On becoming a chef: a journey (hopefully) from inspiration to fruition

Cake Pops by Bakerella: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for Irresistible Mini Treats $19.95 : Chronicle Books

2011-07-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

Cake Pops by Bakerella: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for Irresistible Mini Treats $19.95 : Chronicle Books

Popsicle Ideas

2011-06-22T23:33:00.000-07:00

So ... I didn't make any popsicles tonight, but I did find so recipes as jumping off points. Here are some ideas I've come up with:
Mango Creamsicle (mango outside, creamy goodness inside either milk or coconut based)
Chai Latte
Peach yogurt (peach puree with whole milk yogurt*)
Raspberry & almond layered (raspberry puree + juice, almond milk with almond extract & finely chopped/ground almonds)
Various juice combinations

Looks like I'm going to need some more juice from the store

* As an aside whole milk yogurt is the best yogurt there is. Forget the 'lite' and lowfat yogurts with their unnatural additives (sweeteners & thickeners) just start with a whole milk yogurt base and well almost anything will be amazing (like vanilla extract and agave nectar or strawberry jam)

Popsicles here I come

2011-06-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

It has been unbelievably hot here in the Silicon Valley, we're talking high 90's & even 100 degrees. It's just too hot in our 'quaint' ol' apartment (with NO AC) so we've been escaping. On one of our recent escapades we went to the mall (because it is only slighly cooler than our house - apparently the mall doesn't air condition the hallway that well so you acutally have to go in stores and be conftonted with a sundry of items that are overpriced and you secretly, desperatly want like this adorable kids luggage that would be perfect for the little one when we travel over the holidays:

Ok enough of that, it's not (in the words of Willy Wonka) EATable.

I was passing by William & Sonoma when I remembered that I still had a $50 gift card that I hadn't spent (from our wedding THREE YEARS AGO) and they had a popsicle maker This one to be exact:

After careful consideration (5 mins of looking at the packaging;a voice mail to the hubster telling him I was going to get it and he had 5 mins to call back if he though I should get the 2 or 3 slot model; and a consultation with the little one [who's responce btw was YEAH]) I bought the thing because well it's cool, all it does is sit in the freezer (taking up space), doesn't take any additional AND it only take 9 minutes (give or take) to make a batch.

Hopefully I will be making them soon ... tonight to be exact. That's when it will have been sitting the the freezer for 24 hours.

Recipes to follow.

Cream scones

2011-04-24T12:37:00.001-07:00

I made cream sconces this morning for Easter with great success. I followed Smitten Kitchen's recipe ( http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/11/dream-a-little-dream-of-scone/) for Dreamy Creamy Sconces. I omitted the dried fruit because I wanted to put strawberry jam on them. These sconces would also make excellent shortcake stand-ins. I brushed the tops with a little cream and sprinkled them with demerara sugar. It was all so easy because I used the food processor with the dough blade; it all (baking included & cleanup) took less than half an hour. I'm definitely adding sconces to my breakfast repertoire.

Conversion Disorder???

2010-10-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

It's not that I'm not good with numbers, it's just that they get all muddled in my head and I really, really have to concentrate if they are to stay in line (and many time word too). This is why I like my trusty conversion magnet that I got as an enticement to join one of those frivolous baking book clubs. But why keep running to the fridge all the time to look up conversions? Why not have a something a little more

prominent? Like these two fine examples from Etsy (one day I hope to sell my ware there):

(The above is poster size and beautifully modern)

(This one is smaller - recipe card size, but laminated against the inevitable spill)

I am now also reminded of a Serj Takian and System of the Down song: Toxicity with all the disorder in the song.

Chocolate Basketweave

2010-10-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't gone coo-coo, yet,but I was struck by the intricacy of the chocolate on top on these Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Squares.

I read the recipe and come to find out that there is no mystical piping or chocolate magic, Martha uses a texture mat that is used in ceramics; very clever Martha. Clever deliciousness.

Upside-Down Caramel-Apple Muffins - NYTimes.com

2010-10-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

I think I might try these with peaches instead of apples. Sounds delish in my book.

Upside-Down Caramel-Apple Muffins - NYTimes.com

AMAZING Cinnamon Rolls

2010-10-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

OK, so I saw the pictures and immediately started drooling. Who doesn't love a good, gooey cinnamon bun? (And if you don't there is something seriously wrong with you.)

I would make these straight off, but I'm a bit leery of working with yeast, I never have (and I don't have any on hand). I know in 'theory' it's easy, but I don't want to mess up activating it and letting the dough rise the proper amount of time, the proper number of time and after the correct stages. But any-who doesn't this pic just look scrum-diddely-umptious?

A way to top Mac 'n Cheese

2010-10-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

I came across this recipe today ... Gnocchi Mac & Cheese. Here I thought that it couldn't get better than mac 'n cheese; I never thought to combine the two. This is what it looks like:

Doesn't this just look absolutely delish?

I'm adding this recipe to the definitely must try ASAP stack.

New resolve

2010-10-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

So, I've been feeling like I haven't been being as productive as I should. I am setting a new resolve to blog more. Even if I'm not blogging about what I'm making or interesting food facts, I will blog about interesting recipes that I've found (because there are TONS). I will strive to share the most unique, delicious and positively mind-blowing recipes with you.

Doughnut Muffins

2010-09-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

When I saw this entry, "i'm not even kidding...", popup on my Google Reader it was jawdroppingly excited. Can one actually have the deliciousness of a doughnut in muffin form? Doughnut Muffins Now I'm a huge muffin fan, blueberry, chocolate chip, raspberry almond ... the list could go on forever, but I digress. I'm baking them now and we'll see how they turn out.

30 minutes, a few slightly scorched fingers (from dipping hot muffins in melted butter & cinnamon sugar) 2 muffins (only me and one by my husband) and a cleaner kitchen ...

The muffins were pretty good; reminiscent of cinnamon sugar cake doughnuts. BUT.... I love blueberry muffins much more. :-)

1 hour later ... tried another one; this one room temp. I was better.

Caesar Potato Salad

2009-06-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

Caesar Potato Salad

4 pound small red potatoes
3 tbsp anchovy paste
2 tbsp minced garlic (heaping tablespoons, I used jarred minced garlic)
1 tablespoon Grey Poupon
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup olive oil
8 sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
1 bunch Italian parsley, minced (no stems)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or more – you can’t have too much Parmesan cheese), plus more for garnish

Scrub potatoes, but do not peal.
Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring potatoes to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until fork tender; 10 to 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and let cool for a few minutes before cutting potatoes into rustic chunks.
In food processor combine: anchovies, garlic, mustard, egg yolk, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar.
Once mixture is combined add oils through feed tube while food processor is running. You’ll know you’re done when you have a nice think emulsified mixture. Add sun dried tomatoes and pulse to combine.
Mix warm potatoes and dressing; mix in parsley and then Parmesan cheese. Garnish with more Parmesan.
Serve warm or at room temp.

Raspberry Almond Muffins

2009-06-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

Raspberry Almond Muffins

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup half & half
1 tsp almond extract
1 pint fresh red raspberries

Almond Filling

7 ounces almond paste
½ cup finely chopped blanched almond
½ cup confectioners' sugar
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon almond extract

Streusel Topping

½ cup flour
¼ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter – chilled
¼ cup slivered blanched almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
For muffins combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.
In a measuring cup pour oil, add egg and fill with milk to the 1 cup line. Then add almond extract. Mix wet ingredients in measuring cup until combined.
Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix till just combined, then add raspberries.
Place all ingredients for streusel topping into food processor and pulse till a crumbly mixture forms. Empty food processor bowl into spare bowl – you’ll be using the food processor again.
For almond filling place blanched almond in food processor; pulse a few times to finely chop almonds. Crumble the almond paste into food processor with almonds, confectioners' sugar, egg white, and almond extract until well mixed. A ball of ‘dough’ will form
Grease muffin/cupcake tin, or use papers. Partially fill muffin cups
Place about a tablespoon of almond filling in center of muffin batter. Cover almond filling with remaining muffin batter
Sprinkle or spoon streusel topping to cover muffin tops.
Bake for 25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool muffins in pan for 10 minutes then remove and cool on racks.

*Note: I did not like this version of streusel topping; the texture was too much like bread crumbs. Next time I'll try more butter.

Peaches and Cream Muffins

2009-06-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Muffins:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 (approx) cup cream (I used heavy whipping cream)
4-5 ripe peaches

Streusel topping:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed (chilled)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl combine all dry ingredients.

To easily get the skin off the peaches, blanch for approximately 30 seconds in boiling water. Peal peaches and chill to make cutting a little easier. The peaches will be rather slippery and hard to handle when warm, when cooled the peach flesh is firmer. Cut peaches into a large blueberry sized pieces.

In a measuring cup pour oil, add egg and fill with milk to the 1 cup line. Mix wet ingredients in measuring cup.

Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix till just combined, then add peaches.

Grease muffin/cupcake tin, or use papers. Spoon in muffin mixture. If you like large gourmet muffins, fill muffin cups to the brim.

Combine all ingredients for streusel topping in a bowl. With a back of a fork or pastry blender mix all ingredients together until a crumb texture appears. Sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool muffins in tin for 10 minutes then remove and cool on racks.

Made on May 31, 2009

Cookin up a frenzy

2009-06-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

It seems lately I've been cooking up a frenzy. Lately I've made Peaches and Cream Muffins w/ a strussel topping, Blueberries and Cream muffins, Asian Spiced wings and today alone I've made vanilla ice cream base for Cookies 'n Cream ice cream and am currently baking the chicken breasts that I'd been brining. I guess I could be nesting.

I'll have recipes for all to come.

Beef Stroganoff

2009-05-26T23:15:00.000-07:00

Beef Stroganoff

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (approx) red wine (Merlot or something you’d like to drink)
2 pounds beef stew chunks (trimmed & uniformly [as possible])
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces butter
1 ounce butter
sea salt & freshly and ground pepper to taste
1 med onion diced
2 tbsp (generous) minced garlic
2-3 tbsp left over wine from marinade

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef broth
1 tbsp prepared mustard
2 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/3 cup sour cream
3 ounces cream cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Trim and uniformly size beef stew chunks.
Place in bowl and pour wine over meat. Make sure all meat is covered with wine. Refrigerated and marinate 1-2 hours (more is OK for a stronger taste)
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, add salt and pepper, along with beef and brown the beef chunks quickly.
In a separate medium sized skilled, over medium heat, add remaining butter, and salt. Once butter has melted add onions, garlic, and marinade. Sauté onions until translucent.
Remove beef chunks from skillet and place on plate.
Whisk the flour into the juices left over in the pan. Pour in can beef broth and bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
Lower heat to a simmer and stir in mustard, mushrooms, and onion and garlic sauté. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
Five minutes before serving, sour cream, and cream cheese. Heat through and add salt and pepper to taste.

*Notes for next time

In wine marinade add
1. Salt
2. Dehydrated onions
3. Minced garlic
Sauté together
1. Onions
2. Fresh mushrooms
Add more salt & pepper at end w/ sour cream & cream cheese
Soften cream cheese before adding to sauce at end – for smoother sauce

Beef Stroganoff

2009-05-15T12:40:00.001-07:00

Is coming soon ... making sure the recipe is written correctly :-)

It was delicious :-D

Mango Bundt cake - try #1

2009-05-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

Butter for bundt pan
Sugar for bundt pan
(Why sugar? The sugar caramelizes slightly and makes for a sweet crust :-)

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 ripe mangoes* (in this 1st instance of the recipe my mangoes weren't as ripe as they could have been ... I was impatient and I don't really know when mangoes are ripe, but I'm learning. So I added: 1 tbsp orange juice & 1 tbsp white grape juice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and then sugar the bundt pan
Puree mangoes. Sift together all dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugars till light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour mixture and mango puree alternating in 2 or 3 steps.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Results:
The cake was good, it was just missing something missing. I'm not sure what it needs. Taste testers needed.

To Die for Banana Muffins with Spiced Pecans

2009-05-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

I made a double batch of these muffins because I had an overabundance of extra-ripe banana, 4 and a 1/2 to be exact. This recipe is an adaptation of the "To Die for Blueberry Muffins" from AllRecipies.com. I debated adding some pecans, not walnuts (not a fan, too bitter for me), but then I settled on a from of spiced pecans, from a basic spiced nut recipe (source Cooks.com).

To Die for Banana Muffins with Spiced Pecans

Nuts:
1 bag pecan pieces
1 egg white (approx 1 tbsp)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar (I like the flavor better. I use it instead of light brown sugar in all recipes :-)
1 tbsp (or more if you'd like) cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Mix egg whites and nuts. Add sugar and spices. Mix throughly. Spread nut mixture in thin layer on cookie sheet. (I used a Silpat and found it useful. You could use parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet to prevent sticking). Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until mixture is crisp and not sticky. You may need to adjust temp up or down and time more or less depending on your oven. Let cool and and break apart.

Muffins (for a single batch):

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 very ripe bananas
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 (approx) cup milk (I had some half & half in the fridge and used some of it with the milk)
crystal sugar for sprinkling (I used washed raw sugar, again for the flavor)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl combine all dry ingredients. Mash bananas in a seperate bowl. In a measuring cup pour oil, add egg and fill with milk to the 1 cup line. Mix wet ingredients in measuiring cup, then add to to bananas and combine. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix till just combined. Add spiced pecans, leave a litttle left for the top of the muffins if you'd like. Grease muffin/cupcake tin, or use papers. Spoon in muffin mixture.
If you like large gourmet muffins, fill muffin cups to the brim. Sprinkle with remaining pecans and then crystal sugar. Bake for 25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool muffins in tin for 10 minutes then remove and cool on racks.

Enjoy the fruits of your labor :-)

Poultry, Brine and Roasting: experiment and finding

2008-11-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

I've recently become intrigued with roasting poultry. Perhaps it's due to the fact that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and partially due to the fact that I have never roasted a chicken. I think the idea of roasting meat is rumored to be difficult because of the horrible outcomes we all gossip about. We all know someone who knows someone who has a horror of a story about a ruined Thanksgiving turkey. However after a little research and watching the Food Network I was convinced that roasting poultry is not so daunting at all.

I found the keys to a great bird are:
1) Brining
2) Rub (that includes butter - lots)
3) Correct oven temp (my oven is a horrible apartment model who's knob is hopeless off. To counteract this problem I have a thermometer that I hang from the rack to monitor the actual temperature)
4) Correct internal temperature of the bird (I use an electronic thermometer that alarms when the correct temp is reached - 165 degrees)

My local grocery store had a buy one chicken get one free and so I decided that this was the sign to get my roasting on.

Brine
3 cups water
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar (I used dark brown because I the like the richer, deeper flavor it imparts)
1/4 cup whole peppercorns
5-6 cloves garlic crushed/diced (I have minced garlic in a jar on hand this work well too)
a few table spoons soy sauce
a few table spoons apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp hot red pepper Szechuan sauce
1 tbsp spicy spice mix
1 tbsp sweet roasted red pepper spicy mix
3 tbsp dried onions

In a sauce pan bring all ingredients to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt, as well as meld all the flavors. Cool brine on counter top till room temp. Pour cooled brine into a container that will allow the chicken to be totally covered in brine and water. Place chicken in container then fill with water till brine totally covers the bird. the brine can stand to be thinned about because it is highly concentrated. Depending on the size of your bird it will take about 1 gallon of water. Brine the chicken a minimum of 6 hours; 24 hours ahould be enough.

Boom, Bam, Pop: Bubble Gum Cocktail

2008-10-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

Are you an epicurean of a curious nature? Epicurious.com is the answer and here is a cool way to make a bubble gum flavored cocktail the Bazooka cocktail:

Coming soon - a history of gum and bubble gum.

I'm currently binging on the former Fox show, The Pretender. Here is an episode that has Bazooka Bubble Gum as the food centerpiece: Bazooka Jarod.

Enjoy, Bon Appitito!

Bruléed Grapefruit among other things

2008-09-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

This morning was and adventure in the kitchen. I made Parmesan fried eggs and brûléed grapefruit.

Parmesan Fried Eggs
(easy peasie)

1) Crack eggs into pan.
2) Once whites have started to set (about 30 secs) sprinkle shredded cheese on yolks.
3) Fry eggs to your liking making sure to flip at least once so the cheese can me melted.

Fun with fire and flame. Any excuse to use the torch is a good reason I always say. My excuse this time was: I already had a grapefruit from a friend's tree (everyone in CA seems to have some sort of fruit tree at their house) and if one already puts sugar on your grapefruit why not make it special? Make the sweet, crunch of the caramelized raw sugar compliment the softer and bitter, juicy flesh of the grapefruit. Here are the results:

(All sugared up before brûléing)

(After brûléing)

(While enjoying - very tasty I might add)

Best Japanese Foods You Can't Get at Home - Pictures

2008-08-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Even everyday Japanese dishes are exciting--and worth seeking out during a visit to the country. Please check the slide-show, everything looks sooo good! Pay close attention to slide #9 it deals with umami and the taste in Japanese cooking.

read more | digg story

Parmesan Pesto Sauce

2008-05-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

In a quest to make a creamier pesto to top Safeway's Portabella Mushroom Ravioli.
Here is the solution that's a little healthier than most cream sauces:

Vegged Parmesan Pesto Sauce

1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk (1% or 2%)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup Parmesan Reggiano (or more if you really love the stuff like I do)
1/4 - 1/3 cup pesto (homemade or other)
1/2 to whole bag frozen mixed veggies (thawed, warmed and drained of excess water)
1 tablespoon butter

In a medium, heavy saucepan, whisk flour to remove any lumps. Gradually add 1 cup milk, whisking until smooth. Add remaining milk and the nutmeg. Whisk over medium heat until thickened and it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan, veggies and butter. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Serve with stuffed pasta of the cheesy or mushroom variety.

Preface to Quinoa

2008-03-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

While I am preparing an article on quinoa content yourself with this recipe, quinoa as a side dish.

Garlicy-Soy Quinoa

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 tbsp soy sauce
1tsp chicken bullion (powered)
1tbsp minced garlic (more if you like the garlic) (we love the garlic)

Rice cooker

Combine water, soy sauce, bullion, garlic and quinoa in rice cooker. Cook. Enjoy.

*Note: Quinoa cooks just like rice. This dish would be a great accompaniment for teriyaki.

Coffee Printer

2008-03-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

As if printing on paper isn't enough we are now printing on food and the latest incarnation is:

Quinoa: the discovery and wonders

2008-03-10T00:07:00.000-07:00

I first heard about this curious 'grain' (I use this designation lightly because it is now truly a grain) when I moved to Colorado in 2006. I had just started at a call center (Luckily the job only lasted a week and I never passed through the training stage on to receiving any calls. Truth be told I never really wanted to work there, but I was hired only my second day in CO and I needed a job.) I was at lunch and a lady there was a Coeliac (also celiac) and was intolerant of gluten. (See Wikipedia's article). I didn't think much of it then, just though it was an interesting tidbit.

My next exposure to quinoa was with a member of a local LUG (Linux User Group). They declared quinoa was delicious nutty and made a wonderful breakfast. A little more interested in quinoa, but not truly motivated the idea was filed away for future reference.

Moving to California, hippy-liberal-health-nut-veggie-land, and getting a job at a bakery exposed me to much more diverse culinary attitude.

The reason for the greatness of this seed is not only its higher protein content than other grains, but the fact that it contains a balanced amount of all 9 essential amino acids (phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, isoleucine, methionine, histidine, leucine, and lysine). The quinoa plant has been cultivated in South America for over 6,000 years and was considered to be a sacred 'mother grain'. Among other attributes quinoa contains no gluten, making it much easier to digest, making quinoa perfect for celiacs.

Review: Gelayo Gusto

2008-03-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

(Sweet, it looks like I was a selected review for this place)

I have one flavor for you and only one: Balsamic Caramel. To die for!

I'm not usually a caramel fan and yet this interesting concoction peaked my interest and I had to try it, in combination with the mango. The sweet and tangy combo of the Balsamic Caramel was a masterpiece.

Another + this place is open late, very late ... till 2am (on the weekends)!!!! Finally a place that i can hang out and compute till all hours of the night. The chairs are hard and here only seemed to be one booth, but none-the-less, an awesome place and cool modern decor.

Here's a link to the eateries' website, but it doesnt seem like much is there.

Farmer grows 11 kinds of fruit on a single tree

2008-01-03T19:24:00.001-08:00

71-year-old Manabu Fukushima of Onga, Japan, has coaxed his 30-year-old Lemon tree into bearing 11 kinds of fruit through skillful grafting and a lot of TLC.How convenient.

read more | digg story

Your Taste Buds and the 5th Taste ...

2007-12-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

Be prepared to be astounded. There are actually 5 tastes!!!! Not the 4 tastes we were taught in school. What you might ask is the 5 taste, besides the sweet, sour, salty, & bitter we are familiar with??? It is ............

UMAMI

Many weeks ago I came across the following article: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter… and Umami, on NPR.org. I find it very interesting that even though the tase umami was discovered over 100 years ago, it was not confirmed until the 21st century. Here is a brief overview:

Umami is a term that Japanese chemist, Kikunae Ikeda, coined, in 1908, while trying to identify a specific taste in his bowl of dashi, a seawead soup.

Meanwhile 19th century, French chef, Auguste Escoffier, was revolutionizing French cooking and cooking techniques. The main star of his cuisine was his invention of veal stock (list of veal stock recipes on Epicurious.com), which neither tasted sweet, nor salty, nor bitter or nor sour.

What were these men were tasting that Greek philosopher, Democritus, had not divined when he was trying to categorize everything into its smallest unit: i.e. taste - sweet, salty, sour, & bitter?

Scientifically the chemical is glutamate, more specifically, L-glutamate and more commonly Glutemic acid. To get the taste, the glutamate molecule breaks apart when meat is cooked, Parmesan cheese is aged, soy sauce is fermented or a tomato ripens in the sun.

Approximately 100 years after these distinguished gentlemen investigated this phenomenon, scientists in 2003 took a closer look at the tongue; low and behold they discovered there were receptors for L-glutamate.

This is what the tongue looks like. Scientifically the picture depicts: two fungiform papillæ (mushroom shaped papillae or projections on the tongue that can differentiate between the 5 tastes) and somefiliform papillæ (thin, long V-shaped cones that don't contain taste buds but are the most numerous and have more mechanical function.

List: Interesing recipes (AllRecipes)

2007-12-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

My recipe box from All Recipes. A list of recipes I've tried, consulted, want to try, or just find plain interesting. Truth be told I consult many, many recipes in order to concoct my various culinary creations. I then take what I've learned from each, apply my own knowledge and then voilà create something that is in some semblance yummy.

Buche de Noel
Chocolate Decadence Yule Log
Roast Beef Horseradish Roll-Ups
Cheese Puffs (Gougeres)
POM-Broiled Salmon with Garlic-Smashed Potatoes
Blushing Pomegranate Chicken
Beef Nacho Casserole
Michelle's Blonde Chicken Chili
Spinach and Leek White Bean Soup
Sparkling Holiday Jam
Panettone I
Saltimbocca alla Pollo
Brown Sugar-Rum Pound Cakes
Molasses Baked Chicken
Persimmon Bread I
Chicken Marsala
Penne with Garlicky Broccolini
Tortellini, Steak, and Caesar
Skillet Pork Chops with Potatoes and Onion
Satay Chicken Pizza

Saged Pork with Spiced Applesauce

2007-11-26T23:44:00.000-08:00

Tonight's dinner was a three-way Capoeiran dance of sweet, savory & salty. A salted and highly peppered pork chop is seasoned on one side with a rubbed sage and accompanied by a spiced (not spicy) applesauce.

Spiced Applesauce
1/2 Jar Chunky Applesauce
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Allspice
2 tbs. Agave Nectar*

Mix all ingredients in a small sauce pan before you begin the pork chop and place on a back burner on low; stirring occasionally. Let the applesauce mixture simmer the entire time you're cooking to allow all the spices to meld and become a spiced, sweet mixture of appley goodness.

Saged Pork Chop
Sea Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Rubbed Sage
Pork chop (this time bone-in pork chops were used)

Method:
Season pork chop on both sides with salt, sea salt preferably. Then season very liberally with freshly ground pepper. Lastly season one side with rubbed sage. Cook approximately 6 to 7 minutes per side depending on your chop.

*A note on Agave Nectar. I am now a fan of Agave Nectar after it's huge success in my Thanksgiving Bourbon Pecan Pie and you will probably see me use this scrumptious sweeter much more in my cooking. (Also because I only used 1/2 a cup in the pecan pie and have the remainder of the bottle to use.)

Thanksgiving, Pecan Pie & Adventures in baking

2007-11-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

Ever since we moved into our new apartment in CA it has been a challenge to bake. I recently got a thermometer for the inside of the oven to see what the temperature really is inside. Low and behold 350 degrees on the oven knob is not 350 inside, it really is 400 degrees or more. The oven is not only incorrectly calibrated, but the oven get too hot when it is reheating. Not consistent at all :-(

Here in begins the trial to make a pecan pie with Agave Nectar.

Bourbon Pecan Pie w/ Agave Nectar:

Ingredients:
1 9" deep dish pie crust - chilled (I know I'm not making my own. One of there days I will.)

3 Large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup Agave Nectar
2 tbs. Bourbon (Jack Daniels)
1 tbs. unsalted butter (softened)
2 cups pecans (chopped)
1 cup pecans (halves)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together, except pecans, until combined. Mix in chopped pecans. Pour into chilled pie crust. Arrange pecan halves onto on mixture (in a nice pretty design - if it looks better it tastes better ;-). Bake pie 50 to 60 minutes. Turn oven off and let sit 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Eat. The flavor of the pie is not as sweet as regular pecan pie made with corn syrup. The pie has a more depth of flavor: a combination of caramel, honey & molasses. This is a very nutty pie, as a pecan pie should be: hence the name; not a pie of gooey, gloopyness that happen to many pecan pies when people are chintzy on the pecans.

Take a peek at the results:

As you can see I still had a little issue with the oven being hot, but the nuts were not burnt, just highly toasted.

I had to check the oven temperature constantly and it still misbehaved.

Dungeness Crab Alfredo w/ Fresh Pasta

2007-11-20T22:13:00.000-08:00

Another hit with the fiancé.

Can one really go wrong with a yummy Alfredo sauce, Dungeness crab & fresh pasta?

Alfredo Sauce:
Ingredients:
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano (finely grated)
1/2 pound Dungeness crab meat

Method:
Combine first 3 ingredients in a sauce pan over low to medium-low heat. Heat ingredients till hot and cream is steaming. Stir in Parmigiano Reggiano. Simmer sauce on low heat as long as possible (at the very minimum 15-20 minutes) to allow all for best flavor. Stir every 2-5 minutes. Add crab meat approximately 5 minutes before serving allowing the crab to warm up and the sauce not get to crabby. :-)

Fresh Pasta.
Since I don't have the pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid. If I did I would have made fresh pasta, but as I do not I bought it; a nice one made with eggs. Cook according to package or recipe.

Here is the fiancé enjoying the last bits of the meal. I call this the Clean Plate and Spoon Club.

The Meal Declared as my BEST Ever

2007-11-11T22:53:00.000-08:00

Apparently last night's dinner (Nov. 10th, 2007) was awesome and my best creation ever, as declared by fiancé numerous times yesterday and today.

The meal started off as with a marinated steak (Truth be told it was a steak from the meat clearance section at the grocery) and ended with broccoli with cheese sauce. Simple straight forward and apparently AWESOME.

Steak Marinade:
1 large ziploc bag

Into the bag put:
A couple glugs of 4 cheese Italian dressing
A couple splashes of soy sauce
2 large spoon heaping with minced garlic
2 or 3 generous pours of paprika
2 or 3 shakes of whole peppercorns
8-12 chive stems snipped into the marinating bag

Throw the steak in to the bag. Close the bag. Toss the steak around in the bag until everything is mixed together and the steak is, for the most part, coated in the marinade.

Toss the steak in the fridge and marinate overnight.

The next day to do list:
Seam Broccoli
Make cheese sauce
Cook marinaded steak

Broccoli with Cheese Sauce:
Put the broccoli in your steamer and steam until tender, tender-crisp.

While broccoli is steaming begin making the cheese sauce:
1/2 cup whole milk
1 slice lacy swiss
4 slices cheese singles
a few tbs. Parmigiana Reggiano
2 cloves garlic (smashed and peeled)

Simmer milk and garlic till foamy. Add all cheese and keep at low heat to melt. (the only drawback to this sauce is it isn't completely smooth. Anyone with suggestions on how to make this sauce smooth please share.)

Cooking the steak:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat skillet with some oil (cook's choice on type). Sear steak on each side for 3-4 minutes. Then cook in oven for 8-10 minutes for medium-rare.

This was heralded by my fiancé as my best meal ever. I was astonished; this was just something that I threw together. :-D w00t

Pork Chop

2007-11-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

Purchased an economy pack of bone-in pork chops.

What will I be doing for the next few weeks?
I'll be experimenting with as many incarnations and variations of pork chops. Whee. I love the forced innovation. Don't want to get stuck in a rut.

Today's incarnation: Fried Pork Chops
Breading:
1 part Italian bread crumbs
1 part Parmesan finely grated
1/8 part Garlic powder
1/8 part Chicken bullion

2 tbs. Butter melted

1 large Pork Chop

Heat a smallish skillet with a few tbs. of veggie oil (we want the flavors of the breading to come through cleanly, no extra virgin olive oil here)

Mix all breading ingredients together.
Coat pork chop in the melted butter.
Dredge pork chop in breading ingredients
Place pork chop in heated & oiled skillet and Cook even on both sides; approximately 8-10 minutes (depending on the size of you pork chop).
Cook the pork till the meat firmly springs back.

Now you have gastrotastic Pork Chops.

BBQ in California - Kinder's style review

2007-11-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this review by saying that I grew up North Carolina and for a few years I lived in Memphis. These places are BBQ capitals and in my opinion have the best BBQ in the country, is not the world. I have knowledge of what BBQ and what its accompaniments should be and should and can taste like. I will judge harshly only because there are many, many places the have so-called 'BBQ', which are unpalatable and should not be forced onto any unsuspecting patrons as food (its not even a source of sustenance or nutrients), much less the sacred BBQ. Many BBQ joints in parts of the country that are not known for BBQ are very guilty of the aforementioned atrocity which will hereby be known as, fauxBQ.

All that having been said, I was hopeful upon entering Kinder's new restaurant/store in Fremont. After looking at the menu for a bit I decided on the BBQ Beef Sandwich, my fiancé got the Rib Eye Steak Sandwich and we both got soft drinks. We proceed to the drink machine to fill up our cups with Dr. Pepper, the nectar of the Gods. Our drink needs were dashed, not only were they our of Dr. Pepper syrup, but they didn't have any more. Needless-to-say I got my money back for the drinks; this shortage is completely inexcusable for an establishment, any establishment, especially a chain/franchise.

We sit down and begin to look around the establishment and see that they sell meets and deli products. The item that struck me as the most outrageous was that they were charging approximately $5 for bacon that did not seem all that special: thick cut with or without pepper. Then we sat and talked and sat and talked some more. We sat there a little over half an hour before they brought out our 2 sandwiches. I have one question: Honestly how long does it take to make 2 sandwiches.

Adding insult to injury my BBQ sandwich was not even hot; it was luke warm. Upon biting into the sandwich I was sorely disappointed. The bread was not crispy, it was chewy, the inside was soggy because the sandwich had undoubtedly been sitting around for awhile, probably the entire time we waited. The taste, the taste was ... a weak conglomeration of chilli flavored tomatoish 'sauce' encapsulating shredded beef & topped off mediocre cheddar cheese. The taste was improved only slightly by their supposed 'award winning" BBQ sauce in both mild and hot varieties. The first rule of BBQ is not to drown you 'well cooked' meat in a food service preperation of chilli flavored, tomato based gloopy, sloppy mess. A true shredded BBQ should have the shredded beef stand alone with its individual juicy seasoning of smoke and dry rub and then have the sauce and cheese added to it to enhance the flavors of the beef. The second rule of a BBQ sandwich is not to let it sit on the bread you're serving it on too long because it will get soggy. The BBQ sandwich is messy enough not to need a soggy, falling apart bun.

To sum up, Kinder's BBQ is faux-BQ; it is a barely palatable mess of bad flavors. Having won awards west of the Mississippi, namely John Ascuaga's Best of the West, apparently means nothing of talent or taste. I miss my Memphis BBQ and Memphis in May.
I would like to challenge Kinder's BBQ to a showing at Memphis in May, a world-class BBQ event, unlike the casino sponsored event where they received an award. I doubt that they would place in any of the categories.

Komatsu Resteraunt

2007-10-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

Komatsu Japanese Restaurant is located in an understated building by the light rail tracks of downtown Campbell, CA. Though one immediately thinks of sushi at an instant when Japanese cuisine is mentioned, one must not forget that there are many other yummy categories of this cuisine.

Donburi "is a Japanese "rice bowl dish" consisting of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients simmered together and served over rice (see Wikipedia for the entire article). I equate this dish with more of a home-cooking style or comfort food in Japanese cooking. The version of this dish I ordered was: “Oyakodon (親子丼): simmered chicken, egg and onion on rice” (Wikipedia). This was a yummy dish as was my fiancé's dish: “Katsudon (カツ丼): breaded deep-fried pork cutlets (tonkatsu), onion, and egg on rice” (in Wikipedia's Donburi article).

Overall the atmosphere was calming the wait staff was attentive, the only drawback was that it happened to be Campbell's Oktoberfest night and there was an obnoxious group people which ruined the intended atmosphere.

This is definitely an establishment I will return to try their many other dishes and of course their sushi. :-)

Visit Komatsu's website: http://komatsu-sushi.com/

Not Your Mom's Mac 'n Cheese

2007-10-01T22:15:00.001-07:00

Let's start with:
Grate:
Fontina
Gruyère
Havarti (for tangy creaminess)
add
Cream & Milk

Boil:
Rotini Pasta (1 box)

Sweat & Sauté:
Baby Portobella
Sweet Onions

Stick in the oven and bake to cheesy goodness.

These ingredients meld to make a yummy layered Mac 'n Shrooms Onions 'n Cheese.

I don't have a final recipe yet because it needs a little tweaking, but I will have one when it is perfect.

Reviews

2007-09-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

See my first review of a restaurant on Yelp.com:
Kirk's Steakburger
http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=Sejp_-eosEMatnYb7Z9jNQ

Or see it here:
Kirk's Steakburger, 2388 S Bascom Ave., Campbell, CA 95008
Being very new to the area I am anxious to try all the local chains. Getting a coupon in the free Sunday paper was a great place to start, so my betrothed and I decided to try it out.

First Impression (exterior): The sign, new as it may be, was not that easy to see: black background - nice on paper, not on a sign. The parking lot was relatively full - good sign.

Intermediate Impression (inside). The inside was OK looking it had the feel of an older establishment that had seen a lot of use, but was kept up by the minimal standards.
We take a gander at the menu and decide on the single patty w/ cheese: a double just seemed like too much and too expensive along with an order of fries and onion strings. A nice surprise when ordering we were asked how we wanted out burgers cooked. Thought to self: this seems like it might be one of those great placed to eat with relatively cheap food, but great quality and taste. We placed out order and found a seat to wait.
While waiting and sipping our sodas we notice, as we are seated by a window, that there are quite a number of flies by this window and they're fat and slugging. They buzz annoyingly around and a mini battle ensues: 2 humans versus the 4 flies by the window. Casualties: 3-flies 0-humans. After this slightly disgusting episode we continue waiting.
Finally our order is ready, we make our way 'round the fixin' station and then sit down to enjoy a presumably good burger. Before I even get a bite in my mouth I taste very burnt charred meat and and something chemically and unpleasant, I forge ahead thinking that my taste buds are just playing tricks on me. I take another bite and that same taste is there and lingers throughout the entire bite. I consult my betrothed and he does take the extra charriness. He also notes that my burger is charred and cooked way past well-done; adding insult to injury also not medium-rare like I had ordered it. I take one more bite and am a bit nauseous at this point. I decided that enough was enough and I take my burger back upfront and see if they can redo it. The cashier is nice and states that it is no problem to redo mine and continued by asking whether my betrothed's burger was cooked medium-rare. I state that it was not. I wait again; go back to the fixin's bar again and go back to my table, again. I take a bite and low and behold that same darn nasty burnt taste is there again/still, but only slightly less. I stomach my way through 3/4's of the burger and call it quits; I'm feeling a bit nauseous.

Final Impression: Why don't people understand that charred burned meat is not healthy, nor is it tasty; it does not add any dimension to the flavor. It is just DISGUSTING. On a slightly more positive note: the fried and onion strings are good; this is the only reason that I am giving this place 2 stars. Needless to say I will not be coming to this establishment again; I'll be going to In-n-Out Burger.

The Beginning ... The First Step

2007-09-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

The first step on any journey is the realization that one needs to be taken. This realization is sometimes easy and sometimes an arduous one that requires much thought and meditation.
My journey began as many do: one graduates from high school and then goes to a 4 year institution with the admonishment of one's parents to major in something practical. In order to validate my Studio Art Major I also majored in Psychology. Forcing myself to create a legitimate profession that coincided with my majors I thought that Art Therapy would suffice.
I graduated from college with my double majors and started in the 'noble' profession of working with troubled youth (not at-risk youth because these kids already had troubles and were causing this left and right). The 'profession'/'career' lasted just over 2 years when I came to the realization that the dead horse could be beaten no more. I and the 'system' and had come to the realization that we both had, had enough: me enough of being attacked and bitten and having to deal with the utter stupidity, self-serving, depravity, of the 'youths' and their enormous sense of unjustified entitlement; the system enough of me being too compassionate and then becoming jaded upon the realization of the afore mention enough-ity.
From there I bounced around from one unsatisfying job to another in both Memphis, TN and Fort Collins, CO. Moving to Fort Collins was a good move: much more liberal and much more open. However, this move also brought a job, lasting a little over a year, that would rival the horrors of working 'troubled youth': working with coworkers that were mentally/emotionally troubled. The job decided, as I was a temp worker throughout my duration there, that I was too sane and promptly got rid of me.
My fiancé having been courted by Google, out of the blue, was proposed a job that we promptly accepted. Hence, we picked up and headed even further west. Maybe it was something about the western air, climate or the overall state of mind that California is in, but it is here that I came to my ultimate realization: the one thing I truly am excited about, passionate about, think and dream about is FOOD. I truly enjoy cooking and creating meals for my fiancé. If I enjoy doing this why can't I make a career out of it and get paid to do what I love.
It is at this crux of my life path that I traverse and we shall see what's cooking for the future.

Introduction

2007-09-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

Welcome one and all to a journey.
Join me on the journey and share your experiences as I share mine.