Chez Panisse Experience

The first couple of years I was at Berkeley, I had walked right past the Chez Panisse gate many times without seeing it. I always wondered where it was. It was THAT unassuming. Of course, I eventually found the place, and enjoyed a few meals there. Maybe it didn't quite live up to the hype, but my experiences were all pleasant.

The last few months, I have came across several references to recipes from the acclaimed Chez Panisse Vegetables in a number of blogs. So when I got my hands on a copy of Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook, I thought it was time for me to try a couple of recipes. All things start small, for my first attempt, I chose two simple recipes - Fresh Ricotta Baked with Herbs and Olive Oil, and Baked Scallops with Prosciutto. (OK, OK, I admit, I simplified by skipping the meyer lemon relish and lettuce for the scallop. Yes, I'm sure these components would enhance the flavor of the dishes. However, I also believe that "enhancement" is what you build on top of a solid foundation. If something was distasteful to start with, all the enhancements in the world aren't going to make it fabulous, only mediocre.)

The baking dish I used for the ricotta is only about 1 1/2 inches deep, even though Ms. Waters said to pack in 2 inches of cheese. I took the ricotta out of the oven when it was all puffed up just like a souffle. Unfortunately, before I could even grab the camera, it shrank down. *sigh* Even with only 1 1/2 inch of cheese, the bottom still didn't get all creamy smooth like what you'd expect of baked cheese. The taste? Well, let's just say that even if the puff didn't go poof, my excitement would still be gone by the time I had the first bite. It tasted just like slightly salted ricotta cheese. The baking process didn't seem to alter anything. I felt so cheated. I should have just made another ricotta cheesecake. =(

The scallops, on the other hand, were superb! The outside was slightly crusty, the inside perfectly tender. The natural sweetness of the scallops paired with the salty prosciutto, even without the lettuce and the lemon relish, it was still so scrumptious that I had to keep telling myself "cholesterol, cholesterol, cholesterol.." to stop eating. =) Next time, I will definitely make the complete dish with the relish and all. (I know, my plating looked a little funny. The recipe said to drape the prosciutto over and around the scallops. But the creativity-lacking-me really didn't know how to "drape" artistically.)

With such a successful scallop course, even the uninspiring ricotta could be forgiven. I can't wait to try more recipes from this book.

Tart for Tart

Just as I complained about the lack of berries, all of a sudden the markets seemed to be flooded with raspberries! They are hubby's favorite, so of course I couldn't resist but getting a few boxes. Personally, I often found raspberries a little tart. I like my fruit sweet and juicy; but that's how he likes them. However, I do have a soft spot for fruit tarts. Tart fruit is perfect for fruit tarts. =)

This time, I went with the Scintillating Strawberry Tart from Dessert Circus at Home. Instead of forming a large crust on foil, I made 8 mini-tarts. (Yes, yes, yes! I confess that I didn't make the edges like Jacques Torres demonstrated. When the tart pans are within reaching distance, I chose the easy way out.) I have tried this recipe before. What I've done differently today was to make the Pâte Brisée by hand like Torres said. It wasn't worth the effort! Use your food processor if you've got one. I also heated the apricot jam in the microwave. It didn't work as well as the stove. It might save you a minute or two, but it wasn't as smooth, and I much rather stand over a pot than getting the bowl in and out of the microwave multiple times. Now, onto the minor mistake I made. Since I didn't have any whole milk in the house, I used 2% for the pastry cream. As the result, the cream was a bit runny. It still tasted good, just missing that gelatinous look. Hey, nobody in this house noticed except me. =)

Quack, Quack, Quack...

With the flock of duck lovers I’m breeding, it's only a matter of time before I attempt to roast a duck myself. Normally I have very low expectations of Chinese cookbooks. The ones printed in Chinese, well, most of them only list the ingredients, and don't specify quantity. How is one supposed to follow a recipe like that?! The ones printed in English, well, most of them are so Americanized, that I think they barely qualify as Chinese. So I was a little skeptical when I checked out The Chinese Kitchen and The Food of China from the library. They each included a Peking Duck recipe, which are quite similar.

With a duck defrosted in the fridge, even though I was doubtful, I had no alternative but to proceed. The end result? It wasn't bad at all! Of course, my pancakes weren't even close to the paper thin ones we had in China, but they are much better than tortillas. The duck itself was quite tasty too. A traditional Peking Duck gets hang-dried for days, then air-pumped under the skin, and finally, hung in the oven and roasted. All of these created that super crispy and tasty skin. Just like you need a perfect oven for a pizzeria, you need a special oven to make top-notch Peking ducks. I, of course, don't have the place to hang a duck for days, or a pump to inflate and separate the skin from the flesh, nor do I have an oven big enough to hang a duck. Given these limitations, I think the duck did pretty well. =) Yes, the skin got really dark, but it wasn't burned or anything. In fact, J and D kept on asking for more skin. (The whole duck was a little unsightly. So I'm going to skip that picture.)

Peking Duck
adopted from The Chinese Kitchen and The Food of China

Next time I will lower the temperature by 25 degrees. Hopefully then, I won't have to worry about whether my duck was burning, and get a glistening reddish brown bird emerging out of the oven. The Cantonese roasted ducks are served with hoisin sauce. (Both of these books used it too.) In Beijing, we use sweet flour sauce instead. Unfortunately, I found my bottle of sweet flour sauce too salty, so I mixed it with hoisin sauce in 1:1 ratio.

1 duck (5 1/2 lb)
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp white rice vinegar
salt
water

Mix the honey with vinegar, set aside.

Boil lots of water in a large pot.

Clean the duck, remove the extra fat, rinse inside and out with cold running water. (Removing the feather stubs might take quite a bit of time.) Sprinkle the outside with salt and rub it in. Rinse off the salt. Let the water drain.

Dunk the duck in the boiling water for a few minutes till the skin darkens and tightens. Remove, drain, and dry thoroughly. While the duck is still warm, brush the honey vinegar mixture all over the duck. Let the duck air dry for at least 6 hours. (If you have a cool airy place to hang the duck, it would be the best. Otherwise, dry uncovered in the fridge overnight.)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put a large roasting pan with at least 1 1/2 inches of water on the bottom shelf. (The purpose of this is to catch the fat drippings.) Roast the duck, breast side down for 20 minutes. Turn the duck over, and roast at 425 for 50 minutes. Remove and cool for several minutes before carving.

Serve with 2 inch long thinly shredded green onion and sauce, wrapped in Chinese pancakes.

When slicing the duck, it's important to get a little skin, fat, and meat in every piece. I heard that the most famous Peking duck restaurant in China can get 108 pieces from every duck. My slices were not even close to being neat. Maybe I should call it hacking instead of slicing. =) Hey, it's the effort that counts. =)

Chinese Pancakes
adopted from The Chinese Kitchen and The Food of China

Next time, I'd use less water. These were quite sticky, I had to keep adding flour when rolling which left some powdery spots on the pancakes. I'd also roll them out a little bigger.

1 3/4 (210 g) cups flour
3/4 cup boiling water
sesame oil
extra flour, for dusting

Place the flour in a bowl. Slowly add the boiling water, and stirring in one direction. Once the water is absorbed, and the dough is cool enough to handle, knead into a ball on a floured surface till the dough is thoroughly mixed. Place in a bowl, cover with a damp towel to rest for 30 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll the dough into a log, then divide into 12 pieces. Flatten each piece into a disk with your palm.

Work with 2 pieces at a time. (Put the rest back in the bowl, under the damp towel.) Brush one dough disk with sesame oil, place another on top. Dust with flour whenever necessary. Roll the dough into a 7" round circle.

Heat a pan (the recipe called for a wok, but I used a non-stick pan) over medium-low for 1 minute. Put the rolled dough in the hot dry pan for 1 minute, until it starts to bubble up. Turn it over and cook until a few brown spots are visible. Remove and separate when it's cool enough to handle. Fold each pancake in half, cooked side facing inward. Cover with a damp towel. Repeat with all the dough.

To serve, steam for 7 minutes.

The "Commoners"

With a chilly and rainy summer, we didn't have abundant cherries and blueberries like last year. But the upside is that stone-fruit is everywhere, not just peaches, nectarine, and plums, but also pluots! Maybe 10 years ago, pluots were still like the royalties of fruit, only to be found at high-end restaurants where the server would explain that pluots were a cross between plums and apricots (That's true, but not entirely. Pluots are not the half-half-hybrid plumcots. You can read more about it here.) I didn't think there would be a day that I'd be buying pluots from local grocery stores at the incredible price of $1 per pound! Talk about the changing times. =)

Another used-to-be-rare fruit that's readily available is fig. You can get them at Costco for $6 for 2 pounds! Seared till tender, they are so juicy and sweet on top of salads. I’ve even made some jam myself. No more fancy store-bought fig spreads!

Unpopular Vegetables

Today, I found these. Did you know that brussel sprouts grow on a stalk? I was so fascinated that I had to get it. This probably would have been a bad idea 6 months ago, since hubby didn't like brussel sprouts. Luckily, I changed his mind recently. (If you are wondering, the trick is NOT to overcook the brussel sprouts, so they don’t release the glucosinolate sinigrin, which has a sulfurous odor.)

Speaking of veggies that hubby doesn't like, I haven't been as lucky with eggplants. I have always been a fan of eggplants, so of course I'd like hubby to share my taste. Over the years, I have tried making eggplants over and over again. However, hubby's reply is always "It's good, for an eggplant, but I don't like eggplants." Grrr, even my favorite broiled eggplant with Nobu's Saikyo Sweet Miso sauce from Nobu Now and eggplant in garlic sauce got rejected. *sigh* Does anyone know how to convert an eggplant-hater?

You Call That a Recipe?

Lately, I've been watching some Taiwanese shows. There is an entertainer that's known for his abrasive personality and colorful language. Before he started in show biz, he worked in restaurant kitchens for a number of years. He recently published a book about good eats for singles, which included some simple recipes. One show even did an episode on his book. It turns out that most of his recipes use just ramen noodles, hot dogs, soup packets, canned tuna, or onigiri. Other than mayonnaise, he didn't even use any seasoning (at least in the 5 recipes they demonstrated on the show). Can these even be called recipes? True, they are quick and easy. But there is no REAL cooking involved, and most of them are so unhealthy, they really shouldn't be anything but the last resort. As someone who loves to cook and eat, I find that almost insulting. During the show, a Le Cordon Bleu trained special guest compared the concept behind these "recipes" to Semi-Homemade Cooking. Well, these are both about quick and easy meals, but the similarity ends there. It’s drastically different to make a hot dog or ramen than to make a meal from appetizer to dessert. I guess as an ex-foodnetwork-devoted-viewer, I got a little worked up by the comment.

New Gadget

I'm a kitchen gadget addict. I could literally drool in front of a pretty in pink food mixer, or goo goo ga ga over a shining SodaStream penguin. My latest object of obsession is the Vitamix blender. However, the price tag is really preventing me from getting close and personal with my love. The gadget addict haven't won over the thrifty deal seeker yet. But when I find an appliance in a killer deal, the universe comes together, both parts of me are happy! That’s how I became the new proud owner of a Cuisnart Brick Oven.

I used to fret over the preheating and cooling time of my oven. Who would want to bake cookies for 15 minutes when you had to preheat for 25 minutes, and listen to the oven fan for another 15 minutes to cool down afterwards?! Not me, that's for sure! So I normally stagger my baking, and let the oven run for hours. That of course lands me in the kitchen all day. (Call me crazy.) As much as I love cooking, that's exhausting. Now, this brick oven would solve my dilemma. Preheating only takes minutes, and no oven fan. Yippy!

The Ricotta Cheesecake from Le Cordon Bleu Dessert Techniques was the lucky winner to be the first product coming out of the Cuisnart. This was really a cake, instead of a cheesecake. The flour and ground almond made the filling quite dense, but it was nonetheless a good cake. It was neither too sweet nor too heavy like many cheesecakes. For the cup of dried fruit, I used a mix of dried blueberries, crasins, mango and pineapple bits. (I was out of candied peels.) Every bite was a little surprise. Hubby was so happy with the cake, he even had seconds.

I'm already planning on all the things I could bake. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. =)

Happy Hour Recap

With a raining July 4th and Labor Day, summer was gone before it even started. I suppose it would be too much to ask a perfect summer like last year. Without the blue sky and warm air, it felt like the months went by without us going into Seattle for those weekend activities, or sitting on some patio enjoying happy hour fare. Now, I look back, it seemed that I only sneak in a couple of happy hours myself, and a couple with J. And me being such a procrastinator, I didn't even to write them up. I guess now is as good as any time to sum up the summer.

Last year, I read up bunch of reviews before going to the Stone House. I still remember many reviews mentioned that they had a fabulous happy hour. So one day, when I ran errands till 4 something without any lunch, I stopped by for a much needed refuel. Unfortunately, compared to the info online, the selection had gone down, and the price had gone up. But no matter, I was so starving I could eat a cow, so I got the spinach and fig salad, and the red Thai coconut curry mussels. The sweet fig and vinaigrette combination might be obvious, but you can't deny that they compliment each other perfectly. Texture wise, the salad was a little underwhelming. It would have been perfect if it was topped with some crunchy nuts, such as candied pecans or sorts. The mussels were delicious. The coconut curry was quite spicy but almost addictive. I only wish I had more bread to soak it all up. =)

Even though we live close to downtown Bellevue, I only went to Palomino twice. Palomino also raised their price a little bit. The Cranberry Mojito is just as fabulous as my favorite Candied Apple Drop, sweet but not syrupy, perfect for me! The Grilled Wild Mushroom Salad was as mouthwatering as I remembered. The flatbreads and pizzas, whether it was Wild Mushroom, Cured Ham, and Goat Cheese flatbread, or the Uli’s Italian Sausage and Mushroom pizza (no picture) were crispy and savory. (Hmm, I just realized that I only chose items with mushrooms.) The Palomino chef unequivocally knows his mushroom. It was consistently flawlessly cooked. The best part about enjoying happy hour at Palomino is that it’s also offered on the patio. So even if you have a child, you don’t have to give up the opportunities to treat yourself.

I wish there were more to write about. Hopefully next summer will be exciting.

Stonehouse
16244 Cleveland St, Redmond, WA 98052
(425) 558-5625

Palomino Bellevue
610 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA 98004
(425)455-7600

Potato Salads

The weather hasn't been cooperating, but it IS Labor Day weekend after all, and that means BBQ, right? At least, that's what I think it means to everyone else (EVEN when we are not really BBQ people). I really didn't feel like flipping burgers with all those clouds over my head, but hot dogs - I can deal with. So it's decided that I'd grill up some dogs. Now comes the hard part. What would I serve the dogs with?

Even though D's allergies are very inconvenient when we eat out, at home, it's not much of a problem at all. I don't normally cook with butter/cream/cheese anyways. However, there are a few simple staples that I haven't mastered an alternative yet. One being a potato salad. Last time, when we tried out our brand new grill, I made a potato salad with tofu mayonnaise which wasn't bad, but it wasn't much of a hit either. Without mayonnaise, I had to find a different breed of potato salad to accompany the dogs.

This salad is acceptable served cold, but it is better warm. It might not drench your cravings if you want a traditional salad, but it's certainly adequate otherwise.

Vegan Potato Salad

1.5 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, diced 1/2 inch cubes
1 shallot, thinly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt
pepper
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained, cut into small bits
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Season the potatoes and shallot with salt, toss in 1 tbsp olive oil. Heat in a non-stick pan over medium heat till the potatoes are just tender.

In a large bowl, beat together the 2 tbsp olive oil and white wine vinegar, season with salt and pepper. Toss together with the potatoes, shallots, tomatoes and parsley.

Mobatta

Summer is over, but J's school doesn't start until the 8th. Since we didn't go into Seattle very much this summer, the two of us went on the bus for a little lunch "date" in the city.

I bought a few Groupon deals awhile ago, one being the La Crêperie Voilà, and another being Mobatta. I didn't want to spend too much time figuring out where to go (not a very good "date", was I?), so it was time to use a Groupon. Mobatta is located in the Pioneer Square area. It shares the door with a Mediterranean fast food place. The space is clean, simple and very open. They have 4 tables and a long bar area, definitely enough for a quick bite. The price is on par with other creperies. I used my $12 groupon, and was both pleasantly surprised, AND had a little sticker shock. Most places use the Groupon value towards the after tax sum, but Mobatta deducts from the pre-tax. So our Salmon & Egg Tartine ($5.99) and Strawberry CheeseCrepe ($5.99) were free! Yippy! Now, comes the sticker shock. When I ask for a cup of tap water, I expect it to be free. Not the case here, my two EcoSafe cups cost me 54¢ (including 4¢ tax). Be fore-warned, if you are coming here.

The salmon and egg crêpe was much more substantial and cheaper than the salmon one at La Crêperie Voilà. I was happy with the amount of egg and smoked salmon. But there wasn't too much Mozzarella, and the Hollandaise sauce was on the bland side. Thanks to the smoked salmon, the taste was balanced. The crêpe itself was slightly overcooked. It was still acceptable, I suppose. The strawberry crêpe was a bit monotone, just sweet. I didn't pay enough attention when I got it, but by the time we finished the salmon and egg tartine, the cheese cake filling was all runny. The Graham cracker and brown sugar only made it taste gritty. They also didn’t use fresh strawberries. This is one that could be skipped.

I don't think I'd vist again, but if I had to choose between Mobatta and La Crêperie Voilà, or if there was a really good deal, I’d still go.

Mobatta Crêpes To-Go
719 2nd Ave (between Cherry St & Columbia St), Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 801-0251