tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137411222024-02-06T22:24:42.854-05:00Crumbs EverywhereUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-37764463274348890112013-06-28T14:14:00.001-04:002013-10-09T21:09:47.233-04:00Larousse Gastronomique, the first English edition<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEXZqwYmsEbMtXy26RGQcu_XSXQL96VfoH6XFKTHgl8LvXNLj23qOcYWTVML9xWFBw8D1vsXAclW_hAY1pyn8W7gYbmaWEFjVGuGY76vd5EGpHxvqK70pd8N8mbDLA83abB-f/s1600/P1020798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEXZqwYmsEbMtXy26RGQcu_XSXQL96VfoH6XFKTHgl8LvXNLj23qOcYWTVML9xWFBw8D1vsXAclW_hAY1pyn8W7gYbmaWEFjVGuGY76vd5EGpHxvqK70pd8N8mbDLA83abB-f/s320/P1020798.JPG" width="320" /></a> This little gem lay on a dusty shelf in a resale store in DeKalb, IL, swathed in a dust cover so busy and unstylish that nearly caused me to pass it by.<br />
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I've never been one for encyclopedic food books, and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ISP0JK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000ISP0JK&linkCode=as2&tag=crumbevery-20">Larousse Gastronomique</a> always seemed extra fuddy-duddy. But my curiosity was piqued by the mention of 'First English Edition.' Trying to ignore the terribly-composed, grainy black and white pictures, I skimmed on and on. The photos bore the unfortunate quality of depicting those very food items that resist black-and-white photography, such as cauliflower <i>au gratin </i>and eggs <i>a la</i> florentine. I am sure bad photography was not what Prosper Montagné imagined in 1938 when he set out to complete the orgean task of collecting French ingredients, foods, recipes and traditions. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWnWac7IdtGEo62QTfQHhj94pMVbLfqKCta-140Xw50veXYYDASawd2T1WGwyM_4GlD7fAxuUVxKQmyrbNky0sPmbjM6BBDZVood_UPX8afClprfuXXFzxDKQt03mE8OOTZdh/s1600/P1020800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWnWac7IdtGEo62QTfQHhj94pMVbLfqKCta-140Xw50veXYYDASawd2T1WGwyM_4GlD7fAxuUVxKQmyrbNky0sPmbjM6BBDZVood_UPX8afClprfuXXFzxDKQt03mE8OOTZdh/s320/P1020800.JPG" width="320" /></a>The Larousse has been updated many times over, resulting in, I'm sure, many deep excavations into the very definition of French cuisine. Does it stop at the holy temples of Escoffier or Careme? Or are we allowed to freely admit that the French, like everyone else, eagerly filched from their colonial encounters? <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307464911/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0307464911&linkCode=as2&tag=crumbevery-20">Today's Larousse</a> reflects this political correctness, or so I hear. This 1961 English edition, on the other hand, tries to preserve the original French edition for an educated Anglo-American audience. The edition gives both metric and imperial measures, blessing for my own trans-Atlantic confusion of a life. Wonderful charts show meat cuts in three culinary traditions -
American, French and English. And the maps! Place names disappear from the French regions, replaced by iconic foods of <i>la terroir</i>. The maps are a work of art.<br />
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The 1961 Larousse is not so much an encyclopedia as a bookmark, capturing an important, enthusiastic moment in the Franco-American culinary relations, a moment that also allowed for Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, published that same year, to shine.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-1127997668455028222013-06-28T13:35:00.000-04:002013-06-28T13:36:28.966-04:00Equinoctal sundown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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[Note: <i>This post is from 2005. I retrieved this in draft form, found the pictures on my defunct Flickr site, and am re-posting it in the spirit of re-reviving this blog. I love the gentleness of the cookbook and its cuisine, and the reminders of cooking such delicate yet hearty foods in Japan. The dishes are also presented, deliberately I think, on some of the first ceramics I made in my life, at that sweet little studio near the Nishiiki market in downtown Kyoto.</i>] <br />
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Since coming into possession of my new cookbook - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1568364369/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1568364369&linkCode=as2&tag=crumbevery-20">The Enlightened Kitchen</a> by Mari Fujii - I have been waiting for an opportunity to try cooking one of those delicate temple meals, laden with different combinations and preparations of tofu, seaweed, eggplant, sweet potato, pumpkin, mushrooms, and persimmons. I was very pleased with how this one turned out. Although I didn't go vegetarian as Fujii recommends in her gorgeous rhapsodizing of <i>shojin ryori </i>(Japanese temple cuisine), her luscious pictures of surprising vegetable-rice-potato combinations perched on artisanal plateware zinged me into action.<br />
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I gave myself over to an hour of blissful indecision and happy preparation, and produced things out of ingredients I had on hand: fried eggplant drizzled with tomato sauce; lean pork sauteed with persimmon, ginger rice. The latter came strictly out of Fujii's book. The eggplant was also inspired by it - but the sauce was a time-saving substitute for more elaborate dengaku and miso flavorings.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-27259034046756676272013-06-18T18:36:00.000-04:002013-10-09T18:41:54.745-04:00Freshly-picked brussel sprouts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Is what the sign said at the tiny DeKalb Farmers' Market yesterday. After last week's retreat at my friend Zoe's, in which she showed me how to make the fabulous raw kale salad above, I've been trying to raw-ify some of my meals. Asparagus shaved, with radish and grana padano (my current on-hand Italian hard cheese). And now, I want to shave brussel sprouts into a tangy salad, like <a href="http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2013/04/shaved-brussels-sprout-salad.html">so</a>. And blitz the sprouts into pesto (to blanch or not to blanch?).<br />
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Stay tuned for: Garlic and tahini kale salad, shaved asparagus and radish salad, and some new ways with brussel sprouts.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-41202085719870101572013-04-20T20:46:00.001-04:002013-06-28T13:37:21.811-04:00Aniseedy tau yew bak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I returned from Singapore in October, I made a mad dash to the kitchen like never before. I was melancholic on the plane, poring over every page in <a href="http://cookingforthepresident.com/Cooking_For_The_President/Cooking.html">Cooking for the President</a>, which counts as the most expensive cookbook I've ever bought. I threw my homesickness into making food from home. The dish I chose that frenzied, grief-stricken, homesick day was <i>tau yew bak</i> (soy sauce pork belly). I had cooked it before. I also ended up straying from the recipe as usual. I threw in the one spice that spoke to me more than anything else of my mother's interpretation of this dish - star anise. Once it's in my kitchen drawer I slip it in stocks and soups and even stir-fries - a travesty. But this is where the star anise finds its true home, adding a frilly border to the sweet and macho character of the dark soy sauce, the springy <i>bellyness </i>of the pork. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-40959006477606351732012-10-27T10:38:00.000-04:002012-10-27T10:39:32.937-04:00Dining on the City of New Orleans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's something to be said about an overnighter on a train. Finding your designated room-ette, watching the train pull out of Chicago at dusk, listening to the sounds of other passengers settling in for the night. And the thing I was waiting for: the opening of the dining car. Train chugging, I wobbled upstairs, pulled my fair share of heavy compartment doors, and emerged in a little diner. I was asked to fill the last seat at a four-person table, and the pleasantries began. Except for the 200-year old man who was hard of hearing and kept barking my last name as a form of address, dinner went as smoothly as the track bumps would allow. The famed Angus steak failed to appear on our menu, and the iceberg salad was inedible, but the burgers looked good (and tasted good, when I had it for lunch). Feeling over-meated lately, I opted for a vegetarian-tomato-primavera linguine, presented on a blue-rimmed Amtrak melamine. In spite of one of my companions refusing to leave his safe place of the Korean War and issuing racial stereotypes about me, dining on the train really made the 20-hour journey special. I could talk about the next day - the stops in Memphis, Jackson, the blur of cotton fields, the backswamps of the Mississippi, but this is a food blog. Next stop: New Orleans.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-16069601166431232672010-04-25T14:39:00.002-04:002013-10-09T21:20:25.576-04:00Unveiling the masher-massager!<a href="http://www.chefsplanet.com/products/view/4" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464146692110854258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOaLQsNIA7_avb9P0R5QsuEm_wkshENC_5poSAxYy24bNnfF9GslVIBYIHjpxlBZQgWT8ws4hoPsrDtSY6FP26geoySAlur1K8mNC_xJVuqktHBnRhQ06vVcg83qFyYHH1Iwn/s400/potatomasher.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 330px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 330px;" /></a>I'm all for classic, even vintage kitchen tools, but I made an exception when I came across this device in the North Market the other day. This Chef's Planet device looks nothing like a conventional potato masher - place it in your bowl of boiled potatoes and use the black ball to rotate it around. The textured surface underneath its vanes make a quick job of pulverizing the potatoes, but there is also a tendency for the mash to come right up to the rim of the bowl, or sometimes out of it, propelled by the vanes. I prefer the conventional masher, but this does make for a great conversation piece. With its durable plastic and knobbly textured surface, it could easily double up as a self-massager! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-75594615141931340122010-01-17T20:32:00.005-05:002010-01-17T20:54:50.552-05:00Mustard chicken stew with barley risottoDinner today was unexpectedly easy and good. I was in the mood for a chicken in a pot, and this needed only a quick jaunt to the neighborhood Mexican grocer for some pollo (drumsticks was the only boned part they had). This recipe serves 2.<br /><br />First, prepare the <span style="font-weight: bold;">barley risotto</span>. Finely cube 1 carrot and half a celery stick. Wash 1.5 cups pearl barley and half a cup of brown rice, add to the rice cooker, add carrot, celery, 1 bay leaf, a pinch of salt, 4 cups of water. Put the rice cooker on, and go out and buy the thing you've decided to cook. When the barley risotto is done, fluff it up, add a tablespoon of olive oil and a handful of chopped cilantro or parsley, and mix it up.<br /><br />Next, make the <span style="font-weight: bold;">mustard chicken stew</span>. I have adapted Clotilde's recipe from her Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil into a casserole pot, add in a smashed clove of garlic when the oil is slightly heated. Remove garlic when it has flavored the oil. Place the 4 chicken drumsticks (or legs, adjust for portion) into the pot and brown on both sides, seasoning with salt and pepper. After you've turned it the second side, put roughly chopped pieces of 1 side of bacon onto the chicken. After you've gotten a nice brown, almost crisp skin, remove the chicken, leaving the browning bacon. Add the onions and sautee with bacon. When they've become soft, add a splash of wine, about half or a third of a cup. I think a dry white should do it but I used what I had on hand - merlot. Let the wine bubble for a bit, then add 1 diced tomato. Stir, and return chicken to the pot. Add a teaspoon of dried thyme, cover, and put on medium. Stew for about 30 minutes, turning the chicken regularly.<br /><br />When the chicken is cooked, add in 3 tablespoons of whole mustard (with seeds please! They turn up so nicely on the final presentation.). Cook, uncovered on medium high for 10 minutes, stirring frequently until the sauce thickens enough to coat chicken. If your guests aren't here, you can keep it warm on low. Serve on barley risotto - the mustard blends into the sauce and is pretty subtle, so you don't have to worry it tasting like your last hot dog. So yummy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-61692038490197382792009-10-28T21:21:00.004-04:002009-10-30T23:28:07.087-04:00Heirloom tomatoes, chevre and arugula salad<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPr4g9G6SLF5iozuyI8CsIZLAA0I-As_oCZu7JDUdePWZfPsmppbWC-zJTnSBCCaURMDi-Qd8oL2RiFqEnMGPPkcOJx0PCzqNdrs36a2SNIprDJ0npD18-XxHeKV8vt-E65z0/s1600-h/PICT3299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPr4g9G6SLF5iozuyI8CsIZLAA0I-As_oCZu7JDUdePWZfPsmppbWC-zJTnSBCCaURMDi-Qd8oL2RiFqEnMGPPkcOJx0PCzqNdrs36a2SNIprDJ0npD18-XxHeKV8vt-E65z0/s320/PICT3299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397826305215500706" border="0" /></a>After a splendid morning at the farmers' market, oh sometime in summer: Heirloom tomatoes and herbed chevre on arugula, simple balsamic-olive oil dressing, fresh ciabatta.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-81044478688537482982009-10-21T10:33:00.004-04:002009-10-21T10:38:08.278-04:00Duxelles on polenta<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqOUT8SVAyoE4Rzn7ZZUoUcYCEfE2oj4II59IYJrrtfpWiaEUiGwZB3EScBgYe1mnv98sUjcyNk-bhfJEI7-HVOkn62w_qbMPdR2iS0tY8VmKphpZu8CR1zznZxPND_D2FrXZ/s1600-h/PICT2536.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqOUT8SVAyoE4Rzn7ZZUoUcYCEfE2oj4II59IYJrrtfpWiaEUiGwZB3EScBgYe1mnv98sUjcyNk-bhfJEI7-HVOkn62w_qbMPdR2iS0tY8VmKphpZu8CR1zznZxPND_D2FrXZ/s320/PICT2536.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395061617179669730" border="0" /></a>Button mushrooms braised in red wine and butter on polenta, and dusted with parsley and Parmigiano Reggiano. Is this too fancy for a second date? The conclusion is yes! But it worked out in the end.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-72104169232339402692009-10-20T11:19:00.002-04:002009-10-20T11:28:57.534-04:00Farfalle cooked risotto-style with zucchini and cacao nibs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBFB6rekObxJqQl2fo93AWTe9PcTC2z0fPCu0EHFKh0NxHKavxr4piZKu3_CzDJXOnr4z_fjjwaPS4R5VD3YAMV0ejWq3oHAveC0iGFoIEsQ4k73t74ZBWi04iVOD5I8bpP42/s1600-h/CIMG1685.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBFB6rekObxJqQl2fo93AWTe9PcTC2z0fPCu0EHFKh0NxHKavxr4piZKu3_CzDJXOnr4z_fjjwaPS4R5VD3YAMV0ejWq3oHAveC0iGFoIEsQ4k73t74ZBWi04iVOD5I8bpP42/s320/CIMG1685.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394703822158703426" border="0" /></a><br />Absorption pasta with zucchini and cacao nibs, Columbus 2006.<br />Recipe from <a href="http://www.chocolateandzucchini.com">Clotilde</a>'s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0767923839?tag=chocolzucchi-mybooks-20">book</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-85880679813455273122009-05-28T10:42:00.003-04:002009-06-06T19:36:15.224-04:00New York eat logRoast duck, Chinatown, Manhattan<br />Ten Zen bubble tea<br />Veggie burger and homemade chips in Brookyln Public, near Fort Greene, Brooklyn<br />Japanese curry dog and barley ice tea at asiadog, Brooklyn Flea<br />Prosciutto, red pepper and mozzarella sandwich in Italian deli in Brooklyn<br />Rendang, Hainanese chicken and chendol at Nyonya<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bahn-mii</span> pork and pate sandwich at Hana, Brooklyn<br />Meat ravioli in a shiitake cream sauce and a Pinot Grigio (Veneto) at Porto Bella, SoHo<br />Spinach and feta quiche at Cafe Lucca, Brooklyn<br />Brown sugar and pistachio financier, sweet melissa, BrooklynUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-66109358107729882702009-05-05T11:45:00.008-04:002009-10-20T11:38:39.752-04:00Julie & Julia - The Movie<object width="360" height="220"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DXklTRsLui4&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DXklTRsLui4&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="360" height="220"></embed></object><br /><br />The official trailer for the Julie & Julia movie is out! I can't believe that I am (or used to be) a part of a movement that started as a small community that has grown to change so many people's lives. I was regularly exchanging views with bloggers that have since <a href="http://www.chocolateandzucchini.com/">quit</a> <a href="http://www.chezpim.com/">their</a> <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/">jobs</a> and started writing cookbooks. And meeting them in cute coffeeshops in Montmartre and surreptitiously passing them packets of <a href="http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2004/09/zucchini_polenta_tart.php">polenta</a>. When I started blogging, the Julie/Julia project had just about folded -- a year of recipes from Julia Child's cookbook, done by the end of 2003. But it wasn't until this year that I picked up Julia Powell's book. I'm usually not fond of autobiographies, but I was surfing in the most unlikely section in the bookstore when the book caught my eye. Would you believe that <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-031610969x-0">Julie & Julia</a> is <span style="font-style: italic;">required reading for a university Comparative Studies course</span>? I did not, either. There is a funny secret satisfaction fluttering about in my chest, thinking how this little movement that I was once a little part of, has been taken as far as university course required reading and a major motion picture starring Meryl Streep, for god's sake.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-4494336106393021292009-04-22T23:00:00.004-04:002009-04-22T23:10:18.377-04:00FIVE by Haagen Dazs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0faziIR1XpYveCFq4hcHUs3KXT1MSZ2YxehkAqKXmxnZbXuT3TCfudXz23e8P0jRfD9v7AWyT2RKNIyVCe2zMFGGXePu3oNpbt4cOHLlckhnwXdbOa31lA9ZD107qM_l4QvRn/s1600-h/pro_pff_101.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0faziIR1XpYveCFq4hcHUs3KXT1MSZ2YxehkAqKXmxnZbXuT3TCfudXz23e8P0jRfD9v7AWyT2RKNIyVCe2zMFGGXePu3oNpbt4cOHLlckhnwXdbOa31lA9ZD107qM_l4QvRn/s400/pro_pff_101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327716675889396002" border="0" /></a>Seeing stocks of the newly-launched Haagen Dazs series, <a href="http://www.haagendazs.com/products/five.aspx">FIVE</a>, made me pick up regular pints just to check if there were more than five ingredients in those. Indeed there were. FIVE purports only to use the following: milk, cream, eggs, sugar and the main flavor-giving ingredient. The result? Much creamier than the regular one, with the main ingredient -- in my case, passion fruit, standing out in all its sharpness. Not as sharp and acidic, mind you, as the freshly-squeezed juice I get standing at the street corner in Laos, but anyway I can get my maracuja nearly there, I'm sold. :) I can't wait to try ginger and brown sugar!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-11628207260871031092009-04-12T19:41:00.003-04:002009-04-12T19:57:43.768-04:00Mok paHere is one of my favorite Lao dishes, <span style="font-style: italic;">mok pa</span>, beautifully demonstrated in this <a href="http://laocook.com/2007/04/04/lctv-let%C2%B4s-make-mok-pa/">video</a> by Laocook.com, a great resource for Lao cooking. Mok pa is white fish blended with fish roe, chilli, paadek, fish sauce and dressed with various herbs and aromatics, and steamed in banana leaf. Saep lai!<br /><br />And if you're anything like me, you'll soon be won over to the kitschy A-Team music.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-52060277069815249052009-04-06T18:20:00.004-04:002009-04-06T18:28:36.627-04:00Gordon Ramsay's perfect scrambled eggsI've always been convinced the simplest dishes are the most deceptively difficult ones to do. This is from my struggles with the basics of Italian cookery, like spaghetti <span style="font-style: italic;">aglio olio</span>, and my years of trying to perfect the carbonara. <br /><br />Here is <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5199462/gordon-ramsey-demonstrates-the-perfect-scrambled-egg-breakfast">Gordon Ramsay's take on scrambled eggs</a>. Basically he's saying we shouldn't deploy the whisk and the salt until the eggs are broken into the pan, after which we're free to kick them around while they cook through. The reason is that salt added before the eggs meet fire changes the constitution of the egg while it cooks, resulting in a less-than-ideal scramble. Ramsay also suggests having the pan in motion, bringing the egg on and off the fire while it cooks. Blobs of butter and a dollop of creme fraiche are also added when the eggs are about done. I must say the end result looks suspiciously smooth and creamy, so I'm skeptical until proven otherwise.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-19995444956805152172009-04-04T20:08:00.002-04:002009-04-04T20:24:28.947-04:00Tea bitesMy in-progress collection of recipes for snacks to drink tea with, and tea-infused food:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://justbento.com/handbook/johbisai/earl-grey-tea-muffins">Earl grey tea muffins</a></li><li>Cookies - lavender, chai, matcha, earl grey</li><li><a href="http://justbento.com/handbook/johbisai/homemade-furikake-no-9-green-tea">Green tea furikake</a></li><li>Chinese tea eggs (<a href="http://justbento.com/handbook/johbisai/lazy-easy-tea-eggs">quick</a> version)</li><li>Pancakes/waffles infused with chai or matcha</li></ul><span style="font-style: italic;">Last update: 4 April, 2009</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-19780653385890432212009-03-19T16:07:00.002-04:002009-03-19T16:24:57.501-04:00Eating-in challenge: A week in Las VegasOn Saturday I leave for a one-week conference trip to Las Vegas. Yes, I know it's Vegas, but as a graduate student in a state university, the trip will likely blow a hole in my pocket. Apart from the cost of the flight and hotel room for a week, I hear the food's pretty expensive for this country. I've also heard about the amazing number of great restaurants. After laying awake for hours wondering how many months of credit card debt this blitz will add up to, I started to think to what extent I could rely on some food supplies I could bring over. I mean, I know $5.99 buffets are a steal, but how much of this can you eat and then, $6 is still a lot to pay for a meal.<br /><br />Besides, it's a conference, which means I need to save some moolah for good coffee!<br /><br />So here I'm thinking aloud, giving myself the challenge of dreaming up ways I could bank on food from home. The challenge is to eat my own lunches this way, for six days. The other challenge, of course, is how to make food that lasts till Thursday? <br /><br />Here's my evolving menu:<br /><br />1. couscous salad with peas and carrots (c,w)<br />2. savory herb and cheese scones<br />3. date and walnut cake<br />4. dried salami<br />5. egg mayo salad<br />6. tuna salad<br />7. bagels, artisan bread, crackers<br />8. tea bags: peppermint, english breakfast<br />9. honey<br />10. cereal<br />11. chocolate<br />12. almonds<br />13. cereal bars<br />14. rice with green beans and porkUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-47780875284919494012009-03-13T23:24:00.004-04:002009-03-13T23:29:58.589-04:00Two dinners chez moiMenu 1, February<br />1. Polenta cakes topped with duxelles (finely-diced mushrooms cooked in wine and butter)<br />2. Portuguese chicken (pollo portugese) over buttered conchiglie pasta<br />3. Breyer's vanilla ice-cream with fresh blueberries and walnut halves<br /><br />Menu 2, March<br />1. Potato cases filled with balsamic-marinated watercress and topped with brie<br />2. Fettuccini with crab and ginger alfredo<br />3. Straticella mousse (brought by guest)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-9017139435738264822009-02-18T18:34:00.003-05:002009-02-18T18:45:55.074-05:00Savory sconesE. gave me this recipe for her savory scones (a welcome mainstay at those long evening seminars!) in an e-mail. I am a great fan of E.'s baking. She recently made a cake with marscapone cream, which was the best cake I'd eaten in a long time.<br /><br />Back in 2007, I had two consecutive dreams about scones involving a dusk-to-twilight REM battle of what to put in them. In my dreams I had decided it would be bacon and parmesan, but I never implemented it. Two years later, I'm finally making my first scones -- in fact, doing my first baking that involves me making individual rounds of stuff. Like, you know, cookies, like. Like not involving a cake or loaf pan. I know, it took me that long.<br /><br />The scones in the oven right now with <span style="font-weight: bold;">grated Comte, black olives and cashews</span>. With a sprinkle of herbes de Provence. My first thought was sundried tomatoes but I couldn't get the darn jar open!<br /><br />I will post the results if they look good enough to post and if I get my camera battery loaded up in time!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">E.'s E-mailed Recipe for Savory Scones or Damper (a kind of soda bread)</span><br /><br />2 C flour<br />1 tsp baking powder<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1/4 tsp baking soda<br />2 T sugar<br />3 T butter<br />1 C milk or cream<br /><br />(you can add about anything sweet or savory...1/3 C shredded parmesan cheese, crushed black pepper, fresh chopped chives or cinnamon, cloves, sultanas...etc.)<br /><br />mix dry ingredients together, cut in butter and crumble with hands until pea size or smaller (like making a pastry dough). add the milk/cream and knead slightly until smooth. shape into round loaf (or into multiple single serving rounds). bake on greased baking sheet @ 375 degrees F. baking time varies depending on size of rounds (30ish minutes for single servings longer for larger loaves). regardless of size should sound hollow when tapped.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-72951352522203363462008-06-13T12:45:00.002-04:002008-06-13T13:16:55.247-04:00Ispahan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.pierreherme.com/retrait-boutique/product.cgi?pid=314&cwsid=1969phAC194316ph2890302"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbW7F09nNrCEus9AOi6L6Am4meSt2uuQ77qrIWYzbJgfcutSYJHYEqxm2ia2vRcUoZRwDJquYcq-LLD_3x5jY-_idttQ4bUFoSpER4CqUz8zS5JZGuCwQdbeBjC_HqCvUhZZN9/s400/ispahan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211415992392354626" border="0" /></a><br />I can always trusted to be about three seasons late into food fashions. I like to think it's really a healthy ambivalence to food crazes that come and go, especially since they usually involve exorbitant prices, long lines, and not to mention a lot of silly hype. Much like witnessing the crowds go wild for the freshly-touched down Beaujolais Nouveau while in Japan. I'd rather be never than early, and sometimes better late than never. I suppose going by this rule I'll probably find out sometime in mid-2009 why donuts warrant TOTO-worthy lines that snake way across the Raffles City Marketplace atrium.<br /><br />So when I was digging about for something I ate last weekend, I came across old archived articles about Pierre Hermé's visit to Singapore, which apparently caused a stampede and an instant black market for tickets to this and that. The fascinating bio of Monsieur Macaron aside, there was also the shock of finding my coveted dessert, with exactly the same name and ingredients, being attributed to him. These Ispahans, named after the variety of rose that gave the macaron its flavor, these delicate mini-stacks of raspberry, lychee and rose petal cream, were staring from the dessert counter of Bakerzin. Surely we're not seeing the McMacaron?<br /><br />In any case it was gorgeous and enticing enough for a second go, sometime before I leave next week. And here is the recipe I found on a rather random Pierre Hermé tribute <a href="http://www.rimag.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA6521518&article_prefix=CA&article_id=6521518">page</a>.<br /><p><strong>Ispahan</strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Ingredients<br /> </strong>(Makes about 42 x 55mm shells - roughly 60 smaller petits fours) </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>For almond paste for macaroon base<br /> </strong>390g ground almonds<br /> 390g icing sugar<br /> 145g fresh egg whites<br /> 5g carmine colouring<br /> 5g strawberry colouring</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>For meringue<br /> </strong>380g granulated sugar<br /> 95ml water<br /> 145g egg whites (older ones are better)<br /> 2g powdered egg white</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>For the rose petal cream<br /> </strong>900g butter cream*<br /> 50ml rose syrup<br /> Optional: 90g creamed butter with 5ml essence of rose</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">* Butter cream recipe incorporates enriched crème anglaise and Italian meringue - see opposite page</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>For assembly (per Ispahan)<br /> </strong>2 x 55mm macaroons (see separate recipe)<br /> 20g-25g rose petal cream<br /> 8 raspberries<br /> 1 heaped tsp chopped lychee (see note at end of recipe on opposite page)<br /> 2 drops glucose<br /> 1 red rose petal</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Method</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">The equal quantities of ground almonds and icing sugar, mixed together, is called a "tant pour tant" by pastry chefs. Beat in the egg whites to form a tacky dough.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">For the meringue, put the sugar and water in a pan and boil to 121°C (1). Meanwhile, start whisking the egg whites and powdered egg until they start to rise. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">While continuing to whisk the whites, pour the boiling sugar on to them in a steady stream so the sugar cooks the whites (2). </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Continue whisking at a moderate speed until the temperature of the meringue drops to between 45°C and 40°C.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Put the almond paste in a mixing bowl and beat in the colouring (3). Beat in about a fifth of the warm meringue. Fold in the rest of the meringue and work it well until it obtains a dropping texture (4).</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Prepare a baking sheet. On it place a sheet of baking parchment with 55mm circles marked on it. Leave 1cm gaps between each circle. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Fill a piping bag with a Savoy plain tube (10 or 12 mm) with the mixture. Pipe about 42 macaroon circles (5).</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Lift the tray, tap the underside all over with your free hand. Each circle will spread a little and even out. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Leave the mixture in a warm, dry place for 35 to 40 minutes before baking.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">The macaroons are ready to bake when their surface is smooth and no longer sticky. If you don't allow them to set their surface will crack during baking.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Preheat a convection oven to 165°C. Put the tray of macaroons in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Every oven is different. They are ready when the surface is crisp and the underneath is also set and lifts easily off the baking sheet.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Filling base</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Enriched creme anglaise</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Ingredients<br /> </strong>180ml milk<br /> 140g egg yolks<br /> 140g caster sugar</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Method<br /> </strong>Boil the milk. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together till the sugar has dissolved (6 & 7). Pour the milk over the yolks and then pour the mixture back into the pan (8). Heat to 85°C. Take off the heat and pour into a cool bowl. Whisk the mixture until it whitens, thickens and cools.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Italian meringue </strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Ingredients<br /> </strong>125g egg whites<br /> 15g caster sugar<br /> 250g granulated sugar<br /> 75ml water</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Method<br /> </strong>Whisk the egg whites and 15g sugar until well risen and quite firm. Boil the granulated sugar and water to 121°C. while continuing to whisk the whites, pour on the boiling syrup in a steady stream. Whisk until the meringue is cold, shiny and firm.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Butter cream</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Ingredients<br /> </strong>450ml crème anglaise*<br /> 750g softened unsalted butter<br /> 350g Italian meringue*</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">* See two previous recipes</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Method<br /> </strong>Combine the ingredients together either by beating or whisking. They may appear to separate, but will always come back to form a smooth emulsion.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">• Note: there's enough of the mixture for about 1.5 recipes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">To make the rose petal cream, beat the butter cream and rose syrup with optional creamed essence (9).</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Put one macaroon shell on the work surface, flat side up. Pipe a circle of rose petal cream around the inside of its circumference and lay seven raspberries on the cream (10).</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Spoon the chopped lychee into the centre of the ring (11). Pipe a small blob of rose petal cream on the lychee (12). </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Fit the second macaroon shell on top (13). Refrigerate for 24 hours for the best result. Pipe two small drops of glucose on the top macaroon and use to fix the garnish of a raspberry and a rose petal (14).</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">• Note on lychees. Pierre Hermé uses tinned lychees. Whether using these or fresh ones, they need to be dried out before use, otherwise their moisture will leech into the macaroons and ruin the texture. Cut the lychees coarsely. Put them in a colander or sieve. Leave to dry out for 24 hours before using them.</span></p><span style="font-style: italic;">Source: </span><a href="http://www.rimag.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Restaurants and Institutions</span><br /></a><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-28795603244020630252008-06-10T22:02:00.003-04:002009-02-07T10:43:22.407-05:00Month of cheeseI've been regaled with more cheese than I can handle this month. More than I deserve, in fact. I'd like to think my approach is still more cautionary, though like my alcohol tolerance, my ability to handle fromage has shot up considerably in Laos. All thanks to the messrs and mlles of the likes of Phimphone, Simuang, and Scooby Dou, the capital's finest delicatessens. And in Singapore, none other than the trusty Carrefour house brand <span style="font-style: italic;">Reflects de France</span>.<br /><br />Here is a cheese-related eat-list, for archival purposes:<br />A perky orange mimolette<br />Good n' proper brie<br />Goat's cheese with honey and <span style="font-style: italic;">herbes de Provence</span><br />Heavenly reblochon<br />The bubbling quattro formaggio pizze at Le Provencal<br />Savoyarde pizza: parma ham, reblochon, potatoes, creme fraiche, onions<br />Discount Carrefour comte<br />Melted emmenthal crostini<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_pEttNEeiuYQ66LPeR5ZsWLZEaJWrTlMaUdN0Wq6r9QCp-Q4V9FCoDdizdkhw8GZnsR_2a9jyonbRpBh5cn9KnGF1p1_g3DOjZSMGGmDevER4CCpXJTYcvf0l6UXueKky3Fk/s1600-h/Dinner-with-uncle-frank-May2008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_pEttNEeiuYQ66LPeR5ZsWLZEaJWrTlMaUdN0Wq6r9QCp-Q4V9FCoDdizdkhw8GZnsR_2a9jyonbRpBh5cn9KnGF1p1_g3DOjZSMGGmDevER4CCpXJTYcvf0l6UXueKky3Fk/s320/Dinner-with-uncle-frank-May2008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210439170816469298" border="0" /></a>Participants in the Great Vientiane Cheese Massacre of April 2008, chez Uncle Frank.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-4261613884468421022007-09-17T02:08:00.001-04:002007-09-17T02:15:09.959-04:00Singapore street food I<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mYKsbVSfAJHCHZziYboFUzGXyGT1iNV0XVAC-At1pFIXvQbpsDXwS22MxJuD7qUid0ElVv8jPTw1zbIatKXnIsS19pfNV5xmPSL_gbjWJ5jd9xKIvhnm8ebPURCB-h2yaXmw/s1600-h/PICT0044.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mYKsbVSfAJHCHZziYboFUzGXyGT1iNV0XVAC-At1pFIXvQbpsDXwS22MxJuD7qUid0ElVv8jPTw1zbIatKXnIsS19pfNV5xmPSL_gbjWJ5jd9xKIvhnm8ebPURCB-h2yaXmw/s320/PICT0044.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111051739519731954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5l6vXRGJlqww_bSwHpD2MPjh8RwjXA0aXpqI94oSNanA4XA4888t_5UekgB5qTUgCi3x2TmPM9dNMY6BKetRH8UpP8-KS1A_dWKNA9ElKYxO2OF7BH-ZjlJJOkIxqgQbqCFLI/s1600-h/PICT0043.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5l6vXRGJlqww_bSwHpD2MPjh8RwjXA0aXpqI94oSNanA4XA4888t_5UekgB5qTUgCi3x2TmPM9dNMY6BKetRH8UpP8-KS1A_dWKNA9ElKYxO2OF7BH-ZjlJJOkIxqgQbqCFLI/s320/PICT0043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111051748109666562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-37XB_9i2P2dbsN_y4cpjOiXt06ThgRlBfv_qIQBhRSHTyO9bHUzA0AuSC2V7tm7yHFe5wOxjtI3eq4NDo-cx-U1aWz-3M2V6-1XwcjWBaKSqYv-fzkcWeKJ4r2RB1-MoW33/s1600-h/PICT0019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-37XB_9i2P2dbsN_y4cpjOiXt06ThgRlBfv_qIQBhRSHTyO9bHUzA0AuSC2V7tm7yHFe5wOxjtI3eq4NDo-cx-U1aWz-3M2V6-1XwcjWBaKSqYv-fzkcWeKJ4r2RB1-MoW33/s320/PICT0019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111051752404633874" border="0" /></a><br />Laksa and nasi lemak, Thomson Road; Kuching kolo meeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-60603185939513527442007-09-01T23:03:00.000-04:002007-09-01T23:16:19.543-04:00Saffron-braised carrot and rice croquettes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iDPnAksd9QCsk1zev-R1IJBvCYmSuf3bw2Vm-w3Yxb_lCFMd0146qbZINSDNJ8KR6BDAKcoXc4BWqe6PRD1asUQFTuyvi4PaE-0XJyn6mFA177JbZqMF7rePzk1hgxcrPjdl/s1600-h/PICT9865.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iDPnAksd9QCsk1zev-R1IJBvCYmSuf3bw2Vm-w3Yxb_lCFMd0146qbZINSDNJ8KR6BDAKcoXc4BWqe6PRD1asUQFTuyvi4PaE-0XJyn6mFA177JbZqMF7rePzk1hgxcrPjdl/s320/PICT9865.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105438034846209474" border="0" /></a><br />Like the most ordinary of days, my most surprising recipes are conjured out of necessity and limitations, rather than detailed and long-term planning. Living at a just-moved in apartment of a friend who just moved to a new city meant that eating out was pretty much the rule of the day. But the apartment was not without a variety of dried foods, and some fresh, from one of those touristy visits to a farmers' market. And, leftover rice, which always fuels my imagination. For me, they really scream croquettes!<br /><br />This one is packed with rice and carrot, the two protagonists -- the carrot was finely diced and braised in a bit of saffron and water, before being added to the batter of rice, flour, an egg, half a chopped tomato, basil, a sprinkling of breadcrumbs. Then, flattened and moulded into patties which were then dredged in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-47144501289272580832007-07-21T12:36:00.001-04:002007-07-21T12:45:15.571-04:00Banana Bean Cafe, German Village, Columbus OH<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjooUXBMzG2_k23k2kpuA7MtK_tJxePnQGRxrjsO0mxu0EgFmOtda3R0wSMjaSGp9KEsYC1z1BpS8mFDaGQqyO394ZxwKQGe2UkgYkmdhb8uHqHGnczvbgXnTXvAAHQBnUlETpF/s1600-h/PICT9098.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjooUXBMzG2_k23k2kpuA7MtK_tJxePnQGRxrjsO0mxu0EgFmOtda3R0wSMjaSGp9KEsYC1z1BpS8mFDaGQqyO394ZxwKQGe2UkgYkmdhb8uHqHGnczvbgXnTXvAAHQBnUlETpF/s320/PICT9098.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089690781895887522" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjn_r56VbzGoxzdqgWdbZzGUA3r1rn-7CdJs-q8UrQQppXep0hZbcG9UZX6HTeWhvuvIrt9kTP3Et2DxUyvBmci7csi2T3JqYYDhkIA04WgAddOm1IMHCHH5TeA-sanW0cuosL/s1600-h/PICT9101.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjn_r56VbzGoxzdqgWdbZzGUA3r1rn-7CdJs-q8UrQQppXep0hZbcG9UZX6HTeWhvuvIrt9kTP3Et2DxUyvBmci7csi2T3JqYYDhkIA04WgAddOm1IMHCHH5TeA-sanW0cuosL/s320/PICT9101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089690786190854834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiulApFyIZ3CTd7YzTQ5DJFT1MPmGGg7sspxzkblUwysYJkzv2thwWnXdSTzrHdARXJJmBnqCPoaqeAIVk98UDjav-4c6rnFOzO0rqWkdQY3BGvl_UzFhYSanBBxqvbS_F8-DB/s1600-h/PICT9102.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiulApFyIZ3CTd7YzTQ5DJFT1MPmGGg7sspxzkblUwysYJkzv2thwWnXdSTzrHdARXJJmBnqCPoaqeAIVk98UDjav-4c6rnFOzO0rqWkdQY3BGvl_UzFhYSanBBxqvbS_F8-DB/s320/PICT9102.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089690794780789442" border="0" /></a>I don't eat at this lovely little cafe enough. It's Southern US meets Cuban meets French. The calamari is lightly breaded and fresh-tasting -- it's been a while but I remember the chutney as spicy -- the spinach topping was also fried, an unusual touch. Then the omelette that my friend had -- that had everything in there. The shrimp and grits were so savoury -- large, succulent shrimp.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13741122.post-40939499637046720292007-07-16T19:24:00.000-04:002007-07-16T19:36:43.301-04:00Farfalle par absorption with zucchini and cacao<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1vw0I7QFTSqom3wVwjqIoDkbQhpU8xrUY3F90m71WfHZyVu0dhmdEZw-GemtA1XFytRdp268OJWjHK6iG5LEDYw6EeUvrEgZkLbOXlOFU4yYq78CvuQDvLf1r7K5Wr9BZzrt/s1600-h/CIMG1685.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1vw0I7QFTSqom3wVwjqIoDkbQhpU8xrUY3F90m71WfHZyVu0dhmdEZw-GemtA1XFytRdp268OJWjHK6iG5LEDYw6EeUvrEgZkLbOXlOFU4yYq78CvuQDvLf1r7K5Wr9BZzrt/s320/CIMG1685.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087940231330083794" border="0" /></a>This recipe is out of <a href="http://www.chocolateandzucchini.com">Clotilde</a>'s cookbook, one of my current favorite books to cook out of. This book is great for learning new combinations of ingredients and I must admit trying this recipe out of sheer curiosity of what pasta cooked by a risotto absorption method tasted like, let alone the combination of that and cacao nibs! I just knew that if I didn't employ them in some other way, my Schaffenberger cacao nibs would just go towards topping scoop after scoop of ice cream and we wouldn't want that, would we?<br /><br />I won't post the recipe here -- the book is a great buy -- but basically you fry garlic and onions and then the pasta like you would arborio rice for risotto, and add stock and cook just like in a risotto. It doesn't take as long too. I would pound the cacao nib finely next time, because they tended to overpower if you bite into one in a spoonful. But they definitely give an edge to an otherwise savory pasta, putting it a notch up in extraordinariness.<br /><br />Bravo, Clotilde!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0