and stir until heated through.

 

Assembly:

Toss drained pasta with about half of pesto, add a little pasta water to thin out.  Gradually add more pesto as needed.  Add in sauteed fava beans and green garlic and toss til incorporated.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with some extra fated Parmesan cheese on top!

I used the extra pesto on some shrimp - YUM!!  I'm sure you can find many ways to use your leftover Fava Green Pesto!!

Enjoy the Spring!!!