i heart yummy

Jim Lahey's No-Knead Pizza Dough

2012-02-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased a pizza stone and peel, convinced I can make gourmet pizzas at home just like the ones we love at Pizzeria Bianco, Mozza, Urbano, Bollini's, etc. When the newest Bon Appetit issue arrived in the mail, I was super excited to see pizza as the cover story, highlighting Jim Lahey's no-knead pizza dough recipe and some great tips on how to recreate these artisan pizzas at home. I tried another Lahey recipe last year - the No-Knead Bread - with much success so I was super excited to try his pizza dough.

Jim Lahey's No-Knead Pizza Dough
adaped from Bon Appetit

Ingredients
7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for shaping dough
4 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

Directions
Whisk flour, salt, and yeast in a medium bowl. While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add 3 cups water; stir until well incorporated. Mix dough gently with your hands to bring it together and form into a rough ball. Transfer to a large clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature (about 72°) in a draft-free area until surface is covered with tiny bubbles and dough has more than doubled in size, about 18 hours (time will vary depending on the temperature in the room).

Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Gently shape into a rough rectangle. Divide into 6 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, gather 4 corners to center to create 4 folds. Turn seam side down and mold gently into a ball. Dust dough with flour; set aside on work surface or a floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining portions.

Let dough rest, covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, until soft and pliable, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Wrap each dough ball separately in plastic wrap and chill. Unwrap and let rest at room temperature on a lightly floured work surface, covered with plastic wrap, for 2–3 hours before shaping.

During the last hour of dough's resting, prepare oven: If using a pizza stone, arrange a rack in upper third of oven and place stone on rack; preheat oven to its hottest setting, 500°–550°, for 1 hour. If using a baking sheet, arrange a rack in middle of oven and preheat to its hottest setting, 500°–550°. (You do not need to preheat the baking sheet.)

Working with 1 dough ball at a time, dust dough generously with flour and place on a floured work surface. Gently shape dough into a 10"–12" disk.

If Using Pizza Stone
When ready to bake, increase oven heat to broil. Sprinkle a pizza peel or rimless (or inverted rimmed) baking sheet lightly with flour. Place dough disk on prepared peel and top with desired toppings. We did a simple Margherita pizza with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzerella and basil.

Using small, quick back-and-forth movements, slide pizza from peel onto hot pizza stone. Broil pizza, rotating halfway, until bottom of crust is crisp and top is blistered, 5–7 minutes. Using peel, transfer to a work surface to slice. Repeat, allowing pizza stone to reheat under broiler for 5 minutes between pizzas.

As you can tell, my pizza is going to need a lot of work before I'm comfortable serving this at a dinner party. The dough itself was delicious and just what I was looking for - crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. I would definitely recommend this recipe for anyone making pizza at home. What I need to do is sort out all the technical issues that prevented my pizza from being perfect:

Soft and pale pizza bottoms - The bottoms of the pizzas were pale white, like raw dough. I probably didn't heat the pizza stone long enough. Next time, I may need to leave it in the oven for longer than 1 hour. That combined with placing the pizza too close to the broiler resulted in burnt tops and pale bottoms.
Soggy, liquid-filled center - I pureed whole San Marzano canned tomatoes for the sauce. There was so much liquid in the sauce that all the water ended up pooling in the center of the pizza and made everything super soggy. I will need to drain the tomatoes next time and used the diced version to avoid too much liquid in the sauce.

DIY Cake Pop Display | Cricut Critters

2012-02-24T19:36:00.000-08:00

After a long cake pop hiatus, I dug out my Babycakes maker in time for baby Bethany's first birthday, complete with a Noah's Ark-themed party. Rather than focusing on making complicated animal cake pops, I opted for simple blue, yellow and green pops displayed with animal cut outs from my Cricut Critters cartridge.

I followed Annie's Eats' tutorial on how to build a cupcake tower. I opted for a thick cyclinder for the first tier so I can display the super cute Cricut animal critters that were part of Noah's ark. The original plan was to make rainbow cake pops on the top tier but time and work got in the way. If I were to make this again, I'd definitely spend the time to make the rainbows.

I love this creative display + simple cake pops combination more than just making creative cake pops. When attempting more complicate designs, like butterflies, I require the use of fondant, gum paste and royal icing. In my opinion, none of these taste very good and really compromises the flavor and taste of the cake pop. By fitting the display to the theme, I can make more simple pops and really let the taste of the cake pops shine.

The Consummate Chocolate Chip Cookie

2012-02-09T22:26:00.000-08:00

This is a great example of why you can't write off a recipe based on a bad cooking day! I tried this CCC recipe a couple of years back, when I first bought my Kitchen Aid mixer. This cookie is quite famous in the food and blogging world - it was even on a talk show - and was first published in the New York Times back in 2008. David Leite set out on a quest to find out just what makes the perfect chocolate chip cookie. He consulted many "experts" in the field and came up with the following equation:

Jacques Torres CCC recipe + chocolate chips with >60% cacao content + a rested cookie dough (36 hours) + large size + sea salt sprinkle + warm out of the oven = consummate chocolate chip cookie

What a genius.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Jacques Torres via the New York Times

Ingredients
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)
Sea salt

Directions
Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes.

Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

I decided to give this recipe another try for last weekend's Superbowl party, even though my first batch wasn't quite as memorable. After all, how can hundreds of bloggers be wrong? The result? We didn't have a single cookie left. I am making another batch now as I blog, this time the dough is loaded with toasted pecans and walnuts, i heart yummy's requirement for the perfect CCC.

Stir-Fried Glutinous Rice (Loh Mai Faan)

2012-02-03T21:51:00.000-08:00

Inspired by our recent trip to Asia, I resolved to spend 2012 mastering the art of Chinese cooking and Asian-inspired desserts. And what better way to do that than with Eileen Lo's Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking and for the sweeter side of things, Pichet Ong's The Sweet Spot (he has a recipe for homemade Pocky Sticks!) While my mom is a great cook and there is definitely lots to be learned from her kitchen, "a dash of this and a handful of that Asian-ingredient-that-I-can't-seem-to-find the-English-equivalent-of" doesn't really work for me. Also, she makes a lot more home-y dishes and I am looking to master some of my dim sum and restaurant favorites. So I'm taking the book route first to master the basics, making the connection between Chinese and American ingredients and understanding all the techniques.

My first attempt was a personal favorite, one that I love to order at dim sum and Chinese restaurants: Stir-fried Glutinous Rice (Chinese for Saan Chau Loh Mai Faan). The dish starts with rinsed and drained glutinous rice that is pan-fried and then cooked like an Italian risotto over the stove top. Chicken broth is slowly added in small amounts, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid completely before more is added in. Then chopped shitakes, dried scallops and shrimp and Chinese sausage are tossed in with dark and sweet soy sauce before finishing with some julienned egg and fresh green onions.

I made some substitutions, based on what I had on hand. I added dried scallops, shitake mushrooms and fried egg for extra umami and omitted chopped coriander and Chinese bacon. I've never had fresh coriander before - only dried as a spice. I will definitely need to incorporate it next time into the rice.

Stir-fried Glutinous Rice
adapted from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking

Ingredients:
2 cups glutinous rice
2 quarts boiling water
3 tablespoons oil
1-2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup diced Chinese Sausage (Lap Cheurng)
1 cup diced bacon (I replaced this with extra sausage)
1/4 cup dried shrimp, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, drained and cut into small pieces
4-5 pieces of dried scallop (add to dried shrimp to soak)
6 dried shitakes, reconstituted in boiling water for 20 minutes
1 egg
2 tsp water
1/3 cup sliced green onions or scallions

Seasoning:
2 tablespoons double dark soy sauce (I didn't have this on hand so I used a combination of sweet soy sauce, light soy sauce and oyster sauce)
Salt to taste

Directions:
Place the rice in a large bowl. Ladle the boiling water over it until all the water has been added. Drain the rice in a strainer, then spread it in a thin layer around the bowl of the strainer, leaving a small hole uncovered at the bottom to allow any water to run off. Place the strainer over a bowl and let the rice drain for 30-45 minutes.

Heat a wok over high heat for 45 seconds. Add the oil and coat the pan with the oil. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add the rice, mix well, and stir and cook for 1 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the stock and stir to mix well. Reduce the heat to low, cover the work, and allow the rice to cook for 1 minute or until the stock is absorbed. Stir-fry the rice for 45 seconds. Add 1/4 cup of stock, stir to mix, cover the wok again and cook for 1 minute. Watch carefully and adjust heat as necessary to prevent burning.

Uncover the wok, add the remaining stock and stir to mix well. Repeat this process until the rice is cooked through, al dente. I didn't have a big enough lid on hand so I left the rice to cook in the broth uncovered. As a result, I had to add more stock than expected in order to cook the rice through.

The rice will be moist but no liquid should be present. Add the sausage, bacon, shitake mushrooms, shrimp and scallops and stir-fry vigorously to mix all the ingredients. Raise the heat and stir fry for 7 minutes or until the bacon and sausage are translucent. Add the sauces and stir-fry an additional 3-4 minutes to coat each rice grain. Stir in the scallions and coriander and continue to stir fry for a couple more minutes.

In a separate pan, fry up some thin layers of egg. Thinly slice and add it to the rice. Serve warm.

I was thoroughyly surprised on how well it turned out. Just like my mom makes it, except better! The only difference between our two versions is my mom likes to steam her glutinous rice rather than pan-fry. She was under the impression that there is a lot of oil and grease that goes into this pan-fry method but as you can tell from the recipe, there is very little oil. The shininess comes from the starch rather than the oil. I also prefer this method because I love eating rice dishes where the rice is separated into individual grains. Steaming produced alot more moisture and the potential for overcooking of the rice. The end result is more soggy and mushy than I would like. Try this pan-fry recipe now - it's a winner!

The Egg Tart | Lord Stowe vs.Tai Cheong

2012-01-31T07:10:00.000-08:00

In search of Hong Kong's best egg tart...you love egg tarts, we love egg tarts, who doesn't love egg tarts? Unless you have an egg allergy, then you probably don't love egg tarts as much as we do.

Egg tarts are most commonly seen in dim sum restaurants and Asian bakeries. They originated in Hong Kong in the early 1940s. Two varieties of egg tart crusts are typically used: a flaky puff pasty shell and a sweet shortbread crust. Then there is the Hong Kong adaption of the Portguese egg tart, evolving from "pastel de nata", a traditional Portuguese custard pastry that consists of a crème brûlée-like custard in a caramelized puff pastry case. The tart is served with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. We sampled the original pastel de nata during our trip to Spain and Portugal last spring, at the legendary Pasteis de Belem. However, Lord Stowe's at the Excelsior Hotel in Hong Kong and in Macau remains my favorite rendition of the Portuguese egg tart to date.

1. Lord Stow's Bakery and Cafe

at EXpresso at the Excelsior Hong Kong
281 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay
www.lordstow.com/
www.excelsiorhongkong.com

Our first meal in Hong Kong: a Lord Stow Portuguese egg tart and an illy latte. What more can you ask for? This tart wasn't quite as delicious as I remember, mostly because it didn't come out piping hot, straight from the oven like the last time. Regardless, it was still delicious with its crispy, flaky skin.

2. Tai Cheong Bakery
http://www.taoheung.com.hk/en/brands/tai_cheong_bakery/index.html
Various outposts throughout Hong Kong

Many people argue that Tai Cheong is the home of Hong Kong's best egg tart, including former HK governor Chris Patten. We found several blogs and newspaper articles praising this shortbread cookie-based egg tart and decided we couldn't leave HK without giving it a try. We walked about 30 minutes down the Avenue of the Stars and came across Tai Cheong at the pier/Tsim Sai Tsui MTR station.

The egg tart tastes like it looks - a slightly harder cookie crust with a creamy custard inside. Our conclusion? Lord Stow's is still our favorite, albeit a Portuguese egg tart rather than a traditional HK egg tart. But for those of you needing an egg tart fix, our favorite egg tart still resides in San Francisco, at the famous Golden Gate Bakery.

72 Hours in Hong Kong

2012-01-29T14:59:00.000-08:00

We decided to take our international trip early this year, hoping to catch some of the Lunar New Year activities in different parts of Asia. We started with Hong Kong, moved onto Tokyo, Japan and ended in Taipei, Taiwan.

Out of all the places I've visited, there is no other city in the world that feels more like home than Hong Kong with its familiar foods, culture and language. The first two times I visited the city, once with friends and once with my family, we didn't do any food research. We just showed up and let our eyes, noses and the locals lead the way to the next yummy meal. I became very familiar with Hong Kong street food and never knew, or rather, never paid attention to the more refined side of Hong Kong cuisine.

During this trip, I was able to experience the city from the "i heart yummy" perspective -from seeking out the best egg tarts in Hong Kong to chasing after Michelin-starred wontons noodles and dim sum, this trip opened my eyes to all the yummy HK food I have yet to explore.

Highlights

Food

Hong Kong and Macau Michelin Guide - The Hong Kong and Macau Michelin guide has a rather interesting history. In 2009, consumers rallied against the guide, claiming it was rather elitist and not a true reflection of local HK flavors and tastes. Three-starred restaurants included Caprice, Lung King Heen and Joel Robuchon's Galera a Robuchon in Macau. These three are considered "hotel restaurants," reflecting HK's school of thought that acclaimed chefs don't work in stand-alone restaurants as they do in other countries. With all the criticism and bad publicity, the subsequent 2010 Michelin guide took a completely different direction, awarding stars to cheaper local eats where meals can cost less than $6 USD, making Hong Kong home of the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in the world. Among them was the dim sum restaurant Tim Ho Wan and Ho Hung Kee noodle house which we were fortunate enough to dine at during this trip.

Local Eats

Hong Kong Egg Waffles (Gai daan tsai) - Hopefully you've seen and tried these addicting egg waffles before. You can find them in Los Angeles at various Tasty Garden outposts along with some stand-alone boba places like The Wishing Tree in Monterey Park. In Hong Kong, these stands are a dime a dozen and can be found pretty much on every street corner. In fact, I love these egg waffles so much, I invested in the Williams Sonoma egg waffle pan but truth be told, it's not quite the same as ordering one from a Hong Kong street vendor.

There is an article from CNN that highlights some of the better egg waffles in Hong Kong - unfortunately, I didn't see this article until now so we will definitely be using this list on our next HK trip.

Cafe de Coral - Consider this the Denny's of Hong Kong. You can find these everywhere as well. If nothing else, my nostalgia for their milk tea and roast duck with rice keeps me coming back. In fact, I even convinced myself they would serve the roast duck for breakfast and dragged Ray here early one morning at 7AM. Unfortunately, they only served the breakfast menu so we had to settle for a ham and cheese sandwich, porridge and fried turnip cakes.

Cafe de Coral Breakfast: Iced milk tea, fried turnip cakes, thousand year preserved egg and pork congee

Hoi Tin Tong Herbal Shop - Turtle Jelly (Gui Ling Gao) - The Chinese are notorious for their herbal teas and desserts. This one is a particular favorite of mine and does NOT contain turtle shell, despite the name. It's similar to a black grass jelly but with a more bitter taste from the addition of Chinese herbs. Turtle jelly is marketed for good skin complexion, improving circulation, relief from itching and kidney restoration. The jelly itself is not sweet and the dish is served with a jar of honey for you to to pour on top and adjust to your desired sweetness. Hoi Tin Tong is a popular herbal shop and can be found all over the city as well. We noticed that people like to just stop in, grab a seat, eat a bowl of turtle jelly and then quickly leave - in and out of the shop in 10 minutes or less.

Hotel and Transportation

When visiting Hong Kong, there are usually two options to consider for housing: on the Hong Kong/Causeway Bay side or the Kowloon/Mongkok side. I've stayed in both areas before - the Hong Kong side is definitely more for the businessmen and young professionals. Lan Kwai Fong, the Hollywood/Sunset Strip of Hong Kong is in this area with tons of bars and clubs for those wanting to check out the night life. Victoria's Peak is also on this side of town. The Hong Kong side is home to all the big fancy hotels with their Michelin-starred restaurants like The Four Seasons.

We choose to stay at the new Hotel Icon on the Kowloon/Mongkok side - definitely more families in this area but in my opinion, more things to do and see, including the Ladies Market where street vendors sell lots of knick knacks for cheap. The hotel is super nice and modern - similar to the W Hotel. It is a nice 15 minute walk from the Avenue of the Stars. My only qualm is the subway station wasn't as convenient to get to. Make sure whatever hotel you are staying at, there is an MTR station within walking distance. The Hong Kong subway station is easy to maneuver and get around - you won't get lost.

Things to do and see:

Mongkok Ladies Market - lots of stalls selling cheap knick-knacks, from purses and bags to scrapbooking stamps and iPhone cases.

Mongkok Goldfish Street (Tung Choi Street) - A popular street full of aquariums and goldfish stores.

Mongkok Flower Market - Similar to LA's flower district; all the shops were selling New Year's flowers and kumquat trees.

Other Hong Kong attractions: HK Disneyland, Victoria's Peak, Avenue of the Stars, Repulse Bay, Ocean Park (like Sea World)

L'Establiment

2012-01-27T00:10:00.000-08:00

Camino Estell s/n, 46012
Valencia, Spain

Many cities were tossed around when we were planning our trip to Spain. As soon as I found out that Valencia was the paella motherland, I knew we had to make a stop in this city, even for one night, to sample what many people have deemed the best paella in the world.

We settled on L'Establiment, a popular paella restaurant in the town of El Palmar, a fishing village about 20 minutes outside of Valencia. The restaurant is nestled in the Albufera lagoon area, where all the authentic paella rice is grown. L'Establiment was impossible to get to. Knowing that a taxi would cost an arm and a leg, we tried to track down a red bus line that was suppose to take us to El Palmar, or at least close to it. With our limited Spanish, the four of us ran around all over town, trying to find this elusive bus, with no success. We were so hungry and exhausted that it didn't take much convincing to get everyone to take a taxi to L'Establiment.

No one's Spanish was up to par so we let the manager recommend a few dishes for us. I can't recall the names of everything, only what the basic ingredients are.

Fried cod - Not much can be said or remembered about the deep-fried cod. It was the accompanying roasted red pepper chutney that really got our taste buds excited. It was the perfect combination of sweet, salty and acid - we couldn't stop eating it.

Sauteed Shrimp - Nothing special or impressive about this dish. The shrimps were cooked in a tangy sauce sprinkled with green onions. I don't even remember eating this, so you can imagine how good it was.

Worse dish of the meal - I can't remember what this was, only that it was a fish cooked in a tangy tomato sauce and very fishy. This dish was left pretty much untouched.

Seafood paella - Now THIS is what made the entire adventure worthwhile. The paella rice was cooked al dente, drier than any other paella I've had in the US (which I love - the last thing I want to eat is soggy paella). Each rice kernel was slightly moist and separated, without clumping.

You can see how the bottom of the rice was nicely charred - scraping up the crunchy bits was the best part of the dish. My only qualm was the paella was too heavily salted. However, the great texture and flavors of the rice and seafood more than made up for the salt.

We finished off the meal with shots of frozen dessert liquor. Too strong for a 3PM meal but a great way to sample Valencia's alcoholic offerings.

All in all, this was quite the paella adventure. While we will probably never make our way out to El Palmar again, the memories of this awesome paella won't be forgetten any time soon. You don't need to travel 20 miles outside of Valencia- there are definitely some great paella places closer to the city that we would have loved to try (L'Estimat, La Pepica). Until next time, Valencia!

ink.

2012-01-26T23:34:00.000-08:00

After Chef Michael Voltaggio won the Top Chef crown, we quickly made our way to The Dining Room at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena to sample his food. Between four diners, we managed to order everything on the menu. The feeling leaving the place, was that there were some interesting creations and a few highlights, but the meal, as a whole, wass a bit of a disappointment. However, those few highlights were enough to peek our interest in his new restaurant venture. Perhaps within the confines of his own restaurant, he'd have more freedom to do as he really wanted. That is why we were quick to make reservations for the opening week at Ink (this post is significantly delayed).

The concept reminded us a bit of Animal; small plates, easily shared. However, Ink's dishes were less rustic, more refined, with a greater emphasis on gastromonic techiques.

1. Blue prawns - green papaya, finger lime, coconut - Prawns were lightly cooked through just enough. The papaya, lime and coconut offered a mix of sweetness and acidity as well as a bit of textural contrast but still helped accentuate the flavors of the shrimp. A light and refreshing dish.

2. Dungeness crab - toast, smoked mayo, housemade hot sauce, avocado - A bit of a contrast from the first crustacean dish. The crab-wrapped toast had a natural sweetness that was balanced by the creaminess of the mayo and avocado. There was just the slightest bit of heat from the hot sauce.

3. Hamachi - parsnip cream, grapefruit, jalepeno, sesame - The hamachi and grapefruit is a combination that we're seeing more and more with crudo-like dishes. Citrus and raw fish tend to work well together - as was the case with this dish. The grapefruit was relatively mild as was the hamachi. Although this wasn't the fattiest of amber jack, it held up nicely to the jalapeno and sesame.

4. Beef tartare - horseradish, hearts of palm, sea bean chimichurri - One of the better tartares we've had and our favorite dish of the night. The horseradish was mild and played wasabi to the tartare's sashimi. The hearts of palm and crispy wafer helped carry the weight of the delicate meat.

5. Sea bass - lemon, caper, brown butter, romanesco, anchovy - The buttery, white flesh of the bass was covered in a lightly crisp skin. The lemon, brown butter and anchovy helped emphasize the flavors of the fish.

6. Bay scallops - cream of dehydrated potato, potato skins, buttermilk-shellfish broth - The little morsels of scallops were tasty. The potatos were infused nicely with the flavor of the shellfish broth. There wasn't enough of this dish to share amongst the four of us - everyone wanted just one more bite.

7. Black cod - red pepper dashi, shishito peppers, kelp pasta - One of our least favorite dishes of the night. The kelp pasta felt out of place and didn't pair well with the cod. Perhaps it was the cosmetics of the dish affecting our palates, but a disappointing dish overall.

8. Veal cheek - red curry, nante carrots baked in salt, fried sticky rice - Both the cheeks and the carrots were incredibly tender. The richness of the veal was accentuated by the curry and balanced the mild sweetness from the carrots and the slightly crisp, sticky rice.

9. Octopus - buttered popcorn, piquillo peppers, spinach - These tentacles were incredibly tender. The buttered popcorn flavor was clearly present but didn't necessarily compliment the octopus. The pepper was mild without much heat.

10. Spaghetti - giant squid, squash, hazelnut-ink pesto - "Noodles" made from strands of squid. The consistency was pleasant but the flavor combination with the squash and pesto didn't leave a good impression. Interesting, but not quite tasty.

11. Iberian pork - saffron-pear, salsify, black olive oil - The pork has a nice amount of fat and hints of nuttiness. Pear and salsify added a dimension of sweetness and aromatics to the fatty pork that we love.

12. Quail - charred orange and onion, sorrel cream - The quail was extremely tender and juicy. The onions and sorrel cream helped liven up the dish with a bit of acidity and sweetness. One thing I love about Voltaggio's cooking - he adopts an Asian-like approach with great balances of sweet, savory and acidity.

13. Beef short rib - sweet and sour mushrooms, black garlic - The short ribs were fat and juicy. The sweet and sour mushrooms added a bit of earthiness, texture and acidity. The flavor of the black garlic wasn't very appearant though its umami came through a bit. Black garlic is definitely becoming more popular and it frequently used in Korean cooking.

14. Apple - creme caramel, burnt wood sabayon, walnut - A deconstructed apple pie a-la mode. The green apples were a bit tart which was offset by a bit of caramel creme. The walnuts played the role of the pie crust. The shining star of the dish was the burnt wood sabayon. Apparently, the cream is smoked on an open wood burner for hours prior to its transformation into ice cream. The smokiness really comes through with every bite. Quite unique and wonderfully delicious. Loved this dessert!

After our disappointing experience at the Langham, we didn't come into Ink with sky-high expectations. However, we were presently suprised by the creations that Chef Voltaggio presented at his new flagship eatery. Overall, a very pleasant dining experience. A couple minor gripes would be that the restaurant is very dark. Chef Voltaggio and his crew put a great deal of effort into their plating and it's a shame that the restaurant's lighting fails to do the dishes justice. Our server was very pleasant and knowledgable about the food. Their omakase option is available now too so you can be sure we will be returning to Ink very soon in the near future to see how the menu and dishes have developed since it's opening back in 2011.

Blueberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

2012-01-20T02:28:00.000-08:00

Ever since the black sesame ice cream success, I've stuck with the Serious Eats version of the basic ice cream custard and modify ingredients slightly to make something different like this tangy, sweet and creamy blueberry buttermilk ice cream. I can already see all the different ways this recipe can be adapted for whatever fruit is in season: strawberries, peaches, mangos, cherries, blackberries...the choices are endless! I swapped out half the heavy cream with leftover buttermilk because I love the tangy-sweet contrast but I'm sure a full cream/milk-based custard will taste just as good, especially with the slight tang and freshness from the lemon or lime zest and juice.

Blueberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

Ingredients
2 cups blueberries (or strawberries, peaches, mangos, etc)
3/4 cup of sugar (or more to taste)
1 tsp kosher salt
6 egg yolks
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Directions
Put the blueberries, 1/4 cup of sugar, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture boils and the berries soften (about 3 min). Using a fork, mash the berries to release the juices.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar or condensed milk and yolks until thickened and lighter in color. Combine yolk and dairy mixtures in a heavy-bottomed three quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly while custard thickens. Custard is done when it coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the blueberry mixture. Chill the custard completely in the refrigerator. Then churn according to manufacturer's instructions.

Sparkling Cranberry Brie Bites

2012-01-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

Holiday entertaining this year consisted of these creative appetizers that take our beloved Brie and crackers combination to a new, prettier level. Fresh cranberries are soaked in maple syrup and then tossed in sugar to create a frosted look, similiar to the berries you see in Christmas tree and wreath ornaments.The cranberries stay firm and will burst in your mouth when eaten. The initial reaction is a sour one, as fresh cranberries are super tart. The sugar coating helps curb the tartness and compliments creamy cheese.

The original recipe calls for an additional layer of cranberry chutney or jam. I omitted this as I didn't have any on hand but I can totally see how the chutney would enhance the dish, both visually and in taste. Without the chutney, the Brie bite was a tad on a dry side. So don't forget it!

Sparkling Cranberry Brie Bites
adapted from Yummy Mummy

Sugared Cranberries
Ingredients

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 cup good maple syrup

1 cup granulated sugar

Directions

Rinse cranberries and place in a medium bowl. Heat syrup in a small sauce pan just until warm. Pour over cranberries when syrup is warm, not hot, or cranberries may pop. Cool, cover, and let soak in the refrigerator overnight.

Drain cranberries in a colander. Place sugar in a large bowl or baking dish. Add cranberries in 2 batches and roll around until lightly coated in sugar. Place on a baking sheet until dry, about 1 hour.

Brie Bites

Crackers

Brie cheese

Cranberry jam or preserve (I omitted this but make sure you don't!)

Fresh mint for garnish

Assemble crackers with one slice of brie, a light layer of preserve if available, and 2 or 3 sugared cranberries. Top with fresh mint sprigs and serve.

La Huertana Horchateria

2012-01-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

Valencia, Spain is famous for two foods in particular: paella and horchata. Not the Mexican horchata you order at Taco Nazo. No, this Spanish horchata is made from tiger nuts, sugar and water, without a pinch of cinnamon in sight. There are many horchaterias located throughout Valencia and since we were eager to try it, we stopped at the first horchateria we saw - La Huertana, nestled in the middle of Valencia's bustling central market.

The horchata is served cold and is best during the summer months. It tasted sweet and slightly milky, almost like soy milk but more watered down. I can't say anyone in the group was too much of a fan - I think everyone was expecting the Mexican version made with rice milk and cinnamon.

Apparently, horchata is traditionally served with a bread called fartons polo. Soft, fluffy and elongated, this sweet breadstick was made to be dipped into the horchata. It tastes like an Olive Garden breadstick, with a sweet glaze on top.

While we didn't enjoy either the horchata or the fartons very much, it was still a fun experience to get a taste of Valencian culture!

36 Hours in Valencia, Spain

2012-01-02T02:11:00.000-08:00

After our reunion in Barcelona, our group of 4 embarked on a 3-hour train ride south to Valencia in search of the best paella in the world and authentic Spanish horchata. Yes, paella was the only reason we went to Valencia.

Highlights
As in every city we went to, our group made it a point to hunt down the central market. We love central markets! You can't get to know a city, its people and the culture any better than spending a couple of hours in one of these. Stalls upon stalls of fresh produce, unique meats (we saw whole skinned rabbits in the display cases, with some fur still intact!) and dairy (green cheese!) and local speciality items.

Mercat Central

Our search for the city's best paella took us on a long, expensive journey to Lake Albufera, 12 miles outside of Valencia, to the city of El Palmar. Apparently, this region is like the paella motherland, where all the rice for paella is grown and harvested. Here is where we did have some of the yummiest paella to date.

View of the lagoon from Restaurant Le' Establiment

The remainder of our time in Valencia was stricken with bad luck: an attempt at biking down to the beach was quickly abandoned due to a big, unexpected downpour. Our last effort to eat another paella meal at L'estimat or La Pepica on the beachfront was replaced with a rather crappy one at the only restaurant on Paseo Neptuno that was open (apparently L'estimat and La Pepica aren't open in the afternoon!). It was so crappy I can't even recall the name. In spite of our bad luck, we remember this portion of our trip fondly as the city with the best paella in the world!

Spiced Pecans

2012-01-01T23:50:00.000-08:00

This holiday season, we put together some of our favorite, least-perishable items together as gifts for our friends. Homemade granola, toffee syrup for coffee, bacon jam, and these spiced pecans. The coffee bags were purchased at the Container Store and served as the perfect vessel to hold the nuts. These pecans are perfect for snacking - the addition of the holiday spices and a healthy sprinkling of salt really help curb the sweetness and add an additional layer of flavor to the roasted nuts. There are alot of different spiced nut recipes out there, most of which require you to cook down sugar into a caramel-y syrup before tossing the nuts in. As I tend to burn my caramel and make a mess in our kitchen, this egg white/sugar coating keeps the whole process clean and simple.

Spiced Pecans
adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
3 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a small bowl beat the egg white with the water. Stir in the pecans, mixing until well moistened.

In a small bowl, mix together sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Sprinkle over the moistened nuts. Spread nuts on prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. Be careful not to overcook and burn the nuts.

Tony's Pizza Napoletana

2012-01-01T17:50:00.000-08:00

1570 Stockton St
San Francisco, CA 94133-3306http://www.tonyspizzanapoletana.com/

If there was only one thing to remember from our last trip to San Francisco, it was Tony's Pizza Napoletana. We came here at the recommendation of a fellow foodie friend, as we were in the mood for some yummy pizza. Tony's is nestled right in the heart of Little Italy and boasts an impressive list of accolades, including the 9 time World Pizza Champion, owner Tony Gemignani.

There are three pizza ovens (gas-fired brick oven, Italian electric and a wood-fire) and the menu has pretty much every single type of pizza possible: Neapolitan, Roman, Sicilian, New York, Chicago and California. All their ingredients are imported straight from Napoli, including a special flour used to make a special, award-winning Margherita pizza that is
made in limited quantities (73 a day). Unfortunately, by the time we sat down for dinner, they just sold their last special Margherita -we will definitely try and go earlier next time to snag one.

1. Meatball Gigante #1 - wild mushroom, pancetta, robiola - Rather than the pizza, this meatball was the one thing that left us longing to head back to Tony's and was the meatball that inspired our $10 Meatball post. The meat was flavorful and juicy and paired with a delicious mixture of white and red sauce.This was the BEST meatball ever.

2. Meathball Gigante #2 - Marinara - This was the second meatball we tried, paired with a simple, not-too-tangy marinara sauce. Delicious as well but the wild mushroom one remains our favorite.

3. STG Pizza Napoletana Margherita Pizza (900 Degree Wood Fired) - Since we missed the special pizza, our waitress informed us this one was the next best thing and doesn't taste TOO different from the special. We liked it alot but this margharita still doesn't top the one we had at Pizzeria Bianco in Arizona.

4. New Yorker (1000 Degree Coal Fired) - Our dinner party consisted of a bunch of meat-lovers so it was no surprise that this thin-crust pizza was a hit. The hotter oven resulted in a more charred crust, adding a level of smokiness to the pizza that we enjoyed. The New Yorker was everyone's favorite of the night.

5. Sweet fig, prosciutto, gorgonzola, balsamic reduction (700 Degree electric Pizza Romana) - I'm a sucker for this combination of fig, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar so this pizza was my choice. It was more sweet than expected - almost like a dessert pizza. The crust was a lot thicker as well, similiar to a breadstick. Can't say this pizza or the cooking method was too popular with anyone at the table.

Overall, an unexpected super yummy meal - we will definitely be back for the pizza and the meatballs!

Momofuku Cinnamon Sugar Squares

2012-01-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

For this year's holiday party, we asked our friends to each bring a homemade dessert as part of the dessert swap. These Momofuku cinnamon bars were one of them - made by our fellow foodie friends Brandon and Jeanny. The bars were so yummy, I just had to share the recipe with you. It's a cross between a coffee cake, a soft blondie and a snickerdoodle. Lots of cinnamon-y goodness on top of a soft, buttery and super moist crumb cake. The recipe comes courtesy of Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar fame. Super yummy - make these now!

Momofuku Cinnamon Sugar Squares
adapted from Gilt Taste

Ingredients
½ cup butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup canola oil
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Cinnamon sugar, to garnish (mix ½ tablespoon of cinnamon for every ¼ cup of sugar)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 11-by-15-inch pan. Mix all the ingredients together with an electric mixer, beginning with the butter, sugar, oil, eggs, milk and finally the dry ingredients.

Pour into the pan and spread evenly with a metal spatula or knife. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar all over and bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are light brown.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cutting board and cut into bite-size squares.

Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice

2011-12-30T00:47:00.000-08:00

I am going to apologize in advance for the crappy pictures - I was in a hurry to cook this dish for a holiday dinner party and didn't have time to plate. In fact, I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of the white sauce that was drizzled on top of the chicken. But the dish was so yummy that I just had to share the recipe, crappy, incomplete pictures and all.

Everyone who has been to New York is well aware of the famous halal street vendors on every other corner, serving up platefuls of chicken marinated in spices like coriander and oregano over a bed of tumeric-spiked long grain rice. A tangy and sweet greek yogurt-based white sauce is drizzled on top. There are different renditions of this recipe - the Huffington Post version has alot more spices including cloves, paprika, curry powder and tumeric added to their chicken. As I am a Serious Eats fan, I opted for Kenji's version of the famous chicken and rice.

Halal Chicken and Rice
adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients

Chicken:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup light olive oil
Kosher salt, sugar and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat (6 to 8 thighs)
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

Rice:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups long-grain or Basmati rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

White Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
For the chicken: Combine the lemon juice, oregano, coriander, garlic, and olive oil in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Season the marinade to taste with kosher salt, sugar and black pepper. Place the chicken in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and add half of the marinade (reserve the remaining marinade in the refrigerator). Turn the chicken to coat, seal the bag, and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours, turning occasionally to redistribute the marinade. Do not marinate the chicken longer than 4 hours or it’ll get a mushy texture. If you must delay cooking the chicken for any reason, remove it from the marinade, pat it dry with paper towels, and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Remove the chicken from the bag and pat it dry with paper towels. Season with kosher salt and pepper, going heavy on the pepper. Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed cast iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until it is lightly smoking. Add the chicken pieces and cook without disturbing until they are lightly browned on the first side, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the center of each thigh registers 165°F. on an instant-read thermometer, about 6 minutes longer.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Roughly chop the chicken into 1/2- to 1/4-inch chunks. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the remaining marinade, cover loosely with plastic, and refrigerate while you cook the rice and prepare the sauce.

For the rice: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the turmeric and cumin and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is lightly toasted, about 4 minutes.

Add the chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. At this point, you can follow Kenji's recipe which cooks the rice over the stovetop. Unfortunately, I am horrible at making stovetop rice as I tend to undercook, overcook or burn the rice. So I opted to just throw everything into the rice cooker.

Stovetop: Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes without disturbing. Remove from the heat and allow to rest until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

For the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, and 2 teaspoons black pepper. Whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt.

To serve: Return the entire contents of the chicken bowl (chicken, marinade, and all juices) to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. To serve, divide the rice, lettuce, tomato, and toasted pita bread evenly among four to six plates. Pile the chicken on top of the rice. Top with the white sauce and hot sauce.

This dish was a winner at the holiday party! I will definitely be making this again and again. The chicken was moist and full of flavor. Cooking the rice in the rice cooker was a good move - the rice came out perfectly fluffy, not over or undercooked. My only qualm was the white sauce - I'm not sure if there was just too much greek yogurt but the tang was overwhelming, even with all the chopped parsley. Next time, I'll probably just pick up some Tzatziki sauce from Trader Joe's as a substitute. Otherwise, I wouldn't change a thing!

Semi-homemade Crinkle Cookies

2011-12-27T22:42:00.000-08:00

Despite our from-scratch approach in the kitchen, there are just some things that taste better from a box/jar: Marie Callendar's cornbread, Bouchon brownies, Thai sweet chili sauce and these crinkle cookies. Different flavored cake mixes are combined with oil and eggs (sans water as you would when making a cake) to create a cake-y cookie that crinkles and cracks on top while baking. By rolling the dough in powdered sugar before baking, the cracks are accentuated and make for a pretty presentation.

Lemon Burst Cookies

adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients
1 (18.25-ounce) package lemon-flavored cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Zest of 2 lemons
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in eggs, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract until well blended. Place powdered sugar in a bowl. Scoop out balls of dough and roll in the sugar until lightly coated and place on baking sheet.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

This recipe works for pretty much any cake mix. I also tried it with red velvet but the end result was very similar in texture to the from-scratch Red Velvet Cookies and I definitely prefer that recipe more than this semi-homemade version. But if you're in a time crunch or have alot of people to bake for, these cake mix crinkle cookies are a yummy and efficient solution!

Churro Cupcakes

2011-12-20T21:27:00.000-08:00

I first saw the Churro Cupcake at Bakingdom's blog. It sounded pretty fantastic - cinnamon white cake topped with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting, a drizzling of salted dulce de leche and topped with a fried, home-made churro. Just the word "churros" brings back delicious memories of street vendors selling freshly fried, dulce de leche and chocolate-filled churros on the streets of Brazil.

For these cupcakes, I wanted the dulce de leche to take the spotlight, rather than the cinnamon. I settled on a cinnamon white cake (taken from the White-on-Rainbow Buttermilk Cake) with dulce de leche buttercream. I was happy with the results - except the buttercream frosting recipe I used felt like too much butter was required - I'd definitely cut back on it the next time. Due to the richness, only a thin layer of the frosting was needed.

Churros Cupcakes
Cupcake Batter (adapted from the White-on-Rainbow Cake)

Ingredients
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/3 cups sugar
3 large egg whites
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 tablespooon cinnamon (or more to taste)

Directions
Place baking rack one-third from the bottom of the oven, and the second two-thirds from the bottom. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper cups.
Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg whites and vanilla, about 1 minute.

Combine cake flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the batter and beat on medium speed until incorporated. Add about half of the buttermilk and beat on medium speed until incorporated. Continue adding dry and wet ingredients alternately, scraping the bowl down and beating until incorporated after each addition. End with the dry ingredients.

Pour the batter evenly into the cupcake pans, about 2/3 full. Stagger the pans on the oven racks so that no layer is directly over another. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Monitor the cupcakes for doneness.

Dulce de Leche Buttercream
adopted from Sweetapolita

5 large egg whites (30g each–total 150g)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions
Whisk the egg whites and sugar over a simmering pot of water until the mixture reaches 160 degrees. Be careful not to cook the egg whites! Transfer to a stand mixer and whisk on high 10 minutes, until the meringue reaches room temperature (the bowl should feel neutral/barely warm when touched). Slowly add vanilla and then butter, a few cubes at a time until all butter is mixed in. Add dulce de leche and mix until combined.

Frost cupcakes as desired. For the churro topping, you can make your own like Bakingdom but I just opted for some frozen ones that Ray bought for a kids' fundraiser. Or you can buy one at your nearest Costco.

Nutella Rice Krispie Treats

2011-12-18T21:28:00.000-08:00

Creamy Nutella, gooey marshmellow, crispy rice and a hint of chocolate....need I say more? This Nutella adaption of our favorite rice krispie treat is an ingenius idea. I was a little worried that the Nutella would make it softer and more soggy but the Nutella flavor really shines through while maintaining the same crispy and chewy consistency as a regular treat. I added a little semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter for additional flavor. Delicious!

Nutella Rice Krispie Treats
adapted from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Ingredients:
1/2 stick of butter
4 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup Nutella
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Directions:
Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted and then add the chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in Nutella until melted.

Add cereal. Stir with spatula until well coated. Using a sheet of wax paper, evenly press mixture into a 13 x 9-inch pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cool and cut as desired.

Stork Baby Shower Cake Pops

2011-12-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

Baby shower cake pops are always fun to make- there are tons of great designs and creative ideas out there. The last baby shower I did was for an "Under the Sea" theme so we went with fishbowls and Goldfish crackers for the fish. This time around, I stumbled upon the cutest stork candy decorations. The storks are made of royal icing and harden into a crunchy disc of sugar. I decided to experiment with piping my own decorations to save some money. And also because the parents-to-be did not want to know the sex of their baby so the super cute "boy" and "girl" pieces from Cupcake Swirl were out of the question.

It definitely wasn't the easiest thing to do and required almost a week to complete. I had to pipe the stork the first night, the bundles the second night, the beaks and eyes the third night and then had to wait for everything to dry completely (another 2-3 days) before I wrote on the bundles with an edible marker. My royal icing consistency was too thin so the pieces came out more fragile than I would have liked. Otherwise, it was well worth the effort and this royal icing technique is a great way to explore an alternative method to decorating cake pops.

Ad Hoc's Roasted Cauliflower Rice

2011-12-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

We've found a new love: cauliflower. Forget any childhood memories of this dish and focus on yummy recipes like Roasted Cauliflower with Sage, Pear and Pecans and this recipe from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc restaurant in Napa. It's a great way to spice up white rice. The crunchy and slighly charred cauliflower pairs well with the heat from the curry and red pepper flakes. The crunchy green onions keeps the dish light and refreshing. Serve it alongside a heavily-sauced protein, like the Caramel Chicken, for the perfect weekday meal. We're not too fond of long grain rice though so when we make this again, we will try it out with short grain.

Roasted Cauliflower Rice
adapted from Ad Hoc via LA Times

Ingredients
1/2 head white cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt
Pepper
Pinch of curry powder
6 cups water
1 cup Carolina, or long grain, rice
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the canola oil and season with one-fourth teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper, or to taste. Place the cauliflower in a roasting pan (reserve the bowl) and roast until the cauliflower is a deep brown and tender throughout when pierced with a knife, 20 to 25 minutes, tossing every few minutes for even coloring and cooking. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees.

While the cauliflower is roasting, cook the rice: In a large saucepan, add the water and a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the rice and chili flakes and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook the rice just until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the rice well, then spread the rice in a thin shallow layer in a large baking dish.

Place the rice in the oven to dry out for 5 minutes. Remove, then stir in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired with salt and pepper.

Black Sesame & Orange Ice Cream

2011-11-27T14:04:00.000-08:00

I recently unearthed a forgotten treasure in my mom's kitchen - an old, ancient looking Hamilton Beach 4-quart ice cream maker. It requires the use of ice and rock salt to freeze the cream and is the main reason why I've never really had the desire to make my own ice cream - it seems like such a waste. That is, until I made my first batch: Dulce de Leche. Here's where I swear that nothing beats a freshly churned batch of homemade ice cream, especially when you get the chance to play around with interesting flavors and textures that you don't normally encounter unless you're hitting up Fosselman's, Bi-Rite, Henry Slocombe, etc..

This recipe from Serious Eats is no exception - I never would have paired orange peel and black sesame together but the end result is pretty yummy. Ray disagrees about the orange but my family and I definitely enjoyed it at our Thanksgiving meal this year. I love the creaminess that condensed milk adds to the ice cream so I like to use it in place of the sugar. I also added whole black sesame seeds into the churning ice cream for extra texture and sesame flavor. I was a little skeptical of the salt and sesame oil at first since I've only used it in savory dishes but it was surprisingly delicious and imparts an added depth to the ice cream that you can't get with just sesame seeds alone.

Black Sesame & Orange Ice Cream
adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
3 cups half-and-half (or 1 1/2 cups each cream and milk)
3/4 cup sugar or 3/4 can of condensed milk, to taste
6 egg yolks
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Toast sesame seeds in a small skillet, stirring frequently, until fragrant and nutty, then set aside to cool.

Transfer seeds to a blender and blend on high till seeds are crushed. Add two to three tablespoons half-and-half and blend till smooth. Add remaining half-and-half and blend on high till well combined, about two minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar or condensed milk and yolks until thickened and lighter in color. Combine yolk and dairy mixtures in a heavy-bottomed three quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly while custard thickens. Custard is done when it coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat and transfer to an air-tight container for overnight chill. Stir in sesame oil, orange zest, and salt until well combined. Chill completely in the refrigerator. Then churn according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately for a whipped, soft-serve consistency, or return to container to set for two to three hours for firmer ice cream.

As a birthday present this year, I've been upgraded to a Cuisinart ice cream maker. The ice cream bowl is insulated with a layer of liquid and requires you to freeze the bowl for ~16 hours prior to making the ice cream. This eliminates the need for rock salt and ice. The downside is, you can't just make ice cream on demand. I've resorted to leaving the bowl in my freezer so I can make ice cream whenever I feel like it. Good thing we have extra room!

Wine-themed Grape Cake Pops

2011-11-20T22:51:00.000-08:00

After a short cake pop hiatus (my Babycake maker needed a break), we ramped up quickly for my roomie's wedding in Laguna Beach. Their "Wine and Hippos" wedding theme reflected two of her favorite things. These grape cake pops were the perfect accompaniment to the hippo-etched stemless wine glasses given away at the reception.

There are two iterations of this pop - the first, pictured at the top, consistents of fondant leaves and stems. While pretty, the time and work it takes is WAY beyond our capacity. Instead, we opted for a second method using green royal icing to pipe the vine and leaves (second picture) - prettier and a lot less time-consuming than the original fondant one. You can't skimp on the fondant grapes though - using any other method (royal icing, colored chocolate) just didn't look right to us. We rolled out colored fondant into triangles and then used a circular Wilton 4 tip to imprint the circular grape design. The grapes were then brushed with a mixture of water and glucose to produce the shiny finish. While we don't intend to ever recreate the grapes, it's always fun to get creative orders like this.

Congrats Alice and Justin!

The Lobster

2011-11-16T22:18:00.000-08:00

1602 Ocean Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90401
http://www.thelobster.com/

After a morning of segwaying up and down the boardwalk from Santa Monica to Venice, we ended our adventure with lunch at The Lobster. I didn't know anything about this place, only that Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom held their rehearsal dinner here. It was also the closest restaurant by us with 4 stars and over 600 reviews so we decided to give it a try.

1. Clam Chowder - This is not the thick New England clam chowder that everyone is more familiar with. The soup was on the thinner side, less creamy with lots of fresh clams and veggies. Very similiar to the clam chower at Hog Island in San Francisco and a good break from the New England version. It's alway nice to be able to taste all the ingredients rather than having them hide behind a thick wall of cream and flour.

2. Cerviche, plantain cakes - This was one of our favorites. The cerviche was fresh and tangy, pairing well with the fried cakes on the side. My only qualm was the cakes were a tad on the soft side - would have preferred them more crisp.

3. Soft-Shell Crab Roll - I debated for 10 minutes between ordering the lobster roll and this. In retrospect, I should have gone with the lobster roll. There were too many fried things on the plate and not enough greens. The crab was fried to a burnt crisp (as you can see by the dark color) and heavily salted - I couldn't eat more than a couple of bites.

Despite the mediocre sandwich, it was surprisingly a decent meal. Definitely an A+ for the view and atmosphere - I can see why Khloe and Lamar hosted their rehearsal dinner here. On a good day, which is pretty much every day in LA, the blue water with the matching blue skys makes any lunch infinitely better. Can't say the same for the night though so definitely try and catch a meal here when the sun is still out.

Cinc Sentis

2011-11-14T23:35:00.000-08:00

Aribau, 58 · Barcelona

34 93 323 9490

http://www.cincsentits.com/en/

Following a large meal the night before at Comerc24, along with being pick-pocketed on the subway on the way home, no one was in a good mood when it came time for our lunch reservations at Cinc Sentis. In fact, we argued about whether to even keep the reservations. In the end, the group concensus was to put all bad feelings aside and attempt to enjoy what many friends had called their "best meal in Spain."

We ordered the Sensations tasting menu which, according to the restaurant, contained the best, most creative dishes from the season. Seriously, why would you even want to order anything else? The Essencia menu, the other tasting menu option, is described on the website as the simpler, less creative option. Now that's good marketing to steer people away from this choice. We were in a hurry to catch the 4PM Picasso museum walking tour so we asked the server to shorten our tasting menu. They removed two dishes, an appetizer and scallop entree and adjusted the price of the meal.

We started off with some snacks - olives, breadsticks and spiced marcona almonds.

The Cinc Sentis signature amuse bouche - maple syrup shot with sea salt. Sweet blast of maple syrup followed by a few salty grains of salt. Some may argue it was too sweet but I for one love any place that serves a sweet course first.

Foie gras Coca - balsamic-glazed leeks, burnt sugar crust, chives - Mmmmmm...by the time we hit this dish, all the negative vibes were gone. The foie was seared nicely, with a sweet finish from the burnt sugar. The chives added a hint of freshness to cut the fatty liver. Delicious!

Wild red mullet, suquet broth, lemon puree - Apparently, red mullet is the fish of the hour in Spain. Almost every tasting menu we had, had some form of a red mullet worked into it. The contrast between the white plate and the blood red broth made for quite a startling and dramatic presentation. The broth was seasoned perfectly - my only complaint would be the oiliness of the dish.

Beef fillet, truffled potato - At this point, our meal diverged. Ray opted for the beef supplement as his protein while I stuck with the traditional dish of Iberian suckling pig. The beef was cooked nicely, with a sear on the outside and a cool pink center. Very tender and flavorful. The potato was equally delicious.

Iberian suckling pig, hazelnut-glazed apple - This dish made my day. The crispy pig skin paired with the tender meat and sweet apples was a winning combination. It was so good I could have ordered another plate.

The world's best smelling towel - The next "course" appeals to yet another sense - smell. I'm not sure what was in the water but it smelled incredible. In fact, our friend loved it so much she put the entire towl over her face and just sniffed. And sniffed. And sniffed.

Artisanal cheeses with contrast - this cheese course was our least favorite of the night. Nothing too memorable.

Grand cru chocolate, olive oil ice cream, shattered bread, macadamias - one of my favorite desserts that pairs a rich mousse with crunchy cookies and nuts and a cold cream. We've had iterations of this elsewhere - reminiscent of the dessert at Red Medicine in LA. Yummy!

Maresme strawberries, orange blossom merengue, sparkling strawberry nectar - a great palate cleanser. Light and refreshing, we cleaned out our bowls.

We were quite sad by the time the mignardises came out, signaling the end of our meal. We ordered coffee and 5 different sugars came out in test tubes - the most creative display of sugars we've seen to date.

Delicious to the very last bite - the perfect example of how great food can lift the spirit and make everyone forget about how grumpy we were at the start of the meal. By the last dish, everyone was smiling and laughing.

Cinc Sentis was our favorite dining experience in Spain - above all the other Michelin-starred and San Pelligrino-rated restaurants. The chef, Canadian-born Jordi Artal, chatted with us after the meal and explained how his philosphy for cooking is to make everything taste as delicious as it looks. Delicious indeed - a great dining experience and a "must-eat" when visiting Barcelona.

Pretty-in-Bacon | Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

2011-11-06T22:36:00.000-08:00

I had some extra pig shortbread cookies left over from the Pretty-in-Pink Shortbread Pigs. I decided to play on the pig theme and add on two more key ingredients we know and love: chocolate and bacon. Candied bacon to be exact - strips of thick cut bacon, basted with maple syrup and baked in the oven until crisp and crunchy - like bacon candy!

Maple-Candied Bacon

Ingredients
1 pound thick sliced bacon, good quality
1/2 cup maple syrup

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy foil. Place a baking rack over the lined sheet tray and arrange the bacon slices across the rack next to each other.

Generously baste the top of the bacon with the syrup, and bake 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the bacon over and baste with more of the syrup mixture. Bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the bacon has reached desired crispiness.

I made a quick ganache using some milk and 60% dark chocolate from Ghiradelli. Ray wasn't too fond of the Ghiradelli chocolate flavor - maybe a milk chocolate would have paired better with the bacon? The chocolate was spread on each cookie and sprinkled with chopped candied bacon - YUM!

Pretty-in-Pink Shortbread Pigs

2011-11-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

As the host of this week's Project Pastry Queen, I choose Pretty-In-Pink Shortbread Pigs. The cookies taste better than any other shortbread recipes I've tried - buttery, crisp and not too sweet. It can lend to alot of different variations (I'm already thinking of chives/bacon and lavender/thyme). These cookies are also very versatile for decorating. With the holidays coming around, they are the perfect way to celebrate the season and Shawnda has the right idea with her shortbread snowflakes! You can use any shape and size cookie cutter for the recipe - the possibilities are endless. Another winner for the Pastry Queen!

Pretty-In-Pink Shortbread Pigs
adapted from The Pastry Queen

Ingredients
Shortbread
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Powdered Sugar Icing
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pink food coloring

Directions
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, or grease generously with butter or cooking spray. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. In a separate bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. Add the flour mixture slowly to the butter mixture, beating on low speed. Stop beating as soon as the flour is incorporated (overbeating will produce a tough cookie).

Form the dough into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling it out. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a flat, smooth, floured surface, roll the chilled dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut the cookies with a 4-inch pig cookie cutter. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to prepared baking sheets, placing them 1/2 inch apart. Combine the dough scraps and reroll the dough to cut more cookies.

Bake cookies 10-12 minutes, or until light brown around the edges. Cool the cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Remove with a spatula and cool completely on racks about 5 minutes before icing.

Whisk together powdered sugar, milk and extract. Divide the icing into 2 parts, with most of it going into a medium bowl. Use food coloring to tint the larger batch of icing. Leave the remaining frosting untinted. When the cookies are cool, dip them face down in the pink icing., being sure to cover the whole cookie. Set the cookies, icing side up, on parchment paper and let the icing harden before continuing to decorate. If you do not have a pastry bag, cut a tiny tip off a corner of a plastic sandwich bag. Spoon the white icing into the bag and squeeze a dot out of the corner hole to make an eye, and a set of round beads around each pig's neck to make a string of pearls. I used candy pearls for the necklace.

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap for 1 month in the freezer.

Sweetopia has become my authority on decorated cookies - her work is AMAZING! I had extra dough left and made some butterfly cookies too.

I followed her recipe for a royal icing to allow for ease of decorating. She also has great tutorials - including a butterfly one. There are tons of cute designs on her blog - including owl cookies!

While making these shortbread pigs, I had a yummy thought - Pretty in BACON Chocolate Shortbread. Shortbread cookies dipped in melted dark chocolate and sprinkled with crisp pieces of sweet maple bacon. Stay tuned to see how that turns out!

Southern Comfort Apple Tarts

2011-10-31T17:59:00.000-07:00

This week's Project Pastry Queen assignment - Southern Comfort Apple Pie. As I didn't have a pie plate, I opted for mini tarts instead. The filling is pretty fantastic - tart apples cooked in butter, sugar, cream and a "splash" of Southern Comfort liquor. The result is a whole lot of caramel-y goodness. The dough itself was super easy to make - just throw all ingredients into the mixer! The tarts are topped with a pecan streusal that bakes up like a crunchy shell. I used 3 granny smiths and ended up with 3 dozen mini tarts.

I think this recipe is better off as a large pie rather than mini ones - there is too high of a dough:filling ratio. A large pie would ensure everyone getting enough of the yummy filling. Definitely put this on your radar for your holiday baking - I think the general consensus is that this is the best apple pie ever!

For the full recipe, head over to Sarah's blog, 20something Cupcakes.

Alinea

2011-10-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

1723 North Halsted
Chicago Illinois 60614
http://www.alinea-restaurant.com/

"Best restaurant in America", "trained at French Laundry and El Bulli", yadda yadda yadda. We've heard the hyperbole. We've fallen for it before - the Michelin stars, the San Pelligrinos - but they don't always parallel our own idea of what's yummy and good. Nonetheless, those acclaims have induced us to travel around the country and across the globe to dine at some of these food meccas. We've done it and we've been disappointed. Hopes and expectations get over-inflated just to be shot down by arrows of mediocre experiences. This isn't to say that the excitement wasn't there to dine at America's best restaurant. A dinner that was planned two months in advance. A highly-anticipated dinner that was tempered with restrained expectations. As it turns out, Chef Achatz and his team would make any and all temperance unnecessary.

(NOTE: Although we've read and heard quite a bit about Alinea, we'd never looked into the actual dishes served. For one reason or another, we had avoided any blogs or reviews about the food. After our experience, we'd recommend that anyone planning on dine there in the near future do the same, which includes not reading any further in this blog. Dinner at Alinea isn't just about the food, but the complete experience, which is best fulfilled without spoilers. But, if it'll be a while before your next trip to the restaurant, please feel free to continue reading as the menu items will probably differ by that time.)

From start to finish, dinner at Alinea was an experience. The restaunrant is located in a non-descript, two-story building with no visible cues indicating its presense, with the exception of a sidewalk A-frame advertising its valet services. The experience starts as you walk in the front doors. The short hallway is designed to fool the eyes and the mind. A bit of whimsical unease, like falling down the rabbit hole. We're greeted and checked-in downstairs, just a couple steps outside the main kitchen that is partitioned by a floor to ceiling glass window. Each individual is consumed by their task at hand yet it appears eerily quiet.

We started our dinner by opting for the non-alcoholic beverage pairing:

Ginger, basil and elderflower - Sweet, a bit tangy and bubbly. The ginger and basil helped clean the palate and proved a very nice aperitif.

Spanish mineral water with cucumber and celery - Never a fan of sparkling waters unless paired with a sweet fruit juice, the opinion didn't change after this drink. Highly carbonated with hints of the crisp vegatables. Refreshing but just not for me.

Oolong tea with Pinot grape juice - Tea like mother used to make. A bit dry on the tongue with hints of sweetness from the grape juice. Light and pleasant.

Elderberry - A bit of a cross between grape and cranberry juice. Not overly sweet with a touch of acidity, similar to cranberries. Very tasty.

Purple carrot and pomegranate - Nothing like regular carrot juice. The pomegranate led the show here, but wasn't overbearing.

Steelhead roe, watermelon, kaffir lime, cucumber blossom - The muted orange coloring of this roe reflected its flavor. A more subtle version of the neon-colored, salty spheres we're used to. The real star was the watermelon consomme. The syrupy, clear liquid pooling at the bottom of the plate was the essence of watermelon. It was sweet and refreshing, everything that's great about the fruit and not a drop was left on the plate.

Yuba, shrimp, miso, togarashi - Reminiscent of a mystical unicorn horn. This was a stick of dehydrated tofu skin wrapped in shrimp. The vessel on the bottom help a thick orange miso mayo. The "horn" was light and crispy with the shrimp adding depth. The bits of black sesame multiplied the umami flavor. The sweet and salty orange mayo was the perfect compliment.

This was the most beautiful plating we've ever encountered. The presentation gave you the impression that this course was pulled straight from the ocean and served as is. A large piece of driftwood, about three feet wide, probably weighing about ten pounds, was covered in damp seaweed. On the center and corners of the "plate" sat four separate presentations of shellfish. All four items felt like they were songs of the same genre while playing distinctly different beats and melodies. Beautifully presented and equally tasty.

Lobster - queen anne's lace, huitlacoche, gooseberry - I've come to learn that queen's lace is a type of flower and huitlacoche is an edible fungus that grows from corn. I did know that gooseberries don't have anything to do with the water fowl, but can't ever recall having tasted them before. Little bit of lobster morsel sat in the cracked claw in a slightly acidic broth.

Scallop - hitachino white ale, old bay - The Japanese ale came in the form of a aerated foam. The ale is known for its hints of coriander, nutmeg and orange peel. Along with the scallops were mini tapioca pearls which made for an interesting mouth-feel.

Razor Clam - carrot, soy, daikon - This clam was bookended by the flavors of root vegetables. The soy was not overly salted, allowing the flavors of the mollusk to speak for themselves.

Mussel - saffron, chorizo, orange - The mussel was also accompanied by another sea creature, the urchin. The creamy urchin and salty chorizo was a nice backdrop for the mussel. The hint of orange let you know that citrus was present.

Wooly pig, fennel, orange, squid - A curly-hairy pig known for their flavorful fat content. Along with squid and fennel, this offering was served on a long wire around the height of your mouth. We were encouraged to not use our hands to eat this dish. The flavors of the pork and fennel were subtle. The primary point of emphasis was the texture of the squid which felt a bit more chewy than usual. A fun dish to eat but not as tasty as the rest.

Pheasant, apple, shallot, burning leaves - That glimmer of light near the top left of the oak leaf isn't a reflection or the result of photoshop editing. The leaf is smoldering when it is served as indicated by the small plume of smoke right above. The smell really awakens the senses and conveys a sense of autumn. Having lived in sunny southern California our whole lives, we're rarely treated to the experience of seasonal change. We overheard from the table next to us that the smell brought back memories of their childhood, of raking leaves and burning the piles afterwards. The twig leaf was provided as a utensil, used to lift the morsel to your mouth. The pheasant was extremely tender, dipped in a light and crispy tempura batter with some apple cider gel and roasted shallots within. Delicious.

Wild Mushrooms pine, sumac, ramp - If the last dish felt like a cool autumn day in the Northeast suburbs, this dish takes us another thirty minutes down the road to the rural pine forest. We are first presented with puffy, white pillowcases filled with air. On top of this pillow is the serving of various wild mushrooms atop a pine pudding with the lemony sumac. As the weight of the plate sinks into the pillow, the plastic air-filled bag within slowly releases the sent of pine. The desired effect is felt - we're eating at Alinea but at the same time strolling through a pine forest foraging mushrooms, wild leeks and ramp. Truly an experience.

Hot Potato, cold potato, black truffle, butter - Another course that requires the diner to do more than put the food into their mouths. This small plastic bowl is pierced by a sharp needle holding a hot potato ball, a potato cube and butter. As you pull the needle out through the bottom of the bowl, each of the items drops gently into the truffle soup. The combined items are then eaten in one bite. The concoction is rich with truffle, thickened with butter and potatoes but it's never heavy. A wonderfully tasty bite.

Agneau, sauce choron, pomme de terre noisette - All the dishes thus far indicate that Chef Achatz embraces "new age" techniques and cooking styles. This dish turns around and pays homage to a more "old school" style of cooking. A lamb dish fashioned after a recipe by Chef Escoffier, considered one of the founders of modern French cuisine. Although we don't typically enjoy traditional French cuisine, this became a rare exception. The lamb loin was cooked to absolute perfection - juicy and tender. Beneath was a deep fried, crispy disk of potato. An asparagus spear sitting in the sauce choron, similar to a bearnaise with tomato puree. Although not the best dish of the night, this ranked close to the best traditional French dish we've ever had.

Black Truffle, explosion, romaine, Parmesan - A ravioli of sorts served atop a spoon sitting atop a bottomless bowl. When the dish was first placed on the table, it looked as if a bit of black truffle soup may be enjoyed after the pasta. It wasn't until the waiter noted that the dish was hollow when we realized, to our disappointment, the blackness we saw was the tabletop. Any bit of disappointment quickly disappeared after bringing the spoon to our lips. The aromatic truffle was quite the explosion of flavor. The pasta was thick but cooked nicely al dente and was a great vehicle to deliver the delicious flavors of cheese and mushrooms to the palate.

Venison, red cabbage, mustard, paprika - Early on in the meal, the server brings out a slightly moist purple cabbage attached to a clip and suspended a couple inches above the table. The cabbage sits at our table for about a third of the meal before its use is revealed. This was another dish that requires significant diner participation. The dish is presented as a wooden plank beneath a smokey glass plate. On the glass are a variety of accompaniments. The glass is lifted off to expose the wood plank which has an inflated "X" carved deep on the face. Sitting in this "X" are two metal puzzle pieces. With some figuring out, the two pieces come together to form a criss-cross support that holds the purple cabbage. The server scooped bits of braised venison into the cabbage before we did the same with all the other items on the glass plate.

The dish was a lot of fun and the venison quite tasty, but all the individual items seemed to get lost in the mix.

Pork Belly, eggplant, coriander, red wine - Another diner participatory dish. The round-bottom ceramic bowl had a fork balancing on top which would cause the dish to tip over were it set on the table. The diner was asked to cup the warm bowl in one hand and use the other to lift the fork. The small bit of pork belly was crispy along every outer edge, making for perhaps the most perfect bite of flesh. The delicious pork was chased by a frothy vidalia onion soup.

Squab, inspired by Miro - We assume that "Miro" in this case is the Spanish Catalonian painter known for his surrealist painting and sculptures. Each spoon and fork were placed down with seemingly no real rhyme nor reason. Much like surreal art, it didn't seem to make a lot of sense. Each bit and morsel was tasty in their own right. There were a variety of flavors and textures throughout each bite; sweet, savory, citrus-y, creamy, crunchy and all delicious. I well remember the tasty bit of squad and heavenly spoonful of foie gras.

Snow, yuzu - A sub-zero metal cone with a thin sheet of yuzu ice sitting atop. We were warned against placing our tongue directly onto the metal. Wanting to avoid the flagpole scene from A Christmas Story, we used our spoons to slowly scrape the little bits of ice. A sweet and sour yuzu was fun to eat and did its job of cleansing the palate prior to the other desserts.

Anjou pear, jasmine, basil, balsamic - Seemingly another homage to another famous Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso, we moved from surrealism to cubism. Square and cubes of varying bits of pears and herbs along with an ice cream cube of almond ice cream and a dollop of burrata. Each component worked on its own as well as in combination with the other elements on the plate. Each bite yielding some new combination of varying sweetness and mouth sensations without any one feeling out of place. Truly incredible to look at and an ever greater joy to eat.

Lemongrass dragonfruit, cilantro, cucumber - An open ended test tub plugged by a bit of dragonfruit on one end and a gelee at the other. The little bits of cilantro placed within made contents look like a mini-aquarium. The diner was asked to lift the tube from the clip and suck on one end to dislodge the gelee or dragonfruit, which releases the liquid. The various elements were forced to be enjoyed in one big mouthful, resulting in a delicious nectar concoction that's sweet and refreshing.

The Dessert Finale - starring Grant Achatz
The next 5 minutes will forever be ingrained in our memories as the greatest dessert preparation display we've ever seen. Prior to the final course, our table was cleared and draped in a lab coat-like rubber tablecloth. Chef Achatz, along with another chef, came to the table to prepare and serve the last dish of the night - Dark Chocolate, pumpkin pie, lingonberry, stout.

Two hollowed, volleyball-sized chocolate spheres were set on the table. Liquid nitrogen was then poured into each, resulting in an almost mystical smoke to rise from within, which quickly engulfs the table.

Chef Achatz and his assistant then methodically use four different sauce "paints" and his spoon "brush" to "paint" lines, drops of circles and drops of square (yes, liquid drops that pooled into a square!) to form a colorful piece of edible, abstract art.

The entire process takes about five minutes, all the while, neither Chef Achatz nor his counterpart say a word. Whether it was to add to the suspense and drama of the work or he just didn't feel like talking was irrelevant. This was a man practicing his craft with supreme purpose. Once the "painting" was complete, a sprinkle of flowers before each chef picks up the spheres and cracks its open on the table! The buildup, the drama, the presentation - all magnificent.

So what was inside the spheres?

Like a chocolate pinata, a host of edible goodies came spilling out: cotton candy, ice cream, crumble, french toast bits, pumpkin pie, meringue, frozen fruit leather - each bit different and delicious. It almost felt like a treasure hunt to find all the different ingredients buried in the pile. It's hard to put the experience to words - watch this video to see the presentation from start to finish.

Whenever we're asked "what's been your favorite meal, ever?", we've always, without hesitation, answered "Eleven Madison Park in NYC". After this meal, that answer has changed. Alinea surprised both of us with an unforgettable collection of flavors, smells, sights and experiences. This dining experience surpasses all others, including the some of the most acclaimed and revered restaurants we visited in Spain: Arzak, Mugaritz and El Cellar de Can Roca. This dining experience will not be quickly forgotten and thoughts of making a return trip to Chicago is already being discussed for a chance to dine at Alinea once again and to try Chef Achatz newest venture, Next, which is debuting their El Bulli tribute menu and a "Childhood" menu (if you haven't seen it yet, WATCH THIS). It looks and sounds incredible and given Chef Achatz's acumen for his craft, we have no doubts the tastes at Next will be nothing short of amazing.

Beef Gorditas

2011-10-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

This week's Project Pastry Queen assignment, Beef Gorditas, was chosen by Amanda of Fake Ginger. When I first saw the recipe, I automatically thought of the Taco Bell gordita, which is basically a taco constructed with a flatbread rather than a tortilla. Apparently, that gordita strays far from the original Mexican and PPQ version - a corn cake made with masa harina and stuffed with cheese, meat or other fillings.

I have been looking for an opportunity to play with masa and make my own tortillas. I found fresh masa dough at the nearby Mexican market, saving me the extra trouble of making the dough from scratch. The dough is flattened out, pan-fried and then deep-fried. It should puff up nicely in the hot oil. Mine puffed in the oil but deflated once cooled. It was too flat and crispy to stuff with the filling like a pita bread - I opted to slice it through and serve it like a sandwich.

All in all, a yummy recipe. The dough crisped up nicely and went well with the seasoned beef. It was quite fragile though so after awhile, we resorted to eating it with a fork like a taco salad. Ray liked it and declared it Mexican restaurant-worthy, which is saying alot considering he loves Mexican food. Another Pastry Queen winner!

For the full recipe, head over to Fake Ginger!

Hot Doug's

2011-10-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

3324 North California
Chicago, IL 60618
http://hotdougs.com/default.htm

Should we order 1 dog per person? Three dogs between the two of us? Or two dogs per person? These were the difficult questions we debated as we waited outside Hot Doug's on a chilly Friday morning at 10:30AM. Even before the restaurant opened, there were already 20+ people ahead of us in line. With so much hype, publicity and recommendations surrounding this hot dog joint, we knew we had to try it.

Hot Doug's, the "Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium" is probably the most famous hot dog place in America. I'm sure you can recall Anthony Bourdain's visit during the Chicago episode of No Reservations.

The menu is broken up into traditional offerings and a specialty menu. The traditional menu showcases the more common sausages like bratwurst, polish sausage, andouille sausage, chicken sausage, etc. These hot dogs can be served with all the trimmings, which in Chicago terms means mustard, relish, carmelized onions, tomatoes, pickle and celery salt. The sausage can be prepared in one of 4 ways: boiled, chargrilled, deep-fried or chargrilled THEN deep-fried.

The speciality menu includes more exotic meats like lamb, boar, rabbit, buffalo, etc. They also come with their own specially-paired condiments. You won't need pickles and tomatoes on deliciously-sounding hot dogs like "Ginger-spiked Rabbit Sausage with Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise and Creme de Brie Cheese." After trying out hot dogs from both menus, we definitely recommend ordering from the specials menu - all the pairings are SPOT ON and taste super yummy together.

1. The Dog - Chicago-Style Hot Dog with all the trimmings. The Chicago dog is comprised of the following: an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, neon-green colored sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices and a dash of celery salt. Many consider it a disgrace to add ketchup to a Chicago dog - apparently some places don't even carry ketchup! I can't say I loved this Chicago dog very much - the flavors of the condiments were so strong and overpowering that all I could taste was the mustard and tang from the pickle.

2. The Norm Crosby -beef, pork, garlic sausage. We requested "all the trimmings", resulting in the same disappointment as the Chicago Dog. The condiments were so strong that the flavors of the sausage were lost among all the tanginess.

3. Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Fleur de Sel - This specialty dog wins for being the tastiest and also the most controversial. Back in 2006, the city of Chicago placed a ban on foie gras (similiar to the one being implemented in Los Angeles next year), preventing restaurants from serving the goose liver in any form. Hot Doug's became the first in the city to be fined - contining to serve foie-based sausages and condiments despite the ban. The ban was eventually lifted in 2008 - rest assured that this delicious hot dog will continue to stay on the menu. Everything about this hot dog was delicious, from the consistency of the sausage, the soft fluffiness of the bread, to the creamy foie mousse and rich aoili. All the flavors were evenly balanced - allowing you to really enjoy each component.

4. Curry Pork Sausage with Spinach Raita and Smoked Blue Cheese drizzled with Honey
Our second favorite - whoever thought blue cheese and curry would go together? A delicious and genius combination - the raita or Indian yogurt sauce paired well with the heat from the curry sausage and the blue cheese added an additional richness and umami flavor. I wish I had room in my tummy to fit in another one of these.

As you can see, we opted for 2 hot dogs a piece, along with an order of the duck fat fries (only available on Fridays and Saturdays). I can't say the fries were that great - they were soggy and not crunchy at all.There was more than enough food for the two of us. Our two favorite dogs both came from the specials menu - make sure you order from here! All in all, we loved Hot Doug's and fully support all the hype and hoopla. It really IS that good. We are already looking forward to our next Chicago trip and returning to Hot Doug's to try the rest of the specials menu!

BLD

2011-10-12T00:14:00.000-07:00

7450 Beverly Blvd

http://bldrestaurant.com/

BLD - breakfast, lunch and dinner. We've had BLD on our list of must-eats for a long time but never really found a reason to go until this installment of dineLA - Los Angeles' two week version of restaurant week.

1. Cheese & Charcuterie Plate - Not surprisingly, this was our favorite dish of the night and was NOT on the dineLA menu. I must say, BLD does know how to put together an impressive meat and cheese plate - beautifully arranged, spot on pairings (quince paste, candied figs, fresh green apple slices, and two types of fresh bread, including a super yummy raisin walnut). We let the waiter do our bidding and he selected two yummy cheeses and meats for us.

2. Pumpkin Coconut Soup - My first dineLA course for the night. It was similar in taste and texture to a butternut squash except more exotically flavored with the coconut milk and heavy curry spice. The soup of a little on the thicker side - so a couple of bites was all you really needed to feel satisfied.

3. Pastrami Sandwich - Ray opted out of the dineLA menu and went for the Pastrami Sandwich. The meat was super moist and tender - pairing well with the tangy sauerkraut and dressing. The only complaint was that rye bread didn't hold up well against the rest of the sandwich. While delicious, the juices soaked right through and the bread broke apart after one bite.

4. Cavatelli, Wild Mushrooms, Fresh Ricotta, Walnut Sage Pesto - My dineLA entree, selected over braised short ribs and trout. It was decent - tasted very much like gnocchi. The starchiness of the dish was overpowering so I couldn't get past a couple of bites.

We also had a choice of dessert with the dineLA menu - we went with the S'mores pie thinking the milk chocolate mousse, toasted meringue and toffee peanuts would be a definite winner. Unfortunately, the dessert felt way short of expectations. Everything on the dish was overtly sweet, leaving a majority of the pie untouched.

The biggest hit of the night was the meat and cheese plate. Everything else was mediocre and did not leave us wanting to come back for dinner any time soon. However, I've heard their breakfast menu is quite delicious so if we ever come back, it would definitely be for breakfast. Ricotta blueberry pancakes and baked french toast stuffed with bacon sound super yummy. There are also a lot of nostalgic and fun items on the dessert menu including ice cream floats and ice cream sandwiches.

Salumi

2011-10-06T00:04:00.000-07:00

309 Third Ave South Seattle, WA 98104
http://www.salumicuredmeats.com/

Meat. The word instantly gets the salivary glands rumbling. And with so many different meat types and methods of preparation, just saying the word conjures up limitless images of yummy morsels to pig-out on. One of the predominate meat images that always seem to come to mind are the dried and cured versions, hanging from the rafters of many Italian eateries.

As meat comes to mind quite a few times a day, it was inevitable that we would visit a place known for their meat during our trip to Seattle. We'd known about Salumi for quite a while prior to our visit. The place was co-founded by Armandino Batali, father of the celebrity chef, Mario Batali. Having enjoyed Mario's eateries, we figured the apple wouldn't fall far from the tree.

The place was somewhat hidden away when we visited, having been obscured by some large scaffolding supporting construction above. However, the twenty-deep line outside indicated we were at the right place.

A chalkboard hangs just inside the door with the day's specials. A line forms up to the long prep station where your order is given to one of the many ladies who puts together your order.

1. Porchetta - a roasted pork sandwich with onions and peppers. Similar in consistency to the Philly cheesesteak. The meat was juicy and tender with the veggies adding a bit of cooked sweetness.

2. Fig, goat cheese, prosciutto - dried cured ham is naturally salty and balanced nicely with the fig. The goat cheese was also a nice touch adding depth with it's subtle creaminess and tang. This was our least favorite sandwich - too much fig, not enough meat or cheese. The bread to filling ratio was way off.

3. Salumi Salami - the signature cured meat with hints of tart ginger. This sandwich was also mediocre - the meat was yummy but the sandwich itself fell short.

4. Meatball - the marinara sauce was tart and delicious. Quite unwieldy to handle as things started to fall apart when you picked it up. The meatballs were moist and full of Italian spice. Inclusion of the onions and bell peppers were a nice touch, but could have used a bit more. This was our favorite and most flavorful sandwich.

With a twenty minute wait prior to getting our food, it seems like we're not the only ones that dream about hanging meats. Having elevated our expectations going it, I can't say that they were completely met. The food was tasty but probably not worth a twenty minute wait. Perhaps it's our own impatience, but if we have to stand in line to pay money for something to eat, it better blow away our taste buds. However, it's nice to visit a place that feels like it takes what it does very seriously. There's no frills - just meat, cheese and bread. And that's to be commended.

Hong Kong BBQ Master

2011-10-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

4651 No. 3 Road, #145
Richmond, BC V6X2C4

During our recent trip to Seattle, we made a pit stop in Vancouver for supposedly the "best" Chinese food around, next to Hong Kong. Having grown up in Monterey Park, Ray and I were super excited to see and taste just exactly what the "best" consisted of.

We consulted the HSBC Chinese Restaurant Awards and chose Hong Kong BBQ Master as the first destination - in our endless search for the best roasted pork. This place looked no different from your standard Chinese BBQ joint - dirty and grimy with large chickens, ducks and pigs hanging from the display case. The only difference was there were people waiting in line and out the door. Apparently, we even came at a good time - the line normally stretches pretty far around the building from what the reviews say.

At this point, the butcher yelled at us for taking pictures and Ray had to wait outside with his camera while we ordered.

Everyone did a 2-item combination rice plate that included duck, BBQ pork and chicken with green onions and garlic. We also ordered 2 pounds of the roasted pork with crispy skin to share. The consensus? Not TOO different from the meats at Sam Woo or New Capital, unfortunately. The roasted pork was flavorful and the skin was crispy but it wasn't anything we haven't had before. For the price and the wait, it's safe to say we can still rely on the comparable BBQ shops in the San Gabriel Valley for our roasted pork fix.

Fishbowl Cake Pops

2011-10-03T22:39:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the pending arrival of a special baby boy, we threw an "Under the Sea" baby shower for a co-worker - complete with fishbowl cake pops adorned with Goldfish and Whale crackers.

While super cute, the crackers were quite challenging to stick on. The oily surface of the crackers didn't attach to the melted chocolate well and any sort of heavy jiggling caused the fishes and whales to fall off. I had to reattach the crackers three different times - finally giving up and passing out the cake pops with the fishes and whales "swimming" in the bag. Regardless, both the cake pops and the baby shower were a hit - well worth all the dedicated time and effort!

Congrats Silver and Dave!

Tuxedo Crunch Cake

2011-10-02T23:02:00.000-07:00

This week's Project Pastry Queen is one of my personal favorites - the Tuxedo Cake. I've made this cake before, on numerous occasions and in many different forms:

It truly has become my go-to chocolate cake recipe. When I saw that Shawnda picked this recipe for PPQ this week, I jumped at the chance to try yet a new iteration of this basic Tuxedo Cake recipe. I would marry the chocolate cake base and whipped cream frosting to the crunchy layers of Nancy Olsen's Crunchy Milk Chocolate–Peanut Butter Layer Cake. The result? I give you, the super delicious Tuxedo Crunch Cake:

There are essentially two layers - one is a meringue base composed of beaten egg whites, confectioner's sugar, ground almonds and salty peanuts on top. The second layer is a gooey mixture of melted chocolate and peanut butter with Rice Krispies folded in. For more crunch, I added in more crispies I purchased from a local baking supplies store. These crispies are meant for candy-making and can withstand heat and moisture, maintaining its crunch under different cooking conditions. A chocolate ganache is used on top as well, to secure these layers to the cake.

Crunchy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layer
adapted from Food and Wine

Ingredients

Meringue Layer, Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layer
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 cup Rice Krispies

Ganache
1 1/4 pounds milk chocolate, chopped
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, warmed

MAKE THE FILLING Trace a 9-by-13-inch rectangle onto a sheet of parchment paper and lay it on a large baking sheet. In a food processor, pulse the almonds with the confectioners' sugar until they're finely ground. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the whites are stiff and glossy, about 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the almond mixture. Spread the meringue on the parchment to fill the rectangle. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top. Bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and firm. Let cool.

In a medium bowl set in a saucepan of simmering water, heat the peanut butter with the butter and milk chocolate, stirring constantly, until smooth and melted. Remove from the heat and fold in the Rice Krispies. Spread the mixture all over the meringue rectangle. Transfer to the freezer and let cool completely.

MAKE THE GANACHE In a medium bowl set in a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Whisk in the cream until smooth. Remove from the heat and refrigerate for 1 hour, whisking occasionally, until thick enough to spread.

To assemble the cake, I followed the same recipe as the Tuxedo Cake but replaced the middle layer of whipped cream with the ganache-merigue-chocolate PB Krispies layer. The result is an amazing combination of rich chocolate cake, fluffy whipped cream and crispy, crunchy goodness. The salted peanuts were a great addition - balancing out the sweetness perfectly.

Tuxedo Crunch Cake. Make it. Now.

The $10 Meatball

2011-10-01T22:16:00.000-07:00

We had the best meatballs ever during our last trip to San Francisco, at a super delicious pizza place called Tony's Pizza Napoletana. It came as an appetizer - two fist-sized meatballs paired with different sauces including a tangy marinara and a pink mushroom sauce. The meat was moist, flavorful and seasoned to perfection. We still talk about this meatball from time to time - it was THAT delicious. So when Ray saw this recipe online, the title alone was convincing enough to give it a try: The Meatball Recipe to Conquer Others. The recipe calls for four blends of protein: beef, pork, veal and pancetta. Fresh herbs and aromatics are mixed in and the meatballs are baked low and slow in a tangy tomato sauce for 2 hours.

The only market we could think of that would stock veal was Whole Foods. Bad idea - we ended up spending $100 on all the ingredients. The recipe can make up to 10 fist-sized meatballs (or 25-30 small ones)- coming out to a whooping $10 per large meatball. But was it worth it? Absolutely.

The Meatball Recipe to Conquer Others

adapted from Esquire

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (80 percent lean/20 percent fat)
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground veal
1 lb pancetta or thick-sliced smoky bacon, finely minced
2 whole eggs
⅓ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
½ cup finely diced yellow onion
8 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp chopped oregano
2 tbsp chopped rosemary
⅓ cup fine, dry unseasoned bread crumbs
½ cup whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
Tomato Sauce

For the meatball:

Combine ingredients 1 through 11 and mix well, kneading the mixture with your hands like dough.

Slowly add milk to bread crumbs, stirring until the mixture has the consistency of wet sand. Immediately add to the meat mixture, season with the salt and pepper, and mix well. To taste for seasoning: Heat a small amount of canola oil in a small pan. When it's hot — it will ripple in the pan — pinch off a bit of meat and fry in the oil. Remove with a spoon, taste, and correct seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. Refrigerate the meat mixture for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape meatballs. In a large skillet, heat about a quarter-inch canola oil until very hot. Working in batches, brown all sides of each meatball.

As they finish, transfer browned meatballs to a deep, oven -afe casserole. Cover meatballs with tomato sauce. (Don't skimp — they must be totally submerged.) Place in oven and bake until well done, about 1 ¾ to 2 hours. When done, they should feel firm to the touch, or an instant-read meat thermometer should read 160 degrees. Ours finished after 60 minutes so check on the meatballs periodically.

I Heart Yummy's Basic Tomato Sauce

For the tomato sauce, we opted for a more simple sauce to pair with the heavy meat balls. The cool thing about this recipe is that everything cooks all together in the pot so the fat and flavors of the meatballs mix right into the tomato sauce. We kept the sauce more mild and tangy for this reason.

Ingredients

1/2 large yellow onion, minced
5-7 cloves of garlic
3 cans (28 oz each) San Marzano crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp chopped oregano
2 tbsp thyme
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/2 cup sugar (a must!)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Saute the onions and garlic in oil until translucent. Throw in the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes. It is now ready to be added to the meatballs and then baked for 1-2 hours.

We loved, loved, loved this meatball recipe! The meat was moist and flavorful. The tangy and sweet sauce helped curb the richness of the meat. We served the meatballs with toasted ciabatta (Spanish-style, rubbed with garlic oil and fresh tomato). The ciabatta holds up nicely against the sauce - it's sturdier than most breads and doesn't get too mushy, even with all the tomato sauce piled on top. Minature versions of this meatball would be great with spaghetti. While a $10 meatball is quite expensive, you can definitely take some liberties with purchasing the ingredients at less expensive supermarkets.

Caesar Salad Pizza - PPQ

2011-09-25T00:36:00.000-07:00

This is my first Project Pastry Queen post in a long while. I blame the hectic schedule, with weddings, birthdays, vacations and work all getting in the way. I made it back just in time for Alice of This Home Plate's choice for the week, Caesar Salad Pizza. A light, from-scratch Caesar salad dressing, tossed with crispy romaine lettuce and juicy tomatoes, all piled on top of a Parmesean-crusted pizza bread.

The recipe calls for the addition of red pepper flakes into the pizza dough, giving it an extra bit of flavor and spice. The dough was still on the bland side for me - I would add some more honey, salt and dried herbs next time. My favorite part of the dish was the melted Parmesean cheese bubbling on the tops of the pizza rounds. The saltiness of the cheese saved the bread from being too plain. I sous-vided some chicken breasts to serve alongside the salad for protein.

Overall, a decent Friday night dinner dish. For two people however, it was way too much work. The pizza dough toughens significantly after it cools so leftovers aren't quite as appealing either. Guess I will just have to make a trip to Rather Sweet for my next Caesar Salad Pizza!

Tartine

2011-09-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

600 Guerrero Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
http://www.tartinebakery.com/

I have no idea why it has taken us so long to eat here but now that I've had a taste, Tartine definitely makes it on-to our list, along with Golden Bakery, Philz Coffe and The House, as recommended must-eats when visiting San Francisco.

1. Quiche - Made with creme fraiche, ham and buttery crust. I wish there was a higher crust-to-egg ratio. While delicious, the Bouchon quiche is still the running favorite.

2. Morning Bun - Recommended by every single person that knows and loves Tartine. The bun is made from a croissant dough base, with a crispy, sugary outer layer and a soft, buttery interior. The faint orange citrus flavor makes the bread even more yummy. I was suprised this recipe was left out of the Tartine cookbook (I managed to score a 50% discount off the book during our last visit to the Williams-Sonoma outlet on the way to Las Vegas). However, you can easily find the recipe here if you are craving the morning bun. There's no denying its popularity - they were flying off the trays.

3. Rocher with cocoa nibs - Dessert for breakfast? Of course! I normally don't like to eat meringues - too sweet for my taste but I am now a believer, having had Tartine's version. A crispy shell with a chewy interior - a great combination of textures (I prefer my French macarons the same way). When I eat something yummy, the first thing I do is google and try to find the recipe. You can make these Rochers at home - the recipe is super simple.

4. Croque Monsieur - We had to make sure we had something savory to counter all the breakfast sweets. This open-faced sandwich was just as delicious - with ham and gruyere cheese piled on top of a big thick slice of artisan bread and a creamy bechamel sauce. It came with pickled carrots that helped keep richness of the sandwich from being too overwhelming.

5. Bread Pudding - Brioche bread soaked in a custard with drizzles of caramel sauce. This was another popular recommendation from fellow foodies. I'm not sure how this can be classified as a breakfast item but it sure was delicious. The fresh tart fruits on top were a nice addition and helped curb the richness of the custard. You can also try making this at home.

Their fresh baked breads are also a big favorite and apparently, the lines are out the door and around the block when 5PM rolls around (they only sell their breads starting at 5PM every day). If it's anything like the bread used for the Croque Monsieur, you can bet Iwe'll be waiting in that line the next time we visit San Francisco!

The Walrus and the Carpenter

2011-09-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

4743 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, Wa 98107
http://thewalrusbar.com/

The Walrus and the Carpenter was recently named one of the best new restaurants in America by Bon Appetit magazine. While we didn't know this small tidbit during our visit, it comes to no surprise that this yummy and fun establishment has won the hearts of food critics. Afterall, how can you NOT love a place called the Walrus and the Carpenter?

We made it to the restaurant just in time to catch the end of the "half off" portion of happy hour. However, as the night progressed, and our hunger for more oysters not yet satiated, those tasty shells got increasingly more expensive - with only 25% off between 5 -6pm. Still a great value nonetheless.

1. Fresh Oysters - We ordered a sampling of all the oysters on the menu: Sammish Sweet, Hammersley Inlet, Eagle Rock, Eld Inlet, Amai, Treasure Cove, Baywater Sweets and Effingham. They were all sourced locally - from Washington and British Columbia.

Our favorite oysters of the night were the Sammish Sweets and the Treasure Cove. They definitely give the Kumamotos a run for its money. It was a fun experience to savor the varying levels of brininess, sweetness and creaminess of each type of oyster.

2. Fried Oysters, cilantro aioli - The batter was nice and crispy, not too oily. You definitely lose a lot of oyster flavor with deep-frying though.

3. Chicken Liver Toast - This was the first time we ordered chicken liver and did not like it. The cherries sounded like a good idea and they tasted good by themselves- just not paired with the liver pate.

All in all, a super yummy and cost-effective meal. If we lived in Seattle, you can bet we'd be here for happy hour every other day. Not only were the oysters super yummy but the restaurant space and design is charming - bright, white, open and very homey. This was one of our most memorable eating spots during the short trip.

Addendum (to Ad Hoc)

2011-09-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

The elusive Ad Hoc Fried Chicken is no longer quite as elusive. Back when Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc restaurant first opened in Napa, people flocked to Ad Hoc to try their fried chicken, served every other Monday night. Some people turned it into a hobby of sorts, building calendars to calculate exactly which Monday nights served up the fried yummy goodness.

In fact, we even attempted the Fried Chicken recipe at home before even having tried the original. The chicken is brined overnight in a mixture of herbs, seasonings and citrus. This keeps the meat super moist, even the chicken breasts.

Though we never made it to Ad Hoc for our first taste of their crispy foul, we got the next best thing by fanagling a late night reservation to Bouchon in Beverly Hills for their ad hoc "Ad Hoc Fried Chicken Night". For $36, you get 3 large pieces of chicken, 2 biscuits with gravy, mac and cheese and pickled cabbage. Needless to say, it was the best fried chicken we ever had. Moist, flavorful with super crispy skin.

Having tasted that yummy goodness first hand, we couldn't wait for fried chicken night to come around again. So, you can imagine our excitement when we found out that behind Ad hoc, Addendum has erected as a gourmet lunch to-go operation running Thursdays through Saturdays. Picnic benches are set up all around the garden for you to eat-and-run. For $16.50, you get chicken or beef brisket, with two sides and corn bread. The chicken was signficantly smaller than the portions we had at Bouchon. Half the price, half the chicken, I guess.

1. Ad Hoc Friend Chicken - What can we say? Yummy, yummy and more yummy. The cornbread was ok - we liked the Bouchon biscuits alot more. Not pictured was fresh corn succotash which was also super delicious - fresh and sweet.

2. Beef Brisket - The meat was surprisingly tender. We would have preferred a bit more flavor or some BBQ sauce to go along with it. The sausage was nothing special - can get it anywhere. We recommend skipping the meat and going straight for the fried chicken.

A small taste of what we experienced at Bouchon. Not quite as good but enough to hold us over until the real deal comes back around our way.

Martini Cake Pops

2011-09-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

I had a fun bridal shower order for martini cake pops last week. I love when people order cake pops with unique themes and colors - it really gives us the opportunity to play around with our fondant and gumpaste to design something fun and creative.

These cake pops took quite an effort to figure out. All my previous pieces were created with the help of plungers and stamps. These martini glasses were the first time I had to individually carve out each piece with a small knife and glue together. Good thing the order was for a small amount - this is definitely not a scalable design.

A friend tried to come up with a way to use a paper clip to cut out the shape. He twisted the metal so it resembled one side of the martini glass. I have to give him credit for the crazy idea - although it didn't give you a clean cut on the fondant, it certainly was a clever way to try and make a martini cutter. Thanks for trying Hien!

Tapas24

2011-09-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

C/ Diputació, 269
08007 Barcelona
http://www.tapas24.net/situacion.php?lang=eng

Nom, nom? You bet!

Tapas24 was a popular recommendation on chowhound.com for traditional tapas with a modern twist. The chef, Carles Abellan, is an El Bulli alum and is also the owner of the more high-end restaurant, Comerc24. This was the first night the whole gang was reunited in Barcelona so we decided to head over to Tapas24 for a night of sangria and yummy Spanish cuisine.

1. Bikini Comerc24 - A fancy name for a grilled cheese sandwich with jamon inside. We love jamon so I give me a Bikini over an American ham and cheese sandwich any day.

2. Arros Negre de Sipia - My personal favorite dish of the night, squid ink paella. I am a big squid ink fan and this rice definitely hit the spot. It was cooked nicely, with the rice more on the moist side and served alongside some fried sardines recommended by our waiter (not pictured). The fish added some additional salt and crunch, enhancing the flavors of the dish.

3. McFoie Burger - There was nothing special about this burger. The foie was barely noticeable and was definitely wasted on the heavy bun and overpowering flavors of the meat.

4. Fried Rabbit - What can I say? It tastes like chicken, albeit a skinny chicken. There isn't as much meat on the bones and more time is spent gnawing on the bones than anything. Nevertheless, tasty and worth ordering again.

5. Mussels - This was typical Spanish fare and I can't say it stood out very much in my memory.

6. Lamb Meatballs - Yummy! None of us were expecting a fried meatball but the cruchiness paired well with the two sauces on top - one creamy and the other tangy. As our Spanish wasn't up to par, we didn't get a chance to find out what exactly was in the two sauce.

All in all, great company and good food equals a memorable night in Barcelona. I would definitely recommend this place for tapas for a decent Spanish meal. However, it is on the more expensive side so be prepared to pay a good amount for your food.

Moroccan Cake Pops

2011-09-03T01:39:00.000-07:00

So what exactly constitutes Moroccan-Themed Cake Pops? I really have no idea but I imagine they would consist of bright bold colors, gold and intricate filagree-type designs. Morocco was the theme for the 30th birthday picnic we threw last weekend for our good friend. As I was assigned to the cake and cake pops, I opted for bright colors to coat the cake pops, bright flowers made from gum paste and gold sugar-covered swirly designs.

I am starting to learn how to use gumpaste and fondant to make cute "accesories" for the cake pops and cupcakes, including investing in the Wilton flower kits. For these cake pops, I opted for the flower that looks like a star (the name escapes me). I used white gumpaste and colored it with color gel. Once cut, I placed the flowers in my cake pop tray so they could dry and harden in the shape of a blossom.

We displayed the cake pops in a wood box with green foam and a moss overlay, courtesy of Lumiani Events. There were 4 "mountains" in the display, two of which were used to hold real flowers and the other two, cake pops. Pretty neat, isn't it? This is one of the most creative cake pop displays I've seen to date.

Strawberry Chiffon Ribbon Cake

2011-08-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Because every girl should have a pretty pink cake on her special day.

Happy 30th birthday, Chau!

To celebrate a milestone birthday for a super great friend, we decided to throw a fancy picnic at Lacy Park, complete with a dessert table, burlap table clothes and Moroccan-style table runners and home-made pillows. There was even a super cute picture spot with a bench in front of a large tree, with hanging Moroccan lanterns, flowers, ribbons and banners, courtesy of the girls from Lumiani Events. I was in charge of the cake and cake pops and at the request of the birthday girl, made my Strawberry Chiffon Cake.

This cake is the most troublesome to decorate because the frosting is a whipped heavy cream sweetened with powdered sugar. It makes the cake super yummy and moist, without the overwhelming fat from traditional buttercreams. However, whipping cream doesn't exactly do well in 100 degree weather and there isn't much you can do with it in terms of decoration. For this special birthday cake, I decided to do the layers with whipped cream but used Martha Stewart's Italian Meringue Buttercream with pink coloring to decorate the outside of the cake.

I first saw this ribbon-piping design on My Sweet Saucy - it's super simple and just requires some good hand-eye coordination. I won't even try to explain how to do it. Just watch her video and you will be piping these ruffles in no time.

Here is a shot of the dessert table at the picnic. The cake lasted a good 2-3 hours in the 100 degree weather before the buttercream broke and started to melt/fall off the cake. So don't try to leave it out longer than that.

Sidenote: I love my new vintage cake stand! The grooves on the sides makes it super simple to change out the ribbon for whatever color you want. I think this officially kicks off my next obsession - cake stands.

Almond Bliss German Chocolate Cupcakes

2011-08-28T22:51:00.000-07:00

It was my week to host Project Pastry Queen and of course, I went straight for the cake section. I've had al ot of success with Rebecca Rather's cakes and I was looking forward to adding another to my list. Unfortunately for me, I chose this recipe for one of the hottest weekends of the year to date. I wouldn't be surprised if no one ends up participating in this week's project - heat from the 100 degree California sun combined with the 350 degrees of radiating heat from the oven is enough to make anyone break a sweat, or two, or fifty. I have provided the recipe for the full 3-layer cake but as you can see, I adapted the recipe for the cupcake version.

Almond Bliss German Chocolate Cake
from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather

Ingredients

For the cake
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

For the icing
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sweetened cream of coconut, such as Coco Lopez
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom of three 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper rounds, grease with butter, and dust with flour.

Place the chocolate in a small saucepan, pour the boiling water over, and stir until the chocolate has dissolved completely. If it doesn't dissolve completely place the pan on the stove top over low heat and stir until it does. Remove from the heat to cool.

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and beat on medium-high for 1 minutes. Stir the baking soda in the buttermilk until it dissolves. Add half of the buttermilk mixture alternately with the half of the flour, mixing on low speed after each addition. Repeat with the remaining buttermilk mixture and flour. Stir in the salt, chocolate mixture, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips.

In a clean medium bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed, using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate batter using a large rubber spatula.

Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Stagger the cake layers on the oven racks so that no layer is directly over another. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes on the pans for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto racks and cool completely.

To make the icing:
Arrange the almond slices on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast them fro 5 to 7 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic (watch them closely they will burn quickly.) Cool the nuts completely.

Heat the milk, cream of coconut, and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter has completely melted. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch until smooth. Slowly pour 3 tablespoons of the hot milk mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, into the yolk mixture, whisking briskly until the yolks have absorbed the hot liquid. (Pouring in a little of the hot liquid helps temper the eggs, which keeps them from curdling.) Slowly pour the tempered yolk mixture into the hot milk mixture still set over medium heat, whisking constantly. Continue whisking about 7 to 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens, takes on the consistency of custard, and seems thick enough to spread. Stir in the coconut and almonds. Let the icing cool for 15 minutes.

Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter and cover the top generously with frosting. Add the second and third layers, frosting the top of each. Do not frost the sides of the cake, but it's okay if some of the icing oozes out.

Wrap the cake well if you do not plan to serve it within a few hours. It can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

My adaptions:

I halved the recipe and made ~17 cupcakes. I baked the cupcakes for ~15 minutes.

I wasn't too sure if my custard filling was going to look very pretty as a topping so I opted to cup holes into the cupcakes and fill each one with the custard. The filling didn't resemble the standard gooey filling we normally associate with German Chocolate Cake, probably because of the coconut cream that was used.

I whipped up some cream with powered sugar to use as the topping and finished the cupcakes off with some toasted unsweetened coconut flakes.

All in all, can't say I was too big of a fan of this German Chocolate Cake iteration. My go-to chocolate cake would still have to be the Tuxedo Cake from Pastry Queen. To see how other PPQ members faired, visit:

Fake Ginger

Blueberry BBQ Sauce + Baked Salmon

2011-08-28T00:23:00.000-07:00

Blueberries are one of those weird fruits that I don't like to eat raw but love any in way, shape or form when incorporated into foods and dishes:

Blueberry donuts from M&M Donuts (OC)
Blueberry Chiffon Cake from Paris Baguette (LA/OC)
Blueberry Pancakes from Clinton Street Baking Company (NYC)
Blueberries and Cream cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar (NYC)

Blueberries in a BBQ sauce? Of course I'm going to try it!

Blueberry BBQ with Baked Salmon
adapted from Pink Parsley via The Neely's

4 (6-oz) salmon fillets
1/2 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and patted dry
1/3 cup ketchup
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbs grated onion
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Siracha
Red pepper flakes
Brown sugar to taste
Chicken stock for thinning out the sauce

For the sauce:

In a medium saucepan, heat the blueberries over low heat until they begin to soften and burst, about 10 minutes.

Use the back of a spoon or fork to mash up the blueberries to release the juices. Add the ketchup, vinegars, brown sugar, garlic, onion, mustard, Siracha, and red pepper flakes.

Whisk well to combine and break up the blueberries, then increase heat to medium. Stirring often, cook until the mixture begins to bubble, then lower the heat to medium low. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened, another 10-20 minutes. I didn't want to thicken the sauce too much so I added in some chicken stock to thin it out.

For the salmon:

Bake the salmon for about 7-8 minutes at 450 degrees. Check frequently to make sure the salmon does not overcook. Brush the blueberry sauce on top and broil for a few minutes at high heat. As I left the salmon unattended, it was fully cooked by the time I checked it and just had to spoon the sauce over without any additional broiling.

I LOVED the blueberry BBQ sauce but I can't say that serving it with salmon would have been my first choice. The sauce is bold and flavorful, too much in fact that it not compliment the delicate texture of the fish. I will definitely be making this sauce again but will be using it for my ribs or pulled pork - a heartier protein that can stand up to the flavors of the sauce.

Asador Etxebarri

2011-08-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

Situated in a farming community half way between San Sebastian and the Bilbao Airport is a tucked away cottage that took human's most primitive method of cooking and turned it an art form. Asador Etxebarri is know for their use of the wood-burning grill as documented on Anthony Bordain's No Reservations: Spain. With it's high acclaim and countless accolades including it's rank at number 50 on San Pellegrino's World's Best Restaurants, we made a detour for lunch prior to returning to the Bilbao Airport from San Sebastian.

The menu offers a variety of items a la carte but we went for the tasting menu as it seemed to offer a great variety of items and left the hard decisions up to the kitchen.

1. Gazepacho - This cool tomato soup was a great way to start the meal and cleanse the palate. A slight hint of olive oil and citrus, we felt like we started off on the right foot.

2. Handmade Goat Butter - Part of the thinking at Asador Etxebarri is if something can be eaten, it can be grilled. Case in point: butter. Not really grilled as much as it was smoked. The butter was still slightly cool and didn't feel as grotesque as if you were taking a bite of Land O' Lakes out of the fridge. It was probably the highest ratio of butter to bread we'd ever had. A pleasant smokiness was infused within while the crispy bread help to make you not feel completely disgusting. Topped with thin slices of mushrooms.

3. Grilled oyster - Warm and creamy. The sent and taste of the ocean was very apparent.

4. Grilled goose barnacles - Our first time having barnacles. These were the most expensive a la carte items on the menu. We required some guidance from our server as to the best way to eat these.

You hold the hard outer shell and simply twist it from the rough tubular casing which yields the edible portion within. To our surprise, these things tend to squirt their juices quite a distance when pried open. The texture was a cross between a clam and lobster tail - a bit chewy but with a meaty consistency. The flesh was pleasantly salty and delicious and quite fun to eat.

5. Grilled Palamos prawns - A large shrimp similar to the spot prawn we have here in California. Very meaty and very sweet. We felt that this preparation was slighly undercooked. The sea salt helped enhance the crustacean's natural sweetness. And of course we sucked the head.

6. Grilled baby octopus - Served atop a sweet onion puree and charcoal paste. The octopods were very tender but were it not for the puree, we felt that dish would have lacked much depth.

7. Grilled peas - Served in a white ceramic cup, these peas were surprisingly good. They packed a pleasant punch with their natural sweetness and smoky flavor. Very good indeed.

8. Grilled egg yolk - One of the few dishes that fell a little short. A bit of a goopy mess. The egg yolks were smoky and hardy and mixed in with thin slices of mushrooms. The combination yielded a subtle earthy flavor but wouldn't say that we'd get this again.

9. Grilled lemon fish - A firm white fish similar to halibut in texture. However, this preparation wasn't cooked all the way through, similar to seared tuna. We didn't care too much for this fish but the peeled tomato was delicious.

10. Grilled beef on bone - By this point we were beginning to suffer from food fatigue. Normally, a steak presentation of this magnitude would force the salivary glands into overdrive. But instead, it was met with a collective groan as we realized how much more food we needed to consume. Perhaps it was the full stomach that didn't allow us to really appreciate this beautiful cut of meat. Cooked more towards the rarer side of medium-rare, this steak was charred and bloody. We were surprised to find that it wasn't as tender as expected, but this did yield a very beefy flavor. Unfortunately, a large chunk of this beef went uneaten.

11. Smoked milk ice cream - If it can be eaten, it can be grilled. Much like the butter served earlier, who would have thought to smoke ice cream? This sheep's milk version was a bit more tangy and complimented the berry syrup underneath very nicely. Both were tart and sweet but in different ways and intensities. Surprisingly tasty.

12. Grilled cheese flan - Flan: tasty yet boring. But grilled flan from sheep's milk...this may have been the best dessert we've ever had. EVER! This is a dessert that would make me return to this restaurant. It had the traditional sweet caramel flavors of flan. It was very soft in consistency, almost like a thick cream. However, the sheep's milk made all the difference. Again, the light tartness semt this flan into a different stratosphere. Absolutely amazing.

The flan was a fantastic way to end our time in Basque country. After all the meals in San Sebastian, this quiet, unpretentious meal was a nice way to bookend this part of the trip. The meal was very solid overall with highlights being the barnacles, peas and that fantastic flan. We did ask for a kitchen tour at the end of our meal but our server informed us that it wouldn't be available until all the diners were served. As we had a flight to catch, we didn't stick around that long. Asador Etxebarri is doing some amazing things with fire, smoke and coals and it's definitely a place to check out at least once. Just make sure they're serving flan that day.

Cuidad Condal

2011-08-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

Rambla de Catalunya, 18

Barcelona - Spain

After a string of tasting menus in San Sebastian, we were excited to meet up with our friends and experience the tapas scene in Barcelona. Our first meal turned into a late-night "snack" at Cuidad Condal, recommended by both a foodie friend and the hotel concierge. You can't miss this place - just look for the dozens of people packed into the bar and waiting area and spilling onto the side walks. We arrived at 9:30PM or so and still had to wait over an hour to get a table. Once seated, we let the server select a couple of their most popular dishes for us to share.

1. Egg plant, roasted bell peppers, mozzarella cheese - The worse dish of the night, in my opinion. Lacking in both texture and flavor. The eggplant and roasted peppers were very mushy and super tangy. The cheese did little to cover the flavors. We tried to avoid this dish for the rest of the trip. Despite its popularity in Spanish cuisine, it is a combination of flavors that we cannot appreciate.

2. Jamon Iberico plate - Ahhhhh....ham from the legendary black-footed pig. These pigs are fed on a diet of acorns and supposedly make for some of the best cured meat in the world. Super yummy...but then again, how can you go wrong with jamon? In fact, we loved it so much, we actually went to Jamonisimo later on during the trip to do a jamon tasting. More to come later about our history lesson on the pata negra.

3. Bacon-wrapped dates and cheese - Standard Spanish fare. You can find a different iteration of this dish in every tapas restaurant you go to. This version was good, with a layer of crispy batter around the bacon.

4. Veal with bread and roasted pepper - This was one of the better dishes of the night. The veal was cooked perfectly with a nice sear on the outside and tender in the middle.

5. Grilled shrimp - We were excited for the gambas but it turned out more lackluster than anything. There really wasn't too much flavor and the shrimp lacked it's usual sweetness. It was also luke-warm which didn't help its cause much.

Overall, a decent first meal in Barcelona. The tapas were more traditional, lacking the creativity we saw in San Sebastian. Not really sure why there were so many people fighting for seats as we found some better places for tapas later on in the trip.

Butterfly Birthday Cupcakes

2011-08-14T23:40:00.000-07:00

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Wrapping up the girls' second birthday party were these chocolate and vanilla butterfly cupcakes. For display, I arranged them into two cupcake towers topped with matching "2" candles.

I used two old recipes. For the chocolate cupcakes, I halved the Tuxedo cake recipe to make about 35 regular-sizes cakes. This is a no-fail recipe and I use it for any cake recipe requiring chocolate. I also loved the Rainbow-on-White cake so much that I tried to use the white cake batter for the vanilla cupcakes. While they tasted good, the cake pulls away from the wrappers shortly after cooling. The end result is a bunch of cupcakes looking like someone tried to unwrap and eat them. I tried my best to cover the edges with the vanilla buttercream frosting.

I used two designs for the cupcakes. The first was a simple spiral of frosting with colored pearls and stamped fondant butterflies in contrasting colors of pinks, purples and blue.

The second batch of cupcakes were decorated with a simple flower design using the flower decorating tip. More colored pearls were used to top each individual rosettte to make the cupcakes more festive.

The cupcakes were a crowd pleaser - although I saw more kids licking off all the frosting than actually biting into the cakes. Maybe I should go straight to the cupcake shooters or cupcake push-pops next time with the loads of frosting.

Check out some of the other butterfly-themed party goodies:
Chocolate Caramel Crispy Pretzels
Butterfly Cake Pops

Pinotxo Bar

2011-08-08T23:01:00.000-07:00

La Rambla, 91

08002 Barcelona, Spain

We were super excited to visit Pinotxo Bar after hearing and reading all the great reviews. The small bar is front and center at the entrance of the Boqueria marketplace. You can't miss it. One can always expect to see owner Juanito Bayen behind the counter, sporting his signature bow tie and serving up all the coffee orders.

1. Fried rabbit - When deep-fried, all meat tastes like chicken! These rabbit ribs were no exception. The crunchy batter covered up any gaminess you would normally find with rabbit meat. Tasty but nothing special that you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. In fact, we had an identical dish at Tapas24 the next night and couldn't tell the difference between the two places.

2. Chick pea salad - A yummy dish of soft chick peas, fresh herbs, spices and tangy balsamic vinegar. Definitely somthing I will try and recreate at home to serve alongside a white fish. It is a tad too starchy to pair with a heavier protein. I found a recipe online that attempted to recreate this.

3. Langoustine - Give us a crustacean and we will eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The langoustine was freshly grilled and drizzled with salt and olive oil. While it took quite an effort to peel, the meat was sweet with a bounciness that you come to expect from fresh shrimp and lobster. I could have eaten another 5 of these.

4. Grilled Squid - We didn't realize the squid would be tossed with a large serving of beans. The result was a similar texture and taste to the chick pea salad. The squid was grilled nicely and the balsamic drizzle did wonders for the dish. We just wish there was a higher squid to bean ratio.

All in all, the lunch was a good one. While nothing was exceptional, the yummy food and festive atmosphere makes for a great experience. As an institution of sorts in Barcelona, Pinotxo Bar is definitely worth at least one visit during your trip.

Cherry Blossom Cake Pops

2011-08-08T00:08:00.000-07:00

For my next cake pop project, I tackled a wedding order for 200 cake pops consisting of brides, grooms and different shades of the wedding palette. We decided to go with a variety of different designs and colors, with the most intricate being this cherry blossom that required cutting out pink and white fondant with a blossom plunger (thanks Nancy!) and hand-painting the branches onto each pop (thanks Courtney!). We also made tags for each pop (thanks K!).

The wedding was to be held at Hearst Castle so transporting the cake pops were the biggest challenge. Luckily the weather wasn't too bad so most of the pops made it safely to the final destination - well most of them at least. Here are some pictures of the other cake pops in the order:

The grooms:

The brides:

Congrats Linda and Vu!

Mugaritz

2011-08-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

Otzazulueta baserria Aldura-aldea, 20,

20100 Errenteria, Spain

Tel: (+34) 943 522 455 / 943 518 343

The gluttony continued the next night at Mugaritz, ranked 3rd on San Pelligrino's 50 Best Restaurant's in the World. We didn't come into this dinner with the lofty expectations we had going into Arzak, as we'd been thoroughly disappointed with our dining experience there the night before. Nevertheless, Mugaritz is ranked five spots higher than Arzak on the top 50 list so it had to be better, right?

The restaurant is located in the countryside, approximately 20 minutes from our hotel. Or at least what should have been twenty minutes which turned out to be double that thanks to poorly functioning iPhone GPS. After traversing some awkward country roads and numerous u-turns later, we arrived at the beautiful country cottage that is Mugaritz.

After we were seated, we were handed two small envelopes.

The outside of the first envelope was stamped: "150 mins... submit". When you remove the card from within, it read:

150 minutes to feel, imagine, reminisce, discover.

150 minutes to contemplate.

The other envelope was stamped: "150 mins... rebel!" With it's corresponding card reading:

150 minutes to feel embarrassed, flustered, fed up.

150 minutes of suffering.

What does this all mean?! Two simple cards, yet we debated quite a while on what to do. We were under the impression that the choice you made determined the outcome of your entrees. We ultimately decided that for our first experience, we should simply"submit".

Shortly after making our selection, we were invited to take a tour of the kitchen. Our first impressions were how immaculate the kitchen was. Everything had its place and everyone had their job. We spoke briefly to a chef (name escapes me) who was originally from Mexico. He was very generous with his time and forthcoming in answering any questions.

1. Edible stones - These baby potatoes were cleverly disguised as rocks. The outer shell had the texture of the "skipping stones" you find at the lake. They were paired with a mild, yellow cream sauce. Earthy and warm but nothing spectacular.

2. Grilled pueraria focaccia - This looked like dried zombie skin. (Just finished watching season one of Walking Dead.) A bit tough but very aromatic and crispy. The tomato paste was sweet and a great compliment.

3. Grilled beans - Truly, truly simple. The beans were grilled just right. They were firm but yielded easily to each bite. The sea salt really helped bring out the natural sweetness.

4. Fleeting crunch of oregano and egg yolk - A black onion brioche topped with garlic, egg yolk and oregano. The garlic was very sweet, lacking all of its usual bite. The yolk added little flavor but helped bind everything together with its richness.

5. Homemade mozzarella, whey emulsion infused with rock tea - Within the broth was a melty piece of mozzarella. The cheese was creamy and delicious. The accompanying broth was very subtle. Very little salt with a nice umami flavor.

6. Over a gelatinous pine nut cream, glutinous cod fish and mastic resin - Another subtle dish. Neither the pine nut cream nor the cod fish expressed much in terms of flavor. The fish itself had a soft and gelatinous consistency. Interesting, but not too tasty.

7. Artichoke and bone marrow ragout, creamy ku(d)zu bread - A hearty sauce of artichokes and bone marrow served in a hallowed out kudzu muffin. Our waiter tried to explain what "kudzu" was, noting that it's an asian ingredient but we struggled to think of any asian dish that was similar. Apparently, the kudzu plant is quite versatile, both in its uses and it's ability to grow, with uses in things from medicine to clothing.

The ragout was very rich and had a nice depth of flavor. The kudzu bread was steamed and quickly changed consistency upon chewing. Much of its structure collapsed, turning almost pasty within your mouth.

8. Hazelnut and bean stew - Although the hazelnuts had been stewed, they still had a nice firm consistency to them. Combined with the beans, this dish tastes more or less what you'd expect. Somewhat of a mild, meatless chili.

9. Shhh...cat got your tongue! - Our waiter didn't tell us what was in this dish, challenging us to guess after tasting. Without the benefit of the name of the dish during dinner, we'd never had imagined it could have been cat meat. Which it wasn't. The meat was dry and tasted much like Chinese beef jerky. Turns out to have been strands of beef tongue. This took a bit of effort to chew but doing so yielded a very nice beefiness upon the palate. A bit of garlic on the bottom added a welcomed bit of sweetness and aroma.

10. Textures of coastal fish - Scorpionfish is one of the most venomous marine animals in the world. Luckily, unlike the blowfish, the dangerous portion is easily removed by cutting off the dorsal spine. The flesh was firm in texture with a nice bounce to it.

On a side note, there's a recent movement on the East coast of the United States to start eating scorpion fish (aka "lionfish") to help control its exploding population in the Gulf and southeast Atlantic as these fish are voracious predators with few nature enemies. Their growing population continue to ravage many of the other local fish species. Eat more scorpionfish!

11. Pork noodles with arraitxiki extract and toasted rice - A second helping of a gelatinous entree. The noodles were similar in texture and flavor of pork tendons. Overall, very similar to the cod fish we had earlier. The toasted rice gave off a very pleasant aroma.

12. Sheets of entrecula grilled steak emulsion and salt crystals - this meat covers the kidneys and while chewy, has a very rich beefy flavor.

13. Quail armagnac - Served warm in a stemless wine glass, we thought this was cognac as a palate cleanser. Very similar to a consomme, rich, lacking in fat and not very tasty.

14. Iberian pork tails, crispy leaves and toasted sweet millet oil - Crispy leaved topped the crispy skin tails. The flesh under the skin was very tender, gelatinous and rich.

15. Camelias and tea - A very subtle palate cleanser. The ice cream wasn't too cold but very creamy. Speckles of tea flakes brought out the tea flavoring. Nice and refreshing.

16. Broken walnuts, toasted and salted, cool milk cream and armagnac jelly - Edible flowers with "fake" walnuts that housed the armagnac jelly. The milk cream was made from goat's milk and had a bit of tang to let you know. Actual walnuts were parsed throughout to make for a tasty dessert. This was one of our favorites of the night.

17. Nails and flowers - Sugar shell topped with cream and edible flowers. Very similar to the two other desserts prior with a slight hint of coconut.

As it turns out, your entree selections are in no way influenced by whether you "submit" or "rebel". It is the restaurant's attempt to force you into a personal choice on how you will perceive the food to come. Overall, a fun experience. The food was simple and good overall. The service was very attentive, for the most part. Only quarrel is that it took quite a while to get our check at the end of the meal.

Though much better than our experience at Arzak, Mugaritz isn't necessarily a restaurant that we'd be returning to anytime soon. You can feel that many quality ingredients were used with a lot of technique involved. However, once on the plate and into our mouths, the food wasn't extraordinary. We tend to lean more towards bold and heavy-handed flavors so a lot of the subtlety used here is lost on us. That being said, Mugaritz is definitely a place to try once. At the very least, just to say you went to the 3rd best restaurant in the world.

72 Hours in Barcelona

2011-07-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

Barcelona was the third city on our trip as we made our way south from San Sebastian. We instantly fell in love with Barcelona as it reminded us of a European New York City - lots of hustling, bustling, shopping and eating.

Highlights
La Boqueria

Everyone knows about the Boqueria market, a large open public market with stalls and stalls of fresh fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses, jamon, seafood, breads and specialty items like high-quality olive oils, spices, etc. The displays were quite impressive, like this one of different candies and dried fruits and nuts.

One of our favorite things was the different stands selling fresh juices. They had your typical fruits like strawberry and orange but also had some more exotic ones like dragon fruit - all for 1.50 euros.

Gaudi Sites

Antoni Gaudi is probably one of Spain's most famous architects and his presence was felt all over Barcelona. From Park Guell, a large garden complex filled with whimsical mosaics to La Sagrada Familia, a half-constructed Roman Catholic Church combining Gothic and modern designs - one look and you can immediately identify Gaudi's architectural style.

Museu Picasso
We spent a couple of hours at the Picasso museum, one of the largest outposts of Picasso's work. It included art from his Blue Period, Rose Period and Las Meninas, among others. One downside to this museum was the lack of guided audio tours - we felt like we weren't able to get as much out of it. There is a Picasso Walking Tour that is available and I was sad that we didn't get a chance to take it. I would definitely recommend that versus wandering the museum unguided.

Jamaica Coffee Shop
One of the highlights of our trip was the discovery of the bombon biberon. As avid Vietnamese coffee lovers, it was cool to see other cultures adopting the same preparation of coffee - a shot of espresso atop a generous helping of condensed milk. We found this yummy drink at Jamaica Coffee Shop, which also has a great Spanish coffee - a scoop of vanilla ice cream drowning in hot Spanish coffee. We loved it so much that we dedicated a song to the bombon - to the beat of Rihanna's Disturbia. Bom-bom-bieron-ron-a-ron ron...

Food

We had our share of tapas: Cuidad Condal, Bar Pinxtos, Catalunya and Tapas24 with Catalunya being, surprisingly the most memorable. We also endulged in two prefix menu restaurants: Comerc24 and Cinc Sentis. Cinc Sentis was one of our most yummy meals ever! From start to finish, there was nothing we had that disappointed us. If you go to Barcelona, Cinc Sentis is a MUST!

Transportation

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus Tour
This open-top, double decker bus was our mode of transportation, allowing us to cram all the sight-seeing into one day. You pay a one time fee and then get to hop on and off the bus at any of the 50+ stops on the various routes. Everyone gets a pair of headphones you can plug into your seat and listen to the recorded tour guide.

Subway
We took the subway frequently, until we became victim to petty thieves in Barcelona. Prior to our trip, we received a lot of warnings about pick-pockets and how dangerous Barcelona can be. We really didn't think too much of it until one night, the 4 of us decided to take the subway back to our hotel after dinner. As we got onto the subway, 3 men followed us and proceeded to act drunk. One man, with a large bottle of water in one hand, grabbed Ray around the waist, as if to steady himself and then proceeded to pour the water all over Ray's leg. The two other guys were pushing and shoving each other and in hindsight, was really pinning Ray to the side of the subway while the other guy was stealing his wallet. As the subway doors closed and the 3 men stumbled off, I immediately turned to Ray and asked "where's your wallet?!!?" Ray reached into his pocket - only to realize his wallet was missing. We immediately forced the subway doors open and ran after the men. We grabbed the guy with the water bottle, demanding our money back. Of course, he pretended not to understand what we were saying. One of the other men tapped my shoulder and pointed to Ray's wallet on the floor. Upon inspection, all the money was taken out of the wallet, about 200 euros but the credit card and driver's license was intact. Rather than fight for the cash, which was a lost cause at this point, we hopped back onto the subway and headed home. So lesson learned - leave all passports and wallets in your hotel safe and push away anyone that comes even within an inch of you.

Hotel

We stayed in two hotels during this time. If you plan on going with a big group, I would highly recommend booking Majestic Residences - they are luxury condos with two bed rooms with two bathrooms, a large kitchen and a high-ceiling living room. You can fit 6 people comfortably or up to 10 if people don't mind sleeping on the floor. The only complaint I have is the wi-fi is not free.

The second part of our trip was spent at Alexandra Barcelona Hotel. This one was definitely a bit dingy. The lobby and outside are deceiving because everything looked so boutique-y and new. But the rooms were shabbier. The bright side is there was lots of good food within walking distance, as well as the subway and buslines. The wi-fi was also free.

Speculoos Mars Pie | PPQ

2011-07-23T23:31:00.000-07:00

Another ode to my favorite cookie and spread - Speculoos. I've used the cookie here and the spread here. This newest iteration, courtesy of Project Pastry Queen, incorporates both the Biscoff cookie and the Speculoos spread in the form of a Mars Pie, or what I'd like to think, a bite-sized S'mores cookie.

Rather than making a large cookie, I choose to make a smaller sandwich version that people can finish off in a bite or two.

This was the best thing about the recipe: a soft fluffy homemade marshmallow drizzled with melted Speculoos spread - Speculoos marshmallows!!!! After the sandwich cookies were completed, I put large heaping spoonfuls of melted bittersweet chocolate on the tops of each sandwich and using the back of a spoon, swirled the chocolate around so it ran off the edges and dripped down the sides of the cookie. I finished off them off with 2-3 teaspoons of Speculoos cookie crumbs.

Labor intensive but yummy and fun to make and eat. I'd definitely serve this at a party or event as part of a dessert spread. For the full recipe, visit Shawnda at Confessions of a Foodie Bride as she was the original host of this Project Pastry Queen recipe.

Chocolate Caramel Crispy Pretzels

2011-07-20T23:20:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows about the chocolate-covered pretzel. What everyone doesn't know are the two secret ingredients that make the traditional chocolate-covered pretzel infinitely more yummy: caramel and rice crispies. I decided to make these for my nieces' birthday party - wrapping them in the pretzel cellophane bags and adding butterfly and flower tags for guests to take home.

Make them now - everyone will love you for it.

Ingredients

Pretzel rods

Chewy caramel squares (Brachs, Werthers, even Target has their own in the candy isle)

Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (depending on your preference)

Rice Crispies (Available at speciality stores like Calico)

Colored candy melts for decorating (I like Merkens brand but for something so small, Wiltons will do)

Directions

Simple enough:

1. Melt caramel in the microwave until smooth and bubbly.

2. Dip pretzel rod in caramel. Lay on parchment paper to harden.

3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave - use a deep bowl or glass that will allow you to coat about 75% of the pretzel.

4. Add rice crispies to melted chocolate. I saw these rice crispies while wandering the aisles of my new favorite baking supplies store, Calico in Buena Park. They stay crunchy when mixed in chocolate.

5. Dip caramel pretzel in chocolate and lay on parchment paper to harden.

6. Drizzle with melted colored candy melts for decoration.

7. Individually wrap and tag as necessary once the chocolate has hardened.

Butterfly Cake Pops

2011-07-17T18:42:00.000-07:00

Cake pops have become my new hobby - allowing me to combine my love for baking with the arts & crafts skills I've acquired through the years. Except now, rather than using paints and glitter, I am using coloring gels, chocolates and sprinkles.

For my nieces' second birthday, I decided to make cake pops in their theme of pink, purple and butterflies. I searched high and low for this butterfly plunger that would allow me to stamp a pretty butterfly onto colored fondant for the pops. I also made the switch to Merkens candy melts - they taste so much better that Wiltons and also melt and coat the cake pops alot better too. I like buying the white candy melts and playing with the candy food coloring to get the desired shades of colors.

I have yet to figure out the best way to transport these. For the party, I stuck them into styrofoam, only to have the styrofoam tip over and scatter the cake pops all over my car. Can somone please design an efficient cake pop carrier?

Harry Potter Butterbeer

2011-07-13T23:52:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the upcoming release of the final movie in one of our favorite series (well, not Ray, just me) Harry Potter, we decided to host a Harry Potter Marathon so the plot would be fresh in our minds for this Friday's showing. In honor of the occasion, I selected this butterbeer recipe from Chica and Jo. After reading their blog, I knew they shared our same love for Harry and the gang - if not more since they've already made their way to Harry Potter Land in Florida. I trusted their judgement on this particular butterbeer recipe among the tons of butterbeer recipes floating around. They felt it tasted most similiar to the drink served at the theme park. Vanilla butter nut flavoring might be hard to come by so if you can't find it (I found it at Ralphs under the Kroger brand) you can always mix butter, vanilla and almond extract together. I actually would have preferred more of the butter/butterscotch taste in the drink so I wish I had chosen to buy each extract separately.

Harry Potter Butterbeer
adapted from Chica and Jo

Ingredients
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
24 oz of your favorite cream soda (2 bottles)
2 tsp vanilla butter and nut flavoring

Directions
Add vanilla butter and nut flavoring to the cream soda. Add the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar into a squeeze bottle and shake vigorously for 1 minute. Gently squeeze the sweeted cream onto the surface of the cream soda mixture. Serve right away.

The concensus? It tastes like creamier cream soda. Hence I would have liked more butterscotch flavor. But who cares? It's Harry Potter Butterbeer!!!!

Note: I was too busy setting up the food to take any pictures of the butter beer - thanks Chau for these pictures!

White-on-Rainbow Buttermilk Cake

2011-07-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

This week's PPQ recipe comes from Beth of The Powdered Plum. The cake is actually called White-on-White Buttermilk Cake with Jack Daniel's Buttercream. However, as my nieces' 2-year birthday was around the corner and I was asked to make their birthday cake, I decided to use the Pastry Queen buttermilk cake as the base and added various shades of food coloring to construct the famous Whisk Kid Rainbow Cake. I've had this cake on my radar for awhile (thanks Steph!) but never really had a proper occasion to bake it, until now.

This cake was delicious - moist, crumbly and extremely flavorful from the buttermilk. Another winner from the Pastry Queen. I'm filing it away with some of my other favorite cake batters (Tuxedo Chocolate, Strawberry Chiffon and Coconut). The great thing about this cake is you can adapt and modify it to whatever you feel like, whether it's the batter, filling or frosting. You can add fresh strawberries and a whipped cream in between the layers to make fruit cake. You can add extracts to the batter, like strawberry or blueberry (which will be my next attempt) and make flavored cakes. I'm sure this batter will also bake up some yummy white cupcakes as well.

White-on-Rainbow Cake Batter
For the full cake recipe, head on over to Beth's blog for the ingredients and directions. This is a picture of the white cake batter.

I then separated out the dough into 6 bowls - you will end up with about 1 1/4 cup of batter per bowl. I used gel food coloring to color the batter - the colors are more concentrated and does not affect the overall taste of the cake.

The color of the batter stays pretty true to the color of the baked cake, albeit half a shade darker. I baked 3 layers at a time, at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

I ended up with 6 thin layers of brightly colored buttermilk cake. My oven didn't bake as even as I would have liked. According to the book, this batter is suppose to bake flat, eliminating the need to shave off any extra cake. My layers were still a bit lopsided - unfortunately they were so thin that you can't really shave off much without removing like half the cake.

I opted to use the buttercream from the Whisk Kid recipe- only because the Pastry Queen version seemed like it required an insane amount of butter (6 sticks!).

Buttercream Frosting
adapted from the Whisk Kid

Ingredients
9 egg whites
1 ¾ c (350 g) sugar
4 sticks (532 g) of butter, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
Cook the egg whites and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved (test by rubbing some between your fingers. If it's completely smooth, it's done). Pour into another bowl (a stand mixer is preferable) and whip on high speed until room temp. Then, on a medium-slow speed, add the butter, waiting until each piece is completely incorporated before adding the next. After all the butter has been added, turn the mixer back to high speed and whip until it has come together, about five minutes. Add the extract, beat briefly and then use.
If the buttercream seems soupy after all of the butter is added and does not come together after whipping, refrigerate for 5 to 7 minutes and continue whipping until it becomes fluffy and workable.

Cake Assembly
There is no real rule for the layering - you can start and end with any color. I opted to follow the recipe and started with purple on the bottom and ending with red at the top.

In the Whisk Kid's version of the cake, she made two batches of this buttercream. One to fill and crumb, the other to frost. The result is a very pretty cake with defined layers of color due to the thick white frosting applied between each layer. I am not a fan of buttercream so I opted to frost the cake sparingly - the result is a shorter cake with cake layers that blend into each other rather than separated out.

This cake was delicious and an impressive sight once you cut into it. It was my trial run - for the actual birthday, I may stick with the pink and purple theme of the party and do 6 different shades of those two colors - and adding strawberry and blueberry extracts to the batter for added flavor.

Thanks Pastry Queen and the Whisk Kid for such a creative and yummy cake!

Bride & Groom Cake Pops

2011-07-09T01:16:00.000-07:00

It all started with a simple request - can you make cake pops for the girls (my nieces) to take to school for their birthday? Then it spiraled into a full-fledged mini-obsession.

I've make cake balls before - back in 2008. At that time, cake pops were not on anyone's radar and I stumbled on the recipe for cake balls on Allrecipes.com. It was simple enough: cake from a box mixed with frosting in a box and then rolled into balls and covered in chocolate. Like a chocolate-covered strawberry. However, while the cake balls looked pretty, one ball was all you needed to grow a new cavity. I've since stayed away from cake balls - until it reared it's pretty head in the form of a cake pop.

You can attribute the new cake pop fad to Bakerella, who's creativity has taken then to a whole new level. Check out her blog - you will be amazed at what you can do with chocolate and cake. I was struggling to figure out the best way to cut the sweetness and improve sanitation (I didn't want to roll the dough, even with gloved hands). I decided to invest my money in a Babycakes Cake Pop Maker. This contraption allows you to bake your cake perfectly (well, almost perfectly) into spheres - removing the need to add frosting to bind the cake together. Apparently, these are a great deal at Kohl's but I called every single one in Orange County and they were on backorder. As I was solicited to make cake pops for a engagement party, I ended up ordering the cake pop maker directly from the site. Including tax and shipping, I paid $35 for the machine.

The cake pop maker came with a handful of recipes - I tried two. The first was a red velvet cake that didn't really have much cocoa flavor. The batter was also very dry and not tasty at all. I also tried the basic vanilla cake - substituting the milk with buttermilk - and was satisfied with the results. The cake was moist and flavorful and definitely not as sweet.

Brides

Of the two, these were alot more easy to make. Simply dip the stick into the melted chocolate and insert into the cake pop. Throw it in the freezer for half an hour or so to secure the cake. Then, dip the frozen cake pop into the melted chocolate (I used Wilton Candy Melts). Tap the stick to allow excess chocolate to drip off. If you don't freeze your cake pops, this is where it will probably detach from your stick. I then piped a bunch of swirls on the side using the same melted white chocolate and then sprinkled white non-pareils over it. Keep a pastry brush handy - the non-pareils like to stick to the entire cake pop so you will need the brush to get off the excess. I used pink candied pearls to make the necklace.

Grooms:

These were more challenging to make. I had to dip the front panel in white chocolate first, freeze it, then dip each side into the dark chocolate in the shape of a V.

I used red hearts for the bowtie and small candy pearls for the buttons. The melted white chocolate served as my glue to hold the candies in place.

I had a alot of fun making them and I hope everyone will have just as much fun eating them. This was a good trial run for the chicken cake pops I will be making for my nieces in two weeks.