Instead of the fig compote, however, I made a very simple mixed berry compote using frozen berries. Butter, a little brown sugar, and a few squeezes of lemon over a gentle heat and the compote was done within minutes. Definitely a keeper!
10.11.2010
Ricotta tart with mixed berry compote
Recipes are hit or miss. Sometimes they turn out great, and sometimes you wonder if anyone bothered testing (or tasting) the recipe. This ricotta tart recipe turned out to be superb! I was looking for an elegant dessert to bring to a dinner party, and since the hostess doesn't have much of a sweet tooth (the horror - can you imagine?!), one that wasn't too overly sugary. The tart turned out wonderfully, much to my delight, and was easier to make than it initially seemed. It tastes like a cheesecake, but is far lighter, and lacks any of the cloying cheesiness typical of dense cheesecakes.
Instead of the fig compote, however, I made a very simple mixed berry compote using frozen berries. Butter, a little brown sugar, and a few squeezes of lemon over a gentle heat and the compote was done within minutes. Definitely a keeper!
Instead of the fig compote, however, I made a very simple mixed berry compote using frozen berries. Butter, a little brown sugar, and a few squeezes of lemon over a gentle heat and the compote was done within minutes. Definitely a keeper!
10.08.2010
Delicious Dubai
I traveled to Dubai a while back to visit my brother, his lovely wife, and the world's cutest little boy (who just happens to be my nephew - lucky me!). I'm not sure how I fit into my airplane seat coming home, because I had such good food there - and as you all know, Middle Eastern food is right up my alley.
Here's an assortment of food we had at a food court in the mall. Hold up. Now, you might be thinking to yourself, "a mall?!" But consider that life in Dubai pretty much revolves around malls. And that's not much of an exaggeration. When the weather gets scorching hot - unbearably so - (and it really does in Dubai) you head to the mall. Period. Groceries? Get them at the mall. Ski? The Mall. Don't believe me? Here's proof:
You get the picture. So this mall place really did have fabulous food. Here, we ate some chicken shwarma, hummus, tabbouleh, kofta, and grilled lamb chops. Aw crap...I think I just drooled on my computer.
I also had a chance to taste hamour, which is a fish that is quite popular in the UAE (as it's usually caught off the coast of Abu Dhabi), but I've never seen it served in any other country. Much to horror, I later found out that this fish is facing extinction due to overfishing. It's a meaty fish - not unlike monk fish.
And what did I wash it all down with? Camel milk, of course!
10.06.2010
The food of my people
On a recent trip to Korea, I saw and tasted so many beautiful foods (and squeezed in some family time and took in some sights, too). The country has changed so much in the last 2 decades (yes, it's been that long since my last journey there - and yes, that does date me!). So much has changed; now, it ranks in my book as one of the most exciting, efficient, clean, and fun cities I've ever been to! But ahem, back to the food.
Like I said, so much has changed, but it's funny how a taste or a smell of a certain food can make you travel back in time. The only memories I have of this place are the foods I had as a small child: the taste of creamy ice-cream, the spiciness of kimchi, the smell of roasted chestnuts and steamed corn. It all fled back to me. Take, for instance, this delectable little treat:
This was one of my favorite things to get when I was a kid. It's a little pastry filled with sweet red bean. It's usually sold by a street food vendor who pours batter into a hot, goldfish-shaped cast-iron mold, then puts a few spoonfuls of the red bean inside. The outer layer is crispy and doughy, and the inside is sweet and soft. Definitely made me feel like a kid again. Oh - and here's a somewhat similar treat: a walnut cookie. But, it's really not a cookie - it's made of a similar dough as the treat above, but it's made to look like a walnut. And of course, it has sweet red bean and walnuts inside. Not only delicious, but so cute!
But Korea (Seoul, in particular) has really become a hot spot for cuisine. Take, for example, this creation I saw (but alas, had just eaten, so I didn't have a chance to taste it...bummer):
You're probably thinking something along the lines of "chocolate" or "dyed" croissants, right? Hang on to your seats: they're squid ink croissants! Can you imagine?! So inventive. And...perhaps a tiny bit icky, although squid ink paella or pasta can both be quite good.
Admittedly, there's nothing quite like homecooked food. When I visited my cousin's family, his lovely wife made these delicious (and gorgeous) rolls:
They're almost too pretty to eat, aren't they? She obviously put a lot of effort into them. The outer wrapping is made of daikon (a type of radish). Inside, she had gingerly placed matchstick red and yellow peppers, sprouts, and ham. The sauce you see on top is a peanut sauce.
Now, no Korean meal would be complete with kimchi, right? Kimchi comes in all shapes and sizes (and can be made with anything from green onions, cucumbers, radishes, and of course, cabbage). When we went to Namdaemun Market - a famous, traditional market in Seoul, we came across a noodle stand. Here's what the market looks like (there, you can find great deals on purses, accessories, undergarments, and load of other miscellaneous stuff):
At that noodle stand, the kimchi was served this way:
Cut-it-yourself kimchi! Such a neat concept. They give you small bowls, and you just take however much you want, and snip the kimchi leaves into your bowl. But on to the noodles - they were out of this world. These noodles were painstakingly made by hand:
It was a real treat to watch her make these noodles, as I happily slurped on mine. The noodles were perfectly al dente, and the broth was just so rich yet clean. Here's what the final product looked like:
Now, Koreans love seafood. After all, when your country is surrounded by water, you can take advantage of nature's bounty.
And in the days when refrigeration wasn't possible, Koreans would dry their fish to preserve them - like many other cultures. Dried fish or cuttlefish is a delicious snack. Don't knock it 'til you try it! It's usually roasted a bit over an open fire, which gives the meat a touch of smokiness. They're so good! Just...don't breathe on anyone after you eat some.
This lady is selling all sorts of dried fish:
This is a picture taken at Jagalchi, a famous fish market in Busan (Korea's second largest city after Seoul). I gotta tell ya - Pike Place Market ain't got 'nuthin on this place! Rows and rows of all types of seafood - a lot of things I didn't even recognize!
All in all, it was a great trip, and it was so heartwarming to travel back and experience my childhood all over again, and to experience Korea in new ways as an adult.
Like I said, so much has changed, but it's funny how a taste or a smell of a certain food can make you travel back in time. The only memories I have of this place are the foods I had as a small child: the taste of creamy ice-cream, the spiciness of kimchi, the smell of roasted chestnuts and steamed corn. It all fled back to me. Take, for instance, this delectable little treat:
This was one of my favorite things to get when I was a kid. It's a little pastry filled with sweet red bean. It's usually sold by a street food vendor who pours batter into a hot, goldfish-shaped cast-iron mold, then puts a few spoonfuls of the red bean inside. The outer layer is crispy and doughy, and the inside is sweet and soft. Definitely made me feel like a kid again. Oh - and here's a somewhat similar treat: a walnut cookie. But, it's really not a cookie - it's made of a similar dough as the treat above, but it's made to look like a walnut. And of course, it has sweet red bean and walnuts inside. Not only delicious, but so cute!
But Korea (Seoul, in particular) has really become a hot spot for cuisine. Take, for example, this creation I saw (but alas, had just eaten, so I didn't have a chance to taste it...bummer):
You're probably thinking something along the lines of "chocolate" or "dyed" croissants, right? Hang on to your seats: they're squid ink croissants! Can you imagine?! So inventive. And...perhaps a tiny bit icky, although squid ink paella or pasta can both be quite good.
Admittedly, there's nothing quite like homecooked food. When I visited my cousin's family, his lovely wife made these delicious (and gorgeous) rolls:
They're almost too pretty to eat, aren't they? She obviously put a lot of effort into them. The outer wrapping is made of daikon (a type of radish). Inside, she had gingerly placed matchstick red and yellow peppers, sprouts, and ham. The sauce you see on top is a peanut sauce.
Now, no Korean meal would be complete with kimchi, right? Kimchi comes in all shapes and sizes (and can be made with anything from green onions, cucumbers, radishes, and of course, cabbage). When we went to Namdaemun Market - a famous, traditional market in Seoul, we came across a noodle stand. Here's what the market looks like (there, you can find great deals on purses, accessories, undergarments, and load of other miscellaneous stuff):
At that noodle stand, the kimchi was served this way:
Cut-it-yourself kimchi! Such a neat concept. They give you small bowls, and you just take however much you want, and snip the kimchi leaves into your bowl. But on to the noodles - they were out of this world. These noodles were painstakingly made by hand:
It was a real treat to watch her make these noodles, as I happily slurped on mine. The noodles were perfectly al dente, and the broth was just so rich yet clean. Here's what the final product looked like:
Now, Koreans love seafood. After all, when your country is surrounded by water, you can take advantage of nature's bounty.
And in the days when refrigeration wasn't possible, Koreans would dry their fish to preserve them - like many other cultures. Dried fish or cuttlefish is a delicious snack. Don't knock it 'til you try it! It's usually roasted a bit over an open fire, which gives the meat a touch of smokiness. They're so good! Just...don't breathe on anyone after you eat some.
This lady is selling all sorts of dried fish:
This is a picture taken at Jagalchi, a famous fish market in Busan (Korea's second largest city after Seoul). I gotta tell ya - Pike Place Market ain't got 'nuthin on this place! Rows and rows of all types of seafood - a lot of things I didn't even recognize!
All in all, it was a great trip, and it was so heartwarming to travel back and experience my childhood all over again, and to experience Korea in new ways as an adult.
Cake Decorating 101
My wonderful friends M. & J. gave me such a sweet birthday gift last year. They bought me a cake decorating class! How fun. I've never really decorated a cake, and it was harder than I thought. Here are my two final products. What do you think?
The flamingo was not my idea. In case you were wondering. The instructor had a rather bizarre obsession with flamingos for some reason (the classroom was decked out with every flamingo-related item you could possibly imagine), so she taught us how to create...flamingos. The cupcakes look a little better, no?
The flamingo was not my idea. In case you were wondering. The instructor had a rather bizarre obsession with flamingos for some reason (the classroom was decked out with every flamingo-related item you could possibly imagine), so she taught us how to create...flamingos. The cupcakes look a little better, no?
11.20.2009
Mummy? Yak? Mummy? Yak?
Hello loyal fans! (sound of crickets) Sigh. Well, hello me. I know I haven't posted in a while...it's been a busy year. Rest assured, there have been plenty of great meals.
But what better way to start off a streak of posts than with...yak candy?! Ok, looks...pretty harmless, right?
WRONG. This "candy" is quite possibly the most foul thing I have ever tasted. When you open up this cute little package, it looks like this:
So what is it, exactly? It's sweet yak meat, wrapped in dried cod. That's the truth - could I possibly make that combination up?! It tastes like...dead mummy. Well, I can only imagine what a 1000-year old mummy would taste like, but if I knew, I'm sure it would taste as putrid as this "candy."
Here's a novel idea: instead of waterboarding, why not use these as form of torture? Stuff a few of these in someone's mouth and I guarantee they'll start talking.
9.16.2008
Hog Island Oyster Company
A friend and I recently had a lovely picnic up in Marshall at the Hog Island Oyster Company. Here's a picture of a worker hauling off the oyster bed:
For $10, you get a dozen oysters, fresh from the farm bed - does it get much fresher than that?! These are Kumamoto, Atlantic, and Sweetwater oysters.
We also packed other picnic items, including walnut levain from Acme Bread, grapes, green olives, salami and a slab of boucheron, washed down with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale:
For $10, you get a dozen oysters, fresh from the farm bed - does it get much fresher than that?! These are Kumamoto, Atlantic, and Sweetwater oysters.We also packed other picnic items, including walnut levain from Acme Bread, grapes, green olives, salami and a slab of boucheron, washed down with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale:
9.09.2008
Exquisite meal at Boulevard Restaurant
There are many restaurants that simply don't live up to their hype. However, Boulevard isn't one of them. In fact, it exceeded my expectations.
I went there for lunch recently, and I savored every last morsel of my meal. To start, I had a salad consisting of delicate organic mixed lettuces with an herb vinaigrette, juicy snow queen peaches, and Mad River Roll goat cheese, with sprinkle of roasted hazelnuts and hazelnut pesto. For my entree, I had pan roasted Hawaiian Walu, with a summer vegetable relish, carola potatoes, wild arugula and a piquilllo pepper coulis.
It was so good I don't want to talk about it - it's like a dream I didn't want to wake up from.
I went there for lunch recently, and I savored every last morsel of my meal. To start, I had a salad consisting of delicate organic mixed lettuces with an herb vinaigrette, juicy snow queen peaches, and Mad River Roll goat cheese, with sprinkle of roasted hazelnuts and hazelnut pesto. For my entree, I had pan roasted Hawaiian Walu, with a summer vegetable relish, carola potatoes, wild arugula and a piquilllo pepper coulis.
It was so good I don't want to talk about it - it's like a dream I didn't want to wake up from.
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