The Wandering Eater

Please note, this is sort of  a book review done all in one post. If this doesn’t interest you, feel free to peruse around my blog for restaurant reviews or other recipes.

For the past week or so, I went into a strange tunnel vision-like obsession for all things sweet and frozen. I’m talking about ice cream (along with granita and sherbet). Thanks to Helen to contribute my madness by lending me her ice cream machine, I got myself David Lebovitz’s book, Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments, gathered a bunch of ingredients from my local market (my main haul was heavy cream). The guinea pigs were pretty much my parents and I.

Crema di Pistacchi Bronte; viscous

As a long time fan of Mr. Lebovitz’s blog, I bookmarked his pistachio gelato recipe a while ago since I hope that one day I’d make this myself. In case you didn’t know or you’re reading my blog for the first time, I LOVE pistachio gelato! There’s something innately seductive about this particular nut that I can’t explain. (Possibly it’s so buttery and creamy when it’s in a paste form?)
Continue reading "Ice Cream Madness: Book Review “The Perfect Scoop”" »

Earlier last week, I went to BCD Tofu with my mom for lunch. She craved Korean food and I asked my best friend, Helen for suggestions a few days earlier (she’s Korean, so she knows what’s good), this ended up as the destination of choice. Admittedly, BCD is sort of on the hype end of the Koreatown spectrum besides the soon-to-be-opening Kyochon Chicken but at least I found some respite of not seeing cameras compared to Baohaus.

Interior

When we entered this restaurant, we’re greeted with a hostess in Korean and asked for seating for two. After sitting down at table, I noticed it’s not as bustling as I was thinking for lunch hour. It’s about quarter full and most of the patrons are college kids or around my age. The interior isn’t a huge departure from any other K-town restaurant. It’s cleaner, a bit brighter, and everyone’s seated in banquettes that has its own copper hood with the exception of a few two-tops along one wall of the restaurant.

Banchan

Mom and I looked at the Lunch Special menu and end up choosing what we wanted. After the orders were taken, out came the banchan. Two types of kimchi, one was sweet and spicy (Mom approved) and the smaller plate was salty and spicy, a fried fish (admittedly, a bit on the dry side but still palatable), some pickles, pasta and ham salad, and seaweed.
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Last week or so while my family was still in this weird, almost obsessed period of making almost all Chinese sweets and baked goods from scratch, I went along with it and baked dan tats (蛋撻) or egg custard tarts. You may call me crazy but my argument is, there’s nothing like a fresh baked fill in the blank and if I know how to make it, why the hell should I buy it? Unless of course, I’m desperate to eat whatever I’m aping for. I know things like the egg custard tarts and Chinese-style baked pork buns would make your head scratch and wonder why bake it since it’s relatively cheap to buy? To sum up in a word, quality.

Before I keep ranting, here’s how I made them…

I didn’t realize that until my dad translated that for me when I found a recipe via eGullet which took me to this Chinese website called Leisure Cat. Funny thing is, my dad inscribed a bunch of dim sum recipes waay back about three decades ago and actually saved his little notebook. He compared notes and found it to be pretty much legit in terms of ratios. So, I used the crusts portion and went my own way when it came to the egg yolk custard filling.

Mis en place for the “oil crust” and “water crust”

There’s two crusts to make, yes. TWO. The “oil crust” is self-explanatory. It’s made with a pile of butter, lard and a smidge of flour (if you have to compare weights between the fats and the flour). The “water crust” is the low fat part of the dough. Both are essential to give you the crisp, flaky crust.
Continue reading "Baking Egg Custard Tarts (aka Dan Tats)" »

A week ago, when it’s the first day of Chinese (or Lunar) New Year, my mom called my phone early in the morning telling me to meet her at Jade Asian Restaurant in Flushing, for dim sum at 8 AM. I’m scratching my head as to “why so early?” But then it dawned on me that it’s a Sunday, prime dim sum days are weekends by default, and it is the first day of Chinese New Year and one must eat a “good” breakfast to start off the year. (To clarify a bit, this holiday is very food-centric and symbolic/superstitious; if you eat a good breakfast (as in eating well), you’ll have a prosperous year.)

Interior

By the time my family and I met up and sat at our table, we’re greeted with a lot of diners. Families and friends (and mildly surprising, several Caucasians who seem to know their way eating around Flushing) were gathered and eating at this time of the morning. So let’s move onto the food, shall we?
Continue reading "Jade Asian Restaurant: An Almost Hong Kong Dim Sum Experience" »

Latte Art Throwdown
Dean & Deluca, the epicurean food store is collaborating with Counter Culture Coffee, in their first Latte Art Throwdown that’s open to the public on Wednesday, February 24th starting at 3 PM at the New York Times Cafe. Counter Culture Coffee, will kick things off with a brief workshop and go over the milk texturing and pouring techniques required for the creation of latte art. Address: 620 Eighth Ave. at 40th Street (map)

LUCKYRICE Asian Food Festival
LUCKYRICE, an integrated media and marketing company honoring Asian culinary culture, announced that tickets goes on sale February 16, 2010 for their first annual LUCKYRICE Asian Food Festival. The festivities will explore cuisines and culture of Asia in America through grand tastings, cocktail parties and other epicurean events including a Night Market and a Sunset Luau. Following the festival will be the LUCKYRICE Restaurant and Bar Week, which will offer prix-fixe lunches and dinners at participating restaurants. For further information about these events, please go to their website.

My dear readers, probably if you read my blog long enough to know the essence of my eating habits most of my diet would compose of approximately 50% meat (preferably pork), 30% complex carbohydrates (as in noodles and rice), the remaining 20% miscellaneous (drinks, coffee, desserts, etc.). For the past month or so, all the buzz has been around Baohaus. Prodding around their site and reading Chef/Owner Eddie Huang’s own blog, I like his style (he said “PORK FAT IS FOREVER” and the meats are red cooked (meaning, braised in a flavorful, aromatic broth containing soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, etc., cooked until fork tender) and persuaded a few dependable, pork-lovin’ friends to come along.

Once we arrived to Baohaus, we’re a bit perplexed by the large crowd of young Asians around my age waiting outside the door around 3 PM on a Saturday. I’ve asked them are they waiting on line or something else? One of them said they’ve ordered and we allowed ourselves in and walk up to the counter. After excusing ourselves through the almost claustrophobic space (it’s a narrow storefront with a large island/ bar seating area with another table tucked on the corner near the door done up in blue and white color scheme). I saw Eddie Huang toiling behind the stove trying to catch up to three orders, while his assistant is taking down orders and the dishes in the back.

As Eddie cranked out the baos and Royal Frushes, I’ve observed most of diners were young Asians taking out cameras of every kind shooting photos of his food (from iPhones and point-and-shoots to dSLRs similar to my 5D Mark II). Oversaturated food blog market in New York City? Perhaps or we’re becoming too predictable to play up on trends.

True that.

Whilst waiting for our order, my friends spotted this (pointing above) sticker. I totally wanted one since pork fat is awesome and it does rule my life. Besides butter.
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Recently I’ve been invited to a Greek benefit dinner at Molyvos, whose meal frames around the Greek Orthodox tradition of Lent. Knowing what Lent is, I am a skeptic. I’m an omnivore who loves her meat and dairy. Frankly, I don’t think I can go a day without any dairy since I need a splash of it in my morning cup of coffee. But I bit the bullet, agreed to come and have an open mind to try out Chef Jim Botsacos’ take on the Lenten tradition. (I’m keeping this post short since it’s mainly benefit-focused.)

Entering in the restaurant, I was welcomed with the rustic, warm interior adorned with nautical patterned plates. It feels worn with time and it feels cozy.

I met Chef Botsacos and spoke to him briefly on the take of Lent and food and basically, it boils down to the idea of mimicking textures and flavors to the point that one would feel satiated without the meat and dairy. He’s passionate about this point but as a dessert lovin’ gal who embraces dairy (I’m not a fan of vegan food, by the way), I’m going along with his statement and eat his food.

The raw bar was excellent; filled with fresh mussels, oysters, and cocktail shrimp. You can’t go wrong with raw shellfish unless, of course, you’re allergic.

The most amusing dish was the “octopus pie” (called octopodopita on the menu, pictured on the above right) that the wait staff told me when I was at the buffet table. Crisp, flaky crust filled with meaty chunks of octopus, rice and zucchini. It really made me forget I was eating a pescatarian/vegetarian dish.

The least liked portion of the meal was dessert, consisting of Karidopita Nistisimi (an olive walnut cake topped with blood orange), I forgot what’s the shot glass dessert is called but it’s a loose grape jelly that’s pretty tart and a Melomakarona (an orange honey walnut cookie), unfortunately. Without the eggs and cream, it lacked the lightness and creaminess I desire in my sweets. It was a good try though. If I had to pick the best of the three I tried on that plate, it was probably the walnut cake.

Generally speaking, Chef Botsacos has done a very good job on weaning me away from my meat. Dairy is a whole different topic.

My slideshow of the event and the rest of the food, right after the jump.
Continue reading "Greek Lent Dinner" »

As of the past weekend, my entire family have been scheming what to cook and eat for Lunar or Chinese New Year. Coincidentally, Chinese New Year falls on the same date as Valentine’s Day this year.

Proofed, filled buns; Brushing on egg

Anyway, as we’re planning out loud what we can do and must do for tradition and for the sake of ambition of tackling dishes we’ve never done. Going along with the latter, my dad and I collaborated the effort of baking cha siu bao-style buns (aka baked Chinese BBQ pork buns) except we’ve replaced the pork filling with house ground sirloin beef. We are planning to do the real cha siu bao around next week so we won’t ruin his delicious roast pork. (Trust me, you haven’t lived ’til you tried my dad’s pork. Unless you don’t like or can’t eat pork, that’s a different story.) The meat filling must be cooked prior to filling it in your bun. We flavored the ground beef with ginger, garlic, and scallions (all finely chopped) and flavored with oyster sauce and black pepper. Let it cool to room temp and proceed working with your large glob of fermented bread dough.

After kneading, cutting the dough, rolling them out like dumplings, filling, wrapping, and proofing (as in letting the buns rise and get puffy), I brush them on with a beaten whole egg. The reason behind the latter is to give the buns a nice glazed look and it helps the browning (caramelizing) process while it’s baking away in the oven.

Cooling

What pleasantly surprised me was the fact that these buns actually look…pretty and edible. For some strange reason, I tend to be afraid of baking buns more than a loaf of bread. At any rate, they look gloriously golden brown with a beautiful sheen.

Innards, done two ways

When the buns were chomped by the teeth or cut with a knife, a gentle steam exudes from them, releasing the incredible scent of meat, garlic and a gentle hint of scallion. These were tasty. The modifications I have to do next time is to increase the oven temperature I used and shorten the baking time.

If you’re inclined to bake cha siu bao-style buns (and I urge you to try it), here’s the recipe:
Continue reading "Baked Beef Buns, “Cha Siu Bao” Style" »

During the course of my work week, I was craving something crunchy. I can’t explain it but it’s certainly one of those times that I have the strongest, indescribable desire to eat crunchy food. Since I didn’t want potato chips or pretzels, even though it was Super Bowl weekend, I searched my house and found a bag of mixed unshelled nuts. I perused my recipe collection I collected over the years and found this: hazelnut strawberry thumbprint cookies.

It’s a simple cookie recipe. The small problem was, I didn’t have enough hazelnuts. (I’m presuming my dad liked that particular nut a lot since there weren’t that many from the beginning.) So, I thought what nut would go with hazelnuts well and almonds popped in my head and I started cracking my way through. After fifteen minutes of nut shell debris flying across my kitchen counter and floor, I had enough nut meat for the recipe.

Look like blond Rocher chocolates

After making the buttery mass of cookie dough, forming it into one-inch balls and rolling it in the coarsely ground, toasted, nuts, it does look like Rocher chocolates, except, of course, it’s made of cookie dough.

Continue reading "Hazelnut-Almond Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies for Valentine’s Day, Lunar New Year, or Any Other Day" »

I went to SD26 last Friday with Helen and Seungmi in tow for Restaurant Week. Part of the allure was the fact that this is the reincarnation of the old San Domenico (think refined and genteel) that went downtown hip.

Top left, clockwise: Kitchen view, Salumi area, and Interior

Entering the restaurant from the windy, bitter cold, we’re greeted by the hostess and saw the automated wine dispensers, something that reminds me of Clo Wine Bar in the Time Warner Building in the Upper West Side.

When we entered the dining room, it’s minimalist in design: a huge bar before one enters the dining room; the dining room done in neutral beige walls with high ceilings, while the private booth areas were in painted in a bold red, the open kitchen, and a salumi area which stank from the opened wheels Parmigiano-Reggiano. The odd things were the fabric art objects that hung along the back wall, close to where my table was. Seungmi called them “pumpkins” – colorful, fuzzy pumpkins, in my opinion. (I don’t have a photo of them because I have a bad angle from where I was sitting.)

Place setting and RW menu

Perusing through the Restaurant Week menu, we pretty much agreed on the same appetizers and went almost our own way through the meal.

Continue reading "Lunch at SD26 – Restaurant Week" »